nbc's tom costello is here to begin our coverage tonight. tom, good evening. >> lester, good evening. what you can't see on tv is how cold it is right now. we have seen hundreds of police officers, national guard troops, insurance agents and an army of civilians who have come to help get these towns back up on their feet. sunday in southern indiana, and another race to beat mother nature. with snow predicted tonight, an all-out push to clear out, cut down and pick up as much as possible before night fall. but the job, quite simply, is enormous. >> total destruction. >> reporter: just restoring power and phone service is a challenge. leon gilbert spent the day picking through what is left of his family's farm. >> one board at a time, i guess. >> reporter: he's lived here all his life. >> i've seen my family's life, life's work, that i've been a part of, my brother, my sisters, my kids, their kids, my whole family has been part of -- it has been what we do. >> reporter: vietnam vet joanne murphy just moved here six months ago from san antonio.

tom costello is there this morning. oh, tom, what's the latest from there? we can only imagine. >> reporter: yeah, alex, this is just horrendous. four people as you mention in chelsea. to give you perspective, we're about 30 miles or so up state highway 62 north from louisville. the sun is just now coming up. we're all getting a realization of how bad this is. let me tell you what happened right here. the gentleman who lives here with his wife and child, they had left for the day, however, he was here. he saw this massive storm coming. he thought it was 150 mile per hour winds or so. they're still debating about how decided he could not ride he got in his pickup truck and took off. good thing he did. because his house, used to be 100 yards behind the camera. it's now over there. literally picked up off the foundation and carried above 100 yards down, as you can see, down the hill. this was a shed here. so he survived. his wife and child survived. but alex, unfortunately, three family members just across the road here, did not make it. an elderly couple and a

tom costello starting us off tonight. tom, thanks. >>> now to the big debate underway at the supreme court, over president obama's massive health care reform law. today was the main event of the three-day event. historic arguments over whether the requirement that americans buy health insurance is constitutional at all. a lot of the experts have been predicting that the law would probably stand. but after today, all bets are off. our justice correspondent pete williams with us from the court tonight. pete good, evening. >> reporter: brian, it's impossible to predict, based on today's argument, what the court will do weeks from now once the decision is finally written. but it does seem the majority of the justices are skeptical that congress has the power to pass such a sweeping law. [ chanting ] >> reporter: with demonstrations outside the court more organized today, for and against the health care law -- [ chanting ] >> reporter: -- the justices inside wrestled with the key question, does congress have the power to requir

tom costello, nbc news, washington. >>> real quick program note here. we planned to bring you mark potter's reporting on the spillover violence along the mexican border. because there was other news we had to cover, we posted his report on our facebook page and website nbcnightlynews.com and will air it on the broadcast tomorrow night. >>> up next this evening, another march record-breaker and a bizarre and long good-bye for a former governor who is going away for a long time. >>> former governor of illinois rod blagojevich is beginning his 14-year sentence on corruption charges tonight in a federal prison in colorado. getting there today was an event from the camera crews and crowds outside his house in chicago to o'hare airport where he signed a few final autographs before departing. then there was the commercial flight on american airlines, handcuffed to denver, where his black suv was followed by news choppers to the prison. a trip that included his last lunch as a free man at freddie's frozen custard and steak burgers in littleton, colorado. >>> in

our report here tonight from nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: the "costa allegra" dead in the water, under tow and now expected to arrive some time tomorrow. on board, more than 1,000 passengers and crew who have gone without power and hot food. their only supplies delivered by helicopter. meanwhile, its sister ship "costa concordia" remains half submerged off the coast of italy. almost seven weeks ago she ran aground, 25 dead, seven missing. as they continue to drain the ship of its fuel, engineers are still trying to decide what to do with the massive wreck. jane thomas' daughter rebecca is a dancer on the "costa allegra." in an amazing coincidence, her son james survived the "costa concordia" disaster. >> it was a nightmare we didn't think we would have to relive in six weeks. >> reporter: difficult memories for james. >> those first couple of seconds, i went, please do not say it's what happened to me because i wouldn't wish that on anyone. >> reporter: two other survivors told their harrowing stories on capitol hill today. >> we decided amongst ourselves and located a rock where

we start off again this evening with tom costello in washington. good evening. >>> hi, brian. the criminal complaint released this afternoon said captain osbon showed up to work late on tuesday. he missed a flight briefing and then became increasingly erratic as the flight left for las vegas. from the criminal complaint, we're learning much more about the actions of 49-year-old captain clayton osbon and what seems to have been a serious breakdown. >> we got israel, we got iraq. >> screaming about bombs and al qaeda, passengers had to use their own belts to restrain him and keep him away from the exit door. according to the affidavit, it started as jet blue flight 191 was departing new york for las vegas. osbon started talking about being evaluated by someone. he asked the first officer to take control as he made incoherent comments about religion. osbon allegedly said, things just don't matter. yelled over the radio at air traffic controllers to be quiet, and he told his first officer we need to take a leap of faith, and we're not going to vegas. after abruptly getting up to u

tom costello has been watching all of it for us today in washington. >> reporter: hi, brian. good evening. scientists say the planet may have lucked out. they were expecting a category 3 storm. they got a category 1 storm and a minor one at that. and while it hit at about 6:00 a.m. eastern time, because of the earth's spin we seem to have dodged the worst of it. so far we've had no reports of serious problems with radio communications, satellite or gps connectivity or power grids. they've all apparently stayed online. but all of those systems can be vulnerable to a solar storm. what we did get is very colorful northern lights early this morning. take a look at beautiful time lapse video from michigan. that far south. showing beautiful bright-colored auroras in the night sky. astronomers do say we could be in for more solar storms in the coming months as the activity on the sun peaks sometime next year. brian? >> let's hope those colors are the only impact. tom costello in d.c. tom, thanks. and still ahead, as we continue tonight, do you know kony 2012? if you don't, you will

tom costello, nbc news, henryville, indiana. >>> we'll take a break on this tuesday night as we do. when we continue, why are so many american preschoolers getting so many cavities? a trend that is making for a lot of difficult trips to the dentist. >>> it was a shocker when people first read the story in the new york times this morning. little kids showing up at the dentist in this country in the year 2010 with multiple cavities, or worse, in baby teeth. it's happening a lot. there are some very specific reasons for it. our report tonight from our chief medical editor dr. nancy snyderman. >> reporter: melody's 5-year-old son is at the dentist getting a cavity filled, his second. she said it's tough to see him in this position and vows it won't happen to her toddler hudson. >> hudson doesn't have cavities yet. with brushing twice a day and flossing hopefully we'll avoid that. >> reporter: like many moms melody has reasons to worry. according to the centers for disease control, tooth decay in children 2 to 5 years old is on the rise, a trend we haven't seen in 40 years. children in l

nbc's tom costello has a look at what we might be in for. tom, good evening. >> reporter: i have been on the phones with the folks at noaa. in simple terms the atmosphere around the sun has been blown away, leaving charged particles and magnetic field which are now speeding towards the earth, as you said, 4 million miles per hour. it's been several years since we have had a storm like this. there is the potential it could interfere with power grids, but that likelihood is low. it can also interfere and affect gps systems, and it could cause communication problems affecting radio and satellite systems, especially high-frequency kinds. while it is a good dose of radiation, we're told it is big, not extreme, though. nasa is monitoring it but doesn't feel the need to take any unusual precautions for the astronauts on the international space station. but flights they're rerouting because they want to stay in continuous communication. it is not the radiation as it is the com issue. noaa tells me the peak of the storm could come around 5:00 a.m., th

there's been no indication of this in the past. >> that was nbc's tom costello reporting. the pilot has been suspended. he could face 20 years in prison if convicted of interfere with that flight. in still ahead on "way too early," incredible pictures from colorado where they are fighting those wildfires as one family escapes its neighborhood just ahead of the flames and took some unbelievable video to show you. we'll have the latest and a check on the forecast with bill karins. >>> also, the good news keeps getting better. news to uplift a weary nation. ron burgundy makes a huge announcement on late night television. that's when "way too early" comes right back. >> the last prisoner are war released by hanoi, i'd like to speak for all the prisoners of war and simply say, we're mighty happy to be home. thank you. [ female announcer ] with swiffer wetjet, cleaning better, doesn't have to take longer. i'm done. i'm going to... drink this... on the porch! ♪ give me just a little more time ♪ [ female announcer ] mops can be a hassle, but swiffer wetjet's spray cleaner and abso

that's where nbc's tom costello is tonight. good evening. >> reporter: hi, lester, good evening to you. and this is what marysville looks like right now. this is a town of about 1,200. a small country town in indiana. it is, as you can see, virtually gone. virtually every house in this community is like this. if it is standing, it is certainly not inhabitable. you mentioned the ef-4 category rating. that means winds of 175 miles per hour across this path. it is nothing but destruction. a bone-chilling sunrise here in marysville this morning as daylight revealed a devastated landscape. in nearby chelsea, the families were coming to grips with the personal toll the storm has taken. >> i can't even begin to tell you how i feel about that. that poor baby. he was only 4. >> reporter: terry and carol jackson died when their home was torn apart. also dead their 4-year-old great grandson, ripped from the arms of his mother. she is now in the hospital. survivors' personal images capture the moment the storm tore through. >> it looked li

the flight attendant was quick to call for help, which was appropriate. >> that was nbc's tom costello reporting. yesterday's incident comes just weeks after an american airlines flight attendant was wrestled to a seat after she started ranting about 9/11 over the public address system. the faa requires all airline pilots to have a detailed medical checkup at least once a year. clearly, we have not heard the end of this story. we'll learn more today about that captain. >>> still ahead here on "way too early," huge news in the world of sports last night, and really, for the world of los angeles, as a group led by magic johnson is awarded ownership of the reeling los angeles dodgers co. there possib . could there possibly be a better face to put on the team? >>> plus, mitt romney visits jay leno and suggests a position in the romney administration for rick santorum. that story and a check on weather when we come right back. >>> a nuclear plant involved in cooling the reactor blew out. the blowout triggered an automatic shutdown of the system, but before the flight was sealed, some radioa

tom costello, nbc news, washington. >>> real quick program note here. we planned to bring you mark potter's reporting on the spillover violence along the mexican border. because there was other news we had to cover, we posted his report on our facebook page and website nbcnightlynews.com and will air it on the broadcast tomorrow night. >>> up next this evening, another march record-breaker and a bizarre and long good-bye for a former governor who is going away for a long time. away for a long time. [ male announcer ] how can power consumption in china, impact wool exports from new zealand, textile production in spain, and the use of medical technology in the u.s.? at t. rowe price, we understand the connections of a complex, global economy. it's just one reason over 75% of our mutual funds beat their 10-year lipper average. t. rowe price. invest with confidence. request a prospectus or summary prospectus with investment information, risks, fees and expenses to read and consider carefully before investing. if you sleep in your contact lenses. lucky for y

we get her story tonight from nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: huddled in the basement with a massive tornado bearing down on their new home, stephanie decker had just seconds to protect 8-year-old domenic and 5-year-old reese, so she wrapped them in a blanket and laid on top of them just as the house started coming apart. >> everything was just slamming into my back. i had my children in the blanket and they were screaming. mommy, i can't live without you, i don't want to die, please don't let me die. i said, you're not going to die, we're going to make it. >> reporter: when the storm cleared the home had been wiped from its foundation. stephanie and the kids were buried. >> i took my phone and made a video to my husband -- telling him i love him. >> reporter: it was domenic who climbed out and ran for help. a neighbor, sheriff's deputy brian lovins came running with friends to find stephanie with a severed leg and bleeding heavily. >> she's like, i'm dying. i ain't going to let you die. >> reporter: using a belt as a tourniquet they got her out and into an suv for a mad dash to an a

tom costello with the latest from washington. we'll keep an eye on it, obviously. >>> well, the folks who track our weather for a living officially told us what we have all known or expected for months. this has been one of the warmest winters ever. it's the fourth hottest in the lower 48 since they started keeping records of such things back in the 1890s. the same scientists at noaa say only the state of new mexico had temperatures below average. and with the mild winter comes a lack of snow. it's the third smallest winter snow cover across this country in the 46 years they've started keeping satellite records. >>> still ahead as we continue here tonight a year after japan's nuclear disaster, richard engel is back with a rare look at what has become a no man's land in japan. >>> a champion and the tearful end of a great era. i habe a cohd. i toog nyguil bud i'm stild stubbed up. [ male announcer ] truth is, nyquil doesn't un-stuff your nose. really? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus liquid gels fights your worst cold symptoms

nbc's tom costello with details. good evening, tom. >> reporter: larry, good evening. jetblue flight 191 from jfk to las vegas when apparently mid flight, there was a major issue. some sort of a breakdown involving the captain. apparently while he was in the cockpit, according to witnesses, he started flipping switches and steering the plane erratically, the copilot became so concerned, he persuaded the pilot to leave to go to the restroom. while the captain was in the rast restroom, another captain from the back of the plane, came into the cockpit, and locked the door behind him. when the first captain came out, he started banging on the cockpit door, trying to get in. he was literally foaming at the mouth, talking about iran, afghanistan, iraq, and about a bomb being on board. the flight attendants asked for help and quickly, five or six passengers subdued that captain, wrestling him to the floor. he was continuing to to scream and act erratically. it went on nearly 50 minutes, until then flight was able to land at amarillo airport. medical personnel and police came

tom costello with a great story in louisville, kentucky. thank you very much. give her our best wishes. the u.s. and israel are presenting a united front for now against a nuclear iran. in key meetings at the white house, ben i canjamin netanyahu president obama met to deal with iran. patricia heaton is apologizing for slamming sandra fluke on twitter. fluke was blasted by rush limbaugh as a, quote, prostitute, for testifying on capitol hill that birth control should be subsidized. heaton tweeted, hey, let us pay for your starbucks, movie tickets and your favorite hot wings, anything else? and encouraged twitter followers to send fluke condoms so she would never reproduce. heaton has apologized saying, don't like you being dissed. so sorry. and sing us a song, you're the p piano dog. you'd wag your tail, too, if you could pelt one out like this scandinavian sensation. take a listen. ♪ [ howling ] >> so he's a little off key. we won't hold it against him. petu lives in finland where he may have a bone to pick with the piano tuner. very cute. six minutes past the

beating mother nature. >> again, that was tom costello reporting. >>> cell phone companies set up mobileg and e-mail stations today as well so tornado victims can communicate while the power is out and they brought in portable towers to boost cell signals. >>> still ahead a 10-year-old hero. we will show you how this little girl savedfter her m after her m suffered a medical emergency while driving. ♪ strea-ea-ea-ea-eam ♪ stream, stream, stream... ♪ strea-ea-ea-ea-eam ♪ stream, stream, stream... ♪ when i want you... ♪ ...in my arms... ♪ when i want you... ♪ ...and all your charms... ♪ whenever i want you, all i have to do is... ♪ ♪ strea-ea-ea-ea-eam [ female announcer ] stream full seasons of shows and top movies instantly. introducing streampix. only from xfinity. is more or less mathematically challenged. less isn't more, it's less. and the only thing more than more is a lot more. which is exactly what i get at embassy suites. more space... more down time. more family time. more me time. more me time. more me time. because the more more i have, the more i have to have... more. [ femal

tom costello, thanks, tom. >>> neighboring kentucky, which as you heard was also hit hard, weather channel meteorologist mike bettes is part of our nbc news team, he's covering the story there for us tonight. mike, good evening to you. >> reporter: lester, good evening to you. it was just a short 48 hours ago that west liberty, kentucky was living through a nightmare as the strongest tornado to ever hit this town was roaring through. it left a noticeable scar here along main street, almost looks like a hollywood movie set than real life. but it is all too real to these business owners. most of these buildings will have to come down. they won't be salvageable and they'll be demolished. senator mitch mccome wnnell wase today. fema will be there for them, bringing a noticeable change in the coming days and weeks. in the meantime, the american red cross is housing 115 storm victims at a local school here. schools will be closed tomorrow. and, lester, as i'm sure you already know, to add insult to injury, winter weather is rolling in, 1 to 3 inches of snow is expected through tomorrow morning,

tom costello is there for us this morning. tom, good morning. >> reporter: lester, good morning to you. this is what an ef-4 storm looks like up close and personal. 175-mile-an-hour winds. there is simply nothing left. remind me of the photos and images we saw out of japan after the tsunami last year. take a look at this. this is a semitruck that has been picked up and tossed into a massive tree. the trees have been uprooted. every single branch has been stripped. the homes here have been reduced -- if they're standing at all, they're not habitable but most have been reduced to pieces of wood. we have stories of children laying on the ground, mothers laying on top of children to protect them. fathers on top of mothers. i think there's really only word for all of this. it is quite simply awful. there is little left of marysville, indiana. while no one died here, this tiny country town of 1200 people has been nearly wiped away. meanwhile, a nearby chelsea, the jackson and cleper families are feeling the storm in an all-too person

nbc's tom costello joins us from a gas station in rockville, maryland, with more for us.d evening. >> hi, lester. $4.10 a gallon at the pump here. we as a nation are consuming less oil, importing less oil, producing more, so why are the gas prices higher? because the rest of the world is very thirsty for gasoline. in suburban maryland this afternoon, soccer mom and kid chauffeur paula was making the daily rounds. >> now to the sports store to get birthday presents. >> but with gas hovering near the $4 mark, the daily run isn't cheap. >> i end up sort of picking a number and saying, okay, $50 is all i'm doing and lets hope it last me longer than it did the last time. >> from the east coast to the west, the same complaint, but on capitol hill today, industry analysts say the high prices may be here for a while. >> unfortunately for consumers, there's little that can be done in the near term. in a free market system, price is always the final allocatur of skaers resources. >> it's not just capitol hill talking gas pleases. the truth about oil is time magazine's newest cover

tom costello joins us from a gas station in rockville, maryland. >> $4.10 at this station.re consuming less oil, importing less oil, producing more oil, so why are gas prices higher? because the rest of the world is thirsty for gasoline. in suburban maryland this afternoon, soccer mom and kid show fure was making the daily rounds. >> down to the sports store to get birthday presents. >> with gas hovering near the $4 mark, the daily run isn't cheat. >> i pick a number and say $50 is all i'm doing and let's hope it lasts me longer than it did last time. >> from the east coast to the west, it's the same complaint, but on capitol hill today, industry analysts say the high prices may be here for a while. >> unfortunately for consumers, there's little that can be done in the near term in a free market system, price is always the final allocatur. >> it's not just capitol hill talking oil prices. it's time's newest cover story. however, the u.s. is consuming 2 billion fewer gallons of oil than it did two years ago, and the ocountry is producing more oil at home. why do prices keep

tom costello covers aviation for us. he's at national airport in d.c. reporter: this captain is now in fbi custody and getting medical care. his behavior is described as incredibly erratic. talking about the possibility a bomb on board. when flight attendants asked for passengers to subdue him, they jumped into action and wrestled him to the floor. police and medics removed from a jet blue passenger plane the captain restrained in a wheelchair. home video posted on youtube captures the action midnight. tony was one of the passengers. >> visually you could tell that he was agitated and acting peculiar. very rapid head movements and hand movements. cotton mouth, a little bit of foaming at the mouth, drinking lots of water. >> reporter: jet blue was flying from new york to las vegas when the captain started erratically pushing buttons and steering the plane. the co pilot became so concerned he persuaded him to go to the restroom. when an offduty captain entered the cockpit and locked the door, the original captain began to lose his mind. >> screaming and s

. >> joining me now is tom costello. r reporting has been extraordinary over the last couple of days. you pointed out how cold it is there. how are they copying and how is the recovery effort? >> it is all today about trying the pick up, and as you mention, adding insult to misery. this woman's belongings who lived in the home. they are all scattered now, all throughout the house, the neighborhood and now snow is laying on top of it. as if she has not enough to worry about. walk this with a way, look at the folks to the other side of the house, this is tone of few houses standing. folks are trying to cut down limb s and brachbs to give them room to work, can you see all the mud here? this is what they are dealing with, there's mud everywhere. phone lines and power lines down throughout the town. >> take a look at the tree, andrea, it looks like every other tree in henryville, it h been torn apart. look at the land escape, this is every part of henryville looks like this. it is absolute devastation, so they have a lot of w

nbc's tom costello covers aviation for us. good morning, tom. >> reporter: good morning to you. this could have been a close call. you've got to credit the air traffic controllers who were watching not only the skies but the ground radar. everything happening on the ground and this does raise serious questions about not only security at philly but elsewhere. it was just after 11:00 a.m. at philadelphia international airport. >> what's going on over on the right? >> i don't know. we're trying to figure that out now. >> reporter: u.s. airways flight 3137 from raleigh was seconds from landing when air traffic controllers realized the flight could be headed for a runway collision. a rogue jeep was speeding down a runway with police in hot pursuit. all of it captured on home video. air traffic controllers ordered the pilot to abort the landing and all other planes to stay put. >> we have a rogue vehicle driving around. we're not talking to him. we're not moving anybody until we find this guy. >> reporter: the jeep crashed through a chain link fence driving straight onto the active ru

tom costello joins us again with exclusive details. hey, tom.ing. >> reporter: semantek dropped phones in busy centers to track what was accessed on the phone. if you don't have a password on your phone, you will surely do so after this. what kind of personal information do you keep on your smartphone? photos, contacts, e-mails? how about banking information or work files? what do you think would happen if you lost the phone? >> everything is in here. my life. >> i am the type to lose my phone. i'd like to have trust in people. >> i think most people are honest. >> reporter: symantec decided to find out how honest people are. they set a trap, dropping 50 smartphones in high traffic areas in five cities. new york city, washington, d.c., los angeles, san francisco and ottawa, ontario, canada. each phone loaded with fake corporate and personal information. a tempting bank account icon and files called salary information and private. each had contact information for the person who allegedly dropped the phone. >> within an hour of them being dropped

first tom costello is at the university of louisville medical center with more. t, good morning. stephanie is lucky to be alive. she could have so easily bled to death as she was being rescued or waiting to be rescued from the are you able of hrubble of . the doctors say she's making tremendous progress. there may be no greater love than a mother's love for her children. >> i love you. >> i love you, too. >> reporter: stephanie decker insists she is no hero for losing part of a leg and a foot while protecting 8-year-old domenic and 5-year-old reese from friday's tornado. >> i just love my kids. and i still worry about how they will react after this now. >> reporter: stephanie and the kids were home alone when the tornado took aim at their house. huddling in the basement, stephanie wrapped a blanket around the kids, then laid on top of them while texting husband joe. >> first thing she said was the windows are shaking. right after that she said the whole house is shaking. >> i saw a brick coming at my daughter's direction. so i would maneuver my back left and right

nbc's tom costello is in chelsea, indiana. he's got more from there. tom, good morning. >> reporter: hi, lester. good morning do you. by point of reference we're 30 midnights north of louisville, straight up highway 62. this was a gentleman shed, a family's shed. back there is the home. that's not where the home used to be. it used to bo about 100 yards that way behind the cameraman. what happened is the mother and daughter were gone yesterday afternoon. the husband was here alone. he saw this massive storm coming. estimates of 150-mile-per-hour winds, maybe an ef-4. he saw this thing coming, realized he could not possibly survive it by staying here, got in his truck, and he started driving. he managed to get away. unfortunately three family members just across the road, they were not so lucky. this is all that's left of henryvillhenr henryvilhenr henryville high school. this indiana town 20 miles north of louisville, kentucky, saw some of the worst of it as a string of powerful storms ripped a path of destruction from northern indiana to southern alaba

nbc's tom costello has more on that. tom, good morning. >> hi, matt.comes from the caffeine, which, of course, is a stimulant. the fda regulates how much caffeine is allowed in soda, but it doesn't regulate the caffeine in energy drinks because they're considered a dietary supplement, rather than a food. it appears it was all too much for a 14-year-old who drank two of these in less than 24 hours. no one who knew her ever thought this is where 14-year-old anais fournier would be today. the victim of too much caffeine? >> i lost my girlfriend who i cared about with all my heart. >> reporter: at the cemetery in hagerstown, maryland, her boyfriend ethan comes nearly every day. >> she was just beautiful. in personality, in mind, in just physical features she was amazing. >> reporter: it was last september when anais suddenly went into cardiac arrest while at home. paramedics, then doctors, worked for a week to save her as she slipped into a coma. her family at her bedside. >> we stayed up all night. i laid in bed next to her all night long and we talked to