on the broadcast here tonight, outrage growing still over 17-year-old trayvon martin's death as the president chooses to get personal. making the case against the american soldier now charged with murdering innocent civilians in afghanistan. >> on the home front, the women military spouses reaching out to help each other when the unthinkable happens. and the blockbuster, the hit, the hypo, the hunker at the box office this weekend. "nightly news" begins now. good evening. as crowds gather in florida and for that matter, in cities and towns across the country, brought together in their outrage over the killing of an unarmed teenager in florida,

named trayvon martin, today, at the white house, the president was asked about the case that this nation has now come to know so well, and he responded personally and as a parent himself. >> my main message is to the parents of trayvon martin. if i had a son, he would look like trayvon. >> the president earlier at the white house. the pressure to pursue the arrest of the neighborhood watch volunteer is intensifying. so are the questions about the case they would make against him. all this while the crowd grows again tonight in florida, and once again, nbc's ron allen starts us off from sanford, florida, tonight. ron, good evening. >> good evening, brian. tonight, the community is gathering in prayer after another day and night of protests here. also today, a special prosecutor just named by the governor has taken over the entire investigation. as the pressure continues to intensify, to learn the truth about what happened to trayvon

martin. today, hundreds of students walked out of more than a dozen schools in trayvon martin's home town of moim a. his initials emblazoned on a football field. more of the unrelenting demant for justice that brought some 9 25,000 people, the largest yet, to a park in sanford last night. >> i am! >> a national uproar over the police conclusion that george zierman acted in self defense when he shot and killed the unarmed teen. president obama addressed the case today. >> when i think about this boy, i think about my own kids, and i think every parent in america should be able to understand why it is absolutely inparative that we investigate every aspect of this. >> many listener were struck by the president pfsz personal tone. >> when he was 17, if you think about it, he could have been

trayvon martin. he was a black kid that could have been out in the world being looked at as a suspect. >> zimmerman remains in hiding, but local officials said they can get in touch with him. today, one of zimmerman's neighbors who has been supportive of his fellow crime watch volunteer played this phone message from zimmerman. >> i wanted to thank you for you doing everything you've been doing. um, i know you don't have to, and i appreciate it. i'll talk to you soon. thanks. >> and the online groundswell continues to build. 1.2 million people have signed the martin family's internet petition, demanding zimmerman's arrest, perhaps the largest number ever for a website, and there have been more than 600,000 twitter mentions of martin, including by some big name stars. meanwhile, martin's father has been searching the crime scene for himself. >> the police never actually walked me through the crime

scene. all they pointed out basically is where he was -- where he ended up dead at. >> looking for clues. hoping for justice. the martin family said they're deeply humbled by the president's concern about their son's death and they hope all of the attention insured that no other young child is never the victim of such senseless tragedy again. >> ron allen starting us off again tonight. sanford, florida, ron thanks. i'm joined by our legal correspondent, savannah kuthry, and by joann reed. he she's the manager editor of our website, savannah, beginning with you, this case, if they're going to put one together, has now lost several weeks. what is the legal kaunls kwnls of that. >> it's the lost hours after this crime happened because there may have been forensics that were there that police didn't identify or pursue.

this person was able to walk away in the cloelths he was wearing. if there's any kinds of ballistics or frenlzices, gunshot residue, that's lost forever. police didn't do a pointed interrogation that may have enlisted a statement that could have been used. there are lost hours, lost pieces of evidence. it doesn't mean they can't build a case. it's probably now on a better track. you have an independent prosecutor who has come in who has all of the ability to use the state investigators who are very experienced in florida, and you have the federal government watching this very closely. very unlikely there will be a federal case brought here. the statitutes really just don' apply here. but they can watch it. thecanvassing witnesses. >> as a colleague we see here every day and as a journalist and a parent, you have been banging the drum on this story for a long time. two-part question for you. high do you think it took so long? but secondly, why do you think it resonated so much finally

when it did get attention? >> well, i think that the police in this community, they had made a conclusion very early that george zimmerman was the victim here, and then i think they walked away from the case. had it not been for social media and the ability for this case to go knloglobal, i think police wouldn't have responded in the way they had, the statements they have made. they have been very closed about it. i think the respond really in this community is that they're making progress on getting at least some movement. having the police chief step aside tep israel, and now people want more. they're determined to see george zimmerman arrested. that's of course now in the hands of a grand jury, what happens with him, but there's a sense when the tens of thousands of people who came out for that protest that was organized by reverend sharpton yesterday, when all of the people go home, the people in this community are determined to fight on. they want to see an investigation of the police department. they want to see, you know, justice as they see it for trayvon martin, and people here aren't giving up.

>> our thanks to our friends joann reed and savannah guthrie. thank you both. now to another story we've been following. tonight, it's official, the u.s. army staff sergeant accused of killing now 17 civilians in afghanistan has been charged. jim miklaszewski picks up the details. >> we knew from the start this was a horrific crime, but today's charge sheets that were released are devastating. they show for the firls time that out of all of the civilians targeted in the shooting spree, more than half, 13 of them, were children. for a crime of such magnitude, the military statement today was brutally blunt. alleging that army staff sergeant robert bales did with premeditation murder 17 afghan civilians and attempted to murder six others. a charge sheet documents all 23 shootings in grisly detail.

he's accused of trying to murder one afghan girl with a gunshot wound to the head. bales received the charges today at the ft. leatherworth prison. in seattle, his civilian attorney, john henry brown, said bales has been in rough shape, even before today's charges. >> he's kind of in shock about the whole thing, he's emotional, very emotional. >> in a preview of a possible defense, the lawyer also claims despite these horrific scenes, the military doesn't have much of a case. >> there's no crime scene, no dna, no ballistics that we know of. >> but military officials claim there's plenty of evidence. shell casings gathered at the scene. surveillance video of bales outside his base. bales' bloodied uniform and the six victims who survived, living witnesses to the crime. they also suggest that four

combat tours have put his client under tremendous stress, but he showed signed of behavioral problems before he saw combat. a 2002 police report said bales was intoxicated when he attacked a casino security guard, and today, military officials report that bales was drinking with other soldiers the night of the afghanistan massacre. even after today's charges, it's not likely that bales will see the inside of a courtroom for months and the entire legal process could take years. now, according to a military official, this charges today also make it very clear that if convicted, bales could face the death penalty. >> thank you, jim mick lu shkla at the pentagon. to talk more as a veteran, we're joined by our nbc news military analyst, jack jacobs, a combat veteran in the vietnam war and a recipient of the medal of honor. considering the fact 2.5 million

americans in uniform have cycled through the dual wars, you have expressed a concern about a broadbrush caricature emerging. >> a large number of people have been down range in afghanistan and iraq. before, and have no problems. lots of people have had more tours, many hour tors, in fact, than he did. i -- one s.e.a.l. had 12 combat tours, no problems. lots of people have been wounded, seen their friends wounded, seen their friends killed, no problems. to say that everybody who puts on a uniform automatically becomes a candidate to do something heinous is very, very silly indeed, and can't be demonstrated by the facts. >> it's a danger to keep in mind as we continue covering the story. jack jacobs, always a pleasure. with the announcement of these 17 murder charges today, military spouses are sharing their support for carolyn bales, the staff sergeant's wife and

their two children. housed on a military base right now for the family's protection. while she might be isolated physically right now, as we hear from nbc's miguel almaguer tonight, she and other military spouses are not alone. >> when news broke an american soldier was accused of killing civilians in afghanistan -- >> dear kerry. >> lori felt compelled to write. an open letter to carolyn bales, wife of staff sergeant robert bales, accused of the killing. >> when i thought of my own husband and children and how devastating it would be, i sat at my own dinner table with my mother, another military wife, and we cried for you tonight. >> lori wanted to console kerry. >> that's what military spouses do, they rally around each other, especially in difficult times. >> military wives are the silent rank, strangers with much in common.

separation from spouses, raising children alone, and fear of that knock on the door. lori vokeman watched her husband deploy three times, like carolyn bales, she has two young children and also kept a blog. after posting her letter to carey, a network of military wives came to support one of their own. >> the spouses are here for you. we have your back. there are many out here supporting her and praying for her family. >> i received an e-mail from a friend of hers, a couple different friends and asked them to relay to me that she felt the outpouring of support and she was grateful for it. and that she cried. >> allison is a fellow military wife, author, and blogger. >> i see over and over again on the internet people saying this could have been me, this could have happened to me. i could have had a husband in this situation. >> to the victims in afghanistan, carolyn bales felt

compelled to write. their families are all in my prayers as is my husband who i love very much. >> we're part of our husband's service and we do sacrifice. >> the silent ranks who with their husbands forever live with the burden of war. miguel al migar, nbc news. if they try to tell you that the gulf of mexico is somehow cleaner today than it was before the oil spill, don't believe them, and there's new evidence of that tonight. and later, the hunger games, it will win the weekend at the box office before the weekend really begins. stocks out there, how do you know which ones to follow? the equity summary score consolidates the ratings of up to 10 independent research providers into a single score that's weighted based on how accurate they've been in the past. i'm howard spielberg of fidelity investments. the equity summary score is one more innovative reason serious investors are choosing fidelity.

get 200 free trades today and explore your next investing idea. fight both fast with new tums freshers! concentrated relief that goes to work in seconds and freshens breath. new tums freshers. ♪ tum...tum...tum...tum... tums! ♪ [ male announcer ] fast relief, fresh breath, all in a pocket sized pack. with thermacare heatwraps. thermacare works differently. it's the only wrap with patented heat cells that penetrate deep to relax, soothe, and unlock tight muscles for up to 16 hours of relief. that's 8 hours while you wear it, plus an additional 8 hours of relief after you take it off. can your patch, wrap, cream or rub say that? so if you've got pain... get up to 16 hours of pain relief with thermacare. do about medicare and social security... security. that's what matters to me... me? i've been paying in all these years...

years washington's been talking at us, but they never really listen... listen...it's not just some line item on a budget; it's what i'll have to live on... i live on branson street, and i have something to say... [ male announcer ] aarp is bringing the conversation on medicare and social security out from behind closed doors in washington. because you've earned a say.

we mentioned this before the break, new findings by government scientists that shoi the bp oil disaster has left parts of the dolphin population in the gulf of mexico damaged and sick. anne thompson who spend so much time covering the story is with us tonight. >> good evening. this comes from louisiana and it's not good news. federal scientists say the dolphin population there is severely ill compared to dolphins elsewhere in the gulf of mexico, and their health problems are consistent with exposure to oil. you'll reserve that bay was one of the areas hit hardest and longest by the bp spill. we went out with statistcientist summer when they examined the dolphins, and the most pervasive

problem they found were abnormally low levels of two hormones. they can lead to weight loss, heart and kidney failure, and ultimately death. they showed severe signs of malnutrition. ultra sounds showed moderate to severe lung disease. they won't fill with air properly, the scientifics say. and several had liver disease, which is found in studies in animals ingesting oil. >> beyond heartbreaking to watch. you say consistent with oil. how do we know? what is our scientist? >> the scientists say they can't definitively link these problems to oil or even a dispersant, but when they look at studies done on other animals who have ingested oil, specifically in the wake of alaska's exon vel deez spill, they mirror these

problems. there are more test results to come, including tests in the dolphins' blood for contaminants, and they should further prove that link. but right now, the best hypothesis is it's the oil. >> this story goes on. thanks for being with us. when we come back, did a gop candidate for president sound something that sounded like an endorsement of president obama. to watch it for us. thank you so much, i appreciate it, i'll be right back. they didn't take a dime. how much in fees does your bank take to watch your money ? if your bank takes more money than a stranger, you need an ally. ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense. the doctor leaned over and said to me,

"you just beat the widow-maker." i was put on an aspirin, and it's part of my regimen now. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. go see your doctor now. ready or not, here i come! ♪ found ya! you always find me. you always hide here. [ male announcer ] tim and richard smucker have always loved the taste of just-picked fruit. so it's no wonder why today smucker's makes the world's best jam. for five generations, with a name like smucker's, it has to be good. wow. this is new. yep, i'm sending the dancing chicken to every store in the franchise to get the word out. that could work. or you could use every door direct mail from the postal service. it'll help you and all your franchisees find the customers that matter most -- the ones in the neighborhood. you print it or we'll help you find a local partner. great. keep it moving, honey.

honey? that's my wife. wow. there you go. there you go. [ male announcer ] go online to reach every home, every address, every time with every door direct mail. but does bringing a floor back to life really make us heroes? [ chuckles ] yes. yes, it does. ♪ call 1-800-steemer weso to save money, services can get kind of expensive. yes, it does. i've found a new way to get my profile out there. check me out. everybody says i've got a friendly disposition and they love my spinach dip. five foot ten... still doing a little exploring. but... my sign is sagittarius, i'm into spanish cheese, my hairline is recing but i'm getting a weave. getting a weave. there's an easier way to save. who wants some ronald tonight!? who wants some ronald tonight!? geico. fifteen minutes could save you 15% or more.

this is the scene a few moments ago in central mexico where pope benedict has arrived for a weekend visit. thousands of people lined the route from the airport to sierra leone. on his plane on the way from roa rome, he called for mexicans to stop idolizing money, which he said feeds the mexican drug war. on monday, he heads to cuba. on the presidential campaign trail, rick santorum today tried to walk back a remark he made

earlier in the week which made it sound he was suggesting republicans should just vote for president obama if mitt romney is going to be the nominee. here's what he said and then today's explanation. >> we might as well stay with what we have instead of taking a risk on what may be the etch-a-sketch candidate. >> what i said was clear, i was saying if we don't have a choice, a lot of voters are going to vote for what they have. that's why we have to have a choice. >> santorum went on to add, quote, i have always said i would vote for the nominee of the republican party no matter who it is. there is breaking news tonight that is rocking the financial world that concerned jon corzine, former governor from new jersey and the chief executive officer of the now defunkt term uf global. another executive claims days

before the firm collapsed last fall, he issued direct instructions to tranlsfer $200 million from direct accounts to cover funds. he's an allegation he denied under oath. it's the latest piece in a complicated search for over $100 million in customer money that is gone. >> while big ben has never really been his name, he may be renamed in celebration of the queen of england. it's called the clock tower. some members of parliament want to rename it in honor of queen e elizabe elizabeth, but even they know it's also going to be big ben. >> when we come back, the movie that had millions up all night. do about medicare and social security... security. that's what matters to me... that had millions up all night.

years washington's been talking at us, but they never really listen... listen...it's not just some line item on a budget; it's what i'll have to live on... i live on branson street, and i have something to say... [ male announcer ] aarp is bringing the conversation on medicare and social security out from behind closed doors in washington. because you've earned a say. from behind closed doors in washington. sergio! christina! question for you. what factors led you to buy your explorer. definitely the ecoboost option. what's pretty amazing is that you can get the fuel economy of a car in an suv. that basically did it for us. and the technology... oh, my goodness, the technology is amazing. everything is touch. you can actually talk to the car and it talks back to you. what have your friends said about your explorer?

can we drive it? can we borrow it? what's your answer? no. no way. uh uh. (laugh) 11 years playing the outfield, and i got no plans to retire. [ female announcer ] aging may slow a dog down, but iams helps keep dogs playing year after year with our age-specific nutrition. and now, even for dogs 11 and older with new iams senior plus. it helps boost the immune response to that of an adult dog and helps fight signs of aging. [ dog ] i'll never be a bench-warmer. [ female announcer ] new iams senior plus. see the iams difference or your money back. [ dog ] i am an iams dog for life. with thermacare heatwraps. thermacare works differently. it's the only wrap with patented heat cells that penetrate deep to relax, soothe, and unlock tight muscles. for up to 16 hours of relief, try thermacare. how they'll live tomorrow. for more than 116 years, ameriprise financial has worked for their clients' futures. helping millions of americans retire on their terms.

when they want. where they want. doing what they want. ameriprise. the strength of a leader in retirement planning. the heart of 10,000 advisors working with you one-to-one. together for your future. ♪ finally tonight, here's the next big one, the hunger games has finally arrived in theaters. it took in nearly $20 million from just last night's midnight screening. the big opening is calling new attention to the source material, as they call it. a series of books that have already taken teenagers and quite a few adults by storm.

and threatened as of tonight to do the same at the theater. nbc's chris jansing has our report. >> before the midnight screening capped with rabid fans. >> mind blowing, exciting beyond words. >> i could not stop talking about this all day, all work. >> before the red carpet premier, shopping mall tour, and overnight camp outs to see the stars. >> i got here at 11:00 yesterday morning. >> and long before predictions that the hunger games movie could explode at the box office. >> this could be $130 million, $140 million, $150 million opening weekend. >> there was a book. the hunger games trilogy may seem risky for a children's book, a country riveted by a competition where teenagers fight to the death. >> there's 24 of us and one

comes out. >> but book sellers, teempers, and librarians love the book. fan sites popped up, sociala media and word of mouth created a sales juggernaut. >> something so captivates people. >> and now teens who have lined up at book signings. >> it was seriously the best moment of my life. >> have been lining up for tickets. even before the movie opened, fan danko was selling three tickets a second, and 62% of buyers said they plan to see the movie again. this midnight show among more than 2,500 sold out in advance. >> it was awesome. >> it's good for kids to think about the issues. it doesn't promote violence. >> and like harry potter and twilight, the hunger games has young people reading again. >> it's the best book we've ever read. >> that may be the biggest victory of all. chris jansing, nbc news, new york. >> that's our broadcast for this

friday night and for this week. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams, lester holt will be here with you this weekend. we, of course, hope to see you right back here monday evening. in the meantime, please have a good weekend. good night. girl: i want to tell you about my friend. his name is ben. ben learned about a homeless boy who had an infected tooth, and the boy died. that made ben really sad. he wrote a law so every kid can see a dentist. we have special dental van that goes from school to school. he even helps make sure we learn how to brush our teeth. he's my friend, ben.