on the broadcast tonight, up in the air. the last of the big airlines, a legacy carrier, american airlines files for bankruptcy. tonight why this has happened and what it means for those who fly. second thoughts for herman cain tonight. he says he's reassessing whether to stay in the race after the new accusations about a 13-year extra-marital affair. >>under siege, just like 1979 all over again. in tehran today, an angry mob storms an embassy, takes hostages, and sends a chilling message to the west. and the rich getting richer. you saw the three lottery jackpot winners in connecticut yesterday, $254 million.

tonight, new questions, are they the real winners? if not, who is? "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening. perhaps it's because of its name. for all the bankruptcies we've covered in this grim u.s. economy, this one gets your attention. it's called american airlines, and for a lot of people, it can mean a cramped seat on a crowded flight on a well-worn aircraft. it's a legacy carrier. it's one of the oldest, one of the big brand names. in fact, it flies the american brand around the world. the airline has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection during this busy holiday travel time, to financially regroup while staying in the air. though perhaps not something special as it once was. it's where we begin here tonight, tom costello covers aviation for us. he's in our washington bureau. tom, good evening.

>> reporter: good evening, brian. american airlines says its labor costs are $800 million higher than its competitors. it was losing too much money. so today it acted. for ten years, american airlines has fought to avoid bankruptcy even as delta, united, continental and usairways became leaner and stronger under chapter 11. today, more than $10 billion in debt, american said it could wait no longer. >> the path ahead will be hard, but it's a well worn path. and we will make the company successful. >> american insists customers won't be affected. but for the 265,000 passengers who fly american and american eagle every day, some concern. >> we would be concerned the next time we schedule a flight anywhere. certainly, if it was american. >> reporter: among passengers' most common questions, what if i booked upcoming travel on american or an alliance partner? the answer, those tickets will still be honored. what about the valuable frequent

flyer miles we've earned? american sent out an e-mail today saying, we want to assure you your advantage miles are secure. and what if i may want to fly american in the future? the airline insists it plans to be around for a long time. >> for most of us who get on a plane and fly, you're not going to notice any difference. >> reporter: despite all the extra fees passengers now pay to check a bag, get a little leg room or change a ticket, american lost nearly half a billion dollars last year. now it promises a tail by tail review of the entire airline. that could mean slimming down, fewer seats and fewer destinations. robert crandall is considered a legend in the airline industry. running american from 1985 to 1998. >> what you're going to see as a consequence of this bankruptcy filing, is that american will remain a strong and viable competitor. and the industry needs a strong and viable american airlines. >> reporter: but that could also mean painful cuts for some of the 80,000 american employees.

it's been locked in nasty contract talks with its pilots union. experts now expect the airline to use chapter 11 to force concessions from its unions and also in its benefits programs. brian? >> tom costello starting us off from our washington bureau. tom, thanks. now we move to presidential politics tonight, one day after an atlanta woman came forward alleging a 13-year affair. herman cain told staffers, he is reassessing his candidacy. our report tonight from nbc's lisa myers. >> here he is. here he is. >> reporter: herman cain kept his distance from reporters today, after telling his staff he's reassessing the viability of his candidacy. in a conference call with his team, cain spoke of the latest firestorm. claims by an atlanta woman, ginger white, that she had a 13-year affair with him. >> i didn't want so come out with this, i did not. >> reporter: cain unequivocally denied having an affair. said the woman was a friend he had been trying to help financially.

but he added, we have to do an assessment as to whether or not this is going to create too much of a cloud in some people's minds, as to whether or not they would be able to support us going-forward. he said, it's also taken a toll on my wife and family. many conservatives came to cain's defense before, when four different women accused him of sexual harassment. but so far, not this time. >> i think this is the most damaging allegation that's been made to date, no question about it. >> reporter: today, former speaker newt gingrich, whose had his own infidelity issues, tread carefully. >> i think it's a very difficult situation for he and his family. my heart goes out to them. i hope that he reaches whatever is the right decision for them. >> reporter: white says she decided to comfort, partly because she felt badly about how cain's other accusers were treated. >> these statements are all false? they're all lying? >> did not. >> they are all lying? >> did not --

>> they are all lying? >> yes, they are. >> it bothered me that they were being demonized, sort of. or they were being treated as if they were automatically lying. >> reporter: asked tonight if he is dropping out of the race, cain told nbc news. >> 9-9-9, doin' fine. >> reporter: cain says he'll continue to campaign with vim and vigor over the next several days and see how his supporters respond. but many conservative voices now say he's too badly damaged to be a viable candidate. lisa myers, nbc news, washington. >> so let's talk about this with our political director, chief white house correspondent, chuck todd. where does this leave the field, after all, iowa is in 35 days and sooner or later there's going to have to be a leading contender emerge from this pack? >> reporter: that's right, exactly five weeks from tonight. herman cain was on a downward trend even before this latest allegation. and now it appears, it looks as

if he's in a campaign death spiral. where does that leave us? you have newt gingrich who is surging in the polls, surging with some money, even hiring new staffers, that have joined him on the ground in places like south carolina, trying to beef up iowa. he's trying to engage mitt romney in a one on one. meanwhile, you have the front runner, milt romney, who's trying to ignore gingrich. he's trying to engage the president in a one-on-one attack. and the dnc is running attack ads against him. what's the obama campaign doing? trying to prevent the -- prolong the republican primary, so they're throwing these attack ads out on romney so rick perry or newt gingrich pick them up in the primary, because they want the primary to go long, not short. it's an interesting circular attack going on between those three candidates. >> you mentioned rick perry, i want to play a clip that he stars in. it's been on cable news all day.

folks say he makes two errors in the span of one sin tense. >> those of you that will be 21 by november 12th, i ask for your support and your vote. those of you who won't be, just work hard. >> chuck, what happened there? >> reporter: well, number one, it's 18, all you have to be to vote. and election day is november the 6th, not november the 12th. two mistakes in one thing. and you could brush it off and say he misspoke, he did it in new hampshire and the new hampshire leader today said all these flubs taken together are making him less qualified to be president. so of all the days and of all the places to do it, this was not a good day for rick perry to be doing that. >> it's rough out there for rick perry. chuck todd on the white house lawn tonight. thanks. we turn overseas now to what happened in the streets of tehran this morning. the storming of british embassy in an assault that looked very familiar to what we lived

through a few decades ago there. and we are learning tonight it may have been more orchestrated than it first appeared. our chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell reports. >> reporter: a terrifying mob attack. hundreds of protesters screaming death to england. storming the british embassy, breaking windows, even running off with a picture of the queen. a violent echo of the takeover of the american embassy in tehran during the islamic revolution in 1979, when 52 americans were held for 444 days. today iran's government tv covered it all live. >> britain should be accountable. this is not my word, this is the word of experts. >> reporter: a tip-off that the takeover was sanctioned by the regime, and carried out by a powerful force, the government militia that crossed student protests during elections it in 2009. today, even iran's russian allies joined the u.s. and others in condemning the attack. >> i strongly urge the iranian government to hold those who are

responsible to task. they have a responsibility to protect diplomatic outposts. >> reporter: nbc's tehran bureau chief ali arouzi is there. >> we have to assume that incidents like this have tacit approval from the very top. spontaneous demonstrations are not tolerated here by the government, and are crushed by an iron fist. >> reporter: what set it off? last week the british cut off all dealings with iran's central bank because of the country's nuclear activities. much tougher than u.s. sanctions. >> you feel isolated because of the sanctions. >> reporter: there are other tensions. iran has accused great britain israel and the u.s. of assassinating a top military iranian scientist. and serious explosions, suspected sabotage at iran's military site. all this, plus political infighting between the supreme leader and president ahmadinejad. >> it may be that the power struggle underway -- and there are lots of factions vying for power -- has allowed this to

happen. >> reporter: the embassy attack does also come as israel is debating whether to take military action against iran. and the republican candidates all calling on president obama to get a lot tougher with the regime there. >> andrea mitchell in our washington newsroom. andrea, thank you, as always. in los angeles tonight, michael jackson's former doctor conrad murray was given the maximum sentence for his conviction on those manslaughter charges, four years. he was found guilty earlier this month in the singer's overdose death. and the superior court judge in the case had some words for the now disgraced physician. >> not only isn't there any remorse, there's umbrage and outrage on the part of dr. murray against the decedent. dr. murray repeatedly lied, engaged in deceitful misconduct and endeavored to cover up his transgressions. he violated the trust of the medical community, of his colleagues, and of his patients.

and he has absolutely no sense of remorse, absolutely no sense of fault. and is, and remains dangerous. >> by the way, california's prison overcrowding problem means murray will probably only serve less than two years behind bars in the l.a. county jail. still, jackson's family said after the sentencing, they were pleased with the result. they're having a sporty time of it in chicago tonight, as a huge weather system crawls right up over top of them. 60 mile an hour wind gusts, whipping up 20 foot waves in some spots along lake shore drive, making getting around a dicey business. the high winds are part of an aggresve cold front that is expected to bring three inches of slushy snow to northern indiana during the night tonight. when we continue here this evening, the danger on the border, drug smugglers putting american lives at risk. our extraordinary trip with u.s. pilots out to stop them. and later, those three

bankers, big time lottery winners. did they really win, however? tonight, that's the jackpot mystery. gr

back now with the latest in our series of reports, the war next door, about the escalating fight against mexican drug traffickers who have crossed deeply into this country along our southern border. tonight we have a rare look from the sky over an area that has seen record drug seizures this year, with some of the americans who fly day and night spotting

smugglers and protecting u.s. law enforcement down on the ground. our report tonight from nbc's mark potter. >> reporter: near the mexican border, another day of air patrol for the texas department of public safety. >> try looking on this side. >> reporter: on a day we fly with them along the rio grande -- >> we have a vehicle over here. >> reporter: pilots quickly spot a team of mexican traffickers, with a load of drugs bound for the united states. >> there's going to be about six or seven guys. at least five bundles, and a blue raft. >> reporter: veteran officers here who spend every day in the sky, say drug trafficking in this area has increased dramatically in just the last couple of years, and they see no end in sight. what they do see is vehicles loaded with mexican drugs racing dangerously through busy streets on the u.s. side of the border. >> near two school buses, southbound. >> i've seen the level of

aggression increase exponentially. the sheer volume of narcotics that's being pumped into our border has risen. >> reporter: what texas pilots also see are mexican tar tell smuggling vehicles running from u.s. law enforcement, then driving into the rio grande to avoid capture. >> all units, we have a splashdown. >> reporter: in south texas, it happens routinely. >> we have a bunch of people on the u.s. side. this thing is loaded. >> reporter: with a truck in the river, the teams of mexican smugglers come brazenly to the riverbank to retrieve their drug packages, and then return to the mexican side, where u.s. agents cannot arrest them. it can get dangerous. >> we've had a lot of guns pointed at us on the river. obviously, the threat is there. >> reporter: pilots say that threat to officers and the public is rising. >> i think it's important that our citizens not only in the state, but in the united states are aware of how porous our border is, and what the threats

are and could be. >> oh my god. splashdown. >> reporter: threats that officers in the sky see every day. mark potter, nbc news, edinburgh, texas. >> there is a lot more from the front lines of the war next door. it's on our website, nbcnightlynews.com. and up next here tonight, why a big star is telling his fans not to buy his new album. and proof that no matter who you are, you still have to wait for the cable guy between 3:00 and 5:00.

sobering news today for all those with a soccer player in the family. it's about headers. it's a new medical study that says frequent headers show brain injuries similar to that seen in patients with concussion. also known as mild traumatic brain injury. those who fared worse are the players who made head contact with the soccer ball over 1,000

times a year, which among frequent players, including practice isn't all that many. one doctor says the worry here is degeneration of brain cells and lacerating nerve fibers in the brain. this year's tournament of roses parade in pasadena, may look a lot like the current state of the u.s. economy. first of all, the occupy protesters are planning to flood the event with thousands of people. second a lot of folks are cutting back on floats. several municipalities won't be represented. one float maker locally is out of business. several companies have drooped out. for the first time in memory, even the budweiser clydesdales are staying home in st. louis, presumably to watch the parade on tv like the rest of us. today happens to be the tenth anniversary of george harrison's death. and also today we got a first time glimpse into the private life, the every day home life of john lennon. it's in the form of his to do list, containing some wonderfully ordinary stuff, and proving everybody has to wait

for the cable guy. first item on the list says, the guy's coming to fix hbo from 3:00 to 5:00. another item, make sure both cars have full tanks of gas. there's a reminder to buy marmalade, a few books he wants to buy. and a hook on the bathroom door is falling off. a rare glimpse at a domestic beatle. among contemporary musicians, elvis costello has to get some kind of award for honesty. he has a big limited edition of his box set coming out for christmas. he tells fans, it's just not worth it for the money they want for it. it's over $300. he's suggesting instead that people buy the ambassador of jazz collection of louie armstrong's music, which he calls vastly superior, and costs much less. further, he says, his own both set will be available for less money if you wait until the first of the year. up next here tonight, that's the ticket, but who's the real winner?

last night here we told you about three money managers who won the biggest lottery jackpot in connecticut history, a quarter million dollars. today the plot thickened as a friend said the three men were

fronting for a wealthy client, who wanted to remain anonymous. tonight another plot twist, and at least a promise that some of the money will go to a good cause. the story from nbc's anne thompson. >> reporter: winning $254 million would make most people giddy, not these guys. money managers tim davidson, brandon lacoff and greg skidmore stoically claimed the largest jackpot in connecticut history monday. their uncomfortable reaction in stark contrast to other big lottery winners. >> congratulations. >> reporter: the $229 million joy of tom and kathleen moore. >> we're just going to live the way we have, but just a little bit higher. >> reporter: the new york costco winners. splitting more than $201 million. and the humility of neal wanless, hitting the jackpot of $232 million. >> i intend to repay it that

many times over. >> reporter: the low key reaction of david and his colleagues led to snarky headlines from new york's famous tabloid. and then this bombshell from london's daily mail, reporting the three are fronting for the real winner. their source, tom gladstone, a friend of the bankers, who told told nbc news, i was nervous that i let the cat out of the bag. conspiracy theorists online pointed to the trio's attorney who wouldn't talk about the men. and then there are the odds. you have a better shot at dating a supermodel, winning an olympic gold medal, even becoming president than the 195 million to 1 odds of winning this prize. today a trust spokesperson said there is no fourth person, and at the gas station where the ticket was sold, the story is very simple. >> he's right here. >> reporter: now these money managers have to manage millions of their own. anne thompson, nbc news, new york. and that's our broadcast on a tuesday evening. 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 gee, good evening, everyone. i'm jessica aguirry. >> and i'm raj maathai. >> a weird weather pattern is expected to hit the bay area tomorrow with gusts up to 70 miles per hour. >> chief meteorologist jeff rn