ron allen, nbc news, new york. >>> when "nbc nightly news" continues this sunday, the shopping wars. the unusual steps some malls are taking this holiday season as online competition heats up. >>> and later, maintaining the memory of jfk. the woman in charge of the eternal flame. [ male announcer ] coughequence #10. speechless.

ron allen is outside the mall. ron, what can you tell us? >> reporter: alex, this is that nightmare scenario that so many people fear at a mall. 9:30 at night just before the mall was about to close, there are reports of a gunman opening fire. a number of witnesses we talked to said that they heard four, five, six shots. the gunman was dressed in black clothing wearing a motorcycle helmet. police have identified him as a 20-year-old man from the area named richard shoop, unemployed, unclear what his motive was other than suicide, police said. he had the opportunity to shoot at people, but authorities say he did not. he shot randomly in the air at other property, but he did not try to kill anyone. they found his body some six hours later deep in part of the mall that's inaccessible to the public, a back area that was under skrukdconstruction. a self-inflicted shot to his head. everyone breathing a big sigh of relief because this could have been so much worse. no one else was injured. alex, back to you. >> ron allen, thanks. >>> now to the lat

nbc's ron allen is live outside the mall. ron, good morning. what have you just learned? >> reporter: well, mara, we've learned that this situation, this terrifying ordeal through the night for so many people here at this huge mall is over, and it ends with the death of a lone gunman, who apparently committed suicide, took his own life, which police say apparently was his intention. 20-year-old richard shoop, from an area, from a town that's not far from here. again, unclear what his motive may have been, but police said he came to this mall and he apparently did not intend to leave alive. they also said that he fired perhaps as many as six rounds, six shots, none of them directed at people, and police say that he did have the opportunity to kill people because he was right in the middle of the mall, but he fired at property, he fired in the air. we spoke to witnesses here, people who saw him, came face to face with this gunman, terrifying. there must have been thousands of people here. it was about 9:20 at night or so when the 911 calls started coming in. many people tri

nbc's ron allen was at today's race. >> reporter: as some 50,000 runners conquered the streets of new york, the largest group ever, competitors like bill mcindicated had some unfinished business. >>> we never give up as americans and as runners. >> reporter: he was on his final mile of the boston marathon in april when those two bombs exploded, killing three, wounding hundreds including six from his home town of stoneham. today he ran for them. >> it is just to show that we won't be intimidated and it is not a heroic thing. it is what americans do. >> reporter: security was very tight. hundreds of cameras monitoring the route. especially trained dogs sniffing for explosives, helicopters filling the skies. new york police have said they started reexamining their security plan for the marathon the day after the bombs exploded in boston. that's why there are literally thousands of additional office orders duty. this evening, nypd said no incidents were reported. two kenyans won the elite men's and women's competitions but the grand slam champion of them all was tatyana mcfadden. the firs

nbc's ron allen joins me now. do we have a full head count of that area?there's only one fatality report here. there's a lot of people still trying to get back into their homes. when i drove in here a long while ago, there's a long line of cars on the interstate highway about a mile in that direction because people want to come back here to see what they can salvage. they tell us these amazing stories of actually

that was nbc's ron allen reporting. officials also say they recovered a note that was left with his family. they're not calling it a suicide note, but they are saying it expresses an end is coming. >>> this morning we are hearing from the parents of a boy who opened fire inside a middle school near reno killing a teacher before turning the gun on himself. >> we wish this had never happened, and we are hopeful that everybody involved can go forward as best as they can with their lives. >> jose reyes and his wife apologizing for the grief their 12-year-old son caused. they say he never complained about anything or anyone at the school. they did, however, say their son was sometimesnbjd.ñ teased for speech problem. he was working through it. they stressed they don't understand why he opened fire. two other students were hurt in that shooting. >>> still to come, dramatic video you'll only see on nbc, as two sky diving planes collide in midair. what those sky divers are saying this morning about those terrifying moments. >>

ron allen, nbc news, paramus, new jersey. >>> there was news today regarding safety in the air. it's taken several years and a lot of pressure by families who lost loved ones in the crash of a commuter plane outside buffalo, new york. an accident blamed on pilot error. today the government announced major changes for pilot training. the most significant changes in two decades. nbc's tom costello is live at jetblue's training facility. >> reporter: hi, brian. this is all about requiring more time in these sophisticated training equipment. they operate them not just for jetblue pilots but others as well. it's about giving pilots time in these simulators, time the faa says is invaluable. it was nearly five years ago that 50 people died when an airlines crew stalled and then crashed a plane outside of buffalo. today the faa applauded the families of flight 3407 for demanding change in a cockpit and at the airlines. >> they have channelled their grief into advocating for safety improvements that will benefit millions of families. >> reporter: today the faa insisted that all airlines

ron allen, that you so much for that report.'ll have more special super tuesday election coverage. big races for governor in new jersey and virginia are capturing a lot of attention. but it's a busy day all across the country. here is a breakdown by the numbers. 312 mayoral races, 236 state legislative seats up for grabs. 31 ballot measures in six states on issues ranging from education to gambling and even marijuana. there could be many firsts to watch out for tonight. it could be the first time since 1973 when the party that controls the white house wins virginia's gubernatorial race. watch new jersey. it could be the first time since 1985 when a statewide republican candidate gets more than 50% of the vote. in new york city, it could be the first time a democratic mayor will inhabit the mansion since 1989. and the first time since the early 1990s that boston has a new mayor. an action filled election night tonight. stay with us. coming up, reading the tea leaves. what the outcomes in the races in virginia and new jersey could

. >>> joining me from washington, illinois, one of the towns hardest hit in illini, nbc's ron allen. ron, the devastation behind you is profound. how are people coping and dealing with the morning after? >> it is very profound, andrea. we just heard from governor quinn here and a number of other states and officials. they were calling for unity, expressing resolve, saying this community and some of the others are going to get through this. washington is a town of 18,000 people. there's perhaps as many as 500 homes destroyed. this community, subdivision completely leveled. when you look at that, we've heard stories of people who say they essentially survived the storm there in their basement in some of those homes. they went downstairs in the basements, hunkered down, heard the terribleness of the storm, let it go by and this is what they saw. the good news, there were sirens and warnings. so many communities people heeded warnings. the governor telling the story about a 6-year-old boy encouraging his mother and brother and sister to go into the basement, they did. apparently she didn'

nbc's ron allen. > coming up, we'll return our attention to politics, and speak to one member of congress unwavering in her support of the affordable care act. critics, be damned. >> now, when the affordable care act is going into effect, are we supposed to believe that this republican majority is putting forth a good-faith effort to improve the bill? it doesn't wash, and it defies imagination. ♪ ♪ you get your coffee here. you get your hair cut here. you find that certain thing you were looking for here, but actually you get so much more. when you shop at these small local businesses, you support all the things that make your community great. the money you spend here, stays here. in this place you call your neighborhood. small business saturday is november 30th. get out and shop small. stick with innovation. stick with power. stick with technology. get the flexcare platinum. new from philips sonicare. mom? come in here. come in where? welcome to my mom cave. wow. sit down. you need some campbell's chu

ron allen is near the start in staten island. ron, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, erica. and remember, the marathon in new york was canceled last year because so many people in the region were still recovering from hurricane sandy. 45,000 runners are here. you can see them gathering, about to take their positions at the starting line. 26.2 miles lie ahead of them, and there is security everywhere along that long, grueling journey to the finish line. >> these guys are running just under five-minute per mile pace. >> reporter: it is one of the biggest and most prestigious marathons anywhere in the world. and as they wrapped up training -- >> after boston, it was my honor and my privilege to be able to run something like this again. >> lasagna. >> reporter: loaded up on last-minute energy, no one seemed to have second thoughts about being here. a huge challenge for law enforcement. tens of thousands of competitors. more than 26 miles of territory. millions lining the route as it winds its way through each of new york's five congested boroughs to the finish line in central pa

nbc's ron allen joins me now. do we have a full head count of that area? >> reporter: yes, they do, thomas. there's only one fatality report here. there's a lot of people still trying to get back into their homes. when i drove in here a long while ago, there's a long line of cars on the interstate highway about a mile in that direction because people want to come back here to see what they can salvage. they tell us these amazing stories of actually hunkering down in their basements in places like that. and coming up and seeing this, after just listening to these terrible noises. the horror of being in your basement, hunkered down for hours and hours. it's unbelievable. this is a subdivision. there are homes in that direction that i can see the damage. perhaps you can't. but it goes on for as far as the eye can see. you can see the force of the storm, how there's a piece of metal, like a roof or something, twisted around the branch of trees. it's striking to me when you see tornadoes, the damage, the leaves off the trees are completely gone. and the tree is

. >> ron allen joins us. we see the shot behind you and see the debris. when you look at those aerial shots and see the enormity of damage and widespread damage, it really does give you just a punch in the gut thinking about those people and what they might be going through today and last night. >> reporter: it's pretty profound close up as well. when you look at the twisted piles of debris, they were homes where people lived, and where people went to their basements and survived and came out and this is what they found. if you look over here, there's a structure here that's really destroyed. the pipes are still leaking water, which is why authorities are concerned about letting people back in because there are gas lines and power lines down. that's the back of a house or some kind of building. they are going to turn off the water and utilities as best they can. this is a work in progress and very long, difficult work in progress. behind me, there are really very few people who are able to get back into their homes. there are a couple of people that we've

and nbc's ron allen is in paramus, new jersey.t do police know about his background, particularly his mental health here? >> reporter: they are looking into that. what the authorities are saying, they knew of him because of problems with drugs, details about exactly whether he was arrested or not. but they seem to be informing that there are drugs involved, that they motivated him in some way. what motivates someone to do something so crazy and so violent is really not clear. the authorities are saying that they are very grateful and gratified that in fact, no one was injured. there are thousands in this huge mall, close to 300 stores and 2.5 million square feet of space. at 9:15 or so at night when this all happened, there were literally thousands in the mall, it was xbrust about to shutdown. witnesses heard gunfire and saw this man walking through dressed in black with a motorcycle helmet on shooting what looked like a long rifle, it was described as a modified rifle that looks like an ak-47. he entered the parking deck and went

. >> joining me now ron allen. what is the latest on the ground in illinois? do we have an idea of the number of homes affected? are residents able to come back at all? >> yes, luke. we now know based on a press conference here a little while ago officials here essentially doubled the number of homes they think were damaged, as many as 1,000 or more. the other day 250 or so. they have had a chance to do an assessment. this was hit by ef-4, took 15 or 20 seconds we're told by the residence to do damage. can you see in the background already returned. they are ready to let people back on a limited basis. it's controlled because this is a hazardous area. boards sticking up has nails out of it. that's the least of it. there are still utility crews out trying to secure downed power lines, gas lines. they are hoping to restore power to areas not as devastated as this. we've seen people come back. they have taken possessions, clothing, other supplies to salvage. when you look at this you wonder where do you possibly begin. all this looks like a complete and total los

ron allen, nbc news, new york. >> natalie is here now with a widening bribery scandal that's rocked theas. this one, federal investigators say the scandal has reached high into the navy's corp. the massive overbilling scheme provided prostitutes, cash and many other kick backs in exchange for information. jim miklaszewski has the story. >> reporter: it is a high sea scandal that stretches from the u.s. to southeast asia. three navy greatness. >> i do think eventually, i think it's starting now. ted cruz has come in, made a splash, established himself and he understands, ted cruz is not interested in having 20% of americans support him and 44% oppose him. he's upside down in the polls. he's a smart guy -- >> one of christive's strengths, ted cruz, i don't here him talking about the real people. he brings the focus back to the real life of the real people in his state and not leaving anybody behind and we're in the fight for every single new jerseyian. that's how you win elections. you get the focus off of ideology and get the focus off fighting with the other side and bring it back to th

i am joined by cnn senior political analyst ron brownstein and allen lichtman who ran for congress in how damaging is this for democrats and the president that you have people in the party showing little support or now distancing themselves in large part for the sake of mid terms? you have 39 democrats in the house who voted for a republican plan. how defeating. >> it is potentially very damaging unless they can stabilize the system and public assessments of the system. the reality, fred, we're living in a more parliamentary area of politics, voting more for the party and less for the individual. if obama can't restore more public faith in his administration and leadership, that's going to hurt democrats in 2014 and 2016. >> how does he do that? visiting various cities and professing, you know, i made some mistakes, i'm going to fix the problem, this is going to be good for you, that doesn't seem like that's going to be enough. >> the short answer is they have to make this work. the answer to almost all their problems to the extent they have answers are getting more people signed up t

ron allen, nbc news, new york. >>> and natalie is here with a widening bribery scandal that has rockedhe u.s. navy. >> it certainly has. this one they say the scandal reached high into the navy's officer core. the massive overbilling scheme run by an asian defense contractor allegedly provided prostitutes, cash and other kickbacks in exchange for information. nbc's chief correspondent jim miklazewski has the story. >> reporter: it's a high-sea scandal that stretches from the u.s. to southeast asia. three navy officials have been arrested and it's cost the u.s. navy millions. at the center of this scandal is leonard frances, owner of a singapore-based company that provides dock-side service to navy warships. they accuse frances of bribing navy officials with large sums of cash, prostitutes and even tickets to lady gaga to steer the navy's business his way. prosecutors claim in one year alone, frances, aka fat leonard billed the navy out of $10 million. navy commander is charged with accepting bribes. in a speech to his high school in illinois this year, he told students he couldn't be p

ron allen is in paramus, new jersey with more. good morning. >> good morning.w but police are going through every inch of this mall. thousands of shoppers here. a gunman walked in at 9:20 just before closing and opened fire without any kind of warning. police identified the man as 20-year-old richard shoop from a nearby town here. unemployed. he does have a history of drug abuse but they're not sure what his motive was last night. he fired a long rifle about six times. witnesses say he was dressed in black wearing a motorcycle helmet and although he did have the opportunity to shoot at people, police said he fired into the air for the most part and no one else was injured. he disappeared into the mall. police discovered his body about six hours later. he died from a self-inflicted wound. the good news is the situation could have been a lot worse. no one else was injured. a situation that escalated through the night. lasted for about six hours but no one else was injured. the man took his own life. his motive unknown. >> well, ron, thanks so much. a police s.w.a

allen. he'd become the primary target of ron kellogg iii.nebraska, bo pelini's won nine games every year, very well might win nine again or more this year. they have two games left. they go to penn state next week. they finish here right after thanksgiving against iowa. they'll play in a bowl game. there are still some in this part of the country who think pelini is on the hot seat. we talked to some folks here recently saying it isn't helping their recruiting. >> chris: here's one thing they have to look and evaluate. they're very young at their defense. they've got a young quarterback that's going to get better. so he's doing a good job at recruiting. and a guy that wins nine games, it's not easy to win nine games in nebraska. >> sean: he's won nine each of the first five years. you know how many other teams in the country that won each of the five previous seasons? three other teams, alabama, oregon, oregon state. a touchdown by ameer abdullah. we talk about a team being a reflection of his coach. have these guys quit? >> chris: never. an

ron reagan. >>> coming up, the cheney family feud over same-sex marriage isn't going away. i love this guy, allenimpson turned up the heat and said liz cheney will do anything to win her race. >>> also, guess what happens in states where governors support the affordable care act. it works. where they don't fight the health care navigators. it works. tonight how health care reform succeeds when republican governors aren't around to make sure it fails. >>> and jfk's legacy tonight. he made civil rights a top domestic majority. it was the right thing to do. politically dangerous, of course, but he did it. that's a profile in courage. >>> finally, the daily show says what we've all been thinking. the comparisons between the health care rollout and hurricane katrina. >> hurricane katrina. i believe we've seen the damning photos of the president flying over seeing the suffering of the healthcare.gov website. >> this is "hardball," the place for politics. side-by-side, so you get the same coverage, often for less. that's one smart board -- what else does it do, reverse gravity? [ laughs ] split atoms? [

ron pornier thank you for coming. >> coming up. media influences politics. but does media influence george zimmerman case and casy though thee, you bet it does. allen>> when big celebrities get in trouble they call my next goek gechlt allen dershowits. and now he's sharing the stories of the career. please welcome allen. >> great to have you back. i thought i would have you put your hand on the bock and promise to tell the truth and nothing but the truth. >> i do, i say autobiographer is like a defendant. if you can a right to say silent. but this bock has no false modesty. i claim credit and proud of what i have done and i will not sdoef my readers. let me give him the credit. false humiditiy is a form of literary perinjury. >> fascinating view. >> and you dealt with so many high- profile people. does media have an impact on how the trial comes out? >> absolutely. lawyers who don't know how to deal with media and social media and bock bock and twitter are playing with one arm behind the back. every judge comes home and wants to know what spouse and friends think. jurors are not supposed to talk but they do and the media is the 13th jouror. >> we h

ron reagan. >>> coming up, the cheney family feud over same-sex marriage isn't going away. i love this guy, allenimpson turned up the heat and said liz cheney will do anything to win her race. >>> also, guess what happens in states where governors support the affordable care act. it works. where they don't fight the health care navigators. it works. tonight how health care reform succeeds when republican governors aren't around to make sure it fails. >>> and jfk's legacy tonight. he made civil rights a top domestic majority. it was the right thing to do. politically dangerous, of course, but he did it. that's a profile in courage. >>> finally, the daily show says what we've all been thinking. the comparisons between the health care rollout and hurricane katrina. >> hurricane katrina. i believe we've seen the damning photos of the president flying over seeing the suffering of the healthcare.gov website. >> this is "hardball," the place for politics. >>> time now for a quick look at politics. rand paul on fox news last night made it clear who he thinks republicans should consider as their nominee.

ron pornier thank you for coming. >> coming up. media influences politics. but does media influence george zimmerman case and casy though thee, you bet it does. allenu protein does your dog food have? 18 percent? 20? new purina one true instinct has 30. active dogs crave nutrient-dense food. so we made purina one true instinct. learmore at purinaone.com i got this. [thinking] is it that time? the son picks up the check? [thinking] i'm still working. he's retired. i hope he's saving. i hope he saved enough. who matters most to you says the most about you. at massmutual we're owned by our policyowners, and they matter most to us. whether you're just starting your 401(k) or you are ready for retirement, we'll help you get there. that's the sound of car insunce companies these days. here a cheap, there a cheap. everywhere a cheap... you get it. so what if instead ofjust a cheachoice, you could make a smart choice? like esurance for example they were born online and built to save people money from the beginning. that's what they've always ne. not just somhing they...cheep about. that's insurance for the modern world. esurance. now backed by allstate. cl

ron pornier thank you for coming. >> coming up. media influences politics. but does media influence george zimmerman case and casy though thee, you bet it does. allenn reach ally bank 24/7, but there are no branches? 24/7. i'm sorry, i'm just really reluctant to try new things. really? what's wrong with trying new things? look! mommy's new vacuum! (cat screech) you feel that in your muscles? i do... drink water. it's a long story. well, not having branches let's us give you great rates and service. i'd like that. a new way to bank. a better way to save. ally bank. your money needs an ally. ♪ [ male announcer ] 1.21 gigawatts. today, that's easy. ge is revolutioning power. supercharging turbines with advanced hardware and innovative software. using data predictively to help power entire cities. so the turbines of today... will power us all... into the future. ♪ >>> when big celebrities get in trouble they call my next goek gechlt allen dershowits. and now he's sharing the stories of the career. please welcome allen. >> great to have you back. i thought i would have you put your hand on the bock and promise to tell the truth and nothing but the truth

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an interesting guy, ron paul also i disagree with him strenuously on his foreign policy. allen west is an interesting night. his image matters. allen west is somebody that cuts an interesting figure for the republican party. there's other folks. mike pence of indiana. he's kind of laid low so far but i'm hoping he will throw his hat in the ring. one thing is certain for the republican party. in order for the republican party to win again the need to overcome a couple things. one is a tremendous technological disadvantage they demonstrated in 2012. second, we have to nominate someone that is willing to draw a stark contrast between the conservative movement and the liberal movement. we are not going to win. republicans are not going to win claiming they can run the government better. the government ring no one can wield this thing. the government has to be taken down. it has to be shortened. it has to be curved. it has to be controlled. and the idea that the government is just a tool that can be wielded by anybody lee and that republicans are better at managing things, maybe we