of dodger stadium after a game. we'll have more headlines for you in the time ahead. president obama is set to address americans on the troop withdrawal in afghanistan. we'll have more coming up. dr >> announcer: this is an nbc news special report. a presidential address. here's brian williams. >> good evening. us good evening, in a moment here we'll go to the white house where the president of the united states has asked to speak to the nation. he's going to talk about afghanistan, which is often called this nation's longest war, coming up on ten years since 9/11 now that bin laden is dead. the president tonight's going to announce a first step toward a promise of a drawdown.

a thousand americans have died since his inauguration. tonight he'll announce the first 10,000 americans home by christmas, then 23,000 more by the end of september, 2012. basically the same number as went there during the surge, now starting their way home. watching with us tonight, moderator of "meet the press," david gregory. ton get too political, but the headlines tonight are already saying this is more than the president -- than the pentagon wanted, that's good. >> yeah, officials have said just that. this is the president trying to strike a balance. it helps with the left, takes on the military and gets in the middle of an argument that the right is having over just what to do in afghanistan. they say this is a balanced course of action. there will still be a lot of troops left after this is done. >> those are the stakes at the second hallway second floor of the white house as the president approaches. we'll hear from him tonight on afghanistan.

>> good evening. nearly ten years ago america suffered the worst attack on our shores since pearl harbor. this mass murder was planned by osama bin laden and his al qaeda network in afghanistan and signaled a new threat to our security. one in which the targets were no longer soldiers on a battlefield but innocent men, women, and children going about their daily lives. in the days that followed, our nation was united as we struck at al qaeda and routed the taliban in afghanistan. then our focus shifted. a second war was launched in iraq, and we spent enormous blood and treasure to support a new government there. by the time i took office, the war in afghanistan had entered its seventh year. but al qaeda's leaders had escaped into pakistan and were plotting new attacks. while the taliban had regrouped and gone on the offensive.

without a new strategy and decisive action, our military commanders warn that we could face a resurgent al qaeda and a taliban taking over large parts of afghanistan. nature reason and one of the most difficult decisions i've made as president, i've ordered an additional 30,000 american troops into afghanistan. when i anounced the surge at west point we set clear objectives to refocus on al qaeda, to reverse the taliban's momentum and train afghan security forces to defend their own country. i also made it clear that our commitment would not be open-ended. and that we would begin to draw down our forces this july. tonight, i can tell you that we are fulfilling that commitment. thanks to our extraordinary men and women in uniform, our civilian personnel, and our many coalition partners, we are meeting our goals. as a result, starting next month

we will be able to remove 10,000 of our troops from afghanistan by the end of this year, and we will bring home a total of 33,000 troops by next summer. fully recovering the surge i announced at west point. after this initial reduction, our troops will continue coming home at a steady pace as afghan security forces move into the lead. our mission will change from combat to support. by 2014, this process of transition will be complete, and the afghan people will be responsible for their own security. we're starting this drawdown from a position of strength. al qaeda is under more pressure than at any time since 9/11. together with the pakistanis, we have taken out more than half of al qaeda's leadership. and thanks our intelligent professionals and special forces, we killed osama bin laden, the only leader that al qaeda had ever known.

this was a victory for all who have served since 9/11. one soldier summed it up well. the message, he said, is we don't forget. you will be held accountable no matter how long it takes. the information that we recov recovered from bin laden's compound showed al qaeda under enormous restraint. there was concern that senior terrorists that had been killed wouldn't be replaced. and that widespread support would be drained. al qaeda remains dangerous and we must be vigilant against attacks. but we have put al qaeda on a path to defeat. and we will not relent until the job is done. in afghanistan we've enconflicted serious losses on the taliban -- inflicted serious losses on the tolz and taken a number of strongholds. along with the surge our allies increased their commitment which helped stabilize more of the country.

afghan security forces have grown by over 100,000 troops, and in some provinces and municipalities we've already begun to transition responsibility for security to the afghan people. in the face of violence and intimidation, afghans are fighting and dying for their country. establishing local police forces, opening markets and schools, creating new opportunities for women and girls. and trying to turn the page on decades of war. of course huge challenges remain. this is the beginning but not the end of our effort to wind down this war. we'll have to do the hard work of keeping the gains that we've made while we draw down our forces and transitiresponsibili security to the afghan government. next may in chicago we'll host a summit with our nato allies and partners to shape the next phase this transition. we do know that peace cannot come to a land that has known so much war without a political

settlement. so as we strengthen the afghan government and security forces, america will join initiatives that reconcile the afghan people, including the taliban. our position on these talks is clear. they must be led by the aftghan government and those who want to be a part of a peaceful afghanistan must break from al qaeda, abandon violence, and abide by the afghan constitution. but in part because of our military effort, we have reason to believe that progress can be made. the goal that we seek is achievable and can be expressed simply -- no safe haven from which al qaeda or its affiliates can launch attacks against our homeland or our allies. we won't try to make afghanistan a perfect place, we will not police its streets or patrol its mountains indefinitely. that is the responsibility of the afghan government which must step up its ability to protect its people and move from an

economy shaped by war to one that can sustain a lasting peace. what we can do and will do is build a partnership with the afghan people that endures, one that ensures we'll be able to continue targeting terrorists and supporting a sovereign afghan government. of course our efforts must also address terrorist safe havens in pakistan. no country is more endangered by the presence of violent extremists which is" we will continue to press pakistan to expand its participation in securing a more peaceful few for this war-corn -- future for this war-torn region. we will insist that it keeps its commitments for there should be no doubt that so long as i am president, the united states will never tolerate a safe haven for those who aim to kill us. they cannot elude us nor escape the justice they deserve.

my fellow americans, this has been a difficult decade for our country. we've learned anew the profound cost of war, the cost that's been paid by the nearly 4,500 americans who have given their lives in iraq and the over 1,500 who have done so in afghanistan. men and women who will not live to enjoy the freedom that they defended. thousands more have been wounded. some have lost limbs on the battlefield. and others still battle the demons that have followed them home. yet tonight, we take comfort in knowing that the tide of war is receding. fewer of our sons and daughters are serving in harm's way. we've ended our combat mission in iraq with 100,000 american troops already out in that country. and even as there will be dark days ahead in afghanistan, the light of a secure peace can be seen in the distance. these long wars will come to a

responsible end. as they do, we must learn their lessons. already this decade of war has caused many to question the nature of america's engagement around the world. some would have america retreat from our responsibility as an anchor of global security and embrace an isolation that ignores the very real threats that we face. others would have america overextended, confronting every evil that could be found abroad. we must chart a more centered course. lie generations before, we must embrace america's singular role in the course of human events, but we must be as pragmatic as we are passionate. as strategic as we are resolute. when threatened we must respond with force. but when that dpoeforce can be targeted we need not deploy large armies overseas. when innocents are being slaughtered and global security endangered, we don't have to choose between standing idly by or acting on our own.

instead we must rally international action which we're doing in libya, where we do not have a single soldier on the ground, but are supporting allies and protecting the libyan people and giving them the chance to determine their own destiny. in all that we do, we must remember that what sets america apart is not solely our power, it is the principles of which our union was founded. we're a nation that brings our enemies to justice while adhering to the rule of law. and respecting the rights of all our citizens. we protect our own freedom and prosperity by extending it to others. we stand not for empire but for self-determination. that is why we have a stake in the democratic aspirations that are now washing across the arab world. we will support those revolutions with fidelity to our ideals, with the power of our example, and with an unwavering belief that all human beings deserve to live with freedom and

dignity. above all, we are a nation whose strength abroad has been anchored in opportunity for citizen here at home. over the last decade, we have spent a trillion dollars on war. at a time of rising debt and hard economic times. now we must invest in america's greatest resource, our people. we must unleash innovation that creates new jobs and industries, while living within our means. we must rebuild our infrastructure and find new and clean sources of energy. and most of all, after a decade of passionate debate, we must recapture the common purpose that we shared at the beginning of this time of war. for our nation draws strength from our differences. and when our union is strong, no hill is too steep. no horizon is beyond our reach.

america, it is time to focus on nati nation-building here at home. in this effort we draw inspiration from our fellow americans who have sacrificed so much on our behalf. to our troops, our veterans, and their families, i speak for all americans when i say that we will keep our sacred trust with you and provide you with the care and benefits and opportunity that you deserve. i met some of these patriotic americans at ft. campbell. a while back i spoke to the 101st airborne that has fought to turn the tide in afghanistan. and to the team that took out osama bin laden. standing in front of a model of bin laden's compound, the navy s.e.a.l. who led that effort paid tribute to those who had been lost. brothers and sisters in arms whose names are now written on bases where our troops stand guard overseas, and on headstones in quiet corners of our country where their memory will never be forgotten. this officer, like so many

others i've met on bases and n baghdad and bagram, and at walter reed and bethesda naval hospital, spoke with humility about how his unit worked together as one. depending on each other and trusting one another, as a family might do in a time of peril. that's a lesson worth remembering, that we are all a part of one american family. that we have known disagreement and division, we are bound together by the creed that is written into our founding documents. and a conviction that the united states of america's a country that can achieve whatever it sets out to accomplish. now lets us finish the work at hand. let us responsibly end these wars and reclaim the american dream that is at the center of our story. with confidence in our cause, with faith in our fellow citizens, and with hope in our hearts, let us go about the work

of extending the promise of america for this generation and the next. may god bless our troops, and may god bless the united states of america. >> the president from the white house. some measure of what all of us have been through in the last ten years saying "these long wars will come to a responsible end." president obama said our post-9/11 world has changed and the war in afghanistan has itself changed. so bottom line, 33,000 americans, roughly the number that went in on the surge, will be home by late summer, 2012. goes without saying we'll have more coverage all night on msnbc on cable and the web, on your late local news and of course tomorrow morning on "today." for some of you, "the voice" is next up. we return no touowr regular programming. for our team here, i'm brian williams, nbc news, new york. from washington, d.c., we're

back here live in the bay area. good evening again, i'm raj mathai. >> i'm jessica aguirre. if you're just joining us, we watched the president deliver a nationwide address announcing the withdrawal of 10,000 troops from afghanistan by the end of this year, another 23,000 troops by the end of summer next year. the president saying that the tide of war has changed. and that it's time now to begin nation-building here at home. saying the wars in afghanistan and in iraq have been costly both in money, $110 billion a year, and also in lives, 4,500 lost in iraq and 1,500 lost in afghanistan. the president saying that that number, 33,000 soldier and military personal that will be returned back home, roughly the number that was sent in through the surge. the president saying it is time to bring the wars to a responsible end. now when those military personnel come over, the fight certainly won't be over. so many will have to deal with the long-lasting effects, the

president calling them demons, and not just mental but physical, as well. mary ann favaro joins us live from san francisco with more on that new discovery. >> reporter: i'm here at the marines memorial club where we just heard from ucs researchers about some of the challenges that soldiers with ptsd face. not only do they have to combat the disorder, but now new research shows they're very trial develop heart disease and dementia, too. for every ten soldiers fighting in iraq and afghanistan, researchers say about two develop post traumatic stress disorder or ptsd. now usf researchers have found warriors with ptsd have a much higher risk of developing other major health problems. >> we have found that people with ptsd have a higher rate of heart disease, they have a higher rate of developing dementia. they have a stormier course if they undergo surgery.

so we know that people with ptsd have -- that it's a condition that affects their body. >> reporter: scientists suspect the fight or flight response soldier rely in combat chronically elevates their blood pressure and increases their heart disease risk. ucsf researchers also found soldiers with ptsd had twice the risk of developing dementia than those who did not. jim hatch, a navy s.e.a.l. shot in the leg in afghanistan, was diagnosed with ptsd. >> it was difficult. i had a pathetic suicide attempt, spent some time in -- in some mental health hospitals that was difficult for me. but in those places i realized that there were a lot of people like me. >> reporter: thanks to psychotherapy he's doing well and working to encourage other vets to seek help. former congressman patrick kennedy is the co-founder of one mind for research. he's working to make sure vets with ptsd get that help. >> if they were bleeding, we'd go repair their wounds and go

wrap it up and bring them home. right now, because we can't see these wounds, our response is inadequate. we need to treat these wound as the physical wounds that they are. they're not invisible. we can see them through fmris and pet scans. >> reporter: armed with new information about ptsd, the hope is doctors will find better ways to treat the disorder and minimize the health risk for those who risked so much for our country. doctors will talk more about ptsd treatment and research tomorrow at a special conference here at the marine memorial center in san francisco. it starts at 1:00, and the public is invited. reporting live in san francisco, nbc bay area news. >> okay. thank you. some other headlines now. in san jose, a saturday night out in downtown san jose is going to cost you just a bit more. starting july 1, less than two weeks from now, parking at city-owned dprajs wigarages wil longer be free.

it was a perk meant to draw people to bars and restaurants downtown in the evenings and weekends. the city council axed the free parking in an effort to bring in more revenue. downtown business owners say getting rid of free parking on weeknights and weekends will end up costing more in the long run. >> i would rather walk or ride my bike than pay what they're charging for parking. if they're going to increase the cost of parking, people aren't going to want to go to the parks anymore. they'll stay where they live. r >> here are the new rules --

more controversy for usairways. saggy pant didn't fly, but apparently wearing no pants at all is no problem. here are some photos of a

passenger who boarded a usairways plane wearing nothing but women's underwear. he's a crossdresser. this photo was taken by jill tarlow, who was also flying that day. she tells us several travelers complained to the airline about the man's attire. but nothing was done. the incident comes less than a week after an african-american man, desean harmon of san francisco, was told he couldn't fly because he was wearing his pants too low. tarlow believes it was racial profiling. >> you know, i just felt like it was so hypocritical for the airline to allow this man who was obviously exposing so much flesh -- you know, desean mormon looked like he was dressed for church compared to the man who was on my flight. >> the san mateo county district attorney's office hasn't decided whether they'll charge marmon but says they'll look at how the college football player was treated compared to the man who was wearing women's underwear. coming up at 6:00, we'll talk to

marmon's attorney and find out what he and his client wants to do. an unlikely coalition of jews and muslims today filed suit to remove the proposed circumcision ban from san francisco's november ballot. the measure also prompted a protest today. the controversial proposal would ban the circumcision of boys, a procedure widely practiced in both face. the lawsuit asks -- both face. the lawsuits asks the measure to be removed from the and a half ballot claiming the law prohibits local governments from restricting medical procedures. >> we feel it's a direct attack on physicians and accepted medical practice. that's already been regulated by state law, and it's also an attack on different religious, spiritual communities in the city. >> two doctors are joining the five jews and three muslims along with the anti-defamation league and jewish community relations council. pa nui qweot yesterday, but warm enough.

i think you said it best. it was hot but not insanely hot. >> yes, i like that. >> tolerable. >> the past few days for some, it has been insanely hot out there. todaye it was warm to hot. here are the hottest temperatures, livermore, 95, walnut creek, 92. a lot of areas dropping off 10 to 20 degrees. we have the cooling fog moving into san francisco, and currently 64 degrees. that wind westerly at 22 will

continue to cool thing off as we head throughout the night. 60s from san francisco right down to santa cruz and still very warm for livermore and also san jose, upper 70s and low to mid 80s. tonight, we'll find the patchy fog, widespread 50s. one of the coolest nights in about three nights. for thursday, temperatures down about 20 degrees from the peak of that heat that we had on tuesday. and this is where it gets whacky. look at this -- rare june rain. yes, it might be possible into next week. some of the forecast models are showing the chance here of potentially some showers moving into the west coast. we're going to be continuing to monitor that. meanwhile, the next 48 hours, typical for summer. we'll be on fog patrol across the coastline. we're at thursday, temperatures in the 80s inland for the coastline, a mixture of fog, sun, and the cooler weather that everyone just comes to know and a lot of us love across the area. throughout the night, fog offshore. through 11:00 p.m., the fog stays with us. tomorrow, westerly winds and patchy fog still remains. while the fog is not going to be

well widespread and stay with us throughout all of tomorrow, it just takes that wind to get cranking for things to really drop down. 50s here from the south bay to the north bay tomorrow. and as we look at the daytime highs, we'll have still mid 80s, a little above average for the east bay, and also for the south bay. 82 in san jose. 84 in gilroy, and 86 in livermore. santa cruz, 71. for the peninsula, 77 in redwood city and 68 in san francisco. let's get the seven-day forecast, shall we? you can see it's slowly and gradually dropping off with low to mid 80s throughout saturday and sundays. i haven't put it on the seven-day forecast yet but by tuesday and wednesday, for two days in a row, we've been talking about this potential chance here of maybe some western showers. unbelievable. you know, i wouldn't rule anything out at this point with the way things have been going. >> a wild year. >> with 2011, it's been insane. >> i like the name, western

showers. thank you. >> you're welcome. okay. how great would it be to create a masterpiece before you've even had breakfast? ♪ >> jimi hendrix -- >> there he goes. brian olsen bills himself as an art in action, live in our morning show, using only his fingers. he coaxed wet paint into a rock and roll portrait. quickly, the image took shape. within four minutes, the artist whose music played in the background, jimi hendrix was depicted looking every inch the rock legend he was. he's in the area doing his performance art for a local convention. >> wow. >> yeah. he's got a little purple haze himself going on. very cool. >> if you missed it, at the top of the hour president obama addressed the nation. brian williams now will continue our coverage of -- analysis of mr. obama's speech. >> see you back at 6:00.