a fellow republican congressman called corrupt? and in her last year at ebay, whitman paid herself $120 million right before the company laid off 10% of it's workers. we're choosing a governor, shouldn't character matter? on the broadcast tonight, worse than expected. this new jobs report today, the last one before the election. what does it mean for the president's party, but more important, to millions of americans still unemployed? money and politics. have you noticed the tv ads out there this season? it's getting rough out there, including a campaign stunner right here in california. so close to rescue. how do they now decide which of those 33 trapped chilean miners gets to come out first? and making a difference. wounded warriors helping themselves and each other because that's just how they roll. also tonight, we are left to imagine, john lennon's 70th birthday. "nightly news" begins now.

captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening. you could say there's two ways of thinking about this economy. first, the dark and daily grind of those out of work in light of these new numbers. here's what we learned today. employers cut 95,000 jobs in in the month of september, a much higher number than the experts predicted. the unemployment rate is still at 9.6%. the last time it went on like this this long was decades ago. then there's the political fallout as we approach this midterm election. the president and other democrats are trying to convince voters their way is the right way, but the numbers are headed the other way. so we begin with our white house correspondent savannah guthrie. savannah, good evening. >> reporter: good evening to you, brian. this is the last monthly jobs

report before the midterm elections where the stakes are so high the very control of congress essentially on the ballot. for so many voters, jobs is the motivating issue. the president touring a concrete company in maryland today reacted to a jobs picture cemented in place. the unemployment rate holding steady with weak hiring in the private sector more than offset by the loss of 160,000 government jobs last month, states and localities making big layoffs, mostly in education. >> yes, the trend line in private sector job growth is moving in the right direction. but i'm not interested in trends or figures. the only piece of economic news that folks still looking for work want to hear is, you're hired. >> reporter: the unemployment rate has topped 9.5% for 14 straight months, the longest stretch since the 1930s, another ominous sign, a sharp rise in

the number of people working part time who want full-time, especially hard hit, older workers. >> i have a few things lined up. i have some interviews coming up, so i'm hopeful. i will be forever positive. >> reporter: but many economists worry. some older americans may never work again. >> given how long people have been unemployed, how many older workers are in that group and are losing the skills they need to be employed in this economy, it's pretty obvious we're going to have a lot of people who just don't fit in anymore. >> reporter: today's jobs report is the last to come before the november midterm. a dismal economic picture republicans are eager to lay at the feet of the democrats in power. >> your government is out of control. do you have to accept it? >> no! >> do you have to take it? >> no! >> hell no, you don't! >> reporter: across the country voters say there's one defining issue as they go to the polls. >> for them to create more jobs like they promised and i hope

they're telling the truth, because me for one, i am looking for work. >> the number one issue is jobs. everybody in jacksonville is concerned about jobs. nobody is getting any, nobody is offering any. >> reporter: one other note from here tonight. the national security adviser, retired marine general jim jones is stepping aside. he will be replaced by deputy national security adviser tom donilon. brian? >> savannah guthrie at the white house for us tonight. thanks. a follow-up to the story that started our broadcast last night, the massive foreclosure mess that's thrown the whole real estate market into turmoil. bank of america announced it's freezing foreclosures and sales in all 50 states after a number of reports that crucial documents were prepared improperly. politicians are calling on all the banks to do the same thing. none of this apparently

bothering wall street. the dow closing above the 11,000 mark for the first time in five months. if you live anywhere near a hot political contest, then you know political ads are all over the airwaves. candidates are spending a fortune this season, and outside political groups are spending even more money. some of them take liberties with the truth. some of the ads airing right now contain outright lies. others have more subtle deceptions. our report tonight from nbc's andrea mitchell. >> reporter: almost heaven, west virginia, backwoods and hollers just some of the boys at the coffey shop. >> obama is messing things up. >> spending money we don't have. stimulus, obama care. >> and joe mansion shot it all. >> reporter: in fact, the commercial was shot in south philly, far from country roads. with actors told to wear a hickey blue collar look, jeans, work boots, flannel shirts, and

john deere hats misspelled, preferably beat up. one of the actors, damian, has played a lot of roles. >> all of those are my final answers. >> reporter: even appearing on "saturday night live." in ohio, a republican attack ad featured an out of work steelworker. >> now ted strickland wants us to keep him in his job. >> reporter: you wouldn't think there's a shortage of unemployed workers in ohio. but they hired an actor right out of "law and order" and some other roles we can't show you on family tv. in some cases the same actors pop up in different states. here is undocumented immigrants in nevada and louisiana. >> those are the same hombres. look at those two pictures. this is the most terrifying scenario of all. there aren't enough stock photos

of scary minorities out there to represent all the scary minorities we know have got to be out there. >> reporter: it's not new that political ads use actors. but what is different is the torrent of money from corporations and anonymous outside groups pouring into campaigns this year. because of a supreme court ruling and other changes in the law. >> they've got names like americans for prosperity or the committee for truth and politics. or moms for motherhood. actually, that last one i made up. >> reporter: but it's no laughing matter for democrats, being outspent 7-1 by republicans in the battle for the airwaves. andrea mitchell, nbc news, washington. now to the governor's race here in california. it's been a rough one by any standard but it's hit a new low thanks to a piece of audio recorded on voice mail that was not supposed to be for public consumption. our report from nbc's lee cowan.

>> reporter: as campaign calls go, the one jerry brown made to the offices of a los angeles police union last month sounded pretty routine. >> hey, scott, give me a call. jerry brown. love to talk to you. >> reporter: brown left a voice mail. but when he hung up -- >> your support means a lot to me. thanks. >> reporter: the call didn't disconnect. what was then captured was an impromptu strategy session. the sausage making of political campaigns and much like sausage making, it wasn't pretty. on the call, brown sounded frustrated. he mused that he had lost the police union support because he threatened to cut public safety pensions. while his opponent, meg whitman, promised something different.

>> reporter: suddenly, what appears to be a second voice, is heard. >> reporter: whitman, anxious to divert headlines from her undocumented housekeeper troubles, responded almost immediately. the use of the term "whore" is an insult. the statement read. this is an appalling and unforgivable smear. brown's campaign insists he was responding to the notion of whitman cutting a deal, not the idea of name calling but admitted at times our language was salty. we apologize to ms. whitman and anyone who may have been offended. still, the whitman campaign says this isn't the end of it. they are scheduled to face off in their final debate next week. where that less than endearing term is sure to be brought up again. lee cowan, nbc news, los angeles.

in hungary, two more victims from that flood of toxic sludge were found today. this brings to seven the number of people killed in this disaster. meanwhile, hungary's interior minister claims that pollution levels in the danube river have decreased, though not all environmentalists are sure of that. the torrent of waste water came from an aluminum plant that reached the river after a dam broke earlier this week. from south america, word tonight that those 33 chilean miners trapped for two months now may be brought to the surface within days. rescuers say the shaft they've been drilling could be completed as early as tomorrow. but then comes the business of deciding who comes out first, and who comes out last. our own kerry sanders is at the mine tonight. good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian.

i'm here in what they call camp hope. this is main street. family members here walking back and forth. just a short time ago they rushed up to meet with the first lady of chile as this is getting ever so close. as you mentioned, the dlil drill is just about there. about 121 feet away. they've been drilling on and off, going much slower now, because that precarious 121 feet could collapse and they don't want to have that happen. they think they might get through tonight or maybe tomorrow. then the question is, do they have to have an engineering effort before they begin launching the escape capsule? they may decide to put some steel pipes down into the shaft a half inch thick, about maybe 300 feet. that would keep rocks from falling down as the escape capsule comes up. then the big question, who comes up first and who comes up last. the men thought they had figured it out themselves. they were told today from the

surface, it is going to be the moex experienced, healthy first. and the reason for that is as they come up in that capsule, they're going to be talking on a radio, they're going to be getting some oxygen and they have a camera. and if there is a problem, that experience and that calmness will be the one who can determine everything is good or there's a problem and this is what we need to do. they like to say they've had one miracle here. all 33 men survived the cave-in. now they're hoping for a second, getting all 33 out alive, brian. >> kerry sanders at the mine. we'll hope for good news out of there. kerry, thanks. this year's nobel peace prize was awarded to a man who will not be able to accept it in person. that's because he's serving 11 years in a chinese prison for subversion, advocating free speech and democracy there. he's perhaps china's best known disside dissident. the nobel committee cited his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights. the chinese government

criticized the award saying it runs completely counter to the principles of the prize. when our broadcast continues in just a moment from los angeles, "education nation." on the heels of today's job numbers, how would you like to be looking for a job fresh out of college? and making a difference for veterans, working to get their physical and emotional lives right back on track. their physical and emotional lives right back on track. and playmate. ret-keeper do you think i'd let osteoporosis slow me down? so i asked my doctor about reclast because i heard it's the only once-a-year iv osteoporosis treatment. he told me all about it and i said that's the one for nana. he said reclast can help restrengthen my bones to help make them resistant to fracture for twelve months. and reclast is approved to help protect from fracture in many places: hip, spine, even other bones. [ male announcer ] you should not take reclast if you're on zometa, have low blood calcium, kidney problems. or you're pregnant, plan to become pregnant or nursing. take calcium and vitamin d daily.

tell your doctor if you develop severe muscle, bone or joint pain, of if you have dental problems, as rarely jaw problems have been reported. the most common side effects include flu like symptoms, fever, muscle or joint pain and headache. share the world with the ones you love! and ask your doctor about reclast. once-a-year reclast. year-long protection for on-the-go women. . . ls. [ commentator ] lindsey vonn! she stays tough! earlier, she had an all-over achy cold... ls. what's her advantage? it's speedy alka-seltzer! [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus rushes relief for all-over achy colds. the official cold medicine of the u.s. ski team. alka-seltzer plus.

if you live for performance, upgrade to castrol edge advanced synthetic oil. with eight times better wear protection than mobil 1. castrol edge. it's more than just oil. it's liquid engineering. class photo day at the u.s. supreme court in washington, and here they are, your nine justices of the u.s. supreme court, including the newest justice, elena kagan. safe to say media day is not the favorite day of the year for most of the members of the court, but they seem to tolerate

it, so we can get the pictures that we then use all year long. time now for "education nation." our ongoing coverage of education and tonight how it relates to jobs. today's jobs numbers, which we talked about at the top of the broadcast, not likely to bring great comfort to thousands of recent college graduates who still can't find work they're trained for or any work for that matter. nbc's kristen welker reports on what it means for our "education nation." >> any questions? >> reporter: like most college seniors, kelsey cook is consumed with finishing her degree. but the journalism major at the university of colorado spends most of her free time searching for work in one of the toughest employment markets in almost three decades. >> it's stressful because i know that everyone is looking for a job right now. >> reporter: at her school's job fair, cook networked and distributed an impressive resume. even that might not be enough.

the unemployment rate for adults 20 to 24 years old is nearly 15%, and that's almost 50% higher than the national average, which means cook is competing with her fellow seniors and -- >> i'm heidi, nice to meet you. >> reporter: alumni like heidi christianson who have been unemployed since she graduated last year. >> i'm finding that i feel like i'm submitting my resume to thin air. >> reporter: the pressure on students is spreading. career counselors say underclassman, even freshman, are getting a case of the job jitters. jesus rivera is already thinking about life after graduation. >> not being able to know that there's a job out there in the future for me made me realize that i have to already plan ahead in order to succeed. >> how did you come up with those majors? >> reporter: for many, that plan includes an early visit to the career center. >> in the summer, we saw in

orientation, the majority of new freshman had resumes already, which is unusual. >> reporter: analysts say the outlook for job growth is still counselors warn, students should be aggressive, get internships and realize their first job may not be exact think what they want. >> i'm not in any position to turn down a job right now. >> reporter: young adults who have all the right stuff at a very difficult time. kristen welker, nbc news, bolder, colorado. up next here tonight -- ♪ >> remembering john lennon, who would have turned 70 years old tomorrow. would have turned 70 years old tomorrow.

discover customersl are getting five percent cashback bonus at restaurants. it pays to switch, it pays to discover. ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] try fixodent with a time released formula. use just once per day for all day hold. it is important to use the product as directed. for poor fitting dentures, see your dentist. for hold from dawn to dark... fixodent and forget it.

♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] every day thousands of people are switching from tylenol® to advil. to learn more go to takeadvil.com. the first 500,000 people get a free bottle. take action. take advil®. nothing beats prevacid®24hr. just one pill helps keep you heartburn free for a full 24 hours. prevent the acid that causes frequent heartburn with prevacid®24hr, all day, all night. nothing works better. you do? your medicare card. [ laughing ] but don't let me or anyone see it except your doctor or their staff. and don't tell anyone your card or social security number over the phone. guard your card. [ woman 2 ] i hear unauthorized card use is a big source of fraud.

the new healthcare law lets us crack down on criminals and win against fraud. making medicare stronger. and speaking of winning... [ man 2 ] not again! [ man ] learn more at stopmedicarefraud.gov. ♪ imagine all the people living life in peace ♪ when you stop and think about it, it's still hard to believe he isn't around. a generation of americans who were raised on the music made by four young men from the uk may never quite recover from the feeling they had when they heard the news that outrageous and unlikely news that night that

john lennon had been shot and killed outside his apartment building in new york back in 1980. tomorrow would have been his 70th birthday. while the daily mail newspaper in london tried to show us today an artist's conception of what he might have looked like had he lived to 70, his widow, yoko ohno, told a reporter how john might view our current world. >> i don't think he would be retired. he's not the retiring type. he would have been very angry about the situation that's going on in the world now, and probably started to become an activist again. >> yoko ohno in iceland. the tributes started today. visitors to google were greeted by one. a statue will be unveiled tomorrow in liverpool. and a memorial peace tower will be lit by his widow in iceland. flowers have started to show up at the imagined mosaic in new

york's central park where tomorrow night thousands are expected to spend a peaceful fall evening at an outdoor screening of the film "lennon, nyc." when we come back, they don't have any quit in them. on a roll, and making a difference. nd making a difference. [scraping] [piano keys banging] [scraping] [horns honking] with deposits in your engine, it can feel like something's holding your car back. let me guess, 16. [laughing] yeeah. that's why there's castrol gtx... with superior protection against harmful deposit build-up. don't let deposits hold your car back. get castrol gtx. it's more than just oil. it's liquid engineering. introducing total plus omega-3 honey almond flax cereal. all the nutrition of total, plus 10% daily value omega-3 ala, and a delicious honey almond crunch.

new total plus omega-3. with the humana walmart- preferred prescription plan, you have more time to remember what it's really all about. enroll starting november 15. go to walmart.com for details. man: everybody knows you should save for retirement, but what happens when you're about to retire? woman: how do you go from saving to spending? fidelity helped us get to this point, and now we're talking about what comes next. man: we worked together to create a plan to help our money last. woman: so we can have the kind of retirement we want. now, you know how this works. just stay on the line. oh, yeah. fidelity investments. turn here.

[ slap! slap! slap! slap! slap! ] [ male announcer ] your favorite foods fighting you? fight back fast with tums. calcium rich tums goes to work in seconds. nothing works faster. ♪ tum ta tum tum tums [ male announcer ] ever have morning pain slow you down? introducing bayer am, an extra strength pain reliever with alertness aid to fight fatigue. so get up and get goin'! with new bayer am. the morning pain reliever.

finally tonight, our "making a difference" report this friday night comes from these parts. tomorrow, a few miles from here in santa monica, a long and grueling journey will come to an end. it's a seven-day, 450-mile journey by bicycle and while it couldn't be for a better cause, it will also bond forever those who are along for the journey. it's called the ride to recovery challenge. it's about u.s. military veterans, and tonight our own maria menounos has our "making a difference" report. >> all right, let's roll! >> reporter: on two wheels, or three, these cyclists are on a mission. riding for themselves and each other.

this is more than just a bike ride. it's a healing process for wounded warriors. whether they power their bikes with two legs or none, grip the handle bars with a hand or a clamp, these veterans share a passion and belief. >> riding a bike is a metaphor, for independence, for joy in life. >> reporter: former pro cyclist john warden created the ride to recovery challenge. along the route from san francisco to santa monica, the program empowers veterans by harnessing the power of pedals to heal. >> every warrior that comes on one of these rides has a goal. for a lot of guys today, their goal is just to make it from the hotel to the next hotel and ride every mile. doesn't matter how fast they go or how much they struggle, they're going to push through and make it. >> reporter: through pebble beach and big sur, the tour follows some of america's most beautiful coastlines. everywhere the locals come out to honor the heroes.

the journey tests that, physically, mentally and emotionally. there are more than 200 riders, many on a bike for the first time. each of them has a personal goal, to ride 450 miles in just seven days, and no one gets left behind. >> push! >> reporter: if a rider falters, there's always a helping hand. randy served in iraq and says the challenge helps her deal with post traumatic stress disorder. >> it reminds you through life you have uphill battles but once you get to the top and see the view, it's worth it. >> reporter: for juan carlos hernandez, who lost his leg in afghanistan, it's about getting his life back. >> you have to get yourself believing that you can still do the things you were doing before. >> reporter: this ride is not about who finishes first, but making sure they all finish together. maria menounos, nbc news, california. >> that's what it's all about.

that's our broadcast for this friday night and this week. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. we're reporting tonight from our nbc news bureau here in los angeles. we hope to see you back in new york on monday. good night. have a good weekend. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com we are looking for magic tonight live from at&t park when the giants are set for game two. can we rekindle the magic again tonight? it's going to be a good night for a lot of folks. a good night. >> here is