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 br

nbc's michelle franzen has the details. >> reporter: bail granted. at a hearing, a judge ordered dominique strauss-kahn be released on $1 million and confined to home detention at a new york city apartment strauss-kahn's wife recently rented. the defense attorney arguing that their client would not fly to france. >> he would be equipped with an electronic monitoring device on his body that would have video cameras as well as an armed monitor at the entrance and exit of the facility. >> reporter: prosecutors tried to argue strauss-kahn was a flight risk and told the court a grand jury formerly indicted the 62-year-old on seven counts, including attempted rape and sex abuse. >> a grand jury has herd evidence in this case and has voted that there is reasonable cause to support these charges. >> reporter: but after a short recess, the judge ruled and strauss-kahn was set free. the 62-year-old is charged with attempted rape, sex abuse and other violent sex crimes. he's accused of sexually abusing assaulting a maid inside his hotel suite in midtown manhatt

michelle franzen joins us live from ground zero. michelle, good morning. >> reporter: well, good morning, eun. certainly a lot of people are still out and about in the city. a few celebratory people. once word hit overnight that osama bin laden had been killed, many people of course coming down to ground zero. many of them draped in flags. they were carrying signs, chanting usa, usa. and also gathering all throughout the city, including times square and elsewhere. of course ground zero was the natural place of people to gather nearly 10 years after 3,000 people died here. and certainly a mixture not only just a celebration but a somberness here, especially from family members who lost loved ones on that day. they say they are grateful that osama bin laden has been killed, no longer a threat. but it still does not take the pain away from losing their loved ones. i imagine that is all throughout the country here as well as in the d.c. area, as well as in pennsylvania where people lost loved ones all throughout this country. but certai

michelle franzen joins us live from ground zero this morning with more. good morning. >> good morning, eun. it's been since 2008 since president obama visited ground zero. as you mentioned this morning, he returns to this spot. not only to mark the death, but to underscore the importance of once again returning the focus here on 9/11 victims and their families. the tone of the ceremony, eun, is expected to be far different from the celebrations that erupt in the initial hours after people learned osama bin laden had been killed. this ceremony much more reflective. the white house is saying that it's a ck cathartic moment for americans and here. he will participate in a wreath-laying ceremony inside the ground zero area. an area as you well know is under construction nearly a decade after the attacks. >>> will the family members be at the ceremony before that private meeting? >> we are hearing that they might be at that -- at that ceremony as well. we don't know for sure. but we do know that the president plans to meet with them and he might have some othe

nbc's michelle franzen joins us from lower manhattan. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. certainly the ceremonies come together four days after they announced osama bin laden's death. the tone of the ceremony today will be somewhat different from the celebratory mood that erupted after osama bin laden's death was announced. hundreds of people gathered here overnight sunday into monday celebrating osama bin laden's death. today the president is expected to meet with 9/11 victims' families as well as survivors and first responders and also participate in a ceremony, a wreath-laying ceremony at ground zero site. and we are told that the president could also possibly make some sort of a speech. we don't know exactly when and what time he will say that yet. certainly he is here to honor the 9/11 victims and bring the focus back to those who died on that day. lynn? >> thank you. >>> well, the night navy s.e.a.l.s carried out their top secret mission on osama bin laden in pakistan, a computer program in that town could hear what was going on. and he posted live what he heard on

michelle franzen is at ground zero this morning. good morning, michelle. >> good morning, joe. the president's visit to ground zero comes four days after the announcement that u.s. forces tracked down and killed osama bin laden. the president's focus today is to return to this area to honor the 9/11 victims and their families. >> reporter: president obama's ground zero visit will focus on 9/11 victims and survivors. it will be a tone far different from the spontaneous eruptions that broke out after ground zero. the president will meet with 9/11 victims' families and first responders privately and will participate in the reclaim ceremony at the ground zero 9/11 memorial. the site still under construction draws hundreds of visitors each day. since bin laden's death, many have felt the need to come here. >> after 9/11, i had no desire to visit the site until there's something to celebrate. i think something positive has happened. so i made it a point to come down here and visit the site. >> we don't really celebrate anyone's death. but we know that justice in a way has taken place

michelle franzen is live at ground zero to tell us more. looks like people are still gathered there. >> reporter: certainly a lot of people gathering here. a much different crowd than we saw overnight. this is a busy morning, the start of our workweek in new york. it hasn't stopped a lot of people from pausing, pausing to take photographs. just to feel a part of what transpired overnight. once word came out that osama bin laden had indeed been killed, as you mentioned, celebrations broke out here. hundreds of people coming down to ground zero chanting, cheering, draping themselves in flags and sharing this moment at a space that is usually marked with sadness each year, suddenly turning to an area that is part of a celebration. along with the celebration here in new york city, there is also a certain somberness, 9/11 families and the first responders who lost loved ones and colleagues on that day saying yes, they are relieved osama bin laden is not a threat at this time, but it doesn't bring them closure. as a matter of fact it brings back

michelle franzen in new york. >> in the wake of bin laden's death authorities say there will be heightened security to protect 1.2 million people who take mets ro trains and busses every day. d.c. and metrotransity say there will be an increase of officers in and around metro facilities. police chief kathy linear says there have been no specific threats that the time. metrotransity officials say all passengers should be vij lantz. they say it's important if you see something to say something. >> stay with news 4 and nbcwashington.com throughout the day for continuing coverage of the death of osama bin laden. you can also follow nbc washington on twitter and facebook. there's also an hour-long "nightly news" edition tonight starting at 7:00. >>> turning now to the weather, a cloudy someoned what we have on tap. >> it will stay that way? veronica johnson has the forecast. >> it started out with a little bit of sun and clouds are on top of us and could get an isolated shower. there's a look at the loop and the clouds moving in over the last few making their way into areas of northern prince g

michelle franzen in new york city now with more on the reaction there. michelle? >> reporter: well, jim, certainly it's been a steady stream of people here all throughout the day. a mixture of residents here in new york, commuters as well as tourists from all around world. they're stopping and they're taking photographs. a very big difference from what it is usually. it's a busy day down here at ground zero on any given day, but there's a different sense of purpose, many coming to celebrate and here to remember and trying to 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 system somber remembrances each year, became the focus of a june labt celebration. cheers. >> usa! >> chants. >> reporter: and a point rottic 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 bee

michelle franzen. mayor bloomberg visited ground zero and he described saurm's demise as a critically important victory. what does it mean for new yorkers, now ten years after 9/11? >> reporter: well t certainly means a big boost here emotionally as one victim's family member put it that for the last ten years they've been held emotionally hostage by not knowing where osama bin laden was and not knowing what was next. now at least they know that osama bin laden is no longer a threat and that's exactly the point that new york city mayor michael bloomberg was trying to make today that -- that he was evil, that certainly new york has a lot to be proud of. it's a resilient city and the spirit is certainly strong and he's made those remarks and you can see it in the people and how they came out here overnight and the steady stream that continues throughout here today. not just new york residents, but also people who commute in and out of the city daily. people who are visiting from all over the world, right