dr. nancy snyderman has some answers. dr. nancy snyderman has some answers. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >>> good evening. this has been a day of attempted damage control at the white house. as the obama administration is now facing a rare confluence of problems right now. a very imperfect storm of three big problems all at the same time. you've got the federal government going after reporters' phone records, the irs targeting certain people and groups because of their conservative politics, and there is always what went on during and after the attack on our consulate in benghazi in libya on september 11th of this past year. in the way only the white house can try to do to move the news agenda with the release of information, release they did. earlier today a slew of e-mails on one of these topics from the height of the benghazi drama while the president emerged late today to take on one of the other troubles -- this one involving the irs. for his part he announced the departure of the boss, the acting irs commissioner. here's part of the pre

dr. nancy snyderman, nbc news, new york. >>> in just a moment, a voice of experience. the president speaking personally about race and responsibility. >>> at his commencement speech at morehouse college in atlanta today, president obama paid tribute to the alma mater of the reverend dr. martin luther king jr. the president spoke in very personal terms tying dr. king's journey to his own struggles growing up. >> we know that too many young men in our community continue to make bad choices and i have to say, growing up, i made quite a few myself. sometimes i wrote off my own failings as just another example of the world trying to keep a black man down. i had a tendency sometimes to make excuses for me not doing the right thing. but one of the things that all of you have learned over the last four years is there's no longer any room for excuses. be the best husband to your wife, or your boyfriend or your partner. be the best father you can be to your children. because nothing's more important. whatever success i have achieved, whatever positions of leadership i have held,

dr. nancy snyderman has our report. >> reporter: for ed and caroline marx, getting pregnant wasn't as easy as they had hoped. >> we knew we wanted to settle down in the midwest and raise a family. >> reporter: they turned to this cleveland clinic for in vitro fertilization. they were among the first to use a remarkable new technology called an embryoscope that allows researchers to monitor the development of fertilized eggs around the clock. >> the embryo is dynamic. it changes all the time. so there is a lot going on behind the scenes. if you had a single static observation per day you would miss it. >> reporter: it takes constant high resolution pictures for almost a real-time look at the cells as they divide and grow allowing doctors to see which embryos might have the best chance of becoming healthy babies. today's news from a clinic in england that reported dramatic results might bring even more hope to families trying to have children. the study says the new imaging technique used could raise live birthrates by 50% or more by taking thousands of digital pictures from the moment of fe

dr. nancy snyderman, nbc news, birmingham, alabama. >>> and we're back in a moment with a trip around the world and some jaw-dropping images from above. >>> the tesla model s electric car has received a score as high as any given out to any car in the history of consumer reports. it scored 99 out of 100. that is virtually unheard of. the tesla is fast, sleek, quiet, uses no gas, but it's way too pricey for the average car-buyer. the model tested, just under $90,000. >>> new numbers on memory loss raising concerns of a full-blown alzheimer's crisis for the generation now entering middle age. one in eight americans over 60 now report increasing memory loss. this raises concerns that a crisis may be coming. it is the first ever self-reported measurement by the cdc. almost half of the memory loss group says it's interfering now with life or work. >>> tonight we have a special and highly unusual view of our own planet. it's from a team of scientists specializing in imaging who, along with some journalists, have given us a first-of-its-kind view of how we have changed over the years. we get our

dr. nancy snyderman with our report tonight. nancy, thanks. >>> the fight over guns took center stage in texas today as the national rifle association opened up its annual convention. gun rights group has, of course, been at the center of the debate. the failed vote on background checks in the senate and the gathering was fired up as it got under way today. gabe gutierrez is following the story in houston. >> reporter: today in texas, a show of strength. >> keep the faith. stand up and fight for our freedoms. >> reporter: sarah palin energizing the nra's annual meeting, possibly its largest ever. it is expected to draw more than 70,000 gun enthusiasts throughout the weekend. martin and donna baker joined the nra this year. >> second amendment needs all the support it can get right now. >> reporter: after the mass shootings in aurora and newtown, the nra's critics had momentum until two weeks ago. >> this was a pretty shameful day for washington. >> reporter: when a bill aimed at expanding background checks for commercial gun sal

dr. nancy snyderman has more tonight. >> excellent. hurry. >> reporter: kim was 32 and ready to go to work when she lost feeling in her arm. >> i could tell something was wrong and in that same instance, i was not able to, not able to speak. >> i love you. >> reporter: a pediatric nurse and mother of two was having a stroke. most likely the result of a heart defect she was born with. >> i was so afraid i was never going to be able to tell my family i love them. >> reporter: a recent study in the journal "neurology" found the proportion of young people who are having strokes increased from one in eight stroke patients in the mid '90s to one in five in just over a decade. and they're three times more likely to die within 20 years than people who haven't had them. paul was 28 when he had a stroke. he exercised regularly, but was overweight. >> i was 5'11 inches and 235 pounds. >> reporter: and without knowing it, he was prediabetic, had high blood pressure, and cholesterol. and a predisposition to clotting, factors that likely led to his

dr. nancy snyderman. >> reporter: it is a stunning announcement by one of hollywood's most glamorous leading ladies. oscar winning actress angelina jolie disclosed in today's "new york times" that she had a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery earlier this year, a decision prompted by family history and genetic testing. jolie wrote, "i carry a faulty gene, brca1 which sharply increases my risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer. i decided to be proactive and to minimize the risk as much as i could." the decision, she says was influenced by the death of her own mother, marcheline bertrand, who fought ovarian cancer for ten years and died at the age of 56. 37-year-old jolie and her partner, actor brad pitt have six children. she says she can now assure the family it is unlikely they will lose her to the disease. >> good job, worker. >> reporter: pregnant mother of two, gabriele brett of cleveland made a similar choice. she also had the brca1 gene mutation and underwent a double mastectomy before starting a family. >> being pregnant and not have to worry about getting diagno

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dr. nancy snyderman has some answers. "nightly news" begins now.

dr. nancy snyderman and radio talk show host diane smith who all about brated with me on my new book "obsessedgment, nancy. >> thanks. this is sort of interesting for me because as someone who normally interviews people have a new friend and old friend and three women who have struggled with food, i usually don't have that. i want to know about your personal relationship. this is a friendship has spanned more than a decade. >> that is actually what sparked this because we kind of realized that even though we had shared everything for 15 years, i had my second child, diane came to the hospital and helped me have her. we even had a baby together. you know, we hadn't talked about what was happening with our bodies and the issue of diane gaining a lot of weight and mine always being so skinny and looking to easy. >> you guys are really sort of book ends for the problem and i think a part of that is women and food and america's obsession with food and -- >> and the friction between us. >> i've been fat. i weighed 200 pounds at one point. >> you're in the book. >> how much? >> 200 pounds. >> it's an

dr. nancy snyderman says plan b is medically safe. >> may prevent pregnancy but does not do anything for stds, hiv, herpes. is it safe? as a doctor i have to say yes, it is. >> all age restrictions are lifted. the justice department is deciding whether to appeal the ruling. >>> rhode island is closer to becoming the next state to recognize same-sex marriage. state house is expected to take a final vote on that measure tomorrow. yesterday a panel approved the measure allowing the vote. state senate passed its own measure last week. right now nine states, including maryland, recognize same-sex marriage and it is also legal in the district of columbia. >>> how much did this week's announcement by nba player jason collins help others struggling with the decision whether to come out? dr. joshua weiner with us this morning. point blank, he said never intended to be the first sports star to announce he's gay but when he looked around no one else was raising their hands. >> absolutely. i give this guy tons of credit. he is not the first professional athlete to come out and say they are gay. we h

dr. nancy snyderman, to be tested for this can be very expensive.i think the important thing is not just deciding on your own to get the test. speak to physicians and gather information. insurance companies do cover the testing if it's appropriate. there are genetic services that exist. you can learn more about it by speaking to someone. >> let's talk about the procedure. she was quite open in this piece and gave a lot of detail and said this was a three month process of surgeries for her. is that typical? >> that is typical. it's really important to emphasize, this is not as easy as some of the cosmetic breast procedures done. this is truly a multi-step procedure and there are implications of that multi-step procedure. >> there have been great advances in terms of breast reconstruction. that's one of the brighter pieces of this. >> she makes a good point in talking about the fact in many instances we can even spare the nipple these days and newer implants available. the discussion has to center around not only what we can do but also some of the em

dr. nancy snyderman thank you so much.lahoma, which has seen so much tragedy this morning. we'll have a lot more of our coverage live it is 8:26. i'm laura garcia-cannon. a rash of violent crime in east palo alto prompting the chief to declare a crime emergency. on sunday night a 16-year-old boy was shot and killed, two other teens were hurt. police say that attack, one of more than 50 firemen assaults since january. starting today east palo alto police department will be under a crime emergency allowing the department to cancel days off and make patrol changes. the crime emergency will last 30 days. >>> check the morning commute with mike. how is it looking out there? >> we're looking all right as far as the flow of traffic. tuesday, heavy flow westbound across the san mateo bridge. over the last 15 minutes i saw trafficost come to a complete stop won again, then started flowing smoothly again. no crashes on the span itself. you saw the sign light up, talking about high winds. you do see on the peninsula side road weather

dr. nancy snyderman, good morning. >> an emergency contraception known as plan b one-step because it's one pill. until for you it's been available to women 17 and over but this moefr because of yesterday's decision by the fda the age restriction is being changed to 15 and bei ining movo over the counter. beginning this morning it will appear at retail outlet with a label that says, not for sale under 15 years of age. the age restriction two years younger than it had been. the pill's manufacturer teva manufacturing called it a significant milestone for women. but lowering the age restriction is likely to dramatically raise the level of controversy, especially among parents and teens. >> i think the parents should know about -- if they're going to take some kind of pill like that. >> i would want my child to speak with me, but not all families are the same. >> reporter: fda commissioner said in a statement the data reviewed by the agency demonstrated that women 15 years of age and older were able to understand how plan b one-step works and how to use it properly. the groups opposed to loweri

dr. nancy snyderman is here with a look at an innovative program. >> i hear from medical school professorsn arizona is trying to change that by offering a first of its kind class for young medical students in a place you just wouldn't expect. >> nice to meet you. >> reporter: dr. alan hamilton isn't your typical neurosurgeon. after mentoring young physicians for 25 years he's come to believe that the needed medicine is not another technological advance but a return to the basic principle of communication so instead of just teaching students in a hospital, he brings some here. >> breathe and relax. >> to a corral. how does the professor of neurosurgery end up with two horses? >> i moved out here specifically to do neurosurgery by day and horses by night. we're going to find a place to introduce ourselves where it's safe. >> reporter: he's pioneered a unique class for first year medical students at the university of arizona medical center teaching every kind of skill they would need to approach a patient but in this class, the patient is a horse. >> i put my arm around him like this so the w