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.

>> announcer: and now, from washington's leading news stagsz. this is news 4 at 11:00. >> now, at 1 :00, incredible video as a tractor trailer slams sb a maryland state trooper. he survived. tonight, he's talking about his brush with death. >> new questions about the moments before a police-involved shooting in district heights. witnesses say the victim was in handcuffs. so why did an officer open fire?

>> base-brawl? both teams stormed the field and rookie sensation bryce harper is right in the middle of all of it. we begin tonight in charlotte, north carolina. president obama had the crowd on their feet at the democratic national convention. he told voeters the nation's problems can be solved and that its challenges can be met. >> and he came out swinging tonight against his rival, mitt romney. jim vance joins us live with more. >> reporter: in the hall tonight, the president was calling for four more years. four years ago, barack obama electrified the crowd. tonight, at this convention hall, he reached out, the president did now, to all of the democratic constituencies in an effort to galvanize and expand that base. and he did so with a detail of lists for four more. >> i'm asking you to rally.

rally around a set of goals for your country. goals in manufacturing, energy, education, national security and the deficit. real, achievable plans that will lead to more jobs, more tunt. and rebuild this economy on a stronger foundation. that is what we can do in the next four yores and that is why i am running for a second term as president of the united states. >> reporter: earlier in teche evening, though, a very warm reception for a woman who has turned tragedy into triumph. gabby gifford who survived an assassination aattempt led the crowd in the pledge of allegiance. it was a celebrated moment. a lot of people hoping and praying for gabby as she continues to struggle in her recovery.

everybody was uplifted by that. tom sherwood, all of this day and for the last four days, has been up close and very personal from all the delegations from all the local jurisdictions. that's skiekind of a look at wh lies ahead. >> i think we can do it pretty quickly. virginia, one of the toss-up states that would decide this election for president. virginia got the great seats right down below us. they were bells at the ball, to use a southern phrase. maryland, it's so blue that no one thinks about its going to the republicans. the attorney general of maryland said they're going to send marylanders out to virginia, to delaware, to pennsylvania and other places to help the democratic ticket in the entire region. not just in maryland. maryland is full of all of the ballot initiatives, immigration, same-sex marriage and there's a

third one, casinos, the big deal on casinos. they had a great time here. the district of columbia. 93% of the vote in 2008. if you went that way, if they were one more seat back, they would have been in the parking lot. they didn't have anything to do. they weren't involved in the speaking. they came here -- they wreren't in the platform. they had the worst voting. >> and they have three electoral votes. >> they have three electoral votes. some of the delegates were saying maybe we shouldn't cast those votes. >> well, that's probably an extreme position to take. but you're right. that i had certainly did get no love and they did get no respected. >> all of them were pleased with how well this convention was run, though. >> it didsome seem to go along smoothly. this one is over. tomorrow, they go home and they get down to the real work of getting the president reelected.

>> all right, jim vance and tom sherwood, thank you. the secret service arrested a charlotte man for threatening to kill president obama. 21-year-old dante sims posted messages on twitter. sims has had several other run-ins with the law includinin drug charges and vehicle charges. the officer was assigned to the white house motorcycle escort. he was allegedly overheard by another officer in july making threateni ining comments about michelle obama. he is still working but is no longer part of the motorcycle escorts. she says the case is now being handled by internal affairs. >> breaking news right now. several athletes at dematha

catholic have reportedly been kicked off the team after an incident involving prostitutes. erica gonzalez is live with more on these allegations. >> reporter: the incident in question happened last saturday morning with the football team in north carolina after a friday night game and bed checks had already been done. now, the washington post is reporting that five dematha players left after allegedly hiring prostitutes to come to their room. last saturday, they were coming off an opening win in north carolina. the parent of one of the player who is withdrew from school says the players used a web site to hire and sneak in three prostitutes in the early hours of saturday morning. and some did, in fact, have sexual relations with the prostitutes in that room. that's according to one parntd. the catholic high school's athletic program is nationally known. well-known nfl and nba players

are among the graduates of this school. now, since the alleged incident, we want to tell you that the washington post reports that two players have withdrawn from dematha. another two are being recommended for expulsion and a fifth faces a disciplinary hearing tomorrow. the director tells news 4 that the principal of dematha says that if people break team rules, there are team sanctions. and that if people break school rules, there are school savngss. again, this is all developing this evening and we'll continue to develop with you. stay with us. >> now,breaking news in southeast d.c. where the search is on tonight for a car that hit a metro bus and then kept going. five people on that bus were taken to the hospital. this accident happened here on alabama avenue. police are looking for a blue sedan with tinted windows and

chrome wheels. all of those taken to the hospital are expected to be okay. >> now, to our weather. big changes headed our way. storm team 4 chief meteorologist doug cameron is here with more. >> that's right. change already in the air from where we were last night. last night at this time, the heat index was 84 degrees. right now, we sit at a nice 74 degrees. a lot cooler right now. here's the rain that pushed off earlier today. a lot of us saw quite a bit of rain. anywhere between a quarter of an inch to nearly 2-3 inches down towards portions of southern maryland. that rain out of here. a lot of clearing skies. that is some very good news for us, i think tomorrow morning starts off on a very good note. plenty of sunshine, but there could be some areas of fog. i will let you know when i do think our next chance for severe weather will be this weekend. >> thank you, doug.

help tonight for people in the bloomingdale area. d.c. water sponsored a workshop tonight to show residents ho e how to install backflow preventer devices. this area has been hit hard four times this summer. >> one year after devastating flooding from tropical storm lee, some families are still struggling the save their businesses. the storm suffered record amounts of rainfall. 10 businesses have gone under since lee hit. marlboro business supply is going out of business now. across the street, a tire store is still operating, but looki i for a new place to relocate. the owners say they're tired of worrying every time it rains. >> now, to a developing story in district hiegtss. witnesses say a man in handcuffs was shot by police

this evening. police released information confirming that an officer shot a man trying to escape in the back. the naacp is demanding answers to be the. >> reporter: prince county george law enforcement sources tell me prince georges has taken over the investigation so there isn't a conflict of interest. >> was the officer forced to fire? >> no. >> reporter: she says the suspect was in handcuffs when the officer shot him on foster street near marlboro pike. >> three police cars came up. >> i heard two gunshots. >> reporter: shots rang out. the suspect was on the ground. medics drove him to prince george's hospital center's trauma yunt. >> i saw them lift a body up on to the stretcher. >> distringt heights police swarmed the scene but would nt

talk to the media. now, the local chapter of the naacp is involved and is demanding answers. >> police tell us the man who was shot was arrested on suspicion of stealing a mot motorcycle when he tried to escape. kyle remains hospitalized this evening and there is a warrant out for his arrest as soon as he's released. >> a brazen attack caught on camera. a suspect robs a man inside a d.c. church. it happened over the weekend at st. steven and the incarnation church on newton street. the suspect is running in and ut of the church. pligs say he followed a man inside and demanded money. when a pastor walked in, police say he pointed his gun at her before walking away. >> tonight, an opportunity for kmu commuters to post some big

hikes. by 2015, tolls will double one way. a public hearing is the first of three meetings to give feedback. some neighbors complain the increase puts too much of the funding burden on toll road commuters. day want the virginia government to kick in more money for the project. >> next up, maryland state trooper hit with a tractor trailer. >> a pilot forced to change course. why a bad break up may be to blame for the dense moments in midair. >> plus, hurricane isaac left them homeless, now they're in our area and ready for adoption. >> no lo heavy load in america. but mitt romney plan, a middle class to $2,000 more a year in taxes. multi-millionaires like himself hits the middle class harder... bigger break. forward for america? this message.

unbelievable video captured by a police dashboard camera. the state trooper survived after a tractor trailer sideswiped his cruiser and then hit him while he was making a traffic stop. it happened back in june on interstate 70. the trooper is undergoing physical therapy. he suffered injuries to his shoulder, back and legs. he also isn't able to balance and light hurts his eyes. >> sometimes i look at it and it just doesn't seem like the light is at the end of the tunnel. but i'm able to walk. i'm doing a lot of physical

therapy to try to get back. >> the trooper says the accident is a good reminder for drivers to move over or slow down if you see an emergency vehicle on the shoulder. it is the law in maryland. >> a passenger hauled off a u.s. airways flight at gunpoint. police were told he was carrying explosives. but that wasn't the case. this flight was on the way from philly to dallas when authorities got an anonymous phone call about a dangerous passenger aboard. the plane was turned around in midair and christopher shell was taken off in handcuffs. after an investigation, police determined the call was a hoax. late today, f.b.i. agents question shell's exgirlfriend investigating will the hoax was an act of revenge in time for a personal dispute. >> officials say a man from northeast died from the virus. it comes a week after maryland reported its first death from

the infection which is commonly spread by mosquitos. health officials expect this year to be particularly bad for west nile. so far, 2,000 kascases have bee reported and 87 people have died. we'd like to clarify a story that we said last night. supervisors will vote this coming monday on whether to spray a tick-killing insecticide on the perimeters of county parks and elementary schools. this will not be aerial spraying but, rather, spraying from the ground. all of that to try to prevent the spread of lime disease. >> hurricane isaac's four-legged victims are spending their first night in d.c. ready to find new homes and best friends. nine docks from a flood fed mississippi shelter arrived here

yesterday. the adult dogs are being checked out to see when they're ready to be adopted. >> it's not going to take long. >> they're such cute dogs. >> doug is here with a look at our weather forecast. lots of changes in our future? >> it is really a ton of weather going on out there. we had the remnants of isaac, now two hurricane ins the atlantic including the strongest hurricane this year. first off, let's take a look outside. if you ae o if you're out there, it's simply a gorgeous, gorgeous night. very warm. very humid. very muggy. the temperatures have come down a little bit and we're sitting at 74 degrees. i do not expect to see much in the rain at all during the day tomorrow. that was some good news.

that was not the case today. we saw flash flooding and numerous trees down. now, we are seeing some quiet conditions and some clearing skies out here. our forecast for today was a bust. we predicted 92, we only hit 84. i do think we will be into the 90s tomorrow, however. 74 the current temperature with winds out of the 7 at 7 miles per hur. right now, fredericks bird coming in at 69. could be some fog overnight tonight. i expect to see some fog here. watch out as you're making your way in the morning or later on tonight. i think we will see some areas of dense fog. warm conditions, they will stay

here tomorrow. for us, just warm along the i-95 corridor as we will get into the low 90s. and then, on saturday, this komd front will most likely make its way towards the area around 5:00. this will have the potential to produce some severe thunderstorms, i think. it's going to be a strong front. what else do strong fronts do? they clear out the system and bring in beautiful weather. that's what i expect to see sunday, monday and almost aum of next week. speaking oflt hurricaningses that i mengszed, we've got leslie and it was a 115 mile an hour hurricane. but, for us, it's just pretty to look at. no threat to land. although bermuda could be hit by leslie. tompl morning, a few clouds, areas of fog. not quite as muggy. as we move through the day tomorrow, i think we see a high

temperature of 91 degrees tomorrow. we get to 87 on saturday before the storms move in. most of saturday will be okay. the storms move in late towards the evening and then sunday looking nice vmt monday looking nice. tuesday, wednesday, thursday. niegs. if i fit on beautiful or spectacular, i would do it. but nice is a couple of words per feblgt vmt. >> we get the idea you're