good morning. medical milestone? for the first time ever, an experimental vaccine has prevented infection with the aids virus. the remarkable findings just announced this morning. how are they? it's been nearly a month sin that 18-year-long kidnapping ordeal came to an end for jaycee dugard. this morning, a man who has recently spent time with jaycee and her two daughters speaks about what their lives are like now. and startling revelations. actress mackenzie phillips' shocking new memoir -- drugs at age 10, fired from "one day at a time," and the most disturbing claim of all, a decade-long sexual relationship with her own father, the late pop star john philli phillips. she's here to talk about it all in a live interview today, thursday, september 24th, 2009. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

and welcome to "today" on this thursday morning. i'm meredith vieira. >> and i'm matt lauer and we're keeping our fingers crossed out of this news out of thailand this morning. researchers carrying out the world's largest aids vaccine trial are hailing what they call a breakthrough in the fight against aids. >> it's an experimental drug that actually cut the risk of becoming infected with hiv by more than 31%. we're going to have much more on that promising discovery just ahead. also ahead, we're going to talk about a high school hazing ritual that's going to make a lot of parents very angry. freshmen girls targeted by older students at one of the most prestigious schools in the country. and get this, administrators of that school had known about it for at least ten years. we're going to tell you more about that story. plus, an emotional day at the extortion trial connected to the death of john travolta and kelly preston's son. travolta, who has stayed out of the public eye since jett's death in january, took the

witness stand wednesday. and what he told the court brought his wife to tears. we're going to have more on that in just a little while. but let's begin with high security in pittsburgh, where president obama is meeting with g-20 leaders. nbc's savannah guthrie is there. good morning to you, savannah. >> reporter: good morning, meredith. pittsburgh is about to become the center of world politics. later today, world leaders will travel here from new york for the g-20 economic summit, where the global financial crisis is expected to be issue number one. pittsburgh readies to receive the world. thousands of police, some in full riot gear, have taken up strategic positions on almost every block. greenpeace activists rappelled off the west end bridge, sending a clear message to the world leaders who will come here today. it's part two of the president's week on the world stage. on wednesday at the united nations, he lay laid out his foreign policy vision, saying america is ready to engage with the world but won't go it alone.

>> those who used to chastise america for acting alone in the world cannot now stand by and wait for america to solve the world's problems alone. >> reporter: in the audience, the man who represents foreign policy challenge number one for the administration, iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad, making a point to show his boredom as mr. obama challenged iran and north korea directly. >> and they must be held accountable. >> reporter: when his turn came, ahmadinejad didn't directly mention the nuclear issue but lashed out at what he called unbridled capitalism, as the u.s. delegation walked out. earlier in a rambling, nearly two-hour address to the u.n., his first in 40 years, libyan leader moammar gadhafi blasted the organization, calling its security council a terror council, even tossing a copy of the u.n. charter toward the security council president. meanwhile, a busy president obama toasted the u.n. >> to the united nations.

>> reporter: and sat down with russian president dmitry medvedev, looking for cooperation on iran. >> if iran does not respond to serious negotiations, serious additional sanctions remain a possibility. >> reporter: russia appeared to open the door to supporting sanctions but made no promises. but not all the drama in new york was on the world stage. the wife of embattled governor david paterson, who the white house is pushing not to run next year, spoke out. >> i never heard of a president asking a sitting governor not to run for re-election. i thought it was very unusual and very unfair. >> reporter: well, here in pittsburgh, world leaders will be pushing for new, tougher financial regulations so that a global financial crisis doesn't happen again. some in europe want a cap on executive bonuses, something the u.s. is not likely to support, meredith. >> all right, savannah guthrie, thank you very much. let's get the rest of the top stories of the morning now from ann curry over at the news

desk, including that big story coming out of thailand. ann, good morning to you. >> that's right. good morning to you, matt, meredith, and all of you. though much of the world attention now is on swine flu, there is an important milestone that matt mentioned to tell you about today in the fight against aids. officials announced in thailand that for the first time, an experimental vaccine has prevented infection with the aids virus. the vaccine cut the risk of getting infected with hiv by more than 31%. and the finding is a result of the world's largest aids vaccine trial. top u.s. health officials say they are now cautiously optimistic about developing an effective vaccine. today, massachusetts governor deval patrick names an interim successor to the late senator ted kennedy, and kennedy's sons want him to pick former democratic national committee chairman paul kirk. federal officials are investigating the death of a census worker in kentucky. they found him hanging from a tree with the word fed scrawled across his chest. the census bureau suspended

door-to-door interviews until the death of bill sparkman investigation is completed. oil and gas prices. melissa lee is at the new york stock exchange for us again this morning. melissa, what are you watching there? >> good morning, ann. investors will continue to digest what the fed said about the u.s. economy. no change in interest rates, but the fed was a little bit more optimistic about growth prospects here. meanti meantime, if you're a citibank customer, you might want to pay attention to this story. the "wall street journal" is reporting that citibank is narrowing the focus of its retail bank branch to six metropolitan areas -- new york, washington, miami, chicago, san francisco and los angeles. so, you might want to find another branch. not in those cities, ann. >> all right, okay. thanks a lot, melissa lee this morning. get a load of this -- a mother in indonesia has given birth to a 19-pound baby boy, who is said to have a very big appetite. he was born cesarean, thank goodness. but as big as he is, he didn't

hold the record, because a baby born in 1879 actually weighed 23 pounds. more to love. it is now 7:07. now back to matt, meredith and al. >> the comparison picture, the baby on the left was actually 6 years old. >> that's a big baby. >> that's a huge baby. >> with a big mouth. look at that. >> just after that picture was taken, he looked to the left, said "ooh, burrito." >> we are going to be very bleak to mostly cloudy today, 81 to 85 degrees. we will be seeing relief by tomorrow. 76 and mostly sunny.

slight chance of that's your latest weather. meredith? >> al, thank you. and now to the latest on jaycee dugard's 18-year-long kidnapping ordeal. in a moment, we will hear from her family's new spokesperson, who has recently spent time with jaycee and her daughters, but first, new details on the case against dugard's alleged abductors, phillip and nancy garrido. here's nbc's george lewis. >> reporter: police spent a week probing and digging in the backyard of the garrido house looking to see if any bodies might be buried there. so far, they have found nothing significant that would connect phillip garrido to a pair of old cases involving two girls who disappeared under circumstances

similar to the abduction of jaycee dugard. and while there is nothing to implicate garrido at this point, and while the search of his property is finished, police are not letting him off the hook. >> we will continue to pursue phillip garrido as a potential suspect and we will walk away from these properties knowing that we left no stone unturned. >> reporter: meanwhile, a man who claims to be jaycee dugard's biological father made an emotional plea to meet her. ken sleighton, who says he was romantically involved with jaycee's mother in 1979, was flanked by his wife and daughters and his attorney as he read a brief statement. >> we love you, jaycee, and we're ready for your call. >> reporter: representatives of jaycee dugard's family said that slayton had never been a part of jaycee's life before she was abducted and said his so-called plea was a cheap publicity stunt. this as jaycee and her daughters remain in seclusion trying to adjust to their new life.

jaycee getting reacquainted with the mother she had been separated from for 18 years. for "today," george lewis, nbc, los angeles. >> so, what is daily life now like for jaycee and her two daughters? early this morning, ann spoke with the family's new spokesperson and attorney. ann. >> that's right, meredith. his name is mcgregor scott. he's a former u.s. attorney. he was approached by jaycee's mother, terry probyn and agreed to work pro bono. we spoke and i asked him about jaycee's state of mind. >> i've had an opportunity to meet with the family on two occasions for a lengthy period of time on each occasion, and i can honestly say that i was very pleasantly surprised when i first met with jaycee as to her state of mind and her abilities, her competence, her functionality. and i was even more so the second time i had the opportunity to spend time with her. very, very reassured and pleasantly surprised by what i saw. >> did she give you any sort of idea, impression about what she may want to do now with her life

as she's making this transition? >> she and her mother and her children and the extended family are very much focused right now on this period of reconciliation and mending. they obviously have been separated, she and her mother, for 18 years now, well over half of the length of jaycee's life. and so, that really is their primary focus within the internal dynamics of the family. consideration of where she wants to be a year from now or five years from now is really not an immediate issue that the family is wrestling with. we really have a very definite list of specific things that we've got to focus on here in the short term. >> and how are you getting through that list? you mention the girls, ages now 15 and 11, so there's a lot of healing, as you sort of referred to, to be done. are there professionals who are helping? it would seem to me that the job of fixing this or helping someone cope would be enormous. >> yes. jaycee and the girls and

jaycee's mother are all receiving top-notch treatment, both in a physical -- a medical way as well as in a psychological or mental treatment way. so, they are receiving just the best of care. and in addition to that, we've assembled a team of top-notch lawyers to help them with the multitude of legal issues that they face going forward. >> and so, are they then also having to make those kinds of decisions as they're trying to heal as well? i mean, is there a clock that's ticking that is forcing them to make those decisions now? >> well, there's really no clock, but there really are some things that must be dealt with. for example, we have in recent days formally established a trust so that members of the public and others can make charitable contributions to jaycee's well-being and those of her daughters going forward. that's a legal matter that we have to wrestle with. the girls do not have birth certificates, so that's a process that we have now

initiated, because so much flows from the possession of a birth certificate here in the united states. so, there's no real clock, but there are things that must be started, because they take some time. >> meantime, last night, jaycee's mom, terry, released a statement saying that "people should never stop looking for their missing children." she said "miracles can happen." i know that the family wants to communicate in a way that still shields them with the public. what do they want to say, sir? >> well, the family really has two primary purposes or missions right now as we speak today. the first is to continue this mending and healing process that they're engaged in, in a private, secure way, and they would respectfully ask the media and the public to really just leave them alone during this period of time so that they can complete that process. the second thing that they really would like the media, the public and law enforcement to focus on right now in a very constructive, positive way, is those families out there who have also had children abducted

and whose children have not come home. >> mcgregor scott, you're a former u.s. attorney, and i can hear in your voice this sort of wish for justice for this family. why did you accept this case pro bono, which is to say you're not being paid? >> because it's the right thing to do. i dedicated nearly two years of my professional career to being a prosecutor here in california at the local and federal levels, and candidly, i feel that the system, the legal system failed jaycee dugard on many levels, and all of us have a responsibility and an opportunity here to step up and try to help her and her daughters and her extended family to make this right to the best of our ability. >> our interview with mcgregor scott, the spokesperson for jaycee dugard and her family. meredith. >> it never ceases to amaze me, mr. scott talking about how jaycee seems to be doing so well, considering the resilience of people, after 18 years being held captive. >> i think it might be fair to say that, you know, there has

been a series of survival skills that she has gained -- >> developed, yeah. >> that she's become very str g strong. but that doesn't diminish the suffering she is enduring. >> thank you, ann, very much. it is 7:15. once again, here's matt. >> ann, thank you. now to john travolta's heartbreaking testimony in a trial connected to the death of his son. he took the stand wednesday, painfully reliving the final moments of his son's life. michelle kosinski is in the bahamas. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, matt. john travolta's the prosecution's key witness here, and he started his testimony by telling the court that his son was autistic and would have a severe seizure every few days. look acre somber and pale, john travolta returned to the bahamas with wife kelly preston for the first time since their son jett died at their vacation home here in january. travolta stood in the packed island courtroom and made a

startling admission -- "my son was autistic. he suffered from a seizure disorder," he said, describing severe seizures every five to ten days, lasting up to a minute, after which jett would sleep for 12 hours. it is the first time the family has acknowledged their son's autism. still, jett took antiseizure drugs for years until the family said they stopped working and were causing physical harm. travolta said on the morning his son was found unresponsive, he was suddenly awakened. "the nanny was pounding on the door where we were sleeping. i ran at the door. i ran downstairs to help my son with my wife. i saw him. he was on the bathroom floor." he said another nanny and a hotel employee were already performing cpr on jett and john himself jumped in to take over mouth-to-mouth breathing. "we continued cpr. my wife was holding my son's head." officials say at first, travolta considered having the ambulance take jett to the airport so he could be treated in the u.s. to do that, he signed a waiver refusing local treatment that he said he did not read. time was of the essence, he told

the court. but travolta changed his mind and paramedics took jett to a local hospital. days later, travolta claims, one of the paramedics tried to sell him that waiver to keep it private and that the paramedics' attorney, a former bahamian senator, called travolta's lawyer with an asking price of $25 million. both are now accused of attempted extortion. they say they're innocent. >> this is an embarrassing situation for the bahamas. you've got a former senator who is accused of demanding $25 million from john travolta in exchange for a medical document. >> reporter: travolta, at times emotional, is still grieving the loss of his only son. when asked by the prosecutor if jett was alive after they brought him to the hospital, he replied quietly, "no, he was not alive." travolta would only be able to speak for a few minutes at a time before being interrupted again and again by objections from defense attorneys, arguing for hours over whether his testimony should even be

admissible. as a result, he's going to have to take the stand again, possibly today. matt? >> all right, michelle kosinski in the bahamas this morning. thank you very much. let's bring nbc's chief medical editor in, dr. nancy snyderman. nancy, good morning to you. >> hi, matt. >> this is emotional testimony and we now hear that jett travolta would suffer from seizures every five days or so. they'd last a minute. what jumps out when you read this? >> a painful admission how difficult it is for a parent publicly to say my child had problems, which we know has obviously been a problem since the travoltas hadn't addressed this earlier, and the fact that a seizure disorder and autism do not necessarily go together, but every evidence that these parents did everything right. they surrounded him with good caretakers. this was a sad thing. they acted responsibly and this child died way too young. >> i just want to go back to what you said a second ago. so, a child living with autism is not more likely to have this seizure disorder than a child not living with autism?

>> that's correct, and also not more likely to live a shorter life. people with autism can go on, depending on how severe it is, to being, you know, in the workforce, or sometimes in severe cases, being institutionalized, but can have regular lifespans. >> and i don't know why this kind of struck me, but this idea that jett travolta was having these seizures so frequently, and then they would last a minute and then he would sleep -- >> sleep. >> -- for up to 12 hours. i mean, is that something that's common with a seizure disorder? >> people who have seizures will tell you they're sleepy afterwards. it's called a post-ictal state. and people will usually go to sleep. the fact that jett's seizures were getting more and more pronounced, more frequent and he would sleep more afterwards tells you that he was having breakthrough periods, that the medications weren't enough. this is really a worse seizure disorder than the average person, and there are some people for whom the side effects of the medications are worse than not being on them at all. >> prior to this testimony, we had been hearing from the travoltas that jett had suffered from kawasaki disease. >> right. >> and now, in almost an

off-handed way, says no, this was autism. would the treatment for those two things have been greatly different? >> i was never a believer that kawasaki disease had much to do with this. that's a viral infection that causes really high fevers and a rash in kids. and the question is, could that have triggered something else? most likely, the autism was there from the early, early stages of jett's development. kawasaki's disease just happened to come along and the seizure disorder also probably there. really a constellation of various problems. >> and i want to change subjects now, because i've got you sitting in the chair and i want to talk about this information coming out of thailand this morning. >> yeah. >> on this effectiveness, it seems, of an aids vaccine. i don't want to get breathless about it, but it sounds awfully promising. >> breathless, but not hopeful. this has been a real conundrum. this is a smart virus. it kills slowly, it mutates quickly. we've poured billions of dollars against it. no great vaccine. so, what the researchers did in thailand was combine two vaccines. what they found was people at

risk -- sex workers, drug users -- that in fact, they could cut the chance of getting sick about 31%. >> that's huge. >> it is a huge door opening, and i think now you're going to see this research move forward. tony fauchie from the nih today very, very hopeful. i think all eyes are on this study coming out of thailand. big step forward. >> keep our fingers crossed. nancy, as always, thanks so much. 20 minutes after the hour. just ahead, shocking allegations from mackenzie phillips, star of "one day at a time." in a new memoir, she details an addictct

just ahead, a disturbing hazing ritual exposed at a prestigious high school. plus, mackenzie phillips, live.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i'm stan stovall. here is a look at one of our top stories. the state's attorney's office says they will join other city employees by taking furlough days to help the city's budget shortfall. but they say that the seven core locations will remain fully operational. cuts for improved -- were approved by the baltimore board of estimates yesterday. mayor sheila dixon says that only 27 jobs will be wiped out with this plan, compared to 400 jobs lost without the furloughs. union leaders argue that the measure violates the contract. let's check on the morning commute with sarah caldwell.

>> still talking accident northbound on the bw parkway to 175 eastbound. watch for delays northbound onto 95 prior to the ramp. a downed pole still been cleared of rolling road and wilkens ave. accident cleared up at southbound a 95. you can see heavy delays due to that. 18 is what you are looking at on the west side outer loop. i-95 south of the beltway northeast, the accident is clear. >> we are going to see another one day to day. there is a cold front, a plea of not, over us right now. seventies across the board. not going to feel dry until

later tonight. temperature ranges 81 at 85 today. >> we should check the bottom of your screen for updated news and traffic information

7:30 now on a thursday morning. it's the 24th day of september 2009. ah, meredith, a look at some of your boats parked -- >> ha, ha, ha. >> -- in monte carlo. that's a nice place to be right now, along the mediterranean. that is recession-proof monte carlo, by the way, the playground to the rich and famous, and this week, home to 100 yachts worth -- get this -- $3 billion. we'll go there in a moment and find out why there is no such thing as recession there. not bad to be outside on a sunny morning like that. >> no, it isn't. >> plaza's not bad behind us as well. i'm matt lauer along with meredith vieira in studio 1a. coming up, sexually charged hazing rituals on the campus of new jersey's top high school. what's even more shocking, school administrators say they've known about this for 10 or 15 years. we're going to have more on that story coming up in just a couple of minutes. also ahead, actress

mackenzie phillips is here. she has written a memoir about her life and the details are, frankly, disturbing. she was doing cocaine in her fifth grade class. she was kidnapped, raped, arrested, but the most shocking of all, phillips writes about a long-standing sexual relationship that she says she had with her late father, john phillips, lead singer of the ma'am ymas and the papas. we'll talk to her later on. and nancy snyderman will be back to answer your questions about heart health and heart disease. but we begin with that hazing incident at a new jersey high school. amy robach has the latest. amy, good morning to you. >> reporter: meredith, good morning. milburne high school has a bizarre hazing ritual. millburn is what some people call a dream school, listed among the top 200 schools in the nation by "newsweek." it's nestled in a neighborhood where the average home price is $1.2 million. but this dream school became a nightmare for a group of

incoming freshmen girls. in a yearly, sexually charged hazing ritual, popular senior girls wrote and distributed what they call a "slut list." >> some girls i think were really, like freaked out and shocked that they were on it. >> reporter: the list names over 20 girls along with lewd, personalized descriptions. >> check it out, katie. it's our burn book. we cut out girls' pictures from the yearbook and then wrote comments. dawn is a fat virgin. >> reporter: reminiscent of the movie "mean girls," most entries are too explicit to quote. the list was obtained by the shorthills patch. "i want you so bad, i'll get you to blank." "keeping up with the family tradition, blank me over and knock me up." along with the list, freshmen girls were reportedly pushed into lockers and had whistles blown in their faces, raising concerns from worried parents. >> socially, morally, ethically, it's an unacceptable behavior. >> reporter: but even with parents up in arms, some

students don't see a cause for alarm. >> and the only thing that people would get upset, if they're not on the list for some reason. so, i don't think it can be that bad if people are wanting to be on it. >> reporter: school officials refused to talk on camera but did confirm there was some hazing that first day. in an e-mail sent to students, the superintendent had this to say -- "any so-called ritual which in any way threatens, degrades or makes any youngster feel intimidated or less than whole is a violation of school policy and just plain wrong." hazing at millburn high is a tradition that is said to be going on for over ten years, a tradition that some experts say may be tough to break. >> it's unlikely to stop unless the community and bystanders and the administrators in the school system decide that they're going to make a concerted effort to break the code of silence and to stop hazing. >> school officials are promising to discipline those behind the hazings and they have encouraged any student who has either been a victim or a witness to this type of behavior

to come forward. meredith. >> all right, amy robach, thank you very much. disturbing story. >> it certainly is. it's 34 after the hour rigig >> we are going to be variably

did today, so some sunshine brakes but still unsettled. front will be to ourselves by the evening. tomo >> now, we've got some nice folks here from the u.p. of michigan. very nice. and for your u.p. of michigan weather all around the country, you can go to the weather channel on cable any time of the day or night or weather.com. now back inside to matt. >> all right, al, thank you very much. now to the obscene amounts of wealth on display this week at the monaco yacht show. nbc's peter alexander is there this morning. peter, hello to you. >> reporter: matt, good morning to you from the principality of monaco. this is certainly one place

where you would have no idea there is a global recession under way. certainly haven't heard the billionaires here all that much. here at the monaco yacht show, despite turbulent economic seas, the wealth is not just flaunted it is celebrated. ♪ elegance, opulence, excess. monaco is a tropical and tax-free paradise for the world's elite. with more millionaires in a single square mile than anywhere else on the globe, where the rich and the super rich come to relax and do business in style. this year's boat show hosts 100 yachts worth nearly $3 billion floating in this harbor alone. so the billionaires are back? >> yes, they are back and they are richer than ever. >> reporter: for a cool $105 million, the 240-foot "siren" is a pleasure palace at sea, with a helicopter pad, a plush, private cinema and the ultimate personal bar. >> that's a private bar, and --

>> reporter: if this doesn't float your boat, nothing will. wow. among its unique amenities -- this is the panic room. >> this is the panic room to get away. >> reporter: so, who can afford this luxury? spencer is investing in exclusive land, but his weakness is toys at sea. the latest yacht to catch his eye, the prized "mary u.," developed by armani. the russian tycoon owns the world's biggest yacht, nearly two football fields in length, loaded with its own missile defense system and labels to prevent the paparazzi from taking photos. i could get used to this. if there is any hint of the troubled economy -- >> it is definitely a buyer's market at the moment. they're looking for a bargain. >> reporter: prices have fallen up to 30%. >> but they're still worth a lot.

and so, by no means, people should think that there is free yachts for sale. >> reporter: even at lower prices, these yachts have inspired an industry focused not just on extravagance, but excellence. >> i design boats, and it's a beautiful example of human intelligence. >> okay, this is a submarine -- >> submarine for three. >> for three. >> reporter: and when that beautiful yacht's still not enough -- ♪ i'm going down, down, down, down ♪ >> reporter: for $750,000, the seaquester can take you into another world. anything's attainable when recession's the issue and money's no object. of course, if buying a boat is not exactly in your budget, you can always rent one. matt, this is the "siren," 240 feet long, and it rents for $600,000 a week. but be warned in advance, that does not include fuel -- sounds like we've been having some of the food or alcohol that don't

come with that price, either. suffice to say, the "today" show is docked right alongside, ready to take us home. >> and your research? you think it will be complete in the next few weeks there, peter? >> yeah, i think it should be. we were reading up on the "where in the world" 2002. i think you made a similar trip -- >> yeah, peter, yeah. >> i was there for eight hours, peter, eight hours. anyway. that's cool stuff. good to see you, peter. thanks very much. and coming up next, "one day at a time" star mackenzie phillips comes clean about a lifetime of drugs and the sexual relationship she had with her own famous father. she'll join us live in the studio right after this.

back now at 7:42 with actress mackenzie phillips' explosive memoir, detailing a life of sex, drugs and rock and ro roll, and the biggest bombshell of all, that she had a long-standing sexual relationship with her own dad. in a moment, we're going to talk to her about it in a live interview. but first, hooer's nbc's chris jansing. >> reporter: even by hollywood tell-all standards, mackenzie phillips' allegations are shocking. the former child star from "one day at a time" says she had a decade-long sexual relationship with her father, music legend john phillips. >> the revelation that there was an incestuous relationship is a real bombshell and really horrific. >> reporter: in her autobiography "high on arrival," mackenzie says it started when she was just 19, the night before her first marriage.

♪ california dreaming >> reporter: john phillips was pop royalty in the '60s, selling 40 million records with the mamas and the papas. mackenzie says he brought her into the world of drugs, sex and rock and roll. >> one of the stories that she tells is that on her 18th birthday, she was propositioned by mick jagger, and he said to her, "i've been waiting for this since you were 10." >> reporter: the incestuous affair only ended, mackenzie says, when she became pregnant and didn't know whether the baby was her father's or her husband's. ♪ if you hold on for one more day ♪ >> reporter: the book has divided the famous family. former pop star china phillips says she believes her half sister, but step mother michelle phillips doesn't, telling nbc news, "there is no way to know if the story is true." john phillips died in 2001, a victim of his own drug and alcohol abuse. last year on "today," mackenzie remembered how her own drug use got her fired from "one day at a time." >> it was, and therefore, we

don't gloss over it, because it would be untrue to history. ♪ california dreamin' >> reporter: a personal history that included a dark and disturbing secret until now. chris jansing, nbc news, los angeles. >> and again, the book is called "high on arrival." mackenzie phillips, good morning to you. >> good morning, meredith. >> i think anybody reading your book will probably conclude, it's a miracle that you're alive, given all the drug use, the rape, the kidnapping. how would you describe your childhood? >> well, i mean, it was like a fantasy world. i mean, it was -- but you know, to me, it wasn't, because we experience what we know, and what we know is what we've experienced. >> and what you experienced at 10 years old, it started with these pot brownies. your parents had split when you were 2. >> yeah. >> your dad, john phillips, took up with then 16-year-old michelle phillips -- she became michelle phillips. you were going back and forth between the homes. your dad's home was a mansion. it was really a lot about drugs

and whatever you want goes, a lot of hedonism, and you were introduced to pot brownies, i guess, when you were 10. by 11, you were snorting coke in school? >> yeah. i mean, it was a different time, and you know, the kind of parenting that i experienced, although my father, i believe, did the best with what he could with what he was given as a child, as he grew into a man. he did the best he could, and my mother was integral in keeping me, you know, healthy and well for as long as possible. and my aunt rosie, my father's sister, really helped raise me, too. >> but again, in reading the book, it seems like much of your time, you were really strung out, even as a little kid. i mean, you talk about your dad at some point saying to you, "whatever turns you on." was there any adult in your life at that point saying this is not right? >> no. there were people who were, you know, around us, but it wasn't necessarily, you know -- it was a very permissive time and a very rock and roll world, and you know, pretty much anything

went. but i mean, i have to -- i can't characterize it as being strung out as a child. >> yeah. >> you know, strung out tends to talk about someone who is addicted, and that came later, of course, but certainly, things were set into motion early, but i wasn't strung out as a 10 or 11, 12-year-old, no. >> but a lot of experimentation, for sure? >> you know it sort of grew. it's a snowball effect. nobody starts out -- rarely -- as a full-on junkie. that comes over time. >> right. it's also amazing to me, because we all knew you as a little girl, 12 years old, from "american graffiti," and then a few years later, you're on "one day at a time," and playing julie cooper, that everybody loved who watch aid ted the sho. and yet, you're also living this other life on the side. how are you balancing those two roles? >> well, i didn't manage to balance it well for very long. there's only so long you can pull something like that off, especially when you're at that age. you know, you do your job. i did my job. i had a great work ethic, and

you know, that was instilled in me very young. so, i tried to separate the two, and that's been the story of my life is sort of compartmentalizing and boxing off different difficult things and trying to only take them out and look at these difficult things, you know, when no one else is looking at you. and it was very difficult to balance. it's also very difficult to reconcile what went down with who i am today. it's definitely a difficult thing. >> because so much happened. i know you said to me in the break, this is not an incest memoir, but incest is very much a part of your life and you write about it very openly in the book at 19 years of age. you and your dad were partying and next thing you know, you wake up and you're in his bed and you're having sex. >> yes, yeah. and mercyfully, i slid directly back into a blackout, and you know, and that certainly wasn't a consensual experience by any stretch of the imagination.

>> you said at the time, "when i came to the next morning, i saw nothing, i said nothing, i heard nothing, i felt nothing." >> that's correct. this is a universal story, meredith, and since the publication of this book yesterday, the outpouring of support from other incest survivors has been phenomenal. this is a subject that is so incredibly taboo, and as well it should be, but there needs to be a dialogue about it. the covers need to be pulled. you can't keep sweeping this under the carpet. this is affecting families all over the world, all over the world. i mean, and you know, you look at the kid next door and you're thinking, what's going on in that house? you know, you don't know what's happening. and people are ashamed. and through that shame they go on to commit acts against themselves. people cut, people take drugs -- i never did that, but i mean, they take drugs, they act out inappropriately sexually. this goes on everywhere, and it's time for us to bring this

to light. >> but you did approach your family. you mention that in the book. you say that your father had raped you, and they basically told you to sweep it under the carpet. >> yes, they did. >> not to talk about it. >> yes, they did, and that set in motion the inability to face this for so many years. and i need to take a moment to say that my father was not a bad man. he was a very sick man. and if anyone out there can possibly separate his body of work from his personal demons, i think that would be the honorable thing to do. he didn't set out to hurt me. he did the best with what he did. i mean, he was a damaged guy. >> but for ten years, you had this relationship, and it only stopped -- go ahead. >> no, no, people say for ten years, i had this relationship. at 18, i was molested. then maybe three years later, i started waking up with my pants down around my ankles. and then maybe two years after that, it became consensual. so, to call it a ten-year affair or a ten-year relationship --

>> is not right. >> -- is not correct. and that is something i really would like to get out there, and this is not something that happens like that necessarily. this was a warped event that occurred over time, and what it started out as, which was an act of molestation and what it became were two entirely different things. one i believe i have no accountability for, the initial event. i believe that i have some accountability for what went down afterwards, although i believe that incest of any kind is a betrayal. it's an abuse of power. and so, to characterize it as a ten-year-long incestuous affair is really un -- it's just not informed, and i'm not saying that you're not informed. >> i understand. just to clarify. >> yeah. >> we have so much more to talk to you about, mackenzie, including your family's reaction about this book and why you even chose to bring this up now that your father has passed away. >> absolutely. >> we'll talk to you again next half hour. the book is "high on arrival."

we'll have more with mackenzie phillips, including why she wrote the book, family reaction. also, she has a son, 20-year-old shane. what their relationship is like, because this is very revealing about his mom. >> more with mackenzie phillips.

>> live, local, latebreaking.

this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. want to get a check on the morning commute with traffic pulse 11 and sarah caldwell. >> unfortunately, we are dealing with a pretty big to lay on eastbound i-70 taking of the right lane at 29. it is completely jammed approaching 32 all the weight to the accident scene. state to the left and you'll get around it. but it will be a while before that clears. a downed pole and wires this morning with lanes closed. outer loop northeast side, seven miles per hour your average speed. southbound harrisburg starting to see it time from shawan road down to the beltway. and stop the j.f.x., with heavy to lay out of west side. that is backing up traffic southbound 795. 14 minutes is the outer loop drive time on the west side.

that is the biggest one this morning. here is what looks like at liberty to read a bit of a break here, but it is all the way down to edmondson from the outer loop going away from us. southbound 95 at white marsh, picking up in volume big time. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> we will see a few breaks of sunshine, but it should be limited. as part as the temperatures go, it is above normal already. 70 at the airport. 73 in annapolis. nice, drier air by tonight. the french will be to our south. we will be nice tomorrow. >> be sure to check the bottom of your screen for updated news and traffic information. our next live update coming awake at 8:25.

8:00 now on this thursday morning, september 24th, 2009. a loud and energetic crowd with us here in rockefeller plaza. happy, as always, to have them with us. outside on the plaz you on this relatively nice day, warm. i'm meredith vieira along with matt lauer and al roker. just ahead this half hour, more from mackenzie phillips. the reaction of her siblings to this book she's ready, allegations specifically about her dad. also ahead, have you ever thought of going back to school? >> no. >> no? why? >> because i'm done. >> you're over it? well, a lot of adults are considering going back to school. the economy one reason for that, but so many options as well -- traditional colleges, online colleges, community colleges. we're going to tell you what you need to think about before you take this step. >> this job is like going to school every day, because you learn something.

>> we have to study every night. >> yeah, exactly. >> that's right. but first, it's time for another edition of "where are we today?" hmm hmm. let's put on our thinking cap, shall we? once again, we are in an unnamed location. we are asking you to take your best guess. do you recognize it? that's what i think. >> i think that al and i agree. >> you agree? >> we think we know. >> you're not saying, oh. >> because we're not going to blow it for the audience the way someone did a couple weeks ago. >> oh, okay. >> if you're still struggling, as meredith is -- >> it's a soldier of sorts, right? >> -- here's a clue. >> oh. ♪ >> okay. >> we were wrong. >> my first guess was wrong. >> what were you thinking it was? >> we were thinking the iwo jima

memorial. >> oh, man. i knew it wasn't that. please, that's so obvious. you didn't know the first time, so why do you think you know the second time? >> well, there is no deadline. >> geez! miss negative nellie. >> i have no idea, just for the record, none, none. well, anyway, you can go to todayshow.com and guess where we are, and while you're there, enter at a chance for a $2,000 >> that's $2,500 sweepstakes. >> it says $2,000. >> i know, but it's $2,500. >> that's wrong. >> i only read what they right. >> nice. >> as breakfast with the bickersons continues, let's go inside to ann curry. >> thanks a lot, you guys. this morning, there is news of a major development in the world's largest trial of an aids vaccine. government researchers in thailand say a combination of two previously unsuccessful vaccines have been found to cut the risk of being infected with hiv by nearly one-third. this is the first time any vaccine has been shown to prevent the spread of aids.

this morning, president obama chairs a u.n. security council meeting on nuclear disarmament in new york, and in his speech on wednesday, the president said the u.s. needs help from the rest of the world to stop north korea and iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. meantime, in a 90-minute speech, libyan leader moammar gadhafi accused of u.s. and its allies of treating smaller countries as second-class nations. mahmoud ahmadinejad said he supports nuclear disarmament, but when he lashed out against israel at the u.n. on wednesday, delegates from the u.s., france, germany and several other nations got up and left the room. ahmadinejad accused israel of committing genocide against the palestinians. later today, president obama heads to the g-20 summit in pittsburgh, where demonstrators have already been staging protests. police arrested more than a dozen greenpeace protestors on wednesday. hundreds of police officers from neighboring towns have been sworn in to help step up security there. a poignant moment in memphis on wednesday. the dalai lama said a prayer on

the balcony of the lorraine hotel at the site of martin luther king jr.'s assassination 41 years ago. three suspects in a possible terror plot have court appearances today in new york and denver. officials say they found bomb-making instructions on the laptop, on the computer, rather, of najibullah zazi, who along with two others are accused of lying to fbi investigators looking into the alleged plot. more people are now being questioned. and in colorado on wednesday, some ranchers came to the aid of two elk after the animals fought each other and then got their antlers stuck in barbed wire. they tied the animals down while they cut away the wire, or most of it, actually. you can see some of it still remains. hopefully, they're not too wired for too long. it is now 8:04. let's get a check of the weather from al. >> announcer: "where are we today" is brougug

>> we are going to be warmer than normal today, up to 84 or

85 degrees, with variably cloudy conditions. winces in the northwest this afternoon. it will offer nicer >> senior trip already? and where are you guys from? >> north carolina. >> all right. it was a stump question. that's okay. nice to see you guys. now let's head back over to mr. lauer. >> nice swing there, al. when we come back, much more with actress mackenzie phillips, including what her family members are saying about some of the claims she makes in her new book. but first, these messages.

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and now to more with actress mackenzie phillips and that bombshell revealed in her memoir "high on arrival" that she had a long-standing sexual relationship with her own father. mackenzie, welcome back. >> thank you. >> how did this relationship finally end? >> well, i became pregnant and i

was in a relationship with my son's father at the time and my fath father, and i didn't know whose child it was and i was horrified. and it brought me like smack dab into present time, and i was like, the implications of it were just so intensely disturbing to me that i had an abortion and i never let him touch me again. >> did you confront your dad and tell him that you were pregnant? >> yes. oh, absolutely, but it wasn't a confront thing. i mean, it was consensual at that point. so, it wasn't like you ba -- you know. >> right. >> pardon me. but he paid for the abortion. i don't know -- see, the thing is, i don't know, but that life growing within me was not meant

to be for obvious reasons. and you know, my dad -- you know, he was a good man. i mean, i have great compassion for the man that he was. >> did you always know, mackenzie? because many people reading this book, the reaction is going to be to hate your father. and i know that's not what you want in this book. >> well, you know, if you think about it -- i mean, his book, "papa john," is out of print now, but it's available on amazon, and if you can get your hands on that book and read it, it might give you more of an understanding of how neglect as a child can bring you into drug abuse, can bring you into the place where you could actually consider doing something like this. and i would like people to try and give papa the benefit of the doubt. read the book. it takes you on a journey. because here we really don't have the time to disseminate this story properly. it's like, bam, here it is laid out on the table. the book takes you through a

life that's 50 years long and shows you how -- i'm not asking you to understand or say, of course, that's what happened, but i'm asking you to see how it could and how it does and how this is a problem that's going on all over the world. >> let me talk about some of the reaction from your family. >> yes, yes. >> first of all, did they know you were writing this book and that it was going to include this material about your dad and incest? >> they did know, but not at the inception of this book, because i didn't know at the inception of this book. i decided to include this because i realize that putting out a sanitized version of my life would just be doing a disservice to me and the thousands of people that i could help. >> well, your sister china, her reaction was -- at least the quote that we have here -- there's probably more, but "who in their right mind would make such a claim if it wasn't true?" that's what she said. your brother said "the allegations are surprising," but your former step mother, michelle phillips, told us, told nbc, "there is no way to know the truth," and she was even harsher about you in other interviews. >> yes. >> what's your reaction about

that? >> if you open a textbook on incest and you can see a picture of the phillips family. we are behaving in a typical way. you know, the instinct is to say it's not true. the instinct is to deny. the instinct is to brush it under the table. the instinct is to protect the abuser. and i love my family. i've gone out of my way in "high on arrival" to tell my story. and i say -- and let me say this, that to my knowledge, none of those other sisters of mine were ever touched by my father in an inappropriate way. i have gone out of my way to tell my story. and i say, i am not here to tell anybody else's story but mine. my experience -- we've all experienced our dad in different ways, thank god, and i love my sisters. i love my brothers. i love michelle. i wish that i had all of their support, but i don't, and that's all right. i understand. this is very difficult.

and to be revealed on a public level such as this makes it even more difficult, and my heart goes out to them, and i know that, god willing, as a family, we will be stronger when this all dies down. >> you have spoken openly in the book about beyond the incest, the drug abuse that we talked about in the first segment. >> yes. life, really, you've taken drugs. you had a 15-year period where you didn't, then you went back. >> yes. >> you were here on this show in 2008, and in the book you mention it, for a revival, a reunion show on "one day at a time." you say you came to new york with your drugs and your needles. heroin was the drug at the time. and that's just the way you traveled. when you did our show that day in 2008, were you high? >> yes. yes, i was. >> you were. >> yes. >> it is, it was, and therefore, we don't gloss over it, because it would be untrue to history. >> look who you are now. >> right. >> are you clean now? >> oh, absolutely. got a pee cup?

i'll pee in it for you. i've got no problem with that. no problem whatsoever. i can tell looking at myself there, it's a very different look in my eyes, it's a very different type of composure. it's a very different vibe. >> is it hard to look at yourself? >> yeah, absolutely. not right now, but looking at myself then, absolutely. >> people are going to look at the book, mackenzie, some are going to believe it. others are going to say, if she really were on drugs as much as evident in the book, her memory may be very inaccurate. >> okay. let me say something, that yes, drugs are one thing, but you might be thinking of someone on drugs who does this, you know. and most of my life was spent on cocaine, which doesn't do that, which is, you know, it's a dubious distinction, granted. i was trained from a young age to memorize things. my memory is very sharp, always has been, and you know, i understand the detractors.

i understand the people who are disgusted. i understand the people who don't want to look. it's not a difficult -- it's not an easy thing to look at. it's very hard. and i meet their judgment, i meet their distance, i meet their disbelief with nothing but love and hopefully the opportunity to be of service to other people. and you know, and i wrote this book for me. i need to be free, and if in doing so, i have offended anybody, i am truly sorry for that. >> you write in the end of the book, you asked yourself a question -- "my life on drugs had a built-in purpose, to do more drugs. now i was ready, but for what?" have you decided what you're ready for? >> i think the world might decide for me. i don't know. i feel -- i'm beginning to feel more and more that maybe i could just be a voice for this large community of incest survivors that don't know where to go or what to do or how to talk about what's happened in their lives, and the only way they know how to deal with it is to turn it inward and self-destruct, and i

think it's time for that to stop, because there's so much damage being done to people by -- they're doing the damage to themselves because of what they've lived through. i mean, addictions, these things, these things can destroy a person, and i think they might be slowly eating away at the fabric of our country and our youth, and i certainly am an example of both sides of it, and i hope to continue to be well enough to be of service. >> mackenzie phillips, thank you so much. >> thank you, meredith. >> the book is "high on arrival," and you'll be back in our next hour as well. we're back right after this. nothing. you don't enjoy things the way you used to. you're sad, restless, you can't focus. maybe you feel guilty or worthless. changes in weight, sleep, appetite and fatigue. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is a prescription medication that treats many symptoms of depression. tell your doctor right away if your depression worsens, you have unusual changes in behavior or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens,

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you've helped me grow and become a better person,' those are the reasons why i like to teach. my name is dr. maureen steinwall. - dr. tom schmidt. - dr. jillian skelton and i am a phoenix. >> announcer: "back to school again today" is brought to you by university of phoenix, because today's best opportunities start with a quality education. ♪ i've got to go back, back, back to school ♪ >> back to our special series iback to school again." adults that decide to further their education deal with a unique set of obstacles and also a lot of options these days. kim clark is the senior education write for "u.s. news and world report." welcome back. nice to see you. >> thanks, matt. >> if you're an adult, you want to further your education, go back to school, you've got

traditional colleges, community colleges, you've got online education. how do you figure out what's the right fit for you? >> well, the first and most important thing anybody thinking about going back to school should do is check out and see if the school that they want to go to is accredited by a federally approved agency. it's very easy to do this. you just go to the department of education's website, type in the name and see if it's any good. if it isn't, you might want to reconsider, because other schools won't take that as transfer credit, employers really don't consider it, and nobody gives financial aid to unaccredited schools. >> when it comes time to decide whether you want to go to a community college -- and most areas have at least one in your neighborhood -- or go online to take courses that way, what are the pros and cons. >> online schools used to have a bad reputation, but they've really brought up their game and, frankly, it's more convenient. that's the reason why they're growing at double-digit rates. if you have a job, have kids, you don't have time to drive to a campus, park, go to class. this way, you can do your homework at 3:00 in the morning or on weekends or when kids are asleep. there's a reason they're growing

so quickly. >> and yet, community colleges are booming. >> right. >> i mean, the number of people -- and i guess that's a lot of reason, a lot of people are out of work and they're staying in the neighborhood to go back to school. what is the main thing to know about a community college? >> one of the reasons they're booming is they are basically the best college bargain out there. in california, you can take a community college course for less than $100. here in new york it's about $300. still the cheapest course you're going to find. >> let's talk about paying for this. i mean, you know, if you are now thinking of going back to school because you've lost a job, well, then money is more and more important. and if you're an adult, what's the best way to go about finding out if the school is offering you a financial advantage? >> well, we've put together a list of colleges that are offering free tuition to people who are unemployed. so, that's a great resource. >> well, how does a school make money when they're doing that? >> well, they're just being nice. it's mostly community colleges and state universities. but also, the department of education has told colleges to be much more flexible, and i know they are, because i've been talking to the colleges. if you're unemployed, you call that college and they are much more likely to give you financial aid. >> if you are one of these people who went to college 30

years ago, 20 years ago, now you're back in the market looking for education again, what is the biggest change you're going to notice? >> well, of course, there's going to be a lot more tattoos. >> on you or on the other students? depends on your life experience, i would imagine. >> but of course, technology has changed courses. even at a bricks and mortar school, they're going to require you to have a laptop. you're going to need to be technologically savvy and you're going to learn about technology, but that's the future anyway. so, it's a good thing that you're learning about that. >> kim clark. kim, thanks. good to have you back. >> you bet. up next, martha stewart heats things up in the kitchen with her daughter alexis. we'll check in with them, but first, your local news. >> live, local, latebreaking.

this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. the slots commission has issued a first license in the state to the owner of ocean downs racetrack. slots will be up and running by memorial day weekend. 800 machines are expected to gross $97 million a year and create 560 jobs. the license holds some restrictions. no slots-related hotels or restaurants can be built within 10 miles of track. let's check on the morning commute with sarah caldwell. >> a bit of a problem in the city that we are tracking. according to a live camera, northbound monroe, fuel spill. the left lane is closed there. use caution as you travel. northbound monroe at 295. switching to a live view of traffic, easing up on southbound 95. the laser easing up there.

let's see what else is going up. approaching 32 to 29, the accident is off to the side and. rolling road and wilkens ave, watch for a downed pole and wire. delays landing on the north and west side. 13 miles per hour according to the speed sensor a padonia road to the beltway. >> mild and muggy out there. dealing with clouds that are filtering into the area. variably cloudy throughout today. we will be warm ahead of this. 81 to 85. once the front settles in, we will be cooler and cooler tomorrow. >> we will have another update at 8:55.

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8:30 now on a thursday morning, 24th day of september 2009. we are hobnobbing with a nice group of people out on the plaza this morning. not a bad place to start the morning, considering it's a really, really pretty day. but al tells us that the warm early fall weather we've been experiencing lately is about to depart us. >> yes, it is. it's going to get a little cooler, actually, be close to normal. this has been above normal. what were you doing behind ann there? >> okay, we thought we would go past it, but i felt somebody touch my bottom, actually. >> well, i was trying to protect you because they were moving, because jimmy was moving -- >> the crowd was quite --

>> they loved that, because you know. okay, let's go ahead. >> awkward! how you can make salt and pepper the stars of any meal. martha stewart and her daughter alexis are here to show us how. >> very cool. >> there they are right there. we're going to tell you a very unusual story about a fifth grader named sammy. he was an honor student, and all of a sudden, he started to display odd behaviors, ocd-type behaviors. it got so bad, he couldn't leave the house, couldn't go to school. wait until you hear what was the cause of that behavior. we're going to meet sammy today and find out more about it -- >> wow. >> this is a really unusual story. >> he is okay now? >> he is okay now. >> oh, okay. also, we'll be talking about heart disease. we all know it's the number one killer of men and women, but research shows women are actually more likely to die. one in six women die from heart disease. >> ooh. >> we'll be talking about this with dr. nancy coming up. what we need to do to make sure

we stay clear of that. then on a lighter note, do you guys have any strange dreams? >> oh. >> i do all the time. >> all the time. >> weird. >> why? >> i had a dream one time that you and i put spandex on

>> in our neck the woods, a pretty warm today. 81 to 85. second full day of autumn and more like summer. it is going to be beautiful. >> that's your latest weather. got some friends from the bahamas back here, and now another friend of ours down in washington, d.c., my favorite, willie scott. how are you, uncle willie? >> i'm your bahama mama. >> yeah, you are! >> don't you forget that, either, you old devil. anyway, thank you for the song. got to play that on the network

some day. that's the number one song in the country. happy -- people don't even know what i'm talking about. i don't know what i'm talking about. happy birthday from smucker's. how sweet, as the jam jar of life continues to spin. no, that was nice production work there. aww, look at that, wanda. i like that name, wanda. wanda livingston of winter haven, florida. 100 years old. retired medical teacher. wish her well. works for the red cross. used to be an ice cream store, winter haven. good ice cream. ann axelrod of monsey, new york. attributes longevity to accepting reality. hey, this philosophy is great. attributes her longevity to accepting reality and staying positive. there is something for you, my friend. clyde everett teal, houston, texas. fifth time he's tried to get on the show. we're not doing any good for him. he's 105 now. worked until he was 96. happy birthday to you, sir, and

it does pay dividends. paul sheridan, sacramento, california, 100. directs bridge games, how about that, at the senior center. he's got his work cut out for him. wish him well. and gladys bockus, north platte, nebraska, 100 years old today. created opportunity centers for handicapped people. happy birthday. and finally, ellen roberts, greenville, south carolina, one of the nicest, cleanest nuns in the world. 103. happy birthday to you. good faith. that's what she says, that's her secret. now back to matt. >> all right, willard. and as you talk about birthdays, we've got a bunch of hot chicks here celebrating their 40th birthday. happy birthday to you ladies. and when we come back, martha stewart and her daughter alexis heat things up in our kitchen. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

>> announcer: "martha on today" is brought to you by macy's. the martha stewart collection is now available only at macy's and on macys.com. this morning on "martha on today," salt and pepper. martha stewart is here with recipes from the october issue of "martha stewart living" that takes season to taste to a whole new level. and she's brought along her daughter alexis. and so good to see you. >> great to have you both here. >> and you're cover girls, on the cover of "body & soul" magazine. >> what's the matter with you? >> nothing, i'm giggling -- >> just because you kicked me in the groin before the last segment. >> i meant to do that. i just missed. >> they've been fighting. >> anyway, you're on the cover "body & soul," looking beautiful. >> it is a nice picture. nice. >> are you kind of the salt and pepper in each other's lives? >> what would you say? >> really? no. >> i'm stretching here.

>> it's mother, daughter, and then the article, actually, is about our really close attention that we pay to health and wellbeing and what we eat, how we exercise, and it's a very, very good article, i think. >> and which is what this segment is about, too, it's healthy living. >> it is. >> involving salt and pepper. and starting off, all the different varieties, martha. >> who knew? >> who knew? >> this is where i am pepper. i like to cook with a lot of pepper and alexis can't eat without a lot of salt, right? >> i take the top off of the salt and just -- >> pile it? >> on the side. on the side. >> how is your blood pressure? >> so low, they're like, you're dead. i can have as much salt as i want. >> you're lucky, great. >> and this -- >> why do you need all this? >> it's for interest and for flavor. every salt tastes a little different. if you wet your finger and taste that one -- >> then don't double dip. >> then taste this one. use another finger. take that one. >> oh, love that one. >> you'll see a difference. there are big differences. >> i don't know.

>> there's pink hawaiian salt, there's this beautiful black cypriot salt. the black comes from like -- >> ash? >> carbon, yeah, like ash. and this comes from the minerals, the iron in the soil. >> we have to move onto the recipe, so -- >> this is a whole fish cooked in salt, and the salt mixed with egg white. we're doing a pulled pork. this is a pork shoulder. we insert garlic cloves throughout. >> okay. >> these 20 garlic cloves, don't be shy about the garlic. and crush the pepper. we just want it crushed. and pat it all over here. >> or you could just kick it, meredith, if you'd like. >> just put it all over. you have to use all of it. >> i am, martha, i am. >> and i'm using two bottles of kee yonte. >> two? >> two, yes. >> so cheap wine. >> cheap, but tasty. don't ever buy swill. that's good. >> why do you think i ever would by swill? >> i don't, but i'm just saying, don't.

so, this goes right into this bowl. cover it, leave it overnight. >> do you want to wet the top? >> yeah, take -- yeah. >> that. >> more garlic. >> excellent. >> and then the next day, here's your pork. you have to brown it, so take it out of the liquid, braze it in some olive oil. >> okay. >> and look how beautifully brown that's getting. >> oh, that looks fantastic. >> then, pour the marinade right back in after it's brown. >> okay. >> and this is what comes out of the oven. >> oh, that looks great. >> gorgeous. five hours in the oven, and then just pull it apart. and this is with crusty bread. >> that looks fantastic. >> taste it. taste it, that's delicious. >> top that, lauer. >> well, i've only got 30 seconds left, but we're going to try. alexis, you're making a simple pasta dish. >> very simple. use whole wheat spaghetti, and then drain it, but not really well. leave it a little wet. >> pack reno? >> pacerino.

>> and this is where the salt comes in. and you can add more salt. >> the cheese is salty, and then you can put on a lot of pepper. >> you want more salt or no? >> um, you know, do that to taste. >> by the way, you're vegetarian, aren't you? >> i am. >> so this is one of your go-to dishes? >> this is delicious. >> she makes the most delicious vegetarian food you've ever tasted. and she can do whole dinner parties based on vegetarian. >> well, why not? >> can i take a taste? because this is as simple as it gets. >> yeah, taste it. exactly. you want to taste it, meredith? >> i'm on your side. >> watch out. i'm turning away to do this. >> is it all right? >> mm-hmm. mm-hmm. >> good. excellent. >> that is so easy and so good, and i almost swallowed it wrong. >> you're choking. you're choking. >> where's the water? >> it's really good. take it away, meredith. >> tastes so good. >> martha stewart and alexis stewart, thank you very much. salt and pepper or salt.

and up next, the boy who caught

we are back at 8:45. this morning on "today's health," a misunderstood and rarely talked about childhood disorder that could be caused by a simple infection. nbc's chief medical editor dr. nancy snyderman has the story of one mother's fight to save her son. >> reporter: sammy is a talented math student who loves the water and sailed through fifth grade with honors. he even hosted the annual fifth grade party. >> i'm really happy. >> at the end of the party, one of the kids came up to sammy and said, "sammy, you throw a great party." >> but just three weeks later, sammy's life started to go terribly wrong. >> he was walking around outside with his eyes shut holding his

hands in front of him, as if he were blind. that was the first thing i noticed that was odd. >> reporter: and it didn't end there. every day, a new, strange, compulsive behavior popped up. the diagnosis, obsessive compulsive disorder or ocd. >> diagnoses just never made sense to me. i had a normal, healthy boy, and suddenly, i had a child who i didn't even recognize. >> reporter: even with medication, sammy was getting worse. not able to attend school or sleep in his bed. >> he lived under these cushions. he would just lie under the cushions. >> reporter: in a quest to save her son, beth documented his every move. >> there are many things he avoids, including all mats, doors and faucets. he does not shower or brush his teeth. hugs are out of the question. he does not touch light switches. he does not touch his food. >> reporter: a way out of this hell came one year later with the most unexpected word --

strep. >> i was angry. my son and my entire family had been put through this horror for an entire year and it could be something as simple as strep. >> reporter: sammy was diagnosed with pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with strep cockle infections, otherwise known as pandas. doctors believe pandas is brought on when strep antibodies attack the brain. >> here's the chart. i'm done with it. >> reporter: dr. katherine nicolitis is a doctor in new jersey. she's treated a handful of pandas patients and agreed to see sammy. >> because of the controversy in the medical profession, it hasn't been well studied, so there are people who are resistant to treating. >> reporter: for sammy, the right treatment was the antibiotic augmentin, and within weeks, his behaviors and ticks began to diminish. >> you'll notice i'm touching it

because now i am. >> he said, "mom, i'm a boy full of hope." >> last time i saw sammy, he was a well-developed, healthy, young man who had absolutely no symptoms. >> and dr. nancy is back with us along with sammy, who is now a freshman at carnegie mellon university and his mother, beth maloney, who writes about their experiences in the new book "saving sammy: curing the boy who caught ocd." good morning to all of you. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> i'm watching you watching that, and i'm trying to think, what do you remember about that? it's been seven years. >> not that much, honestly. i don't really think about it. and seven years is a long time when you're only 19, so, like -- >> how do you feel now? >> i feel completely better, like -- >> perfect. no remaining ticks, no symptoms at all? >> well, occasionally, i'll like catch strep or something and i'll feel sick or i'll start to feel the symptoms return a little bit, but then i'll go on antibiotics and it will go away completely. >> at the time, you were 10, right? >> yeah. >> so you're old enough to understand the world around you. >> yes.

>> did you have an awareness for what was happening in your life? >> i mean, yes, but it didn't really seem weird to me. it seemed like it was something that i should be doing, as messed up as it was. >> so, you weren't screaming to communicate to the outside world, help me, i'm trapped. >> i was on one level, and on another level, i wasn't. like, there's one part, i'm -- in the book, where -- or in real life, frankly, where i was getting help from someone with spelling or something like that and i couldn't do any work. i couldn't really accept any of the help, and all i ended up writing was just help me on one piece of paper. >> the frustration of it. >> yeah. >> and it turns out that it's an infection -- >> yes. >> -- that in some kids turns out to be a sore throat. >> correct. >> yet, in your son, something very different. >> he never had any symptoms of strep in the traditional way. never had a sore throat, had never missed a day of school. and as soon as he started having the behaviors, we were referred to the mental health arm of

medicine and there was never a question asked as to whether he might be physically sick. >> a lot of people said you should institutionalize sammy, and that's where he would live the rest of his life. >> we were at the point where i thought we might have to find a placement for him, because i was no longer able to help him at home. >> nancy, what about that question -- why in some children does strep result in a sore throat and why in other children does it result in what happened to sammy? >> i will not be the source of all the information today, because this is really, really new, and it breaks open this idea of, pardon me for using the word, mental illness, math geniuses who are really uber smart kids, and then perhaps these environmental triggers that open up the doors to things like ocd. i think if anything, it says to the medical establishment we don't have all the answers, and this -- >> yeah. >> i mean, look in his eyes. this is a transformed child. >> yeah, absolutely. >> young man, i should say. >> and you shared this story, beth, why?

>> i didn't want any other family to ever have to live through what we lived through. i want anybody whose child may have obsessive compulsive disorder or tourette syndrome to immediately think about whether there is a strep infection. >> but i think the other side of this also is, every child out there with ocd or some other kpuls or tourette a's s is not to be okay tomorrow with medication. >> sammy, good to see you. good luck in school. >> thanks. >> nancy, double-hitter for you today. once again, the book is called "saving sammy: curing the bay who caught ocd."

jennifer aniston stars in a new movie from our sister studio universal pictures. it is called "love happens," and our gene shalit says, well, it does. >> good morning, and welcome to the "critic's corner." jennifer aniston owns a lovely flower shop and it's in seattle, lucky girl. unluckily, her boyfriends have all been thorns and weeds, so she throws in the trowel and stems all interest in men. elsewhere, aaron eckhart writes a best-selling book for the belie number yeeved who are unable to overcome a crushing death, a

husband, a wife, a child. on a cross-country tour, he's greeting seminars and promoting his book. when he hits seattle, guess what? >> would you like to have a cup of coffee? >> he bumps into the captivating miss aniston. his heart goes rat, tat, tat, but she couldn't give a rat's hat. off she goes to be with her friends while he retains his flock in shock. wait, wait, these two charmers can't separate already. we've still got popcorn left. >> give me a chance. >> so, they remeet and agree to eat. >> i have never been on a date with someone who has a cardboard cutout of themselves. >> but their dinner date's a disaster. a disaster! >> you really messed up. >> looks bad for romance, when suddenly, i spot a clue! it's the title, "love happens." that's when i daringly predicted that aaron eckhart and the enchanting jennifer aniston would finally get together.

>> yes. >> right again. >> yeah. >> just call me nostradamus. and i predict that's the "critic's corner" for today. >> wow. not really taking a stand on this one. >> no. >> leaves you guessing. >> judge for yourself. >> i have to show you what happens behind the scenes. here's what happened right before the cooking segment with martha stewart. watch what she does with the foot. >> watch what you just did. look. >> oh! oh! >> yes, that was -- >> my goodness! >> that was a provoked -- >> right in the pepper -- >> there was no provocation for that. nothing. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara.

the birth marinette towered could soon be under new ownership. the bank and surrounding land is scheduled to be auctioned off on october 21. he denies the charge but says his inovisions. back in epeqdpepdpdpgxgpgpgpgxgz

>> let's take a look at forecast with sandra shaw. l le dice a tu padre, por qué g >> we will be warmer than normal for the second straight day. mid-80's is the forecast today. cold front is on the move. it will allow for drier conditions as we head into tonight. somewhat sticky out there today. 83 on the shores of ocean city. seven-day forecast shows much

nicer and sunny. slight chance of afternoon showers tomorrow. better chance of morning showers on sunday. >> we will have another update at 9:25.