on the broadcast tonight, who is telling the truth? one of his accusers faced cameras yesterday. just tonight, herman cain did the same and said, it simply didn't happen. and now another woman has come out publicly and the problems for cain continue. under fire. is this how it ends for a coaching legend? new calls for joe paterno to resign. and thgger question, of course, is the human damage, why didn't anyone protect the children in the scandal at penn state? women's rights at the heart of a controversial vote tonight that could turn some forms of birth control and fertility treatments into a crime. and close encounter. we're happy to report tonight that the aircraft carrier sized

asteroid has missed the earth. but it got close enough to get pictures of it. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening. and again here tonight, the campaign of herman cain is in the news. and it's not for his 9-9-9 economic plan or his standing in the polls. it's because tonight herman cain went before cameras in a wide-ranging news conference and said it just didn't happen. he was talking about the allegations of the woman who came forward, went public, went before cameras yesterday to say she had been sexually harassed by cain years ago. she's one of several accusers. we learned the identity of another one today, and she is tonight quoted as having called herman cain a monster. despite his efforts to be final at today's media event, this is likely to continue so haunt the

cain campaign for president. we begin tonight with nbc's lisa myers. lisa, good evening. >> good evening, brian. today herman cain changed his strategy. instead of refusing to answer any more questions, he launched a full-scale assault on one of his accusers. a defiant herman cain says he doesn't remember anything about his latest accuser. not her face or her name. >> i have never acted inappropriately with anyone, period. the charges and the accusations, i absolutely reject. they simply didn't happen. they simply did not happen. >> reporter: he charged that sharon bialek's claim that he groped her when she came to him for help with a job, is part of an effort to derail his campaign, and he called her

trouble. >> and now the democratic machine in america has brought forth a troubled woman to make false accusations, statements, many of which exceed common sense. and they certainly exceed the standards of decency in america. >> reporter: earlier in the day, the cain campaign even put out the case numbers for a half dozen lawsuits against bialek, as well as two filings for personal bankruptcy. her lawyer predicted such attacks yesterday. >> she knows that by stepping out into the light, she will face public scrutiny. >> it's not about me. i'm not the one running for president. >> reporter: for her part, bialek is making the media rounds. six interviews in 24 hours, defending her integrity and denying she did this for financial gain. >> i could have, actually, sold my story, but i didn't, because i wanted -- my whole objective is to tell the truth.

>> reporter: but would she do an interview for money or write a book in the future? >> i'd have to think about that. that's so far off the radar right now. >> reporter: it's a familiar story line, the accuser under a microscope. debra katz represents victims of sexual harassment. >> this is hell for the woman who's made this allegation, and her life will never be the same. >> reporter: late today, another of cain's accusers karen crowther said she now intends to speak publicly about incidents with cain. she filed an official complaint with the national restaurant association and received a financial settlement. today one of cain's opponents waded into the controversy. >> these are serious allegations. >> reporter: and political analyst charlie cook says it is hurting cain politically. >> how do you survive three or four direct torpedo hits to the engine room? >> reporter: karen crowther says she now wants all four of the women who have made accusations about cain to speak out together. cain says he won't quit the race

no matter what, "ain't gonna happen." brian? >> all right, lisa myers in our d.c. news room starting us off tonight. lisa, thanks. college football's most legendary active coach, penn state's joe paterno may be on his way out tonight in the wake of these revelations about a child sex abuse scandal involving one of his assistant coaches at penn state. reporters and students gathered outside the paterno's house tonight not far from campus. we caught a glimpse of the coach through the window. he was said by observers to be moved to tears at the show of support. nbc's ron allen is with us from state college, pa tonight. ron, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. we have not heard from coach paterno directly today, but "the new york times" is reporting that university officials here are very busy planning for his exit, sometime in the days or weeks to come. that as the calls for the coach to step down grow louder. the coach could hear a few fans as he left for practice,

refusing to answer questions about the 40-count indictment, alleging his long-time assistant coach jerry sandusky sexually abused at least eight young boys for more than ten years. paterno's son spoke for him. >> no one has asked joe to step down, that's all i can tell you. >> if they do -- >> reporter: earlier, his weekly media briefing had been abruptly cancelled. >> we have determined that today's press conference cannot be held and will not be rescheduled. >> i don't see him surviving. i don't think he should. but that's just my opinion. >> reporter: reporter bob flounders paper, "the harrisburg patriot news" is one of many partially criticizing paterno, saying he should have done more. back in 2002, prosecutors say the coach did, in fact, report an abuse complaint about sandusky to athletic director tim curley, who along with vice president gary schultz has been charged with failing to alert authorities about abuse cases and lying to a grand jury. both men deny the charges. but many say while paterno

followed the letter of the law, he should have also alerted police, and should now step down. >> the moral question is out there, and -- i think the answer is, he comes up short on the moral question. and that's a huge deal in a case like this. >> reporter: it is a profound fall from grace for a coach who had a pristine reputation. paterno, now 84, is the winningest college football coach ever. he's brought tens of millions of dollars to the school that has his name and image all over campus. neil rudel has covered penn state football for 34 years. >> it's been the kingdom and power of joe paterno. and i think, unfortunately, it all came back to roost. it's going to take a clean sweep of everybody who's been involved. >> reporter: paterno is a fighter, and his son said today that he wanted to tell his side of the story, but the university shut down that media event. meanwhile, there are reports a ninth victim has come forward with a similar story of being

abused at a football facility. brian? >> so, ron, we have these dual tracks. impossible to overstate the human damage, if any of these allegations are true. also, impossible to overstate the legend of this man they call joe pa locally, even though there have been discussions about an exit strategy before this scandal? >> indeed, brian. this is a very profound thing that's happened to this campus, to this community. just really something that came out of the blue. today, the mothers of some of those alleged victims were quoted in the local newspaper of telling how difficult it was for their sons to come forward to take on this very powerful institution. this has been going on for many years, and some of their complaints were discounted early on in the process. and, yes, there is a lot of affection for joe paterno here, but people just feel this -- they have to get past this, and the only way for that to happen is for him and, perhaps, the university president and others, to resign. >> ron allen on this enveloping

scandal in state college, pa. ron, thanks. big news from europe tonight, and it will be felt here. silvio berlusconi, long-time prime minister of italy says he will step down shortly as italy follows greece in reacting to massive financial pressures. our chief foreign correspondent richard engel began his reporting from there for last night's broadcast of "rock center," and he watched it all unfold there today. richard, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. it is with a degree of irony that italians say silvio berlusconi is being brought down not by his numerous and well-known sexual scandals. this is a man who, while in office, was accused of having sex with an underaged prostitute. and who, by his own count, has been in court more than 2,500 times. but in the end, it is the economy that is bringing down mr. berlusconi. berlusconi, after all, is a billionaire, and italians thought he would be good at managing the economy.

instead, italy is drowning in debt. berlusconi said today, after his coalition collapsed, that he would resign as soon as the government here passes a series of economic reforms. that could take place as early as next week, that is, brian, if mr. berlusconi is keeping his word. >> richard engel in rome for us tonight. richard, thanks. there's news about iran and the threat of nuclear weapons. there's a new u.n. report out, it says the threat has grown more real, and this happens to come amid reports israel is again considering some sort of military strike. our chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell has more. >> reporter: even before the reports released, for days, iran has been denouncing it as a tool of the united states and israel. today iran's president ahmadinejad called the head of the u.n. agent a puppet of the u.s. but the iaea reports iran is on the verge of a nuclear

breakthrough to know how to build a nuclear bomb. what is the proof? experts say, satellite images show iran has built an enormous field structure that could be used to test explosives used to trigger a weapon. a warhead small enough to fit on a missile that could hit israel or europe. despite denials, experts say iran had help from a former soviet scientist with decades of weapons experience. >> the evidence looks pretty clear that he -- iran has benefited tremendously from his expertise, and used it to build a smaller nuclear weapons design. i think some will conclude from this that it is a smoking gun. >> reporter: for years, israel and possibly the u.s., have waged a cyber war against iran's nuclear program. they slowed its centrifuges with a stuxnet computer virus. and two iranian nuclear scientists were mysteriously assassinated on their way to work. but experts say iran has now overcome those hurdles and is back on track. intelligence estimates differ widely on how close iran may be

to developing a bomb. still, few military experts outside of israel believe a military action could take out iran's nuclear program. much of it is buried deep underground. >> they don't have the conventional air power, the air-to-air refuelling to credibly strike the iranian nuclear production facilities. >> reporter: israel is already holding mock disaster drills in anticipation of an attack from iran. the u.n. weapons report will only increase fears in a region already on edge. andrea mitchell, nbc news, washington. there is a disturbing story tonight at dover air force base in delaware. this is a tough one, because it's the place we've all become familiar with, where the remains of americans killed in battle are first returned home. three air force officials have been reprimanded after the loss and mishandling of body parts of dead service members. and in an apparent attempt to cover it up, two whistle-blowers were fired. the u.s. office of special counsel found evidence of gross

mismanagement, dishonesty and misconduct among the three top leaders at the dover mortuary. as of tonight no one has been relieved of their duties. still ahead here this evening, an emotional debate over when someone becomes a person. this could impact women, the choices they make about their families. and later, tonight's fly by. a new perspective on that massive asteroid that just hurdled past us here on earth.

it is election day today. and voters in mississippi are considering a strict new ban on birth control, abortion and strict new rules about birth control and fertility treatments. it would redefine the word

person to say that life begins at the moment of fertilization. our report tonight from nbc's janet shamlian. >> reporter: what many consider a private decision is playing out in the most public of venues. >> no on 26! >> reporter: from city streets -- ♪ >> reporter: -- to suburban churches. >> choose life. >> reporter: the latest battle over reproductive rights is coming to a head in mississippi. >> so much is at stake in this election for women and families. >> reporter: what's been called the personhood amendment or initiative 26 would declare a fertilized egg a person, and consider the destruction of that egg an act of murder. if passed, it would limit some forms of birth control, methods of infertility treatments and ban abortion. >> it will restore a culture of life in mississippi. >> reporter: supporter frida bush says there would be no exceptions for rape or incest. >> regardless of how the baby is conceived, the baby does not deserve death because of its conception. >> all right. there's your banana.

>> reporter: this woman's concerned about the impact on infer tile couples. her children were conceived through invitrofertilization. the amendment could have a major impact on ivf, outlawing the freezing or destruction of unused embryos, now common practice. critics say the initiative could punish couples who suffer from infertility. >> i absolutely do not want the government telling me what my medical treatment options are. that's for me and my doctor to decide how we build our family. >> reporter: supporters say ivf could continue, but a couple's fertilized embryos would have to be used or given up for adoption. with some of the strictest abortion laws in the nation, and just one abortion clinic serving the entire state, mississippi is favorable ground for the amendment. and if it passes here, it's likely to fuel similar movements in places like ohio, michigan and florida. with the battle being waged in front yards and on the local news. >> how has one paragraph become so divisive? >> reporter: an issue that's deeply divided mississippi, and may have an impact well beyond

state lines. janet shamlian, nbc news, jackson, mississippi. up next here tonight, we'll remember an american champion.

a heads up here tonight about something coming tomorrow. if you're around any media like tv or radio at 2:00 p.m. eastern time, you will hear one of those tests of the emergency alert system. this one will be different, it's the first across the board national test of the new fema system, designed to give the president or the government the ability to alert the population to a national disaster or event. they even have a slogan for tomorrow, don't stress, it's only a test. that sound you may hear tonight is anger from the normally reserved people in the state of connecticut. tonight 11,000 homes are still without power. it's been ten days, mind you, since it was knocked out in that

freak pre-halloween snowstorm. and the folks who just went through this in hurricane irene, because trees fall down on wires, are raging at connecticut light and power, which is promising by tomorrow night, that would be day 11, power will be restored. perhaps you saw the first commercial, maybe you bought one. and depending on how you used yours, it was either a revolutionary piece of cardio exercise equipment or an expensive clothing rack for the master bedroom. the inventor of the nordic track has died. ed pauls was a cross country skier in real life who thought the same sort of thing ought to work inside. he built the first one, made millions, and the company went bankrupt before newer, better machines were built. ed pauls was 80 years old. and late last night, we received word that smokin' joe frazier has died. he died of liver cancer. he was just 67 years old. and because most of his fans are still around, it felt today like

a part of the recent history of sports had just left us. he was once the heavyweight champ, back in a time when boxing was a much bigger deal than it is now. and, of course, back in the time of ali. smoke was born a poor kid in beaufort, south carolina. when not boxing, he worked as a butcher and a janitor. and that was the difference, he was the working class guy with the crushing left hook. while ali was the poet provocateur, the performer, the greatest, they called him. and they called joe the guy who knocked ali down. they didn't get along, and their fights may have been the greatest of all time. up next here tonight, how close the planet actually came a short time ago this evening.

as we mentioned earlier, the fact that we're still on the air is proof we were not hit by an asteroid tonight. in space terms, it was close enough to muss your hair. the asteroid at one point got closer to us than the moon, whizzing by at 29,000 miles an hour. the name of the asteroid is yu-55. as in, why you have to pass so close to our planet? considering a direct hit would have been catastrophic, the good news is, it missed us by about

200,000 miles. george lewis watched it all go by at the place actually called the deep space communications complex, where they track such things in southern california. >> reporter: an asteroid watching party tonight in brookline, massachusetts, at the clay center observatory, where astronomers and students are using a 25-inch telescope to get a good look at the object known as yu-55 as it hurdles past us. >> it's not an opportunity for panic or concern. it's an opportunity to look up at the night sky and enjoy the wonders of the skies. >> it helps us progress a lot in understanding space and what's out there, and what it's made of. it's very important and it's very exciting. >> reporter: this animation shows how the asteroid, 1,300 feet at its longest point compares to an 1,100 foot long nuclear aircraft carrier. tonight, the asteroid is closer to us than the moon. the moon's orbit, about 240,000 miles from earth.

yu-55 coming within 201,000 miles. this is how nasa is keeping an eye on the asteroid, bouncing radar signals off it from this 230-foot diameter dish at goldstone station in california. and as researchers used powerful computers to turn the radar echos into images, they try to reassure people the asteroid will not collide with us. >> there's no chance of it hitting us, basically as long as we can compute its motion reliably. >> reporter: we are far from alone in our solar system. there are thousands of so-called near earth objects like this asteroid. >> so you can think of this as an encounter with spaceship earth flying by this asteroid. you're getting all these detailed images while it's close to us. >> reporter: and enthralling amateurs who love to gaze through telescopes, as well as scientists tracking it on radar. george lewis, nbc news at the nasa goldstone station in california. and that, thankfully, is our broadcast for this tuesday night. thank you for being here with us.

i'm brian williams. and we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com good evening. thanks for joining us. >> it is duck hunting season in the south bay city of mountain view. and that is ruffling some feathers. >> sounds of gunfire pierced through the golf course and surrounding office buildings. we go to the trial along the bay in mountain view. and this is not common. duck