good morning. who is faisal shahzad? new details about the connecticut man arrested for that attempted bombing in times square. his life in the u.s., how he trained to make bombs in pakistan and how he was able to board a flight to dubai even though he had just been placed on the u.s. government ono-fly list. chilling account. a university of virginia lacrosse player charged with murdering yeardley love. a star on the women's team talks to police about what happened that night and why his lawyers are calling her death an accident. and to washington and back. former first lady laura bush speaks out live about her life before, during and after the years in the white house, and

we're there for a very intimate visit with her twin daughters at the family's texas ranch "today," wednesday, may 5th, 2010. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning. welcome to "today" on a wednesday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> i'm meredith vieira. faisal shahzad is said to be cooperating with investigators talking openly about his attempts to carry out a terror attack right here in new york. >> according to reports, shahzad told authorities he acted alone but he did say he was trained on how to make bombs during a recent trip to pakistan and why his arrest was remarkable coming just 53 hours after the attempted attack. we're now learning more about how close he came to getting away. a big question this morning -- how was a man recently placed on the no-fly list who purchased a last-minute, one-way ticket, in

cash, able to board a flight to dubai before authorities caught up with him? we'll talk about that and much more with new york city's police commissioner ray kelly in a couple of minutes. and the difficult recovery now under way in parts of the south following record rains and historic flooding. we're live in nashville, tennessee for the latest on that situation. as we said, former first lady laura bush will be here to talk about her new memoir. we'll get to that later in the show. let's begin with the arrest of faisal shahzad, his terror training and how he almost got away. nbc's justice correspondent pete williams is in times square with the latest. pete, good morning to you. >> reporter: matt, good morning. investigators say faisal shahzad has admitted building a bomb in an suv, then driving it here saturday night. but they say he also claims he acted alone, even though he admits getting training in his home country of pakistan on how to make bombs. officials have yet to offer an answer for a big question -- why did faisal shahzad try to bomb

times square? born in pakistan, he's the son of a retired air force officer there and a well-to-do family. shahzad came to the u.s. 12 years ago to study computer science in connecticut. >> he was fairly unremarkable as a student. didn't stand out in either a positive or negative fashion. >> reporter: he got a job as a junior financial analyst at this connecticut company, was married in 2008 and became a u.s. citizen a year later. he and his wife had two daughters, ages 1 and 4. but he fell victim to hard times, losing his $200,000 house to foreclosure. his wife and children moved to pakistan. since his arrest, officials say shahzad has been cooperative, talking freely and admitting that he planned to set off the times square bomb. he claims, they say, that he acted entirely on his own and so far, officials say there's no reason to believe otherwise. but prosecutors also say he told the fbi that he received bomb making training during a recent five-month stay in pakistan in an area where the taliban is

dominant. investigators are eager to find out who those trainers were and whether they had any role in directing him to carry out his plan of attack. shahzad was arrested just before midnight monday as he sat on an emirates airlines plane to dubai with the plane still at the gate. he was hauled off by the customs and border protection agents there, having been added only hours before to the no-fly list. the plane then pulled back from the gate but was quickly ordered to go back. >> emirates 202, have you the kennedy tower runway 22 right position? actually, i have a message for to you go back to the gate immediately. >> reporter: two other passengers were taken off, questioned about their possible association with him, then released. but the entire plane was rescreened. >> if you refuse to get off the plane, he was captured, he was arrested, got off a plane going to dubai. everyone was just, whoa.

>> reporter: it finally arrived, seven hours late. >> nobody panicked. everybody was so calm, everybody was so quiet. a lot of people had connecting flights and just wanted to get the hell out of jfk. >> reporter: on tuesday prosecutors disclosed more evidence that they say shows the suv found in times square was loaded with bomb components by faisal shahzad and abandoned three nights ago with smoke pouring out. inside the car investigators say they found keys to his connecticut house and to another car that he owned. the fbi discovered a prepaid cell phone he used to arrange the purchase of the car just last month. he used that same phone, they say, to call a pennsylvania fireworks dealer. the bomb in the suv contained more than 150 m-80 firecrackers, fertilizer was another component. officials say a search of shahzad's house turned up more fireworks of the type used in the bomb and bags of the same kind of fertilizer. >> if successful, it could have resulted in a lethal terrorist attack causing death and destruction in the heart of new

york city. >> reporter: as for how shahzad was able to board that flight to dubai, even though he was on the no-fly list, the government says the airline failed to keep its day ba bases up to date. well, starting today, all airlines must update their day ba within two hours of notice that someone has been added to the no-fly list. >> pete williams, thank you. now to pakistan where shahzad told investigators he received bomb making training. nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engel is in islamabad with more on that part of the story. richard, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, meredith. the u.s. ambassador here has asked pakistan for cooperation. nbc news has learned that pakistani security officials have already arrested about a dozen suspects. pakistani police and intelligence sealed off a home of faisal shahzad's prominent family in peshawar as reporters gathered outside. shahzad visited pakistan last

summer, apparently on a mission to receive military training. that mission, pakistani officials say, began here in the bustlings port city of karachi. there shahzad met a contact, now in custody with ties to a militant group wi. with an introduction secured, shahzad says he then traveled alone into pakistan awar zone, the largest region of waziristan to learn to make bombs. in withaziristan, there are man willing teachers. shahzad is said to have stayed in withaziristan for several we. the pakistani government has led offensives here and considers the taliban in with a steer dan its biggest enemy. >> we condemn this incident and we will help and support u.s. to

bring these culprits to justice. >> reporter: in pakistan's capital of islamabad today, people seemed embarrassed by shahzad. another man said -- just because he's pakistani doesn't mean he has to be a terrorist. a pakistani military official this morning said he doubts the taliban dispatched shahzad to the united states but more likely, he said, shahzad came here to pakistan, received some training, met some militants, and then went back to the united states to carry out this attack. meredith, matt, back to you. >> richard, i'll take it. thank you. ray kelly is the commissioner of new york city's police department. commissioner, good morning. and congratulations on the work of your department on this. 53 hours. that's pretty amazing. >> the fbi, joint terrorist task force and nypd did a great job. >> this investigation is ongoing even though mr. shahzad is under arrest. at this point, ray, do you think he was part of a larger group? are you looking for other people living in this country or

elsewhere? >> as you say, the investigation is just beginning. i think it is too early to say that. obviously the destir get this information as quickly as possible certainly by the media but this is going to take a while. he is cooperating. he is talking and i think investigators want him to talk at his own pace. >> we've heard by several reports that officials in pakistan have either arrested or detained several people. can you confirm or deny that? what do you know about that? >> i don't know that. i don't know that for certain. >> but you are sharing information with federal authorities? because obviously, the attack was attempted here. >> absolutely, yeah. >> talk a little bit about this guy. i mean he is 30 years old. he is a father. he's a husband. comes from a fairly prominent family, though he had gone through some financial hard times. how does he change the profile of the type of person you're looking for in the future to prevent these kinds of threats? >> well, we don't really have an

exact profile. that's part of the problem. we did a report a couple years ago. two of our intelligence analysts, talking precisely about this. these are what we call unremarkable people who decide to kill innocent people in their own country. so it is very difficult for law enforcement to get their arms around this. it is an individual that, by all indications, wouldn't be involved in something like this but obviously he has been. he's admitting it freely. >> it is remarkable that in only 53 hours he was apprehended but there are a lot of questions this morning about how this guy who was recently placed earlier in that day on monday on the u.s. government's no-fly list, went to an airport with cash to buy a last-minute one-way ticket to dubai, and apparently checked no luggage. this is the kind of thing that would get me pulled aside for extra screening. how he, a, got past the ticket

counter and, b, got past passport control. >> these are very important questions that have to be asked. i don't have the answers to those questions. >> does it frustrate you as one whose department spent these 53 hours trying to round this guy up that he almost slipped through what had been an obvious trap? >> this is good news for law enforcement. investigations are never neat, they're never perfect. the fact is he was apprehended in 53 hours and he is giving us information. >> what about money? the federal government by the last report i saw gave new york city a little more than $250 million for the war on terror in the last year or so. how much more money -- i know mayor bloomberg is headed to washington today. how much more money would it kae, commissika take, commissioner kelly, for you to feel we are adequately funded for the war on terrorism? >> we always want more money. that's just the nature of the business. localities want money from the

federal government. we'd like more cameras, we'd certainly like more money for personnel. that's something that's probably not in the cards. it is difficult to get that from the federal government. cameras, more technology, analytic capability for our cameras. that sort of thing would be helpful. and the federal government has been forthcoming in that regard. this is an ongoing process. we work closely with homeland security. we work with the justice department. it's not easy to get this money, but generally speaking, they've been pretty good to the city. >> as i mentioned, it was a joint effort, but congratulations to your force on a job well done. commissioner, thanks very much. 12 minutes after the hour. here's meredith. the floodfloodwaters may be receding but this morning the death toll is rising from the record breaking storms that dumped more than a foot of rain on parts of the south in just two days. nashville, the capital of country music, has been particularly hard hit. that's where nbc's ron mott is this morning. ron, good morning to you.

>> reporter: hey, mir daereditht of the lights have returned here to downtown nashville but there is still block after block of darkness along the cumberland river which is receding, though leaving a huge mess in her wake. overhead, the flood's destructive and deadly reach was obvious tuesday. airplanes sat grounded under water. so did the grand ole opry and opry land hotel. the expansive opry land which could be shuttered for months is key to convention and tourism revenue here, host to 3,000 hotel rooms just at this location now closed for repair. on the ground in neighborhoods, the toll is harder to quantify yet easy to see as residents anxious to check their damaged homes are left to wait for the coast to clear. some who returned could only watch, still seemingly stunned by what happened over the weekend so quickly. >> nobody knew that the water was going to come down this way. we didn't hear no sirens.

>> reporter: jorge at least got inside his house wading through ankle-deep water but didn't find much to salvage. >> everything we have in there is -- it's bad. we have to dump everything. >> reporter: like many families, the family doesn't have flood insurance. nor does this couple. no time really. they just moved in. >> i lived in that house over there. that's the worst thing i ever seen, man. we just moved there friday. >> reporter: downtown, scores of businesses remain closed while flooded streets slowly resurface as the cumberland river steadily drops. now that the clean-up is under way, city leaders are already trumpeting a comeback. >> we are looking at a long recovery period. at the same time, i want to reassure everyone that nashville will fully recover and continue to be the great city that it is, a great place to live and a great place to visit. >> reporter: back in this section of town, a great reunion by kayaks. found, safe and sound, if not a

bit chatty. one of the bright spots that we saw here yesterday. now last night president obama declared parts of tennessee a major disaster, opening the flow of federal funds to aid in the recovery which is expected to take place in time, meredith. let us head over to the news desk. ann has a look at the rest of the morning's top stories. good morning, everybody. today, new hope in the effort to stop that massive oil leak in the gulf of mexico. work crews are taking a huge containment dome to the site. nbc's chief environmental affairs correspondent ann tam son thompson is in venice, louisiana with more. >> reporter: good morning, ann. they could deploy that dome as early as tomorrow sending it some 5,000 feet below the surface of the water to cover one of the leaks. one more indication of the growing urgency here as we found oil between the barrier islands and mainland louisiana. it did not take long for us to find the oil.

nine miles from the louisiana coast in breton sound, the first globs of oil appeared on the surface, getting closer to the state's eastern barrier island. we are about 3 1/2 miles from the island and this is what we found. oil in these brownish-red clumps. the closer we got, the oil formed long texturized streaks on the blue water. a mile away, it took on a lighter orange color. there we saw a shrimp crawler using a thick absorbant line. from the air, an oily slick on the pristine beaches of the barrier islands further south. louisiana's governor issued a call to arms to protect lake pontchartrain and eastern new orleans. >> we want to see the boom down here, jack-up barges down here. the contractors and trained fishermen deployed down here. >> reporter: southeast of new orleans, this battle is

personal. charles is the fifth generation of his family to make his living from these floodwaters. >> if we don't try, if this thing even beats us, at least i could say i went out there and i tried to protect our livelihood for the future. >> reporter: and preparations continue not only here in louisiana but all along the gulf coast, and even in florida where they now stretch from pensacola in the north, all the way down the west coast to the florida keys. >> anne thompson this morning, thank you. today in greece, a general strike and a massive protest against big cuts in government spending. those cuts were ordered to help greece recover from an economic crisis that's affecting markets all around the world. this morning police used tear gas on some protesters near parliament. overseas markets are mostly lower this morning at tuesday 2 225-point drop in the dow. why the big drop? >> it was concerns over growth in the world as well as china.

there are fears other heavily indebted countries in europe will also need a bailout, including spain. fears are so great that the cost of insuring spanish and greek bonds against the possibility of default have hit records. in china, recent data is showing manufacturing may be slowing. investors ultimately fear that perhaps a global recovery could be derailed. >> melissa lee this morning, thanks so much. in georgia, a close call for hikers who got trapped in a rain-swollen river right above a 30-foot waterfall. rescuers were able to pull them to safety. president obama on tuesday announced which high school will get him as a commencement speaker. more than 1,000 schools had applied and the race for the top challenge and the winner -- kalamazoo central high school in michigan. those students celebrated when the announcement was made. 7:18. back to matt, meredith and al. >> ron trout is telling us this

>> good morning. but we are off to a nice, quiet start. temperatures in the 50's. it will be a beautiful day at home. mostly sunny skies.

high temperatures between >> that's your latest weather. >> al, thank you very much. just ahead, new details in the murder of the star lacrosse player at the university of virginia. what yeardley love's accused killer, a member of the men's team, has told police. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

still ahead, former first lady laura bush on her candid new autobiography and the personal journey into her past she shared with her daughter, jenna bush hager. we'll talk to both of them about their lives together and also about that book. but first, your local news and weather.

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a necklace or a belt that's a conversation starter. a show stopper! i guess some women are destined to wear chico's. ♪ chicka boom boom boom, yeah, yeah ♪ >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. here is sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> still tracking one accident in westminster that has been a problem all morning. westbound 140 remains blocked. a motorcycle crashed there. things are improving on the harrisburg expressway, but we're still seeing delays from middletown to mount carmel. outer loop at york road, a crash

off to the side. we will show you that in a moment. dorothy road and campbell would road, crushed to watch for there. as far as the drive times, pretty standard rush out there. 18 minutes on the outer loop with east side, at 8 minutes on inner loop before the j.f.x. let's see what is going on in the cameras. bw parkway, south looks good here. we will switch over to a live view of traffic on the topside york road. we do have an accident off to the side they're on the outer loop. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> things are pretty quiet, obviously, in the weather department. temperatures and the fifties right now. humidity is going down significantly over the last couple of days. 64 degrees in randallstown. 54 degrees in cecil county. mostly sunny skies.

upper seventies and low 80s. sunset's this evening three minutes after 8:00. seven-day forecast looks like this. thursday and friday, the to% mark on that. -- 30% mark on that. high near 75. at this point, mother's day is going to try to rid high temperature of only 64 degrees. we should stay in the 60's next week. >> check the bottom of your screen for updated news and traffic information. back in 55 with another live update.

7:30 now on this wednesday morning, may 5th, 2010. cin cinco de mayo and a big day in the apple. meanwhile, i'm meredith vieira, alongside matt lauer. coming up, first lady laura bush. >> she is opening up about her public and private life in a revealing new book, an autobiography. she talks about a lot of things, including an accident she was involved in as a teenager that had tragic consequences, and a lot more from her years in the white house. this morning, laura bush is here to share some personal memories along with her daughter, who seems very interested in the book. >> yes, she is.

her mom's sitting right there. she better be! "today" contributing correspondent jenna bush hager is here as well. she'll tell us about the intimate conversation that she had recently at the family's ranch with her mom and also her twin sister, barbara. plus, the tennessee father arrested last year in japan when he tried to bring his children home after his children were taken there by his ex-wife illegally. he has not seen or heard from his children ever since. this morning he's speaking out in an exclusive live interview. but we want to begin this half-hour with a stunning admission by the men's lacrosse layer at the university of virginia accused of murdering yeardley love, a star on the school's women's team. nbc's jeff rossen is on the charlottesville, virginia campus with the latest. jeff, good morning to you. >> reporter: hey, matt, good morning. such an awful story. i've been reading through these court papers all night, all morning. disturbing details but its mystery now is beginning to unravel. believe it or not, this may all come down to a bad breakup between a boyfriend and

girlfriend in college. these two lacrosse players. a young woman is dead and that boy now behind bars all because of possible relationship problems. now this bombshell from the suspect himself that the night she died, the night yeardley love died, he admits he knocked her head into a wall overand over again. it was inside this campus bar at a post-exam party where 22-year-old jarryeardley love w spend her final hours sunday. police say when this stunning star lacrosse player went home her life would end. according to new court papers, her on-again, lately off-again boyfriend, george huguely, a player on the men's lacrosse team, was about to pay a visit, admitting to police he kicked his right foot through the door that leads to love's bedroom. huguely went on, confessing that night he was involved in anal ter case with yeardley love. he shook love and her head repeatedly hit the wall. officers found her face down on her pillow in a pool of blood, bruise on her face, her right

eye swollen shut. the victim, police say, of blunt force trauma. her roommate and another friend discovered her body. >> you believe this is first degree murder. >> absolutely. >> that he intended and planned to go and kill her. >> that's our belief. >> reporter: friends saw love and huguely had a turbulent romantic relationship that recently got physical. some say just weeks ago when they broke up, he tried to attack her in public. now police sources tell nbc news they're looking into possible death threats he sent her over text message. >> i think there is a lot of stigma on women to kind of deal with that and i would hope that there would be something we could do to prevent this kind of thing. >> before it gets to this. >> before it gets to this. we definitely don't want to be here again. >> reporter: huguely has been arrested for first degree murder. his school lacrosse picture replaced by a jail mugshot. now even with his stunning admission of violence, his lawyer is building a defense. >> we are confident that miss

love's death was not intended but an accident with a tragic outcome. in the meantime, george is withdrawing from the university of virginia and remains in the custody of the authorities. >> reporter: tuesday, his parents came to charlottesville to support their son but wouldn't comment. college friends say there were warning signs. at 6'1", 205 pounds, george huguely they claimed was aggressive when he drank and liked getting his way. in 2008 he was arrested for public swearing and intoxication and resisting arrest. allegedly screaming racial and sexual slurs at the officer. but his old friends back home in this wealthy d.c. suburb paint a different picture entirely. >> i'm absolutely shocked. the george huguely i know growing up, the george huguely that played in my backyard with me every single day was not capable of doing something like this. >> reporter: the crime has

rocked this campus to its core. the university of virginia, with its beautiful views and southern charm, has now lost a beautiful young woman in a murder as ugly as it gets. >> it's really sad because she was in the prime of her life when it ended. her family and friends are going to have to deal with that. >> reporter: there were a lot of questions here on campus. would the lacrosse season go on? after all, matt, the men's team is ranked number one in the country, the women's team ranked number four in the country. the school, the university, left this up to yeardley's parents, that is your final decision, whatever you want. they just decided last night the kids should play on, matt. >> jeff rossen in charlottesville for thus morning, thank you very much. meg hughbeck worked for the university of virginia and worked closely with yeardley love as an advisor during her years on campus. thank you for joining us. our sincere condolences. >> thank you very much, matt. unfortunate that i have to be here with you today, but thanks for having me.

>> you wanted to talk this morning because you wanted to take this beyond the headline of this tragic murder and you wanted us to know a little bit about yeardley. other than the fact that she was a great athlete -- we understand that -- tell me a little bit about her. >> well, i'm not going to go into great detail but i will tell you that she is absolutely the epitome of the university of virginia student. thomas jefferson would be proud to have such a young woman at his university studying. she just was lovely in every single way. >> how are her friends taking this? i mean obviously she made an impact on that campus. have you had a chance to speak to some of her friends? >> yes. they are obviously grieving. they are just devastated. but the loss of a very cherished member of this community and we're trying to help -- the university has been great at trying to help them through this. everyone here in the charlottesville community and at the university is really wrapping around the students at this point to try to support

them to the end of the semester. >> this was a young lady who was about to go off and i assume do big things. she was going to graduate in just a couple of weeks. what were her plans? what were her dreams? >> well, she will graduate, according to the university. i have no idea what her plans or dreams were but we know they were to go on beyond this university and live the mission of the university which is to enrich the -- our nation and the world. >> as i said, meg, i'm sorry. i know the entire university, clearly her family grieving and you as well. i appreciate you spending just a couple of minutes with me this morning. >> thank you very much. of course, our thoughts and our prayers are with the family in this very, very difficult time. thank you. >> ours are as well. meg, thank you. dan abrams is nbc's chief legal analyst. dan, good morning to you. if what we're hearing from police is correct, that this young man has already come forward saying he kicked the

door in and then hit her head against the wall several times, how do his lawyers now say this is an accident? >> well, you already see that his lawyers are crafting this defense. they, sounds like, are going to argue that there was some sort of altercation there, a fight between them, based on what his client has already said, that's tough. this is what drives lawyers crazy. right? the client has made this statement which is now tying. so the lawyer now has to move forward with that statement on the books and it sounds like the lawyer's not challenging the statement itself. he's saying, okay, yes, my client effectively made this statement but we think there are other circumstances that have to come into play. >> are they going for homicide here as opposed to murder? >> i think that they might be looking for possibly a not guilty entirely. if two people get into a fight, one person ends up getting hurt, you can argue that was an accident and as a result, there was no crime committed. >> but if you kick a door down to get access to a person, haven't you already crossed --

no pun intended -- a certain threshold? >> it takes a tough defense under these particular circumstances. it sounds like that's what they are pursuing. but you're absolutely right. remember, if the police are in fact saying it was premeditated, so they're not just saying this was a crime of passion. they're saying that he thought about this, he had made threats to her in the past, and then went over there to execute effectively on those threats. >> if they can prove some of those threats in the past, if for example some of those e-mails or texts that we've heard reported prove to be true, how does that impact him? >> it's tough. it makes it a very, very tough situation for him. you've got that, you've got his own words which i think are going to be -- have a big impact here. you've got the physical evidence and you've got his past experiences. the defense team may say shouldn't be relevant. prosecutors will argue that's part of a pattern of behavior on his part and is very relevant according to prosecutors. >> dan abrams, as always, thanks

very much. 7:39. let's get a check of the weather from al. >> announcer: "today's weather" is brought to you by preen garden weed preventers. we have a system moving through the upper midwest that's going to be bringing some showers and thunderstorms from chicago on into cleveland. we have a slight risk of some strong storms there. those storms make their way across into new york later today. we've got about anywhere from a quarter-inch to about a half inch of rain before it is all over. rest of the country, showers in pacific northwest, windy in northern california, sunny and warm in the southwest through texas. looking at hit-or-miss showers or thunderstorms down through central florida today. sunny skies >> we are off to a fine start on this wednesday. it is going to be a beautiful afternoon. mostly sunny skies. temperatures up around 80 degrees.

>> when you want your latest weather, go to the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. up next, the father who was arrested in japan for trying to bring his own children home. this morning, he has no idea where his children are. we'll talk to him in an exclusive live interview right after this. twice as fast. ip we get double miles every time we use our card. ( thuds ) i'll take this. ( crashing ) double miles add up quick. and all of those. so we brought the whole gang. one adult, one goat please. it's hard to beat double miles. everyone knows two is better than one. introducing the venture card from capital one... with double miles on every purchase every day. go to capitalone.com. what's in your wallet? oh, poor baby.

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christopher savoi flew to japan last year to try to get his children who were taken there illegally by his ex-wife. instead he ended up in jail in japan and has not seen or spoek spok en to his kids since. on his son's ninth birthday last october, christopher wrote this letter from behind bars. >> andive abeen cruelly torn from the fabric of his life by this crazy injustice. >> reporter: at the time he was locked up in a japanese jail after being arrested for trying to reclaim his children from his ex-wife. now he has no idea where 9-year-old isaac and 7-year-old rebecca are. >> it's worse than a death. at least with a death there's closure. but i'm still left worrying about my children's welfare every day. they're alive, they're out there. i just don't know where. >> what does that do to a dad? >> it's horrible. >> reporter: last year, christopher divorced his wife of 14 years. the split was bitter and despite

agreeing in court that the children would live in tennessee, christopher says his ex-wife immediately began talking about taking him to japan for good. >> if you don't play by my rules, i'll have to go and take the kids and you'll never see them again. >> so you tried to get a restraining order to keep her from taking the children to japan. >> right. >> reporter: but after she testified under oath that she didn't really plan to move the children to japan, a tennessee judge decided no restraining order was needed. just five minutes later, she and the children were gone. that was when this 39-year-old father decided to take matters into his own hands. you make a decision, i'm going to go to japan, i'm going to get my kids back. >> they couldn't call me a criminal. they're my flesh and blood children. >> reporter: christopher sneaked up on his ex-wife as she was taking the kids to school, snatched the children back and made a desperate dash to the u.s. consulate 47 miles away. he was arrested before he even made it inside.

you spent the next 17 days in jail. your attorney described your treatment, he said it amounted to torture. >> 12 hours a day of interrogation without a lawyer present and the hygienic conditions were just awful. >> reporter: he was released only after promising to leave japan and never contact his own children again. his attorney says the outlook is bleak. >> it's most likely that he will never see the children again until they're adults. >> reporter: that's because japan isn't party to an international treaty that would require it to promptly return a child abducted by a parent. in fact, japan has never once returned an abducted child to the u.s. a sobering reality that leaves this father with a heavy heart. >> i love them and i'll never give up on them and i'm always here. daddy loves them. >> christopher savoie is with us exclusively. christopher, good morning to you. you haven't seen your children in eight months. you don't know where they are and as your lawyer just pointed

out, you may never see them again until they're adults. that's a nightmare for any parent. how do you hold on to hope, chris? >> well, today there's going to be a resolution introduced to the floor of the house of representatives condemning japan for these -- this kind of behavior. and not allowing children who have been abducted to interact with their flesh and blood parents. i think that that's a step in the right direction. i think the american public knows that this is not acceptable behavior by a civilized nation. >> the resolution also calls for japan to return the children but it has no legal teeth, so why do you believe that the japanese government will pay any attention to it? >> i think this is just a first step. i mean this is -- we're friends, we're allies, friends don't let friends drink and drive, and friends don't let friend nations abduct children. >> yet that has been the pattern. your children are among 231 kids

who have been abducted to japan in just the past decade. since 1994, you told me 259 children have been taken to japan and not returned, not one of them. why do you believe japan has refused to comply with international law? >> it is a black hole. children go in, they don't come out. i think that there is a feeling of entitlement that, well, if these children have even one drop of japanese blood, that's where they belong. >> is it part cultural then do you believe? >> partially. the other problem though is a lot of people would say, well, why don't you just go over there and get visitation. the other problem is, unlike other countries, there is no visitation. there is no enforceable visitation for another parent. unfortunately. >> in fact, if you're in japan, both parents are japanese and there is a divorce, the wife automatically gets the child and the husband loses all kissdy. >> right. right. and so there are over 10,000 fathers in japan -- >> that a are watching this case as well? >> who are watching this case. some of them have written to me

and they are very much in support of us and these american families that have been impacted by this policy and they want change. they can't see their own kids in their own country. >> we've talk a lot in recent years about the case of david goldman whose son shawn was taken by his ex-wife to brazil. they never came back. after five years he finally regained custody of his son last christmas. how is this case different? >> this case deals with japan. brazil has problematic cases but they're still party to the haig treaty. in david's case it took years but he was able to use the court system there to finally make the right decision. japan hasn't returned one child ever. that's the difference. it is an absolute black hole. there is hope that pressure, international pressure and pressure from the american public can actually change this. >> chris, do you think that your children will ever know how desperately you were trying to reunite with them? >> i hope so. we're using social media.

backhome.org, it is an organization of parents, spelled without the "k" because our kids are missing. we have set up videos of the parents and a lot of information that can hopefully help use the internet to get our kids to know that we're out there, that we love them and that we miss them. >> wish you the best of dlauk. christoph luck today. see more of christopher's story sunday on "dateline" right here on nbc. just ahead, a revealing conversation with former first lady laura bush. but first these messages. my doctor said most calcium supplements...

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>> live, local, latebreaking. this is the edl to be 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. traffic pulse 11 and sarah caldwell standing by. >> still some lanes closed on westbound 140. watch for the westbound lanes closed with an accident clean-up happening there. loch raven and coldspring, watch for an accident in the city. eastern boulevard, a crash coming in to us. kingsville at harvard road and mount vista, and as far as delays, it usual spots this morning. live view in a couple of areas. you can see white marsh, the standard stuff t.

take pulaski highway if you want to avoid them. harford wrote on the north side, very heavy. those delays from belair towards york. accident off to the side. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> we are off to a fine start this wednesday. beautiful weather right now. humidity has dropped significantly. temperatures in the 50's. 56 in catonsville, 52 in parkton. mostly sunny skies. a few high, thin clouds later this afternoon. sunset's this evening at 8:03. slight chance for a shower or thunderstorm on tuesday and friday. high temperatures and below end of the 80's. best chance for rain on saturday. high near 75. at this point, mother's day is going to be dry.

high-temperature a police 64. -- at only 64. >> we are back at 8:25 with another live update.

8:00 now on a wednesday morning, it is the 5th day of may, 2010. it is cinco de mayo. it happens to be a beautiful day here in manhattan. not a cloud in the sky, about 61 degrees, going up near 80 today. loving that. >> cinco de mayo! >> i said that. out on the plaza, i'm matt lauer, along with meredith vieira, and al roker. coming up in this half-hour, the former first lady, laura bush. >> that's right. she's written a revealing memoir in which she talks about the

first time about her journey from west texas to the white house. this morning she'll talk about everything, a tragedy in her past, the criticism her husband faced in office and what their private life is like now. plus, a unique opportunity to see what it is like to be a member of the bush family. mrs. bush sat down recently with her twin daughters jenna and barbara to reflect on her own childhood, her first date with their father, their wedding just three months later. jenna will be here to share that conversation as well. >> that was fast! three months. >> that's kind of like the time between you and matt. >> yeah, right. >> three years and counting. also a little later in the show, we've got our "money 911" experts on hand to answer all your financial questions. but first, let's gin sio inside. ann has a check of the headlines. the tsa is tightening no-fly rules as the suspect in the times square bombing attempt nearly escaped the country. officials say bomb suspect

faisal shahzad boarded an international flight monday ten hours after his name was put on the list. meanwhile, investigators say shahzad has confessed and told them he received explosives training in pakistan. pakistani intelligence officials say they have detained several people for questioning since shahzad's arrest. crews trying to stop that massive oil spill in the gulf of mexico hope to float a huge concrete steel containment dome to the site today. it is designed to bottle up the leak so oil can be siphoned off but it has never been tried in such deep water. floodwaters meantime are receding in tennessee and kentucky but are still too high for many people to return safely to their homes and businesses. water rose up to the wings of the nashville airport tuesday and official say it will be days before electricity is restored to the city's downtown area. a 1932 picasso painting brought a record price at auction last night. nude green leaves and bust sold for more than $106 million.

the auction house called the bidding spectacular. now here's brian williams with what's coming up tonight on "nbc nightly news." >> good morning. thanks. coming up tonight on "nightly news," the sexual revolution. not tonight, but it started 50 years ago with the advent of the pill. we'll look at how it's changed women's lives, really changed our entire society. our special report tonight on "nightly news." ann, for now, back to you. >> brian, thanks. 8:03. let's go back outside. >> it is nice being out here. >> it is nice. mr. roker has a check of the weather. >> i do. we have our friends here from atlanta. what school are you guys from? >> mount caramel. >> i like this young man. he says i couldn't think what have to write so i just brought a blank paper. you can fill it out later! let's check your weather, see what's going on. pick city, haigerstown,

maryland. boston, nearly 15 degrees above normal. in the plains, temperatures anywhere from 10 to almost 25 degrees below normal. 30s and 40s. 100s down in south texas. 90s into the southwest. 80s throughout much of the >> it looks like it's going to be a beautiful wednesday. humidity has gone down significantly. high temperatures will be in the upper seventies and low 80s. >> you want to wish your cat a happy birthday? >> yes, al, i do. her name is cinco. happy cinco de mayo!

>> she's watching right now. >> she should be. >> the cat is watching. we're number one with cats 18 to 29. matt? >> all right, al, thank you very much. when we come back, the former first lady, laura bush, shares details of her remarkable life with the help of her daughter, jenna, right after this. our dollars a little stronger. and our thinking a little greener. let's grab all the bags and all the plants and all the latest tools out there. so we can turn all these savings into more colorful shades of doing. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. get mom the colors of spring with great hanging baskets and container plants at our everyday low prices.

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back now at 8:07 with the famously private former first lady laura bush who is now opening up about her life in a candid new ma'amer with called "spoken from the heart." for the first time she's revealing intimate details about her life from her upcoming in west texas to her eight years in the white house. we'll speak with laura bush in just a moment. but first, our contributing correspondent jenna bush hager has a few thoughts to weigh in this morning. jenna, good morning. >> good morning. very serious thoughts. one of the best things about my mom's new book is that i have a permanent record of her life and all of her memories that we can share together. so i sat down with my sister barbara over some texas limeade to talk about what she writes about and, of course, to laugh. >> our lives in those years in midland were centered on our family and our friends. often mother or daddy would come for dinner.

i would call mother late in the afternoon to see what she was cooking and we'd put our meals together around our little table. >> and now around our little table in crawford, my mother, my sister barbara and i spent a late afternoon reliving some of mom's memories as only a mother and her daughters can. >> so mom, one of my favorite things about your book is all of the great pictures. i think they're so much fun to look at. look how angelic mom looks right here. >> she looks so cute. >> you look very cute. were you say were you a very good child? >> i would say i was a very good child. a lot like you and barbara. >> or better than that. >> no, probably a lot like you and barbara. >> one question about this picture is what exactly motivated you? those cat glasses are -- >> this is probably when i was about 11, wearing these cat glasses and the poodle skirt. i had to put it in especially for the poodle skirt. it is a birthday party, as you can tell. that's my birthday photo. >> did boys like you when you were 11?

>> i don't think so. >> how could you resist a face like that? >> this is a very funny photo. this is when we were campaigning with grampy when he was running for president and we were on our way to kansas city and you jip (t&háhp& >> barbara's face is like, oh, she's at it again. >> were you scared of grammy at first? >> she is slightly intimidating, there is no doubt about it. i write in the book that we didn't really bond until we'd been married probably ten years when we all moved to washington to work on gampy's campaign. that was the first town we'd ever lived in the same town, bar and i. it gave us a chance to really get to know each other. and i loved her because she loved daddy so much. >> here's a picture of something we know very well that mom likes to do. clean. barbara, can you describe mom's

passion? >> mom has a passion for everything clean and orderly. >> do you remember whether she used to wake us up on saturday mornings with the first thing she would say was? >> get up and get organized? >> girls, you get up and organize, you're going to feel soo mu so much better after you do so. >> you don't know, this is the night after the 2000 election. you was wildly cleaning. this is when we thought we were going to know who had won that night but we didn't find out for another 36 days. and this is upstairs in the governor's mansion. we're just waiting to hear. so i started to load the dishwasher. >> out of stress? >> yes. there were a lot of dirty dishes. >> how did you know you loved dad? >> i met daddy on a blind date. actually jan and joey o'neal invited us over to dinner their backyard. it was just the four of us. what i loved best about him at the first was his sense of humor and how quick he is and funny he is and how much fun he is to be

with and so it seemed really meant to be. >> you guys got married three months later. barbara and i sometimes thought that was really fast. did anybody say, wow! >> only people who were sort of worried were jan and joey who fixed us up. they just thought we were moving a little quickly. but can you tell from this picture how happy we were. >> reporter: more than 30 years later, my parents spend their happiest moments here in crawford. prairie chapel ranch, a place they jokingly call the promiseland, is covered with picturesque canyons and an infinite texas skyline. here they once hosted more than a dozen world leaders. and it is a place of family, too. my mom and i decided to visit the part of the ranch we both love. a symbol of one of the happiest moments of my life. >> we wiho will present the brio be married this evening? >> her mother and i.

>> good answer. >> so this the cross. it was daddy's idea to bring in for your wedding and then to have here forever. so this is the spot where you got married. >> two years later. seems like it was just yesterday. >> it does seem like it was just yesterday to your mother, too. >> i'll ask one more thing, then i'll let you go because i know you have a very busy schedule but where do you see yourself in ten years? >> well, that's a good question for you to answer. hope i see myself surrounded by grandchildren. >> barbara? >> you set yourself up. >> you think you'll retire here? >> i think we'll stay here a lot of the time, which i hope we will. then we'll be busy, i hope, at the bush institute and the bush library. we'll be between dallas and here at the ranch. >> reporter: now, away from the pressures of the offices they held for eight years, my parents have returned to the home they

love. they can now exhale and live. >> i remember one summer evening working in the flower beds in our yard after the girls had gone to sleep. while the sun still hung low in the sky, george was sitting on the steps with the newspaper and i thought to myself, this is the life. and it was. >> jenna, my goodness, what a great job you do. >> well, she's a very easy interview. >> she's a very easy interviewer. >> let me ask you to take off your reporter's hat for a moment and put on your daughter's hat because you've read the book. what was the most poignant moment for you? what did you learn about your mother that really touched your heart? >> well, it was really wonderful to read. she is a private lady from west texas so she didn't tell us much about her life. so when we read about how much she wanted us, and how hard it was for her to get pregnant with us, it really made us understand

the bond that we have now and why when she says she wants her chicks to be home with her, now we get it. >> a mother hen. >> but it also comes out of your own experience being raised as an only child and knowing your mom and dad really wanted another child as well. so all your life did you feel as though you were treated with -- in a special way? does it make sort of sense in terms of how you were treated knowing how much you were wanted? >> when we got grounded and had to clean our room it didn't really make sense then. but now it's, as an adult and the relationship we have with her, it makes perfect sense. >> what about this cleaning? how far will laura bush go? >> she'll go to the extremes. she'll go to the extremes. when i go to her house now in dallas, i make my bed like a good guest should. she remakes it. yes, you do, mom, with the hospital corners. >> do you do this, mrs. bush? >> not really.

>> mother, you didn't just remake my bed when i was there? >> well, okay. >> she also loves to clean the bathtub. >> oh,dy not know this either. why would you love to clean a bathtub, mrs. bush? >> there's nothing grocer than a dirty bath. i don't really love to clean a bathtub but i do like things straight and orderly, all in the proper place and in the dewey decimal order. >> in the green room she windexed off all the pictures and hung them properly. >> all right. well, that's really good. your piece is really great, jenna. thank you so much. we'll have more with first lady laura bush in just a few moments. thanks so much, you guys. hang tight. right after this. [ female announcer ] when is it okay to lose the cover-up? ♪ when you can. take the special k challenge... and lose an inch from your waist in two weeks. so lose your cover-up, and show off your confidence.

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♪ sunny taste. sunny spirit. sunny d. brings out the best in kids. ♪ sunny d we're back now at 8:19 speaking with the former first lady, laura bush. her new autobiography is called "spoken from the heart." mrs. bush, again good morning. >> thanks, ann. >> what words best describe your

lives now having once been the most public couple in the world? >> well, we have a private life again. a very normal life. we have a new house in dallas that i've had a lot of fun furnishing because all of our furniture is in our ranch house, other furniture we had before. we spend time in dallas and then we go back to the ranch but we're busy. we're busy working on building the bush presidential library and the bush institute that will be part of the library and we've already started the institute programming even though the building won't be complete until probably 2013. >> you've been writing your memoirs. >> and of course the whole year working on this book and george is working on his book right now, too. >> yours is wide-ranging. it's candid and it's deeply personal. you talk about having been an only child. you talk about having been engaged to your husband after just six or seven weeks of dating. you also write that you never did give your husband an ultimatum to stop drinking. >> that's right.

>> that has been reported. >> that was sort of the joke afterwards that we said it was -- >> you did say, however, that you did let him know that you thought he could be a better man. >> i let him know that for sure. we talked about that a lot. drinking was very common part of the culture in west texas. everyone knew -- we knew drank. our social life was eating mexican food on friday nights and drinking margaritas and then going to somebody's house for dinner on saturday night for a barbecue and putting -- people would bring appetizers or other food. there was a lot of drinking. but slowly, a lot of people started to quit, and george quit when we were 40. and he just is very disciplined. he could do it without getting help. not many people can. a lot of people do need to get help. so i want to urge people who want to quit to try to get help if they need to. >> you also describe the strain on your husband after 9/11 and that he slept fitfully and that

you, you write, being nearby was how in those days, weeks and months reassured each other we are two symbiotic souls. >> that's really how we got through those months and years after september 11th. that's just being together, just the comfort of each other's presence. >> you also write about your key decisions, his key decisions. for example, in 2007 when the president announced the troop surge in iraq. opposition came at us from democrats and also from within the administration itself. you write, what we endured is the meanness of spirit, of viciousness and a cruelty that i hope no political family will ever be subjected to again. you sound a little hurt, maybe even a little angry in that. >> well, i mean it's difficult. it's very difficult to make the sorts of decisions that presidents have to make. and obviously there are a lot of different opinions that come from every quarter, from every side. but ultimately, the president is

elected to represent everybody and to make the choices that he thinks are the very best for our country, and he didn't think we should leave iraq. he thought if we left, that we would be abandoning a country to go on back to the harbor be terrorists. and it was very important for us to stay there. fortunately, the surge seems to have worked and we're seeing now a democracy being built in iraq and i'm proud about that. >> about the 2008 presidential campaign, you write, "i wondered if barack obama who spent far more time attacking george than he did his opponent john mccain would want to amend his words once he discovered the reality of the white house and was himself confronted by the challenges and crisis that hit a president every day, all day." would you like an apology from president obama? >> no, no, no, no. that's not what that is for. not at all. not at all. that was not why that was there.

what happens -- and i know he knows this now, too, for sure -- is that every problem in the world comes to the desk of the president of the united states. all day. all the time. and that every problem is a problem that other countries look to our country to solve or to work on or to help them solve. they want our help and they want our steadfast friendship and as long -- i mean including all the domestic problems we have. but international problems also. and i put in the book that i think there is a time when presidents probably say, let's make something happen, they probably wake up in the morning and say, "i hope nothing happens today." >> one of the most poignant passages, you write for the first time about being 17 and accidentally killing a friend of yours, mike douglas, in a car accident. it was november 6, 1963. i know it pains for you to probably have me ask you this question, i'm sorry to do so. but in your book you write about

it really poignantly and you've never really talked about it. how do you reconcile now having taken someone's life? >> well, i mean, you never do. i never will. i mean the guilt is always there. >> it never leaves you? >> it never leaves you, no. obviously you move on and, i mean at this age now, instead of 17 -- i won't say how old i am but i'm on up there. i look at it even in a different perspective now, and know how horrible it was and what a profound loss it was for the douglases, for mike's parents. >> it broke your heart to hear them cry. >> yeah. it's always tough. it will be tough for the rest of my life. >> do you think that this helped channel you in some way? >> i think it taught me a very, very difficult lesson, and that is that tragedy happens and that things happen to you or you cause things to happen that are -- that you can't ever change, that no matter how much you might want them to change,

there's nothing you can do to change them. it's a life lesson that i learned early and learned the hard way. >> i tell you what, i could talk to you forever because the humor in this book which we haven't even had a chance to get to is such a beautifully written >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. >> trying to wrap this up, but it is taking a while but we have heavy delays on the northeast side. six miles per hour. harford amount is there, traveling to kingsville, accident there. 16 miles per hour from southbound 95 towards the 895 split. a heavy delay forming on the southbound j.f.x. approaching northern down to 28.

if you travel on the west side, lingering volume from 795 down. this accident coming in, watch for delays approaching the capital beltway but 21 minutes on the west side outer loop. here is a quick life look at traffic. 95 and white marsh, looking at delays to the 895 split. we will switch over to a live view of the heavier spots on the northeast corner. >> we are off to a fantastic start. humidity is down significantly from yesterday and the day before. temperatures in the upper fifties and low 60s. forecast for today, mostly sunny, outstanding wednesday. high temperatures in the upper seventies and low 80s. seven-day forecast, a slight chance for a couple of thunderstorms on thursday and friday.

best chance for rain on saturday. breezy and cool, with a high of 64. >> another update at 8:55.

8:30 now this wednesday morning, may 5th, 2010. that makes it cinco de mayo and a large crowd seems to be enjoying themselves here on the plaza. having a good time. just ahead in this half-hour, with mother's day on sunday, we'll have fascinating science

behind the mother-baby bond. then a different kind of bond between a family and a family dog. a very well known animal lover has written a book. this is not a celebrity pooch book. this is like a textbook. everything you need to know about raising a dog, choosing the right dog. it's very, very educational. beth will talk to us about that. if i dare to go sit in my seat next to that dog. >> wonder how many times howard's been in the doghouse. that's another story. plus, grilling season has arrived. mark bittman says he knows just what you need to add that extra flavor to your next barbecue. homemade spice rubs. it smells great in our kitchen. also coming up this nonmorn, first lady laura bush has agreed to stick around and answer some

e-mailed questions from our viewers. basically, we're looking at nice weekend along the eastern seaboard. we've got showers though in the northeast, sunny and warm through the gulf coast. hot, showers in the pacific northwest. on sunday -- sunday -- looking for more rain in the pacific northwest, sunny and warm in the west, sunny and warm in the lower mississippi valley, sunny and cool into the upper great lakes. next week 200 service members an veterans will compete in the first-ever warrior claims taking place in colorado springs. wounded soldiers from the navy, air force and marines will face off in a series of events, much like the olympics. a motorcycle posse will ride out to colorado to help kick off the

games. congratulations and thanks to all of you for coming here. general, colonel, you guys helped organize this. what do you hope comes out of these first-ever warrior games? >> i think the most important thing from our standpoint, we want our soldiers and really all the service members to focus on their abilities, defeat their disabilities, their injuries, get back into life, and the overall intent is, hey, you can have a rich, rewarding and productive future despite whatever wound, illness or injury that you've sustained until the service to the nation. and they do that very naturally. >> master sergeant gibson, i know you suffered a leg injury that resulted in an amputation. what impact do you think an event like this, these warriors games, will have on your wounded brothers and sisters? >> it brings us in and allows all the athletes to build more camaraderie. a good portion of us are still service members but there is another portion that are veterans. that means they're out in the community. brings us back in and gives us an opportunity to compete amongst ourselves without any

concerns for what people might think. really drives us into having a new hobby and a new choice and direction in life. >> staff sergeant winston, you are another one who suffered an injury. you're out here, you're going to be helping pete. what does this mean to you? >> that there is life after injury. you can keep moving forward and you don't have to sit back and let the injury beat you. you can move forward with this. >> okay. rock 'n' roll gargulo, the rolling thunder will be bringing that flag. right? >> we'll be bringing this flag. this flag was flown yesterday at the world trade center site. along with another american flag. we were honored to be the curriers of the flag. we're going to fly it at pentagon and at shanksville and rolling thunder groups across the country will be transporting the flag, handing it off to different organizations all across the country. until it gets to colorado.

>> we are off to a fine start on this wednesday. it is going to be a beautiful afternoon. mostly sunny skies. temperatures up around 80 degrees. >> and that's your latest weather. now, let's head on down to ft. meyers, florida and say hello to uncle willard scott. how are you, sir? >> hello to my favorite weatherman. i love you. everybody knows mother day's this weekend. a sad one for you because you lost your mother and my mother's been gone for 30 years but i love her, think about her every day. don't forget, send her some roses.

happy birthday from smucker's. the greatest name in jam, toppings for ice cream and natural peanut butter and bernice chodosch from the bronx, new york. 100 years old today. retired teacher. volunteered to provide tax assistance to old people until she was 80. how about that? that's the secret, keep on keeping on. don mclucas lake forest, illinois. attributes longevity to his loving wife annie mae and have a little scotch wine. plays a mean fiddle they tell me. herta heim. teanext, new jersey. 103. a former holocaust survivor. watches the stock market daily and gives her grandchildren advice on what to buy and sell. probably does that better than a lot of brokers. fannie stanley, naples, florida,

right down the road. known for being the rack in the family. never worrying and always smiling. that is good. we have mamie trigiani. 100 years old today from roseto, pennsylvania. and, retired teacher, avid reader and brings books and games to patients at local hospitals. ethyl couch, franklin, ohio. 103. loves to quilt and crochet pieces for anybody who wants to make a quilt. attributes her longevity to never smoking and drinking. how about that? that's like our crew down here in florida. they can't afford it. now back to new york city with a great american, uncle matt. >> willard, thank you very much. when we come back, brand-new images that really show the bond between a mother and a child. we'll talk about those. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

>> announcer: this portion of "today" is brought to you by enfamil premium with triple health guard. this morning on "today's moms," new technology giving us a stunning new look at the bond between mother and child. but first what some moms had to say about their bonding moments. >> the initial moment of bonding occurred during the sonogram at the hospital when we saw the image of the child. that was really thrilling to see. since then, for me bonding has really occurred during the times when the baby's been moving. one of the great ways for me to bond is by touching my belly or have anya touch my belly. >> i can feel it. >> it's just been the most profound experience that i've gone through. >> i think that you really

become a mom the moment you see that positive sign on your pregnancy test. you just suddenly don't feel alone anymore and then the feeling of bonding with your child is intensified with every milestone. one of the most special moments is the first time that you lay eyes on them after they're born and you realize, like you just met this person but you would be willing to step in front of a bus for them. you're so connected, your souls are connected. it is the most amazing feeling in the world. >> one time i was breast feeding her and there was a moment where her little hand came up and she reached up and she touched me. i wanted to cry. it was one of the most emotional moments for me. it felt like she just wanted to feel my heart. i can always feel hers, you know when you hold them close, you always feel them. but to have her reach out for me, i just felt that that was a very special bonding moment for

the two of us. >> deepak chopra and alexander diara created remarkable images that show the bond between mothers and babies. i think the key is biology. there is really a physiological component to bonding. not just the emotional connection. right, alexander? >> oh, absolutely. one of the things depak will speak to is biology. for the very first time we're mapping the biological and physiological phenomenon of the mother and child from the moment of conception all the way up until 1-year-old. absolute magic. >> the project began with conception to birth, now you've taken it from birth to 1-year-old. what's the power of touch in terms of bonding? >> well, it's part of a whole symphony. touch, smell, gazing at the eyes. this all sets off a cascade of hormones, hormonal responses and

things that aren't on the immuno mod u laters. it is a changing of biological responses between the mother and baby. >> i've done stories on children in orphans in romania, russia where they didn't get the bobbeding in the bobbed i bonding in the beginning and this is the proof. >> it causes the release of growth factors. if children are deprived of touch they don't grow as much. >> alexander, you also say making eye contact is very important. >> the eye contact is another stimulus. so the ability to actually stimulate the brain is the kinds of things that are making those folds in your brain be created and actually be able to embed memories in them. >> what do you hope people take away from this? >> the marvel of depak.

>> i think we should restore motherhood to its most sacred profession, as the most sacred profession, the future of humanity is with the mother and love comes from them. if you give children this love, it will solve many problems. >> thank you so much. up next, how to raise the perfect puppy with howard stern's wife. but first -- this is "today" on nbc.

we're back at 8:46 with how to pick and raise the perfect dog. beth stern, wife of radio personality howard stern, has dedicated herself to animal rights advocacy. now she's written a new book called "oh, my dog," how to choose, groom, nurture, feed and

care for your new best friend. hi, beth. >> hi, matt. it is so nice to be here. bianca is so happy to be here as well. >> as long as she faces that direction and lays down and stays still, we're in great shape. she's actually a terrific dog. >> she's going to make herself right at home. >> that's okay. we like that. i was expecting a celebrity pet book. this is kind of a textbook. why did you want to write this? >> first of all because i'm celebrity wife and it seems like these days all of the celebrity wives get book deals. hasn't annette gotten her book deal yet? >> no, not yet. >> in all honesty, i've been the spokesperson for the north shore animal league in america, the largest no-kill and rescue facility in the world. i'm active with wildlife rescue center, i rescue animals, i love animals, i tell people, encourage people to not buy from pet stores, go to your local shelters, research proper breeders. people have just assumed through my animal work that i'm an expert. i am so not an expert.

>> but you went out and found the experts to do the research for this book. >> absolutely. >> i would imagine, even with all your experience dealing with animals, had you to learn some stuff. >> i learned so much. the problem with people on a daily basis would ask me their dog questions. i'd go right to the internet. matt, there is so much bogus and misinformation on the internet. i didn't know what kind of answers to give these people. but through my association with all of the north shore, i have these resources right at my fingertips. i know phenomenal veterinarians, phenomenal behaviorists. i know groomers, the top of their field. why don't i gather them? all the people on the street who have asked me questions, my questions. i came up with almost 500 pages of information. >> it starts from the beginning where even choosing the right dog for your family, how do you know the dog is a good match. you write something i want to bring up in the book. okay? "howard and i think she's just about perfect," talking about

bianca. but bianca has been very needy from the start. she follows me from the bathroom, watches me put makeup on. when i make dinner there is always a 50-pound lump at my feet. she also farts. took me a good year before i broke down and asked our vet about the embarrassing situation which was helped by tweaking her diet. now i know howard. he has a weird sense of humor. you're sure it's bianca? are you positive? >> howard has blamed bianca when i -- i know the difference. but i have to say, through my research, i realized that i was feeding bianca a major name brand food. what i write about in my book, you can take my book to the store with you and learn how to read the back of a dog food bag. i was feeding my dog a name brand food that consisted mostly of peanut shells. i gradually changed her diet. i learned some great food. it is a gradual process which i write about in my book. and i put her on a new food and she's thriving.

she's fluffier, friskier. >> you've become an educated consumer and that's what you're passing on to other people. >> i think anyone who has a dog, both the dog and owner will benefit from my book. and it is a great gift for mother's day. >> it really is. one thing, a lot of people look at you and say she's married to howard stern, he's so crazy. knowing him, he's like the most normal, likable nice guy. i know he probably hates when i say that because it blows his reputation. >> i love that. because you know us on a personal level. he really is. i've been with howard for almost 11 years now and he really is so not -- >> dare i say even caring! he's crazy. i'm making myself nauseous. >> he's as passionate about animals as i am which makes everything so much better. >> beth, good to see you. good luck with the book. >> thank you so much, matt. >> my pleasure. 8:50. again the book is "oh my dog." up next, [ female announcer ] this mother's day... she'll love the gift...

you'll love up to 70% off all fine jewelry. this 3-piece gemstone set is only $79.99. these sparkling black and white diamonds are only $99.99. sears. life. well spent.

this morning on how to cook everything "today," spice rubs. mark bittman says with memorial day barbecues just around the corner, don't buy these rubs, make your own. he is a "new york times" columnist and author of "how to cook everything." mark, good morning to you. why can't i just go and buy them in the store? >> of course you can but have

you no idea what's in them if you buy them in the store. have you no idea how long they've been sitting around and no control over the flavor. we'll look at four different spice rubs today. this way you can figure out what you like. the hardest thing is -- well, we'll get to that. we're going to start with the curry powder. basically we have cloves, cardamom, cumin, bay leaf, and if you don't have these, you can improvise, substitute, leave stuff out or you can go shopping. >> okay. >> then you toast them in a dry skillet. obviously this isn't hot but it was. and -- >> for how long? >> 30 seconds or a minute, just until it is really fragrant. then comes the real hard part, which i'm playing with here. getting the spices into the spice grinder. >> why do you need a funnel? >> you need a bigger opening at the bottom. >> we don't have much time to do this. >> well, anyway --

>> you put this in the grinder. >> here, do this. >> there you go. thank you. >> teamwork. >> that's right. >> this is like a normal coffee grinder. >> yeah. use a regular coffee grinder. you just basically pulverize that. can you see any of that? >> no. >> well, you might. >> all right. >> then we can throw them back in here just so you can see. at that point you have this beautiful powder. and you can put it on your -- you don't need any marinading. you don't need any time. >> just put it on and grill right away. >> what's nice, too, a little bit more after you cook. here we have beef kabobs, chicken kabobs, veggie kabobs. this is chinese sort of traditional spices, peppercorns which are great, fennel, cinnamon and cloves.

you grind those together. smell this, it is really great. >> this does smell fantastic. >> in a stir fry, a little pinch of that, a bit more again in the end. >> that lasts? >> keep it in a tightly sealed container and it will last for months. >> oh, my gosh. >> we have brawn sugar, paprika and chili powder, black pepper and cumin. just finishing up with this lamb, a french mix which is pepper, coriander and cloves. if you have coffee or spices in here, you want to use coffee, put a little raw rice, grind that up and it cleans it out. >> mark bittman, thank you so much. make me a rub any time.

>> 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. three city police officers turn themselves in for reportedly abusing their authority in dealing with a teenager. 32-year-old milton smith, a 29- drop, and another are accused of picking up two teenagers in west baltimore in may 2009. one of the teenagers was the least and the city and the other was allegedly taken to howard county -- was released in the city and the other was allegedly taken to howard county. the officer's face numerous charges including

>> good morning, everyone. we are off to a quiet start this wednesday. this is about as nice as it gets this time of year. humidity is down significantly from the last couple of days. high temperatures in the upper 70's and low 80s. 30% chance of thunderstorms on a thursday and friday. best chance for rain on saturday. mother's day is going to be dry, just breezy and corporate high of only 64. -- greasy and cool. a high of 64. >> another update at 9:25.