on our broadcast tonight, the search for more victims of the cruise ship disaster and dramatic recordings of a captain who abandoned ship and was ordered to go back. the amazing rescue we showed you last night. tonight, we have an update on the family and we'll hear from the specialists who showed up just in time to go into action. chef's secret. a celebrity chef admits she's carried around a big secret about her health, while another very familiar face is doing his part to keep america's kids away from health trouble. and giving it the college try. unless you're in the thick of it, you may not believe what it takes to get to college these days. like the new and unusual

questions on the application. how would you answer them? "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening. when you consider the fact that there are roughly 1,500 cabins and state rooms inside the ship that's leaning over in the sea off the coast of italy as we look at a live picture now, it makes sense that they are still looking for survivors inside. anyone who might be hiding out on a perch of some sort, in an air pocket, who might still be holding on. so far they've found none. the death toll, in fact, went up today as they found the bodies of four men and a woman all wearing life vests, found in the rear portion of the vessel. all this is going on while the captain now faces criminal charges for his actions, for steering the ship over the rocks in the first place and then for leaving the ship once it happened. we begin our reporting tonight

with nbc's michelle kosinski who remains there on the scene for us. michelle, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. today, searchers blasted their way through the hull, determined to go through every cabin. but there was no joyful rescue, in fact, no sign of life onboard. at the same time, the ship's captain was being criminally charged. the man who, while passengers were still fighting for their lives to get off that ship, was ordered to get back on. but it seems he did not. a loud blast midday was not an accident but the fastest way inside the concordia's hull. this video was shot by divers this afternoon, urgently making their way through holes they punched. then deep inside, the murky silence. friday night was the start of a vacation. they hammer their way through the dim maze of rooms, through

30 feet of water searching for victims. today they found them, four men and a woman beneath the water, all wearing life vests. the number missing, still more than 20 including jerry and barbara from minnesota. their family says they put four kids through college, retired and finally had the means to see the world. beyond excited about their dream mediterranean cruise that lasted only three hours. as the search continued, the ship's captain francessco schettino was in court, charged with manslaughter, causing a wreck and abandoning ship. which an audio recording now reveals, in a heated phone conversation off the ship friday night, a few hours after the accident with furious port authority captain. >> reporter: schettino gives several reasons why he says he's staying put near the ship, quote, coordinating.

>> reporter: schettino claims he's going, but prosecutors say he never did return. even as passengers fought to escape that stricken ship. after days in jail, today the captain was released and placed under house arrest and his attorney claims he may have saved many lives by acting quickly to beach the ship, otherwise it may have sunk completely in deeper water. brian? >> michelle kosinski reporting from there tonight, thanks. harry smith has also been at the wreck reporting for last night's broadcast at rock center. tonight, he has an exclusive closeup look at the ship with an american named jim fee who was a sea captain on the same waters for almost three decades.

>> the people were going down on these lines, they were getting down into the water with those ropes. you can see that the lifeboats couldn't be launched. >> right. >> it really is something to see a ship this size keeled over. it's amazing. it's a real disaster. there were people who were trying, attempting to jump off the deck into the water from high up, abandoning the ship was not a simple task for all these folks. you had a lot of old people, people, they were sitting down for dinner at the time. the people in the decks below are the ones that are missing and most likely didn't make it. apart from the tragedy of the people who were involved, to have a behemoth like this sitting on the bottom -- >> what's the ecological danger for this ship? >> he's got 2400 tons of diesel fuel on there. if the weather changes, starts breaking up, they can't get it off fast enough, this whole area

could be contaminated and the tourism industry here would just be shot. >> harry smith's conversation with veteran captain jim fee. back in this country on the campaign trail tonight, the incoming fire aimed at mitt romney's time as a private equity executive in the business of corporate takeovers may have calmed down, but attention shifted today to his personal finances and taxes. nbc's peter alexander is in columbia, south carolina, where the primary is now four days away. peter, good evening. >> brian, good evening to you. tonight, mitt romney's republican rivals are scrambling across this state trying to cast themselves as the best alternative to romney. this really is a mad dash with saturday's primary barely 72 hours away. to give you a sense, rick sanatorium in an effort to try to touch as many corners of this state today chartered a jet to make five separate stops across south carolina.

after deflecting attacks from all sides in last night's contentious debate -- >> bain swept in, they picked that company over. >> reporter: mitt romney planned to build momentum with a high-energy rally here in south carolina. but the front-runner was greeted by an unusually small crowd. and after pressure last night to release his tax returns -- >> there have been some attacks on me. we cannot fire our nominee in september. we need to know now. >> reporter: romney, who opponents tried to portray as rich and out of touch, appeared to be knocked off message, promising to share his returns in april, and also disclosing that he pays 15% in income tax, a figure not uncommon for many wealthy americans. >> my income comes overwhelmingly from investments in the past rather than ordinary income. rather than earned annual income. and then i get speakers fees from time to time but not very much. >> reporter: romney's financial disclosure forms showed he

earned $375,000 in speaking fees in 2010. in last night's debate, the candidates sparred over the negative tone. >> if i had a super pac supporting me that was inaccurate, i would go out and say stop it. >> reporter: but ron paul defended his tough ads. >> there was one ad that we used against senator santorum and i was -- i only had one problem. i couldn't get all the things in i wanted to say in one minute. >> reporter: the spirited audience punctuated almost every answer, including this exchange over gingrich's controversial comments that some of the nation's poor lack a work ethic. >> it sounds as if you're seeking to belittle people. >> well, that makes liberals unhappy. i'm going to continue to find ways to help poor people learn how to get a job, learn how to get a better job, and learn someday to own the job.

>> reporter: and for his part, rick perry wouldn't commit to his campaign's future. after south carolina, he jokes he will head to disneyworld. >> peter alexander in columbia, south carolina, with four days to go. peter, thanks. the obama campaign said today the president will deliver his acceptance speech at the democratic convention at bank of america stadium in charlotte, north carolina. the speech had been moved according to democratic sources to a bigger venue, in part to accommodate big ticket donors who want the skybox treatment. but some are questioning the choice based on how it looks, because of the occupy wall street movement across the country and all the complaints aimed at bank of america, including the bank's aborted attempt to charge $5 a month to use a debit card that was criticized by the president himself. out to the pacific northwest, seattle is a city we usually associate with rain, but tonight, it's snow and ice and wind and a lot of it. pacific northwest is getting hit with a big winter storm. it's already causing problems on

the roads, and the seattle metropolitan area could get six inches or more tonight. that's, by the way, as much as they normally get in the whole year. it's all due to a big low pressure system coming ashore, bringing snow from the coast all the way to the interior of montana. they're expecting several feet of snow from the mountains from this very same storm system. we have a follow-up tonight from a story we reported here last night about that terrible car crash in southern california that left a mother and her two young daughters in their car, dangling from a bridge. inside the wreckage of a car that didn't look to be survivable. but as we said, a team of navy seabees happened to be driving by just in time. and tonight, we have the first interview with the heroes who saved the day and the family rescued in the ordeal. >> reporter: it looked as bad as a road accident can look. the first calls to fire

department dispatch made that clear. >> engine 31, will be a vehicle that's teetering off the bridge with three patients in it at this time. >> reporter: a terrifying scenario. 36-year-old first grade teacher kelly lynn groves was pinned in the mangled wreck of her car along with her two young daughters. the car that struck her plummeted to the ravine 100 feet below, its drive killed. a fire captain said to its chief, we need a heavy duty forklift to secure that vehicle, but ours is 45 minutes away. unbelievably, that's exactly what passed by at exactly that moment. only it didn't belong to the fire department. it belonged to the navy seabees. >> it was just amazing. >> reporter: the seabees nodded at their lucky timing and got to work so the extraction teams could do their job. >> we said we have this forklift capable of lifting 11,000 pounds. we sure can hold that car up and help save those lives. >> first to be removed, 10-year-old sage, the most serious injured and then

10-week-old milo with just minor injuries. she would be treated and released from the hospital and finally, mom kelly, like sage with multiple fractures, but alive. the seabees said it was a job they were ready for. >> put us in any type of situation, and we are trained to adapt and overcome. >> reporter: it took two hours and 21 minutes from the start of the rescue until the last victim was pulled out alive. intense and unforgettable minutes for all involved, filled with the skill, experience, courage and good luck to make a miracle possible. mike taibbi, nbc news, california. amazing story. still ahead, as we continue tonight, the queen of southern food comes clean on "today" with a revelation about a serious health secret she's been keeping from the public. and speaking of health, how a lot of american kids are getting help to stay fit from a certain former president who had to completely change his own ways a while back.

a major figure in the food business, the celebrity chef paula dean, the so-called queen of southern cooking, much of it not so good for you, came to the "today" show this morning and disclosed she has a health condition that some 25 million other americans also have. three years ago, she was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. >> are you going to change the way you cook and the way you eat? >> well, here's the -- you know, i've always encouraged moderation. on my show i share with you all these yummy, fattening recipes, but i tell people, in moderation. in moderation. >> dean also confirmed reports she's a paid spokesperson for a diabetes medication. as part of her campaign, she and her sons have devised lighter versions of some of her recipes and about those hub capped-sized portions she's famous for

serving up, we presume the advice will be to go slow and eat everything, as you heard, in moderation. and there's news tonight about one of the key risk factors for type 2 diabetes -- obesity. and tonight, in new numbers just out, the cdc finds about 1 in 3 american adults and 1 in 6 kids and teenagers in this country are heavy enough to be considered obese. the good news, if there is any, is that the numbers are holding steady and not going up right now. tonight, our chief medical editor dr. nancy snyderman reports on how a former president who's been scared straight and almost died for his past habits is doing his part for some of those kids. >> reporter: with nearly 25 million american children overweight or obese, the war is being waged on the front lines. >> drink your milk. >> reporter: a major anti-obesity initiative launched in 2006 has found its way into 13,000 schools, most of them in

urban districts, changing its menu from frozen to fresh, from sugary sodas to fresh squeezed juices. the one thing i notice you don't have, i don't see a fryer anywhere. >> oh, no. this is what a kitchen looks like in a school. there are no fryers. >> reporter: and you might be surprised to learn who is behind it. >> hi. >> reporter: former president clinton's emergency heart surgery several years ago forced him to take a second look, not just at improving his own health but others as well. >> why do you see the investment in these kids as so important? >> children need enough food, the right kind of food to grow and to develop their bodies and their brains. and then if they don't get the right kind, it can slow them down dramatically. when i had all these heart problems, i realized that all of this was totally unexpected when i was growing up. i just decided that we ought to try to do something about it. w i was growing up. i just decided that we ought to try to do something about i whe i was growing up. i just decided that we ought to

try to do something about i whe i was growing up. i just decided that we ought to try to do something about i whe i was growing up. i just decided that we ought to try to do something about i whe i was growing up. i just decided that we ought to try to do something about i whe i was growing up. i just decided that we ought to try to do something about ien en as growien fou for to tackle th generation with a multifacetted approach that goes beyond what's on the dinner plate. at ps 2 elementary in west new york, new jersey, the youngest children take regular breaks during class to get active. >> let's warm up. >> reporter: older ones follow an indoor fitness trail, featuring a variety of different exercises. even teachers get into the act, and it's catching on. >> when you grow up, you can be strong, to play basketball and soccer and more sports. >> if you came back tomorrow without a camera and no notice, you would see the same things you're seeing today. this is in the dna of the school district now. >> reporter: dr. nancy snyderman, nbc news, west new york, new jersey. up next here tonight, the in-flight announcement you never want to hear, and what happened next at 35,000 feet.

two american icons are celebrating big round-number birthdays today. how about that couple? both are beloved by millions of americans. for starters, the champ turned 70 today. we got a glimpse of muhammad ali on saturday surrounded by his family. preparation for his big day. and perhaps you saw the tribute in prime time last night here on nbc. a tribute to betty white who turned 90 today and could still put most of us to shame. happy birthday to both of the greatest. now imagine this -- you're on an overnight british airways flight from miami to london, dinner has been served and cleared. the movie is playing but most passengers have long since drifted off to sleep. it's 3:00 a.m. over the north sea and the silence is broken by this -- quote, this is an emergency announcement, we will shortly be making an emergency landing on water. 275 people prepared for the worst.

passengers were crying, some were screaming until the cabin crew ran down the aisles to announce it was a mistake. an automated announcement triggered accidentally in the cockpit while the jet was cruising at 35,000 feet. as one passenger put it, we thought we were going to die. the airline handed out letters of apology as passengers got off the plane alive in london. another sign of our economic times tonight, and this always happens during an economic downturn. the average age of a vehicle sitting in the american driveway or in the garage or at the curb is at a record high 10.8 years old. though in fairness, automakers generally had a good last quarter of 2011 and analysts are pointing out that cars are just made better these days to last longer. up next here tonight, getting into college. applications like nothing we've ever seen before.

if you're in the thick of it itself, then you know firsthand just how competitive the college admissions process has become. and now schools are going to new lengths to try to tease out that extra something that makes an applicant stand out in the sea

of applicants. so how about essay questions like what costume would you like to wear? our report on this trend tonight from nbc's kevin tibbles. >> reporter: this high school senior is one of millions trying to crack the college code. and he's surprised by some of the questions. >> what's your favorite superhero and who's your favorite villain? >> reporter: these days there's all sorts of quirkiness in college applications. for example, emory university asks, what is your favorite ride at the amusement park? the university of chicago, what does play-doh have to do with play-doh. and at maryland, my favorite thing about last tuesday was? >> their favorite thing about last tuesday was getting free chic filet. >> you get a very one dimensional picture looking at high school transcripts and reviewing standardized test scores.

this way we get to talk to students. >> reporter: critics are wondering what the hallowed hall will be asking next. what's your favorite ice creams? potatoes or stove top stuffing? do you have an innie or an outie? >> frankly, it becomes across as cavalier and a little disrespectful to the applicant. >> reporter: the van horn twins find themselves counting characters in illinois. >> they're making the questions less specific so that the answers can be less specific and fit into what i sort of call the twitter mentality. >> at flowers high school in maryland, counselors say students shouldn't panic over curveball questions. >> they're looking for the next bill gates. they're looking for the person who thinks outside the box. >> reporter: so what is the right answer? >> the answer is just relax. let us know who you are. that's all we're trying to find out. >> did you say to yourself, why are they asking me this? >> yeah, i said that plenty of times. whenever i look through the essay. >> hopefully and prayerfully i do get accepted into the

colleges that i want to. >> so hopefully you did the right thing on tuesday. and once the application anxiety subsides, students get to bite their nails, waiting for their envelope in the mail. kevin tibbles, nbc news, college park, maryland. that's our broadcast, which we hope was your favorite part of your tuesday. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. we, of course, hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. good evening, and thank you for being with us. >> we begin tonight with the bold move practically and symbolically. there's a changing of the gaurld at one of the most iconic companies. a silicon legend is out. we bring in our business and tech