on our broadcast tonight, days of rage, egypt, libya, now yemen, the protests against the u.s. are spreading. we're live tonight in cairo and tripoli. also tonight, a navy seal who lost his life in thing -- attack on the consulate. and new numbers, and what we're polling, including what the post-convention bounce has done for the president in a critical state at a critical time. your money, a big announcement on the economy, what it could mean for mortgages, with retirement savings and jobs for a lot of americans. and a big moment for the duchess, what she is drinking is getting so much attention. nightly news begins now.

from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is nbc nightly news with brian williams. good evening, tonight, across a huge and uneasy region, where arab spring has long ago faded into something more complicated. today, there were protests in no fewer than several locations. today, the violence is in cairo where the protesters stormed the u.s. embassy. then the terrible lightning attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi, libya, that left the u.s. ambassador and three other americans dead. first ambassador murdered on the job in a generation. some of this is coming from an anti-islamic film made here in the u.s. and it appears there is violence aimed across the country in a big region. we begin tonight with our chief foreign correspondent, richard

engel, who is back, where by the way they're reporting 200 injuries today. richard, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian, clashes are still continuing here, even at this late hour near the u.s. embassy, and they were not the only ones in this region. this mess in the middle east is not over yet. the protesters in yemen set out to destroy the american embassy, to punish onto insult against islam. protesters climbed the perimeter fence, undeterred by the yemen security forces who tried to keep them back, wi water tanks. the crowds pushed forward, and managed to get inside the embassy parking lot. smashing windows, torching vehicles, using a forklift to do even more damage. this time, the u.s. embassy was prepared, staff was moved to a safe location, nobody was hurt.

in cairo, another embassy under siege, but egyptian authorities are finally taking action. more than 2 hundred were overcome by tear gas. as the air burned, protesters told me their goal was to get to the cairo embassy and get revenge. why, i asked? because the united states has insulted the prophet, they screamed. repeated words that washington has no affiliation with whatever sparked the crisis are not being listened to, just religious passion, and the blindness of a mob. and egypt's new president is not doing much to calm it. president mohamed morsi says he supports protests against religious insults protests, but denounces the denounces the attacks on the

foreign embassies. egypt needs the west, they're looking for 5 billion in loans from the international monetary fund, the protests are small, but not isolated. there have been 11 demonstrations in 11 countries so far, half of them in places where washington supported them. they unleashed a deep hatred that is now focused on u.s. properties overseas. more protests, brian, are expected here tomorrow. but in a positive note they are not supposed to be near any embassies. in libya, authorities say they have started making arrests in connection with the consulate bombing and that they have more militants under surveillance. an fbi team is expected to arrive soon, and reinforcement, about 50 marines have already arrived at the u.s. embassy in tripoli. >> all right, richard engel,

back in cairo tonight. thank you, richard, we'll have more on this anti-islam film in just a second. but first, we're learning more tonight about the other americans killed in the raid on our consulate that took the life of the u.s. ambassador. two of them were former navy seals who were working on a private security detail, one just identified today as tyrone woods, a 22 year military veteran, a father of two. the other, glenn dorothy of massachusetts winchester mass, ao remembered for his remembered for his spirit and service. >> reporter: a former navy seal, 42-year-old glenn doherty was working in libya as a private security contractor when the group of militants stormed the complex. today at his mother's home, a stream of mourners filed in all day. doherty's sister, kate quigley, offered a statement about her brother.

>> glenn lived his life to the fullest. he was my brother, but theirs as well. >> reporter: before being a private security officer, he served as a sniper, and played a role in the raid that rescued army private jessica lynch in 2003. after leaving the military, doherty appeared in a program that aired on nbc about tracking accused terrorists. tonight, his family and friends say glenn doherty will be remembered as a hero. nbc news, woburn, massachusetts. now about this movie -- anti-islamic film that we've seen after being shown on the internet, it is now being taken down in egypt and some other places. and nbc news has decided not to show any of it on the air.

the actors in the film say it was all shot in a studio in southern california, and they say they had no idea what they were getting into. our report from our los angeles bureau tonight, nbc's mike taibbi. >> reporter: according to the casting call, it was supposed to be an historical adventure film. but when one person saw the film that led to such anger in the arab world, she was shocked. >> i am so sorry, there is no way to take anything back. i didn't know. i'm sure a lot of the actors didn't know. >> reporter: the video that came out of the studio east of los angeles, was an adventure story. in fact two actors on the film said the original spoken lines from the screen play were later dubbed over without their knowledge. the result that was unleashed in the trailer was a barrage against islam's customs and its prophet, muhammed.

>> i can see any muslim to be upset, for example if you depict jesus in negative terms, many christians would be angry. garcia said she called sam bacile to complain, who she know as the film's producer. the proo but the self-described consultant and spokesperson for the fi said sam bacile who has not surfaced is not the real name of the producer who came to him. >> and knew that i would not back down and was not afraid to tell the truth on this stuff. >> reporter: and klein's alleged truth, for years, his letters to government officials, he has branded islam as a terrible religion, themes in the film now propelled worldwide by a social media. >> if you want to say something

inflammatory, you now have as broad an audience as you can imagine. >> reporter: actors say they were conned, dialogue dubbed over, and a message of hate. mike taibbi, nbc newsment. secr clinton used strong secretary of state hillary clinton used strong language to denounce the film, words like disgusting. but what actions does the u.s. have to stop the anti-american rage? our chief correspondent andrea mitchell with us from our washington bureau, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, tonight, the administration is scrambling to deal with the outrage over the video, and looking at egypt's new leader. in colorado, president obama signalled his resolve to find the killers of the four americans. >> i want people to hear me from all over who would do us harm, no act of terror will go unpunished. >> reporter: but america's

allies, dictators, are gone, and the u.s. is not happy with mohamed morsi's initial failure to protect the embassy. so last night, mr. obama seemed to be lowering egypt's status. >> i don't think we would consider them an ally, but we don't consider them a new enemy. they are a new government trying to find its way. >> reporter: later, president obama called morsi, saying he needed to protect the embassy. today, he said they did not intend to down grade egypt, which gets one and a half billion in aid, second only to israel and afghanistan. billion the u.s. and afghan but they no longer have a compass for the region. >> it is difficult seeing these images on television, because our world is filled with challenges. this is a difficult time.

>> essentially the united states has made a bet, a big bet, a gamble. but there are not a lot of alternatives. >> reporter: example nine years ago -- exactly nine years ago today, it seemed so normal, when a new life was promised. the president and the secretary of state insists the u.s. had no connection to the anti-muslim video. >> it appears to have a deeply cynical purpose, to denigrate a great religion and to provoke ragement. purpose, to denigrate great religion and to >> reporter: while the president said they didn't intend to down grade them as an ally, his comments reflect his frustration at his lack of diplomatic options. today, the president called to thank them for protecting the embassy there, clearly in contrast.

andrea mitchell in the d.c. b y bureau, after covering the story for us all day, thank you. the and on the battle ground common wealth of virginia, mitt romney backed away from his direct attacks against obama and egypt, and delivered a more subtle image. >> the world needs leadership, i intend to be the leadership that provides the leadership that keeps us admired throughout the world. >> and as we turn here into politics, as we mentioned at the very top of the broadcast, we have new post-political convention polling numbers we are debuting here on nightly news tonight. they show some interesting movement in the battle ground states. our political director, chuck todd, with us and numbers from d.c. good evening. >> reporter: good evening, well, evidence, let's start in the state of virginia, where mitt romney was today. there, the president, 49.5, a 5% lead, in ohio, on the way to 270

electoral votes, the president actually hits 50%, a 7-point lead. 17-point lead. and down to the state of florida, this is the biggest surprise happening in the last complain of weeks, something insiders have been excited about in the party. the president has opened a five-point lead. you see the president hitting 49 or 50, his job approval rating hits 49 or 50. the other interesting thing, the right track, wrong track numbers, for the first time since we tested in the polls, the right track is 49%, as you know an important number to gauge whether or not a president can win an election. the fact that there is suddenly an improvement in how people feel the country is going people feel the country is going. some democrats say some democrats say that is the clinton bump, referring to bill clinton's speech. >> and some of the numbers are ahead of the wildest dreams of the democratic campaigners. >> reporter: they are, the candidate that wins two of these

three will have the keys to pennsylvania. todd from our d.c. news room with the numbers. still ahead as we continue alon >> all right, chuck todd from g our d.c. news room with the numbers. still ahead as we continue along the way on this thursday night, a big move today to get the economy going, but will it really mean more people going to work? and later, an important dress rehearsal for a queen-in training. of it for us is thatart there isn't anything on the schedule. your doctor will say get smart about your weight. that's why there's glucerna hunger smart shakes. they have carb steady, with carbs that digest slowly to help minimize blood sugar spikes.

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and to keep going to satisfy that the economy is recovering, wall street went straight up on the news. some of the closing numbers, the best since 2007. steve, that is the first question, what does it mean to the average folks watching tonight? >> reporter: well if it works, it could mean lower mortgage rates, and that could mean lower rates throughout the economy, maybe more economic growth, especially in the housing, construction industries and maybe more jobs overall. that would be the perfect scenario for fed chairman ben bernanke. what the fed did today was announce it would buy 40 billion worth of mortgages every month, until the labor market improves. what is historic, they said they would buy for a certain period of time. this is the first open-ended program the fed has had for a period of time. and it suggests they will keep their foot on the economy until

they start to keep results, which could mean lower mortgages and even helping people under water in their homes. their mortgages are worth more than their homes are, get out of those mortgages into lower rates. all right, steve, thank you, as always. we'll take another break here. up next, a final tribute to one of the best americans of a generation. ur rate cd. ally bank. cd. your money needs an ally. hut! go! here it comes!

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fly me to the moon. that is diane crawl, who was at the national service for neil armstrong. he was simply one of the greatest americans of all time. l armstrong. a test pilot, decorated combat veteran, astronaut, and first man on the moon, people found him almost reclusive in private life. but he had towering modesty,

wanting the team to get all the credit as former colleagues remembered tonight. >> no one, but no one could have accepted the responsibility of his remarkable accomplishment with more dignity, and more grace than neil armstrong. he embodied all that is good, and all that is great about america. >> per his wishes, neil armstrong, a former carrier pilot will be buried at sea off the deck of the u.s. aircraft carrier. k of a u.s. aircraft carrier. and speakin and speaking of heavens, g several areas, people waking up to a strange and beautiful sight this morning. people in mexico, nevada, colorado even, saw this, turns out it was a missile fired in a test to shoot down another missile. and it all left a beautiful kind of swirling trail in the morning

sky. well, drink up while you can, newkers, drink those large beverages free of government intervention while there is still time, because the city board of health approved mayor michael bloomberg's ban. v the ban on sugary drinks over six the ban on sugary drinks over six ounces, the first soft drink ban of its kind in the nation. the mayor called it a first step in curing obesity. critics say it is harming personal choice. unless they derail it, new yorkers have just six months to drink freely. after that they will have to smuggle in liquids from new jersey. will have to drink drinks from new jersey. and coming up, a b and coming up, a big outing for one of the most closely watched women in the world. i have a cold, and i took nyquil,

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>> reporter: she is the woman at the center of the spotlight. dressed to perfection at thursday's state dinner, collecting gifts from star-struck children. and paying tribute to fallen heros from world war ii. >> she is so warm-hearted and comes across as genuine, and that she loves children. >> reporter: the newest royal was not just the lovely bride of the future king of england, but a woman stepping on to center stage and into her own. >> we are hugely excited to be in malaysia. >> reporter: kate gave her first international speech at this hospice. >> providing children and their families with the face of support, care, and enhancement, at a time of great need is simply life-changing. >> reporter: kate's speech spoke volumes. >> it is a very great pleasure

for me to come forward. >> reporter: as with princess diana's speech in 1981, it shows increasing confidence with her public role. but with the attention and accolades comes greater watch on what she says and wears, even her decision to abstain from alcohol when giving a toast. >> people are starting to ask when is the baby news going to happen? >> reporter: but for now, the duchess stays focused on her future role as queen. sarah james, nbc news. >> that is our broadcast on a thursday night, thank you for joining us here. i'm brian williams, and a reminder, we're back on the air at 10:00 eastern. for an all-new broadcast of rock center. and we hope to see you back here tomorrow night. good night and we hope to see you back here tomorrow night. good night..

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