thank you for the gallup family, jean, lee and mike newman, you were willing to embark in a process in late 2010 and 2011 and your equity partners willingness when the economy was still wavering back then and for recognizing the vision and values of san francisco and this transbay redevelopment project. thanks to doug shoemaker and mercy housing for your continued commitment inform -- to affordable housing and economics programs and revitalize neighborhoods and revitalize lives. finally our infrastructure, our commissioners and it is these folks who work everyday to exercise land use development and design approval authority to major projects like this. today would not be possible, would not have happened with all of your hard work and dedication to building sustain able and thriving communities. really today is emblematic as the mayor indicated as the work of the office of community of -- thank you for making this possible. >> thank you everybody. i hope you can tell we are all excited and looking forward to getting this off the ground and looking forward to seeing everybody in the su

merrill newman is expected to arrive in, what, a couple of hours, mike. >> reporter: yes. i just confirmed with airport officials that he is expected to arrive around 9:00 on a united airlines flight coming from beijing. his son will be here to greet his father as he finally arrives back in states. he is 85 and from palo alto and has been held by the south korea an government since late october. before he was scheduled to leave, korean authorities detained him and held him for weeks. he is a korean war veteran and televised an apology for his part in the war. he briefly spoke to reporters on his way home at the beijing airport. >> i'm very glad to be on my way home. i appreciate the -- so i can be on my way. >> how do you feel now? >> i feel good. i feel good. >> what do you want to do first thing. >> go home and see my wife. >> reporter: now, in a statement, north korea an officials say taking into consideration his admittance of the act committed by him, an apology made by him, the above said institution deported him from the country. now, certainly his family is very ex

suddenly, the north korean government saying merrill newman, a korean war vet with a heart condition was released for humanitarian reasons. nbc's mike taibbi is in palo alto with more for us. good evening. >> reporter: good evening, lester. the north korean officers say they deported merrill newman, others say he was freed after a detention that never should have happened. bottom line, the 85-year-old the ex-marine for a trip that lasted much longer than it should have is home. it happened quickly without any prior announcement, the flight from pyongyang to beijing, and merrill newman finally able to speak freely. >> i'm very glad to be on my way home. >> reporter: and then after a direct flight to san francisco, american soil. >> it's been a great, great homecoming and i'm tired, but ready to be with my family now and thank you all for the support we got, and very much appreciated. >> reporter: newman had visited north korea on an organized tour but was pulled off his homebound flight october 26th minutes before takeoff and held without explanation but the elderly man who had raised a family and spent a career in corporate finance

mike mibach. >> i'm claudine wong. 85-year-old merrill newman detained in north korea for six weeks. united states. his united airlines flight from beijing landed at sfo just before 9:00 this morning. z you are taking a live look at the international terminal in the arrival of the arrival area of the airport. and where a largecontingency of the reporters have gathered, waiting for them to come on out of the doors. you're looking at it right now. we've seen passengers from the various international flights come on out. but so far no sign of the man. his family is expected to be on hand to greet him once he does come out. and now newman was released by north korea and reported the time yesterday. he was surrounded by the reporters when he arrived in beijing. the korean war veteran was visiting north korea when he was pulled off the flight of china on october 26 and charged with hostile acts against the state. he was released, citing the advanced age and health. >>> and i'm very glad to be on my way home. and i appreciate this, the tolerance. and what the government has given to be beyo