nature's wrath. tropical storm debby brings driving rain to florida and spins off a series of tornadoes. one person is dead, another is missing. out west in colorado, wildfires have exploded destroying hundreds of homes. life changing experience, more than $600,000 in donations pouring in to the school bus monitor who was bullied unmercifully by middle schoolers. how surprised is she by that reaction? karen klein is here for an interview. photo finish, two american sprinters cross the line at the exact same time at the olympic trials but only one can compete in that event in london. how a coin toss could be the determining factor today monday,

how a coin toss could be the determining factor today monday, june 25th, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with matt lauer and ann curry, live from studio 1, a in rockefeller plaza. and welcome today on this monday morning. i'm ann curry. >> i'm willie geist in for matt this morning. good to see you again, ann. debby the fourth named of the season and it is burly, now proving to be deadly. >> the outer edges of the tropical storm storm put down nearly two feet of rain in some places. we'll go live to the affected area and al will now tell us where this storm is headed. >> jerry sandusky on suicide watch as his attorneys contemplate an appeal. coming up we'll tell you why this story is far from over. also a story that will outrage parents.

two girl sent to the hospital with sunburns. the school wouldn't let them apply sunscreen even though they were outside for field day. one of the most anticipated films of the summer. are you ready for spider-man week. >> i got to see it. double thumbs-up. how oldham i? do i look like a spider-man fan? >> two thumbs-up from ann curry. the cast of the new spider-man move with us. >> emma stone, that will be something to really look forward to. let's get started with this tropical storm name debby and wildfires raging out of control out west. we've got three reports starting with the weather channel's mike seidel in north reddington beach, florida. mike, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, ann. debby hit hard, beach erosion, up and down the beach, this palm tree, see for blocks and blocks, the tide is still rolling into

the hotel pool. take you book to another wave. yesterday, wind and rain. we got hammered in the tampa st. pete area, nine to ten inches of rain through the morning. tampa's second wettest june day on record. we had flooding, people pulled from cars, coastal flood warning up through the night as well as heavy surf advisory and tornadoes, not unusual with land falling. some landfall, tropical system. a dozen reports of tornadoes. one of those was a killer down in highlands, florida. we also lost a gentleman to the rip currents up in orange beach. today it's more of the same because debby is not moving. wind, potential for severe weather, tornado watch at least until 2:00. this will be likely extended. as long as we have wave action we'll have beach erosion. that's the story along the west coast beaches. not damage to the property but

beaches. locals are saying this the worst storm they have seen since the super storm years ago. >> thank you, mike seidel. >> now where the storm is heading. al roker tracking the storm. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. first time we've had four storms by july 1st. this is a record setter. as mike mentioned, we do have a tornado watch 2:00 from central to northern florida. debby 90 miles sous southwest. winds 50 miles an hour. heading west, now moving straight to the north but it's going to take its own sweet time. here is the projected path of debby over the next three days. doesn't move that much. by wednesday 2:00 a.m. still off the coast of florida with 65-mile-per-hour winds, we don't see landfall maybe until early thursday morning with 65-mile-per-hour winds. with a slow mover like that, that means by friday, we're still looking inland.

it's just barely inland. with a slow mover, that means that wind and that wave action continues. the rain continues. locally we could see 15 to 20 inches of rain by friday. also the threat of tornadoes. it is going to be a major, major weathermaker. in fact, it looks like the drought will be busted with this thing. however, it's going to be a very strong price to pay for losing that drought because we are going to be looking at massive flooding, beach erosion, big problems from central and northern florida and the west coast of florida. willie. >> all right, al. looks like debby will be with us all week. we'll get the rest of your forecast in a moment. meantime out west in colorado, it is much too dry. things have gone from bad to worse. nbc's miguel almaguer in colorado springs. miguel, good morning. >> reporter: willie, good morning. this fire really exploded over the weekend a small blaze that quickly multiplied feeding on bone dry brush and fanned by

hot, gusty winds. overnight flames leapt into the air and tore across the hills near colorado springs. the waldo canyon fire threatening homes, closing in on cabins and scorching some of the regions most popular campgrounds. sunday 11,000 people forced to flee the plains. >> this is a day or couple days we've long dreaded would come. >> this out of control blaze is just one of eight infernos burning across colorado. saturday in estes park homes were destroyed. the most destructive in history claimed one life and nearly 250 homes near ft. collins. two weeks old, 83,000 acres have been torched here. >> we knew we had to get out of there. >> colorado's governor said half the country's firefighting fleet is trying to beat back the flames in his state alone. >> this dry, hot weather. the wind is going to pick up. the fuel is very, very

flammable. >> colorado isn't the only tinderbox. this morning firefighters in new mexico, arizona, utah and california are all on the front lines. a fast and deadly start to a fire season far from over. back here in coloradoish the waldo fire charred roughly 3500 acres. it is 0% contained. the big worry this afternoon is going to be the wind. much of this state is going to be baking in 100 degree temperatures. >> miguel almaguer, thanks. 7:07. here is ann. >> the latest on the jerry sandusky case. his lawyers say they plan to appeal his conviction. that's just part of the legal drama set to play out over the weeks and months. michael isikoff has been covering the case from the beginning. michael, good morning. >> good morning, ann. jerry sandusky is now safely in jail here but the fallout from his conduct is far from over.

while convicted child abuser jerry sandusky remains on suicide today, pennsylvania's top law enforcement officials signals there could be more charges against others to come. attorney general linda kelly oversaw the sandusky case. >> oh, i think this investigation continues. i think anyone associated with this case can tell you we've been developing information even after the grand jury presentment. >> penn state is the focus of multiple investigations into whether former top school officials covered up sandusky's conduct and could have stopped him years ago. even among the jurors there was concern. juror number five, josh harper. >> penn state didn't do the action, but could they have presented further victims, sure. >> juror number 11, ann van curren. >> all i can say is i wish

something had gone a step further. >> former athletic director and former vice president gary schultz are facing perjury charges related to what they knew about a 2001 shower incident involving sandusky and a young boy reported to them by former graduate assistant mike mcqueary. sources say kelly's office is reviewing e-mails showing former penn state president graham spanier agreed that it would be, quote, humane to sandusky not to report the mcqueary allegation to authorities. they all deny any wrongdoing. >> if those in power at penn state had taken action in the early 2000s, then my client would not have been molested in 2007 and 2008. >> legal experts say with an endowment of $8 million penn state has deep pockets that will make it a prime target for civil suits filed by sandusky's victims. >> based on other judgments in sex abuse cases in pennsylvania,

we could be talking about tens of millions of dollars at least. >> in a statement penn state said it plans to set up a program to privately, expeditiously and fairly address the victims' concerns and compensate them for claims relating to the university. penn state is now in a legal battle with its insurance company over who is going to pay those claims. if it loses, student's tuition and state taxpayer funds could end up picking up the tab to compensate the victims of jerry sandusky. ann. >> all right. michael isikoff this morning. michael, thank you. pennsylvania attorney general linda kelly is now joining us exclusively. her team prosecuted the sandusky case. madam attorney general, good morning to you. >> good morning, ann. >> other alleged victims of jerry sandusky have now come forward. is it possible there will be more criminal prosecutions regarding jerry sandusky? >> well, we have said from the

beginning that we continue to investigate this case. i think it is known there have been more victims that will come forward. at this time i wouldn't want to speculate on future charges. >> can you confirm there is an ongoing grand jury investigation into this? >> there is an ongoing investigation, yes. >> late in the trial, we heard that matt sandusky, the adopted son of jerry sandusky, was prepared to testify to the prosecution. why did you not call him to the stand to testify? >> well, i think that that information probably came from lawyers that represent matt sandusky. it's my understanding that he has two lawyers that are representing him. those lawyers are fair to comment on matt sandusky's situation. and there could be any number of reasons in any given case why a defendant may or may not be called. >> are you saying that the

prosecution did not have a right to call him without the defense calling him first? >> no, no. i'm not saying that. i'm saying it's a prosecutorial decision. >> jerry sandusky's lawyer said he did not have enough time to adequately defend his client. do you believe he had enough time to defend jerry sandusky? >> to answer you succinctly, yes. i think all the parties in this case knew from the beginning that the judge intended to move this case along quickly. and the prosecution was actually gratified that that was happening, there was a speedy trial that took place here, particularly because mr. sandusky committed these horrific crimes was not in custody. we were anxious to bring the case to a conclusion and to move

to have his bond revoked and taken into custody. >> sandusky faced the maximum of 442 years in prison. what will your prosecution team ask for in sentencing? >> i think our team, our prosecution team will ask the judge to fashion a sentence that reflects the horrific acts that mr. sandusky committed, to take into consideration the number of victims that are involved here and the fact that he really does represent a clear and present danger to the community and hopefully the sentence will reflect that. but of course, that's the province of the court. sentencing is certainly up to the discretion of the court. >> all right. pennsylvania attorney general linda kelly. linda, thank you so much for joining us this morning. >> you're very welcome. >> all right. now let's get a check on the rest of the top stories this morning from natalie morales. she's over at the news desk. good morning, natalie. >> good morning willie and ann, everyone. all eyes on the supreme court, president obama's landmark

health care reform bill and arizona's immigration law could come down as early as this morning. nbc's justice correspondent pete williams is at the supreme court with more. pete, good morning. >> reporter: two huge decisions natalie that could affect millions of people and presidential campaign. on the immigration law the court may strike down parts of it but let stand other parts that require police to check immigration status of anyone they detain. on health care case the question is the central requirement of the law that all americans buy insurance is unconstitutional. if it is, how much of the rest of the law can survive. we should have the answers to all these questions by thursday at the latest. the court's likely last day of the term. natalie. >> all right. pete williams there at the supreme court. thank you. egypt's new president elect, mohamed morsi is expressing his desire to restore diplomatic ties with iran. in an interview with iranian news agency egypt's first freely elected president is starting to

form his office of president. alex tre back is recovering from a heart attack. while hospitalized he won a daytime emmy for the best game show. he's hosted jeopardy for 28 years. now let's head to wall street. cnbc, kayla, good morning. >> good morning. investors keeping a close eye on europe where a summit are meeting without the presence of economically troubled greece. that's leading investors to be concerned a quick face to europe's debt crisis is not in the cards. conmisses expect data to show new home sales in may rose slightly. today's trading follows a week of red arrows on wall street. that was the first negative week in three. natalie. >> thanks so much. it was a finish not even a

photo could decide. check it out. crossing the line of u.s. olympic tracknd field team qualifiers for this summer's games in london. the women tied for third place in the 100 meters and the sport has no protocol for how to break the tie. after some significant head scratching, a decision was put in place. the athletes will have to choose between a tiebreaking coin toss or runoff. the women have until the end of the olympic trials next sunday to decide. willie and ann, to make the situation all that more tense, both ladies share the same coach. they often train together and they both have lucrative nike deals which includes a bonus for whoever makes the olympic team. hard decision. >> how do you expect they pick a runner off. you don't want to have a coin toss. >> you can't leave all that to a coin toss. >> terrific runners. >> run again. >> give them both the money. >> if matt would have won, he would have won by a nose.

he's not even here. >> let's talk about the weather this morning. come on, let's talk about it, because there's a lot of weather to talk about. >> there is, indeed. let's show you what's going on right now, call coming in from long island. a frontal system pushing in. airport delays from boston down to d.c. with this system making its way with a lot of rain. we're talking about anywhere from a half an inch to one to two inches of rain from new england all the way down to norfolk and hampton roads. we're looking also wet weather from the pacific northwest down to northern florida, risk of strong storms again. down in florida a tornado watch until 2:00 with debby approaching. plenty of sunshine around the great lakes and on into the upper mississippi river valley. but record breaking heat in the rockies and southwest, we'll >> good morning.hat in the next a cold front will bring us some great weather in the next couple days. we have a chance for a shower or thunderstorm.

>> that's your latest weather. willie. >> thanks. the picasso defaced at the museum, the suspect was caught on tape and they have identified him, the race is on to find him. gabe gutierrez with the latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. local authorities are offering up to $5,000 reward. the suspect is a street artist who investigators believe bragged about the vandalism online. the video posted on youtube quickly went viral, a man defacing pablo picasso's woman in arm cheer at the prestigious

collection in houston. the witness who shot the video didn't want to be identified. then the suspect called himself an up and coming mexican american artist looking to honor picas picasso's work. >> went up to the painting without fear, separate painted it and walked off. >> now they know who did it. they kmarnlgcharged him with cr mischief. investigators are investigating with whether he had an accomplice. >> bold, reckless, in your face crime. >> the suspect used a stencil to spray paint a picture of a bull wut with the word conquista below it. part of their investigation included his facebook page where he boldly posted a link to news coverage about the vandalism. also a picture of the word conquista, the same word spray

painted. it suggests he's a student at the university of houston. several pictures on the site show off his artwork. so far police haven't been able to track him down. >> this is one of those cases where he is not a graffiti artist, he's a graffiti terrorists. he's someone who used a valuable painting to try to make his own statement and that resulted in these criminal charges. >> reporter: this isn't the first picasso that's been vandalized. in 1984 his greatest masterpiece was spray painted in new york. this latest case is just as frustrating to houston's art community as well as picasso's granddaughter. she spoke by phone from london. >> i think it is just so cruel, the artist should be put in jail. laws should be enforced. >> she said arts is about traces of humanity. she hopes this trace can be saved. a spokesman for the museum said the painting was immediately taken to the restoration lab here and is still being repaired. there's no word on when the

public might see it again. willie. >> let's hope they can save it. dave gutierrez in houston this morning. coming up a mother is furious after her kids came home with sunburn all because the school would not allow them to put

coming up more than $600,000 in donations have poured in for karen klein the school bus monitor bullied. we'll talk to her coming up. check out this video, a bear cub found in a garage. who came in to save it, it's mom. after your local news. and who doesn't want 50% more cash? ugh, the baby. huh! and then the baby bear said, "i want 50% more cash in my bed!" phhht! 50% more cash is good ri... what's that. ♪ you can spell. [ male announcer ] the capital one cash rewards card.

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sweet butternut. we're roasting, and grilling to create must-have meals with no preservatives. lean cuisine. be culinary chic. >> this is wbal tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning, atterbury. i'm stan stovall. here's a look at a top story this hour. a brush fire burned nearly for kirk -- 50 acres at kent island this weekend is now under control. at least 20 homes had to be evacuated. one firefighter was taken to a hospital with injuries, but no word on his injuries at this hour. >> a handful of accident that we

are tracking at this hour, we will start at reisterstown. rick 30 at leval. -- route 30 at leval. another along president street at pratt street. down toward edmundson and also 75 coming out of white marsh. jibao to watch for in anne arundel county. one is a long solomons road. -- two to watch for in anne arundel county. one is along salomon's road. so far, a nice start along the beltway. >> it is going to stay dry for an hour, maybe two. after that, some rain. you can see some rain showers, even thunderstorms drifting

down out of pennsylvania. the further we go into the morning, the better chance some of the rain will catch up to us. it will be nice the next couple of days. the overnight low temperatures will dip into the 50's. a high of 95 on friday. we should stay in the 90's all the way through the weekend.

horrified people everywhere last week. school bus monitor karen klein viciously taunted at the hands of middle schoolers. since then some of the children have apologized. strangers worldwide have raised more than $600,000 for her. we're going to get karen's reaction. we talked to her and one of her daughter's about that in an exclusive interview coming up this morning. meantime it is 7:30 monday, 25th of june, 2012. i'm alongside willie geist this morning. matt has the morning off. good to see you. you're dapper. coming up, the fallout from the death of a promising young

woman. >> you may remember her, she died day after graduating from the university. her last article from the school paper went viral. now her boyfriend could face criminal charges in the crash that killed her. we'll have the latest. also a conversation with the widow of pat tillman. he was the nfl star who gave his life in afghanistan. this morning, how his final letter to his wife helped her move on after his death. but let's begin in washington state where two sisters came home with severe sunburns after spending the date outside at their elementary school field day. you won't believe why this happened. natalie is joining us with more. >> good morning, ann. when she watched her daughters head off to school for a day of fun and games, she had no idea they would come home with severe sunburns. the rona school policy that seems hard to believe. it was a typical rainy morning

at tacoma washington when mitzi sent her schools for the end of the year field day. by noon, the rain was gone and the sun started to burn the girls. both have sensitive skin, one with a condition that makes her particularly sun sensitive. >> i was feeling hot. i noticed my shoulders were warmer than other parts of my body. >> i was playing games with my friends and that's when i started feeling like i was burning up. >> when i walked through the door that day, i would never forget it. >> when she arrived home, she was she was not prepared for what she saw. >> it was horrifying to see her bright red face. there were welts, she was swollen. then i saw zoe's shoulders, it was absolutely painful and gut wrenching to look at. i was horrified. >> school officials told her

there's a statewide policy that does not allow staff to apply sunscreen to students. students can only apply it to themselves if they have a doctor's note, a policy that exists in 49 states nationwide. >> i did share with the principal, any policy that meant she couldn't help kids or follow common sense was something i had to do something about. she in ordered and shookd her head. >> she got her girls examined at the local hospital. the next day she was still upset. she wrote about the incident in her blog which sparked a conversation that spread across the country. >> we have learned it's important to stand up for what you believe in. >> she said it was a learning experience for her entire family. >> this has always been about making sense of a policy that doesn't make sense and trying to change it. >> the school district has since apologized and let her know a new law will give school districts a lot more leeway to decide if sunscreen and

over-the-counter medications can be applied. that policy should be revised by october. >> to remind you, you said 49 states. >> 49 states have the law. it is something to review, especially when your kids are heading off to camp to make sure you know what their policy is. >> thank you, natalie, so much for this report. now let's get a check of the weather from al. >> we are -- actually, our camera guy is in this cage for soccer. we finally tracked jeff. you said you're 72 years old? >> yes. >> what's your name? >> phyllis pearson. >> i'll have what she's having. >> can i say hi to my son vinnie? >> no, you can't do that. >> hi, joe. >> you got that. this is north reddington beach, florida. of course we are waiting for deb yshs to make landfall. that's probably not going to

happen late thursday into friday. right now windy. waves kicking up. we'll see rain coming in again today. tornado watches in effect as well. out west unbelievable, anywhere from 5 to 20 degrees above normal. denver today 103. it will be 104 in salt lake -- 98 salt lake, 100 in tulsa. rest of the country cooler in the northeast, 60s, 70s, 80s along the southeast atlantic coast and 60s alon 6 >> good morning. we will see some scattered showers and thunderstorms. not everybody will see the rain.

day like today you always want to check the weather, go to weather channel on cable, weather.com. willie. >> thank you very much. now to the death of a promising young writer killed in a horrific car crash just days after she graduate freddie yale university. today prosecutors seeking charges against her boyfriend who was driving when it happened. ron mott has more from orleans, massachusetts. ron, good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you. police are calling this an accident, but this young man has been ordered to appear in court next week to see if he should stand trial for vehicular homicide after he veered off the road, hit a pair of guardrails, flipped over killing his girlfriend. >> freshly graduated from yale university, this 22-year-old had a world of writing ahead. her farewell column called "the opposite of loneliness" went

viral. she declared, quote, we're so young. we have so much time. on may 26th, keegan's young life ended on this cape cod highway. >> she could brighten my day. as we now can all see, she could light up the world. >> strapped into the passenger seat of a black lexus on the way to her family's summer home, she was killed when the car hit a guardrail, tripped to the other side of the road, hit another guardrail and flipped at least twice, police said. at a funeral she was remembered by her mom as a dutiful but jokingly forgetful daughter. being the writer she was, a lover of books. >> the only thing she treasured more than her beautiful collection of books was her beautiful collection of friends. >> keegan's 22-year-old boyfriend at the wheel that day could face vehicular homicide by reckless operation and reckless

driving. he's due in a massachusetts court on july 5th to determine whether he should be held over for trial. an aspiring journalist and playwright keegan land add job at new yorker, published in "new york times," a musical she co-wrote was to be performed this summer in new york city. more than that, say those who mourned her loss, she was a reliable friend. tributes on a facebook page to her memory. >> her ability made her a great writer. more importantly, a great friend. she was a fiercely devoted friend, attentive, caring, generous. >> every once in a while she would just stop and look around at the beauty around her. and just feel at peace. >> reporter: he received minor injuries. speed did not appear to be a factor. authorities are not saying

exactly what led them to file charges in this case. >> such a talented young woman. ron mott, thanks so much. still ahead, mom, look at me. the dangling bear cub that had to be rescued from a garage by its mother. one town with a traditional car is going the way of a dinosaur. that's right after this. [ male announcer ] with ultra-filtered water from the first ever hands-free dispenser, and micro-climate controls powered by twinchill™ technology, the new ge french door refrigerator is engineered to push the limits of fresh. so to prove it, we're taking one from the factory in kentucky and delivering it full of fresh food to a place fresh can't be found. ♪ easy. [ male announcer ] watch the adventure at freshpedition.com anti-aging cream undeniably. it creamed unbelievably a $500 cream and now women have made regenerist microsculpting cream

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in the central florida community known as the villages, population 5,000, main street often has more quirks than cars. there are an estimated 40,000 carts here, some running on gas getting 50 miles to the gallon. others all electric. >> insurance is less, registration is less. of course you're not using any gas. >> drive what looks a lot like a smart car, but this is a chinese built electric vehicle called a candy cocoa. >> it has all the modern convenience including a radio, ac, airbags. >> how far can you go? >> you can go 40 mimes on one charge. >> he says he takes about eight hours to recharge. yes, it is a two-seater. just to conduct our interview with them in motion, we had a chase vehicle. >> it has headlights, a windshield and safety belts but that's about it. >> the auto industry called this class of car an ls v low speed

vehicle. recent crash tests for lsv cars are not pretty. >> when lou at those crash tests, it's kind of scary. >> yes, i have to agree with that. but you plug in, plug into your house. >> he sells ls v some as much as $13,000, says price swings is a motivator. >> this would be nice for us. >> in maryland where parking is a challenge. >> only cost about $1.50 ra day for a vehicle. >> russell has a fleet of 13 cruiser. he shuttles folks to find a place to spark anywhere they want to go for free. costs covered by advertising. >> it's a niche. but the niche is getting bigger every day. >> reporter: in ft. lauderdale the judge commutes every day. >> i have a traditional gas automobile.

>> reporter: before the electric car he used four tanks a month. now he drives the old car so racial he only fills up once a month. >> four bucks a gallon, $4 a gallon, it's adding up. >> reporter: okay. so ann and willie, this sounds like a good idea until you hit the weather. i could see you tooling around manhattan because the weather is beautiful. here, not so much. >> it's pretty darn cute, nonetheless. kerry sanders, thanks so much for that report. okay. coming up next, reality bites or does it? why vampires are hotter than ever these days coming up right after this. hi, i'm phil mickelson. i've been fortunate to win on golf's biggest stages. but when joint pain and stiffness from psoriatic arthritis hit, even the smallest things became difficult. i finally understood what serious joint pain is like. i talked to my rheumatologist and he prescribed enbrel. enbrel can help relieve pain, stiffness, and stop joint damage. because enbrel, etanercept, suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections.

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i'm just another mom trying to help her champion win the day. chobani champions. win the day. . did you go to the movies this weekend to see abraham lincoln slay vampires? the film finished third at the box office but as keith miller reports, vampires are big business these days. >> reporter: it seems the undead just keep on living. >> i shall always think of myself as a hunter. >> reporter: now it's "abraham lincoln: vampire hunter" trying to extinguish the creatures. according to legend, takes more than an axe. that's why there's a lot at stake when the hammer comes down at this auction in northern england. bids quickly approach $10,000

for a victorian era box a vampire hunter would kill for. a pistol for close contact. miniature bottles containing garlic, holy water and -- >> holy earth or consecrated ground. >> there is a prayer book and rosary beads. >> a crucifix. there we are. that certainly works, doesn't it? >> reporter: and in a hidden compartment. >> four stakes. so you've got four of those. >> one vampire box was sold in america last year for $25,000. jonathan ferguson wants one. >> down the hill, the church yard where key attacks take place. >> reporter: i caught up with him where in the original story dracula was. he wants the box not to slay the undead but as a cultural

artifact for his museum. >> for that reason they are a fascinating reflection of popular culture and what people think about vampires. >> vampire lore goes back a long way as we found out last year on a visit to transylvania, the belief in the undead there very much alive. >> how did the myth of the vampire originate in this country. >> back in the 18th century people were complaining they were haunted by undead creatures. >> reporter: just last week in bulgaria, two ancient bodies uncovered that had been staked in a vampire burial. bids for the vampire slayer box went to three times the entry price, his bid topping $11,000 is good. he may never need to use the contents of the box, but it is one more relic that helps keep the myth of the undead alive. for "today," keith miller, nbc

news. >> funny premise. >> the premise of abe lincoln slaying vampires. >> pro pride, prejudice and zombies. >> some hardware on the table here. >> yes. >> our staff would like to brag a little bit because we've gotten two new daytime emmys. we want to congratulate our director joe michaels on art. congratulations, joe, michael. >> another emmy for the entire staff, fourth outstanding morning show. >> third year in a row we take home hardware. that's great. >> i'd like to say i take full credit for both of these. >> you are here off and on. you know what, you deserve it. >> you can use these to kill vampires. >> let's try to be a little more

humble now and not talk about this and talk about karen klein. she's the school bus monitor bullied on camera. that has been shocking people everywhere. this morning donations top $640,000. the question, are her bus riding days over? what's she going to do with the money? what does she want to come out of that? coming up an exclusive interview. the cast of an action packed movie spider-man after your local news. [ male announcer ] monica's decided to make a quick pit stop for gas. [ engine turns over ] but it looks like she'll have to find another station to fill 'er up. no! are you kidding me?! [ male announcer ] good thing her corolla has legendary mpg,

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>> good morning, mindy this era at 756. -- mindy at 7:56 a.m. crags you will want to take the tunnel at fort mchenry because right now it is shut down at the inner loop. traffic is being turned around as you make your way toward the key bridge. elsewhere, some delays forming around the area. stock down 95 to the east, also on the outer loop, westside. 39 miles per hour on eastbound i 70.

and we are still clearing an accident in reisterstown. watch for an actress -- an accident in the annapolis region. enter bin laden all lanes are closed on the outer loop. interlude -- intermittently, all lanes are closed on the outer loop. along i 70, things start to open up past 29 toward the beltway. >> so far it has been dry, but things will change through the late morning and afternoon hours. 76 at the airport, 72 -- 69 at parkton. babbidge its stock is north east of us in new jersey -- the heaviest storms are east of us in new jersey. in a mixture of sunshine and clouds.

the 40% chance for a shower thunderstorm. a high temperature right around 85. aver

morning. you're looking at a lot of nice people who decided to come by our rockefeller plaza and say hello. we're so grateful they did. spider-man cast coming up in the next half hour. i'm ann curry alongside willie geist. matt has the week off. nice to have you here. also have al roker. coming up, talking about that video everybody has been talking about last week. it shows a grandmother who was

taunted over and over again by a group of seventh-graders. it set up a national conversation, some say the worst humanities, many strangers donated more than $600,000, basically help support her. she's now in the studio, get her reaction to this and what she wants to do with the money and what will come out of this national conversation. >> we just said hello a minute ago. she's overwhelmed by the outcome. also ahead jenna hager sits down with the widow of pat tillman, killed in afghanistan. this morning, the gift he left behind that helps her rebuild her life. >> a good story in so many ways. coming up, peter barker in the house. andrew garfield in the ho e

house. you're going to love this movie. >> love it. >> anyway, anything else coming up? no. >> natalie morales. >> take a look at this news. now standing by at the news desk. >> good morning, ann, willie, al. tropical storm debby whipping florida with drenching rain. debby's center is nearly stationary in the gulf of mexico. that means the biggest threat will be flooding as the storm could produce 20 inches of flooding over the next few days. debby spun off isolated tornadoes that killed at least one person. another person missing off alabama. convicted child sex abuser jerry sandusky is on suicide watch in jail while his attorneys contemplate an appeal. meantime penn state where sandusky is an assistant football coach is the focus of

multiple investigations into whether top school officials covered up his conduct and if they could have stopped him years ago. penn state has been almost $2 billion endowment and legal experts say that makes it a prime target if sandusky's victims file civil suits. one police officer dead in denver. he was shot and killed while trying to break up a confrontation at a city park. a gunman dead in kentucky after opening fire on two people in a vehicle. three officers who rifrd at the scene. the officers are all shot but wounds aren't believed to be light threatening. relief coming to some investors defrauded in bernard madoff's ponzi scheme, agreed to pay $5 million to the state of new york. the agreement settles a lawsuit accusing him of secretly sending client money to madoff. for a look at what's trending today, a roundup of what has you talking online.

lolo jones made the olympic team. she tweets she's honored to represent the u.s. at the 2012 london olympics. the track star from des moines had to fight back surgery last august and a pair of hamstring injuries to secure the final spot on her second olympic team. forget the poster and monogram china, would you ask wedding members to donate to obama. an online event registry and taking some heat for it on twitter. check out this bear cub just monkeying around in a family's garage. the cub squeals as he tries to find his way down to the beam he's perched on to the barking fury of a house dog. the mama beer comes to the rescue, managing to pry open the door, looks like it there, almost too incredible to be real. we have to imagine she'll be scolding the cub for hanging out

with humans. he's trying to climb the ladder. back outside to ann, al, willie. they can open garage doors, climb the ladder. >> don't need a garage door opener, just a mama bear. >> was the mama bear opening it. >> then she hot wired the car and drove off, which was really amazing. unfortunately they didn't catch that part. we have some nice folks, jack and jill university. >> our 75th anniversary. >> all right. happy anniversary. >> thank you. >> okay. let's check out your weather. this is the latest on debby. right now it's 90 miles south southwest of apalachicola, 50-mile-an-hour winds, not moving, alabama border to suwannee river border. we're looking at a tornado watch as well in central florida. here is the path of debby. right now it's going to make its own sweet time. it's not going to make landfall until late thursday early friday morning.

again, with the continually pumping in a lot of wet weather, a lot of rain. we're talking some areas 15 to 20 inches of rain, isolated tornadoes. that's why we have tornado watches in effect. a lot of beach erosion. going to be a big, big problem for much of florida and the central gulf coast until friday and saturday. >> good morning.g on a a cold front will bring us some great weather in the next couple days. we have a chance for a shower or thunderstorm. that's your latest weather. willie. >> all right, al.

up next, exclusive interview with the school bus monitor whose bullying caught online has everybody talking. generous folks lending a hand, right after this. [ male announcer ] at banana boat, we test our broad spectrum sunscreen so it stays on in conditions like sand... sun... 100-degree heat, and ocean water. for uva/uvb protection in seven conditions, banana boat. we've got you covered.

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but first a look back at what she had to endure. >> it was almost too cruel to believe. videos of karen klein, a 68-year-old bus monitor from new york being taunted mercilessly by a group of 13 years old. they ridiculed her for her weight. physically poked her and even suggested her family had killed themselves because of her. >> you don't have a family because they all killed themselves. they don't want to be near you. >> it's unclear if the boys knew karen had a son that committed suicide years ago. after driving klein to tears, they were still relentless. america was horrified and so were we. >> i'll tell you what i think about them now. i think they are narrow minded

monsters to be perfectly honest with you and i think their parents should be ashamed of them. >> two of the students have since sent klein letters of apology. >> i cannot believe i did that. i'm sorry for being so mean and i will never treat anyone this way again. >> however, klein says she is reticent to believe they are heartfelt. >> not really. i think they could be better than what they did. >> district administrators plan to pursue disciplinary actions against all four students who taunted klein but she says she does not want them to face criminal charges. over the weekend there was a hometown rally to support the grandmother of eight. >> tonight we'll celebrate a woman of courage, one who internalized mistreatment and didn't complain. >> when we last spoke to klein a fund-raiser had just been started to send her on vacation. >> i am amazed. it's like, wow, there's a whole world out there that i didn't know. >> what she couldn't have known

then, that those donations would grow to more than $600,000. but even more has been this teachable moment. karen klein is now joining us for an exclusive interview along with her daughter. what a ride this has been, an intense period over the last 24 hours, a few days, actually, for you. we just checked and it's now up to $644,999 donated in support of you after all that's happened. what's your reaction. >> i keep thinking, what have i done, you know. i don't almost feel like i deserve it, because i just -- what i am glad about is the fact that it has come out and everyone knows what goes on. not all the time, not all the kids. but it does happen. i've gotten so many notes from

people who have been bullied, who have been very hurt, you know. my heart goes out to these people. i would like to take every one of them and tell them how sorry i am. >> how long did it go on for you? how long of a period? >> well, never that bad. i mean, there would be occasionally -- kids are only on the bus for like 15 minutes tops. and sometimes they would be preoccupied with their phones. and then all of a sudden they turned to me, and it was only just a little while ago. >> we know you have since we last talked to you here on "today," you've received written apologies from two of the boys and from one of the mothers and an in person apology from one of the boy's fathers rainfall

right. >> do you accept these apologies or do you want more? >> i would like to eventually ask them why they did it. >> you want an explanation. >> an apology and an explanation. >> michelle, when you saw this video, what was the worst moment for you? >> i actually did not watch the whole video. when the boy touched her ear, that was -- as soon as he touched her, it was just over. i had to turn it off. i can't believe somebody would do that to my mother. >> so what do you want besides having them explain why this happened? what do you want that would maybe protect other people, that would stop this kind of behavior that you say has caused other people to talk about their own bullies.

what do you want done? >> i want kids to stop bullying. maybe they can start up a new class in school to teach these kids not to do stuff like that. like i say, they are not all bad kids. i thought maybe i would go back, because they aren't all bad. i enjoy my job. >> you're thinking when school starts again in the fall, you would go back to becoming a school bus monitor. >> maybe. >> let's talk about this huge amount of money. by the way, the window for donating has not closed yet. people can still donate. what will you do with that money? >> are you serious? what would anybody do with that money. i'd like to invest. donate. >> charity. >> take care of my kids, my daughter and other daughter.

new car. they need, they need, they need. it never ends. >> i think the man in toronto who started this fund-raiser. >> max. >> you know his name. you've not met him. >> we talked to him this morning on the radio. >> what did you tell him? >> we got to say hi to him. mom said thank you. we were only on for maybe three, four minutes. yeah, but we've been talking to him, though. >> isn't he coming wednesday? >> yes. >> he's coming to rochester wednesday. >> so you're going to meet him in person and thank him in person. >> yeah. >> isn't it nice? >> i talked to him on the phone yesterday i think it was. nice people, what they have done. i don't know how they go about this. i hope they are making some money for doing it. >> i'm sure they are at least getting a feeling of having done something good for someone who

endured something so terrible. karen klein, thank you so much for being here this morning. also, michelle, thank you for being here. good luck to you. good to see how you're doing as the years go by. coming up next, talking about edgy, raw, many said he's one of the funniest comedians around right after this.

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now where were we? uh, ok, this one's good for two. score! [ male announcer ] share what you love with who you love. kellogg's frosted flakes. they're gr-r-eat! [ female announcer ] kellogg's, from great starts come great things. now to a comedian, a look behind the scenes, who is getting rave reviews for his cutting edge work. he just made time magazine's list of the most 100 influential people. our correspondent sat down with him at the comedy cellar in new york to find out why. good morning. >> good morning, willie. other than you, he's the funniest, the best, brilliant. but along with the accolades and success. he also attracts a lot of controversy. he wouldn't have it any other way.

>> totally unredeeming and horrible. it feels good. >> reporter: outrageous, brilliant, radical. meet the man being called the best cometian alive. >> everything amazing right now and nobody is happy. >> 44-year-old louis ck after 25 years in the trenches doing standup, writing and acting is trying to enjoy that rare moment in show business being at the top. critics rave about his unorthodox sitcom "louis" and his standup. yes, "time" magazine just anointed him to the top 100 list. >> why are you laughing? >> it's weird to me. all this stuff is weird. i shouldn't be in that malsewn, you know. >> if growing up, if someone said to you, you're going to be one of the top most influential people in the world, you would have said. >> you're wrong and they are still wrong.

>> it's classic louis c.k. known for his self-deprecating sense of humor. >> the meal is not over when i'm full. the meal is over when i hate myself. >> his unique take on race. >> i'm white. thank god for that. that is a huge leg up. >> to the perils of parenting. >> fifty books about clifford, the big red-dog and they all tell the exact same story, look how big this dog is. >> all of which has made him a comedian's comedian. but if you still haven't heard of him, it's maybe because of this. >> [ bleep ] [ bleep ] [ bleep ]. >> louis c.k. likes to push the envelope. you have all this success but you're not a household name yet? >> i shouldn't be a household name. i'm a filthy comedian. i deal with subjects not popular in every household.

a household name is like ketchup. everybody wants ketchup. ketchup doesn't hurt anybody. >> you are so brilliant and so clever. >> thank you. >> so as a mother i say to you, why do you go for the cheap joke? why do you have to do the filthy stuff? >> first of all, anybody who thinks those are easy laughs, go ahead and try. they are not easy. there's no such thing as a cheap laugh. they all cost something. it costs me a lot being dirty. i don't know. i do have some ambivalence about it. i've had fantasies of doing a special that's pure clean. it would be fun to do that someday. >> that said, don't hold your breath. louis seems to revel in controversy, including a firestorm he started after tweeting about a certain vice presidential candidate back in 2010. >> i'll say two words, sarah palin. >> well, it has caused me some problems that i wrote about her.

but i also -- why not, man? what is she? she's just a person. i don't think she's some sacred person. to me i was writing poems. it was like poetry to me. i enjoyed writing them. >> would you do it again? >> would i do it again? yeah, i think so. it still makes me laugh the stuff i wrote when i think about it. i thought it was well written. >> that's the excuse, if it's clever and the timing is good. >> the value. >> the value, the challenge. he writes, directs and stars in his critically acclaimed sitcom "louie." cover your eyes. cinematic and poignant one moment. perhaps his extraordinary ability to write new material. you do something most comedians think is crazy.

every year you throw away the material. you do all of these brilliant jokes and then, boom, it's over. >> yeah. >> are you out of your mind? >> yeah, it's terrifying. i sputter through ten minutes of jokes that have no form and i have no confidence. i'm sweating and people are looking at me. so that makes me almost want to throw up. and it makes me feel like a newborn person, but that's a great feeling. >> so how are you feeling about yourself right now? >> not so great. >> i'm so sorry. >> that's okay. >> inappropriate but so smart and funny. the third season of his show premiers this week on fx. as if life isn't good enough, woody allen just asked him to be in his next movie. on behalf of mothers everywhere, my challenge he do one clean

year stance. louis, if you're out there watching, i know you can do it. willie. >> good luck with that. you have to like a man who is bothered about being >> this is wbal tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. it is a 20 6:00 a.m. let's get a final check on the traffic. what is happening at the key bridge? >> all lanes closed in the outer loop of the key bridge because of an accident. a big problem for motorists in both directions because they're having to regrouped traffic. -- reroute traffic. that is causing delays, as you might imagine. in colombia at tarmac road and rte. back road we have an accident. up to the key bridge ramallah

outer loop lanes closed. -- up to the key bridge, all of the outer loop lanes closed. do not take a northbound 895 because that is where the construction is. this is what it looks like as folks tried to avoid the key bridge. take 95 as the alternate up toward fort mchenry. that is the latest. >> so far, pretty quiet weather- wise. that will change in the next couple of hours. rain is approaching. there is a front dropping out pennsylvania. the heaviest stuff is north and east in new jersey. you can see some of it drifting down out of pennsylvania right now appeared -- right now. the-you're 85 today.

-- the high near 85 today. over the next couple of days, highs in the low 80's and lows in the low 50's. >> we will have another update at 8:56 a.m.

w8 30 now monday morning. you are looking at the cast of the amazing flick "spider-man." you're going to catch up with them in a few moments. a lot of love in this room. coming up -- >> we're talking about pat tillman, jenna bush hager has

been talking to the widow of pat tillman, the one time nfl star killed in afghanistan. this morning she's opening about a letter he left behind and how that letter helped her move on with her life. >> then the olympic summer games now just 32 days away. keeping track. your favorite swimmers, michael phelps and others have dreams of gold again. the u.s. olympic swimming trials today. plus the controversial new article that claims women can't be home for her kids and have a high-powered career. "the atlantic" magazine. >> a little controversial. a little less controversy, how to throw a terrific fourth of july picnic that will truly set off culinary fireworks for your guests. >> all right. now, let us say hello to the aforementioned cast of the highly anticipated film, "the amazing spider-man." we have amongst them andrew garfield, emma stone, denis

leary as well as director mark webb and the producer. i can see this going on. so much love about this movie, amazing franchise. talk about the pressures you felt pulling the movie together. who wants to take that question. >> i think matt. >> it's a good job to have. the pressure is people love this character. you feel an obligation to make a great movie. in my job, this is how you do it. with great power comes great responsibility. >> you stole that line. you stole that line. >> is it true you actually saved a picture of you as spider-man

when you were 3 years old. >> i would never be that m manipulativ manipulative, my father would. he knows i was a cute 3-year-old. who can say no to a cute 3-year-old in a spider-man outfit. they were manipulated. >> slip on the costume, a big deal. >> it's a huge deal, especially for a huge fan. i was a huge fan since i was three. it was more comfortable at three. it wasn't spandex, less attractive but more comfortable to me as a human being. >> you wear it well. if it's consolation. >> thank you. >> emma, you say it's about the relationship in the film. your character falls in love with peter parker, not spider-man. >> i thought that was a cool element. it's a very different experience we've seen in the past, in the

comic books it was exciting to dive into that. >> you're the chief police, chief of police of new york city. what's it like slipping on the uniform and kind of being the top guy. >> it was great. a big shotgun, it was fantastic, wear a s.w.a.t. vest. i got to do a lot of cool stuff. >> you played gwen's father. >> i'm emma stone's fictional dad. >> by the way, a very embarrassing moment in this film we're not going to give away now that happens inside the house when you want to speak to her and she doesn't want to speak to you. we're going to let that reveal itself in the movie. i want to talk to you really quickly. you are such -- every single movie you've done has been so spectacular. you wanted to take this role, you play a scientist, an evil

guy, in a way so believable. how tough was it to do with lizard skins around you. >> hard to show feelings as a nine foot lizard. but the journey there was important, people kind of feel for this guy because he is in a sense kind of a surrogate father to peter. they are both affected by the same science. one becomes a spider everyone fancies. the other becomes a lizard who no one does. >> we've run out of time. very quickly, we have to say hello quickly to the director. are you ready for this? opening weekend coming up? are you ready for the adulation. >> a great ride with these people. i have no reason to fear. it's been great. there's an enthusiasm around the world. >> this movie is going to rock their socks off. i'm telling you. >> we have a proclamation from the office of the mayor of the city of new york. basically this is michael r. bloomberg, mayor of city of new york recognition of this important event opening of this

film do declare june 25th to july 2nd, 2012, declare it new york city spider-man week. i'll hand it to the chief of police. >> not just a day, an entire week. >> my only question is why didn't we get a month? >> don't get greedy. >> hitting theaters july 3rd. more on the interview in a few moments but >> good morning. we will see some scattered showers and thunderstorms. not everybody will see the rain.

and that's your latest weather. >> al, thank you so much. coming up, everybody in the pool, a preview of the olympic trials for the u.s. swim team. first this is "today" on nbc. 0

this morning on today's olympic start u.s. swim trials begin today in omaha nebraska. all big names of the sport will be there. each with the same goal, to win a coveted spot on the 2012 u.s. olympic team. it's a dream that often begins inside childhood. >> my neighborhood personally has a great summer club swim

team and it was so much fun. that's how i got started swimming. since i was five. >> every american who will swim in london needs first to qualify this week in omaha. >> you have to get first or second, then you get to go to london. >> even michael phelps, whose first olympics was a dozen years ago. >> somebody said when i was younger i was kind of like the energizer bunny. they wound me up and i went. >> for some of the pressure is intense. >> the olympic trials, it's really exciting. it's almost more stressful than the olympics. >> for others, it's just another swim meet. >> i never get nervous for a race. the last time i've been nervous was when i was like nine years old. >> almost 2,000 athletes will be there vying for about 50 spots on the u.s. olympic swim team. >> it doesn't matter how fast you swim the rest of the three years in between the olympics, you can win multiple world

championships, gold medals, it all comes down to one swim meet. >> a three-time olympic medalist and nbc sports analyst. he's cog covering those trials in omaha. good morning. >> good morning, willie. >> 2008 beijing in swimming, usa takes 31 medals, 12 of them gold. how do you top that in london? >> it's going to be very tough to do that but you've got real horses here, michael phelps, ryan lochte, like they said, between the three of them they could swim 20, 25 events. that's a lot of swimming for those three swimmers. >> michael phelps you mentioned his name, entering seven events, three relays, a total of ten. could he have a big are haul in 2010 than in 2008. >> i don't think so.

normally you overenter for events you qualify for at the trials. he'll cut that down just like ryan will. he is swimming 400 im today in an event he said he would never swim again. that is an event he could add to his haul. he could potentially swim another event. >> he has a big rival with him. ryan lochte has beaten michael phelps. how does that rivalry play out in the pool. >> ryan has been the best swimmer on the planet in the last three years and i think he's really hungry. but now he's the hunted. before he was the hunter. there was a lot more pressure on him today than it has been the last three years. he really wanted to become the best swimmer in the world and now he is but he has michael phelps ahead of him. michael is all about the olympic games. everything in between is just preseason for him. now it's the big-time. >> on the women's side, natalie has a chance to become the most

decorated female american swimmer of all time. how does london look for her? >> it's unbelievable how much she's flying under the radar. i admire her skills. 11 medals over two olympic games. she has a chance to add to that as well. a lot of competition, backstroke 2004, 2008. her best event is loaded here in the united states. it may be tough to make the team. >> he haven't mentioned 17-year-old missy franklin, a name everybody is talking about. rowdy gaines, thank you so much. you can watch olympic trials at 8:00, 7:00 central tonight. also additional coverage on nbc sports network. up next, andrew garfield, the new amazing spider-man. first "today" on nbc. .

when you last saw andrew garfield he was playing one of the founders of facebook in the movie the social network. now andrew put on spandex and stepped into the starring role of the highly anticipated film, "the amazing spider-man." >> now. >> i can't. >> put it on, the vest. it will make you strong. come on, you're doing great, buddy, doing great. >> andrew garfield, good morning. what's with that face? >> you know when you hear your voice played back on a message and you cringe. imagine -- you can feel the same way, watch an interview back and go oh, my god, that's my face,

that's my voice, 3d. i just watched that clip. >> all the time. okay. let's not talk about that. let's talk about why you picked this role. you really wanted it. we make earlier must have of the fact you kind of lobbied for this role. you say when you were younger spider-man spelled hope for you. hope for what? >> well, i think he's an example and symbol of protection and remembering all of us as human beings are the same. we need someone to look out for us. a symbol of a hero in each and every one of us. the person that wants to protect the underdog and wants to, you know, fight for justice, the human choice to fight for justice. it's just a beautiful symbol. >> and against bullies as we saw peter parker had to deal with. did you have to deal with

bullying. >> between six and 12 i saw bullies and witnessed it. it's also a very, very huge kind of worldwide issue that young people have to deal with. it's wonderful having a teenage example of a hero. spider-man, a kid like i was, all these guys are, these gorgeous people out there. so i think he means so much to so many because of that. he's a symbol of doing the right thing and protecting each other and living in a community as opposed to individuals. >> absolutely right. you know, andrew garfield, i hope you're ready but your life is about to change. you were spectacular in this movie. thank you so much, "the amazing spider-man" hits theaters on july 3rd. we're back in just a moment. this is "today" on nbc. "t

it was one of the most shocking moments of the war in afghanistan, the 2004 death of pat tillman who gave up a lucrative pro football career to fight for his country. even more stunning, his death was caused by friendly fire. now his widow marie has written a memoir about their long love story. "today" contributing correspondent jenna bush hager recently sat down with her. good morning. >> good morning, willie. shortly after his death, his widow found a message he left

her called just in case. it's a message that's carried her through the last eight years. >> i always knew that our life would be a little bit of an adventure. >> reporter: these are the images of pat tillman we're most familiar with, the charismatic football star, the patriotic army ranger, the fallen war hero. >> pat tillman, who gave up a multi-million dollar contract in professional football has been killed. >> reporter: the brave soldier whose death was at the center of a congressional investigation. >> corporal tillman probably died as a result of friendly fire. >> reporter: but to marie tillman he was her high school sweetheart, best friend and beloved husband. >> you say he was the most imposing exterior macsking the most gentle soul. >> a lot of people remember him as a football player and soldier and tough guy, which he was. he also had an incredibly sweet and sensitive side. >> in her new memoir, "the

letter" this is the pat tillman marie would like you to know. >> he was the football player who would quote waldo. >> he was interested in everything and read a lot. >> a reader and marie would also find out a writer. pat left her what was called a just in case letter. she discovered it the day he was killed. >> through years i've asked a great deal of you. i have another favor to ask. i ask that you live. >> reporter: what do you think he meant by live. >> it's funny. that sort of like simple request i feel like has taken on such different meaning over the course of years. >> reporter: together since high school and through college, marie moved to arizona to be with pat when he signed for the cardinals. >> he loved to play football, but that type of career has an end to it. but i was certainly surprised when we left earlier than planned. >> reporter: their original plan had not included the events of

9/11. both pat and marie were deeply affected. one night in bed he turned to marie and revealed his thoughts. he wanted to quit his multi-million dollar football career and fight for his country. >> there was something in me that i knew that was the path he would take. when you know somebody like we knew each other, i understood why he felt compelled to join. >> why do you think he felt compelled? >> he was definitely one of those people who felt like, you know, if there's something you believe in or something you see is wrong in the world, that you should stand up and try and do something about it. >> shortly after their wedding in may 2002, pat and his brother kevin enlisted together as army rangers. from the beginning of basic training to his deployment in iraq in 2003 and afghanistan in 2004, marie said pat struggled with the decision he had made. >> i think saying you don't know completely what you're getting

into, and the world changed a lot from the time he signed up until the time, you know, he was killed. >> reporter: marie was at work when she learned pat had been killed. he had been in afghanistan for less than three weeks. there was a very public memorial. a time which marie felt her privacy was disregarded. >> there was a part of me that was sort of resentful of this -- what i felt was sort of caricature of who he was that was created. >> then the discovery of the actual events of pat's death. he had been killed by friendly fire a month after pat died, you found out the circumstances around his death were different than what you actually heard. >> to hear the way i thought he had been killed was totally different from the way he had actually been killed really sort of set me back and made me question everything, you know, even question if he was actually gone. >> reporter: a department of

defense inspector general report ultimately found, although there were critical errors by the military in its reporting of pat's death, there was no deliberate cover-up. you were part of a story where they used words like cover-up, deceit. how do you reconcile that today? >> you know, i think that for me, in order to move forward, i realized i had a choice. i could, you know, remain angry and full of hate and sort of bitter, or i could find a way to put all of those things in a place that i could deal with them and move forward in a positive way. >> and move forward she had. >> hey, it's marie. how are you doing? >> today marie now runs the pat tillman foundation which provides educational scholarships for veterans and their spouses. last year marie got remarried to joe. they had their first child just this past january and they are

happily building their life together in chicago along with joe's three boys from a previous marriage. >> ironically it was pat's letter that helped you learn that you could love again. >> yeah. i mean, he was -- i don't know if he knew what he was doing when he left that letter, but it was really a gift for me to know that it was okay. it was okay for me to move forward and to live >> this is wbal tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. it 8:56 a.m. the pentagon has consent -- has confirmed the maryland marine was killed in combat in afghanistan over the weekend. 21-year-old eugene mills was in the helmand province.

he was the fifth soldier killed this year. his father said h our cloud is not soft and fluffy. our cloud is made of bedrock. concrete. and steel. our cloud is the smartest brains combating the latest security threats. it spans oceans, stretches continents. and is scalable as far as the mind can see. our cloud is the cloud other clouds look up to. welcome to the uppernet.

>> it will be a warm and humid day today with a few showers and thunderstorms. high temperatures will climb into the mid 80's. lows in the