tonight a conversation with a true legend over the civil rights era, diane nash. she was on the student nonviolent coordinating committee better known as sncc. she takes part in a documentary about the freedom riders. it airs next month on pbs. a conversation with diane nash coming up right now. >> all i know is his name is james, and he needs extra help with his reading. >> i am james. >> yes. >> to everyone making a difference -- >> thank you. >> you help us all live better. >> nationwide insurance supports tavis smiley. with every question and every answer. nationwide insurance is proud to join tavis in working to improve financial literacy and remove obstacles to economic empowerment one conversation at a time. nationwide is on your side. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [captioning made possible by kcet public television] tavis: an honor to welcome diane nash to this program. in the early 1960's she became a key figure in the civil rights movement as a student at fisk university. she led an toast desegregate bus st

diane? >> all right, john, thank you. it is an incredible story. >>> and, now, we move to gasoline prices, and a big surprise from the white house today. the president decided to use some 30 million barrels of oil from the u.s. emergency supply, the strategic reserve. as soon as he did, oil prices tumbled, $4 a barrel today. so, why did he do it now, and what does it mean for gasoline prices? abc's bianna golodryga, who has worked on wall street and reports on dollars and cents, is here. so, why now? does he know something we don't know? >> reporter: well, diane, the key here is he didn't go at this alone. it is a coordinated effort, to tap into 60 million barrels of oil. 30 million from the u.s., 30 million from 27 other countries and this is a big deal, because this is only the third time we've seen this happen. now, one reason we're doing this? supply discorruptions in libya. we do know that. but the bigger issue is, there is growing concern the economy is continuing to slow because of high oil prices. if you need more

diane? >> i just want to add in defense of myself, i guess, a little bit, i'm not saying there is anything great about this economy. i do think it's important to point out the cash and balance sheets are at record highs, and the cash is very strong, and that money could be redeployed with more center going forward. we haven't really seen corporations putting their money where their mouth is. they've been hoarding that cash and they don't need to borrow to be moving forward. that's nothing like the 1930s, and that's one of the distinctive characteristics between japan as well in the 1990s. subpar it's painful, and we should not accept robust growth. i do not have a robust growth outlook. >> you brought up japan in the 1990s. i didn't want to go there. rowland martin is the cnn contributor. very different story. according to a cnn research opinion poll, 54% of americans approve how president obama is handling his total job as president. it's not his job americans seem to have a problem with, i

diane? >> no. in the banking industry, first of all, we lost the shadow banking industry which was the major provider of credit to consumers. that's gone. secondly, the new regulations are causing banks to raise their capital ratio and tighten up. the regulations have forced them to tighten up on a lot of their credit because they were too easy. it's complicated and easy to use this argument. i think the situation is much more complicated than that. the fed printed a lot of money. . it landed in the trees, out of our reach. we need to shake the tree. >> here's a potential solution, will. if america's top problem is the economy, why not turn to a successful businessman to run the country? that's the argument of a couple of contenders for the republican presidential nomination. mitt romney, the former ceo of bane & company. there's also herman cain on the left, doesn't get as much attention. he's a tea party favorite. used to head up godfather's pizza. will, do you think this is good? is that the dir

george. >> thanks, diane. right here in new york a bizarre political scene late this afternoon. democratic congressman anthony weiner after days of hedged denials and combative interviews, called a press conference to reverse course. admitting to a long list of lives. apologizing to a long list of people. the congressman refused to resign. "20/20" anchor chris cuomo has the exclusive interview that set this all in motion today. >> reporter: after a week of denial, today, a tearful anthony weiner said he would not resign but admitted he had lied and had, in fact, sent out inappropriate online pictures of himself to six women. wooen e went so far as to admit the name of one of the women. >> was megan broussard one of the women? >> megan broussard was one of the women. >> reporter: 26-year-old megan broussard of texas says she first became acquainted with weiner after seeing this video online and commenting on his facebook page was hot. what does that mean? >> i like to see someone who is passionate about something. >> reporter: broussard says weiner immediately responded to her fa

two points here, diane. first of all, there's a new poll out tonight by marist, they are saying that 51% of registered voters in new york say that weiner should not resign. only 30% said he should. as far as weiner's wife, we are told she's leaving tonight for a trip on the secretary of state to africa but she's told, sou e sources close to her told claire shipman she's committed to the marriage. >> so, she's staying. for now. thank you, jon karl. >>> we want to tell you about a big wakeup call for the white house tonight, in our new abc news poll. one republic rival, former massachusetts governor mitt romney, has pulled ahead of the president, 49% to 46%, for the very first time in our polling. in this struggling economy, the president's surge in popularity after bin laden's death has melted away. and here's jake tapper. >> reporter: more than 24 million americans unemployed or underemployed. housing prices slumping to levels not seen in almost a decade. a skyrocketing deficit. and pain at the pump. accordi

talking exclusively with diane sawyer. defense secretary robert gates on his final trip to after began stan in this role said today the main purpose of this visit is to personally thank the troops. and as he stood before them today, noting their sacrifice, he was choked up. >> i just want to come out here to thank you for the last time, for your service and for your sacrifice. more than anybody except the president, i'm responsible for you being here. >> reporter: while traveling exclusively with the defense secretary, diane has talked with troops from all over this country now in afghanistan. the defense secretary telling her, the toll on these troops, their families back home, has made him increasingly cautious over time. >> reporter: too cautious? >> yeah. >> reporter: how do you experience it when you're home at night? >> well, that's when i do the condolence letters. >> reporter: it's just too much. >> yeah. it's time. >> reporter: tomorrow night on "world news," more of her interview with gates, and three main questi

diane? >> all right, martha. i know you'll be standing by tomorrow night as will george stephanopoulos and i to be covering the president's announcement. it will be right here on abc at 8:00 p.m. eastern time. >>> and now, the new man in town who wants to be president, the brand new republican candidate, john huntsman, former utah governor, and, until recently, president obama's ambassador to china. our senior political correspondent jon karl got the first exclusive interview on the campaign trail. >> reporter: it's no accident that the republican perhaps most feared by the white house chose a familiar backdrop. >> i'm john huntsman and i'm running for president of the united states. >> reporter: ronald reagan was here more than 30 years ago. >> the carter record is a litany of despair, broken spromss, sacred trusts abandoned and forgotten. >> reporter: but unlike reagan, huntsman didn't offer even a morsel of republican red meat. >> we will conduct this campaign on the high road. i don't think you need to run do

george. >> thanks, diane. right here in new york a bizarre political scene late this afternoon. democratic congressman anthony weiner, after days of hedged denials and combative interviews about his internet photo scandal, called a press conference to reverse course. admitting to a long list of lies. apologizing to a long list of people. but the congressman refused to resign. "20/20" anchor chris cuomo has the exclusive interview that set this all in motion today. >> reporter: after a week of denial, today, a tearful anthony weiner said he will not resign but admitted he had lied and had, in fact, sent out inappropriate pictures and had inappropriate online communications with as many as six women. >> i have made terrible mistakes that have hurt the people i care about the most and i'm deeply sorry -- >> reporter: and weiner went so far as to admit the name of one of the women. was megan broussard one of the women? >> megan broussard was one of the women. >> he said, i'm an open book, maybe too open. >> reporter: 26-year-old megan broussard of texas says she first became acquain

good evening, i am diane dwyer. thanks for joining us for the 4:00 edition of nbc bay area news. >> two fallen heroes were remembered today. >> it was an emotional ceremony where thousands of people filled the church. >> we have a live look from the helicopter above the procession which should be leaving -- we don't have that now. there is a procession leaving the cathedral headed to holy cross cemetery in colma. >> officers are here while scores attended the services. we want to begin with tracy grant. >> reporter: diane, this fire station is one of several staffed all day long with firefighters from out of town. now, these firefighters showed up at 6:00 this morning, and they say that they are prepared to stay here as long as the san francisco fire department needs them. they may not be that familiar with san francisco neighborhoods and winding streets, but these firefighters say no matter where they are, the job remains the same. >> you're most familiar with your home area, but logistically, we provide enough map

diane sawyer with the defense secretary in afghanistan. and diane will be anchoring this broadcast, "world news," from afghanistan tomorrow night right here. >>> we turn now to the tense pictures from the israeli border with syria today. israeli troops killing at least 20 pro-palestinian demonstrators who tried to march into israel with their own message. alex marquardt is in israel tonight. alex? >> reporter: good evening, david. the pictures we've been monitoring all day are dramatic. protesters, mostly palestinian refugees, trying to cross in syria into land occupied by israel with bloody results. they marched by the hundreds, despite repeated warnings from israeli soldiers who responded with tear gas and live ammunition. the dead and wounded were carried back. but the protest continued. they're calling for the right to return to land now in israel. israel says today's demonstration was an attempt by syria's president to divert attention from the bloody crackdown and chaos in his own country. still the palestinian protesters say they've

diane? >> okay, jake, thank you. stand by for a moment, because we want to take up a different topic, our ongoing reports, we call "washington watchdog." tracking the use of taxpayers dollars. and to remind everyone, jake was told that national security reasons prevented taxpayers from knowing how much was spent on the congressional perks of two gyms with a swimming pool. so, what happened when you pressed again for the information today, jake? >> reporter: well, abc news was told by the house appropriations committee they would have answers for our questions about how much this taxpayer subsidized perk, the congressional gyms, cost, how much taxpayers are on the hook for. but what they gave us was thin gruel. as we discovered, the house and senate gymnasiums are kept secret. the public and the press are not allowed inside to even see what they look like. okay, thank you. only for members. today, we were told the true costs of the gyms are hidden, buried in various budgets. staffers who work at the house gym and main

diane? >> all right, thanks, rob. >>> coming up next at 5:00, scientists in germany say they have narrowed the source of that deadly e. coli outbreak. but what is strange is the vegetable they're now blaming isn't one most people reported eating. >>> plus we'll show you what had thousands of people jumping off the deck of a ferry boat near alcatraz. it was all for fun. >>> and the story of a teenaged al pe whole were banned from n headlines. we'll show you the turn of events this weekend. >>> despite vows from israel to prevent a repeat of last month's deadly protest, israeli troops today opened fire on a crowd of demonstrators. at least 20 people were reportedly killed, and dozens more wounded. the pro palestinian demonstrators were trying to cross the boarder from syria into the israeli occupied golan heights. it's part of the demonstration's protesting the 1967 war in which israel won control of the west bank, east jerusalem, the golan heights, the gaza strip, and the sinai peninsula. isr

diane. >> big events in iowa. thank you, john karl. >>> still ahead on "world news" -- want to be a one-person engine creating jobs here at home? our made in america team shows you how. >>> and why some breast cancer patients are not getting all the care they should. and the lesson it teaches all of us before the next doctor's visit. >>> and can a seafood slushy save the penguin so far from home? ♪ [ male announcer ] every day, thousands of people are choosing advil. here's one story. i'm keith baraka and i'm a fire fighter. it's an honor to be a fire fighter. my job involves life or death situations and it's very physically demanding. if i'm sore, i have a headache, i'm not at my best. i've tried store brands. advil just works for me. advil is my go to. it's my number one pain reliever. [ male announcer ] make the switch. take action. take advil. that's how it is with alzheimer's disease. she needs help from me. and her medication. the exelon patch -- it releases medication continuously for twenty-four hours. s

diane? >> thanks, barbara. very watchful town through this night. >>> and, now, a big and worrying surprise about americans and life expectancy, after decades of rising, a decline in large parts of the country. and women faring the worst. why is it happening in the country that spends more on health care than any other? claire shipman set out to get some answers today. >> reporter: women are usually thought to be savvier than men are, so, the new study raising eyebrows and questions. >> real surprise to us in the study that women are faring so much worse than men. >> reporter: in a quarter of the counties in the united states, female life expectancy is dropping. women still live longer on average than men do, 80 years compared to 75, but men are increasing their life expectancy at double the rate. what's going on? >> women are now smoking more. the obesity epidemic in women is greater than in men. progress in tackling blood pressure is much worse in women. >> reporter: at this medical center in cleveland, dr. j

thanks to diane sawyer. thank you for watching abc news. hope you check in for

thanks to diane sawyer. thank you for watching abc news. hope you check in for "good morning america." they'll have more of that

diane sawyer is traveling with the defense secretary in the region. he told her no question the drone strikes have played a quote significant role in the war on terror. more on that in a moment. >>> first the drone strike itself and what we know tonight from mike boettcher in the region. >> reporter: if true, the killing of ilyas kashmiri will be a major blow to the post bin laden al qaeda network. news of his death quickly spread through a rally in pakistan called to protest american drone attacks. kashmiri, a contender to take over the leaderless al qaeda was one of the world's most wanted men. the u.s. placed a $5 million bounty on his head. >> this is one of the most important hits we could have succeeded in doing. >> reporter: a missile fired killed kashmiri in the region of south waziristan. last month's deadly attack against a pakistani naval base near karachi put him near the top of that country's most wanted list. india wanted him dead too. he was a planner of the vicious 2008 coordinated terrorist attack in mumbai that killed 163. and just w

>> reporter: diane, we can't stay here very long. this is exactly why those alert sirens went off earlier today. this is one of the first breaches of the levee here. take a look, you can see the level of the water there just right at the tippy top. it is getting higher all the time, rushing over, straight into neighborhoods like this one, which have now been totally evacuated. [ sirens ] in minot today, the warning sirens came sooner than anyone expected, and with an unmistakable message. time is up, pack your things and get out now. >> i think we pushed our limit. i think we need to be out. >> reporter: right now? >> yeah. pretty much. we're packed up. >> reporter: the urgency bordered on panic for some. desperate to save whatever they could from homes they were told would never flood. >> really big hurry. trying to save what's left of the home. >> reporter: much of minot rests in low ground, the bottom of what is essentially a bowl. the water topping the river banks is gushing down from canada, as the result of heavy rains and a ma

diane? >> and that ball was really traveling fast. david, thank you. >>> and now, after 16 years as a most wanted fugitive, james "whitey" bulger was back in boston today. where his murderous gang once ruled the streets. his girlfriend was flown back, too. and the fbi says that $800,000 in cash was stashed in the walls of his santa monica apartment. his guns were inside hollowed out books. you thought that only happened in the movies. in boston, families of some of his victims watched at the courthouse. >>> and, as we were coming on the air last night, details were just breaking of what authorities called a foiled terror plot on u.s. soil, aimed at america's military men and women in seattle. well, today, we learned more about the suspects, born and raised in america. and, a wife, who is talking from behind her veil. abc's chief investigative correspondent brian ross is back with more tonight. >> reporter: the fbi had all the clues it needed about the intentions of the alleged ringleader right on his own youtube videos. >> we must est

diane? >> pierre, thank you for the reporting. >>> and it was a day of backlash, anger and confusion about social security. one of the most powerful groups in the country, the aarp, made headlines with word that they are actually debating a seismic shift, accepting the idea of some cuts in social security. here's ron claiborne on the backlash and the questions. >> reporter: aarp has been fighting hard against any move by congress to trim social security benefits. >> some in congress want to cut medicare and social security, cutting your benefits so washington can pay its bills. >> reporter: but the powerful lobbying group for older americans is now quietly accepting that some cuts are inevitable to save social security from going broke. >> aarp understands there are going to have to be some changes. >> reporter: at what was described as a heated meeting of aarp's policy council, the panel reportedly acknowledged it would have to accept that the retirement age, now 66, will have to be pushed

diane sawyer is there with the men advising the president. >>> good evening. i'm terry moran. i don't know what i was thinking. that's what democratic congressman weiner said today in a news conference in which he admitted tweeting an inappropriate photo to a woman over the internet. it was a breathtaking about-face from what weiner said last night here on "nightline." here's what he told abc's jonathan karl then. >> this is a twitter hoax. a prank that was done. i'm the victim of it. this poor girl is the victim. >> that didn't work so well. here is "20/20" anchor chris cuomo with the exclusive interview that set this all in motion today. >> i had made terrible mistakes that have hurt the people i care about the most and i'm deeply sorry. i've exchanged messages and photos of an explicit nature with about six women over the last three years. >> it was the last thing anthony weiner was expected to say a week into allegations of a congressman's online sexual exploits. but there he was, taking full responsible for something he had, until now, claimed was the result of computer h

and diane, i brought you some of mine and chef samuelson's chili. to sample there. >> you are a fine american. and thank you, on behalf of the nation. okay, we will. and this is the chili, and this is -- >> reporter: this is the ham shortcake. i tasted it earlier. it reminded me of chipped beef, which was popular in school when i was a kid. eggs and ham and -- it's a matter of personal preference. >> here's to history. >> reporter: but i like it. >> and the presidential recipes are going to be online. >>> still ahead, our "persons of the week." thank, ron, i appreciate it. finally, there's a choice for my patients with an irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation, or afib, that's not caused by a heart valve problem. today we have pradaxa to reduce the risk of a stroke caused by a clot. in a clinical trial, pradaxa 150 mg reduced stroke risk 35% more than warfarin. and with pradaxa, there's no need for those regular blood tests. pradaxa is progress. pradaxa can cause serious, sometimes fatal, bleeding. don't take pradaxa if you have abnormal ble

. >>> good evening, i'm diane dwyer. the problem for united airlines and the lines at sfo will likely continue through the entire weekend. flight delays from that massive computer shutdown stranded thousands of passengers throughout the world and delayed or cancelled more than 150 flights. now, united is trying to get all those folks where they need to go. monty francis is at sfo with an update tonight. monty? >> diane, i just counted more than a dozen departing flights that are delayed here tonight at sfo, and two that are cancelled. the situation is improving here, but travelers, some passengers are still trying to figure out their travel plans. the computers are back up and running, now the system is just trying to catch up from the mess that started last night, from the computers that control flight departures. thousands of passengers were stranded at sfo. the airport duty manager said there were a large number of people who slept here in the terminal last night. and passengers we talked to say they continue to be fr

>> reporter: diane, celebrations were in full swing throughout the area when shots rang out. the shooting happened behind me along market street. three innocent people were injured. and it was all caught on camera. hearing gunshots, diane harrigan started filming this video. >> i was going to take photographs of the pride event going on. and i heard this pop, pop, pop. i thought it was fireworks. and i realized it was gunshots because there was a rush of people that came towards me. >> reporter: you can see a man lying on market street in san francisco, with strangers holding his bloody leg. >> there were two people right away at the man's side to help him. >> reporter: he's just one of three innocent people caught in the cross fire. >> two were involved in like a gun fight. >> reporter: police say in total, five people were injured in the shooting near seventh and market streets. it all happened in broad daylight, blocks from the pride festivities at civic center plaza. >> it's gang-related. we have one in custody. it's an ongoing investigation. >> reporter: while authoritie

our own diane sawyer just had it on a supersecret u.s. military plane. very cool. >> wonder what they served for food onboard. >> probably better than what we get. i would imagine. >> it's to respond to a catastrophic attack. diane takes us onboard. >> reporter: eit feels like we'e inside a monsoon in singapore, as we run to meet defense secretary robert gates and get our first look inside night watch, the doomsday plane. think of it as an airborne ark. if a nuclear bomb hits the united states, the most powerful survivors will board this plane. the plane will take to the air so they can consider retaliation, assess the damage. the plane is on permanent high alert, the flight team sleeping nearby, ready to scramble in five minutes. so, everybody is standing by, ready to fly. >> all the time. constantly, there's at least one alert airplane waiting to get airborne. >> reporter: it has shields all alongside the walls. they are thermal radiation shields and electromagnetic pulse shields. in the event of a nuclear attack, this plane is defended. this plane can

. >> reporter: hello, diane. hundreds more of these flyers went up today. they were posted and handed out. now police have reclassified the case as a homicide. but michelle le's family says until they get conclusive evidence, this search isn't over. >> until we're getting any signs that she is not out there, we still will believe that she is out there. >> and in your gut, that's what you believe? >> yes. yes. absolutely. she is a fighter. and we're fighting just as hard for her. >> reporter: michelle le's family and friends gathered in hayward sunday for what they're calling a much more organized effort to distribute flyers with information on the missing nursing student. >> we're looking at, you know, grocery stores, convenience stores, gas stations, fast food places. >> reporter: le was last seen may 27th leaving kaiser hospital. she was doing a clinical rotation that was part of her

i'm diane dwyer. in less than an hour, johannes mehserle could walk out of the los angeles county jail a free man. he is the former bart officer viced of shooting and killing a man on a bart platform two years ago. it's expected jail officials will release him some time between midnight and very early tomorrow morning. tonight in oakland, hundreds of people protested. nbc bay area's monte francis is in downtown oakland with that story for us. monte? >> reporter: diane, good evening. business owners had feared that there would be violence and looting tonight, so they boarded up their windows, just in case. while the protest here tonight was loud and boisterous, much to everyone's relief, it was peaceful. >> the people united will never be defeated! >> reporter: at least 200 protesters marched from the fruitvale bart station to downtown oakland where they blocked the intersection of broadway and 14th. once there, speakers criticized police and held signs that referred to racist and killer cops. >> execu

i'm diane dwyer. police tonight in east palo alto are investigating a killing that they say strikes at the heart of the community. that's because the victim is a 3-month-old boy. investigators called in help from neighboring police departments and vowed to track down the killers. nbc bay area's kimberly tere is here with more on what happened and the search for the gunmen. kimberly? >> reporter: diane, east palo alto has come a long way in curbing violence. this is the second homicide of the year. at this time last year they had four. but it is a heinous crime, as you mentioned. police say they have promising leads at this hour, and that's because they called in extra resources to canvas a neighborhood with a the shooting happened. they say they are putting everything into looking for those responsible for this act. east palo alto police say the early morning shooting that killed a 3-month-old baby was no accident. >> why they were targeted is the part that we have to find out. >> reporter: just befor

i'm diane dwyer. we begin tonight in san francisco where a second firefighter is dead as a result of that house fire in the diamond heights neighborhood. tonight, the men and women of fire station 26, along with the entire department, are in mourning over the loss of two of their own. nbc bay area's monte francis has that story for us. monte? >> diane, this is a huge loss for everyone here at fire station number 26. firefighter tony vallerio died shortly before 8:00 this morning. tonight, police have been coming by to drop off flowers and cards and to express their condolences. >> present. >> reporter: members of fire engine company 26 stood at attention as the body of 53-year-old tony vallerio was taken out of san francisco general hospital, draped with an american flag. a short time later, tony's sister said she would always remember her brother's unmistakable sense of humor. >> he was full of life. he traveled. he was a great-uncle to my kids. he was -- as i always say, my best brother ever. >> san

. >> reporter: well, diane, there's no question at all this is a huge victory, and not just for walmart but for corporate america as a whole. and it will have a tremendous impact on women coming together to fight discrimination in the workplace. for the women of walmart, who charge they've been denied equal pay and promotions because of their gender, it has been a decade of struggle against the world's largest company. >> this ten-year battle so far has definitely been worth the journey. but we are definitely marching forward. >> reporter: but the supreme court just made it a lot harder. justice antonin scalia wrote the crucial opinion for the court, which ruled that the women of walmart had failed to show that the company has an actual policy of discrimination that worked to harm all female employees. "to sue about literally millions of employment decisions at once plaintiffs need some glue holding the alleged reasons for all those decisions together," scalia said from the bench. all three women on the court dissented, along with justice stephen breyer. and justice ruth bader ginsberg

diane? >> all right, jake tapper, thank you from the white house tonight. >>> we want to bring you up to date now, almost three months after the devastating earthquake in japan and the japanese nuclear power disaster, the japanese government was finally called to account today by u.n. inspectors, as the japanese people were asked to change their daily lives. and david wright has that story. >> reporter: today in tokyo, a government-sponsored fashion show. official encouragement for workers to adopt a breezier look this summer. super cool biz may be a fashion risk, but it's a patriotic duty, in a country where air conditioners can no longer run full blast. "we have a power shortage this year," said the environment minister, in an open-collared shirt. so, the government is calling for a 15% cut in electrical usage. office buildings are being told to set their thermostats to 82 degrees. mcdonald's is allowing executives to work from home. in many buildings, escalators and elevators are shut dow

[applause] and after the moscony years, it was diane feinstein. and her husband, richard blum, is here. they actually got married in the chambers upstairs. [applause] now, in just a minute, the president of the board of supervisors is going to say the words that will allow you, the public, to know what the vote was in his chambers earlier in the afternoon. but mr. lee, there have been several people from across the bay, from sacramento and other places, who are here to extend their warm welcome. standing next to you is mayor newsom's chief of protocol, my chief of protocol, diane's chief of protocol, everybody's chief of protocol, who's ever had a chief of protocol in san francisco, charlotte schultz. and i hope she sticks around as your chief of protocol. [applause] one of your state senators, and we have two of those, only one is present at the moment. the other one is up working on the budget. but senator leland yee is here to welcome you. [applause] and a man who went to bed on saturday night, a cop with a badge and who woke up on sunday morni

. >>> good evening, i'm diane dwyer. we begin tonight in san jose, where one person is dead and six are hurt. after a car accident at a nursing home. it happened just before 10:00 this morning. a 90-year-old woman who was visiting a relative at the nursing home accidentally crashed her car into an exercise room. she was apparently arriving at the amber wood gardens nursing home a few blocks from the westgate mall, when police say she likely hit the gas pedal instead of the brakes while she was parking. >> i turned around, and i see her car halfway through our activity room. and you see wheelchairs being pushed by the car and just -- i don't know, it was scary. >> authorities have not yet released the name of the person who died. they did say the victim is an 89-year-old female. the caregiver was treated and released, and the fire department told staffers that two of the other injuries are serious. >> i'm praying for luck. when you get older and you get a trauma, you never know. but i'm certainly praying for that. >> the

he traveled with diane sawyer and visited a troop baseboard pakistan. more the plans expected to pull out to begin this summer. >> with the war in afghanistan in the tend year, robert gates it's combat troops that should come home last. >> if it were up to meet i would leave the shooters for last. >> as he told diane sawyer, the central mission is combat and trigger pullers should be the last ones coming back. >>> from the thousands of troops in afghanistan and pakistan, had his final trip to the region, gates says it isn't nation building but the combat mission that could take top priority. >> i would look for support people that we no longer need. we have a lot of construction. i would maximize my combat capability as long as this process goes on. >> general david petraeus will offer a range of options on a withdrawal that begins in july and goes on over 18-24 months. >> i have confidence that we'll strike the right balance. it's really not so much about where you start but what is the next year and a half will look like. >> they expect to announce th

. >> i'm diane dwyer. >>> thousands gathered to honor two firefighters who died doing what they loved to do. >> the funeral was held at st. mary's cathedral this afternoon. afterwards the caskets were loaded onto fire trucks that led a procession to holy cross cemetery where the two firefighters were buried. kimberly terry has a look at today's ceremony. >> reporter: the funeral lasted more than two hours as thousands came to pay their respects to the two men who made the ultimate staacrifice for the jo they loved. ♪ >> the strongest feeling i had after hearing what happened, and i couldn't shake it, was that i wanted to be in that house with my brother. and i say that with all apologies to my four daughters. >> an emotional outpouring of love and respect today for two fallen san francisco firefighters. thousands of people, mostly firefighters from across the country and even some from canada and mexico, packed st. mary's cathedral for the double funeral. the flag-draped caskets arrived on fire trucks assigned to their engine company, 26. lieutenant vincent perez and anthony valerio

diane eastabrook looks at how the housing slump is rippling through the chicago area. >> reporter: for sale in upscale hinsdale, illinois, is this newly-built nantucket-style house. price tag: $1.6 million. >> in here is the kitchen. this is a white inset painted cabinet. >> reporter: steve subkoyack built the 3,600-square-foot home on spec, and he says it took roughly 175 people to do it. >> that goes from your architect, your engineer, demo, all the way through framers, electricians, plumbers, dry wall, all the way through final cleaning, window washers, everybody. >> reporter: the jobs created by the construction of this one home clearly illustrate why the stagnant housing industry is weighing so heavily on the rest of the u.s. economy. experts estimate one construction job can generate at least two more in other areas like landscaping and painting. and when construction tanks, it can take those other jobs with it. perhaps no company understands that better than mcilwee millwork. the nearly 50-year-old family- owned company makes frames for doors and windows. in 2006 before the hous

christiane. >> thanks, diane. you can see more of diane sawyer's report from afghanistan on "world news" this evening and monday and all of the time on abcnews.com. and coming up, the collapse of control in yemen could be bad news for the u.s. fight against al qaeda. another worry for the u.s. is syria which has killed hundreds in a brutal crackdown and is now targeting children. will the u.s. push for regime change there? more on that when we return. >> announcer: "this week" with christiane amanpour from the newseum in washington, d.c. will continue in a moment after this from our abc stations. washington, d.c. will continue in a moment after this from our abc stations. f@f@f@f@f@ >>> the united states is caught in a bind over syria and whether to call for a regime change there. for more than four decades, the assad family ruled syria with ruthless determination. but the uprising sweeping through the region is threatening to topple the regime. and fighting hard. using tanks and guns against protester, including

i'm diane dwyer. we begin tonight with new information about the amtrak crash near reno, this weekend. we're learning more about the safety history of the trucking company involved in that crash and what investigators are using now to determine the cause of the crash. so far, six people are confirmed dead, and officials are still trying to track down 28 other people who may have been on that train and may be unaccounted for. one of the dead is the driver of the truck. we're told he worked for john davies trucking of nevada, a company with at least two citations in the last two yo years. one truck was involved in an accident last year and one was taken off the road because of bald tires. investigators say it could be a year before they know why the tractor trailer skidded the length of a football field before smashing through crossing gates and into the zephyr train. >> our mission is not just to figure out what happened but why it happened and to recommend changes to prevent it from ever happening aga

a reminder, diane sawyer is on the ground in afghanistan. she'll be reporting on "good morning america" and tonight on "world news." >>> tensions high this morning on the border of syria and the golan heights. thousands of people marched yesterday and drew fire from troops. at least 20 people were killed. the protest marked an anniversary. >>> high winds and lightning are fuelling a wildfire in arizona. cruise are making very little headway. the third largest fire in state history. >> reporter: fires have burned through nearly 400 square miles. more thanthe 2,000 people have been forced to flee their homes. >> it was frightening. unbelievable. the expansion of the smoke. >> reporter: there are two large fires burning. the smoke has spread to new mexico and colorado. prompting warnings for people with respiratory problems to stay indoors. the fires continue to spread. hundreds of people in the potential path have been told to get ready to leave. >> it's scary. i see black smoke and i panic. >> our thanks to dave muir. we'll have a live update

host: diane swonk joins us from chicago. she is a graduate of the university of michigan, and also the university of chicago. she worked at first chicago and is also the author of all, the passionate economist -- "the passionate economist." she is now at the mesirow financial firm in chicago. hiring joins us from a play that, maryland. -- irene joins us from la plata, maryland. caller: let me remind the young lady that of the eight years that george bush was in office, he did not create s many jobs as president obama created in two years -- he did not create as many jobs as president obama created in two years. let's address that, as well with with someonetation with such a far the deal -- far right to view. host: we invite a broad range. we appreciate that. we will give the guest had a chance to respond. guest: i've never been accused of having a far right point of view. however. i do not like to get into the political side of things. i have been an adviser to several administrations, regardless of their political stripes.