on our broadcast here tonight. jobs. and tonight the news is the best in months. is it any kind of a turning point. fever rising. protests over health care. organized protests and genuine anger across the country. the lesson plan for america's schools during swine flu season. what to expect this fall. and making a difference in the great outdoors. also tonight, a troubling development in the death of a famous tv pitchman. development in the death of a famous tv pitchman. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

good evening. because we are in a recession, good economic news is hard to come by these days. but as one economist put it today's numbers show we are going from massive job losses to just big job losses. the unemployment rate is 9.4% from 9.5%. 247,000 jobs were lost in july. but the good news is that is about half of the job loss from the month before. add the fact that stocks hit a new peak for the year today and the white house among others visibly breathing a bit easier. cnbcs erin burnett at the new york stock exchange to start us off. good evening. good evening, brian. this jobs' number was really a test for both wall street and for main street. consumer confidence has been ticking up a little bit as of

late. and stocks are up 50% from their lows in march. but all of that was based on hope that the recession is actually ending. >> reporter: with more than 14.5 million americans out of work, president obama is not ready to declare victory just yet. >> we have a lot further to go. as far as i'm concerned we will not have a true recovery as long as we are losing jobs. >> reporter: today's jobs report showed that at least the country is losing jobs more slowly. the average monthly job loss for three months was 331,000, roughly half the drop recorded in the previous six months. while manufacturers continue to struggle, laying off 52,000 workers in july, that's the smallest decline in a year. automobile manufacturing actually added 28,000 jobs as car makers reopened plants. another bright spot, health care. up 17,000. still, the drop in the unemployment rate may not be something to celebrate.

>> the reality is part of the reason it declined is fewer people are looking for jobs even though they need jobs. >> reporter: many have needed those jobs for a long time. 5 million americans have been unemployed more than six months. and 1.5 million may lose extended unemployment benefits by year's end. >> they are finding it very difficult to find new jobs. this is not a job creating environment. >> reporter: some economists point to an increase in july's number of hours worked as a sign employers may hire soon. mary morales, in sun valley california, laid off half her employees this year and is now increasing hours for the workers she has left. she is not ready to start hiring yet but she is hopeful. >> this year we are going to end it on a downturn. i think next year we'll see a big difference. >> that is really part of the issue here. we have had an improvement in how bad things are, brian, as you said from massive to just big job losses. still if you add up all the jobs lost in this recession and just

the expectation of immigrants coming into this country over the next five years, one economist told me today this country needs to create as many as 15 million jobs. it's possible, but it shows that we have a very long road ahead of us. back to you. echl rin burnett, at the nyse starting us off. now to another bigger to on the radar these days. health care. at members of congress return to their districts for their month long summer break to hear from their constituents, the shouting at town meetings has some times reached a fever pitch. it is raising the question is it genuine raw anger or focus, organized anger, or perhaps a mixture of both? our own kelly o'donnell live in washington tonight with more on this. kelly, good evening. good evening, brian. members of congress expect to face plenty of tough questions back in their home towns from people who want to know what is going on with health care reform. but the surprise is just how out of hand these townhall meetings

are getting and who is behind the spectacle. temperatures rising across the country. from florida to michigan, texas to colorado. the townhall meeting is democracy 101. >> we're not a member of a mob. >> reporter: forums for free speech. >> i actually have read this bill! >> yea! >> reporter: but many have turned into free-for-alls. >> obama has got to go! >> at one point it felt like people were more worried about drowning each other out. >> reporter: with crowd shouting to get in and where members of congress, like michigan democrat john dingell get shouted down. much of the passion and protest comes from conservative voices opposed to the democrats' plan for a government-run option for health care. the democratic national committee in web video charged these protests are staged. >> now, desperate republicans and their well-funded allies are organizing angry mobs.

>> reporter: some anger on display gets stoked by the provocative meg phone of rush limbaugh who went so far as accusing democrats of wanting the socialized medicine of nazi germany. >> the obama health care logo is damn close to a nazi swastika logo. >> reporter: to encourage attendance, conservative organizers acknowledge they send e-mail alerts to members but argue the anger is real. >> i think that the politicians should be careful about so easily dismissing this many people showing up and participating in the process. >> reporter: virginia democrat jim more ran expects to get an earful. >> it's fine to be opposed. i don't think it is fine to come in with the objective of disrupting the townhall meetings. >> reporter: brian, with 535 members of congress there are literally hundreds of these meetings scheduled. members i have talked to said they don't want to cancel any of these events but they are concerned that some people might stay away. brian. kelly o'donnell in

washington tonight. kelly, thanks. now to the white house and the view from there. we are joined to night from nbc news political director, chief white house correspondent, chuck todd, chuck, you and i were talking earlier about how the country, even the week, can look differently from inside the white house than it does out in the country. >> it does. you know you go from where the white house is on this. they look back at this week and they see that they have rescued two americans from north korea, that they broke a barrier at the supreme court with the confirmation of soon to be justice sonia sotomayor, that a major terrorist was killed in, of the taliban, a figure that is believed, that is somebody might be able to break up the taliban in such a way, that the cash for clunkers turned out to be a success, good unemployment news. they sit here and say it is pretty good. but then this health care debate and town halls kelly was reporting on. it obviously has the white house concerned. they have dispatched folks on to capitol hill. robert gibbs earlier today pushed back on the nazi

comparison saying that those criticisms put some conservatives like rush limbaugh on thin ice. and a lot of times once an argument gets down to where you start throwing nazi analogies at each other it is almost a way of ending the argument and it could end up backfiring which is what the white house is hoping for. but these aides that have gone on capitol hill, they're trying to infuse some steel into the spines of the democrats saying "look put some blinders on, you are going to feel some noise. you are going to feel some heat." guess what you have some good news to tout on the economy. some good news to tout on the recovery act. and that should translate into you supporting us and being with us on health care, brian. all right. we'll stay with the heat and the noise and all of it when we are back at this on monday. chuck todd from the white house on a friday night. chuck, thanks. chuck mentioned this development. this morning around 9:45, president obama signed the bill giving that popular cash for clunkers car program an infusion of cash to keep it going. also tonight, florida senator mel martinez,

republican, said today he is quitting his job, resigning from the senate for no particular reason, he says just his desire to move on. mind you he had already announced he wasn't running for re-election in 2010. apparently that wouldn't get him out of the place fast enough. florida's governor charlie christe now has to appoint a replacement. he said he would not maneuver to appoint himself. word came last night the u.s. military believes that it has taken out a man they wanted the number one taliban target, hunted for years, believed to have carried out several spectacular terrorist attacks. now he has been killed in a missile attack and one of the taliban strong holds. our chief foreign correspondent richard engel is with us from kabul tonight with details on what finally brought down apparently this wanted man. richard, good evening. >> good evening, brian. the u.s. had tried to kill massoud several times.

the u.n. blames him for 70% of suicide attacks in pakistan. charismatic, feared, with a $5 million u.s. bounty on his head, taliban commander massoud was pakistan's most wanted man. but around 1:00 a.m. wednesday, taliban sources tell nbc news, a u.s. drone fired two missiles killing massoud in the village zanghra, south waziristan. his body was quickly buried. >> once the ground verification reconfirms which i think is almost confirmed. then we will be 100% sure. >> reporter: officials said massoud rarely photographed suffered from diabetes and kidney problems. he was being treated at his father-in-law's house wednesday. an armed u.s. drone was close by. >> they keep somebody under surveillance for a long time, watch him, day in, day out, and then nail him when they decided it is appropriate. >> reporter: only 35 years old,

massoud commanded 10,000 to 20,000 fighters. he is blamed for some of pakistan's most brutal attacks including the 2008 bombing of the marriot hotel in islamabad killing more than 50. and the 2007 assassination of former pakistani prime minister benazir bhutto. her husband is now pakistan's president. for him, killing massoud was personal, revenge for his wife. taliban leaders tell nbc news, they were already meeting today to choose a successor. >> i still believe it will take some time to regroup the taliban and for the new leader to establish his leadership. >> reporter: but massoud's death is unlikely to weaken the taliban, fighting u.s. troops across the border in afghanistan. already this is shaping up to be another deadly month here in afghanistan. in just the last 48 hours, brian, five americans and three british soldiers have been

killed. >> richard, you touched on this in your report, a short term or long, how will we feel the aftereffects of the death of this terrorist? >> what it does it strengthen cooperation and gives encouragement in relation in counterterrorism between the united states and pakistan. it shows that when the two countries do cooperate, they can find places in areas where they don't have troops on the ground. brian. >> chief foreign correspondent richard engel tonight finds him in kabul, afghanistan. richard, thanks as always. the associated press is reporting tonight and nbc news has confirmed, eunice kennedy shriver is in critical condition at a cape cod hospital. her husband, children and grandchildren are at her side. the 88-year-old founder of the special olympics, sister of course of president kennedy, suffered a series of strokes earlier this year. still to come on our broadcast as "nightly news" continues on a friday night. when students come down with swine flu. what is a school supposed to do?

there is new guidelines tonight before the bell rings on the school year in the fall. later, how teaching a kid to fish can go a long way towards making a difference in a lot of lives. seeing the whole picture. not be ask your doctor about trilipix. statin to lower bad cholesterol, along with diet, adding trilipix can lower fatty triglycerides and raise good cholesterol to help improve all three cholesterol numbers. trilipix has not been shown to prevent heart attacks or stroke more than a statin alone. trilipix is not for everyone, including people with liver, gallbladder, or severe kidney disease, or nursing women. tell your doctor about all the medicines you take and if you are pregnant or may become pregnant. blood tests are needed before and during treatment to check for liver problems. contact your doctor if you develop unexplained muscle pain or weakness, as this can be a sign of a rare but serious side effect. this risk may be increased when trilipix is used with a statin. if you cannot afford your medication, call 1-866-4-trilipix for more information.

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visit your ford or lincoln mercury dealer. i'm thinking now would be a great time. the federal government today had some guidance for parents and communities worried about the expected resurgence of swine flu just as schools open for the fall term. they're urging precautions but of course no panic. our chief science correspondent robert bazell has the latest from washington. >> reporter: most schools should try to stay open this fall and winter even if they have cases

of swine flu. that message today from top federal officials who also say they expect some outbreaks could get so bad that some schools will have to close. but the decision should always be made by local authorities. >> it is now clear that closure of schools is rarely indicated even if h1/n1 is in the school. but you also increase the number of kids who may be unsupervised. you may add social stresses in the community. so there is a definite balancing in the decision of whether or not to close a school. >> reporter: the officials emphasized as they have all along that sick kids and staff should stay home. but now they say new research shows some one need remain home only 24 hours after a fever has subsided. not the seven days recommended before. >> as we have said consistently through this outbreak we are relying on the science for the guidance we are providing. >> reporter: at the height of the outbreak last spring, close to a half million kids were out of school nationwide. and the experts say, based on

what they know now that was probably an overreaction. >> we can't stop the tide of flu from coming in. but we can reduce the number of people who become severely ill from it. >> reporter: before a vaccine becomes available, the best prevention measures in addition to keeping the sick home are the familiar admonitions to wash hands frequently and cover coughs. but some vaccines should be available by mid october. the first trials in the u.s. in a handful of volunteers are just beginning. and scientists should know more about their safety and effectiveness in about six weeks. when there is a vaccine, schools will give much of it on a voluntary basis and federal officials said schools should be working now to get the required permission slips from parents. officials say that schools that have many children with underlying health conditions might have to close much more quickly. as for colleges, students who live in dormitories and can't get home so easily create a special set of problems and

officials will have separate guidelines for colleges within a few weeks. brian. robert bazell in washington for us tonight. bob, thanks. we learned surprising news tonight having to do with the death of the man who has been called the most ubiquitous television figure in the country. the rapid fire tv pitchman, billy mays died suddenly back in june at age 50. the initial autopsy showed heart disease the tonight we have learned the official autopsy also shows cocaine use was a contributing factor to his death. there are new concerns about a-30 airbuses and airspeed indicat indicators, the equipment that may have played a role in the air france crash that killed 228 people. federal investigators have reportedly found what they say are anomalies involving the indicators with the ntsb now checking on two incidents including a northwest airlines flight back in june. when we come back here tonight, what is happening right now across this country that will be felt no doubt for generations to come.

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that causes bleeding, you should not use plavix. when taking plavix alone or with some other medicines including aspirin, the risk of bleeding may increase so tell your doctor before planning surgery. and always talk to your doctor before taking aspirin or other medicines with plavix, especially if you've had a stroke. if you develop fever or, unexplained weakness or confusion, tell your doctor promptly as these may be signs of a rare but potentially life-threatening condition called ttp, which has been reported rarely, sometimes in less than two weeks after starting therapy. other rare but serious side effects may occur. secretary of state hillary clinton getting a move on during her tour of africa. the secretary down right cut a rug at a dinner party wednesday night. it came prior to a meeting today when the secretary of state met with south africa's anti-apartheid leader and former president, of course, nelson mandela.

the secretary called her meeting and visit to mandela's archives an emotional and inspiring experience. now to a sign of the times in baghdad these days. something appearing there that hasn't been seen on those city streets in all the years of war and blackouts and car bombs -- working traffic lights. one of them is up and activated. there will be seven shortly. all of them coming out since the violence has subsided. there is less fear of violence while stopped at a light. one traffic officer called it "a new campaign to control the soul of the street" as he called it. and the notoriously wild drivers in baghdad. back in this country, there is word of the first drop in the u.s. birth rate since the beginning of the decade. new numbers out from the government show u.s. births in '08 drops almost 2% from a year before. it is a big deal because it can affect the economy, things like school funding for years to come. no one is exactly sure why. but there is speculation people are simply having fewer children in an economic downturn.

here in new york, legendary new york yankees paid tribute to a legend of the ring. boxing great muhammad ali received a standing "o" at home plate. he is 67. has parkinson's disease. the champ was welcomed to the stadium by captain derek jeter. grown yankees act like little boys around the man known as "the greatest there ever was." when we come back, "making a difference" through the gift of the great outdoors. ng's complic. not really. with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service shipping is easy. if it fits, it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. that's not complicated. come on. how about...a handshake. alright. priority mail flat rate boxes only from the postal service. a simpler way to ship.

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time for our "making a difference" report tonight. and this evening we have a story about a teacher who is giving kids skills for life by taking them away beyond the classroom. our report tonight from nbc's ron allen. >> pull! >> reporter: john anomi's classroom is the great outdoors. that's why he is at this gun range. a lesson about shooting, and patience and persistence and trying to inspire his students from class compass academy to dream big. >> i did it.

>> there is an element of trying to give our kids the ability. [ gunfire ] >> to see something out of the box. and to participate in. >> reporter: that box is the inner city. and anomi tries to provide a way out with a camp that is a year-round academic and recreation program. sharing his passion for hunting and outdoor sports because he believes that made all the difference for him growing up in a troubled home. >> there was some abuse. you know, and i found critters. i found mother nature because i was trying to escape that abuse. i love the outdoors but i love my kids even more. the rule for classes here is what? >> reporter: skeptics told him he shouldn't be teaching inner city kids about guns. but anomi insists he gets positive results. >> good shot! you know, nobody is running around the streets with guns from our end. our kids are the ones respecting them. those are tools that i use to alter kids' lives. >> reporter: when he is not out here doing this, anomi teaches

6th grade. one year during summer vacation he decided to take some of his students on outings, fishing, raflting, shooting bow and arrows and that's how camp compass academy began. 15 years later, 60 kids attend, most teenagers. the waiting list is years long. anomi awards academic achievement with hunting and fishing trips to places these kids would never go. alexander is heading to college. >> he introduced me to an outside world. >> reporter: mike says she steered him out of trouble. >> he is my 6th grade teacher. like a father to me. >> reporter: like a parent. and always, always teaching. >> if you don't weak up every morning wanting to get something out of life. it is going to walk right by you. >> reporter: passing on what he has learned about life in the great outdoors. ron allen, nbc news, allentown. that's our broadcast for this friday night and for this week. and we thank you for being with us. i'm brian williams, lester holt will be here with you this

weekend. and then i get to see you right back here on monday. in the meantime, have a good weekend. in the meantime, have a good weekend. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com