good morning. from blame to shame -- congressman anthony weiner says he will cooperate with an investigation after he said he sent inappropriate photos and messages to at least six women online. >> this was me doing a dumb thing repeatly and lying about it. >> he said he will not resign but can his political career survive the scandal? where is lauren? the search intensifies for an indiana student who disappeared five days ago. the only clue, her keys found blocks from her apartment. this morning we hear from her

parents. and stepping out, prince william and princess catherine spend a day at the racetrack as they get ready to celebrate the queen's birthday. we'll tell you how they plan to do that today, tuesday, june 7, we'll tell you how they plan to do that today, tuesday, june 7, 2011. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and welcome to "today" on this tuesday morning. i'm meredith vieira. >> i'm matt lauer. for about a week anthony weiner tried to convince just about everyone that his twitter account was hacked. monday during a tearful news conference his wife didn't attend weiner revealed the story was a big lie. >> he did not stop there. the congressman said he had similar internet contact with other women over the past few years. this morning one of the women claims weiner called her from a government phone. why would someone with such power and high political aspirations be so reckless?

we'll have the latest details and speak to the blogger who broke the story ahead. >> and we mentioned the royal couple. we'll be joined by sarah ferguson, duchess of york, to talk with her about her time in the spotlight, her dramatic fall from grace, what she says was the moment she realized she had hit rock bottom and what she's doing now to pick up the pieces. >> plus, it's hard enough to manage a few kids. how do the duggars make it work with 19 children? we'll make room in the studio for one of the country's biggest families to find out. >> let's begin on a tuesday morning with the scandal swirling around congressman anthony weiner. luke russert is on capitol hill with the latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, matt. after ten days with many questions and few answers anthony weiner stepped up to the microphones toed eadmit he has always been truthful. >> i'm not resigning and i'm going to try go back to work a

better person, a better man and i'm going to try to be a better husband, too. >> reporter: minutes after weiner admitted he had inappropriate phone and internet contact with six women over several years nancy pelosi was calling for an investigation to determine whether any official resources were used or any other violations of house rules occurred. >> i don't see anything i did that violated rules of the house. i don't see anything that certainly violateded emy oath office. >> reporter: he misled the country beginning with denials that he sent a lewd photograph to a college student over his twitter account. the picture that went over twitt twitter, is that you? >> i was pranked. i was hackeded. i was punk'd. whatever it is. someone sent out a picture. i'm an easy name to make fun of. that's what i think happened again.

>> reporter: monday he told a different story. >> last friday i tweeted a photo as a joke to a woman in seattle. once i realized i posted it to twitter i panickeded, took it down and said i was hacked. i continued to stick to the story which was a hugely regrettable mistake. >> reporter: when photographs surfaced online monday weiner was forced to admit more inappropriate behavior. >> over the past few years i have engaged in several inappropriate conversations conducted over twitter, facebook, e-mail and occasionally on the phone with women i have met online. i have exchanged messages and photos of an explicit nature with about six women over the last three years. for the most part these communications took place before my marriage, though some sadly took place after. >> reporter: absent from weiner's side was his wife, a long-time close adviser to hillary clinton. how close? bill clinton officiated the wedding last july. >> my wife has known about some

of the online relationships since before we were married. we spoke frankly about them because -- well, we spoke frankly about them. she didn't know until this morning that i was not telling the truth about the twitter posting last week. >> reporter: despite scandal, weiner says the marriage remains intact. >> she made it clear what i did was dumb and she's not happy about it. she's disappointed and told me that she loved me and wanted us to, you know, pull through this. >> reporter: weiner maintains he violated no law and claims no government resources were used in the scandal. >> my blackberry is not a government blackberry. my home computer is usually where i did these things. >> reporter: late monday radaronline reported a 40-year-old las vegas blackjack dealer named lisa weiss said weiner contacted her from his office. saying i gave him my number and

he wall call med from his office. we proceeded to talk dirty for at least 30 minutes. >> reporter: an odd twist to the press conference. andrew brightbart took to the podium. >> i would like an apology. this was his strategy was to blame me. >> reporter: when he spoke, weiner did apologize to breitbart, one of many apologies he offered, sometimes fighting back tears. >> i made terrible mistakes that hurt the people i care about the most. i'm deeply sorry. i have not been honest with myself, my family my constituents, my friends and supporters and the media. >> reporter: and, matt, whether or not congressman weiner can pull through remains to be seen. an interesting caveat is it played out over social networking. despite twitter and facebook being a harm to the congressman's career he said, there is nothing wrong with social media.

what i did was the mistake. matt? >> all right, luke russert, thank you very much. andrew breitbart is the conservative blogger who broke the story. good morning. >> good morning. >> 30 years i have been watching news conferences. that was one of the most bizarre i have seen. what was it like in the room? >> electric. it was completely packed. i walked in coincidentally. i had just checked into a hotel room. a reporter passed up interviewing me to rush over to the press conference. i thought, well, i guess i'll attend the press conference as well. walked into the room, nobody noticed me for the first five minutes. i found a place to plug in my blackberry because it had no juice left. next thing i know there were 50 people surrounding me, asking me questions. >> as i tuned in to the press conference, i see you on the podium as if it's your press conference. how did that happen? >> i was off to the side being interviewed by 50 people and

they said, get up on the stage, get up on the stage. >> we can't hear you. >> yeah. we can't hear you. i have laryngitis, so i went up on the stage to use the microphone. i actually said, is it okay if i go on the stage? i went up on the stage and i had no idea that they cut to live television. >> for those who tuned in and thought, here's andrew breitbart hijacking the press conference? >> the camera shows and people will attest they asked me to go up there. >> anthony weiner heads up on stage and laid it bare. he said, look, the photos you have seen were me. i did tweet them. my account was not hacked. i lied to my supporters. i lied to my family members. what am i leaving out? >> he certainly allowed for his min i don't kno

minions and supporters to frame me as a hacker. i lost my memorial day weekend. my wife wants to kill me because i was on the phone fending off an attack that said i was the person who hacked him and i was the person who outed and savaged the woman in seattle that he sent the tweet to. i chose not to mention her name initially. >> as weiner is up there saying, no, it's me, i lied, i'm responsible, there had to be a sense of vindication. >> oh, you think? >> pulsing through your veins. >> yes. but at the same time, i disagree with everything except for israel with congressman weiner. i'm telling you, in the room i felt so unbelievably sad for the guy. it was pathetic, but it was also a sad moment. >> if you're sad for the guy then, did you not consider that at some point you might be sad for him when you first posted the photo ten days ago? >> well -- >> chances are it was going to end in a room like this. >> well, you know, we didn't

report the story based upon the image itself and the tweet itself. the moment that he tweeted that he was hacked, the moment that a congressman claims that his computer systems have been invaded, that's a news story. >> but that's after the photo has been posted. >> yes. >> so you have a choice when you are made aware of the photo. you can post it or not. i will take you back to that moment. did you worry, as a conservative, you don't want government in people's bedrooms. >> yes. >> did you stop and have a debate with yourself about it? >> well, he -- to be honest with you, i'm not the government. you know, he tweeted to 45,000 people that image. a person sent it to me. i can't think of a world in which that isn't news. as you see on the cover of the new york post and the daily news, a congressman sending that type of information is news. beyond that -- and i'm not one of these "it's just about the

sex" people. if you send out images like that you are putting yourself into blackmail situations with any number of anonymous people you are sending this to. >> in the last 12 hours i have heard people say, well, anthony weiner did the right thing. he stood up in front of the reporters and took the questions and the humiliation. the fact is he was forced into that situation. he didn't choose to do the right thing. he was backed into a corner. does he deserve any credit at all? >> he's going to have to deal with this with his family. that was an unbelievably humiliating situation. he probably should have resigned and gotten rid of -- he wouldn't have had to deal with the humiliating moment. it was a sad moment. i felt auwful for the guy at tht moment. >> you released other pictures earlier in the day which is probably what prompted the press conference. you said you have another image you described as x-rateded.

y you said you will not release it but you are keeping it. is this an x-rated insurance policy? >> i don't like to think of it that way. >> people characterized it as more. >> i don't know what to do. if there is a place i could go publically burn it. >> under no circumstance will you release it? in other words, say anthony weiner supporters argue -- >> if anthony weiner decides to make it a jihad against me for his interpretation of putting me into this situation, you know, i will take that as a -- you know, you said an insurance policy. maybe. i can't foresee a circumstance in which i would release that. i don't think i want to put his family through that type of thing. but for instance, i have already started to hear words that megan, the woman who came forth, people are prying through her private life. >> would you use the photo to

protect these women? >> you know, i'm not thinking of it that way, but i certainly have it in my possession. i guarantee you he would use this against me and the people on the left side of the blogosphere would have used this against me. i could have put it out there and his career would have been over today. >> three more quick things. do you have any evidence in your possession, any other photos, any other text that would lead you to believe that congressman weiner violated the ethics rules of the reduce or committed a crime? >>there are definitely leads based on already public communications on twitter of young women who claim to have communications with him and these girls -- >> beyond the six that he mentioned? >> yes. i have not followed up with them, but for the last ten days this was what people were sleuthing on the internet about.

so this investigation, if he wants to open himself to an investigation, there are a lot of women. >> just to wrap this up and put it in perspective, had you come into possession of a republican congressman similar to these would you have been as quick to post the photos? >> yes. i have to be honest. i'm repulsed when it's larry craig involved in these types of behaviors or ensign, the senator from nevada. i think these guys put themselves in a blackmailable situation. so the answer is yes. the problem is that there is the main stream media. they've got the resources and they are usual there to cover it. my contention, it's my belief that s that there is a double standard in the media in how they treat republicans and democrats. >> andrew, thanks for joining us this morning. time for a check of the top stories from ann curry at the news desk. good morning. >> good morning, matt.

good morning to you. we begin with the out of control wildfire in eastern arizona stoked by windy conditions and dry lightning. several resort towns are evacuated. smoke has reached as far as iowa and thousands of firefighters from across the country have been called in to put out the blaze. from fire to water, the army corps of engineers is racing to prevent a full levee breach in iowa. the missouri river is swelling because of melting snow in the rockies, weeks of driving rain and releases from upstream reservoirs. half of hamburg, iowa, was evacuated where efforts are under way to raise barriers by five feet and build a second barrier. libya is on the agenda for president obama and angela merkel today. nato leaders are discussing libya even as nato air strikes rocked tripoli. stephanie gosk is there. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, ann. we hear two to three air strikes

a day here in tripoli. several this morning shook our hotel. we only get to see the aftermath that the government minders take us to. in the last couple of days they told us suspect stories. there was a little girl injured in a hospital. we were told she was injured in an attack. instead a doctor slipped one of the reporters with us a note in english saying she was hurt in a car crash. there was after math of another attack where they said there was a russian rocket on the ground. you know, the libyan military uses russian weapons. they later said the rocket must have been propelled out of a munitions depot hit by nato. nato is intensifying air raids and the operation here. expect rasmussen to ask for more member nation help. and the urgency to get gadhafi to step down continues to grow. ann? >> stephanie, thanks. the deadly e. coli outbreak in europe has reached canada has

a man in ontario is expected of having canada's first case of the virus. the man traveled to germany and consumed the vegetables there. this morning medical officials told nbc news two u.s. soldiers based in germany were recently treated for suspected e. coli infections. at least 22 people have died in europe and more than 2,300 people have been sickened by the destructive e. coli strain. and it was a hot night on the ice in boston last night as the bruins roared across the rink in their first home stanley cup final game in more than two decades, beating the canucks 8-1. boston's win narrows the series gap with one win to vancouver's two. it is now 7:12. back to matt, meredith and al. >> you never hear of scores that high. 8? >> a lot of defense. >> hello, mr. roker. >>

>> we are off to a quiet start at home. the little bit warmer than yesterday. high temperatures climb into the upper 80s. chance for a few thunderstor

that's your latest weather. meredith? >> al, thank you very much. the search for a missing college student in indiana is entering its fifth day. investigators have only recovered her keys found a block from her apartment. john yang is in bloomington, indiana, with the latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, meredith. this is lauren's apartment building where she was headed when she was last seen friday morning. it's also become the center of the search for her. they have been searching for 20-year-old indiana university student lauren spear around the clock since she was reported missing. her parents rob and charlene are frantic. >> there is only one focus and that's finding lauren. >> i'm just praying that we find her and i can't let myself go to a place other than being hopeful and positive.

>> reporter: spear, a fashion student, had just completed her sophomore year, but she was staying to take a summer class before heading home to new york for an internship. friends describe spear as a petite woman with an infectious smile. >> every time i see her i have the biggest smile. she gives that to everyone. >> reporter: she was last seen around 4:30 friday morning. she'd been to a bar with an outside sand area and was barefoot. at her apartment complex there is no sign of her on security camera video. the only trace -- her keys found a block away. >> the situation is really troubling because she's normally aware of her surroundings. she knows exactly what she's doing at all times. this is not a normal situation for her to be in. >> i want you to look for anything suspicious. >> reporter: spear's face now covers the campus on posters, flyers, on facebook and a twitter feed. she was active in the student

jewish organization which has been helping organize the search. >> people have been so supportive and wanting to help. people have been fanning out all around this neighborhood. hopefully we can find her. that's really what we have to do. we have to find her. >> reporter: that's been her parents' mission from the moment they learned she was missing. their worries compounded because she has a heart condition that requires medication. >> she didn't just disappear. somebody knows where she is. if you had a thread of decency, i'm begging -- you know. somebody knows where she is. i want them to help us. >> reporter: bloomington police will have a press conference later today. they are asking anyone with any information to call them at a hotline they have set up. 812-339-4477. more information on this search

is available at www.iuhillel.org. meredith? >> john yang, thank you very much. just ahead, what was in the trunk of casey anthony's car? new details on the evidence being used by the prosecution at the florida mother's murder trial. first, this is "today" on nbc.

just ahead, sarah ferguson on the royal wedding, her daughters and how she plans to rebuild her life. >> after your local news. [ male announcer ] it's 2011. wonder where the durango's been for the last two years? well, it toured around europe, getting handling and steering lessons on those sporty european roads. it went back to school, got an advanced degree in technology.

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(screaming) ahhhhh! (narrator) from unforgettable adventures to the wizarding world of harry potter, only at universal orlando resort. >> 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. >> north side delays on the outer loop. they begin an 95 and continue all the way to the harrisburg expressway. earlier construction was cleared a little too late, and this is the result.

22 miles per hour on average approaching 95. j.f.x. looks pretty good so far. 17 miles per hour on southbound 95. one at poplar grove and winchester street. conaway remains closed between light and charles for the next two weeks. here is what looks like at heart ford. not moving much at all on the outer loop. inner loop delays developing as well as you make your approach to 95 on the northeast corner. frombound traffic backs up the beltway to westerners road. tony, over to you. >> a little high, thin cloud cover this morning. temperatures in the 60's. same thing in parkton. the upper 80s this afternoon.

40% chance be could see a few scattered thunderstorms develop. heat is on wednesday and thursday. mid-90's both days. it will call off the going into the beginning of the weekend. >> be sure to check the bottom of your screen for updated news and traffic information. back at 7:55 with another live update. it's like frozen hot chocolate. ah! ah! you got it! yeah, i was just reading what was on the cup. try our new dunkin' donuts frozen hot chocolate. it's like frozen hot chocolate. america runs on dunkin'.

7:30 now on a tuesday morning, the 7th of june 2011. as we get some well deserved face time to the fine folks who woke up early, spent at least part of the morning with us on the plaza. we'll be out there in a couple of minutes to say hi. meanwhile inside studio 1a i'm matt lauer alongside meredith vieira who's making some notes here. >> doing my work. >> just ahead it's a busy week for the royal family. prince william and pediatrrince catherine kicked it off with a day at the races. >> and why has sarah ferguson decided to reveal personal

details about herself in a reality show and book. what is she doing to put her life back on track? and the duggar family has invaded the green room. we'll catch up with them coming up. that's a lot of kids. >> it breaks our heart, but tomorrow we'll say good-bye to this lady right here. a farewell to meredith. we have a great show planned. >> where am i going? >> i don't know. is there something you want me to know? anyway, we'll have a fond farewell for meredith tomorrow. join us. >> thank you. but we are going to begin this half hour with serious news. prosecutors at the casey anthony murder trial started by focusing on forensics. kerry sanders is at the courthouse in orlando, florida, for us. kerry, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, meredith. as we enter our 12th day in testimony, prosecutors will continue in their pursuit to prove that casey anthony murdered her 2-year-old daughter

caylee. as we saw on monday much of the proof lies in the science. on the start of week three in the casey anthony trial, it all comes down to forensics. >> the compounds that have been captured. >> like adipose tissue. >> reporter: jurors received a science lesson listening to highly technical evidence, much of which is not widely accepted. all part of the prosecution's attempt to prove that 25-year-old casey anthony murdered her 2-year-old daughter caylee. >> essentially condenses. >> reporter: the only witness on the stand monday. >> a small little pellet. >> reporter: dr. arpad vass, an expert in decomposition from a tennessee facility known as the body farm. the most discussed chemical of the day, chloroform, a natural by product of decomposition which prosecutors say casey used to drug her daughter so she could go out partying. >> the chloroform was shockingly high, unusually high.

>> reporter: he testified the chemical was detected in the trunk of casey's car after it was confiscated in the hunt for caylee. >> we have never seen chloroform in that level in environmental samples -- at least i never have -- in 20 years. >> reporter: samples captured in a rare scientific procedure. >> i was shocked that the little can could have that much odor. >> reporter: meanwhile forensic experts question the root of the science. >> to the best of my knowledge there has been no court that has admitted this kind of evidence in a criminal case. >> reporter: back in the courtroom, defense attorney jose baez attacked credibility even more than the unique smell test. >> you have also attempted to put electronic leashes on flies. have you not, sir? >> reporter: a new, novel science full of details that for the average juror might be hard to digest. >> jurors are everyday people, not scientists. they are not molecular

biologists. they listen to the witness and make a decision as to whether they can trust the witness or not. >> reporter: today, jurors can expect more on chloroform as an fbi expert on the chemical is expected to take the stand. for the jurors it will be another day of a science lesson. meredith? >> kerry sanders, thank you very much. now a check of the weather from al. >> announcer: today's weather is brought to you by chevy. every model backed by a 100,000 mile, five-year powertrain limited warranty. >> we have friends here from parker, texas. is this a trip? >> choir trip. >> oh, my gosh. you're all singers, huh? look over there. got them over there, too. wow. that's a big school. all right. that's a big choir. let's check your weather, see what's happening. we have a chance of severe storms from the dakotas all the

way to western new york. the main threat damaging winds that can't even rule out a tornado. minnesota, half an inch to an inch of rain. also an area approaching a severe risk down along the gulf from louisiana, texas, into the panhandle of florida. expect half an inch to an inch of rain and a couple of cuties here. future "today" show coanchors. what are their names? >> anna and grady. >> we'll see >> we could see scattered thunderstorms develop later on this afternoon or evening. most of the day is going to be dry and warmer than yesterday.

and that's your latest weather. matt? >> a 16th birthday is a big moment in a teenager's life, but when one young girl sent an invitation to her bash and forgot to mark it private, more than 1500 strangers showed up. michelle kosinski has the details in hamburg, germany. good morning. >> reporter: hi, matt. kids today. they put out an invite on facebook and 15,000 of their closest friends respond to it. the girl put out an apology today in the newspaper for the super sweet 16 that was completely unwanted. in this quiet neighborhood full of elderly people she was so traumatized she didn't attend her own overgrown birthday party. [ chanting ] >> reporter: popular girl that

thessa. this is either the best birthday party ever packing the streets or the worst. young thessa just wanted to facebook a few pals to ring in her sweet 16 but the pesky privacy setting was accidentally left wide open. these random kids at a train station videotaped themselves on the way to the party. soon to join more than 1,500 others. some brought signs. one even wrote a song for her. is that a news crew wandering around? poor thessa ended up hiding and spent her big night quietly with her grandmother. she and her family realized the mistake she made, tried to cancel the party, hireded security guards, called police, but that didn't work so great either. some partiers scuffled with cops, set fires. some were cut on broken glass.

still, the unwanted unbirthday party raged until dawn, busting fences, mistaking gardens for bathrooms and, of course, diving naked into the lake. >> no comment. >> reporter: thessa's family was speechless, but it left the neighbors pretty darn -- >> oh, my. >> reporter: -- amused. this guy said it wasn't bad. herbert says he's no computer freak but there must be other ways of inviting friends. >> you are very too late. >> reporter: at least thessa is in good company. in september a british girl cancelled her sweet 16 when 21,000 fabers rsvp'd using fake names like justin bieber and professor stephen hawking. and in australia in march, 180,000 wanted to come to her 16. thessa's party seems to take the cake in the number who actually showed.

they had a birthday party all right. no birthday girl necessary. >> the people said in the newspaper, they will all come again next year. >> oh, my goodness. they know the house, the name and the date. >> reporter: so 15,000 responded, 1,500 showed. not a bad turnout. what's interesting are the attitudes of people here. a lot of neighbors said, oh, it's just a bunch of kids having fun. and the police were quoted as saying this was a successful party. too bad the birthday girl didn't think so. matt? >> michelle kosinski in hamburg, germany, this morning. thank you very much. up next, prince william and princess catherine and the rest of the royal family gear up for the queen's upcoming birthday celebration. we'll have details and a live interview with sarah ferguson, duchess of york after this.

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we are back at 7:42. the royal family is stepping out in public again after taking a break following the wedding of prince william and princess catherine. in a moment we'll speak to sarah ferguson about her complicated relationship with the royals. first janet shamlian is at buckingham palace. good morning, janet. >> reporter: meredith, good morning to you. we are getting new details about the domestic lives of will and kate. buckingham palace says they have taken a small apartment, a

starter home, if you will, at kensington palace, the former home of princess diana where wills spent so much time growing up. it is just temporary while they search for something a little bit grander. speaking of grand, the dress -- the wedding dress kate wore in april will go on display here when buckingham palace opens to tourists starting july 23. we could see more great dresses from kate this week. it's shaping up to be a busy week for the royals. this week is promising to be a right royal family affair. it's the queen's official 85th birthday and prince philip turns a sprightly 90 on sunday. watching her horse run in the royal derby the queen indulged her life long passion. surrounded by many of her grandchildren. prince harry got into the spirit of the event. his off and on girlfriend

partying, off again according to royal watchers. >> she likes the guy. just doesn't like the job. >> reporter: while prince william and princess catherine came all dressed up. >> she got it spot on, princess perfect in the beautiful all white, the gorgeous '40s hat with her hair all pinned up at the back. she's got her look now. she knows where she's going. >> reporter: hours earlier outside buckingham palace sharp-eyed tourists may have recognized not the face perhaps but, yes, the wedding uniform as prince william was rehearsing for the queen's upcoming birthday ceremony. for those who want to relive the wedding, the wedding dress will be on show at the summer opening of the palace to celebrate the making of a global icon. >> she has a demure, sophisticated look that's very understated and influential to real women. >> reporter: this week won't be a cake walk for kate. she'll be put through a royal

obstacle course, attending the trooping of the color, the queen's official birthday, prince philip's 90th birthday celebrations and the royal garter ceremony. >> people will be looking for her to make a step wrong. will she curtsy to the wrong person? that will only endear her. >> reporter: while kate settles into royal life, her sister pippa is turning heads at the french open and turning up the heat at a charity race. the big surprise, princesses beatrice and eugenie whose exotic hats set off the fashion critics, both the picture of elegance, making it their day at the races. the princesses silenced critics at the derby over the weekend. the british papers calling them graceful and poised. meredith? >> janet shamlian, thank you very much. the princesses' mother sarah ferguson is making headlines. she has a new tv series "finding

sarah" on the own network. it's sarah like never before, coming to terms with past mistakes. >> what's not working in your life? >> my head. because i live with nostalgic regrets on everything. >> sarah ferguson, you're staring off, why? >> desperately looking at the lady all those months ago. i have come a long way since then. >> normally i refer to you as duchess, but i feel sarah is more appropriate. this series is about stripping away the pomp and trying to discover the real you. i saw the first episode. it's hard to watch. it was hard for me to watch. you talk about being worthless, disgusting, unlovable, emotionally bankrupt. you seek help from dr. phil and also suze orman and others. why would you want to expose yourself the way that you have in the series?

>> it's a big question actually, meredith. i'm sitting here thinking it's a huge thing to do. >> did you do the right thing? >> yes, absolutely. when you get to a point where the world has seen all your mistakes and as the press can be, they can be a powerful tool and a vicious weapon. when you get to that point -- and oprah's been kind and the own network put out their hands and said, come on, let's help you. to get the opportunity to go to the best, dr. phil, suze orman, martha beck, i seized the opportunity to learn. in learning it centered sarah. >> what did you learn about yourself that you didn't already know? >> well, if you look at my life, i have had the most incredible life. i have done so many wonderful things that everyone could just dream of. even today this is an extraordinary moment to be sitting here completely calm, completely happy moving on, having made endless mistakes but

moving on with strength and positivity and my girls learn from my mistakes. look how they are. how exciting it is to see them confident, strong. andrew and i are both good parents and we believe in coparenting for the girls. >> you're the first to admit that you have done some stupid things. one was a year ago. >> absolutely. >> you were caught on tape. didn't know you were being filmed. >> that was a tabloid set-up, meredith. let's get it straight. >> right. >> that's the first thing. it was really a very serious set-up. the second thing is that it's very important that -- you know, everybody makes mistakes. i happen to have made them publically again. this time it's different. i had to go to learn why i kept self-sabotaging. >> just to go back to the moment you have to take responsibility for your side of that for offering access in return for the money. >> no, no, no, meredith. i did not sell access to andrew.

you should watch "finding sarah" the whole six episodes sunday night. i address the issues which is important for me. >> what's your biggest regret? >> i have many regrets. the most important thing is right now i'm really so proud that andrew and i are a team together. we always have been. we are completely unified and that's so important -- with the girls. >> you talk about the royal wedding of william and catherine. >> have i? >> you have talked about it and how andrew called you. you talked to one of the producers about it. reminded you how beautiful your wedding was because you couldn't be at this wedding. you were in thailand watching from a distance. >> no, i didn't watch it. >> you didn't? >> no. i didn't have a television and radio. i was in thailand in a wonderful jungle, fantastic place which is really holistic. it was exciting to be part of it with andrew and the girls.

i was so proud of the girls. it was william's day. catherine is so beautiful. i was so proud for william. such unity, such love and happiness. it's a momentous occasion for britain. >> was it hard not to be there for you? this boy was one of your best friend's children. >> it was sad, yes. but it's william's day, you know? everybody -- in fact i think there were more viewers from america than anywhere else. it's such a great story and she's so beautiful and serene and fabulous. i would like to go back to the bride and do things differently, but i can't. we're here today and we move forward. the girls are proud of me and andrew is proud of me and i'm proud of that. >> it's quite amazing. you have raised two lovely young women. >> i think it's amazing. i'm so lucky and for oprah to come forward and say, look, come

on, we're here to help. >> best of luck to you. >> and to you. >> imagine life with 19 kids. we'll catch up with the duggars. first, these messages. e announcer ] some are quieter than others. being the squeaky wheel is just not their style. you'll find them with their heads down, working their butts off. ♪ occasionally, they look up from their work, look behind them, see the pack in the distance,

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for a full 24 hours. prevent the acid that causes frequent heartburn all day, all night. now we are free. happy. with prevacid®24hr, happiness is a day without heartburn. so let's plant some perennials that'll turn up every year. trees and shrubs to give us depth. and fill it out with flowers placed in just the perfect place. let's start at the place with the best plants, people, and prices. what do you say we plant a weekend, water it, and watch a summer spring up? more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. we're lowering the cost of a day in the dirt with a special buy on this mulch: 3 bags are just 10 bucks. coming up, we're going to kick off the countdown to meredith's farewell tomorrow with a look back to some of our favorite meredith vieira moments here on "today" this morning. >> first your local news and weather. [ male announcer ] you sprayed them.

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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. >> still holding on to delays on the beltway. outer loop around 95 on the northeast corner, seven miles per hour on average. if you're going to travel on the outer loop west side, 21 miles per hour. tapping the brakes as you make your approach to 95 on the northeast side. j.f.x. not too bad into town.

jammed packed ride heading out of harford county. as i mentioned, at four miles per hour on average getting down to the beltway northeast. conway street remains closed between light and charles the next two weeks. we will switch over to a live view of traffic at core ford. -- harford. that is the pace of things at the harrisburg expressway. southbound traffic at a crawl from the beltway to west nursery road. tony has a check on the forecast. >> temperatures are in the 60's. comfortable out there as far as humidity goes. 64 in parkton. we will make it into the upper 80s this afternoon. a chance for a few showers and thunderstorms late this afternoon and evening. skies will clearly tonight, and then it gets hot. scattered thunderstorms will

cool things off going into the weekend brou. >> check the bottom of your screen for updated news and traffic information. another live update at 8:25.

8:00 now on this tuesday morning, the 7th of june 2011. check it out. we have a huge crowd here in rockefeller plaza. i'm meredith vieira along with matt lauer and al roker. what's with the hat? >> it's sunny out. in rome i got burned. >> are you still feeling your head's burned? >> yes. i'm being careful now. >> you should have been careful before. looks good. >> thank you. >> coming up, what was she thinking -- anthony weiner's wife? a top aid to hillary clinton was

a no-show at his press conference. how will this affect her career? >> plus, the duggar clan in the house. how do michelle and jimbob manage 19 kids and a daughter-in-law and one grandchild with another on the way? they will share their secrets. that's a lot of kids. >> it is. also ahead, have we mentioned tomorrow is meredith's last day on the show. >> no! no! >> we're going to have fun today. we'll take a look back at some of our favorite meredith moments in just a couple of minutes. >> that will take 30 seconds. >> no, no, no. >> we're going right into kathie lee and hoda's half hour. >> first a check of the top stories from ann curry who's taking over on thursday. >> no one can fill your shoes. thank you very much, meredith. we want to talk about the top story, disgraced but defiant

congressman anthony weiner says he'll cooperate fully with the house ethics investigation. on monday the married new york democrat ended a week of lies and admitted to sending lewd photographs of himself over the internet. he confessed to inappropriate online relations with six women. weiner apologized but refused to resign. president obama's meeting at the white house today with angela merkel to discuss the world economy and nato operations in libya and afghanistan. merkel will be honored at a state dinner tonight. syria's government will deal with anti-government violence after it says 120 members of a security force were ambushed and killed over the weekend. new violence in yemen today, a day after skirmishes between pro and anti-government forces left at least 19 people there dead. the pentagon says roughly half of all u.s. armed forces have now been trained for the new law allowing gays to serve openly in

the military. and the pentagon says no problems emerged to prevent the repeal of the don't ask, don't tell policy later this year. the white house says president obama will order a significant draw down of u.s. troops from afghanistan starting next month. he met with the national security team on monday to discuss the progress of the war. the u.s. has about 100,000 troops still in afghanistan. take a look at this. volcano lightning bolts flashing through the huge cloud of ash spewing from a volcano in chile. more than 4,000 people have been evacuated since the weekend and officials shut down a busy board crossing into argentina. look at the images. a rare sight. it is now three minutes past the hour. back outside to al with a check of the weather. >> thank you so much, ann. we have high school pals celebrating -- how long have you been friends? >> 30-some years. >> 36 years. >> somebody's keeping track. let's see what's happening.

today, our pick city of the day happens to be little rock, arkansas. kark, nbc 4. sunny and hot, almost 100 degrees today. on the satellite radar, heavy storms moving across the plain. western new york and western p.a., plenty of sunshine in the midatlantic states but record-setting heat from texas into the upper mississippi river valley with showers through the pacific northwest. cool in los angeles today. sunny and only 69 degrees. >> nice to start this tuesday. we will climb into the upper 80s, 30% or 40% chance for a thunderstorm.

i have more friends. where are you visiting from? >> minnesota. >> wisconsin. >> tampa, florida. >> good to see you all. >> when we come back, anthony weiner's wife's decision not to be there during his tearful apology in front of the media. why some political wives stand by their men and others walk away. we'll talk about it after this. who's feeling power hungry? ] who's ready to break through more barriers, from brick walls to budgets. then let's get our hands on some of those tools that only live on orange shelves. cause when we come home with that fistful of doing, and keep that pocketful of savings, there's nothing we can't conquer. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. power more projects, with this ryobi starter kit or dremel multi-max, each just 89 bucks. no hoops to jump through to get it? even better.

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back now at 8:09 with more fallout from congressman anthony weiner's sexting scandal. there was one noticeable absence from his press conference, his wife. savannah guthrie has more. >> reporter: it used to be a given, the wife standing by her man. but when weiner stepped up to the podium on monday, his wife wasn't there. >> to be clear, the picture was of me and i sent it. i am deeply sorry for the pain

this caused my wife huma and our family. and my constituents, my friends, supporters and staff. >> reporter: when congressman anthony weiner apologized for lying to his wife, she was nowhere to be seen. she's huma abedin, an aide to secretary of state hillary clinton. she's beautiful, accomplished and married weiner last year in a ceremony officiated by former president bill clinton. >> she's like an honorary member of the clinton family. she's always had a mystique around her. beautiful, a familiar face on capitol hill. but she's not widely known to the public. >> look, my wife is a -- my wife is a remarkable woman. she's not responsible for any of this. this was visited upon her. >> reporter: weiner's revelations have many speculating about not only the future of their marriage but about abedin's career as well. >> i think if you start to see the scandal unfolding in a new

way or if another shoe drops her career could be impacted. the secretary of state could suffer because of that and then i think you may see her getting out of the marriage. >> reporter: weiner said his wife knew about some of his online relationships before they were married but did not know the truth about his twitter picture until monday. >> she's very disappointed edd. she told me she loved me and wanted us to, you know, pull through this. >> clearly this can be damaging. couples can certainly get through situations like this but when somebody is a public figure you have the added shame and humiliation. >> reporter: the admission follows a string of politicians who confessed to cheating with wives standing by their man from eliot spitzer and his wife. >> i failed to live up to my standard. >> reporter: to bill and hillary clinton. >> i did have a relationship with ms. lewinsky that wasn't

appropriate. in fact, it was wrong. >> reporter: not all political wives stand by their husbands. >> first of all, let me apologize. >> reporter: when mark sanford apologized for his affair. sanford's wife jenny left him. >> e-mailing, sending sexual texts and not knowing somebody might be kind of a lesser offense. but still to the spouse it's a betrayal and to the public it's a betrayal only because he lied about it. >> so far abedin issued no public statements about her husband's scandal but according to reports she skipped two state department events on monday. meredith? >> savannah, thank you. how can a marriage survive political scandal? amy singer co-authors the popular reliable source column for the washington post and dr. gail saltz is a "today" contributor. good morning. >> good morning.

>> amy, can i can start with you, folks in washington, d.c. know congressman weiner and his wife well. what are they saying on the hill about his admission? >> i think everyone is curious to see how this is going to play out. i think first there is a sense that maybe he can weather this. that he had come clean with more than we are expecting him to yesterday. now it's beginning to sit uneasily with people as you look back on everything he said last week and realize he was lying last week a lot. >> gail, this is a smart guy. well respected congressman, a rising star here in new york. why would he do something this foolish? >> intellectually smart people can do emotionally incredibly -- seemingly dumb things but it's a matter of denial. when you have urges -- in this case exhibitionist urges which everybody has some of, but when they are unexamined you really

have the potential to act out on them. >> though he's in denial about it? >> chris lee was lying over a similar situation. >> in the moment, believe it or not, these people don't have any insight into what they are doing at the moment. at the moment they are feeling sexually whatever they are feeling, the urge to do what they are feeling they don't have insight until after the fact. >> my heart and most hearts go to huma in this situation. she didn't do anything wrong. she's a force to be reckoned with in washington as well. close aide to hillary clinton, respected. how does her life change? >> huma is a private person. anthony weiner wooed her and her family. it was a two-year courtship. she's a devout muslim. she doesn't drink. she fasts during ramadan. he's done those things with her. this undermined things she believed about him and i'm sure her family believed. in terms of the marriage i'm not sure. they are only 11 months in.

as far as her political career, she reported to work at the state department yesterday. that's telling. >> amy, he said in the news conference that he had not told his wife about the picture, the lewd picture he sent with his twitter account until this week. she thought it was dumb. she was angry, but she wanted to keep the marriage going, that she still loved him. yet she was not at the news conference. what does that say to you? >> that was a striking thing. it will be interesting to see what it does to his political future. we had gotten used to seeing the wife next to the husband at the press conference. frankly a lot of people were always uncomfortable with that. to see silva spitzer go through that. we don't know whether huma said, i'm not coming to the press conference or if congressman weiner said, i don't want you there. it changes the optics of the situation.

it changes the perspective. arguably sometimes when the woman is there it helps the politician get through the situation, at least in the near term. >> the truthed a lot of people for fools. >> you wish there would be at least recognition. if you are going to do something, own up instantly. the public is much more ready to forgive you. once you keep lying, the hypocrisy makes it difficult for people to forgive you later. >> thank you so much. now here is matt. >> thank you. up next, we are going to look pa back at our favorite meredith moments on "today." first, these messages. [ male announcer ] those with frequent heartburn imagine a day free of worry, a day when we can eat what we want, drink what we want, and sleep soundly through the night. finally that day has arrived with prevacid®24hr. just one pill helps keep you heartburn-free for a full 24 hours.

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and today, we're re-inventing aspirin for pain relief. with new extra-strength bayer advanced aspirin. it has microparticles so enters the bloodstream faster and rushes relief right to the site of your tough pain. in fact, it's clinically proven to relieve pain twice as fast. new bayer advanced aspirin. extra strength pain relief, twice as fast. [ male announcer ] try it at no cost. look out for your coupon in this sunday's papers. being the squeaky wheel is just not their style. you'll find them with their heads down, working their butts off. ♪ occasionally, they look up from their work, look behind them, see the pack in the distance, then put their heads back down and begin working again.

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buitoni shrimp and lobster ravioli with garlic butter sauce. simple ingredients, artfully prepared. create an italian masterpiece. buitoni. in the freezer section. create an italian masterpiece. it's real fruit juice; crisp, sparkling water; and no added sugar. and they come in these really cool cans. you want one? i'll wait a bit. all right. mm. refreshing. gang's all here. we are preparing to say good-bye to our friend meredith tomorrow. ahead of the big extravaganza we want to share a couple of our favorite moments we have shared with meredith over the years. take it away. >> you know, some of my favorite

moments were you reporting from china, the beijing olympics. specifically, first of all, in sichuan province when you went first there before this actually and reported on the earthquake there. then this video, you were like -- just giggling like a girlfriend. this is when i really realized how out of control you could be. >> it was like going up right under our dresses. >> they were. >> that was the beginning of when i felt like a sister to you. >> that's a weird connection. that's all right. >> i loved when we got to go to ireland together, st. patrick's day, dublin, go to the sheep farm. >> you loved the sheep. >> very nice. just dancing with you and hanging out. and the flight back and forth was great, too. we got to spend time together. >> my favorite moments of meredith also involve travel. it's the olympics. i have been able to go with you as well.

vancouver. we all know you as ms. vancougar. we had a fun girls' night out with the olympic athletes and recently the royal wedding in london. we got to have fun as well. i learned that you have an appetite for all kinds of crazy things. >> i was forced to. >> remember fire and ice back in the day? >> yes. >> remember at the beginning of the show? >> we have videotape to prove it. you fed natalie and i grapes to start off. >> our other moment is when you tried to produce the unproducible fourth hour of the "today" show. >> said you're talking too much, we're sick of you. things like that. >> i basically made a fool of myself. >> she high-tailed it out of

here so fast to avoid us. she was out by 9:00 so she wouldn't have to see us. >> do you remember meredith's first day here? we were kidding around with you, seeing if you were up to the challenge. we said, all right, we're going to commercial now. do you think you can handle it? here's what happened. >> you ready to say it for the first time? >> i am. >> take it away. >> we'll be back in a moment, but today -- but first -- first this is "today" on nbc. >> redo! >> it hasn't gotten much better. >> we learned something that's held true throughout the last five years. you don't take yourself too seriously. you never have. you're willing to laugh with a lot of other people and also at yourself. i think that's been a terrific quality to have. by the way, there is just one other little moment. remember when the four of us got to go to the crown of the statue of liberty. >> that was incredible. >> it was.

>> beautiful. >> i loved it because you were so enthusiastic. it showed that it wasn't a person who had been there, done that, gotten the t-shirt. you were excited about little things. i love the image when we were all sitting on the crown. >> for me it's just being with all of you and i get excited every day. oh, geez. i need to stop that now. but it's the truth. this is the best job. it really is. i'm really going to miss it. i really am. >> we're going to miss you. >> i'm not going to miss eating weird things. >> we'll have more fun tomorrow. >> we are? >> couple of surprises. >> oh, yes. >> it's just beginning. >> you may want to wear the rubber clothing. >> she does that normally. >> that's a weekend for me. >> martha stewart joins us in a moment.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. let's get off on and check on the morning commute with traffic pulse 11 and sarah caldwell. >> delays amount the area. at southbound 295 is now clear, but delays from 895 all we to west nursery road. toll lane blocked by disabled vehicle. southbound 95 out of white marsh, is still stalled from white marsh now to approaching the 895 split.

jam right on the northeast outer loop. six miles per hour on average. what i want to give you a heads up at 9:00 a.m., baca is good to shut down between eastern and foster due to the greek folk festival. live view of traffic if you are heading out in the next few minutes on the north side. this is what you will be dealing with. we will switch over to a live view of traffic looking at inner loop delays on the beltway approaching the bw parkway. accident near 95, and southbound 295 jammed up to west mr. road. tony has the latest on the forecast. >> nice start for us on this tuesday. high, thin cloud cover out there. upper 60s and low 70's. 69 degrees in sykesville. opera 80's this afternoon. warmer than yesterday, not as hot as it is going to get to margaret texter of sunshine and

clouds this afternoon and evening, 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms. same thing on thursday and scattered thunderstorms will cool things off going into the weekend. we will drop temperatures into the low 80s on saturday and sunday. >> another update at 8:55. >> another update at 8:55.

8:30 now on a tuesday morning. it's the 7th day of june 2011. this looks like a picture perfect day here in new york city. we've got about 72 degrees, sunny skies. however, al says later we're

going into the 80s. by thursday it will be sizzling here on the plaza. out on the plaza i'm matt lauer along with meredith vieira, al roker and ann curry. coming up in this half hour, one of the people that meredith has given the most grief to over the five years she's been here. >> orthoped please. she's trying to domesticate me. >> who? >> martha stewart. >> you make yous yourself sound like a farm animal. >> she'll take one last shot at really teaching me to cook. >> and she has a parting gift for you. >> also, a family that doesn't just have three kids. try having 19 children. talking about the duggars. look at them all lined up. they are all so well behaved. each shook my hand as i walked through. took a while. >> one of them grabbed my

wallet. >> when meredith started on the show they had only three children. >> you know, they probably more than most have trouble getting kids to make healthy choices. especially with picky eaters. we'll show you how to get your kids to make healthy choices at the dinner table. >> before that, how about a check of the weather? >> we'll show you that today we have a risk of strong storms through the northeast and the northern plains. wet weather in the pacific northwest. record highs from texas up into the upper mississippi river valley. tomorrow, a risk of strong storms from iowa into the great lakes. wet in the pacific northwest. record heat moves into the northeast. sizzling through the southwest. clouds in the pacific northwest. >> we could see scattered thunderstorms develop later on this afternoon or evening.

most of the day is going to be dry and warmer than yesterday. that's your latest weather. don't forget. you can get your weather 24 hours a day on the weather channel or weather.com online. now let's head to willard scott for dem birthdays. >> i've got the candles, baby, if you've got the cake. happy birthday to albert commette from beautiful port st. lucie, florida. avid tennis player loves to sail on his own boat. very relaxing, sailing. and kenney sole of blackwell,

oklahoma. loves musicals and sang recently in oklahoma at one of the local shows. good for you. herman westhoff from yakima, washington state. an outstanding lover of hunting. also a man to be reckoned with when it comes to impressing the ladies. you old devil. we have dot crooks out in syracuse, new york. 103. attends exercise classes six days a week. i ought to try that. enjoys weekly musical problems at the senior center. here is jenniemae stephens from rockford, michigan. third time she's tried to get on the show. i'm glad we have an astute staff. we wish her the best. loves to make pork and beef roast. if she'd like to have me for

dinner, i will bring the beverage. that's it. now back to new york. >> thank you, uncle willy. up next, how the duggar family makes it work with 19 kids, grandkids and a new grandkid on the way. first, this is "today" on nbc. ♪ [ female announcer ] have you ever seen a glacier while sunbathing? why not? have you ever climbed a rock wall in the middle of the ocean? or tried something really wild? why not? it's all possible in the nation of why not. royal caribbean's floating nation. where you are free to do anything you want. which may be nothing at all. royal caribbean international. why not cruise from baltimore? visit royalcaribbean.com today.

this morning on today's family, the duggars. we have watched the arkansas family grow and grow and grow over the years on their tlc series "19 kids and counting." today, the duggars, number 21 and all. >> yet somehow they make it work simply and peacefully. michelle and jim bob have written their second book "a love that multiplies." michelle, jim bob and kids, welcome back. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> your oldest son joshua is missing but for a good reason. >> yes, he and anna are here in

new york, but they are expecting our second grandchild in a couple of weeks. so they're resting and taking it easy because we were enjoying new york last night and we didn't get to bed early enough. >> she didn't want to deliver here. >> that's a good excuse. it works out well. it's been a tough year for you. i know that josie was born three months premature. >> yes. >> you were very ill at some point. >> yes. >> i know there were a lot of times spent at the hospital. the family was uprooted. how have you made it through that? >> oh, by god's grace. we are so thankful. we realize the preciousness of life. looking at josie today, you would never know that she only weighed 22 ounces at birth. >> she looks great. >> fantastic. >> she's a miracle baby. we are so grateful to have her. just the fact that she's here is something to be grateful about. >> and a question for any of the older kids to answer. one of the advantages of having

a big family is when times get tough you can lean on each other a little bit. what did you learn about family in the past year? >> i think it drew us closer together as a family unit. we all moved to little rock which is three hours from where we lived in northwest arkansas. we didn't want it to divide our family in any way and cause stress. we camped out in little rock for several months. >> sticking with some of the older children, i have wondered over the years watching you be interviewed on this show. based on your experience in this family are you more or less likely to go forward as adults and have very large families? >> more likely. >> more? >> you think you will have a lot of children? >> yes, sir. i think so. >> why do you think that? >> i guess our parents always taught us that we are best friends. having your best friends with you all the time, your brothers and sisters, is really special. >> guys, you feel the same way?

>> yes. >> show of hands. anybody here want to have a small family? no. not one. >> lots of grandkids. >> you're on your second book now. jim bob, what's the message here? >> well, this book talks about josie's story at the beginning and all of the struggles and challenges. the lord gave us grace to get through it. it goes deeper into our lives of why we do what we do and what makes us tick and all the bible principles behind why we do what we do. it's a special book. not just because we wrote it but hopefully it will encourage families. many have encouraged us over the years. hopefully it will be a great inspiration. >> it goes without saying every time we have you on the show or talk about you we get a lot of comments. a lot of people have questions. one thing people want to know is during these difficult financial times how you do it. i know you both have real estate

licenses but how do you make ends meet? >> good question. back about 20 years ago we went through jim salmon's financial freedom seminar to get out of debt and stay out of debt. that helped us to get established. then we -- we paid cash for the house, built it at a family project. >> is it a monthly struggle? are you making sure you get to the end of the month? >> we have invested in commercial real estate and we have that all paid for. so we have rental income. really, we are insulated from the financial situation that the country is in. we have had a few renters that moved out. but the lord has always met our needs. it's amazing. as we have had our children and expanded our family, god has always increased our income just a little bit more to take care of it. >> each one. our family motto, we say, is buy used and save the difference. we love to go to thrift stores and pawnshops.

>> who's a really good shopper? >> jinger. >> you know a bargain when you see one? >> we have never bought a new car. we spend less money on clothes than most people do. >> everything we wear is thrift store finds. >> the new season of tlc starts tonight. >> yes. >> has it always been good having the cameras around or are there times you wish you could say, get out of here? >> at first they would put the camera in our face and say, be normal. now the home crew is like family. syst >> is there any misconception you want to clear up about the family? you're smiling. >> i don't know. >> there is a lot of love in our family. i think people would say, well, if michelle would have breastfed the babies -- >> that's one thing.

if you nursed your babies, you wouldn't have children that close together. i did, but god made me different. we are loving and enjoying every one of them. so i think that one little misconception, probably that has something to do with mom, with me. >> we feel the most important thing is encouraging each of the children to love god and serve others. we love each one of the children. each one is thankful to be here. >> we're thankful you are here as well. >> we have said every time we're so impressed by how well behaved your kids are and nice, nice young men and women. that's a testament to your parents. >> the book again is called "a love that multiplies." jim bob, michelle, the rest of the duggar clan, thanks for being here. up next, martha stewart gives meredith one last lesson in the kitchen. will it finally take hold? >> no. >> first, this is "today" on nbc."t

>> announcer: martha on today, brought to you by macy's. the martha stewart collection is now available at macy's and at macys.com. >> back at 8:45. this morning a few of the recipes martha stewart has yet to teach me. five years seems plenty of time to get me to reach domestic bliss, but ask martha. >> meredith has her schtick. >> i wouldn't know an acid-loving plant. >> it's been not to be a good student. >> this is where it turns ugly. >> i thought you were adults. >> you thought wrong. >> that's beautiful. >> do you remember the gingerbread we worked on. >> can i put mine on it? >> no. we want it to be picture perfect. >> what? >> eat it. >> oh, you eat it, too, martha

stewart. >> whoever thought that profiterole would start a fight. >> oh, look at you. perfect. >> that doesn't look perfect. >> look at the difference. >> oh, look how pretty his is. not so much anymore. >> i'm never surprised by meredith. just in awe that she can keep up with her inability to do things. >> oh, no! we have a fire. >> turn it off. >> apple pie? remember? >> meredith has thrown down the gauntlet claiming her mother's old-fashioned apple pie can top martha stewart's recipe. how ridiculous. >> she's still doing hers. mine is almost done. >> i will award the 2009 best apple pie winner -- it's a toss-up. >> let's get to the alcohol. >> it's okay if she likes to drink. a lot of people like to drink. >> you asked me to name my

favorite alcohol. i said all and you said to pick one. i do drink. >> the time that you actually threw red wine at me. >> o geez. oh, geez. >> oh, no. >> oh, my gosh. >> this will never come out. >> she owes me a new blouse. $795, please, meredith, before you leave the "today" show. >> just for the record you told me you could get the stain out of your shirt. >> o it didn't come out. >> i have not been the best student. i know. this thing -- >> this is getting hot. we'll learn to make omelets. >> my last lesson. >> tomorrow i brought you a lot of things to take home and enjoy. >> oh, nice. >> some of them are eggs. do you make omelets at home? >> sure, sometimes. >> all of these ingredients make a delicious omelet. here are the three eggs. these are three-egg omelets. use a nonstick skill let like

this. add two tablespoons of clarified butter. that's had the butter fat poured off. >> you make it? >> you could. use good, unsalted water. >> don't splash me. >> i won't on your beautiful new dress. you have been wearing pretty dresses. >> i'm trying. miss it up. >> fluff it up. put some air in there and then pour it into the hot pan. >> fer fekt? >> yes. sprinkle with a tiny bit of salt and pepper. >> so far this is very basic. >> keep squiggling. if it's not cooking fast enough, the heat proof rubber scraper works well. >> what's the point? >> it doesn't break the egg. if you are using a nonstick pan use something that doesn't scratch the pan. what are you going to tell me. >> i was going to tell you where

to put the statue la. now i know. >> i hope you come visit me. are you going to visit me? >> i would love to come visit me. don't say that and then put me on the show. >> i will, many times. put it in the middle. >> is this cooking too fast? >> not fast at all actually. keep pulling the edges in. do you think matt wants egg, omelet? >> matt loves a good omelet. >> this is taking a long time. >> i think you have to raise the heat. >> well, you shut it off. want peppers and cheese? >> mm-hmm. >> see how pretty it looks? >> beautiful. >> nice and colorful. not too brown on the bottom. >> you purposely did my pan too cold. >> you have to keep adjusting the heat. you're doing well. there. >> do you have a fork, martha? >> i do. for you, matt, anything. >> that's close.

>> what do you think? >> that looks good. it's edible. if you serve it to your family, they will be thankful. >> i'm not eating that. >> also i wanted you to have the recipe for crudite. >> isn't it just veggies? >> not just raw veggies. fresh asparagus that's been cooked just until tender. >> is that called blanching? see what i learned? >> and ice water. carrots, too, have been blanched and cut. you pile them nicely on a big platter like this. string beans. >> almost undercooked. >> that's okay. you did it in television time. >> here's creme fraiche and buttermilk. >> and this -- >> this is a dip. lemon, lemon juice, dill, a pinch of cayenne, not the whole

thing. stir it up. >> whisk it? >> whatever. and put it in the carved out cabbage over there. vegetables really taste better. not peppers. don't do radishes, peppers, jicama. >> oh, don't cook those. >> but any hard vegetable, blanch it a little bit. >> what's jicama? >> a wonderful large radish. oh. >> okay. >> that may be a little bit much. >> it's lovely. >> now the drink. >> a cup of -- >> looks like sangria. >> it tastes good. apple cut up. do you make it in the summer time? >> no, i do not. >> why not? >> i don't make anything in the summer time. i drink out of whatever. >> honeydew, mango. >> do you honestly spend time doing this in the summer?

>> make drinks? of course. you have friends come over, right? >> absolutely. >> what do you give them to drink? >> a bottle of wine or something. >> they would love home made sangria, don't you think? >> is that the hol? >> white wine. >> no, it's grain alcohol. we're making a hairy buffalo. >> all the ice. >> that's not much. how many people will that serve? >> you can add more wine. >> dump that in, too? >> not all of it. just half a cup of wonderful cointreau, grand marnier. let that macerate. >> what does that mean? >> it's your last day, not mine. be careful. spvmt. >> also put in fresh ginger, a quarter cup. and some basil. >> martha? >> oh, thank you.

>> here's to five years. thank you. >> here is a basket of goodies for you from my farm. honey and jams, eggs and all good things for you to enjoy some time off. don't take too much time off. >> i won't. back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc.

you have two hours left in your "today" show career.

how do you feel? >> when you put it that way, terrible. >> wow. >> um, sad. see you. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. new developments to a double murder in baltimore county. a new man has been arrested and he is the brother of the men already arrested. police say he and two brothers shot and killed them and in pikesville on the 29th. the men got into an altercation that spilled outside. all three are being

>> now let's take a look at the

forecast with tony pann. >> it is going to be a fairly nice day today. temperatures will be warmer than they have been. upper 80s this afternoon. this afternoon and evening, a chance for a few scattered showers and thunderstorms. wednesday and thursday will be in the mid-nineties. we will see a chance for a few thunderstorms during the week. 40% chance thursday, saturday, sunday. >> another weather update at 9:25.