on the broadcast tonight, mean season. as we head into the unofficial start of summer after a season of so much damage, so many extremes, why a new hurricane forecast is getting attention tonight. the mystery. almost 33 years to the day since a little boy disappeared. are police finally about to crack the case that changed everything for so many parents and the search for so many other missing kids? traffic jam at the top of the world. a dangerous, perhaps deadly bottleneck at mt. everest. and star power. after most americans retire, look who the biggest stars on broadway are right now and how did they do it. "nightly news" begins now.

>> special good evening to all of those joining us in the western time zone tonight. we begin here this evening with breaking news from here in the east. we have just learned there's been an arrest tonight in the case of a missing child that will forever be associated with the beginning of a national movement. almost exactly 33 years after a little boy named etan patz disappeared here in new york city on his way to school, a man told nypd investigators that he's the one who killed the boy. he knows what happened, and tonight, just a short time ago, ray kelly, the chief of the nypd announced the arrest and said they have a signed confession. nbc's ron allen is in the neighborhood where etan patz vanished all those years ago. ron, good evening. >> good evening to you, brian. it's an absolutely stunning and incredible development for this neighborhood, for this community. exactly 33 years ago tomorrow when etan disappeared from these very streets, and we may have

finally -- police may have finally solved this 33-year-old murder mystery. three decades after 6-year-old etan patz disappeared while walking two blocks to catch a school bus, the trail has led new york police to this new jersey neighborhood where pedro hernandez lives. police sources say hernandez, 51, said he lured etan with candy into the store he worked in back then, killed the boy, and disposed of the body. >> this evening, the new york city police department is announcing the arrest of pedro hernandez for the murder of etan patz. >> law enforcement sources they this man, hernandez's brother-in-law, jose lopez, alerted police, after the case burst back into the spotlight last month, when dozens of investigators searched a basement along etan's route for clues. sources say the brother-in-law says hernandez admitted many years ago, he killed the boy. investigators are now trying to

determine whether that sotory i true and perhaps finally solve an iconic case that launched an era of height eened awareness about missing children across the country. etan was one of the first children on a milk carton. amber alerts would follow. meanwhile, etan's parents, stan and julie, still live in the same apartment on the same street where their son disappeared so long ago. >> no matter what the outcome of this investigation, we're going to have to go on living. >> 33 years later, police finally may be able to give them an answer. police say mr. patz was overwhelmed and surprised when told of the news of the arrest. and police adding they hope this finally brings some measure of peace to their family. brian. >> ron allen, lower manhattan, here in new york for us tonight. ron, thanks. in other news this evening, our weather was in the news today. everyone knows it's been abnormal of late for millions of us when you consider the

historic and severe hurricanes and tornadoes we have all witnessed, to the freak events like the halloween blizzard here in the east to the lack of a winter for millions of americans this past season. so it's against that backdrop that today's official hurricane forecast came out, just as americans gear up for the traditional start of summer kickoff weekend. we get more here tonight from nbc's tom costello. get ready for the ferocious power of mother nature. the official start of hurricane season is still a week away, but it's already been an active two weeks. tropical storm alberto has come and gone off the atlantic coast as hurricane bud churns off the coast rf of central mexico in the pacific. now a category two storm. >> there's no such thing as a weak hurricane. >> today from noaa, a prediction for a near normal hurricane season between june 1st and november 30th.

that means 9 to 15 tropical storms with 4 to 8 strengthening into hurricanes, and 1 to 3 of those becoming major hurricanes, category 3 or greater. the big wild card, the warming effect from el nino in the pacific that could help lessen the hurricane risk. >> it tends to increase the wind shear. wind shear tends to suppress or even kill off hurricanes. >> last year was one of the worst years on record for hurricanes. 19 in total. including one of the most expensive, irene. it slammed the east coast and even after being downgraded to a tropical storm, reached as far inland as vermont, tearing down historic bridges and isolating entire towns. the total price tag, nearly $16 billion. now 2012. >> this is something i have never seen before. >> already a year of extremes. 63 people killed as more than 400 tornadoes tore through the country in late winter and spring. >> peeked out the window and started seeing trees coming out of the ground. >> now the national's hurricane

hunters begin the yearly ritual of watching and waiting. as if they needed any reminder, this argue will mark the 20th anniversary of hurricane andrew, the category 5 storm that tore through south florida in 1992, killing 26 people. there's no suggestion, though, brian, that that kind of storm may be brewing this year. >> tom costello starting us off at the map in washington. tom, thanks. with us tonight, the hurricane expert at the weather channel, dr. rick knabb who we're proud to say has been selected and is about to become the new director of the national hurricane center. can you blame a civilian like me for asking a guy like you, in light of, we saw new england torn up this year, joplin, tuscaloosa, all the severe weather, why wouldn't that mean an equally severe hurricane season en route? >> well, brian, unfortunately, we're not very good at this stage before the official hurricane season even starts of being able to tell you where the systems are going to go.

if we look at the total numbers in the forecast including from noaa and the weather channel in colorado state, the numbers were in the same ballpark, a little less than the average in 1995, but close to the long term average, but look what we say all the time, seasonal outlooks cannot predict if or where landfalls occur. even if we have an average season or even a below average season in terms of total numbers, as tom mentioned, hurricane andrew's 20th anniversary this year, that was a year in which there were only four total hurricanes. fewer than the number we're forecasting for this year. that four-hurricane total had one major, andrew, hitting south florida. it can be a bad year for you even if it's a below average or average year. >> congratulations are in order considering the next time we speak it will probably be in the midst of one of the storms that are no doubt on the way. appreciate you joining us from the weather channel. turning now to news overseas. tensions are at a breaking point with a key american ally, pakistan.

one big reason, as we reported to you last night, pakistan has severely punishing the doctor, the physician who helped the u.s. hunt down osama bin laden. our chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell has more. >> jail, sent to prison for 33 years for treason. shakil alfridi, the pakistani doctor who secretly helped the u.s. hunt down osama bin laden. in america, he would be celebrated as a hero. >> his help, after all, was instrumental in taking down one of the world's most notorious murderers. >> to somehow allege that under any country's law that this doctor violated any law is of course just beyond ludicrous, it's outrageous. >> the doctor working for the cia collected dna samples from residents of the abbottabad house, trying to prove bin laden was there. but pakistan still angry over

the raid, said he's a spy. according to the leader of the ruling party, even though his own mother, benazir bhutto, was killed by al qaeda. >> unfortunately, andrea, anyone collaborating with foreign intelligence, even of a friendly country, anywhere in the world, that's a crime. >> even worse to the u.s., pakistan has yet to explain how bin laden managed to hide in plain sight for years. >> to find that the pakistanis now aren't trying to answer the question, who was hiding osama bin laden, but who helped us find him, and that's outrageous. >> plus, pakistan has cut supply lines to u.s. forces in afghanistan. retaliating after the u.s. refused to apologize for killing 24 pakistani soldiers in a border raid last year. pakistan is also angry about drone attacks, including another today that killed eight suspected militants. intelligence experts say relations with pakistan have never been worse, but pakistan is building more nuclear bombs

than any other country in the world, making it too big and too dangerous to ignore. >> andrea, thanks. just a quick note, we had planned to ask about the tensions with pakistan among other topics in our exclusive interview tonight with secretary of defense leon panetta. unfortunately because of bad travel weather along the eastern corridor tonight and a four-hour ground hold on all arrivals here at new york city airport, including the secretary's aircraft, we had to postpone the interview. we will reschedule. >> in this country, a nuclear powers submarine being worked on at a shipyard in maine caught fire last night. three shipyard firefighters, two civilian firefighters, two members of a submarine crew were injured trying to put it out. it took until this morning to get it completely out. cause remains under investigation. the reactor on board the "u.s.s. miami" was completely shut down and not effected, they say, by the fire.

>> bad news arrived today from a great american city where this broadcast has by the way, spent a lot of time and put down roots in the years since hurricane katrina. new orleans, louisiana, is easy to love, a city full of survivors who believe the good times must roll on, and that has always for them included the local paper with the unusual name, the times-picayune, but today's bad news from there was about the local paper, and nbc's anne thompson has our report tonight. it is a force even the times-picayune couldn't withstand. the new orleans paper that survived the civil war, a threat by louisiana governor huey long to break every machine it had, countless mergers and most famously, hurricane katrina, bowed to the economics of the newspaper industry. >> it's something that is important in the community. >> this fall, it will go from printing papers seven days a week to three while increasing its online efforts. a new direction that will mean job cuts and a loss of community

created by everyone reading the same thing. >> online, people tend to go in a lot of different directions. whereas when someone delivers you the newspaper, you look at the front page. >> affectionately known as the tp, the paper chronicled a city unlike any other, won four pulitzer prizes, and carried the by-lines of many great writers. but to understand the connection between this city and its paper, one reporter said you must look through the lens of katrina, a near death experience for both new orleans and the times-picayune. while thousands escaped the historic storm and flood, david meeks was one of a group of tp journalists who refused to leave. >> it was different for us. this wasn't just a story we were covering. we live here. >> meeks said the paper exposed the flaws that led to the disaster. he now works for the "los angeles times." >> i worry when you take away the newspaper and its watchful eye or you reduce its resources to the point it just can't do the job it used to do, i worry

about the city. >> a city that has already taken more than its share of hits. anne thompson, nbc news, new york. and still ahead as we continue, a bottleneck. a long line in what could be a dangerous waiting game. question is why are so many people trying to get to the top of the world? and later, stars of a certain age still the ones shining the brightest on the great white way these days.

wait until you see these pictures we have to show you. it might be the last place on earth you would expect to see a traffic jam, the top of the world, mt. everest, but a combination of bad weather and really too many people looking for that peak experience all at the same time, has turned

tragic. our report tonight from nbc's stephanie gosk. >> it is the holy grail for mountaineers, the irresistible but deadly everest. in growing numbers, they're lining up to get to the top. this is what it looked like last week. climbers by the hundreds, each hoping to conquer the world's tallest peak. on saturday, there was a short break in the weather and a race to the summit. above 26,000 feet in a place ominously called the death zone, they hit a traffic jam. >> there's not many places to get around these long lines of people. you have hundreds of people stacked up so you can't really pass. >> some were forced to wait for hours. a german doctor and a 33-year-old canadian were among four who died from altitude sickness and exposure. dr. john kudrowski made it to the top that same day. he came across one of the climbers moments before his death. >> his hat was off, his gloves

were off. he was kind of looking at me kind of zombie like. this weekend, 200 more climbers will decide whether or not to go ahead. "outside" magazine's graysen schaefer reported this from base camp. a guide at the top is troubled by the numbers. >> we can't beat these people. they keep starting earlier and earlier. >> a video taken this week shows climbers making their way up in the dark, their head lamps visible on the ridge. >> i expect this to go smoother than the other night, but you never know. >> unpredictable everest already has plenty of dangers. the rugged terrain, the weather, the altitude. now there's another, the crowd. stephanie gosk, nbc news, london. when we come back here tonight, what does it say about parents of athletes worried about concussions when the parent of one of the most prominent athletes says he's not sure he would let his own son play ball?

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♪ the privately owned rocket that launched from cape canaveral this week known as spacex is now right on track according to nasa. it will dock with the international space station tomorrow morning. after today's successful practice fly-by. after the docking the astronauts will open the hatch, unload more than 1,000 pounds of food, clothing, and lab equipment. a delivery that will make history -- that's a simulation there -- if all goes well. >> ted kaczynski, also known as the unabomber has somewhat unbelievably updated his facebook page. his harvard reunion is coming up. as a member of the class of '62, he felt the need to state his occupation at prisoner and his address as the supermax prison in colorado. there's more, under awards, he lists eight life sentences. his mail bombs, you'll recall, killed three people, injured

another two dozen people. harvard officials actually apologized for including his updated profile in the upcoming reunion materials. you know the nfl has an issue on its hands when the father of five-time super bowl quarterback tom brady says if he had it to do all over again, he would be very hesitant to let his son play football, knowing what we now know about violent hits and concussions. tom brady, sr., the dad of the patriots future hall of famer, says he didn't let his son play football as it is until he turned 14 because he wasn't yet physically developed enough to play the sport. los angeles is about to become the third big city in california to ban plastic grocery bags. they'll follow san francisco, santa monica, they'll be phased out over the next 16 months. shoppers will have the option to buy paper bags for 10 cents each. environmental activists as you know have been pushing for this

to keep those bags out of the ocean and out of the natural world. up next here tonight, the stars still packing the house after all these years.

we live, of course, in a

culture obsessed with youth, but thankfully that does not apply to the broadway shows this season. because many of the people who are packing them into the theater are stage veterans to put it mildly, who seem to be reversing time while we watch from the audience. our woman on broadway tonight is nbc's chris jansing. >> it's been 55 years since james earl jones first set foot on a broadway stage, and now at 81, he's back. playing an energetic former president in "the best man," alongside 86-year-old angela lansbury. >> very nicely put. >> this play i look forward to every day. >> far beyond the typical retirement age, they're not just working, they're thriving. their star power bringing in audiences who watched "murder she wrote." >> surely she's not a suspect. >> and star wars fans who still marvel at the voice behind darth vader. >> i am your father. >> between them, they have seven tony awards, and yet they are

modest, open, and utterly charming. >> 18, you know. >> yeah, he's 17. between the two of us, you know, we hardly -- >> you could order a drink. >> we could order a drink. >> they are simply very happy and a bit amazed to still be working. so is their friend joel gray. >> there's nothing like a live audience. >> who still gets a thrill seeing his picture on a billboard. ♪ >> it's been 46 years since he won best actor awards for "cabaret" on stage and in film. and never imagined then he would still be going strong at 80. >> first of all, i didn't know i was going to be 80. ♪ >> doing eight shows a week takes discipline. no partying, lots of sleep, and what about memorizing all those lines? is it different than when you were 25 or 30? >> it's like a windshield wiper

came along and went, swish. it's all gone. >> it happens to all actors. it really does. >> even those occasional lapses are part of the mental challenge that keeps them feeling young. will you always want to act? >> i say providing i can put one foot in front of the other, i will continue to act. >> as long as i have the oxygen in my brain. >> where that passion will take them next is happily for their fans, a story that's still being written. chris jansing, nbc news, new york. good note to go out on for our thursday night broadcast. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams, and of course, we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. as we leave you tonight, one sure and solemn sign that memorial day weekend is upon us. the placing of the flags. it's under way at arlington national cemetery. 220,000 of them, one for each headstone. thanks to the men and women of the old guard, the third infantry regimen. they have been doing it the same

way every year since 1948. a sight that puts a lump in your throat. good night for all of us. good evening, everyone. i'm jessica aguirre. >> and i'm raj mathai. the suspect of the sierra lamar disappearance stepped into a courtroom for the first time since being charged with murder and kidnapping. we have live team coverage, including the volunteers who showed up in support of sierra. we begin with