the autoworker who won the lottery after his plant almost closed, but kept coming to work every day and bought flags for his whole town and one of the cars that he built to surprise his wife, he gives me hope. the family business in minnesota that didn't layoff a single one of their 4,000 employees when the recession hit, even when their competitors shut down dozens of plants, even when it meant the owner gave up some perks and some pay, because they understood that their biggest asset was the community and the workers who had helped build that business, they give me hope. i think about the young sailor i met at walter reed hospital,

still recovering from a grenade attack that would cause him to have his leg amputated above the knee. six months ago, we would watch him walk into a white house dinner honoring those who served in iraq. tall and 20 pounds heavier, dashing in his uniform, with a big grin on his face, sturdy on his new leg. and i remember how a few months after that i would watch him on a bicycle, racing with his fellow wounded warriors on a sparkling spring day, inspiring other heroes who had just begun the hard path he had traveled. he gives me hope. he gives me hope. i don't know what party these men and women belong to. i don't know if they'll vote for me. but i know that their spirit defines us.

they remind me in the words of scripture that ours is a future filled with hope. and if you share that faith with me, if you share that hope with you, i ask you tonight for your vote. [ cheers and applause ] if you reject the notion that this nation's promise is reserved for the few, your voice must be heard in this election. if you reject the notion that our government is forever beholden for the highest bidder, you need to stand up in this election. if you believe that new plants and factories can dot our landscape, that new energy can power our future, that new schools can provide ladders of opportunity to this nation of dreamers, if you believe in a country where everyone gets a fair shot and everyone does their fair share and everyone plays by the same rules, then i need you to vote this november.

[ cheers and applause ] america, i never said this journey would be easy and i won't promise that now. yes, our path is harder, but it leads to a better place. yes, our road is longer, but we travel it together. we don't turn back. we leave no one behind. we pull each other up. we draw strength from our victories and we learn from our mistakes, but we keep our eyes fixed on that distant horizon knowing that progress is with us and we are surely blessed to be citizens of the greatest nation on earth. thank you, god bless you. and god bless these united

states. >> the re-election is launched 60 days from now, americans will go to the polls. the incumbent president just charged up his crowd again. as valerie jarrett told us just before the broadcast, the senior white house adviser, this is not '08, this is a different man, a different year, tempered. "the new york times" this morning said he was a humble president, perhaps more conservative. we are indoors, after all, tonight. turns out to have been a clear night here in charlotte, but a preponderance of caution. right now democrats are threatening to make this an open-air arena. savannah guthrie and i have moved down to the floor. we have been told we are under threat of confetti cannons, so we'll stay low. the obama daughters, first lady have joined him up on stage. savannah, your initial marks on the speech. >> i think we have just heard the 2012 version of hope and

change. i was told by an adviser before this speech that it wasn't going to be about barack obama, it wasn't going to be about mitt romney, it would be about the american people. clearly that's the message. he said it's the american people who brought change and at the end he said it's the american people who give him hope. they promised a lot of things. he is clearly trying to reinspire and energize this base. he needs them to turn out to the polls if he wants to win. >> as we said earlier, a little different on the floor of this convention. if you're used to the closing balloon drop, they weren't ready to do this inside, so we're going to have to settle for a lot of confetti here on the floor. as we watch what's taking place on the main stage, let's do a lightning round of all our contributors. chuck todd, take on the pure politics of the speech going into the campaign. >> well, it was clearly what i would call a workman-like speech. there were different notes he wanted to hit.

i was struck by how almost every romney reference, it was never romney, it was my opponent and it was usually followed by a joke or a punch line. the second of it and savannah hit this at the end, the second half of this speech was trying to deal with that enthusiasm gap. that was very clear. it was all about firing up that base, brian. >> andrea mitchell. >> brian, this was all about getting them excited. there wasn't a whole lot of new policy except on education, but certainly this was a way to rally the troops. i would say it was more prose than poetry but this is the excitement they're trying to generate. >> tom brokaw from the booth, take on foreign policy. >> four years later, barack obama has been a commander in chief and he reminded the audience of that tonight. we heard almost nothing from mitt romney or paul ryan last week on wars and foreign policy. the president made it clear

tonight that this is a party that will be the friends of the veterans who are still fighting and are coming home. >> as america gets a glimpse at the obama daughters, as "the new york times" pointed out this morning, malia, suddenly on the tennis team, a high schooler, sasha can speak somewhat conversational mandarin. we don't get to see them much. david gregory, one more note on the economy, which of course such a central issue coming into here. >> look, brian, there is so much celebration right now, but the grim reality in america is great poverty, historic unemployment. and i think a real question, which is do americans blame this president for that or do they not? and if he has to own that record, he's still in a lot of trouble. this was a much humbler president, i think, addressing this crowd. he's got a future vision. he has to hope people will stick with him as a leader on the economy. >> savannah, final question.

is there an excitement gap between here and tampa isn't. >> well, i think some people who have been at both conventions think there was an excitement gap. there may have been an excitement gap between the president's speech and bill clinton's last night. this was a workman-like speech but it hit all the notes and obama campaign looks at it as a choice. that is a phrase you hear over and over again, because they want to lay out these two competing visions that they think this election is all about. they call it a big election. >> and david gregory, one more question about the kind of shadow role of mitt romney in the background of the president's speech tonight. >> well, look, mitt romney now has to do everything he can do to blunt the effect of this political figure who still looms so large. he is the incumbent president. but tomorrow there's a jobs report, another reminder of the reality of the unfinished business and that's the same point.

mitt romney will position himself as someone who may not electrify the country, who may not even inspire them to the degree that president obama can, but can he more effectively turn the economy around? that's why the debates matter, and that debate, the question of the choice really begins here tonight and you heard it from the president. >> and i should remind everybody mitt romney will be the exclusive guest on "meet the press" this sunday. his first appearance on the broadcast this election cycle. as for us, savannah guthrie, believe it or not, will be back in new york for "today" tomorrow morning. i'll be back in new york for "nbc nightly news" tomorrow night. this broadcast will be followed by your late local news. "the tonight show with jay leno." as for the democrats, 60 days to go, like the republicans, this campaign is now launched, under way, on to the general election we go with debates. let's not forget in between. so for savannah, our entire team on the floor, in the booth, all

our technicians and crews, i'm brian williams, nbc news, on the floor of the democratic convention in charlotte. good night for now. >> you're watching wbal tv 11. live, local, late breaking. this is 11 news tonight at 11:00 p.m. qu>> i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. [cheers and applause] >> there was not a dry eye in the house after gabrielle giffords lead the pledge of allegiance. the democratic national

convention is our big story. >> the night belonged to to president barack obama lead at the case to voters for a second term in office. sally kidd is in charlotte with tonight's commitment 2012 report. >> an electrifying night for democrats as the president accepts his party oppose the nomination. president obama told the crowd of fired up democrats the job is not done. >> that is why am -- i am running for a second term as president of the united states. it will be a a choice between two different paths. a choice between two fundamentally different visions for the future. >> he said the path he is offering will not be quick or easy. >> it will take more than a few years to solve challenges that have built over decades. >> vice president joe biden

teared up. >> the most fascinating thing i found last week was when governor romney said that as president, he would take a job store. it will have to be a foreign trip. >> a parade of high-profile speakers touted the president was a record on everything from job creation -- to foreign policy. >> of some -- ask osama bin laden if he is better off now than he was four years ago. >> liberty and justice for all. >> former congresswoman and shooting survivor gabrielle giffords and lead the pledge of allegiance. the party is coming to an end here and the president and vice president are hitting the campaign trail. they're kicking off their fall campaign in new hampshire and

iowa. sally kidd, wbal tv news. >> our other big story tonight. some call him the father of the baltimore ravens. some credit him with transforming that football league in to the nation's preeminent sports. saying goodbye to ravens owner art modell. he died today at johns hopkins hospital at the age of 87. gerry sandusky joins us with more. >> some called art modell a giant. fans will call him the man who brought the nfl back to baltimore. art modell uprooted his family, bold steps for a man who considered football and family his highest calling. he leaves behind a legacy that does not yet include a place in the hall of fame. baltimore will include the sentiment he loved. his name stands in the team's

ring of honor. his will bring added baltimore and the nfl, and his values have become his legacy in that town that treasures the same thingss. >> we lost pat less than a year ago. most people knew that their love for each other figure that as frail as art was, he would rather be with her than with us. art modell helped to pioneer the launch of monday night football and change the league again when he brickle -- relocated to baltimore. even after he sold the team, he remained a regular. i visited with art modell at a ravens practice. quick with a grant or playful gesture, he had a mac -- a knack for making people smile. >> just the way him and his

wife treated me. i will be forever grateful for the time i was able to spend with those guys. art was a great guy. he did so much for our organization and for the nfl in general. he was a great guy. >> players knew how much he loved the team and love the game and loved them and they hope to honor the legacy. >> he lived a full life. the thing about the ag is is a full life. the where think about life and death is the way you end up going. he went peacefully. he passed like he was going to sleep. he took all the good memories with him. obviously we will keep the family in our prayers. we will go out there and play our hearts out for mr. modell

and his family. >> she proudly wears the ring he won with the 2000 super bowl ravens, the only super bowl won by an art modell team. the ring still rekindles memories of how a team, a town, and the men converged. >> the important thing is it was not just his raymour his lombardi trophy, but it was the people's trophy. you have the lombardi trophy inside the stadium signifying it was for the fans. >> as the ravens stand on the edge of a new season, the loss of their owner will serve as a motivator and memory, a memory of how one man's vision can change a town and a motivator to create a season as meaningful to baltimore as art modell. it will hold a silent tribute saturday from 11 a.m. to 1:00

p.m. the legacy includes generous -- tremendous generosity. >> from the patrician art modell performance center to fields bearing his name, art and pat modell left a lasting mark. >> they would go to places and they want to make sure there were not just getting the money. it wanted to be there and see what was happening. >> their legacy includes a $3.5 million trichet. >> it allows us to do so many different programs, bring back grand opera productions, doing community events, education. the modells support our summer program. without their generosity would not be in the position to help. >> they worked with saint

vincent's center and a long relationship with the kennedy- krieger institute. >> anything that we needed, they loved the children that we cared for. >> the modells to be of service to baltimore because they felt baltimore had then so much for them. >> they did things with sincerity and caring. they did not want the acknowledgement. they wanted to see people better off than they were concerned about their welfare and well- being. the wooded to help other people. -- they wanted to help other people. you cannot have a better legacy. >> there is much more reaction on our facebook page. char writes the ravens are going all the way in his memory. and lara responds with, a great

man, big heart. baltimore is indebted for your courage. this season is dedicated to you, mr. modell. you can watch videos and share your thoughts. for more go to wbaltv.com and click on news. a deputy was killed in a single vehicle collision. according to investigators, a motorist called 911 using the corporate's police radio. investigators have ruled out destructive driving as the cause. >> maryland state police have released a dash-cam video to illustrate just how dangerous

highways can become when motorists fail to obey the move a lot. the trooper was injured when a tractor-trailer driving too close to the shoulder slammed -- and slammed into him. the trooper is recovering from serious injury sustained in that accident. >> two people are under arrest on local charges after a high- speed pursuit. we ran this as breaking news. authorities said there were attempting to serve a search warrant as part of an ongoing drug investigation when the suspect and his passenger took off. the incident ended on southbound i-95 near i-65 when the vehicle stopped. a search uncovered drugs and guns. >> no doubt about it, there was

orioles magic in the air at camden yards and the first of three ninth series games. >> we were watching it on television. a lot going on at the yard. joins us.utke >> during this game, the energy levels were electrifying and palpable. i have been to a handful of games since i moved here and tonight's game blew all the excitement of the previous games out of the water. they were excited about to cal ripken, jr. >> a standing ovation welcoming the iron man back on to the diamond he knows so well. >> coming in september 6, it

feels really good walking into that stadium and seeing the excitement and seeing the big series in september. >> the ceremonial first pitch was greeted by loud cheers from the crowd. the o's have been flying high. there is an incredible amount of excitement. fans want to see him honored on a special anniversary. 17 years since his 21-31 game where he tied lou gehrig in consecutive games. the statue was unveiled in the picnic area of camden yards. >> it looks good, i am getting first look at it. >> for me personally, to see him there is very special. he stands out in baseball history. he deserves it. >> he says he is honored. >> this symbolized a bigger person playing the position of

shortstop and i was proud of the success i had their. i was very proud of the time i played there. it looks like me and captured who was as a shortstop. >> he joins other oriole legends in the big creek area where his achievements will live on forever. >> i was 9 years old when they ran the world series and that brings a lot of memories. he was harry special. i have a life-size cardboard cutout of him in my dining room to this day. >> lucky enough to be able to cover the orioles tonight. tom brokaw is taken to the hospital during a television appearance. why and how he is doing tonight. >> the sentencing in a daily jet ski accident. why the family is beyond frustrated with the outcome. >> we may not want to change the atmosphere at all but there are some changes coming our way for the weekend.

we will detail those coming up. we will detail those coming up.

>> the student shot one week ago has been upgraded to a better condition. >> that such a strong kid. strong-willed, strong minded, strong-bodied. we tend to overlook some of that. >> his son has made tremendous progress. he and his family realized that

danny will have to do with more medical challenges. >> there is going to be happy kid again. it could have been worse. >> a lot worse. he talks rinsing his son for the first time after the shooting. >> to walk into that room, at shop, and to see -- at shock trauma, a breath is all i needed. >> we will talk about it, go over it. it will be a while for her to be comfortable, no doubt. we talked a lot about danny. >> some good may come out of

this tragedy. perhaps lesson learned -- lessons learned and talk. >> -- taught. parents, that means something. you are a parent. know with your kids are doing. know how your kid is feeling. >> an australian man walked away free from a courtroom today in hawaii after receiving his sentence of time served with probation for his involvement in the fatal accident. uc -- tyson dagley is crashing into the back of another watercraft. prosecutors say he was not pay attention. he pleaded no contest and posted a 100-dollar bond this week. he must pay the family of the victim $78,000 in restitution. an illinois jury found drew

peterson guilty in the murder of his third-wife. the trial was the first in the state as a new law allowed prosecutors to hear -- to use here say evidence. the body was found ini a dry bathtub. >> tom brokaw has been released from hospital and pronounced in good health after feeling lightheaded during a tv appearance earlier today. the 72-year-old was taken to a north carolina hospital. on twitter he said he had mistakenly taken a sleeping pill. the news correspondent is covering the national democratic convention and recovered the rnc last week. >> scattered showers and

thunderstorms around the mid-of lentic over the past 24 hours. the heaviest rain down on the lower eastern shore. it can see that moving off to the coast. there are some showers in parts of pennsylvania. western maryland picking up an occasional shower. the basic pattern will hold. look at the torrential downpours on the lower eastern shore. he and 3 inches to 5 inches of rain, much lighter in announced -- in amounts. this brings the september total over 0.8 of 1%. we had a bit of a surplus to finish of the week of september. this is still 5.29 inches below the normal for this year. 81 is average. 85 today at the airport.

westminster at 72. hancock at 71. hagerstown at 75. most are calling in to the upper 60's. a series of fronts kicking up storms. we will have to mention the possibility of an isolated thunderstorm. the third one in this line arrive saturday evening and behind it there is some fall- like air coming in. this should move in quickly and open the door to change. the hurricane center is keeping a close eye on that. on saturday, showers possible midday and early morning hours. the main line of storms this not reach the western suburbs until evening and moves off the coast saturday night. lots of sunshine and cooler and less humid air moves in for sunday.

tomorrow is another steamy one. the risk of an afternoon thunderstorm. sign up at 6:41 a.m. waves are averaging 1 foot. some sunshine tomorrow but the western front comes in on saturday with a round of showers and drops the temperatures to fall-like levels in western maryland. muddy conditions with a 20% chance of the storm, going up to 60% on the eastern shore on saturday. sunny skies in ocean city. a chance for a storm saturday evening at ocean city as well. the strongest one is michael sitting in the far eastern part of the elected with 105-mile an hour winds. leslie is converging with michael in the atlantic. they are starting -- they will be weakening in the north of atlantic. as steamy day tomorrow with a

spot or two. it clears of sunday and beautiful football weather on monday with highs in the 70's. >> and night that starts with a tribute to the past finishes with looking to the future. you will see why.

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