on the broadcast tonight -- the epidemic. after years of progress, knowing the dangers, tonight there's bad news about smoking, and it's about who's starting to smoke. help wanted. good jobs, but hard to fill, even in this bad economy. why some companies are paying a premium just to find the right people. have you seen it? and who showed it to you? the video campaign that's exploded on the web. 39 million hits d counting. tonight the filmmaker behind the extraordinary campaign called kony 2012 and what it's all about. and new spin. what happened when that giant solar storm that was hurtling toward us at 4 million miles an hour actually got here. toward us at 4 million miles an hour actually got here. "nightly news" begins now.

captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening. and to put it bluntly, if you don't know by now the risks and hazards of cigarette smoking, you haven't been paying attention. either that or you've chosen to smoke against the evidence and advice. well, today we learn this. every day in this country 3,800 kids pick up their first cigarette. 80% of those who pick it up while in high school keep smoking and keep fighting it all their adult lives. the good news here is the overall number of teenagers smoking is down. the bad news and the alarming trend of the surgeon general who put out today's report, the rate of decline is slowing, meaning it's coming back a bit. it's where we begin tonight with our chief medical editor, dr. nancy snyderman. >> reporter: 25-year-old paul myers has been smoking since he was 15.

he has always liked the ritual. >> i grew up as a musician. so i was always around kids that wanted to play music and smoke cigarettes. >> reporter: he is one of the 88% of smokers who start in their teens and then are hooked as adults. a new report today from the surgeon general says teen smoking is an epidemic. 1 in 4 high school seniors regularly smoke cigarettes. while cigarette smoking has decreased over the decades, that decline has slowed. >> the rate of decline in smoking has gone down over the last few years because government investment in anti-smoking programs has actually gone down. >> reporter: the numbers out today are staggering. 600,000 middle school students smoke along with 3 million high school students. most shocking, more than 1,200 americans die every day due to cigarettes. but for every death at least two young adults become regular smokers. >> ironically, young kids are not that worried, teenagers are not that worried about long-term health consequences.

>> reporter: but they should be. because when you start younger, you're likely to be addicted longer. >> cigarette smoke causes immediate damage. >> reporter: underscored by a new commercial from the centers for disease control. >> at 12 i smoked my first cigarette. >> i was 15. i'll die of a heart attack. >> reporter: and smoking affects young bodies in different ways. cardiovascular damage starts immediately. lung growth is stunted. and teens develop shortness of breath. and all of these problems can become permanent. tobacco giant altria says there is not a simple solution to underage tobacco use but agrees more work needs to be done. for paul myers, who's tried to quit a handful of times, he's worried about his future. >> growing older and more mature, you kind of realize that it's something that i don't want to keep doing. >> reporter: i've spent my adult life as a head and neck cancer surgeon, and there are three things i tell people who've come to see me. if you get a cancer in the mouth or your lungs, your esophagus, eating, breathing, talking, any one of those is likely to change

forever and not for the good, brian. >> and doesn't this come down to nicotine being the hook and everything else being a delivery system? >> exactly right. nicotine brings you to the tent. it's what gets you hooked. but there are 7,000 chemicals in cigarettes. things like arsenic and cyanide. and it's those chemicals that kill you. but the nicotine is more addicting than heroin. it's a tough one to kick. so the thing is talk to your kids in kindergarten and get them to know never pick one up. >> that's why it just felt like half a step backward today i guess when this came out. dr. nancy snyderman, thank you as always. two people were killed, seven others injured in a shooting today at a psychiatric clinic near the university of pittsburgh. police say late tonight one of those killed was the gunman. neighboring buildings were briefly placed on lockdown as s.w.a.t. teams responded there. the identity of the gunman and the motive still unknown tonight. big news tonight from the

state of mississippi, where you'll recall the former governor haley barbour handed nearly 200 controversial pardons in during his final days in office, including some granted to convicted killers who had worked at the governor's mansion. there's been widespread outrage, as you may know, over these pardons. but today the mississippi supreme court upheld the pardons, saying the decision was up to the governor. we turn now to the economy. and as we await the jobs report for february, widely anticipated coming out tomorrow morning, by the way, even with so many americans still unemployed, some companies, manufacturers in particular, are having trouble finding workers. our report tonight from cnbc's phil lebeau. >> reporter: at the mazak corporation outside cincinnati there's a shortage of welders. in fact, the company that makes metal-cutting machines has been unable to fill 20 welding jobs that start at $33,000 a year. so mazak is now offering a $2,500 signing bounty to new hires. >> offering bounties was one of

the fastest ways we could go in order to attract people. >> reporter: over the last two years american manufacturers have hired more than 400,000 workers. at the same time the number of manufacturing jobs unfilled has more than doubled to 264,000. the problem? a lack of applicants with the skills or education to run or build machines that are more complex. >> manufacturing is coming back and growing in america. i think our young people should give that a consideration when they choose a career. >> reporter: there was a time when blue-collar jobs were a ticket to the middle class. but after years of seeing companies downsize or ship plants overseas for cheaper labor, the allure of working in a factory had faded. with many manufacturers struggling to find skilled blue-collar workers, their current employees are working more overtime, taking home bigger paychecks. >> we're working two full shifts

here, five and six days a week. occasionally, we'll even work on a sunday. >> reporter: omax corporation outside seattle has 13 openings for jobs starting between $35,000 and $50,000 a year. but in a sign of the times the company's ceo is not optimistic he'll fill those jobs anytime soon. phil lebeau, nbc news, kent, washington. on capitol hill tonight an attempt by republicans in the senate to bypass president obama and fast-track approval of that keystone xl pipeline project, it failed as they fell four short -- four votes rather short of the 60 votes they needed. the president ordered a delay in the project as you may recall, which would run from canada all the way to the gulf coast, to give more time to review the impact of the pipeline on the environment. now we switch to the presidential campaign, which has moved south, with contests in mississippi and alabama on tap next week, that seems to be

giving newt gingrich a little running room while front-runner mitt romney is expected to face a tougher crowd. nbc's ron mott reports tonight from mobile, alabama. >> reporter: newt gingrich rolled into alabama, high gas prices in mind, hoping to pump new momentum back in his campaign while on familiar ground, the deep south, relaxed enough for a public dance with wife callista. >> like obama, gingrich supported individual health insurance mandates -- >> reporter: but amid growing calls to get out of the race, both by a pro-rick santorum super pac -- >> who can win? rick santorum. >> reporter: -- and just today by a surrogate who helped gingrich win south carolina, the former speaker appears to be digging in for the long haul. >> despite the many requests by the washington establishment, i am staying in this race. >> reporter: gingrich, however, canceled a planned trip to kansas, which caucuses this weekend. >> mississippi really matters next tuesday. >> reporter: to focus on mississippi and alabama's primaries next tuesday.

while gingrich touts $2.50 a gallon gas, republican voters in this heavily evangelical region of the country may be looking for a more clear-cut, socially conservative message. >> the issues here in alabama are returning our country to american ideals, to the constitution. >> reporter: though santorum himself has not called for gingrich to step aside, he more than hinted about the direction he sees the gop race headed in the event santorum claims one of these two southern states. >> if you go out and deliver a conservative victory for us on tuesday, this race will become a two-person race. >> reporter: as for mitt romney, who struggles connecting with christian conservative voters have at times dominated the headlines around his candidacy, he's nevertheless campaigning here tonight in mississippi. tonight mississippi's governor threw his support behind mitt romney. and while the romney campaign isn't necessarily expecting to win in mississippi or here in alabama, they do anticipate winning some delegates, and for them, brian, it's all about picking up delegates.

>> ron mott in the port of mobile tonight. ron, thanks. a dramatic development tonight in syria, where for the first time a top civilian official has defected. there have been some military defections from the assad regime, but today in a bold move syria's deputy oil minister went on youtube to announce he was joining the opposition, saying, "i do not want to end my life servicing the crimes of this regime." he added he now expects the same forces that have been slaughtering civilians will burn his home and persecute his family. iran's nuclear ambitions are getting more attention tonight, with word that new satellite images have surfaced allegedly showing trucks and earth-moving equipment removing evidence at one of those iranian military facilities. and from iran some surprising words of praise sort of for president obama, who said this week there was still room to solve this diplomatically. the supreme leader, ayatollah khamenei said today those were

"good words," but he dismissed talk of sanctions as delusional. at this time last night we were being told by the nation's weather experts at noaa to expect a "severe geomagnetic storm" because of a major flare, a ball of plasma and energy, that had exploded from the surface of the sun on tuesday night. the dire predictions of what it would do to our planet didn't quite come true today. but the headline here may be we're in for more of these storms. tom costello has been watching all of it for us today in washington. >> reporter: hi, brian. good evening. scientists say the planet may have lucked out. they were expecting a category 3 storm. they got a category 1 storm and a minor one at that. and while it hit at about 6:00 a.m. eastern time, because of the earth's spin we seem to have dodged the worst of it. so far we've had no reports of serious problems with radio communications, satellite or gps

connectivity or power grids. they've all apparently stayed online. but all of those systems can be vulnerable to a solar storm. what we did get is very colorful northern lights early this morning. take a look at beautiful time lapse video from michigan. that far south. showing beautiful bright-colored auroras in the night sky. astronomers do say we could be in for more solar storms in the coming months as the activity on the sun peaks sometime next year. brian? >> let's hope those colors are the only impact. tom costello in d.c. tom, thanks. and still ahead, as we continue tonight, do you know kony 2012? if you don't, you will in a moment. and you'll be joining millions worldwide. and later, some of the world's most incredible creatures ready for their close-up. and the man who's on a mission to make sure they don't disappear.

we're back now with the web video -- actually, it's a short film that tens of millions of people are watching really every minute all over the world and then talking about on social media. they're talking about kony 2012. it's a new campaign designed to tell the world about a ugandan war criminal who the filmmaker hopes will soon be brought to justice. nbc's craig melvin has our report. >> we worry. the rebels when they arrest us again then they will kill us. >> reporter: jacob is a 7-year-old child of war in uganda. >> jacob, it's okay.

>> reporter: he learned english because he wanted to grow up to be a lawyer. not a soldier. >> my brother tried to escape. then they killed him using a panga. they cut his neck. >> reporter: his has become the hopeful face of a global movement that may be redefining revolution. they are called the invisible children, victims of two decades of war. jason russell is behind the lens telling the tragic story for millions. >> everything in my heart told me to do something. and so i made him a promise. >> reporter: more than 39 million people have watched his video since it was posted on youtube three days ago. today reaction from the state department, the white house, even the highest court in the world. >> and these young people from california mobilizing this effort is incredible. exactly what we need. >> reporter: in 2003 russell took a camera to uganda and found children terrified of being kidnapped and used for war. that documentary led to today's

social media manhunt and call for action. >> joseph kony, he has an army. and what he does is he takes children from their parents and he gives them a gun to shoot and he makes them shoot and kill other people. >> reporter: in the simplest of terms russell explained his mission to his curious 4-year-old. >> he's a bad guy? >> yeah. >> reporter: joseph kony, wanted for war crimes. since the late '80s he's led an extremist group called the lord's resistance army. in uganda he's accused of turning tens of thousands of girls into sex slaves and boys into soldiers. >> we need to teach him what justice looks like. we need to love him into the hague behind bars so he can face justice. >> reporter: people aren't just watching. they're taking action. 16-year-old caroline cavidge organized friends at her los angeles high school to raise awareness and money. about $4,000 so far. >> i don't know what it was. but there's something about

their tears and their voices that i just couldn't stand. >> reporter: the 29-minute video and the activism it's created does have its critics. >> the main people are filmmakers. and as to the people with business backgrounds, it's not clear they're the best equipped to help out with international relief. >> reporter: and are they equipped to handle the large amounts of charity money that's been pouring in? experts agree raising awareness is good but the problems in uganda are complex and there won't be an easy fix. in los angeles craig melvin, nbc news. up next, how a 41-year-old woman just became a member of the billionaires club.

nbc news has learned tonight a 20-year-old program at the centers for disease control that helps cities and states prevent lead poisoning in children has been all but eliminated from the

agency's budget. the program provided grants to state and local health departments for testing and inspection of lead paint contamination that of course can cause serious brain damage in young children. beginning september 1st if individual states want to continue their programs they'll have to come up with the money themselves. the religious broadcaster pat robertson, 81 years old now, is in the news tonight for saying pot should be legalized and treated like alcohol in this country and that the war on drugs has failed. two years ago he complained about harsh prison sentences for pot possession. he says it should be regulated but it should be legal. when a woman named sara blakely was just 27 years old and a saleswoman, she had a good idea. undergarments that work hard to put stuff back where it was perhaps and flatter every figure. she turned that good idea into the very successful company called spanx. well, now of course they're ubiquitous. they've sold millions.

they've made billions. and tonight sara blakely has become the youngest woman to join the previously exclusive, mostly male club, the "forbes" billionaire list. and across the pond today it was all hail the queen. kate, the duchess of cambridge, helping the queen, who's now 85 years old, kick off her diamond jubilee tour, celebrating 60 years on the british throne. up next here tonight, some spectacular images of what's in the wild. and there's a good reason for them all.

finally tonight, saving the animals. some of the most unusual and spectacular species on earth. our chief environmental affairs correspondent anne thompson has the story of a man using his unique eye to help all creatures great and small and show the rest of us what's at stake here. >> reporter: joel sartore is a modern-day noah, building a portfolio instead of an ark, to preserve the world's animals, sometimes two by two. >> this is my attempt at getting people to understand that these things have value and we shouldn't be throwing them away. we are throwing away the ark.

>> reporter: sartore calls his efforts the biodiversity project. half the world's plants and animals, he says, could be gone by the next century. >> we're right on the cliff right now. and if we don't change our ways, we're going to go right over. >> reporter: sartore spent most of his career in the wild for "national geographic." but now he's going to american zoos and aquariums. >> good morning. >> reporter: including the children's zoo in his hometown, lincoln, nebraska. >> i hope that they see these animals on black and white backgrounds and they look them in the eye and they realize that all creatures have a right to exist. >> this is really nice. >> reporter: like the african dwarf crocodile, made vulnerable by hunting and habitat loss. >> wow. >> does that look good? >> oh, that's great. >> reporter: breeding in zoos helps the golden lion tamarind fend off extinction. and here the camera. >> how much stress does this put on the animals? >> minimal. we work with the keepers ahead of time. >> reporter: every shoot is meticulously planned, hoping to catch the unexpected.

a perfect moment in a cyclone of chaos. >> so how do you get a perpetual motion machine like a ring-tail lemur to stop long enough to take a photograph? you just offer him a little food. >> reporter: he sells his photographs to fund the project, working to create a connection between the animals and the people who can help protect them. >> when you learn about something and you respect it and you really want it to stay around, you work hard for it. >> this is where my heart is and this is what i want to do. >> reporter: hoping if a picture is worth 1,000 words his photos can protect 6,000 species. anne thompson, nbc news, lincoln, nebraska. >> great story. we'll put more information on our website tonight. that's our broadcast for this thursday night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening for the friday edition. here tomorrow evening for the friday edition. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

good evening, and thanks for joining us. i'm raj mathai. >> i'm jessica aguirre. he's been doing a lot of public talking. wesley shermantine's revelations have led to bodies, it's led to pain for people he's touched.