here on nbc. >> thanks for joining us at 5:00. we hope to see you back at 6:00. >> good night. inside a pair of daring raids overseas. the u.s. captures one of the world's most wanted. tonight how they pulled it off and what to do with him now. the ripple effect of what washington has done. this government shutdown now a week old hitting families and businesses far beyond the beltway. moment of impact. the scary new view of thcrash that's shaken up the world of auto racing and the technology being credited with saving a lot of lives. u and raising the bar. first in the nation in math and science. now outperforming most of the world. tonight an american success story. "nightly news" begins now. good evening.

they are known as special operators for good reason. they are the members of the u.s. armed forces who move around in the shadows and pull off the missions not thought possible. this weekend in two near simultaneous missions almost 3,000 miles apart, u.s. special operators target the two u.s. overseas operatives, terrorists that the u.s. had been following and targeting for some time. the first raid was in libya. the second was in somalia. the target in the first raid was seized by members of the army's delta force. but something happened in the second military action. something unforeseen and members of the u.s. navy s.e.a.l. team 6 had to pull out as quickly as they arrived. our chief foreign correspondent richard engel just back from that part of the world is here with us in our studio tonight. a busy weekend for special operators. >> reporter: it certainly was. we have two very important

operations. we have new details about one of them. let's start with the raid in libya which was the only operation that actually succeeded in capturing its target. one of america's most wanted terror suspects is now locked in the brig of this warship. the u.s.s. san antonio deployed in the mediterranean. anas al libi will remain there for days, maybe weeks. interrogated by the cia, fbi without miranda rights. and then brought to the u.s. for trial for his role in the planning of the 1998 bombings of the u.s. embassies in kenya and tanzania. his capture was a bold snatch and grab in this upscale tripoli neighborhood. u.s. troops surrounded his car in broad daylight. his son later showing where they smashed the car window and dragged him from the vehicle. al libi's wife says she watched it all from her window. >> u.s. officials say the bombings have all the fingerprints of middle east terror. >> reporter: the 1998 bombings were al qaeda's first strike

against u.s. targets, a wake-up call. >> the embassy bombings were al qaeda's coming out party. it was al qaeda saying, we are here. we are targeting you. we are going to kill americans. >> reporter: among more than 200 dead, army sergeant kenneth hobson. his widow debra today. >> it is soothing to know the government is still after them and methodically and deliberately going after them. >> reporter: it's been a long time coming. >> we will use all the means at our disposal to bring those responsible to justice no matter what or how long it takes. >> reporter: like israel after munich the u.s. has hunted down the 22 suspects indicted in the embassy bombings. nine are now dead including osama bin laden. three are still at large including bin laden's successor ayman al zawahiri. ten are in custody. now joining them, abu anas al libi. an arrest 15 years in the making.

that was the operation in libya. almost at the same time there was another raid. this one in somalia. that one was targeting al shabaab. that's the terrorist organization that carried out the attack on the nairobi mall in kenya last month. this operation in somalia was even more daring. navy s.e.a.l.s on an attack craft, a small boat did a beach landing under cover of darkness. they had three smaller vessels with them. they got onto the shore. they were approaching the compound of one of al shabaab's leaders. as they set up around the edges there was a man. they didn't know who he was. he was smoking a cigarette. evidently this man saw the navy s.e.a.l.s there, went casually inside pretending nothing was wrong, alerted all of the al shabaab militants who stormed out of the building opening fire, compromising the mission.

suddenly, more people started arriving. the s.e.a.l.s decided it was too complicated. they were overwhelmed. there were civilians. they had to re treat the area and they didn't get their man. >> all right. richard engel with all the news from overseas. thanks. here in this country, day seven of a government shutdown, a growing number of americans are feeling the effects and meanwhile an even scarier deadline faces the nation that could have a direct impact on almost every household. we have two reports on this tonight beginning with our chief white house correspondent chuck todd. chuck, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. the government shutdown, it doesn't appear an end is in sight but the ominous deadline has to do with the debt ceiling. without action by congress it would mean the government couldn't borrow money to pay bills like social security or even interest on the debt. defense secretary chuck hagel ordered most of the civilian pentagon staff back to work today. the catch? no actual paycheck until the government is re-opened. when that happens, it's

anybody's guess with neither side budging today. >> there is not a subject that i am not willing to engage in, work on, negotiate, and come up with common sense compromises on. we are not going to negotiate under the threat of a prolonged shutdown. >> now, the american people expect when their leaders have differences and we are in a time of crisis that we'll sit down and at least have a conversation. really, mr. president. it's time to have that conversation. >> reporter: but the government shutdown showdown is nothing compared to the potential economic peril if political leaders don't agree to raise the debt ceiling in the coming weeks. >> if that ends up stopping because the government doesn't have money to spend or can't borrow, everybody's going to feel that. >> reporter: here's how it could hurt you at home. shopping for a car? the 0% or low interest car loans, gone. thinking about refinancing your house to lower your mortgage payment? forget about it.

mortgage interest rates could skyrocket. and your own debt load could increase. why? if you pay interest on credit card debt, you'll be paying more thanks again to big interest rate spikes. given all that, the president cranked up the debt ceiling rhetoric again today. >> we are not going to negotiate under the threat of economic catastrophe. >> reporter: the debt ceiling fight is still down the road. for now it's affect ing the lives of americans. chuck todd, nbc news, the white house. this is john yang in covington, kentucky. >> thank you. >> reporter: where about 90% of skyline chili's workers come from irs workers. >> lunchtime now. >> and we have four tables. >> what would it normally be like? >> packed house. >> reporter: sharita earns $2.13 an hour plus tips. on a good day she used to take home $100. >> it was pretty rough last week. it was really, really rough. i had a day where i made like $9

total. >> reporter: that's barely enough to support her children, ages seven and eleven. >> i'm not making tips then i i'm not making bill money. >> reporter: the shutdown is hitting hard in covington where about 5,000 people work for the irs. nationwide 90% of the agency's workforce is furloughed. steve stevens is president of the northern kentucky chamber of commerce. >> sooner or later somebody has to blink. we have to get a resolve to this issue. because it affects real people and real businesses. >> reporter: goldman sachs estimates the shutdown is costing the economy $225 million a day. that's more than $9 million an hour. it's not just money federal employees aren't spending. it's work they are not doing. the shutdown is keeping patty spicer sleeping on her son's couch instead of moving into her new home. >> this is ridiculous. i had all these plans. >> reporter: her mortgage is backed by the agriculture department and there is no one to finalize it.

she was to have closed today. >> i just want it to be solved so i can get on with my life. >> reporter: two families caught in the crossfire of washington's budget battle. john yang, nbc news, covington, kentucky. two american philanthropists are stepping in and doing what the government is not. their private foundation is providing up to $10 million in emergency funding for head start programs in six states which will allow about 7,000 low income kids to get back to their classrooms. this extraordinary offer comes from laura and john arnold of houston, texas. she's an attorney and former oil company executive. he is an investor. in a statement they said they believe it is especially unfair that young children from under privileged communities and working families are paying if price for the shutdown. they hope government gets back to the work soon. the supreme court was at work today. first monday in october, first

day of the new term. among the big cases they are taking on, money and politics. in a case they'll argue tomorrow and it could eliminate all limits on contributions to candidates. right now the law limits how much a contributor can give to any single candidate. $2600 per election cycle. now to the frightening crash that shook up the world of auto racing and injured one of its best known racers. three-time indy 500 winner dario franchitti. tonight we have a new view of the crash from the perspective of someone in the stands at the point of impact. we are learning more about the technology being credited with potentially saving a lot of lives here. our report tonight from our national correspondent kate snow. >> reporter: it was the last lap of the race. the indy car grand prix of houston. and what spectators saw from the stands is nothing short of stunning. this youtube video shows

three-time indy 500 winner dario franchitti rounding the corner at more than 100 miles per hour and coming straight through the glass. the replay on the nbc sports network wasn't much better. >> that is a thundering blow. >> reporter: franchitti's car is clipped by another and explodes into pieces as it slams into a wall called the catch fence. >> it leaves you speechless. >> reporter: 13 fans were injured, mostly with cuts and bruises. two were treated at a hospital. >> it went everywhere. it was almost like something exploded. something i'm going to remember. >> reporter: one spectator at the curve said he thought his life was over. thought the barricade was coming down. the wall held but debris came flying over. >> this crash with dario franchitti shows it's impossible to completely protect the spectators using the catch fence as it exists now because it's a

visible -- something you can see through. >> reporter: after the death of dan wheldon, catch fences were improved around the country. earlier this year in daytona more than two dozen fans were hurt when a car hit a fence. dario himself tweeted it was time to work on an alternative to catch fencing. there has to be a better solution. franchitti's impact was also cushioned by a carbon fiber driver's compartment. he's hospitalized tonight with a concussion, two spinal fractures and a broken ankle. but he's alive. kate snow, nbc news, new york. still ahead for us tonight, an american success story. you don't hear often these days how some students in this country are outperforming much of the world in math and science. we'll find out how they are doing it. later, defying gravity. after a blockbuster opening weekend, questions about how much the movie got wrong.

this week marks our annual summit looking at the state of education in america. we call it education nation. in its fourth year now. we kicked it off over the weekend with a teacher town hall and continued all day today and will tomorrow, talking about what it takes to help students succeed. tonight we've got a look at a huge change that's coming to america's schools. it's called the common core curriculum. it is not without controversy. our chief education correspondent rehema ellis has our report. >> reporter: across the country opposition is mounting against a new set of higher academic standards known as the common core which many teachers say are being imposed too quickly. here in chelsea, just outside of boston, they are embracing it. >> we are learning about volume and mass. >> reporter: massachusetts toughened its own standards 20 years ago and criticism was

fierce. >> we stayed the course. we tweaked the path every so often but we kept the goal of high academic standards in closing the achievement gap. >> reporter: today massachusetts test scores rank it first in the nation. if it were a country, 8th graders would rank sixth in math and second in science behind only singapore. do you feel challenged here academically? >> definitely, yes. >> challenged to the extreme. >> reporter: the 1993 reforms included putting more focus and money on urban schools, requiring everyone to take algebra and pass a state test to get a high school diploma. >> it's working to change the way we are teaching kids. we're asking them to think differently. we are asking teachers to teach them differently. >> we need to record the data. >> they're good at helping and explaining things. >> reporter: given the controversy over how to fix america's schools it's what massachusetts did not do that's also significant. there were no vouchers for private schools, no merit-based pay for teachers, and no automatic shutdowns of failing schools.

even in chelsea where students come from 66 countries and speak 35 languages, they are seeing improvement. as i move back, my chart line goes up. so this has to do with math? >> yes. because math is part of science as well. math is everywhere. >> reporter: it's everywhere. >> everywhere. >> reporter: teachers focus on hands-on learning. >> they don't just have to know the science. they have to be able to use it. >> they give us small challenges and help us learn new things every day. >> reporter: raising the bar for students in the classroom to promote success. i'm here across from the new york public library where nbc's education nation has been taking place and there's been a lot of talk about massachusetts. while massachusetts has had a lot of academic success, people say there is still plenty of work to do. but the big lesson here for states struggling with higher academic standards that are coming with common core, massachusetts went down that road 20 years ago and it's starting to pay off. brian?

>> rehema ellis at our summit headquarters tonight. i will see you back down there tomorrow. thanks. we are back in a moment with the woman who helped make it possible for americans to always look their best.

it was just days ago in greece we watched the lighting of the olympic flame using mirrors to concentrate the heat of the sun. now the flame has started its long march to the sochi winter olympics in russia. but going into the kremlin, a problem. a wind tunnel effect blew out the torch. no problem really, as long as there is an enterprising russian around with a zippo, just like the ancient greeks did it. it's really not that easy at all. an official flame is always kept in a backup cauldron nearby. ruth benerito has died. "the new york times" called her a woman who helped liberate people from hours of household drudgery. that's because 50 years ago ruth

benerito of new orleans helped discover permanent press and wrinkle-free cotton clothing was born. she was a ph.d. a chemist, the holder of 50 different patents, but wash and wear was her game changer. she taught until the age of 81. she was 97 when she died on saturday in louisiana. this new movie called "gravity" with george clooney and sandra bullock is off to the biggest october opening in film history. reviewers agree it is a remarkable film achievement in 3-d and imax to boot. but when the film reviewer is an astrophysicist with a twitter accounting with look out. dr. neil degrasse tyson tweeted some tweaks to the film makers over the weekend like nearly all satellites orbit the earth west to east, yet all satellite debris portrayed orbited east to west. also this. mysteries of the movie

"gravity," why sandra bullocks hair in otherwise convincing zero g scenes did not float freely on her head. and this. why is bullock, a medical doctor in the film, servicing the hubble space telescope? the easy answer to this is to the rest of us it's a cool movie about space. we'll take a break. when we come back, checking in with the survivors who gave us the phrase boston strong.

finally tonight if you saw last night's broadcast you saw an event that was held this weekend in boston. it has to do with people we followed in the news. people we've come to know for all the wrong reasons. they are the boston amputees, the brave survivors who keep proving time and time again they are still standing and then some. >> translator:. >> reporter: we first met them, a group of six women amputees from the boston bombing four months ago at spalding rehab hospital in boston. back then they were just getting fitted with their new limbs. back then, still fresh from their wounds, still on a lot of meds, getting used to the idea of getting around again.

women like celeste corcoran who we followed from the start who lost both legs in the bombing. >> we want the to walk and that's the main priority. i loved my legs. i was always told my legs were my best feature, you know. now they're gone. so. >> reporter: and so it was an amazing and public show of courage on an open field in boston this weekend when some of those women showed up to show the world what they're doing. this was a running and mobility clinic. it's run by the challenged athletes foundation. people of all ages and skill levels, all of them have their own story of illness or injury. each one at a different stage in their comeback. >> if you know the exercising you need to do is going to get you your independence then you're going to do it. >> reporter: heather abbott was there as well. she was part of our group that day at the rehab hospital. she received her new running leg at a ceremony this past weekend. it's her fourth prosthetic so far.

we watched her take her first steps in it. she's taking stock of how far she's come. >> when i talked to brian williams, to think it was only four months ago and now i can walk without crutches, on my own. i'm pretty independent. i think i'm pretty amazed by that. >> reporter: it helps these women and all of the folks who came to the clinic to have role models. among them, retired marine sergeant gabe martinez who lost both his legs in combat in afghanistan. he is all about getting back up and moving. his optimism set s exactly the right tone. >> i tell them, don't push yourself too hard. take it day by day and live your new life. >> reporter: it's been a long journey for all of them. it isn't over. for most of them, however, it gets better and they know it. >> it feels like reaching another milestone and getting back to the way things used to be. it's kind of a step in the right direction. >> we will continue to follow

the progress of our new friends in boston and continue to cheer them on. that, for us, is your broadcast on a monday night as we start a new week. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. we'll look for you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. and that breaking news, encouraging news for the hundreds of thousands of commuters who rely on b.a.r.t. good evening, everyone, thanks for joining us. >> we could have another b.a.r.t. strike by the end of this week. however, there has been some significant movement within the past 60 minutes. union leaders have sharp words for b.a.r.t. management and b.a.r.t. says it will negotiate through tonight. nbc bay area's kimberly terry is in oakland with the layest developments. kimberly? >> reporter: raj, the union negotiators came outside an hour ago, made a statement and went right back into the building where they are holding those

negotiations on a contract with b.a.r.t. shortly after that, a b.a.r.t. representative responded. antoinette brian, the president of the local transit union, says they have heard from the public and share in their concern about a disruption in service. therefore, they've decided not to issue a 72-hour notice to strike. she went on to say they want to leave every opportunity open to try and get this deal done and blamed b.a.r.t. management for the lack of forward movement. she says the unions have pushed, and the b.a.r.t. district has not moved. >> right now, our country is being held hostage by a small group in washington, d.c. and here in the bay area, the public is being held hostage as well as the union membership by a small group of b.a.r.t. leadership who have refused to show that leadership. right now, there's a failure by b.a.r.t.'s leadership. the board of directors are holding the area hostage. >> we are continuing to talk. we're talking tonight, and i don't want to go