good morning. breaking news. bp announces this morning that the static kill to plug up that blownout well in the gulf is working. is it finally the moment that residents of the gulf have waited on for 107 long days? cold as ice -- that's how witnesses describe th c connecticut man who calmly opened fire at work killing eight co-workers and eventually himself just moments after quitting his job. this morning what that gunman told his mother during a phone call in the middle of the shooting rampage. and grace under pressure -- a woman uses her toes to type a message for help after being tied to her bed by an armed intruder. she's lucky to be alive and ready to open up about her

extraordinary feet today, wednesday, august 4th, 2010. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning. welcome to "today" on a wednesday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> and i'm meredith vieira. this could be good news happening a mile underneath the gulf. >> bp said the mud it is pumping into the busted well is holding the oil down. it was injected into the well for about eight hours straight and then it came to an end overnight. the system now being monitored to make sure there are no sudden spikes in pressure. it may be enough to seal off that well even before those relief wells permanently fix the problem in a couple of weeks. we'll have more on that in just a couple of minutes. also ahead, every parent says they would never do it and yet it is happening more and more -- children left alone in hot cars. it's happened more in the first six months of this year than ever before in the same time

period. coming up "today" investigates what's behind that rise and why automakers aren't using a simple, inexpensive device they have right now that could prevent further tragedy. >> it's a very emotional story. also, going to take a big turn three weeks after they announced their surprise engagement, bristol palin says her wedding to levi johnston is off. so what's behind the sudden breakup this time? all the details coming up. but we're going to begin with that breaking news bp announcing this morning the static kill to plug up the broken oil well is working. anne thompson is in venice, louisiana, with the very latest. good morning, anne. >> reporter: good morning, meredith. bp calls this a significant milestone. after eight hours of pumping heavy mud into the drilling well, it says the well is in a static condition. this is the first in a two-step process to permanently shut in the macondo well. though the process is controlled

from the q-4,000 rig on the is your fas of the atlantic site, all the action happens a mile below. >> we're extremely focused at this point on making sure we execute the static kill as best we can. >> reporter: here is how the static kill works. crews pump mud down into the gulf floor, it travels through a manifold, up the choke line, into the blow-out preventer, and then down into the well pipe. the mud weighs more than the oil so it should force the crude back down to its reservoir. national incident commander thad allen calls it the ultimate diagnostic test. >> any failure that we're not aware of right now. >> reporter: the static kill procedure should stabilize the pressure inside the well and improve the chances of the second and ultimate step, the relief well, of being successful. >> you'd have the pressure under control and then when you

intersect it with the relief well there's less risk involved when the pressure is already under control. >> reporter: work on finishing the first relief well is stopped until the static kill is completed. crews hope to start on the final phase of the well thursday. now no matter what happens with the static kill, the national incident commander, retired admiral thad allen, says he won't consider this well permanently shut in until the relief well puts a cement plug at the bottom of the problem well and that's expected to happen in mid-august. matt? carol browner for energy and climate change, good morning. nice to see you. >> good morning, matt. >> i try not to get ahead of myself after the ordeal that's taken place in the gulf, but it does appear there's good news to report this morning. according to bp the static kill operation is going well. give me the latest. >> there is good news. there are two points of good news. one, the static kill is going well.

we remain focused on the relief well. that is the way to permanently kill this. we have some important information in the last 24 hours that give us a lot of hope that relief well will go well and it should happen in the next couple of weeks. in the meantime no oil is leaking. i think it's also important to note that our scientists have done an initial assessment and more than three-quarters of the oil is gone. the vast majority of the oil is gone. it was captured. it was skimmed. it it was burned. it was contained. mother nature did her part. and that's good news. we may still see some tar balls coming up onshore. we'll remain vigilant in cleaning those. we're going to continue to work with the people of the gulf coast communities to make sure they're made whole and that bp is held accountable. >> you're talking about your scientists and this is basically referring to something in "the new york times" this morning saying noaa is set to release a report today saying 76% of the oil has been captured. i don't want to be pessimistic but noaa was also the group that grossly underestimated the size of the leak in the first place.

can we trust their numbers? >> well, this is a panel of scientists who issued this report. it's both government scientists and academics are looking at all of the information and, you know, it's an initial assessment. we'll continue to get information. but we think it's very encouraging that the vast majority of the oil was contained, was cleaned up. as i said, mother nature did its part, too. >> i'm not trying to be a glass half empty person but if 76% has been taken care of that leaves roughly 25% that is still out there in the gulf. where is it? how big a risk do you think it poses? >> well, it's continuing to break down. the ocean will break it down. the waves, the tides will break it down. some of it may come ashore. some will become small microorganisms and disappear into the gulf. we don't know how much will come ashore but we will make sure it it is cleaned up. i think it is fair to say we've turned an important corner here for the people of the gulf. >> good news for fishermen down in the gulf, some fishing grounds are reopening.

questions are already being asked about the safety of the product of those fisheries. how confident are you that the seafood coming out of that region is safe to eat? >> we do not reopen the fisheries until we are quite confident of the safety. i'll be traveling to florida later today. i look forward to eating florida seafood. we'll continue to open fisheries as the scientists tell us it is safe and we are making real progress in that respect. >> are you concerned about the fact some of the fish from that region may have ingested some of the oil or even some of the dispersant and we may not know the effect of that for some time period? >> you're right. we have to continue to study the use of dispersants. obviously it was a difficult decision. you have the hugely toxic oil in the ocean. the decision was made to use dispersants and then the epa has continued to study and monitor that. right now we don't see abnormally high toxicity limits but we'll continue to be vigilant. in the meantime, we will ensure that only safe seafood is sold and we feel quite confident that

more fisheries will open in the coming days and weeks. >> and let me go back to something you said earlier in the interview, miss browner, and that is your focus remains on those relief wells. give me the latest on those. how are the updates going? >> they're going very well. as you remember, matt, we directed two of them be dug in case there was a problem with the first one. the first one is close to being done. we anticipate it could be done the next 10 to 14 days. the static kill, the last 24 hours, gave us valuable information. what we want to do is make sure this thing is absolutely killed and that's what the relief well will do. >> carol browner, a special adviser to president obama. miss browner, thanks for your time this morning. i appreciate it. >> thank you. and now here's meredith. matt, thank you. this morning shocking new details on what caused a connecticut man to go on a shooting rampage at work killing eight co-workers before turning the gun on himself. nbc's peter alexander is in manchester, connecticut, with the latest. peter, good morning. >> reporter: meredith, good morning to you. this is an awful one, the staggering death toll stands at

nine including the shooter with one person still hospitalized. this morning we're learning new details about the final moments before that shooting where company officials say they called omar thornton into an office and showed him a video that they say showed him stealing from a company truck. then, just moments later, he opened fire for what was the worst work place mass murder in the state's history. this small connecticut community is in mourning, still stunned by its devastating loss. >> it's just shocking. it's still shocking. it's unbelievable. >> reporter: the shooting began shortly after 7:00 tuesday morning here at hartford distributors, a family owned beer and wine wholesaler. the company's ceo tells nbc news 34-year-old omar thornton was called into a room for a disciplinary hearing with managers and calmly watched video that even union officials say showed him stealing from a company truck. >> at the conclusion of that

interview, we're told he was given an option to either resign or be terminated. >> reporter: the ceo says thornton signed a resignation paper and was then escorted from the room asking for a drink of water before police say he pulled out a handgun and calmly opened fire. as cold as ice, said one victim. >> it couldn't have happened at a worst time of day. you had the third staff coming on. the sales staff there. >> reporter: thornton hired two years ago saved the last shot for himself. >> there are no winners here. you have nine families that are grieving. >> reporter: joanne hannah said her daughter dated thornton for eight years and says he called his mother during tuesday's rampage. >> he called her and told his mother he shot five people and was basically saying i love everybody and good-bye. >> reporter: hannah says thornton told her daughter complained to his supervisors about being racially harassed at work. the company's ceo adamantly denied those allegations and the union says there's no record of

any complaints from thornton. >> my daughter's just as shocked as everybody right now. she did not see anything like this. she knew he had a breaking point. >> i'm trying not to cry. it's just shocking especially omar. i didn't know there was a problem. >> reporter: among the victims, victor james, a grandfather of four who would have turned 60 this month and was planning to retire after 30 years as a driver. >> it was the loss of a dear friend of 40 years and i was shocked, angered, a family man, a good friend, a good husband, and a good father. >> reporter: and overnight we heard from another driver at the company who told nbc news we are not racists. we're a bunch of hard working guys that work for a good company. meredith, he said none of us deserves this. >> all right, peter alexander, thank you very much. let us get a check of the

rest of the morning's top stories. cnbc's carl quintanilla is in for ann. carl, good to see you again. good morning, everybody. conflicting reports this morning about a possible scare for iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad. an attacker was taken into custody after throwing some kind of explosive at a convoy in iran. iranian tv, though, denies there was an attack. at least 15 people are dead in a car bombing in iraq. the blast outside of baghdad wounded at least 60 others. tempers flared in lebanon. the most serious battle between the two countries in four years. today a legal challenges is expe expected to be filed after a controversial vote bay new york city panel that cleared the way tuesday for a mosque to be built near ground zero. opponents say the mosque would disrespect the memory of those killed on 9/11. a new government report finds more than 72 million american adults are obese, up by more than 2 million in two

years. it finds 30% or more of people in nine states are considered obese. it's the latest report to call obesity a major public health threat to the u.s. there's been another deadly attack on kindergarten students in china where a man with a knife killed three children and a teacher. about 20 other people were wounded. in russia firefighters are battling hundreds of new wildfires amid the worst heat wave on record there. the fires have killed at least 48 people. and a big wildfire in sevcentra oregon has burned more than 2,600 acres, some nearby homes were evacuated. that fire about 20% contained. it's now 7:13. back to matt, meredith and al. between the fires and the floods, nature's fury this week,

>> we had some scattered thunderstorms earlier in the day. we could see a few more pop up in the late morning and afternoon hours. otherwise, a mixture of sunshine otherwise, a mixture of sunshine and clouds.

and that's your latest weather. matt? thanks very much. searchers in arizona are desperately looking for a 2-year-old boy who apparently wandered into the desert alone while his mother was taking a nap. nbc's lee cowan is in dewy, arizona. lee, good morning to you. >> reporter: sheriff's deputies are trying to figure out how far a 2-year-old could have traveled in the desert wearing only his pajamas and his diaper. he's been missing since monday. investigators fear that time is running out. emmitt trapp is hardly a match for arizona's high desert. but that is exactly where rescuers believe this 2-year-old is this morning, battling the elements, the wildlife, dehydration, and more. >> there are apparently a couple

of wells and mine shafts in the area. we're dropping cameras where we need to. >> reporter: his family says emmett wandered off barefoot following the dog while his mother took a nap. the dog returned. emmett did not. since then helicopters using infrared have been looking for body heat, just enough to set emmett apart from the rest of the rugged terrain. on the ground, searchers are on horseback, bloodhounds have their nose to the trail. and four-wheel drives are fanning out like ants. so far not a single sign or a single sound. >> the 2-year-old we would expect to cry out for help or cry for mom or cry for food because he has a soiled diaper. there's just been no sounds we've heard and nothing sound wise that we've found to help us find him. >> reporter: neighbors, not close in this desert landscape, but close enough to worry that one of their own may be on his own. >> this is our neighborhood.

this is our community and these are our babies. all of them are ours. >> reporter: emmett is the second 2-year-old to disappear in this arizona county in the last ten days. sylar newton vanished from a campground last month. investigators say the two cases are not connected. sylar is a criminal case, they say, while emmett, they believe, is a tragic accident. nevertheless, though, matt, investigators local and with the fbi are checking with registered sex offenders in the area just in case. an all-out search will continue again today. again, the clock doesn't appear to be on emmett's side. >> lee cowan in arizona for us this morning. lee, thank you very much. it's 17 after the hour. once again here is meredith. president obama celebrates his 49th birthday today but his wife and his daughters will not be around to help him blow out the candles on his birthday cake. nbc's norah o'donnell will explain why. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, meredith. you could say the first lady is

saying adios to president obama on his 49th birthday. we just got pictures of the first lady and daughter sasha arriving in spain because they're going to be visiting one of the world's most exclusive resorts. spain is known for its flamingo, bullfighting, what the country has to offer first lady michelle obama and her youngest daughter, 9-year-old sasha. the white house calls it a private mother/daughter trip with friends, a four-day visit to marbella. >> it attracts the rich and famous, professional footballers, tv stars. >> reporter: the obamas have reportedly booked dozens of rooms at spain's most exclusive hotel, a ritz-carlton resort, the five-star hotel boasts five restaurants, a spa and three 18-hole golf courses and the rooms are not cheap. >> the price of rooms at the ritz-carlton is going to keep the riffraff out.

they range from about $250 a night to about $6,500 a night. >> reporter: the hefty price tag for the trip is raising questions about whether taxpayers will have to foot the bill. >> it's a private trip. it is being paid for that way. >> reporter: mrs. obama will also make an official visit to spain's king juan carlos and queen sophia. overseas trips for first ladies are not rare. in fact, last year the first family visited russia, italy, and africa. and mrs. clinton once took daughter chelsea on a whirlwind trip to africa. >> mrs. obama going to the resort might generate some negative criticism because of the fact the resort where she'll be staying is rather lavish during times when the economy is not very good and many people are looking for work. >> reporter: and while mrs. obama is jet setting overseas, the president is is home alone making a trip to chicago on his

birthday. >> all right, guys. >> of course he will miss them. they'll be all back together soon. >> reporter: the whole family won't be back together again until late august when they vacation in martha's vineyard. >> malia going away for camp, which she's never done before, s old stomping grounds in g t 's chicago where he's heading today. he has some big fund-raisers there tomorrow. meredith? >> all right, norah o'donnell, thank you very much and happy birthday, mr. president. just ahead, talk about thinking on your feet. a woman tied to her bed by an armed robber sends out an s.o.s. with her toes. she'll tell us all about it in a live interview.

still ahead, a near mishap with the rings and a first

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but you may be able to do something. [ male announcer ] have a heart to heart with your doctor about your risk. and about lipitor. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. time to get a check on the morning commute. >> we have a lot to talk about. southbound j.f.x., crashed there has the right lane blocked and jammed traffic back to st. paul street. accident at hillen road and coldspring lane, the second there this morning. north avenue, crashed there. report of an accident on the inner loop of the beltway.

freeland road is shut down between now and sigh, and bridge road. report of an accident between 97 southbound, another part of an accident on westbound 70. delays from our camera at liberty road. the outer loop is jammed up from liberty road down to 70. south of the beltway on the northeast corner, a very sluggish there. that is all the way from the white marsh. to the harbor tunnel thruway. >> we had some rain go through baltimore's city a couple hours ago. still some light showers in queen anne's county and back into calvert county as well. there's still a chance we could see some more thunderstorms pop up later today. a mixture of clouds and sunshine. chance for a thunderstorm again. but this morning or afternoon,

it will be a humid date with high temperatures and the 90's. high-temperature near 95, but a nice weekend. >> check the bottom of your screen for updated news and traffic information. back at 7:55.

7:30 on this wednesday morning, august 4th, 2010. as we check out the view from the top of the rock, 17 stories above our home on rockefeller plaza. we have a group lined up outside our window on the world. >> august what? >> 4th. it's my new england accent coming out. august 4. inside studio 1-a i'm meredith vieira alongside matt lauer. do you think you could type with your toes? >> if i was given a lot of time maybe, slowly. >> you'll meet a woman who saved her own life by doing that after she was tied up by an armed intruder. her incredible story just ahead. also, the disturbing rise from the number of children who have died after being

accidentally left in a very hot car. coming up, one mother who made that fatal mistake will speak out. and "today" investigates why technology that could prevent similar tragedies is not being used. >> and then we'll take a big turn. we'll have exclusive new details on what went down on chelsea clinton's weekend wedding and why bristol has called off her wedding with levi johnston. a woman who used her feet to free herself from an armed robber. >> reporter: in this atlanta home, 39-year-old amy windham endured some of the most frightening hours of her life. after midnight tuesday morning, she woke up and found an armed burglar inside her bedroom with no one to help her. >> a guy entered my room. he had a gun. we struggled for some amount of time. he hit me on the head with the gun. >> reporter: fearing for her safety, she initially wanted her

face concealed when she spoke out hours after the ordeal. she says the burglar took shoelaces and tied her hands to the head board. for an hour the suspect held her at gunpoint. he stole electronics and escaped with her car. >> and then i started yelling for help and trying to struggle to get myself free but the way he had tied my wrists with shoestrings, it just was tightening -- it was tightening around my wrist. >> reporter: hands tied, she turned to her toes. >> and then around, i guess, 4:15 or so, i realized that he had left my laptop at the foot of my bed. >> reporter: after her cries for help went unanswered, windom took her laptop's political cord and regged it in between her toes so she could reach the keyboard typing a message asking for help. luckily her boyfriend was on line. call 911 police, she wrote. i'm home tried to bed typing with toes. online now, boyfriend applied.

police quickly arrived and freed her. >> we don't know how this could have ended or exactly when it would have ended. >> i don't have the world's prettiest feet but i think i'll keep them. they came in pretty handy. >> reporter: it gives new meaning for being quit on your feet. for nbc, i'm thanh truong. good morning, meredith. >> as thanh reported, you wanted to keep your identity under wraps. why did you decide to come forward now? >> i think at some point you just kind of want to come out of the shadows and just tell your story in the hopes that it might give someone, you know, some additional courage in a similar situation. >> i know you're also hoping that they find this guy. he did give you a big whack on the head with his gun. how are you doing this morning? >> all things considered, i'm doing very well, thank you. >> i want to go back to tuesday morning after this stranger gets into your apartment. he hits you on the head with a

gun, ties your wrists to the top of the bed and ransacks the home. eventually he leaves. you spend the next few hours screaming and trying to get yourself freed, neither of which is successful. then around 4:15 you realize the laptop is sitting at the end of the bed. what went through your mind when you realized it was there? >> well, i thought, i've got nothing to lose so i'll give this a shot and i pulled the laptop over and propped it up on top of the down comforter at such an angle i could see both the keys and the screen and then i just figured out how to type with my toes and i learned very quickly my big toes weren't going to work and so i then reached over with my left foot and got the end of the power cord in between my left toes so i could use that as a tool to hit the keys while i used my right toe as a mouse sort of

device. >> incredible calm thinking. i know you have the computer with you. can you demonstrate for us how you got your toes to do this? >> sure. sure. so it took a little while to work it out, but i used, again, the right toe on the touch pad to move the mouse around and then i could right or left click with the right toe and then i used, again, my left foot to clamp down on the power cord and hit the various keys to type out the messages. >> and i know that at first you went to a 911 website. that didn't work out. at around 5:00 you e-mail your boyfriend, john. you've been going out since november and every morning you e-mail each other. he doesn't respond immediately to the e-mail so you start instant messaging him. i want to read some of those. 5:06 you type, help. read e-mail. 5:07. he types, what e-mail? 5:08. call 911 police. i'm home tied to bed. typing with toes.

i'm amazed by how quickly you're typing these messages and with very few errors which speaks to how calm you are and deliberate to get out the right message to john. john, when you started seeing these, what was your first reaction? >> i didn't want to believe it. i was thinking it had to be a joke. she's a very serious person and i knew this wasn't something to make light of. i immediately did what she asked and called the police. >> i know you called 911. how did you explain why you were talking to them as opposed to her? >> yeah, that was a bit of suspicion there for a while. they were kind of curious why i was calling and i had to describe to them exactly what was happening sadly. yeah, i just told them, you know, she is typing with her toes while she is tied up. you need to get over there. >> amy, i understand that at one point this burglar in your home or robber in your home was going

to take the laptop and you convinced him not to because you said it had a tracking device in it which is why he left it behind. how did you maintain your calm through all this? as i said before, it had to be frightening. >> it was very frightening. at the time i wasn't actually thinking about the laptop being my tool to get out of the situation and help me get rescued. i was looking at my work laptop and thinking how much i was on there i department want to lose and so i told him that's an at&t laptop. i wouldn't take it if i were you. it's got a tracking device. >> it saved you. are you surprised in retrospect how calm amy remained and how clever she was, really? >> no, this is just another example of how l coo, collected, and calculating, really -- she impresses me a lot. no, i'm not surprised how she figured this out and made the best of what she has. not at all.

>> thinks on her feet and with her feet. i know you told our producer your only regret is your pedicure wasn't better. go out and get a fancy one. >> thanks. i'll get that touched up. >> amy windom, thank you very much. glad you're okay. thanks a lot, meredith. we have a group here, trio upward bound. where are you from? >> new orleans. >> what are you doing in new york? >> community service. >> terrific. what college are you going to go to? >> columbia, new york. >> congratulations. that's terrific. all right, they're all sprinkled out throughout the crowd. let's check your weather and see what's going on. a risk of strong storms from ohio back on into iowa, also back through the dakotas and parts of montana. we're looking at a threat for damaging winds. you can see some very heavy thunderstorms getting ready to move through chicago. they have a severe thunderstorm watch out. also back on to omaha. we're talking rainfall amounts anywhere from 2 to 3 inches of rain from chicago down into

columbus. >> expect a mixture of sunshine and clouds, and a chance for a shower or thunderstorm at any point. as we head of the and that's your latest weather. don't forget you can get your weather any time of the day or night, the new and improved weather.com on line. coming up, how you can tame your nightmares like in the movie "inception." a simple device that could save the life of a child left in a hot car. why aren't automakers using it? [ girl ] bye mom! bye sweetie! you'll do great.

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the country is seeing now. so far this year a record number of children have already died compared to the first six months of any other year in history. there is inexpensive, simple technology out there to help prevent these accidents, save these kids lives. why aren't automakers using it and why isn't the government doing more? any parent would swear they'd never do it. forget their baby in a steaming hot car. >> a 2-year-old girl was left to die in a scorching hot minivan. >> reporter: every summer new case after new case -- >> by the time the father realized she was still there in the car, it was too late to save her life. >> reporter: let's say it's an 85-degree day outside, how long would it take for a child to die in a car? is. >> a child can die in as little as 15 minutes. >> reporter: jeanette fenl says since the government required

children to sit in rear facing car seats in the back, hot car deaths have spiked 800%. >> when the babies are rear facing that car seat doesn't look any different if it's empty or occupied. >> reporter: and for a tired, overworked parent, that small mistake can mean disaster. >> my world was shattering right there on the asphalt. >> reporter: stephanie is a working mom who had two little kids, 6-year-old mckenzie, and 5-month-old gannon. one day last summer after an all-nighter breast-feeding gannon, stephanie loaded the kids in the car. she was exhausted driving them to daycare on the way to work. stephanie dropped her oldest one off no problem and was supposed to drop gannon off next. >> my mind went on autopilot and i thought i dropped gannon off. i saw it. i saw the memory of me dropping gannon off. and in reality, i never dropped him off. my brain failed me. it fell back on my old routine

of going to work. >> reporter: stephanie drove to her office, locked the car and went inside oblivious to reality that gannon was still sleeping in the back seat. you were at work all day 8 1/2 hours and he's in the car. >> mm-hmm. >> reporter: you come back out to the car and what did you see? >> i got in my car and i put my purse down and when i looked back i saw gannon in the rear-view mirror. >> reporter: was he moving? uh-uh. >> reporter: her 5-month-old baby was gone. a lot of parents watching this right now i'm sure feel awful for you but also say this would never happen to me, i would never forget my child in a car like you did. what do you say to them? is. >> that they're being a little too self-assured. i was educated. i knew about parents leaving their kids in the car. >> reporter: and yet it still happened. >> and yet it still happened. >> reporter: still, the government says education is the answer, not technology. even as babies continue to die.

in most cars there are warnings for leaving your keys in the ignition, if you leave the headlights on, but there are no warnings about a child in the car. >> so what are we saying? it is it more important we don't have a dead car battery than a dead baby? >> reporter: carmakers have developed warning systems that would sound an alarm if you left your baby in the car seat. nearly ten years ago gm showed off a radar sensor that could detect a breathing infant in the back seat. gm never sold it saying the system was not reliable enough. >> unique sensors -- >> reporter: volvo created another sensor but never sold it because of liability reasons. now nasa has a solution. engineers who work on the space shuttle have developed a car seat sensor that detects the baby's weight and will sound a key chain alarm if you walk away. chris edwards is one of the inventors. >> you just place the sensor under the cushion in the car seat right under the baby's

bottom and that's all you do. >> reporter: i'm a dad and was curious if it really worked. i recruited my 5-month-old daughter, sloan, to sit in. so i'm a forgetful parent, i left the daughter in the car, i'm going to close the door. the air conditioning is on for this demonstration. how does this work? >> walk away from the car and the alarm will go off. >> how far do i have to go? >> 30 to 50 feet. >> reporter: we kept walking and within 30 seconds -- there it goes. >> there it goes. >> reporter: that didn't take long at all. >> lets you know she's still in there. >> reporter: we're close enough to the car where it's still good. in a real-life situation, this could have saved her life. so how much would this be installed in vehicles? >> less than $50. >> reporter: is that technology ready to go? >> it's ready to go right now. >> reporter: there are similar systems on the market right now so why hasn't the government required them in cars? we came here to washington for hours but the department of

transportation declined our requests for an interview and the group representing the automakers wouldn't speak either. instead a division of the department of transportation sent us this e-mail saying it's looking into ways to keep children from suffering this horrible fate. we encourage parents to remain vigilant. caregiver supervision will always be the most effective way to protect children from the dangers of an unattended vehicle. >> they don't want to add the technology it would take to save these lives. some would say not enough kids die. we work on bigger problems. >> reporter: but for the parents who have lost kids in hot cars, there is no bigger problem. do you feel like a warning system in the car would have saved your son? >> i know that it would have brought me out of whatever i was in. there's no doubt that it would have saved his life. >> reporter: in florida where stephanie lives, leaving her child alone in a car whether on a cold day or a hot day by

accident or on purpose is a crime in that state with a mandatory punishment. she is now serving a five-year probation sentence. matt, there is actually, the experts say, something you can do at home right now, starting right now, today, if you want even without technology, your briefcase, anything you use, your cell phone. instead of putting it in the front seat, put it in the back seat. that way you have to come back here to get your briefcase and see the child. >> why doesn't someone in congress propose that technology you talked about? >> reporter: it's a good question. the safety experts are trying to get language into a new transportation bill next year. in fact, they say, air bag standards, five times more kids die sitting in hot cars than they do from air bags and there are regulations for that not this. >> compelling report. thank you very much. we'll be back after this. well, are you going to pick it or not?

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just ahead, exclusive details on chelsea clinton's unforgettable first dance as a married woman. >> and then the other side of a coin, a wedding not to be. bristol palin about why she's broken off her engagement to levi johnston. thanks to the venture card from capital one, we get double miles on every purchase. so we earned an l.a. getaway twice as fast. we get double miles every time we use our card. no matter what we're buying. and since double miles add up quick... romans! get em! [ garth ] ...we can bring the whole gang. [ sheep bleats ] it's hard to beat double miles. whoa -- he's on the list. but we're with him. [ male announcer ] introducing the venture card

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>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. here is kim dacey at traffic pulse 11. >> it has been a busy morning all morning. there is an accident southbound j.f.x. at guilford ave. the right lane is blocked a their bread that is causing a backup on southbound j.f.x. accident on the out of the beltway at belair road. hillen street, and another crash at reisterstown road. the ramp to eastbound 100 is closed because of accident. in freeland, the downed wires

still causing problems. it is closed between mount zion and ridge road. delay-wise, west side of the beltway, we will show you the delays there. outer loop, you will see some slow traffic from 795 down to edmondson. slow traffic from white marsh down to 895 harbor tunnel thruway. >> we are tracking retroactivity on the eastern shore counties, but even that is to bring at -- even that is tapering off now. there could be more thderstorms developing later on today. a mixture of clouds and sunshine. it will be a warm and humid day. high temperatures and the low 90s. 95 with thunderstorms in the afternoon on thursday.

we are still looking forward to a nice weekend. >> back at 8:25 for the next live update.

♪ 8:00 now on a wednesday morning. it's the 4th day of august, 2010. a little overcast here in new york city but nice and warm and a nice crowd gathered. we thank you for stopping by. by the way, this coming friday another great summer concert. train rolls into the plaza in our 8:30 half hour. if you are in the area. meanwhile on the plaza i'm matt lauer alongside meredith vieira and al roker. i do for chelsea, i don't for bristol. >> a three-week engagement and she has broken it off. you'll find why she did it, the

final straw in that relati relationship. and what happened in chelsea clinton's ultra secret wedding that included a first dance that's being described as sultry. >> sexy and sultry. we'll tell you more about that. have you seen "inception"? >> i want to see it. have you seen it? >> want to go together? >> apparently it's all about manipulating dreams. is it fact or fiction? coming up, how you can actually control your dreams to make them more what you want them to be. >> that is a fact. you can do that. yes, you can. i heard that woman. >> you question her? >> my gosh. my dream is standing next to you. >> and going to see "inception." >> exactly. would you let your kids eat 13 waffles for breakfast? >> sure. >> no, you wouldn't. well, you would be surprised at the amount of fat that's in some popular fast food meals. some healthier options later.

>> such a kiljoy, that guy. >> let's go inside. carl quintanilla is standing by. ann is off this week. carl, good morning. matt, meredith and al, good morning. bp says the static kill is working. on tuesday the oil 0 company pumped heavy mud down the thrown of that blownout well that's been leak iing in the gulf of mexico. and much to everyone's relief the mud is holding the oil down. the administration's point man on the spill says he still expects bp to complete two relief wells. an apparent scare this morning for iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad. there are reports someone threw some kind of explosive at his convoy in western iran as he was about to give a speech causing concerns among his security forces. iranian tv is denying there was an attack. nine people are dead, two others injured in manchester, connecticut, in the nation's deadliest shooting rampage since those ft. hood shootings last november. police say 34-year-old omar thornton, ts driver for a beer distributor near hartford, shot and killed himself tuesday after

opening fire on his co-workers. he had reportedly been asked to resign from his job or being fired after a videotape apparently showed him stealing beer. thornton's mother says he claimed racial harassment pushed him over the edge. both the company and the teamsters union says he never filed a complaint. overseas markets mostly lower this morning. cnbc's trish regan is at the new york stock exchange. trish, earnings today. >> earnings for investors, carl. something else is going on. we're seeing this tug of war between what we're seeing on the earnings front, a lot of which is looking relatively good and then what we're seeing in terms of the economic data, most of which is looking pretty poor. investors are gearing up for friday's big report, that's the jobs report due out, and we're seeing a series of mini jobs reports prefacing that. one example today, a report showing layoffs increased 6% in the latest month, so not necessarily the greatest omen

there for friday. >> that's going to be an important number. thanks, trish. president obama turns 49 today. he is celebrating the day without his family. but he won't be alone. the president flies to chicago this evening for a birthday dinner with friends, the first lady and younger daughter sasha are on spain's southern mediterranean coast for a vacation with a longtime family friend. the other daughter, malia, is at summer camp. it is 8:04. back to meredith and matt. all right. mr. quintanilla, thank you very much. >> a little cloudy here today. hazy but a nice breeze. i'll leave it to al. that's al's job. sorry, al. >> that's okay. you've done a wonderful job of it. talking to girl scouts. where are you from? >> michigan. >> and you have some other members of the troupe down here, too. let's show you what's happening. pick city today, st. louis, missouri. excessive heat warning, 101

degrees today. you can see some heavy showers and thunderstorms making their way towards chicago. we've also got some showers in northern new england, southern ohio where we have a risk of strong storms. the heat continues from the southwest into texas into the mid-mississippi river valley. fog along the pacific northwest coast. sunny with some scattered showers and thunderstorms through the northwest and also i should say into northern new england. >> we will see some scattered showers and thunderstorms off and on as we head to the day today. it will be a muggy day. high temperatures and the low 90s.

and a couple of teenagers just got married. what's your name? >> ersel and bob from oregon. >> and now to another teenager. >> i found lenny over here not where he normally stands asking me a lot of questions about chelsea clinton's wedding, been dying to know everything about the near disaster with the ring, the surprising first dance of the couple. all of that coming up. first the bombshell that caused crystal -- crystal? bristol palin to call off her wedding.

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>> thank you. >> three weeks ago it looked like everything was good. they had a reconciliation. what happened? >> it went sour that night. bristol said it was a very emotional day. she was at work getting a lot of congratulations. it had been on the "today" show. she got home from work and they were hanging out and levi said, by the way, there's a chance i could have fathered another baby. she said she sat on the couch crying and he it did nothing to comfort her. said, yeah, it sucks, and left. >> just, by the way, i may have -- matter of fact, that's how it came up? no, i need to sit you down, i need to talk to you about something important it to our future? just matter of fact. >> she said they were hanging out and he dropped this ysteric. he did nothing to comfort her. she felt trapped. he waited until she announced it to the world. >> he may have been dishonest

with her about a trip he took. >> a lot has gone on in the year and a half they have been estranged so bristol is a very smart young woman and she had her antenna up for actions speak louder than words and she wanted levi to prove that he had changed, that he wasn't going to be warring with her mother anymore, that he was going to be truthful, he was going to be there for her son. he told her he was going to hollywood to watch a hunting show, and then she found out he was, in fact, planning to film this music video that is a parody of his relationship with sarah palin. >> which is not going to go over well with the family. there have already been family tensions there. would you go out on a limb and say this is probably the final straw or is there a chance this could be settled again? >> even three weeks after she was still sobbing, emotional on the phone. it really sounded like this was it. >> all right. let's move on to a happier event and that is the wedding of

chelsea clinton. it happened this last weekend. you have new details in the magazine this week including something about some lighter moments at that ceremony. >> you know, we're really proud of that package. it takes you right inside the wedding like you were there. for all the secrecy and everybody really careful to respect chelsea's privacy, people couldn't help themselves afterwards but gush about the beautiful moments, the funny moments, chelsea dropped the ring during the ceremony. she and marc did this choreographed sexy tango -- >> described as sexy and sultry, the first dance. >> it was a wedding gift, a secret wedding gift from one of their friends, man and wife gave them dance lessons with "dancing with the stars" maxim who choreographed this sexy-like tango. >> must have surprised the guests. >> surprised the parents. i'm told bill and hillary just stood there beaming and that everybody loved it. >> we understand that bill clinton, the former president, made a promise to chelsea before the wedding and kept it. >> he was going to lose some

weight. he jokes that she wanted him to look good walking down the aisle but his daughter is very concerned about his health. he went on a vegetarian, no dairy diet, took a lot of walks and dropped 20 pounds. >> and i want to also talk about a great photo of three generations you have. hillary rodham clinton with her 91-year-old mother, dorothy rodham and, of course, the bride. it really was a family affair. >> it's a breathtaking image of the three generations and, in fact, we're told 91-year-old grandma rodham was actually at most of the wedding planning meetin meetings. she took a very active hand with the bride and the mother and father. >> you know what, good for them. it's nice and i think we heard all the details now or is there more to come? >> we had more than we could fit so check people.com. >> all right. sandra, thank you very much. good to have you back. and up next, how you can be like leo in the hit movie "inception" and actually control your dreams and nightmares. plus, bravo's newest batch of

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♪ kraft singles. the american cheese. the hit movie "inception" has people talking about dreams. what if you could control the m images you see when you go to sleep? according to sleep experts you may have more say over your dreams and your nightmares than you think. >> reporter: in the box office smash "inception" a highly skilled thief invades people's dreams. >> you create the world of the dream. you bring the subject into that dream and they fill it with their subconscious. >> reporter: controlling dreams isn't just box office fantasy. 9-year-old new yorker mark sutter learned to do just that after suffering the same nightmare for a year and a half. >> someone was chasing me and trying to kill me like during my dreams. >> reporter: mark asked his parents diane and rob for help when the lack of sleep affected his schoolwork.

>> he panicked right before it was time to go to sleep. >> i was scared and sometimes i would wake up sweating, screaming. >> reporter: mark went to see dr. shelby harris who runs the behavioral sleep medicine program. she believes it's possible to n influence your dreams. eessentially it's a way of giving yourself control over the nightmares you're having. >> reporter: dr. harris uses imagery rehearsal therapy or irt. until now it's been used mostly with adults suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder a. recent study shows it also works with children. >> i teach people to take the nightmare they have and change it any way they want and then you imagine that changed dream in your head and you picture it. and i usually have patients do it twice a day, once in the morning and once right before bed. >> i made the guy chocolate and bunnies and i made us eat him. so that's how i got over it. >> reporter: not just thinking but seeing the person chasing him, seeing the person turn to chocolate and then eating the

person. that's what actually helped him. >> i haven't had had a nightmare since. >> reporter: dr. harris says there's no harm in trying the technique yourself. the nightmare could be over. >> a psychiatrist and author of the book "side-by-side." dr. sophy, thank you. when do you decide when your child needs help? >> 50%, though, will have nightmare that is do interfere with their ability to function the next day like, as you saw in the video, the ability to really -- not really be able to stay awake, not be able to function in school, your appetite changes, your concentration changes. you'll see it spilling into the next day. >> so it isn't the number of nightmares you might have but how they impact your life? >> exactly. >> i was fascinated by that little boy using imagery rehearsal therapy and it rid him

of the nightmare. have you seen similar results? >> absolutely. you take that dream. you recall it the next day and replace it with a positive ending, a more controlled ending, and that gives that child that mastery and that ability to feel like, oh, i nknw the outcome. they have less anxiety. they go to sleep and then when that comes up, it's a more positive outcome, less provoking. >> are there things parents can do during the day that will help prevent a child from having nightmares when they go to sleep? >> there's a lot that parents can do. you really want to -- think of it this way. you want to decompress your brain. take the pressure and take it down. having them talk about their day, making sure their day is structured, that they're eating well, sleeping well, if you canning well. you don't want a hypoglycemic child not eating. decompress your child. have them talk and go to sleep caulkly. >> if something is bothering they will, have them discuss it and maybe work it out before they go to bed. >> how was your day at school? i got bullied or somebody talked

to me bad. >> important to teach them good sleeping habits. >> good sleeping is positive on your child and on you as a family. you have to sleep at the right time. you should sleep for the right amount of time. a quiet time before you go to bed. decompress your household. >> you have tips for kids suffering for nightmares. keep a log when the nightmares occur. is there usually a pattern? >> you see your child having more than the average, a couple a month, have your child give you their take of the dream, write that down. look at what happened in the day, what happened before they wept to sleep. are they going through a breakup of a marriage, the loss of a parent, a traumatic event that will cause anxiety. you'll see a pattern directly related to the nightmare. >> you tell parents they need to be prepared. what do you mean by prepared? >> prepared means being able to

be within earshot of your child. be aware that your child may have these even if they've never had them. you know that they possibly could. so you want to be able to hear your child. have a monitor available. train your child care giver or nanny to be open and honest and to let them know what's going to happen and how to handle it. people get scared. we're adults but we still get scared. >> which brings us to the last tip, to provide comfort. >> support, comfort, reassurance and never tell your child what they dreamt was a bad thing. have them feel free to tell you what it is because that's also releasing that pressure. >> forget about the nightmares, if i want a dream having drinks on a beach, can i create that scenario and then make sure i have it? >> you need to be able to have a dream that has been difficult for you to work with. so maybe instead of being chased down the street you're chasing matt down the beach for a mhai thai. >> chasing matt? there are certain nightmares to

avoid. and now here's matt. we're out here on the plaza with the cast members of "the real housewives of d.c." on bravo. michaele salahi, catherine ommanney, lynda erkiletian, mary schmidt amons. is this going to be like the other real housewives where in three minutes you're at each other's throats? >> it's going to be exciting. there will be some drama. >> drama is going to be different. >> do you get along? >> for the most part even though we have some differences that are entertaining, you'll see five women with really interesting lives in the backdrop of politics and all the excitement and uniqueness in d.c. >> there must be something about washington that sort of lends itself to this show, right? >> it's the wallpaper of our social scene. >> the wallpaper, wow. >> it's the wallpaper. you see i have my talking

points. >> you'll see us talking about politics. look out. >> you all get along, because i've heard some rumors. there may be a little jealousy about some of the attention that has been paid to the salahis concerning the whole white house party crashing thing. >> jealousy feeds into it. >> you take the fifth? that's the first time you've pled the fifth. >> you talk talk at the same time. >> i know. >> how much will cover that episode that happened with the state diner? >> that's one night of many. >> is that the peak of the season? >> so many great nights you'll see. >> are you guys prepared for the fact you're going to have this spotlight on you and that can be not just a good thing but it can be a negative thing and it can affect your family.

>> our kids are right behind you. >> various children are right back there. al's question is a good one for you, mary. are you prepared for the attention? >> i don't know how you prepare yourself for this. we're all together. we're all working together. i have great kids. they're all secure and we're all excited and we've had a blast. >> what's going to be weird is having the nation react to things you did months ago during production, right? >> almost a year ago. we're going on a year. it's been a long time. >> wow. >> it's been 18 months for me. >> after the editors get ahold of this -- that's what makes you nervous because it's up to them now. anyway, we should mention that "real housewives of d.c." premieres tomorrow night on bravo. that's at 9:00, 8:00 central time. you are here with us in the fourth hour tomorrow. nice to meet you both.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. let's get off a check of the morning commute with kim dacey. >> some accidents we were seeing earlier have cleared up. we have one in dundalk at morning town road. another is that 1075 and oakton road in anne arundel county. catonsville, frederick road and a shady nook ave. city at hillen and are still, reisterstown road and proclaimed, a crashed there as well. topside of the beltway, harford road looking clear on the north side.

inner and outer loop looking good. 95 at south of the beltway in the northeast corner. you can see is a slow go from white marsh down to the under 95 harbor tunnel thruway. >> a little bit of good news. we had a steady rain out earlier this morning. most of that has dissipated. we still have a few sprinkles over the eastern shore county. nothing about baltimore. it should stay that way for the next couple of hours. but the time we get into the late morning and afternoon, we could see a few thunderstorms pop-up to take an umbrella. a mixture of sunshine and clouds. not everybody will see the rain. but the storms that do develop good crop heavy amounts. high temperatures and the low 90s. 95 is the forecast for tomorrow. thunderstorms are likely late in the day and some of those will be strong.

we're looking for to a nice weekend. >> we will have another update at 8:55.

♪ 8:30 now on this wednesday morning, august 4th, 2010. these folks are not bothered by the threatening forecast. a few rain drops are in the future. come friday it will be drops of jupiter on the plaza with a band train here for a live concert. >> i love train. great. >> just ahead, making wiser choices at your favorite fast food joint. >> david is back, the guy behind the "eat this not that" idea.

get this, he has found a burger from a fast food restaurant that has the fat equivalent of 11 cans of chili. have a nice lunch. some diet busting in a couple of minutes. >> all right. also ahead, the touching story of walter the puppy, a dog left abandoned, close to death. thanks to two families and a website and help from around the world he is now thriving. he is in our studio as i speak. see how sweet he is. >> i'm a sucker for any dog story. and then nigella lawson is here. she will show us how to make four meals from one chicken. >> be a you don't believe it's possible. >> i don't get that math. >> i'm doing that segment. i think it's basically if you have a chicken you can make these four different meals. >> oh. >> i'll check with nigella.

i don't think it's all from the same chicken. >> that's what they have here. >> a really big chicken. >> it's for a family of one half. >> i thought it was maybe this 23-pound chicken. >> i'll check that. i'll get back to you on that. can you believe it's almost back to school season? we'll talk about the gadgets to get for your kids as they get back to school. >> smoet the most wonderful time of the year ♪ >> how about the forecast? a little on the warm side. >> a little? >> not too bad. it's going to be dangerously hot through the southeast and on into the gulf coast, the southwest with feels like conditions over 100 degrees. risk of strong storms from the ohio river valley back into the plains. tomorrow a risk of strong storms from new england all the way back into the mid-ohio river valley, sunny and hot, sizzling conditions from texas all the way up into the pacific northwest. sunny and mild through the plains on into the great lakes. >> expect a mixture of sunshine

and clouds, and a chance for a shower or thunderstorm at any point. as we head of the and don't forget you can check your weather weather channel on cable or the new and improved weather.com online. i want to introduce to you jason and adam. they won the contest the ultimate summer job. and their goal was, wrong other things, to be a reporter on the "today" show. this is as close as you're going to get. read this. >> al, thank you so much. always great to see you. fast food fiascoes. some healthier alternatives.

he inherited a $1.7 billion budget deficit... then an economic crisis. but martin o'malley went to work. cutting $5 billion in waste and government spending, while also making opportunities for middle class families a priority. freezing college tuition four years in a row, record investments in our schools, and tax credits for small businesses to create jobs. while other states are still struggling, martin o'malley is making the tough choices... to move maryland forward.

this morning on "eat this, not that" avoiding a fast food fiasco. it can be a challenge to eat healthy if you're grabbing a quick meal on got or on a road trip with your kids. "eat this, not that" author david zinczenko knows how to do it. he's also the editor in chief of "men's health magazine." welcome back. good to see you. >> good to see you, matt. >> you take a popular meal from a chain restaurant, you talk about what's in it. most of the time we're talking fat and calories and sodium. then you show what the equivalent is and you give us a healthier alternative. >> right. and fast food requires fast decisions so what we're going to do is show you how "eat this, not that" can help you lose two pounds a week eating your favorite foods and not dieting if you make smart swaps. >> let's start at breakfast and we're picking on mcdonald's to

start off. the big breakfast with large biscuit, hotcakes, margarine and syrup. when they say big breakfast, you know it's going to be a lot of stuff in it. >> i don't know if it's bre breakfast or a last supper because what happens here you end up starting your day with 1,500 calories. you've got an entire day's worth of sodium, an entire day's worth of saturated fat, 21 grams, and it ends up being the calorie equivalent of these 13 chocolate chip waffles from eggo. >> you say the alternative and healthier alternative is to go with the egg mcmuffin and the hash brown. you know what, david, this does not equal this for someone who is hungry. >> but it's still 450 calories. you get a flavor boost with the egg mcmuffin from the cheese, a nice set of protein with the egg and the ham and then you have a little indulgence with the hash browns. there's 12 grams of fat in here which is what is in that one biscuit over there. >> let's move over to kfc and crispy chicken meal with macaroni and cheese.

you sit down and thinking you're doing something healthy, you're crazy. >> half a chicken with a whole lot of fat and chris pi is restaurant speak for like we did something terrible to your chicken. i mean right here this has the mac and cheese, the potato wedges, the biscuit is thrown in like a hand grenade at the end. this is 5,000 milligrams of sodium, almost three days' worth. it is the fat equivalent of these chocolate doughnuts, 29 of them. >> if you're at kfc be a want to eat there, what you should get instead is the two honey barbecue snackers with mashed potatoes and gravy. >> and you'll save 1,000 calories. >> let's move on to domino's. this is the chicken carbonara bread bowl pasta. what's the problem here? >> this is the fat sponge that ate america. this is 1,500 calories right there. it has an entire day's worth of sodium and saturated fat and it would be like having 10 1/2 serving of funions. >> they're very good.

i had them. >> i might try them. now there are 138 of them. so if you go to domino's, the much better thing is these three flakes of pizza, save 1,000 calories and you have grilled chicken on it, green peppers, grated parmesan cheese. it's delicious. >> let's move on to burger king. burger king large triple whopper with cheese value meal with fries. you might get a value. you don't value your health. >> henry the viii? this is a value meal for your cardiologist. this is 1,800 calories right there. you have a full day's worth of sodium, 2,400 milligrams of it, and it's the saturated fat equivalent of 11 cups of chili. >> oh, cups. i said cans. >> there are two serves in each can. >> healthier alternative? >> the whopper jr. you get some nice chicken fries. again, you're saving 1,000 calories. >> those look awful.

>> you do this every three days and you lose a pound. that's the two pounds a week. >> finally we are going to talk about quiznos tuna melt large with che toes. look at the sodium. >> i know. i think they call it quiznos because it's a puzzle figuring out if it's healthy. they take the pork tuna from the sea and put it into a sea of mayonnaise and cheese. you've got 1,900 calories here. >> 2,230 milligrams of sodium. >> a full day's worth. that's 1,760 calories. >> or eat an entire bag of chewy chips ahoy cookies. >> or get two road house steak sammies. >> it gives you 13 grams of protein which is great and you're saving 1,300 calories. >> and we have fun at these chains' expense. the idea is if you listen to you and do these healthier alternatives -- >> you can still eat your

favorite foods, not worry about dieting and go to all these places. people just don't realize how many calories are in the poodz. >> david zinczenko, thanks very much. up next, people from all around the world come together to save walter the puppy. a touching story.

♪ how much is that doggie in the window ♪ back at 8:43 in "today's pets" a puppy who warmed hearts across the globe. our resident animal lover jill rappaport with the very touching story. good morning. this is a great one. >> this is incredible. this is the ultimate example, meredith, of the healing power of love. this is an abandoned, abused puppy with no hope left.

his will was stronger than his injuries. it was easter sunday and little did alex darcy know that on that day an abandoned puppy named walter would change his life forever. >> a car had driven up and de s deposited him on the sidewalk and then sped away. >> reporter: threw him out of the car? >> shoveled him out and then took off. >> reporter: and he had no fur at that point. >> he was basically a scab and his feet were abnormally huge and he just looked really messed up. i didn't think there was any chance of him making it. >> reporter: the prognosis for walter was grim. he had suffered severe animal cruelty when he was tossed out of a car and virtually left to die. you were going to try to save this dorg at any cost, correct? >> we were going to put ourselves heavily in debt. >> reporter: with the medical bills climbing, alex reached out to friends for assistance. together they started a little blog called help save walter. >> once we made a facebook page, once we started this blog, his health kind of -- his spirit, i should say, turned around kind of overnight.

>> still bewilders me how this all kind of became what it has, but it's wonderful. >> reporter: not only was little walter now on the road to recovery but the outpouring of love and support for this puppy was emotionally and financially overwhelming. this little blog literally exploded around the world. thousands of people opening up their hearts, opening up their wallets, thousands of dollars all of a sudden poured in to save walter. >> yeah, yeah. it's the warm feeling from people. receiving e-mails from new zealand and australia and italy and, you know, people were sending pictures of their dogs and sharing stories about rescues they have been a part of. >> reporter: walter has left such an indelible mark on so many people. >> we are so touched by how the world has reached out. i mean, i feel like he could really be an ambassador for the breed. >> reporter: for pit bulls. it's a pit bull. here in brooklyn, the staff that saved walter couldn't be happier

about his recovery. >> you're a good boy. >> reporter: not only has walter doubled in weight -- >> 36 pounds. >> reporter: but his coat has been restored. >> he's a miracle. he was at death's door and he's back and wagging his tail. >> it's amazing to think anything bad ever happened to him, that anybody was ever cruel to him because all he gives is love. he's not afraid of anybody. he's not -- he doesn't shy away from anybody. >> right on cue. >> reporter: that was perfect. he doesn't shy away. here he is. >> i think he understands what he went through. i think he expresses his gratitude all the time. >> and walter is here along with his co-owners. good morning to you both. >> good morning. >> i can't believe that is the same dog from three months ago. >> amazing. >> it's an amazing story. is he back to 100% at this point, alex? >> i mean, yeah, he's completely healed.

he was just cleared of all his last skin scrapeings. he has no signs. it's all moving forward now. >> you co-own him for financial reasons and time constraints, right? >> we both love him. >> love him so much. >> we really went through something with him as friends and just xwref yeah. >> thousands of people love him. when you put out that blog, i don't think you expected the response you got. >> no, not at all. >> realistically we were hoping to reach out to close friends and family that lived out of town and just kind of get a little bit of help, let people know his story and it was overwhelm overnight. >> people all over the world are still inquiring. they want updates constantly. >> updates, new photos, new videos. >> quite a celebrity. >> what does that say to you, do you think? >> there's a lot of people out there that are animal lovers and there's a lot of cruelty towards animals and i think this story has kind of reached so many people that i think hope play

it'll just help. >> and i know you're going to use some of the extra money to donate. >> we raised quite a bit of money. it was kind of overwhelming. we've put aside money to give to the aspca. we're also starting a nonprofit at the hospital that he was treated at in walter's name to help other animals that are abused and neglected. >> that is fantastic. thanks for the story. walter, we love you. named after walter matthau because he bore a striking resemblance. >> all the wrinkles. >> trying to decide what to make for dinner, walt letter have a bone. some light summer meals that are sure to please.

>> announcer: today's kitchen is brought to you by kraft singles, the american cheese. and this morning on "today's kitchen" we're going back to basics. nigella lawson has brought along simple summer salad. her new book is nigella fresh, a collection of recipes. nice to have you back, domestic goddess. this is about no fuss, right? >> still, you want to have fun with flavors.

>> fun with flavor. and most people at some time in the week they have a little left over chicken in the refrigerator. >> i hate waste. i adore chicken and ways to cook it. i think sometimes it's nice to add a little -- >> how do you spell that? >> too many consonants and not enough vowels. >> there's an english recipe, the queen's silver jubilee. it had mango chutney and apricot reserves, a heavy recipe. this is my more modern take because now we can get fresh mangos. >> white or dark meat, does it matter? >> it never matters. what's in your fridge. that's the way i cook. what's in my fridge. >> take a little mango, add it to that. >> some lime juice. >> that varies the taste, right? some people like more, other people a little less. >> i think the reality is --

also mango and limes sometimes have very little juice. >> a little parsley in there. or is that cilantro? >> just because i'm keeping in that pallet. chopped red chillies very much to taste and a few scallions. >> i was going to use the little spoons but you've done that already. your own home doing leftovers here. >> you can add some shredded lettuce to it or a little cup. >> updated jubilee chicken. next we're going to do an update on chick ep caesar but you don't use anchovies or croutons. >> i don't. i don't mind it if others do. i was in a food court in l.a. and on the menu something called caesar cleopatra i thought was

witty. >> you stole it. >> i always credit it. the white flesh is cleopatra on the caesar so here we are. we have some -- >> got it. we have a collection of hmm over across the room. what's this, egg? >> it's a raw egg. olive oil, lemon juice, worcestershire sauce. >> and you could crush up an anchovy. >> i do. >> a what? >> some parmesan. >> okay. use your fingers again. now we've also got a little bit of jubilee chicken in there as well which is good. >> i wiped. >> you wiped, okay. now you have the chicken on that. we have two more to get to. that's how nice that looks right up here. >> if you provided me with some roller skates i could have been really fast. >> i'm sorry.

next we have chicken salad with spinach and bacon. you can use pancetta? >> you can but most of us have bacon in the fridge. you can use anything you want. this is the way i like it. spinach or any salad leaf you like, some shredded chicken and then i don't make it by using the oil, oil in the pan before i cook my bacon and then i make a dressing by putting vinegar into the bacon fat. >> and swish that around. >> how can that be a bad thing? swish it around. >> i have the feeling we're going to see the hands again, right? >> well. >> it's hot. be careful with that. >> happened tossed. i leave that there. >> finished product. >> would you like more bacon dressing? drink it? >> wouldn't that be nice? >> chicken, almonds and parsley. just three simple recipes and look how elegant. >> this was inspired by a hunger fueled rage in your own kitchen,

right? >> i had an open pact of almonds, looking at the counter, a bit of parsley, you know what? actually parsley -- >> anytime that happens, you duck. >> that's a hunger fueled rage. >> that really is someone wants that bacon juice. >> what did you put on it for a dressing? >> lemon juice and olive oil and salt. i don't like the stuff that looks like you could be cleaning up the bathroom with it. >> what do you do this? >> bung it in. >> domestic goddess nigella lawson.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. baltimore city police responded to a shooting on the fourth floor of a hilton hotel. it happened around 7:00 last night as fans endured camden yards just across the street. investigators say that a woman shot her male companion after a dispute could the man was taken to shock trauma with non-lifers and injuries. no other guests at the hotel were injured. not that long ago, many families were priced out of an overheated housing market. but the times have changed. get the facts at remax.com. it's a great place to see all the listings in thousands of cities and towns. with lots of houses to chose from

and down-to-earth prices the dream of owning a home seems more attainable than ever. find out what an experienced re/max agent can do for you. nobody sells more real estate than re/max. visit remax.com today. >> now let's take a look at the forecast with tony pann. >> it is going to be a warm and humid day to day. a few with thunderstorms will pop up later this morning and

into the afternoon. it will not be steady rain, but good idea to take an umbrella. a mixture of clouds and sunshine, with high temperatures and below -- high temperatures in the low 90s. thunderstorms are likely today at -- late in the day on thursday. less humid on friday. saturday and sunday look very nice. overnight low temperatures in the 60's. it could get bobby over the next few days. >> we will have another updat