on our broadcast tonight. the punishment for the man that tried to bomb times square. while in europe the crackdown to stop terrorist plots before they happen. and canada is reshaping their image. a month to go before the election including one candidate reassuring voters she's not a witch. a red river of toxic sludge, a new and alarming example of what we've done to our world. a woman's choice. the drastic measures some women are taking to prevent breast cancer. and making a difference. what drew a best-selling author back to the land he left more than 30 years ago.

also tonight, a change coming to the white house. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening. he says he used to watch surveillance cameras to figure out what time of day times square had the most pedestrian traffic so he could kill the most people when his car bomb went off. well, we're all very fortunate that faisal shahzad and his case and where it led law enforcement was a wake-up call and helpful to u.s. investigators. his case is closed having confessed to the crime he's now going to prison for the rest of his life. tonight in this country and around the world, there are several new developments to report in the effort to stop terrorist before they carry out attac attacks. we begin with our chief foreign affairs correspondent, andrea

mitchell. good evening. as police crackdown on terror suspects in europe and africa here at home that would be the times square bomber was defiant as he was sentenced to a mandatory life in prison. an fbi test shows just how bad the damage could have been. a warm string night last may. a congested times square. and a nissan path finder loaded with exexplosives with faulty wiring. faisal shahzad smirking and taunting the judge, said, brace yourselves. the war with muslims has just begun. consider me only a first droplet of the flood that will follow me. the judge told him -- i do hope that you'll spend some of the time in prison thinking carefully about whether the occ kuchlt uran wants you to kill people. shahzad appeals for attacks against the u.s.

>> i've been trying to join my brothering in jihad since 9/11 happened. >> perfectly appropriate that he forfeited freedom because he was clearly willing to forfeit people's lives. >> reporter: shahzad in pakistan cia drones attacked yesterday killing germans but nbc news learned missing their real target. top taliban commander and master trainer, who built the bomb that killed seven cia officers in afghanistan last december. hussein was inside the house but local sources tell nbc news escaped with bruises. intelligence officials say pakistan's training camps preparing as many as 100 westerners ready to launch plots in europe. only today, police in france arrested a dozen suspects. and a german was arrested in kenya. >> western europeans are the perfect al qaeda operative. they have have clean passports and don't fill the profile of previous al qaeda terrorists and

because they don't need visas inside western europe they can move from country to country. >> reporter: u.s. officials say they cannot confirm that he survived the drone attack in pakistan. other officials say today's arrests in france proved they were right to issue the travel alert for americans abroad. brian? >> andrea mitchell starting us off. a month away from an election day that some pollsters say could be historic. voters are angry. in the midst of a prolonged bad economy and a violent anti--incumbent mood leading to some surge candidates getting traction. now that we're in the final weeks some of the outsiders are trying to polish their images and others are doing damage control. kelly o'donnell has the report. >> reporter: after her own words brought the tea party star weeks of ridicule -- >> i dabbled into witchcraft and

hung around people who were doing these things. >> reporter: a top gop advertising firm from california toned down christine o'donnell's look and took on her past. >> i'm not a witch. i'm nothing you've heard. i'm you. >> reporter: in new york, another tea party republican, carl paladino attempted a less glossy image fix. after damage done by this heated scuffle with a reporter -- >> this campaign is not about my family. it's not about divorces or affairs. >> reporter: paladino posted on the web this calm and serious campaign video. starkly different this year, a number of outsiders candidates are doing fewer traditional voter events. >> so increasingly we're seeing campaigns being run via television commercial with less and less interaction between the candidates and the voters in between the candidates and reporters. >> reporter: in connecticut,

where democrat dick blumenthal, they hit. >> he lied about vietnam, what else is he lying about? >> she took home $46 million and now she's talking about lowering the minimum wage. >> mcmahon was angry. >> i never said it. >> and he's contrite, admitting that he did not go to vietnam while in uniform. >> i want to say that i'm sorry. particularly to our veterans. >> reporter: blumenthal's big lead has narrowed. >> the civility will probably break down even further in the next several weeks. who knows what kind of ads they have in store. >> reporter: in west virginia's tight senate race national republicans are spending millions to link the democratic governor to president obama. >> we better keep joe right here in west virginia. >> away from washington. >> yup. that's the only way we're going to stop obama. >> reporter: and governor has a high job approval rating, but is in a tough fight in the senate

race. one other note, brian, many states have early voting and in some places that's already started so a campaign decision today or next week could actually be the last work for some early voters. >> working so far out ahead. kelly o'donnell watching the campaign for us. thanks. in just about every city or town in this country you can find a place where toxic chemicals are stored. and an incident overseas tonight has a lot of people wondering -- could this kind of thing happen here? and what have we done? all of us, to our natural world? it's sludge from an industrial plant, tons of it, flowing through several towns in hungary. at least four people are dead and over 100 others affected physically and tonight, there are fears of a major environmental catastrophe. we get more from stephanie gosk. >> reporter: in this video it looks like a mudslide, flooding streets and destroying homes. but there is nothing natural about this disaster. a waste reservoir at an aluminum

plant in hungary burst unleashing 35.3 million cubic feet of red chemical sludge. four people are dead. another six are still missing. in some places, the hazardous tide rose six feet. my father had to push my mother out the window, this man says, he's in the hospital now. the waste created in the production of aluminum is filled with heavy metals including lead. it can burn the skin. more than 120 people were brought to the hospital with injuries. i have burns up to my chest, this woman says, it feels like it's still burning. hungary's president declared an emergency in three counties and met with victims. on top of the human tragedy officials say it's a disaster. the sludge is dangerously close to polluting the danube river and could kill local wildlife. the government launched an investigation into what they say is clearly a man-made disaster. in a statement, the company that

runs the plant said there were no signs the reservoir was about to break and that the waste is not considered toxic by european union standards. the nearly 7,000 people swamped by chemical sludge may disagree. stephanie gosk, nbc news, london. and back in this country, we learned the verdict today in one of the worst cases of murder and home invasion we've ever seen and the details to be honest, are tough to watch. this attack in a suburban connect home three years ago, left a woman and her two daughters dead and a father now alone in life, to live with those memories. nbc's jeff rossin has covered the trial from the start and he's live for us in new haven, connecticut. jeff, good evening. >> reporter: hi, brian. as you mentioned the crime was so horrific the evidence during the trial was so gruesome with photos and videos and audiotapes and there were times the jurors themselves were crying in the jury box. it took them less than five

hours to reach a verdict. guilty of 16 felonies including capital murder. it is a bittersweet victory for the lone survivor. >> there's just been a lot of support. >> dr. william petit who waited three years for this day. steven hayes, found guilty. the man that tortured and killed his wife, jennifer and their two daughters, 11-year-old michaele and 17-year-old haley, now faces possible execution. >> what was going through your mind as they read each count, guilty, guilty, guilty? >> just tears of relief. that's all. just -- i was trying to maintain my composure. >> reporter: prosecutors say they broke into the petit home as the family slept in 2007. tying william petit to this pole in the basement and his two girls to their bed posts upstairs. i heard the moaning and thumpbs, he testified. surveillance tape shows jennifer

petit withdrawing $15,000 from a local bank to pay the men threatening her family. while the bank manager called 911. >> we have a lady who is in our bank right now who says that her husband and children are being held at their house. that if the police are told they will kill the children and husband. >> reporter: jennifer petit was raped and strangled and then the suspects set fire to the house. william petit came to court every day surrounded by extended family and supporters. he says he's grateful for the finding but it won't bring his family back. >> i miss them every day and i try to focus on them and the goodness they had to get through each day. >> reporter: here is what's next. that same jury that decided guilt or innocence today will come back to court later this month to begin the sentencing phase and decide once and for all, whether steven hayes should be put to death.

we should note, brian, just after what happens the other suspect, the other suspect, will stand trial. >> at least this chapter of this just incredible story is now over. jeff rossin in new haven, thanks. the obama white house announced today they are installing solar panels on the roof of the white house itself, to make it more energy efficient. and there was something about hearing that story today that sounded very familiar to us. >> the president carter went up on the roof of the white house today to show off the new solar water heaters installed there. and he called for using solar power to produce 20% of this country's energy within 20 years. >> and so in this way, the white house itself, nicely mirrors our national energy policy over the years. it was ronald reagan who ordered the carter era solar panels taken off the roof and now, new panels go up there as if nothing has changed. when our broadcast continues

in just a moment, women making a wrenching medical decision. to try to save their own lives. and later, a best-selling author goes home to afghanistan to try to find homes for so many displaced by years of war.

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what if that story were true? it is. ♪ we have a story here tonight about a wrenching decision that more women are making regarding their own health. ever since a gene mutation tied to ovarian and breast cancer was discovered, women who have found they have it must consider whether to have their own breasts removed, even with no sign of cancer present. researchers say preventative mastectomy can reduce the chance of developing cancer to less than 1%. our chief medical editor dr. nancy sniderman has this report.

>> reporter: in august of 2008, 21-year-old claudia gilmore got the call from a genetic counselor that dramatically changed her life. >> i could tell by the tone of her voice it wasn't going to be good news. >> reporter: tests showed that she had inherited a genetic mutation called br ac-1 believed to affect one in 8200 people. the gene and a related people called brac ii increases the risk of breast and ovarian cancer several fold. >> the risk over a lifetime for a mutation carrier would be between 40 and 75%, roughly. versus about 10% in the general population. >> reporter: the standard course for a brac carrier is usually, watch and wait, with more frequent breast images and more biopsies. having watched her beloved grandmother succumb to the disease that threatened her own life, claudia made a decision. >> on january 11th, 2011, i will

have a double mastectomy, this is surgical remove value of the breasts. >> reporter: it can slash the risk to 8 o% to practically zero. >> we take the breast tissue off the muscle. >> the director of the the breast health center at georgetown university hospital says she's seeing an increase in the number of young women choosing surgery. >> once you find out you're a gene mutation carrier it's not so much a matter of if you're going to do something, it's often times a matter of when you're going to do it. >> reporter: patient advocates say women need to be fully informed. >> women need to understand that this is not an easy fix. that they will have to have multiple surgeries for reconstruction, and there is no guarantee that they won't get breast cancer or some other kind of cancer. >> i'm trying to soak it in. >> reporter: claudia has been documenting her experience in

blogs as she anxiously awaits the surgery she says she's come to see as a gift. >> to know that i have become my own biggest hero and i define my destiny. >> reporter: a very personal and controversial choice for a growing number of women. dr. nancy sniderman, nbc news, new york. when we come back, talk of a change in the air on board commercial flights. [ susan ] i hate that the reason we're always stopping is because i have to go to the bathroom. and when we're sitting in traffic, i worry i'll have an accident. be right back. so today i'm finally going to talk to my doctor about overactive bladder. [ female announcer ] if you're suffering, today is the day to talk to your doctor and ask about prescription toviaz. one toviaz pill a day significantly reduces sudden urges and accidents all day and all night. and toviaz comes with a simple, 12-week plan

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if you fly a lot and you look hard enough, you can usually see them without too much trouble. the air marshals who fly on upwards of hundreds of flights a week across the country. at first, they were more often than not, men in suits in first class, on the aisle, with nothing to read or listen to. they were very easy to spot. but a story in the "wall street journal" says some airlines believe the marshalls belong in coach where most of the people are and where most of the threat would be now that the cockpit doors are re-enforced and congress gating in the front of the plane isn't allowed. both the attempted shoe bombing and the christmas-day attempted bombing in detroit originated with coach passengers.

big news about the ipad. the most quickly adopted electronic device ever, other than cell phones. in english, that means we're buying ipad s faster than we evr bought things like dvd players or other electronics when they first came out. 3 million people bought ipads on the first 80 days they were on sale on selling over a million a month. one business analyst called it a run-away success of unprecedent proportion. less successful was the new bag sun chips came in. it made a sound similar that that of a jet engine, the cost of good intentions as it was made of a cringely but well-intentioned biodegradable material. if you went anywhere near it or tried to open it or tried to reseal it, all conversation in the room had to stop. you couldn't hear the tv or the sound of, say, a passing train or a rolling stones concert. the sun chips folks have relented mostly.

they have announced they're changing the packaging on all but the original version of their chips. there's still time. when we come back here tonight, he wrote a best-selling story of friendship and love. now the author of "the kiterunner" has gone back to the land and the people he left to make a difference there. trailer insurance...r and ...as well as motorcycle insurance... gecko: oh...sorry, technical difficulties. boss: uh...what about this? gecko: what's this one do? gecko: um...maybe that one. ♪ dance music boss: ok, let's keep rolling. we're on motorcycle insurance. vo: take fifteen minutes to see how much you can save on motorcycle, rv, and camper insurance. you don't love me anymore do you billy? what? i didn't buy this cereal to sweet talk your taste buds it's for my heart health. good speech dad. [ whimper ] [ male announcer ] honey nut cheerios tastes great and its whole grain oats can help lower cholesterol. bee happy. bee healthy. and its whole grain oats can help lower cholesterol.

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we're back and it's time for our "making a difference" report and tonight it's about a man americans may know as the author of the best seller "the kiterunner" a novel that shaped many people's views of his native land, afghanistan, where america has been at war for years. that war is displaced millions of people. the violence has driven them out of their homes. that's where this man comes in hoping to make a difference back home. our own john yang has the report from kabul. >> reporter: best selling author is back at his birth place, enjoying a childhood pleasure, the afghan national pastime of kite flying. >> i was one of those kids flying kits when i was a kid here. >> reporter: husseini who lives in northern california is best known for writing "the kiterunner" a novel that became

an award-winning movie. on only his fourth trip back to afghanistan since leaving as an 11-year-old boy, he's on a mission to find much-needed shelter for the country's 2.8 million displaced persons. >> they make do with so little. >> reporter: 45 families have been living in this abandoned school for as long as eight years. about 100 more are in the field behind. no running water, no electricity, no heat. husseini says it's more than just a warm place to sleep. >> a sense of dignity and a sense of belonging. a sense of. >> caller: sural shame about being homeless. you know? a saying that, go hungry if you must but never go homeless. >> reporter: this man has been squatting here with his eight children since last year when they fled the violence. >> this is the reason i've come back to afghanistan. there's so many stories like this. a colleague of mine likes to say that there are a thousand tragedies per square mile. >> reporter: a trained

physician, he's horrified to discover that the mud from his house comes from a pool of standing water littered with garbage and human waste. >> this is a nightmare because i can imagine all the pathogens that are floating around. >> reporter: since 2008, his foundation raised enough money to place 170 displaced family a number he's trying to double. >> there's sill a long way to go and the afghan people are hopeful the international community will remain engaged with their country. >> reporter: a man with high hopes for the land he left more than 30 years ago but still feels connected to in his heart. john yang, nbc news, kabul. and if you're interested in learning more about his foundation and learning more from him, you can logon to our website, nightly dot that's it for now. thank you and we hope to see you

right back here tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com eaks to send jobs over seas. i think we need tax breaks to send kids to college. so i worked for a $2,500 tax credit to help pay for college. fought to get pell grants expanded and insisted that college loans go directly to kids instead of through banks. i'm barbara mikulski. i approve this message.