on our broadcast tonight, the plot thickens on the alleged terrorist attack to americans. the key figure accused of making bombs out of ordinary beauty supplies. a census worker found hanging from a tree with a three letter word sprawled from his chest. pittsburgh practically shuts down to host the world. we have seen the first clash with police. on the way here, president obama wins a big one in the effort to hang the way the world sees the u.s. plus, the transformation from the city from steel gray to green. "nightly news" begins now. good evening from pittsburgh, pennsylvania. one of the great american cities. unfortunately, for the people who live and work here, it's

been virtually emptied out so pittsburgh can host the g-20 summit of leaders downtown. the downtown is desolate. no people. not a truck, bus, boat or plane overhead. just police and humvees watching over the streets. this is big security in the post 9/11 age. designed to attack americans the way we have seen attacks carried out overseas. before we get to this gathering, we're going to begin with pete williams in washington. pete, good evening. >> reporter: the denver area man arrested last week is terrorism. prosecutors say he was trying to master a formula for explosives.

as he was brought to a hearing today, najibullah zazi carried bombs. in july and august, zazi and at least three others shopped at denver area beauty product suppliers buying dozens of chemicals that can be used for explosives that are were used in the 2005 bombings in london. >> they were far further along in planning than people thought a while ago. >> reporter: three times in late august and early september, zazi got a hotel room in denver, one with a stove and heated the chemicals to concentrate them. he struggled with the formula, repeatedly contacting someone for guidance. before heading to new york, two weeks ago, he searched the

internet for stores that sold similar chemicals. >> we have an individual trained in bomb making by al qaeda and pakistan. he came back. he has co-conspirators and was working on getting the bomb to go. >> reporter: they do not believe he succeeded in making explosives before he was arrested. his father, who lied to fbi agents was released on bail. in a completely separate case, the fbi arrested an illinois man accusing him of planning to drive a car bomb to a federal binding in springfield. he thought he had help from al qaeda. that person turned out to be an fbi undercover agent.

>> american people are not stupid. we are waking up to your lies. we know the g-20, a meeting -- >> before all the leaders arrived here and while there are for fewer protestors than members of law enforcement and the military, it's a tense evening here in pittsburgh. all the people in the downtown buildings here, big companies like alcoa and melon bank were told not to come to work today. mike taibbi has been out in it all day. mike, good evening. >> reporter: good evening. here on the roof, there's been tense moments as you say and at least three arrests. nothing resembling an actual collision. >> you must leave. >> reporter: police fired pepper spray for crowd control when a

group of several hundred protestors stopped following police instructions. the city was ready with around 1,000 out of town police officers. the law enforcement contingent of 4,000 uniforms including the national guard troops. elsewhere, in a town that seemed all before paralyzed, there was football in streets and shops and businesses that chose to stay open. >> there's people walking around. vendors. nobody came by. it's like a ghost town. >> reporter: there's been a bit of that so far. windows smashed at a bank branch. shopping has been the absence of customers in a security lockdown. as for the protestors, some

gathers in the rain. many said they are here to make a nonviolent statement and for the experience. >> even though it's raining, it feels good. the rain might be cold, but the people are warm. >> reporter: so far, this city's hopes and prayers were an uneventful gathering have been answered. keyword there, so far. it can turn south in one minute. there may only be 1,000 to 2,000 protestors in town, but they are prepared for the worst. >> mike taibbi, thanks. when we talk about the global recession, it gives you an idea of the atmosphere here and the host president of the summit, obama of the united states comes in here following two speeches that now change u.s. foreign policy. our white house correspondent,

savannah guthrie is here with us. savannah, good evening. >> reporter: we have company. the world leaders are looking for initiative on the financial global crisis. it's easy to lose sight of the fact that in 24 hours, two big speeches changing the u.s. foreign policy. playing host to the world, the president and first lady arrived in pittsburgh this evening for the g-20 economic summit. in a week of high stakes summitry, the president taking a break. carving out a sweeping new foreign policy vision. >> we have sought in word and deed, a new era of engagement with the world. >> reporter: today, chairing a rare summit level meeting, the first for an american president. >> the draft resolution has been adopted ewe nonmousily.

>> reporter: he won to work toward nuclear disarmorment. concerns about north korea and iran mount. >> we must demonstrate that international law is not an empty promise and treaties will be enforced. >> based on a calculator, it's better to work within institutions than as the administration has been saying from the sidelines. >> reporter: now, it's the global financial crisis on the agenda. since g-20 leaders last met in london, the economy entered a fragile recovery. it's created a new set of pressures on the president. the world looking for leadership on reform of the financial system. seeking an exit strategy from the extraordinary government measures used to stave off a depression. >> he has to create a sense

there is a plan for economic stability and recovery. it's not only big, fancy words, but follow up on this in the months ahead. >> reporter: the work of the summit begins tomorrow. of course, world leaders watch the president's domestic battles closely to the extent in the health care battle. brian. >> savannah guthrie here covering the president. chuck todd, chuck, very simple question. why pittsburgh for this gathering? >> it's about domestic policy in some ways. the obama white house wants to highlight industrial cities showing a turn around. it's about showing off economic policy of what's going on here. pittsburgh is a city they want to showcase. person pennsylvania, parts of industrial ohio and industrial indiana, big for the president in 2010 and 2012.

being seen. they love the fact the president is dominating the local coverage and the local media. >> chuck todd, savannah guthrie, thanks to you both. in political news, the u.s. senate is back to 100 members. massachusetts has a new interim senator. the seat vacated by ted kennedy has been filled by paul kirk, the former head of the democratic party is the executor of ted kennedy's will. he was appointed by the massachusetts governor today, only to serve until a special election can be held. kirk said he will not run for the seat and will only hold on to it for the interim basis. he will hold the 60 vote majority for the democrats. a disturbing story from kentucky. federal officials are investigating the death of a census worker.

he was found hanging from a tree with the word fed, f-e-d on his chest. ron, good evening. >> reporter: good evening to you. the cause of death has been ruled affixuation. they said it could be an accident, a suicide or murder. the body of 51-year-old big sparkman was discovered september 12 hanging from a tree in rural kentucky. his job took him door-to-door seeking informers for next year. they haven't found a link between his job and his death. >> if he was killed because of his job, it's a crime. >> reporter: kentucky state troopers are lead iing the

investigation. >> this is one of those investigations that's very difficult. we are unable to rule out or discredit any of the rumors going around about this. >> reporter: sparkman worked as a substitute schoolteacher. a colleague there became worried for his friend's safety when he missed an afterschool appointment. >> when he didn't show up, we knew something was wrong. we said hey, there's something bad wrong. >> reporter: he moved to the area in the '90s to work for the boy scouts of america. he was looking for a full-time teaching position when he died. >> ron, thanks. when we continue from pittsburgh on a thursday night, what was the revolutionary medical science breakthrough that millions of americans woke up to this morning? >> what happened to the smokestacks and warehouses that used to be here? 'cause it's ford truck month.

and that means savings on the best selling trucks 32 straight years. fortunately, luck has nothing to do with getting... a heck of a great deal on a brand spanking new ford super duty. plus, ford credit is there to help you with the financing. lucky you to get zero percent apr for 60 months or 5000 cash back on an '09 super duty. so, to hit it big on every built ford tough truck... forget vegas. it's truck month! only at you local ford dealer. progresso. oh yes hi. can you please put my grandma on the phone please? thanks. excuse me a sec. another person calling for her grandmother. she thinks it's her soup huh? i'm told she's in the garden picking herbs. she is so cute. okay i'll hold. she's holding. wha? (announcer) progresso. you gotta taste this soup. it's not always easy living with copd, but i try not to let it hold me back...

whether i'm at the batting cages... down by the lake or... fishing at the shore. i'm breathing better... with spiriva. announcer: spiriva is the only once-daily inhaled maintenance treatment for both forms of copd, which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. i take it every day. it keeps my airways open... to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announcer: spiriva does not replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms. stop taking spiriva and call your doctor if your breathing suddenly worsens, your throat or tongue swells, you get hives, or have vision changes or eye pain. tell your doctor if you have glaucoma, problems passing urine or an enlarged prostate, as these may worsen with spiriva. also discuss the medicines you take, even eye drops. side effects may include dry mouth, constipation and trouble passing urine. my doctor said i could be doing more to breathe better and now i am. announcer: ask your doctor about lifestyle changes and once-daily spiriva.

we are back now from pittsburgh with a story a lot of people heard about first thing this morning. it's being touted, a first in a

futile search in a vaccine against aids. this latest news comes from tieland. the results surprised, even the experts working on it. our story from robert bazell. >> we are now one step closer to finding an hiv vaccine. >> reporter: the results in thailand are positive, but on a very small scale. those with the experimental vaccine has 31% fewer hiv infections. it's the closest thing from the last 25 years of research. >> it's an important step forward, but should not be interpreted that we now have a vaccine for hiv we are going to be using widely. >> reporter: the study in thai

volunteers. they questioned weather it was worth $105 million. they are still skeptical. >> there's value to it, it's, in fact, more than any of us expected. whether the bang for the buck is worth it is something we have to still find out. >> reporter: years of research will be needed to find clues for the study to find a vaccine to protect far more people. the vaccine is the best hope of stopping the aids plague that still kills millions o year. as for the swine flu, the u.s. will eventually have plenty. today, the world health organization said the global supply is 3 billion doses, 2 billion less than hoped for. >> bob bazell back in our studios in new york. back here in pittsburgh, summit

just getting underway. the dow finished down 41 points. when we come back, how many people love baseball and can't live without it? we might have found the answer here earlier today. i do. you could be losing bone strength. can i get it back? (announcer) ask your doctor how to help treat osteoporosis with once-a-month actonel. actonel is clinically proven to help increase bone rength to help prevent fractures. so you can get back some of what you lost. do not take actonel if you have low blood calcium, severe kidney disease, or cannot sit or stand for 30 minutes. follow all dosing instructions. stop taking actonel and tell your doctor if you experience difficult or painful swallowing, chest pain or severe or continuing heartburn. these may be signs of serious upper digestive problems. promptly tell your doctor if you develop severe bone, joint or muscle pain, or if you develop dental problems, as serious jawbone problems have been reported rarely. the more you know about osteoporosis, the more you'll want to ask your doctor if once-a-month actonel is right for you.

(announcer) if you can't afford your medication, visit actonel.com to find out how the alliance for better bone health may be able to help. cook delicious dinners and save money with campbell's soups. go to campbellskitchens.com for a valuable coupon and hundreds of mouthwatering, family pleasing dinner ideas. ♪ so many, many reasons ♪ ♪ it's so m'm! m'm! good! ♪ hi, i just switched jobs, and i want to roll over my old 401(k) into a fidelity ira. man: okay, no problem. it's easy to get started. i can help you with the paperwork. um... this green line just appeared on my floor. that's guidance from fidelity. it's the route to your financial goals. could you hold on a second? whatever your destination, fidelity has the people, guidance and investments to help you find your way. this is going to be helpful. contact us today. keep it performing at its best with benefiber. the clear, tasteless fiber that helps restore your natural digestive balance.

while helping rid your body of toxins. that's the beauty of benefiber and then there's the twin-turbocharging, 365-horsepower-generating, ecoboost™ engine in the all-new ford taurus sho that has the thirst of a v6 with the thrust of a v8. we speak car. we speak innovation. introducing the all-new taurus sho from ford. drive one.

back here in pittsburgh, we were talking about how, with the exception of one protestor here, the people have been emptied out of the city because of the crushing security for the summit. right behind us, they had a baseball game and about 3,000 souls walked past the humvees and actually saw the pittsburgh pirates lose to the cincinnati reds. the pirates shut down the upper deck for the first time in the history of the franchise. they upgraded all the fans as a thank you for putting up with a

city that's shutdown. world leaders were gathered in new york at the u.n. this was president obama's first time as host of that gathering. this morning's security counsel had the feel of a high school reunion. there was an interesting moment when his chief of staff, rahm emanuel grabbed the chair behind the president, when he was reminded it belonged to hillary clinton. a largely empty general assembly hall because so many delegations walked out before or during the speech. there was the famous rambling of moammar gadhafi. his marathon speech prompted venezuela's president, hugo

chavez to promise to keep his speech short. he put it, "gadhafi said everything there is to say." the one thing about smoking - is it dominates your life, and it dominated mine. and the sad thing about it is that you can always use an excuse if cigarettes don't kill me, oh well - something else will. but, you can't use that as an excuse. i honestly loved smoking, and i honestly didn't think i would ever quit. it was very interesting that you could smoke on the first week. chantix gave me that extra help that i needed to get through a tough time. (announcer) chantix is a non-nicotine pill. in studies, 44% of chantix users were quit during weeks 9 to 12 of treatment, compared to 18% on sugar pill. it is proven to reduce the urge to smoke.

i did have an unopen pack of cigarettes in my purse and then i think i opened my purse and realized it was still there. and i said, "what the heck, i don't need these..." ...i said, you know, "bye, i don't need you anymore, you're not my crutch, i don't need a crutch." (announcer) talk to your doctor about chantix and a support plan that's right for you. some people have had changes in behavior, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice agitation, hostility, depression or changes in behavior, thinking or mood that are not typical for you, or if you develop suicidal thoughts or actions, stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. talk to your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which can get worse while taking chantix. some people can have allergic or serious skin reactions to chantix, some of which can be life threatening. if you notice swelling of face, mouth, throat or a rash stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away. tell your doctor which medicines you are taking as they may work differently when you quit smoking. chantix dosing may be different if you have kidney problems.

the most common side effect is nausea. patients also reported trouble sleeping and vivid, unusual or strange dreams. until you know how chantix may affect you, use caution when driving or operating machinery. chantix should not be taken with other quit smoking products. as a non-smoker it's wonderful. the best thing that ever happened. the best thing i have ever done besides my husband, and dogs, and family. with the chantix and with the support system, it worked. it worked for me. (announcer) talk to your doctor to find out if prescription chantix is right for you.

we are back tonight from pittsburgh. if you haven't been here in awhile, you might not recognize the place. this is the first couple wiping a light rain off each other at a conservatory for the first event tonight. again, light precipitation falling. nothing to ruin the summit. they once made half the steel for the country in this city. factories, smoke and smokestacks, it was the work that built this city. when a lot of that went away, the city decided to go another way. we have that story from anne thompson. >> reporter: clean and green are not usually the words the world uses for pittsburgh. it's image for the smokey, gritty business for steel.

architect frank lloyd wright said it should be abandoned. not anymore. it's an environmentally aware city. it is the largest green building of its kind in the world. using 35% less energy than the traditionally designed facility. savings that could power 1900 homes. what could the world learn from this convention center? >> a lot about sustainable centers. hosting the g-20 doesn't have to be environmentally degrading. the water comes from 50 feet below ground. pittsburghs fourth river. it puts no pressure on the city's water system. a decision made not because it's politically correct, but because it's economically smart.

the city's once fill think three rivers are now home to a 13-mile chain of parks. >> the history of taking steel mill sights and turning them to recreational treasures is nothing short of amazing. >> reporter: going green is paying off in tourists, new businesses and new respect. >> we don't do it just because it feels good, we do it because it creates jobs. >> reporter: it's a beacon of the future instead of a relic of the past. anne thompson, nbc news, pittsburgh. >> that's our broadcast. thank you for being with us. i'm brian williams reporting tonight from pittsburgh. we hope to see you tomorrow eveninging back home in new york. good night.