iran is saying and doing. and what they have been doing for terrorist attacks. they're not under threat. srael is under threat. >> wait a minute [everyone talking at once] >> knocked off. >> who knocked offer the nuclear site iran? >> of course but why is that because they're trying to stop the development -- stalkarazzi trying. >> what are the odds. >> >>> when we come back, love and marriage! >>> issue two, brides no more! wedding ceremony, bridal music, smiling couples -- forget about it! today more and more americans are shunning marriage. the percentage of american adults married today is 51%. so says pew research center. that's the lowest rate of married adults ever recorded in any earlier pew polls, and it doesn't stop there. those americans who do marry are waiting longer before they say i do. in 2010, the marriage rate four americans age 25 to 34 was 44%. 50 years ago, 1960, 82% were married. so why is marriage becoming increasingly passe? item, divorces. the divorce rate in america has long been 50%, one out of two merges fails. item, economy. today americans wait until they hav

iran is saying and doing. and what they have been doing for terrorist attacks. they're not under threat. srael is under threat. >> wait a minute [everyone talking at once] >> knocked off. >> who knocked offer the nuclear site iran? >> of course but why is that because they're trying to stop the development -- stalkarazzi trying. >> what are the odds. >> >>> when we come back, love and marriage! people! look at you! texting...blogging... all this technology, but you're still banking like pilgrims! get high yield free checking at capital one bank. why earn bupkis, when your checking could earn five times the national average!! and free atms anywhere. five times the national average!!! that's new school banking. sign up for high yield free checking at a capital one bank. what's in your wallet? somebody help me down. >>> issue two, brides no more! wedding ceremony, bridal music, smiling couples -- forget about it! today more and more americans are shunning marriage. the percentage of american adults married today is 51%. so says pew research center. that's the lowest rate of married adults ev

at this point has no intention of attacking iran and it is genuinely concerned about an israeli attack on iran precisely because. the americans seem to have come to the conclusion that the purpose of an israeli attack on iran will not be to attempt to destroy the iranian nuclear program but rather to provoke an iranian american conflict armed conflict in other words if israel attacks iran it will be impossible for america not to become involved in this the seems to be a growing concern in washington particularly during an election year and perhaps one element of such statements is to try to forestall such a scenario but why is america concentrating on its naval power for the remaining coast to to try to the peacekeeper one war event to conflict well i'm not suggesting that the americans. don't have their own conflict with iran but i think . in terms of your specific question about an armed attack taking place in the spring there i don't think the american who don't know you may be right because because the iranians don't seem to be more worried about about this this naval activity of t

should you trying to they're not part of what the what they're not part of this discussion of attacking iran that's a very different part of very different arguments i'm sure to do and they know they are it's the conversation about iran's nuclear program you're the one saying there's not a problem the russian and chinese government's disagree with you they think there's a problem. here is these two friends we know at least only ever at the united nations security council discussed are going you know games are just need to rant in the not so once ever u.k. talking about there's no problem with the uranium nuclear program the russian and chinese government see a problem there's a reason why the international community as a whole sees a problem with the arena. nuclear program it has to do with the interest of the international community in stopping it but it is same time they're not promoting a war agenda against iran that's a very different conversation for if i may racial going to men going gender. we were talking about the ad and as an american citizen i would feel lists threatened if iran h

raising an unanswered question, are the warnings a prelude to an attack on iran or diplomatic strategy to avoid one? the talk of unilateral attack died down. although netanyahu's speech today was tough, it seemed more an appeal for help rather than a threat israel was getting ready to strike back. >> stephanie gosk rounding out our coverage from tel aviv, thanks. >>> in syria, there is a big cloud of smoke over the city of homs where we've seen one of the deadliest assaults in the ruling regime's crackdown on protestors. an oil pipeline caught fire after being ruptured. we were able to obtain a view from 500 miles up. there are conflicting reports about who is responsible, but is likely the result of almost constant bombardment in that area. >>> a lot of people woke up to the news of a horrendous tragedy in honduras today. nearly 300 people killed in a fire that swept through an aging prison, trapped with no y t.out. nbc's kerry sanders has our report with fair warning, parts of this are difficult. >> reporter: like trapped animals in cages, prisoners had no escape as the fire raced th

we know your concerns, but do not attack iran. the thing that netanyahu wants, john, is where israel has a powerful military, but they cannot take out these installations themselves. what will happen if -- what netanyahu wants bring the united states in, because what you have to take out is there any ship missiles or anti- aircraft or ire forces, navy, missiles, nuclear sites, and frankly i think in order to stop the long range nuclear program, you've got it take down the regime. and even we are not prepared to do that. >> eleanor. >> i agree with most of what pat just said. and i would commend you for that set-up because i think there's a lot of loose talk that makes it seems like too would be very easy for israel to undermine the nuclear -- >> as they did in syria. >> right, exactly. when the best case scenario is they would probably set it back maybe three to five years, and they would inflame the ordinary people there who see nuclear possession is their god given right. they would feel that way if they were assaulted from the

they should you try and when they're not part of the but they're not part of this discussion of attacking iran that's a very different part of very different from are sasha to do they know they are it's the conversation about iran's nuclear program you're the one you think there's not a problem the russian and chinese government's disagree with you they think there's a problem here. or is these two different we know it leave only ever at the united nations security council discussed are going just now if iran and the us once ever use a talking about there's no problem with the uranium nuclear program the russian and chinese government see a problem there's a reason why the international community as a whole sees a problem with the with iran. nuclear program it has to do with the interest of the international community in stopping perish but at the same time if you're not promoting war agenda against iran that's a very different conversation for if i may are usually going to go ahead and. we will talk about the end as american citizen i would feel lists that and if iran has a bomb then pakistan

israeli officials made it clear they believe iran orchestrated attacks against diplomats. the same bombs used in india and georgia were found in the bangkok apartmented rented by three iranians. tehran denied the accusations, even though officials vowed the aven avenge for the assassination of iran nuclear scientists, attacks it blames on israel. it is part of what many now call a covert war between the two countries, triggered by iran's nuclear ambitions. there is a heightened state of alert here in israel and israeli embassies around the world. the real concern is that softer targets could be hit, places like jewish centers and synagogues outside of the country. israel will likely not retaliate yet, said this terrorism expert. instead officials have issued this warning to tehran. >> you are exposed. we know you are responsible. we can take it for now, but we won't. >> reporter: it is just the latest warning in recent weeks. this was a publicized military exercise last month. israeli paratroopers simulated invading a country. are the warnings a prelude to an attack on iran

iran are in many people's minds much worse than the unintended consequences that could come from attacking iran if it refuses to have a diplomatic compromise but again patronize really. ok dad i was the guy was going to go to you because you know the iran certainly not a threat to the united states ok it's israel that wants the attack here so if if if the united states and israel are involved in attacking around how does that serve american foreign policy interests its geopolitical interests i see only downside ok go ahead. yeah this will not serve american interests and it is of great concern among american officials that israel will start war especially before the elections when this administration can do very little and then the united states will be in a position to ns a war will have nor as an option but to ends a war united states does not want to war start another war always another muslim country in the middle east and then instead of talking about war there are other options engaging here and accepting it's limited you shown and the doing business with your own concern again like any o

and britain are warning israel not to attack iran's nuclear facilities saying new sanctions need time to work to iran currently being visited by u.n. inspectors denies accusations it is developing atomic weapons but israel which also accuses tehran of attacking its diplomats abroad could now be on an unstoppable path to a military strike and that is an integral reports from television. that israel's leaders are actively drumming up their military rhetoric. iran is the biggest terror exporter in the world the israeli government and its security forces will continue to act forcefully systematically and calmly against international terrorism eating from iran. a potential israeli rocket clash looks more likely than ever there is speculation a preemptive strike against iran's nuclear sites could happen as early as spring or summer although that's not causing undue concern in israel i think possibly people you know they make their plans for a vacation you know pass or vacation summer vacation possibly people are beginning to have wondered well is there going to be a war is something going t

is trying to convince not to attack iran's nuclear site. israel believes iran is making significant steps to producing a nuclear bomb. the obama adminis saying that air strikes would only strengthen the regime in iran. >> reporter: the united states is genuinely concerned about that. many in the administration, many in the military are planning for this. they do not want israel to attack iran. but they're trying to prepare for that possibility, trying to see what the reaction would be around the world. >> the hope is to hold off any israeli attacks until the new t e est sanctions take effect. >>> in egypt, protesters battled police. they're angry over the soccer riots that killed over 70 people. two people were killed last night in clashes in a different city. >>> and a followup to the shutdown of the nuclear power plant in southern california. unusual wear has been found now on dozens of tubes that carry radio active water at the san onofre plant. the tubes are just over a year old. the disclosure comes two days after the officials had to s

. >>> plan of attack. iran lashes out after new indications israel could bomb its nuclear facilities and soon. richard engel reports from tel aviv as tensions reach a fever pitch. >>> super bowl security. with 48 hours to go, tonight an exclusive look at the massive challenge to keep the stadium secure. >>> and commercial appeal. some of the best ads have already gone viral as advertisers threw out the old playbook looking to score early. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >>> good evening. brian is off tonight. i'm lester holt. score another one for the power of social media, susan g. komen for the cure. the nation's largest breast cancer charity is the latest high-profile organization forced to beat a hasty retreat from an unpopular decision in the face of a twitter and facebook firestorm. in this case it was komen's decision to pull funding from its long-time women's health partner planned parenthood. though komen said it dropped planned parenthood because it was under g

iran's nuclear program could survive an attack, but israel said its survival is at stake and doesn't believe diplomacy and economic pressure can stop iran from going nuclear if it decides to. brian? >> all right. andrea, we'll stay on it. andrea mitchell in our d.c. newsroom. thanks. >>> we have an update on syria. the violent situation is rapidly deteriorating there. it continues to. there are growing concerns that outside players are trying to take advantage of it now and growing fears for a real bloodbath as president asad's regime now pushes back hard. we have seen it before. our chief foreign correspondent richard engel is on the border between syria and turkey. he was able to join us via a small portable satellite dish. good evening. >> reporter: good evening. the syrian opposition's immediate concern is a massacre in the city of homs which has been surrounded for over two weeks. it's been shelled from the outside. now the opposition worries that syrian troops will storm the center of the city. but the conflict in syria is no longer just a local affair. outside parties are becom

and britain have warned israel not to attack iran's nuclear facilities urging diplomacy instead attack iran currently being visited by u.n. inspectors denies accusations it's developing atomic weapons saying its program is peaceful but as artie's it in a goal scorer ports from tel aviv israel could now be on an all star have a two military strike. israel's leaders are actively drumming up the military rhetoric. home this is really government will continue to work hand in hand with the local security forces against such acts of terror and will continue to act against them forcefully systematically and calmly against international terror originating from iran. goob a potential israeli rocket clash looks more likely than ever there is speculation a preemptive strike against iran's nuclear sites could happen as early as spring or summer although that's not causing undue concern in israel i think possibly people you know they make their plans for a vacation you know pass or a vacation summer vacation possibly people are beginning to wonder well is there going to be a war is something going

you trying to they're not part of their game but the but they're not part of this discussion of attacking iran that's a very different part of a very different outcome or sasha to do and they know they are it's the conversation about iran's nuclear program you're the one you think there's not a problem the russian and chinese government's disagree with you they think there's a problem here. or is it too frayed we know you've only ever at the united nations security council discussed going you know games are just now he's already in the us and once ever u.k. talking about there's no problem with the iranian nuclear program the russian and chinese government see a problem there's a reason why the international community as a whole sees a problem with the arena. the kind of program that has to do with the interest of the international community in stopping it but at the same time they're not promoting a war agenda against iran that's a very different conversation for a primary racial we're going to be men are going. we are talking about the end as an american citizen and i would feel this if we a

hitting sites in syria but with iran's nuclear program things may not be so simple if if israel attacks iran it will not stop iran forever from getting nuclear weapons the only postpone it for a relatively brief amount of time the the installations are too diverse and far flung to destroy a fact of fully israel does not have us support the white house secretary adviser was in israel over the weekend warning against a move on iran saying it was better to wait for tougher sanctions to take effect in the coming months but mines male ready be made up i think one of the things to create this aura of inevitability is to shut them up to shut up opposition at home and of course to convince the united states and europe that this is an inevitability it's going to happen don't oppose it in fact why don't you help us out there is a question mark however over whether israel has what it takes to carry out the mission our dog with the we have the capability. of creating the images to the extent of the mediating the program and even if israel's military prowess will allow it to carry out a strike on undergr

tom donaldan is telling benjamin netanyahu not to attack iran. for the second time this month u.n. nuclear inspectors are in iran. >> we hope to have good days in tehran. >> reporter: the pentagon is saying what the generals are telling israel. >> a strike at this time would be destabilizing and wouldn't achieve their long-term objectives. we are of the opinion that the iranian regime is a national actor. for that reason, i think we think the current path we are on is the most prudent path at this point. >> reporter: prime minister netanyahu and president obama who have had a bumpy relationship will meet again at the white house in two weeks. >> it is clear the administration doesn't want to see military action. better not risk the consequences of this action when there is still time to allow these pressures to build and to persuade the iranians not to weap weaponize. >> reporter: how would they strike? there are three routes. the least likely is through turkey or israeli jets could fly south over saudi arabia, but it wouldn't be quick or easy. israel would have to fly 1,000 miles c

attacks iran's nuclear facilities. we are just getting new reaction to all of this from the white house. steve centanni has that. >> reporter: this latest threat from iran came through reuters from the iranian ambassador to moscow. at the white house the president's press secretary was asked about this threatening statement and here's what he had to say. >> rest assured, we are extremely confident in our

general burgess, in view of the intelligence community, has israel decided to attack iran? >> sir, to the best of our knowledge israel has not decided to attack iran. >> i was concerned as i indicated in my opening statement, director clapper, by recent news reports that the latest nukz assessment reflects aa dirch of views between our intelligence community and commanders over the security situation in afghanistan and i made reference to who signed up to that difference of views, including general allen, ambassador crocker -- not including. these are the ones that signed the difference. general allen, baambassador crocker, general mat tess and admiral rivas. can you tell us whether those news reports are accurate there's a difference in views on it that matter? >> without going into the specifics of classified national intelligence estimates, i can certainly confirm that they took issue with the nie on three counts having to do with the assumptions made about poor structure. didn't feel that we gave sufficient weight to pakistan and its impact as a safe haven, and generall

an article in last sunday's "the new york times" said israel is very likely to attack iran before the end of the year. during the latest talks with the u.s., japan maintained its request that japanese banks be excerpt from penalties related to new sanctions against iran. japanese delegates met with u.s. officials on washington on thursday following the january talks in tokyo. the japanese side again requested exemptions for its banks citing reduced crude oil imports from iran. u.s. officials explained about the implementation of the sanctions. the u.s. state department said the two governments held constructive talks on implementing new sanctions against iran in another meeting to follow soon. japanese foreign minister began by refraining from clarifying details of the latest proposal. >> translator: it's important for the international community to coordinate efforts and share its concerns about iran's nuclear development. we had detailed discussions on the key issues including application of the exemptions. the talks have significantly progressed. >> he said the two nations are very

the latest edition of "the washington post" says that panetta believes israel may attack iran in april, may or june. israel fears that iran will have stored enough enriched uranium to deep underground facilities to make a weapon very soon. the report indicates israel told the u.s. government that fighting may be limited in length and scale waged for about five days on limited targets. "the washington post" says the u.s. government is discussing how to deal with the israeli plan. the u.s. secretary of defense told reporters he had no comment on the report. an article in last sunday's "the new york times" also said israel is very likely to attack iran before the end of the year. during the latest talks with the u.s., japan maintained its request that japanese banks be exempt from penalties related to new sanctions against iran. japanese delegates met with u.s. officials in washington following the jaary talks in tokyo. the japanese side again requested exemptions for its banks citing reduced crude oil imports from iran. u.s. officials explained about implementation of the sanctions. afte

there are concerns about the political fallout if israel should attack iran. lear weapon. remember in 2008 the hillary clinton ad on the 3:00 a.m. phone call in the white house suggesting a global crisis? >> it many 3:00 a.m. and your children are safe and sea sleep. but there is a phone in the white house and it's ringing. something is happening in the world. your vote will decide who answers that call. whether it's someone who knows the military and world leaders, someone tested. it's 3:00 a.m. and your children are safe asleep. who do you want answer that phone. megyn: that phone could start ringing any time now. chris, that hillary clinton ad got so much attention about the 3:00 a.m. phone call it's no joke. the financial times had an article suggesting some white house officials have referred to 2012 as the year of iran. it was suppose to be dominated by the economy. it may be the year obama takes the 3:00 a.m. phone call. this is not on a national security issue but it's a political issue for him as well. >> it's huge. and there is opportunity, politicall

we discussed concerns that israel will attack iran as early as this spring to stop its nuclear programdevelop a nuclear bomb. usual officials say leon panetta believe there's a greater than 50% chance of such an take. israeli minister said the window for such an attack will close this year. because the crucial parts of iran's nuclear program will be too far under ground for an effective mission. what does your gut tell you? would you support israel striking iran in the next few months to stop progress on irans nuclear program. go to facebook.com/newsnation to cast your vote. we have received several treats regarding the question before we read you the story. august spy says i do not support any u.s. involvement in helping israel wage war on iran. another viewer writes, we are digging out of global recession and drawing down from wars. we don't fleneed to be involved another one. we greatly appreciate you always sending us tweets and going on our facebook page. take a look at yesterday's gut check. will donald trump's endorsement have any impact on romney's impact? 9% say yes. 91% say n

iran. his ominous statement that maybe they'll attack. here's what everybody needs to remember. this point this is just talk. it's rhetoric. it's talk between free countries, the u.s., israel and iran, that have done a lot of talking aimed at one another for decades as you mentioned, sometimes contradictory. the talk is part of the gamesmanship and posturing going on for a long time. at this point there is no concrete evidence beyond rhetoric that the leaders of israel have decided to attack iran. what we do know is that they're concerned about iran's nuclear program and they want to stop it. nobody knows what they've actually decided to do at this point. a lot of people eager this morning to hear what iran supreme leader khamenei has to say. when you look at the speech closely he didn't make threats against the u.s. or israel but said there would be retaliation. >> he was stopping short and i think that's critical for everybody watching all the saber rattling going on and to that point, reza, we're getting information saying there is unconfirmed reports that iranian agents now

military intervention attack and iran i mean it seems like they're being a lot of the from the united states i mean i can guarantee you with almost certainty that the united states is not going to take the initiative to attack iran the question is what would happen if israel attacked and what i'm hearing is that the u.s. military is very determined that the u.s. response immediately should be to call for a cease fire not to intervene not to start their own war against iran but to call for cease fire i think that's quite credible right law enforcement going to leave it there but quite interesting discussion especially in light of all of this again amped up rhetoric wherever you turn so thank you very much for shedding some balanced light on this issue and that was gareth porter investigative journalist and historian. well from the drumbeat to war with iran using that phrase again to the escalating civil war in syria president bashar al assad has ordered a referendum on a new constitution to be held in eleven days at least according to that country's state run news agency that the move

unless iran was attacked. that it is a blutch. unless -- it is a bluff. unless iran is attacked by israel and will not mine the strait because it would be really suicidal. >> what are the prospects for that? for the possibility of israel attacking iran? and sort of what's the u.s. thinking of what this country's response would be? >> you heard quotes from the defense secretary who did not deny those quotes in "the washington post." saying that he thought that israel would attack iran in the coming months. now, there are things that the iranians might be able to do to avoid that. but it is looking fairly likely that that could happen in the next six months. the israelis see a threat that we don't. we feel we have time. the israelis don't feel that they have that time. they're in that very bad neighborhood. they feel threatened by the nuclear program. and they don't want that to cross a red line where even if they tried to take it out, it wouldn't do it. gwen: are sanctions enough to make israel step back for a moment on this? >> not unless they see absolute