into the streets. a massive rally in the nation's capital. against big government and the president. on the road. president obama in search of a friendlier crowd. >> fired up! >> fired up! >> ready to go! taking his health care message out of town. missing. new developments in the desperate search for a yale student who vanished. she was supposed to get married tomorrow. and on a mission. a world war ii fighter pilot going back to germany to find a world war ii fighter pilot going back to germany to find what he left behind. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening. a sea of people as far as the

eye could see stretched from the capitol to the white house today. tens of thousands frustrated and angry over what they feel is too much big government in their lives and a president they don't trust in the white house. at the same time president obama was on the road far from those protests trying to sell his message on health care in minnesota. we have it all covered, and we begin on capitol hill with nbc's tom costello and today's massive rally. good evening, tom. >> reporter: good evening to you. park police estimate the crowd at tens of thousands. our own people think hundreds of thousands of people were here to have a voice or to express their voice to capitol hill. so many people d.c. police had to close down pennsylvania avenue for a time to accommodate everybody making their way to the national mall. their message, no to runaway government and no to government health care. they came by the tens of thousands carrying a vast array of protest signs and claiming to represent every state in the union.

>> do you have any idea what it takes to get someone from montana to come to d.c.? >> reporter: united in their anger at president obama, congress, and a government they say as out of control. >> well, i'm tired of the communism that's in washington, d.c. >> we're not right wing radicals. we are american people. we're just like everybody else out there, and we have something to say. >> i stand before you an angry man. >> reporter: jim came from new york blaming president obama's chrysler bailout for losing his jeep dealership. >> jeep was seized to me, stolen from me who no compensation whatsoever. >> reporter: mark came from new hampshire. >> health care is broken. i'm an employer. i can't provide it to my employees. it's broken. it needs to be fixed. fix it. don't screw it up any more than it is. >> reporter: most of the crowd made up of conservatives and independents with different agendas. >> we are losing our country. we think muslims are moving in and taking over. >> reporter: but united in their

distrust of big government and angry at billion and trillion dollar bailouts and rising debt. >> you're spending too much money we don't have. they're going to put future generations into debt they will never get out of. >> we the people have had enough. >> reporter: this rally organized by a collection of conservative and libertarian groups. >> too much power, too little freedom. it is time to restore constitutional government. >> reporter: almost all echoing a common theme. >> we must stop this government takeover of health care. >> reporter: and coming after a summer of heated town hall meetings and congressman joe wilson's outburst at president obama during wednesday's address to congress. >> you lie! >> reporter: among today's organizers former house majority leader dick armey, now the chairman of conservative action group freedom works. >> i think if it's necessary, we'll come back next year at this time. >> reporter: a cross section of america determined to be heard. a handful of republican

lawmakers also here today, but the republican leadership largely wasn't. they met with organizers on thursday, but by and large, amy, this was a grassroots reunion, if you will, or an organization that brought so many people here to washington. back to you. >> tom costello, thank you. and now to minneapolis and another rally. this one by the president. part of his campaign to change health care. nbc's mike viqueira has that part of the story from the white house. good evening, mike. >> reporter: good evening, amy. after hearing shouted objections and cat calls from republicans in his address to congress this past week, today president obama got a decidedly different reception at his first health care rally since the speech. >> and i have to say i can already see this crowd is a lot more fun. >> reporter: hardly a jeer to be heard in minnesota where mr. obama was greeted by supporters of his health care plan. >> we got to do something. >> reporter: outside on the street, a difference of opinion.

but inside it was a campaign-style event with the president appealing for support from those who already have insurance warning that without reforms, nothing is certain. >> nearly half of all americans under 65 will lose their health coverage at some point over the next ten years. more than one-third will go without coverage for longer than one year. >> reporter: but most republicans aren't swayed, and today one gop leader accused the pr president of turning his back on their ideas. >> instead of talking, the president and congressional democrats should spend a little more time listening. >> you lie! >> reporter: and more fallout from representative joe wilson's outburst. >> i will not be muzzled. >> reporter: wilson has raised more than $750,000 in the last three days from sympathetic supporters. but now democrats have issued him an ultimatum. either apologize publicly on the house floor or face a formal

reprimand by colleagues. meanwhile, the white house has taken steps to counterclaims made by wilson and others that illegal immigrants would be eligible for coverage under the obama plan. yesterday aides revealed for the first time that the president's plan would require applicants to provide proof of citizenship before being granted coverage. the president plans to keep his public campaign for health care reform going this coming week. he appears at a campaign-style rally again at the university of maryland just outside of washington this coming thursday. amy? >> mike viqueira, thank you. a quick program note, the big questions in the health care debate are the focus of tomorrow morning's "meet the press." among guests senators durbin and cornyn and howard dean and newt gingrich. and now to the desperate search for a missing bride-to-be. annually le a ph.d. candidate at yale in new haven, connecticut, was supposed to get married tomorrow. now there's no wedding, but there is no evidence that norts

say may be connected to her disappearance. nbc's mike taibbi has the latest. >> reporter: while the fbi was cautious today saying it's still not known what happened to her, a police source in new harch has told nbc news that bloody clothes and other evidence were recovered today at the building where annie le was last seen. evidence that points to the strong possibility of foul play. the search for evidence and witnesses has been intense. the fbi working with dozens of cities, state, and yale university police to determine what kind of missing persons case they have been probing. foul play or just cold feet? in a press conference late today, caution. >> we are not in a position today to conclude whether this is a missing persons case or whether criminality is involved. >> reporter: but also a reference to new lly discovered evidence. >> all i will say is that items that could potentially be evidence have been seized. none have yet been associated

with annie le. the items seized are being examined to determine if there's any association to annie le. >> reporter: 24-year-old med school student annie le was last seen at 10:00 a.m. last tuesday when a surveillance camera recorded her entering this office building. three hours later -- >> there was a fire alarm triggered, wasn't planned, and the building was evacuated. >> reporter: but apparently none of the building agencies seven cameras saw le then. >> how many dozens, maybe hundreds of people similarly dressed in white lab coats perhaps could have left a building at the same time? >> reporter: le was married sunday on long island to longtime sweetheart and columbia university grad student jonathan wid you a ski. she wrote on her facebook page, lucky i'm in love with my best friend. he's been helping distribute flyers about his missing fiance. the med school dean stated the obvious. >> people are concerned. >> reporter: and students said the continuing mystery was

especially unsettling. >> you just don't know what happened to her. >> reporter: now scariest of all, the clear possibility that a student on this storied campus has been the viget of a terrible crime whose details and author or authors are still not known. investigators have been poring over her life, especially her electronic footprint. >> there are computer, her facebook account, who she's been twittering, her credit cards. any electronic signal that could have suggested how she was communicating to someone. >> reporter: but after five days her disappearance has not yet been solved. >> we don't know where she is. we don't know what happened to her. we don't know if a crime was committed or not. >> reporter: investigators say they have not identified any persons of interest, let alone suspects, knocking down some published reports because it has not been determined yet that a crime has been committed. amy? >> thank you. firefighters from around the nation poured into dodger stadium in los angeles to remember and honor what of their

own. both were killed fighting that massive wildfire that is still burning nearby. among those paying tribute today was vice president biden. our report tonight from nbc's lee cowan. >> reporter: under a blue sky, they came in their dress blues to honor and remember. >> this is how we cope. this is how we mourn. >> reporter: somewhere in the smoke and the flames of l.a. county's biggest wildfire, captain ted hall and specialist arnie quai nons slipped off a mountain road. the fire they died fighting had been the work of an arsonist. >> for those responsible for starting this fire, we will find you. >> reporter: it was one of the largest memorials for firefighters since those somber days after 9/11. california governor arnold schwarzenegger called the two

giants. >> we are humbled by their courage, by their dedication and by their humanity. >> reporter: captain hall was a veteran with a wife and two grown children. >> ted, you are not only my hero, but you were my brother, my friend. >> reporter: specialist quinones was expecting his first child this month. >> when two men tell others to hunker down and race out to find a way out, that takes a special brand of man or woman. >> reporter: and then a personal note. >> it was only in retrospect that i was able to gain strength from the memorial service i attended for my wife and my daughter, but i say to the family you will draw strength from this. >> reporter: there are no suspects in the arson, now a homicide investigation, too. but for the fallen, what

mattered wasn't what started the fire, but to save those in its path, and in that they did. lee cowan, nbc news, los angeles. still ahead as "nightly news" continues for this saturday, direct hit. an american city struggles to make a comeback after a killer storm. and later, a member of the greatest generation returns to a small town to reclaim what he buried 65 years ago. pounds and a smidge. a smidge? y'know, there's really no need to weigh packages under 70 pounds. with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service, if it fits, it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. cool. you know this scale is off by a good 7, 8 pounds. maybe five. priority mail flat rate boxes only from the postal service. a simpler way to ship. (announcer) excedrin pm. relieves pain fast.

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after months of drought, the story tonight in south and central texas is just the opposite, downpours and flash flooding. and it's been one year begins galveston, texas, took a detective hit from hurricane ike. more than 100 people were killed and property damage added up to nearly $13 billion. tonight nbc's janet shamlian reports on galveston's struggle to get back to normal. >> these folks probably already know they have no homes to come back to. >> reporter: when hurricane ike stormed galveston a year ago today, it tore up the town. but couldn't break its spirit. >> right now it feels like it's about five years. it just seems like it's been forever to recover. >> reporter: if anyone had reason to give up, it was tom la kroux. photographed by the houston chronicle outside his restaurant after the storm surge turned it into a filthy boil and he this week in the same spot, his business born anew. >> galveston is coming back and

i'm convinced it's going to be better than it was. >> reporter: a philosophy shared by joe and kathleen dinky. they returned to find their home in pieces. as they told al roker shortly after the hurricane hit. >> it's going to take one shovel at a time. most people in this situation realize that you can't do it by yourself, no man is an island. >> reporter: the couple has spent almost every day of the past 12 months turning a house back into a home. >> there's a lot of hills and valleys throughout life, and you got to overcome these things. >> reporter: amid all the rebuilding and lives started over, the other story of the storm is those who aren't coming back. by some estimates, the island has lost close to 20% of its population. the island's biggest employer, the university of texas medical branch, laid off a third of its staff after the storm. those who didn't move away for a job left out of fear. >> i can't go through it again. i could never put my heart into a home and see it destroyed like

that again. >> reporter: sylvia and her family are moving to san antonio, and if sor sale signs peppering the island are any indication, she's knotted alone. for those committed to staying, rebuilding has been a slow process. more than 14,000 people are still out of their homes. >> what we're afraid of is people are losing hope. the longer we go, the more frustrated they get. >> reporter: but what galveston is known for, the beaches, are back. a cocktail of crowds and construction mixed with a splash of hope that this season won't be a mean one. janet shamlian, nbc news, galveston. when we come back, wait until you see where some flight attendants and airline pilots are getting their shut eye before the next flit. any mome. fancy feast appetizers. simple high quality ingredients like wild alaskan salmon, white meat chicken,

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talk to your doctor about prescription treatment options. and make this time, your time. now to a story about a very unusual community at one of the nation's busiest airports and the people who live, eat, and sleep there may be the crew on your next flight. nbc's mara -- gets a closer look at the place many pilots and other airline workers call their home away from home. >> reporter: just miles from the runways of los angeles international airport, one of the area's most unusual neighborhoods. >> we're looking at a community of rvs. >> reporter: this is l.a.x.'s parking lot "b," but for dozen of airline workers, it's an affordable home away from home.

the space here is just $60 a month. these rvs are filled with airline employees, pilots, flight attendants, mechanics who are based at l.a.x. but live too far away to commute. >> we've got exactly 100 right now and we have a waiting list. >> reporter: this mechanic lives in utah with his wife and son but essentially his home is lot "b." >> i have been doing this now for about seven years. i'm actually here about four days a week on the average. >> reporter: so you're here more often than you are at home? >> pretty much, yeah. >> reporter: why not just move here? >> the problem with that is since there's been so much turmoil in the industry and it's been very fragile, nobody really knows where they stand. >> i'm a flight attendant for a regional carrier. i live 50 miles east of sacramento. this is my tabletop, my stove. it's real small, tight quarters,

but i have everything accessible to me. >> reporter: for goodman, married with children, living in lot "b" not only saves money but lots of time. if you were commuting, how long would it take you to get here to your base? >> reporter: well, by flight it's an hour. if i were to drive, it would be ten hours. >> reporter: dan from the l.a. times first reported on lot "b." >> when you see these people living in trailers and rvs and some of them are pretty basic, it kind of blows that perception. >> reporter: still, goodman says this situation works for her. >> there's nothing bad about it. you're able to have your own living experience and your own place to live. >> reporter: but for rogers, there's only one perfect arrangement. >> i would much prefer to be back in utah. >> reporter: spending time at his real home. nbc news, los angeles. when we come back, the american fiter pilot who survived world war ii now on a

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(free air/deep breath) ...for up to 31% more airflow. (female) wow! (announcer) you'll breathe better so you'll sleep better! small strip. big relief. bright idea! breathe better. sleep better. breathe right. a solemn ceremony today in hanoi. the remains of two u.s. citizens were returned from vietnam. the unidentified remains from the vietnam war will be tested in hopes they can be identified. there are still more than 1,700 u.s. service members unaccounted for from that war. and we end tonight with an incredible journey by a member of the greatest generation. a former bomber pilot who 65

years ago was shot down and decided to bury his pilot's wings in a german cellular where he was held prisoner. all these years later he determined it was time to get his wings back. nbc's donna friesen picks up the story. >> reporter: the last time bern nard harding was in germany it was a very different place. it was july 1944, first lieutenant harding from new hampshire was leading nine other b-24s on a dangerous daylight bombing mission of a german aircraft factory. just 25 years old he was already a veteran pilot having flown 13 missions. his 14th was his last. >> we were attacked by a group of german fighters, and in less than three minutes all ten aircraft in our squadron were shot down. >> reporter: he bailed out and landed unhurt in a field near berlin. this week aged 90 he and his stepson went back on another mission, to retrieve his pilot's

wings, wings he took off his uniform and buried in a cellar after being taken prisoner. >> i decided to take my wings off and bury them because i didn't want the civilians to know what position i was in the aircraft. >> reporter: didn't want them to know he was the pilot for fear he'd be beaten or shot. >> just scratched a little hole in the corner and put them there and covered them up. that's all. >> reporter: and so cellar by cellar harding tried to retrace his steps. >> this is definitely not it. >> reporter: the village even arranged to recreate his flight path that day, but after 65 years things change and memories fade. harding didn't find his wings, but as he was about to leave, he had one last encounter. >> good morning. >> reporter: a villager gave harding a bracelet he recovered from a dead aaron airman, jack h. glenn. take it, the man said, and take it home to the man's family.

>> if i can find the family of that man that had that and give that bracelet back to them, that makes everything worthwhile. >> that's he up there at the top. >> reporter: so we did some digging and in anchorage, alaskaings we found 87-year-old helen foreman, jack glenn's sister. >> a surprise is all i can say. >> reporter: second lieutenant glenn was 21 when he was shot down over germany. he's buried in belgium. his sister could hardly believe his bracelet is finally coming home. >> biggest impact to me is the generosity of the people who had it. that's the most overwhelming and grateful thing. >> reporter: not the ending harding was looking for, but still a mission acco donna friesen, nbc news, london. and that's "nbc nightly news" for this saturday. i'm amy robach reporting from new york. for lester holt anticipated everybody at nbc news, thanks for watching and have a good everybody at nbc news, thanks for watching and have a good night.

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