on the broadcast tonight, nervous new year as the crowd gathers in times square, security teams take no chances when it comes to keeping the party safe. heavy toll. the cia looks for answers as seven of its own are killed in afghantan. terror briefing. the president gets a review of the christmas bomb attempt. what will change? rushed to the hospital. the latest on talk radio's rush limbaugh after his heart attack symptoms in hawaii. she's got rhythm. a teen singing sensation with an ear for swing. who could ask for anything more? "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening, i'm lester holt. brian williams will be back tomorrow. tonight as millions of americans get set to greet a new year, it will be hard to entirely put behind us that brush with terror aboard an airliner just about a week ago which will add a note to anxiety to some of tonight's celebrations. from sydney to tokyo to paris, 2010 has already arrived in spectacular fashion. it will be much the same here in new york tonight where crowds are beginning to fill times square for the annual midnight ball drop, but in a city under constant terror alert, this is an especially anxious night. that's where we begin our coverage with mike taibbi. >> reporter: hello, lester. you never get a precise crowd, but whatever the weather, hundreds of thousands of revelers will be here to watch the old year give way to the new, while thousands of others specially-trained eyes are watching everything. it's one of the few good new york moments every year when this 5.5 ton waterford crystal ball descends times square with a massive crowd and the world counting down. for obvious reasons, new york city's always seen as a potential target if not the primary target for a terrorist strike. throwing the added challenges of the annual new year's eve party and security depends on a police strj based on more than numbers. >> every year we try to change it a little bit so it's not totally predictable. >> reporter: some of those changes have not been disclosed. police sources tell nbc news, the security plan includes more than 4,000 nypd officers in uniform and plain clothes, rooftop snipers, hundreds of surveillance cameras, radiation, biological chemical detectors on land, on boats and helicopters in the air. amid all that security with the weather offering snow and rain -- >> i've got about six layers on. >> reporter: they still poured into theity by the thousands. some came to add their hopes and vows to the wishing wall, and then to the confetti poured out at the stroke of midnight. >> i wish i had one kitten. >> wouldn't world peace be wonderful? >> reporter: and the scott family from the uk crossed the ocean to see this spectacle in person. >> you see this on the news year after year, that ball dropping. i want to know where all that ticker tape comes from. you've got to come and see this. >> reporter: to see and be seen. one law enforcement source told nbc news that this piece of real estate will be the most thoroughly policed in the country, if not the world tonight, which means people looking for trouble should just assume someone is looking for them, if not right at them. >> mike taibbi at the center of the party tonight. thank you. this has been a deadly week at the end of a deadly year for americans serving in afghanistan. today the taliban claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a cia base. seven cia employees died in the blast. jim macede joins us from kabul. >> reporter: the cia purposefully took its time informing all the victims' families and today went public in a defiant u.s. response to what one called a brazen attack. a day after an afghan army officer in uniform allegedly breached the high security gate at ford operating base station chapman and detonated his suicide vest. the cia confirmed that seven of its own were killed and six more wounded, its single loss of life since the 1983 u.s. embassy bombing in beirut, lebanon. throughout our history, wrote cia director leon panetta, the reality is those who make a real difference face real danger. harold brown jr, 37 from bolton, massachusetts, worked for the state department. >> it's the shock of the war touching every town, as there have been many other casualties in the war. >> reporter: the cia officers gathered intelligence out of khost proverbs near the border with pakistan. and the scene of several suicide attacks in recent months. the station also runs predator barone air strikes on al qaeda and taliban targets. the cia launched a review asking how the suicide bomber managed to enter the base, on a day when in kandahar four canadian soldiers and a journalist were killed on patrol by a roadside bomb. as flags flew at half-staff today at cia headquarters in langley, virginia, the agency said it will not be deterred in afghanistan. but the deadly attack has many observers worried insurgents can infiltrate the afghan forces virtually at will, at a time when thousands of u.s. troops are training up afghan soldiers and police. and tonight the associated press is reporting that according to a senior intelligence official, the suicide bomber was invited on to the base without being searched. the report suggests the bomber was being courted as an informant. >> jim maceda in kabul. thank you for that report. the attack in afghanistan serves as a reminder how deadly that war has become. in 2009, 304 u.s. military personnel were killed in afghanistan, more than twice as many as the year before. as the u.s. prepares to withdraw from iraq, the number of american military killed there has dropped by half to 152 deaths in 2009. a federal judge today dismissed all charges against the american security guards accused of gunning down 17 unarmed iraqi civilians in baghdad in 2007. the guards worked for blackwater security. the judge ruled prosecutors relied on statements the five men made under immunity. another blackwater guard pled guilty to killing one iraqi. today was obama's deadline to receive preliminary reports on the failure to led to the northwest flight of 253 christmas day. the president will review those reports tonight and over. weekend, and will meet with his intelligence team on tuesday back in washington. pete williams is following the investigation for us. he's in our washington bureau tonight with the latest. pete, good evening. >> reporter: in the week since the attempted bombing, u.s. intelligence agencies have been scouring their files at the direction of president obama looking for other indicators they might have missed. they are getting a clearer picture now of who was involved. u.s. officials say a radical muslim cleric in yemen, al lahki, no longer a religious figure, he played a direct role designing and organizing the attempted airport bombing. umar farouk abdulmutallab spoke with him last fall. the new attention to yemen will bring one immediate change, an indefinite hold on releasing any more detainees from yemen who are now held at guantanamo bay, about half the number left. another change, more frequent checks of the terrorism data base to see who is on it with a current u.s. visa, allowing travel into the country. abdulmutallab was in that data base, but his visa was never checked. >> his visa should have been revoked based on the intelligence and warnings they got. no one is responsible. no one is bureaucratically responsible for making that decision. >> reporter: in the past few days, officials added dozens of people to the no-fly and watch lists, drawing from the 500,000 names in the terrorism data base. also a group representing over 20,000 airline pilots criticized the federal government for not notifying all u.s. flights still in the air when the bombing attempt was discovered last week. only flights then on the way from europe were told about 130 in all. >> there were 3,500 flights airborne over the united states at the time. who can guarantee there wasn't another event about to happen? >> reporter: the transportation security administration called it a, quote, strategic-based decision, but the pilots say a warning would have led them to keep the cockpit doors closed, and to alert flight attendants to watch for suspicious behavior. tonight the department of homeland security says it is sending a team to visit airports around the world starting monday to push for improvements in airline security overseas. >> pete, thank you. it was certainly an eventful year on wall street, the huge rally in the stock market since march wasn't enough to offset this decade's losses. in fact, this decade has been second only to the 1930s as the worse ever. the dow is more than 9% lower than where it was january 2000. perhaps it's fitting that the day ended on a down note on wall street. the blue chips were off more than 120 points on this last trading day of the year. whether you're celebrating, vacationing or visiting family and friends, a lot of people will be on the move the next 24 hours and some of you will be battling messy holiday weather. the weather channel's chris warren has a look at what to expect. good evening. >> reporter: lester, looks like most areas will not be that bad. however, there are a few spots we are keeping a close eye on. first in the pacific northwest we are seeing a weather system move in. that is going to bring rain, wind and more mountain snow. also in the southern plains, we are going to see more rain. that rain moving into the south. taking a look at the mid-atlantic in the northeast. we had snow earlier this morning. now we are seeing light rain or rain/snow mix moving into parts of the northeast. that does include new york. we may see a few snow flakes after the ball drops. as we get closer into the weekend for the great lakes and northern new england we are going to see the snow showers ramp up. overnight tonight, not going to be that big of a deal for new york. it's going to be cold. as we head into new year's day into the weekend, great lakes, we are going to see that snow machine go, the great lake snow machine go. middle part of the country quiet. lester, once again, things still looking pretty good for southern california, but heading out to watch that ball drop tonight, bundle up. temperatures in the 30s. >> chris, thanks for the update. have a good new year. when "nightly news" continues, a health scare from rush limbaugh. an update from hawaii. >> what better way to kick off this evening? water can be good for constipation 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could save you 15% or more. president obama isn't the only notable person vacationoni in hawaii this week. rush limbaugh, the conservative radio talk show host is there, as well. he had a serious health scare. lee cowan is in honolulu with the latest. good evening to you. >> reporter: good evening, lester. rush remains hospitalized here in honolulu after suffering chest pains. the 58-year-old was rushed here while vacations yesterday. a guest hose filling in for rush this morning described rush's chest pains similar to a heart attack coming on, but doctors hafrmt confirmed rush did have a heart attack or not. in a statement, the hospital spokesman says rush is being treated today. he continues to rest comfortably, and he remains in good spirits. it goes on to say mr. limbaugh appreciates the prayers and well wishes of his many fans and supporters. it's unclear when he will be released or how many tests he has to undergo. he was scheduled to return to his radio program january 4th at the end of his hawaiian christmas vacation. >> lee cowan, thank you. federal health officials say swine flu is widespread in only four states this week, maine, new jersey, delaware and virginia, way down from a peak of 48 states in late october. health experts say you should still get a swine flu shot though. there are more than 100 million doses of vaccine now available. as they say in real estate, location, location, location. we told you a couple of nights ago about the sea lions who suddenly left their favorite hangout on san francisco's pier 39. some have been spotted at a fishing pier three blocks away. scientists thought the creatures had gone to sea in search of their favorite foods, but maybe they were looking for a better view. when "nightly news" continues, building bridges. sure you can blow your nose but nothing comes out! advil cold & sinus knows that the real problem isn't always mucus. it's often swelling caused by inflammation in your nasal passages. the right medicine 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(announcer) talk to your doctor to find out if prescription chantix is right for you. time now for a look at what works. an engineer building bridges that are much more than a way to get there from here, an example of what works tonight from nbc's tom costello. on the campus of princeton university, a 20-year dream is finally nearing fruition. an elegant pedestrian bridge connecting a cluster of science buildings to the main campus. >> so this bridge serves as a gateway to signal you've arrived on princeton campus. >> reporter: ted zolli designed this. he sees this as a chance to leave a lasting legacy on the american landscape, from the towers and cables of this pedestrian bridge in cupertino, california, to the span over the ohio river and west virginia with crossing cables to enhance its strength to a dramatic s-curve overt missouri river connecting omaha with council's bluff idaho because the journey through life is not a straight lynn. this is creating something beautiful, elegant and graceful. >> that is what we are trying to do. >> reporter: ted's designs are so unique, blending the creative and daring with the practical need to protect bridges against attack and disaster. the macarthur foundation honored him with a 2009 genius award. >> he has transformed the american landscape and because of the creativity of his work, we do think this is someone who is going to continue to do that and is going to have an impact on our country and, indeed, the way the world looks at bridges. >> reporter: over a 20-year career, dozens of projects across the country with one underlying theme, to strip away what is not necessary, but leaving something for the imagination. each bridge designed to be low cost and easily constructed, yet elegant. >> maybe it's artistry or maybe a crafty solution to a problem. maybe i think of it that way more than art. >> reporter: along the way, transforming america one bridge at a time. tom costello, nbc news, princeton, new jersey. if you've ever visited new york or lived here, maybe you've been to one of the city's most famous restaurants, tavern on the green in central park. the grittery, glass-evans closed space that kept the christmas lights on year round is serving its last meal tonight. just last year it was the second highest-grossing eatery in the country, but business faded and the owners filed for bankruptcy this summer. what is left will be auctioned off next month from stained-glass windows to chandeliers. rocking in the new year. prilosec otc. knock heartburn... into a whole new zip code. 24/7. satisfaction guaranteed. thataboy. 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