. >>> after spending more than two years locked up in iran, hikers shane bauer and joshua fattal are finally free. yesterday they were released from prison and into the arms of loved ones. nbc news tehran's bureau chief has more from iran. >> reporter: after over 780 days in tehran's notorious prison, shane bauer and joshua fattal finally get to taste freedom. during fast-moving events, their iranian lawyer was summoned to the judiciary to come and finalize their $1 million bail arrangements. once that had been done, swiss delegates rushed to the prison to see how long it would take to get them out. the swiss ambassador who deals with american interests in iran because there is no u.s. embassy here came out and delivered the good news that shane bauer and joshua fattal, after two years of hope and heartbreak for themselves and their families, were on their way out of iran. >> two years in prison is too long. and we sincerely hope for the freedom of other political prisoners and other unjustly imprisoned people in america and iran. >> reporter: what this ordeal and this case has highl

shane bauer and joshua fattal are finally free. >> we are so happy and relieved we are free.our deepest gratitude goes toward his majesty of oman for obtaining our release. we are sincerely grateful to the government of oman for hosting us and our family. >> two years in prison is too long. we sincerely hope for the freedom of other political prisoners in america and iran. thank you very much. >> they were arrested with a third american, sarah shourd, in a remote region which is the unmarked border between iran and iraq. the americans were accused as spies. they said they were simply hiking in northern iraq. sarah shourd was released last year on grounds of ill health. she told the bbc she and her friends could not have been spies. >> none of us spoke farsi. we had no equipment. it was clear we had no intention to come to iran and were no threat. >> the families were allowed to meet briefly last year. relatives are calling today the best day of their lives, saying their relief and joy knows no bounds. ahmadinejad is in new york for the un general assembly. he said this hours

shane bauer and joshua fattal were handed over to a convoy of swiss diplomats this morning, capping a dramatic standoff between washington and tehran. we have more from our tehran bureau chief, watching this for two years now. ali, first of all, the bail. there were conditions set, $1 million in bail paid to iran. >> reporter: that's right, andrea. a million dollars in bail. their first case they were convicted. the lawyer told me the reason there was bail set was because they appealed the conviction, so it had gone to an appeals court, and the bail wasn't without confusion. the lawyer was ferrying back and forth from the courthouse over a period of four days trying to get a signature of a second judge who wouldn't show up for work because they kept saying he was on holiday. the lawyer got the call today finalize the bail, and everything started to move quickly from there. andr andrea? >> ali, this is the same scenario that a year ago you and i were in tehran and sara shourd got out and bail was paid, and the flight to oman. this is oman brokering this. do we know who put up the money

this comes among efforts to raise bail to free joshua fattal and shane bauer. they were arrested along with sarah shourd in 2009 while hiking long the iran-iraq border. a plane flew sarah shourd out of iran last year. >>> poll shows president obama is leading the republican contenders by double digits in california, despite the president low jobs approval ratings. president obama leads mitt romney by 13 points. 11% were undecided. he also leads rick perry by 19 points. also with 11% undecided. michele bachmann is headed to the bay area tomorrow. she will meet with votersover breakfast at a home and we will cover the event. she is also scheduled at two events in southern california on friday. >>> a proposed plan to close schooled in oakland is taking center stage right now. members of the naacp just went inside the meeting. they plan to give a presentation on how the plan would negatively impact the community. the naacp spoke to parents and teachers before the meeting. >> our students have been overlooked for a number of reasons. we are tired of looking that sta

shane bauer and joshua fattal were finally released from that iranian prison after more than two years in custody. this is them arriving in oman last week before leaving for the u.s. the pair talked about their ordeal and the last day in prison. >> getting off the plane that brought us here three days ago was the most incredible experience of our lives. we'll never forget the excitement of seeing our loved ones waiting at the foot of the plane. the joy of embracing them all after so long will stay with us forever. >> just hours after we left prison, we were able to swim in the calm waters of the gulf. we stayed up all night with our loved ones, and we watched the most beautiful sunset we've ever seen. these experiences will be with us for the rest of our lives. >> we're hoping to hear from them again when they arrive in the u.s. stick with cnn for that. we expect it possibly sometime in the u.s. today. >>> 80 protesters arrested at demonstrations on wall street during the biggest one-day crackdown in more than a week. we told you about protests last week. demonstrators still gathering

department. >> reporter: no. >> thank you very much. >>> once again, shane bauer and joshua fattal back than two years in prison in iran. we do expect that they will hold a news conference without question sometime later this afternoon. cnn, of course, will be there. we want to go back now to howard kurtz and "reliable sources." >> thanks, candy. >>> blogger nate silver of "the new york times" in a moment. whoa! hey! [ dog barks, growls ] ♪ whoa, watch out, little man. ♪ [ male announcer ] when you take away the worry, it's easy to enjoy the ride. hey, bud. hey, dad. [ male announcer ] introducing cadillac shield. the most comprehensive suite of owner benefits offered by any luxury auto maker in the world. whether it can be done safely and responsibly. at exxonmobil we know the answer is yes. when we design any well, the groundwater's protected by multiple layers of steel and cement. most wells are over a mile and a half deep so there's a tremendous amount of protective rock between the fracking operation and the groundwater. natural gas is critical to our future. at exxonmobil we recog

we have word that shane bauer and joshua fattal have been turned over to custody of amani officials. we have the latest now from iran. and ali, do we know where josh and shane are right now? >> reporter: craig, i just got word that they have entered the airport compound. i have colleagues there that are standing outside the airport. they saw their convoy at the airport compound. ar -- amani officials and swiss officials are with them. the flight has not taken off contrary to state reports here. there's got to be red tape to cut through during the airport. past experiences showed that when sara shourd was taken to the airport was forced to give an interview to state tv. that may or may not be in the cards. we do know that they are out of prison, inside the airport. so it's just a matter of time now before they leave iran. >> and a matter of time before they get stateside, as well. we first heard news about the release last week. but it was delayed. delayed a number of times. there was the judge who was on vacation. then the judge was back, but he was unavailable. how was it finally ac

shane bauer and joshua fattal were scheduled to eight months in jail. yesterday, president ahmadinejad said there would be released. some confusion in iran. in palestine, a year -- in pakistan, a year after monsoon flooding, authorities in sindh worn at this year could be worse. over 5 million people have been affected by the worst rains and over a century. >> a full 20 feet below these waters were shops and homes. but villages as far as the eye can see across southern pakistan have totally disappeared. the authorities in this province say these floods are even worse than last year's massive disaster. we find this family stranded on a bit of high ground. their homes gone, most of their livestock drowned. they did manage to save a couple of chickens. everyone was in the village, but suddenly the rains came. the all fled during the night. but they have now been saved by the army, which has rescued 13,000 people by boat so far, but fears others are still cut off. >> this is huge. because of last year's flood, we were coping with that. we were just coping w

these are the families waiting as shane bauer on the left and joshua fattal bounded into freedom. they landed in the persian gulf country of oman. president obama said today, "we're thrilled. they shouldn't have been held in the first place." seth doane has our story, beginning with that remarkable reunion. ( cheers ) >> reporter: dashing from the plane and right into the arms of waiting family, shane bauer and josh fattal finally tasted freedom. ( cheers ) bauer fell into sarah shourd's embrace. shourd had been hiking with the two men in july 2009. bauer and shroud got engaged while in prison. the two men then briefly spoke to the media gather on the tarmac in muscat, oman. >> we are so happy we are free and relieved we are free. >> two years in prison is too long and we sincerely hope for the freedom of other political prisoners and other unjustly imprisoned people in america and iran. >> reporter: the two were held as political prisoners in iran for 26 months. during that time, family members were allowed just one visit and three phone calls. >> our deepest gratitude goes towar

---shane bauer y joshua fattal fueron entregados a una delegacin diplomtica de omn por el gobierno iranine relaciones diplomaticas con ese pais... ---un tribunal iran acept la mocin del abogado de los estadounidens es de pagar una fianza de 500 mil dolares en vez de que ambos tuvieran que cumplir su condena de ocho aÑos en prisin... cu - bump out ---nos vamos a la primera pausa, pero mas adelante.. . nat sound ---habla por primera vez la mujer que encontr los restos de michelle le y que fue lo que la motiv a viajar desde lejos para participar en la bsqueda.. take vo - anchor ---enterese que ciudad de la bahia podra avisarle por adelantado si su auto est a punto de ser remolcado por la grua... vo ---si usted es salvadoreÑo y quiere comprar casa en su tierra natal, en un reportaje especial le mostramos los pasos a seguir... take sot - ariel rodrguez ariel rodriguez dice: "el calor se mantuvo intenso a traves de todo el interior con neblina en algunas partes de la costa, no aumentaron tanto las temperatuas pero le tengo el pronostico completo, no se lo pierda mas adelante." segment a ends -

when joshua fattal was in prison his mother called for release but his father stayed out of the lightbecause he is a iraqi israel and they were afraid the situation could make things worse [no audio] >>> president obama held a back to school pep rally. acknowledged school can be tough. >> if you promise not to tell anybody i will let you in on a secret, i was not always the best student that i could be in high school. >> president obama jocked his favorite subject was baseball. he spoke at a washington d.c. high school and his remarks were live online. he said they must work hard and set goals and take risks now and then. >> try new things. work hard. don't be embarrassed if you are not good at something right away, you are not supposed to be good at something right away. that's why you are in school. you got to wonder, question, explore. >> the president told them each one needs to aim for post high school education, a community college or a four year college. the president also gave a public nod to a bay area teen. coming up, we will talk with the teen and hear about the small start

statement today saying it, not iran's president can set terms for the release of shane bauer and joshua fattal. they along with sarah shourd were captured in 2009. today they dispatched a private plane to iran. >>> tonight we are learning bart tried to sway media coverage by trying to plant friendly bart riders, and providing free traption. ing a ktvu's eric -- eric has more. >> reporter: bart held a news conference about the prtests. one bart customer spoke in support of bart but the e-mails reveals he may have been coached and give an script. >> reporter: we didn't use his comments but the man on the left faced cap rus to express his frustration for protesters and appreciation of bart police. now we know it's part of a pr. he wanted to stack a news conference with loyal riders and coach them on what to say. bart confirms he spent $800 to take the customers to and from the news conference but he is the only one that showed up. >> i think it's unnecessary to solicit to come to bart's defense. >> reporter: today bart's president said the plan to sway public opinion went too far. >> reporter: do

shane bauer and joshua fattal arrived in new york yesterday after spending two years in custody. they said the government held them to get back that u.s. government. >> we do not know if we crossed the boarder. we will never know. even if we did, that has never been the reason why the authorities kept us in prison for so long. >> they spent time in isolation. shareshare was released last year. >>> wide did workers walk off their job today in the port of oakland. >>> and thanksgiving here in 10 minutes a forecast you will like. things are beginning to heat up. which cities will warm the most tomorrow. i couldn't afford my health insurance anymore so i just started wearing this helmet instead... which, you know, it's... to me it makes sense. i mean, it can get awkward sure, when you're meeting new people but i just explain to them that i wear it because i dropped my insurance plan, and they're like wow, this is a smart guy. i mean they don't say that out loud, but... [ male announcer ] we know it can be tough out there. that's why we offer a wide range of plans for a wide range of

. >> reporter: shane bauer and joshua fattal ordeal began in july 2009 when they and sarah shourd wereg the iran/iraq border. all three accused of illegal entry and espionage. shourd was released a year ago leaving her fiance bauer and fattal in tehran. >> i felt it was very wrong. walking off the plane alone. >> reporter: last year, the men were sentenced to eight years in prison the wednesday prison guards gave fattal and bauer street clothes and led them to meet a visitor, an envoy from oman. the gulf state was in strew mental in securing their freedom on $1 million bail. the men expressed gratitude but had strong words for their captors. >> hostage is the most accurate term because despite certain knowledge of our innocence, the iranian government has tied our case to its political disputes with the u.s. >> abc news, new york. >> wow. >> sarah shourd said bauer was beaten and fattal thrown down a flight of stairs. >> the things they must have endured for two years. the longer they're out, the more details we'll hear. i'm sure there will be a movie, a book, and hear more about what

shane bauer and joshua fattal were freed after being held by iran for more than two years on spy charges later this morning. cnn will have coverage of their arrival. >>> 80 people were arrested on wall street yesterday in the biggest crackdown since protesters began in new york's began eight days ago. the demonstrations are aimed at drawing attention to the role powerful financial interests played in the country's economic slump. >>> those are your top stories. now back to "fareed zakaria gps." >>> president obama came to office wanting to reset relations with russia, which he believed had veered off track. are we now in better shape with this country still the other superpower with a united nations veto and with interests ranging from europe to iran to asia? my next guest has been part of this crucial relationship for nearly four decades. sergei lavrov represented the then-soviet union at the united nations in the 1980s. he is back now as russia's foreign minister. thank you for joining me, mr. lavrov. >> thank you for the invitation. >> in may, 2010, there was a leak of a 70-page docum

. >> woodruff: the plane carrying americans shane bauer and joshua fattal landed in muscat, oman shortly before midnight and they were reunited with their families. hours earlier, they'd left in a convoy of cars from the evin prison compound in tehran. the iranian news agency said oman paid their bail-- $1 million. iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad initially suggested they'd be freed last week, just before his trip to new york for the u.n. general assembly opening. >> when we said we will release them, we will release them, as a humanitarian gesture. >> woodruff: iranian judges held up the release until today. the two 29-year-old americans had been jailed for more than two years for allegedly spying on iran. they were seized along the iran- iraq border in july of 2009. fellow american sarah shourd was also with them. she was freed a year ago on bail. all three maintained they were just hiking in northern iraq's kurdish region when they accidentally strayed over the unmarked border into iran. >> an iranian public prosecutor says three american detainees have been charged with espionag

. >>> shane bauer and joshua fattal were freed after being held by iran for more than two years on spyrport later this morning. cnn will have coverage of their arrival. >>> those are today's top stories. thank you very much for watching "state of the union." i'm candy crowley in washington. up next for our viewers here

today, iran's judiciary refuted reports the freedom of joshua fattal and shane bauer is eminent, the judiciary said the final decision will not come from president mahmoud ahmadinejad. yesterday in an interview ahmadinejad said the pair would soon be released. last month iran sentenced both men to eight years in prison on charges of espionage and illegal entry into the country's territory. bauer's fiance and traveling companion, sarah shourd, was released one year ago today. she's been working for her fiance and her friend's release ever since. jenna: it's the time of government oversight millions of americans really don't think about every day, unless, of course, you live and you work on a form. -- farm. and right now some farmers say uncertainty over federal regulations is bad for their business. of course not everyone is convinced, especially environmentalists, who say the opposite. shan i don't know bream is live with more. >> reporter: farmers are increasingly going public with their complaints about the epa, saying some of the agency's regulations are unnecessarily oppressive,