Brian Williams, anchor and managing editor

While both Obamas prepare to lobby in Copenhagen for the 2016 Olympics in Chicago, the city itself is almost evenly split over hosting the games. Chicago was this week in the news for a stomach-turning act of violence, and today I link to a thoughtful and edgy and provocative essay on our sister (or brother) website theGrio.com—not everyone will agree with its conclusion, but it will make people think.

Tom Friedman also wrote a thought-provoking piece in today's New York Times.

Brian Williams, anchor and managing editor

When I first read it, I realized the column not only spoke to me, but echoed a theme I've hammered on often...to the point of driving family and friends crazy in recent years. Then last night, on the Daily Beast -- I actually read an item by Matt Damon, who made special mention of the David Brooks column in the New York Times -- about how our times have changed. It reminded me that I hadn't done the same, despite having been moved by Brooks. The central point of the Brooks column may be hard to take, and it may say some unpleasant things about what...and who...we've become. It is worth a read. Forward it to a friend.

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

 Brian Williams, anchor and managing editor

Spotted on a church sign on the lawn outside a Baptist church in North Carolina this past weekend: SIGN OUT OF ORDER. COME INSIDE FOR MESSAGE. They get points for creativity.

Those of you looking for new standards of measurement for the economy might be interested in this piece in TIME. It's not quite the CPI, but it's interesting.  We'll also take a moment, as we did on last night's broadcast, to remember William Safire. Bill was a panelist on several "Meet The Press" broadcasts that I hosted, as we used to say, "for the vacationing Tim Russert." Like the rest of us, he was an enormous fan of Tim's, and I held him in high regard as a fellow college drop-out. We hope you can join us for tonight's broadcast.

By Janet Shamlian, NBC News correspondent

Route 231 is just off Interstate 40, about a half-hour outside Nashville.  And like clockwork, the bus bound for Wilson Central High stops on the busy road every school morning at 7:10. It seems an unlikely spot to be picking up children until you see the campers and tents set up just off the road.

By Lester Holt, NBC News anchor

It's been an unsettling couple of days--from Iran's admission it has a secret nuclear facility under construction and suspicions in the West that it may be for weapons production--to a series of unrelated terror plots here at home.

Tonight we'll be reporting on developments from both fronts, including President Obama's new message to Iran, and new pieces of a plot a terror suspect may have been planning to unleash in New York city.

Plenty of American couples have to turned to in-vitro fertilization in order to have children, but two stories in the news are raising serious questions about how frozen embryos are handled. Tonight we'll tell you about a Louisiana clinic that has apparently mixed up several embryos.  It follows on the heels of an Ohio woman who was accidentally implanted with another couples' embryo.

Thanks for checking in. I hope you will join us for NBC Nightly News.

By Ann Curry, NBC News anchor

Editor's note: The following are notes from today's press conference with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran.

AC: President Obama said, "The size and configuration of this facility is inconsistent with a peace program."  How do you explain the size and configuration of this facility?

Ahmadinejad: "I don't think Mr. Obama is a nuclear expert.  We have to leave it to the IAEA." 

AC: In terms of the size of the U.S. facility, how about the size of that?

Ahmadinejad: "I haven't hear Mr. Obama say this.  I have to take a look and think about it."

On Obama's promise of change:

Ahmadinejad:"Previous administrations did not respect other governments...but I think..if change is made, things will become much better...Good relations are in everyone's best interest."

Asked to respond to Israel's Netanyahu's showing of a map of Auchwitz before the UN General Assembly:

Ahmadinejad: "We principally don't recognize them."

Asked if Iran has any other nuclear facilities that it has not revealed.

Ahmadinejad: (Pause) "We are operating.. within the framework of the IAEA.  There are rules and regulations.  We follow the law...We did something well beyond what was required....This is a very ordinary facility and is only in its beginning stages. It is not a secret facility."

Ahmadinejad: (Directing his comments to Obama) "What business of it for you to tell us what do do?  You are just another member state like any other state." 

"This is a mistake (referring to comments from Obama, Sarkozy, Brown). They will be sorry."

Ahmadinejad also said, this is not how you enter negotiations, "this is not nice."

Ahmadinejad says he is "surprised" by President Obama's statements today. 
He said under IAEA rules, you must notify the world six months before you intend to begin using the facility.  He said he notified IAEA ahead of time, adding "We still have another year left."

"What we did was completely legal,"  he said. "The IAEA will come and take a look, this is nothing new."

 Brian Williams, anchor and managing editor

As I was departing on USAir (actually operated by Republic) Regional Jet Service to Pittsburgh this morning, I noticed the young woman in the TSA line in front of me. She was wearing flip-flops but had a pair of combat boots in her carry-on tote bag. As she placed her laptop in the plastic bin, I noticed the bumper sticker she had affixed to the lid. It read, "ANARCHY." And I thought: How brilliant...she's a protest commuter!  She's able, conceivably, to wake up in New York, fly to Pittsburgh, protest against the G-20, and be home in time for Leno!  It's almost the same thing I'm doing -- except for the protest part -- and it struck me that we're both flying to Pittsburgh to utilize the First Amendment.  What a country.  And to think regional jet service makes it all possible!  If you haven't flown regional jets before, here's a handy way to simulate the experience: As you read this, bring your knees to within about 8 inches of your chest. There. That's exactly what regional jet service feels like!

I can't help but feel sad here in Pittsburgh, mostly because I love Pittsburgh. This is such a vibrant, proud, compact, loyal, strong and beautiful modern city...and today, it's absolutely empty. Portions of downtown look like Sarajevo during the war. There are Humvees and troops in camouflage holding automatic weapons at every major intersection. There are police from jurisdictions as far away as New York. There are no people on the streets.  You can't hear a bus, a boat, a plane or a car...let alone a horn. Future host cities of political conventions and G-20 summits should understand something: Despite the promises of public attention and economic boom...hosting one of these events means shutting down all or part of your city. That's what's sad about Pittsburgh today.  Just as they are preparing to host people from all over the world for the first time, and show off this great place: the people who make this city great have been ushered out of town.

First Amendment update: As I write this, the first puffs of teargas are rising over one Pittsburgh neighborhood, at exactly the same time President Obama arrives, miles away at the airport.

We'll have all of it for you tonight. I hope you can join us from Pittsburgh tonight.

 Brian Williams, anchor and managing editor

Walking down 6th Avenue today to an appointment, I watched a long column of NYPD cruisers snake through traffic, followed by a number of SUVs and vans--all black, all flashing with embedded strobes, all full of menacing security personnel--one of the SUVs had a telltale sign: one of the side doors was open a crack to allow for fast exit with weapons, if need be. It was the kind of rolling "package" normally reserved for high-level officials of the Federal Government in Washington and other U.S. cities. Then I saw the fender flag on one of the limousines: Turkey. 

The story is typical of the city streets here these days. As I write this, an NYPD helicopter is making low, elliptical passes over Midtown Manhattan--the President of the United States is here, and for that matter, the leaders of EVERYWHERE are here (including, apparently, Turkey) for the U.N. meeting, and the place is in virtual lockdown. The entire East Side of Manhattan can become a frozen zone at any moment. Locals know it but still get caught in it. There are so many officials, all with security details and motorcades...it's choking and dizzying, and I'm afraid it has become a modern-day imperative.

We hope you can join us for the broadcast tonight.

NEW YORK September 22, 2009 - NBC News was a big winner at yesterday's 30th Annual News and Documentary Emmy awards. The network took home five awards, including three for "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams." The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences also recognized NBC News for outstanding live coverage of Decision 2008 Election Night results.

 Brian Williams, anchor and managing editor

If you love television, if you watch a lot of television, last night was simply too much. Sensory overload.  I had two DVR's running -- I thought they were going to catch fire. Consider the dilemma in our house: the Giants game on NBC (sorry about the debut of the new stadium, Dallas), the Emmys, "Mad Men," "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "Entourage." Add to the mix the fact that I can't (as a veteran of a dozen years in local television news and more at the network level) go to sleep without seeing the 11pm news...and you have a busy night in our household.

I spent much of the weekend in Chicago, in connection with the Medal of Honor Society Convention.  We assembled 53 of the 95 living recipients in Chicago, including 100-year-old John Finn, the first recipient of World War II.  We had a spectacular black-tie dinner Saturday night, and I was fortunate to host Mayor Daley and his wife Maggie at my table.  The City of Chicago has never looked better.  Day or night, it is simply breathtaking.  The people of Chicago could not have been better hosts, and the Recipients were overwhelmed by kindness.

We hope you can join us for our broadcast tonight.

by Victor Limjoco, Nightly News associate producer

On an unseasonably hot day in Seattle, Michael Lewis rushed to pour concrete at a construction site. A heat wave had come over the region, and as the day progressed, the weather only made his job harder -- helping to construct a new runway for Seattle's airport. He's much like the other construction workers on the site, except there's a small sticker on his yellow hardhat that says "Helmets to Hardhats."

A little more than a year ago, Michael Lewis was in a very different position. A ground soldier in the U.S. Army, Lewis had served two tours in Iraq and survived multiple IED attacks. He received a Purple Heart. He looked forward to transitioning back to civilian life after separating from the military, but there were challenges ahead. "I don't think I realized how hard it was going to be until I left the military," Lewis says. "I went through a lot of difficult phases."

Facing a crippled job market and struggling to find a long-term career, Michael Lewis turned to "Helmets to Hardhats," a federally funded program that matches veterans with construction apprenticeships. The competitiveness for these training programs varies from region to region, and many wait months, even years, to get on the lists for a variety of construction jobs -- from carpenters to ironworkers to elevator repairers. "Helmets to Hardhats" accelerates the process for these veterans and matches them with careers that best fit their abilities and interests.

Lewis now works for the Local 440 Laborer Union as a first-year apprentice. "I truly believe that this will be my career," he says. "I don't see myself going anywhere else."

With the sounds of power drills and electric saws in the background, correspondent Michelle Kosinski and I watched as Brad Costalunga, another "Helmets to Hardhats" veteran, welded pipe together for a new condo development in the south loop of Chicago. He talks about his days in the military, when you're running on "crazy adrenaline," and the difficult transition back to civilian life.

When we go back to his suburban Chicago home, his wife remembers those days: "You have someone who was almost completely lost." But after the program, she saw a transformation. "Right now, you have somebody that's definitely successful … I would say that the guys at work now are his new brotherhood."

We witnessed these stories of transformation with the "Helmets to Hardhats" boilermakers in Ohio, pipefitters in Chicago, and laborers in Seattle. There are thousands of other stories where good jobs are going to these veterans.

Darrell Roberts, the program's director, knows the impact this has on veterans. "I have had some tell me that they didn't know if their military service meant anything," he says. "They didn't know if anybody really cared. And when they look you in the eye … and they say, 'Thank you. My family is taken care of. I have found a great career.' It makes it all worthwhile."

More information on Helmets to Hardhats:
http://helmetstohardhats.org/

Lester Holt, NBC News anchor

Good afternoon. We're back tonight with details of what led to the arrest of three men who federal authorities suspect are linked to an unspecified terror plot. Pete Williams is working the story for us tonight.

If you were near a TV this morning it would have been hard to miss President Obama as he was a one on one interview guest on 5 network programs, including NBC's Meet the Press. I'll chat with our Chief White House correspondent and Political Director Chuck Todd about the presidential TV blitz and whether it might move the needle in the health care debate.

Then there is the strange story of a psychotic killer whose therapy included a field trip to a county fair. Officials thought it was a good idea until that killer promptly disappeared, and now there is a massive manhunt underway. We'll have the rest of the story tonight on NBC Nightly News. I hope you can join us.

 Brian Williams, anchor and managing editor

A video posted on the web has captured our attention -- it's a re-make of an old famous study into delayed gratification in children.  As you watch, as you suffer and squirm along with these kids, think about your own life -- think about our society, our nation and our world. Ask yourself if you would be as STRONG as some of these cute kids you will see in this video.  Its an interesting subject, and I'll leave you with that as I head off to try to enjoy some semblance of a weekend -- I wish you all a good weekend, and I hope you can join us for a great broadcast tonight.

By Anthony Galloway, NBC News producer

The idea is so simple, the first question many people ask is "Why hasn't this been done before?" Giving Anonymously (www.givinganon.org) is a website that allows people to give money to friends and family in need.  But what makes the organization unique – different from other money transfer sites like PayPal – is that the recipient isn't told who gave them the money.  It arrives anonymously with no strings attached.  All the recipient is asked to do is leave a voicemail recording, which is then forwarded to the anonymous donor.

The "Thank You" messages were the starting point for our reports, which began airing on NBC Nightly News last month.  I've had the pleasure of traveling across the country over the past few weeks to meet a few of the families who have received anonymous donations.  In January, Jeff Kerr, of Woodridge, Illinois, was laid off from his job as a union electrician after ten years on the job.  He's been looking for work for the past nine months. 

But, like many unemployed Americans, he hasn't been successful.  When he was laid off Kerr was earning $30 an hour. The closest he's come to a job offer since then: $9 an hour. With a wife, two young daughters, and a mortgage payment,  the stress of the financial burden was evident in his voicemail message to his anonymous benefactor. Kerr cried in his message and he cried in our interview. It struck me that this former Navy man was so overwhelmed with gratitude for his family's $750 anonymous donation, he had no words to express it. He ended his message putting it simply, "I just want to say thank you very much for me and my family. We all appreciate it. Again, may God be with you and thank you very much."

             
                  Video: Donors make a difference online

The one thing each of the recipients I talked to had in common was that they would have had a difficult time accepting their donation if they knew who was giving it to them. Accepting money from friends and family could have changed their relationships, they said, creating a feeling of indebtedness despite their donor's best intentions. And even though they don't know who gave them the money, knowing that someone cared enough to make such an overwhelming gesture of support is often enough to alter their mental outlook.

Since our story first aired, Giving Anonymously has raised more than $54,000 in donations from people intent on helping those closest to them.  On tonight's broadcast you'll meet Michelle Millar, a single mother and small business owner in Bellingham, Washington.  Millar was facing the prospect of losing her business and her livelihood until someone sent her an anonymous check for $5,000.  The donation has allowed her to purchase new inventory, increase sales and, most importantly, it has given her new hope that she will be able to sustain her business and support her family. 

Lionel Thompson, one of the website's founders, had to visit her in person to drop off the check.  (Millar hung up on Thompson when he first called to notify her of the donation, believing he was a solicitor peddling a scam in her darkest hour.)  News of the anonymous donation was announced on the front page of the Bellingham Herald and soon local residents flocked to her shoe store to support her business.

"I just want them to know what a difference they've made," Millar said.  "It's not just the inventory that I brought in.  It's made a difference in my life and my daughter's life and it's completely—it's turned my life around."

Thompson and his wife Misha don't take credit or accept thanks for their work processing the donations.  They say the thanks lies with the hundreds of Americans who continue to flock to their website to give generously, selflessly, and anonymously.

ŠBrian Williams, anchor and managing editor

If you watch any NBC programming, you've seen them: The public service announcements on smoking prevention, good health, manners, child-raising and generally good things.Š They are hosted by recognizable faces from the NBC television family, and they are called (accompanied by a short jingle) "The More You Know." They are among the best things our company does, they are well-produced and perform a true public service.ŠI look forward to doing them every year, and I've just returned from this year's production shoot, where my place in the batting order was after Jimmy Fallon and before Dr. Nancy Snyderman. It is always a true pleasure being asked to be involved in such a worthy campaign, and I want to publicly thank Susan Haspel, who runs the operation, for treating me so well year after year.

Speaking of the more you know: We hope you can join us for tonight's broadcast.

Brian Williams, anchor and managing editor

 A busy 26 hours of travel have now come to an end. I flew from New York to Atlanta to Washington to New York in 26 hours -- interviewed a former President and did a newscast along the way. Today, with apologies for not posting yesterday (no time, by the time I landed in Washington), I wanted to note two items involving the moving image. First, the moment at the Phillies game -- so good that we're going to tell the story tonight. And second: the passing of Paul Burke. My favorite film of all time is "The Thomas Crown Affair" -- the original -- and Paul Burke plays a great role in it. His interplay with Faye Dunaway, especially when she presents him with a certain gift, is priceless. For a New Orleans native, he affected the perfect Boston accent -- and played the role of conflicted crime fighter to the hilt. He was magnificent in other roles as well, big and small -- and is well-remembered, with clear eyes, in this morning's New York Times.

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

Editor's Note: No blog post today -- Brian Williams was traveling, he will be back tomorrow.

Brian Williams, anchor and managing editor

TKTK

Brian Williams, anchor and managing editor

Did you watch the Video Music Awards last night? The old cliché question did occur to me -- what would someone assume about our world if they landed at Radio City last night from another world? From Kanye's outburst to the blood-stained Lady GaGa... what a night.

by Jim Miklaszewski, chief Pentagon correspondent

This gun camera video from a U.S. Army Apache helicopter in Afghanistan shows just how one of those deadly those roadside bombs or improvised explosive devices (IEDs) backfired on the enemy. As two suspected insurgents apparently attempt to dig up an IED planted in the roadway, you can hear the Apache crew on their radio describing the scene to their ground commanders. As the helicopter crew prepares to attack, they're forced to hold their fire as a boy approches the suspected enemy. The boy leaves, but the crew is forced to hold fire again when a man approaches to fetch water from a nearby stream.  Suddenly, without warning, there's a huge blast.  It appears the two insurgents blew themselves up with an IED intended for American forces.

By Natalie Morales, NBC News anchor

I hope you're having a good weekend. I'm filling in for Lester tonight, and it's another very busy weekend. We'll begin in Washington with the president's full-court press to push his health care reform bill forward. Members of his administration were out in force on the Sunday talk shows to try and hammer away at their opponents. After a weekend where thousands marched on Washington, we'll check in on a town hall meeting in South Carolina led by Senator Lindsay Graham, and see if the commander in chief's message is being heard at all or if he's losing more ground.

By Amy Robach, NBC News anchor

It was one year ago today I was bracing for the 3rd most destructive hurricane to hit the United States, Hurricane Ike. Our NBC News crew hunkered down on Galveston Island, behind a thankfully sturdy seawall. We watched as massive winds and flooding destroyed most of the island community, and impacted Texans across the state. Tonight, we look at the progress made over this past year, and the work that still lies ahead for those who chose to stay and rebuild – but many did not.

By Janet Shamlian, NBC News correspondent

The day was eerily similar to last September 12th. Foreboding skies, swollen clouds and deceivingly light rain. I was back in Galveston a year after Hurricane Ike, but there was no killer storm bearing down on the island this trip. 

By Brian Williams, Anchor and managing editor

I'll be brief today, because I hate to be negative.  This is an awful day every year.  It always seems like 9/11 is either crisp and beautiful (depressing, because that's the way that day was) or grim, gray, windy and wet like today (which is simply depressing). While we tend to "feel" the day most of all here in New York, and while I tend to focus non-stop on the loss of innocent life, especially 343 New York City firefighters—all those brave first responders who were only trying to help—we are left with very little to show for it. While thousands have fought and died in two wars launched in the name of 9/11, we have built a train station in the hole in the ground in Lower Manhattan.  Yes, construction is progressing—buildings are rising around it—but it's been eight long years. It's fair to measure us, as a people, by how we recovered from that terrorist attack. The Pentagon was patched up, and yet we're still awaiting proper memorials in Pennsylvania and New York. We have remained safe, thank God. We just have to remember who we are, and what we're capable of. Those who died deserve nothing less.

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

By Brian Williams, Anchor and managing editor

Please take a moment to read this article from the Washington Post:

Deja vu? A report in the New York Times said: "Tomorrow night, getting right into the thick of the battle," the president would "carry his message to the people in a nationwide television and radio speech" fighting for enactment of his health reform bill, which opponents tagged as "socialized medicine," and "an entering wedge for the takeover of private medicine by the federal government."

The president was John F. Kennedy, the program was Medicare, the Times story was on May 20, 1962. Despite the speech, the effort failed until passage in 1964.

It just goes to show you...

We hope you can join us for the broadcast tonight.