after the storm, the president fights to get health care back on track after the arrest that stole the spotlight. moving out. sarah palin's last full day as governor. but what's next? flight risk. we've seen how dangerous birds can be. now one major airport is trying something w. and dance fever. how one couple's wedding video -- ♪ -- became the latest global sensation. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

good evening. this was the week when a phone call to police about a possible break-in mushroomed into a national debate about race and pushed president obama's health care message off the radar. tonight the president is trying to get radar. but again tonight, there is a new blow to the president's plan. nbc's mike ba cara is at the white house. good evening, mike. >> reporter: good evening, amy. as the president moved to defuse one controversy, his health care plan was losing ground in congress. now today another setback, his highly touted pn to cut long-term costs in the health care system, turns out it might hardly scratch the surface. it was a surprise appearance by the president meant in part to get past the controversy over his remarks on the arrest of his friend, harvey professor henry gates. >> so to the extent that my choice of words didn't illuminate but rather contributed more media frenzy, i

think that was unfortunate. >> reporter: now the president hopes to get back to the task at hand in washington. >> because over the last two days, as we've discussed this issue, i don't know if you have noticed but nobody's been paying much attention to health care. >> reporter: but as the gates' controversy swirled, the president's health care plan was sinking in congress. caught in an interparty cross-fire among democrats. mr. obama on the road this week in ohio, fighting back against reports that his plan would actually raise costs, not lower them. >> we also want to cate an independent group of doctors and medical experts who are empowered to eliminate waste and inefficiency in medicare, a proposal that could save even more money. >> reporter: but today another blow. the congressional budget office reports that the proposal would only knock $2 billion off the $1 trillion price tag, adding, in cbo's judgment, the probability is high that no savings would be realized. democratic leaders concede tt a prerecess vote isn't going to happen, not in the senate.

not even in the house. >> we're going to work until the bill is done. >> are you ruling out -- >> that does not mean we're necessarily going to work in session. >> reporter: but mr. obama is still pushing. today asserting that his plan would mean more options for small businesses. >> they can then pick the one that works best for them and their employees. >> reporter: but it's clear he hasn't made the sale to enough democrats in congress. republicans are emboldened. >> because of these extraordinary costs to families, small businesses and future generations, alarm bells are sounding across the country. >> reporter: and, amy, late today the president's budget director fought back against the cbo report. he was highly critical of some portions of it but he said if you look inside that report, you will see they do recommend some changes, and he said they will make those chaes to cut long-term costs in health care. amy? mike zacaria at the white house. thank you. and now to the story that told the spotlight from the president's push on health care this week, the arrest of a harvard professor and the

difficult questions it raised about race and the police. nbc's ron allen is in cambridge tonight. good evening, ron. >> reporter: good evening, amy. today this community seemed to take a big step back from an emotional week. the police feeling gratified by president obama's more measured statements and professor gates and sergeant crowley accepting invitations to meet to settle their differences. today on the quiet street where professor henry gates lives, his neighbors were amazed and troubled by how his porch had become the stage for such an emotional, national argument. >> who wants all of this? you know, we don't have trouble. we really don't. i know i don't, with anybody. and now they're kind of putting whites against blacks. and i think it's wrong. >> reporter: in the days following the incident, gates had threatened to sue. however now a change in tone. a statement on a website he oversees anticipates a much different encounter with sergeant crowley and president obama. i am pleased that he, o, was

eager to use my experience as a teaching moment, and if meeting sergeant crowley for a beer was a precedent to further that end, then i will be happy to oblige. crowley spoke to the president yesterday at a pub, surrounded by officers. a statement from his commissioner said city officials now or on the miss stick that we are moving forward towards our resolution. white gates and crowley turn toned down their angry feud, the ugly incident remains unresolved. >> there is no evidence whatsoever that the arrest was race based. >> reporter: police have cleared crowley, pointing out that years ago he was even selected to train officers about how to avoid racial profiling. however, critics feel crowley should have backed off once he knew it was gates' home and in break-in had occurred. >> in this particular situation he did not understand the spirits of the concern around racial profiling. >> reporter: there is so much disagreement, officers say,

because police, like everyone else, off and see matters of race based on who they are. >> i'm an african-american man, 65 years old, vietnam veteran, spent 24 years as a police officer. so if you ask me about it, i'm going to have a different response than a 65-year-old white man. >> reporter: there's no word on when gates, crowley and the president will meet, nor when the cambridge police will organize a community-based panel that officials have said will review what happened. amy? >> ron allen in cambridge, thank you. sarah palin is wrapping up her last full day in ornf as goveor of alaska. the former republican vice presidential candidate is resigning from office with a year and a half left to serve. nbc's norah o'donnell is live in fairbanks, alaska, with more. good evening, norah. >> reporter: good evening, amy. and this is it for sarah palin. around this time tomorrow night, she will no longer be governor of this great state. she has decided to give up her powerful perch, but for what is not clear.

sarah palin spent her last full day as governor at a picnic in anchorage, serving up hamburgers, hot dogs and alaskan salmon. >> i hope to get to shake as many hands as possible and tell you from the bottom of my heart how much i thank you and love you. >> reporter: but her farewell started yesterday in her hometown of wasilla, dressed in a red, white and blue new england patriots' sweat shirt that red, once a patriot, always a patriot. >> no, i won't take my time at the podium to talk politics today. because we can do something more worthy than i think speaking politics. we will be honoring the families of those who have loved ones who have served or are serving today. >> reporter: on sunday she heads here to fairbanks where thousands have already gathered for the famous golden day parade. and many here people say they don't like that sarah palin is leaving office early. >> i am zdisappointed. i wish she would have stuck it out. >> well, we're going to miss her as governor. >> reporter: still, the big question remains, what's next for sarah palin? will she run for president?

palin told nbc's andrea mitchell it's not yet clear. >> i don't know what the future holds. can't predict what the next fish run's going to look like, much less what's going to happen in the next couple of years. >> reporter: it's been quite a journey so far, from the first female governor of alaska, to the first woman on a republican presidential ticket. >> you know, they say the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull -- lipstick. >> reporter: but her stunning disease to leave office with a year and a half left if her term could hurt her politic future. >> it would be apathetic to just kind of hunker down and go with the flow. we're fishermen. we know that only dead fish go with flow. >> reporter: in fact, a new "washington post"/abc news poll said a majority of the americans, 53%, now view her negatively, her lowest approval rating since she burst onto the national stage a year ago. but her approval rating among republicans is at 70%. >> i think it's very popular, you know, among the insiders to

dump all over sarah palin and to belittle her chances. but the thing is the polling data shows that she is at least within the republican party, she is a very viable contender. >> reporter: and tonight nbc news has learned that sarah palin has raised more than $1 million for her political action committee, and that can fund a lot of political travel. her first expected stop -- the ronald reagan presidential library in california in two weeks. amy? >> norah o'donnell in fairbanks tonight. thanks, norah. well, in dozens of cities around the world today, demonstrators took to the streets to protests hundreds of arrests, beatings, even killings in iran after last month's presidential elections. inside iran, meanwhile, the regime arrested several more people who gathered in solidarity with today's demonstrators. and in honduras for the second day in a row, manwell zelaya briefly made his way to

the nicaraguan/honduran border, just itching for a confrontation with the government that threw him out. all of this is putting the u.s. in a difficult position. kerry sanders is on the border and spoke directly with zelaya today. kerry, good evening. >> reporter: well, good evening. exiled president manuel zelaya said he's coming back again to the border, maybe even get later tonight. he arrived here with several hundred supporters who are urging him to return to honduras to reclaim his presidency. he was deposed at gunpointune 28th, fleeing the country in his pajamas. while he did not make it across the border today, he says he's mbolically showing the world he will not give up. but the de facto government in honduras said they will not back down. he was legally removed from office when he tried to extend his term. the u.s. has a military base in honduras and has supported zelaya, as has left-leaning

governments like hugh yee chavez. but his past actions at the border these past few days brought criticism. >> secretary of state hillary clinton said you're reckless. >> translator: secretary of state clinton should criticize the people who are disarmed. i'm here with the spirit of peace. >> reporter: zelaya said he will continue t rally more supporters here at the border and while there was no violence here today, yesterday when he inched across the border, there was some violence. shots were fired, tear gas was fired. and it looks like thereould be more drarnik more drama like that if he continues tousuph y?am nb ry>sc' gennm amy? >> nbc'snk t yo, dehars tnk t you. and a quick program note, the situation in honduras will be one of the topics tomorrow morning on "meet the press." secretary of state hillary clinton will be david gregory's exclusive guest. there is new tonight to protect the public from a flying threat that's proven to be very dangerous to passing planes,

birds. in boston they are testing a new bird radar system that could airport officials and mremts an advantage during the heavy bird migration months in the fall and spring. here's nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: with six runways and 14 miles of taxiway, logan airport is boston's gateway to the world. 400,000 takeoffs and landings, 25 million passengers each year. but sitting right on boston harbor, it's also a favored for feathered flights. now six months after a flock of cana geese took out both engines on a us airways jet, forcing the landing on the hudson river, boston is testing something new. >> here we have heavy bird activity. >> reporter: it's called maryland, a 3-d radar sitting between two of logan's busiest runways, scanning the skies for birds, big and small. along a flight path that tracks millions of birds each year. >> they are tracking them 360

degrees. >> reporter: from starlings to geese, the birds show up as red or green dots superimposed over a map of the run waiz. large, incoming flocks trigger an alert in the tower, where controllers can warn pilots to delay a takeoff or landing. 72% of all bird strikes occur within 500 feet of the ground. the challenge for this bird radar technology is to give air traffic controllers information they can use without distracting and overloading them. last year logan reported 61 bird/plane strikes. fortunately, no one was injured but the airport said the bird radar may be crucial to keeping track of a soaring bird population. >> it will allow us to see where the birds are in any weather condition. >> reporter: already logan has four full-time habitat managers and uses cannons to scare birds away from the runways. the hope is maryland will give employees more time to prepare for more incoming bird traffic. >> putting up fences or maybe netting. we can also do harassment.

>> reporter: all to keep the skies clear of conflict. tom costello, nbc news, boston. up next as "nightly news" continues this saturday, the great divide. when it comes to race, have there been lessons learned this week? and later, dance fever. why did one wedding video out of so many others become an overnight internet sensation? we've always been alike. we even both have osteoporosis. but we're active. especially when we vacation. so when i heard about reclast, the only once-a-year iv osteoporosis treatment, i called joni. my doctor said reclast helps restrengthen our bones to help make them resistant to fracture for twelve whole months. and reclast is approved to help protect from fracture in more places: hip, spine, even other bones. (announcer) you should never take reclast if you're on zometa, have low blood calcium, kidney problems. or you're pregnant, 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.

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maybe one of the most important... back now wit one of the lingering questions about the events of this past week. even after the first

african-american president put himself right in the middle of a controversy involving race, has anything really changed? will this be, as the president put it, a teachable moment on race relations? here's nbc's mara schiavocampo. >> reporter: it was the spark that triggered a firestorm. >> do you think it's fair that there has been this rush to judgment in the public realm? >> i don't think it's a rush to judgment. >> reporter: but for allf the debate this week, one fact is undisputed -- >> these are issues that are still very sensitive here in america. >> reporter: sensitive but not necessarily unwelcome. >> my hope is that as a consequence of this event, this ends up being what's called a teachable moment. ♪ >> reporter: tom joyner hosts one ofhe country's most popular radio shows. >> no one wants to talk about race in america. >> reporter: for him, it doesn't matter what people are saying about gates or crowley, as long as they're talking about the issue of race relations. >> thank goodness that we can

keep it on -- keep the discussion on a national level, because that's the only way to solve a problem is you have to first talk about it. >> reporter: and all around the country, they are. >> in terms of race and fairness and equality in the country, i think it's an important discussion to have. >> anything that goes on, it's discussed in a barbershop. >> the country can only learn if they're willing to learn. if they're willing to admit there's a problem and change it. >> now, if we do something about it, then that's a good thing. but right now, it's just conversation. >> reporter: a conversation had many times before, so some worry this teachable moment will pass us by. >> i just think these issues are so complicated and messy and uncomfortable that we will move on because it's just easier that way. yes, we're in the middle of the flare-up, and yes we're in the middle of talking about these

things. but unfortunately, because there's no trust as a nation, yes, we will move on to talk about something else until the next flare-up happens. >> reporter: still, others hope we'll choose the harder path. >> we need to have this conversation to keep understanding each other. >> reporter: harder but ultimately better for the nation. mara schiavocampo, nbc news, new york. when we come back, one doctor who is "making a difference" for women struggling with the financial pain of breast cancer. i still got osteoporosis. i never thought i could do more than stop my bone loss. then my doctor told me i could, with once-monthly boniva. boniva works with your body to help stop and reverse bone loss. studies show, after one year on boniva, nine out of ten women stopped and reversed their bone loss. i know i did. (announcer) don't take boniva if you have low blood calcium, severe kidney disease or can't sit or stand for at least one hour. follow dosing instructions carefully. stop taking boniva and tell your doctor if you have difficult or painful swallowing,

chest pain or severe or continuing heartburn, as these may be signs of serious upper digestive problems. if jaw problems or severe bone, joint, and/or muscle pain develop, tell your doctor. i've got this one body, and this one life, so i wanted to stop my bone loss. but i did more. i reversed it with boniva. ask your doctor if boniva can help you stop losing, and start reversing. nnouncer) for a free trial offer, call 1-800-4-boniva. now to our "making a difference" for this saturday evening. tonight a doctor in north carolina who was helping women heal from breast cancer not just physically but financially as well. here's nbc's anne thompson with her story. >> reporter: medical school prepared lisa to identify and remove cancer but it never taught her to deal with an equally frightening problem some of her breast cancer patients face -- how to pay for

treatment. >> it's much more at the front now than it ever used to be. i have more and more people who have either lost their job or their husband has lost a job and they're on cobra. they have higher deductibles, more out of pocket. >> reporter: cobra is the expensive federal health insurance program that can strain family finances before the cost of breast cancer. running more than $200,000 for surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. >> i don't want women to have to worry she can't buy food for her family so she could have chemotherapy. i'm trying not to have to have her make those choices. >> reporter: choices that only get harder. can she be insured once she's diagnosed with breast cancer? >> unlikely. >> reporter: why? >> unless she's part of a really large group. >> reporter: so the doctor started pretty in pink, a network of doctors and clinics to provide life-saving care for women with little or no health insurance and limited means. >> i guess i'm a little surprised that everyone has been so willing to help.

i mean, i thought i would meet some resistance, and i really haven't. >> reporter: she started in raleigh five years ago, with the modest goal to help ten women. today pretty in pink is in 15 north carolina counties. >> this right here is the financial assistance form. >> reporter: almost all of the women it helps work. the vast majority are mothers like becky poole, who found the cost of breast cancer treatment as debilitating as the disease itself. >> the bills started coming in and i knew that i was not going to be able to make the bills with my income and also with my husband's income, and it just -- it just started snowballing from there. >> reporter: becky's health insurance did not cover $3,500 of her double mastectomy. though becky and steve worked, there was no extra money to pay the bills, until pretty in pink said yes. that's why becky describes dr. culnich, her surgeon, as wonderful. >> she saved my life. it's because of her, the

excellent work that she did, that i'm sitting here. >> reporter: because, becky says, dr. tulnich refuses to take no for an answer. what does it give you? >> it's a tremendous reward. >> reporter: today doing more than healing the body to save a life. anne thompson, nbc news, raleigh. well, this is a big night for stargazers. the shuttle and the international space station are 220 miles above the earth and traveling together tonight across the sky. weather permitting, people in several cities will be able to see what will look like a very bright star passing overhead at about the same speed as an airplane. to see where to look for the space station and the shuttle tonight, go to our website, nightly.msnbc.com. and there was an extraordinary sight today in the ies over virginia, three bald eagles, injured when they were born earlier this year, released back into the wild this

afternoon. all three birds were rescued and treated at the wildlife center of virginia. up next -- what is it about a silly wedding video with lots of people dancing down the aisles that's capturing so much attention? (announcer) take your time to find theight time with cialis for daily use... a clinically proven, low-dose tablet for erectile dysfunction you take every day so you can be rey anytime the moment is right. tell your doctor about your medical condition and all medications and ask if you're healthy enough for sexual activity. don't take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as this may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. don't drink alcohol in excess with cialis. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long term injury seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than 4 hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision stop taking cialis and call your doctor right away. (announcer) 36-hour cialis. or cialis for daily use.

ask your doctor about cialis today, so when the moment is right, you can be ready. 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 help 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're pregnant, 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. finally tonight, the wedding video that's become a worldwide internet sensation. there are hundreds of thousands of wedding videos on youtube, but for some reason, one of them, the wedding of kevin heinz and jill peterson, has become an instant classic. nbc's mike taibbi has more on the video that's got all of the right moves. ♪ one, two, three, four >> reporter: it takes just a few seconds for anybody watching it to smile and keep smiling.

♪ one night >> reporter: a wedding party in a minneapolis church. seven brooids maids, five groomsman and four ushers dancing their way up to the aisle. with her bouquet thrust high. everyone clearly have the times of their lives and involving all two were watching to really share the moment, and they did, not just in the church, but through the latest must-city video. after kevin posted it online, as he explained friday on the "today" show. >> you put it on youtube for friends and family. >> yeah, i put it up i think on sunday because her dad had been really harassing me to kind of get it out to some of his other family members. >> and then it exploded? >> and then it exploded. >> reporter: did it ever. the "today" show appearance adding a publicity turbo thrust that made it a story that everyone raced to cover. >> see, those are pretty sweet moves. >> reporter: and overturning the

engagement on saturday's "today" show, the whole wedding party re-creating the performance they rehearsed but once. >> we did it in about an hour and a half. a lot of that people were just sort of making up as they went. people got into it and went for it. >> reporter: it's no longer a new phenomenon. to spark an internet wildfire. susan boyle with a voice of an angel. and now this wedding video that's so appealingly human as to be irresistible. >> it gets you right in the gut. i mean, you get that buzz. you get that juiced-up, jacked-up feeling of joy, and it comes through the dancing. >> reporter: in these few video moments, you can see unfettered happiness, and friendship, and the veshgs of friendship you would want there to be. on a couple's wedding day. how many eager witnesses? on youtube alone about 5 million visits and counting. mike taibbi, nbc news, new york. >> and more proof of just how popular that video has become, the song in the video is "forever" by chris brown.

it's a year old, and is suddenly number seven on itunes. i'm amy row back reporting from new york. for lester holt and for everybody here on nbc news, thank you and good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com