on the broadcast tonight, job surge. a sign of strength for millions pounding the pavement, but will these numbers keep going this way? to the rescue. high drama on the high seas. american sailors make a daring save, stepping in to help iranians. record breaker. it's incredible this record warm winter weather. it's for real and tonight we have bizarre weather conditions to report. better with age. there is new evidence tonight that what you do for the heart pays off in another big way, especially after 40. and a real lone wolf on a long and lonely journey searching for something and captured on camera along the way. captured on camera along the way. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

good evening. for the first time in a long time numbers came out today on unemployment -- real numbers that made people take notice like one of the largest monthly increases in jobs in four years. 200,000 added for the month. here's a big number. the measure of it all, the unemployment rate is now at a three-year low, 8.5% with job gains up across the u.s. economy. it's where we begin the broadcast tonight with nbc's tom costello at one of the construction projects fuelling these numbers. happens to be in suburban virginia tonight. tom, good evening. >> reporter: hi, brian. 1,600 people work on this project building a rail line from d.c. to dulles airport. warm weather across the country really boosted construction jobs

nationwide, but that was not the biggest area of growth. the question now though -- can this employment picture last? for a country still struggling to climb out of the great recession of 2008, welcome news. those 200,000 new jobs added in december were the sixth month in a row of at least 100,000 new jobs created and that unemployment rate surprisingly ticked down from 8.7% in november, higher than first thought, to 8.5% in december. >> a lot of families are still having a tough time. a lot of small businesses are still having a tough time, but we are starting to rebound. we are moving in the right direction. >> reporter: what kind of jobs were added? 23,000 in manufacturing. another 23,000 in health care. 50,000 came in transportation and warehousing. retailers added 28,000 jobs and construction added 17,000 in a warmer than expected december. while the government tries to account for seasonal hiring during the holidays, the question is how many retail warehousing and courier jobs only lasted for a few weeks. >> there is still a very uneven recovery out there.

the good news is this is a step in the right direction, but it's only a step, not a sprint. >> reporter: republicans insist the white house should take no credit. >> these numbers are in spite of all of us and really bad behavior in washington. again, the inability to deal with the things that all of us know we need to deal with. >> reporter: in cleveland andy's small web design and marketing business has suddenly taken off. >> we have hired four people in the last 12 months. we're looking to bring on another four immediately. >> reporter: among his new hires, anna edwards. >> i think our generation is going to learn to be pretty resilient. because of -- all of my friends, everyone i know is in the same boat. we're all fighting the same struggle. >> reporter: the number of people in the labor force has dropped off as people gave up looking for a job, retired early or went to school. fewer people looking for a job helped drive the unemployment rate down.

just to make up for 6 million fewer jobs that exist today compared to the end of 2007 economists say we would need to continue growing at this pace for at least the next three years, but of course the economy has a lot of headwinds we're facing. back to you. >> tom costello along what's about to be the new dulles line. tom, thanks. the economy remains huge in the gop campaign for president. rick santorum is trying to get a run off of iowa. john huntsman picked up a newspaper endorsement from the boston globe. but that, of course, is in massachusetts. mitt romney who was governor of massachusetts and is assuming he'll do well in nearby new hampshire. so well he spent today in south carolina even though they are two contests away and we are debuting our own poll tonight. for that we go to our political director chuck todd in manchester, new hampshire. chuck, good evening. >> reporter: well, good evening, brian. most of the republican

candidates spun the new jobs numbers about the same. happy about the growth but critical of president obama saying his policies are slowing that growth. it's a crucial weekend ahead. this might be the last chance for republicans not named mitt romney to make their best case for what is now a race for second. seemingly confident of his chances in new hampshire, mitt romney started his day on the trail in south carolina. >> this president's failed the american people. >> reporter: he ignored gop foes and focused on president obama's jobs record, even as the new report showed some improvement. >> this president i don't think understands how the economy works. >> reporter: two new polls out today suggest romney is pulling away. in a brand new nbc news marist poll of new hampshire republicans, romney enjoys a 20-point lead. ron paul in second with 22% and rick santorum third. even in the more conservative south carolina romney's up big. a new times cnn poll has him leading santorum by 18 points. santorum is criss-crossing new hampshire, stopping today at a gun store in jaffrey as he tries to build on that iowa momentum. with the attention comes

scrutiny. today santorum pushed back on a washington post report that he parlayed senate access to make a fortune from his so-called k street lobbying connections. >> i didn't profit off of k street. i wasn't involved in any work at all on k street. i referred clients to folks and that was pretty much the extent of what i did. >> reporter: at times this week, santorum's campaign has seemed overwhelmed. >> do we have a problem? >> reporter: like today when a fire marshal interrupted an event. and last night when he was booed off stage by college students after he compared gay marriage to polygamy. [ boos, applause ] >> reporter: still, santorum may benefit from efforts by key social conservatives who believe they need to rally around a single anti-romney candidate. >> there is concern that romney will win without having to face one concentrated effort of a conservative challenger. >> reporter: newt gingrich struggling to hang on hopes to

make romney's massachusetts ties a liability. >> he's a massachusetts moderate. the last two to be nominated dukakis and kerry, didn't have a good general election. >> reporter: back to our poll. one of the most important things new hampshire voters say they have taken into account are the debates. the final debate takes place this sunday on "meet the press." brian? >> all right. chuck todd, thanks. also not far from you is the moderator of "meet the press," david gregory. david, let's continue this talking about mitt romney. number one, a lot of former candidates have made mistakes of assumptions coming into new hampshire. number two, this word electability is starting to dog him. >> let me start with that. electability is a factor if you look at the rest of the party. he's the 25% guy so far. he wants to try to reverse that up here in new hampshire. what's important for him is that it was a big factor.

it was in iowa. second is if you're a strong enough conservative. it's a big deal up here as well. brian, i think that's why he goes to south carolina, campaigns in two states at once. he's trying to argue that he is the inevitable nominee. he's not letting anything go to chance here. remember barack obama four years ago lost in new hampshire to hillary clinton though he was up big here. a supporter of romney says he'll grind it out here, not just sit back and hold big rallies. >> all right. david gregory, we'll see you up there next week. but more importantly and more urgently, we'll be watching you sunday morning. the final debate before the new hampshire primary here on this nbc station. the nbc news facebook debate will air sunday morning on "meet the press." now to the high drama and the incredible story that took place on the high seas where today u.s. navy sailors set aside growing tensions with iran and made a daring rescue, saving 13 iranians from the clutches of pirates. our pentagon correspondent jim miklaszewski has more on the rescue mission. >> reporter: in this dramatic

u.s. navy video, a heavily armed team of american sailors closes in on the iranian boat to rescue those held hostage by pirates. viewed from the helicopter, 15 somali pirates are seen on deck, hands high in the air in surrender to the americans. once on board the u.s. sailors get a hero's welcome. one iranian, overcome with emotion, embraces his liberators. the rescue took place today in the north arabian sea just north of the strait of hormuz which iran has threatened to close. ironically today's rescue operation was led by the aircraft carrier stenis. three days ago the iranian military threatened to attack the stenis if it attempted to return to the persian gulf. today there were no signs of animosity. these iranians showed nothing but gratitude to the american sailors, would be enemies who saved their lives. jim miklaszewski, nbc news, the pentagon. across large parts of this country today the place to be

was outside. in january, a huge warm weather system bringing spring fever to what's normally these dark days of winter. look at this map and realize all these red dots represent new all-time warm weather temperature records. the old records fell in 268 places yesterday. they tied records in 68 more. here's something else. it was warmer in rapid city, south dakota, than it was in miami, florida. nbc's kevin tibbles reports from sunny chicago. >> reporter: what's playing in peoria this winter? golf. >> i think people in arizona are jealous of us today. >> reporter: in chicago, more golf. tennis anyone? >> nice to be out in shorts and a t-shirt. >> reporter: a january warm up spans much of the nation including fargo, north dakota, where a year ago it looked like this.

today, you get the picture. >> spring has sprung for the day. heading out and about, you'll need a pair of sunglasses and only a lighter jacket. >> reporter: i was going to use a thermometer as a prop to show you how warm it is, but this is more fun. in a convertible in a sweater in chicago in january. if you don't want to be reminded of what it can look like, look away now. this was the snowpocalypse that nailed chicago last winter, closing roads and trapping motorists last winter. this was new york city exactly one year ago. today, the big apple blossomed with shorts and bare feet. >> this was almost like a heat wave. it feels kind of like early spring. >> reporter: not pleasant for those who depend on winter for their livelihood. ski hills west to east are struggling and steve capford's snow removal business melted away. towns and cities have been saving millions on road salt they haven't had to use. >> only 16% of the nation is covered with snow. without a refrigerator to cool the air masses coming down they modify quickly and we wind up

with a lot of record highs. >> reporter: this snowman may not hang on long enough for it to freeze, but until it does, harold harder of bismarck is driving his hot rod instead of his snow plow. kevin tibbles, nbc news, chicago. >> it's unbelievable but we're going to pay for it. still ahead on a friday night, for all of those who have worked hard and watched their retirement shrink in this awful economy, tonight a guide for how to bounce back. later, a lone wolf caught on camera as he wanders for miles looking for that someone special.

we have a special report tonight for the millions of americans who have watched their retirement get hammered in this downturn. mostly what can be done now to make things better. we'll have some suggestions, advice in a moment. first, anne thompson's here to explain why a lot of americans are going to have to adjust their expectations and that includes whether or not they can

stop working. >> it boils down to the fact, brian, that we haven't saved enough. more than half of u.s. workers have less than $25,000 put away for retirement. more than half of retirees have less than $25,000 saved. for too many americans the dream of a worry-free retirement remains frustratingly elusive. a 12% drop in the stock market since 2007 shattering nest eggs. home values, typically an american's biggest asset losing a stomach-wrenching one-third since the end of 2006. a recent gallup poll shows not having enough money to retire is the nation's biggest financial worry, the top concern of two in three americans. including michael and elizabeth larkin. this rhode island couple is reeling from a one-two punch. watching michael's investment portfolio collapse. >> i would guess we have lost 50% not counting her pension. >> reporter: that's been cut,

too. this middle school teacher is paying more into the system though her annual pension benefit has been slashed by $10,000. >> i have had some sleepless nights. i have had some real bad days. >> reporter: alicia minell leads boston college's center for retirement research. their data shows 51 is% of households are at risk for not having enough money to maintain their living standards. that number jumps to 65% when you add in health care and long-term care. she says there is a solution. keep working. >> if people can possibly work until 70 their social security benefit will be 75% higher at 70 than it is at 62. >> reporter: so this generation of prospective retirees is readjusting expectations. >> there are more practical. more pragmatic about what that life looks like. spending time with family, reinventing themselves. >> reporter: accepting the hard reality that these won't be their fathers' golden years.

anne thompson, nbc news, new york. again, there are steps people can take now, but they take some doing. for that we are joined by our friend, financial editor jean chatzky. for some people it's paralyzing and they don't get into it. >> which is part of the problem. the first thing people need to do is know what they have coming to them in terms of retirement and know what it will cost them to live. half of all adult americans haven't even run those calculations. if the calculations show you're not going to have enough, you need to take steps now, rather than later to improve your situation. so downsize your lifestyle. everything from the amount of money that you're spending on your cars to the amount of money you're spending on your housing. if those smaller things don't do the trick you have to resort to drastic measures. which means if you need to be working and you don't have a

job, you go where the job is. >> and for people who are just now discovering that it's not going to be there, part of it is getting over the shock and getting to work on this. >> this is why people don't look at the numbers. they don't want to know. that's why they don't open the 401(k) statements. you have to look at it. what alicia minell said in the piece about just working a little bit longer and putting off social security, your pay-off goes up 8% for every year you put off taking it. >> thank you for joining us. we have more retirement resources on the web. some thanks to aarp. we have put it all on our website. nbcnightlynews.com. another break. when we come back, a discovery about memory and how to make it last. a story in health news tonight.

topping medical news tonight, we mentioned this earlier.

a new study shows that people can experience a decline in mental sharpness related to aging starting as young as 45. the upside, the good news here is exercise for the body does help the mind. we are now going to grill our chief medical editor dr. nancy snyderman. this is the ultimate good news/bad news. so you're saying to people, it is your mind, by the way, but keep exercising like a fiend to save it off. >> even more than that. the conventional wisdom is that your brain will start to go after age 60. the alarming thing in the british medical journal is not so fast. you start to see changes around the age of 45. but -- this is what i want people to remember especially if we are talking about staying in the workforce longer. the changes that take place are preventable. you can't fix dementia but you can prevent it. think of your heart and brain as being very similar. exercise, don't smoke, eat good foods, live a joyous life. those things go together. you can ward off dementia.

you can't treat it. live a good life in your 30s and 40s and you might not see the decline that people talk about in their 60s. we are talking prevention which is pretty cool. >> all right. you got around back to a good bottom line on health. nancy snyderman, as always, thanks. >> you bet, brian. don carter has died. to millions of bowlers and tv viewers he was mr. bowling. the first real celebrity, the first big star of the pba, the professional bowlers association. his unusual style is often imitated at your local lanes but seldom really duplicated. don carter, one of the greats of the lanes, died in miami today. he was 85 years old. up next, the call of the wild and perhaps something else as well.

there's been a rare sighting in california, something that hasn't been seen there in more than 80 years. that's a wild grey wolf. scientists have been tracking him for some time. they have given him a name, journey. they say he's now on the prowl for a mate as in "don't stop believing." the story tonight from nbc's kristen dahlgren. [ howling ] >> reporter: in a way it's a love story.

>> he's probably looking for a mate. he's had to travel a long way because unfortunately we have so few wolves in oregon. >> reporter: a lone wolf who heard the call of the wild and left his pack for a solo trip south -- way south. >> this has been a spectacular journey for journey. >> reporter: journey is now his name after being tracked by a gps collar 1,000 miles over mountains and highways all the way to california. the first known wild grey wolf in the golden state since 1924. >> it's exciting to know that they are actually coming back into the wild. >> reporter: for almost 90 years the only wolves in california have been like this, raised in captivity. these guys are used in the movies. it seems now there is a new star in town. journey picked up quite a fan club on social media. the contest to namw him saw submissions from as far as finland. there is even paparazzi.

the only picture of him snapped by a hunter's motion activated camera. but the new celebrity's life isn't all glamour. he set out looking for love. >> he's probably very lonesome. i bet you where he's at right now at a night he howls and then listens. [ howling ] >> reporter: wolves were reintroduced in the west in the 1990s after almost being hunted to extinction. >> journey's trip is only possible because we have strong environmental laws and shows how far we've come. >> reporter: how far will journey go on his epic quest for love? if he can stay safe from hunters and ranchers, not thrilled with the return of the wild wolf. >> maybe we'll see him in downtown los angeles. >> reporter: perhaps a true hollywood ending if the wolf population continues to spread, maybe some day this journey will find true love. kristen dahlgren, nbc news, frasier park, california. >> what a good wolf. that's our broadcast for this friday night and for this week. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. of course we hope to see you back here on monday night. in the meantime, please have a

good weekend. in the meantime, please have a good weekend. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com right now at 6:00, is it three strikes for a member of the 99%? the occupy oakland activist now facing life behind bars. good evening, everyone. i'm jessica aguirre. >> and i'm raj mathai. a protesters with the occupy oakland movement faces a life sentence. >> the reason has to do with the state's three strikes law, again under b