tonight here on "nightly news" -- devil in the details. what is this about tax hikes to pay for health care? the president makes his case on our broadcast tonight. the hot button issue at the supreme court confirmation hearing, what does perry mason have to do with it? need to know basis what if a test could determine you were going to get alzheimers would you want to know? vets in toyland. they serve their nation in war, now these veterans are making a difference by hand for kids in need. difference by hand for kids in need. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening. the president tried again today to be heard on the subject of health care in an interview you

are about to hear he said today the worst thing would be to do nothing at all. whatever washington comes up with will affect every one of us and the newest idea for how to help pay for it all is to get the money from the people who have the money. the wealthiest americans. our chief medical editor, dr. nancy snyderman interviewed the president earlier today, she is standing by at the white house. first, kelly o'donnell at the capitol with a look at where all this stands tonight. kelly, good evening. good evening. the heat on health care was really turned up today. it was the president who lit the fire. after lots of rumblings here in congress they were losing momentum, might miss their own august deadline, the president jumped in. >> well, i think that the most important thing for people to understand is that the system as it is unsustainable. >> reporter: that declaration delivered with one of the president's high profile tools, sit down interviews offered to

the network top medical reporters amplifying the message with a quiet power of a rose garden backdrop. >> i want to be clear. >> reporter: tactics to leverage mr. obama's appeal and persuasion to demand action on health care reform. >> we are closer than we have ever been to fundamental reforms that provide people choice, make health care affordable. >> reporter: on capitol hill, a milestone. plans from both the house and senate. >> aye. >> reporter: today with no republican support, democrats on a key senate key pushed through a sweeping plan. >> health care coverage that is available, undeniable, and affordable. >> this legislation has not one single provision that is aimed at reducing the cost of health care. >> reporter: the house and senate plans include one of the president's must haves, a government run program to compete with private insurers. plus a requirement the president originally opposed but will now

accept. a mandate requiring all americans get coverage and that big employers provide insurance to workers. but big questions and disagreements remain. like, how to pay for what could be a trillion dollar program. the house calls for raising taxes on families making more than $350,000 a year. the senate dislikes that formula, but so far has not provided a way to pay for it. and brian, there is still distance to go. the senate finance committee is wrestling with that issue of cost. and trying to get some republican support. all of this is happening in a fierce environment with lobbyists, competing interests, the two major parties all going after each other. and the president promising to keep the pressure on. brian. kelly o'donnell on the hill. across town in washington to the other part of this we mentioned our chief medical editor, dr. nancy snyderman talked to the president about health care. we saw some of it. nancy is with us from the white house lawn with more. nancy, good evening. >> good evening, brian.

just three days after being abroad, the president today jumped into the health care reform debate, reenergized and pledging change and started with the ceremony in the rose garden then sat down with me this afternoon. what i haven't heard anyone ask is for the american public to pony up too, this is going to require some give for all the stake holders involved? >> let me talk about what i think the american people are going to have to do. first of all the american people have to recognize that there is no such thing as a free lunch. so we can't just provide care to everybody, it has no cost whatsoever, you don't end up having to make any decisions. >> so self-responsibility. >> self-responsibility is critical. this is probably not something that is ledge lated. >> reporter: on the issue of individual mandate for health insurance the president said he has been persuaded. >> i have changed my mind. what i was persuaded of. if we can phase this in so we know there is affordable

insurance out there, and in fact, a lot of the uninsured are relatively young people who can be insured fairly cheaply, that that actually will drive down the cost for everybody. >> reporter: how to pay for fixing the nation's health care system. mr. obama has repeatedly said he is against any direct tax on people's health care benefits. >> what i have said is that the better way to do this is to finance most of reform through reallocating dollars that are already being paid into the system. >> on managing his own health? mr. president, i know you hate this, but, is the battle with the cigarettes going okay. i would be remiss as a cancer surgeon to not ask you how you are doing? >> i am doing well. thank you. the real issue is timing. the clock is ticking. this fall that's when the real battle will begin. nancy snyderman, thank you forethat. meantime, the president's supreme court nominee, sonia sotomayor was answering senators' questions on what was

her third day now of confirmation hearings. there was a lot of talk, as you might imagine about her view of the constitution. but also, her television viewing as a kid came up. and how it shaped her as an adult. our justice correspondent pete williams on duty at the court building tonight. pete, good evening. >> reporter: brian, nothing has arisen so far to derail this nomination. and judge sotomayor seemed to show today that she knows it. today's hearing did have a genuine perry mason moment. >> what is the settled law in america about abortion? >> reporter: they pushed farther for her views on abortion, tom coc ochc coburn asked -- >> should that have any bearing as we look at the law? >> i can't answer that in the abstract. we don't make policy choices in the court. >> reporter: she said she never discussed abortion with president obama.

>> i was asked no question by anyone including the president about my views on any specific legal issue. >> reporter: fire fighters from new haven who oppose her nomination sat behind her today, reminders in uniform, of one of her most controversial decisions, her ruling against them on reverse discrimination. but throughout the hearing, judge sotomayor grew more relaxed and confident, free with gestures and flashes of humor. >> plenty of stories. >> reporter: she painted a picture today of a moment from her public housing childhood in the bronx when she drew inspiration from the family black and white tv, an early hero she said was fictional defense lawyer perry mason who lost one case in 271 episodes. she vividly recalled one that ended in a conversation with the da, hamilton burger. >> perry said to the prosecutor it must cause you some pain having expended all that effort in your case to have the charges dismissed?

and the prosecutor looked up and said -- "no, my job as a prosecutor is to do justice." and justice is served when a guilty man is convicted and when an innocent man is not. and i thought to myself, that's quite amazing. >> reporter: that inspired freshman senator al franken of minnesota, a man with his own past in tv. >> what was the one case in perry mason? that burger won? >> wish i remember the name of the episode. >> you don't remember the case. >> i know i should remember the name of it. i haven't looked at the episodes. >> didn't the white house prepare you for that? >> does the senator from minnesota going to tell us which episode that was? >> i don't know. that's why i was asking.

>> reporter: for the record, the one that perry mason lost was "the case of the deadly verdict." in 1963, when sonia sotomayor was 9 years old, brian. >> pete williams covering justice and a little bit of television tonight from the court building for us. pete, thanks. the naacp is celebrating its 100th anniversary. and when you think about our present era, just the first two stories in our broadcast tonight, after all, about the first african-american president, and his nomination of the first latina justice to the supreme court, then you understand why some folks are asking some hard questions about the relevance of an organization for "the advancement of colored people." but the answer isn't just that simple. and our own ron allen is covering tonight. ♪ >> reporter: as the naacp celebrates 100, its new, young leader takes center stage. >> good morning, my name is benjamin todd jealous.

>> ben jealous is 36, 17th president to lead this organization, steeped in history and tradition. >> reporter: why did you want few lead this organization? >> my family has belonged to this organization for five generations. i have a lot of opinions about how to run the place better. >> reporter: gel us the biracial son of a white father and black mother, ivy league grad, rhodes scholar, former head of a black newspaper association who later led a human rights foundation. and now is trying to win the naacps trust. >> he hasn't been in sort of the traditional mold of african-american civil rights leadership to that extent there are people who don't know who he is. >> reporter: jealous' age was the reason he was chose tine rebrand an organization that first met here in this great hall in new york city a century ago. a proud hiss but an uncertain future. with an african-american in the white house and many discrimination battles won, the question is whether the naacp is still necessary.

>> we fight for good schools, we fight for good jobs, we fight for safe communities for everybody. we have outlawed racial profiling and the death penalty in new mexico. we are working for major reforms in the criminal justice system, kansas, and california. >> where are we from? >> reporter: he tried to do that by recruiting young activists. more than 500,000 people belong. most over 50 years old. but the fastest growing group is under 25. >> i first don't approach them with hey, join the naacp. i talk about issues going on in their communities, how do they feel? do they want to do something about it? >> our organization is changing. we are not fighting the same battles. >> reporter: jealous says the battle now is to close the social and economic achievement gap between people of color and mainstream america. >> we have come 100 years on this good road and we ain't turning back now, y'all. thank you and god bless. >> reporter: a fight for justice and equality he insists must be carried on. ron allen, nbc news, new york.

when we continue on a wednesday night, the double-murder in florida, the adoptive parents of the special needs children, and the bizarre story that is still playing out. later, the same hands senate have fired. attack at 53. i had felt fine. but turns out... my cholesterol and other risk factors... increased my chance of a heart attack. i should've done something. now, i trust my heart to lipitor. when diet and exercise are not enough, adding lipitor may help. unlike some other cholesterol lowering medications, lipitor is fda approved to reduce the risk... of heart attack, stroke, and certain kinds of heart surgeries... in patients with several common risk factors... or heart disease. lipitor has been extensively studied... with over 16 years of research. lipitor is not for everyone, including people with liver problems... and women who are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant. you need simple blood tests to check for liver problems. tell your doctor if you are taking other medications, or if you have any muscle pain or weakness.

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bruising, bleeding or paleness. help bridge the gap. ask your rheumatologist... if enbrel is right for you, and about our co-pay and financial support programs. booster ignition, liftoff of endeavor. >> a it never gets old. but can be difficult. turns out the sixth attempt was the charm. after five previous tries, space shuttle "endeavour" lifted off today. crew of seven on board, launching from the very spot at cape canaveral where apollo 11 set out for the moon 40 years ago tomorrow. this one is a 16-day mission to the international space station. again tonight a new twist in that awful family murder case in florida. the victims, the adoptive parents of so many children with special needs, and they were beloved locally.

it now appears that as carefully planned as the crime appears to have been, there was one thing the perpetrators did not expect. tonight police are now talking to a woman, we haven't heard from before in this case. nbc's mark potter live in pensacola with an update on where all this stand. mark, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, to you, brian. authorities say they have arrested all seven men. allegedly involved in that murderous home invasion. they are now concentrating on the periphery of the case. today they brought in for questioning pamela laverne long, a realtor in gulf breeze, florida, who is said to be cooperating and is not under arrest. she is being asked about her reported friendship with leonard patrick gonzalez jr., one of the men accused of in the attack. meanwhile, investigators say they have always wondered why the attackers who seemed so careful in plank the raid, did not first turn off the billings' security cameras which recorded the home invasion and led to their arrests. well detectives say they believe

that some one was supposed to have turned out the cameras by remote control but failed to do so. now a person of interest is being sought by the authorities. as for those nine adopted children who lost their new parents, a relatives say because of such a large outpouring of public support, a trust fund is now being set up for those children's care. mark potter with what continues to be a sad story out of florida. mark, thanks. when we continue in a moment, would you want to know? who tried activia would recommend it. julia tolbert, tell me your story. well, my irregularity was only occasional and i honestly thought it was just a part of life. what made you first try activia? i saw this ad, and i said, ok, i love yogurt and hey, it worked! humm. announcer: activia is clinically proven to help regulate your digestive system in two weeks when eaten every day. ♪ activia and now try a delicious blend of cereal, fiber and activia yogurt.

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science correspondent robert bazell. >> reporter: the average american has a 15% chance of developing alzheimers disease by age 85. but genetic tests can show for some the risk is higher. dr. robert green of boston university says most doctors have assumed people would react badly to such information. >> people might have a devastating psychological response, that could be very common. >> reporter: green set out to test the theory in volunteers including this 44-year-old woman, a health systems researcher. her mother suffers alzheimers so she always knew she may be at high risk. another volunteer, this 60-year-old, an electrical engineer also had a mother with alzheimers. dr. green measured apo-e, one variant increases alzheimers risk. one in four americans carry one copy of the gene. if they carry one copy, they are three times as likely as the general population to get alzheimers disease.

if they carry two copies they're ten times as likely. tonya got the worst news possible, a very high risk. her reaction? >> it is not depressing. it is a piece of information. i chose not to be depressed or react in a negative way. it's just how i am. >> reporter: dr. green says none of those in the first 162 people he tested had bad reactions. although he points out all were screened for any previous psychological problems. >> under those circumstances we found that there was no harm in providing this information. >> reporter: even if it was bad? >> even if it was bad. >> reporter: chris got good news but says if it were different he too would have been okay. >> so that was a relief. i was willing to accept the result. >> reporter: tonya says knowledge about her future empowers her as it may well help millions of others. robert bazell, nbc news, boston. a strange thing happening right now in the heat of july here in new york, it sounds just

like the holiday season. and it turns out to be those bells. the salvation army volunteer bell ringers with those red kettles, while they may seem out of season, for the first time since the recession back in the 70s, they have been forced to fan out early in 25 cities from new york to cleveland to lawrence, kansas. because they need the money for those they care for. they remind us, 89 cents on each dollar given goes to those in need. >> up anext here tonight -- american veterans.

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the retired general chuck jager, the man famous for busting through the sound barrier has sent out an e-mail to friend and anyone who will read it hoping to focus some attention on the death of a great american who received very little attention. his name was daryl powers, his nak name was "shifty" and he

died of cancer and just plain old age on the 17th of june. shifty parachuted into normandy with the easy company of the 101st airborne, a name you may know from "band of brothers" in which he was made famous as a recurring character. shifty grew up shooting squirrels in the woods. he spent three years in combat in europe. he came home and didn't talk about the war ever. as general jager put it no parade when he died, no 24/7 news coverage, no big event at the staples center. but the nation lost a hero when shifty died at age 86. this nation's military veterans come out of the service with a whole lot to offer, leadership skills, resourcefulness, and we have discovered another skill, toy building. tonight richard engel who so often reports for us from the battlefield has our story from denver on some men who are "making a difference." >> reporter: veterans at holly creek retirement center near

denver are on a mission. >> i work with my hands all my life. >> reporter: each one has a specific task, a skill, a background. the holly creek veterans make toys. >> those little cars remind me when i was a kid there were five, six of us would get together in the empty lot next door. we had little cars. >> reporter: marlin organized the project eight years ago to help kids living in poverty. >> this is doing as much good for the toymakers as it is for the kids. >> reporter: retirees have produced and sent out 180,000 hand made toys. >> for $35 we can send the box of 250 toys. >> reporter: carrying out that mission, georgia's national guard in afghanistan's poor capiza province outside kabul. normally the soldiers train afghan police. this time, toy delivery to the school. 860 boys, ages 7 to 16. art class was in session.

but a few taps on an old bell signalled school was over. time to get out the toys. the soldiers were mobbed. hands reaching into their pockets and into their helmets. most of these children work in the fields after school, this is a very poor village. and for the vast majority of them, these are the first toys they have ever received. and they're very excited about it. in ten minutes. 500 cars were in children's hands. >> if you win the hearts and minds of the little kids. eventually we can win the hearts and mind of the parents and let them understand we are here to help. >> reporter: watching the boys play it seemed to work. >> hopefully somewhere in the world some kids are getting this, bid tharg roadthi this -- building their roads and tunnels. it's bringing joy. >> reporter: spending joy from american troops who hung up their uniforms decades ago. richard engel, nbc news, afghanistan. that's our broadcast for this wednesday night.

thank you for being wither. i'm brian williams. we hope to see you back here tomorrow evening. we hope to see you back here tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com