the intention of the clip becoming a viral video hit. look at them. >> that's great. because weddings can be so tedious. you know, you want to entertain your guests. >> have a great weekend, on the broadcast tonight, race case. president obama weighs in again on that controversial arrest. trying to tamp down a firestorm he helped ignite. tonight the arresting officer tells his side of the story. flu fears, the searcfor a swine flu vaccine gets more urgent tonight. there is flu news for the parents of young childn. out of office. what americans think about sarah palin as she prepares for the next move in her career. making a difference by conquering a giant. making a difference by conquering a giant. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening.

i'm amy robach in tonight for brian williams. and tonight, president obama has again put himself squarely in the center of controversy over race. this afternoon he made a surprise appearance in the white house pressroom and admitted he made a poor choice of words when he said a white police officer had acted stupidly by arresting a black scholar from harvard. the president also said he called the arresting officer who is now telling his story on camera for the first time. we have two reports tonight. we begin our coverage with our chief white house correspondent chuck todd. good evening, chuck. >> good evening, amy. as you know less than 48 hours since the president made those remarks about the gates' arrest. he decided to try to deal with is media firestorm himself and put out the fire. >> hey. >> reporter: in an unannounced visit to the white house press briefing room, president obama attempted to tamp down a media firestorm he sparked

himself wednesday night. >> the cambridge police acted stupidly. >> reporter: those words about the arrest of his friend, harvard professor henry gates, pitted mr. obama against not just arresting officer, sergeant james crowley, but the entire cambridge police department. >> in our view there was nothing stupid about what happened. what happened to produce a different outcome was directly under the control of pro thng'shit ethain ti at's sometng that i ink th esot nt apprecte. >> reporter: the local police unions demanded a presidential apology. a few hours later the president responded. >> i unfortunately, gave an impression, that i was maligning the cambridge police department or sergeant crowley specifically. and i could have calibrated those words differently.nsñ8rñ.9 >> reporter: the president made his remarks just after getting off the phone with sergeant crowley, a conversation the white house did not characterize as an apology. >> my impression of him was that

he was an outstanding police officer and a good man and that was confirmed in the phone conversation. and i told him that. >> reporter: the president stood by some of his statement from wednesday but also cast some blame for the incident on gates whom he telephoned after he spoke with the press. >> i continue to believe, based on what i have heard, that there was an overreaction in pulling professor gates out of his home i also continue to believe based on what i heard that professor gates probably overreacted as well. >> reporter: the president then tried to refocus attention on the bigger issue of racial profiling. >> my hope is as a consequence of this event, this ends up being what is called a teachable moment. >> reporter: a meeting between sergeant crowley, professor gates and the president is likely in the offing. >> there was discussion about he and i and professor gates having a beer here in the white house.

we don't know if that is scheduled yet. but we may put that together. >> reporter: the president sympathized with crowley over the media frenzy and the sergeant even asked with the president to plead with the media for privacy. >> sergeant crowley would be happy for you to stop trampling his grass. amy, remember, the issue of racial profiling is very personal to the president. let me read you an excerpt fromg his memoir "audacity of hope." he wrote police cars pulling me over for no apparent reason. i know what it is like to have people tell me i can't do something because of my color. amy? >> chuck, how much pressure was president obama under to speak out now and try to move beyond the comments? >> well, you know, he acknowledged it himself. earlier this morning, robert gibbs told a group of us in his office that he wasn't going to, no more from the white house on this issue. but the fact is they saw that the media was continuing to cover this. the president himself talked about the fact that he wanted to get back on the issue of health care. remember he made the comments on

wednesday during a press conference on health care. which by the way that didn't go so well today on the house side. amy. chuck todd from the white house. thanks. now to cambridge, massachusetts where all of this started when a neighbor called police about a possible break-in at the gates' home. and where sergeant james crowley is speaking out. nbc's ron allen is in cambridge. ron, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, amy, before the president spoke out all eyes were here on cambridge where the incident did happen. as you said, the arrest ing officer is now telling his side of the story, and his fellow cops are offering their support. >> we completely support sergeant crowley and the fine a men and women of the cambridge police department. >> reporter: the police union representing sergeant james crowley rallied in his defense today. crowley did not speak but has told tv about his arrest of dr. henry louis gates. >> i asked can he step outside and speak with me. he said, no, i will not.

and again, words to the effect, what is this all about? i am sergeant crowley from the cambridge police department. >> reporter: he insists, gates provoked the confrontation. the moment the officer explained we was respond ing to a 911 call about the possible barack in. >> he responded why, because i am a black man in america, in a very agitated tone. i thought that was a little strange. >> reporter: crowley said he has spoken out he was tired of being called a racist. he is an 11-year veteran, father of three, for several years trained officers how to avoid racial profiling exactly what gates accused him of doing. >> he was the one that was being provocative, this wasn't a back and forth exchange of bantor or arguing. this was one sided. >> reporter: today an african-american sergeant seen in the foreground of the photo of the arrest, defended crowley saying he never heard the professor call anyone a racist, but crowley was still right to arrest him. >> i support what he did 100%. >> it's over. there is no more story to it. >> reporter: professor gates remains at his vacation home on

martha's vineyard, speaking out in this sirius radio interview. >> just because a black man answers the door and you are responding to a 911 charge treat him or in the case of an african-american woman with respect. don't go presuming, don't do anything else.ai protect . >> reporter: gates has threatened to sue. his lawyer told cnn there are witnesses who have had similar experiences with sergeant crowley. but some community leaders are growing more concerned about the damage such an emotional and drawn out confrontation could be doing. >> professor gates needs to sit down with sergeant crowley and they need to bury the hatchet for the sake of the country. and for the black community. >> reporter: the police are still trying to determine whether they will issue and make public the police radio traffic from that night. audio tapes which could contain some of what crowley and gates said to each other. even though crowley has been cleared of any wrongdoing, the police are still going to ask for an independent investigation of what happened as they try to maintain the community any

-- community's trust. amy. ron allen in cambridge, massachusetts, thank you. david gregory is moderator of "meet the press." david, was the president successful today in diffusing the situation as he hoped to do or did he end up throwing more fuel on the fire? >> well, look he had a big role in escalating this which now he acknowledges. remember he is coming full circle on this. i think, by all accounts, talking to those who are close to him, this was a heartfelt response that he had during the press conference the other night based on whahe knew and as an african-american man. he then was agitated yesterday that it got the kind of media attention it got. by today there was a recognition when the president weighs in, it is going to carry some weight. and i think the white house wants to extricate him from this but now he is talking about having a beer at the white house with gates and the arresting officer. i don't know if we have seen the end of this yet. >> david, this controversy, we heard chuck todd allude to this, has clearly overshadowed the president's agen on health care reform. where does that all stand right now? >> one of the reasons why the president was agitated about

this yesterday, it was getting the attention that it got. chuck alluded to a setback in the house. it does not appear from the house now that they will vote on a health care bill by the august cess. which means that the august recess deadline that the president set looks to be falling by the wayside altogether. now inside the white house, they say, it is okay. a lot of the committee work is being done. and a deadline was important. but it does shape up to be a tactical defeat at this level and the concern is that the longer this hangs out there without conclusion that it allows the momentum of opposition to only grow. something that -- that is a dangerous sign over the horizon. >> david, finally, what do you cupveg s inhi tweekend on "m ese t hiprs?" "meet the press?" ive n w ausveclex exclusive intervieusfoe r w reenthr htio with secretary of state hillary clinton. it is her first live sunday morning interview. after logging 100,000 miles around the world. lot to talk about with her.nd >> david gregory, as always, thank you. speaking of secretary clinton, tonight she had harsh words for

the ousted president of honduras, manuel zelaya, deposed in that bloody coup. d today briefly crossed the border back into honduras, reversed course and returned to nicaragua. mrs. clinton called his action a "reckless attempt to provoke a confrontation." we are learning more tonight about which republican senators will vote for and against the confirmation of supreme court nominee sonia sotomayor. orrin hatch of utah, said he will vote against her. his first no vote on any supreme court nominee since he came to the senate in 1977. senator john cornyn of texas also said he will vote no but acknowledged sotomayor will almost certainly be confirmed. despite his vote. so far ten republicans have said they will vote no. five will vote yes. california's legislature put a new state budget in place tonight after almost a month without one. the new budget rejected some of the deep cuts needed to close a $26 billion gap. now it will be up to governor arnold schwarzenegger to finish the job. here is nbc's george lewis.

>> please call the roll. >> reporter: final votes in the california legislature, as lawmakers tried to wrap up a budget. >> no. >> it is 1:30 in the afternoon. we have been in session for almost 24 hours. >> reporter: pulling an all-nighter as they wrangled over cuts to a whole gamut of programs that helped californians most in need. >> he had a small accident yesterday. >> reporter: alicia alvarez said her son jacob needed stitches for a cut lip. he was treated under state's healthy families program for low income californians. the but that program is being scaled back. >> i have been searching to see how much it is going to cost me and i cannot afford it. >> reporter: in an interview with cnbc's john harwood, the governor tried to put a positive spin on the budget deal. >> i think what we have done is we have steered away from the iceberg. and, you know, we are coming out of it.

>> reporter: observers believe california is still sailing in dangerous waters. >> this budget deal is to some extent created with chicken wire and chewing gum. one-time fixes, accounting gimmicks. >> reporter: one of the gimmicks, siphoning off $4 billion of tax revue from cities and counties. now they're threatening to sue. >> what we have to do is beg for the money that is already due us and they get to either borrow or steal it. >> reporter: one other hang-up, a plan to raise additional revenues by expanding offshore oil drilling in the waters off santa barbara, failed to pass this afternoon.bçxw the legislature also gave back to the cities, $1 billion it was threatening to take away, that may stop some of the lawsuits but leaves holes in the budget. the governor will have to come up with some more gimmicks to fill those holes. amy.

nbc's george lewis. thank you. the federal minimum wage went up today. the final step in a three-phase increase that started in 2007. a 70 cent per hour jump from $6.55 an hour to $7.25. some small business owners criticize the timing of the increase saying it ia burden in a weak economy. turning to wall street. hugeks hung on to thr gains this week. the dow up under 24 points. nasdaq snapped a 12-session winning streak with a seven-point decline. s & p 500 gained under 3 points. when "nightly news" continues this friday ening -- a sobering new report on swine flu from federal health officials. what you need to know about vaccines. and later, making sure a disability did not keep em th from getting to the top. making sure a disability did not keep them from getting to the top. i do most of the talking yes i wear dentures and they fit wonderful super poligrip acts as a seal between my dentures and my gums super poligrip makes eating more comfortable. even well fitting dentures can feel more comfortable with super poligrip.

just a few dabs of super poligrip create a seal between your dentures and gums to make them more comfortable while you eat. i can eat my steak, i just love it. try super poligrip. a heart attack at 53. i had felt fine. but turns out... my cholesterol and other risk factors... increased my chance of a heart attack. i should've done something. now, i trust my heart to lipitor. when diet and exercise are not enough, adding lipitor may help. unlike some other cholesterol lowering medications, lipitor is fda approved to reduce the risk... of heart attack, stroke, and certain kinds of heart surgeries... in patients with several common risk factors... or heart disease. lipitor has been extensively studied... with over 16 years of research. lipitor is not for everyone, including people with liver problems... and women who are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant. you need simple blood tests to check for liver problems. tell your doctor if you are taking other medications, or if you have any muscle pain or weakness. this may be a sign of a rare but serious side effect.

i was caught off-guard. but maybe you can learn from my story. have a heart to heart with your doctor... about your risk. and about lipitor. t the u.s. centers for disease control out with new projections on swine flu in the country. 40% of the population could come down with it in the next two years and deaths could climb into the hundreds of thousand.

they're also talking tonight about efforts to get people vaccinated. nbc's rehema ellis has the details. >> reporter: today centers for disease control issued broader guidelines regarding vaccinatns for the upcoming flu season. now recommending that children from 6 months to 18 years old be immunized for seasonal flu. while the vaccine provides little to no protection against h1n1, health officials want to prevent people from being infected by both at once. meanwhile, clinical trials are starting right now on vaccines to fight h1n1 which officials expect to continue to spread this fall. >> we do expect when children get back together at school that we'll see a rise in cases. we don't know exactly where or how hard-hit schools will be. >> reporter: so far in the united states, health officials suspect there have been more than 1 million cases. though only 43,771 cases have been confirmed. 302 deaths. 24% of those have been people

between the ages of 5 and 24. the encouraging news, officials say, is the h1n1 virus is milder than first feared. it has the not mutated. and most people who catch the disease recover within a week. scientists advising the obama administration say the united states is better prepared for a pandemic than in the past. >> by the end of october, ssession to deliver vaccines. >> reporter: what the government still has to decide is to recommend the vaccination for everyone once it is available or just those who are most vulnerable. rehema ellis, nbc news, new york. when we come back, sarah palin's final days as governor. andrea mitchell has the latest on what is next for her. with garlic-roasted tender maine lobster,

jumbo shrimp, scallops, and a full half-pound of snow crab legs. or from t south, try our new orleans... wood-grilled shrimp jambalaya, simmered with creole seasonings. taste these regional dishes for a limited time. at red lobster. when people say, "hey mike, why ford? why now? you know what i do? i introduce them to the most fuel-efficient midsize sedans... and suvs in america. i don't know if you've heard, but this whole fuel-efficiency thing... kind of a big deal. anyway, ford and lincoln mercury have you covered. in fact, they're your cash for clunkers specialists. they'll recycle your ride and get you a rebate of up to $4,500. how's that for going green? why ford? why now? why not? visit your ford or lincoln mercury dealer. tell 'em mike sent you. if you think it would help. but i'm an on-the-go woman. i've been active all my life. that's why i'm excited about reclast, the osteoporosis treatment my doctor

gives me once a year. my doctor says one iv of reclast can help protect me while i'm on-the-go for twelve months. how? well, reclast helps to restrengthen my bones to help make them resistant to fracture. and with reclast... well... no other osteoporosis treatment is approved to hp protect in more places: hip, spine, even other bones. (announcer) you should not take reclast if you're on zometa, have low blood calcium, kidney problems or you'rpregnant, plan to become pregnant or nursing. take calcium and vitamin d daily. tell your doctor if you develop severe muscle, bone or joint pain or if you have dental problems, as rarely, jaw problems have been reported. the most common side effects include flu-like symptoms, fever, muscle or joint pain and headache. do what i did. ask your doctor about reclast. year-long protection for on-the-go-women. ...are actually susceptible to irreversible damage. your teeth are no different. everyday acids can cause irreversible loss of enamel. new crest pro-health enamel shield protects against...

...enamel loss by forming a micro-thin shield against acid attack. only crest pro-health toothpastes... ...protect allhese areas dentists check most. save your enamel. once it's gone, it can be gone for good. new crest pro-alth enamel shield. also shield with e rinse. alaska governor and former vice presidential candidate, sarah palin, will hand her duties over to her lieutenant-governor this weekend. three weeks after she shocked the political world with the announcement of her resignation. but as nbc's andrea mitchell tells us she has no intention of fading away. as the palin family moves out of the governor's mansion, sarah palin's long good-bye looks more like a campaign hello.

daily picnics starting today and another tomorrow in anchorage then the handoff to her lieutenant-governor sunday in fairbanks. that should leave a lot more time for fishing. >> how is the fishing? >> it's good. >> reporter: if palin is fishing for votes, a future run for president, she has got some serious work to do. a new "washington post"\abc poll today says a majority views her negatively. her lowest approval rating since she burst on to the national stage a year ago. palin is still popular with republicans. 70% of them like her. ow.r down and go with the she we're fishermen, we know that only dead fish go with the flow. >> reporter: many say she hurt herself by quitting. >> you haven't finished the job

some would say? e final year in office without it costing the state millions. >> reporter: arnold schwarzenegger on palin today? >> would you ever see me resigning in the middle of my term? even if it is the 100th term i would never give up. >> reporter: palin is plagued by ethics charges, most were dismissed. but only today, state personnel board investigator thomas daniel told nbc news there is probable cause to believe that governor palin was in violation of state ethics laws by soliciting private donations to pay for legal debts. palin's attorney said the matter is still pending. whatever you have seen was released in violation of law. palin responded yesterday, on twitter, quote, finally free of ethic complaints. likes confidential documents out of context to create false headlines. palin is still a headliner for party fundraisers giving her a chance to rebuild her reputation with republican kingmakers. andrea mitchell, nbc news, washington. >> up next, our friday making a difference report.

strike. a heart attack caused by a clot, one that could be fatal. but plavix helps save lives. plavix, taken with other heart medicines goes beyond what other heart medicines do alone to provide greater protection against heart attack or stroke and even death by helping to keep blood platelets from sticking together and forming clots. ask your doctor about plavix, protection that helps save lives. (female announcer) if you have stomach ulcer or other condition that causes bleeding, you should not use plavix. when taking plavix alone or with some other medicines including aspirin, the risk of bleeding may increase so tell your doctor before planning surgery. and always talk to your doctor before taking aspirin or other medicines with plavix, especially if you've had a stroke. if you develop fever or unexplained weakness or confusion, tell your doctor promptly as these may be signs of a rare but potentially life-threatening condition called ttp, which has been reported rarely, sometimes in less than two weeks after starting therapy. other rare but serious side effects may occur. (male announcer) if you take plavix with other heart medicines continuing to do so will help

increase your protection against a future heart atckro ost r ke beyond your other heart medicines alone. you may be feeling better but your risk never goes away. help stay protected, stay with plavix. real food at the right price! this is the primo stuff. one appetizer and two premium entrees. just twenty bucks-every day. genuine food. generous portions. genius price. 2 for $20! only at applebee's. or the worry my pipes might leak... compromise what i like to do... like hunting for bargains, not always bathrooms. i take care with vesicare. (announcer) once-daily vesicare can help control your bladder muscle and is proven to reduce frequent, sudden urges and leaks... day and night... if you have certain stomach or glaucoma problems, or trouble emptying your bladder, do not take vesicare. tell your doctoright away

if you have a serious allergic reaction, severe abdominal pain, or become constipated for three or more days. vesicare may cause blurred vision, so take care while driving or doing unsafe tasks. common side effects are dry mouth, constipation, and indigestion. you deserve better than to always be compromised by urges and leaks. ask your doctor today about taking care with vesicare.

time for our friday report on people who are making a difference. tonight, a climb to the toof one of the world's highest mountains a feat for anybody. but for the eight climbers you are about to meet, a climb up kilimanjaro wasn't for bragging rights, they had something to prove. lee cowan has their story. >> reporter: mountains the saying goes are climbed because they're there, what if a giant like kilimanjaro, a white blur or worse, nothing at all. that was the view for these eight climbers. >> we have come a long way. we are going to go a long way. >> reporter: they are all legally blind, feeling their way. up one of the highest peaks on the planet. >> we just wanted to inspire the world whether they were blind or sighted. we wanted to inspire people. >> reporter: climbing 19,000 feet though takes more than just inspiration. it requires a little blind faith too. >> you're down!

>> whoo-hoo. >> whoo-hoo. >> reporter: that's christie kevin. >> slight turn to the right. >> reporter: a sighted guide who trained with tom in arizona -- using a bell as a reference and detailed descriptions of the trail. >> if i said up and over he knew what that meant. if i tapped on a rock with my trekking pole he knew what that meant. >> reporter: the trek was the idea of mark ashton, ceo with the foundation for blind children. >> we wanted to show and prove there is no limitations. these folks can do anything in the world. the hardest part of the wholeon trip i would say was the first 2 1/2, hours of summit. because i was feeling nauseous and very tired. >> reporter: more than half of all climbers who try to conquer kilimanjaro fail, succumbing to altitude sickness. but not this group. >> those people that said we couldn't do this, we had no business being here. >> reporter: every one of them

beat the cold, the wind, and the thin air to claim not only the summit, but three world records. >> whoa! >> whoa! >> kilimanjaro! all right. >> reporter: would you do it again? >> oh, yeah. >> reporter: everybody. their message was as simple as the gift they brought back. >> i thought maybe i would give you a piece of the mountain from us to you, and that maybe whenever you are faced with a challenge in your life you will remember what we achieved. >> reporter: thank you. >> i wanted to give you that. >> reporter: a reminder that no obstacle is too steep for those with the determination to keep climbing. lee cowan, nbc news, phoenix. and that's our broadcast for this friday night. thank you for being with us. i'm amy robach in tonight for brian williams. i will see you tomorrow morning on "today." have a good weekend and good on "today." have a good weekend and good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com