i think gabby is the definition of an eternal optimist. the matter -- no matter what kind of trouble she faces, no matter what travails, she's always cheerful. always looking forward. always looking up and always thinking about what is the very best kind of what is happening in our community and our state and what -- and how she can make things better for all of us. so it is a great pleasure, i think, for our association to make this award to somebody who i think has made a real contribution to bipartisanship in the house of representatives. and i now would ask representative debbie wasserman schultz to come forward with me here and to accept this award on behalf of congressman gabby giffords. debbie, thank you for joining me here at the podium. we hope you will let gabby know as we have already done how much we miss her and how much we appreciate her good work and how honored we are that she is receiving this award. we have also invited members to send personal note to them which we've collected in this -- in a book which i'm going to han

her name is gabby douglas, and she's 16. the one thing you should know before you watch her compete at the olympic games is about that smile of hers. it hides a lot of sacrifice. >> i don't anymore. >> tonight her family tells chris jansing she nearly quit about a month ago. >> i told her you can't miss this opportunity. you only have this one shot. >> on our road trip tonight, a summer tradition that's still a thrill after 60 years. that and more as "rock center" gets under way. >> good evening and welcome. if there is a college student in your life, young or old, you know the problem with college for most people isn't the work as much as it is the cost. the total student debt load is an alarming $1 trillion more than credit card debt or auto loans. these so-called for-profit colleges account for a grow chunk of that debt. you saw the commercials for them, and you can probably name a few of them and they can be a godsend especially for lower income students because they offer convenience and job skills many traditional coll

for the next decade gabby trained nearly every day, but while she was training, gabby was quietly carrying small shoulders. when she was just 9, her dad, virginia air national guard staff sergeant timothy douglas was sent to iraq and later afghanistan. >> i just had bad days in the gym. i'm thinking of my dad, and i'm like what if he doesn't come back. i was just horrified. i prayed every night. >> her dad came home safely, but her parents later separated, a deep, emotional blow but one that seemed to only steel her resolve to make it p in gymnastics and there seemed to be no sacrifice her family wasn't willing to make to get her there. gabby's mom worked extra shifts at her bank job, saved every penny second to help pay for gabby's training. with the olympics in her sights, gabby's gymnastics routines eventually took over the family routine. >> she was just traveling all the time to meets. this is not quite what i signed up for. by that time she was training about 35, 36 hours a week. i had to rearrange my entire life. >> it's been very tough on my mom. she's a single mom. she's done ever

stole it from right under jordyn's nose. >> gabby is 16 years old.eting well. and just loves the spotlight. is fun. se's having a blast. >> i just wanted to do the best routine of my life. >> and then you have jordyn wieber, 17-year-old style that's very similar to michael phelps. she's intense, incredibly focused and determined. we'll see how that plays out. >> i want to practice hard every single day. >> jordyn and gabby, a dynamic duo. not unlike the shawn johnson and that day sha luikin 2008. >> let's have some fun. so, i think they can pull it off. >> let's hear it for the flying squirrel and her teammates. >>> all right, now, as we scan the globe to bring you the constant variety of goofiness, we know now who was on her ma jesty bloomer, he is gary connery, stuntman, same guy who made this wingman suit back in may. the drink of choice, dan and bianna at this games the trendy power drink, beet juice. it's been tested and known now to increase endurance. before you use it, don't be alarm if you start to pee red. >> is that what you have been drin

gabby, a year younger. but their resumes are already so impressive. reigning all-around world champion. up until earlier this month, she was the clear top contender for the individual gold, but then, the flying squirrel swoops. and with that, by just 0.1 of a point gabby stole the show at the olympic trials from right under jordyn's nose. while both girls are neck and neck in competition, their personalities are quite different. >> gabby is 16 years old. really competing well. and just loves the spotlight. it's fun. she's having a blast. >> i just wanted to do the best routine of my life. >> and then you have jordyn wieber, 17-year-old style that's very similar to michael phelps. she's serious. she's intense, incredibly focused and determined. we'll see how that plays out. >> i want to practice hard every single day. so, you know, it's always been a part of my personality. >> reporter: jordyn and gabby, a dynamic duo. not unlike the legendary shawn johnson and nastia liukin in 2008. these two leading a rookie team that is expected to go all of the way

fans call 16-year-old gabby douglas the flying squirrel. a team coordinator gave gabby that nickname based on the height she gets on the uneven bars. that is gabby's signature event. she has a lot of skills that helped her get to thursday's final. the virginia beach native sacrificed a lot to get to the olympic games. she left home to train with elite coach in west des moines, iowa. gabby's family has suffered hardships and worries about her father. in recent months it has paid off for douglas. you can see her and her team in the final tonight on nbc's prime time olympic coverage. >> ahead tonight find out if michael phelps will get his third straight gold medal in the 200 meter butterfly. >>> and we invite you to join our olympic conversation on twitter with the # news4olympics. >>> opening statements got underway today in the trial of former illinois police officer drew peterson charged with first degree murder in the 2004 drowning death of his third wife. he is also suspected but not charged in the 2007 disappearance of his fourth wife.

gabby and i had just gotten up.e were just horrified over how could this happen again i mean, just 18 months later. >> and that was her reaction as well obviously? >> yeah, it was, just shocked, sad. this is a really, really difficult time for those folks. it's going to take a long time to recover. >> as a family member of someone who was shot, how do you take the next step? i mean, how do you get up the next day? how do you get through something like this? >> well, think everybody handles it differently. and i think there are those stages of grief. you know, for me, the first thing was disbelief and shot. and then i very quickly got to anger. you know, even a year and a half later, this is a process that takes a long time. for me, a year and a half later, i think about this every single day. i think about what gabby goes through. what the other families of the victims. christina taylor green's family is an example. the story you told about jessica that you and her brother talked about. i mean, just, you know, scene

gabby and her teammates won gold. all worth it to represent your country. abc news, london. >> also part of team usa. thanks so much for watching. remember, "new york med," an episode tonight. we will see you again tomorrow. [ crows cawing ] [ male announcer ] strange things happen in the black forest. [ metallic bell toll ] [ car speeding down the road, lightning strikes ] where things aren't always what they seem. [ wolves howling ] because thrills hide in the shadows just waiting at every turn. [ coaster whoosh ] brave the black forest on verbolten.

gabby and her teammates won gold. all worth it to represent your country. abc news, london. >> also part of team usa. thanks so much for watching. remember, "new york med," an episode tonight. we will see you again tomorrow. wççÑçÑ yoo-hoo! mom? i hear you're having a tough day, so i brought you a freshly made sandwich. you made me a sandwich? no, dunkin' did. but i wrote the note. dunkin' bakery sandwiches are freshly made just for you. grab a turkey cheddar bacon sandwich today. america runs on dunkin'.

gymnastic team this morning led by jordyn wieber and gabby douglas. coming up we're going to talk to their beautiful and very proud moms. >> i have to imagine nervous as well. we'll get a sneak peek at the fashions the athletes will be wearing in london, including the speedos. >> who is going to model the speedo, that is the question. first the top of the morning stories. natalie, we'll join you for that. >> presidential hopeful mitt romney is trying to stop a firestorm he sparked when he questioned whether london is prepared for the olympic games. peter alexander with more. >> reporter: for mitt romney, be very clear. this was supposed to be a risk averse trip overseas as campaign advisers put it to us, this is a chance for romney to listen and learn. again this morning romney is getting it in the ear loud and clear. from the british folks. they were not impressed with his comments about the preparedness for the games. check this out in local headlines. it reads mitt the twit. as romney wraps up his stop here in the uk, he's hoping tonight's festivit

i said this after gabby's incident as well. this is not just about gun control or nra but also about mental illness. i suspect in this case as well. i don't know enough about the case yet to comment but it seems to me on its face that mr. holmes has some very serious issues. >> sir, shooting straight from the hip here, do you expect anything to change? >> it's my hope something at the very least we begin to have a discussion, a real discussion and not simply dismissing it as senator johnson did as if we can do nothing about it. we have the tools to do something about it. we had an assault weapons ban in place until 2004. it expired because congress failed to re-enact it. we need to put at least that back on the books. i don't know if it would have the impact on this case but simply saying we're not going to do anything about it, not discuss it, have a dialogue, that is disgusting. >> congressman, thank you for your time. i appreciate it. >> thank you, thomas. >> stay with us. we have more ahead on msnbc. br! as you can clearly

they are led by two remarkable young women, gabby davis and jordan weaver.es. he competed anyway. good news, he is now cancer-free and he's back in a big way. we'll talk to him about his plans to win gold inland. >> we go on the road, we eat. it is the tradition around here. this morning we're going to try something called meat fruit, which does not sound all that good but it actually is food with a sense of humor. >> meat or fruit. >> the good news, i think we're finishing it off with ice cream, which is good. meantime we'll check with al and the weather. back there clanging. >> you're kidding me. >> wow. >> you look good, al. >> it must be like 1,000 degrees in there. >> none some pass. >> what's the weather like inside your suit. >> it's actually -- i'm the original dark knight. >> how long did it take to get in that thing? >> two people and 15 minutes. all i can say is oil can, oil can. this is very uncomfortable. >> very slenderizing. it looks fantastic. >> well, it's like wearing metal spanx. it's fantastic. you've got to try this. wow. all right. anyw

aileen gabby will be answering any aileen gabby will be answering any questions you may have about yourhe next half hour. 3 so if you have a question... send us a tweet at fox baltimore or post a comment on our facebook page. she was reported missing.... now cal ripken's mother has been found safe and sound. sound.coming up... what we know at this hour about this morning's report of violet ripken being missing. missing. you're watching fox 45 good day baltimore. ((break 4)) 3 3 3 195 map 195 map 3 we are continuing to follow developing news this morning... we are now learning that cal ripken's mother.... was found by police officers this morning... after being reported missing last night. night.we've been talking to police since this news broke around 5:30 this morning.tom rodgers joins us now with the latest on this story and your other top stories of the morning. good morning guys, guys,we just found out from aberdeen police in the last five minutes that they are now interviewing the officers who found 74 year old violet ripken.the mother of the iron man is alive and well this morning

gabby douglas, mckayla maroney, aly raisman, kyla ross, and jordyn wieber! >> what we're told is that the team, the four team women who competed here tonight are all back in the locker room. they have been told who the team is. and maybe what is going on right now is they're trying to decide if they still come out as a full team woman unit or not. or something even less dramatic, greater than the five. >> for all of them back there, this is the greater emotion than they most likely have ever experienced in their entire lives. these athletes have grown up together in the sport of gymnastics. they truly are good friends and for those that fell a little bit short, it is devastating, and they all want to be there to console and congratulate. this is america's team! ♪ >> i think they did it right. the committee got it right. and this team, they are undoubtedly the favorites to win gold come london time. >> and for both the men and the women, they have trained so hard together. they are committed, they are committed to going to london and making every effort to br

giffords, has tweeted gabby and i were horrified to hear of the tragedy in colorado last night.houghts and prayers are with the victims and their families. that is mark kelly. this of course does remind you of what the families and the victims' families and what the community in columbine experienced. talk about that. >> it sure does. that was a terrible day. you know, i remember really vividly the morning after the victims literally had changed overnight because i was out there while it was going on, tuesday afternoon, and there was all sorts of massive confusion, people were running around crying, hugging each other. it was kind of pandemonium and what you would expect, but by the next morning, none of the kids were crying and they weren't really emoting at all. they were walking around like emotional zombies, i hate to say that, but with no emotion at all, and they were really open about talking about it. they could all tell you exactly when they had stopped feeling anything and it was 1:00 or 2:00, 3:00 a.m., none of them had gone to sleep and they knew exactly when it happe

gabby douglas. someone months ago almost gave up her olympic dream. >> you could see it even then.and everyone tells me, you should show us your smile. i took it and ever since then, i can't stop smiling. >> that is, until she puts on her game face. then this effervescent 4'11" dynamo shows her grace and gift. gabby to most of us, fans call her the flying squirrel. >> what a fighter. >> kind of a childish nickname but one that reminds us that this precise, driven, world-class athlete is still just 16. though almost no one knew, right at the moment all her hard work was about to pay off, gabby douglas acted her age and nearly walked away. >> it was pretty drastic when she wanted to quit. she really, really sounded very serious about it. >> it came that close. >> you can learn more about gabby douglas' journey to the london games tonight, rock center, at 10:00, 9:00 central on nbc. the olympics kick off with the opening ceremony next friday on the networks of nbc universal. of course, including right here. that wraps up this hour of jansing & co. i'm chris jansing. thomas roberts is

ali and gabby are both mentally and physically prepared. out's going out, trying to do your best. >> both of you have the gold medals. although you are wearing silver, carly. are you enjoying the olympics? >> out's so much fun. in beijing i didn't really get to enjoy the full aspect of being a fan. >> this is my first time back since 2004. i love london. i can't wait to experience all that the olympics has to offer. other than gymnastics. >> enjoy. great to have you here. i know we'll talk a lot. >> thank you. >> you can catch the men's team final tonight. the women on tuesday right here on nbc. up next from here in london, a special british-themed steals & deals. first, these messages. plastic waste to cover all of manhattan out of landfills each year? the equivalent of 140 million trash bags, gone. by using glad trash bags, designed with reinforcing bands to be stronger with less plastic waste, we can. it's a small change that can make a big difference. and try glad odor shield with febreze freshness... strong bags that neutralize strong

jordyn, aly, gabby, mckayla, kyl kyla, names to remember. the u.s. faces now but pretty soon they will be recognized everywhere they go. >> gabby, nice to meet you. >> i have here the cover of "sports illustrated." are you guys ready to be household names? has it sunk in? here you are. it's real. >> no, it hasn't for me. >> it's still like crazy. >> there are thousands of girls who wish they were in your position right now. here i'm looking at the five who did it. that has got to feel great. >> it feels amazing. it's still so surreal to be here. we've been working so hard. i'm just so proud. all these girls of my best friends and we have so much fun together. >> they are a young team. the oldest is 18. the youngest just 15 years old. >> the last time the u.s. women's team won team gold, it was 1996, and then a little bit later kyla was born. what does it mean to you to think about grasping that very hard to reach goal as a team? >> you know, just living up to expectations of winning the goal. it's going to be hard work. i think the main thing we have

her husband, mark kelly, tweeted, quote, gabby and i were horrified to hear of the tragedy. our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. >>> fox 5 is your station for the latest on the movie massacre. do stay with us here on fox 5 news at 10:00 and the news edge at 11:00 and as always, you can check us out online any time at myfoxdc.com. >>> we have some showers out there we are watching back out to the west of us and want to show you radar. won chester, this is headed in your direction and as the showers move in, you might expect brief, heavy rain, and we'll another line for later on this evening. the full forecast is coming your way. >>> and coming up, the nationals begin one of their most important series of the season. plus, the british open is underway and look who is on the prowl? we'll show you highlights with tiger woods as the news edge at 6:00 continues. [ male announcer ] where did all the obama stimulus money go? friends, donors, campaign supporters, special interest groups where did the obama stimulus money go? solyndra: 500 million taxpayer

. >> reporter: the team will be led by gabby douglas and aly raisman.e. >> stick it! stick it! >> yeah! >> reporter: heading into tonight, team usa faces a very talented russian team led by victoria komova, who posted the highest all-around score on sunday. two skwim gymnastics super powers vying for one spot on the medal stand, a showdown for the ages. >> nastia liukin, carly patterson, and shawn johnson won a collective 12 medals during their olympic careers. ladies, good morning. good to see you. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> thank you for dressing in coordinatinging pastels. you look great. they've been looking for team gold since 1996. you all did it. how coveted is this? nastia? >> i mean, it's been 16 years since the u.s. has been able to take home a team title, and that was the first time. so i think just for them to have a chance going in for today is such an amazing feeling. >> we saw obviously the disappointment for jordyn. it was a shocker for the whole team. what kind of an effect does something like that have on a team? shawn? >> i

when we had the gabby giffords massacre, there is a cross cultural phenomenon. what we don't have in this country is a system of recognizing, or reporting mental ill zblns that's completely true. mental illness is a terrible problem in this country. so, that, i couldn't agree with you more, it's also true that you can't do the kind of damage with mental illness that this person did or allegedly did unless you have an assault weapon. >> that's not true. in virginia tech, he had two handguns and he killed 32 people. >> automatic handguns. in the old days, a revolver had six shots. you had to reload the six shots. this guy, police estimate, 50 to 60 rounds in a minute. come on, america. george is right. we should have been having these discussions not after but before. >> i want to bring this question to joe klein, let me put on this poll, a gallup poll the support for gun laws over the last two decades. they have gone steadily down. should gun laws be more strict, joe, how do you explain that even though we have had all of those mass killings. >> politicians becau

gabby douglas, mckayla maroney, aly raisman, kyla ross, and jordyn wieber! >> what we're told is that the team, the four team women who competed here tonight are all back in the locker room. they have been told who the team is. and maybe what is going on right now is they're trying to decide if they still come out as a full team woman unit or not. or something even less dramatic, greater than the five. >> for all of them back there, this is the greater emotion than they most likely have ever experienced in their entire lives. these athletes have grown up together in the sport of gymnastics. they truly are good friends and for those that fell a little bit short, it is devastating, and they all want to be there to console and congratulate. this is america's team! ♪ >> i think they did it right. the committee got it right. and this team, they are undoubtedly the favorites to win gold come london time. >> and for both the men and the women, they have trained so hard together. they are committed, they are committed to going to london and making every effort to br

unfortunately, these kinds of tragedies happen far to often from columbine, the virginia tech, and gabbyford's shooting. nothing actually happens in actual policy change. the columbine massacre happened less than a 30-minute drive from the movie theater last night. there was a huge national conversation, really one of the biggest tragedies of the era and lawmakers in colorado tried to pass a whole slew of gun regulations, including closing the gun show loophole, as we just talked about. the nra came in and within month they spent $16,000, which is a huge amount of money for the colorado legislature, and they killed all this legislation except for a few token pieces that the nra approved of. their power is tremendous. you are talking in addition to massive war chest that they can spend. they spent $7 million on independent expenditures in the 2010 election cycle. you're talking about a huge grassroots army. they have 4.3 million members who serve as unpaid lobbyists that call lawmakers on capitol hill and state lawmakers, and complain about these kinds of things. this is extremely powerfu

favorites gabby douglas and jordyn wieber.le on the balance beam sunday wieber failed to make the all-around final. her greatest competition not a foreign challenger but her own teammate and friend 18-year-old ali raisman who pushed her tally above wieber. >> it was hard. i wanted the spot by also wanted ali to do well. >> wieber left the stadium sobbing. the top finisher all around is, as predicted, russian victorian komova. the men are topping great britain and china and expected top dogs japan. danel lava qualified for the all-around. the most memorable moment came from brit louis smith. his sensational 15.8 pommel horse score brought him to tears. >> it looks like louis is overcome with what's happening for himself and his team here. nbc olympic gymnastics analysts, good morning to both of you. >> good morning. >> put it in perspective. jordyn wieber is the reigning world champ. for her not to make the individual all-around finals, how much of a shocker was it? >> it was actually a big shocker. she comes in the reigning wo

well, it's been 18 months since gabby giffords. it's been five years since virginia tech. it's been dozen years since columbine. what's the right time frame? now's maybe exactly the time to do it. and i think the president very eloquently expressed the country's grief and that is his job. and he did it very well. and people appreciated him. i'm sure, him coming and trying to offer comfort. but that's only half the job. the president, no matter who the next president is, also has to have a solution to this problem. it is prevention of the next disaster that we have to focus on. there's nothing we can do about what happened in the past. >> mayor bloomberg, thank you very much. >> you're welcome. >> coming up, the right to bear arms. a great debate on what it means in america today. i'll ask experts on both sides of the question. what's with you? trouble with a car insurance claim. [ voice of dennis ] switch to allstate. their claim service is so good, now it's guaranteed. [ normal voice ] so i can trust 'em. unlike randy. are you in good hands? to your kids' wet skin. neutro

what president obama said a little over a year ago at the memorial service for the victims of the gabby giffords shooting. >> at a time where our discourse has become so sharply polarizing it's important for us to pause for a moment and make sure that we're talking with each other in a way that heals, not in a way that wounds. >> george will, some said that was one of the best speeches of president obama's presidency. he was calling for civility in our public discourse. others would say, it didn't last long. >> it didn't last long. on the run-up to aurora, that interrupted the campaign, we have seen an outpouring of negative ads, the sort that i don't remember, negative ads, we all understand that. there's nothing inherently with them. but this year, it's a particularly brutal bombardment that we're getting. if anyone thinks from a month now that we won't be back at it, we'll be back in it. >> nothing changes. everybody calls for civility. in theory, everybody wants it. voters want it. they're afraid it doesn't work. >> joe, you're talking about a lot of reasons going into any tragedy,

four and the bush administration chose not to ask that it be renewed seven years later congresswoman gabby giffords was shot in the head and six people were killed when a mentally disturbed man opened fire in tucson arizona is you know high capacity magazines filled with thirty one bullets that would have been outlawed under the assault weapons ban after that shooting common sense should have told us that it's time to renew the ban get weapons of mass destruction off our streets and put in place better checks to make sure the mentally ill aren't arming up but none of that happened and now a year later here we are again weapons being used that would have been banned under the assault weapons ban and we can expect any sensible gun control to come out of this tragedy either because of how influential big money is now in our government whether the n.r.a. the koch brothers big oil the private health insurance industry or the defense industry special interest with a lot of money have taken commonsense solutions to our nation's problems off the table we should be doing something about our depende