By Amy Robach, NBC News anchor

Thanks for checking in everyone, I'm sitting in for Lester Holt this evening. It's been a long, busy weekend.  We'll be following the latest from Mumbai, where we're hearing tonight for the first time from an American woman who narrowly escaped the attacks. Sadness has turned to outrage on the streets of Mumbai.  NBC's Stephanie Gosk is there and will have a live report.

By David Gregory, NBC News anchor

The terrorist attacks in Mumbai have dominated the news over this holiday weekend and tonight, we will get our first look inside the famous Taj Mahal hotel, one of the locations struck by gunmen. I've interviewed a couple of witnesses from the Taj and heard their harrowing accounts of being locked in their rooms awaiting rescue while the terrorists stormed the hallways. Tonight, we'll show you the destruction left behind.

With the showdown over, now come the hard questions: Who was behind the attacks and what does it mean for the already volatile relationship between India and Pakistan? You can bet that when President-elect Obama unveils his national security team this week, the attacks will be a major topic of question. 

Thanks for checking in. We hope you'll join us tonight.

By Brian Williams, Anchor and managing editor

While we Americans gather for the annual ritual of Thanksgiving...followed by the annual ritual of shopping, we're also thinking of the horrible loss in India, and what the attack might say about the safety of all of us, anywhere. We mourn the dead, pray for the injured and hope that our world can be a safer place very soon. What an awful situation, still, as of this writing, not under control. The reporting from there is shocking, sad and so compelling...what a terrible toll.

We have our world and our nation covered tonight -- and we'll end with a fascinating conversation with FDR's grandson -- who sports a striking likeness to the old man -- when we join you tonight. Please try to spend some time with us, and have a good weekend.

By Mark Potter, NBC News correspondent

While millions of people worry now about the declining value of their 401k's and falling home prices, an increasing number of Americans are confronting much more basic concerns during this economic crisis. The lack of food, clothing and housing is their dilemma.

In Orlando, the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida is seeing a 17-percent increase this year in families seeking shelter, a disturbing trend also reported in many other cities. The Coalition alone cares for nearly 200 homeless children a night, from infants to teenagers. As with their parents, who have fallen victim to job cuts, foreclosures and the lack of affordable housing and health care, these displaced children are often scared, angry and bewildered.

"We're seeing these kids in crisis," said Coalition president and CEO Brent Trotter. "Their parents aren't able to give them the nurturing attention they need, because the family is focused on the crisis of how to get a job, how to get out of this situation that we're in."

In reporting tonight's story about homeless children for NBC Nightly News, we met some really bright kids whose struggling parents feel awful about the situation where they now find themselves.

After Maria Dusen lost her job as a hotel maintenance supervisor, she bore the guilt of her daughter's shame at being teased at school for living at the homeless shelter. "It hurts her inside. She knows I'm trying, but at the same time she doesn't understand why I can't get a job, why I'm not able to provide for her," Dusen said.

Charles and Ty Mells, ages nine and eight, told us they wish they could go back to the apartment where they used to have their own space. Now their entire family lives in one crowded room at the Coalition, where the parents, who lost their jobs in the Orlando tourism service industry, are urging the children to try to understand. "They say that we're going through a tough time right now, so just help us out by doing the right things," said Charles.

Through day care, counseling and a Boys and Girls Club, the shelter tries to ease the children's fears and pain, as the number of new applicants continues to rise. "It's not good for the children, it's not good for the adults, we all need stability," said Vincenette Vivian, the day care center director.

In arguing that homelessness can be solved if the nation puts its mind to it, Trotter warned it's a crisis affecting more and more of us. "A lot of people are just one or two paychecks away from homelessness, themselves," Trotter said. "These are people in our community, and they could be your neighbor."

EDITOR'S NOTE: Ian Williams' report airs tonight on the broadcast. It is part of a series this week "Against the Grain," focusing on food crises around the world.

By Ian Williams, NBC News correspondent

Mumbai, India -- Malti Karanchandani doesn't look much like a revolutionary, but the changes she's making in her modest Mumbai kitchen represent a transformation of the Indian diet - and the impact of India's changing eating habits will be felt by all of us.

"Previously I only cooked typical Indian food, but now it's changed. Now I'm cooking different cuisines," she told me, as she stirred a bowl of pasta. Mexican and Lebanese are new favorites, but the biggest change is more meat - chicken and fish, in particular - and dairy products.

Karanchandani runs one of thousands of small catering businesses that service Mumbai's business community with lunchboxes knows as tiffins. Her business has thrived because she's adapted to the changing tastes of India's financial capital.

"People want more quantity and more quality," she says.

Her neighbor, Govind Lulla, has not been so fortunate. He's been forced to close his vegetarian kitchen. "The changing diet nowadays, that was the biggest problem," he told me. "In this area they love meat. You have to move according to the times he said," with a despondent shake of the head.

Karanchandani's tiffins are fed into a remarkable "fed-ex"-type delivery system - a five-thousand strong army of deliverymen, known as tiffinwallahs, fanning out across this vast city. They deliver 200,000 meals to hungry homes and offices on time, every day.

It's a logistical marvel, but the tiffinwallahs themselves face growing competition from an explosion of fast food outlets, Indian and Western. McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken are packed with youngsters.

India's growing middle class, estimated to be 200 million strong and growing, is eating more and demanding a more westernized diet, particularly in India's cities.

Cultural and religious factors mean that meat consumption (particularly beef) has not grown as fast as China, but consumption of poultry, eggs, milk and vegetable oils is rising sharply. India is now the world's biggest producer of milk; chicken wasn't part of the Indian diet 15 years ago, now consumption is rising by 18% a year.

This in turn is increasing India's demand for grain, for which the country is having to turn to world markets, pushing up prices.

"With a growing middle class and rising incomes, now we and our children can afford fancy food, which is putting more strain on resources," according to Usha Tuteja, the director of Delhi University's Agricultural Economics Research Centre.

Per capita output of cereals (wheat and rice) in India at present is roughly at the same level as the 1970s. And the trend towards a more westernized diet is not confined to India.

"There are roughly four billion people in the world who want to move up the food chain, consuming more grain-intensive livestock products - meat, milk, poultry," says Lester Brown, president of the Washington-based Earth Policy Institute.

When earlier this year Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice pointed to changing diets in India and China as one of the causes of rising global food prices, Indian politicians bristled, blaming instead America's rush to biofuels.

Both are right. In a world of stagnant food production, it is a truism that more competition for the same food will push up prices.

Malti Karanchandani is already seeing that on her daily visits to the market. "Prices have been shooting up," she told me. "Very much high. Everything has become very much expensive" - exacerbated this year by serious flooding in parts of northern India.

She's had to hike the price of her lunchboxes from 40 to 50 rupees (US$1.00).

There is little scope for expanding cultivable land in India, according to Delhi University's Usha Tuteja. "The possibility of area expansion is very, very limited," she says. "Agriculture needs another breakthrough, you could call it another green revolution."

By Brian Williams, Anchor and managing editor

While these times couldn't be more serious, we never run out of ways to distract ourselves from the real work that needs doing. Today terrorists have struck overseas, our domestic economy remains in near-freefall, and we've come to another Thanksgiving with troops on the ground in dual wars. I look forward to a day when we get our eyes back on the ball. We are great when we focus. And we've proven great at distractions. I'm about to recommend two rich distractions.

First: the tool bag in space. One of the dynamics of this media age is the single incident or gesture that becomes emblematic of a larger event. Case in point: the big-3 automakers come to Washington looking for a bailout, and history will remember only that they flew three separate corporate jets to get there, defeating their own cause. Another case in point: the current space shuttle mission is, as such things go, ambitious and heroic.

It will be remembered only for the tool bag that floated away from the astronaut's grasp during the spacewalk a few days ago. The tool bag promptly went into orbit -- and can now be tracked on the web. And as families gather tonight and tomorrow, there's a new best-ever puppy video on the web. See? No one is immune from a good web distraction … and it's the holidays after all, right?

Now we snap our attention back to compiling tonight's newscast, loaded to the gunnels with news, some of it harrowing and sobering. I wish you all a happy Thanksgiving -- after a day off with family, I'll be back with you on Friday. Please find time tomorrow to remember those in uniform, and toast them at your Thanksgiving table. I hope you can find time to join us for the broadcast tonight.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Stephanie Gosk and Yuka Tachibana's report airs tonight on the broadcast. It is part of a series this week "Against the Grain," focusing on food crises around the world.

By Yuka Tachibana, NBC News Producer
 
KASUNGU, Malawi – Beads of sweat trickled down Emilie Chawala's forehead. She was working in her cornfield where the temperature had reached 90 F – October is the hottest month of the year in Malawi.
 
But Emilie had no complaints. She knew it was well worth the long and painstaking days she has invested. Her corn crop should be ready for harvest in a few more weeks.
 
This year's harvest is expected to be a far cry from what Malawians call the "crisis." In 2002 and again in 2005, the country was hit by bouts of severe drought which culminated in catastrophic food shortages and deadly hunger. Nearly a third of the population was left severely malnourished. Dozens of villages reported people dying of starvation. The government was forced to import expensive corn and appeal to neighboring countries for food.

"Those were sad times," Chawala said. "We only ate once a day. The children couldn't go to school because we all had to forage for food. We ate a lot of banana roots. Many people died, it was only chance that God spared us."
 
After the "crisis" of 2005, the Malawian government launched a bold and costly program which aimed to rid the country of the vicious cycle of drought and hunger.

No more empty stomachs
The government began a subsidy program for small-scale farmers, providing them with fertilizers and high-tech seeds at roughly 15 percent of the market cost – the fertilizers and seeds were required for a more productive and resilient crop. The scheme cost the Malawian government $60 million, a huge amount for one of the poorest countries in the world where the average annual income is only $250.
 
Malawi's major donors, including the World Bank, European Union and the United States balked and warned Malawi to reconsider. They claimed that such large-scale subsidies would cripple the economy. But the government went ahead.
 
"We knew it was right," Dr. Jeff Luhanga, who oversees the subsidy program at Malawi's Ministry of Agriculture told us. "They were wrong, and we had seen the suffering. You look at hungry 67faces and it's not comforting. And food aid is very disempowering. Food aid is, if you need it yes, you do, but yes, it's humiliating. I wouldn't want to wake up every morning looking for food for my children. It creates a culture of dependence which should not be."
 
When the subsidy program was launched, Chawala received a small share of fertilizer and seeds, enough to cultivate her small plot. When harvest time came, she had a bumper crop, and it provided her with more than enough corn to feed her family of 10. Her children no longer had to forage for food, so they were able to go back to school.
 
"We don't have to go to sleep with empty stomachs anymore," she said. 
 
'Proud to be a self-sustained country'
Like Chawala, farmers across the country took advantage of the subsidy program. Also aided with a healthy dose of rain, Malawi's corn yields soared to a record high. The culture of hunger and dependence was transformed into one of pride for its self-sustainable farming. 
 
"I feel so proud to be a self-sustained country," Dinna Kapiza, a shop owner told us.
 
Not only did the bumper crop fill people's stomachs, it had a direct effect on Malawi's economy.

Once farmers sold their surplus crop for cash, they were able to buy new clothes and cell phones, or fertilizers and seeds at market value and expand their farming.
 
Kapiza's shop, in the small and dusty town of Mplonena, was buzzing with farmers who had come to purchase supplies. Rain will start falling in early November, and that's when the next planting season begins. The government's subsidy vouchers haven't been circulated yet, but farmers in Kapiza's shop had enough money to buy seeds and fertilizers at market value. 
 
Kapiza is an "agro dealer" – meaning that she sells farm supplies to poor farmers in remote areas. A non-governmental organization called Citizen's Network for Foreign Affairs (CNFA) helped her open her store by facilitating and providing partial credit guarantees for fertilizers through local aid orgnaizations. 
 
They also trained her in some of the technical aspects of the supplies she sells, so that Kapiza could pass on the knowledge to the farmers who frequent her shop. She briefed one of the farmers who had just bought a bag of corn seeds on the merits of planting hybrid seeds.
 
Before Kapiza's shop opened, farmers had to trek over 40 miles to buy simple supplies. She is happy not only because her business is thriving now, but also because she can give farmers helpful and valuable advice.

"Most people are preferring to buy their commodities from Agro dealers, because we are able to help them," Kapiza explained. "Some have built new houses, people are sending their children to school."
 
She said government subsidies acted as a real kick start for the farmers. "Since they have been empowered through the subsidy program people now have food and are able to work," she said.

"You know, a hungry person is an angry man. So when you have food in the house, your dignity is preserved. But when you don't have food, you don't have money – then you are a useless creature. And even for that matter the country is useless. And if you empower a small farmer at a grassroots level, then the government will be economically stable. That's the way I look at it."

Lunchtime for everyone
Back at Chawala's cornfield, it was lunchtime for her family. There wasn't enough time to go home for lunch, so she cooked her meal in a shady and breezy spot underneath a spreading tree.
 
Today's menu: cooked greens and tomatoes, some fried eggs, and the Malawian staple, a sticky porridge made of cornmeal and water.
 
By the time the porridge was ready, her elderly mother, sons, daughters and grandchildren had gathered under the tree.

There are now about 12 hungry mouths to feed. No sweat for Chawala – there was plenty to go around.
 
"Happy, happy, happy", she said. "I am very happy now, I can even look after two orphans. I have enough food and I am ready to take in more orphans."

By John Rutherford, Producer, NBC News, Washington

This is a story about one soldier's service and sacrifice for his country.

Army Sgt. Kelly Keck, 34, of West Liberty, Ky., was a combat medic in Afghanistan. On Sept. 13 he came to the aid of several soldiers whose truck was blown up by a roadside bomb.

"I stepped off the road to try to get to the side of the truck, and the next thing I know I hear a loud boom, and I'm laying on the ground," he said recently.

Keck had stepped on a land mine. Seriously wounded, he was still alert enough to tell those assisting him that he needed a morphine injection for his pain. They hesitated.

"I said, 'I don't want pain. If I tell you to give it to me, you know, I'm your doc, so give it to me,'" he said.

Keck got his injection and was quickly medevaced to a field hospital in Jalalabad, but he ended up losing three fingers on his left hand and his right leg below the knee.

"It was quite an ordeal," the soft-spoken soldier said.

Keck was evacuated to Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where he's been recuperating for about two months.

"The care's been really good, at least for me," he said. "I've had no problems, really. The biggest thing is if I have pain, say in my leg, and it's the phantom pain, as a lot of it is, it hurts really bad. Getting the right medication sometimes takes awhile because they start from the bottom and go up to see how bad it is."

Keck is one of 10,000 troops from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who've been treated at Walter Reed for their wounds. I met him after he received a Purple Heart last week from Army Secretary Pete Geren.

We talked about what's next for him, his wife Oxana and their 3-year-old daughter Zoya.

"I'm trying to finish healing so they can put a prosthetic [leg] on me and train me to get used to walking on it and also fix my hand as much as they can," Keck said. "I've been healing pretty fast, they say, so that's a good sign."

He expects to be at Walter Reed for at least several more months but isn't sure what's going to happen after that.

"I don't know if I'll be able to stay in the Army, of if I'll have to get out and go back home to Kentucky and start over," he said.

Since high school, Keck's been a Marine, a college student, a social worker and a soldier. He joined the Army three years ago after social services funds were cut and he lost his job as a social worker.

"I have a degree in social work [from Morehead State University], and I'd probably like to get my master's so that I can open my own office and go from there," he said.

But first Keck, who's always been there for others, either as a social worker or as a combat medic, needs a lot of help himself to get back on his feet and to get on with his life.

Photo by Bernard Little, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, of Army Sgt. Kelly Keck receiving a Purple Heart from Army Secretary Pete Geren.

Click here to view tributes to the 452 service members killed this year in Iraq and Afghanistan, including the following three casualties from last week:

1. Marine Gunnery Sgt. Marcelo Velasco, 40, of Miami, Fla.

2. Army Pvt. Charles Yi Barnett, 19, of Bel Air, Md.

3. Army Sgt. 1st Class Miguel Wilson, 36, of Bonham, Texas.

Washington Producer John Rutherford is a decorated Vietnam veteran. He also posts stories on the military at www.fieldnotes.msnbc.com (click on "John Rutherford" under "categories") and at http://john-rutherford.newsvine.com. The first tribute gallery can be found at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22802019/ and the second at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27336564.

By Brian Williams, Anchor and managing editor

Tonight will be a first for Nightly News: for the first time ever on the broadcast, TWO former Nightly News interns will appear on the same evening. Correspondent Trish Regan (our CNBC business specialist) and correspondent Jeff Rossen are both former interns in this newsroom -- who you might say grew up to make something of themselves. Again, like all things we "promise" on the broadcast, breaking news could break up our plan...and all elements are changeable up to and while we're on the air ... but that's the plan, at least.

We hope you can join us.

By Carl Sears, NBC News producer, Washington

Is there reason to panic or panic without reason? When the stock market dives, waves of sell orders at a loss pour in only to have stocks bounce back on the mere name of a Treasury Secretary nominee. Everyone wants to know "where is the bottom" and are acting like there isn't one. It's called the psychology of fear. Faced with unexpected crisis, people are scared. Fear begins with a sense of danger stoked by imaginary crises that can freeze reason and unleash panic.

It doesn't have to be economic fear...

October: At least 168 pilgrims died when a false rumor of a bomb caused thousands to stampede at a Hindu temple in India.

September: Doomsday fears swept the globe and spawned lawsuits when a giant Swiss super collider was switched on, simulating the Big Bang. Surprise: the world didn't end.

September: Hurricane Gustav temporarily disrupted gasoline supplies prompting panic buying from Atlanta to Nashville, leading to more fleeting fuel shortages and spiking local prices.

April: Remember people rushing out to buy 10 or 15 bags of rice. Major food stores had to ration rice to prevent panic-buying during a fictional food shortage, that doubled prices. The bottom line: There is no rice shortage in the United States.

Fear of financial ruin is gripping America. In some respects, we choose to live in fear until we choose not to. Experts say defusing fear relies on gaining perspective, calming down, avoiding negative thinking, restoring confidence in our ability to face up to a crisis situation.

People need to be reasonable with their fears, not consumed by them before our economic crisis can be resolved.

By Brian Williams, Anchor and managing editor

When you're in the middle of something, it's hard to brand it. Even though each night on the broadcast we talk about the current "financial crisis", we know it will someday be called SOMETHING. Remember, World War One wasn't known as the "first" World War when it was underway. Ironically, it was "the war to end all wars..." until we learned there would be another. The Depression was called a "depression" only after it was clear to all. "The Troubles" might be fitting, except for its past use to describe the awful decades of violence in Northern Ireland (and elsewhere) which claimed close to 3,500 names. Sadly, we'll come up with something to call it, soon enough...just as soon as we figure out what it is, exactly.

I hope you had a good weekend, and I hope you can join us tonight.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Ian Williams' report airs tonight on the broadcast. It is part of a series this week "Against the Grain," focusing on food crises around the world.

By Ian Williams, NBC News correspondent

Laguna, the Philippines - Robert Zeigler was a terrific host, bubbling with enthusiasm as he told me about the new varieties of rice that could bring enormous relief to the world's poor.

"This is a transformational technology. It gives me goose bumps," he said, pointing at clusters of rice stems emerging from a flooded paddy field. "These are tailored for floods. They basically hold their breath underwater."

He was pointing at a new variety of flood resistant rice, bred by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), where he is Director General. "This will basically remove farmers in many parts of the world from being the victims of floods."

An assistant reminded him he was already late for another meeting, but Zeigler was getting into his stride, passionate about the Institute's research. They're also working on a variety of rice resistant to drought, he told me, and the Institute hosts the world's biggest seed bank – 100,000 varieties in cold storage inside a vast vault.

A morning with Dr. Zeigler at the Philippines-based IRRI leaves you wondering how the world could possibly be facing food shortages, but travel just a few miles from here and there is a very different picture.

Rice farmers are abandoning their land, unable to afford the new seeds. Half the paddies in this area lack irrigation, and few farmers have basic storage facilities. The soaring cost of fertilizer and pesticides have eaten into the small profits they could make from rice, pushing them into debt.

"There's no money in it, there's no point," said Sionong, whose family had been rice farmers for three generations. She's converted her paddies to blue grass for the lawns of housing developments, which are also replacing the paddies. Another farmer told me: "Maybe after ten years, we won't have any rice farmers any more."

The farmers here have little real power. The local market is controlled by three powerful traders, who buy at a price they set, and who sell the fertilizer and other inputs. They have the storage facilities and the driers which add value to the rice.

A mill, started by the farmers as a cooperative, lies overgrown and abandoned. It is a stark contrast: the innovative promise of the IRRI, and the grim reality of the local farmers.

In thirty years, the Philippines has gone from being a rice exporter to the world's biggest importer, unable to keep up with a population that has almost doubled to 90 million over that period.

When world food prices soared earlier this year, the Philippines was one of the hardest hit, scouring world markets for expensive rice in a bid to head off a crisis that threatened to bring down the government. Although prices have fallen somewhat, during our visit they were still double than those of a year ago. A costly subsidy program was calming the poor districts of Manila.

"Rice is central to the fabric of Asian societies," Zeigler told me. "In terms of economic security, political security, economic growth, if you don't have abundant rice supplies, you can kiss goodbye to that stuff."

Experts blame years of government neglect in the Philippines, a sense that the battle against hunger had been won - a dangerous complacency in the view of Zeigler, who for years has urged governments to pay more attention to food research and the welfare of farmers.

"We have a tremendous challenge facing us," he says. "We've got to be continually vigilant to make sure we have adequate food supplies for the next generation." Photo by Ian Williams: Filipinos line up for subsidized rice in a Manila suburb.

Heeding the warnings, the government has just launched a billion dollar program to bring seeds, water and other help to farmers. It has banned the conversion of rice paddies to industrial or residential use.

But in the villages close to the IRRI, there's skepticism about government promises and doubts that the money will ever reach them. "We've heard a lot of talk, but little is every delivered," said one local agricultural official.

The hope is that the shock of this year's food price rises will concentrate the minds of government - and the farmers, in a country that thought it had defeated hunger.

By Lester Holt, NBC News anchor

If you've ever performed a major home improvement on your own, you know things don't always go as planned. On Nightly News tonight, I'll be talking to some folks who are pulling off the ultimate home project — the crew of the space shuttle Endeavour. They're adding several rooms to the international space station, and have suffered a few setbacks along the way. They're extremely busy folks, and I appreciate them taking some time to join us this evening.

By Lester Holt, NBC News anchor

It's hard to imagine just how drastically the economic landscape has changed since Election Day.  In that short period of time a lot has happened: The stock market carved out new lows, the $700 billion bailout was rethought by the administration, Citigroup stock sank below $4, and the three biggest U.S. automakers were rebuffed by Congress in their bid for an emergency loan.

By Brian Williams, Anchor and managing editor

When our folks confirmed the report that Obama had selected Tim Geithner for his Treasury Secretary nominee, we were on our afternoon conference call. We learned the news the instant the confirmation came in -- then we listened as CNBC was notified. Just seconds later (literally within the minute), citing NBC News sources, they ran a banner headline -- and then we watched the dow start to move. When we started watching the number it was down $29.00 -- then it started its run...closing up close to 500 points. For days we've heard from sources that Wall Street movers and shakers were anxious for Obama to name his nominee -- hoping for some positive direction for a market that has lost 15% this week and 50% this year. Monday could be a very eventful day. Wall Street has the weekend to breathe, and journalists have the weekend to prepare their profiles of the new cabinet nominees. We hope you can join us tonight, and have a good weekend.

By Brian Williams, Anchor and managing editor

The word "security" has taken on a powerful meaning since 9-11, and it is seldom questioned as the motivation for anything. But when the big-3 automakers insist that their CEO's must travel to Washington by private jet for reasons pertaining to their "security" -- that becomes a bit of a tough sell.

Especially when you consider that their trip to Washington is to ask for money. There are perfectly legitimate reasons for companies to own aircraft and executives to use them. They fly privately for reasons of efficiency, safety and time savings -- many CEO's fly with assistants and entire departmental management staffs, and often have meetings en route, and several stops a day which would be impossible to do by commercial air.

We've used chartered aircraft in our own business when commercial flights aren't available, and when the need is urgent to get from point A to point B. But yesterday, with all the attention on the automakers and their need for money given the colossal failure of their industry...yesterday was not the time for the three automotive chiefs to arrive in Washington on-board three separate private jets. It was just bad P.R., plain and simple.

Citing CEO's "security" as a justification is a bit shaky: what are the real chances that Chrysler Chief Bob Nardelli is going to be attacked (or generally in any grave danger) while in a first class airline seat on a commercial flight to Washington? It turns out the only attack had to do with Congressional, media and public reaction to his flight to Washington by private jet. As the proud and loyal owner of two American cars, I am conflicted, like so many other Americans, as to the state of the car business in this country. This is a colossal story right now, and we'll keep covering it. We hope you can join us tonight.

By John Rutherford, Producer, NBC News, Washington

Army Sgt. Cornelius Charlton, one of the last of the all-black Buffalo Soldiers and a recipient of the Medal of Honor for his heroics during the Korean War, has finally been laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery.

"I wish we didn't have to wait so long for this to happen, but he is now in his rightful resting place," said his niece, Zenobia Penn, of New London, Conn.

"Connie" Charlton served with the 24th Infantry Regiment, nicknamed the Buffalo Soldiers by American Indians after its creation by Congress in 1866. The regiment, the last of the all-black Army units, was disbanded in 1951, shortly after Charlton was fatally wounded leading an assault on Communist forces northeast of Seoul, South Korea.

"The wounds received during his daring exploits resulted in his death, but his indomitable courage, superb leadership and gallant self-sacrifice reflect the highest credit upon himself, the infantry and the military service," his Medal of Honor citation reads.

His late brother Arthur said Charlton was initially denied burial at Arlington National Cemetery because he was black. The cemetery insisted that was not true.

"We have never denied burial to an eligible service member or veteran based on race or color," Arlington's superintendent, John Metzler, said.

Whoever's right, Charlton's mother had him buried in a family plot in Pocahontas, Va. When the cemetery fell into disrepair, his body was disinterred and reburied in 1990 in the American Legion Cemetery in Beckley, W.Va.

There it remained until his niece decided she wanted Charlton buried instead at Arlington National Cemetery.

"I became quite diligent in my efforts to find something that would acknowledge my Uncle Connie even more so as a hero," said Zenobia, who was born one month after her uncle died.

She sent in documentation of his Medal of Honor, and his burial at Arlington was quickly approved.

"Yeah, boy, it did move pretty quickly," she said. "I just got moving on it, and the rest all fell into place."

Zenobia was one of about 150 friends and family members who gathered on a chill November morning at Arlington National Cemetery for last week's re-interment ceremonies. Tears flowed freely during the brief graveside service.

"He was a good guy, according to everybody," Zenobia said.

Charlton was born 79 years ago, in 1929, in the coal-mining town of Eastgulf, W.Va. He was one of 17 children of Clara and Van Charlton.

The family moved to New York City in 1944, and he enlisted in the Army after attending James Monroe High School in the Bronx. He was shipped to Korea in 1950 and volunteered for combat.

"At last I am getting what I have been waiting for," he wrote home to one of his sisters.

His commanding officer didn't share his enthusiasm.

"Why'd they send him here?" the commander said, according to one account. "Is he a troublemaker?"

Hardly.

On June 2, 1951, Charlton assumed command of his platoon during an attack on Hill 543 near Chipo-Ri, South Korea. His Medal of Honor citation explains what happened next.

"... Personally eliminating two hostile positions and killing six of the enemy with his rifle fire and grenades, he continued up the slope until the unit suffered heavy casualties and became pinned down. Regrouping the men, he led them forward only to be again hurled back by a shower of grenades.

"Despite a severe chest wound, Sergeant Charlton refused medical attention and led a third daring charge which carried to the crest of the ridge. Observing that the remaining emplacement which had retarded the advance was situated on the reverse slope, he charged it alone, was again hit by a grenade, but raked the position with a devastating fire which eliminated it and routed the defenders ..."

Charlton died of his wounds at the age of 21. He was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously on March 19, 1952.

"We gave him the Medal of Honor," the Saturday Evening Post wrote in 1953. "He gave us his life."

Army photo of Sgt. Cornelius Charlton and AP photos of his burial ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery and of Zenobia Penn wiping tears from her eyes at the ceremony.

Click here to view tributes to the 449 service members killed this year in Iraq and Afghanistan, including the following nine casualties from last week:

1. Army Spc. William McClellan, 22, of Indianapolis, Ind.

2. Army Sgt. Jose Regalado, 23, of Los Angeles, Calif.

3. Army Spc. Corey Shea, 21, of Mansfield, Mass.

4. Army Spc. Armando De La Paz, 21, of Riverside, Calif.

5. Army Spc. James Clay, 25, of Mountain Home, Ark.

6. Army Spc. Jonnie Stiles, 38, of Highland Ranch, Colo.

7. Marine Cpl. Aaron Allen, 24, of Buellton, Calif.

8. Army Chief Warrant Officer Donald Clark, 37, of Memphis, Tenn.

9. Army Chief Warrant Officer Christian Humphreys, 28, of Fallon, Nev.

Washington Producer John Rutherford is a decorated Vietnam veteran. He also posts stories on the military at www.fieldnotes.msnbc.com (click on "John Rutherford" under "categories") and at http://john-rutherford.newsvine.com. The first tribute gallery can be found at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22802019/ and the second at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27336564.

By Brian Williams, Anchor and managing editor

I met with General David Petraeus in New York today, the first time I've seen him since his elevation to the Command of Centcom, the sprawling, regional Central Command that first became well-known to the general public during the time of Gen. Schwarzkopf and the first Gulf War. Its always interesting to hear the General's assessment of things: beginning with the present state of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (he is just back from there) and his view of the Middle East -- all the way to the Horn of Africa.

We talked about this time of transition, the state of the military and the possible effects of an Obama presidency on geopolitics. At the end of the meeting, a friend of the General's toasted Bill Frist, the former Republican Senator from Tennessee.

To those unfamiliar with the Petraeus bio, it might sound like an odd thing to do -- but the backstory is this: Petraeus received a grievous accidental bullet wound the chest when a fellow soldier at Ft. Campbell tripped and discharged his weapon. The surgeon who was called in to operate that day, at Vanderbilt Medical Center, was Bill Frist. The story concludes with the unusual way Petraeus was discharged from the hospital: he convinced his reluctant doctors to let him go, after just a few days of recovery from chest surgery...by performing 50 pushups on the floor of his hospital room.

We've got a lot of news tonight: on the Obama cabinet, the Detroit automakers, piracy on the high seas, and Ann Curry's big (and harrowing) adventure. The news from Wall Street is almost too depressing to mention, but we'll report it anyway. We hope you can join us tonight.

by Les Kretman, NBC News producer

From Dana Perino's daily White House briefing today word about a competition. No, not to come up with a formula to build an energy efficient car to get Americans into automobile showrooms again. No, not to come up with a solution to deal with the plummeting economy. No, not to come up with easy answers to withdrawal from Iraq, peace in the Mideast or how to deal with the Taliban. But this from Dana:

"Today we kick off the contest to name the 2008 National Thanksgiving Turkey. We have a couple of ideas, as I look out into the room." (Dana looks at the gathering of the journalists...then there's brief laughter) "The President will pardon the turkey during the annual ceremony, which will take place at the White House on November 26th. And we encourage everyone to log on to our website, whitehouse.gov, to vote for your favorite name for the National Thanksgiving Turkey. This year marks the 61st anniversary of that presentation."

A moment of levity in the nation's capital where some might say there's not much to smile about.

By Brian Williams, Anchor and managing editor

So President Bush went to the Department of Transportation today (home of the FAA, among other things) and joked that he hasn't "waited for an airplane … or had (his) bags lost …" over the last 8 years. He said this to much laughter.

His remarks won't endear him to the road warriors who fly for a living, and wait on runways and deal with cancelled and overcrowded flights. As someone pointed out today: It's not as if he'll ever get a sense of how bad it is out there, either -- as our former presidents fly mostly by private aircraft after their time in office is over. What are the chances he'll ever have his belongings spread out across a table by the TSA?

I didn't think so.

Anyway, here's a transcript of his remarks.

Meantime: we're putting together tonight's broadcast and we hope you can join us.

 

By Brian Williams, Anchor and managing editor

Another one of the great things during this Presidential transition process (at least during those cycles when it works the way it's supposed to) took place today, when Obama and McCain met earlier today. When you distill their positions looking for common ground, the two men agree on a surprising number of items, including matters like torture and the closing of Gitmo. Today's small talk was forced during the photo op (mostly about football) as it was, after all, their first face-to-face encounter since the "Bill Ayers" debate on Long Island late in the campaign. McCain and Obama are gentlemen, and they care about their country… and their country needs them both, right about now. Next we have to tackle Detroit.

GET WELLS

I've been in touch with Mrs. Reagan since her recent fall, and we continue to wish her a speedy and full recovery. And we should note the return to the Hill today of Senator Ted Kennedy, who was accompanied by his wife Vicky and his two beloved dogs. Senator Kennedy looked wonderful -- he was welcomed back to the Senate by a gathering of friends and staff -- and we wish him nothing but the best during his health struggle.

We hope you can join us for tonight's broadcast.

By Lester Holt, NBC News anchor

If you live in Southern California – or have spoken to friends in the region – then you know that right now, residing in the region is akin to living in a bowl of smoke. Of the three major fires to break out in the last several days, the most threatening has burned 16 square miles of Orange and Riverside counties. On the program tonight you'll hear my conversation with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who offers his take of the severity of the situation, and whether the state's budget crisis is having an effect on their ability to bring resources to bear against the fires.

By Peter Alexander, NBC News correspondent

There we were, in the Arctic and on a ship for 23 days. Pass the Dramamine!

It promised to be one of those rare opportunities to visit one of the world's most extreme environments -- a place few people, including scientists, ever get to explore. Producer Paul Manson and I -- along with cameraman Callan Griffiths and soundman Ben Adam -- were sent on assignment to report on climate change and its impact on the Arctic. The primary news peg for our trip? For only the second time in recorded history the Northwest Passage was ice free this summer, effectively clearing this shortcut between Europe and Asia.

Our intention was to stay on board for 10 days, shooting video and interviews.  Mother Nature, apparently, had other plans.  Inclement weather, along with an emergency search and rescue mission, spoiled all five of our attempts to disembark the ship. Getting stuck in the Arctic -- due to bad weather -- isn't uncommon; getting stuck five times -- on a swaying ship, no less -- is mentally exhausting.

Joining the team
We left New York City on September 3, joining up with a team of scientists from ArcticNet on board the Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker, Amundsen. (In Canada, the Coast Guard is civilian, not military. It is part of the country's Department of Oceans and Fisheries.) This particular Coast Guard ship was dedicated to scientific research and outfitted with all the necessary tools.

 

In a unique partnership, the scientists work side-by-side with the Coast Guard crew. For example, the scientists were testing water samples and sediment samples (from the ocean floor) as well as mapping uncharted territories in this remote part of the world. There were 40 scientists, 40 Coast Guard members and the four of us. By the end of our stay, we're treated like members of the crew -- learning to help on deck, in the lab and at dinner (cleaning dishes, really).

We boarded the Amundsen Thursday, Sept. 4, in Resolute Bay, a small Inuit village, along the Northwest Passage. The plan was to fly off by helicopter at the northern most civilian community in North America, Grise Fjord, and then begin our long journey home. Freezing rain and harsh weather kept our chopper grounded both Monday and Tuesday. The ship kept going and our chance to get off passed. We continued North with the expedition along the coasts of the Canadian Arctic and Greenland, coming within 900 miles of the North Pole.

Over the next couple weeks, we would make three more attempts to fly to land. Each one failed due to weather. Unbelievably, on Thursday, our absolute best chance to get off the ship failed, too. The ship was diverted back north to assist a search and rescue mission, something the crew let us know had only happened at best two times in the last couple years.  From the beginning, we were warned that the ship's primary mission was science. The cost of operating this icebreaker and moving the expedition forward -- $50,000 a day. While we were welcomed guests on board, we knew the ship wouldn't be making any unscheduled stops for us.

Close quarters
Paul and I have shared what would normally be the infirmary on the overloaded ship. To our eye, it was roughly, 10- by 12-feet. A thin curtain was the only thing separating us -- and our dignity. Callan and Ben shared a bunk bed in a slighter larger room downstairs.

By Lester Holt, NBC News anchor

On the East Coast, late fall usually means plenty of wet days and falling leaves, but in Southern California, it often means gusty, dry winds and wildfires.