on the broadcast tonight, new fallout from the secret service scandal. agents are ousted. it could be just the beginning. the mystery. when this little boy disappeared, it changed everything in the country. tonight, a new search is under way based on a tip in this infamous cold case. fight of her life. one of the greatest of all time makes a heart wrenching decision, marking the end of an incredible era. and sea of life. could a key to beating cancer be hiding just beneath the surface? "nightly news" begins now. good evening. it is a scandal big enough and troubling enough to have at

least temporarily tarnished the good name of the united states secret service. the men and women who have protected our presidents dating back to the civil war era. while their work goes on quietly, the way it always has while secret service agents are on the job around the world and at the president's side at this very moment, this scandal involving prostitutes in a foreign country and a security team that was there to clear the way for the visiting american president has already claimed victims and it's still early yet. we learn still more details today. we begin again tonight with white house correspondent crystal welker who covered the president's trip to colombia. kristen, good evening. >> we learned three secret service personnel are ousted, and sources on capitol hill tell us they're expecting more departures, possibly by the end of the week. as the inquiry widens in cartagena, nbc news has learned that investigators have finished

interviewing the housekeeper and staff at hotel caribe where 20 secret service and military personnel allegedly partied with prostitutes. representative peter king is being briefed regularly on the investigation. >> right now, they're trying to locate the 11 women. they have the names, the faces, addresses. >> mark potter is in cartagena. >> not only are investigators looking for the women involved, but so are journalists. we interviewed a cab driver who said he was called to the hotel caribe last week to pick up two women. he said one of the women told him she had sex th a man who said he was a member of president obama's security detail. >> the "new york times" said it interviewed that woman. nbc news has not independently confirmed the account, but in the story, the woman claimed she spent the night with a man she later learned was an agent, after agreeing to an $800 escort fee, she said the next morning,

he offered her only $30. on the hill, lawmakers continues to express outrage. >> it's a stunning thing, actually disgusting. >> they go to colombia and have a fight with a prostitute over how much she should be paid, that's either very stupid or total lack of common sense. >> senator jeff sessions questioned the president's management ability. >> the president needs to acert discipline, management directions throughout the executive branch, and presidents are to be held responsible. >> that sounds very much like a lawmaker attempts to politicize something that is not at all political. >> the white house press secretary was again bombarded with questions about the scandal today but continued to stand by the agency's director, mark sullivan. now, jay carney reiterated that the president has complete faith in the director. it's worth noting that sullivan was appointed by george w. bush in 2006 and he's earned some of the agency's highest awards, but this moment, undoubtedly, one of

his greatest challenges. >> kristen welker again tonight from the white house lawn. kristen, thank you. now to the case of a missing child that really changed everything when it bufrs into the news. his name was etan patz. he was 6 years old when he disappeared in 1979. he vanished on his way to school in new york city. as one writer said today, quote, it made a generation of parents afraid to send their children out alone. and suddenly today, we got word fbi agents were digging around in a new york city building. nbc's ron allen is in lower manhattan tonight with details on this. ron, good evening. >> good evening to you, brian. it's been a remarkable scene down here, almost as if the crime just happened. dozens of fbi investigators and new york police investigatorses a well right here on the street where etan vanished so long ago. teams of forensic experts converged on a basement in new

york's soho district, a place 30 years ago was a workshop and storage area. continuing a search, reviving a mystery that consumed new york city and a nation, looking for any sign of etan patz. >> he disappeared in 1979. at this point, we're still optimistic, we can bring closure to the investigation. >> etan was 6 when he left home one morning alone, on a two-block walk to catch a school bus. his parents, stanley and julie patz have been searching for their son ever since. >> it just overwhelms you and you think you're going to fall to pieces. >> that question, that big unknown, will be ever see him again, constantly troubles me. i doubt a day goes by when i don't ask myself the question of what happened to my son? >> the search went worldwide. he was among the first missing children to be featured on a milk carton. president reagan declared the day he disappeared, may 25th, national missing childrens day.

>> it gives me chills because i remember that date so clearly. >> judy's daughter was 7 then and caught the bus with etan in this big city neighborhood with a small town feel. >> everybody in the neighborhood with kids after that day, no more walking to the bus stop alone. that was it. >> two years ago, manhattan's newly elected district attorney revisited the case. a search dog recently detected a human scent in the building being searched today. police sources also say a local handyman recently had been questioned in the case, while people here hope there's finally some resolution for a family that still lives in the neighborhood. >> to be taken and grabbed and not know what happened is painful and my heart goes out to them. >> investigators say they're ripping out sheetrock walls that were not there when the crime happened so long ago. they're also digging up a cement floor and going to do excavation work. that's an operation that could take several days. there's no word on other aspects of the investigation. etan would have been 40 this

coming october. >> hard to believe. ron allen on one of the enduring mysteries in new york city inresisant times. >> what happened in the skies over the gulf of mexico today reminds a lot of people when the jet carrying the golfer payne stewart crashed after those onboard lost consciousness when the plane's cabin lost pressure. today, it was a twin engine cessna believed to have just the pilot onboard. look at the pattern it flew, around and around in circles before running out of fuel and crashing into the water. the pilot never responded to attempts to raise him by radio. there was another scare today involving a delta wide body flight from new york to l.a. it suffers an engine strike after takeoff. thankfully, it was able to circle back, return to jfk without incident. the big health news story tonight is this. sadly, there is new evidence we can't afford to think of measles as a vanquished disease, that we don't have to worry about it

anymore. in fact, the cdc said today last year was the worst year for measles outbreaks in the last 15 years in our country. our chief medical editor, dr. nancy snyderman, is with us tonight from london, heathrow airport. nancy, good evening. >> good evening, brian. tomorrow, the runway behind me will come alive as 195,000 people board planes and leave heathrow. many of them carrying the threat of measles. just over a decade ago, u.s. health officials believed measles would be eradicated. but today's report by the centers for disease control was sobering. not only are measles infections back in the country, but the numbers are growing. >> they're being reported as well as the threat of there many outbreaks of people who are not vaccinated is still a real and present danger. >> the cdc report shows that in 2001 to 2010, an average of 60 measles cases and four outbreaks were reported. last year that number jumped to

222 cases and 17 outbreaks. measles is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by a virus. the symptoms include fever, runny nose, cough, and a rash all over the body. the main culprit for the uptick, global travel. as the world gets smaller, the threat of contagion gets much larger. more than 90% of americans who caught the virus last year were infected by people who traveled from other countries. almost half from europe. 75% of those infected had not been vaccinated. experts say the growing number of parents reluctant to immunize their children are in fact putting them in harm's way. >> the notion that vaccines have some theoretical risk should not dissuade parents from having their healthy kids immunized. >> an outbreak at the super bowl took experts by surprise. 13 new cases have appeared in the city in the last month, all traced back to the game. with the olympic games coming to

london this summer and the thousands of people converging on the city, officials expect to have quite a challenge on their hands. and it doesn't have to be that way. children need to be immunized, and adults, too, need boosters later in life. important to remember, unless you're absolutely sure you had measles as a child, play it safe and get your shot. brian. >> nancy snyderman in london for us. nancy, thank you. now we turn to domestic presidential politics. our first nbc news/wall street journal poll since mitt romney became the presumptive republican nominee. our political director and chief white house correspondent chuck todd with us from our d.c. ne newsroom with new numbers. good evenening, chuck. >> the starting gun of the general election truly went off in the last two weeks and it's clear from the results of the new poll, although the president is ahead, mitt romney is in a strong position to make this a very close election. thanks to large leads among women, hispanics, and even independents, the president

begins with a 49/43 advantage over presumptive republican nominee mitt romney, but it's a six-point margin that is by no means insurmountable. the good news for obama is how his standing today compares with other incumbent president seeking re-election. this 49/46 job rating is almost identical to where george bush was at this point in 2004. it's a tad lower than bill clinton in 1996, but it's much better than the last president to lose re-election, george h.w. bush in 1992. the president also benefits from being viewed as more likable than romney and as the candidate more in touch with the middle class. this likability gap is something romney is so aware of, he's mentioning it in speeches. >> even if you like barack obama, we can't afford barack obama. it's time to get something to get the economy going and put people back to work with good jobs and rising incomes. >> there's a reason romney wants to focus on obama's policies and not his personality.

by a 40/34 margin, he's viewed to have good ideas on how to improve the economy and also more likely to change business at usual in washington. the big debate is going to be on economic philosophy. we tested without attribution the arments both candidates have been making. >> i have said it before and i'll say it again, there has to be some balance. all of us have to do our fair share. >> 76% said they would be more likely to vote for a candidate advocating that. >> i want to restore to america the values of economic freedom and opportunity and small government that have made this nation the leader it is. >> 64% said that message would make them more likely to support that candidate. >> all right, well, as obama and romney duke it out, both will have spouses to lean on who are more popular than they are. michelle obama was the most popular person we tested in the poll and ann romney was a close second. she's not as well known as the

first lady, but she's viewed very positively in her debut in the poll. >> and we're off. chuck todd from the d.c. newsroom with our numbers. thanks. still ahead as we continue along the way tonight, a huge landmark in the world of sports, reacting tonight to one woman's choice to focus on the fight of her life ahead of her. and later, from breast cancer to alzheimer's, parkinson's to lupus, are there effective medical treatments hiding just beneath the surface? hiding just beneath the surface? ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 let's talk about market volatility. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 in times like these, it can be tough to know which ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 way the wind is blowing. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 at charles schwab, we're ready with objective insights about ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 the present market and economic conditions. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 and can help turn those insights into ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 a plan of action that's right for you. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 so don't let the current situation take you off course. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 talk to chuck. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 whose non-stop day starts with back pain...

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legendary college basketball coach pat summitt formerly turned her whistle over to her longtime assistant today. as we told you last night, summitt is stepping aside as the head coach of the lady vols of tennessee after an unparalleled career.

and today, the white house said summitt will be honored with the presidential medal of freedom. the nation's highest civilian honor for her inspiring work as a coach and an advocate for a cure for alzheimer's. our report tonight from nbc's lisa myers. >> it's never a good time, but you have to find the time that you think is the right time and that is now. >> with humor and grace, the winningest coach in college basketball, women's or men's, stepped aside after 38 spectacular years. >> it was really a great ride for me. it has been a pr an impact on the lives of 161 women who have worn the orange. and turned hard work, a ferocious competitiveness, and that trademark stare into eight national championships and 1,098 career victories. >> the way she coached the team,

the way she conducts herself, the way she did things, i think it transcends that gender. >> someone larger than just women's basketball or sport. she's known for integrity, compassion, doing the right thing. every player with her for four years graduated with a college degree. ashley robinson is now playing professional basketball. >> the motherly side, the lady that gives you advice on men, on the pros, on just life in general, that's pat summitt to me. >> last august, at age 59, summitt revealed her latest opponent. >> the doctors at the mayo clinic diagnosed me with an early onset dementia. alzheimer's type. >> some urged her to retire and disappear from public view to preserve her image as the disease progresses, but she was on the bench all season coaching and vows to stay active as coach emeritus and with her foundation to fight alzheimer's.

>> i made a choice early in my career to challenge myself, to step up my game each and every day. >> what makes her distinctive is her lack of fear. post people are afraid of alzheimer's disease, afraid of what people might say about them because of it. she's not afraid of any of those things. >> even today, her focus was on others. >> you know what, it was a good day. it was a good day. i assured the players that i would be here, and i'd go with them and, you know, stay with them. >> she gave her whistle to tennessee's new coach. and later went to practice. once again, leading by example. >> hopefully we can, you know, have a good fight. and that's exactly what i want to do. >> lisa myers, nbc news, washington. and we're back in a moment with the loss today of an american music legend. ♪ take a load off annie

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♪ ♪ the night they drove old dixie down ♪ levon helm has died. he played in a band called "the band." most lly drums, but a bit of everything, and he made rollen stone's top 100 vocalists of all time. with songs like "the wait," "up on cripple creek," and "the night they drove old dixie down." the proud son of turkey scratch, arkansas. he was good at a lot of things including acting. he played ridley, the sidekick and narrator in the "right stuff" who always seems to have a stick of chewing gum for his partner. and he also did a stibt at loretta lynn's father in "coal miner's daughter." he bravely battled throat cancer and toured to the very end. levon helm was 71 years old.

stanley resor died. he was secretary of the army for six years at the height of the vietnam war. appointed by president lyndon johnson. after graduating from yale, he joined the army. in world war ii, he saw heavy combat in the battle of the bulge, earning him a purple art and bronze and silver stars. in later years, he was an arms reduction negotiator and u.s. ambassador. stan resor was 94. >> and quite a visual moment yesterday in dearborn, michigan, at the henry ford museum. president obama sat in the same city bus from montgomery, alabama, where rosa parks refused to give up her seat. the president was there for a fund-raiser. after that moment, he spoke of parks' courage and tenacity. when we come back, how saving some of the most beautiful sights on earth may hold the key to saving human lives. earth may hold the key to saving human lives. for my type 2 diabetes. me... thinking my only option was the vial and syringe dad used.

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you know, working, working, working, working, working, working. and now you're talking about, well you know, i won't be, and i get the chance to spend more time with my wife and my kids. it's my world. that's my world. ♪ we have a report tonight on our planet as we mark earth week at nbc universal with an example of how connected we are to the environment. effective cancer treatments are being discovered. more than that, their building blocks come from the ocean, which is just one more reason to protect it.

our chief environmental affairs correspondent anne thompson has our report tonight from key west, florida. >> the kaleidoscope of light in the coral reef under the turquoise water of the florida keys is a magnet for tourists. does all of this actually help you preserve the reef? >> i think ultimately it does. people become advocates for the reefs they had experiences with. >> with corals already under siege from pollution and climate change, stephanie things maybe the best way to help the reefs is from what they can't see. the benefits they provide may help people, too. >> what we're doing is taking advantage of the chemistry and turning the chemicals into drugs to save lives. >> scientists thing the reefs could yield new therapies for alzheimer's disease, parkinson's and lupus. all because of the success they've already had developing drugs for cancer. this woman beat leukemia with hem from a chemotherapy drug

originally derived from a sea sponge. without it, she said she could have died at age 26. did you ever imagine what could make you better would come from the sea? >> not at all. i spent most of my life swiving in the ocean, but i didn't assume it would have anything to do with my cancer. >> without the reef and doing that conservation, we have no starting point. >> dr. edwards developed new drugs at esan, a lab that developments halavan, a drug that was recently approved for cancer. it was produced from a sea sponge. >> in order to make this drug by synthesis, we would require over 60 steps. the typical drug is about ten steps or less. >> scientists need just a small sample from the reef to unlock the mysteries, but they do need the reefs. >> it's like the new york city of the ocean, where everything is happening, hustle, bustle, neon lights. >> a small contribution that could make the big difference for the oceans and mankind.

anne thompson, nbc news, key west. >> that's our broadcast on a thursday night. 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. ight.