i'm matt lauer. >> and i'm meredith vieira. i was watching "letterman" last night -- >> were you really? >> yeah, i was, because i had heard about this. so i'm watching the taping that had been done earlier. and at first, it's obvious the audience thinks it's a joke. >> right. >> doesn't make sense, but then there's no punch line. you realize it's very serious stuff. >> letterman stopped his usual "top ten list" and then told his audience he wanted to tell them a little story and he went on to describe the blackmail attempt in detail. he then confessed he had sex with women on his staff. this morning an employee for the cbs program "48 hours" is under arrest in connection with this case. we're going to have much more on this bizarre story coming up in just a couple of minutes. >>> and also ahead, this is it, the day that we will learn if chicago will be awarded the olympic summer games seven years from now. the competition could come down to two votes, but will it be chicago? will it be rio de janeiro, madrid or maybe tokyo? we

. >> and i'm matt lauer. this morning, rescue crews are working feverishly in both indonesia and the samoan islands. they're searching for survivors of two powerful earthquakes, and of course, that tsunami in the south pacific. we'll get the latest on both disasters in just a couple of minutes. >>> also ahead, the vocal and heated debate over roman polanski's arrest 32 years after he pled guilty to having sex with a 13-year-old girl. some want the infamous director immediately released, but there are others who say that polanski is getting exactly what he deserves. >>> also, we've got a story we think a lot of people are going to be talking about after they see it. a mother's controversial decision to give back the adopted baby boy she raised for 18 months. she says she and the boy were not bonding. >> now, if you're a parent, you may be horrified at first, but when you hear the rest of the story, you might change your mind. we're going to talk to that mother in an interview this morning and we'll give you a

the "today" show's matt lauer was left wonderingive we had missed something. >> i guess if people were expecting some major plume visible to the human eye, we're not seeing it. >> reporter: a group of school kids woke up before 5:00 a.m. for the big event. lewis wasn't alone, no one saw the plume of dust, rock and ice depicted in the nasa animation. but that doesn't mean there wasn't one. nasa insists it was a great success. >> i think the science colleagues, the exploration colleagues around the world are dazzled. >> reporter: dazzled because nasa has photos of the explosion. >> we need to go back and look at the data and see what it says. exploration has surprises in it. >> reporter: this mission is all about ice and water, finding it could prove crucial for a future moon base and provide new answers about the solar system. >> it just reminds us about how important it is to explore, to explore the unknown. >> reporter: back in boulder, 9-year-old lewis had a hard time staying away, but insisted it was still worth it. the view was spectacular. tom costello, nbc news, washington. >>> c

out on the plaza, i'm matt lauer along with al roker and amy roba robach. amy's here because natalie is on assignment in copenhagen. and coming up in this half hour, more on this international custody story we've been talking about. an american father has ended up in a japanese jail all because he went to japan to get his children back from his ex-wife who took them there. well, now he's speaking out from prison. his current wife will join us to fill us in on this story in just a second. >> and then more on that david letterman show shocker. i mean, a cbs producer was arrested yesterday for allegedly trying to blackmail the "late show" host, causing letterman to admit on his program last night to having sex with female staffers. it is a bizarre story and we are going to have all of the details coming up. >>> also a little bit later on, we're going to be talking about safety and your kids. we're going to have some very important information for parents about dangerous products that have been recalled, which you may not even know about, from dvd players to ba

don't understand what you are or how you work. [ laughter ] but i know that brian williams and matt lauerm to be in a better mood when you're doing well. [ laughter ] so, thank you." "thank you, tom delay, for appearing on 'dancing with the stars' this week. [ laughter ] i enjoyed watching you rump shake in sansabelt slacks and matching wal-mart helper vest. [ laughter ] it's about time that three-pack-a-day old lady blackjack dealer from reno look came back and you're just the man to do it." [ laughter and applause ] "thank you, guy on the street, who let one go while listening to his ipod. [ laughter ] just because you can't hear it, it doesn't mean it didn't happen. it happened." [ cheers and applause ] ♪ "thank you 'the wizard of oz' for being digitally remastered and rereleased in theaters. you're definitely a lot different now. [ laughter ] for instance, watching in high-def, you can pick up a lot of the things that you never noticed as a kid, like how the scarecrow, the tin man and the cowardly lion were all incredibly gay." [ laughter ] "thank you, at&t, for finally allowing me to

i'm matt lauer along with al roker and amy robach, who's in while natalie's on assignment in copenhagen. nice to have youp here. >> thank you very much. >> yeah, you're bundled up? >> it's little chilly. i have gloves on this morning. >> that's unusual for you. >>> coming up in this half hour, we're going to have more on the tragic story of jasycee dugard, the young lady that was kidnapped and impregnated, allegedly by that man right there. now he is in jail and he has sent somewhat of a rambling letter to one of the nbc stations, basically expressing his concern for jaycee dugard and wondering whether her civil rights are being now violated. we're going to talk more about that story coming up in just a second. >> all righty. >>> then take a look at this. we all know 911 operators are really trained to be calm under pressure. well, when somebody called in a fire to a massachusetts 911 dispatcher, the call got very personal when he recognized the address. it was his house. we're going to be talking with mike bose a little bit later. just an amazing, harrowing story. >> wow. >>> and on a

. >>> i'm meredith vieira, alongside ann curry who's in for matt lauer this morning. >>> just ahead, kate gosselin speaks out with the suspension of the flimting on her reality show and her ex-husband jon's recent actions, including a new claim he's now emptied their joint bank account. our exclusive live interviews in just a moment. >>> also this morning, we'll be talking about the first wave of swine flu vaccinations which have now arrived but the vaccine is only tested for less than two months. it has some people who were told they have to get it leery. dr. nancy snyderman addresses those concerns. >>> plus, david letterman's staff heads back to work for the first time since the comedian revealed having sex with his female co-workers. we'll talk about sex in the work place and when it is okay to have an office romance and when you are headed into dangerous territory. >>> but we'll begin with kate gosselin, here with us exclusively to talk about her divorce bat. >> caller: jon and the future of her family's reality show. we'll talk with her in a moment. but first "today" national c

. >> because she is on the "today" show more than matt lauer. wants publicity as much as she can. she is poor right now and has no money. it's interesting that she is putting herself out there and i have to ask, who is taking care of the children and what about the children? nobody seems to care about the children. it's all about them and him and her. i have to tell you, if i was child service, i would be investigating. >> how long before that's going to happen? we have shown you jon and kate caught on tape. here's what we are asking in the question of the day. the messy divorce, is jon more to blame for their drama? i am starting to feel that way. what is your take? >> i'm with you. the tide is turning. the more i see what jon is doing and how he is acting and how childish he is being, it might be more of his fault. when it comes to a couple, you decide to bring children into the world, a bunch of children, you have to put the stuff aside and focus on what's in the best interest of the kids. it's obvious to you and obvious to me and obvious to

>> it's relevant because he's on the "today" show more than matt lauer is.who want publicity as much as she possibly can, you know, she's very poor right now welco, a.j. has no money. >> that's right. >> and it's interesting how she's putting herself out there. and i have to ask, who's taking care of the children and what about the children and nobody seems to care about the children. it's all about them, it's all about him, it's all about her. and i got to tell you, if i was child services, i would be in there investigating this whole thing. >> you have to wonder, how long before that's going to happen? >> we've shone you both jon and kate. is jon more to blame for their drama? i'm actually starting to feel that way. vinnie, what is your take on that? >> i think i'm with you. the tide is starting to turn. the more i see what jon is doing and how he's acting and how childish he's being, i'm kind of -- you know, it might be more of his fault. but the bottom line, when it comes to a couple, you decide to bring children into the world, and a whole bunch of chil

matt lauer has another run in with a deer and it happens in the middle of the jay leno show. you remember when he had his deer accident? >> the deer jumped out in front of them and instead of flying off the bike -- >> he separated his shoulder and matt did pull through that and he seems to keep bumping into bambi. you have to see what happened when he stopped by the jay leno show for the green card challenge. >> he can make up the time. going through the stream. watch out for the deer! oh! >> jay penalized matt, but matt tried to butter him up. >> i'm sorry. you are not good with animals. >> i would have taken that second off. you know, i stopped. i'm sorry. skim latte? >> here's the joke. you know what kind of coffee deer like to drink? deer caffe. >> facebook is not downing decaf. they are riled up about the jessica simpson weight debate and the fox cartoon making fun of her weight. misty is disgusted. what is wrong with society. she is one of the healthiest women in hollywood and she is normal. people need to leave her alone. she doesn't even come close to being fat. monic