every day, says this german woman, i pray that the people who do these things will stop. in germany alone sox 300 allegations of abuse have emerged since january. complaints about sexual abuse and beatings in catholic churches and church-run school stretch back decades and questions about who knew what reach all what it to the top. in 1980, pope benedict was arch bishop of munich, a pedophile priest in his diocese was sent for therapy, went on to reoffend and after being convicted continued as a priest until finally being suspended this week. the vatican has defended the pope. "he was," says a spokesman, "definitely not involved in the decision to allow this priest to return to work." some german catholics say the pope has a moral obligation to speak up. >> one word of mercy would be great. >> reporter: today germany's chancellor addressed the issue in parliament. "the only way to deal with these

cases is with truth and transparency about everything that's happened." in his weekly audience today, the pope did address the scandal, not in germany but in ireland, saying the church there had been severely shaken and he is writing a letter to the faithful. >> my hope is to help in the process of repentence, healing and renewal. >> reporter: as ireland celebrated st. patrick's day, senior cardinal sean brady was saying sorry for his part in covering up abuse. last week brady admitted he was present in 1975 when two altar boys who had been sexually abused by a priest were asked to sign oaths of secrecy rather than take their complaints to the police, the latest revelation in a church mired by scandal looking for direction from its pope. donna friesen, nbc news, london.

here in new york on wall street today, the dow closed at a 17-month high after seven up sessions in a row. the blue chips gained almost 48 points closing at 10,733. up next here on our broadcast tonight, taxpayers paying to replace what nature has washed away. over and over again. it's tonight's fleecing of america report. and making a difference. take things as they come? ♪ i've got an idea. or improvise? ♪ maxwell house custom-roasts each bean... for a full-flavored cup of coffee. so you can be good to the last drop. i think we need more cups, mom. with thermacare® heat wraps. that's 8 hours while you wear it, plus an additional 8 hours of relief after you take it off!

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taken away, however futile that may be with ocean levels predicted to rise. everybody loves the beach unless it's a lost cause. our "fleecing of america" report tonight from nbc's ron mott. >> reporter: beyond the beach grass on the north carolina coast it's raining sand. part of an expensive face lift called nourishment that you're paying for. >> we can't hold the line. >> reporter: the sight gets under this man's skin. >> the status quo is not going to work. we have to do something different instead of coming out here spending tax money to bail out people. >> reporter: the people pilkey contends benefit most of beach front property owners, ignorant, he says, of the realities of erosion and the sea. >> it is madness to build buildings up to an eroding shoreline doesn't make sense. >> reporter: it has meant lots of dollars and cents for

contractors. >> you know the expression, throwing good money after bad? this may be a perfect example. >> reporter: $1.5 billion plus over the past 20 years to dredge and relocate sand from the ocean floor. >> by placing sand out there provides a false sense of security and also provides a sense of entitlement to property owners who think the federal government should come in and put sand on the beach periodically. >> reporter: the federal government is spending as much as $8.5 million to shore up this beach and several others here in north carolina, but unless something changes the sand will wash away in just a few years, possibly followed by yet another dumping of taxpayer money. coastal officials and lobbyist pushing for more government money $450 million in the next federal budget, about nine times what the president proposes, argue the upside far outwhas the cost. >> beaches are america's number one tourist destination. tourism is america's number one industry. why would we not want to invest federal dollars in a project that is so important to the

entire country? >> reporter: though critics say what's most important is recognizing beach nourishment is awash in futility and fleecing america. ron mott, nbc news, north carolina. we are back in just a moment. there's mom and dad cleaning up. and there's the meatloaf. yuck. look what sometimes happens with the ordinary bag. it slips, oh, bingo, it falls in. mom was mad. mom should have used glad forceflex with the new stretchable drawstring that grips the can and stays in place. plus, it has the stretchable strength of forceflex. that's all today for glad tv. both: don't get mad-- get glad! called it "one of the best family cars of 2009." the insurance institute for highway safety calls it a 2010 top safety pick. we call it peace of mind. the 5-star crash safety rated chevy malibu. good evening ladies and gentlemen.

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it's another thing to back it up. the chevy 5-year/100,000 mile transferable powertrain warranty. with roadside assistance and courtesy transportation, it's the best coverage in america. detroit today became the latest city to announce it's closing a huge number of its public schools. more than 1/4 of them will be shut down as low enrollment and

tight budget squeeze education programs, a total of 44 schools will be closed at the end of this school year including three high schools. a new study by a nonprofit education group says girls have closed the achievement gap with boys when it comes to math. that's the good news. the bad news, the gender gap in reading has gotten worse. boys lag behind girls in reading at all grade levels in all 50 states. this study suggests school reading materials appeal more to girls than they do to boys and boys tend to want to read only about those things they're already interested in. kraft foods, the makers of macaroni and cheese among other products announced today they are cutting the level of salt in all their products by 10%. at the end of a two-year phase-in period kraft says it will have eliminated 750 million teaspoons of salt in everything from cold cuts to cookies to that mac and cheese.

on the same subject, first lady michelle obama today continued her campaign against childhood obesity in this country. she is on the cover of "newsweek" this week. today the magazine's editor asked her in fighting the obesity epidemic 0 would she go so far as to put warning labels on products like twinkies and fruit loops. >> that strikes me as extreme. a twinkie is not a cigarette. what parents need is just information about what's in the twinkie and how much of this can we eat? it's not that we can't have a twinkie, you know? our kids would be pretty upset and i am not supporting that. to all the kids out there, right? >> first lady with the editor of "newsweek" magazine john meacham in washington today. if you are going to have a st. paddy's day parade this was one of the most beautiful ever

in new york for it. temperatures so mild under beautiful sunshine, a lot of folks were in shirt sleeves along the parade route. they wouldn't have felt it if it was freezing cold and snowing. there was no requirement that anybody had to be irish. it was just a great day. when we come back, driving thousands of miles. navigating today's real estate market is complicated. you've seen the signs. that's why having the right real estate agent is more important than ever. at remax.com, you can find experts in short sales

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we are back with our "making a difference" report tonight. it's about a military tradition in this country dating back to the time of the cavalry using a horse-drawn hearse a casson at military funerals. with veterans dying each day on average it is a rare honor these days but one woman is personally making sure some people do get to continue this tradition. her story from nbc's roger o'neill. >> reporter: it is a solemn and lonely lane they travel.

the silence broken by the steady cadence of the horse whose ancestors once carried warriors into battle. but on this day, lorraine melgosa carries a warrior to a more peaceful place with poignant words from a poem. >> my task is no burden for the honor is great, with courage and pride he died for his country. >> reporter: for five years the plain-spoken farmer from colorado has traveled thousands of miles over four states. this is her duty, she says, to soldiers she did not know. >> these brave men and women that voluntarily raise their hands and said i'm going to go protect this nation, then i need to raise my hand and help honor those that did that. >> reporter: this is the 39th flag-draped casket the carriage driver and her horse have taken to their final resting place. she expects nothing in return.

charlene westbrook said it made burying her soldier husband kenneth a bit easier. >> for her to sacrifice her time, her money and for her to do this for our family, there were no words. >> through dignity and grace i'll carry him home. with each strike of my massive hooves his soul will soar in the heavens above. >> reporter: the poem ends, down the lane, slowly i'll go. as one said, with a horse, a hearse and a sense of duty, a woman pays tribute to fallen heroes. roger o'neill, nbc news, colorado springs, colorado. >> and that's our broadcast for this wednesday night. thank you for being with us. 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 on our broadcast tonight, taking sides. now the health care debate reaches fever pitch with a noisy