on edge, after a scare, a new message from bin laden. rallying cry, one more before election day, another huge turnout in washington. but this time a different message. after the tragedy, a flood of support for that college freshman who saw no way out. tonight his story hitting home for so many families. and, making a difference. for so many families. and, making a difference. by planting the seeds of hope. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

good evening, this has been an anxious couple of weeks for counter terrorism officials on both sides of the atlantic amid gathering signs al qaeda may be planning to attack targets in western europe. and now a day after another osama bin laden audio message, nbc news has learned that u.s. officials may issue a precautionary alert for americans traveling to europe as early as tomorrow. intelligence agencies are said to be hearing increased talk among terror networks suggesting attack plans are in the works. but absent hard information about the nature, timing and location, american officials have apparently decided to stop short of taking the more serious step of issuing a travel warm. let's get the latest from london. >> reporter: paris was on high alert this week, the instructions to americans, be

v vigilant overseas. german intelligence warnings that al qaeda could be staging mumbai style attacks in europe's major cities. according to the associated press, the language in the u.s. alert is expected to be vague. it won't address a specific country or specific landmarks. but possible targets are europe's main tourist sites. counter terrorism officials believe bin laden himself is behind this latest plot. and in the last 24 hours, there have been two new bin laden audio tapes, although he doesn't make any specific threats. the alert is not meant to keep americans at home, officials say, but it could have a real impact on europe's tourism industry.

>> for more on this we're joined from washington by nbc news terrorism expert roger cressy, the government is issuing an alert to americans to be vigilant overseas. what does this tell you about what counter terrorism folks seem to be seeing here? >> it speaks to the seriousness of the threat and the state department is not going to issue a warning advising americans not to travel to europe, but just be aware of your surroundings. it speaks to how concerned american and western europe intelligence officials are that this plot has gotten beyond the preoperational stage and might be further along. >> and the attack may be long the lines of a mumbai attack. is this something western officials have been on the lookout before ever since mumbai? >> i think a lot of people in the counter terrorism community

has been watching what -- 160 kills with just a group of guys with ak-47s and they keep waiting for that type of attack to be threatened here in the west. it's not the only threat, there's other threats they're concerned with as well. but the fact that this is focused on western europe makes it much different than what we have seen in regards to previous terror threats. >> we have been down the path of suspicious chatter since 2001. you were in the trenches during much of that, does anything about this feel different to you, roger? >> what's different is that this is an al qaeda central plot. bin laden may have had some role, maybe not direct operational but certainly blessing or providing guidance, if there's any plot that's directly related to al qaeda central is what is making the u.s. government and the western europe peen government so concerned and so nervous right

now. >> if you're someone who's about to get on a plane for europe, if it was you or your family, would you take that trip? >> i leave thursday night for london, and i look forward to that trip. we should never engage in self-deterrence in the light of terrorism threats. the fight against the taliban and al qaeda has increasingly carried over from afghanistan into neighboring pakistan. the u.s. launched two more drone attacks on targets there "today." the attacks capped a week of marked tension. we're joined by john yang in the afghan capital of kabul. >> reporter: there are conflicting reports on the death toll from those missile strikes but local government officials tell nbc news that at least 14 people were killed. this is in a tribal region of northwest pakistan where those safe havens provide a launching

pad for insurgents to launch strikes into afghanistan and military action there has been on the rise. missile attacks in that area are now at record levels. it appears to reflect the u.s. view that number one, they have got to drive the insurgents out of those safe havens in order to turn things around in afghanistan and as the pakistani military is either unwilling or unable to do the job, that increased military activity has also explained anti-u.s. sent manin't in pakistan. a key u.s. supply route remains blocked by pakistani officials. there has also been attacks on at least more than two dozen nato fuel trucks headed for afghanistan. officials do not see this blockage has had any affect on nato troops and coalition troops in afghanistan and they say they

can have it closed for some time before there is any affect. but officials are also looking for a way to get around that route entirely. >> john yang in kabul for us tonight. back in this country tonight, we're exactly one month away from the midterm congressional elections and amid signs democrats are facing an uphill battle to hold ground, thousands of party liberals "todapaid borrowed a page from the tea party movement. >> reporter: good evening, lester, before this march, organizers have said it's not about comparing themselves to the tea party or recent marches that have happened here on the national mall. but as the day wore on, it became clear that these marches had one thing in common with conservatives, and that is frustration and anger with washington politics. this time it was a show of strength from the left, an attempt to change the story line this campaign season. >> they had their turn, it's our

turn now. >> reporter: one nation working together, today thousands streamed past national monuments to gather at the lincoln let me moral. >> we're going to do exactly what we did. we're going to unify and continue the struggle for working families. >> reporter: today liberals said they too are angry about the direction of the country. >> we bailed out the banks, we bailed out the insurance companies, now it's time to bail out the american people. >> reporter: but with election day exactly one month from today speaker after speaker called on democratic voters to go to the polls. >> we marched too long for the vote, bled too much and died too young, don't give up now. stand up and fight back. >> reporter: with voter apathy a continuing concern for democrats, president obama has launched a series of rallies for

party faithful, asking for more time to address core concerns while also touting his record on everything from health care to student loan reform. >> and they have a right to be impatient about the pace of change. i'm impatient. but i also know this, now is not the time to quit. now is not the time to give up. >> reporter: with their party expected to make major gains in congress, republicans sought to keep the heat on. >> we have seen a republican party basically tune out the people that elected them and advance a plan that most americans vehemently oppose. >> reporter: democrats are struggling to come to grips with voter unrest. >> what you have now is an electorate that's angry in many ways and disappointed in the way things are going and candidates are able to tap into that anger by seeming to reflect it. >> reporter: and lester, president obama and the first lady were at camp david "todato during all this.

we has invited all of his cabinet secretaries for a day-long retreat. across the country, one of the nation's most closely watched political campaigns, the race for california's governor got even more heated today. after spending millions of her own dollars, the former ceo of ebay meg whitman is angry over allegations she had an illegal immigrant working in her home. she faced new questions about what happened and how she handled it. >> reporter: gubernatorial can natt meg whitman and jerry brown face off before a largely spanish speaking crowd in fresno, this as allegations surface this week whitman knowingly employed an undocumented worker as her housekeeper for nearly a decade. >> make no mistake, these allegations are completely untrue. they lack any merit whatsoever.

>> reporter: going beyond claims that she ask to gain legal status last year, instead whitman fired her. gloria allred says this letter to whitman in 2003 questioning the housekeeper's citizenship, but whitman insists she didn't know there was a problem. >> once give and i learned that she was an illegal worker, we had no choice but to let her go and terminate her employ with us. it was one of the hardest thing i have ever had to do. >> reporter: the dust up could cost whitman votes, her conservative base may -- latino voters could see it as a slap in the face. with get out the vote efforts like this one underway, latinos are an increasingly colorful voting bloc with california republicans struggling to gain their support. >> reporter: the former ceo of ebb bay has spent a record $119 million out of her on pocket

launching campaign ads, many that targeted hispanic voters. jerry brown has spent a fraction of that, but he is one of the most recognizable political figures in the state, serving as the current attorney general and governor 30 years ago. it is a race of contrasts. >> many people believe in my vision for a new california. >> we have tried the inexperienced private sector person coming in with a spine of steel and they get flummoxed. >> reporter: with decision day just four weeks away, one question looms large, will the housekeeper story derail a billionaire candidate in this razor tight race? most rivers in north carolina are recedine ining todt some of the eastern part of the state are continuing to rise. much of the town of windsor will

remain under water for much of next week. more than 250 people have been rescued since last thursday. when nbc nightly news continues this saturday, a story that has shocked so many people, a promising young life lost. now some high profile voices are speaking out saying there is hope. later one hard hit community finds reward right in its own backyard. my nasal allergies are ruining our camping trip.

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humiliating prank has captured the attention of the nation, but the incident was not as rare as it might seem and now there are increased calls for action to help young people when they're most vulnerable. rehema ellis has our story. >> reporter: today a moment of silence at the rutgers university homecoming game to remember tyler clementi. the 18-year-old freshman who was a high school honors graduate and a musician, one of his roommates allegedly used a webcam to secretly videotape clementi in his dorm room in a sexual encounter with another man and live stream the images over the internet. on friday the funeral of another student who committed suicide. 13-year-old seth wolfe. in the past month, at least five gay teenagers have taken their own lives. shocking deaths that have led to

new calls for action, including this one from talk show hostelen degeneres. >> my heart is breaking for their families, for their friends and for our society that continues to let this happen. these kids needed us and we have an obligation to change this. >> reporter: garrett widell was bullied after classmates learned he was gay. >> he got text messages and they were just horrible. it was very depressing. >> reporter: garrett became so distraught he considered taking his own life. >> he called me one day at work and he said i'm in the garage. and i have a knife. and i don't like myself and i don't like my life. there's no reason to go on. >> reporter: garrett got the help he needed through the trevor project, a national suicide prevention hot line for

teenagers struggling with their sexuality. >> if you're helpless or hopeless, there's always a safe place to turn. >> reporter: back in new jersey, the parents of tyler clementi who never got help issued a rain plea, our hope is that our family's personal tragedy will serve as a call for compassion, empathy and human dignity. their son was supposed to perform his first concert tonight. instead the orchestra is dedicating its performance to tyler's memory and leaving his chair empty. rehema ellis, nbc news. gecko: sir, i feel a little bit uncomfortable with all... you know... with all this. i mean, it's not about me. should be about how geico's the third-largest car insurance company in the nation. things like that. boss: oh, of course! we're not gonna get carried away. gecko: uh...yeah... all right as long as we don't overdo it.

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one of the year's most anticipated movies took in $9 million yesterday when it appeared across the country. the social network tells the story of the founding of facebook. with so many people spending so much time online with facebook in particular, a college in pennsylvania recently tried a little experiment, life without social media. >> reporter: at the harrisburg university of science and technology, the curriculum is all about computers. so is it safe to say that when they're here they're connected? >> absolutely all the time. >> reporter: but recently, administrators decided to teach their students a completely new lesson in unplugging. for an entire week, the school's computer network blocked all access to sites like facebook, twitter and instant messaging programs. >> i thought it was a joke at

first. >> reporter: when it comes to social net working, he's a popular guy, spending so much time online he needs to shut down facebook and twitter at night so he can sleep. he thinks the technology blackout was a dark time. while some felt like geo. >> the lack of instant messenger is what really just killed me. >> reporter: others used the opportunity to put the potential back in net working. >> hey, i can't find you on facebook. i'm josh, how are you doing? >> reporter: harrisburg university isn't the first to test web withdrawal on their students. earlier this year, the university of maryland went on a full technology fast, banning all electronics for 24 hours. afterwards, students described the experiment as unbearable. some might even call it addicting. last year the country's first internet rehab center opened in washington state.

>> it can become all encompassing and it can become so time consuming that people don't actually have an opportunity to go out and live. >> reporter: harrisburg's experiment did teach some that real life can be better than virtual reality. >> i actually quit facebook after this week. >> reporter: but others learned a completely different lesson. >> i love technology, i love everything about it. >> reporter: they need to be pluggeded in to feel connected. a refueling hose fell from a military tanker and hit a house in san diego "todatoday, the 90 hose fell off a c-190-j tanker, no one was hurt. a marine spokesman says there may have been some fuel in the hose. up next, making a difference by digging down deep.

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finally tonight, making a difference. for so many americans still out of work, just approximate using food on the table can often be a challenge. in one ohio community people are helping themselves by going back to the land. peter alexander with the report. >> reporter: sometimes digging in the dirt can produce beautiful results. >> the same thought i had last year, i made sure of that one because everything grew.

>> reporter: amanda is a single mom with two young children. >> my kids have been eating more healthier. >> reporter: why amanda has been struggling to find work for most of the last few years, she's found fulfillment honing her skills in a garden. part of a unique program at ohio's wilmington college, designed for families going through tough times. a program appropriately called grow food, grow hope. >> the families that were selected had very little resources. >> reporter: across many parts of the country, many people could use a little hope. but perhaps nowhere more than wilmington, an hour outside cincinnati. in 2008, the shipping company dhl announced it was closing it's operations here putting 10,000 people out of work. but rather than accept the downfall of this tight knit

community, a novel idea was planted. >> people are coming together to learn how to grow their own food. >> this season dozens of local families invest their energy into the land, cultivating the land. >> everything in this garden is perfect. >> reporter: it's made a huge impact for josh and mandy gillis's family. with six mouths to feed on a limited income, a little extra homegrown food goes a long way. >> we have learned more, you know, different tricks of the trade to kind of introduce vegetables into their diet. it's really helped a lot. >> it's a really energizing experience and you realize that after two years of working and planting, the idea has actually grown into something and you're making a difference. >> reporter: it's been said he who plants a guard, plants happiness. in wilmington, ohio all you have to do is look around. >> not just nourishing your body, it's also nourishing your soul, i think. >> peter alexander, nbc news,

new york. that's nbc "nightly news" for this saturday, thank you everyone for watching. a quick program note, sports coverage of the ryder cup begins early tomorrow, 4:00 a.m. eastern here on nbc. i'm lester holt reporting from new york. i'll see you again tomorrow evening. good night.