on our broadcast tonight, coming home. from the battlefield to the long awaited reunions at home tonight, our coverage of the combat pullout from iraq. that egg recall has grown much larger. now there is concern over one farm in particular. desperate hours in pakistan. ann curry is there to show us the devastation from above. criminal charges tonight against a giant of modern day baseball. did roger clemens, "the rocket," lie to congress? and making a difference to people with nowhere else to turn. people with nowhere else to turn. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

good evening. it went on longer than world war ii and now the combat phase of the iraq war is finally over. our cameras were there. our own richard engel reporting live from a moving vehicle when the last u.s. combat troops crossed the border into kuwait, emptied their weapons because they were no longer in harm's way. their mission was over. >> reporter: it looks like we are crossing into kuwait. i have seen the flashes of some cameras, so there are other journalists there. if you look to the left, there are some soldiers waving this convoy in. >> tonight, we get to see the first homecoming stateside, while the 50,000-plus americans who stayed behind are hoping theirs is a noncombat role. either way, as a young lieutenant said last night, it's the end of an era in u.s. military history. we begin tonight with our chief foreign correspondent richard engel who, again, broke the news

on this broadcast last night. tonight finds him in kuwait. richard, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. we are still with soldiers from the 42 stryker brigade. they are based at fort lewis in washington state. they will be heading back there soon. they have now taken all of their equipment out of the strykers that we watched cross from iraq into kuwait last night. this is one of the last steps on their long journey out of iraq. on a windless morning, already nearing 100 degrees at 4:00 a.m., the last american combat brigade rolls into kuwait. in a stark contrast to the media frenzy at the start of operation iraqi freedom in 2003, just two soldiers wave them in. >> you made it! [ honking ] >> there you go! >> reporter: an understated arrival. >> yes! >> reporter: soldiers cheer or light cigars. after sunrise in kuwait, colonel john norris, the 42 stryker

brigade commander, tells me how significant this mission has been. is this the end of the war? >> it's the end of operation iraqi freedom. it is the end of war as we have come to know it. >> reporter: it's just sinking in that this is a milestone in a war that has bracketed their young lives. >> i was in middle school when this happened. i was 12 when the first invasion happened. seven years later i'm here, finishing it out and it feels good. >> i've got a son back home. just want to play with him, take him out, get a good meal. maybe a nice, fat steak. >> first, i want to call my family and let them know i made it back safe and sound. the next thing i want to do is sit back and relax. >> reporter: these soldiers should all be home by next week. what was going through your mind as that was happening, as you saw a few soldiers there saluting you, welcoming you in to kuwait? >> joy. just joy and just seeing my comrades' faces, just joy and relief that we all made it out

safe and we didn't take any casualties. >> reporter: that, these soldiers say, is testimony to how much has changed. the 42 strykers, the last combat brigade in iraq, didn't lose a single soldier in combat during their final tour in baghdad. richard engel, nbc news, kuwait. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: i'm miguel almaguer at joint base lewis-mcchord in washington state where the wait for these military families is finally over. their heroes are home. 300 soldiers of the 4th stryker brigade returned from iraq today. >> oh, they've grown up a lot. a lot heavier, that's for sure. >> reporter: for robert deleon, this was his third tour. >> it's super special. i haven't had it for a year. >> reporter: some 3,000 troops from the combat unit will return by the end of september. >> when they told us we were going to do this, you didn't

really grasp how important it was, you know, how big a deal this actually was to be driving out of here. >> reporter: in san jose, california, pat and jim dewitt were juggling phone calls as they watched their son pull out of iraq on live television. >> it's great knowing he's headed for home. >> reporter: with the combat mission over, adjusting to the home front is just beginning. >> don't be afraid to bring something up to your chain of command if you think it needs it. let's not lose anyone at this point. >> reporter: over the last seven years, three stryker brigades, roughly 12,000 soldiers from this base, were in the middle of some of the war's worst fighting. 149 of them never made it home. >> i can see my husband's face every time i see the face of another soldier. >> reporter: homecomings are still too painful for debra bridges. in 2003 her husband, staff sergeant steven bridges, was one of the first stryker brigade fatalities in iraq. their daughter was 5 then. she turns 12 next week. >> i remember me and my sister

saying, "daddy, don't go, don't go." >> reporter: her father's name rests atop a memorial at lewis-mcchord -- a sad reminder of the war's cost at a place that today was allowed a few precious moments of joy. miguel almaguer, nbc news, joint base lewis-mcchord, washington. >> thankfully the homecomings will go on. now to domestic news. this massive recall of eggs and the investigation now into salmonella contamination involving dozens of brands in grocery stores, restaurants across the country. the centers for disease control now says hundreds and perhaps thousands of people have gotten sick from the bad eggs which all seem to have come from one egg farm in iowa. as our own tom costello reports, a company from a troubled history. >> reporter: it was at this family restaurant in kenosha, wisconsin, where one of the

first clusters of salmonella was reported in june. dozens sick, some hospitalized and now lawsuits. the restaurant bought its eggs from the iowa farm at the center of the investigation. >> your reputation, your business has been destroyed because of it, because of the product. >> reporter: late yesterday the wright county egg farm nearly doubled the egg recall to 380 million. with thousands potentially ill. >> this is one of the largest outbreaks of this particular type of bacteria/ type of bacteria that we have seen in recent years. >> reporter: the egg farm is owned by austin jack decoster, an industry giant who's had run-ins with investigators for years. the state of iowa sued him for water pollution and waste violations and eventually classified him an habitual violator of state laws. his company was fined for federal health and safety

violations in 1996 that the u.s. labor secretary described as sweat shop conditions. the company paid $2 million and admitted wrongdoing. in 2003, decoster pleaded guilty to knowingly hiring illegal immigrants. >> this hen gasps for air as she slowly dies. >> reporter: then there is undercover video showing animal cruelty. the company paid a $130,000 fine admitting the behavior was unacceptable. today, wright county egg tells nbc news it continues to fully cooperate with the fda, but food safety advocates are alarmed. >> this is why we need a cop on the beat, a strong fda with tough inspectors and tough enforcement authority in mandatory recalls. >> reporter: the fda doesn't yet have mandatory recall authority. this recall is a voluntary one. new national egg safety rules that went into effect in july are designed to eliminate the risk of salmonella contamination at the farm. today the fda said if the rules

had been in place in may, the outbreak may never have happened. brian? >> tom costello with the latest tonight. tom, thanks. the economy is in the news tonight. it's not good. new claims for unemployment benefits up last week to half a million americans. that's the highest level in nine months, a clear sign employers are still cutting jobs. with us from chicago tonight, diane swonk with more on what may be behind the numbers. is this any one single incident that you're aware of? >> there were many factors that void the numbers, everything from later than usual auto closings to the census coming out and the veterans that have been coming back are not getting reemployed and reintegrated into the economy. in fact, applying for unemployment insurance. the real issue though is not only how high the numbers are -- 150,000 to 200,000 higher than they should be now -- but the sheer number of people who have been unemployed and reupping for

extensions to unemployment insurance. that's up over 60% from a year ago. most of these people -- many of them d lost their jobs during the height of the recession during 2008 and the beginning of 2009. that's just sad. >> diane swonk from chicago on these bad news numbers out today. diane, thanks, as always. again tonight there is new research that seems to contradict the government's assessment of just how much oil is still in the water in the gulf of mexico after that leak that lasted almost 90 days. today's report from the respected woods hole oceanographic institute on cape cod says there is a huge plume of dispersed oil deep in the waters of the gulf that isn't breaking down and could be there months from now. the wall street journal, by the way, compares it to the size of manhattan. today, noaa's administrator told nbc's anne thompson that the government's estimate that 74% of the oil is gone is, in her

words, being refined. and those numbers are undergoing a very rigorous peer review. a new opinion poll from our reputable pollster in this country just out today is getting a lot of attention tonight because it contains a stunning number. just under 20% of the american people believe the president is a muslim. he is not. on top of a growing number of people who believe he's foreign-born, and he is not. we go behind these numbers tonight with our chief white house correspondent chuck todd who's in our washington newsroom. chuck, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. look, let's be clear. president barack obama was born in the united states and he is a christian. but ever since mr. obama became a national political figure, some of his political enemies have fanned the flames of religious prejudice by trying to make people believe the president is a muslim. in fact, with some of the same political enemies who helped ignite another phony claim that the president wasn't born in the united states. during the campaign, team obama

repeatedly refuted the claims with a special website called fightthesmears. the white house tackled a slew of other issues and efforts to refute the other attacks took a backseat. in march 2009, according to pugh research, about half the country, 48%, correctly identified the president as a christian. 11% believed he was a muslim and about a third, 34%, had no idea of his faith. now the results are more striking. only 34% correctly said mr. obama is a christian. while 18% or nearly 1 in 5 americans say he's a muslim and 43% have no idea of his faith at all. well, earlier today, i asked alan cooperman at pugh research to explain why in the face of clear evidence that the president is not a muslim that a growing number of americans believe he is. >> in the absence of information from the white house and from the president himself about his faith, about his faith life, about him going to church, messages from others -- innuendo

and rumor included -- are able to maybe gain currency. >> reporter: ironically, brian, during the campaign, some of the president's political enemies attacked him for the way he practiced christianity in chicago where his minister -- the reverend jeremiah wright -- was a controversial figure. the white house today said he's a committed christian and prays every day. aids say they were not surprised by the poll findings because as one put it, quote, the president doesn't wear his religion on his sleeve. brian? >> all right, chuck todd in our washington newsroom on that big number out today. chuck, thanks. still ahead as our broadcast continues for this thursday night, a flight into the flood zone. ann curry with a rare perspective on this crisis in pakistan. she asks the man in charge if he is to blame for any of this ongoing misery. and later in this country, how one man decided he could make a difference for many people who fall on hard times. difference for many people who fall on hard times. . so now, i can join the fun and games with my grandchildren.

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the u.n. says more than 4.5 million people are homeless after the flood disaster. 8 million urgently need humanitarian assistance. aid donations from countries and individuals are falling very short, nowhere near, for example, what americans gave to haiti. today at the u.n., secretary of state clinton said u.s. aid has been increased to $150 million. she announced the creation of a pakistan relief fund for the public to contribute money directly to those who need it and not near the government. our own ann curry has our report tonight again from islamabad after a day in the flood zone with pakistan's president. >> reporter: brian, good evening. it is miserable again tonight in the flood zone which we toured today with president zardari. he told nbc news islamic militants are using the catastrophe here as an opportunity to gain ground. in yet another monsoon rain the president allowed us to join

him. a flight toward the flood zone today, picking up senator john kerry on the way, for an eye-opening tour of the scope of the catastrophe. for an entire 25-minute flight, no break in the water below. swallowing towns, farmland and the main north-south railway. landing, zardari came face to face with millions who are now homeless, many angry, all pleading. these women are saying, "we received no food, no bread, nothing. everything is coming in our name, but we are not getting it." president zardari tried a consultation which caused these boys to burst into tears crying, "help us, please help us, we're getting nothing." the president responded, "i will help, i will help."

but zardari is struggling to generate enough international aid. many donors are holding back, in part because the president has been accused of corruption in the past. at a news conference with senator kerry today, the president responded to our question about that. rightly or wrongly, you have a credibility problem. mr. president, are you the problem? >> for the first time in the history of this nation, we have got our opposition sitting in the parliament looking at our books. >> reporter: and with the government on the defensive, extremists are increasingly filling the vacuum. are you saying this is threatening the future of your country? >> of course. god forbid. that's the position where -- >> reporter: in a war now for the soul of pakistan, two hungry boys, among millions, who can only sit and console each other, hoping somebody will feed them soon.

with so much at stake, president zardari and his staff are scrambling to stay ahead of this disaster. but, brian, even as we speak, more regions are being flooded as the waters continue to move downstream. brian? >> incredible reporting today, ann. thanks, ann curry in islamabad tonight. we'll take a break. up next, a major figure from the sports world who could be in big trouble tonight. up next, a major figure from the sports world who could be in big trouble tonight. a completely blocked artery,y another heart attack could be lurking, waiting to strike. a heart attack that's caused by a clot, one that could be fatal. but plavix helps save lives. plavix, taken with other heart medicines, goes beyond what other heart medicines do alone, to provide greater protection against heart attack or stroke and even death by helping to keep blood platelets from sticking together and forming dangerous clots. ask your doctor if plavix is right for you. protection that helps save lives.

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roger clemens was known as "the rocket" when he was on the mound, and a lot of us went to the game to watch him throw a baseball. he is accused tonight of lying to congress. when he was questioned a few years back about whether he'd been using performance-enhancing drugs. our own ron allen is at yankee stadium in the bronx with more on today's new criminal charges. ron, good evening. >> reporter: good evening to you, brian. yes, during his greatest days as a yankee pitcher, roger clemens had a reputation for being a tough, aggressive competitor who never backed down. he took that same defiant attitude in the congressional hearing room in 2008 repeatedly denying ever using performance-enhancing drugs. however, his primary accuser is a former trainer and close friend who claims he has physical evidence that he injected clemens more than 16 times over several seasons. the trainer has been cooperating with investigators in exchange

for not being prosecuted himself. late today, clemens in a twitter message said, "i never took hdh human growth hormone or steroids and i did not lie to congress. i'm happy to finally have my day in court." brian? >> at the stadium tonight in new york, ron, thanks. a story out of california tonight that has enraged a lot of people, especially veterans. you would think it would be illegal to walk around claiming you had received, say, the medal of honor when you hadn't. well, that was the whole idea behind something called the stolen valor act. it was a federal law, made it a crime to lie about military honors you didn't earn. now a federal appeals court ruled that's unconstitutional, a violation to the right of free speech. the case involved a local public official who falsely claimed to be a marine with the medal of honor. while he won his case he's in prison for defrauding the local water board and so many veterans across the country want some sort of solution to this. coming up here tonight, making a difference. why things are looking up for some folks who have been down in

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the people he helps as they get from him. our own michelle kosinski reports from miami on how he is making a difference. >> how do you leave a lasting impression? >> reporter: frank kelly is one of those people so together he's asked to give motivational speeches, but when his audience one day turned out to be homeless. >> thank you. i appreciate it. >> i was so moved. it was amazing to see that my stereotype of homelessness was so far from the truth. >> reporter: they inspired him to stop talking, go out and find them jobs. people like matt, who always worked but was laid off, then lost his home. this day, matt has a job interview. he went through the program frank created -- project vacant streets, a sort of intense class at the shelter. >> need to be ready and have examples. >> reporter: it reintroduces confidence. frank then persuaded or begged

employers to give his folks just a chance. >> nice to meet you. >> so, tafari, what are your major strengths? >> reporter: tafari is transformed. he lived in an abandoned hotel. now, going for it. >> happiness. complete happiness. it's weird that a job will give you happiness. for me, it will. >> reporter: monique bane understands. two years ago her marriage shattered and she was homeless with two children. today, after frank's program, she is completely self-sufficient. >> so how does it feel to be off the streets? >> oh, my gosh, magnificently wonderful. >> so how did it go? >> reporter: matt got the job. customer service at one of miami's best hotels. in a guest survey, he got the highest score. tafari is with a mobile restaurant company on a management track, just got a raise. >> when you get an opportunity and a chance it makes you feel fresh like you're reborn. >> when they believe in themselves again, that's the best payoff. >> reporter: frank's speech that

day was about making a lasting impression. >> how do you get people to believe in you? >> reporter: and he has. michelle kosinski, nbc news, miami. and that's our broadcast for this thursday night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams, and we hope to see you right back here i'm brian williams, and we hope to see you right back here od night.ening. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com rumors of potential hijackers or potential bombs, and there was a credible threat. >> a terror scare at sfo. tonight the hunt is on for the caller who threatened a jetliner with 163 passengers on board. good evening, everyone, i'm jessica aguirre. >> and i'm tom sink