. . . . . learned that in mansion in pakistan near the capital, islamabad. video finally revealed the tall, slim, gray-haired terrorist was there. navy s.e.a.l.s heloed in.

the white house followed the action in realtime. >> the minutes passed like days and the president was very concerned about the security of our personnel. no s.e.a.l.s were hurt. they blew up their bad chopper and left with the body. aboard a u.s. warship, dna samples, photos, a positive id. the navy says the al qaeda founder got a proper muslim burial at sea, and president obama addressed the nation. >> the death of bin laden marks the most significant to date in the effort to defeat al qaeda. >> reporter: people came to the white house and to ground zero in new york. a victory celebration at ohio state university, even harsh obama critics offered praise. >> president obama and his national security team acted on the intelligence when it came in, and they deserve a lot of credit. >> reporter: but as the nation celebrates.

>> justice was served. >> reporter: this is shanksville, pennsylvania. law enforcement is on extra alert. >> this is a key moment, because al qaeda has to avenge. >> reporter: and osama bin laden's organization is not dead. so how did the world's most wanted man hide in plain sight, not in a cave or mountains but in the mansion? senior lawmakers and aides at the white house say the pakistani military has got some explaining to do. i'm steve handelsman in washington. now let's go to new york. michelle franzen's reporting. michelle? >> reporter: thanks, steve. certainly a lot of people here in the new york area have been streaming down here at ground zero. it's been a steady stream throughout the day. it's sort of quieting down now, but the mixture of tourists, of residents here and those commuting in and out of new york city certainly a different twist today. a new purpose, some coming to celebrate, others coming here to

reflect and remember and reclaim some of what was lost. word spread quickly osama bin laden had not only been found, but killed. and just as quickly, crowds gathered near ground zero. the sacred site typically marked by somber remembrances each year suddenly became the focus of a june lant celebration. cheers, chants, and a patriotic show of emotion that unfurled throughout the city. the culmination of the near decade-long hunt for the man who inspired the 9/11 attacks. >> the emotion has a lot to do with the fact that for ten years we've been held emotionally hostage. >> reporter: for victims' families, including chris bratton who lost his sister in the attacks, it is a day of reflection without closure. >> what happened here with osama is not going to bring her back,

but it puts her in perspective for us that justice has been served. >> i hope it brings some sort of comfort, knowing that the main cancer has been killed. >> reporter: former mayor rudy giuliani returned to ground zero today, expressing relief and political praise for the commander in chief. >> president obama had the courage to order this, which could easily have gone wrong, and he would have been the recipient of all the blame. >> reporter: meanwhile, around the city, there is an increased show of force. no specific threat, leaders say, just a precaution. >> osama bin laden is dead, and new york city's spirit has never been stronger. >> reporter: and adapting yet again to change. and we can expect another emotional day on thursday. we're getting word that president barack obama will

travel to new york city on thursday to mark the death of osama bin laden right here at ground zero. i'm michelle franzen, in lower manhattan, nbc bay area news. >> what a moment that will be. all right. thank you, michelle. head of the senate intelligence committee dianne feinstein announced bin laden's death before the president even did. feinstein was at a memorial in southern california for the late political consultant who helped on many democratic campaigns. feinstein tearfully praised a friend and ended by saying that within minutes president obama would announce bin laden's death. the crowd gasped and then applauded. not surprisingly, the aftermath is complex. there's a global concern of backlash from al qaeda. the federal government is warning law enforcement of possible home grown terrorists. despite the warning, the nation's alert status remains unchanged at airports and transit hubs. bay area airports operating normally today but they say

they're in constant contact with the tsa and local police departments. california emergency officials have not detected any credible threats following bin laden's death last night. san francisco pd says it will be keeping a closer eye on areas where large number of people gather, including places of worship and, yes, transit areas, too. b.a.r.t., on high risk alert as a precaution in case there's any retaliation for the death of bin laden. the agency is using all available officers on the trains and platforms to ensure passenger safety. those added measures come after a federal order for all transit agencies nationwide to implement as many safety measures as possible. >> today we're just out creating high visibility patrol on the trains, being visible to the general public, b.a.r.t. patrons and all riders, just to let them know we're out here, being vigilant and making sure everything is okay for them. >> b.a.r.t. is not indicating when it will go back to normal procedures. this has been a ten-year chapter of american history

tainted by terrorism. so what does it all mean moving forward now? what is the war on terrorism now that bin laden is dead? we're joined from stanford university this evening, so insightful on the global impact of things, do they have a definitive answer moving forward? >> reporter: experts predict there could be retaliation from al qaeda but that will likely be a knee jerk response coming from amateu amateurs. still, given that possibility, it is still considered a major victory for the u.s. osama bin laden is dead, and many students at stanford are happy about that. >> i'm from new york, originally outside new york city so i was really excited. it should be big for morale and a definite boost to our own morale. >> reporter: he specializes in u.s. action toward terrorists. >> it certainly has an impact on the morale, it certainly has an

impact on the symbol of al qaeda, the face of al qaeda terrorism, but i think it also has a bit of an impact practically because it will discombobula discombobulate. >> reporter: he also says bin laden's death may increase the risk of revenge attacks. >> i think more dangerously, if someone or some terrorist group within the united states takes this to heart and over a period of time smolders with anger and perpetuates a very serious attack, that's a possibility. >> reporter: still, he says, killing bin laden is a definite victory for the u.s. there may be other leaders lurking in the wings but he says they lack bin laden's charisma. >> they don't have the same kind of appeal. he was a leader that appealed to people. he spoke to them in a way they understood and he could mobilize them in a way others could not. >> reporter: he says bin laden's death won't end terrorism, but eliminating an elusive target could force other terrorists to

go into hiding, where they will be potentially much less effective. president obama says he plans to start withdrawing troupes from avera afghanistan in july but experts here at stanford doubt that will happen so quickly. they say we will still need our military bases in afghanistan. reporting live at stanford university, nbc bay area news. >> thank you, and while it may be a victory for the nation, the death of bin laden comes at a high price for american troops. some 5800 have been killed in iraq and afghanistan and california by far has lost the most. the total stands at 1610. the map shows the bay area hometowns of dozens of those who lost their lives. for some central valley towns, the losses have been especially heavy. stockton alone has lost nine young men. farther north, more numbers depicting losses. families who sacrifice the most

precious possession they had to the war effort. the crosses of lafayette which as you know is a memorial to the thousands killed, marked with a hat from a navy s.e.a.l. tonight placed there by a former s.e.a.l. in tribute to the special forces that killed bin laden. some people have placed flags and flowers on the crosses today, wanting to show their gratitude to those who made the ultimate sacrifice. now to a developing story on the peninsula. you may have seen this huge cloud of smoke earlier this afternoon. that was caused by a fire at a granite rock plant reported around 2:30. it meant a slow down to traffic on 101, in fact, down to a crawl. more now. >> reporter: the good thing is the fire at granite rock is out. earlier, firefighters were checking these underground tanks to make sure there was no leakage of liquid asphalt, a combination of as fault and oil. that was the material burning a

short time earlier. let's take a look at some video, you can see the smoke rising from the plant. the smoke could be seen for miles, especially from 101, which is just west of the plant that did slow down the afternoon commute. the fire started around 2:30 this afternoon. people who work near this plant say they heard this loud explosion and then saw a wall of flames coming from these two tanks. now, the company has assured redwood city none of the liquid asphalt has leaked out to the bay. this is an industrial area. there are no neighborhoods in the immediate area. we understand one person was hurt, a worker from granite rock, but it was minor. and in terms of the cause from investigators, they're telling me that it's too early to tell. well, after the relief of bin laden's capture comes a new controversy, his burial at sea. why it was done and why some say it was not handled correctly. also programming note for you this edge other, there will

be a one-hour special edition of "nightly news." brian williams is reporting from groundal

television, radio, the internet, the headlines in the news has traveled quickly around the world. the head lines are bold. the newspapers around the country and the world, "the examiner" saying the butcher of 9/11 is dead. other headlines carry the words "justice has been done," or "osama bin laden dead." these headlines bring with them so many emotions for so many around the world. despite criticism coming from the muslim world, the president is standing by the decision to bury bin laden at sea. he says it was in accordance with islamic custom.

bin laden's body placed in the sea after a ritual washing aboard the "uss carl vinson." muslim clerics, some muslim clerics claim sea burial is a violation of islamic tradition because it humiliated the disregard for the practice of platesing the body in a grave with the head pointed toward the holy city of mecca. you are allowed to bury at sea if the person died at sea but he died on land. the obama administration wanted to avoid a terrorist shrine to bin laden. they say it could have been avoided with an unmarked grave. so many around the world found out about the death via twitter and text messaging. watch people in philadelphia last night checking their phones after hearing the news. a short time later, the announcer, espn announcer confirmed bin laden's death, this was a national broadcast game over the loud speaker at the stadium in philadelphia. the mets and phillies fans after hearing the news then began chanting in unison. >> usa!

usa! usa! >> pretty remarkable scene on tv here. he learned the news from a text message, then got a confirm about 30 seconds later from his producers before announcing the news to the crowd. all right. it's a monday afternoon, and a nice one at that. let's turn things over to jeff ranieri to find out what the rest of the week will bring. >> if you liked what we had this weekend, i think you'll like each and every day especially as we head into wednesday. some of the warm spots today, pleasantton, 83, walnut creek 82, and san jose 79. gilroy and morgan hill mid-80s today. we are starting to see some cooling near the coastline. a little bit of an onshore flow, still holding on to some heat in the east and also the south bay. right now livermore, one of the warmer spots with 78 currently right now. so as we take a look at tonight,

we are going to see breezy conditions at the coastline, a few clouds, nothing major. tuesday, stays warm, plenty of 70s, and here's where it gets great. if you want some hot weather, a few 90s possible in the long-range forecast. high pressure is responsible for all this warmth building into the bay area. it will keep it warm once again for tuesday with a few 80s possible, but it's wednesday where we look to have some of the hottest weather of the week with a few potential 90s. we may see a bit of cloud cover well off shore but you can see we're not expecting any inland fog at this point or at 6:00 a.m., a clear and also a sunny start for you on tuesday. and by 6:00 p.m. tomorrow, still no fog expected to move back in as we'll continue the sunny skies and warming temperatures here throughout the week. 48 in los gatos tonight, 49 livermore, 51 concorde, and 49 san rafael. ready for tomorrow? it's going to be stellar. yes. after all of our, you know,

below average conditions, clouds and showers, on and off again recently, we'll have another day with plenty of sunshine. close to 80 in fremont, 80 evergreen. los gatos, 77, one of the warmest regions will be those of you in the south bay. coastal areas cooler per normal. wind moving in from the pacific hems keep those numbers down throughout the day. 77 expected in lakeport. morning time on the weather channel, on cable, wednesday the warmest day of the week, close to 90 degrees. then things go down slowly as we head into the upcoming weekend. right now for mothers day sunday, there's only a slight chance for a shower but we'll do what we can to clear those out for the upcoming weekend. >> we have a mom right here. just clear it out for us right now. >> yes. she's going to put the pressure on towards friday, no doubt. just saying. >> we'll take care of. >> what kind of a mom would do that to you?

i might guilt you but you won't pressure you. >> thanks, jeff. the controversy over the smart meters with a new twist. what pg&e is now saying about the devices that may have customers asking even more questions. and watch where you park in san francisco. that parking fine mayor me than. to more than $900.

i hope it's not just a symbolic death, i hope it's a more of a symbol but puts an end to terrorism and violence against innocent people. i noech the pain and i don't want anyone else to go through it. it's a global issue, not just american issue. >> lauren was three months pregnant at the time of that plane crash. we have some other headlines tonight. after months of complaints from customers, pg&e is finally admitting smart meters have problems. the utility says it will replace 1600 of the smart meters after discovering a rare defect as they call it that causes the meters to inflate customers' bills. the meters reportedly have trouble in high temperatures. pg&e is in the process of calling affected customers. the utility will offer free refunds to customers who have received inaccurate bills. city leaders may soon cut hundreds of jobs as part of an effort to close $115 million

budget gap. city manager is expected to release the budget proposal today, some 600 city employees will be notified this he can would that they may lose their jobs, and it may happen by late june. the proposal also calls for the demotion of more than 200 workers. word of the expected cuts comes after six of the city's 11 employee unions failed to make pay cuts. mayor reid may also seek a ballot measure to reduce pensions and other city pushings. that parking ticket in san francisco might cost you even more, would you believe $900? stay away from the handicapped spots. the transportation agency board is considering raising the cost of wrongfully parking in a disabled spot from $335 to 935 bucks and that's not all they're looking into. others include an extra $8 to the current fine to get the metal boot removed from your tires. residential parking permits will be going up an extra $2 to make it an even $100 for an annual

permit. up next, tech giant's big pledge to help bay area kids.

never in my lifetime did i think i could walk 60 miles in 3 days. 60 miles compared to what a cancer patient goes through is a walk in the park. from the moment i registered, people started immediately supporting me. i walk with my sister. our relationship has gone to a whole new level because of training together. you meet the most wonderful, inspiring people. when you accomplish those 60 miles, it's truly life-changing. (man) register today for the... because everyone deserves a lifetime.

well, finally tonight, hewlett-packard has announced a major in you investment. >> it comes in the form of a $25 million pledge to lucille pack card's children's hospital. the hefty commitment will be made over ten years and will help the hospital expand its pediatric facility. it will also go towards research. it is the latest in the ongoing relationship between hp and the lucille pack card children's hospital, which is named for the wife of the hp co-founder, david

packard. founded in palo alto, so staying local as well. >> that pediatric ward as it is is fantastic but it will be nice to see the research they're doing there. jeff, let's get another look at the glorious forecast and a chance to redeem yourself for mother's day. i'm giving you every opportunity. >> i wasn't able to take that shower off the seven-day forecast. in oakland, clear skies, temperatures in the mid-60s, so we have started to cool off with the wind pushing in pacific air.

we like flawless. >> yes, we do. that's going to do it for us right now. we'll see you again at 6:30. we have a special programming note. >> a special edition. one-hour edition of "nightly news" is next. hey marcel, watch this!

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