on our broadcast tonight, tough sale, booing breaks out as mitt romney goes before the naacp making his argument he can do a better job for african-americans than president obama. where is he? the mystery surrounding jesse jackson, jr., the illinois congressman missing in action for over a month. tonight the answer as to where he's been. the next wave of tsunami debris headed for american shores on top of what's already washed up. what's still out there en route here? tonight we've gone out to sea for a closer look. insult to injury, the real story. the horse named i'll have another and why he wasn't allowed to run after the triple crown. what americans have said are the most memorable moments in television history. "nightly news" begins television history. "nightly news" begins now.

captions paid for by nbc-universal television >> ann is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. good evening, it's a part of campaigning and a part of governing. you sometimes have to appear before audiences that may not agree with you on everything and may not seem like a good fit. it happens. because there are all kinds of voters in this country with all kinds of views, it's going to happen. we saw it happen today when mitt romney did something the president is not doing this year. he appeared before the naacp annual convention. the response from the audience there wasn't always warm. it's where we begin tonight with nbc's peter alexander on the campaign trail covering mitt romney. peter, good evening. >> reporter: brian, good evening to you. this is far and away the most pro obama crowd mitt romney has spoken to all campaign season. while his advisers admit they would never expect all african-americans to agree with

all of mitt romney's policies, they insist they were pleased by the reception here. it was a gutsy claim from mitt romney. >> if you want a president who will make things better in the african-american community, you are looking at him. you take a look. >> reporter: just consider the audience, the naacp, the nation's premier civil rights group. tasha from ohio compared today's setting to a lion's den. >> i thought it was extremely encouraging that president hopeful romney even came. >> reporter: four years ago then candidate obama won 95% of the black vote. today romney asked for a fair hearing. but on several occasions heard the crowd's disapproval. >> the president will say he's going to do those things. he has not, will not, cannot. his last four years in the white house prove it definitively.

to do that, i'm going to eliminate every nonessential expensive program i can find. that includes obama care. i'm going to work to reform and save -- >> reporter: naacp delegate teresa haley explained what she wanted to hear. >> what we don't like is calling it the obama care. it's a plan for everyone. >> reporter: still simply by showing up with his message of job creation tailored to the african-american community, romney is hoping to pry away some black voters, like dominique. >> reporter: i'd give the president a c plus. he could have been more effective. in terms of jobs. >> reporter: the black vote is particularly crucial in key swing states like virginia and north carolina where president obama won by just 14,000 votes in 2008. >> that i hope to represent all americans of every race, creed, and sexual orientation. from the poorest to the richest and everyone in between. >> reporter: moments after romney finished, the obama

campaign denounced his economic policies as devastating for the african-american community. still, as romney left the stage, at least half the room gave him a standing ovation. president obama will not be here for this year's convention. instead vice president joe biden will address the room tomorrow. the democrat's challenge, brian, is clear, to try to regain that enthusiasm among african-american voters they had four years ago. this is a group among whom every little bit of erosion could cost the obama campaign dearly. >> peter alexander on the trail in houston, texas, starting us off tonight. peter, thanks. >> there's been a moderately talked about mystery in the last few weeks, talked about mostly in washington, all the way west to chicago. democratic congressman, jesse jackson, jr., the son of the civil rights leader, has been missing away from his job for the past four weeks and not heard from. tonight we have learned more about where he is and where he's been. our report from nbc's andrea

mitchell. >> his namesake is both a blessing and a curse, jesse jackson, jr. >> he is my father and my friend, i now present to you the reverend jesse jackson. >> reporter: born at the height of the civil rights movement, raised in national politics by a famous father. himself once a rising star. now missing in action, not seen in congress since early june. while battling a house ethics investigation, reported marital problems, and, his parents say, significant physical and emotional pain. >> we hope he'll be fully restored to his health. right now he's going through a tremendous challenge. >> reporter: friends and colleagues say he was far from chicago's south side, being treated for alcoholism at a facility in arizona. and there are legal issues. the younger jackson has denied he tried to get convicted former illinois governor rob blagojevich to appoint him to president obama's senate seat in

exchange for money raised by a one-time fund-raiser. >> everyone who is going to be amazed at just how innocent i am. >> reporter: last month he was indicted on unrelated charges. today democratic leaders signal their time and patience could be running out. >> i think congress jackson and his office and his family would be well advised to advise the constituents of his condition. he's obviously facing a health problem. >> reporter: at shawn's fadz 4 dayz, people are asking questions. >> we elected him and there's nowhere to be found. >> i need to know what his illness is. is it mental, physical? >> even fellow democrats on capitol hill are getting impatient. it's been a month now since he's been seen and there's business to be done. >> tonight jackson's wife texted nbc chicago that her husband is, quote, not in rehab. a good friend told nbc this has all come down on jackson like an

avalanche. there is a good possibility he'll have to resign. brian. >> andrea mitchell in our washington newsroom with an update tonight. andrea, thanks. in congress, house of representatives, there's been another vote to repeal president obama's health care law. kelly o'donnell, our correspondent on the hill covering it all for us. kelly, what's going on there? >> well, brian, this was the 33rd time that the house voted to repeal or cut funding for the president's health care law. this is key. it was the first time since the supreme court upheld the law as constitutional but did say that the individual mandate, the requirement everyone buy insurance is a tax. that word "tax" gave political fuel to house republicans who wanted to compel democrats to vote on this issue, to be on the record. will they support this new health care tax as defined by the court. this will play out in all of their campaigns. it's a big issue for the fall, but the practical affect, brian,

is the senate is controlled by democrats and it won't go anywhere there. it's about taking a stand and both parties did that today. >> kelly o'donnell, thanks. from washington we go all the way west now. it has happened again. another american city is broke, barely able to make payroll. it has declared bankruptcy. it's the third city in california to take this drastic step in just two weeks' time. tonight some people are warning the same perfect storm that hit san bernardino could hit a lot of other american cities. our report tonight from nbc's mike taibbi. >> reporter: tuesday night another depressing city council meeting with bad news from san bernardino city manager andre miller. >> we have an immediate cash flow issue. >> followed by the worst news that seeking bankruptcy was the only way the city can even meet its payroll in the next few weeks. city services have already been trimmed. with temperatures in the mid-90s, will public pool hours be cut back. will seniors like ollie williams learn there will be fewer hours

and fewer programs at the city funded senior citizen center. >> they can't do away with these centers either. these people need somewhere to go. >> mayor morris doesn't have the answers yet. >> you don't know and the citizens of this city won't know for a while exactly what the impact is going to be? >> that's true. >> the signs have been there for years, declining revenues in the deep recession and skyrocketing costs, mostly for city employees and their pensions. in may this region had the third highest foreclosure rate in the country. city unemployment stood at 15.9%. >> people are not working. they are not paying taxes. they are not shopping. >> they are losing their homes. >> 5,000 homes in foreclosure. >> similar problems force stockton into bankruptcy, a city of merely 300,000 and then tiny mammoth lakes said it couldn't pay its bills. get used to that story line, says business professor navaro.

>> it's a microcosm of every other city in america. san bernardino or des moines, wherever it is, your services are going to be cut. your police and fire, schools, garbage collection, potholes. >> reporter: for now there will be no change in essential city services, san bernardino firemen battled brush fires earlier this week. but their pensions and police pensions and all city salaries will now be vigorously challenged. mike taibbi, nbc news, san bernardino. frightening scene in columbus, ohio this morning when a freight train carrying ethanol derailed, exploded. one person living nearby said it looked like the sun had fallen to the ground. fire crews let it burn itself out, all they could do. some homes were evacuated. two people suffered minor injuries when it was over. we've been reporting on the growing wave of debris in the pacific from last year's tsunami in japan. we have seen soccer balls and boats, a motorcycle, even a giant dock come on our shores. tonight we're being told it's just the start.

there's a lot more out there. also tonight we want to take you with the scientists to see what that next wave is up to, the wash on american shores. our report from nbc's miguel almaguer. >> reporter: the hunt is on. it only takes minutes for this research vessel off the coast of california to find what it's looking for. >> a wrapper, a little bit of a styrofoam plate. >> reporter: much of the debris here is small, the size of confetti. >> when we talk about a poison pill, this is what we're talking about. >> reporter: further out at sea, researchers say the great pacific garbage patch is a debris field too large and scattered to measure. >> big chunks of trash that are floating out in the ocean are creating new kinds of habitat, as if it's a coastal zone in the middle of the deep ocean. >> reporter: the pacific garbage patch has been growing for 40 years. but now debris from the japanese tsunami is also caught in the

swirling mass of ocean currents. >> it's going to add an enormous amount to the garbage patch that's already in existence out there. >> reporter: though scientists believe most of the estimated 1.5 million tons of tsunami debris will sink or never make it to shore, it's what is arriving on our shores that's a cause for concern. we're seeing more of it every day. in alaska, buoys and bottles. in washington state, a small skiff with a load of barnacles. this 66-foot pier in oregon arrived carrying japanese marine life. they treated this find as an archaeological dig, parts of a japanese home, a toilet, fertilizer. washington's governor says the cleanup could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. >> we are in for a steady dribble of tsunami debris over the next few years. >> reporter: the environmental

cost remains the big unknown. hundreds of millions of organisms, some invasive species arrive ashore on the debris. >> it's full of all kinds of life. >> reporter: this just the first wave in a tsunami of trash churning in the pacific. miguel almaguer, nbc news, los angeles. still ahead along the way for us tonight, new theories about whether there's more to the story of what really caused a favorite contender to drop out of the last leg of the triple crown. later the magazine that america grew up with, if only norman rockwell could see it now. now. [ male announcer ] this is rudy. his morning starts with arthritis pain. and two pills. afternoon's overhaul starts with more pain. more pills. triple checking hydraulics. the evening brings more pain. so, back to more pills. almost done, when... hang on. stan's doctor recommended aleve. it can keep pain away all day with fewer pills than tylenol. this is rudy. who switched to aleve. and two pills for a day free of pain.

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it was the day before it was the day before last month's belmont stakes, final race in the triple crown, the race so many people hoped would win it all suddenly retired from racing. people were pulling for that horse and the news crushed a lot of hopes and dreams. but now we're learning the horse named i'll have another may have had health problems long before

he disappeared from racing, a notion his trainer vehemently denies. the story from our senior investigative correspondent lisa myers. >> reporter: i'll have another shocked us in the derby. >> i'll have another, kentucky derby. >> dazzled in the preakness. then the heartbreaking news, the horse would not run for the triple crown or ever race again because of what his trainer called a freakish injury. today "the new york times" citing partial medical records from the new york racing commission reported the horse had a history of ailments well before he was retired in june. the records, also obtained by nbc news, list osteoarthritis and chronic active tendinitis. another veterinarian who reviewed the records say the problems appear to have been been going on for an unknown period of time. the horse had been given powerful anti-inflammatories to reduce discomfort.

>> that suggests this horse has been training and racing with these conditions in two major tissues that are necessary for horses to stay safe and run. >> i 100% guarantee with 100% certainty while i'll have another was going through the triple crown run, he was 100% pain-free and sound and doing brilliantly. >> doug o'neill, who has been cited for drug violations involving other horses, say anti-inflammatories are legal like advil or motrin. the controversy raises questions about the racing industry on the eve of a senate hearing and whether drugs are being given to injured horses to mask the pain so they can run for bigger and bigger purses, with sometimes catastrophic consequences. according to one analysis, 24 horses a week die on u.s. racetracks. just this winter 20 horses died at a racetrack, twice as many as

last year. the industry disputes those figures. >> the injury rate for horses is gradually going down over time. in fact, the better data we have shows it's slowly creeping down. >> reporter: for the winners, there is life after retirement. i'll have another was just sold to a breeder in japan for $10 million. lisa myers, nbc news, washington. up next here tonight, a new look at what might have been the shortest fourth of july celebration in recent history. e shortest fourth of july celebration in recent history. [ male announcer ] wouldn't it be cool if we took the nissan altima and reimagined nearly everything in it? gave it greater horsepower and best in class 38 mpg highway... ...advanced headlights... ...and zero gravity seats? yeah, that would be cool. ♪ introducing the completely reimagined nissan altima. it's our most innovative altima ever. nissan. innovation that excites.

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on medicare and social security at earnedasay.org. in case in case you didn't catch up with this story over the fourth of july, the folks in san diego had a heck of a time the night of july 4th when all their fireworks display went up at once. twenty minutes' worth, just over 20 seconds. this is new video that surfaced of that mishap. they are calling it the big bay boom. we native new jerseyans are

getting over the embarrassment that it was the garden state fireworks company that misfired. they are blaming it on a corrupted computer file. they said the other 14 shows they did around the country on the 4th went off okay and not all at once. the people at sony have commissioned a survey, along with neilson, asking tv viewers to rank the most impactful moments on television that meant the most to them over the past 50 years. while we have put the entire list on our website for you tonight, here are the top five. as you might guess, most of them are sobering moments of national importance. number one, september 11th, as impactful on current generations as pearl harbor was. that was followed by hurricane katrina, the simpson verdict, the shuttle challenger explosion and recent death of bin laden. by the way, when asked separately by gender, women over 18 mentioned the funeral of

princess diana, the death of whitney houston among their top five res enevents. coming in ninth, last year's wedding of william and kate. so much for the dominance of the american league, a big row, by the american league, a shutout at the all-star game. the game is mostly a showcase, of course, but the win does determine which league gets to host the first game of the world series each year. the bats of the san francisco giants were especially powerful. the hammering started in the first inning and never let up. up next here tonight, a big slice of american life in danger of disappearing, but we're happy to report not anymore. disappearing but we're happy to report not anymore. things she ds still make you take notice. there are a million reasons why. but your erectile dysfunction that could be a question of blood flow. cialis for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment's right. you can be more confident in your ability to be ready. and the same cialis is the only daily ed tablet approved to treat ed and symptoms of bph,

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it's definitely a name from the pretwitter era, the saturday evening post is still publishing, but all those pas the pretwitter era, ""the saturday evening post"" is still publishing, but all those past issues and famous norman rockwell covers might have been lost to history but for the hard work of some people who wanted to save them and share them. nbc's kevin tibbles reports tonight on a new era for a traditional american favorite. >> reporter: "the saturday evening post" is a time capsule of who we are and where we've been. >> it's realtime coverage of

realtime events taking place that very few other outlets in the united states have a perspective on. they just simply weren't there. >> reporter: this granddaddy of american magazines dates back nearly 300 years. first published in the 1720s by benjamin franklin. by the 1950s, it reached 6 million households every week. >> it's the magazine that america grew up with. >> we turn to the "post" for dispatches on the civil war, lincoln's assassination, two world wars, and rosie the riveter, civil rights, medical breakthroughs, the kennedy assassination and, of course, all the iconic covers of norman rockwell. >> what is this place? it's like a treasure trove. >> you look out, see about 200 years of american history. >> history until now that has been stored in a dimly lit warehouse, in danger of fading

away. now archivists are busy scanning every issue back to 1871. the publisher says they will put it all online. >> even trying to find these old magazines now is a hard thing to do. you go to libraries, they are gone. >> reporter: today the magazine publishes bimonthly, still offering snapshots of living history. although editor steve sloan jokes the "post" hasn't always gotten it right. >> we said, the beatles, they will never be anything. they are a fad. >> reporter: "the saturday evening post" has been anything but a fad. we'll soon be able to discover how often things change and how often they stay the same. >> if you think this country is teetering on the edge, you can come back here and read this and you realize, we've been through it before. >> reporter: the american evolution, once again, at your fingertips. kevin tibbles, nbc news, indianapolis. that is our broadcast on a wednesday night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. as always, we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening.

right back here tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com