though, another attack in kenya. this one killed two police officers and the worry here, obviously, is this terrorist group al shabaab is making it known that they are on the rise. and there's been an international arrest warrant issued for a british woman with a nickname out of a spy novel. she's known as the white widow. officials say they want to know of any involvement she might have had in what happened in kenya. we begin again tonight with nbc's ron allen in nairobi where there's been some activity tonight, i understand, ron. >> reporter: indeed, brian. good evening. tonight we heard several loud explosions and saw fire at the mall site down the road behind me there. investigators say it is the hard work of clearing away ieds, bombs and explosives the militants left behind. the devastation of the west gate mall up close. new pictures today show the parking structure in ruins, still smoldering.

exactly what caused this much damage, authorities aren't saying. meanwhile intense speculation about this woman, samantha lewthwaite of britain, once married to one of the london subway bombers. she's known as the white widow. a convert to islam who married a kenyan. she may now be the most wanted woman in the world. today at kenya's request interpol issued a warrant for her arrest. in connection with a 2011 plot to bomb targets in kenya. no known connection to the mall attack but there were unconfirmed reports of a white woman among the gunmen. in kenya near the somalia border, another attack. two kenyan police officers killed. al shabaab again claiming responsibility. while at the mall itself investigators, including fbi agents, looked for clues, trying to piece together exactly what happened here. ♪ >> this program has learned from multiple sources the identities of two of the attackers. >> reporter: tonight a british tv report says a former kenyan

special forces soldier, also a convert to islam, linked to al shabaab, led the assault. how big a threat is al shabaab? >> groups like al shabaab are the new face of al qaeda. the attack we saw in nairobi represents the worst face. what we have to make sure is that the threats remain regionally focused and not towards the west and the united states. >> reporter: al shabaab has claimed some americans participated in the mall attack, but there's been no evidence of that so far. >> we don't have any verifiable information that would indicate one way or the other whether any americans were involved. >> reporter: as the questions pile up, kenya's grief continues. there were multiple funerals again today. as people here found comfort in stories of survival and powerful images of heroic rescues and lives saved. tonight there is more late-breaking information regarding the case involving the

so-called white widow. nbc news has learned british authorities are seeking dna samples from members of her family as the investigation moves forward. brian? >> ron allen starting us off again from nairobi, kenya. ron, thanks. back in this country, specifically the nation's capital, the tone is getting uglier than normal in washington as lawmakers argue over funding the health care law, leaving the country just days from a possible government shutdown, that polling shows most americans do not support. our chief white house correspondent chuck todd following it all from our d.c. newsroom. good evening. >> reporter: good evening. another day of dysfunction and squabbling in washington as the clock ticks down for the potential government shutdown. republicans trying to defund the president's health care law to do this shutdown. but guess what, even if they avert the shutdown it's a deal that will actually cost you more money. [ applause ] >> reporter: at a rally in suburban maryland today an exasperated president. >> we are not going to submit to

this kind of total irresponsibility. congress needs to pay our bills on time. congress needs to pass a budget on time. congress needs to put an end to governing from crisis to crisis. >> reporter: the republican speaker, just as frustrated. the president says, i'm not going to negotiate. well, i'm sorry. but it just doesn't work that way. >> reporter: time is running out. >> every hour that ticks by puts our country closer to a shutdown. >> reporter: tea party republicans ted cruz and mike lee continued to delay the potential compromise, angering members of their own party. >> it is not the republican side that's asking to stall. we have only two republican senators that are wanting to push this off. >> reporter: still, whatever short-term compromise is made it will cost taxpayers extra money. here's why. the government saves money when it buys in bulk like ordinary people do at a big box grocery store. short-term spending bills like the one congress is about to pass means the government pays higher, retail-like prices.

>> it is a poor way of a government, let alone a household, to operate. >> reporter: the public is mad. 80% of americans oppose the tactic of using a government shutdown for political leverage. >> they need to get their act together. they're like children. >> i'm sick of congress, both sides either way. decide what you're going to do. >> it seems irresponsible. i think we want more from our elected officials. >> reporter: experts say the larger problem is that congress hasn't agreed on a real budget for four years, forcing the political standoffs and stop-gap spending bills. >> we budget by automatic continuing resolutions which is a mindless way to do it. it doesn't pick and choose priorities. it doesn't say what should we fund more of and importantly what should we get rid of. >> reporter: even if we get past monday's shutdown deadline another looms. the nation's credit card will be cancelled october 17th and the government won't be able to borrow money if they don't raise the debt ceiling. so it will be another here we

ego again. >> chuck, thanks. there is word secretary of state john kerry has indeed met with his iranian counterpart. the highest level talks between the u.s. and iran in many years. the meeting is being described as substantive, but they always say that about such things. it comes after a week of overtures by the new iranian president. apparently designed to ease a generation's worth of animosity between the two nations. our report tonight from our chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell. >> reporter: he smiles, he strides, he tweets. iran's new president cutting a wide path through new york, trying to show he's not mahmoud ahmadinejad, his fiery predecessor. >> translator: i ran on the platform of moderation and won the election by a large margin. >> reporter: even with his supposed mandate from the supreme leader, hassan rowhani has to worry about provoking

hard liners back home. so no handshake with president obama. hours after rowhani condemned the holocaust on cnn and in a talk with us, iran's government news agency claimed he hadn't said it, even though he had. as rowhani made it clear to charlie rose on pbs. >> translator: why would i want to deny it? i want to add to this debate. not only do i deny the criminal acts of the nazis, we condemn it. >> reporter: while rowhani claims iran has disclosed the entire nuclear program to inspectors. >> translator: we never -- the option of acquiring nuclear weapons. >> reporter: france's prime minister said it is not true. >> you are pregnant or not. you can't be half pregnant. if they accept not to have the nuclear bomb it will be not simple but reasonably easy to know that. they have to be completely transparent and they have to renounce to the perspective of having the bomb. >> reporter: on that the real work began at this meeting between john kerry and iran's

foreign minister. rowhani tweeted, first formal direct meeting between the countries' top diplomats since 1979. kerry did meet separately with iran's foreign minister. they both said the talks were substantive. also tonight the u.s. says they have achieved an unprecedented breakthrough on syria's chemical weapons. the first agreement between the u.s. and russia on a u.n. resolution to destroy syria's chemical arsenal, ratifying what they agreed je geneva. brian? >> andrea mitchell covering it here in new york with us tonight. thanks. tonight, divers at the ship wrecked costa concordia say they have spotted human remains near the ship and authorities there will now run dna tests to confirm that they are, indeed, the two souls who went down with the wreckage. the search for the last of the 32 victims resumed after the capsized liner was hoisted upright last week. part of the massive salvage operation.

back in this country in detroit firefighters are fighting a huge blaze at an abandoned factory in the southwest part of the city. there are fears that hazardous waste is inside. people in the area and those downwind are asked to stay inside, close doors and windows because of the real possibility of toxic fumes. now to a story that's made news across this country. it's about a high school football coach who captured national attention because he shut down the football team and issued a challenge to his players concerning life off the field. that's when something remarkable then happened. we get the story tonight from joe fryer in roosevelt, utah. >> reporter: when high school football players rise before the sun, it is rarely seen as a reward. but for coach matt laborman, the cougars, this early morning practice is the dawn of a new era. >> just felt we wanted to take a

stand, a leadership role and be the leaders in our school and say we're going to do something different. >> reporter: the coach was facing a number of issues. some players were missing class. others were getting poor grades. there were rumors of cyber bullying, so the coach knew after last week's game -- win or lose -- he was going to take action. he told his players to hand over their jerseys. >> it was hard. it was like taking a piece of me. >> it's like ripping your heart out. >> reporter: to get them back they'd need to practice a new set of skills. all centered around service projects for their families and community. football mom jennifer rook called it a good life lesson. >> it is an honor to put the jersey on. you are held to a higher standard and your behavior better be up to snuff. >> reporter: last night the team huddled together with their jerseys hanging in the balance. the checklist to earn them back -- be on time to class. no f's or discipline problems. finish those service projects.

most players emerged wearing symbols of their success. >> it felt so good to get our jersey back and wear it again. >> reporter: as the cougars turned attention to this friday's homecoming game, victory is now redefined. >> they are all teaching more than football. they're teaching us how to be men. >> reporter: what they are practicing is life. joe fryer, nbc news, roosevelt, utah. still ahead for us tonight, answering your questions about the health care law that is coming down the tracks. we asked if anybody had any questions. we got them. tonight dr. nancy snyderman is here with some answers. later, what bill gates said that stunned the audience about something millions of us do every day. audience about something millions of us do every day. staying warm and dy has never been our priority. our priority is, was and always will be serving you, the american people. so we improved priority mail flat rate to give you a more reliable way to ship.

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bjorn earns unlimited rewards for his small business. take these bags to room 12 please. [ garth ] bjorn's small business earns double miles on every purchase every day. produce delivery. [ bjorn ] just put it on my spark card. [ garth ] why settle for less? ahh, oh! [ garth ] great businesses deserve unlimited rewards. here's your wake up call. [ male announcer ] get the spark business card from capital one and earn unlimited rewards. choose double miles or 2% cash back on every purchase every day. what's in your wallet? [ crows ] now where's the snooze button? the president acknowledged today there will be some glitches, in his words, as the health care law is rolled out

and people have to sign up. there is already a delay. the administration told hispanic groups the spanish version of the website to sign up is not yet ready to go and will be delayed a further few weeks. with just a few days until the open enrollment starts for the new health care exchanges, americans still have a lot of questions about what's in this law, what to expect from it. we heard from a number of you after asking for your questions. dr. nancy snyderman is here with some answers. >> hi, brian. >> starting next year, everyone will be required to get health insurance or they will face a fine. tom gorny on facebook asked us how much is the penalty. >> this is one of the most confusing parts, the economics of it all. it breaks down like this. for an individual the fee is a minimum of $95 or 1% of adjusted income, whichever is higher. the minimum cap for a family is $285, but it can go as high as

1% of adjusted family income. that's for 2014. in 2016, the penalty for an individual is $695 or for a family, $2,085. there is an income jump again, 2.5% of adjusted income. in either scenario whichever is higher, that's what you are going to be expected to pay. >> next question comes to us via facebook from cynthia scott. we hear this a lot. can you tell us if pre-existing conditions will have an effect on cost. >> this is one of the tent poles of the legislation. the good news is no. it will be against the law to deny coverage based on a pre-existing condition. like diabetes, heart disease, cancer. a preexisting condition will not affect the cost of your monthly premium and you can go shopping

like everyone else and choose from the same plans that are available in your state. >> finally, cheryl smith asking -- wants to know where to sign up. >> easy. go to health care.gov, fill out an application. there is an 800 number available 24/7. find out more on nbcnightlynews.com, our website. >> there you go. >> and health care.com will be, i think, the most important place to go. >> we are just getting started. nancy, thank you. >> okay. >> to our viewers, keep sending questions. we'll continue to answer them. go to facebook, go to our website. we are open 24/7 with a doctor on staff. not everybody can stay that. we are back in a moment with surprising revelations tonight about what america did to some upstanding americans. id to some upstanding americans. across america people are taking charge of their type 2 diabetes with non-insulin victoza®. for a while, i took a pill to lower my blood sugar, but it didn't get me to my goal. so i asked my doctor about victoza®. he said victoza® is different than pills. victoza® is proven to lower blood sugar and a1c.

it's taken once-a-day, any time, and comes in a pen. and the needle is thin. victoza® is not for weight loss, but it may help you lose some weight. victoza® is an injectable prescription medicine that may improve blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes when used with diet and exercise. it is not recommended as the first medication to treat diabetes and should not be used in people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. victoza® has not been studied with mealtime insulin. victoza® is not insulin. do not take victoza® if you have a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer, multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if you are allergic to victoza® or any of its ingredients. symptoms of a serious allergic reaction may include: swelling of face, lips, tongue, or throat, fainting or dizziness, very rapid heartbeat, problems breathing or swallowing, severe rash or itching. tell your doctor if you get a lump or swelling in your neck. serious side effects may happen in people who take victoza®,

including inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis), which may be fatal. stop taking victoza® and call your doctor right away if you have signs of pancreatitis, such as severe pain that will not go away in your abdomen or from your abdomen to your back, with or without vomiting. tell your doctor about all the medicines you take and if you have any medical conditions. taking victoza® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. the most common side effects are nausea, diarrhea, and headache. some side effects can lead to dehydration, which may cause kidney problems. if your pill isn't giving you the control you need ask your doctor about non-insulin victoza®. it's covered by most health plans. how old is the oldest person you've known? we gave people a sticker and had them show us. we learned a lot of us have known someone who's lived well into their 90s. and that's a great thing. but even though we're living longer, one thing that hasn't changed much is the official retirement age. ♪

the question is how do you make sure you have the money you need to enjoy all of these years. ♪ to enjoy all of these years. i was honored to serve as governor of virginia. we brought folks together in richmond to focus on creating jobs and getting results. that's the virginia way. and that's why i'm backing terry mcauliffe for governor. terry won't let ideological battles get in the way of making progress. terry will work with democrats, republicans, and independents to create jobs and move virginia forward. it's important for virginia that we elect terry mcauliffe as our governor. i'm terry mcauliffe, candidate for governor, and i sponsored this ad. perhaps your computer at home or work is like the ones we use here, one of the steam-powered models. have you asked yourself during this era of smartphones that respond to a wave of the hand or your fingerprint, why are we

still using control-alt-delete? the man who was present at the creation of control-alt-delete said it was a mistake. that man happens to be bill gates and he made the startling admission in a video for harvard university. >> we could have had a single button. the guy who did the ibm keyboard design didn't want to give us our single button. so we programmed it. it was a mistake. [ laughter ] >> blame him, bill gates in a recent friendly keyboard deposition. not everybody is a control-alt-delete critic. some defend it because so much happens automatically, you have to really want control-alt-delete. there is fresh reminder tonight that before there was a computer era, there were concerns over privacy. new evidence shows how the nsa targeted the overseas communications of prominent americans during the height of the vietnam war.

while they had no business doing it, that's never stopped this sort of thing. among those on the list, journalist tom wickers and art buckwald, muhammed ali, senator frank church and senator howard baker. not exactly enemies of democracy. the details of what was known as operation minaret back in the day were obtained through the free dom of information act. every baseball fan has an opinion of him. bud se lig will retire in 2015. his term has been marked by a number of challenges for baseball. among them, the scourge of performance enhancing drugs leaving so many of the modern era stats tainted. also innovations like wildcard playoffs and league expansion. he's 79, and 22 years on the job would be the second longest tenure ever. well, saturday night in canada briefly looked a lot like sunday morning. canadian mounted police dash cam video shows what it looked like

in northern alberta as a brilliant fireball lit up the night sky. spectacular site for those who were out and about around 9:30 at night. no damage, no impact site was found. when we come back here tonight an american original, truly. rosie the riveter, 93 years old and still going. [ all ] fort benning, georgia in 1999. [ male announcer ] usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation. because it offers a superior level of protection and because usaa's commitment to serve military members, veterans, and their families is without equal. begin your legacy, get an auto insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve. [ male announcer ] now, taking care of things at home is just a tap away. ♪

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to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than 4 hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or if you have any allergic reactions such as rash, hives, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing or swallowing, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about cialis for daily use and a 30-tablet free trial. where their electricity comes from. they flip the switch-- and the light comes on. it's our job to make sure that it does. using natural gas this power plant can produce enough energy for about 600,000 homes. generating electricity that's cleaner and reliable, with fewer emissions-- it matters. ♪

finally tonight rosie the riveter is not done yet. this rosie's name is elinor otto of long beach, california. at 93 she's doing the same work she started doing in 1942 as part of the rosie the riveter brigade of world war ii. she is something of a local legend now. the last of her era still on the job. if you need inspiration, here it is the. nbc's mike taibbi has her story. >> reporter: 5:00 in the morning, leaving for work. a short drive, a stop for coffee, a brief staff meeting. >> all right, everybody. let's hit it.

>> reporter: and then elinor otto, 93, is at her position at the boeing plant, driving in more of the 3,000 rivets in a wing section for a c-17 cargo plane. >> i'm a working person, i guess. i like to get up, get out of the house, get something accomplished during the day. not be put out in pasture. >> reporter: she's been doing it since 1942, starting at 65 cents an hour. one of thousands of american women who helped the war effort by joining the rosie the riveter brigades, memorialized in song. ♪ >> reporter: when the war ended the rosies disappeared. >> within days we were gone. >> reporter: elinor, a young beauty with a son in need of a paycheck tried office work and even car hopping before lucking out when the southern california aircraft industry still had a place for her. she's never left it, admired by co-workers like craig ryba.

>> she goes about her job like anybody else. >> reporter: and an answer to the questions even her boss don sometimes has on inevitable bad days. >> why am i slowing up? why am i at home? elinor is at work and elinor is 93 years old. >> reporter: the rosie the riveter "we can do it" motto was a theme for the women's movement and elinor likes that. is this appropriate work for a woman? >> what do you think? it's not? >> reporter: she's here mostly because there is nothing she would rather do. >> reporter: there is an old joke that despite the high cost of living it remains popular. elinor is a person who will do whatever it takes to feel alive. this does it for her -- showing up each day for a job she can still do, now at nearly $40 an hour, a worker happy among workers. >> thank you very much. >> reporter: for 70 years now. mike taibbi, nbc news, long beach, california. >> how about that? that's our broadcast on a thursday night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. we, of course, hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. we want to leave you with a beautiful picture we just

discovered going on washington, d.c. tonight, beautiful sunset. just yonder past the monument as captured by our camera

lights, camera, access. >> will you leave this earth as a never married woman? >> you good. >> you're going to love the answer as much as she loved the question. i'm billy bush. plus we've got major trasmcv talking between blake and keith. all access to miley taking a dive. and bieber faces t