on the broadcast tonight, a deal. is it possible on things like medicare, social security and taxes? there are rumblings out of washington tonight on possibly cooperation. sentencing today for casey anthony. the judge in her murder case seemed to be sending her a message. and is nothing safe? someone hacking into electronics. and could it really be the end? as harry potter's final chapter arrives or could there be more?

and for all those who remember penmanship, there's a new sign the writing may be on the wall. "nightly news" begins now. good evening. it may go all the way back to their meeting on the golf course, for whatever reason, president obama and speaker of the house boehner have forged something of a relationship, while not the best of friends, they are dealing with each other across the enormous divide that has divided washington to the point of paralysis. knowing a decision is coming and they have to solve the problem of the nation's debt limit, they have to go into some big ticket items like social security, medicare and taxes. it is progress with no guarantee but nothing else has worked so far. and we begin tonight at the

white house with nbc's kristen welker. kristen, good evening. >> reporter: president obama emerged after talks with congressional leaders saying both sides are deadlocked but are determined to make a deal very soon. lawmakers will work through the weekend and meet with the president again on sunday. the president and congressional leaders come together to hammer out a deal on the debt ceiling. if a deal isn't hammered out by august 2, the -- president obama called the meeting very constructive, but admitted hard work remains. >> i want to emphasize that nothing is agreed to until everything is agreed to and the parties are still far apart on a wide range of issues. >> reporter: administration officials say the president is pushing for a big deal, somewhere in the ballpark of $4 trillion in deficit reductions over the next decade, nearly doubling the $2 trillion that had been at the center of the

talks for two weeks. >> everybody acknowledges there's going to be pain involve politically on all sides. >> reporter: this amidst reports that the president is pressing democrats to agree to changes in medicare and social security, in exchange for a policy on tax revenue. but saying there's no policy shift on social security, saying president obama has not open to cut. still after today's meeting, house minority leader nancy pelosi drew a line in the sand. >> we do not support cuts in benefits for social security and medicare. any discussion of medicare or social security should be on its own page. >> reporter: earlier in the day, speaker boehner himpnted for th first time that republicans are open to tax increases. >> everything is open to changes

except for raising taxes on the american people. >> reporter: members of both parties are watching from afar, not necessarily aligned on where these talks are going. but speaker boehner told his conference that there's a 50/50 chance that a deal will get done over the next few days. we have heard about this debt limit issue for months. what does it really mean and what are the stakes? for some collarity, we asked maya mcginnis who's responsible for a federal budget to lay it out for us in her own words. >> what is the debt limit? it's a construct that congress has created to give itself a speed bump along the way of its normal process of borrowing a lot of money every year to help pay the bills. there has been a debt ceiling for decades and we have always voted to increase it. this year they're talking about actually changing our budget because we have to.

if we don't make changes now, the markets are going to force us to. what happens if we don't raise the debt celling? the first thing is that we have to pay all the interest that we owe to bondholders and that means there's much, much less left over for social security payments, to pay our soldiers who are in iraq and afghanistan. but that could send shivers through credit markets as the u.s. has had a huge loss in confidence. so if you borrow from your credit cards to buy a dishwasher, a car, or send your kids to school, that's going to become much, much more expensive. in the meantime, the government has this interest on its books and it's going to grow immensely. there's no reason we should be

talking about making it harder for american families to pay its bills or the american government to pay its bills when it's already hard enough. >> and later we'll look at how to budget issues in some states are threatening summer. another chapter is in the books in the widely watched saga of casey anthony following all the hubbub this week after she was found not guilty of murdering her daughter, this was sentencing day and while she escaped the murder charge, a trial, remember she was convicted on four counts of lying to police. and today, at her sentencing hearing, the judge delivered the maximum, though it still amounted to good news for the defendant. with us again tonight to explain what went on today, our legal analyst savannah guthrie, a lawyer herself and perhaps you can explain. the judge threw at her all he was allowed to, but she's already been in prison for years? >> exactly, so she'll be out in six days. this is one of those time where

is people at home are thinking, wait a minute, she got a four-year sentence and she's get out in six stays? well, she's already been in prison for three years and you get credit for good behavior in prison. the calculation means she should be out by next wednesday. the judges sentence reflects how serious he takes these charges. she lied about the most serious thing she could lie about and that is the location of her daughter and the time that elapsed from when she first talk to police and when they found her. if she had not waited, there may have been evidence that would have explained what happened to this little girl and now we may never know. >> look at all that has happened since. savannah guthrie, good to see you as always.

overseas tonight in great britain, a turn of events that came as a huge shock in a story we told you about just last night. a scandal involving a newspaper, the nation's leading sunday tabloid newspaper, and allegations that they hacked into people's phones, all kinds of people. the outrage has been huge, all the way to parliament and the prime minister's office and today the media empire run by rupert murdock announced it is shutting down the newspaper for good. but that's not going to make this go away. nbc's mike tiabbi with us tonight from london with more. mike, good evening. >> good evening, brian. even among media watcher who is have been transfixed by this story, there's one comment i heard many times today is we didn't see this coming, the closing of rupert murdock's empire, gone as of sunday. >> reporter: the latest aegsz

allegation that may have been the breaking point that grieving relatives of british solders killed in action have had their information hacked. >> i'm appalled and i find it quite disgusting. >> reporter: the prime minister recounted on both sides of the aisle in a rare emergency session in the house of commons. all in agreement that the public needs to know who was hacked, and what they're doing about it. >> obviously the people responsible must pay a penalty. >> reporter: although rupert murdock dodged reporters questions, his son james said if the allegation is true, the breach is inhuman. >> reporter: and what might be the impact on rupert murdock's bottom line, his legacy, his bulletproof reputation? >> he has weathered major, major

scandals, this is certainly a big one and certainly one that has him more back on his heels than anything i can remember. >> reporter: hacking the phones of celebrities and politicians was one thing, but harvesting the grieving voicemails of the relatives of soldiers lost in battle or children lost to violence triggered an explosion of revulsion that could not be contained. when advertised as abandoning the paper will put 200 people out of work, and there are more arrests within days, several investigations now underway. >> mike tiabbi with this huge, ongoing story. the big news from the middle east tonight, while syria continues to be in play, while the rebels continue to make some progress against gadhafi and libya, the news in that region today was that the world got its first look at the president of yemen, since he was badly injured last month in an attempt to kill him, and after weeks of

rumors about his health, his condition, what people there saw today was shocking. our chief foreign correspondent richard engel was watching from his post in cairo and is with us from there tonight. richard, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. i was watching yemeni state television on a big 37-inch television right in front of my desk here in cairo. and when the yemeni president started to speak and i know what he looks like, i did not recognize him. his face was much darker than it normally is, he didn't move at all in the chair in which he was sitting, his face was completely expressionless, his hands were bandaged. this is the first time we have seen the yemeni president since that assassination attempt, an explosion inside the yemeni presidential palace a month ago. if this was an attempt by the yemeni government that he is

still in control, that attempt might not have been successful. members of the opposition who are still out on the streets every day, they want him to step down and say what they saw today on television is a clear indication he is no longer fit to lead. brian? >> richard engel from his post in cairo tonight. back in this country, the weather forecast for the stretch offense southern florida they call the space coast is pretty awful for tomorrow. something like a 70% chance that tomorrow's scheduled final unch of the space shuttle will be scrubbed. the up side is, u.s. space program gets to live another day or two as a weather channel meteorologist put it, the weather is starting to percolate. those storms may mean a false start or two, disappointing as well for the hundreds of thousands of americans who have travelled to the cape to see, to witness the last launch. when we come back here tonight,

when a government budget crisis really hurts, we'll take you to minnesota where the state is still closed for business and this summer it's really starting to hurt. and later, the curtain comes down on a beloved story. is it really the end for harry and his friends? really? 25 grams of protein. what do we have? all four of us, together? 24. he's low fat, too, and has 5 grams of sugars. i'll believe it when i--- [ both ] oooooh... what's shakin'? [ female announcer ] as you get older, protein is an important part of staying active and strong. new ensure high protein... fifty percent of your daily value of protein. low fat and five grams of sugars. see? he's a good egg. [ major nutrition ] new ensure high protein. ensure! nutrition in charge! 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, like celebrex, ibuprofen, naproxen, and meloxicam have the same cardiovascular warning. they all 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 your medical history and find an arthritis treatment for you. visit celebrex.com and ask your doctor about celebrex. for a body in motion. while as we told you the president and congress fight it out over this federal debt ceiling, the standoff in the state of minnesota between the democratic governor and the republican legislature has led to a government shutdown now entering its second week. nbc's john yang reports from the capital st. paul where the government coming to a stand still is really starting to hit home this summer. >> reporter: for minnesota state highway worker mike linholts, summer is a busy time. but today he was working at his father's house.

>> you set your priorities and this is the way it works. >> reporter: he's one of more than 20,000 state workers on furlow because the government and state legislature can't agree on how to close a $5 billion budget deficit. for republicans that control the state legislature insist on only spending cuts. >> we will not saddle our children and grandchildren with mounds of debt. >> reporter: the governor wants higher taxes to support social services. >> it's their way or no way, that continues to be their position. if somebody else has a rabbit to pull out of the hat, then i look forward to their doing so. >> reporter: usually crowded state parks and campgrounds are locked shut and some have even fallen victim to vandalism. here's the minnesota state capitol, closed for business. state parks not deemed vital are shut down. folks can't apply for a driver's license or even by a state

lottery ticket. across the state the shutdown is beginning to squeeze. >> there's a lot of people just in minnesota now they have no health care, including myself. >> mike linholts' girlfriend fears a shutdown will -- >> we're just sitting and hoping that we're not next on the chopping block. >> reporter: as the effects of the budget deadlock continue to ripple across the state. a new report on obesity in this country is out tonight with some sobering stats. in 1995, not a single state in the country had an obesity rate above 20% of the population. now all the states but one do and colorado, the only one is barely hanging on with 19.8% of its residents considered obese. up next here tonight, who's making hay after that epic dust storm swallowed up phoenix,

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yellowstone, then you know grizzly bears are a constant presence, you're on the lookout, you're warned about them and often you see them preferably at a safe distance. sadly however, there's been a fatal attack in wyoming. 57-year-old brian was on a camping trip with his wife when he apparently happened on a mother grizzly and came between her and her cubs. park rangers say the attack was an act of nature, they will not destroy the animal for simply protecting her family. take a look at the time lapsed pictures of the dust storm in arizona's catch tall city. it turned the late-day light into night in an instant. dust covered everything and that certainly includes ever car in the city. so the booming sector of the local economy today car washes. >> as a car wash owner, we love

to see this kind of weather. it means good profit for the week. >> also indundated with busines is pool cleaning companies. and people with asthma and other respiratory conditions, there's still so much dust in the air, they're still being advised to stay indoors. here's the question, can you write the entire alphabet in upper and lower case in letter perfect cursive, in a way your mother would approve of? it's a dying art form thanks mostly to the keyboard and simple printing. and some states have announced that it will no longer be a requirement in their states. 43 other states have made teaching cursive optional in their schools. we have also learned we lost two hall of famers, one from pro football, the other from baseball.

john mackey has died as number 88 with the baltimore colts. he defined the role of the modern day tight end in the nfl. and because of his struggle with dementia late in life and the medical bills that came with his treatment, the league now has what's called the ada plan for its retiredveterans, john mackey was 88 years old. as hall of fame skipper with the oakland as, he let them to world series victories in '72 and 73 despite some pretty awful uniforms back in the day. he died of and an yourism at his home in las vegas.

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or when you're distracted? when you're falling asleep at the wheel? do you know how you'll react? lexus can now precisely test the most unpredictable variable in a car -- the driver. when you pursue perfection, you don't just engineer the world's most advanced driving simulator. you engineer amazing. ♪ ever since the first book in the series came out 14 years ago now, harry potter has touched just about everybody in this country in some way. we have watched the characters grow up. we have watched the author of

the books grow rich. while tonight mark a milestone in this saga, the final film that will bring down the curtain. michelle kosinsky has our reports from london. >> reporter: the fans camped out in london rain from all over this world. >> sidney, australia. >> san francisco. >> reporter: and speak a language all their own. from a world of wizards, good versus evil. but they have been raised on now for 14 years. >> it's an epic phenomenon. . >> reporter: potter got millions of people away from the computer and reading. the book sold 450 million copies in 70 languages. the movie broke records, more than $6 billion in ticket sales. quite a run for the phenomenon

that made little round glasses cool and may j.k. rowiling an author. and her adoring fans have grown up along with the characters. daniel radcliffe at 10 years old, speechless. today the star of a play and musical. emma watson. >> to everyone out there, hi grandma, hi grandpa. >> reporter: now on the cover of vogue, an ivy league education awaits. >> now i feel like i get to start mied a ly ed my adolescen it's over. >> reporter: now there's a new website for the fans that have grown into not out of --

michelle kosinsky, nbc news, london. and that's our broadcast for this thursday night, thank you for being here with us, i'm brian williams, we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening, good night.