on the broadcast tonight, the long run. it was supposed to streamline the gop race, but super tuesday did anything but. tonight, what the romney campaign is saying about that nomination. frozen in time. nearly a year after the nuclear disaster, an exclusive visit to the dead zone in japan. richard engel is just back with a rare firsthand look at what's left. second chance, the incredible story of a mother of three who was dying of melanoma and is now alive and well. what her doctors did for her that could turn out to be a turning point for others. the end zone. an emotional farewell for a beloved champion. a question now, is the game over? and the coming solar storm. racing toward earth at 4 million

miles an hour and what could happen when it gets here overnight. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening. if anybody was looking for super tuesday to simplify the gop race for the nomination, if mitt romney was hoping to use super tuesday to clinch the nomination, it didn't happen. four candidates went into last night's primaries. today four candidates woke up and went on. after another late night, this race goes on. it now takes a turn for the south where for the short-term at least the romney team may need all that money and all that organization to try to turn the tide in the race that has gone on longer than most had predicted. it's where we begin tonight with our political director chuck todd. chuck, good evening. >> reporter: good evening. mitt romney hoped super tuesday would winnow the republican field as it has in the past.

while the delicate math is very much on his side, he's still struggling to get real momentum. it was after midnight when mitt romney finally learned he eked out a narrow victory in ohio. >> i must admit i feel pretty good. >> reporter: and he has good reason to feel that way. he won 7 of the 11 states voting last night. an outright majority of the 424 delegates at stake. altogether he got half a million more raw votes than his closest rival. still, romney wasn't the only candidate feeling good. >> we had a good night last night, but so did governor romney. that's why we have to start anew here. we have to do well here in kansas. no, we have to win here in kansas. >> reporter: rick santorum, who should do well in this saturday's kansas caucuses, wants to be the only conservative candidate to romney. he pleaded with newt gingrich who won in his home state of

georgia last night to drop out. >> we are staying in this race because i believe that it's going to be impossible for a moderate to win the general election. >> reporter: romney hunkered down in boston today while his campaign team used show-and-tells to make the case that neither santorum nor gingrich has a realistic shot at the nomination saying it would take "an act of god for one of them to win." >> if the governor think he's ordained by god to win, then let's just have it out. >> reporter: the delegate map for santorum is daunting. to win, he would need two out of every three delegates going forward. it's something no candidate has ever achieved in the modern era. romney also wants this primary battle over because even his victories seem to reinforce his weaknesses. like michigan the week before, romney won in ohio, despite the fact that he lost very conservative voters to santorum by 18 points and middle-income voters by eight. as for romney, he seems resigned to the fact that it's going to

be a long slog. >> we have the time, resources and plan to get all the delegates, and we think that will get done before the convention. >> reporter: well, ron paul, by the way, he's staying in this race despite the fact that he's now the only candidate in this race that has yet to win any of the 23 contests. by the way, brian, newt gingrich's campaign team said if he doesn't win alabama and mississippi next week they don't have a credible campaign going forward. so it sounds like if he doesn't win one, he will get out. >> chuck todd after the long night here in new york. chuck, thanks. last night's primaries weren't just about the gop nomination race. there were other primaries decided and in one of them in ohio, a big name in congress went down to defeat dennis kucinich. long hero of the left lost his primary race last night after his district's lines were redrawn. among those vying for his seat in the house, a man we all came to know as joe the plumber who will now try to become

congressman wurzelbacher. now to syria. as the whole world watches the killings and sheer horror that the assad regime continues to inflict on its own people, more than 8,000 dead by one estimate, with no end in sight, now the pressure is mounting on the u.s. to take some sort of military action to stop the slaughter there. today in washington this debate really erupted into the open. our report from our chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell. >> reporter: sporadic gunfire on amateur video. the rebel neighborhood of homs, perhaps the last resistance after a devastating month-long government siege. syrian state tv showed workers cleaning up for the onslaught as residents escape with what little they have left. the opposition calls all this a government effort to hide a massacre, war crimes. after being barred for a week, finally today a u.n. official is permitted to see for herself. and relief workers resume

distributing some aid. but regime forces have reportedly now turning their fire on other towns, near the turkish border, terrifying residents. will anyone come to their aid? today john mccain demanded to that the u.s. arm the rebels. >> how many more have to die? 10,000 more? 20,000 more? how many more? >> before i recommend that we put our sons and daughters in uniform in harm's way, i've got to make very sure that we know what the mission is. >> well, let me tell you what's wrong with your statement. you don't mention american leadership. americans should lead in this. >> reporter: the but the administration said stopping syria's president assad is much tougher than it was with libya's gadhafi. syr syria's rebels are disorganized. the regime's air defenses are five times more sophisticated than libya's. nato won't back military action. president obama made it clear the u.s. won't go it alone.

>> for us to take military action unilaterally, as someone suggested, or to think there's a simple solution i think is a mistake. >> reporter: today, hillary clinton increased the pressure on russia to stop arming assad. >> it is also pass time for those nations who continue to arm and support the regime to bring an end to the bloodshed. >> reporter: syria has blocked most humanitarian aid. now, saudi arabia and other arab states are talking about arming the rebels. u.s. officials acknowledge the growing pressure to do something is going to be hard to resist. brian? >> got a little tense at that hearing today. andrea mitchell, thank you, as always. we have a health news story to report tonight that's getting a lot of attention and doctors hope it can be a turning point in the fight against one of the most dangerous and prevalent forms of skin cancer. this is just one case, but it could be a major clue in how to

use the body's immune system to take on melanoma which strikes more than 76,000 americans every year. we get details tonight from our chief science correspondent robert bazell. >> reporter: valerie espositos with a 42-year-old mother of three living with a death sentence. end stage melanoma throughout her body meant she was out of options. >> it went into the right lung, went into lymph nodes, the spleen, and at that point, the chemo didn't work. >> reporter: rick wilke also had stage 4 melanoma. both patients were taking a drug which treats advanced skin cancer by prompting the body's immune system to destroy it. when it works the results can be sensational. >> the nurses -- >> everybody was jumping up and down. >> everybody came into this tiny little room and gave us the good news. >> reporter: the drug only works in 10% to 20% of patients. when valerie esposito took it, her cancer continued to spread.

one tumor was pushing up against her spine causing severe pain. doctors used radiation to treat it. >> look at what happens three months after the radiation. >> reporter: and what happened then was astonishing. these dark spots which is where cancer spread to the spleen, disappeared, along with other tumors throughout her body. >> that is melanoma. >> it is all gone. >> gone, yes. >> we're very excited about this result because we treated just one tumor with radiation therapy in this patient. and as a result, distant tumors regressed. >> reporter: dr. jed willchock and his team at memorial sloan-kettering kept blood and other samples from esposito and believe they know exactly how the radiation prompted the immune system to destroy the other tumors. >> it felt like a battle that i wasn't going to win. it definitely was a miracle. >> and now a nationwide clinical trial is getting under way with

the hope that this new understanding could help thousands more melanoma patients have a brighter prognosis. robert bazell, nbc news, new york. last night, while we were on the air covering super tuesday, there was a storm on the surface of the sun. and that energy, those waves are traveling toward us at over 4 million miles an hour right now, which means it could arrive as early as between 1:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. eastern time tonight. it could affect a lot of things. past storms like this have knocked out power grids here on earth, attacked communications and gps, and already some commercial airlines have rerouted flights to avoid interference from it. nbc's tom costello has a look at what we might be in for. tom, good evening. >> reporter: i have been on the phones with the folks at noaa. in simple terms the atmosphere around the sun has been blown away, leaving charged particles and magnetic field which are now speeding towards the earth, as you said, 4 million miles per

hour. it's been several years since we have had a storm like this. there is the potential it could interfere with power grids, but that likelihood is low. it can also interfere and affect gps systems, and it could cause communication problems affecting radio and satellite systems, especially high-frequency kinds. while it is a good dose of radiation, we're told it is big, not extreme, though. nasa is monitoring it but doesn't feel the need to take any unusual precautions for the astronauts on the international space station. but flights they're rerouting because they want to stay in continuous communication. it is not the radiation as it is the com issue. noaa tells me the peak of the storm could come around 5:00 a.m., they think. 1:00 and 5:00 a.m. eastern time. but 5:00 a.m. is a good time. they also insist no danger to us on earth other than the communications. brian, it could mean some really incredible northern lights perhaps as far south as the great lakes tonight. back to you. >> all right. tom costello with the latest from washington. we'll keep an eye on it,

obviously. well, the folks who track our weather for a living officially told us what we have all known or suspected for months. this has been one of the warmest winters ever. in fact, it's the fourth hottest in the lower 48 since they started keeping records of such things back in the 1890s. the same scientists at noaa say only the state of new mexico had temperatures below average. and with the mild winter comes a lack of snow. it's the third smallest winter snow cover across this country in the 46 years they've started keeping satellite records. still ahead as we continue here tonight, a year after japan's nuclear disaster, richard engel is back with a rare look at what has become a no man's land in japan. and later, an american city, a champion and the tearful end of a great era.

it's been almost a year now since the earthquake and tsunami

that triggered that disaster of japan's fukushima nuclear plant, a disaster that so contaminated the environment around it that the area is now real a ghost town. people left there in a hurry, remember, and no one has been allowed to go back. but now a few journalists, including our chief foreign correspondent richard engel, have gotten a rare look inside the area, around the fukushima plant, a place that's really been frozen in time. >> reporter: the fukushima nuclear power plant is in ruins. these rare images show it can never be used again. but it remains highly radioactive. when the plant exploded a year ago, it belched a cloud of steam, mixed with tiny radioactive particles. the particles settled and today a 12-mile radius around the plant is abandoned and uninhabitable. it's called the exclusion zone, a warning to what can happen when science we barely control

gets out of control. the town of ohkuma is four miles from the plant. 10,000 people lived here. now no one. the exclusion zone is sealed off, but former residents are allowed occasional quick visits in to collect valuables. he showed us his old electronics factory. >> translator: this was my office. >> reporter: this was your office? you still have your jackets and ties ready to go. his house is nearby. the fridge is still full. you still have food in the fridge. >> translator: expiration date march 11th. >> reporter: it reminds me of when i was a kid. they used to show in school these day-after movies, what would happen in the event of a nuclear holocaust, how the world would become radiated. that's what it feels like here. people left ohkuma in a hurry. clothing still sits at a laundromat.

a traffic light signals cars that aren't there. the only sign of life, cows that broke out of their pens. they have the run of the town now. >> a bull in there, you better watch out. >> reporter: the radiation is in the land, in the plants, in the water, in the trees. it's been eaten by the animals, the insects, the birds. how do you get rid of that? like many former residents, he doesn't think a cleanup here is possible. >> translator: in my mind, there's no more ohkumo. this isn't just a ghost town, it's a town of death. >> reporter: visiting this area, brian, was haunting. i had never been to a place that has been effectively removed from the map. when there's a natural disaster or even a war, you can rebuild if you have enough money. not here. this area will be contaminated for decades. the radiation is all throughout the food chain. >> richard, thank you for your reporting. we wanted to let the folks know richard will be back with us

tonight for more, more of his reporting from japan's radioactive exclusion zone where very few people have gone. that's tonight on "rock center." moving to our new time, 10:00, 9:00 central. richard, thanks. we'll see you later. up next, some good news for a change for travelers. and it's happened again. apple has debuted something else people are going to want to want. anyone who grows things for a living will tell ya...

a plant is only as good as the soil you put it in. look, both these potted plants got the same sun. same water. only difference? this. miracle-gro potting mix. rich organic ingredients with miracle-gro plant food mixed right in. it even feeds plants for six straight months. want this result? gotta start with this soil. miracle-gro potting mix. success starts with the soil. well, it happens every few months, apple comes out with a new product which makes you think that the apple product you already own, perhaps just received, is suddenly a steam-powered relic of the past. today in san francisco they unveiled the new ipad, the first new rollout of the post-steve jobs era at apple. while it's technically the ipad 3, they're calling it simply the new ipad. and here we go. even though the new screens are gorgeous, they say the new display is stunning.

it runs on 4g, not 3g, 5 megapixel camera, though it means aiming a tablet at the subject to get a picture, as opposed to, say, using a camera. it is heavier. longer battery life. comes in at the same price as ipad 2. we have a complete report on today's rollout on our website, nbcnightlynews.com. the associated press is reporting overhead bins are about to get bigger. united and delta are apparently leading the way and retro fitting their aircraft with the more cavernous containers. united estimates 87% of their passengers carry their bags on these days and those bags, as you know, are getting bigger. and for all of those of us who think we can get our bag to fit up there, they don't all make it, as you know. and with bag fees approaching 450 bucks, it will mean savings. perhaps you heard this new theory explaining why the

"titanic" believed to be the unsinkable ocean liner, might have met its end. scientists now say the moon could be to blame. the moon was unusually close to earth on that night in early 1912, leading to an unusually high tide. more icebergs floating further south than usual. the captain, who was familiar with the route, didn't expect the icebergs to be there and didn't believe the warnings. the folks at a tokyo aquarium put out an apb for a fugitive penguin on the lam. like the scene out of "shaw shank redemption," penguin number 337 scaled a rock wall, squeezed through a fence during a daring escape sometime in the last week. nobody is talking. someone claims to have snapped a picture of the penguin swimming to freedom in tokyo bay. so far that's the only lead in this case. in case you see anything. up next here tonight, a tearful farewell for a legend who lost his job today.

finally here tonight, even those of us who are big football fans sometimes catch ourselves calling them the baltimore colts. though they've been the indianapolis colts since '84. and ever since 1998, this has been the peyton manning era in

indianapolis. he made them champions. he was the player of the decade. and for 14 years he's been synonymous with that city and their beloved colts until today when it came to an end. our report tonight from nbc's kevin tibbles. >> reporter: he's been a company man the whole of his career. same boss, same position, same team. he's one of those rare athletes who transcends sport. >> i've been a colt for almost all of my adult life. but i guess in life and in sports we all know nothing lasts forever. >> reporter: but today peyton manning is no longer an indianapolis colt. >> it's a difficult day here of shared pain between peyton, myself, the fans, everyone. >> reporter: after 14 record-breaking years, injury kept 35-year-old manning off the field for all of last season. now the team is looking to rebuild. still, news of his being let go

stopped many in their tracks. >> i understand it's a business and they have to do what they have to do. but it's going to be crushing to see peyton in another jersey. >> i think there's something wrong with the nfl that you can't have a guy finish his career where he started. >> reporter: to many, peyton manning was indianapolis. he certainly was the colts. forbe magazine reports he increased the value of the team by $233 million. they even called the colts' home field the house that manning built. >> indianapolis certainly would not have lucas oil stadium and probably would not have been hosting the super bowl if not for peyton manning and the success he brought to indianapolis. >> reporter: number 18 became an icon off the field for advertisers. >> you can watch exclusive game highlights of all your favorite players, like peyton manning. >> reporter: he even got to host "saturday night live". >> my team, the colts, won the super bowl. >> reporter: and he'll forever be revered for his charity work with children. several teams appear interested

in signing him, should he be healthy. >> i don't want to retire. nobody loves their job more than i do. >> reporter: but in indy, no one will ever wear the number 18 again. kevin tibbles, nbc news, chicago. that's our broadcast for this wednesday night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. we hope, of course, to see you right back here tomorrow evening. and later tonight, "rock center," that's 10:00, 9:00 good evening, everyone, i'm jessica aguirre. >> i'm raj mathai. what's the truth about san jose's finances? nbc bay area has been asking this for week. now the state wants to know. this morning lawmakers voted to have the state step in and audit san jose's finances and pension obligations.