course correction. after a week of tough political setbacks, the white house goes on offense, trying to save the agenda. survivor's story. rescued after 11 days in the rubble. how one quake victim made it out alive. also tonight, the exodus from port-au-prince. the turnoff. getting drivers to stop texting and talking behind the wheel. it's about life and death. and the big event. they were among the greatest olympic stars. tonight, the two teenagers who olympic stars. tonight, the two teenagers who hope to be next. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening, everyone. we're glad you're here. three days from now president obama will tell all of us how the country is doing when he delivers his state of the union address. but in many ways it will also be kind of a self-assessment of his first year in office. and there are already indications tonight that the white house is not happy with what it sees in the mirror. with a top adviser admitting today we have not delivered yet. with its domestic agenda left in limbo after last week's loss by democrats of a key senate seat, a new purported message from osama bin laden tonight is yet another reminder of unfinished business for this president. nbc's mike viqueira is at the white house for us tonight. mike? >> reporter: good evening, lester. as the president comes off a rough week of political setbacks, he prepares to come before the nation on wednesday night to try to get his agenda back on track. less than a week into the president's second year in office, a top white house official admits that voters have not seen the change they were promised. >> they have a reason to be frustrated with everybody because we have not delivered yet. we're now in washington. and so we have to change the culture here. >> reporter: even after the stunning republican victory in massachusetts and a new role for 2008 obama campaign manager david pluff, now brought in to help limit expected losses in congressional elections this fall, white house advisers deny a shift in political strategy. >> you're not hitting the reset button here? >> no, we're not hitting the reset button at all. >> i won't stop fighting to bring back jobs here. >> reporter: aides also dispute that mr. obama's populist campaign style approach, on display friday in ohio, is a departure for the president. >> in washington people look for signs, cues for their script to say oh, you know, here's obama 2.0. this is obama -- this is the obama who ran for president. >> reporter: but as he prepares for wednesday's state of the union, much of mr. obama's first year agenda, like signature efforts on energy and financial reform, is now mired in congress. with the health care bill months in the making now on hold, each side blames the other for gridlock. >> he chose to go hard left the first year. we'll see beginning wednesday night where he plans to be the second year. >> reporter: today white house officials signaled an emphasis on jobs for wednesday's speech. >> we need to grow this economy in a way that allows hard-working people who are meeting their responsibilities to get ahead. >> reporter: but some see a white house with a new sxhej a new way forward. >> this president doesn't come easy to populism and it's not terribly convincing, but when you're in a panic this is one of the things you do. and i think they're in a panic right now. >> reporter: and lester, after several days of questions about the nomination of ben bernanke to a second term at the helm of the federal reserve, tonight both white house officials and congressional leaders are expressing confidence that he will be confirmed this week. lester? >> mike viqueira, thanks. for some insight on the president's way forward, let's bring in john harwood. he's cnbc's chief washington correspondent. john, you just heard david axelrod in that story say it's about growing the economy. do you think the president is going to offer something new on that front and on jobs when he talks to the nation wednesday? >> reporter: i'd expect, lester, a continuation of this new populist rhetoric the president has amped up in recent days. perhaps new twists on his call for a new piece of jobs legislation that congress hasn't enacted yet. but it's a difficult balancing act because new jobs legislation cost money. the president also has to convince voters and financial markets here and around the world that he's going to do something serious about the long-term budget deficit. so you'll also hear him talking about the bipartisan deficit reduction commission that's been in discussion in washington lately. >> we just heard it looks like ben bernanke has the votes for reconfirmation. but the fact that it was ever in jeopardy, was that in itself a warning sign, a shot across the bow to the white house? >> absolutely it was. and the white house orchestrated a full-court press to save that nomination. interestingly, some of its allies in getting republican support in particular have been some of the same wall street executives that president obama's been publicly picking fights with. >> valerie jarrett told david gregory that health care reform is now the art of the possum. with the loss of a 60-seat majority in the senate, how do you think they're going to make that happen? >> it's fascinating, lester. democrats still have the power to enact comprehensive reform if the house is willing to pass the senate bill. but this is really a gut check moment for the president and his party where they've got to figure out what their deepest beliefs are, what they're willing to fight for. because if they walk away from comprehensive reform now, history tells us that chance may not come again for a long time, lester. >> john harwood from cnbc tonight. thanks, john. now to that new audiotape purportedly from osama bin laden. in it the al qaeda leader addresses president obama and claims responsibility for the attempted bombing of that u.s. jetliner on christmas day. bin laden is thought to be somewhere in the afghanistan-pakistan border region, and nbc's jim miklaszewski joins us tonight from kabul. jim? >> reporter: lester, it's certainly one of the shortest messages that osama bin laden's ever delivered, but he gets right to the point. in a one-minute audiotape released today obama claims credit for that failed suicide bomb attempt over detroit on christmas day but in it he also, more ominously, threatens more such attacks. now, according to u.s. counterintelligence officials who talked to nbc news, while it's highly unlikely to bin laden himself had any direct hands-on i in the plot, he knew about it or provided -- and as for any future attempts u.s. intelligence indicates that al qaeda in yemen is still very determined to attack the u.s. and despite the botched attempt on christmas day they've exhibited at least some capability to pull it off. u.s. officials stress, however, that there's nothing in the new intelligence that would indicate a new attack is imminent. now, today obama administration officials are trying to play down the significance of this latest bin laden tape, but bin laden or not, counterterrorism officials are taking this latest threat very seriously, lester. >> jim miklaszewski in kabul for us tonight. thank you. another moderate aftershock rattled earthquake-weary haiti today. meantime, a country still tallying its dead, now over 150,000 according to the haitian government, is also marveling over the survival of one man, found alive yesterday after 11 days in the rubble. ron allen leads our coverage in port-au-prince. he joins us tonight now with more. ron, good evening. >> reporter: good evening to you, lester. yes, the survivor's doctors say that he's expected to make a fast recovery. and that is certainly not the prognosis for the rest of the country. haiti's deep poverty and the mountains of rubble here are huge challenges for the relief effort. that is the focus now, after one more amazing story of survival. these pictures from a french rescue team show wismond exantus climbing through the narrow tunnel dug ten feet deep that saved his life. he's a cashier at a food market who said he dove under a desk when the quake struck. enough space to make enough noise to alert rescuers. while surviving on soda, beer, and crackers from the shelves. >> translator: i didn't know if it was day or night, which means i avoided getting sad. i didn't think about anything there. i was just hoping someone would help me, especially god. i was sure i would not die. >> reporter: with more stories like his most unlikely, the focus now is on the 3 million people struggling with the quake's aftermath and keeping them alive. >> right now our mission is to find out where aid is needed most and get it to those people. >> reporter: today u.s. troops reached one of haiti's most violent neighborhoods, cite soleil, setting up a secure perimeter along with forces from brazil. hundreds of residents who had complained of getting nothing received 2,000 food rations and 9,000 bottles of water. what the commanding u.s. general calls a crisis response, not a long-term solution for the country. >> we are entering a phase now where we have to be able to sustain it. it takes an estimated 1 million rations a day in order to sustain it. >> reporter: u.s. marines also are pushing further out in the countryside, establishing relief sites where tens of thousands of haitians fleeing the capital are overwhelming small towns. back in the densely populated port-au-prince, lately more bulldozers and dump trucks are on the streets. nbc's mara schiavocampo. >> reporter: with half the buildings in the capital rubble the pace of devastation is expected to pick up. >> reporter: at the same time the government will begin relocating tens of thousands left homeless, desperate for tents and tarps to camps now under construction built to endure and with a sense of urgency. >> in may the rainy season begins. in june the hurricane season begins. a tent is a solution for three to four months. >> reporter: as haiti begins to focus on rebuilding and recovery, there's a big moment on the global stage tomorrow in montreal. major donor organizations and foreign ministers from around the world including secretary of state hillary clinton will meet to discuss haiti's emergency and its future and see who's willing to give how much money to help. lester? >> ron allen tonight. thank you. and port-au-prince is a city in motion. an exodus is taking place. as many as 200,000 people have left the capital behind, making their way to another haiti. nbc's michelle kosinski has that story. >> reporter: it is a capital city moving out, fleeing the brokenness around them. survivors carry what they've saved and cram into taxis and buses. some wait at the port for days. >> since last monday the boat is still not here. >> reporter: whatever the route, it is a long, wrenching road, physically, emotionally. >> they want to get out of the mess, of the smell, of the sleeping outside. you know, they want to go where they could find strength. >> reporter: this farmer is headed north two hours by bus. but this is the second flat tire, leaving exhausted passengers to wait some more. >> most of these people, they lost their houses, they lost everything. >> reporter: the u.n. expect about a million people, at least a third of the capital's population, to take a road away. and once you make it outside, a whole new world. the countryside ahead like a cool, fresh-flowing stream. ♪ here we find the national anthem. ♪ just outside the gate of indiana toussaint, 100 years old. how many of her extended family from port-au-prince are living here with her? many. and many in her family died in the quake as well. it's been estimated that some 50,000 people have already come here to the wide open green spaces. you can definitely see why. and they keep coming. the first big city north, saint mark, is teaming. new arrivals will stay with whomever they can. "patience" reads the bus. a request, perhaps. something everybody seems to be doing their best to hold on to. ♪ a good-bye to all they've lost to find a new life. michelle kosinski, nbc news, haiti. when "nightly news" continues in a moment, the new campaign to stop a deadly combination, texting while driving. on fire on ice. the two american teenagers who just skated their way to the olympics. roll please-- ces-- drum new breathe right extra. the only strip with an extra spring-like band, it's 50% stronger for congested noses that need extra help in opening nasal passages... so you breathe even better. and now get two free samples... and experience a better night's sleep for yourself. go to breatheright.com to try new breathe right extra. yeah. would you like a pony ? ye ! ( cluck, cluck, cluck ) oh, wowww ! that's fun ! you didn't say could have a real one. well, you didn't ask. even kids know when it's wrong to hold out on somebody. why don't banks ? we're ally, a new bank that alerts you when your money could be worki harder d earning more. it's just the right thing to do. could be worki harder d earning more. host: could switching to geico 15% or more on car insurance? host: does charlie daniels play a mean fiddle? ♪ fiddle music charlie:hat's how you do it son. vo: geico. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance. some sobering new figures are out on the increasingly deadly consequences of driving while texting or talking on cell phones. oprah winfrey is using her influence to fight the trend, recruiting more than 50,000 people online who pledged to make the car a no-phone zone. and those who have lost family members have taken up the cause as well. here's nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: they're the victims of america's distracted driving epidemic. 9-year-old erica forney of colorado run over by a driver on a cell phone. >> the neurosurgeon came and told us that there was nothing they could do. >> reporter: 12-year-old joe teter of michigan killed by a driver on a cell phone who slammed into the car joe's mother was driving. >> i hope no mother has to ever watch her son die so pointlessly. for a phone call. somebody was making a phone call. >> reporter: and 16-year-old katie reynolds of omaha. >> i would have enjoyed being at her wedding, holding my grandchild. >> reporter: now new findings from the national safety council estimate 1.6 million accidents, or 28% of all crashes in 2008, were attributable to cell phones, both handheld and hands-free, and texting while driving. 6,000 deaths, half a million injuries. now, 30 years after mothers against drunk driving began a public crusade to save lives, the loved ones of those killed by distracted drivers have launched focus driven, a crusade against all distracted driving. jennifer smith's mother was killed by a driver on a cell phone. >> no phone calls, no e-mail, and no text is worth someone's life. >> reporter: nationwide, 19 states and d.c. ban texting while driving. six states and d.c. ban driving while using a handheld cell phone. but no states completely ban cell phones while driving. and a total ban is what focus driven plans to start lobbying state and federal lawmakers to adopt. now the transportation secretary says he's also for a total cell phone ban. >> when you get in your car, put your seat belt on and put your blackberry or your phone in your glove compartment or shut it off. that's the only way that you can drive safely. >> reporter: because study after study suggests there's no difference between a handheld device and a hands-free device. it's the distracted brain that's the problem. tom costello, nbc news, washington. up next here tonight, hope and resilience. have the children from another natural megadisaster found the strength to go on? teoporosis. but we're active, especially when we vacation. so when i heard about reclast, the only once-a-year iv osteoporosis treatment, i called joni. my doctor said reclast helps re-strengthen our bones to help make them resistant to fracture for twelve whole months. and reclast is approved to help protect from fracture in more places: hips, spine, even other bones. (announcer) you should not take reclast if you're on zometa, have low blood calcium, kidney problems. or you're pregnant, plan to become pregnant or nursing. take calcium and vitamin d daily. tell your doctor if you develop severe muscle, . you've gotta ask your doctor! once-a-year reclast. year-long protection for on-the-go women. once-a-year reclast. it can be tough living with copd... but i try not to let it slow me down. i go down to the pool for a swim... get out and dance... even play a little hide-n-seek. i'm breathing better... with spiriva. announcer: spiriva is the only once-daily inhaled maintenance treatment for both forms of copd, which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. i take it every day. it keeps my airways open... to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announcer: spiriva does not replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms. stop taking spiriva and call your doctor if your breathing suddenly worsens, your throat or tongue swells, you get hives, or have vision changes or eye pain. tell your doctor if you have glaucoma, problems passing urine or an enlarged prostate, as these may worsen with spiriva. also discuss the medicines you take, even eye drops. side effects may include dry mouth, constipation and trouble passing urine. every day could be a good day to breathe better. announcer: ask your doctor if once-daily spiriva is right for you. the earthquake in haiti, as we've reported, has left tens of thousands of children orphaned, and one can only imagine their despair. with that in mind, it's worth looking at some of the children who survived a disaster of a similar scale, the earthquake and tsunami that destroyed banda aceh, indonesia just over five years ago. nbc's ian williams has a story of strength and perseverance. >> reporter: to a visitor the smiles are striking and unexpected, even in torrential rain. among girls for whom the future once looked so hopeless, orphans from the 2004 tsunami. among them, pepite, now 18, and one of three from this orphanage now starting university, where she's studying music and art. >> translator: my parents always wanted me to be a success. when i lost them, i was so sad. but i realized that god had given me an opportunity and i should think about the future and do my best. >> reporter: the tsunami killed up to 170,000 in aceh alone, washing away entire villages. a third of the dead were children. more than 5,000 others lost both their parents. there is in haiti today, as there was here, enormous concern about the children orphaned by the disaster. but five years on and the tsunami kids have been remarkably resilient. kids like mohammed iqbal, now 16 and hugely popular in the neighborhood where he was taken in by his aunt and uncle. >> translator: he can be a handful, but i understand what he's been through. the most important thing is to bring him up well. >> reporter: iqbal has struggled at school and says when he plays it helps him forget the past. the authorities have tried to place as many orphans as possible with relatives, through whom they channel counseling and aid. >> it's more important to find family members and give them the support, extended family support that they can look after the children, as opposed to putting them in an institution. >> reporter: the orphanages took those whose relatives couldn't be found or couldn't afford to take them. pepite says she feels her loss most when she sees friends talking to their parents. it's made her all the more determined to be successful as a fashion designer, though recently her thoughts have turned to haiti. >> translator: i know how things can seem so hopeless. but you have to be positive. >> reporter: aceh has always had a strong sense of community and religion. and while the pain of loss can never be erased, the most vulnerable are emerging from the trauma of the disaster in a way that few had imagined. ian williams, nbc news, banda aceh. back in this country, consider this. the blockbuster film "avatar" led at the box office for a sixth straight weekend and has now made more than $1.8 billion, just short of the box office record held by james cameron's last movie, "titanic." and in a moment, after the fall a new generation will take the ice in vancouver. are you taking a statin medication to lower your bad cholesterol but your good cholesterol and triglycerides are still out of line? then you may not be seeing the whole picture. ask your doctor about trilipix. if you're at high risk of heart disease and taking a statin to lower bad cholesterol, along wh diet, adding trilipix can lower fatty triglycerides and raise good cholesterol to help improve all three cholesterol numbers. trilipix has not been shown to prevent heart attacks or stroke more than a statin alone. trilipix is not for everyone, including people with liver, gallbladder, or severe kidney disease, or nursing women. tell your doctor about all the medicines you take and if you are pregnant or may become pregnant. blood tests are needed before and during treatment to check for liver problems. contact your doctor if you develop unexplained muscle pain or weakness, as this can be a sign of a rare but serious side effect. this risk may be increased when trilipix is used with a statin. if you cannot afford your medication, call 1-866-4-trilipix for more information. trilipix. there's more to cholesterol. get the picture. be aware of your surroundings. don't ignore obvious signs. stay hydrated at all times. get plenty of fresh air and sunshine. ♪ and don't worry-- lots of people live active lives with asthma. answers and advice to help you get well and stay well. walgreens. there's a way to stay well. learn more at walgreens.com/health. when we left you here last night, we were talking about a potential comeback on ice. could sasha cohen skate her way to a spot in vancouver? nbc's rehema ellis tonight on the rise and fall of olympic hopefuls. >> right now, sasha cohen! >> reporter: at 25 years old her comeback was always on thin ice. >> can she pull it off? >> reporter: a two-time olympian, sasha cohen, a darling of women's figure skating, had been away from competition for nearly four years. saturday night it showed. >> oh, another two-foot, this time with a fall. >> there wasn't sadness, and there wasn't regrets. >> reporter: still, a disappointment for some fans of a sport that thrives on stars that skate and dazzle in the arena and beyond. >> can i ask you to turn around? >> reporter: much like the celebrated champions known by their first names alone. peggy, dorothy, kristi. now with sasha out the focus turns to a new generation of teens. >> she nailed that landing. >> reporter: 17-year-old rachael flatt, a high school senior from colorado springs, placed first in the u.s. figure skating championships. >> competition in, competition out, she's just in to stay focused. >> reporter: 16-year-old mirai nagasu from southern california placed second. a surprise but not so much for nagasu's winning coach, determined to toughen her up. >> remember the no-cry rule. >> in rachael flatt you have a great athlete. in mirai nagasu you have an artist. they are eminently capable and eminently deserving. >> reporter: and undeniably underdogs. but underdogs have captured the gold before. sarah hughes did in 2002. >> in the olympics anything, and i mean anything is possible. >> reporter: in vancouver it'll be up to these american teenagers. now the nation's best hope on ice. rehema ellis, nbc news, new york. that's nbc "nightly news" for this sunday. here's anne curry now with a look at what's ahead tonight on "dateline." anne? >> lester, thanks. health care in america. as washington takes another look at reform, "dateline" takes a revealing look at what happens when emergency strikes. families who already have insurance caught in the battle of their lives. >> i will mortgage my house. i don't need all this. they said we can't allow you to do that because what you're not realizing is it'll wipe you out. >> critical condition. coming up on "dateline." lester? >> ann, thanks. that's "dateline" tonight at 7:00, 6:00 central. brian williams will be here tomorrow. i'm lester holt. and reporting for all of us here in new york at nbc news, have a and reporting for all of us here in new york at nbc news, have a good night, everyone. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com