an explosion of anti-american anger in afghanistan because holy books were burned. tonight, how did it happen? stolen valor. is it legal to lie about military service? can you make yourself a hero even if you stayed home? a fight over freedom and speech and this country's military honor. obsessed with having the perfect body. tonight, a warning for parents who may be surprised to learn who is dying to be thin. and the voice. he's at it again and tonight we'll take a look at president and politics and songs. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening. the pictures coming out of syria are hard to watch. they're also hard to look away from. there are bona fide atrocities going on there. while this type of violence is abhorrent, we have seen this before in this region in just the last few months. a well-equipped military is

firing on civilians and trying to crush an uprising. they're firing on their own people and the world is now watching. among the civilian deaths, an american woman who had been in syria trying to get that story out. our own chief foreign correspondent richard engel is on the syrian border in turkey tonight and starts us off from there. richard, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. today's violence showed the intensity of the syrian government's crackdown on the city of homs and its indiscriminate shelling of civilian area. even if you listen closely, it's hard to hear a single peaceful moment in homs. syrian troops ringing the city with fire rockets and machine gun in ferocious barrages to drive out a few hundred opposition forces. the blogger who took this video

can be heard praying for his life. he was killed a few hours later. this morning, more voices were silenced. this rubble was a rudimentary media center in homs run by the syrian opposition who barely hold a few pockets in the city. the building took a direct hit. inside killed as they were working, french photographer remi ochlik and veteran american war correspondent marie colvin who reported for the british newspaper "the sunday times." colvin provided the bbc with some of the most vivid accounts of the brutality. hearing her now is haunting hours before her death. >> there were shells, rockets coming in hitting any building. i have not seen one military target. they're simply all firing. the wounded and dead i've seen

80% civilians. it is shelling with impunity and a merciless disregard for the civilians who simply cannot escape. >> reporter: colvin was no stranger to the cost of this unforgiving business of war reporting. she lost an eye to shrapnel in sri lanka. widely considered one of the greatest reporters of her generation, she was featured in a documentary about women on the front line. in homs there were no front lines, nowhere safe. >> there is a small clinic. you can't really call it a clinic. it's an apartment that has been turned into a clinic. you have plasma bags hanging from coat hangers. i watched a little baby die today, absolutely horrific. the doctor said i can't do anything and that is happening over and over and over. no one here can understand how the international community can let this happen. >> reporter: today in oyster bay, new york, colvin's mother learned about her daughter's last dangerous assignment.

>> terrible. you're never ready for it. all these years and all this time i was never ready for it. >> reporter: a daughter, a reporter whose work meant everything. >> you know, it still matters to me. when it stops mattering to me, i'll stop doing it. >> reporter: and brian, there are still 30,000 people in the city of homs low on food, low on supplies and under attack. even where we are on the syrian border with turkey, we can still hear the shelling tonight inside syria. >> richard engel, be safe in your travels. richard with is tonight again from the syrian/turkey border.u from the syrian/turkey border. richard, thanks for your reporting. the u.s. embassy in afghanistan is on lockdown tonight and seven people dead there after police opened fire to disburse thousands of

anti-american protestors. they are outraged at the unintentional burning of koran. at bag ram air base in kabul. despite official apologies, there is concern this eruption of anger may spiral out of control. atia abawi is in kabul tonight. >> reporter: thousands of angry afghans took to the streets today in various cities of afghanistan chanting, "death to america" for a second day of protests. they're protesting the burning of the koran and other religious material by u.s. soldiers in bagram air base north of kabul. since the incident, nato profusely apologized, calling the incident unintentional. they say those soldiers were cleaning out a library at a detention facility on the base and didn't realize what they were burning until the afghan staffers saw what was happening. these protests turned violent and deadly. today, seven afghans were killed and dozens more injured while protestors were throwing stones and molotov cocktails at foreign installations. the u.s. embassy was on lockdown

as well as other guest houses throughout the city and the country for fear of escalation of violence. we expect protests to continue in the coming days and expect them to get more violent and more deadly. brian? >> atia abawi in kabul, thanks. a thorny question about american military honor on the docket today at the u.s. supreme court. the justices took up this question, as unacceptable as it may sound to the rest of us, should it be a crime to lie about receiving military honors and medals? for more on this debate over an emotionally charged question, here is our justice correspondent pete williams. >> reporter: newly elected to a california water board, xavier alvarez introduced himself as a retired u.s. marine. >> back in 1987 i was awarded the congressional medal of honor. i got wounded many times by the same guy. >> reporter: but he never served a single day in uniform. in colorado a man who launched a veterans group claimed he was

honored for galantry in iraq. his claim was a total fabrication. both were charged under the stolen valor act, a law that makes lying about receiving military honors a federal crime. >> stolen valor is impersonation. it's stealing the identity of a war hero or a wounded warrior. >> reporter: but defense lawyers say the claims did not hurt anyone and are protected free speech under past rulings by the supreme court. >> it's never upheld a law like we have here which are bare falsities that actually harms nobody. >> reporter: some justices wondered how far congress could go to ban false statements. justice ginsberg, what about lying about serving in the military, not about medals? chief justice roberts, where do you stop? lying about having a high school diploma? the first amendment protects even offensive speech.

but several said lying about a military award does more than offend, for those who serve courageously, said justice scalia, their service is demeaned. justice kennedy said it could be salvaged by giving medals the same legal protection as trademarks. the justices said burning the flag and protesting at military funerals are protected expression, but seem to look for some way to uphold this law. pete williams, nbc news at the supreme court. >> we get to put this question to an actual recipient of the medal of honor. he happens to be a member of our own nbc news family. our military analyst retired army colonel jack jacobs. a recipient for his combat actions in vietnam. i know there are 83 recipients alive. you speak for you, but does it not diminish the medal placed around your neck by president nixon when anybody can claim to have the same medal? >> lying about receiving an award for valor is certainly pathetic, to say the least. there is a certain amount of

honor that comes with any award for valor, but i don't think either the medal or a recipient is so fragile that we have to curtail free speech, which is a linchpin of our democracy, we have to curtail free speech in order to protect either the award or the individual receiving it. >> an interesting view of this from a recipient. jack, colonel jacobs, thank you. >> thank you for having me. to the campaign trail. as gop contenders debate tonight for the 20th time, we have new numbers from our nbc news/marist poll on where they stand. chuck todd our political director is with us tonight with the new numbers. good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. in many cases next tuesday with michigan and arizona becoming a junior tuesday to the following tuesdays super tuesday of primaries and we've got numbers in both states. in michigan, romney up 37-35 over santorum.

arizona, a bigger lead where the debate is being held tonight for mitt romney. he sits at 43-27. interestingly, both polls are able to show the same story which is its organization for romney versus ideology and momentum for santorum. look at this. among those folks who voted in michigan, you have mitt romney with a 23-point lead and arizona among those foxes who already voted, he's got a 30-point lead. santorum's strength is ideology among tea party supporters, he leads romney by 20 points in michigan. among those who call themselves conservative, he leads by almost 40 points in michigan. that's what this has come down to. tonight's debate may tell us a lot. it's organization with romney versus momentum and ideology and passion for santorum. >> chuck todd, thanks, as always. a panel of experts for the fda recommended a new diet drug called qnexa should be approved. the recommendation comes despite

concerns about heart and birth defect risks. the panel said the drug's effectiveness outweighs any potential risks. the fda will now decide whether to give full approval later this year. if they do, qnexa will be the first new diet drug on the market since 1999. there is news about a screening test millions had and few look forward to. tonight, a major study presents clear evidence of what doctors have been telling us for years, colonoscopies do save lives. this research published in "the new england journal of medicine" shows that removing precancerous polyps does dramatically cut the risk of dying from colon cancer, which is the second leading cause of cancer death in this country. when we continue here on a wednesday night what every parent should know about an obsession that can kill. young people with a dangerous eating disorder may not be who you think. later -- could this be what this president is remembered for?

back now as we mentioned with a warning for parents about a dangerous, even deadly eating disorder, usually associated with teenage girls. as you are about to see, anorexia does not discriminate. a report from our chief medical expert dr. nancy snyderman. >> reporter: thomas, a straight a student, exceptional athlete a boy secretly obsessed with diet and exercise in hopes of achieving the perfect body. >> he wanted a six pack. he wanted rock hard abs, he wanted muscles. that's how it started. >> reporter: it was anorexia, a life-threatening eating disorder. for eight years t.j. starved himself and exercised compulsively. eventually he stopped eating up to 23 hours a day while exercising close to five. >> he would ask us, beg us, please don't tell anybody. it's so embarrassing. everybody thinks this is a

girl's disease. >> reporter: t.j. died in the middle of his nightly routine doing 1,000 sit-ups, weighing just 78 pounds his heart gave out. >> the look in his eyes, the last pictures he took of himself on his camera, it wasn't t.j. it was not my son. >> reporter: t.j. is the new face of anorexia. at least one million males suffer from eating disorders, dying to be thin. experts say it takes a certain kind of personality to go to this extreme. >> it's very unusual for someone to come onto my office for an assessment of anorexia if they do not have straight as. this is true for boys and girls. and in sports, these are great athletes usually who drive themselves to the next level. >> reporter: doctors like psychiatrist james lock believe kids strive for the same air-brushed perfection they see in the media boys concentrate on muscle mass and fat index. >> they come later to treatment.

they have had longer time to lose weight so they are physically sicker. >> reporter: avi was 10 when he began losing weight. his family knew he was trouble when, in a matter of weeks he went from being a picky eater to not being able to swallow solid food. >> i felt i was up against death watching my child potentially die on me. so i was fighting to save him. >> reporter: even after two lengthy stays at a treatment center, avi, now 14, admits he still struggles with a distorted body image. >> i definitely sometimes, you know, when i look at myself i say, i'm so fat. >> reporter: for now, food is not his enemy. >> after not eating for a few years, everything seems so good. i love burritos, ice cream, a yemini food, pizza and all sorts of stuff. >> reporter: if you suspect your child, particularly a young man in your house might be anorexic, look for changes like isolation.

is your child hiding food, eating alone getting picky about food, and watch how he or she dresses? boys will many times layer their clothes and wear hoodies.. boys will many times layer their clothes and wear hoodies. it really requires a lot of suspicion because you can't do this yourself. this is one time when you have to turn to a pediatrician who will get you to an eating specialist then you have to fight with insurance companies to make sure they help you along the way and help with reimburstments. >> such a virulent illness. thank you for doing this story. we posted more information on all of this on our website tonight, nbcnightlynews.com. we'll take a break. up next, the french have reached a major decision.

it is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure that we welcome you tonight. >> as chronicled in "beauty and the beast" as taught in french class, a married woman is madam a single woman is mademoiselle. not for long. the french government is doing away with mademoiselle on official documents. it's not unlike the rise of the alternate title ms. in the united states which doesn't indicate marital status. men are called monsieur which like mister here doesn't indicate marital status. heavy rains in western washington state claimed a casualty. a house built on a split of land became part of the river, sadly. the land under the house had been eaten away by the river for months. the owners moved out when the water won this battle. an old home video from the tail end of a family trip to

disney world has been found to contain extremely rare amateur footage of the space shuttle "challenger" exploding. the family was waiting for their flight home when they captured the launch of the airport in 1986. they sensed something was wrong, but had no idea the shuttle was gone until the airline captain made the announcement on the flight home. they discovered this transferring an old vhs tape. it's thought to be one of the two-known amateur videos of that disaster. tonight a florida congressman says he has a better idea for all the loose change passengers leave behind at airport security check points. right now the tsa gets to keep the money, which in 2010 added up to $400,000. florida republican jeff miller says give the spare change to the uso, which supports u.s. troops around the globe, and by the way, receives no tax payer money. they rely entirely on charitable donations. up next, american presidents who know their way around a song.

finally tonight, presidents become known for various things over time. john quincy adams liked an occasional nude swim in the potomac in the morning.

harry truman enjoyed a brisk walk. fdr was a stamp collector. barack obama likes motown, r&b and the blues. don't be surprised if a presidential trivia question 20 years from now asks, who was known as the singing president? our former white house correspondent savannah guthrie gets called back into service. because the president has broken into song again. >> reporter: oh say can you sing? a group of blues legends doing the asking last night at the white house, the president had to oblige. ♪ come on baby don't you wanna go ♪ >> reporter: the commander in chief in song and in tune. it's getting to be a regular gig. there was that performance last month at the apollo theater. >> are you fired up? >> reporter: and back in 2008 on the campaign trail, the president was fired up and ready to sing.

♪ oklahoma ♪ change change change >> reporter: sometimes politics and song make beautiful music together. bill clinton had his saxophone. truman had his piano. president nixon, too. ♪ >> reporter: we had dancers in the white house from george washington to george w. bush. and president william howard taft was famously, if not improbably, light on his feet. >> when we see these lighter moments, it's almost like a window to the person as opposed to the image too often presented. >> reporter: not too be outdone or outsung, mitt romney struck a patriotic tune recently at a campaign stop in florida. ♪ for amber waves of grain >> reporter: there is no question the president's political advisors are trying to make the most of these moments. they already put last night's

clip on the web. you can get this as a ring tone ♪ i'm so in love with you >> reporter: after the president sang al green at the apollo, his numbers shot up. al green's numbers, that is. sales of his single skyrocketed. but spontaneous moments can give a president or candidate the kind of wall-to-wall good will coverage money can't buy. and to think they get it for a song. savannah guthrie, nbc news, new york. that's our broadcast on a wednesday night. thanks for being here with us. i'm brian williams. we'll look for you back here tomorrow night. "rock center" tonight. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

good evening, everyone. i'm jessica aguirre. >> i'm roth mathai. we start with the motor city, not detroit but silicon valley. there is a destination for car companies and it is in our own backyard. let's bring in scott budman. how serious are the car companies about the bay area? >> very much, much like silicon valley and its technology is built into the hollywood movie machine, technology companies and local universities are magnets for car companies all over the world. they're coming here to make your drive smoother and safer. as the virtual road rushes by, volkswagen engineers are collecting data on how to make your driving experience better. welcome to the electronic research lab, owned by volkswagen, part of the car indu