could have done and should have done a better job. >> reporter: a humbled agriculture secretary, tom vilsack, took full responsibility for the fires. >> these types of decisions require time. i didn't take the time. i should have. and i will have to live with that for a long, long time. >> reporter: vilsack said late this afternoon he called sherrod to apologize and discussed bringing her back to the department in a new capacity. >> she has a unique set of skills which i think would lend themselves to assisting and helping usda as we deal with trying to turn the page on our civil rights chapter. >> reporter: vilsack said a history of racial discrimination at the department of agriculture contributed to his hasty decision on monday. >> i was very sensitive and remain sensitive to the civil rights issues involving this department. >> reporter: two days after shirley sherrod was dismissed for comments that appeared to portray her as a racist, she seemed to be everywhere. >> you know, this is a whirlwind. >> reporter: this morning, sherrod told nbc news her comments had been taken out of context

agriculture secretary tom vilsack said in a statement that there is zero tolerance for discrimination at his agency. none of them bothered to learn that the incident in question happened 24 years ago when sherrod worked for a nonprofit. the question is, why would you look at the white farmers differently than you looked at the black farmers? >> because i always, up to that point, i felt they had all of the advantages. >> reporter: then, in 1986, she changed her mind, as she said in the speech. >> that's when it was revealed to me that it's about poor versus those who have. >> reporter: in your view, your story was about how race shouldn't matter with people. >> right. and they turned it into saying that i'm a racist. >> reporter: and you're not? >> you better believe i'm not. >> reporter: and the white farmers in sherrod's story agree. and credit her with saving their farm. roger and eloise spooner from iron city, georgia, consider sherrod a friend. >> if it hadn't of been for her, it wasn't a matter of a few months and we would have lost it. >> reporter: the naacp was applauding secr

agriculture secretary tom vilsack reacted swiftly. he says the usda has zero tolerance for discrimination and fired sherrod for those comments. >> when i saw the statements and context of the statements, i determined it would make it difficult for her to do her job as development director. >> reporter: as with so many issues of race, there's a lot more to this story. sherrod said later in the same speech she was wrong and ultimately helped the man save his farm, but that statement didn't get out on the internet. when the farmer and his wife heard the charges against the woman who helped them 24 years ago, they were shocked. >> she was just as nice as she could be to us. as far as racism, i think somebody wants to start something. >> reporter: sherrod angrily answered. she told cnn she was unfairly forced out by a white house skiddish about issues of race. >> i had at least three calls telling me the white house wanted me to resign. >> reporter: vilsack said the decision was his alone. >> it was my decision. nobody from the white house

agriculture secretary tom vilsack reacted swiftly. he said today the u.s.d.a. had zero tolerance for discrimination and fired her for the comments. >> when i saw statements in the context of the statements i determined it would make it difficult for her to job do a job. >> reporter: but as with so many issues of race, there is a lot more to this story. sherrod said later in the same speech she was wrong and ultimately helped the man save his farm. but that statement didn't get out on the internet. and when the farmer and his wife heard the charges against the woman who helped them 24 years ago, they were shocked. >> she was just as nice as she could be. as far as racism, i think that's somebody who just wants to start something. >> reporter: sherrod then angrily answered. she told cnn she was unfairly forced out by a white house skittish about issues of race. >> i had at least three calls telling me the white house wanted me to resign. >> reporter: vilsack said the decision was his alone. >> so i made this decision. it's my decision. nobody from the white house

it was just unbelievable. >> reporter: in a statement today, tom vilsack stood by his decision saying we have been working to turn the page on the sordid civil rights record at usda and this controversy could make it more difficult to move forward on correcting injustices. but the farmer sherrod is accused of treating unfairly today stood by her. >> i appreciate everything she done for us, and we got our farm back. >> reporter: a statement was released yesterday calling sherrod's statements shameful. but after looking at the full tape of those remarks, added it had been snookered by fox news and the conservative blogger who first posted portions of that video. brian? >>> another story involving race and politics. it's been gaining traction and attention. this started with amateur video of two men standing at the entrance of a philadelphia polling place during the last presidential election. one of them was holding a club, many of those who have seen the video see it as a clear case of voter intimidation at a polling place. the justice department did not. they dropped the case without

the man who fired shirley sherrod, agriculture secretary tom vilsack, soon popped up on tv himself and offered her another job. all this while the nation watched her watch them. we begin tonight with jan crawford in washington. jan, this is a very bizarre two- day drama. >> reporter: oh, yes, katie. and we heard today the kind of thing you seldom here from the this white house or any white house. >> without a doubt ms. sherrod is owed an apology. i would do so certainly on behalf of this administration. >> reporter: that was a 180- degree turn from what administration officials said less than 24 hours ago when agriculture secretary tom vilsack abruptly fired shirley sherrod. >> i made this decision. it's my decision. >> reporter: after officials saw this edited clip of her speech. >> i was struggling with the fact that so many black people had lost their farm lands and here i was faced with having to have a white person. >> reporter: late this afternoon vilsack talked to sherrod >> again, i express my deep regret. >> reporter: the controversy consumed almost the entire briefing by pres

. >>> a complete turnabout in washington where the white house and tom vilsack are apologizing now tock agriculture department worker who was ousted from her job because of remarks she made about race. they now agree that her comments at a naacp banquet were taken out of context but as sandra endo reports, the worker says the apologies took too long and she doesn't know if she wants her job back. >> reporter: agriculture secretary, tom vilsack, said in a statement early wednesday, he will review his decision to ask sherrod to step down and "consider additional acts to ensure to the american people we're providing services in a fair manner." responding this morning, sherrod called vilsack's change of heart bittersweet. >> had the department taken the time at the very beginning, we wouldn't be doing this today. >> reporter: sherrod said she was pressured to resign with her position from the usda after a video surfaced saying she withfeld services to a white farmer. but upon further review of the entire speech and these words from the white farmer in question -- >> she did us justice. th

agriculture secretary, tom vilsack is criticized for acting too quickly in the case and not getting all the facts. this video of sherrod shows her intentionally dismissing white farmers for help, but the family comes out today saying sherrod did help them. it is said usda officials over reacted. >> if they had taken the time, even without looking at the tape, to look at me, to look at what i have stood for and done since i was actually been at a the department, i don't think they would have been so quick to do what they did. >> reporter: and, in that 2:00 a.m. statement, vilsack says he is now launching a thorough review, something sherrod says should have happened before she was let go. ktvu fox 2 news. >>> secretary of state hillary clinton is in south korea, killing solidarity with the government there. secretary clinton and robert gage held high level secretary talks with high level officials and they announced noisings against north korea, as the united states will freeze assets and prevent some businesses and individuals from traveling abroad. secretary clinton says the sanctions

agriculture secretary tom vilsack released a statement early this morning saying he will, quote, conduct a thorough review and consider additional facts. nbc news white house correspondent savannah guthrie has the story. >> reporter: it's the video that became an overnight cable and internet sensation. posted on a conservative website, it shows shirley sherrod, a georgia-based official with the u.s. department of agriculture and obama administration appointee, at a naacp dinner in march of this year describing her initial reluctance to help a white farmer who came for aid. >> i was struggling with the fact that so many black people had lost their farmland, and here i was faced with having to help a white person save their land. so i didn't give him the full force of what i could do. >> reporter: sherrod says the incident she was describing occurred more than 20 years ago, before she worked for the usda, a story she told as an example of overcoming her own prejudices. >> that's when it was revealed to me that it's about poor versus the people who have. >> and telling that story, how i cha

. >> tom vilsack apologizes. at the white house, robert gibbs apologizes. on fox, bill reilly apologizes but finally, the president himself calls shirley himself. colby, what you make of this? >> it is a sad commentary on where we are as a country. if you listen to the speech, it was a good speech, made the exact opposite point that the right-wingers tried to make out of it. but everybody behaved bad up and down the line, including the president. i wrote an article that set the administration showed its two colors -- true colors, which is yellow. >> perhaps you ought to apologize for saying that fox news had on the air before the administration fired her bro. our story appeared on fox news later. -- her story appeared on fox news later. and the secretary about culture repeated his intention to have her fired -- secretary of agriculture repeated his intention to have her fire. the 6:00 news show, i call for reinstatement and an apology, as did the entire fox news channel. -- panel. >> nobody mentioned that the naacp called for her firing. that speech was to

that responsibility fell on the shoulders of agriculture secretary tom vilsack, who also apologized, admitting his decision was "made in haste." nbc's tracie potts joins us live now from washington with more. tracie, good morning to you. >> reporter: lynn, good morning. this story has taken some twists and turns even in the last 24 hours. first fired, now possibly rehired, she's considering a new job with the government. all of this after the government makes an embarrassing admission. >> this is a good woman. she's been put through hell. >> reporter: shirley sherrod's now had apologies from her boss and the white house. >> a disservice was done for which we apologize. >> reporter: she was fired monday after a conservative blog posted an edited version of what she said about helping a white farmer 24 years ago. the clip made her look like a racist when, in fact, she was denouncing racism. >> i'm not angry today. >> reporter: today, sherrod has a new job offer from her old boss, something unique, the government says, to help them fight discrimination. >> let me just say i'm reconsider

the rush to judgment over what he called a bogus controversy that prompted agriculture secretary tom vilsack to ask for sherrod's resignation. >> now, many are to blame for the reaction and overreaction that followed these comments, including my own administration. >> couric: and his administration has been trying to woo sherrod back with an offer to return to a new job at the u.s.d.a. as deputy director of advocacy and outreach... >> they've been calling me since 4:00 this morning. ( laughter ) >> couric: ...but for now, she says she isn't ready to answer that call. now, to the gulf. on day 101, the government's point man, admiral thad allen said the next attempt to plug the well, first through a new cap and then a relief well, could begin this weekend. meanwhile, a spill in michigan's kalamazoo river is worse than first thought. the e.p.a. now says more than a million gallons of oil leaked from a broken pipe. it's killed fish and left birds covered in oil. today, residents of 50 homes were advised to leave until the impact can be investigating. in montana, a deadly attack by grizzly bears.

that goes for secretary tom vilsack, who fired sherrod. >> he jumped this gun, partly because we live in this media culture where something goes up on youtube or a blog, and everybody scrambles. if there's a lesson to be drawn from this episode, it is rather to be jumping to conclusions and pointing fingers at each other, we should all look inward and try to examine what's in our own hearts. as a consequence, i think we will continue to make progress. >> president obama also urged sherrod to accept a new position, a job helping the agriculture department tackle discrimination. you can see more of the interview with the president, later on "good morning america." >>> the senate has approved a war funding bill, rejecting, though, $20 billion tacked on by the house for domestic issues. the bill authorizes $60 billion for the wars in afghanistan and iraq. and related spending. the house is expected to go along with the senate version in the end. >>> a congressional panel has charged new york democrat charles rangel with ethics violations. the specifics will be revealed at a public hearing

after seeing the whole tape, the white house calls secretary tom vilsack. he's reconsidering this firing. any second thoughts for you? >> i have no second thoughts regarding the course that vilsack took. i have no idea why a video that was posted to draw attention between the conflict of the tea party and -- the tea party and the democratic party, are trying to attack -- >> let me stop you there. your original column said that the video lays out, in stark detail, that her, shirley sherrod's federal duties, are managed through the prism of race and class distinction. >> she does talk about race and class distinctions in it. >> not in the context of her job as an appointed bureaucrat. >> what this video clearly shows is a standard that the tea party has not been held to. the naacp, it shows people in the audience there, applauding her when she discriminates against a white farmer. that was the point that i was trying to make. what the naacp is arguing about the tea party is that there are people in -- >> she said. >> let me finish my point. there are people i

gibbs revealed the apology tom vilsack made to the president. >> i'm sorry. i made a mistake. i acted before i had the full benefit of what had happened. >> reporter: clearly this has been a distraction to the white house this week. they hoped it would have been about the president dealing with the fragile economy and signing into law -- as he did late today -- an extension of unemployment benefits for some 2.5 million americans, brian. >> chuck todd in washington tonight. chuck, thanks. >>> there is new trouble tonight for the former chairman of the house ways & means committee. the long-time new york democratic congressman charlie rangel has been investigated on ethics charges for the last two years. the next committee in the house found he has violated some ethics rules. there will be hearings, we learned today. while he told the media he's happy about the development, our own luke russert asked if he feared he would lose his job and the following exchange took place. >> are you concerned about losing your job? >> what are you talking about? you're just trying to make copy.

. >> reporter: secretary tom vilsack offered to rehire the 62-year-old wednesday for a new role, just days after firing her over this speech. >> and here i was helping a white person save their land. >> reporter: the edited clip posted online by conservative bloggers appeared to show sherrod making racist remarks, but it soon became clear the comments were taken out of context. and there was actually nothing racist about the speech at all. >> without a doubt, miss sherrod is owed an apology. i would do so, certainly, on behalf of this administration. >> reporter: sherrod claims she resigned under pressure from the white house, but vilsack maintains the obama administration had nothing to do with his decision. >> i appreciate the concerns that folks are expressing, but this was my decision. and i made it in haste. >> reporter: sherrod says she tried to get the white house to watch the full tape. >> had that been done, we wouldn't be sitting here, having this conversation today. >> reporter: but some lawmakers are also blaming the media for jumping the gun. >> this issue is not about ra

>>> in other news, president obama says agriculture secretary tom vilsack, quote, jumped the gun when he decided to fire shirley sherrod for what turned out to be edited remarks on the internet. the president personally apologized to sherrod thursday. chip reid reports. >> reporter: the president joined the chorus of administration officials offering her an apology. >> she did accept his apology? >> yes. >> reporter: the white house says it took the president three tries over two days to reach her. she called it a very good conversation. >> he wanted me to know he's supportive. and i've been dealing with some of the same issues he's had to deal with. >> reporter: sherrod was fired monday after a conservative website released portions of a speech she gave earlier this year. she appeared to say that years ago she was reluctant to help a struggling farmer because he was white, but the full speech shows she was describing the need for racial reconciliation. >> when the president said, i think that's -- there's an opportunity for you to continue that work if you want to do so. >> reporter:

. >> reporter: agriculture secretary tom vilsack says those days must end. >> i made it as a goal when i took this office that we would try to reverse that history. >> reporter: as for the settlement compensation, congress has yet to approve it and even if it does... >> it would be a very bittersweet victory for us because i've seen so many black farmers pass waiting for justice. >> reporter: willie adams is waiting, too. mr. adams has wanted to expand his business for years, to build a new greenhouse or to buy up new livestock for his farm. today he's raising collard greens, squash and okra, but he says the farm's been starved without the government assistance other farmers take for granted. >> trying to save the land, that's the main thing, saving the homeland. >> reporter: he wonders why shirley sherrod was fired hours after that misleading tape surfaced but other department officials were not fired for years of discrimination, raising doubts about the government's commitment to close what it calls an unfortunate chapter. dean reynolds, cbs news, greensboro, georgia. >> couric: in w

shriveting and shortchanging minorities, blacks, women, in agriculture, tom sill vack, the man who -- tom vilsack, the monday who apologized profusely, -- the man who apologized profusely, cast light on how far that department has come in the last few years. gloria: and although this isn't a question, it's a question in a could take a -- a question that could take a whole show. this is a white house, the first after can american president that goes out of its way to not be defined by race, yet things like this always occur. seem to occur. and so what are the risks here really for this first african-american president? >> when you take up race on your own terms, at your on time, say the 150th anniversary of the emancipation proclamation you can have an inclufsive conversation about it. when you find yourself talking about it because someone else raised it it's very hard to get past the division. gloria: and very difficult for this white house. and now for something completely different, we're going to turn to the topic of national intelligence. in the wake of the attacks of 9-11, the intelligence

. >> reporter: late this afternoon, agriculture secretary tom vilsack apologized to shirley sherrod. >> this is a good woman. she's been put through hell. and i asked for shirley's forgiveness and she was gracious enough to extend it to me. >> reporter: the public mea culpa came after president obama privately expressed strong regrets about the whole affair. >> he talked about the fact that an injustice had happened, and that because the facts had changed, a review of the decision based on those facts should be undertaken. >> reporter: actually the facts had not changed. it's just that the obama administration finally learned all of them. the story started when a conservative blog, and then cable tv, ran this video clip of sherrod at an naacp dinner earlier this year talking about a meeting with a white farmer seeking her assistance. >> so i didn't give him the full force of what i could do. >> reporter: but that clip did not tell the full story. the meeting with the white farmer was 24 years ago when sherrod worked for a non-profit and she ended up helping those farmers save their f

and one of those people, of forced sherrodama's own agriculture secretary, tom vilsack, who forced sherrod to resign. >> he jumped the gun partly because we now live in this media culture where something goes up on youtube or a blog and scrybody scrambles. and i told my team, and i told makeencies that we have to make foc we're focusing on doing the thet thing instead of what ooks to be politically moment.ry at that very moment. and ve to take our time and think these issues through. >> now that is the hope. but will his administration take the the president's words to heart? what about everyone else nvolved in the process of creating, covering and influencing public policy and se, rics? in this case, racial sensitivity ideosned with viral videos made go system go haywire. harris toed dan harris to take on whatonight on what lessons were learned and whether any of this will change. a reporter: with pretty much nvolved in the shiin the shirley sherrod case apologizing -- -- y extending her my personal and profound apologies. >> i owe miss sherrod an sherrod an >> reporter: the question -- >

agriculture secretary tom vilsack said in a statement that there is zero tolerance for discrimination at his agency. none of them bothered to learn that the incident in question happened 24 years ago when sherrod worked for a nonprofit. the question is, why would you look at the white farmers differently than you looked at the black farmers? >> because i always, up to that point, i felt they had all of the advantages. >> reporter: then, in 1986, she changed her mind, as she said in the speech. >> that's when it was revealed to me that it's about poor versus those who have. >> reporter: in your view, your story was about how race shouldn't matter with people. >> right. and they turned it into saying that i'm a racist. >> reporter: and you're not? >> you better believe i'm not. >> reporter: and the white farmers in sherrod's story agree. and credit her with saving their farm. roger and eloise spooner from iron city, georgia, consider sherrod a friend. >> if it had ntd of been for her, it wasn't a matter of a few months and we would have lost it. >> reporter: and diane, earlier today, th

but the white house does seem very er to get this story be overnight, secretary of agriculture tom vilsack met with members of the congressional black caucus to discuss the circumstances which led to the ouster of agriculture department official shirley sherrod. it was vilsack's most recent act of contrition for the episode. >> it was a very good meeting, and we really believe that mrs. sherrod deserves our respect. >> reporter: this followed vilsack's apology to sherrod after it became clear that her words had been taken out of context in the short clip making the rounds on the internet and cable. >> this is a good woman. she's been put through hell. >> apparently she's watching this briefing, shirley sherrod, on cnn right now. is there anything you want to say to her? >> on behalf of the administration, i offer our apologies. >> reporter: a ore vilsack suggested he'd offered her a new job tha wll of the agriultutmen task of settling lawsuits from minority farmers who claim they were discriminated against farm l >> she has s skills which i think would lend themselves to assisting and help

under fire for the firing of a usda worker, agriculture secretary tom vilsack faced the cameras. >> this is a good woman. she's been put through hell, and i could have done and should have done a better job. >> reporter: vilsack said he personally called sherrod to apologize. >> i asked for shirley's forgiveness and she was gracious enough to extend it to me, and for that i am thankful. >> reporter: at the white house wednesday, it was also all apologies. >> i think without a doubt ms. sherrod is owed an apology. a disservice was done for which we apologize. and on behalf of the administration, i offer our apologies. >> reporter: after initially standing by the agriculture secretary's decision to fire sherrod, the white house now acknowledges it was a rush to judgment. a usda official called sherrod monday afternoon in her car, asked her to pull over and resign by blackberry. this, after video surfaced online of sherrod making racially charged comments that turned out to be selectively edited. >> how did we get into -- how did we not ask the right? questions? how did you all not ask the

tom vilsack demanded and received sherrod's resignation. even the naacp condemned her words. only one problem. she was talking about something that happened 24 years ago and told that tale as a confession about how wrong she'd be and how much she'd learned. the naacp is backing her. tonight, we want toed to ask you, should she have been fired or was this a rush to judgment? tell us on the "nightline" facebook page or on the "nightline" page at abcnews.com. that's our report for tonight. for all of us at abc news, good night, america. >> jimmy: hi, i'm jimmy kimmel, with a word from reebok runtones. the shoes designed to give you stronger legs with every step. they have moving air balance balls on the soles that force leg muscles to work harder as you run. no man wants chicken legs. even chickens don't want chicken legs. but sadly, it affects many of us good men. men like ralph macchio. >> skinny ass chicken legs anywhere, man. those are the same legs you had in the [ bleep ] movie. >> hey, hey, hey, take it down a notch. put the camera away. just put the camera down. >> i'm t

reporter: that about-face came wednesday afternoon and less than one day after agriculture secretary tom vilsack abreeders cuply fired shirley sherrod. part of the speech last spring to the naacp. but that wasn't the whole speech or the whole story. as. >> as it was unfolding, my whole thought was this is so unreal. >> reporter: vilsack apologized to sherrod and offered her another job. >> i express my deep regret. >> reporter: late last night sherrod responded. >> i was satisfied with it. i told him i appreciated the apology. >> reporter: the controversy started three days ago when the clip lit up the internet and cable outlets. in it sherrod reflected on her reluctance 24 years ago to help a poor farmer because he was white. it turns out sherrod didn't say anything racist at all. her comments were taken out of context. >> definitely didn't do the right thing because they didn't look deeper to see what i was trying to say to them. >> reporter: her message in the speech was one of unity and said she was wrong when she was downplayed the farmer's request for help. she ultimately helped him save h

aides to secretary of agriculture tom vilsack e-mailed sherrod details about a new job offer.e of outreach, that would deal with the issues of discrimination in the agency. and i said to him, i need time to think about this. >> reporter: the white house has been eager to put this issue to rest. twice white house operators tried to reach sherrod on behalf of the president. but -- >> the mailbox belonging to shirley sherrod is full and cannot accept new messages at this time. >> reporter: white house officials tried again. finally the two connected. by then the president had read the full transcript of her march speech in which she described overcoming her own biases, a subject the president told her he had covered in his memoir "dreams from my father." she told reporters she's not sure if she's going to accept the job. this has been a whirlwind, she needs some down time, she has yet to see the offer in writing. jake tapper, abc news, the white house. >>> a congressional panel has charged new york democrat charles rangel with violating house rules. their two-year investigation c

agriculture secretary tom vilsack said in a statement that there is zero tolerance for discrimination. only, none of them bothered to learn that the incident in question happened 24 years ago when sherrod worked for a nonprofit. still, abc news asked her why she would look at farmers differently than she did the black farmers. >> because i always -- up to tat i feall optheages the naacp speech. >> that's when it was revealed to me that it's about poor versus those who have. >> reporter: the white farmers in sherrod's story agree, and credit her with saving their farm. roger and eloise spooner from iron city, georgia, consider sherrod a friend. >> if it hadn't been for her, we'd -- wasn't ever just a matter of a few months, we'd have lost it. >> reporter: t.j. winick, abc news, washington. >>> democratic lawmakers are set to approve an extension of benefits for the long-term unemployed today. they broke through a stubborn republican filibuster yesterday, with the help of the newest senator from west virginia. carte goodwin was sworn in to succeed robert byrd, who died last month. repub

. >> larry: the president talked to abc news and address the tom vilsack's handling of the situation. >> he jumped the gun partly because we now live in this media culture where something goes up on youtube or a blog and everybody's scrambling. and i've told my team and told my agencies that we have to make sure that we're focusing on doing the right thing instead of what looks to be politically necessary at that very moment. we have to take our time and think these issues through. >> larry: reverend, is the president just trying to please everybody? >> well, i think he's the president for everyone. i don't think that it's about pleasing everyone. i think he's taking some very strong stands in some areas and other people might want stronger stands, depending on their point of view. i think he's correct about this media age and this quick reaction and i think a lot of us in public life have to pause and say -- wait a minute. let's get the facts. i also think a lot of progress has been made. none of us are denying we've made progress, but making progress does not mean you've arrived. ma

. >> reporter: secretary tom vilsack offered to rehire the 62-year-old wednesday for a new role justays after firing her over this speech. the edited clip posted online by conservative bloggers appeared to show her making racist remarks. but it soon became clear the comments were taken out of context. and there was actually nothing racist about the speech at all. >> without a doubt, miss sherrod is owed an apology. i would do so certainly on behalf of this administration. >> reporter: she said she resigned under pressure from the white house but vilsack maintains the obama administration had nothing to do with his decision. >> i appreciate the concerns that folks are expressing, but this was my decision and i made it in highs. >> reporter: sherrod says she tried to get the white house to watch the full tape. >> had that been done, we wouldn't be sitting here having this conversation today. >> reporter: but some lawmakers are also blaming the media for jumping the gun. >> this issue is not about race. this issue is about reporting and responding. >> reporter: and they say avoiding a r

. >>> agriculture secretary tom vilsack also apologized to sherrod and offered her another job withine is considering the offer. >>> when we return, automakers opening two new auto plants in the south. why many in the auto industry are trying to put the brakes on the openings. >>> and a beautiful day around the bay area, but are we in for a change this week? we'll have the work week forecast, coming up. >>> flooding in eastern iowa has caused millions of dollars of damage to hundreds of homes and businesses. the flooding began yesterday, when the lake dell high dam failed, as rising flood waters created a 30-foot hole. small communities downstream from the dam were evacuated as water began surrounding the area. at least 200 homes and other buildings had been destroyed or damaged. iowa's governor issued a disaster declaration for two counties and toured the flood damaged areas. >>> wild weather ripped through western new york yesterday. the national weather service is investigating reports of tornadoes touching down there last night. at least one tornado was confirmed in the village of

. >> reporter: agriculture secretary tom vilsack apologized to shirley sherrod. >> this is a good woman gracious enough to extend it to me. >> the public mea culpa happened after president obama privately xr expressed strong regrets about the whole affair. >> he talked about an injustice had happened and the facts had changed, a review of the decision based on those facts should be undertaken. >> reporter: actually, the facts had not changed, it's just that the obama administration finally learned all of them. the story started when a conservative blog and cable tv ran this video clip of sherrod at an naacp dinner talking about a meeting with a white farmer seek her assistance. >> so, didn't give him the full force of of what i could do. >> reporter: that clip did not tell the full story. the meeting was 24 years ago when sherrod worked for a nonprofit and she ended up helping those farmers save their farm. they remain grateful today. the whole video indicates sherrod's full story was about her changing her views. >> i've come a long way. >> reporter: and realizing her calling was to he

her boss, agriculture secretary tom vilsack has said he wants her to come back on board after he apologized for firing her on monday. he said he wants her back on board inspect some sort of capacity that he says will be unique in dealing with the ongoing discrimination issues within his department. but she says she's not sure that would be effective. she also said in a "today" show interview here on the east coast this morning that she's not sure she can forgive that blogger who initially put that video out there. he was trying to attack the naacp. she got caught in the crossfire making comments that appeared to be racially motivated, but they were edited and when looking at the full tape, her bosses decide she should not have been fired. the white house has also now given her an apology. so at this point, she's just weighing whether or not she wants to continue while here in washington, there is sort of a big debate over whether this is a left versus right issue between the naacp and these conservative bloggers. >> yeah, or if they jumped the gun not doing enough investigation as to what w

. >>> reporter: agriculture secretary tom vilsack says he is sorry for firing shirley sherrod and has job for her. >> she has skills to help usda as we deal with trying to turn the page on our civil rights chapter. >> reporter: the former civil servant wants to think about it. it's been a long week. >> as it was unfolding, my whole thought was, this is so unreal. >> reporter: she gave a speech last spring to an naacp banquet in georgia. video clips of the speech posted online make it sound as if she supports discrimination. now she and others say the clips were taken out of context. sherrod and her supporters argue that the whole speech was about learning from mistakes and overcoming racial bias. civil rights leader wade henderson says the naacp acted too quickly when it first condemned the remarks. >> last week, they accused the tea party movement of tolerating racial bias and bigotry within their movement. and i think in the case of shirley sherrod they wanted to lean over backwards to make clear that they had to keep their own house in order. >> reporter: the clips of sherrod's spe

. >> reporter: she got one from secretary of agriculture tom vilsack, who fired her. >> i did not think before i acted. and for that reason this poor woman has gone through a very difficult time. were. >> reporter: vilsack offered sherrod a new job, helping deal with tens of thousands of farmers alleging discrimination by the usda that had fired sherrod, who had said today -- >> we seem to be going backwards instead of forward, in terms of race relations. >> reporter: her supporters rallied at the usda in d.c. ♪ and in georgia, where sherrod was a federal chief of rural development, a two-day fire storm sparked by a video. this clip hit the internet, sherrod in march describing her reluctance 24 years ago to help a white farmer. she was called by usda and fired. >> it was just unbelievable. >> reporter: sherrod said she was told the white house wanted her out. >> there was no pressure from the white house here, this was my decision. >> reporter: later into the video, sherrod described overcoming prejudice but some in the media did not wait to see that. >> ms. sherrod must resign immedia

. >> says all secretary tom vilsack's call. no. do you believe that?ey've told me the same story. tom vt's not what i asked you. >> i know. do you believehe same story. y told mis the source. my source said we had nothing to >> o with it. look, miss sherrod told a story of redemption. go, we all know from the facts, everyone, everyone, there's ev enough crow to go around to ensure that everyone continues to eat bird until turkey season. the white house jumped the gun. fox news and others who allowed this bogus tape to hit the air waves. >> the naacp. >> the >> the naacp that did not call the local chapter. did not confer with miss locald. it's mind boggling. i talked to miss sherrod. ploouchlt.ew up in the deep of theas i did, you know the history of the movement. the history of the sherrod story.. you know shirley sherrod's yersonal story. i'm ashamed so many people failed to google her name. >> the only people that could fire her were the hatinistration. ration. news, not the naacp. the only administration could naacp.er. they bear the most culpabili

think anybody is saying the naacp, you know, needs more african-americans and heaven knows that tom vilsackken responsibility and who has said how badly he screwed up and the white house, which knows how badly they screwed up, have moved. but i think there are a couple things here. one is that this extraordinary screwup happened. it was bad. the white house and vilsack moved quite quickly to fix it. that's what people need to do when they make mistakes. the broader question is how is this suddenly barack obama's problem? he has written an entire book of race. he dwoets an entire chapter. he made the speech in 200 8 -- he has probably -- >> is there a skiddishness about confronting problems when they spring up like this. however, whether there were screwups made, to deal with them head-on. >> it's funny to head-on. >> it's funny to me. this resulted from a false narrative that was developing last week. as you recall, you talked about context and president talked about context. the context for this was not that andrew decided to put an edited video to make a point. he was trying to make the p

early this morning, secretary tom vilsack said he will review and consider additional facts concerningod's resignation. the farmer that sherrod was talking about in that tape is actually coming out in her defense. he says that she helped him save his farm. but now sherrod is saying that she's not sure that she would return to the agriculture department, even if she's invited back. nbc bay area's tracie potts live this morning from washington, d.c., with more on this developing story. tracie? >> yeah. this story, as you mentioned, has taken some twists and turns. the naacp initially came out and said she should be fired, they have since reversed course. the farmer is backing her. now the secretary of agriculture is saying, well, maybe we need to take another look at this. the white house initially said president obama was behind his decision. no word and we'll probably hear more about that today. vilsack, the agriculture secretary now says, no, this was all my decision. a lot of twists and turns. and shirley sherrod now coming out on the air doing lots of interviews this morning, includ

. >> now, early this morning, secretary tom vilsack said he will review and consider additional factsoncerning sherrod's resignation. and you can see the rest of the interview with her on the "today" show this morning. it starts at 7:00 right here on nbc bay area. >>> three months after the massive gulf coast oil spill, a solution may finally be in sight. we've got a live look this morning. five leaks were discovered around bp's capped well and they're being described as small drips. and it appears oil seepage found two miles from the sight is actually from a different well and not of a big concern. we'll have a live report from the gulf on what's ahead. >>> a british newspaper says bp's ceo, tony hayward, will step down within the next ten weeks. bp has struggled to restore its reputation after the disastrous spill in the gulf. a bp spokesperson tells nbc news that rumors are not true and hayward remains bp's chief executive. >>> state lawmakers are working on keeping spills that happen here from getting out of control. san francisco bay is home to a lot of shipping traffic, sn, and

he now says he will and let me read the statement from tom vilsack. he said, quote, i am, of course, willing and will conduct a thorough review and consider additional facts to ensure to the american people we are providing services in a fair and equitable manner. but no word yet, matt, this morning whether or not shirley sherrod gets her job back. >> savannah guthrie, thank you very much. shirley sherrod is with us from atlanta. ms. sherrod, good morning to you. >> good morning. >> what a 24-48 hours you've had. i mean, let's go through it here. you were vilified, forced to resign and when the most elementary investigation was put toward your situation, what i like to call the oops began, the naacp which originally came out against you, apologized saying they made a mistake, and now i even understand the agriculture secretary who originally stood by his decision has said he's willing to see more information. can you describe your emotions as we sit here and talk this morning? >> you know, it's so hard. looking at the last 24 hours, when the departmen

her former boss, tom vilsack, apologized to her wednesday for forcing her to resign earlier this week. then he offered her another job back at the usda. >> he told me he would send the offer in writing. i haven't had a chance to see that. >> reporter: the forced resignation were about comments made taken out of context and construed as discriminatory towards whites. but when all of the facts came out, officials were red-faced about how wrong they were about sherrod. >> a disservice was wrong for which we apologize. >> reporter: secretary vilsack says it was his decision alone and not pressure from the white house how he dealt with sherrod. >> this was my decision and i made it in haste. >> reporter: the new position would put her in the department doing outreach. >> i'm not sure going back to the department is the thing to do. it was so easy for them to make a decision to throw me under the bridge. you know, without looking, i was asking them, please, look at the entirety of this. no one was willing to do that. >> reporter: sherrod said she would like to talk to president obama about

tom vilsack is facing fierce criticism for acting too quickly in her case and not getting all of thethis video sparked the controversy. on it, she said she i tensionally dismissed a white farmer's pleas for help decades ago but now the full story is coming out. the farmer's family says sherrod did help them. she's explaining that the clip was taken out of context and she says usda officials overreacted. >> if they had just taken the time to -- even without looking at the tape to look at me, to look at what i've stood for, to look at what i've done since i've actually been at the department, i don't think they would have been so quick to do what they did. >> reporter: the agriculture secretary issued a statement overnight saying he's launching a thorough review, something sherrod says should have happened before she was let go. reporting live from washington, d.c., alison burns, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> 8:47. the president of health insurer anthem bluecross has resigned but the company says it has nothing to do with the rate hike that became the poster child for increasing medical cos

yesterday agriculture secretary tom vilsack fired her for the comment saying the usda had zero tolerance for discrimination. this morning, vilsack changed his tune. saying in a statement i am, of course, willing and will conduct a thorough review and consider additional facts. now we know that the tape was heavily edited by the conservative website that posted it. biggovernment.com. the naacp which initially condemned her remarks now says it was snookered by the initial report saying that the speech was deliberately edited to create a false impression of racial bias. that's because other comments made in the same speech didn't make it on the internet like when she said she learned from that incident and ultimately helped the farmer. that farmer, rodger spooner, was shocked that the woman that helped him nearly 25 years ago just lost her job. >> she saved our farm, almost 500 acres. she saved our farm. >> the naacp released sherrod's entire 43-minimum speech last night and says she's not a racist. she says the obama administration just caved to political pressure. harry? >> you can really