for us. world news is coming up next. i'm cheryl jenning autos and from sandhya patel is all of us here, hope to see you again in a half hour at 6:00. we just don't want robots to do the news. >> skip that part. this is "world news.s. and tonight, earthquake. the east coast of the u.s. groans and rolls as one of the strongest quakes ever to hit the region sends panicked people pouring out of trembling buildings, rattling the white house, shaking the capitol. nuclear plants go to backup power. and a bride makes a run from the altar. battle for libya. rebels pry open the doors of gadhafi's legendary fortress, toppling golden statues. our reporter is right there in the chaos. so, where is gadhafi? and glen campbell.

the first tv interview about his diagnosis of alzheimer's disease. preparing for a courageous farewell tour as a last gift for his fans. ♪ good evening. at 1:51 this afternoon, millions of us on the east coast, together, looked up and it did not seem possible. the room was moving. but an earthquake, here? and one of the strongest ever in this part of the country. a 5.8 magnitude, lasting 30 seconds. take a look. the camera is fixed on the white house, see it shaking? and the national cathedral in washington loses the tip of a spire. and as we said, people were racing into the streets, including that bride, here in new york. the epicenter of the quake was near mineral, virginia, but the quake roiled the ground from massachusetts to south carolina

and all the way west to chicago and milwaukee. we're going to tell you the latest on the nuclear plants along this coast, but let's begin with abc's david muir, weekend anchor, who was pulling into union station in washington when that quake hit. what a surprise, david. >> reporter: it was really extraordinary, diane. we were off that train for just a matter of minutes when the entire train station began to rumble in a way that we hadn't seen, hadn't heard before. what we didn't realize, millions of americans feeling the same thing at that moment. and then within minutes here in washington, the capitol, the pentagon, that train station, all evacuated, fearing something worse. the earthquake, one of the strongest ever along the east coast, sent people running for cover across several states. this crowd escaping washington d.c.'s union station, the train station where we had just arrived on a train from new york. inside, as the station shook wildly, officers yelling to all of us and the passengers there to run from the building. >> the ground started shaking, people were screaming, r rning around. >> all of a sudden, everything

just shook. things, couple of things fell off the table and then everybody scrambled for the exits. >> pictures falling. that's when i knew it was an earthquake. >> reporter: this is a common theme, people calling their loved ones to let them know they're okay. and for a time here, the cell service had stopped. clearly the phones were jammed. helicopters flew over the damage in the nation's capitol. at the national cathedral, one of the pinnacles sheared off. >> if you look to the pinnacle of the four corners, you'll see that on the right pinnacle, for instance, the high point of that pinnacle, as well, is off. and we're worried about the strength of the tower itself. >> reporter: one woman tweeted, "i'm holding pieces of the national cathedral in my hand. this is very sad." and this is the photo she sent out. in neighboring virginia, demolished cars in a parking lot where bricks and beams came crashing down. in baltimore, maryland, the walls crumbles on this warehouse. and in new york city, the d.a.

holding a press conference when that earthquake hit. and you could see it in his eyes. workers with the d.a.'s office and the press in that room moving swiftly to get out. with the tenth anniversary of 9/11 approaching, this rumble was not welcome in manhattan, where there was chaos in the streets. >> it's scary when you are all the way up there, on the 14th floor. it's not easy. you have all these thoughts running through your mind. it's scary. >> reporter: nor was it welcome here in washington. the sounds and the scare that followed brought great concern that this was something else. while back at that train station, this waitress, who watched all of the glass and plates shatter at the restaurant stood outside with us as her phone rang. >> i'm fine, i'm fine. >> reporter: her family grateful that she was okay. the original reason we were coming to washington today was to report on the upcoming tenth anniversary of 9/11, and diane, there were so many people e re in washington and up in new york who said they were relieved when they learned this was just an earthquake. and one more note that we took today was that image of so many families calling loved ones on

their cell phones. fema actually sent out an alert after the cell phone systems jammed, sayingng, use text messages instead if you're not in an emergency, it takes up less bandwidth, it takes up less space in the system. those phone lines got jammed and that was pretty concerning. >> so, you can text even when the phone lines are busy? >> reporter: yes. you can get more texts out than you can get calls. something for all of us to keep in mind in theheuture. >> okay, david, thanks so much. as we said, one of the biggest concerns, all the nuclear power plants, near so many millions of people on this coast. 12 plants declared unusual events, the lowest emergency classification. but one plant had to scramble when the backup power didn't come on. and abc's jim sciutto has been reporting on this all day. jim? >> reporter: diane, we're just five miles from the epicenter of this quake. this is not considered a high risk area. in fact, the north anna plant, built to withstand an earthquake of 6.2 maximum on the richter

scale, just four times as strong as today. a relatively thin safety cushion. at the epicenter, residents of mineral, virginia, felt the earth move, the ground rumble. the post office sustained so much damage, the mail carriers had to sort the letters in the street. tell me what it felt like. >> initially it was a low rumbling, and then you could -- the noise increased. you could start to see, certainly see motion in the building. >> reporter: at the north anna nuclear facility just miles from the epicenter, the two reactors were automatically shut down. both lost offsite power, just like japan's fukushima did after the devastating tsunami in march. they were forced to use emergency reserve generators for electricity. in this demonstration last march, engineers at the north anna simulator showed us exactly what it looks and sounds like when the reactor is shut down. were you ever concerned this was significant enough to damage the reactor? >> no, i was not. >> reporter: this u.s. geological survey map shows that

today's quake is in what was considered to be a low risk area. across the country, there are dozens of plants in medium to high risk quake areas. north anna is just one of half a dozen plants up and down the east coast inside the quake zone and is the only one that shut down, although the nuclear gulatory commission said that 12 plants in north carolina, virginia, maryland, pennsylvania and new jersey and even michigan declared unusual event emergencies. there have been at least half a dozen aftershocks since the main quake and we've just learned that when those backup generators started, one of them failed. they had to go to a backup backup generator. but we are told, diane, they're going to have full power restored to this plant this evening. >> all right, that's reassuring. thank you, jim. i want to bring in nuclear expert and physicist dr. michio kaku, who is with us tonight. good to see you, doctor. you have to go to the backup to the backup -- that doesn't sound good. >> not g gd at all. we just dodged the bullet on this one.

there are four backup pumps. one of them is out. if all four go out, you are on the road to a full-scale meltdown. that's what happened in japan. all the backup pumps went out, batteries went out. then you're dead in the water and then the core gets exposed. >> all right. let me ask you about what i know our viewers on the west coast are probably thinking, because they go through a lot of quakes, some of them bigger than this. are they right to say, hey, guys, this is not so big. >> there's a diffefence between west coast and east coast earthquakes. the west coast is very fragmented. look at this. the fault lines are like this, so, when an earthquake fault moves or shifts, the energy is localized. therefore, the damage is concentrated. >> so one shifts but not everything shifts. >> that's right. it's localized. >> and then, you were saying, on the east coast -- >> right. we have the north american plate and so it rocks as one unit. and so energy is scattered all the way to canada, for example. so if -- >> i was going to say, you were telling me earlier that it's a

wakeup call for the east coast, that we are not immune. >> that's right. we have to prepare our building codes for the once in a century earthquake. we are not prepared at all. our buildings don't sway like those in california and japan. our buildings would collapse if we had a major earthquake in manhattan. and realize that indian point can only withstand a 6.0 earthquake, and that's a nuclear power plant north of new york city. >> that's too close. okay, thank you, dr. michio kaku, and we appreciate you being here. the gathering storm to tell you about tonight, of course, hurricane irene, bearing down on the bahamas. forecasters telling us this muscular system is already a category 2, 100-mile-per-hour winds, and may increase to a category 4. the earliest it could hit the u.s. would be friday. the carolinas are also looking at evacuation warnings for saturday. and still ahead on "world news," inside gadhafi's secret compound. we are there, opening doors. david letterman responds to threats against him.

jihadist threats. and country music legend glen campbell, for the first time tonight, talking about his alzheimer's, and the final tour of the song of our lives. ♪ all righty. oh, oh. you are a little biscuit. i'm carol. uh, we should skedaddle 'cause it's girls' night. so...okay. oh, wow. you got a skinny-dipping scene after the duel, right? well, i -- shh, shh, shh. show. don't tell. [ male announcer ] your favorite movies right when you want them. just a little -- okay. oh, wow. [ male announcer ] watch unlimited tv episodes and movies instantly through your game console or other devices, all for only 8 b bks a month from net [ carol ] this could turn me into a history buff. my name is lacey calvert and i'm a yoga instructor. if i have any soreness, i'm not going to be able to do my job.

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moammar gadhafi's secret compound. what did they find? and where is gadhafi? abc's jeffrey kofman made his way into the compound with them and has the latest for us tonight. jeffrey? >> reporter: good evening, diane. what we saw here today was libya's equivalent of the fall of the berlin wall. the fortress that was a symbol of a regime that ruled by fear, falling into the hands of rebels. an unforgettable sight. the rebels poured into gadhafi's compound today, rejoicing. after a fierce battle, they had broken through the dictator's defenses, in reality and in symbolism, striking at the heart of his brutal regime. this was his home, his base of power. so, this is it. this is the entrance to gadhafi's compound. i was brought here several times over the last few months by gadhafi government minders. they told us where we could go. they told us what we could shoot.

now, take a look at this free for all. inside, they stomped on a golden bust of gadhafi. a moment of elation for people who have lived for more than four decades under his iron fist. remember this bizarre scene, when gadhafi made an appearance on his golf cart? today, the victorious rebels took it out for a spin. >> at least, we got rid of this man. today we are free. free, free, free. and libya is going to be one of the best countries in the world. >> reporter: this is the heart of the gadhafi compound. look over here. this building was bombed on orders of president reagan 25 years ago and gadhafi left it in this state. that up there is clutching an american w w plane, an act of defiance, saying, don't you dare come after us. he used it as a backdrop for his propaganda. but it's clear today that there was another story to be told. gadhafi lived here, plotted here, threw huge banquets here.

once inside, the rebels scoured every corner of the place that until now was off-limits. but some went further, looting anything they could carry. what they didn't find was gadhafi. >> where is he today? why did he run away? tell me, why did he run away? we're going to get him. we're going to get him. and we're going to judgegeim. >> reporter: it has long been believed there is a series of underground tunnels running beneath this complex, and gadhafi, still at large, could have used them to escape. while the party's come to a very quick end, suddenly there is tracer fire over our heads and people realize that while they have won, there are still pockets of gadhafi resistance and this is not a safe place. so, we are leaving, as everyone else is. we are just fine. as for gadhafi, there is still no sign of him, but a reminder. it took more than eight months to find saddam hussein after his regime was toppled, and so the search for gadhafi goes on. diane? >> all right, jeffrey, thank you. and in addition to the search for gadhafi, there is another big question tonight.

where are all of his weapons? u.s. intelligence says they may include stockpiles of deadly mustard gas and some 30,000 shoulder-fire rockets. so far, no word on them. and coming up, how late night comedian david letterman decided to handle ugly threats from islamic extremists. from islamic extremists. hut! go! here it comes! right on the numbers! boom! get it! spin! oh, nice hands! chest bump. ugh! good job, man. nice! okay, halftime. now, this is my favorite play. oh! i'm wide open. oh, fumble. fumble. don't want to fumble any of these. [ male announcer ] share what you love, with who you love. kellogg's frosted flakes. it's up... and it's good! good?! they're grrreat! oh, we call it the bundler. let's say you need home and auto insurance. you give us your information once, online... [ whirring and beeping ]

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the dow jumping 322 points, as investors are betting federal reserve chairman ben bernanke will announce new steps to boost the economy during a scheduled speech in jackson hole on friday. and a judge here in new york did put an end today to the sensational sexual assault case against french banker dominique strauss-kahn. prosecutors said they could not present a jury with the accusations of a hotel maid, if they, themselves, could not believe her account beyond any reasonable doubt. and his first day back from vacation, we saw how david letterman is handling the threats, the ugly threats he's been receiving over the internet. he became the target of islamic extremists on the internet after he joked on the air about the death of the al qaeda leader. no surprise, he went for more laughs. >> backstage, i was talking to the guy from cbs, we were going through the cbs life insurance policy to see if i was covered for jihad.

and coming up next, glen campbell. the country legend talks for the first time about his battle with alzheimer's, and how the music is keeping everything gentle on his mind. no matter what small business you are in, managing expenses seems to ...get in the way. not anymore. ink introduces jot. a real time expense app that lets you track and categorize expenses on the go. so you can get back to the business you love. jot, the latest innovation from chase. only for ink customers. download at chase.com/ink

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and finally tonight, country music legend, glen campbell. you may have heard recently that he receivevea diagnosis of alzheimer's disease, and tonight, he will speak about it on television for the first time. here's made an album, releasing now, and he's calling it "ghost on the canvas." he's also planning a tour for all of us who lived our lives with the songs, it seemed, only he could sing. here's abc's terry moran. ♪ like a rhinestone cowboy >> reporter: his music is apart of the american songbook.

♪ star spangled rodeo ♪ i get to phoenix >> i have been blessed i really have. i figured it out that i'm not that bright, but god gave me a break. >> reporter: and now, at 75, glen campbell is struggling to remember that blessed life. he is fighting alzheimer's disease. >> i wasn't a big star. anyway -- >> reporter: you are a big star. >> well, it's still the same size. that's -- what was i saying? i will be right in the middle of a sentence and just -- >> reporter: we talked with glen and kim woollen, his wife of nearly 30 years, in their malibu home, their first television interview since sharing the news. you guys came out recently and you told all of us that you have been diagnosed with alzheimer's. >> i haven't got it yet. in fact, i don't even know where it came from. >> yes, you've been diagnosed

with alzheimer's. >> what? i haven't felt it yet. i've always been forgetful anyway. but it's -- well, i guess -- i'm only what, 78? >> 75. >> 75. oh. ll, i got a couple more. >> reporter: you know, glen, it is a brave thing to continue to perform.m. a lot of people get a hard diagnosis and they focus on their health. >> i don't know how brave it is. >> we just make the best of each day and -- >> oh, yeah. >> try not to worry about tomorrow. >> definitely. take care of what's today and tomorrow's going to have what it has. i tell you, boy, the verse in the bible that says, if a man finds a good wife, he's found a good thing. and i found a good thing. or she found me. did you find me or did i find you? >> i think we found each other. >> reporter: in the old days,

he was a hard driniking, high living country star. a child of arkansas poverty. >> i loved to play the guitar. and i loved to sing. i found out real quick that, you know, gathering corn and picking cott cotton, i figured out real quick that that was work. >> reporter: and like many alzheimer's patients, he can still remember the years gone by, starting out as a teenager in the early 1950s. >> in albuquerque, new mexico, they had a noon-day roundup to play on it. oh, boy, high cotton. ♪ riding down the trail to albuquerque ♪ yeah. >> music is a natural memory aide. all the love he gets from all and, so, that's what we want to do as long as we can, because it's healthy for all of us. music is good medicine.

♪ >> you know that one. >> reporter: i sure do. ♪ i may as well >> try and catch the wind. ♪ try and catch the wind yeah. yeah. ♪ it's my amazing grace ♪ yes it is >> reporter: now, there will be one final album, "ghost on the canvas," it is called. and one last tour to say good-bye. ♪ in my hands >> reporter: to all of us. ♪ it's your amazing grace >> reporter: and there to help him, three of his children, shannon, on guitar, ashley on keyboard, cal on drums, all by his side. >> i feel like playing and singing. what would i do? >> reporter: what's your favorite song that you've donene of all of them?

♪ i am a lineman for the county ♪ ♪ and i drive the main road oh, that's a great song. i need you more than want you. and i want you for all time. the wichita lineman is still on the line. that's a great song, boy. >> reporter: it sure is. terry moran, abc news, malibu, california. ♪ >> it sure is. and you can see all of terry's interview later on "nightline." and by the way, he recorded a special song on abcnews. tonight a flaming tanker car, propane fire triggered

an. >> zp the price you can pay by using stub hub. >> and the bart protests. how much trouble the protesters are in and a debate over whether bart owes them an apology. a woman inspiring this war memorial. what will happen to the crosses now that she's died? >> and good evening, i'm dan ashley. >> and bart is on damage control tonight. >> after yesterday's messy commute because of a protest, one official is trying to make peace, with another demonstration scheduled there may be more commuter chaos still to come. wayne freedman is live with the latest on this story. wayne? >> we're enjoying the peace and quiet on market street this, time, 24 hours ago a demonstration now it's a