good morning. destination home. that crippled carnival cruise liner being tugged into san diego's harbor this morning, three days after fire knocked out the ship's fire. we'll hear from some passengers on board. west's view, kanye west said george bush doesn't care aut black people and the former president called that the worst moment of his pretsiden preside. this morning, kanye west's response and interview that got him tweeting mad. gene shalit after 41 years,

ready to say good-bye. movie reviews will never be the same, thursday, november 11th, 2010. and welcome today, this thursday morning. i'm meredith vieira. >> i'm matt lauer. we have 4500 people aboard carnival's cruise ship. do you think they will be happy today? >> i think they will be very happy. they're waiting for them to pull off the delicate docking operations and we will hear about the challenges they have had to face straight ahead. outrage over an e-book listed on amazon's list.

the bed file's guide to love and pleasure. and we'll tell you what amazon is saying about this controversy. smokers to quit amid a graphic controversy. will it work? coming up. on a much lighter note, the entire dugger family will join us for an exclusive live interview and yet again, they have a big announcement to make. the carnival cruise liner, a fire left it without power and miguel is in san diego. good morning to you. >> reporter: matt, good morning. right now, that ship is 15 miles off the coastline. at first light, it will begin the slow tow process to the dock behind me. that will take several hours. for the several thousand sand passengers on board, the end of their trip is finally in sight. >> reporter: the carnival cruise ship, slend dor, had to be towed back to shore by tugboat.

113,000 tons of dead weight, adrift in the pacific since monday. a fire in the aft generator room knocked out power. there's been no hot water, no hot meals, no electricity for some of the nearly 4500 people aboard. >> there are still people in the dark here. inward cabins have no windows, in total back. >> reporter: a passenger told nbc news by cell phone, his dream vacation sunk at sea. >> everybody was looking forward to going on this trip to the mexican riviera and we ended up stuck in the middle of the ocean. >> reporter: when the crippled ship nearly ran out of food tuesday, the "uss ronald reagan" was called in to help. the navy airlifted 60,000 pounds of supplies to the splendor, but the gourmet all you can eat buffets were over. they turned to spam, and bred and a steady diet of long lines.

>> almost like a diet cruise. we've been eating salads and fruit and small sandwiches. >> reporter: stranded at sea wasn't the way anyone planned to spend their vacation much less their honeymoon. jeffrey and sabrina were married saturday and their family finally reached them wednesday. >> they were awoke by the smell of smoke in their cabin and instinctually reached for life jackets and ran for the deck. >> no one was injured but they suffered the next several days. the journey finally comes to an end today but only after a slow tug of 6 miles an hour. carnival has called the trip challenging. >> we know we ruined their vacations. we thought the best thing nor us to do was to give them their money back, make them whole on this. >> reporter: in the meantime, on board, carnival said it tried to ease tensions any way they could. >> the bars have actually been open. we opened the bars.

we've been providing free drinks. >> reporter: but once many of those 3,000 passengers get back here on land, their trip isn't over. the trip originated in long beach and many will have to jump on a bus for a two hour ride up north. matt, the cause of this fire in the engine room is still under investigation. >> all right. miguel in san diego this morning, thanks for your report. we appreciate it. five after the hour. now after the political battle in washington, who will lead the democrats in congress? kelly has the latest, good morning to you. >> reporter: hi there, meredith. if you thought the elections were over, not so fast. there's another critical set of votes happening next week when all the newly and re-elected members of congress come to town to choose their party leaders. on both sides, there's already been a lot of jockeying for positions. john boehner's big promotion comes in january.

>> you will see, from day one, that i say what i mean and i mean what i say. >> reporter: a couple of spots on boehner's team are up for grabs and one newcomer is generating buzz. republicans added a new leadership position for just one newly elected member. south dakota's christie got plenty of notice with this. >> first of all, i won't make nancy pelosi speaker. i approved this message. sorry, nancy. >> reporter: and she has backing and so does michele bachmann, who claimed her ability to mobilize activists qualified her for a place in gop leadership. but bachmann bowed out wednesday night in favor of an establishment conservative. >> i think he stands for the same things michelle does. not like a choice one person is on the dark side and the other person is in the tea party.

>> reporter: counting votes is what speaker nancy pelosi does very well. even after republicans tried to drive her out, she has enough support to remain the top democrat. >> fire nancy, fire nancy! >> reporter: after her party's dramatic fall, her allies are still around. >> the caucus is more liberal now because a lot of moderate and conservative members were defeated. her base is very strong. >> reporter: but pelosi's surprising decision to stay has triggered a divisive scramble. in the next congress, democrats lose one leadership position, that leaves current majority leader steny hoyer and whip jim clyburn fighting to win the same spot. >> what's happening is people are trying to decide if one candidate has the votes. >> reporter: taking an indirect shot at nancy pelosi, boehner says as speaker, he will not use military planes to get home, a security measure provided to pelosi and her republican

predecessor. >> i have flown back and forth to my district on commercial aircraft and i will continue to do that. >> reporter: using military airplanes for the speakers of the house was designed to increase security after 9/11. boehner says he won't do that anymore. for those who have to decide between howier and clyburn, it's a tough squall, howier is more moderate and jim clyburn is the highest ranki inin ining african in the house and nancy pelosi would like to see them both stay. >> welcome this morning. >> thank you. >> nancy pelosi, i think she surprised a lot of people when she said she would run for minority leader. her poll numbers are very low. how do the democrats feel about her being the face of their party the next few years. >> there is obviously concerned. the people i talked to in the white house said it could be

overanalyzed. and they don't think it's the face of the person in 2012. the inside is what nancy pelosi is best at, getting things passed, raising money for democrats, holding things in line. and she can be a polarizing figure we saw after the elections. >> john boehner, likely to take her position as speaker of the house, took a jab at her and said, when i'm speaker, i won't be taking military jets, i will take commercial flights. what do you think the priority will be for the party? >> cutting spending. if you reach out to the tea party base, you will say, i won't spend all that money on government travel for me. he has a job to do, as part of the establishment of the republican party, say to these tea party folks coming in, i'm with you, hear you, all about that agenda, cutting earmarks and pet projects and cutting

spending. that's all we're talking about in washington. >> speaking of that, there is a government commissioncutting the deficit that received a lot of criticism from republicans and democrats because it recommended cutting back on social security and medicare and a number of tax breaks and you say the white house was somewhat blindsided by this. >> i think they got some heads up, it was late but some surprise it would go this early. the feeling in the white house is let's not comment on this right now because if we go in one way or another we will hurt the magic number of 14 commission members have to agree on a plan before congress can take it up otherwise this is an intellectual exercise. i think there was a little bit of surprise and want to float some controversial -- this is shock therapy in terms of government spending, and maybe they will revise some of it before it actually comes up for a vote. >> is this the kind of thing that will force votes of republicans an democrats to get together. this will call a lot of people's bluff. if you want to get serious and

make painful choices in the budget. here are trillions of dollars of ideas from raising taxes on gasoline to raising the age on social security. we're harpooning every whale in the sea, it was said and minnows, too. the reason it hasn't been done before is the politics are horrible. we will see how committed the white house and republicans are to making painful choices if they really want to bring the debt down. >> everything we're hearing suggest the bush tax cuts will be extended. is that the likely scenario? >> a lot of that energy and momentum is for that, at least a period of two to three years and then get into the realm of larger deficit ideas in terms of bringing spending down. this is a really likely area for the president to sand side by side with speaker boehner and other republicans. >> all right. david gregory, thank you so much. >> you bet. let's get a check of the rest of the morning's top stories from ann curry at the newsdesk. >> good morning. we begin with a development

overnight on the president's trip to seoul, srk, where he is ascending the g-20 economic summit. savannah guthrie joins us with details. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. already a setback here, a deal on a trade agreement with south korea did not come through and the president has now weighed in on that debt commission's idea to drastically cut the budget deficit. the president spent veteran's day far from home but close to u.s. troops. >> there's no place i'd rather be than right here with u.s. forces korea. >> reporter: insult for the meeting of the world's economic powers, the president sidestepped and explosive judgment from back home, a draft from the president's economic commission to slash the deficit. he said the shout-out from both parties already panning the commission's work. >> before anybody starts shooting down proposals, i think

we need to listen. i set up this commission prec e precisely because i'm prepared to make tough decisions. i can't make them alone. i'm going to need congress to, with with me. >> reporter: meanwhile, despite days of last minute negotiations, no deal on the u.s. korea free-trade agreement. talks bogged down whether korea would further open its markets to u.s. auto and beef imports, a political hot potato. in 2008, koreans rioted over fears of mad cow disease when reports of u.s. beef imports resumed. >> trade is a win-win for both countries and i think it can be achieved 1234679d. >> reporter: the met with the chinese president not to keep its currency artificially low which the president said hurts u.s. business. >> thanks. turns out one of the parcel bombs from yemen was to detonate

over the u.s. at 5:30 a.m. eastern time. authorities found and dismantled the bomb in a stopover in england. reaching an agreement for new government in iraq after eight months of deadlock. it would keep nuri al maliki as the prime minister. a soon to be released study finds allowing gays to openly serve in the military poses little or no threat to the war effort according to the "washington post." news of this study emerges as the obama administration is asking the support to keep the controversial "don't ask, don't tell" policy in place pending further review. the so-called barefoot bandit has been indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly stealing and flying small planes while barefoot. he became so famous while on the land, thousands formed a facebook tribute in his honor. if you ever wanted to walk a mile in bernie madoff shoes, it can happen while he serves 150

year sentence for defrauding investors. u.s. marshals will auction off his belongings including his wife's 10.5 karat diamond ring to his embroidered slippers. it is now 7:14. >> thank you very much. a check of the weather from mr. roker. how are you? >> doing pretty good. showers and thunderstorms stretching from texas to the mid-west this morning. part of a slow moving cold front from oklahoma to st. louis. looking at showers and thundershowers firing up. 1- 1-2 inch of rain. looking for coastal flood advisories along the new jersey shoreline and rain moves to the pacific northwest and we have more mountain snows through colorado and picks up anywhere from 4-6 inches of snow in the >> good morning.

things are pretty quiet at home. temperatures in the 30's and 40's. a little on the cool side, but it will be a nice afternoon. high that's your latest weather. matt. al, thanks very much. to a graphic new campaign to get smokers to quit the habit. the food & drug administration is posing new warning labels for cigarettes that show categorically smoking kills. nbc tom costello has details on this. good morning to you. >> reporter: these are incredibly jarring images meant to get your attention. a mask on a face and cancer rouse lung and body with a toe

tag. cigarette warning labels haven't changed in 25 years. the fda is hoping this labels will make smoker think twice. >> the issue here isn't why should people smoke -- >> reporter: it's an a big reason why "madman has such an authentic touch, all that cigarette smoke. for a long time, smoking wag associated with cool, even healthy. >> what cigarette do you smoke, doctor? the brand named most was camel. >> reporter: by 1962, 40% of americans smoked. today, despite warning labels on the side of cigarette packs, 21% of americans still smoked, 19% of high schoolers. now, the fda is rolling out the most graphic warnings yet covering half the cigarette pack, cancer close-ups, tombstones, dead bodies and children surrounded by smoke. the fda's goal to cut in half the smoking rate within ten years. >> with this new graphic warning

label approach, 50% of the cigarette pack is going to be a warning label with a message and a graphic picture. >> reporter: smoking remains the leading cause of preventable deaths with 443,000 americans dying from smoking related illness every year and costing $100 billion. the fda is using the warnings to target smokers who want to quit and teens who are tempted to start. but will they work? >> it's frightening stuff. >> reporter: jerry has spent 35 years in advertising. he's skeptical. >> i don't think it will work. i don't think it will work because they make one mistake that. they don't realize they're dealing with addicts. >> reporter: 1,000 teens get hooked everyday and many feel they're invincible. we showed 19-year-old jay lee the warning and he started smoking when he was 15. >> i feel it could happen to me and may or may not. that's the thing. so once i actually start coughing and spitting blood out or something, then i will

definitely stop. >> if i were considering smoking, i wouldn't do it anymore. but if i already were smoking, i don't think i would stop. >> i've been smoking for like eight years now. it hasn't hurt me yet, so -- >> reporter: president obama himself has struggled to quit smoking. reynolds tobacco says it's challenging this law that gives the fda the authority to require bigger more graphic labels. philip geronimo says it's been working with the fda and will continue to do so and if approved, it could be on packs in the next two years. >> now, here's meredith. >> now, for a book listed on amazon's website, offering advice to pedophiles opening a firestorm of controversy. natalie has details. good morning. >> good morning to you. a self published, he book titled "the pedophile's guide to love and pleasure," a defense of pedophilia. the online voices against it are

growing louder. amazon.com has all kinds of e books on their kindl e-book store site but one is causing controversy, "the bed file's guide to love and pleasure." offering a description of his self published, he book. this is my attempt to make pedophile situations safer for those juveniles who that find themselves involved in them by establishing certain rules for these adults to follow. he goes on to say i hope to achieve this by appearing to the better nature of ped do sexuals with hope that they're doing so will result in less hatred and perhaps lighter sentences should they be caught. >> it's offensive and on kindle. out there to the mass. i'm very upset about it. >> reporter: the e-book online since later october caused

thousands of answers, horrible, lost my business, are some of countless reviews 0 of the book. and anger exploded online. a flurry of tweeters expressing outrage and dedicated to boycotting amazon just as holiday shopping gets under full swing. >> they're feel to free what they want to think. >> reporter: the author himself said he is not a pedophile defended himself outside his colorado home. >> every time you see them on television, they're either rapists or kidnappers. that's not an accurate representation of that particular sexuality. >> reporter: amazon.com responded saying it is censorship not to sell certain books simply because we or others believe their message is objectionable and support the right of others to make their own purchasing decisions. >> perhaps it's free speech but shouldn't be so widely marketed as it is. >> by wednesday night, fewer than 100 books had reportedly been sold online. overnight, that link to buy the

e-book is no longer available. no word if amazon reversed their decision. >> thank you very much. coming up, kanye west responds to former president george w. bush, who called west outburst during the katrina telethon the worst moment of his presidency.

just ahead, all 23 members of the dugger family will join us to make an announcement. and gene shalik after an incredible 41 years on "today." [ female announcer ] ever worn your clothes in the shower?

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use extra caution. charles between fayette and money men, closures in effect. -- and monument, closures in effect until noon today. another one being cleared at washington boulevard and 175. eastbound 100 on the bed just past 97. -- on the ramp just past 97. delay-wise, not doing too bad. moving very well around the beltway. live view of traffic in the area of the beltway. southbound 295 going away from us. watch for delays around waterview. live view of traffic around harford, looking at a bit of a backup. >> good morning, everyone. another nice start for us. beautiful clothes to morning. temperatures on the chilly side. but nothing unusual for this time of year.

40 degrees downtown. -- 48 degrees downtown. light and variable winds. mid-60's, and son set at 4:55. about as good as it gets for this time of year. 70 tomorrow. 68 on saturday. by far the best chance for rain will hold off until the middle of next week. >> check the bottom of your screen for updated news and traffic information. back at 7:55.

mackynzie. 7:30 now on this veterans day, thursday morning, november 11th, 2010. we have a big crowd on the plaza this morning, a lot of these people no doubtedly heading to the veteran's day parade a little later on, one of the most important days of the year. i'm matt lauer, along with meredith vieira. pat tillman put his militfol career on hold to join the military and killed by friendly

fire in april of 2004. and his wife speaks out about his remarkable life and his legg g legacy. gene shalit is leaving his critic's corner, the indelible mark he has left not only on this show but a whole culture. and the duggar family and an announcement they have to make in an live interview. former president george w. bush describes the moment when kanye west said he didn't care about black people as the worst moment of his presidency. this morning, kanye west will respond and we'll show you a moment in that interview that caused him to fire off some angry tweets. we'll have that straight ahead. a tragic story, a 14-year-old michigan girl takes her own life weeks after raising sexual assault allegations against another teenager.

nbc has the story. >> reporter: an emotional outburst outside a courtroom from a mother who just lost her only daughter. >> i cannot live knowing that my daughter is not getting any justice. >> reporter: june's 14-year-old daughter, samantha kelly was found dead after an apparent suicide monday night weeks after she told a fox reporter in new york she had been sexually assaulted by a neighbor. >> i told him, you're hurting me, hurting me and i want to leave. >> reporter: samantha reported the alleged rape and police charged the 18-year-old. she w he was a senior and she was a freshman and charged with criminal conduct and statutory rape after investigators determined the two had had consensual sex. samantha's family said she attended school only sporadically after the attack and said she was taunted and

bullied by classmates. >> she's an slut and whore and this and that. >> reporter: he took to tweeting after the charges, saying you said i [ bleep ]. your life up but you're the one who lies saying you're scared to get in trouble. you threw this on me. on wednesday, the prosecutor dismissed charges against him saying the only eyewitness was samantha and she was now dead, there was now not enough evidence to take the case to trial. late wednesday, he broke his silence, saying he was sorry about samantha's death. >> i'm having my charges dropped. i wish there was another way that happened so somebody's life could be here today because it didn't have to end that way. >> reporter: samantha's mother directed her anger at tarnopolski and the justice system that set her free. >> where is the right to my daughter? >> reporter: a makeshift memorial of stuffed animals

stands out side samantha's home as her name joins a growing list of teen, who, like samantha, committed suicide, after their families say they were bullied to death. >> that was john yang reporting. >> thanks. as we look at some temperatures out there, we have a tale of two countries, a cold front, and ahead of it, temperatures anywhere from 10 to 25 degrees above normal. st. louis will be 10-20 degrees above normal an denver, 15 degrees above normal and getting snow today and we have more rain moving to the pacific northwest and mountain snows and flurries in the central and northern plains and sunshine and breezy conditions along >> temperatures will be close to eight to 10 degrees above average.

shooting check your weather any time of the day, go to weather channel, on cable, weatherchannel.com. he is 0 nnot a stranger to controversy and back in the headlines about former president george w. bush. as we mentioned, president bush opens about the memoir in that famous moment when west said george bush doesn't care about black people. it's something i asked president bush about when we sat down recently in texas. >> i didn't appreciate it then and i don't appreciate it now. it's one thing to say, you know, i don't appreciate the way he's handled his business, it's another thing to say the man's a racist. i resent it.

it's not true. it's one of the most disgusting moments of my presidency. >> a two-term president who ran the country during katrina, 9/11 and wars in iraq and afghanistan and the financial meltdown and he's pointing the finger at kanye west and that incident as the worst moment in his presidency. i asked kanye west to respond to president bush's remarks. >> as far as it being the worst moment of his presidency, i can't really speak to that. you know, but as his take, his explanation, i completely agree with it. i empathize totally. i felt like that the entire time that, you know, i was being, you know, held as a hero and everyone saying, i'm so happy you said that. i didn't like you before but now i like you because you said this and you sit there and you know, in your heart as a person, that to, in a moment of emotion to peg someone or call a name or

peg someone as a racist is not -- it's just not right. >> there was great frustration with the response to hurricane katrina. there, we were standing there, it was just a few day, less than a week afterward. while most people expressed frustration, you did take it across the line and said, you made it a little more sinister, that the federal response to katrina was because of race. do you regret having said that now? >> i don't want to speak on the word regret, and i think a lot of things that happened in america period are because of race, just the way this country was built in the struggle we had to get into, you know, position, you know, through media, through social position, through so many -- a way bigger conversation than that. but what i wanted to speak to with bush was just to say that i

empathize with the idea of being pegged as a racist. >> just play the tape, don't even listen this time. i want you to look at his face when he is commenting about you. look at him. this is the most emotional he got during my entire 3 1/2 hour interview with him. what would you say to him if he would meet with you face to face, i'm not sure he would but if he would. >> i didn't need you guys to to the show me the tape to prompt my emotion. >> look at his face. what would you say to him? >> pre-looking aggravate his face, i wanted to say something to him right after the fact, would say, i don't have to do tv stuff with me, this is reality, the real thing going on. this is -- you know what i'm saying? i don't need all the jazz. i would say to -- can you be quiet for a second?

i would tell george bush in my moment of frustration, that i didn't have the grounds to call him a racist. >> you're sorry? >> yeah, i'm sorry for -- >> i think i get the point. >> i want to give it the exact perfect wording because everything that i say gets taken and drawn into headlines and i'm here to man up to different mistakes that i made and speak to the, you know, the moment when i pegged george bush as a racist. i came here to say that i made mistakes, that i've grown as a person, and that it's not as

easy as boxing someone into a villain role or race role. i did not have the information, enough information in that situation, to call him a racist. that might have been the emotion that i felt, but me being a rational, well thought out, empathetic human being and thinking about it after the fact, i would have chosen different words. even in these times where i was considered to have done something so wrong, my motivation was from a good place, maybe mistimed, maybe not the right wording, not using or realizing the power of my words and the way they would stop the internet, but nonetheless, it's very pure and from a good place. >> it sounds to me, not to oversimplify it, what you're saying is we're human, we make mistakes but we have to learn from our mistakes? >> yes. >> during the interview, kanye west also told me he empathized with president bush because he,

too, talking about kanye, here, was called a racist when he interrupted taylor swift at the 2009 mtv music awards. as we often do today, we rolled video of that moment during his answer. we'll show you his reaction in a moment. after that interview, kanye fired off several tweets including this one, quote, i really wonder if matt lauer thought that blank was cool to play the mtv clip while i was speaking about bush. here's what he was talking about. >> we're alluding to when you walked onto the stage and grabbed the mike from taylor swift, this wasn't a guy expressing his musical preference, a guy making a statement of race, that beyonce was greater than taylor swift and you got accused of racism. >> it was so funny to me it could be a race thing, i was expressing my frustration from years and years of seeing -- you

know -- how am i supposed to talk if you're going to run this thing in the middle of while i'm talking. >> it's under. you won't be hearing it. >> i'm hearing it while i try to talk. >> could you take the sound out. you said it wasn't a race thing. >> please don't let that happen. it's [ bleep ] ridiculous. >> it's something we do everyday, when a guest is talking about an incident or a location, we run video of that location or that incident. there was nothing improper about it, nothing unusual about it. >> right. very common. >> whatsoever. we should mention president bush was here wednesday and he said he appreciated west's apology. that's what all the hubbub is about. >> okay. doesn't seem like much but -- >> we look forward to kanye's return for a special live concert on the plaza, friday, november 26th, the day after thanksgiving. up next, pat tillman breaks her silence about her husband's death in afghanistan six years

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siblings have spoken out about his life and death, his wife, marie, has mostly stayed out of the public spotlight. this morning, she is with us for the first live television interview. thanks for joining us. >> thanks. >> you have done a lot behind the scenes for the pat tillman foundation and granted a couple interviews and some public appearances. this is your first live television interview. why now? >> the purpose for me being here today is to talk about the work of the foundation and efforts we're making to help create the next generation of leaders through our tillman military scholars program. >> i know you worked closely with veterans and those actively deployed with their families, has that helped you in your struggle the past six years? >> it has in a lot of ways, to be able to put my effort into something that is sort of forward-looking and about the future of these veterans we're helping has been a great experience for me. >> i want to go back to 2001. pat is playing football for the arkansas -- i'm sorry, arizona

cardinals, you're engaged to be married, then september 11th happened. what kind of impact did that have on him? >> it had a huge impact on him. you know, similar to a lot of people in this country at that time, it made him sort of think about his life and what he wanted to do with it. that was really what prompted him to join the army. >> there were so many people shocked by his decision, surprised because he was leaving a very lucrative career in football and putting himself in harm's way. what didn't they understand about pat tillman? >> i think for the people who knew him and had known him for a while, it really wasn't a huge shock. but i think his actions sort of speak for him. you know, you can see through the choices that he made, that he had a real love of, you know, this country and wanted to serve. >> yet he was torn when he went to serve because of his love for you. he kept a diary and of it was

about you and the decision he had made. at one point he writes in the i do are, sometimes, i'm overwhelmed with intense sorrow that is difficult to control, intense need to be close to marie, surrounded by her touch, smell, beauty and ease. it's as though one week of pain is condensed into 5-7 minutes. what have i done? when you hear those words now, what do they mean to you? >> it's difficult to hear, of course. i think that that entry is probably indicative how a lot of families feel when they have someone overseas. it's emotional for them, they have a job they're trying to focus on but have a lot of concern about the people they leave behind. >> did he ever express those concerns to you or any fears he might have had? >> not necessarily fears, but, you know, it was hard for him to go overseas as it is for all the soldiers who fight and to leave their families behind and know -- it's a very stressful

situation. >> it took a long time for the army to admit your husband had been killed by friendly fire and your mother-in-law doggedly pursued this year after year, very frustrated by the military and very angry. you did not do that. why did you not do it? y >> you know, i was involved behind the scenes. it was a very sort of private thing for me when pat was killed that was played out publicly. for me, and for what i needed in order to start my healing process, i just really needed to maintain my privacy. >> i know so much of your husband's life was about finding passion, something to care about. have you found that with the foundation? >> definitely. i mean, i think everyday the men and women we work with and we're able to help and to see the impact it has in their lives is really what keeps me going and keeps me doing the work that i do. >> it's a pleasure to have you here. thank you so much and good luck with the foundation. to find out more about the pat

tillman foundation, head to our website on the todayshow.com. we'll be right back. mom, i worry about my son playing football. which is why i'm really excited. because toyota developed this software that can simulate head injuries and helps make people safer. then they shared this technology with researchers at wake forest to help reduce head injuries on the football field. so, you know, i can feel a bit better about my son playing football. [ male announcer ] how would you use toyota technology to make a better world? learn how to share your ideas at toyota.com/ideasforgood.

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>> 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. >> it is veterans day, so normally a little bit lighter. we have an accident on the west side. it is on the inner loop approaching i dashed 70. a brush fire reported on southbound 795 just past 140. we have other problems to get to. southbound to 95 at waterview, an accident clearing.

we are also tracking our water main break. bring factory road at route 24 at harford county. headiest spot on the northeast outer loop for a ride around the low road towards dulaney valley. live view of traffic on i-70, west side very congested on the outer loop. inner loop past i-270 is where we had the accident. -- past i-70 is where we had the accident. tony, over to you. >> another beautiful start on this thursday morning. temperatures moving out of the 30's into the 40's. the report decrease in taneytown. -- 34 degrees in taneytown. mid-60's. sunset at 4:55. we will keep this going into the weekend.

70 tomorrow. upper 60s on saturday. rain chance on sunday, but that does not look like a big deal. >> check the bottom of your screen for updated news and traffic information. back in 25 minutes with another live update.

let me just say a couple of things quickly about mr. shalit, who was such an early supporter of my movies and became my friend and is always going to be my friend. i just want to be able to say that, gene, you are the audience in all of us. your words are indelible and they're burned into all our brains, both the films you've liked and the films you haven't. the important thing is whether you've liked our films, you haven't loved our films, we all love you, and we always have and we always will. 8:00 now on this thursday

morning, november 11th. of course, that was legendary film director, steven, and now, leaving us after 41 years. >> gene has a style instantly recognizable and coming up, we pay tribute to our good buddy, gene, and some of the people whose lives he's touched along the way. >> a lot of folks. ahead, the duggar clan, jim and michelle and their one daughter in law and their granddaughter. they have a big announcement they will make right here today and we will talk to them exclusively. >> i wonder what it will be. >> new car? >> they probably need a new car. >> new car smell. >> don't forget, we have a big concert tomorrow, live on the

plaza. go to todayshow.com and vote and it ends today at 3:00 p.m. eastern time. hurry up. >> i always think of you when i think of bon jovi. you give love a bad name. >> give her a hug, matt. thanks a lot. in the news, that cruise ship tripled since monday with 4500 people on board will finally reach southern california today. the carnival splendor has had no air-conditioning, food or hot water since a fire knocked out fire there. the president's bipartisan panel over the budget deficit has controversial ideas including raising the retirement age for security to 69 and limiting the mortgage interest tax reduction. home rates dropped 9% last month, the sharpest decline last year. the reason it happened, many

lenders temporarily halted foreclosures while investigating accusations of sloppy paperwork and improper short cuts. disappointing day for president obama at the world economic summit. he failed to reach an agreement with his south korean host that would have opened the country to exports of beef and automobiles. while the president works with economic leaders in seoul, wall street is keeping an eye on the dollar. we have cnbc's amanda drury with more on this. good morning. >> good morning. it's all about the dollar and not only does the president have to defend the dollar and recent actions and the new debt concerns in the euro zone may drag down stocks today along with the disappointing revenue outlook we got from cisco. that could be bad for stocks and today, cisco dropped 6%.

monarch butterflies make their migration to the forests of central mexico and will hibernate and reproduce until the new generation makes the return flight in march. spectators ran for their lives wednesday when a smokestack being demolished fell in the wrong direction, knocking down utility policy and power lines. look at this! amazingly, no one was hurt but thousands of people did leave. investigators are trying to determine why that happened. now, 8:04. a check of the weather from al. our pick city today, our first one is new york, new york! the city so nice they named it twice. watches over 8 million people, home to estimated more than

26,000 people live in each square mile. yikes! that's close. did you know new york's cabs are yellow because john hertz, the founder discovered yellow was the easiest color to spot. who knew? our pick city today! new york, new york. we have army guys here. that's right, on veteran's day. give me that again. i like it! we salute you guys. thank you so much. our jetstream, we have heavy rain in the country and storm track right over it. as we move to saturday, high pressure is still is in control and finally starts to weaken and allows that ridge to break down a bit and we will see rain moving to the pacific northwest and sunshine still in the

>> we are off to another fine start this thursday. mostly sunny skies expected. we are going to wind up in the mid-60's this afternoon. that's your latest weather. meredith. thank you so much. a look back at gene shalit's remarkable 41 year run with friends past and present, right after this. so we earned an la getaway twice as fast. we get double miles every time we use our card. [ whistling ] no matter what we're buying. and since double miles add up quick... romans! get em! [ garth ] ...we can bring the whole gang. [ sheep bleats ] it's hard to beat double miles.

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we're back now at 8:09 with a special tribute to a beloved member of the "today" show family. >> that's right. after 41 years, 41 years, gene shalit is leaving the today show. he started out as book reviewer in 1969 and became a regular in 1973. >> this morning, we're looking back at his legendary and lengthy career. ♪ ♪ >> what's most interesting about gene, he predates all of us on the "today" show. he welcomed us in one way or another to the air here over the years. >> it's hard to imagine not having him here. he is the "today" show. >> i'm barbara walters here at

the nbc news center in new york with gene shalit. good morning. >> good morning. >> enjoying the company of mr. gene shalit. >> gene shalit is in the critic's corner this morning. >> gene was not just, let's go to the critic's corner. gene was an ongoing presence in the program. >> why do you point to him when you say -- they're such a good looking group. >> that's very perceptive, miss walters. >> it was always magical to me to see gene on-screen. >> everything you saw on the screen, that was the real gene shalit. >> you know what you're looking at now, folks, is a moving picture. literally, i'm moving, too. >> that's not good enough. >> it was freestyle. television freestyle. >> you didn't quite know what to expect. >> who's the guy with the moustache. >> he made working here fun.

>> when we were all working here together in the studio, we really did have a good time. >> look out, gene! >> an ageless quality to the man. >> he's like bugs bunny. how old is he really? >> what's up, doc? >> good going. >> that's great. a little like bugs bunny. >> see gene brush his moustache. >> somebody had the idea, take a lock of my hair and put it under my nose and it was click click click, the guy was done. >> any member of the "today" show family, who would be most instantly recognizable? gene. >> many people just yell at me, hey, baby, what's the weather? >> gene was always the most recognizable person. >> this proves what i have long suspect suspected, i am a dead ringer for al roker and willard scott.

>> look! >> he's a natural for a muppet. >> this man has one of the greatest looks of all time. it's never going to be due up kated. >> imitation is the highest form of flattery. gene was flattered over and over again. >> those bears were unbearable! >> since this critic wanted to make like a banana and peel out! ♪ ♪ >> that's all, folks! >> i think gene was a master at doing celebrity interviews. >> steven spielberg before he was really well-known, steve and gene were bonded. >> he interviewed sophia loren.

you could tell he was completely mesmerized by her. >> he probably has her phone number right now. >> well, i can't help it. >> i can't either. >> impossible. >> gene was always kind of the life of the party. quite frankly, once he got that laugh going, everything was out of control. >> if something cracked him up -- >> he fell apart. >> he was easily tickled and he was never tickled more than -- >> carol channing, a huge broadway star came on. >> he had a long accent. >> she describes how the englishman told her she must eat some cherries. >> it was as big as a golf ball, the cherry and couldn't understand what she was saying. >> the cherry is as big as a golf ball. >> the single funniest moment i

have ever had in my 46 years on television. >> how do you know what you just said? >> go, don't forego, fargo. >> ♪ how deep is the ocean? >> this movie is awful ♪ >> two wards, it's tarred. people always say it in the newspapers, if gene likes it, i'll like it. >> gene is a rel etomologist. >> what a writer. >> the silence of the lampsla s lamps -- lambs may be all wool and but is a terrific yarn. it is definitely a see it again movie. >> if you're covering a movie, and you're about to interview the star of that movie -- >> x-men should not be taken seriously. in fact, it should be taken with

t two acids. >> it doesn't matter, he will not pull any punches. that's what's great about him. >> i used to walk down the hallway, he'd yell, gumbo! i'd go green salad, which is my name for gene and always has been. >> 41 years, that is such a testament to his enduring talent. >> he ought to be on mt. rushmore. >> that would be very funny, don't you think? >> you have been such a saint to me here on the "today" show, since my first day walking through these doors, to your notes along the way. all the best, i love you. >> my movie review of you, sometimes corny, always irresistible. >> he does impart a love of film. gene, you're a class act. >> i love you dearly and i will certainly miss you. >> gene shalit, you were more than a friend, you really were

part of the brokaw family. >> i can't tell you how fortunate and honored i am to have been part of your wonderful career for part of two decades. >> like picasso needed a palace, that's the way a show today needs gene shalit ♪ >> more than memories of movies you reviewed, a man we love, we give a shove to gene-o, we love you ♪ >> thanks for the memories, gene, this is one critic who always have and will give you four stars. i love you, gene. >> gene, thank you for the best 21 professional and personal years of my life. >> green salad, i love you! ♪ thank you so much

>> ah. >> i saw guy ludwig in that piece. he has been gene's long time producer. good morning. >> good morning. everyone, thanks for having me. >> let's just mention gene is not here today because gene is also, in addition to being one of the most talented and beloved guys, one of the most humble guys and he didn't want us to make a big fuss about him. so gene is watching at home. >> so you have just really had an incredible run with gene as well. >> well, it was like -- it was like coming in everyday and working with mark twain except the hair was a different color. it really was -- he is a remarkable character in every way. his appearance, his ability to gavelnize sentences to put octane in words and power in sentences, and to illuminate, for the rest of us, ordinary things in an extraordinary way.

>> those words could be used to describe you as well, by the way, because you are moving on and you have been a revered and dear member of our family as well. >> well, my assignment is over because gene is leaving, so i'm retiring with him. i found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility without the help and support of the woman i love. >> guy is one of those guys who has a style of his own. walking around with a boater in his china cup. >> yep. >> we will miss you. >> it's a pleasure to be with all of you and congratulations to continuing to do the greatest show on tv. >> we will miss you. >> we love you, gene-o. >> and after this, a big announcement from the duggars after this. the show goes on.

the chill of peppermint. the rich dark chocolate. york peppermint pattie. get the nsation. gotta get that bacon! dog: yummy. crunchy. bacon. bacon. bacon. there, in that bag! mom: who wants a beggin' strip? dog: me! i'd get it myself but i don't have thumbs! yum, yum, yum... it's beggin'! hm... i love you! beggin' strips! there's no time like beggin' time! nah. we have something else. but if you're hurt and miss work

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at red lobster. would you like me to read you a story? you can't read. [ grandma ] 'twas the night before christmas, and all through the house... whoa, that's grandma.

[ grandma ] ...nothing was stirring, not kara, not maya... how does she do that? magic. [ grandma ] ...grandma loves you. [ both ] goodnight, grandma. [ female announcer ] be there to read them a story every night. read it to me again. [ female announcer ] hallmark recordable storybooks. this christmas, make it wonderful at your hallmark gold crown store. back now at 8:23 with the duggar family. jim bob and michelle have 19 kids and their first grandchild, mackenzie was born to josh and his wife, anna and they're here to make another big announcement. good morning to you all. >> good morning, meredith. >> josh and anna, what is this big news? >> we're expecting! >> really? get out! >> yes. >> when is the baby due? >> we're very excited. >> i bet you are. when is the baby due?

>> the baby is due june 19th. >> i understand that you -- >> two days before anna's birthday. >> two days before anna's birthday. i understand you found out about it on another person's birthday? >> yes. we found out we were expecting on mackenzie's first birthday. >> which is a wonderful surprise and nice present for the whole family. >> jim bob and michelle, how excited are you about having another grandchild? >> this doubles our grandchildren and excited about our new grandchild. >> all the kids, josh, your brothers and sisters, what's their reaction been? >> you guys all excited? >> they're kind of stunned, or maybe they're used to it at this point. this was a special blessing for you because, anna, you had a miscarriage after mackenzie was born and you decided to go public after that. why? >> you know, i think a lot of ladies can relate. 30 to 40% of pregnanciy ies end a miscarriage but most of the

time it happens so early on, you don't realize you're pregnant. it was very hard to go through the excitement of finding out we were expecting a little one, and then losing it, but one thing that really helped was thanking god, thanking him in the good times and thanking him when things don't go the way we expected them to. so wanting to be able to say that with others and for others that have been through hard things, if you thank god, it really really releases you and helps you to be able to go on with life. >> we're very happy. >> we're very blessed. >> we're very happy for you, josh and anna and all the duggars as well. thank you so much. congratulations. a special edition of their series, "19 kids and counting" on tlc. we'll be back after your local news.

>> 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 and traffic pulse 11. >> still dealing with problems out there. delays are not too bad. westbound 32 at brokenland parkway, we have a crash in howard county. southbound 795 just past 140, on. -- for a brush fire being worked on.

we are watching clotures between charles -- between fayette and monument. we have a water main break being worked on at bel air and ring factory road and a 24. closures and effect courts colgate. let's give you a live view of traffic. delays in place after an earlier accident on the inner loop approaching i-70. pretty nice ride on the outer loop north side. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. john collins joins us with a look at the forecast. >> beautiful day again today. temperatures start out in the 30's and in many cases. sunshine is warming things up nicely. storms still out over the atlantic ocean. high pressure in between. eastern half of the country is enjoying some terrific weather for this veterans day. we celebrate with a terrific forecast for today. mostly sunny skies. maybe a few clouds this

afternoon. unseasonably mild temperatures again. temperatures and the-60's the highs. this is unbelievable to have this many days this mile. seven-day forecast it while the right through the weekend. sunday, i arrange chance middle of next week. >> another update at 8:55. hundreds more in your wallet year after year. feed me! saving you money -- now, that's progressive. call or click today. (sfx: coach's whistle) the car coach. >> in case your car repair shop hasn't noticed - there's been a shift. sfx: shifting. more women than men are making the decision as to where to get the car fixed. sfx: shifting what's the percentage? the answer in a moment.

(sfx: coach's whistle) "the car coach". >> if you had to see one film this season, it would be this one. phil! go ahead. personally... i give it four stars. back in a moment. ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ 8:30 now on a thursday morning. the 11th day of september, 2010. you're looking at and looking to the u.s. army brass quintet. as we mark veterans day here in new york and across the country. we salute the men and women who have served in our armed services. thank you, gentlemen. that was fantastic! out on the plaza, i'm matt lauer along with meredith vieira and al roker and ann curry. we have a lot to get to in this half hour. >> what do you think of young girls and body image, sadly, often their own worst critics.

an astonishing 81% of 10 year-olds think they are fat. >> no kidding. >> coming up, we will hear from teens about this important weight obsession and advice for parents how to talk to their kids about it. >> on a much lighter note, tomorrow, guess who arrives? >> who? >> bon jovi. >> bigger than bon jovi, the rock rock rockefeller christmas tree shows up and the touching story behind this tree. >> they're so good and careful how they pick those trees. also on a lighter note, you want to go for a tour of the wine country in italy? we have one coming up. before we get to all of that, could we please say good morning to jeff? >> i want a bear hug. >> whoa!

>> it is morning tv. >> i understand, i understand. >> you're a network executive in this movie. you're the kind of executive i want to work for. you would be fun. >> thank you very much. >> did you like it? >> in this movie, i'm a network executive in a bad morning show, a terrible rated show and everybody keeps talking in the movie, i wish we were the "today" show. if only we were the "today" show. i talked to phil griffin. he was here and very generous, spent two, three hours with me, you know, and told me all manner of things, including news sources of entertainment and things -- competition and the cutthroat -- you know, the first competition in the show. have producers ever asked you to do things you were uncomfortable with for ratings? >> no, never! >> not in the last 10 minutes! >> never happens. >> i want to hear all those stories. >> we'll see you about that later. >> did you really enjoy working

with rachel mcadams? >> she is spectacular and charming and diane keaton and harrison ford, come on. remember diane keaton in her movie? and on the dvd, frances co-pella tells you why he was a fantastic actor and always is. >> sounds like you're trying out for gene shalit's job. >> we have an opening. >> i love that gene shalit. >> you were just in a play in london? >> yes miami. i w -- yes ma'am. i was in a prisoner on second avenue with mercedes rule. >> do you like movie better or theater? >> i like them both. >> he's a happy man. >> look at you. >> you have a satisfying life. >> i'm happy being here. >> come run the network. >> i'd be happy to.

>> "morning glory" is in theaters right >> temperatures will be close to eight to 10 degrees above average. shooti coming back, we talk with teens on body image. first, this is "today" on nbc.

this morning on "today"'s family, weight and self esteem. a new program called body rocks started by a high school teacher is to help promote a more healthful body image. some of the girls in the group opened up to us. >> i've gotten a lot more confident in my body compared to years before. sometimes i will look at myself and be like, wow. >> i look at myself in the mirror and saying to myself i am totally am that and can't get a date. >> i look in the mirror and think i do need to lose weight and wish my body looked like that and sometimes i don't do anything about it. >> not like i say, i look fat today, i can put on a couple more pounds because this doesn't fit me as good as it could. >> you look in magazines and like, man, i wish i had that body, the perfect body.

you have to think everyone around you doesn't look like that. >> some people think they're fat and some people aren't fat but they say they are, just because there's another girl skinnier than her. >> no one stops each other when they're like, oh, i look so fat, they just go along with it. >> parents have a lot of influence in their children. parents always complement you and stuff. it really matters. it really does change your life. >> one reason i joined is i could help others like feel confident. others say, i look so ugly and my mom is always there, saying chelsea, no, you look beautiful. >> we try to influence our school and make people proud of themselves. and say, i love my arms or body and love my smell. >> you hear your friends saying they're fat, correct them, no, you're not. you need to know. >> it just reminds you to love yourself for who you are. >> even though you may have some

insecurities, you will always be okay to somebody, maybe not everybody. somebody will be like, oh, you're perfect, you're beautiful! >> robin silverman is the author of "good girls don't get fat." how weight obsession is messing up our girls, how kikkan help them thrive despite it. i think that program is so important because it's clear body image plays such a big part in the lives of girls. >> that's right. it's in everything they do and think and say. they get up in the morning, they're thinking about it, get dressed, they're thinking about it, go to school, have relationships with girls and boys thinking about it. go home and see images, they're thinking about it. >> is that the problem, the images are everywhere now? >> they are, everywhere we look and in every way, in the internet and on tv and the radio we listen to. and everywhere we look, we see them. >> there seems to be such a disconnect, between what a girl looks like and what she thinks she looks like. >> that's right.

when we look in the mirror, we start to see our flaws. we have this standard we look at and think we're supposed to look at that and we have this perfect standard we're supposed to be going towards. when we do that, when we look in the mirror, all we see are those flaws and imagine that's the way other people are seeing us. >> you talk about the body bully within. in many way, these young girls are their worst critics. >> that's right. everybody has that body bully within, that self critical voice that says, you're not good enough, you're not thin enough, not perfect enough to achieve your goals to be worthwhile. it seems that it's always there. sometimes the voices are loud, sometimes they're quiet. but for most girls, they tend to be there. >> you saw that girl tearing up, talking about how important it was her mom dealing with her and her body image and what your mom says really can affect you. yet, i am a mom. sometimes you feel you're walking on eggshells, you may say the wrong thing. what advice do you have for parents when it comes to dealing with this? >> we want our mothers to

remember what they do and say are important. those direct comments about your daughter's weight, they will have major impact. even the comments you say about your own weight will have an impact about the neighbor's legs, about what this other woman is wearing, these all play a role. somebody had said to me during the interviews for this book, that when they look at their mom and their mom is criticizing what they look like, that they think maybe i should be criticizing myself, too, because maybe i'm bigger than her or people say i look like her. >> what questions should a mom ask herself before she addresses anything with her chooiild? >> right, is a good idea to do that. is my daughter healthy and happy and successful and more important, is my daughter's weight a problem for me or problem for her? >> thank you so much. the book is "good girls don't get fat," robin silverman. coming up, we sample the finest wines we have to offer.

8:44, we're back on "today's kitchen." and the finest wines and no one has a love for it than our next guest, and his new book has an opinionated tour of italy's 89 finest wines. good to see you, welcome back. >> how are you? >> fine. this love of italian wine started in queens, new york. >> genes where i grew up in the restaurant world and experiencing going back to italy with my parents. wine was always part of my life. >> people talk about french wines, california wines, is it possible to answer the question what makes italian wines different from others? >> yes. italy is the only wine in the world wine is made everywhere and every town has their own wine and different food.

just the diversity. 700 indigenous varieties and cou counting. wine is part of italy. >> the book is your story and experiences with wines. for our purposes and the book's purposes you divide italy in four regions. >> we start in the south and go to central and northeast and northwest. >> in the south, we're talking about the area around rome. >> the area around rome. >> this is ababby -- abileno, where the great migration came from 100 years ago, when italians left the misery of italy from the war, came to america from the south and brought with them the great culture of italian american food and wine. >> what distinguishes the wine from pure taste? >> it is a white crisp line and you would have it with maybe coastal seafood. >> or linguine clam sauce.

or early today. >> and go to this area. >> tuscany, in italy. the thing that's important about central italy. wine has been made here since 3,000 years ago. even before the romance, tuscans were making wine and made from the grape but the wine is named after the place. >> not the grape. >> not the grape. >> that is important to understand about italian wines. very geographic pacific. it gives birth the flavor of the wine. >> you would serve that with? >> steak, porterhouse steak, medium rare. >> something hearty. >> to match the full body of the wine. >> grilled meat. >> we're going to venice, in the northeastern part of italy. >> where i'm from, white wine, eastern italy is interesting, kind of where spice trade happens, port cities, white wine

brings us more eastern sensibility, where italy looks to central europe. wines like this is a wine named after a town. soave and it kind of speaks to the immediate food culture of this area and flavor of the benito. venice is a city that comes outside verona. >> this is delicious. >> now moving to the northwestern part of the country. we were there not long ago for the olympics. >> we cooked a steak. >> and milan is in that region, too. >> we're in piedmont, borollo, the king of italian wines. interesting, close to france, the wine of kings, a very regal food culture. barolo, being italy's most famous wine, the king of italian wines. from piedmont. >> salute.

>> the book is grandiani.

this morning, rockefeller christmas tree arrives on "today."

and the family that nurtured it see their tree as a thank you gift to the people of new york. >> reporter: it all revolved around a simple truth, easily understood but often difficult to live by. >> we're only here for a short time, mike. let's make the best of it. >> reporter: amid the floating, swirling, stumming reminders of life moving on, seasons changing and days and weeks speeding by, there is a yard where a massive tree once stood, a yard dedicated to the kind of simple unstructured outdoor fun that seems to have all but vanished from the american landscape. a dozen years have passed since peter and stephanie moved into this small house in a rural section of new york state, 40 miles north of peter's place of work in the city. as their children grew, so did that huge norway spruce. its giant branches inching closer and closer to the walls and windows of their home. >> i said to peter, we need to do something about that. the tree is coming in the house.

he said, yeah, you're probably right, we should do something about that. i think that's kind of funny. and then a year later, there's a knock on the door. >> reporter: it was a search party from rockefeller center, doing what they do every year, scouring the northeast for a natural wonder to light up the season. a tree that size is near the end of its life which could prove problematic for thoseeing in its shadow. for the promise of replacement landscaping, they agreed to let it go, but not without some misgivings. >> i don't want it to go and i want it to go, sort of. >> reporter: all those years standing tall yet never attracting more than a passing glance, all that time serving as a quiet backstage presence and suddenly, the bright light of fame pokes through a break in the curtain, a somewhat unsettling degree of attention this normal american family has come to know. peter is a fireman based in the

bronx. despite zhang rouse wor-- danges work has been appreciated and somewhat overlooked until 9/11 when it put every firefighter in the glare of the global spotlight. >> we are more renowned. i liked it before hand, just a firefighter putting out fires. that's what we did. >> we just want to do our job, the main thing, protect life and protect property. >> reporter: for now, from his property comes a gift, honoring those he works with an those he works for. >> i lost a lot of friends down there, and to give something back because the people of the city are amazing. it's -- when we would go down to the world trade center to go search for remains and people, there were regular people that

would stay on an island on the west side highway, and they'd be cheering for you and they'd hold signs. you'd see them 4:00 in the morning. you know, they just made -- they made it so much better. i don't even know if they knew how much better they were making it. but they had to do something. to me, that's the spirit of people. this tree, maybe it's a thank you a little bit, too, to those people that stayed out there on the island and wished us well. >> reporter: fort today, mike leonard, nbc news, new york. >> the tree arrives here tomorrow. you will be on the plaza. >> it's a terrific story. >> wonderful stories always told by mike leonard. a nice moment in mike's family's life last night. his dad, jack, was honored during a veterans ceremony during the chicago black hawks

game. >> 94 years old, former commander in the navy. spent the entire career in the atlantic hunting german subs and escorting convoys. >> mike says he and his mom got married in 1943, during the war. the wedding was on a thursday. he shipped out the following sunday and it was five months before they saw each other again. >> what a great couple they are. we met them a number of times. >> he said that ceremony for his dad was one of the highlights of his life. 94 years young. >> congratulations.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara baltimore county police have made an arrest in the triple shooting in halethorpe halloween night. at 17-year-old sterlin matthews is accused of shooting and killing dequan burks. two others were shot in the incident and treated for non- life-threatening injuries. matthews is charged as an adult. back in a minute with a check on today'

>> now let's take a look at the

forecast with john collins. >> what a nice string of days we have had, a terrific string of days. a storm continues to spin offshore. in between, great weather. this pattern does not change for several days. today we will be well into the sixties for the high. mostly sunny skies. winds variable at about 10 miles per hour. seven-day forecast, staying in the 60's to near 70 right through the weekend. rain chances -- may be on sunday, a little better chance sometime next week. >> we will have another weather update at 9:25.

♪ [ dad ] yeah! [ cheers and applause ] [ male announcer ] achievement gets points for living life.