i never thought of that. (ancr) break the monotony. visit spam.com. on our broadcast tonight, the plot to blow up a u.s. bound airplane and the secret twist that stopped it and perhaps the most important question, would that bomb have made it past airport security? weight of the nation, an american health crisis out of control, and tonight a reality check on what it might take to turn things around. and where the wild things are, remembering the man whose incrediblemagination inspired so many. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening, we are now learning more about a foiled plot to blow up an airliner bound for the u.s. again thankfully it was disrupted before it got very far. and it now turns out that the

bomber was actually an informant cooperating with intelligence services friendly to the united states. this case has raised a lot of issues all over again about our airline security, about how strong al qaeda still is these days, and about how many more of these could be out there. it's where we begin tonight with our justice correspondent pete williams in our washington newsroom. pete, good evening. >> brian, by all accounts, this is a remarkable success for the intelligence agencies of the united states and its allies. and here's why, they managed to insert a critical informant into the very heart of the terror group that's considered the number one threat to the united states. al qaeda's offshoot in yemen. administration and intelligence officials say by the time this most recent plot was in its final planning stages, the u.s. and its allies were able to follow it in detail. but the terrorists in yemen did not know at the time these officials say is that the person

they chose to be the suicide bomber was actually an informant. someone who agreed to cooperate with an allied intelligence service. members of congress declined to be specific but praised the cia and its overseas counterparts. >> this was incredibly good intelligence work. this is intelligence at its best. >> after the al qaeda operatives turned over the finished bomb, the informant then safely drove it out of yemen, where it was eventually turned over to the united states. >> i want to say the device was always under control, and that no one in the united states was ever at risk, because we did have control. >> those who have seen the bomb say it is remarkably similar to this, the one worn by the 2009 underwear bomber. while the ingredients were improved, they say, intended to be more reliable, the overall design was basically the same, with no metal. presenting no more challenge to screeners than the 2009 underwear bomb. as a result, u.s. officials say no change to airport security is

planned. >> the fact that we have the device shows us what to look for, and how to detect such devices should they be used in the future. >> reporter: could it have gotten through screening? homeland security officials say they cannot be certain. but just as with the 2009 kbrunder wear bomb, they're optimistic the answer is no. caught by either the full body scanners or patdowns, or caught by screening and passenger information and other intelligence. >> in today's date with all the various layers we have, in all likelihood, it would not have succeeded. >> reporter: they will investigate how word of this top secret intelligence operation first began to leak last week before it was made public. that put at risk those involved in disrupting the plot. >> pete williams from washington, thanks. for more on this, we're joined tonight by kip hawley. he was the head of the tsa, he is the guy in plain english that

made us put all our gels in plastic bags, among other things. he wrote a book called "permanent emergency." he's with us tonight from mountainview, california. now that we know more about how they're trying to come after us, you've complained the tsa is still wasting time and effort looking for sharp objects. are we still fighting the last war? >> good evening, brian. i think we're ahead of this one, thankfully, and we ought to get rid of the tools from the last war that are already covered. it demonstrates again that al qaeda is looking for an explosive bomb, and that sharp objects and things like that are a distraction. i would say we get rid of that and focus on our resources on the next generation of explosives they bring at us. >> do you think it's dangerous how many government officials have been walking around talking about how weakened al qaeda is now? >> well, i think it's not accurate, because it's a worldwide movement.

and frankly, i think having the news out at all was a surprise to me, because it's a whole lot better if al qaeda doesn't know they've lost an operative and/or a bomb. but they will keep trying research and development, i think one of the key things we need to remember, is that the security arrangements we have today drives them away from bombs that work. so that underwear bomb may or may not have worked. and it's our baggy and shoes and all that kind of stuff we do today forces al qaeda to use bombs that are less effective. >> all right, kip hawley with us tonight from california. thank you very much. >> thank you. a quick word on gas prices in the news tonight. they are down for the fifth week in a row, hitting an average of $3.79 a gallon this week. that's down almost 4% from a recent high of $3.94 that we hit on april 2nd. oil prices have been plummeting on plentiful supply. concerns about the economy here and in europe, it all means we may not see the apocalyptic

predictions of $5 gallon of gas this summer. it was about the most low key candidate endorsement of the modern era. then again, these men fought tooth and nail for the gop nomination. last night rick santorum endorsed mitt romney via e-mail to his supporters and the news media. the endorsement itself came in the 13th out of 16 paragraphs and says, quote, governor romney will be that nominee, and he has my endorsement and support to win this, the most critical election of our lifetime. richard lugar was known for a long time in american politics as richard nixon's favorite mayor. that's some measure of how long he's been around. he was mayor of indianapolis before becoming a senator 35 years ago, he's one of the lions in the u.s. senate. a moderate republican in a very red state. tonight in the indiana primary, he's fighting for his political life.

our report from nbc's kelly o'donnell. >> reporter: indiana republican senator dick lugar faced an unusual kind of political peril today. >> we're going to take the republicans out? >> reporter: he's widely respected here. considered unbeatable for decades, but tonight in a stinging defeat, lugar has been rejected by his own party, after serving 36 years. >> he's been a wonderful senator, especially in his early years. but at this point, i feel like it's time for a forward looking person. >> endangers our national security. >> reporter: lugar built a national reputation as a statesman on foreign policy, but made himself vulnerable at home. >> he's out of touch with the people of indiana. he never comes back here. heck, he doesn't even have a home here. >> reporter: that fact, he sold his indiana house back in the 1970s, suddenly hurts him now, when so much of the country is fed up with washington

incumbents. could you have done more to stay connected to your home state? >> i've been perfectly connected all the way along. it's a ridiculous charge. how could anybody be more hoosier? >> reporter: outside conservative groups, including national tea party activists, spent millions attacking lugar as not conservative enough. >> people know they can count on dick lugar when it comes to the tough plays. >> reporter: and backed indiana's two-term state treasurer, richard murdoch. >> are you a tea party candidate? >> i'd like to say i'm a candidate whose a republican with a very broad base. >> reporter: governor mitch daniels a lugar supporter says age and decades in washington may have hurt lugar more than the tea party. >> reporter: is this a tea party effect? >> i think that's a very profound misreading of it. >> reporter: and lugar told me he had been fully warned he would be a target like this. he said it's been an unusual even abusive campaign.

he says the criticism of his age was just another personal attack. he was not ready to retire. he will try to find other ways to keep serving, even when he is no longer a part of the u.s. senate. brian? >> kelly o'donnell in indianapolis tonight. kelly, thanks. north carolina is voting today on a constitutional amendment that would ban not only same sex marriage but also all civil unions and domestic partnerships. if it passes, north carolina would become the 29th state to pass a constitutional amendment defining marriage as solely between a man and a woman. at the john edwards trial today, a former speech writer told the jury she worked for weeks with edwards on versions of a statement, in which he would admit to fathering rielle hunter's child, possibly acknowledge the money from a wealthy friend used to cover up the affair. there was a lot of sadness today among adults who were once kids themselves, and those who now have kids of their own. word arrived today that the

children's book author maurice sendak has died. he was 83 years old. he was considered by many the very best at his craft. and he taught more than one american generation about where the wild things are. our remembrance tonight from nbc's kevin tibbles. >> the night -- >> reporter: quite likely there isn't a story time in america that hasn't included the vivid imagination of maurice sendak. >> particularly the illustrations, really allowed the children to fantasize. >> reporter: sendak wrote more than 20 children's books, illustrated 70 more. most loved, where the wild things are, published in 1963, which tells the story of a little boy's encounter with some scary monsters. and it's a favorite of 5-year-old riley. it's also a favorite of the president, who read it to children at the white house. >> and mack said, i'll eat you up. >> he really valued that time we

call childhood, and understood it as a time that was a time of joy, but also could be a time of sorrow. >> reporter: his books aren't sugary fairy tales, often quite the opposite. dealing with the dark, fearful corners of a child's imagination. he grew up in brooklyn, a sickly child who passed the time drawing and listening to his father's elaborate bedtime stories. >> childhood was not a wonderful time at all. it was very dark. >> reporter: he even named the monsters in his book after his relatives, and once joked with stephen colbert, truth be told, he didn't really like children. >> i like them as few and far between as i do adults. >> reporter: but adults and children love his work. >> i think it's one of the books i think about from my childhood. it was really -- the pictures are so amazing. >> reporter: perhaps like mack, sendak is now saying let the wild rumpus start. kevin tibbles, nbc news, chicago. still ahead as we continue here tonight, "making a

difference," chelsea clinton reporting tonight on how the power of words is helping young people turn their lives around. and up next, the weight of the nation getting past the question of will power. what's really to blame for a nation of exploding waistlines. tonight, there is a surprising new answer.

back now with our reporting on what's being called the weight of the nation. last night we told you about a stunning prediction that by the

year 2030, health experts are telling us 42% of americans will be obese. today at a conference in washington, some sweeping strategies for fighting this epidemic. we get more from our chief science correspondent robert bazell. >> how have you been feeling? >> good. >> reporter: dr. robin golan is on the front lines of the obesity epidemic. and sees its consequences every day. >> our pediatricians are seeing obese 2-year-olds and 4-year-olds, we have 5-year-olds with impaired glucose tolerance. we have 8-year-olds with type ii diabetes. this is a catastrophe. >> most of you are familiar with the shocking statistics. >> reporter: today's recommendations from the prestigious institute of medicine signal a sea change in how we perceive obesity. no longer a question of individual responsibility, but a need to change what's called an obesity promoting environment. calling on corporations, government and individuals to act.

among the panel's recommendations, requiring at least 60 minutes a day of physical activity in schools. public and workplace policy that encourage people of all ages to exercise more. industry wide guidelines on marketing food to children. including healthier choices for kids in restaurants and having healthy food available at all public events. >> the costs of treating obesity related illnesses approaching $2 billion a year, many people on the panel say the nation is ready to act. >> it takes a lot of leadership. we need our mayors to step up to the plate, we need our school superintendents to step up to the plate. >> reporter: with two thirds of americans overweight and one third obese, the problem is becoming so critical it's affecting almost every aspect of our daily lives. there's even worry that airplane seat belts can't protect heavy passengers. >> we skip meals, eat too quickly. we eat foods that are high in sugars and carbohydrates, in

fat. and we eat more of them. >> reporter: bad habits, the panel say, in an environment that encourages them. robert bazell, nbc news, new york. up next here tonight, more weather records shattered. and the woman who would not let anything stop her from crossing the finish line. [ alarm beeping, motor revving ]

[ motors revving ]

♪ [ motor turns over ] [ liquid pouring ] [ chain saw buzzing ] [ male announcer ] what if everything ran on gas? then again, what if everything didn't? the 100% electric, zero-gas nissan leaf. innovation for the planet. innovation for all. ♪ government weather experts are out with the numbers tonight. for april, confirming what a lot of us already knew. it was warm, it was the third warmest on record for the lower 48 with warmer than average temperatures engulfing most of the country. the january through april period this year was the warmest on record for the u.s., with 26 states seeing their warmest start to the year since records have been kept. on average, the temperature was more than five degrees above normal. bob stewart has died. he was a giant in the game show business.

he created some icons in the trade. "the price is right," "to tell the truth," "password," "pyramid," and the list goes on. he started in radio after serving in world war ii, he once said the best shows are the ones that make people talk back to the tv. bob stewart, legendary tv producer was 91. and a legend of the bench has died. federal judge james browning was put on the bench by president kennedy. in fact, he held the bible at jfk's swearing-in. the montana native, also a world war ii vet went on to shape the ninth circuit court. the courthouse in san francisco bears his name. he's survived by his wife of 70 years. judge browning was 93. after a grueling 16 days, one of the london marathon's most remarkable competitors finally finished, and you can hear the well deserved applause. claire lomas was paralyzed from the chest down after a riding accident five years ago. she managed to cover the 26.2

mile course with the help of a bionic suit that senses her motion and tells her legs to move. her daughter, 15 months old, was right there as her mom crossed the finish line. there's fascinating new research that shows what happens in our brains when we brag about ourselves. they say it has the same pleasure effect as food and money do on the brain. they estimate that these days people devote about 40% of every day speech to telling other people what they feel or think. very same dynamic that fuels social media, like facebook and twitter. up next here tonight. making a difference. a hollywood bigwig's unlikely new buddy project.

time now for our making a difference report tonight. it's hard to imagine a bigger contrast than the one between the worlds of hollywood power players and those in california's criminal justice system. but there is a program that brings these two worlds together. and it's making a difference for young people who might otherwise be completely lost. chelsea clinton has tonight's "making a difference" report. >> i wasn't supposed to come to

jail. i was supposed to be free in the world. >> i want to change and make my mother proud. >> reporter: they may be young, but these teens are writing about their grown-up struggles in poetry and pros. >> another eye for an eye makes the eye go blind. >> reporter: it's called inside out writers, this innovative california program allows hundreds of juveniles, some facing decades in prison, to find their voice. >> to a lot of the public these kids are disposable. they're voiceless, they're forgotten. >> reporter: scott budnick is known for his work producing the popular "hangover" movies. he also volunteers at a juvenile hall in los angeles. after years of teaching classes, scott budnick met profit walker, then a teenager sentenced to six years for assault. >> the more i began to read of malcolm x and mahatma gandhi and martin luther king and all these great figures. i was like, wow, i can do something better.

>> reporter: when he left the juvenile system and went to adult prison it was a different world. >> it's jim crow south inside prison. there's benches for races. there's water fountains for races. >> i saw them here as young kids, i had to watch them go into an adult prison system that, if no one intervenes is going to grind them up and spit them out. >> reporter: that's when budnick and walker had an idea. >> straight across -- >> reporter: a college program for young offenders in adult prisons. it rewards inmates who behave well and want to learn. letting them study together and live together. like this one at drc norco, now the program is spreading to prisons across the state. for student inmates, it gives them hope. do you remember the moment when you believed that you could have a different future? >> getting that first report card and getting all a's, i was like, okay, i can do this. i can do this.

>> reporter: profit walker is now out of prison, earning his engineering degree at loyola mary mount university. he says the college program changed him. >> it's when you begin to believe in yourself and accept the power that you have, how great you could be. >> i've given myself time, space and attention to grow. >> reporter: back at inside out writers, those young dreams could not be contained. >> it gets me out of -- these walls around me. i have my own freedom when i write. >> reporter: profit walker was the first graduate from the college program. today 75 inmates have graduated and currently a hundred more are enrolled. the return rate to the prisons drops below 3%. the state average is higher than 60. >> huge population, but yet every little bit helps. chelsea clinton, thank you. >> thank you. that is our broadcast for this tuesday night. thank you for being here with

us. i'm brian williams, and as always, we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com good evening and thanks for being with us. i'm raj mathai. >> and i'm jessica aguirre. new details tonight in the disappearance of sierra lamar. they have the red car. now, what, if anything, do they have on its owners? one day after the sheriff's department announced it was looking for a red car the department announces it has it. but what does it have on the missing teen, sierra lamar? bay area's kris sanchez joins us live with what investigators are saying about that red car and what they're asking from the public now,