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Tension Rising

We are following developments in Iran today... where the Iranian government is detaining those 15 British sailors and marines.  There are reports that Iran may consider putting them on trial.  NBC's Stephanie Gosk will have the latest from London.

The pet food recall is growing... another brand of dog food has been added to the list.  NBC's John Larson has that story.

CNBC's Scott Cohn reports on America's new cash crop... corn.

In Nicaragua tonight... the story of an American convicted of rape and murder.  NBC's Kerry Sanders reports on why the case may not be clear-cut.

NBC's Janet Shamlian tells us about a troubled housing market… some homes going for less than the cost of a car… and they're still not selling.

And they're calling it the Arabic version of American Idol... tonight NBC's Tom Aspell tells us how one woman from Iraq... who won the competition... is bringing people together in Iraq.

It's all coming up tonight.  We hope you'll join us.

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The Friday factor

In our interconnected world, we cannot expect what some are calling a "hostage crisis" involving Iran and the U.K. to enter its eighth day and not affect the global oil market. Tonight the domestic consumer impact will be among our top stories.  We'll also update today's findings on pet food, the allegations about Rudy Giuliani, and an examination of the mega-business strategy being pursued by Starbucks. We'll hear from the CEO.

DON'T LOOK NOW (ACTUALLY, PLEASE DO...)
The other story I'd call to your attention is a collaborative effort to bring us up to date on the startling situation in Russia. Veteran Correspondent Jim Maceda along with Nightly News producer Clare Duffy (who has lived there, studied the culture and speaks the language) have returned from Russia with some great reporting on Putin's rule, the economy and more. Jim has already filed a vlog in this space and there is a huge package of Web material that will be at Nightly.MSNBC.com when we hit air. Our operating theory is that Russia has been off the American radar -- and while we've been looking elsewhere and fighting dual wars, Putin has consolidated power and transformed many aspects of the country. Tonight we're airing a fascinating and important piece of work.

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Back in the U.S.S.R.?

NBC's Jim Maceda was in Russia recently -- his report on the trip will air tonight, offering a glimpse into what life has become under the country's leader Vladimir Putin. Here, Jim vlogs about how the "new" Russia compares to the old, and how life has changed since he was last there.
Watch the vlog

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Early Nightly is up

Brian makes a confession in today's vlog and also details some of the stories we're working on for tonight's broadcast.


Click here to watch the vlog

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News on all fronts

We have a number of different options for the top of the broadcast tonight. Today was a travel day, back from Washington after the Correspondents' Dinner. I arrived back in New York and had to immediately take part in a film shoot in Times Square for an NBC project. Then it was off to the pre-editorial meeting... followed by the actual editorial meeting. Among the stories afoot tonight: a big credit scam story, the Gonzales story on the Hill (briefly interrupted today), the fallout from the speech by the Saudi King, and the Iran drama -- which seemed to ratchet up today despite calls last night for cooler heads to prevail. Among the more interesting print stories of the day was an A-section piece in this morning's Washington Post about the new (and sadly fatal) targeting of the Green Zone in Baghdad. The rockets and mortars over there are so random -- and life in the Green Zone can give all inhabitants a false sense of security -- and the combination can be awful.  All it takes is one insurgent with a fast car, decent aim and a small, portable rocket launcher to turn a corner of the Green Zone into a battlefield.

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Early Nightly is up

NBC's Pete Williams offers a rundown of some of the stories we're working on for tonight's broadcast, including a piece from Robert Bazell that touches on some of the reporting he did in Iraq. That reporting will be highlighted in his documentary "Wounds of War," airing tonight at 11 ET on MSNBC TV.

You can read Robert's preview of the documentary here.

Click here to watch the vlog

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Washington diarist

We are in Washington tonight because of this evening's annual Correspondents' Dinner. I fully suspect this evening will have a somber cast to it because of the news yesterday concerning Tony Snow. This city, where I've spent something like a third of my adult life and all of my college years, is a very small town -- a Company town, at that. The Company is government, and so tonight's odd mix of government and media will bring 2,000 people under the blue-tinted "Star Trek" ceiling of the Washington Hilton Ballroom -- all of whom play some role in the Company. Tony would normally be on the dais, looking up at his boss during his remarks. There will be an empty seat, figuratively at least, on that dais tonight.  Our thoughts and prayers are with Tony, his wife and his three girls.

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Early Nightly is up

Brian is in Washington today, so NBC's Robert Bazell takes over vlog duties, previewing some of the stories we're working on for tonight's broadcast.

Click here to watch the vlog

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Tuesday's outlook

I have just come from a board meeting in a stiflingly hot meeting room inside a Midtown Manhattan Hotel. It might as well be a summer day in New York. Now, two hours from air, I begin the re-immersion into the broadcast I last checked in on more than two hours ago.

The public discussion of cancer now includes another public figure. When Tony Snow's deputy told the press corps about the result of her boss's surgery yesterday, she broke into tears. The President said today he is praying for his friend and press secretary now that Tony Snow's cancer has returned. We are all thinking of Tony and want him to be strong. David Gregory will cover this story for us tonight. Tony Snow would be the first person to remind us (as would Elizabeth Edwards) that the story here is one of chronic disease, and the Americans living with cancer on an almost routine, daily basis. The story is this disease... and its steady march and high cost.

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Early Nightly is up

In today's vlog, Brian reflects on Tony Snow's difficult announcement that his cancer has returned. Brian also reviews last night's first broadcast in high definition, and talks about a story that didn't air, but did make yesterday's Daily Nightly pages --  you can check it out here.

Click here to watch the vlog

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