on the broadcast tonight, paying the price, the soaring cost of health insurance hitting home for millions of families. and news tonight about the tough choices some are being forced to make. a dramatic day in court for the doctor on trial in the michael jackson case as jackson's voice and final image were shared with all those watching. at the top of the washington monument, a daring mission to see just how much damage an earthquake did to an american treasure. education nation. remember that oprah moment, that $100 million gift to a troubled school system? tonight we're going to look at how they've used the money. and "making a difference." a generous gift for a woman who didn't think she'd get to see her grandson play in the high

school band. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening. we're going to begin tonight with a crippling trend in america that simply cannot go on without taking entire families with it. if we all agree those who have health insurance is the lucky ones in this economy, that usually means someone has a job with benefits. listen to what we learned about the cost of being among the lucky. the cost of health care insurance premiums has now more than doubled for american families since 2001. but, of course, no wages are rising that fast. it comes down to the choice american families are being forced to make on a daily basis. as millions of families already know, it's too often between your money or your health. we begin here tonight with nbc's

john yang. >> reporter: when jeri wood had surgery and radiation treatment for a brain tumor in 2002, her employer's health insurance covered nearly all of it. her out of pocket costs, about $500. >> it wasn't something we had to worry about. we knew there was going to be some cost. but it was manageable, and we could focus on getting me well. >> reporter: since then her premiums have gone up and her coverage have gone down. her family's estimated out of pocket costs this year, nearly $7,000. >> every where you go you're being nickelled and dimed with increases. but they aren't nickels and dimes, they're $5, $10. >> reporter: in a new report out today, the kaiser family foundation, which advocates health care reform, says premiums for family coverage now average more than $15,000 a year. that's a 9% jump from 2010 and triple the rate of the previous's years increase. >> this is really the first time in as long as i can remember

when we've seen a big jump in premiums at a time when wages are actually not only flat but actually losing ground. >> reporter: at the same, time insurance is covering less. requiring workers to pay higher co-payments and deductibles. 31% of workers now pay at least the first $1,000 of medical costs. >> what we call health insurance in the country is really changing very dramatically. >> reporter: employers say rising insurance costs forced them to chose between providing good benefits and hiring new workers or giving raises. for employees, it can mean skipping nonurgent procedures. for jeri wood, that's not an option. she needs two mri's a year to check on the part of the brain tumor doctors couldn't remove. >> every day is a good day because it's another day. it's just that we have to learn that we don't get to define good any more. >> reporter: the authors of this story say it's too early to tell whether this big premium jump is

a one-time thing or the start of a new trend. they also say it's too early to tell what will happen in 2014, which is when the key elements of president obama's health care reform take effect. brian? >> dangerous numbers. john yang starting us off tonight in chicago. john, thanks. now we go out to los angeles and the live televised start of the trial today of dr. conrad murray, accused in the death of michael jackson. nbc's lee cowan is outside court tonight. lee, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. probably if you thought this trial would be dry and technical, the first day turned out to be pretty emotional. the prosecution was up first. and they opened up with a never before seen picture and never before heard recording of michael jackson himself. it had all the trappings of a celebrity trial. the circus had been expected. after all, it involves michael jackson and his family. but inside, a very different scene.

the accused doctor, conrad murray, sat stoned-face as prosecutors displayed a picture of jackson's lifeless body. alleging it was murray who had killed the king of pop. >> it was dr. murray's repeated incompetent and unskilled acts that led to mr. jackson's death. >> reporter: murray had pleaded not guilty. just how jackson died isn't in question. it was an overdose of propofol, a powerful anesthetic that jackson had been using to help him sleep in between rehearsals for his upcoming tour. ♪ >> reporter: almost every day for two months murray says he injected jackson with propofol as well as other sedatives. a disturbing recording murray made of jackson apparently under the influence of those drugs was played to a hushed courtroom. >> i want to say -- >> reporter: on the day jackson died, murray left the room after administering the drugs.

preoccupied with making phone calls and sending e-mails. >> he left him there, abandoned him to fend for himself. >> reporter: his defense team didn't dispute the fact that he was out of the room when jackson died. but they argued he was trying to wean jackson off propofol. when he didn't give him enough, they allege jackson waited for murray to leave and then administered the fatal dose himself. >> he died so rapidly, so instantly, he didn't even have time to close his eyes. >> reporter: murray wasn't negligent, the defense argues, he was at the mercy of an addict. >> there was no doctor, no paramedic, no machine that was going to revive michael jackson. >> reporter: brian, there are seven men and five women that make up this jury. they will not, however, be sequestered. the judge has ordered them to stay away from any publicity about this case. a lot of people think given this

particular trial, especially where the defense is concerned, that may be simply impossible. >> lee cowan in l.a. tonight. thanks. and now we turn to the big question in american politics, will the big man from new jersey take a big step and enter the race for the gop nomination? there's a lot of attention tonight on new jersey governor chris christie, who just happens to be appearing tonight on some sacred republican ground. our political director and chief white house correspondent chuck todd with us tonight from our d.c. newsroom. chuck, good evening. >> good evening, brian. let's lay out what chris christie is doing tonight. he's giving this speech, it's going to be on leadership. real american exceptionalism is the title of the speech. the speech itself is going to sound like someone who's preparing to enter a national campaign. but all signs point to him saying, once again, that he's not going to be running that national campaign in 2012. the reason there's been hub ush over the last couple of weeks -- really in the last week,

brian -- has to do with the republican activists and donors concerned that both of the front-runners, rick perry and mitt romney, aren't really lighting the fires here. of course, originally this was a romney issue. he didn't seem to have the base with him nor the establishment. perry came in to fill the vacuum. and as you know, brian, had some rough debate outings, and that has folks concerned, and that's why they're turning to christie. >> i know your political team took a look back at exactly where we were at this point before the last presidential election just to remind people a week is a year in politics. and the walking away favorite for the gop nomination was rudolph giuliani. >> and not only that, brian, look who was in second place, a late entrant into the field, fred thompson. half the republican vote in national polls were the two candidates who would go on to not win a single primary or caucus. by the way, look at that democratic number. a woman by the name of hillary clinton had nearly a 2 to 1 lead over the current president of the united states. we have a long way to go. >> let that be a lesson to

everybody. chuck todd in our d.c. newsroom, thanks. and something extraordinary happened in washington today. needless to say, it had nothing to do with politics, and had everything to do with personal, physical courage and the inspection of the washington monument from the top down. the monument, of course, took a big hit from the earthquake that shook up the east coast back in august. tom costello is on the mall tonight for us. tom, good evening. >> reporter: brian, lightning late today postponed the attempt to repel down the side. instead, engineers spent the day securing the raking at the very top of the monument. the close inspection comes tomorrow. but the first out the window today was a renowned rock climber, dave megerly. it was just before 10:00 a.m. when the first member of the team climbed out of a small window at the top of the washington monument. >> i think it must take a lot of guts. >> reporter: at 555 feet above the ground, a lot of guts, indeed. the first job, to painstakingly secure the ropes and rigging

around the tallest stone structure in the world. then at about 2:00, a second repeller emerged. down below, ray clausemeyer stopped his car, stunned at what he was seeing. >> it's one of the most unbelievable things i've seen in a long time. awesome. >> reporter: this all started on august 23rd, when a 5.8 quake violently shook the monument. the 20 or so tourists inside, barely avoided the falling masonry. that's ranger nikki williams in the video. >> it was shaking so violently that it knocked me to the side. and i'm questioning if i'm going to make it out of this thing at all. >> reporter: the quake damaged the elevator and left cracks, enough to let rain inside. now, a four-man engineering team is beginning a five-day mission repelling down the sides looking for damage. 12 years ago the monument underwent a major upgrade and face lift. the project manager -- >> it's really an amazing building. it's very well built, structurally sound. >> reporter: and perfectly plump

with 15-foot walls at the bottom. a photography student arrived at 8:00 a.m. today and caught the first repeller waiving to the crowds below. >> yeah, it's amazing. fascinating. a piece of history right there. >> reporter: for 126 years the monument has stood on the national mall drawing more than 800,000 tourists each year. structurally stable, but closed now, as some daredevil engineers look for any undetected signs of quake damage. those engineers will be carrying very small hammers with them, they are going to lightly tap on the walls of the monument tomorrow looking for any problems. also, every single block is numbered so that they can pinpoint and record where any problems might be. as for the four members of the team, two are male and two are female. >> all right. let's not be hitting anything too hard with those hammers. tom costello on the mall tonight. tom, thanks. we now go overseas to libya where the people are running the

country. they're still struggling to find gadhafi and get control of two stubborn holdout cities. one of them is bani walid where the fighting has been fierce. nbc's mike taibbi has seen it from the front lines. >> reporter: it's become the morning routine, to see if the gadhafi loyalist resistance has weakened. it had not. an explosion just as we arrived scattered us toward the fighters hunched against the wall. today's front line, a housing cluster on the edge of town. anti-gadhafi assault teams advanced about 1,000 yards in front of us, trading rifle fire for heavy artillery pouring from the town. it went on for hours. ten days of these exchanges in and near bani walid. with the same scenario repeating day after day, most of the families and non-combatants that could leave bani walid did so. most, but not all. their orders are to hold off using the big guns, no all out assault, as long as it's

believed there are families in town being used as human shields. >> we are trying now to attack them with small arms, to save the families. >> reporter: no help from the skies for the same reason. we can hear the nato planes all afternoon long, but they're not bombing. they're just doing flyovers. we went to the roof to get a better look at the fighting. it was fierce. the artillery was landing closer. even with our position -- or just below us, a couple less than 100 yard as way. they targeted this area, so we will move out fast. we did, and so did the ambulances carrying the day's casualties, soon to be followed by these soldiers in retreat again. the stalemate continuing. mike taibbi, nbc news, bani walid, libya. and still ahead here tonight, our education nation coverage. a windfall gift for some very troubled schools. $100 million and now making sure its money well spent and who benefits from it.

later on, a high school band fulfilling a last wish and making a big difference in one woman's life.

it's an enormous gathering under a tent on what is normally the skating rink out back here behind our building. education nation has been in full swing the past few days outside our studios at rockefeller plaza. just today we hosted both laura bush and bill clinton and a number of others. tonight we follow up on something that started a year ago. you may remember the picture of mark zuckerberg of facebook fame. he went on oprah and announced a gift of $100 million to the public schools in newark, new jersey. correspondent lisa myers looks at what they're doing with the money and what they have to show for it. how it's changing our education nation.

>> good morning. >> good morning. >> reporter: morning at one of two small innovative high schools opened this month. the most tangible result of the new money. the bard high school early college offers advanced instruction. graduates will also have earned a two-year college degree. >> they want me to do better for myself. they have high expectations. >> reporter: the new newark bridges high school offers individual attention for failing students and dropouts. like anaya herald, who came to register with her mother and 2-year-old son. >> i decided to come back, because i noticed that without education, there's nothing. >> reporter: her mom yolanda said was overwhelmed by zuckerberg's gift. >> i would like to say thank you for giving newark a second chance. >> reporter: cami anderson is superintendent of schools. so far, what has this zuckerberg money enabled you to do? >> it's absolutely given us a chance to innovate more quickly. >> reporter: the challenge is enormous. by third grade, 60% of kids

can't perform at grade level in reading and math. only 54% graduate from high school. so far, 8.4 million of the 100 million has been spent, partly for the new high schools. to extend school days and to reward teacher creativity. but in some quarters of this city, the initial excitement of the zuckerberg gift have given way to skepticism, even anger. some parents worry that not all of newark's children will benefit. have you seen any difference? >> no. no, not one difference at all. there's no difference. and it's killing me inside. >> reporter: quintina foster says her third grader andre lacks textbooks to bring home at night. he recently did bring home an old book to practice reading. >> this is what the book looks like. the pages are torn and water damaged. as a parent, i'm outraged. >> that mother is absolutely

right. >> reporter: but newark's mayor cory booker appeals for patience. >> we're not going to change the whole system overnight. but we are making steady progress, measurable progress. >> reporter: the measure of success will be when every child in newark has the skills to go to college. lisa myers, nbc news, newark. and still ahead here tonight as we continue, big change coming to sunday nights in america.

♪ i love rock 'n' roll ♪ put another dime in the jukebox baby ♪ ♪ i love rock 'n' roll joan jett and the blackhearts got themselves a nomination at the rock 'n' roll hall of fame today. in fact, women made a strong showing among this year's nominees, including heart, chaka khan, the spinners, donna summer, the beastie boys and

war. from this list, the inductees will be announced in november. we have an update tonight on dakota meyer, the young marine who saved 36 men during the firefight in afghanistan. turns out what he really wants to do is fight fires with the fdny here in new york. but when he missed this year's application deadline and a judge ordered that it be extended just for him, he politely declined, saying no exception should be made just for him. perhaps no surprising, since the medal is made to honor courage, patriotism and sacrifice. did you ever notice how some people become more than just television personalities and instead are more like guests in our home week after week? well, andy rooney has been one of those guys in american life. and cbs announced today that at the age of 92, he will step away from his regular weekly role at the end of "60 minutes." considering that as a young reporter he flew on the first ever allied bombing mission over

germany in world war ii. television has been a good second career for our friend andy rooney. up next, some generous young people making a difference quite literally with the sound of music.

finally tonight, our making a difference report comes from one of our nbc stations in arkansas. and when we heard about this story, we knew we had to share it with all of you. tonight, nbc's anne thompson has the extraordinary story of a woman who had a wish which has now been fulfilled. >> reporter: this is a joyful noise. ♪ >> reporter: a sound marty barrett never thought she would hear again. ♪ >> it's the biggest thrill. >> reporter: the rogers heritage high school band, with her grandson anthony playing the trumpet she bought him. in the final stages of cancer and under hospice care, marty can't go to see anthony play at football games. with time running out, she wanted just one thing, to hear anthony and the band play one more time. so this week the 120 member band

came to her. ♪ >> reporter: with anthony right up front for his grammy. >> i was a little bit nervous, but it was great. it was wonderful. >> all i could see was him. i am just proud of him. he's been such a good boy his whole life. and brought me very much joy. >> reporter: 85-year-old marty, who grew up in the big band era of glenn miller and benny goodman, had a big band concert of her very own. anthony and his dad frank brought the idea to the band director last week. >> it is emotional to be able to really make a difference in what you do, and see that on someone's face. >> reporter: her son said marty's face lit up like a little kid at a carnival. the joy of music and a grandmother's pride. >> i love you. >> i love you too. >> reporter: make the memory of a lifetime. anne thompson, nbc news, new

york. >> and on that note, a special thanks to our friends at nbc station knwa for helping us out with that story. that's our broadcast for this tuesday night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams, i hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com shot and killed by police. tonight, tough questions for the officers who pulled the trigger and put down two family pets. good evening. thanks for joining us. i'm janel wang. >> and i'm raj mathai. hundreds of parents and kids are angry