two disasters, thousands of miles apart. thousands are feared dead. the risk for men and women across the country. how they are coping with swine flu. the right to own a gun. the new showdown on one of america's longest ever legal battles. the charm offensive by the first lady. she's overseas and brought along a few friends. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening. out of nowhere and just over the last 24 hours, the fury of mother nature struck in two different places 5,000 miles apart. both disasters are along the so-called pacific ring of fire where 90% of the earth's

activity takes place. the indian ocean, sadly, it's where the tsunami struck almost five years ago. aid is rushing in to the sa moas where americans are among the injured and dead chltd it's where we begin our coverage tonight with nbcs lee cow wan. >> reporter: the death toll topped 100 and at least one american is among them. the samoan officials say -- where the water stretched more than a mile inland. >> one monther wave after another, sum as high as 20 feet rushed ashore with a force that was terrifying. the bodies of those unfortunate enough not to get to high ground. >> oh, my goodness. >> children were carried to the

streets. >> boom. it was right there on top of us. we were telling people to take high ground. a lot of people were willing to save their lives. >> reporter: american samoa, family members searching for the missing, broadcasting their names on the radio. 60 miles away in samoa, was just as bad. the roads reaching in and out were gone. cutting off those in the most need in rescue and medical aid. >> it's depressing to me, personally. i am trying to come to terms with it. >> reporter: samoa and american samoa lay 150 miles away from the epicenter of the 8.0 quake. it shook for three long minutes yesterday. sirens blared.

it was already too late. the tsunami generated so close, survivors only had minutes. survivors who got out shortly after were shaken. this woman left with an image she will never forget. >> what she lost her kids. she managed to grab on to the tree branch. >> reporter: taken out to sea, like so much else here in what many describe as the treasured island of the south pacific. president barack obama declared a disaster. the hawaiian national guard and coast guard is rushing supplies here. >> after a long overnight voyage. now, to the twin crisis, the

devastating earthquake on the island of somatra. ron allen has been tracking the story from our headquarters here in new york. good evening. >> good evening, brian. the rescue operation is struggling to get under way. it measured 7.6 on the rick tor scale. 1,000 people may have been killed. terrified residents of padang ran for ground. warnings of killer tsunami waves. reports hundreds of buildings collapsed including two hospitals, a number of hotels and a shopping mall. rescuers tried to reach a place virtually cut off from the outside world. no power or communication.

reports say the roof collapsed. tens of thousands are spending the night homeless, wrenched by heavy rain. early in the day, indonesia's vice president said 200 died. both occurred in the ring of fire, the most violent area of the world for earthquakes, where 90% of them happen. a horseshoe around the pacific ocean where they wind against each other from new zealand, north of alaska, then around the coast of north and south america. >> the quakes were 18,000 miles apart. they occur in places where there's high size mick activity. they are probably independent, with no connection. >> reporter: warnings have been

lifted. a very grim situation. it's unclear when a number of rescuers will survive. there's a strong possibility of strong aftershocks. >> ron allen, who continues to watch the disaster. thanks. now, we turn to afghanistan. a war that's been going on far longer than american involvement in world war ii. now, this country is in the midst of deciding what to do next in afghanistan. it's not been going well. this was discussion day for the president and his top advisors at the white house. savannah guthrie is with us there, with more. >> reporter: the president met with his security team for three hours today. the top command aer calling in from the battlefield. they say it's not for show. it's a review of the strategy in afghanistan and what it will take to get the job done. at a turning point in the war and his presidency, mr. obama,

today, summoned his secretaries and generals to the situation room of the white house, the second of five planned meetings to find a way forward in afghanistan. the top u.s. commander there says the 8-year-old war is at a decisive moment. stanley mcchrystal called for a change in approach as the keep to defeating insurgents. reportedly up to 40,000 more american troops. >> i would expect the public would ask some very tough questions. that's exactly what i'm doing. >> reporter: but, the president has been openly skeptical, sending more troops, warying of deeply involvement. >> do the generals keep coming back ask iing for 60, 70, 80. he wants to know that answer before he gets the next increase. >> i'm announcing a new strategy

tr afghanistan and pakistan. >> reporter: they unveiled a strategy this spring, 20,000 more troops to the region and stanley mcclhrystal. they were marred by fraud. he faces dwindling support for the world. >> the bills are coming due. he's been appropriate and tough minded in his posture. the country is moving away from the war and his own party doesn't support him. >> reporter: aids say all options are on the table. they focused on targets of unmanned drones. robert gates is skeptical of a light footprint. >> if you walk away, the situation there won't deteriorate. i think it's unrealistic. >> reporter: to be clear, nobody here is advocating a total withdrawal from afghanistan.

aids say we can expect a strategy from the president in a matter of weeks, not months. some criticize the president for delaying. they say that endangers american troops. >> savannah guthrie, thanks. in economic news, a bombshell in the autoindustry. roger pen ski is a big name. he was supposed to save gm struggling saturn brand. he was going to buy out the brand from gm. apparently, it's fallen through. phil le beau is with us with more on this. it was a bit of a surprise. >> reporter: a bit of a surprise since we expected them to finalize a purchase of stat urn. the deal fell apart late today. gm said they are going to wind

down saturn brand, eliminate it all together. it will happen by the end of 2010. if you own a saturn, general motors will still take care of you. they started the brand in 1990. after 20 years, general motors decided it's the end of the road for saturn. >> phil le beau, thanks. the ceo of the nation's largest bank is stepping down. ken lewis, ran bank of america since 2001. he's under fire. he will exit by the end of this year. no word, yet, on a successor. there's evidence about the health care debate that makes some say the most incendiary things. republicans are calling for an apology from allen grace lan who

summed up his view of the republican approach to health care. >> do you want the democratic plan or the republican plan? remember, the republican plan. don't get sick. if you do get sick, die quickly. >> he said, today, the only people that deserve an apology are those without insurance. he compared america's health care situation to the holocaust. some of this nation's bravest. the folk that is come when we call them. who's going to help them in an epidemic. the first lady and other people from chicago travel to europe to try to bring the olympic games to their hometown. all-new taurus sho from ford. 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. caused by a completely blocked artery, another heart attack could be lurking, waiting to strike. a heart attack caused by a clot, one that could be fatal. plavix, taken with other heart medicines goes beyond what other heart medicines do alone to provide greater protection against heart attack or stroke and even death by helping to keep blood platelets from sticking together and forming clots. ask your doctor about plavix, protection that helps save lives. (female announcer) if you have stomach ulcer or other condition that causes bleeding, you should not use plavix. taking plavix alone or with some other medicines including aspirin, tell your doctor before planning surgery or taking aspirin or other medicines with plavix, especially if you've had a stroke. some medicines that are used to treat heartburn may affect how plavix works, so tell your doctor if you are taking other medicines.

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we're back now with something of a sign of the times. a company in salt lake city stepped up swine flu masks for medical workers. they are working 24/7 to meet the demands. they expect sales of the masks to triple. it's all about protecting health care workers on the front lines of ap epidemic. our report from our chief science correspondent, robert bazell. >> reporter: the fire department of new york, fdny, the city's bravest, the country's largest employs 11,400 firefighters,

more than 2800 paramedics. now, there's a new danger. commissioner, how seriously do you take the threat of the new flu virus? >> as soon as this new strain of flu was identified, we started taking precautions. >> reporter: firefighters live in close quarters, not unlike the college dorm where the viruses spread widely. fdny firefighters get the message to stay home, if they feel sick. >> they are an extended family. they don't want to put their own co-workers at risk. >> reporter: there's risk of infection from the job, itself. >> a typical picture of a firefighter is fighting fire. we have a high percentage of medical runs we respond to. >>reporter: first responders are

issued respirators when they are come in contact with sick people. the department is offering seasonal flu vaccines and will offer the swine flu vaccine in november. firefighter dan hall is not that war royed. >> it's good to get the flu shot. i keep my hands clean. we'll go with the odds, we'll be okay. >> reporter: in a city of 8 million, they are no stronger to an infectious disease. the city's bravest have yet another brave to handle. they would work extra shifts. they could continue to protect the city. they are supposed to have similar preparedness plans. >> you asked our viewers to write in, post on our website where the flu is, where they

live, how hospitals are coping. what did you learn? >> we heard a lot of outbreaks in florida, texas, tennessee, colorado. huge outbreaks. people telling us about hospital overcrowding. schools are coping well. others said they are not. it varies enormously. people are worried about shortages of seasonal flu vaccine before the swine flu vaccine arrives. it's because of distribution problems. it will eventually be resolved. they are worried about not getting tests. testing is not official at this point. >> nightly.msnbc.com, we want to keep hearing from folks. i know you'll keep hearing about it. whose right to bear arms and the supreme court back in the gun debate.

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second amendment of the constitution. pete williams is outside the court tonight with more on this. pete, good evening. >> reporter: brian, just a year ago, the court said the second amendment guarantees the right to keep a gun at home for self- self-defense here in washington, d.c. now, the question is, does the same right apply nationwide. the court agreed to take up a challenge brought by residents of chicago who oppose that cities ban on handguns. the court ruled down an equally strict handgun in washington, d.c. ruling it violated the second amendment to bear arms. it prevented washington from banning the self-defense at home. the court's ruling was limited saying it was a protection against restriction on gun ownership. the district of columbia is a federal city. they are hoping the court will

use the chicago case to approve the second amendment right nationwide. >> i think they are going to say it's a freedom to be enjoyed by the entire american people. >> reporter: if the court says the second amendment prevents cities and states from banning handguns, it would endanger new york city. it would certainly invite challen challenges to other laws limited firearms like state laws or having guns outside the home or carrying concealed weapons. it would not automatically mean the end to those laws. >> even if the court applies the second amendment, we do not believe it will jeopardize sensible gun laws. >> reporter: with the calendar already filling up, they will hear this case early next month. >> a caution for those who ever

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finally, tonight, the first lady is overseas on a mission. the president doesn't get any say in the list of cities the olympic committee considers for the games, but if the first couple happens to be from one of the finalist cities, they are free to push for their hometown. michelle obama is in europe with oprah and others to bring the 2016 games to chicago. we have the report from copenhagen. . >> reporter: michelle obama in copenhagen to say her city deserves to host the 2016 games.

the vote is on friday and the race is a dead heat. >> chicago is a wonderful host city. great people, it knows about sports and the hospitality is like no other. >> reporter: the other finalists have great venues and strong plans as well. >> we're going to have a kick on friday to finish it off. >> reporter: that's when chicago hopes it will be a game changer. barack obama will enter the race appearing in a do or die for voting. joined in to make the hard sell. >> the leader of your country come and support what we're doing. >> reporter: with so much star power in town, the relatively routine dinner turned into a red carpet affair, fit for the

oscars. >> reporter: guess who was there? chicago's own oprah winfrey. >> if we get this, the party starts friday. >> spain and brazil. tokyo, the royal family is rumored to be on the way. >> in their camps, they are going oh, no. they would be thrill ed if the president would have stayed home. >> reporter: back home, according to the polls, people in chicago are undecided about hosting the game. tonight, the race was on. mrs. obama called the next two days crucial. it feels more like a political campaign. >> the announcement comes friday. we'll have it for you. that's our broadcast for now on this wednesday night. thank you for being with us.