Candy bowl at the NBC News front office, stocked by Blair

The destructive power of snacking is the subject of a first-rate piece in the Wall Street Journal -- and one of the staples of our office (and I hope yours) is the candy bowl. My long-suffering assistant Diane stocks ours, and our News Division President's long-suffering assistant, Blair, stocks the bowl in the front office. They used to have better candy, but Diane has raised our game. We now feature (and have to hide) Haribo mini gummy bears in individual packages. I am convinced they are infused with crack- cocaine. The article is maddening in one aspect: control. Just don't do it. No one is victim to a bowl. We are bigger than the bowl. I guess that will stand as my pearl of wisdom for today. We are bigger than the bowl.

Let's quickly move on to more important issues. Among them: news today that the space shuttle is going to land in New York. That's big. Details on Nightly News. We hope you can join us tonight.

It was President Richard Nixon who proposed and passed the National 55mph speed limit. I vividly remember the 70mph highway signs being changed—overnight—to 55. I also remember my father complaining about it. Where we were once able to comfortably drive 80, we could now only drive 65.  That's assuming the local troopers "gave" drivers 10mph over the speed limit. In later years, states started breaking away. Montana and Nevada were virtually unregulated along sections of open highway. Driving in those two states in a fast car reminded me of the Autobahn in Germany. Now, with 80mph speed limits on the fastest highways in Utah and Texas, Texas is proposing 85mph for its new highways in future years, so they could be engineered to run at those speeds. The significance of the 85 number is interesting: For a time, speedometers on American-made cars were ordered to STOP at 85, and always highlighted "55" as the ideal speed. This whipsaw speed limit policy mirrors us all, in a way. Where we once viewed 55 as a way to save lives and energy, now we apparently...just want to go faster. As one who likes to drive fast, I'm not complaining.  I guess I'm just...reminiscing. And it’s no wonder my Chevy likes to run: It was made in Texas.

We hope you can join us tonight.

Ann Curry writes:

In for Brian tonight, as his talented team weighs a lot of breaking news today. 

It is a sincere pleasure, every time I pinch-hit, to watch how intensely these writers, producers and technicians focus on every little detail that will bring people a strong, informative newscast. 

For example, about today's 7.1 major aftershock off the coast of Japan: Despite official reassurances that the nuclear plant was not further damaged, our team is pushing for an independent assessment from US nuclear experts.

Of course, they are closely watching this government shutdown possibility—a lot of concern was voiced in the meeting about what that could mean for our military men and women and their families, many of whom live paycheck to paycheck.

We’ll have some powerful images and reporting from Stephanie Gosk tonight about Khaddafy forces shelling Ajdabiya, which until recently seemed securely in rebel hands.

Also tonight from Libya, the first images of Iman al-Obeidi, since she frantically told western reporters in Tripoli she had been gang raped by government soldiers.

You might have heard about the Donald Trump interview Meredith Viera did this morning on TODAY—which, by the way, exploded on Twitter, mostly because he questioned whether there is proof President Obama was born in America. Our Lisa Myers looks closely at the evidence and gives an accounting tonight.

On the topic of twitter, @bronxzooscobra makes it on the broadcast again tonight, in a story that will likely give you a chuckle.

And to fill your soul, we will update you on what happened to a woman diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer while pregnant. Thank goodness for people who show us how to face adversity and win.

See you tonight.

Midtown Manhattan already feels like something's about to happen. Indeed, President Obama is due to arrive at a Midtown hotel to give a speech this evening, and while the White House in the modern era (of war wagons and massive motorcades) has tried to show sensitivity and creativity, it still ends up paralyzing parts of the City when the President visits. He is speaking at Al Sharpton's National Action Network convention, which I guess serves as something of a milestone in Rev. Sharpton's career. 

Meantime, we're following all of the stories that deserve watching domestically and overseas, and tonight we will debut our new polling numbers with Chuck Todd. There are some surprises—including one big one where domestic politics is concerned.

So we hope you can join us for all of it tonight.

Subrata De

NBC's Brian Williams and musician Paul Simon

Today I interviewed Paul Simon -- in a segment for air very soon (and an extended version on the web) in conjunction with his new album. We sat down in the same room where he recorded the album in his suburban Connecticut home. He was gracious, modest, smart and a fascinating person to talk to, as I had always imagined. While his place in music history has been set for decades, he keeps producing great work. The new album is no exception. While on the cusp of his 70th birthday, his musical tastes are as varied as the issues he's interested in. The fact that he credits his wife, Edie Brickell, for his satisfaction and contentment in life -- tells you all you need to know about Paul Simon. I can't wait to bring you the interview.

It was a lovely distraction from the drumbeat of news we've been covering -- we'll have all of it for you tonight.

We hope you can join us.

Editor's note: Brian Williams will back on the Daily Nightly blog tomorrow

My thanks to the FDNY—the rock stars, the very best in the firefighting business. I was with them most of the day at their command center, getting briefed by the Incident Management Team in Brooklyn, an outgrowth of 9/11. I met with the top commanders, the Chief of Department, the Commissioner—and I saw all the technology and toys and equipment—but mostly I saw the talent in that facility. If all New Yorkers could see what I saw today and meet the people I met today, they'd thank God to be able to live in a City so well-protected. While the same, of course, can be said for the professionals of the NYPD, I'm a fire guy.  Today's visit was in connection with a speech and appearance I'm due to make in the coming days.  My thanks to everyone involved.

We hope you can join us tonight. Have a good weekend.