captions paid for by nbc-universal television on the broadcast tonight, aim higher. american's first black president tells this nation's oldest civil rights group there can be no excuses. terror attacks, why tels overseas are the new targets and who's behind the latest attack. what works, downloading an education online and getting a leg up in a down economy. our planet, a major effort to protect one of the country's most important natural resources. perhaps you're vacationing there this summer. and making a difference, a camp helping kids who face big health challenges make their own splash this summer. "nightly news" begins now.

good evening. the ncaap, the national association for the advancement of colored people, has been around for 100 years. it's so old, its title contains a phrase we don't use anymore. at their gathering here in new york this week, they've been talking about what it means to have a black president. then the president himself spoke to the group last night and said, in effect, what it means is, there can be no excuses for anybody. it was a speech that perhaps only this president could give and it's where we begin tonight with nbc's ron allen. >> that's what we have to teach all of our children, no excuses. >> reporter: at times, the president sounded like a strict parent or a pastor trying to inspire a congregation. >> got an amen corner back there. every child -- >> reporter: he delivered a very pointed message to the african-american community about the road ahead, focusing on parenting.

>> you can't just contract out parenting. that means putting away the xbox. putting our kids to bed at a reasonable hour. >> reporter: and on education -- >> yes, if you live in a poor neighborhood, you will face challenges that somebody in a wealthy suburb doesn't have to face. that's not a reason to give up on your education and drop out of school. no one has written your destiny for you. your destiny is in your hands. you cannot forget that. that's what we have to teach all of our children. >> there were african-americans who wanted to hear this sort of message and this sort of direct speech to the black community from president obama sooner. there were others who felt it was unrealistic and perhaps even unwise from the president's point of view as the first african-american president. >> reporter: it was the first time as president that he's been so direct about race relations, acknowledging people of color still face obstacles.

>> but make no mistake, the pain of discrimination is still felt in america >> reporter: the result, he said, is that many black children limit their goals. he urged parents to push harder. >> but our kids can't all aspire to be lebron or lil' wayne. >> reporter: obama also urged his audience to support contentious policy proposals like health care reform. but much of his focus was on education, what's been called the civil rights issue of the 21st century. there was a deeply personal moment when the president shared thoughts he has riding through poor black communities. >> i say there, but for the grace of god, go i. >> it sometimes seems liket's a tough message. but he seems to be able to deliver it in a way that people find palatable. >> reporter: but on talk radio, not everyone agrees. >> every time this brother talks to our community, it's got to be some type of smackdown.

>> i absolutely agree with obama, with bill cosby. i read bill cosby's book, we need to take responsibility for what's going on out he with our children. it's really bad. >> reporter: the question is how far the message spreads after the celebration ends. ron allen, nbc news, new york. >> some of the intensity of last night carried over today to the president's push for health care. one day after the congressional budget office set a democratic health care reform plan would cost money instead of saving it, president obama put together a hastily scheduled appearance at the white house for a pep talk on capitol hill. correspondent kelly o'donnell with us tonight for more on that. kelly, good evening. >> reporter: good evening. clearly the president wanted to get in the last word of the week. we added that quick speech with a state your name and unwavering message for congress. the issues are basically cost and time. it really set off alarm bells

when the congressional budget office said that the plans would increase spending, not reduce it. and today, key democrats and republicans, moderates the president needs, made a direct appeal to the white house asking for more time to resolve these differences. but as you'll hear, the president's answer was a definite no. >> those who are betting against this happening this year are badly mistaken. we are going to get this done. we will reform health care. it will happen this year. i'm absolutely convinced of that. >> reporter: and what happens here next week will be critical inhis debate because the differences are still so wide. the president did soften a bit acknowledging this is tough work. but he is not yet ready to budge on some of the issues congress thinks are most important right now. brian? >> kelly o'donnell on the hill this friday night. thanks for that. big name hotels overseas, especially those with western

ties have become the new target of islamic terrorists. six of them have been hit in the past nine months alone killing 200 people. and just last night, two more hotel bombings in jakarta, indonesia, killed at least eight people, wounded 50, including a number of americans. our own ian williams with us tonight from bangkok with the latest. ian, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. indonesia thought it was beating terrorism. there has been tight security at western hotels and no major attacks in nearly four years. but today, terror returned to jakarta. chaos moments after the blasts. two explosions minutes apart. they shook the luxury jw marriott and ritz-carlton hotels, sending the injured spending into streets littered with glass and debris. >> i went out of the hotel and everything was quite crazy. >> it sounded like the earthquake that we had about a year or two ago.

>> reporter: at least eight people died, several americans were among the injured. police said the blasts were inside the hotels' coffee shops during breakfast. this surveillance camera video shows the marriott lobby just as the bomb exploded from the cafe. two suicide bombers had breached tight security by checking in as guests. police say they based themselves in a room on the 18th floor of the marriott where the bombs were assembled and where one unexploded device was found. >> it seems there was a command person in one of the hotels, which indeed meant further suggests this was a reasonably well thought-out and carefully planned operation. >> reporter: the same marriott hotel was bombed in 2003. that was blamed on a regional terror group that was once an islamic state and is linked to al qaeda. as were a string of other attacks, including the 2002 bomb that killed more than 200 people. >> the most likely suspect

remains the fugitive malaysian jihadi leader who is a member of the group but runs his own breakaway group. >> reporter: the group has splintered under a crackdown by anti-terror police who have captured or killed many of its leaders, winning strong praise from the u.s. but the evidence from today's attacks suggest those splinters remain a potent threat. brian? >> ian williams in bangkok, thailand, for us tonight, ian, thank you. now to iran where one of the nation's most powerful religious leaders addressed worshippers at friday prayers for the first time since that disrupted presidential election. and he declared the outcome left the nation in crisis. former iranian president fsraja rafsanjani, a supporter of mousavi, blasted the government's handling of recent protests. his word spurred thousands of demonstrators into the streets and new clashes with police then followed.

in italy, pope benedict has suffered a fall. he's now out of the hospital after surgery to repair a broken wrist. the 82-year-old pope fell at his vacation he, but aides said he was feeling well enough to celebrate mass before heading on to the hospital. doctors say the pope's right arm will be in a cast for about a month. in pensacola, florida, today, funeral services for byrd and melanie billings who were shot to death in their home last week in an elaborate robbery. the billingses were parents to a total of 13 adopted children with special needs. four children from previous marriages. they were a beloved couple in their community. six men and a teenager have been charged with the couple's murder. we turn to wall street here in new york now where it's been an important week in corporate earnings news, particularly for the big banks that have been propped up with a lot of big taxpayer money. maria bartiromo at the stock exchange at the end of the

week's trading for more on what all this means. maria, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. today we heard from bank of america and citigroup in the banking sector, both companies have taken money from the government. both companies today reported earnings better than expected. we also heard from ibm and ge among others. based on what we're hearing so far in terms of second quarter earnings, it seems we've seen the worst in terms of this economic downturn, certainly good news. having said that, i would not be celebrating just yet. we could very well bounce along the bottom for a little while given the fact that there are real red flags out there. number one, people expect unemployment to worsen. we already have 15 states in the u.s. with unemployment rates above 10%. number two, there's this developing story around cit group, not to be confused with citigroup. cit is a lender to small and mid cap businesses. its biggest client? the garment center, the retailers. it is teetering on bankruptcy.

the government said it won't bail them out so it's looking to the private sector to make some investments. if this company does declare bankruptcy, you could see retailers and fashion companies be in real trouble in terms of meeting payroll. that's a situation to watch for the middle market and small business community. having said that, the momentum is in the stock market. this market is up 7% for the week. we'll need more evidence next week when we get another slew of earnings that things havturned a corner for this market to continue the rally. brian, back to you. >> for now, no celebrations. probably a good piece of advice. maria, thanks. have a good weekend. when our broadcast continues on a friday night, is there really a way to get ahead without, as they say, leaving home? later, it's a summer camp like all the others. but this one is for survivors and it's making a real difference. summer camp like all the others. but this one is for survivors and it's making a real difference. and high cholesterol is a major factor. but crestor can help slow the buildup of plaque in arteries. go to arterytour.com and take an interactive tour

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student who is don't have time for traditional bricks and mortar schools. it turns out that's just what many americans find what they need as they rush to reinvent themselves in this awful economy. our report from tom costello. >> reporter: since angie gonzalez was a little girl, this is where she's always wanted to be. >> raise your hand if you can hear me. >> reporter: a classroom in miami teaching second grade. >> why don't you grab the paper? >> reporter: butetting here meant going back to college while juggling a job and two kids. >> i didn't want to do that to my family. i didn't want to leave them. >> reporter: angie was exactly the student 19 governors had in mind when they started western governors university 12 years ago. what "time" magazine calls the best relatively cheap university you've never heard of. at $6,000 a year, an online nonprofit fully accredited university and already among the biggest providers of math and science teachers to inner cities. we talked to the university

president online. >> we have seen an increased rate of growth just in the last three, four, five months. >> reporter: in fact, the online student population has exploded from 500 students in 2003 to 14,000 today. here's what's different. rather than requiring students to physically attend dozens of classes, instead, they work from home. at their own pace. when they take exams, they do it at local test centers. and if a student shows command of a subject, they can graduate more quickly. scott saunders needed a drooeg degree for a promotion. >> i had 15 years' worth of computer experience in various capacities. and so i was able to sit through examinations with very little studying. >> reporter: he earned a bachelor's degree in two years and delivered the commencement address in salt lake city.

>> i never liked school. >> reporter: nationwide, 20% of higher ed students now take some online classes. the biggest for-property schools include university of phoenix, caplan and ashford university. but for angie and others like her -- >> i'm very happy i was able to do it. >> reporter: the dream of 19 governors has become her dream fulfilled. tom costello, nbc news, washington. the shuttle "endeavour" docked at the international space station today where crew members snapped more pictures of the shuttle's surface. engineers are going to scour the photos to make sure the spacecraft wasn't damaged during liftoff. when we continue, taking a big step toward protecting this nation's most important freshwater resource and a beautiful place. i go down to the pool for a swim... get out and dance... even play a little hide-n-seek.

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over a several state area this country this weekend, you will see cars and suvs on the interstate packed to the gills with kids and bikes and luggage. and they'll be headed for vacation along the great lakes. the great lakes are spectacular, a huge water resource for this country. and they're in trouble. and the current president from chicago on the banks of lake michigan, is behind an ambitious effort to try to protect the region. reporting on our planet tonight, here's our chief environmental affairs correspondent, ann thompson. >> reporter: america's great lakes are in crisis. the source of drinking water for 40 million americans is under a three-pronged attack from pollution, habitat loss and invasive species. mussels brought by saltwater ships are changing the freshwater shoreline on lake

michigan. 40 years ago, there were sand and rocks in front of this home. now mussels filter the plankton-filled water, clearing the way for unwanted algae to grow. >> you're looking at a matte of vegetation that neither one of us would be willing to walk across. >> reporter: it's driving down property values and driving up costs. the price tag for damaging control of invasive species, at least $200 million a year for the region. one-fifth of america's industry surrounds the great lakes. but pollution runoff from factories, farms and new development threaten people and fish. northern michigan's historic fish town is down to one working fishery. >> the lakes have changed a lot. >> reporter: now in the biggest financial commitment of any administration, president obama wants to spend $475 million to help the great lakes survive. >> we need to invest in the economy and the environment

together. >> reporter: it will be epa administrator lisa jackson's responsibility. >> i don't think the country can afford not to spend the money. water is going to be the challenge of our time. and although there's lots of water in the great lakes, if it's not useful if to us, if we can't have it as a resource, it's nothing more than the dead sea. >> reporter: in traverse city, local conservation groups are trying to stop polluted storm water runoff from reaching the creeks and rivers that run into the grand traverse bay. some filtration programs are in place, but money is needed for more. and this is the payoff, a bay with clean water and a huge impact, rippling through the area's economy. one small way to protect the world's largest freshwater resource under siege. ann thompson, nbc news, traverse city, michigan. and we're back in a moment with our minute "making a

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our friday night "making a difference" segment is all about another staple of summer, summer camp. the camp we take you to tonight looks the same when you first drive up to it. but when you meet the kids and find out what they've been through, then the difference becomes clear. the story tonight from nbc's kevin tibbles in eureka, missouri. >> reporter: cooling off in the pool at summer camp just outside st. louis. but look a little closer. >> i have one scar and seven surgeries. >> i have three scars and ve had one surgery. >> i had nine scars, one right here, four right here. >> reporter: the scars of life-saving heart surgery. >> probably about half, at least, have never spent the night away from home. some of them never even spent the night away, even at

grandparents' houses. >> reporter: but this is camp rhythm, where 66 children with severe cardiac problems do stay and play and grow. it's the only time 12-year-old katie campbell is surrounded by other kids just like her. >> i have to have surgery and i talk to them aut it because they've been through the same thing as me. >> reporter: run by the st. louis children's hospital, camp rhythm is equipped to provide for medical emergencies and provide parents with peace of mind. >> they know their kids couldn't be in anybody's hands that would keep them safer with their complex problems. >> i can't. >> oh, yeah, you can. you're doing great. >> reporter: no pampering here. campers explore the limits of what they can do. >> i'm scared, though. >> don't be scared. >> reporter: and are applauded for it. >> you realize every day's a gift. every day is a present and you better open it and enjoy it. >> reporter: and aided by a

real-life heart surgeon, they even get to perform a little surgery of their own, on a cow's heart. hey, doctor, how's the operation going? >> good. >> everybody here is treated like a normal kid. we're not treated as kids with heart problems. we're just kids. i always tell them their scar does not make them who they are. and that "i am not my scar" should be their mantra. >> reporter: at camp rhythm, the scar is a given. it's the mosquito bite that is the badge of courage. kevin tibbles, nbc news, eeka, missouri. terrific way to end the broadcast on a friday night and end this week. thank you for being here for it with us. i'll get that out. i'm brian williams. savannah guthrie will be here with you tomorrow night. i clearly need a break. we will look for you monday night. in the meantime, have a good night. in the meantime, have a good weekend. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com