on the broadcast tonight, no more money for social security recipients. no cost of living increase again this year, and some are asking how it is that banks got government money if they can't? showdown in nevada. she says man up, he complains of a low blow and it's one of the biggest races in the nation. gold mine. they made it out of a small hole in the ground. now are those chilean miners going to make big money for their stories? a navigator to help women find their way after the scary diagnosis of breast cancer. imagine having health with your own health care. and the picture of the day. the biggest breakthrough of its kind in the world. "nightly news" begins now.

captions paid for by nbc-universal television if you depend on social security, you'll have to live on what you're getting now. in a bad economy and wait until 2012 at the earliest for any cost of living increase. the economic meltdown and recession have left some measures of inflation near zero. that prompted the chairman of the federal reserve to hint today that the fed may try to force inflation higher in this country. if that leaves you a bit puzzled, you're not alone, especially since things that make up a large part of a senior's budget, food, medical care are getting more expensive all the while. our own tom costello starting us off from washington tonight with more on this. tom, good evening. >> reporter: hi, brian. consumer prices grew less than 1% over the last 12 months, the smallest growth rate in nearly 50 years.

that means social security checks will not increase and for many of the 59 million americans on social security, that's hard to believe. among seniors, it was the talk of the country today. from the edgewater point estates community in boca raton -- >> the food that we do buy has gone up and mostly our medical expenses, our prescriptions are much higher. >> reporter: -- to a cafe in chicago. >> every penny makes a difference in your life, especially when you're on social security. and prices keep escalating. but our money doesn't keep going up. >> reporter: for a second year in a row, social security checks will not go up in 2011. that means the average monthly benefit checks should stay at $1,071.80. for retirees, it's bad news. >> they'll hold back spending and along with many other consumers that are holding back spending, that will mean the recovery continues at a slow pace.

it's bad news for the economy. >> reporter: today, with unemployment stuck at a stubborn 9.6%, the fed chairman hinted he'll do whatever it takes to kickstart the economy. >> it would appear, all else being equal, to be a case for further action. >> reporter: that means the fed is prepared to flood the economy with more money, buying up government bonds to force interest rates lower, hoping it will encourage businesses to borrow from banks to expand and hire new employees along the way. the lower interest rates should encourage consumers to buy everything from homes to cars to big appliances. the bottom line, the fed wants to create inflation, because deflation, the continuing drop in wages, home values and prices, can have a devastating effect on the economy. >> why is that a problem? because if you believe prices are going to be cheaper tomorrow, you won't spend today. that could really hurt the economy if people believe prices will fall. that will reduce spending, reduce growth and probably reduce jobs more. >> reporter: but interest rates

are already at historically low levels, yet consumers aren't spending and businesses aren't hiring. now, even as millions struggle to make ends meet, the fed is desperate to push prices higher. >> inflation is going to kick in momentarily, and when that happens, it will really hurt. >> reporter: president obama and house majority leader speaker nancy pelosi will try to increase social security checks by $250, but getting that by republicans in the senate may be tough. brian? >> tom costello starting us you off in washington tonight. tom, thanks. in the midst of a major fiasco involving mortgages in this country, the man that was the symbol of the subprime lending binge and bust settled today with the feds, the s.e.c. he was charged with lying to investors while making a fortune selling shares of countrywide mortgage. he agreed to a settlement of $67.5 million, $45 million paid by bank of america, which bought

countrywide in 2008. now we turn to politics. they say what happens in vegas stays in vegas but what happened last night was beamed across the country. the only debate in the race that could result in the gop picking off the powerful democratic leader in the u.s. senate. john yang has more on the harry reid-sharron angle debate. john, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. this race is so crucial to democrats, the national party is pouring in millions of dollars for harry reid tv ads, trying to save their senate majority leader and their senate majority. election officials in nevada preparing for an early start to one of the hottest senate elections in the nation. beginning tomorrow as many as half the state's ballots will be cast in early voting. in their one and only debate last night, sharron angle was the aggressor, hitting harry reid on president obama's health care reform, which he helped write.

>> when we talk about what has destroyed this economy, obama care is destroying our economy. >> we had to do health insurance reform to maintain competitive in the world economy. and it creates jobs. >> reporter: angle, on the defensive for wanting to phase out social security, tried to turn the tables on reid. >> man up, harry reid. you need to understand that we have a problem with social security. >> social security will pay out 100% of its benefits for the next 35 to 40 years. that's important. >> reporter: polls this week show the race a dead heat. >> the democratic agenda is so manifestly unpopular and people need a lightning rod for that, right? so they have three. they have obama, reid and pelosi. here in nevada, we have reid. >> reporter: republicans nationwide would love to beat the senate's most powerful democrat, helping angle raise a staggering $14.3 million in the last three months. reid had already amassed more than $19 million. a lot of that money pays for the attack ads filling the airwaves. angle blames reid for the

state's high home foreclosure and unemployment rates, both the worst in the nation. reid takes angle as a dangerous extremist, even featuring her hometown's republican mayor. >> she's wild, she's wild. and with the wild ideas she has, we would never get anything done. >> reporter: the race is complicated by another tea party candidate on the ballot. in a line for none of the above. an option analysts say could help reid. >> those are people who are generally against the incumbent and would vote for the challenger but for some reason they decided the challenger is so offensive they're going to vote none of the above. >> reporter: democrats are pulling out all the stops. former president bill clinton was in for reid this week and next week president obama will make his second campaign visit for harry reid. brian? >> getting hot in las vegas. john yang reporting for us from

there tonight. john, thanks. what's happening in nevada right now may say a lot about what's happening around this entire country this busy election year. for more perspective, we turn to our political director, our chief white house correspondent chuck todd in our washington bureau. so chuck, here's the question. nature of politics, nature of the news business. we concentrate on a few big races, a smattering of small, interesting ones. but with so many congressional districts, governors, senators up on election night, give us the national picture beyond just the tea party movement, which has stolen a lot of headlines, rightfully so, this year. >> reporter: let's go from 30,000 feet. this was a week that the campaign battleground came into focus on three fronts. money, number one. the democratic advantage from the summer, gone. the enthusiasm and momentum the republicans have is playing itself out in fund-raising. just about every close race right now, it's the republican outraising the democrat. the biggest number is what john yang reported about, that sharron angle number, the

all-time record, $14.3 million raised in three months. never mind the contribution from outside groups which is far larger for republicans than democrats. number two, on the issues front, health care is trumping the economy. this the a big debate week all over the country, as we saw earlier in that report. eight senate debates i watched, there was a common theme. health care is the most discussed issue, even though the economy comes out on top in polls. why? the bad economy has set the national mood, but health care is the rhetorical weapon of choice for republicans. they use it to tie democrats to "obama care" or make a point on government overreach. even to say it's the reason why businesses aren't creating jobs. number three, the tea party. the impact is real for the most part. the tea party has been helpful to the gop in rebranding the party away from bush and giving it a real grassroots component. but this influence in republican primaries has put a number of senate seats in play for democrats that should be out of reach. the bottom line, brian, because of weaker tea party nominees,

democrats have a fighting chance in delaware, kentucky, colorado, yes, nevada, and even alaska. without the tea party, all five races would be in the bank right now and the senate majority would be in the republican sights. but look, democrats still think a lot can change in 18 days. >> what an interesting election night it will be. chuck todd will be here with us for all of it. chuck, thanks. tonight in chile, those 33 miners rescued from that tiny hole in the ground are now facing a new challenge, getting back to their lives, which are suddenly all about money it seems and movies and book deals, and who knows what else they'll be offered for their courage and their sudden fame. and it seems that at least one of the men is venting some of the first public frustration we've heard about their ordeal. there's even one report tonight about fighting among the group. kerry sanders remains on the job, with us again from the hospital in chile where the miners have been treated.

kerry, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. three of the miners are still here at the hospital. the others have all gone home. doctors here say their eyes are adjusting to the sunlight faster than they expected. most of the miners did spend the day here with loved ones. folks they once weren't sure they would ever see again. the miners can't escape the attention, even if they want to. like the superstars they now are everywhere they go, there's a camera or cell phone pointed at them. everyone in chile wants to see and hear from the miners. and some of what they heard today for the first time was anger. miner edison bena says, why do these mining disasters have to happen? because the greedy employers want to make money. the miners were looking for gold, and they may have found it, in survival. they want $20 million for their story. they have a pact they officially

notarized while still underground to sell their story to the highest bidder, and divide profits equally. for chileans, there's no question they deserve a payday. but for at least one of the rescued 33, remarkably life as a miner will eventually resume. 54-year-old jose henriquez was on the phone today, confirming a contract to go back to work in another mine, after vacation. and the free vacation offers are coming from everywhere. one miner, a huge elvis man, has been offered a trip to graceland. all are invited to the greek islands. the two biggest soccer teams in the world want them to join them at a game. a chilean millionaire deposited $10,000 in each miner's account. florencio avalos said, prayers got me through this. in other interviews, miners say in those first 17 days, cut off

from the world with only a ration of two days' food, there was despair and fistfights. but for now, they want the feel-good story told. how 33 men survived 70 days. it's unclear if they secured a deal yet, but one hollywood agent tells nbc news when you consider worldwide, their price might be about right. brian? >> most of us are just plain happy to have them alive. i know you join us in that. what a great week of coverage down there. kerry sanders again tonight in chile. when "nightly news" continues, women faced with the challenge of a lifetime find there's nothing better than having a good navigator by their side. later, it's friday night in our "making a difference" segment. we meet the people lining up to teach our kids.

as we mentioned tonight, we have news regarding women's health. and the situation faced by tens of thousands of women in this country every year of breast

cancer diagnosis. it can be a terrifying and confusing time, and if you've ever dealt with the health care system, you know how nice it would be to get a little help. our report tonight from our chief science correspondent robert bazell. >> reporter: francesca, a professional singer, musician and actress, learned she had breast cancer right after her health insurance had run out. >> of course, the minute that i'm not covered is when i really need it. you can be singing along great. >> reporter: so she sought care at ucla medical center, a public hospital in california's san fernando valley, and she dreaded the prospects. >> i think it's so easy to feel like a number at any hospital. >> reporter: she discovered an extraordinary service. >> nice to see you again. >> reporter: with money from the avon foundation, several public hospitals across the u.s. from what are called navigators for breast cancer patients. >> this is just to help you.

>> reporter: loshi heads the program at this hospital. >> i think it's so important to have a continuity of care, particularly in public hospitals. >> reporter: she and her staff make sure every woman understands her options. knows when her appointments are set. and is able to process all the information she gets from the medical staff. she is fluent in spanish, especially important at this hospital for most of the patients are hispanic. >> when lori or one of the staff are with them, the patients feel much more comfortable in asking questions and being a part of their treatment decisions. >> reporter: because of the economy, hospitals like this one have had about a 20% increase in cancer patients in the past year, without any increase in staff or other facilities to deal with them. a bright spot has been the privately financed navigators. >> we're set. >> reporter: francesca, who is fine now, thinks all cancer patients should have one. >> why can't everybody have an

advocate on their side who is an expert in the field of their disease? >> reporter: the answer is money. most navigators are paid by private donations. most often for breast cancer. robert bazell, nbc news, sylmar, california. when we come back here tonight, what you've always believed about airline food, turns out it might be true.

remember airline food? we always thought airline food was bad because it just wasn't very good. but now there's some research to suggest the reason it tastes so bad has to do with the amount of noise up in the aircraft. a new study finds that high levels of background noise, like the kind coming from roaring jet engines alongside the fuselage, can confuse the brain and diminish sensitivity and make the taste of food unappealing. like the guy's feet in seat 13-a or the gym bag in the overhead compartment above 21-d. or it could be the food is just really bad. how about this view with the statue of liberty. remember the inscription on the

statue about the tired and hungry doesn't say anything about a bolt of lightning. but when you're made of copper that makes you a natural conductor. this photo we're going to show you by jay fein was taken on the night when a tornado swept over new york city and touched down in brooklyn. we learned today it took him 81 frames to capture the exact moment of the strike. as for the statue, saw her just two days ago. she looked great. and now also way down in the ground, we bring you the picture of the day, without question. this happened in switzerland. and watch that far wall of rock. engineers assisted by a very large drill bit, busted through and completed the longest tunnel in the history of the world. it runs for 35 miles through the alps. it's been 60 years in the making and when it's done in about five more years, it will move cargo on trains and get it off the scenic roads that run up and down between the mountains in

the alps. part of a transportation network through europe. when we come back on a friday night, everyday experts making a difference by sharing what they know after school.

group of volunteer coaches. in this case, life and not sports because they work in schools. they share what they've learned, and as our education correspondent rehema ellis tells us, it does seem to be making a difference. >> reporter: it's 2:30, the school day is winding down but these kids are still going. here in boston, it's decision day. 200 students are choosing an apprenticeship. everything from robotics to real estate development, even song writing. ♪ my favorite jeans are way too tight ♪ >> reporter: it's all part of citizen schools. middle schoolers from low income families immerse themselves in activities ordinarily out of their reach. >> we're trying to teach basic financial principles that you can use every day for the rest of your life. >> reporter: orchard gardens is one of ten schools in massachusetts and 37 nationwide where they're extending the

school day going beyond what's in the textbooks, and they're doing it not just with trained experts, but with volunteers. they're called citizen teachers. everyday people sharing their expertise. >> anybody know? >> we need to find a way to get average citizens off the sidelines, involved in our nation's schools. >> reporter: 15 years ago, co-founder eric schwartz was looking for a meaningful way to connect with kids. as a former reporter, he decided to help kids try journalism. >> i think they wrote a little better because they had a chance to apply what they were learning in english class in a real world pursuit of publishing a real newspaper. >> reporter: the idea took off. today, citizen schools has 4,000 volunteers. and the program's mandatory study time is supervised by grad students. >> you guys have five more minutes of silent homework time. >> i would probably be home trying to figure out how to do my homework without anybody to help me. >> reporter: that help is critical here, ranked one of the lowest performing schools in the

state. >> if we don't fundamentally change the achievement levels of our students now, it has consequences for an entire lifetime. >> reporter: 71% of citizen schools kids graduated on time, compared to 59% of those who did not participate. and they were more likely to earn as and bs in math and english. >> we are all responsible to help the solution. let's get involved now, because we're needed there. >> reporter: motivating kids and giving them a new perspective on what their future can be. rehema ellis, nbc news, boston. >> great story to end the week on. that is our broadcast for this friday night and for this week. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. lester holt will be here with you this weekend. we hope to see you right back here on monday night. in the meantime, have a good weekend. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

a smoother commute or a community eyesore? the proposed high-speed rail line cuts through the south bay and peninsula and now leaders of one city want you to know what that line really looks like. good evening. i'm lisa kim. >> and i'm jessica aguirre. it's been debated for years. worried neighbors wouldn't be able to understand concerns about the proposed high-d