good morning. the view from inside. dramatic new images of rescuers searching the interior of the ill fated cruise liner in italy as the captain makes his first appearance in court. full disclosure. mitt romy said he may release his tax returns after facing pressure from gop rivals after a heated debate in south carolina where he is leading the polls. is the nomination now his to lose? this morning karl rove weighs in. and "today" exclusive. her recipes are filled with butter and fat. now reports that paula deen has

diabetes. will she change her cooking ways? she'll speak out in a live interview today, tuesday, she'll speak out in a live interview today, tuesday, january 17, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and welcome to "today" on this tuesday morning. i'm ann curry. >> i'm matt lauer. rescue crews are back at work inside the crippled cruise liner after they were forced to suspend their search for survivors because of bad weather on monday. >> that's right. take a look at the images that show what rescuers are dealing with -- scattered furniture and debris everywhere making it nearly impossible to get around. a recording surfaced between port officials and the captain after a he already left his vessel, matt. >> the port officials told him

there were casualties on the ship he had already left and that he had to get back on that ship, an order he apparently ig thorred. we'll have the latest on that ahead. also imagine if your child began to suffer unexplained tics and verbal outbursts. it's happened to 12 girls in new york and no one can tell what's causing it. we'll talk to two of the young ladies coming up. >> and reports are swirling that the popular chef has been diagnose thosed with diabetes. we are talking about paula deen. is it true and is it caused by the food she eats? we'll talk to her later on. we begin this morning with our lead story which is about this italian cruise ship disaster. michelle kosinski is on giglio island with details this morning. hey, michelle. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, ann. a lot of activity out here.

dozens of italian navy divers blasted another small hole into the hull to get better access to cabins. while this is going on the ship's captain was arraigned on criminal charges -- manslaughter, causing the wreck, abandoning ship. the ship's company said he went off course, too close to this island, they believe to show the ship off to villagers, many of whom ended up helping save his passengers. after days in jail, the concordia's captain gets one in court. accused of causing this disaster, going off course, attempting to deliver the island a great view. this recent video of the concordia shows it had been done before but francesco schettino ended up hitting rock. it may have been a stunt for the head waiter to see his hometown. there is a transcript between

the captain and the port authority. the port, captain, this is an order. get back on that ship. there are casualties. he said, you get back on the ship and tell us what can be done. now a view up close. parts of a ship you never see. rescuers straining to pull themselves over and inside. you get a sense how terrifying it was for passengers trying to get off. imagine jumping. infrared video shows them inching across the hull down to the water. >> when you're considering whether you're going to survive or not you're worried that other people are worried about you. that's the worst thing. >> reporter: the company commended the actions of the crew but we could find no survivor who agreed. >> the crew didn't have a clue what they were doing. i asked the guy, do you know

what you're doing? the passengers were helping each other. the ones that are doing it were the cooks, waiters, house cleaning people. the officers were gone. they're not there. >> reporter: among the missing, americans jerry and barbara heil whose family said they put four kids through college and finally had the means to travel, beyond excited about their dream mediterranean cruise that lasted three hours. the last rescue was sunday. now there is a state of emergency over worries a half million gallons of fuel inside may be leaking. a modern marvel felled by what may have been a bad decision and a rock. one thing we know prosecutors are presenting in the case against the captain is video that shows the ship sitting for a long time that night at a safe angle. that would raise the question why weren't the lifeboats

lowered faster, why didn't things happen more quickly but many passengers said they felt the ship tilting quickly. >> thank you. melissa and maria were both aboard the ship during the accident. good morning to you both. >> good morning. >> i want your response of the ceo of the company in his discussion about the cruise saying he's grateful for the skill and behavior of the crew, that the crew performed very well. what's your reaction to that? >> my reaction is that the crew was never informed. i can't blame the crew because they did not know anything. when everything happened, they were just telling us to go back to our rooms. i was trying to find out where are the lifeboats. does anyone speak english. they did not give us any information. they just kept telling us to go back to our rooms. >> this is particularly

frightening for you, maria, because you do not know how to swim. >> correct. i don't know how to swim. there was no direction whatsoever. i think the captain took more of a hand in it then i think the crew would have been able to understand what was going on. but they weren't getting any announcement. >> he said the cruise line rigorously trains its staff for emergencies, they hold lifeboat drills every other week. you saw one of the drills on saturday before the accident. how would you describe the drill? >> we never saw a drill. our drill was scheduled. we walked into our state room and i looked at the itinerary. it says the next day, 5:00 p.m. that's when our drill was. we have never seen a drill. >> you bring it up because you have been on cruise ships before. >> yes. >> you had a very different experience on other cruise ships? >> yes.

within one hour of getting on the boat you have to go -- it's mandatory to go to this drill. they take your sea pass, scan it and make sure every passenger was there. they make sure to tell you if anything was to happen that you are going to scan your sea pass and we'll know who got off the ship and who's still on the ship so they know who to look for. they didn't know who to look for and they are sending crew members on and they have never accounted for anyone. >> you're describing chaos, essentially. >> yes. >> yes. >> give us a feeling of what it was like. how were crew members behaving? >> the crew members were running around like the passengers. they had no idea what was going on, in my eyes. they were just running around. they couldn't answer any questions. there wasn't anybody speaking english. there was just so much chaos.

we went to get on one boat when they finally sounded the alarm and the door would not open on that lifeboat. so melissa grabbed my hand and we went to the next boat. >> you took your own rescue into your own hands, it sounds like. >> yes. >> when you hear the captain left the ship, that he didn't know there were fatalities as we heard in this report, what's your reaction? >> i didn't know that until we saw it on the news. it's just -- i mean, that's astonishing that somebody would do that. there was no one who was in charge of our lifeboat. we had one individual that spoke english from australia. she was a dancer. she ended up leaving because she said she needed to find her friends. there was no one from costa cruise lines saying, stay at this boat. when you get to the island or wherever we are -- they told us we were in nice, france.

the crew members didn't know. >> where you were? >> where we were. no one informed them. they said if the captain had an emergency he would sound the alarm. it took an hour and a half for him to sound the alarm. >> do you blame the captain or the cruise line itself, maria? >> well, i believe that the cruise line should have been more prepared. they even had taken our passports when we got on and gave us a red little ticket with a number on it that wasn't even filled in with our name. we asked for a copy of our passport because we didn't have this experience when we were on our cruise in the royal caribbean cruise line. we said, we need a copy of our passport. they said, we'll give it to you tomorrow morning. people were in line for information. i don't think anything was organized. i really do not.

it's a very scary feeling. at one point i seen a bunch of crew members running past and it was about 15 or 20 of them. i said, is that the captain? she's like, mom, i don't think so. >> well, obviously there is much more to be investigated in this story. thank you so much. we're glad you're both shape. thanks for being with us this morning. >> thank you. >> it's ee's now 7:11. here's matt. >> gop front-runner mitt romney faced tough questions from his rivals last night during a debate in south carolina including a direct challenge to release his income tax returns. peter alexander is in florence, south carolina. peter, good morning. >> matt, good morning. remarkably this was the 16th debate of this election cycle. describe it as aggressive, combati combative. language used by the chair of the south carolina republican party was the gloves are off.

this was the big brawl. the prime target again -- mitt romney. [ cheers and applause ] >> former massachusetts governor mitt romney. >> reporter: mitt romney on the defensive from the start, responding to tough questions about his time at bain capital. >> p but there was a pattern in some companies leaving them with enormous debt and then within a year, two or three having them go broke. that's something he ought to answer. >> some of the businesses we invested in weren't successful and lost jobs. i'm proud of the fact that we learned from the experience. we invested in over a hundred businesses. >> reporter: in perhaps the most heated exchange of the night rick santorum challenged mitt romney over an ad that criticized rick santorum for supporting felons who served their time. >> should they be given the right to vote? >> first of all, the pacs that run ads -- >> i'm looking for an answer to the question first. [ applause ]

>> we have plenty of time. i'll get there. >> reporter: the fight over so-called super pac ads intensified. >> if i had a super pac supporting me that was inaccurate i would say, stop it. >> this is typical of what both senator santorum and i have complained about over governor romney's super pac over which he says he has no influence which makes you wonder how much influence he'd have as president. >> we all would like super pacs to disappear. but this campaign isn't about ads. it's about issues. >> reporter: rick perry called on mitt romney to release his tax returns. >> we cannot fire our nominee in september. we need to know now. >> reporter: when pressed, romney seemed to open the door on releasing his returns but didn't commit. >> we're showing a lot of exposure at this point. if i become our nominee and

what's happened in history is people have released them in april of the coming year. that's probably what i'd do. >> reporter: when questioned that gingrich was trying to -- the poor, the crowd boos. >> if -- i will help poor people learn to get a job, a better job and learn some day to own the job. >> reporter: mitt romney's republican rivals have four days to try to knock him off message. there was one more debate leading up to this saturday's first in the south primary. matt? >> peter alexander in south carolina this morning. thank you. karl rove was the chief strategist for george w. bush's presidential campaigns and served as his deputy white house chief of staff. he's a fox news contributor now. good morning. >> good morning, matt. >> how did mitt romney handle the onslaught in your opinion last night?

>> fine. he's the pinata and the front-runner has to walk in and know everybody will be throwing things at him. last night was a debate of consolidation. romney solidified his hold on first place by making no major gaffes. newt gingrich solidified his hold on second by having an effective performance and cleverly planting juan williams as his foil as a questioner. ron paul helped rick santorum solidify his position in third place by having terrible answers for a state with a lot of military and very nationalistic attitude toward foreign affair as. >> the attacks over bain capital, critics said to the rivals, hey, you're going to mortally wound this guy before he becomes the nominee. they seem to have found cover in the idea that we are not mortally wounding him. we're vetting him early, giving

him practice to handle the question that the obama campaign will be asking during the general election. how do you feel about that idea? >> it's a little bit disingenuous. they say they are unleashing questions the obama campaign will unleash on him. the washington post says television movie being run by the pro gingrich super pac, it talks about four companies. two of the companies were bought by bain and were sold by bain later. when they were owned by others including the toronto canada teachers union the companies went bankrupt. that's not romney's responsibility. the other two, the implications they went out of business, the companies are alive and well. the company with the florida company making washing machines consolidated jobs.

>> you're telling me they are not doing him favors though they say they are. >> no. i love that the back and forth on the super pacs with newt gingrich saying your super pac ought to tell the truth. speaker gingrich spoke to those to stop running ads over bain and they are continuing to run. it really doesn't matter much in the outcome of the debate. it filled up time but the essential thing was what each candidate did to talk about himself. those things had greater credibility than attacks launched on each other. >> let's talk about the tax issue. here's what rick perry said to mitt romney. we need you to release your income tax so the people of this country can see how you made your money. i hope you will put your tax records out there this week so the people of south carolina can

look and see if we have a flaweded candidate or not. i'm putting you in charge of mitt romney's campaign. how would you handle it? >> i would have said it's customary for the presidential nominee to lay out his returns generally around tax time. i intend to follow the precedent set by our former nominees and candidates. if i'm in the race i will certainly do it in april as it's been done. >> it's become a mystery that hangs over a candidate. got to be raising unwanted questions. >> with all due respect, matt, this is not the center point of the republican presidential debate. newt gingrich is releasing tax returns this week. romney pulled his punches. there's rick perry lecturing him about putting out tax returns. when perry put out his returns we learned he's double-dipping. he's already arranged to get his

state requirement at the same time he's getting the governor's salary. if this was a critical issue i suspect the romney camp would have taken perry's assault and turned it back on him by saying, wait a minute. aren't you the double-dipper? i'm not double-dipping on my government salary at the same time i'm getting a government retirement check. >> more proof you should be up there debating. nice to see you. >> nice to see you, matt. >> thank you very much. >> now a check of the rest of the top stories. savannah guthrie is at the news desk. good morning. >> good morning. in the news today the ntsb released preliminary findings in the december propellor accident that severely injured the young texas woman, lauren scruggs. the pilot remembers leaving the engine running when he saw her exit the front door. the pilot recalls pushing her back with with his arm to keep her away from the propellor and said he told her to walk behind

the plane. he heard someone yell stop, cut the engine and saw scruggs lying in front of the plane. the mother of missing toddler ayla reynolds said she and others will take a lie detector test to find her daughter. she said she's offered to take the test since her daughter's disappearance. baby ayla disappeared from her father's home a month ago today. parts of the southwest will see snow over the next 24 to 48 hours. seattle could see nine inches by tomorrow. monday, light snow and ice made for difficult driving conditions in higher elevations of oregon and washington. crews in alaska have begun transferring more than a million gallons of fuel from a russian tanker to the iced-in city of nome, alaska. crews laid it over the bering sea. they didn't get prewinter fuel

because of a massive ice storm. an internet blackout of popular sites is picking up steam. sites like wikipedia say they will go dark starting at midnight in protest of anti-piracy legislation in congress. courtney reagan is at the new york stock exchange this morning. what are we watching? >> good morning. today is the first chance u.s. investors will have to react to rating agency standard & poor's credit rating downgrades of nine european countries and the euro zone's rescue fund. investors are on edge as fears increase that greece could default on debt payments. the prime minister tells cnbc the country will make those payments. separately it's a big week for bank earnings. citigroup and wells fargo report today. back to you. >> new research suggests babies do not learn to talk just by hearing sounds but also by reading lips. at about six months old infants

shift their intense eye gaez to studying people's mouths when they talk. the study underscores the importance of face time with your baby as opposed to just using baby dvds. talk about an express arriv arrival. a new jersey woman went into labor on a train bound for new york city monday. the new mom had what she thought for false contractions and took the train instead of the car to avoid traffic to her doctor's office. the baby boy was delivered by dad on the train who said he'd read the book "what to expect when you're expecting" but there is no chapter on how to deliver a baby on a moving train. >> looks like they did all right. >> yeah. >> mr. roker? >> lots going on in the midwest. we have strong storms, thunderstorm watches from missouri all the way to illinois. rainfall amounts from one to two inches. north of that, three to six.

possibility of tornadoes anywhere from one to three inches of rain from atlanta to the southeastern atlantic coast. >> good morning. we are warmer than we were yesterday at this time. we will make it into the 50's sp and that's your latest weather. matt? >> al, thank you very much. just ahead, paula deen, the queen of southern cooking who has never met a stick of butter she didn't love, speaks out for the first time about reports she has diabetes. we'll talk to paula. first, this is "today" on nbc.da

just ahead, a grandfather dies in police custody after he was peppersprayed ten times and his wife said it amounts to torture. >> and a mother and two children trapped in a >> live, local, late-breaking, this is wbal-tv 11 news today. >> the time now is 7:26. the search continues for three men involved in a violent home invasion. authorities say them 8 -- a man was going into his home when three armed and masked men forced their way in demanding money. this -- the victims and he was cut, burned, and beaten before the suspects fled.

data check under morning commute. here is sarah caldwell. >> if we have an accident on the inner loop of the jfx. an axa is being worked on. there are two separate accidents at that location. southbound 83 showing delays. 140 is still lots near the liberty reservoir bridge. an actor -- another accident, coming in on 32 northbound. watch for delays developing there. corn was down on 50 approaching davidson wrote, an accident has been there all morning. here is a quick look at traffic. you can see that back up. life ofitch over to a

view of traffic. near 83 right near caramel. perhaps this is just a break in the delay, but we are seeing some of slowing be on this point. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> good morning everyone. we're going to try out some debitors for some rain today. you'll see some rain showers off the west of baltimore. switching over, take a look at the temperatures real quick. low end of the 40s right now.

it's 7:30 now on a tuesday morning. 17th of january, 2012. the end of a three-day holiday weekend. skies in midtown manhattan turned gloomy with a lot of rain this morning. it seems to have cleared which is a good thing for these people out in the plaza. inside studio 1a i'm matt lauer alongside ann curry. coming up, a terrifying accident leads to a dramatic rescue. a woman and her children trapped inside their wrecked car as the car dangled from a bridge near santa barbara. an amazing stroke of luck is credited with getting them out alive. we can explain in a little while. >> boy, look at that.

and a medical mystery. 12 young girls at the same high school suddenly suffering from tourett-like syndrome. tics, body movements, verbal outbursts. could something at the school be to blame? we'll talk to the girls and their mothers coming up. >> and paula deen found fame and fortune with recipes for foods that are heavy on fat and calories. now concern that she has diabetes and if so is it tied to her diet. paula is here to address the rumors for the first time. >> good to see her in our studio. we begin with a tragic incident in a florida jail. a grandfather died in custody raising questions about possible abuse. a single graphic photo of the incident surfaced. kerry sanders has details for us this morning. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, ann. it's a photo of 62-year-old nick kristy and to his wife and

others it's troubling to look at because it conjures up the image of torture like something from an enemy prisoner of war camp. it's a photograph snapped in march of 2009, a picture lee county florida jail officials long denied even existed. nick kristy, naked, died to what's been called the devil's chair, a so-called spit mask around his neck and mouth. guards told investigators they repeatedly pepper sprayed him, dousing him ten times because he was combative. 62-year-old nick died just hours after the final blast of pepper spray, nearly two days after he was arrested. nick's wife joyce. >> you have seen the picture. what do you see there? >> torture. >> reporter: torture, she claims, of a man experiencing a mental breakdown. mistreated, she believes, like a sadistic soldier would treat an

enemy in a war zone but this was a jail in florida. >> this was a man that probably was pleading for his life, knew he was dying. he was a mentally ill guy strapped on a chair naked. he didn't need to be treated like that. he needed a hospital. >> reporter: the retired boilermaker traveled to florida to visit his brother. the rest of the family planned to join him for easter. while on vacation, he was arrested for trespassing outside a fast food restaurant which was next door to his hotel. once in jail, guards say they had to restrain him because he was antagonistic. >> if he was creating a ruckus, belligerent. >> he didn't deserve the treatment he got. he didn't deserve to be treated like that. >> reporter: in your mind -- >> no. >> reporter: can you rationa rationale -- >> no. i can't imagine another human being doing this to someone.

the manner of death was concluded to be homicide. his heart stopped beating after he was restrained and sprayed by pepper spray. after an internal investigation and review by the state attorney's office, no one's been charged in the death. the family is now suing the lee county sheriff's office. >> once he's restrained in the chair, he's no longer a risk of harm to anyone. >> reporter: so the pepper spray is vindictive? >> excessive. >> reporter: malicious? >> unjustifiable. >> reporter: attorney nick dicello says days earlier he was arrested for disorderly intoxication. joyce called deputies warning him of his mental condition. this from one of her more than 25 calls. >> he's off his medicine. he's manic. he's a little far gone, more than mani manic.

>> reporter: lee county officials say they had the file from the first arrest but when he was rearrested it was a friday and the files weren't readily available. for joyce, aside from the one haunting photo she's left wondering what happened before her husband was strapped to the devil's chair? because jail officials say security videos on the cell block that might explain what really happened do not exist. >> i think it's erased. i think it's gone. >> reporter: because -- >> because i think there was something worse than what we see. >> reporter: upon arrival at the hospital, doctors say they initially couldn't touch nick because he was so doused in pepper spray he was toxic. they had to neutralize him with milk and other products. we reached out again and the lee county sheriff's office said as a regular practice the sheriff's office reserves comment on pending and ongoing litigation. ann? >> to be continued.

kerry sanders, thank you. it is now 7:35. matt? >> now to southern california where a mother and her two daughters are lucky to be alive after a devastating accident. they were trapped in the car as the car dangled from a bridge leading to a daring rescue. mike taibbi is in santa barbara this morning. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, matt. the accident happened on california highway 101, a winding coastal route that's the scene of many accidents over the years. one look at this one and it's a wonder anyone survived. 36-year-old 1st grade teacher kelly lynn groves pleaded for help. her two young daughters were in the car with her. her car, a bmw sedan, was mangled beyond recognition and the big rig police say rear ended her lay in a ravine 100 feet below, its driver, charles allison, killed. rescuing anyone in the car looked to be difficult, if not

impossible and dangerous. >> it was hanging over the edge of the freeway in a way we felt it could fall at any time. >> reporter: kelly was awake the whole time. she responded to instructions pleading to rescuers to save 10-year-old sage and 10-week-old miya. dozens of first responders did their job at great risk. >> each time we tried to pry her out the car slipped over the side more. >> reporter: then an amazing stroke of luck. a team of construction workers just happened on the scene. in their convoy, a heavy duty forklift with a telescoping arm, exactly what was needed. >> we knew at that point the vehicle wasn't going to fall and it gave a platform for the rescuers to work from. >> reporter: now with the wreck stabilized the victims could be extracted. the girls first, sage with a stuffed doll on her chest and the baby with only minor

injuries. finally mom kelly, a mother and her young daughters, a miracle, alive. the hospital isn't giving out updated reports on the victims. i spoke with a source familiar with their treatment and he said the baby has been treated and released. the mother and older daughter continue to be treated for serious injuries, basically orthopedic, the source said. all three, incredibly, have survived. matt? >> mike taibbi, thank you very much. let's get a check of the weather now from al roker. >> thanks, matt. these kids trying to save their school. >> february 1st we're having a rally to support our school and keep it open. join us. >> reporte >> this is what's going on in the pacific northwest. lots of moisture. we have the jet stream coming across and that's going to mean heavy snow for the northwest

tonight into tomorrow and the next day. some areas picking up 24 inches of snow in the mountains. seattle could see 7 to 14 inches. we're talking a lot of snow given that seattle normally gets only six inches for the year. east coast looking for wet weather. s northern new england, snow in the north. windy around the great lakes. lake effect snow sets up tomorrow. a slight risk of storms into the southern gulf coast. >> good morning. it will be a breezy and mild day today. the best chance for rain showers will be later this morning and into the afternoon. into the afternoon. and that's your latest

weather. matt? >> al, thank you so much. up next, 12 female students at one school struck with debilitating symptoms. we'll talk to two of them after this. -i love this card. -with the bankamericard cash rewards credit card, we earn more cash back for the things we buy most. it's 1% cash back everywhere, every time. 2% on groceries. 3% on gas. automatically. no hoops to jump through. that's 1% cash back on oscar. ...tony. oscar! 2% back on whatever she'll eat. 3% back on filling up this baby. [ male announcer ] now get 1-2-3 percent cash back. it's that simple. [ male announcer ] apply online or at a bank of america near you. we're talking 3% back on gas. made with only milk...

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york have been trying to figure out what caused 12 girls to have severe tics almost like tourette's syndrome. the health department is weighing in. 17-year-old sara sanchez says she isn't the same teenager she was a few months ago. she suffers uncontrollable body movements, tics and verbal outbursts, much like tourette's syndrome. things sara once loved like going out with friends or cheerleading are now, she says, nearly impossible. >> i used to cheer. every day. i would go to art class. i used to go to two art classes every day. now i'm not in school. >> reporter: this is home video of sara from october when she said the symptoms first appeared, barely able to speak. >> what's he doing? >> i was always so active and

everybody was always happy to be around me. but i don't feel like myself anymore. >> reporter: and sara is not alone. at least 12 teenage girls at leroy high school in upstate new york say they are suffering from the same symptoms. including sara's friend katie. >> my days are all different. some days i'll just start twitching and it won't stop for 10, 15, 20 minutes. >> reporter: both girls have seen their own doctors and are getting treatment, but they say symptoms continue. the new york state health department has been looking into the case for more than three months and says the school building is not to blame. >> we have conclusively ruled out any form of infection or communicable disease. there is no evidence of any environmental factor. >> reporter: the state health department says each student was examined by a private doctor and

given a diagnosis. still, sara's mom wants more answers. >> it's come to the point, you know, where that's not enough. we need to know what's going on. >> reporter: it's important to reiterate the state health department said it is confident students there are not at risk because of anything in or at the high school. >> 17-year-old sara sanchez and 16-year-old katie krautworst are joining us with their mothers. good morning to you. also dr. gail saltz, a "today" contributor and psychiatrist. first, sara. we just heard about this affecting you. are you angry? >> very, very angry. i'm very angry. i'm very frustrated. no one's giving answers. >> katie? what are your emotions? >> i'm angry, too. >> when you hear the state say -- health department say

there is no environmental factor, no infectious disease as a mom, memelissa, what are you thinking? >> where's the proof, the data, the testing? when has this been done? >> you have not been shown data? >> nothing. >> beth, do you think you have a right to the data? >> yes. i put in a request for it. i'm trying to get all the information together so i can proceed in finding a cure for our daughters. >> why do you disbelieve what the state is telling you that this has to be something else. this cannot be something that is environmental or something to do with the school. >> nothing's been collectively done for our daughters. everything's been done individually. testing. they say all the girls have had they have not had. the facts that they are stating just aren't true. >> so what are doctors telling you about what's happening to you? >> mostly that it's

stress-induc stress-induced. when we started i was fine. i was perfectly fine. i felt good about everything. i was on honor roll. there was nothing going on. i just woke up and that's when the stuttering started. >> you have been admitted to art school. you're not in school now. you want to go on to college. this is incredibly frustrating for you. katie, how do you explain how 12 girls in your small town, all at the same high school would have similar symptoms? >> i can't explain it. they told us it was traumatic, but i really don't think any of us had that traumatic of a life before and that it would randomly happen. >> you're shaking just a little bit. so you have a little bit here and there. but it's not as pronounced as sara's. >> no. >> do you see similarity in your symptoms? >> yeah. hien's more advanced because i

have had it longer. but mine's definitely gotten better. >> it's gotten better for you. >> has it gotten better for you? >> no. it gets worse. >> dr. saltz, what is this? do you know? >> well, having just met them i could not make a diagnosis. when you have a movement disorder, these different kinds of things you rule out environmental things, infectious things, et cetera. when you have ruled everything out and they are saying to you it's stress-related you might call it conversion disorder or psychosomatic disorder. it's usually predated by stress but it is important to say that's not fake. it's not faking it. they are real symptoms that are not under their control but they are really experiencing it. they are psychologically driven and they need a psychological treatment. but real treatment and treatment does work. >> the fact that it happened to

12 girls. >> you can have -- >> something has to be done. what do you want out of being on "today" this morning? >> i want a straight answer. i have had psychological treatment. they say this is stress-induced. my psychological streemts stress me out more and i get worse. >> we hope a doctor watching now can help you and other girls. that's the message this morning. thank you so much for being with us. our best to you girls and mothers for fighting for your children. thank you, doctor. still ahead this morning, paula deen whose recipes made her famous responds to rumors that she is had diabetes. first, these messages. is a big . so i'm glad it's with fidelity. they offer me one-on-one guidance to help me choose my investments. not just with my savings plan here at work. they help me with all of my financial goals.

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>> this is wbal 11 news today in baltimore. >> still a lot going on out there as we travel around the area. just east, we have two separate accidents at that location. reportedly, pretty slick there. if you want head of this morning, right near the 140 and liberty bridge reservoir, there is an overturned the vehicle. back to 195, it delays stretch

back. south 95, looking slow. still pretty sort on the north and west side of jfx. here is a quick, live look outside. you can see here what it looks like at harbor road going away from us. that is out towards the outer loop. but the the traffic near 295. that is the latest on traffic polls 11. >> is a lot warmer yesterday that it was yesterday at this time. it is 44, 41 in westminster. so far, most of the rain has been missing baltimore but that is about to change. it is moving in from the west. it is going towards hagerstown. that is all dripping towards the east. it will be running for just about everybody. rain showers likely. breezy, mild. temperatures will make it into

the low 50's. that is good for this time of year. highs in the upper 30's and low 40's. maybe some light snow and flurries on thursday.

8:00 now on this tuesday morning, the 17th of january, 2012. we have to come out and say hi to the nice people who have made their way down to our little spot on the world. i'm ann curry with matt lauer and al roker. we just saw the cutest little baby. did you see that little one? anyway, we have one of our favorite people in the house. we have paula deen here talking about some of -- we love her great recipes. she's cooked with us all these years, taught us to cook. now there are reports that she has diabetes. so we are going to get to the

bottom of that, find out what the truth is in an exclusive, her first talking about the subject. a live interview coming up. >> it is january 17th. do you know what that means in terms of the day in history? this is the day one of my heroes was born 70 years ago. muhammed ali, the greatest, turns 70 today. what a life he has had both inside and outside the ring and in just a little while we're going to take a fond look back. >> that's right. there are new images that were just taken. we have videotape of him with his grandchild -- seeing a grandchild for the first time. >> courageous man. get ready to say aw. these unbelievable photos have taken the internet by storm. sleeping baby photos that are so cute. and very creative. we'll look at people behind it. >> can we take a quick look at this awake baby? i think we should. this is your little moment of

zen this morning. there we go. >> uh now inside to check in with savannah guthrie at the news desk while natalie makes her way back from california. >> in the news today the captain of the italian cruise ship that ran aground last week makes his first court appearance today. phone transcript between the captain and port officials suggestions he abandoned ship before all passengers could be evacuated. this morning rescue teams used controlled explosions to blow holes in the side of the ship as they search for more than two dozen people still missing including two americans. new images from inside the stricken vessel show how difficult it is to maneuver inside the wreckage. republican presidential front-runner mitt romney said he may release his tax returns but probably not until april. romney came under pressure to make private finances public during a feisty debate last night in south carolina which holds its primary saturday. newt gingrich also pressed

romney over his former career as a venture capitalist. the obama administration is poised to require drug companies to disclose payments head to doctors for research, consulting and speaking. according to the new york times, studies show such payments including free travel and meals, can influence doctors' treatment decisions and sometimes lead to higher health care costs. now here's brian williams with what's coming up tonight on "nightly news." hey, brian. >> good morning. coming up when we join you tonight on "nightly news," getting your child into college never easy on the best day especially when schools now require they answer questions like my favorite thing about last tuesday or the best movie of all time in 25 words or less. we'll explain this new procedure tonight on "nightly news." savannah, for now, back to you. >> now for a look at what's trending today, our quick round-up of what has you talking online. paula deen is a top search on

google amid rumors that she has type 2 diabetes. paula is here live to set the record straight when she talks to al in a few minutes. fans are taking to twitter and mtv's web page to defend rihanna. she was photographed in hawaii relaxing with a hand-rolled smoke of some sort. those pictures emerged after rihanna made apparent references to marijuana on her twitter page. elton john's husband seems to be goading madonna into an online feud. facebook is buzzing after david furnish wrote that madonna winning for best original song from a movie proves, he says, the award has thothing to do with merit. he called madonna's acceptance speech embarrassing in its narcicism. back to ann and matt. >> where's the love? we have love for al. give us the great warm

temperature. >> maybe elton will sing "can you feel the love tonight." you never know. it's a nothing but chicks girls' weekend. who are the chicks? >> us. >> who are you guys? >> tell him your names. >> anna. >> and. >> isabelle. >> and. >> jen. >> and brady. >> where are you from? >> tallahassee. >> nice long weekend. let's check it out, see what's going on for everybody. albany, georgia. afternoon showers, 71 degrees. a look at downtown. 20s and 30s in new england. below zero in the northern plains, teens and 20s. 30s in the pacific northwest. they will have a storm that could bring 7 to 14 inches of snow for seattle. slight risk of strong storms through the lower gulf coast. icy conditions inland sections and up state new york. >> good morning.

we are warmer than we were yesterday at this time. we will make it into the 50's sp and that's your latest weather. >> al, thank you very much. when we come back, southern chef paula deen addresses those rumors that she has diabetes. we'll talk to paula right after these messages.

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the gold standard in anti-aging. clinically proven to give 10 years back to the look of skin. nothing's better than gold. [ female announcer ] roc® retinol correxion deep wrinkle night cream. back now with the queen of southern cooking. paula deen built an empire teaching us to make delicious dishes but she's been criticized because a lot of the meals are high in fat and calories. this morning paula is here to

set the record straight about rumors circulating online and in print about her health. good to see you. >> good morning, darling. how are you? >> i'm good. the question is how are you? >> i'm great. >> is it true? you have type 2 diabetes? >> i do. i was diagnosed three years ago, al, during a regular physical exam with my doctor that i had type 2 diabetes. i'm here today to let the world know that it is not a death sentence. i'm working along with a very reputable pharmaceutical company on a new program called diabetes in a new light. you can go to our website. i'm going to be there for you and help you manage every day of your life with this because it can be done. >> we should mention you're a paid spokesperson for

novo-nordisk. >> exactly. i have been compensated, just as you are for your work, yes. >> so why did you take so long to let people know that you had type 2 diabetes. >> i intentionally did it, al. i came home, told my children, told my husband. i said, i'm going to keep this close to my chest for the time being. because i had to figure things out in my own head. i had to give time to think about it, talk with my doctor because, al, at the time, you know, i tell everything. >> right. >> i could have walked out and said, hey, y'all, i have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and walked away. i had nothing to give to my fellow friends out there. >> what do you say to people who say, oh, she delayed this because it would damage her reputation, her whole industry that she's built basically.

>> no. >> on this kind of cooking. >> no. people are not going to quit eating. we quit eating we're all out of here. no. i wanted to bring something to the table when i came forward and i have always been one to think i bring hope because i have had lots of obstacles in my life, y'all. >> you worked your way up from poverty. a lot of folks say, look, your southern food is fattening and people say you are what you eat and that food can lead to type 2 diabetes. >> certainly, al, that is part of the puzzle. but there many other things that can lead to diabetes. certainly genetics. certainly your lifestyle. >> right. >> certainly what you eat. certainly stress. >> let' e's bring in dr. raj.

>> and certainly age. there are a lot of baby boomers out there. there is a good chance that will be one of the issues you have to face. but diabetes in a new light along with my sons jamie and bobby, we're going to help you work on still having a full life without feeling like you're being punished or you're not being able to taste. >> let's bring in dr. raj, "today" contributor from nyu medical center. what causes type 2 diabetes? >> we don't know exactly what causes it. there are many factors that increase risk. genetics, as paula said, definitely increases your risk. if you have a patient or sibling with diabetes you are more likely to have it. diet, lack of exercise can increase your risk. being over weight in particular is probably the most defined risk factor for diabetes. age, it does increase as you get

older, and certain races are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes. nonwhites are more likely to develop it than whites. >> a little bit later on you and jamie and baby will be cooking some recipes that you have lightened up. are you going to change the way you cook and eat? >> well, here's the thing. you know, i have always encouraged moderation. on my show, you know, i share with you all these yummy, fattening recipes, but i tell people, in moderation, in moderation you can have that little piece of pie. here's what i want to get across to people, al. i want them to first start by going to their doctor and asking to be tested for diabetes. and then get on a program that works for you. i'm amazed at the people out

there aware that they are their midedicine, not doing diabetic but they are not taking anything. >> besides the medicine, have you changed the way you eat? >> i have always eaten in moderation. you know, people see me on tv two and three times a day and they see me cooking all these wonderfully southern, fattening dishes. that's only 30 days out of 365. it's the entertainment. and people have to be responsible -- >> you're saying you can't eat like that every day? >> no, i never have. >> mm-hmm. >> like i told oprah a few years back. i said, honey, i'm your cook, not your doctor. you have to be responsible for yourself. >> we have to get going. you and jamie and bobby will be back later. >> yes. have you seen bobby's show? oh, my! >> we'll talk about it. once you get her going. >> you crank me up and i can't

quit. >> paula deen, and dr. raj, thank you so much. just ahead, the greatest, mohammed ali turns 70 today. and then the most adorable baby photos you will ever see, besides your baby's, but first, these messages. ...98, 99, 100! ready or not, here i come! ♪ found ya! you always find me. you always hide here. [ male announcer ] tim and richard smucker have always loved the taste of just-picked fruit. so it's no wonder why today smucker's makes the world's best jam. for five generations, with a name like smucker's, it has to be good. needs long term relief. eucerin calming creme. it soothes dry, itchy skin with a triple-acting formula. no wonder calm, comfortable skin starts with eucerin.

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with intense shadowblast eye couture is ready to wear for hours! and here's a tip: to make an even bigger statement wear with lashblast fusion mascara lashblast and intense shadowblast from easy, breezy, beautiful covergirl. back now with a man who's been featured on the cover of sports illustrated magazine no less than 38 times. muhammad ali is one of america's most iconic athletes and he turns 70 today. >> no athlete on earth has had a bigger impact on the sport and society, a firebrand in the civil rights and anti-war movement he's redefined our preconceptions of sports, race and role models. >> i will be 21 january 17th. i predict that by the end of 1963 i will be the youngest heavy weight champion in history. >> reporter: the man first known

as cacius clay never backed away from a bold statement. >> you can't beat me. i'm loaded with confidence. i'm as good as it gets. >> reporter: an olympic gold medalist in the 1960 games clay came back to america boiling over with the civil rights movement and steamed his way to a world championship taking out sonny liston, not once but twice. >> what are we going to do? >> float like a butterfly and sting like a bee. >> reporter: like an overhand right to the chin he rocked the stereotype of the humble athlete. >> i am the greatest! >> reporter: and the second class citizen. >> there is a heaven in the sky nd and the colored folks go to heaven. where are the colored angels? they must be in the kitchen preparing the milk and honey. >> reporter: he embraced the

black muslim faith and took on a new name. >> muhammed means worthy of praise and ali means most high. >> reporter: the stormy issues of his day, ali was a lightning rod. drafted in 1967 before the anti-war movement spilled to america's streets the champ refused to fight and was convicted of draft evasion. >> boxing is nothing like going to war. in war a the intention is to kill, kill, kill, kill and continue killing innocent people. >> reporter: stripped of his title and banned from boxing his legions of fans continued to grow though some never saw him throw a punch. >> people look for wonder working, miracles, surprises of all kinds. yet the greatest wonder, the greatest miracle, the greatest surprise is to be found in one part. >> reporter: as the '60s slipped into the '70s, ali's sentence

was overturned and he returned to the fight game, no longer dominant he seemed more heroic. >> joe frasier is in trouble! i predict he will not stand a chance. >> reporter: three epic bouts with joe frasier, the rumble in the jungle, george foreman went down and a ali rose the champion once again. by 1981 ali held the heavy weight title three times. he was the most famous man in the world but as he retired from the ring his appetite for boxing was still in full bloom. >> go. >> one-two. >> you want to see it again? >> reporter: at the 1986 olympics the man who could float like a butterfly and sting like a bee showed he was one of the great luminaries of our time but even he could suffer stage fright. >> made you nervous? but you had performed in front of people all your life. >> not 2 billion. >> not 2 billion.

>> reporter: today he battles parkinson's disease. like a series of body blows it wears him down but hasn't knocked him out. a tireless humanitarian, ali traveled the world feeding the hungry and helping others. on his 70th birthday he's at the heart of his extended family, still pretty, still fighting, still the greatest. >> we had the honor of being with muhammad ali saturday night in louisville, kentucky, as people got together to celebrate that birthday. >> the first of several celebrations where his awareness to the fundamental idea that while it's difficult to stay true to who you are, what you really believe in, that's actually the path to greatness. >> he's got a wonderful partner,

a terrific lady. happy birthday, champ. we love you. >> happy birthday. >> we're back after your local news and weather. >> live, local, late-breaking, this is wbal-tv 11 news today. >> good morning. the time is 8:26. let's get a final check on your morning commute. >> still tracking some problems. unfortunate, we are trying to wrap up rush hour. it is just not happening. there is an x in the coming in there with delays of a back to the beltway. some delays coming out of the northeast. if you are traveling in jocelyn this morning, watch for an accident. another one being cleared at boston road east. the harrisburg expressway in midtown. very slow there -- 50 miles per

hour heading towards the harrisburg expressway at the outer loop. a little bit of a delay on the west side. all the way over toward harrisburg, we will switch to a life of view of traffic. because of those jfx delays. that is the latest on traffic. >> it is a lot warmer than it was yesterday at this time. temperatures are in the upper 30's and 40's. 44 at the airport. the rain is catching up right now. from baltimore all the way back. rain showers are likely as we head to the day today. some of it could be heavy in a few neighborhoods. breezy and mild, otherwise with timbers and if 50's. the average height, 41. sunny with high timbres in the upper 30's and low 40's.

it could be snow showers and flurries late in the day on thursday. some light rain or snow perhaps on friday night and into cent -- saturday. >> thank you for joining us. we will have another update.

8:30 now on a tuesday morning, 17th day of january, 2012. still have a lot of nice people out on the plaza today despite some drizzle earlier. and some windy conditions as well. a little bit breezy in new york city. 39 degrees. we thank these people for stopping by. outside, i'm matt lauer along with ann curry, al roker and savannah guthrie. we all like grilling, right?

>> absolutely. >> love steaks and things like that on the grill. in the winter months it's hard because people don't like going outside to grill. we have aussie chef -- i just lost his last name a. keith evans. i'm sorry. keith is here to do a t-bone steak and show us ways to do that indoors so you don't have to go freeze your tuckus off. >> that's a cooking term. >> also coming up, what's cuter than a sleeping baby? take a look at these images of sleeping babies. they were taken by a mom who was inspired by her own daughter. is she's created pictures all dressed up. it's become a huge hit online. we'll be talking to her about how she came up with the idea. this is not the baby. >> that baby is wide awake. very cute. >> oh, man. >> later on we'll hear from british singing sensation mr. james marsden.

he's been compared to stevie wonder and sam cook. not too shabby. >> and a birthday hello to the star of the usa network, matt bomer. the second half of season three starts tonight. >> 10:00 p.m., 9:00 central. >> you ended with a cliff hanger. blood in the kitchen and a missing wife. >> when we come back my partner's wife has been kidnapped. my character may or may not be in possession of the ransom. the relationships are fraught with tension. it leads to another cliff hanger at the end of this episode. it's a wild ride until we have the biggest finale ever. >> may or may not be in possession? are you a good guy or a bad guy? what's going on? >> you have to find out. >> you seem badder than ever. >> i have to toe the line. got to stay in the middle. >> you won't share it with us? >> tomorrow i will.

>> not to give it away. meantime you're also in a new movie as i understand that has a lot of people online buzzing. you play a male stripper. >> exotic dancer. classically trained. >> is that different from a male stripper? >> no, no. >> you're interested in this. >> well, what would make you want to take a role like that? >> because steven soderberg is directing it and i have wanted to work with him. there are only two directors i would play it for and he's one of them. we had a blast. it was actually a robert altmanesque shoot. improvised, fun, right with story lines that i think will appeal to everybody. >> so you're going to -- >> we're going to get the guys in there, too. >> and that's a very nice look.

>> thank you. >> do you have a special aptitude for exotic dancing? >> steven said jump off the cliff and i'll catch you. when a film maker says to commit that's what he did. we had a good time doing it. hopefully people enjoy it. >> we feel that way about our director joe michaels. >> thank you. >> good for you. >> thank you so much. >> tonight on usa network. >> 10:00/9:00 central. >> mr. roker? >> let's see what's happening as far as the forecast for today. we have rainshowers, snoe snow in new england. the storm getting together in the pacific northwest. starting snow later today. sunshine through the southwest. tomorrow, heavy snow through the cascades and the inner mountain region. anywhere from 12 to 24 inches of snow in the mountains. 7 to 14 inches in seattle itself. sunny and cool gulf coast to texas. >> good morning.

it will be a breezy and mild day today. the best chance for rain showers will be later this morning and into the afternoon. into the afternoon. with all this weather going on check the weather channel on cable or weather.com online for your latest forecast. >> coming up, what do sleeping babies dream about? we'll meet the creator of really adorable pictures. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

>> announcer: today's moms is brought to you by easy, breezy, beautiful cover girl. ♪

>> back now at 8:37. stand by because this morning on today's moms we're talking about capturing the dreams of a newborn with a camera and creative props. imagine your tiny one as little bo peep, conquering the universe or able to leap tall buildings with a single bound. adele chronicled her daughter's napping adventures and put them in a book called "when my baby dreams." good morning. >> good morning to you. >> you're not a professional photographer. >> not at all. >> you're a new mom. what gave you the idea to create the images? >> when mila was a newborn she was sleeping a lot and i wanted to be with her. so the only thing i could do was watch her to sleep or take pictures of her. >> i see. >> once upon a time she'd fall asleep on the blanket on the floor so i just got this idea to put things around her to make

the picture more interesting and look like a little forest. that's how it started. >> so it was to delight you really and maybe share the pictures with your friends. you started writing about it on the internet, created a blog. >> yeah. >> and you got a huge response. were you surprised? >> yeah. the blog was for my family and friends. >> so it spread. look at the image with mila riding an elephant. some of the pictures are really creative. how many would you say you took? >> i think about 50. >> what inspired you when you take 50 photographs of your daughter? >> of course, mila. >> mila herself. you were thinking about what she would be possibly dreaming. >> yes. >> had you read books to her to get inspiration from that? >> from books, movies and her clothing. >> how is it possible this blog was so popular that now you have been able to turn it into a

book? >> well. i think it was because people rely on those pictures so much that people like to see a sleeping baby and beautiful pictures. so that's the reason. >> just looking at these pictures makes anyone feel a little bit more relaxed. this one is very creative. how did you make the surfboard? >> it's just paper. >> a piece of paper. >> yeah. piece of paper and two blankets and some scarf. >> she seems to be reaching for the balloons in this one which is nice. was she asleep? >> she was asleep in all those pictures. >> lucky you that the baby sleeps so much. >> she used to. >> now she's 14 months? >> yeah. >> now she's awake more. this is delightful. what's your recommendation to moms at home listening to this thinking i would like to do that. what's a good way to do it? >> well, i think that baby doesn't need to sleep.

in those pictures, you can have beautiful pictures when she or he is awake. just use things, ordinary household items you find around. so i think it's pretty easy. just try it. >> you did it using natural light which is a good thing. no flash. by a window or something? >> yeah. >> during a nice warm sunny day. >> yeah. >> iwas there a specific camera you used? >> i used a pocket cam. nothing special. you don't need to have fancy equipment to do these pictures. you can use your iphone or something else. >> you just need to be inspired with love which happened here. >> yeah. >> now you're expecting another child. >> yeah. >> so little mila will have a sibling and probably some more pictures? >> i think i have to do something for her or him -- i don't know yet. but i don't know if i will do

similar pictures, but something. >> well, congratulations. to do something completely out of the box. i know you work in advertising. completely not even related to photography in your particular skill set. here's what you have done. congratulations. >> thank you so much. >> what a great idea. born out of love it's gone so far. the book is called "when my baby dreams." there you go. up next, how do you bring the outdoor grill taste indoors during the cold winter months? we'll tell you how, but first, this is "today" on nbc. it's your social network.

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>> announcer: today's kitchen is brought to you by crystal light. stay light. >> we're back now at 8:44. this morning on today's kitchen, what's for dinner? getting this delicious outdoor taste during the cold winter months. chef pete evans is author of the book "my grill, outdoor cooking

australian style." welcome back, pete. >> the boys are in the kitchen. >> this is the way it should be. i love to grill. is it possible to get the same grill taste indoors in the winter months? >> definitely. all you need is a beautiful cast iron grill pan. it's as simple as that. can you help me today? is. >> a little. i usually let the chefs do most of the work but you're making a t-bone today. >> a little bit of salt and pepper on the steak. >> freshly washed hands. >> a touch of oil. >> you're making t-bone steak with chimichurri sauce. >> you can prenamarinate it overnight or do it this way. sometimes you don't think of it the day before. you can just make the chimi-churri on the day. when you're grilling meat or fish, bring it to room temperature before you put it on the grill. >> you love the grill pan. how do you gauge cooking time

here compared to a grill? >> similar. same thing. [ sizzling ] >> that's the sound you want as soon as the meat hits the pan. >> hot pan. >> five minutes on each side and let it rest for half the amount of cooking time. if you cooked it for ten minutes, let it sit on the bench for five minutes. >> all right. we'll make the chimi-churri which you call the south american pesto. >> i hope i don't get in trouble from italians or south americans for calling it the south american pesto. but simple. we have garlic, salt and pepper. i want you to do it. >> i'll do that. >> i don't want you to just be the salt and pepper man. >> fine. >> great technique there. cilantro. >> all of it? >> all of it. >> what i love in cooking is lots of herbs. good for you, fresh and it enlivens things. >> little bit of pepper. >> jalapeno. >>o you like it spicy? >> it should have a kick of

heat. if you like it really hot add more in. we have cumin, oil if you want to pour that in. >> how much? >> just keep going. and vinegar. it's a simple sauce. >> the consistency should be what when you're finished with that in the blender? >> you can have it really wet or thick and pasty. you can do it in a mortar and pestle to give it the rustic feel. blend it and here we go. >> do you like thick slices of the t-bone? >> i will do it as you like it today. >> thick slices. >> we take it off the bone, slice it. i serve the t-bone or ribeye sliced so it's easier for the guests. >> right. >> look at that. >> you cooked it to perfection. >> and to the healthy world. >> broccolini. >> this is baby broccoli

basically. if you want your children eating broccoli, start with broccocolb. people just boil vegetables and put it on the plate. boil it and give it a touch of dressing. >> so you blanch it first, then into the pan. >> lemon juice, zest, and straight to the plate. because we are from australia -- i am, anyway -- it's australia day next week. we have cookies with ice cream in the middle. >> fantastic. again, a great way to bring the flavor of the outdoor grill into the house. we'll let the t-bone sizzle. pete, a pleasure. >> thank you, matt. >> happy australia day next week. good to have you here. >> up next, a live performance from jam mes marsden. first, this is "today" on nbc.

>> announcer: the toyota concert series on today. >> james morrison has become britain's top selling male solo artist at just 21 years old. he's been compared to stevie wonder and sam cook. that's no pressure. his third album is called "the awakening." james, grooood morning. >> good morning. >> this album is what you call

my first proper album. >> yeah. >> it speaks to something that's real with you. you call it "the awakening" on purpose. >> i have had to deal with a lot of personal stuff in my life at that time. i tried to write songs that captured, yeah, something meaningful to me. i tried not to worry much about the commercial side and just write stuff i felt good about. >> the first two albums though they did well were really about making albums. >> yeah. i was new to the whole world of making music. so the first album to me was an experiment to see what i could come up with, you know. the second was me trying to fulfill the success of the first one. this was me just doing what i wanted to do really. >> and a lot of it comes out of the difficulties over losing your father. >> mm-hmm. >> so there is a real honesty in your music. so marrying the soulfulness of your sound with the honesty of what you have written. >> yeah. >> it must have been, i think --

i suppose transformative in that moment. >> i have always loved soul music. like sam cook, stevie wonder and all those guys. but i have a problem just trying to -- just singing covers. i'm trying to write my own soulful songs. that's what i was trying to do. >> well, that's awesome. congratulations on your great success. making your family proud. thank you all for being here at this terrible hour and the album again is called "the awakening." james morrison, ladies and gentlemen. ♪

♪ ♪ when it's black ♪ take a little time to hold yourself ♪ ♪ take a little time to feel around ♪ ♪ before it's gone ♪ you won't let go ♪ but still do you keep on falling down ♪ ♪ remember how you saved me now ♪ ♪ from all of my own ♪ yeah ♪ and this love ♪ just feel it ♪ and if this life won't see it ♪ ♪ sees no time to be alone ♪ alone, yeah ♪ i won't let you go ♪ say those words ♪ say those words like there's

nothing else ♪ ♪ close your eyes and you might believe ♪ ♪ that there is some way out open up ♪ ♪ open up your heart to me now ♪ let it all come pouring out ♪ there's nothing i can't take ♪ and this love ♪ just feel it ♪ and if this life won't see it ♪ sees no time to be alone ♪ ♪ no, no ♪ i won't let you go ♪ if the sky is falling ♪ just take my hand and hold it ♪ you don't have to be alone ♪ ♪ oh, oh ♪ i won't let you go ♪ if you feel the surging of life ♪ and you're too weak to carry

on the fire ♪ ♪ and all your friends that you cannot hide disappear ♪ ♪ i'll be here, not going, forever holding on ♪ ♪ and if this love, just feel it ♪ ♪ and if this life won't see it ♪ sees no time to be alone ♪ ♪ oh, oh ♪ i won't let you go ♪ if the sky is falling ♪ just take my hand and hold it ♪ you don't have to be alone ♪ ♪ no, no ♪ i won't let you go

♪ i won't let you go ♪ i won't let ♪ won't let you go ♪ i won't let you go >> more from james morrison later, but first your local news. ♪ >> live, local, late-breaking, this is wbal-tv 11 news today. >> the good morning. at our- here's a look top stories this morning. baltimore police are looking for information on three suspects accused of stealing thousands of dollars from sinai hospital. three men drove up to the dock

in a row truck back on january 6. they then unloaded a large piece they then unloaded a large piece of

>> it is going to be a breezy and mild today. rain showers will be likely as we head into the afternoon. tonight, temperatures will make it into the 50's. sunshine with a high near 41. >> thank you for joining us. if we will have another weather update at 9:25. update at 9:25.