. >>> i'm lee cowan with breaking news out of wisconsin tonight. police say a student is holding 23 other students and a teacher hostage at a classroom at a high school some 50 miles north of green bay. the standoff has been going on since about 3:00 p.m. there. the student, believed to be in 10th grade, is armed with a handgun and parts have gathered at a nearby courthouse awaiting word from law enforcement. police say they are in phone contact with the subject. so far, no shots have been fired. we'll continue to follow the situation. for now, back to brian williams in new york. >>> president obama's latest effort to cut the massive federal budget deficit took a lot of people by surprise today, including a lot of those who will be affected by this, because he wants to freeze pay for federal workers. our white house correspondent savannah guthrie with us tonight with more on this. savannah, good evening. >> reporter: good evening to you, brian. as you said, the president wants to freeze the pay of federal workers for two years, not including u.s. t

nbc's lee cowan has more. >> reporter: rarely has a pair of sea legs been so happy to set foot on dry land. three teenage castaways, adrift for almost two months. managed to walk off the fishing boat that found them with just enough energy for a smile. >> are you glad to be alive? >> yes. >> reporter: for 50 days they've been a speck in the south pacific, a floating needle in a haystack of blue that new zealand's air force was unable to find. their families even held a memorial, fearing the ocean had claimed the trio for good. now, on that string of tiny islands in tokelau that they call home, they're saying the ocean gave back a miracle. >> oh, we're so happy. everyone is so happy. all of tokelau people are so happy that, oh, what a story. >> reporter: the three had set off back in october to find love, it's rumored. a girl on a neighboring island.

our own lee cowan is traveling with the president. he too is in seoul tonight. lee, good evening. >> reporter: brian, the backdrop here at the g-20 discussions are getting more tense. on the one hand, you have the inability of the president to secure that free trade deal with korea. and despite increased tensions with china over their currency manipulation, there doesn't seem to be a lot of movement there either, sparking fears of a trade war. the president began his veterans day with cheers from u.s. troops commemorating the 60th anniversary of the korean war. but it was a decidedly different mood in his meeting with china's president as mr. obama made it clear he thought china wasn't playing by the rules. the white house has complained china is unfairly manipulating currency keeping it low to make exports more attractive and in the process, costing the u.s. jobs. >> if individual countries are engaging in practices that are purposely designed to boost their exports at the expense of others, that can contribute to problems as opposed to solving them. >> reporter

lee cowan is traveling with the president and is with us from jakarta. hey, lee, good evening. >> reporter: brian, the third time is a charm, apparently. the president has tried twice before to return to his hometown of indonesia. both times, the trips were cancelled. this time he made it but already, the trip's being cut short. the president arrived to a steady downpour in jakarta but it was the other grey in the sky that was a bigger concern, volcanic ash. some 300 miles east of jakarta has been spewing engine-clogging debris for days and conditions could worsen and the white house announced the air force one is getting out a few hours early. >> we are very invested in making this successful. >> reporter: although shorter, the substance of his visit remains the same. billed as a chance for the president to highlight the tolerance and diversity of indonesia, the world's largest majority muslim country. >> we're trying to make sure that we are building bridges and expanding our interactions with muslim countries so that they're not solely focused on secur

nbc's lee cowan is traveling with the president and joins us from mumbai with more. lee, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, lester. the president says the math on this is pretty simple. investing in one of the world's fastest growing economies, even if it is all the way on the other siftd world is, as he put it, a strategy for creating jobs back home. and he brought out the numbers to prove it. a muggy arrival in mumbai as the president and first lady begin their three-day visit to india. a mix of history, a stop at gandhi's home, culture, and the brass tacks of economic cooperation. but before it all came, a reminder that the world's two largest democracies must cooperate on something else. the fight against terror. >> so, yes, we visit here to send a very clear message that in our determination to give our people a future of security and prosperity, the united states and india stand united. >> reporter: the president made his remarks in the shadow of the now infamous taj mahal hotel, where almost exactly two years ago, more than 160 people were killed in a ser

our own lee cowan is live for us in oakland. lee, you have several hot race there is tonight? >> reporter: yeah, brian. this is obviously one of the places the president may get good news because the democratic incumbents were leading in the pre-election polls. if you look at senate rate, barbara boxer had the advantage over carly fiorina. and meg whitman, she spent more of her own money than any other candidate in history, $140 million and she still came in behind jerry brown in this race so it's not going to be necessarily all that tight. democrats think, they hope, this will remain reliably blue. >> lee cowan in oakland, california. >>> and now another closely-watched race. nevada senate. and the question here -- harry reid, who is the democratic leader in the senate, can he hang on to his job? john yang covering in las vegas for us tonight. hey, john, good evening. >> reporter: hey, brian. high stakes here in las vegas. at the end of voting it doesn't look like it's going to be tends of the gamesmanship in the ranker. here at this hotel where harry reid is having his elect

nbc's lee cowan is traveling with the president and joins us from yokohama. lee?> reporter: well, lester, that statement came relatively quickli. in short, he calls her a hero of mine and a source of inspiration to all those who work for basic human rights in burma and around the world. the united states welcomes her release but said that we demand all political prisoners be released, not just one. that statement cominga t as the president wraps up his trip to asia, calling it a success. ♪ >> reporter: from an economic perspective, the president says what happens in asia doesn't stay in asia. and he wants american companies to surf the ripple effects back home. >> in today's interconnected world, what happens in japan or china or indonesia also has a direct effect on the lives and fortunes of the american people. that's why i came here. >> reporter: it's his last stop on a four-nation trip. meeting with a group of chief executives today, mr. obama outlined again just why americans should care. seven of america's 15 top trading partners are here, and 60% of the goo

here's nbc's lee cowan. >> oh, there it is. grail of christmas gifts. >> reporter: remember when window shifting involved real windows and not the virtual ones? well, that is so yesterday. these days it's not just santa who knows if you're naughty or nice, now a customer can tell almost instantly if retailers are offering the best deal or not. >> to be a smart shopper, it would be better to have a smartphone. saves you a lot of time. >> reporter: we found brandon in one store using his inphone to scan bar codes looking for a flat screen tv. he found one somewhere else and saved $100. then there was chris green. googling websites that offer price comparisons right on the spot. he stayed, finding the best price at best buy. >> it's a new landscape for a lot of folks but it's where consumers are headed because it's easier to find the information that they need at their fingertips. >> reporter: she says 17% of shoppers plan to use their mobile phones this holiday. but what may be most surprising is that 12% say that social media si

lee cowan, nbc news, new delhi. >>> former president george w.h has a book coming out tomorrow, and he spoke at length about it in advance for tonight's special hour-long broadcast with matt lauer. the conversation includes some frank talk about the former president's drinking. that part of the conversation takes place in the midland, texas church where george and laura bush were married. >> in the book, you say faith is a walk. it's a journey. toward greater understanding. you can't prove that god exists but that shouldn't be the standard of belief because you can't prove god doesn't exist. >> exactly. >> what was it in your life, president bush, that made you re-examine your own faith and take a deeper look at it? please, have a seat. >> thank you. i didn't like the person i was. i was drinking a lot. my parents did me a great favor, they planted the seed of faith, but i would go to church so i wouldn't irritate my mother. >> president bush says his faith helped him quit drinking cold turkey just after his 40th birthday. >> yeah, i would have a

nbc's lee cowan has their story tonight. >> reporter: rarely have a pair of sea legs been so happy toet foot on dry land. three teenage castaways, adrift for almost two months, managed to walk off the fishing boat that found them, with just enough energy for a smile. >> are you glad to be alive? >> yeah. >> reporter: for 50 days, they've been a speck in the south pacific, a floating needle in a hay stack of blue that new zealand's air force was unable to find. their families even held a memorial, fearing the ocean had claimed the trio for good. now on that string of tiny islands that they call home, they're saying the ocean gave back a miracle. >> oh, we are so happy. everyone is so happy. all the people are so happy. oh, what a story. >> reporter: the three had set off back in october to find love, it's rumored, a girl on a neighboring island. but just northwest of samoa, their outboard stopped, leaving them at the mercy of the currents that carried them some 800 miles off course. it was in a lowly part of the south pacific, rarely traveled and well outside the shipping lanes. yet fo

nbc's lee cowan reports on what could become a brand new tradition for shoppers and some of the nation'sgest retailers. lee, good evening. >> reporter: hey, carl. yes, it's been a trend over the last several years as you push away from the turkey at the dinner table, you pull up to the keyboard and you start your holiday shopping online. that's a group of shoppers retailers want to take advantage on. opening up on the holiday themselves gives them a chance to get a piece of that economic pie. the nation's economy has been working overtime all year to keep the recovery moving, and yet, that hasn't earned it a single day off. retailers expected consumers to clock back in on this holiday, and they're reporting for duty sort of. >> why aren't you on the couch right now? >> well, i got drug out of the house. >> reporter: he's not alone. this was the thanksgiving line outside a kmart before dawn this morning. customers waiting to feast on deals they used to have to wait for. for many, it was a chance to beat the rush. after all, black friday gives some shoppers worse indigestion than stuffing

. >> lee cowan traveling with the president. if it's tuesday it must be jakarta. lee we'll see you tomorrow night. >>> grim confirmation from haiti the cholera epidemic has reached the pital city of port-au-princeutting millions more people at risk now as was feared. the outbreak has already killed almost 600 people in haiti in the last three weeks, more than 9,000 have been hospitalized and health experts are warning it will spread even more qukly now. >>> former president george w. bush formally kicked off his book tour today at a border's bookstore in a shopping center not far from his new home in dallas. it's a long way, however, from the west wing. before the book, there was the revealing interview with matt lauer because the former president had decided now to talk about his eight years in office. tonight, our own andrea mitchell has more on what he's been saying. andrea, good evening. >> theresident has not spoken out until now but in this first interview with our own matt lauer he's personal, frank, but unpoll get jettic. >> in dallas george w. bush signed

lee cowan is traveling with the president and joins us from new delhi with more, hello, lee. >> lester, more than half of india's population is under the age of 30 so the fact that the president and michelle obama spent so much time may not be too much of a surprise but he expected light questions but that didn't happen and he wasn't able to sidestep another request, to get out on the dance floor. >> reporter: for all the president's excitement about his first official visit to india, this morning he suddenly had reservations. over a plea to dance! ♪ his moves were polite and very brief. just a few seconds before he stopped dancing and started shaking hands. and that's compared to the first lady. the second day in a row seemed to take to the dance floor with ease. it was up to her to introduce the president at a sweltering town hall meeting at xavier university and she almost dared students there to put her husband on the spot. >> i want to urge you today to ask my husband some tough questions. >> reporter: and, they did. one question or challenge the president on the u.s. relationship

lee cowan shows us how they're making a difference. >> good throw. >> reporter: for chargers quarterbacklip rivers getting ready for tonight's big game started with a different kind of practice. his pint-sized receivers are two of his biggest fans. both are foster kids. bounced around from home to home so much, they feel like a fumbled football. >> long, yes. >> reporter: how many different places have you been, how many different homes? >> i've been in like seven. >> i've been in more, like way more. >> reporter: together their goal for christmas is painfully simple. >> to be with a family that's nice and kind. >> reporter: you haven't had that before? >> i haven't had that before. >> we got you. >> reporter: for rivers a father of five himself, unadopted kids is a stat he wants sacked. >> we have a platform as nfl players, the window doesn't last forever to spread the word and help. >> reporter: he's donated his time and name to the rivers of hope foundation, a charity for foster kids he runs with his wife, tiffany. and he's not the only charger to do it. >> you want to grab and do som

lee cowan on duty in los angeles.evening. >> reporter: here it is all about california's sour economy and it's a race between a career politician and career businesswoman. carly fiorina is trailing in the polls behind senator barbara boxer. although she says she is confident she still may be able to catch this anti-incumbency wave. but it's the exact same dynamic in the governor's race where you have the former ceo of meg whitman trailing behind jerry brown. whitman has spent millions in her own money arguing he has the business experience to fix this mess here. whereas brown argues that he has the political experience to fix it. brian? >> some great races to cover out there. lee, thanks. >>> a nasty tight race in nevada as the senate majority leader struggles to hang on to his day job. john yang is in las vegas. john, good evening. >> reporter: you've got tea party in alaska, unemployment in california. here in nevada, you have both and more. harry reid instrumental in passing president obama's stimulus and health ca

. >> lee cowan traveling with the president, thank you. >>> it's brings us to capitol hill where theential showdown with congress awaits the prident's return home. here's more. >> reporter: even while still aroadway, the presidentoday made an overture to conservatives back home, backing their call to ban earmarks, special projects that many consider wastefu pork. >> we can't afford bridges to nowhere likehe one that was planned a few years back in alaska. >> reporter: a fight looms with republicans over renewing sh-era tax cuts. >> when we get tax cuts, we want to give tax cuts to middle-class families. >> reporter: after weeks spent bashing the gop for insisting the cuts be extended to the wealthy, some signal the president is open to that but on a temporary basis. >> it's clear who the winners are -- >> reporter: republicans rejected the openings. >> i think extending the current tax rates and making them rmanent will reduce the uncertainty in americ >> reporter: the new stance has also brought ridicule from the left who accused the president of caving to republin demands. >> what

. >> i interviewed lee cowan.e says to me, it's hard to stay objective covering this guy. >> with every victory, obama's congregation is growing. >> it's like being 13 and seeing sean kassidy and we are all on board. we are on board the scott baio train. we are not embarrassed. we talk about how much we love obama. >> i would tlouf find something to criticize about it. got anything? >> no. i have been criticized for saying he inspires me. to hell with my critics. >> john ziegler is a former conservative talk show host turned film maker. he funded media malpractice out of his pocket. welcome john ziegler. we agree, that clip showed, as nicolle wallace says, it's like running against god. the media, we are in love. i have a tingle up my leg having you sit at my table. >> not sure how to take that. >> i'm between you guys. >> really. >> i'm for truth. i'm for honesty. >> part of the film is how obama got elected and palin was targeted. you essentially bought into the obama myth. >> no, i didn't. you didn't read my ea

. >> and nbc's lee cowan has been traveling with the president. he joins us from japan.ing. >> the president wrapped up his ten-day trip to asia. he visited the great buddha. he also had some sideline meetings with russia's president as well before he left. he does come home, though, alex, with not everything he hoped to get. he talks about the inability to get an agreement on china's manipulation of the currency and the failure to secure a free trade deal with korea but they're still trying to secure this trip as a success. the level of engagement that the president has had in this region in the last ten days really makes a difference between a prosperous u.s. and one that risks being left behind. now, of course, the president turns his attention again to the economy but he's going to have to be facing that back home. he's looking at it where he's going to be talking about the tax cuts, the deficit and a whole host of other things. once again the economy will be put back on center stage. that's the latest from yokohama. back to you. >> lee gown, thanks for that. >>> one

for "today," lee cowan, nbc news, los angeles. >>> so what do you need to know now that the earliest if viewers this morning are still at home, they're getting ready or they're still in bed, is it too late or is there still deals to be had? >> the door buster deals. a lot of them only had ten of them in stock or maybe even less. so a lot of those deals are gone. that doesn't mean that you have misseded out. not at all. >> if you're looking for the truly hot gadgets, you're not going to get the deals you think you're going to get? in the hottest items, tvs with interconnectivity, the most current kindles, those aren't for sale, those isn't the door buster deals, it's the stuff they're trying to clear out, it's the older inventory. >> what are the items you should be looking for? >> tvs are a good deal. there's a glut of these things so they're basically giving them away. i have seen lcd tvs for $200, $3 $300, $400. these are great deals. >> you say tech is big and then you say toys and clothes are the other two big ones? >> toys have not sold out, go out now, you're going to get amazi

for "today," lee cowan, nbc news, los angeles. >> such a sad story, but it's important to remember thatwas a guy who really practiced safe climbing. it's tragic. wants to make kids happy [ female announcers one tummy at a time. because 9 out of 10 kids don't get the fiber they need, that's why froot loops, apple jacks and corn pops have 3 grams of fiber in every yummy bowl. they're the cereals your kids love and the fiber their tummies love... which makes for a whole lotta happy. froot loops, apple jacks and corn pops, an oh-so-good source of fiber. kellogg's® makes fiber fun. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ look at that car, well, it goes fast ♪ ♪ givin' my dad a heart attack ♪ [ friend ] that is so awesome. ♪ i love my car [ engine revving ] [ male announcer ] that first chevy, yea, it gets under your skin. ♪ we helped keep your skin clear. now we have a solution for wrinkles. neutrogena anti wrinkle with retinol sa smoothes even deep wrinkles. it works...beautifully. neutrogena. how about a coastal soup and grilled shrimp salad combination at red lobster? or maybe skewers of tender, wood-grilled shrimp. or

here is nbc's lee cowan. >> reporter: the only thing more dazzling that the bride-to-be's smile was kate middleton's left hand. her engagement ring is blinding, even without the flashbulbs, an 18 carat sapphire blooming out of a garden of diamonds. it is a lot to look after, especially given its former owner. princess diana picked out her own ring. back in 1981 for her engagement to prince charles. but what a scandal? people scoffed, including the royal family that the future princess chose a ring out of a catalog instead of having one custom-made, a mere $60,000 it cost. but princess di had an eye for style even then and that commoner sapphire has born her name ever since. >> do people still refer to it as a princess diana sapphire? >> that style of ring is 100% a princess di ring. >> reporter: she wore it even after her divorce from prince charles. for her son, the future king, there isn't a crown jewel more valuable. >> obviously she won't be around to share in the fun and excitement. this is my way of keeping her close to it all. >> reporter: he spent three weeks in africa for three