what do you make of this ron allen kid? megan: well, his life story would make a hell of a movie. uh, remake of the wrong man, perhaps? the administration is asking me and other project managers to suspend ron from all lab work till your investigation is completed. well, that might be a good idea, larry. the theft of a dna synthesizer is not a simple one. in the hands of a hostile government it could be used to create an avian flu virus-- this could be one of the worst wmd threats our country has faced. listen, i appreciate the seriousness of this theft, but now to my knowledge, you have no evidence that links ron to this crime. hey, larry, this is an ongoing investigation here. you are casting a black cloud over a young man who's faced stupendous odds, a young man whose promise at such a young age, it's incalculable. a young man who isn't real. i did a deeper background check into ron allen. born in philadelphia august 24, 1987. died... november 21, '87. the kid you think ron allen is, larry, he doesn't exist. the best in nutrition... just got better. high in vitamins d, e, and b1

>>> ron allen, state college, pennsylvania tonight. n, thanks. >>> up next as our broadcast continues tonight our exclusive interview with former president bill clinton on fixing the economy, even his wife's possible future plans. >>> later, a real dilemma for an outstanding young man on what could be one of the most important days of his life. >>> former president bill clinton is out with a new book tonight. it's his fix for the u.s. economy. nbc's kate snow has an exclusive interview tonight beginning with the question -- how do we and how would he get americans back to work? >> there is no big one silver bullet. but the most important thing we could do is to try to loosen up the big stores of cash. there are about $2 trillion in bank reserves uncommitted to loans. that money won't be loaned until we accelerate the resolution of the home mortgage crisis. >> you say we need a simpler system to help people out of failed mortgages. are you saying the system we have at the federal level isn't cutting it now? >> it's helped people but not

>> ron allen on the penn state campus starting us off tonight. n, thank you. >>> a lot of people watching the scandal unfold at penn state, watching the human damage pile up, watching an institution get badly soiled, can't help but think of the scandal that rocked the catholic church in america. there are a lot of parallels. our report tonight from nbc's anne thompson. >> reporter: penn state football is the latest institution to learn the high cost of silence. just as the boy scouts of america did losing a multi-million dollar sex abuse case last year. >> no jury has returned a verdict against the boy scouts of america at this level ever. >> reporter: most notoriously, the catholic church. >> accusations of a cover-up against yet another powerful member of the catholic hierarchy. >> reporter: almost ten years ago the boston globe broke the story of priests abusing minors and the cover-up by church officials, shattering the archdiocese and the faith of many american catholics. one of its reporters sees parallels in the penn state case. >> the inst

nbc's ron allen is with us from state college, pa tonight. ron, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. we have not heard from coach paterno directly today, but "the new york times" is reporting that university officials here are very busy planning for his exit, sometime in the days or weeks to come. that as the calls for the coach to step down grow louder. the coach could hear a few fans as he left for practice, refusing to answer questions about the 40-count indictment, alleging his long-time assistant coach jerry sandusky sexually abused at least eight young boys for more than ten years. paterno's son spoke for him. >> no one has asked joe to step down, that's all i can tell you. >> if they do -- >> reporter: earlier, his weekly media briefing had been abruptly cancelled. >> we have determined that today's press conference cannot be held and will not be rescheduled. >> i don't see him surviving. i don't think he should. but that's just my opinion. >> reporter: reporter bob flounders paper, "the harrisburg patriot news" is one of man

nbc's ron allen is in hartford for us. ron, good evening. >> reporter: good evening to you, brian. this is still the scene in so many places across new england. look at all these trees and power lines still down. all these homes in the dark again tonight. in fact, across the state of connecticut, more than half the residents still do not have power. it's been three days, and it may be more than a week. work crews made some progress today but the damage across the northeast is overwhelming. destruction caused by that disastrous mix of heavy, wet snow falling on trees with fall foliage that pulled down power lines. >> the number of crews -- i think i'm right about this -- is unprecedented. >> reporter: this record-breaking nor'easter roared up the east coast this weekend dumping as much as 31 inches of snow in northern new england. over 1,000 trees were lost in new york's central park. and it was deadly as well. with at least 11 people killed. and some narrow escapes. >> if i would stay in the car two more seconds, i would be dead today. >> reporter: many worry if this bizarre hallow

>>> ron allen, state college, pennsylvania tonight. n, thanks. >>> up next as our broadcast continues tonight our exclusive interview with bill clinton on fixing the economy, even his wife's possible future plans. >>> later, a real dilemma for an outstanding young man on what could be one of the most important days of his life. could be one of the most important days of his life. was founded back in 1894, amel they've been committed to putting clients first. helping generations through tough times. good times. never taking a bailout. there when you need them. helping millions of americans over the centuries. the strength of a global financial leader. the heart of a one-to-one relationship. together for your future. ♪ [ slap! slap! slap! slap! slap! ] [ male announcer ] your favorite foods fighting you? fight back fast with tums. calcium rich tums goes to work in seconds. nothing works faster. ♪ tum tum tum tum tums [ male announcer ] got a cold? [ sniffling ] [ male announcer ] not sure what to take? now robitussin® makes finding the ri

and it's going to take a clean sweep of everybody who has been involved. >> ron allen reporting for ushere as we told you earlier. "the new york times" is reporting that paterno will be out perhaps within days, weeks or by the end of the season. paterno's son said the head coach had wanted to go through with the press conference yesterday as scheduled, but it was the university's decision to shut down the event. >>> we turn now to some basketball today, 5:00, the bargaining deadline for players to accept the league's latest proposal. at 50-50 split of revenue between the players and the owners. after the deadline, if a deal is not struck, commissioner david stern says he will be forced to cancel all games in the nba through december now. yesterday, at a press conference, the players remain united, rejecting the league's latest proposal and asking for another bargaining session before today's deadline. but after the press, things got interesting. on the way out players found themselves face to face with former president bill clinton. right there in the lobby. this photo taken by "newsda

nbc's ron allen is in hard hit newtown, connecticut, tonight. ron, good evening. >> good evening, brian. it's day four of all of this. and the utility crews, as you can, see are working late into the night. more than half the homes and businesses in connecticut still do not have power, and everyone's patience is starting to run just a bit thin. across the storm-battered northeast, the weather cooperated today. spring-like temperatures made the cleanup more bearable for residents and utility crews. after another night of temperatures below freezing in many places. >> they told us maybe by thursday they would have this up. and that's one of the longest times we've had to wait for power to come. >> even connecticut's governor was frustrated with the response. after calls to the federal government and some 15 other states for help. >> we have had orders out for as much help as could be brought to the arena. and for whatever reason, the resources have not gotten here. >> reporter: across the region, almost 1.7 million homes and businesses are without

ron allen in connecticut. >>> everybody out east said the same thing about this freak snowstorm. this kind of thing didn't used to happen. this never happened before. and while that is true, it may also be true that we'll all have to start getting used to this kind of thing over the long haul. that story tonight from our chief environmental affairs correspondent anne thompson. >> reporter: around the world, it seems like the weather is going to extremes. not just the halloween snowstorm in the northeast, but record breaking flooding in thailand. 1,400 new highs in the u.s. in the month of july. moscow reaching 101 degrees in the summer of 2010. heat and wildfires consuming southern australia in 2009. >> this is the future and we're already experiencing climate change. >> reporter: dr. jerry neil is the senior scientist for the atmospheric center in boulder. he says our warming planet makes extreme weather events more likely. as greenhouse gases created by burning fossil fuels, such as oil, gas and coal alter the climate. >> just as steroids make the baseball player stronger and i

again tonight, nbc's ron allen is there for us.tate college, p.a. >> reporter: good evening, brian. joe paterno may not be the only one on his way out soon. graham spanier is under a lot of pressure to resign as well. nbc news has learned the department of education in washington is going to launch its own investigation to see if any federal laws have been broken here as well. coach joe paterno left home this morning to break the news to his players. after 46 years, he's through. >> he was crying the whole time he was talking. >> reporter: in a statement paterno said he would retire after football season ends. i am absolutely devastated for the developments in this case. i grieve for the children and their families, he wrote, adding with the benefit of hindsight, i wish i had done more. >> you're great. god bless every single one of you. >> reporter: last night, thousands rallied behind the man affectionately known at jo-pa. but he faces criticism for not calling police after an eyewitness told him in 2002 long-time assistant coach

and nbc's ron allen has more from the campus. >> reporter: late tuesday, as the clock tower struck an ominous tune, coach paterno supporters gathered as the governing board met. the board issued a statement saying it was outraged by the horrifying details of the grand jury report. promising swift and decisive action. earlier, as paterno returned home from football practice, hundreds of students were there to rally behind their beloved coach. >> thank god for every single one of you. >> he's not just a football coach, he is like a father to us and a symbol of our pride. >> paterno seems to enjoy the add add ration and spoke directly to the students. he did not answer questions and asked for prayers for the victims. >> stay prayers for them. it's a tough life when people do certain things for you. his family says he wanted to tell his side of the story at the press conference on tuesday. but the universities officials cancelled the event. prosecutors said paterno is not a target of the continuing investigation into his former assistant, jerry sandusky. sandusky and the two school admini

nbc's ron allen has more from state college, pennsylvania. i imagine there was a great deal going on at campus. what's happening now? >> reporter: i think a lot of people are absorbing that statement by joe paterno. he has a lot of support here, but there's been a strong feeling it is time for him to go. he is 84 years old. he has been here for 46 seasons. he has won more football games at this level than any other college coach in history, and all this sexual scandal does is tarnish that legacy. i should also point out penn state just has a few games left this season, four i believe it is. paterno's contract was set to expire. so it seemed like a natural time for him to leave. bottom line, although he has not been linked to the criminal investigation that continues, there was a feeling here that he should have and perhaps could have done more to intervene when he knew about, when he was told by an eyewitness there was an allegation of sexual abuse by a long time and close aid, jerry sandusky. again, people are absorbing this. he was going to

. >> nbc's ron allen is live for us in state college. what is the reaction so far to people getting the news that broke over the last hour that joe paterno will be retiring at the end of the season? >> reporter: well, word is trickling around the campus now, thomas. it's a huge development in what's already been a stunning case here at the campus and throughout this community. paterno, many people will tell you is penn state university for all the glory he's brought to the campus during the past 46 seasons. he released a statement, i am absolutely devastated by the developments in this case. i grieve for the children and their families, and i pray for their comfort and relief. i have come to work every day for the last 61 years with one clear goal in mind, to serve the best interest of this university and the young men who have been entrusted to my care. i have the same goal today. that is why i've decided to announce my retirement effective at the end of this season. many people here thought the way it might end because penn state has j

ron allen is in state college p.a. for us tonight. good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian.his is a scandal that touches the hall of fame football coach joe paterno. so far three high officials have been charged in the case. everyone is wondering how much further all of this will spread. athletic director tim curley and gary schultz turned themselves in today charged with failing to alert authorities about complaints of child sexual abuse and lying during a grand jury investigation. both deny the charges. >> this is a case about a sexual predator accused of using his position within the community and the university to prey on numerous young boys for more than a decade. >> reporter: the case centers around jerry sandusky, a former long-time assistant football coach, charged with sexually assaulting eight boys in their early teens. at-risk boys involved with a charity sandusky founded. some of the alleged attacks happened in penn state athletic buildings. coach paterno, now 84, with the most college career wins in football said, if true, we were all fooled along with scores of

nbc's ron allen is at state college, pennsylvania, with more on this. ron, good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, ann. the day here will be dominated again by the passionate and emotional debate about whether coach joe paterno should be forced to resign. his critics say he should have taken charge, been aware of the child sexual abuse allegations against jerry sandusky. paterno also still has a lot of supporters here as well. late tuesday as the clock tower struck an ominous tune, coach paterno supporters gathered on campus as penn state's governing board met. the board issued a statement saying it was outraged by the horrifying details of the grand jury report, promising swift and decisive action. ♪ we love joe >> reporter: as paterno returned home from practice, hundreds of students were there to rally behind their loved coach. >> okay, god bless every single one of you. >> he's not just a football coach. he's like a father to us, he's a symbol of our pride. >> reporter: paterno seemed to enjoy the adoration. and spoke directly to the students

>> ron allen in state college, pennsylvania, thank you. >>> despite their bitter rivalry, both in andays he will always remember smoking joe frazier with administration and respect. frazier died at the age of 67 after a brief bat well liver cancer. 40 years ago he became the first fighter to defeat ali. >>> for a look at what is trending today our quick roundup what has you talking online, three decades after e.t. phoned home the white house says there is no credible evidence of extra terrestrial life on earth. the office of science and technology denies there's been any government coverup of contact with aliens. >>> no more party in the usa for britain's prince harry. he's in the tiny town of gillabend, arizona for his final stages of the helicopter training course. there's only one bar and the dads won't take too kindly to the ladies man. >>> this took an entire year, 288,000 jelly beans to create this video for "in your arms" that has wracked up thousands of hits in just two days. truly it is remarkable, beautiful. 8:07, let's go back outside to al with a check of the weather. that

. >> nbc's ron allen joins us now from state college, pennsylvania. and in spite of that support we saw, and he has been a beloved football coach for so many years, clearly the pressure was mounting on him. >> indeed, chris. yes. this was a huge development in what's been an absolutely stunning week of revelations here at penn state university. many people will tell you that joe paterno is, in fact, penn state. he built this football program, a program so successful that it funds the entire athletic department. he has brought tens of millions of dollars to this school. a lot of national glory on the football field. over 46 years, be you're right, here on the campus and out there in the public was decisively against him. prosecutors cleared him of any criminal charges in this trial, sex abuse scandal. but many say he had a moral responsibility to do more, that he was in charge of this program and he should've intervened sooner, more forcefully. there was one allegation in particular that was brought to his attention. and people say that he should've ca

nbc's ron allen has more from state college, pennsylvania. s a scandal that has rocked this campus and its nationally renowned football program. today the legendary coach here, joe paterno, holds his regularly scheduled weekly press briefing, but most of the questions today will not be about football. >> reporter: three high profile penn state officials face charges. a sexual abuse scandal centered around former assistant football coach jerry sandusky, accused of sexually abusing eight boys in their early teens. one as young as 10. one allegedly attacked in the showers at a physical facility. disadvantaged boys involved in a charity sandusky founded. >> the sexual abuse of a child is a horrific offense. failing to report sexual abuse of children is a serious offense and a crime. >> reporter: prosecutors say athletic cleshgt tim curley and vice president schultz knew of complaints but did not alert authorities and allegedly lieded a grand jury investigating. on campus shock and anger. >> i had a sense of pride about, like, you know, the univers

candidates thought it was the last debate with the exclusion or exception of jon huntsman or ron paul and now senator allen west has decided to join in the chorus but here's a really good explanation for why we should waterboard. furthermore in the movie g.i. jane demi moore was waterboarding and we do use that in military training in survival to scary resistance and evasion training and she ended up with a much younger husband in real life so that's right it's really. totally related solely related to first love and this is how we try to sell torture to the american people they can remember that one time g.i. jane and i mean morgan had a look at anybody can and i think eli zorro the fox like max somebody like you want to talk about the penn state scandal. oh and worse is like you know they're torturing me space in the sand and firing a gun right above their head like terrify them i don't know i mean he got in trouble for that right so i'm not sure is a great authority on the morality of torture you know that was just take it was. watching p.b.s. you know we've heard a lot about them and the sneaky ways th