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Early Nightly -- 'Wounds of War' edition

Brian anchors the broadcast tonight, but Chief Science & Health Correspondent Robert Bazell pinch hits in today's vlog. One viewer e-mailed us this week to say Robert's 'Wounds of War' reports are "some of the finest reporting" he's ever seen. You can see all elements of the series to date -- reports, videos, blogs -- here.

To find out the focus of tonight's installment, click here or on the image to watch the vlog.

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Touching down in Tehran

The front page of Wednesday’s "Iran News" carries a picture of a smiling President Ahmadinejad with two young children, while an article alongside claims Iran is close to industrial-scale enrichment of uranium, and there’ll be no going back. The "Tehran Times" has Iran ready to strike the U.S. "anywhere" if attacked. Pretty ominous stuff.

But turn a few pages and there’s a rather different take on the Great Satan - a rundown on the Oscars with a large photograph of a smiling Al Gore, Oscar in hand. There’s also a piece about David Beckham’s likely impact on U.S. soccer, together with an interview with the former captain of the Iranian national team, who is now coaching a team in Los Angeles, and paints a glowing picture of his time in the States. "I see the potential and talent here," he says.

Editor's note: Read the rest of Ian's post in World Blog. He's on assignment in Iran for a couple of weeks and will report occasionally on the broadcast.

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Off to the races

Remember in "Crimson Tide" when Gene Hackman calls a missile drill while Denzel is busy fighting a fatal fire in the galley?  We're extremely busy in this newsroom today -- mostly figuring out what may be a record-setting "vertical drop" on the market for these times -- and someone said toward the end of our frantic editorial meeting, "I bet Libby happens today." It's actually a good readiness drill: While we're fighting the galley fire (on Wall Street, as it were), we must remain ready for a missile drill (a verdict in a major Washington case, for which we have drilled). Any major story could break in tandem with this... it's just good practice. Then again, perhaps I've just driven a good movie analogy right into the ground. We'll call on our friends at CNBC to help us figure out this market situation tonight.

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Who's on first?

Or as we say in White House briefing room, "Who's in the first row?" By tradition, first row occupants have been members of the television networks and the wire services. But when United Press International (UPI) went belly up several years ago, its prime reporter, the dean of the White House press corps, Helen Thomas, stayed on in the front row. Now, there are rumblings that the White House Correspondents Association (which controls the seating arrangement) wants to take her front row perch away.

All this supposedly will happen when the press corps moves into its new digs in late spring.

Today, long-time briefing attendee Lester Kinsolving, who's known for his off-beat questions, posed this question to Press Secretary Tony Snow:

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An emotional roller coaster

After touring the combat hospitals of Iraq with Robert Bazell, cameraman Craig White, and soundperson Susan Becerra, I don’t think I’m speaking out of turn to say that none us have ever before seen the amount of severe trauma we witnessed in our two week trip. Since returning back, the lasting impression for me is the somewhat surprising roller coaster of emotions felt on a daily basis. I’m not talking about the simple up and down reactions to each day’s event, but a rather more forceful pulling and tearing of emotions to levels of extreme highs and extreme lows.

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Early Nightly is up

Brian anchors tonight from New York, where the top story will likely be the attack at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan that targeted Vice President Dick Cheney.

In today's vlog, he also mentions the study about college students, who some are now calling the 'Me Generation.' We've started a vote on the topic. You can weigh in here.

To watch the vlog, click here or on the image.

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"DO YOU WANT TO LIVE IN CHAINS?"

Today, our fifth day of waiting for a Libby verdict, provided an unexpected opportunity to see Judge Reggie Walton, who has presided over this high profile trial with poise, show a far more passionate side. 

While the jury is down the hall working, the judge caught up on other cases. 

A series of young men came before him for repeat appearances and various criminal offenses. The judge was quite proper as he reviewed each man's new reason for being in court. But when that business was done, he addressed them personally with a fire that resonated deep belief and personal experience. Judge Walton is African-American and so were the young men in trouble.

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The top of the week

The vice president's travels (and the not-so-embedded message) will play near the top of our broadcast tonight, and tonight we also begin a series of great reports by Robert Bazell from his recent trip to Iraq: the heroes and miracles that are the stuff of daily life in our field hospitals. These professionals amaze all who are exposed to them with their quiet competence and extraordinary dedication. We are very fortunate to have this series of reports this week, just as we are fortunate to have such people wearing the uniform and caring for our very bravest as we speak. We'll also have some news from medicine (regarding over-the-counter pain medications, an American household staple) and news from the Supreme Court regarding high-speed car chases. 

We continue to wait... and watch the Libby trial.

Are the Academy Awards still going on? Everyone I know is tired today.

Attention fellow parents of college-age children: this might be the most interesting anecdotal/generational story of the day.

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Honoring a hero

The East Room of the White House was packed. A retired Army Lt. Col. stood at attention in his dress uniform adorned with ribbons and medals. As he gazed out at the audience he could see men in business suits sitting up front -- wearing around their necks Medals of Honor. He would soon be joining them. Bruce Crandall was more than a helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War. He was a hero.

There was the ceremonial "Hail to the Chief" as President Bush briskly walked in. The president spoke and told the tale of the heroics from that day in 1965 when Bruce Crandall's Assault Helicopter Battalion was pinned down by two North Vietnamese regiments. Men were wounded and some died. It looked like a massacre. But Crandall, along with Capt. Ed Freeman and no armament on their helicopter, bravely made run after run after run -- during 14 hours of flying time, they rescued 70 men. Freeman received the Medal of Honor in 2001.

Photo caption: President Bush awards the Medal of Honor to Bruce Crandall of Manchester, Wash., during a ceremony in the East Room of the White house today. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

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This week's series, 'Wounds of War'

Tonight we begin a series on the treatment of the U.S. troops wounded in the Iraq war. In addition to the broadcast report, I wrote an article for the Health Section of MSNBC.com describing the overall medical care system in Iraq, and I blogged while on assignment and shooting this material. So I won’t write much more here today. But I want to take a little space to thank the people who traveled with me to Iraq. They take the risks and don’t get the credit I do. Craig White was the photographer, Susan Becerra did the sound and engineering, and Kevin Monahan was the field producer. Jane Derenowski and Maggie Kassner did not go to Iraq, but did a terrific job of editing in New York, as did M.L. Flynn, the senior producer. Thanks to these colleagues for helping me tell the story of the brave men and women who are so dedicated to treating the wounded soldiers of this war.

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