morning with maybe some mist and this time tomorrow, rain dropping back into the bay area. "nbc nightly news" is next. have a good night. decision 2012 returns to new england as republicans struggle to find their frontrunner. tonight, a familiar face takes center stage to have her say. hope and change. yeah, you have to hope they change. the war on alzheimer's. tonight we learn of a promising new discovery that scientists are finding exciting. why some are sounding the alarm about a desperate struggle to find a cure. eyes to the sky. unmanned drones now used to spy overseas, flying high over cities at home. why that has a lot of folks concerned.

and lin-saturday. a real-life cinderella story, and it's the talk of the town. captions paid for by nbc-universal television. good evening. reversing a streak of three straight losses there's late word from maine that mitt romney has won that state's republican presidential caucuses. fending off a strong challenge from ron paul, the only other candidate that actively campaigned there. perhaps just as important for romney, he also won a straw poll among influential conservatives gathered for a conference in washington this weekend. and making news at the conference, sarah palin, who emerged to rally the right wing. and we start our coverage in maine where nbc's ron allen has more on the caucus reports from portland. ron? >> reporter: good evening. we're at ron paul's

headquarters. he just took the stage. that's what all the cheering is about. there's a lot of disappointment here. they thought ron paul would pull this out, and he didn't. mitt romney is not even here in the state of maine. he's in california. he was planning to take some time off and made a last minute push through here and then he made two appearances at caucus sites here today that helped to push him over the top. the only sols -- solace here is that ron paul came in second behind romney's 39%. he is saying he's going to push on. but again, a big sigh of relief from mitt romney out in california. that's the story here tonight. lester, back to you. >> ron allen, thanks. now to washington, where romney won the majority of votes in a straw poll at the conservative political action conference. it's an important nod from the right for romney whose conservative credentials have been repeatedly challenged throughout the campaign. but the big attention getter at

this week's gathering was sarah palin, who emerged with a fiery rallying cry to voters. >> reporter: sarah palin late today before a raucous crowd and back on center stage. >> it is about one country united under god. we're not red americans. we're not blue americans. we're red, white and blue and president obama, we are through with you. >> reporter: palin brought conservatives to their feet, mocking the president and dishing up plenty of red meat. >> he says he has a jobs plan to win the future. wtf, i know. [ applause ] and i'm the idiot. >> reporter: though she didn't endorse a candidate as some had hoped an energized palin rallied the base at cpac, an influential annual meeting of activists on the right. >> our nominee must be ready,

strong, fortified, passionate. a fighter for american ideals! >> reporter: many conservatives haven't gotten over palin's decision not to run. >> i think she represents a lot of what this country is about. she would be a great leader. >> reporter: mitt romney narrowly beat rick santorum at the straw poll, but with some conservatives dissatisfied and the field still unsettled. today, cpac chairman spoke openly of a possible brokered gop convention. >> i mentioned jeb bush as a personal favorite, but i said there could be others. whether he was the prime choice or not at the convention, you know, you could think of mitch daniels, chris christie, you know, mike huckabee and the list goes on. >> reporter: while the economy and jobs remain a key campaign theme, this week's social issues re-emerged. including denouncing president obama's ruling on contraceptive coverage and striking down gay marriage in california. the move to the right increases the risk for republicans in the fall.

>> certainly if the republicans are seen as too doctrinaire or pushing the social issues too hard, it could scare some of the moderate swing voters. >> reporter: and this idea of a brokered convention has fan in sarah palin. others say it would be a disaster just months before the election. and she says no, it's just part of the process and it could happen. lester? >> thanks. we want to turn to cnbc's john harwood. for mitt romney obviously a big deal to win a caucus but is it almost as big a deal for him to finally get an endorsement from the right, winning this straw poll today? >> reporter: both of those results today are a nice psychological boost for mitt romney after a very bad tuesday against rick santorum and bad new national poll suggesting that rick santorum might be coming up substantially. the poll actually showed rick santorum with a 15-point lead over mitt romney. but i got off the phone with the senior strategist for mitt romney's campaign. he said don't put too much stock in the results.

really what matters is the two big primaries coming up at the end of the month, michigan and arizona. and mitt romney's campaign thinks they have to win both of these. >> but we're still looking at an unsettled field and when you hear that conversation, this talk of a brokered convention, does that become a real possibility? >> lester, i'll believe a brokered convention when i see one. i've covered this stuff a long time. it's never happened yet, but if it does happen it's not going to be because anybody at cpac or sarah palin says they want i it to happen. it's going to be because rick santorum and newt gingrich with some help from ron paul managed to take advantage of their own strength and mitt romney's vulnerability to deny him the nomination that by all rights ought to be his. >> john harwood, thank you. white house chief of staff jack lew and rick santorum will be among the guests tomorrow on "meet the press." we turn to the horrific family tragedy in washington

state that's captured the attention of so many people. there was a funeral today for the two young boys murdered by his own father who took his own life as well when he burned their house to the ground. we get the story tonight. ♪ >> reporter: family, friends and strangers filled the pews. more than a thousand gathered to say good-bye to 7-year-old charlie and 5-year-old braden. brothers who shared a single casket, fondly remembered today. >> in our class, charlie was known as the little scientist. he loved rocks, sticks, leaves and bugs. braden had an enthusiasm for life and took pleasure in everything. >> reporter: the service for charlie and braden came nearly a week after they lost their lives in a place where they should have been safe. >> he blew up the house and the kids! >> reporter: last sunday, they were killed in a house fire set by their father who also died. the social worker who brought charlie and braden for the supervised visit said powell

locked her out, told the boys i have a surprise for you and then torched the home. just before the explosion, she called 911. >> they have to respond to emergency, life-threatening situations first. >> well, this could be life threatening. >> reporter: a deputy wouldn't be dispatched for eight minutes. >> i just wish i had understood better what -- what the circumstances were. and the lethal quality of this call, and all of the dangerous potential that was there. >> reporter: named a person of interest in wife susan's 2009 disappearance, josh powell was never charged with the crime. this week, detectives removed a blood stained comforter from the storage shed, potential evidence against a man who police say likely killed his wife. >> this is the item that obviously has got everybody's attention. >> reporter: with susan powell's disappearance unsolved, today her parents buried her children. >> we thank you for your support. we know that they're with their mother.

>> reporter: charlie and braden who lost their mom and were murdered by their dad, leaving the world as they lived it -- together. we turn now to the arctic air across much of the country, after one of the warmest januaries on record. the first couple of weeks of february are a reminder that it is in fact winter. snow is on the map and some record low temperatures in store for tonight. kelly cass is covering it for us at weather channel headquarters. kelly, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, lester. we have had it so good, but it's sunk all the way into the south and that's where we're tracking the next winter storm. so look for ice and snow, even into parts of texas. we're going to be tracking that over the next couple of days as well as the record cold temperatures. you can see where we have our winter watch on the map. we're calling for several inches of snow in portions of kansas and oklahoma. even the panhandle of texas as that low comes out of new mexico. the pink indicating a wintry mix.

dallas, we think you'll be okay for monday, maybe a few sleet pellets mixed in, but watch the snow from joplin, st. louis and even into the ohio valley as we head to tuesday. a chilly rain for the south. but we are expecting quite a bit of snowfall in the wake of the frontal boundary and there are your record low temperatures. we could be down into the teens across the south. lester, back to you. >> kelly cass, thank you. tonight much of europe remains plunged in a deep freeze. several countries including serbia and croatia are dealing with electricity shortages and some towns are without power. much of italy is covered with the heaviest snow that folks have seen in 30 years. to syria, where at least 17 people were killed as the violence rages on. the crisis there becoming more dire with each passing day. and tonight, the government crackdown is spreading over the border. we get the latest from nbc's ayman mohyeldin. >> reporter: a young child running under fire.

dramatically rescued from a sniper's bullet. the daily barrage of shelling and gun fire has destroyed homes all across the country. life for many has become unbearable. but for the syrian government, this is a war against terrorism. which it claims has killed 2,000 of its soldiers. and today for the first time a you high-ranking military officer, a general, was shot and killed in the capital itself. that comes after two explosions rocked military installations in the largest city, aleppo. the attacks have raised fears that the violence can spread to cities that are considered strongholds of the regime and that have been relatively untouched by the 11-month uprising. the u.s. state department released the satellite images showing tanks positioned on the outskirts of cities like homs. the now evacuated u.s. ambassador to syria dismisses the idea that the government is the victim in this conflict.

>> i do not want the syrian government to try through some propaganda scheme to try to hide the truth. the syrian government needs to stop the violence. >> reporter: but for now, the syrian government is still pushing ahead with its military crackdown. seven days it's pounded the city of homs, killing close to 400 people according to syrian opposition activists. the death toll cannot be independently verified. in neighboring lebanon, supporters of syrian president assad clashed with a group that opposes his regime. raising fears that it could soon spill over the border. as the world watches, mourners gather daily to mark their passing of new victims of the violence. ayman mohyeldin, cairo. i'm gina kim with breaking news out of los angeles.

nbc news has learned the singer whitney houston lhas died at th age of 48. ♪ >> the pop music queen who was best known for her beautiful voice had struggled with drug abuse, bizarre behavior and a tumultuous marriage with singer bobby brown that ended in divorce in 2007. we still do not know the specifics of her cause of death. again, pop singer whitney houston has died at the age of 48. i'm gina kim with nbc news. we after this.h re. and later, lin-sanity. it is spreading across the country like wildfire. do you sleep in your contact lenses ?

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could help improve your lung function. get your first full prescription free and save on refills at advaircopd.com. we're back now about news with this nation's war on alzheimer's disease. a promising new study this week has a lot of people talking. a skin cancer drug that reverses signs of alzheimer's in mice, a development that gives scientists cautious hope about the drug's potential in humans. next week, president obama will ask congress for an additional $80 million for alzheimer's research. that's still a drop in the bucket compared to the 2 million scientists say they need to make an impact. >> at age 82, she's been moving into alzheimer's disease for years. >> i'm a lot more forgetful than i used to be. >> doctors can measure the

progression with tests that pick up the signs earlier and earlier. what they can't do is stop her from getting the condition or treat it. today 5.4 million americans are living with alzheimer's disease, and the same number with memory impairment that often progresses to alzheimer's. in the next 40 years, those numbers are expected to triple if scientists do not find effective treatments. that's why congress has passed and the president recently signed the alzheimer's act, promising to look into society and find an effective treatment by 2025. >> this offers us an opportunity to bring alzheimer's disease to a national agenda and a national dialogue. >> but the reality is, there's no way to pay for it. everyone realizes the enormous health impact of alzheimer's. the labs like this across the country working pto find a cure

are struggling to get money to pay for it. already alzheimer's gets far more money than other diseases. in the past decade, the number of diseases getting funded has dropped dramatically. >> most scientists who work on alzheimer's disease spend most of their time trying to raise money through experiments rather than doing the experiments themselves. the patients themselves can't advocate. because they can't remember, they can't function cognitively. and their caregivers are unable to advocate because they're exhausted. >> so it's the very beginning. the national war on alzheimer's faces a major obstacle and an enormous lack of funds to find a cure. robert bezell, nbc news, new york.

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possible side effects include headache, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. other serious stomach conditions may still exist. talk to your doctor about nexium. drones have become a familiar drones have become a familiar tool in u.s. missions overseas. we have heard a lot about those remotely controlled eyes in the sky over the middle east. now some police departments here at home are adding drones to their arsenals. and that's raising eyebrows among privacy advocates. we get our report tonight in nbc's charles hadlock. >> reporter: we have seen them in action in iraq, afghanistan and pakistan. unmanned american drones are the high-tech fixtures of modern military warfare. and now, their surveillance technology is about to be used in a whole new way at home. miami-dade police are among the first to test this new breed of aircraft. >> like a rocket. >> reporter: a uav, an unmanned aerial vehicle with some of the same technology as military drones, but much smaller and

lighter. >> has no weapon, it's not capable of any offensive or defensive. it's just a camera. it's a flying camera. >> reporter: companies that make the uavs claim they can be used in a manhunt. as in this demonstration. or in a standoff or hostage situation. >> it gives them that ability to deploy something quickly in less than five minutes as opposed to a full-sized aircraft. >> reporter: to know what to expect. >> this gives us realtime data to make decisions. >> reporter: in montgomery county, texas, the sheriff's department used federal homeland security money to buy a $300,000 helicopter drone. small enough to fit on a table. >> it's so simple in its design and the objectives of it, you just wonder why anyone would choose not to have it. >> reporter: police helicopters have been flying around major cities for years. but critics say the prospect of unmanned drones with cameras peering into backyards and following people may be going

too far. >> i think that there are an opportunity for fishing expeditions. >> reporter: terry burke with the american civil liberties union of texas say police drones may have a legitimate law enforcement purpose, but fears they'll be too easy to misuse. >> in an era where we have warrantless searches and all this privacy intrusion, these drones are an excuse to trample on the constitution. >> reporter: right now only a handful of cities have plans to use unmanned drones. but manufacturers expect business to take off later this year. when the faa issues guidelines on when, how and where these eyes in the sky can fly. charles hadlock, nbc news, ft. worth. and tonight millions of americans have come down with a serious case of powerball fever. tonight's jackpot is up to $325 million and expected to rise even higher as people in 42 states snap tickets up before the drawing. your chances of hitting the

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of why i'm sitting here today. ♪ [ herb ] from the moment we walked in the front door, just to see me -- not as a cancer patient, but as a person that had been helped by their work. i was just blown away. life's been good to me. i feel like one of the luckiest guys in the world. ♪ finally tonight, the growing excitement over a shooting star lighting up new york and the nba. he's not new to basketball. but he spent most of his career on the bench and now all of a sudden he's turning heads. outplaying one of the game's biggest stars. and doing everything he can to make jeremy lin a household name.

it's a modern day cinderella story on the hardwood. >> lin lays it in. >> a guy who had to convince arena security guards he really was a member of the team has become the belle of the ball for the new york knicks. >> the garden is rocking every time he touches the ball. you feel the energy because he's going to do something exciting with the basketball. >> a virtual unknown who last night lit up madison square garden with 38 points. as if that weren't enough, jeremy lin managed to outscore kobe bryant. even wowed fans with a spin move that's gone viral. in just four games, 6'3" chinese-american ivy league grad has risen from the bench to become the nba's undisputed breakout star. and igniting a wave of what fans are calling lin-sanity. >> this guy is electric. and the team is playing with excitement. >> kind of like the disney story. because he didn't -- wasn't even given a chance.

>> born in california, the 23-year-old played at harvard and then bounced around the nba as an undrafted player, playing only 29 games last season. then last week in a knicks uniform he emerged from obscurity. >> where did this come from? >> you don't see undrafted free agents having this impact. >> he's become a phenomenon online. with more than 280,000 likes on facebook. and where they're calling it a linderella story. >> things are changing so much. it's like everyone wants to talk to, you know, me or my family. sometimes it's a little tough. >> his sudden success is the talk of asian-american communities. >> playing basketball for school, like the other coaches are saying, what's that kid's name? jeremy lin. >> the timing couldn't be sweeter. >> it is hard to fathom, but everyone is going to ride this train as long as it goes. we don't know when it will end. >> well, the knicks have spent millions acquiring well-known talent it may be an unknown in the end who gives them the

linspiration to go all the way. and after getting by sleeping on his brother's couch, lin says after his recent success, he's looking for a place of his own. that's "nbc nightly news" for this saturday. i'm lester holt. reporting from new york. see you tomorrow morning on "today" and right back here tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com good evening. i am diane dwyer. we're learning tonight that whitney houston has