penn state scandal breaks his silence and says he's innocent. but at the same time, badly damages his own defense. a surprise raid, where it all began. they don't occupy wall street any more, after the nypd threw them out with force. tonight a judge has ruled on the protesters' rights. the lipitor question. the hugely popular cholesterol medication is about to go generic, affecting millions who now get to decide if cheaper is just as good. she's 83 years old, saving homes and lives. why people call her when they need help. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening. it was the moment he had chosen to break his silence. jerry sandusky, the former penn state defensive coach, at the center of these awful sexual abuse allegations, proclaimed

his innocence to bob costas on last night's broadcast of "rock center." along the way, he admitted to active in his own life that many find repugnant. his words, in his voice, were as hard to listen to as they were difficult to turn away from. and the interview became admissible evidence in a future trial. fair warning here, if you've been following this story, you know this is rough material, not fit for children which, of course, goes right to the heart of these allegations. hear now portions of what we witnessed last night. >> mr. sandusky, there's a 40-count indictment, the grand jury report contains specific detail. there are multiple accusers, multiple eyewitnesss to the aspects of the abuse. a reasonable person says, where there's this much smoke, there must be plenty of fire. what do you say? >> i say that i'm innocent of those charges.

>> innocent? completely innocent and falsely accused in every aspect? >> well, i could say that, you know, i have done some of those things. i have horsed around with kids, i have showered after workouts. i have hugged them and i have touched their leg without intent of sexual contact. but -- so if you look at it that way, there are things that wouldn't -- would be accurate. >> are you denying that you had any inappropriate sexual contact with any of these underaged boys? >> yes, i am. >> never touched their genitals? never engaged in oral sex? >> right. >> what about mike mcqueary, the grad assistant who in 2002 walked into the shower where he says in specific detail that you

were forcibly raping a boy who appeared to be 10 or 11 years old? >> i would say that's false. >> what would be his motive to lie? >> you would have to ask him that. >> are you a pedophile? >> no. >> what did happen in the shower the night that mike mcqueary happened upon you and the young boy? >> okay, we were showering and horsing around and he actually turned all the showers on and was actually sliding across the floor. and we were -- as i recall, possibly like snapping a towel, horseplay. >> you say you're not a pedophile. >> right. >> but you're a man, by his own admission, who has showered with young boys, highly inappropriate. who has continually put himself in the presence of young boys, volunteer high school coach, volunteer at a small local college, even after you were

largely disassociated from penn state, multiple reports of you getting into bed with young boys who stayed at your house in a room in the basement. how do you account for these things? and if you're not a pedophile, then what are you? >> i'm a very passionate person in terms of trying to make a difference in the lives of some young people. i worked very hard to try to connect with them, to make them feel good about themselves, to be something significant in their lives. maybe this gets misinterpreted. >> are you sexually attracted to young boys? to underaged boys? >> am i sexually attracted to underaged boys? >> yes. >> sexually attracted? you know, no. i enjoy young people. i love to be around them.

i -- but, no, i'm not sexually attracted to young boys. >> millions of americans who didn't know jerry sandusky's name until a week ago, now not only regard you as a criminal, but as some sort of monster. how do you respond to them? >> you know, people have created this perception. they've created someone that i don't believe i am. and i don't know what i can say or what i could say that would make anybody feel any different now. >> no matter how many times you hear that during the day today, you kind of feel the need to reset your own bearings as to what is normal.

bob costas with us in the studio. bob, what's the reaction been today? >> well, i don't think that jerry sandusky did himself much good last night. there's also a general reaction that, as you put it leading into this, on the one hand it's offputting. on the other hand you can't turn away. it's fascinating, it's fascinating to hear someone talk in realtime who's been accused of these sorts of things. at the same time, there's another story here, and that is, that this wasn't typical football u. it would be horrific enough if this happened at typical football u. what gives this some elements of classic tragedy, is that it's brought down or threatens to bring down a good portion of the program that for most respects stood for the right things for the better part of a century. >> and a man and others who were all a part of that? >> yes. and how much they knew and when they knew it, and what little if

anything they did to stop it is something we can speculate about, but we don't yet know the full answer to. >> solid piece of reporting, awful topic. bob costas, thanks for joining us again tonight. >> thank you. >> one of the issues jerry sandusky did not address in that interview and could not answer, because he doesn't believe he did anything wrong, why so many people stayed silent for so long about what they knew? our national correspondent michael isikoff is in state college with more on this case, and reaction to the interview. >> reporter: jerry sandusky's interview with medication's bob costas may have complicated his legal defense. >> as an attorney, my first reaction was, i was surprised that the defense counsel allowed him to be interviewed. anything he testified to publicly would be admissible. >> i think it's making worse, honestly. just because he's trying to weasel his way out of it. i think he should, you know, apologize.

more than anything, for ruining the lives of kids. >> i'm kind of confused. i don't really know what to think at this point, until more evidence comes out. >> reporter: exactly who knew what here at penn state and what they did about it is a major focus of the investigations here, but a top penn state sports faculty member said big money from the school's football program may have blinded school officials to their ethical responsibility. penn state, which has ordered its own investigation, has its reputation and big money on the line. last year the university had a $100 million athletic budget. last year the football program earned $53 million. each home game could bring in up to $5 million according to university officials. it's the third most lucrative college football program in the nation. >> the ethic of winning at all costs, sometimes overrides decency. the big time sport has lost its moral compass.

>> reporter: ironically, paterno and penn state had a reputation for being meticulous about ncaa rules. paterno even blocked an all-american player from playing in a bowl game because he wasn't meeting academic standards. now, the question here many are asking is whether fear of tarnishing the football program may have caused school officials to drop the ball. michael isikoff, nbc news, state college, pennsylvania. another story in the news all day today, here in new york, the nypd moved into lower manhattan before dawn and emptied the park of those occupy wall street protesters who have been living there for two months where it all started. here's what zuccotti park looked like before the police raid and afterward. everything, everyone out and a power washing by sanitation workers. late today a judge ruled they can go back, but not with their tents, sleeping bags and camping gear. it's a developing story here in new york tonight. nbc's mara schiavocampo covering for us.

marra, good evening. >> reporter: brian, good evening. protesters began entering the park again about an hour ago, after a tumultuous day when they were evicted from the park, their camp dismantled completely. shortly after midnight, hundreds of officers in riot gear stormed the protester's camp. those who refused to leave were forced out. >> cops came in there six at a time, pulling people -- pulling kids up by their arms, by their shoulders, by their hair. >> i think it's an outrage what they're doing. >> reporter: up to 100 were arrested. every single tent and sleeping bag hauled away. before dawn, the park was scrubbed clean. >> it was unsanitary. it broke all the rules that the park was about. >> reporter: city officials said while they support the right to protest, it's time for the occupation to end. >> the first amendment protects speech. it does not protect the use of tents and sleeping bags to take over a public space. >> reporter: new york joins a

growing list of cities cracking down this week, from oakland to portland to berkeley, just this afternoon. the protest began in new york two months ago, the anger at corporate greed and wealth and inequality gaining national traction and attention. >> i'm supporting my friends. >> reporter: now, many communities are fed up with the cost and inconvenience of around the clock protest camps. >> people were sympathetic to at least some of the goals as expressed by the early occupiers. but lately, it seems because of crime and sanitation and ideological disputes, this seems to be degenerating in a way that reminds people of the worst of the 1960s. >> reporter: in new york, protesters spent the day trying to get back into zuccotti park. not just for access to one park, but the future of their movement. protesters have been allowed back into the park, this is far from a victory for them. they can no longer camp here,

which completely changes the nature of their occupation. brian? >> mara schiavocampo, thanks. we turn overseas to syria, an important update on a situation that could be nearing a breaking point. the last 24 hours have been the worst, the bloodiest, the most violent in the eight month long uprising. with syrian troops who have defected, now fighting those who are loyal to the regime, leaving 70 dead in what observer called gruesome fighting, even given the uprising. now, president assad's neighbors, turkey, jordan, the arab league are all systematically turning against him. all of this raising questions about how long he can last at the top. a cheaper version of lipitor is just weeks away from the market. what millions of lipitor patients need to know. later "make a difference" helping families that fall on hard times in a place that usually looks like an island of

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it generated $106 billion for pfizer over the last decade. at the end of this month, pfizer's patent expires. and lower cost generic alternatives will go on the market. >> that's why i'm fighting my cholesterol with crestor. >> reporter: that will leave crestor made by astrazeneca as the only statin under patent. able to sell for 150 to 200 dollars a month, as opposed to a fraction for a generic version. the makers of crestor paid for a large experiment to try to show their drug is better. when 1,000 volunteers took one of the drugs over two years, while special ultrasounds measured the amount of plaque in their arteries. crestor reduced the cholesterol slightly more, but overall, there was no difference. >> the drugs were equally effective. they both produced reduction in plaque volume. >> reporter: showing, experts say, they both have the same effect on heart disease. the winners are the millions who take lipitor.

now there is more evidence the drug is effective, and soon it will cost less. >> there are new patients born every day. bob bazell, thanks as always. congresswoman gabrielle giffords has recorded a message to her constituents in arizona. the first time they were able to hear from her directly since she was shot back in january. she's in houston now continuing her rehab treatments, told the people back home she misses her home. >> i'm getting stronger. i'm getting better. i want to get back to work. representing arizona is my honor. >> so interesting to hear her voice, realizing the hard work that represents. the entire message lasts about a minute. we posted it on our website for you, nbcnightlynews.com. when we come back here this evening, how annie leibovitz answers the question, what kind of camera should i buy? mine was earned over the south pacific in 1943.

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if you were with us here for "rock center" last night, you saw our conversation with annie leibovitz talking about her beautiful new book on photography. in a conversation we had to shorten due to last night's braking news, and here's the part you didn't hear her saying, her surprising answer to what she tells people who want to know what kind of camera they should buy. >> it's an interesting time, because of the iphone. and the whole ability to just use -- i mean, that is the snapshot camera of today. it really -- i'm still learning how to use mine here, but -- >> there you go. >> it's great. it's a pencil, it's a pen, it's a notebook. i can't tell you how many times people show me their children. it's the wallet with the family pictures in it, it's so acceptable and easy. >> what an interesting answer

from the modern master of photography, annie leibovitz here on "rock center" with us last night. how many of the former boys of summer among us once had a franklin batting glove? irving franklin has died. at first he ran his grandfather's scrap leather and glove business. they made combat mittens for world war ii, but then he turned to sports and this revolutionary idea of a glove you would wear when at-bat. the great mike schmidt of the phillies was an early believer and told franklin to put his name on the back of the glove. and, of course, the rest is history. it became the official batting glove of major league baseball. irving franklin was 93 years old. the second court of appeals in texas has ruled that dogs are worth way more than they're actually worth. this was the case of a couple whose 8-year-old lab mix was accidentally euthanized by a dog shelter. the first court ruled they were

owed only the cash value of the dog. but the appeals court judge who must be a dog lover ruled they were owed more damages than that, because "dogs are unconditionally devoted to their owners." up next here tonight, a woman making a difference. and while she's not the mayor of her town. she might as well be. so i'm glad it's with fidelity. they offer me one-on-one guidance to help me choose my investments. not just with my savings plan here at work. they help me with all of my financial goals. looking good, irene. thanks to fidelity, i can stay on top of my financial future, huh? good one. why, thank you. whether it's saving for retirement, college, or anything else, contact a fidelity investment professional today. you spend all day cooking it. so why spend even a moment considering any broth but swanson? the broth cooks trust most to make the meal folks spend all year waiting for.

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time for our "making a difference report" tonight. this one comes from a place called new shoreham. that's the official name of a small and fwufl island off rhode island. not far from the tip of new york's long island. it's a great summer vacation destination where there's a woman you have to meet. she's 83 years old and cares for her neighbors the way people used to in this country. her story tonight from nbc's ron mott. >> reporter: signs of the approaching winter fill picturesque block island. on storefronts, down quiet streets, with the jet set gone so too are their dollars. and that's when mary donnelly's popularity surges among locals. >> they work in the hotels, the

restaurants. but then come the winter, and they have no income -- >> reporter: but they have her and her mary d. fund a nonprofit supported by small donations. >> i want to help. $25. now, see, isn't that nice? >> reporter: and a big annual fund-raiser. >> i work with my heart instead of my head, which is not always good. but i have no regrets. >> reporter: neither does john connell, a town worker who found mary when he couldn't afford his heating bill. >> with her help, i'm still here today. >> reporter: a creature of habit, she starts most days with a prayer. and visits her late husband and son. remaining hours are devoted to helping. >> okay, here we go. >> reporter: whether as a state nurse making house calls, mingling with the lunch bunch or heading her charity, founded in the '70s. the fund has helped about a third of the island's families ever since. last year she spent $50,000 on

everything from mortgage payments, medication, college tuition. even paying for financial counselling when needed. >> that's a good job. >> reporter: islanders in need usually relent, things like this ramp appear. >> it's always a problem asking for help. but i have learned to just suck it up and ask. >> reporter: ask, and you'll probably receive. >> i just hope they remember me as a good person. >> reporter: from this towering beacon of care. ron mott, nbc news, block island. >> great story to end our tuesday night broadcast on. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. and, of course, we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

[ jennifer ] here... this is my world. ♪ this place inspires me to be tougher... to stay sharper... to think faster. they may be just streets to you. but to me... they're a playground. ♪ ...loving you ♪ 'cause i'm alive, i can breathe, i can feel ♪ ♪ i believe ♪ and there ain't no doubt about it ♪ [ jerry ] attention shoppers. your groceries are the size of idaho but the interest rate on your checking is small potatoes.