the embassy building itself wasn't breached, brian. >> richard engel on the job for us in turkey tonight. richard, thank you. >>> there was more violence in egypt today. this time outside the presidential palace there. a large protest directed at president mohamed morsi. some of the protesters threw molotov cocktails into the compound at the height of it during what at least started as a peaceful demonstration. all of these big developments overseas playing out on a day when we got a new secretary of state. hillary clinton is now a private citizen, technically, anyway, for the first time in more than three decades. and john kerry no longer a senator from massachusetts, has been sworn in to replace her. our chief foreign affairs correspondent, andrea mitchell, at the state department for us tonight. andrea, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. with egypt on fire and a suicide bomber attacking the u.s. embassy compound in turkey, there was no time to celebrate the changing of the guard at the state department. even on her last day as secretary of state, hillary clinton was calli

embassy in ankara, turkey, where we find our chief foreign correspondent, richard engel tonight. richard, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. the american flag here at the embassy has been lowered to half staff. the attack took place just up this road behind me, which has now been closed by turkish police. chaos of police and ambulances in one of ankara's most fortified districts. embassy row. on one stretcher, a well-known turkish journalist. she had come to have tea with the ambassador. she was at a visitor's gate in a security screening room when a suicide bomber came in and reached for his waist. a guard yelled "bomb" and then it exploded. turkish media identified the bomber who killed himself and a turkish guard. >> right now we are all dealing with our sadness at the loss of our fellow member of our embassy. we salute his bravery. >> reporter: the turkish government says the bomber was part of a radical leftist group that accuses turkey of being an american puppet of imperialism. the group hates u.s. influence and that turkey is part of nato, which recently deplo

with tonight, beginning with our chief foreign correspondent, richard engel. richard, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. even the pope's closest aides said they were stunned. the pope was expected to address a routine meeting of cardinals when he made this announcement. the pope surprised everyone, announcing in latin he was stepping down. i have to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me said the 85-year-old pontiff. he mentioned no specific ailment but said his advanced age forced the decision. and that his strength in the last few months has deteriorated. in st. peter's square, tourists and pilgrims were stunned. >> i don't know what to say more than this. just really surprised. >> reporter: pope benedict had been looking frail recently, using a moveable platform during services, so he wouldn't have to walk. relying on a cane. the pope wants more rest, said his 89-year-old brother in germany. he said his brother has been thinking about stepping down for months. and had been advised by his doctors not to take an

>> richard engel, thanks. >>> now to the situation in mali. one day after the french president was cheered for liberating the ancient city of timbuktu from militants, french forces in action again in the northern part of country. nbc's reporter is on the ground in timbuktu tonight. >> reporter: french fighter jets pounded arms depots and jihadist training camps, another major operation in this three-week long assault against al qaeda militants in the north of mali. 30 aircraft were involved in this operation to the north of key town. last time four somalians and french force. meanwhile, here in the legendary city of timbuktu, west african troops have been pouring in during the day to help to secure the outskirts of the city. meanwhile, the french troops have been moving out further into the desert. some were cheered as they went. at the end of this, the first week of freedom for the people of timbuktu for many, many months. lester? >>> new details emerging tonight in the story of sarai sierra, a mother of two found murdered in istanbul, turkey

nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engel is in ankara with that and developing news out of egypt tonight as well. richard, good evening. >> reporter: we are learning from turkish officials the bomber was a well known militant from a far left group and he served more than four years in a turkish prison, was involved in a hunger strike, and was eventually released from jail for medical reasons. he left the country and then returned from greece on a fake passport, but turkish officials don't know how long he's been in the country. they think he's been in ankara for the last ten days. this isn't the only situation u.s. officials are concerned about in the region. there is also egypt. u.s. officials are worried that ongoing clashes in egypt, including ones in front of the presidential palace, could be a signal that the egyptian government, led by president morsi of the muslim brotherhood is losing control of the streets of egypt, which would be a major problem for not only egypt but also the united states especially if the egyptian government were to collapse. >> richard engel in anka

. >>> richard engel is in rome, too. you and i were in that last indoor audience on ash wednesday with the pope. i'm guessing a different feeling, almost a sense of shock, because normally for an audience you have to have a ticket, the people who happen to have tickets on ash wednesday, his first public appearance, didn't know they would be seeing a pope that had decided to step down. your sense of it, richard? >> if you remember that last audience, when this news was still breaking that the pope in fact was stepping down, there was a great deal of shock, there was a lot more emotion, now this news has settled in, people came here expecting a good-bye, and the mood is quite somber, it feels very much like a good-bye the pope has thanked the audience. he's thanked christians around the world, saying that they'll remain in his heart, he has never felt alone, but he took this brave decision with the church in mind. we haven't seen a lot of tears here. mostly it has been looks of concern. and looks of what will happen next?

with me now, nbc's chief foreign correspondent, richard engel.d to see you, richard. >> good to see you. no surprise he's going to mention that this is a very big deal, that north korea blew up what appears to be a nuclear weapon in the overnight hours of the united states. >> and a much stronger one than we've ever seen before. >> i wouldn't be so much concerned about the power, although that's obviously something to think about. it's the fact that north korea said it was miniaturized. and you have to look back at the context. a few weeks ago, north korea launched an object into space. that is the same kind of technology or an intercontinental ballistic missile. now, a kind of missile that could reach the united states. now it blows up a miniaturized nuclear weapon, that is a warhead. so what you have when you bring those two together is a direct message to the united states. we can put a nuclear warhead on an intercontinental ballistic missile and send it to you. and that is the kind of message that north korea is clearly sending to the united

richard engel is following the details from the vatican. >> reporter: 24 hours later, there's still shock in the vatican city. >> sad, disappointed, sad. >> reporter: this morning, roman catholic, tourists and even some church officials wondered if this could be a moment to revitalize the church after his unexpected decision to step down. in making his announcement, the 85-year-old pontiff who has been looking frail, asked for forgiveness. i have to recognize by in capacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me he told a gathering of cardinals in latin, saying his advanced age forced the decision. just hours later, these images circulated around the world. these are unusual times for the vatican. the last time a pope abdicateded under similarreluctant to leave so they don't send mixed messages. there's no role for a next pope. the pope's brother spoke. >> translator: it's possible the new pope will ask, but you notice that the ageing process impacts body aund soul and he thinks that a younger person is needed to deal with today's problems. >> reporter: pope benedict will even

our own richard engel is there, all of it playing out when we get a new secretary of state. >>> new rules in the ongoing fight over birth control coverage. the president makes an offer. the question is, will religious leaders give it their blessing? >>> and the big game. it's all over, but the shouting, the fans are in place, the excitement is building. oh, but wait. we're talking about the puppy bowl on sunday. "nightly news" begins now. >>> from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. >>> good evening. late today the stock market crossed over something of a mythic mark of the modern era and the dow jones industrials closed above 14,000 for the first time since 2007. and we all remember what happened back then. the stock market has been on a tear of late, gaining almost 7% so far this year. s&p and nasdaq also up. we started the day by learning

that's where a lot of people are focussing their interesting, andrea. >> richard engel, there's one verynlikely choice it would be an american because of the position of the united states within the world of catholicism. it would be more likely to be someone who is more traveled, has more language facility. of course, the cardinal in canada is perhaps the most proficient linguist of all of the cardinals. >> it seems very unlikely that it would be an american, that people i have spoken to almost say that is not a possibility at all, but who knows really? it's really anybody's guess. what we've been hearing just talking to the people who have come to rome, who have been coming to visit the vatican, is that they hope that the new pope will bring more energy, that it will be someone junger, more dynamic, who can reinvigorate the church and obviously this is a time when there's great sad ands great confusion, but a lot of people will tell you, look, this pope didn't capture the hearts of a lot of young people. he was not the most care iz matic, and he did not draw the enormous crowds that his

richard engel, nbc news, istanbul. >>> a 25-year-old man is charged with murder in connection with killingand shooting a former navy s.e.a.l. who was also his friend. eddie was accused of two counts of murder. he was accused of killing chris kyle who was also his friend. he wrote the best selling book, american sniper, the autobiography of the most lethal sniper in u.s. military history detailing his 150 plus kills. police say he opened fire and another person at the rough creek lodge, a shooting range in texas. he was taken into custody after a brief pursuit and is being held on a combined $3 million. >>> still ahead at 5:00, we'll introduce to you a bay area man who has taken his love for album art to the silver screen. >> now an old past time that some people have never experienced. >>> right now we want to take you back in time before ipods, before cds, before cassettes. there was the vinyl record. back in the day when you bought music, that's what it came on. >> as wonderful as the sound, it isn't what is on the record. it is what the record comes in. joe shows us the bay area man sho

richard engel is in vatican city. richard, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, matt. the reaction here in st. peter's square to what the pope has done has been overwhelming positive, with people calling it an act of humility and courage, to make way for a younger man. 24 hours later, there's still shock in the vatican city. >> shock, disappointed, sad. >> reporter: this morning, roman catholics, tourists and even some church officials wondered if this can be a moment to revitalize the church, after pope benedict xvi's unexpected decision to step down. >> personally, i didn't agree with a lot of the things that he believed and preached. >> i hope this will bring change to the church. >> reporter: in making his announcement, the 85-year-old pontiff, who has been looking frail, asked for forgiveness. i have to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me, he told a gathering of cardinals in latin, saying his advanced age forced the decision. moments later these pictures circulated the web. more than 700 years ago when a pope abdicated the th

foreign correspondent richard engel is in istanbul with the latest. still coming in, but witnesses say that a suicide bomber tried to enter the u.s. embassy using a side door, that he got as far as the first x-ray machine and then detonated some sort of explosive device. the u.s. ambassador quoted by the roueuters news agency says e turkish guard was killed, working for the u.s. embassy. there were many injured, mostly people who were walking by on the street. the u.s. embassy just issued a statement, but didn't provide any details. it said that they are thankful for the actions of the turkish authorities and that more information will be provided later. >> richard engel, thank you very much. >>> admirers and critics alike are remembering former new york city mayor ed koch who died overnight from congestive heart failure. the current mayor, michael bloomberg, called him new york's champion. he was 88 years old. >>> the cause of thursday's massive explosion in mexico city. at least 25 people were killed and more than 100 others were wounded. officials

richard engel is live in istanbul this morning. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, erica. still, a lot of history surrounding this case. what police here are saying is that the 33-year-old woman sarai sierra came to turkey last month for a two-week holiday. she was a fan of photography, wanted to take pictures here. it was her first trip outside the united states. she was supposed to come with a girlfriend. the girlfriend backed out. during the trip, she was in regular contact with her family. no indication anything was going wrong. then, on january 21st, the day she was supposed to be leaving, she disappeared. she never arrived at the airport. her rented apartment where she was staying here still had her things in it. a closed circuit television camera showed her walking alone and then she was gone for two weeks. no one had any idea what happened to her until last night. police found her body dumped near the palace very close to the old city and the police chief says that she died from a brunt trauma wound to the head. her family members are still here trying to find answ

nbc chief foreign correspond richard engel live in ankara. any indication that this group could attack again? >> yes there, are certain indications it could attack again. most likely in turkey. a group that believes the turkish government under control of the american administration, that the u.s. is an imperial power. it opposes nato. a bit of a throwback group, a far-left marxist group. has some ties in europe and it has consistently attacked turkish authorities and sometimes business interests as well. and this time the u.s. embassy. according to tush irk authorities who have identified the bomber from remains, he was closer to 40 years old and had actually spent four years in a turkish prison for militant activity. but he was released for medical reasons. chaos of police and ambulances in one of ankara's most fortified districts, embassy row. on one stretcher, a well-known turkish journalist. she had come to have tea with the ambassador. she was at a visitor's gate in a security screening room when a suicide bomber came in, and reached fo

by the end of next year or war in afghanistan will be over. [ applause ] >> i want to bring in richard engel to be here. again, second in a row. >> let's talk about foreign affairs that had been telegraphed by the white house. he talked about afghanistan, a very brief mention of the middle east. what kind of reaction are you hearing across this part of the world? >> not a great reaction. not much reaction at all. he barely mentioned the middle east. i think people in the middle east had been look iing for a little bit more u.s. leadership on syria. and there's a recognition in the region that syria is a black hole that could suck the other countries into. it. and all the president said was, we continue to oppose assad and support the responsible opposition. an indication that the united states does not intend to get more deeply involved in syria. i think there's a certainly in the neighboring countries a disappointment in that. an olive branch extended to iran saying this is the time to negotiate. some people in israel and some israel supporters in the united states wanted a much harder line

i mean, richard engel has spoken about what he calls a band of conflict, which is basically from lebanonyria into iraq, and if you look at what's happened also in northern africa, you know, nobody really talked that much about what happened in algeria last month. the terrorist attack there and the natural gas field, you know, there is increasingly it seems there is cooperation, regionally among extremists and the danger is spreading, and so it does need attention, and it needs it now. >> but just on cohen's op ed, it's not that the president just doesn't want -- is too busy to deal with the middle east or that he thinks that the policy of doing nothing is the best case. the president is a guy who sits in every single day goes through the intelligence, and has to make a decision on whether or not it makes sense for the united states to intervene or not intervene. if the united states intervenes in a prays like syria, what he ends up doing is destabilizing whom ever it is that's going to replace this government. yes, it's frustrating to watch what is a tragic situation unfolding, but that

. >> nbc's richard engel has more from istanbul. >> reporter: a great deal is still unknown about thisisappearance and murder of foreign tourists in istanbul and all of turkey is very rare. turkish authorities have set up a special unit involving hundreds of people combing through surveillance camera videos to try and get to the bottom of this. a preliminary investigation suggests that she was not raped, that the cause of death was a traumatic blow to the head. they have collected dna samples, they were at the crime scene today, where her body was found. investigators using metal detectors looking for more evidence. so far, they have been questioning and detained for questioning about two dozen people, but no formal arrests have been made. we know a rough timeline of what happened to her. she came to this country last month, early last month, for a trip that was supposed to last just over three weeks. she rented a room in a very poor district of the city, not an area well known for receiving tourists. she came because she wanted to take photographs. she took many photographs, she was p

rich richard engel is live in the vatican city. >> reporter: it's an act of humility and encourage to make way for a younger man. 24 hours later there's still shock in the vatican city. >> shocked. disappointed. sad. >> reporter: this morning roman catholics, tourists, even some church officials wondered if this can be a moment to revitalize the church after pope benedict xvi's unexpected decision to step down. >> personally i didn't agree with a lot of the things he believed and prepared. >> this will bring change for the church. >> reporter: in making his announcement the 85-year-old pontiff who has been looking frail asked for forgiveness. i have to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the min nus stri entrusted to me he told a gathering of cardinals in latin saying his advanced age forced the decision. just hours later these images circulated around the world. these are unusual times for the vatican. the last time a pope abdicated under similar circumstances was more than 700 years ago, sell less stein v. they don't send messages or contradict the new pope. there's no rol

richard engel is in iz stan bull with more. >> reporter: there's mystery surrounding the case.other of two came to this country last month for a two-week holiday. this was her first time outside the united states. she was planning on taking this vacation to pursue her hobby of photography with one of her girlfriends. the girlfriend backed out at the last minute and she decided to go ahead with the trip. everything was going normally. she was in contact with her family. no indication anything was going wrong. on january 21st, the day she was supposed to go home, she never got on the flight. her relatives, obviously, became very concerned for the next two weeks, no word. she was missing. the police in this country set up an entire unit to try to find her. the disappearance and murder, ultimately is very rare. no one had any idea what happened to her until last night they found her body. police discovered that she was left, apparently dumped by the palace in the old city wedged up against the ramparts of the old city. the police chief today said she was killed by some sort of blun

we want to get to richard engel there covering the talks. we're hearing about a real change in policy, tell us about it. >> i'm not sure if it's a real change, i think the state department is billing it as a real change. secretary of state kerry wants to show that he's taking the position seriously. >> the u.s. now saying it will provide nonlethal aid to the opposition. describe. >> they've already been doing that. i think what you're seeing is more nonlethal aid. the united states until now mob providing communication mostly radio. about $50 million. today, secretary kerry said there will be another $60 million, another toe in the water, if you will, toward the opposition to provide them with food. to provide them with money. to help govern liberated areas. it's significant, because when you put another toe in the water, there's a possibility that you're going to jump in with the full body. but that's not what we're seeing right now. it's non -- military aid, nonlethal aid. it's a little more. >> there has always been some reluctance on the

we will get the latest from richard engel coming up.orks in that conformation hearing, we will talk about his chances with the former fellow nebraska senator and bob kerry. next. there are patients who will question, why does my mouth feel dryer than i remember it to be? there are more people taking more medication, so we see people suffering from dry mouth more so. we may see more cavities, bad breath, oral irritation. a dry mouth sufferer doesn't have to suffer. i would recommend biotene. the enzymes in biotene products help supplement enzymes that are naturally in saliva. biotene helps moisten those areas that have become dry. those that are suffering can certainly benefit from biotene. [ woman ] too weak. wears off. been there. tried that. ladybug body milk? no thanks. [ female announcer ] stop searching and start repairing. eucerin professional repair moisturizes while actually repairing very dry skin. it's so powerful you can skip a day... but light enough you won't want to. dermatologist recommended eucerin. the end of trial and

as you said it is really easy to be against a todd akin or a richard mourdock or a sharon engel, but they need to have more confidence in a person representing the party. >> in the late '90s and '80s, they lost the popular vote in a number of elections. it was five or six before bill clinton won in 1992. and the organization that came out of that is the democratic leader organization. that was a policy organization. it had a big messaging component. but the main work of that group was to try to wrench the democratic party to what they felt was the center on a variety of fairly significant policies, ranging from health care to welfare to how to deal with budgets and taxes. there doesn't seem to be at this point a deal on the right. there is a belief that you need to talk to the center better and reach out to more people. but there is not a belief that sort of mirrors reforming welfare, changing it as we know it or reforming it as we know it. >> quite the opposite. you mentioned jim demint take over the heritage foundation, he is convinced that republicans on policy are completely righ

richard, great to see you. thanks so much. appreciate you making time for me. >> coming up next, congressman eliot engel has been sitting in thef the union address since 1989. in the center aisle, the perfect spot to shake the president's hand when he enters the chamber and when he leaves. so how does he do it? how does he get this seat? we've got the congressman, coming up. switch to swiffer wetjet, and you'll dump your old mop. but don't worry, he'll find someone else. ♪ who's that lady? ♪ who's that lady? ♪ sexy lady ♪ who's that lady? [ female announcer ] used mops can grow bacteria. swiffer wetjet starts with a clean pad every time, and its antibacterial cleaner kills bacteria mops can spread around. swiffer gives cleaning a whole new meaning. ♪ lovely lady in that time there've been some good days. and some difficult ones. but, through it all, we've persevered, supporting some of the biggest ideas in modern history. so why should our anniversary matter to you? because for 200 years, we've been helping ideas move from ambition to achievement. and the next great idea could be yours. ♪ is efficiently absorbed in small conti