day of her speech. two stars. >> and a couple stars. thanks so much, have a great weekend, as i said, we'll see you from tampa on monday, assuming all the planes arrive there. and we'll be live if you want to join us on the elephant bar, come hang out with us. join us for the daily rundown with luke. mitt romney's long, hot summer, from the supreme court health care rulings and london gaffs to the akin mess says ron paul supporters could mess up the convention. we'll learn how hard it is for the republican to stay on message. getting a read on tropical storm isaac, will it turn to hurricane strength by monday? forecasters say it may be sunday before we know for sure. and a stunner from lance armstrong, the psychler says enough is enough, and he won't

be fighting those doping charges, and he will be stripped of all seven titles that made him a household name. i'm luke russert, filling in from mr. chuck todd. a hurricane may crash the party in tampa, and that sums up the last 2 1/2 months of gone for mitt romney, where it seems that every two weeks, a story has knocked him off message. the stakes are high as he heads into the open stretch. voters are still not convinced that he understands the problems of average americans. romney's rocky summer began in mid-june when the president's immigration announcement put his campaign on the fence, scrambling to present his -- >> do you think he has no --

>> again, i'll say it again and again and again for you. governor understands that states have their own right in drafting policies. >> the supreme court upheld the president's health care law putting romney in the awkward position of squaring his message on health care with his party's. >> the supreme court is the final word, right? suspected that the highest court in the land? they said it was a tax, didn't they? so it's a tax. the campaign's awkward attempts to explain. >> he actually retired retroactively because he ended up not going back to the firm. and then there was the glaring focus on romney's tax returns and an onslaught of negative ads. >> romney admits that over the last two years he has paid 15% in taxes and $43 million on

income. >> but in mid-july, president obama gave the romney campaign a big opening which is you didn't build that remark, allowing romney to change the subject back to the economy and small businesses. >> let me ask you this, did you build your business? if you did, raise your hand. take that, mr. president. >> but romney lost the opportunity to drive that story as he headed to europe and israel and almost immediately a low risk trip abroad hit some bumps. >> in the short time you have been here in london, do they look to your experienced eye? >> it's hard to know how well it will turn out. there were a few things that were disconcerting. >> romney's foreign sale was capped by this unforgettable moment. >> governor romney, do you feel your gaffes have underscored your foreign trip? >> have some respect.

>> we haven't had a chance to ask him questions. >> romney's -- the week before the republican convention, political headlines have been dominated by congressman todd akin. in an interview with a cbs denver affiliate, generated another dust up. >> i was told there was a condition, i was not asked about abortion. i planned to ask about todd akin, the representative who said that a woman's body shuttings down to prevent pregnancy. >> that denver reporter said she got a phone call from romney's national press secretary saying this is not how the campaign operates and is being addressed.

romney is still very mump in the game, largely because of economic worries. the president's approval rating stuck at 48%. and that's under 50% and that means he's not anywhere clear to be the winner. and what's traditionally been the indicator of what success with voters is the unemployment rate. can romney convince voters that his experience at bain capital is an asset, not a liability? can he persuade voters that he's likable enough. romney trams obama 54% to 31% likability. the number we'll be look at is can romney close this gap? monday night's program with the we can do better theme will be capped with a speech from ann romney and that's one opportunity to close that gap.

and is romney ready for the hard sell. when as "the wall street journal" writes, romney won't use his campaign to personalize me as a piece of meat. the romney campaign is having a hard time keeping the focus on the economy, there remains the biggest issue of the campaign. joining me now are two people who are focused on the economy, former democratic senator from alan arkir arkansas, blanch lincoln. i'll go to you, it seems that every time mitt romney is trying to get on the economy, it plays right into the president's hand and the president's hand these moments i'm going to target talking to latinos, i'm going to target talking to women.

we have 74 -- >> i think if romney has been thrown off because of these sort of external messages that have gotten his way, the president's kind of been thrown off by some of the economic data we have seen in the summer. the long, hot summer has been seen as a lot of difficult obstacles that the romney cam main has had to deal with throughout the summer. but it's the voe slowing economy, low economic growth. the unemployment rate hasn't budged down, but it actually has budged up. so that's been the reason. >> these are the dog days of summer and the dog days are about to come to an end. >> and that people don't pay attention to the last six weeks anyway. >> eating dogs, dogs on car roofs.

>> when you talk about the unemployment rate, you see going back to february, senator, this is not budging there, for all intents and purposes, with the unemployment rates so high, it's hard to get re-elected. >> but the american people understand that we have been through the most economic times since the depression. and they know it's not going to be easy. and i think that's what they want to hear. . i think you've got one, a lack of confidence among the american people whether you're democratic or republican, that you're going to come together for america and solve these problems. the other thing i think in terms of that uncertainty and that lack of confidence, you've got to have small businesses play a role in this. and there is no doubt that there is a tidal wave right now about

to hit small businesses in the 4,200 new regulations that are out there. they want to know that there's something out there that understands not how to manage hedge funds and other things like that but to run a small business. that means what are you faced with when it comes to these regulations that washington may or may not put out. >> he's been hit on by house republicans rather frequently. >> he can look at his administration, these are things that the administration can change, these are things that the agency can come in there. this is a matter of making sure that your household's working. agencies can do that. we can do a better job of creating greater certainty for small businesses in terms of what these regulations are made. we can also give -- process of how the regulatory machine works in washington. it's critical for small businesses. >> your former boss president

bush was that his great strengths were that he can relate to the average american. i can hear you t world can hear you, mitt romney doesn't seem to have many of those skills that president bush had. what is the most important thing for people to get out of this convention in terms of his personality, is it father knows best, i'm a likable guy, i have a beautiful family, just trust me on this? >> i think he just needs to be himself. it's hard to do when you're running in a campaign, when you're being attacked every day. if you go back to 2008, he was in a very competitive, you know, race in 2008 for the nomination, lost, came back to run again with lots of challengers out there. he's never had that opportunity that he will have next week to present himself and introduce himself to the american voters in a way that is overwhelmingly positive, where people are standing up on the stage saying

good things about mitt romney, where the presentation of his background and his biography and his family is presented in a positive light. it will be the first time that the american people actually get to see that in any kind of sustained way. but for him personally, just be mitt romney, people can see through and if you're trying to be like anyone else, the american people can see through that, so that's not a recipe for success. >> there's always some sort of convention bump, people will be introduced to the family for the first time on a national scale. what's the best way to push that down. >> for democrats, i think it's talking got the issue, i'm pleased with the president talking about education. if we don't have the skilled workforce that we need to put into the jobs that we create, there's no way we're going to move the economy, education is a critical component of what we want to do.

i think it's important. i think you're right, it's hard when you're getting hit with all these negatives now. i think everybody's getting hit with negatives, i think people are tired of the negatives. they don't have anything to do with strengthening our country. i would like to see the candidates start looking and talking about what they agree on. you know, what are the three things that we can come together on and have some agreement? >> that sounds like a debate perhaps? >> that will be november 7. >> i think that's what people are asking of congress is what do you agree on. what are you going to do for the country coming together. >> 74 days away, not much has changed except for this entire summer except for this trenched warfare. >> up next, party tracker, the

tropical storm that could put the republican national convention in harm's way. plus a new development in the todd akin controversy. now the capitol police are involved. you're watching the daily rundown only on nbc where we always have both headlights on. are you okay, babe? i'm fine. ♪ ♪ ♪ with a subaru you can always find a way. announcer: love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru.

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tropical storm isaac is slowly making its way across the caribbean and it's still threatening to rain on the gop parade. we have got it covered from all angles and nbc meteorologist bill ckacakarins is tracking th storm, first let's go to bill for the very latest on where

this storm is heading. i have heard reports it's pushing out a little bit. maybe not a direct hit, bill, how are we looking? >> i know in tampa, they need to prepare for a hurricane to arrive, it may be just offshore, but close enough for those strong winds and rain to arrive in tampa later on monday morning. the island of haiti and the dominican republic. winds are now up to right around 50 miles an hour and the storm is about a little more than 900 miles south. that pressure has been dropping a little bit. that's the number to watch, that 1,000 millibars. if that drops, the pressure will be intensifying. the path takes it over cuba on saturday morning. it should be getting off the coast and very close to the florida keys. this is a dim view of how it will affect the united states. from ft. myers, from areas just

to the south of miami, including all of the northeast gulf, all the way back to new orleans, areas under concern. any of those people in the cone could deal with heavy rain monday night into tuesday. all these squiggly lines show that tampa is very much in jeopardy for this storm. it looks like a 36-hour event for them. >> bill karins, thank you for joining us. now the republican convention will go on as planned. but just three days before it begins, there are contingency plans in the works in case that storm is a big deal. what is the city of tampa doing right now as well as the rnc? >> they are preparing which means they're waiting because they have contingency plans in place. some of the things you really have to remember is that florida

knows hurricanes, it's been 91 years since there was -- today they're giving out sandbags to residents because right in this area where i am here, it flooded out, as a matter of fact they repaved the road here after tropical storm debby came through and that was a tropical storm. at the same time, you have to understand the logistics of this. let's say bill is right and it looks like the storm is off the west coast. but there's still sort of the outer bands of the rain and the wind for the next 36 hours that wind could be a problem, because so many of the delegates are staying across the bay, they're bringing their families to be at the beach while they're coming back and forth. the way back and forth is over three bridges and cause ways, but during tropical storm debby and potentially with isaac, those bridges could close, so there's no way to easily get over here on what is a 30-minute

drive, but having to go up and around over land, and that could take three hours one way. there was a thunderstorm this week, unrelated to tropical storm isaac, but you can see what whipped up quickly. it's going to be hot here, 90 plus degrees. look what happened here, as those winds came through, it actually knocked down some of those tents. they're trying to repair them, but that just may not be possible. so the tents that are going up to keep people cool, it may turn out that those tents are shelter from the rain. the one real question the delegates have is should they bring their families or not? and that's an individual call. because if they're coming to be at the beach, and they're going to get three days of rain, it may factor into their plans.

>> for us who are not accustomed to these types of hurricanes, what is the one thing we should do in terms of preparation, before we come to tampa, for the folks that have to be there? >> luke, bringing a rain jacket and some sort of cover is a natural, some sort of boots and stuff like that. and one thing i have discovered, a zip lock bag. if you have something you want to protect, stick it in there. but without this, we're not going to know if ron paul's delegation is going to have a protest and it moves quickly and a lot of it goes over the internet. >> bring your zip lock bags to tampa, thanks so much. after a tough thursday for wall street--lance armstrong gives up his fight against doping charges and a rock star

tells paul ryan, he's not going to take it anymore. and the trivia question, name is only president and vice president duo who's last names begin with the same letter. the answer and more coming up on tdr. ♪ [ male announcer ] you've reached the age where you don't back down from a challenge. this is the age of knowing how to make things happen. so, why let erectile dysfunction get in your way? talk to your doctor about viagra. 20 million men already have. ask your doctor if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take viagra if you take nitrates for chest pain; it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. side effects include headache, flushing, upset stomach, and abnormal vision. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours. stop taking viagra and call your doctor right away if you experience a sudden decrease or loss in vision or hearing. this is the age of taking action.

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durable goods orders were up for last month. but is that a positive sign for the economy? let's get the market rundown from who else, cnbc's becky click is here. >> we're looking at those numbers and at first glance, it looks pretty decent, 2.4%. but when you exclude what was happening with -- the numbers actually show a drop for the second month in a row, in fact they were down by 0.4%.

what may be more disconcerting, and how much businesses are willing to invest on those durable goods. that actually showed a drop of 2.4% after a drop of 2.7% back in june. it's not a great economic indicate for, not a terrible one at this point. also there was some news out today for ely lily, it had some mixed news as well. it came out and said that an experiment altzheimer drug said that it did not meet the terms of the study. they also said that it did show some help in early alzheimer's patients, people who have mild to moderate cases and that these studies will continue. again the study also continue. that's not definitive but it does leave a little bit of hope. on friday it looks like we'll open down slightly for the dow and the s&p. next week we'll be watching for

jackson hole. >> mitt romney opens up to chuck one-on-one about why he decided almost not to take another run at the white house after his failed attempt in 2008. plus romney and ryan team up to give michiganders --. indoor . but he had purina cat chow indoor. he absolutely loved it. and i knew he was getting everything he needed to stay healthy indoors. and after a couple of weeks, i knew we were finally home! [ female announcer ] purina cat chow indoor. and for a delicious way to help maintain a healthy weight, try new purina cat chow healthy weight.

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34th street is in a level one mobilization in terms of emergency personnel. we do not know the specifics at this moment. we can assure you that nbc news personnel are on the way to the site, but if you're just joining us right now, five people somewhere been shot at the empire state building. we do know through these wire reports that the perpetrator has been shot and killed by the new york place department. however that is also unconfirmed at this time. as more information comes in about this story, we will keep you updated, 34th, west 34th and fifth avenue, the empire state building, an iconic building, every tourist that comes to the united states knows, there's been a shooting there, up possibly five people and we will get you more details as those become available.

there are several other stories making headlines this morning here on the daily junedown. there are several indications that iran is speeding up it's nuclear program. iran has supposedly installed new subterfuges. iran is not using the new machines yet, and even with a strike of fuel outputs. iran still denies it's seeking nuclear weapons. law enforcement officials are investigating a flurry of recent death and rape threats. capital police and the fbi said there is an active and open investigation looking in to the matter. well, twisted sister always said they weren't going to take it. but now they're telling someone not to play the band's music. front man dee snyder has asked paul ryan's camp to stop playing

their number one hit "we're not going to take it" snyder says he denounces ryan's use of the song saying there's almost nothing that he and ryan agree on except for the pix routine. lance armstrong announces that he will no longer fight the doping charges. he released in a written statement, saying enough is enough, the usda said he would be banned for professional cycling for life. he's not admitting guilt, he's just done fighting the charges against him. romney had to fight a set of challengers, all enjoyed short stints at the top of the polls, but romney hung on through the

bruising primary to come out on top. chuck todd and romney talked about why he chose to run. >> reporter: mitt romney's first consideration is the health of one of his important advisors, his wife, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1998 and was successfully treated for breast cancer in 2009. >> if she were struggling with ms, our focus would be keeping her well and helping her. by the time the olympics came, she ran the olympic torch into salt lake city. that's how much progress fiscally she had made. >> anne wasn't sure she was emotionally ready after that failed presidential campaign in

2008. >> i told mitt four years ago i would never do this again. i said never again. never again. this is it, this is too hard, this is too difficult, it takes too much out of you, never again. however, i'm 100% committed. >> she was the one that said i had to do it. >> chuck's hour-long special, mitt romney, the making of a candidate premiers tonight at 10:00 p.m. eastern, right here on msnbc. fire up your dvr if you're going to be out. mitt romney and paul ryan team up today in a state where romney was born, michigan in the first of two rallies today in the midwest. peter, what is mitt romney going to try and sell today in one of his three home states i would say? >> it's worth noting that this is the first time in more than two months that mitt romney has been here in his native home state of michigan.

as they prepare for next week's convention, they have attacked him in their words his mishandling of the economy, they're going to say they're the ones morneau -- romney's biography as early as one significant change will happen as early as monday. it's on monday that we now expect to have the formal nomination of romney take place, usually that happens later in the week. but the intent there is to try to keep the focus of this convention entirely on romney ims. ann romney who was initially scheduled to speak on monday, may very well likely speak on tuesday, so it can happen on prime time all across america. the romney campaign believes that will help america decide who to like.

this is paul ryan's first for ray into a national speech where he has to talk about something other than the economy. how are his preparations going for that big speech. >> we talked to him about that the other day on the airplane and asked him just that. he said this is going to be a speech about who i am and what i believe. it's weather he's goc to wait until the social issues that popped up, with todd akin out of missouri, he's a very staunch conservative in the wake of this controversy with akin, that he's proud of romney's record. it just depends on where he wants to take that speech. folks who follow this on a day-to-day basis, for a lot of voters who are not tuned into this every day, this is going to be their first opportunity to see who this vice presidential

candidate is on wednesday night. he says he's focused a lot on this speech, the biggest speech of his career, of his life, he wants it to be memorable, he wants to be able to deliver it with a lot of passion and conviction, so this will be an interesting moment for him in tampa on wednesday night. >> peter alexander, ron mott from michigan. we're still watching a developing story, the empire state building in new york city, perhaps up to five people have been shot. these are unconfirmed reports that we're getting from police scanners. we have our reporters on the way to the scene and we will give you the information as soon as we get it. again, the empire state building, there was a shooting there, up to five people possibly wounded, the shooter is believed to be dead, all unconfirmed at this moment.

but 34th and 5 in the iconic community. our political comment -- sunday on a special edition of nbc's meet the press, live from tampa, two convention speakers, former senator jeb bush and senator john mccain. the white house soup of the day, roasted chicken and vegetable. you can always follow the show on facebook, you're watching the rundown only on msnbc. germ party! eww! now the colgate total mouth. nice! [ female announcer ] colgate total fights 90% more plaque germs. i'm in. [ female announcer ] colgate total. less germs. healthier mouth. [ female announcer ] colgate total. optond em

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breaking news, you're looking at a live picture here of new york city, reports of as many as eight people shot, conflicting reports that the shooter is dead or in custody. this is the empire state building. the famed building that sits at 34th and 5th. lester holt is on the scene,

lester what do we know about these reports? >> reporter: no confirmed reports except that the shooter has been shot. the shooting occurred outside of the empire state building. i was able to eyeball down the south side of the building at 33rd and what appeared to be the lower torso lying on the ground in a doorway of some kind, unable to tell who that was or what his relationship was. there is also activity on fifth avenue, fifth avenue cuts right down the middle of manhattan, it has been shut down for several blocks, there were special emergency units, they're blocking traffic. but most of the action seems to be on the south side, across the

street from the empire state building. the early, early reports was that this might have been some kind of robbery or some kind of crime that occurred at a commercial establishment around the building. not sure, it probably would have been open to tourists. i'm looking at my watch now, not sure what time the empire state building opens. there's people trying to get up to the observatory. but it would have been on the south side of the building where this occurred. so we're just watching the police activity, curious onlookers out to record what that i can. we're hearing several people shot, perhaps the suspect in custody, no identity of those that may have been hit. >> we're getting a report from reuters saying there's no apparent link to terrorism in this event. there are reports of possibly the nypd shooting the suspect.

is there anything you can confirm on that front. >> that's the tricky part because we're seeing the police activity, they seemed to be hovered around what i can only observe and tell you the lower torso of someone who might have been lying in a doorway. they may have come up the other side of the building. lots of nypd emergency services units, lots of detectives on the scene. i'm seeing a group of individuals walk across the street right now, it may be -- i'm trying to see if it's the police commissioner himself. >> we can confirm that the shooter is in fact dead. that information just became available to us. obviously this is an iconic building, it gets a lot of tourist traffic, at one point it was the tallest building in the

world. did anyone see the gun fire, is there panic or is the situation calmed? >> it's new york street theater, people here with their cell phones at the ready trying to get a glimpse. no sense of panic. i did see one woman who was on the phone and saying something, it could have been me if i had gone down that street five minutes earlier, i was on my way to work. so there's that sense of oh, my goodness what happened. millions of people walk down the street, it's in the middle of manhatt manhattan. to be very clear, what we can tell right now this occurred outside, may not have been related to the empire state building but certainly outside this iconic building. >> and we are getting new information from cnbc, per the new york police department, there is at least four victims, we are unclear at this time what

exactly their state is, we are told that they have been wounded, but we still do not know exactly what their ailments are, but we can report that the shooter at the empire state building that happened outside of this iconic landmark in new york city is now confirmed dead, shot and killed by nypd. we have received reports of four victims, unconfirmed their condition. is the whole area locked down now? >> for at least the -- fedex strucks are caught in the middle right now. they got police instruction and lots of people here staring up fifth avenue trying to get a sense of what's going on. the police cars on on fifth. but most of the activity seems

to be on the south side of the building. police are responding with backpacks of gear. i can't confirm from the distance, it looked like ray kelly and his entourage. this is, you know, this is the kind of setting that certainly cements the reputation that some toushists v probably a false reputation of years gone by of new york city, it is one of the safest big cities in america now, but sometimes people look at it through the eyes of 20 or 30 years ago. it's quite a scene now, it's a little disturbing how many people come down these streets every day, especially those coming to work. we don't know how many people were cut down. this might have been some kind of robbery gone wrong, it's unclear. >> let's just reset this story for folks who are just tuning in, this is breaking news, there has been a shooting outside of the empire state building, that

iconic landmark in new york city, known around the world for its stature and it's architectural prowess. we believe from the nypd that there's at least four people that have been shot. there's been reports of up to eight. upon coming to the scene t new york police department shot and killed the shooter. the shooter is now dead on arrival, as it was reported. there is a level one mobilization from the emergency personnel in the area. our own lester holt told us the surrounding streets are now shut down. the first calls went into the new york fire department a little after 9:00 a.m. this morning, reports of multiple victims of gunshot wounds. a gun, we are still unclear what their status is. we have been told that they have

been brought to the hospital and doctors are working with those folks. no clear motives as of yet as to why there was a shooting at the empire state building, except that it could have been some sort of robbery. police departm that have spoken to nbc news that it was not a terrorism -- not terrorism -- not terrorist related. let's listen into news chopper 4, which is bop the empire state building. >> loose like 35th closed between 5th and 6th. that is subject to change as well. >> that was news chopper 4 on the scene obviously looking at the site of this recent shooting. lester, a very safe area that you mentioned the crime in the tourist areas of new york city are not prevalent.

i seem to recall another shooting in the past. do we have lester? >> reporter: yeah, i'm here. going back to you, the empire state building is in a safe area of new york city, a tourist area, not a lot of violence, but i do remember a shooting in the past there? >> reporter: not sure on that to be honest with you. yeah, i can't verify that. >> we talk about that area is not crime-ridden by any means. >> when i do walk to work, i walk right past this area. this is a vie brandt tourist area, 24-hour neighborhood, as is, the truth is, most of new york city these days. it's an active area, lots of

tourists here, they walk between here and the madison square park, a lot of tourists walking back and forth. during a typical summer day, they line up just outside the building, very close to where the shooting occurred to get to the observation deck. it's not a place that anyone would normally fear. essentially a 9:00 friday morning. my goodness. >> lester, just to recap this for folks, there's been a shooting that happened around 9:00 a.m. when the first call went in. all sorts of records, we've heard as many as eight people shot. we've ahead at rods there's been at least four victims. from reports on the wire and twitter of supposed eyewitnesses, this is unconfirmed, that perhaps one person was targeted outside the

building and many injuries result from the ricocheting bullets. we have not confirmed those reports at the time. our own lester hold holt is on the scene. we're sending, the empire state building after a shooting at 9:00 a.m. let's go back to news chopper 4 they're hovering over the scene. what do you see from your perch up there. sorry. they cut on on the helicopter. lester? >> it looked like -- i also just spoke to an officer here who's manning the police line here. i asked him how many victims, he said five or six. he's not actively involved in the crime scene, to be honest with you. he's guarding the pedestrians

here, but hearing five ownership six victims. as you reported, one person dead. again the early reports we heard, this might have been some sort of robbery in a commercial establishment. everything in this neighborhood is a commercial establishment. there are some residences a few blocks from here, but on that section of 33rd street -- this is also a neighborhood, i should note, that's known as korea-town, 32nd treat where i am is a street lined with korean restaurants and themed businesses. some of those are 33rd as well. >> and lester, we were talking early there had been a shoot been there before in 1997. new reports coming in now. a witness told the local fox affiliate in new york she was standing at a red light close to the area of the empire state building when, quote, a woman standing next to her fell to the

ground. she says the woman was hit in the hip. the gunman was shooting indiscriminately at people. so no clear motive for the shooting, with the exception we can rule out it was terrorism. if you're just tuning in, eight folks t. possibly eight folks wounded. we can confirm four from the police department. no update to their condition, with the exception that the shooter on the scene was shot and killed by the nypd. emergency personnel responded just after 9:00 a.m., a level 1 mobilization. our own lester holt records that the surrounding streets of new york city look to be shut down. it's turned into a street theater production, in the sense of a lot of onlookers, but quite, we shall say, a frightening set of events this morning in new york city. when you hear an eyewitness say

someone was shooting insdr indiscriminately at people, it harkins back to some violent event here in this country. up to possibly eight -- but we can report that the area is secure and they believe there was a sole shooter and that person is in fact deceased now. let's go back to lester hold, who is on the scene for us. lester, give me just another sense of the surrounding area. are people having a sense of calm now? is there still a level of nervousness? many people are worried about getting to work, and they have a brief conversation with cops. mostly what you see now are tourists. most new yorkers frankly need to be at work right now, but

tourists are -- i live very close to here. typically there are control bars down in front of the empire state building, because it is a high-profile potential terrorist target, so on any given day you see a pblue-and-white, and you will see the atlas teams, teams who will appear at high-profile places, and they'll be in full helmet, black vest, automatic weapons, look like they are armed for battle. it's a terrorist deterrent, where they randomly show up as a show force. very often you will see them outside. i saw some when i pulled up. they may have responded after the fact. but trust me, there is always a lot of police presence around this building. so the fact that the suspect may

have been taken down by a nypd officer certainly jibes with the fact there would be a constant presence at a place like this. one thing i noticed when i pulled up on the scene, i haven't seen any ambulances which only leads me to believe -- either i can't see them or they're being taken out the 33rd sign. before they pulled us back, i could look down 33rd street, the south side of the building, saw some officers about a third of the way down the block around a door front, and there appeared to be a set of legs, a torso on the ground, i couldn't see if that person was sitting up, if that person was deceased. they were wearing shorts, cause caution, that's all i can tell you. there didn't appear to be any urgency around that victim. >> thank you. and lester, we'll reset this since we're at the ends of the

hour. nbc news is reporting possibly up to eight people may have been shot at the empire state building. we can confirmour were wounded. the shooter was killed by the new york police department. the shooting happened after account a.m. when the first calls went into the new york fire department. no clear motive to the shooting, except for the fact it's not terrorism, and no clear status on what exactly of the ailments of the victims who are now at the hospital presumed, but there is a shooting, the empire state building, first reports came in at 9:00 a.m. that does it to this hour, chris jansing will have the latest on this story right after this. it is a huge tourist