mandela's doctors. the last time he was admitted was in january when we were told he was going in for a routine checking c checkup, only to find out that he had a serious respiratory infection. so people want more assurance from the presidency in the form of details of what's going on. >> and he is 93. he has been in declining health. but, clearly, if he -- when he passes away, it's going to be a tragic end of something for south africa because of who he is, because of what he's accomplished. >> definitely. his house is of international importance. that's why people want more information. they want to rest assure with del details of what's going on with mr. mandela, knowing that he is definitely okay. and, of course, the government in south africa treats mr. mandela's health as a closely guarded secret. they think it is a private matter and they will only give information that they feel is necessary to give to the public, deborah. >> thank you so much. we'll check in with you a little later on. >>> we h

mandela, they want to see pictures of them just to reassure themselves he's okay. earlier i spoke to the ruling party about whether south africans are really emotionally prepared for what is the inevitable. this is what the spokesperson had to say. >> people do accept that he's -- he's come a long way. you can look at his age. he's still going strong. that is why these constant monitoring of his health because people at his age need all the attention. but i think south africans while they understand, they wish him to live longer. they would appreciate if he can stretch his life longer. >> do we know how long he'll be in the hospital? >> reporter: the presidency is saying that they're expecting he will be discharged from hospital either sunday or monday, not giving any further information about that. >> thank you very much for that report. appreciate it. >>> gas prices are top of mind for americans right now. prices crept up 12 cents in a week. and they continue to rise. president obama talked about the problem and the solution in his weekly address. >> you know the

mandela was not properly streamlined. we were told he went in for a routine check up to find out he did have a serious infection. he had been watched by doctors ever since then. this time, it seems the presidency is streamlining information. family members are not allowed to say anything to the media. only senior members of the mandela family have been told exactly what is going on, what the former president. we are hearing rumors he had an operation last night. nobody is confirming that and the presidency is taking charge. they want to release the information when they see fit. >> thank you so much. we'll check in with you later on during this hour. thanks so much. >>> now to some incredible video from inside syria showing the growing humanitarian crisis and battle for freedom. it's something you will only see here on cnn. the images were recorded by a french journalist with antigovernment fighters. >> reporter: a warfare like this is relentless and terrifying. the fighters appear fearless and take crazy risks. they stil

here is a closer look at their recent years in mandela's life. >> this is the most recent film of mandelawildered as an official explained to him how to vote in last year's local elections. those close to him like his wife are seen helping him here and say that he has founded the indignities of old age difficult to indore. >> when he realized that he cannot walk as hall and firm as he's to be, he doesn't like it. >> she also says his memory is not what it used to be and it is difficult to watch him age. >> to see him aging is painful. you understand it and you know that it has to happen, tsks them love to watch mandelas sparkle fade it's even more difficult because he was always physically robust and energetic. >> he has had a number of health scares over the years. he has had a prostate surgery, eyes of dree and the surgery. he has had tuberculosis air to pneumonia. this time a family member tells cnn that he had a hernia operation. his body is slim, tall and strong. it seems the undeniable march of time has taken its toll. >>jaqueline: in san francisco people are bundled up. it is quite

mandela out of the hospital? >> no.f he just went into the hospital this morning and if he has in fact had surgery, my guess would be that, like anyone else, no matter how old they are, but especially if they're 93, they might have to stay in a while for observation. but that's just my best guess. >> charlene hunter gault. thank you so much. we're going to ask you to stand by. we'll talk to you later. appreciate your time. thanks again. covering nelson mandela for more than three decades. of course, nelson mandela, the father of south africa's democracy and one of the legitimate global superstars. we will, of course, continue to watch his condition and update you as it warrants. >>> right now, what to expect the major cutbacks at the post office. we'll talk about that. this is "weekends with alex witt." erything - everything. but why energy? we've got over 100 years worth. is it safe to get it? but what, so we should go broke with imports? look, i'm just saying. well, energy creates jobs. [announcer:] at conocophillips,

the name of the hospital where mandela is being treated was not released. >>> now nelson mandela is beloved by his nation, as you know, and around the world he gained notoriety after enduring 27 years in prison for battling apartheid. after his release in 1990 mandela was awarded the nobel peace prize. in 1994 he went on to become south africa's first black president serving one year as promised. retired from public life eight years ago and since then has remained in seclusion. >>> now to new york where fresh details are emerging in a bizarre hospital incident involving the youngest sochbt late-senator robert kennedy. we're still getting details in here. douglas kennedy and facing misdemeanor charges after he claims to some sort of altercation with two nurses as he tried to leave with his newborn son. cnn's susan candiotti is following this story and the fallout from new york. susan, what have you learned? >> reporter: well, susan, the question is, was he defending his rights as a parent and protecting his child, or refusing to follow a nurse's order? douglas kennedy was visiting his wife m

mandela's health, this is what they're saying, mr. mandela in satisfactory condition in hospital, comfortable, he went through planned procedure, we can only assume the hernia surgery that our sources told us about to investigate the causes of this abdominal complaint the president tonight saying mr. mandela is fine and conscious and doctors are satisfied with his condition, which they say is consistent with his age. they are stressing, deborah, mr. mandela is not in any danger and that is exactly what the party the african national congress has been saying the whole day. let's take a listen, deborah. >> it's not an emergency, it was pre-planned, it finally happened today. >> is it life-threatening? >> it's not. he's fine. he's okay. and that is what we have been communicating to south africans, no need to panic. >> reporter: the ruling party, the african national congress and the presidency telling south africans and the world not to panic, and that mr. mandela is expected to be released from hospital, discharged from hospital either

. >>> mandela hospitalized. the latest on the condition of the legendary south african leader. >>> silent killer. a ground breaking look at the leading cause of death for women. new information about heart health that could save your life. >>> and demolition day. one of the most notorious houses on earth comes down. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >>> good evening. the anti-american backlash in afghanistan may have taken another ominous turn on this fifth day of protests. two more americans both high ranking u.s. military officers were shot to death as they worked on a heavily fortified afghan ministry building. tonight, nato officials are taking extraordinary steps to help those working in kabul. four americans have been killed over the accidental burning of the koran. today president obama said he remains committed to a partnership with the afghan government. we are joined in our kabul bureau with the very latest. good evening. >> reporter: good evening, lester. well, the defense minister called

mandela spent 27 years in prison for fighting racist white rule. the nobel peace prize recipient became south africa's first black president in 1994 and served one 5-year term. >> well, we wish him well. president obama's wife, michelle obama, visited with him in the past, not this recent illness, but we wish him well. i was in south africa this summer, visited his prison cell. >> you have extraordinary video from that. i remember. >> amazing. >> we wish him well. >> that you shot on your ipad. >> right on the ipad, exactly. >> how far we've come. >> yeah, no doubt. >>> okay, so, talking about the weather today. >> yes. >> definitely going to be cold, but you said, you know, maybe we're in for maybe a rebound or something? >> i think you're going to like -- i think you're going to like today. wait until we go through all the details first, but so far, i am optimistic that you're going to optimistic that you're going to like it. are made with sweet cherries and the crisp, clean taste of our cranberries. i cannot tell a lie. 'tis tasty. okay, george

nelsonman d mandela is out of t hospital. what doctors found what wh they ran tests on him. >>> a former top chef contestant plans to open a restaurant in d.c. >>> it's no small feat. this man is now a world record holder. we'll explain that. >>> after a very pleasant, but slightly chilly day today, there's still talk of a big time warm-up coming our way for the beginning of the week. i'll give you the details in the -dad, why are you getting that? -that's my cereal. is there a prize in there? oh, there's a prize, all right. is it a robot? no. is it a jet plane? nope. is it a dinosaur?] [ male announcer ] inside every box of heart healthy cheerios are those great tasting little o's made from carefully selected oats that c help lower cholesterol. stickers? uh-uh. a superhero? ♪ kinda. [ male announcer ] and we think that's the best prize of all. ♪ >>> a new rrlt is coming to d.c. he will open a shop in the pavilion. this is video from youtube. the journal reports his restaurant should open in late fall. it will focus on lesser

the word is that nelson mandela is resting comfortably after being admitted to hospital this morning with stomach pains, abdominal pains. and there's a bit of question about just what was the nature of those abdominal pains because the government, unlike in his previous admission to hospital, has seized the opportunity to take control of the word that's going out exactly about what's happening with former president mandela. so they have said simply there was a procedure, they haven't said whether it was surgical or just what it was exactly. but they are saying now that he is resting comfortably and possibly may go home either sunday or monday. right now, the rest of the country is sort of holding their breath because nelson mandela is really the heart of this nation. so some hearts are palpitating because of his condition. but everybody is hoping that he pulls through this as he has in the past. >> all right, thank you for the update. >>> now to the increasingly desperate situation in syria. another deadly day. activists say dozens more were killed as government forces continued thei

. >>> former south african president nelson mandela is in the hospital. he had a hernia operation today and resting pretty comfortably. . he's 93 years old. the government official reassured everyone that the surgery was not an emergency. mandela will likely be released in the mebs two days. >>> and a prosecutor said a former rutgers university student acted purposely. ravi faces charges that include hate crimes. the roommate killed himself just days later. ravi faces up to ten years in prison. >>> a judge has dismissed the corruption case against silvio berlusconi. he was charged with bribery, but the judge rule that had the statute of limitations expired in the case. he survived a series of political corruption and sex scandals over his many years in power. >>> let's get right to our top story out of afghanistan where the taliban will claiming she shot and killed two american officers. now, these killings come as rage grips afghanistan for the fifth day, people are angry about the burning of korans at a nato base. this is new video of afghan forces firi

this he released a statement after where they said that nothing was seriously wrong with nelson mandela. >>> in syria, violence continued today in the city of homs. opposition activists say at least 55 people were killed across the country today, including 25 in that city alone, which has been under bombardment for more than three weeks. despite the ongoing violence, syria held a vote on changes to that country's constitution, a vote the syrian government says is a move toward reform. nbc's richard engel has more. >> this referendum is essentially a yes/no vote on new clauses and amendments to the syrian constitution which in principle sound very good, they set presidential term limits, president bashar al assad would have to step down in 2014. they allow for multiparty democracy and remove the syrian ba'ath party from its central role in syrian politics much the syrian government is presenting the referendum as the centerpiece of its reform process, a process that the syrian opposition has been demanding. the problem is there are plenty of good clauses in the old syrian constitution wh

that spirit, that sparkle, somehow is fading" mandela became a fading" mandela became aaworld figure after being imprisoned for fighting racial ssgregation in south africc. 3 governor o'malley and new jersey governor christ christie are rallying support for their candidates at the center of he 2012 presidential election. election. the governors appeared on c-b-s' "face the nation" sunday. governor christie is stumping for mitt romney, while governor o'malley remains a staunch defender of president obama's policies. o'malley says, "we're part of a global economy. aad the fact of the matter is domestic oil production has been increasing every year under president obama. our reliance on foreign oil is down to the lowest level that it's been in 16 years. and, yes, we do need to find ways to be more energyyefficient, //butt to// christie says, "in the end governor romney who has some has real appeal to independents across the country ii going to be the nominee. he's going to be talking about the things that he should be talking about: economy one of the biggest issues not discussed during

a month after that, she visited nelson mandela in johannesburg. >> yeah, obviously, they did. and he remembered that and never forgot it. he's always that eveninged those who stood up for him to be free, and whitney was one of those people. and we don't talk about it as much. i, too, agree with the governor and the half-staff for the flag. and we all really appreciate all those great accomplishments, including her voice. >>> mark thompson, thank you very much for joining us tonight. we leave you tonight with whitney houston, singing for nelson mandela at the clinton white house. ♪ ♪

nelson mandela spending the night in the hospital. a family member tells us he had hernia surgery for that and he is resting comfortably. he's 93 years old. >>> and a huge explosion rips through a neighborhood in the syrian city of homs. people there have been trapped by shelling and sniper fire for three weeks now. syrian officials agreed to a cease-fire yesterday to let wounded people and women and children evacuate. at least 75 people are reported killed across syria just today. >>> nato's reacting swiftly to the shooting deaths of two american military officers in afghanistan. both were shot dead inside a government building in kabul earlier today. protesters have been packing the streets across afghanistan for five days furious over the burning of korans at a nato base p. nick payton walsh joins us from kabul. what are nato and the u.s. going to do to get other westerners out of harm's way is th? because clearly the situation is not stable. >> reporter: absolutely. what they've immediately done is the head general john allen has

. >>> last night right here on world news we told you nelson mandela in the hospital. well, tonight, he is now home and in that country there is huge relief that mandela, now 393, is okay. abc's fawzi kinani in johannesburg. >> reporter: nelson mandela is said to be resting comfortably and everyone is resting easier knowing he is out of the hospital. we now know the 93-year-old former president had a minor laproscopic surgery. doctors us 00ed a small camera to look around his abdomen and hope to find was's been causing the pain he's been suffering for some time. they did not find the cause but doctors said he was well enough to return home. although mandela's health has been declining in recent years his doctors say he is in good condition for a man of his age. david. >> bazi, thanks for the update. >>> still ahead on "world news" this sunday evening, the critical shortage of life-saving drugs and the hero doctor who demanded and then got action. but why does this keep happening? >>> what's a politician singing? our correspondent asks who would win in a different match

she developed an extraordinary rapport with nelson mandela. the beautiful pictures.called her my daughter. and that picture was actually taken in 2001, but they had the most wonderful relationship and i spoke to nelson mandela's grandchildren this morning and they were actually having a lunch and it was very interesting because there they were playing the music of whitney houston. >> oh. >> and david manway, who is mandela's grandson-in-law said we are berevved. whitney was an extext of our family and our hearts go out to bobbi kristina. >> they loved something about her image as well. her poise. >> they transcended everything, race, color, age. she was so extraordinary. in fact, even in dubai, there are fountains synchronized to the music of whitney houston. >> this in tribute to her post-death. >> but just a celebration of this incredible talent. in china, today, front page news, talking about u.s. singer who dies, at the bbc telegraph, speaks about terrible trajectory of modern fame, the guardian in south africa, whitney houston, brilliant and tragic, life and eve

. >>> nelson mandela is out of the hospital. he was discharged today after being treated for an abdominal ailme ailment. a family member said it was hernia surgery. he was awarded the nobel peace prize three years later. >>> 22 carnival cruise line passengers were robbed during a guided excursion in mexico. it happened thursday on a trail in puerto vallarta. carnival says no one was hurt and that it suspended the excursion until further notice. two weeks ago, the state department issued a nonessential travel warning to 14 mexican states. the warning included puerto vallarta. >>> the deep water horizon oil spill won't begin tomorrow after all. it is scheduled to start next monday, that's march 5th. bp, the plaintiffs involved say that they have been involved in settlement talks all weekend. if a settlement is not reached, a judge will have to decide civil liability for that disaster. >>> the muslim american community in new york is angry over newly released nypd documents and a controversial cartoon. susan candiotti joins us from

we'll explain after this. >>> former south african president nelson mandela is hospitalized this weekend for treatment of stomach pain. the 93-year-old leader was admitted to a hospital in johannesburg this morning. government officials appeared on television there, saying mandela's hospital admissions was not an emergency and surgery would not be involved. he has been in poor health since a week in the hospitalized over a year ago with respiratory problems. he has not appeared in public since. >>> some d.c. residents got help in filing their tax returns today. congresswoman eleanor holmes norton hosted her 12th annual tax fair today at the washington convention center. tax professionals were on hand from the i.r.s. and the d.c. office of tax and revenue to help residents prepare their basic tax returns. the free event also featured representatives from a variety of financial service institutions, to provide information on low cost credit union, banking and loans, college tuition planning and assistance, mortage help, and credit counseling. >>> coming up, a breezy and cool saturday night

and she developed an extraordinary rapport with nelson mandela, beautiful pictures.his one. there he is. he called her my daughter. that picture was taken in 2001. they had the most wonderful relationship and i spoke to nelson mandela's grandchildren this morning and they were having a lunch and was very interesting because they were playing the music of whitney houston, and david manoway, the grandson-in-law, said we are bereft. she was an exception of the family and our hearts go out to bob bobbi kristina. >> people loved her music but they loved something about her image as well, her poise. >> she transcended everything, didn't she, race, color, age, she was so extraordinary. in fact, even in dubai, there are fountains synchro thenized the music of whitney houston. >> this in tribute to -- >> in tribute to but just a celebration of this incredible talent. in china today, front page news talking about u.s. singer who dies and at the bbc telegraph speaks about terrible trajectory of modern fame, the guardian in south africa, whitney houston, brilliant and tragic lif

doctors tested mandela today and they say his condition is nothing serious. they called the problem something that is consistent with his age. mend mandela is 93 years old and expected to be released from hospital tomorrow or monday. spent 27 years in prison for fighting racist rule. >>> when news4 at 6:00 continues, fifth graders accused of putting rat poison in their teacher's coffee. we'll tell you where they apparently got the idea. >>> ben and jerry accused racism in flavor created [ male announcer ] are you paying more and more for cable and enjoying it less and less? stop paying for second best. upgrade to verizon fios and get tv, internet and phone for an incredible price: just $89.99 a month for two years with a two-year agreement. it's an amazing deal, but it's for a limited time only. so don't wait. want to save even more? call right now and we'll add a special bonus: $300 back. unlike cable, fios delivers a 100% fiber-optic network to your home. get america's fastest, most consistent, most reliable internet, plus the best tv picture quality, and m

. >>> former south african president nelson mandela is in the hospital tonight. the pain that sent him there that actually has been plaguing him for a while. >>> the security scare at sacramento international airport. this morning's problem that got two tsa agents removed from screening duties. >>> well, so much for our temperatures in the 70s. it was quite a bit cooler today. what does your seven-day forecast hold? we'll tell you, coming up. ,,,,,,,,,,,, hospitalized tonight with a persistent stomach ailment.e exact nature of the ailments not known. doc . >>> nelson mandela is hospitalized tonight with a persistent stomach ailment. doctors say they are satisfied with the results of a diagnostic test performed today and that mandela is expected to be okay. the 93-year-old should be out of the hospital within the next day or two. >>> the tsa is investigating why a metal detector was left unattended at sacramento international airport. the check point at terminal b was closed around 9:00 this morning after five people were suspected of going through, unscreened. th

the 93-year-old mandela underwent some minor surgery after complaining of abdominal pain.hough there was understandable concern due to his age, he's 93, south african president jacob zuma says doctors assured him there is nothing to worry about and that mandela is in good health. >>> to presidential politics now. just 48 hours from that crucial primary in michigan where mitt romney was born and raised, tonight polls show romney and rick santorum neck and neck. and both candidates came out swinging today with a momentum of a race hanging in the balance. nbc's ron mott has our report. >> reporter: with the race for michigan zooming toward the finish line on tuesday, today, presidential politics moved to the fast track. mitt romney and rick santorum both showed up at the daytona 500. >> i'll vote for you. >> thank you. i need that. >> upstate new york. >> all right, we need your help. >> reporter: romney in person, in nascar red. santorum's red and blue logo on the number 26 race car, which romney sized up. it was a sporting moment in an increasingly heated campaign, with fie

of course, as you know, nelson mandela is 93 years old but a strong warrior. he's been through other issues, medical issues before and survived, so i think the country once they get the news will all be on their knees or however they pray, hoping that he gets past this in good health. >> a strong warrior. that's a great description. charlene hunter-gault thanks so much for being with us this morning. we'll check back with you if there are any developments. >>> now to the crisis in syria. the red cross has begun a second day of evacuations there as world leaders urged an end to the violence. nbc's richard engle is on the border of syria and turkey. richard, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. efforts are continuing to try and evacuate more people from the besieged city of holm this evacuation being carried out by the red cross and syrian red crescent. it is, however, a very limited operation only in this city and on a very small scale. red cross officials say yesterday they were only able to take out about 30 people, starting with women and children. criti

we were there when nelson mandela walked out of prison. we saw some terrible wars in africa and somalia and mozambique and angola and we went to pakistan and spend a lot of time and afghanistan. we moved to cyprus and traveled through the arab world. we went to moscow for three years and got to jerusalem. there had been a pattern covering conflict. we got to jerusalem thinking that might continue on. is important to remember in 1999 it was different in jerusalem. it was quiet. for three years there had been no major violence. after the cold war ended in 91 the israelis and palestinians began talking to each other. they were meeting on a daily basis. as we walked around one of the first day as i was there i went to the temple mount. the place where the ancient jewish temples were and where the golden dome of the rockabilly dismal the iconic dome of the rock has been built on top of the ancient temples. the church where jesus was crucified and buried is half a mile -- all within yards of each other. this muslim -- palestinian muslims at pray

. >>> nelson mandela is said to be recovering after undergoing hernia surgery. he was hospitalized earlier today. the news sparked fears that the 93-year-old icon was seriously ill. but a family member insists the surgery was planned and nelson mandela will likely will released by monday. he's beloved by his nation and around the world. he gained notoriety after enduring 27 years in prison for battling apartheid. in 1994, he went on to become south africa's first black president, serving one year as promised. he retired from public life eight years ago and sense then has remained in virtual seclusion. >>> the compound in pakistan where u.s. special forces killed osama bin laden last may is now being demolished. the work is being done at night using flood lights. if you look close here, you can see heavy machinery knocking down the walls and the building where bin laden had been hiding. a pakistani said they didn't want to turn it into a shrine for would be follows of osama bin laden. >>> what happened between the son of robert kennedy and two nurses at a new yor

carp invasion and nelson mandela news. we'll get to all of it. >>> we begin with breaking news, a man hunt is under way for an afghan intelligence officer wanted in the killing of two u.s. army officers. authorities are searching for abdul sabur but stopped short of calling him the gunman. the taliban says the on going attacks were in response to the accidental burning of korans by u.s. troops. atia baugh' is live in kabul. what's the latest from there? >> reporter: good evening, alex. the latest information that we have right now is that abdul sabur was working inside the interior ministry. what we hear from afghan officials is he was, in fact, a high-ranking intelligence officer. u.s. officials was saying he was a low-level police officer with access to the interior ministry, access to the office that is the two american officers were working in. he walked in and shot them point blan nk the back of the head according to afghan officials. what we've also heard is they're looking for him but can't find him. instead, they f