bye-bye. an american town heading for higher ground because water is on the way. at the airport, do young kids really need to be patted down like suspects? there's word of some changes on the way for airport security. and body of evidence, a new safety report out on breast implants and some new recommendations that may surprise the millions of women who have them. "nightly news" begins now.

when the president spoke this evening from the white house, it was some measure of what we've been through as a nation these past ten years. he said, "these long wars will come to a responsible end. tonight specifically he was talking about what's commonly referred to as our longest war, the one still underway in afghanistan. 100,000 americans are there and on duty tonight. and we learned officially tonight the first of them will start to come home. roughly the same number that ran into the so-called surge. 30,000 in all, the rest by christmas. chuck today has more. good evening. >> reporter: good evening. the president began by laying

out the history of his involvement and his decisions on the war in afghanistan, and then he went to the big news of the night. >> starting next month, we will be able to remove 10,000 of our troops from afghanistan by the end of this year. and we will bring home 33,000 troops by the end of this summer. fully recovering the surge i announced at west point. reduction, our troops will continue coming home at a steady pace, moving the afghan security forces into the lead. our mission will change from combat to support. by 2014, this process of transition will be complete. >> reporter: and the president gave one of the justifications was the weakness and the weakening of al qaeda, specifically the success that they noticed that they were making based on information they got from bin laden's compound. >> we're starting this drawdown

from a position of strength. al qaeda is under more pressure than at any time since 9/11. together with the pakistanis, we have taken out more than half of al qaeda's leadership. and thanks to our intelligence professional and special forces, we killed osama bin laden. the only leader that al qaeda had ever known. this was a victory for all who have served since 9/11. one soldier summed it up well, the method, she said, is we don't forget. you will be held accountable, no matter how long it takes. >> reporter: the president acknowledged the fact that the country has been involve in two wars, including the one in iraq. >> my fellow americans, this has been a difficult decade for our country. we have learned anew the profound costs of war, the cost that has been paid by the nearly 4,500 americans who have given their lives in iraq and the over

1,500 who have done so in afghanistan, men and women who will not live to enjoy the freedom that they defended. thousands more have been wounded, some have lost limbs on the battlefield and others still battle the demons that have followed them home. yet tonight, we take comfort in knowing that the tide of war is receding. >> reporter: it was a very sober speech, this wasn't a speech that was mission accomplished, but specifically we had some goals that we laid out, we're getting a lot ofdone, we're going to continue to gthe done, and he laid out the case for libya, saying not a single member of the u.s. military is on the ground in libya. >> chuck, thanks for your coverage and analysis tonight. now we move to a very desperate situation. the mayor of minot, north dakota told the people there today to pack up and get out. the army corps of engineers

spokesman put it bluntly, a flood is coming. it's expected to break an all-time record there, 11,000 people are on the move tonight. we're talking about the souris river and the water from the historic snow melt and heavy rains so far unstoppable in this awful season. kevin tibbles is there for us tonight. good evening. >> reporter: brian, tonight minot is bracing for flooding set to overwhelm the record books as the fast moving, fast-rising souri sirks river already seriver -- souris river here threatening to devastate the city. this brother and sister scramble to move their worldly possessions out of their family home. >> it's a big empty feeling

inside and like i said, you salvage what you can, and tomorrow's going to be another day. we'll be here to clean up. >> we all say we can rebuild. >> reporter: some 11,000 people, a full quarter of the town's population heading for higher ground. >> with all the dike work we have had done, i never imagined we would see flooding like this again. >> reporter: but this latest flooding, the mayor says will be catastrophic. >> i don't think we really know how long this is going to last and i'm not sure we know exactly how much water's coming at us. >> reporter: for weeks minot has battled the swollen souris river which winds its way out of north dakota and canada. massive snow melt and heavy rains have the souris running at record highs. 500 national guard troops are here trying to hold it back. >> the water is reaching the top of the levees in several areas. >> reporter: with water already surging into minot, the souris is expected to rise a full eight feet higher than the last great flood here in 1969. >> it's a fairly close knit community, and they do hang

together, they do take care of their neighbors, and they'll do it again. >> reporter: now all the people of minot can do is watch and wait as the water rises, they are powerless to stop it. and, brian, this river isn't even supposed to crest until sometime next week and when it does, it's expected it's going to overreturn -- overrun berms like this, and it could be sometime next week when that happens. it's going to take more weeks, even as much as a month for it to start to recede, and only then are the people of minot going to be able to come out and start assessing the damage to their city. >> they're in for a tough couple of weeks, kevin tibbles in minot, north dakota tonight. kevin, thanks. and once again tonight, we're seeing the effects of what's been a tragic weather pattern this year. way too much rain and snow in the north, almost none in the south. texas suffering, as you may know, under severe drought

conditions and now the wildfires that have been hitting hard. nbc's tom trong is with us in grimes county in east texas tonight. tom, good evening. >> reporter: hey, brian. the extreme drought here is jeopardizing the livelihoods of countless cattle ranchers and it's making the difficult task of fighting wildfires even harder. rain finally fell today on parched areas of texas delivering temporary relief to communities threatened by wildfires. >> we just pray that none of our houses are burned down there. >> reporter: firefighters are attacking 17 wildfires across texas. since the start of wildfire season, more than 3 million acres have been scorched in the lone star state. today's rain will help the containment efforts, but the fires rage on. >> the next few days, we're anticipating more hot weather and it's going to be dry. we're not out of the woods yet. >> i'll take whatever we get and

glad to have it. but this is by no means a drought breaker. >> reporter: tom haney is a sixth generation rancher and says it will be a long, hot summer for him and fellow cattlemen. >> we're hanging on as best we can hang on. >> reporter: the drought that's fuelling the fires is also leaving pastures and ponds are bone dry. haney says his cows are thinning and he may lose half his income. >> in my lifetime, this has been one of the worst disasters the cattle business has had in texas. >> reporter: at a cattle auction today, hundreds of ranchers scrambled to dump as many head as they can, hoping to get the best possible price for the drought worsens. >> we're cutting them down because they don't have any grass, they don't have any hay, if we're buying hay, it's expensive to feed. >> reporter: as hundreds of families pray for the wildfires to die out, ranchers hope their cattle will live long enough to see the rains return. and thanks to today's rain, the

massive fire in this county is now now about 50% contained. as for the drought, brian, no one seems to know when that's going to end. you heard the president talk about 9/11 tonight, while it's going on a decade now, the airports still sorting out security. the wands, the puffer machines t sharp objects, the back of the hand, all these things in our culture, and things we haven't seen in airports before, the tsa patting down children like they're crime suspects.

sometimes the patdown suffers from a lack of common sense. our report from nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: among the latest youtube postings to stoke passenger anger at the tsa, this 6-year-old being patted down at the new orleans airport in april. the tsa agent calmly talked the parent through the patdown after their child moved during a body scan causing the image to blur. but today on capitol hill. >> this little girl would be part of the random patdowns. >> reporter: the tsa chief was on the hot seat. >> it makes me think, you're clueless if you think she's going to attack our country and that you're not doing your research on the people who would attack our country. >> i agree with you that we need to be smarter in how we go about doing things, we need to use more common sense. >> reporter: after nearly a year of very personal, enhanced patdowns, even involving children in diapers and the elderly, tsa chief john pistole says he's changing the patdown policy. >> we have changed the policy to say there will be repeated efforts to resolve that without a pat down, and although premature, i will be announcing something in the not too distant future about a tsa policy involving children. >> the tsa later clarified

pistole's comments saying, this decision will ultimately reduce though not eliminate patdowns of children. the tsa's comments come as the texas state legislature and governor rick perry consider weather to outlaw all enhanced patdowns at all texas airports. and the tsa says if that happens, the agency may prohibit departures from texas air spice. if the law were to pass the federal government would like to challenge it in court. but eight months after the tsa began its enhanced patdown to prevent another underwater bomber from getting through, the agency is on the defensive. tom costello, nbc news, washington. and some high altitude embarrassment tonight for a southwest airlines crew. a southwest airlines pilot was having a raunchy conversation with another pilot on thursday night. it was about bar hopping, unsuitable partners on the road, you name it, it was graphic and

it turns out it was sent over out the midair frequency for all the aircraft in the air space to hear and for that matter, anyone on the ground with a scanner. here's one of the few parts that's family friendly enough to play for you. >> back in houston which is easily one of the ugliest bases. i mean it's all [ bleep ] and grannies and there's like maybe a handful of cute chicks. >> pretty harsh on houston and plenty of other things. >> and meet just one member of the volunteer force overseas. osteoarthritis pain. wc imagine you, with less pain. cymbalta can help.

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go to cymbalta.com to learn about a free trial offer. with new extra-strength bayer advanced aspirin. it has microparticles, enters the bloodstream faster and rushes relief to the site of pain. it's clinically proven to relieve pain twice as fast. new bayer advanced aspirin. it's clinically proven to relieve pain twice as fast. welcome. thanks for coming. we're going to head on into the interview. greg . . . greg . .. was fuel efficiency an important factor in buying this car? oh definitely. as all my friends would tell you, i am one of the cheapest people you'll ever meet. and whenever i was filling up with gas before, i'd have a scowl on my face. you seem very comfortable up there. have you done this before? no, i haven't, and i'm actually terrified right now. there is news tonight about breast implants five years after they were allowed back on the

market in this country, the fda is saying n ing they are confid they indeed safe although the risks are real. and perhaps the biggest news tonight has to do with recommendations for women who have them. our chief medical editor dr. nancy snyderman here with more. nancy, this was interesting. >> it is interesting and the fda does stand by their decision to put them back on in 2006. but they're telling women that you have to be vigilant. there's no free ride on this. it's well known that breast tissue can hardening around the implant, the implant can leak and there is the risk of infection. but underscoring all of that, the implants only have a shelf life of five to ten years and they are meant to be replaced. the older the implant, the more likely it is that it will fail. this affects a lot of women. 300,000 women a year get these for cosmetic reasons, 90,000 get them as part of reconstruction after breast cancer surgery. so today's statement, while i think is reassuring to a lot of

people, there are still people who say huh-uh, the research is not complete. it was done by manufacturers. and more science needs to be done for women who do have implants. and if you are a woman and this pertains to you, a reminder that you must get an mri every three years to make sure there's not little, silent leaks. >> a lot of people don't know that so we'll underscore it. and up next tonight, a tough diagnosis today for an american household name. as we continue, a tough diagnosis today for an american household name. i have fallen in love with making bird houses. caw caw! [ director ] what is that? that's a horrible crow. here are some things that i'll make as little portals. honestly, i'd love to do this for the rest of my life so i've got to take care of my heart. for me, cheerios is a good place to start. [ male announcer ] got something you'll love to keep doing? take care of your heart. you can start with cheerios. the natural whole grain oats can help lower cholesterol. brrrbb... makes you feel ageless. [ male announcer ] it's time. love your heart so you can do what you love.

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for a body in motion. ...they could stop spending our money on things like... ...a cotton institute in brazil... ...poetry at zoos... ...treadmills for shrimp... but instead of cutting waste... or closing tax loopholes... next month, congress could make a deal that cuts medicare... ...even social security. i guess it's easier to cut the benefits we earned... than to cut pickle technology. ♪ there was some big news out there was some big news out of china today after nearly three months in detention and under growing international pressure, the renowned chinese artist was released. he's best known as the designer of that so-called bird's nest stadium for the beijing olympics. he's also known as one of the most outspoken critics of the chinese government.

officially he was taken into custody on tax charges, as for why he was released today on bail, the chinese say he demonstrated a good attitude. we have a full report on this on our website at nightly.msnbc.com. meanwhile the first lady continued her visit to south africa along with her mother and daughters sasha and malia. she got an emotional welcome today at a packed church in the sprawling johannesberg township of soweto, where her message today was primarily directed at the young women who said they would be the generation for change. and glen campbell has announced he has alzheimer's disease, he is 75 years old now, he told "people" magazine, he's hoping to say fair well to his fans with a series of final performances later this year, this fall.well to his

fans with a series of final performances later this year, this falwell to his fans with a series of final performances later this year, this falwell to his fans with a series of final performances later this year, this falrwell to his fans with a series of final performances later this year, this falewell to his fans with a series of final performances later this year, this fall.well to his fans with a series of final performances later this year, this falwell to his fans with a series of final performances later this year, this fall.rwell to his fans with a series of final performances later this year, this falewell to his fans with a series of final performances later this year, this fall.well to his fans with a series of final performances later this year, this falwell to his fans with a series of final performances later this year, fans with a series of final performances later this year, this falewell to his fans with a series of final performances later this year, this fall. the grammy award winner who gave us "the wichita lineman" among others. he was officially diagnosed six months ago. and former president george w. bush has done a lot of things in his life, but last night was a first as far was we know. he's now part of a world record. the texas rangers baseball team where he's a former co-owner and a frequent spectator set the world record for the number of people wearing sunglasses at night. and 43 said he was game. when we come back tonight, on this night when the president announces his plan to bring troops home from afghanistan, our story about a young woman on the front lines helping to save lives under some tough conditions. this night when the president announces his plan to bring troops home from afghanistan, a story about a

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everyone works as a team. and i only need to talk to one person about her care. we're more than 78,000 people looking out for 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. tonight's speech by the president on the mission in afghanistan, again focuses attention on the americans who are there and in the fight. they all volunteered for duty, remember, and when you're there, that war never goes away. it's going on 24/7. tonight in our ongoing series of reports, we meet another american on the front lines far from home. nbc's jim maceda reports on a

woman who wanted a challenge and as you're about to see, she got one. >> reporter: navy corpsman second class kelly talavera wanted to save lives, but no cupcake deployment, as she put it. so the 32-year-old medic from providence, rhode island ended up here in the fight against the taliban in helmand providence. and what's more, on usa marine base where she's the only woman. >> reporter: kelly t. is one who likes a challenge? >> i guess you could say that. i just like helping people. as long as i know i have helped someone, be it major or minor, i'm pretty happy. >> reporter: almost daily medevac teams rush casualties into this specialized e.r. where kelly's shock and trauma team have about 20 minutes to stabilize the patient. buying them a few precious hours for further stabilizing elsewhere. >> we have the capabilities to give them whole blood and they didn't have that before we got

here. >> reporter: kelley loves her job but admits that living conditions are humbling. >> i wouldn't mind that cupcake assignment right now. >> reporter: in still freezing temperatures, there's no heat, chow is just that. >> i mean my dogs are eating better than me right now. >> reporter: there are latrines and hot showers, but not for women. so kelly came up with a sign and a safeguard. >> that means no guys are going to enter while, it takes me ten minutes to change, put my p.t. gear on and come take a shower and i don't have to worry about a guy. >> reporter: she lives all alone in her tent, her lights on, her m-16 locked and loaded. >> at night she's off by herself on the other side of the base. >> reporter: why does she do it? >> i wanted to know if i could handle it. like how would i react? >> yeah, it's pretty ugly. >> reporter: by all accounts, on her first combat deployment, she's coped well. >> we don't really have to worry about her, because we know she can hold her own, basically. >> reporter: kelly says she gets

her strength from jorge, her peruvian-american husband, also a navy corpsman husband back in camp pendleton, california. and these two well fed japanese shebas they got when they were stationed in okinawa. >> they're like my kids. i love those dogs. >> reporter: a troubled teen, kelly didn't start college until 22, boot camp at 26. a year after her beloved mother diane died of lung cancer. >> reporter: do you think your mom would be proud of you today, in this uniform and what you're doing? >> yes. >> reporter: kelly talavera, mending the wounded as close to the front lines as she can get would do it all again, she says, if called on. jim maceda, nbc news, afghanistan. >> just one of those on the job tonight in afghanistan. that's our broadcast for this wednesday night, thank you for

being with us. we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening, good night. good evening, everyone. i'm jessica aguirre. >> and i'm raj mathai. usair ways is in trouble again. racial profiling after a white man wearing no pants was allowed to fly. this comes just after a week after an african-american man wearing droopy pants was kicked off a plane. tonight we hear from the woman who took the pictures that are now at the center of this controversy. we bring