however, there's been confusion. experts consider the degree of certainty that the 7 billionth baby is about to enter on the broadcast tonight, powerless. over 2 million people are in the cold and dark tonight after a wild october snow storm that canceled halloween in a number of places, and the stories now emerging of the people stranded. facing questions about sexual harassment. tonight, how herman cain is responding in the midst of a media storm. boom times. if you're out of work and willing to move, tonight we'll show you the town where they're hiring and the rush is on to get there. making a difference. nascar driver jeff gordon saw our story about a young driver racing to fight cancer, and you're going to see what happened next. "nightly news" begins now. >> from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams.

good evening. why it happened we'll leave to the experts but it happened. tonight because of a freak storm, over 2 million americans have no power. there are towns without gasoline or food stores. halloween has been canceled in a number of communities because streets are dark, trees and wires are down. the storm affected upwards of 60 million americans in all. it tracked across the entire country, and when it arrived out east it dumped snow on a lot of places where they hadn't yet raked leaves this year. those heavy trees were no match for heavy snow and look at some of these totals. 20 inches in hartford, connecticut. 30 in plainfield, mass. more than that in new hampshire. and it's where we begin tonight. nbc's ron allen is in hartford for us. ron, good evening. >> reporter: good evening to you, brian. this is still the scene in so many places across new england. look at all these trees and power lines still down. all these homes in the dark

again tonight. in fact, across the state of connecticut, more than half the residents still do not have power. it's been three days, and it may be more than a week. work crews made some progress today but the damage across the northeast is overwhelming. destruction caused by that disastrous mix of heavy, wet snow falling on trees with fall foliage that pulled down power lines. >> the number of crews -- i think i'm right about this -- is unprecedented. >> reporter: this record-breaking nor'easter roared up the east coast this weekend dumping as much as 31 inches of snow in northern new england. over 1,000 trees were lost in new york's central park. and it was deadly as well. with at least 11 people killed. and some narrow escapes. >> if i would stay in the car two more seconds, i would be dead today. >> reporter: many worry if this bizarre halloween storm is just a preview of what's to come. the weather channel's mike seidel. >> no single weather event no

matter how extraordinary it is such as this storm was has any bearing on what's ahead weather-wise. >> this is the craziest thing ever. >> reporter: meanwhile, everyone tries to improvise. >> we've done our water on the fireplace. we're having breakfast on the grill. >> reporter: what followed for many was a day of headaches and inconvenience. the best way to find a gas station open is to follow the traffic. >> we saw the lines. we said, we need gas, so here we are. >> actually, i noticed this is the only place with power. >> the refrigerator's out so i'm throwing just about everything away. >> reporter: many here like lou, clearing away the debris, feel all of this was just inevitable. >> we just had irene a couple of months ago. i came out of that great. so it was my turn. >> reporter: and that doesn't make it any easier for him, though. here's another way of looking at things. during the height of the storm some 3 million people were without power across the northeast. hurricane katrina caused the same number of outages when it hit. that's the magnitude of what happened here. brian?

>> don't forget we're going to spend all that money, put the wires back up next to those trees one more time. ron allen in hartford starting us off, thanks. at the height of this storm it happened again. even though it wasn't supposed to happen again. another planeload full of passengers stranded, this time for seven hours in hartford on a jet blue flight. that has to rank right up there with the worst of all-time. the story tonight from nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: in a pitch-black plane with babies crying, no food, no water, no working toilets. a jet blue pilot pleaded with the tower. >> i have a paraplegic on board that needs to come off. i have a diabetic on here that's got an issue. >> reporter: for seven hours they waited, tempers boiling over. >> i've got a problem on the airplane, i need to have the cops on board. >> reporter: when the police arrived, applause. >> when power went out it was very, very dark and quite scary. kids screaming, people yelling and screaming, panic attacks.

>> reporter: in all, at least three jet blue flights diverted from new york were stranded for hours at hartford. a diverted american airlines flight from paris sat for hours because there were no customs officers on duty at hartford. but this isn't supposed to happen. the new tarmac delay rule requires airlines to provide food, water and access to working toilets after a two-hour delay. and allow passengers off the plane after three hours. airlines that violate that rule face a fine of up to $27,500 per passenger. since the rule took effect the government says extended delays have been virtually eliminated. meanwhile, jet blue is facing millions of potential fines and refunding saturday's tickets and the government says it's investigating other potential strandings at other airports. >> we actually believe the airports have more responsibility in this particular event. >> reporter: but bradley airport says it accepted 23 diverted flights and our resources were stretched to the limit. now the questions.

why did the airlines ever fly into a snow storm, and why weren't they or the airports better prepared? tom costello, nbc news, washington. now we turn to presidential politics and two gop candidates who got a lot of attention they did not want today. first, herman cain. the current front-runner forced to answer allegations of sexual harassment first reported by the website politico. tonight, nbc news has confirmed that two women accuse cain of inappropriate sexual conduct while he was ceo of the national restaurant association. and that at least one of them received a financial settlement. as nbc's lisa myers reports, cain is now in full damage control mode and calling this a witch hunt. >> i told you the bull's-eye on my back has gotten bigger. >> reporter: today cain acknowledged there were allegations of sexual harassment. allegations he says were false. >> in all of my over 40 years of

business experience, running businesses and corporations, i have never sexually harassed anyone. i was accused of sexual harassment. it was concluded after a thorough investigation that it had no basis. >> reporter: the emphatic denial came after 24 hours of evolving responses. yesterday -- >> i'm not going -- i'm not going -- i'm not going to comment on that. >> reporter: this morning. >> was there ever innuendo at the restaurant association -- >> no. >> any unwanted sexual advances? >> reporter: cain is married and has two grown children. two sources involved with the restaurant group at the time cain was ceo in the late '90s tell nbc the two women alleged he made unwanted advances or sexually suggested comments. nbc news is not disclosing the names of the women. these sources say at least one woman received a financial

settlement before leaving the organization. cain's denials today were carefully worded. each time denying sexual harassment. often used as a specific legal term that has to do with creating a hostile work environment. >> never have i committed any sort of sexual harassment. >> two anonymous sources claiming sexual harassment. >> reporter: he also did not deny there had been any settlements. >> as far as a settlement, i am unaware of any sort of settlement. i hope it wasn't for much because i didn't do anything. >> reporter: a few hours later, cain changed his story, telling fox there was some sort of settlement but it was small. the national restaurant association isn't talking, calling it a personnel matter that allegedly took place 15 years ago. the group also declined to confirm or deny cain's claim that an investigation found no basis for the allegations. brian?

>> lisa myers in our d.c. news room tonight, lisa, thanks. and then there's rick perry. polls show him running behind herman cain and mitt romney in some crucial states. but it's a speech he gave friday night in new hampshire that's getting a lot of attention. people who saw it wondering if something was up with him, or if he's decided to go off-script to try to gain traction. kelly o'donnell covering for us tonight. kelly, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. this is a political moment gone viral. clips from governor perry's speech are getting noticed because the governor appeared very loose, animated, in ways we don't often see. so here's a glimpse of that. >> and this is such a cool state. i mean, come on. live free or die? i mean, you know? you got to love that, right? gold is good. if you've got any in the backyard. because, you know. if they print any more money over there in washington, the gold's going to be good. that, 20% flat tax, put it on there, take your deductions off, send it in.

>> reporter: i spoke to senior perry aides to get their take and they said the governor was just being relaxed, engaging, having fun with an audience of about 400 conservatives. perry's camp also claims that condensed clips have been "manipulated by left-wing organizations." and brian, this may be one of those instances where the candidate plays to the crowd inside the room. this happened about 9:00 at night. but later when the tape is seen far and wide it can come off very differently. brian? >> kelly o'donnell on the story that ricocheted on the web all the way back to washington, kelly, thanks. now to a story almost unheard of in this economy, a place where they're in the middle of a boom and where they are hiring. in the middle of such grim unemployment numbers nationwide, we've actually found one place where they can't fill positions fast enough. and people are going there from all over, including our own harry smith. in a story debuting tonight on "rock center," tonight he gives us just a glimpse of williston,

north dakota, where the jobs are. >> reporter: it's a town perhaps unlike any other in america today. everywhere you look, companies are hiring. >> the big issue these days is job creation. we have jobs. we're just a small community. we have 2,000 to 3,000 job openings here and more come on the scene every day. >> reporter: in williston, north dakota, help wanted doesn't even begin to describe it. $15 an hour for fast food workers. $80,000 a year or more if you can turn a wrench or drive a truck. the reason? oil. new technologies are bringing billions of barrels to the surface. and with the oil come jobs of all kinds. grace and miles krugman moved from colorado. after grace, an unemployed teacher for more than a year, found work with the williston schools. >> what was the feeling when they called up and said, yes, we have a job for you? >> i was so excited. it was like -- i don't know how to explain it. i felt like, maybe i am worth something again.

>> reporter: her husband miles, a licensed electrician, was offered more than one job. >> i called four companies. i received four offers inside of two hours. >> it's utopia up here. >> reporter: real estate developer terry metzger says new home construction, already booming, is up another 67% this year. >> everybody wants to make their money but it's not just about the money. they just feel so good to be working again. >> reporter: the krugmans see a fresh start and a long-term future here. they're buying a new home and hope to move in by christmas. do you guys feel like pioneers a little bit? >> little bit. we're definitely in on the very beginning of this. >> reporter: and all of this is because there is so much oil under the ground there in north dakota and montana, brian, they think there's at least 24 billion barrels of oil under ground. >> it's an incredible story and we'll see more on this tonight. folks who know someone

chronically unemployed, this really is the place to go. as we may mention again later on, it's just one of the stories on the premiere of "rock center" tonight, 10/9 central on this nbc station. harry will be here with us. up next as we continue, who would pass up a high-paying promotion in this day and age? well, we'll tell you about the choices some women are making and why. and later, the "making a difference" report we aired right here about a boy starting his racing career to help families with cancer. tonight, the big-time driver who saw our story and decided to help. and having enough income when you retire. that's why i'm here. to help come up with a plan and get you on the right path. i have more than a thousand fidelity experts working with me so that i can work one-on-one with you. it's your green line. but i'll be there, every step of the way. call or come in for a free portfolio review today.

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we are back now with some surprising findings from a national survey of college-educated professional women, many of whom say they are now less ambitious at work than they were a decade ago. they don't speak for all women and it's not that they don't

want to work hard, it's that they want the flexibility to do things outside of work, and some women are willing to give up a bigger title and more money for more time. interesting story as we learn tonight from nbc's chris jansen. >> reporter: at 38 leah was a driven top executive at a pr firm. 24/7 she was working, or thinking about it. then, just a year into getting that six-figure, high-profile job, she walked away. >> i just at that point didn't know any more what i was striving for. >> reporter: and she's not alone. in a survey by "more" magazine, 43% of professional women say they're less ambitious than they were ten years ago. 25% are always looking for the next promotion. 73% say if their boss left, they wouldn't want the job. >> i think it's a little worrisome for all the things that women can contribute and all the great things that women can do for the world. >> reporter: what happened? a very small percentage said it

was family concerns holding them back. most just didn't want the pressure, the responsibility. they wanted to have a life. when trecie was offered her dream job, but an 80-hour week, she said no. >> i don't want to be that person who regrets not having enough time to do the things i really love. >> reporter: it's the exact opposite of women in emerging economies who are now far more likely to consider themselves very ambitious than americans. maybe they haven't discovered what american women have. there's a high price to pay for success. >> i think we need to rethink exactly how we go about doing all of this. and how we, you know -- how we keep women in there so that they're completely involved and they do feel that their ambition is worth it. >> reporter: leah has no regrets. she's adopted a dog. goes to the gym while it's still light out. and is freelancing. trecie has time for herself and her girls. >> i'm looking at my kids and i

know they're going to struggle with this in the future. and i want them to know that there is a time for everything. >> reporter: a message from the generation that broke through the glass ceiling to their daughters. maybe having it all isn't all it's cracked up to be. chris jansing, nbc news, brooklyn. up next here tonight, steve jobs' final words. and his sister's moving eulogy. accept it. you can't change the way banking works. just accept it, man. free ? doesn't close at five ? try nature. it's a bank. what do you want, a hug ? just accept it. hidden fees, fine print, or they'll stick it to you some other way. stay with the herd, son. accept it. just accept it. accept it. just accept it. accept it. if we miss this movie, you're dead. if you're stuck accepting banking nonsense, you need an ally. ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense.

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the people who count people tell us it happened today somewhere in the world. the 7 billionth person was born. so the competition was on. at around the stroke of midnight to be named that person. we don't know how they choose but the united nations says this is the little girl. danica may comacho. born two minutes before midnight in the philippines, being

recognized at least symbolically as the 7 billionth person on planet earth. a very personal piece of writing is deservedly getting a lot of attention tonight. it's the eulogy that steve jobs' sister, the writer mona simpson, delivered at her brother's memorial service earlier this month. it's published in "the new york times" from over this weekend. in it simpson reveals her brother's final words on his deathbed right before the end came. he said, "oh, wow." he said it three times in a row. we've put all of this on our website for you tonight. nbcnightlynews.com. tony la russa did it right. in an era when almost nobody chooses to go out on top and way too many people choose to stay out too long until it gets ugly. days after winning the world series with the cardinals, he called a news conference this morning and announced his retirement. after 33 years in baseball he's third on the list of all-time winningest managers. he's a consensus hall of famer. as one sports writer put it

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finally here tonight a follow-up to a story we first told you about on this broadcast last monday night. we heard from a lot of you who were inspired by a remarkable boy who's racing, as in really racing, to raise money for kids with cancer. turns out one of his heroes was also watching, saw our story, and now the two of them have joined forces. our "making a difference" follow-up report tonight from nbc's anne thompson. >> reporter: as fast as he can, 7-year-old mini tyrell runs to his vision of heaven. the nascar pit at the martinville, virginia, speedway. and an invitation to meet jeff gordon. >> you must be mini. >> yes. >> reporter: all because of mini's mission. racing go carts to raise money for children with cancer. >> what you did was the most incredible thing i've ever heard of. >> thank you very much. >> reporter: gordon was touched by mini's story last week on "nightly news." >> when the going gets tough, the tough get going, all the way around the track at break-neck

speeds. >> reporter: about how mini wanted to help his friend ella. >> it's a bad cancer that i want to take away. just throw it in the trash can. >> reporter: gordon has raised millions of dollars for children with cancer. but thought he could learn from mini. >> i have a 4-year-old daughter and a 1-year-old son. and the things and values that i want to instill in them is to be like mini. >> reporter: to inspire mini, gordon matched the $7,000 mini raised. >> who's your favorite nascar driver? you don't have to say me because i'm standing here. >> i like danny hamlin. of course i like you. >> reporter: they traded racing souvenirs. >> burn rubber to help another. >> yeah, that's mine. and you put it on the facebook page right there. >> i tuned into your facebook page. >> reporter: mini fits right in. >> all i can say is you look fast. >> thank you. >> reporter: at home, in gordon's car.

>> you're going to have to get a little taller but that's all right. >> reporter: the two drivers shared what each already knows, that while winning is great the real victory comes in giving. do you feel like you and jeff gordon are sort of friends? how would you describe it? >> yes, i think we're best friends now. >> reporter: inspiring each other to do their best in the race of life. >> i think you're pretty cool, mini, thank you. >> reporter: anne thompson, nbc news, martinsville, virginia. >> how about that. for all those wishing to join the effort we've put more information on our website. nbcnightlynews.com. that's our broadcast for this monday night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. as always we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. as you might have heard, we'll see you from this very room later tonight. 10:00 p.m., 9:00 central. the debut of "rock center." we're anxious to share our stories with you. we'll be joined by a special guest in here tonight all coming up later this anning. so for us, for all of us here in

studio 3b in new york, good night for you.