on our broadcast tonight, hitting home. a massive mortgage deal. $25 billion from big banks for the people caught up in the mortgage crisis and facing foreclosure. now the questions tonight about who gets help. lessons learned. is it the beginning of the end for no child left behind after a storm of criticism, big changes are coming. the c-section risk. new research is raising questions about the risks of caesarian section for mothers and their babies. and making a difference. one marine's mission to help vets coming home from war plant the seeds for a whole new life here on the home front. "nightly news" begins now.

captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening. the national stats tell us one in every four homeowners in this country is currently under water, meaning they owe more on the mortgage than the house is worth. aside from the enormous damage the foreclosure mess caused, a big complaint across this country continues to be nobody paid for it. well, today the president announced a settlement between the feds, state attorneys general and the nation's five largest banks to help distressed borrowers and struggling homeowners. the problem? like so many other government plans, it's the details. and the real pay-off. already real questions tonight are out about who gets helped in this. we begin our coverage this evening with nbc's kristen welker. >> reporter: the president says the $25 billion settlement will

require america's five biggest banks to right the wrongs of the foreclosure crisis. >> they'll reduce loans for families who owe more on their homes than they are worth and deliver some measure of just is to for families that are victims of abusive practices. >> reporter: of the deal, $750,000 could qualify for payments of as much as $2,000. tim and his wife and son lost this home a year and a half ago after he lost his job, and his wife lost her business. he may qualify for a check. >> i think it's a token amount. the whole settlement is a sham and an insult to homeowners like myself. >> reporter: most of the settlement money would go to reduce loan balances for about 1 million families who are

delinquent on payments and owe more than their homes are worth. some families under water but current or payments could be helped, allowed to refinance at lower rates. deelt would help only a fraction of the 11 million homeowners now under water. no one whose loan is held by fannie mae or freddie mac. many consumer groups are supportive. >> i think this had the potential to do real good for american homeowners. it's not close to being enough, but a step in the right direction. >> reporter: as the california attorney general praised the settlement, outside there were protests. other consumer groups and many experts say the banks got off easy. >> the banks come out the big winners because the costs they are paying are very small in terms of the damages that were done. >> reporter: the five banks together earned more than $46 billion in profits last year, yet under the settlement, they have to pony up only $5 billion in hard cash. in return for the settlement,

administration officials say banks will be spared further state or federal lawsuits relating to servicing issues, but they can still be sued for abuses in originating or packaging risky loans. kristen welker, nbc news, the white house. >> with us tonight here in the studio is andrew ross sorkin of the "new york times" and cnbc, the guy who is the author of the book "too big to fail." we boiled this down to two big questions for you. number one, who qualifies? >> that is the $25 billion question. sadly, there is no answer right now. we will not really know perhaps for six months to a year, and this is going to be a battle for many homeowners to actually participate in this program. you have to have your mortgage owned by one of these five banks. half of all the homeowners that could be eligible by the way or under water now, fannie and freddie. you're not eligible. it has to be one of the banks. that is the big issue.

>> people are going to find that as demoralizing as the woman in the set-up piece said the big banks are the winners here. if people do qualify, what about the timing? >> that is the next question. this will make a dent. it will probably take two to three years to fully flesh out how people are going to get paid. is it going to be a principle reduction or are you going to be able to refinance your mortgage? the average homeowner under water today is under water by about $50,000. if you participate in this program, the million people, you're going to get about $17,000. that makes a dent, but in the larger picture of what's happening, it may not solve the problem. >> i'm hearing a negative assessment from you and others. >> i hate to say that. i think it's going to help us, but it's marginal. there are a million people, but 11 million people under water. to appreciate how to get the housing market back, this is only one component of the pie. >> thank you for the honesty. andrew ross sorkin, always a

pleasure. thanks for being with us tonight. there is more information on all of this. we put it on our website this evening, nbcnightlynews.com. on another front, there is big news on education. ten states have gotten something they wanted for years. they've been freed from the requirements of the bush era one size fits all, as it's called, education law known as no child left behind. our education correspondent rehema ellis is live for us tonight in tennessee near memphis, one of the schools that will no longer have to abide by no child left behind. good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. no child left behind passed with huge bipartisan support and the best of intentions. as states began to implement the law, schools noticed many started to complain that schools were becoming too test-oriented, some lowering standards to make the grade. today, ten states were granted a

waiver giving them new flexibility to improve their schools. >> they know the beginning and the end. >> reporter: this middle school outside memphis is considered a good school in tennessee. but under no child left behind, it's at risk of being labeled a failure because nearly 50% of its students are not proficient in reading and math. today, tennessee was one of the ten states granted a waiver from requirements that have been the law of the land for a decade. >> the waiver allows measures that are more tied to growth and you can get a student where they start, intervene and measure that growth and reward schools and students for good growth. >> very good. >> reporter: under no child left behind, it's been all or nothing, requiring every student test at grade level by 2014 or schools could be in jeopardy of state takeover or complete shutdown. new jersey fought hard for the

waiver because nearly 1/3 of the students in its largest city, newark, don't graduate from high school. >> no child left behind has reached its point in terms of its effectiveness. i see this in legislation all the time. you think you have a great idea, you implement it. in experience it's been changed. >> you can do the math to figure out if the numbers are wrong. >> reporter: some education analysts complain that the waivers don't go far enough to give schools the freedom they need to teach and measure students' progress. >> many schools that today are considered failing are going to still be considered failing under this new system. >> this waiver allows us to still do some of the same things we are doing. >> reporter: still, superintendents are celebrating today's news. >> now we can reward those schools for achievement and growth and for doing good things, plus intervene, whereas no child left behind, most of the schools identified as needing intervention were,

que, failing. >> reporter: despite the concerns and criticisms, 28 states and the district of columbia are filling out applications for the waiver program. brian? >> rehema ellis, thanks. that elementary school in l.a. rocked by the teacher sex abuse scandal reopened today. while it may look like a normal day at school, was anything but. the kids returned to an entirely new group of teachers, regular teachers pulled out of the classroom while the investigation continues. some students and their parents stayed outside to protest saying they want their teachers back. the nuclear regulatory commission did something today it hasn't done since 1978. it approved licensees for two new nuclear power plants. the atlanta-based southern company will build and operate the plants in eastern georgia near augusta. they're projected to come online in 2016. the last approval for a nuclear plant in this country came just before the melt down at three

mile island in pennsylvania. that event, of course, brought approvals to a stop for an entire generation. america's women in uniform may soon have new roles on the battlefield. the pentagon today changed its rules to give women jobs in more forward positions. closer to the front lines, still not in the combat infantry, but as we've seen in iraq and afghanistan, despite the official ban on women serving in combat, in reality, many have been right there in the fight and they paid a heavy price. more than 140 women in the u.s. military have been killed, another 860 wounded. on the presidential campaign trail today, the issue of contraception and the catholic church took center stage once again in this fight that is becoming more and more heated. nbc's kelly o'donnell reports for us tonight from tulsa. >> reporter: on the christian campus of oral roberts

university in tulsa, oklahoma, today rick santorum declared faith is under attack from the obama administration. >> but it's the catholic church first. it won't be the last if they get away with it. >> reporter: the new rule, part of president obama's health care reform would require religious-based employers like catholic-run hospitals, schools and charities to provide insurance coverage for birth control and emergency contraception that church teaching forbids. the political fire found more oxygen in washington today at an influential meeting of conservatives. cpac. >> one thing is for certain. this he a tack on religious freedom cannot and will not stand. >> don't let the immediate maters tell you about is about constant sepgs. this is a constitutional issue. >> reporter: furious and fighting back, many democrats argue the rule is misunderstood. >> it is time for the extreme right wing to stop playing

political football with women's health. >> reporter: personal feelings and party politics get complicated. ally of the president virginia democrat tim kaine told a radio station mr. obama got it wrong. >> i expressed my grave concern to the white house about that. >> reporter: some catholics say the church is out of step. >> the bishops don't seem to realize that 98% of catholic women use contraceptives. >> reporter: back at cpac, a much broader appetite for election year red meat. mitch mcconnell found a new label for democrats. >> you know the drill. expose the folks to public view, release the liberal thugs on them and hope the public pressure or the unwanted attention scares them. >> if it's halftime in america, i'm fearful of what the final score is going to be if we let the president start the second half as a quarterback. >> reporter: it's the gop race that will star at that conference tomorrow. three of the candidates will address cpac.

familiar ground for rick santorum and newt gingrich. for mitt romney, it will be a higher hurdle, trying to win the confidence of those most conservative republicans who have been so unsure about him this year. >> kelly o'donnell in tulsa, oklahoma tonight. thanks. a top aide to congresswoman gabby giffords, who was wounded in that same shooting incident, announced today he will run for her congressional seat. ron barber was urged by giffords, among others, to fill the seat she'll now be vacating. still ahead as we continue here tonight, there's health news on c-sections this evening. while they're on the rise, the story is about the risks. later, making a difference for this country's returning war veterans. [ tom ] we invented the turbine business right here in schenectady. without the stuff that we make here, you wouldn't be able to walk in your house and flip on your lights. [ brad ] at ge we build turbines that power the world. they go into power plants

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require c-sections. and there's also something called convenience. a term called too posh to push. women who don't want to go through a delivery. the possible pain with the vaginal deliveries. >> the bottom line of this news today was a risk to the child? >> that's right. most of the time we think about c-section risks as being to the mother. not so. when a baby passes through the birth canal those contractions that a mom feels forces the water out of the lung. it's like squeezing a sponge. in a c-section, sometimes that water doesn't get out, leads to respiratory distress. if babies come out too early, it can lead to feeding problems, jaundies and brain development. the march of dimes weighed in, a lot of doctors. if you need a c-section, of course you get a c-section. that's when you talk to your

doctor, but for many women, if it's convenience or a way out, remember, there is no better incubator than the womb. that usually provides for a healthier baby and healthier mom. >> nancy, thank you, as always. health officials in indiana notified their colleagues in new york and boston someone who visited the super bowl village in downtown indianapolis had the measles during their visit. the affected person was there on friday, didn't go inside the convention center or the stadium, and health officials in both of those fan bases as a result have been notified. measles is highly contagious. the fact the patient was outside lessens the chance anyone else may have caught it. up next here tonight, another big change for co-dad. big news for the fans of the boss and the e treat band. for c, the abrasives in the toothpaste actually create those micro fine scratches in the denture, s band. tr band. e band. et band. and 's where bacteria can grow and thrive. these are the very bacteria that can cause bad breath.

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music news for bruce fans. the boss will be sporting an

entire brass section when the wrecking ball tour sets out later this year. as you know, bruce springsteen lost his long-time friend and saks player clarence clemons last year. there will be two saks players in the new horn section. among them, the talented jake clemons, nephew of clarence. bruce and the e street band will play the grammys and apollo theater before heading out on the road with their new band mates. we are learning what was in the file of the fbi compiled on steve jobs back in 1991. he had just been nominated by the first president bush to serve on an advisory council that. triggered an fbi background investigation. while jobs was wildly admired by his colleagues, it says, some who worked with him considered him arrogant, told the fbi about his failure to support a daughter born out of wedlock, past drug use which jobs copped to in his own interview with fbi agents.

one document reveals, quote, several vides questioned mr. jobs' honesty, stating jobs will twist the truth and distort reality in order to achieve his goals," as you may know by now, kodak is in the midst of bankruptcy proceedings, and the company announced today they will stop making digital cameras, video cameras and digital picture frames. the irony here is the one-time leader in film and cameras failed to fully embrace digital photography even though it was first developed by kodak. the company says its future will now be about printers and software and packaging. you can't blame some folks in l.a. wondering if they are soon going to ban swimming in the pacific ocean for fear of drowning. that's because the l.a. county board of supervisors this week raised the fines for throwing a football or frisbee on any beach in l.a. county during the summer season. there are designated ball-throwing and volley ball

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injuries, both seen and unseen, to finding a civilian job in a tough economy. to help, including a marine and his wife giving returning heroes work, new skills and peace of mind on their farm. nbc's miguel almaguer has the making a difference on the home front report. >> reporter: the marine anthony rorbar plans to push a plow in california. >> coming out of the military is kind of like a shock. working with plants and soil really helped me connect emotionally to my environment around me. >> reporter: coming home from iraq, michael haynes was homeless for two years. >> if it wasn't for the farm, i honestly don't know where i'd be right now. >> reporter: today he owns his own hot sauce company.

colin leads this new mission to turn swordses into plow shares at archie acres. >> we are a supplier of organic produce and the next generation of leaders. >> reporter: a decorated marine, he suffered from post traumatic stress disorder after three tours in iraq. he was depressed and had difficulty sleeping. on the farm, encouraged by wife karen, he found solace in the soil, learning to reenter society. >> we decided to go into agriculture because that was a place where colin could get his bearings. >> reporter: the transition from military to civilian life can be a difficult one. some studies have the unemployment rate for recent vets at over 20%. the aim of the farm is to bridge the unemployment gap. >> we'll try to help as many people as we can. >> reporter: by teaching fellow warriors a new trade. for six weeks, vets learn to nurture instead of destroy. lessons in irrigation, planting techniques and creating a

business plan. >> plants and i go together. >> if we can help one person be better off than he was before, mission accomplished. >> reporter: archie's acres helped nearly 100 combat veterans plant the seeds for a better future, no longser fighting for our country, but learning to feed it. miguel almaguer, nbc news, california. that is our broadcast on a thursday night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. of course, we hope to see you back here tomorrow evening. good night.