on our broadcast tonight, the slowdown in hiring. unemployment drops, but there are some troubling signs behind the new numbers. >> harris whose big money helps john edwards hide his affair. her story. the woman at the center of the secret service scandal spiking out for the first time, giving her version of events that night in colombia. and to the rescue. hollywood calls in reinforcements for this summer. "nightly news" begins now. >> good evening. we received some important new

xk economic numbers about jobs. unemployment continues to go down, but it's also true that hiring has sloaned down as well. this nation gained just 115,000 jobs last month, and again, the good news is unemployment is down again, though slightly, to 8.1%. some fear, though, what today's new numbers mean for the pace of recovery. others fear more people have stopped looking for work and in an election year, it is all, as you might imagine, under a microscope tonight. we begin with john yang in washington. >> behind the fact and figures of today's jobs report are the real stories of the people desperate for a job, like kevin. she's been out of work for two years and her unemployment benefits beran out. >> now i'm a person who sits around and tries to figure out how to pay bills and look for

work. >> she's given up finding a job as good as her old one. >> she may still be looking, for hundreds of people just like her have thrown in the towel, and that helps explain the slightly lower unemployment number. the total number of americans with jobs actually fell last month, but the unemployment rate ticked down because fewer people were working or looking for work. more of the unemployment said last month they were so discouraged, they had given up working all together. in previous months, mild weather saw construction companies and hotels hiring earlier than ever. >> there's not enough evidence to say that the recovery is by any means slowing. i think we were all a little overly optimistic in thinking it was speeding up. >> the numbers quickly became a political issue. at a campaign event in pennsylvania, mitt romney got back on his key message.

>> this is a time when america wants someone who knows what it takes to create jobs and get working again. i think it helps to have had a job to create a job and i have and i will. >> at a high school outside washington where some seniors are about to join the work force, president obama tried to emphasis the positive. >> more than one million jobs in the last six months agone. that the good news, but there's still a lot of folks out of work, which means we have got to do more. >> more politically as well. not since franklin roosevelt has a president been re-elected while facing unemployment at 8% or higher on election day. president obama can point to improvement, though. just a year ago, the unemployment rate was 9%. >> john yang in suburban washington starting us off tonight, john, thanks wroorb. on wall street in new york today, the dow was down 168 points. nasdaq plumpged under 68.

s & p 500 lost over 22 points on the day. john edwards trial on campaign finance charges turned to finances today. testifying how money from an elderly ha lly heiress ended up used to take care of his mistress instead. it's been an emotional day in court because everyone was thinking of elizabeth edwards who waged suffa tough battle against cancer. lea meyers reports. >> it's been a week of high drama. testimony about the anguish of elizabeth edwards, daughter cate levering the courtroom in tears. accounts of expletive laced conversations with edwards and his campaign staff over rielle hunter. >> brian huffman, a friend of

bunny mellon told the jury how he became a middle man for what became as the mbunny money, use to help cover up edwards' affair. he testified when mellon learned that the $725,000 she provided to help edwards was an unspecified personal problem was meant to take care of hunter, she didn't condemn him for having an affair, but huffman said, she thought she vd probably pay for your girlfriend yourself. >> the jury erupted in laughter, as did much of the courtroom and the judge cracked a smile. >> huffman said he and mellon referred to themany for edwards as the furniture business because they were disguised as checks to buy furniture. why hide what was going on? mellon didn't want her lawyer to no. huffson said mellon told her it was the star witness who asked her for the money. >> that supports the defense

positive theory in the case that the money flow was created by andrew young to line his own pockets, not orchestrated by john edwards to cover up the affair in a way that violated election laws. >> edwards denies he broke any laws. they testified there was no furniture business after one of mellon's big checks bounced. he took a closer look and was told the money was actually for john edwards. lisa myers, nbc news, greensboro, north carolina. tonight, the woman caught up at the center of the secret service scandal is speaking out for the first time, giving her version of events about what happened that night in cartagena, colombia. we get our record tonight from nbc's mark potter. >> for the first time since the prostitution scandal erupted at this hotel in cartagena, colombia three weeks ago, a woman identifying herself as dania suarez is saying she was

the escort at the center of the scandal whose confrontation with a man she learned was an agent drew the authorities and sparked the investigation. speaking in spanish, she said it was obvious. i can't believe he would be so dumb or so stupid to think i wasn't going to charge him money. she was also asked whether she could have posed a risk to the president's security. her answer, if i had wanted to or i had been part of one of those terrorist groups, it's obvious i would have been able to get anything. she also said the agent and two other men with him were drinking heavily that night. and she said after the scandal blew up, she fled to deby. she said she has never been contacted by u.s. officials investigating the scandal. a point of concern to a leading congressman briefed on the investigation. >> this woman is actually essential to the investigation, since she's the one who created the initial conflict that

brought the whole house down. she was the one involved at the very center of this whole case, and the secret service has not been able to interview her. >> the u.s. secret service will not comment on the suarez interview. in the wake of the scandal, nine personnel there are leaving the agency. representative king said one agent failed a polygraph test. the investigation of 12 u.s. military personnel is completed now, awaiting final review. mark potter, nbc news, miami. now to the diplomatic drama in china playing out on the world stage. today, marathon negotiations led by secretary of state hillary clinton may have ended with a way out of this tense crisis for the white house. a blind chinese dissident may soon be on his way out of the country, obhis way to study at a university here in new york. we get the story tonight from our chief fourn affairs correspondent andrea mitchell. >> for 24 hours, chinese police

at chen gaungcheng's hospital, blocked officials from even seeing the blind dissident. finally, just as the u.s./china summit was ending, an apparent break through. both sides eager to avoid a crisis. >> our staff and our doctor had a chance to meet with him, and he's concerned that he and his family now want to go to the united states so he can pursue his studies. >> a ct scan showed chen had three broken bones in one foot. injured while scaling a wall to escape house arrest. but doctors say no other serious medical problems. some republicans say the u.s. was too quick to leave him leave the safety of the embassy. >> if those reports are true, it would be a dark day for freedom. >> in a call to the u.s. press, chen said friends who tried to visit him in the hospital were beaten, and heis situation is

dangerous. >> he should have been given more time in the embassy. but it was a hurry-up offense to get him out. >> experienced diplomats said negotiating was touch and go because he changed his mind about staying in china after being reunited with his wife and learning how his friends and family had been abused. >> emotions are running high on everyone's part. we have a person who has been in prison for four years, been under intense surveillance for months after that. >> if the deal holds, chen and his immediate family will come to the u.s. on a student visa. he plans to be at nyu in new york, but with hillary clinton scheduled to leave china tomorrow, state department officials will be up all night tonight in case something still goes wrong. brian. >> andrea mitchell in the d.c. newsroom tonight, thanks. more than a decade since the attacks on 9/11. cleed shake mohammed, the so-called masterpen mind of the

plans and four other defendants will face arraignment tomorrow at a military tribunal in guantanamo bay, cuba. some victims' families will be there, but the start of the trial could be a year away. it's been in legal limbo for three years as president obama tried and failed to move it a civilian kourpt of law. >> officials are reacting with caution tonight to a wild and rather perverse item written by al qaeda members on the web. it's suggesting that potential terrorists set fires in the american west. it specifically mentioned montana. it includes instructions on how to make a so-called ember palm. the article also suggests using lit cigarettes or magnifying glasses to start destructive wildfires as a form of terrorism in this country. forest services and law enforcement officials are taking the threat seriously. a big line of violent thunderstorms pushed its way across the midwest stward the

east coast this afternoon. on into tonight, and causing some problems at churchill downs on the eve of the kentucky derb a. the infield was evacuated when a storm packing 60-mile-per-hour winds moved through the area. about 100,000 fans were getting ready to watch the traditional kentucky oaks, the derby's little sister race when they were told to seek shelter. you can watch tomorrow's big race beginning at 4:00 p.m. eastern on this nbc station. still ahead, as we continue on a friday night, the long-term effect of the hard hits on the playing field. growing number of big names are sounding the alarm now that has a lot of parents concerned for the safety of their kids. and later, fans reacting tonight to the loss today of an american music pioneer. you could see an investment opportunity you didn't see before. fidelity's next generation ipad app lets you see what's trending around the world, as well as what over a million fidelity customers are trading throughout the day. and advanced charting lets you customize your views and set up your own comparisons.

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former nfl star junior seau who killed himself with a gun shot wound to the chest wends. today, his family members allowed to have his brain signed f studies for signed it could have been caused by repeat ed concussions. this after nfl player s filed lawsuits against the league. it's an urgent issue on every field for every child and their parents during every contact sport. all our report tonight from nbc's keval tibbles. >> harry carson played 13 years for the new york giants. his opponent today, post concussion syndrome. >> once you're damaged from a neurological standpoint, you may

never, ever be the same. >> carson is one of a growing number of former nfls battling brain injurieinjuries. now more than 1500 of them are suing the league, the latest saying the nfl failed to take reasonable steps to protect players from devastating head injuries. away from the pros, efforts are under way to restrict rough contact between younger players. >> we're going to limit the hours of the practice time where they can have any contact at all. and we're going to try to eliminate in practice any head to head contact. >> and at the ncaa level, in addition to recommending baseline brain scans, new guidelines mandate if a concussion is suspected in any sport, athletes are pulled from the game until a qualified medical evaluation clear ezthem for play. some medical evidence suggested that three sun cushions could be the threshold where cognitive

damage may occur. but that doesn't take into account the damage they may have had before turning pro. >> they're working to understand the treatment of concussions and in a statement said any allegation that the nfl intentionally sought to mislead players has no merit. >> this is very much like being in the military and going to war. except you're fighting different enemies or different opponents week in and week out. >> for many former players, that balal continues long after they have hung up their cleats. kevin tibbles, nbc news, chicago. we're back in a moment with the free show this weekend that has a lot of true fans excited. [ barking ] i'm your dog, holding down the fort while you're out catching a movie. [ growls ] lucky for me, your friends showed up with this awesome bone. hey! you guys are great. and if you got your home insurance where you got your cut rate car insurance, it might not replace all this.

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three musicians together sold 40 million records and growing. along with run dmc, they helped defind 80s music to the first white rap artists and in hip-hop, they were among view at the vanguard of the movement. he was a self-taught musician and later a filmmaker. he leaves behind a wife and a 13-year-old daughter. he was 47 years old. music business is also remembering the man who figured out how to make his guitar sound like this. that's the instantly recognizable wa-wa pedal guitar rift at the beginning of "the shaft." gave richard roundtree the perfect norkew york walking mus. he also came up with the guitar line in the eisley brothers "it's your thing."

skip pitts was 65 years old. the folks at nighto have put out a beautiful video about chicago in preparation for the c upcomal nato trip to chicago. there are some problems. >> we'll meet in the capital of illinois this time. the decision was made by the american president, barack obama, who wanted this event to take place in the city he grew up in. >> okay, few facts wrong, but there are other errors in it as well. and in all fairness, how many people know where nato is headquartered? answer, brussels. and the name of nato's president's name. they're said to be correcting their narration. >> even if you're not a yankee fan, you recognize a player of all time in mariano revera. he went down, loosening up before the game as he always has, he crumpled in the warning

track, tore the acl in his knee, out for the season and perhaps forever. it's hard to express how good he is beyond this. he's the best of all time among closer closers. his 608 saves the most ever, his e.r.a., the lowest ever. he's a modest and supernatural 42-year-old man, who may have thrown his last pitch in the major leagues. one more reminder to look up in the night sky this weekend wherever you are. weather permitting, for what they're calling correctly the super moon. it's the closest the full moon will be to earth all year. 30% brighter, 14% bigger than our regular moon. so here's wishing you a clear sky and a moon lit saturday night. when we come back on a friday night, hollywood calling on some old friends to save the world. and boost their bottom line this summer. gets the most rewardscurity of any small business credit card! how does this thing work? oh, i like it!

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tdd# 1-800-345-2550 or come in and pull up a chair. finally tonight, on this friday heading into the weekend evening, thoughts aunch turn to the movies. as the season take its big final turn into summer and the big studios hope to fill out movie theaters, starting this weekend, they're reaching back a bit to some classics hoping to refire the movie imagination.

our report tonight from nbc's kristen dahlgren in los angeles. >> power, 400 persh capacity. >> how about that? >> when it comes to summer blockbusters, hollywood is pulling out the big guns. the studios hoping superheroes have the power to lift ticket sales on their way to saving the world. if it all looks pretty familiar, that's the point. filmmakers are hoping to recapture the icon ic character like thore, captain america, and the hulk. this time, all together in the avengers. >> to see all of those people come together in one movie, it's kind of epic. >> but the super group is just the first in the season of superheroes. in july, spiderman gets another reboot, then baltman makes his repeat performance in the dark knight rises. >> i think the genre is something that we all deep down

wish we could do ourselves. i mean, who wouldn't want to fly? >> it's not all old school. tinsel town is turning the page on some character traits. in the comic book, superheroes were larger than life. here in hollywood, they said they're a lot more like you and me, complex characterses who are not always perfect. >> apparently i'm, what is it? volatile, self obsessed, and don't play well with others? >> in a way, we're all outside. we were the geeks in the corner, the people that didn't have a lot of friends, that had creative abilities that people didn't really understand. we're each kind of our own avenger. i think that's why people really respond to it. >> the stouudios are appealing female audiences. it offered powerful women like ann hath way's cat woman, and scarlett johansson's black widow.

comic book legends meet motern times in what hollywood hopes will be a spectacular summer. >> that's our broadcast oba friday evening. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. we will of course look for you right back here on monday. in the meantime, please have a good weekend. good night.