on the broadcast tonight, daring rescue. a secret mission by u.s. navy seals pulled off just before the president entered the house chamber last night and even hinted at by the president. tonight, two hostages are free. the farewell today for gabby giffords. an extraordinary scene. not a dry eye in the house as she leaves congress to focus on recovering from the shooting that almost took her life. on the road. the president is selling his case for re-election. while on the trail in florida, some tense moments though for the republicans who want his job. big changes coming for millions of kids when lunchtime arrives at school. "nightly news" begins now.

captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening. it was just as we were coming on the air last night for our coverage of the state of the union address, the president had just been introduced. he was walking down the aisle into the chamber. when he reached the area where his cabinet members sit, we heard the president clearly say something above the applause to his secretary of defense leon panetta, and we wondered why. >> good job tonight. good job tonight. >> good job tonight. what was that about? well, hours later we learn what that was about. the united states had again called on the very best, the u.s. navy seals to drop into a foreign country and pull off a very risky, very dangerous job. in this case, extracting two hostages including one american. it's where we begin tonight with

our pentagon correspondent jim miklazewski, who by the way, was at home watching coverage of this speech. heard the same thing, got on the phone to his sources and was able to break the story overnight. jim, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. this was the same elite navy unit seal team 6 that took out osama bin laden last may. in many respects, this mission was riskier. the seals here face nine heavily-armed kidnappers, a stash of high explosives and two hostages held at gun point. in the end, it all went off without a hitch. the two hostages seen in this video, american jessica buchanan and her danish colleague were held by kidnappers in north central somalia since last october. 1:00 a.m. in the dead of night, nearly 20 navy seals from the elite seal team 6 approached the area by plane to take the kidnappers by surprise, they parachuted to the ground about two miles from their target. in full combat gear, they ran

toward the encampment. there they encountered the heavily-armed somalis. in a brief exchange of gun fire, the seals killed all nine of the kidnappers. the two hostages were rescued unharmed. they were loaded on to combat helicopters and flown to a u.s. military base in djibouti. president obama called jessica's father to tell him his daughter had been freed. they were working for a danish relief organization when they were kidnapped three months ago. the fbi was in constant contact with the kidnappers. in a white house briefing this week, president obama was told buchanan's health had taken a turn for the worse. on monday night, the president ordered the u.s. military to launch the rescue operation. this morning on "today," vice president joe biden said they simply had run out of options. >> the president authorized yesterday because special operations forces said this was the time.

jessica's health was given beginning to decline. she is a young woman in her 30s. we wanted to act and they did. >> reporter: at the danish refugee council where the two hostages work, incredible relief. >> very happy to hear that this hardship situation has been been for more than three months is now over. >> reporter: there are reports tonight that the kidnappers recently rejected a ransom offer of more than $1 million for the release of the two hostages. officials here insist these kidnappers were not pirates or terrorists, but common criminals and thugs. just as dangerous, nevertheless. >> jim miklazewski starting us off from the pentagon tonight. jim, thanks. in that same house chamber where the president spoke last night, there wasn't a dry eye in the house today as one of their members resigned after the fight of her life. gabrielle giffords said farewell to congress and a lot of friends today, and in a place split apart lately by party and unable

to agree on anything, it seems, it was a rare and raw emotional moment. our capitol hill correspondent kelly o'donnell was there. >> reporter: a truly extraordinary day. party and politics simply did not matter. >> gabby, we love you. we have missed you. >> the brightest star among us. the brightest star congress has ever seen. >> reporter: gone were the usual fiery passions. >> no matter what we argue about here on this floor or in this country, there is nothing more important than family and friendship. >> reporter: so many wanted to honor gabrielle giffords' grace and resilience. >> gabby's courage, her strength and her down-right fortitude are an inspiration to all of us and all americans.

>> reporter: giffords' year-long hard-fought recovery brought her back here. continuing that work is the reason she will not stay. >> my district deserves to elect a u.s. representative who can give 100% to the job now. >> reporter: with her arizona colleagues of both parties gathered round, best friend congresswoman debbie wasserman-schultz read the letter of resignation for giffords. >> i will recover and will return and we will work together again. >> reporter: giffords was determined to deliver the letter herself, each step a challenge. speaker boehner caught her briefly. then let his own tears flow. giffords last vote was on a bill she co-wrote. it passed, and like all the tributes, it was unanimous. >> she has brought the word dignity to new heights. >> reporter: the good-byes from that joyful bear hug from president obama last night, to

capitol hill workers who hate to see her go. >> i'm so proud of you. i'll miss you. >> i miss you. >> reporter: and that house chamber was also on its feet, brian, for the chief of staff who gabby giffords has quite literally leaned on all year. everyone cheered all those office workers who kept things going this past year. and with today's news, will begin to wind down her office. a real cheer for those public servants. >> an incredible scene there today. kelly o'donnell on the hill, lucky to witness it all. thanks. we must report on politics once again. fresh from his speech last night, the president took his case for re-election on the road today. at the same time in florida, the republicans fighting for the chance to run against him face some tough push back about things they have said. we have two reports on it all tonight. beginning with kristen welker traveling with the president in arizona tonight. good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian.

president obama just started speaking at this computer chip plant here in arizona. it's one of five battleground states he'll visit this week as he targets key voters and tries to draw sharp contrast with his republican rivals. trying to harness the momentum from last night, president obama hit the road this morning. first stop, cedar rapids, iowa. >> we've got to make choices. do we want to keep investing in everything that's important to our long-term growth or do we keep these tax cuts for folks who don't need them and weren't asking for them? >> reporter: the president struck the same populous tone during the state of the union address, a message he hopes will carry him to re-election. >> we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot and everyone does their fair share and everyone plays by the same set of rules. >> reporter: mr. obama also kicked off what he said are his main accomplishments, taking out bin laden, boosting manufacturing, and helping to get the auto industry back on

track. >> the state of our union is getting stronger. i want to speak about how we move forward, and lay out a blueprint for an economy that's built to last. >> reporter: key to that blueprint, mr. obama's proposed 30% minimum tax rate on millionaires and billionaires, the so-called buffet rule named after billionaire investor warren buffett who famously said his secretary who attended the address shouldn't pay a higher tax rate than he does. >> asking a billionaire to pay at least as much as his secretary -- that's just common sense. >> reporter: there were tense moments when the president first arrived here in arizona. he and arizona governor jan brewer seemed to exchange heated words over a book she had written. at one point the governor even pointed at the president. white house officials down played the indent, but did say that the governor had mischaracterized an oval office meeting she had had with the president in her book.

certainly, an unexpected way to start the president's three-day campaign-like trip. kristen welker, nbc news, chandler, arizona. it has been tragic to see what has happened to our space program over the last 30 years. >> reporter: this is ron mott covering the newt gingrich campaign on florida's space coast where it's been a day of political rocket attacks between the two leading gop candidates for president, and tough questions for them both about their personal worth and personal character. today, at a candidate's forum in miami, gingrich was grilled about his credibility and prosecuting bill clinton for the monica lewinsky scandal. >> you criticize president clinton for having extramarital affair. >> no. i criticized president clinton for lying under oath. >> at the same time you were doing exactly the same thing. that's hypocritical. >> gingrich wasn't the only one on the hot seat. the moderator seemed to get mitt romney squirming when he asked the former governor how much money he has. >> it's between $150 million and $200 million.

that's what the estimates are. by the way, i didn't inherit that. >> reporter: those awkward moments behind them, romney and gingrich resumed their offensives. gingrich attacked romney's immigration proposal. >> you have to live in a world of swiss bank accounts and cayman island accounts and $20 million a year income with no work to have some fantasy this far from reality. >> reporter: romney went after president obama's state of the union speech. >> he was speaking in fantasy land last night. he seems extraordinarily detached from reality, detached from what's going on in florida. >> reporter: with space exploration especially important to this part of florida, newt gingrich told a crowd today by the end of his second term as president, the u.s. would have the first permanent base on the moon. >> ron mott rounding out our political coverage from the earth to the moon tonight. but there is more to our political director and chief white house correspondent chuck

todd we go in our washington bureau tonight. you have new polling numbers. it couldn't come at a more critical time. >> reporter: they were surprising, which is why we are bringing to you earlier than normal. the last six months, government and wall street data indicated the economy is improving. drop in unemployment rate is the most noticeable public figure. during the same six months, the public has not indicated they've been feeling the improvement, when asked by folks like us at the polls. that is until now. our new poll, improvement in three key categories seems to indicate the statistical green shoot about the economy is now actually penetrating the american psyche. the big number is whether the country is headed in the right direction. in december, it was 22%. now it shot up seven points to 30%. that is a one-year high. when it comes to president obama's handling of the economy, last month was under 40%. a dreadful number. today, 45%. again, a one-year high.

what about the idea of what the economy is going to do in the next 12 months? a month ago, 30% thought it would get better. now it shot up to 37% again, a one-year high. as you know, if this shift in public opinion on the economy continues and it's coupled with actual improvement, that's the presidential game-changer that both the republicans have to deal with. >> interesting new numbers tonight. chuck todd, thank you for that. we are again covering violent weather tonight. as you watch this, keep in mind it's january after all. we are talking about tornados in the south again on top of a pounding already. look at that front, that weather system today was texas in the crosshairs of an enormous storm system. weather channel meteorologist jim cantore with us with the latest. jim, when you and i meet up after a bad weather event it's the spring, summer or fall, but it is rarely winter. >> yeah. when you take a look at this month and add the five tornados we had today, brian, this will

be a top five january in terms of numbers of tornados. all fresh on people's minds, especially in alabama what happened tuesday morning. let's take a look where we go from here. on a positive note though, we are going to see potentially half the drought wiped out in texas. tomorrow morning it's new orleans, jackson, mississippi, the potential for high winds. possibly an isolated tornado. by 4:00 in the afternoon, it looks like it's going to be birmingham once again down into the florida panhandle. at least during the daylight hours. either way, more severe weather and heavy rain for the south. >> unbelievable stuff. jim cantore, thank you as always. i,

we are back with a controversial question tonight. can you be diagnosed with grief? more than that, should you be given a pill for it? scientists are debating whether to classify the pain we feel after a loved one dies as a disorder, and something that could be treated with medication. this as anti-depressant use in the u.s. has jumped almost 400%

in the last three-year period. our report from nbc's anne thompson. >> reporter: death is an inevitable part of life, and so is the pain that follows, but is it a disorder? grief would be labeled a mental disorder under a proposed change in the diagnostic manual for the american psychiatric association. >> the reason to do that is so clinicians can consider the possibility of whether to treat a major depression in someone who's recently bereaved. >> reporter: critics say it would stigmatize what is part of the normal human condition. >> we are, in fact, making it so unhappiness seems to be something wrong with you rather than a signal that you should do better in your life or retool your life somehow. >> reporter: andrea and keith have known that gut-wrenching pain for almost three years after losing their 22-year-old daughter stephanie to colon cancer.

>> i miss her contagious laugh. >> reporter: they say they reclaimed their lives. but not filled the emptiness left by stephanie's death. >> your mind doesn't allow you to fully accept the impact. >> reporter: many fear the new label would lead to a dramatic increase in the use of anti-depressants, already taken by 1-10 americans, an $11 billion a year business. >> if you classify grief as a disorder, it becomes a target for treatment and for especially medication. it will become a target for drug development. >> reporter: supporters say drug therapy should not be an obstacle or the only answer. >> it's not an essential, but one of the tools in our tool box for depression. there are very good psychotherapies for depression. >> reporter: a difficult subject for the pain we will all feel, and the doctors who want to help. anne thompson, nbc news, new york. up next for us here tonight, big changes coming across this country's school cafeterias.

school menus are about to change. first lady michelle obama sampled some of the new offering at an elementary school in virginia today. part of the announcement of the first overhaul the school lunch program in 15 years. we asked our education correspondent rehema ellis to walk us through some of the changes on the way. >> reporter: brian, based on the new government regulations, schools will begin to cut back on sodium, sugar, saturated fats and transfats and add more fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains. that's because this is what a typical lunch might look like today. a hot dog on a white bun, carrots, celery, fruit that's come out of a can and whole milk. next fall you start to see something like this. whole wheat spaghetti, more fresh fruits and vegetables and green vegetables, as well as 1% milk. the whole point is to offer kids healthier food and lower the calorie count. brian?

>> rehema, thanks for that. we learned today the veteran hollywood actor james farentino has died. he starred in dozens of tv shows and movies. almost 100 roles in all. known for a dramatic private life among other things, the brooklyn-born farentino was 73 years old. we want to bring you a moment from australia. it happened when a cabinet minister there got angry and gave a speech attacking the opposition leader, a man named tony abbott. when you hear it, you would be forgiven for thinking that's the way politicians should talk, the way they do in the movies. what's you're about to hear already happened in the movies. it's a speech that is a favorite of political junkies from "the american president" starring michael douglas. >> in australia we have serious challenges to solve. and we need serious people to solve them. >> we have serious problems to solve. we need serious people to solve them. >> unfortunately, tony abbott is not the least bit interested in fixing anything. >> bob rumson is not the least

bit interested in solving it. >> for now, this is being blamed on a speech writer. the words from aaron sorkin as acted by michael douglas. we told you last night it would be a banner night for the northern lights. just look at these still photos from fairbanks, alaska. an incredible light show, intense colors. all thanks to this solar flare that sent so much radiation toward our atmosphere it's already interfered with aviation and communications. back in a moment with some news in the family.

finally tonight, as you know we like to run a family operation around here. we have news about a member of our family. long-time nbc news correspondent george lewis is retiring today after 42 years with nbc news. the journalism bug bit our friend george pretty bad and pretty early back at san bernadino high in california. well that, led to a deejay shift at a 5,000 watt radio station, then a job as a page for the "regis philbin show" because it all goes back to reeg. george got hired by knbc los angeles. somebody handed him a ticket to

vietnam. he was our man in saigon to cover the end of the war. george was just getting started. there were more wars, more conflicts to cover, including desert storm. being based in l.a. for 28 of those years meant earthquakes and fires and mudslides and so many of us will remember his work covering the o.j. simpson trial, among other stories. he's been our tech guy, our man in hollywood. just last night he covered the oscar nominations. this is all to say george has been our go-to guy. now he has somewhere else to go. a few months from now we hope to talk george back on to the air as an occasional contributor, because in this business especially, it's hard to walk away. george has never walked away from anything. after 42 years, he's going to see what it feels like outside of tv. so, george, from your friends and colleagues here, and if i might on behalf of all the good folks at home who have watched your work for so many years, thank you. you have our respect. happy trails, and we'll see you

right back here before too long. that's our broadcast for this wednesday night. first night of the post-lewis era. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. we hope to see you back here tomorrow evening, as well. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com good evening. thanks for joining us this wednesday evening. i'm janelle wang. >> and i'm raj mathai. at the time