they are now working to determine why she was in washington and why she headed for the white house in the first place. brian? >> pete williams in our d.c. newsroom tonight with the latest. pete, thanks. nbc's kelly o'donnell who, as our capitol hill correspondent of course has been covering the government shutdown, found herself locked down with everybody else during the height of today's emergency. kelly, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. the political drama was quickly, abruptly overtaken by this. the capitol dome is off to my left. i am on a balcony of a senate office building. below me is one of the street where is the chase took place. and the lights behind me, that will show you where the car is now in what officials are calling the second crime scene. this was scary for visitors and for lawmakers, staffers and media this was a workplace emergency. on a summer--like october day, sudden fear. visitors be gan to flee. >> i heard four or five gunshots. then this whole swarm of police

cars, 20, maybe more. >> as soon as you heard those it was -- on. >> reporter: my colleague luke russert. >> i'm looking out the window. tourists are being told to run away. >> reporter: explaining what he saw as it happened. >> i looked out the window. i saw 40 or 50 tourists hit the ground, all laying down. >> police surrounded the vehicles, had their guns drawn, had the passenger door open telling the person to get out. >> reporter: senators who rushed back inside. >> there is an ambulance that's now responded. >> reporter: were witnesses to the chaos. >> we heard pops. three, four, five probably. i don't know if they were shots or not. >> reporter: a frantic energy took over. an alarm sounded with these ominous words. "report of gunfire." >> there is a report of gunfire on capitol hill. >> these are live pictures. kelly, are you there? >> i am, tamron.

we are under lock down. >> reporter: i snapped a photo of the warning as it flashed on the screens inside the capitol building. the spokesman says there are reports of injured u.s. capitol police officers. working to find out more for you. one officer was injured in a car crash in what police are calling the first crime scene. at the second location visitors saw a face-off. >> they had the passenger door open. their gun was pointed directly in. >> reporter: roughly 40 minutes later, for those of us working inside, the relief of an all-clear . >> senate and house are both re-opened. >> reporter: majority leader harry reid, himself a former capitol police officer, re open ed the senate floor with a message from that injured officer. >> he's hurt. but he said -- i'm pa are a phrasing, but not much. he said, i work every day to make sure you are safe. >> reporter: in the house, politics briefly on pause.

>> i join the majority leader in expressing our gratitude to the capitol police. [ applause ] >> reporter: that was sustained applause certainly. i can tell you both the house and senate will get back to their normal business tomorrow. the investigation goes on. again, one u.s. capitol police officer, one secret service agent also were injured. what we can tell you is there is a return to normal, but, boy, has it been one heck of a day. brian? >> kelly o'donnell on capitol hill for us tonight. kelly, thanks. as we said, this happened on day three of this federal government shutdown. when this day started there seemed to be no end of it in sight. our chief white house correspondent political director chuck todd is with us from the north lawn at the white house. chuck, not being flip here, but does an incident like this change anything in washington? we just saw the house agree at

least on a standing ovation uh for the capitol police. >> reporter: brian, i wish i could tell you the answer is yes. after the sustained applause. after the moment of silence, within an hour, the house went back to doing what it's been doing. republicans versus democrats on how to fund the government. the house republicans have been doing little bills and they pass the bills, send them to the senate. brian, i'm holding my -- my in-box is filling up again. we are unfortunately back to the political normal. if there is one bit of good news it is that the tone has changed. all of these press re elises that are criticizing the other for the gamesmanship going on is doing so in a more polite way than the press re-elises before the crisisment beyond that it doesn't seem as if politics has already come back to normal as far as capitol hill i is concerned. >> what passes for diplomacy

after a more event ful than usual day these days in washington, d.c. chuck todd from the white house, thanks. we want to show you something here. the following piece of video displays the anger and arguably the hypocrisy of the current situation in washington. this shows congressman randy neugebauer of texas, one of the people who favors the shutdown. he's confronting a u.s. park ranger at the world war ii memorial as if the shutdown is somehow the fault of the ranger. as you will see it was all too much for another bystander to take. >> i'm sorry. i work for the park service as someone who works at this site. i'm sorry -- >> people have traveled with their family. how do you look at them and deny them access? i don't get that. >> it's difficult. >> it should be difficult. >> it is difficult. i'm sorry, sir. >> park service should be ashamed of themselves.

>> i'm not ashamed. >> you should be. >> this woman is doing her job just like me. i'm a 30-year federal veteran. i'm out of work. >> the reason you are is mr. reid -- >> no. it's because the government won't do its job and pass a budget. >> we are told the man who confronted the congressman and came to the defense of the park ranger is jim o'keefe, a veteran peace corps administrator now on furlough. and millions are feeling the impact of the shutdown. very close to home and across this country including some for whom this standoff feels like a matter of life and death for them. nbc's tom costello is standing by just outside the campus of the national institutes of health near washington tonight. tom, good evening. >> reporter: hi, brian. the nih conducts some of the most cutting edge research into diseases like cancer. right now much of the research is on hold, the campus largely close ed down. people hoping for new clinical drug trials, they have to wait. in california, michelle langben

is desperate. waiting for a drug the trial she hopes will save her life. >> every day counts. every second. i told my daughter i refuse to let her grow up without a mom. i will make that happen no matter what i have to do. >> reporter: the mother of the 18-year-old has been told her rare sarcoma could be terminal. new trials are on hold. >> i'd like to let congress know that this decision needs to be made quickly. we don't have the time to wait. >> reporter: the nih funds re search nationwide. a lack of funding at the headquarters means 200 patients, including 30 children, each week will be turned away from clinical studies. though if a patient is in a trial already their care will continue. furloughed, nearly 14,000 including scientists looking for medical breakthroughs. >> for every day we are unable to provide potentially life-saving new treatments to people with cancer, there is

going to be an impact on health and there's going to be people who might die. >> reporter: most of the operations at the cdc in atlanta are shut down. #,000 staffers furloughed. no monitoring for infectious disease outbreaks, reduced critical lab work, no one watching the seasonal flu. across the country, waiting on washington. >> this clinical trial may give me hope that i can see my daughter grow up. that is so important to me . >> reporter: more than 1400 clinical trials are under way here involving patients. those trials will continue. but no new clinical trials and most research on hold. brian? >> tom costello outside nih, bethesda, maryland, with another part of the story. tom, thanks. still ahead, a state of emergency in louisiana and hurricane watches along the gulf coast as a storm gathers. it's time now to start paying attention to hurricane season. later the motorcycle chase and the terrified family inside the range rover. more of the story behind the

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just one pepcid® complete works fast and lasts. it has been a remarkably quiet, some say historically quiet , hurricane season that is starting to change somewhat, effective right now. along the gulf coast they are bracing from a hit from tropical storm karen. tonight fema is re calling some of their furloughed employees in the middle of the government stoppage to prepare for this. meanwhile out west it's starting

to look a lot like an early winter. meteorologist brian norcross tracking both storms tonight from weather channel headquarters. none of us who were hit by sandy is complaining but last night i was reading an article wondering what happened to this year's hurricane season. >> that's a really good question, brian. we don't know for sure. there doesn't seem to be a magic bullet to answer the question. a lot of research will be required to understand that completely and see if it is a change back to maybe fewer storms. we don't know. right now hurricane hunters are out looking at karen. it's ugly looking. we have a core right in there of strong thunderstorms and 65 miles an hour winds.ed to the n toward the gulf coast. could get to hurricane strength. that's why hurricane watches are in effect for the gulf coast. starting the weekend but can't guarantee it won't still be a hurricane when it gets up there somewhere on the gulf coast, likely on saturday. then it dies out over the southeast as a big rainstorm.

here is the deal. in the center of the gulf coast here from louisiana on over to the florida panhandle, hurricane watches, hurricane conditions possible this weekend in that area. in louisiana, we have down in grand isle a voluntary evacuation. and tropical storm warnings, meaning tropical storm conditions there are likely for the new orleans area. just the possibility of tropical storm conditions right now. we also have this mega winter storm going on out there in wyoming where we could get a foot and a half of snow. and two feet around rapid city, the snow is already coming down out there. then to the east of that, severe weather possible up here to the south of minneapolis in iowa, maybe even tornadoes. back to you, brian. >> all right. weather channel headquarters with a look at all of it tonight. thanks. we'll take another break. when we come back, the terrified wife and mother inside that range rover. what she was thinking as bikers swarmed and then some attacked.

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there is other news tonight. sadly it includes a tragedy on the high sea s as an unstable vessel packed with african citizens seeking a better life capsized and sank on the way from libya to an island off italy. at least 114 people are dead including many women and children. about 150 people were rescued. but the italian coast guard is searching for more than 200 who are still missing in the open waters tonight. for the first time this evening we are learning what it was like for the family inside the range rover targeted by a swarm of bikers here in new york. the video of the violent chase has received wide circulation this week. we get an update tonight from nbc's stephanie gosk. >> reporter: the video of alexian lein's black suv racing up the west side of manhattan vividly captured dozens of bike riders pursuing the car.

what can only be imagined is the family's reaction inside. sources at the nypd tell nbc news lein's wife was clearly scared. she called 911 four times. first at 1:52 p.m. she told the operator, quote, we are surrounded by a group of bikers. police arrived at 2:00 p.m. by then slein had been pulled from the car and beaten. she said her family was in grave danger. while expressing sympathy for the biker hit by the suv she defended her husband. we were faceded with a life threatening situation. my husband was forced under the circumstances to take the actions that he did. newly posted vided owe appeared to show trouble brewing in the hours leading up to the confrontation. bikers jumped curbs, ran red lights, and popped wheelies on the wrong side of the road. today lawmakers called for a crackdown. >> they really have a total

disregard for the safety of residents and pedestrians as well as other drivers. >> reporter: victor rodriguez worries all motorcyclists are being tarred by the same brush. >> not everybody who rides a bike is out there to, you know, ride for wrong, to do anything bad. >> reporter: but the guys that are? >> the guys that are have to grow up, man up, whatever you call it. >> reporter: still vigorously investigating police hope to send the same message. stephanie gosk, nbc news, new york. when we come back, some of the americans we have been hearing from who are right about now wondering what happened to their country. dentures are very different to real teeth.

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it's good to know how to put the control back in your go. new oxytrol for women. see this sunday's newspaper for a four dollar coupon. finally here tonight it's been another event ful day in this country, certain in the nation's capital. against the already dim backdrop of the government shutdown and the open partisan warfare we saw that frightening scene unfold today at the capitol. all of it feeding into americans' general growing uneasy ness of what's happening in this country where they are supposed to be running things. at times it seems things are coming apart a bit. some thoughts on this tonight from nbc's harry smith.

>> reporter: chaos. a woman tries to ram her car through the white house gates. a chase ensues on d.c. streets. neither her motive nor her state of mind seem important because we are transfixed by pictures of a capitol paralyzed. it feel thes like a metaphor. there is a standoff in washington these days. patience has worn thin. >> why are we letting thi happen? >> do your work. >> reporter: emotions are raw. >> wake up, guys. we don't like you. >> reporter: most of the people we spoke with have had it. >> dear congress, i would like for you to go without pay for one month. >> stop acting in your own self-interest. get your act together. do what's right for the country. >> i hope to god in next year's election all of you are booted out. >> obama care is not a justifiable reason to shut down the country. >> reporter: we asked you to share your thoughts on twitter, too. dear congress, i can assure you that i will not be checking

incumbent next time i i go to the polls. you have failed us. stop blaming each other like children. start acting like responsible adults and work together. i'm embarrassed to be an american today. stop hurting the people that voted for you. >> i definitely blame the republicans. >> i blame this completely on the democrats. >> reporter: blame and indignation fuelled an angry fire. this doesn't feel like the america we are most proud of. we are weary of the conflict. while which side prevails is important, we wonder why it has come to this. harry smith, nbc news. that is our broadcast on this thursday night. thanks for being with us. i'm brian williams. we of course hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. right back here tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

the driver's wife breaks her silence. >> she's calling the bikers a reckless and violent mob.

>> out of control road warriors. are they bringing chaos to america's highways? then, the frank sinatra love child scandal what. sinatra's widow is saying today. >> and the woman who says she's frank sinatra's illegitimate daughter. and is this guy the most decorated navy seal of all- time? >> clear, come around, and shoot. >> he's the one who says he killed bin laden. >> this guy is a fraud, and he's dangerous. >> after weeks of searching for mr. diggi nerkz we finally found him hiding out here. and he lost the first "american idol" to kelly clarkson. but is he really living in poverty today? >> you still have really passionate fans that love you and care about you, want to make sure you're doing okay. plus, is carry washington

pregnant? and "party of five" girl all grown up. now "inside edition" with deborah norville. >> deborah: hello everybody. thank you for joining us. we are now hearing from the mom what was being pursued from that baker gang in new york city. it is clear from her statement that she and her family felt like they were in grave danger. diane mcinerney has the latest on the story that continues to grip the nation. >> we're now hearing from the family involved in that terrifying confrontation with bikers in new york city. in a just release i do statement, the wife of the driver, 33-year-old aley says, our plan was to celebrate our wedding anniversary. unfortunately we were placed in grave danger by a mob of reckless and violent motorcyclists. cops say the tires of the range rover were slashed, and in a panic he ran over a baker. our sympathies good out to the

injured motorcyclist and his family. however, we were faced with a life-threatening situation and pay husband was forced to take the actions that he done order to protect the lives of our entire family. the horror on the west side highway has sparked a national debate about who was right and would was wrong. but the wife says in her statement that she, her husband, and their daughter were tear raids, and they feared for their lives. our fear for our lives was confirmed when the incident ended with the ruthless and brutal attack on my husband, me, and most importantly, our two-year-old child. we know in our hearts that we could not have done anything differently, and we believe that anyone face wade this sort of grave danger would have taken the same course of action in order to protect their family. cops believe the bakers wanted to shut down one of the nation's busiest highways so they could perform tricks. it's happening everywhere. look at these bikers in st.

louis. they brazenly do wheelies right in front of a cop car. here roadblocks are set up to stop bikers, but they just wave around the conditions and keep going. this biker even led a huge pack of his bud daisy the wrong way up a ramp to get away from cops, forcing cars to scatter to the side of the road. and black at this in boston this past gan as bikers do wheelies in the middle of an intersection and burn rubber in front of pedestrians. biker tricks can lead to freightenning crashes like this. they even post all the mayhem on youtube for all the world to see. i spoke to the leader of a group that promotes safe and legal motorcycle riding. he says this kind of outlandish baker behavior as well as the terrifying confrontation on the west side highway in manhattan is a disgrace. >> it's so dangerous, it could kill somebody. >> no one is more angry about