and he lay on the tracks of the georgia road cradled by the rails. heart stopped. >> all railroad abandoned. between across ties. trees grow. a fairel pig roots below branches. [applause]. >> poem is about a ham. >> uncle john. that was the year grand daddy thomas died. left the family worse than broke. uncle john stole a ham from the meat market. he was 17. lost his taste for it locked up 14 years. ham, cured and earth bred sliced with the fat hanging on. yellow sunshine on a white plate. the ham bone cuts crosswise. a dark eye all in the skillet making aggressive for grits. lost his taste for all things salt much the ocean he has not seen. woman and man. he don't ever want to see no more ham on his plate. hates pigs. hard for him. time off for good behavior. they didn't hold him to the last 6. he is a hog farmer. only eats beef and chicken and turkey. fish, turtle and rabbit. squirrel, possum and coon and seasons greens with smoked ox tails. can't raise white folks for slaughter. [applause] >> for those of you who have not heard this in person a bi

. >> well, the bishop of a georgia mega church has broken his signs lens speaking for the first time. in a fiery speech eddie long vowed to fight the allegations and lawsuits. they claim he gave them gifts and took them on trips in an attempt to seduce them. federal authorities say they won't investigate the allegations bus all four men were 17 or 18 when the relationships began. the state of georgia's age of consensual sex is 16. >>> today nbc news is proud to kick off education nation here at 30 rock. it's a special week of programming designed to show american students and schools. a new poll finds well over half of americans believe public schools need major changes or a complete overhaul. good morning to you, michelle. >> reporter: good morning to you, veronica. certainly this series is aimeded at o a two-day summit. it is the start of a national conversation that many say is long overdue. at a town hall kicking off education nation -- >> and good afternoon and welcome to our teacher town hall. >> reporter: teachers from around the country inspired ways to teach around the classr

this picturesque spot in georgia is on people's minds. hello. on the face of it, it is just an official announcement of a military appointment, but in north korea, very little is routine, and the latest news from state media looks significant. kim jong il -- kim jong-un has been given the rank of military general. this is one of the a few photographs of him. he is thought to be in his 20's. in any seat strong signs he is about to be anointed -- many see strong signs he is about to be anointed. from neighboring south korea, we have this report. in atm the train's coming you and immaculate john young central station to the choreographed uniformity -- immaculate pyongyang central station to be choreographed uniformity. these are the pictures that north korea was the world to say. the city getting ready for a very significant event indeed. the last major party gathering was it 1980, 30 years ago. that meeting saw kim jong-il appointed to the highest ranks of the party, confirming him as his father's successor. now he is frail, elderly, and on well.

when georgia tech taken volage was a response grown. this there he was worried about the most serious told by the chief they were sitting in the basement of the phones were really badly when they managed to get through this said the city was attacked people were killed all the storms and ground the houses. grandmother survived the five day war was close and forces to repel the georgian attack as many of those under fire were russian citizens so of aliens and peacekeepers later russia recognized the independence of south the city as did several other countries. i just want to see that people here are hobby that's it. r t from to involve. more than two dozen government troops have been confirmed dead after being ambushed by militants in the mountains the defense ministry in the central asian country has described it as an act of terrorism it can't claims the attack was conducted by militants led by the country's opposition leaders one of them. headed the movement that fought against the central government in the civil war during the one n

and fighting for acceptance sexual minorities in georgia say their own welcome in that home that stymied government church across in the sunlight. they are watching all live from moscow welcome to the program c. even and. billboard's the u.s. military is screaming for well dominance from all directions insatiable woman sheet is fueled by over six hundred billion dollars of taxpayers' money are you. chicken reports an advert for destruction unlikely as it sounds. nowhere else in the world are multi-million dollar war machines marketed like soft drinks and cell phones while come to the washington d.c. metro. ads for military helicopters alongside those for a gambling spawn you would think somebody would notice saw there is such you know a fact of life i just i knew before you mentioned it i just stop paying attention to it drones combat ships fighter jets bragging about defining the future and nobody seems to care except for a very few. these ads are targeted at a handful of people who decide on move to be lindahl a contract but what do regular commuters have to do with this they're going

the conflict remain frozen until in august two thousand and eight when georgia once again resorted to violence to take control over the republic. when georgia tech taken volage was a response grandmothers there he was worried about the most beautiful boy that you were sitting in the basement the phones were really badly when they managed to get through this said the city was attacked people were killed this stormed and burned the houses. grandmother survived the five day war moscow sent forces to repel the georgian attack as many of those under fire were russian citizens so every. peacekeepers led to russia recognize the independence of south the city as did several other countries. i just want to see that people here are happy and that's it. r t from to involve u.s. forces in afghanistan are at the center of a new scandal in which five soldiers were accused of killing civilians civilians as part of a game this comes as coalition forces fighting the taliban are trying to win the support of the local population artie's military analyst you have any khrushchev says these kinds of storie

south of twenty years since its declaration of independence from georgia we look back at what it took for the republic to be recognized. as the mortgage crisis cuts deep real estate say over a million americans may lose their homes to foreclosure this year in august alone some three hundred thousand were served with foreclosure warnings as unemployment figures stop and lay hover near ten percent. and i reports now on how a camp outside new york has become a place where some people now reluctantly call it as. america the prosperous america the traditional and america the broke the picture perfect homes and these homes are a twenty minute drive away from one another how did i end up here probably through my own mistakes in life r.t.e. revisits tent city a homeless camp talk to wait in the woods of new jersey there are at least forty people whose tragic destinies have led them to call this place home. since we were here last time in the winter things have changed more tense have appeared some people have come and gone but many of the people living here have been here for months if not ye

the state of georgia's age of consensual sex is 16. >>> today nbc news is proud to kick off education nation here at 30 rock. it's a special weekof programming designed to show american students and schools. a new poll finds well over half of americanselieve public schools need major changes or a complete overhaul. good morning to you, michelle. >> reporter: good morning to you, veronica. certainly this series is aimeded at o a two-day summit. it is the start of a national conversation that many say is long overdue. at a town hall kicking off education nation -- >> and good afternoon and welcome to our teacher town hall. >> reporter: teachers from around the country inspired ways toeach around the classroom. >> all students can learn as long as teachers are passionate and held accountable. >> reporter: many voiced frustration and searched for ways to improve the education system. >> there shouldn't be a lottery for good education. >> reporter: from the controversy surrounding charter schools to teachers feeled blamed for the problems. >> we're being made the scapegoats for much, much

when georgia tech taken volage was on. grandmothers there he was worried about the most serious look by the chief they were sitting in the basement phones were really badly when they managed to get through this said the city was attacked people were killed the storms and ground the houses. grandmother survived a five day war was close and forces to repel the georgian attack as many of those under fire were russian citizens civilians and peacekeepers later russia recognized the independence of south a satyr as did several other countries before the truth is. i just want to see that people here are happy and that's it x. out of touch of r r t from involved. in tajikistan and more than two dozen government troops have been confirmed dead after being ambushed by militants in the mountains the defense ministry in the central asian country has described it as an act of terrorism it claims the attack was conducted by militants who led by the country's opposition leaders one of them. ahead of the movement that fought against the c

which is now marking twenty years since it declared independence from georgia. and five u.s. soldiers are accused of killing afghan civilians as part of a sick game our military analyst says it's a propaganda coup for the taliban. as the mortgage crisis cripples america some estimates say more than three hundred thousand people got warnings about foreclosures in august alone with the high unemployment rate continuing across the country an increasing number of risk of losing their properties and i saw your reports on how a camp outside new york has become a place some people now call home. america the prosperous america the traditional and america the broke the picture perfect homes and these homes are a twenty minute drive away from one another how did i end up here probably through my own mistakes in life r.t.e. revisits tent city a homeless camp talked to wait in the woods of new jersey there are at least forty people whose tragic destinies have led them to call this place home. since we were here last time in the winter things have changed more tense have appeared some peo

the conflict remain frozen until in august two thousand and eight when georgia once again resorted to violence to take control over the republic. when georgia tech taken volage was a response grandmothers there he was worried about the most serious but by that you were sitting in the basement all the phones were really badly when they managed to get through this said the city was attacked god were killed by these storms and burned the houses of our. grandmothers survived the five day war moscow sent forces to repel the georgian attack as many of those under fire were russian citizens civilians and peacekeepers led to russia recognize the independence of south a city as did several other countries before the truth is i just want to see that people here are happy that's it acts on a hunch of our are from to involve. u.s. forces in afghanistan are at the center of a new scandal in which five soldiers were accused of killing civilians as part of a sick game is comes as coalition forces fighting the taliban are trying to win the hearts and minds of the local population artie's military ana

the conflict remain frozen until in august two thousand and eight when georgia once again resorted to violence to take control over the republic. when georgia tech taken volage was a response grandmothers fear he was worried about the most serious but by the chief they were sitting in the basement phones were really badly when they were. to get through this said the city was attacked people were killed in the storms and burned the highs this. grandma the survived the five day war was close and forces to repel the georgian attack as many of those under fire were russian citizens civilians and peacekeepers led to russia recognize the independence of south a city as did several other countries before the truth is i just want to see that people here are happy and that's it i examined hutch over r.t. from to involve a quick look now at other stories making headlines around the world. least two people have been killed and one injured in a gun battle in karate in pakistan police in gage to unidentified gunmen who had attacked people returning from a funeral five firemen that were also wounde

commission report um, came out and it suggested that in fact, uh, the war in georgia in the summer of 2008 was started by georgia, although, of course, russia is to blame because the response was out of proportion. um, so it does do that. it may not necessarily, in attacking first, but nonetheless, in showing that anybody who threatens russia, in the near abroad actually would pay for it. uh, there are issues with ukraine on uh, oil and gas all the time, and russia always threatens to turn off the pipe, and it does so once in a while. uh, there are issues with moldova, the are issues with belorussia, there are issues with a lot of neighboring countries, and i think this is the most threat that russia can present. i just don't believe that russia really has great capability to exercise, ultimately. i mean, it's easy with uh, small georgia, which i think has six million people and not entirely very well-trained army, although it was trained by the united states. but russia is also rather pragmatic, and vladimir putin, all my problems with him is a reasonable, reasonably pragmatic leader

the conflict remained frozen until in august two thousand and eight when georgia once again resorted to violence to take control over there are probably. when georgia tech can volage was a response grandmothers there he was worried about the most serious book by the chief they were sitting in the basement of the phones were really badly when they managed to get through this said the city was attacked people were killed all the storms and ground the homes of. grandmother survived a five day war moscow sent forces to repel the georgian attack as many of those under fire were russian citizens civilians and peacekeepers later russia recognized the independence of south the city as did several other countries. i just want to see that people here are hobby that's it. r t from to involve and to take a stand more than two dozen government troops have been confirmed dead after being ambushed by militants in the mountains the defense ministry in the central asian country has described it as an act of terrorism it claims the attack was conducted by militants led by the country's opposition lead

when georgia tech taken volatile was a response grandma. he was worried about the most serious book by the chiefs they were sitting in the basement of the falls were really badly when they managed to get through this said the city was attacked people were killed all the storms and ground his. grandmother survived a five day war moscow sent forces to repel the georgian attack as many of those under fire were russian citizens civilians and peacekeepers to russia recognize the independence of the city as did several other countries. i just want to see that people here are hobby that's it. r t from to involved it's twenty minutes past the hour let's take a look at some world news in brief for you the colombian military has killed twenty two in a raid near the country's border with. the operation comes just over a week after militants in the region killed eight police officers fark insurgents have killed several dozen police in clashes across colombia since one manual santos became president in early august. indian lawmakers have arrived in kash

the conflict remain frozen until in august two thousand and eight when georgia once again resorted to violence to take control over the republic. when georgia tech's can volatile was a response grandmothers there he was worried about the most serious book by the chief they were sitting in the basement of the phones were really badly when they managed to get through this said the city was attacked people were killed all the storms and ground the houses. grandmother survived the five day war moscow sent forces to repel the georgian attack as many of those under fire were russian citizens so of aliens and peacekeepers later russia recognized the independence of south the city as did several other countries treat it as a. i just want to see that people here are happy that's it. our two fronts involved. it's now are twenty minutes past the hour here in the russian capital you are with r.t. and in just a few moments charlotte will be here with the business news in the meantime though some other global headlines and in sweden a center right ruling coalition has failed so when reelection afte

the conflict remain frozen until in august two thousand and eight when georgia once again resorted to violence to take control over the republic. when georgia tech's can volage was a response grandmothers there he was worried about the most serious football that you were sitting in the basement to go to the phones were really badly when they managed to get through this said the city was attacked or killed by these storms and burned the houses your. grandmother survived the five day war moscow sent forces to repel the georgian attack as many of those under fire were russian citizens serving. peacekeepers led to russia recognize the independence of south a city as did several other countries before which reduces. i just want to see that people here are happy that's it acts on hutch over r t from to involve u.s. forces in afghanistan or at the center of a new scandal in which five soldiers were accused of killing civilians as part of the game this comes as coalition forces battling the taliban are trying to win the support of the local population artie's military atlas of many khrushchev

the conflict remain frozen until in august two thousand and eight when georgia once again resorted to violence to take control over the republic. when georgia tech taken volage was a response grandmothers there he was worried about the most serious but by the time they were sitting in the basement the phones were really badly when they managed to get through this said the city was attacked people were killed this stormed and burned the houses. grandmother survived the five day war moscow sent forces to repel the georgian attack as many of those under fire were russian citizens so of aliens and peacekeepers later russia recognized the independence of south the city as it several other countries. i just want to see that people here are hobby and that's it. r t from to involve. u.s. forces in afghanistan are at the center of a new scandal in which five soldiers were accused of killing civilians as part of a game as comes as coalition forces fighting the taliban are trying to win the support of the local populace artie's military analysts who have many crews job says these kinds of storie

the conflict remain frozen until in august two thousand and eight when georgia once again resorted to violence to take control over the republic. when georgia tech taken volage was a response grandmother's fear he was worried about the most serious but by that you were sitting in the basement all the forms were really badly women and the managed to get through this said the city was attacked or killed by these storms and burned the houses. grandmother survived the five day war moscow sent forces to repel the georgian attack as many of those under fire were russian citizens so of aliens and peacekeepers led to russia recognize the independence of south the city as it several other countries attributed. i just want to see that people here are happy that's it. are two fronts involved. u.s. forces in afghanistan are at the center of a new scandal in which five soldiers were accused of killing civilians as part of a twisted game this comes as coalition forces battling the taliban are trying to win the support of the local population r.t. military analyst you have any krushchev says these k

to conflict remain frozen until in august two thousand and eight when georgia once again resorted to violence to take control over the republic. when georgia tech taken volage was a response grandmothers there he was worried about the most serious but by the two they were sitting in the basement the phones were really badly when they managed to get through this said the city was attacked people were killed this stormed and burned the houses. grandmother survived the five day war moscow sent forces to repel the georgian attack as many of those under fire were russian citizens so of aliens and peacekeepers later russia recognized the independence of south the city as did several other countries. i just want to see that people here are happy and that's it. our two fronts involved. russia won't create an arctic military force irrespective of any territorial disputes that may develop in the energy rich region that's according to the country's envoy to the eight nation arctic council. said that russia does plan to strengthen security there but the primary goal is to ensure safe navigation

we'll go aloft to the news chopper 7 and the geico camera near georgia avenue. that looks like it is doing ok. the inner loop lights, traffic on the right, a little red we see from 95 past georgia avenue. heavier volume, but steady pace. more from news chopper 7, but now to alison starling. >>> now we turn to the latest on hurricane igor. it is starting to move away from bermuda. it is a category 1 storm, and it did pound that island, uproot trees, and knock out power to much of that british territory as well as flood streets. forecasters say it will miss the united states us but will cause rip currents and high surf. >>> coming up in today's "money

and need to spend five years working in georgia's police force and got fired for being a woman. nick is transgender and says he is not accepted for wanting to live in a man's body he claims gays lesbians and transsexuals are considered perverts by most georgians should. they say we should sit in our homes and not show up on the street what am i not a human being or they say get the hell out of georgia is this not my country. the georgian orthodox church is one of the strongest opponents of gays and lesbians in the country. our position should be stored but we must also remember that their sick people society the government and the people must do everything they can to help them heal but nico who is an orthodox christian himself disagrees. if this is an illness where is the cure i feel fine nothing hurts except for my soul because i'm being mistreated which. knickers cars aren't just emotional when he was younger self mutilation seemed the only way of dealing with the everyday stress of not being accepted by anyone except his own daughter. she hugged me and said she knows everyth

the conflict remain frozen until in august two thousand and eight when georgia once again resorted to violence to take control over the republic. when georgia tech can volage was a response grandmothers fear he was worried about the most serious football that you were sitting in the basement all the phones were really badly when they managed to get through this said the city was attacked killed by the storms and burned the houses. grandmother survived the five day war moscow sent forces to repel the georgian attack as many of those under fire were russian citizens so every. peacekeepers led to russia recognize the independence of south the city as did several other countries but we'll see which reduces. i just want to see that people here are happy that's it acts on what you are r.t. from to involve u.s. forces in afghanistan or at the center of a new scandal in which five soldiers were accused of killing civilians as part of a game it comes as coalition forces fighting the taliban are trying to win the support of the local population are his military analysts have any khrushchev says

independence from georgia since nine hundred ninety. three conflicts try to bring the republican back under its control. over reports from the capitol. my grandson is very fussy and he loves all homemade food for this family in south the satyr independence day always starts with hustle and bustle but it's not just a national holiday they celebrate they also have their own independence child. to respond to just us this hospital so little ruslan coming into this world a new republic was born on the twentieth of september nineteen lying to the local palm and declare itself as it independent from georgia at the time the soviet union was falling apart and independence declinations in the region followed one after the other but georgia didn't want to allow it it cut their look tricity difference the breakaway region and sent in troops that are brokers against the ships and his friends day has been hearing loss and gunshots his friends were mom and lost the georgian army surrounded him vall at one point people in the city couldn't even burry t

involved to mark the occupation the republic broke away from georgia in one nine hundred ninety since then it's seen several military conflicts as tbilisi tried to bring it back under control of his autonomy photo of a takes a look back at the struggle for sovereignty. my grandson is very fussy and he loves all homemade food for this family in south the satyr independence day always starts with hustle and bustle but it's not just a national holiday they celebrate they also have their own independence child. to respond to just just this hospital so little ruslan coming into this world a new republic was born on the twentieth of september ninety nine to the local parliament declare itself as it independent from georgia at the time the soviet union was falling apart and independence declarations in the region followed one after the other but georgia didn't want to allow it it cut the electricity difference the breakaway region and sent in troops liberal goes against the ship since his first day has been hearing blasts and gunshots his french tourists were mom and lost the georgian army s

need to spend five years of working in georgia's police force and got fired for being a woman. nigger is transgender and says he is not accepted for wanting to live in a man's body he claims gays lesbians and transsexuals are considered perverts by most georgians should that. they say we should sit in our homes and not show up on the street what am i not a human being or they say get the hell out of georgia is this not my country. the georgian orthodox church is one of the strongest opponents of gays and lesbians in the country. our position should be stored but we must also remember that their sick people in society the government and the people must do everything they can to help them. but nneka who is an orthodox christian himself disagrees. with. if this is an illness where is the cure i feel fine nothing hurts except for my soul because i'm being mistreated which. knickers cars aren't just emotional when he was younger self mutilation seemed the only way of dealing with the everyday stress of not being accepted by anyone except his own daughter. she hugged me and said she

and fighting for acceptance sexual minorities in georgia say their unwelcome in a. stunningly government docs church for christmas only. this is r t where live from moscow welcome to the program see the land and even billboards the u.s. military is screaming for world dominance from all directions the insatiable war machine is fueled by over six hundred billion dollars of taxpayers' money yeah. he's got the chicken reports an advert for destruction may not be as unlikely as it sounds. no where else in the world are multi-million dollar war machines marketed like soft drinks and cell phones while come to the washington d.c. metro. ads for military helicopters alongside those for a gambling spot you would think somebody would notice saw there is such you know a fact of life i just i knew before you mentioned that just stop paying attention to the drones combat ships fighter jets bragging about defining the future. and nobody seems to care except for a very few of these ads are targeted at a handful of people who decide on move to be lindahl a contract but what do regu

here, on the border with russia in georgia, ancient tradition thrive. medieval culture is demoralized in stone. hardin's tourist travel hours to get to here to witness is beauty. -- >> this is better than the alps. >> better? >> yes. >> that tranquillity might be under threat from plans to turn this region into a ski resort. if all goes according to plan, these quiet, forested slopes will soon attract thousands of skiers come winter. it will bring much-needed investment to what is a relatively poor part of georgia. but not everyone is happy. some people say their land is being snatched to make this project happen. >> this woman says the field belongs to her family, but a private investor now wants to build a hotel on it. she says her mother was arrested for demanding a say in how much compensation she received. her mother, a local opposition politician is still awaiting trial. in the main town, there are already building like there is no tomorrow. the georgian president once this multi-million dollar project ready by the end of the year. his man on the

. >>> the bishop of a georgia megachurch has broken his silence speaking to his congregation for the first time since being accused of luring four young men into sexual relationships. eddie long vowed to fight the lawsuits claiming that the church leader, an outspoken opponent of gay marriage, gave the young men gifts and took them on trips. authorities say they won't investigate the allegations because all four men said they were 17 or 18 when the relationships began. georgia's age of consent is 16. >>> today nbc is proud to kick off "education nation" here at 30 rock. a special week of programming. a new nbc news/"wall street journal" shows most people think education needs major changes or a complete overhaul. our michelle franzen is in new york. >> reporter: this week-long series and this two-day summit is aimed at looking at what works in the classroom and what doesn't. it is the start of a national conversation that many say is long overdue. at a town hall kicking off education nation -- >> and good afternoon and welcome to our teacher town hall. >> reporter: teachers from arou

he says he stands by his actions so that's the latest news from fort stewart georgia. three descendants of using. army specialist jeremy sivits was the first soldier to be charged and is expected to plead guilty to taking pictures of the abuse as part of his deal with prosecutors he would testify against the other soldiers sivits faces a maximum of one year in prison. for it some are might be getting sweeter temperatures and. what is terrible is that the men who gave the orders not fully assume the responsibility of the commanding officer. they passed on the entire responsibility of the entire fault to their subordinates. one cannot delegate the command responsibility. response ability i can delegate authority to my second in command my responsibility under no circumstances. i was willing. and i'm still willing to defend my home. to defend my country. but i am not willing and i will never be willing. to conquer. another nation. i think about the real price. that was paid for this war. at home and not only by american and allied troops. but also by the families of the s

we are honored to have the president of georgia. good to have you, mr. president. >>guest: almost feels like home here. >>neil: sir, there are concerns that the president is having mixed messages. do you think he is serious and consistent? >>guest: we are in afghanistan we are the highest per capita contributor to the operation in afghanistan and we have soldiers in the south of afghanistan and they are combat troops, and no talk of pulling out. we have taken some casualties but it is important that our people especially for me, it is very in some ways a positive experience, that the families of the people who have been killed, they take this in a dignified manner. it should be taken like this. we cannot leave afghanistan without solving this because, and we all --. >>neil: you have dealt with russia and they have had problems with afghanistan. and the u.s. is experiencing the sail thing. >>guest: russia was there for the wrong causes not for the same reasons now in my country. they wanted to subview gate -- sub jugate afghanistan. we believe that the country can b

georgia's sexual minorities speak out against the abuse and victimization it's something involving the government and the bill for the church become more open minded. tendin business the international monetary fund this morning the global economy is likely to slow down in the coming months more in twenty minutes. it's twelve noon here in the russian capital this is good to have you with us today the u.s. military is fighting for domination on many fronts even that home winning the hearts and minds of taxpayers is vital to reaping over six hundred billion dollars a year for the defense budget. he's going to church he can reports americans afford and victim to a modern p.r. campaign. nowhere else in the world are multimillion dollar war machines marketed like soft drinks and cell phones while come to washington d.c. metro. ads for military helicopters alongside those for a gambling spawn you would think somebody would notice saw that is such a known fact of life i just i knew before you mention it i just stop paying attention to the drones combat ships fighter jets bragging about definin

need to spend five years working in georgia's police force and got fired for being a woman. nigger is transgender and says he is not accepted for wanting to live in a man's body he claims gays lesbians and transsexuals are considered perverts by most georgians should the. they say we should sit in our homes and not show up on the street what am i not a human being or they say get the hell out of georgia is this not my country. the georgian orthodox church is one of the strongest opponents of gays and lesbians in the country. opposition should be stored but we must also remember that their sick people in society the government and the people must do everything they can to help them heal but nneka who is an orthodox christian himself disagrees. with. if this is an illness where is the cure i feel fine nothing hurts except for my soul because i'm being mistreated which. knickers cars aren't just emotional when he was younger self mutilation seemed the only way of dealing with the everyday stress of not being accepted by anyone except his own daughter and. she hugged me and said

the state of georgia's age of sexual consent is 16 years old. >>> today nbc news is proud to kick off "education nation" here at 30 rock. it is a special week of programming, designed to shed a light on growing concerns over american students and schools. a new nbc news "wall street journal" poll finds well over half of americans believe public grade schools need major changes or a complete overhaul. nbc's michelle franzen is is standing by. good morning to you, michelle. >> reporter: good morning, venk kaw. veronica. what look goods around the country and what doesn't. a start on national education a that many say is long overdue. at a town hall, kicking off "education nation" -- >> and good afternoon and welcome to our teacher town hall. >> reporter: -- teachers from around the country highlighted ways to inspire children in the classroom. >> all students can learn as long as teachers are committed, passionate, and held accountable to standards. >> reporter: many also voiced frustration and searched for ways to improve the nation's education system. >> there shouldn't be a lottery f

therapy corporate headquarters is in atlanta, georgia, and before coming out here, i worked in atlanta, georgia, and every event, a lot of the asian events that i emceed, i would go there, and there he was. this guy has been so active in the community. today i'm back stage getting ready, and in walks ken lee. so please let me introduce to you a good friend of mine and a great person, and a great friend of the asian american community, mr. ken lee. [applause] >> well, thank you very much for that glowing introduction. yes, that's right. born and raised right here in san francisco. i have to tell you a couple of things here. it was not quite what you see here on the stage today back when i grew up here. back when i grew up, we celebrated the first asian police officer. think about that, how far back that goes. we celebrated the first asian bus driver. so think how far back that goes. these are some of the paths that we have crossed, and we have made such gains. today it makes me so proud to see the number of supervisery positions, and elected and appointed officials as well. so celebrate

. >> smith: we end the broadcast tonight at fort stewart, georgia. for some families, that is joyous time. for others, the anxiety continues. here's national correspondent dean reynolds. >> reporter: they are coming home now, home to from the battlefields of iraq. welcomed with celebrations fit for warriors. >> it's amazing. i've been there for almost a year and it's amazing to see my family again. >> reporter: yet it's often been combat zone. here at fort stewart, georgia, and other installations they are drilled on what to expect at here at fort stewart, georgia, and other installations they are drilled on what to expect at home. >> you've got kids that you have to reestablish a connection to. >> reporter: sergeant major john hellring and his wife sonia, a sergeant, returned wednesday night from tikrit. does it feel like the war's over? >> no, not at all. it doesn't feel like that because we love our soldiers back there. >> reporter: she's talking about the american forces still in iraq, there to advise and assist. and judging from the recent spate

this past sunday a man's car burst into flames in northwest georgia. dan gloth would have died if not for some dedicated police officers. we're going to speak exclusively with dan and two heroes who saved him this morning. first, jeff glor with more on the story of that rescue. jeff? >> erica, those police officers are being called heroes this morning. when you see the video, you will see why. the dash cam video says 5:11 a.m. moments before sheriff's deputy chad phillips arrived at the scene of a horrifying accident. >> when i first arrived the flames were probably six, seven foot high. >> reporter: 56-year-old dan gloth was trapped inside his burning car. worried he'd never see his daughters again. his car filled with black smoke, making it impossible to see or breathe. he couldn't kick out the windows. what gloth didn't know was that deputy phillips, two other officers and a passerby were

rock got sued for a fight back in 2007 at a georgia waffle house. rock already served a year of probation and took anger management courses for the incident. >>> it's going to be all smiles this weekend. that's for sure. >> yeah, pretty good and especially for tomorrow. tomorrow is about as good as it gets around here with temperatures only in the lower 80s and loads of sunshine out there. let's look at tonight because i think it's going to be continued very nice and getting chilly. i hope you don't have the air conditioner on. i hope you have it turned off and hopefully the windows opened because it's a great night for that. you may find yourself getting up in the middle of the night closing some of those windows. temperatures here in the city are still holding up at 69 degrees, but look out into the suburbs. gaithersburg already down to 59. so is frederick. dulles is sitting at 65 degrees, martinsburg 60 degrees and real nice for just about everybody else coming in, lower to mid, a couple of upper 60s still out there. reagan national today 82 for

mark strassmann was there. >> glory, glory, glory, glory, glory hallelujah. >> reporter: for these georgia faithful, sunday services hit close to their spiritual home, allegations of sinful sexual conduct against their own pastor, bishop eddie long. >> i'm under attack. >> attacked by four young men from his ministry. long adopted them in their teens as his spiritual sons, but they say long also seduced them with cars, jewelry and scripture for sex. they were all past the legal age of consent be are suing for emotional distress and fraud. >> he took them on trips around the country and around the world, and he engaged in sexual acts in places, those places, as well as property owned by the church. >> reporter: long, a former car salesman, built new birth missionary baptist church into one of america's most powerful mega churches with 25,000 members. long lives large. this mansion is part of his gospel of prosperity, and he flaunts it, along with his gym physique, but today he was more physique, but today he was more humbly defiant. >> i have never in my life portrayed myself as a perfect m

in the capital beltway near georgia avenue. volume on the outer loop to the right side of the screen is starting to build around university past this point at georgia. plus five minutes already for that. moving the shot over to river road and goldsboro situation. a different situation. nice and light here in to the district trying to access wisconsin avenue. and maryland, 119 and muddy branch, similar conditions our here. nice and quiet and lanes are wide open. it is 6:09. hope you are off to a great wednesday. 9 news now will be right back. >>> a new justice department report says more than 20 fbi agents cheated on a test about investigating domestic terrorism. that group includes soming as here in washington. gary reports the numbers could you go even higher. when fbi agents raided the home of a suspected spy in chevy chase last october, they were expected to know the rules in the agency's 2008 domestic investigations and operations guide. agents at the washington feel office are among the 22 that justice department says chea

georgia cited -- this is not georgia. this is georgia. cited a man, we told you yesterday, for growing vegetables. growing vegetables on his own property and giving them away. california begins imposing strict efficiency standards on big screen tvs. you have can't get one like this or smaller in california because it's too big. it's using too much energy. jeans, baggy pants. banned. georgia town. san francisco, they want to ban happy meals. at mcdonald's. because, well, you, you're marketing to kids. they want the toy! by the way, there is a recommendation out now by the institute of medicine that there should be no fast food zoning. just like no gun zones. no fast food zones around schools. they'll push them out farther and farther. out of the food deserts. the s.e.c. has begun to regulate bloggers. why would you do that? it's not freedom of speech. regulate them a little bit. department of labor cracked down on paid internships. saying they aretantment to exploitation. so they won't get experience. group of michigan -- in michigan, grou

jackson lee: let me thank the distinguished gentleman from georgia and let me thank him very much for his very important statement on this important resolution and as well i'd like to thank the chairman of our full committee, mr. berman, and the ranking member of our full committee, ms. ros-lehtinen, and the manager of this legislation for the minority for the words that i believe are enormously important. let me indicate to my colleagues that this may be the most important -- one of the most important and devastating humanitarian crisis that we have faced over the time frame that we have been in congress. and let me say this. we have gone through hurricane katrina and rita. as i stand here today, there are a number of hurricanes that are in the gulf region.