on our broadcast here tonight -- sound and fury over health care reform. beyond the confrontation, we'll look at what is at stake. send in the marines -- a new u.s. offensive in afghanistan meets fierce resistance. there is an election coming. a new look at breast cancer, two new studies out. how will that they affect treatment options? back to woodstock -- 40 years later. whatever happened to these two people? where are they now? so tune in, turn on, "nightly where are they now? so tune in, turn on, "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening. it's been a long, hot summer for a lot of members of congress who

might have just thought they were coming home for a mostly relaxing month-long break. instead a lot of them have been forced to work hard and talk fast. as town meetings in their districts, designed to get in touch with their constituents, have instead become rough outings. yesterday, the president waded in a town meeting of his own. while there were no flared tempers at that particular event, the white house is hoping to temper the talk out there and get a health care reform deal done. we begin tonight with white house correspondent savannah guthrie. savannah, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. as you said, aides here are hoping the tide has turned from an angry debate about health care to just a debate about health care. in some spots today, emotions were still running high. from the cordial -- >> the thing that concerns me most as a physician -- >> reporter: to the combative -- >> your cohorts up there on capitol hill, how are you going to look at my children? >> reporter: the front lines of

the health care debate, townhalls ran the gamut today. >> what are you going to do about it? >> reporter: after the president's relatively quiet event in new hampshire yesterday. >> thank you so, i love you back. >> reporter: today the white house suggested the media was playing the most dramatic g and moments from townhalls. perhaps even let down that the president's event lacked the same drama. >> i'm sensing your disappointment that he didn't get yelled at. i doubt we are seeing a representative sample of any series of townhall meetings despite the food fight on cable every day. >> reporter: in something of a shift, democrats toned down criticism of protestors as extremists on the fringe. one democrat senator whose townhall erupted yesterday this morning on "today" praised the experience as democracy in action. >> it was terrific. i was proud of the people that showed up. and i don't take that personally. >> reporter: some white house aides think the president's measured rebuttal. >> now, come on, guys -- >> reporter: may have turned the tide. but others say until the

president gets more specific, the anger and anxiety will continue. en too general.president has he has laid out principles of health care reform, but he has not really gotten into the trenches on specific provisions. >> reporter: as for one of the most persistent criticisms that voluntary end of life counseling in one of the proposals would lead to the government making life or death decisions for the elderly, at a townhall today in iowa, influential republican senator charles grassley may have added to the controversy. >> there is some fear there is counseling for end of life -- and from that standpoint you have every right to fear. shouldn't have counseling at the end of life. you ought to have counseling 20 years before you are going to die. >> reporter: actually, senator grassley is one of the few repuicans working with the administration on health care. as for town hall the president has two more this week, one in colorado, one in montana.

brian. >> savannah guthrie at the white house to start us off tonight. thanks. a lot of the emotion we are seeing at the townhalls concerns what the administration has been calling the public option. opponents like to call it a government takeover of health care. the basic question remains -- what does the obama administration really mean by this term "public option." tonight we launch an effort aimed at making sense of it all. our report from nbc's kelly o'donnell. >> this is not health reform -- >> reporter: in the health care debate, two words evoke a strong reaction. public option. >> why will be forced into the public option -- >> reporter: heard again today at a townhall meeting in maryland. >> i would like you to address how the public option -- decreases or increases our choices in health care. t. nothing has been decided to democrats want the federal government to create a new public health insurance program to compete with private companies. >> private insurance could be here today and gone tomorrow. a public insurance option is a guaranteed program you know is always there.

>> reporter: as seniors rely on medicare the new program would provide that kind of safety net for younger americans. a point sold in tv ads by liberal group moveon.com. >> public health care plan means affordable health care. >> reporter: under a government option there would be no requirement to join. those who do would pay the health insurance premium. the poor would get a subsidy to buy the insurance. analysts say they can predict with accuracy how many people would join. >> i do think it is useful to consider the congressional budget office estimate that only about 10 million people would choose the public option. >> people most likely to select a public option would be, those with no health insurance. individuals who today buy their own private and usually expensive policies. workers at small businesses where no health plan is provided. supporters say a public option would improve services and lower costs by increasing competition among private health insurance companies. but republicans who strongly oppose the government plan claim those happy with the private

coverage they have could lose it. >> i believe the so-called government option in a very few number of years would become the only option. >> reporter: conservatives argue the government would have an unfair competitive advantage by offering coverage at a price too low for private insurers to match. driving them out of business. a view featured in a tv ad by the u.s. chamber of commerce. >> and expanded government control over your health. >> reporter: both sides have time. specifics won't be decided until fall. and any new program would not begin until 2013. kelly o'donnell, nbc news, washington. next, overseas. there is a major offensive under way tonight in afghanistan. hundreds of u.s. marines working to try to push back taliban forces ahead of the elections next week. our chief foreign correspondent richard engel is in afghanistan. he is with us tonight from kabul. richard, good evening. >> reporter: security here is tightening nationwide as u.s.

and afghan forces are doing everything they can to try and make this country safe enough to vote next week. [ gunfire ] >> reporter: this is what it takes to prepare afghanistan for elections. a marine assault this morning. 400 u.s. marines and 100 afghan soiers, backed by helicopters and fighter jets, in helmand province in southern afghanistan. the mission to drive the taliban from the town, so locals can vote here next thursday. but the taliban stood and fought. in this militant and opium-struggling stronghold. opium-smuggling stronghold. for eight hours, firing from rooftops and courtyard with mortars, heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades. for seven weeks, 10,000 u.s. marines have been trying to take back southern afghanistan, a town at a time. >> by liberating the town, we

freed the local populus from the influence of the taliban. but nearly half of afghanistan remains at high risk of a taliban attack. >> the taliban is fighting for two things they very much need -- access to the public and control of the public. and access to the drug industry where they get a significant part of their funding. and in the east and south. we're challenging both of those things. >> reporter: the afghan government stepped up its training of roughly 200,000 soldiers and police. here in kabul, afghan security are setting up extra check points and removing street vendors from busy intersections. the taliban have promised to disrupt next week's election and distributed leaflets threatening to slit the throats of any one who votes. despite the threats, walls, shops in kabul are plastered for campaign posters for men and women. two women are among the more than 35 presidential candidates. and every day the leading candidate, president hamid karzai, and former foreign

minister, abbul la-abdullah hold rallies. but two of abdullah's campaign workers have been killed as afghanistan braces for a volatile election. on election day, afghan forces will be responsible for security. u.s. troops won't be allowed anywhere near the 7,000 polling stations. it is designed, brian, to give the elections more credibility. but also a major challenge for the afghan government. chief foreign correspondent richard engel reporting for us from kabul tonight. richard, thanks as always. another off-the-cuff comment from secretary of state clinton making news in nigeria. the fifth of seven nations on her ambitious 11-day african tour. speaking at a townhall meeting about the difficulties of building a democracy, she compared nigeria's problems to the election this country went through with bush/gore in 2000. now our democracy is still evolving. you know, we had all kinds of

problems in some of our past elections as you might remember. in 2000, our presidential election came done to one state where the brother of the man running for president was the governor of the state. so, we have our problems too. >> secretary clinton in nigeria. a big day at the white house today. more than one public event designed to celebrate extraordinary achievement. starting this morning, when president obama hosted a reception designed to formally welcome justice sonia sotomayor to the u.s. supreme court. she got a standing ovation when she said, quote, it is our nation's faith and a more perfect union that allows a puerto rican girl from the bronx to stand here now. sotomayor becomes the 111th justice in u.s. history and just the third woman to sit on the court. the woman who was first, retired justice sandra day o'connor one of 16 people w received the mel of freedom at the white house. later in the afternoon it is the nation's highest civilian honor. the celebrated actor sydney poitier was also honored today.

[ applause ] among other honorees, dr. living medicine crow, the last living war chief, senator ted kennedy, fighting brain cancer, was also honored to day. his oldest child, kara, accepted the award on his behalf. still ahead as our broadcast continues along the way on a wednesday night, in medical news this evening, turns out some well-meaning advice that has been given to women for generations may be wrong. and later, they were the couple in the iconic photograph from woodstock. it has been 40 years now. so where are they now? ♪ > and later, they were the couple in the iconic photograph from woodstock.it has been 40 y. so where are they now? ♪ hearts happy... ...and big hearts happy too. because as part of a heart healthy diet... ...those delicious oats in cheerios can help naturally lower cholesterol. (cheerios spilling)

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we mentioned earlier, there are two pieces of news tonight about breast cancer. including one suggestion that women may have been given bad advice about exercise for many years now. we asked our chief science correspondent robert bazell to join us here tonight. bob, this has to do with weight lifting? >> it does indeed. it shows the wisdom of questioning medical dogma from time to time. as far too many of our viewers know, aftebreast cancer surgery doctors remove lymph nodes to see if the cancer has spread. some times that leads to a side effect, where the arm swells. for decades, doctors have told women with the condition not to lift weights because it makes the situation worse. so now a canadian study finds out not only does it not make it worse it makes the swelling go

down. the other study out today also had to do with lymph nodes, crucial term and crucial part of the body where breast cancer is concerned. >> indeed. the important point here is i talk to many specialists who long time about whether if or e. there is a few cancer cells in the lymph nodes it changes the outcome. it makes it a little more dangerous but not enough to to affect that crucial decision of whether a woman gets chemotherapy and/or hormones to reduce risk of recurrence. with stories like this and all matters medical, always best to consult for personal physician. >> of course. >> robert bazell. thank you for being with us tonight. ntinue. ahead, tonight, as we are there real reasons to think the economy may be leveling off. and a replay to show you. in case you missed the show last night. and a replay to show you. in case you missed the show last night. complicated? shipping. shipping's complicated. not really. th priority mail flat rate boxes from

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news news on the economy tonight. amidst record deficits, the federal reserve offered what is these days considered an upbeat assessment. after a two-day meeting the fed said the u.s. economy appears to be leveling out. and the extremely low interest rates will remain where they are for now we're told. wall street liked the assessment. dow up 120. nasdaq and s & p up. huge victory to report for the u.s. the world trade organization has ruled that china has been violating free trade rules by limiting imports of books and movies including dvds. this has been one of the biggest trade issues between china and the west. the chinese government has yet to comment on this decision. it was a mistake, but for a time today, you could buy a

samsung 52-inch high definition flat screen tv at best buy for $10. it was an error on the store website this morning. just $9.99 for a great tv. and a few sharp-eyed shoppers pounced. best buy says it will not honor the price in the end. the tv usually sells for $1,700. at the new low, low price as you can imagine they quickly sold out this morning. if you were one of us out there watching last night, then you know, it was the greatest show on earth. the perseid meteor shower at its height last night. if you found a dark cloudless spot it didn't take more than about a minute to see at least something go by. a few small ones, maybe if you were lucky. a substantial meteor. it continues tonight. but to a lesser degree. when we come back -- 40 years after woodstock. who are the people behind the festival's most famous single image? ♪ (announcer) there are engines...

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this is one reason his neighbors are upset. he leased his farm to a rock festival. this is another. more than 350,000 people, mostly young people, showed up to hear e greatest rock groups in the country. the promoters billed it as three days of peace and music. and for most people it was just that. correspondent lem tucker from nbc news. the day afr woodstock. brings us to our final story tonight. if you drive from this city north, along a series of rural roads, through farm country, in upstate new york, you would drive right by it if you didn't see the marker. and you would likely never realize you were driving past the site of a gathering that changed a generati of americans. woodstock started 40 years ago n memories or not. have their those who weren't there have seen the images. one in particular telling the story of the time in the upwards of 500,000 people who came

together.