woman 3: 10 billion of our money. woman 4: our money. woman 5 sync: and he worked for another bank that collapsed. man 4: costing tax payers 17 million. anncr: tell bob ehrlich big banks don't need help. middle class marylanders do. good morning. hours away. crew s performed last-minute tests. were they drugged? a group of college sturntss suddenly ps out at an offcampus party. at least nine were rushed to the hospital. police want to know if somebody spiked their drinks. this morning george clooney

takes ann on a tour of sudan. "today," tuesday, october 12, takes ann on a tour of sudan. "today," tuesday, october 12, 2010. captions paid for by nbc-universal television welcome to "today" on this tuesday morning. >> 69 days under ground, those miners in chile and their ordeal may come to an end as soon as this evening. >> the capsule that will bring the men to the surface was put to the test on monday. natalee will have the latest in a live report from chile straight ahead. a little later in the show we have got a revealing live interview from secretary of state condoleezza rice, we're going to get her thoughts on the current state of the world and we're going to talk a lot about her new memoir that focuses on her childhood growing up in the

segregated south. plus new details on the scandal over racy text messages and photos allegedly sent by brett favre to a female employee of his team. the scandal is far from behind him. we will get the latest. and as parents, are we doing enough to keep our teenaged drivers safe behind the wheel? coming up startling video that shows how distracted adults can become when they're supposed to be teaching their kids how to drive. let's begin with what appears to be the imminent rescue of the miners in chile. natalee is in copiapo. >> reporter: we are so excited here because by this time tomorrow morning we expect to have some pretty spectacular images of that rescue. now all systems are almost go here with every last detail now going through the final round of tests.

phoenix 1 one of the two rescue capsules made it's all important debut on monday. >> these tests have been very successful. so we are pretty sure that the cage will behave properly. >> reporter: it got within less than 40 feet of the miners. >> we didn't send it down because we can risk that somebody could jump in. >> reporter: the capsule will be pulled up by the wench like a giant fishing rod now being installed. anticipation is in the air by each practice fly over by the medical helicopters. before the rescue begins, four rescue personnel including two specially trained navy medics will be sent down to evaluate the miners and assist in loading them in. in preparation, all of them are

undergoing a final battery of stress tests. are you confident that they will pull through? >> they're my boys, i have been around them for the last month and a half and i know perfectly how well they will respond. >> reporter: they will be monitored the whole way up and the capsules are outfitted with audio and video to allow them to be able to communicate all the way. while the expected journey is expected to take only 15 minutes each, after two months and 2,200 feet below ground, it no doubt will be a physically and emotionally challenging ride. but all are reportedly very excited and in great condition. >> that's against all odds that they have not any serious ailments. now i'm a true believer in miracles. >> reporter: they have even received sun glasses to shield their eyes from the intense

dessert sun after so much time in the dark. they'll be evaluated in the triage area before being reunited with a small group of their families. that reunion is going to have to be short and sweet because from here they'll be helicoptered to the medical center where they'll be evaluated more thoroughly. we're not going to be told the order of each of the miners coming up, the only way we'll know who's coming out is when they finally make it to the surface. >> thank you very much, in copiapo in chile. that is a tight little cab suddenly, 20 minutes the ride is. >> i guess they're breathing oxygen the whole time. they've got a mask on. >> i know they have been in tough situations, but that's a long ride. one of our camera men said i barely survived an mri. >> but knowing they'll finally be free, hopefully they'll be calm. now we're going to check the rest of the top stories from ann curry. also in the news this

morning, an investigation is underway "todatoday in the deata british aid work never afghanistan. linda norgrove was killed last friday in a failed rescue mission. it's possible she was killed by drones of u.s. special forces that were trying to saver. one person was killed and eight others wounded in a blast. army major nadal hasan accused in the ft. hood shootings last year is due in a military court today to see if there's enough evidence to charge him with the shooting. a california company has begun testing an embryonic stem cell treatment. it's not known yet whether the technique can actually reverse par rpal sis.

. >> we do have news about oil that may mean no respite coming for consumers of oil at the pump. this morning opec came out with this monthly forecast for oil demand and, well, they say despite a turbulent global economy demand is still on the rise, opec members including saudi arabiavienna. maybe we'll go to alternative energies to prevent that, unclear, but here's an interesting story, google is getting into the alternative energy craze, they're going to try to build alternative wind farms to provide power for 2 million homes. it's very interesting to see google getting into wind farms. back to you. and we have got one other business note this morning, a turn around by gap, four days after announcing a logo

redesign, the gap company has acknowledged the switch was a mistake so it's announced that the company will continue to use the old look. hmm. all right, let's go back to meredith, matt and al. i'm not sure why we told you that, but just so you weren't confus confused. thinking about wind farms, they should probably put on

>> good morning. here at home we are off to a fairly quiet start. there is a 30% or 40% chance of a shower or thunderstorm into this tuesday. otherwise, variable >> and that's your latest weather. now to politics, with a vital midterm election just three weeks away, president obama is finding his name brought up by candidates more and more. >> reporter: voters can tune in

to hours and hours of debate to get to know their senate candidates and the more the president's name is mentioned, that's a pretty good way to know how tight that race is and for his part is president is on a mad dash to fire up democratic voters. fundraising in miami, the president stopped in little havana where the cuban food is hot. >> then you put french fries on top of it so. we can't tell the first lady. >> reporter: and the president's ears should have been burning. over kentucky's senate debate. >> he's going to keep saying obama, obama, obama, it's about putting kentucky first. >> reporter: jack conway is in a tight race with tea party republican rand paul zbchlt he doesn't want to talk about his support for president obama and all of president obama's initiatives. that's what this election is about and he's trying to run away from it. >> reporter: in wisconsin the

battle is over obama's health care reform. russ feingold defendanted his yes vote. millionaire manufacturer ron johnson is back bid the tea party. >> i have very specific proposals, we refuelededhe health care bill. that will save trillions. >> precisely. >> that will save trillions. >> reporter: feingold who championed campaign finance refo reform. >> will you call on them to stop? >> i have no control over that. >> will you ask them to stop? >> that's part of the problem, you have no control -- >> will you ask them to stop? >> that's free speech. >> reporter: tea party backed republican ken buck teased senator michael bennett. >> i have to tell you i don't know who senator bennett is running those ads against, but i don't think i would vote for those guys when i watch some of these commercials. >> reporter: the plot twisting in west virginia a democratic candidate shooting down some

obama policies. >> and i'll take dead aim at the cap and trade bill. because it's bad for west virginia. >> reporter: joe manchin told us he did not want president obama's help but bill clinton was there as a friend. >> i don't have anybody come and campaign for me. whether it's obama with all due respect or anybody else. >> reporter: it sort of looked like president clinton was there to stump for joe manchin even though he's not that kind of candidate. in his race he's a popular governor trying to become senator. he says issues like the president's health care reform are divisive making that a very heated contest. minnesota congresswoman michel michel michelle bachman. you are probably tied to the pea

party closer than anyone else in congress. but some are concerned that the tea party has lost its focus, instead of concentrating on taxes and spending, it's spernt a lot of time debating social issues. the republican candidate for governor, carl paladino was taken to task for his comments about homosexuals and homosexuality. do you think that the tea party movement is losing its way? >> the tea party movement i think has been very focused because from the very beginning they have been concerned about the overreach of people like nancy pelosi and president obama. the tea party is concerned with three main issues, number one, government needs to spend less than what it takes in, number two, don't raise taxes on anyone, number three, they believe that congress needs to act within the bounds of the constitution. >> but that's not what carl

paladino was talking about over the weekend. he said that he didn't want children to be brainwashed into thinking that homosexuality is an equally valid or successful option, it isn't, end quote. do you think that he was wrong to say that, especially given all these hate crimes we have seen recently aimed at gays? >> i think people in the tea party movement agree on about a 70% set of issues. it is a fairly wide umbrella, but it's been uniform from the rise of the tea party movement until today. the message hasn't changed and it's the idea that government is trying to be completely different than anything we have ever seen before, with the rise of the spending and now actually adjourning congress knowing that every tax paying american's taxes are going to go up dramatically, that's senincensi people. >> do you think that carl paladino was wrong to say what

he said about homosexuals and homosexuality? >> that isn't the issue that we're focusing on in this election, if you go from minnesota to maine to florida to california, the issue is jobs and the actions that speaker pelosi and barack obama have led to job failure, not job creation. and that's something that we can change. and i think people recognize that 22 days from now, we can actually take our country back and get back to fiscal sanity and that's what we need to do, that's why i have said i am one of speaker pelosi's top -- in a couple of weeks speaker pelosi will be in minnesota as will president obama. mine is a very high profile race and she's trying to do everything she can to defeat me. >> if you look at some of these races, there's a concern that some of these tea party candidates are so far out of the main stream that they can't win

a general election. are you concerned about that, that these candidates will not be able to take it to the finish line. >> actually the story has been completely the opposite, meredith, whether it's connect buck in colorado o mark marco rubio, the tea party candidates have overwhelmingly caught fire and we're going to see a very different senate and a very different house going forward, and that's good, that's energizing the republican party because the tea party really is the fire that's fuelling the republican party right now and that's really to the detriment of the democrats unfortunately for them because what it evidences is that speaker pelosi, harry reid and barack obama haven't been listening to the people. the people just want us to get back to fiscal sanity and i think the republicans have shown they have made mistakes, now they want to listen and they want too lead.

>> congressman michelle bachman, thank you very much. it's 7:16 and here's matt. just when you thought the housing market couldn't get any worse, there's a major investment on the horizon and it could create more problems. >> as early as "today," 40 states could announce this investigation into alleged foreclosure fraud in some of the country's biggest lenders, three of those banks have already issued a freeze on foreclose yirs while they review the paper work to make sure everything was done properly. consumer confidence in the housing market is already at an all-time low and the scandal threatens to make things even less stable. >> reporter: in neighborhood after neighborhood the numbers are staggering. nearly one in seven borrowers nationwide is behind on their mortgage or in foreclosure. but now investigates are questioning the paper work behind many of those foreclosures. already jpmorgan chase and gmac

has halted foreclosures across 20 states. bank of america halted foreclosures in all 50 states. the move may give struggling homeowners a break. >> i have two daughters who are also in limbo. >> reporter: but the foreclosure freeze has many home buyers left in the cold. >> is there any risk that the sale won't go through? >> michelle salem was supposed to close on a foreclosed condo last week, but it's owned by bank of america, so salem, all set to buy now has to wait. >> my greatest concern is after all is said and done is a deal really a deal or will i be told in some letter or phone call that there's a glitch with the paper work and the closing is not valid? >> reporter: in the foreclosure investigation banks are accused of cutting corners approving tens of thousands of foreclosure documents without fully

reviewing them, what's called r robo signing. some are calling for a moratorium on all foreclosures but could that make the housing market worse. >> it's really just delaying their entry into the retail market, delaying the whole housing market to recover and to reset and delaying everyone's home prices. >> the uncertainty is putting new pressure on an already stressed real estate market. whether you're a home owner faced with foreclosure. >> all i kept getting was voicemail, voicemail, voicemail and nobody would call me back. >> reporter: or a home buyer being forced to wait. >> what's going to happen after all the papers are signed? >> the obama administration is now signaling it has no plans to go forward with that. but several banks are doing it on their own at this point. it's 19 minutes after the hour, oncing again here's meredith.

>> if you're the parents of a teenager, you know they went wait to get behind the wheel and when they do, are you doing enough coaching and teaching. tom costello is at a high school in bethesda, maryland. >> good morning to you, car accidents remain the leading cause of death for teenagers between the ages of 15 and 18. so the aaa foundation wanted to see how well are parents actually teaching kids who are driving with their permits? to do that, they now put cameras on the dashboard. it's a split screen look at teenagers' first few months behind the wheel, from a missed driveway. to a confusing intersection. >> you got a red light. >> reporter: and the parents who are supposed to be involved. >> there's a siren. you need to pull over. you need to pull over. you need to pull over to the

right. sorry. >> reporter: aaa followed 50 families looking at how well parents teach teenaged corners. >> it's a little bit of a blind corner. >> reporter: chuck may have saved his daughter from a very serious accident. >> stop, hit your brakes. they completely ran a red light. >> i didn't even see it coming, it just was there all of a sudden. it just snuck up on me, i guess. >> driving is a complex thing, it takes a lot of stimulus put and reacting and thinking and a lot of it is just plain practice. >> reporter: while some parents offer lots of coaching. >> sometimes what you need to do when you're driving is look two cars or three cars ahead of you and see what's going on. >> reporter: many others were themselves distracted. >> i don't like it when you're

on the phone. >> reporter: and most teens had hardly enough time behind the wheel with mom or dad. >> a lot of times we found that the supervised driving experience was less than two hours a week. >> reporter: with 20% of the driving occurring at night or in bad weather. hardly enough says aaa. >> stop, hit your brakes. >> reporter: there's no substitute for experience. most states require 50 hours of supervised time with a parent if you are learning to drive before you get a full driver's license. the aaa foundation would like to see 100 hours. but they would like to see parents taking the time at night and in inclement weather teaching kids how to drive. and coming up, brett favre's emotional apology to his team pate mates. but what was he apologizing for? but first, this is "today" on

nbc.

just ahead, george clooney is here next to me. forty-six. alright, yeah ok. here you go. you don't understand, slick. we're here for the party. whoo! yeah, that's cute! [ laughing ] put your hand down. [ male announcer ] the vanilla caramel latte from maxwell house international café. the 60 calorie way to stop your world. but my allergies put me in a fog. so now, i'm claritin clear! claritin works great on all my allergies like dust, mold, pollen, or pets without making me drowsy, cause i want to be alert

around this big guy. live claritin clear. indoors and out. [ smack! ] [ smack! smack! smack! ] [ male announcer ] your favorite foods fighting you? fight back fast with tums. calcium rich tums goes to work in seconds. nothing works faster. ♪ tum ta tum tum tums >> 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. >> kind of busy out there, incident-wise. northbound harrisburg expressway past mount carmel, watch for an accident there. closures in effect and all lanes blocked at 194 in taneytown due

to an accident. aspen hill road and argonne drive, water main break repairs at both locations. closures remain in effect. another 1 northbound washington boulevard. southbound 95 at powder mill road, that accident now clear. about 16 to travel on the northeast outer loop. five minutes to get southbound to the outer 95. towards the beltway. back up in the white marsh area. we will switch over to a life you of traffic at old court. west side delays in place. southbound 705 back up as a result towards the beltway. >> so far things happen fairly quiet. we have light rain earlier this morning. most of the rain has been pushed off to the east.

we should stay dry for the next couple of hours. 30% or 40% chance of a few showers or thunderstorms popping up. temperatures and the upper 50's and low 60s. we will make it into the upper 70's this afternoon. we will be right in that neighborhood tomorrow. good chance for rain at the end of the week, especially others did. it should clear up over the weekend. >> check the bottom of your screen for updated news and traffic information. we are back at 7:55 with another live update.

7:30 now on a tuesday morning, the 12th of october, 2010. it was a rainy night, wild weather in the northeast. hopefully it's nice where you're waking up. nice to have this group of people outside on our plaza. we'll say hi to them in just a couple of minutes. inside studio 1a. coming up, were some college students intentionally drugged at an offcampus party? >> that's what police are investigating after some became

sick and started passing out. >> a spotlight on an issue of great importance to george clean clooney. >> and then former secretary of state condoleezza rice opens up about her childhood in a very personal memoir. she's going to share her story in a live interview just ahead. we're also going to touch base with her on a lot of current events right now. we begin with the latest on a scandal that seems to be swirling around brett favre over some alleged explicit photos sent to a female employee. >> reporter: favre is now with the minnesota vikings and on monday he reportedly gave an emotional speech to his team. but he once again deflected any direct questions about the ongoing nfl investigation. more bad news for brett favre,

his minnesota vikings lost on "monday night football" and favre had a rough game. >> the most important thing is wins, that was not the case tonight. >> reporter: and while the legendary quarterback did manage to break another record. >> 500th career touchdown pass by brett favre. >> reporter: he refuses to go on camera about text messages he sent to a former sideline reporter. >> if you want to talk about what happened in the football game tonight, i would love to. >> reporter: the sports blog dead spin.com revealed voicemail messages favre sent during favre's single season with the jets. >> jen, it's not a set up. i just got done with practice. >> reporter: questions linger about what will unfold regarding favre's performance. >> i think it's going to be difficult for him to go through

the rest of the season with this hanging over his head. >> reporter: brett favre was crying and he was apologetic to his team for being this distraction. >> reporter: though it's unclear what that apology means. regardless, his apology to his teammates will be perceived as an admission of guilt. the authenticity of the voicemails and photos originally purchased by dead spin could not be verified by nbc news. >> i would love to see you torrent. all right, talk to you later, bye. >> reporter: but it could be extremely damaging to favre who has turned his good guy image to a lucrative career on and off the field. it is in brett's best interest and for the preservation of his legacy to address these allegations before they continue to spiral. >> reporter: again, favre has refused to comment on those allegations but he says he will cooperate fully with any investigation. let's go outside for a check

of the weather from mr. roker. >> all right, thanks a lot, matt. and as we have mentioned earlier, we had some major storms move through here in the northeast. hailstorms, windstorms, last night right around the time the jets were getting ready to take the field and my golly, jets' stadium, due to lightning they had to head to concourses until further notice. the last time that happened was four years ago when they were actually delayed during the game. look at this umbrella, whoa, watch that. we had flooding, hail and heavy rain. this is brooklyn, new york, a real mess last night, but right now, radar moving through as we take a look at the live radar, and this morning you can see we have got some activity moving through eastern long island and parts of central new jersey. that's the good news and then we'll have some sunshine later "today." slight risk of strong storms in the lower mississippi river valley. we have got wet weather,

>> there is a chance for a shower or thunderstorm as we head for the day, but it is going to be widely scattered, hit and miss. otherwise, clouds and a little bit of >> ant don't forget, you can check your weather any time online or on cable. police want to know if college students atetdsing an offcampus party.

>> reporter: good morning, meredith, police will have a heavy presence on this quiet campus this week as they try to get to the bottom of exactly what happened. school officials will be launching their own investigation, they say even though this party took place off campus, students who attended could be punished. emotions are running high at central washington university as news spread that an off campus party got so out of control, nine students, six of them young women were rushed to the hospital. >> it was literally pandemonium everywhere. >> reporter: she says she went to an invite only party at her friend's house about 30 miles off campus. at first the gathering was small, only about 15 freshmen and there was alcohol. >> i only had one or two drinks in case i had to drive home or in case anything happened. >> reporter: little did she know how important than decision

would be. as the night wore on, the crowd spelled to about 50 people, faces she didn't recognize and then something went terribly wrong. >> all of a sudden this girl sitting on a bench outside literally fell off and i was helping her. >> reporter: certified in cpr, the freshman put her skills to work. >> have a girl fall away in my arms and i didn't know if she was going to die. and then i looked up and there was literally ten girls laying down. >> reporter: police were called to the scene, they suspected drugs but found none and now suspect someone may have secretly drugged the students. >> officers were talking to people who were severely intoxicated but indicated they had only consumed one or two drinks so intoxication more than what would be normal for one or two drinks. >> reporter: student who is attended the party even the one who is got sick could face consequences.

>> we will meet individually with each student, assess their behavior, we'll listen to them, we'll try to understand what happened. and for some students nothing will happen. and some students may face suspension or expulsion. >> reporter: now there's nine students who were take on the the hospital were treated and released and expected to be just fine. police have sent away for toxicology results which could take six to eight weeks. in the meantime, they and school officials will be interviewing students trying to find answers here. >> kristen welker, thank you very much. and up next, actor and humanitarian george clooney takes ann to sudan to talk about subjects you can't ignore. we're going to talk about their trip next. wants to make kids happy ellogg's one tummy at a time. because 9 out of 10 kids don't get the fiber they need, that's why froot loops, apple jacks and corn pops have 3 grams of fiber in every yummy bowl.

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back now at 7:41. with growing tension in sudan, we have been reporting to you about darfur, where most of the fighting has now stopped but not before hundreds of thousands died. now the same people accused of war crimes there have turned their attention to the southern part of sudan and actor and activist george clooney fear a new war is looming and they want to know can it be stopped. to answer that question, i accompanied george clooney to southern sudan. >> why this issue. >> there's an awful lot of people that are in danger and what are you going to say to the

next generation, that you stood by and did nothing. >> we're headed to a camp where people were recently forced from their homes by clashes between the two groups. this woman fled with her eight children. >> reporter: what is your wish for your family's future? >> we need celebration from our the heirs, she says, so we can be happy. >> reporter: long the border between the north and south, nowhere is it more important than in this place, an oil rich area that could become ground zero for a coming conflict. >> i would get out of here. >> that's what they'll do because this is going to be one of the first places that was hit. >> reporter: it was hit two years ago. witnesses say arab militia men and government soldiers descended, burning, killing and looting. i watched as my four nephews

flo throats were slit, this woman remembers while their hands were tied. she escaped along with her sisters and cousins. in the capital of the south there,'s the excitement of a new nation waiting for born. in three months the south can vote to separate from the north. a move that could provoke a more dangerous war. aware of the risks, the u.n. security council makes a last minute trip to the country led by american ambassador susan rice. is there hope well placed, susan rice? >> it's humbling and it's daunting. and it's also joyous to see so many young people with so much hope and at the end of the day, those kids, they parents, their leaders in the north and the south are going to answer that question for us. >> reporter: on his own mission, george clooney is once again

leveraging his fame to aid victims of tragedy. the difference this time he says the tragedy is preventable. >> if i said to you right now there's going to be an earthquake, that 250,000 people were going to be killed? what would you do? this is not a natural disaster, this is man-made. how do you stop it? >> george clooney, good morning. >> good morning. >> after seeing the risk from the ground even traveling on the upper nile for hours just to reach remote villages, do you think this war can actually be stopped? >> i think it can be stopped. i think, you know, we stopped it in 2005, we stopped a north-south war that lasted 20 years and cost 2.5 million people's lives and we stopped it with diplomacy, we didn't stop it with soldiers, we stopped it with diplomacy. so yes, if we get involved now we have a shot. >> there was news overnight nevertheless that negotiations t latest ones at least have broken

down and given the reports from officials of a massive military buildup, of tanks, of helicopters, of heavy artillery, there's even reports of planes. what's at stake here? >> what's at stake is -- the point is this, we have the same players who are responsible for 2.5 million people in the south being killed who are responsible for 400,000 people in darfur being killed. and if we think that superhowom don't get involved and lay off, at this point when there's much more at stake, there's oil at stake, that people aren't going to be killed and that we have to trust these same group of people, i think it's a very naive choice. >> you're talking about the president and two of his members of his government who have been accused by the international course of war crimes, even genocide. do you believe that this war in

the south could mean not just atrocities as bad as that could be, but even possible genocide? >> it doesn't matter what i believe because obviously i'm an actor so it doesn't really matter what i believe. >> but you have been on the ground and you have been studying this issue. >> it have been studying this issue, but what matters is the people on the ground to understand it. the secretary of state said it's a ticking time bomb. the cia says this is the next genocide if we're not careful, it is the biggest risk. the president has said as much. this is -- everyone acknowledges that this is what's going to take place if someone doesn't moderate and mediate and, you know, that's not just my saying it, that's everyone saying it. i'm just saying it as loud as possible. >> even though you don't have to be doing this and we talked about this, you could be drinking wine in italy. you just mentioned, i'm an

actor, i'm an activist. you have dealt with an electrical storm in a small plane. you dealt with sleeping in tents in african huts with mice running all over you and live frogs in toilets, you even dealt with a woman spitting on your -- what exactly happened in this hut with this elderly woman? >> it was a grandmother of a friend of ours and she lives in a tiny hut. there she is. >> what is she doing. >> one of the blessings, the way you're blessed is she spits on both your hands and pulls you down and spits on your head. i hadn't blessed like that before, or they didn't call it a blessing when they did it. it was nice to be blessed. it felt good. >> and you're going to head towards a bunch of meetings including one with president obama and one with republicans

richard luker. why do you believe this this could be one of those rare causes that brings both sides of the aisle together. >> far duridarfur was champione this was one of those rare experiences and moments where everyone got together and said this isn't going to happen, not again. and it did happen and we mopped up the mess, we have a chance now, we have an opportunity to stop this before it happens. we're very generous people, americans. we give a billion dollars a year, nearly a billion dollars a year in the sudan to protect and help people after these tragedies. we're going to be involved, one way or the other, we're going to be there. it would be a lot better without spending a single dime, without costing any american lives to get in there now with robust diplomacy, hard core diplomacy, freezing the assets, freezing the bank accounts, doing

everything we can to protect the people who want to vote for their rights for freedom. >> and you want to basically tell people that they want to give people the political will, and you can go to www.sudanaction.org. >> the point is we just want to get both sides and the president and everyone get the political will to do it. >> george clooney this morning. thank you for being here. >> thank you. >> we're going to have more on our trip in the coming months on "dateline" with a full hour with george clooney here on nbc. [ female announcer ] the healing power of touch

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make it the way you want. [ glazer ] make breakfast the play of the day. at subway. [ glazer ] subway. build your better breakfast. coming up, former secretary of state condoleezza rice on her former time in the bush administration. >> and life, love, cancer and kathy lee on your local news. that send messages through the body. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia, your local news. your local ne. . your local news. a your local n. . te your local news. r your local. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. and with less pain, i can do more of what matters to me. [ female announcer ] lyrica is not for everyone. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior or any swelling or affected breathing, or skin, or changes in eyesight, including blurry vision

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with the venture card at capitalone.com. what's in your wallet? >> 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. >> we have an accident coming in at tower road and corbett road. if you traveled on a baltimore county, watch foreclosures. another one on the harrisburg expressway. another one at cosmo road at 194 and taneytown.

harford road and aspen hill road, watch for the continued closure of the center turn lane. an alameda before loch raven, both of those due to water main break repairs. you can see delays in place, all volume-related, around the area. 16 on the northeast outer loop. tavis a live view of 95 coming out of the northeast. -- is a live view of 95 coming out of the northeast. we will switch to a live view of traffic on the west side. so-go all the way towards edmondson. >> so why things happen fairly quiet. we had rain earlier this morning. at least for awhile, it is going to stay dry. still a chance for showers and thunderstorms to pop up as we had to the day today. we will see that chance all the

way through the evening. otherwise, clouds and fairly mild. light day tomorrow. 68 for the height. i do think it will clear up over the weekend temperatures close to 70 by sunday. >> back at

8:00 now on this tuesday morning, october 12, 2010. fall has definitely arrived here in new york. it's just 61 degrees and the temperature could dip into the 40s later tonight, believe it or not. outside on the plaza, i'm meredith vieira along with matt lauer. condoleezza rice, former secretary of state we'll talk to her about being in the inner

circle of george bush and the politics of the day. do you think she's a procrastinato procrastinator? all her life she's been a procrastinator. somebody who has to make split decisions. and there's more where that came from. >> why put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow? the story that shocked the nation a year ago today, a teenager was actually set on fire by classmates he considered to be his friends, michael brewer has been recovering for the last year, how is he doing? we're going to talk to michael along with his whole family. that's a brave young man. and a little bit later on, our own hoda kotbe is telling us how i survived bad hair days,

and kathy lee. good morning once again, everybody, in the news, it could be just hours now until rescuers in chile begin hoisting up 33 miners trapped under ground since early august. chile's health minister says the first out will be the four men who are in the best physical and mental shape who can ride out any glitches and tell the others what to expect. president obama speaks at a town hall meeting tonight in washington. monday in miami where republicans hope to get a house seat obama urged democrats to get out and vote. joe manchin did accept a boost monday from former president bill clinton. officials say a train struck a bus that ignored a warning signal killing at least 40

people and injuring ten others. secretary of state hillary clinton is in bosnia. and you might say the russian army is blowing up its own weapons, russia's military is investing in a new breed of inflatable decoy tanks. it's 8:03, let's go outside for a check of the weather with al. "today's" weather is brought to you by the new electronic scrabble flash. >> we have some nice folks here. i have never heard of lbd. it's got symptoms in common with alzheimer's and parkinson's disease.

this is lbd awareness week. families can go to our website, lbda.org. let's check your weather, green bay, wisconsin, sunny, mild day today with temperatures in the upper 60s, we have got that rain moving out of the northeast, that's good news, heavy rain down around southern florida, we have also got to keep an eye on hurricane paula. slight risk of severe storms in the lower mississippi river valley. beautiful weather around the great lakes, going to be a perfect day, southeast looking pretty good, heavy rain down in southern florida. what a cutie. who's this. >> this is jaden. >> all right, jaden. nice to see you, guy. >> there is a chance for a shower or thunderstorm as we had through this tuesday, but it will be wildly scattered, and to scan of stock to a mixture of

and that's your latest weather. coming up next, a florida teenager who survived being set on fire in a vicious attack one year ago today. michael brewer speaks out in a live interview right after this. you're so good at keeping everyone full... and focused with your fiber. [ laughs ] but you already are great at doing that. really? sure. you're made with fiber, just like me. but best of all, you're the perfect size for smaller kids. [ female announcer ] give your little ones kellogg's® frosted mini-wheats little bites™ cereal in chocolate and now original flavor. they're an excellent source of fiber packed in a smaller size. [ doorbell rings ] oh, it's original little bite™. we're off to practice keeping 'em full and focused. yeah! we've got big shoes to fill!

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this morning on "today's" update, a brutal attack that happened a year ago today, then 15-year-old michael brewer was doused with rubbing alcohol and then set on fire allegedly by a group of classmates. his story and recovery captivated the nation. we're going to talk to michael and his family in a moment. but miguel has more on the story. >> reporter: good morning, when michael was admitted here to the ryder trauma center, his prognosis was grim, in fact his own family wasn't sure he would survive. but in less than three months he was released from the hospital in a recovery that's been described as remarkable. ♪ happy birthday to you >> reporter: turning 16, a milestone for any teenager. ♪ happy birthday dear michael >> reporter: and at first

glansglans glance, michael brewer seems to be just that. >> i'm doing pretty good for a 16-year-old boy. >> reporter: he was surrounded by family and friends celebrating his birthday. but today marks a different kind of anniversary. one year ago, brewer was rushed to a miami hospital in a fight for his life, suffering burns over 80% of his body. police say miky was riding home from school when he was allegedly doused with alcohol and then lit on fire. three of the teens accused in the attack have been charged as adults with second-degree attempted murder, a dispute over $40 and a bicycle. the teens have pled not guilty and are still awaiting trial. >> i would love to see them work at the ryder trauma center and see the pain and the anguish and the heart ache that happens to a burn victim.

>> reporter: although justice in michael's attack have been slow, doctors call his recovery remarkable. after three weeks in a medically induced coma and three surgeries and four skin grafts, michael was released from the hospital after just 13 days. the scars physical and mental. his grandmother says there's still nightmares, michael's father says his son is still angry. but the teenager is clearly resilient and is moving on with his life. >> get a car, get license and then just get out of the house more often. >> reporter: spoken like any other teen, but mikey is celebrating more than just his 16th birthday, this is a second chance at life. although mikey is doing much better and is recovering, the three kids in the case, that case is dragging on.

the judge has just stepped down from the case, he offered no explanation, as for the three teenage kids, they'll be back in court next month. >> michael brewer jr. is here with his parents, valerie and michael and his grand parents. happy birthday. >> thank you. >> you feel okay. >> oh, yeah. >> it's not only your birthday, you went through your final treatment basically, so you are done with that chapter of your life, how did that feel? >> amazing. >> yeah. >> i don't have to go back there no more. >> back to a place where they did so much to help you over the last year. you look like you have put on a little muscle, you have been working out, i know, skate boarding. >> do you have any limitations, michael. >> no. >> so you can do anything you want to do. >> only with math. >> just with math, that's the only limitation. a lot of kids have that one. valerie, i know that last

treatment, that last session must have been very emotional. you put something on facebook, we spent the morning meeting with doctors, nurses and physical therapists who dedicated their time, their talent and their tears to helping mikey, that was very emotional. >> they became a very important part of our lives, they shared our tears, they shared our laughter and our heart ache and it was an emotional time to say goodbye because they have become part of our family. >> i know that you have had i think five surgeries in all. the doctors said you were going to be in the hospital for a very, very long time. when they said that, i think they meant six months, seven months, asing my get just mentioned, you got out of the hospital in just three months. have you figured out why you were able to recover and heal physically and emotionally so quickly. >> i have no idea, i think it's mostly like prayers, belief and

family. >> you've got a really strong family. it's impossible now to all of you not to be incredibly protective of this young man. is that something you have to fight yourselves over, in other words letting him go back to being a normal 16-year-old as opposed to the guy you've nursed back to health over the past year? >> i don't really think so. it's normal for him pretty much. >> he's 16 years old. >> he went through a lot of pain and the emotional trauma and i hate to talk about you as if you're not here, but the emotional trauma of something like this is severe. do you worry at all about long-term emotional impact of something like this. >> sure. certainly. for all of us. it's not for every one of us. >> it's not just michael, it's the whole family. we have a very large family with

lots of children and they were all traumatized by this. >> they all helped. they would all stick themselves underneath the tent and rub his feet and feed him. i mean 12-year-olds, 13-year-olds. >> we are talking way too often about stories like these. >> we know. >> kids being -- you follow them, i know. kids being brutal to other kids. it seems like an epidemic out there. what lessons do you want to be learned from michael's story? >> i want the grown ups, all of us, anybody that's over 21 years of age setting a bart example. i want us to love each other, i want us to love the man in the street everybody. we are showing them how to behave. if we don't care about each other and love each other, how do we expect them to? and if we don't embrace our differences and stop with all

this judgment between economics and race and religion and everything that's out there, how are they ever going to accept each other? we're all supposed to be different, we're not supposed to be the same, we did not come from a cookie cutter. >> some of these things that happen to kids for no reason, as you just mentioned, as a parent, do you ever feel comfortable sending your kid out again? going to a new school, how traumatic is that for you? >> that was very difficult. the first day was very difficult. but he's in a very good school. >> and he's in a good place, it seems like. >> he's in a good place. >> michael happy birthday. >> thank you. >> thank you so much. up next, former secretary of state condoleezza rice right after this. how are those flat rate boxes working out?

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america's chief diplomat, stanford university provost, convert peianist. until she was 25, there was one thing missing from her brilliant resume. she had never learned to swim. not because she wouldn't have loved to, as a little girl growing up in birmingham, alabama she was not allowed at the city pool because she was black. john and angelina rice named their only child after the term with sweetness. in 1963, birmingham was the epicenter of racial tensions and violence. condo lisa was 8 years old when she heard the 15th street baptist church bombing three streets away? four young black girls were

killed, c she knew two of them. >> to know someone really hated you that much. but john rice took another spin on it and he said fight with your mind. >> so while condoleeza continued with her studies, her father would patrol these streets with a shotgun, not only to protect the community, but condoleeza's right to be educated. >> they made all of the resources available for her. >> reporter: including a trip to the white house, to let that you are daughter know even if she couldn't do anywhere she wanted in her own neighborhood, she could be anything she wanted. >> they wanted to expose their kids to new experiences such as learning a foreign language and broadening her horizons, it lets a student know that the world is

larger than just birmingham, alabama. >> reporter: these days condoleeza is reflecting on her time on the world stage in palo alto, california. >> i got a lot of wonderful gifts when i was sec tar of state. but one of the most special was given to me by prime minister ariel shan sharron. it's a torah. we're going to discuss the situation in north korea. condoleezza rice's parents always believed education was her ticket to anywhere and her ticket has gone very, very far. the memoir is called "extraordinary ordinary people," great to have you here. it's been two years since you left as secretary of state, the administration, when you get up in the morning now and you put on the news, do you wish you were back in the middle of it all or are you glad to be

removed from it all? >> i can say isn't that interesting and i don't have to do anything about what's in it. of course i follow like any other citizen, but it's nice to be out of the pressure. >> does secretary of state hillary clinton ever call on you for her perspective? >> we have talked a couple of times but when you're in that job, you don't need people chirping from the outside, but she knows where to find me and a couple of times she has found me. >> the first book you wrote would be about your time there, and that book is still to come. >> it's still to come, that's right. >> but you decided to start with this memoir about your family. why did you start with that? >> people have said how did you become what you were. i wanted people to know john and angelina rice. i wanted them to know that i didn't somehow come full blown

from the head of medussa, it was a family that nurtured education and a community that did the same under really incredible circumstances of segregation. >> and you were agreeing up in the most segregated city in the county there in alabama in the '60s. when those four little girls died in that church bombing you knew two of them personally? >> denise in particular, was a friend, her family were very good friends. and i remember thinking how could people hate us so much, but the wonderful people of birmingham is that they weren't made bitter by the experiences, they weren't beaten down by the experience. they rose to the occasion, they proved that you might not be able to control your circumstances, but you can certainly control how you react to your circumstances. >> and you certainly proved that you could rise to be the most powerful black woman in politics for sure. i want to talk a little bit about the politics of today, start with sudan. darfur occurred during your

administration. if you were secretary of state now, what would you do? >> i trust that secretary clinton and susan rice, the ambassador to the u.n., they're doing everything they can do. but somehow the international community has got to mobilize to stop the potential slaughter. >> can it be stopped? >> it can be stopped. it can be stopped with diplomacy. there was a comprehensive peace agreement that was spare edded by president bush and colin powell that stopped the segregation between the south and the north. now it's gotten very much taken now to make sure that that doesn't result in another civil war. the international community has got to step up to the plate. >> it's got to be somewhat frustrating the wars in iraq and afghanistan both were started during your time in washington. we still have a presence in both places s are you surprised that we're still there. >> history has a long arc, not a short one, but when you're talking about changing decades

even centuries of behavior when people are trying to learn to live in democratic -- i have seen democracy triumph, i even sue saw a little girl from birmingham, alabama become secretary of state so what seems impossible becomes possible. >> 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 delays in incidents. in monkton, this is the most serious one, overturned vehicle at carroll wrote. lanes are open and 194 and taneytown. other problems due to water main break repairs. lme the clothes that are about

harford. aspen hill road, center turn lane closed their bread -- the center turn lane closed there. we are down to 32 miles per hour approaching this scene. live view of traffic showing you what is going on at white marsh. delays have dissipated just a bit. like to traffic at old court, west side outer the delays -- live view of capital corp., west side outer loop delays. >> most of the rain has pushed off to the east and showers in southern part of new jersey there. nothing showing up around baltimore right now. as we head into the afternoon, we still have a chance for a shower thunderstorm in the forecast. low 60s right now. it is going to be a mild the debris upper seventies later on. 34% chance for a thunderstorm mostly this afternoon.

nice day tomorrow. cooler, with a high temperature of only 68. good chance for rain at the end of the week. breezy and chilly and thursday and friday. at this point it looks like we will clear up over the weekend. high temperatures in the 60's on saturday. saturday. >> bob ehrlich says he wants to fix maryland. but he increased state spending by record amounts. ehrlich raised $3 billion in taxes and fees... including property taxes... and a 40% increase in college tuition. and now he's made over $1 billion in new promises... with no plans to pay for them...

except for cutting education. cuts that will lay off teachers and increase class sizes. that's not a budget. and bob ehrlich's not the kind of leader... we can trust. 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!!! we're back now, 8:30 on a thursday morning. it's also the 12th day of october, 2010. we have cleared up boou beautifully in the last couple of hours after some rugged weather overnight. we have got some nice people out

on the plaza. i'm matt lauer along with al roker and meredith viera, ann curry. >> hoda kotbe shares with us. we're going to hear from her just ahead. >> and she said -- somebody said share it so we can all benefit. what else you got. >> we have got hillary swank here as well as sam rockwell, they're going to be starring in a new movie called "conviction." it's a real life story of a man who went to prison for a crime he did not commit. and we have got a hearty family meal. the aroma is splendid. lamb shank. before we go any further, can we say hello to tena

elliott? tena is the latest contestant to be voted off the ranch on "biggest loser." careful what you wish for. because you said, you know what? i want to get out of this ranch, and they got you out. are you sorry you said that? >> no, i think it was the best place for me at that point to go home. i think it was. i had learned a lot on the ranch. i felt like i had gotten enough. and being on the ranch enabled me to continue when i got home. i think people don't realize how tough emotionally it is on the show. the physical journey, obviously, we see that, but the emotional journey, being away from your family and your support system is -- it was a little more difficult than what i expected. >> you used the tools wisely because you started at the ranch at 263 pounds, you look fantastic. how much have you lost. >> i've lost 70 pounds.

>> and now you're paying it forward, you're helping your daughter. >> my daughter's doing it herself too. we work out on the weekends, but she does a class on mondayed a friday morning and she's lost a total of 85 pounds. >> and she's inspired by you. it must feel good for you to have done that, inspired your daughter. >> yes, it does, it feels wonderful. >> you're working on your husband, i imagine. >> he loves hot dogs. >> he's a man after my own heart. thank you, tena, thank you very much. and i want to tell you that the "biggest loser" airs tonight on nbc, that's 8:00, 7:00 central time. mr. rockier? >> absolutely, let's show you what's happening as far as today is concerned. we have got the jet stream, a band of air 20,000 feet above the earth's surface.

as we move on to thursday, upper level low develops along the northeast. thursday into friday, heavy rain, lots of wind, a real mess, and the system's bringing lots of rain out to the pacific northwest as well. >> there is a chance for a shower or thunderstorm as we head for the day, but it is going to be widely scattered, hit and miss. otherwise, clouds and a little otherwise, clouds and a little bit of >> don't forget you can check your weather any time of the day or night on the weather channel or weather.com. >> when we come back, hillary swank -- actually when we come backs, hoda kotbe.

she's going to talk to surviving everything from condoleezza rice to kathy lee gifford. everything from condoleezza rice to kathy lee gifford.

bob ehrlich says he wants to fix maryland. but he increased state spending by record amounts. ehrlich raised $3 billion in taxes and fees... including property taxes... and a 40% increase in college tuition. and now he's made over $1 billion in new promises... with no plans to pay for them... except for cutting education. cuts that will lay off teachers and increase class sizes. that's not a budget. and bob ehrlich's not the kind of leader... we can trust.

we are back at 8:36. we all know and love hoda around here. but how well do we really know her? how i survived a war zone, bad hair, cancer and kathy lee. >> i was 21, working as a television reporter at the cbs affiliate making a call on pay phone. an older black woman walked up to me in a phone booth, cupped my face in her hands and said what is you. my parents got married in cairo and they did what a lot of young couples did back in the day, come to america because you

could do anything in america. we were red, white and blue as kids growing up. and it's funny how later you realize how much that helped you because you aren't always bathed in the shadow of different. my sister was already out of college, but adel and i were still students at tech. i was all dressed up but adel walked up in street clothes. he told me to come outside, i was getting scared and i refused to leave. i said tell me now, what is going on? dad had a heart attack? is he okay? please say yes, adlel, please say yes. no. it's weird when you read it written down, you know? and even that many years ago, you still look at it and you think i can't believe that's how the end came, you know?

why is my hair in the family section? because my hair is kind of like a family member. i can tell if a salon is physically and emotionally i quipped for my hair. my fear always of going to prison is that hair. i'm going to come out prison looking like i killed someone when i didn't. i'm often ask what is kathy lee really like? kathy lee is not a diva. she asks everyone about their family and friends and keeps up with the happenings. >> we love you, hoda.

sometimes i look across the table and i think, is this my life? just as i was fiddling around for my ear plugs, a stranger in the seat next to me said hello. we made some small talk about our lives and then he ask me what i was wearing on my arm. i will tell you, i have breast cancer. i hope you have four or five other things you think of before breast cancer. he said what is wrong with you? breast cancer is a part of you, it's like going to colleges, working at nbc, getting married, he said i'm going to give you some advice and then i'll let you go to sleep. okay, i said, he said the following words which now mean so much to me today, don't hog your journey, it's not just for you, you can take your business and shove it deep in your

pockets and take to it your grave or you can help someone, it's your choice. >> oh, i love that. that's nice. >> who was the guy? >> ken, i was coming back from ireland. remember i went there right after my surgery and he sat next to me and i remember all i wanted to do was fall asleep and i thought, i was five seconds away from missing a moment. i was about to put any ear plugs in and i would have not spoken to him and i will never forget him. later he was diagnosed with cancer and called me and he's better now. >> so you stayed in touch. >> yeah. >> so you developed breast cancer, you went through a very messy divorce and you say now in retrospect, it was a gift that year. >> i think it's strange when you have two big things you're dealing with at the same time, you sort of have to part your grief, you can't focus too much on your illness because your marriage is in trouble. and then when you're worried about your marriage, you think i

got to go a doctor so you can't go down into depression. it's almost like having two kids instead of one. so you keep your head above water that way. >> the word for you the forward. with all of that you have moved forward and with such great success and now you're trying with this book to have other people. in other words this whole idea of doing good. >> i still wear the ring that says forward. >> a lot of heart. >> the biggest issue, how have you survived kathie lee? >> with a box of wine on the set. >> the same way i survive you. >> wow. >> paying it forward. >> you want to talk more about this later? >> good book party. >> thank you. >> a lot more coming up in our

next half hour. >> oscar winner hillary swank and the incredible true story they're bringing to the big screen. but first, this is "today"

back now at 8:44. after serving 18 years in prison for a murder he did not commit, kenneth waters was finally released in 2001. and he had his sister beatty ann to thank, she put herself through college and law school just to prove his innocence. now their story is coming to the big screen in the new movie "conviction". >> this isn't a choice, you have to do this. i'm leaving. you do it. or i'll kill you.

this is your lawyer talking. >> i must say that ten times during this interview, this is a true story. you have to keep repeating that to be swept up in the real power of it. when did you first hear about it. >> when i read the script. i actually didn't know about the story before, you know, i knew it was on a lot of news shows and everything, but i didn't hear it until i read the script. >> if somebody sat down and made it up, if it were a work of fiction, you probably still would have signed on to the project. but this happened the way you tell it. >> it's true and it's hard to believe. >> life is really stranger than fiction. because some of the stuff that happened in the movie, you would say that's fiction. >> the character you play in this, the real woman you play in this, he dedicated her life, and i don't want to say that too

lightsly, she dedicated her life and sacrificed everything important to her to accomplish this. tell me about her. >> she's one of the most courageous people that i know. >> did she spend time on the set? >> she was actually on the set a lot. she had a room and a monitor and she said that she thought it was very cathartic to watch it unfold. she's this self-less person full of grace and humility and a reminder of what's important which is family. >> and ironically, as she was going through this, her marriage fell apart, and her children went to live with their father so she paid a dear price for this. >> she got the luxury of getting to know betty ann, but here's a guy who spent 18 years in prison for a murder, he gets out and what happens? >> he fell off a wall taking a

shortcut through his neighborhood and had a brain an yo entrepreneurism. >> it was the best six months of his life. >> he was on the "today" show, he was on "oprah." >> we should mention, the day after kenny got released from prison after 18 years, he and betty ann were on this program and i remember doing that interview and thinking this is just astonishing. how did you get to know him not having the luxury of meeting him. >> we spent a weekend with betty ann and she told stories about kenny and we saw footage like this and i heard audio tapes of him talking to his lawyer after he had been arrested. betty ann and the relatives really supplied us with a lot of great stories. >> but it is a challenge to play someone -- i get to sit and talk to betty and pick her brain, but sam knocked it out of the park on this one. >> let's gush a little bit about each other. i read in an interview that you

gave, when you first started working with hillary, you were intimidated by her. >> sure i was. >> i'm intimidated now. >> i'm intimidated all time just by going to the bank. i'm such a huge fan of hillary's and she a fierce, fierce actor, a real force of nature. i mean she's the real deal and she brings her a-game and so i wanted to bring my a-game. >> and he did. >> you said that the experience working with her was one of the best you have ever had with an actor? >> first of all the chemistry that we just natural have together was extraordinary, and usually you have to work to get to that place. but i have been a big fan of sam's and he's been doing this for decades now, but we would travel somewhere else and we would plop back down when tony would say cut. >> we should talk about the fact that hopefully this movie will draw attention to the fact that there are other kenny waters out there? >> that is right. as we speak right now, there are

ine innocent people in prison and hopefully this will shed a bright light on the flaws of our justice system. >> dna has cleared 250 people. "conviction" hits theaters on friday. bob ehrlich says he wants to fix maryland. but he increased state spending by record amounts. ehrlich raised $3 billion in taxes and fees... including property taxes... and a 40% increase in college tuition. and now he's made over $1 billion in new promises... with no plans to pay for them... except for cutting education. cuts that will lay off teachers and increase class sizes. that's not a budget. and bob ehrlich's not the kind of leader...

we can trust.

"today's" kitchen is brought to you by maxwell house coffee. be good to the last drop. >> this morning on "today's" kitchen, we're going back to basics, straight from the cookbook "a family meal." tyler, good morning to you. you moved to san francisco, you

resettled there and that's the inspiration for this book, how so? >> so family meal is really a study of taking care of who is really special in your life. the people you love under your roof, your neighbors and also your work family so the new book really celebrates that. it's 150 fantastic recipes, they're all shot in northern california, the food looks really beautiful. great flavors and dishes you can definitely make. >> this is something you would make for your family. what is lamb shank. >> that's four shanks on a lamb, it's either the front shank or the back shank. it's just as easy to make as pot roast. >> you started by cooking your slices. >> i pulled some beautiful, very amazing but very simple flavor of spices that you normally have in your cabinet.

and that's by toasting them. so you're going to wake up the essential oils. this is fennal and coreander and black pepper. this has an aroma to it. >> so you put this in a grinder or a mortar an pestle? >> you can put it through a mortar and pestle. or you can put it through a spice grinder. this is a beautiful seasoning mix. you can put it right on top. >> it's a rub. >> and you want a little bit of salt and pepper and just some great extra virgin olive oil into the bottom of the pot and you want to it sear. so you got a little bit of extra virgin olive oil. these are seared. so if you're going to braise, color equals flavor. color is everything. if you put them straight into a pot, you're not going to maximize how good they could be.

so we're going to put these back into the pan here, and we're going to cover our lamb shanks. just some caretrocarrots, celer onion. put them right on top. some some great herbs here, we have bomb psome bay leaves. >> where does the beer come in. >> we have got some butter and margarine. when you make a great meal, everybody comes. a little splash of red wine. and then we got a couple for you. and guinness is a really beautiful brazen liquid that not a lot of people use. i love it for like cheers, 30 seconds left. you put it right on top. this is going to braise for like two hours until they really start to fall apart. you got some roasted carrots on

top. we have some beautiful shanks that go right to the oven. >> thank you very much. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. a man remains in serious condition after being shot during a party over the weekend. anne arundel county police say it happened about 1:15 sunday morning in severn bridge witnesses said they saw several gunshots. there were also reports of a vehicles fleeing the scene. the vict

>> now let's take a look at the

forecast on again. >> -- forecast with tony pann. >> fairly quiet start, but there could be a few scattered showers and thunderstorms popping up. otherwise, a mixture of clouds and a little bit of sunshine. unseasonably mild again, with high temperatures on the upper 70's. right in that neighborhood tomorrow. good chance for rain at the end of the week. kind of chilly, with a high of only 61. i do think it will clear up over the weekend. >> thank you for joining us. another weather update at 9:25. eaks to send jobs over seas. 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!!! bob ehrlich says he wants to fix maryland. but he increased state spending by record amounts. ehrlich raised $3 billion in taxes and fees... including property taxes... and a 40% increase in college tuition. and now he's made over $1 billion in new promises... with no plans to pay for them.