nbc's tom costello covers aviation for us in washington. good morning. >> delta flight 226 heading to europe and delta regional jet atlantic southeast flight headed to raleigh, durham, north carolina. neither plane ended up going anywhere last night. passengers aboard two planes got quite a jolt thursday evening when their jets collided on the tarmac. >> it looked awfully close. it just clipped it. the tip of the wing just sheered right off. >> reporter: the larger jet, a delta boeing 767, bound for amsterdam, was preparing to take off when it struck a commuter jet, slicing through its tail and alarming passengers. >> the whole plane jostled. so we rocked side to side. >> a really big shock. >> reporter: the commuter jet heading to north carolina suffered major damage to the tail and horizontal stabilizer and the collision came for a rude awakening for one of its passengers. >> i was half asleep. the next thing you know there was a bang. we all wondered what happened. the pilot came on and said we were clipped by the plane behind us. >> did

costello: mr. speaker, thank you very much. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. costello: mr. speaker, i rise today in opposition to h.r. 2553, the airport and airway extension act of 2011. this is the 21st extension of the f.a.a. authority to fund airport improvement projects at current levels through september 16, 2011. regrettably, unlike all of the prior 20 extensions of the f.a.a. authority, this bill includes a policy rider eliminating essential air service eligibility for 13 airports in small and rural communities. the issue today is not whether we support the essential air service program or not. we should not be legislating on this extension. we should have a kleenex tension so that we can move it over to the senate and make certain -- we should have a clean extension so that we can move it over to the senate and make certain that it is passed before september 16. there have been no hearings on this bill. members with affecte

tonight, nbc's tom costello looks back at three decades of stunning achievement and tragic setbacks. >> reporter: ask anyone old enough to remember april 12th, 1981, and chances are they do. >> the shuttle has cleared the tower. >> reporter: "columbia" america's first shuttle rocketed to space with its crew of two. settle i think we've got something that's really going to mean something to the crew and the world. today with "atlantis" sitting on the pad, her crew is preparing for a countdown. >> we want to make sure that the thousands and thousands of people that put their hands on the space shuttle are honored by this mission and the legacy of the space shuttle. >> reporter: for three decades, the shuttle program has brought incredible triumph. the launch of the hubble telescope, john glen's return to space, the construction of the international space station, and the hubble repair mission. but also, tragedy. the loss of "challenger" and "columbia" and 14 astronauts. and lingering questions about whether spending 13 years in low-earth orbit has been worth the financial and scientifi

as you mentioned, i'm with nbc's tom costello. and tom has in one ear our mission control, if you will, in new york counting us down. he also has nasa and their updates in the other ear. and looking behind me, sxwu pointed this out, tom, nasa may regret not going through with this launch. >> well, because we have, believe it or not, beautiful weather. and seconds ago as you were just giving the intro they gave the go. weather has -- the weather officer here has signed off on this mission. the flight officer has said we are going for launch. and he has said to commander chris ferguson, fergie, godspeed. that is the last time a launch director will ever say "godspeed" to a shuttle commander because this is the last shuttle mission. >> and a little bit about that commander. his nickname is fergie, christopher ferguson. he was 7 years old when neil armstrong made that historic walk on the moon. he actually saw the movie "the right stuff" and said that he saw so many astronauts early in life and navy pilots and he got the buzz like so

jammy costello has the story -- jamie costello is the -- has the story. >> this is your police commissioner. tell him your name. >> reporter: the police commissioner of and father figure of baltimore. he wants kids to be safe. >> we are doing the curfew center. we brought kids in there that are 8 years old out after 11. >> reporter: starting tonight, right before the 11 on abc2 newsyou will heard the words that will bring back your childhood. it's 11:00 do you know where your children are? >> it's basic rules, like you have to be in before the streetlights are on. >> reporter: or the lightning bugs. >> right you have to be -- for me it was streetlights. the streetlights are on you are in. >> reporter: we walked around the harbor today knowing it's a different time for our kids. >> now i have two children. i have to constantly challenge myself, my wife, my kids where you going? how you getting there? how you getting back? who you going to be with? what you doing when you get there? this is so basic. >> reporter: but the slogan is it a started -- the slogan that started on buffalo tv is comin

tom costello, nbc news, cape canaveral. >> and that's our broadcast for this thursday night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. as always, we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> we begin with breaking news tonight. good evening. i'm jessica aguirre. >> and i'm raj mathai. a 60-acre grass fire in morgan hill burning in the area east of 101. if you're familiar with the area, it's up the hill from the target store right. >> at 101 and cochran. it's threatening several homes as you can see how close they are to the homes, the smoke. the morgan hil

it's where we begin tonight with nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: with its tactics already making it one of the most ridiculed government agencies, members of congress today interrupted and taunted a top tsa administrator, even arguing amtrak police dogs would do a better job of explosive detection than the tsa's airport scanners. >> you give me one of his dogs and we will find that bomb before you find your bomb. >> reporter: the tsa today acknowledged 2,500 security breaches since the agency was founded in the months after 9/11. but that's over 10 years after 450 airports, on average, 5 1/2 breaches per airport per year, everything from a misplaced bag to doors left open and passengers walking into secure areas, but also more serious scenarios, like the man who flew across country on an old boarding pass and expired id. the stun gun found on a jetblue flight last week. while the tsa conducts security reviews of every airport every year, it today said it only conducted joint reviews with the fbi at 17% of the nation's highest risk airports. >> we will not get to 150% of 450 airports

> we don't know whether the earth's organics were homegrown or came from space. >> reporter: tom costellonbc news, palmdale california. >>> there's news tonight about chantix. new research published today says patients who take it are increasing their risk of heart problems including heart attacks and strokes. even if they have no prior history of heart disease. pfizer, the company that makes chantix, says the research is based on insubstantial evidence and the drug brings immediate help. >>> up next, a group of americans bringing help and comfort and making a difference this july 4th holiday for people who really need it. >>> happy fourth of july! >> those are skiers on july 4th, and while a lot of americans were enjoying the more typical fare, parades, barbecues and fireworks on this holiday monday, the people you're about to see spend it in quite a different way. it's been four months now since a devastating 9.0 quake and tsunami hit the coast of northeast japan leaving 23,000 people dead or missing. as nbc's ian williams reports from the disaster zone, young american volunteers are ma

john mackey, dead at the age of 69. >> that was jamie costello reporting. coming, we will share your thoughts and remembrance on the passing of john mackey and what he meant to thousands of you across the state. >>> now maryland's most powerful doppler radar and the forecast certified most accurate by weatherate. >> all right. a colorado woman barely escapes the car after rain swamped denver's metro area. you can see the vehicle nearly covered in water under a bridge. she says she was headed home when the rain began to fall. the driver's car eventually sank in the high waters. she grabbed her computer and daughter high school dprad situation as itel before climbing out of the -- graduation tassel before cloimg out of the -- climbing out of the vehicle. people don't realize how powerful water is six inches can swipe you off your feet. you don't know if the ground is this when you see standing water. moisture today, lots of water out there. and this is going to could be tribute to the high dew points. we are going to get some rain in here and also thunderstor

tom costello in our national newsroom. thanks. >>> now to one of the stories we mentioned at the top of the broadcast, this scene that you're about to see happened in dallas, texas, and what a sign of the economic times there today. a huge crowd lined up beginning last night for a chance to just fill out an application for federal housing assistance. when the line moved toward the building in the early hours of the morning after waiting all night, a stampede broke out. several people were injured in the crowd including a pregnant woman. this morning marked the first time in two years the dallas housing authority has accepted applications for section 8 housing vouchers. >>> also in the news tonight, our environment. now to what some are calling the great drought of 2011. the state of texas, for one, one of the 14 states suffering and sweltering through this disaster some have been comparing to the dust bowl of the 1930s, an epic drought the experts started tracking back in february. it hasn't stopped spreading and now cover

. >> that's jammy costello reporting -- jamie costello reporting.2 news will ask the question hoping you will say back yes i do, safe and sound. >>> time to check in with lynette. hello,. >> hi. you know what? we are looking pretty good. we had showers that popped up in the afternoon to the evening time frame last night and you know, we can do it all over again going throughout the day. but maryland's most powerful radar looks good as of now. things are trying to dry out, but don't get too used to it. it's that time of the year where we get the popup thunderstorms and heating of the day. right now into lutherville, temperatures right around 70 at lutherville elementary school. and that humidity is at 89%. and as we go through your 4th of july forecast, well, at 9:00 tonight, that temperature will be right around 81. so still quite warm out there. and then again we have a chance for showers and thunderstorms in the forecast. scattered in nature and not meaning everybody will get wet but take that umbrella just in case. back to you. >> all right. it's

here with a sneak peek is nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: just after dusk in palmdale, california, on board a modified 747 nasa's newest most advanced infrared telescope is taking to the skies for an all-night mission of discovery. it's called s.o.p.h.i.a. flying near the strat sphere at 41,000 feet, two massive doors on the plane open up. at that altitude the telescope is above 99% of the earth's dust and water vapors. it should provide views scientists have never had before of nebulas, planets, stars and comets formed billions of light years ago but only visible to the telescope now. it is a glimpse at creation. >> we're seeing where stars are forming, and we're seeing it for the first time details of how it's all happening, how it's al. >> reporter: s.o.p.h.i.a. is a joint project between nas snasa and the german space agency. it's riding on a cushion of air of 24 black air bladders absorbing all the vibration from the plane that allows the telescope to lock on a distant star as if it were locking on a quarter with pinpoint accuracy. while the hubble telescope has beamed back pictu

we begin our coverage tonight with nbc's tom costello who was lucky enough to watch it blast off at the cape today. tom, good evening. >> reporter: hi, brian. mission managers admit they got lucky with the weather, no rain, no lightning, even a last-minute technical glitch didn't teach "atlant "atlantis" on the ground. for the last time, a farewell from the ground teams who have spent 30 years launching shuttle missions. >> on behalf of the greatest team in the world, good luck to you and your crew on the final flight of this true american icon. >> go flight, one more time, mike, witnessing this nation at its best. the crew of "atlantis" is ready for launch. >> reporter: liftoff, the final liftoff of "atlantis." >> reporter: the 135th shuttle mission thundered off the florida coast on a resupply mission to the space station. while on the ground, three-quarters of a million people gathered to witness history. >> i wish them god speed and i'm so proud, i'm happy to have seen them go out. >> reporter: but controversy continues to reign over nasa and its alumni race as to whether weather is

carol costello is in washington with today's question. should politicians participate in religious events. what are folks saying? >> it's a hot question, fredricka. the country is drowning in debt, and jobs are mia and lawmakers are too busy to help, so why not pray. and there is an event dubbed the response. >> the community is in crisis and people adrift in a sea of immoral relativism, and we need god's help, that's why i am calling on americans to pray and fast like jesus did. >> now, the event is sponsored by the american family association, a christian organization, and that has folks in texas upset. they say a texas governor should not be involved in a religious revooifl you will, because it blurs the line between religion and state. guess what? the president talks religion. >> it is through that experience, working with pastors and lay people trying to heal the wounds of hurting neighborhoods that i came to know jesus christ for myself and embrace him as my lord and saver. >> still, the event in texas has become the hot potato, and

here's carol costello. hey, carol, very good question here.s is a case that seems to be going back and forth. >> reporter: it's an amazing case. and very controversial in many ways. i know most of america is feasting on the casey anthony trial but maybe we should turn our attention to new york, to a sexual assault case that's as ugly as it gets, if you're talking about justice, that is. a high-powered french banker, head of the international monetary fund, is arrested on charges of assaulting a hotel maid. the story resonates, a rich powerful man allegedly attacking a woman with no power, and accusations so awful even without a conviction, the powerful man, dominique strauss-kahn, resigns from the imf. his dreams of becoming france's next president, over. the alleged victim, the "new york times" reports hardened investigators were moved to tears by her story. police say there is dna evidence and bruising to prove the sexual contact was not consensual. but then the lies or depending on your perspective, the leaks begin. less than two days after

this is the video that we were talking to carol costello about a little earlier.ant to say to all the fans thank you so much for all your support. >> i just want to thank you the fans for sticking by us. >> thanks for being with us. >> i want to thank the fans for being patient. >> thank you so much if -- >> the players union released that thank you video for the fans for their support. now to business at hand, signing draft picks. possibly some wheeling and dealing, friday free agency, today training camps open. and carol comstello will join u from the ravens training camp this hour. >>> new vad i don't shows the exact moment the oslo bomb went off captured by store security cameras. >> and a 21-year-old man charged with threatening president obama was busted after buying a machine gun from an undercover agent. >>> and a 14-year-old assassin quekted in a mexican court. he's american. we'll tell you about the jaw dropping charges. >>> it's july 27th. welcome to ground hog day, folks. in washington, the only movement in the debt cry says seems to be another step cl

tackle the greek debt crisis as violent demonstrations rocked the country in protest of the plan costello faced with billions of euros worth of austerity measures demonstrators clashed with police angry at the government's decision to approve radical cuts. public sector workers in the u.k. take part in the national day of strikes in an attempt to defy the government's plans to change their pensions state schools are closed an air traffic disrupted journey biggest industrial action the country's seen in decades. and activists from a humanitarian food just in from gaza a demographer does explain why their convoys being panned front leaving three quarts any more the palestinian need to accept athens offer to deliver being to being played on behalf of the campaigns. libyans fear for their lives as nato steps up air strikes warning the bombs could fall any place any time the function of the duffys threatening to retaliate against europe and mess the alliance stops its campaign. for more world news for in detail in the run thirty minutes from now i would not call a unit shot of out of not but n

. >> reporter: this is tom costello. if they can build it in asia, why can't they build it here? well, in california, high-speed rail is on the way. construction begins next year on what will eventually be a northern california to los angeles line promising 150,000 jobs. this is about as american as you can get, good, green jobs, putting americans to work. at the moment, america only has high-speed rail in the northeast from d.c. to new york and boston where centuries old tracks and winding routes keep the acela from ever hitting peak speeds. this train runs on freight lines, but to go faster than 120 miles an hour would require an entirely new electrified network of high-speed rail lines. the obama administration is moving ahead. the ultimate goal, connect 11 megacity regions with a network of high speed track helping to relieve congested roads and airports. but it won't be cheap, $53 billion over the next three years, $600 billion over the next 25. already republican governors in florida, wisconsin and ohio have rejected high-paid rail money afraid they will be on the hook for

carol costello has some of your responseses. me people were on fire. >> yeah, you got that right. people want lawmakers to sit down and talk, but they don't think that's going to happen. the "talk back" question today, what is the solution to the political stalemate? >> it's a pity we're headed for a dictatorship with the tea party associates. it's wrong to assume the rich do not pay their fair share when the rich pay the majority of taxes in our country. and then this from cameron, it's the well-being and the future of our country. it's a shame there's no one decent in washington. maybe we should send mr. smith back to washington. and this from dave, throw out the incumbents, and put in people that want to help the country -- oh, wait -- >> a lot of kcomedians there. >>> the announcement that border's will close its doors have people wondering if book stores are a thing of the past. we have seen e readers come increasingly possible. how many people own an e-reader now. the answer after this. are you anxious to protect your fami

this is the crime scene in san mateo where douglas costello was murdered in 2008 in what is still ancase. his girlfriend, laura johnson, is holding the fundraiser as a -- at tgi fridays on tuesday, the day costello would have turned 40. the restaurant has agreed to donate 25% of all sales that day to the reward fund. >>> the search continues for a small plane that crash and sank in sausalito. this is video of the plane attempt to go take off near bridgeway boulevard on friday. you see it starting to takeoff and hitting a wake. it slipped nose first into the bay. a passing boat rescued the two passengers onboard. they are okay. a private company was at the scene yesterday trying to recover the wreckage. so far divers have not found it. they say the hide degree plane -- the hydroplane did not have enough fuel to cause an environmental concern. >>> investigators will use dna testing to identify what they believe is the sixth and final victim of that amtrak crash in the nevada desert. federal investigators are expected to wrap up work at the scene early this week. they are trying to dete

our carol costello is in the middle of the action. a lot of people have come out to say so long to the shuttle, right, carol? >> reporter: oh, people told me last night that there would be a million people today and from what it looked like yesterday, because it was raining all day, i said, come on! but take a look. tht this is a piece of land off the highway. waiting for the people waiting for the shuttle to launch and from missouri and tennessee and kentucky and the great state of michigan. let me introduce you to my new friend, kyra. this is dick. welcome. i should welcome you! >> yeah, right. >> reporter: how long have you been here? >> i've been here since yesterday. flew in from detroit and got here yesterday afternoon and stayed in a motel in orlando. >> reporter: you planned for this? you got the hotel a month in advance so your grandson jacob could see this? >> i always said i wanted to see a launch and kept putting it off and being this is the last one, i said i've got to do it! so i invited my grandson to come with me. >> r

carol costello, she's got more. hey, carol. >> boy, i do ever have more? first, allow me to be crass. the popular topic on twit they are weekend was fu, washington. i doubt you're shocked about that after seven months of scathing political attacks countless meetings between the president and lawmakers, half a dozen plans, there is still no debt ceiling deal. bottom line, house speaker john boehner says if a deal is not in place by wednesday with, the country could go into fault, snag could cause interest rates to shoot up and stock prices to plummet. so if there is no deal by wednesday what should president obama do? bill clinton says he ought to invoke the 14th amendment. clinton says the 14th amendment the authority to raise the debt ceiling without congressional approval. president obama has thought about it. >> i have talked to my lawyers. they don't -- they do not -- they are not persuaded that that is a winning argument. >> so, does that sound like a no to you? maybe it is not a. no the president ignored the white house lawyers on libya, so he has do

douglas costello was a night manager at tgi fridays when he was killed in january of 2008. today would have been his 40th birthday and for the day, the restaurant is donating a quarter of its proceeds toward a reward for any information. currently stands at $40,000. >>> 5:06. let's get an update on the accident blocking traffic on highway 101 in san mateo. elizabeth? >> okay, thanks. traffic alert still in effect. they still have three left lanes block. we are talking about san mateo southbound 101 just past 92 exit. this is an accident involving an overturned car. chp is out there so we are waiting for them to give us word when they are going to clear this accident but so far no estimated time when they are going to be able to open any lanes. just minimal slowing approaching the scene so no need to use 280 as an alternate. just a small bottleneck right there where chp has the lanes blocked. in the meantime word of a new accident now actually a couple of accidents towards the bay bridge. tony with the kcbs phone force letting us know about an accident around the "s" curve b

tom costello, thank you very much, and it was a greatanchori you. and by the way beside me is dr. the first african-american woman in space. and let me get your thoughts on the end of the shuttle program. >> well, the first thing that comes to mind is that you are saying good-bye to something comfortable that you knew and that was a wonderful vehicle, and it is sad. at the same time, we really are looking forward to getting out of the lower earth orbit, and we are still in space and still have humans going up, and the united states is still the major partner this, and now let's do something else, and do what i would have loved to have done. i was a little kid watching the "apollo" program and i thought we would have gone to mars by now, and let's do that. >> and those are the obama goals to get to a close asteroid or to mars, and again, it is many years away and a lot of decent, and some of the articles have described it as disarray happening with the space program. >> well, it is not disarray, but people are nervous. i would love for us to make a commitment to do it in a shorter

my name is elizabeth costello, and i represent ivy grove partners. my partner is here, and david baker. we are a san francisco based development company that does market rate housing for sale. we acquired 401 grove last year with existing entitlements for 61 units and ground for commercial. this was a former freeway parcel that has been used as a parking lot for many years. this will increase the number of units and reduce the amount of commercial space, generally working within the existing building configuration. the immediate neighborhood and community has been in support of our plan, in keeping with the market octavia plan. the planning commission is pleased to see additional housing and a low parking ratio. they have written a letter of support, as has the sf and housing coalition. in may 2011, we invited the neighbors to an open house for the site. we recently heard from the owners of the adjacent property who were concerned about losing their science on the east property line. -- there -- their signage on the east property line. we will contin

doug costello was shot to death outside this d 1 tgif restaurant on january 21st, 2008. his killer has never been found. today would have been his 140th birthday. the restaurant is contribute the 5% of all sales to increase the current $40,000 reward in the case. the fund-raiser lasts until 1:00 a.m. >>> a group of watt -- squatters is operating at the mission district and a chaotic scene broke out last night when police officers showed um. >> hey! hey! police arrested one man last night. he's part of a group called homes, not jails. they have taken over a building on 20 the and mission. >> this -- on 20th and mission. >>> this property has been sitting vacant for 19 years. there's 42 units sitting vacant. >> the group said it would like to see the group of supervisors push for attacks for property owners who leave housing units unoccupied for more than a year. >>> coca-cola donated $250,000 this morning to the san francisco parks trust program. the fund will be used to build a new trail in the northeast corner of golden gate park and fund a sports recreation van that wi

tom costello, nbc news, washington. >> among the thousands making their way to d.c.s one man who has traveled nearly 4,000 miles across the country in his wheelchair. you have never seen a wheelchair quite like this one. chet hoping to help find a cure important spinal cord injuries. he was paralyzed in a motocross accident. he set out through southern california five weeks ago. that chair goes 55 miles an hour. needless to say he gets a lot of looks from other motorists and questions from police. >> i built this wheelchair and i decided that i would go do something for spinal cord research. something i have never done anything like this before. and just kind of jumped into it. didn't know what i was doing. learned a lot on the road. >> reporter: he says he hopes to get the attention of members of congress and the president before leaving d.c. >> get a helmet or windscreen or something. >>> still ahead, why the first lady, michelle obama, may public warming up her arm and working on her aim today. >>> neighborhood pride. new children's book that [ male announcer ] ar

carol costello is joining us from washington. carol, i bet you're going to get a lot of folks weighing in on this one. >> i urge all of our facebook friends to keep it clean. that's my only request today. what is happening in washington is political gamesmanship at its worse. it's ugly and more than a little scary. the united states has never gone into default because past administrations and lawmakers have compromised. cnn contributor john avalon says lawmakers have raised the debt ceiling 77 times including 8 tooils times under ronald reagan and back in the day politicians weren't quite so macho. many insist on standing on principal even though most americans stand on the side of good old fashioned compromise. two-thirds of americans want the president and republicans to compromise, rather than stand up for their beliefs to get things done. wow. a break from part is anship. perhaps the happiest outcome of the president's speech last night was when he urged you to contact your congressmen and you did. lawmaker's websites were cr

. >> that was jamie costello reporting. we will ask the question every night with the hopes you will say back yes, i do, safe and sound at home. >>> it's 4:35. it's all turned to a northerly alday at camp david after a plane was escorted to the ground by an f-15 fighter jet. what happened was the plane had flown into a restricted zone. the president and the first family have been spending most july 4th weekend at camp david and authorities say they tried to contact the plane while in air, but the pilot never responded. so that plane was escorted to hagerstown where it landed. authorities questioned the pilot and they determined the entire thing was an accident. >>> in new hampshire republican presidential candidate john hutsman spent the weekend campaigning. he mingled at a house party under the banner of the good old fashioned way. one person at a time. john huntsman is scheduled to hit another house party later today. >>> 4:36. after a day of rest, it's back to the courtroom. >> the casey anthony trial going on today. wha

one of the bodies police identified was amber lynn costello. sister, kim overstreet, is looking for answers. >> i was doing research, trying to backtrack, getting everything i could. it got to the point where -- i was obsessed with it. >> overstreet says police have told her very little about the investigation. so like the gilbert family, she started doing her own digging. >> it is my baby sister. you know? it eats at me every day. it's consuming. >> reporter: kim herself used to work for an escort agency. she tried to teach her sister how to stay safe on the job. >> i worked for a service and the guy had to have a home phone listed in his name. if there wasn't a home phone number listed in his name, he wouldn't go. but, she says her sister was a drug addict which made her even more vulnerable. so where we going now. >> we're going to where amber was staying, where the last place she walked out of was, where she met the guy that picked her up. >> reporter: this is the house where amber was last seen. on the night that amber disappeared, kim was

douglas costello was a night manager at it. gi fridays when he was killed back in january of 2008 and today would have been his 40th birthday. the reward is $40,000. >>> in about an hour jury deliberations will resume in the murder trial of casey anthony. the 25-year-old florida woman is accused of killing her 2- year-old daughter in 2008. jury began deliberating yesterday but did not reach a verdict. they have most of the evidence in the jury room but they can return to the courtroom if they want to see any of the video evidence. >>> time now is 4:41. and the vacation is over on capitol hill. the biggest challenge in break the deadlock over our nation's debt. >>> first google, now twitter is in hot water over its business practices. why the social network is at the center of a federal investigation. >>> a real surprise in a new study about autism. how certain factors during pregnancy could trigger the condition. we'll be right back. ,, 3q take the finish challenge. i'm robin sue joss and my website is big red kitchen. i do bel

here with an exclusive sneak peek is nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: just after dusk in palmdale, californian board a modified 747, nasa's newest, most advanced infrared telescope is taking to the skies for an all-night mission of discovery. >> nasa 747. >> reporter: it's called s.o.f.i.a. flying near the stratosphere two massive doors open up. they're among 99% of the earth case dust and water vapors. it should provide crystal clear infrared views like scientists have never had before of nebulas, planets, stars and comets formed billions of light years ago but only visible to the telescope now. it is say researchers a glimpse at creation. >> we're seeing where stars are forming, and we're seeing it for the first time, details of how it's all happening, how it's all coming together. >> reporter: s.o.f.i.a. is a joint process between nasa and the german space agency. the germans built the $120 million telescope and nasa provided the plane. it's riding on a cushion of air with 24 of these black air bladders literally absorbing all the vibration from the plane. that allows the telescope to lock

carol costello with that question., carol, a lot of people reacted very strongly one way or the other. a lot of people were surprised by it, but, you know, was justice served? >> that's the question this afternoon. casey anthony might be a free woman as soon as tomorrow not found of murder. she could be sentenced to time served for lying for investigators, and if that's the case cops already have a plan to sneak her out of the courtroom. >> i don't know if they were watching the same thing we were. it's just shocking. i don't know. i don't watch anything like this, but it's -- it's a little girl. it's just wrong. >> a jury found casey anthony not guilty, and an alternate juror telling us the big question not answered, how did caylee die? but in the court of public opinion, everybody thought she was guilty. >> the o.j. simpson jury retired and moved to florida. it's their first time back. >> you have not heard the last of casey anthony, and some say she will star a book and star in a reality tv show and make millions of

tom costello, nbc news, washington. >> that was interesting. >> it really is.ame, they need to get into it quickly for a lot of reasons. >> it's amazing, if you go to shanghai, you see the pace of development, like playing off this notion of the bridge. it is -- because as the guys -- one of the sources there said, there's no regulations whatsoever and there's a lot of money. they just -- you can literally if you spend two weeks there, watch them tearing stuff down and building new stuff up. the pace of development is kind of mind boggling to see how fast an old city has been converted into one of the most modern cities in the world. >> it's like we've got our feet in cement. we need to develop high speed rail networks across america for a lot of different reasons. it is to follow up what i did in the 1950s, we're in the 21st century. we need to move forward now. >> tom costello said, $500 billion number, that's over 25 years, that's $20 billion a year, that pales in comparison to what we spend in wars. nice to get out of the war game. >> why don't we stop thro

one of the bodies police identified was amber lynn costello. her sister, kimover street, is looking for answers. >> i was doing research, trying to backtrack, getting everything i could. it got to the point where -- >> reporter: she says police told her very little about the investigation, so like the gilbert family, she started doing her own digging. >> it is my baby sister. you know? >> reporter: kim herself used to work for an escort agency. she tried to teach her sister how to stay safe on the job but, she says her sister was a drug addict which made her even more vulnerable. so where we going now. >> we're going to where amber was staying, where the last place she walked out of was, where she met the guy that picked her up. >> reporter: this is the house where amber was last seen. on the night that amber disappeared, kim was out of the state. are you okay? >> yeah. >> tell me what's going on. >> it's just this is the last place she was. i've been here so many times with her. i just can't believe -- that morning she had got a call from a gu

if joe costello looks familiar, it's because he had a big hit as ceo of cadence design systems in siliconalley and now he's in oakland. >> there's a tremendous amount of talent who is available to wants to live in this part of the bay. >> reporter: some call it the pandora effect. others say that oakland is just a cool place to work. >> it's really starting to change. there's a group of technical companies that get together on a regular basis here in oakland. pandora is the big success story because they have gone public recently which is fantastic but there are really scores of technology companies here in the oakland area. >> reporter: in a world where streaming content is king, some of the brightest minds are coming here to oakland to start things up. orb launched the orb live app. you can get tv to go. tomorrow night we return to the east bay to meet some enterprising young people who want to dress you up. >> thanks. very interesting story. we look forward to it. >>> many of us are responsible for taking care of older relatives but budget cuts are taking away one of the best resources

carol costello was there for the launch with the crowds. carol, you help us, did it feel -- it's empty there now, people have cleared out but did it feel like a million people were there earlier today? >> reporter: t.j., it did feel like a million people were here. it was amazing. . i'll tell you what million people are doing now, they're driving. take a look at route 528. that's everybody returning from cape canaveral back to their hotels, back to their airports to go home for the day. but i am tell you, t.j., just to be here, and this alongside of the road, 528, look that way, you can see the water and clear over there in the distance, that was where the space shuttle took off from. the very moment it did, actually we have video to show you of the very moment it took off, people were chanting" usa, usa" cheering. it brought a tear to your eye. look. >> and lift-off! >> usa! >> look at it! >> reporter: t.j., you had to admit that was pretty darn cool and emotional. two people are left on this little slice of beach off of 528, that would be

carol costello has the responses. >> my facebook page is on fire. neocons are caught with their pants down and the tea party is the only thing stopping them from having the ability to agreeing in the congress. and this from karen. hurting? those people are idiots starting with michele bachmann. and this from tim. they are held bent to take this country down just to make obama fail and prevent his re-elect n re-election. the tea bagger par key is just a bunch of racists and bagets with no clue. be careful what you wish for. gone in 2012. this from fran. the tea party is doing nothing to help anything. they think they know what is good for the american people, but what they want is their own way and the rest of american be dammed. wait, that sounds like congress, too. thank you for your comments. continue the conversation. facebook.com/car facebook.com/carolcnn. we will have more after this. i'm here in the downtown area where the crowd is growing. [ female announcer ] watching calories at breakfast never tasted this sweet... i'll go get my bowl. [ fe

carol costello is live nearby with some of those people.arol. >> yes, you're talking to another regular american, that would be me. i'm at port canaveral, about 15 miles from the kennedy space center. people have been gathering here for literally days. this is a beach right off of the highway and all of these people are hoping that they'll -- that the space shuttle finally lifts off this morning because they'll have a fantastic view from here. take a look out over the water. you probably can't see it, but i can see the space shuttle between the trees over the ocean. when it finally lifts off it will be one beautiful sight. people have come to this little tiny slip of beach from all over the country and ricky, if you turn this way, these people down here are from st. louis, canada, you're from orlando, tampa, pittsburgh. i love that. >> where are you from? >> orlando. >> these people are from seattle. we're going to talk to them in just a second, brad and donna. over there, those people are from? st. louis. so brad, i'm going to talk to you.

tom costello with more from cape canaveral. >> reporter: it was an emotional and dramatic end to thehuttle program here at 5:57 on runway 15, "atlantis" touched down just before 6:00 a.m. here are the sights and sounds as "atlantis" touched down the last time. >> landing gear down and locked. having fired the imagination of a generation, a ship like no other, its place in history secured, the space shuttle pulls into port for the last time. its voyage at an end. >> houston, after serving the world for over 30 years, the space shuttle earned its place in history, has come to a final stop. >> we copy your will stop. we'll take this opportunity to congratulate you, "atlantis," as well as the thousands of passionate individuals across this great space faring nation who truly empowered this incredible spacecraft, which for three decades, have inspired millions around the globe. job well done, america. >> great words. great words. the space shuttle changed the way we view the world and changed the way we view our universe. a lot of emotion today. one thing indisputable, north america will

. >>> and we have new fatigue rules for air traffic controllers, and tom costello is joining me now.know about the new regulations concerning those air traffic controllers falling asleep. >> yes, you remember that case in nevada when a comptroller was sleeping when a medevac plane was trying to make a landing. and because of those incidents, there is supposed to be a new step, and they prohibit controllers to be denied the ability to sleep while on duty, and that i have to conduct themselves professionally and be ready for recall at all time, and air traffic controllers must report for work ready for work and mentally alert, and they have extended the amount of time between shift from eight hours to nine hours hopefully allowing for more time for rest. as a result the controllers can request to take time off if they are too fatigued to work air traffic. they can request to take time off. also, they will now be allowed to listen to the radio and read appropriate printed material while on duty between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. to keep themselves awake and mentally occupied and the faa h