watching nbc bay area news. at 5:00, we have nbc nightly news coming up next, we'll be back with more local news. >>> on this sunday night, battle lines. if you thought the fiscal cliffhanger was bad, just you wait. major showdowns are on the horizon and there's word tonight that the president is about to throw down the gauntlet over his pick to lead the pentagon. >>> growing outrage over a case involving an alleged sexual assault and members of a high school football team. it's attracting national attention while tearing one small town apart. >>> follow the money. one was supposed to avert financial disaster, the other, aid victims of sandy. so, why were these urgently passed bills loaded with hundreds of millions for everything from hollywood and nascar to rummakers and algae growers? >>> and british invasion. it's happening tonight and the excitement is building. >> when i'm with her, i'm reminded of the virtues of the english. >> isn't she american? >> exactly. >> lords and ladies across america preparing for

robert bazell, nbc news, new york. >>> when we come back, a close encounter at one of mother nature's largest and turns out most social creatures. >>> this is a scene in russia as a firefighter tried to rescue a mother and baby from a fourth story apartment fire, was struck by a large chunk of falling snow, lost his footing and fell down the ladder. the man was able to grab onto the ladder about halfway down while another firefighter rescued the family. luckily no one was injured. >>> some sad news to report in the baseball world tonight. hall of fame manager earl weaver, legendary for his feisty temper, died today. the earl of baltimore spent his entire 17-year career with the orioles taking them to four world series titles while getting ejected from 94 games, an american record. weave died while on a cruise. he was 82 years old. >>> some remarkable video taken out of hawaii by a crew member on a tour boat. two humpback whales treated tourists to the show and a shock of a lifetime, swimming alongside the 24-foot boat for ten minutes. one apparently used the boat as a backscratcher. h

stephanie gosk, nbc news, at the refugee camp in jordan. >>> when "nbc nightly news" continues on this saturday a new warning about the dangers of snoring. how it could be a lot more serious than you might think. >>> and later, making a difference by showing americans how to eat better for less. >>> we're back with a wake up call for those affected by a common problem. new research suggests that snoring may indicate a much more serious medical issue. we get details on that tonight from nbc's chief medical editor dr. nancy snyderman. >> are you kidding me? >> reporter: it's fodder for jokes in movies and on tv and can be a bedroom annoyance. >> if i don't fall asleep before him, i'm not going to fall asleep. >> i give him a shove. >> you need to wake him up or turn him over or something just so that you can sleep. >> reporter: new research shows snoring should not be ignored and in fact may be an indicator of cardiac disease, the number one killer in america. for the first time doctors say snoring alone may be an early sign of heart disease. likening it to other well known risk factors

. >>> from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. >>> good evening. with the flu at epidemic levels, already in some american cities and now with the media coverage of it, it's all having a predictable effect. while it's late in the game, people are streaming in to get flu shots, hoping to avoid a very serious illness. the kind that has overwhelmed even some hospitals. one doctor in minnesota where there have been 27 deaths due to the flu said today the spread of this virus this winter is pretty much unparalleled. some places are running out of inokay legislations. others are dealing with the sick. in a moment, what the doctor says about what to do if this strikes. but we begin with a doctor who has visited three hospitals in the flu zone over just the last three days. we have two reports to start off with tonight, beginning with dr. nan nancy snyderman at the hospital of the university of pennsylvania in philadelphia tonight. nancy, good evening. >> good evening, brian. state by state the number of cases of influenza and influenza rel

robert basell, nbc news, new york. >>> arctic air has set in on the midwest.n will sit in tonight with some of the lowest temperatures of the region. chicago and detroit could stay in the teens for days and the system will make its way east highs in the 20s, in new york city, including in washington. >>> when we return the president's inauguration and honor the memory of dr. martin luther king jr. by giving back. what? customers didn't like it. so why do banks do it? hello? hello?! if your bank doesn't let you talk to a real person 24/7, you need an ally. hello? ally bank. your money needs an ally. just begin with america's favorite soups. bring out chicken broccoli alfredo. or best-ever meatloaf. go to campbellskitchen.com for recipes, plus a valuable coupon. campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do. i had[ designer ]eeling enough of just covering up plus a valuable coupon. my moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. i decided enough is enough. ♪ [ spa lady ] i started enbrel. it's clinically proven to provide clearer skin. [ rv guy ] enbrel may not work for eve

. >>> from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. >> good evening, i'm kate snow in tonight for brian. after weeks of negotiations and last-minute hold-ups over the fiscal cliff, congress late last night finally passed an agreement on taxes and spending. in a moment, we'll tell you what that legislation means for every american. but it's what the house did not do last night that caused an uproar today. lawmakers left before considering a bill to help victims of superstorm sandy, and that had republicans from hard-hit states taking aim at leaders of their own party. nbc's kelly o'donnell is at her post on capitol hill once again tonight. kelly, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, kate. so the house had not taken any kind of vote on a new year's day in nearly 60 years. and when they did so, they got that tax deal done, but only minutes later, a new controversy popped up, over government spending. and it spread through here furiously, and with real impact. new york and new jersey got angry and got action over emergency funding that w

. >>> from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. >>> good evening. the people at the brady campaign to prevent gun violence, the people who also compile the numbers, tell us that so far today, 203 people have been shot in this country. that's just today, and just as of 6:00 p.m. eastern time. among the shootings, kauffman, texas, an assistant district attorney gunned down and killed outside the courthouse where he worked. lincoln, nebraska. a man shot while in his apartment building after two armed men burst in. atlanta, georgia. a 14-year-old student shot in the head at price middle school this afternoon, one person in police custody. and then, of course, there's the city of chicago. more people killed there last year than american troops killed in afghanistan. more than 40 gun murders so far just this year, and today they announced a new strategy. income tax nbc's kevin tibbles starts us off from there tonight. good evening. >> brian, 2013 is barely a month old and already 42 murders in the city of chicago. the latest has galvanized

. >>> from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. >>> good evening. we have an unfolding american hostage situation overseas tonight. seemingly out of nowhere, over just the past few days, the eyes of the world have been focused on a region in africa where the french have chosen to go to war against islamist rebels. and then in what seemed like an immediate reaction to the french attacks, kidnappers grabbed some foreign workers at a bp oil facility in the sahara desert in nearby algeria. we know there were american hostages along with brits and others. we know there was a mission launched today to free them and kill their captors. we don't truly know tonight about casualties or how many americans might have made it out of there alive. we begin with nbc's stephanie gosk on what we do know. >> reporter: using tanks and helicopters, the algerian military launched an operation on their own, to retake the remote gas field from the militants and free the hostages. including at least three americans. algeria says it's over, but details are fe

michelle franzen, nbc news, new york. >>> that's "nbc nightly news" for this sunday.liams will be here tomorrow. i'm lester holt reporting from new york. for all of us here at nbc news, good night. . >>> you're watching nbc sports. >> in for the touchdown! >> championship over. >> a stanley cup for los angeles. >> shaun white, boy does he deliver! >> the mercedes-benz superdome in new orleans, a week from tonight, the 2012 nfl season will conclude with the unique matchup in super bowl xlvii. the afc champion baltimore ravens led by head coach john harbaugh will meet the nfc champion san francisco 49ers led by head coach jim harbaugh. in a brother versus brother championship game. >> it's time to celebrate! the ravens are going back to the super bowl! >> the san francisco 49ers, super bowl bound! >> now we kick off super bowl week from honolulu, hawaii where many of the league best players have been gathering more than

michelle franzen, nbc news, new york. >>> that's "nbc nightly news" for this sunday.ams will be here tomorrow. i'm lester holt reporting from new york. for all of us here at nbc news, good night.

stephanie gosk, nbc news, new york. >>> again, we know americans were among the hostages. the question is, was the u.s. military involved in the mission to free them and kill their captors. jim miklashevski covers the pentagon. he's with us from there tonight. jim, good evening. >> reporter: brian, from the very beginning, the u.s. offered the algerians overhead surveillance, gathered by u.s. satellites. today one unarmed u.s. military drone arrived in algeria to fly surveillance over the hostage site, but it was too late. the algerians had already begun their attack. the u.s. also offered algeria american combat forces, a rescue hostage team, but the algerians rejected the offer. they wanted to do this themselves. so in the end, the u.s. military had no direct role in this operation. tonight, administration officials say algeria did not inform the u.s. in advance of today's attack to attempt to rescue those hostages. but in the end it probably wouldn't have mattered. according to one defense official, the algerians were in total control. brian. >> jim miklashevski at the

robert bazell, nbc news, new york. >>> let's turn now to the reason most of you had this tuesday off. it is new year's day, of course, ushered in last night around the world including a few blocks from here in new york's times square. even with temperatures near freezing, about 1 million people were estimated to be on hand to see the ball drop, saying good-bye to 2012 and welcoming in 2013. clean-up crews quickly put things back in order. sanitation workers picked up an estimated 50 tons of trash. >>> and with this new year, there are all kinds of new laws across the country, including the state of maryland. same-sex marriage there is legal as of today. and couples rang in 2013 with wedding bells. voters approved that gay marriage measure back in november. that was one of hundreds of new laws that went into effect as the new year began, from new restrictions on the use of social media to an increase in the minimum wage. nbc's justice correspondent, pete williams, has more. >> reporter: beginning today in california and illinois, it's against the law for an employer to ask anyone apply

. >>> from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. >> good evening, i'm lester holt in tonight for brian, who will be back monday. a lot of americans are spending this first week of the new year flat on their backs, taken down by the flu in numbers we typically wouldn't see until much later in the winter. and according to the centers for disease control, those numbers are rapidly climbing with a peak nowhere in sight. the government reports as of a week ago, flu cases were widespread in 41 states. that's 10 more states and a week earlier. what's more, this flu strain appears to be a particularly nasty one. it's even proven deadly in a handful of cases involving the young. nbc's chief science correspondent robert bazell starts us off tonight with more. >> have you had the flu shot before? >> reporter: packed clinics across the country and the cdcs numbers confirm what was already a bad flu season is getting worse. >> we have seen high fever, severe body aches, nasal congestion, cough. >> reporter: doctors say the major strain circulating

andrea mitchell, nbc news, washington. >>> there's news out of the world of sports. we learned today former nfl star linebacker, junior seau, who committed suicide at the age of 43 last may had the same brain condition diagnosed in at least two former nfl players who also took their own lives. seau's family asked that his brain tissue be analyzed after his death. test results from the national institutes of health show he had a brain disease called cte, caused by repeated blows to the head. symptoms can include memory loss, aggression and depression. >>> now to a life or death struggle that has captured attention around the world. 11 whales trapped under the ice, running out of breathing room. and just as a rescue mission was ramping up, something unexpected took place. it's all happening way up in remote northern quebec. and nbc news chief environmental affairs correspondent anne thompson has our report. >> this is a scene of beauty and bewilderment. the ocean's top predators, killer whales, fighting to breathe in canada's hudson bay. this pod of orcas has become an

stephanie gosk, nbc news at the refugee camp in jordan. >>> when "nbc nightly news" continues on this saturday a new warning about the dangers of snoring. how it could be a lot more serious than you might think. and later, making a difference by showing americans how to eat better for less. ♪ this is amazing, how did you find us? i thought we might be related, so i had a fiber analysis done and sure enough, we're family. but you're not even shredded. you're...crunchy?! that happens sometimes. and you help keep people full with whole grain fiber? just like you guys. [ female announcer ] they're different, but the same. new frosted mini-wheats crunch. a tasty square packed with a crunch... [ crunch! ] ...of whole grain fiber that helps keep you full. it's a big breakfast... [ crunch! ] ...in new a little biscuit. smile! ohhh bring it in! ooohhhooh! but, dad, you've got... [ voice of dennis ] allstate. with accident forgiveness, they guarantee your rates won't go up just because of an accident. smart kid. [ voice of dennis ] indeed. are you in good hands? we've decided to [ vwe're all ha

. >>> from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. >> good evening. we begin tonight with this flu outbreak across 41 states in this country now. and at this time last week, it sadly had claimed 18 lives. well, tonight in just the space of a week's time, 18 deaths have now been reported, just today in one state, in massachusetts. where the city of boston has now declared a public health emergency, and it's now a big front in the spread of this flu during this already mean season. tonight we want to begin with our chief medical editor, dr. nancy snyderman. she is at briggaman's women's hospital in boston. nancy, good evening. >> good evening, brian. influenza is putting a stranglehold on communities around this country, and tonight i have to tell you that i've now been in two large city emergency departments in this two days and i've never seen anything like this in the united states. at boston's briggaman's women's hospital, veteran e.r. nurse jana gil has seen it all. >> i've been working here for 27 years in the er. >> but she has nev

sources tell nbc news that a u.s.lane arrived in algeria and prepared to evacuate any hostages who may have been injured regardless of their nationality. meantime, reuters is reporting that around 100 hostages are now free three days after they were taken captives by militants linked to al qaeda. this is video of some of the hostages making the way to hospitals. there's no word if americans are among those out of harm's way but today defense secretary leon panetta said he's working around the clock to bring any u.s. citizens home and issued a warning. >> terrorists should be on notice that they will find no sanctuary, no refuge, not in algeria, not in north africa, not anywhere. >> let me bring in nbc news chief pentagon correspondent jim miklaszewski. the information out of algeria is complex and quite honestly hard to follow depending on some of the information sources, but at this hour what do we know about those americans there? >> reporter: well, it is very confusing in terms of number of americans initially take

. >>> from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. >>> good evening. the evidence is now unmistakable. aspects of the u.s. economy after a long and difficult period of darkness appear to be getting more robust. and while there are lots of numbers out to prove the point of an improving economy, problem is, of course, it's hardly being felt by all americans. but first, the good news, and it's substantial. here are the stock indexes at closing time today. all three closed up. stocks, by the way, are nearing an all-time high on wall street. on the housing front, u.s. builders started work on new homes last month at the fastest rate since the summer of '08. and finally, the number of americans seeking unemployment has fallen to a five-year low. we start off by getting more on all of it tonight from nbc's john yang in chicago. john, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. the signs are small, and they're far from conclusive. and we have had had false starts before. but economists are pointing to data that suggests that maybe, just may

. >>> from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. >>> good evening, there's some sad news heading into this weekend for at least one american family. an american has been killed overseas. his death believed to be the result of a mission launched to free a large group of hostages who were taken at a bp natural gas complex. islamic militants took hostages at the facility in the sahara desert in algeria. in retaliation for the fact that france has launched a war against islamic insurgents over these past few days in the nearby nation of mali. the u.s. found itself caught in the middle of this with u.s. citizens working overseas, held hostage, and a rescue mission to free them carried out by a foreign nation. there's still a lot we don't know about survivors, casualties, the living and the dead. we begin tonight with nbc's stephanie gosk. >> reporter: the attack on the gas field in western algeria has left one american dead. fred butacio. u.s. officials say five americans were working at the complex. two escaped and two more are being held

. >> reporter: and tonight, a top white house adviser tells nbc news that the president has finished writing his remarks for his inaugural address tomorrow that he will deliver shortly after completing the ceremonial oath of office. and then, tomorrow night, the obamas, lester, will celebrate with two inaugural balls, compared to ten four years ago. >> all right, peter, thank you. >>> and washington is getting ready for the spectacle that brings at least a sense of unity to this city once every four years. nbc's kelly o'donnell is outside the capitol with that story. kelly, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, lester. this is where it all happens for what is the grandest photo op in american politics. tomorrow, we will see the president walk through that red drape behind me and he will take the ceremonial oath and deliver his inaugural address at the front of that stage. just final touches to go. and counting down to that moment, there was actually plenty to see today. save all the pageantry for tomorrow. ♪ this day before the big show is a street fair. ♪ >> it's just awesome to

chris jansing, nbc news, new york. >>> and we're back in a moment with the new twist tonight in one ofwood's biggest mysteries. >>> a new report out today about the drowning death of natalie wood in 1981. the l.a. county coroner now says some of the bruises on her body may have happened before she ended up in the water off her yacht and drowned. she was on that yacht with her husband, robert wagner and her co star, a young actor named christopher walken. police reiterated, neither are considered suspects. >>> leon leyson died. at the age of 13, he was the youngest person saved from the nazis by oscar schindler. he had to stand on a box in schindler's factory in krakow, but doing so saved his life. for years he taught high school in anonymity in california until the film came out and he became known. he then lectured on the holocaust across u.s. and canada. leon leyson was 83. >>> justice clarence thomas today broke a nearly seven-year silence on the supreme court during many oral arguments when many of the justices jump in and pepper lawyers with questions. justice thomas has always pr

, gun stores tell nbc news they have seen an uptick in sales. owners stocking up out of fear the obama administration will impose stiffer laws. in december, the national instant criminal background check system reported 2.2 million background checks were performed last month, in increase of about 58% over the same period in 2011. >> you all know this is a complicated issue. >> reporter: and it is against this backdrop that the vice president is wrapping up his gun safety task force. >> federal weapons trafficking statute to universal background checks to making more widely available mental health assistance. >> reporter: there are more proposals, including the controversial reinstatement of the assault weapons ban, and limiting access to high capacity clips. earlier in the wee biden butted heads with the national rifle association over those issues. >> the vice president and his folks are focusing primarily on firearms ownership, and what we consider second amendment rights for the american people. >> reporter: on friday, the vice president met

reporting from washington, d.c., for all of us at nbc news, good night.

andrea mitchell, nbc news, washington. >>> there is breaking news in the air tonight. and it's bad news for boeing. after a slew of problems, the faa has ordered all the new 787 dreamliners grounded for the time being. tom costello covers aviation for us. he's in our washington newsroom tonight with this still-developing story. tom, good evening. >> reporter: hi, brian. this action essentially ground all 787s around the world, because other governments generally follow the faa's lead. the faa's emergency air-worthiness directive says before any other 787 can fly, the operator on the boeing must prove the batteries are safe. >>> on the runway in western japan, an evacuation after the captain of a 787 got a warning light and thought he smelled something burning. the incident comes just a week after the fire in the belly of another 787 in boston. now investigators are taking a hard look at the 787's electrical system and lithium batteries. >> we've had two incidents involving batteries, involving charging circuits, that are under question that have resulted in one case a

rehema ellis, nbc news, new york. >>> and we're back in a moment with the night the luck o' the irish ran out. ♪ chances are, you're not made of money, so don't overpay for motorcycle insurance. geico, see how much you could save. >>> we learned overnight one of the great nonfiction writers of our times, richard ben cramer, has died. if you were a young journalist in this country wanting to know how best to cover politics, campaigns and politicians, richard cramer's book "what it takes" it all it took. it chronicled the 1988 campaign as it focused on bush 41, on bush 41, dukakis, biden and all the educated at johns hopkins and columbia. richard ben cramer died of lung cancer at the age of 62. >>> well, you know how they say roll tide. the tide certainly rolled right over notre dame last night as alabama owned the bcs college championship game. from the get-go there were sad irish eyes all over this today. a 42-14 thumping for the crimson tide of alabama. their third national championship in four years. >>> when we come back here tonight, the new push to settle the next big fight in co

fbi sources tell nbc news one person is in custody but there's the possibility of a hoax.he alaskan air flight landed safely and all the imagines onboard are fine. nbc news has learned an fbi field office received a phone call saying somebody planned to hijack the plane. there is no danger at the seattle airport right now. a teenage girl attacked on a way to the school stop this girl was assaulted on her way to school. >> mentally, that will be in my head for a while. >> she was walking to her bus stop around 6:30 this morning in fort washington. she suddenly saw a man across the street staring, and then he walks in her direction. >> and then he just started to slow down. and then i just noticed that he, like, was staring at me. i was like i might as well keep on walking. she says he followed, asked her name, and then started touching himself and then forcefully put his hands on her. police checked bus stops in the ar area but the search came up empty. >> this teen encourages others to be vigilant. >> so nobody else has to go through what i went through. >> the teen tells

andrea mitchell, nbc news, washington. >>> big news in the world of education. federal officials say the high school graduation rate is going up. the nationwide average climbed to just above 78% in 2010, the last year with numbers available. there's a lot of work yet to be done. but it's the highest it's been since 1974. the main reason, they say, fewer jobs out there to tempt young people to leave high school. >>> still ahead as we continue on a tuesday evening, a major breakthrough regarding a big worry for a lot of parents, a lot of athletes, detecting the damage done by concussions and what could happen then later in life. >>> then later on, why beyonce's fans along with millions of inauguration viewers are saying, say it ain't so. >>> as we mentioned, there's news tonight on the subject of concussions which are finally getting a lot more attention of late among athletes and among parents. up till now, there's been no good way to figure out how much damage has been done after a concussion exactly. but ucla researchers working with some former nfl players may

from capitol hill, steve handelsman, nbc news. back to you. >> reaction to the senate's move was swift as many people were still up welcoming the new year. familiar faces on msnbc were in rare form starting with joe scarborough who tweeted, why can't washington ever put together a deal that cults spent? this deal fails on most counts. it's a distressing failure of leadership. "morning joe" regular steve ratner tweeted, the only thing worse than this deal would have been no deal, or maybe not, he added. ezra kline wrote, obama isn't making it easier for res to vote for this deal but probably thinks if the rs kill it they get all the fiscal cliff blame. >>> now deals on secretary of state hillary clinton and the blood clot that has her hospitalized. the clot is located in a vein in the space between her brain and skull near her right ear. it did not cause a stroke or neurological damage. doctors say clinton should make a full recovery and she is making excellent progress. the blood clot is related to the concussion clinton suffered e

robert bazell, nbc news, new york. >>> at the white house today, vice president joe biden presided over a meeting of gun control supporters, one day before a planned meeting with gun rights advocates, including the nra. this is all in advance of the administration's push for new gun laws in the post newtown era. our white house correspondent kristen welker was there. she is with us tonight from the north lawn. kristen, good evening. >> reporter: brian, good evening to you. trying to maintain momentum. for stiffer gun control laws in the wake of that tragedy. vice president biden met with victims' groups and gun safety organizations here at the white house today and laid down a new political marker. meeting with his gun safety task force, the vice president said the white house is prepared to act if congress does not. >> i want to make it clear that we are not going to get caught up in the notion, unless we can do everything we're going to do nothing. it's critically important we act. >> reporter: sources close to the talks say among the executive actions, the president is considering ex

so-called journalists at nbc news, caught red-handed. editing a soundbite to make it appear that a father of a sand had i hook victim, a task force on gun violence prevention and children's safety held a meeting at one of people that spoke was neil helsen. his son was killed in the sandy hook shooting back in december. in typical fashion, nbc news edd the soundbite of this father. this is what they showed their viewers. watch this. >> why anybody in this room needs to have one of these assault style weapons or military weapons with high capacity clips not one person can answer that question. all right. >> please, no comments while mr. heslin is speaking. >> sean: they ran that soundbite on their network and posted on their website. anybody watching that clip would have thought the people in the room were heckling mr. heslin. the complete exchange that nbc news did not want you to see includes the portion in which mr. heslin was asking people in the room listening to his testimony for feedback. watch this. >> i asked if there is anybody i

what you didn't see that nbc news edited politely asking for the audience's input. this wasn't a gun rights supporters rudely interrupting. it appears to be the biased news people over at nbc. sadly in this is not the first time they have been caught doing this. back in march of last year, right here on this very program we exposed how nbc news blatantly distorted the 911 call before george zimmerman shot trayvon martin. >> this guy looks like he is up to no good. he looks black. >> did you see what he was wearing? >> yeah. dark --. >> sean: that is not how it happened. zimmerman had been asked by the 911 operator about the person's race. different context. watch this. >> sean: so actually the 911 operator asked the question. pretty unbelievable. joining me with reaction david limbaugh and juan williams. look, there is some editing that goes on in television but when you purposely edit to alter the context, to give people a false conclusion, is that libel? >> it could be. i don't know about that. i want to be careful about that. there are other examples. this is the

. >>> from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. >>> good evening. as the president's defense secretary prepares to leave office, he is leaving behind, with the boss's permission, a huge change to the u.s. military. the announcement officially today from the pentagon, women will soon be able to serve in direct combat units. while it's been happening slowly in the field on its own for years during our dual wars of this last decade, and while it will open a huge number of jobs and career pathways for the women who volunteer to serve this country in uniform, it is a huge change in military tradition. a change in the tanks and in the trenches. a change announced at the highest levels today. it's where we begin tonight with our pentagon correspondent, jim miklaszewski. jim, good evening. >> reporter: president obama praised the pentagon's decision to open combat roles to women. and of the 152 u.s. service women who died in iraq and afghanistan, he called them patriots, whose sacrifices show that valor knows no gender. with the stroke of a

. >>> from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. >> good evening, i'm lester holt in tonight for brian. in newtown, connecticut, this was a day filled with trepidation and deep emotions as the pupils and staff of sandy hook elementary returned to class for the first time since the mass murder there. tomorrow will mark three weeks since the rampage that left 20 children and 6 adults dead. the building where it happened remains off limits tonight, still an active crime scene. and so for the time being, sandy hook has a new home. it also has a community of supporters and well-wishers that now extends across the country. all anxious to help the young survivors feel safe, loved and protected. nbc's rehema ellis is in monroe, connecticut tonight. >> reporter: good evening, lester. reporters and camera crews were asked to give the school some space today so that teachers, parents and police could get the students back to a normal routine. there was some anxiety as newtown school buses rode through the community, but their new route was lined

from capitol hill, i'm steve handelsman, nbc news. bill, back to you. >> well, thanks, steve. >>> we have new details today on secretary of sate hillary clinton and the blood clot that has her hospitalized. the clot is located in a vein in a space between the brain and the skull, near her right ear. it did not cause a stroke or neurological damage. doctors say she's making excellent progress. the blood clot is related to a concussion clinton suffered earlier this month. it was discovered during a follow-up exam on sunday. >>> from amazing fireworks displays to ancient traditions in polar plunges folks around the world marked 2013 in their own unique way. nbc's kirk gregory take ace look. >> reporter: the first major city to sell brit 2013 was auckland, new zealand. in australia, a seven-ton fire work's display dazzled hundreds of thousands in sydney. with an estimated 1 billion watching on tv worldwide. thousands counted down the new year in shanghai, china. while in tokyo, japan, buddhist mornings rang bells. nato soldiers searching i

stephanie gosk, nbc news, new york. >> leading news in this country, the awful flu season hit a new milestone today. it's now reported as widespread in 48 of our 50 states. with reported cases increasing now on the west coast. the nationwide death toll now includes 29 children. sadly, that number is up by nine since just last week. we're joined here again tonight by our chief medical officer here at nbc, dr. tanya benenson. doc, i noticed today the numbers showing pneumonia also up. why is that? >> well, pneumonia is the most common complication from the flu. but we are seeing higher numbers of pneumonia than we would expect. and that's in the high risk people. so you have people with chronic illnesses, weak immune systems. the very young, under 2. over 65 and pregnant women. and it's not surprising, this is a group we target to really get the flu shot to help prevent these complications. >> i know you're busy with inoculations but you also track this so closely because you have so many employees to worry about. where do you think we are in terms of the 50 yard line, the halfway mark in illne