brian. >> anne thompson on this still unfolding story off the coast of scotland, anne, thanks. >>> in cuba today, on the final day of the pope's visit, an historic mass. in havana's revolution square. nbc news chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell is there and has our report. >> in an unusual homily with a sharp political edge in a square that symbolizes cuba's communist revolution, pope benedict criticized the castro regime to its face with raul castro front and center, the pontiff called for religious freedom. he preached cuba and the world need change, but this will occur only if each one is in the position to seek the truth. and he called for free thoughts, respect for human dignity, and more freedom for the church, including the right to religious schools. after specifically asking raul castro to make good friday a national holiday. although hundreds of thousands attended, starting out in a procession before dawn, the pope did not meet with dissidents. disappointing human rights groups who fear that prominent activists known as the ladies in white, last seen in chur

anne thompson, nbc news, wolfpoint, montana. >>> that's our thursday night broadcast. 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. >>> good evening, ev. i'm jessica aguirre. >> and i'm raj mathieu. it's been called the smoking gun in the east bay. undercover videos that shows a drug deal between an undercover investigator and

we get the latest from nbc's anne thompson. >> reporter: today rush limbaugh did not back down. >> what can i do to the women of america? >> thank you for calling this hearing. >> reporter: his comments from sandra fluke set off a firestorm. she is the georgetown law student prohibited from testifying before congressional committee in support of government-mandated contraceptive coverage. limbaugh wednesday. >> what does it say about the college co-ed susan fluke who goes from a congressional committee and says she must be paid to have sex, what does that make her? it makes her a slut, right? a prostitute. >> reporter: then thursday. >> if we are going to pay for your contraceptives and thus pay for you to have sex, we want something for it. i'll tell you what it is. we want you to post the videos online so we can all watch. >> reporter: his comments got women talking. >> i think that he should apologize to every female in america for that comment. >> i don't equate taking birth control with being a prostitute. >> reporter: the anger transcends political line. in a piece for this weeken

anne thompson, nbc news, new york. >>> a new time frame for a very well known medical test for women. >>> now to the health news story tonight. it's big news to a lot of women, specifically new guidelines for one of the most common best-known and most critical medical test, the pap smear. our chief science correspondent robert bazell has details for us. >> reporter: the pap test is the most successful cancer screening tool ever. it detects abnormal cervical cells that can be removed easily before they become cancer. the new recommendations from the u.s. preventive services task force say under most circumstances, women aged 21 to 65 need to test only once every three years. that goes up to five years if the woman gets a new test that also checks for hpv, the virus that causes cervical cancer. in countries where the test has been used widely since it became available in the 1940s, the incidents and death rate from cervical cancer has fallen as much as 80%. experts decided women need to get the test more often if they had a suspect test in the past. they need to talk to their doctors ab

we want to begin our reporting on this friday night with nbc's ann thompson. >> the encouraging trend is you powered by computer businesses across the country. computer design firms, adding 10,000 jobs. manufacturers, 31,000. restaurants and bars, 41,000 and temporary help services, 45,000. >> hi, i'm will. >> enticing more americans to look for work. >> are american businesses becoming more confident? >> yes, that does seem to be happening, both businesses and consumers are expressing greater optimism that some of the worst is behind us and this recovery is on stronger legs. >> adam lapsovich is very positive. >> i'm comfortable with spending money because we have the money coming in which is a nice thing. >> like almost half of small businesses, his video business saw growth in the past year. he bought furniture, hired contractors and two full-time workers. >> i still need more people. >> what are the potholes in the road to recovery? >> the biggest pothole we're focused on is rising gas prices. wages aren't very strong and so consumers can't bear the higher gas prices and they have

anne thompson, nbc news, lincoln, nebraska. >> great story. we'll put more information on our website tonight. that's our broadcast for this thursday night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening for the friday edition. here tomorrow evening for the friday edition. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> good evening, and thanks for joining us. i'm raj mathai. >> i'm jessica aguirre. he's been doing a lot of public talking. wesley shermantine's revelations have led to bodies, it's led to pain for people he's touched.

we get details on this tonight from nbc's anne thompson. >> reporter: this debate is marked by powerful images. the all-male panel at a congressional hearing on contraception coverage. >> thank you very calling this hearing on women's health. >> reporter: sandra fluke, the 23-year-old georgetown law student, prohibited from testifying. and now incendiary words from one of the loudest voices in the conservative movement, radio host rush limbaugh. >> miss fluke, and the rest of you feminazis, here's the deal, if we are going to pay for your contraceptives and, thus, pay for you to have sex, we want something for it. and i'll tell you what it is. we want you to post the videos online so we can all watch. >> reporter: in 2012, the personal is political. what began as a debate over religious freedom has evolved into what some call a war on women. >> it's certainly an attack, i think, on a lot of levels. rights that women felt were settled, i think, for nearly a generation have suddenly become contested again. >> no doubt there are better ways or other ways that one might have phrased it. but

anne thompson, nbc news, new york. >>> up next here tonight, news for parents whose kids play contact sports. bay area ! here's big news from verizon wireless and xfinity from comcast. now get the xfinity triple play and verizon wireless together. call 855-704-7400 to sign up and get a free smartphone. choose one of our hottest phones. verizon wireless and xfinity. tv, home phone, internet and wireless together. >>> the nfl is dealing with an unfolding scandal. coaches who paid bonuses to players to injure their opponents. it's been called pay for pain. in plain english, it's a bounty system. and in truth, this kind of thing has gone on in one form or another at all levels of football for a long time. league officials met today with former new orleans saints defensive coordinator greg williams who arranged cash bonuses. the league is expected to investigate the saints' past three seasons. punishment could include fines, suspensions and lost draft picks. this is just getting started. this news comes on a day when we learn that even mild concussions in children, mostly sustained during

anne thompson, nbc news, new york. >>> up next here tonight, news for parents whose kids play contactorts. [ nadine ] buzzzz, bzzzz, bzzzz, bzzzz, you know, typical alarm clock. i am so glad to get rid of it. just to be able to wake up in the morning on your own. that's a big accomplishment to me. i don't know how much money i need. but i know that whatever i have that's what i'm going to live within. ♪ ♪ i've been so looking forward to this. when my asthma symptoms returned, my doctor prescribed dulera to help prevent them. [ male announcer ] dulera is for patients 12 and older whose asthma is not well controlled on a long-term asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid. dulera will not replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. dulera helps significantly improve lung function. this was shown over a 6 month clinical study. dulera contains formoterol, which increases the risk of death from asthma problems and may increase the risk of hospitalization in children and adolescents. dulera is not for people whose asthma is well controlled with a long-term asthma control med

anne thompson, nbc news, wolfpoint, montana. >>> that's our thursday night broadcast. you for being here with us. i'm brian williams, and of course, we hope to see you right back here tomorrow

anne thompson, nbc news, lincoln, nebraska. >> great story.more information on our website tonight. that's our broadcast for this thursday night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening for the friday edition. here tomorrow evening for the friday edition. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com -- www.vitac.com

anne thompson, nbc news, new york. >>> a new time frame for a very well known medical test for women.ime frame for a very well known medical test for women. i love that my daughter's part fish. but when she got asthma, all i could do was worry ! specialists, lots of doctors, lots of advice... and my hands were full. i couldn't sort through it all. with unitedhealthcare, it's different. we have access to great specialists, and our pediatrician gets all the information. everyone works as a team. and i only need to talk to one person about her care. we're more than 78,000 people looking out for 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. the calcium they take because they don't take it with food. switch to citracal maximum plus d. it's the only calcium supplement that can be taken with or without food. that's why my doctor recommends citracal maximum. it's all about absorption. [ female announcer ] if you have rheumatoid arthritis, can you start the day the way you want? can orencia help? [ woman ] i wanted to get up when i was ready, not my joints. [ female announc

nbc news chief environmental affairs correspondent, ann thompson, is live in scotland with the latestoing on, ann? >> mandy, about 150 miles from here totale says it thinks it knows the source of the leak on the platform. they say it's actually coming from about 2.5 miles beneath the ocean floor. and then it's making its way up to the platform. the leak itself is actually on the platform. it is not the gas -- the gas is not bubbling up through the sea. but it is leaking from the platform in the shape of a plume, they say. above that platform some 500 feet is a flare that is still burning. and all of that is creating a very serious situation. totale is pursuing two tracks to try to figure out how to stop this leak. first of all it's considering sending a kill team of professionals to the well site and capping that leak. that's dangerous because the gas while it's not toxic, it is explosive. the second option is a relief well and that could take up to six months, a very long time, mandy. >> ouch. hope they manage to contain it. thank you very much, anne, thompson. americans are gobbling

our chief environmental affairs correspondent anne thompson who spent so much time covering the story, is with us tonight. good evening. >> good evening. this comes from louisiana and it's not good news. federal scientists say the dolphin population there is severely ill compared to dolphins elsewhere in the gulf of mexico, and their health problems are consistent with exposure to oil. you'll remember the bay was one of the areas hit hardest and longest by the bp spill. we went out with scientists last summer when they conducted their tests on the dolphins. a total of 32 were examined, and the most pervasive problem they found were abnormally low levels of two hormones. that can lead to weight loss, heart and kidney failure, and ultimately death. several of the dolphins were underweight and one washed up dead in january showing severe signed of malnutrition. ultra sounds showed moderate to severe lung disease. they won't fill with air properly, the scientifics say. and several had liver disease, which is found in studies in animals ingesting oil. >> beyond heartbreaking to watch. you

the story from nbc's anne thompson. >> reporter: rush limbaugh's verbal attack of georgetown law school student -- >> it means you're a slut, right? a prostitute? >> reporter: for speaking in support of government mandated contraception coverage. >> if we are going to pay for your contraceptives and, thus, pay for to you have sex, we want something for it. and i'll tell you what it is. we want you to post the videos online so we can all watch. >> reporter: those attacks created the expected headline-grabbing controversy. and now an unexpected apology. in a statement late saturday afternoon, the controversial radio host wrote, i chose the wrong words in my analogy of the situation. i did not mean a personal attack on ms. fluke. the apology came after sponsors legal zoom, quicken loan, sleep train and sleep number pulled their ads from limbaugh's show. president obama called fluke to express his support. >> he expressed his concern for me and his disapproval of this type of discourse. >> reporter: in his apology, limbaugh makes clear he does not agree with fluke on the issue of contracept

our chief environmental affairs correspondent anne thompson has details. >> reporter: good evening. the proposed settlement involves up to 120,000 shrimpers, oystermen, business owners and individuals all impacted by the oil spill. b.p. estimates it will pay $7.8 billion to settle their claims which fall into two categories -- economic losses and medical claims. $2.3 billion is set aside to pay for the seafood industry losses alone. the settlement will put current claims administrator ken feinberg out of a job. a new administrator will be appointed by the court. feinberg has been accused of some of being stingy in his assessment of the losses. under the proposal, b.p. does not admit any liability. b.p. does not settle the civil claims filed by the federal government or the states of louisiana and alabama. lester? >> all right, thanks. >>> also tonight, there's a brewing scandal involving the nfl's new orleans saints. the league says saints players maintained a bounty program over the last three seasons involving payments for players who targeted opponents with the aim of injuring th

anne thompson, nbc news, new york. >> it is 10:08 right now. twist in the lawsuit filed by a banished "desperate housewife." the real life drama playing out in the courtroom. >> it isn't just thieves looking >>> welcome back. nicollette sheridan must wait for a jury's drama to play out before hearing the verdict in her wrongful termination case. a judge ordered the jury to keep deliberating even though jurors say they hopelessly are deadlocked. the panel went home friday after reaching the impasse. the group is considering if sheridan was wrongfully terminated after complaining the series creator struck her. cherry and abc have denied any wrongdoing. both say they cut sheridan's role four months before the onset dispute. >>> there are people out there that are eyeing the electronics that are in your car. not necessarily who you think. metro transit police is looking for drivers who leave hot items visible in their cars. items like laptops and cell phones. it's all part of the metro's latest crime crackdown that also holds you accountable. news4

our report from anne thompson. >> reporter: for the first time in more than a century, a herd of yellowstone are home on montana's range. 58 animals, descendants of the millions nearly slaughters to extinction in the late 1800s, now caught between two visions of the west, the endless lanld landscape as it was. the bison arrived this week in the dark, welcomed with a sacred song to the canadian border. for tommy christian, the bison are his heritage. >> how we refer to ourselves as the buffalo people. >> historically, the bison provided food, clothing, and medicine. today, christian says they offer a cultural connection young members need. >> there's hope they'll understand just because we're different doesn't mean we're wrong. >> these links to the past are very much a threat to the present day people in montana who also make their living off the land. the bison were moved to a larger pasture, but will remain behind a eight-foot fence. that's not enough for rose, who along with her daughter and other ranchers are suing the state to prevent from becoming a wild herd. >> we propose for them to

anne thompson has more. >> reporter: it's been a whacky and unpredictable winter. much snow and cold in the u.s. in march alone, more than 6,000 highs broken. snow blankets in february and arctic blasts killing hurrica i. but elsewhere, people are relishing spring fever, including here in scotland, where the daffodils are out early. and so are the beachgoers. with the thermometer climbing to 74 when it should hover around 50. perfect weather to stretch the legs. >> this time of year, it's usually pretty stormy. luckically for me, it's my long weekend. >> reporter: but scientists say ping-ponging between extremes may be a bigger problem. >> the warming we've seen actually increases the chances, kind of loads the dice, that we're going to see these kinds of events more often. >> reporter: dr. david easterling is a co-author of a united nations report out this week that points to climate change as leading to extreme weather events since 1950. >> the unusually warm days and nights, you can begin making that link between climate change and those events. >> reporter: the

anne arundel been executive has indicted on multiple counts of misconduct. used details he own political game and escort him with sexual ncourpts with a county employee. raided the homes and offices of jeffery thompsoniated with local district.in the e part of an investigation. riders will run into delays on three rail lines this weekend. e buses replacing trains on the red line and sharing a track on parts of the blue and orange line. with more in our forecast. on to your umbrella for couple of hours but things will be improving. it's raining here in washington. fog and mist of out there. the good news temperatures mild. hundredth of an inch fallen since going to nd that is end. making its way. to get a little afternoon before and the t stalls clouds come back. serious weather continues be to our south. you can see a ragged line of showers. today. on we should top out about 61. nice mild day out there. but the latter part not so great. upper 40's. in the t looks like back to the 60s by mid week. >> thank you for watching. we hope you have a great day.