on our broadcast tonight, marching on. as the wall street protesters claim a big victory, just how do they translate their message into change across the country? the massacre in seal beach, california. the prosecutor gets choked up before cameras, as he describes who died in that beauty salon rampage. behind the wheel. alarming news about how dangerous it is for new teenaged drivers, and the hazards they pose on the road. and high style at the white house last night, and the real cinderella story for the young american who designed the dress that got so much attention. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

good evening. protesters here in new york who are part of the movement that calls itself occupy wall street that has spread across the country are claiming victory tonight. what was going to be a showdown in a public park today did not happen. this protest movement is showing strength. it's still growing, changing and spreading, while some are trying to define the focus and the mission from this point forward. we begin tonight with nbc's mara schiavocampo in lower manhattan. mara, good evening. >> reporter: brian good evening. on day 28 of the occupy wall street movement, hundreds of protesters went head-to-head with police as celebrations turned to clashes. >> back up! >> reporter: 14 more arrested as police tried to control jubilant crowds spilling into the streets. just moments after it was announced demonstrators would not be removed from zucotti park

here, where they've been camping for the last month. video posted online showed a protester after he was allegedly hit by a police officer's motorcycle, an incident that didn't dampen spirits. this is an impromptu celebratory march, protesters here declaring victory in the showdown with the park's owners. the march ended on wall street, where those who work in finance have been paying attention. >> i think the economy is a disaster, and people need jobs, but i don't know how protesting gets jobs. >> i think some of their grievances are legitimate. >> reporter: while the protests continue to grow beyond new york with the rest of demonstrations in seattle and san diego -- >> this is what democracy looks like! >> reporter: experts say the movement will ultimately judged not by size but staying power. >> the real test of a movement is whether it can last a year until the next election. >> reporter: back at new york's zucotti park where the protest

started, demonstrators certainly seemed to be settling in for the long haul, their small camp transformed into a mini city with a medical center, an info station and free food. once criticized for being leaderless and unfocused, group organizers now say that by harnessing the power of the people, they are becoming stronger and they're not going anywhere. >> we are a force to be reckoned with and we need to be treated seriously and engaged with negotiation and not just threatened. >> reporter: organizers say tomorrow, there will be a global day of protest with events planned in more than 800 cities worldwide. brian? >> mara schiavocampo starting us us off in lower manhattan tonight, thanks. in southern california, tonight prosecutors there are saying they will seek the death penalty against the man charged with shooting nine people, killing eight of them in a rampage in the salon in the seaside town of seal beach. nbc's kristen dahlgren reports tonight on a case that shocked the community and reduced the district attorney to tears when

he went before cameras today. >> mr. dekraai, what's your full name, sir? >> scott evans dekraai. >> reporter: in an orange county courtroom, 41-year-old scott dekraai sat quietly, very different from what prosecutors said he had a rage filled killing spree. >> he was willing to end any life in his path and he did. >> reporter: an emotional district attorney says dekraai was carrying three guns and seeking revenge. >> he was not satisfied with murdering his intended target, his ex-wife. for almost two minutes, dekraai shot victim after victim. >> reporter: he was in a custody dispute with his ex-wife, one of the first to be shot but not the last. >> dekraai callously snuffed them out like they were collateral damage. we will not forget any one of these people. their lives mattered. >> reporter: among the dead, co-workers, a customer, a

bystander and a stylist who was doing her mother's hair, that mother, 73-year-old hattie stretz, the only victim to survive, is now in critical condition. ♪ -- peace on earth and let it begin with me ♪ >> reporter: at the scene of the rampage the moments of terror have been replaced by tears but in the midst of all of the grief here the district attorney pointed out one more victim, the couple's 8-year-old son. >> now his mother has been murdered, and he has to grow up knowing that his dad is a mass murderer. >> reporter: his father now faces the death penalty. kristen dahlgren, nbc news, seal beach, california. kansas city's roman catholic bishop was indicted by a grand jury today on a charge of failing to report suspected child abuse. the allegations stem from indecent photos of young girls taken by a priest, some of them

from as recently as last spring. bishop robert finn acknowledged he knew about the photos as far back as last december but didn't report them to authorities until may. this is the first time an active catholic bishop has been indicted in a church-related sexual abuse case. president obama has tonight ordered troops to deploy overseas, up to 100 u.s. military trainers are on their way to uganda, central africa. they'll help to fight a small but brutal rebel group responsible for atrocities that have gone on for decades. the first dozen green berets arrived in uganda earlier this week. other american trainers will be deployed to the democratic republic of congo, central african republic, and south sudan. president obama was in michigan today, trying to leverage the government's bailout of the auto industry, into political support and some crucial rust belt states in this country. nbc's kristen welker with us tonight from lake orion in michigan.

kristen, good morning. >> reporter: good evening, brian. as you know not everyone liked the auto bailout but the workers at this gm plant did. they say it saved this plant and also saved about 1,700 jobs. the auto bailout really one of the few economic success stories of this administration can point to. now earlier today, south korean president lee donned a detroit tigers cap as both seemed to be on a campaign style tour of the plant. in addition to the bailout, the leaders touted the trade agreements, which congress passed this week. today the president called it a win for the united states and for south korea. now some labor leaders have said that the agreements could cost jobs, but the administration projects that it could actually add about 70,000 new jobs. now this is the president's ninth visit to the politically important state of michigan. the unemployment rate here is in double digits. the president's approval rating is really dropping, so it could

be quite a challenge for him to win this state in 2012, which he did carry back in 2008. brian? >> kristen welker on the assembly line in michigan tonight. kristen, thanks. at the same time, two of the president's rivals, republicans running for his job were drilling down on the economy and taxes today. nbc's kelly o'donnell has our report tonight. >> reporter: with a hardhat and a new jobs plan, governor rick perry picked a steel plant near pittsburgh to reboot his nine-week-old campaign. >> creating jobs in america is as simple as changing presidents, and that is the choice facing americans. >> reporter: going big, with a blitz of tv interviews today. >> i don't worry too much about polls. >> reporter: and his first policy address. perry claimed he could create 1.2 million jobs by expanding american oil and natural gas production on lands now protected from drilling. >> i do not accept the choice that we must pick between energy

and the environment. >> reporter: adjusting to his new front-runner status -- >> nine, nine, nine! >> reporter: herman cain is now pushing back on critics who claim his tax code overhaul including a 9% national sales tax would hit lower income people harder. >> it is transparent. it is efficient. it is fair. not fair, according to washington definition of fair, but fair according to the definition in webster's dictionary. >> reporter: critics insist cain identify the advisers who have helped him craft his nine, nine, nine plan. >> i'm not going to tell you. they're my advisers. they're not yours. they just want to know who my smart people are so they can attack them. >> reporter: today cain, who typically does not focus on race, as a campaign issue, described slurs made against him and rejected racial attacks. >> -- because i am an american black conservative who thinks for myself and i have left that

democrat plantation, i guess that makes me a bad apple, then i'm just going to be a bad apple. >> cain said today he really feels that target on his back now that he has climbed in the polls with scrutiny from the media, from other gop contenders and brian, he has a very high profile weekend here in washington, d.c., that will include attending the formal dedication of the memorial for dr. martin luther king jr. brian? >> kelly o'donnell in our d.c. newsroom tonight, thanks. and there will be much more on herman cain and his economic plan this sunday when he sits down as david gregory's guest sunday on "meet the press." we knew president george h.w. bush 41 was a clint eastwood fan. he's as well remembered for that "read my lips" quote as eastwood himself, but what we didn't know until today was the bush team, at least briefly, considered clint eastwood for v.p., before choosing dan quayle instead. this info has been found in an oral history recording of james

baker. in it baker says eastwood's name was thrown out at a meeting when bush was 18 points down. eastwood was a republican mayor of carmel, california. baker says the idea as he put it was "shot down pretty quick." tough economic times for city and state governments are ushering in budget cuts in places no one would have expected just a few years back. beyond laying off teachers, firefighters and other city workers, some communities really are going to extremes. our report tonight from nbc's kerry sanders. [ bell ringing ] >> reporter: it's a sign of the times, doing more with less and in some cases doing less with less. in waconda and irene, south dakota, school is four days a week a cost-cutting move to save $50,000. >> we looked into the schools that were doing four-day weeks. we don't feel it's going to have an effect on the students'

achievement at all. >> reporter: in tiny alto, texas, population 1,200 the city furloughed its five police officers and now relies on the county's 25 sheriff deputies who already patrol 1,000 square miles. >> i feel like the town is vulnerable because we have no law enforcement. >> i'm going to miss him. >> reporter: in san diego, the city saved a quarter million dollars cutting its mounted patrol and auctions off the horses. in michigan, commissioners voted to stop adding fluoride to the water supply, immediate savings $200,000. but the mother of 14-year-old janeed brown worries about no fluoride in the water. >> if they're going to take the fluoride out of the water, are they going to be sure they have dental plans or anything to help them with going to the dentist? >> reporter: across america, local elected officials are recognizing that old washington refrain, $1 million there, $1 million there, before you know it, we're talking real money. in newark, new jersey, city workers complained cuts almost reached absurd levels.

city hall proposed to stop providing toilet paper in the restrooms. employees would have to bring their own but that idea was flushed. kerry sanders, nbc news, pinellas county, florida. on wall street today, stocks finished with a big surge and the biggest weekly gain since july of '09, bringing the dow and nasdaq into positive territory for this year. blue chips rose 166 points on the day, nasdaq was up big. s&p 500 gained just under 21 points. for the week, the dow was up just under 5%, nasdaq and s&p showed healthy gains as well. up next here, when we continue, driven to distraction, the big risks for new teen drivers. what parents, anyone who shares the road with them, needs to know. and fashion statement, the first lady steals the show at the white house again last night.

it's a rite of passage, just about anyone who has raised teenagers can relate to, that here we go moment, when they first get behind the wheel of a car. auto accidents remain the leading cause of death for american teenagers, and tonight, there's new research into how and when things are likely to take a dangerous turn. our report from nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: the latest aaa foundation drive cam video underscores how distraction and inexperience are the consistent problem factors in teenaged driving. ♪ from loud music and a missed stop sign to texting with mom in the car. >> don't text while you're driving. >> reporter: speeding through a school zone. >> whoa! don't hit me car. >> reporter: talking on the phone, driving down the middle of the road, even unbuckling and

reaching for a bag while making a turn. new aaa research shows that teens are 50% more likely to have a crash in the first month driving without a parent on board than they are after driving with a full year of experience. >> but as soon as that parent leaves the car and the child starts driving by themselves the risks jump up dramatically. >> take it easy on the corner. >> i am. >> reporter: aaa's cameras followed 38 teens from permit to full license. chuck atotti saved his daughter, leah, from a very serious accident. >> whoa, stop! hit your brakes. >> daddy, what were they doing? >> they completely ran a red light. go now. go now. completely ran a red light. >> reporter: today all 50 states and d.c. ease teens into the driver's seat with graduated driver's licenses, usually including restrictions on nighttime driving and passengers with full driving privileges coming at the age of 16 in some states, 17 and 18 in others. something's working. teen driving-related fatalities

have dropped from 6,100 in 2002 to 2,800 in 2009. miami-dade police sergeant david greenwald investigates fatal accidents. >> just inattention to driving for a few seconds could cost you your life or could cost someone else's life. >> reporter: the lesson learned is that behind the wheel there is no substitute for experience. tom costello, nbc news, washington. up next here tonight, talk about a sign of the times, the video rocketing around the world showing a first encounter with the ipad and handling it like an old pro.

a couple of items here starting with big news for amtrak. they've set a passenger record, carrying over 30 million passengers in the last 12 months, that's up 5% over last year, and that is the most passengers in one year since the formation of the railroad about four decades ago. some in congress are still trying to cut federal funding, while amtrak's latest plan to offer true high speed rail on

the east coast would take 30 years to build, and cost $117 billion. big news for apple as well, sales of that new iphone 4s may well hit 4 million by this weekend. there are lines at apple stores around the world. you'll recall it was introduced the day before steve jobs died. and speaking of apple products, this video is getting wide circulation on the web. we don't know what it says about the state of our babies these days or our electronics, it shows a toddler working for the first time ever with an ipad. she's working on it like a pro. the definition of intuitive technology. not so much when it comes to a paper copy of "marie claire." she's trying to get it to work. she's looking for icons on the magazine, trying to swipe to the next page, nothing doing. someone explain the old technology to this child of the apple age. you might have heard something about this story from a seven-acre corn maze in danvers, mass.. a couple with a 3-week-old baby got turned around, apparently

walking out through the stalks was not an option, calling 911 was. >> we thought this would be fun. instead it's a nightmare. i don't know what made us do this. it was daytime when we came in. and i never take my daughter out. this is the first time. never again. thank you guys so much. >> they were 25 feet from the road and didn't know it. they were rescued after calling 911. in their defense the maze owners have all kinds of markers and safeguards for lost people to find their way. looks like the couple apparently panicked when darkness approached. now it's all over the world. big dedication of the dr. martin luther king jr. memorial on the national mall in d.c., is this coming sunday morning. the first one got postponed by hurricane irene, you'll recall, and a photo has been released of a moment witnessed by very few people. stevie wonder, a big backer of the project, asked to see the statue with his hands. he was raised up on a scissor

lift and with tears in his eyes, he felt the dimension and detail of this stone depiction of mlk. when we come back tonight, a glamorous night at the white house, and the star who stole the show once again.

there was a state dinner at the white house last night honoring the president of south korea and once again the first lady was the standout, pictures beamed around the world, in a dress with its own back story that has a lot to do with the american dream coming true. our report from nbc's andrea mitchell. >> reporter: on a stormy night neither thunder nor tornado warnings could stop the white house fashion parade, of course led by the first lady. a shade of purple or lavender, the fashionistas called ultraviolet and ultra cool. originally strapless with a thigh-high slit, redesigned with one shoulder and a jeweled belt to be more demure for the first lady. it is by now a signature of the obama white house, the stylish first lady known for patronizing target and wearing j. crew, using state occasions to go glam, and promoting lesser known talents as well as established fashion stars.

indian born nayem khan for the indian prime minister and germany's angela merkel. peter soronen from mexico and sarah burton who designed kate middleton's wedding gown for china. this time mrs. obama's choice was a true cinderella story, a young korean-american designer doo-ri chung. the daughter of korean immigrants who own a dry cleaning business in north jersey. the fabric of the state dinner gown, what else? jersey. >> fall is always so great because you get to work with so many different textures and different layers and this time definitely color. >> reporter: not since jacqueline kennedy took paris by storm and brought culture to the east room has a first lady so wowed the fashion elite. >> for major events like state dinners she always looks impeccable. we see something completely fresh and new from her every single time. i think she looks flawless. >> reporter: so on a rainy night with a world of problems, a little sparkle and a lot of glamour can go a long way.

andrea mitchell, nbc news, washington. that's 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 of course hope to see you right back here monday night. in the meantime have a great weekend. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com good evening, everyone, and thanks for joining us on this friday. i'm janelle wang in forage mathai. >> and i'm jessica aguirre. it is official. no charges will be filed in the 2007 alleged rape of a 17-year-old by several members of the deanza college baseball team. after months of reviewing the case, santa clara district attorney jeffrey rosen announced that decision today. and despite his criticism of how the allegations were