on the broadcast tonight, american jobs and encouraging news tonight about who's hiring, but a possible bump on the road to recovery. cabin pressure. some scary moments on an american airlines jet today. why passengers had to restrain a flight attendant just before takeoff. up all night. help for working parents at all hours. >> and what a doll. the enduring allure of an american icon and would seem to have it all. american icon and would seem to have it all. nbc "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >> from nbc world headquarters in new york this is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. good evening and we don't get to say this very often, but the new employment numbers that came out today were better than

expected. u.s. employers added 227,000 jobs in february to complete three of the best months of hiring since the start of the recession. it means unemployment was unchanged, holding steady now at 8.3%, deciphering what this means, whether this makes a trend is something else entirely. the big wild card, of course, continues to be what we're paying for gas because that affects everything else. we want to begin our reporting on this friday night with nbc's ann thompson. >> the encouraging trend is you powered by computer businesses across the country. computer design firms, adding 10,000 jobs. manufacturers, 31,000. restaurants and bars, 41,000 and temporary help services, 45,000. >> hi, i'm will. >> enticing more americans to look for work. >> are american businesses becoming more confident? >> yes, that does seem to be happening, both businesses and consumers are expressing greater

optimism that some of the worst is behind us and this recovery is on stronger legs. >> adam lapsovich is very positive. >> i'm comfortable with spending money because we have the money coming in which is a nice thing. >> like almost half of small businesses, his video business saw growth in the past year. he bought furniture, hired contractors and two full-time workers. >> i still need more people. >> what are the potholes in the road to recovery? >> the biggest pothole we're focused on is rising gas prices. wages aren't very strong and so consumers can't bear the higher gas prices and they have to cut back on other things and that could lead to a slow patch in the economy. >> there's also the debt crisis in europe and other problems here at home. while job prospects are improving, the government reports 23.5 million americans are still out of work or underemployed. >> hello.

>> malika morel, a 27-year-old mom went to a new york city job fair hoping to end her year and a half search for work. >> at first i was nervous, but i'm more optimistic because there are a variety of different employers here so i kind of have hope. >> regaining confidence is the american recovery gained some momentum. ann thompson, nbc news, new york. for some perspective on this, we are joined tonight by cnbc's kelly evans formerly of "the wall street journal." welcome to you. >> thank you. >> when will we know that a corner has been turned. there are signs that just the corner has been turned because it wasn't the headline numbers and the report that was encouraging and there were details that pointed to strength well including the fact that the people went into the labor force and that did push up the unemployment rate and we held at 8.3%. it's still high, but there ares. signs. >> we should check in this week

on greece. a lot of guys in your line of work are watching it because of the blowback it could have here and elsewhere. >> that's right. we have a significant event happening today. greece has defaulted on its debt. investors are getting 15% of the money they thought they'd be making by holding their bonds and this is closer to the beginning than the end of this process. what happened with greece is a road map with what could happen with nations like portugal. we're watching closely. so far, the reaction in the market has been pretty calm. it wasn't necessarily a day of panic by any stretch, but it also is a reminder that greece is in a tough spot. it can't pay its bills and its economy shrank 7.5% in the fourth quarter. for youth, in the 50% range and so how it means going forward seems to be a hurdle that is almost impossible to clear. >> a lot of people call it unsustainable. kelly evans, thank you. big story today out of dallas. the seat belt light was on and they were taxiing and then the passengers onboard an american airlines flight from dfw to chicago heard something

troubling and then blood curdling and as we've seen before in the post-9/11 era, the passengers went into action themselves, but this time the onboard danger was a flight attendant who took over the p.a. and sounded as if she had taken leave of her senses. our report tonight from nbc's pete williams. >> reporter: not long after american airlines flight 2332 pulled back from the gate in dallas bound for chicago it was back with police waiting to take a flight attendant into custody and off to a local hospital. this passenger video shows crew members trying to subdue the flight attendant after she began a rant on the p.a. system as the plane taxied out. >> someone was talking about crashing and we don't want to take off and the pilot was still driving like he was going to get on the runway so people were nervous. >> reporter: she complained about the bankruptcy reorganization saying she'd lost a friend on 9/11 and said the plane could not take off because

it didn't have enough ice. kevin rich was among the passengers who helped the crew subdue her. >> there were four of us, five of us, including the flight attendants. we sat her back down in my seat because my seat was the closest seat. officials describe the woman as a veteran flight attendant and several passengers said she complained that she hadn't taken her medication for a disorder. each airline has fiscal fly standards for flight attendants whose jobs are considered stressful, but they cannot be grounded for seeking mental health treatment. once a new crew was put on the plane it took off, landing about two hours late. security experts say while there was never any danger it's an illustration passengers are no longer docile observers. >> passengers are far more willing to take matters into their own hands, but to be active and responding to events inside the airplane. >> one passenger said it's lucky that it didn't happen while the plane was in the air. tonight, american says the flight attendant is getting proper care.

pete williams, nbc news, washington. on the presidential campaign trail, the fight is on in the deep south with four days until the next round of primaries in alabama and mississippi. while the stakes are high for one candidate with real southern roots, today, the frontrunner was sure trying to sound as if he did. nbc's ron mott reports from mobile, alabama. >> morning, y'all. >> reporter: mitt romney spoke in the native tongue in mississippi. >> i got started today with a biscuit and cheesy grits. >> reporter: romney called competing here a bit of an away game. knocking president obama won him a hearty round of applause. >> if someone is looking for things the president has done wrong, it is a long, long, long list. this president has not succeeded, he has failed. that's the reason we're getting rid of him in 2012. >> reporter: romney may still be

judged as the outsider of the field. up against a southerner, newt gingrich, and rick santorum, whose social conservative platform appears tailor made. gingrich charging ahead despite calls to quit. >> i want to break out of all of the garbage that has become modern politics. i want to get back to talking about the things that have made america remarkable, not the negative ads. >> reporter: the former speaker's campaign positioned mississippi and alabama as possible last stands. now says again he's going all the way to the convention. >> we could have a big win tomorrow in kansas. what do you think? >> reporter: meantime, rick santorum stumping in kansas jabbed romney about the delegate math. >> said it would take an act of god for rick santorum to get the delegates he needs. i don't know about him, but i

believe in acts of god. >> reporter: to reach the number of 1144, he needs half of the remaining delegates. newt gingrich and rick santorum must earn close to two-thirds. ron mott, nbc news, mobile, alabama. >> quick program note. rick santorum talking to nbc's david gregory on "meet the press" this sunday on your nbc station. overseas, we have marked the anniversary of the 9.0 earthquake and tsunami in northeast japan. one year ago this weekend, thousands of lives were lost. nbc's ian williams was one of the first western correspondents to reach the scene of that disaster. he reported there for several weeks. tonight, he returned to the region. has this report on how some of the survivors are putting things back together. >> reporter: this was the terrifying moment the torent of water swept away entire towns on the northeast coast of japan. almost 20,000 people died.

a year later, the scene is different. a massive cleanup transformed the coach. this fishing town was largely obliterated when the tsunami rolled in. today it looks almost serene. a bar enwasteland. the remains of towns along the coast were piled into vast mountains of trash, some of it toxic. 19 years worth in the worst effected area. more than a half million buildings destroyed or damaged. still, there's no real plan how to get rid of it, no blueprint for rebuilding. 2000 survivors live in tiny temporary homes and that's where we met takashi who lost everything in the tsunami. she may never get her wish to go home, but told me, i always try to be positive about what lies ahead. authorities here have pledged to build a giant new 50-foot high

sea wall. that's more than twice the height of the one tossed aside by the tsunami last year, but even that may not be enough to make this place livable again. further down the coast few towns were hit harder than minami where the water funneled up. debris has also been cleared here and for the first time since the disaster boats are back at sea farming seaweed, something this town was famous for. that's been made possible by new equipment, a project supported by the u.s. charity mercy corps which has created jobs for 200 people here. >> it's going to take a long, long time to really rebuild, but i think what we see now a year later is just a really resilient community that's coming back together again. >> there's no shortage of spirit here and that may be the most important asset as these devastated communities look to the future. ian williams, nbc news, minami, japan.

>> and about a story we've been covering for so many weeks, the suffering and slaughter going on in syria. sometimes, as you know, a single photo can tell a story best like this one by a photographer for the associated press on so many front pages across the country and around the world today. a haunting image of a young boy distraught at the funeral of his own father killed by a syrian army sniper, one of the 8,000 and counting dead from this horrible situation. an update on that phenomenon that's taken the web-watching world by storm. we told you about it last night. the youtube video called kony2012 exposing uganda joseph kony and his terrorist group. it's now reportedly gotten 60 million views. also a lot of controversy, some questioning the accuracy of the story. we wanted to let you know that on monday night here on this

broadcast we'll be on the ground in uganda with a reality check. still ahead as we continue here with so many parents working odd hours these days, some help that makes a difference day and night and it is so badly needed. later, it was on this date that someone new made her way into american homes, and she hasn't left yet.

so while our lead story tonight might have been better news on the jobs front, still a whole lot of american families have a big hole to climb out of in this economy. it means a lot of people are taking whatever job they can find, even if it means shift work. work the graveyard shift or other non-traditional hours. for parents, that in turn, can mean child care becomes really tough, but some caregivers are stepping up to fill this gap. our report on that tonight from nbc's john yang. >> reporter: for 6-year-old aralynn barnett dinner is not at

home, it's at a child care center. she's here from the time she leaves kindergarten at 3:15 until 9:00 at night when her mother finishes work as a restaurant cook. >> not everyone has a grandmother or a mother that doesn't work that can help you out. >> reporter: abc child care in ohio is open 24/7. the first child is dropped off as early as 1:30 in the morning. the last pickup, around midnight. child care is not just an issue from 9:00 to 5:00 anymore. according to census department data, 40% of americans work nights, early mornings or weekends. >> reporter: in ohio, centers open overnight have doubled since 2003 and those open weekends have quadrupled. alicia, the mother of 6-year-old twins marco and mateo lopez works nights as a waitress. >> 9:00 to 5:00 jobs are all taken.

>> reporter: they try to do more than just baby sit for their clients. >> whatever i can do to aid in helping them to aid in making life maybe a little bit easier for them i do. >> at night children have dinner, brush their teeth and settle down to sleep until they can go home to sleep in their own beds. family advocates say it may not be ideal, but it does provide stability. >> it can be in a sense, a home away from home rather than going to this person this night and that person another night. >> reporter: the center's operators say 85% of their clients are single parents who get state assistance for child care. >> that was the first thing to fill when we opened were the evening hours or the wee hours of the morning. >> an experienced babysitter is out of the question. >> they're wanting $10 and $15. i make $10 an hour. where does that leave me? >> reporter: like so many others struggling to do what she can to earn a living for herself and her daughter, john yang, nbc news, ohio.

up next here tonight an american artist whose work most people know because it went up in flames right here on nbc. ♪

♪ ♪ disco inferno, 1977 part of the saturday night fever soundtrack and part of the disco era, jimmy ellis who recorded that song with the tramps. they took that name because they were tramps. that's what the cops called them when they were singing on street corners. they recorded a new version of "hold back the night." jimmy ellis was 74 years old. and who remembers this bit of television iconography? ♪ ♪ >> the opening sequence of "bonanza" that aired here on nbc for nearly 14 years and every night it opened the same way with the burning map.

well, the man who drew that map was robert temple ayers. its official name was map to illustrate the ponderosa in nevada and he created it in 1959. robert ayers has died and three days before the end of his life he visited his master work which hangs in the autrey museum of the west. ayers was a former panam navigator who contributed art "blue hawaii" to "ben hur," but his best work went up in flames every week for 14 years. robert temple ayers was 98 years old. it was the march for voting rights from selma to montgomery that gave us bloody sunday and soon after became an awful and indelible part of civil rights history in this country. today marked the end of a similar 54-mile journey that began last sunday and this time

to protest voter i.d. laws in alabama and other states that critics say are a step backward in time and make it harder for people to vote. as if traffic in l.a. isn't bad enough. take a look at this. a massive slow-moving trailer powered by two huge engines carrying a 340-ton, two-story tall rock. the boulder will be part of a new installation at the l.a. county museum of art called levitated mass and levitating your masses, isn't easy or cheap and the giant you think which of granite will take a total of 11 nights to travel to its new home at a cost of $10 million. all of the funds privately raised. up next here tonight a big day for a baby boomer that doesn't look a day older than when we first met her. ♪

there's a birthday in the news tonight, a 53-year-old woman who has done pretty well for herself, what with the pink corvette, the dream house, the fantastic wardrobe, the unreal body and the long-term relationship with a guy who is very good looking, but may not have all that much going on. here is nbc's kevin tibbles tonight on barbie's big day. >> reporter: at just over 11 inches tall she's more than any full-grown adult i know.

>> any girl anywhere can relate to her 50 years ago or today. >> reporter: she's barbie and she debuted 53 years ago today at the american international toy fair in new york city. ♪ ♪ >> a blond-haired american icon was born. ♪ my barbie doll >> reporter: the first non-baby doll mass marketed, the first doll to have adult features. >> it was kind of nice just to have a girl who could do anything. she could be a business woman. she could be a movie star. she could be anything. >> i played at my grandmother's house. >> even little girls all grown up remember. >> you still ooh and ahh. >> i still ooh and ahh because barbie is fashion. >> reporter: some of us have aged considerably and barbie on the other hand, and you know where this is going, isn't getting any older, she's just getting better. she hasn't been without controversy, her buxom figure and her wardrobe was sending the wrong message to young girls.

>> every type of toy has a place in a child's life and i think barbie has a big place in every young girl's life. >> reporter: she's changed with the times from flight attendant barbie to astronaut barbie, to surgeon barbie to rocker barbie, to firefighter barbie to marine corps sergeant barbie and hey, there's even a tv reporter barbie and then, of course, was there him. they were reunited in toy story 3. >> i'm ken. >> barbie, have we ever met -- >> i would have remembered. >> reporter: but today is barbie's big day. five decades and 800 million sold, barbie is still the "it" girl. kevin tibbles, nbc news, chicago. that is our broadcast for this friday night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. lester holt will be here with you tomorrow night and we hope to see you right back here on monday, and don't forget, daylight saving time this weekend. clocks move ahead an hour saturday night into sunday. have a good weekend. saturday night into sunday. have a good weekend. good night.

-- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com good evening. thanks for joining us on this friday. i'm raj mathai. >> i'm jessica aguirre. tonight a move to stop farrakhan from speaking in the home of the free speech movement. louis farrakhan is coming to the bay area to speak at the u.c. berkeley black student union this weekend. other cal students are not embracing farrakhan's