know you, too. nobody sells more real estate than re/max. visit remax.com today. from new orleans tonight, our exclusive conversation with president obama. five years after katrina, talking about the city's long road back. also what he says tonight about the latest crisis in the gulf, the economy and those questions about his faith. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good evening, we're with you tonight from the gentilly neighborhood of new orleans chtd and if it doesn't look like old new orleans, it's because this

particular housing complex, which the president came to see today, is brand new. and like a lot of things here, it's controversial among some because it replaced what was here. well, it was five years ago tonight that katrina had swept through, we knew it was a history-making storm. but we didn't yet know what it would do to this city or how badly places like mississippi had been hit. in fact, here is some of how we covered katrina on our broadcast that very night five years ago. >> just before dawn, katrina heads northwest straight for the coast. >> the eye of the storm is completely over us right now. with winds gusting in excess of 90 miles per hour. >> you don't have to go far to find scenes that look like they're right out of a disaster movie. >> these uprooted trees, the street signs, the washed-up legal documents and a bottle of

medicine. >> in the aftermath of katrina, streets were filled with debris. >> had where we spent the day, along with about 9,000 residents of new orleans. >> we made a decision we wasn't going to stay here. but in the process of leaving, we got tied up into traffic. >> it sounded like a new york city subway train. it was katrina hammering away at the roof, trying to get in. and then, this. the first break visible in the roof. that is daylight coming through. and the rain soon followed. as bad as it was that night, there was a sense, and in fact we said this on the air, that new orleans had dodged a bullet. then, that night, the levees failed. and by dawn, 80% of the city was under water. over 1800 souls lost their lives and millions of lives changed forever. today, the rebuilding continues,

so much has changed here in five years' time. but some wounds have not healed. president obama came here today, to help mark this anniversary. he arrived here this afternoon with his family. flying direct from their vacation on martha's vineyard. speaking at xavier university, the president celebrated the resilience of the people of this region. in a short time ago, during this rainy afternoon here in new orleans, he sat down with us for an exclusive interview. just a block from here, you may not have known as you drove by houses with holes still in the roof where there had been live rescues. there's still fema markings and spray paint. and yet, new orleans is like this, this is a symbol of recovery. katrina was about so many things. it was about class and race and government and the environment. whatever happened to that national conversation we were supposed to have about it. >> well i think that we're still having it. i don't think that conversation

happens in one instance. i think that there's a constant evolving debate about what are our obligations to each other. how do we make sure that in moments of devastation, that we are looking out for one another. how does government organize itself at the federal level interacting with state and local officials. how do we make sure that folks who were already vulnerable before a catastrophe hits, aren't made worse off as a consequence of it. and what you've seen i think in new orleans is steady progress. but we've still got long way to go. and part of the reason that i want to come down here today to mark the fifth anniversary was just to send a message to people of new orleans, but also the entire gulf coast, that they've, you know, gotten hit pretty good over the last several years. and all of america, not just people here, not just folks in the white house, but all of america remains concerned and

committed to their rebuilding. >> this was of course new orleans' katrina and mississippi's katrina and you're familiar now that it's getting bigged in a little bit in the media that bp was president obama's katrina. and it's also getting baked in that the administration was slow off the mark. is that unfair? >> it's just not accurate. if you take a look at our response, the only thing in common we had with the katrina response was thad allen who came in and helped to organize rescue efforts and he did so under katrina. he did so for us. but if you look, we had immediately, thousands of vessels, tens of thousands of people who are here. and what we're seeing now is we've got a lot more work to do. but the fact is because of the sturdiness and swiftness of the response, there's a lot less oil hitting these shores and beaches than anybody would have anticipated, given the volume ha

was coming out of the bp oil well. >> let's talk about another topic that's part of the firment here. and everywhere. and that's the economy. "the new york times" said this weekend, president obama has another new plan on the economy. now would be a good time to find out about it. do you have anything new on the economy while you've been away, we've had a horrible gdp number last week. >> well, look, we anticipated that the recovery was slowing. the economy is still growing, but it's not growing as fast as it needs to. i've got things right now before congress that we should move immediately. i said so before i went on vacation. i'll keep on saying it now that i'm back. we should be passing legislation that helps small businesses get credit. that eliminates capital gains taxes because they have more incentive to invest right now. there are a whole host of measures we could take, no single element of which is a

magic bullet. but cumulatively, can start continuing to build momentum for the recovery. >> mr. president, you're an american-born christian. >> uh-huh. >> and yet, increasing and now significant numbers of americans in polls, upwards of a fifth of respondents are claiming you are neither. a fifth of the people just about, believe you're a muslim. >> keep in mind, those two things, american-born and muslim are not the same. but i understand your point. >> either or the latter. >> and the most reason number is the latter. this has to be troubling to you. this is all-new territory for an american president. so -- >> look, the facts are the facts, right? we went through some of this during the campaign. you know, there is a, a mechanism, network of misinformation that in a new

media era can get churned up there constantly. we dealt with this when i was first running for the u.s. senate. we dealt with it when we were first running for the president. there were those who said i couldn't win as u.s. senator because i had a funny name. and yet, we ended up winning that senate seat in illinois because i trusted in the american people's capacity to get beyond all this nan sense. so i will always put my money on the american people and i'm not going to be worrying too much about whatever rumors are floating around out there. if i spent my time chasing around that, i wouldn't get much done. >> even a number as sizeable as this. what does it say to you, does it say anything about your communications or the effectiveness of your opponents to well, look -- >> brian, i would say that i can't spend all my time with my

birth certificate plastered on my forehead. it is, the facts are the facts. and so it's not something that i can, i think spend all my time worrying about. and i don't think the american people want me to spend my time worrying about that. >> part of my conversation with the president. we'll have more here tomorrow night on the broadcast. we've posted the entire interview on our website, that's nightly.msnbc.com. this part of the country knows about hardship and spent months now grappling with the oil disaster in the gulf. for the past five years, folks have been living in the wake of katrina, rebuilding, recovering. and today they were remembering. kate snow is here with us tonight with that part of the story. kate, it almost feels like that today. >> it does, bad memories for a lot of people, this kind of weather, brian. that storm when it came ashore five years ago, the flooding, the wind, the rain, it damaged several states. and today, many people from all of those states paused to remember. ♪

>> on this sunday morning, survivors gave thanks. >> a walking miracle, yes, i am. >> and remembered those who were lost. >> lawrence sanders. >> from biloxi where high school students read the names of people who died during katrina in every mississippi town. to the infamous lower ninth ward in new orleans, at the very spot where the levee failed five years ago, aaron was overwhelmed by grief for family and friends who perished. they've marched from here every year to mark the anniversary. some optimistic -- >> there's a sadness that everybody knows that new orleans is still new orleans. >> others angry that things haven't changed enough. >> it seems like the justice, injustice is piling up. >> the city's new mayor visited the memorial for 100 victims of katrina who were never identified. and residents tossed a wreath

off the clayborn avenue bridge in 2005, people were stranded there for days. jane jacobs took the day off from renovating her home. >> we lost everything. >> but not everyone did. >> just another day. we just got to come back here and finish cleaning up the mess. >> 60 miles outside new orleans, paul gibson is rebuilding on the same lot in the town where katrina made landfall and ripped the asphalt of the main highway right from the ground. that highway is back. the water tower that was brought down by a wall of water 21 feet high stands tall again today. and this weekend for some, that progress was reason enough to throw a party. >> it is the new orleans way to throw a party, but brian, we talked about so many people today, and some didn't want anything to do with these commemorations. they just want to move on and forget that moment in history. but others said they want to embrace it and always remember. >> who can blame them on either

side. kate snow with us. thanks for that. and before katrina, mostly only local folks knew about the lower ninth ward neighborhood. after katrina, it became an icon, around the world for this storm. aftehe fle failed and the water crushed that entire area, here's what it looked like fbefore the storm, everything still intact. then, just after the water came, you can see the neighborhood almost completely submerged. and these days, elhere's how it looks now, partially rebuilt, scars still visible. five years ago, our own carl quintanilla was part of the team covering the story. tonight finds him back in the lower ninth ward. carl, good evening. >> brian, good evening to you. as you know, this neighborhood was a symbol of tragedy five years ago. so much so that tour buses now come through here. but rarely on streets like this. not the best, not the worst, mostly average. here's a home that was rebuilt beginning in 2007. the house has been in the family

for generations. beautiful front door, the trash can ready for trash pickup. they've had trash pickup and mail delivery for years. but it's right next to this house, which is clearly abandoned. the neighbor says he has no idea if or when these folks are ever coming back. and there are lots where the home has been completely demolished. no idea what the plan is for this lot. these numbers, brian, spraypainted on the sidewalk are where the city officials write the house address to remind themselves of what address this actually is. one out of five people in the lower ninth are back. it's easy to see why. they're among the poorest. they're closest to the levees, we're really not that far. and there's not much in the way of groceries or markets or cleaners nearby. a big question is who comes back first, the residents or the businesses. i think one of the hardest things to look at are the overgrown lots. here are some overgrown weeds. they tower above me and i'm six foot. residents complain about the mosquitos at night. the feral cats, the roosters,

the rabbits that make noise, the rodents, they say in some ways it's like living in the countryside. there's minimal traffic, there are no kids playing in the streets, even though we're in the middle of a major metropolitan area. the thing that strikes me the most, brian -- are the colors, the paint colors of the homes that people are rebuilding, very bright oranges. bright greens, neon blue. some say it's a tradition. some say it gives them something to smile about. one family, brian, told me, the next time there's a flood, they can tell the police where the big bright blue house on the corner. brian? >> wow. all of it poignant, all of it part of the new orleans way. there you are, carl, in that neighborhood, here we are in a rebuilt neighborhood over here. so carl quintanilla, part of the ongoing story of new orleans these days. it was hardly just the ninth ward, hardly just new orleans hit hard by this storm. mississippi took a terrible hit.

and after this break, lester holt will pay a visit to the mississippi coast, flattened by the storm, still fighting these days to come back. also, what we're watching tonight as part of this hurricane season. the storm that's already affecting a lot of the east coast. i do remember sitting down with my boys, and i'm like, "oh, promise mommy you'll never ever pick up a cigarette." and brian looked at me at eight years old and said, "promise me you'll quit." i had to quit. ♪ my doctor gave me a prescription for chantix, a medication i could take and still smoke, while it built up in my system. [ male announcer ] chantix is a non-nicotine pill. that stays with you all day to help you quit. in studies, 44% of chantix users were quit during weeks 9 to 12 of treatment, compared to 18% on sugar pill. it's proven to reduce the urge to smoke. ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. and find out how you can save money on your prescription at chantix.com.

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my benjamin, he helped me with the countdown. "ben, how many days has it been?" "5 days, mom. 10 days, mom." i think after 30 days he got tired of counting. [ male announcer ] talk to your doctor about chantix. find out how you can save money on your prescription and learn terms and conditions at chantix.com. i'm more confident and i love this. [ male announcer ] to keep doing what you love, keep your heart healthy. cheerios can help. the whole grain oats can help lower cholesterol. it's simple; love your heart so you can do what you love. what do you love? we're back. this is the mississippi gulf coast five years ago, devastated by katrina. the bay st. louis bridge was destroyed along highway 90. it's since been replaced with a taller, wider span. elsewhere along the coast, debris has been cleared, but many homes have not yet been rebuilt there, either. our lester holt was among those

who covered the story five years ago, the damage katrina did to so many lives along this coastline. he returned to mississippi for us and reports tonight from gulfport. >> no matter how many times they've driven to 668 east beach boulevard, these last five years, ann anderson and vernon lee cord find only memories. >> this is approximately where our bedroom would have been. >> we met them a few days after katrina pummeled the mississippi coast. >> it takes my breath away. >> and were with them as they saw the remains of their gulfport home for the first time. the impression lasts to this day. >> cherish your family and friends and just know that you'll always have your memories. >> today there are row after row of vacant beachfront lots like theirs. but it's memorials like this one in pass christian, that speak r mississippi. by the time katrina reached mississippi, she had already

made landfall twice before. in florida and louisiana. but she saved her biggest punch for this area near waveland, mississippi, the dangerous right front quadrant of the storm that set a storm surge more than 20 feet high across neighborhood after neighborhood. more than 230 people died here. many simply swept away. >> our house is gone. >> we found this family days after the storm, four children and another on the way, hungry and living in their car. after trying to return to their pass christian home. >> everything's gone. >> we caught up with them last week in florida, where they relocated just after katrina. >> we got out, you know, we don't have to watch them in misery every day. >> the kids got to school right after that and they were just another kid. >> the land where the family's old home sat is still vacant. slowly, new and restored homes and buildings are rising along

the scarred mississippi coast. in the year after katrina, its population drop 9%. but after 1969's hurricane camil camille, many are counting on mississippi to eventually shake off katrina. >> if we are ever able to, we'll build something smaller, a little more hurricane-resistant. >> and, she adds, a lot higher. lester holt, nbc news, gulfport, mississippi. and we're back from new orleans in just a moment with an update on tonight's hurricane situation in the atlantic. it's a good snack. you're welcome. they grow so fast. [ woman ] i know. they do, don't they? why is carol sitting all the way over there? carol almost told evan that there are vegetables in the chef boyardee. nearly ruined their favorite after-school snack. so she's in a time-out. i hope she learns from this. [ female announcer ] chef boyardee micro beef ravioli microwave cups. an after-school snack with a full serving of vegetables.

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tburn solved. pack back from new orleans five years ago. this is hurricane season. we've been keeping a close eye on no fewer than form storm systems moving across the atlantic. here we are in new orleans, of course marking the fifth anniversary. with us tonight in downtown new orleans, jim cantore of the weather channel. >> it will be a long three moents until the end of the hurricane season. and tonight, four systems we're monitoring. as soon as we say good-bye to danielle, moving away as an 80 murp hurricane, doing its damage eadly rip currents on the east coast. our eyes quickly focus to earl, which is rapidly deloping tonight and continuing to move to the british virgin islands, could take a mighty hit overnight and on into monday. then the track takes it early

close to the east coast. from carolina up to cape cod. we cannot rule out a landfall nor say there's going to be one. at the very least we'll see the swell and rip current risk rise again as we head toward the end of next week and into a holiday weekend. thingscranking up and going into high gear. >> jim cantore in jackson square in new orleans, thanks. the world continues to watch the 33 miners trapped underground in chile. several of them were able to speak to their loved ones via phone lines. one took the occasion to propose to his girlfriend. there's new optimism tonight following reports that the chilean government now hopes to have them out in two months' time, not four. we're back in a moment with a word about how little we knew exactly five years ago tonight. . ♪ an accidental touch can turn ordinary into something more. moments can change anytime -- just like that.

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just one before meals helps prevent gas before it starts. from gas-x, the gas-xperts. one more note before we leave you from new orleans tonight. if anyone is curious to see it or relive it, we have posted on our website our broadcast from exactly five years ago tonight. at air time, i had just emerged from the superdome after spending the night in there with thousands of new orleanians. i was let out to do the broadcast, but sadly and later tragically, they were forced to remain inside for several more days. we emerged to find the city battered. i remember seeing all the windows busted out at one hotel. there was debris everywhere. but we didn't know about the

levees yet. just the clean-up. we interviewed a bar owner whose big fear that night was the storm hurting tourism into the next week. if it had been just a week's worth of economic impact, that would have been great. anyone would have agreed to that deal. instead, from here in new orleans to mississippi and beyond, tonight begins the sixth year of the recovery effort. these new homes in this neighborhood are already a home for the fortunate families. but this city won't be whole until the others get home as well. for us for now, that is our broadcast for this sunday night. i'm brian williams in new orleans. thank you for being with us, as always. the emmy awards follow our broadcast tonight. and we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com