good morning. breaking news. dozens of dangerous animals including tigers and lions and wolves on the loose near columbus, ohio after apparently being set free from a preserve. their owner found dead. this morning schools are closed. residents are being told to stay inside and the hunt is on. we'll go there live. sin city showdown. things get nasty between mitt romney and rick perry during the debate. >> i'm looking forward to finding your facts.

rick, i'm speaking. i'm speaking. i'm speaking. >> when the dust settles, which candidate has the best chance against president obama? donald trump weighs in and talks about the meetings he's had with the gop hopefuls. and dangerous dad. the father who used his 9-year-old daughter as his des significant nailed driver faces the judge and the little girl's mom speaks out in her husband's defense today. mom speaks out in her husband's defense today. wednesday, october 19th, 2011. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning, welcome to "today." i'm matt lauer. >> and i'm ann curry. police armed with shotguns are patrolling parts of eastern ohio serving for those animals and already killed two dozen of the nearly 50 in all.

>> it's unclear how those animals got out. when list arrived on the scene they found all of the cages open and the park's owner dead. the surrounding communities are now on very high alert >> that's why we want to get to john yang in zanesville, ohio. >> reporter: officers are under orders to shoot to kill as they try to track down the remaining animals. the sheriff told us that overnight they estimate they've already shot between 30 and 35 of the animals. these are wild animals, wild animals that you would see on tv in africa. >> reporter: it's like a scene out of "wild kingdom." authorities attempting to contain animal situation of epic proportions. >> right now we're shooting to kill. >> reporter: lions, cheetah, grizzly and black bears, 48 animals in all escaped from a

private preserve in zanesville, tuesday night. authorities say they received at least four sightings miles away along interstate 70 as early as 5:30 p.m. >> we don't know how much of a head start these animals had on us. >> reporter: sheriff's deputies arrived at the private wildlife preserve and found the owner, terry thompson dead, all of the animal cages were open. they joined the search in an attempt to capture them live. this isn't the first time privately held exotics were left loose. they got a 280-pound alligator from a new york city apartment and the chimp attack on a woman raised awareness. >> there needs to be legislation to change on how these things are going in the state of ohio. >> reporter: authorities say thompson did have permits for

all the animals on his ohio property. >> it's a very dangerous situation and we're taking all the precautions we can. >> reporter: authorities say these animals are big, mature and aggressive. there are signs warning tdriver to stay in their vehicles and four schools in the area have canceled classes. >> thank you very much. the senior vice president of the columbus zoo is involved in the search. tom, good morning. >> good morning. >> with daybreak it should make it easier to find these animals. which are the most dangerous, the ones causing the greatest concern this morning? >> well, these are all adult carnivores so when we talk about the lions and tigers and bears they're all dangerous especially that they are now out of their area -- their enclosures they were normally in so they're panicking, as well. you are correct. we definitely need some daylight

to assess the situation and work with the sheriff, number one priority is public safety. we're wanting to make sure that the public is aware that we need to be careful as well as taking care of the emergency personnel out on grounds and then we'll move in to try to recapture the animal. >> when you say these animals may be panicked right now, what kind of behavior do you expect given these circumstances? >> well, they're definitely going to not be used to where they're at so they're going to be scared. they're panicking trying to figure out what is going on. so they're not going to be -- they're going to be searching for a place to settle down and trying to, you know, just to calm down a little bit and, unfortunately, though, in their situation that they're in, it's

going to take our team once everything is assessed for -- with the sheriff's department to come in and try to tranquilize the animal. >> it sounds as though the behavior you're talking about could make them even more dangerous. you know, you talk about using a tranquilizer but it soups as though also a lot of these animals have been killed. what is the possibility of actually taking more of these animals alive? >> well, until we can assess it and the only way we'll be able to assess is with daylight. when we tranquilize, it takes several minutes for the sedation to take an effect, especially with an animal that is moving around and very excited that sedation will take longer. so it all comes down to timing daylight and assessment of this situation to determine how many animals we'll be able to recapture. >> school districts are closed.

people have been warned to stay indoors. what's your warning for people who may see them in their neighborhood, what should people do? we >> well, the sheriff's department is recommending if you see something, call 911. they are following or try to track the animals. most animals that do escape from their facilities will tay near their facilities. they're not going to be running free. but as people push them, they will move farther away from their home. >> you know, ohio has some of the nation's weakest restrictions on exoticen malls and among the highest number of injuries and deaths caused by them. do you think it's time for greater restrictions, especially in light of the events overnight? >> yes. we work with the state right now. we're working the columbus zoo and the wild have been working with legislation to work on ways of defining what a dangerous

animal is, who would govern, regulate this law, where the animals would go if they are illegally owned by, you know, people without permits and, you know, what are we going to do with the animals? that's what we're doing, working with this team to develop legislation to have restrictions. >> all right, and this as the investigation continues into how this happened in the first place. tom stalf, thank you very much this morning for joining us. and it is now 7:08. now here's matt. >> to politics and the gop presidential race. things got very heated during last night's debate out in las vegas. nbc's political director and chief white house correspondent chuck todd has the blow byeby blow. chuck, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, matt. well, look, apologies for the cliches but last night's republican debate, the gloves came off and it turned into a good old-fashioned fight night in vegas. >> because you hired illegals in your home and you knew for it --

about it for a year. >> reporter: struggling to get back into the race, rick perry took an answer about his health care records to level a personal attack on front-runner mitt romney that caught everyone off guard. >> the idea you stand here before us and talk about that you're strong on immigration is on its face the height of hypocrisy. >> reporter: perry referring to this 2007 "boston globe" report that romney for a full year used a lawn service that used u undocumented workers. >> i don't think i've ever hired an illegal in my life -- i'm looking forward to finding your facts on that da. >> i'll tell you -- >> rick, you had the floor. i'm speaking. >> the newspaper -- >> i'm speaking. you get 30 seconds. this the way the rules work here and then you get 30 seconds to respond, right? >> they want -- >> anderson. >> you knew you had illegals. >> will you please work?

>> are you going to keep talking? >> reporter: the exchange was raw and personal. >> a tough couple of debates for rick and i understand that so you're going to get testy. [ cheers and applause ] but let's let -- i'll tell you what, let me take my time and then you can take your time, is that all right. >> have at it. >> we hired a lawn company to mow our lawn and they had illegal immigrants were working there. when that was pointed out to us, we let them go. -- do you have a problem with allowing someone to finish speaking and i suggest if you want to become president of the united states you got to let both people speak. >> reporter: the debate began with everyone taking shots at herman cain and his 9-9-9 plan. >> go to new hampshire where they don't have a sales tax and you fixing to give them one. >> this is an example of mixing apples and oranges.

>> so then governor perry was right -- >> no, he was not. he was mixing apples and oranges. >> and i'll get a bushel basket of both because i'm paying taxes. >> you don't have credibility when it comes to repealing obama care. your plan was the basis for it. >> this was crafted for massachusetts. it would be wrong to adopt this as a nation. you're shaking your head -- >> that's not what you said. you said you're speaking for everybody. took it out of your book. >> let me -- >> your last -- >> i tell you what -- >> rick, you had your chance. let me speak. rick, you had your chance, let me speak. >> you're out of time. >> he ate into my time. >> rick -- >> i'm sorry. >> i haven't had a chance to respond because you interrupted me the entire time i was trying to speak. >> well now you understand why these next poll results are about to debut are what they are and what happened at last

night's debate. the new marist polls herman cain is ahead. rick perry trailing badly at 11%, florida, another important primary state, it's mitt romney at 30%, herman cain at 29%. rick perry at 9%. you understand why rick perry felt he had to go after romney and why everybody felt they had to go after romney and cain. >> thanks very much. donald trump flirted with a white house run earlier. since then a steady parade of gop presidential hopefuls has made their trip to new york to meet with him. and on tuesday, 5 in an exclusive interview i asked trump to explain what happens at those sit-downs. when you sit down with these people, what do they want? do they want your upon? do they want your megaphone, your stamp of approval. >> they want an endorsement. the reason is i believe i bring a lot of people. when you look at what's going on i bring a lot of people.

>> do you want to be the kingmaker of the republican party. >> no, i don't. i want this country to be great again. this country is in such trouble. i want this country to be great again. >> i was surprised because recently you participated in a teleconference town hall for michele bachmann. now, this to museums to be a little bit crossing the line. no longer are you just meeting and greeting but as close as you've come to endorsing a candidate and participating in her campaign. are you endorsing. >> no, i'm not. she is a nice woman. she said it's not an endorsement. would you do a teleconference? i said, do i want to do it, no. will i do it, yes. >> let's do a little republican candidate word association or laundry listment so let's talk about michele bachmann. she started off with a lot of attention. >> right. >> fell to the bottom of the pack. can she win? >> very tough. i think it's going to be very tough. i even said it during her conference. she said what she believes but i think when rick perry came in,

it was hot. he was hot as a pistol and he really knocked her off the perch. >> since you bring up rick perry. he has lost more than half of his support in the last eight weeks. what happened to him. >> i think he did poorly in the debates and rick perry is a much different person in person than he is, in fact, he called me and was talking so forcefully and so strong and so good, i said why can't you do that during the debates? he said, debates aren't my thing. >> herman cain is now according to some the front-runner on the republican side and yet some call him as they called michele bachmann and rick perry, the flavor of the month. is herman cain the flavor of the month. >> no, i think he's got great substance. the fact is he's a really -- got a great personality. he's got a great way about him and people relate to him and 9-9-9, whether you like it or you don't -- >> a lot of people don't. a lot of conservative economic experts say it's a disaster. >> but it's something, okay. it's something. he's putting something out there. other people are putting out 97

pages -- >> do you agree with 9-9-9. >> no, i don't agree with it. >> so if he puts it out in and it's wrong just because it's something, does that make a difference. >> he's not just katering to me but katering to a lot of people and understand the simplicity of it. it's simple. it's concise. it's easy to understand. now, i will say this. i think the sales tax part of this is very tough. do i like being brought down to 9%? i love it. will sales tax affect me not too much. >> do you agree with a lot of experts who say this takes the burden completely off the wealthy and puts it squarely on the shoulders of the poor and middle class. >> i think he's going to amendment it. i don't think he's completed it. now, he says he has experts. i said -- i told him, by the way, you have to come through with these expert. >> could you vote for herman cain? >> i could vote for anybody, anybody that we've been talking about including governor romney who has made a great impression at the debates but i could vote for anybody over president obama. president obama has been a total

and complete disaster. >> mitt romney is the everready bunny. for the last seven year as we'v been talking about him, close to the top the pack. can he win the nomination and presidency. >> i think last time was different. i really do. i think this is a different age, a different time. i think the country is certainly in more turmoil than anybody has ever seen. >> there are people in the streets here in new york. >> we haven't seen that in a long time. >> in other cities around the country and around the world. does the republican party, if they ignore the occupy wall street group do they do so at their own peril. >> i think so. i think it's bad for obama and he's feeling it. i believe ultimately it's more dangerous for president obama. but the republican party sees what's going on. i see what's going on. there is -- this country, a friend of mine used an express today, this country is blowing up. we're blowing up. you are never shy in expressing an opinion.

i want you to express a heartfelt opinion. you talk about the country as not great and needs to return to its greatness. of the candidates you see on the republican side right now which one is most likely in your opinion to return this country to its great -- >> i will be saying that but i can't do it today. >> why not do it today and give somebody a leg. >> i would give somebody a big leg up. it's not fair to the candidates. i told some i will not be making a decision. sooner or later i'll do it and maybe i'll do it with you but i won't do it now. >> when? >> sometime prior to the primaries. >> how much impact will it have. mr. trump thinks a lot. >> meantime, a check of the morning's other top stories from savannah in for natalie. hello, savannah. >> good morning to you. in the news today another person has died in connection with that deadly listeria epidemic linked to cantaloupes from jensen farms. 25 people have died and some 123 others have been sickened.

this is the debadliest outbreak in 25 years. social security recipients are getting their first cost of living increases since 2009. for the average recipient the expected 3.5% hike will mean an extra $38 for them per month and will take effect in january. good news in the fight against heart disease. hospital stays for heart failure fell by 30% over the past decade saving medicare about $4.1 billion. medical experts credit better management of risk factors. now to wall street. cnbc's melissa francis is at the new york stock exchange. good morning. >> good morning to you. a stunning miss for apple on the earnings front. keep in mind revenue was still up 40% versus a year ago but the company only sold 17 million iphones, the street was looking for about 20 million. they said people were waiting for the new iphone, still that stock is getting hammered. at the same time we're watching the biggest protest in years over in greece as the eu tries

to hammer out yet another rescue deal making markets nervous as well, savannah, back to you. >> melissa, thank you. last day of the president's bus tour through north carolina and virginia but if hasn't been all business for the commander in chief. at a virginia high school he sparked a giggle fest and even managed to break some hearts. >> did you have a question for me? >> did you have a question for me? do you know justin bieber. >> i do know justin bieber. he's a very nice young man. >> did they have any other questions for him? they did not. crushing bieber fever one teenager at a time. >> threw him right under the bus. >> savannah, thanks very much. mr. roker, what's going on? a lot of rain. >> looking at this rain stretching up and down the eastern seaboard.

a risk of strong storms from wilmington to harrisburg. three tornadoes down in florida last night. you can see that rain stretching from miami all the way up into new york city. back as far west as chicago. look at these rainfall amounts from chicago up into alpena, 2 to 5 inches and along the eastern seaboard. 1 to 3 inches possible in the next 48 hours. >> good morning. we will be dealing with some rain off and on today. this afternoon, the answer may be unstable enough to create a be unstable enough to create a few thunderstorms. >> and that's your latest weather. ann. >> all right, al, thanks. just ahead new developments in

the disexperience of kansas city baby lisa irwin. why police have locked down the family home. first this is "today" on nbc.

coming up, the latest on the search for dozens of dangerous animals. >> we'll talk to the sheriff after your local news. [ female announcer ] at jcpenney we're giving you a big thank you this friday & saturday. get an extra 20% off when you use your jcpenney rewards credit card. don't have a card, you still get an extra 15% off.

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pushed her into a vacant house and attacked her neighbors said they heard screams but they did not know where they were coming from. oggy morningon a sa commute with sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> rough go of it. you want extra time this morning, especially on southbound 95 out of 175. delays stretch back -- situation to 195 southbound. triadelphia road in howard county, watch for an accident. camp conditions on the outer loop west side. southlawn j.f.x. on the ball right down to coldspring. southbound 95 out of the white marsh area, 12th miles per hour on average. harrisburg expressway, very heavy southbound beginning in the parkton region.

coming towards us as a subcontractor, backed up toward 32. -- southbound traffic cop back up towards 32. >> earlier there was a lot more orange and red showing up. a few pockets of heavy rain in baltimore and carroll county. sprinkles down in annapolis at the present time. that is our forecast for today. off and on a rainshowers, maybe a thunderstorm this afternoon. it should clear up as we head into the weekend. slight chance for a rain shower tomorrow. sunshine through the weekend. high temperatures in

7:30 on this wednesday morning. it's the 19th day of okay, 2011. you're looking at some umbrellas up but yet the crowd is happy as they join us this morning in the plaza. rainy weather didn't keep them away. meanwhile, inside studio 1a i'm ann curry alongside matt lauer. the michigan father who used his 9-year-old daughter as a designated driver has had his day in court. what a judge ordered him to do and what the girl's mother is now saying about this arrest.

hidden camera investigation on car repairs as we put some very popular national chain stores to the test. but we begin this half hour as we began the last half hour with more on that search for dozens of dangerous animals including bears and lions and wolfs that escaped from an animal preserve in columbus, ohio. matt luce and, sheriff, good morning. >> good morning, ann. >> your deputies found the owner terry thompson dead and all of the outdoor cages open. were there any markings on his body that indicate whether he was killed by the animals or by another human being? >> well, ann, that's still under investigation right now. we're waiting on some preliminary autopsy reports and as soon as we have those reports back and get some of those reports done we'll be able to release that information. >> but don't you want to warn people who are already worrying about animals on the loose as to whether or not there may also be a killer on the loose, sheriff?

>> well, ann, the type of animals we're dealing with, all of them were considered at this point. we started emergency broadcasting as soon as this thing happened. these are not your normal pets. these animals have been caged for a long time and, you know, we wouldn't take any chance with them last night and we certainly wouldn't have our citizens take any chance with them today. >> are you going to try to qu k quickly assess whether there may be a killer involved so people can be adequately warned about that? >> obviously once daybreak hits here, we're going back in to get an accountability of how many animals have been put down, how many animals are still penned up and once we get that number we have what we think is a pretty credible working number of how many animals were here at this scene and once we get that number, we can be able to brief our citizens on a little bit more. >> is it possible that the preserve's owner may have opened the cages himself, sheriff?

>> very possible. very possible. >> and is there any indication as to whether the preserve's owner may have done -- may have killed himself actually? is that a possibility? >> anything is a possibility at this point. >> mr. thompson was -- just got out of prison, i understand, three weeks ago after serving a one-year sentence on firearms charges and he had a prior conviction of cruelty to animals. was he on your radar and if not, should he have been? >> i didn't catch all of that, ann, at the end, but we are aware of mr. thompson's criminal record. you know, that's one of the issues that is being debated here, that has been debated as far as having these compound-type places for animals in the state of ohio. >> all right, well, sheriff matt lutz, i know you have a big job. thank you very much for joining us this morning. >> thank you. all right, now 7:33. here's matt.

>> ann, thank you. now let's turn to the search for lisa irwin, the kansas city baby who disappeared two weeks ago. police obtained a search warrant for the baby's home. peter alexander has details on that. >> reporter: matt, good morning to you. police tell nbc news they will execute that later today. this is the home where the parents say their baby daughter disappeared now more than two weeks ago. the parents have been staying elsewhere but police have been standing guard overnight. that means lisa's parents are no longer allowed to freely enter that home. this as the hunt for clues continues elsewhere too. investigators is swarmed this wooded area tuesday even temporarily setting up a no-fly zone above for their fourth search at this site just blocks from the irwin family home. >> we developed it and unfortunately didn't pan out. >> reporter: the site is near this dumpster where firefighters tell nbc news they responded to a fire an hour and a half before lisa's parents reported the baby missing from her crib.

lisa's mother, deborah bradley says police showed her burned clothing during questioning. the tense relationship between the two shows little side of cooling. the police say the parents have not agreed to an unrestricted interview for 11 days after deborah became uncomfortable with the questions and ended their conversation. >> deborah, do you think you'll be arrested. >> i don't know. i hope not. i had absolutely nothing to do with it. it's a waste of time, money, energy and focus and people should be looking for her. >> reporter: returning to a relative's home tuesday lisa's parents ignored reporters' questions. still, new scrutiny is focused on apparent inconsistencies related to deborah's time line from that night. the couple's attorney tuesday on "today." >> obviously she wasn't marking the time down when putting the baby to bed. >> reporter: two days earlier she said she was. when was the last time you saw her. >> 6:40. i looked at the clock and she

had been in bed. >> reporter: we watched home videos of lisa from earlier this year. it's hard to watch that, isn't it? she's adorable. >> it makes me feel good but it makes me overwhelmed at the same time because i don't know if i'll ever have more than those videos. it's a scary thought. >> yeah, it's hard. that's her. there she is. that's how she always was, happy and talking to everybody. >> reporter: police tell nbc news that they have in their custody evidence that is the computer hard drives on those hard drives lisa's parents say is some other video of their baby daughter that they were hoping to release to help bring more public interest to the case. matt. >> all right, pete alexander in kansas city this morning. thank you very much. a check of the weather now from al. "today's weather." brought to you by party city.

this halloween party city wants to know, who are you going to be? party city, nobody has more halloween for less. >> as we take a look show you what's happening for today, we've got frost and freeze warnings from today into tomorrow morning. stretching from northern texas all the way into nebraska. we are looking at temperatures anywhere from 10 to 15 degrees below normal for highs today, 40s into the plains and 50s and 60s out west. we're looking at 90s in the pacific northwest and during the day today, heavy rain slight risk of strong thunderstorms, mid-atlantic states. the heavy rain stretches from chicago into the northeast. western half will be gorgeous with plenty of sunshine. few scattered showers in the coastal pacific northwest >> good morning. give yourself a few extra minutes. there may be if you thunderstorms. br

and that's your latest weather. >> al, thanks very much. ann and al, i want to mention sad news. for the better part of 0 years jack sturm was the guy who picked us up for work each morning and got our day off. he was the first person some of us saw every day as we dragged yourselves out of bed in the wee hours of the morning which i always thought was great for us. not such a treat for jack. jack passed away tuesday morning after a battle with cancer. he was a great guy and we want to pass along our condolences to his wife dawna, his children and his grandchildren and mornings will not be the same without jack. >> one of the motion dependable humble nice guys and good guys. anyway, we're right back.

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don't have a card, you still get an extra 15% off. no exclusions. go to jcp.com to see everything on sale. jcpenney. i know you're worried about making your savings last and having enough income when you retire. that's why i'm here. to help come up with a plan and get you on the right path. i have more than a thousand fidelity experts working with me so that i can work one-on-one with you. it's your green line. but i'll be there, every step of the way. call or come in for a free portfolio review today. this morning on "today" we investigate automobile repairs. what's the truth behind pricey bills. we have an eye-opening

investigation. hey, jeff. >> always coming back for more. eye opening for a lot of reasons. these result also surprise you for maybe not the reason you expect. on tuesday here on "today" we showed you what our hidden cameras uncovered at auto dealerships. most build for repairs we didn't need. we're taking the same car to national chain store, pepboys, midas, meineke. how would they do? our hidden cameras are rolling again. name brand mechanics under our hood charging us big money for repairs. what do you make of this? >> it's terrible. >> reporter: we set up service appointments at top national chains, some of the most trusted names in the business. our car, this 2007 jeep grand cherokee. under 40,000 miles and out of warranty. first we took it to a mechanic certified by two top auto repair groups. he inspected every system of our jeep and gave it a clean score.

>> everything looks fine. everything is good. >> then we asked him to rig a simple problem. he used this small part in the air conditioner. it's called the relay switch. so what are you doing here. >> i'll take your ac relay out and i'm going to replace it with a defective one. >> reporter: and that makes the air conditioner blow warm air. >> yes. >> reporter: quick and easy fix. he says he'd charge only $100 to fix our problem. so what would these name brand shops do? to find out, we installed hidden cameras inside our car and under the hood. >> so almost $2,000 to fix it. >> reporter: on tuesday here on "today" we showed you what our hidden cameras uncovered when we took our car to auto dealerships. four out of five tried to charge us hundreds, up to $2,000 in what experts say were unnecessary repairs. so would these chain shops be any better? once again, we sent this female

nbc producer with this same jeep to five stores, a random mix of city and suburban locations. >> yes. warm air it's blowing. >> reporter: our hidden cameras were rolling as she drops it off at this midas at new york. within minutes the mechanic diagnoses our bad relay as the only problem. >> so this was the part that was bad in my car. >> yep. >> pretty simple. >> uh-huh. >> reporter: and pretty cheap. the charge, only $91. same great result at this meineke in new jersey. the bill only $90 to fix our ac. and if you think that's impressive, this pepboys in new york is even more helpful. they find our bad relay. then the manager confides, we don't need them to fix it. we can go buy the relay and do it ourselves. for just 25 bucks. >> that's something i can buy. >> yes. >> in an auto parts store. >> yes.

ask for an ac clutch relay. >> ac clutch relay. >> reporter: but our good results are about to take a turn. at this midas in long island, they quickly find our bad relay, but then say fixing our ac requires some extra services an a/c recharge package. >> the charging of the system is 189. >> reporter: and a brand-new air filter. >> your cabin air filter is dirty. it would be $59.9. >> reporter: but our hiding cameras show they never checked the old one and the charge we needed. our mechanic checked our a/c pressure before every shop and it was always fine. total charge at this midas, $464, up to five times as expensive as the previous shops. the franchise owner later told us though his technician didn't follow company standards in dock metropolitaning the inspection process, he believes the tech correctly diagnosed and fixed the problem.

based on our car's mileage and his knowledge and experience. >> it looks to me like what he's doing right there is using the little bit of knowledge he has to try to convince you need some things you don't need. >> reporter: we showed our undercover video to two experts. paul di giuseppe, one of the top a/c mechanics and phil reed, senior editor with a leading auto site. while they can't comment on these practice, many may push cheap fixes like new floyds and filters even when you don't need them. >> this is easiest go-to place. >> reporter: when i think $50, but that adds up. >> the lifetime of a car adds up to thousands of dollars. >> reporter: but it was at this meineke in new york where we got the biggest surprise of all. our hidden cameras show the mechanic never even checks our relay. instead he comes up with a much more serious problem.

>> this valve is leaking. this mr[ bleep ] been leaking f awhile. >> i have a leak. >> reporter: how would you rate his work? >> horrible. terrible. i'm sorry to see this. >> reporter: that mechanic isn't done yet. >> we have to replace the part then we recharge the system again. >> how much is this going to cost me. >> the total down here is 393. >> $393 to fix my air-conditioning. >> reporter: nearly $400 for repairs that experts say were completely unnecessary. >> people like in this give us all a bad name. there really are a lot of good people out there. >> reporter: the franchise owner later told us this mechanic misdiagnosed our problem and his shop won't tolerate bad practices. in fact, he told us he's received other customer complaints about his shop and as a result has now hired all new managers and mechanics. in the end good practices seem to prevail.

experts say three out of five shops charged us to fix the real problem. nothing more. as for the others -- >> they're abusing our trust because in many cases they appeal to us as the trusted adviser and yet they're actually picking our pockets. >> reporter: this a statement midas corporate told us it does not tolerate what happened at the store that charged us too much and our investigation is already getting results. midas will now require additional training at that specific store. both midas and meineke said most of their stores do a great job but each store is independently owned and makes it own employment decisions and the best advice get a second opinion. most of these shops charge you to check the shops. call around and try to compare. >> be careful about that. thank you very much this morning. coming up next, the father arrested for having his nine-year-old daughter act as a designated driver face ss a jud as the girl's mother speaks out

right after this.

keurig has a wide variety of gourmet coffee and tea to choose from. keurig is the way to brew fresh, delicious coffee in under a minute. way to brew. so with keurig, every cup tastes like it's brewed just for you. because it is. we're back at 7:51 with a court appearance for the michigan father arrested for using his daughter as a designated driver allegedly. stephanie gosk has the latest. stephanie, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, matt. the gas station is open 24 hour, the qwi compa ichliqwikmart is stocked. the man says he's a good guy but

made a big mistake. shawn wiemer looked tired and emotional accused of drinking too much and making his 9-year-old daughter drive him around town. anyone watching the scene must have done a serious double take. all caught on surveillance video, a very large van pulled up at the gas station at 3:00 in the morning and a very small driver popped out. how could that little girl possibly have driven there? but inside the diminutive driver's dad was eager to brag. >> 9 years old. 9. listen, we're leaving and she's driving. i'm drunk. >> 9 years old in the truck thee drove all the way here. i got a 9-year-old chauffeur. >> reporter: and the 9-year-olds chauffeur, she got a candy apple before getting back behind the wheel. wiemer's free on $25,000 bail but for now the single father is

not allowed any contact with his daughter. >> not see her -- >> reporter: the judge may not give him a break but his friends are willing to. >> the way they post his picture on the news looks like he's a criminal. he's not. he's a good dad. >> reporter: his daughter is staying with his mother and tells the detroit news that the 39-year-old is a good father who made a bad choice. she also wants to know how her daughter learned to drive. i have no clue how she reached the pedals. well however she did it it seemed to work. notice the smooth parking job. slightly off center but many licensed drivers do worse. still a 9-year-old driving a van raises some red flags. a concerned citizen phoned 911. >> is the vehicle staying on the road? >> yes, she's driving pretty good. i'm telling you, i can't believe it. >> reporter: the only thing that shocked the girl was that she got pulled over. when the officer came to the window she simply asked, why did you stop me?

i'm a good driver. that may sound kind of cute but this is a very serious situation for shawn wiemer. he faces potentially 15 years in prison for counts that include child abuse. he made no meant and his lawyer needs to investigate before they enter a plea. >> just ahead, a link between fertility treatments and breast cancer. >> after this. so smooth and creamy,a che you don't just taste it, you feel it. ♪ do you believe in magic? ♪ ♪ it's magic ♪ [ male announcer ] it's a comfort that comes from the only caramel worthy of being wrapped in gold. ♪ do you believe in magic? [ male announcer ] werther's original caramel chocolate. what comfort tastes like. a big thank you this friday & saturday. get an extra 20% off when you use your jcpenney rewards credit card. don't have a card, you still get an extra 15% off.

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[ male announcer ] write your story with the new citi simplicity card. no late fees. no penalty rate. no worries. get started at citisimplicity.com. >> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. time for your morning commute with sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> delays forming quickly on southbound 83. accident just past shawan road. delays begin with york road to mount carmel.

towsontown and washington boulevard, accident to avoid. delays on southbound 95 from mountain road, 16 miles per hour on the 895 split. cooks lane and edmondson avenue, watch for a crash. southbound 795, backed up out of a owings mills. inner loop delays in place as well. you can see the back up the southbound j.f.x. beginning at the beltway. howard county, one at 175, the other at 32. slow-go through that area as expected. let's take a look. live view of traffic on the northeast corner. to and from 95, that is the pace of things. past shawan road, watch for an accident taking up the center lane. tony has a check on your forecast. >> for the most part this is just a light rain. pockets of heavier stuff on the

radar. even if it is not raining at your house, the rain will catch up to you at one point or another during the day. rain likely, could even be a few thunderstorms. high temperatures in the 60's. it will improve going into the weekend. breezy and cool on thursday, friday, and saturday.

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greetings on this wednesday morning. 19th day of october, 2011. outside of new york city, the umbrellas are up. we thank those people for hanging in there sticking it out and i'm getting a little wet with us on this wednesday morning. hopefully will clear up when one of the biggest bands on the planet coldplay stops by the concert for a live concert. by the way, you don't have to

wait until then for great music. it's coming up in our next half hour. "today," we've got sting live in our studio. i'm matt lauer along with ann curry. more on the hunt for those dangerous animals in ohio. how hard will it be ba track down. we'll talk about that with jeff corwin. >> e!'s giuliana rancic was here to talk about her breast cancer. could there be a possible connection between that and fertility drugs. >> we want to begin in ohio where those escaped and dangerous animals have police warning residents to stay inside. nbc's john yang is in zanesville. john, good morning again. >> reporter: good morning, matt. investigators tell nbc news that preliminary indications are that terry thompson, the man who owned this rescue operation killed himself. that he committed suicide and

that they're working under the theory that he himself opened the pens and released the animals before he took his own life. investigators say that they have always been worried and prepared for animals to escape from this rescue operation, this exotic animal operation he runs here in zanesville, ohio. thompson himself just earlier this month finished a federal prison sentence on federal weapons charges. now that the sun is up investigators feel they'll be able to get out, get a better sense of how many animals still may be around. they think that they've killed overnight that they've killed star between 30 and 35 animals and that only a handful remain at large. matt? >> all right, john yang in zanesville, ohio, john, thanks as always. msnbc sign and environmental expert john corwin the host of

"ocean mysteries" and the author of "100 heartbeats." good morning to you. how dangerous a situation to you think this really is. >> matt, this could be incredibly dangerous. carnivores ranging from bears to lions and that's why it's so important that this situation needs to be managed immediately. if not for the protection of the public, for the protection for the animals themselves and as you can see, really the worst case scenario has happened here. >> you know what, you're right. public safety is the number one concern but i can't help but think this is just such a tragedy for these animals that did nothing to deserve this. >> incredible tragedy, matt. this brings up the point about private people keeping exotic animals as pets especially powerful creatures like these large cats and bears and wolves. these are animals that in normal situations in states like

massachusetts and other parts of the country, there are strict state regulations when it comes to keeping these animals in captivity. that is not the case for ohio and now we see what's happening. >> it seems ironic, jeff, in ohio you do need a permit to house a native animal like a bear. you do not need a permit to house a nonnative animal like a lion or a tiger. it just doesn't seem to make sense. >> it does seem a little ironic but basically, matt, how this law was put into place it really wasn't put in place to manage exotic animals but managing the natural resources of the state. so if there are species of special concern in the state of ohio, they're pro-tukted. unfortunately, the loophole here it doesn't recognize the need to protect people and wildlife when it comes to exotic creatures and in places like texas and in places like ohio where these regulations are incredibly loose. in fact, ohio has no laws in the

book to -- when it comes to keeping these animals in captivity this is what can happen. >> jeff corwin joining us on this subject, thanks very much for your perspective. >> a check of the rest of the morning's top stories from savannah guthrie. >> in politics the latest republican debate last night in las vegas was a no-holds barred slugfest. all the candidates ripped herman cain's 9-9-9 flat tax plan as a stealth tax increase for everyone but the wealthy and mitt romney and rick perry engaged in a heated and also sometimes personal exchange over leadership and immigration. lindsay lohan once again faces the possibility of being sent to jail. she is due in court today in los angeles. nbc's miguel almagere is there. >> reporter: it's been scheduled for quite some time but prosecutors plan to drop the

hammer and argue lindsay lohan should spend more times behind bars. walk into court has been familiar for lindsay lohan. but it's the los angeles city attorney's office gets his way lohan will walk out in handcuffs. prosecutors plan to tell a judge she was terminated from a woman's center where she was supposed to serve community service. it's been reported the hollywood st starlet rarely showed up. a violation of her probation. the judge gave her one year to complete 480 hours of community service. >> she's not going to get five minutes more than the one year to do it. >> reporter: from a 2007 drunk driving case and misdemeanor theft case from this year. mark geragos doesn't represent her but knows she still has six months to complete her court-ordered service. >> the odds of her serving time in jail in none. >> reporter: she tweeted i'm working hard in fulfilling my obligations every single day.

while she has been spotted doing some community service in recent weeks she's made headlines while working and playing in europe. but earlier this month, some of her pictures raised eyebrows and questions. what experts are saying that she probably is living an unhealthy lifestyle. just not taking care of herself. >> reporter: but in court the question will be did lindsay lohan take care of her community service. today she'll be in front of a in nonsense judge and more calls for her to return to job. >> miguel, thank you. what's trending, our roundup of what has you talking online. susan sarandon under fire from catholic and jewish groups for calling pope benedict a nazi. the actress made that comment over the weekend during an interview at the hampton film fest cal. unclear whether she was talking about the pope's policies or the fact he was a member of the hitler youth movement in 1941.

speculation has gone wild over what exactly is being built on the white house north lawn. construction crews have been digging a massive mystery hole right by the west wing for at least a year and a half. white house officials saying they can't reveal what it is because of national security. many people are left to guess perhaps a new underground bunker, giant swimming pool or outdoor bowling alley or perhaps a presidential man cave. check out this video from boulder, colorado. a house cat came nose to nose with a slightly larger variety. a mountain lion. only sprayed by the glass door. the mountain lion left not but before getting the stare-down from the cat named zeus. >> not in ohio. look like the big cat wanted to play with the little one. >> didn't seem too upset. check of the weather from al. >> a little on the wet side. got a lot of pharmacists here.

pharmacists week. let's check your weather. oh, doctor, it hurts here. atlantic city, new jersey, nbc, 40, rain and wind, 70 degrees. and you can see where that rain is coming from. all part of a system making its way to the south. another big system back to the west in the ohio river valley. two will merge and means a wet week or couple of days in the northeast and mid-atlantic states and slight risk of storms along the mid-atlantic coast. western half of the country, fantastic. on the coolish side with temperatures in the 40s through the plains. 60s back through the rockies and low 60-degree readings in the pacific northwest. >> good morning. we will be dealing with some rain off and on today. this afternoon, the answer may be unstable enough to create a few thunderstorms.

>> and that's your latest weather. thanks so much. up next is there a link between fertility treatments and breast cancer? dr. nancy snyderman weighs in after giuliana rancic's diagnosis. right after this. ou need ♪ ♪ for the big race. daughter: morning mom! are you excited? ♪ as you finish every mile... ♪ how rewarding are those smiles... ♪ [ cheers from the crowd ] ♪ the best part of wakin' up... ♪ mommy, you did it! ♪ is folgers in your cup. two. three. one.

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an ingredient that works more naturally with your colon than stimulant laxatives, for effective relief of constipation without cramps. thanks. good morning, students. today we're gonna continue... 37-year-old giuliana rancic was here to talk about her battle with infertility and announce she was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. news that is concern for some whether there could be a link between the two. >> giuliana -- >> reporter: television viewers have come to know skrooul giuliana for her work on the e! network dishing the latest celebrity news. >> they say their biggest secrets for us. >> reporter: but giuliana was the one making news monday when she appeared on "today." >> we sadly found out i have early stages of breast cancer so and it's been a shock. >> reporter: her news spread

quickly and questions were raised among some about whether her illness is related in any way to the treatment she shas undergone. >> start thinking about having a kid again. >> reporter: on their style network reality show "giuliana & bill." they have watched them struggle to conceive including one miscarriage. >> you know, why are we being punished in a way. >> reporter: they saw them embarking on their last ivf attempt at a well-known clinic in colorado. >> bye. >> reporter: it was a doctor there who asked giuliana to get a mammogram before he would go ahead with the procedure. >> i said, why, i'm 36 years old? i'm too young. he said i don't care if you're 26, 36, but i will not get you pregnant if possibly the small risk you have cancer. if you get pregnant it can accelerate the cancer. >> reporter: on tuesday she under went a lumpectomy in both breasts and now recovering. we wish her the best and are

bringing in dr. nancy snyderman. good morning. is there any known link between fertility treatments and cancer specifically breast cancer, nancy? >> no. >> at all? >> no. in vitro fertilization and birth control pills both forms of hormones that women take have been studied and there's no known cause and effect. what we do know is that women who are older usually ask for ivf because they're having a harder time getting pregnant and women who are holdolder have a higher chance of getting breast cancer so there is an age relation but not a hormonal relationship with cause and effect with ivf. >> what about the treatments, the pills and injection that is women take regarding boosting their hormone levels given we know estrogen fuels 80% of breast cancer. >> in some tumors. so let's assume you're diagnosed with a tomb their feeds off some hormone. doctors say let's put your

hormones to the side whether it's hormone replacement therapy until we treat the tumor then we can talk about individualizing whether you get pregnant. interestingly, we do know that moms that that are pregnant can get chemotherapy because the chemotherapy doesn't cross over to the fetus and moms usually do very, we very, very well. you take this case and we have to be careful to recognize this is one case. and we cannot extrapolate and say, okay, now everybody should get mammography. the screening guidelines for mammography are no different than those women who are not undergoing ivf so starting at 40 for some women, starting at 50 for other women but there must have been something either in her family history or a gut feeling with this doctor to want her to get a mammogram at the age of 37. >> her aunt had breast cancer yet when i asked her is it part of your family history she said,

no, no. family history is not just your mother to you or your grandmother to you, it's also the extended family. >> own by about 8% of cancers have a true known genetic link. those of these are just accidental or familial. your aunt may have it and you may get it but that doesn't necessarily mean your daughter will get it. we don't know the root cause of breast cancer. whether it's a certain environmental trigger that turns something on but for women who want to go have ivf they should be very comforted by the fact this is very safe and trusted and known. i have a bigger concern for the college girls who are going out there and i'm getting a lot of drugs or harvesting eggs. we don't know how to follow them 30 or 40 years out. for the average woman take this case as a standalone and don't necessarily apply it to yourself. >> all right, dr. nancy snyderman, thank you very much. coming up next, what indy

car driver dan wheldon and his wife did to honor each other the night before he was killed in that fiery crash. that's right after this. ♪ [ male announcer ] 20,000 btus produce a delicate sear. double-oven range makes dinner and dessert -- at the same time. turbo-charged advantium oven cooks more than twice as fast, in this culinary powerhouse. dan. yes? molé sauce. [ male announcer ] with ge's most advanced cooking technology, the café line takes food further. you kids almost ready? i've got breakfast waiting for you. whoo! uh-oh. what? mom's doing her exercise video again. when mom's on a health kick, all of us are. and now she's made us breakfast. uh-oh. ♪ [ male announcer ] eggo nutri-grain waffles. you know it's made with 8 grams of whole grain

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a bigger dog. [ male announcer ] introducing the reinvented 2012 toyota camry. it's ready. are you? ♪ we are back now at 8 ooch:2 the tributes pouring in for dan wheldon. savannah has the latest. >> good morning, matt. wheldon leaves behind a wife and two small children. now we're learning about something special he shared with his wife the day before his fatal crash.

a family grieving quietly in private following a very public and shocking death. >> oh, multiple cars involved. oh, my. it looks like dan wheldon may be involved. >> reporter: dan wheldon died doing what he loved but the very night before his final race he went out with the woman he loved and got matching tattoos at that las vegas parlor. >> i met him for an hour or so and he was just a really good-hearted really nice, nice guy. he said, he definitely would rather be racing than getting tattooed. more squared to get tattooed. >> it shows the new ink, susie's initials inside his left wrist. >> two people very happy, very sad. >> reporter: susie has not made any public statements but wheldon's father clive thanks fans and friends for their support. >> he was a true champion and

gentleman on and off the track. the world is a better place because of dan. thank you for allowing us to grieve in private. all our thoughts and prayers means so much to our family. >> reporter: he grew up in england where he first made a name for himself racing go-carts. >> just come off, stay on, get as many points as possible and go for it in the final. >> reporter: wheldon moved to the united states in 1999 and quickly made an impact on the di car circumstan indy car circuit and married his personal assistant. they reached victory lane this year at the indianapolis 500 celebrating together with their two young son, sebastian and oliver. wheldon's father said he was born to be a racer. his fellow drivers say he wouldn't have wanted to go out any other way. but that doesn't make it easier for the loved ones he left behind.

>> my wish for now is for his family, for his kids, for everyone around him because certainly the ones that suffer most of it will the ones that stay here. >> reporter: his number 77 car was owned by sam schmitt a former indy car driver partially paralyzed in an accident 11 years ago. >> his wife susie and then having the kids subsequently, it changed him dramatically the last five or six years grown up quite a bit and turned into a real class act. >> reporter: among his final acts leaving a lasting mark on the woman he loved. and a public memorial to remember dan wheldon will be held sunday at conseco fieldhouse in indianapolis. matt? >> all right, savannah, thanks very much. up next the stunning work of art and literature, the first illuminated handwritten bible in some 500 years. after these messages from 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 of the morning commute with sarah caldwell. how is the rain affecting things? >> heavy delays on the harrisburg expressway have gotten worse. delayed again from shawan road it down to the beltway. bumper to bumper.

towsontown in washington boulevard, what for an accident. north side delays, champac from the inner loop north side there. this delay continues to the 895 split. southbound j.f.x. holding onto delays from the beltway to 28th street. 39 on southbound 95, improving. the accidents are clear on 175 and 32. let's give you a live view of traffic. in both loops, still dealing with the inner and outer loop delays. southbound 83 and warren road, we are holding onto delays from the beltway. tony, were you. >> -- over to you. >> most of the heavier stuff has dissipated. a few pockets in pennsylvania. let's switch over and take a look at the forecast. off and on a rain showers.

if it is not raining where you are, rain will catch up to you at one point or another. a few thunderstorms developing this afternoon. seven-a forecast, going into the weekend, it should clear out. thursday, friday, and saturday, high temperatures in the upper 60s and low 60's. . >> weather update at 8:56.

8:30 on this wednesday morning, october 19th, 2011. right now as you can see everyone is gathered in rockefeller plaza for one of sting's many hits. he's now celebrating 25 years as

a solo artist and here to perform live in our studio in just a moment. the crowd is very excited. makes them happy. >> i have to figure out what this guy eats for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 60 years old. he looks like 40. >> i'm telling you. lighting a fire this morning. this morning talking about that, why not light the fire for our kids on this halloween. >> martha stewart is in the house. great treats to make for kids of all ands. we'll check with martha in a couple of minute. >> also ahead something that hasn't been done in 500 year, the queen's ka lig grapher completed an illuminated handwritten bible that took 12 years to finish. we'll see it up close coming up. also, another exciting thing, the world series begins tonight and the rangers are taking on the cardinals and look what we have, the world series

trophy right here in our house and it's here along with the hall of famer and former cardinal lou brock and mlb network analyst and former ranger mitch williams. good morning, guys. you both played for the -- in a world series game. what does this trophy mean to players? >> well, actually it means bragging rights in my hometown, really better than your hometown. that's what happens in world series. >> you got to brag twice, lou, didn't you? >> i bragged a few times, a couple of times i got caught bragging. >> mitch, talk about the intensity in a game, world series game versus a regular series game. >> for me they were all the same, matt. i treated every game i played in the same way and the world series to me, it was inside just another game. it was a game i happened to lose on the biggest stage, obviously, in the world. it was a more painful game but they're intense. >> texas has had some up and down times and got to the series

last year and didn't win it. there was a tragedy with the father who fell out of the stands trying to catch a ball. that son, by the way, 6-year-old cooper threw out the first pitch. what would it mean for them to bring it home. >> me having broke in the rangers in 1986 and knowing what that organization has gone through and i'm getting nolan ryan involved in the ownership group, the tragedy that happened there earlier this summer, i think this would really be an awesome culmination of a great ball club full of a great bunch of guys getting together and kind of rallying around what was honestly a tragic situation. >> what would it mean to get this? >> st. louis is perhaps the foremost team in the flat league winning championship other than the yankees in baseball, so certainly to be another feather in our cap. we would love to be inspired to

catch the yankees. so i know that the texas rangers stand before us. good ball club, going to be a good series. we got some hitters in both clubs, outstanding particularly hammerton and pujols. >> may the best team win. okay, guys. enjoy the world series, thanks for coming by this morning. what a pleasure to see you guys. >> thanks for having us. >> now a check of the weather with al. >> all right. thanks so much. ann, as we show everybody back here bright in their nice green. check the weather. starting with today a mess in the east all the way back into illinois where chicago and parts of northern illinois, high wind watches, all around the central great lakes, beautiful out st, the western two-thirds of the country although a little on the cool side. tomorrow the heavy rain continues around the central great lakes. the upper ohio river valley into the northeast and new england, a few showers in the interior

pacific northwest. sunny and hot, mild along the gulf coast with plenty of sunshine. >> good morning. give yourself a few extra minutes. there may be if you thunderstorms. day like today check your weather any time of the day or not with the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. savannah? >> al, thank you. coming up next martha stewart shows you how to add a homemade touch to your house for halloween. first this is "today" on nbc. ♪ okay, so who ordered the cereal

that can help lower cholesterol and who ordered the yummy cereal? yummy. that's yours. lower cholesterol. lower cholesterol. i'm yummy. lower cholesterol. i got that wrong didn't i? [ male announcer ] want great taste? honey nut cheerios. want whole grain oats that can help lower cholesterol? honey nut cheerios. it's a win win. good? [ crunching, sipping ] be happy. be healthy. can i try yours?

martha on today brought to you by macy's. ♪ werewolves of london >> back now at 8:37 and "martha on today." halloween treats for all ages. martha stewart has been doing up some devilishly good ones in "food" magazine. good morning. >> fun things for halloween. >> what is the most fun at your house? i can't think of anybody else's house i'd rather be. >> halloween is fun because it's a night where you can get dressed up and be somebody else. >> and you can be a kid again which is great. >> gore and blood. >> all kinds of gait stuff. >> this first thing you'll make, you've got broken glass cupcakes. >> oh, they look kind of scary when you put -- you make

caramel, melt sugar to the hard ball stage and put it on a buttered baking sheet and break -- >> why doesn't it get darker. >> you can make it darker. >> it looks great clear. >> looks more like glass. >> stick it in the top of cupcakes like that. you can eat this. totally edible and delicious. cherry jam melted to look like blood dripping down the glass. >> cute. >> borderline growtesfue. >> how cute these scaredy cat brownies. >> you bake these mint patties right in the brownie mix so you see we have one layer of brownie batter and then put your little mint -- >> girl scout cookies. >> oh, they are.

>> are you kidding? >> do you know when i buy them i put them in the freezer, just the chocolate mints because -- >> you like them cold. >> no, they keep for a year. >> yeah, delish, right. you're not using a mix for the brownie. >> no, you make your own brownies. >> stupid question. >> you could use a mix. bake 375 for 35 minutes. when they come out put more mint chocolate cookies on top. they get soft and deck indicate. buy these candy eyes. >> where do you get them. >> at the craft store. they're edible too. >> you can make your own, little white frosting if you want and then you use a pastry tip for the little teeth. makes them a little scary. >> they're actually more cute than scary. little red mouth and chocolate chips for the ears. >> make it good.

she'll criticize you. >> this is fun. >> a punch made out of ginger beer and apple cider and it's very delicious, fresh cranberries floating in it. >> can you make a pg-version of this and adult version. >> of course. >> how would you make it adult? >> we just made a great one on my show. we made apple cider, best bourbon, lemon juice. >> sounds good. >> delicious. delicious. so here you hold the rubber glove. >> okay. >> i don't want to get anything on your beautiful dress. >> thank you or on you. >> is that food coloring. >> and water. we'll just make -- >> on your hands. >> just fill that up. secure the top either with bulldog clips or rubber bigs. you know those big black clips you can old together. >> that would be easier. >> look at that. >> then rubber brands, okay. >> don't drop it. freeze them like this.

right out of the freezer. cut this off and release the rubber glove. >> seriously, you're going to spill on yourself. >> all on white. >> i know. >> you could -- can't you leave the glove on. >> i know but for now. >> i would take it off. then float them and look like hands floating in your punch. >> you have a warped -- >> and then look at this. this is a warming plate. in the magazine, "martha stewart living" a whole page of phobia is. do you know what the phobia is beads is -- >> do you have any? >> i have a phobia of everything. of -- no, i don't. i don't want to be afraid of anything but there's triskaphobia of the number three all the phobias. these are coffin boxes filled with candy corn as treats. that's out of my new

entertaining book. >> happy halloween. >> all kinds of gait stuff. >> cute. very cute. martha stewart, thank you so much. the queen's calligrapher shows off the first illuminated bible in 500 years. this is "today" on nbc. i'm drinkin' dunkin'. i'm drinkin' a dunkin' latte. i can't think without my dunkin' iced latte. it's a real latte. i love it. i run on dunkin'. get a premium latte without a premium price. america runs on dunkin' coffee.

500 years ago newton's printing press gave the first mass produced bible. illuminated version a work of art as much as a religious text. but st. john's university in minnesota and donald jackson, the queen's calligrapher are bringing back the tradition with a bible 12 years in the making. donald, good morning, great to see you again. i saw you about 12 years ago. >> yeah. >> you described this as your life's dream and you've been doing it ever since. was the experience what you thought it would be. >> no. >> how was it different. >> it was a lot harder, a lot

longer, a lot more stressful and actually i find it far more like myself than i ever needed to know. >> was this an everyday eight-hour a day day ordeal or did you put it down for awhile, pick it back up? how did you work on this. >> first of all it was a team effort and i had to train people to work -- they were experts but just like musicians they have to work together on this and they have to agree that the text was, you know, what like to do and so the text was all written out and then the spaces were illuminated and illustrated to bring out the meanings of the word. >> this is a reproduction of your masterpiece. we look over here. this is one of the first pages you d it's done on skin with 130-year-old chinese ink, the pens were made of quills from burs and reeds. did you use any modern technology. >> modern technology, a computer to lay out all the text that we

knew where every line was going to start and where every line was going to finish. didn't stop us making mistakes, of course, but we did try. >> tell us about this, one of the first pages you did. >> well, the techniques are ancient. i mean the gold on here which you might catch is raised and burnished gold leaf on it but the ideas come from that. they come from everyday -- >> you muttput a modern twist o this ancient work? >> yes. so when i want to create an idea of one space and time i'm using images from the hubble telescope which weren't available to the monks in the old days but they were trying to do the same thing. they were trying to make these words look important. feel important. and your experience of it. >> as we move over to one of the later pages that you did over here, we're talking about a generation these days where people have kindle.

they have an ipad and push a button, everything they want pops up instantly. do you think people will even be able to grasp what you went through to create it. >> i do believe that because i think, you see, when you use a quill, because it is a delicate instrument and it picks up you. i mean as you write, every breath you take, heartbeat, just like a musical instrument, it guess into that and i just do believe that on one level people pick up on that energy. seven volumes over 1,100 pages. >> when finished it's 165 pounds, something like that you've called it your sistine chapel. how do you top that? >> well, my wife thinks retirement would be a good idea. but i'm kidding. i have no idea. i just don't know. there is no -- i don't feel relief. i just still feel the cage door has been opened but i'm not quite sure how or where i'm going to go when i go through

there. working still on this wonderful series of printed interpretations of this which is -- >> it's spectacular. it's a masterpiece. donald jackson, what a pleasure to see you again. coming up next a live performance by sting but first this is "today" on nbc.

♪ if i ever lose my faith in you ♪

>> the toyota concert series brought to you by toyota. back now at 8:50 with musical ledge scend sting, a career that earned him a pile of multiplatinum albums and 16 grammy awards and to commemorate the occasion he's releasing "sting: the best of 25 years" and just celebrated his 60th birthday. sting, happy belated birthday. >> thank you. >> boy, you make 60 look great. how do you do it? is there a special thing besides yoga or all that. >> 50% vanity, 50% discipline. >> well, i think all the rest of us need some of that and by the way i just noticed your guitar. this has been something you've had for about as long. >> this is from 1955 or '57 so it's slightly younger than me but it looks in worse shape. >> well loved. you say going back through your years of work, for this new box set was a bit like archaeology.

did you find the excavating fun? did it teach you something about yourself? >> well, i rarely listen to my own music. i hear it by accident but for this project i had to go back and listen to stuff i did 25 years ago. i was pleasantly surprised by decisions i made as a younger man. it was pretty good. so it was worth bringing out. >> you're also right now still very busy with that as well as the new tour that you've got, yet another one as well as a play with music that you're writing. do you sometimes allow yourself to fully take in how happy your music has made us over all this time. >> i'm sort of happily taking in my own life and tasting it and it tastes really good at this point in time. so if other people like that i'm even more happy. >> i think other people love that, sting. i know the song you're singing for us is "all this time" appropriate. thank you so much for being here. ladies and gentlemen, sting.

>> one, two. ♪ ♪ yeah yeah yeah ♪ yeah yeah yeah ♪ i looked out across the river today ♪ ♪ i saw a city in the fog and an old church tower ♪ ♪ where the seagulls play ♪ i saw the sad shire horses walking home in ♪ ♪ the sodium light ♪ two priests on the ferry october geese ♪ ♪ on a cold winter's night ♪ all this time the river flowed ♪ ♪ endlessly to the sea

♪ blessed are the poor for they shall inherit ♪ ♪ the earth ♪ better to be poor than a fat man in the ♪ ♪ eye of a needle ♪ and as these words were spoken i swear i hear ♪ ♪ the old man laughing ♪ what good is a used-up world and how could it be ♪ ♪ worth having ♪ all this time the river flowed ♪ ♪ endlessly like a silent tear ♪ ♪ if i had my way i'd take a boat ♪ ♪ from the river

♪ yeah yeah yeah ♪ yeah yeah yeah ♪ all this space ♪ they built a wall and a temple ♪ ♪ an edge of the empire garrison town ♪ ♪ they lived and they died they prayed to their gods ♪ ♪ but the stone gods did not make a sound ♪ ♪ and their empire crumbled till all that was left ♪ ♪ were the stones the workmen found ♪ ♪ all this time the river flowed ♪ ♪ in the falling light of a northern sun ♪ ♪ if i had my way i'd take a boat ♪

♪ from the river ♪ men go crazy in congregations ♪ ♪ but they only get better ♪ one by one yeah yeah yeah ♪ ♪ yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah ♪ [ applause ] >> lucky to have sting this morning in our studio. much more of "today" on a wednesday morning. but first your local news. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. we are waiting -- remains

of a body found in clarksburg yesterday are reportedly those of william mclean. his stepfather has been charged with the murder of his mother. police said that he is the main

>> periods of rain with us off and on through the day. but there could be a few thunderstorms this afternoon. breezy and cool going into the weekend. mostly dry thursday, friday, and saturday. saturday.