and jon stewart returning to tv after six years why he chose now to make his comeback this is nbc "nightly news" with lester holt >> good evening. potentially good news tonight for millions who depend on a federal paycheck here's where we are. with the midnight thursday deadline looming, congress is working to avert a government shutdown democrats and republicans now expected to come together on a spending bill that would allow the government to keep paying its obligations. it is the most pressing matter facing lawmakers right now, but not the only one both sides still at odds over extending the government's ability to borrow money. that's another looming deadline and left hanging in the balance tonight, president biden's pricey domestic agenda that has left democrats in open disagreement with each other over spending priorities garrett haake is tracking all of it for us. and, garrett, there is a key meeting at the white house tonight. >> reporter: that's right, lester president biden met with top democrats nancy pelosi and chuck schumer tonight. the possible shut down less of a concern now than the divide among democrats over the president's economic agenda expected to get a pivotal vote tomorrow tonight lawmakers racing to prevent a government shutdown both chambers needing to vote to extend funding by midnight thursday. >> democrats don't want to shut down the government. republicans don't want to shut down the government. >> this would be a like shutdown of stupidity. >> reporter: democrats who control congress, planning a vote to avoid a shutdown as soon as tonight with no opposition expected meanwhile president biden canceling a planned trip to chicago to remain in washington, focussing on breaking an impasse between moderate and progressive democrats that's threatening to derail his agenda. a thursday house vote on the trillion dollar bipartisan infrastructure deal now in jeopardy with progressives planning to block it without a deal to advance democrats $3.5 trillion social and climate policy bill, too key moderate joe manchin says that bill costs too much and the bipartisan bill should pass first. >> does so much in so many ways, clean energy, everything we talked about >> reporter: house progressive alexandria ocasio-cortez pushing back. >> 96%, myself included, of the democratic party is in agreement that we need to pass both bills >> reporter: he said he's still negotiating in good faith to get there. >> let's stick to the original plan i would support manchin's priorities he can support my priorities, and we can all win and working families have child care, health care, climate action and infrastructure investment >> reporter: but congress' first order of business remains funding the government making sure after friday federal employees like irs analyst in utah will keep drawing a paycheck. >> this isn't politics this is my kids' groceries. this is making sure that everyone in my house is fed and happy and clothed and you just can't mess with that >> garrett, there are a lot of pieces in play here. as i mentioned at the top of the broadcast, there is a looming deadline over raising the debt limit, the government's ability to borrow money. >> reporter: yeah, that's right lester the deadline for default is october 18th and right now republicans are demanding democrats raise the limit on their own democrats say republicans are just as responsible as they are for running up the debt in the first place. neither side is budging yet. lester >> i know you will say on it, garrett, thank you. as the covid vaccination rate creeps up yard, about 56% now fully vaccinated, the cdc is out tonight with its strongest warning yet about pregnancy and covid. it significantly raises the risk of death for the unvaccinated here's gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: tonight a new urgent cdc health alert for pregnant women, urging them to get a covid vaccine. new data show that symptomatic pregnant women have more than a twofold increased risk of requiring icu admission and 70% increased risk of death. >> the impact of the covid-19 disease on pregnancy can be profound in a negative way. on the woman who's pregnant, herself, is at high risk for a severe outcome for covid for her. the negative impact on the fetus is also very clear right now. >> reporter: only around 1 in 3 pregnant women nationwide are vaccinated right now across the country, public health officials are stepping up their push and in some cases requirements to force people to get the shot a respiratory therapist in minnesota. >> we had signs outside of our hospital i was a hero. right now i feel expendable. >> reporter: he's now more of more than 180 health care workers in the state suing their employers to stop vaccine mandates. >> to me really irresponsible to put this mandate in place without accommodations for the people that have already had covid and for the folks that have religious exemptions. >> reporter: today youtube said it was banning all anti-vaccine misinformation from its platform, reigniting a debate over free speech, censorship and public safety as more companies hit vaccination deadlines. united airlines says it is firing nearly 600 employees for refusing to get vaccinated >> it is just a matter of choice i'm vaccinated i believe in the vaccine. but i also believe in people's opportunity to decide whether to get vaccinated. >> reporter: united's ceo says travel won't be impacted. >> such a small percentage and we planned and prepared for this. >> reporter: but in upstate new york where a vaccine mandate for health work workers took effect this week, some doctors are already sounding the alarm for a staffing shortage. >> it is absolutely a staffing crisis there is no question about it it's real. >> reporter: but, gabe, it is worth noting here the number of health care workers vaccinated in new york has gone up sharply in recent weeks. >> yes, lester the governor says more than 92% of health care workers in the state have gotten one dose proof, she argued, that the mandate is working but critics say thousands of employees are now out of a job at the worst time. lester >> gabe gutierrez, thank you. striking new testimony today by america's top military officer that the u.s. exit from afghanistan has opened the door to a resurgence of isis and al-qaeda terrorists courtney kube has late details. >> reporter: tonight the nation's top military brass with a stunning warning on the growing terror threats following the u.s. withdrawal from afghanistan. >> it is a real possibly in the not too distant future, 6, 12, 18, 24, 36 months, that type of time frame, reconstitution of a part of isis >> reporter: as for a second straight day mark milley, lloyd austin and general frank mckenzie were grilled over the chaotic exit leaving americans and afghan allies behind, now in danger of taliban violence >> frankly they're being slaughtered right now as we speak with our weapons. with our damn equipment our allies are being slaughtered. >> reporter: yesterday milley and mckenzie contradicted president biden after the president claimed none of his military advisers recommended 2,500 troops stay in afghanistan to avoid a tall ban takeover >> no. no one said that to me that i can recall >> i recommended we maintained 2,500 troops in afghanistan. >> reporter: austin was pressed about it today. >> what did the president know did he forget what was told to him or is he not being truthful >> i view that as an inappropriate question. >> reporter: milley was challenged about a phone call who we told, if we're going to attack, i'm going to call you ahead of time. >> i think you articulating that, that you would tell him, you would give him a call, i think is worthy of your resignation. >> i would not tip off any enemy to any kind of surprise thing we were going to do >> reporter: congresswoman liz cheney came to his defense. >> for any american to question your loyalty to our nation is despicable i want to apologize for those members of this committee who have done so. >> reporter: general milley's response when he resigned, i serve at the pleasure of the president. >> courtney, thank you. new tonight our first look inside haiti as thousands of migrants who were in that camp in texas are returned to their country. many back for the first time in years. nbc's jacob soboroff is there. >> reporter: this plane the first of four to arrive in port of prince today carrying haitian migrants the busiest day yet for the biden administration once they arrive at this airport, many of them are confused many are asking why they're here in the first place the next stop is this processing center, run by the united nations which expects by the end of today as many as 6,000 haitians who have been returned since september 19th on this bus right here are migrants just taken off of the plane. they're basically going to be put through united nations repatriation program right now. >> reporter: one family told us again they will try to leave the poorest nation in the western hemisphere. >> we want to live somewhere we can have a better life. >> reporter: the un's chief admission says it is dangerous for returning migrants >> my main concern is that a lot of people, thousands of people, will be in areas that are controlled by the gangs that are affected by the earthquake or another difficult situations, and the more come here, the more difficult the situation would be. >> reporter: as families like this one continue to arrive here on haiti on deportation expulsion flights, the secretary of homeland security met with the haitian ambassador in washington today to say he hopes the migrants are treated with dignity and respect. a u.s. delegation will arrive here tomorrow. lester >> jacob soboroff in haiti tonight. thank you. spectacular scenes today on the spanish island of la palma as a river of lava made it to the atlantic ocean it caused huge clouds of steam and possible toxic gases that forced some on the island to stay indoors the immediate area was evacuated several days ago as the lava made its way to the sea. in just 60 seconds, the breaking news about britney spears a judge's late ruling about her father and that conservatorship. we're there with late developments and the changes coming at the postal service just before the holidays just in tonight, pop star britney spears scoring a major victory in the battle to free herself from her father's conservatorship. a big development today. >> reporter: lester, cheers broke out when the news emerged from this courthouse britney supporters celebrating a big victory. tonight for the first time in more than a decade, britney spears is free of her father the staggering reversal of past court decisions upholding jaime spears' role within the conservatorship. a legal arrangement controlling her life and her $16 million fortune now unraveling in a matter of months following the public campaign to free her and a string of documentaries loaded with explosive allegations including one by "the new york times" released over the weekend detailing how jaime spears and his team surveilled britney spears for years, even monitoring conversations with lawyers. >> her own phone, her own private conversations were used so often to control her. >> reporter: britney spears' attorney reacted with a statement calling the actions a violation of her privacy rights jaime spears claiming he's done nothing wrong. his lawyer writing in part all of his actions were well within the parameters of the authority conferred on him by the court. this morning adding jaime loves britney unwaveringly and wants the best for her streaming giant netflix recently released "britney versus spears." but britney was working during the conservatorship, raising questions as why to it lasted this long. >> tonight a judge ruled jaime spears' role as conservator is suspended. do we know for how long >> reporter: well, the suspension is expected to last, according to the judge, until the next hearing to formally end the conservatorship, and that is expected before the end of the year lester >> erin mclaughlin in los angeles, thank you also this evening, your mail is about to get slower and more expensive. starting friday, the changes at the post office will lead to longer delivery times for first class mail as part of a ten-year plan unveiled by postmaster general louis dejoy. package delivery prices going up temporarily just ahead of the holidays. an alarming announcement today for the u.s. fish and wildlife service declaring 23 endangered species officially extinct among them the majestic ivory billed woodpecker. scientists warn climate change along with other factors could make extinction even more common in the future. up next, as we continue tonight, our exclusive look at experimental brain surgery. a potential breakthrough for people dealing with severe substance abuse disorder wanna help kids get their homework done? well, an internet connection's a good start. but kids also need computers. and sometimes the hardest thing about homework is finding a place to do it. so why not hook community centers up with wifi? for kids like us, and all the amazing things we're gonna learn. over the next 10 years, comcast is committing $1 billion to reach 50 million low-income americans with the tools and resources they need to be ready for anything. i hope you're ready. 'cause we are. back now with our exclusive first look at a potential breakthrough in helping people recover from chronic, severe substance abuse disorder an innovative brain surgery that's only been done three times in this country. here's kate snow with our series one nation overdosed >> reporter: you could help a lot of people if this goes well. >> yes >> reporter: james fisher has been using drugs for over half of his 36 years. ho did you end up getting drawn to drugs in the first place? >> i discovered xanax super early in high school. >> reporter: in his 20s he looked like a different person, moved to painkillers and heroin, has been in treatment a dozen times and even sober doesn't feel right >> i feel like i'm flat right now. >> reporter: how do you mean flat not happy, not sad, just sort of this >> no emotions whatsoever. >> reporter: when we met at the west virginia university rockefeller neuroscience institute, james was about to be the third person in america to have an experimental brain surgery that doctors hope could be the key to overcoming his substance abuse. >> i mean, i'm getting holes drilled into my brain. it's scary >> reporter: why are you willing to do that >> because i don't want to die. >> so that's james' brain. >> reporter: they mapped james' brain to find the exact path to implant two wires carrying brain stimulating electrodes. >> so if you are off by a millimeter, you are in the wrong spot. >> reporter: a kind of brain pacemaker implanted in the chest sends electrical impulses to the reward center deep in the brain. >> the brain becomes sensitized this reward center of the brain, so you keep on wanting to experience that initial feeling to feel good from the dopamine high so our goal is to regulate that or normalize the dopamine imbalance in the brain. >> reporter: other signals are sent to the frontal lobe. >> where decision-making happens. >> that's right. exactly. >> reporter: long-term planning. >> long-term planning. the goal is to activate the frontal lobes more so it can be more in charge of your behaviors and make better decisions. >> reporter: we watched the doctor implant the first wire how deep is the electrode? >> it is about five centimeters. >> reporter: then they woke james and tested the device >> what are you feeling? any change. >> happier. >> reporter: showing him photos of drugs and measuring his cravings. >> low seven >> i feel like i don't need it to be happy right now. so i give it about a 30. >> reporter: this is where you're living now? >> yep. >> reporter: it is sober living. >> yep. >> reporter: how are you doing? >> doing good. great fantastic. >> reporter: feel weird at all or -- >> no, i don't feel weird. just not depressed, not anxious, not irritable. nothing gets on my nerves. >> reporter: james says he felt an immediate difference. >> like somebody covered me up with a warm blanket, you know, and just -- just the feeling of everything is okay i used to have a really hard time making decisions. >> reporter: do you feel more clear now? >> yeah. >> reporter: he's been sober three and a half months now living in the same home where jared, the first person to get this surgery works >> i'm coming up on two years of continuous sobriety. >> reporter: the only other person to have the surgery relapsed, but for jared and james, the brain stimulation is helping them stick with the work of recovery. has your personality changed at all? >> i don't know because i really didn't know who i was before i've never had a substantial amount of clean time to really nail down who am i. >> reporter: without drugs? >> yeah. so this is, you know, the longest i have been clean in a while, and i'm just starting to figure out who i am. >> reporter: kate snow, nbc news, morgantown, west virginia. >> it's really pretty amazing. up next, what jon stewart learned since leaving "the daily show" and how that is shaping his next move. for years, he made us laugh on late night tv now a new act for jon stewart, something a bit more serious. he talked about it exclusively with savannah guthrie. >> reporter: after six years off the air -- >> this is what i look like now. >> reporter: -- he's back with "the problem with jon stewart. on apple tv plus airing every other week each episode takes a deep dive into one problem facing the country. was there any part of you that decided to come back to tv because of anything that's happened in the last five years where you felt like i wish i had a show right now because if i did i would say this. >> not really. i get to get things off my chest all the time i have children. i think there is a sense sometimes that when you are not on television, you stop existing because that's how people sort of see you i experienced it all, in all of its glory and all of its trauma and was expressing myself pretty consistently throughout, just not on television. >> reporter: i read you felt like being away from that daily grind you said that life got richer and more colorful, and i like that. >> it feels like one of those videos where the guy puts on those glasses for the first time and sees colors. it's like, i had no idea that all this was going on. for the first few months after leaving the show, i was a little forrest gumpy like out in the world like, what, you don't need to swipe the card? you just hold it up and suddenly the groceries are yours? impossible even to the point of just being able to pick the kids up from school and bring them home i'd listen to the conversation in the back. i think that informed how i went back to doing another television show i believe they refer to it as balance. >> reporter: i was just about to say. jon stewart, it sounds like you have it all. bing i was looking for a good little ending how do you like that as an ending >> it's nice. i thought it was a good ending thanks, jon. that's "nightly news" for this wednesday. thank you for watching, everyone i'm lester holt. please take care of yourself and each other good night i'm raj mathai. next on nbc bay area news tonight, covid numbers are low, so can we take off our masks? >> whether they get rid of it or not, i'm going to still wear mine. >> san francisco could be ending its indoor mask mandate. will this help small businesses? thousands of families could be evicted beginning tomorrow, as the state's moratorium sex pyring. tonight, what you need to know if you're facing eviction. how do we teach kids about racism? a school district bans a book written by an asian-american author from the bay area. she's fighting back and joins us tonight.

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