shop less. get more. make one call to an allstate agent. ♪ on the broadcast tonight, game over. the legendary coach joe paterno now says he'll go as a sex abuse scandal envelopes penn state. tonight, fresh outrage for the children who were victimized. her story. for the first time since that devastating attack in tucson, we are hearing from gabby giffords gruelling time since, as she makes an astonishing recovery. is it a dream come true for anyone who struggled to lose weight? could a little pill really be the answer? and the spectacular show going on along the california coast. why have there been so many close encounters lately with the giants of the deep? plus, herman cain takes the stage at tonight's gop debate. we're there live.

stage at tonight's gop debate. we're there live. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening. forget for the moment the fact that one of the most storied names in college sports is enveloped in scandal and may never be the same. tonight, the human toll is staggering. a 9th potential victim has come forward in a sex scandal at penn state university. and on that landmark campus, names and reputations are falling fast. the mythic head coach joe paterno will soon be out and it may not stop there. this one could reach to the college president's office. again tonight, nbc's ron allen is there for us. state college, p.a. >> reporter: good evening, brian. joe paterno may not be the only one on his way out soon. graham spanier is under a lot of pressure to resign as well.

nbc news has learned the department of education in washington is going to launch its own investigation to see if any federal laws have been broken here as well. coach joe paterno left home this morning to break the news to his players. after 46 years, he's through. >> he was crying the whole time he was talking. >> reporter: in a statement paterno said he would retire after football season ends. i am absolutely devastated for the developments in this case. i grieve for the children and their families, he wrote, adding with the benefit of hindsight, i wish i had done more. >> you're great. god bless every single one of you. >> reporter: last night, thousands rallied behind the man affectionately known at jo-pa. but he faces criticism for not calling police after an eyewitness told him in 2002 long-time assistant coach jerry sandusky had sexually assaulted a young boy in a football team

facility. two of sandusky's former bosses are charged with perjury and failing to notify authorities about complaints reported to them. all three men have denied the charges. ♪ >> reporter: still today in a tent camp called paternoville, loyalty from fans waiting to buy football tickets. >> i think people should be focusing on what made him here. he is penn state. >> reporter: the dominant feeling here is outrage over a culture of official silence while children were allegedly being molested and worry about the victims themselves. on social media, this tweet. kids can't defend themselves. we must be there for them. meanwhile the alleged victims remain in seclusion. >> they feel kind of like they have been victimized twice. >> reporter: two mothers told reporter sarah gannam they feel betrayed by penn state as details emerge of what they see as a cover-up saying one of their sons, now 24, complained

about sandusky more than ten years ago. >> they want justice. they realize they will be struggling with it for a long time. >> reporter: the football season is still a few months from completion and the school's board of governors may want paterno away from the team and out of the public spotlight immediately. prosecutors have a number of possible victims who they are interviewing to verify their stories of alleged sexual abuse. brian? >> ron allen on the penn state campus starting us off tonight. a lot of people watching the scandal unfold at penn state, watching an institution get badly soiled, can't help but think of the scandal that rocked the catholic church in america. there are a lot of parallels. our report tonight from nbc's anne thompson. >> reporter: penn state football is the latest institution to learn the high cost of silence. just as the boy scouts of america did losing a multi-million dollar sex abuse

case last year. >> no jury has returned a verdict against the boy scouts of america at this level ever. >> reporter: most notoriously, the catholic church. >> accusations of a cover-up against yet another powerful member of the catholic hierarchy. >> reporter: almost ten years ago the boston globe broke the story of priests abusing minors and the cover-up by church officials, shattering the archdiocese and the faith of many catholics. one reporter sees parallels in the penn state case. >> the institution over drode t importance of taking care of children. that's what happened here, too. it happened all over the country when it came to the abuse of children by catholic priests. >> reporter: critics say these are institutions of power, secrecy, mythology dominated by men who circled the wagons in a crisis. >> we as a society have to learn we must come down like a ton of bricks on men who hide and ignore child sex crimes. quiet resignations, sudden

retirement doesn't cut it. >> reporter: in today's new york times jonathan mahmahler wrote, the face of a moral imperative. no one more than coach paterno who built his brand on those values. >> this man who prided himself on molding young men who was this paragon of character and virtue behaved like a coward. >> reporter: tonight people are asking how a program like penn state that followed ncaa rules to the letter couldn't follow a basic human rule. when you think you see a child being sexually abused, call the police. anne thompson, nbc news, washington. now we turn tonight to presidential politics and a debate tonight on the economy, a chance to move the conversation perhaps away from sexual harassment allegations against herman cain, back to the topic voters want most to hear about.

nbc news political director and chief white house correspondent chuck todd is at the debate site, oakland university, rochester, michigan. chuck, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. the elephant in the room, of course, is herman cain and the ongoing saga of the sexual harassment allegations. how does he handle it when or if it comes up? how does he handle this if opponents choose to go after him about it. what does he say? it's a tricky line for his opponents to go after him. they want the same supporters herman cain has who are defiant in their support of cain now and may not like it if somebody piles on him at this moment in time. as for the topic at hand, as you bring up, brian, this isn't an ordinary economic debate. it's won by our friends at cnbc and given the news in italy and all the european debt crisis problem, the candidates have to go two and three levels deep on this issue. it will be a challenge. >> we had election day yesterday. the results are in. while it's hard to say anything

nationally, what did some of the results tell you? >> reporter: i tell you, there was a way to string them together from ohio to mississippi in that the one thing they had in common is that voters were calling for restraint. in ohio, there was two ballot measures of interest there. one having to do with whether public sector workers could collectively bargain. that was a law passed. voters rejected it in a big way. the same voters rejected symbolically the idea of getting involved in the federal government mandate on health care. again, a message of restraint. then you had mississippi, the personhood amendment which would have outlawed abortion and may have actually outlawed some forms of birth control or even access to in vitro fertilization. the message voters sent there, restraint. don't go too far. there was a thread of connection. >> chuck todd at tonight's event. chuck, thanks. by the way, this cnbc

republican debate, your money, your vote, airs tonight beginning at 8:00 eastern on cnbc. while we are talking about money this was a scary day for anyone with money in the stock market. stocks plunged on wall street. the dow ended the day off about 400 points. nasdaq and s&p down as well. it's a domino effect as the financial crisis in italy gets worse and our chief foreign correspondent richard engel remains in rome for us tonight. richard, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. yesterday, italy's prime minister sylvio berlusconi said he would resign. he said perhaps after a key reform bill would be passed. that could have been next week or in several weeks. the international markets responded very negatively to that uncertainty. italy's borrowing rate went up to over 7%. the stock market in this country

also plummeted, sending shock waves around the world. it also inspired the italian president to try and clarify the situation. he said these economic reforms will be passed in a matter of days. so now it is possible, brian, that berlusconi, this prime minister, could be out of office over the weekend. >> all right, richard engel in rome for us. thanks. we turn now to health and a high stakes equation with two-thirds of the american people either overweight or obese, the search for an effective weight loss drug has surpassed even the cure for the common cold as the holy grail of drug makers. now a new medication is actually killed off fat cell at least in a test of monkeys. the question is are humans next? the story from our chief science correspondent robert bazell. >> your current weight is -- >> reporter: the popularity of the show "the biggest loser" is one of the countless examples of people's desire to lose weight. >> you lost 109 pounds!

>> reporter: while the study was only conducted on monkeys, the results could be a big step toward a drug that truly helps with that effort. after only 28 days on the drug, over weight monkeys lost an average of 11% of their body fat. >> it's incredibly exciting. especially coming through in slow motion. >> reporter: the doctors a husband and wife team from brazil, have been working on the project at md anderson cancer center in houston for years. the drug called adipotide, cuts off the blood supply to fat cells and kills them. scientists showed a drastically reduced weight in mice. with the success of monkeys researchers are applying to the fda for permission to start a trial to humans, possibly within a year. they know there will be no shortage of volunteers. researchers say when they discuss the project they hear the same question. >> when is it ready because i would like some. >> reporter: the monkeys were

not bred to be fat or fed a special diet. they were the ones in the colony who ate more and exercised less. >> they get over weight on their own. it's the same human behavior. >> reporter: the drug eliminated only fat, no muscle. the red and orange in the pictures. after they stopped taking the drugs, the monkeys gained the weight back again. if the drug proves safe and effective in humans, it will likely be a tool to kick start the familiar diet and exercise program that everyone painfully knows is the true key to weight loss. robert bazell, nbc news, new york. still ahead here tonight the nation has followed her difficult but steady recovery after the attack in tucson. tonight in a new book, congresswoman gabby giffords reveals new details about that day and we are seeing dramatic photos for the first time. and something unusual off the

waters in california making for some amazing pictures. not sure what to take? now robitussin® makes finding the right relief simpler than ever. click on the robitussin® relief finder. click on your symptoms. get your right relief. ♪ makes the cold aisle easy. robitussin® has a new look, new simpler names, but the same effective relief. robitussin®. relief made simple. flavor, meet food. introducing swanson flavor boost. concentrated broth in easy to use packets. mix it into skillet dishes, for an instant dose of... hell-o! [ female announcer ] new swanson flavor boost. [ male announcer ] each of these photos was taken by someone on the first morning of their retirement. it's the first of more than 6,000 sunrises the average retiree will see.

♪ as we're living longer than ever before, prudential's challenge is to help everyone have the retirement income they'll need to enjoy every one of their days. ♪ prudential. bring your challenges. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] everyone deserves the gift of a pain free holiday. this season, discover aleve. all day pain relief with just two pills. how about the beat of a healthy heart? campbell's healthy request soup is delicious, and earned this heart, for being heart healthy. ♪ feel the beat? it's amazing what soup can do.

her story, long awaited, can now be told. while it is not out for a few days, today we purchased a copy of "gabby." it is the much anticipated story of congresswoman gabrielle giffords from arizona. from tragedy to remarkable recovery, still in progress. now we get to hear from her. in the very back of the book that bears her name and tells her story, we get to hear from gabby giffords herself. it's the last chapter and it's one page, but they are her words. it was hard, but i'm alive, the congresswoman writes in the book co-authored with her husband mark kelly. a lot of people died. six wonderful people. so many people hurt, always connected to them. on that horrible day in tucson after false media reports of her death, no one knew if she would live. tonight we're about a hundred yards from the saddest place in

america. as we all arrived to cover the awful story, the outlook remained so grim until the first report that she had squeezed her husband's hand, signalling she was in the fight. now we know what went on during those gruelling months, mostly through her husband's recollections. most telling are the photos in this book like this haunting picture of a constituent showing giffords his military commendations from afghanistan taken seconds before the gunman opened up. there is this photo of the president during his visit to tucson in her hospital room, holding her hand, eyes closed, giffords bandaged up in a medically induced coma. we learn of setbacks during her recovery -- physical and emotional. i'm going to tell you what happened to you, mark kelly writes of the day he told gabby why she was in the hospital. it was over a month since the

shooting. this man came up to you with a gun and he shot you in the head. we don't know why he did that. i'm sorry it happened. we all are. but he's in jail. you're safe. the news sent her into an uncontrollable crying spasm. only with time was she later able to recall her own memory of the attack that day. shot. shocked. scary, she said, very clearly pausing between each word. giffords would first learn six people died and 19 were wounded from a copy of the new york times mark was reading her. her chief of staff took this photo as she learned the news. then there was the physical battle. while she was alert and aware of her surroundings, her husband writes that she felt trapped in her own body because she couldn't speak. i rushed in to gabby's room and then into the bathroom. she was sitting in her wheelchair, tears running down her face. she was hyper ventilating, absolutely panicked. the words did eventually come.

in the book it says the first word she was able to speak was "what." while is book is a celebration of her resilience, it's a reminder of how horrible that day was. while mark kelly was rushing from houston to be with his wife he heard a news anchor say she had been shot and killed. it was the most shocking moment of my life, he writes. we learn in the book gabby and mark were hoping for a family and she still considers herself congresswoman gabrielle giffords with people to serve. and she leaves us with a pledge that's right out of general macarthur's playbook. i will get stronger. i will return. of course her story isn't over. her rehabilitation continues in houston and in the book she says she wants badly to get back to her work as a member of congress. up next here tonight, a test of the nation's emergency alert system and the question, what could go wrong. of a role in my own life, playing much

but with advair, i'm breathing better so now i can take the lead on a science adventure. advair is clinically proven to help significantly improve lung function. unlike most copd medications, advair contains both an anti-inflammatory and a long-acting bronchodilator, working together to help improve your lung function all day. 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. if you're still having difficulty breathing, take the lead. ask your doctor if including advair could help improve your lung function. get your first full prescription free and save on refills at advaircopd.com. 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.

this is the western coast of alaska tonight. they are in the midst of an epic storm. if this were hitting the east coast population centers the coverage would go on for days. satellite pictures show a monster 750 miles long. one woman said her house was shaking like an earthquake. the winds hit just under 100 miles per hour. storm surge along the coast. it's bigger than some people have seen in a lifetime. an unusually intense storm even along the alaskan coast. today was the big day of the everybody at once national alert. in most places at 2:00 eastern time the alert sounded. you heard the test which the fcc asked us not to play tonight for people so they wouldn't be alarmed. there were weak spots where it didn't work. they will work on it hopefully before they need it realtime. the rapper heavy d has died. he was a jamaican-american who had a unique sign when he came

up in 1987. he did acting. in music and in life he was big before there was a big e. smalls. heavy d born dwight myers head duces tecum -- dead at 44. eddie murphy was going to host the academy awards but he's out because his friend who was to produce it is out. they have a deep bench of bullpen talent to call on from crystal to martin to baldwin to fey and then some. up next here tonight why so many close encounters lately with giants of the sea off the coast of california. hey, aren't you supposed to be following that fidelity green line? yeah, but it keeps leading me back to my old office. i think it might be broken. or maybe it's trying to tell you something. yeah, but what could it be -- oh! i left my 401(k) at my old job. and i left a jacket on the back of my door.

but i think the line's talking about my 401(k). leave a 401(k) behind? roll it over with the company that's helping more people reach retirement than anyone else. call or come in for a free portfolio review today. [ man #1 ] i was fascinated by balsa wood airplanes ever since i was a kid. [ man #2 ] i always wondered how did an airplane get in the air. to design and create the next greatest thing, takes a lot of imagination and a lot of courage. [ man #3 ] i always wanted to be one of those guys that had that kind of responsibility and that kind of technical expertise. at ge aviation, we build jet engines. we lift people up off the ground to 35 thousand feet. these engines are built by hand with very precise assembly techniques. [ man #3 ] i definitely feel responsible to these customers. can't pull over on the side of the road and see what's going on underneath the hood. these have to be perfect every time. we make jet engines and i think the inner nerd in me is really excited about that. [ man #4 ] you build one up, and out the door it goes. and you know that out there somewhere it's serving an even bigger purpose.

[ man #2 ] genx is the latest and greatest, it's the edge of technology. it's gonna fly people around the world, better than it's ever done before. [ woman #1 ] we are building engines that are literally making the world smaller. we build this engine up but never get to experience its glory. [ man #5 ] i would love to see this thing fly. ♪ [ man #6 ] been 8 years since i stood on a runway. [ man #1 ] it's a dream, honestly. [ man #6 ] here it is today. we're going to go out and see it. the fruits of all of our labor. [ woman #2 ] i think a lot of people, when they look at a jet engine, they see a big hunk of metal. but when i look at it, i see seth, mark, tom, and people like that who work on engines every day. [ man #7 ] people say there is no such thing as perfect. they don't make jet engines. [ man #8 ] to see that thing on an airplane, if you work at ge aviation, it doesn't get any better. ♪ there it is. awesome. that's what we do! that's so cool! now, that's sweet! yeah, that was awesome!

[ cheering ] i wanna see that again. ♪ we build jet engines. ♪ we have been reporting here for the past ef weeks on the spectacular show going on close to the southern california coastline, a large number of very large whales have been on an extended kind of feeding frenzy, but it's become too popular a show and has proved hazardous for the whales and the folks anxious to go there and get a closer look. our report from nbc's miguel almaguer. >> reporter: it's the internet sensation that's making quite a

splash. >> we were all in shock. >> reporter: from a surfer nearly swallowed by a pair of feeding humpback whales to a kayaker face to face with two 40-ton giants. just off the coast of santa cruz, a new meaning to close encounters. >> i was real close to them. it's like one time i had to duck so the tail didn't hit me. >> reporter: popping up across california's coast in record numbers, whales rarely seen so close to land. >> the whale population numbers are increasing, but i think it's more about the fact that they are following food and the food happenin happens to be closer to shore. >> reporter: the blue whale, the world's largest creature is on the search for one of the smallest, shrimp-like krill. problem is the whales aren't alone. sight seers are on their tales. >> being that close to an

80,000-pound whale when they are coming up, looking for food and the surfers and kayakers are close it poses a danger for them. >> reporter: now the coast guard is cracking down, handing out $2,500 fines to anyone who gets too close to the endangered blue, finish or humpback whales. there is talk of narrowing shipping lanes and moving them north to protect the gentle giants. >> one of the challenges was trying toevelop where their habitats are. by moving the shipping lane we are decreasing the risk significantly. >> reporter: there are safe ways to see the whales and tour boats like this one are having a record year. >> he's right next to us! >> reporter: but the show may soon come to an end. the whales are migrating for the winter, but only after a season full of surprises. miguel almaguer, nbc news, long beach, california. amazing sight. that's our broadcast for this wednesday night. thank you for being here with

us. i'm brian williams. and we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. and we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com