i knelt down with colt and he looked up at me and he said this is gabby, gabby giffords. >> this is the first time i've been back since the shooting. it's different. definitely different. >> this is my fifrt tirst time well. glad to talk with colt again and revisit it. i walked up and can you immediately see the scene in your mind. but -- >> flash back? >> sure. sure. not a traumatic flash back. but you remember. for me, the smell is the big thing. >> the smell of blood. >> sure. >> and what did you see? what are you looking for when you start to evaluate a patient? >> i asked her if she do hear me. she squeezed her hand. she was alert to that sense. >> she had been down 30 minutes. the medics faced a critical decision. >> we were instructed by person on scene to put her in a helicopter. we looked at each other. we didn't hear a helicopter or see a helicopter. >> the rookie paramedics ultimately made that split second decision to just go. so what happened? so her head over here? >> that's right. colt was initiating an iv in her left arm. and we were continuing checking on her responsive

and finally tonight, brian, an update from gabby giffords' staff. her next major medical hurdle will be to replace a portion of her skull that was taken off in january during that tragedy. back to you. >> tom costello, beautiful evening back at the cape. tom, thanks for that. >>> when we come back, it's not you. turns out everybody may be right. this might in fact be the worst year ever for allergies. >>> and later, advice for high school graduates whose hard work earned them a visit from let's just say a better-than-average graduation speaker. >>> we're back now with the acute seasonal suffering of millions of americans this allergy season. believe it or not, it goes back to the snow we had this past record winter in many places. those who said it has been the worst year ever may have a good point. our report from our chief medical editor, dr. nancy snyder. >> it's a sneezy, wheezy, itchy, downright miserable allergy season. >> eyes watering, burning, throat. >> coughing a lot more, sneezing a lot more. >> sinus pressure, headaches. >> itchy eyes,

congresswoman gabby giffords, a survivor.onight, her staffers give us an inside peek at her recovery and theirs. >> what kind of person would we encounter if we walked into her room right now. >> brian williams on a congresswoman and her staff, battling back. >>> they are some of the most amazing americans that you'll see. >> her husband lost both legs in battle. >> you always hear about the casualties. you never see the wounded. >> what kind of future do they face now? >> families will have to deal with their own war zone. >> that's absolutely true. >> tonight, a new fight for our military families on the home front. >> now is the time we need to get it together. >> tom brokaw with the first lady, joining forces. ♪ sit a spell ♪ it will take about an hour ♪ i'll tell y'all a story about me and matt lauer ♪ >>> a rock 'n' roll legend lets loose and lets down that hair. turns out this so-called demon side. >> it broke my heart. i cried like a baby. >> slip-ups both off and on stage. >> have you considered that they were a litt

congresswoman gabby giffords undergoes delicate surgery, just as 200 miles up, her husband, the astronaut, pulls off a flawless operation of his own. >>> no fair. employers openly refuse to hire people who don't have a current job. we'll give you the tips that break down that barrier. >>> and, who's right? legendary physicist stephen hawking declares, there's no heaven. but a little boy takes him on, saying, he's been there. >>> good evening. we are just learning tonight that an urgent worldwide manhunt is under way, including in this country, triggered by the documents found in osama bin laden's hideout. it turns out that he surprisingly kept a list of al qaeda operatives by name, discovered in those files brought back home by navy s.e.a.l.s. and pierre thomas now brings us his exclusive new reporting on it tonight. pierre? >> reporter: diane, sources tell us the entire u.s. intelligence network is per suing leads from the bin laden files, including names and phone numbers, as officials work to see if the plots that bin laden was working on had gone beyond simple discussions. sources fam

red tulips for gabby. a red rose to each of his teenage daughters. and mark and gabby swapped their wedding rings. she is wearing his ring on a chain around her neck. four months ago, mark told diane it was one of the first objects she reached for after the tragedy in tucson. >> she loves to play with my ring. so, that's what i'm going to -- i'll be over there right now and i know, you know, she'll be pulling it off my finger and putting it on hers and moving it from one to the other. >> reporter: and tonight as he soars above the clouds, he'll hold hers, which is inscribed with the phrase he put there for her, "you are the closest to heaven i've ever been." now, gabby just left here late this afternoon heading back to houston so she can start her rehabilitation, her therapy again, possibly even later tonight. there's one thing that's changed though, now she's carrying around her blackberry, just in case mark gives her a call from space. diane, you can imagine, she just does not want to miss it. >> she is not going to miss it. thank you, bob woodruff

i started calling her gorgeous gabby today. and i think she -- and she hasn't looked in the mirror yet, but as soon as she does, she'll be very pleased. >> gorgeous gabby, they say. >>> still ahead here on "world news" this thursday night, the hidden gold sitting right in your driveway. that used car could be worth a lot more money than you thought. what we discovered here. >>> and the new move by arnold schwarzenegger, just as we learn of new numbers tonight on american marriage. and they might actually provide some hope this evening. >>> and then, superman. that's what his friends already call him. and tonight, when you see what he does, you just might call him that, too. [ door closes, silence ] [ male announcer ] i know what you're thinking. "leather-trimmed command center, "almost 300 horsepower, "infiniti surround sound, "seating for seven -- wait. this is a minivan?" makes you almost want to have kids. [ child screams ] [ male announcer ] almost. the new 2011 dodge grand caravan. now get $2,000 cash allowance or 0% finan

gabby. >> very nice. well, giffords has to no longer wear that protective helmet she's been wearing following a successful surgery to repair her skull and aboard the space station her husband mark kelly and his crew were all sporting their gabby bracelets worn as a show of support. >> what an incredible time for both of them right now. >> really. such remarkable people. >>> well, coming up next, it's a seller's market. the skyrocketing prices of used cars. >>> and then arnold schwarzenegger makes a dramatic announcement about his future. >>> and one of the top movies of all time in a way you have never seen it before. >>> most overseas markets are up this morning. tokyo's nikkei average lost a small amount. and the ftse opened higher, and the dow was up 0 the nasdaq index gained about the same. >>> well, some of the dow's gain was linked to linkedin. shares did go public yesterday and just within a couple of minutes they were selling at twice the value set by the company. that's pretty good news for other

that will get gabby sanchez homes. bottom of the fourth, same score. here comes dobbs again.infante gets home safely. bottom of the fifth, hanley ramirez with a looper to center. it drops. infante makes it home and then gabby sanchez causes more trouble. at the plate. here the pitch. and there goes the ball. three-run home run. the marlins shut down the nationals. -0. the trouble continues for the baltimore orioles as they were swept by the jays. evan longoria scores. matt joyce comes around. that will get him home and adam jones. but they do it again. ben zobrist will come around to score. joey scores and they win 5-3. >> the search for a new head coaches. mike breye told maryland that he will stay with the irish gray. he has strong ties to this area. but he reportedly told kevin anderson no thank you. this coming after sean miller turned down a position yesterday. >> the most surprising could be what has happened to the world champion lakers. today's game four just shocking. no one could guard jason terry. his shot made it 71-88. they had to do this. look at that bush leagu

. >>> congresswoman gabby giffords is set for surgery today to replace a piece of her skull. after giffords was shot in january, doctors removed part of her skull to allow room for her brain to swell. once she recovers from this procedure, they say that giffords will not have to worry about wearing a protective helmet. >>> and word of giffords' surgery comes as her husband docks with "endeavour" on the international space station for the last time. commander mark kelly and crew wrapped up the postlaunch. they said the initial results looked very good. >>> and back in florida, "atlantis" is lining up for its final flight. photos were captured as it was moved from the hangar to an enormous building to be prepared for liftoff. that mission is expected to take place some time in july. >>> unpresidented security measures are in place for queen elizabeth's historic visit to ireland. police arrested a handful of protesters. but overall, well-wishers are celebrating the relationship. >> reporter: queen elizabeth stopped on to irish soil wearing green. emerald green. the first visit b

the helmet which had become a fixture in my life and a part of gabby's as well, after the surgery, itas much of the pain. >> she is going to look at herself in the mirror today and see a person well on the mend, some one who is really recovering. that is going to go a long way towards her recovery in the future. >> reporter: but why did she have this surgery now, while her husband mark is so far away? >> the expectation is that she is going to do beautifully. i think the timing was right. i think she is ready for this procedure. >> reporter: according to the doctors who replaced my skull, this almost always speeds up our healing. >> we have seen improvements psychologically in patients but also documented improvements in terms of motor response, verbal response, cognitive response of brain function. >> reporter: for gabby giffords, this is a major step on the long road back towards normalcy. bob woodruff, abc news. >>> nasa is keeping extra close eye on damage to thermal tiles on the belly of shuttle "endeavour." analysts spotted some gouges in photos taken before endeavor docked with

it hold special meaning for mark kelly and his wife gabby giffords who was shot in the head in februarys in rehab center in texas. >> it's about two people on a trip reaching across a distance. and it references places like signal hill and gate pass in tucson. and i know she really, really wants to get back there and is really looking forward to that. so it's an appropriate song, because that's coming soon. >> giffords represents parts of arizona, of course. kelly did not elaborate on what he meant by soon. >>> we're going to check in on the weather right now. it did warm up a little bit. or at least the sun came out, at least. let's check with rob mayeda to see what coming up next. hi, rob. >> we probably saw the sunniest day of the three-day holiday weekend as we watch clouds spilling in right now. patchy low clouds in oakland, 53 degrees. not much wind around oakland, but san francisco a different story. you still got the wind around san mateo and san francisco, west at 22. 52 degrees. we'll wake up to patchy low clouds with the morning. san jose 55 degrees. the winds here backed off

>> we'll move on to gabbie if that's all right with you. here we go. >> good evening,ern, i'm martin gram, employee relations director for the city and county of san francisco. the issue of overtime/comp time is that under the federal labor standards act, employees who are not exempt because they're higher up in the organization, we have to cash them out. so if they've worked for -- if we allow them, or suffer them to work overtime, then they have a right to the cash if they want it or they can agree to earn comp time but even at the end of the career, when they separate, whether they retire or leave the city for other reasons, we have to cash them out. the higher earners are most often exempt from that law. and they are subject to use it or lose it. i think we're in compliance as best we can with the state of the law. >> do you want to talk about the other one? >> on the use it or lose it question about grants, this is kind of a classic budgeting issue. i'd be interested to know which grants in particular you're interested in and maybe you

his journey home made easier by a gift from his wife, congresswoman gabby giffords. >>> short supply. a dangerous shortage of more than 200 medications, life-saving drugs. what hospitals are doing about it tonight. >>> and war dogs. they fight side by side with our soldiers. now, americans are lining up to give these dogs loving homes when their service is done. >>> good evening. it has been said that america will remain the land of the free as long as it's also the home of the brave. and on this 133rd memorial day, we honor the brave. including the more than 4,000 u.s. soldiers who died in iraq. over 1,400 in afghanistan. and our soldiers in afghanistan marked this solemn day at camp leatherneck. here at home, the president laid a wreath on the tomb of the unknown soldier at arlington national cemetery. >> our nation owes a debt to its fallen heroes that we can never fully repay. but we can honor their sacrifice. and we must. >>> earlier, president obama announced his pick for the nation's top military post. army general martin dempsey. as chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, demps

one thing gabby did say to me -- i looked over at her and she said, good stuff. i got to agree.tuff this morning. beautiful and really powerful moment to be there. >> if you say powerful moment, it's interesting because she's been through so much in recent months, so much with her recovery and her therapy and everything else. for those few moments there's a bit of apprehension as the liftoff starts. take us through that moment. >> yeah. i think it's -- there's a sense of relief, obviously, a couple minutes into a launch like this when you know that at least the beginning portion has happened safely. because prior to it there's anticipation and anxiety that runs through the astronaut families. i think that's normal. it's risky business, obviously, flying the space shuttle. >> she obviously came for the launch, it was delayed. she went back to the rehabilitation center. she comes back again. physically is that taking a toll on her? >> actually, it's quite the opposite. the travel to florida has been a therapy utic process for her and a milestone in her process. because it's physic

and now her new nickname is gorgeous gabby.rielle giffords is awake and she is talking this morning just two days after surgery to repair her skull. her into your very surgeon calls her gorgeous gabby now that giffords no longer wears the helmet she has had on since being shot back in january. her husband astronaut mark kelly is monitoring his wife's progress while on the endeavour mission. >>> speaking of that, this morning live pictures here, crewmembers on that space shuttle are taking the first spacewalk. the spacewalk is set to last 6.5 hours. this is the first of four spacewalks for the mission, the last space mission for the shuttle endeavour. >>> back here on planet earth, we are looking good today. we have some sunshine coming our way. starting out with a couple of low clouds and fog. some of that extending over the bay, sun ride 5:56 this morning. clouds out there now but as we head toward the afternoon we'll see more sunshine on the way and it looks like a pretty nice day around the bay area. low clouds and fog exten

at one point during the interview, he brought up the situation with congresswoman gabby giffords andou look back at history and see how populations in our country where perrist ently discriminated against and segregated and marginalized, you think of all groups, you name it. the most prejudice really exists still to this day towards people with mental illnesses. there is that sense, like jared louf ner out in arizona, he's crazy. they look the other way not thinking that this is someone who is sick and needs health care. instead, because we look the other way and he goes untreated, he shoots and kills people, including a good friend of mine, gabby giffords. >> jared loughner is the 22-year-old accused of shooting gabrielle giffords. >> and now our attention is on gabby and her recovery and he's being jailed for his brain not being recovered. it's an irony but we think nothing of no stigma towards gabby and her brain injury but he has a brain injury as well because clearly his brain was not working properly when he picked up that gun and shot all of those people. >> one of the most st

we learned more about gabby's condition. they say that she's speaking, actually quite clearly, not really slurring her words although she's lost her memory for many of those words. she's also singing as a kind of speech therapy and also very comfortable, knows the lyrics of most of her favorite songs and she's walking better than she did two weeks ago. >> get chills every time seeing that. thank you. >> george? >>> now to presidential politics. the republican field is taking its final shape. mike huckabee announced he would not run. donald trump expected to signal today whether he's more committed to "celebrity apprentice" or the presidential campaign trail. and candidates are crisscrossing iowa, new hampshire and south carolin carolina. jon karl has more. >> reporter: huckabee's decision takes a big-name republican out of the running. mike huckabee would have been a front-runner. but -- >> all the factors say go. but my heart says no. and that's the decision that i have made. >> reporter: huckabee won the iowa caucuses and

. >> gabby, great wake up song. >> and- now with free hd -- for only $29 a month for six months. or get $300 back via promotion card with a qualifying u-verse bundle. [ male announcer ] u-verse tv lets you record up to four shows at once on a single dvr. and you can record and play back your shows from any room. plus with u-verse, you get dvr service and receiver included at no extra charge. [ female announcer ] call to get at&t u-verse -- now with free hd -- for only $29 a month for six months. or get $300 back via promotion card with a qualifying u-verse bundle. [ male announcer ] and former comcast customers prefer at&t u-verse tv picture quality. even upgrade to over 160 hd channels. that's more than comcast. [ female announcer ] at&t u-verse: tv like you've never seen before. >>> what a wake-up call. u-2 song woke up the shuttle endeavour. the song chosen by gabrielle giffords. her husband is the shuttle commander. main job today is check for launch damage to the heat shield. initial results from the inspection looks pretty good. endeavour is carrying a $2 bi

congresswoman gabby giffords has been flown in to send her husband off.ryan hughes. >> reporter: space shuttle "endeavour" is scheduled to blast off from kennedy space center just before 9:00 in the morning. >> this is just something you can remember. >> reporter: it will be the 25th flight for the "endeavour" and its last before it is retired and given to a museum in los angeles. roughly 400,000 people will visit brevard county to watch the liftoff. the shuttle was supposed to take off late last night but concerns with the shuttle's heating system scrubbed the launch. >> we haven't seen one in a couple of years and this will be great. >> reporter: the mission promises to be an emotional one for commander mark kelly. his wife, u.s. congresswoman gabrielle giffords will be there. in january she was nearly killed when a would-be assassin shot her in the head at a meeting with constituents in tucson, arizona. meantime, meteorologists predict a 30% delay due to weather in the morning. "endeavour" was introduced into the shuttle fleet in may 1992. it's logged

and just before the flight, gabby and mark exchanged wedding rings and she is wearing his on a chain. chief of staff describes her reaction. >> during the viewing she did at the end saying to me, she said good stuff. >> giffords was shot in the head back in january and making a truly remarkable recovery, relearning how to walk and talk. right after the you launch, they exchange. >> wonderful. >> mike nicco has the forecast. >> we have to look at the rain is. it's starting to come ashore and pan off to the east. light rain in santa rosa, not once but twice over the next couple of days. >> interesting weather forces the tour of california to make changes to its route today. >> also the telephone conversation that got one woman arrested. are you trapped and don't know how to escape your addiction to cigarettes? one out of two regular smokers will die prematurely from smoking. you don't have to be one of them. escape the trap. say "enough." for free help to quit smoking, call the california smokers' helpline at 1-800-no butts. >> all new. the biggest controversy in "oprah show" history. n

yesterday was an important step in gabby's recovery.rocedures yesterday and i'll describe both of them to you. the first was a cranial plasty and then she had a shunt placed at the same time. as you know, the cranio plasty was for the skull defect. it was an implant we used and it was something we planned to do around this time. gabby had also developed a condition called myohydrocephalous. hydrocephalous just means water in the head, in latin, and it's a condition that develops in many patients who have a brain injury. we produced daily clear fluid that bathes our brain called cerebral spinal fluid. that fluid is also reabsorbed on a daily basis and when there is injury, that reabsorption can be partially clogged, like having a partially clogged drain. when that happens, that fluid can build up and that's something that can be treated with a shunt. because gabby did not have a -- have the bone, that fluid was not causing her any problems because it was coming out under the scalp and she was recovering and proceeding with her rehabilita

his words to the crew and gabby giffords straight ahead. >>> os, they were young, they were scared, theyed and helped change the world. members of the freedom writers talk about their role in the civil rights movement. you don't want to miss that. very interesting. eless network all across america. we're adding new cell sites... increasing network capacity, and investing billions of dollars to improve your wireless network experience. from a single phone call to the most advanced data download, we're covering more people in more places than ever before in an effort to give you the best network possible. at&t. rethink possible. aflac! oh, i've just got major medical... major medical. ...but it helps pay the doctors. pays the doctors, boyyy! [ quack ] oh yeah? what about your family? ♪ we added aflac, so we get cash! it's like our safety net... ♪ to help with the mortgage or whatever we need! so my family doesn't feel the pain too. ha! [ male announcer ] help protect your family at aflac.com. [ pigeons ] heyyy! hooo!!! isn't some optional pursuit. a privilege for the ultra-wealthy. it's a

. >> gabby, great wake up song. >> and gabrielle giffords started the first workday in space and the endeavour crew. [ female announcer ] this is not a prescription. this is stacy. who runs circles around asthma. and dan. he never lets high cholesterol get him too low. and amy with her arthritis well in hand. they go to walgreens... where their pharmacist not only refills prescriptions but gives advice... immunizations... and health tests. staying on top of your health starts right in your neighborhood. walgreens. there's a way to stay well. >>> what a wake-up call. u-2 song woke up the shuttle endeavour. the song chosen by gabrielle giffords. her husband is the shuttle commander. main job today is check for launch damage to the heat shield. initial results from the inspection looks pretty good. endeavour is carrying a $2 billion magnetic instrument designed to find anti-matter in the universe. >>> good day to fly for the shuttle but how about here? >> we have flight arrival delays two and a half hours at sfo. keep track of that at flight tracker. take a look what happened around san

and just before the flight, gabby and mark exchanged wedding rings and she is wearing his on a chain. chief of staff describes her reaction. >> during the viewing she did at the end saying to me, she said good stuff. >> giffords was shot in the head back in january and making a truly remarkable recovery, relearning how to walk and talk. right after the you launch, they exchange. >> wonderful. >> mike nicco has the forecast. >> we have to look at the rain is. it's starting to come ashore and pan off to the east. light rain in santa rosa, not once but twice over the next couple of days. >> interesting weather forces the tour of california to make changes to its route today. >> also the telephone conversation that got one woman arrested. this chinese government has found a solution to its population problem... "the chinese culture traditionally favors boys so when you have a girl, couples will sometimes have an abortion." now they just have to find a solution for its devastating side effects... quote the one-child policy has contributed to this problem, and that needs to change. but it i

. >> how our attention is on gabby an her recovery of her brain.ailed for his brain. not being recovered. it is an irony but we think nothing of, no stigma towards gabby and her brain injury but he has a brain injury as well because clearly his brain was not working properly when he picked up that gun and shot all those people and in every picture you saw, you clearly, and story that you read, it is clear that this is someone who is mentally, physically challenged with these psychotic breaks he was suffering from. like millions of other americans, we're going to put him in jail, as in the case of most people in our prison system, who are in jail because of an untreated mental illness. >> did someone or something fail jarod laufener? >> clearly we all failed. we failed as society because every time we see someone and we use the word crazy, you know, psycho, nuts, we look the other way. we say oh, well we're not going to help them. but if you or i saw someone who fell down in the middle of the street or they bruised themselves or are bleeding we woul

. >> i want to thank gabby, claudy and claire for that great wake-up song. >> reporter: doctors say thehree-term congresswoman has made remarkable recovery. she's able to talk and has some mobility. >> she gets better, you know, all the time, day after day. >> reporter: even before his mission kelly was confident giffords would keep making strides while he was gone. >> when i get back in a few weeks, she's going to be noticeably different than when i left. i mean, i know that's the case. >> reporter: giffords' surgery is expected to last anywhere from one and a half to two hours. recovery should be short, a day or two at the most. captain mark kelly sent his first e-mail from space writing to his friends and family that he's confident his wife's condition will continue to improve adding that she'll prevail. betty? >> we sure hope so. joel brown in washington, thank you, joel. >>> the head of the international monetary fund remains behind bars in new york city this morning under a suicide watch. dominique strauss-kahn charged with sexual a assaulting a hotel maid is under growing pressur

commander kelly is taking with him into space gabby giffords wedding ring.s on the ground. all members of the crew are wearing blue wristbands that say peace, love and gabby. it's what the congressional staff has been wearing since they were injured. it's going to be a very, very interesting flight. they resupply the space station and drop off a $2 billion experiment and watch the shuttle go. we have seen this so many times. it's going from 3,000 to 17,000 miles per hour in six minutes. back to you. >> i was looking at the clock. i think we are just about at ten seconds. let's sit back, watch and listen. >> four, three, two, one, zero and lift off for the final launch of "endeavour." >> expanding our knowledge and our lives in space. >> what a program. >> roger. >> houston is now controlling. "endeavour" beginning to pull over on to its back. the roll program as they begin a heads down position for a 51.6 degree mile or bit. l be quiet for the >> we are watching lift off of shuttle "endeavour" from the space station. i'll be quiet for 45 seconds to a minute

. >> got that tiny glimpse of gabby giffords going to florida. but back in her home district, republicans say there's absolute silence. no one's raising money or trying to do anything to challenge her. even though she is really impaireded now in able to do all the duties of that job, there's no movement to try to challenge her. chris: decency. >> another reason why barack obama might have timed his birth certificate announcement the way he did is that jerome kearsey, famous for the swift boaters, has a new book coming out on may 17. the titles is "where's the birth certificate." ? chris: good timing there. i hope he sells no books. the question this week, what snapshot of the royal wedding will you personally most remember? we'll be right back. chris: welcome back. this week's big question, what snapshot of the royal wedding this friday will you remember most? >> kate middleton's parents. the commoners learning how to behave in the royal company, but in the process saving the royal family from itself. the commoners save the royals. >> i think the

i'll write -- >> you end up with what happened to gabby giffords in tucson. >> that guy had gone throughalth system. >> how can he be allowed to get a gun? >> because he fell through the cracks. he didn't qualify to get a gun. >> he fell through the cracks? >> the cracks of the mental health system. everybody knew. his family was afraid of this guy. but they didn't report it. nobody reacted to it. >> when you see a guy like that, get open access to firearms, because the constitution that you subscribe so -- adhere to so much. >> how would you fix that? >> i would make it a lot harder for people like him to ever get near a firearm. that's my argument with the gun lobby. it's always very, very aggressive. even as you just exploded with me, it's always a violent debate. it's always like, i want the right to shoot anyone who comes near me who's threatening me. it's always about that. this guy was unstable. but was able to go and get a firearm because they are freely available in this country. that's where i have a problem with that. >> were you born in england? >> i was born in england. >> a

commanding that shuttle six-man crew, captain mark kelly, and husband of wounded congresswoman gabbyifford. congresswoman gifford was well enough to attend the liftoff. she watched in her wheelchair, and was quote as saying "good stuff, good stuff," as the ut

however kelly's wife, wounded congresswoman gabby giffords remains in florida. >>> a teacher from frederick, maryland, has just been named the best in the nation. michelle shearer won the coveted teacher of the year award. she teaches chemistry at urbana high school. when she started there were only 11 students in it. now there are nearly 100. though who nominated her say her passion is behind her success. president obama will recognize shearer at the white house tuesday. >>> every year a group of amusement park enthusiasts and preservationists came out with a highly regarded list of the most picturesque park. busch gardens williamsburg has been named the most beautiful amusement park in the country again, beat out walt disney world in orlando for the sixth year. >>> still ahead tonight, donald trump responding to being the target of a night of jokes. >> gary busey said recently donald trump would make a great president. of course he said the same thing about an old rusty bird cage he found. i like the trump is filthy rich but nobody told his accent. he still sounds like a know-it-all down

enforcement sources told nbc news that has brynn one of liz delusionings whethall leung, th had killed gabby giffords. today, he yelled thanks for the freak show. you're changing it. he was removed from the court room. a moment later, the judge ruled for the time, he's incompetent to understand the charges against him orasycyst in his own defense. >> mike outside court. that appearance today in tucson. mike, thanks. >>> there was a stunned silence on the floor of the new york stock exchange this morning. dma not because of any market news but in reaction to the news mark haines had died. he was the founding anchor of "squawk box" on cnbc. he's been a fixture of our sister network for two decades. people used the words gruff and rumpled and irascible to describe him, but they were trying to say he was real. he didn't suffer fools kindsly, and covering wall street, he suffered a few of them. he was an ivy league graduate and a veteran reporter, and he was able to calmly report on the 9/11 attacks and the financial me meltdown. he was 62, and our condolences go out to his family and his cnbc fa

section of her skull they initially removed to relieve swelling. >> i started calling her gorgeous gabby pleased. >> reporter: shortly after giffords was shot in the head, surgeons removed a section of her skull to let her brain expand more freely. with swelling down doctors performed a procedure called cranioplasty. covering that area with a plastic cast using small titanium screws to attach it to her skull. doctors also implanted a shunt beneath her skin to allow the fluid in her brain to absorb properly. >> so it's not visible. it's something that nobody would tell somebody has. >> reporter: the surgery carried a slightly higher risk of infection. but doctors are optimistic. throughout this ordeal they say giffords has handled it all with a healthy sense of humor. >> she's cracked me up several times. she's made some jokes. we've had very good social conversations, as well. >> reporter: and she's looking forward to conversations with her husband. giffords reportedly has her blackberry by her side just in case kelly calls from space. her surgery was timed to allow giffords to attend mo

the doctors say she is encouraged by how she looks, one doctor even called her gorgeous gabby. how about that. a brain scan shows the operation to repair her sculling was successful. -- skull as successful. she is doing so well, doctors beginning bedside rehab therapy and say she is on the path to being released >>> san francisco voters will be asked to weigh in on male circumcision in november. a ballot measure would outlaw circumcisions for anyone under 18. the man behind the ban says it is a form of mutilation. if the measure pass, san francisco could be the first city in the country to outlaw circumcision. >> it look, like granny will be sticking arnold. >> they have a temporary reprieve. the free is supposed to be chopped down to make way for a major water pipeline but now the head of the san francisco public utilities commission has put in its ideas. >> we want clean water and to preserve the trees. >> they will meet with neighbors in the next week. that's great news. we did this story month. i didn't think they had a prayer. >> we have a lot of sunshine out there lawrenc

they include commander mark kelly, the husband of congresswoman gabby giffords. >>> from england one tonight on the royal wedding. after the official wedding photos of prince william and kate middleton, the bride sent her bouquet back to westminster abbey where it was placed on the tomb of the unknown warrior. it's a tradition that began in 1923 with the marriage of prince william's great-grandparents. >>> back in this country, president obama found himself in the same room last night with none other than donald trump, who took credit this past week for the president's decision to release his birth certificate. well, last night mr. obama kept it going at the annual white house correspondents dinner, which is always good for a few laughs. he spoke of trump's credentials and what he called his breadth of experience. >> episode of "celebrity apprentice," at the steakhouse, the men's cooking team did not impress the judges from omaha steaks. and there was a lot of blame to go around. but you, mr. trump, recognized that the real problem was a lack of leadership. so ultimately you didn't b

gabby was scheduled to graduate from high school later this month. >>> a ballpark usher is kidnapped,ently stricken after driving home from a game. when he stopped the car a 17- year-old came to the car and stole his car. police believe the man was still alive when the teenager came upon the car. however police say there is not enough evidence to charge him with a crime. >>> a video you first saw here, a mother encouraging her son to fight a bully. but did she handle it the right way. mike halgren stays on is the story with advice from a child therapist. kelly white said she was fed up with her son being chased home so she faced the bully of and encouraged her son to fight him. >> as a parent, i felt that i was protecting my child to stand up to this child. >> reporter: child psychiatrist watched wjz's report intently. >> this is not the usual thing you want to see in apartments -- parents to encourage their children to fight like in a war. >> reporter: he says a parent reacting like this is rare. >> the mother was desperate. children handle bullies in their own way. but the parents a

. >> his injury is similar to representative gabby giffords who was shot in the head earlier this yeare thinks about her a lot. i had the pleasure of hosting the event this evening. in all, five people had the opportunity to meet and thank the emergency services personnel and hospital employees who helped them recover. >>> the words medical breakthrough are thrown around a lot these days, but it is relevant tonight for this particular story. a man paralyzed from the waist down able to stand up on his own and even take some steps. dr. john with the experimental therapy. >> rob summers was a star college pitcher when a hit-and- run accident left him paralyzed from the waist down. >> they said you'll never walk again. you'll never take a step. nothing. >> they were wrong. researchers working with the christopher and dana reid foundation announced summers is the first patient to stand using a new therapy that could change the treatment of paralysis. >> i stood. after not moved anything for four years and i stood. >> the landmark findings are published in the journal. they challenge convent

. >>> as expected, congresswoman gabby giffords had surge ray today to replace a piece of her skull that was removed after she was shot in the head in january. it's a plastic, computer-generated instrument. she's recovering on schedule tonight in a hospital in houston. her husband, mark kelly, of course, is in space. as shuttle commander. they're now docked at the internuncial space station. >>> when we come back, anxious kids and parents. they have put everything on the line for a spot in the charter school, but do the schools really deliver? >>> and later, a big buzz in a big part of the country. a special appearance for a limited time only. what will it be next? >>> we're back with tonight's education nation report. it's about charter schools in this country. they're in great demand and short supply. so parents and children lay it all on the line, sometimes entering harrowing lotteries to get in or not. our education correspondent, rehema ellis, reports on the tense waiting game for the relatively few spots and the questions being raised about whether charter schools are truly better

sunday evening, news about the suspect in the arizona shooting rampage that wounded congresswoman gabby giffords. is it possible he won't stand trial? >>> and after a quarter century on the air, oprah is about to sign off. and a lot of people are finding it hard to say good-bye. >>> at a federal court in tucson, arizona, a hearing is scheduled on wednesday for jared loughner on whether the suspect in the shooting of congresswoman gabrielle giffords and 18 others is mentally competent to stand trial. we get the story from nbc's justice correspondent, pete williams. >> reporter: it could be the single most important court hearing for jared loughner, accused of killing six people and wounding 13 others in a tucson parking lot in january at a meet and greet event hosted by congresswoman gabrielle giffords. loughner's own lawyers have described him as, quote, gravely mentally ill. now after five weeks of psychiatric evaluation at a federal prison hospital in missouri, court documents suggest that doctors appointed by both loughner's lawyers and the prosecutors have concluded that he's mental

. >>> the shuttle is getting ready to launch after a month-long delay and gabby giffords plans to be there to see her husband off. a gps without batteries? coming up, the project that may be among the first of its kind in the u.s. that aims toge brin. >>> state lawmakers are trying to come up with a plan to about the budget and avoid a stalemate like the one that happens nearly every year, but republicans say there's new reason to be just a little bit positive about the state's financial situation. kevin riggs, former sacramento station, explains. >> hey, how you doing? >> good, thanks. >> reporter: governor jerry brown putting the final touches on a revised budget plan that according to capital sources pulls no punches. >> president, pessimistic, optimistic, how would you describe him? >> reporter: realist. he spoke with the governor's pending proposal. >> the governor will spell out what kinds of reductions would be necessary under an all-cut scenario. they are deep. they are severe, and they should give people regardless of their political affiliation a great deal of pause. >> i c

his wife, congresswoman gabby giffords will be at kennedy space center for the launch. this is the second to last launch for nasa's space shuttle program. "atlantis" is scheduled to take flight in july. >>> one more check on the weather with the commute. >> the commute looks like we're going to see some light rain moving in. the evening commute will be more impacted by the strongest system we'll see this week. it's tomorrow afternoon into tuesday. rain off and on, more sierra snow. maybe a foot or two coming up as we go into tuesday. >> it never ends. thanks for watching nbc bay area laurencews 11:00. lalaurence scott sits sharks slip in vancouver. "sports sunday" is next. . . >>> and now an nbc bay area editorial. >> california's 9900 public schools continue to grapple with tight budgets and ridiculously complicated spending mandates. now more than ever, our schools need the freedom to spend money where it's needed. i'm suzanne shaw. with over 50 different spending mandates from county oversight to maintenance, our process of funding and then reimbursing schools is ine

his hour-long special, "saving gabby giffords" airs here on cnn.sident bush getting word of the attacks, visiting an elementary school in florida reading to a group of 7-year-old, the children suddenly became witnesses to history. >> it's still really meaningful because i was there that day and i did see -- i was kind of there for a part of history so obviously, i'm always going to remember it. >> those grade schoolers are upper classmen now. next, some talk about that day and bin laden's killing and the years in between. [ woman ] jogging stroller. you've been stuck in the garage while i took refuge from the pollen that made me sneeze. but with 24-hour zyrtec®, i get prescription strength relief from my worst allergy symptoms. so lily and i are back on the road again. with zyrtec® i can love the air®. forty years ago, he wasn't worried about retirement. he'd yet to hear of mutual funds, iras, or annuities. back then, he had something more important to do. he wasn't focused on his future but fortunately, somebody else was. at usaa we provide retire