Good Evening Mr.Williams, Well,it seems that every large company is having problems and it just appears to be getting worse. Owning stock in certain companies was very lucrative years ago and it can be again. The news of the economy is extremely troubling and hopefully there will be good news soon. With the holiday weekend people are staying home instead of driving to someplace because of rising gas prices. I guess the saying, "There's no place like home" is quite appropriate during this time. It think it is great you are spending the holiday with your family and your father. I hope he is doing well. We should all be thinking of the true meaning behind this holiday. I hope you have a safe and wonderful holiday Mr.Williams! Looking forward to the broadcast. Peace to you and to all!

Claudia- I totally agree with you that Richard has a sweet and adorable face! I think he is very handsome! I miss him already! Keep extra safe Richard! Excellent reporting!

Lots of Love to Laurel,Jackie,Stephanie,Claudia,Celine,Anna and Matt!
Be Well Always!
XOXO  

Each and everynight Brian starts his show with tons of doom and gloom. Americans have NO money for food, housing, health insurance, gas, education and we will probably end up in the soup lines, anyday now. Then on the NBC Today show they were advertising a $6,500.00 wine cabinet, we all need, run by a remote from our cell phone we can open as we enter our remote controlled garage door,and the wine cabinet will be open and ready for us to drink the night away. If this wasn't so pathetic, it would be funny.

Anyone thought about getting some "special interest groups" and a band of lawyers to stop the "progress" of the economic downturn? They seem very apt at stopping everything else dead in it's tracks.

Dear Brian,

I see that the work of Ferry Farm (archaeology) field school is going to be featured on the broadcast tonight.  What a terrific recognition for those kids, and for that program!  The site of George Washington's boyhood home is often overshadowed by Mount Vernon - as is the site of his birthplace - so it's nice to see the spotlight on them for a moment!  (Don't get me wrong - Mount Vernon is spectacular!)

I thought I would share a link to an article from our local paper about two servicewomen's wartime experiences.  One of them was awarded the Bronze Star.

http://somdnews.com/stories/07022008/entetop162027_32194.shtml

For those enjoying an extended holiday weekend, (i.e. taking tomorrow off, too) Happy Independence Day!  I have to work, but at least I can be grateful that I have a job, in this economy!

Lots of love to Lisa, Jackie, Stephanie, Celine, Claudia, Anna, and Matt!  XOXO

Oh, and Godspeed to Richard Engel.  Such a handsome boy, and he's good to his mother!

P.S. - I stumbled across a real gem last night, while I was channel surfing:  C-SPAN2 was broadcasting a reception celebrating Ted Kennedy's book, "America Back on Track," which dated back to May of 2006.  All the cocktail hour small talk and interaction was there to see.  It was fun to see the genuine affection between Senators Clinton and Kennedy, as well as the sincere reverence with which Senator Kennedy spoke to and about Senator Byrd of West Virginia.  It was interesting to watch it with the knowledge of how things would be, two years into the future....

Brian, Even though I am not against the War, don't you think that if the a superpower country invades a country with no reason or no proof and kills it's president. Some people would have to think the other world leaders other countries who have oil and already have 80% of our jobs because they have been shipped abroad thanks to our last 3 Presidents . That they would say we will get you back. If you major USA Companies like GM and the Houseing market keep decling and oil keeps going up the great depresion of the the 20'sand 30's is not far off. the only problem is I don't next 2 presdents's will be able to fix it at all.

To say that I over committed myself this year is a bit of an understatement! Fireworks tomorrow, Parade on Friday (hey, at least this year I don't have to march in it, just keep one of the store fronts on Main Street open for the parade goers. And yes, we really do have a Main Street!) Middle son's 30th birthday, he's already pointed out that it says more about how old I am than how old he is! Sat is Street Fair, known as Freedom Days, doing a registration drive most of the day! Sunday I think I'll catch Meet the Press on netcast, I'm sleeping in! I point this all out just to remind folks how truly wonderful a small town 4th can be. Not driving too far away isn't such a bad thing when the party is in your own back yard, or just up on Main Street.

My other thought is this, What a wonderful comment on America and democracy this blog is. Stop and think how far flung the regulars are,, and yet here we are, commenting, debating, Free Speech in a form the founding fathers could never have imagined. When I think of Lisa and Stephine, and Jackie (where is she?)Celine, Anna and Matt, Laurel and Josh (newest) I am proud to be an American, as trite and corny as that sounds. Thank You Brian, for this blog, and our chance to be a part of it. Hugs to all, particularly Brian's Dad.

"If this is flag waving, can you think of a better flag to wave?" Irving Berlin

Brian,

I hope you have a safe and wonderful holiday. I will be working in the Emergency Room all weekend but hopefully will be able to see the beautiful fireworks from Disney. With 80,000 people expected at the Magic Kingdom on Friday, I suppose Disney is doing better than GM. That is something positive!

Laurie

A little secret: It's going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better!

A little secret: It's going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better!

Hi Brian
I think the Stock Market will be at 10,000 soon. As the gas prices go up and now I understand by the White House is threatening to bomb Iran. Yes it helps with fear and speculation to push the prices up. As the USA continues to go down hill for the average American the White House continues to say things are just great.

The meaning of Independence Day fits the problems we see today. We ran for King George as he allowed taxation without representation and we have the same problem today with another George. They say if you don't learn you make the same mistake again and we did.

Powell is making his rounds for a job with who ever becomes President. Let's hope Americans and the new President remember Colin Powell openly lied to the American people and the United Nations. Once the most honest respect Military man in the USA,  who is now seen as dishonesty and willing to lie for a corrupt Administration. We've seen over 4000 plus soldiers die based on Powell and the Bush Administration.

Best to my friends Lisa, Laural, Stephanie, Claudia, Anne and Matt

@ Jane:  I saw the same segment and thought the same thing.   Gee whiz a $6,500 remote control wine cooler.  I guess opening the refrigerator has become too cumbersome for some Americans.

@ Celine, you and Josh seem to be into the tomes these days!  I enjoyed them.    I haven't figured out the menu but please bring the wine and the more the better.    Thanks for inspiring me to renew my passport.   Fanny is hanging in there.

FYI, I did watch my man Aaron Brown make his debut on PBS.  Professor Brown did a solid piece on Darfur and then hosted a discussion.  Wow!  I wish that part of the world was more stable.    The women in Darfur were making clay pots by hand just so happy to be out of the refugee camp with their kids in school.  You just wanted to reach out and give them a hug.   When women ban together for a common cause, we can move mountains together.   If you missed it and care to view the show, it may be on re-runs or on www.pbs.org.  

As always I enjoyed Richard's report yesterday with the big maps!   And to Brian, I agree, he appears happiest out in the field doing his job.   Good luck Richard making you way back home.

Wednesday Bests to all!

Well, folks, this is just the beginning.  I said when Reagan tried to bankrupt the Soviets with an arms race that we might easily have bankrupted ourselves first, and now we are doing exactly that by engaging in massively expensive wars supposedly to fight ragtag bands of terrorists living in caves. And the Democrats continue to fund these with more borrowed money.  What brilliant leaders we have!

Good Evening Mr.Williams, A fine broadcast this evening. First of all the fires in California just seem to be getting out of control. The report by Mr.Lewis showing all the dry areas burning is simply devastating. Those firefighters stretched to their utmost limit are doing an incredible job. They need all the resources they can get and I hope have some relief very soon. I feel badly for all the residents having to leave their homes because of the intense flames. I really hope things improve for them. The report by Mr.Yang concerning President Bush and his stand on Iran exhibited that he does not want to attack the country and not have Israel attack either. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have our brave US Troops stretched so thin that hearing they come home on leave only to be deployed back to Afghanistan is heartbreaking. So very hard on the families too. Attacking Iran would devastating to the Middle East region. Finally, I enjoyed the piece by Mr.Faw about George Washington's boyhood home. It must be so exciting to unearth all those artifacts and learn more about the Washington as a young boy and young man. I hope someday we all will be able to see these artifacts they uncovered. Nice Piece! Thank you for the broadcast Mr.Williams. Peace to you and to all!

Stay Safe Richard! Look forward to more reports!
Your awesome!
Lots of Love to Laurel,Jackie,Stephanie,Celine,Claudia,Anna,and Matt!
Be Well Always!
XOXO

Brian Williams: I watch NBC Nightly each night live or recorded . Today you missed the biggest story and yes it was good news. The freeing of the the hostages in Colombia was the top & first story on Univision and Telemundo as it is usual with stories from Latin Amrican and why Hispanics like me ,who are fluent in English & Sapnish are regular viewers . BUT TODAY even CBS and ABC had the Colombia story tops. It is a story not only important to all Americans (there were three American hostages freed)but of great importance to the growing population of Hispanic Americans . As we say in Spanish " se les fue la guagua " you missed the bus and the biggest story of the day , but your competition in English & in  Spanish did not. Wake up and smell the coffee , in this case Juan Valdez'Colombian mountain cafe . A loyal viewer . LESLIE PANTIN

Hi Brian,
Did you hear of the adage 'buy low sell high' - well this might be the right time to buy GM stock (although I don't think it finished bottoming out yet).
As a blue chip company the US government will do its share to keep GM in business, whether that be granting the company low-interest loans and what the London Financial Times wrote about today, giving buyers of the upcoming  electric vehicle, the Chevrolet Volt up to $7,000 in tax incentives to buy the car.
The Volt is seen as a vehicle that will rescue the company - that remains to be seen - but I believe they are on the right track.
The only person to commend for that is GM's Bob Lutz who is behind-the-scene brains of the company and a car guy at that!
So don't discount GM just yet - not while Mr. Lutz is still there.

I am very disappointed with the coverage of President Bush tonight, and his being referred to as "Mr. Bush".  That reporter should be made to go back to school and learn that our Commander in Chief is either Mr. President, or President Bush.  What is wrong with the protocol of our society.  Do we not teach our kids respect for leaders, right or wrong.

Brian
You are a frequent passenger on Amtrak between NYC and WAS I thought perhaps your news staff could investigate for us.  Instead of driving to Austin (160 miles away) we decided to look into taking Amtrak’s Texas Eagle from FTW to AUS, a 2.5 hour drive.  I tracked the train for a week and never once was it on time,   this week alone arrival delays into FTW were between 2.5 to 8 hours late everyday.  Today it was 2 hours and 56 minutes late leaving FTW.  I’m told that because the tracks expand in the heat they cannot travel as fast.  Yet, we see freight trains doing 70 mph along the plains using the same track. In the 40s and 50s you could set your watch by the train. How are we supposed to use mass transit if it is not dependable?  The Texas congressional delegation fought to keep public funding for the Texas Eagle to continue running through the middle of Texas!

Enjoy your holiday weekend

O.K. folks, Don't worry about the fires out here in California, all those folks who's homes have or will burn are all covered with big fat insurance policies. The bigger issues are endangered lives and that they are permitted to rebuild in the same fire hazard zones. When (not if) the fires occur, the state must spend millions to combat these natural events simply to save homes that shouldn't be there in the first place. So what's going on here is the double fleecing. Tax dollars being spent to spare the insurance companies, who raise their rates accordingly each time their dreams come true when the fires strike. GM stock ain't worth a hill of beans right now because they never had a clear vision of what was to come. They either didn't learn or care to heed the lesson last time around. Now they banner : "Let's Re-fuel America" offering 2.99 gas incentives to get the folks to buy these white elephants. What kind of vision is this? where are the smart heads who should just remove this inventory, melt it down, and start investing and planning for energy efficient vehicles on a PERMENANT PLAN for the future of American Auto identity. Anyone who buys into " Lets Re-fuel America" is continuing to allow themselves to be manipulated by this tragic corrosion of the American Dream. The stock invester can flex their power by investing in those companies which have been struggling against the status quo to create a fuel efficient product which continually gets bought out or crushed by the Oil and Auto Monsters who greedily protect their monopoly.

Limbaugh definatelty did not deserve the money he got. Not to say he is not working or earning it.  I may not be an avid listener of his but it seems outragous that people can make nearly half a billion dollars just by saying whatever think. This is a severe injustice when we have people working 2-3 jobs just to barely scrape by. I watched a report on I believe the CBS Evening News showing that some of our Iraq War veterans cant even afford the morgtage on their houses, what kind of world do we live in these days.

Loved the broadcast. I hope China can be ready for the Olympics. I was so excited in '96 during the Olympics and I have been hooked ever since.

Please--post the clip from 7/2 broadcast where you quoted Bin Ladden in 1999 saying that oil @ $145 a barrel would really cause us pain.  That was the most important piece I heard last night.

That little nugget is the basis for much of what we are going thru from GM's woes to the crippling economic disaster we're living thru.

It should also make you all think about who you're voting for...make Bin Ladden's dreams come true... vote for McCain and keep his plans and party going.

Dear Brian:  The terrible weather we have been having so far this year is very scary.  With all the flooding in the mid-west, the fires in California and the hundreds of tornados in tornado alley.  It makes me wonder what the hurricane season will bring this summer and fall on the east coast.  And also the person from Washington who stated he was disappointed with the coverage of President Bush last night because the reportor refered to him as "Mr. Bush" and he should have shown more respect and called him Mr. President or President Bush.  Apparently this person does not watch television much because Nobody calls Bush "President Bush" anymore.  Bush is a complete failure as a president and does not deserve the respect of being called President.  Only the diehard 2o% extreme right wing republicans still call him President Bush.  "I myself would not even have called him "Mr."  if I was that Reporter.  I Stand by that Reporter,  "Not Bush."

  This is an essay on how to save Medicare from a financial train wreck waiting to happen. Yet another financial melt down the US needs to be mindful of.
   70 percent of all illnesses are caused by lifestyle, such as smoking or being over weight. The other 30 percent is simply out of control diseases.
   Most diseases that are lifestyle causes, such as emphysema or lung cancers, do not show up until after retirement age. This means Medicare will be the one to pick up the costs. Other diseases, such as type-2 diabetes, also usually do not show up until after retirement age. Many times type-2 diabetes is the result of the patient being over weight.
   Medicare should be divided now to fund diseases that are caused by lifestyle. There should be Medicare for smokers, Medicare for over weight patients, etc. Special taxes should be applied to cigarettes and fast food, for example. These taxes should be completely be used for the special Medicare funds. These funds will pay for future diseases caused by consuming those products. The payments from these separated Medicare funds may not be as generous for benefits as the main Medicare fund; however this will keep the main Medicare fund solvent for many more years. The tax charged on certain products should not be used for any other items such as for the general fund of the government. Every extra tax charged on cigarettes, for example, should stay in the Medicare fund for smokers. Health insurance could be encouraged to help people pay for quit smoking programs and weight loss programs.  
   We still have time to help raise taxes to pay for future diseases and help people quit unhealthy life styles. These ideas will help off set the financial train wreck ready to happen to Medicare in the near future. This will keep Medicare on the tracks much longer. Otherwise, we Americans will experience a complete financial melt down that will be felt for generations to come.
  Pay now while we still have time or forever pay later.

Great broadcast Brian.  I hope you and your family have a wonderful and safe holiday. I enjoyed Richard Engel's report last night -- he knows the region and the players well and I trust his insights. (I like when he uses the big maps too!). I am hoping to have a chance to dive into his book this summer -- it looks great!  Keep safe Richard!  

What kind of lazy reporting is this?  Your lead story tonight was that Obama may be modifying his position on Iraq (which he denies, as if a nuanced POV was a crime) and that the opposition party (surprisingly?) calls him a flip-flopper?

And this is your idea of a meaningful story on the real issues of a Presidential campaign?  What a shame.

Say, Brian, as a member of the millionaires club in the corporate media, how many of those remote control wine coolers do YOU own?

i would like to know why no one on the NEWS, is talking about Senator Harry Reid and Nancy Palosi Speaker of The House, and the iraq war, and what the president is trying to do.
i am proud of Senator Reid and Levine, and The Speaker of The House, Nancy Palosi for standing up for the truth. i wish more of the news channels would let us know what is going on.

Message (please, no HTML tags. Web addresses will be hyperlinked):