Transcripts For WBAL Today 20091110

gecko: ah, gecko, actually - exec: with all due respect, if i was tiny and green and had a british accent i'd have more folks paying attention to me too... i mean - (faux english accent) "save money! pip pip cheerio!" exec 2: british? i thought you were australian. gecko: well, it's funny you should ask. 'cause actually, i'm from - anncr: geico. save even more with our new multi-policy discount. good morning. ida comes ashore. the slow-moving tropical storm hits the gulf coast this morning with significant rain, 15-mile-per-hour wind gusts and flooding. al is live in florida in the middle of it all. missed opportunity? intelligence officials admit they knew months ago that the accused ft. hood gunman was exchanging e-mails with a radical muslim cleric with ties to al qaeda, but they dismissed it as research. now outraged lawmakers are demanding answers as president obama heads to texas to honor the victims. and in the nick of time. a drunk woman stumbles off a subway platform in boston and onto the tracks. fortunately, the train stopped at the last second and she is okay today, tuesday, november 10th, 2009. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and welcome to "today" on this tuesday morning. i'm meredith vieira. >> and in for matt lauer, i'm ann curry. good morning, everybody. boy, that train was close. scary. >> oh, my gosh! she would have lost two or three lives right there alone. she's lucky to be alive. >> no question. >> very scary. >> also, moving on to the top story, ida. it's losing steam, but the bad news is, it's making a mess. >> absolutely. along with strong wind gusts, the storm is dumping a lot of rain across the southeast, up to eight inches in some spots. we're going to get to al's live report in just a moment. >> it looks pretty in those pictures, though. also ahead, a startling, new admission about the driver who caused july's deadly wrong-way crash in new york. her sister-in-law now says diane schuler regularly smoked pot. coming up, an exclusive reaction from a man who lost his father, his brother and a friend in that crash. plus, a new scandal for former miss california usa carrie prejean. a sex tape has now surfaced and prejean is admitting that she did make it. we're going to talk to her about that when she joins us for a live interview. but let's get to pensacola beach, florida, where al has got his eyes on ida for us this morning. good morning to you, al. >> hey, good morning, meredith and ann. and yes, ida has come on shore now in the last hour. dolphin island, alabama, right now. and the latest, of course, its forward speed changing just a bit, northeast at 9 miles per hour, 45-mile-per-hour wind. you're looking yesterday at the video from yesterday throughout parts of mississippi. lots of flooding, as anywhere from four to eight inches of rain fell. last night, overnight here in pensacola beach, we picked up a record 3.64 inches of rain, 2 inches more than the record. and then as we move on through mississippi and parts of alabama, we're going to be looking at more rain coming with this system. right now, the winds aren't the big issue. the big issue, of course, is going to be the rain. as you can see, 25 miles south of mobile, alabama, 45-mile-per-hour winds, northeast at 9. and we are looking at flood watches and flood warnings throughout much of the southeast from mobile, alabama, as far north as anderson, south carolina. we're expecting the path of the storm, now that it's made landfall, to work its way along the florida panhandle and then through southern alabama, on into georgia. rainfall amounts generally going to be about three to six inches of rain, but some areas may pick up as much as eight to twelve inches of rain out of this system. a powerful rainmaker. and so, there is going to be big problems throughout the southeast due to all this rain over the next 24 hours. meredith? >> all right, al, thank you very much. we're going to get to the rest of your forecast in just a bit. but for now, it is 7:03 and here's ann. >> meredith, thanks. now to new details in the investigation into last week's deadly shooting rampage at ft. hood. intelligence officials now say they knew that the suspected gunman exchanged e-mails with a radical muslim cleric with ties to al qaeda. this as president obama and the first lady prepare to attend today's memorial for the victims. we have two reports this morning, beginning with nbc's justice correspondent pete williams. hey, pete. good morning. >> ann, good morning to you. intelligence officials actually say they discovered months ago that hasan was exchanging e-mails with a radical muslim cleric overseas, a man whose jihadist rants inspired others to plan terror attacks, but they say nothing at the time suggested that hasan was considering a violent act of his own. nearly a year ago, while nidal malik hasan was working at walter reed army hospital outside washington, intelligence officials say he began exchanging nearly two dozen e-mails with an outspoken advocate of violent jihad, anwr al aulaqi. he became an imam at a mosque in san diego. in early 2000, two of the 9/11 hijackers turned up there. he left the u.s. in 2002 for yemen, and since then, in videos and online sermons has turned out justifications for attacks on the west. >> he's a luminary who's revered by people around the world, and his name turns up again and again in home-grown terrorism cases. >> reporter: prosecutors say his videos inspired the five men who were arrested two years ago for plotting to kill soldiers with machine guns at ft. dix in new jersey. investigators say hasan's e-mails last winter were "consistent with research he was conducting" on post-traumatic stress for advanced degree and were in no way threatening. the conclusion at the time, they say, was that he was not involved in terrorist activities or terrorist planning. military officials say the army was notified, but no action was taken against hasan. >> i think there's a real examination inside the intelligence community and the army about whether any opportunity was lost to identify hasan as a potential problem. >> reporter: since the shooting, army investigators have tried to interview hasan, who's at brooke army medical center in texas, but they say he declined and asked for a lawyer. the military now says it will prosecute hasan, not the justice department, and so far, investigators say everything they've discovered indicates that he was acting on his own with no outside help or direction, ann. >> pete, are there any indications that might help explain why these red flags, though, were not followed up on? obviously, a lot of viewers this morning have a lot of questions about that. >> a couple of things. number one, that's a question they're asking internally -- how far did this information go, what was the assessment on it? but the people who looked at it said this is consistent with what he's telling other people. he's saying in class he has doubts about the u.s. operation overseas, doubts about muslims serving. the questions that he was asking, they say, were consistent with his research and there was nothing indicating that he himself was planning anything. it was questions they thought were consistent with his work to counsel other soldiers, ann. >> all right. pete williams this morning. pete, thanks a lot. it is now 7:06. once again, here's meredith. >> ann, thank you. the victims of the ft. hood tragedy will be honored today during a memorial service attended by president obama and the first lady. nbc's janet shamlian has more on that. janet, good morning. >> reporter: meredith, good morning. they set up a wall of shipping containers here, presumably for security. that memorial service is going to take place beyond or inside the wall later this afternoon. meanwhile, here at ft. hood, they're desperately searching for some sense of normalcy, but with all the grief that abounds here, that's proving difficult to find. access has always been restricted, but ft. hood is now even more of a fortress. public visits have been suspended in the wake of last week's massacre. >> this cannot become, you know, a battlefield. and again, we will provide the right kind of security measures here on post to make sure that it doesn't. >> reporter: general cone says it's been a tough time for those on post, as dozens sought grief counseling, ft. hood prepared for president obama's visit and today's memorial. a midday service to honor the 13 who died and more than two dozen injured. meanwhile, first word from the civilian police officer hailed as a hero for helping end the attack. "kimberly munley and family would like to extend their thanks and appreciation for all of the thoughts and concerns surrounding kim from around the nation." munley was shot four times, has had two surgeries and is still in the hospital. >> i'm just so proud of him. >> reporter: family and friends of the fallen and injured are gathering in killeen ahead of today's memorial, a bittersweet trip for laila willingham, who lost her brother, jason hunt. >> the only piece i don't have are about his last moments, and i wonder, was he scared or was he in pain. but i know my brother, and he wasn't scared of anything. he wasn't scared of going to war. i just picture his face just with his soldiers there around him at the end thinking i think that would be the way he would want to go. >> reporter: family members like willingham searching for some solace, some closure today. this memorial service is going to include some 2,000 people, many of them directly impacted by last thursday's rampage. meredith, back to you. >> so heartbreaking. janet shamlian, thank you very much. it is 7:09, and once again, here's ann. >> meredith, thanks. and now to the raging debate in washington over health care reform. former president bill clinton plans to visit capitol hill today with the senate set to begin its debate. this as the current administration lobbies hard for every vote. nbc's chief white house correspondent chuck todd joins us now with the latest on this. chuck, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, ann. with 58 democrats and 2 independents that vote with them, the numbers in the senate should favor the democrats. they have on paper a filibuster-proof majority. but getting health care reform passed at all, let alone this year, is going to be a real challenge for this white house. >> if there's not a deadline in washington, nothing happens. >> reporter: but it's a deadline that's been a moving target when it comes to health care. >> i want it done by the fall. >> before we leave for the august recess. >> before the august recess. >> reporter: and while congress has yet to meet a single initial deadline, progress has been made. the house did finally pass their version of health care last weekend, three months after speaker pelosi's initial deadline. now attention turns to the senate, and despite the history of congress missing numerous deadlines, the white house monday was emphatic -- >> i've just answered this three times! >> reporter: -- if not a tad defensive, that this one would stick. >> the president wants to sign health care before the end of the year. >> reporter: despite the white house insistence, senators privately say a final bill may not reach the president's desk until next year. >> that's very challenging. could it be done? yes, but all of the stars would have to be in alignment. >> reporter: and with the clock ticking, senate majority leader harry reid is working hard behind the scenes to convince some wavering democrats. senator blanche lincoln of arkansas, who is up for re-election next year, is someone the republican party wants to make a poster child of the health care debate. the gop launched a preemptive strike before she cast a single vote. >> i voted for government-run health care for my party boss before i voted against it to save my job. >> reporter: lincoln and other senate democratic moderates could end up controlling this debate. >> i think that's what you're going to see being really pushed by the middle of the senate that is going to be the one that crafts the compromises. >> reporter: meanwhile, the senate's two democratic independents, polar opposites ideologically, are split over the government-run option and both are threatening to scuttle the process if they don't get their way. >> if the public option plan is in there as a matter of conscience, i will not allow this bill to come to a final vote. >> it would be outrageous to me that you have an overwhelming majority of americans wanting a strong public option that we do not deliver that. >> reporter: now, more on that bill clinton meeting with senate democrats. he's going there this afternoon. what's interesting is of the three wavering democrats -- ben nelson from nebraska, blanche lincoln from arkansas, and joe lieberman from connecticut -- the former president has a personal connection, and in particular with blanche lincoln, coming from his home state. what he says in that meeting could have a lot of influence on how she votes. >> all right, chuck todd, thank you very much. >> reporter: you got it. >> nebraska senator ben nelson is among the moderate democrats who have raised concerns over the current bill. senator nelson, good morning to you. >> good morning, meredith. >> you heard chuck call you one of those wavering democrats. what are you wavering about? >> well, i don't know that i'm wavering. i have some very strong opinions about what should be in the bill and what shouldn't be in the bill, and all i'm asking is that those considerations be under advisement by the leadership, and if they are, and if we are able to get the bill that contains those provisions that i support and doesn't have the provisions that i can't support, then i would look for a way to vote for it. >> is one of those provisions that you can't support the public option? >> well, the public option i think is probably the most misunderstood part of the legislation. there are parts of certain public options that i could support. what i can't support is a government-run plan, health plan, that would undermine the 200 million americans who have private health insurance, and there are aspects of the public option that are under consideration that could do that. >> but if states had the ability to opt out, which is something senator harry reid is proposing, would that be good enough for you to say, okay, i can go with that? >> no, no. i don't think there is anything to be gained by opting out. i said i would look at the ability of the states to opt in so that the states could make the decisions themselves. i'm a former governor. i think the states can handle a good deal of this with some assistance from the federal government in making decisions for their citizens back home. so, i think that they can make the decision about getting in. i don't think they ought to have to be in and then make a decision to get out. >> senator, at the last minute, there was an amendment tacked onto the house bill that bans federal money from being used for abortions. would you like to see similar language in any senate bill? >> well, it's something that will solidify the hyde amendment to make sure that no federal dollars are used to fund abortions, period, whether it's subsidy for premiums or tax credits. i think while there may be different views about abortion, i think there's a strong majority against using federal dollars to fund abortions. private money is another matter altogether when it comes to government. >> you know, the president has made it clear that this is his signature issue. he is pushing hard to get a bill on his desk by christmas, by december, the end of the year. are you feeling pressure as a democrat to pass the bill? >> no. the only pressure i feel is to do the right thing, the right thing for the people back home in nebraska and the people of our country, and that's what -- that's the pressure. i'm not feeling the pressure from the white house or from the leadership. the only pressure is self-imposed pressure to get it right. >> is it realistic to think that there will be a bill on the president's desk by the end of the year, yes or no? >> you know, i don't know. i know that's their goal, and perhaps that can be met. i think it depends on what happens on the floor and what the final bill looks like. senator lieberman's made it very clear that he won't vote to push this bill off the floor of the senate if it has a public option in it. i think they ought to listen very closely to that. i've said that certain public options are unacceptable, but a state-based public option certainly is something to consider. >> all right. >> and the abortion issue as well as not covering illegal immigrants. >> all right, nebraska senator ben nelson, not a wavering senator. thank you very much. >> thank you. >> but it sounds like it's going to be pretty intense in the coming weeks. >> i think it's going to be very intense. let's check on the rest of the morning's top stories. and look who's sitting in for me at the news desk, it's hoda kotb. >> it's yoda. >> stop it. stop it. good morning, everybody. tensions between north and south korea flared overnight in a skirmish at sea. navy ships from both countries accuse the other of violating their disputed border in the yellow sea and both opened fire for about two minutes. there were no known injuries in the first such clash in seven years. iran's president is ruling out an early release for three american hikers held for three months in iran and now accused of spying. iran may look into other charges. the u.s. says any charges are baseless. barring a last-minute reprieve, john allen muhammad will be executed tonight in virginia for masterminding the 2002 sniper attacks that killed around ten people in washington, d.c. his accomplice is serving a life term. a man accused of trying to extort money from david letterman goes back to court today. prosecutors say joe halderman demanded $2 million to keep quiet about letterman's affairs with co-workers. halderman's attorneys hope to have the case thrown out. overseas markets are higher this morning following big gains monday on wall street. cnbc's melissa lee is at the new york stock exchange with the latest. melissa, what are you watching today? >> good morning to you, hoda, and a real test for the markets will come today as to whether or not stocks can continue their winning streak. the s&p 500 has been up for six straight sessions right now, and the dow jones industrial average hit a new 2009 high in yesterday's session. investors will be looking ahead to a slate of retail earnings, including a report from the world's largest retailer, walmart, due out later this week for a read on the state of consumer spending, which of course is an engine of economic growth. hoda. >> all right, melissa lee, thank you. basketball great cream abdul jabbaar says he is being treated for a rare form of leukemia. the all-time leading scorer of the nba says his prognosis is encouraging. and side-by-side photos of sammy sosa is getting attention. a friend says he is undergoing a skin rejuvenation process that has left his skin looking radically different. it's 7:18. two of the most googled searches are "sammy sosa" and sammy sosa bleached." i don't know what that is. >> well, we don't know all the facts on that, so we'll have to wait on that. meantime -- al is in pensacola, florida, for a check of the weather. hey, al. >> thanks a lot. the sun's getting ready to come up and we've got the waves going, but the effects of ida are going to be felt throughout the southeast with heavy rains. let's look at -- show you what else is going on around the country. we've got strong winds coming into the pacific northwest and some showers there, heavy rain up and down the southeastern atlantic coast, rip currents along the east coast of florida. out west, gorgeous weather, plenty of >> good morning. the weather should be pretty quiet on this tuesday. no problems to expect on the morning commute. 30% chance of rain shower. >> we'll take a look at how warm temperatures are across the country in the next half hour. ann? >> all right, al. we look forward to that. thanks. now to a terrifying scene caught on camera at a station in boston. a woman narrow ly escaped from train. >> reporter: security cameras at this boston subway station captured a horrifying scene. when a woman stood at the end of a platform smoking a cigarette, but then, suddenly, she stumbles and falls. frantic onlookers who had just left a celtics basketball game raced to help, desperately signaling the train, just seconds from the station. >> i'm just glad that the people on the platform were able to, you know, let me know, you know, something was going on. >> reporter: cherries lewis was driving the train. >> then as i'm approaching, the lady pokes her head up, and i'm like, oh, my god, someone's in the pit. >> reporter: the woman lies between the tracks as lewis hits the emergency brakes. >> and it stopped just in time, and it was so close that, you know, i thought it was bad. >> reporter: half of the woman's body was under the train, but she was okay. >> after the fact, she comes up with like a big smile on her face, and i'm like, oh, my god! like, you really scared me! >> reporter: police say the woman, whose name has not been made public, had been drinking at a nearby bar. she escaped with only scrapes on her knees. meanwhile, lewis and her supervisor, who radioed her to stop, are being honored as heroes. >> i don't consider myself a hero. i just did what i was supposed to do. >> reporter: she managed to stop the train just inches before it was too late. for "today," ron allen, nbc news, new york. >> we're glad she's alive. my goodness. >> and that she was able to stop that train that close. >> well, i think she was a hero. they always say that, i was doing my job. well, thank goodness for them. >> exactly. that's how they feel, but thank goodness she knows how to do her job, that's right. >> that is heroic. and coming up, a new scandal involving former beauty queen carrie prejean. we'll talk to her about what she ca still ahead, did she regularly smoke marijuana? the new claim about the woman who caused that deadly wrong-way accident outside new york city and exclusive reaction from the family of two of her victims. and move over, gosselins. there is a new multiple-birth family in town. we'll meet the hayes family and their ten kids. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. let's get a check on one of our top stories. jury selection is expected to wrap up in the trial of mayor sheila dixon. 127 people were called with more than two dozen claiming they already made up their minds. dixon's attorney entered not guilty when asked how the mayor pleaded against the charges against her. his touch with allegedly stealing gift cards intended -- is charged with allegedly stealing gift cards intended for needy families. >> southbound on the edge but expressed by, traffic barely moving from approaching shawan road to past timonium. in the summons, dealing with an accident taking up the right lane. take york road as your alternate. we have an accident at seminary. if you're heading at hempstead, we have an accident there. picking up on the west side outer loop at 16 minutes. let's check a live view of traffic for you. this is just south of the beltway northeast. we have an accident on the shoulder. as you can see, traffic backed up approaching white marsh down to the accident scene. on the north side, inching along in the outer loop from belair road towards providence. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> things are pretty quiet in the with the department. a little bit of cloud cover a couple of sprinkles. nothing that will slow you down 50 at a randallstown, a 55 in the city. mostly cloudy skies. a 30% chance of rain shower. no big deal. high temperature of 63. breezy in chilly on wednesday and thursday. high temperatures in the mid- fifties. >> check the bottom of your screen for updated news and traffic information. our next live update is 7:55. ♪ have a nice day 7:30 on this tuesday morning, november 10th, 2009. you think it's crowded on the plaza this morning, just wait. tomorrow it will be packed, especially when members of the u.s. military and veterans for a special concert courtesy of bon jovi. i'm meredith vieira alongside ann curry, who's in for matt this morning. and just ahead, a new scandal involving former miss california, usa, carrie prejean. she is here to set the record straight about a new sex tape that has surfaced, what is on it and when it was made. we'll talk to her about it all and also her new book, in a moment. also ahead, a surprising claim from the sister-in-law of the driver who caused july's deadly wrong-way crash. remember, it killed eight people, many of them children, here in new york. well, she now says that diane schuler regularly smoked marijuana. just ahead, a man who lost his brother, his father and a friend in that crash speaks out in a live interview in reaction to that news. and if you were planning a family vacation, don't be surprised if the kids suggest forks, washington. the tiny town is the setting for the "twilight" series, and devoted fans are flocking there from all around the world. we're going to take you to the real eerie woods, coming up. but we begin with that surprising admission from carrie prejean. she now says she did make a sex tape. we're going to talk to her about it in a moment, but first, her story. there was a time when carrie prejean was well on her way to being the next miss usa. >> carrie prejean, you are our new miss california! >> and then the question and answer heard around the pageant. >> vermont recently became the fourth state to legalize same-sex marriage. do you think every state should follow suit? why or why not? >> i believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. no offense to anybody out there. >> well, people did take offense. >> she lost not because she doesn't believe in gay marriage. miss california lost because she's a dumb [ bleep ]. >> if you read that miss california's been murdered, you'll know it was me, wouldn't you? >> she's dumb and twisted. kind of like a barbie doll. >> she not only lost the crown, but her job as miss california. >> on april 19th on that stage i exercised my freedom of speech and i was punished for doing so. >> and then, dueling lawsuits. prejean suing miss california organizers for libel, slander and religious discrimination. the pageant countersuing for the money which helped her buy breast implants. it all had the makings of a showdown until the warring factions abruptly made peace a week ago, amid rumors the pageant had obtained a previously undisclosed sex tape. carrie prejean has now written a book "still standing: the untold story of my fight against gossip, hate and political attacks." carrie, good morning to you. >> good morning. >> before we get to the book, obviously, everybody wants to know about this sex tape that surfaced last week. there is one, correct? >> you could call it whatever you want to call it. if you want to call it a sex tape, that's fine, but -- >> well, what do you call it? >> it was me by myself. there was no one else with me. i was not having sex. i sent it to my boyfriend at the time. i was a teenager. i cared about him. i trusted him. and you know, but the main point is that there has been a campaign against me to try and silence me for the past seven months for the answer that i gave at the pageant. >> so, you made this tape when you were 17 years old. is it basically an example of sexting, something you sent? >> um, yeah. i think now they call it sexting, but you know, it was me in the tape. you can call it whatever you want to call it. if you want to call it a sex tape, that's fine, but you know, i was by myself. i sent it to a boyfriend. it was for, you know, private use. but does that justify what i did? no. it was the biggest mistake of my life. and did i think it would come out now and haunt me? no. but i think a lot of young people can learn from this. and you know, nothing is private anymore. nothing is private. but the biggest thing, and the reason why i wrote this book is because americans believe that their beliefs are under attack, and this is proof. this is proof that their beliefs -- >> so, you believe that somebody sent -- pageant officials got their hands on this tape. how did they get it? >> i have no idea. all i know is there has been a campaign against me to try to silence me. they tried to embarrass me. they've tried to humiliate me. they've tried to attack me and i'm still standing. and they can't take that. >> so, carrie, why did you drop the lawsuit against campaign officials? you charge them with libel and slander and religious discrimination. if you feel that strongly about it, why drop the lawsuit? were you worried about this tape becoming public? >> well, everything that happened in mediation is completely confidential. i made a promise, you know, not to discuss anything that was discussed in there, and if i'm the only one that's holding up to that agreement, then i stand by that. >> but did the tape trigger it? because you were going to sue them and then suddenly, the suit is dropped. >> like i said, everything that's discussed in mediation, i'm not allowed to discuss it. >> this book doesn't take on the sex scandal, but it takes on what happened to you during the pageant. why did you feel the need to write it? what hadn't you said that you needed to say? >> well, i think it's important for people to understand, i think americans only heard bits and pieces of what really happened, and i think there is a liberal bias in the media, and it's unfortunate that, you know, conservative women are attacked. they are attacked for their beliefs, you know? and it's unacceptable and it shouldn't happen. and so many americans are frustrated. so many americans believe that their beliefs, you know, are under attack and they should be silent, and free speech doesn't exist. since when does free speech not exist? since when is someone able to go on national tv and call someone the most awful names you could ever call a woman and get away with it? >> and you have been called absolutely terrible names, but there are people who say they want to call you out when they feel you're being a hypocrite. you write "our bodies are temples of the lord. we should earn admiration for our hearts, not for being sexy." >> absolutely. >> now people see this tape and say she's a hypocrite. she writes a novel that says one thing -- >> well, i'm a model. i was in a beauty pageant. if people call me ihypocrite, that's their prerogative. but i've learned from my mistakes. no one's perfect. i'm not perfect. everybody makes mistakes and i think it's about taking responsibility for their mistakes. and it just so happens that seven months -- it's been seven months since i gave that answer and they have done nothing but attack me and try to silence me and keep me from spreading that message that free speech still exists, and that's the reason why i wrote this book. >> you say in the book you've been palinized, referencing sarah palin. what do you mean by that? >> you know of the attacks sarah palin's under, don't you? >> but do you think as a conservative woman dprks. >> do you think sarah palin has been attacked? >> i think sarah palin's been criticized by many people, as have many politicians. >> right, and there is a double standard, there is an extreme double standard that conservative women are under attack for whatever it is. if sean hannity went out there and said some of the things that keith olbermann has said about me -- you know, if he said anything about sonia sotomayor or michelle obama, he would be off the air. why is there this double standard? that's the reason why i wrote this book. >> you also take on beauty pageants. you say that you owe a lot to them, so you're not taking away from that. >> right. >> but there's a part of the book where you recount what happened at the miss usa pageant before, in the days leading up to it, where donald trump, who owns the pageant, looked over the girls and held his own version of an elimination round. what did he do? >> well, i talk about it in my book. basically, he just went out there, and we were so excited to meet, you know, the donald at the time. and he just came out there and meeted us and shook our hands and we were so excited to meet him, but there were a lot of feelings that were hurt by some of the girls. they felt as though they weren't chosen by him, and -- >> you say in the book he divided the girls into the ones he thought were hot and the ones who were not. >> right. well, he asked us, you know, how do you feel about so and so or who do you think's the most beautiful woman out here? and some of the girls were on the right side and some of the girls were on the left side, and those that were on the left were devastated. and so, i mean, there's a lot in this book that a lot of people don't know that goes on, you know, behind the scenes of pageants. it's not always what it seems to be. >> would you advise young women not to get involved in pageants? >> you know, i have learned so much and i have grown so much. there has been so many great experiences. you know, i wouldn't be here today had it not been for the pageant. in my book, i talk about a story how the pageant officials accidentally sent me to the wrong address and i ended up at a children's hospital, and it was the most amazing experience i have ever had, just being able to visit with children, and that was by accident. and so, i stayed at the hospital for about two hours and it was just, it was unforgettable. so, some of the most amazing things have happened to me since the pageant, but you know, people need to know what really happened and the truth. >> all right. carrie prejean, thank you so much. >> thank you. >> and the book is called, again, "still standing." i want to say, by the way, donald trump had no comment about what you said in your book. now, let's get the latest on ida and the national forecast from al, who's down in pensacola beach, florida. >> announcer: "today's weather" is brought to you by private mail flat rate boxes, only from the postal service. a simpler way to ship. and good morning along the beach here at pensacola beach, florida, and of course, we are tracking tropical storm ida. now it's onshore. last time a hurricane or tropical storm, i should say, made landfall in november, it was tropical storm mitch, november 5th, 1998, at 6:00 a.m. so, it's a rare thing, not unusual, but fairly rare. let's take a look at what's also rare, these temperatures across the country. much of the country well above normal. minneapolis, 21 degrees above normal, phoenix, 12 degrees above normal. same in new york city. boston warmer than usual. actual temperatures -- you'll see those temperatures rising up into the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s down through florida, 70s and 80s through the southwest. but where it's kind of chilly, the pacific northwest, 40s and >> don't expect any weather problems for your tuesday morning commute. we have a little cloud cover. a 30% chance of rain shower. no big deal. high temperature >> and that's your latest weather. meredith? >> al, thank you very much. and up next, why more parents of baby boys are opting against circumcision, right after this. back now at 7:43 with a decision that many parents of baby boys struggle with -- should they be circumcriesed? right now the cdc and the american academy of pediatrics are deciding whether to endorse the practice. nbc's tom costello has the latest on this. >> reporter: perhaps no one in america has more publicly wrestled with whether to circumcise his son than laszlo stein's dad, writer and humorist joel stein. >> is it going to hurt him? is it going to remove nerve endings? this kid is going to be mad at me for life as i am with my parents. >> reporter: even though he's jewish, joel researched and anguished over it. even in one of his off-the-wall columns in "time" magazine, writing "all i knew was that this is clearly not a decision i should be making for another human being." >> it's really the joes and the muslims at this point and the americans that do this, and everyone else is keeping it real. >> reporter: he's right. most countries don't circumcise baby boys, and many american parents are also choosing not to circumcise. about 55% today compared to 90% in the 1970s, with many parents deciding it simply inflicts needless pain. at seattle's children's hospital, peed rick bioethics director doug ekema is on a task force reviewing whether the american academy of pediatrics should recommend circumcision. currently, it doesn't. >> the academy's current position is that there are some modest medical benefits to circumcision. there are also some risks to circumcision. those two are fairly closely aligned. >> reporter: among the benefits, a slight reduction in urinary tract infections and cancer of the penis, and now new evidence from africa that circumcisions might reduce hiv transmission. but opponents who have launched an ad campaign says it's genital mutilation. >> babies are born with a foreskin for a reason. it's a normal body part. we can't be conducting mass surgery on the assumption that somebody might engage in high-risk sexual behavior decades down the line. >> i think baby plastic surgery seems wrong to me, whether it's earrings or a nose job or circumcision, but then i saw -- you know, there was -- plus, all my people do it. there's a lot of tension going on. >> reporter: in the end, laszlo ended up getting circumcries. joel just says he hopes his son doesn't hold it against him. for "today," tom costello, nbc news, washington. >> i empathize. that was a tough decision, and i made sure i stood there for my son because it was so hard on him, right? you don't even need to know that, but what do you think? >> no. i wasn't there for the actual nipping or whatever you want to call it, but i thought also for a lot of dads, they want their son to look the way they look so the son can identify with the father. why are you giving me that look? >> because that's not a good enough reason, you know? >> well, it's one reason and the health issues, as well. it's controversial. it's interesting. >> we'll see how this all ends up with the decision when it comes. coming up, the tiny washington town turned into a hot tourist spot thanks to the "twilight" books and movies. if you have a teenager, you have heard of "twilight." the books are best-sellers and the movie "new moon" is one of the most anticipated films. it's such a phenomenon, in fact, that the tiny town where "twilight" is set has now become a mecca for fans. here's nbc's lee cowan. >> reporter: there's no easy way to get there. it's on the way to nothing, perfect for handsome vampires looking for a little privacy. >> this kind of stuff just doesn't exist. >> it does in my world. >> reporter: it's a fictional world, but it's actually a very real place. forks, washington, population almost 3,200, the epicenter of twi-mania. >> i was looking at the map and i read forks, and i was like, no way. turn around. we've got to go there. this is "twilight"! >> reporter: this year alone, 64,000 twi-hards have overrun the town, six times the town's average. pretty amazing for a place that the author, stephanie mayer, chose because it was so out of the way. but what does she like best about this part of the pacific northwest? well, it's vampire-friendly weather. it rains 10 to 12 feet a year here in forks, making it not only the wettest place in the lower 48 states, but also the darkest. >> one guy called and said i was going to come camping there, but i hear you have a vampire problem. >> you'll see it on the window and the front porch. >> reporter: which is why some fans travel in the safety of the "twilight" tour bus. >> we have grandmas more excited than the grandchildren on board. it's been amazing. >> reporter: "twilight's" heroine is bella, who has a crush on edward, who leads an odd sort of undead lifestyle. >> what if i'm not the hero? what if i'm the bad guy? >> reporter: and everything the characters go, fans want to follow. >> every girl wants a perfect love story, i guess. >> reporter: so do older fans like annette root. she was so devoted, she actually moved to forks to open "dazzled by twilight." did you ever think at some point maybe this was a little crazy? >> i think that a lot, but i'm happy. i'm happy crazy, so that's okay. >> reporter: the fascination has even spread to nearby port angeles to the italian restaurant where bella and edward had their fictional first date. >> one mushroom ravioli. >> reporter: and not surprisingly, that's the most popular dish. >> there were over 5,000 orders of mushroom ravioli this year. >> reporter: just this year? >> that's a lot of mushrooms, yeah. >> reporter: just as it does in nature, forks' residents know that "twilight" will eventually fade. for now, this town's tourism seems to have risen from the dead. for now, lee cowan, nbc news, forks, washington. >> you saw the movie, right? >> yeah, i like -- i really liked it, i did. i have a teenage daughter, so i wanted to make sure -- >> what is so attractive about a vampire? >> well, if he looks like robert patterson, i think that maybe, you know, i don't need to say much more. >> you've got a good point there. just ahead, the new big family on the block. i'm talking big. >> talking about the hays family. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i'm stan stovall. want to get a check on the morning commute with sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> unfortunately, we are still looking at a rough ride on the southbound harrisburg expressway. 10 miles per accident -- miles per hour to an accident. those delays back to approaching shawan road. at belair road, getting word of some degree. 54 miles per hour on the west side. carroll street and cooksville road at hempstead, accident. 21 on the northeast outer loop. it will take to about 16 minutes to get to the inner loop delay from 83's towards 95. you can see that we have a pretty heavy delays. the good news is the accident in this area has been cleared. it will still take awhile to filter out. in the area of harford road, it is moving pretty well, but we're seeing backing towards providence. >> things are pretty quiet in the with the department. a little bit of cloud cover on this tuesday morning. nothing that is going to slow you down. 50 degrees and a randallstown and 50 at the airport. forecast for today is mostly cloudy skies. no big deal. by the mergers between 60 and 65. -- high temperatures between 60 and 65. breezy and can of chili with high to bidders in the mid-50's both days. >> check the bottom of your screen for updated news and traffic information. our next live update at 8:25. 8:00 now on this tuesday morning, the 10th of november 2009. happy crowd bidding hello to family and friends back home. and tomorrow on "today," you can wave to these guys, new jersey rockers bon jovi. they'll be right here on the plaza to put on a special veterans day concert in honor of our nation's servicemen and women. we look forward to that. terrific. i'm meredith vieira along with ann curry. matt has the morning off. and just ahead in this half hour, was diane schuler, the wrong-way driver who killed herself and seven others in new york, a regular pot smoker? what one of her family members is saying about that and the brother of one of the victims, just ahead. such a sad story. also ahead, if you think your house is chaotic, imagine having ten children, two sets of twins and sextuplets. that is the real life of the hayes family, and guess what? they're getting into the reality television show business. we'll be meeting all of them, just ahead. >> amazed those parents are standing. >> i know. >> it's amazing. >> they look exhausted. plus, i'm holding a unique magazine. it does something special when you hold it up to the web cam attached to your computer that will change the way that you look at magazines. we're going to show you what it does. that will be coming up. >> huh, because it has a little something on the cover there. we'll figure that out. >> yeah. there's a little something something. >> under robert downy jr. okay. >> first, to the news desk where hoda kotb is filling in for ann this morning. >> good morning to both of you. good morning, everybody. president obama will offer the nation's sympathy in texas for victims of the ft. hood massacre. he and first lady michelle obama also plan to meet with the families of the 12 soldiers and 1 civilian who were killed. 29 other people were wounded. officials say the army psychiatrist accused of opening fire last thursday, major nidal has hasan, will be tried in military court, and the fbi will conduct an internal review to see if it mishandled earlier reports that hasan had exchanged e-mails with a radical religious leader who has ties to al qaeda. police in pakistan say at least 30 people were killed today when a bomb went off near a crowded market. it was the third attack in northwestern pakistan in three days. the sniper who terrorized the washington, d.c., area in 2002 with a series of attacks that left ten people dead is scheduled for execution tonight by lethal injection. on monday, the u.s. supreme court rejected john allen muhammad's appeal. his attorneys are asking virginia governor tim kaine to commute the sentence, claiming their client is mentally ill. warships from north and south korea exchanged gunfire this morning for the first time in seven years. the clash took place off the west coast of the korean peninsula along the disputed border in the yellow sea. south korea said the north korean ship retreated with heavy damage. iran's president says there will be no early release for three american hikers now accused of spying. and today, iran's foreign minister said the three may face other charges as well. secretary of state hillary clinton is demanding their release on humanitarian grounds. and new concern today for the koala. an australian wildlife group claims the koala population, once in the millions, has plummeted to just 43,000. it wants the animals classified as endangered. however, the australian government contends koalas will survive even as development and brush fires shrink their habitat. how cute are they? it is now three minutes past the hour. let's go back outside to meredith and ann. >> they are so sweet. but they like solitude. i remember when i was in australia, they don't like people around them. they go way up in the trees. let's head down to pensacola, florida, for a check with al for the weather. hey, al. >> actually, you're very much like koalas. you climb up in trees and try to stay away from us during the program. >> yes, i do. i don't get very far, but we try. >> that's right. >> actually, you're like a koala, al. >> actually, we want to give you -- aww. you mean cute and cuddly, is that what you mean? >> yeah. >> aww, thank you. well, we'll give you a bird's-eye view of the gulf of mexico, and right now the remnants of ida making its way on shore. it has come on shore, pensacola beach, florida. it came on shore at dolphin island, alabama, and now continues its trek. it's 25 miles south of mobile, 45-mile-per-hour winds, moving northeast at 9. here along the gulf, most of that rain has stopped, although we do have heavy rain in the central panhandle of florida right now. and as you can see, flood watches and warnings all the way as far north as parts of south carolina. we're looking at the path of ida continuing down along the georgia/florida border, becoming just an extra tropical low as we get on into tomorrow afternoon, but it's a potent rain-maker. it's not going to be the winds, it's going to be the rains, anywhere from three to eight inches of rain, some areas as much as ten >> good morning. the weather should be pretty quiet on this tuesday. no problems to expect on the morning commute. 30% chance of rain shower. >> and that's your latest weather. meredith? >> al, thank you very much. and up next, the man who lost his brother, father and friend in a wrong-way crash. we'll speak about the claim that the woman who caused it was a regular pot smoker. ♪ (announcer) try out a few different moms this cold and flu season. the kleenex virtual moms at getmommed.com. is also a great value? it's the difference between paying more... and getting more. snuggle fabric softener gives you fresh, snuggly softness your family will love - and it costs much less than the leading brand! because everyone loves to snuggle! well-informed people are considering chevy malibu. you a cop? no. you didn't hear from me, but this malibu is a best buy. i heard that from consumers digest. it offers better highway mileage than a comparable camry or accord. estimated 33 highway. i saw that on the epa site. so how come the malibu costs so little. it's a chevy. you have cop hair. the award-winning chevy malibu. compare it to anyone and may the best car win. how about a coastal soup and grilled shrimp salad combination at red lobster? or maybe our new shrimp jambalaya simmered with creole spices. skewers of wood-grilled shrimp or your choice of shrimp paired with wood-grilled chicken. seafood lunches starting at just $6.99 that fit into your budget and your lunch hour. only at red lobster. it is now 8:09, and now back to stunning, new information in that tragic wrong-way crash on a new york highway back in july that killed eight people. we'll speak exclusively to a man who lost his father and brother in that crash in just a moment, but first, nbc's peter alexander is now joining us with the latest on this. hey, peter, good morning. >> ann, good morning to you. while diane schuler's family has long insisted that she was a model parent, not someone who would drive drunk or high, a newly obtained state police report paints a very different picture, with her own sister-in-law telling authorities that diane regularly smoked marijuana. she was behind the wheel in one of the deadliest crashes in new york history. now this state investigation report obtained by nbc news reveals that diane schuler's sister-in-law told authorities diane "smoked marijuana on a regular basis," explaining diane "didn't believe in medicine and used marijuana to relax," adding that she usually smoked at nights after the kids would go to bed. the statement contradicts past statements by her husband, who states she only used marijuana once in a while and was not a heavy drinker, as he told larry king. >> i'm not sure what happened with my wife. she's not an alcoholic. she doesn't drink. she's an outstanding mother. >> reporter: the schulers' attorney clarifies the statement. >> she knew diane had smoked in the past. she knew she smoked occasionally. the last time she had personal knowledge of her smoking was over 2 1/2 years ago. >> reporter: but autopsy reports say schuler was both high and drunk with a blood alcohol level twice the legal limit when she drove the wrong way down the taconic parkway for two miles before colliding with an suv, killing herself, her daughter, three nieces and three men in a second car. hours after the crash, the police report cites witnesses who saw her minivan zigzagging in traffic and twice saw it pulled over to the side of the road with her throwing up. >> it could be evidence that she was drunk, but it could also be evidence that goes into the contention of the schuler family that she was sick. >> diane's husband daniel schuler still insists a medical condition is to blame for the crash, suggesting his wife may have had a stroke or been disoriented by a tooth abscess. >> peter alexander this morning, thanks. michael bastardi jr. lost his brother and father in the crash and is joining us exclusively along with their family's lawyer, irving. good morning to both of you gentlemen. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> michael, we'll get to the police report in just a moment, but it's just been several months since this great tragedy for so many people, including for your family. how are you dealing with all this, sir? >> just, we're dealing with it each day, you know, in constant touch, the family, tight family that we are, and you know, everybody has issues. we call each other and we're just taking it one day at a time and, you know, we're doing okay. >> we're glad to hear that. so, then, in asking you again about this police report, what stands out, as you just heard in peter's report, is that diane's sister-in-law told investigators that diane was a regular marijuana smoker, that she got high at night after her kids went to sleep. what's your reaction to that, michael? >> just more anger, you know? it doesn't surprise me whatsoever. i mean, we know what the toxicology report said. we know what the autopsy's said. it doesn't surprise me. >> there are also -- >> if i may -- >> go ahead, sir. >> okay. i am particularly, say annoyed and outraged by the constant repetition on the part of the lawyer for the dan schuler and dan schuler himself, when they constantly say despite all these reports that we got on the autopsy, et cetera, that his wife was sober, his wife was not drunk at all and was not high on any drug. i mean, it is something that is a hoax that's being perpetrated on the public, and i think that there should be an investigation by a grand jury to get statements under oath. so far, nothing has been under oath on the part of the schulers or on the part of the lawyer and on the part of their investigator, who i think should know better. >> are you hoping for a grand jury to look at this case, because you're interested in filing a civil case, michael? >> yes. i mean, we do have options. we are still looking into the grand jury to see if we can get, you know, everybody under oath. you know, the thing that bothers me most is when mr. ruskin, you know, he's just constantly supposedly investigating. i think what he's investigating is a fantasy that was thought up by daniel schuler, and he insists on investigating that fantasy. i think he should just realize and i think he should investigate the facts, and the facts are what they are, that diane schuler was drunk, that mr. ruskin -- that diane schuler was drunk and very high on marijuana, and i really would like to know what daniel schuler has to say about what happened that entire weekend, that a perfect mother like this, that has a history of smoking pot, which was admitted by his own family members. it's kind of disgusting what he's been putting us through. >> i would go on to say -- >> let me interrupt to say we've reached out to the schuler family through their attorney, and you're talking about him, mr. ruskin -- >> yes. >> and the family did not want to comment, but the private investigator did comment on the police report and he says that "there is no proof" that she was drunk or high at the time of the accident. michael, do you believe that there is any possibility that daniel may be right in that his wife may have suffered any kind of medical condition? >> absolutely not. and let me just -- did you say that there was no proof she was drunk and high at the accident? >> he said that there was no proof that she was drunk or high. that's correct. that's the reaction of mr. ruskin -- >> what's the toxicology reports and the autopsy reports -- is that not proof? >> you know, can i interject? that's one of the main reasons that we want a grand jury, because those statements are not under oath. i would like them to submit to a polygraph test, lie detector test, so to speak. i think they have an obligation to do that. moreover, i have challenged time and again his attorney and dan schuler to submit follicles of their own hair, because in all likelihood, if his wife was high on marijuana every night, i would say that it's almost certain that he was participating in that sort of recreation, if you want to call it that. we are prepared to continue demanding a grand jury investigation, and if necessary, we will seek perhaps to go to a higher authority, which we would regret to do, but if necessary, we are holding that in advance as a possibility. >> okay. irving, attorney for the family, thank you so much, and also michael bastardi, jr. our deep condolences to you. thank you so much for speaking to us today. >> thank you. thank you so much. thank you. >> thank you very much. >> you're welcome. and we'll be right back. remember, you have to jiggle it. ( doorbell rings ) we never get the time to tell people stuff. ♪ say what you need to say ♪ say what you need to say ( holding last note ) we couldn't have made it through this last year without you, mom. this year, appreciation may be the best gift of all. a hallmark card. it's the biggest little thing you can do. a hallmark card. one day something hit me. my pc should be safer. so i passed this along to microsoft. just like that, windows 7 comes out. and what do you know? it helps block out the stuff that might mess with my pc, and it keeps my personal info safer. now, was this all because of me? what do you think axel? that's a yes. i'm a pc and windows 7 was my idea. to build up his savings account. that's simple alright. use your debit card for everyday purchases and automatically build your savings. with keep the change®. only from bank of america. magazine covers have not changed much through the years. there's a title, a photo and a brief glimpse at what's inside. that is, until now. next week, "esquire" hits stands with a unique issue featuring a technology called augmented reality, and it could alter the way we enjoy future issues. david granger is editor in chief. good morning to you. >> good morning, meredith. >> augmented reality, what is it? >> it's just a technology that layers data on top of video, and now that video's so prominent on computers, cell phones, everything, people are trying to find new uses for it. >> okay, so you use it on the cover of the december issue, which has robert downey jr. on the cover. explain how it works ooms. walk me through it. >> buy the issue, go to esquire.com, do a quick download and then just hold the magazine up to the web cam on your computer. can i show you? >> sure, please. >> and magic happens! >> ha! boo-yah! in your face! and bless yourself. welcome to the augmented issue of "esquire" magazine, my name is robert downey jr. -- >> what's it reading, just the box? >> it's reading the marker on the cover. there are five editorial things on the cover and in an ad that give you different experiences. we have gillian jacobs tell you an extra funny joke, and -- can i show you? >> let's see gillian's, yeah. >> one second. locate gillian. gillian is a -- >> what's the hardest challenge of bringing this to life? >> the challenge was really just the coding, barbarian -- the barbarian group -- here's the joke from gillian. >> one guy collapses to the ground. his other friend rushes over. he sees that he's not breathing, that his eyes are rolling -- >> you have to have ideas for how to use this technology. then you've got to get all these people to cooperate with these extra special little performances, and then you've got a code. there's a coding and work that goes into making sure that it actually works. >> you know, magazines are hurting, no question about it. they're folding. is this a gimmick to try to bring people back in? >> you know, magazines and newspapers get tarred with the idea that they're old media, because there's all this new media. >> right. >> but they're old media because they're really good. i think this is just a way to get people excited about something in a magazine again. >> yeah, and how do you see using this in the future? >> i think there's so many different uses. i mean, we used it in a fashion shoot with jeremy renner. you can actually force him to kind of change clothes, change outfits in the story. and i think you can use the 360 capabilities and the 3d capabilities to really enhance what a magazine does. >> do you think it's going to change the way we see magazines in the future? do you see other magazines looking at this and going, you know, i want in on this? >> i showed it to a lot of colleagues and they were very excited and want to do it. i don't think it's going to change the essence of magazine. you have the same exact magazine experience when you pick up "esquire" and read it -- >> you don't have to do this, in other words. >> but if you choose to turn on the augmented reality, you get something really special. >> thank you so much, david granger. the magazine hits newsstands next week. now here's ann. >> meredith, thanks. now to a controversial website some say causes frivolous and costly lawsuits. it's called whocanisue.com, and michelle kosinski explains the answer is just about everyone. >> reporter: so, you're stuck in traffic, maybe short on cash? what else to ponder than that age-old question who can i sue? at least, that is what the new website's creator is not minding at all that you do. >> the name is provocative, but the name doesn't make anybody sue anybody. we're really providing information. >> reporter: the logo, a guy slipped up by the old banana peel. the website chock-full of every mishap imaginable, dog bites, bed sores, divorce. and the tv commercials -- >> who can i sue? >> who can i sue? >> who can i sue? >> whocanisue.com, silly! >> reporter: the goal, of course, to get attention. >> should people be asking who can i sue? >> i think one of the great things about america is we have the best civil justice system in the world. >> reporter: curtis miner used to be a federal prosecutor and now doesn't quite cherish how these ads reflect on his profession. >> it makes me cringe a little. >> reporter: and if you're one who thinks we already live in something of a lawsuit-happy society, imagine you're surprised to see one of these huge billboards popping up in your neighborhood asking "who can i sue?" and it makes you hope you're not on anybody's list. because this website is technically a directory and not a referral service, there is a loophole. it doesn't need to follow the rules for legal advertising set by the bar. florida says "we can't regulate taste." >> i told you going to whocanisue.com was the best thing you could do. >> reporter: don't like it? well, the founder says hold onto your crutches. this might cut down on frivolous lawsuits. when you click on something like dog bites, the site asks, oh, i don't know, were you trespassing when fido attacked? the site tells you you might be out of luck. if you slip on a banana peel, could you have a claim there? >> it depends why the peel was there. >> reporter: you're not going to sue us, are you? >> no, we're not going to sue you. >> reporter: and you might be thinking who can i >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. let's get a final check of the morning commute with sarah caldwell b. >> accident in the area of dulaney valley. use extra caution as travel there in the glenarm area. it will be a busy ride as they clear the accident. you are down to eight miles per hour at padonia road. residual delays there. with accident in parksville. if you're heading out there this morning, watch for delays. volume-related delays on the west side. 14 minutes is your drive time on the outer loop. 21 on the other loop northeast. 16-minute ride on the inner loop. the life of your traffic in the area. at an earlier accident in this area. it was -- is now clear. these delays link heading towards providence in the outer loop. >> no weather problems expected for the rest of tuesday morning commute. a little bit of sunshine breaking through the clouds and a couple of places. temperatures in the low-to-mid- fifties. 51 decreased at b.w.i. forecast for today will be mostly cloudy. a 30% chance for a rain shower. high temperatures between 60 and 65. it will drop on wednesday and thursday. winds will shift to the northeast and the breezy and chilly. a few off and on rainshowers both days. it should clear up as we head into the weekend on friday and saturday. >> we will had at another update at 8:55. 8:30 now on this tuesday morning, november 10th, 2009. another great crowd here on rockefeller plaza, and they should stick around until tomorrow, because nbc's artists in residence, bon jovi will be here for a special concert live on the plaza. i'm meredith vieira along with ann curry and hoda kotb. matt is off this morning and al roker is down in florida covering tropical storm ida. we're going to check in with al, actually, in just a moment. but we are the girls. >> that's right. >> we are the girls, and that's what we mean, just us. >> exactly. later this hour, we'll meet the newest multiple birth family in tv town, the hayes family, and they have ten kids. >> and i was just talking to tease kids. they are so adorable, as you can tell. >> oh, they are cute! >> from the way they're waving and being so well-behaved. so annoying that my kids can't be like that. >> and sextuplets. also coming up -- >> what? >> this famous coke machine that's over there. >> oh, yes. >> this is a coke machine that mixes different coke products, and you get any concoction you want out of it. >> cool! >> what do you think? >> i don't know. we'll have to give it a shot. give it a try. >> members of the crew said it was very good. >> you can mix it however you want. we'll see how that works. >> like gin and rum? >> does it make cosmopolitans is what we really want to know. by the way, earlier this morning, we were talking with michael bastardi jr. and his lawyer about the deadly wrong-way crash that killed 11 people in new york. and we want to clear something. we have heard from the schuler family investigator, tom ruskin, and he insists that the schulers never said that there is no proof that diane schuler was drunk and high at the time of the accident. they acknowledge the autopsy results show just that and that they also do, however, want to exhume her body to get further results. >> glad we clarified that. >> okay. now, we'll talk to the latest cast away from nbc's "the biggest loser." tracy is a 37-year-old mother of four. she became this season's villain, so to speak, and last week she fell below the bottom line and got the boot. good morning. >> good morning. >> look how little you are, by the way! >> you look fantastic. >> thank you very much. >> uh huh. >> beginning of the show, several weeks ago, started off, you were quite ill. >> i was very sick. i had heat stroke on the show -- >> is that why -- >> that is what happened. >> we all heard rumors about what was going on. >> sure. my body got way too hot. wie definitely out of shape. >> it was a one-mile run on the beach and you just couldn't do it. >> yeah. it's very hard watching that, my kids even, the same. it definitely gives you a wake-up call and it's something out there for everyone to know, you know. even though you think you can do it, you still -- >> how much weight did you lose overall? >> you know, i am not disclosing how much weight i lost. >> oh, okay. it looks like a lot. >> i have lost a lot and i have done great at home, and it has been wonderful with my family supporting me all the way and working very hard with my trainer every day and just giving it everything i can, and this is -- this is the life that i'm living that i love right now. >> what allowed you to overcome -- clearly, when your health suffers when you start to work out, it's really hard, and it might even scare you into not continuing. so, for the people who are listening who really do want to lose a lot of weight, how did you overcome your fear about how your health might be impacted? >> um -- >> and you still lose all this weight. >> definitely. even on the show, that's -- it was like survival for me every single day. when you see me go into those interviews and i'm saying i'm putting one foot in front of the other, that is exactly what i did. every single day that i got out of bed and chose to go swimming, go work out with bob and jillian, that's what i chose to do, and that's what people at home need to do. if you want to make a change, you have to put one foot in front of the other and you have to keep going. >> they cast you as the villain -- >> they did, they did. >> and you dropped, i think 11 pounds at one point, and nobody clapped. >> nobody clapped. >> they weren't happy for you. what was that like? >> it was very hard, and i did stand up there and say, wow, no one's clapping for me and i just lost 11 pounds. even the coach said that. that's what this is about, being joyful and being happy for others. but at the time, it was hard for everyone. i mean, i was playing the game to stay and doing what i had to do to stay there and taking care of myself. so, i just put myself in this cocoon and i smiled and i stood up there and i said, you just lost 11 pounds, tracey, way to go. >> feel good about yourself. >> and you'll be a butterfly later, i promise. >> and you're doing a marathon next month? >> i am doing a half marathon with my trainer. >> good luck to you. >> good job. >> it's been an amazing experience. >> you look experience. >> and "the biggest loser," i'm very thankful. thank you for having me. >> and it airs tonight at 8:00/7:00 central right here on nbc. and now it's time to check on the weather and al's in pensacola beach, florida, with the latest on ida. hey, al. >> thank you. >> hey, guys. thanks a lot. as we check it out, of course, ida now onshore, tropical storm slowly losing strength, will be making its way through the gulf today. we're going to be looking at heavy rain throughout the southeast. wet weather in the pacific northwest, mountain snows there as well, sunshine through new england into the great lakes. as we move into tomorrow, the remnants of ida continue to plague the southeast with heavy rain along the mid-atlantic coastal states, more rain in the pacific northwest. look for >> don't expect any weather problems for your tuesday morning commute. we have a little cloud cover. a 30% chance of rain shower. no big deal. high temperature >> that's your latest weather. meredi meredith. >> thanks, al. >> the hayes family is next. >> they have a great new reality show coming up. >> the- ( music playing )reality - now's the time to invest. in lumber. in rubber. in bellies. and precious metals. it's time to put everything you have into your 10k. your 5k. and even your 1k. and, of course, you can never go wrong with futures. kaiser permanente. thrive. andboss: ah! thank can gecko: what's going on, sir? 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(hissing noise, gulping) gecko: aw, he ate all my mints. anncr: geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. ♪ if you think life is challenging with a few children, well, try ten. the hayes family star in tlc's reality show "table for 12," and as you might expect, things can get chaotic. take a look. >> there were these kids and they were playing outside at night and they were in the woods, right? they hear the snap of the twig, crack! and they turn around, and there's a big skeleton! >> oh, my gosh -- >> bones and all. [ screaming ] >> oh! oh, man! >> betty and eric hayes are the parents of the clan. they're now joining us along with their ten kids. okay, kids, raise your hands. we've got 13-year-old twins kevin and kyle, 11-year-old twins kieron and megan, and also 5-year-old sextuplets tara, rachel, ryan, connor, e.j. and rebecca. i think we got most of the hands up. good morning, everybody. >> good morning. >> so, before i ask you all the questions about this new show, kevin, what was your thinking there? what were you doing, trying to scare your family? >> well, it's a campfire. what do you -- we have to have ghost stories at a campfire, so i came up with one. >> betty, you didn't seem thrilled about this. >> i wasn't happy. i knew they were going to tell little scary stories. i didn't know they would go to the extreme of having props, and -- >> i bet your life is like this all the time, all these kinds of things coming up. >> it can be a little nutty, it can. >> right. so eric, we should back up and tell everybody how this all kind of got started, because you basically had two sets of twins. you wanted to have one more child and you ended up having six, and there you have ten. now, what explains how you decided to go and become a reality tv show family, eric? >> well, you know, we had thought about this for a long time and we had opportunities in the past, but we had some issues, and you know, our family life was the most important thing. we had issues with rebecca early on. and now we're at a point where, you know, everything's going pretty well. we know what rebecca's story is, and maybe it's time we get out there and find if there's any opportunities we can open doors for her with her cerebral palsy and other things. so maybe there are opportunities out there that might be opened up for us. >> what do you think about that? obviously, you're holding rebecca in your arms, daddy. what are your thoughts about what this reality show might bring, rebecca? i assume her cerebral palsy -- there's a higher risk of that when you're born as part of a multiple. >> that's true. when we found out that she first had issues, we -- i basically, like any mother, would go to the internet and started clicking, and everything that i clicked on would pop up with a lawyer website -- do you want to see your doctor? and that's not what i needed. what i needed was answers. i wanted somebody to help me. what do i do with her? there's no book out there to really guide you through a handicapped, multi-impaired child. so, we were hoping that having this opportunity might help other mothers and also bring in information, you know? so, you know, kind of a two-way street. >> you wanted to create a kind of openness in all of this. >> yes. >> so, you know, there have -- you know, you know that this is not always easy for families to go the way of the reality tv show? you know, we hear a lot about a family called the gosselins. i mean, i know that it must be strange for you to be compared in some ways to that family, but you know, obviously, this might be trepidatious waters. eric, any thoughts about that? >> i mean, there's a lot of families on tv now that are large. you know, we're a little different. every family's unique. you know, we have a good foundation. we've been married for 19 years. you know, we're a little bit older. i think we've spent a lot of time together and been able to develop a relationship before we started any of this. so, i think we're on good ground here. >> good. okay. now i just want to bring in some of the little kids here. we've got ryan. ryan, where are you? ryan. so, what's it like being a member of a family with ten kids? what do you think about it? kind of just how it is, isn't it? >> shrugging. >> do you have any fun with your brothers and sisters? yeah? and tara, i hear you're like a little princess. yeah? what do you like about being a little princess? >> i don't know. >> oh, boy. >> no? maybe you get to wear sparkles like you have on this morning. and megan, what do the kids say about your show? >> i don't know. i -- >> has anybody said anything to you about it? >> i know a couple people who said, oh, my gosh, that's so cool, and like, i can't believe that you have a show on tv. and it's just -- otherwise, it's just normal. >> normal. there are cameras all in your house and everything. >> not -- >> not on a 24-hour basis, you know? they're there a couple days a week. they're not intrusive. we obviously want school and church to come first. so, i mean, they are there, but it definitely takes third place, you know? but obviously, you'll see the difference if you tune into "table for 12" tonight on tlc and -- >> in fact, i'll do the hard work for you. i'll tell you that it starts tonight. the new episodes start tonight on tlc called "table for 12." thank you so much, the hayes family. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> oh, my goodness, you're just getting started. look at you. we've got much more coming up next. the future of fountain drinks, maybe. the new soda machine that puts ♪ ♪ there's always coca-cola, yeah ♪ tired of the same old choices at the soda machine? well, get a load at this. it's called the coca-cola freestyle, and it lets you apparently mix and match to blend a custom-made beverage. we've got cnbc's melissa lee. she's got a glimpse at it and more from her upcoming special called "coca-cola: the real story behind the real thing." melissa, thank you so much for joining us. >> oh, it's my pleasure. >> good morning. >> good morning, ann. >> what's this about exactly? is this basically an idea that the company thinks is going to be the next big thing? >> they are hoping that perhaps by trying to figure out what consumers want, what they're mixing, that it could lead to the next big thing. and what's so great about this soda machine is that it really harkens back to coke's roots. remember, coke was invented back in 1886. it was originally a soda fountain drink, and there are generations of americans out there who have memories of going to the soda fountain and having them pour him or her a cherry coke. and it sort of simulates that, but brings it up to the 21 aebd century with a easy-to-use interface and it has printer cartridges in the bottom of the machine, which disperses flavor in microdoses, a technology borrowed from medicine. >> you've got minute maid up here, which you can mix with diet coke, which you can mix with hi-c -- >> hold on. you're going crazy here. what you could do -- and i'm actually going to pour you a specific drink that you cannot find in a can or bottle anywhere. does everybody out there know what a creamcicle is? everybody knows what one is, right? so, this is the closest thing. dispense the ice. pick your base. do you want a regular coke, a diet coke? >> i'll do regular coke. >> let's do regular coke. then you've got the flavor options. a creamcicle is half coke vanilla, and you hit pour -- >> this is complicated. >> no, no. then half orange. and then pour. >> so, you can only have two choices, right? no, you can have more than cho two choices? >> you can have more than two choices. >> you can go crazy. >> there are up to 104 variations that you can possibly mix on this machine. you could be standing here on the plaza all morning long. >> so, what's to prevent us from doing a vodka tonic with this machine? >> well, if you take this coke and you want to bring it to your bar, ann, that's your choice, but the hope here for the coke company is that after you hit the pour button, what this machine does is transmits data back to coke headquarters in atlanta. it tells the company what is being poured in terms of the flavor combinations, what time it's being poured, how often it's being poured. and so, coke hopes to tap into this in order to get closer to the consumer and possibly figure out what its next big brand combination could be. >> all right. meantime, you're going to be talking about this, but also much more regarding the company as you investigate how coca-cola's enduring this economic downturn and what it might illuminate for the rest of us, other companies. >> including a behind-the-scenes look into a place never before seen by cameras, which is the lab where coke figures out how consumers decide to buy, because usually, when you're in that supermarket, it's five seconds, the time that you decide to purchase, five seconds. >> okay. and what time does this air? >> 9:00 p.m. eastern time tomorrow on cnbc. >> all right. melissa lee, thank you so much. >> my pleasure. >> great to see you. we've got much more coming up. getting something back in this economy? that's hard to find. ♪ earn holiday rewards at giant, every time you use your card. earn one point for every dollar you spend. good for up to 20% off a future shopping trip. redeem your points and start earning again. only with your giant card. makes me feel great when i find a rewards program that really works. i love seeing all that savings racking up. that's my favorite part of the trip. this morning on "today's kitchen back to basics" down-home cooking with the husband and wife team, high school sweethearts, owners of neelys barbecue in nashville and they have their own food network show and now a cookbook "down home with the neelys." good morning. >> good morning, meredith. >> this smells so good. i want to get this as quickly as possible, but one question about the book. every recipe you have comes with a back story. why is that important to have a story with the recipe? >> i think any time you have a recipe -- most of the recipes in our book are generational. they come from families, because if you think about it, that's where all the good loving and the good food comes from. the thing about home, you love it and just want to do. it this pot roast for one is very economical, it's very easy to make, feeds a family of four as a happy meal and guess what, adult working moms, we love that. >> perfect. one pot, low-cost pot roast. >> yes. easy, simple. >> easy breezy. >> we come from large families that we like to have very economical meals. so, what we've got is a three to four-pound roast here. >> no bone in that, i take it. >> no bone. >> no bone. >> we're going to season this baby with salt and pepper. >> simple enough. >> very simple. great thing about all of the recipes, they're so easy and simple and most of the ingredients are right in your cupboard. >> absolutely. >> then we want to sear it. >> how long do you do this for? >> just until it browns on every side. >> okay. >> kind of depends on the size. this one is browned beautifully. >> beautiful. >> we want to take it out of the pot -- >> and then one? >> sit it there. look how delicious that looks. >> just by itself. >> right. then we've got some italian seasoning. >> you throw that into the pot. >> throw that in. >> that's all going to go back in. >> and in memphis, we've always got some beer. >> of course. >> got to have some beer. all right, so, then you pour the beer in. >> yes, sir. >> we've got two bay leaves. we take about eight garlic cloves -- >> whole. >> just dump them in, whole. >> whole, because they're going to cook down. >> we've got some beef broth, all right? >> to add flavor. >> it's not beer, but all right. >> then we've got some ported onions, all right? now, we dump these in, and you want to give it a vigorous stir. >> okay. >> and there are brown bits in the bottom that you want to rake off, because that's where all your flavor is. >> right. >> that's from the meat, from searing the meat. >> people think it's best burnt, but you want to pull that flavor out. >> once it comes to a boil, guess what? we're putting this baby right back in. >> right back in. >> you get that cooking. >> so, you've got all the flavors going. now, we're going to lid this. it's going into the oven for about 300 degrees for three hours. it's going to be so tender. oh, my god, so tender. >> and for a great piece of roast, you need vegetables. baby carrots, red potatoes and onions. now, meredith, i'll have you salt and pepper. >> as much as i want? >> as much as you want. >> all right. >> don't go crazy, though. we don't want to kill anybody. >> i won't go crazy. you obviously know me. all right, i've done enough. >> and drizzle in some olive oil. >> okay, again -- >> and you just want to add in a little thyme to give it some more flavor. >> you've got time, so add a little thyme. >> you've got time for the thyme. then toss it around. that's all you do. very, very simple. so, put it on your baking sheet and let it roast for 45 minutes. dump it all in here -- >> what temperature? in the same oven as the pot roast? >> you sure can put it right in together. then that's it. when this is done, you want to add some lemon juice, some partly sun parsley and lemon zest -- >> now this is what it looks like. >> come on back. >> listen -- >> oh, man. >> when you get back here, it's on, meredith. >> this is southern at its best. >> it's on. >> oh, look at this! >> coming in -- >> we knew they would show up. >> we knew you were coming. you come at serving time. >> we do, though. >> what is this? >> this is beautiful. >> stop the presses! >> broccoli cheddar corn bread. oh, my god, so amazing. >> how are you doing? >> and if you have kids and you want to sneak in a vegetable and they don't know it, that's a good way to do it. >> right. >> that sure is. this is good. >> there you go, meredith. that's for you. >> when you're in memphis and you've got the "down home with neelys" cookbook, try these recipes. i'm telling you. you know what we do when we're done with a great dish? >> don't say that on air if -- >> no, listen, we rub our feet together. take your shoes off and rub your feet together. >> i am taking my boots off right now. >> there y >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 is today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. joby selection is expected to wrap up today in the trial of baltimore mayor sheila dixon. yesterday, 137 people were called with nearly two dozen claiming they already made up their minds about the case. dixon's attorney entered not guilty. she faces a number of charges, including felony theft for allegedly stealing gift cards intended >> now let's take a look of the forecast with tony pann. >> things should be pretty quiet on this tuesday. we might get a couple of weeks at the sun. 30% chance for a rain shower in the forecast. cooler than monday, but still above normal for this time of year. high temperatures and the mid- 50's both days. as we head into the beginning of the weekend, it should clear up. next chance for rain after this will be late sunday. >> thank you for joining us. we will have another update at 9:25.

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