If you landed on this planet today after a few years away, you would think nothing has changed since 2004. President Bush is about to take a shot at Sen. John Kerry in a speech to be delivered in a few minutes. Kerry seemed to be saying today: he's been Swift-boated for the last time. The President is going to say that Kerry needs to apologize to those in uniform. We will cover the moving parts in what got us to this point tonight. The Dems are going with the following: Kerry botched a joke and should now quiet down and let them run their races around the country. The Reps seem to be saying: Kerry made an elitist statement, implying that a life without education means entering the Armed Forces as a default or last resort -- and that means service in Iraq.

We will also cover the moving parts in Iraq -- the REAL issue behind today's political dustup between the two men who ran in the last election.

We are unveiling a new poll tonight. Tim Russert will have the numbers from Washington.

Don't miss today's Wall Street Journal story about the most important component in commercial aviation today: the Ziplock bag. It would almost be funny were it not so true at security checkpoints around the country. 

We have a special report on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome tonight, and another on the Hubble space telescope. And while I realize that many of you will be answering the door constantly for candy-hungry goblins, we hope you can join us for tonight's broadcast.

Tonight we report on the discovery of what may be the biological basis for sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS. Researchers at Children's Hospital in Boston have found that the brain receptors for serotonin are greatly reduced in children who die of SIDS. You can read an abstract of the research here.

This is nowhere near a cure. But someday it could become a means of identifying the children who are at high risk from dying and intervening to reduce the chances of death.  SIDS, which is as old as humanity, has a long, sad history of parents being blamed -- and at times even charged as murderers -- for the deaths of infants six months and under. 

Researchers say SIDS requires three conditions: a child six months or younger, an environmental factor such as a lack of oxygen from a bad infection or from a child sleeping face down, and a change in the brain. This research is a giant step because it identifies that brain abnormality and shows there is a biological basis for the condition. We'll tell you more on tonight's broadcast.

"New Orleans is a gumbo of Voodoo and Halloween."
-- Jerry Gandolfo, aka "Mr. Voodoo"

Spiritualists, Voodoo practitioners and the owners of "little shops of horror" are all welcoming New Orleans' second favorite holiday (behind Mardi Gras, of course). Among them is Jerry Gandolfo, who runs the New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum. We stopped in this week to see what kind of business he's been scaring up. Tourism has been sluggish this fall and Jerry hopes Halloween raises his business from the dead. But don't be mistaken, his museum is more than just a tourist trap. A good number of voodoo believers and practitioners stop in to call upon the spirits to intercede on their behalf. They pick up Voodoo dolls, Gris-Gris bags, pray at the Voodoo altar and of course pay homage to the 19th Century Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau.

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Jerry hopes you'll fall under New Orleans' spell and help bring tourism back. But if you can't make it, you can still be here in spirit. You may spot Jerry tonight on Nightly as Mike Taibbi reports on the business of Halloween. Or... click here to get a first look at an episode of "Sci-Fi Investigates," which visited New Orleans this summer to report on the city's mysterious Voodoo culture.

Photo: Voodoo dolls on display at the New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum. Photo by Steve Majors.

Brian anchors the broadcast tonight from New York. Decision 2006 will be one major focus, featuring new numbers from the NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll and analysis by NBC's Tim Russert.

Also, the very first shout-out for Kevin Federline in an NBC News vlog. But you have to watch all the way to the end. Click here or on the image to do so.

It used to be that the scariest night of the year was Christmas Eve, as parents hustled to assemble toys and find batteries before dawn.

But now, it's Halloween Eve. You can't just carve a pumpkin with two triangles for eyes and a gaping mouth. Oh, no: Your kids will convince you that they need the Pumpkin Masters carving kit at $9.99 to create a detailed drawing of the ghoul of their dreams. It seems to only take about three hours to follow one of the "easy" designs.

The National Retail Federation estimates we will spend nearly $5 billion in stores this Halloween. That's up more than $1 billion from last year.

Any parent worth their candy corn may be persuaded to add the following: decorative Halloween lights ($8.99) and a furry spider that scurries up and down a rope when you clap ($3.99). (Damage caused by freaked out dog trying to get the spider: priceless.) You can add a Halloween garland ($2.99), fake neon spider webs for the bushes (2 for $1.29 on sale!), a Happy Halloween sign for the yard ($11.99), fake rubber bats and spiders ($1.99 apiece), a pumpkin (about the same per pound as you now pay for premium gas), a special orange light bulb for the porch ($1.99), and then a second pumpkin to replace the one eaten by the squirrels two days before Halloween. Oh, and that dog? Maybe he needs a costume as well. Throw in your candy, then the kids' costumes, and you can easily spend $100 without blinking.  Folks with bigger yards can invest in giant inflatable decorations that rival the balloons in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. 

Tonight, correspondent Mike Taibbi brings us a story that will chill you to the bottom of your wallet... the "Tale of How Halloween became a Monster."

Note to budget-conscious parents: Halloween decorations and candy will go on sale tomorrow. You'll find them in the same aisle as the Christmas decorations.

We are balancing a number of stories for the top of the broadcast. The attack in Pakistan is notable if only for the reaction we received when making our rounds of government officials to confirm or deny. Also, the situation in Iraq remains top of mind, as does the current fixation with the monthly casualty count. Tonight, to try to get beyond the numbers, we've asked Mike Taibbi to tell us some of their stories. There is a lot of health news to report, having to do with the disparate subjects of trans-fats and premature babies. We will dip in to Decision 2006 by reporting on the Pennsylvania Senate race tonight, and we're so happy the California fire has gone to "under control" status. It was a heroic knock-down by the thousands who responded, and I join a previous e-mailer in noticing that finally the DC-10 was brought in to assist. I've yet to hear a good reason as to why, since it has FAA certification, it is not a first-response platform in a big and changeable fire, where lives and property are at stake.

ALL HANDS
A friend just asked me, "what are you going to blog about today?" I answered: "Hand sanitizer, of course." You had to be there. It's only funny if you're aware of The New York Times page one story this past weekend [NYTimes.com login required for link] on the rise of the popularity of Purell (and similar hand sanitizers) in politics. Shaking hands in the era of mega-germs has led to a run on Purell. The article mentions its use by the last two presidents, and it occurred to me while reading it that I had personal experience involving both.  First, while covering the Clinton White House, I was an eyewitness to a scene similar to one depicted in the Times article: when President Clinton faced a huge dilemma after a large public event. He had been given a home-baked apple pie and had no utensils. What did he do? He ate it by hand. While I'm not casting any stones here (or pies) and will do just about anything when I'm hungry, what was amazing about the incident was the fact that he had just shaken hundreds of hands. As it happened, the motorcade vehicle I was sitting in had a direct view of his limousine, owing to the way we were snaked in an underground hotel parking garage. I didn't want to witness it, but I did. I have a similar but intentionally-suppressed memory involving paella in Florida. I do recall that in 1995 a Secret Service agent told me they had invented a pre-moistened foam-covered baton inside a seal-able cylinder -- which, in the days prior to the invention of Purell, acted as a portable hand-washing device for the President. It was kept in his limousine. I also recall President Bush using Purell at a lunch at the White House, prior to eating and after shaking hands with a dozen or so guests. I'm never without the stuff myself -- and as our travels often bring us to unsanitary places, it's always around. It's placement on page one of The New York Times means it has now taken on iconic status. Of course... it could also mean that some other page one story fell through at the last minute.

With clean hands and a pure heart, it's off to the newsroom. I hope you can join us tonight.

On Nov. 4, 1986, smack in the middle of midterm elections in the United States, NBC News began reporting the story that would ultimately result in the Iran/Contra hearings. The day before, a Lebanese weekly magazine reported that the United States had been secretly selling arms to Iran in hopes of having seven American hostages released. The U.S., including President Ronald Reagan's administration, would not confirm the reports. When U.S. intelligence sources finally did so on Nov. 6, it was a shock to the nation because it went against the administration's policy to never negotiate with terrorists, and it violated a U.S. arms embargo in against Iran.The controversy compounded on Nov. 25 when U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese announced that the proceeds of the arms sales were being diverted to fund Nicaraguan rebels fighting a guerilla war against the seated government.That same day, President Reagan accepted the resignation of Vice Admiral John Poindexter, his national security advisor, and fired Lt. Col. Oliver North. Both men played key roles in the operation, and later, North in particular, became a major focus of the investigation.

Watch the Nightly News coverage from Nov. 4, 1986

Here's NBC News Senior Investigative Producer Robert Windrem shares some of his recollections of the story as it broke:

Even twenty years later, it's hard to forget how stunned we were the day Iran-Contra broke.  It was so unlikely, so bizarre that it took a day or two to sink in.  And then the revelations began to pile up: the cake in the shape of the key, the TOW missile parts, the Israeli connection and finally, the Contra connections -- Ollie North's "neat idea."  Bizarre wasn't the word for it.  Breathtaking might have been.

Moreover, the country had just gone through a hard-fought midterm election and Democrats were angry that the public had gone to the polls without knowing of an explosive issue that no doubt would have had an effect on the campaign.   Note that Tom Brokaw was still sitting on the Election Night set in the attached video clip!

Many thought that this would be Reagan's Watergate, but it never reached that level of outrage or rancor for reasons that had more to do with the President's political skills than the substance. Resignations, firings, indictments, trials, mea culpas all followed just as they did in Watergate, but by the time he left office a little more than two years later, the affable President was again riding high.   

The scandal also resonates now in ways that couldn't be imagined back then.  Today, the Lebanese magazine that broke the story would be online.  Experts and journalists with responsibility for the region —- not to mention bloggers -- would have found it almost immediately and pushed it out a lot quicker.  And what few recall is that the scandal unfolded in large measure because of the White House's nascent e-mail system, a prototype electronic mail system from IBM called the Professional Office System (PROFs). As North and countless others have learned since, e-mail leaves a long digital tail that lives on even after being deleted.

The National Security Archive sued the government in 1989 when it learned the White House was going to destroy the entire e-mail record.  It won, got the e-mails under the Freedom of Information Act and published as both a book and diskette.  The material can now be found at: http://fas.org/spp/starwars/offdocs/reagan/nsa_book.htm

Brian anchors the broadcast from New York tonight and previews a few of the stories we're working on -- including an airline pilot who just turned the mandatory retirement age and doesn't want to call it a career just yet.

Click the image or here to watch.

Editor's note: Brian also anchors MSNBC-TV Decision 2006 coverage from 1-2 p.m. ET today, so if you're in front of a television at that time, enjoy.

With a little more than a week left before the election... this is a big campaign weekend for Republicans and Democrats.  President Bush hit the trail today.  Despite his sagging poll numbers, the President promoted GOP candidates... and defended the war in Iraq.  NBC's Rosiland Jordan will have the latest.

Also,  NBC's Jane Arraf gives us a look at Iraq after Ramadan.  Despite more violence today, some Iraqis say they expect things to calm down.

From California, word that the enormous wildfire in South California is still going strong.  4 firefighters have died trying to stop the blaze... and police are searching for a suspect they believe may have started it.  NBC's Peter Alexander will have that story.

We'll continue our Decision 2006 coverage with NBC's David Gregory and the story of how the economy is having an impact on voters this year. And NBC's Lisa Myers reports on a political dirty trick that should be a warning to Republicans and Democrats.

NBC's Tom Costello tonight on how one city is trying to stop high school students from dropping out.
And NBC's Anne Thompson with a story about single women in their 40s and 50s who are choosing to become mothers through adoption.

It's all coming up tonight... we hope to see you then.

Tonight the fires in California have our attention. And if it's true, as investigators suspect, that this fire was arson, someone has blood on their hands. The fire exploded in size and intensity today, and we have two correspondents now on the ground covering the story. We'll also check in on the dirt being thrown prior to the election, and Tom Brokaw will report from California on the turnaround mounted by the Governor. We will also have our regular Friday evening "Making a Difference" report.

LETTERS TO THE BLOG
To the fan of Eisenhower who wrote in: while I can't address the political point you made, the General is always top of mind whenever I visit Walter Reed, as I did yesterday: I think of the time Ike spent there, and I think of his dramatic death scene -- and it makes the planned demolition of the facility a sad event to contemplate.

I noted there was a letter from someone (who lacked the courage to use his/her own name) that criticized Richard Engel for calling himself "basically a pacifist" in the Washington Post profile by Howard Kurtz that was published yesterday. The letter asked if Richard could be "trusted" to be "around American troops." It's a comment that I'm afraid sums up what's happened to our discourse these days (the practice, dormant for 60 years or so, of raising vague or overt questions about the patriotism of those you don't like), and rather than answering it myself, (and after having read a related comment on a political Web site last night), I've asked Jack Jacobs to respond, at the bottom of this posting.  Jack is one of our NBC military analysts, but more important for the purpose of this discussion, he is one of 111 living recipients of the Medal of Honor. I sit on the board of the Medal of Honor Foundation, and have come to know Jack as one of this nation's truly extraordinary citizens. I'll let his comments speak for themselves.

BRUSH WITH GREATNESS
I've waited 24 hours, so this differs from Gawker Stalker, but I witnessed a great New York scene while stopped at a light at 49th and Park Ave. in Manhattan yesterday. Former Treasury Secretary John Snow crossed the intersection carrying a canvas tote bag. What made it great was the schoolboy-like reaction of two older and very staid-looking business types -- who passed Snow on the sidewalk feigning nonchalance -- and then wheeled around the very instant he passed by them, bursting out into spasms of delighted recognition. This was a rock star sighting for these guys -- they had just spotted a man who just months ago was 5th in line to the presidency -- and it clearly made their day.

Have a good weekend. On Monday, I'll be anchoring the 1 p.m. EDT hour on MSNBC, as they devote the entire day to political coverage. Remember to turn your clocks back. We hope you will join us for our Friday night broadcast.

GUEST BLOG FROM JACK JACOBS, COL., U.S. ARMY (RET.)
RECIPIENT, CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR

While nobody is bereft of opinions and even biases, these don't preclude delivering balanced reports. One could argue persuasively that journalism isn't even a profession: no objective standards of performance, no meaningful peer review, and no centralized enforcement. Plumbers, electricians and even taxi drivers all meet the criteria... but not journalists. Nevertheless, one doesn't have to be a member of a recognized profession to be a recognized professional. Richard is a professional.

If Richard Engel is a pacifist, it's news to me, and it certainly doesn't surface in his reporting. I can't recall a single report he's filed that would betray a bias against soldiers or what they are trying to accomplish in the fight against terror.

Furthermore, an opposition to war doesn't disqualify one from reporting accurately about war, any more than being a capitalist would disqualify a reporter from filing an unbiased report about communism. If that were the case, we would have had nothing useful out of Moscow from Western journalists for more than 70 years.

Finally, if there is an implication, no matter how subtle, that pacifism precludes patriotism, let me offer just one example to the contrary. Last year, a friend of mine of 40 years, a pacifist, passed away. Although he was excused from serving in World War II because of his beliefs, he loved this country and volunteered to be a combat medic. His name was Desmond Doss, and for his heroic battlefield gallantry in saving the lives of his comrades under fire, he was awarded the Medal of Honor.

According to a military official in the Pentagon, the official number of U.S. military killed in Iraq for October now stands at 99 -- that is 94 hostile and 5 non-hostile deaths.

The casualty count for the month of October 2006 has now surpassed every month since Jan. 2005, when 107 members of the U.S. military were killed. For perspective, in Oct. 2005 the number of casualties jumped to 96, from 49 in Sept. 2005.

The following statistics are from the Department of Defense:

Operation Iraqi Freedom, U.S. casualty status
Total Deaths:              2,808
Total Hostile Deaths:      2,254
Total Non-hostile deaths:    554
Total wounded:            21,266
(statistics current as of 13:00 ET, Oct. 27)

Editor's note: Richard's story on Thursday's broadcast, about the stress U.S. troops face in the field and back at home, drew a considerable amount of response. One item in particular stirred up debate, so he wrote more about it in Blogging Baghdad. Here's an excerpt, with a link to the full post below.

How war has changed. Saigon: Comfort women, an embarrassing shot from the medic, booze, pot, secrets from wives at home. Soldiers here say, "not this time."

Now they're worried the tables have turned, and that the soldiers' wives are on the make while they live like monks on bases.

"The extent of our social lives is a trip to the porta-john with an FHM magazine," a soldier told me.  The troops here worry about "The Jody."

"Jody?"

I'd never heard of it. I know al-Qaida in Iraq, the Mahdi army, and other nefarious death squads that want to kill American troops. But Jody? I drew a blank. 

A soldier filled me in: "Jody is the guy back home with you wife or your girlfriend," he said, suddenly deadly serious. "He's the guy hiding behind a corner, behind the curtain, hiding in the closet."

Read the rest in Blogging Baghdad.

Brian returns to the vlog today, after a couple days on assignment in Ohio and Washington, D.C.

Find out why he's been out of electronic touch for 24 hours. Click the image to watch.

U.S. Naval forces are on a "heightened state of alert" in the Persian Gulf today after the United Kingdom issued a maritime warning that al-Qaida may be preparing to attack oil interests, including refineries and offshore oil platforms.

According to U.S. Navy officials, the alert has been ordered "as a precaution" based on general public threats made by al-Qaida and additional intelligence about possible terrorist attacks on oil facilities. The officials say however the alert is NOT based on any specific intelligence that pinpoints a possible time or place for an attack.

The British maritime warning, which cautions commercial shipping and oil operators to be vigilant, does mention the ground-based Rastannurah oil facility in Saudi Arabia.

Oil markets appear to have shrugged off the maritime warning. The price of crude is down slightly this morning.

VIDEO: Watch Jim's report on MSNBC-TV.

EDITOR'S NOTE: We said shortly after 3 p.m. ET this piece would likely not air this evening, but as is often the case in this business, that's changed again. So, as of 4:20, be looking for this piece on tonight's broadcast.

I can still hear the crack. My head hit the sidewalk so hard that my brothers and sisters still talk about it. I was rollerskating on concrete, lost my balance, and fell backward. I don't remember anything else but the sound. I was konked out. My mother did all the things you were supposed to do in 1962. She called the pediatrician, who came to the house and looked at me and told to stay on the sofa so my mom could keep an eye on me. As long as I didn't throw up or drift into a deep sleep, the doctor thought I would be OK. That's the way we did things before X-rays, CT scans, and other tests.

Would we do it the same way today? Of course not. But the funny thing is that even with today's technology, it may be low-tech testing that is the best way to evaluate a child after a concussion. CT scans and X-rays can't tell the depth of the brain bruise and are very poor at predicting how that bruise will affect a child in the long term. But what we do know is that a second smack may harm the brain for good. So now doctors check for concentration, simple tasks like adding, dividing, and recalling numbers, irritability and sleep disturbances. The idea is that if a child shows some differences in brain function, then a second blow has to be prevented.

And why is that important? 3.8 million kids suffer sports-related concussions every year, yet most of them are sent right back into the game. What we'll show you tonight is that sending them back into the game may be the worst decision that doctors and coaches can make.

If you saw today's Pentagon briefing, then you know it was a feisty one, with a notable exchange between our own Jim Miklaszewski and Defense Secretary Rumsfeld [video link]. We'll talk about that tonight and cover the substance of the briefing as well. We'll also air a special piece on the troops tonight from Richard Engel, who has spent some intense time with them of late while embedded with U.S. forces.

In other news: the President signed the "border fence" bill today -- we'll talk about what that means, or doesn't. We'll look at the fire tragedy in California, as we mourn the loss of those three firefighters in their vehicle. We will look at the odd and almost accidental discovery of a melanoma breakthrough, and we'll change gears and look at a development in monitoring your teenager's driving habits. And allow me to add, from one parent to others: my wife and I have found that praying helps.

THE MEN AND WOMEN OF WARD 57
We are back in New York after originating the broadcast from Ohio last night, and after making one overnight stop along the way. I just flew in from Washington, where we spent the morning at Walter Reed, which is always an emotional, magical, difficult, challenging and inspirational experience. The men and women of Ward 57, those I met today who had lost one, two or three limbs, are some of the best people I've ever encountered, anywhere. So are the Vietnam, Korean and Gulf War vets who, similarly injured, walk among them as peers and friends. So are the doctors who receive their inspiration through working with such motivated veterans. It is a life-changing experience, and I wish I could bring everyone I know to Ward 57. While I imagine it's not the place for everyone, nor is it for the faint of heart, I've now visited enough to enjoy a certain comfort level there. I stand in awe of all of them. I don't think there was a soldier in that ward today whose first wish isn't to return to the fight.The segments we shot today will air at a later date. We'll give you a heads up in this space as to when.

From such an inspiring place, it was off to its diametric opposite: Reagan National Airport. Because I was flying the New York Shuttle one-way and hadn't flown in from New York, and because I purchased my ticket as a walk-up customer (part of the whole idea of the shuttle is that flights leave every half hour, so you fly on whatever flight you make), I found myself with a boarding pass bearing the dreaded three X's, meaning, as the TSA agent put it, I had been "selected for enhanced security," a distinction I positively live for. At National, that means time alone in a glass bullpen, where passengers wait until someone comes to open the door and escort you to the area where they inspect your body, clothing and belongings. What struck me as funny was that my inspector at first entered my bullpen enclave just for a social visit (before it was my turn for full inspection) -- she removed her rubber glove and said, "I just want to shake your hand!" -- explaining that she was a big fan of NBC Nightly News. However much she liked my work, those three X's meant the following: by the thinking of our current system of airline security, there was still a chance, according to a profiling model, that of all the passengers who passed by while I stood in that bullpen, I might have chosen today to take down a commercial airliner, and take my own life in the process. Those three X's meant, of course, she also had to do her job, which she did very well. While I'm more than happy to submit to searches (it happens constantly, as I am often flying last-minute or one-way routes or both), and while I'll go out of my way to do my part to make sure our skies are safe, is everyone convinced this is the best model? Just asking. I made the flight by seven minutes, said hello to my old friend and fellow shuttle passenger Joe Klein of TIME magazine, settled into my seat and went back to thinking of the great Americans I'd just met in Ward 57.

And a special note: Howard Kurtz of the Washington Post wrote a terrific profile in this morning's edition of a co-worker we are very proud of around here: Richard Engel. It deserves the few minutes it will take to read, and Richard deserves our thanks, respect and appreciation every day.

It's good to be back home. We hope you can join us for our Thursday night broadcast.

Tonight we report on an amazing movement of research -- not from animals to humans but the other way around. 

Researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City had been working on a vaccine to lessen the chances of melanoma recurring after surgical removal. Down the street at the Animal Medical Center, veterinarians heard of the studies and asked if they could try it in dogs. It turns out dogs naturally get melanoma and it can be fatal to them just as it can be for humans. In many of the dogs the vaccine actually cured the cancer, and the vaccine is about to be licensed. But for now, all this work remains experimental.

We'll tell you all about it on tonight's broadcast.

In the meantime, you can find more information on the dog studies at the Animal Medical Center Web site. You can make an appointment at the Animal Medical Center by calling (212) 838-7053. For information on the human trials led by Dr. Jed Wolchok at Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York, call 1-800-525-2225 or visit their Web site.

Brian anchors the broadcast tonight, but while he's on assignment this afternoon, Chief Science & Health Correspondent Robert Bazell is on vlog duty.

He tells you about the story he's reporting tonight, which could give people with skin cancer another reason to proclaim dogs are man's best friend.

Click here to watch.

Tonight we report on a potential advance in the treatment of lung cancer — a test to see who can benefit from chemotherapy immediately after surgery to remove early stage lung cancer. I say potential advance because this is about a test that is not yet on the market. It requires a large trial to prove its true worth, and that won't be finished for a few years. You can read an abstract of the actual research from the New England Journal of Medicine.

We chose to publicize this early finding because lung cancer is by far the leading cancer killer and treatment advances have lagged far behind other cancers. This is about to change. A screening test that finds cancer at its earliest stages has just completed a 10-year trial. Those results have not been published, but many experts widely expect they will show that former and current smokers can benefit from screening to find early, small cancers that can be removed easily with surgery. 

But even when a tiny tumor is removed there is still a big problem. In half of the patients the cancer will recur, threatening the patient's life. The new test, based an analysis of 2,100 genes, distinguished between the tumors that are cured by surgery alone and those that require preventative – so called adjuvant - chemotherapy. The scientists estimate the test has the potential to save tens of thousands of lives a year.

This is the latest discovery in what is called "personalized medicine" -– using tests to individualize therapy so that only those who need the treatment get it while others can be spared the cost and side effects.

If it's Wednesday, it must be Columbus. What a life-affirming, sparkling Fall day this is here in Ohio -- it is proof that you can leave New York and land in America in time for lunch at Bun's restaurant in Delaware, Ohio -- where we met up with Sen. Mike DeWine earlier this morning. Without fail and without exception, every person we have met all day has been kind and welcoming. My only frustration was that we could not sit down to lunch at Bun's (duty called), and so we were forced to do the next best thing: we bought their fudge cake (6 lbs., $6) to take with us on the plane home.

Photos by Nightly News Producer Subrata De

I'm hoping the TSA doesn't declare it a liquid. Lunch today was the drive-up window at Arby's. All I will say is this: I ordered from memory, without looking at the board. It was a first for Executive Producer John Reiss, who had the chicken. I don't think John will ever be quite the same after this trip.

Updated, 4:00 p.m. ET: John Reiss has corrected me, for the record, and indeed, says he has eaten at Arby's, but he admits that was in college, and thus the unfamiliarity with the menu.

We landed here today in time to see the President's news conference, and I was able to hustle to our satellite location and join in on the coverage from here. A lot of our broadcast tonight will be driven by what he had to say today. We'll have coverage from David Gregory and Richard Engel. We'll cover today's big news regarding lung cancer, and the story we touched on last night about separate (by sex) education.

Obviously, I will have an up-close look at the Senate campaign that has helped to make Ohio such a pivotal state in this election cycle. Among our other items: interesting news today on home sales, a shingles vaccine and a new angle on our nation's gas consumption.

After the broadcast tonight, we say (movie buffs who didn't see this one coming a mile away, shame on you) "Goodbye, Columbus..." and depart for points east. We'll see you from home base tomorrow night, and we hope you can join our broadcast from here tonight.

Brian anchors the broadcast from Columbus, Ohio, tonight and will report on the Senate race in that state. While Brian is in the field, Chief White House Correspondent David Gregory handles the Early Nightly today, focusing on President Bush's news conference.

Click here for David's analysis in the vlog.

-- Joe Yurt, Director of Rodent Control for New Orleans, aka "The Pied Piper"

I spoke with Yurt recently while researching a potential story about the rodent problem emerging in the city in the year since Katrina. Rats are only one part of the problem. Snakes, squirrels, raccoons and armadillos are among a number of wild animals that moved into parts of the city when people moved out following the storm.

However, Yurt explained to me that as people returned to their homes, they encountered new neighbors who have been waiting for a steady food supply. The only good news in all of this? Business is booming at private pest and rodent control companies.

Photo caption: One of the rats captured by Rodent Control. Yes, it was as big as a rabbit. Photo by Steve Majors.

Yesterday the Department of Education announced the biggest change in public education in more than 30 years, the first time in an entire generation that public schools will have the right to teach boys and girls separately. This new rule under Title IX gives school districts unprecedented latitude to create all-girl or all-boy educational settings.   

Under the new rules, which go into effect on Nov. 24, public schools can now separate boys and girls by grade, by subject, or even entire schools. Your child's participation would be voluntary.   

Tonight, correspondent Martin Savidge will report from Ascension Parish in Louisiana, just north of New Orleans. They decided to try the single-sex model last year. Martin will tell you how it's worked out so far.

There have been single-sex classes in limited settings over the years in almost all school districts, for example, sex education classes or some types of gym classes. According to the National Association for Single Sex Public Education, there are now 241 public schools designed for single-sex education. Keep in mind: that's a minuscule fraction of the 93,000 public schools across the country.

Of course, some parents have always been able to send their kids to private single sex schools for years. Some now say this levels the playing field for everyone. You don't have to be wealthy to offer your daughter or son the opportunity for that type of education.    

But critics are concerned that gender separated classes and schools start us down the slippery slope of gender stereotyping.  Research on the issue has been mixed. Some studies do show that students learn better when they are in single-sex classrooms.   

But if you look at the Department of Education's own Web site, even they cite a study that shows "...any positive effects of SS schooling on longer-term indicators of academic achievement are not readily apparent. No differences were found for postsecondary test scores, college graduation rates, or graduate school attendance rates." Is single sex education the way to go? Can separate BE equal? Or perhaps better?

Hard news all around, again tonight. Today's announcement on the next set of time triggers in Iraq has people asking some very serious questions about timing and who's calling the shots. Chief among the questions I've heard today: How can an Iraq government, which has proved all but incapable of governing, suddenly find the justification (or enforcement power) to name a new set of deadlines for the future? We'll report what we know tonight, from the Pentagon to Iraq, where Richard Engel will run the story down for us. We'll also drop in on David Gregory at the White House.

Chip Reid will have our report on Speaker Hastert's drop-by today on the Hill, and Andrea Mitchell will take a look at the political ads getting all the ink in this campaign. We continue our series on housing (tonight, those tricky mortgages), talk about health -- and if our lineup times out correctly -- we'll get off the air with a cultural touchstone of sorts from Josh Mankiewicz in our Los Angeles bureau... though it strikes me he reported the piece in question from Dallas.

Today's day-long political coverage on MSNBC has gone well. Andrea has this hour, and earlier today I watched Lester, Tim and Chris. For junkies, it's just what we want this close to the event. I was surprised earlier today at the movement in some of the polls measuring some of the races. We had David Gergen on today, who talked about the new Harvard/U.S.News & World Report survey on leadership. It might just contain the key to the next Presidential election.

We hope you can join us tonight.

Iraq will, unfortunately, be at or near the top of our broadcast tonight -- more violence, more death, and at least one missing U.S. soldier in Baghdad. Brian Williams outlines that and other key stories we're watching for you.

Click here to watch the vlog.