hundreds of thousands of spectators are expected to be on hand, including injured congresswoman gabrielle giffords. >> she's, you know, looking forward to having him launch and come back, and, you know, it's just a big moment for all of us. >> reporter: giffords' husband mark kelly is "endeavour's" commander. after she was critically wounded in january's shooting rampage in tucson, kelly rarely left her side. now giffords' chief of staff says the congresswoman didn't want to miss the chance to be by his. >> they're inspiring, individually as a couple for sure. i know a lot of people have taken, you know -- found strength in their love. >> reporter: captain kelly may be embarking on an out-of-this world mission. but he won't have to stay out of touch with his wife. the couple will still be able to talk over the phone. >> that is a love story. it's a wonderful thing that -- that after so much trial and tribulation, that she made the effort to come, and that she's allowed to see her husband go on this tremendous mission. >> reporter: this is the second-to-last shuttle flight for nasa. "endeavour's" m

wounded congresswoman gabrielle giffords is expected to pass another medical milestone today. she'll undergo a planned surgery to replace a piece of her skull that was removed after she was shot in the head in january during an assassination attempt. joel brown is in washington with more on this. joel, how complicated is this surgery? >> reporter: betty it's called a cranioplasty. it probably sounds more complicated than it is but it is the biggest milestone yet in what giffords' doctors describe a miraculous recovery. doctors at this houston hospital plan to use a plastic implant to replace a piece of congresswoman gabrielle giffords' skull. >> they decided to use a fabricated segment as opposed to her original. they feel it's safer, cleaner, actually it's a better puzzle piece sort of fitting in there, if you can imagine that. >> reporter: surgeons removed a section in january to reduce brain swelling after giffords was shot in the head. she's been wearing a helmet while undergoing intensive rehabilitation. >> liftoff of the final mission of "endeavour." >> reporter: today's

it was gabriel giffords. she is breathing. she still has a us. >> 11 others also shot today, six people are dead. the victims were stuck behind the table set up for this event. so they were sitting ducks. >> investigators have the suspected shooter in custody. >> and there are other people that are injured. there are multiple people shot. >> okay. >> oh, my god. >> what police say is that shady looking gentleman was gerald loughner and the table that they're talking about is right over here. this is where he barged through. congresswoman and the judge were standing right around there and this is where he shot them. but then he proceeded down the line shooting people at random. by the time the paramedics got here, jared loughner had been taken down but there were literally bodies strewn all across the ground here. colt jackson, aaron rodgers, and wes magnota were among the first medical responders on the scene. >> we were actually at a gas station and we heard the call go out. and we heard the trucks rolling by. we weren't sure

que decidir si prohiben la circuncisión en varones menores 18 años y operaron a la congresista gabriel giffordtituir parte de su cráneo, su esposo continúa en el espacio. este su noticiero univision edición nocturna con ilia calderón y edna smith. >>> buenas noches a todos, ilia está de viaje, la mujer con que schwarzenegger tuvo un hijo ilegítimo se ha convertido en la más buscada por la prensa, su casa rodeada por periodistas hasta allá fue nuestro corresponsal jaime garcía y aquí está su informe. las calles de este suburbio de bakersfield han sido tomada por unidades para la transmisión de noticias al revelar se que en esta casa que hace un año compró schwarzenegger vive mildred baun la mujer presunta empleada doméstica amante, y madre del hijo que el lunes pasado schwarzenegger admitió haber procreado y la que hoy no abrió la puerta. >>> ellos han vivido ahí hace dos meses dijo esta vecina que reside en la propiedad contigua, en donde también vive su hijo de 14 años. el certificado de nacimiento muestra que nació en el 97 y que su mamá de apellido peña y que fue reconocido como hijo de rog

" quien democrata por arizona, "gabrielle giffords" quien es es el esposo de1: gabreiel giffords

congresswoman gabrielle giffords is expected to talk to her husband once while he's in space. "endeavour" will return back to earth june 1st. back to you. >>> and here's a breakdown of the shuttle crew's mission. the "endeavour" crew will arrive on wednesday for their 16-day mission. on board with the six-man crew is an astrophysics experiment. scientists hope the $2 billion machine will provide new insights into the nature of dark matter, antimatter and other mysteries of theuneny verse. "endeavour" is scheduled to return -- of the universe. "endeavour" is scheduled to return june 1st. >>> dominique strauss-khan pleaded not guilty to charges, including attempted rain after a hotel mate accused him of attacking her. police sat on board with him, waiting to take off to paris. the judge says he's a flight risk. he was consider a top candidate for president before this -- considered a top candidate for president before this arrest. >>> air force one touched down at member -- in memphis, tennessee today. the president will deliver the commencement speech at booker high school. thi

the first thing i noticed was a banner for gabriel giffords. in my mind i started recognizing this was a political event. there was not a lot of shouting. there wasn't a lot of pandemonium. and when we walk up, i remember smelling blood. >> you had bags with you and starting to cross over the tape now. and we're pulling our gurney in. we have our back board and supplies. and we see there are people working over here. and there's crews over here. and there's bodies laying around. and then all through here there are bodies. and there's quite a bit of blood on the ground. and about the time we get here, we see colt sitting in the back against the glass. and there is a patient laying here that has a sheet over him. this person was deceased. we had to step over this person to get to the back in here with colt. 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

on past mission kelly took gabrielle giffords' wedding ring with him.elle giffords wore his ring on a chain around her neck. >>> stay with us, ktvu channel 2 news at 6:00 is next. >>> surveillance video released from this nightclub could help crack a case wide open. why police waited till today to share it. . >>> police release new evidence from a night a student was beaten to death, comes on the day his family receives the diploma their son would have gotten today. >>> the trouble the rain is causing around the region tonight. >>> complete bay area news coverage starts right now, this is ktvu channel 2 news at 6:00. >>> good evening. i am julie haener. >> and i am frank somerville. today a family walked on stage to get their son's diploma and police are closer to his killer. ktvu's patty lee with more. >> reporter: video inside the club just before

how congress woman gabriel giffords is saying goodbye to her astronaut husband. >> good morning it is monday the 16th of may i am sydnie kohara. >> i almost jumped in there. i cannot wait to get back to work hi everybody i am frank mallicoat. hope you had a good weekend you are ready for another workweek. are you ready? >> i'm ready. >> okay. boy. i am assuming cindy is still enjoying the weekend. >> i am. we will start with a good chance of rain. >> good morning the wet weather is not out the door yet. people were hopeful it would be sunny not quite in the clear yet we will actually see showers as early as this afternoon chance of showers this morning, sprinkles in the north bay temperatures keeping them cold san francisco, 58 today, concord 62, san francisco 63. there is hope in sight we will see it on the extended forecast later. >>> good morning we start the morning off with an accident eastbound 580, fruit vail, injuries reported right lane blocked you have lots of activity on scene. minor delays as you approach the accident. bay bridge toll plaza, not bad. >>> all right thanks v

gabrielle giffords had to go back to houston because of the delays. she plans to go back, though, to florida when the new launch date

. >>> congresswoman gabrielle giffords is doing well after yesterday's surgery to put on hard plastico protect her skull. doctors say the procedures was a success. gabrielle giffords was shot in january. >>> president obama gave a major mid-east policy speech today. he embraced the 1967 boarders in the conflict with mutually agreed swaps to establish boarders for bothination. but he already rejected that idea. he will hold talks with president obama friday in washington. the president criticized syria leaders. >>> i will have a full look at your forecast, the dry weather on tap for the rest of the week when kron 4 news returns. our planes start flying when it's dark. and they don't stop flying until it's dark again. flying all day, every day. you deserve our best. that's why there's so many flight options. [ webber ] southwest airlines has seven daily nonstop flights from the bay area to chicago midway to fit your schedule. ♪ hey, we're on your schedule, not ours. there will be another one back here in a second, just watch. what did i tell you -- there's another one. [ ding ] . >>> th

. >>> mañana someteran a cirugía a gabriel gifford, y por qué se opone un congresista que pongan el nombrede enero los médicos tuvieron que quitar esta parte por la inflamación de su cerebro, la operación confirmado a prensa asociada por una persona que la cuida. ment. >>> un congresista republicano de california dijo que no de acuerdo que se le ponga césar chávez a un barco de la marina estadounidense. dijo que si la marina ha querido reconocer la contribución hispana a nuestra nación muchos nombres vienen a la muerte citó a rafael peralta. >>> podría usted calculo lugar qué se puede comprar con 14 mil millones de millones de dólares. el reloj de la deuda que tiene estados unidos continúa avanzando tic-tac, cifra que kob pasa los 14 mil millones de to millones tanto que es difícil poder imaginar. >>> sabe a cuanto asciende ra deuda de este país, si le muestro esto. >>> que es imimpagable, es una cantidad de ceros que no termina. >>> la deuda no es otra cosa que la totalidad de las obligaciones en que ha incurrido el gobierno, en este caso estados unidos debe mucho dinero y el número sigue

. >>> and the suspected gunman who attacked gathering where gabrielle giffords was and why gabrielle giffords was recently moved to a new location. >>> and the reason why john edwards is the subject of an investigation by the u.s. department of justice. you deserve our best. that's why there's so many flight options. [ webber ] southwest airlines has seven daily nonstop flights from the bay area to chicago midway to fit your schedule. ♪ hey, we're on your schedule, not ours. there will be another one back here in a second, just watch. what did i tell you -- there's another one. [ ding ] . >>> good morning. cloudy skies, some rain is -- right now some light rain around vallejo, benicia, crockett, pinole, back to richmond and san francisco. brian said some light rain apartment 4th and king in the city. we'll have a cloudy, breezy day. not much rain will make it to san jose. maybe .25 up towards the north bay into mendocino county and lake county. >>> 7:15. just about 15 minutes from  right now, president obama are deliver a major speech to the british parliament. this is being called

gabrielle gifford was witnessing giving a thumbs up. saying " great ".hey could even >> the timing is a bit unfortunate that we all know that it is been coming. >>reporter: surely before liftoff, they are urging americans to keep the pioneering spirit of nasa, a lot. >> this represents the power of the commitment of space exploration because of the great country to reach for the stars and explore. gabrielle giffords is expected to speak your husband once will he is commanding i and n commanding endeavor as it returns to space june 1st. >>pam: programming change. dr. phil is moving to 4:00 p.m.. dr. phil, monday, may 30th we will be back. [ male announcer ] you never know when, but thieves can steal your identity. turning your life upside down in a matter of seconds. hi. hi. you know i can save you 15% today if you open up a charge card account with us. you just read my mind. [ male announcer ] just one little piece of information and they can open bogus accounts, stealing your credit, your money, and ruining your reputation. that's why you need lifelock.

this is the second to the last shuttle trip ever and final voyage of the ender. >>> gabrielle giffords 45,000 people that watched the launch. mark kelly is ender's commander. she sat in a wheelchair and watched the launch from the control center at kennedy space center with other crew member families. 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 po

. >>> congresswoman gabrielle giffords is doing well after yesterday's surgery to put on hard plastico protect her skull. doctors say the procedures was a success. gabrielle giffords was shot in january. >>> president obama gave a major mid-east policy speech today. he embraced the 1967 boarders in the conflict with mutually agreed swaps to establish boarders for bothination. but he already rejected that idea. he will hold talks with president obama friday in washington. the president criticized syria leaders. >>> i will have a full look at your forecast, [ man ] i got this new citi thankyou card and started earning loads of points. you got a weather balloon with points? yes i did. [ man ] points i could use for just about anything. ♪ ♪ there it is. [ man ] so i used mine to get a whole new perspective. ♪ [ male announcer ] the new citi thankyou premier card gives you more ways to earn points. what's your story? citi can help you write it. hey marcel, watch this! [ buzzer sounds ] [ cheers and applause ] ♪ hey marcel, watch this! yeah, marcel! -marcel! -hey marcel! are you listening t

. >> gabrielle giffords takes a big step but -- forward in her recovery. >> it is a popular river walk project going to the birds? [ male announcer ] with the most branches and atms in the dc area, it's hard to miss a capital one bank. alright, let's get ready to work alex. rosslyn! ♪ ♪ arlington! ♪ ♪ falls church! nice save! [ trainer ] tenley! k street! [ horn sounds ] herndon! mclean! cleveland park! capitol hill! [ groans ] sorry penguin. georgetown! [ metal dings ] ♪ ♪ [ male annnnouncer ] capital one bank. the most branches and atms in the dc area. ovi we still got maryland. what's in your wallet? >>> construction project in the district has literally gone to the boards. they have been stopped because of ospreys which have nested on one of the construction equipment. >> since the ospreys are a protected species it means no one is going to shoo them away. meanwhile, the rest of us will get a rare glimpse of a new osprey family. it is an unusual nesting place for this family, 75 feet above the on finished anacostia river way. >> this is absolutely wonderful. >> a male and female os

information that could help in future breeding. >>> wounded congresswoman gabrielle giffords recovery is not slowing down while her astronaut husband is working in space. doctors are going to replace a piece of skull with a plastic implant. they had to remove a piece of skull shortly after she was shot in the head. >>> shuttle endeavour is off with the international space station. two craft linked up just after 3:00 this morning, about an hour ahead of schedule. they are delivering the most expensive pay load ever, a $2 billion magnetic device that measures dark energy. they will attach toy the space station tomorrow. it's on the final mission and this is the second to last flight ever for the nasa shuttle mission. >>> recent college graduates are having a tough time finding work. oh get stuck paying low paying jobs. the poll examined 571 graduates of public and private universities and finds just half have full time jobs. the polled students graduated between 2006 and 2010. less than half say the first job didn't require a bachelor's degree and nearly half say they are helping them f

information that could help in future breeding. >>> wounded congresswoman gabrielle giffords recovery is not slowing down while her astronaut husband is working in space. doctors are going to replace a piece of skull with a plastic implant. they had to remove a piece of skull shortly after she was shot in the head. >>> shuttle endeavour is off with the international space station. two craft linked up just after 3:00 this morning, about an hour ahead of schedule. they are delivering the most expensive pay load ever, a $2 billion magnetic devic tt asur darener. they will attach toy the space station tomorrow. it's on the final mission and this is the second to last flight ever for the nasa shuttle mission. >>> recent college graduates are having a tough time finding work. oh get stuck paying low paying jobs. the poll examined 571 graduates of public and private universities and finds just half have full time jobs. the polled students graduated between 2006 and 2010. less than half say the first job didn't require a bachelor's degree and nearly half say they are helping them financially.

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 francisco. you see all the people that watch channel 7 this morning -- i'm just kidding. everybody got the word it was going to rain. that is good news. take another perspective and show you what is going on in santa cruz. highway 17 santa cruz mountains and it looks pretty good this morning as far as getting some wet weather. hopefully no rock slides like i've heard has been happening up in the north. notice the raindrops on the lens there. last three hours on live doppler 7 hd. an increase in the shower activity. that is going to continue throughout the afternoon and into the eve

. >> plus how congress woman gabriel giffords plans to keep in touch with her husband while he is in space ,, we spend a lot of time together. well mainly in traffic. i'm serious. we've been together, what, a super long time. true. and at first it was all business, you know, i'd take him here, i'd take him there. everywhere. and over the years, we've really bonded. sure. why else would you always buy me chevron with techron? 'cause we need gas. i think it's more than that. i think that you care about me. you're a good friend. best friends? um, uh, yes, best friends. yeah. [ male announcer ] your car takes care of you. care for it. chevron with techron. care for your car. ow. endeavour. hundreds of thousands of people are expected to >>> it is 5:16 a.m. so far so good for the final launch of space shuttle endeavour. >>> jill brown joins us from the kennedy space sent we are more on the launch of endeavor. good morning jill. >> frank sydnie, good morning to you both. second time is a charm, nasa hopes, forecasters are keeping their eye on a deck of low clouds that moved over top the sp

there to watch the launch, gabrielle giffords.r remarkable recovery from an assassination attempt. >> john zarrella is live. you told us there there was a potential small problem. what's the update on that? >> reporter: yes, they had a tile near the hatch where the astronauts enter the vehicle that had a scrape on it. they were able to go ahead and smooth that out, fix that, so that's not an issue. we didn't think it would be, but you just never know. so that's clear. everything else is clear. the astronauts got on board "endeavour." finished getting on board little over an hour ago. now, they're going through the final checkout procedures as the clock winds down to this launch and as you mentioned, less than an hour, they were up early this morning and over the operations and checkout building where they had breakfast and after the breakfast, they started the suit-up process. putting on those flight suits they'll wear down the assent into orbit, which takes eight and a half to nine minutes. then the traditional walk out. the they

. >>> and an outburst in court from the young man accused of shooting gabrielle giffords. the question is, what happens to him now. >>> and making a difference. the men who have already done so much for the country showing up in joplin to do some more. "nightly news" begins now. >>> good evening. tonight, the same weather system that slammed into joplin, missouri, on sunday is not only still churning and active, it has intensified in some places. it's widened, and that means 14 more people have died since we last spoke in tornadoes outside of joplin. this one storm system today meant 45 million americans were at some time today under the threat of severe weather. because we all know by now what the colors mean, the deep red, the purple at the core, here is the radar tonight. the huge cross section of the country from shreveport down in the south all the way north to cincinnati. some forecasters put the threat of severe weather going into tonight greater than it's been all week. weather channel meteorology jim cantore has been out all night. he's in poplar bluff, missouri.

doctors have good news on gabrielle giffords one day after she underwent skull surgery.  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. >>> president obama just wrapped up a major speech spelling out how u.s. policy toward the middle east and north avenuerica will change -- africa will change in the wake of democratic revolution in arab nations and he refocussed attention on peace talks. abc7's eric thomas monitored the entire speech. >> they call it the arab spring, the string of uprising you are talking about. in the speech, two-third involved the aftermath of the arab spring and how the u.s. will help countries and people striving for democracy in middle east and north africa. the last third involved a proposal sure to make israel angry. the president went to the state department and spoke to the foreign service off

. >>> as space shuttle endeavor lifted off today we are covering congresswoman gabrielle giffords who was there. the two words she uttered as the shuttle rocketed into the sky. and having enough income when you retire. that's why i'm here -- to help come up with a plan and get you on the right path. i have more than a thousand fidelity experts working with me so that i can work one-on-one with you. it's your green line. but i'll be there every step of the way. call or come in and talk with us today. . >>> the space shuttle endeavor is heading towards the international space station. on the second to last shuttle mission. >> the final launch of space shuttle endeavor. >> the team is delivering a instrument used to seek out anti-matter and dark energy in space. the commander is mark kelly, the husband of congresswoman gabrielle giffords and she was at the space center this morning and watched the launch in private with other family members. as the shuttle took off she said good stuff. >>> mark joins us now, sharks played a new team, came down to the wire. another tough loss for them. >>

. >>> the hospital where gabrielle giffords had surgery on her skull yesterday says her recovery is going well following the operation. they used a plastic implant to close a hole in the congresswoman's skull that was damaged when she was shot in the head. >>> and a new study finds that there's a new class of free-flying rogue alien planets. by definition, a planet is something that orbits a star. now researchers have discovered there are planets that float through space without any known star. >> and now here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day -- the dow opens at 12,560 after gaining 80 points yesterday. the s&p added 11 points, the nasdaq rose 31. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei dropped 41 points. but in hong kong, the hang seng was up 152. >>> well, stocks bounced back to snap a three-day losing streak yesterday. news that fed officials think the economy is on the right track fueled a rally among raw materials. oil led in commodities rising back above $100 a barrel. meanwhile, dell's strong earnings drove economic optimism as b

and newt gingrich said he carried up to $500,000 in debt to tiffany's jewelry company. >>> gabrielle giffords is replacing a piece of her head. they opened fire in tucson, arizona. doctors say tomorrow's surgery is relatively simple and recovery time is usually just a day or two. yesterday giffords was at cape canaveral rocket into space aboard the space shuttle endeavor. >>> demand for the initial public offering for mountain view based has hit a fevered pitch. there is so much investor interest that went up to as much as $45 per share. some analysts call that over valued. the on-line networking service will be worth as much as $4 billion. they are expected to make their market debut on thursday. >>> the chief of the beaumont san carlos fire department will cash out more than a quarter million dollars in unused sick days when he retired next month. doug fry served with the department for almost 36 years. he has worked hard and earned his retirement, sick pay and all. he has called in sick just three times in all of those years the city is prepared to absorb the cost, but some residents are q

. >> and national news, congresswoman get--gabrielle gifford, the doctors and houston are replacing aith a plastic implants, you can see the area that they're demonstrating. --remove the peace to allow for brain swelling. >> the surgery comes two days after an gabrielle gifford was in florida to watch her after not husband mark kelly to go into space. he is commanding the last mission for endeavor before nasa it retires the discover program. today the dock with the international space station. you see the astronauts are floating about. there'll be one more shuttle launch after this. the endeavor is carrying the most expensive payload ever carried. a $2 billion magnetic device that was designed to help explain what the universe was made of and how it was formed. >> airforce one, it made a landing in connecticut today. that faa said that the pilot was in the process--process of landing they decided to circle and try again. they decided to go and talk with the graduating class. the reporters on the plane said they were not aware of the maneuver. stay with us, more news after the break. [

and abc news has learned that commander mark kelly and his wife gabrielle giffords exchanged weddingings before this mission so by the time it's all over, she will be able to tell people her wedding ring in outerspace. >> the crew is suited on and on board before one last mission but they sorry soar to last frontier, retirement. joining gabrielle giffords to watch husband mark kelly command. >> she has been working really hard to make sure that her doctors would permit her to come. >> they come as far away as california where endeavour will retire in los angeles. >> i want to watch endeavour launch and land and then i'll follow her back home to california. >> it kind of like shakes the ground. >> they scrubbed a launch attempt two weeks ago over an electrical problem, now resolved. >> we're in really great shape. no issues at all. >> this is the second time where giffords has made the trip to houston after being shot in the head in january. >> she understands everything, almost everything. she is really there. she follows directions. she laughs at jokes. >> on 16-day mission, they wi

up to 400,000 spectators watched that launch including gabriel giffords her husband mark kelly is endeavor's commander. the chief of staff said her boss called the launch quote good stuff. >>> before lift off, kelly gave giffords his wedding band which she will wear on a chain around her neck until he comes back. nasa's final flight scheduled for july. >>> a strong gust of wind turn add birthday bouncy house into a castle in the sky. it was all caught on cell phone video, tucson arizona. take a look at this, what appeared to be a dust devil, picked up the inflatable playhouse and sent it blowing into a light pole. no one was seriously hurt it is the third similar incident in recent months in arizona ,,,,,,,, when your eyes are smiling... ,,,,,,,, you're smiling. and when they're laughing... you're laughing. be kind to your eyes... with transitions lenses. transitions adapt to changing light so you see your whole day comfortably... and conveniently while protecting your eyes from the sun. ask your eyecare professional which transitions lenses are right for you. hey marcel, watch this! [ buzze

loughner mentally incompetent to stand trial for the assassination attempt on congresswoman gabrielle giffords. during the hearing, loughner caused an uproar. bob orr is in washington and has that story. >> reporter: harry, i have to tell you this is yet another bizarre chapter in the case of jared loughner. as you mentioned, he was in the arizona courtroom today for a hearing to determine if he's mentally competent to stand trial in the shooting of congresswoman gabrielle giffords of arizona and 18 others. as the hearing proceeded, loughner apparently lowered his head. then he raised it briefly and started mumbling in kind of an angry outburst. those in court said it was difficult to make out exactly what he was saying but it sounded like he was say, "thank you for the freak show. she died in front of me." two deputy marshals dragged loughner from the courtroom and the judge later ruled he was not competent at this time to face a trial. we should tell you loughner has pleaded not guilty in the case but it's not clear at all that there ever will be a trial. as you probably know, six people wer

. >> reporter: gabrielle giffords took a big step forward today in her recovery.ouston doctors plan to close the hole in her skull. they will use a plan implant rather than replacing the original bone. >> they have actually put together a three-dimensional "ct" scan of her skull and created a custom fit piece of bone. it's actually not real bone. it's made of a plastic or a hard substance. >> reporter: surgeons removed the section of skull in january to leave brain swelling after giffords was shot in the head. to protect her brain, she has been wearing a helmet decorated with the arizona state flag. the implant goes under the scalp so hair can grow back on top. >> that's the last, you know, major medical hurdle that she will need to get over. >> reporter: the operation comes just two days after giffords watched the space shuttle endeavour blast off with her husband mark kelly cells to. >> liftoff for the final launch of endeavour... >> reporter: with the shuttle safely in space, giffords headed right back to rehab. surgeons are keeping kelly informed while he stay

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 mentally unfit to stand trial. if the judge agrees, the court proceedings against him would stop without a trial. >> the defendant can't be railroaded. the defendant has to participate in the proceedings. if as a result of a mental disease or defect he's not able to do that, then the proceedings cannot continue. >> reporter: if loughner is declared mentally unfit to stand trial, he'd be sent to a prison hospital for treatment. if he later improved, he could be brought back to court and put on trial. but if he didn't get better, he'd stay in the prison hospital. he would not be released. it's happened before. russell westin is still in a prison hospital today. never put on trial for running into the u.s. ca

the blastoff was watched by gabriel giffords -- by gabrielle giffords, the american congresswoman whoas shot in the head a few months ago. her husband is on the shuttle. >> three, two, one, zero, liftoff for the final launch of endeavour. >> thundering into a bright florida morning, the space shuttle endeavour left on its final mission. the shuttle disappeared into low crowd, a spectacular sight for the tens of thousands of who turned out for one last glimpse of this iconic spaceship. endeavour's cargo is holding the most expensive scientific experiment in nasa's history a speck tromter designed to seek out dark matter. during its 16-day mission, the crew will deliver parts of the international space station an cafferry out the space shuttle program's last space walk. >> the final flight is the final flight of endeavour, we'll wait for her to come home and then celebrate. it was all about getting the countdown right and getting mark and his crew in orbit safely. >> for shuttle commander mark kelly, this launch has special meaning. his wife, congresswoman gabe rell giffords, was given

. >> jarod laufener is the 22-year-old accused of shooting congresswoman gabrielle giffords.of alarming erratic behavior. >> how our attention is on gabby an her recovery of her brain. and he is being jailed 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

congresswoman gabrielle giffords. traveled to florida from the texas rehab hospital from where he cease been recovering from gunshot wound to the head. her krinnble -- overshadowed the bitter significance. it marks the 2nd to last shuttle space shuttle mission and many employees se notices just this week it could be laid off. >> time is unfortunate, yes, but we've all known it's been coming. >> endeavor will return to earth on june 1st. that is the same day that atlantis is scheduled to begin its roll out of launch pad in preparation for the final shuttle mission. back to you. >> all right. thank you. that's catherine in the kennedy space center. we're going to continue our live coverage throughout the morning on endeavor's final mission. again, lift off scheduled for 5:56, just about 16 minutes from now. we're going to bring you that live. >>> we're all over it. time now 5:40. the bike race is scheduled to start today after stage 1 was canceled because of -- cancelled because of winter weather. it had to be cancelled

his wife is gabrielle giffords. this is the last launch for the space shuttle "endeavour" before it retires to a los angeles museum. let's head to oakland where laura garcia-cannon joins us this morning. good morning. >> good morning to you, marla and good morning to everyone waking up this monday morning. we have more on injured giants fan, bryan stow. he was brutally beaten at a los angeles dodgers game. soon, he's coming back to the bay area. for more on that story, we want to check in with damian trujillo live this morning. good morning. >> good morning. stow has been out of his medically endeuced coma for more than a week now. he still remains unconscious. he was attacked in the parking lot of dodgers stadium. police are still looking for the two attackers. stow's friends say he will be flown to the hospital. doctors say recovery from injuries like this can take as long as a year. the family knows they may not get the same bryan stow back. they are grateful for the outpouring of support they have got in souther

now a huge leap for congresswoman gabrielle giffords. what today's surgery means for her long-term recovery coming up. ,,,,,,,, ♪ you'll run outside ♪ i'll pass you by ♪ ♪ i want to see the sunshine ♪ ♪ take me where you are ♪ take me where you are ♪ afternoon ride ♪ afternoon ride [ male announcer ] now everyone can explore the world from home. get high speed internet from at&t, just $14.95 a month for 12 months with select services. no home phone required. secret child. the home, he reportedly b >>> our first look at the mother of schwarzenegger's secret child. the home he bought for her family and maria shriver's plea. >> the chance to be in the international spotlight here in downtown. >> we're live at cycling, why this stage of the tour of california may be the most grueling. >>> good morning, thanks so much for joining us on

meanwhile in houston, gabrielle giffords' doctor said today her surgery went so well he's like . it's one of the most researched prescription medicines. goes beyond what they do alone by helping to keep blood platelets from sticking and forming dangerous clots. plavix. protection against heart attack or stroke in people with acs. [ female announcer ] plavix is not for everyone. certain genetic factors and some medicines such as prilosec reduce the effect of plavix leaving you at greater risk for heart attack and stroke. your doctor may use genetic tests to determine treatment. don't stop taking plavix without talking to your doctor as your risk of heart attack or stroke may increase. people with stomach ulcers or conditions that cause bleeding should not use plavix. taking plavix alone or with some other medicines, including aspirin, may increase bleeding risk, which can potentially be life threatening, so tell your doctor when planning surgery. tell your doctor all medicines you take, including aspirin, especially if you've had a stroke. if fever, unexplained weakness or confusi

doctors have good news on gabrielle giffords one day after she underwent skull surgery. rettes? 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. 3q we love the sun ! i love this slide ! i love knowing coppertone protects across 100% of the uva/uvb spectrum. i trust it. and pediatricians recommend it most. i love this nose. coppertone. embrace the sun. you can see >> closed captioning brought to you by mancini sleepworld >>> president obama just wrapped up a major speech spelling out how u.s. policy toward the middle east and north avenuerica will change -- africa will change in the wake of democratic revolution in arab nations and he refocussed attention on peace talks. abc7's eric thomas monitored the entire speech. >> they call it the arab spring, the string of uprising you are talking about. in the speech, two-third involved the aftermath of the arab spring and how the u.s. will help countries and people stri

and once again congresswoman gabrielle giffords of arizona will be there. manning that space shuttle. how do things look for the launch? the last one was delayed, and that's why we are talking about it now. >> reporter: everything is looking pretty good. the weather is terrific here today. more of the same expected tomorrow. "endeavour" is in good shape. nasa is not working any technical issues unlike two-and-a-half weeks ago when the launch had to be scrubbed. some critical heating elements failed in what's called the orbiting maneuvering system and forced that launch to be scrubbed. and nasa went back. when you look at the video and see this box they had to pull out, a control box, it is filled with hundreds of wires and connectors. and they literally found what was called an open circuit in one of those. that's where they traced the problem to. talk about complex and complicated the shuttle vehicle is, there's a good example. that one little box with all the connections, but that's fixed and nasa says they are good to go. as you mentioned, gabrielle giff

this campaign can last based on everything that's happened. >>> we begin with congresswoman gabrielle giffords. two days ago she watched her husband launch the space shuttle "endeavour." it docked at the international space station this morning. today back in houston giffords is having surgery on her wounded skull. dr. jennifer ashton is here with the latest on that. >> good morning, erica. today marks a milestone on what's already been a remarkable recovery. doctors at this houston hospital will use a plastic implant to replace a piece of congresswoman gabrielle giffords' skull. >> they've decided to use a fabricated segment as opposed to her original. they feel it's a better piece fitting in there. >> reporter: in january surgeons removed a section of bone to remove brain swelling after she was shot in the head. since then she's been wearing a protective helmet. >> liftoff for the final launch of "endeavour." >> reporter: today's surgery comes just days after giffords traveled to the kennedy space center to watch her husband, commander mark kelly, blast off on the shuttle "endeavour." ♪ it's

conservative and pro oil drilling group let freedom ring. >>> in florida this morning congresswoman gabrielle giffordsnch of the space shuttle "endeavour." giffords' husband mark kel se commander of the 16-day mission. as you can see low clouds obscured all but the first few seconds of the flight but one lucky airline passenger was in the right place at the right time with her iphone. stephanie gordon posted this video to twitter. that's a pretty amazing picture. i actually retweeted that. she picked up a thousand twitter followers after people saw that picture. >> that is great stuff. you're right. what timing there. you look ow the window. there goes the shuttle "endeavour." intread ip work with the iphone there. congresswoman gabrielle giffords is recovering from the gunshot wound to the head. she traveled down there to watch the shuttle launch. i spoke with peter corasone. what did the congresswoman tell you was going through her mind when she watched "endeavour" lift off? >> well, you know, john, when we watched the shuttle launch. it was actually a quiet moment on the roof of the center. the noi

gabrielle giffords is there to watch her commander husband. we're live at cape cana >>> good morning. one of the world's top financial leaders will appear in a new york courtroom in just a few hours, charged with sexually assaulting a hotel maid. police say a maid picked dominique strauss-kahn out of a lineup. overnight, police shuttled him from the airport to a hospital. he was examined for dna and other evidence. dominiqu dominique strauss-kahn, the world's most powerful banker was supposed to be in brussels this morning working to save the economyies of a couple of european nations. instead, dsk, as he's known, is scheduled to appear in court on several charges. >> rape, a criminal sex act, and unlawful imprisonment. >> reporter: his troubles started saturday night. he was plucked from his plane seconds before departure. the head of the international monetary fund was staying in a posh, $3,000 a night hotel. when a housekeeper came to clean his room. police say strauss-kahn emerged make theed from the bathroom and attacked her. she struggle

his wife congresswoman gabrielle giffords will also be there. we'll speak to a former astronaut who knows what it's like to have the frustration of having these delayed flights. what it may mean for commander kelly and for congresswoman giffords, as well. >> there were a lot of questions in the beginning stages of this, if it was delayed, would she be present. the reality is she will be able to be there in an offsite place where she can watch it. she even gets, i hear, refreshments in that location. >> a special place. nasa has carved out for her. >> exactly. looks like it's going to work out. >> the weather is going to be nice, as well. all that is coming up in just a bit. [ woman ] bathing suits. shorts. tank tops. [ female announcer ] grab a box of multigrain cheerios, get a code to a seven-day plan to get going on your summer weight loss. get the box, get the code, get started. that's ever happened to cinnamon. introducing cinnamon burst cheerios. 20% daily value of fiber bursting with the delicious taste of cinnamon. new cinnamon burst chee

congresswoman gabrielle giffords will be there. and our bob woodruff is also there tonight. good evening, bob. >> reporter: good evening, david. we know she landed about noon today, she's kept out of the public eye since she arrived from houston. but now she's going to be watching this launch tomorrow, with her family, right on top of that roof of launch control. the clock is counting down, liftoff scheduled for 8:56 tomorrow morning. it's estimated half a million people have come here to witness the launch, including congresswoman gabrielle giffords, whose husband mark kelly will command the mission. >> she's been working really hard to make sure that her doctors would permit her to come. >> reporter: the shuttle was supposed to take off two weeks ago, but the launch was scrubbed for a mechanical problem. so, this is the second time giffords has made the journey from houston, where she's undergoing rehabilitation after being shot in january. >> it seems, you know, she understands everything, i mean, if not everything, almost everything. so, she's really there. she follows d

. >> flooding is number one on news polls and gabrielle giffords, the shuttle launch and that in thet and the imf story. >> and people on twitter talking about our conversation about common yesterday and the same thing on the blag at cnn.com/don and you'll see it in about ten minutes. ♪ ♪ introducing purina one beyond a new food for your cat or dog. at usaa, this is our executive committee. this is our advisory board. our field research team. and our product development staff. we know military lives are different. we've been there. that's why our commitment to serve the financial needs of our military, veterans, and their families is without equal. and why, we'll always be there for you... both here... and here. usaa. for insurance, banking, investments, retirement and advice. we know what it means to serve. let us serve you. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ personal pricing now on brakes. tell us what you want to pay. we do our best to make that work. deal! my money. my choice. my meineke. >>> even if it's true or not, even if he's proven innocent it will definitely leave a mark in the months to come

. >> flooding is number one on news polls and gabrielle giffords, the shuttle launch and that in theast and the imayev stoimf story. >> and people on twitter talking about common and same thing on the blog at cnn.com/don and you'll see it in the newscast. that's coming up. >> in ten minutes. [ female announcer ] it's red lobster's festival of shrimp for just $11.99. combine two of our most tempting shrimp selections any way you like from favorites like crab-stuffed shrimp to special new creations like bbq-glazed shrimp or potato-crusted shrimp. create your own combination with unlimited cheddar bay biscuits all for just $11.99, during the festival of shrimp. get more of the shrimp you love in more irresistible new ways. for a limited time at red lobster. hey, dad, think i could drive? i'll tell you what -- when we stop to fill it up. ♪ ♪ [ son ] you realize, it's gotta run out sometime. ♪ there's another way to minimize litter box odor: purina tidy cats. tidy cats premium line of litters now works harder to help neutralize odors in multiple-cat homes. and our improved formula also he

here is the man accused of shooting congresswoman gabrielle giffords.hat commute to manage--college faster release more than 250 e- mail's written about him in the month before he was suspended. if the judge rejected the college argument that it was part of his school record. protected from disclosure. the public sued them arguing the records could help the public determine if the college took appropriate steps in dealing with will jared loughner after a series of running with police. >> the on astronauts on board endeavor are accomplishing their objective of their mission. here's video them in space, the two cruz successfully hosted the cosmic ray detector for installation on the space station. it is a $2 billion project. it is delivered by endeavor. engineers at mission control while looking at several areas of damage. after the liftoff. nato wants to make sure the record can re-enter the atmosphere safely. we will be right back with the kron 4 morning news, weather and traffic in just a few moments. less check out the dunbarton bridge. traffic is lig