It is indeed the first night of the holiday exodus, except for those of us who don't want to be more than 100 yards away from our backyard grills for the next few days.

We have a full broadcast tonight, including an interesting story involving GM and the secretive mega-investor, Kirk Kerkorian. In this current "grab your partner" economy where going it alone is often dangerous and even fatal, many experts say the road ahead for GM must include friends along the way.

Serious allegations of crimes of war top the news from Iraq tonight. Osama bin Laden has checked in by videotape (though we don't see him, we hear him, thanks to the television production arm of al-Qaida) with another message, still being analyzed.

There is more good medical news... it has to do with the leading cause of blindness and a new (but expensive) medication that can actually reverse it. Robert Bazell's report tonight needs to be seen and heard, especially by the elderly or those who care for them. 

It was a wild day at Graceland. The sight of the Japanese prime minister singing Elvis songs, wearing Elvis' aviators... is too much. The president often talks about how amazing it is that his own father fought the Japanese (in fact, was shot down by them and almost lost his life), and today's scene in Memphis makes for a further mind-bender. At least the two world leaders could have some fun. We also will check in on the preparations for the shuttle launch. 

My chief purpose today is to wish all of our viewers and blog readers a safe and happy holiday weekend. Take a moment (as my father used to insist we do on all national holidays), and remember what the day is meant to celebrate. And please forgive me for taking some time on Monday and Tuesday to be with my family. My friend Ann Curry has agreed to sit in and keep the ship sailing straight while I sneak away. I will see you all on Wednesday.

NBC correspondent Tom Costello is on assignment in Cape Canaveral, Fla., where the space shuttle Discovery was cleared for a Saturday launch. Click here for a video log from Tom about the high stakes surrounding the launch.

Wednesday night, George Lewis gave us a terrific primer on a fascinating Web site... the ever popular YouTube.com [VIDEO LINK]. His piece ended with a clip Brian feels is a modern classic in the annals of Web video. It is known far and wide as "Pinky the Cat." (Click to watch.) As he said last night, "It never disappoints."

I had not seen it before, and I have to say, I'm now a convert to "Pinky." I watched it once, but like good art or a good book: It makes you think. It stays with you. It makes you ask questions.

And here's what we are left with: where IS Pinky now? I didn't spend all day Thursday on this (we did have news out of the White House and Supreme Court after all), but a few hours of phone calls and yes, Googling, gives us no definitive leads on what happened to Pinky.

Is he adopted? Is he still looking for a home? Or, has he gone on to a place where he is free to be Pinky?

So, America: What happened to Pinky the cat? Someone out there knows. And we need to know. Click "Discuss" to give us any leads.

It's the leading cause of blindness. Now, new treatments may not only stop the disease, they may actually reverse it and help patients to see better again. Tonight, we'll have the latest advances on saving eyesight. Plus, it's Friday, which means another story in our popular series "Making A Difference."

I got in the elevator here at 30 Rockefeller Plaza this morning, pressed the button for my floor, and after the doors closed, noticed a message was flashing on the control panel: HELP IS ON THE WAY. HELP IS ON THE WAY. It made me worry: was there something I didn't know? Who was sending help? Who knew I needed help? Is it that obvious? Can I decline help and send it to the folks in Pennsylvania? Iraq? New Orleans? Can I send it to a Children's Hospital? A hospice? My guess is that a warning light malfunctioned in the elevator. It sure made for a vigorous intellectual exercise first thing in the morning.

This was one of those rare mornings in our business, in that we came to work pretty much knowing the Supreme Court would supply our lead story... or at least a big story. We knew this was the last day of the term, and we knew the Guantanamo Bay decision had yet to be announced. It went against the president. In a body not known for high drama, Justice Thomas supplied some today by reading his dissent aloud from the bench for only the second time in his years as a justice. Pete Williams will head up our coverage of that story tonight. Tomorrow the president will put the subject behind him and take his house guest to Graceland.

We have been watching the flooding all day as well. As a former Pennsylvania resident and a fan of autumn drives (in a fast car) through the same areas currently being inundated, some of these pictures hurt to watch. While high water is a part of life in some of these communities, it is nonetheless awful to watch and is causing great suffering and anxiety. We will have two reports tonight.

Also tonight, we'll look at the situation in Gaza -- this is a whole new ballgame, even given the tactics and history of the Israelis. Last night's roundup of members of the Hamas power structure was extraordinary, as is the silence that has followed among other nations, for the most part. Some are saying it's about much more than a missing soldier. Martin Fletcher got very close to this story today and will report for us tonight.

That laptop with all the data on U.S. vets? They found it. Nothing missing.

Bob Bazell will report on what's being called a de facto cancer vaccine. As we discussed in our afternoon editorial meeting, its distribution, while voluntary, will still require some parenting.  Then again, so do a lot of things these days. It's still an amazing story, especially for those of us with daughters.

And I will cop to having commissioned our closing piece tonight, because it's the collision of a historical landmark and a favorite topic of mine. The 50th anniversary of the Interstate Highway System is upon us, and as I said to my colleagues this afternoon, somewhere Ike and Mamie are smiling. Mike Taibbi does a superb job of telling us why this project (suffering of late from its own success) was so important to President Eisenhower (who for my money has received a raw deal in U.S. history despite a recent re-thinking of his presidency) and why it is so important to our country. Mike tells a great story, and in this case he has some great material to work with.

No shortage of compelling stories on this Thursday prior to the July 4th holiday weekend. We sure hope you can join us for tonight's broadcast.

Roads are out, homes and businesses are flooded and hundreds of thousands of people are evacuated. After days of drenching rain in the Northeast, much of the ground is soaked. But with rivers still rising, how much worse could the flooding get? We'll have the very latest tonight, along with the day's other top story -- the Supreme Court's ruling against military tribunals for war on terror detainees held at Guantanamo Bay.

Sitting in our afternoon editorial meeting just now, it occurred to me: at this very moment, there is a local reporter in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., who may end up reporting to a live, national audience before the end of the day. In our efforts to chase the damage, evacuations and path of the relentless and muddy flood waters that today stretch across several states, it may well be that the best way to cover the story on the ground (or in the water, as it were...) is to supplement the reporting of our own correspondent Lisa Daniels with a local reporter tonight. This story today also happened to touch several of our staff members with relatives in the area. Nightly News Director Brett Holey has been on the phone checking in on his wife and children, who started the day at the home of his in-laws on the banks of the Susquehanna River... and have since gotten safely out of there. Wilkes-Barre is under a precautionary evacuation at this hour -- the concern is that the city's 41-foot levee and flood wall system could be overwhelmed if flood-stage predictions are off by as much as a foot. We will cover the rampaging waters, and what has become a sizable evacuation and a big story.

Watching the coverage of the local reporters today, I remembered my beginning days as a reporter, at a small TV station in Kansas, along the border with Southwest Missouri. During the "Tylenol scare," the story took a turn into our area, during which time some of our reporting aired nationally. There's a lesson I learned when the CBS Morning News aired some videotape that I shot of an approaching tornado (we were an affiliate) close to 25 years ago: national media attention is like a prison yard spotlight. When it's focused on your area, it's blinding and constant and demands your time and attention. When it moves on, your world goes briefly dark in its wake, then slowly returns to normal. Watching the cable news coverage of the floods, and picturing the stressed news departments of a string of small-market network affiliates (in areas so small that our NBC station in that part of Pennsylvania is a DUAL affiliate... it is also an ABC station... a not-uncommon arrangement in small television markets) dealing with network requests each hour, I feel for the news directors and reporters who are trying to cover the biggest local story in easily a decade.

Also tonight, the Supreme Court. Their decision on redistricting was reported all over the map. We will turn to the man we always turn to to explain the court: our Justice Correspondent Pete Williams. Tim Russert will follow up on the decision and other matters in the news. And we'll cover the situation in Gaza (and the second front in Syria) where Israelis are using their combat jets to engage in a new and unusual form of warfare... while more traditional armor moves on the ground. It has been a violent 24 hours and it's not about to end.

Also, don't miss our FLEECING OF AMERICA report by Andrea Mitchell tonight. While it has to do with a congressional practice called "earmarks," it's mostly about taxpayer dollars and defense spending.

Also tonight, for all those who aren't familiar with YouTube: We will end the broadcast with a primer from our own George Lewis. And if you feel like visiting the site after seeing our story, an all-time classic video clip is "Pinkie the Cat." It never disappoints. Though "Cat Massage" is also pretty great, as is "Free Photos." Beware, however: as one of our staffers pointed out today, YouTube is an enormous time drain. It is very easy to lose an hour watching clips. But at least it's an entertaining hour.

We hope you can join us tonight.

Sorry I'm a day late in linking to this, but I thought some blog readers might want to read a recent interview with Brian by Mark Glaser, a journalist who writes a blog called MediaShift for PBS.org. Dedicated readers of this blog will get a refresher on some things -- yes, Brian really reads your comments -- but they touch on a lot of other topics that some of you might find interesting.

I'm particularly pleased that Glaser watched the Netcast because he couldn't catch the broadcast at 6:30 p.m. Anywhere you are, that's where NBC News will be -- that's the mentality around here.

Click here to read the interview.

A few weeks ago I wrote about the demise of the tax on long-distance telephone calls. Today, I can report that the Senate Finance Committee just passed legislation to kill the tax on local calls as well. It's now on to the full Senate for consideration.

I talked to Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., who spearheaded the effort, and he explained that the tax on local calls is regressive and has long outlived its usefulness. The tax on long-distance calls is scheduled to disappear from your phone bills on July 31. Starting next year, the government will reimburse three years worth of taxes on long-distance calls, including any plans that combine local and long-distance calling. You will be able to file for a refund on your 2006 federal income tax returns. Tax experts figure the typical household pays $18.36 a year in federal excise taxes, or $55 over three years. The IRS has not decided the size of the standard refund for individuals, but taxpayers who use the phone a lot will be able to apply for a larger refund if they can document how much they paid in excise taxes. So I guess we can say that the Battle of San Juan Hill was not only won, but it has been paid for too!

I'm overwhelmed by the volume of response to my thoughts about the toppling of the American Elm on the White House grounds during the storms that pummeled the Washington area earlier this week [LINK]. All I can say is that my note must have touched a collective nerve nationwide, with people reading into my comments issues about politics and presidents, patriotism, the environment and our national heritage. It just reinforces my belief that collective forums like this serve a real need in the complex world of the 21st century. The spectrum is wide and your thoughts in it are very important.

It's the defense program that won't go away -- technology designed to improve the nation's fleet of military submarines. The problem is the Pentagon didn't want it. So why are millions of tax dollars still flowing to the contractor?

While it is not our lead story tonight...it may be the most interesting story of the past 24-48 hours: what is going on with the weather? As I write this, there is a report of a twister aloft over Miami-Dade, while at the same time, a few hours ago, meteorologists reported (and your nearest national radar display will confirm) that the blob of "green" taking shape in a swirling motion off the North Carolina coast was indeed a large storm -- near tropical strength -- that truly formed while we watched this morning. Somewhere this morning I heard someone in authority blame it on unusually and unseasonably high ocean temperatures in the Atlantic. In the meantime, the I-95-style conga line of rain and rough weather continues its long and relentless slog up the East Coast, where mildew is the new cash crop. How would you like a nickel for every time someone close to you has said, "It didn't used to be like this?"

Speaking of the environment, I imagine that all of you who turned the downed White House Elm tree into a metaphorical/political debate in this space last night are exhausted today. Just as exhausted as those writing in after Mike Viqueira's superb posting today about the Congressional Smoking Hideaway!

To the broadcast... Do you know anyone who "never really bought" the argument that second-hand smoke has its own lethal hazards? Have them read the Surgeon General's report. Better yet, have them also tune in to Robert Bazell's reporting on it tonight. We'll also take a look at past SG's we've known and loved, and the economic impact of smoking (and regulating it) wherever two or more are gathered in a public setting.

Also tonight, the costs of Katrina in those who would fleece the Feds, our promoted segment on insomnia, and a follow-up on yesterday's coming-together of financial titans: the Buffet-Gates fortune and what it can cure, solve, address, fix or alter... that currently ails our world. We'll also have a great anecdote about something that happened to Mr. Buffett after he sealed the deal yesterday, along with our usual collection of facts and ephemera. We sure hope you can join us tonight.

Teacher Jenny Rious receives a plaque from her students. Image: Dwaine Scott, NBC News

Everyone probably remembers that certain teacher from high school -- the one who was young, cool and bursting with new ideas. The one who wanted to make a difference and did.

Kids at New Orleans' Warren Easton High will one day remember Jenny Rious as that teacher, especially the class of 2006. I met her recently while producing a story about Warren Easton. But her story deserves telling all on its own.

You see, Mrs. Rious started with the class of 2006 four years ago. She taught them world history as freshmen and now is prepared to see "her kids" graduate as seniors. But then Katrina washed their senior year away -- that and most of the first floor of the school. In some classrooms, all that remained were the assignments written on the board the Friday before the storm.

Mrs. Rious evacuated to Michigan. Her kids were scattered across the country. And her school was in danger of never reopening. She couldn't do much about the storm or the building, but she could make sure her kids had a senior year. 

So she reached out to them. She couldn't run them down in the hallways or catch them at their lockers. Instead she tracked them down online. In November of last year, she began warreneastoninexile.com.

Call it a virtual homeroom. Students who once passed notes in class, now posted them online. Kids who screamed down the hallway, now offered Internet shout-outs. And teens who once sought advice about school and life in Mrs. Rious' class, now asked them in e-mails.

Everyone had questions: "Would the school reopen? Would there be a yearbook? What would happen to graduation? Over time, Jenny Rious found the answers. Yes, the school would reopen next year, as a charter. Yes, they would have yearbooks filled with pictures from the previous school year. As for graduation? Well, with her seniors attending schools out-of-state, it probably wouldn't make sense for them to graduate twice. But from the postings, Mrs. Rious learned it was one thing for the kids to keep in touch online, but quite another to ask them to say goodbye forever on a blog. This became her toughest assignment.

It took months of lobbying online and on the phone. Finally a Warren Easton alumni group and other faculty members joined the cause. And so, a few Sundays ago, the Class of 2006 held a "10th" reunion. It had been 10 months since the storm blew away their senior year. Now many of them were back in New Orleans. And Mrs. Rious was there, handing out yearbooks, smiling for a class/faculty photo, and clapping as "her kids" walked the stage in a ceremonial graduation.   

I pulled Mrs. Rious to the side. She was proud of her students. They had been able to reclaim a few magic moments from their lost senior year. Her job was over. And so it seemed was our story about Warren Easton.

But as the reunion broke up, a group of kids commandeered the microphone. Despite the fact that time, distance and a storm had kept them apart, they had still hatched a secret plan (probably online). Someone produced a modest plaque, while another group pulled Mrs. Rious to the stage to accept it. The class of 2006 had lost their homes, their friends and their senior year. Somehow, one teacher had given them hope. The small plaque was all they could give back. But it was enough for Mrs. Rious.

If she hadn't been certain before, she was now. She had made a difference.

There is a place, not so far away, where you can visit a political age of yesteryear. It's an enclave deep in the heart of the U.S. Capitol, and to find it all you must do is follow your nose through the halls of Congress and around the House chamber. Sooner or later you are bound to stumble into the Speakers' Lobby. Now, my friends, you're in flavor country.

The powers that be in your U.S. House have just made yet more encroachments into the ever-shrinking universe of public spaces where smoking is still allowed. Beginning this week, lighting up is no longer permitted in the outdoor courtyards, garages, lobbies, foyers, etc., on the House side of Capitol Hill. Smokers are now largely confined to two glassed-in, highly ventilated hamster cages in the adjacent office buildings.
   
But not all smokers.

If you're the sentimental type and you yearn for the days of the smoke-filled political salon -- or if you're simply a militant die-hard -- you can breathe easy. For there remains a hazy sanctuary for the unreconstructed, unrepentant pol who can puff away without concern for the second-hand smoke he is generating.
   
The Speakers' Lobby is the anteroom of the House chamber, and to enter is to be transported to another era of back room bosses and political machines. Decorum is the uniform of the day here, and even now you may not be admitted unless appropriately attired. Baroque portraits of long-forgotten House speakers hang in a clutter along the walls, their mutton-chopped jowls immortalized in oil. They look down upon a clubby scene that is probably not much changed from how it appeared back in their time: congressmen lounge in wingback chairs, feet up, smoking cigars or cigarettes and producing nimbus, carcinogenic formations of tobacco smoke. If you are a non-smoker or you're pregnant, enter at your own risk. It is the perfect anachronism and almost subversive in its political incorrectness.

There's new majority leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, a longtime regular of the smoking klatsch on the Republican side of the room, still popping off the floor during votes to light up another Barclay. Boehner is button-holed more these days, supplicants interrupting his smoke break to petition for this favor or that. Rep. Sherwood Boelhert, R-N.Y., is another regular. Over on the Democratic side Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., can typically be found sitting alone with his nose in a newspaper and his teeth chomping on a gigantic Churchill. There are many other members of the brotherhood (I have yet to see a female member smoke in this space).

It is an indulgence that has survived the ages, destructive though it may be. But perhaps it's about more than just a pause that refreshes. Maybe it's a window on the true nature of the political animal: primordial in its tastes, protective of its turf, and open to reforming itself only when absolutely necessary. After all, this is the home of the sovereign Congress, a co-equal branch of government. The fact that executive branch buildings are smoke-free means little here. Or better yet, it provides a means to make a subtle point: Members allow themselves the pleasure of an indoor smoke as a assertion of their independence. They allow smoking to survive in the Speakers' Lobby for the simple reason that they can.

Millions of Americans shell out big bucks every year on sleep aids. But is it all worth it? Is there perhaps a simpler way to get a better night's sleep? Chief Science & Health Correspondent Robert Bazell reports, tonight.

While some will no doubt struggle to find a reason to criticize or fear what happened this weekend (and I note some already have), we have just witnessed the largest single act of financial generosity in American history. What some are calling the "golden era of philanthropy" has now stunningly moved to the next level... with Warren Buffett's decision to systematically part with his billions and to give much of his riches to the already-rich: Bill and Melinda Gates, who have devoted their lives to giving away as much money as they can to causes having to do with worldwide public health and education. It's the most interesting story of the day, and we'll cover it as such on our broadcast tonight. Beyond the fact that Mr. Buffett owns a candy company, a mattress company, an underwear company and a fleet of private jets, the aspect of the story that I love the most is that there are people around this world at this moment whose lives are about to change for the better... but they don't know it yet. For all those who have wondered "what it must be like" to have billions of dollars, today Bill Gates said he wants people to know how much fun it is to give it away.

We'll also take a look at the reports of "draw-down" plans in Iraq, and the attack by the POTUS and VPOTUS today on the New York Times. Speaking of Washington, we'll look at the rising waters and high winds in that city, brought on by some freak storms... and we will show you the damage from the sudden storm at the White House, which resulted in the downing of a famous tree. How famous? You have owned a picture of this tree at some point (perhaps many times, in fact) in your life. I currently have a few of them... and I didn't even know it.

Also in the broadcast tonight: the Comcast repairman, and how Detroit is going to try to make you buy a new car... whether you need it or not.

We hope you can join us for our Monday night effort.

Photo by Ron Edmonds, Associated Press

A tree toppled at our house last night. It lay still and dormant, its branches no longer full of happy congregations. This isn't back at the Kretman home in a Washington suburb, but at the house I work at for NBC News --- the White House. The tree -- a 140-year-old American Elm with a history that goes back into the 19th century -- survived rain, snow and political winds nearly all the way back to Abraham Lincoln. Limbs from its likeness appear on the back of the $20 bill. 

Today, U.S. National Park Service employees busily performed the last acts -- cutting off branches and the trunk, lugging them away in big dump trucks. It was sad to see the end of a living piece of American history -- a reminder that there is no immortality in Washington, D.C., especially at the White House.

With correspondent Tom Costello's Friday story on marketing to the heavyset still in mind [LINK], I got a good taste over the weekend of one of the root causes of obesity in our society. The occasion was my younger son's seventh birthday. Because it rained all day Saturday here in the New York area, we postponed his party, which was to have included lots of outdoor activities.

Instead, we did something we rarely do on weekends: we went out to lunch. As we walked into the restaurant, a popular barbecue place, we passed a man, to put it delicately, whose mid-section required him to be several feet from the table from which he was practically inhaling his lunch. I wondered how he got this way. I noticed several very young children at the table and worried for a moment that health problems related to his obesity could cut the man's life short.

We sat down and read the menu. My wife and the birthday boy decided to split the southern fried chicken. Our other son, who is 10, went for the "fried chicken fingers" from the kids' menu. I ordered a beer and a pulled chicken BBQ sandwich.

As we waited, I noticed other diners coming in. The majority, young and old, men and women, were significantly overweight. They walked slowly to their tables. They looked at the menu. They ordered.

Our food came. My sandwich was a medium pile of barbecue chicken on an open bun, with French fries and cole slaw on the side. It looked manageable, even though a little less would have been no insult. The southern fried chicken -– half a large chicken cut into pieces -- was more than enough for two people of any size, and we ended up taking one of the bigger pieces home. But the real revelation was the chicken "fingers" from the "piglets' menu." This $5 meal came with five, two-inch by three-inch pieces of fried chicken breast and French fries.

Our 10-year-old, who has a healthy appetite, was able to eat just one of the entirely misnamed fingers. "I felt so full after that," he recalled later. "Now I know how fat people get fat. You're so full but the food is so addictively good that you can't stop eating it." And that, I thought, must be the essence of the problem. Keep them eating. Keep them wanting it. Keep them coming back for more with huge portions that will make them think they're getting their money's worth. Servings half the size would have been adequate for each of these dishes. Instead, here was the super-sizing of America unfolding before my eyes.

As I finish writing this, it's a little after seven on Saturday evening. I haven't had a thing to eat since lunch and I'm still not hungry. But it doesn't matter. It's time to cook dinner and I will sit down to eat anyway. Eating is habit, and habit is a hard thing to break. From what I see, marketing to the heavyset will, indeed, be a real growth business.

Editor's note: Ron wrote this post one week ago, but the first story is scheduled to air tonight, so I'm elevating it in the blog for those who missed it.

PASS CHRISTIAN, Miss. -- As we've done in New Orleans on Fillmore Avenue, we decided to adopt a road in neighboring Mississippi to chronicle how one community there continues to cope with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

We eventually settled on U.S. Highway 90, a 25-mile-long stretch (give or take a couple) of concrete and asphalt coursing from Pass Christian on the West, to Biloxi on the east. Long Beach. It's aptly named Beach Boulevard for much of this run. But in Biloxi they know it as "Casino Row."

Rather than focus on the rebuilding efforts of the casino industry, which are critically important for the future of the Mississippi coast, we're concentrating on three families: the Bryants, the Sheffields and the Nguyens.

I'll tell you a bit more about them later. But first, I want to share a few details of our scouting trip.

Traveling down this highway projects two conflicting images -- separated by the road itself. Beachside, we saw glimpses that life has returned to normal. Some were running on the sand, exercising in the hot sun while taking in the soothing sounds of waves lapping. Others tried to steady the uncoordinated moves of their toddlers, learning to walk on such a shifty surface. Still others cast lines in the water from one of the damaged piers, looking to hook dinner... or a great tale.

On the other side of all this sits block after block of empty slabs. Some have those familiar small white FEMA travel trailers near them. Most don't, which is quite a lonely sight. In some ways it resembles a place where people once lived but was abandoned after something tragic happened. I immediately think of the community surrounding the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine, where a radioactive meltdown contaminated the air and forced hundreds of thousands to be moved out of their homes. It's not that desolate along Highway 90, don't get me wrong. There's just a stark lack of rebuilding activity, especially of the single-family homes that were washed away.

We passed First Presbyterian Church in Biloxi, which survived Katrina with mostly superficial wounds. Workers were busy going in and out of the building. Further down, though, there are shells of structures still standing that once served as houses of worship. The First Baptist Church of Gulfport is a hulk of a brick building that looks virtually untouched from the way I remember first seeing it the day after Katrina. The façade is essentially wiped out up to the roof line, and you can see inside. The second-floor balcony seats appear undisturbed as you drive down the road.

What we did see plenty of was commercial construction. Many of the hotels and motels that lined the road are actively working toward reopening, obviously in an effort to get in on the bang-up business the three currently operating casinos are doing in Biloxi. As we made our way further westward, we began to see more "for sale" signs from homeowners apparently looking to cash in.

And then there was something that may be the biggest fear of the people committed to rebuilding their homes on Highway 90, but perhaps simply a sign of the times. In Long Beach, there's a large sign advertising 11 acres for sale, clearly indicating: "Zoned for Condos."

That brings me to Lee and ChiChi Bryant, in Gulfport. In their own way they're trying to counter invitations for densely populated, high-rise living with one of their own, posting in their front yard a sign that boasts the reconstruction of their single-family as the "Hallway to Rebuilding the Miss. Coast.

Lee tells me his is the only home being built from the slab up.

We also stopped by Joyce and Charles Sheffield's trailer. The nice Jaguar sedan parked next to it really caught my eye. It seemed to be the only sign of life on that block. They were happy to step out into the hot, humid air to let us know just how difficult it was living in such small quarters.

For eight months they were taken in by various relatives. Only a month or so ago did their FEMA trailer arrive, they say. And they've already had enough. So, they bought another house to live in while waiting to start rebuilding. They closed on that house on June 13.

Joyce told me the next day how happy they were to be out of the trailer and that they were busy buying bedroom furniture.

Our third family was found out on the water, coming in from another hard day's work on their shrimp boat. Shrimping season started June 7, and Tra Van Nguyen was at the command of the "T.C." as usual. His wife, Chi Thi, was with him as always.

What was different is that his son, Duong, was with him, and not out on his own boat. Duong says low shrimp prices, high gas prices and the lack of ice (facilities were destroyed) have made it too hard. He wants to give up the business that he says is his father's life. In fact, Duong's father built both their boats.

Tra Van expressed his frustrations to me in broken English, but nevertheless offered a hearty smile. His son said his father remains optimistic, despite losing his house to Katrina.

He cared more about the boats, Duong said. Fishing is his dad's livelihood.

What would make you buy an American-made car right now? With the industry struggling, Detroit is about to bring back an old and powerful weapon to try and earn your money. Find out what it means for Americans and their car industry.

As we begin to talk about which stories will make it into our newscast tonight, there are a few that standout.

Iraq once again is on the list. With confirmation today that the U.S. military has a plan to reduce the number of troops in Iraq. Also, as we reported last night, the Iraqi government has a new "reconciliation" plan that would give amnesty to some insurgents. We'll have reaction tonight.. plus the news that Al Qaeda has posted a gruesome video on the internet of Russian diplomats being beheaded.

This is also a tense time in the middle east. After Hamas kidnapped an Israeli soldier, there are concerns tonight that there could be more violence.

One of the most interesting stories to come across the wires this afternoon, the announcement from multi-billionaire Warren Buffett that he will give away most of his fortune... billions of dollars to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. It's an enormous pledge from one of the most powerful and successful businesmen in the world.

In Depth tonight, crime in America. The latest numbers show a rise in violent crime in some of America's large and medium size cities. We'll have that story.

Another busy Sunday. We'll have the latest coming up tonight. We hope to see you then.

On this Saturday, there are reports that the new Iraqi government is about to assert its power... and make some important decisions.  According to Newsweek magazine, the Iraqi Prime Minister is expected to announce a reconciliation plan tomorrow... that may include a timetable for U.S. troop withdrawl... and a controversial amnesty plan for insurgents who have attacked American soldiers.  NBC's Mike Boetcher is following the story in Baghdad.

We're also keeping a close eye on the weather tonight.  Rain storms in the northeast could pose problems by this time tomorrow evening.
From Atlanta, word that Patsy Ramsey, the mother of murder victim Jon Benet Ramsey, died today after a long battle with ovarian cancer.  We'll look back at the unsolved murder.
In Depth tonight, a controversial return to space with the shuttle Discovery.
And the passing of a TV legend... Aaron Spelling.  The man behind so many TV hits.  We'll look back at his remarkable career.
It's all coming up tonight.  We hope to see you then.

We received a large number of e-mails in response to my report [VIDEO LINK] and blog post about the National Research Council's latest report on global warming. Many of the e-mails were thoughtful and detailed, and we are always grateful for that sort of feedback, whether you agree with what we reported or not. It is also clear that while this is a technical topic, it touches all our lives, and many people hold strong opinions.

There was one notion voiced in several of the e-mails which was not what I reported and not what the report said. Several people asked why  we should be concerned about global warming if the Earth was even warmer 400 years ago. I have not heard any scientist say that. If you look at the pdf of the report's summary and pay particular attention to figure S-1 you can see why the panel concluded that is it far hotter on average now than it was 400 years ago –- and probably hotter than in the past 1,000 years.

Still, this question cuts to the key issue about global warming: How much of any trend that is observed can be accounted for by natural variability in the Earth's temperature? And make no mistake, there is natural variability. 18,000 years ago the Earth was so cold that the arctic ice cap extended over what is now Boston and Seattle with ice 1/2 mile thick. Since then, the Earth has warmed considerably and clearly without human intervention. The big question is how much of the huge spike in temperatures in the past few decades could be natural variation and how much of it is human-produced greenhouse gases. My reporting tells me that a consensus of science says that most of the heat comes from human activity.

Today marks more than the end of another work week, but I'll get to that in just a moment.

Let's begin with last night: Viewers of Nightly News on the West Coast saw a markedly different broadcast than the one we first fed out live to our affiliates at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time. While we were aware of the Miami terrorist story all day long, we (along with other news organizations) chose NOT to report it at that hour because it had not all been executed, and not all the pieces came together. While we could have reported some arrests, (and other disparate elements we knew to be true) we could not have gone into any meaningful detail on the story in chief. Once it did break, the reporting (by our own Pete Williams) had already been done, and we were ready for it. Last night, cable news went big on the story. For hours on end. Live pictures of the Miami and Chicago skylines aired -- as if we were waiting for some live event to take place. Live shots of the Chicago Sears tower (especially when viewed with the sound muted and screaming lower-third terrorist-themed banner graphics) implied it was going to keel over at any moment –- or, at minimum, that it was in some imminent danger. 

In these situations, the advantage goes to the government. They control the information, the evidence, and the suspects, who were quickly and literally chained together. This morning's news coverage brought some skepticism around the margins. Meanwhile, Americans are left to worry and wonder always about how safe any nation can be against a dynamic like "homegrown" terrorism -– let alone those beyond our borders whom we KNOW wish us harm. 

We will try to cover the story accurately and fairly tonight, based on what we know. We'll also look at the other story out there today that combines the terrorist hunt with the world of big finance. It was reported at great length in this morning's New York Times, and to a lesser extent the Wall Street Journal and L.A. Times.

Tonight we'll have a reality check (speaking of skepticism) on this nation's anti-missile defense system, which I'm happy to report is untested. That's also the problem, as long as North Korea has a missile and a map of the West Coast. You have a huge investment in this story tonight: In just the past five years, the U.S.has spent an estimated $43 BILLION on this anti-weapon weapons program. George Lewis will have that tonight.

We'll also have a report on our widening nation, and the widening selection of products marketed at obese Americans.

And our popular "Making A Difference" reports continue tonight with a story about an inspirational doctor. I'll leave it at that.

I see our lead story last night (and writing in this space about it) was the figurative equivalent of swatting a bee's nest with a bat, and so Bob Bazell will soon post again on the issue of global warming.

And finally, indulge me for a moment. This is the last day at work for Nightly News Senior Producer Bruce Cummings. Bruce is our man in Los Angeles, but I first met him when he worked here with us in New York close to 13 years ago. He is retiring today after 27 years with NBC News. He's one of the people our viewers will never meet, but he's been responsible for so much of what our viewers have seen over the past several decades. His departure is notable because of the person he is: rock-solid, dependable, ethical, responsible, steady and loyal. As friends go, he is the finest kind. As mentors go, he has no parallel. He is helpful to fellow employees in ways that will never be fully known publicly. We love him for his personality, intellect, compassion and his sense of humor. As I told him today, without too much hyperbole, the last time I felt this way about a co-worker, I married her. Bruce is aces. While we all want only the best for him, and while what's best for Bruce, he insists, is moving to a house in the woods in the Great Northwest with his smart and beautiful wife, we reserve the right to be sad today. We won't get to work with our friend Bruce after tonight. Bruce, please live well. And thank you.

We hope the rest of you can join us for our Friday night broadcast.

Obesity is a growing epidemic that now affects more than 60 million people. Tonight, we'll show you how companies are adapting, some would say CASHING IN on, Americans' bulging waistlines.