By Ann Curry, NBC News anchor

After a busy news week, I allowed myself to hope that today might be a quiet last day sitting in for the vacationing Brian Williams.

No such luck.

By Al Henkel, NBC News producer

The past couple of days fall in that "Boy, do I have a great job" category.

I've been out shooting a story deep in Cajun country about Louisiana crawfish farmers. Down in the bayous there's a fight going on over Procambus Clarkii, the tasty little devils know as mudbugs.

Crawfish farming is a $100 million dollar business in south Louisiana, but a risky business. Unlike just about every other agricultural commodity, there's no safety net, "No nothin," says David Savoy, a crawfisherman. "We've come up with, on our own, a way to make a living with no government subsidies, with no insurance, everything on our own backs, it's the ideal sign of the independent businessman."

Wholesale price for crawfish is about a dollar a pound, which is exactly what it costs to produce a pound. Farmers are scrambling to make a living, and are trying to regulate the price as best they can by limiting their harvesting days. Think OPEC on a much smaller scale.

Don Teague and I will bring you that story tonight on the broadcast.

On a personal note, I love crawfish. I wish we could bring you smell-a-vision.

(photos by Al Henkel, NBC News)

By Ann Curry, NBC News anchor

In for Brian Williams again tonight, and want to note today is the last day NBC News will benefit from the talents of Tyrone Couch.

roducer

Watch the segment

They are an unlikely pair.

Property developer Bobby Ginn and Audubon of Florida created a partnership to protect the habitat of a family of bald eagles. Now on the success of this union, environmentalists hope this kind of cooperation will become the norm - a new balance between development and conservation.

When Bobby Ginn realized his 1,400-acre Tesoro deluxe development in Port Saint Lucie was already home to two bald eagles, he halted construction and consulted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Audubon of Florida. Even though Ginn's vocation is property development, that did not preclude him from being a friend of nature -- perhaps not surprising since his childhood years were spent in rural South Carolina.

Preserving the eagles' habitat meant significantly modifying the development plan. "He literally designed the development around the moving eagles. He changed the location of the clubhouse, the location of golf courses, the location of a major element of what was going to be his waterfront development...to create a preserve for these birds," said Charles Lee, director of advocacy for Audubon of Florida.

In total, Ginn set aside 120 acres of land to be preserved, at a cost of about $40 million dollars in potential profits. He said it was a tough decision, but that it was the right thing to do. "We spend millions of dollars on golf courses and tennis courts and marinas and other things," he said. "I mean why wouldn't you spend some of that money to create habitat that we both can enjoy - both man and wildlife."

As a result, plans for multi-million-dollar homes were scrapped in favor of some very special residents that live atop a dead tree in a home made of twigs and brush.

Since then, Audubon of Florida and Bobby Ginn installed a solar-powered live web-camera in the tree opposite the nest -- offering an all-day birds-eye view of the eagle family. More recently, viewers have flocked to the site to glimpse the fuzzy heads of two eaglets hatched in January. EagleWatch coordinator Lynda White said the site has become a great educational tool. "We have kids in almost every state watching these birds." In fact, it was children who named the eaglets: Birdie is the girl, and Bogey is the boy.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, caring citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." -Margaret Mead

The welfare of the eagles is of primary concern to all involved, as we witnessed in early March when NBC News visited the nest site. Biologist Brian Mealey of the Institute of Wildlife Sciences and a team from the Miami Science Museum and Florida Atlantic University took the two eaglets down from the nest to take measurements and attach bands. They also attached a light-weight backpack-like tracking device to the larger of the two eaglets, Birdie, the female. The device weighs about 50 grams - roughly a small package of M & Ms - and it will fall off in about four years. Scientists do not expect her to suffer any negative effects by wearing the device, nor will it impact her ability to fly. Birdie and Bogey were gently placed back in their nest with their new scientific jewelry, as their parents circled overhead.

Biologist Brian Mealey holds one young eagle after bringing it down from the nest to conduct measurements and to attach bands.  Photo by NBC News' Stephanie Himango

The timing of the scientists' visit was carefully planned, because the tracking device needed to be attached before first flight. About 50 days old, the eaglets already appeared nearly as large as their parents, and within 3-5 weeks they will try to fly for the first time. Once they do, they will quickly begin their northern migrations - most likely traveling alone. According to Mealey, there is a high mortality rate among chicks. A lot of caring eyes will be watching as Birdie and Bogey transition from exercising their wings in the nest, to branching out and taking flight. You can track Birdie's migration here.  

The bald eagle was removed from the federal endangered species list last year. In the lower 48 states, there are now an estimated 9,789 nesting pairs. That is a dramatic comeback story when contrasted with the same figure from 1963, when there were 417 nesting pairs.

Excluding Alaska, where the bald eagle population has long thrived, Minnesota is currently the state with the highest population of nesting pairs, with 1,312; followed by Florida with 1,133; and Wisconsin, with 1,065.

View more photos

By Ann Curry, NBC News anchor

Brian Williams, who has the week off, is keeping a close watch on the Eliot Spitzer news, which had a moment reminiscent of the OJ Simpson Bronco chase, when news helicopters followed Spitzer's excruciatingly slow drive to his resignation.

Though it appeared his motorcade hit every red light, it was hard not to be riveted.

Tonight Mike Taibbi, who has not slept much since this stunning story broke, again brings his thoughtful writing to the final chapter in the public life of an anti-corruption crusader.

Also tonight, Andrea Mitchell on Barack Obama's first major discussion of race in the campaign. He has made a point not to run as a "black candidate" but appears to have been pushed by Geraldine Ferraro's recent comments.

Ferraro confirmed today that she is not backing down from her quoted comments that "If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman of any color, he would not be in this position."

Meantime new NBC News Wall Street Journal Poll numbers brings Tim Russert to our broadcast tonight.

A lot to tell you tonight and we are racing to finalize the rundown for tonight's broadcast.

By John Rutherford, Producer, NBC News, Washington

There's a very moving ceremony at the Pentagon honoring soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan, but few people know about it, and for good reason.

About 10 times a year wounded soldiers are brought down a Pentagon corridor lined with their Army colleagues, who cheer and applaud and shake their hands as they pass by.

A friend sent me a column by Joseph Galloway of McClatchy Newspapers in which Lt. Col. Robert Bateman describes the ceremony:

"They pass down this corridor of officers and applause, and then meet for a private lunch, at which they are the guests of honor, hosted by the generals," Bateman wrote in part. "Some are wheeled along. Some insist upon getting out of their chairs, to march as best they can with their chin held up, down this hallway, through this most unique audience.

"Some are catching handshakes and smiling like a politician at a Fourth of July parade. More than a couple of them seem amazed and are smiling shyly."

I asked Jim Miklaszewski, NBC's Pentagon correspondent, about the ceremony. He said it is closed to media coverage, at the request of the soldiers themselves.

"Not all of them are open to coverage," Jim said. "And since the soldiers come through as a group it's too awkward to try to isolate those who would give permission for us to cover the event."

Jim said the likelihood is slim of ever getting permission to cover this ceremony, so I can't give you a first-hand account. But I can let you know that it occurs.

"For 24 minutes, soldier after soldier has come down this hallway - 20, 25, 30. Fifty-three legs come with them, and perhaps only 52 hands or arms, but down this hall came 30 solid hearts."

Click here to read tributes to the 81 service members killed this year in Iraq and Afghanistan, including the following five from last week:

1. Air Force Staff Sgt. Christopher Frost, 24, of Waukesha, Wis.

2. Army Spc. Steven Koch, 23, of Milltown, N.J.

3. Army Sgt. Robert Rapp, 22, of Sonora, Calif.

4. Army Cpl. Jose Paniagua-Morales, 22, of Bell Gardens, Calif.

5. Army Sgt. Gabriel Guzman, 25, of Hornbrook, Calif.

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 Ann Curry, NBC News anchor

First an apology. Completely forgot to blog last night in the shock that rippled through our newsroom as the facts about the Elliot Spitzer investigation unfolded. 

This place where Brian Williams usually sits is surrounded by some of the world's most seasoned newswriters and producers, not the sort to drop their jaws when a story breaks, but not even they saw this coming.

That the New York governor, who has been called "The Crusader," and "Mr. Clean," because of his righteous investigations of wrongdoings, could fall so hard from grace reminds us all that everything is not always as it seems.

Today, as the investigation broadens, Mike Taibbi is gathering still more surprising details for his report tonight.

Lee Cowan has news from the Obama campaign on this primary day in Mississippi, and Kelly O'Donnell from the McCain campaign, and we also expect to have an update on the US position on Darfur. The State Department is now calling "horrific" Sudan's human rights record in the region, because of "torture, beatings, and rape by government security forces and their proxy militia in Darfur."

There are more signs the situation there is worsening still. The U.N. is halving its emergency food deliveries to Darfur because of a surge in attacks on its convoys. The World Food Program reports 45 trucks have already been hijacked this year.

There is also news on stem cells and Alzheimer's, and on a much lighter note

President Bush's singing debut in white tie and cowboy hat to bring you tonight. The truth is we have too much to tell you to fit our newscast, so we will not waste a word.

By Lester Holt, NBC News Anchor

Behind the real drama, twists and turns of the Clinton-Obama race for the Democratic nomination, is some real mind-numbing detail concerning party rules and procedures that determine how big a delegate prize the candidates get in each state contest. It's exciting to track the delegate counts, but to be perfectly honest, it is difficult at times to understand how those delegates are awarded.

This past Tuesday, I was allowed to attend a democratic caucus in Houston. In preparation, I spent the afternoon poring over the Texas Democratic Party rules--everything from how to elect a caucus chairman and secretary, to how to determine if the threshold to form a caucus has been met. The party even provides something they call the E-Z Math Precinct Delegate form that walks you through a number of calculations that ultimately answer the question of the night: how many delegates does each candidate get? After an hour of going over the rules, those IRS forms I used to grumble over suddenly seemed downright simple.

Of course, I was like most of the 400 people who crammed the tiny elementary school cafeteria, in that I had never attended a caucus. There was understandable confusion, a few raised voices, and plenty of questions. Before long, however, a few caucus veterans managed to get everyone organized. The Obama and Clinton supporters were sorted out, and formed into lines to sign in and select their candidate preferences. It was remarkable to witness the political process play out on such a grassroots level. On the cafeteria stage, sign-in sheets were tallied by volunteers with calculators and yellow note pads. When the delegate tallies were finally announced, there was no booing or demonstrations. The caucus attendees left with obvious pride that they had navigated unfamiliar waters and had made their voices heard.

Tonight on Nightly News we're going to backtrack on the delegate race, and look at a new push to give democratic voters in Michigan and Florida a second chance to vote. Delegates weren't awarded in those states the first time around because Democratic National Committee rules over the scheduling of those contests were not followed. Now some are suggesting a new mail-in election. Kevin Corke will be covering that for us, Savannah Guthrie looks at John McCain's challenge staying in the spotlight, and John Harwood will be by to put it all in perspective.

Lastly, I want to thank all of you who wrote in with birthday wishes yesterday. I had a great celebration with my family after the broadcast last night, and your thoughts and greetings made the day all the more special.

Thanks for reading the blog. We'll look for you tonight for NBC Nightly news.

by Lester Holt, NBC News Anchor

It is pouring rain for a second straight day outside our Manhattan studios, and amid the usual chorus of grumbling, I have heard more than a few people remark, "at least it's not snow!" We certainly don't have to look far to see how close we came to shoveling today instead of wading. The Ohio Valley in particular is suffering under heavy snow that has accompanied two storm systems that have been felt from Arkansas to the Great Lakes. Since mid week there have been numerous deaths, power outages, and airport disruptions. NBC's Rehema Ellis will wrap it all up for us on Nightly News tonight.

Who would have thought two months into the primary season we'd be anxiously anticipating the outcome of the Wyoming Democratic Caucuses? Twelve delegates are at stake, but as we all have come to understand in this race, twelve delegates is a lot. We'll tell you how things went there today.

Next time you pass a truck on the interstate, take a glance in the rear view mirror and check out who's behind the wheel of that big-rig. Chances are it won't be whom you expect.  Don Teague has a fascinating story on the shortage of big-rig drivers, and how it is changing the image of truckers.

Finally, if you caught the end of the TODAY show this morning, you saw my colleagues surprise me with birthday cupcakes. My NIGHTLY NEWS co-workers, not to be outdone, surprised me with both chocolate and carrot layer cakes during our afternoon rundown meeting. And something tells me there is yet another cake waiting for me when I get home this evening. I tell you this so you can look for the new and larger (and slightly sugar shocked) Lester Holt on tomorrow night's broadcast. Seriously, it's been a great day and I appreciate all the well wishes. If March 8th also happens to be your birthday, I hope you too are having a great one!

As always, thanks for checking out the blog. I hope you can join us for the Saturday edition of NBC Nightly News.

Every week, Brian Williams answers questions sent in by Nightly News viewers and Newsvine members.

This Friday, he answered a handful of questions from the serious to the mundane: What about media bias in political reporting? Where does he get his ties? And was it really tense on Jon Stewart's show?

By Brian Williams, Anchor and managing editor

A coming event in the national calendar has us thinking of one of our favorite people: retired NBC News Executive Vice President Bill Wheatley. Often called the conscience of the News Division while he was here, a while back he had a burst of good sense and left this life behind for the joys of retirement and his life in New York and New England. I mention Bill because of his twice-a-year memo, which became the stuff of folklore here. This is one of his better versions, from a few years ago:

Bill secretly loved this part of his job -- and of course we remember the lesson of the memo to this day. We miss Bill around here -- I think of him constantly (and I don't call him as often as I should -- he's such good company and always has sound judgement) and on days like today our affection for Bill becomes especially acute.

We have a full broadcast planned for tonight. We hope you can join us. Have a great weekend.

By Ron Mott, NBC News correspondent

Many school bus rides offer a mix of sleeping students, others horsing around and, perhaps, a few with their heads in books.

In tonight's "Making a Difference" report we'll introduce you to the kids who ride Bus No. 46 in the small, impoverished town of Grapevine, Ark., an hour south of Little Rock. They're quickly becoming math and science wizards during their long trek to and from campus on what they call the "magic" school bus.

They're part of a experimental program called Aspirnauts (aspire, seek, achieve) that connects them to advanced online courses through donated laptops, connected to the Web while on the move. Younger students are engaged with high-tech podcasts through video iPods.

The experimental program was started by Vanderbilt University medical scientist Billy Hudson, who was looking for a unique way to give back to his village, as he refers to his hometown. One day he tagged along for the bus ride - upwards of an hour and a half each way - and realized a lot of time was not being utilized.

"I said, 'Wait a minute. There has to be a better way'," Hudson says.

As soon as the kids plop themselves down on the padded brown seats, they reach for their laptop or iPod.

The results of this immersion are paying off in high test scores. Several of the students, some still in middle school, have taken college admissions tests as a benchmark and have scored as well as graduating seniors.

Hudson says he's hopeful the program can be replicated in other rural communities around the country. His wife, Julie, a doctor, manages the day-to-day operations and fundraising, and is awaiting a response to a $2 million federal grant that seeks to expand the program for other students in Grapevine who ride the bus to school.

By Rehema Ellis, NBC News correspondent

Now's the time when high school kids start looking anxiously at the mailbox for precious college acceptance letters. Anxiety about how to pay for college is also high.

When we took a crew with camera and lights into the home of Steve and Eileen Chao, in Virginia, we got a glimpse of how one family is handling soaring college costs. It's a family affair.

The Chaos are first-generation immigrants from China. Both Steve and Eileen came to the United States as youngsters. He didn't speak any English. For years, before they met and got married, they both worked small jobs. They washed dishes in restaurants, worked in gas stations or delivered newspapers. They never complained because they were working with a specific purpose in mind: their family's future. The hard work paid off and led them to college and a better life in the middle class.

Today, they are insurance agents, with two daughters -- one is in college and the other one is on her way.

"That's our goal," Steve Chao said. "I guess for a lot of parents they want to make sure their next generation is better off than their own".

Like many families, the Chaos believe the way to ensure a better future for their children is to give them the best education. Paying for college however, hasn't been easy even for the Chaos, who live in a comfortable home in the suburbs.

"With the second one going to college, that's going to put a big dent in our budget," said Steve Chao. But he and his wife have taught their girls to aim high, "to reach as far as you can reach...and we'll support [them] all the way," said their mother.

The values of hard work, determination and sacrifice for the family good are now a part of their daughters' lives.

Three years ago, Stephanie, the oldest applied to only one in-state school. Knowing her family would be paying the tuition, she wanted to keep the costs as low as possible. And, her parents said, Stephanie was also thinking about her younger sister. Stephanie knew that if she went to a private college the funding for Samantha, her sister, would be greatly reduced. So Stephanie put aside her own dreams and didn't apply to an Ivy League school so that her sister could.

Now, 17-year old Samantha, an honor roll student, has applied to three expensive colleges but, mindful of the costs, she applied to five in-state schools, too.

The recent announcements from several of the nation's wealthiest colleges that tuition costs will be free for middle income students who make the grade is a relief to the Chaos and to Samantha.

"I can tell that her spirit is up," said her father.

Now the whole family is looking forward to the envelope in the mail.

Editor's note: Click here to watch Rehema Ellis's report on college tuition on Friday's broadcast.

By Brian Williams, Anchor and managing editor

First, the inspiration: we had a fantastic day here -- our senior staff spent four hours (an extended editorial board meeting and lunch) with five of the most influential African-American pastors in this country: we welcomed Bishop T. D. Jakes, Bishop Charles Blake, Bishop Sedgwick Daniels, Rev. A. R. Bernard and Pastor John Borders to NBC News -- for a discussion of faith and politics and much more. We have an active program of visitors here, which can only make our work better.

Also, I recommend an article in the New York Times on a big change in Lower Manhattan at Ground Zero. A relic is about to be moved. I feel the same way about it as I did the removal of the last dramatic charred shards of the towers -- which many of us believe would have been the most stark, effective and meaningful memorial to the awful loss on 9-11. All it takes is a little imagination in the design and construction of the memorials that become our most meaningful public architecture. After all, I'm writing this from Rockefeller Plaza -- a huge, sprawling complex of buildings that was built around a diminutive corner restaurant and bar(a holdout in the 1930's who didn't want to sell, a watering role still known to us veterans as "Hurley's" even though it has changed hands a few times), and if that can be the case with a midtown office complex...surely our more meaningful structures and reminders can, with a little imagination and some leadership...be incorporated into bigger plans.

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

By John Yang, NBC News correspondent

Covering the White House, I've had the opportunity to meet world leaders, business executives, sports stars and, of course, to interact with the President of the United States. But with all due respect to all of them, I've never had an experience like the one I had this morning when I sat down with 107-year-old Frank Buckles, the last living U.S. veteran of World War I.

Mr. Buckles had come to Washington from his 330-acre cattle farm near Charles Town, W.Va., to meet President Bush in the Oval Office--which hadn't even been built when he was born--for the unveiling of his portrait as part of an exhibit at the Pentagon. We sat down with him for an exclusive interview in the Map Room of the White House, where President Franklin Roosevelt plotted the progress of World War II.

He was sharp and alert and his memory crisp. He was quick with anecdotes. When he heard my last name, he asked if was related to a family he had known in China. I worried about taxing Buckles's energy and tried to end the interview at one point. But he'd have none of that--he wanted to talk.

When 108-year-old Harry Landis died in Sun City, Fla., on Feb. 4, Buckles became the only living U.S. veteran of the "war to end all wars"--the last man standing in a line of nearly 5-million Americans who served in uniform during that war.

"I knew it would happen to somebody, but I didn't necessarily think it was going to be me," he said with a soft chuckle.

He attributes his longevity to "the desire to live … I have something to survive for. I have a daughter, who, of course, is dear to me," he said, gesturing to Susannah Buckles Flanagan, 52, who sat nearby.

He does 50 sit-ups everyday and drove a tractor on his farm until five years ago--the same time he stopped driving himself to appointments.

"What made you stop?" I asked.

"My daughter," he said, with a laugh. "I would have been driving a lot longer than I did."

Buckles lied about his age to enlist for World War I when he was 15, hoping to be part of something important and, he said, have an adventure. He missed the war; the Armistice can just as he arrived in France.

In civilian life, years later, while working for a steamship line in the Philippines, another war found him. When the Japanese invaded at the beginning of World War II, he was sent to a POW camp where he spent three-and-a-half years.

He still has the tin cup from which he ate a slop of rice and, when he was lucky, beans.

"A prisoner doesn't want to eat thinking about what he would lilke to have," he said. "He's not thinking about the steaks that he would get at the Waldorf-Astoria. He's thinking about, 'If I just had more beans and just more rice.' "

Finally, he had to get going to make his date at the Pentagon. As we shook hands, he leaned forward and said softly, "You'll be 100, too."

I can only hope--and hope to have as interesting a life as Frank Buckles.

Editor's note: Click here to watch Yang's report about Frank Buckles's visit to the White House which aired on Thursday's broadcast.

By Brian Williams, Anchor and managing editor

One of the stories that might have gotten lost this past weekend was the christening of the USS New York, the ship that contains 24 tons of steel from the wreckage of the World Trade Center in its hull. It's striking looking: boxy, angular, geometric -- part of the new San Antonio class of warships. The most bizarre aspect of its naming might just might be this: the shipyard workers who built the last Navy vessel to bear the name USS New York laid its keel on September 11, 1911 -- exactly 90 years prior to the attacks on the United States.

It struck me looking at videotape of the grand ship and its christening: the steel she will now carry around the world is an embedded reminder of a horrible event in our nation's history. Similarly, commuters in New York -- and visiting tourists on their way to the city from the airport -- probably have no idea they are passing over an embedded reminder of another horrible time, each time they use the FDR Drive on Manhattan's East River. Formerly called the East River Drive, portions of the roadway were built upon rubble that was collected from the hulls of ships from Great Britain, and used as fill to create the massive superstructure of the highway along the river. The rubble came from the wreckage of buildings in London following the Nazi blitz, and was used as ballast in ship's hulls. Its now part of the skeletal structure of the City of New York, just as the Trade Center is now a part of an awesome new floating symbol of the United States.

Tonight we'll do our best to sort out exactly what happened last night. We also have some unique feature reporting from China, the Grand Canyon, and the North Portico of the White House. We hope you can join us.

By John Rutherford, Producer, NBC News, Washington

Army Sgt. Michael Minard, 26, of Grand Junction, Colo., was on his third tour in Iraq when tragedy struck.

"1 October we were out on a recon just a couple clicks north of Sadr City in Baghdad and on the way we got hit by a [roadside bomb]," he said. "It tore through our Stryker and stripped my legs apart."

Sgt. Minard lost both of his legs. He's been recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center for the past five months.

I first met him on Feb. 14 during a tour of the hospital's new outpatient clinic. He praised the care he's received at Walter Reed.

"It's been really good," he told me. "I've had no problems. Everything's been amazing, actually."

I saw him again on March 4. He was one of three patients receiving Purple Hearts. I asked if he and his family needed anything.

"No, we can take care of ourselves pretty good," he said. "Just continue taking care of the soldiers overseas. Send them care packages. They need all the support they can get."

Sgt. Minard's wife, Lynda, recently gave birth to their second daughter, Brooke. She joins 4-year-old Kayla. I asked about his future.

"Basically, I'm taking one step at a time right now," he said. "All the goals that I did have, they've all changed, obviously. I know I want to go to school. I need to get a college degree if I'm going to get anywhere."

Sgt. Minard recently learned he has received a full scholarship to Colorado Technical University.

If you'd like to do something for the wounded soldiers at Walter Reed, simply go to www.wramc.army.mil and click on "donate" in the bottom right of your screen.

And if you'd like to know what you can do for all of our service members, here are some websites sent in by readers: www.anysoldier.com;  www.soldiersangels.com;  www.letssaythanks.com;  www.health.mil;  www.adoptaplatoon.com, and www.marineparents.com. If you know of similar websites, please send them to us in the comment section below.

Click here to read tributes to the 76 U.S. troops who've died this year in Iraq and Afghanistan, including the following three casualties from last week:

1. Army Spc. Michael Phillips, 19, of Ardmore, Okla.

2. Army Spc. Orlando Perez, 23, of Houston.

3. Army Spc. Kevin Mowl, 22, of Pittsford, N.Y.

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 Brian Williams, Anchor and managing editor

Maybe it's because I was overwhelmed by the response from our wonderful blog readers to my remembrance of William F. Buckley -- maybe it's because it's the cover topic in Newsweek this week -- but I've been dwelling on the loss of WFB and what it means -- what his life meant -- to this country and our political climate. I feel compelled to recommend a great piece of writing from the Op-Ed page of the New York Times on March 2nd. It's by Michael Kinsley -- a Buckley acolyte and loyalist -- if not a fellow traveler in the conservative cause. I've been thinking of Michael these days in the wake of such a force in his life, and he's brilliantly expressed his feelings here.

I am also thinking about today's date. March 4th has loomed large on our political calendar because of the four contests we will be covering tonight. But it also has another role in the recent history of our still-young country: it was the day of FDR's first inauguration -- the last time a President was sworn in on that day, in fact.  (Watch video) What a time it was for our country: we were in the grip of depression -- and we could not know then that American troops would, in just a few years (and despite FDR's promises to the contrary), be heading off to fight a global war, sparked by an attack on the United States. Jonathan Alter writes beautifully about the significance of this day, "With the U.S. financial system in meltdown, FDR's bipartisan bank-rescue plan passed the House on a voice vote with its provisions scrawled on a napkin." It was an historic day. So is March 4th, 2008.

Tomorrow night, we have one of our limited commercial interruption broadcasts. Tonight we'll have some superb political coverage -- well into the night as we do five separate, live feeds of Nightly News before Tim Russert and I swing over and join our colleagues on MSNBC. We hope you can join us. Thanks for watching, reading and writing!

By Robert Bazell, NBC News chief science correspondent

We have all seen cash strapped school districts forced to cut music and other arts education programs.  We have heard the complaints about how "NoChild Left Behind" and other programs increasingly force a "teach to the test" mentality that emphasizes measures of  reading and math scores over a broader education.  But what influence does teaching the music and the arts really have on a child's ability to learn other things?

By Brian Williams, Anchor and managing editor

There's nothing like a quick tour of world news today to put a number of things in perspective. Read about what's brewing in South America -- today a person in a position to know indicated to us that we'd be well-counseled to keep a close eye on the situation, just as the U.S. government is doing. There are the election results in Russia, the rockets coming from Gaza, the U.S. action in Somalia, and the Iran situation. It's all sobering, and it does tend to frame what we're going through and talking about (or NOT talking about) as a nation.

Joe Klein of TIME magazine attributes so much of what we're seeing in the campaign to sheer exhaustion -- and I agree with him. The candidates are almost sleep-walking through their final stops prior to the vote tomorrow. They make mistakes, and they say things that perhaps they normally would not -- even though it might seem like a good idea at the time. And as ugly as it gets in public, it's sometimes much worse behind the scenes.

Today's required reading: Evan Thomas's Newsweek cover story on William F. Buckley, and Lauren Collins' profile of Michelle Obama in the New Yorker.

We are busy and running hard. We have a good broadcast planned for tonight, as we gear up for yet another big vote tomorrow. thanks for watching.

by Lester Holt, NBC News Anchor

On Nightly News tonight, we will tee up this week's primary contests in Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Vermont, which collectively offer 370 democratic delegates. We'll also be reporting the new MSNBC-McClatchy poll numbers that show Ohio and Texas to be very tight races. NBC's Lee Cowan is telling us the Obama campaign has been spending heavily on TV ads, hoping to deliver a knockout punch to Clinton on Tuesday. Yet, mindful of the polls, they are trying to guard against seeming over confident. Ron Allen is in Ohio covering Hillary Clinton. Her campaign is under no illusions as to what losses on Tuesday will mean to the future of her candidacy. In his report tonight, Ron will include a little of Clinton's cameo on last night's Saturday Night Live, where she engaged in some self-deprecating humor. Tom Brokaw will also be a part of our campaign coverage, as he looks at how Texas now finds itself in the rare position of having real political influence during a primary season.

The heavy snow seen in many parts of the country has resulted in a dangerous avalanche season. NBC's Peter Alexander has a terrific piece tonight on what may be your best chance for a successful rescue if you ever find yourself buried in snow.

We have full coverage of today's Russian presidential election, and why in a spite of a virtual landslide for Dmitry Medvedev, Vladamir Putin will likely remain very much in the picture.

Veteran correspondent Tom Aspell is in Gaza, where more than 100 Palestinians have now died following Israel's overwhelming show of force in the face of Hamas rocket attacks.

We will also have Richard Engel's reporting from Iraq on the historic visit today of Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to Baghdad.

I hope you will join us for the Sunday edition of NBC Nightly News.

by Lester Holt, NBC News Anchor

Good day from New York.  It is another big weekend before another big primary week.  When you look at how the polls have gravitated in Texas and Ohio over the last several weeks you have to wonder, is Hillary Clinton competing as much against the clock as she is competing again Barack Obama?  Those big leads she held in Texas and Ohio are now distant memories, and Tuesday's contests look to be very close.  This weekend the New York Senator is continuing to speak on the theme of national security experience which was the subject of a much talked about ad her campaign debuted in Texas this week.  Barack Obama, meantime is in Rhode Island today, which also holds its contest on Tuesday.  It's a state where support for Clinton has remained strong, but where Obama may now see an opening.  NBC's Ron Allen and Lee Cowan are covering the democratic candidates and will wrap-up the day for us on Nightly News.

If you're tired of the Clinton-Obama race, there is always the Boeing-Airbus competition.  The latest round between the two rival aircraft giants goes to Airbus. This time, however, instead of passenger planes it's about aerial tankers for the U.S. Air Force, which has chosen Airbus to provide 179 tankers based on its popular A330 jetliner.  Even though the French-based Airbus partnered with the American aerospace company Northrop Grumman to pitch its design, and will build the planes in Alabama, the award is seen as a major blow to Boeing, which was thought by many to have a home-country advantage. Peter Alexander is covering the story for us, and will have some of the sharp reaction over the military's decision to go with a foreign designed plane.

We will also of course be following the breaking developments in Gaza where fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian rocket squads is escalating.  At least 80 people are reported dead.

Thanks for checking the blog.  I hope you'll be back for NBC Nightly News.