on the broadcast tonight, high anxiety. another terrible day for wall street and everyone who's got money at risk and questions about where and when this is going to stop. fighting back. as riots spread beyond london, out into the countryside, some brits are standing up against the violence. captured. those three siblings on the run and how their high stakes bonnie and clyde story just came to a dramatic end. and a possible break through for leukemia. and a possible break through for leukemia. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

good evening. and while we wish we had better news, it just might be this way for a while because the problem is not ours alone. this was another terrible day for the market. this time fueled by fears about the health of banks, at least one big one here in the u.s., but mostly banks in france. but since the economy is truly global, it's being felt here and we still have our own problems in a big way. starting today with the dow down 520, that's 4.5% of its total value, taking back all of yesterday's gains and then some. other indexes, the broader markets were also sharply lower, the nasdaq and the s&p 500 both down more than 4% of their value. we begin our coverage tonight with maria bartiromo surveying the damage from the new york stock exchange. >> reporter: a lot of the selling today was driven by rumors coming out of europe that

france would be the next country to get its credit rating downgraded. that put its banks in jeopardy and more bad news for stocks here. >> the dow down 550 pounds. >> reporter: another plunge on walling street as fears from yes's fed announcement that interest rates will remain low, which means lower profit for the banks. >> the problem is the biggest banks are just too big to move quickly. >> a big part of the problem starts with bad debt from countries like greece, italy, irela ireland. jamie diamond touring branches of california acknowledges the risk, but says his bank is strong. >> we have been in europe for hundreds of years, so we continue to do business there, we have manageable exposure to

all the banks. >> reporter: and it's not just banks stuck in the downdraft. >> very likely we're going to see some significant ups and downs as investors begin to price in a slowing economy, weaker earnings and that typically means lower stock prices. >> reporter: in los angeles, investors are worried not just about stocks, but about mightme returns on bank accounts, cds and money markets. >> i'm just going to extend my working years by a few and find a different place to stash money for retirement. >> i moved into cd because it's growing slower than inflation. >> we have come through this several times before. >> 74-year-old retiree rick brousch and his wife marsha. rely on investment income. the family weathered the great depression and he's hopeful they can weather this. >> i believe in the growth of america and within reason, if i did pull my money out of the market now, where would i put it? >> reporter: and once again, brian, a lot of people felt that the safest place to put their money was in gold. at one point today, gold hit a

record $1,800 an ounce. back to you. >> unbelievable day again at the nyse. maria bartiromo starting off our coverage. and with us from the studio is another member of our team, co-host of squawk box. columnist for the "new york times," author of the book "too big to fail." is this just the way it's going to be for a while? >> i'm afraid to say i think it is, but i hope it won't be. as one trader put it today, we're in panic mode, we're in sell first, ask questions later. there's a real sense that's what's happening in europe could ultimately affect us here and that's really the problem. and we're already starting where there are problems in the u.s. so if the economy gets worse here, all the banks here will be impacted and obviously if the problems get worse there, they ultimately could affect us there. >> people who are scared to get involved in wall street and don't have the stomach for investing, have the choice to hold back. but when you start talking about

banks and when you talk about bank of america, which has been in the news now for three days, that gets our attention. what's going on with bank of america? >> bank of america is down about 10% today. the bank of america is our largest bank, they have the most exposure to our economy because they have the most mortgages, they loan the most. but at the same time, and this is the big issue, they have the smallest rainy day fund, given their size, relative to all of the other banks. they're the least capitalized. so if they run into trouble, they will run into trouble first. and that's what people are worrying about in the market. >> hate to end on that, but thank you as always. >> a reminder cnbc continues its special coverage of the markets in turmoil tonight at 8:00 eastern time. now we return to afghanistan, where the u.s. today struck back, launched successful air strikes aimed at those same taliban fighters they say shot down over 30 american service members over the

weekend. meanwhile the families of those 30 men now have the grim task of burying them. tonight there are new details about their mission and about how even in death, the u.s. navy s.e.a.l.s tried to take care of the loved ones of their fallen comrades. our chief foreign correspondent richard engel from kabul. richard, good evening, and what have we learned about today's mission to strike back? >> reporter: it was definitely designed to strike back and right after that attack on that chinook helicopter, u.s. forces began a manhunt for the taliban responsible. on monday night, they tracked down at least some of the militants. once they were identified in a woody area in the wardak province, apparently some were trying to escape the country. an air strike was called in, f-16s, eight taliban members were killed, including according

to the u.s. military, the fighter that fired that rp zbrks. >> you mentioned some poignant information about how did the military set out to notify the families here sn >> as you know, brian, the u.s. military doesn't give out this kind of information to the families by phone or e-mail, they go in person. but this time there were so many american families involved, the notification process was its own operation, i was told by a senior u.s. military official that notification teams were sent across the country and that every effort was made to synchronize the process so that those american families would get that terrible knock on the door all at the same time. >> richard engel, our chief foreign correspondent in kabul. richard, thanks as always. now we go back to london and those scenes have that shocked the whole world, the riots, the violence, the burning fires, the looting, in one of the truly great cities in the world. the people of london have started to stand up against the violence, but sadly the violence

has now spread out from the city center into other cities and towns across great britain. among the hot spots, birmingham, about 100 miles from london, our own martin fletcher is there for us tonight, martin, good evening. >> reporter: birmingham city is almost deserted tonight. there's fear there could be clashes here over the killing of three young men. as fighting spread in the early hours in cities across the uk, liverpool, manchester, in whales. around 2:00 a.m., the violence peaked in birmingham and this morning the community picks up the pieces. pakistani muslims mourning two brothers and a friend killed by a hit-and-run driver while trying to protect their neighborhood. some blamed the police. >> i don't believe in the police no more. if they had done their job last night, these innocent kids

wouldn't be dead today. >> the father of the two dead brothers had a hart attack today. the other father performed cpr on his own son in vain. yet today he said, enough. >> why are we doing this? i lost my son. step forward if you want to lose your son. otherwise calm down and go home. please. >> reporter: however, anger and blame and violence all spreading. the violence that erupted saturday night in north london and gripped others in the following days has now spread hundreds of miles from the capital to a dozen towns. in london, police have arrested more than 800 people so far. charged 250 so far. >> i think they should have a good old think about what they've done to other people. >> reporter: more and more groups are protecting their own areas patrolling the streets, attempting to take back their own neighborhoods, in addition to police. >> there is so much violence. we have got a few idiots in the crowd, as we do everywhere, that are actually starting to cause a little bit of trouble. we don't want no trouble with

police, we don't want no trouble anywhere. >> reporter: and the whole country is asking, how on earth did this happen? tonight with every major english town swarming with police, there's been no major violence so far. a police officer said it's too early to hope, but maybe the worst is over. >> martin fletcher in birmingham, england for us tonight. thank you. in this country, a cross country search for three siblings on a crime spree ended after a high-speed chase and a shoot-out. in southern colorado. their alleged crimes earned them the nickname the dougherty game, but after eight days and a lot of media attention, their run is now over. >> reporter: after avoiding a nationwide manhunt for eight days, the end of the road for the so-called dougherty gang came on interstate 25 in southern colorado. >> as far as a nationwide

manhunt goes, this thing went just like it was supposed to. >> reporter: 29-year-old lee grace dougherty and 26-year-old dylan and 21-year-old ryan captured after a high-speed chase and shoot-out. >> we heard the gun fire, came out and saw the car and all the state troopers and the police were coming down the ramp with all their guns drawn. >> reporter: the trio allegedly began their crime spree in florida with another gun blazing pursuit. when police tried to pull the siblings over for speeding, the fbi says five hours later, the out laws robbed a bank in georgia, brandishing an ak-47 assault rifle, on tuesday, the fugitives were spotted in colorado, they bought camping gear from this outdoors store and tried to buy ammunition from walmart. the chase reached speeds of 100 miles an hour but ended quickly. after the crash, one of the siblings was shot in the leg. all three were taken to a local hospital, from there they go to county jail. a fugitive family, three of the

fbi's most wanted, now captured. >> and when we continue along the way on a wednesday night, the medical news we want to bring you tonight. it about leukemia, this could be a big one. we'll also meet the woman who was on a mission to see this through. and the little boy who wrote to the news media to say, don't forget about my dad, he was killed on that helicopter in afghanistan with the navy s.e.a.l.s.

as we have been telling you here tonight, there is some good news to report in the fight against cancer, an experimental treatment for leukemia is having extraordinary results beyond any expectations. how often do we get to say that? it's small so far but the results are big enough to get out to the world and tonight as our chief science correspondent robert bazell reports, if it hadn't been for one woman who suffered a loss, this very promising research might not have happened. >> reporter: bill ludwig says doctors tell him without the experimental treatment, he would have had only weeks to live. >> i'm now in a position of full health, no cancer in my system. >> reporter: ludwig is only one three patients who have gotten the novel treatment for the most common form of leukemia called cll. the results are so spectacular that many believe it could mark the beginning of a major advance in cancer treatment. >> in each of those patients,

more than a pound or two of tumor was eradicated. >> reporter: the team at the university of pennsylvania remonthed white blood cells that normally fight infections, genetically engineered them with a harmless form of hiv to make them search out and kill cancer cells and then returned them back to the patient in one infusion. >> how good were those results compared to your expectations? >> the results exceeded our expectations quite a bit. our entire team is really excited. and as well, the patients are excited. >> reporter: why only three patients? the research concept was so new that neither the national cancer institute nor pharmaceutical companies would fund it. but barbara netter did. she and her late husband edward started a charity after their daughter-in-law kim died of breast cancer. >> we wanted to do something more, hoped to do something more. >> so here it's just full of leukemia and now it's gone.

money from the drug companies is pouring in, not just for further testing on leukemia patients, but to try the concept for other cancers, including ovarian and prostate. it will take years to know if the initial excitement is justified. for now, three lives have been saved. robert bazell, nbc news, philadelphia. researchers report a simple . in foods news from ned sin, researchers report a simple blood test has proven highly accurate in determining of sex of an unborn baby at just seven weeks. that's earlier than ever. some worry parents could use the information to terminate a pregnancy based on gender, but others say it could just be very useful for less controversial purposes like all the preparations necessary to welcome home a newborn baby. up next here tonight a stunning rescue that's being called a miracle.

looks like it will soon be possible to send a text to 911 in an emergency. the fcc said it's working on a system to allow texting back and forth with first responders with plans to eventually be able to include photo and video messages which could help them assess the situation before they even arrive on the scene.

and a successful ending to an emergency situation tonight from the coast of washington state. it started last weekend when 12-year-old dale ostrander wading in the water during a church group outing was pulled into a trip tide. rescuers desperately searched for him for 20 minutes, but when they finally found him, it seemseem ed wasn't going to make it. there were no signs of life. his friends knelt in prayer on the beach. yesterday he was awake and talking. his mother described what it was like. >> the first thing he said, we were trying to get him to cough. come on, dale, cough. and he coughed once and we said you need to do more. i don't need to, is what he said. and everybody was like, he spoke, a full sentence.

>> one of the paramedics said a positive outcome in this kind of rescue is a one in 100 event. inns the story that got to us today. the news media tonight are responding to the emotional plea of a young boy in kansas who wanted people to know about his dad. his name is braden nicholls, he's 10 years old. he lost his father in the chinook helicopter shootdown this past weekend that killed 30 americans. braden writes, quote, my father was one of the 30 u.s. soldiers killed in afghanistan with the s.e.a.l.s rescue mission. my father was the pilot of the chinook. i have seen other pictures of victims from this deadly mission and wish you would include a picture of my father. he is the farthest to the left. braden went on to say about the coverage, they always say navy s.e.a.l.s.s, they never say my dad. his father brian was 31, he was counting the days until he was supposed to come home on a two-week leave. a scholarship is being set up for his son. up next as we continue here

tonight, serving people who have been through so much and still have so far to go.

last night we showed you

this extraordinary security camera video showing the destruction at the only high school in joplin, missouri, the moment that huge twister tore through town. hard to believe it's been three months now and the good folks there have made a lot of progress cleaning up the mess left behind. but so many people are still struggling. donations of all kind, including food, poured in right after the storm, always happens, but now it's all slowed down. so we have gone back to joplin to check on their progress. our progress report comes in nbc's ron mott. >> reporter: as corn slowly rises under a hot southwest missouri sun, across the field at a major food bank, supplies are shrinking fast, as another load is rounded up to meet the area's surge in hunger. >> we're actually sending three semitruckloads of food every day to joplin and at this point that's going to really tap us out very quickly. >> reporter: ozark's food harvest says demand for its aid has essentially doubled in the

region, from 1 million pounds a month to 2 million pounds. and the impact is clear. lisa dunn's family has occasionally relied on donated food to help ends meet after losing their home to the storm. >> people that do this on an every day basis, working to get the next meal for their family, i don't know how they do it. how do you not shut down and say i can't just do it anymore? >> reporter: now living in an temporary apartment, furniture largely borrowed, the family's single income budget has become strained, but it's paying off in more profound ways, says lisa's husband. >> everything i had, i worked hard for. and it's all gone. and i have learned from people to accept help. >> reporter: the need for food has stayed strong here because the tornado not only took lives and destroyed homes, it affected an estimated 5,000 jobs, and until those return, much like these neighborhoods, getting back to normal is a long way off. like the dunn's church,

transformed into an emporium of food clothes and other basic needs. >> it's about the people, it's not about the church carpet getting ruined or any of these kinds of things. it's about serving people and loving people. >> reporter: it's also about hope in the aftermath of such devastation. >> i want people to know that it's not going to be, oh, this happened, the rest of our life is going to be horrible. the rest of our life is going to look up, not down. >> reporter: a community hungry to ease the pangs of disaster. ron mott, nbc news, joplin, missouri. >> and joplin officials announced today they have received a $500,000 gift from the united arab emirates to help buy a new lap top for every one of their 2,200 high school students. the uae will also match future donations for lap tops. so for all of our viewers who wish to join in and help, there's more on how you can do that from our website, nightly.msnbc.com. the good folks of joplin do need

it. >> that is our broadcast for this wednesday night, glad you could be with us. i'm brian williams and we hope to see you right back here i'm brian williams and we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com right now at 6:00, suspects in the bryan stow case appear in court as prosecutors reveal new details in the case. a 43-year-old man faces murder charges for a cold case here at san leandro juvenile court. i'm damian trujillo. why his father says police have the wrong man. and a major threat against facebook. who wants to shut down the social