on the broadcast tonight, there is breaking news this evening. the extreme weather we have been covering tonight just got worse. would you believe a massive tornado in massachusetts? and the damage reports are just now coming in. by the book. as a west coast tragedy unfolds, what explains rescue workers standing by and watching onshore while a man drowns? up in the air, what an airline passenger did in his seat that was so bad, fighter jets were scrambled and the plane turned around. failing to act. the scathing report about the nuclear disaster in japan. we're there three months after the meltdown. and making a difference for

a 10-year-old boy. the sole survivor of a tragedy that touched so many. "nightly news" begins now. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening. it is a bit hard to believe we're coming on the air to report a huge tornado in massachusetts, but it has happened. and after what we saw after we landing in tuscaloosa, alabama, and joplin, m.o., in recent weeks, nothing surprises us this weekend. for a time, it resembled the tuscaloosa storm. at the height, it was ten miles high. commercial jets couldn't fly over it, had to fly around it. this storm carried debris aloft, suspended in it one mile up in the air. the first population center to get hit by the tornado was springfield, mass.

there are early reports of injuries. not since 1964 has a tornado followed a path like this from firi springfield, it almost followed the mass pike east, for a time aiming directly at boston.ng passing over landmarks like stirbridge. mike tiebi has been following. he's live on the ground in springfield, is with us from there. >> reporter: yes, this hit at about 4:45 this afternoon, and residents at the south end of springfield who we spoke to said they could see it, it was huge. they could see it, it was huge, and they could hear it, it sounded like a low-flying aircraft flying a little too low. there have been many injuries. no fatalities reported yet, and the winds were strong enough not to have just lifted roofs off houses but also top floors of houses as well. we're told another tornado has just touched down and an extreme weather warning is in place for the next several hours.

again, no fatalities reported. many injuries including some elderly, and all the center of town, particularly the south end of springfield, has been impacted by the tornado. brian. >> mike tiebi, who did sporty driving to get to springfield. thanks. we want to go to weather channel meteorologist chris warren in atlanta. this came out of nowhere, exploded. we knew we would have severe on the line, it runs from south carolina to maine, but these cells exploded in strength. >> and brian, if we're going to see the strong storms in new england, this is the time of year it's going to happen. the first warning went up at 4:30, and the second around 6:00 local time. here is the setup, why this happened and why it happens this time of year. first, you have the report heat. for the cooling to happen, you have a cold front coming through, and that cooling comes with a price. it comes with a very bumpy weather.

you also have the jet stream allowing for the turning in the atmosphere. that's why the winds are changing with height. that's why we had the tornadoes firing up with the strong storms, so the record heat, the very hot air, and then you have the cold front coming through. the good news here, brian, once the cold front does come through, you're going to see much calmer air and also noticeably cooler air. and it could be a few more hours where we have the front in new england, but once it's gone, it's gone for a while. >> chris, thanks. now, about the last storm. in joplin, tonight, the list of people missing in that devastating tornado is down to zero. officials there today said all the people who had been previously been named unaccounted for, or missing have been located or confirmed dead and their families have been notified so the official number stands at 134.

to other stories in the news tonight, two have to do with new procedures, rules, and regulations. we're starting with a story out of northern california where rescue crews said they were just following orders when they stood on the shore as a man drowned before their eyes. nbc tom yoms yamas is in alameda for us. good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. just about two days ago, on memorial day, about 50 beachgoers apparently saw a man commit suicide by drowning himself. if that wasn't graphic enough, what happened on the beach was astounding. first responders watched himself for an hour drown himself in the san san francisco bay. they couldn't help him, save him, even get in the water. the reason, a cost-cutting policy that prevented them from any type of water rescue. >> somewheren and her husband were there every step of the

way. >> why are we standing here watching this happen? we all watched. standing next to raymond zach, said to be suicidal, as he walked from crown beach right into the waiter. drifted more than 100 yards, and drowned. the call came in as a woman, but in reality, it was a 52-year-old man. as this photo shows, beachgoers watched in disbelief as alameda first responders arrived on the scene and didn't go into the water to attempt a rescue. on the beach that day, zach's step mother. >> i think these people are inept, that's what i think. >> they said our policy is we don't go in the water. >> the area was too shallow for the coast guard boat, and the helicopter was on another boat. a beachgoer eventually jumped in the water to retrieve the lifeless body. two years ago, they put the rescue swimmer program on hold and ordered rescuers to not

enter the water for an active incident until further notice. their rescue boat sits in a dry dock. many residents said they had no idea their beach community had no rescue program. last night, residents wanted answers. >> it strikes me as unbelievably callus that nobody there with any sort of training could strip off their gear and go and help this person. >> reporter: the fire department says they were just following policy. the result of a budget cut. >> firefighters were incredibly frustrated. these are dedicated personnel. they want to act. that's what they're trained to do. that's what they spend their time, you know, thinking about. >> reporter: tonight, city officials tell us their are re-implementing the water safety and water rescue programs. the city and firefighters will work together to come up with the $20,000 to $40,000 to train first responders and buy equipment so the oath to protect and serve doesn't stop at the shoreline. brian. >> story is hard to believe.

tom, thanks. now to this other story in the news. this one having to do with the post-9/11 world and the new zero tolerance policies for those of us who fly. this starts with something we all put up with when the passenger in front of you decides to recline no matter how much pain it might inflict on the passenger behind. in this case, this common annoyance led to an extreme outcome that included fighter jets. tom costello with us tonight from dulles airport, good evening. >> reporter: there were no air marshals on the flight. it was up to the flight attendance and passengers to settle this dispute in the beginning of the long trip to africa. anyone who has flown coach knows the aggravation. a passenger in front of you reclines his or her seat without warning and ends up in your personal space. on sunday night, it led to a mid-air flight, scrambled air

force jets, and a grounded 747. united 990 was flying out for an 11-hour overseas trip to ghana when one of had passengers put his seat back. the passenger behind him didn't like it and hit him. before long, a fight had broken out and the pilot was telling air traffic control he was turning back. >> the supervisor wants to have the passengers secured. >> negative, the passenger is not secured at the time. the passenger has settled down, though, but an assault has taken place. but at this time, he's not secured. >> reporter: it got expensive when f-16 fighter jets intercepted and escorted the plane as it dumped thousands of dollars of jet fuel. united airlines will only say the flight landed safely and was met by local law enforcement. while no one was arrested, the faa chief insists the pilot took appropriate action. >> you're not sure. you're not in the cabin. the crew was unable to contain it, and the decision was made. in my opinion, it was a good decision.

>> reporter: a 30 year airline veteran who has written about passenger air rage said smaller seats and an overall decline in civility have people on edge. >> we have a society where people are very frustrated. we have a society of people who feel they have a sense of entitlement. >> reporter: and today, flight crews are always suspicious that an in-flight disturbance could really be part of a terror attack. >> you don't know, is this a ruse, a misdirect for other activity that's going to come aboard the airplane. >> reporter: the pentagon tells us tonight it costs $9,000 per hour per plane for an f-16. there were two involved here. meanwhile, the government says behaving badly on a plane isn't that unusual. >> another hard to believe story. tom at dulles in d.c., thanks. big story out of europe being watched closely in this country. a serious new outbreak of e. coli, which has affected two people in the u.s. both had recently traveled to germany where more than 1,000

cases of severe illness have been identified there. this strain of the bacteria is one that is extremely rare. michelle kaczynski is in hamburg, germany, for us tonight. good evening. >> reporter: hi, brian. many of those cases have been here in hamburg, and the number keeps rising. right now in germany, nearly 500 people have life-threatening symptoms, and in all, 17 have died. the outbreak started around three weeks ago. and doctors immediately recognized this is no ordinary food poisoning. patients became very sick very quickly. many suffered kidney failure. some neurological symptoms, even seizures. it turned out to be e. coli, bacteria commonly found in the digestive tract of people and animals, but possibly a new strain. >> this is rewriting the text

boorb of book on foodbourn disease, and we're going to have a lot to write about this. >> german hospitals have been flooded with serious cases. >> it's very, very virulent and may be a new subtype. the reason that presents a problem is because antibiotics don't necessarily work. >> reporter: cases have also been reported in the u.k., france, sweden, switzerland, and now two americans back home from europe are reportedly sick. all cases apparently linked to northern germany, but no one knows the source. last week, german health officials blamed cucumbers from spain but now say that's wrong. they are still warning people about eating raw cucumbers, lettuce, and tomatoes. here in germany, fresh lettuce is shredded in the fields as a precaution. the real culprit still a mystery while hundreds of those affected cling to life. scientists say if you're going to be traveling to europe, especially northern germany, you

should be careful, but our imports of produce from europe, though they are being checked by authorities, aren't something to worry about right now because we import so little. >> michelle kaczynski in germany where they're hoping to contain this. quick update on politics. that bus ride sarah palin is on, inside the bus marked "sarah palin" which she insisted in a fox interview is not about her and is not about publicity, well, the whole cavalcade continued north to new york after last night's media event. pizza in times square with donald trump. she visited the statue of liberty and now she's headed north to new england, where new hampshire happens to be located. and while he's still the guy a lot of republicans want to run for the white house, chris christie has a problem. there it is, using one of the state's new helicopters to fly him to his son's baseball game. the head of the state police pointed out in a statement today, he is the governor 24/7.

the office has to go with him wherever life and his travel lead him. when we come back here tonight, tonight, we go back to japan. now months after the nuclear disaster there, how bad is it still? and what weren't we told at the time? and later, he survived a terrible tragedy. now an nfl star stepping up to help and making a difference in his life. make a difference in someone's life. we all have internal plumbing. but for some of us with overactive bladder, our pipes just don't work as well as they should.

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[ male announcer ] and just like that, it's here. a new chance for all of us: people, companies, communities to face the challenges yesterday left behind and the ones tomorrow will bring. prudential. bring your challenges. we we're back and we have an update tonight on the situation in japan. the earthquake, the tsunami, but mostly, the subsequent meltdown at the fukushima nuclear plant outside tokyo. it's now been almost three months since that disaster. tonight, a team of u.n. investigators is criticizing the japanese government for, quote, failing to act on evidence that the plant was so vulnerable. our chief science correspondent robert bazel covered the story when it happened initially. he's gone back to japan tonight to see what has happened since. >> reporter: the damage,

including three nuclear meltdowns, is far worse and more dangerous than anyone knew in the days after the accident. u.n. experts say the government should have been better prepared for the devastating tsunami. >> what you have to do is look at what is around your country. and design things to withstand those hazards for your country. >> reporter: the u.n. team said efforts to contain the accident have been exemplary. to try to control the heat from the melted fuel rods, workers are still pouring in thousands of gallons of water a day. for now, the highly radioactive liquid builds up in this barge. fire cannons spray a sticky blue resin to try to keep the radio active particles in place. experts agree the biggest raidation release occurred with the hydrogen explosions in the first few days. most gone out to see, but some severely contameinating a

40-mile area around the plant, perhaps for years. it has affected technology, business, even the technology itself. >> people regard the people at the plant as heroes. and now there are new heroes. this man who is 73, heads a group of more than 260 engineers and scientists offering to help fix the plant because at their age, there's less chance the radiation will cause future damage to their health. >> we have the fix the nuclear problem which is fukushima. >> the retires have yet to get a response. >> i think they're very, very brave, and it's very courageous for them to raise their hand to do this. >> reporter: seeking to help in an accident that remains out of control almost three months after it began. robert bazell, nbc news, tokyo. when we come back here tonight, mission accomplished one last time, and what an

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we're going to head on into the interview. evan, sandy . . . evan .. what pushed you toward the explorer? it was less expensive. better technology inside. there was stuff that we have in our car that i didn't even know existed. how does your music gear fit in there? it fits perfectly. i mean, i got a keyboard, acoustic guitar, merchandise, cds to sell and it all just fits like a nice game of tetras. what would you say to a friend who's skeptical about buying a ford. do you want to borrow my keys.

the "endeavour" is history. the shuttle landed at kennedy space center in florida middle of the night for the last time. that particular spacecraft has spent a total of 299 days in space. it has orbited earth more than 4,600 times, traveled more than 123 million miles. now it goes off to a museum in l.a. there's one more shuttle mission left. shaquille o'neal retired today. he did it via his twitter feed. shaq said he wanted to tell his fans first that he's leaving basketball after 19 years. he's a 15 nba all-star, fifth all-time leading scorer in the league, a 7'1" superstar for the l.a. lakers. he finished his career in boston without getting much hardwood time of late because of injuries. we have learned an army ranger will be receiving the medal of honor, the country's

highest military decoration for his heroic actions in combat in afghanistan. he is 31-year-old sergeant first class leroy petree from santa fe. a married father of four. he lost a hand throwing a live grenade, saving three american lives, including his own. he will receive the medal of honor from president obama in a ceremony july 12th. he will be only the second living medal of honor recipient since the vietnam era. there are 84 living recipients now. up next here tonight, making a promise to a brokenhearted 10-year-old boy, and making a difference in the process. difference in the process. pain relief. with new extra-strength bayer advanced aspirin. it has microparticles so it enters the bloodstream faster and rushes relief right to the site of your tough pain. ♪

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is advair right for you? ask your doctor. get your first prescription free. advair helps prevent symptoms. an update now on a story we have been following. an update now on a story we have been following. six weeks ago, a 10-year-old boy from a town north of new york city had something unthinkable happen to him. but after the tragedy, he's found he has new friends promising to stand by him and "making a difference" in his life. our report tonight. >> reporter: from the outside, lesean armstrong looks like any other kid, but inside, he's coping with a tragedy no 10-year-old should ever face.

seven weeks ago, his mother loaded him and his three young siblings into the family minivan, driving into the dark and frigid waters of the hudson river. leshaun managed a daring escape, lowering a power window and swimming to shore. rescuers later found the van submerged with the bodies of his family inside. leshaun's story of survival touched so many, including baltimore ravens linebacker ray lewis who tracked the family down, offering to mentor lesean. >> i looked at him and said, i'm here for you, man. i can't replace what you lost, but i can tell you that i'm here to go forward with you. >> reporter: lesean's story reminded lewis of his own loneliness as a teenager when his mother announced she couldn't afford to keep him anymore. >> i was sitting on the living room floor, and she walked in and handed me $49. this is all i got left.

>> reporter: in 2000, lewis faced more trouble when he was indicted on murder charges, later dropped when he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for obstructing justice. when lewis and lesean met, they formed an instant bond. >> he was like a brother to me, an older brother to me. >> reporter: but lesean's new extended family is much bigger than just lewis. other current and retired players have huddled around him, offering financial support for counseling, tutoring, and a college fund. holding a blacktie fund-raiser in april and continued donations. loses has already given $10,000. >> what do you hope for his future? >> to achieve much more than what his situation offered. >> i don't really know what i want to be when i grow up. there's a lot of stuff to do. i'm not sure, yet. first i have to finish college,

though. >> reporter: looking ahead to a brighter future with a team of big brothers by his side. and that is our broadcast for this wednesday night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com [ whistle blows ] all right, layups, guys. let's go. in sioux falls, i locked in a rate. coach, you get that house yet? working on it. [ coach ] the appraisal? ...springfield. wherever i was, my citi mortgage consultant had me covered. [ crowd cheering ] and 500 miles from home... [ cheering, cellphone beeps ]