good morning. breaking news. the u.s. set to announce today that iran has been hiding a secret nuclear facility and there's hard evidence to prove it. but now that we've found it, what can be done about it? the michael jackson tapes. the late singer's revealing thoughts on his painful childhood, his famous friends and his own struggles with success. >> anybody else would probably be dead by now or a junkie or something with what i've been through. >> this morning, nbc news has obtained the exclusive tapes of michael in his own words. and what a find. an unemployed man buys a used metal detector and unearths a buried treasure worth millions. it's one of the most significant finds ever, and it could have you thinking about a new hobby today, friday, september 25th, 2009. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

and good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a friday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> and i'm meredith vieira. matt, it appears that u.s. intelligence may have caught iran red-handed. >> that's right. president obama along with the leaders of britain and france set to accuse iran today of building a nuclear fuel plant and keeping that facility hidden for years. they'll demand that inspectors be allowed to conduct an immediate inspection. >> and let's get the details from nbc's chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell. andrea, good morning to you. and just how significant is this latest information? >> reporter: oh, this is a very significant breakthrough, if correct. and every official is telling us that it is. the united states has long suspected iran was building a secret nuclear plant under ground, but u.s. officials now confirm that they have breached iranian security and have the evidence to prove it. although the plant is not in operation yet, the timeline is

relatively short. officials say it could be operational next year. the president has already shared this intelligence with russia's president, and that's one reason why earlier this week the russians expressed willingness for the first time to consider sanctions against iran if tehran does not comply with international treaties and disclose its nuclear program as it's required to do. iran's president did not, of course, mention this nuclear program when he was at the u.n. this week, but tehran knew that the united states was onto its secrets, so belatedly has acknowledged the secret plant to the united nations watchdog agency in vienna. >> how do you think this might affect diplomatic talks between iran and the u.s. that are scheduled to get under way very shortly? >> reporter: meredith, this totally strengthens the president's hand in lining up support for tough sanctions against iran. and as i say, for years, russia and china have blocked any action by the u.n. so, this also adds weight to israel's warnings that iran was a lot farther along toward developing nuclear facilities. the decision to go public will put huge pressure on iran as these diplomatic talks, the

first with tehran in years, get under way next week, and it will put iran on the defensive. now, of course, the question is what will the regime in tehran do, because it's believed to be badly divided, but will this accusation unite the regime against the west or will it produce the possibility of a breakthrough? meredith? >> andrea mitchell, thank you very much. and for more, here's matt. >> meredith, thank you. nbc's white house correspondent savannah guthrie has traveled with president obama to pittsburgh. savannah, good morning to you. let me pick up on the point that andrea's just making. the president had a huge world stage on wednesday, giving an address to the united nations general assembly. why do you think that this information on iran and this secret facility didn't come out in that speech? >> reporter: well, senior aides tell me this is a really fast-moving development. first of all, they just learned of iran's letter to the international atomic energy agency on monday. then they felt they needed to brief the other countries that will be involved in those negotiations next week. so, on the sidelines of the

u.n., russia was breached, china was briefed, obviously, the uk and france already knew about that. so they wanted to get all that together. then officials from the uk, france and the u.s. traveled late yesterday afternoon to vienna to brief the atomic energy agency. so, the moment wasn't right until now in the view of the administration, and they really now want to ratchet up the pressure on iran. this is the eve of these very important talks. they want to make clear that iran is not living up to its obligations, and i think we'll hear that tone from the president this morning, one of calling out iran and saying you haven't come clean on what you've done. they think this is in clear violation of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty as well as u.n. security council resolutions, matt. >> savannah, thanks very much. savannah guthrie in pittsburgh this morning. david gregory is moderator of "meet the press." david, good morning to you. >> good morning, matt. >> i was going to wrap up the week with you and what was happening diplomatically and i wanted to talk to you about this apparent breakthrough with the russians, in terms of getting

them to agree to possibly tougher sanctions against iran. we now have a pretty clear idea as to why they may have agreed to that. >> no question about it, and you now have a sense, as well, of what's been behind the obama administration's policy of engagement toward iran, which is to work on making some overtures to get them to the table while they strengthen their hand behind the scenes, getting some leverage to use against the iranians. and the message will be very simple -- it's time to talk. if you want to talk about giving up your nuclear program, there is a relationship that's possible with the west. if you don't, there's going to be real teeth behind some consequences, and now you have the opening created this week by the russians to move toward tougher economic sanctions that could really hurt iran, given the state of its own economy because of the fragile politics of that country and of that regime to have some real impact. so, now is the diplomatic work that has to happen on the part of the administration. and as andrea mitchell said, this strengthens the case. it makes it less likely that

ahmadinejad can maneuver around and sort of harang the u.s. on one day and then say he wants to open up negotiations on another. >> all right, let me move on to afghanistan, and obviously, this assessment from general stanley mcchrystal has been leaked to the press, where he basically says, we need more troops in afghanistan now to ensure security, and without those troops, failure might be the outcome of this war. how is the debate over what to do -- the president says he wants to take his time before making this decision. what kind of debate is going on within the administration as to what to do? >> i think it boils down to one question, which is, would committing tens of thousands of additional u.s. troops make america safer? and that question is one that the president will have to answer, and there is debate on that question on his national security team. whether or not taking on the taliban in a greater way, whether or not taking on the idea of the insurgency in a greater way actually fights al qaeda, makes the terrorist threat diminished. that's where the debate is. the president faces real political strains within his own

party because democrats do not have the stomach or the interest for more troops for a longer period of time. >> right, but remember what the president said, david. he said, look, when i send more troops in, i have got to be -- i am responsible if those troops don't come home. i'm responsible to their families. and i'm wondering how long it's going to be before he gets questions from the family members of the soldiers, the men and women who are already in afghanistan who say, wait a minute, though, if you don't send more troops, then are you risking the safety of my children who are already there? >> it's an important question, and it's one that a lot of republicans are asking right now. either send the troops to fight and win or take them all out. the president will say, based on the debate they're having, that it's not as simple as that, that there could be a narrower strategy, a narrower focus on just fighting al qaeda rather than dedicating the resources to try to beat back the taliban, secure the population. what's the key to this? do they have a credible partner in the afghan government? that's a big question right now for the administration. a lot of fears that --

>> they have to be careful not to appear wishy-washy and all of a sudden redefining the mission at this stage. >> that's where the criticism is, you're absolutely right, and that's why the president needs to come down and say either we're going to commit the troops as my commanders want, or we're not going to do that because we're going to fundamentally change the strategy. that's what the president has been saying, is i want to get the strategy set first. he's paving the way for a change of the strategy he talked about in the spring. >> let me go to a local story here in new york. governor david paterson unpopular, at least in the polls. and apparently, the white house has said to him he might not be the best democrat to run for a full term in that office. this has sparked a lot of debate and a lot of talk. you've got david paterson on your show sunday. what are you going to ask him? >> well, whether he's going to hang on. i think the sque whether he will fight this out, whether he thinks he's a liability for the democratic party. it's not just the white house. the white house, according to people i'm talking to, are very responsive to the new york congressional delegation, which said we're going to be in trouble here if we don't get david paterson out of the way

and have him not run. the white house view was, the president's going to be owning all of this in a midterm election anyway. he's going to be seen as responsible. so they made the decision to intervene. we'll see what the outcome is. >> and we'll watch you on sunday. david, good luck. thanks very much. >> thanks, matt. >> okay. and now let's get a check of the rest of the morning's top stories from ann curry over at the news desk. good morning to you, ann. >> meredith and matt, good morning. good morning, everybody. also in the news today, one of the suspects in that alleged terror plot aimed at new york city earlier this week will be back in court in denver today, and he is charged with conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction. nbc's justice correspondent pete williams has more now. hey, pete, good morning. >> reporter: ann, good morning to you. najibullah zazi of suburban denver is now formally charged of attempting to use bombs in new york. prosecutors say he and at least three other people, so far unnamed, went to denver area beauty products suppliers in july and august, buying gallons of chemicals that can be used to

make a powerful explosive. the government says in late august and early september, zazi got a hotel room in the denver area, one with a stove in it, which he used to heat the chemical tease concentrate him. court documents say he had trouble getting the explosive formula to work and was contacting someone for help. law enforcement officials say he did not succeed in making it. now, officials say federal agents are working to identify all the people that zazi was working with and that some of them are now cooperating with investigators, ann. >> all right, pete williams this morning. pete, thanks. in two unrelated developments, two other alleged plots were thwarted in the u.s. on thursday. a jordanian man was arrested after officials say he placed what he believed was a car bomb in a parking garage under a dallas skyscraper. and an illinois man was accused of trying to detonate what he thought was a bomb outside a springfield courthouse. five u.s. troops were killed on thursday in southern afghanistan, including three in a roadside bombing. the deaths came as the obama administration debates whether to send more troops to afghanistan.

supreme court justice ruth bader ginsburg was hospitalized overnight after becoming ill in her office. she had been treated earlier in the day for an iron deficiency. ginsburg underwent surgery for pancreatic cancer in february. world markets are mostly lower this morning. as for wall street, cnbc's melissa lee is at the new york stock exchange with more. hey, melissa, lots of attention on this g-20 summit. >> definitely, ann. so far, they have agreed to keep stimulus programs in place until an economic recovery takes hold. treasury secretary tim geithner also says the group is very close to a consensus that would agree on reducing the reliance of export-driven growth and correcting the massive trade imbalances around the world. china, for instance, is an export-driven economy. the u.s., for its part, is a massive buyer of those goods. also on the table today, a possible agreement on bank compensation. the meeting does continue on today, so wall street will keep watching, ann. >> all right. melissa lee this morning, thanks so much. and a story we've been following -- an ohio woman implanted with the wrong embryo because of a fertility clinic mix-up gave birth on thursday to a baby boy. before the cesarean, carolyn

savage said that he shae and her husband wanted a moment to say hello and good-bye before turning the baby over to his biological parents. and the extended nbc family has lost a much-loved member. big russ, the father of our late colleague tim russert, and the subject of the book "big russ and me" died last night from natural causes with his family at his side. timothy russert, "big russ," was 85 years old. so, first thought i had, you guys, was they're together again. it's now 7:12. let's go back to matt, meredith and al. remember, there was a "trading places" piece tim did about his father. very poignant. >> our condolences and sympathies go out to the russert family once again. >> absolutely. >> absolutely. >> mr. roker? >> one of the greatest generation. >> absolutely.

>> we are still watching showers that are trying to clear the area. a little bit of light rainfall. a slick new to this morning. we will be looking better by this afternoon. preconditions, >> and that's your latest weather. meredith? >> al, thank you. and now to the latest on the

mysterious death of a u.s. census worker in rural kentucky. the man was found hanged in the woods, reportedly with the word fed scrawled on his chest. nbc's ron mott has the very latest. ron, good morning to you. >> reporter: hey there, meredith. good morning to you. the official cause of death in this case is asphyxiation, but authorities are stopping short at this point of classifying the death, saying it could be one of three things -- an accident, suicide or murder. published reports indicate the word fed was marked on the chest of 51-year-old census worker bill sparkman, found dead with a rope around his neck tied to a tree in the daniel boone national forest in rural southeastern kentucky. friends became worried with fear when the reliable sparkman, also a substitute elementary teacher, missed an appointment at school. >> when he didn't show up, we knew something was wrong. he didn't call, he didn't show up, and we said, hey, there's something bad wrong. >> reporter: the fbi joined kentucky state police, which is leading the investigation for now, to determine if sparkman was targeted because of

antigovernment hatred. >> if somebody's killed because of their employment with the federal government, that's a federal crime and the fbi would take the lead in this investigation then. >> reporter: the government has since suspended door-to-door census canvassing in the area, which sparkman was conducting, until police uncover more clues. >> this is one of those investigations that's very difficult because we're unable to rule out or discredit any of the rumors that are going around about this. >> reporter: a resident near the scene said he told an investigator about ominous sounds coming from the woods days before sparkman's body was found september 12th. >> i told them he was hollering, a few nights before that until 1:00, 2:00, or 3:00 in the morning. >> reporter: sparkman so enjoyed teaching, friends say, he enrolled in college at age 47, hoping to land a full-time position. speaking to fellow graduates at commencement last year. >> for those of us that will become teachers, become a super teacher, and brick walls cannot hurt you.

it is too important than the life of a child. >> reporter: adding to the mystery and intrigue is the day police believe this man died. they say it is very likely he passed away the day before his body was discovered, making it september 11th. meredith? >> ron mott, thank you very much. it is 7:16, and once again, here's matt. >> meredith, thank you. have you ever dreamed of finding buried treasure? well, the cache of gold one unlikely treasure hunter found is so big, so magnificent, so valuable that experts say they wept when they saw it. nbc's dawna friesen is in london with details on this. dawna, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, matt. you know, this is the kind of story metal detector enthusiasts live for. an unemployed man on welfare here in england bought a used metal detector for about $6 and then stumbled on the most amazing find of anglo saxon treasure ever unearthed, about 11 pounds of gold, about 5 pounds of silver, a find, say experts, of unparalleled beauty and thought to be worth millions.

it is the stuff of treasure hunters' dreams. unearthed over five days in july from a field in central england, about 1,500 exquisitely crafted, jewel-encrusted pieces of anglo saxon gold and silver, a horde like no other, found by an unemployed metal detector enthusiast named terry herbert. >> it's been more than winning the lottery. still in the ground, is there anything better than this to be found? >> reporter: and for experts, it's awe-inspiring. >> never expected ever to see anything like this. it was unimaginable. it's a sword pummel inlaid. >> reporter: most of it is military in origin. this is a cheek piece of a golden helmet. this is an inscription from the bible -- "rise up, oh lord, and scatter your enemies." >> the fragments will be analyzed and looked at, and in sm cases, fit back together again to tell an incredible story. >> reporter: a story of england in the 7th century and the anglo

saxon kingdom of mersia. after terry herbert stumbled upon the first few hundred pieces, he called in archeologists, who kept turning up more, much near the surface of a eventually plowed field. it's what people with a passion for treasure hunting, like steve brooker, look for. >> it happens once in a blue moon, and this guy has hit the jackpot and what a find. you know, this guy is going to change history. >> the desire is not just to take things home and keep them for yourself, but show the world. >> of course it is, yeah. >> reporter: until now, the most famous find of anglo saxon gold was sutton hu in england 70 years ago, treasures that are now in the british museum. this find is much bigger and terry herbert is still overwhelmed by it. >> find anybody else that goes through something like this, they will understand how big a find this is. >> reporter: a panel of experts will decide what it's worth and sell it to local museums. terry and the land owner will

split the money 50/50, which almost certainly means this treasure will turn them into millionaires. and the archeologists involved have pored over every inch of the field where the trufer was found. they haven't found any trace of a grave or a building, so they don't know exactly why it was there, but one theory is that it may have been buried for safe keeping by its owner, maybe a king, because during the dark ages, england was in a state of almost perpetual warfare. what we do know for sure is whoever buried it back then certainly never went back to get it. matt? >> dawna, what a remarkable story. dawna friesen in london for us this morning. now here's meredith. >> matt, thank you. just five months before the winter olympics in vancouver, controversial ski bode miller is rejoining the ski team. he says he wants to race again for the medals that alluded him in torino. here's nbc's lee cowan. >> reporter: bode is back. after quitting the u.s. ski team

in the wake of his entertaining but controversial performance at the 2006 olympics, the sport's most irreverent step -- >> this is not an arena for me to apologize stuff. i think that stuff will come out as it does. >> reporter: he remains the most accomplished american skier ever with 31 world cup victories. he won double silver in the salt lake olympics, but then came torino. his admission that he partied as hard as he skied was frowned on by olympic officials, and when he left without a single medal, it seemed disappointing to everyone but him. >> the intention was to come back and try to make everything positive, you know, so it's not -- so it doesn't turn into, you know, any kind of a regurgitation of the past. >> reporter: despite the antics, he remained a darling of the ski set, and no wonder. >> he is fearless every race is like mr. toe's wild ride. it's incredible what he can do. that's why we watch.

>> reporter: he actually paid his own way to the world cup circuit and won his second overall title in 2008. now back with the u.s. team, his focus is again on the world cup series, but the fact that this is also an olympic year isn't lost on anyone, especially the team's coach. >> i think we have fun together and we're cohesive, and having bode come into the environment now is going to be -- is going to take us to the next level. >> it gives the games an entirely new dimension, an entirely more interesting dynamic, because anything with bode in it is more interesting than when bode is not in it. >> reporter: he knows he can't undo the past, but he hopes to eclipse it in vancouver with a performance that only bode can deliver. for "today," lee cowan, nbc news, los angeles. >> there's no question he gets people talking about the sport. >> yeah, yeah. >> in one way or another. >> do you think he'll behave this time? >> i have no idea, but i know that we'll be there watching. >> we will be. >> we'll be out there in vancouver, which should be fun. >> i can't believe it's almost happening, almost upon us, for

sure. just ahead, michael jackson's secret torment revealed in never-before-heard recordings. >> it was horrible. i don't like -- i never liked it. that's why i wish i could never be photographed or seen. >> we will hear more from the king of pop and talk with a man who shared them with us exclusively. first, this is "today" on nbc.

just ahead, some new research that's heating up the spanking debate again. does it actually lower a child's iq? plus, exclusive, secret recordings of michael jackson.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. here is a look at one of our top stories. an off-to the baltimore police officer spent several hours in surgery after you shot several times. he was walking into his homes \ in northwest baltimore when three men approached with guns and tried to rob him. he was taken to sinai hospital and emilio underwent surgery. he was taken to icy or rye 3:00 this morning. -- icu around 3:00 this morning. >> we are dealing with wet roads out there. that means delays and several incidents. in belair, route 24, i-95, at

the overpass, accident still clearing. in the area of northbound 83, we have an accident off to the side. those delays are dissipating. we are developing southbound delays from shawan road to opposite the accident scene. northeast side pretty heavy. exceptionally heavy on the southwest side. this is backing down traffic on southbound 795. hollins ferry at fifth, with an accident in the city. 22 minutes is the outer loop drive on the west side. here is a live view of traffic on 95, harford road, a delay heading towards providence. standard delay as well. looking across the bay bridge. >> we are dealing with a few light showers out there this morning. the bulk of the activity will move to our south. we will clear out by this

afternoon. precede by this afternoon. rainy and cooler by tomorrow. >> check the bottom of your screen for updated news and traffic

7:30 now on this friday morning, september 25th, 2009. and we are happy to see so many bright and shiny faces up and out early. meanwhile, inside studio 1a, i'm meredith vieira alongside matt lauer. and coming up in a moment, we're going to hear those michael jackson tapes obtained exclusively by nbc news. more than 30 hours of interviews the late singer recorded with his good friend, rabbi shmuley biotaka. we'll hear jackson in his own words and hear what he had to say with rabbi shmuley in just a moment. also ahead, a beautiful, young woman missing in california. the last people to see her alive? well, the sheriff's deputies who had just released her from custody. we're going to hear from her desperate parents in just a little while. also, parents have long debated the pros and cons of spanking. were you spanked as a child? >> i was not. >> you were not? >> no. >> i was not, either. and now there is a new wrinkle

to that discipline debate. new research showing an actual link between spanking and a child's iq. we're going to get into that, just ahead. >> that is going to be controversial with a lot of peopl people. but we begin with those recordings of conversations between michael jackson and his friend, rabbi shmuley. you've heard the voice. >> if i sharpen my craft, maybe people will love me more. >> reporter: but never like this. >> weren't for children, i would choose death. >> it's a side of michael jackson people never knew, captured in tape recordings never made public until today. >> i don't think michael will ever be looked at the same after people read this book. it's impossible. >> they're being released now along with a book by rabbi shmuley, a former confidante to the king of pop, who recorded the conversations with jackson's permission nine years ago. >> so many of us who look at michael as strange and weird, that's not what i experienced. >> what did you see?

>> indescribable pain. ♪ >> in the tapes, jackson recalled his childhood as lead singer of the jackson 5 and his fear of father and manager joe jackson. >> you'd look in the audience and he'd make a face like this. you'd go, oh, i can't mess up, he's going to kill us. it would scare the bejesus out of you and you'd be like, everybody's clapping and he's looking at you hard, like, "don't you mess up." and you know, i'm like, "oh, gough, i'm in trouble after the show." >> the family has said jackson was hard on them, but they have been inconsistent and joe jackson says he never beat his son. michael told shmuley that as an adult, it became his personal mission to heal suffering children, a mission he seemed to take to an extreme. >> do you feel that god gave you a certain healing power? >> yes. i've seen children just shower all over me with love.

they want to just touch me and hug me and just hold on and cry and not let go. >> he so loved children, he told the rabbi that he wanted to be surrounded by them in death. ♪ have you seen my childhood >> i want to be buried right where there's children. i will feel safer that way. i want them next to me. i need their spirit. >> it was a topic he spoke often be. his words ringing eerily today. >> you know, when the body breaks down, you start to wrinkle, i think it's so bad. >> do you want to die before that happens? >> i don't want to grow old. >> did he have a death wish? >> he lost the will to live. i think he was just going through the motions of life toward the end. ♪ i was wandering in the rain >> i think all my success and fame, and i've wanted it, i've

wanted it. because i wanted to be love d that's all. >> a tragic life cut short, now remembered in his own words. ♪ and rabbi shmuley is with us exclusively. his new book is "the michael jackson tapes: a tragic icon reveals his soul in intimate conversation." good morning to you. >> good morning, meredith. >> a lot of powerful stuff in these tapes, 40 hours worth of recordings. before we play some of the tapes, more of the tapes, you met michael jackson in 1999. mentalist yeareler brought you together. over year 2000-2001, you made these recordings with him. you say you were his spiritual adviser during this period. what watjen sis of these tapes? why did he want to make these recordings some. >> well, i have to apologize for my blood-shot eyes because i was contemplating whether to honor michael's wish to have him heard by a public who he knew was deeply suspicious of him, but

really to grasp the serious nature of the message he was trying to communicate. and to communicate that through the noise of his existence. he was trying to communicate a deadly serious issue in this book, saying he would rather die than never use fame to help children and he communicates loneliness and pain that staggers imagination. he was walking the streets of encino begging people to speak to him and deadly serious, because amidst the tragedy of his life cut short, an american icon fallen before our eyes, there's been no serious introspection in our culture to ask what this means for all of us, a culture that promotes fame without any kind of real foundation and fortune without any spiritual purpose. >> but he was also trying to rebuild his reputation that was part of this as well. >> i think he was trying to reclaim his life. i don't see it manipulative from michael. he felt he had been robbed of something essential and he wanted people to hear how it scarred him for life. how he grabbed onto attention from fans as a substitute for

unconditional love from family. >> so he wanted a book published. >> absolutely. this was his desperate wish and it became impossible to release it earlier, because after the 2003 arrest on child molestation, there was no sympathy for michael. michael was really seen as -- no one wanted to hear that voice. but in the wake of his death, i think there's been a ground swell of sympathy of people who want to judge him more charitiably, and he had this life where he learned so much and he wanted to share it. >> let's talk about his life and listen to more of the tapes, because a lot of the conversation he had with you revolved around his family, and in particular, his dad, joe jackson. i want the folks at home to hear what michael says he suffered at the hands of his father. >> he was rough. the way he would beat you, you know, was hard, you know? he would make you strip nude first. he would oil you down. it would be a whole ritual. he would oil you down so when the flip of the ironing cord hit you, it would just, you know,

and it was just like me dying and you had whips all over your face, your back, everywhere. and i always heard my mother like, "no, joe, you're gonna kill him, you're gonna kill him, no!" and i would just give up, like there was nothing i could do. i hated him for it. hated him. >> and yet, he also says that he loved his father for what he did to build his career. we reached out to the jackson family for a response, and a family spokesman said to us "we will not dignify this with a comment," but rabbi, what do you think about the experience that he had with his dad? how did that shape the man that he became? >> michael wanted the unconditional acceptance of his father and he always communicated to me that amidst the abuse that he alleges -- and it may not be true -- but amidst that abuse, he wanted his father to reach out to him. he desperately sought a reconciliation, and he thought the day would come when he and his father would meet on common ground. and i really believe that more than any other factor, what led to the death of michael jackson, medicating away this pain that was almost indescribable, was

that he could not have the validation of his father. he actually said to me that everything he did in his concerts and albums was in order to obtain his father's approval, and this is an important message for american parents. this is the age of reality tv where kids are prepared to go on television and lose their dignity to obtain celebrity because they're neglected in childhood. >> he says he was looking as a replacement for love, that he saw them as one and the same. and we alluded to earlier, you did, about surrounding himself with mannequins, because somehow, they filled a void in his life. let's listen to that first, rabbi. >> i knew something was wrong with me, and it was at that time. but i was -- i needed someone. that's probably why i had the mannequins, i would say, because i felt i needed people, someone, and i didn't have -- i was too shy to be around real people, so i -- and i didn't talk to them.

it wasn't like old ladies talking to plants. i always thought about, why do i have these? i love them. it's like real babies and kids and people, but it makes me feel like i'm in a room with people. >> so, you actually saw that as well, right? you saw some -- >> well, we recorded a lot of these conversations in neverland. these were krsions recorded for the express purpose of publication so michael could be known to the public, and i saw the mannequins. look, so much we dismissed as michael, the weirdness, bizarre antics -- >> some people would think of that as very weird. >> true. but listen to him, you get chills down your spine when you hear him saying that. his celebrity created a degree of isolation where he was not comfortable around other people. he felt people wanted something from him. he felt like he was trapped in this cocoon of fame and there was some exploitive relationship with virtually everyone he met. and he wanted people just to understand, i may not be perfect, but before you judge me, know what i've been through. and he also wanted american families to heal based on his example. i think what he shared in these

conversations was immensely courageous for a superstar to bear his soul with this degree of honest, a searing honesty, so families would learn. he did all this because he wanted to consecrate his fame to a higher cause. and that cause is, prioritize your kids, don't neglect them. because look what it did to me. >> he also talks to you about his relationships with women, and there was speculation about whether he really liked women or didn't like women, but he brings up many women in these tapes, including his mom. he calls her a saint. tatum o'neil, he says she was his first girlfriend, calls her magic. he called princess diana and let's hear what he had to say about brooke shields. [ inaudible ] >> i went to the academy awards with diana ross and this girl walked up to me and said, "hi, i'm brooke shields." then she goes, "are you going to

the after party?" i go, "yeah." she goes, "good, i'll see you at the party." i'm going, oh, my god, does she know she's all over my room? so, we get to the after party, and she goes, "will you dance with me"? yes, i will dance with you. man, we exchanged numbers and i was up all night singing, spinning around in my room, so happy. >> all those rumors of his sexual orientation, what do you make of his comments about people like brooke? >> michael always expressed attraction to women in my presence. i think that he always was drawn to women and he respected women, but he was also suspicious of women, and the reason is -- and he says this in the book -- and again, it's devastating to listen to -- from the age of 5, he was performing in concert halls, many of which were strip tease clubs. so, he began to associate adult sexuality with pruiance, associated women with their ability to gain control over men. so he was drawn to women, but suspicious of them. and virtually every time he brings up women, there's always this prurient, sexual -- i mean,

michael was romantic, you can hear it there, but he didn't want it to become something prurient. and he reaches back to his childhood for innocence because he was robbed of it at an early age. and we as parents that let our kids watch anything on television, not knowing the toxic images. michael was saying this because he didn't want children to experience the same destructive influences. >> also if he had a problem with somebody, he wasn't able to talk about it. because he talks about madonna and she doesn't fair so well in the tapes. listen to they. >> they admire you and know you're wonderful and great, but they're jealous because they wish they were in your place, wish they were in your shoes. and "m" is one of them -- madonna. hate to say that on tape. she's not a nice -- she doesn't think i'm -- >> she's jealousy. she's jealous. >> absolutely. >> at the end -- go ahead, i'm sorry. >> to be fair to michael, michael was not a gossip and didn't like speaking negatively about people, and you see the way he hesitates there, but the thing about madonna was, this

was through a stage in her life where she really was out there sexually and michael felt that undermined her as a woman. he wanted to be around ladies. and he says they started dating not just to gain tabloid fodder. they were trying to create a relationship and he felt she was undermining romance by becoming too sexually aggressive, but also, to be fair to madonna, when she became a mother, he said that would change her, bring out a more nurturing quality. >> there is so much i want to talk about but we are out of time on this broadcast. i appreciate, rabbi, you being with us. >> i really hope when people hear michael's voice, they will judge him more charitably, understand the pain he went through. >> thank you, rabbi shmuley. you can hear more of the michael jackson tapes on >> we have been contending with

a light shower activity this morning. you can see it hovering over central maryland. should be out of here by noon. remaining in the 70's, died this afternoon. >> and, of course, it's the weekend, and you know what that means. everything stops! nothing should happen on sunday night, because sunday night is "football night in america"! this is a hot one. that's right. we've got the colts in arizona. it's going to be clear and hot. they're closing the roof, turning on the air conditioning. they're going to blow the roof off with the temperatures near 100 degrees!

that's right, on sunday night, "football night in america"! meredith. >> i'm deaf. al, thank you very much. up next, a spanking your child actually lower your child's iq. we're going to get into that.

back now at 7:47, and a question every parent will face at one time or another -- to spank or not? new research out today shows that children who are spanked have lower iqs. dr. nancy snyderman is nbc's chief medical editor. nancy, good morning. >> hi, matt. >> fill me in on this. this is hard to get my arms around. >> it's not that hard if you look at the incremental

research. this is out of the university of new hampshire, and it's basically this -- if you hit your child, it's kind of corporal punishment, and it's corporal punishment meant to inflict a little pain to correct bad behavior, not to cause real damage to a child, but enough to get a kid's attention. for kids ages 2 to 4, children who were not spanked had iqs five points higher. for children 5 to 9 years of age, those who were not spanked had iqs 2.8 points higher. and then looked globally at about 32 countries. countries that do not use corporal punishment on their children have overall higher iqs. >> i'm still having a hard time getting my arms around this. >> i know you are. >> are you saying that the spanking in a 2 to 4-year-old then caused a drop in iq? these kids -- >> that's exactly. >> -- is fairly set, isn't it? >> for two reasons, if your child is spanked, it means

you're hitting instead of having a conversation. so there's an alteration of verbal about. >> but might that the not have something to do with the iq of parent? >> i can't argue that, but let me take it one step further. if i'm hitting a child and not having a conversation is one thing. if i continually spank or hit, we know that that's a stressor, and what are the two things we want our kids to do? we want them to go to school and do well, and we want them to be kids, but if children are fearful and they have that angst, they can't do either one, and those stressors have an absolute hit on brain development, much like we know from really good research that when we talk to babies in soft words, we make the connections in their brains stronger. >> right. >> so, if speaking makes connections stronger and hitting hurts those connections, that's what this shows. >> right. and let me just say, i'm not in favor of spanking. i was just having a hard time understanding the cause and effect. >> but there is a question of, do you have a lower iq, therefore you hit, or do you hit and therefore you have a lower iq? >> right.

>> and i think in that case, there's probably a little bit of both. >> all right, nancy. >> but hitting hurts development. that's the take-home here. >> okay, and that's probably the most important thing to end with. nancy, thanks very much. >> you bet, matt. still ahead, a remarkable new look of america's national parks courtesy of ken burns.

just ahead, a california woman disappears and her parents say the authorities are responsible. >> we'll talk to them.

>> live, local, latebreaking.

this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. with the wet roads, usually problems on the roadway. here is traffic pulse 11 and sarah caldwell. >> and since, many just coming into us in the past few minutes. from shawan road down towards the beltway, and we are looking at delays elsewhere. southbound 95, two miles per hour. barely moving out of the white marsh area. this is backing down traffic on southbound 795. collins ferry, watch for an accident there in the hell for the city. and did -- help for the vicinity. delays here as well. all the volume-related, though. here is a live view of traffic in the area of harford road.

inching along towards providence. here's a live view of the west side. let's get the latest on the forecast with sandra. >> light batch of showers moving on through. that will continue for another hour or two. the winds will shift out of the northeast. picking up at 10 to 15 miles per hour. temperature range will be in the 70's today. tomorrow it is going to be rather chilly and the gap. -- and tampa. heading into tomorrow evening, some rain. >> be sure to check the bottom of your screen for updated news and traffic information. our next live update and a 25 minutes.

8:00 now on a friday morning. it's the 25th day of september 2009. fall in the air here in the northeast. kind of chillier temperatures than we've been having over the last week. we also have a huge crowd here. >> that's right. nice friday crowd. >> thanks to all these people for stopping by out on the plaza. i'm matt lauer along with meredith vieira and al roker. and coming up, a serious story, the disappearance of a beauty queen out in california. a southern california honors student. she had been arrested, actually, last thursday for failing to pay a bill in a restaurant. she was released several hours later by the sheriff's department and then disappeared. no one's seen anything of her since. >> wow. >> did the sheriff's department bear some responsibility? her parents seem to think so. we're going to talk to them in a little while. then on a much, much lighter note, it's something refreshing.

there's a trendy fashions, trendy fashions for normal-sized folks, regular-sized people, for the rest of us. >> yeah. she looks beautiful, too. >> yes. >> very, very nice. but now it is time to reveal, "where are we today?" on thursday, we showed you this shot of an undisclosed location. well, if you guessed the scene of the most famous civil war battle, you are right. gettysburg national park. >> ah hah. ♪ >> our camera has been at the monument of the 72nd pennsylvania infantry registmen at gettysburg, pennsylvania. dedicated in 1891, the monument is placed on the ground where during the three-day battle the union army rappelled confederate soldiers, what historians call a key turning point in the civil war. each year, about 30 million people visit the site. and you guys, you said you thought you knew what it was. is that what -- >> boom. >> oh, yeah, now because you never said it.

>> didn't want to give it away. >> mark -- >> did we is this. >> thank you. >> i'm very impressed. >> thank you. >> well, we'll have another location for you to guess next week. all right, before we go any further, let's go inside. ann is standing by at the news desk with a check of the headlines. ann? >> announcer: "where are we today" is brought to you by comfort suites and the other fine choice hotels. >> all right, thanks a lot, you guys. good morning, once again, everybody. in the news, this morning in pittsburgh, president obama and the leaders of britain and france are accusing iran of building a secret nuclear facility for enriching uranium. the president is demanding that iran now immediately open up the facility to international inspectors. this as the president's atte attending the g-20 economic summit, where hundreds of protestors have been staging demonstrations. at least 65 people have been arrested and some 20 businesses have been vandalized. terror suspect najibullah zazi makes a court appearance today in denver after being indicted for conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction.

he is said to have bought supplies from beauty supplies stores to make bombs. separately two arrests were made on thursday, one in dallas and one in springfield, illinois, men allegedly plotting bomb attacks. paul kirk is scheduled to be sworn in today as the newest u.s. senator from massachusetts, temporarily filling the seat of the late senator, ted kennedy. charles manson follower susan atkins died during the night in california after a battle with brain cancer. atkins, who admitted to killing actress sharon tate 40 years ago lost her final bid for parole earlier this month. president obama has declared a major disaster in georgia because of this week's flooding there. the move makes federal disaster aid available for flood victims. california officials say that they have an army of firefighters battling a big wildfire still burning in ventura county. that fire has burned more than 27 square miles. and in india, an elephant suddenly went on a rampage, charging through trees and knocking over cars.

the elephant's trainer was seriously injured. the rampage went on for more than four hours before the animal could be tranquilized. it is now four minutes past the hour. let's go back outside to meredith and matt. >> he's a big elephant. >> said that was a big elephant. >> yes. >> it was a big elephant. >> it was a big elephant. >> yes, it was. >> mr. roker? >> that's right. and we've got thehe

>> we are still trying to get this light rain out of here. i think in the next couple of hours we will clear out a little bit. we will be in the 70's today. rainy and cold day tomorrow. >> and this lovely young lady,

you broke your elbow. how'd you do that? >> i fell in gym class. >> oh in gym class. what's your name? >> bridget. >> bridget, all right. do you still have to go to gym? >> um, no. >> all right. all right! now, let's go back over to meredith. >> al, thank you very much. up next, a former beauty queen arrested and released, just hours later, in the middle of the night. now she is missing and her parents are angry at the authorities. ♪ look at this man

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we're back now at 8:10 with an unusual case in california. a 24-year-old woman disappears shortly after being released from a los angeles county sheriff's station. now her parents are demanding answers from the authorities. we'll talk to her parents in a moment, but first, nbc's miguel almaguer has the latest. >> reporter: a beauty contestant, an honor student, and now a missing person. mitrice richardson walked out of the sheriff's office and into a mystery that baffles investigators. last week, richardson entered this exclusive malibu restaurant alone and was later arrested after she couldn't pay her $89 bill. management says the young woman looked sober, but her behavior was described as unusual. in her car, police found a small

amount of marijuana. >> we cited her for that and then we took her to the station here. >> reporter: the lost hills sheriff's station is in a remote area. richardson was booked, then released at 1:00 a.m. the sheriff's department says they offered her a bed for the night because her car was impounded and she didn't have any money. after richardson made a few phone calls, she simply walked away. the sheriff's department says they couldn't force her to stay. >> i know she's scared and i feel her fear and i'm angry because it didn't have to happen. it didn't have to happen. >> reporter: richardson's family gathered this week outside the sheriff's department to demand answers. why would a young woman be left alone to walk into the night in the middle of nowhere? >> if mitrice richardson's name was spears or lohan, they would never let her walk out by herself. they would have escorted her home. >> that's right. >> they would have given her keys to another car. they would have given her an escort. it's a double standard. you draw your own conclusion. >> reporter: among all the

swirling questions in this case, one thing is certain, mitrice richardson was last seen leaving this substation a week ago. it was the last confirmed sighting of the 24-year-old. >> she was not intoxicated. she was not disoriented. the l.a. county sheriff's department did not only everything procedurally correct but was morally right. >> reporter: a graduate of cal state fullerton, richardson has no criminal history and was on track to become a substitute teacher. the sheriff's department says they'll launch another expansive search. a hunt for clues as authorities try to figure out how a beautiful young woman could simply vanish into the night outside a sheriff's station. for "today," miguel almaguer, nbc news, los angeles. >> mitrice's parents, latisse sutton and michael richardson are with us now along with leo terrell, a civil rights attorney who represents the family. good morning to all of you. thank you for joining us. >> good morning, matt. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> latisse, your daughter made two phone calls before walking out of that sheriff's

department. do you have any idea who she calls? have police been able to trace those calls? any leads at all? >> at this time, we are not aware of who she contacted. we do know she did not contact family. the authorities have been unwilling, unable to produce us that information. >> you know -- >> as to who she calls. >> is she someone who's fairly street smart? would you describe her as that? a, we know she had no money, so she couldn't have called a cab and she couldn't have gotten a hotel room. is it surprising to you that she would just walk away from that sheriff's department? >> it is absolutely surprising. no, mitrice is not street-savvy. mitrice pretty much had a pretty sheltered upbringing. her parents have kept her sheltered and involved in positive activities all of her life. so, no, she is not street savvy. and i do need to say that although mitrice had money, she

did not have money in her possession. >> right. >> and so, her being out there alone is very frightening for me because she is not street savvy. >> michael, the sheriff's department declined to appear in this live interview, but as you saw in that piece, they did grant us an interview on tape yesterday, and they said, look, we did what we were supposed to do. this is a young lady who is not intoxicated. we had no legal grounds to keep her overnight. we offered her a bed and she declined. what more did you want them to do? >> well, that's all inconsistencies. i've talked to them several times since my daughter's been missing. the first time they offered her to sleep in the lobby. now they're saying they offered her a bed. i don't know anyone who likes to raise their hand and say they want to stay in jail, first of all. second of all, the jailer, miss cummings, who i spoke with the day that my daughter came up missing, was presented to me as we do not run a babysitting organization.

she was free to go. they stated that it was based on overcrowding and they did not have any room to hold her, when in fact, from 3:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. there was only one inmate there. their spokesman for the sheriff's department has changed his statement several times since i spoke with them. >> are you getting enough attention in terms of -- do you think law enforcement -- let's take what happened thursday out of it. do you get the sense that law enforcement officials are doing enough right now to try to find your daughter? >> no. >> no. >> no. >> not at all. >> definitely not. >> and let me also add, when i contacted the sheriff's department when mitrice was being taken into custody and in route to the sheriff's department, i did indicate to the deputy on the phone that i was coming to pick up my daughter. so, if for no other reason, they could have let mitrice know that mom is on the way to get you. >> right. >> i don't get the impression that that was disclosed to her.

>> leo -- and i don't, unfortunately, have a lot of time left. you said in that piece, you said there's a double standard here, draw your own conclusion. i mean, are you suggesting that there is a racial element to this? >> matt, i'll let the public decide that. we're going to go to the fbi. but you know as well as i do, when certain celebrities are interacting with the police department, they are escorted. they are treated like queens. mitrice richardson is only asking for the same treatment as a lohan or a spears. i'll let the public draw the conclusion on this issue. >> we will continue to follow this story, and our thoughts are with you while your daughter is missing. we thank you for joining us this morning. >> thank you, matt. >> thank you. >> thank you for having us. >> we're going to be right back. . my parents all smoked. my grandparents smoked. i've been a long-time smoker. you know, discouragement is a big thing in quitting smoking. i'm a guy who had given up quitting.

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back to school again ♪ now to our special series "back to school again." in the past 21 months alone, nearly 7 million people have lost their jobs, and of the ones fortunate enough to find new work, 38% have done so in an entirely different field. here's how one unemployed woman is using education to improve her prospects. at age 48, barbara deacon never expected to be back on a college campus, but after losing her job and going through a divorce, she knew it was time to make a change. >> i needed to think about what i could do for the future in a bad market, basically. good morning. >> barbara is starting over, studying for a new career at queens borough college in downtown new york, which she hopes will help her survive the economic downturn. >> nursing was something i wanted to do for a long time and just made sense. >> reporter: government studies suggest that barbara's career change may be a step in the right direction, since health

care is one area where job growth is expected. >> as far as nursing field goes, there will always be opportunities. >> reporter: for barbara, it is one step away from the unemployment line and one step closer to a paycheck. >> i think that what i'm doing now is absolutely an investment in my future. >> rosemary haithner is vice president of human resources at careerbuilder.com. rosemary, good morning to you. >> good morning. >> of the 6.9 million jobs lost since the recession, some industries have been harder hit than the others. among the ones hardest hit, manufacturing, construction and finance. then there is hiring actually going on in other industries, especially health care, education, sales and technology. why those? >> well, sales is, you know, it's clearly a need for businesses to get those revenue generators in the door, drive their top-line growth. they need that revenue now. so, that's a short-term focus. long-term, though, technology, i think that surprises people the most. they need to get those

technologists in. they're going to drive the innovation, create the products, bring in the revenue in years to come. >> and health care because we'll always need people in that profession? >> we will. we have a fast growing, aging society and we have a shortage of workers that's been pent up for a few years. >> the trick is to take the skills you've learned in a job, in an industry that may be dying right now and transfer those to an industry that is thriving using education to do it. >> absolutely. there are definitely skills right now that you can transfer, but supplement that with education. it's an easier prospect than most people realize. >> let's give some examples. if you've been a financial manager, you can take your skills in that job and use them to get a job as a science technician. how do those two relate? >> how do those relate? science technicians, they are typically going to take the principles of science and math and they're going to use those to solve problems in research and development, improve products, processes. it's very analytical, and so, a finance manager typically is very strong in the analysis that needs to be done. so, it's a natural fit.

>> and where would you go to re-educate yourself? >> typically, you're going to need at least a two-year associates degree to get in the door. if you're going to go more specific, forensic science, for example, four-year degree, but it's a very transferrable skill set right now with the analytics. >> another example, you've lost your job in construction. how do you transfer your skills from that job to a job as an environmental engineer? >> green jobs, we're sort of hearing more and more about this. the public is becoming more eco-conscieneco eco-conscious, so that's trouble-shooting, building. that's what you'll be doing in the environmental industry. certifications, two-year degrees, a lot of apprenticeship opportunities. so, that's something construction workers should really look into quickly. >> and finally, you lost your job as a loan officer. how do you transfer those skills to become a medical assistant? >> well, those two fields are all about helping people and you're going to really look at getting a certification, state licensing. it may vary by state, but you can really help people quickly and take a few science classes

and that's really what they need to get started. >> let's say i haven't touched on anything that people right now are dealing with. i'm out there i've got a job, i'm losing it, but i want to transfer the skills and don't know to what. how do i find that out? >> first thing, go online. there are a lot of tools out there. take the skills experience you have. it will recommend opportunities. the best resources are the ones that are going to be giving projections for those fast-growing so your education is really going to be spot on. >> so, be open to other things is the key thing. >> absolutely. think broadly. it's key right now. >> rosemary haithner, thank you so much. >> sure. still ahead, trendy, new fashions for full-figured women. >> live, local, latebreaking.

this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. early morning rain is creating quite a mess on the area roadways. let's get a final check on the morning commute. >> we have plenty of problems out there to get to. you are heading out in anne arundel county, we will start there. accident creating delays as you can see. this one is off to the side. the delays you are seeing are from 97 towards 295. all that is pretty much a volume-related. you are dealing with heavy delays on the west side. down to 10 miles per hour. falls road at black rock road, and accident still clearing. the biggest delay is 29 minutes on the west side. pity of a delay towards 195. here is a live view and a couple

of spots. harford road, inching along. we are looking at westside delays. live view of 97 and general highway. >> clouds out there, light shower activity. it will be moving out and dissipating later on this afternoon. drier conditions outside because of the northeast winds. we will be in the 70's today. tomorrow will be cooler than normal. at 66-degree high. best chance of heavier rain coming into tomorrow night. hopefully clearing out for the reagans came. >> we will have another update at 8:55.

8:30 on this friday morning, september 25th, 2009. nice-sized crowd enjoying a nice fall morning out in rockefeller plaza. and coming up in this half hour, more than 40% of women in this country are a size 14 or over, but it is not always easy for them to find the latest, trendy fashions. just ahead, style guru bobbie thomas gives us her best bets. also ahead, the national treasures that are america's national parks. noted filmmaker ken burns has trained his sights on those, from the everglades to alaska to tell the story of their creation and their magnificence. if you've done some traveling in this country to the national parks, you will agree, they are

magnificent, and ken's a good guy to tell their story. we'll talk to him in just a little while. plus, from the big easy to the california coast, barbara corcoran shows us how far your housing dollars can go these days. but first, let us get a

>> we are dealing with a light shower activity, and we have the potential to see clearing skies this afternoon. this will be out of fear in the next hour. 74 is the forecast hide. >> that's your latest weather. and for weather any time of the day or night, go to the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. meredith? january thank you, al. look who has joined us, "the office's" john. now john is writing, directing and acting in his own film,

brief interviews by a hideous man about a woman in search of a relationship after hers ends. good morning. >> good morning, guys. i love being at the news desk. turn around, be like, "good morning." >> you've got every job in this movie, directing, acting. >> that was a complete fluke. >> that's a lot to take on. >> it is a lot to take in. the best way to direct is out of ignorance. when you get to the end of the movie and you're like, that was great, everybody. then they point out all of the things that could have gone wrong and you see this mine field, so. >> i want to talk about the content here. you're basically -- you're picking the brains of guys who are not such good guys. >> yes. >> about how they deal with women and things like -- >> right. that's a rarity, by the way. that is a rarity. >> you're giving away -- >> all the secrets. >> -- trade secrets. >> i know. matt was very upset in the break, very upset. no, it's -- basically, the only reason why i wanted to direct this film -- i never even wanted to be a director, even write a script, necessarily, and it was this book that got me into acting. i really decided i wanted to do it.

it was doing a stage reading of this book in college, and it just moved me so much that i think this author is actually one of the greatest there ever has been, and his name's david foster wallace and he's one of the greats, so, it was all the material driving me the whole way. >> meredith mentioned, there's a lot going on for you. obviously, you've got the new season starting this week. >> yes. >> so -- >> with the wedding coming up. do you have plans some. >> the wedding's coming up. i will be on the space shuttle at the end of the month. no. they actually believed it. >> congratulations. >> thank you very much. >> that's really -- i brought the monkey and i'm going up. >> and on the engagement. you lucky man you. >> thank you. thank you very much. >> john, nice to have you. "brief interviews with hideous men" opens in new york today. and of course, you can catch new episodes of "the office" thursday nights at 9:00/8:00 central time right here on nbc. and we'll be right back.

in just a moment, president obama along with the leaders of britain and france, will accuse iran of building a secret uranium enrichment facility. >> they're going to make that announcement together ahead of today's meetings at the g-20 summit being held in pittsburgh. nbc's savannah guthrie is at the lawrence center there, and savannah, this is news that you would have expected to hear earlier in the week at the united nations. here it's coming at the g-20 summit. what's the tone of this speech going to be? >> reporter: i'm told by a senior aide it will be very direct. they are asking iran to come clean about its nuclear activities. they believe iran has been caught, essentially, redhanded, building this enrichment plant secretly. now, this is something that, in fact, u.s. officials have known for years. the president was briefed about this before he even took office during the transition. but what happened here is iran realized western intelligence was on to this and decided to send a letter to the iaea, the

international atomic energy agency, basically trying to say that they're disclosing. it was a very cryptic letter, i'm told, nonspecific. at that point, the u.s. felt, look, we don't want iran to be able to say, we've disclosed, we have nothing more to say, so it set about leading up to this public statement, they wanted to get their diplomatic ducks in a row, so to speak. so, at the u.n., yes, they had the opportunity to make this public statement, but they wanted to get allies briefed and on board. so, they told russia, china, germany, the uk and france already were aware of this through their own intelligence avenues. these are the very countries that will sit down with iran next week, the first direct talks with iran in decades. so, once they were briefed, it was then a matter of going to vienna as late as yesterday afternoon to brief the atomic energy agency about the intelligence, all leading up to this statement this morning. the president will speak very briefly, but i'm told it will be a tone of asking iran to come

clean. they're trying to ratchet up the pressure on iran in advance of these talks, letting iran know the world is on to them. >> you know, savannah, the agenda for the g-20 summit was supposed to be the world economy. do you think that will change now in light of this information? >> reporter: well, certainly, this is going to really be all of the headlines they're talking about, this issue with iran, but there is, of course, the work of the g-20, the global economic crisis. the leaders will begin that work later this morning. the president will have a news conference later this afternoon. so, they'll still do the work of the g-20, but this is really where all the action is on the international stage, really, this nuclear tipping point with iran, what to do about it. will diplomacy work? the president has made clear he prefers engagement. he wants to talk to our enemies as well as our friends. this is where the rubber meets the road for a policy he really campaigned on. so, this is just a critical issue and a critical moment for the u.s. >> all right, savannah guthrie, thank you very much.

we're going to bring in nbc's chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell. andrea, good morning to you. >> good morning, meredith. >> diplomatic talks are scheduled between iran and the u.s. next week. how do you believe this will affect those? >> well, this is going to really be a critical turning point for iran. whether iran engages under pressure now from this disclosure and from a united western front, including russia and china as well, or whether iran gets its backup and decides to strike out and to be defensive about this. so, this question now is whether ahmadinejad and his hard line is dominant or whether other elements in iran, particularly the ayatollah, want to engage with the west. what the president will be saying today is that there are huge benefits, economic benefits, for iran if iran does engage diplomatically. >> and this clears something up for us, andrea. this week, i thought one of the big stories was the fact that russia seemed to come on board with endorsing tougher sanctions against iran. >> absolutely. >> you had to think why all of a

sudden, why now? but now you know behind closed doors, the u.s. is showing them this evidence, saying we've got a trumped card here. >> and medvedev, the president of russia, speaking in a q&a with the students at the university of pittsburgh yesterday, actually said that they spent a half hour discussing this, and then he went on to praise president obama lavishly, saying he likes him because he doesn't lecture him, and comparing him implicitly, of course, with his predecessor, george w. bush. personal diplomacy also has a lot to say about what's going on between president obama and the russian president. >> all right, andrea, thanks very much. we are expecting any moment now the president to step before the microphones in pittsburgh, where the g-20 summit is about to get under way. it's still somewhat unclear whether the president will get up and speak alone wr whether he'll be joined by president sarkozy of france and gordon brown of the uk, but clearly, they are going to make this a dramatic announcement to say to the world that we have hard evidence that iran has been deceiving the world and the iaea for several years now, and

they're going to make their case. >> and they will certainly hold iran's feet to the fire on this one, as well. >> no question. again, these leaders of the world are set to talk about economic issues, the third time they have gotten together since the world financial crisis struck just over a year ago. this certainly does change the focus after what has been a dramatic week of meetings and speeches at the united nations with the general assembly, not only president obama, but israeli prime minister netanyahu. we had president ahmadinejad of iran speaking before that body and moammar gadhafi in a rather unusual speech. >> and they have long suspected that iran was building some sort of nuclear facility. iran had denied it in the past. so, obviously, in the weeks leading up to this, they had found hard evidence. >> but again, they have to be so careful, because as we discussed earlier, meredith, there's a tough track record in the past with hard evidence. for example, we all remember colin powell standing at the united nations talking about the

hard evidence that iraq was possessing weapons of mass destruction, and that, of course, didn't turn out as well. >> we presume that's why they took the time that they did. >> exactly. >> hopefully, that's why. >> cross the ts and dot all the is. again, we're waiting for president obama to speak, and apparently, we're getting that announcement right now in pittsburgh. >> let's listen in. >> the president and prime minister of great britain and northern ireland. >> good morning. we are here to announce that yesterday in vienna, the united states, the united kingdom and france presented detailed evidence to the iaea demonstrating that the islamic republic of iran has been building a covert uranium enrichment facility near qum for

several years. earlier this week, the iranian government presented a letter to the iaea that made reference to a new enrichment facility years after they had started its construction. the existence of this facility underscores iran's continuing unwillingness to meet its obligations under u.n. security council resolutions and iaea requirements. we expect the iaea to immediately investigate this disturbing information and to report to the iaea board of governors. now, iran's decision to build yet another nuclear facility without notifying the iaea represents a direct challenge to the basic compact at the center of the non-proliferation regime. these rules are clear -- all nations have the right to peaceful nuclear energy. those nations with nuclear weapons must move towards

disarmament. those nations without nuclear weapons must forsake them. that compact has largely held for decades, keeping the world far safer and more secure. and that compact depends on all nations living up to their responsibilities. this site deepens a growing concern that iran is refusing to live up to those international responsibilities, including specifically revealing all nuclear-related activities. as the international community knows, this is not the first time that iran has concealed information about its nuclear program. iran has a right to peaceful nuclear power that meets the energy needs of its people, but the size and configuration of this facility is inconsistent with a peaceful program. iran is breaking rules that all nations must follow, endangering the global non-proliferation regime, denying its own people

access to the opportunity they deserve, and threatening the stability and security of the region and the world. it is time for iran to act immediately to restore the confidence of the international community by fulfilling its international obligations. we remain committed to serious, meaningful engagement with iran to address the nuclear issue through the p5 plus 1 negotiations. through this dialogue, we are committed to demonstrating that international law is not an empty promise, that obligations must be kept and that treaties will be enforced. and that's why there's a sense of urgency about the upcoming meeting on october 1st between iran, the permanent members of the u.n. security council and germany. at that meeting, iran must be prepared to cooperate fully and comprehensively with the iaea to take concrete steps to create

confidence and transparency in its nuclear program and to demonstrate that it is committed to establishing its peaceful intentions through meaningful dialogue and concrete actions. to put it simply, iran must comply with u.n. security council resolutions and make clear it is willing to meet its responsibilities as a member of the community of nations. we have offered iran a clear path toward greater international integration if it lives up to its obligations, and that offer stands. but the iranian government must now demonstrate through deeds its peaceful intentions or be held accountable to international standards and international law. i should point out that although the united kingdom, france and the united states made a presentation to vienna, that germany, a member of the p5 plus 1 and chancellor merkel in particular, who could not be

here this morning, wished to associate herself with these remarks. i would now like to turn to president sarkozy of france for a brief statement. >> translator: we have met yesterday for a meeting, a summit meeting of the security council on disarmament and nuclear disarmament. i repeated my conviction that iran was taking the international community on a dangerous path. i have recalled all the attempts that we have made to offer a negotiated solution to the iranian leaders without any success, which, what has been revealed today is exceptional, following the enrichment plant in 2002, it is now the qum one which is revealed. it was designed and built over

the past several years in direct violation of resolutions from the security council and from the iaea. i am expecting from the iaea an exhaustive, strict and rigorous -- >> you're listening to president obama along with prime minister gordon brown and speaking right now, french president nicolas sarkozy, speaking at the lawrence convention center. we're going to bring back in foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell. what of what the president said particularly jumped out at you? >> what jumped out was the president said the size and configuration of this underground facility are inconsistent with a peaceful plant. he is basically revealing more than has ever revealed before. he's saying, we know what you are doing. this is not the peaceful nuclear energy plant that you are entitled to that iranian people want that speaks to iranian nationalism. he's saying, this is a weapons facility. you are building a weapons facility. you are in violation and we want you by next week, by october 1st, to show your cards and to

agree to begin to take this down. that is a very big demand and a short timeline. he's not saying what they will do, what the what-if is. clearly, right now, that would be sanctions. >> andrea mitchell, thank you very much. >> and ali is joining us from tehran on the phone. is there any official stance from the iranian government on this subject? after all, they did send a letter to the iaea recently, actually talking about this facility. so, what are they saying now? >> reporter: that's right, matt. the only official thing to come out of iran other than the letter they sent to the iaea. it looks like they wanted to send this letter before they were outed, but that seems to have backfired after president obama's speech. it's a crucial time for the iranians when they're heading towards these meetings on october 1st with the p5 plus 1, and they're at a time when nuclear disarmament is high on the agenda. and iranians know that if they had been outed before t, the

sanctions would have been probably immediate. this probably lets them bargain a little more heading into this, saying we're talking about it and we're not hiding it. but the fact of the matter is the facility has been hidden for several years now. >> all right, ali arouzi in tehran for us this morning. and i want to mention, we saw an image a little while ago while the president was speaking of iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad. that was file footage from the general assembly meetings a little bit earlier in the week. i want to make it clear that president ahmadinejad was not in the room while the president was speaking in pittsburgh just a couple minutes ago. >> and we're going to have much more throughout the day on msnbc and msnbc.com. for most of you, there is more of "today" just ahead. >> and for those of you out on the west coast, we return to your regularly scheduled programming. i'm matt lauer along with meredith vieira. this has been an nbc news special report.

>> and there is more of "today" just ahead.

still to come on a friday morning, a tip of the cap to our nation's national parks. and if you've ever spent any time in any of them, you know that they deserve a tip of the hat. ken burns, who is just an extraordinary filmmaker, who has focused his lens on everything from the civil war to jazz and baseball, is now focusing on those parks, and his journey will be something we'll be talking about a little later on this morning. >> beautiful images. when you were a little kid, did your parents pack you up to the car, did you go to the parks? >> you know, only local parks. i didn't get to see the national parks until i had this job. we did a show at yosemite one time, which is breath-taking. if you have a chance -- >> i've never been. >> there's a national park in rhode island. isn't there a teeny one in rhode island?

>> providence? >> providence plantations, yes. >> i saw that guy with the hat walking around all the time. >> that was the mailman. >> what's he doing here? that was our ranger. i salute you now. >> more after this. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. good >> morning. i am mindy basara. here's a look at one of our top stories.

an off-duty baltimore city police officer spent several hours in surgery last night after he was shot in the abdomen. he was walking into his home in northwest baltimore just after 10:00 last night when three men with guns tried to rob him the officer was shot multiple times and taken to sinai hospital, where she immediately underwent surgery and was taken to the icu around 3:00 this morning. back in a minute with a check on today's forecast. it gets an epa estimated 32 miles per gallon, and was named an iihs top safety pick. all for just $179 a month. and like all new volkswagens, it comes with 3 years or 36,000 miles of no-charge scheduled carefree maintenance. it's all part of why the jetta is the top-selling german engineered sedan in america.

>> now let's take a look at the forecast with sandra shaw. >> we begin with light showers. by the afternoon we would try things out a little bit more, at least temporarily. invariably cloudy, things picking up this afternoon. pretty much the same kind of deal of ground ocean city and on the lower eastern shore. tomorrow will be great and

cloudy. 66 is our forecast high. heavier rains getting through here tonight and sunday morning. we clear out by sunday afternoon. >> we will have another update at 9:25.