more than 525 now dead in indonesia as rescuers desperately try to save thousands more trapped under collapsed buildings following two powerful quacks. while in the samoan islands, the death toll from that tsunami climbs to 149. we have reports from both regions. jailhouse letter. phillip garrido, the man accused of kidnapping jaycee dugard 18 years ago sends a bizarre, handwritten note to a local nbc reporter. we'll tell you what he wrote. and dramatic rescue. a new york man races up a fire escape and into a burning building to help firefighters save a young boy's life. his heroic efforts caught on tape today, thursday, october 1st, 2009. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and welcome to "today" on

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

but we begin with the latest on those two natural disasters that have killed hundreds in indonesia and the samoan islands. ian williams has made his way to earthquake-ravaged indonesia and joins us now on the phone. ian, good morning. what can you tell us? >> reporter: good morning, matt. well, the latest figures we're hearing is at least 500 people dead and many hundreds injured, but that figure almost certainly is going to rise, the reason being, there are so many collapsed buildings here. in the center of town, which is where we now find ourselves, many, many buildings have collapsed. many of the newer buildings. and we just don't know how many people may be trapped inside those buildings. the market was particularly badly hit. very busy yesterday evening when the quake struck. a hospital is down. many shops have been badly hit. we don't know how many people are still trapped in those buildings. this is a city in shock. people expected the worst. they ran onto the streets again today when there was quite a

severe aftershock. rumors spread of a possible tsunami coming in. people are not getting information. the power is down. there is no water. now, surprisingly, many buildings in the downtown area have remained standing, but the damage is enormous, and with so many difficulties getting here, with so many difficulties with the infrastructure, it will be some time before the rescue teams can get properly working on some of the worst affected areas, matt. >> all right. ian williams reporting for us live on the phone this morning from indonesia, where that earthquake struck just several hours ago. ian, thank you very much. it's three minutes after the hour. here's meredith. >> matt, thank you. now to the samoan islands, where the death toll is rising as well following tuesday's massive tsunami. nbc's lee cowan is on the samoan island of upolu. lee, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, meredith. yeah, the death toll here now stands at at least 115. officials expect that to rise as well. and now police are saying that it could be weeks or even longer

before the dead and missing are recovered. as the damage became more apparent, so, too, did the misery. village after village literally wiped off the samoan map. the death toll continues to climb from this week's tsunami that sent a wall of water rushing at streets and villages. even now, days later, searchers continue to find bodies in what's become a muddy landscape of ruin. many of the victims were tourists, now destined for temporary morgues, because the hospital morgues are full. many more, it's feared, have likely been washed back out to sea. survivors are returning to find their homes often nothing more than a foundation. >> this is the first time i ever seen anything like this, so dangerous. no words to describe. >> reporter: she was able to save her 90-year-old mother, but her house is thick with mud, sand and little else that is salvageable. >> i told her, i ran and no, her feet, you know, they didn't move

from the ground. >> reporter: now, it is the middle of the night here, meredith, but as soon as day breaks, officials expect that those relief efforts that have been coming from all corners of the globe will get right back into high gear. meredith? >> lee cowan, thank you very much. it is 7:05. once again, here's matt. >> meredith, thanks. on a much lighter note, we turn now to the star-studded campaign to bring the 2016 olympic games to chicago. president obama heads to copenhagen, denmark, later today. he will join his wife and some other heavy hitters who are already there pushing for the windy city. "today" national correspondent natalie morales is also in copenhagen. natalie, good morning to you. >> reporter: and good morning to you, matt. you know, it doesn't get any better in terms of pr blitzes than this. the president and first lady tag-teaming here to help boost chicago's chances for that olympic bid, and it looks like it may be working. the red carpet is out in copenhagen, ready to greet the world's power players, a full-on

ground invasion to try and gain those crucial votes in the close race between host city hopefuls chicago, rio, tokyo and madrid. first to arrive for chicago, michelle obama. >> chicago is a wonderful host city, great people, great facilities. it knows about sports. and the hospitality is like no other, and it's a city that works really well. >> reporter: turning on the charm as only she can with the voting members of the international olympic committee. >> i'm going to go talk to some voters. >> reporter: the other "o" in town, oprah. >> i love this city! this city has given -- it really gave birth and life to me. i mean, my greatest successes came from this city. >> barack obama, he's the key partner. >> oh, he's our team captain. >> yes. >> yes. >> reporter: president obama will only be on the ground in copenhagen for all of four hours friday. >> i'll sleep on the plane, i'll land, i'll speak and then i'll fly right back. >> reporter: long enough, though, to make what will be the

final campaign speech for chicago. odds-makers in london are betting on chicago as the favorite. >> it looks like a two-horse race as far as we're concerned, and chicago just the favorites at the moment. >> reporter: also vying for top billing, brazil's rio de janeiro, already a major tourist destination. president luis dasilva arriving to make his case that rio is ready to shine with its booming economy. geography plays in its favor, a point soccer star peele pele is here to make. >> we never had it in south america. >> reporter: madrid and tokyo are also bringing their top guns, spain and the newly elected prime minister of japan, hat hat. but that may still not be enough. what's their secret weapon to beat out the obamas? >> i can't tell you. >> the obama factor is very important in this race. chicago, are they guaranteed to win with obama there? no, definitely not, but the chances are much greater then.

>> reporter: it will be a one, two, three punch -- michelle, oprah, with president obama hoping to seal the deal. and i can tell you, the first lady has already been very hard at work today meeting with the ioc president as well as voting members, trying to sway their votes, perhaps, but later tonight the glitz will be on once again in full, as she's expected to attend a reception -- a gala reception tonight at the opera house. matt? >> are you going to stick around, natalie? will we see you there tomorrow? >> reporter: absolutely. i'm hoping i get a red carpet ticket today, at least, for that event. >> all right, good luck. we'll check in with you in 24 hours as the world waits to find out this news. >> yeah, it's a real fight there. now let's get a check on the top stories from ann curry at the news desk. good morning. >> good morning, everybody. high-stakes talks are under way in geneva. the u.s. and five other nations hoping they can talk iran into reconsidering its nuclear ambitions. nbc's chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell is there now. andrea, expectations are so low.

what's the best that might come out of these talks? >> reporter: well, frankly, the u.s., ann, say they don't know what to expect, but they do say for the first time that they are willing today to sit down and talk separately, one on one with iran for the first time in decades. that is a big deal. and the u.n. atomic energy chief, mohamed elbaradei now says definitively that what iran has done is illegal, so iran could look for a face-saving way out. they could agree to freeze their program in exchange for buying low-grade enriched uranium from france and russia. that could be a compromise. so far going in, the u.s. expects iran to bring up a lot of other topics. they, the u.s., want to keep it focused on the nuclear question. >> interesting story to cover. andrea mitchell, thank you so much. president obama's considering all the options in afghanistan now after a major strategy meeting with his national security team on wednesday. top advisers are said to be divided on the question of whether or not to send additional troops to afghanistan. today, china staged its

biggest military parade ever to mark 60 years of communist rule. in new york, the empire state building was illuminated red and yellow in a tribute to china, but critics who cite china's record on human rights call that tribute immoral. overseas markets are mostly higher this morning. cnbc's melissa francis at the new york stock exchange. melissa, a lot of news yesterday about the road -- at the end of the road for gm saturn. >> yeah, that's absolutely right. gm is, in fact, closing the saturn brand. they tried to make a deal with penske to sell it, but that fell through. gm's going to immediately begin shutting down a plant in michigan that builds those cars. it could also shut 350 dealers and could cost as many as 13,000 jobs. also getting a lot of attention this morning, comcast is denying reports that it has made a deal to buy nbc universal, both nbc universal and ge have no comment on this story. back to you, ann. >> all right, melissa francis, thank you so much for your report. finally now, a good samaritan is being hailed as a hero in new york after helping

firefighters rescue a 4-year-old boy from a burning building on wednesday. the man carried the boy down the fire escape, as you see there, and gave onlookers a thumbs up when the child started breathing again. he's in stable condition this morning. at 7:11, it's a nice story to end with. let's now go back to meredith, matt and al. >> i was listening to a story this morning that said when he was a young boy in romania, his family was caught in a fire and i think he may have saved a sister. he may have lost a parent in that fire. so this is a man for a second time being involved with this. just had to do what he could.

>> gorgeous start to october here. mostly sunny skies. 65 to 68 degrees. definitely feeling like autumn. we will be milder tonight. 74 tomorrow. >> that's your latest weather. matt? >> all right, al, thank you very much. now to the california man accused of kidnapping and holding a girl hostage for nearly two decades.

phillip garrido has now sent a letter from prison to a local nbc reporter in sacramento. nbc's michael okwu has the details. >> reporter: the letter is handwritten and full of misspellings and musings about how authorities have mistreated jaycee. "she has been repeatedly denied access to having an attorney present during questioning," the author writes, "her civil rights have been violated. please consider this request to contact her at your earliest possible date." >> he's still affecting people on the outside and telling them what to do and to do it his way. >> reporter: the return address on the envelope is the county jail where garrido is awaiting trial. just underneath that address, the name faintly visible, phillip garrido. a jail official says the letter appears authentic. a dugard family spokesperson said they have no intention of dignifying a letter from the kidnapper with a response.

the letter was sent to nbc affiliate kcra and reporter walt gregg. in a phone interview shortly after his arrest last month, garrido told gray, the years with jaycee and the children he fathered with her were heartwarming. >> those two children, those two girls, they slept in my arms every single night from birth and never did i harm them. i never touched them. >> i just think he's maybe making some assumptions and maybe continually stirring the pot here. >> reporter: the writer instructs gray to deliver the letter to a private attory who will look int this matter for her best interests. >> he didn't worry about her rights when he raped her. he didn't worry about her rights when he kept her imprisoned for all those years. >> reporter: those charges have yet to be settled in court. garrido has pled not guilty. but to criminal profilers, the letter is a means to continue to reach out to the young woman he allegedly kept captive for 18 years. >> he's not crazy. he knows exactly what he's doing. >> reporter: for "today," michael okwu, nbc news, los

angeles. it is now 7:15, and once again, here's meredith. >> matt, thank you. now to the latest on the arrest of director roman polanski more than three decades after he fled the u.s. to avoid sentencing on a child sex crime. a number of people have come to his defense, and that has triggered a heated debate. we're going to get thoughts from both sides of that in a moment, but first, nbc's stephanie gosk is in zurich, switzerland, with the latest. stephanie, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, meredith. swiss officials won't confirm where polanski's being held, but he's widely believed to be in a cell in this building behind me. a local paper says the acclaimed director has few creature comforts -- only a bed, a table and a tv. his wife is allowed to visit, but just once a week. there are signs polanski will be sitting in that cell for a lot longer than many thought. instead of a matter of days or weeks, legal experts say the swiss court may deliberate for months. while the process drags, a cultural debate boils over. it started with outpourgz of support. >> he was not charged with -- i

know it wasn't rape rape. >> no? >> it was something else, but i don't believe it was rape rape. >> reporter: glitterattie signed a petition asking for his lease. it's lit up the blogosphere with columns like this one on salon.com. >> you know, we're talking a lot about what a great artist he is and how much time has passed and all of these other things, and it just seemed like nobody was coming back to the fact that he raped a 13-year-old girl. >> roman polanski. >> reporter: there's a growing concern among many that the oscar award-winning director is getting off easy. >> you know what happens to nosy fellas, huh? >> i think he got a celebrity deal 30-some-odd years ago. if you look at the sentence, that sentence by itself could be looked at as outrageously light. >> reporter: in 1977, polanski admitted to unlawful sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old girl as part of a plea deal, but he had been charged with five other offenses, including rape by use of drugs and sodomy. polanski fled the u.s. on rumors the judge might renege the deal.

last week, swiss police finally arrested him. amid the growing backlash, even european officials are reconsidering their position. the french cultural minister initially said the arrest showed a frightening side of the u.s. but in comments yesterday, a government spokesman told the press "roman polanski is neither above nor below the law." if extradited, polanski will find the u.s. a far less tolerant country than in the '70s. in a recent case, the supreme court narrowly ruled against an effort by conservative states to make child rape a capital offense. meredith? >> stephanie gosk, thank you very much. attorney gloria allred supports the decision to extradite roman polanski. willie brown has known polanski for more than 30 years and believes he should be freed. good morning to both of you. >> good morning. >> good morning, meredith. >> mayor brown, if i can start with you. he admitted, roman polanski, 30 years ago, that he drugged a

13-year-old girl, then had sex with her, sodomized her. he then fled the country when he realized that this sentence might be coming down to 50 years in prison. you now believe he should be set free. why? >> you understand that this is a matter involving a person who pled guilty to a crime. he pled guilty at the time that the prosecutor knew all of the facts, considered all of the facts and arrived at a conclusion, and an appropriately plea bargain process that we have in the state of california. once that's done, that is the end of the matter if the judge is involved. when a judge is involved and the judge agrees to that sentence, that's what occurs. in this case, mr. polanski was sent off appropriately under the statute for an evaluation. at the time of that evaluation, after 40-plus days, all of the various persons participating in that evaluation came to a conclusion, and that conclusion was reached in a fashion

appropriate. the judge had already agreed what the sentence would be. when the judge became concerned as a result of having to run for election and otherwise, i think, it became clear that the judge was going to go in a different direction. >> so, you believe it was a matter of misconduct. >> let's be clear. the matter now is different. the matter now is mr. polanski is a fugitive. that has to be dealt with in whatever fashion. but more importantly -- >> meredith -- >> -- that was clearly some influence not on the record, ex-party communications by the judge by other persons. all this came from the prosecutor on the case. let him finish that comment -- that becomes the issue of whether or not the judge has done his job. >> i'd like to interrupt you and let gloria respond to that. if there was misconduct, is that reason for him to flee the country, gloria? >> well, first of all, there's no evidence of misconduct.

actually, yesterday the deputy district attorney who was not assigned to prosecute the case said he lied about that. having said that, let's talk about the misconduct of roman polanski, because, as you said, as was said earlier in your piece, he was charged with numerous crimes. and i might add, those crimes are still pending against him. they have not been dismissed. he has been charged with rape. he has been charged of sodomy of a 13-year-old child. he has been charged with lewd and le sivs acts on that child and providing a controlled substance to that child. and let me just say that if anybody reads that grand jury testimony, you will read the testimony of the victim who alleges that she was in fear and she says that not once but numerous times, of mr. polanski, that she said no, that she wanted to go home, that she was crying. and let me say to all those in the hollywood community, meredith, would you let your 13-year-old daughter alone with roman polanski? would you allow him to do what this victim testified to, which

is sodomize her, commit acts of oral copulation on her, rape her, provide her with qual yudz and champagne, take nude or topless photos of her? this was a child. this was a man in his 40s. they have to stop excusing him, trying to forgive him, trying to condone this. this is outrageous conduct and this is not to be allowed. i'm glad he is being prosecuted. >> gloria, that child is now a grown woman with a family of her own and even she has said that she would like people to move on, that she does not want roman polanski prosecuted. >> and i feel for the victim. i represent numerous rape victims, and that certainly is to be -- is understandable and she said that after a civil settlement with him. but this was a crime against the people of california, and meredith, when he pled guilty to that crime of unlawful sexual intercourse, he said on the record that he understood that

she was 13 years old. a man in his 40s admitting that he committed this crime, this felony against a 13-year-old, and this is wrong, and he has to be brought back and pay the consequences of this crime. and by the way, it may not just be unlawful sexual intercourse. he may face yet more felonies, another felony for fleeing before he was sentenced, ed be he has not yet been sentenced. >> mayor brown, what do you say to the people who are arguing that it was consensual? whoopi goldberg said a few days ago that it "wasn't rape rape." do you think that is a sound argument? >> i don't think any of those arguments have any relevancy to what's occurred today. the victim -- normally in this situation, we pay great credence to whatever the victim says. this victim says this matter should be put behind us, that his plea of guilty satisfies her. ordinarily, we all accept that. we plead and we worry about the

victim. and about what you said earlier about mr. polanski should be freed, this is about whether or not the system works. those persons who may say this was conduct, okay, i don't share their view. i'm more concerned about the criminal -- >> mayor, may i say -- >> -- justice system, and the criminal justice system works in this nation. >> mayor brown, you are an experienced attorney, and you know very well that the sentence is going to be handed down by the judge. the victim does not determine the sentence. we're going to have to give a statement at the victim impact time -- >> gloria, i'm going to have to interrupt you. we're running out of time. this is obviously a debate that's going to go on and on. we will be back in just a moment.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i'm stan stovall.

baltimore city police are investigating two separate stabbings overnight at the same location. the first happened around 12:30 at north avenue following a fight between the two women and a man. one of the women stabbed the man in the back and the test. he was taken to hospital and is conditioned it is a number of -- his condition is unknown. another man was also taken to johns hopkins with critical condition. >> couple of accidents to report. parksville, a drop road and perring parkway, another one at middle river road and the philadelphia road. slow go on the northeast outer loop heading towards providence. 12 miles per hour on the outer loop west side.

on 705, a slow go from owings mills to the beltway northeast. 12 minutes on the outer loop northeast side. here's a live view of traffic in the area of harford. we will switch over to a live view on the west side of liberty. slow go from 705 all the way down. >> plenty of sunshine out there. looking good. 51 downtown. 44 at the airport. 45 around easton and st. michael's on the eastern shore. cool high even with all the sunshine. high pressure and firm control. stable forecast for the next 24 hours. clouds thickening by the afternoon. >> we should check the bottom of your screen for updated news and

traffic information. our next live update in 25 minutes.

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7:30 now on a thursday morning. it's the 1st of october 2009. you're looking at a crowd, probably a little chilly out there on the plaza, but they're warming up to the music of mariah carey, and that superstar singer will be right there on the plaza for a live concert in our 8:30 half hour tomorrow morning. if you're in the area, come on down for a great show. inside studio 1a, i'm matt lauer along with meredith vieira. and coming up in a moment, will an alabama man suspected of killing his new bride during a honeymoon scuba dive in australia eventually face the death penalty here in the united states? the victim's father will join us for an exclusive live interview in just a couple of minutes. also ahead, a lot of people have been sending us questions about the seasonal flu and the swine flu and what vaccines certain age groups can and cannot get. if you are confused by all of it, don't worry. dr. nancy snyderman will join us to clear it all up. plus, a mother's heart-wrenching decision to terminate her adoption of a boy that she had cared for for more

than a year and a half. she's going to be here to tell her story and also to respond to some of the reaction her decision is getting, and some of that reaction has not been positive at all. but we're going to begin with elizabeth smart's kidnapping ordeal that made worldwide headlines back in 2002. today for the first time, she testifies in court about her terrifying experiences. nbc's chris jansing is at the federal courthouse in salt lake city, utah. chris, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, meredith. i think a lot of people are surprised to hear that the husband and wife accused of kidnapping elizabeth smart way back in 2002 have never been brought to trial. this case tied up in a complicated series of legal hearings over their mental competency. today at another of those hearings, elizabeth smart for the first time since she was brought home will come face to face with the man accused of pulling her out of her bed in the middle of the night. and her dad told me that even he and elizabeth's mom have never heard most of the details of what happened to her. for the last six years,

elizabeth smart has worked to move forward with her life, playing music again, taking french lessons. but today she has to go back to 2002, when she was just 14 and kidnapped at knifepoint from her bedroom, held for nine long months. for the first time ever in public, elizabeth will talk in detail about what happened to her, horrible stories she's never even told her family. >> and she says, well, you know, this is the last thing on earth i want to talk about. it is the last thing on earth. but elizabeth is very strong, and i have great confidence that she will, that we'll get through this. >> reporter: ed smart, elizabeth's father, sat down with us to talk about the long-delayed hearing to decide if brian david mitchell is competent to stand trial. prosecutors say the homeless street preacher wanted elizabeth as a second wife. are you worried about hearing things that you have never heard before?

>> it -- i mean, it hurts to hear what she's gone through. >> reporter: elizabeth has met with prosecutors preparing her testimony, even as she prepares to go to france on a mission trip for her church. her family and faith, she says, have seen her through the worst. >> no matter what people can take from you or do to you or harm you, that they can't take that away from you. >> reporter: now 21, elizabeth has become an advocate for other victims, publicly attending the signing of child safety legislation and privately facing what happened to her with unimaginable resolve. >> i remember elizabeth going up into the hills, the place he held her, and saying, you know, "i am no longer captive," you know, "i am conquering." >> reporter: ed smart says elizabeth has forgiven mitchell

and his wife but that she still wants justice. >> she also wants to face brian mitchell and just say, you know, you are a scum [ bleep ], and let people know who and what he is and what he did. >> reporter: ed smart believes brian mitchell has been manipulating the system for six years to stay out of prison. his lawyers believe he should remain in psychiatric hospital. after elizabeth testifies today, the competency hearing will continue next month. meredith? >> all right, chris jansing, thank you very much. and now let's get a check of the weather from al. >> all right, thanks a lot, meredith. and got a lot of

>> we are going to see sunny skies today, cooler than normal. today, 65 to 68. milder tomorrow. up to 74. >> where are you guys from? >> cincinnati, ohio. >> cincinnati! like the chilly three-way, all right. and if you want your weather any time of the day or night, go to the weather channel on cable, weather.com online. matt?

>> all right, al, thank you very much. and now to the tragic story of an alabama woman who was killed while scuba diving on her honeymoon in australia. her husband is now serving time for her death. we'll talk exclusively with her father in a moment, but first, "today" national correspondent amy robach has the latest on the story that continues to evolve. amy, good morning to you. >> good morning to you, matt. in jayt, gabe watson pleaded guilty in an australian courtroom to manslaughter in connection with the drowning death of his newlywed wife tina. his sentence was just extended to a year and a half, but tina's family is outraged and now some are seeking justice here in the u.s. it is a picture of tragedy. married for 11 days in 2003, two young newlyweds from alabama were scuba diving on their honeymoon in australia when something went tragically wrong. >> she was looking up, had both her arms out, you know, reach stretched up, almost like looking at me, reaching her arms up to grab. >> reporter: at first, gabe watson said his wife had

panicked, but investigators had a different theory. caught on camera by another american honeymooner, gary stempler, this photo shows tina watson collapsed on the ocean floor and australian police believe gabe had murdered her. in a surprise development, gabe received a plea deal from australian prosecutors and pled guilty to manslaughter. he was sentenced to one year behind bars. >> we believe that gabe watson murdered our daughter. we'll continue to believe that. this is not justice and this is not over. >> reporter: creating a public outcry from the victim's family, an australian appeals court recently ruled to extend watson's sentence to a year and a half. >> after australia's court decided to just add six months to gabe watson's sentence, attorney general king decided to pursue a charge that will carry more weight here in the states. >> reporter: the state's attorney general says he will now seek capital murder charges. >> his two biggest obstacles are extradition and jurisdiction.

number one, getting him back from australia on a capital murder charge, and two, jurisdiction. how does he have the power to prosecute and punish in the u.s. for something that happened in australia? >> reporter: it is a case that some legal analysts say will make for a tough case. >> it's a real stretch, and his theory, i believe, is that if the crime was initially begun in this country and then concluded in another country, it can therefore be punished here. >> well, we reached out to gabe watson's attorneys for this story. they had no comment. matt, back to you. >> all right, amy, thank you very much. tommy thomas is the father of the victim, tina thomas watson. he's with us exclusively along with alabama's attorney general troy king. good morning to both of you gentlemen. >> good morning. >> attorney general king, let me start with you. >> good morning. >> and you just heard that piece. you said you've got an uphill battle in terms of establishing jurisdiction in this case. the crime took place in australia. that's where tina died. how do you then try for a charge of capital murder here in the united states? >> well, let me start by saying

just because something's hard doesn't mean you shouldn't try. we believe that this crime -- we believe the facts are going to show that this crime began in alabama, even if it was completed in australia. so, we believe alabama has jurisdiction in this matter. >> so, you're willing to say this was premeditated. what piece of evidence do you have that proves that this crime was actually planned here before it took place in australia? >> well, there's a fair amount of facts. i'm not going to go into the specific facts because we have an open, active investigation where we are still gathering evidence, but we clearly are confident that there are going to be facts that are going to show that the series of events that culminated in tina thomas's death in australia began in alabama. >> there might be some people watching right now, attorney general king, who are saying, well, what about double jeopardy? hasn't this man already been tried for this crime in australia? does it present double jeopardy to try him again for the crime here in the united states? >> i think the answer is no. alabama's a separate sovereign state from the country of australia. and just as the federal government can try a case and then the state can try a case

again because we are separate sovereigns -- surely, the state of alabama's a separate sovereign from australia. >> also, do you rely on a technicality that he was tried -- or that he was convicted of manslaughter in australia, and it is a different crime to charge him with capital murder? >> well, that could be, but the threshold question is that we believe alabama is a sovereign state with its own laws that have been offended and the ability for alabama to vindicate those laws with a trial of its own. >> i know you're presenting evidence to a grand jury, so this is -- we're a little bit putting the cart before the horse at this time, but have you been in contact with australian authorities? would they be cooperative with extradition? >> perhaps not with extradition. >> but you'd wait until the end of his 18-month sentence and then try him? >> well, we will go to a grand jury when we are confident we have the facts sufficient for a grand jury to weigh the facts and make a decision. and of course, as i'm sure you know, australia will not extradite on a capital sentence. there have been a lot of questions that have been posed to me about, well, why would you seek a capital sentence? and the answer to that is simple. we would seek a capital sentence

if we believe that's what the facts warrant. because to do otherwise would allow australia to water down alabama's law just like their laws. >> would you seek the death penalty? >> if i believe it's a capital crime, i will. >> mr. thomas, first of all, thank you again for joining us. and i know your family has been outraged by the leniency shown to this man in australia. how do you feel about the potential of capital murder charges being filed in alabama once he's returned? >> we're very encouraged, matt, by the attorney general and by troy king's support of our family, and especially of tina. certainly thankful to him, proud to be citizens of the state of alabama and hope to get justice for our daughter in the state where she was a citizen, since we couldn't get it in the country where the crime was committed. >> mr. king is going to attempt to prove that the origins of this crime were here in the united states, that this was a carefully planned and plotted murder. is that what you felt all along?

>> the evidence that was gathered, even for the case in australia, there were several things that indicated that it certainly could have been planned in alabama. >> and mr. king, when do you plan to present evidence? when will we find out what the grand jury has decided in this case? >> well, as soon as we complete our investigation and can make that decision. to not pursue capital murder charges, if we believe that's what's warranted would be to desecrate tina's memory, and i'm simply not going to allow that to happen. >> alabama attorney general troy king and tommy thomas. gentlemen, thank you both for joining us. we appreciate it. and up next, the questions you want answered when it comes to both seasonal and swine flu. dr. nancy will set us straight on both those things right after this.

♪ somebody call a doctor because i got the flu ♪ >> announcer: "today's health" is brought to you by walgreens. there's a way to stay well. >> back now at 7:46. this morning on "today's health," nbc's chief medical edit editor, dr. nancy snyderman, is here to answer your flu questions or just confuse us more. good morning, dr. nancy. >> good morning, meredith. >> i use the word confusion because -- >> there's a lot of information. >> the new vaccine, the pneumonia vaccine. >> it's been around a long time. here's why it matters. if you get the flu, which is a

virus, your chance of getting the pneumonia afterwards, which can kill you, is a concern. this is meant for kids under 5, older than 65, and if you have any chronic illnesses. this has been around. safe, wonderful. talk to your doctor. >> okay. >> it's a good one. >> and they can all be taken at the same time? >> absolutely. >> first e-mail, question from brandy in lubbock, texas. "i am 30 years old with asthma. will i be eligible for the h1n1 flu vaccine because i have asthma?" >> not only because she has asthma, she really should get it. >> because she's a higher risk person? >> people with asthma have more changes in their immune systems, more susceptible to flu and nu moana. so, absolutely, should jump to the top of the list. >> okay, and get all three vaccines. >> yes. >> susan in illinois asks "i got the flu shot yesterday and have the flu today. are they related?" >> no. the flu shot does not cause the flu, plain and simple. she probably was infected beforehand. but at least now she has coverage through the fall. >> okay. questions about allergies from

sarah. she says, "what is a person to do if they are allergic to the flu shot?" >> ah, this is important. if you are allergic to eggs or have any egg yolk problems, these vaccines are grown in egg yolk, so make sure you don't get vaccinated and then be diligent about coughing and washing their hands, but people with egg allergies should not get the shots. >> now from joetta, "if you had a bad reaction from the swine flu shot in 1976, should you get one now?" >> you know, that was a real debacle, and we think it's just a blip, that it doesn't have any relation to anything today. so, if for some reason, you had a swine flu vaccine in the '70s, no relation to today. it's one of the reasons i don't even like calling this the swine flu. it really is h1n1. you're fine to go ahead and should get one. >> no time left, but if you haven't with the swine flu, don't get the shot? >> you probably haven't had the swine flu in most cases, but yes, check with your doctor. if you think you have had the swine flu and have been

diagnosed, you have immunity. >> thank you. hopefully, that clarifies questions for some folks. >> and go to cdc.gov. great website. >> all right. still ahead, where are we today? we'll see how many of you can guess our secret location.

up next, a mother who adopted a boy and gave him away 18 months later. >> she'll explain her decision, after your local news.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. and overnight house fire in northeast baltimore injured three people including a firefighter. flames broke out of the 4200

block of shelton avenue shortly before midnight. one woman inside was transported to bayview burn center. another person was taken to the good samaritan hospital for minor injuries. the firefighter was not seriously injured. investigators are working to determine what started the fire. let's check on the morning commute with sarah caldwell. >> we are getting word about accident at the denied and greenmount, and we're also seeing heavy delays at eighth miles per hour heading towards providence. 17 miles per hour is the average speed between 795 and i-95. your tapping the breaks as well the spot -- the southbound harrisburg expressway. 19 minutes to get from 705 down to 95 on the outer loop.

five minutes on southbound 95 from the 895 split towards fort mchenry. over to the west side, also backing down. >> gorgeous sky conditions there. 44 at the airport. 45 around easton. sunshine will warm us up into the mid-60's. nice start to the month of october. sun setting at 6:49. seven-day forecast shows a slight chance of showers tomorrow evening. chance of showers early saturday before we clear out for the second half of the weekend. >> you can check the bottom of your screen for updated news and traffic information. traffic information.

♪ 8:00 now on this thursday

morning, october 1st, 2009. that song, mariah carey says, "we belong together" and tomorrow she belongs to our plaza crowd because she's going to be here for a live concert. i'm meredith vieira along with matt lauer and al roker, and i'm feeling self-conscious. i'm all dressed one gloves and you guys -- >> i think i'm on the cusp of coats. >> thinking about it. >> thinking about that time. >> getting little chilly. >> it is chilly. >> coming up this morning -- >> it's hard for them to hear you. >> oh, sorry. coming up, a mother's painful and controversial decision, just to switch gears for a second. >> this is a story i think a lot of people are going to be talking about. anita tedaldi adopted a little boy when he was about a year old. she raised him for 18 months and decided then to terminate the adoption. she says they were not bonding. now, her decision may outrage some people, but wait until you hear anita's story before you make up your mind. and we're going to hear from her in just a little while. plus, it is october 1st.

>> yes. >> believe it or not, and october is breast cancer awareness month. just ahead, the most important questions women should ask their doctors about the deadly disease. we have a lot of folks here. >> that's right, from rhode island. >> yes. among other places. and it is time once again to guess "where are we today?" >> ah. >> here's a live look at our fifth undisclosed location. and here's your video clue. ♪ >> i don't know. >> i don't know. >> i don't either. well, head to our website to make your guess and register for a $25,000 sweepstakes. >> we're in america, i think. >> yeah, okay. let's go inside. ann curry's standing by with the

headlines. ann? >> all right, thank a lot. good morning once again, everybody. in the news, a powerful aftershock rocked indonesia again this morning, just as rescue workers are struggling to find survivors from wednesday's 7.6 earthquake. they pulled at least one woman out alive today, but thousands of people are still trapped under the heavy rubble of collapsed buildings. the death toll now at 529 is expected to rise. and here is a look at the devastation in the samoan islands. all told, four tsunamis struck the islands on wednesday after a strong undersea earthquake. the death toll there is at 149, but it's rising there, too, as rescuers are now finding bodies in the ocean. this morning, the head of the u.n.'s nuclear agency said that iran's newly revealed underground nuclear facility is illegal. this as rare talks between iran and the u.s. are under way in geneva. the u.s. trying to get iran to reconsider its nuclear ambitions. a senior u.s. official says washington is open to one-on-one talks with iranian diplomats.

this morning, the commander of u.s. forces in afghanistan, general stanley mcchrystal, said the insurgency in afghanistan is growing. speaking at a news conference in london, mcchrystal described the situation as serious and said neither success nor failure can be taken for granted. the comments come as the president decides whether to send more troops there. nbc's chief white house correspondent chuck todd has3m6 chuck, the president's top advisers don't all agree on the way forward. >> reporter: they don't, ann, but yesterday at that three-hour marathon session, the president immediately said, look, we're not going to debate troop levels at this point. so, yesterday, 17 different people in that room talked from secretary clinton to secretary gates to admiral mullen to general mcchrystal, describing what they believe is what's going on right now on the ground from various perspectives. this war council's going to get together next week to talk mostly about the issues with pakistan and what needs to be done in afghanistan to keep pakistan stable. and general jones, the national

security adviser, told a group of u.s. senators last night that a decision on troop levels will come in weeks, not months. ann? >> chuck todd this morning. chuck, thanks for all your reporting on this. before the supreme court of the bahamas on wednesday, actor john travolta described the alleged extortion threat made against him, a threat witnesses say that was made just days after the death of his son. nbc's michelle kosinski is in nassau this morning with the latest on this story. michelle, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, ann. what's been so stunning to people here is that if these allegations are true -- and the defense says they are not -- how could two intelligent people expect a multimillion dollar extortion plot to work? and one of the accused was at the time a senator here. john travolta and his wife made another trip to the country where their son died, and he stood to tell the court what his attorney had relayed, that a paramedic who treated jett had kept a routine medical document, a refusal to transport, signed while travolta was considering flying his son to the u.s. for

treatment. it ended up being irrelevant, but the paramedic allegedly threatened to release it unless travolta paid. the demand was for $25 million. if that were not met, then certain stories would be sold to the press, stories that would imply that the death of my son was intentional, that i was culpable in some way." and representing that medic back then, the lady named pleasant, then a bahamian senator. heard on tape saying, "we have a deadline." in court, travolta's attorney claimed these were pleasant bridgewater's words during a meeting regarding her client. "he said the document could belong to mr. travolta or to the world" and that the paramedic said it showed "either he wanted his son dead or was negligent in the care of his son." also, he "wanted the price up front, was satisfied that mr. travolta did not want to have his name tarnished" and was already in touch with a long list of media tabloid outlets. okay, so, if these people were

caught on tape laying out some kind of plan, what then is their defense? some of those who testified said the senator actually claimed that she had warned her client what he did was wrong and that she was merely transmitting this information to travolta's people to prevent harm from happening. the paramedic's defense says while she was doing all the talking, he didn't make threats directly to travolta's team. it will be interesting to see who, if anybody here, is found culpable, ann. >> so very tough for the family. michelle kosinski, thank you so much. it is now 8:06. time for a check of the weather with al.

>> we are a going to see a high of 67 degrees, plenty of sunshine all around. same for the lower eastern shore, but a little bit milder. into the low-to-

>> that's your latest weather. meredith? >> al, thank you very much. up next, the mother who terminated adoption of a baby boy 18 months after she started caring for him. she'll explain why right after this. (announcer) eucerin smoothing essentials.

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we're back now at 8:12. each year, more than 130,000 children are adopted, but what happens if the child does not bond with the family? anita tedaldi recently blogged about her family's heartbreaking experience. we're going to talk to her in a moment. but first, "today" national correspondent natalie morales has anita's story. and by the way, anita asked us to protect the identity of baby d and her husband who serves in the military. >> the first time i considered giving up d, i was lying alone in bed. i ran to d's room, afraid that he was already gone, but he was there, sucking his thumb and breathing evenly. i caress his cheek with two fingers and exhaled. >> tell me about the very first day you got that phone call and told you, we have a child. >> we were just overjoyed. we had pictures, and i remember

i would look at the picture with my kids. >> reporter: as with any adoption, anita and her family were thoroughly screened and they went through counseling to help make d a part of their family. >> he had been found by the side of a road, but the doctor estimated he was younger than one year. d lacked strength in his legs and had a completely flat head from lying in a crib so many hours a day, but the physical or developmental issues weren't the real problem. five or six months after his arrival, i knew that d wasn't attaching. i tried very hard, maybe even harder than i would with my biological children to find a connection, and i didn't feel that we were establishing that connection. >> reporter: after 18 months of trying to bond with d, anita came to a heartbreaking realization. >> my thoughts and emotions were disjointed and came in waves. one moment i was determined to keep d because i loved him. an instant later, i realized that i wasn't the parent i knew

i could be and that i should place d with a better family, a better mother. >> reporter: she chose to terminate the adoption and she began looking for his new family. >> i explained to him that he'd be joining his new family and that we loved him very much, that he had done nothing wrong. in our last moments together, i stared into his eyes and told him that i loved him and that i tried to do my best. >> do you feel like you failed him? >> i'm not sure that i failed him. i loved him and i tried my best. in that respect, i didn't fail him. he deserves the best life he could possibly have. i wish i could have been the one to give him that life. >> that was nbc's natalie morales. anita tedaldi is with us now along with allen pertman, executive director of the evan b. donaldson adoption institute and lisa belkman, columnist for "the new york times" magazine. good morning to all of you. anita, it's a heartbreaking story. and when you said in that piece

that you just weren't connecting with d, can you explain that little more? what were the signs that there was no connection here? >> sure. i think it was both ways, that the child, d, wasn't connecting with us, and at the same time, while i was seeking help with a therapist, a social worker, while i was trying to establish a connection and did some attachment therapy, i also realized that on my part, there was a difference. i also had a hard time bonding with him. >> and when you say bonding, though, there was obviously affection. you say that you loved d, even though you weren't bonding with d, and i think some people might need a little explanation on that. >> sure. i loved him and i cared deeply for him. i tried to do the exact same thing that i did with my biological children, but over time, it became clear that our family maybe wasn't a good match for him, that we were unable to meet some of his needs. >> and the emotions, you say, came in waves. you thought, well, i should stick this out at one moment,

no, we should find a better solution in another. was there one specific incident that kind of turned the corner for you? >> i don't think there was one specific incident. i sought help early on in the process and i spoke with a social worker who was involved with the adoption and then with a therapist. so, i came to this conclusion over time. >> adam -- let me make it clear, you were not involved in this adoption -- >> no. >> but this is not the happily ever after story that we hope adoptions have. >> right. >> how often does something like this happen, where there isn't a bond? >> mercifully, not very often. this happens in biological family formation. someone, actually, downstairs as i was preparing told me about her sister who took a long time to bond with her biological kid. it happens, and the one message we shouldn't take away from this is that this is, you know, adoption is a rental where you try it out. it's not. it's permanent, it's loving and it's like every other family, but that doesn't always work. >> from the adoption agency

point of view, is this the outcome you would rather see? would you favor someone like anita sticking with it for consistency for that child or finding a better match for the long-term betterment of that child? how do you come down on that? >> well, the donaldson institute is a research organization, not an agency, so i don't have to make these decisions. from a practice point of view, you want what's in the best interests of the child. i can't speak to the intimacies of this one episode because i don't know them well enough. in general, you give it all you've got for as long as you can, and in most cases, people sometimes take years to bond with their kids, especially if they're from tough circumstances, but you cannot know in one case. >> lisa, i know this story generated a lot of comment, and i want to be honest, not a lot of it -- there was a lot of it that was not positive. a lot of negative comments directed toward anita. were you surprised by that? >> i was not completely surprised. anita was hesitant about writing this. she had been a blogger on other

subjects and this came up in our getting to know each other, and it took months before she wanted to write about it. i spent a lot of time saying, are you sure you want to write about it? because it's a hot topic. and the point was not to say, look, this happens all the time and to frighten people away, but the point was to say, this happens sometimes and knowing about that going in, more information's better. >> and anita, to the people who have judged you harshly at times, how do you respond to that? >> you know, i think i would have done the same thing two years ago. in fact, i did do the same thing two years ago -- >> in terms of judging? >> in terms of judging. i wrote a column where i criticized somebody who had done the same thing. and so, i understand where the criticism comes from, because of course, this is not the outcome that anybody would hope for, but ultimately, we had to do what was best for the child, and so, i hoped it would have been us, but working with the support that we had, that was the conclusion we came to. >> real quickly, how is baby d doing? you've checked in.

>> he's doing well. he's doing well. >> which i guess is the happy ending in all this. so, each though it seems like a difficult path to get there. anita, thank you very much. adam, thank you. lisa, thank you very much. we appreciate it. we want to know what you think about anita's decision and the story in general. we'd like your comments. logon to our website at todayshow.com to weigh in and we'll be talking about that in a later program. we're right back after this. my parents all smoked. my grandparents smoked. i've been a long-time smoker. you know, discouragement is a big thing in quitting smoking. i'm a guy who had given up quitting. what caused me to be interested was, chantix is not a nicotine product and that intrigued me. the doctor said while you're taking it you can continue to smoke during the first week.

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you've got some pretty important reasons to eat better. so now 23 campbell's chunky soups have 100% lean meat and a full serving of vegetables. a man's gotta eat. he just wants to eat better. campbell's chunky. this morning on "breast cancer today," it's the start of breast cancer awareness month. exactly one year ago, we helped people sign up for the army of women, a movement to recruit participants for breast cancer research. today, that army is more than 300,000 strong.

dr. susan love is the president of the dr. susan love research foundation. dr. nancy snyderman is back as well. good morning to you both. >> hey, meredith. >> good morning. >> dr. love, let me begin with you. in the past year, have we seen advances? >> well, yes, sort of. breast cancer's gone down a little bit, but mostly in older women. we still have no idea what causes it. >> and that's the key, isn't it? >> yeah. the key is -- it's one thing to treat it, but what we really want to do is figure out the cause and stop it. >> so, what is the purpose of the army, then? >> the army is to get a large group of women around the country -- my goal is a million -- that we can study so that we can figure out what the cause is and then stop it altogether. it's good to have a cure, but if the cure means surgery, radiation, chemo, that's a lot, and they all have their own side effects, and it would be better to have a vaccine or a stop ultimately. >> and the interesting thing about surgery, radiation and chemo, it's like having a light switch in the house that's not working, so you bomb the house. >> it's true. >> we have to figure out how not

to assault the whole human body just because there's a tumor. >> remove it from the body. >> so susan's idea is get women with breast cancer, women who don't have breast cancer, all ages, and get to the root of it once and for all. >> a lot of women wonder what to ask their doctor, and the number one question -- there are a lot of them, but the first is what is my risk? >> changes over a lifetime. >> you know, this is a hard question to answer, because it really is different from different people, but i think sometimes we do a disservice with breast cancer awareness month, and everybody thinks they're at high risk. the one out of eight we always talk about is over a whole lifetime and in younger women, it's much lower than that. it's about 1 out of 2,000 in a 20-year-old. >> how do i lower my risk is another question, dr. nancy? >> a lot of it goes back to how well you live your life. smoking is the biggest risk for cancer all over your body, breast cancer included. eat like you're going to protect your heart. that's always good. >> and exercise. >> exercise, for sure. >> exercise has really been shown to decrease breast cancer. and if you have a choice, this

is one we never talk about -- you should have your children young. that it's better -- >> makes a difference. >> before 35 is better for breast cancer. >> what about the tests, ca-125 or the baraka test? should all of them get the test? >> ca-125, no. and braca, only if you have a high risk of cancer, multiple family members and only through a genetic counselor. >> and make sure you have a doctor to talk about your results with, because to do this alone in a silo is dangerous. >> thank you very much. to be part of the army of women, please head to our website. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning.

i am mindy basara. if you are not careful, it cost you a lot more to drive on state roads. several new laws take effect today aimed at keeping drivers focused and within the speed limit. effective today, speed cameras will be snapping pictures of speeders exceeding 12 miles over the legal limit at school and work zones. those caught will be fined $40. it is also illegal to write or send a text message. offenders will be fined $500. >> speaking of driving, plenty of cars out there. heavy delays around the area. five miles per hour on the outer loop as you make your way towards providence. 10 miles per hour on the outer loop towards 795. it just changed to 11. we're also seeing a slow go on southbound j.f.x. at 28 miles

per hour. we will check drive times for you this minute. 19 minutes on the outer loop west side. this is our to lay on the northeast side over towards harford. we will switch over to the west side at the pretty. -- west side at liberty. >> temperatures in the mid-40's at the airport, low 50s downtown. looks like over 40 is on the eastern shore. we will hit a high today in the upper 60s. sunny skies prevailing at. looks like a bit of a cloud by tomorrow afternoon. >> we will have another update at 8:55. why not save on car insurance? [ coin drops ] [ high-pitched voice ] thanks. [ normal voice ] you're welcome. get a free quote at progressive.com.

being a woman today means opening your own doors, knowing

the world is yours if you're bold enough to take it. exploring america's future. "a woman's nation" with maria shriver. ♪ i'm so used to little kids -- 8:30 now on a thursday morning, first day of october 2009. it is really chilly out on the plaza this morning, but thanks to these people, it's feeling a little warmer. you're wearing gloves. you're wearing a coat. you're wearing everything. you're all -- >> ann's got her coat on, her gloves. >> girls are smart. what's it, women rule, guys drool -- >> that's it. >> at this time tomorrow, we'll be welcoming mariah carey to the plaza for a great summer concert. if you're in the area, come on by. meanwhile, this morning, come up, one of our favorite segments. >> that's right. fresh new looks for dogs who have a rough go.

the amazing transformations just ahead, from bow to wow. >> right. >> that's right. today's the first day of october, and before you know it, halloween is here, so, martha stewart is along to show us what we can do with our pumpkins. >> oh. >> she's always got great ideas. >> that looks just like the pumpkins i made last year. >> talk about glitter. >> and later, we'll talk with a 911 operator who received a call he'll never forget. it was about a house fire, and guess what, the caller gave the operator his own address. so the operator discovered this was happening at his own address. so we'll talk about this coming up. before we get to weather, early this morning we were talking about roman polanski's arrest, and during our story, we aired whoopi goldberg's remark on "the view," in which she said "it was something, but i don't believe that it was rape rape." whoopi called us during the show and she wanted to clarify her comments. she says when she said that, she was only referring to the legal charge against polanski at the time 30 years ago, which was unlawful sex with a minor.

she says -- and she wants to make this clear -- that she is not a supporter of roman polanski, and we asked her to join us to come on and talk more about this, but she politely declined. but she did want to make it very, very clear that she was talking about the charge against him. >> this case has really polarized people. >> absolutely. >> by the weekend we will be milder but still a little crisp out there this morning. 46 at the airport. only up to about 67 today. 74 tomorrow. showers saturday m

>> and that's your latest weather. now let's head on down to washington, d.c., and say hello to my favorite willie, willie scott. how are you, sir? >> chilly willie this morning here. >> yeah! >> october saw the prettiest month of the year. my favorite. i love october. can't beat it. september and october. let's check on the birthdays, shall we, hmm? yes, let's. ah, the jam jar of life spins around. my little strawberry here. and then jennie diaz of clearwater, florida, 106. good lord. retired cigar factory worker. biggest wish is to take her head

and put it on a younger woman's body. mm-mmm. you're pretty enough. don't you worry your pretty little head. you're beautiful and your body's fantastic. hunter jackson, cleveland, ohio, 100 years old today. loves watching boxing on television. keeps up with his garden and attends church weekly. that's good. catherine jotz of rahway, new jersey, 100 years old. known as a shopaholic. aren't we all? enjoys going out to eat with her friends and visits with her family. good for her. mary -- i love this -- ♪ but it was mary, mary grand old name. mary pinson, greenfield, mass, 109. retired seamstress, traveled to prince edward island. for years that was her favorite place to go. bessie -- i love that name, bessie -- bessie's kind of an odd name. bessie sharpe of washington, d.c. that's right near here.

in fact, i think we're in washington, aren't we? i believe so. lives independently, makes quilts for babies whose parents are serving in iraq. now, that's sweet. finally, we have steve and vickie wrubel from holiday, florida. 80 years they've been married. he's 100 and she's 98. secret to marital longevity -- and i love this -- they still go grocery shopping together. there is a very romantic thing about that. that is a lovely tie-in. don't you like to go grocery shopping, matt? >> willard, thank you very much, sir. it's always good to see you. when we come back, martha stewart is going to help us get ready for halloween.

♪ back at 8:38. this morning on "martha on today," sweet and savory pumpkin

recipes. martha stewart is here to share a few that are straight from her special holiday issue. martha, good morning to you. >> how do you like the cover? >> well, you didn't put any makeup on. >> that's my worst -- >> no, just kidding. >> that was my worst -- >> that's yours? >> and it is full of amazing ideas for halloween. >> and the shots were taken out of your home, right? >> oh, that's in my stable, right, the ones with the horse. >> that is great. >> yeah, it's a very mysterious outfit, by the way. and it's only a cape. there are a lot of great costume ideas, great decorating ideas and delicious food ideas. >> talk to me about the things we have here. >> pumpkin ice cream sandwiches, we have maple roasted pumpkin salad with pine nuts and feta cheese and arugula. very delicious. >> is this actually ready to eat? >> yeah, ready to eat. >> let me have a piece while we're talking. >> and we have pumpkin seed nibble, i've been nibbling on that. and these beautiful items, the candelabra and the skeletons -- >> you love your glitter, don't you? >> we do, but this is from our

martha stewart selection, and they are a great value. it would take you a long time to fwliter this, and it's all made for you. >> if you glitter a pumpkin now, will it rot by halloween? >> oh, no, these are nice, hard pumpkins. >> excuse me. >> and all these glittered bugs everywhere. >> you have a tart? >> now we have a pumpkin chocolate tart and we have the delicious pumpkin soup and i thought i'd show you how to make the pumpkin soup. want to see? >> it's good. >> take like a 2 1/2-pound sugar pumpkin. >> what's a sugar pumpkin? >> well, that's a sugar pumpkin. and you roast it in the oven. >> for how long? >> 50 minutes. >> oh, it comes right off? >> take the kin right off -- >> why does your come off -- >> no, it will come off. then you pure it in the cuisinart, and you're left -- you need two cups of pumpkin pure. >> so one pumpkin will give you two cups? >> it will have a little more, and you can make cake or pie with it.

you add your two cups of pure into five tablespoons of butter. >> what are we making now, the broth broth -- >> the soup. >> now, don't throw away the insides of the pumpkins, the seeds and fiber, because this goes into the stock and it adds more flavor. >> oh, okay. >> the stock is seeds, l three cups of chicken stock, three cups of water and -- >> one sprig of thyme, okay. >> one sprig of thyme. then add into the same pure mixture, we have a parsnip. >> what's that for? >> flavor. >> oh, flavor. >> that was a turnip, and the parsnip. >> and the onion? >> oh, that's shallot. which is of course a member of the onion family. then this gets stirred and cooked -- >> for how long? >> oh, until it's soft. until it's tender. >> okay. >> and don't forget to add little bit of water. >> all right. >> then you'll add all that stock, too, once this cooks a little bit, okay? then it's like this.

put it through -- >> so, this is with the stock in it, okay. >> now, this is pureed already. you can pure it in the food processor or through a food mill. you have a food mill at home, don't you? >> no, i am the food mill. that's really about it. you really need a food mill, too? >> definitely. >> this is ridiculous. >> no, it makes it smoother. no, it's not ridiculous. >> you can't do it with the cuisinart? >> people are really paying attention to all these different -- in this day in age when people are cooking at home, meredith -- >> right. >> -- everybody is really using the tools. >> what happened to these seeds, by the way? you dumped them in there. >> no, no, you cook and then you strain. that's a good question. >> oh, thank you. >> so, there you have your beautiful soup. >> that is gorgeous. >> and then this is the tart. this is the pumpkin tart with the chocolate crust. and to make the beautiful spider welcome back, you use melted chocolate and you can just go on the cake pie like this. >> did you just create this with paper? >> yes, this is just parchment paper. you continue around like this to make the spiderweb.

and it's very pretty, isn't it is. >> yeah, it's gorgeous. >> how long did you cook this thing for? >> oh, that's cooked -- with the pumpkin pure and the cream, that cooks for about 15 minutes. >> let's get to the alcohol. >> all right, look at the labels. >> arsenic, criider mint -- >> we have replaced the labels with our halloween labels. you can get these at michael's, but i love these labels and they are best sellers. people, really -- now, just make sure, okay, you put it on -- >> poison. >> put it on a good bottle of wine. so, here you can have a little sip if you'd like. >> well, i'm not allowed to drink right now, martha. >> why not? >> i told you, i'm on a detox. >> oh, a detox. not for drinking. >> well, yes, for drinking. i'm not drinking right now. can't you tell? i'm much nicer. >> oh. >> haven't you seen that? >> no. but it was -- oh, look at this, mpkin head. >> oh, it's perfect. >> but it's very nice to have you all alone with me and you were very polite. >> well, thank you. cheers to you.

>> and actually interested. >> i was interested. it will all change when i'm drinking again, martha. that's all i have to say. thank you so much. and happy halloween to you a little early. >> happy halloween to everybody. get ready. start preparing. >> exactly. up next, deserving dogs go from

♪ ♪ bow, wow, wow this morning on our special series "from bow to wow!" new looks and hopefully some new hopes for some special dogs. our last group, by the way, the dogs we showed you little while ago, they were adopted within an hour of our segment, which is great news. resident animal lover jill rappaport is here this morning with more great news. good morning. >> hi, matt. the great news is we're showing people what wonderful dogs you can find at shelters and today we have three more fabulous pooches that came from very traumatic situations, but nothing that a wonderful home won't cure.

>> it's amazing to me how many young, vibrant, healthy dogs are here. >> when people think of shelters, they think that there's things wrong with the dogs and they're not going to find the dog they're looking for, but shelters across the country have these type of dogs. they just need a good home. >> reporter: starting with betty, a loving lab mix who came here under truly tragic circumstances. >> her owner passed away and she was in the home with the owner for about three days before they found her. so, you can see that she's a little scared. she was well taken care of. you can tell very, very much loved. i think she really misses her owner. >> reporter: they still have many good years left in them, but they're still in good shape. >> she's in good health, has a good weight on her. >> reporter: oh, you're an angel. now, meet max, a young, energetic golden retriever. he was brought here under very unfortunate circumstances. >> his owner is unfortunately now homeless. his owner's in a shelter. he's in good condition, nice

coat, good shine to him. could use a good grooming, but look how nice he's sitting. >> reporter: he's a sweetheart, yes. finally, a little folly from ollie, who is still a puppy. >> a 9-month-old yorkese maltese mix. he's very short, very calm. his situation is unique in that the family got him as a gift and after a couple months realized they didn't have enough time for him, so they brought him into the shelter. now you know he likes you, gives you kisses. >> reporter: this smoochie pooch and some others went off for some suds and fun. >> they're all cute, and we're going to bring them out in just a second. we're also joined by richard gentles with animal care and control of new york city. richard, good morning. >> good morning. >> nice to see you again. >> nice to see you, too, as always. >> we have had a good track record here. >> we have. >> every dog shown on this program has been adopted and adopted quickly. are you seeing an increase in adoptions at shelters as well? >> thanks to jill and this segment, our centers and partners coming in, adoptions have increased over the last

year and our euthanasia rate has continued to decrease over last couple years. >> that's great. >> made an impact, not only in new york city, but across the country. >> and the dogs started barking. >> right on cue. i'm taking you home, ollie. >> these dogs didn't need a lot of makeover. >> no. >> really it's their back story as opposed to the condition they were in. so, let's bring out with meredith a newly groomed max. max, come on out. max is our golden retriever. he is a pure-bred, is that right? >> pure-bred golden retriever. you can see with the makeover, they trimmed him up a little bit and his coat is nice and shiny now, so -- >> he's beautiful. >> he sits on command if you want -- see, here he goes? couldn't do that any better. >> you know the story. >> good energy, so, needs somebody with an active lifestyle, but i think he'll really -- >> and his owner was homeless, so his owner gave up -- so, now he's homeless. hoping to find a wonderful home. >> meredith, you and max make a good combo there.

fifth avenue, all right? okay. our next dog is betty, and betty has short air, so she didn't need much of a makeover at all. and let's remind people about betty, okay? kind of a heartbreaking story. >> really heartbreaking story. she's our special needs dog in that she was left in an apartment for three or four days when her owner had passed away, and she's got a little separation anxiety, so she's going to need somebody that's home a lot, just to kind of keep her company. but you can see the sadness in her eyes. she just needs to get -- >> she's little older. >> middle age. >> but still in really good condition. >> she's in really good condition. she was very well taken care of, but she needs to just feel the security of a loving home again and she'll be fine. but somebody who's around a lot, home a lot. she'll be great. >> but also, she's so affectionate. matt, if you put your face up to her, she'll give you a little kiss. >> thanks for that, jill.

right on command, too. >> see? >> just like jill. >> okay. >> okay. >> real quickly, our last dog is ollie. can we bring ollie out, ann? >> he benefited from the makeover the most. cut down his hair little bit. looks a lot, lot better. >> and he's young and very energetic. >> very energetic. >> yorkshire terrier mix. >> under a year old. >> he's been very good with kids. he's been in a foster home with kids, what not. so, if you have kids who would play with him a lot. >> all available for adoption. also, check out your local shelters and do something good there as well. richard, thank you very much. >> thank you very much. >> bring the dogs out. jill, thank you very much. and for more information about -- >> oh -- >> let's go back this way. let's walk back this way. >> okay! >> that's a whole other show. >> we'll have some more dogs -- ->( music playing )ther show. - we know technology can make you more connected.

but now it can make you more connected to your doctor through e-mail. test results from home. check records. change appointments. now doctors, nurses, techs, pharmacists are all digitally connected to each other. and ultimately connected to you. at kaiser permanente, we believe that if knowledge is power, shared knowledge is even more powerful. kaiser permanente. thrive. this morning on "leonard's look," mike leonard shows us a place where smiles are infectious and good manners a matter of course. >> reporter: it's the one national problem that could be solved without spending a dime of federal money, the one heavily discussed issue that wouldn't be an issue if people simply followed this man's lead.

. less than 200 yards from my winnetka, illinois, home stands the grand food center. and at the deli counter in the back -- >> how have you been doing? >> reporter: stands ed embers. >> frank, how are you doing, sir? >> reporter: a married, father of three -- >> have a nice day now. >> reporter: mr. embers has worked this corner of the store -- >> mary, how are you? >> reporter: for nearly 30 years. his courteous, gracious demeanor a daily reminder that well-mannered people still exist. >> thank you. have a nice day. >> you're welcome. you too, now, thanks. >> and it's infectious. >> thanks, have a nice day. >> everybody say hi, hello, good morning. >> mr. featherstone, how are you? >> this is the most courteous market. >> exactly right. >> got to be all-american. >> reporter: a code of conduct -- >> thank you. >> you, too. >> you're welcome. >> reporter: set not by decree, but by example. >> i think that no matter who you are, if you make another person's day better, it kind of

makes you feel better, too. >> hi, how are you? >> they all say hello. and when you haven't been here in a while, they're like, "hey, how are you?" >> good. >> makes my day. that's why i shop here. >> it's not hard to do. >> it's not hard. but i'm a true believer in if you give out love, it comes back. >> reporter: just like how ed comes back to his shift despite a daunting muse of buses and trains. >> this is the way back home. >> reporter: two hours at night and two hours in the morning. >> there's plenty of other places for him to go to work. >> reporter: but very few places with this kind of atmosphere. >> it's respectful. >> here you go, young lady. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> reporter: an atmosphere he helped to create. >> okay, billy, see you sunday. >> he's the nicest guy in the world. >> he's phenomenal. >> he's the best. >> i mean, you can't put a price on that. >> reporter: i live right across the street. >> nice seeing you. >> good to see you. >> reporter: i come here every day. >> how are you? >> good, how are you doing? >> good. >> reporter: and every day, this is what i see. >> have a good day, ma'am. >> it doesn't cost you anything to smile or be nice to people.

>> reporter: if it canxsv" wor here -- >> good afternoon. >> how are you? >> gary, how are you doing? >> reporter: this microcosm of the world -- >> good to see you. have a good day. >> reporter: of different cultures. where are you from? >> russia. >> haiti. >> reporter: different backgrounds. >> it's not more like the customers are there and we're here. it's all as one. >> reporter: then why couldn't it work everywhere? >> you have to give respect in order to receive respect. >> have a nice day. >> you, too. >> all right, thanks. see you guys. >> you know, it's just a good thing to do. >> reporter: and a good thing to witness. >> okay, you're welcome. have a nice day now. >> reporter: for "today," mike leonard, nbc news, winnetka, illinois. >> simple >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. lawyers for mayor sheila dixon are preparing for two separate trials. the decision was made at a court hearing yesterday.

on november 9, the mayor will be facing charges. the mayor is trying to get two other indictments dismissed. back in a minute with a check on today's forecast.

>> now let's take a look at the forecast with sandra shaw. >> what a great start to the month of october. mostly sunny skies, comfortable lives 67 degrees. on the eastern shore, 69. as for the weekend forecast, tomorrow is a good start. clouds thickening by the afternoon. showers and defrauded night and then saturday morning.

-- showers into friday night and then saturday morning. >> we will have another update at 9:25.