good morning. obama-clinton in 2012 in advisors to secretary of state hillary clinton say it's on the table. what would that mean for vice president joe biden? this morning we'll talk to the chairman of the dnc about that and the upcoming midterm elections. destroyed by evil, the lone survivor of a home invasion speaks out about the murder of his wife and two daughters.

and her side of the story, mel gibson's ex-girlfriend speaks out for the first time about their volatile relationship and bitter custody battle "today," wednesday relationship and bitter custody battle "today," wednesday october 6, 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 viera. it didn't happen in 2008, but is an obama-clinton pairing being considered for 2012? >> according to bob woodward, it would mean vice president joe biden and hillary clinton basically swapping positions. why would that benefit president obama? we'll have the details straight

ahead. and she survived and her was murdered. now a witness had come forward. we're going to have the latest on the case. if you had a piece of gold that was worth about $450, how much do you think you would get from one of those popular money for gold companies. you would not believe the range of offers we received. one offer, less than $39. we'll get more on that coming up. but first let's get a check of the morning headlines. secret talks are underway amid karzai and the taliban. another attack aimed at a nato convoy taking supplies to afghanistan. gunmen set fire to at least 25 tankers loaded with fuel and killed a driver. it was the sixth attack in less than a week.

today the court hears arguments in a key first amendment case. at issue, whether it's protected speech when protesters show up at the funerals of returning veterans. at least four people were killed when a sludge reservoir gave way in an industrial plant southwest of budapest pouring into three villages. several people are miss tlchlgt. overseas markets are -- cnbc's melissa frances is the a stock exchange for us. >> looks like a big day for the market. markets are rallying, gold hitting another record high, oil higher as well. although the dollar is at an eight-month low against the

euro. we're also watching a key jobs report today. and some wild weather in the west. parts of arizona saw hail the size of golf balls on tuesday. one homeowner shot this video you see there as the hail fell into his backyard pool. and it was an early october snowstorm in parts of nevada forcing driving to be extra careful there. back over to matt, meredith and al. pretty soon that will be us.

>> things are fairly quiet today around baltimore. there are a few scattered rain showers. 30% or 40% chance for a little bit of rain. bit of rain.

>> let's go to the videotape, slow motion iso. i screw up and -- >> it could have been ugly. anyway, al, thank you very much. let's turn to politics now, as president obama considers a different running mate for 2012. a veteran journalist says an obama-clinton ticket is being considered. what are you hearing? >> reporter: obviously bob woodward last night in an interview on cnn said according to some clinton advisors the idea of hillary clinton joining president obama on the ticket in 2 2012 is on the table. this morning i spoke to david axelrod. he said the report is absolute fiction, he goes on to say how loyal president obama is to vice president biden. the idea that anybody would be

on the ticket other than joe biden again is fiction. that said, i can tell you that sources have told me that if there is a new job for hillary clinton in the next year, matt, it's most likely to be secretary of defense. remember robert gates is likely to leave before the end of 2011. that would be a more likely move. but the november midterms are now less than four weeks away and you can see the anger and frustration in the voters being channeled into tv ads 30 seconds at a time. it's october, and that means one thing in a political year. >> i'm not a witch. >> reporter: lots and lots of tv ads. >> barack obama is the worst president in history. >> reporter: with the midterm elections just under four weeks away, republican candidates have settled on a target. >> it would already have been done if i had robin carnahan there.

>> that was a simple fund-raiser. >> reporter: and now it's a biting punch line in the missouri senate race for republican roy blunt. >> the disastrous stimulus bill, government run health care, robert carnahan supporting them on. >> reporter: wisconsin republican ron johnson takes on incumbent democrat russ feingold. kentucky republican rand paul went after the democrat jack conway. >> the republicans are nationalizing this election and that's easier to do in a midterm when the president's unpopular. >> reporter: without a national politician to run against, democrats are trying to localize issues targeting hot button

issues. >> mr. johnson would put insurance companies back in control. >> reporter: and in washington, democrat patty murray hopes the public's frustration with wall street will hurt republican dino ross si. >> dino rossi out for himself. >> by the way last night, president obama a little funny moment at an event. he was speaking at his podium. the presidential sale, off camera, it falls off, makes a loud noise, the president joked about it, take a listen. >> we cannot sustain. oops. was that my -- oh, goodness. that's all right. all of you know who i am. >> reporter: well, look, those

poor advanced people that hang those things, they carry it around, that seal is in its own briefcase, matt, sometimes those things happen. >> chuck, thank you very much. former virginia governor tim kaine is the chairman of the democratic national committee. governor kaine, nice to see you as always. bob woodward said there is consideration on the table that we might see obama-clinton in 2012. have you heard talk about it? >> other than seeing speculation about it in the press, i have been to the white house and talk to people all the time and i haven't heard anything about it. >> do you think that might be a good idea? >> my job is pretty focused on november too. i don't even know, is there going to be a november 3? i'm really focussed on the next four weeks. i think it's kind of like is randy moss going to get traded

from the patriots to the vikings, it's speculation, but i don't think there's anything to it. >> let's talk about voter turnout. obviously it's key to you folks in the november midterm elections. the president has said that it would be irresponsible for democratic voters to stay home in the midterm elections, yet in the latest polling, even with a high turnout, republicans hold a 13% lead and even if it's low, that lead swells to 18%. how do democrats chip away at those numbers in the next four weeks? >> we have got a lot of work to do, but the good news is this, since labor day to october 1, the po democrats have done a little bit better. the enthusiasm gap over the summer has narrowed. we're seeing our hand improving both because our candidates are out there doing good work and the republicans are nominating

folks that i think paint a real stark choice between the two parties. >> let's talk about some themes. newt gingrich, the former speaker of the house wrote a mem me to some republican candidates saying they should make democrats the party of food stamps and the republicans the party of paychecks. if republican candidates use that idea out on the campaign trail, how do you suggest that democrats counter it? >> i think the american public will laugh if republicans try to be the party of paychecks. they put the economy into a tank, into a lost decade where americans lost money under republican leadership. they don't have a credible claim about being the paycheck party. the democrats who have turned the economy from shrinking to growing again for the first time in years will be able to trump them on that. >> there is some talk the president has talked tough as of late saying it's time for democrats to buck up, the vice president said it's time for democrats to stop whining. polling though shows governor kaine that some democrats have

some real differences of opinion with the white house over issues like the economy and health care reform. so when they use talk like that, are you afraid at all that it might backfire? >> there are differences, matt, one of the great things about the democratic party is that we're a very diverse party regionally, demographically, but that also means -- it's a good aspect of our party, it's also occasionally maddening. i think the president and vice president's language here is kind of like the coach giving you the tough love talk before you start the game. i have been traveling around heavily the last couple of weeks as the president and the vice president have been say thachlgt i don't see the president bummed out or mad that those things are being said. we're seeing the enthusiasm gap being closed because our democratic voters are realizing the stark choice to be made between the party that's doing the heavy lifting and the party

that's saying no. >> there's been some talk that robert gibbs is eyeing your job and that you may actually move inside the west wing. what do you want to tell me about that? >> that was also news to me when i read it saturday. i'm just out doing campaign events. i guess it must be on a need to know basis. 7:13, here's meredith. the seoul suole survivor in brutal home invasion in connecticut -- jeff rossen as covered the trial from the start and he has details for us. >> reporter: good morning to you. the jury didn't take very long here, less than five hours over the course of two days to reach a verdict and they really threw the back at him. not only did they find steven hayes dpiguilty of murder, they

found him guilty of capital murder. >> my family is still gone, it doesn't bring them back. it doesn't bring back the home that we had. >> dr. william petit had waited in pain for three years for this moment. tuesday the jury found this man, stephen hayes guilty of torturing and killing petit's family, his wife jennifer, and their girls michaela and hayley. >> what happened when they were reading the verdict, guilty, guilty, guilty. >> just relief, trying to maintain my kmoez your. >> prosecutors showed the jury some disturbing images about how the defendants tied pet -- and

video of jennifer petit's time act, trying to pay the suspects off at a local bank. and then prosecutors say hayes and his accomplice burned the house down killing this mother and her children still inside. yet william petit came to court every day to face the man who did it. >> if your family was destroyed by evil, i think that you would all try to do the same thing and be there for your family. >> reporter: the jury found stephen hayes guilty of 16 crimes including murder, kidnapping and sexual assault. hayes is now facing a possible execution by lethal injection. >> over the last couple of weeks, i just kept trying to tell myself that good will overcome evil. >> for william petit this is and has always been about the loves of his live. >> i miss them every day and i think i just try to focus on

them and the goodness that they had to try to get through each day. >> reporter: he has been through so much. later this month, the same jury that decided guilt or innocence in this case will be back in this courthouse to start the penalty phase and they will decide once and for all whether stephen hayes should be put to death. then a new trial for joshua comb sar jeff sky. >> yes the state may have proven that stephen hayes poured gasoline all over the house and all over the victims, but that doesn't mean he started the fire. so that's the one count he did get away with. >> as jeff just pointed out t jury did find stephen hayes guilty of 16 of the 17 counts against him and they did so after deliberating for just five hours. from an outsider's point of

view, it always seemed that there was evidence against this man, but from a lawyer's perspective, what do you make of the length of the deliberations. >> i think it's a comparatively quick deliberations. in high profile cases particularly when you've got 17 charges, we tend to see jurors really want to take their time. why? because they know the world is watching, they want to make sure they're really, really careful. but the problem in this case or the difference in this case was that the evidence was absolutely overwhelming and so they didn't have to take the sort of- >> the defendant had even admitted to some of this. >> yeah. so they didn't even have to take the sort of time that they often take in a case like this, even when there's 17 charges. and you can see from the comment that jeff was making about the arson charge that they very carefully looked at this count by count, they didn't just say that he's guilty, they went count by count, charge by charge, they defined what the

charge meant. what would be the necessary things. >> the judge's remarks about the arson, they were saying if you can't prove that hayes literally struck the match that caused the fire you can't convict him of arson? >> how do you define starting a fire? does this necessarily make sense in a legal sense? not necessarily. but jurors verdicts don't necessarily have to be consistent. and if these jurors believed that the legal definition wasn't met, in the end it's not particularly significant in terms of the sort of sentences. >> how can you find him not guilty of arson but find him guilty of murdering the petit daughters when they were killed by the fire. >> they can't talk now because they're effectively still in the middle of the trial. but they may have focused specifically on the intent to start the fire, meaning to light it, as opposed to the idea of

laying down the gasoline. so we don't know for certain, but that's my guess. >> dr. petit has said that he would like to see both of these defendants face the death penalty. given the speed at which the juror reached its decision, will that have any impact on this next phase, the personality face? >> i don't think the speed tell us us a whole lot. the guilt face was easy. now in the penalty phase, the defense is going to try something different. they're going to try to get these jurors to believe that this guy has been a troubled guy, this guy was not the guy who was leading. >> so he was manipulated by the other guy. >> exactly. so even if you think he's guilty, even if you think he should get a very severe punishment, it doesn't mean that he should get the death penalty in this case. and they're going to talk about what he was like and all the

troubles that he endured. think the guilty phase was basically an effort to safe his life. it is 7:20 and once again here's matt. this morning we have learned that the federal trade commission is taking action against a company that it says built a -- lore people's tax debt. kevin tibbles is in chicago with this. >> reporter: this morning the ftc is calling it an elaborate fraud that preyed on those desperate to get out from under a mountain of tax debt. >> if you owe over $15,000 in taxes -- >>er you've probably heard the pitch. >> this is your one second chance. use it well. >> reporter: ads promising to help people climb out from under tax debt. >> american tax relief got them to accept a fraction of what we owed. >> reporter: tim fullerton was

desperate when he heard the ad. >> we can reduce your tax debt by up to 90%. >> reporter: and you said? >> it sounds like a plan. >> reporter: turns out fullerton wasn't the only one. some 15,000 people paid american tax relief fees totaling as much as $100 million. the problem is they didn't deliver. >> because of the downturn in the economy, scam artists are trying to take the last dollar out of people's pocket. >> reporter: today the federal trade commission has shut american tax relief down accusing it of bilking consumers. >> preying on the most vulnerable, people who are deeply in debt to the irs. >> it's a god thing, i just want to fix it. >> reporter: he said american tax relief $2750 but nothing happened, then he fessed up to darlene who just happened to be an accountant. >> the ftc claims american tax

relief took the cash but never even approached the irs. they lived in a beverly hills passion and drover luxury cars. >> i was very, very an by with american tax relief. >> reporter: the fullertons have gotten half their money back after protesting. >> it comes down to the old phrase if something sounds too good to be true. >> it is too good to be true. >> lawyers for american tax relief did not return phone calls from nbc news. meanwhile the morning, the ftc is saying if you owe money to the irs, then consult the irs or hire a certified tax professional. >> kevin tibbles in chicago for us this morning. coming up on a wednesday morning, a witness comes forward coming up on a wednesday morning, a witness comes forward with an alleged attack on a

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coming up mel gibson's exwoo opens up about their relationship. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. time to get check on the morning commute with sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> kind of a busy ride all of a sudden. in monkton and jarrettsville pike and manor road, watch for accident and delays because of that. heavy delays on westbound security at rolling road. all lanes are closed due to a

police-involved accident. 14 miles per hour on the outer loop west side. earlier accident and wilkens. we will check on that in a moment. southbound 795, backed up at owings mills. two accidents at 108. this one involves a motorcycle. if you are going to travel on the northeast side, heavy delays on the northeast outer loop and southbound 95. 12 miles per hour on average. wilkens avenue, there is the accident on the outer loop. it is off to the side. we will switch to a live view of traffic in the white marsh area. tapping the breaks to the 895 split. >> good morning, everyone. we have the scattered light rain showers out there. nothing of any significance. a 30% or 40% chance of this light rain at your house.

most of it is in southern pennsylvania. we expect additional showers later on this morning. mostly cloudy, maybe a peek at the sun. a chance for a few rainshowers. unseasonably cool again, with high temperatures in the upper 50s to around 60. we will take up to 72 mar bid 75 on friday. >> be sure to check the bottom of your screen for updated news and traffic information. we are back at 7:55.

7:30 now on this wednesday morning, october 6, 2010. and we're looking at a sea of smiling faces on rockefeller plaza. and coming up, where are your tax dollars going? >> many cities and towns are struggling to pay for their public works and teachers, some government workers are being paid hundreds of thousands of dollars every year. coming up, we'll tell you where the biggest offenders are. and a revealing interview

with mel gibson's ex. she's opening up about the threats that the actor made against her. what she's now saying coming up. and a warning before you consider selling some of your unwanted gold jewelry to make a little extra cash. wait until you hear just how little some companies are actually giving you for that gold. just ahead the results of our "today" investigation. but we begin with new details of an alleged attack of an american couple by mexican pirates on a texas border lake. authorities say a witness has now come forward. janet shanlian is outside of the mexican consulate with the very latest. >> reporter: just a devastating time for this young woman as she's trying to get some answers, trying to get her husband's body returned to the united states. mexican authorities are now casting doubt on her account of what happened that day out there on the lake. the story of mexican pirates

shooting at tiffany and david hartley as they jet skied on a border lake in south texas has now become an international incident. seeking answers in the return of her husband's body, tiffany had a three-hour meeting yesterday at the mexican consulate. >> it seems like you have to file a missing person's report at the federal level. now it's official. >> reporter: u.s. authorities said they couldn't scorch for david's body because it happened on mexico's side of the lake and they had no evidence officials in mexico were looking. on "today," tiffany told meredith there was little assistance across the border. >> they're not doing what they need to do to get in that water and find them. they're not getting in the water. they don't have people on the ground. they don't have people looking for him. and that's why we're pleading that, please. bring him back.

>> reporter: meanwhile officials in mexico questioned tiffany's storytelling a texas newspaper, we are not certain that the incident happened the way they are telling us. but on the u.s. side, the sheriff overseeing the case says a credible witness corroborates tiffany's account of what happened. >> i have confidence that she's saying the truth. at the present moment based on what we v there's nothing really to doubt her story at this time. >> reporter: meanwhile with his motorcycle up on stage, a memorial for david hartley in mcallen last night. a celebration of a life well lived. >> he liked the finer things in life and was always up for an adventure. >> reporter: but for those left behind, no closure. >> until we meet again, my friend. >> reporter: until they can bring david home. tiffany was at that very touching memorial last night. but today she resumes her fight

to get mexican authorities to look for her husband to bring closure and to finally bring her husband home. >> we're going to talk to the county sheriff in a moment. but first tiffany hartley is with us again this morning along with her mother cynthia young, good morning to all of you. >> good morning. >> tiffany, if i could start with you, you spent part of yesterday at the mexican consulate, can you tell us about efforts to find your husband's body? >> they basically told us that we had to have this storm filled out basically a statement and as soon as they had that, they would take it off and send it off to mexico city authorities and they would also take it over to reyanosa and get the ball rolling. >> do you feel your concerns were being met by them in a timely fashion? >> i do -- i think they're going to start doing what needs to be done.

i have got hopes. we felt good when we left. >> tiffany, mexican authorities and even some americans have questioned your story, you're aware of that. partly because there is no evidence at this point of a crime, no body has been found. so i have to ask you, just pointblank, did you have anything to do with the disappearance and/or the death of your husband, david. >> no. not at all. i loved him very much. and i went back for him to help him and i did what i could. >> why do you believe that authorities have cast doubts on your story? >> because we do have no evidence. we were in mexico and u.s. authorities can't go over there. and i have no proof, i have no cameras, i have nothing. i don't have the photos that we were taking. i don't have anything except for my word.

>> yesterday you told me, tiffany, that you stated one of the boats came up to me, this is your quote and had a gun pointed at me trying to decide what to do with me and then they left. how close did these people come to you? can you describe them to me? >> honestly, looking at the barrel of the gun is all i saw. i was pretty focussed there. i couldn't tell you what they looked like. but they were within the length of my jet ski of me, which is about ten feet. >> why do you think, tiffany, why do you think they would spare your life if in fact they had killed your husband, why would they want anyone around that could possibly id them? >> i have no idea. all i can do is give god the glory. that's all i can do, that he had touched them to leave me and go and figure out with the other two boats what can happen so i had that time to get away.

with god's grace, i wouldn't be alive. >> cynthia, you're tiffany's mom, when you hear her talking about what she describes as a frightening loss of her husband, what goes through your mind as a mom? >> i get really angry as a mom because they didn't walk in her shoes that day and i can understand where they think that didn't happen, that she fabricateded it because how many women would have the strength to turn around and try and help her husband instead of just running and saying hope it works, you know? but her instinct at that point was save david so she instantly turned around, putting herself in danger to get her husband and help him. that's how much in love they were. >> sheriff, if i can bring you

in now, let me turn you to you, when you first got word of things dent on t things -- this incident, what went through your zblind what went through my mind is what we have been telling people since april about the pirates on falcon lake, one thing i dread the most is having a fisherman go to the lake and go to mexico and challenge some of these thugs and these weapons that they have who barely know how to use them, getting shot in the head and i'm going to have a body in the water that i'm not going to be able to retrieve. the one thing that i dreaded the most came true. when this call came in, at first i thought it was the ever present violence in mexico that we were seeing in this area, that violence had crossed over again into our county. >> do you have any doubts about tiffany's story? any unanswered questions that you would like to have her respond to? >> there's no doubt in my mind

that tiffany's saying the truth. tiffany, when we saw her, she came over here, she was distraught, there was one witness, an independent witness who has never even mitt tiffany before, who actually even saw this boat chase her into the united states and as soon as she arrived with him to seek assistance, this boat made a u turn and headed back towards mexico and the information that tiffany provided, there was four or five people in the boat, same information the witness provided. so there's no doubt in my mind that tiffany's saying the truth. >> do you believe the mexican authorities are doing all they can to try to find david or do you think they're hindering the investigation? >> well, it's a custom to some extent to hinder the information, but late last night we spoke to an official with the state police in mexico and he assured me that they had been

out there on friday and on saturday. the good news is that he assured today that starting at 10:00 this morning they would have several boats, helicopters looking in that area all over again. and they're not going to stop until they find something or until all efforts have been exhausted. so they plan to be there all y today, which is something we were hoping for, my colleague in laredo who made some phone calls, the governor of texas called me last night. he made some phone calls also last night. as did staff members from other congressmen seeking some type of assistance. it's my understanding that the very high ranking official from the attorney general's office in mexico would also be flying down to the area by noon "todatoday, things are moving. >> and sheriff very quickly and finally, if you had your

rathers, would you prefer that folks in your office could join in this search with the mexican authorities instead of being left out of it? >> it's not that we're being left out, we have been invited to participate, just last night to actually go to mexico and participate. we have chosen to remain here simply because it's dangerous, it's not that we don't want to go there, we can protect ourselves, we can get our assets to go to mexico, but if we get in a gun battle it would be an international incident that would definitely have some repercussions. >> thank you so much. >> thank you. now let's get a check of the weather from al. >> "today's" weather is brought to you by the 2010 buick lacrosse, the new class of world class. >> we do have a new tropical depression, number 17, if it

came a storm, it would be otto. 35-mile-per-hour winds, moving northwest at 8. we don't expect it to affect the u.s., and you can see much of the country in the ea >> we are going to see another chance for a little bit of rain. it will be off and on. a 30% or 40% chance. otherwise, a mixture of cloud >> and that's your latest weather. up next, do you really get top dollar from companies who want to buy your old gold?

"today" the results of our investigation. ♪ ♪ i was young and i was stupid ♪ i had just turned 17

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this morning on "today" investigates, gold prices have reached new highs but will you get your money's worth if you sell your unwanted gold? >> this time, it's seller beware, it's tempts we buy gold and the offers are popping up all over the place, so we wondered if we could get the same amount for the same gold from different outfits.

we sent the gold to different outfits and the range was shocking. >> reporter: the ads are everywhere. >> cold hard cash. >> reporter: and the offers are so appealing. promising lots of cash for your unwanted jewelry. it's no surprise that selling your gold is very tempting. it was for patricia count. >> i needed some extra cash. >> reporter: but now she's infuriated. >> i can't believe that i fell for this scam is what i considered it to be. >> reporter: the saga began when patricia saw an ad on tv and packed up the gold jewelry she never wore. >> i came one two necklaces, a pair of ear inging and gold charms. >> i got it back in the mail it was for 26 and change dplrz. b. >> >> reporter: in reality, she had no clue of the gold's real value? did she get low balled or was it

a fair price? >> most people do not know what their gold is worth. >> we wondered what would happen if we took the same gold and carets and sent it off. the as a results and the vast disparity are -- using a high-tech device to measure just over 21 grams of 14 carat gold. >> the gold that we lent you is about $450. >> we sent in ten companies mailing in our gold gold and waiting to see what offers came back in the mail. since the gold market fluctuates every day, we based our analysis on the day the offer was dated. our best offer was from sell your gold.com, 393.36. if you consider the gold markets value, that's about 9%. we got approximately 87% from gold shop.com. but from there, the offers began

to fall. 81%. 55%, 54%, 52%, 33%, then they plummeted, 18% or $76.89 from the well known cash for gold company and 13% from broken gold come, a company that claims to pay top dollar and 10% more than the competition. but the bottom of the barrel, the very lowest came from hard gold cash come. with claims on their website, we are about giving you the best price for your gold. their offer $38.25. that's a measly 8%. we repeatedly contacted the montana-based companies phone number listed on their website and got a fax machine. are there places out here that are really taking advantage of the consumer? >> there's no question. >>. >> reporter: many consumers are

angry and the gripes have spiked. >> in the past year complaints to the better business bureau about gold buying companies have tripled. >> reporter: new york congressman anthony wiener is taking on the operators working on tough new legislation. >> do you believe people are underpaid for what they have? >> i think that too many of these operators function in this area that we just don't have enough information to be smart consumers, so i think we need to have extra protection. >> reporter: while many people are pleased with the extra cash they get by selling gold, experts say you should figure out the rough value before you try to sell. >> i always recommend, the first place you should go is a local jeweler that you know. if you don't know any local jewelers, you should go to several in your area. >> reporter: so we gave that a shot too. with a hidden camera, shopping our gold around in person to several local buyers. the amounts we were offered exceeded most of the mail in offers. >> $310.

>> $250. >> $300 for that. >> so in our case, shopping around locally made sense. as for patricd trishia, she kno the mistakes she made. >> shop around and see how much the gold is worth before you send it in. >> and if you're not happy with the offer, companies like cash for gold say they will return your items free of charge. you just have to be sure to decline the payment within the designated time. we are back right after this. [ female announcer ] introducing splenda®

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justify just ahead, do parents treat their overweight children differently?

words alone aren't enough. our job is to listen and find ways to help workers who lost their jobs to the spill. i'm iris cross. we'll keep restoring the jobs, tourist beaches, and businesses impacted by the spill. we've paid over $400 million in claims and set up a $20 billion independently-run claims fund. i was born in new orleans. my family still lives here. i'm gonna be here until we make this right. ( associate) is it true you personally tested every product in the martha stewart pets collection? ( martha ) i did. want to try them out? ( excited ) okay! it's so ush. with a waterproof liner. lid for storage. nice. hmm... nice. soft... (martha) ... and stylish. this isterrific evening look! ( announcer ) introducing martha stewart pets - exclusively at psmart. created... and tested, by martha, herself.

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on facebook.com/toyota. >> 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. >> a lot going on on the roads. jarrettsville pike and manor road, accident clearing in moncton. a crash, in southbound 83 approaching the beltway. harrisburg expressway, watch for delays. westbound security boulevard and rowling road, all lanes remain blocked due to an accident. on the west side, you look at typical delays towards

edmondson. eastbound i-1/7, marriottsville 29, and 795, owings mills towards the beltway. motorcycle involved in crashed here. if you are going to travel in the white marsh area, 10 mi. the hour on average. on the inner loop, a little bit slow towards i-95. 26 minutes on the outer loop northeast side. 18 minutes on the outer loop west side. a quick live look outside shows you we have an accident clearing on the outer loop at wilkens. all lanes are open. white marsh, it is barely moving towards the split. tony has a check on the forecast. >> most of the rain we had this morning is moved up to the southern part of pennsylvania. we expect more showers to develop here as we head into the morning and afternoon. it will be scattered in nature.

it is off and on. 30% or 40% chance of showers. high temperatures in the upper 50s to around 60. much better as we head into the weekend. sunshine and temperatures in the 70's. 70's. two governors, two different approaches. even in good times bob ehrlich didn't make education a priority. he increased college tuition by 40%, cut school construction by $200 million, and ehrlich voted to eliminate the department of education while serving in congress. but in the toughest of times, martin o'malley has made record investments

in public schools, new school construction, and o'malley froze college tuition four years in a row. with martin o'malley, our children always come first.

we're back now, 8:00 on a wednesday morning. it's also the sixth day of october, 2010. it's been kind of a dreary week here in new york so far, but you know what? roker, good to prison promise, he told us it would get nicer at the end of the week, and it is actually a beautiful morning here in new york, moderate temperatures and bright blue skies. out on the plaza, i'm matt lauer, along with meredith viera. >> this lady just told us i

looked great -- >> we are on the air. and coming up, mel gibson's ex speaks ow. >> it's the first time she's opened up about what happened on that night that she claims gibson allegedly hit her. why she recorded their heated phone conversations. we're going to get her side of the conversation next. also there's an interesting story out there that says that perhaps parents treat their overweight children differently than they treat their children who are not overweight. do they discriminate? do they treat them unfairly? >> that describes why i didn't have a bed. >> that's wrong. that's just wrong. >> plus another stressful topic for families, getting into college, it's a tough one, what are the most important activities for your teen to have on his or her transcript. a campus recruiter gives you an

insider's guide to the entire process. >> let's go inside, ann continues on assignment. natalee is at the news desk. hamid karzai is condemning a string of suspected taliban bombings this week even as "the washington post" reports that his government and the taliban are holding high level peace talks. and this morning fuel tankers have -- it was the sixth convoy attack in less than a week. british officials say a missile was fired at one of their embassy vehicles in yemen today killing one staff member and several others. the man who -- tuesday's conviction of the first defendant. dr. william petit says he hopes

the jury that found hayes guilty of rape and murder will use that same clarity of thought when deciding whether he should be executed. a second defendant facing trial next year. the sludge from a metal refining plant in hungary surged through several small towns on sunday after a waste reservoir burst open. at least four were killed and 120 injured. this morning american richard hack and japanese researchers won the nobel prize in chemistry for their work in the development of plastics and new medicines. breast cancer awareness month -- the 130-foot monument was bathed in pink light last night to draw attention to the breast cancer fight. that's a beautiful look there. and now here's brian williams with a look at what's coming up on nbc "nightly news."

>> coming up tonight on nightly news, our popular making a difference series returns with young americans serving as peace corps volunteers in a rough place, war torn sierra leon. it's 8:04 right now and time for the weather and al. >> "today's" weather is brought to you by the american cancer society, the official sponsor of birthdays. >> and good morning, we have got people with things on their head here. first of all, a lady from ocrocoke, is the crabby old ladies. and then we have also got some friends here from ohio. if it had been a state with a longer name, we would have more people here. let's check your weather. fargo, north dakota, kvly, nbc

11, mostly sunny, mild "today" and as we check out your forecast, we have got that upper level low in the northeast still spinning around, bringing a lot of rain and wind to new england, also that system out west, that's causing a lot of rain back through the southwest. beautiful in the pacific northwest. from the great lakes all the way down to the gulf coast, got plenty of sunshine and mild conditions. and we have got some cold spins here. >> again today we are going to see a chance for a few rainshowers. it will not be steady rain, but a 30% or 40% chance of aubrey french hour.

>> and that's your latest weather. coming up next, mel gibson's ex-girlfriend opens up to "people" magazine about their volatile relationship. [ female announcer ] sometimes you need tomorrow to finish what you started today. for the aches and sleeplessness in between, there's motrin pm.

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back at 8::10 with mel gibson's ex-girlfriend speaking out about their custody dispute and their infamous phone conversations. she shared her side of the story with "people" magazine. >> reporter: under the heading i was scared for my life, mel gibson's ex-girlfriend tells "people" magazine for the first

time what happened last january when she says gibson was grothing at the mouth and talking to himself just before he became violent. >> she claims that mel gibson terrorized her one night, not only hitting her but threatening her with a gun and even choking her. >> reporter: why the change? oksana claims that gibson is depressed. he would have killed himself many times if he wasn't catholic, she says, he's afraid of hell. gibson's attorney didn't talk to us. gibson is under investigation for domestic violence, but oksana is under investigation too. gibson allegations oksana tried to extort money from him in exchange for keeping those now infamous tapes of their argument quiet. but she says she only made the tapes to document his threats and nothing more. >> she claims she had nothing to do with leaking those tapes.

>> reporter: while admitting she's severely in debt, oksana says i'm standing up to a bully who's very rich and fay caught in the middle of all of this is their daughter who's caught in the middle of a bitter custody dispute. >> she seems to want to have mel gibson in her child's life. she seems to think that he's potentially a very good father to her daughter and she wants to make sure that she gets the best of him. >> reporter: oksana claims that she's not angry with gibson, in her words, she wants him to be a man and get help for her sake and her daughter's. >> peter castor is "people" magazine's deputy managing editor. "people" spent five hours with oksana in the home she once shared with mel gibson. how would you describe her mental state.

>> she was very much exhausted and composed. i think she's just numb to the situation by now. >> she talked to you about how the relationship began in december of 2007, i guess they met in april of that year, and their relationship started in december of 2007 and for the first two years, relatively okay, she said he was hiding his dark side very well, i was very much in love with him. so at what point did she say that the relationship began to clearly sour? >> even though he was hiding a dark side the episodes of anger were there. and they were emerging. but everything changed meredith on january 6 and that's the day that she alleges she went to the house, he was unhappy with the babysitter, that's when he was frothing at the mouth, contorting his face and as she tried to leave this rage she alleges he punched her twice, once in the head, once in the mouth. when she grabbed her keys to get out of there, that's when he,

she says pulled a gun and started waiving it. >> is that when she says he also struck the child. >> one of the blows hit her on the chin and continued and hit lucia in the chin and it was a slight cut, but nothing serious, says oksana. >> why didn't she -- a lot of people wondered why she didn't call the police at that point. she e-mailed her lawyer and called her mother, but why didn't she contact the police if she had been assaulted? >> nothing enrages mel gibson more than humiliation and she feared that if she went to the police and this became a public issue that he would kill her. calling the police was not the first thing on her mind. >> she claims that he begged her to come back to her and all would be right and then the famous tapes emerged. >> he got on his knees and

begged and flowers and said he was in therapy. they have a wonderful valentine's day and four days later, it happens again, he has a jealousy fit and that's when she alleges he threw lucia into oksana's arms and says you better take her because i'm going to hurt her and that's when she realized i have to leave him forever. >> she says she wants mel gibson to be a part of their daughter's light and she can see forgiving him? >> she's very christian and she believes in forgiveness, she knows that she's going to have this man in her life for the rest of her life so i think her thinking is, i better make the best of this situation. i want to forgive him, i want to get on, he is after all the father of that child. >> she also says that she did not attempt to extort money from him at all. the claims that she's a gold digger, how does she respond to that? >> she says i'm being bullied by

a very rich man. she says she's having a lot of trouble making ends meet. she investmently denies that she is a gold digger. >> up next, do parents discriminate against their own overweight children? a revealing new study right after this. ♪ i loved you, sweetness ♪ but you're not sweet you hit on my friends ♪ ♪ i'm not your fool i won't just sit here and drool ♪ ♪ i'm tired of sharing you this is the end ♪ ♪ so i found a new love a natural true love ♪ ♪ that comes from a leaf green and bright ♪ ♪ zero-calorie, guilt-free no artificiality ♪

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aren't you a little, like, old to be trick-or-treating? [ robotic voice ] it is a growth spurt. fair enough. [ male announcer ] you're never too old for a smooth, delicious milky way caramel. this morning on parenting "today," overweight children, it is an unfortunate natural fafacy times they face discrimination. but the surprising source of some of that harsh treatment could be their own parents. >> mommy, what are you doing? >> it's a new game i invented and you're winning 1-0. >> reporter: being an overweight kid isn't easy, hollywood rarely portrays a pretty picture, but

according to new research, art imitates life in an especially cruel way. >> the more overweight a child becomes, the more discriminatory the parents tend to be. >> the findings revealed the more teenagers weigh, the less money parents give them to pay for their cars. >> this sheds a light on the aspect that society and even children's own parents can be discriminatory against those that are overweight. >> have you ever been discriminate against because of your size. >> absolutely. >> they say discrimination from their peers not their parents is while they enrolled in well spring academy, a boarding school for teen who want to lose weight and change their lives. here healthy eating, calorie conscious cooking and a steady diet of exercise is part of a dailey routine. >> it's really about being

healthy and feeling good about myself and comfortable in public. >> i started living a life that i'm proud to live and i have realized that i can set a goal and i can accomplish it. >> i want to be healthy and i want to be proud of myself and of who i am. >> hanna's lost 64 pounds at school in five months and she's done it with the support of her parents. her mom says contrary to the study, some parents overindulge overweight kids. >> do other parents discriminate? maybe, so maybe the discrimination is not of withholding affection, but discriminating by overreacting, overindulging. >> reporter: most parents agree, the goal for overweight children is the same, having healthy, happy kids is all that matters. >> for more of a perspective on this, we turn to psychiatrist dr. janet taylor. i had a problem with this when i

read this. and forget my opinion, what do you make of this study and this headline. >> i think the stigma of discrimination, i would say no they did not look at parental attitudes, however it's an opportunity to examine what can happen when you have a child who may be overweight and discounts the resilience and self-control that some kids have whether they're overweight or not. >> but this headline of parents discriminating against their overweight children you're uncomfortable with also? >> i'm uncomfortable with that term discrimination because what i think this points out is that important area of how parents talk to their overweight kids can have long-term repercussions, when they're saying things like maybe you shouldn't be having those french fries. >> parents may be more critical of their overweight children, but in terms of holding things back like cars and education,

that would be a stretch in your opinion? >> these are college students, 78% of kids in the study -- the fact that a college student has to pay for their own car, that's not discrimination. >> but the fact that you have other kids in your family, you're correct in your assessment that you really can't say that it's f my finances that really did this. but it really doesn't take away from the fact that parents don't now how to interact with their kids. >> if parents sometimes are less than diplomatic in the way they address their overweight children and they can be critical, what's the source of that criticism in your opinion, is it kind of an ill fated attempt at tough love or is it more about the insecurity of the parent? >> the reality is up to 68% of these parents may be obese or overweight themselves some of it may be projection, i don't want you to suffer the way i did. but on the other hand it really discounts the strengths that overweight children and adults can still have. just the fact that you're overweight and your obese and

your loney and dressed is not really not born out. >> but a lot of kids also, you have the thin parents and heavy parents. but kids themselves, often times they don't say anything, but a parent thinks maybe they're not aware, they'll point this out, maybe you should go outside and move a little more. why don't you go out and play with your siblings, gee, do you need those french fries. and there's a greater drugger as to what food you have in your house. >> the impact on the overweight child is what when they hear those things but maybe don't see anything about them? >> they remember them for life. people are remembering all the things the parents said to them. do you want to be happy? do you want to have more dates? >> and in society they're going to have stigma and discrimination but at home you have to have concrete ways to make yourself feel better, engage in physical activity and support their strengths. >> is overindulging an

overweight child an example of being harsh or critical. >> you really want to try to maintain a baseline to have healthy independent children. >> good stuff, ladies, thank you so much for your perspective. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. let's get a final check on the morning commute with sarah caldwell. >> still some accidents remaining. the one that is and causing the biggest delay is, westbound security boulevard at rolling road. all westbound lanes closed at rolling road and security. watch for closures and delays. essex road, accident in the clearing stages. this out of the delay stretches from 795 towards edmondson.

eastbound i-70, look for delays towards 29. north on 97 at dorsey road, watch for an accident location there. heavy delays on the northeast outer loop. six miles per hour, tapping the breaks to the whispered specified. -- to the harrisburg expressway. let's give a live view outside. we will show you that at old court. southbound 795, looking at a backup. white marsh, things are easing up just a bit. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> right now things are pretty quiet. the rainshowers we had earlier this morning in southern pennsylvania, and we will see a few more developments as we go through the day today. 30% or 40% chance of a shower in your neighborhood. mixture of clouds and a little bit of sunshine. there will be a few passing rainshowers. temperatures will stay rather

chilly. is expected only in the upper 50s and 60s. we will get sunshine going over the weekend. something to look forward to foreshore. >> we will have another update at 8:55. so who is "making stuff up"? the news media say it's bob ehrlich... with attacks that have been called "false" and "misleading." made up attacks bob ehrlich knows aren't true. but here's what's not made up. bob ehrlich's $3 billion in taxes and fees. the $2.5 million he got paid working at a lobbying firm. or the fact ehrlich worked for the casinos to put slots at arundel mills mall. now, bob...that's all true.

eaks to send jobs over seas. i think we need tax breaks to send kids to college. so i worked for a $2,500 tax credit to help pay for college. fought to get pell grants expanded and insisted that college loans go directly to kids instead of through banks. i'm barbara mikulski. i approve this message. because it's not about the next election, it's about the next generation. right? yeah!!!

8:30 now on this wednesday morning, october 6, 2010. out here on the plaza, a great place to spend the day. and just ahead, taking the

stress out of the college application process. what questions should the teenager be asking? we're going to have hear from a college admissions officer. michael isner is here this morning, he's written a new book about partnerships and the power of partnerships and how they can make you more successful. also kind of some lessons in his own 43-year marriage. we'll talk more about that. also some advice i could have used a little bit before getting this cold. how do avoid cold and flu season, we're going to tell you five things that you should be doing to stave off a cold. i think one thing you're really going to enjoy. >> is it moving them out of the house? >> massage. it helps boost the immune system. we're not going to giver it all away. >> but first, let's search for a criminal on the set of the tonight show with jay leno. apparently jay caught the thief red handed. check it out.

>> now here's something interesting. we had a lap top stolen, it was stolen out of the green room last week, i thought, that's it, it's gone forever. but my web guys were able to retrieve the last couple of seconds of the webcam video because the camera was on. >> may made me come all the way to burr bank and get this cented soap and you know what i did? i took a damned lap top. what kind is it in let me take a look. >> oh, it's meredith viera. >> no, mack, you can't have it. >> not only a flirt, a thief as well. >> i was borrowing it, i wasn't stealing it. >> the last thing you would take is a lap top. >> that's cute.

>> jay, yeah. >> he's a good buddy to the show. >> no question. >> and we love you. >> well, thank you. >> we like this weather. >> yes, on a bad day, they can't stand me. for the weekend -- >> it's these people behind you. >> i'm just going to keep going, ifre rain in the pacific >> we are going to see another chance for a little bit of rain. it will be off and on. a 30% or 40% chance. otherwise, a mixture of clo

>> that's your latest weather, let's head on down to washington, d.c. and say hello to uncle willie scott. how are you, my friend? >> i'm lovely and you and i should have a party because, do you know what? >> what. >> in 35 years, we can wish bryant gumbel, a happy 100th birthday. >> let's get an update. >> bryant just turned 62, i believe. >> 38 years. >> all right, well, i heard the other way. >> he may have dropped dead of a heart attack just now. >> 65, let's put it that way. >> and that's why we're glad

you're live. >> here's some birthday happy people. schmucker smucker's, we sa see hagar young, only 114 years old. lives in her own home and just absolutely adored by everybody. here is ella schuler, 113 years old. one of the oldest celebrants to have her facebook. ger intrude lenskold. she's 110, sharp as a tack. glen turner, st. petersburg, florida is 100 years old. rides a stationary bicycle, lifts weights three times a day, i do when i get out of a chair.

esther morrison, 101, drives to walmart almost once a week. and carl stauffer and that's from schillington, pennsylvania, 100 years old "today." a member of the board of directors for drag racing. how about that? don't let any tires grow under his cadillac. ciro salerno 104 years old "today" and loves to cook italian for her grandkids. they sent me the beautiful tie, inch by inch slowly. now back to new york. when we come back, an insider's guide to the college admissions process, we'll tell you about that, but first, this is "today" on nbc.

this morning on education nation today, an inside look at the college admissions process. right now high school seniors are deciding where to apply as college representatives fan out across the country to entice students to their campuses. we followed the dean of admission at grenell college as he made the rounds. >> how much do you know about grenell? >> part of college is supposed to be testing your limits. >> first stop, bronx high school of science, one of the most prestigious in new york city. >> you'll meet people you've never met before. >> grenell is a liberal arts college. why spend time and money moving

applicants? >> students from different social yes economic backgrounds is important because that's part of their education. >> a public high school can 1,400 students, he met with seniors from it's honors program. >> have any of you ever viz iowa before? >> for many kids looking at colleges, published ranking and hefty guides are considered so old school. "today" the internet plays a big part in the college match game. >> students have to sift through much more information, a lot of it raw and unfiltered. i'm available by phone. so it's changed the way we recruit tremendously. >> and admissions officers are on the front line. each with a different question. >> what were most important majors. >> are you affiliated with any specific organizations? >> what are some of the careers? >> for some, the answers can

open up new possibilities. >> i was against liberal arts colleges, it wasn't what i actually saw myself doing. >> does grenell sound like the kind of place you can imagine yourself? >> yes. >> we should thank the department of education for giving us permission to sit in on those meetings. good morning to you both. seth, if i could start with you, your job is to among other things to convince kids who might not have ever considered grenell to apply there, who might not even know where iowa is on the map. you're a salesman, aren't you? >> i think i open up possibilities for students and help them consider places that they might not otherwise think of. >> and you're trying to make an impression on them, but you're also sort of targeting those kids that make an impression on you, aren't you?

>> this is such a human business and it's so helpful to have a context for kids when we receive their applications. we receive several thousand applications a year, and so it's helpful to have that connection. >> you have been an observer of this process, what should students keep in mind when someone from admissions comes to their school? >> there's more than 2,000 four-year colleges in this country so they've got a wide range to choose from, so they have to know that a college like grenell, they've got to keep an open mind, to say that this is one of the options for them. >> and they should ask people like seth important questions, you should ask about popular majors and activities which is what one of the kids in that piece did, why is that so important? >> to the extent you know what you might be interested in you want to make sure that that interest lines up with the school that you're interested

in. how many high school seniors really know what they're going to be doing. so they want to know are there lots of places i could move around at this particular college. >> they certainly want to ask what percentage of kids receive financial aid, what is the average financial aid award and is it usually a collect scholarship or is it a loan? >> how can seniors gauge the likelihood that they'll get into one of these schools. >> they want to be careful not to do the admissions officer's job for them. a school like grenell rejects more kids than it accepts. but on the other hand, let the admissions officer do its work, you can't know possibly what it is they're looking for. >> and most kids wand to -- >> i think it's much more complicated than most families think. so it does have to do with performance in high school, of course. the kinds of courses students take and how well they do in

them. it has to the with standardized testing, to some degree, although it's less of an issue for most colleges than many families think. and it has to do with personality and qualities about a student, what they have engaged in outside of the classroom, work history, what kind of a voice they show us in their essay. so it's much more complicated than just a set of numbers. >> so in some ways the essay may be the most important thing in that application, where they're selling themselves essentially. >> and in some ways, because of the grades and standardized testing take such a center stage, most students applying to a place like grenell they have what we're looking for, so it's the essays that sets them apart. >> should students send a thank you note? >> how can it hurt, to send an e-mail saying thanks for meeting with me. but don't bombard someone like seth. ask them questions, but don't

friend them on facebook. >> but it's okay to contact you. >> in fact i welcome that because i see my job as helping students really have a firm understanding of what grenell can offer them. >> and you have an online course to help students work their way through all of this. self paced to introduce parents and kids to this really complicated process, to show them that it's manageable, to show them that it's not as intimidating as you think and they can find that as nytimes.com/knowledge. they can find that as nytimes.com/knowledge. michael i'm frank kratovil and i approve this message. the real andy harris. his past attacks have been called deceptive, his new attack, false. harris voted for deregulation increasing our electric bills by 72% it's not surprising, harris always sides with the big guys. he opposes cracking down on wall street and supports tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas. harris even opposed

making big insurance cover cancer screenings. andy harris' extreme ideas will cost us.

so who is "making stuff up"? the news media say it's bob ehrlich... with attacks that have been called "false" and "misleading." made up attacks bob ehrlich knows aren't true. but here's what's not made up. bob ehrlich's $3 billion in taxes and fees. the $2.5 million he got paid working at a lobbying firm. or the fact ehrlich worked for the casinos to put slots at arundel mills mall. now, bob...that's all true. this morning on "today's" money, the power or partnership in our highly competitive world, individual success is often the goal. but in business and in life

collaboration can lead to the greatest achievement. no one knows that better than the former disney ceo michael isner. hey, michael, welcome back. why did you decide to explore the power of partnerships? what caught your attention. >> i had a great partner at disney before he tragically died in a car accident. i had a good part at abc and i was talking to warren buffett and i was talking about this idea and he said you should write a book and i just got into it. >> really successful people tend to have a strong sense of self, some might say a healthy ego. so is it a great ability for someone with that kind of ego to be able to look and realize, i need a partner? >> i think that people that do it only alone who can't walk past a mirror without looking at themselves, who start believing their own rhetoric tend to get

in trouble. and if you have a partner and you understand it, whone you do better, and through a lot of studies that i looked at, you're healthier. having a partner, when things go bad, you've got somebody to talk to, when things go well, you high-five with somebody. >> you highlight some very popular or well known or successful partnerships, a lot of time one of the people in the partnership is a name we all recognize, the other is not. is that what makes it successful, that one person takes the front and the other stands behind the scenes? >> sometimes, like warren loves to play music and be on the cover of fortune and his partner who most people haven't heard of, is behind the scenes but love it. valentino has a partner behind is the scenes. >> sometimes it's like ronnie howard the producer and brian

grazer the director on all these academy awards films work together. long partnerships, spousal partnerships and business partnerships. >> do you have to share a perspective if you're going to be great partners or is it better if you come from different points of view, in other words the yin and yang? >> some are that and some are the opposite. but what they all have is they leave their ego against their partner at the door. warren buffett said to me, the seven deadly sins, lust can be fun, but you get in trouble later, gut any, you eat too much. but egg go, you -- >> dow great partners have to like each other or is that not necessary? >> they usually grow to like each other. bad people make bad partners because they usually turn on each other. usually they like each other but not always great friends.

>> ste >> -- they both ended up going to prison for skimming profits from that company. why did you include them. >> i was so interested in that era. this was the vietnam era, it was just the beginning of the birth control pill, preaids, drug had hit the culture and everything went wild and these two partners were only for one year part of it and then they went to jail together, same cell and out of jail, solidified their partnership. >> so you're highlighting their partnership post prison as opposed to preprison. >> they went to syracuse together, they didn't know each other until they got to syracuse university. but they had this explosion in a culture that was weird, they went to jail, and they got their act together and they created this whole idea. the interesting thing about partnerships in kindergarten to share.

don't spit on your sister, don't put sand on your sister. but we get into high school, we stress being individual e. share, be partners and then later we honor individual achievement and sometimes that individual achievement goes bad. >> i work with a partner, i've got meredith, we have not been sentenced to prison together yet. that could happen. so do we fit any of the criteria that makes a good partnership? >> you have to get back with me in 20 or 30 years. because many of the partners i studied. it took like it's working pretty well as well. >> the book is called "working together." still ahead, five ways eaks to . i think we need tax breaks to send kids to college. so i worked for a $2,500 tax credit to help pay for college.

fought to get pell grants expanded and insisted that college loans go directly to kids instead of through banks. i'm barbara mikulski. i approve this message. because it's not about the next election, it's about the next generation. right? yeah!!! (sfx: coach's whistle) "the car coach" - lauren fix. >> in case your car repair shop hasn't noticed - there's been a shift. sfx: shifting.

over 70% of women make the car repair decision sf shifting. auto service plus is one auto repair shop that has geared their business to earn women's respect. sfx: shifting. 'cause when it comes to car repair, it's women who are in the driver's seat. announcer >> auto service plus. service you can trust. i like that idea of partnerships and often times you have heard of one of these people and the other partner is someone who has stayed behind the scenes. and is very happy to be there. >> but i think like this is a nice partnership, the nice ebb and flow. and we do complement each other

because sometimes it's steps forward and steps back. >> you're actually mentioned in the book. when we did the synchronized swimming thing together. >> very nice. >> i crowned and you were on top of the water. >> you were holding me up, though. you were standing on my shoulders. >> are you going to go back in 20 years to check on this? >> when we come back, some simple fixes for common household hazards. >> but first your local news.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. baltimore city police are investigating a deadly shooting in south baltimore. it happened about midnight. police say two suspects approached a man and woman, shooting them both. the man was shot in the buttocks and the woman shot in the back she was taken to shock trauma and later died. baltimore county officials say crime in the county is at a 35- year low with decreases in all violent crime categories

>> now let's look at the forecast with tony pann. >> it is going to be another cool day to day. a mixture of clouds and a little bit of sunshine. a few passing showers as well. high temperatures only in the upper 50s and the 60's. we should be in the low seventies this time of year. thursday and friday look nice. we will jump into the mid-70's by the end of the week. >> thank you for joining us. we will have all weather update at 9:25.

two governors, two different approaches. even in good times bob ehrlich didn't make education a priority. he increased college tuition by 40%, cut school construction by $200 million, and ehrlich voted to eliminate the department of education while serving in congress.