we get the story from our chief environmental affairs correspondent anne thompson. >> reporter: theyhe iconic animals of minnesota's north woods, but moose sightings like this one and this one are increasingly rare. >> that just made my week, man. that is so cool. >> reporter: seth moore is one of several scientists trying to figure out what is causing the dramatic decline in minnesota's moose population. they've all but disappeared in the northwest part of the state, and here in the northeast, there are just over 2700 left. some of these animals, which should weigh up to one thousand pounds are skin and bones, with severe hair loss. >> we're spending time and energy and research to try to understand it. but the population itself still continues to decline. >> reporter: the fall-off is stunning. down 35% in the past year, and more than 50% since 2010. >> here in grand portage, we're seeing about 85% pregnancy rates, which is pretty good. this year we only came out about 69% pregnancy rates. >> reporter: in the office, moore and his team track the adults they have collared on the comp

our report tonight from our chief environmental affairs correspondent anne thompson. >> reporter: we are warming our world by burning coal, oil, and other fossil fuels. today the world's leading climate scientists warn it will get worse, with fewer very cold days and more very hot ones. heat waves will be more frequent and last longer. rising sea levels already altering this nation's coast and making storms like sandy more destructive could go up nearly three feet by the end of the century swamping parts of new jersey and dramatically changing florida's coast. and glaciers, a key source of drinking water for parts of the world are losing ice everywhere but new zealand. >> we've seen an increasing number of regions over the decades starting to lose ice, but this is the first time we've seen it almost globally. >> reporter: most ominously, the report says we are in real danger of exceeding our carbon limit of 1 trillion tons. scientists say that would warm the earth more than 3 1/2 degrees fahrenheit making the impact of climate change much more dangerous. how much longer can we go? >>

few expect radical change. >> that was ann thompson report i ing. >>> looking to usher in a new era of diplomacy between washington and tehran. according to "the new york times," the iranian is looking to make a "swift agreement" over its nuclear program and a number of sanctions against the country. he was encouraged by a letter from president obama which promised relief in exchange for more transparency with its nuclear ambitions. in an op-ed this morning, he writes in part "i urge my counterparts to seize the opportunity presented by iran's recent election. i urge them to make the most of the mandate for putin engagement that people have given me and to respond genuinely to my golf's efforts to engage in constructive dialogue. most of all, i urge them to look beyond the pines and be brave enough to tell me what they see. if not for their national interests but for the sake of their legacies and our children and future generations." they will both address the general assembly on tuesday. >>> later today the house will vote on a spending bill that will fund the government beyond the s

we get our report tonight from nbc's anne thompson. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: in his short papacy pope francis has preached loudest with gestures, drawing tens of thousands to his weekly audience in the vatican, and millions in rio, his first overseas trip. today it's the pope's words making headlines as he spells out his vision of the catholic church in a remarkably frank interview published in the jesuit magazine "america. we cannot insist only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage and the use of contraceptive methods. he said we have to find a new balance. otherwise even the moral edifice of the church is likely to fall like a house of cards. >> it's certainly a change in tone. and it is certainly a change in approach. we have never had a pope talk to the world like this. it is a remarkable thing. >> reporter: this pope is focused on peace, leading a prayer vigil for syria earlier this month, highlighting the plight of immigrants. now reaching out to lapsed catholics who if they were a denomination would be the second largest religious group in this country, behind

anne thompson, nbc news, port jefferson station, new york. >>> and that is our broadcast for this thursdayank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. as for tonight, enjoy the game. good night. >>> good afternoon and thanks for being with us. >> we're on early this afternoon because of opening night in the nfl. our football coverage kicks off after this newscast, but right now, we begin with new details on the muhr rder of a mother of two. she had been missing since saturday. police say they have suspect in custody, but won't say who he is. farry is live at the police department with new information on her death. >> reporter: we talked the victim's husband today and he tells us he was the first person to find his

joining me now is nbc's chief environmental affairs correspondent, anne thompson. anne, secretary of state john kerry released a statement saying that this is yet another wake-up call and that those who deny science or choose excuses over action are playing with fire. do you think that this report will have an impact on policy here or abroad? >> well, that's certainly what the scientists hope because they say we are on this path of continuing to produce carbon dioxide emissions which are warming the earth and having serious consequences. some of those consequences we're already living with. we have seen less snow and ice cover around the world. that's what the report says. and they say in the northern hemisphere, we can expect even less. we've seen sea levels rise. and we saw the difference that can make during superstorm sandy, because sea levels had risen a foot in new york city. the destruction was that much greater. this report says that we can expect sea levels to rise anywhere from 10 to 32 inches by the end of this century. we are seeing greater concentration

informal affairs correspondent anne thompson joins me now. ne, 95% certain it's us. >> like pogo, the problem is us. >> exactly. it's extremely likely the world has warmed -- it's unequivocal it's warmed since 1950. we are primarily responsible for it. they say the consequences we're seeing we're going to continue to live with. sea level rise, which we're already dealing w it's going to increase anywhere from 10 to 32 inches by the end of the century. we're going to see more heat waves. they are going to be longer. we'll still see cold weather but fewer of those really cold days. >> does it have any relationship to the severity of the storms we've been seeing some not just sandy but other storms do seem to be much more powerful. >> they are a little more squishy, if you will, on that. clearly when you have global warming and more moisture -- more heat goes into the air, more moisture goes into the air, when it does rain, the rain can be much stronger than in the past. when they are very certain about is the heat. >> what is long-term future ab

ann thompson is live in tokyo this morning with the reaction there. ann, i'm going to guess it's a pretty good one. >> reporter: it certainly is, erica. the banners here along the famous ginza shopping district proclaim tokyo as a candidate city for the 2020 games, but it is indeed the host city and point of pride for the 9 million people who live here, most of whom were sound asleep when olympic president jacques rhodes made the call from buenos aires, half a world away. it was the moment japan had been waiting for. >> tokyo. >> reporter: back at home, pandemonium. >> the international olympic committee has given not just the city of tokyo, but the entire nation of japan an absolute shot in the arm. >> reporter: a shot in the arm for a nation facing a crisis from the fukushima daiichi crippled plapt. the aftermath of a tsunami years ago. >> people have rallied around that part of the country that was destroyed. sports has actually caused people there to really rethink their priorities. it's been a band-aid of sorts. >> reporter: madrid and istanbul ma

nbc's ann thompson has the story. >> reporter: in his short papacy pope francis preached loudest with gestures. it's the pope's words making headlines as he spells out his vision of the catholic church in a remarkable frank interview published in the jesuit magazine "america." we cannot insist only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage and the news of contraception methods. we have to find a new balance otherwise even the moral edifice of the church is likely to fall like a house of cards. >> it's change in tone and approach. we've never had a pope talk to the world like this. it's a remarkable thing. >> this pope is focused on peace leading a prayer vigil for syria earlier this month, highlighting the plight of immigrants. the pope urging the clergy to seek out those who left and listen to their reasons why. this interview follows his impromptu press conference in july on the flight from rio when asked about a gay priest, who am i to judge. the pope now said when god looks at a gay persons does he endorse the existence of this person with love or reject and condemn this person?

we get our report tonight from anne thompson. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: in his short pa papacy, he's drawn thousands to the vatican and millions in rio for his first overseas trip. today it's the pope's words making headlines as he spells out his vision of the catholic church in a frank interview published in "america." we cannot insist only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage and the use of contra accept ty methods. he said we have to find a new balance. otherwise even the moral edifice of the church is likely to fall like a house of cards. >> it's certainly a change in tone. it is a change in approach. we have never had a pope talk to the world like this. it is a remarkable thing. >> reporter: this pope is focused on peace, leading a prayer vigil for syria this month. highlighting the plight of immigrants. now reaching out to lapsed catholics who if they were a denomination would be the second largest in the country, behind practicing catholics. the pope urging the church to reach auto and listen to the reasons why. this interview followed his impromptu press conferen

one of the founding members of ypr is on the board of the association of recovery schools: anne thompsonbecause what i would think, alison, is that it is important to give the leadership role to young people, correct? i think it's crucial. i remember when i entered to this field-again i entered because i had lost my brother to suicide-started going to conferences, and i was the only person in the room under the age of 50 talking about college student mental health, and i just couldn't understand it. and what we have seen as active minds has evolved over the past 10 years is that not only is it crucial for young adults to be able to be involved, they want to be. they crave this. and again, active minds has grown as quickly as we have because students have come to us and said, "this is important to me. this has impacted me. i want to do something on my campus. i want to help other people not have to go through what i did." so, they truly want to be involved, as well, so it's just so vitally important. and we've talked about discrimination that some individuals feel when they've come out of

. >> ann thompson, thank you very much. fascinating stuff.here the president is coming out to speak. here's the president. >> everybody, give jordan a big round of applause. [ applause ] >> i just want to say about jordan, third generation, ford employee. showing the school during the week, works at the plant on the weekends, getting a degree in management and will take allen's place running the company in about, i don't know, it may take a few years but we're so proud of her and congratulations to everything -- everything that she represents. when you see young people like that who are working so hard, making something of themselves and rooted in the community like this one, it really makes you proud. before i get started there are a couple of other folks i want to introduce working for you day in and day out. first of all, your outstanding governor jay nixon, his wife georgean. plant might not have been here if not for the great work of jay. that's important to know. we've got my outstanding secretary of health and human services, former go

nbc's ann thompson is here with the details. good morning. >> good morning. in it's strongest lang wang yet this international panel of scientists found it is extremely likely, in fact they're 95% certain that human is why the earth has warmed since 1950. the panel finds that the air in the oceans warmed and snow and ice have diminished, sea levels are up as are the concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. the report by more than 200 scientists predicts that sea levels could rise as much as 32 inches by the end of the century and they say it is virtually certain we'll see more hot temperature extremes and fewer cold ones and it's likely that heat waves will be more frequent and longer. they also predict arctic sea ice will continue to shrink and even if co 2 emissions are stopped today these impacts will persist for centuries, tamron. >>> thank you very much. police in fort worth texas say a major tragedy was averted this week when a gunman's weapon wouldn't work. the man is trying to rob people at mcdonald's and pulled the trigger five times but t

for today, ann thompson, nbc news, new york. >> new york's timothy cardinal dolan is the president of the u.s. conference of catholic bishops. good to see you. >> good to be with you. >> we have met before on the occasion of the pope making headlines. we observe he is not changing church doctrine, but this seems like a radical change in emphasis. do you agree? >> i agree. radical is a good word. that comes from the latin word of root. he is going back to the gospel. simplicity, a surprise, invitation, mercy and embrace. this man -- yesterday was the sixth anniversary you and i were together on march 19th as he began his ministry. six month anniversary yesterday, this guy batting 1000. >> we have seen him on the ride back from brazil when he said who am i to judge homosexuals. i think he took it a step forward. in a way launching criticism of the church saying the church was obsessed with the social issues? is it a fair critique? does it ring true? >> we better listen to him. he is a successor of st. peter. he is asking for a stress strategy. sometimes as we come across as negative, as

anne thompson joins us for why tokyo won the games rig s wrooi >> reporter: the banners proclaim tokyoat live here, most of whom were sound asleep when the olympic president made the call half a world away. it was the moment japan had been waiting for. >> tokyo! [ applause ] >> reporter: back at home, pandemonium. >> the international olympic committee has given not just the city of tokyo but the entire nation of japan an absolute shot in the arm! >> reporter: a shot in the arm for a close-knit nation. they've seen a crisis from the fukushima plant and the aftermath of the tsunami more than two years ago. >> the people of japan have rallied around the northeastern part of the country that was destroyed. sports has actually caused people there to really rethink their priorities. it's been a bandaid of sorts. >> reporter: madrid and istanbul made strong presentations with videos but japan's pitch was hard to top. the country has the experience. hosting two winter games. and the 1964 summer olympics also with in tokyo. it is one of the world's most sophisticated cities in a sports-crazed

ann thompson has more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, savannah.now, tokyo won the bid for the 2020 games by promising the olympic committee that the games are in safe hands. the theme is discover tomorrow. that is boosting japan today. >> tokyo. >> reporter: to understand japan's reaction to tokyo winning the 2020 games, just remember what happened here two and a half years ago. the earthquake and tsunami that killed 15,000 people. now this nation on the cusp of an economic recovery has reason to celebrate. today, the japanese stock market hitting a five-year high. in the shopping district in ginza, this woman says it is promise. since the tsunami and earthquake, tourism has dropped. she hope was the olympics, people will come and learn tokyo say great city. when they come, they will see wrestling. it beat out softball and baseball to remain in the olympics. >> it is another statement to say today is the most important day in the 3,000 year history of our sport. >> reporter: an olympic sports since the ancient greek games. now in japan the work be

thompson. and i couldn't be here standing before you today taking this accolade without the blessing of my mother, elsie stewart and my wife over 20 years, april ann stewart. (applause) >> i'd like to thank you for recognizing me as someone making a difference in the bayview area in the area of science. >> thank you so much. why don't you step aside over here with my aide and we'll take a picture afterwards. i've got a few more tokens of appreciation i'd like to hand out. the next is to recognize an outstanding organization, a long-standing organization with the representatives of the san francisco chapter of the links. please come forward to the podium. so, as they begin to take the podium, i want to speak a little bit about the links. the links, incorporated as an organization of professional, intelligent and of course elegant women. the organization was founded in philadelphia in 1946 with a focus on education, culture, and civic engagement. there are five facets of the links, incorporated. youth services, the arts, national/international trends and services, and health and human services. now, the san francisco chapter was incorporated in 1950

thompson's home. her girls and pups makes the escape just in time. >> i have never been in an evacuation. it feels scary. >> reporter: neighbors mary annnd joseph, in disbelief. a har hour ago, you were there and it was dry. >> we were walking around the house and it was dry. >> reporter: homes piercing homes. roads obliterated. families holding on together. you saw the time lapse. it was like yesterday we were watching it rise before our eyes. it will happen again today. the forecast, the numbers not looking good for a lot of places that don't need this rain. another 1 to 2 inches if you're in the purple area. it will dry out eventually. this moves out and by tuesday, dryer air moving in. a westerly flow sttrying to tak over. i'll be coming back with the fashion's weather. for now, back to the studio. >> thank you, ginger. >>> president obama signed an emergency declaration ordering extra federal aid to colorado. the intense operation now involving a massive effort by the air national guard. on the phone with us is lieutenant mitch utterback. this is being described as the biggest air rescue since hurricane katrina. how is it going? >

thompson's vulnerable home. her girls and pups making the escape just in time. >> i have never been in an evacuation. and it feels kind of scary. >> reporter: neighbors mary anneph, watching in disbelief. their home, surrounded by that creeping water. a half hour ago, you were there and it was dry. >> we were walking around the house. it was dry. >> reporter: across colorado, graveyards of debris. homes piercing homes. roads obliterated. and everywhere you look, families holding on together. and we're still in danger zone here as we go through today. the latter half of the weekend, going to be wetter than yesterday. i want to show you exactly how much rain is going to fall. locally, you could see 2 plus. in that area in purple, one two inches, the area that doesn't really need it in the front range there. we have going to dry out slightly and i want to show you exactly right. the cold front, it's going to slide a little and drier air is going to be moving in by the time you reach tuesday. tuesday is the money day here in colorado. bianna and dan? >> okay, ginger, thank you. >>> president obama signed an emergency declaration ordering extra federal aid to colo