200,000 jobs lost. o'malley covers up jobs report that proved maryland's economy stalled. if re-elected, o'malley will raise taxes again. whether he does, is up to you. on our broadcast tonight, countdown underway. freedom may be just hours away for those trapped miners. the rescue is set to begin but there are no guarantees. beat the clock. the democrats fanning out, pulling out all the stops to stave off defeat on election day, now just three weeks away. on the brink. actor andctivist george clooney gives our own ann curry a first-hand look at a nation torn apart by civil war with women on the front lines. and something missing. if you've been on the highway alongside a car without a driver, you weren't seeing things. in fact, we found the company

driving this outfit. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening. they've been called 33 living miracles and the time can now be measured in hours until the capsule arrives in their underground home, and the first man ventures slowly toward the surface. that will leave 32 men behind, then that number, if everything goes well, will dwindle to one and then zero. and if it works, it will be the most intricate and successful underground rescue ever attempted. the world's attention is about to be focused on a small round mineshaft in south america and our own kerry sanders is there for the countdown and starts us from chile tonight. good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. a sign that these men are almost free, the single camera that

will -- [ inaudible ] today, teams here conducted a test. the escape capsule traveled 20 feet without a problem, so they sent it down the shaft within feet of the trapped miners. >> we didn't send it down because we can risk that somebody can jump in. >> reporter: his good mood reveals the level of confidence here. the only reason the rescues are not under way is because some of the equipment is still being anchored into a concrete slab. [ bell rings ] celebrations began saturday when the shaft to the men was completed. an american team drilled down a half mile through some of the hardest rock on earth. >> we're just so happy we did have the chance to come down hire and make a difference with our technology. we're very thankful for that and extremely happy that it actually

worked. >> reporter: soon, the escape pod will be hooked up to a heavy duty winch. the capsule travels down the shaft for the first 180 feet inside that pipe. past that, driven by gravity, it slides down the rock walls 1,857 feet through slight s turns. the trip up is expected to make no more than 15 minutes. with the steel pipes welded in place and glasses to shield their eyes from the bright sun, now headed down this afternoon, the miners started a special liquid diet, the same potassium astronauts take before liftoff. the 33 men are good to go, one miner has been jogging five miles a day. on average, the men have lost 20 pounds. >> health issues are also, and psychologically they are perfect to go. >> let's hope. from the scene, kerry sanders

reporting tonight, starting us off from chile. another countdown under way tonight across this country to election day. just three weeks from tomorrow, the president running hard tonight to try to keep the democrats from losing too many seats in congress. our chief white house correspondent chuck todd with us tonight with a look at where things stand. good evening. >> reporter: look, election day inching ever so close and the white house is still searching for a message that's going to resonate, now with the president focusing all of his efforts on trying to get democratic voters to the polls. that means a lot of time in big cities like philadelphia sunday and miami tonight. with just three weeks left, democratic control of congress is tenuous. and that's why the president flew to miami to help save one house seat. republicans need 39 seats to win control of the house. ten seats to do the same in the senate. and democrats are engaging in trench political warfare. where it will help deploy the

president to fire up his base like sunday in philadelphia. >> they're counting on young people staying home and union members staying home and black folks staying home. >> reporter: and in places like kentucky where president obama is unpopular, sent former president bill clinton. >> but you can't be played. >> reporter: some candidates are trying to appeal republicans more directly. like joe mansion, who uses a rifle shot to take aim at white house policies. meanwhile, the president has struggled to find an attack on fluns that works. in august, he focused on former president george bush. >> they don't have a single idea that's different from george bush's ideas, not one. >> reporter: but the bush line didn't resonate, so in september he shifted gears. >> you put it in deep. when you want to go backwards, you put it in r. >> reporter: and now his focus is on republican outside groups taking advantage of a new campaign finance law. >> the american people deserve to know who is trying to sway

their elections. >> reporter: analysts aren't convinced it will work. >> it can energize the base, but to independent voters and swing voters, i just don't think it has the clout. it smells of desperation. >> reporter: then there's the democratic strategy of using controversial statements or background of specific tea party nominees like carl paladino to paint the entire republican party as out of the main stream. paladino on the "today" show toned down the rhetoric. >> my feelings on homosexuality are unequivocal. i have absolutely no problem with it whatsoever. my only reservation is marriage. >> reporter: analysts say democrats trying to use paladino or others to paint republicans with a broad brush have a very tough sell. >> i just don't think voters are willing to accept that. voters aren't thrilled with republicans. the problem with democrats they're not thrilled with democrats either. >> reporter: one way you can

measure republican momentum, today is d. day for as many as seven house incumbents as the party is cutting their losses. this means money, tv ads and resources are being moved elsewhere. the first known victim is ohio freshman democrat in cincinnati. he will no longer have national party help. >> chuck todd starting us off from the white house tonight. let's head to florida for a closer look at the senate race. a rough and tumble three-way contest with the democratic candidate currently bringing up the rear. our report on that tonight from nbc's ron mott. >> we have got to move on. >> reporter: in a three-way race, there's the favorite, the underdog, and the other guy. and in florida's senate battle, the other guy seems to be democratic congressman kendrick meek. lagging in the polls behind his

opponents, he says he won't drop his bid as some have suggested. >> we have the ability to come from behind and win. we've done it before, we were in this process in the primary. >> reporter: unlike the primary, the challenge is keeping his base from fleeing to governor charlie crist, holding second to mark rubio. >> democrats are essentially splitting their support between charlie crist and kendrick mean. as long as that continues, rubio can stay where he is and win in a three-way race. >> tax cuts? hell yes. >> the most important thing is to look him in the eye and tell them the truth that washington is broken. we need to take this opportunity to make history literally and change what's happening in the nation's capital.

>> reporter: before he and congressman meek can do that, they have to narrow the wide gap separating them from the front-runner rubio. a tea party favorite attracting more than 40% of likely voters. rubio has parlayed anti-establishment, anti-obama sentiment into a double digit lead in the polls. >> if you like the direction our country is headed, if you think the stimulus is a good idea, if you think obama care is a good idea, then i'm probably not your candidate. >> reporter: though he is a candidate with the numbers to win. ron mott, nbc news, miami. there has been an arrest in last week's deadly sludge spill in hungary. the head of the company responsible will be charged with criminal negligence, could face up to ten years in prison. meanwhile, that cleanup continues as workers race to prevent another spill, because new cracks appeared this weekend in the wall of the reservoir. some peer it's inevitable that a

second spill of some sort could cause another wave of environmental harm. new developments tonight in the story of a british aide worker held captive in oofg and killed during a rescue attempt by u.s. special forces. it was first reported that she died in the hands of her captors, but she may in fact been killed by a grenade detonated by her would-be rescuers. sadly, always a risk in a rescue mission like this. we get more tonight from our london bureau. michelle, good evening. >> reporter: linda nor grove, who worked for an american organization, was kidnapped two weeks ago in afghanistan by insurgents thought to be linked to al qaeda. friday night, u.s. special forces launched a daring rescue operation, but the next day announced that she had been killed by a bomb vest worn by a captor. then this morning, the commander of forces in afghanistan called

the british prime minister to say it's now believed friendly fire, possibly a grenade thrown by a participant in the operation, may have been what caused this young woman's death. that prompted many questions here, whether there was an initial attempt at a coverup. further more, some experts say what stands out most stunningly is a grenade would have been used at all in this type of operation. there's now a joint investigation, both a u.s. and britain vowing to get to the bottom of this, something reiterated by president obama and a phone call to british prime minister david cameron. he also offered his condolences. >> michelle, thanks. we learned today david mcnerney has tied. president lyndon johnson awarded him the medal of honor. he was among the first 500 advisers sent to southeast asia. later, as a sergeant in march of '67 when his company was overrun

by a huge force of north vietnamese, he was forced to take command. he killed several of the enemy and called in artillery to within 65 feet of his own position. despite his own wounds, he crawled across a clearing and climbed a tree under withering fire and in full view of the enemy to mark a landing zone for incoming rescue choppers. placing the medal around his neck, president johnson told him, "you're a good texan." he was 79 and his death leaves 86 living recipients of the medal of honor. when "nightly news" continues in a moment, ann curry just back from a trip from one of the world's most troubled places, along with george clooney, working to help the people there have a better future. later, a car that drives itself. could be coming soon toe a highway near you. [ commentator ] lindsey vonn! she stays tough!

earlier, she had an all-over achy cold... what's her advantage? it's speedy alka-seltzer! [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus rushes relief for all-over achy colds. the official cold medicine of the u.s. ski team. alka-seltzer plus. ♪ [ upbeat instrumental ] [ rattling ] [ gasps ] [ rattling ] [ laughing ] [ announcer ] close enough just isn't good enough. - if your car is in an accident, - [ laughing continues ] make sure it's repaired with the right replacement parts. take the scary out of life with travelers. call or click now for an agent or quote.

[ man ] then try this. new and improved freestyle lite® blood glucose test strip. sure, but it's not gonna -- [ beep ] wow. [ man ] yeah, that's the patented freestyle zipwik™ design. [ woman ] did it just -- target the blood? target the blood? yeah, it drew it right in. the test starts fast. you need just a third the blood of onetouch®. that is different. so freestyle lite test strips make testing... [ man ] easy? easy. [ man ] great. call or click -- we'll send you strips and a meter, free. free is good. [ man ] freestyle lite test strips. call or click today. george clooney is a world class actor whose off camera private life involves helping

people who may never see one of his films, the people of sudan who have suffered through genocide and a long civil war that has cost 2 million lives. sudan is right now at a turning point, and our own ann curry went there with clooney to find out more. >> reporter: we are traveling along the tense border between north and south, and nowhere is that tension greater than in oil-rich southern sudan. >> that's what they'll do, especially here, because this is going to be one of the first places that's hit. >> reporter: it was hit just two years ago in an echo of darfur and the 20-year civil war. witnesses say arab militiamen descended. "i watched as my four nephew's

throats were slit." she survived with her sisters and cousins. now bound together by that massacre and decades of civil war. another is saying, pregnant women were burned to death. old women were raped. this january, the south has a chance to control its own destiny in a vote to secede from sudan, a vote the sudan president said could provoke another dangerous war. how will you vote in the referendum? they're saying, we all are voting for separation. we may be powerless, but our vote will allow our children to live in freedom. we're now on our way to a camp from people forced from their homes by violence, allegedly fueled by the government. we land in a desperate place. this woman fled her home with eight children.

what is your wish for your family's future? "we need separation from the arabs, she says, so we can be happy." in juba, the capital of southern sudan, excitement of a new nation waiting to be born is met with fear that history may repeat itself. george clooney is here once again leveraging his fame to aid victims of tragedy. the difference this time, he says, the tragedy is preventable. >> people who are going to watch this are going to think, what are you doing here? what are you, george clooney, doing here? >> if i said to you right now, 100 days from today, 90 days from today, there's going to be an earthquake, that 200,000 people are going to be killed, what would you do? well, this is man-made. and it can be stopped. ♪ >> reporter: officials told nbc news of a massive military

buildup by the north of tanks and heavy artillery all along the border. and with 90 days now before the vote, this week clooney and other activists are to meet with president obama and also republican senator richard lugar on what more can be done to stop this war, brian. >> i hope everyone listens. thank you for your reporting and welcome back. ann curry. we'll have more on ann's trip on our website, nightly.msnbc.com. and george clooney will join ann tomorrow morning on "today." when we come back here tonight, how is it the earthquake prediction for southern california just got worse? [ male announcer ] it's simple physics... a body at rest tends to stay at rest... while a body in motion tends to stay in motion. staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion.

because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief for many with arthritis pain and inflammation. plus, in clinical studies, celebrex is proven to improve daily physical function so moving is easier. and celebrex is not a narcotic. when it comes to relieving your arthritis pain, you and your doctor need to balance the benefits with the risks. all prescription nsaids, including celebrex, may increase the chance of heart attack or stroke, which can lead to death. this chance increases if you have heart disease or risk factors such as high blood pressure or when nsaids are taken for long periods. nsaids, including celebrex, increase the chance of serious skin or allergic reactions or stomach and intestine problems, such as bleeding and ulcers, which can occur without warning and may cause death. patients also taking aspirin and the elderly are at increased risk for stomach bleeding and ulcers. do not take celebrex if you've had an asthma attack, hives, or other allergies to aspirin, nsaids or sulfonamides. get help right away if you have swelling of the face or throat, or trouble breathing. tell your doctor about your medical history and find an arthritis treatment that works for you.

ask your doctor about celebrex. and, go to celebrex.com to learn more about how you can move toward relief. celebrex. for a body in motion. can be unsettling. but what if there were a different story? of one financial company that grew stronger through the crisis. when some lost their way, this company led the way. by protecting clients and turning uncertainty into confidence. what if that story were true? it is. ♪ it is. if you live for performance,

upgrade to castrol edge advanced synthetic oil. with eight times better wear protection than mobil 1. castrol edge. it's more than just oil. it's liquid engineering. we learned today the first u.s. government approved human embryonic stem cell study is under way. a patient suffering from paralysis from a spinal cord injury has been injected with millions of stem cells. this trial is only meant to assess the safety of using the stem cells, not the effectiveness of the technique at reversing the paralysis. as if we don't otherwise have enough to worry about these days, scientists are now saying the big one, the major california earthquake that all the experts tell us is inevitable may be bigger than previous predictions. new research shows the san andreas fault is long overdue for a major shift.

that could mean a magnitude of 8.1 quake along the entire 340 miles southern section of the fault. scientists can't agree whether this event will happen in our lifetime and out in the future. for californians, of course, this was just another day. the new documentary "waiting for superman" has gotten a lot of attention, including here on this broadcast during our series of reports on "education nation." the five children profiled in the film were at the white house invited to a low-key meeting with the president in the oval office. the film shows the struggles these kids and parents go through to get a quality education. the president called the film powerful and heartbreaking. as part of their civics lesson today, they got to watch president obama leave the white house via marine one, a better than average ride. we have lost a long-time member of the nbc news family.

veteran correspondent frank burkeholzer has died. msnbc's first white house correspondent, covering president truman. once he even got him to play the piano on live television. after that, los angeles until his retirement in 1986. he was remembered here today as a renaissance man, elegant but down to earth, an exceptional reporter. he was 90 years old. when we come back, the driverless car spotted on some american roads and highways. are they real? well, we found out they are, but are they the future? for me to breathe. but with advair, i'm breathing better. so now, i can join the fun and games with my grandchildren. great news! for people with copd, including chronic bronchitis, emphysema, or both,

advair helps significantly improve lung function. while nothing can reverse copd, advair is different from most other copd medications because it contains both an anti-inflammatory and a long-acting bronchodilator, working together to help you breathe better. advair won't replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms and should not be used more than twice a day. people with copd taking advair may have a higher chance of pneumonia. advair may increase your risk of osteoporosis and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking advair. i had fun today, grandpa. you and me both. if copd is still making it hard to breathe, ask your doctor if including advair will help improve your lung function for better breathing. get your first full prescription free and save on refills.

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. [ but aleve can last 12 hours. tylenol 8 hour lasts 8 hours. and aleve was proven to work better on pain than tylenol 8 hour. so why am i still thinking about this? how are you? good, how are you? [ male announcer ] aleve. proven better on pain. [ male announcer ] at ge capital, we're out there every day with clients like jetblue -- financing their fleet, sharing our expertise, and working with people who are changing the face of business in america. after 25 years in the aviation business,

i kind of feel like if you're not having fun at what you do, then you've got the wrong job. my landing was better than yours. no, it wasn't. yes, it was. was not. yes, it was. what do you think? take one of the big ones out? nah. finally tonight, a new kind of car from a company better known for its search engine. google is developing a robo car that drives itself. it's very real. it's been spotted on the road by other stunned drivers. in it, the driver becomes just a passenger along for the ride. but is this really a good idea? our story tonight from nbc's george lewis.

>> reporter: over the last year in california, there have been these mysterious sightings on the highway. google's fleet of seven robo cars, able to drive themselves along preprogrammed routes. using a combination of tv cameras, radar sensors and laser beams to detect hazards and obstacles. >> on the roof, you can see a simulator. >> reporter: the project is headed by stanford university robotics expert sebastien thrun. >> it's exciting to be doing this project, especially at google. >> reporter: in the google tests, there's a human sitting in the drivers seat and a big red kill button in case something goes wrong. detroit is interested in robo car. two years ago in las vegas, gm invited reporters along for a test ride. this is very eerie, watching this steering wheel being turned back and forth as we negotiate

this course through these cones. google's robotic cars have made it down the coast from mountain view, california, to santa monica, more than 50 miles. >> so google is trying to bring about a car that is in a much more controlled environment, that is safer. >> reporter: but what does your typical new york cabby think about robotic cars? take. >> i've been in a cab four times today and each time i feel like my life has been in my hands. this way it would really be in my hands. >> reporter: computers don't get drunk or fall asleep, and google thinks they can make driving a lot safer. george lewis, nbc news, los angeles. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. and as always, we hope to see

you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com so who is "making stuff up"? the news media say it's bob ehrlich... with attacks that have been called "false" and "misleading." made up attacks bob ehrlich knows aren't true. but here's what's not made up. bob ehrlich's $3 billion in taxes and fees.