on the broadcast tonight, sandusky speaks in an exclusive interview with bob costas. the man at the center of the penn state scandal breaks his silence and says he's innocent. but at the same time, badly damages his own defense. a surprise raid, where it all began. they don't occupy wall street any more, after the nypd threw them outut with force. tonight a judge has ruled on the protesters' rights. the lipitor question. the hugely popular cholesterol medication is about to go generic. millions get to decide if cheaper is just as good. she's 83 years old, saving homes and lives. why people call her when they need help. "nightly news" begins now.

captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening. it was the moment he had chosen to break his silence. jerry sandusky, the former penn state defensive coach, at the center of these awful sexual abuse allegations, proclaimed his innocence to bob costas last night. along the way, he admitted to active anin his own life that my find repugnant. his words and his voice were just as difficult to turn away from. fair warning here, if you've been following this story, you know this is rough material, not fit for children which, of course, ge course, goes right to the heart of these allegations. a portion of what we witnessed tonight. >> mr. sandusky, there's a 40-count indictment, the grand jury report contains specific

detail. there are multiple accusers and eyewitnesss to aspects of the abuse. a reasonable person says, where there's this much smoke, there must be plenty of fire. what do you say? >> i say that i'm innocent of those charges. >> innocent? completely inning sent? and falsely accused in every aspect? >> well, i could say that, you know, i have done some of those things. i have horsed around with kids, i have showered after workouts. i have hugged them and i have touched their leg without intent of sexual contact. but -- so if you look at it that way, there are things that wouldn't -- would be accurate. >> are you denying that you had any inappropriate sexual contact with any of these underaged

boys? >> yes, i am. >> never touched their genitals? never engaged in oral sex? >> right. >> what about mike mcqueary, the grad assistant who in 2002 walked into the shower where he says in specific detail that you were forcibly raping a boy who appeared to be 10 or 11 years old? >> i would say that's false. >> what would be his motive to lie? >> you would have to ask him that. >> are you a pedophile? >> no. >> what did happen in the shower the night that mike mcqueary happened upon you and the young boy? >> okay, we were showering and horsing around and he actually turned all the showers on and was sliding across the floor and we were -- as i recall, possibly like snapping a towel, horseplay. >> you say you're not a pedophile. but you're a man who, by his own

admission, has showered with young boys, highly inappropriate. who has continually put himself in the presence of young boys, volunteer high school coach, volunteer at a small local college, even after you were largely disassociated from penn state, multiple reports of you getting into bed with young boys who stayed at your house in a room in the basement. how do you account for these things? and if you're not a pedophile, what are you? >> i'm a very passionate person in terms of trying to make a difference in the lives of some young people. i worked very hard to try to connect with them, to make them feel good about themselves, to be something significant in their lives. maybe this gets misinterpreted.

>> are you sexually attracted to young boys? to underaged boys? >> am i sexually attracted to underaged boys? >> yes. >> sexually attracted? i enjoy young people. i love to be around them. i -- but, no, i'm not sexually astwra attracted to young boys. >> millions of americans who didn't know jerry sandusky's name until a week ago, not only regard you as a criminal, but i say this -- as some sort of monster. how do you respond to them? >> you know, people have created this perception. they've created someone that i don't believe i am. and i don't know what i can say or what i could say that would

make anybody feel any different now. >> no matter how many times you hear that during the day today, you have a need to reset your own bearings. what's the reaction been today? >> well, i don't think that jerry sandusky did himself much good last night. there's also a general reaction that -- as you put it, in leading into this, on the one hand it's offputting. on the other hand, you can't turn away. it's fascinating, it's fascinating to hear someone talk in realtime who's been accused of these sorts of things. at the same time, there's another story here, and that is, that this wasn't typical football u. it would be horrific enough if this happened at typical football u. what gives this some elements of classic tragedy, it's brought down or threatens to bring down a good portion of the program that for the most respects stood for the right things for the

better part of a century. >> and a man and others who were all a part of that? >> yes. and how much they knew and when they knew it, and what little if anything they did to stop it is something we can speculate about, but we don't yet know the full answer to. >> solid piece of reporting, awful topic. bob costas, thanks for joining us again tonight. >> thank you. >> one of the issues jerry sandusky did not address in that interview, why so many people stayed silent for so long about what they knew? our national correspondent michael isikoff is in state college with more on this case, and reaction to theinterview. >> reporter: jerry sandusky's interview with bob costas may have complicated his legal defense. >> as an attorney, my first reaction was, i was surprised that the defense counsel allowed him to be interviewed.

anything he testified to publicly would be admissible. >> i think it's making worse, honestly. just because he's trying to weasel his way out of it. i think he should, you know, apologize. more than anything, for ruining the lives of kids. >> i'm kind of confused. i don't really know what to think at this point. until more evidence comes out. >> reporter: exactly who knew what here at penn state and what they did about it is a major focus of the investigations here, but a top penn state sports faculty member said big money from the school's football program may have blinded school officials to their ethical responsibility. penn state, which has ordered its own investigation, has its reputation and big money on the line. last year the university had a $100 million athletic budget. last year the football program earned $53 million. each home game could bring in up

to $5 million according to officials. it's the third most lucrative college football program in the nation. >> big time sport has lost its moral compass. >> reporter: ironically, paterno and penn state had a reputation for being meticulous about ncaa rules. now, the question here many are asking is whether fear of tarnishing the football program may have caused school officials to drop the ball. michael isikoff, nbc news, state college, pennsylvania. another story in the news all day today, here in new york, the nypd moved into lower manhattan before dawn and emptied the park of those occupy wall street protesters who have been living there for two months where it all started. here's what zuccotti park looked like before the police raid and afterward. everything, everyone out and a

power washing by sanitation workers. late today a judge ruled they can go back, but not with their tents, sleeping bags and camping gear. it's a developing story here in new york tonight. marra ski ee ava schiavocampo i us. >> reporter: people began streaming back into the park after their camp was dismantled completely. shortly after midnight, hundreds of officers in riot gear stormed the protester's camp. those who refused to leave were forced out. >> cops came in there six at a time, pulling people -- pulling kids up by their arms, by their shoulders, by their hair. >> i think it's an outrage what they're doing. >> reporter: up to 100 were arrested. every single tent and sleeping bag hauled away. before dawn, the park was scrubbed clean. >> it was unsanitary. it broke all the rules that the park was about.

>> reporter: city officials said while they support the right to protest, it's time for the occupation to end. >> the first amendment protects speech. it does not protect the use of dents and sleeping backs to steak over a public space much. >> reporter: new york joins a growing list of cities cracking down this week, from oakland to portland to berkeley, just this afternoon. the protest began in new york two months ago, the anger at corporate greed and wealth and inequality gaining national attention. >> i'm supporting my friends. >> reporter: now, many communities are fed up with the skoft and inconvenience of around the clock protest camps. >> people were sympathetic to some of the goals as expressed by the early occupiers. lately it seems because of crime and sanitation and ideological disputes, this seems to be degenerating in a way that reminds people of the worst of the 1960s.

>> reporter: in new york, protesters spent the day trying to get back into zuccotti park. not just for access to one park, but the future of their movement. protesters have been allowed back into the park, this is far from a victory for them. they can no longer camp here, which completely changes the nature of their occupation. >> mara schiavocampo, thanks. we turn overseas to syria, an important update on a situation that could be nearing a breaking point. the last 24 hours have been the worst, the bloodiest, the most violent in the eight-month-lodge uprising. now fighting those loyal to the regime, leaving 70 dead in gruesome fighting, even given the uprising. now, president assad's neighbors, turkey, jordan, the arab league are all systematically turning against him. all of this raising questions about how long he can last at

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soon. our report tonight from our chief science correspondent robert bazell. >> reporter: the costs of lowering lipitor is by far the most popular drug ever. it generated $106 billion for pfizer over the last decade. at the end of this month, pfizer's patent expires. >> that's why i'm fighting my cholesterol with crestor. >> reporter: that will leave crestor made by astrazeneca as the only statin under patent. the makers of crestor paid for a large experiment to try to show their drug is better. when 1,000 volunteers took one of the drugs over two years, while special ultrasounds measured the amount of plaque in their arteries. crestor reduced the cholesterol

slightly more, but overall no difference. they both have the same effect on heart disease. the winners are the millions who take lipitor. now there is more evidence the drug is effective, and soon it will cost less. >> there are new patients born every day. bob bazell, thanks as always. gabrielle giffords has recorded a message to her co constituents in arizona. the first time they were able to hear from her directly since she was shot back in january. she's in houston now continuing her rehab treatments, told the people back home she misses her home. >> i'm getting stronger. i'm getting better. i want to get back to work representing arizona is my honor. >> so interesting to hear her voice, realizing the hard work that represents.

the entire message lasts about a minute. we posted it on our website for you, nbcnightlynews.com. how annie lebovitz answers the question, what kind of camera should i buy? mine was earned over the south pacific in 1943. vietnam, 1967. i got mine in iraq, 2003. u.s.a.a. auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation, because it offers a superior level of protection and because u.s.a.a.'s commitment to serve the military, veterans, and their families is without equal. begin your legacy. get an auto insurance quote. u.s.a.a. we know what it means to serve. hut! go! here it comes! right on the numbers! boom! get it! spin! oh, nice hands! chest bump. ugh! good job, man. nice! okay, halftime. now, this is my favorite play.

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if you were with us here for "rock center" last night, you saw our conversation with annie leibovitz talking about her beautiful new book on photography. here's the part you didn't hear due to the breaking news. her surprising answer, what she tells people when they want to know what kind of camera to buy. >> it's an interesting time, because of the iphone. that is the snapshot camera of today. it really -- i'm still learning how to use mine here, but --

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time for our "making a difference report" tonight. this one comes from a place called new shorem, a small and beautiful island off rhode island. it's a great summer vacation destination where there's a woman you have to meet. she's 83 years old and cares for her neighbors the way people used to in this country. her story tonight from nbc's ron mott. >> reporter: signs of the approaching winter fill block

island. on storefronts, down quiet streets, with the jet set gone so too are their dollars. and that's when mary donnelly's popularity surges. >> they work in the hotels, the restaurants. but then come the winter, and they have no income -- >> reporter: but they have her and her mary d. fund a nonprofit supported by small donations. >> i want to help. $25. now, see, isn't that nice? >> reporter: and a big annual fund-raiser. >> i work with my heart instead of my head, which is not always good. but i have no regrets. >> reporter: neither does john connell, a town worker who found mary when he couldn't afford his heating bill. >> reporter: she starts most days with prayer, and visits her husband and son. remaining hours are devoted to

helping. whether as a state nurse making house calls, meeting with the lunch bunch or founding her charity. the fund has helped about a third of the island's families ever since. last year she spent $50,000 on everything from mortgage payments, medication, college tuition and counselling when needed. >> reporter: islanders in need usually relent, things like this ramp appear. >> it's always a problem asking for help. but i have learned to just suck it up and ask. >> reporter: ask, and you'll probably receive. >> i just hope they remember me as a good person. >> reporter: from this towering beacon of care. ron mott, nbc news, block island. >> great story to end our tuesday night broadcast on. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. and, of course, we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com