michael isakoff, nbc news, washington. >>> mexico, itself, is in the news. that country is counting down to its presidential election. this sunday the race is being closely watched on both sides of the border for what it could mean for the war on drugs, a fight the next president could fight very differently. our team in mexico will be covering the story throughout the weekend. >>> up next this evening we are learning the price that will be paid by those middle school bullies on the bus. >>> middle school students caught on video taunting their bus monitor have been suspended from school for one year. the woman's name is karen klein. she is a grandmother of eight. when the video went viral complete strangers donated a total of almost $700,000. >>> nbc news announced today savannah guthrie will take her place alongside matt lauer every morning on "today." savannah is a former white house correspondent. she is currently and will remain our chief legal correspondent. in fact, she is the first lawyer ever to cohost america's favorite morning program. she calls t

michael isakoff, nbc news, washington. >>> mexico, itself, is in the news.hat country is counting down to its presidential election. this sunday the race is being closely watched on both sides of the border for what it could mean for the war on drugs, a fight the next president could fight very differently. our team in mexico will be covering the story throughout the weekend. >>> up next this evening we are learning the price that will be paid by those middle school bullies on the bus. [ male announcer ] it isn't just your mammogram. it's your teenager's first varsity game. it isn't just your annual exam. it's your daughter's wedding. did you know with your health insurance you may now have some preventive benefits with no co-pays or out-of-pocket costs? it isn't just your cholesterol screening. it's all the tomorrows you're looking forward to. learn more at healthcare.gov. it's all the tomorrows you're looking forward to. put me at 5 timesd out my greater risk of a stroke, my first thoughts were about my wife, and my family. i have the most common type of a

michael isakoff reported this morning that he declined to testify after prosecutors warned his legaleady to act as a prosecution witness with a damaging rebuttal and just a short time ago, we learned what they would have been. matt's attorneys claim that he, too, claims to be an abuse victim of jerry sandusky. michael, i saw your report on the "today" show this morning. this is quite a bombshell. >> yes, it was. and when prosecutors warned the defense team about this this week, it was pretty explosive news and it was from all indications, it was a factor perhaps the most important factor in jerry sandusky's decision not the testify. this went right down to the wire yesterday. there was wide expectation he would take the stand. i was in the courtroom and just during a court recess, he got summoned by his lawyers to discuss this issue then they go into the judge's chambers. when he emerged, he looked somber, chasened, almost ashen. you could tell he was in very bad straits and had been almost hit in the gut with something that he hadn't expected. now, when he exactly learned that matt

as i pointed out with michael isakoff emotional testimony from alleged victims out the gate when we were going, when the prosecution started to present its case against sandusky today as pointed out by michael we're hearing from defense witnesses who are talking about sandusky's good reputation, not the charges that he's facing. >> that's right. that's typical in a defense case. they want to come right out in front of the jury and establish the scenario that this is a very good person and if he is such a good person in the community then he couldn't possibly have committed the crimes that the prosecution is alleging. >> but, again, when you look at the magnitude, the extraordinary magnitude, you've got jurors last week, kathleen, weeping while hearing the testimony from one of the alleged victims here. do you believe that this -- you're a prosecution expert, but you know how to wear both hats here. is it wise to come out this way with people saying, yeah. he's a really good guy. he really cared about kids, and not deal with even if they're planning to present this case with this disorder

>> michael isakoff starting us off at the courthouse. thank you. now that the jury has this case we are able to hear for the first time from an accuser, a young man who says he was repeatedly victimized by jerry sandusky. travis weaver, now 30 years old, is the first alleged victim to come forward and tell his story on television in a report for tonight's rock center. kate snow is here with a portion of his story. >> travis weaver has cooperated with authorities and told his story to a grand jury. he was not called as a witness in the current trial in pennsylvania but has been waiting in the wings willing to testify about what he says was repeated sexual abuse. weaver says it started when he was 10 and continued until he was 14 and tried to fight back. >> i tried to keep him off of me and resisting him and he kind of pinned me down on the bed and i told him if he didn't get off me i'd call the police on him. and he just laughed at me and then, you know, forced me to stay on the bed and told me if i ever said anything that nobody was going to believ

our report tonight from our national investigative correspondent michael isakoff in pennsylvania. >> reporter: an 18-year-old known as victim number 9 testified to a pattern of sexual assaults in the basement of the sandusky home where, he says, the defendant forced him into various sex acts on repeated occasions over a three-year period. the witness at times nervous and biting his nails said sandusky took him to his home more than 100 times where the former penn state coach got really aggressive and sexually assaulted him in a basement bedroom. sometimes, he said, he would scream, telling him to get off of me, but he never told anybody, he testified. no one would believe you. he's an important guy. who would believe kids? the young man is the last of eight alleged victims to testify, all of them participants in sandusky's second mile charity for troubled kids. the defendant has pleaded not guilty on all counts. >> the prosecution did very well. given the number of compelling witnesses that were presented this week, the defense will be hard pressed to overcome that case. >> reporter:

. >> michael isakoff.we had a tidal wave of public opinion against jerry sandusky and the charges filed against him that he had been determined to be guilty by the public and the media from the very outset of the charges and that we had an uphill battle. i used the analogy that we were attempting to climb mt. everest from the bottom of the mountain. >> sandusky's attorney after that stunning verdict tonight. the allegations went back years. there wasn't a lot of physical evidence. so how did jurors reach their verdict? tonight, inside the courtroom, the prosecution, the defense, and what the jury heard. the trial of jerry sandusky, which began two weeks ago, culminated seven excruciating months for everyone connected with penn state and its football program. savannah gut ree has followed this case from the beginning. >> it felt like a collective wound to the penn state community because so much resolves around the football program and joe paterno and even jerry sandusky. and to have this allegation, that t

might still be to come because former fbi director louis freeh is conducting an investigation and michael isakoff is reporting that they have e-mails that go into the hierarchy of penn state perhaps to then president of penn state saying that in the aftermath of the mcqueary incident, they didn't report it because they wanted to right sandusky humanely. look out if those e-mails are correct and they surface. >> the only thing i want to know as we study this evidence is was there so much going on here, so many words taken from one person to another person to another person, each one softening the blow so when it finally got to someone at the top, did they say this stuff here? if they didn't, damn it, they hud have. that would have been good for the country. we will find out as the court proceedings. this has got to go on. i'm glad they're looking at it. thank you. up next, times sure are tough for newt gingrich. former speaker. according to this report, isn't making the money he was making on the speaking tour. he is still making a bundle. but wait until you hear the drop in his value. it's time t

michael isakoff is covering this case. give us a recap of the case. what's it stand like now?er: well, first, yeah, first, chris, the prosecution rested with that final witness. the mother of victim number nine, she was the first mother in this case to testify. only mother to testify and she breaks down in tears as she described how she continued to allow her son to go to sandusky's home over a several year period despite the fact that he was complaining at times that he grew ill, that he grew withdrawn, anxious. she encouraged him to go and at one point, the prosecutor asked her, do you feel reasonable and she covers her hands, weeps and says, yes, i do. a very powerful moment in the courtroom. prosecution rested and defense began calling a string of character witnesses. a couple of former coaches who talked about what a great reputation jerry sandusky had, who you great he was with kids, how with young boys in locker rooms and coaches and saw nothing wrong with it. none of the testimony spoke directly to the specific allegations of abuse. and it's hard to see how much ground

. >> for "today," michael isakoff. >>> now 14 minutes past the hour, here is jenna. >>> mitt romney is wrapping up a private donor retreat today get to know some possible running mates, as well. david gregory is moderator of "meet the press." good morning. >> good morning, jenna. >> mitt room knee and the rnc jouz outraised obama and the democrats by 17 million in the month of may. talk to me about money and put it into context. how does this cash influx influence the white house? >> well, look, it's important. it's important for advertising. it's important for voter mobilization. money matters. we know that. and we're not just talking about toudz groups where there's a lot money, as well, but that governor romney does not directly control. going into this race, the fear was that president obama was going to be the billion dollar man and that he was going to raise huge summes and romney has proven to be an incredible front raz razis raiseer. those who remember president bush, even giving nods to romney. romney is putting himself in a very good position. >> we mentioned earlier romney's