environmental disaster unfolding in the gulf of mexico, the president is doing what others have after other disasters like three-mile island and the shuttle "challenger" explosion. he is forming a presidential commission to investigate it. meantime, the spill grew larger today. it does every day. bp says they are grabbing some of the oil at the well head with a mile-long vacuum tube. as that work goes on everyone is watching and worrying about the current grabbing this slick and taking it around florida and on up the east coast. we begin our reporting here tonight with nbc's mark potter. he's in venice, louisiana. mark, good evening. >> reporter: good evening to you, brian. some of that runaway oil is being captured now but even more is still flowing. with oil on shore 50 miles from the spill site, there are new plans to finally seal that well. in louisiana's remote south pass today gooey red-colored oil has come ashore on a beach and in the marsh grasses. oil made its way past the booms that were supposed to stop it. governor bobby jindal says the landfalls are spreading. >> louisiana has 46 miles of oil to shoreline since the beginning of this incident. 11 of those miles are area that received tar balls. >> reporter: nearly four weeks after the oil rig explosion bp says it is reducing some of the oil spill. over the weekend the company announced it inserted a mile-long tube into the broken oil pipe and is sending 1,000 barrels of oil to a container ship on the surface and hopes to soon capture half of the runaway flow. >> we can actually see this recovering 2,000 barrels a day we would be extraordinarily pleased. >> reporter: a marine biologist who worked for the "exxon valdez" oil spill would like to see independent oil flow monitors put near the well. >> this is the american people's ocean. these are our birds and animals that are dying. >> reporter: bp hopes to begin a top kill where thousands of barrels of mud are forced down long pipes, through the blowout preventer. the well is th sealed with cement. if unsuccessful engineers will try the so-called junk shot forcing rubber, plastic, copper even golf balls into the blowout preventer adding mud and cement to clog and stop the flow. officials say even if that well is sealed there is so much more to do in tracking and cleaning up the oil and taking care of the ecosystem and the people who lost their livelihoods because of that spill. brian? >> mark potter in louisiana to start us off yet again this monday night. mark, thanks. here is the other big worry about the spill. there is concern that even if it doesn't get any bigger, even if it was shut down tonight the oil already in the gulf, millions of gallons of it, will hitch a ride on something called the loop current which will bring it all the way up the east coast. that part of this story tonight from nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: across the region concern is growing that the oil is starting to enter a ribbon of warm water called the loop current that swirls in the gulf, reaches into the florida coast, into the keys and shoots up the east coast. how warm is the water in that current? >> the loop current temperature is ranging from 82 to 58 degrees. >> reporter: mitch roffer is an oceanographer who specializes in water and fish. this is his worst fear. >> none of this is health food for the ecosystem. it could move into the keys and come up the east coast of the united states and in theory, as far north as cape hatteras. >> reporter: the contamination could spread to both sides of florida, the keys, northern cuba, to the carolinas and virginia. the priority now is to track the oil. this 3-d animation shows the miles long plume represented in blue and across the top the orange and red represent the surface movement. tomorrow scientists will drop sensors into the water to track the depth of the plume, the direction and the speed. >> this satellite picture showing the oil slick entering the loop current through here. some of the models bring it south toward the florida straits in the next five to ten days. >> reporter: so far no sign of it. wtvj hank tester is on florida's east coast. >> reporter: this is ft. lauderdale beach. no tar, no oil. >> reporter: tonight the loop current is no longer something just the fishermen watch. tom costello, nbc news, washington. almost a month after that blowout that started all of this, a top official has lost his job. he is chris oins, responsible for overseeing offshore oil and gas drilling as head of the interior department's minerals management service. he will step down at the end of this month. the agency is coming under intense scrutiny now. along with bp, the oil company that operated the rig. our senior investigative correspondent lisa meyers spoke with someone who tried to raise a red flag on this a long time ago. >> reporter: this veteran energy manager, ken abbott, sounded the alarm on bp practices a year ago working on another offshore platform atlantis. >> what i realized about bp is they were not following normal accepted safe engineering practice. >> reporter: abbott became concerned because he says thousands of engineering drawings detailing how the complex structure was built had not been reviewed by bp engineers and may not have been up to date. >> i thought it could result in a cataclysmic failure because of the inability of the operators to have the drawings they need to correctly control the platform. >> reporter: or to handle an emergency. congressional hearings reveal there were problems with drawings on deep water horizon as workers scrambled to save the rig they wasted critical time because they didn't have accurate drawings of important equipment. the blowout preventer. >> the drawings they received did not match the structure on the sea floor. >> reporter: still a bp spokesman called abbott's allegations groundless and said the atlantis crew has access to the information they need for the safe operation of the facility. abbott was laid off by bp and is now working with an environmental group. he says he also repeatedly took his concerns to the federal agency which regulates offshore drilling, the interior department's minerals management service. >> basically the mms ignored us and then made excuses. >> reporter: mms has a checkered history, 15 reports by government watchdogs over seven years criticize the agency for being too cozy with the industry, corrupt or inept. environmentalists charge under the bush and obama administrations the mms has behaved as though its mission is to help oil companies evade environmental laws. >> they continue to have a cozy relationship with the oil industry, continued to issue permits, continued to rubber stamp whatever the industry wanted. >> reporter: in fact, since january 2009, mms has given permission to bp and other companies to drill in the gulf of mexico without getting required permits, assessing the threat to endangered species and marine mammals. critics say this practice has not changed even in the wake of the accident. >> after the blowup the department of the interior continued to issue exploratory drilling permit chs is outrageous. >> reporter: mms refused to send a witness to testify before a senate committee. last week the obama administration moved to reform the agency. abbott sued the interior department to halt operations at bp's atlantis. lisa meyers, nbc news, washington. in other news tonight, a long-awaited decision from the supreme court came today. the justices ruled juveniles can't be sentenced to life in prison without parole for any crime other than murder. the 5-4 decision found life without parole for young offenders violates the constitution's protection against cruel and unusual punishment in this country. with an increasingly angry electorate, all eyes on the political world are on election day tomorrow and several important races. one in pennsylvania where senator arlen specter is trying to hang on to his job after switching his party. andrea mitchell has covered specter going back to her days as a local reporter there and she is in philly for us tonight. andrea, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. as you know well, arlen specter is a survivor, two bouts with cancer, a lot of political crises over the decades but because of that party switch facing a tough challenge from democratic congressman joe sestak. this primary race is redefining nasty. both ways. specter going after sestak. he is a retired admiral. for his military career. sestak going after specter because of his age. he is 80 years old. specter as you well know provided critical votes to president obama on the stimulus package and on health care. although the president has campaigned for him before, he is, in fact, flying over pennsylvania tomorrow on his way to youngstown, ohio. rather than helping specter get out the vote. and joe biden is here giving a commencement speech but is not going be campaigning. the white house has apparently decided joe sestak would be a better general election candidate for the democrats against the republican candidate. meanwhile, blanche lincoln in arkansas is facing a very tough fight from lieutenant governor bill halter. she is campaigning against wall street to bail herself out of that. in kentucky you have the tea party favorite rand paul, the son of ron paul, who is running favorably against and might be defeating the republican establishment leading candidate trey grayson. this could be the case if rand paul wins where a tea party candidate beats the party system. it could be a very bad night for incumbents. brian? >> it could be a long one, indeed. we'll talk about all of it starting tomorrow. andrea mitchell in philadelphia for us tonight. andrea, thanks. general motors posted an $865 million profit for the first three months of the year, the company's first profit since '07 and a big turn around since emerging from government-finances bankruptcy last summer. the story here is a bit different when you look at the fine print. taxpayers still own 61% of gm, a fact which may have been lost on some people after the company ran an aggressive ad campaign on this broadcast and others saying they paid back their government loan in full. that $6 billion loan payback was simply paid back using other taxpayer funds. we're still watching that volcano in iceland carefully because it's been acting up again. 1,000 more flights were grounded in europe just today and airports in the uk and the netherlands were closed on sunday because of another big cloud of ash. the last time this volcano erupted big in the early 1800s, by the way, this went on for two years though back then there were no airports to close. when "nightly news" continues in just a moment, a fresh look at pesticides on food and potential health problems in american children. and later, our special "making a difference" series, beginning tonight with someone instantly recognizable who wants recognition for others. plavix, taken with other heart medicines, goes beyond what other heart medicines do alone, to provide greater protection against heart attack or stroke and even death by helping to keep blood platelets from sticking together and forming clots. ask your doctor about plavix. protection that helps save lives. people with stomach ulcers or other conditions that cause bleeding should not use plavix. taking plavix alone or with some other medicines including aspirin may increase bleeding risk, so tell your doctor when planning surgery. certain genetic factors and some medicines, such as prilosec, may affect how plavix works. tell your doctor all the medicines you take, including aspirin, especially if you've had a stroke. if fever, unexplained weakness or confusion develops, tell your doctor promptly. these may be signs of ttp, a rare but potentially life-threatening condition, reported sometimes less than 2 weeks after starting plavix. other rare but serious side effects may occur. reported sometimes less than 2 weeks after starting plavix. sometimes life can be, well, a little uncomfortable, but when it's hard or hurts to go to the bathroom, there's dulcolax stool softener. dulcolax stool softener doesn't make you go... it just makes it easier to go. dulcolax stool softener. make yourself comfortable. for osteoporosis, and it's not always easy to get the calcium we need from our diet to help reduce that risk. fortunately, there's caltrate. as we get older, our bodies steal calcium from our bones. caltrate helps replenish the calcium we lose. with 1200 mg of calcium, plus advanced levels of vitamin d to help reduce your risk of osteoporosis. it's never too early or too late for caltrate. and now big news -- the same caltrate comes in a new, smaller, easy to swallow pill. [ both screaming ] i got into one of the most expensive schools in the country! [ male announcer ] when stress gives you heartburn with headache... alka-seltzer gives you relief fast. [ low male ] plop, plop. [ high male ] fizz, fizz. topping our health news, the headline might as well read "attention parents." a new study that raises questions between a possible link between pesticides found on the food we eat and behavioral problems in children. our chief medical editor dr. nancy snyderman with more on this. nancy, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. we know there is a link between people, especially children, exposed to high levels of pesticides and some neurologic problems. this new report in "the journal of pediatrics" looks at a broad swath of kids ages 8 to 15 who haven't been as exposed. what they suggest is the higher the exposure, the more constant exposure to some of these pesticides the more likely chance, brian, of getting adhd. this residue showed up in some unlikely places, frozen blue berries, 28% chance, 25% of strawberries, even in celery. the concern is the normal pesticide residue that comes from big productions, big farms down to what we use in our gardens can have an effect in behavioral problems later in childrens' lives. >> where it has been manifesting itself is the adhd area? >> reporter: yeah. there is a relationship between the concentration in urine because these pesticides, 40 approved by the fda, wash out of the body quickly. know where you are getting your food, eat locally when you get a chance and for heavens sakes eat things that are in season. this is where parents don't blame themselves but we have to be prudent shoppers. you have a right to know where your food comes from. >> dr. nancy snyderman, thanks. we'll take a break. we're back in a moment with today's fifth anniversary in the news which has some people wondering how we ever lived without this invention. [ male announcer ] we call it the american renewal. because ge capital understands what businesses need to grow. that's why today ge capital provides critical financing to more than 300,000 growing companies. ♪ ♪ ♪ ay, yay, yay, yay ♪ ay, yay, yay, yay ♪ ♪ ♪ baby, baby, baby, baby... uh-oh ♪ ♪ ♪ baby, baby, baby, baby... uh-oh ♪ why do women like you love activia light? sometimes i have no choice but to eat on the run... and to eat whatever happens to be around. heavy greasy food that's hard on my diet... and my digestive system. so i eat activia light every day. activia light, with bifidus regularis is clinically proven to help regulate your digestive system. mmmm. the new taste is better than ever. and with only 70 calories activia light helps make it easier to watch my weight. it helps me feel good and look good too! ♪ activia! most popular search on google today was miss usa, a lot of people were talking today about the selection of 24-year-old rima fakih, lebanese immigrant from dearborn, michigan. she told reporters she understood some in her home community disapproved of her openly flaunting her physical beauty. her family and supporters say they are overjoyed. detroit's anti-discrimination committee says her victory is a triumph that shows the greatness of this country. we broke a record last month it turns out. the weather experts at noaa say last month was the warmest april ever on record. the average world temperature was 58.1 degrees fahrenheit in april, the warmest since they started keeping track back in 1880. in fact, the first fourth months of this year were all record setters. someone has put a price on bo obama's furry head. in the president's latest financial disclosure form bo is valued at $1,600. the dollar amount had to be declared in print because bo was a gift from the late senator ted kennedy who, of course, never went anyone without his two portuguese water dogs. a lot of people were surprised to learn today it has only been five years. that is the anniversary youtube is celebrating. give or take. whether your all time favorite is the evolution of dance or the susan boyle clip or the dramatic squirrel or the all-time british classic, charlie bit my finger. and it is still hurting by the way. it long ago became part of our social fabric. globally, youtube gets 2 billion views a day. if you sat down to watch all the video posted on youtube it would take close to two centuries and the number grows by the day. when we come back here tonight -- our conversation with sally field and where she has chosen to make a difference for women around the world. you know what will really get us in the spirit? ♪ 99 boxes of raisin bran crunch ♪ ♪ if you're nice to me i'll share some with you ♪ ♪ you take one down ( and pass it around ) ♪ ♪ 98 boxes of raisin bran crunch ♪ three tasty ingredients, one great combination. ♪ raisin bran crunch! from kellogg! transform plain old ribs into these fall-off-the-bone honey bbq ribs. the secret's in the sauce, made with campbell's french onion soup. for these delicious ribs and dozens more sizzling summer recipes, visit campbellskitchen.com. [ but aleve can last 12 hours. tylenol 8 hour lasts 8 hours. and dozens more sizzling summer recipes, and aleve was proven to work better on pain than tylenol 8 hour. so why am i still thinking about this? how are you? good, how are you? [ male announcer ] aleve. proven better on pain. at iowa lakes community college, students are learning how to keep wind turbines working. and to keep them safe, the only battery they trust in their high-voltage meters is a duracell rechargeable. duracell. trusted everywhere. [ man thinking ] i'm so stuffed with gas. ohh, noo, not that! not, not here! [ male announcer ] prevent uncomfortable gas moments with gas-x prevention. just one before meals helps prevent gas before it starts. from gas-x, the gas-xperts. but with advair, i'm breathing better. so i can join the fun at my family barbeque. (announcer) for people with copd, including chronic bronchitis, emphysema, or both, great news. advair helps significantly improve lung function. while nothing can reverse copd, advair is different from most other medications because it contains both an anti-inflammatory and a long-acting bronchodilator, working together to help you breathe better. advair won't replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms and should not be used more than twice a day. people with copd taking advair may have a higher chance of pneumonia. advair may increase your risk of osteoporosis and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking advair. i'm glad you came, grandma. oh, me too. if copd is still making it hard to breathe, ask your doctor if including advair will help improve your lung function for better breathing. (announcer) get your first full prescription free and save on refills. we see her just about every night here when that commercial airs for boniva. it airs often enough to warranted its own parody this past week on "snl." don't mistake that for how we know the two-time academy award winning actress sally field. tonight we kick off celebrity names in this country making a difference in their lives. perhaps you'll learn something you didn't know tonight about sally field. >> for 15 1/2 years, my life was a complete and total ick. >> it seems like we've always known her, starting on tv almost 50 years ago with "gidget" and "the flying nun" and multipersonalitied "qybil." it was the big screen where she started to shine. her deepest meaning for these days, women's rights advocate. >> i knew i was terribly affected by playing norma rae for instance in "places in the heart" which was about a woman struggling to take care of her children. >> something has happened to your pa. i don't know i would be who i am today had i not stood in their shoes and tried to understand who they were and what they had gone through. i think it changed me and i'm lucky for it. >> in 1995 as an ambassador for save the children, sally traveled to nepal. soon after then first lady hillary clinton asked her to speak at the beijing women's conference and in recent years she's taken on new challenges serving for nine years on the board of directors of vital voices, an organization that invests in women from emerging nations, helping them grow into leadership roles. >> we can't have a healthy world on any level if half of our citizens are given really no human rights whatsoever. vital voices goes in and invests in them and helps to protect them because a lot of these women are in great danger because of what they're doing in their own societies to bring about human rights to women. >> empowering women like rebecca soli of kenya who started a village that shelters women like her who have suffered domestic violence and ann valerie t. milford from haiti who was part of a group of women who founded vital voices in her country. her mentor is rhonda mims president of ing bank. >> 8,000 women have been recognized by vital voices. they estimate 500,000 were touched by these 8,000 women. then you imagine what those 500,000 women go out and do and touch. >> maybe we give to the small kids. >> and you found one of them. >> andisha. >> andisha. who is remarkable. >> we first brought you the story of andisha fared last october. we met her in afghanistan. she grew up in refugee camps and is now running an orphanage. >> she teaches them tolerance, she teaches the little boys while they are growing up that little girl is your sister, today, tomorrow and for the rest of your life. and that's really dangerous to be doing that where she is. >> she is a soldier. >> she is a soldier. >> she is on the frontlines of this. >> she is. >> that's the way the system is supposed to work. >> i want to do more, even more than what i'm doing now. >> women give back in a unique way. different than men do. and that voice, that vital voice, is so desperately needed in this world. >> part of our conversation with sally field. tomorrow night we continue with eva longoria parker who found inspiration in her own family that is making a difference for others these days. as we start a new week. that's our broadcast for this monday night.