on the broadcast tonight, mountain of debt for an entire generation of young americans struggling to pay back their student loans. tonight, the president's plan to help, but is it enough? now down in the streets. protesters occupy police with teargas. and the war next door. the shocking revelation that a 12-year-old boy in texas was targeted by mexican drug traffic rs and he's not alone. making a difference. a son on a marathon journey for

his mother. tonight, the moment at the finish line. and the scientific proof of why it's so hard once you lose weight to keep it off. why it's so hard once you lose weight to keep it off. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening. of all the time bombs in the american economy set to explode with dire consequences this is a big one. staggering debt from student loans. everyone is told a college education is a way to get ahead. college tuitions though keep going up. so does the borrowing. we just hit an awful milestone. our nation's combined student loan debt has now hit $1 trillion. that averages out to $24,000 per student. it's now larger than credit card debt in this country and it comes just as an entire generation is just starting out. today the president suggested one fix.

more on that in a moment. we have two reports to start out with tonight beginning with nbc's john yang in chicago. >> reporter: for millions of college students the joy of graduation is quickly followed by dread. a new life with old debts. university of illinois at chicago senior andrea watson will owe about $40,000 notary public student loans. >> mm-hmm. very scary to know that before i even get that first real career job i'm going to have thousands of dollars over my head. >> reporter: in a new report out today the college board which runs the s.a.t.s says tuition and board at four-year colleges are up 4.4% from last year $28,500. up 8.3% at public schools to more than $8,200. with first jobs hard to find and starting salaries following, frustration is turning to anger. >> what kind of 18-year-old

teenager is going to have that kind of money? >> i'm angry. >> college is a gigantic scam to get your money. >> reporter: expressed in youtube videos and at protests across the country sparked by occupy wall street. >> i'm constantly in deferment. >> reporter: tim graduated from michigan state university with $20,000 in debt. >> what's the point of school if you can't get a job, can't pay back student loans? >> reporter: the heavy burden of debt is a drag on the proeder economy. recent graduates struggling to pay off loans are less likely to take steps like getting married and buying a house. still, experts say it's worth the financial pain. >> college is still the best investment you can make in your future and our economy needs more people to go to college. >> i don't want to be like my friends who are living at home, working at walmart or kmart and can't pay off their student loans. >> reporter: the new reality for college graduates who are paying the price of education in more ways than one.

john yang, nbc news chicago. >> so it was against this backdrop that president obama formally announced something we told you about last night. a plan to help the debt burden on students in this country. kristen welker has that part of the story. >> reporter: the president's new initiatives which he plugged in denver, colorado, today could help as many as 7 million student loan holders. >> that means we should be doing everything we can to put a college education within reach for every american. [ applause ] >> reporter: as he did monday with mortgage refinancing, the president used executive action. today claiming he has the authority to accelerate a program that congress had already adopted. capping student loan payments at 10% of a graduate's income and allowing graduates to consolidate certain federal loans to get lower interest rates. the administration argued today's actions will help improve the overall economy. >> that means you will be more

confident and comfortable to buy a house or save for retirement. that will give our economy a boost at a time it needs it. >> reporter: some economists warn the impact will likely be minimal. >> my suspicion is it's not going to be that large in the short run. any short run effect is likely to be dominated by students deciding, i can now take the risk of borrowing more. >> reporter: the president kept up his steady tongue lashing of congress for failing to pass his jobs bill. by visiting this denver university he's also trying to re-energize one of his core constituents that put him in office -- young people. a key republican pushed back today in a statement. sadly, the president has once again chosen to put politics before policy, touting a plan that will do nothing to help the nation's unemployed workers. the white house maintains that the 36 million student loan holders owe more debt than credit card owners. with tuition costs rising a

little bit of help could make a big difference. kristen welker, nbc news, denver, colorado. student debt is one of the big concerns of the occupy wall street protest movement. and in oakland, california, 85 people were arrested when police evicted them. some complained about what they said were heavy handed tactics used by police who used teargas and fired bean bag rounds into the crowd during the predawn raid. later in the day, things got even worse. our own miguel almaguer is standing by in oakland for us tonight. good evening. >> reporter: good evening. oakland is relatively quiet tonight so far. this plaza has been home to demonstrators who have been protesting against corporate greed and other issues for two weeks. last night the protest came to an end after a clash between police and demonstrators. mayhem, violence and blood spilled onto oakland streets. occupy oakland protesters and

police faced off for six hours. this after an early morning raid forced nearly 300 demonstrators from their camp. >> what this is is a gathering of working people trying to reverse a situation that has occurred that has kicked them out of their homes. >> reporter: teargas was volleyed into the air. >> they just started shooting off. after the fact that everybody left, they kept shooting. >> reporter: as police say rocks, bottles, even small explosives were thrown at them. the late night crowd swelled to nearly a thousand. >> the decision to move was based on public health and safety due to defecation, fire hazard, sexual assault incidents, violent behavior and a denial of access of medical aid. >> reporter: oakland wasn't is only city trying to move out protests. across the country in atlanta. police in riot gear arrested 50 overnight. in denver, occupiers were

digging in. even snow and the threat of hypo the thermia didn't deter them. thermal images on the daily mail's website show most of the tents in purple appear to be empty. back in this country the occupy protests have cost cities money and resources. in los angeles, the mayor says the bill so far is $60,000. tonight there seems to be no end to the protests in sight. as a matter of fact in oakland in a few hours protesters say they plan to, quote, reclaim and retake this plaza. police say they will be ready to square off. as a matter of fact, in san francisco, brian, crowds are also expected to show up in the plaza center across the bay. >> miguel almaguer in the bay area of california for us tonight. miguel, thanks. one of the main arguments of the occupy wall street protes r protesters was pretty much

confirmed today by the congressional budget office. it's about the top 1% of american society. from 1979 to 2007, incomes grew by 275%. for the 1% of the population with the highest incomes in this country. for the middle class, incomes grew by just under 40% for the same time period. and the former ceo of mackenzie, former goldman sachs board member traded not guilty to insider trading charges. also, the wife of the man convicted of running one of the biggest ever ponzi schemes said she and her husband tried to commit suicide after he was caught. ruth madoff said she and bernie swallowed sleeping pills and a anti-anxiety drugs but woke up the next morning. now to politics. the gop campaign trail and that sound you may have heard today would be candidates walking back

their positions on some of the issues. after days of questions and ambiguous answers, first of all, rick perry told a florida newspaper today he has no doubt president obama is an american citizen. he was just having fun the other day when he raised doubts about obama's birth certificate. and mitt romney is backtracking saying he backs ohio governors 110% on a controversial collective bargaining measure on the ballot this november. it was just yesterday in ohio when asked by nbc news that romney refused to say whether he supported the ballot measure in ohio. now we turn to turkey and an update on the 2-week-old girl who was rescued yesterday along with her mother from the rubble of the weekend earthquake. we are told both are still in the hospital and are doing well. the search, however, continues for the father and there have been more stunning rescues today. three days now after the quake hit, including a 27-year-old

teacher pried from the rubble as her mother watched. the death toll now officially stands close to 500 people. we have an nbc news exclusive tonight about a frightening trend in the drug war along the border between the u.s. and mexico. in the state of texas, state officials are warning parents that mexican drug cartels are now recruiting school children in the u.s. to do their work as drug runners. nbc's mark potter has been covering the war next door for us. tonight he has the story of a 12-year-old boy caught up in all of it. >> reporter: after a high speed chase by police a bupickup truc crashed in alamo, texas, spilling marijuana bales. this video obtained by telamundo. the driver of the truck was a 12-year-old boy. >> it's shocking. it's not what we expect a 12-year-old to be doing.

>> reporter: for years drug traffickers lured thousands of kids in mexico to do their dirty work. body carrying drugs and spying on police. this boy from san diego said he was kidnapped in mexico and forced to execute four people. when asked how to do it he said -- [ speaking in a foreign language ] >> reporter: -- i decapitated them. now with more drugs than ever coming from the u.s. to mexico, traffickers are recruiting kids on the american side of the border. >> they can be lured with the promise of drive this vehicle from point a to point b for a couple hundred dollars cash which is a lot to a young person. >> reporter: in texas where 25 juveniles were arrested on trafficking charges, sheriff herrera said the problem is getting worse. >> now they are recruiting local kids from the high school, even elementary. >> reporter: here along the rio grande, the numbers tell the scope of the problem. fewer than 10% of the population live along the border, yet

nearly 20% of juvenile felony drug cases are filed here. texas police say the cartels consider kids expendable. >> cartels really don't care about our children. they'll use them until they can't use them anymore. >> they will go after you, kidnap you. >> reporter: u.s. border patrol agents are going into classrooms warning children against joining the cartels, showing graphic films about drug trade violence. >> just remember, you have 1200 pounds of my dope. >> reporter: it's an uphill battle against cartel recruiters with their sights on american kids. mark potter, nbc news, mission texas. a lot more to tell you about tonight including this. if you haven't booked your flight for the upcoming holiday season, you might be in for a big surprise. and later, a son, a mother and a mission to make a difference mile by mile. at usaa, we believe honor is not exclusive to the military. and commitment is not limited to one's military oath.

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dreaming of a white halloween in denver. a foot of snow on the ground in some spots in colorado. overnight low in some places is going down to 15. the snow is so heavy, so wet it brought down power lines. 100,000 people in the cold without power tonight. by the way, two days ago denver set a record high for the date, 80 degrees. just the sight of snow may remind folks they don't have plane tickets for the holidays. a lot of people may be in for a shock when they see what's become of airfares this season. our report from tom costello. >> reporter: 28 days until thanksgiving. 59 days until christmas. with each passing week, airfares inch higher. two hikes totaling $20 in the past two weeks alone. >> par for the course. it's the state of the economy now. everybody's trying to make a dollar. >> reporter: united continental is trying to raise fares by $2, $3 and $5 each way depending how

far you're traveling. delta is also hiking fares by $5 on all flights longer than 1,500 miles. not all carriers are going along with the hike. this year they have attempted 18 fare hikes. half have stuck. >> for the holidays there is just not enough seats for everybody and demand is good. >> reporter: over the past 12 months, air fares are up $80 on average. example -- round trip d.c. to san francisco costs $592 a year ago. today it's $686. chicago to orlando costs $486 a year ago. now $544. denver to new york from $493 last year to $576 this year. the airlines blame economics. over the last ten years they have lost $50 billion. in just the first six months of this year they lost $290 million. while all the extra fees we pay add up, the airlines insist the

average base fare has gone up only $2 in ten years. >> in fact, there are 15% fewer seats available than just a few years ago which means they are able to keep raising those prices. >> reporter: to save money the experts advise avoid traveling the sunday after thanksgiving and the monday after christmas. flights with connections are often cheaper than direct flights. tom costello, nbc news, washington. speaking of flying, the boeing dream liner is now a reality. it flew its first real flight with paying passengers on board today on the 53rd anniversary of the first 707 flight. while we are not flying faster today, the dreamliner is a modern and efficient plane and the cabin pressurezation is designed to make flying less taxing on passengers. the u.s. space program is

done for now. they will be open for tours because they are not working on spacecraft anymore. it was built to house the space race with the russians originally. now american astronauts depend on the russians when they need a ride into space. when we come back here tonight, news tonight about the science behind gaining weight after you lose weight in the first place. americans are always ready to work hard for a better future. since ameriprise financial was founded back in 1894, they've been committed to putting clients first. helping generations through tough times. good times. never taking a bailout. there when you need them. helping millions of americans over the centuries. the strength of a global financial leader. the heart of a one-to-one relationship. together for your future. ♪

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a big change at big blue, the company that years ago was a sea of white males wearing white shirts now has a woman in charge and that's a first. virginia rometti is the new chief executive at ibm. she's a company veteran. she takes her place on the list of the most prominent corporate leaders in the united states. dan burke has died. the l.a. times called him one of the architects of the mo attorney television industry.

after his company capacities bought out abc for $3.5 million he ran day-to-day operations of the new company. in his spare time he brought minor league baseball to portland, maine. his son steve is now chief executive of this company. dan burke was 82 years old. there is news tonight about amy winehouse who died recently at 27. toxicology reports initially showed no drugs in her system. today we learned she apparently drank herself to death. a coroner's inquest reported today in the british press found winehouse had more than five times the legal limit of alcohol in her body at the time of death. as we mentioned this new study is out tonight showing why it's so hard to keep weight off once you have lost it. says the body's hormone system fights the weight loss every step of the way. the study looked at dieters who lost at least 10% of their total

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finally here tonight imagine running 42 miles a day. that's what a son has just done to demonstrate his devotion to his own mother and along the way to make a difference for a lot of other people. his story tonight from nbc's amy robach. >> reporter: 23-year-old sam fox is stretching to a limit in the run of a life sometime. >> i'm doing this for my mother to honor her, to thank her for everything she's done for me. >> reporter: sam finished what many could not, the pacific crest trail, a 2,650 mile knee-buckling challenge from canada to mexico. along the way he raised $150,000 for parkinson's research. his mother lucy suffers from the disease. >> i think it's gradual for most people and it certainly is for me. you don't wake up one morning and suddenly not be able to do

things. >> reporter: while her son hammered his way through the wilderness, lucy worried about the hard road ahead. >> i really hate to see him suffer. i knew he would. but i hate to see him suffer. >> reporter: sam has always had an appetite to live on the edge. fewer people have successfully completed the trail than have reached the summit of mt. everest. his effort is being captured in "run while you can" a documentary film. >> it's hot and dry. my feet hurt. >> my body is -- oh, feels like it's giving up. i have to get to the rest spot. 55 hours off schedule which is the least of my problems. i'm moving slower. >> reporter: lucy was diagnosed with parkinson's ten years ago but raised her children on high adventure and exotic travel, parenting with a purpose. >> my job as a mother to raise my kids up to a state of independence. you hope that state of independence in everything else combines to make a really good

human being. >> reporter: side by side, mother and son ended the journey together. >> my mother inspires me simply by continuing to go about her everyday life with minimal change, despite a debilitating disease. >> reporter: making the finish that much sweeter. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: amy robach, nbc news. >> heck of a story to end on for this wednesday night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. as always, we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com