>> absolutely, meredith.rful, loving, caring mother, friend, sister, sister-in-law, daughter. she -- i can't even explain to you, if we had a family barbecue, we would make one blender of pina coladas. this is not diane. absolutely, 100% not. even her brother, her sister-in-law, everyone knows these things about her. that's why we're all devastated over the results of the toxicology. we just can't explain. >> what happened. let me ask mr. barber about that. because according to the toxicology report, diane was intoxicated and high at the time of the accident. so are you disputing, then, the results of that report? >> i think, meredith, what really is the issue is first of all, we all have to accept certain facts. number one, when she left the camp ground she was absolutely sober. when she went to mcdonald's, she was sober. and what should have taken one hour and 15 minutes took 4 1/2 hours, she was totally lost. we know that something happened to her. not alcohol or pot. if that occurred at all. this woman ha

meredith? >> and despite that, chuck, i think a lot of people are wondering why the president's town hall meeting was so polite compared to the contentious ones elsewhere. and has people wondering, did the administration stack the deck with supporters in new hampshire? >> no. i got two words for you, the secret service. and here's what i mean by that. in order to get in, to get a techate for the president's town hall, you had to logon last week, you had to get and hope you got picked randomly. and i talked to plenty of people there. they seemed to participate in the process. there were detractors in the audience. but then you also have to remember, you have to submit your date of birth, your social security number, in order to be that close to the president. it's not like a member of congress where any tom, dick or harry can just walk in at the end of the day, kind of like a city council meeting. that isn't the way you do it at a presidential town hall. the combination of all of that. plus reme

meredith? >> chris jansing, thank you very much. >>> and just ahead we're going to take a look at the other reunion that took place on wednesday between bill clinton and al gore. it was like a flashback. >> yeah. the two of them together in a long time. >> smiling. it was good. >> first let's get a check of the rest of the top stories. we'll say hello to ann curry at the news desk. >> good morning to you both meredith and lester. good morning, everybody. in the news also this morning, today the popular cash for clunkers program is expected to get the money it needs to keep running. democrats and republicans reached agreement last night to pump $2 billion more into the program. that sends the measure to a vote in the full senate today. it already has been approved by the house and the president. the program ran through a billion dollars in its first four days, and will be broke by tomorrow if not extended. >>> also today, later today, the senate is expected to approve sonia sotomayor as the firs

meredith? >> some good news. chris jansing, thank you very much. nbc's chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell is traveling with secretary of state hillary clinton. she is in nairobi, kenya, this morning, where she sat down with secretary clinton just a few moments ago. andrea, good morning to you. >> good morning, meredith. it is a very happy turnout for hillary clinton. clintons, secretary clinton, and her staff, were deeply involved in the negotiations. negotiations that ended with north korea saying that they would turn the women over to president clinton. and once there were assurances that the women would be turned over, they decided to go ahead. but you could imagine her excitement today, as i talked about -- talked with her about her husband's very dramatic role. >> he was so relieved, and so happy to be bringing these young women home. i think it, in a way, is even more personal since we have a daughter approximately the same age, and he told me it was, you know, very movin

meredith? >> all right, andrea mitchell, thank you very much. >> maria has been a longtime colleague and a longtime friend of ours here. so maria, our sympathies with you and your family. brady lowe, the current president of the special olympics, said their founder's death is an enormous loss. here is more on her life and legacy. the fifth of joseph and rose kennedy's nine children, she was known as her brother jfk's favorite, because she was the one who could always speak to him bluntly and make him laugh. a champion of the disabled, she was the first to reveal the kennedy family secret, that her older sister rosemary was mentally disabled. later she helped create the special olympics. >> let me win, but if i cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt. >> reporter: what began in 1962 as a camp for mentally disabled athletes in her backyard she involved into the world's largest sports program, reaching over 2 million people in over 150 countries. her husband, sargent shriver, now suffering from

here's meredith. >> matt, thank you. and now to the latest on that emergency landing of a continental airlines flight after at least 26 passengers were injured when the plane encountered severe turbulence. nbc's kerry sanders is at miami international airport with details. kerry, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, meredith. it was about this time on monday we were getting details about the plane that was forced to make the emergency landing here in miami. the continental flight left rio de janeiro in brazil en route to houston when it hit what is believed to be is clear air turbulence. and for the passengers on board, it became a white knuckle nightmare. continental flight 128 with more than six hours into his flight from rio de janeiro at 36,000 feat and climbing when passengers say without warning the plane violently jolted up and then dropped and then another violent jolt and another drop. >> we thought we weren't going to make it. >> reporter: at least 14 travelers were thrown so forcefully they had to b

meredith and a friend wrapped in a blanket. this is not meredith.e original woodstock album cover. so where is that couple now? here's nbc's brian williams. >> liftoff. >> reporter: there was a lot going on in the summer of '69, and so three days in the country in upstate new york seemed like a good idea to a lot of people. ♪ somewhere in the crowd was photographer burke, and early that sunday morning, as jefferson airplane took the stage. >> good morning to you all. >> reporter: he took a picture. >> it was a very gentle thing. you could see people still asleep, and people just beginning to come to. and they just stood up and gave each other a big hug, and sort of, you know, held onto each other for a little bit. and then it was over. >> reporter: it wasn't over. the photo made the cover of the hugely popular woodstock soundtrack album, and became an instant icon. but who were those two people? well, she was 20-year-old bobbie kelly who worked at a local bank. he was nick eurkeline, also 20, a college kid with two jobs. both were from upstate new y

meredith worked an inning and a third. 4 earned on the 11 hit, 3 walks and a season high 7 strikeouts. >> jim: how about figgins on base 4 times tonight. what a best. that's his job and he does it well. >> jim: does he ever. i said to him, talked about his contract. he said no. never brought it up. my agent let it play out. not that i want to go anywhere. 30 years old. >> gary: he's playing the way he is only going to go up, right. 1-2. anderson's delivery. >> jim: didn't want distraction. this is a team that won a hundred game last year. with the tragic death of nick adenhart it took a long time to recover from that. a young pitcher with promised life ahead of him. killed in an automobile accident. there's been a lot of stuff. he wants to play it out. >> gary: 1-2 delivery. hendrickson, inside, outside and aybar getting enough to keep the at bat alive. >> jim: that's why he's a tough out. hitting almost the same, over .300 righty and lefty. that's how you maximize the bat. cut your swing down. hope the single in to right.

meredith? >> al, thank you. members of the kennedy family and a host of dignitaries are on cape cod this morning for a private service honoring eunice kennedy shriver. the 88-year-old founder of the special olympics died on tuesday. nbc's andrea mitchell is in hyannis this morning. andrea, good morning to you. >> good morning, meredith. the kennedy clan, minus the ailing senator ted kennedy, will bid a final farewell to eunice kennedy shriver here today, marching behind the casket through the streets of hyannis to this church for a funeral mass. and a special olympian light the torch honoring the woman who forever changed the lives of the physically and mentally challenged. a gathering of a clan in hyannis. >> my mother was absolutely 100% my best friend. >> reporter: family and friends, famous, and not. ♪ at the wake, everyone but brother ted, battling brain cancer. >> ted, he's having his own struggles right now. but he's -- he's doing well. i saw him on the boat yesterday. he's going sailing every day. he's k

meredith? >> absolutely. and you know, we've got new mexico governor bill richardson, a former united nations ambassador, has negotiated prisoner releases from north korea and he joins us now by phone. governor richardson, good morning to you, sir. you know, this is such an emotional moment. and you feel like things have gone so smoothly. that there was a lot of negotiating behind the scenes for months. your thoughts? >> -- several envoys were prepared. the north koreans wouldn't talk to us. finally a breakthrough with president clinton being the clincher. but this is a very emotional moment. i've brought hostages back and when they're on the airplane heading back home after being in a very isolated situation, the way the two women journalists we were, there's intense emotional changes because when you're in north korea, you're in another time zone. a warped seem zone. you're in like the 1950s with intensive, intensive regularity for everything you do. so the good news is, the best news is the pictures that w

meredith? >> ted kennedy was laid to rest at arlington national cemetery over the weekend following an emotional tribute in boston. chuck todd is in washington. good morning to you. >> it was an emotional weekend both in boston and washington as they paid final respects to a legend and icon, ted kennedy. on the hillside in arlington cemetery where he was laid to rest next to his brothers, long lines of people waited to pay respects to 10 kennedy. >> he allowed me a difference. that's what counts. >> the life of making a difference when he asked pope benedict to pray for him and the letter was delivered by president obama when he met the pope at the vatican in july and it was read at arlington saturday night. >> i know i have been an imperfect human being, but with the help of my faith i tried to right my path. i worked to welcome the immigrants, to fight discrimination, and expand access to health care and education. i have opposed the death penalty and fought to end war. >> the pope responded

he married meredith vieira and they have 3 children.d the story of his battle with ms and later colon cancer in his tough-minded memoir, "blindsided." he is now at work on a new book, "strong at the broken places." richard cohen, it's good to see you again. you know, i was terribly moved and inspired by "blindsided." what parallels do you draw between the struggles that you had dealing with ms and the struggles that older people go through? well, there's one very important parallel that i think is relevant to everything that we're doing on this program, which is that 90 million americans suffer from chronic illnesses, but chronic illnesses are tied to aging. seventy percent of people who are over 65 suffer from at least one chronic illness, as many as 50% have 2 chronic illnesses, so there's a real welcome to your future quality to this issue. you know, we live in a culture that doesn't want to see illness. we celebrate beauty. popular culture is all about physical perfection. that's not our future, and i think that we have got to come

cla meredith will come in. the a's coming in earlier in the week. winning 2 out of throw gave up a bunch of runs. he's a sinker baller. sinker-slider guy. 5 earned runs in the 3 inning pitched. >> gary: he's been a workhorse. this is his 11th appearance for the orioles and his 36th appearance over all. and he faced guererro, runners at second and third. this is a big at bat. guererro singled, lined out and walked. mathis a runner at third and figgins at second. and if guererro can get one or both of them in it changes the ball game. >> jim: this is what relief pitching is about. do have an open base. it's about inherited runners you can keep them from scoring. there is 2 outs. bad thing is guererro is at the plate. >> gary: nice pitch. bore in to hands on that one. >> jim: and then, he has that sinker that will dive down and in to the righties and the breaking ball that if he locateds it well can make you look silly sometimes. >> gary: guererro inside. the right handers hit .364 against cla with the orioles. left-handers .238. last outing was a toug

meredith? >> al, thank you. a public wake is being held on cape cod today for eunice kennedy shriver. the 88-year-old founder of special olympics and sister of john f. kennedy died on tuesday after suffering a series of strokes. nbc's andrea mitchell is at the church with more, including a look at the next generation of kennedies set to take over the family's legacy. andrea, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, meredith. in a family that has suffered more than its share of losses, jfk, bobby, jackie, and john jr., eunice kennedy shriver will be celebrated and mourned today for her extraordinary contributions outside the world of politics. in the small parish church where kennedys have long celebrated life's joy, like caroline kennedy's wedding, and its tragedies, like the 1998 funeral of bobby and ethel kennedy's son michael, after a skiing accident in colorado, the family and surrounding community will gather today to honor eunice kennedy shriver. it is a passage made all the more poignant by her young brot

. >> and i'm meredith vieira. matt, welcome back. >> good to be back. >> wish we had better news to report this morning. >> so many stories over the last several days just stop you in your tracks. this morning investigators are returning to the scene of the worst air disaster in new york city in about eight years. >> as hundreds of spectators watched in horror, nine people were killed on saturday when a single engine plane with three people on-board crashed into a helicopter carrying five italian tourists. the latest on the search and the investigation into just what happened to both of those aircraft. >>> also ahead, the latest on another tragic accident here in new york. that deadly wrong-way crash. eight people died when a 36-year-old mother, diane schuler, her minivan filled with children drove nearly two miles on a busy parkway before slamming into an suv. police say she was both drunk and high but her husband does not believe it. this morning family members of two of the victim inside the suv are speaking ou

it's like meredith, actually. so -- >> meredith is off vacation.hat's why it's safe to say that. >> you know how when you pass a mirror? >> yeah. >> when you pass a mirror, you have to look in it, check out your reflection. that's sort of where nora's head is at. she does it for hours. >> what is next for nora, betsy? >> well, she just finished a brand new book called "how to live the purfect life and make every day a catnip day," and we're looking for the right publisher for it, but it's all about her philosophy about why she's so happy and a talented cat and how you, too, can be happy and talented in your life. >> that's cool. >> she's very philosophical. >> bernal hasn't said anything. bernal, when is zz top getting back together? [ laughter ] >> you know, that really depends on how long the beard is. when it's about three jchz shorter, i'm willie nelson. >> i'm hoping it gets long enough to braid it. that's my plan. >> it's a good look. it's a good look. >> you know artists, we're like -- >> we got it. >> we're artists. our look is our thing. >

meredith?thank you. >>> now to henry louis gates jr., the harvard professor whose controversial arrest led to a firestorm. "today's" natalie morales is here with the latest. >> after a tumultuous couple of weeks, professor gates is speaking out about the good, the bad and the ugly moments since his controversial arrest and his plans for moving forward. speaking at the martha's vineyard book geft value on sunday, professor henry louis gates jr. joked about his infamous arrest and the subsequent racial firestorm that ensued. >> i just found the analysis yet that explains the riveting fascination with this event in our society. >> reporter: it was gates' first public appearance since thursday's so-called beer summit with president obama and sergeant james crowley. a meeting that gates now says gave him nightmares. >> the night before i went to the white house i dreamed i got arrested in the white house. but it was cool. i was okay. you know? >> reporter: despite gates' light-hearted tone towards h

meredith is taking some time off., sticky day like today that a lot of people wonder how winter athletes in the olympics ever managed to train. you recently found out. >> there is no time off. they are busy training right now, counting down to the olympics. i got a chance to train with some real dare devils, a group of men an women who hope to make the usa freestyle's ski team. we'll show you how they train and how i did -- >> was that you? >> not quite like that. that's amazing stuff. >> but still, how fun, jumping in the water. >> i bet you could break a leg or back doing that. >> i'm sure you can. >> that's your first. safely on the side of the pool. >> don't worry, i get in some action. >>> also coming up, we'll talk about real couples and how they avoid the marital potholes. the three major marital potholes. how to avoid them in your marriage. >>> a business note for you, tomorrow morning here on "today," an exclusive interview with richard hatch, the first winner of the survivor series. he got like $1 million, t

and then we have two new commissioners, both of whom are known to the industry, meredith atwell baker from her service as the administrator of ntia and minion clyburn who we know from her state regulatory positioning. so this is a very eminent fcc, i think, from their comments and their testimony in the case of minion and meredith, really very focused on moving the telecommunications industry forward and on, and on pursuing policies that are really, i think will be impactful and helpful to our companies. >> host: if i could segway to the hill, senator rockefeller and congressman waxman, how do you think they're going to get along with mr. genachowski as things go forward? senator rockefeller has on numerous occasions thought that the fcc needs overall reform although a couple days ago he said maybe that might not be necessary, but he's certainly laser focused on the fcc. >> guest: and i think not only senator rockefeller has been focused on that, but i think a lot of people have focused on that. and i think, you know, reform of the fcc can come in multiple ways. it can come from congr

. >> and i'm ann curry in for meredith this morning.od news, hurricane bill is likely to stay out to sea, that's what forecasters are predicting. bad news, there's dangerous conditions up and down the east coast. >> forecasters are warning beachgers from florida to new england watch out for waves up to 22 feet and also strong rip tides. the threat is more significant in bermuda where more storm watches and warnings are in effect. bill and hillary clinton are vacationing there. a live report from bermuda and al's track of the storm in a few minutes. >>> the murder of ans aspiring model. police in california are releasing chilling new information about how she died and have formally charged her ex-husband, a former star on a reality tv show with murder. with the latest on the international manhunt that's under way to track him down. >>> plus an exclusive interview with mark lester, one of michael jackson's best friends and the god father of the pop star's three children. he's come forward claiming that he could, he could be the biological

. >> i'm ann curry in for meredith. there is a statement released by the kennedy family overnight that says it all, "we've lost the irreplaceable center of our family." >> tet kenned kennedy was force take over the mantel of the kennedy legacy following the assassination of his older brothers president john f. president and senator robert kennedy. the death of his tragic brother joseph as well. became one of the most effective legislators of the past 50 years. >> senator kennedy died late tuesday night at his massachusetts home 15 months after being diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor with his wife and children by his side. president obama released a statement this morning after speaking with senator kennedy's wife and called senator kennedy the greatest u.s. senator of our time. he also says he is heart broken and also added for five decades, virtually every major piece of legislation, dealing with civil rights, health and economic well being of the american people bore senator kennedy's name and resulted from his e

meredith out, a run in an inning on one hit and one walk.n on. >> buck: mark hendrickson has been very effective working out of the bullpen. he had a big inning and minnesota on tuesday. he came in and worked the inning. he had a double play the first batter he faced, joe and then he got justin morneau and then he gave way to chris ray. that came in the tough loss on tuesday, the middle game of that three-game set. cleveland batting in the seventh inning. in the the f the order. the pitch will be taken for a strike. cabrera. double in the first and scored. single in the third and walked in the fifth inning. and a one ball, one strike count. they turn it around here against the left-hander, the switch hitter. battle .306 right-handed. and he'll take the pitch up high. the orioles trying to even up the first two gyms of this four- game set. the orioles have fallen two games under .500. the ball in center if he can get there. he's guilty it! hendrickson records the out. now in seven at-bats in the first two games of this series. he'll get the c

our guys, you know, meredith matched up and hendrix matched up. we played a good game. >>> well, tomorrow, the rubber game for both set of birds and bos stan's d -- boston's ortiz says he didn't know he took steroids. >> and i was a little bit careless. back in the days when i was buying supplements and vitamins over the counter, they were legal, over the counter. but i never buy steroids or used them. >> and finally, from raven's camp in westminster, life through the eyes of ma dares you web. he breaks up a flag for williams and then, a 180, he's beaten by harper, not bad coverage at -- at all. >> the transition is easy, but it's the point of understanding, what is it that they want from you. >> will dares you web. and down the stretch they come. >> what will be at 7-1 odds. he sticks his nose out there and wins the thing. what will be followed by enter stage left. that's sports and hall of fame inducting rod woodson tonight. >> his name is what would be. >> i thought you were teasing us. >> that's it going to be? >>> well, thank you so much. >>>

what was going through meredith's mind? >> that is a high road sounding argument for sunday tv. american people care about these characters. that's not enough just that they care about them. here's what's going on with kate gosselin, at least. people are judging their own lives. they're judging themselves as parents. they're judging themselves as wives. they're judging themselves as families against her. that's really important. she is the most talked b the most discussed representation or image of motherhood on american television. think back to the '50s with barbara billingsley from "leave it to beaver" and books and dissertations are written about them. >> since you used the phrase, david just called you high-minded. do you want to respond to that? >> i think it's sad, international stories, stories of people dieing from malaria, aids, tb in the third world, most of that doesn't get coverage while we gorge ourselves on this diet of jon and kate. they were on the cover of "us weekly" eight weeks in a row to drum up sales.

jen autry, duke snyder, bow so the clown or burgess meredith?m: i'm going to say burgess meredith just because i think he is a great actor. >> jim: do we have to answer it right now? >> jim: i don't know he was from california. >> jim: bob bell from 1960 to 1984. when i was a kid in new york city i met the club. > >> jim: that was a lot better than last night. that was last night's trivia question. who are the three philadelphia ath let i could. >> jim: did you get that one? >> jim: are you out of your mind? > >> jim: a base hit to left field, morales gets out with one down. >> 11 hits and they have all been thigh high or higher. that was a splitter. what a great hit ago approach by this ball club. and that was hit gently to left. see i thought when i saw that, that that was one of those you know, they are just trying to fool them. > >> jim: if we knew his last name was bell, we would have had a better chance. when i was a kid, bozo, at times, would tape his show in new york city and my father worked on the show. when i was a kid, i would tagalo

we had a talk with her, of course she was with meredith vieira for a full day.handlers and they are working in her best interest, which was not the case when she was appearing on the television show. as i said in the piece, she has a doctor now who travels with her when she goes around. she's got a good set of lawyers. she's got the backup that she needs in order to be famous and be able to be famous. it's not as easy as it looks, as you robbery know, alex. >> oh, please! that was a good one. thank you very much, keith miller, there in london. >>> first, beer, now it's flours. another attempt to smooth things over in the flap of the harvard professor. he ran off with his secretary! she's 23 years old! - oh, come on. - enough! you get half. and you get half. ( chirp ) am three, boathouse? ( chirp ) oh yeah. his and hers. - ( crowd gasps ) - ( chirp ) van gogh? ( chirp ) even steven. - ( chirp ) mansion? - ( chirp ) good to go. ( grunts ) timber! ( chirp ) boss? what do we do with the shih-tzu? - ( chirp ) joint custody. - dog: phew... announcer: get work done now

amanda's blood and meredith's blood and other physical evidence. the defense has to refute that.e that, like in the o.j. simpson case, they have to show the glove, or the evidence doesn't fit in this particular case. and they've also got deal with the lies or the various stories that amanda knox, the american, her boyfriend has told, as you know, early on, amanda implicated her former boss, said i was in the house, he was in the bedroom, i heard screams, shouts, banging, he must have killedler. amanda implicated this guy and turned out he was totally innocent. you and i look at these over the years and we've learned if you lie about little things, do you lie about the big things? and that's something else the jurors have to consider. >> in your mind, is there enough physical evidence too convict amanda and/or raphael and if not the circumstantial evidence, when you put it altogether, how are you reading it? >> yeah. i think between the physical evidence, depending how you interpret it, realize there's always experts on both sides, i think the circumstantial evidence the demeanor

. >> in for meredith this morning, i'm ann curry. good morning, everybody. for years now we have been engaged in this global war on terror and at this time now we are about to witness one of the famous terrorists of all time about to go free. >> that's right. on a compassionate release. imagine how you'd feel right now if you had a loved one on pan am flight 103 and you found out the only person ever convicted in their death was about to be let out of prison because he's in failing health. it is hard to believe for a lot of people. we'll get the latest in a live report and talk to two people who lost family members on that horrific day back in 1988. >>> also ahead this morning, the first interview with the boyfriend of a georgia mother missing for more than a week. douglas davis was actually talking with her on the phone and he says that he heard her scream "don't take me" before the phone went dead. this morning he joins us exclusively in our studio for his first interview on the matter. >>> on a much, much lighter note, talk about a talker? on wednesday we

. >> and in for meredith this morning, i'm ann curry. good morning, everybody. you ready for some more hot and muggy weather? it was hot and muggy yesterday. supposed to be climbing into the mid 90s today. >> yesterday was nasty. we're complaining, but we're not alone. much of the country is dealing with some of the hottest weather of the summer, especially here on the east coast. al's going to have more on that as well as the latest on hurricane bill and its projected path coming up in just a couple of minutes. >> also ahead some disturbing new information on the murders of a florida couple inside their own home. we now know that byrd and melanie billings were both shot multiple times and one of their 17 children witnessed the brutal crime. we're going to have more on what the boy saw and told investigators coming up. >> plus jenny san ford, the wife of south carolina's governor mark sanford, opens up for the first time in detail about her husband's affair with a woman in argentina and her plans for the future. we're going to tell you what she has to say. and i

meredith baker, from her service in the ntma. this is a very eminent fcc. from their comments and their testimony, there are very focused on moving the telecommunications industry forward and on pursuing policies that will be really impact fulful. >> we have some new leadership in the commerce committees that oversee fcc. how do you think they are going to get along with him as things go forward? senator rockefeller on numerous occasions has said that the fcc needs reform. he is laser focused on it. >> i think not only senator rockefeller, but a lot of people who have focused on that. i think reform of the fcc can come in multiple ways. it can come from congress or from the commission itself. both the acting chair and the new chairman, in their opening comments, have expressed an interest in many of the reforms that senator rockefeller has championed, which is more openness, more transparency, dated driven results, clearer decision making recalls, better communication internally and extra early. those are the types of things that senator rockefeller has tal

ann's in while meredith is taking some time off. al roker's here as well.n-one umbrella. >> we can do it. >> i don't want to put this in front of you. we just asked you for one favor. we said friday we have a nice concert, so provide us some nice weather. >> yeah, that worked out, didn't it? it could have been worse. >> it's fine, because all these people -- >> it could be worse. >> you know what? we're not made of sugar. that's all i have to say. >> we will not melt, will we? >> that's right, we won't. >> miley was out here earlier on doing some rehearsing, thrilling the crowd. so, we're going to hear from her in what, a little less than a half an hour. >> pretty exciting. >>> also, i want to call your attention to an interview we have coming up with a doctor who about a decade and a half ago first suggested through research in the "lancet" that there might be a possible link between the childhood vaccine mmr, the measles, mumps, rubella vaccine and autism. boy, did that touch off a firestorm of controversy. he rarely speaks out. he's giving us an exclusiv

now meredith coming on. twins have two on and two down in the 6th.x÷:l:lzúz0z minnesota guests out of it without any further damage.   . >> jim:  ozzie guillen says that he is optimistic that jake peevey will pitch for his ball club this year, but he's not counting on it. peevey still dealing with an injury to his right anglele had an outing in charlotte tonight. >>> and the red sox have claimed billy wagner off waivers. now back to jim and buck. >> jim: all right, viv, thank you very much. here is luke scott leading off, singles to center field. baker had retired 10 consecutive batters, and luke scott also snaps an 0 for 11 with that base hit. so the tying run is on in the 7th in, and on outstanding job by the orioles bullpen to minimize that damage. they've added some kind of road trip. tillman was pitching a strong game, but the lead off sing until the sixth is got minnesota going. markakis pops it foul near the oriole dugout. morneau over, and he runs out of room, and it's in the second row. must have hit a speaker, the fans react

cla meredith on the left. they have pitched well. meredith pitched in last night's game.a nce he's ined minnesota has put the leadof man and now they have venth. harris looking down at the third base coach scott ullger to make sure he has he. he's on deck, 3-3 with three doubles and he scored three runs. melvin mora comes in to tell ray his responsibility. he's there guarding against the bunt.jim: rogaenre does. if he gets the lead in the seventh, he could go to setup man, closer in the thisill be a lose if the orioles can't get lead back because they have more opportunities to break this open. matt guerrier gets up. harris again bunts. ray has it. he looks to second. throws to first for the out. , gardenhire playin eters s chris a at second base delmon young, everything has hit tonight every pitch tot. has thrshsingles to left. >> jim: fouls to have the back of the plago piece of it. >> jim: matusz went five innings, three runs on seven hits. bass not record an out. hendrickson a-scoreless inning and now ray. >> buck: got away with one right there. threw a high breaking

let's check on the roads with meredith at traffic control. >>> today is a perfect example of why you should learn your back roads. it's a mess out there. seeing a lot of delays on the southbound side of 95 at 212. an accident with some lanes blocked. outer loop is another 40 minutes from providence and the bay bridge eastbound 50, watch out, it's a mess, 16-miles from davidson road to the bay bridge tolls. not something you want to deal with. i would suggest getting some dinner before you head out. traffic control is brought to you by visitor's bureau. >>> thank you. the ravens thank you -- think they have come with some fun. >> the cartoon animals sent back to the while, some raven animals set free inside ravens they -- stadium. they are showing madagascar 2. >> kids don't like to sit still, if they can run around and watch a movie, it's a night out. >> it's not about the kids. >> it's date night. >> you can hang out. >> they can run around. >> did i mention, if you want, you can run around on the seal, at the 50. not only is the movie going to be on the big scream, but the audio is

meredith now getting loose in the or less pen. >> buck: here is what matusz has to remember, same effort, same tempo. don't try to do anything different than you have done all day long.   execute the pitches. they work for you all year long. they should work for you this afternoon. >> jim: and a break -- call, strike three. and as peralta goes down, strike out gets matusz out of it. bottom of the 6th. for six months. it's like getting three services for the price of two. so am i the one that's crazy? no? (announcer) get fios tv, internet and phone for just $79.99 a month, plus a free dvr for 3 months. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 800.974.6006 tty/v  >> reporter: welcome back t camden yard, everybody. time to break in. paul bird gets the start for the red sox. right now beating the blue jays in the 6th inning. the giants are within one game now of the rockies for the nl wild card, and jake petey leads against norfolk with tightness in the arm. jim? >> jim: thank you. here is wieters leading off in the 6th. 

the single most important thing is is this -- is to sustain and meredith. i like to find a topic that lends itself to having several different plot strands that you can also tied up at the edge. >> when you start thinking about this? >> it is relentless. a friend of mine told me, it does not matter whether it is every day or every month, it is always something hanging above your head. i would say that my process is that monday i am reported a bunch of things and considering eight or nine things. i tried to whittle it down and research some more. wednesday i really finish up as much as possible, and right thursday and into friday. what people might not know about a week in review section is that it closes friday night at midnight. it starts printing. my deadline is really friday. it makes for a very packed week. you can turn on the diamond shift things as major news happens, whether it be something shocking as of 9/11, but i sort of have a sense of where i am going by mid-week. >> how you know if you have had a successful,? -- successful column? >> i did not

. >>> i'm matt lauer, ann curry while meredith takes time off.joins us as well. >>> a stand-up comedy routine one family didn't think was so country. >> the comedian uses part of her act to poke fun at some of her in-laws. now her mother-in-law has apparently had enough. she's suing. she's filed a lawsuit. we'll talk with the comedian about that in just a motion. >>> wooel we're going to talk about an emotional issue for many people. in-vitro fertilization has afforded a lot of people the opportunity to have families. difficulties for a lot of people what do you do with the embryos that still remain. that is a big issue. a lot of people have them still, they're being kept frozen. there is an emotional question about what to do with them. >> an estimated half million. >> exactly. we'll talk about that with dr. nancy snyderman. >>> natalie has the headlines of the morning. >>> good morning. as the nation prepares to say good-bye to ted kennedy, americans are mourning the loss of a political icon and paying tribute. in washington, d.c. last night, p