i want to introduce more on the life of john glenn. anchor john scott gives us some perspective now. >> reporter: john herschel glenn, junior, will be remembered for his many roles in america's history. this american icon was a warrior in battle, our first astronaut to orbit the earth and one of our most successful political leaders on capitol hill. in 1998 he added oldest person in space to his roster of achievements. >> i can't help but stand here today with a real sense of deja vu, some 40-year-old, almost, sense of deja vu. >> reporter: he was born july 18, 1921 in cambridge, ohio and attended muss keying gum college. after the japanese attacked pearl harbor he signed up for the aviation cadet program and became a marine corps pilot long before senator john glenn landed in our nation's capital, he served in world war ii flying 59 successful missions. offensive years later this leather neck was ready to fly sorties again this time over north korea. after serving in korea, glenn attended test pilot school at the naval air test center

john glenn sr. and mrs. ara glenn are proud of their son's accomplishments. >> john was prepared for the orbital flight as was the entire team. >> in a way, john has been preparing all his life for his venture into space. as a small boy, his idea of a holiday was a visit to the airport. and when he grew up, it was no surprise to us when he decided to learn to fly. >> flight commanded young john's hanlg interests. he had to learn to fly. world war ii had interrupted college. he received his first flying lessons from this pilot. >> this is john's flight record with my combat after his first flight, which was eager to learn, relaxed, alert, and good coordination. he certainly has retained he's flight qualities right into outer space. >> flight training at pensacola and corpus christi. many earned their wings here. john went to corpus christi to learn about airplanes and time for physical conditioning and sports and for religious inspiration. like these naval aviators, to win his wings. the navy's thorough traini

it was john glenn. he turned to me with a big wink and said i have never been so frightened in my life. i don't think john ever got frightened by anything. my heart nearly stopped. i appreciate my friend from iowa. john was one of the best people i ever served with. i speak about what it was like coming here as a brand-new senator. anytime i was asked about that, talk about the fact that i came here, was sworn in with john glenn. >> mister president, today our country lost an american hero, colonel john glenn, senator john glenn. i will be back at a later date to deliver a more formal tribute with my colleague senator portman but i want to share initial thought as i, my wife connie and so many ohioans join so many around the country that loved him and cared for him and respected him. one of the great blessings of my life to get to know john glenn and for connie and me to count him as friends. we remember a few short years ago on the 50th anniversary of his flight into space, the night before we had dinn

god speed, john glenn.ne, and a lot of us grief are grieving at well. >> indeed. john glenn was an american hero. he was the astronaut's astronaut. and he really had a passion for seeing america pursue a strong science and research agenda, both on the ground and in space. i met him at his senate office when he was preparing to leave office to go train to become an astronaut, and worked with him to first interact with the publicken online when the can be was still new at that time, and he wanted to answer as many questions as possible him wanted the public to know that space flight was important and that was something that pushed the entire country ahead. >> he was remarkably current man for a man of his years. >> he was. he took a very strong interest in seeing the new technologies advancing as quickly as possible. he was fascinated when i brought him the web site back then, he -- it was brand new and he wanted to know how to surf the web. that was his first question. >> wow. that's fascinating. so nice to

godspeed, john glenn. godspeed indeed. ♪ mr. om korea, i had applied to go through test pilot training, and i was accepted. and i thought to work out some of the new bugs on the airplanes would of just been the ultimate in flying. >> moraine mayor john glenn tested a continental flight. three hours, 23 minutes, 8.4 seconds. >> we broke the record by quite , by about 20 minutes or so. >> to annie, the true source of john's remarkable strength, for their many years together, to david and lynn who share their father with a grateful nation, i am honored to be here today to celebrate the life of a man, which i am proud to have called both a hero and a friend. only a handful of people in history have been called upon to publicly embody the ideals of an entire nation. fewer still have stood to the task in both wartime and peace, and not have answered the call more perfectly than john glenn. in myan my hero early career as a marine, and still is today. americand an age of history in three storied institutions, but whether he was orbiting

john glenn dead at 95.as said of john glenn that he saved our country and he saved our space program, and he saved our pride. but for a young kennedy, he also saved a dream that kennedy had expressed some nine months earlier before that freedom 7 flight. the goal of landing a man on the moon when we couldn't even get up into space on a consistent basis. take a listen. >> i believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal before this decade is out of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth. >> it was a remarkable period. think at the time, president kennedy outlined the goal, we couldn't even get the suborbital flight thing right. the russians were grabbing the headlines time and time again. we were months away from an orbital mission, the one that would make john glenn famous and restart a space program that had not gotten off the ground, almost literally. to larry sabato now. professor you think about it, so much of that kennedy half century was resting early on,

john glenn had recently won the presidential medal of freedom. t was time to leave for a fundraising event, john held out his elbow for annie. any had different ideas. martin said to annie, can i escort you? annie smiled at john and said, we will see you when you get there. john turned to me in mock horror and said, digital see that, she just jumped -- she just dumped me. he walked to the end of the hallway, fuming like a boyfriend. the last time we spent time with the john and annie was in their apartment in columbus. as soon as i sat down, john pointed to me and turned to any and said, she is sitting where hillary set. -- hillary sat. we talked about the presidential race and the future of our country. we also swapped tories with our children and grandchildren -- we also swapped stories about children and grandchildren. as we made to leave, he shared with us in his voice that his time was running out. he said, eventually you need a new chassis. ride toquiet on that quiet ontor -- we were that ride in the elevator to the lobby. waslast time, john

john glenn had recently won the presidential medal of freedom. t was time to leave for a fundraising event, john held out his elbow for annie. any had different ideas. martin said to annie, can i escort you? annie smiled at john and said, we will see you when you get there. john turned to me in mock horror and said, digital see that, she just jumped -- she just dumped me. he walked to the end of the hallway, fuming like a boyfriend. the last time we spent time with the john and annie was in their apartment in columbus. as soon as i sat down, john pointed to me and turned to any and said, she is sitting where hillary set. -- hillary sat. we talked about the presidential race and the future of our country. we also swapped tories with our children and grandchildren -- we also swapped stories about children and grandchildren. as we made to leave, he shared with us in his voice that his time was running out. he said, eventually you need a new chassis. ride toquiet on that quiet ontor -- we were that ride in the elevator to the lobby. waslast time, john

john glenn, national hero shook hands with each one of us. john glenn, perhaps.picture with us one at a time. he always made time for you no matter your station in life. that lesson has stuck with me. 39 years later, former senator john glenn walk me down the center aisle of the united states senate to be sworn in. of course, like the eagle scouts of four decades decades earlier, all of the new senators wanted to meet their american hero and he was kind to senators too. [laughter] of the honor to see john glenn up close at work and at play with family and with strangers. every presidential year, ohio's most prominent democrat would board a bus with our presidential or vice presidential nominee to campaign around ohio. i wash the retired senator, a mentor to so many reconnect with senator kerry in 2004, was senator biden in 2008, i saw him for the first time, i was sitting on the bus with him meet the young senator from illinois. in the media connection that the american icon in the future president made. at one stop, this is a decade after his retirement from the

that is the life of john glenn, and that is not hyperbole. ess you john, god bless you any, and may god attacked our troops. ♪ o beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain, for purple mountain majesties above the fruited plain! america! america! god shed his grace on thee and crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea. ♪ ♪ o beautiful for pilgrim feet -- o beautiful for heroes proved in liberating strife. who more than self their country loved and mercy more than life. america, america, may god thy gold refine. till all success be nobleness and every gain divine. ♪ >> this is a reading from the gospel of mark. one of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seen that jesus answered them well he asked them, which commandment is the first of all? jesus answered the first is hero is real, the lord our god, the lord is one, you shall love the lord your god with all your heart. with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. you shall love your neighbor as you love yourself.

godspeed john glenn, and thank you. we will never forget you. ♪ [chatter] mr. decided it was time to do other things. i thought about politics and government work sometime, but i have no idea that i would be up to do that myself. i had been thinking about this since i was a kid. being able to contribute and orbital flight, and if i was to continue in that area, we would do the best for the country. that is when i decided to run for public office. interest in the senate was across the depth of this country. >> excuse me. >> when john glenn was 10 years old, his father, his hero, a veteran of world war i, taught him how to play caps on the bugle. vice pres. biden: with flowers next to gravesites and gravestones of the fallen, john will recall that time and feeling when he said where love of country was a given, defense of its ideals is an obligation, and the opportunity to join in its conquest was a challenge, not only to fulfill a sacred duty, but to join a joyous adventure. with john, all the years i worked with him was always a joyous adventure. nie, what a jo

godspeed, john glenn. godspeed indeed. ♪ mr. hen i came back from korea, i had applied to go through test pilot training, and i was accepted. and i thought to work out some of the new bugs on the airplanes would of just been the ultimate in flying. >> marine major john glenn tested a continental flight. three hours, 23 minutes, 8.4 seconds. >> we broke the record by quite a bit, by about 20 minutes or so. gen. dailey: to annie, the true source of john's remarkable strength, for their many years together, to david and lyn who share their father with a grateful nation, i am honored to be here today to celebrate the life of a man, which i am proud to have called both a hero and a friend. only a handful of people in history have been called upon to publicly embody the ideals of an entire nation. fewer still have stood to the task in both wartime and peace, and not have answered the call more perfectly than john glenn. he began my hero early in my career as a marine, and still is today. he defined an age of american history in three s

today we pay tribute to john glenn, known as an american hero, john glenn died today. he was an astronaut, a u.s. senator, a statesman, and an american hero. he died at the age of 85. he circled the earth three times to push into a new frontier. he was hailed as a hero. glenn later reentered public life representing his home state of ohio in the u.s. senate where he served for a quarter century. >> it's better to have tried and failed than have failed to try. i guess that's the way i look at it. >> through all his years in public life, he never lost his pioneering spirit. he made one final launch. in 1998 when he was 77, he became the oldest astronaut to travel into space. appropriate title tonight, globe editorial director of "huffington post." tell me shuttle commander, what it was like to meet john glenn and what he meant to you. >> john glenn was a hero of mine from the earliest days, as far back as i can remember. he had the career i always dreamed of, fighter pilot during world war ii and then test pilot and astronaut. so meeting him in the astronaut gym and work

. >> i think we need to look at what went on between john glenn and his son. >>> and remembering john glenn, the first man to orbit the earth and a four-term u.s. senator from the most important swing state in the country. >> i'm very high on this country and what it can do, what it can stand for, even with its problems now. >>> this is "mtp daily" and it starts right now. good evening, i'm chuck todd here in washington and welcome to "mtp daily." in just a moment we're going to pay tribute to an american hero, an aviation icon and u.s. senator. john glenn, who passed away today at the age of 95, is a true icon of american history in so many ways. glenn's decades of service to this country took him around the world as a marine fighter pilot, took him around this planet in space. first man to orbit the earth, first american to do so, excuse me. and, of course, to washington as a senator representing the great state of ohio, his home state. so you won't want to miss our remembrances of him later in the show. >>> but we're going to begin tonight with the presidential transition and a que

we learned late today, astro gnat and senator john glenn has died. >> godspeed, john glenn. >> the first american astronaut tonight, in his own words. >>> also breaking tonight, the winter storms. the driving has turned deadly. the pileups across several states. the images coming in. up to 70 cars involved in just one chain reaction crash. >>> as we come on, new reporting tonight after two police officers are targeted, both of second officer has died. >>> was it excessive force? the student with the knife and the officer who then fired the shot. tonight, some asking, did he have another option? >>> and holiday shoppers, beware tonight. the on. several major department stores now accused of making you believe you're getting a better we have the list. >>> good evening. and it's great to have you with us here on a thursday night. and we begin with the passing of a true american hero. former astronaut, war hero and u.s. senator from ohio, john gl. the first american to orbit the earth. he was the last surviving member of the original mercury 7 astronauts. a symbol of the american spirit. his

john glenn died on thursday. he was 95 years old. evening, ladies and gentlemen, i am john dailey, and is my privilege to welcome you for a special evening. i wanted to thank the boeing company represented here tonight by the vice chairman, mr. henry stonecipher. you have got a good seat. i'm glad to see you are doing well. [laughter] >> ok, terrific. and to thank all of you for coming to support this program. anniversary in the museum, and we worked very hard to make this a special year. you can see tonight's event is truly indicative of that. we have tried to make it as personal as possible. i am without fear of contradiction, and we have done a perfect job here tonight. please join me in welcoming any glenn. annie glenn. [applause] >> thank you very much. thank you. thank you. 40 years, it is hard to believe. last flight, i have told more people i lost 12 pounds. i mean, the first flight i lost 12 pounds, because i was really scared. last flight i put all of them back on again. they were so different. he for we begin, my introduct

goodespeed, john glenn. that coming from the current governor of ohio, john kasich, and we will take a quick break and be right back with more. president-elect donald trump announced linda mcmahon will lead the small business administration. mcmahon ran unsuccessfully twice for senate in connecticut. she used to get in the ring herself. that is her with steve austin. my next guest knows quite a bit about mcmahon-he wrote this piece about her for vice today. oliver bateman is an attorney and sports historian. he serves on the board of director for the pro wrestling hall of fame. nice to have you with us. thanks so much. why do you think donald trump goes with linda mcmahon for small business administration and what are her qualifications? >> well, i mean, it wasn't a surprising choice because like you said, they had been substantial donors to trump over the years, to his foundation, and linda mcmahon has a lot of experience. i mean, she and her husband, vince, grew an organization that they bought through esse

>> steve, i did a couple books with john glenn here. the last one we worked on together was "neil armstrong, a life of flight." neil and john were very close, and we all, in the space program, stayed close through the years. and john was just the most civilized man i knew. in fact, you're talking about his life in politics. the thing that jumps out and gets me is the fact that everybody here at the space center and in the space family never thought of john glenn as being a senator. i never called him senator glenn in my life that i know of even though i interviewed him for nbc when he was running for president down in miami. but, anyway, john was just a giant. and he took a risk in flying into space on board an unproven rocket on february the 20th, 1962 to become the first american to orbit earth, and we see his picture up here now. and john not only made that flight, and as you just said a while ago, he came back in 1998, and on october the 29th, he took off on board the shuttle discovery, flew up there nine days, came back later and w

great man, john glenn, such a good man. >> he is still handy that way. john and annie entered the hotel suite we election night and were immediately swept with awestruck admirers. i had never known them to be anything but gracious with strangers. i have been on the receiving end of a steady stream of stories about random encounters with annie.d andy -- john and on that night in 2012, our four-year-old grandson was with us. of the dayt much rehearsing a question he wanted to ask john. told johned him and i clayton had something on his mind. leans in so hen can talk face-to-face with our little boy. question," john said. hesitate, "how do astronauts go to the bathroom in space?" us in earshot gathered around for astronaut john onnn's 10 minute tutorial the machinations of urination and space. clayton thanked him and show his hand and started making the rounds to share his new expertise. i hugged john and i thanked him for treating clayton with such respect. "well, why wouldn't i? have such sincere questions, and they deserve sincere answers." one of the fi

john glenn, a great man. john glenn, such a good man. he is still handy that way, annie. four years ago, john and annie entered the hotel suite we had reserved for election night and were immediately swarmed with admirers. i had never known them to be anything but gracious with strangers. i have been the recipient of a steady stream of stories about john and annie. every one of those stories have a happy ending. in 2012, our grandson was with us. he had spent most of the day rehearsing a question he wanted to ask to john. i introduced him. and i told john that clayton had something on his mind. immediately tall, lanky john , leaned in so he could talk face-to-face with our little boy. what is your question, john said. clayton didn't hesitate, how do astronaut to go to the bathroom in space? [laughter] smiled, well now, that is an interesting question, isn't it? clayton nodded and those of us in earshot gathered around for 'stronaut john glenn two-minute tutorial on the machinations of urination in space. himrwards, clayton thanked and shook his hand and started making the

at the age of 77, john glenn got his wish to return to sfaspace aboard the shuttle "discovery." honored with the congressional gold medal and the presidential medal of freedom, country's highest civilian awards. john herschel glen, pilot, astronaut, businessman, politician, husband, and father and an american original. tom costello, nbc news, washington. >> what an incredible icon. there aren't that many americans left that can say they have done the things he has done. >>> we have new details about the two georgia officers fatally shot on wednesday, officer yody snit and nick smar were best friends and engaged to be mayor rid. smar's sister was smith's fiancee. it started with a domestic disturbance. >> somebody punched holes in my walls. >> they're shooting. >> oh, no. he shot the police. he shot one of them. >> the officer was shot? >> yes, and i don't know. >> both officers had been fatally shot by alleged gunman miguel limbrick. >> reporter: a georgia community in warning. shortly after america's georgia police officer, nick smars flag-draped funeral arrived at the funeral h

senator john glenn. [applause] john glenn: thank you.k you, thank you all very much. thank you. thank you all. [applause] ladiesenn: thank you, and gentlemen. thank you, brit, very much. sound system, how is it up there? can you hear all right? ok good. brit of course is no stranger to washington. he was president of the university of maryland for about nine years i think it was. and the did a great job there such a great job that we promoted him to ohio state. [laughter] john glenn: i thought i would get some boos out of this crowd on not around this particular area here, but you know host director of the air and space museum general jack daly who i have known in the marine corps and nasa days and now here at the air and space museum. i don't know what his problem was i think he probably got so excited about the olympics he tried to play 20-year-old again, and it didn't work. [laughter] jack we wish you a speedy , recovery. i know that's a painful thing to have happen your achilles tendon go out for you then a verse or a hard to believe

john glenn was one of them.meant to this country is a tribute to the squares of the world, men and women with the guts to show up and do the job. that's "hardball" for now. thanks for being with us. "all in with chris hayes" starts right now. >>> tonight on "all in." >> the forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer. >> donald trump called out for giving false hope to the forgotten man has now picked a fight with him. >> i had all kind of threats and stuff over the years so i guess i got a little more thick skin. >> as the trump victory tour continues, union leader chuck jones with his response to t president-elect's provocation. and senator bernie sanders on trump's redefinition of bully pulpit. >>> plus, new reporting on donald trump's plan to keep ties to his businesses. the fast food ceo who wants to replace workers with robots tapped to run the labor department. d

today we pay tribute to john glenn, known as an american hero, john glenn died today.he was an astronaut, a u.s. senator, a statesman, and an american hero. he died at the age of 85.

john glenn was 95. nancy cordes has more on his life and legacy. >> reporter: from the cosmos to capitol hill and then back again, john glenn was an astronaut, a politician, and a patriot. >> godspeed, john glenn. >> reporter: on february 20th, 1962 john glenn famously became >> oh, that view is tremendous. >> reporter: glenn's experience as one of the original seven mercury astronauts, heroes at the height of the cold war, was immortalized in the epic film "the right stuff." ? years before he made history above his "friendship 7" spacecraft glenn flew fighter planes for the marine corps, racking up 149 missions during world war ii and korea. during his four terms in the senate glenn was a key player in democratic politics, serving chairman of the powerful governmental affairs committee. but his hero status didn't translate into national political appeal. >> i believe this nation of ours can be number one in this world. >> reporter: his bid for the presidency in 1984 never really got off the ground. gle

i didn't worry, it was john. glenn. then he turned to me with a big link and he says, i've never been so frightened flying anything in my life. but i don't think john ever got frightened at anything but my heart nearly stopped. i appreciate my friend from iowa yielding to do this but john was one of the best people i ever served with an eye speak what it was like coming here is a brand-new senator i came here and was sworn in with john glenn >> now oklahoma senator james langford talks about a recent report on government spending from today's "washington journal" this is about 35 minutes. >> sumac we are back at this smyrna here to talk about wasteful spending in washington the federal deficit by the way for 2016, 587,000,000,000, 587 billion, the federal debtebo more than 19 trillion. that equals about $165,000 perto america household according to the report, 247,000,000,000 in wasteful spending as inefficient regulations. joining us from capitol hill is joining us fromm capitol hill is the author offo: that report, the

godspeed. >> godspeed, john glenn. >> reporter: glenn's famous spacecraft, "the friendship 7" now residese at the smithsonian's air and space museum. the white house said today that journey lifted the hopes of a nation, and president-elect trump, scott, called him a great pioneer. >> pelley: nancy cordes for us tonight. nancy, thank you. the dangerously cold weather turned deadly today. blinding snowstorms caused major pileups in the midwest, and omar villafranca is in the deep freeze. >> reporter: a snow squall and slick roads are being blamed for the deadly pileup of mangled cars, trucks, and 18-wheelers. three people were killed and 11 people injured after dozens of vehicles careened off of michigan's i-96, just south of r nsing. 300 miles east in lake county, ohio, another pileup with as many as 50 vehicles occurred after a truck jackknifed due to icy road conditions. farther east, in upstate new york, the moving system dropped nearly 17 inches of thick, sticky, lake-effect snow an hour north of syracuse. roads quickly became eteacherous, testing the skills of any driver who dared to

back then, glenn was in ninth grade when john was lost, and dave was in fifth grade. ey both came back for this special 40th anniversary. she is from minnesota, right here. [applause] annie glenn: and our son david and his wonderful wife, dr. karen peggy strong, and our son david they are back from california. would you please welcome them? [applause] annie glenn: and there is another gentleman here tonight, general tom miller retired, he and his family live next door to us when we were living in arlington at the time of his flight. my two kids and the miller family helped me through an awful, awful loss. -- helped me through an awful, awful lot. it was, john was our teacher. he took us to different places where he was in training, and we learned so much of what to expect. he helped us to understand what he was going to be doing. even then, i was scared. so my job is very special. ohio state university present -- university president is a nationally recognized leader in higher education. at osu, he leads one of the nation's largest distinguished universities with 19 co

john glenn. ♪ the man who was on board that mercury rocket back in 1962 is this morning being called an american hero, a pioneer, a public servant. the nation is mourning the death of john glenn with flags at half staff in his honor at the u.s. capitol and around the country. and marine corps pilot, the first american to orbit the earth, a u.s. senate -- u.s. senator and an american hero. we begin with your comments, calls and reflections on the life and legacy of senator, astronaut john glenn. you can share your comments on our twitter page or join us on facebook. .ood friday morning to you the senate is in session trying to wrap up a cr to keep the government and operation through the end of april. the house did its part with a debate over how scared and if over how health care -- an american hero, a combat pilot fighter who made history by rocketing into the future as the pioneer of space travel. the story this morning from his hometown newspaper in columbus, ohio. we will have more from the c

still think we're-- we're the example for the rest of the world. >> reporter: on february 20, 1962, john glenn famously became the fit american to orbit the earth. >> oh, that view is tremendous! >> reporter: when he came back, glenn became a national hero and received a ticker tape parade in new york city, the largest since world war ii. >> i got on this project because wanted to make the most of it. >> reporter: years before he made history aboard his "friendship 7" spacecraft, glenn flew fighter planes for the marine corps, racking up 149 missions during world war ii and coria. during his four terms in the senate, glenn was a key player in democratic politics, but his hero status didn't translate into national political appeal. >> i believe this nation of ours can be number one in this world. >> reporter: and his bid for the presidency in 1984 never really got off the glenn's political career took another hit in the late 80s, when he and four other senators, known add the "keating 5" were investigated for accepting hefty campaign contributions from savings and loan owner charles keating. se

i don't mean to take away from john glenn.iz: of course. >> i hope your audience understands when adam says, well this congress can't get anything done, the republican majorities will shrink, in part thanks to hillary clinton getting 2 1/2 million more votes than donald trump. liz: okay. >> it will shrink, it will shrink in the next congress. two fewer senators. six fewer house members republicans have. notion it will get easier to do, you know all the things, granted there will be republican in the white house. liz: spin it forward to march. this is all just conversation for president-elect donald trump. we will bump up against that debt ceiling once again. for those who don't really understand the concept, it is the national debt credit card. do we expand the ability to borrow? right now it is at $20.1 trillion. adam, will he be in a tough position for republican, they don't like to do this, they don't like to lift the ceiling and they had to and ronald reagan and bill clinton, every other president raised the debt ceiling.

the view tremendous. >> at the height of the space race john glenn was the first american to orbit the earth. >> reading you loud and clear. >> glenn was the most famous of the original seven astronauts with the right stuff. a decorated marine corp. pilot. his wingman in korea was baseball legend ted williams. world held its breath for his mission. when he safely splashed down after three orbits he was a true american hero. >> welcome to washington. welcome back to this planet. >> colonel glenn later quit the space program for a career in politics. during 24 years in the senate he distinguished himself on nuclear arms control issues in particular. he was still a sitting senator when in 1998 at age 77 he returned to space aboard the shuttle discovery. >> and lift off of discovery with six heros and one american legend. >> the mission, to study weightlessness on the elderly. john glenn then the oldest astronaut ever to orbit. >> one thing i promised annie when we were married, in addition to our wedding vows, of course, was to keep life from being boring. >> boring his life is not. he is

4 -- >> godspeed, john glenn. >> 3, 2, 1. tion. liftoff. john: the word "astronaut" was not even known when i was -- mr. glenn: the word "astronaut" was not even known when i was growing up. that came along later. ♪ mr. glenn: i loved it. i liked to go up every day. mr. bolden: this week, our nation has been mourning the loss of one of its greatest heroes, john glenn. his passing has affected me deeply, but in the spirit of optimism that he has always mediated, i would also like us to remember his many achievements and the pioneering spirit that he exemplified. i also want to thank annie, lyn, and david, and the entire glenn family for sharing their husband, father, grandfather with the world. every one of us on planet earth has benefited from having him on our team. annie, you and john exemplified, for all of us, what it means to be united as a couple. your love and friendship over 73 years is unlike anything i have ever seen. i'm glad and incredibly blessed that i was able to witness your devotion. i hope that jackie and i c

john glenn's passing. we'll look back at remarkable life and times of a true pioneer. >>> plus, spying toys. are your children's toys recording what's being said in your home. >> i promise not to tell anyone. it is just between you and me. >> controversy grows over some smart toys. the push to remove them from store shelves and what you into ed to know this holiday season. >>> and the stars are out. >> tonight is going to have way more muscles, more tattoos, and most importantly, way more pyro. >> hollywood's top leading man, 1a to talk about his star-studded tribute to our nation's troops. >>> and pop superstar pharrell williams treats us to a special performance on the plaza "today," friday, december 9th, 2016. >> the snow can't stop us from seeing pharrell! >> we are "happy" from austin, xa because i'm happy ? ? clap along if you feel like a room without a room ? >> celebrating 15 happy years from lakeland, florida. >> celebrating the holidays in new york! >> because we're happy! >>> welcome back to "to

senator john glenn has died at the age of 95. the man who filled america's hearts with pride as he swored around the globe never stopped being amazing even blasting into space in his 70's. john scott takes a look at glenn's unbelievable legacy. >> john glenn will be remembered for his many roles in american history. he was a warrior in battle, our first astronaut to orbit the earth and one of our most successful political leaders on capitol hill. in 98 he added oldest person in space to his roster of achievements. >> i can't help but stand here with a real sense of dÉjÀ vu some 40-year-old almost sets of dÉjÀ vu. >> he was born in 1921 in cambridge, ohio and attended buckingham college. after the chinese attacked pearl harbor he signed up for the aviation cadet program and became a pilot long before senator john glenn, he served in world war ii flying 69 successful missions. five years later this leather neck was ready to fly again this time over north korea. after serving in korea he headed to test pilot school to the test center

he was excited to see john glenn, who it recently won the he held out medal his elbow for annie, but she had other plans. annie, may i escort you, martin said. hislooped her arm around and smiled at john. we will see when you get there. [laughter] >> john and turned it to me in a said, did you see that, she dumped me. the last time we spent time was atith john and annie their apartment here in columbus. as soon as i sat on the couch, he said, she is sitting where hillary sat. moment, none of us knew that hillary had stopped by to visit. we talked about the presidential race in the future of our country. we also swapped stories that our children and our grandchildren. only in slower, but movement. his mind was as sharp as ever. as he prepared to leave, he made that he knew time was running out. partsn only replace the so long he said, putting his hand on each of our shoulders. eventually, you need a new chassis. we were quiet on the elevator ride back to the lobby. once again, our friend was answering the question, this one unspoken. as honestly as he could. one last time, john glenn w

he was john glenn. and he died today in his native ohio. it is thursday night and the big story on action news tonight is john glenn. his lifelong mission finally ended today. and tonight america is remembering his exploits and remembering what a special place he held over a period of decades. let's look back at the life and time of john glenn. >> ten, nine. >> he was a pioneer and a patriot. launched into a history with this iconic sendoff from mission control. >> you've got speed, john glenn. >> later john glenn confessed he actually didn't hear that phrase as friendship 7 lifted off. >> zero g and i feel fine. capsule is turning around. the view tremendous. >> at the height of the space race john glenn was the first american to orbit the earth. >> reading you loud and clear. >> glenn was the most famous of the original seven astronauts with the right stuff. a decorated marine corp. pilot. his wingman in korea was baseball legend ted williams. world held its breath for his mission. when he safely splashed down after three orbits he was a

on behalf of a grateful nation, god speed, john glenn. tom costello has more on his extraordinary life. >> five, four, three, two, one, zero. >> reporter: john glenn was more than an american hero. for more than half his life, he was a 20th century icon, perhaps best known for what happened on february 20th, 1962. >> two, two, one, zero. >> reporter: the first american to orbit the earth and put america back in the space race with the soviet union. >> roger, zero g and i feel fine. oh, the view is tremendous. >> reporter: the late t.j. o'malley was at the nasa controls that day. >> range operations, go. the green light is on. >> reporter: until he died, he kept the button he pushed to send glenn into orbit. >> i hit that button and said, may the good lord ride all the way. >> god speed, john glenn. >> reporter: john glenn returned to a hero's welcome. and invitations to address congress. >> as our knowledge of this universe in which we live increases, may god grant us the wisdom and guidance to use it wisely. >> reporter: his roots were a

john herb her shell glenn, an american original. tom costello, nbc news, washington. >>> we make a turn to a dangerous blast of winter weather and a deadly pileup in michigan, in treacherous whiteout conditions. as the siberian express sends temperatures plunging. al roker will be here in a moment, but first details from nbc's kristen dahlgren. >> reporter: in michigan today, the deep freeze turned deadly. >> we have onstar reporting a 30-vehicle crash, with injuries. >> reporter: three people killed, when dozens of cars piled up in whiteout conditions. traffic snarled for miles. >> almost collided into an suv myself. >> reporter: survivors lucky to walk away from the tangled mess. >> the ground was getting wet, compounded with the snow white-out, i think were all contributing factors. >> reporter: another multivehicle accident near erie pennsylvania, shut down parts of interstate 90 and sent people to the hospital. in upstate new york, a funnel cloud. >> we had to drive really slow. >> reporter: even the professionals had trouble.

god speed john glenn."mark barger, nbc news glenn once joked that the only astronaut he was envious of was his fellow ohio native, to walk on the moon. john glenn was 95.. we know. it's december weather in wisconsin. but after the mild weather we had over the past few months... this cold snap is kind of a shock to the system.meteorologist jesse ritka joins us with the storm team forecast. the sun didn't help much today, it is chilly with temperatures in the 20s and a nasty wind making it feel like temperatures are in the teens. more clouds are rolling in, bringing a few flurries but the cloud cover will help keep it not quite as frigid tonight with lows near 20 degrees in milwaukee with teens inland. adding in the wind it will digits when you wake up on friday morning. wisconsin's wisconsin's presidential recount is wrapping up ahead of schedule... only two counties still counting in southeastern wisconsin.ben jordan is live at the milwaukee county recount room with an update on the progress there, ben: it'

god speed john glenn." three revolutions and four hours and 55 minutes later he returned an instant legend. he was awarded the congressional space medal of honor and new york threw him one of its signature ticker tape parades. later in life, glenn glenn, astronaut: "we used to joke about it in the past when people would say what do you think on the launch pad and the standard answer was how do you think you'd feel if you knew you were on top of two million parts built by the lowest bidder on a government contract?" glenn learned to fly as part of a college course and went on to join the marine corps in 1943. glenn flew 149 combat missions in world war two and the korean war before becoming a test pilot. after leaving nasa, he spent the next decade as a businessman. but in senate seat from ohio and served for twenty- four years. in 1984, he ran for president.astronaut john glenn: "with the nomination of my party i firmly believe i can beat ronald reagan." john glenn never gave up on his dream of one day retu