Good evening, Brian! I hope you all had a great weekend.

A fellow viewer (Lori) sent me a link from a local news station in Phoenix on why you'll be on the west coast this week. I don't want to give anything away...but I can't help it. You'll be accepting the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism! A huge congratulations to you, Brian! I know this is an enormous honor for you. You have absolutely earned this honorable award. I just know that Mr. Cronkite would be very proud to see you accept it. HUGE CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU!

As for that earthquake -- that's a pretty strong one. I hope those who felt that one are okay.

I look forward to joining you soon. This lead story does not sound too good. I'll be sharp-eyed, and sharp-eared as usual.

-Cary

P.S. This (not sure if you've seen it yet) is incredible: David Gregory posted this to Twitter moments ago: "@DavidGregory: http://znl.me/2ITX2 At 220pm, while flying at 30 thousand feet I saw the space shuttle take off. I was just passing by." Something I thought you'd like to see, if you haven't already. Talk about right place, right time.

I don't think I'm mistaken...but if I have the dates correct..you are too humble to say the reason you are going to Arizona is to receive the prestigious Walter Cronkite Journalism Award.. Congratulations...and well deserved.

As someone who has worked in breast imaging for the past 20+ years, I am deeply saddened by the recommendation to raise the age of mammograms and reduce the frequency. We see many, many women in their 40s, with no family history of breast cancer diagnosed every year, and these tumors are generally more aggressive at this age than those found in women post-menopausal. All the work that has been done over the last decades to diagnose tumors earlier and increase survival rates will surely suffer. You can't tell me this isn't a result of healthcare costs. What price are we willing to put on these women's lives?

Just what is it about Sarah Palin that scares the livin begebers out of you liberals???????????

Brian I just finished watching your program tonight.  I must say I am outraged at the piece on mammograms being restricted to those over 50 and those with a family history.  This is just a peak into our future if we go with a government run health care system.  I would like the many women that I know who were diagnosed with breast cancer before turning 50 and without a family history to tell the world of their stories, their survival stories. Moreover, while we discontinue health care for women (the majority gender that is always treated like the minority), what will we be taking away from the males, nothing I am sure.  So thankfully the women I know were tested in their forties and survived courageous battles and have watched their children grow.  The next generation; will have to watch their mothers die.  Nice.

What's with Brian Williams' dismissive and belittling "Oh, well" at the end of this evening's piece about Sarah Palin? Don't recall anything of this sort following reports about the Obamas, Pelosi,Jackson and Sharpton, etc. Brian, stick to gigs on 30 Rock and Saturday Night Live.

How comforting that I now have an extra 10 years to think about scheduling my first squeeze my breasts between metal plates and look for bumps.  Or maybe its not so comforting knowing I had a grandmother die of the disease.  

The "thank you" cards from Kabul are so precious.  Thank you so much for sharing them Brian!

*yawn* Sarah Palin is making news again?  

Just a curiosity question getting thrown out there: how come "green is universal" only comes out during sweeps months?  Isn't NBC concerned with being green year round?  I'm sure Kermit the Frog would appreciate that sentiment!

Good Evening Mr.Williams, Another fine broadcast this evening from the Los Angeles Bureau. CONGRATULATIONS on being awarded the Walter Cronkite Award!!SO VERY DESERVING!!! You do WONDERFUL WORK AND THIS IS A GREATC HONOR!!! CONGRATULATIONS!! Now on to the broadcast. First of all the report by Dr.Nancy Snyderman concerning woman and getting mammograms. It appears the regulations have changed regarding when women should get mammograms resulting in much confusion. The information stating that woman ages 40-49 should not routinely receive mammagrams and should wait does account for some resistance in terms of missing something in the examination if done too early. It is understandable the American Cancer Society would still recommend routine screenings since early detection is key.
It was interesting to hear Dr.Susan Love's statements regarding these new guidelines.

The report by Savannah Guthrie from Beijing about President Obama's trip certainly told of how vitally important China has become to the United States. Meeting the Chinese leaders on vital issues especially the economy and the nuclear issues with Iran and North Korea.  

Nice to see the Space Shuttle Atlantis lift-off today!
So moving to see and hear how generous the viewers of NBC Nightly News to the children in the Afghanistan Orphanage. The cards saying, "Thank You" were so cute! I'm very happy Andeisha Farid the woman who runs the orphanage is so very happy with all the help! One wants only the best for all the children!

Thank You for the broadcast Mr.Williams! Peace to You and to All!

Lots of Love to Laurel,Jackie,Stephanie,Claudia,Celine,Anna,Lori,Cary and Matt!
Be Well Always!
Stay Extra,Extra Safe and Well Richard!
XOXO

Totally agree with Mary Kay Verhoff. My wife had her one and only mamogram at 46. It was positive. It turned out to be a secondary site and cancer had already spread to bone in her ribs. Also she was Her2 positive and it spread quickly. She did not make it but had a few more years with agressive treatment at NIH. Had she waited to 50, she would not have had "some" time with our kids who were in college. And to add, I was shocked by Dr. Susan Love's comments and support of the change. She is wrong- dead wrong.

Last fall I fell ill suddenly, when I was better I went to my yearly GYN appt., my dr. gave me the order to go for my mammmogram but I was weak so she said it wasn't a problem I could wait, I had no family history and I had gone last year, so I waited and 7 months later there was, within weeks a golf ball size lump.  Needless to say I had surgery, it had already spread and now have just started Chemo.  I have a 50/50 chance of being here in 10 years according to my dr. I am 53 years old. The rules are always changing in favor of the insurance companies not in favor of women fighting breast cancer. This is such a backward move for women in our country all in favor of the healthcare companies not womans care.

Brian,

Just when I think I know the answers,
they change the questions, which is the
story of my life & because of that I
am proactive and do my homework when
it comes to health issues.  So far,
so good.  It is sad that so many
young women are now having breast
cancer, a fact I do not understand.

I appreciated the update on the orphange
in Kabul and that you have received
$100,000 which is a great help to
the brave woman in charge of the
orphange in the war zone.  I love,
absolutely love, the shot of you
and the young girl exhanging your
glasses.

Congratulations on the Walter Cronkite
award.  It must be dear to your heart
as you admired him so.

Phyllis

Brian, you mispoke horribly in tonight's newscast (at least the east coast feed).  You said that breast cancer is the second leading cause of death in the US.  We actually backed up the DVR to re-listen, we were so shocked by the incorrectness of this statistic.  According to the CDC, breast cancer is the second leading cuase of cancer death among women in the US, and the seventh leading cause of death among women in general.  Presumably, it is much farther down the list of causes of death in the general population in the US.  I don't wish to underestimate the gravity and ubiquity of breast cancer, but you should correct yourself tomorrow night.

Greetings,

Please note that I would like to bring to your attention a VERY disturbing photograph of our First Lady, Michele Obama that is depicted on Google.com. http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&source=hp&q=michele%20obama&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi  When visitors of Google.com click on the "Images" tab on the menu bar searching for Michele Obama, they will see a picture of her looking like a monkey. I do not have to express how offensive this photo of our First Lady is to me and millions of others who have viewed this photograph. Blogspot.com appears to be the host of this photo. However, Google.com has refused to take it off their website.

It is my hope that this unfortunate incident could be reported on, so that Google.com could not only take down the offensive picture, but learn to be more diligent with regard to degrading photos on their website, especially of our First Family.

I thank you for your time and attention to this very serious matter.

Hi Brian,

Evidently you're going to receive the Walter Cronkite Award. As Cary and Brian wrote, you deserve it-- more than anyone that I know of. Also, it was great to see you broadcasting from another location. It always spices things up.

Now, I'm sorry but I couldn't appreciate what Dr. Susan Love said about mammograms. I read a few things about her after your broadcast on other websites--that she basically wrote the book on breast health. So why hasn't my gyn been reading that book along with other drs. out there who advise an annual breast screening, along with a monthly self screening? We're even told to remind our friends to get their mammograms. Then Dr. Love came on tv and talked so nonchalantly about the new guidelines that I was wondering if she was preoccupied with something else. Was she trying to be grandmotherly and keep all of your female viewers calm? The whole issue is very disturbing.

It's sad and disturbing that we as a nation would allow the hunger rate to go up. We give so much money to other countries to feed them, yet we let Americans starve. When it gets so bad that children and adults become malnourished that their bodies can't fight off diseases, I consider that starving. If I could change anything about this country, it would be Americans taking care of their own. In no way am I saying that we shouldn't help other countries out, especially Afghanistan, considering the damage that's been done. And I'm glad to hear that the viewers have now donated one hunderd thousand dollars to the orphanage you visited. I can't imagine in how many ways that helps.



I don't have time to comment on everything, so I just want to point this out. It's sad that five yr. old Shaniya Davis was found dead. And I can't comprehend a mother selling her daughter in any way. I'm not judging Shaniya's biological father, but how could he not have known that this woman wasn't fit to take care of their daughter? From what I understand, Shaniya was living with him and then he decided that it would be ok for her to live with her mother. I hope they throw that woman in jail for life.

Brian, we'll see you tomorrow night. But I don't look forward to the next few pages of Sarah Palin's book being discussed. As fast as the news is created, I hope there are more important things to add to the broadcast. And no, I don't want the news to be all gloom and doom. I do appreciate the lighter segments as well as the next person.


Bye for now.

Interesting statistic you made tonight about the number of people that are not able to put food on the table--yet in Michigan, this fall, apple farmers were not able to harvest most of their crop. They had to let the fruit fall to the ground.  Reason given to them, no market for their fruit. Very sad scenario for both groups of people!

I'm not just confused Brian, I'm absolutely livid over the "new" information about mammograms. I find it outrageous that Dr. Susan Love can very casually say that testing every year was 'never based on science 'and that the medical community has known this since 1997! Why is she just speaking out now? Where were all the voices protesting this supposedly over zealous testing? Are we to believe the American Cancer Society are just a bunch of quacks? Uhh!!

I am a breast cancer survivor with no family history and was diagnosed at age 46 thanks to mammography. I was deeply saddened to see the new recommendations I felt like I was being told my life didn't matter. I'm alive thanks to the "old" guidelines, but would likely not be alive under the new.

Brian welcome back to Southern California. I didn't feel the earthquake but who knows there is always something going on.

I saw Sarah on Oprah and it saw sad to see Sarah making a complete fool of herself. Now Oprah did read the book but Sarah didn't remember what she said in it. Yes Sarah said it was all Courics fault and the rest of the Media. Sarah spoke of her perfect marriage but forgot about her affair with Todd's business partner. Sarah dodged the fact her teenage daughter and Levi shared a bedroom in her house and have been having sex for a long time. She also lied and said she didn't know her daughter was pregent until McCain's campaign told her, then changed it and said it was something the Family wanted to handle themselves. It was so many holes in her story it was worse then Bush's 8 years of lies.

President Obama is smart as he knows older people don't usually change but young people are the future. While listening to him speak to the Chinese students it made me think of JFK and how he influenced a generation. It shows leadership when you planet seeds of Peace and what them group.

Congrats Brian on your award as you've done more then any other Anchor on TV today. Now with President Obama's help and all the States Governors maybe we can reduce those who need food.

California Governor is using time away because he can't face the citizens as he put this State in a big mess. First his wife breaks the law about cell phones, then she parks in a No Parking Zone and still see's no problem. Artie increased the State taxpayers on all employed. We can't blame anyone but ourselves for allowing this none speaking citizen to be Governor. It was nice to see the Republicans apologized to former Governor Gray Davis as the GOP said they made a mistake pushing him out of office.

Have a great evening all

Hi, Brian!

Thank you for starting our week off with another terrific broadcast! You looked especially happy in that anchor chair tonight. Perhaps for the very reason you're on the west coast this week? I'M SO VERY HAPPY FOR YOU! My deepest congratulations to you once again.

Now, I have to comment on tonight's broadcast:

First of all, I have to say, I am a little confused on the new policy for breast cancer screenings. What if in the time younger women aren't being screened – because of the research looking for better alternatives – younger women develop breast cancer and aren't diagnosed until a very late stage? It may not be common, but it has and does effect very young women. I bet, and hope, we'll be hearing more of this.

That picture of the space shuttle taking off from Kennedy Space Center never gets old. What a beautiful site, and beautiful day for the lift-off!

I'm pretty sure Andrea Mitchell's Sarah Palin report was one of the things that made my night! The end of her report gave me one of those laughs when a few tears come to your eyes. And the way she signed off...priceless. Sarah Palin actually has a Barnes and Noble in Roanoke, Virginia on her tour list. I'm not too much of a fan, but I am debating on whether to just go anyway. I'd go in a heartbeat if the President or Vice President were coming – even John McCain, of course.

What an incredible life of sacrifice for Medal of Honor recipient Lewis Millett. A truly remarkable life. I'm glad you took the time you did to tell us about all of his years of sacrifice. The fact that he joined the Canadian Army because he wanted to fight the Nazis is incredible. God Bless, and may he rest in peace.

It's so heartwarming to know that all of the Nightly News viewers are still pouring in donations to the Afghan orphanage you visited just weeks ago. Those cards they sent you are so precious. How heartwarming it must have been for you to open those cards. Those children stole our hearts, along with yours, and though I haven't yet been able to send them my donation, I promise that they will be hearing from me!

Thank you very much for the Monday night broadcast! Goodnight, and take care. And have a good Tuesday, too. (Wayyy past my bedtime! Though it always is.)

-Cary

Mr. Brian Williams,

You really need to make a correction to your report tonight.  Breast cancer is NOT the second leading cause of death for women in the US.  CANCER overall is the second leading cause of death in total.  
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/FASTATS/lcod.htm
And Breast cancer is the second leading cause of CANCER death in the US for women.  But breast cancer only kills 40k women per year in the US. That is fewer deaths than Influenza and Pneumonia (56,326)or Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis (45,344).  Telling women that breast cancer is only second to heart disease in the likelihood in killing them really over blows the cancer and unjustly scares the bejesus out of women.
http://caonline.amcancersoc.org/cgi/reprint/59/4/225?ijkey=9ba1e70aaa871238752ad9837d8da5ad60e7fef3

Deaths per year
Heart disease: 631,636
Breast 40,170

your local radiation cancer doctor and avid NBC Nightly News fan

I realize this comment will not be considered by anyone at NBC nightly news, but I have to try.  I know that none of you consider yourselves biased, and this is just another right winged email, but I am not "right", but more middle of the road and an independent thinker.  This is why it is so frustrating watching NBC's polital coverage.  I want both sides, and I'm tired of reporters like Andrea Mitchel acting like the mean popular girl at school whose "opinion" should be everyones.  Her "news" piece last night on Sarah Palin's book was a joke.  You guys really allow your so called political correspondents to do slander pieces because your reporter felt dysd by Palin's book?  It shouldn't suprise me, but it always does.  She came across, as she often does, as the mean popular girl who gets mad, and tries to use her popularity (or at least her job) to ruin and slander someone who doesn't like her.  It was NOT news.  I watched her coverage over the coarse of the campaign (pieces where she would do an entire segment on what a joke it was that Macain called himself Maverick, and then an entire piece following where Obama put his arm around a crying girl with student loans, and promised to make it better, and that was yours and her fair and unbiased news coverage?  Tell me, is that really news or just opinion?  Did Obama offer any plan for getting rid of her loans?  No.  But apparently Macain deserved a negative Maverick piece, and Obama deserved his love piece. I say "go to the footage"  Hire someone to view all of your political pieces, and then show them back to back to the powers that be.  Then tell me I'm wrong.)  I just want fair and equal, and this was just one of many, if not most, of the pieces that aired.  I am someone who wants to know what is important so I can make my own decision.  I don't want to know who you are voting for.  That is not your job.  Finally, it is not
Andrea Mitchel's job, or right, to use the nightly news to get revenge.  Have a dinner party, Andrea, and invite all of your really important friends,and go for it.  But when you are reporting the news, leave your opinion at the door.  These are crazy times, and I need real information. I need the facts.  Finally, I am wholeheartedly expecting no response from your program, but I would still love one (and not an automated one, please)I'm sure I'll be disapointed, but a girl can dream.  Thank you. Jess Lynch

In your “Going Green” segment, did I see scenes from “Casino Royale?”
Casino Royale is the best James Bond, ever.
I have seen that movie over and over and it is a part of my collection.
Totally in love with it.
No silly gadgets or gimmicks.  Real, believable situations.
The dialogue between Bond and Vesper Lynd, on the train, is superb and magical.
Excellent writing.
Great screenplay.  Very Sexy Bond.  A “10”

Brian, totally love the necktie.
Nice.
Just a caring question: When will the NBC staff begin wearing Fall colors?

What Dr. Nancy Snyderman is saying about breast self-examination is absurd! Saying that it amounts to women performing search and destroy missions on themselves is crazy. The process has saved the lives and/or breasts of many women and costs nothing.

Is Dr. Snyderman's real concern that the lumps found during self examination require medical attention? She so cavalierly promotes RATIONING when she knows her connections mean that neither she nor her family will be victims of healthcare rationing.

Thank you for providing a venue for all points of view Brian. It's clear from this vantage point that Dr. Snyderman is functioning as a tool.

Congratulation on the Walter Cronkite Journalism Award! My daughter is a senior at the Cronkite School @ ASU and is also a proud member of their  Newswatch team. Way to go!!!

Brian:  Good report from West Coast on Monday, 16 Nov 2009.  However, your story on California potentially regulating the power consumption of FLAT PANEL TVs missed a major important and salient point:  PLASMA FLAT PANEL TVs use nearly 5 times as much power as similarly sized LCD FLAT PANEL TVs.  The newer technology LED FLAT PANEL TVs use even less power.  The power consumption of the various technologies is not as easily explained to customers as it should be.  Thank You.

Not that anyone will catch this in time, but I forgot to mention it last night. Don't forget to tune into The Ellen Degeneres show today -- Brian's stopped by! Thanks to Laurel for spreading the news, and the people of the internet who seem to know everything before it happens. Brian and Ellen are perfect together, it's like an early Christmas! :)

Can hardly wait - and hope they talk puppies again.

Thanks Cary.
Unfortunately, will miss the Ellen Show. How about that ..... have to work late, preparing for my vacation.  Will miss blogging.
Have fun, Brian.

Response
justBfair, Roaring Spring, PA
What scares me about Sarah is she is so dumb and uses sex to get what she wants. She lies even about her lies. She has no idea what the office of President or VP is about. She even allowed us to see a 5th grader knows more about the US Constitution then she does and remember her Foreign Policy experence is see can see Russia from her window. We allow Bush with the alcoholic/drug illness stay in office for 8 years as he brought the US to a Recession. Just think with the GOP pushing Sarah Palin/Carry PreJean for 2012, that would finish the US off with terrorist or even on shot.

Madeline Williams:  I saw the picture and email/called Google. Thanks for letting us know.

Jessica Avon, Ct. Andrea got back stabbed as during the election she propped  up Sarah and even covered up her mess. She was using the NBC Station to promote McCain/Palin as she was part of the Plame Leak and the lies spread to the public about Iraq. Yes Pat Fitzgerald gave reporters a break during the Libby Trial but we can't forget how hard David Gregory/Andrea Mitchell worked with Dick Cheney to make sure the public believed the lies so the US would illegally invade Iraq. Look for Sarah to soon back stab Oprah as she sells her book of lies.

Jackie Rawlings, Riverside, Leftcoast, I see your point. Anyone with an "R" behind their name is a lier. Only Keith Oberman, Rachal Maddow, Chris Mathews, and the MSM elite can speak the truth. Yu expose yourself as a person that votes for a person because they have a "D" after their name rather than who would be best for America and I am not convinced that Palin would be best for America but I just have to wonder what it is that the MSM and liberals just goes NUTSY over her.

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