By Lester Holt, NBC News Anchor

Good day from New York. Brian is taking the night off and I'll be sitting in tonight.

When my phone rings at 3 a.m., my first thought is, something awful has happened. If I'm lucky, it's just a wrong number. It's safe to assume wrong numbers aren't put through to the President of the United States, and so a middle of the night call to the commander-in-chief can't be good. That's the premise of a new Hillary Clinton ad airing in Texas, that has been getting plenty of airing on the cable news channels today as a point of political discussion.

The ad says, "It's 3 a.m. and your children are safe and asleep. But there's a phone in the White House and it's ringing. Something's happening in the world. Your vote will decide who answers that call."

The camera then shows Hillary Clinton picking up the phone. The spot, and its not-too-subtle implication that Senator Clinton is better qualified to handle a national security crisis, brought a quick response from Barack Obama. Tonight on Nightly News, NBC's Andrea Mitchell will show the ad, Obama's response, and report on the the tightening race in Texas as well as Ohio.

Word that a man found in a Las Vegas hotel today was suffering from ricin poising set off quite a few alarms today. Ricin is an especially deadly poison that is lethal even in tiny amounts, and has no known antidote. While there are a lot of blanks to be filled in on this story, the word from Las Vegas authorities is that this does not appear to be foul play, and there is no apparent connection to terrorism. So what's it all about? Our George Lewis is working the story and will have much more on tonight's newscast.

Erin Burnett from CNBC will stop by this evening to help us put today's Wall Street slide into perspective. The S&P 500 lost 3 percent and the Dow and Nasdaq each shed 2.75 percent.

We'll have those stories, as well as one woman's long held secret that shatters a commonly held assumption about eating disorders, on the Friday edition of NBC Nightly News.

That the British press -- that any media -- kept the secret of Prince Harry's location in Afghanistan (for 10 weeks) is these days quite remarkable. As I write this, with the proverbial cat out of the bag -- and the Prince exposed -- the British military is apparently mulling over pulling him out. The fear is that any Taliban unit knowingly stationed near a British outpost could randomly shell, mortar and fire on the Brits in hopes of scoring a random and fatal shot, resulting in tragedy. The shame of it is that Prince Harry wants only to serve and fight, and for that he deserves thanks and praise. He also wants to be left alone. At least he had 10 weeks of infantry anonymity, even if it must now come to an end.

In this line of work, we often know more than we can say. When, early on in the Iraq war, retired General Wayne Downing walked me into a Tactical Operations Center in the desert and showed me the electronic wall map displaying the entire U.S. war plan and the real-time location of all American fighting units, he didn't need to tell me that I was not to speak of it elsewhere. Ditto when we learn of the President's plans to travel to a war zone, or of protection plans for the President or candidates for office. It's a simple equation we apply, which balances the right to know... the NEED to know... with the value of American lives. Thankfully, common sense prevails more often than not.

We'll cover the story of Prince Harry tonight, and we'll also look at the economy and politics, and the auto business.

I must say I was thrilled -- overwhelmed -- to see the robust response to our remembrance of William F. Buckley last night. The truth is, time was running short yesterday afternoon, I was being called to the studio, and I had yet to write the WFB remembrance for the broadcast. But I was determined to tell the peanut butter story for our blog readers, and I'm glad I soldiered through. I thank you all for reading it. I'm glad that it seems to have touched a lot of hearts, and I thank all of you for writing, as always.

We hope to see you on the broadcast tonight, and thanks for watching.

By Patrice Fletcher, NBC News producer

Tonight on Nightly News CNBC's Phil Lebeau reveals the Consumer Reports 2008 forecast on car reliability. The annual survey of nearly one million American car buyers found that Asian cars - mostly Japanese - still rank highest in dependability. Phil will highlight the winners, the laggards, and how long it takes to change public perceptions. (Click here to see Consumer Report's Top 10 cars for 2008).

I've been working with Phil on this story, and I thought it worth a closer look at today's report to see which findings buck the survey trends. Just because you drive a Japanese car doesn't mean it's reliable. Korean cars are performing better and better. And many American models have begun to score average or better.

Two Toyota models and a Lexus fell below average and are no longer recommended by the survey. Some Nissan, Mazda and Suzuki models have on-going problems. They, too, are rated as unreliable.

On the bright side, the survey predicts that most models made by Hyundai and Kia - the two South Korean automobile companies - will perform average or better in reliability, although some still have glitches.

"If you look at Hyundai," Consumer Reports's David Champion tells NBC News, "back in the early '90s they were almost the joke of the industry, their reliability was very poor, they could not sell their cars. But for the last five to 10 years, they have made significant improvements in their cars ...comparable to the Japanese manufacturers." This year, two of CR's Top 10 Picks are Hyundais.

Ford leads the resurgence in American car reliability, with nearly all the models tested scoring average or better for reliability. But Chrysler and GM models ranked 67 percent and 49 percent, respectively.

As for European cars, some brands, such as Mercedes, continue to have problems with electronics. Champion says, despite small gains, "they are always at the cutting edge of technology, but they do not seem to get that technology right the first time."

That is the question, as the housing market's decline accellerates, commodity prices soar, consumer confidence crashes, and the question of what to do about it seems to stump just about everyone.

President Bush said this morning there'll be no recession, and rejected calls from governors around the country for a second stimulus package that would focus on (job-creating) infrastructure and transit improvements. And Treasury Secretary Paulson says the Bush Administration does not support a taxpayer funded bailout of the mortgage banking industry/overwhelmed borrowers. Here's the quote: (bookmark it) "I don't think I've seen any scenario where the American taxpayer needs to be stepping in with more taxpayer dollars." And to think it was just a few months ago that Secretary Paulson, his boss President Bush and Fed Chairman Bernanke all said raising the portfolio caps of giant mortgage Government Sponsored Enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac would not happen, at least not without significant regulatory reform. Ahem. More on the GSEs below.

First, the whole "what to do about the crashing housing market" thing. There are lots of proposals circulating on Capitol Hill, and the first one up has as its centerpiece something known as "cramdowns." I guess the poetic name comes from the fact that it involves lenders having modifications of loans crammed down their throats. Tanta is for them, which is probably all you need to know. But the Bush Administration says this is a lender bailout. Which is rather puzzling considering the Mortgage Bankers Association is against it. Housing expert Elizabeth Warren might be on to something when she guesses the bankers' opposition might be related to a hope that a much bigger bailout could be coming.

And what form would that take, you ask? Check this out: both Alan Blinder, who was on President Clinton's Council of Economic Advisors, and analysts at the American Enterprise Institute are advocating re-creating a 1933-era program to buy mortgage debt from banks and re-lend it to borrowers facing foreclosure, with taxpayer-backed guarantees. The agency was called HOLC, the Home Owners Loan Corporation. Setting aside for a moment the fact that Alan Blinder and the AEI agreeing on something is a bit of a scary development, here's what both are ignoring: by 1933, home prices had already fallen 30% nationwide from 1925 peaks. NOW, prices need to fall ANOTHER 30% to get back to levels that held for generations in this country (median home price = 3X median income). Bank of America and Credit Suisse are also floating a bailout scenario: make no mistake, it's a bailout geared to LENDERS, not borrowers.

But hey, why wouldn't banks be looking for a helping hand from taxpayers: bank failures are coming.. which we've talked about in this space and Chairman Bernanke affirmed today. I guess we could have taken the hint from the WSJ confirming that the FDIC is hiring retirees to handle a coming increase in workload. At least there's one growth industry out there. Oh here's another hint: bank earnings fell 83.5% in Q4 from the prior year.

And an interesting Marketwatch story that you can file under: those who refuse to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

Now to those GSEs. On the same day Fannie Mae reported horrible 2007 results (a $3.6B loss in Q4), they also announced that regulators were suddenly allowing Fannie and Freddie Mac to lift their portfolio caps and expand their business. This on the heels of the stimulus package which raised conforming loan limits. Flashback for some background: Yves Smith as NakedCapitalism did his usual bang-up job of getting to the heart of the matter back in October. Moody's expects FNM to lose a lot of money in coming months. Bloomberg's Jonathan Weil looks at Fannie Mae's precarious position. And blogger Mike Mish Shedlock looks at systemic risk at Fannie.

And speaking of systemic risk, economist and NYU professor Nouriel Roubini testified on Capitol Hill yesterday, and if you want to ponder the downside risks to the global financial system, take a look. (Hat Tip: finance professional with integrity Scott Gerstein.) 

But since we like to get all points of view around here, here's businessman Sam Zell, who unloaded his real estate empire at the top tick, saying the real problem with the economy is that the Democrats are talking it down.

One last topic: the announcement this week that the agency that guarantees pension funds is reaching for yield by putting more if its assets in the equity markets. If that makes you feel uneasy, try this on for size: the GAO says pension plans investments in hedge funds have grown from $3.2B in 2001 to $50.5B in 2006. And this might not be the worst idea ever, but it's up there: the 401K debit card.

And hey if you really want to understand the mortgage crisis, and don't mind bad language, here's your primer, right here.

Confidential to my buddy Tom Lea. See ya tomorrow.

By Brian Williams, Anchor and managing editor

A few years ago, while working at CBS, I interviewed William F. Buckley on politics. He was not scheduled to have any office hours in New York that day, so I drove to his home in Stamford, Connecticut. He lived on the water; viewed a certain way, the Buckley family home could easily have been situated on the coast of Maine -- instead, it's on a lovely spot along the jagged Connecticut shoreline, looking out across Long Island Sound, with the spires of Manhattan in the distance.

As a political junkie, I'd been curious to meet him for years. I'd seen him on Firing Line, and as a guest on talk shows. I'd seen his famous televised row with Gore Vidal, and I'd read a few of his books, mostly those about sailing. I knew his life story, his more famous quotes and his capacity to enrage liberals and generally stir up controversy. Our hours together in his home made for an odd combination at first: an erudite, to-the-manor-born Ivy Leaguer and public intellectual, hosting a college drop-out from the Jersey shore. But we quickly came to enjoy each other's company that day, due to his formidable charm. We spent a good long time talking, and truth be told, we did the television interview almost as an afterthought -- much to the consternation of the camera crew waiting for us in an adjacent room.

Somehow the subject turned to peanut butter. I think he had written a piece about it back then, and I must have mentioned reading it. He was thrilled to learn that I was a fellow fan. He led me to the kitchen and showed me his massive supply, in a scene I will never forget: cases and cases of a private-label "Red Wing" brand peanut butter (marketed to independent food stores as the "house brand"), which after years of traveling and taste-testing, Bill Buckley had chosen as the best brand in the land. Out came a spoon which he plunged into the plastic jar -- down the hatch it went -- and once I'd digested enough to form words, I instantly agreed with his assessment.

Weeks after the interview aired, a box arrived at my home. It was a case of Red Wing smooth peanut butter, with a note attached that read, "to a fellow connoisseur with my compliments, WFB."

I try to be diligent about our company gift policy -- as strict here at NBC News as it is at CBS. I am often forced to turn down travel and meal offers, and I often return items sent to me by mail, or if that's not possible I give un-returnable items to charitable causes. But just this once, I let it go. Bill Buckley wanted me to have the best peanut butter in the land -- he meant it as a simple, kind gesture, not meant to peddle influence in any way. I treated my Red Wing supply like its equivalent in gold -- until the last bit was gone.

William F. Buckley was found dead today in the study of his Stamford home, the very room where we spent hours talking on a beautiful summer day years ago. He was one of the transformative figures in modern-era American political thought. He also loved peanut butter, and loved knowing others enjoyed it, too. He was 82.

Click here to watch the video report from 'Nightly News' Wednesday.

By Chris Jansing, NBC News correspondent

In a hotly anticipated and controversial decision, a judge in suburban Denver has spared the life of a 5-year-old German Shepherd named Rolo.  But the dog and his owner are definitely on probation.
 
As we first reported on Tuesday, a judge ordered Rolo euthanized after a neighbor said he bit her, though the extent of the injury was in dispute.  While this kind of thing happens every day across America, few owners would do what Laura Hagan did. She has spent more than six months fighting to save the dog she calls her "baby" - hiring a lawyer and often carrying protest signs on the streets of Arvada. Denver TV stations and newspapers picked up the story, sparking a media sensation that was compared to the O.J. Simpson trial.  Dog-lovers joined Hagan in her protest marches, one carrying a sign that said, in true O.J. fashion, "If she wasn't bit, you must acquit." 
 
All of it has been detailed not just by the local media, but on www.rolodog.com.  The Web site allowed Hagan to collect thousands of signatures on a petition to save Rolo, and collect money to pay for his defense. She hired a lawyer, but on Tuesday was convicted by six jurors of having a dangerous dog and letting him run loose. Some neighbors had started their own petition, arguing that Rolo should be destroyed, and prospects for Rolo looked grim.
 
But after hearing from 11 witnesses at a sentencing hearing Wednesday, the judge decided that Rolo is not a clear and present danger to the community. Rolo will live. But the judge did order a 90-day suspended sentence for Hagan, and behavioral training classes for Hagan and Rolo. If the dog stays out of trouble for a year, Hagan won't have to serve any time in jail. She also has to get a $100,000 liability insurance policy. We're still waiting to hear when Rolo might be released.

By John Rutherford, Producer, NBC News, Washington

Navy SEAL Thomas Valentine, who survived multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, only to die in a parachute accident in Arizona, was buried Thursday at Arlington National Cemetery.

Valentine, 37, was killed while participating in a predeployment, free-fall training exercise early on the morning of Feb. 13. His body was found on a golf course green 50 miles south of Phoenix.

"This is a stark reminder that what these warriors do on a daily basis is very dangerous, both on and off of the battlefield," a Navy spokesman said. I asked the Navy for any public figures on training deaths but had not received a reply by the time of this posting.

Hundreds of friends and family turned out on a bitterly cold morning for Valentine's graveside service.

"I don't know the why, I don't know the how, but I do know the who," a Navy chaplain told the mourners. "Rest in peace, Tom."

Valentine grew up in Ham Lake, Minn., and showed early signs of one day becoming a SEAL.

"I remember adventures on and around the lakes and swamps of Ham Lake," a childhood friend wrote in the online Guest Book, "sneaking along the shore of Lake Netta to a secret beach where we spent weeks clearing weeds so we could snorkel."

Some of Valentine's other youthful adventures weren't so successful.

"Tommy gave himself the Heimlich maneuver and ended up with stitches in his chin at our cabin," another friend wrote in Guest Book. "He couldn't have been more than 8 years old when he did that."

Valentine joined the Navy at age 18 and made many more friends over his nearly 20-year career.

"Tommy was simply a great guy," one of them wrote in Guest Book. "Loving, compassionate, funny, liked to drink beer and marguerites, and he could really play the drums!"

Another friend pretty much summed up the sentiments of the more than 100 people who paid tribute to Valentine in Guest Book.

"Tom was a kind and gentle soul," she wrote. "He loved his family and his country and always gave his best to both."

Valentine is survived by his widow, Christina, and their two young children, John and Meghan.

Click here to view individual tributes to the 73 U.S. service members killed this year in Iraq and Afghanistan, including the following nine casualties from last week:

1. Army Spc. Chad Groepper, 21, of Kingsley, Iowa.

2. Army Spc. Luke Runyan, 21, of Spring Grove, Pa.

3. Army Sgt. Conrad Alvarez, 22, of Big Spring, Texas.

4. Army Cpl. Albert Bitton, 20, of Chicago.

5. Army Spc. Michael Matlock Jr., 21, of Glen Burnie, Md.

6. Army Staff Sgt. Bryant Mackey, 30, of Eureka, Kan.

7. Army Capt. Nathan Raudenbush, 26, of Earl Township, Pa.

8. Marine Lance Cpl. Drew Weaver, 20, of St. Charles, Mo.

9. Army Spc. Keisha Morgan, 25, of Washington, D.C.

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 tribute gallery can be found at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22802019/.

By Pete Williams, NBC News Justice correspondent

In many ways, today's showdown at the U.S. Supreme Court over the Exxon Valdez disaster is about numbers -- the amount of oil spilled, the number of Alaskans who suffered, and the size of the damages awarded. But the most important number may be this one: eight. That's how many justices are hearing the case, and that could make all the difference.

More than 30,000 Alaskans went to court after Exxon's supertanker hit a reef in 1989. Their lawsuit said the resulting spill of nearly 11 million gallons of oil into the state's coastal waters virtually wiped out their ability to earn a living from the sea. A jury awarded them five billion dollars in punitive damages. A federal appeals court later cut that in half, but Exxon is hoping the Supreme Court will find even that excessive.

Noting that punitive damages are intended to punish for wrongdoing, Exxon says the lower court should never have awarded them because they're legally unavailable here. The company says the federal government has already done the punishing by assessing fines against Exxon. Second, Exxon says under the centuries-old law of the sea, shipping companies cannot be required to pay punitive damages based on the actions of a ship's captain. Once at sea, a ship's commander historically acted independently, and the owners had no control over him. But even if some punitive damages are allowed, the company says it has already paid $3.4 billion in fines and settlements and enough is enough.

The Alaskans say Exxon is legally responsible for the actions of the Valdez captain, claiming that the company's wrongdoing started well before the ship ever left port. They claim Exxon knew that Captain Joseph Hazelwood had a drinking problem but did nothing about it and that he had been drinking on the night the ship went aground. As for the right to sue for punitive damages, they say the government fines are assessed for polluting the environment. The Alaskans are suing to punish Exxon for what it did to them as individuals.

The Alaskans are hoping they can count on the court's four liberal members -- Stevens, Souter, Ginsburg, and Breyer. Ordinarily, that would not be enough for victory, because it takes at least five votes to win a case. But it may be enough this time. Justice Samuel Alito, who owns Exxon stock, is sitting this case out. That leaves eight justices. A four-four tie would keep the lower court ruling intact, which was a victory for the Alaskans because it ordered Exxon to pay the $2.5 billion.

A decision is expected by late June.

Update: Click here to read Brian Williams' account of this "must-see election" that ran in TV Guide on Wednesday, Feb. 27.

By Brian Williams, Anchor and managing editor

I'm sitting in a cinder-block green room (it's beige) with NBC News President Steve Capus and producer Subrata De. We'll now gather with Debate Producer Phil Alongi, Tim Russert, Political Director Chuck Todd, Meet the Press Executive Producer Betsy Fischer and others...for the next-to-last prep session before tonight's debate.

My attention is, for now, split -- we also have to turn our attention back to Nightly News -- we just concluded our afternoon editorial conference call. So that's going to be it from here until the evening has concluded. I've posted a video from the stage -- it should nicely set the scene until airtime. We hope you can join us from Cleveland -- where the snow is falling fast...and the clock is ticking down until the moment the candidates are seated and the red light goes on.

By Ian Williams, NBC News correspondent

Editor's note:  Ian Williams is in North Korea covering the New York Philharmonic's historic concert. Click here to view a related slideshow.

There was a first note of discord in the concert hall today – over flags.

"They seem to have short-changed us," said a grim-faced official with the New York Philharmonic, as he hauled down the Stars and Stripes. "There was discussion over flag size, and we wanted the flags to be the same size. So we're changing it."

So up went a new, bigger flag.

It had happened during rehearsals this morning, which were more like a full show, since the hall was packed. Yet nobody I spoke to could tell me who the audience was. The orchestra had expected a few students, but they looked like officials. As one member of the orchestra quipped to me, it might be tonight's audience having their own rehearsal.

They did seem to appreciate the humor of the Philharmonic's Director, Lorin Maazel. After introducing Gershwin's "An American in Paris," he said: "Perhaps some day a composer will write a composition called 'An American in Pyongyang."

After the rehearsal I returned to our hotel, the Yanggakdo, a monstrous 42-story building in an island in the Taedong River, which runs through the City. It has been affectionately dubbed "Alcatraz."

Not all the floors are used and if you hit the wrong elevator button you find yourself stepping out into a freezing dark hallway of one of the mothballed floors. With a few minutes to spare, I made for the bookstore, where the majority of publications contain the thoughts and writings of the late Great Leader, Kim Il Sung or his son Kim Jong Il, otherwise known as the Dear Leader.

I was after a Kim Jong Il classic called "The Great Teacher of Journalists." At first the assistant in glowing traditional robes told me she didn't have it, then confided that she'd do her best to get it. When I returned to the hotel, there she was calling me over in a slightly conspiratorial way, book in hand, and a bargain at 4 Euros (they don't accept dollars here).

The book begins with a little homily: "Today, in Korea, the press in its heyday, and journalists are given full scope to their talent in their worthwhile activities for Parry and Revolution."

Chapters include tips on "Inducing People to follow the Example of Unassuming Heroes,"  "Announcers Attire", and "Concern about the Meals of Journalists." It is priceless stuff. It was written well before the Internet transformed our business, though that is not really a problem here, since only a tiny minority is allowed access to it. (Kim Jong Il once famously asked Madeline Albright for her email address). More can use a kind of national "intranet", all digital doors to the outside world firmly closed. All the more remarkable that at the press center set up at our hotel, we have broadband internet, which works, at least most of the time. We even have been issued local mobile phones (our own were taken from us), which work less often. Still, it's a measure of the importance the North Koreans are giving to this
event.

And of course, as the Great Teacher of Journalists tells us of Mr Kim, "His love and benefit conferred upon the journalists are indeed endless."

By Robert Bazell, NBC News chief science correspondent

Transcontinental pilots know that's what the FAA calls its regional air traffic control center for this part of the country. If you pass over these parts by air, you had better be in touch with "Cleveland Center" -- and right now, in the world of politics, I'm writing this from "Cleveland Center." We're in the bowels (the nice kind) of the arena which will tomorrow night serve as the centerpiece of this race -- the arena that will host the closely-watched final debate before Democrats in Ohio and Texas cast the votes that may play a decisive role in the race on the Democratic side. Tim Russert and I just toured the stage and tried out the technical set-up, and all is well and ready. We're meeting at an Undisclosed Location tonight with our production staff to have a working dinner and go over questions and segments for tomorrow evening.

This has been a nasty day of back-and-forth between the two campaigns, to be perfectly honest. It's late in the race, everyone is exhausted -- and political candidates often fight to the death. We all hope tomorrow night's discourse will be civil and instructive. We are going to do our level best to see to it.

Not inconsequentially, we are also in touch with our meteorologists because we are girding for a major snowstorm here. The high-end prediction is ten inches, with a snowfall rate of an inch an hour during the day tomorrow. I may be in Cleveland much longer than I'd been counting on. And we have some additional concerns about the travel of the candidates, spectators and fellow members of the media. The skies over this city are right now sporting a low, gray, mottled overcast -- and my high school football-injured, thrice-operated-upon knee (playing outside linebacker and offensive end at 164 pounds seemed like a REALLY good idea at the time) is telling me there's weather on the way. And a whole lot of people are on their way here, expecting a debate tomorrow night.

Between now and then, we have to write, produce and anchor two broadcasts of Nightly News. Not helping matters is rampant illness back at the home office. Our thoughts are with our two senior-most producers, flat on their respective backs in bed with this horrible strain of flu that's going around. Patrick Burkey, longtime friend and the superb executive producer of the weekend Nightly News has come in on his day off (leaving his wife and new twins at home, I might add) to help us out, and I'm beyond thrilled to have him at the helm in New York. A member of our traveling party (no names here) has pinkeye -- so we're bathing in Purell at every possible chance. That's life on the road on the eve of a snowstorm -- and a Democratic Debate -- in Cleveland. We'll see you from here tonight, and thanks for watching.

By Carl Quintanilla, CNBC anchor

by Lester Holt, NBC News Anchor

Political pundits, and candidates are already talking about the "Nader factor." Ralph Nader told Tim Russert on "Meet the Press" this morning that he is launching an independent run for president. Many democrats still blame Nader for siphoning votes from Al Gore in the 2000 election, and tipping the election to George Bush. The big question today, is whether Nader can generate enough of a following to once again alter the political equation in this election. Senator Hillary Clinton has already weighed in on the news, and we'll let you hear what she has to say when we wrap up the day in politics on Nightly News tonight. In addition, NBC's Rehema Ellis begins a special series we are calling "Where They Stand."  This week, we are breaking down where Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John McCain, and Mike Huckabee stand on key voting issues. Tonight, Rehema looks at education, including how the candidates approach school vouchers, no child left behind, and college tuition affordability.

We're watching the official transition of power in Cuba, and one very notable change under Raul Castro that is giving Cuban citizens something to talk about today.

As you may have discovered for yourself, the price of food is on the rise. We've asked NBC's Pat Dawson to look into why it's happening and the impact it is having on American consumers.

Yesterday in this space, I told you about the shortage of road salt being felt in many places this winter, and how one community is turning to a vegetable substitute. Unfortunately, we ran out of time and weren't able to get that story on last night, but we'll have it on the newscast tonight.

Thanks for checking in. I hope you'll join us later for NBC Nightly News.

by Lester Holt, NBC News Anchor

The race for the Democratic presidential nomination just moved into new territory.  Anger. NBC correspondent Ron Allen, who was covering Hillary Clinton in Ohio today, alerted us that her tone today was unlike anything he had heard from her thus far. She unloaded on Barack Obama, accusing him of spreading campaign leaflets with "blatantly false" statements about her health care plan. "Shame on you, Barack Obama," she said as she suggested his actions are contrary to the image he projects in his speeches.  If there was any doubt her campaign is changing tactics to attack Obama more directly, Mrs. Clinton said in a challenging tone, "meet me in Ohio," where she will debate Obama on Tuesday.  Ron Allen will lead off our coverage tonight with more of what Senator Clinton had to say, and the quick response from the Obama camp.  NBC's political director Chuck Todd will also come on with me to discuss the new Clinton strategy, and how it could affect the upcoming contests in Ohio and Texas.

NBC's Chris Jansing will update us on a story we reported some time ago about a cancer survivor who took on the health insurance company that dropped her in the middle of her treatments.  She has now prevailed, 9-million times over.

The massive snowfalls seen in many parts of the country this season have taken a toll that is often overlooked. Supplies of road salt are dwindling. Our Kevin Tibbles will explain how one community has turned to a vegetable solution to keeping its roads free.

Martin Fletcher continues his reporting from Africa with the story of why many African Americans are beginning the next chapters of their lives in the land of their ancestors.

Finally, there is a familiar buzz back in the air here at our 30 Rockefeller Plaza studios.  Our friends at "Saturday Night Live" are back at work, and tonight will put on their first broadcast since the writers strike ended. And might I add,  in the middle of the presidential primary season, they're back just in time.  NBC's Pat Dawson will report on the anticipation over how the show will parody the current political races.   Welcome back SNL!

In the meantime we hope you'll catch us later for NBC Nightly News.

By Mara Schiavocampo, Nightly News digital correspondent

For the most part, when we cover political rallies, we focus on what the candidates have to say - as we should. But in the case of Barack Obama's campaign events, the crowds are also becoming a story.

The Senator is attracting tens of thousands of people, something that doesn't normally happen until the general election. In December, 29,000 people showed up to hear him speak at the University of South Carolina with Oprah. That's enough supporters to fill 64 Jumbo Jets. And there's a reason they call it Obama-mania. Barack's supporters are a pretty enthusiastic bunch. This YouTube video shows a number of people fainting while Obama speaks.

We wanted to know what those rallies are really like, not from the outside looking in, but from the inside. Armed with my mini-DV cam, I headed into the crowd in Austin, Texas last night to cover the event in a way we seldom do.

So what was it like? To me, it felt like a sporting event, albeit one where everyone is rooting for the same team. There were the glow sticks, t-shirts, Porta-potties, people carrying styrofoam cups filled with strong-smelling spirits, and even shirtless college kids covered in Obama-inspired body paint. No one started a wave, but surprisingly there was a lot of singing and dancing.

I didn't see any unsportsmanlike conduct. When Obama mentioned John McCain's stance on the Iraq War even the booing was pretty tame. The people that I interviewed talked at length about why they liked the Senator, not why they dislike the other guy.

I ended up with a pretty interesting look at who the Obama campaign is attracting. It will be on the Digital Dispatch soon. Of course it was just one rally in one city. But it still gave me a better idea of who is joining team Obama.

By Brian Williams, Anchor and managing editor

A few political notes to follow last night's debate -- and put an end (or try to) to a wild week.

First, did anyone else note what seemed to be HRC signals to John Edwards last night? At least two shoutouts, both complimenting Senator Edwards. It would make sense, given the oft-repeated inside sentiment -- heard underground as recently as this week -- that Edwards is said to favor Clinton, and conversely may be unwilling to endorse Obama. But one could simultaneously argue that Edwards' endorsement has decreased in political value each day since his withdrawal on January 30th, and that Obama is already cutting into the Edwards constituency even without an endorsement.

There is a story about Obama's security in the news today, which I am checking into for possible inclusion in the broadcast tonight. We don't report on such matters lightly, of course -- and often, in covering military matters and security matters, we put the safety of Americans and our public officials first when deciding what to air.

What a terrible loss of life in the Clinton motorcade today in Dallas. I have actually witnessed such a thing happen before, and my heart goes out to the family of the officer -- and to Senator Clinton (who was obviously shaken by it today) as the accident happened in the course of keeping her safe.

Something that sounded very familiar happened last night when both the Clinton and Obama campaigns arrived in Texas: members of both Secret Service details went boot shopping when they were off-duty. Upon hearing the story, I was reminiscing today with a former member of our traveling White House back in the mid-90's about a trip we made with President Clinton to Billings, Montana. A few of us in the press corps managed to sneak away during an overnight to make a trek to Al's Bootery -- a landmark boot dealer in Billings, where I scored a pair of Luchese's. Upon arrival, we were surprised to find, shall we say, a substantial percentage of the agents who just had come off their shift protecting the Leader of the Free World. Al's Bootery had a good day that day. So did we.

We have an interesting broadcast tonight: political news, an update on flu season, a look at Chelsea Clinton and our Making A Difference report, among other things.

Have a great weekend. Thanks for watching -- we'll see you Monday.

By Maria Menounos, NBC News contributing correspondent

Editor's note: Maria Menounos' report airs tonight on the broadcast. Click here to watch the related video diary.

My coverage of the presidential candidates and their children continues. This time, it is with none other than Chelsea Clinton.  Though Chelsea has the most campaign experience of the entire stock of candidates' offspring, she has always been reserved about speaking to the press. In fact, she's never granted an interview.

By Brian Williams, Anchor and managing editor

We had a good many discussions around here today about the New York Times story that appeared on the internet last night (and on the front page today, and at least every hour on cable since then) concerning John McCain. I'd like to hear what you all think about it. I will say it's on days like this that I'm awfully proud of our deliberative process around here, and of the folks who work here, and the different viewpoints they bring to the handling of editorial matters like this one.

At mid-day the pictures started coming in from Belgrade. I hope we are not looking at an extended period of violence, but some people whose opinions I respect believe we might be.

We have a full broadcast planned for tonight -- including a high-interest story on "clean coal"...and another on Al Capone. We'll also deal with the big story in both politics and journalism today. We thank you in advance for joining us tonight.

And for those of you who are hardy residents of Snowbelt states, know this: we're expecting some snow here in the New York area starting tomorrow and into Saturday. I just heard on local radio one school north of New York City has already cancelled tomorrow's classes, 13 hours before the first flake is scheduled to fall! Oh well. Its been a long, dry winter around here.

By Pete Williams, NBC News Justice correspondent

Editor's note: Pete Williams's report will air on tonight's broadcast.

"Only an accountant could catch Al Capone."

That's the headline on a poster distributed by the Internal Revenue Service, hoping to persuade potential recruits that life as a tax investigator won't be just columns of figures and Schedule A. Though many people think it was Elliot Ness, a fed from the forerunner of ATF, or the FBI that brought down Scarface, that honor belongs to the IRS.

On Nightly News tonight, we get a first look at secret IRS files, now being revealed nearly 70 years after the man declared Public Enemy Number One was convicted on tax charges.
The documents contain the candid assessments of the agents assigned to the case, who faced the daunting prospect of bringing down the king of the Chicago mobs, a task at which many had failed.

It was clear the Chicago cops were not equal to the mission. In one memo to headquarters, an IRS supervisor writes that Capone was, "free from arrest and prosecution by the local police, due, no doubt to his lavish spending of money and giving bribes. Some time ago, Capone was arrested on a vagrancy charge, and the states attorney [sic] had to dismiss the case for the reason that no policeman could be found in Chicago who knew Al Capone!"

A team of IRS investigators, dispatched from Washington at the direct urging of President Herbert Hoover, discovered just how difficult this case would be.

"Al Capone never had a bank account and only one occasion could it be found where he ever endorsed a check," an IRS man wrote. So how to prove he was evading taxes if the agents couldn't show how much he was making?

They quietly began interrogating the bookkeepers and cashiers who worked at the bootleg joints, gambling halls, and brothels that were the sources of Capone's income. To protect cooperating witnesses from being killed by Capone's mob, many were sent out of town -- one even to South America. Investigators also built a detailed picture of Capone's spending habits, from his custom made silk shirts to his vacation house in Florida.

The strategy worked. Capone was sentenced to 11 years in prison. One unexpected benefit of the IRS success was noted in the files: "Many delinquent taxpayers, including those engaged in legitimate business ... immediately filed delinquent returns," an IRS supervisor wrote, doubling the amount collected in Chicago from the year before.

Wisconsin may have played the most crucial role of all in the march to the Democratic nomination. I woke up this morning to find the general election campaign underway. Just now on cable I heard (for the first time personally during this election cycle) a GOP strategist warn voters against "handing over the keys to the Democrats" in terms of terrorism and national security. And Bill Clinton's quote this afternoon makes it so tough to walk back from that standard for his wife, the candidate. It gets more interesting every day, as I note the posts get tougher on this blog.

We hope you can join us for the broadcast tonight.

By John Rutherford, Producer, NBC News, Washington

The Pentagon reported one combat casualty last week in the Middle East. Army Sgt. Corey Spates was killed Feb. 10 by a roadside bomb in Iraq's Diyala Province.

"I'm 21 years old," he wrote earlier in MySpace. "I've been in the Army for over three years. I am looking forward to getting out after this deployment, but it has been good to me.

"I am from LaGrange, Georgia. It's a little hick town that everyone wants to leave when they are young, but most (including me) can't wait to get back to one day.

"I have spent a year in Iraq (2005), and am now back for my second and final tour of destruction. I know it sounds funny to say, but I couldn't wait to go back, everything seems so much easier [in Iraq].

 "I have been married almost a year and am looking forward to starting a family of my own when I get out of here, so I wouldn't mind if the war ended tomorrow.

"My wife [Celeste] is incredible. She is everything to me, and I am very grateful to have someone like her."

Funeral arrangements for Sgt. Spates were pending.

The Pentagon also announced the death last week of Army Staff Sgt. Javares Washington, 27, of Pensacola, Fla., in a vehicle accident in Kuwait.

Click here to view individual tributes to the 64 service members who've died this year in the Middle East.

Photo caption: Celeste and Corey Spates (and Corey's younger brother, Jacob)

Washington Producer John Rutherford is a decorated Vietnam veteran. He posts a weekly tribute to service members killed in Iraq and Afghanistan and also files stories on the military at www.fieldnotes.msnbc.com (click on "John Rutherford" under "categories").

By Carol Grisanti, NBC News producer

"We are ready," Mustafa Mandokhail, the deputy managing director of Pakistan Television (PTV) told me as he escorted me onto the set.

And indeed they were. Even the purple tulips were in place, neatly arranged in vases flanking the mauve and rose-colored leather sofa where Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf would sit for his interview with Brian Williams.

"Are you satisfied?" he asked me.

"Yes," I responded, "It looks very nice."

I did think there was a little too much mauve for my taste, and wondered if I should ask him to at least change the tulips.

"We will provide two live cameras," Mandokhail said as he continued the tour, "to give a variety of shots of the president."

"May I also bring my own camera?" I asked. We wanted to record on site as well.

"No problem."

Mandokhail couldn't have been more accommodating.

There would be a wide-screen TV monitor for the president to see Brian on the return video link. The interview, a worldwide exclusive for NBC News and the first interview Musharraf would give after Monday's parliamentary elections here in Pakistan, was scheduled for 11:00 a.m. ET on Tuesday, which is 9:00 p.m. in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.

Tulips aside, we were ready to go.

Then my phone rang. It was Rashid Qureshi, Musharraf's spokesman.

The interview was canceled!

"WHAT?" I couldn't believe what he was saying. "Rashid, you can't be serious," I said, trying to remain calm. "It will look like he is running away." "Besides," I said, "everything is set to go. It's too late to back out now."

Qureshi, a retired major general, is a charming man. I have known him for seven years. We first met after Sept. 11, when he was the chief spokesman of the Pakistani army in addition to being Musharraf's spokesman. He retired from the military a few years ago but Musharraf needed him and brought him back last year. But still, he can't always hold sway with the boss. Musharraf, a former commando, had just decided he didn't want to do any TV. And that was that.

"I know, I know," Qureshi said, trying to pacify me. "Just give me some time and we will work this out. I want him to do it." he said "Let me talk to him again and call you back in a couple of hours."

That sounded pretty final to me. The interview was off.

It was now 2:30 p.m. in Islamabad, 4:30 a.m. in New York. I agonized over whether or not to wake up Subrata De, Brian's producer. I justified calling by telling myself that Subrata would want to know no matter what time it was - and she would want to stop the technicians who would soon be on their way into the NBC studios to set up and prepare for the interview. Subrata came out of her sound sleep in a matter of seconds and chatted with me like it was the middle of the afternoon.

"I think he knows Brian will ask him if he is going to resign," I said, "and he doesn't want to 'go there' on American television."

"I had a feeling he might cancel," she said.

I enlisted some of Musharraf's friends to weigh in and try and convince him to do it. No one called me back. Qureshi called again.

"Give us some time," he said. "He (Musharraf) wants to wait until the official results come out. He will do it in the next 24 hours."

"The most frustrating in all of this," I said, "is that he did do the [Wall Street] Journal and that's really not very fair."

"I told him that," Qureshi said. " I told him you were quite upset and NBC had spent a lot of money with all the technical arrangements."

Musharraf had agreed to do two interviews immediately following Monday's parliamentary elections in Pakistan. The Wall Street Journal interview would be embargoed until NBC's Nightly News went off the air at 7 p.m. on Tuesday. Brian was supposed to have the post-elections worldwide exclusive.

In Monday's parliamentary elections, Musharraf's ruling party suffered a humiliating defeat. Even though Musharraf wasn't running for office - he already got himself re-elected as president for another 5 years last October - the vote was seen as a rejection of his presidency and his policies. Almost every one of his loyalists has been routed from office. The opposition parties are calling for him to resign.

Whatever Musharraf is feeling after the elections, it is much easier for him to mask those feelings in a print interview. Once the cameras are turned on, every hesitation on his part in giving an answer, every facial emotion - even averting his eyes for a few seconds away from Brian in the TV monitor in front of him - can be interpreted in a negative way by a worldwide audience.

This morning, the front page of a leading Urdu newspaper: " Musharraf gives interview to NBC News and the Wall Street Journal on the election results." I guess word hadn't trickled down that Musharraf had backed out on us.

I called Qureshi. He said he would call me back in a few hours with some news. He hasn't.

I just sent him a text message. "NBC is awake now. It's 7:05 a.m. in New York," I typed. "What am I going to tell them?"

Still no answer from the presidential camp.

Here we go again. Another primary night, another chance for the voters to decide the direction of this race. Judging from the tenor of the posts here, this thing keeps going.

When I woke up this morning, looked at my Blackberry, and saw the name "CASTRO" -- I thought to myself: so ends a vestige of the Cold War. Our sworn enemy to the south has met his end with a whimper, wearing an Adidas track suit in a Havana hospital. Like others, I read on -- and was surprised to learn it was not Castro's death, but instead his official resignation announcement, made effectively moot by his transfer of power to brother Raoul 18 months ago. Earlier today on MSNBC we re-ran a short piece we shot during my last trip to Havana, in September of 2006; you can link to it here if you're interested. What you'll see is what happened: we had a finite amount of time, we piled into a car and shot what we could in the space of one parking lot -- before being discovered and chased away. Speaking of Castro, have a look at what Andy Franklin came up with, below: ten American presidents, all speaking of Castro.

Finally, something for you to read -- and hear. It's from space. You may remember the astronaut Dan Tani, whose mother died while he was in orbit aboard the International Space Station. He'll be home tomorrow, but he wrote this -- and recorded it -- while in orbit. When he talks about his late mother, in the 6th paragraph, he does so with soaring simplicity.

We'll have the election and the world (as much of each as we can) covered for you tonight. We'll be back on the air with live updates when they call Wisconsin. Hawaii? If you plan to wait up for the polls to close...it happens at 3:30a Eastern time. Thanks for being with us.