it was john glenn. he turned to me with a big wink and said i have never been so frightened in my life. i don't think john ever got frightened by anything. my heart nearly stopped. i appreciate my friend from iowa. john was one of the best people i ever served with. i speak about what it was like coming here as a brand-new senator. anytime i was asked about that, talk about the fact that i came here, was sworn in with john glenn. >> mister president, today our country lost an american hero, colonel john glenn, senator john glenn. i will be back at a later date to deliver a more formal tribute with my colleague senator portman but i want to share initial thought as i, my wife connie and so many ohioans join so many around the country that loved him and cared for him and respected him. one of the great blessings of my life to get to know john glenn and for connie and me to count him as friends. we remember a few short years ago on the 50th anniversary of his flight into space, the night before we had dinn

god speed john glenn. god speed indeed. >> when i came back from korea i applied to go through test pilot training and was accepted. i thought to work out some of the bugs on the new airplanes would be just about the ultimate in flying. >> major john glenn begins attempt at a super sonic transcontinental flight, 2,460 miles traversed, three hours, 23 minutes, 8.4 seconds. >> we broke the record by quite a bit, by 20 minutes or so. >> to annie, the true source of john's remarkable strength for their many years together, to david and lynn who shared their father with a grateful nation, i am honored to be here today to celebrate the life of a man i am proud to have called both a hero and a friend. only a handful of people in history have been called upon to publicly embody the ideals of an entire nation. fewer still have stood to the task at both wartime and piece, and none have answered the call more perfectly than john glenn. he became my hero early in my career as a marine and still is today. he defined an

john glenn sr. and mrs. clara glenn are proud of their son's accomplishments. >> john was prepared for the orbital flight as was the entire team. >> in a way, john has been preparing all his life for his venture into space. as a small boy, his idea of a holiday was a visit to the airport. and when he grew up, it was no surprise to us when he decided to learn to fly. >> flight commanded young john's hanlg interests. he had to learn to fly. world war ii had interrupted college. he received his first flying lessons from this pilot. >> this is john's flight record with my combat after his first flight, which was eager to learn, relaxed, alert, and good coordination. he certainly has retained he's flight qualities right into outer space. >> flight training at pensacola and corpus christi. many earned their wings here. john went to corpus christi to learn about airplanes and time for physical conditioning and sports and for religious inspiration. like these naval aviators, to win his wings. the navy's thorough tra

god speed john glenn. thank you. we will never forget you. ♪ >> i decided it was time to do other things. i thought about politics and government work sometime, but i have no idea that i would be up to do that myself. i had been thinking about this since i was a kid. being able to contribute and orbital flight, and if i was to continue in that area, we would do the best for the country. that's right a to run for public office. to the depth of everything in this country. >> when john glenn was 10 years old, his father, his hero, a veteran of world war i taught him how to play caps on the bugle. with flowers next to gravesites and gravestones of the fallen, john will recall that time and feeling when he said where love of country was a given, defensive ideals is an obligation, and the opportunity to join in this operation is a challenge not only to fulfill a sacred duty, but to join a joyous adventure. with john, all the years i worked with him was always a joyous adventure. what a joyous adventure you and john had t

god speed john glenn. thank you. we will never forget you. ♪ >> i decided it was time to do other things. i thought about politics and government work sometime, but i have no idea that i would be up to do that myself. i had been thinking about this since i was a kid. being able to contribute and orbital flight, and if i was to continue in that area, we would do the best for the country. that's right a to run for public office. to the depth of everything in this country. >> when john glenn was 10 years old, his father, his hero, a veteran of world war i taught him how to play caps on the bugle. with flowers next to gravesites and gravestones of the fallen, john will recall that time and feeling when he said where love of country was a given, defensive ideals is an obligation, and the opportunity to join in this operation is a challenge not only to fulfill a sacred duty, but to join a joyous adventure. with john, all the years i worked with him was always a joyous adventure. what a joyous adventure you and john had t

god speed, john glenn. john pearman with is one the line, and a lot of us grief are grieving at well. >> indeed. john glenn was an american hero. he was the astronaut's astronaut. and he really had a passion for seeing america pursue a strong science and research agenda, both on the ground and in space. i met him at his senate office when he was preparing to leave office to go train to become an astronaut, and worked with him to first interact with the publicken online when the can be was still new at that time, and he wanted to answer as many questions as possible him wanted the public to know that space flight was important and that was something that pushed the entire country ahead. >> he was remarkably current man for a man of his years. >> he was. he took a very strong interest in seeing the new technologies advancing as quickly as possible. he was fascinated when i brought him the web site back then, he -- it was brand new and he wanted to know how to surf the web. that was his first question. >> wow.

john glenn dead at 95. it was said of john glenn that he saved our country and he saved our space program, and he saved our pride. but for a young kennedy, he also saved a dream that kennedy had expressed some nine months earlier before that freedom 7 flight. the goal of landing a man on the moon when we couldn't even get up into space on a consistent basis. take a listen. >> i believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal before this decade is out of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth. >> it was a remarkable period. think at the time, president kennedy outlined the goal, we couldn't even get the suborbital flight thing right. the russians were grabbing the headlines time and time again. we were months away from an orbital mission, the one that would make john glenn famous and restart a space program that had not gotten off the ground, almost literally. to larry sabato now. professor you think about it, so much of that kennedy half century was resting early

john glenn, a great man. john glenn, such a good man. >> he is still handy that way, annie. >> four years ago, john and annie entered the hotel suite we had reserved for election night and was immediately covered with admirers --mires admirers. ofad been on the trail random encounters with the john and annie. every encounter had a happy ending. in 2012, our grandson was with us. he had spent most of the day rehearsing a question he wanted to ask to john. john leaned in so he could talk face-to-face with our little boy. what is your question, john said. he said, how do astronauts go to the bathroom in space? john smiled, well now, that is an interesting question. nodded and everyone in earshot gathered around for astronaut john glenn to talk about urination in space. after talking, he started making the rounds. i hugged john and thank him for treating our son with such respect. he said, why wouldn't i. ass have sincere questions they need sincere answers. old and height years recently visited us and he said, i

john glenn, a great man. john glenn, such a good man. >> he is still handy that way, annie. >> four years ago, john and annie entered the hotel suite we had reserved for election night and was immediately covered with admirers --mires admirers. ofad been on the trail random encounters with the john and annie. every encounter had a happy ending. in 2012, our grandson was with us. he had spent most of the day rehearsing a question he wanted to ask to john. john leaned in so he could talk face-to-face with our little boy. what is your question, john said. he said, how do astronauts go to the bathroom in space? john smiled, well now, that is an interesting question. nodded and everyone in earshot gathered around for astronaut john glenn to talk about urination in space. after talking, he started making the rounds. i hugged john and thank him for treating our son with such respect. he said, why wouldn't i. ass have sincere questions they need sincere answers. old and height years recently visited us and he said, i

john glenn, great man, john glenn, such a good man. >> four years ago john and annie entered the hotel suite we had for election night and were immediately struck by admirers. this is how it was with those to come always. i've never known them to be anything but gracious with strangers. in the wake of my essay about jon i have been on the receiving end of a steady stream of stories about random encounters were john and annie. every one of those stories has a happy ending. on that night 2012 our four-year-old grandson, clayton was with us. he had spent much of the day rehearsing a question he wanted to ask john. i introduced him and i told john that clayton had something on his mind. immediately tall, lanky john clinton so he could talk face-to-face with our little boy. what is your question john said. clayton did not hesitate. how do astronauts astronauts go to the bathroom in space? [laughter] john smiled, well now that it's an interesting question is in it. clayton nodded and those of us within earshot gathered around for astronaut john glenn's ten minute tutorial on the urination an

. >> i think we need to look at what went on between john glenn and his son. >>> and remembering john glenn, the first man to orbit the earth and a four-term u.s. senator from the most important swing state in the country. >> i'm very high on this country and what it can do, what it can stand for, even with its problems now. >>> this is "mtp daily" and it starts right now. good evening, i'm chuck todd here in washington and welcome to "mtp daily." in just a moment we're going to pay tribute to an american hero, an aviation icon and u.s. senator. john glenn, who passed away today at the age of 95, is a true icon of american history in so many ways. glenn's decades of service to this country took him around the world as a marine fighter pilot, took him around this planet in space. first man to orbit the earth, first american to do so, excuse me. and, of course, to washington as a senator representing the great state of ohio, his home state. so you won't want to miss our remembrances of him later in the show. >>> but we're going to begin tonight with the presidential transition and a que

john glenn, a great man. john glenn, such a good man. >> ok. he is still handy that way, annie. four years ago, john and annie entered the hotel suite we had reserved for election night and was immediately swarmed with awestruck admirers. it is how it has been always. and in my essay for the plain dealer on john, i have been on the receiving end of stories about random encounters with john and annie. they all have a happy ending. on that night in 2012, our grandson clayton was with us. he had spent most of the day rehearsing a question he wanted to ask john. i introduced them and told john that clinton had something on his mind. and tall, lanky john leaned in so he could talk face-to-face with our little boy.

god speed john glenn. thank you. we will never forget you. ♪ >> i decided it was time to do other things. i thought about politics and government work sometime, but i have no idea that i would be up to do that myself. i had been thinking about this since i was a kid. being able to contribute and orbital flight, and if i was to continue in that area, we would do the best for the country. that's right a to run for public office. to the depth of everything in this country. >> when john glenn was 10 years old, his father, his hero, a veteran of world war i taught him how to play caps on the bugle. with flowers next to gravesites and gravestones of the fallen, john will recall that time and feeling when he said where love of country was a given, defensive ideals is an obligation, and the opportunity to join in this operation is a challenge not only to fulfill a sacred duty, but to join a joyous adventure. with john, all the years i worked with him was always a joyous adventure. what a joyous adventure you and john had t

today we pay tribute to john glenn, known as an american hero, john glenn died today. he was an astronaut, a u.s. senator, a statesman, and an american hero. he died at the age of 85. he circled the earth three times to push into a new frontier. he was hailed as a hero. glenn later reentered public life representing his home state of ohio in the u.s. senate where he served for a quarter century. >> it's better to have tried and failed than have failed to try. i guess that's the way i look at it. >> through all his years in public life, he never lost his pioneering spirit. he made one final launch. in 1998 when he was 77, he became the oldest astronaut to travel into space. appropriate title tonight, globe editorial director of "huffington post." tell me shuttle commander, what it was like to meet john glenn and what he meant to you. >> john glenn was a hero of mine from the earliest days, as far back as i can remember. he had the career i always dreamed of, fighter pilot during world war ii and then test pilot and astronaut. so meeting him in the astronaut gym and work

[laughter] john glenn always said yes. yes to his country's call in the united states marine corps, yes to being the first american to orbit earth as one of mercury seven, yes to the s.a.t.'s nomination to serve in the senate, and yes to the ongoing call of his nation to help forge a path through a new millennium. it was courage, grace, and humility john displayed throughout his life that lifted him above the stars. as the current head of nasa, i can say unequivocally that we are standing on john glenn 's shoulders as we pursue a human journey to mars, a journey that would not be possible without his bravery and selfless dedication. i know that, and countless other astronauts, who had the privilege of following senator glenn into space, content point his remarkable accomplishment as the first american to orbit earth as the seed of our aspirations. even in his 70's, he continued to break barriers as he took to space again in the space shuttle. i was so proud to see this american legend soar again on the discovery 1995 missi

glenn, the life of john and that is not hyperbole. god bless you john, god bless you any, and may god attacked our troops. ♪ ["america the beautiful"] o beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain, for purple mountain majesties above the fruited plain! america! america! god shed his grace on thee and crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea. ♪ ♪ o beautiful for pilgrim feet -- o beautiful for heroes proved in liberating strife. who more than self their country loved and mercy more than life. america, america, may god thy gold refine. till all success be nobleness and every gain divine. ♪ >> this is a reading from the gospel of mark. one of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seen that jesus answered them well he asked them, which commandment is the first of all? jesus answered the first is hero is real, the lord our god, the lord is one, you shall love the lord your god with all your heart. with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. as shall

glenn and his son. >>> and remembering john glenn, the first man to orbit thear

john glenn, a great man. john glenn, such a good man. he is still handy that way, annie. four years ago, john and annie entered the hotel suite we had reserved for election night and were immediately swarmed with admirers. i had never known them to be anything but gracious with strangers. i have been the recipient of a steady stream of stories about john and annie. every one of those stories have a happy ending. in 2012, our grandson was with us. he had spent most of the day rehearsing a question he wanted to ask to john. i introduced him. and i told john that clayton had something on his mind. immediately tall, lanky john , leaned in so he could talk face-to-face with our little boy. what is your question, john said. clayton didn't hesitate, how do astronaut to go to the bathroom in space? [laughter] smiled, well now, that is an interesting question, isn't it? clayton nodded and those of us in earshot gathered around for 'stronaut john glenn two-minute tutorial on the machinations of urination in space. himrwards, clayton thanked and shook his hand and started making the

today we pay tribute to john glenn, known as an american hero, john glenn died today. he was an astronaut, a u.s. senator, a statesman, and an american hero. he died at the age of 85.

senator john glenn. [applause] john glenn: thank you. [applause] john glenn: thank you, thank you all very much. thank you. thank you all. [applause] ladiesenn: thank you, and gentlemen. thank you, brit, very much. sound system, how is it up there? can you hear all right? ok good. brit of course is no stranger to washington. he was president of the university of maryland for about nine years i think it was. and the did a great job there such a great job that we promoted him to ohio state. [laughter] john glenn: i thought i would get some boos out of this crowd on not around this particular area here, but you know host director of the air and space museum general jack daly who i have known in the marine corps and nasa days and now here at the air and space museum. i don't know what his problem was i think he probably got so excited about the olympics he tried to play 20-year-old again, and it didn't work. [laughter] jack we wish you a speedy , recovery. i know that's a painful thing to have happen your achilles tendon go out for you then

john glenn was one of them. his success, what it meant to this country is a tribute to the squares of the world, men and women with the guts to show up and do the job. that's "hardball" for now. thanks for being with us. "all in with chris hayes" starts right now. >>> tonight on "all in." >> the forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer. >> donald trump called out for giving false hope to the forgotten man has now picked a fight with him. >> i had all kind of threats and stuff over the years so i guess i got a little more thick skin. >> as the trump victory tour continues, union leader chuck jones with his response to t president-elect's provocation. and senator bernie sanders on trump's redefinition of bully pulpit. >>> plus, new reporting on donald trump's plan to keep ties to his businesses. the fast food ceo who wants to replace workers with robots tapped to run the labor department. d

♪ ♪ captioning sponsored by cbs >> godspeed, john glenn. em 5, 4, 3... >> pelley: tonight, we remember an american hero, space pioneer john glenn, the first american to orbit the earth. >> looks like a good flight. >> pelley: also tonight, wicked weather creates massive pileups, blizzard conditions, and arctic chill across much of the country. ous and... >> i thought they were just water vapor. >> pelley: the nation's top tictor sounds the alarm on e-cigarettes. is a new generation getting hooked on nicotine. >> the bottom line is there is no safe use of tobacco products for kids, and those include e-cigarette. this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> pelley: this is our western edition. john glenn, the last of the mercury 7 astronauts, the first american to orbit the earth, died late today. he was 95. back in 1962, america was losing the space race. the soviets had already sent a man into orbit, and just six months after that, they detonated the world's largest atom bomb. the pressure and excitement were sky high that february

we learned late today, astronaut and senator john glenn has died. >> godspeed, john glenn. >> the first american astronaut to orbit the earth. tonight, in his own words. >>> also breaking tonight, the winter storms hitting now. the driving has turned deadly. the pileups across several states. the images coming in. up to 70 cars involved in just one chain reaction crash. >>> as we come on, new reporting tonight after two police officers are targeted, both of them shot. and now word, the second officer has died. >>> was it excessive force? the student with the knife and the officer who then fired the shot. tonight, some asking, did he have another option? >>> and holiday shoppers, beware tonight. the lawsuit breaking as we come on. several major department stores now accused of making you believe you're getting a better deal than you actually are. we have the list. >>> good evening. and it's great to have you with us here on a thursday night. and we begin with the passing of a true american hero. former astronaut, war hero and u.s. senator from ohio, john glenn, has died. the first americ

john glenn was 95. nancy cordes has more on his life and legacy. >> reporter: from the cosmos to capitol hill and then back again, john glenn was an astronaut, a politician, and a patriot. >> godspeed, john glenn. >> reporter: on february 20th, 1962 john glenn famously became >> oh, that view is tremendous. >> reporter: glenn's experience as one of the original seven mercury astronauts, heroes at the height of the cold war, was immortalized in the epic film "the right stuff." ? years before he made history above his "friendship 7" spacecraft glenn flew fighter planes for the marine corps, racking up 149 missions during world war ii and korea. during his four terms in the senate glenn was a key player in democratic politics, serving chairman of the powerful governmental affairs committee. but his hero status didn't translate into national political appeal. >> i believe this nation of ours can be number one in this world. >> reporter: his bid for the presidency in 1984 never really got off the ground. gle

john scott takes a look at glenn's unbelievable legacy. >> john glenn will be remembered for his many roles in american history. he was a warrior in battle, our first astronaut to orbit the earth and one of our most successful political leaders on capitol hill. in 98 he added oldest person in space to his roster of achievements. >> i can't help but stand here with a real sense of dÉjÀ vu some 40-year-old almost sets of dÉjÀ vu. >> he was born in 1921 in cambridge, ohio and attended buckingham college. after the chinese attacked pearl harbor he signed up for the aviation cadet program and became a pilot long before senator john glenn, he served in world war ii flying 69 successful missions. five years later this leather neck was ready to fly again this time over north korea. after serving in korea he headed to test pilot school to the test center in maryland. he gained early national recognition by setting the transcontinental speed record from los angeles to new york in 3 hours 23 minutes. by the late 1950's the u.s. manned space program was just being conceived and john glenn was

glenn. >> reporter: john glenn was an astronaut, a politician, and a patriot >> i had i guess you could say 47 years of federal service. i had 24 years in the senate, 23 years in the me space program, and we're proud of this country and what it provides for people. and it's a-- i still think we're-- we're the example for the rest of the world. >> reporter: on february 20, 1962, john glenn famously became the fit american to orbit the earth. >> oh, that view is tremendous! >> reporter: when he came back, glenn became a national hero and received a ticker tape parade in new york city, the largest since world war ii. >> i got on this project because wanted to make the most of it. >> reporter: years before he made history aboard his "friendship 7" spacecraft, glenn flew fighter planes for the marine corps, racking up 149 missions during world war ii and coria. during his four terms in the senate, glenn was a key player in democratic politics, but his hero status didn't translate into national political appeal. >> i believe this nation of ours can be number one in this world. >> reporter: an

goodespeed, john glenn. that coming from the current governor of ohio, john kasich, and we will take a quick break and be right back with more. president-elect donald trump announced linda mcmahon will lead the small business administration. mcmahon ran unsuccessfully twice for senate in connecticut. she used to get in the ring herself. that is her with steve austin. my next guest knows quite a bit about mcmahon-he wrote this piece about her for vice today. oliver bateman is an attorney and sports historian. he serves on the board of director for the pro wrestling hall of fame. nice to have you with us. thanks so much. why do you think donald trump goes with linda mcmahon for small business administration and what are her qualifications? >> well, i mean, it wasn't a surprising choice because like you said, they had been substantial donors to trump over the years, to his foundation, and linda mcmahon has a lot of experience. i mean, she and her husband, vince, grew an organization that they bought through ess

john glenn's passing. we'll look back at remarkable life and times of a true pioneer. >>> plus, spying toys. are your children's toys recording what's being said in your home. >> i promise not to tell anyone. it is just between you and me. >> controversy grows over some smart toys. the push to remove them from store shelves and what you into ed to know this holiday season. >>> and the stars are out. >> tonight is going to have way more muscles, more tattoos, and most importantly, way more pyro. >> hollywood's top leading man, 1a to talk about his star-studded tribute to our nation's troops. >>> and pop superstar pharrell williams treats us to a special performance on the plaza "today," friday, december 9th, 2016. >> the snow can't stop us from seeing pharrell! >> we are "happy" from austin, xa because i'm happy ? ? clap along if you feel like a room without a room ? >> celebrating 15 happy years from lakeland, florida. >> celebrating the holidays in new york! >> because we're happy! >>> welcome back to "to

john glenn was one of those people. the astronaut, businessman, senator and family man died at the age of 95 thursday. john glenn was many things but above all else, he was a pay free ott. tom costello brings us more on his life. >> reporter: john glenn was more than an american hero. for more than half his life, he was a 20th century icon. perhaps best known for what happened on february 20th, 1962. the first american to orbit the earth and put america back in the space race with the soviet union. >> i feel fine. the feeling is tremendous. >> the late t.j. o'malley was at the nasa controls that day. >> range operations, go. >> until he died, he kept the button he pushed to send glen into orbit. >> we hit that engine start button and i said, may the good lord ride all the way. >> god speed, john glenn. >> john glenn returned to a hero's welcome and invitation toss address congress. >> as our knowledge of this universe in which we live increases, may god grant us the wisdom and guidance to use it wisely. john glenn's roo

i don't mean to take away from john glenn. liz: of course. >> i hope your audience understands when adam says, well this congress can't get anything done, the republican majorities will shrink, in part thanks to hillary clinton getting 2 1/2 million more votes than donald trump. liz: okay. >> it will shrink, it will shrink in the next congress. two fewer senators. six fewer house members republicans have. notion it will get easier to do, you know all the things, granted there will be republican in the white house. liz: spin it forward to march. this is all just conversation for president-elect donald trump. we will bump up against that debt ceiling once again. for those who don't really understand the concept, it is the national debt credit card. do we expand the ability to borrow? right now it is at $20.1 trillion. adam, will he be in a tough position for republican, they don't like to do this, they don't like to lift the ceiling and they had to and ronald reagan and bill clinton, every other president raised the debt ceiling

: john glenn returned to a hero's welcome. and invitations to address congress. >> as our knowledge of this universe in which we live increases, may god grant us the wisdom and guidance to use it wisely. >> reporter: his roots were always firmly planted in ohio, born in cambridge, went to a local college and married his childhood sweetheart annie. he flew combat missions in world war ii. he shot down three migs in korea. in 1997, a coast-to-coast super sonic record, los angeles to new york in less than three and a half hours. >> these are the men who -- >> reporter: then the early days of the astronaut corps, later immoralalized in the movie "the right stuff." >> glenn was someone who could walk down the street in mid town manhattan, and have cabbies say, hey, john, how you doing? >> reporter: after a career in business, glenn was elected to the u.s. senate in his home state of ohio in 1974. >> john glenn needs you. >> reporter: and made an unsuccessful run for the presidency in 1984. then in 1998, nasa came calling again. at

john glenn, a great man. john glenn, such a good man. >> ok. he is still handy that way, annie. four years ago, john and annie entered the hotel suite we had reserved for election night and were in -- were immediately swarmed with awestruck admirers. it is how it has been always. that never known them to be anything but gracious with strangers. in the wake of my essay for the plain dealer on john, i have been on the receiving end of stories about random encounters with john and annie. everyone of those stories have a happy ending. on that night in 2012, our four-year-old grandson clayton was with us. he had spent most of the day rehearsing a question he wanted to ask john. i introduced them and told john that clayton had something on his mind. immediately tall, lanky john leaned in so he could talk face-to-face with our little boy. what is your question, john said. clayton did not hesitate. how do astronauts go to the bathroom in space? [laughter] john smiled, well now, that is an interesting question. clayton nodded and everybody in earshot gathered round for astronaut john gle

he was john glenn. and he died today in his native ohio. it is thursday night and the big story on action news tonight is john glenn. his lifelong mission finally ended today. and tonight america is remembering his exploits and remembering what a special place he held over a period of decades. let's look back at the life and time of john glenn. >> ten, nine. >> he was a pioneer and a patriot. launched into a history with this iconic sendoff from mission control. >> you've got speed, john glenn. >> later john glenn confessed he actually didn't hear that phrase as friendship 7 lifted off. >> zero g and i feel fine. capsule is turning around. the view tremendous. >> at the height of the space race john glenn was the first american to orbit the earth. >> reading you loud and clear. >> glenn was the most famous of the original seven astronauts with the right stuff. a decorated marine corp. pilot. his wingman in korea was baseball legend ted williams. world held its breath for his mission. when he safely splashed down after three orbits he was a

john glenn. ♪ the man who was on board that mercury rocket back in 1962 is this morning being called an american hero, a pioneer, a public servant. the nation is mourning the death of john glenn with flags at half staff in his honor at the u.s. capitol and around the country. and marine corps pilot, the first american to orbit the earth, a u.s. senate -- u.s. senator and an american hero. we begin with your comments, calls and reflections on the life and legacy of senator, astronaut john glenn. you can share your comments on our twitter page or join us on facebook. .ood friday morning to you the senate is in session trying to wrap up a cr to keep the government and operation through the end of april. the house did its part with a debate over how scared and if over how health care -- an american hero, a combat pilot fighter who made history by rocketing into the future as the pioneer of space travel. the story this morning from his hometown newspaper in columbus, ohio. we will have more from the

john glenn has died. glenn's local connections include his son who lives in berkeley and his grandchildren who attend school in oakland. the famed astronaut inspiring many people in the bay area. nbc chuck joins us from the science center in oakland. chuck. >> reporter: that's right, jessica. more bay area connections than you might imagine. now, in 1998 while in space again, john glenn asked to speak to his children, his grandchildren at their oakland school. and after his mission back on the ground, he then paid a visit to that school in 2001. paul chap man now a retired principal, still has the photo he took with john glenn holding the school report chap man wrote as a boy that glenn ought graphed. and there were plenty of others in the bay area inspired by glenn. >> 1961 -- >> reporter: it's a tight fit for gerald, but that's because he he says this mercury space capsule was designed for astronauts no taller than 5'11" like john glenn. the space and science center in oakland says glenn inspired him to

god speed john glenn." three revolutions and four hours and 55 minutes later he returned an instant legend. he was awarded the congressional space medal of honor and new york threw him one of its signature ticker tape parades. later in life, glenn glenn, astronaut: "we used to joke about it in the past when people would say what do you think on the launch pad and the standard answer was how do you think you'd feel if you knew you were on top of two million parts built by the lowest bidder on a government contract?" glenn learned to fly as part of a college course and went on to join the marine corps in 1943. glenn flew 149 combat missions in world war two and the korean war before becoming a test pilot. after leaving nasa, he spent the next decade as a businessman. but in senate seat from ohio and served for twenty- four years. in 1984, he ran for president.astronaut john glenn: "with the nomination of my party i firmly believe i can beat ronald reagan." john glenn never gave up on his dream of one day retu

glenn godspeed. >> godspeed, john glenn. spacecraft, "the friendship 7" now reside here at the smithsonian air and space museum. the white house said today that journey lifted the hopes of a nation, and president-elect trump, scott, called him a great pioneer. >> pelley: nancy cordes for us tonight. nancy, thank you. the dangerously cold weather turned deadly today. blinding snowstorms caused major pileups in the midwest and omar villafranca is in the deep freeze. ep the deadly pileup of mangled cars, trucks, and 18-wheelers. three people were killed and 11 people injured after dozens of vehicles careened off the michigan's i-96, just south of lansing. 300 miles east in lake county, ohio, another pileup with as many as 50 vehicles occurred after a truck jackknifed due to icy road conditions. nearly 17 inches of thick, sticky, lake-effect snow an hour north of syracuse. roads quickly became treacherous, testing the skills of any driver who dared to get behind the wheel. north dakota residents are still cleaning up after the o

they really, truly don't make them like john glenn anymore. he was a modest man from ohio who left to join the military after pearl harbor. he became an aviator and flew 59 combat missions in world war ii, he fought in korea where he flew 90 combat missions, he set the record at the time for the fastest coast-to-coast flight and was selected as one of the seven mercury astronauts and while glenn was the third american in space, he was the first to orbit and it cheered our nation. only 533 souls have ever orbitted the earth to this day. nasa had warned him he faced a one in six chance of not surviving. he almost burned up on reentry and he later told me that his combat flight experience came in handy. >> you look to the space flight, the early space flights as almost being like you're going on a combat mission. you're representing your country against something out here that's very important. >> he came back from orbit and he received the greatest welcome home from lindbergh. kennedy wouldn't let him go back into space. he was too valuable here

god speed john glenn."mark barger, nbc news glenn once joked that the only astronaut he was envious of was his fellow ohio native, to walk on the moon. john glenn was 95.. we know. it's december weather in wisconsin. but after the mild weather we had over the past few months... this cold snap is kind of a shock to the system.meteorologist jesse ritka joins us with the storm team forecast. the sun didn't help much today, it is chilly with temperatures in the 20s and a nasty wind making it feel like temperatures are in the teens. more clouds are rolling in, bringing a few flurries but the cloud cover will help keep it not quite as frigid tonight with lows near 20 degrees in milwaukee with teens inland. adding in the wind it will digits when you wake up on friday morning. wisconsin's wisconsin's presidential recount is wrapping up ahead of schedule... only two counties still counting in southeastern wisconsin.ben jordan is live at the milwaukee county recount room with an update on the progress there, ben: it'

john glenn's picture. thank you for your kind, wonderful words about john glenn. and thanks for letting me say a few words as well. mr. president, i have been coming to the floor, as the senator from ohio knows, for months, a couple years, actually. i come maybe once a month. the presiding officer and i served together with senator portman on a committee called governmental skeet and homeland affairs. part of our job was to do with homeland security. i started doing something a couple of years ago. instead of coming to the floor to talk about some controversy or things we disagree on with our colleagues across the aisle, i came to the floor for a different purpose. i came to the floor really in order to say thank you, thank you to some of the 220-some thousand men and women who are worth of the department of homeland security who work hard to help secure our country, make us safer in many ways. over the past four years, i have been privileged to serve with our presiding officer and a number of others, senator portman and others, as the senior democrat on the homel

ted williams and john glenn. two american heros in the air at the same time. >> one of his friends said when glenn returned to space. the oldest man to be in space, he was in his element. that's where he wanted to be. he made history. an aviation icon. >> a truly good guy. >>> new revelations this morning. the deadly warehouse fire in oakland that killed 36 people. the fire chief said she does not know the last time or even if the building was ever inspected by her department. the fire inspection teams have been hampered by budget cuts and hiring freezes. it is possible the so-called ghost ship may not have been in the city's database. the mayor created a task force to assess fire safety. they want to learn what they can. >>> and chilling testimony in day two of the dylann roof trial. the jury saw a video taken by one of the victims which showed 22-year-old roof sitting with a bible study group at ame church when he suddenly opens fire. let's get 34from the courtroom drama from deborah feyerick. >> reporter: john