A view from the West

by Lester Holt, NBC News anchor

Greetings from Los Angeles. I'll be anchoring the program from the NBC News bureau here tonight. I came out to southern California for my oldest son's college graduation – a beautiful affair held yesterday on a rolling lawn perched above the Pacific Ocean. For four years I've wondered how anyone could study or get any work done in such a gorgeous location. I'm happy to say he somehow managed, and I'm an awfully proud dad as I now watch him move on to the next chapter of his life. To parents of younger children I offer only this advice: enjoy every minute of them. This growing up thing happens a lot faster than you can ever imagine.

As far as tonight's broadcast is concerned, it's hard to imagine it was just one week ago we were reporting the headline that a public health emergency had been declared in response to the flu outbreak. Experts have learned a lot about the disease in that short time, and are now expressing some guarded optimism. That said, NBC's Rehema Ellis will report this evening that there are still some troubling and unanswered questions about the next chapters in this outbreak.

We've also got a look back at the life of former congressman and VP candidate Jack Kemp. Plus, billionaire businessman Warren Buffet sat down with our colleague, CNBC's Becky Quick, to talk about the economy and how the administration is trying to fix it. We'll have some of that conversation for you tonight.

Thanks for checking in, and I hope you'll tune in later for NBC Nightly News.