on this sunday night, the final 48 hours in the race for president. a frantic final push on the campaign trail, obama and romney making a mad dash through the swing states. meantime, tempers flare. tonight a final poll on where this race stands and how sandy could impact the election. plus the new big storm closing in threatening to disrupt a massive recovery operation. and making a difference, the marathon may be off, but the race is on to help some of the hardest hit victims of the storm. from our election home, "nightly news" begins now.
good evening. in just over 48 from now, the first polling places here on the east coast will close in the presidential election. the final "countdown" is on and the gut check moment has arrived for president obama and governor romney as they make the crucial decisions as to where and how to marshall their resources into places they can still make a difference. and tonight, we're about to release the results of our time poll in this race, a last-minute snapshot that could give both camps a reason for hope and anxiety. and how the hurricane sandy disaster has affected this race. let's start with our political director and chief white house correspondent chuck todd who's just below me here on democracy plaza. >> let's get right to the numbers, the president with a very narrow lead, 48% to 47%.
this is almost last close presidential election we had which is when president bush also had a 48% to 47% lead. among early voters, president obama with a seven-point advantage here. four in ten voters may vote early this year. and in the battle ground states, the president's got a four-point lead and that's within the margin of error. in the northea let me show you where there may be a sandy effect, and that is the idea of which candidate has better leadership qualities. a week earlier, governor romney led the polls, but now you see
president obama leads. in the middle class, the president leads by n'k11, value versus the economy. and watching the exhausting travel schedule has been like watching a pair of prize fighters in the 12th round. let's get right out on to the campaign trail, along with kristen welker with the president in cincinnati. >> reporter: good evening to you lester. president obama campaigns here in must-win ohio tonight with music legend stevy wonder kicking thing off. with this race too close to call, president obama is enlisting his biggest su egest s and supporters to help him close this deal. president obama in the final sprint of this deadlocked race, stopping first in concord, new hampshire today. >> let's go get them, new hampshire. >> and then to hollywood, florida. >> are you fired up?
>> reporter: mr. obama will travel several thousand miles, stopping in ohio, colorado, wisconsin. today the president enlisted one of the most high profile democrats to fire up voters. former president bill clinton. president obama even borrowing president clinton's campaign song. president clinton slammed romney. >> he's tying himself into knots saying he didn't oppose what he didn't oppose. >> reporter: and obama -- >> we know what change looks like and he ain't it. >> reporter: and president obama
confused the former presidents. that ad th that. >> that ad that you have seen that president clinton bankrupted the auto industry so that china could buy it. >> we're in commanding position, but our big challenge new is to make sure that we execute and get our vote out. >> reporter: michelle obama will join the president in iowa for his final event tomorrow night. kristen welker, nbc news, traveling with the president in cincinnati, ohio. meantime tonight mitt romney is barrelling through a few states of his own. >> reporter: anticipating a dramatic finale -- >> two more days. two more days and we can get to work rebuilding our country. >> reporter: mitt romney this weekend is racing through eight
events in seven states. >> we have got to change course because unless we do, we may be looking at another recession. let's make sure we get everyone out to vote on tuesday. >> reporter: governor romney's carefully crafted final pitch that he would be a bipartisan leader. and he has this new line -- >> don't boo, vote. voting is the best revenge. >> they asked their supporters to vote for revenge. for revenge. instead i ask the american people to vote for love of country. >> reporter: and while upbeat, mr. romney made this acknowledgement. >> if the president were to be re-elected. >> boo! >> it's possible. but not likely. >> reporter: this afternoon, new jersey governor chris christie
who praised president obama's leadership in the aftermath of hurricane sandy, said he's still voting for mitt romney. >> i am voting for mitt romney, but that doesn't mean that i can't turn to president obama and say thank you. >> reporter: romney advisors are projecting confidence and claiming a more enthusiastic base. >> there's a gap on the side of republicans. >> reporter: late saturday mrs. romney rallied supporters in cleveland. >> i'm feeling it r you feeling it? >> reporter: i'm peter alexander
traveling with governor romney in pennsylvania. >> i want to first talk to you about those numbers, about the leadership question, saying that president obama may have gotten a sandy bounce. is there anything that romney can do in that case or does he have to be on the sidelines? >> he is on the sidelineses, there's no question about it. in talking to the president today, they maintain that their zeta is unchanged. he would win bagsd on -- the reality is chris christie is now having to go out of his way to say he's still voting for mitt romney. he did provide him a boost. mitt romney needs to lead, let's face it the country is starved for it at the moment which is why i think it resonates. >> they both really have reason to be confident now, don't they?
>> they have reason to be confident because you saw our poll, it's deadlocked, neck and neck. now it's whether they get their supporters to the polls, this very sophisticated report that the president has had years to vote on. building for mitt romney, perhaps stalled a bit when attention was taken off of him during sandy and during the recovery, whether that passion can be reignited and in his closing message, reaching out to moderates, reaching out to bipartisanship whether that ignites people and gets them to the polls. >> and your thoughts quickly on president clinton's appearance on the campaign trail. >> having covered bill and hillary clinton, this is the anniversary of bill clinton's '92 race. you can see him absolutely energized and igniting these
crowds, he's the closer for barack obama. >> they have got to get young people and might norities out t vote. in florida, anger and frustration today in miami where voters lined up to cast absentee ballots after being cut off from the early voting deadline yesterday. what happened there and other potential election problems. >> reporter: frustrated voters juice the miami-dade election office this afternoon. they had come after the county announced it would open its doors to provide an accept absentee ballots today. but so many voters showed up that election officials were overwhelmed. they shut their doors and then decided to reopen.
the democratic party ensued to extend early voters after some voters were stuck on line for hours. >> i have waited five hours now. >> reporter: election officials are bracing for lots of potential voting problems on tuesday, especiallily in the key battleground states n ohio, experts say because of confusion over new absentee ballot rules, more than 200,000 voters may be forced to cast provisional ballots that won't be counted until ten days after election day. >> there's a realistic chance that we will not know which candidate won the election in ohio. >> reporter: citizen groups like tea to vote, a tea party offshoot who says it's trained more than a million poll watchers to look out for voter fraud. liberal activist groups are saying they're employing their own poll watchers. >> we will be watching the poll
watchers to make sure they are not acting as bullies. >> reporter: meanwhile hurricane sandy's devastation has swamped election plans in the northeast. officials are faced with flooded buildings and power outages are besieged. >> actually the timing of the storm was horrible for us respecting people's ability to get to the polls. >> reporter: this weekend the state announced it will let voters displaced by sandy e-mail or fax their ballots in. and military trucks may be deployed as backup polling stations. all these issues could lead to an election storm that leads to confusion and even chaos at the polls on tuesday. we want to let you know that brian williams and our entire political team will be with you every step of the way on election night. our coverage begins at 7:00, 6 central on tuesday night. amid the long lines for gas
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we're back now with a long road to recovery facing thousands of families hit hard by superstorm sandy. in addition to the immediate needs of food and gas, there's a new emerging crisis. where are they all going to live in the weeks and months ahead? nbc's michelle franzen is on the jersey shore tonight. >> reporter: good evening, lester, aside from our light this neighborhood is in darkness. an hour earlier thanks to the time change and also an early cold night for residents hunkering down in their homes, those still without power. now tonight, new jersey's governor says fema has extended public assistance for all 21 counties in the state a big step as officials here and in new york try to overcome a challenge. in the blue collar fishing towns
of highlands, new jersey amber moskowitz is surrounded by debris. >> we're safe, but it killed us, we lost all our pictures and memories. >> what we're worried about right now is that it's so cold they can't stay? their homes. >> the reality of not know what's next has set in. >> look at that, i don't know how that's going to be repaired. >> reporter: today homeland security secretary janet napolitano toured neighborhoods. >> our goal is to get people out of the shelters now as quickly as possible into something more stable, more satisfying. >> reporter: meanwhile the crisis at the pump continues, with drivers lining up at the
pump to fill up and rationing in place in new jersey until supply can catch up with demand. >> part of the gas thing is that people are worried it's going to run out, it's not going to run out. >> in new york city, ferry sciee back online for tomorrow's commute. but for thousands still without power a crisis is emerging. >> one of the great fears we have with cold weather coming we have to make sure that people can stay warm and among the hardest hit, the rockaways in staten island. >> governmetonight the first ma donation from pepsico and walmart. >> reporter: in staten island, victims waited five days before help arrived. >> please start going door to door and ask some of the owners
if they need anything. >> reporter: in queens more than 100 homes burned to the ground in a raging file fueled by sandy, a church service offered comforting words and a new determination. >> we don't have any crystal balls that will tell us how breezy point will be rebuilt. do not abandon your hope because only hope sustains us. >> reporter: volunteers and military teams continue to travel across the country to help in the recovery effort. the latest, 400 marines helping out in staten island. >> there is another big storm headed toward the region. we're joined tonight by w channel meteorologist kelly cass. >> this is the last thing we need in the northeast, and remember all those protective dunes have been washed away by
sandy so obviously we have some store fronts and residential areas that could be hit with another storm. we'll be dealing with a lot of rain and very windy conditions. it's going to start off on the southeast coast, affecting basically election day. that nor'easter co-moves up the coast, very strong winds traveling up the northeast and those winds will be sustained between 25 and 30 miles an hour, but gusting as high as 50 miles an hour. we could be looking at two to three inches of rainfall. coastal flooding is a huge concern. right now it looks like ohio will be clear, back to you, lester. >> kelly, thank you and we're back in a moment with some of the other day's news.
we're back now with some of the day's other news. in pittsburgh, a boy was killed
when he fell about 14 feet into an enclosure at a zoo and was mauled by a pack of wild dogs. zoo officials entered the enclosure and used tranquilizer darts, but it was too late to save the boy. there was a big blast right in the heart of damascus, a car bomb went off near one of the city's largest hotels. when we come back here on this sunday night, the marathon is off, but that doesn't stop thousands from putting on their running shoes today making a difference on the path to recovery. that's why dentures require special care. make polident® part of your daily routine. polident's unique microclean formula cleanses gently. it releases antimicrobial agents, including active oxygen,
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the view here in democracy pla plaza, finally when they cancelled the new york marathon, many found themselves with nothing to do after the storm. many felt they could make a difference in the lives of those hardest hit. >> reporter: after the staten island ferry, it felt like the marathon. >> 600 garbage bags, if everybody can take a garbage bag. >> 1,000 runners suddenly with time on their hands were ready to deliver supplies.
this is the boat that could have taken them over to the starting line this morning. instead they're going to statten island to help, they're man thonners, they have a lot of energy. the father-daughter team from the west coast, they were relieved when the race was cancelled. i didn't think could have felt good about it knowing that all these people were cold and carrying all they own on their backs. >> so they were running. baby wipes, batteries. >> flashlights whatever people need. >> there was anger in this community last week when michael bloomberg said the race would go on, especially with food, water and generators were piled up for the race, not the residents.
now the runners delivered those same supplies and lended a has been where it was needed. >> i'm glad the run was cancelled and they're just able to lend a helping hand. >> in some ways canceling it did the same thing. that's nbc "nightly news" for this sunday. up next, football night in america, followed by sunday night football, the cowboys take on the falcons. i'm lester holt reporting from democracy plaza here in new york. for all of us here at nbc news, good night.
this is "world news" and tonight "your voice, your vote," tens of millions of americans going to the polls. lining up for hours to choose their president at schools, homes, laundromats, even car dealerships. and even americans in the storm zone doing what it takes to make their voices heard voting by flashlight in the shelters. after this long and tough road, the president appears at the end of his final campaign. >> we've made real progress these past four years. >> the challenger, governor romney fighting for the last vote. >> that's when you know you'll win. getting ready for this historic night. our abc news political team here and reporting across the nation as tonight it is the vote, the big picture, election day in america.
good evening from the crossroads of the world, pulse of the nation, abc news election headquarters in times square on this historic day for democracy after one of the toughest elections ever, americans are choosing a president. and our great abc news team of analysts and experts have taken their posts eager to tell you would won, how and why throughout this evening. and it is "your voice, your vote." it will be lighting up our maps here at election headquarters. and we also thank you all day long. you have sent us pictures proving how much you care about this vote and we saw you lining up before dawn in virginia, braving lines, rain in florida, children in tow and even guys with surfboards and bare feet as in chicago a woman who went to
the polls while in labor then went on to the hospital. talk about the candidates in these last moments, the two men who have been racing to the finish line spent the day proving determination and stamina and abc's white house correspondent jake tapper starts us off in chicago where the president is with his family waiting for results. jake. >> reporter: good evening on this exciting night, diane. president obama and his campaign are gurding hem thfls for a long night and the president said this might spill into the morning but he fully expects by tomorrow he will be re-elected. it is out of his hands and in yours. >> my name is barack obama, you know, the president. >> reporter: at a chicago campaign field office president obama called volunteers in wisconsin to thank them for their hard work. >> hi, is this annie? hi, this is barack obama, how are you? [ laughter ] i'm doing -- you know -- i don't
think she knows it's me. >> reporter: his message has been one of staying the course. forward. painted himself as a warrior for the middle class. >> are you fired up? >> all: fired up. >> are you fired up? >> reporter: but today another message, an olive branch. >> i also want to say to governor romney, congratulations on a spirited campaign. >> reporter: later today joined by scottie pippen and his old friends the president played basketball, an election day superstition. he did not do so the day of the 2008 new hampshire primary and has not repeated that mistake. also not taking anything for granted vice president biden who made a quick stop in must win buckeye battleground ohio. the son of scranton, gave clevelanders part of his folksy charm. >> running for county council.
>> reporter: it's been an emotional home stretch late last night with his wife in the state that launched his national career, iowa. >> as you know this is a pretty emotional time for us because this is the final event of my husband's final campaign. >> reporter: sleep deprived in the battle of his life standing in the freezing cold, the president saw old familiar faces in the crowd of 20,000 before him. >> to all of you who've lived and breathed the hard work of change, i want to thank you. >> reporter: tears streamed down his face. >> that's the spirit that carried us through the trials and tribulations the last four years. >> reporter: and now president obama is in a suite at the fairmont hotel. he is waiting for his family, his girls have arrived. they flew here after school with the president's mother-in-law. they'll be watching the returns at the hotel. the president is expected to return to washington, d.c., diane, tomorrow afternoon. diane?
>> okay, jake, thank you so much. and again, we have been following you on social media and so many of you wrote us to tell us about epic lines you encountered at the polls coast to coast. you can see some of them right there in washington, d.c., but people did wait hours and hours to vote and the voting remained in full swing and does now, but it hasn't stopped governor romney from squeezing in a few more campaign stops and abc's david muir was there with him. david? >> reporter: diane, good evening. can you believe the day is finally here and as you mentioned a frenetic pace for governor romney right up the end he just landed here in boston after stops in ohio and pennsylvania today. they do believe pennsylvania is now in play for the republicans but i got to tell you it all started this morning when he walked into his own polling place in his neighborhood in belmont, massachusetts and was hummed when he saw his name right there for president of the united states. mitt romney and his wife ann
back home this morning walking in to cast their vote. a quiet moment side by side after nearly six years of campaigning, two runs for the white house and tonight he is one step away. outside a kiss and then a question about ohio. >> yeah, i feel great about ohio. thank you. >> reporter: but not taking that state for granted a last-minute dash today back to ohio. his body man taking this image on the plane proudly wearing this pin and the plane and running mate's plane paul ryan and vice president joe biden's plane in a state both sides want to win. it's been a race to the finish traveling 15,000 miles in 4 days. overnight on my iphone capturing this moment, the romney plane pulling into this columbus, ohio, hangar and soon after we were all back on the plane. we're headed to new hampshire. headed to new hampshire where his candidacy began for a rally lasting past midnight. >> this is where our campaign began.
you got it started a year and a half ago. >> reporter: we were standing right there as he worked his last rope line as a candidate but now to us for that giant bear hug. if anyone is revealing the rigors, it is ann overcome last night by the support. >> i'm so moved. so emotional to have this kind of reception from ohio, a state that is going to make the next president of the united states. [ cheers ] >> reporter: in the final hours romney is sticking to his playbook. >> it's all coming together today. >> reporter: all about the economy, pushing his vision of lower taxes and working on his ipad on tonight's speech and one more stop, pennsylvania, once considered a long shot now they believe within reach and unexpected moment in pittsburgh, a parking garage filled with supporters. the governor with his hand to his heart and a wave telling abc news afterwards. >> that's how know you're going to win. >> reporter: i can tell you, diane, right here in the hall they're beginning to gather at
the romney victory party. they're hoping a few hours from now later here in evening and i can tell you the governor, his wife ann and five sons are holding at the westin hotel and the speech he was working on on his ipad, it's 1100 words long and asked if he had two versions. he said, diane, he has one and it's a victory speech. >> all right, david. but tell me again, he's going to be watching with his family right there? >> reporter: yes, the five sons are all here. the big number i've got to get for you, how many grandchildren. as you know that number is much larger. we will track that down as the evening goes on. they're waiting in the hotel right next door. >> good luck with all those grandchildren. now i want to bring in the co-anchor, george stephanopoulos, right here, so, george, we have the first window on to what people are saying as they come out of the polls. >> i saw a surprise in the first window. when we asked people where they think the country is going on the right track or in the wrong direction, a year ago 77%
thought we were on the wrong track even as late as august it was 69%. today, down to 52%. pretty dramatic increase in optimism over the last several weeks and asked them about the candidates and the economy. president obama has a small advantage, you see it right down in front of us, 52-44% on empathy being in touch but overall trust to handle the economy it flips a little and governor romney has a slight advantage over president obama, 50%-47%. different views on the candidates and the economy. >> so i'm calculating, your first campaign, 1988. >> that's right. a little over 25 years ago. >> so what's the most important thing you'll be watching? >> i'm looking at three things, the first one is a number, 74%. that was the share of the electorate four years ago in 2008. down every year. if that goes up, that is good news for governor romney. if it continues to go down that will be good news for president obama. the second thing i'll be looking at is a state, early state,
virginia, the polls closed there at 7:00. governor romney has to win that state to be in the hunt for 270 electoral votes. if he doesn't, president obama does, he will be on his way to victory and finally going to be looking at an issue. that is the issue of the auto bailout. big dramatic action. president obama took early on. many jobs across the industrial midwest, president obama's fire wall, ohio and wisconsin and michigan were dependent on the auto industry. if you see a favorable ritting for that that's good news for the president. >> we will be right here bringing everybody the big news tonight. because it is a once in a generation election. a changing america election and rarely have the stakes been higher and not just because the white house is up for grabs so is control of the senate and abc's jonathan karl, our veteran capitol hill correspondent is here and we ask in the three places he'll be watching tonight, the states also voting by the way on some pretty far-ranging things.
we'll get to that in a moment. jon. >> that's the other big battle is the battle for control of the u.s. senate so very early in the night i'm going to be looking at two senate seats especially. the first one up in massachusetts, this is scott brown against elizabeth warren. the most expensive race in the country. the most high profile. it has been a bitter race. if republican scott brown loses in massachusetts, the republicans have a much harder time to win control of the senate. the other one also early in the night is going to be in the state of indiana, this is richard mourdock running against donny. they controlled it for 36 years. should have been a slam dunk but he made controversial comments on rape and abortion now it's at risk for republicans. if they lose both of those it will be virtually impossible to win control of the senate. my third one is actually a house seat. all 435 members up. that's in minnesota, michele bachmann running for re-election, of course, a year
ago she was a front runner to run for president now fighting for her political life for her own district in minnesota. >> the states putting up referendum some wide-ranging things. what's number one you'll be looking at. >> we could have legalized marijuana in three states at the end of the night. that's what i'll be looking at. >> real possibility. >> it's a possibility. [ laughter ] >> all right. i'm going to see you later. >> we'll talk later. >> put you down for a talk. you're going to be with us, of course, all this evening. jon, george, the abc news political team standing by, analysts and experts ready to roll as "your voice, your vote" rolls in starting at 7:00 p.m. eastern. coming up next here, election day in the storm zone, the amazing ways americans are making their voices heard against all odds.
i've been a superintendent for 30 some years at many different park service units across the united states. the only time i've ever had a break is when i was on maternity leave. i have retired from doing this one thing that i loved. now, i'm going to be able to have the time to explore something different. it's like another chapter.
and on this big day in america we ask all of you to give us three words, and here's a photo of three words. take a look. we loved it. we the people coming up after people are showing you voting here right now. we the people turning out even in the shelters showing a unity that is strengthening family as cross the storm zone even in the darkness and the cold. images that poured in to us all day long from our voting -- our voting colleagues, our voting americans in the shelters and the tents with their flashlights, family suffering
after sandy a. as you know vo n unbroken to vote. linsey davis tells us what they're facing tonight. >> reporter: without power, but not power-less. in some of the areas most devastated by hurricane sandy, we saw images like this of the victims, eager to show with everything they lost, they still have a voice. in rockaway park, queens, when the generators ran out of gas, voters had to cast ballots in the dark. some new jersey voters climbed into winnebagos to cast their ballots. overwhelmed by applications, state officials there extended the deadline for casting votes by e-mail until friday. hard-hit staten island residents are still trying to catch their breath. did you get a chance to vote today? >> vote. no. look at this. who's got time to vote? >> reporter: now with the added burden of another storm on the way, expected to hit tomorrow night, this devastated coastline is in the bull's-eye of a nor'easter bringing rain, high winds, coastal flooding, even
snow to an already battered region. >> we could have some snow on the ground and certainly snow on the trees. that makes the trees that already have their bases flooded more likely to fall over. >> this is the new york city police department. >> reporter: new york city is prepping again urging residents in the lowest lying areas to move out of the storm's path ago as parks, playgrounds and beaches are expected to close for 24 hours beginning at noon tomorrow. new jersey officials are watching the path of the storm closely. >> just when i thought i was going to start to get some more sleep we're going to get the nor'easter and i think it's going to be all hands on deck again. >> how much more can we take? >> reporter: at the peak of the power outages, more than 8.5 million people were without power. today, close to a million are still in the dark. and now the fear is that those who just got their power back may lose it again. >> why does it always happen we get creamed with a storm and then two days later there's another storm? >> reporter: elinda restaina, a mother of seven, is trying to work fast to salvage what she can before the next round of
rain and wind. >> you can take our home but you can't take our heart. >> reporter: linsey davis, abc news, staten island. >> thank you, linsey. all of us at abc want to make sure help is on the way for those families and thanks to your extraordinary generosity, all of you and the abc family coming together for a day of giving, listen to this. we have raised more than $17 million to help families suffering in the storm zone and, by the way, it is not too late to help. the phone lines are still open, call 1-800-help-now or go to our website, abcnews.com and thanks to all of you for your incredible generosity. coming up, something to make everyone smile on this election day. we asked which song plays into your head as you go to the polls? an election day playlist. you gave it to us today. ♪ born in the usa
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♪ o say can you see ♪ by the dawn's early light ♪ devil with the blue dress on >> i saw all this red. ♪ let's get it on >> marion gay. ♪ quite a difference four years made every minute every hour ♪ ♪ born in the usa ♪ i was born in the usa >> like springsteen said -- ♪ baby i was born to run ♪ we've only just begun ♪ god bless america land that i love stand beside her and guide her through the night by the light from above ♪ >> and coming up, as the abc news political team is assembling josh elliott will take you behind the scenes at abc's election headquarters. ete.
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mom? i'm ok. grandma? hi sweetie! she operates the head. [ male announcer ] campbell's chunky soup. it fills you up right. we are counting down, just minutes away from the first polls closing. we are all gathering here, so we asked abc's josh elliott to give a kind of backstage tour of abc's election headquarters.
>> that's right, diane. we are in the nerve center of our election headquarters at abc news and what a nerve center it is. we do want to show you where we will be parsing all the information tonight as it become as valuable as we elect a new president. here to my left the insiders, matthew dowd, nicolle wallace, donna brazile, george will and barbara walters will tell us what it means when a state turns one way, what it might mean four years from now. to the right of our set we also have our insiders' desk. remember, there are many key house and senate races still to be decided and they will be parsed and synthesized, as well. the banks of seats, we have our analysis desk and ballot watch team. the analysis desk is really the first point of entry for the raw information, the exit poll numbers that will become the real numbers that you will see and then you see the ballot watch team led by pierre thomas
looking for any irregularities at voting and polling stations around the country and that flows to our twin pillars of rome as george and diane will then bring it to you and as you can see here technology will play a part, the information will spring from the floor. this huge l.e.d. screen, in fact, george with a touch screen in front of him has the ability to tell us when a state turns and maybe why it did. county by county parsing it for you as best as we can. obviously technology will be a star and to that end social media which has had an impact on this election unlike any other will have a place with us, as well. this is our social media corner, you see. a touch screen and katie couric will be with us tonight monitoring what you are talking about on facebook and on twitter as we have all come to see history tonight, as our president will be re-elected or the republicans will have taken
back the white house and we do hope you joins at abc news till the very last, diane. >> we thank you. and our election 2012 coverage will begin right now. george stephanopoulos, the powerhouse political team standing by. we will be here with the latest minute-by-minute results as they come in and see you after a short break. good afternoon, i'm cheryl jennings with this abc 7 news election update. all eyes on prop 30, education funding measure, supporters greeted the governor as he arrived to vote in the oakland hills. it would boost sales tax a quarter percent, increasing taxes on individuals that earn
more than $250,000 a year. the governor says if it fails, california schools will be in big trouble. prop 30 opposers say it will drive business out of california. >> election officials divided into two locations pushing some vote dwrorz a precinct down the street. san francisco's big ush yu is proposition f which wants the cities to transition away from hetch hetchy as a primary water source. in richmond supporters say measure n will help fight childhood obesity. you still have four hours to vote in the bay area when polls close tonight at 8:00. abc 7 news will be live with the first returns and you can get realtime results at abc 7 news.com also, live updates at facebook.com/abc 7 news and through twitter. our next update is in less than 30 minutes.
on our broadcast here tonight from our nbc news election headquarters on democracy plaza, decision day. that means election night soon we get to learn the verdict of a nation. either another term or another president after a long and bitter campaign and a grueling fight to the finish. tonight, what we'll be looking for as the first returns start to come in. and after the storm in the cold, without power after losing so much, they came to cast their ballots. tonight the extraordinary election effort to make sure everyone gets to vote while so much human suffering continues. nightly news this election night, decision 2012 begins now. good evening from our
spectacular location here tonight at rockefeller plaza, in the center of new york city, transformed for thevening into democracy plaza. our nbc news election night headquarters. across this country today from the first light of day in montana, americans voted. they voted in temporary tents and by flashlight in the rockaways here in new york, where after all an entire region remains crippled and this will remain another cold, dark night for upwards of a million people. the first polls have already closed. more are closing in the next 30 minutes. people are still lining up to vote tonight in the state that may be the greatest prize of all, ohio. the candidates are spent after an exhaust iing campaign. now it all comes down to tonight. and just after midnight in keeping with a grand american tradition, the people of
dixville notch, new hampshire cast the first votes in the nation and voted to a 5/5 tie. the first tie vote in that small town's history. we can only guess what that means for how late we'll be at this tonight. our team is in place all over the country and here in wbr id "wbr1380" new york. we want to begin with our white house correspondent kristen welker covering the president in chicago. kristen, good evening. reporter: brian, good evening to you. the obama campaign is energized tonight, but also a bit wistful. after four years in office, the candidate once known for hope and change is counting on voters to stay the course. my name is barack obama, you know, the president? reporter: president obama campaigning tirelessly in the final hours before the polls closed, stopping by a chicago campaign office, to stress the importance of turnout. we have to round up the votes. reporter: since saturday, he's kept up a break neck campaign pace, logging more than 7,000 miles aboard air force /b
one. making a dozen stops over eight states and granting 20 interviews to local stations. i hope we have a big turnout in iowa. reporter: after a long fight it came down to a sentimental journey to the packed center of des moines, iowa. i've come wbr-id "wbr1980" back to iowa one more time to ask for your vote. this is where our movement for change began. reporter: and it didn't surprise even veteran aids when the president reached a certain portion of his emotional speech with his voice strained. that shows you what one voice can do. reporter: and teers flowing down his cheech. it was the last event of his last presidential campaign. as you know, this is a pretty emotional time for us, because this is the final event of my husband's final campaign. reporter: today our nbc affiliate in des moines asked the president about his tears. a photographer got a little
tear going down your left cheek. was that the cold out there or emotion? >> you know, probably a mix of both. i have to say that being back in des moines, thinking about all the folks in iowa who had worked so hard on my campaign back in '08 and then to see them still working hard back in 2012, it made me feel deeply moved and honored to have been able to be on this journey. >> reporter: this final stretch has taken on the feel of a family reunion, with aids from 2008 rejoining, some growing good luck beards, others wearing good luck charms. the president's tradition, a game of basketball with some of his closest friends and advisers. in fact we have a shot of him with one of the folks who played today, former illinois state treasurer. president obama will have dinner with his family tonight at his
chicago home before watching election returns with the rest of his team. >> sports is a superstitious business. kristen welker starting us off. thanks. now to the other side, peter alexander traveling with the romney campaign. and tonight that means headquarters, back home in boston. peter, good evening. >> reporter: brian, good evening to you. within the last hour, mitt romney just landed back here in boston after wrapping up his final campaign swing. tonight he's going to watch those returns alongside his wife ann and all five of their sons. during that last flight he spoke to reporters and said he was very proud of the campaign, adding, and i quote, we put it all on the field. at the end of an exhausting quest for the white house. mitt romney cast his ballot alongside his wife ann in their home state of massachusetts. his mind was on the midwest. >> i feel great about ohio. >> reporter: governor romney went straight from the polls to
his campaign plane with paul ryan. >> i'm awed by the spirit and enthusiasm, support, energy, it's just amazing. thank you. >> reporter: while mr. romney thanks volunteers, later fueling up on fast food. it was a near traffic jam on the tarmac in cleveland. air force two carrying the vice president to a late campaign swing of his own touched down behind the governor's jet. he appeared almost overwhelmed by the reception in a state until now he largely ignored. >> that's when you know you're going to win. >> reporter: mr. ronlny said he didn't want to look back with anything other than satisfaction about his campaign. last night the romneys were greeted by a rock star's welcome in new hampshire. a three minute ovation in the state where the former massachusetts governor kicked off this campaign more than 500
days ago. >> i have a clear and unequivocal message. with the right leadership, america's going to come roaring back. >> reporter: late today after a bitter campaign, mr. romney struck a conciliatory tone. >> the president has run a strong campaign. i believe he's a good man and wish him well, but it's time for new direction. it's time for a better tomorrow. >> reporter: from that conversation with reporters tonight, it is clear that governor romney deeply believes he is going to win tonight. so confident apparently, he says he's only written one speech, a victory speech. >> peter alexander, romney headquarters in boston, where it's going to be a long night. let's fly across the plaza, a location we're going to be checking in with a lot, chuck todd, the keeper of the numbers. so chuck, give us a viewer's guide in effect, a lot of folks
tuning in now will be with us the rest of the way out. what to look for tonight? >> good news for you presidential political junkies, before 9:00, look at how many states in the battlegrounds where the polls will be closed? six of the sort of ten states we've been eyeing in either direction. the first big one comes up in a few minutes, the state of virginia. there's certain things to watch in the state of virginia. we expect it to be a tight race. if it's a good night for romney, is it something we're able to call by 9:00 or 10:00? is it a good night for the president, does he get it in his column early. i've done all these scenarios. there's not many romney scenarios that don't include the state of virginia. two others i want to circle here. pennsylvania and north carolina. these are states that democrats believe -- something that's going to be in the president's column, north carolina something that's going to be in romney's column. what if they're too close to call at 9:00. if pennsylvania's too close to
call, good news for romney. if north carolina is, good news for the president. >> we'll be checking in along the way. thanks a lot. we're joined now by three former nbc news chief white house correspondents, andrea mitchell, david gregory, savannah guthrie, who will be with us the rest of the way, of course. same question to chuck. what are the moments you'll be looking for tonight? >> the keys to the game here, as it were, two teams, and is obama's defense better than romney's offense? obama's got to protect the midwest tonight, he can do that, the states he won in 2008, ohio, iowa, wisconsin, he gets a second term. is romney's offense better. can he expand the battleground map? if he does that, he has his shot. what does the vote and the voter look like? how white is it? how nonwhite is it? what's the gender gap like, and what about men, white men in particular, for one side or the other. we're going to be paying a lot of attention on that. >> we got to barnstorm around on
air force one for about 24 hours last week. what struck me, it's not '08 and you and i were talking about this before we went on the air, in so many ways. >> when you think about 2008, that was the night this country elected the first african-american president. four years later, if you look at the data, this is a country more racially divided politically than it has been ever before. the president is winning margins with nonwhites, upwards of 66%, losing whites by 21%. and that fact alone may be determinative of what the electorate looks like tonight. i think about how divided this country is, along racial lines, gender lines and political lines. we know this is going to be an extremely close race no matter what happens. what will that tell us for how we'll govern the next four years. >> to andrea mitchell, you're covering the senate and house races tonight.
there's a lot of closely watched contests? >> speaking of partisanship, we're going to be watching to see whether the democrats can retain control of the senate. they have more to defend. the republicans have some self-inflicted wounds that they themselves would acknowledge with todd akin and richard murdoch, the candidates who spoke so controversially about rape. we're going to be watching women, 18 of these candidates in both parties in the senate are women. we're watching the house, of course. republicans expected to retain control of the house. what's going to happen to the tea party and the partisanship in the house. >> andrea mitchell wrapping up our purely political subtext tonight. by this time tomorrow night, this plaza will likely be full of swirling snow from a huge storm that's going to add insult to injury to this region. already for millions of voters here in the northeast, this election day includes such a painful subtext as the suffering
from hurricane sandy continues for so many people. ron allen's been covering that, he's across the river from new york city in hard hit hoboken, new jersey. ron, good evening. >> reporter: good evening to you, brian. this city hall has been the center for relief operations here. today they added voting to the long list of things they're trying to accomplish. for voters in new york and new jersey, still battling the aftermath of the storm, there was frustration and confusion, and a huge problem caused by e-mail voting. election day got off to a chaotic start in communities outside new york city that still don't have power. when voters arrived at polling places that were not ready. >> it's a disgrace. i've been here three times, they finally got machines in, now the machines are jammed up. >> reporter: in manhattan, where the storms effects still linger, the lines were long. in queens, tents were set up outside unusable polling places. shuttle buses carried other voters to alternative sites.
throughout the metro area, some who turned out early even used flashlights. any means possible to have their vote counted. >> that's the only frightening part. there's a lot of people that just don't have positions to come and vote. >> reporter: registered voters could cast ballots at any polling place. in new jersey, anyone displaced by the storm could vote by e-mail or fax. an unprecedented move that overwhelmed election offices. frustrated voters who could not get ballots vented on social media. voting in new jersey is a disaster, said one tweet. late today the governor made it clear, e-mail voting is limited. >> you have been displaced from your home because of the storm. get your butt up and go vote at your polling place. >> reporter: buildings normally used for voting served many rolls. in hoboken, voters lined up at one side of the high school, while on the other side, storm victims lined up for emergency supplies. and many still plan to vote.
>> i'm still going to vote. that's not going to change anything. >> reporter: late today because of that huge backlog, the deadline to vote by e-mail was extended to friday night at 8:00 p.m. even before that move critics were warning of voter fraud. and legal experts say all this will land the state of new jersey in court. brian? >> ron allen across the way in hoboken tonight, ron? our justice correspondent pete williams has been watching for all reports of irregularities at the polls today. he reports that so far things have gone fairly well for the most part. he'll be part of our election night coverage tonight. however, one incident quickly went viral starting this morning. it happened to a voter in pennsylvania today as he filmed himself pushing the electronic screen, the obama button, the machine checked off romney's name instead. he eventually figured out how to touch a screen in such a way
that allowed him to choose the candidate of his choice. he reported the problem to poll workers. when our broadcast continues, this other big story we're following, the continuing suffering from sandy, and how that has led to a vital new mission for the u.s. marines. ♪ [ male announcer ] it's time for medicare open enrollment. are you ready? time to compare plans and see what's new. you don't have to make changes, but it's good to look. maybe you can find better coverage, save money, or both. and check out the preventive benefits you get after the health care law. ♪ medicare open enrollment. now's the time. visit medicare.gov or call 1-800-medicare. ♪ is efficiently absorbed in small continuous amounts. citracal slow release
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we're back, this was the scene in the far rockaway section of queens in new york city today. hundreds lined up to get food and water from the national guard and nypd. among the items being handed out. blankets from the new york marathon that was cancelled. in one area particularly hard hit, staten island. the problems are piling up. when you have a problem, send in the marines, well, they did, as stephanie gosk found out there today. >> reporter: marines on patrol. this season thele monday province, it's the storm ravaged streets of long island. 50 marines in a community that need the muscle. especially the merchants. >> it's a huge job. they said, no problem, we can do it. >> reporter: a kindergarten teacher can't talk about her home without crying. russian immigrants, they worked for years to save enough money
to buy their house. demolition is the only way to save what's left. >> of course, it's a big help. we can't do it by ourself. >> reporter: this is the kind of work that is needed all along this block. people are coming by to help out, but they're charging $3,000 to do what these marines are doing in here for free. >> reporter: in just an hour, the job was done. >> when i walked through these streets, it's like nothing i ever saw before. these homes were ripped off the foundation, fires, floods, winds. everything damaged this place so bad. >> reporter: they said at camp lejeune they were getting ready to deploy again to the middle east when they got the call to come to staten eye land. >> everyone's thankful to be here. >> reporter: the marines returned to their chopper to fly back to their ship. they will be on the ground here again tomorrow. this debris field behind me is
now a 24 hour a day operation. the pile already big is going to get a lot bigger, brian. >> stephanie, i'm sitting here thinking you've been shot at while covering marines around the world. at least you're in the more hospitable climate of new york. there's this other storm on the way. by this time tomorrow night we could be seeing bands of snow through new york. the problem is the coastline, there are already mandatory evacuations underway in some jersey shore beach communities. the low lying one where the dunes -- the protection is gone, washed away. jim cantore is with us for an update on the severity of the storm. good evening. >> it's already coming to fruition, you can see it just off the coast here. these high clouds screaming north to where it's going to be another cold night tonight in new england. and these storm ravaged area. this model is going to give us an idea of what the storm is
going to do. possibly tomorrow morning, no precipitation on the coast yet. it won't be long after that, look what happens during the evening brian. we change the rain over to snow, even in new york city, the hard hit jersey shore, across long island as well. the wind, surge and now the snow to add insult to injury. nine days after sandy. >> unbelievable. we'll talk to you next right back here tomorrow night, jim cantore, thanks. we'll take a break. in a moment, what voters are telling us mattered most to them as they left the polls today. [ ] are you sure you can fit in there? [ chuckles ] ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] around view monitor with bird's-eye view. nice work. [ male announcer ] introducing the all-new nissan pathfinder. it's our most innovative pathfinder ever. nissan. innovation that excites. ♪ anyone have occasional constipation,
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time for an every four year staple. every election day nbc news and other organizations conduct those exit polls, asking voters what they were thinking as they left their polling places. all night tonight, tamaran hall will be just off the ice with voters opinions. >> do you think things in this country today are generally
going in the right direction or seriously on the wrong track. early exit polls show voters are a bit more negative than positive. but not by much. 52% believe it's going in the wrong direction. let's compare these numbers to previous elections. george w. bush ran for a second term in 2004. at the time about half the country believed things were going in the right direction. by 008, a record 75% of the voters said the nation was on the wrong track. that is when we saw the economic meltdown, the republicans lost the white house. in 2012, the national mood has improved a lot in four years. it's a bit more negative than positive. will it be enough to help president obama keep his job? stay tuned? >> tamaran, thanks. we're just moments away from poll closings in several states. we're back after this.
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coverage begins just after this break. we'll be with you all night long. this is it in a few minutes. so get comfortable. but for now, that's it for us for "nightly news." our special coverage just moments away.
did they know and when did they know it? questions swirl around the cia and the fbi as we learn more tonight about what happened in the days leading up to the bombshell resignation of cia director david petraeus. money trail. new concerns about whether millions in donations are actually reachin families left shattered by sandy. tonight, our nbc news investigation. moment of crisis at one of the most trusted institutions in the world. explosive allegations against a popular tv star, now a shake-up all the way at the top. reunited, separated during the storm, we're there for the emotional moments when families find the pets they thought were lost forever. and paying tribute to those who served and those who continue to serve. tonight, honoring our nation's heroes on this veterans day.
good evening. the fallout from the surprise resignation of cia director david petraeus after admitting to an extramarital affair has taken two tracks tonight. first with the bombshell landing just days after the presidential election, there is a growing course of questions from lawmakers about exactly when petraeus's affair was discovered and who in washington was told about it. then there's the fbi investigation that inadvertently exposed the whole thing. a probe into some harassing e-mails allegedly sent by petraeus's biography, paula broadwell. tonight nbc has learned who the fbi believes was on the receiving end of those e-mails. nbc news white house correspondent kristen welker has been working the story. she joins us now with the latest developments. kristen? >> reporter: lester, good evening.
according to multiple government officials, the woman who made the initial complaint to the fbi is a close family friend of general petraeus, and there is no indication of anything more. now, the details are still murky, and lawmakers are demanding more answers. ♪ >> reporter: according to a senior federal official and close friend of david petraeus, 37-year-old jill kelly complained to fbi agents about being harassed by paula broadwell, david petraeus's biography. a senior u.s. military official says jill kelly is involved in wounded warrior fund-raising in tampa, is married, she and her husband are close family friends. officials say petraeus's downfall started when kelly complained to the fbi that she was receiving intimidated e-mails from broadwell. law enforcement and multiple u.s. officials tell nbc news that those e-mails led to the discovery of others between general petraeus and broadwell and were indicative of an extramarital affair. a senior law enforcement official told nbc news that fbi agents interviewed general
petraeus in late october and concluded there was no criminal violation. today, members of congress are asking why the fbi did not inform them or the president sooner. >> we received no advanced notice. it was like a lightning bolt. i mean, this is something that could have had an effect on national security. i think we should have been told. there is a way to do it. >> reporter: this comes as we are learning more about the days leading up to petraeus's resignation. house majority leader eric cantor said in late october he was tipped off by the situation. in a statement, cantor said, "i was contacted by an fbi employee concerned that sensitive, classified information may have been compromised and made certain director mueller was aware of these serious allegations and the potential risk to our national security." however, the president first learned about the incident on thursday, the day petraeus offered his resignation. a senior law enforcement official says the agent's call
to a congressional staffer had no effect on the petraeus/broadwell investigation or the timing of the disclosure. still lawmakers say there are a lot of questions that need to be answered. >> it seems as we've gone on for several months, and yet now it appears that they're saying that the fbi didn't realize until election day that general petraeus was involved, it just doesn't add up. >> reporter: several of petraeus's former aides say broadwell had too much access to the general. she hasn't been shy about sharing details about her relationship with petraeus, and their shared interest in running. >> ended up being a test for both of us since we both ran pretty quickly. but that was the foundation of our relationship. >> reporter: now, we have reached out to general petraeus. paula broadwell and jill kelly, so far no response. general petraeus was scheduled to testify on capitol hill this thursday about the attack in benghazi on the u.s. consulate. now, the acting cia director, michael morrell, is expected to testify in his place. that has upset some lawmakers who say petraeus is key to getting answers.
lester? >> kristen welker tonight, thank you. now to the other big story that has consumed washington in the days since the election. the so-called fiscal cliff looming at the end of the year. if democrats and republicans can't come together and agree on a deal to avert it, taxes are going to go up for most americans. we get the latest tonight from nbc's mike viqueira. >> reporter: today top democrats drew a hard line. it's either higher taxes on the wealthy or the nation goes over the fiscal cliff. >> if the republicans will not agree with that, we will reach a point at the end of this year where all the tax cuts expire, and we'll start over next year. >> reporter: this as one influential conservative called on republicans to give ground. >> let's have a serious debate. don't scream and yell where one person says, you know what? really? the republican party's going to fall on its sword? a bunch of millionaires half of whom voted democratic and half of whom live in hollywood. >> reporter: but house speaker john boehner rejects any hike in
tax rates. instead he would close loopholes in the tax code. >> raising tax rates will slow down our ability to create the jobs that everyone says they want. >> reporter: failure to agree by the end of the year would trigger a combination of deep spending cuts and expiring tax cuts. that could mean an estimated $2,000 more in taxes next year for the typical household. the jobless rate soaring to 9.1% by the end of the year. and possibly another recession. boehner and the president were close to a deal last year. the so-called grand bargain. $4 trillion in debt reduction including politically sensitive changes to social security and medicare. many think that blueprint still works. >> and the real problem is uncontrolled entitlement spending and a government that has grown massively. not just under this administration, under republican administration. >> reporter: experts warn of serious damage to the economy if the standoff drags on. >> if three or four weeks from now they're making no progress at all, you're going to see the
anxiety and the nervousness growing both in the markets and in corporate boardrooms. it's going to be a rough two months for the u.s. economy. >> reporter: and lester, as the clock ticks with the two sides still at odds, they'll try to take the first steps towards common ground on friday here at the white house when the president hosts the entire congressional leadership. >> mick viqueira, thank you. tomorrow marks two weeks since sandy roared ashore here in the northeast, wiping out homes, leaving families with nowhere to go as they try to even think about how to pick up the pieces. a housing crisis that has the feds scrambling to help them. nbc's michelle frandsen is in staten island with more on that. good evening. >> reporter: good evening. this distribution center is the hub for this darkened neighborhood on staten island where people can come and get a hot meal and also much needed supplies. tonight, more than 120,000 homes and businesses in new york, new jersey and connecticut are still without power two weeks after sandy hit, and thousands of
others displaced and in search and in need of housing. patrice sotomayor has spent the day clearing out her staten island home. >> the water came up to here. >> reporter: since sandy hit, she has stayed with friends. but with her flooded home now gutted, patrice worries about finding a new home. >> i'm taking it a day at a time. i can't even think long term. >> reporter: today homeland security secretary janet napolitano returned to staten island for the second time since sandy struck. >> we know we have more to do. this is going to be here for the long term. and we are here for the long term as well. >> reporter: one of the biggest needs and questions, where to house the thousands of displaced residents. more than 4,800 displaced residents in new york, new jersey and connecticut are still in shelters tonight. fema is helping pay for temporary housing and says more than 369,000 have applied for individual assistance. and fema has approved more than
$455 million of assistance so far. meanwhile, organizations like new york-based architecture for humanity which has helped rebuild communities in haiti and new orleans say the long-term needs for sandy victims are just as great. >> what we've noticed is that there are pockets that are very similar to some of the hardest-hit areas after katrina. >> reporter: the company plans to help rebuild seaside heights, still closed off to residents. back in staten island, patrice says she doesn't know what's next, but she does know what she needs. >> i need some place to stay permanently. that i can afford to pay once fema help ends. >> reporter: and this is a community-based center run by volunteers. also fema has set up 55 centers throughout the hardest-hit areas of staten island. >> michelle frandsen, thank you. meanwhile, the red cross says it's received $117 million in donations to help victims of sandy. and tells us that so far its response has been near flawless.
but that's not what we heard in some hard-hit areas of new york city where storm victims claim the country's preeminent disaster relief organization has been missing in action. here's nbc's senior investigative correspondent lisa myers. >> reporter: two weeks after sandy hit, residents of breezy point, new york, still wonder if more help will ever arrive. >> we haven't seen red cross at all. red cross hasn't offered any assistance up until yesterday. >> reporter: carrie lynn allen says she's donated to the red cross before and is very disappointed. >> they take people's hardworking money to assist people. and then when push comes to shove, they don't assist. >> reporter: her neighbors also wonder what happened. >> the red cross, you know, they're normally a wonderful organization, and it's just that they're not here. >> reporter: ann marie willis coordinates volunteers in the community and rates the red cross performance here poor. >> they need help with
everything from housing to just hold them, say you're going to be okay. you'll get through this. we need everything. and i know the red cross has it. >> reporter: even in areas with a greater red cross presence like brooklyn, there is criticism. >> they were all saying "too late. way too late. we needed help back then, and now people are sick and people are in trouble." >> reporter: red cross ceo gail mcgovern defends what she calls a massive relief effort. 5,700 volunteers, hundreds of emergency vehicles serving 4.8 million meals and snacks, shelters, clothing, health services. so what grade would you give the red cross so far? >> i think that we are near flawless so far in this operation. i'm just so proud of everything that we are doing on the ground. it is incredible. >> one truck offers sandwiches with a blowhorn? it's disgusting. >> reporter: the red cross also
has drawn fire in the past. it was accused of a chaotic and uneven response to katrina. and of being too slow to spend money in haiti. as for sandy, mcgovern says this storm poses unique challenges. the first cold weather hurricane. victims stacked in high-rises. a storm area the size of europe. the red cross promises that 91 cents of every dollar donated will be used to help victims of this storm. mcgovern says she hears the cries for help and is moving as quickly as possible to get as many resources as possible to the hardest-hit areas. lester? >> please sa meyers, lisa myers. ors are trying to figure out what caused an explosion. the explosion sparked a huge fire, flames shooting into the night sky that damaged or destroyed about three dozen homes. and take a look at the scene in denver. a southwest airlines 737 slid
off a snowy taxiway last night during a snowstorm. the jet came to a stop in the grass. none of the 130 passengers or crew members was hurt. still ahead as "nbc nightly news" continues, the new fallout tonight as one of the most trusted broadcast institutions in the world is now described as being in a near meltdown. millions of tv viewers in shock. and later, we are there for the emotional reunions. families and the pets some worried they'd never see again. okay, now here's our holiday gift list.
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we're back with more tonight on a deepening scandal involving one of the world's largest and most respected broadcasters, the bbc. one month after a legendary host
was accused of having a long history of child sex abuse, the top official resigned this weekend. we get the latest from nbc's keir simmons in london. >> reporter: it is a british institution described today as in near meltdown. >> the terrible crisis which is entirely self-inflicted. >> reporter: the bbc, watched and trusted by millions, now overwhelmed by scandal, leading to the resignation this weekend of its director general after just 54 days on the job. a broken broadcaster, its leaders admitted today. >> if you're saying, does the bbc need a thorough structural radical overhaul, then absolutely it does. >> tonight, historical allegations -- >> reporter: for a week the bbc wrongly implicated a senior politician in child sex abuse claims. other networks made the same mistake. but for the bbc, it followed the decision to kill an investigation by the program "newsnight" of an alleged child abuser in its own ranks. for decades, one of the bbc's
star hosts. >> it really is one of the most serious crises the bbc has ever faced. >> reporter: there are continuing questions as well about the man who entered a few months ago was the bbc's director general and editor in chief, mark thompson. tomorrow is he scheduled to become the ceo of "the new york times." in a statement, thompson said, "during my time, i never heard any allegations about jimmy." but nbc has spoken to one journalist who says he informed thompson's personal assistant about the claims. >> i absolutely said that. i always felt it extraordinary that no senior people within the bbc, including mark thompson as director general, ever addressed this issue. >> reporter: the bbc disputes his claim, but admits in the report it did call thompson's office. they've seen public trust stop and his successors step down. now some predict more of thompson's former colleagues may have to resign before this is
all over. keir simmons, nbc news, london. there is more ahead on this sunday evening. when we come back, one of the most famous dresses in movie history definitely not in kansas anymore. ♪
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in the middle of all the loss and suffering from hurricane sandy, tonight we take a look at another part of the story that's gotten less attention. the plight of all the animals that became separated from their owners when the big storm hit. nbc's jill rappaport has that story. >> reporter: survivors of hurricane sandy are holding on to whatever they can find. >> everything is gone. everything. >> reporter: all you have left is what's on your back? >> on my back. >> reporter: and by your side.
despite losing their homes and belongings, these people feel lucky. >> she's my heart. >> reporter: she's your heart and soul. >> yes. >> reporter: as sandy approa approached, officials in the northeast told residents to evacuate. >> don't leave your pet at home because you don't know when you can get back. >> reporter: but some didn't heed the warnings. >> most people did not think they were going to be gone for this long. they thought they would be back within three days. so they're heartbroken. >> reporter: animal rescue teams spent days scouring the hardest-hit areas, rescuing thousands of animals. >> my cat. >> reporter: in new jersey about 200 pets are in a temporary shelter run by the humane society of the united states. many animals here are accounted for. but since not all evacuation shelters allow pets, it may be some time before their owners can reclaim them. >> we're going to reunite you in a second. >> reporter: some are waiting patiently. >> daddy missed you so much. my baby boy. >> reporter: others a little less patiently.
then there are the four-legged survivors without owners. like max who survived after a tree fell on him. tragically, that tree killed his owner and her friend. >> we didn't think he was going to make it for the first 48 hours. and then his strength and his will to live just really, really shone through, and now he's going to bring some comfort and joy to the parents who have really lost everything. >> reporter: the aspca is helping this group of displaced new yorkers and their pets move to an animal-friendly shelter. >> not having your pet here would be like not having a family member here. >> we love these guys and each other. >> reporter: happy reunions after a harrowing ordeal. as people count their blessings in the midst of devastation and loss. jill rappaport, nbc news, new york. the producers of "skyfall," the latest james bond movie, might want to rename it
"windfall." that's because the film generated almost $88 million in its first weekend at theaters here in the u.s. that's a north american record for a james bond film. sales worldwide have already surpassed $500 million. and speaking of windfalls, how about this, the blue gingham dress judy garland wore as dorothy in "the wizard of oz" sold at auction this weekend in beverly hills for $480,000. and get this. the seller originally paid only $2,000 for it at auction back in 1981. up next tonight, honoring those who served and those who continue to sacrifice so much for their country. i can't afford to ignore our retirement savings, not in this economy. we also have zero free time, and my dad moving in. so we went to fidelity. we looked at our family's goals and some ways to help us get there. they helped me fix my economy, the one in my house. now they're managing my investments for me. and with fidelity, getting back on track was easier than i thought.
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it was on this date, the 11th day of the 11th month 94 years ago, an armistice was signed drawing world war i to a close. sadly, it would not prove to be the war to end all wars. and so with members of the u.s. military serving here at home and overseas, many in conflict, today on this veterans day, we celebrated and honored those who have worn this nation's uniforms and preserved our freedom. ♪ aim, fire! >> each year, on the 11th day of the 11th month, we pause as a nation and as a people to pay tribute to you, the heroes over
the generations who have served this country of ours with distinction. [ playing "taps" ] ♪ >> we have to remember who fought for our country and who gave us our independence and our freedom. it's our veterans. >> we lose sight of what has been paid as far as the price for our patriotism, then we're lost. ♪ >> i believe in what they do for our country. and support our freedom and defend our country so that we can live free. >> in this country, we take care of our own. especially our veterans who have served us so bravely and sacrificed so selflessly in our nation. >> welcome home, daddy. >> thank you, buddy. >> we carry on, knowing that our best days always lie ahead.
>> americans expressing gratitude for our veterans on this november 11th. one final note here, earlier in this broadcast we showed a picture of several people including a woman named jill kelley. while showing the photo, we inadvertently zoomed into the portion of the picture which showed kelley's sister on the left. to clear up any confusion, jill kelley is the woman second from the right. and we apologize. that's "nbc nightly news" for this sunday. brian williams will be here tomorrow. i'm lester hou eer holt reporti new york. for all of us here at nbc news, good night.
shopping site of all. how do they get it to you so fast? power struggle is getting worse in egypt. growing fight between a president once hailed as a hero and angry protesters threatening a revolution. road rage caught on camera but not in the way you might think. how folks on two wheels are turning into four wheelers who don't play nice on the road. making a difference for families who thought their most cherished memories were lost forever. good evening. by any measure this weekend has been a bonanza for retailers. we went from gray thursday to black friday and we're rounding the corner into cyber monday. one of our viewers suggested today should have been dubbed so broke sunday. say what you will about the
state of the economy but americans didn't hold back this holiday weekend. a record number of shoppers were out there, 247 million in all. the amount spent per shopper last year, total spending was up, online sales was up too. that doesn't include all the online spending about to happen tomorrow. we begin with kristen dahlgen at a mall in california. kristen. >> reporter: good evening, kate. those door buster deals may be gone but the shoppers aren't. you can see them up here wrapping up a retail at the national retail federation is calling as impressive as we've seen. from the moment doors opened thursday before the thanksgiving dishing were even done until they close tonight almost a quarter billion shoppers will have been online or in stores. >> put my sneakers on and go for it. >> reporter: shopping started earlier than ever. in spite of the employee protests, the early opening paid off. more than 35 million shopped on
thanksgiving. six million more than last year. black friday was big too. 89 million brave the crowds in search of those hard to beat bargains up from 86 million last year. >> the biggest wish list is -- >> reporter: americans spent more too. the average shopper spent $423 this weekend up from 398 last year for a total of $59.1 billion. it's not just the store seeing the boom. for the first time online spending topped $1 billion on black friday well before so called cyber monday also expected to break records. >> great for me. don't have to get off the couch. we don't have to go anywhere. it's easier shopping. >> reporter: while shoppers were out in holiday force this weekend, not emp wveryone was spending freely. many shoppers say they will be cautious concerned about the economy and the gridlock of the
fiscal cliff. >> they will pull back. they don't know what to expect for 2013. they want to remain cautious as we move into the next year. >> reporter: to that point, two-thirds of shoppers say they will use cash or debit cards. we're seeing consumers do a lot more research online and smartphones. kate. >> retail analysts predicting another first this year. for the first time ever online shopping could exceed 10% of all holiday spending. the folks who track these things tell us that amazon was the most visited retail site of all over the holiday weekend, but what happens after your click your mouse and make a purchase. we got an inside look at one of amazon's largest hubs in the u.s. >> reporter: from the moment you check out at amazon.com the process begins. your item is picked, sorted, packed and shipped. this is what the holidays look
like here at amazon. to give you some perspective this is one of 40 across the country packed with thousands of items in time for the holiday rush. they're going to need them. last cyber monday they sold more than 200 items per second. one glance at the shelves and it seems workers can shop where ever they can find space. >> they don't have to worry about where they are putting thi things. >> where will there's space there's product? >> it is. it doesn't matter what is next to next. >> reporter: workers will physically pick up every item per order and those items could be anywhere. >> is this your exercise for the day. >> you get your cardio and toning the up your legs going up and down the stairs. >> reporter: veteran picker jaime may cover several miles a day, picking product, scanning
them and sending them off to be shipped. she says it's starting to feel a lot like christmas. >> more picks. more orders are coming in. more energy. >> reporter: as the workload increases so does the stress. >> do you ever dream about work? >> i have, yes. i've dreamt about picking items. >> reporter: sometimes items are too far apart to walk. this is amazon's biggest fulfillment center. it's the equivalent of 28 football fields which explains why some employees need tricycles to get around. with this year's holiday season expected to be the biggest one yet, amazon has brought in 50,000 additional workers. >> work hard and make it. >> reporter: an online operation that depends on the human touch to fulfill the holiday wishes. phoenix, arizona. turning oversea to the
renewed crisis in egypt. the violence is getting worse and tengss are rising unless the in the new president backs down. jim is watching it for us in cairo. good evening. >> reporter: today six aids of president morsi resigned. the latest sign of what some are calling his power grab is giving his inner circle some serious second thoughts. day four of the crisis and it's starting to look like revolution again. now filled with dozens of tents and protesters who refuse to leave until president morsi backs down or resigns. they clash again with rioters who were caught brutally beating and dragging away several protesters. casualties are mounting on both sides as anger against morsi
gr grows. >> translator: everything is still the same. we have replaced a corrupt regime with another brutal rejust a minute. >> reporter: the latest turmoil begain thursday when morsi decreed sweeping powers for himself claiming that would speed up toward a new constitution and democracy. >> we tried to take care of the countries that try to secure stability for this country. >> reporter: only his islamist supporters were buying it. >> we want a new president. >> reporter: many judges and journalists have gone on strike. this union meeting today turned chaotic when a group of journ journalists assaulted a boss. at this muslim headquarters more casualties today. one dead and dozens were wounded when angry youths attacked the officers. the uncertainty is taking a toll
on egypts struggling economy. today the stock market plunged 10%. >> translator: the stock exchange is worse now than in the revolution. >> reporter: it may get worse. tens perhaps hundreds of thousands of protester will be less than a mile apart making it a perfect storm for more clashes and casualties. now to israel and gaza where the fragile peace is holding tonight though signs of mistrust we are clear today as israel displayed a new show of force. martin fletcher has our report from tel aviv. >> reporter: this was the new reality this weekend. israeli soldiers on one side of the gaza fence, palestinian police yards away on the other
sharing the same goal to protect the cease-fire. islamic cleric in gaza went a step further declaring it a sin to violate the truce. israeli school kids in the south went back to school today, some damaged by palestinian rockets. their parents hoping the calm means no more war. >> i told my daughter this was the last time and the calm will remain for years. i sure hope so. >> reporter: london sunday times reported today that israelis spotted an iranian cargo ship loading long range rockets for islamic militant groups in gaza. it quoted a source saying if the ship is headed for gaza regardless of the cease-fire israel will destroy the arms. despite its promise to observe the cease-fire hamas is defiant. >> they won the war. >> reporter: what about beginning the real peace proc s
process. >> with hamas forget about it. anything with israel is f forbidd forbidden. what drives them is islam. >> reporter: news of the first testing of the first anti-rocket missile. it was moved up due to the general sense of urgency. officials said it was successful. martin fletcher, tel aviv. firefighters are searching for victims a day after a fire tore through a garment factory in bangladesh killing 112 people. many were unable to escape because they became trapped by flames. fire officials say the building lacked emergency exits. it makes products for walmart and other businesses in the u.s. congress returned from the
holidays still facing the fiscal cliff. if a deal can't be reached by january 1st americans will face half a trillion more in taxes next year coupled with a hundred billion dollars in cuts to domestic and defense spending. since the reagan era most republicans have day caretaken promising they won't raise taxes. mike viqueira says there may be flexibility on both sides of the aisles. >> reporter: it's a pledge almost all republicans have signed to oppose tax increases of any kind. today shit was showing cracks. >> the world has changed and the economic situation is different. >> reporter: republicans insist in return for defying part doctrine they must have changes in social security and medicare. >> i will sign only if they undo
entitlement reform. >> reporter: be president has put them on the table before. during last year's failed talks on a grand bargain and more recently in his first post election press conference. >> we have to continue to take a serious look at how we reform our entitlements because health care costs continue to be the biggest driver of our deficits. >> reporter: mr. obama has insisted tax rates must rise. today a top democrat signalled openness to the republican stance. revenue could be raised by closing loopholes and limiting deductions. >> they have to go up either real tax rates or effective tax rates. >> reporter: tax begin this week amid tentative steps toward common ground. >> we can't go off the fiscal cliff. we have to show the world we're adults. the election is over. >> reporter: one ceo of honeywell said there's so much uncertainty hanging over the economy because business isn't
confident that washington can go its basic job. he says people like me just aren't hiring. kate. mike viqueira at the white house. senator john mccain softened his tone after vowing to block the nomination of u.n. ambassador susan rice to be hillary clinton's successor. he argued that rice damaged her credibility when she said the attack was a spontaneous protest to an anti-muslim video not a planned terror attack. today mccain was asked if he might change his mind about ambassador rice. >> i give everyone the benefit of explaining their position and the actions that they took. i'll be glad to have the opportunity to discuss these issues with her.
still ahead, sick and tired of being bullied on the road. how cyclists are taking matters into their own hands. later, mick, heath and the stones still rolling after half a century on top. [ male announcer ] are you considering a new medicare plan?
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take a look at this dramatic rescue out in oregon. firefighters pulled the driver out of his pickup truck after he crashed into the railing and ended up dangling from an overpass yesterday afternoon. the driver is okay. he is now facing drunk driving charges. now to a sign of the times. more cars on the roads competing with more biscycles on the road.
some cyclists are turning to technology to document what they see as an increase in road rage directed at them. >> reporter: for evan wilder it was supposed to be another bicycle commute to work at national geographic but this day in august he went down hard after a driver screamed at him to move over. then -- >> i think he intentionally targeted me because i was in his way and maybe slid him down. >> you could have been seriously injured. >> could have been dead. >> reporter: he walked away with scrapes, bruises, a shoulder rotator cuff and the driver's license plate. lots of cyclists are documenting their daily encounters on the road from intimidation in
colorado. >> i have no idea what this guy is doing. i'm riding right of the white line. >> reporter: to hit and run in california. both of these riders were unharmed. bicycling have never been more popular. commuting is up 47% nationally. up 80% in bicycle friendly areas. in 2010, 52,000 were injured and 618 killed in urban areas between the hours of 4:00 and 8:00. be victims male. the average age 42. with so many drivers and cyclists sharing the road there's a perception no one is obeying the road. psy cyclists unwilling to stop and stop signs and motorists unwilling to give them the room they need. >> we all have had things thrown
at us, pushed off the road. >> reporter: former olympic cyclists is a lawyer representing cyclists. >> they have the same rights that you have. you can pass them. you have to do so safely. >> reporter: back in d.c. the video came in handy. the police found the driver who hit evan wilder. he's plead not guilty to charges of assault and leaving the scene of an accident. we're back in a moment with the surprise shower impossible for the weather man to predict. of washington about the future of medicare and social security. anncr: but you deserve straight talk about the options on the... table and what they mean for you and your family. ancr: aarp is cutting through all the political spin. because for our 37 million members, only one word counts. get the facts at earnedasay.org. let's keep medicare... and social security strong for generations to come.
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treasured photos once they have been damaged or can you? that's how one remarkable group is making their story. >> reporter: linda is pouring over family photos. after superstorm sandy the images are all that's left of her family history. >> my mother-in-law was so beautiful. >> reporter: memories nearly swept away when six feet of water flooded her basement. >> most of these people are gone. we can never get them back. it's part of our history. we're just so happy to be able to show them to our kids. >> reporter: now photographers are helping linda preserve that history. >> the photos are on this paper which you're not going to be able to take off. >> reporter: they're part of a volunteer group called shoot for change using cameras and smartphones to duplicate the images exposed to salt water and mold. >> there's no amount of money to replace photographs of your
family and friends. >> reporter: photographs snapped in homes to generations of the families. >> prom back in the day, graduation. >> reporter: amanda is sifting through thousands of photos. >> it was a container full of water with my pictures swimming across the top. it was heartbreaking. >> reporter: anyone with a smartphone can help restore and replace those photos utilizing new technology to save the hold. >> the smartphones have been the easiest and most efficient way that we can preserve these old photographs from the 30s and 40s. >> reporter: and restore them with programs like photoshop. >> your life is on the street waiting for the sanitation department and you realize, i still have this and it is a treasure. >> reporter: giving families a renewed focus on what matters
most. michelle franzen, nbc news, new york. >> that's "nightly news" for this sunday. brian williams will be here tomorrow. football night in america. the packers and giants tonight. i'm kate snow. have a great night.
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world's attention today was focused on a horrific tragedy in brazil, the death toll tonight at least 230 after a fast-moving fire broke out in a crowded nightclub. officials say too many people and too few exits turned the club into a death trap after a rock band's pyrotechnics apparently ignited the ceiling. many patrons were left unable to get out, overwhelmed by the smoke, and in some cases, the flames themselves much the circumstances are eerily similar to some other deadly nightclub fires the past several years, including one in this country. today's tragedy happened in the southern brazilen university town of santa maria. nbc's mike taibbi reports. >> reporter: the kiss nightclub was packed with the usual saturday night crowd when at 2:00 in the morning, a disaster. the ground floor was filled with smoke. club security initially blocked several emergency exits, thinking patrons were leaving without paying and that left only a few ways out.
in the ensuing panic, many victims were trampled, others died of smoke inhalation. witnesses told police the fire was sparked by a pyrotechnics show on stage, according to nick ravenskroft of itv news. >> the stunt on stage with the flare made the ceiling catch fire. >> reporter: whatever the precise cause, the fire spread incredibly quickly as the crowd struggled to find ways to safety. some clubgoers who did make it out, joined firemen and onlookers in their attempts to open new escape routes using sledge hammers and axes, but it was too late for many inside. does of victims were carried to arising ambulances, if they survived. santa maria's major trauma hospital was quickly overwhelmed. >> translator: the injured are scattered around the hospital. those waiting for news outside are desperate. >> reporter: they were desperate, too, outside the club, as more and more bodies of those who hadn't survived were laid on the ground. the numbers of the dead rose so
quickly that the city morgue ran out of room. the bodies of scores of victims were brought, instead, to a local gymnasium. eat merging details of this disaster, a packed club, too few escape route and a fire triggered by on-stage pyrotechnics brought to mind several other similar nightclub tragedies. there was a 2003 inferno in west warwick, rhode island's, station nightclub that claimed 100 victims much the 2004 blaze in ba when knows aires with 200 victims. but as brazil's president consoled relatives of the victims here, her country, soon to host the world cup and the olympics, remains in shock at one of its worst modern tragedies. mike taibbi, nbc news, los angeles. now to the middle east, an angry egyptian president took to the air waves tonight to announce tough new measures aimed at ending the violence that has claimed at least 50 lifts the last three days. the violent protests in cairo and several other industries
been the biggest challenge yet toz mohamed morsi's government. let's go to cairo for the latest. >> reporter: it is mohamed morsi's biggest test as president of this country. on one hand, an increasing security vacuum across the country, on the other, a political crisis with the country's political parties. tonight, in an address to the nation, he delivered a strong warping. even burying the dead in egypt is now deadly. today in port sayyid, a day after 37 people were killed in protests, thousands walked to mourn them. the grief and prayer turned into fear and chaos. this amateur video, which we couldn't independently ver, if i reportsedly shows the moment the clashes with police turned deadly. meantime, as thousands mourned in port said, others fought in cairo, alexandria and suez. tonight, the country's embattled president, mohamed morsi, addressed the nation, declaring a state of emergency and
imposing a curfew in the cities with the worst fighting. the country's powerful military is back on the street guarding government buildings recently attacked by protesters. and the military wants more power. today, the military requested the right to arrest civilians who break the law, this general said. two years ago, egypt's street full of optimism and hope as united people toppled a dictator. today, stifling tear gas and plumes of smoke filled the air of a divided country. egypt's police are struggling to cope with the protesters. they, too, have suffered losses and are angry. when the country's interior minister came today to pay his respects to fallen policemen, he was hackled by grieving colleagues and their families. and as it has for the past three days, night fall brought more violence. tonight, outside a luxury five-star cairo hotel. with a predictable-like precision, police charged the crowd, firing tear gas but
minutes later, protesters returned, lobbing stones and setting fires to block roads. there are few words president morsi can say to calm these protesters. this man tells me that the president must resign and a new constitution must be written. another says only protests work with a regime that kills its people. president mohamed morsi has invited members of the leading opposition political forces tomorrow for emergency talks on the way out. many people are hoping there will be a breakthrough that could end the four days of deadly violence that have engulfed the country. >> thank you. in this country, the weather remains a big concern for many people in the midwest, where a deep freeze is bringing snow, sleet and freezing rain. the weather channel's mike seidel is in davenport, iowa, tonight with the latest. mike, good evening to you. >> reporter: good evening, lester. it was an icy day across many part its of the midwest. the hardest hit areas were the roads and the airports. at chicago's o'hare, just over
200 flights have been canceled so far, but despite the ice, there wasn't a lot of it there wasn't many power outables. tonight, the temperatures on the way up that will change the freezing rain to rain in chicago in chicago and many areas, like it has here. monday, the snow, sleet and ice will head to the northeast during the day you reaching boston by late afternoon. any snow totals will be on the light side. but for millions that have been in the ice box, the jetstream is our friend. southwest winds from texas to the great lakes will produce a huge warmup. we could see our first 90-degree day in the lower 48 this year in deep south texas. temperatures elsewhere more than 20 to 25 degrees above average. subzero windchills will be replaced by highs in the 40s and 50s on monday. and by tuesday, d.c. cracks 60 and atlanta pushes 70. but many of us will get another shot of frigid air following this fall and that cold front will have lots of wind energy that will help to fire up some big thunderstorms, possibly severe, from houston and dallas to little rock and st. louis on tuesday.
there could be some tornadoes but more than likely, quite a bit of straight line wind damage. and then after that, the bottom falls out on temperatures. for example, lester, chicago will drop 45 degrees between tuesday and thursday. so enjoy the thaw while you can. back to you. >> all right, we will take what we can. mike seidel, thanks. national transportation safety board tonight says further examination of batteries on boeing's new 787 has yet to point to the cause of the january 7th fire on board a japan air lines jet at boston's logan airport. that fire followed days later by a smoking battery aboard another 787 in japan led to a worldwide grounding of the revolutionary new planes. lack of progress in both investigations has raised concerns the planes will remain grounded indefinitely. in washington, the battles over guns and immigration reform are taking center stage this week, as president obama pushes his second term agenda. nbc's peter alexander is at the white house and has more on that.
hi, peter. >> reporter: lester, good evening to you. the president isn't wasting in i time in his second term, tackling two of his top priorities. specifically on immigration, one democratic senator said measures formerly off the table are now back up for discussion. barely a week into his second term, president obama is preparing to dive into the contentious issue of immigration, with a major speech set for las vegas tuesday. the president is expected to push for improving border security you expanding the system for employers to verify their workers a legal status and perhaps most controversially, creating a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. >> we can't go on forever with 11 million people living in this country in the shadows in an illegal status. >> we are committed to a comprehensive approach to finally in this country have an immigration law that we can live with. >> reporter: a bipartisan group of six seine stores planning to unveil its immigration reform proposals this week. last november, president obama won more than 70% of the latino vote, a new political reality
forcing some republicans to reconsider their past opposition. >> first of all, americans support it in poll after poll. secondly, latino voters expect t third, the democrats want it and fourth, republicans need it. >> reporter: senator marco rubio in a nevada newspaper today insisted illegal immigrants must earn their new citizenship. we can't round up millions of people and deport them but we also can't fix our broken immigration system if we provide incentives for people to come here illegally. also front and center, the battle over guns. president obama telling the new "republic" magazine that advocates of gun control have to do a little more listening than they do sometimes. asked if he has ever fired a gun, mr. obama said, up at camp david we do skeet shooting all the time, like jfk used to years ago. on "meet the press," former vice presidential candidate paul ryan referred to last month's newtown tragedy as a watershed moment. >> it's our worst nightmare, something like this happening. let's go beyond just this debate and make sure we get deeper.
what's our policy on mental illness? what's going on in our culture that produces this kind of thing? >> reporter: and for its part, congress will hold its first hearing on gun violence, lester, this wednesday. one other note, by the way, about the president's interview with the new "republic," one one week before the super bowl, the president weighing in on football, if he had a son, we have to think long and hard before letting him play to the game, referring to the violence in the sport. >> peter, thank you. still in washington, the education department is taking action to make sure disabled school children are not shut out from school sports programs. nbc's chief education correspondent rehema ellis has that story. >> reporter: it was a big week for 13-year-old owen grosser. get in there. >> reporter: sinking not one but two three-pointers the first time he stepped out onto the court this season. owen, an eighth grader, has down syndrome. disabled students like him already have the right to participate in school sports but this week, the department of
education released new guidelines on how to incorporate those students onto teams, something some cash-strapped schools have struggled with. >> we have needed more cooperation, more guidelines from the top. and we believe this is going to lead to some standardization and certainly more opportunity for these families and kids. >> reporter: some of the doe's suggestions are simple, a visual cue for hearing-impaired student who wants to run track, the elimination of the two-hand touch rule in swimming so a student with one arm can compete. but the recommendations also state when existing school programs cannot accommodate those with disabilities, the school district should create additional opportunities for those students, meaning, a new team. although some liken it to title ix, the department of education cautions against that comparison, saying these are guidelines, not a mandate. schools will not be required to dismantel an existing team because they don't have enough disabled students to field a comparable team.
>> we have been age to create one or two teams per school district, you're not going to find enough students in one school to necessarily start a team. >> push. push for the basket. >> reporter: adam mcwork, an eighth grader, has cerebral palsy, he lives outside atlanta, an area that has been successfully mainstreaming disabled students in sports for years. >> yes, sir. he used a walker to get around with and we didn't think that sports was something that he could do at all. >> reporter: now, he stands like every proud dad on the sidelines. >> my son scored his first goal in the final game, so excited about that the gym was so loud. we'd good time. shoot it, baby. >> reporter: something more families across the country may soon experience. >> oh, yeah. >> reporter: rehema ellis you nbc news, new york. when nightly news continues on this sunday, your money and the fees that merchants can now charge when you pay by credit card. later, the golden age club, friends for years pulled apart
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we're back with a story involving your money. you may not see it right away but fees for buying things by credit card may be on the rise with merchants starting today now permitted to hit with you a surcharge when you use certain credit cards. we get the story tonight from nbc's katy tur. >> reporter: if you felt like you were digging even deeper into your pocket yesterday, keep your eyes open today. businesses can now charge you for using your credit card. >> this is great news for retailers, not very good news for consumers, which have never had to pay these kind of surcharges when they use credit cards. >> reporter: it is the fallout from a class action settlement
last july giving merchantance option to tack as much as a 4% surcharge onto your bill if you're paying with a visa or master card. >> it would change my shopping patterns, definitely. >> i would carry cash all the time. >> reporter: you may be familiar with gas stations charging one price for cash and another for plastic but could the same happen in shops, restaurants and even doctors offices? in this highly competitive marketplace among retailers and an economy that is really trying to get the consumer back to spending, i highly doubt that retailers are going to charge this fee. >> reporter: in fact, the national retail federation polled its members and found that none planned to add the fee. toys "r" us and target told nbc news they would not pass the buck to their shoppers. retail analysts say that's because most big chain stores have the ability to negotiate lower fees with credit card companies. but small businesses don't have the big chain bargaining power. silvia karch is the own other of a vintage clothing store.
short of a cash-only sign, she is shoirlgtd the fees. >> in order for me to implement another charge, i would have to discount my prices are, it there is a balancing act. i would wouldn't want to have another charge for my customers. >> reporter: not everyone should be worried. ten states already have laws on the books banning merchant surcharges, including some of the biggest, california, new york and texas. still, the power is in the consumer's hand. shoppers could pay cash or use a debit card, which doesn't incur a surcharge. >> i would carry cash or stay away from stores that carry the fee. >> reporter: after all, you ultimately, have the choice to pay or walk away. katy tur, nbc news, atlanta. and here is something that's definitely going up, starting today, the price of a first-class postage stamp will cost a penny more, 46 cents. the sixth time the postal service raised the price in eight years as it continues to
lose money to the tune of $25 million a day. up next here tonight, a dramatic rescue from raging floodwaters. great year in the gulf,sucha we've decided to put aside our rivalry. 'cause all our states are great. and now is when the gulf gets even better. the beaches and waters couldn't be more beautiful. take a boat ride or just lay in the sun. enjoy the wildlife and natural beauty. and don't forget our amazing seafood. so come to the gulf, you'll have a great time. especially in alabama. you mean mississippi. that's florida. say louisiana or there's no dessert. brought to you by bp and all of us who call the gulf home. yeah. then how'd i get this... [ voice of dennis ] ...safe driving bonus check? every six months without an accident, allstate sends a check. ok. [ voice of dennis ] silence. are you in good hands?
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open a fidelity cash management account today and discover another reason serious investors are choosing fidelity. they are still on the loose tonight in south africa. i want to show you a few of the 15,000 crocodiles that escaped from a reptile farm during a flood this past week. the gates to the farm had to be opened because of fears that rushing waters would crush the crocodiles. while many of them have been captured since, several thousand are still at large. a dramatic rescue this weekend in eastern australia, which has also been dealing with widespread flooding, when a pickup truck carrying two women and a baby washed off a road. a helicopter had to be called in because the child was too small
for a regular rescue sling. he was placed in a dive balancing and then hoisted up. the whole thing filmed by the crew of that helicopter on a helmet-mounted camera. they are breathing easier tonight in the city with the distinction of having the dirtiest air in the country last week, we are talking about salt lake city where the pollution prompted officials to declare a health emergency. today, they reported a dramatic improvement that warned that dirty air could quickly get trapped again in the mountain valleys of northern utah. and it's not every day that someone gets to say thanks a billion and really mean it. and that is what johns hopkins university in baltimore is saying to new york city's mayor, michael bloomberg. this weekend, bloomberg made a gift of $350 million to his alma matter, the large nest the university's history. brought his total gifts to johns hop kips to $1.1 billion t all began with a $5 donation in 1965, the year after bloomberg graduated. it brings new meaning to the term "giving back."
certainly bigger meaning to that term. when we come back, how they were finally reunite you had after the storm. we will meet the ladies of the golden age club. 's impressive? a talking car. but i'll tell you what impresses me. a talking train. this ge locomotive can tell you exactly where it is, what it's carrying, while using less fuel. delivering whatever the world needs, when it needs it. ♪ after all, what's the point of talking if you don't have something important to say? ♪
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whose lives were up-ended by sandy and how they were brought back together. here's nbc's michelle franzen. >> reporter: annie hezlin makes tea in her temporary apartment in brooklyn and sorts through some of her photos, some some of the only possessions she has left after losing her breezy point home in superstorm sandy. >> with he an imagined to survive and we are very grateful for that and that is the thing we have to remember, that lives are more important than things. >> reporter: the storm devastated the close-knit community and forced residents to relocate. including members of annie's social group, the golden age club. the women used to meet every tuesday at st. thomas more church, still under repair from flood damage. this weekend, annie and dozens of golden age members boarded a bus. >> hi, rose. >> reporter: first time they were able to see each other in three months.
>> wonderful reunion. it's greet see every ebb and everybody looks good. >> reporter: their destination, manhattan's nightingale been aford, an all-girls school, where the women prin is righted to share their stories, an exchange between generations. >> and this one house slipped with the wind right over the walk and into the other house. >> reporter: that included emotional stories of survival. >> but the water was coming down from the walls. it was coming into the windows. >> reporter: lorraine larson says talking with students and reuniting with her friends helped her realize she's not alone. >> all in the same boat, we're all hurting. we all are longing to be back home. >> reporter: students say the gathering is a reminder of the challenges sandy victims still face. >> talking to them, we found out that they still are suffering a lot of the loss. >> reporter: despite their loss, these golden girls are still singing. ♪ i'm gonna let it shine
>> reporter: and certainly, their best days are still ahead. michelle franzen, nbc news, new york. that's "nbc nightly news" for this sunday. brian williams will be here tomorrow. i'm lester holt reporting from new york. for all of us here at nbc news, good night.
. you're watching nbc sports.
>> in for the touchdown! >> championship over. >> a stanley cup for los angeles. >> shaun white, boy does he deliver! >> the mercedes-benz superdome in new orleans, a week from tonight, the 2012 nfl season will conclude with the unique matchup in super bowl xlvii. the afc champion baltimore ravens led by head coach john harbaugh will meet the nfc champion san francisco 49ers led by head coach jim harbaugh. in a brother versus brother championship game. >> it's time to celebrate! the ravens are going back to the super bowl! >> the san francisco 49ers, super bowl bound! >> now we kick off super bowl week from honolulu, hawaii where many of the league best players have been gathering more than
had to be rescued. the federal government is looking into a series of fatal shootings by philadelphia police. elaine quijano tells us the investigation was requested by the police commissioner. >> i take this very, very seriously. >> good girl! >> reporter: and chip reid with s with dogs learning to be an even better friend to man. >> it would be accurate to say that these dogs save sflooifs >> absolutely. i believe they do. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> o'donnell: good evening, scott is on assignment, i'm norah o'donnell. hundreds of people in southern california have been chased out of their homes by a wild fire is growing larger by the minute. the fire 90 miles east of los angeles covers more than 15 square miles. fire officials estimate 15 structures have been destroyed, 600 homes are in the fire's path
1,500 people have been forced to evacuate. at least five people have been injured, including four firefighters. ben tracy is on the scene. ben? >> reporter: norah, firefighters told us the most active part of this fire right now is right here. here's what's fueling it: vegetation all up and down these hillsides that's dried out from drought. 1,000 firefighters are now battling this blaze both on the ground and in the air. it's what they call a dirty burn meaning the fire burns sporadically because of the winds. so today crews were cutting out what the fire did not burn and doubting what it did to prevent flare-ups. before dawn we saw these backfires set by firefighters to burn out brush on the hillsides and create larger containment lines. firefighter gordon o'neil. >> it turns to black, which won't burn anymore, it widens that line out. and it removes the fuel that's
available to burn. >> reporter: you're fighting the fire with fire. the fire started wednesday afternoon fueled by steady winds and bone-dry brush that hadn't burned in seven years. it exploded from 300 acres to 5,000 acres in about three hours. it then doubled in size overnight, scorching 10,000 acres and more than a dozen struck qhurs. >> oh, there it goes. >> we didn't think it was coming this way then instantedly whole mountain caught on fire. i couldn't get my briefcase. >> reporter: andy and melinda schraeder said they had no time to escape. the fire burned upmost of their yard and burned their rr. they hosed down the roof and managed to save their house and horses. you were basically surrounded by fire. >> we were, we couldn't get out. >> reporter: what did it feel like? >> i thought i was going to die. i got a handkerchief to put around my face. i kept inhaling smoke. >> it was really hot. i thought we were going to die
out here. >> reporter: those four fighters injured have been released from the hospital but we're told there's another unidentified person who is badly burned. firefighters in the next couple of hours are going to contain as much of this fire as they can because, as you can tell, the winds are starting to pick up. >> o'donnell: ben, thank you. and flames in the west and flooding in the nation's mid-section. a storm front has stalled, dumping rain on five states. in tennessee, some folks climbed on to their roofs to escape the rising water. at least two people have drown in missouri, their cars swept away by floodwaters. one was a four-year-old boy and they're still looking for his mother. lindsey graham gramson of our cbs affiliate is in jerome, missouri. how significant is the damage? >> floods have ripped through the southwestern region of the state. the four-year-old boy was trapped in his mother's car as waters rushed in. authorities continue to search for the boy's mother.
this area has seen as much as 15 inches of rain in the last two days alone. the t river here in jerome crested at 32 feet, its highest level ever recorded. up to 40 homes have been completely flooded. we spoke with residents who had to evacuate their homes. >> not knowing, i think, is probably the hardest part because you know how to react or which way to start when you know what you're dealing with and when you don't know what you're dealing with. >> just depressed. there ain't nothing you can do, so you just sit there and watch it getting wet. that's all you can do. >> reporter: a flash flood warning is still in effect as heavy rains are expected through friday night. >> o'donnell: lindsay, thank you. that worldwide alert for a possible al qaeda terror attack remains in effect for the rest of the month and 19 u.s. embassy and consulates are closed as a precaution, at least until the weekend. the focus of the threat is yemen. the u.s. carried out three more drone strikes today, taking out 12 suspected terrorists. there have been eight drone attacks in the past two weeks,
killing more than 30. bob orr is in washington, he's our homeland security correspondent and, bob, what's behind this uptick in these drone strikes just today? >> reporter: well, norah, i think we can say the surge we're seeing in drone strikes is clearly aimed at trying to disrupt any potential attack plans about dplaep yemen. the u.s. here is sending a pretty clear psychological message that the drones are on constant patrol, scouting for targets. it's interesting to note there have only been 12 drone strikes in yemen all year up until july 27, but that was about the time that u.s. intelligence overheard al qaeda leaders plotting imminent attacks and then everything changed. we've now seen five drone strikes in just the last three days. by the way, it's also interesting, all the militants who have been killed have been hit while riding in small groups inside vehicles. >> o'donnell: so what do we know about who is being targeted by the drone strikes? >> sources tell us most of those who who have been killed so far were terrorist foot soldiers, four were described as mid-level
group leaders. but the drones haven't found two of the targets that they're looking for, the leader of a.q.a.p. and the master bomb mayber, ibrahim al asiri. sources say it does reduce the group's manpower and forces the other terrorists to keep an eye on the skies. if they're focused on trying to survive intelligence analysts say the terrorists can not effectively plot. norah? >> o'donnell: at the fort hood massacre trial the judge refused to allow the attorneys advising major hasan to take over his defense so hasan continued to act as his own attorney in the case in which he's charged with murdering 13 fellow soldiers and wounding 32 others. anna werner is at fort hood, texas. anna? >> reporter: norah, for many of the witnesses here this is the first time they're confronting the man accused of trying to kill them.
witnesses described chaos as the gunman walked through the building leaving blood and bodies in his wake. specialist meagan martinez described watching a soldier sitting near her get shot as the gunman showed no emotion. "it was just a cold, calculated heart stare at us and he was just shooting everything that moved," she testified. "when a captain got up and charged him" she said "he was shot at close range." major hasan took note bus mostly looked forward impassively. he is in a wheelchair, paralyzed by bullets fired at him by fort hood security. staff sergeant michael davis testified at first he thought the shooting was a drill, then, he said "i heard a young lady screaming my baby, my baby, my baby." it was the pregnant private francesca valez, she died that day. davis himself was shot in the back trying to escape the only time hasan objected today was
when another witness described hearing that pregnant woman beg for her life and then herring hasan allegedly shoot her. >> o'donnell: an, that thank you. turning now to the economy, the labor department says 333,000 americans joined the line for unemployment benefits last week. that's 5,000 more than the week before. and rising home prices are helping folks who have been drowning in debt in the second quarter of this year. 26% of american homeowners owed more than their mortgages -- than their homes were worth. that's down from 29% a year earlier. danielle nottingham is with the a chicago couple struggling to keep their home. >> reporter: connie and vance brown planned to spend the rest of their lives in this chicago condo they bought 14 years ago. do you think you will have to leave this place? >> i don't want to leave and he doesn't want to leave. >> reporter: but they may not have a choice.
they stopped making mortgage payments two years ago soon after they lost their full-time jobs. connie found part-time work counseling troubled teens and vance, who's a computer tech, has only been able to find a job as a dishwasher. what do you do now? >> hoping and praying that i get some work and hoping and praying that my husband will get a better job and hoping and praying we get back up on our feet. >> reporter: a six-month grace period they arranged with their lender is over. foreclosure is likely. they say they can't leave chicago to find better jobs because they owe $50,000 more than their condo is worth. it's called being underwater. there are more than 7 31,000 homeowners in chicago in the same situation. that's more than any other u.s. city. rising home prices have helped reduce the number of underwater homeowners nationwide by 1.5 million, but the percentage of
those underwater in the hardest-hit markets remains high. 55% in las vegas, 49% in orlando. full recovery depends on people like the browns landing new jobs. >> we were middle-class, you know? and we were proud of it because we worked our way up for that. >> reporter: do you have somewhere to go? >> we have nowhere to go at all. nowhere to go. only thing i know the places that we would be going is out on the street. >> reporter: a new york federal reserve study found homeowners underwater are a third less likely to move and, norah, the more debt they owe, the greater the chances they won't leave. >> o'donnell: danielle, thank you. there were three winning tickets in last night's powerball drawing for a jackpot that topped out at $448 million. two were sold in new jersey. those winners have not come forward. the third was hold in minnesota to paul white.
he's 45 and works for an electrical contractor. white called the experience "surreal." >> i feel this pressure off my shoulders that you carry everyday with you. i have two kids. am i going to be able to pay for them to go to college? am i going to be able to take care of them if they have health issues? all these things, gone. >> o'donnell: that check he's holding reads $149 million but after taxes he will take a lump sum of just about $58 million. and a teenager dies after being tasered by the police in miami beach. bill clinton and oprah winfrey are about to get a very prestigious award. and the national zoo welcomes tiger twins when the "cbs evening news" continues.
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to take a centrum silver multivitamin every day. i told him, sure. can't hurt, right? and now today, i see this in the news. once again, centrum silver was chosen by researchers for another landmark study. this time looking at eye health. my doctor! he knows his stuff. [ male announcer ] centrum. the most studied. the most recommended. and the most preferred multivitamin brand. the choice is clear. >> o'donnell: the state of florida and the city of miami breach investigating the death of an 18-year-old graffiti artist who collapsed and died after the police shocked him with a taser. they had caught him spray painting a restaurant early i tuesday morning. the police say he ran and ignored orders to stop. the miami beach police chief says officers were forced to taser him to "avoid a physical incident." in philadelphia, the federal
government is looking into a series of fatal shootings by the police. what's surprising is who requested the review. here's elaine quijano. >> reporter: the confrontation that led to michael berry's death on a philadelphia sidewalk last summer was captured on surveillance video. berry, seen here leaning through a car window, had just stabbed a man he'd gotten into a fistfight with moments earlier. when plain-clothed officers from the philadelphia police department arrived, one officer fired seven shots, killing berry. the philadelphia district attorney's office said the shooting was justified. police commissioner charles ramsey. >> i take this very, very seriously. there's nothing more serious that an officer can do than take another life, shoot another individual. >> reporter: the case is one of 125 police-involved shootings in philadelphia that have taken police since 2011. 37 people have died and, in some
neighborhoods, anger has boiled over, as it did in may when officers shot seven people in one week. four died. after may's deadly police shootings, commissioner ramsey took the extraordinary step of asking the justice department to examine his department's use of force. what is your sense of the public's perception of the philadelphia police department when it comes to the use of force? >> there are parts of our city that think that i'm taking a step that's not necessary. there are members of other communities-- primarily minority communities-- that think that perhaps there's too much police presence and that perhaps we are a little too heavy-handed. >> reporter: concerns are limited to philadelphia. the justice department has examined police shootings in a number of cities including las vegas and spokane, washington. and last month in miami the civil rights division of the justice department found three of 33 police-involved shootings were unjustified. commissioner ramsey is confident that all his officer shootings
were justified. some people would argue, though, that by asking for this review it's undermining the authority of the officers who are out there and second guessing what it is that they've done? >> i think our job is to second guess. i think our job is to review. our job is to evaluate. and that's what we have to do. >> reporter: since he became commissioner 2008, seven officers have died-- four were shot to death. their pictures hang on his wall. >> i look at this as much as an officer's safety effort as i do anything else. making sure the officers' tactics are such that they can keep themselves safe when they encounter these very dangerous people. >> reporter: the justice department review is expected to take a year and a half. commissioner ramsey says he plans to implement whatever recommendations are made. elaine quijano, cbs news, philadelphia. >> o'donnell: in a moment, we'll remember one of the biggest movie stars of the '70s, karen black.
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they will be presented later this year. a pair of by a tigers were presented at the national zoo. today we got our first look at the moms fussed over them. the cubs appear quite healthy and the zoo keepers are excited by their birth because sue mat ran tigers are critically endangered. fewer than 500 live in the wild. ark tress karen black has died, the cause was cancer. black appeared in more than 100 movies including the classic "easy rider." she was nominated for an oscar for her performance in "five easy pieces" and she played a sultry country singer in "nashville." karen black was 74. in country music, cowboy jack clement did it all, working with so many legends as a producer, engineer and songwriter. he died today of liver cancer. ♪ note? >> pelley: clement arranged the horns for johnny cash on "ring of fire." he also helped discover jerry
lee lewis and was the first producer to record royors by son. clement helped integrate country music by introducing charlie pride. he used to say "if we're not having fun, we're not doing our job." jack clement was 82. and these dogs are honing a special talent that has put them in great demand. that story is next. how that feels. ou know copd includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis. spiriva is a once-daily inhaled copd maintenance treatment that helps open my obstructed airways for a full 24 hours. you know, spiriva helps me breathe easier. spiriva handihaler tiotropium bromide inhalation powder does not replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms. tell your doctor if you have kidney problems, glaucoma, trouble urinating, or an enlarged prostate. these may worsen with spiriva. discuss all medicines you take, even eye drops.
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>> o'donnell: you may recall that after the boston marathon bombing the f.b.i. arrested two friends of suspect dzhokhar tsarnaev for allegedly hiding evidence in the case-- a backpack and a laptop removed from tsarnaev's dorm room and tossed in the trash. well, today a federal grand jury indicted the two men, both 19, on charges they obstructed justice. and chip reid tells us the boston bombing has led to a spike in enrollment at a school that prepares uniquely qualified students for a career in security. >> reporter: at this 10,000 square foot warehouse in windsor, connecticut, 13 labrador retrievers and four german shepherds are in special training. >> good girl! >> reporter: she sat down, what does that mean? >> well this particular piece of
luggage has some explosives in it. >> reporter: zane roberts is the lead trainer at m.s.a. security, a private company that trains bomb-sniffing dogs. the >> the demand for these dogs is tremendous. >> reporter: since boston in sflar >> since boston in particular. >> reporter: since the boston marathon bombings business has increased about 30% at m.s.a.. they have nearly 200 dog teams at locations across the nation and expect to have 25 more by the end of the year. the trainers are all former members of the military or law enforcement. they protect everything from financial institutions to professional baseball games. >> the presence of an explosive detection canine does make people feel safe. it's a great deterrent effect for people who want to bomb a location. they see dog, they'll want to go someplace else. >> reporter: the pentagon spent six years and $19 billion researching high-tech bomb detection systems but concluded that the best bomb detector is still a dog. if you took a machine and tried
to search that luggage as fast as i could search it with one dog i'd beat you ever time. >> reporter: roberts has taught mary, a three-year-old lab, to detect a wide variety of bomb-making materials. >> good girl! >> reporter: most of the doogs here failed at becoming guide dogs because they were too energetic or too easily distracted by smells. that's what makes them ideal for detecting explosives. labs in particular have a strong food drive, which is why food reward training works so well. basic training takes about 12 weeks. >> what a good girl! >> reporter: rockets says when the dogs graduate from this one-room schoolhouse he's always sad to see them go. what is the bond like between the handler and his dog? makes you smile right off the bat. >> absolutely. i often can't remember the handler's name but i never forget the dog's name. >> reporter: he'll soon have to learn new names because important jobs are waiting for
all of these good dogs. chip reid, cbs news, windsor, connecticut. >> o'donnell: good dogs, indeed. that's the "cbs evening news" for tonight. for scott pelley, i'm norah o'donnell. thanks for watching. see you tomorrow bright and early on cbs "this morning." good night. captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org cook. >> your realtime captioner: linda marie macdonald good evening, i'm allen martin. >> i'm elizabeth cook. tonight, the search for sandra coke is growing more desperate. the federal investigator from oakland has been missing since sunday. mike sugerman says her family and friends are reaching out to
the public for help and offering a big reward. mike. reporter: liz, you're right. this tells you a lot about sandra coke and the case. $100,000 reward. where's that money coming from? from her friends's pockets. they just got together and gave what they could and the search continues. >> for anyone -- >> reporter: tanya coke is desperate to get her sister back. >> my sister is an incredibly devoted mother, sister, friend and coworker, which is why there are so many people here today. >> reporter: two dozen people in fact from around the country to help search for sandra coke, now armed with a reward for information, $100,000. >> we are remaining optimistic that she is being held someplace against her will but is safe and that she will be returned to us. >> reporter: 50-year-old sandra coke who investigates death penalty cases and helps defend
them left her home sunday night about 7 p.m. she went to the drugstore to get something for her 15-year- old daughter. but that's the last time anyone saw or has heard from her. >> the only reason she would have not come home right away with something from the drugstore that i can think of is that someone called about ginny, her lost dog. >> reporter: her dog's been missing for months and she has had some people calling her about it. sometimes demanding money before they gave information. she once spent $1,000 without getting the dog back. $100,000 we regard? that was privately raised mostly by the many friends of sandra coke for the $100,000 reward. they are head coaching the money and the plea by her sister tanya will motivate someone who knows something. >> we all are just desperate to see her returned home safely. and so we are again asking anybody with information about my
>> schieffer: tonight, planning for a u.s. military strike against syria. as the death toll rises, the pentagon makes preparations for action, but will the president give the go-ahead? david martin that has story. the fastest-growing wildfire in the country now covers 165 square miles and it is just entered yosemite national park. theresa garcia is on the scene. something is killing dolphins along the east coast. terrell brown has the latest on the search for clues. and "on the road," steve hartman catches motorists smiling in a no-smiling zone. >> never so happy to get a ticket in my life. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> schieffer: good evening,
scott's off tonight, i'm bob schieffer. cbs news has learned that the pentagon is making the initial preparations for a cruise missile attack on syrian government forces. we say "initial preparations" because such an attack won't happen unless and until the president gives the green light, and it was clear during an interview on cnn today he is not there yet. >> if the u.s. goes in and attacks another country without a u.n. mandate and without clear evidence that can be presented then there are questions in terms of whether international law supports it, do we have the coalition to make it work, and those are considerations that we had to take into account. >> schieffer: the attack on the damascus suburbs which left hundreds dead this week is looking more and more like a poison gas was used.
the united states warned syria months ago that using chemical weapons could provoke a u.s. response. two reports tonight, first david martin is at the pentagon. david? >> reporter: bob, president obama's national security advisor has just sent out a tweet calling what happened in syria an apparent chemical weapons attack. and the commander of u.s. forces in the mediterranean has ordered navy warships to move closer to syria to be ready for a possible cruise missile strike. launching cruise missiles from the sea would not risk any american lives. it would be a punitive strike designed not to topple syrian dictator bashar al-assad but to convince him he cannot get away the w using chemical weapons. joint chiefs chairman general martin dempsey is expected to present options for a strike at a white house meeting on saturday. potential targets include command bunkers and launchers used to fire chemical weapons. however, officials stress
president obama, who until now has steadfastly resisted calls for military interventions, has not made a decision. u.s. intelligence detected activity at known syrian chemical weapons sites in the days before the attack. at the time, that did not appear out of the ordinary. but now it is part of the circumstantial evidence pointing toward an attack. the clearest evidence would come from a team of u.n. exports already in damascus to investigate earlier smaller-scale incidents involving suspected chemical weapons. so far, they have not been allowed into the field, but with pictures providing graphic evidence of mass casualties, even russia, long one of the assad regime's staunchest backers, is calling for a u.n. investigation. whatever an investigation finds, president obama will also have to consider what he would doll next if he ordered a strike and syria continued to use chemical weapons. >> schieffer: thanks, dave. new photos out of syria today
make it even harder to conclude that the attacks were anything but a poison gas attack. holly williams talked to her sources there today and we warn you, the pictures in her report are difficult to watch. >> reporter: two days after the attack, more disturbing video has emerged of the aftermath. they are horrific scenes that show the dead and the dying. many of them children. this young boy describes struggling to breathe and then losing consciousness. when he woke up in hospital, he said, he could no longer see. it's impossible to verify how many people died, but in this crowded makeshift morgue, so many of the bodies were unidentified they were numbered. doctor ghazwan bwidany is caring for survivors of the attack at a clinic damascus. today we spoke with him over the internet. he told us his mobile medical unit treated 900 people, 70 of
whom died. >> reporter: dr. bwidany told us some of the survivors have neurological problems such as memory loss and confusion that he believes could only be caused by a nerve agent. if this wasn't a chemical attack what could it have been? >> reporter: we talked with a spokesman for the syrian opposition today who told us he is angry and frustrated with the international community. he believes that if the u.s. had delivered the arms it promised the opposition two months ago this deadly attack might not have happened. >> schieffer: holly williams. thanks, holly. at fort hood, texas, today, a military injury convicted major nidal hasan of the massacre that left 13 soldiers dead and more
than 30 others wounded. the murder verdict was unanimous which means hasan could get the death penalty. anna werner is at fort hood. >> reporter: major nidal hasan looked up at the jury foreman as she read out the decision. the jury voted unanimously that he was guilty on 13 counts of pre-meditated murder and also guilty of 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder. over 13 days, prosecutors laid out a detailed case to convince the jury that hasan came to believe he had a jihad duty to kill soldiers and then carried out a plan to do just that. they showed evidence hasan trained for months at a shooting then hid two guns and 420 rounds of ammunition in his army fatigues then went to a medical building where members of his own unit were prepareing to deploy. witnesses told of a scene of terror and chaos as hasan opened
fire on a group of 45 unarmed soldiers. they listened as a pregnant soldier-- private francesca velez-- begged for mercy saying "my baby, my baby" before she was shot and killed. hasan, who is representing himself, admitted "i am the shooter" in his opening statements. he did not testify or call any witnesses and made no chrarg. howard ray rescued soldiers at the scene that day. he wants hasan to get the death penalty. >> what we're talking about is assessing a punishment on someone that had total disregard for the lives of 13 men and women that day. total disregard. >> reporter: the judge admonished those seated in the courtroom-- including about a dozen victims' relatives-- not to display emotion when the verdict was read but, bob, as we were leaving the courtroom i saw tears in the eyes of a couple of those relatives. they've been waiting four years for this verdict. >> schieffer: all right, well, thank you, anna.
to egypt now. a week ago today tens of thousands of supporters of the muslim brotherhood who opposed military rule filled the streets. a thousand died in the crackdown that followed. today, the muslim brotherhood called for a return to the streets but it didn't happen. our charlie d'agata is in cairo. what did happen, charlie? >> reporter: well, today, bob, we saw just how dramatically the military has weakened the muslim brotherhood here. just after friday prayers, we saw a group gathering outside a mosque, maybe a hundred or so people and almost immediately they were outnumber bid local residents who support the military and forced them to move on. this is typical of the kind of demonstration wes saw here and elsewhere, the small protests that never really got going. there's a huge military presence here, tanks and barbed wire have choked off most of the main squares. it is clear the military has the upper hand-- at least for now. >> schieffer: all right. thank you so much, charlie.
40-year-old army sergeant robert bales will spend the rest of his life in prison. a military jury in washington state sentenced him today to life without parole for shooting 16 afghan civilians to death last year, most of them women and children. he pleaded guilty in june to avoid the death penalty. bales apologized for his actions but never tried to explain them. in san diego, the fate of mayor bob filner, accused of sexually harassing more than a dozen women, is still up in the air. ben tracy covering this one. ben? >> reporter: bob, the san diego city council is still in closed session right now. they're debating whether or not to approve this deal they made with mayor filner that includes his resignation. they're hoping to quickly end what has become san diego's civic nightmare. >> i bob filner -- >> reporter: when bob filner took office nearly nine months ago he was the first democrat elected mayor in san diego in 20 years. the 70-year-old promised to help
the homeless and bring jobs to the city. >> it's going to be a time of change for san diego. >> reporter: now even some of his strongest supporters admit filner ended up giving their stay black eye. 18 different women accused him of sexual harassment, including at least one city employee. at the council meeting this afternoon people from san diego announced support and anger. >> we're not fooled. we know this is a circus to get a good man out of office. >> reporter: julie adams. >> i came down here to let you know how determined our voters are debt-to-get this predator out of this building. >> reporter: many urged the city council not to pay off filner in exchange for his resignation. >> we're looking for a way out to get back to the business of the city and the public. >> reporter: city council president todd gloria will become the acting mayor. he says negotiating filner and covering his legal costs is a necessary evil. what do you say to the citizens of san diego who say he shouldn't get anything?
>> what i know that each day that passes that this man is mayor more bad thing happening to our city, fewer businesses are coming to san diego and our national reputation continues to be drug through the mud. >> reporter: we're told if this deal does go through, filner's resignation won't be immediate. apparently it was important to him during the negotiations, bob we're told he'll likely leave office next week. sheaf seif all right, thank you, ben. that huge wildfire in northern california spread into yosemite national park today. here's how it looks from space. the fire grew overnight from 99 square miles to more than 165, making it the fastest-growing of the dozens of western wildfires. the smoke has spread more than 100 miles from what's called the rim fire. teresa garcia is on the scene. >> reporter: the fire is threatening more than 4,500 structures. about half are in pine mountain lake. that's where we found ken cannobio. he was pumping water out of his
swimming pool to spray around his house. >> just trying to wet it down, get it as moist as possible. that's the main thing as far as if the flames get up here to put them out. >> reporter: cannobio has already packed a car for a quick getaway. more than a thousand people who live around him are already gone. >> there's a comfort zone i have that and it's pretty much down a few hundred yards. so it's looking like we're not going to have to leave right now but things can change. >> reporter: so your comfort zone changes when you see what? >> (laughs) red! >> reporter: more than 2,000 firefighters are battling the fire. bruce and his team work to clear brush and put out hot spots. >> it's holding right now so it's looking pretty good. the wind's in our favor. >> it's unreal. >> reporter: but air drops of water and flame retardant are the only ways to outflank a fire that now ranks among the 20 worst california has ever seen.
it is an incredible sight to behold as the smoke from the fire has claimed eight miles into the sky and, bob, evacuation orders have also just been issued for two more towns. >> schieffer: all right, thanks, teresa. steve ballmer, the c.e.o. of microsoft, announced today he'll retire some time in the next year. ballmer, who is 57, succeeded bill gates in 2000. they met 40 years ago at harvard. under ballmer microsoft has struggled to compete with apple and google. colorado gets a hailstorm in the dog days of summer. and why are dolphins dying along the east coast? when the "cbs evening news" continues. [ bell dings ] [ crowd cheering ] ♪ [ male announcer ] for sensitive skin, there's fusion proglide.
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they were compromised animals. some of them had skin lesions. they were just very sick individuals. >> reporter: marine biologists believe the dolphins could be suffering from a bacterial or viral infection with symptoms similar to measles. >> there's a lot of skin contact between. they're constantly rubbing each other so, yeah, the possibility of just spreading it amongst themselves is very large. >> reporter: it was a virus that killed nearly 750 dolphins from new york to florida in the late '80s. charles potter studied that epidemic. he's a marine mammal biologist at the smithsonian. he believes pollution could be weakening the dolphins' immune system. >> as the animals migrate south passing back through virginia and then going down to the carolinas, if this event follows what we saw in 1987, we can expect the epicenter of the epidemic to move south with the dolphins. >> reporter: when does this end? >> it will run its course but there's no way to know when the
end will come. >> reporter: late today, another dolphin was found dead on the jersey shore. terrell brown, cbs news, river head, new york. >> schieffer: a severe hailstorm left parts of colorado looking more like december than august. so much hail fail yesterday snowplows were deployed to clear streets in the suburbs southwest of denver. the icy runoff trapped one teenaged driver who was forced to abandon his car and head to higher ground. in a moment, we'll show you what happened when a biker neglected to bear left.
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>> schieffer: now for today's birth announcements. the national zoo tweets toward that the giant panda may-shong gave birth to her third cub, a female. a short time later, the zoo tells us she picked her up and cradled her. mai-shong delivered a cub in 2005 and another born last year lived only a week. it is not exactly a kodiak moment, but it is close. royal canadian mounted police say a motorcycle rider was too focused on recording his speed with his helmet cam to notice a bear crossing the road. they collided at 87 miles an hour. the biker survivored-- barely-- with broken bones and a speeding ticket. the bear walked away. according to court papers in chicago, brandon preveau drove
his girlfriend's car to his job at o'hare airport, the couple broke up and there the car sat for three years wracking up 678 tickets totaling $106,000. that is an all-time record for chicago and about 30 times more than the '95 chevy was worth. the city has agreed to settle the tickets for $4,500. preveau will pay about a third of it. his ex-girlfriend the rest. a deputy who gave out tickets for a living has set a record of his own. "on the road" with steve hartman is next. hey kevin...still eating chalk for heartburn? yeah... try new alka seltzer fruit chews. they work fast on heartburn and taste awesome. these are good. told ya! i'm feeling better already. [ male announcer ] new alka seltzer fruits chews. enjoy the relief!
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>> schieffer: there is a deputy sheriff in los angeles named elton simmons who has set a record when it comes to citizen complaints. but if he sounds like the last cop you'd want to run into on the highway, you would be wrong, which is why steve hartman did a story about him "on the road." >> reporter: this is l.a. sheriff's deputy elton simmons. and i bet you don't like him already, seeing him there hiding in the shadows. why can't he go catch some real criminals, you may be thinking. no wonder he has a record number
of complaints. who wouldn't complain about a guy whose sole purpose in life is to ruin your day. >> around the corner. >> reporter: by the very nature of the business, all l.a. traffic cop cans expect to get a few complaints every year. a lot of them are petty, people just mad because they got a ticket. regardless, they all get documented and place in the officer's personnel file. which is why captain pat maxwell was stunned when he started looking through simmons' file. >> i said "that's not possible." >> reporter: although he did see lots of commendations, looking back over the last 20 years, over the last 25,000 traffic stops, captain maxwell couldn't find one complaint. a record. zero. >> i mean, vegas or m.i.t. could not give you the odds of the statistical probability of that. >> reporter: obviously elton is doing something right. >> yeah, it's got to be something. >> pelley: do you know what it is? >> no idea. >> reporter: until the captain told him, elton didn't know he had such a record let alone how he got it. >> it's how i do it everyday. >> reporter: so we trailed him
to figure out how he does it. first thing i noticed that he has this pitch perfect mix of authority -- >> i need you to take care of that. >> and diplomacy. >> i don't want to keep pulling you over. >> reporter: with none of the attitude that sometimes comes with a cop. >> >> sorry! >> that's okay. just be careful. >> i'm here, i'm not up here. i hate to be looked down on it. can't stand it. i won't look down on you. >> reporter: that's why in luf a lecture he gives most people the benefit of the doubt. >> it happens. >> reporter: they still get the ticket, just not the guilt trip. the drivers seem to appreciate that. so much so that by the end some are down right smitten. >> that's a smile he's got a great smile. >> reporter: you're giggling now you just got a ticket. >> he's a nice guy! i mean -- how can you be mad at that guy? >> reporter: apparently you can't. >> disarming. >> reporter: time after time, ticket after ticket. >> never so happy to get a ticket in my life. >> reporter: we saw elton
simmons melt away a polar icecap of preconception. and his boss says there's a lesson in there for hard-nosed traffic cops everywhere. >> their excuse is "i give tickets all day long, i'm going to get complaints." well, that's not true. there's a way. there is a way to do it and elton simmons is the way. >> reporter: certainly no complaints here. steve hartman, "on the road" in los angeles. >> schieffer: and that is the news. sunday on "face the nation," we'll talk about the 50th anniversary of the march on washington with former secretary of state colin powell, georgia congressman john lewis and newark mayor cory booker. scott will be back here on monday. i'm bob schieffer in new york. good night. captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
on this sunday night -- on alert. after almost two dozen american embassies are closed, the u.s. goes further, tonight broadening its order in what some call the most serious terror threat since the 9/11 attacks. boardwalk rampage. a california man faces a charge of murder after allegedly driving his car into a crowdof hundreds, killing a woman on her honeymoon and injuring 11 others. up in the air. yankees slugger add ex-rodriguez about to find out how long he'll be suspended in baseball's highest profile scandal involving performance enhancing drugs. back to school. means a big tax break for many parents shopping for school supplies, but not everyone thinks it's a good idea.
and fantastic voyage. as a group of american treasure hunters strike it rich, very rich, at the bottom of the sea. good evening. just a short time ago, the state department announced it will extend the closings of some u.s. embassies in the face of a serious and credible, but so far unspecified, terror threat against american tro interests overseas. some two dozen embassies and consulates were closed today as a precaution as we learn more about the level and gravity the intelligence officials are acting upon. the consensus seems to be the threat is very real, but it's the targets that appear to be anyone's guess, which is why a worldwide warning remains in effect for americans traveling abroad. once again, tonight we're tracking all angles of this story, christian welker starts us off at the white house.
good evening, kristen. >> reporter: good evening. tonight the state department announced two dozen of the diplomatic posts closed today will remain closed through next weekend and four additional closures through the week. the reason given? an abundance of caution because of the muslim holy month of ramadan. back from camp david, president obama is getting regular briefings by his national security team on the threat that has shuddered posts in north africa and the middle east. >> there's been a lot of chatter, chatter means conversations among terrorists about the planning that's going on, very reminiscent of what we saw pre-9/11. >> reporter: according to two top u.s. officials, the terror plot could include one large attack or simultaneous attacks around the world. but the intelligence still isn't crystal-clear. embassies and consulates from cairo to kabul are bracing themselves. although the streets of kabul were calm today, the embassy was
still closed and will remain on high alert. of the compound has been a target in the past by insurgents, particularly by the haqqani network, an al qaeda affiliated group. national security officials told nbc news today the threat is coming directly from al qaeda in the arabian peninsula, based in yemen, a terror group getting stronger in recent years. >> it's more dangerous because now we have what i call 2.0 or 3.0 which is widely disbursed, a anewer group. >> reporter: meanwhile, tighter screen for overseas flights. >> it always makes you nervous, but you have to carry on. just keep on going. >> i'm really worried because my wife is going to saudi arabia. >> reporter: and this morning fresh debate about the nsa's surveillance program, which intelligence officials say tipped them off about this latest threat. >> it is scary. al qaeda is on the rise in this part of the world, and the nsa program has proven its worth yet
again. >> you have to be very careful about how much you represent that any particular program has contributed to our security. >> reporter: and tonight nbc is reporting that officials in pakistan has tightened security in islamabad due to a potential terror threat interethere, but s hour there's no link between the two. >> the embassy in cairo is among those affected by this order. tonight our chief foreign correspondent richard engel has more on precautions there and insight into are where this threat is coming from. >> reporter: good evening, lester. these are the side streets around the u.s. embassy here in downtown cairo. the embassy today is closed like so many embassies and consulates in the region, and as you can see the embassy tonight is right behind this very big, very imposing concrete barricade. this wall went up about a year ago after a group of demonstrators tried to storm ip inside the compound. this time we're told the threat
goes right back to yes, ma'am p, specifically to al qaeda in the arabian peninsula, which is based in yemen. the group is considered capable. it has many skilled bomb makers. and it is also motivated right now because in the middle of last month one of the group's deputy commanders was killed in a drone strike. the man who has replaced them, the group's new leader, is considered perhaps even more dangerous at one stage he was osama bin laden's secretary. and some intelligence analysts say he may be wanting to prove himself to try and exert himself on the international stage by carrying out some sort of terror attack in yemen or abroad. but not all u.s. diplomats are happy with this situation. they say there needs to be xurpt, but they also say they can't do their jobs if they're locked behind big walls like this one. lester? >> richard engel reporting from cairo. let's bring in our chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell. andrea, we know from previous experience the u.s. can't
maintain this red alert posture indefinitely so what's the plan going forward here? >> it really is day by day. the intelligence of an impending attack as you're reporting is serious but they still don't know the specific target. there are several other threats, possibility for the retaliation for the drone strike richard just mentioned and a threatening speech last week by ayman al zawahiri. the upcoming anniversary this week of bombings of tanzania and elsewhere and of course ramadan. after wrestling with whether to closing the additional posts they decided to err on the side of caution. in los angeles, a man is in custody facing a charge of murder after allegedly driving a car into a crowd of people enjoying themselves on the boardwalk in the popular venice beach area. a woman on her honeymoon was killed and 11 others injured. nbc's miguel alma ger is there with the latest. miguel? >> reporter: good evening, on a summer weekend this boardwalk is
packed with thousands of people, it was a similar scene yesterday when the car slammed into that group of pedestrians, including that woman who was here on her honeymo honeymoon. security cameras capture the moment of impact. look closely at the top of the screen as a car plows through the crowd. just moments earlier, the driver is seen entering the car, then speeding away. a second camera shows pedestrians leaping for their lives. >> we have a critical situation. we need a driver. >> reporter: chaos and panic ensue. at least a dozen people were struck by a driver who witnesses say appeared to be aiming for the crowd. victims strewn everywhere. >> one of the medics from 67th working on the critical patient. >> the scene was really bad. there were tables, people everywhere, blood everywhere. there was scattered stuff. it was horrible. >> reporter: 32-year-old italian
woman visiting california while on her honeymoon was killed. >> i saw a girl go over his roof and another girl ended up over there. >> reporter: another victim is in critical condition, ten others hospitalized. >> i'm never going to forget that moment. it was surreal. he was zigzagging and i ran. >> reporter: hours lairpt, the damaged sedan was found abandoned. investigators say a 35-year-old man turned himself will into police late saturday night. >> detectives have booked nathan campbell for a murder that took place last night. >> reporter: of the venice boardwalk is one of southern california's most popular attractions. the famed muscle beach and miles of coastline an international draw. tonight the crowds are back as many remember the victims and police look to answer the question so many here are asking -- why? tonight, the outpouring of support is coming in from around
the globe. a.c. milan has expressed its convict dole evens for the 32-year-old newlywed killed here, her father a former team executive. suspensions are expected tomorrow for alex rodriguez and other major league players accused of using performance enhancing drugs. a-rod is by far the highest profile and highest paid among them and faces the most severe punishment. we get a report from nbc's ron mott. >> reporter: alex rodriguez is poised to receive the costliest suspension ever levied in baseball, a penalty that could approach $35 million and perhaps effectively end the 38-year-old slugger's career. on monday, sources tell nbc sports the controversial player will be suspended through the 20 fla 14 season for obstructing the investigation into p.e.d.s. >> it's very clear that baseball is serious about this. they may have gotten religion on it late, but once they did they
got serious. they're showing no favoritism. >> reporter: rodriguez has been tuning up in the minor leagues. before rejoining the yankees monday in chicago for the first time all year, after off-season hip surgery. friday he held court, upbeat, smiling, yet he complained about what he deemed were efforts to cancel his remaining yankees contract worth nearly $100 million. but late saturday, after reports circulated a severe sanction had been settled on by commissioner bud selig, a different rodriguez. [ inaudible ] >> i plan to set my girls down with cynthia and we're going to have a lengthy conversation. and i'll have an opportunity to tell it all. at some point. i'll have that platform and when the time is right, i'll tell my full story. >> reporter: in january, a-rod's name surfaced if a miami-area newspaper report along with other big leaguers who will also
be suspended tomorrow about a clinic allegedly supplying steroids and other banned drugs to athletes. the foundation of the report documents taken by a former employee, disgruntled about not getting back all of a $4,000 loan he made to the company founder. a modest sum of money now having extraordinary financial impact that could reshape baseball for years to come. a-roded is expected to appeal any suspension and he still could be eligible to take the field tomorrow in chicago. lester? >> ron, thank you. in the west, residents are recovering from severe weather in colorado. parts of the state hit by heavy rains and flooding last night, high winds and at least half a dozen confirmed tornadoes, most of them causing little damage. the storms moved into neighboring kansas causing severe flash flooding. and one more note from overseas tonight. the man who was the face of iran in all its hostility toward this country was officially replaced today by a new president who is at least talking about more
dialogue with the west. tonight nbc's ann curry is inside iran and reports on the shift in power. >> reporter: on iran state television, the transfer of power from milwaukee mahmadinej full of goodwill. we never heard this from president ahmadinejad. >> translator: the only way to engage with iran on common issues is to build trust on both sides. a mutual respect and by lowering tensions between each other. >> reporter: perhaps as significant as the new president's message is today's orchestration of the international press. this inauguration has turned into a world press event and really only for one reason -- the world is worried iran could soon have the bomb. and iran give the media, a show. its modern parliament a setting for a television spectacular. for the first time, heads of
state from all over the world were invited, with the notable exception of the united states and israel. while afghanistan's hamid karzai and top official from north korea were in attendance, heads of state from western europe were not. after his remarks, the president immediately named his entire cabinet, most fell on moderates. he was clearly signaling the direction he wants iran to go and how fast. ann curry, nbc news, tehran. when "nightly news" continues on this sunday, who wouldn't want a nice break on costly back-to-school shopping? we'll tell you why some are not so excited. and they didn't strike gold, but it's the next best thing. tonight a real silver lining, and it is worth a fortune.
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it's the start of august and a back-to-school ritual has begun. the annual shopping spree for school supply that's can cost hundreds of dollars. to make it a little easier, more states are offering breaks on the sales tax, but is this good policy? we get more tonight from nbc's chief education correspondent. >> reporter: it's that time of year again. >> get one of these. >> reporter: all across the country, moms and dads are crowding the stores to stock up on school supplies. getting their little ones ready to go back to school. >> we tried to get here as early as we could to avoid the craziness. >> two weeks out i start saving and looking for deals. >> it is very surprising how much we spend. >> reporter: terri is shopping for three today. >> tough in the economy right now. >> we will probably be around $150 for three students. >> reporter: the pencils, pens and binders can quickly add up, which is why some states are giving parents a break from paying the sales tax. at least 17 states are waiving
the tax on school supplies and clothing, 12 states doing so this weekend. >> it makes a difference when you're spending a chunk of money. any little bit you can save. >> reporter: discounts on the tax break all benefit the consum consumer, but can the states afford to lose the rove knew right now? >> there's a real risk that six to 12 months from now the revenues gone today will be sorely missed because of slower economic growth. >> reporter: states do lose out on potentially mm-hillions of dollars in sales tax revenue very hard to recoup. and once the states start a sales tax holiday it becomes very popular with the consumer tks's very hard for the states to pull back on it. >> reporter: especially when shoppers are watching the bottom line and tightening those purse strings. the average family will spend around $635 this year, down almost 8% from about $688 last year. >> the name of the game for parents this year really is
reuse what you can and of course buy what you need. they're going to spend with practicality and cost in mind. >> as a mom, i feel like that's amy job, to save where we can, whether it be buying in bulk or recycling and things like that. >> reporter: and hoping that those sales tax breaks will return the next school year. nbc news, orlando, florida. there's more to tell you about tonight, including the plight of the puffin and a warning for all of us. how uncomfortable it can be. [ crickets chirping ] but did you know that the lack of saliva can also lead to tooth decay and bad breath? [ exhales deeply ] [ male announcer ] well there is biotene. specially formulated with moisturizers and lubricants, biotene can provide soothing relief and it helps keep your mouth healthy, too. [ applause ] biotene -- for people who suffer from dry mouth.
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relief is at hand. for many, nexium provides 24-hour heartburn relief and may be available for just $18 a month. there is risk of bone fracture and low magnesium levels. side effects may include headache, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. if you have persistent diarrhea, contact your doctor right away. other serious stomach conditions may exist. don't take nexium if you take clopidogrel. relief is at hand for just $18 a month. talk to your doctor about nexium. we're back with a wake-up call on the environment, the lessons we might learn from what's going on with a small bird in maine, brought back from the brink but now facing a new challenge. the story from nbc's chief environmental affairs correspondent anne thompson. >> reporter: this is seth, a 4-day-old puffin chick about half the weight of a stick of butter. >> he's cute, isn't he? >> adorable. you are just adorable. yes, you are. >> he is the hope of the future
of sea birds. >> reporter: puffins have bright orange beaks and black and white bodies. they are deceptively fast, flying at speeds of up to 55 miles per hour. hunted a century ago for food and feathers, they disappeared from seal island, a pile of granite slabs off of coast of maine, now a national wildlife refuge. there are 500 pairs of puffins here today, thanks to 40 years of work by dr. steve press of the national autobahn society and the u.s. fish and wildlife service. >> we don't to sit on the sidelines and watch species go extinct. >> reporter: but kres says these diving birds face a new threat. today's threat comes from the sea, warming water temperatures are changing the ocean, and that in turn is changing the puffins' diet. puffins eat cold water fish. harder to find last summer when the water here was five degrees warmer than normal. scientist jeffrey rung says it's part of a decade-long warming
trend happening ten times faster than in the last century. >> this may have well had an effect on where herring feed and consequently if herring aren't where the puffins need to be, the puffins will go search other food. >> reporter: what they found last summer the chicks couldn't swallow so many starved to death. this year, kres says there are 20% fewer puffins in burrows and are nesting two weeks laifrpt, all signs of stress for the birds and perhaps us. >> there's many industries, including lobsters, who use herring for bait to catch lobsters. and if the food is too far away for the puchs, it will be too far away for people as well will. >> reporter: a warning from nature, some believe, in a colorful and charismatic package. anne thompson, nbc news, on seal island, maine. another big win and a record to report today for american swimmer missy franklin. the 18-year-old franklin claimed her sixth gold medal at the world championship in barcelona as part of a 400-meter medley relay. franklin became the most winning
female swimmer ever at the world championships. another milestone to report. president obama celebrating his 52nd birthday today. these days, what birthday would be be complete without a few words on twitter? among others, bill clinton offered his thoughts to 44 happy birthday at barack obama from 42. another political note, a follow-up on a story 0 a few weeks ago, tonight the results are in and 4-year-old bobby tufts is a very happy young man, having just won reelection as the certify moanial mayor of dorsett, minnesota, population 22. after a hard-fought campaign, bobby's name was pulled from a hat again at the annual town fair. when we come back, we'll go on a treasure hunt you won't want to miss. mine was earned in djibouti, africa. 2004. vietnam in 1972. [ all ] fort benning, georgia in 1999. [ male announcer ] usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation.
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it's hard to describe, because you have a numbness, but yet you have the pain like thousands of needles sticking in your foot. it was progressively getting worse, and at that point i knew i had to do something. once i started taking the lyrica the pain started subsiding. [ male announcer ] it's known that diabetes damages nerves. lyrica is fda approved to treat diabetic nerve pain. lyrica is not for everyone. it may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior. or swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, changes in eyesight including blurry vision, muscle pain with fever, tired feeling, or skin sores from diabetes. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. those who have had a drug or alcohol problem may be more likely to misuse lyrica. ask your doctor about lyrica today. it's specific treatment for diabetic nerve pain.
finally tonight, a story that gives a new meaning to silver lining. treasure hunters scored one for the record books when they recovered more than 100 tons of silver from a british ship that was sunk during world war ii. and what a payday it was. nbc's kerry sanders tonight. >> reporter: off the coast of ireland, three miles down, american treasure hunters found the mother lode. in waters deeper than the titanic, bars of precious silver, in all 110 tons. >> fantastic. hasn't quite sunk in yet, but it's starting to dawn on me now
what we've achieved out here. >> reporter: the gair sop pa was a british steamship torpedoed in 1941 by one of hitler's u-boats. the cargo traveling to great britain to fund the war effort. in all, the sal raj team pulled up 2,792 silver inningities. >> hn his majesty mint, bombay. >> we're sitting on $700,000 worth of silver. >> yeah. >> and the numbers are a bit mind-boggling. i just see them as very heavy lumps of waste we've been pulled around. >> reporter: the final silver bar was pulled to the surface days ago. >> that's the last one. >> reporter: 20% goes to the british government, the treasure hunters odyssey marine treasure hunters get 80% of a treasure that exceeds $77 million. >> this is the deepest recovery of precious metal ever done. it's a world record. the water depth is almost 15,000 feet, about three miles deep. >> reporter: also recovered,
letters. >> oh, my god, here's a stamp on the letter. india postage. >> reporter: newspapers from 1941 and financial records. >> manufacturers life insurance company. this actually may be worth something to this family if it can be tracked down. >> reporter: so what happens to all this silver in the vault? it's headed to the british mint, the same mint that's striking commemorative coins for the newborn prince. because this could be the target of thieves, all i can say is kerry sanders, nbc news, somewhere in great britain. >> that's "nbc nightly news" for this sunday. brian williams will be here tomorrow. will i'm lester holt reporting from new york. for all of us here at nbc news, good night.
sunday night football. primetime's number one show is back. 50 years ago, the pro football hall of fame was founded in canton, ohio, to honor the men's whose contributions to the sport were the most significant. 17 charter members were enshrined in 1963, headlined by the legendary names like halas, hudson, grange and thorpe. this weekend, a record 122 hall of famers return to welcome to the exclusive club, the
on this sunday night, mall shooting. the identity of the shooter and his victims revealed as hard questions are raised about mall security. to the streets, the deepening crisis and growing violence at a country divided. tonight, we're on the battle lines of ukraine. good enonough to eat? this man says yes. and in his store, everything will be cheap for those willing to ignore those sell-by dates. and bragging rights. they may be on the field in new jersey, but the battle for super bowl dollars, new york is their kind of town.
good evening. we now know who he is, but why he opened fire in a crowded maryland mall yesterday and what his ultimate plan was remains a mystery tonight. two store workers were killed along with the shooter now identified as 19-year-old darion aguilar, who took his own life. he had plenty of ammunition and even crude explosives. on the heels of other recent mall attacks comes the question, can we better secure these sprawling complexes? >> reporter: 21-year-old brianna benlolo and 20-year-old tyler johnson were killed when 19-year-old darion marcus aguilar opened shooting in zoomies, where the two worked. a family friend of aguilar, who
police say was a manager at the dunkin' donuts near the home he shared with his mother. a woman who identified herself as his mother said she was devastated and didn't know her son owned a gn. >> he's never, never had a gun before, never been interested in guns, never been interested in anything like that. i don't know what happened. i just don't know what happened. i don't know what happened. >> reporter: police said today surveillance video shows a cab dropping off aguilar at the mall around 10:15 am. he was carrying a backpack and stayed on the first floor for at least an hour. at that moment, according to authorities, he fired six to nine shots in and around the second-floor store, killing the two victims and shooting another victim in the foot on the first
floor. his body was found next to a mossberg shotgun. there were homemade explosives in a bag nearby. >> with the help of our colleagues with the fbi state fire marshal we were able to render those devices safe. >> reporter: as reality set in, shoppers returned to retrieve their items this afternoon, still haunted by the experience. >> i was scared. obviously, i didn't really know what was going on, so i just kind of ran with everybody else. >> reporter: in nearby washington, some lawmakers said recent shootings in public places beg the question, is more security needed? >> it does highlight the vulnerability of shopping malls to shootings, soft targets like we saw in the kenya shopping mall case. that's the kind of scenario we do not want to see happen in the united states. >> reporter: but the county executive of this grieving community says it's a larger problem. >> we live in a democracy and we are not going to secure our way out of our freedom. we're not going to have metal
detectors at every grocery store and every shop iping center and every mall. we're better than this, as a country. so we have to figure out as a society how to do a better job at these things. >> reporter: now, police say they still don't know the motive behind the shooting. they say aguilar bought that shotgun legally at a store in maryland last year. he didn't have a criminal record. authorities say he did leave behind a journal in which he expressed depressed feelings. while this investigation continues, this mall will reopen tomorrow afternoon. lester? >> chrkristen welker in columbi thank you. in eastern europe, the violent revolt against the government of ukraine deepened today as opponents of the president took over another building in the capital and rejected his offer to include members of the opposition in his government. nbc's ian williams has the latest tonight from kiev. >> reporter: it was before dawn that protesters surrounded and then took over, fighting against
security forces using it as a base. by daybreak the battered building was theirs to clean up. p protesters are now in control of five official buildings across kiev. they've also stormed government buildings in at least a dozen other cities across ukraine. on a hill close by, thousands then gathered for the funeral of a young protester, who died in clashes last week. among the mourners, opposition leaders who, hours earlier, rejected a compromise that would have given them senior government positions. but would almost certainly have provoked a mutiny among the hard-line nationalists, who are increasingly influential here. the deadly violence of the last week has hardened attitudes among protesters who now want to topple the government. even this priest told me the people should stay strong and not retreat in the face of lies. we were taken to the roof of a trade union building that serves
as headquarters of the protest movement and below which lies their sprawling, frozen camp. we really get a sense of what a vast encampment this has become and they continue to expand the fortified boundaries. thousands more gathered near the barricades. among them, we met 16-year-old nestia, brimming with youthful hope. >> this is our future so we have to fight for this. and if we won't do this, who will? >> reporter: on the charred front line, they looked battle weary today, warming themselves from a respite from combat, weapons ready, eyeing the ranks of the riot police beyond. little sign of resolve iing thi increasingly dangerous conflict. ian williams, nbc news, kiev. just before coming on the air here tonight, we lerch elea from the u.s. military that u.s. military forces have launched a military strike in somalia.
senior al qaeda leader and al shabbab leader we're told. they're still trying to assess whether it was successful. a stomach turning experience for hundreds of people aboard a cruise ship. today, the explorer of the seas was in st. thomas and the u.s. virgin islands where the officials from the centers of disease control were looking into the outbreak of a highly contagious stomach virus. more tonight from gabe gutier z gutierrez. >> reporter: today, health officials from the centers for disease control boarded a cruise ship, struggling to contain a norovirus outbreak. >> i was one of them. >> she was one of them. >> it was awful. >> reporter: vomiting and diarrhea symptoms. >> it was a terrible experience. i've been on this boat before. we had an amazing time when we were here. this time, it's just been awful.
>> reporter: after departing new jersey on tuesday, the ship bypassed a planned stop in haiti friday to be san advertised in puerto rico before moving on to st. thomas. sao panto, the mayor of eastern pennsylvania is on board, vacationing with his wife. he is not sick, but says other passengers have been quarantined in their rooms. >> lot of activity with cleaning and san advertising the various railings and elevator shafts. >> reporter: norovirus is a fast-moving stomach bug. each year, the cdc says it sickens 21 million people in the u.s. and kills up to 800. just this month, dozens of travelers got sick on another royal caribbean cruise. >> norovirus can spread very readily from person to person. when you have people confined, the spread can be quick and explosive. >> reporter: royal caribbean says sick passengers were responding well to over-the-counter medications. we sincerely apologize for this disruption to our guests' cruise vacation. >> hopefully, we'll have a good
ride going back. >> reporter: tonight the explorer of the seas is scheduled to leave st. thomas, on its way to st. maarten as health officials try to get rid of an unwelcomed guest. gabe gutierrez, nbc news, atlanta. it's about to get even colder again in much of the eastern half of the country. a new arctic air mass, the coldest of the season, is hitting the midwest and northeast, bringing high winds and dangerously low temperatures. the cold follows heavy snow and ice. whiteout condition that is cause accidents from michigan to kentucky this weekend. almost 1,000 flights were canceled nationwide and another 5,000 delayed. this frigid weather continues to put a strain on propane gas supplies, forcing more than 30 states to issue emergency declarations and pipeline explosion in canada has cut off the natural gas supply to thousands of people, happening not far from the border with north dakota and minnesota and some customers in those states were asked to limit their gas
usage. for more on the cold wave, we're joined by weather channel meteorologist kim cunningham. kim, good evening. >> yes, lester. we'll continue to see that cold aircoming southward the next couple of days. the next big storm will affect even the south. let's go ahead and show you what it looks like, the pattern right now. we have that deep trough over the east. minneapolis tomorrow, 6 below zero. we're talking 30 degrees below your average. chicago, we may go 60 hours or 2 1/2 days with temperatures not even getting above zero. that's how cold this is. atlanta will be in the 30s today. we got near 60 degrees. big temperature change for us all the way in the deep south. new york city, philadelphia, lows to the single digits and teens the next couple of days as well. well below average. south, this will be wintry weather for us. area of low pressure moves by, and look at this forecast. freezing rain. possibly power outages. savannah, charleston and even accumulating snow. three to five inches possible from the outer banks to central
parts of georgia. lester, back to you. >> kim cunningham, it just keeps on coming. thanks. this past week, president obama created a new task force to focus more attention on the problem of sexual assault on college campuses. a report that says college women are at greater risk than ever before. we get more on this from nbc's rehema ellis. >> reporter: a disturbing picture of what's happening to american women on college campuses. one in five have been sexually assaulted at college. only 12% of student victims report the assault. the president says it has to change. >> these young women worked so hard just to get into college. so when they finally make it there only to be assaulted that is not just a nightmare for them and their families, it's an affront to everything they've worked so hard to achieve. it's totally unacceptable. >> reporter: across the country, strong reaction from students. >> if we teach everyone that no
actually does mean no and my body is mine, we won't have this problem. >> i think girls are sometimes scared, what kind of criticisms they would face if they were to tell others about what happened to them. >> reporter: that's exactly what laura dunn thought. >> i didn't know how to talk about it and actually chose to stay silent. >> reporter: dunn says she was raped as a freshman ten years ago by two men on her own rowing team. she didn't report the crime until a year later. why? she blamed herself, because she was drunk. now, a victims' rights advocate, dunn says society has to stop demeaning victims by asking them incriminating questions. >> when were you drunk? why were you there? what were you doing? what were you wearing? all those questions need to go away. >> reporter: the report associates drinking on campus by men and women with increased risk of sexual assault. but the president wanted to make sure his message to young men was loud and clear. >> i want every young man in
america to feel some strong peer pressure in terms of how they are supposed to behave and treat women. that starts before they get to college. >> reporter: for campuses nationwide, the president is promising to have new ideas on how to keep women safe from sexual assault before the semester ends. rehema ellis, nbc news, new york. the president will lay out his hopes and visions on other issues when he addresses congress and the american people in his state of the union address tuesday night. for a preview, we turn to cnbc's chief washington correspondent john harwood. john, what can we expect from the president? >> lester, he is in a very different phase of his presidency. strengthen economy, narrowing to push through initiatives. decent chance for immigration reform, long shot hope for winning minimum wage increase. beyond that, raising middle class incomes, narrowing
inequality, knowing congress isn't likely to go along. will he pursue steps he could take on his own and hope congress doesn't get in his way. >> perhaps another debt ceiling debate on his horizon? >> not likely a crisis. yes, a debate. both parties are almost as weary as brinksmanship as the voters and every house seat up for election this fall, house republican leadership aide put it to me this way. will there be noise? yes. will there be a real fight? no. >> john harwood tonight, thank you. our coverage of the president's state of the union address will begin tuesday evening at 9:00 eastern, 6:00 pacific time on nbc. when "nbc nightly news" continues on this sunday, all the food that goes to waste in this country. why not sell it cheap? later, we'll take you to a
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dulcolax. predictable over-night relief you can count on. >> we're become now with some food for thought. consider the fact that our country throws out an estimated $165 billion worth of food every year. much of it still perfectly good, according to a recent study. that's the idea behind a new grocery store that will open in june. it's called the daily table. it will sell deeply discounted foods that have recently reached their expiration date. nbc's miguel almaguer has our report. >> reporter: shopping for a healthy meal, this single mom is at the food bank, looking for affordable groceries just past their prime. >> what if it's a day or two old past due? they're still very much edible. >> reporter: exactly the customers doug rowe is looking for. former president of trader joe's
will open a new grocery store that sells expired food for pennies on the dollar. >> there's a lot of food out there that's wholesome and healthy that's just being disposed. >> he says he will offer fresh produce. >> to use ingredients or be able to sell. >> fat-free milk. >> reporter: and other dprogroc products at deep, deep discounts. >> it's perfectly sound, it has a sell-by date or best by date. they pull that off the shelf. some do it several days before. it's being tossed. that's a crime. >> reporter: according to a recent study, 40% of food produced in this country is dumped in the trash every year. $165 billion worth of edible food, tossed out. >> those date labels you see on foods, sell by, use by, they are actually not federally regulated and they're not meant to indicate safety. >> reporter: with that in mind,
on this lot outside boston, rowe will open the daily table. his nonprofit store will collect, then sell what other gro grocers won't. it will also prepare hot meals. it knows its concept may be difficult for some to swallow. >> i go by the sell-by date. >> you have to think of the health costs, too. >> reporter: his new store, selling old food, he believes, will have a long shelf life that just may surprise you. miguel almaguer, nbc news, los angeles. up next here tonight, try to capture all that money people will spend on the super [ male announcer ] this is the story of the dusty basement at 1406 35th street the old dining table at 25th and hoffman. ...and the little room above the strip mall off roble avenue. ♪ this magic moment it is the story of where every great idea begins. and of those who believed they had the power to do more. dell is honored to be part of some of the world's great stories.
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state. in the run-up to the game there's another battle going on for bragging rights. two states divide d by a river. guess which one is winning. here is nbc's ayman moheldyn. >> reporter: the game is actually being played in new jersey, not the big apple. >> oh, yeah, new jersey. same thing. >> reporter: not if you ask new jersey senator bob menendez. >> peyton manning won't be scoring any touchdowns in central park and richard sherman won't be yelling at anybody in the financial district. it will be happening here in new jersey. >> reporter: you wouldn't know it by looking at the hype around the game, the epicenter known as super bowl boulevard is in the heart of times square. on super bowl tickets and promotional material, new york city's skyline is prominently featured. new jersey, barely noticeable. how do you feel about all the
attention being given to new york but the game is actually being held in new jersey? >> oh, no, that's not fair. >> reporter: the nfl insists the super bowl is shared between the two states with the fair share of official activities being held in the garden state. even the teams who arrived today are staying in new jersey. but this is about much more than bragging rights. >> well, you know, one of the reasons that i and others were big advocates and supporters for the effort to get the super bowl xlviii to new jersey is, yes, the pride of having the game here. but nonetheless the economic impact. we're talking about, you know, potentially hundreds of millions of dollars. >> most of the projected revenue brought in is expected to go to new york, but new jersey is footing the bill for additional security and any possible weather contingencies. and while new jersey's business also see achcecsee a spike this week -- the charm of new jersey may have a hard time competing
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youngsters and helping them to learn can be a daunting task when their families are struggling through life. but in one school in albuquerque, new mexico, they've found an unusual recipe for success. our story tonight from nbc's chelsea clinton. >> reporter: cynthia green is 68 years old and raising her great granddaughters on her own. but she doesn't do it alone. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> good morning, girls. >> good morning. >> reporter: much of her support comes from this elementary school, run by principal peggy candelara. >> we don't believe in servicing just the child but the whole family. it's not from bell to bell. >> reporter: for busy parents the schoolyard opens two hours
early. there's sing along time for the youngest and dozens of after-school programs teaching both physical and mental moves that reinforce academics back in the classroom. >> we're going to have a big math test. there's a lot of math homework this week. >> reporter: what are some of the things you don't like about homework? >> don't like the hard questions. >> reporter: you don't like the hard questions? >> i'm going to ask chelsea to pass out the homework. >> reporter: the latest edition? the homework diner, weekly tutoring program that's become a family affair. >> helping her with her homework. everything i showed her how to do, it was all wrong. >> reporter: cynthia, and other caregivers, come to keep up with their kids. >> if they feel like they belong here, if they feel comfortable, their children are much more likely to succeed academically. >> reporter: another ingredient central to the homework diner's popularity? a hot meal. two out of every three students struggle with hungry every day. a grant covers the cost of groceries from a local pantry
and culinary students from a nearby community college do the cooking. >> a lot of parents are busy these days. it's really neat that they get to have help with their homework and get to have a full meal. >> reporter: since it began last year, the diner has tripled in size and the school's grade point average has jumped to one of the best in the city. >> we're the hub of the community. we want everybody to feel like they belong here. >> reporter: a unique recipe for success in an after-school program feeding more than young minds. chelsea clinton, nbc news, albuquerque, new mexico. that's "nbc nightly news" for this sunday. brian williams will be here tomorrow. i'm lester holt, reporting from new york. for all of us here at nbc news, good night. [ superfan ] we're hitting the road to help america discover the new helper.
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the one event that unites the world, the greatest athletes on snow and ice. the sochi olympics winter games begins february 6th on nbc. here in beautiful hawaii, we are just 30 minutes from seeing some of the nfl's best play in the pro bowl. but first, a sunday night football special. ♪ ♪ >> the 2013 nfl season. >> what a touchdown! >> yes, an amazing catch! >> oh, what an individual effort!