and general petraeus is speaking for the first time since the scandal that brought him down. and tonight, the cia says they're investigating him. and bp paying a big price for the oil spilin the gulf. billions of dollars. where will the money go? and where are the folks who lost so much, and what are they saying about this tonight. and are they dangerous? and new questions about the five-hour energy drink and products like it. and it is so hard to crack down on what may be a real risk. nightly news begins now. good evening, the last time missiles landed anywhere near tel aviv in israel, they were fired by saddam in iraq. tonight it has happened again, the israeli prime minister was

taken into a bomb shelter and that is how real this conflict has become between the palestinians and gaza. this could turn into a full ground war very quickly. rocket fire from gaza is being answered with air strikes from israel, israel saying they're ready, at least, to launch a ground invasion as a next step. and for the rest of the world in plain english, here we go again. the generations-old conflict is escalating quickly we have it covered in israel and gaza, beginning with nbc's martin fletcher in tel aviv >> reporter: good evening, it does look like israel and hamas are edging closer to war in gaza, a war that neither side wants, but it does appear closer with every hour that passes. terror in israel. there is another one, a soldier screams. more than 200 missiles fired at israel today. and in gaza, despair.

burying a child killed in an israeli attack. israel today launched at least 200 attacks against palestinian targets, most of them against stock piles of long-range rockets, trying to eliminate that threat against the israeli citizens. and israel's army is massive along the border, with 30,000 on alert for a possible ground invasion, clear warnings. >> i hope that hamas and the other terror organizations in gaza got the message. if not, israel is prepared to take whatever action is necessary to defend our people. >> reporter: but hamas appears undeterred. they say they shot down this israeli drone and attacked tel aviv. where citizens had a 90-second warning. reported almost disbelievingly on the israeli tv, israel

targeted for the first time by the hamas rocket, falling harmlessly into the sea. israel's anti-rocket system knocked out most of the missiles that threatened the towns, but not all. one got through in the southern town here. the palestinians fired at least 250 rockets at israel today, most didn't do any damage, but this one did. killed three israeli civilians. israel is bracing for more. the army spokesperson said tonight "difficult days are ahead." a possible calming influence, tomorrow, the prime minister of egypt will visit gaza saturday, the prime minister of turkey, hoping by their very presence it will calm things down, making it harder for hamas to fire rockets and making it harder for israel to attack. now breaking news, also just hearing that a few minutes ago, three palestinian children were reported killed in an israeli

bomb attack. >> we'll take whatever calming influence we can get in this still new conflict. martin fletcher in tel aviv. nbc's ayman mohyeldin has been able to make his way into gaza city tonight. he was able to file this report a short time ago as this conflict you're about to see took on much more of the appearance of a shooting war. >> reporter: well, you can hear the sounds of the explosions behind me, brian. it is an indication that the israeli operation is continuing well into the night. and that really is what has th people here very much anxious, very much nervous. it has been like this for the past several hours. there is no indication it will let up. in fact, they're bracing for the possibility of a ground invasion in the coming days. it has sent shock waves throughout the people, as the people try to prepare for what could be a very dangerous period for the people here. ayman mohyeldin, inside gaza

city on another dicey night there, thank you back in this country, back to the story we have been covering for days, general david petraeus, he is talking about the scandal that forced him to quit his job as cia director. and now, the startling news is the cia is investigating him. here with more, nbc's andrea mitchell. >> if i could. >> reporter: intelligence >> reporter: intelligence officials say the focus of the cia inspector general's probe is whether or not david petraeus used agency resources to further his relationship with paula broadwell. they were last seen together at a dinner in washington on october 27th. officials say the cia has been told by the fbi there is no indication that petraeus used classified material. but the investigation is continuing, this is new information coming out about frederick humphries, the fbi agent that led the investigation. that led to petraeus's resignation. he is a 16-year veteran, he played a major role in stopping the plot to blow up l.a.x.

humphries got to know jill kelley in tampa, and she turned to him when she received anonymous e-mails last spring, the e-mails they found alarming. today, the fbi agent explained the shirtless picture he had sent jill kelley, saying it was a joke he was posing with target dummies after s.w.a.t. practice. it was humphries that told david reichert about an old friend, he alerted him almost two weeks before the president was told. >> the information sent to me sounded as if there was a potential for a national security vulnerability. >> reporter: today, eric holder was asked why he didn't tell the president sooner. >> we follow the facts, we do not share outside the justice department, outside the fbi, the facts of ongoing investigations, we made the determination as we were going through the matter that there was not a threat to

national security. >> reporter: also today, defense secretary leon panetta ordered the chairman of the joint chiefs to review ethics training for all officers, because of recent lapses. and petraeus reached out, saying he did not disclose classified material. thank you, we also want to let you know on rock center, andrea will report on the culture, on what some say is the power surrounding the nation's four-star generals. bp ordered to pay on a massive settlement, we have two reports on the story tonight, beginning with pete williams, good evening brian, this is the deal, bp agrees to plead guilty, paying the biggest fine ever against a

single company, and the federal government agrees not to bring criminal charges against bp for the oil spill. the settlement comes a year and a half after an explosion and fire killed 11 people on a bp drilling rig in the gulf, starting a gush that became 206 million gallons of oil. >> the company has pled guilty to criminal felony charges, manslaughter, individuals have been charged, as well. everything that we are capable of doing in the criminal sphere we have done today. bp will pay 4 and a half billion in fines, more than half going to restore, the company faces environmental laws and failing to monitor the pressure, the g rigs were ignored, prosecutors say they ignored glaring problems and accepted an explanation for abnormal readings, the spokesperson said,

we apologize for the role in the accident and accept responsibility for the actions, but a consumer group says it is not much punishment for a huge company. >> i just don't see that there is any effective deterrent for what is one of the largest corporate crimes in american history. >> bp still faces more in fines for the harm. pete williams i'm anne thompson. >> something we knew. >> reporter: where on the fishing docks, the talk is of bp's guilty pleas. >> for them to finally admit it is what we have been waiting to hear. because you know, we have been living it every day. >> reporter: this third generation farmer says it ruined his beds and market. neither has come back. but his thoughts today are with the 11 men who died on the deep horizon, one was shelly anderson's husband, jason, a father to lacey and river

>> the hardest part is going to the thanksgiving dinner today at the elementary school, and -- seeing the other dads that are there -- and lacey knows that her dad can't be there. >> reporter: on the louisiana coast where looks can be deceiving, the environmental costs are still being added up. so actually where our boats are, this was marsh this university of florida scientist is still tracking the impact of the erosion on the bay. he found the oil doubled the rate of erosion in the year and a half since the spill. this july, he also discovered something else. >> this is one of the few spots on this area that actually still has visible oil on it. >> reporter: this is the oil here? >> this is the oil here. >> reporter: this charter boat captain says only half of his customers have come back. he says today's agreement is a start, but not nearly enough. >> it just seems like it was just a mistake that was overlooked by greed. >> reporter: the fine, while historic, is almost a billion less than the money bp made in just a third quarter of this

year. the message from the gulf coast tonight is that it is recovering, but still there are a lot of people here who have not been made whole. the settlement solved one issue but it is far from bringing life back to normal. >> anne thompson, a space where we spent a lot of time, venice, louisiana. still ahead, 17 days after sandy. the homeowners today who just got to see their homes. and later, her story brought lincoln to life. today, the woman behind the new movie.

thi

. i'm mike taibbi in los angeles, there is lace-breaking news, investigators are on the scene where a flat-bed trailer carrying several parade floats was slammed by a train at 4:30 in the afternoon, leaving four dead, several injured. the floats were part of a planned celebration honoring wounded vets, but now the town is in shock, while the dead and injured have not been identified. officials on the scene say the members of their military and relatives were likely among those in the flat boy convoy was struck. they were to be honored, and the event was to conclude with a parade and the deer-hunting vets for this weekend seventeen days after hurricane sandy tore up their neighborhood, folks in staten island, very hard-hit, got a visit today from the president after touring the worst of the damage. president obama says he is proud of the way new yorkers have responded. he said "you guys are tough, you bounce back." damage includes just about all of the miles of the jersey shore, and areas including ortley beach, not far from the place where life will never be the same. our report tonight from stephanie gosk. >> reporter: two and a half weeks, and nobody in this line has been back home to ortley beach until today. what do you expect to see today? >> disaster. >> reporter: dread mixes with frustration, but the police officers still smile. >> good luck, folks, you have to wear this when you're on the island. >> reporter: sixteen school buses pick up and drop off. nobody is allowed to drive. two people per household, carrying one empty bag each.

captain bruce bergess says this system is the only safe way to let residents back. >> we're here to help, we're here for security. >> reporter: homeowners have only a few hours to collect valuables. they will not be back here for weeks. >> i still didn't believe it until i walked around the side, seeing the house split open. >> reporter: split open. >> reporter: ortley beach is in lockout, police officers from places as far away as louisiana work around the clock shifts. over the next five days, 5,000 people will return, a boat in the living room among many nasty surprises. engineers are busy putting numbers on the damage. and the shocking number is 73, 73 homes not just damaged but completely off their foundations, and destroyed. in ortley beach alone. those homes still standing run the risk of collapsing into sinkholes.

watching all of this is now suddenly part of the captain's job description. >> this all goes beyond the scope of what we're used to doing. it never happened here before. >> reporter: adapting to new jobs and changed lives, ortley beach has to recover. stephanie gosk nbc news, ortley beach, new jersey. up next, why five-hour energy is in the news, and why loyal customers are taking notice.

you have seen the commercials, you have seen the little bottles at the checkout. five-hour energy is in the news tonight, a question about safety to be specific. our report tonight from nbc's tom costello >> reporter: the ads for five-hour energy promise they will lift you out of your afternoon slump. >> the rest of the day, i'm great. >> reporter: one and a half million bottles of the high caffeine shot sold every day. but the fda says it is looking into the possibility of the

connection between the five-hour energy and 13 deaths over the past four years that the companies first reported. heart attacks, even a spontaneous abortion. the company insists they are adverse event reports that are not substantiated. and the fda says it is early to draw any conclusions. while the labels on the drinks don't say how much caffeine is inside, the company says it is about the same as a cup of premium coffee. >> caffeine is not a bad thing, except in very large quantities, actually helpful in a lot of areas. >> reporter: a caffeine boost may be safe in a lot of adults. but cardiologists say a small percentage of adults and kids with known or unknown pre-existing conditions could be at risk >> under the right or wrong circumstances, certain people with these conditions might have incidents of arrythmias that could be dangerous, in association with a high dose of caffeine. >> reporter: just last month, the fda says it is looking at

whether or not five other deaths could be linked to monster energy drinks. they insist their drinks are safe and not responsible for any deaths. because these drinks are sold as diet drinks and not colas, they are not required to list their caffeine amounts. or all their ingredients now, congress is looking to change that law. tom costello, nbc news. and up next, a woman that helped to tell a great story about a great american president.

finally tonight, this is what hollywood does to us every year. they cram up the movies late in the year so we will cram into the movie theaters. you almost had to be as resourceful as 007 to see it last week, this week, it will be lincoln. that will be the big draw. tonight we talked to the woman behind the story, doris goodwin, who wrote the book, steven spielberg read it, and the rest really is history. >> said it was the faithful. billions in bondage, and many to come. >> i imagined this man, lincoln, from the moment i woke up to going to bed, suddenly he is on

screen, back in our lives again. it is an extraordinary experience to see him become abraham lincoln. >> you make the character, you live with this person, seldom do you get to see such a situation rise from your work. >> and the most amazing thing, both spielberg and daniel day-lewis, cared so much about detail they asked to go to springfield, to go to the law offices and the museum. and what do you want to know about? what was the right thing, what did he sound like? what is his voice like? so we knew from the period at that time that he had a high-pitched voice that could go over the crowds. you had people in the debates, lincoln's could go to the end of the crowd. they wanted to know how he walked. we knew he walked like a laborer, that he felt like he had a burden on his shoulders.

when you see him walk, he walks like a laborer, the most important thing, what was his sense of humor? that is the one thing i cared about that was the way he got away from sadness. >> people are going to come away, wondering was he that funny, humorous, was he that way? and to the best of your ability, yes. >> and the most important thing, people think of him as an icon, a statesman. they don't know what a great politician he was, and that is what the movie is all about. >> the fate of human dignity is in our hands. >> to afford us this moment, now, now, now. >> he does everything he can to get this 13th amendment passed, at the time when he has won the election, between the election, and the new congress coming in. incredible coincidence of timing that obama has the same challenge with the fiscal cliff. and you watch him trading, doing whatever he needs to do.

it is an incredible timely thing to say that compromise is a good thing, as long as you have convictions and are after something worthy. he is after the end of slavery. by the 13th amendment and he is after a great thing, he says i am the president of the united states. >> i am president of the united states of america. clothed in immense power. >> you get me the votes that i need >> can you imagine if somebody spoke that way today? >> no way. >> while he wouldn't fight the crowds, the current president sees the movie tonight. at a screening our thanks to our friend and author, historian, doris goodwin. that is our broadcast tonight. thank you for joining us, remember, we're back on the air for "rock center" at 10:00, 9:00 central. and we would love to have you back tomorrow night. good night.

right now at 6:00, questions after a convicted sex offender is allowed to volunteer at a local church event. a push to get to the bottom of this year's sky high prices at the pump. i'm jody hernandez. i'll have details coming up. >> 49ers coach jim harbaugh hospitalized for a potentially serious heart condition. analysts thought it was because of plant went off line. however, a new report suggests otherwise. were we misled? >> jodi hernandez has the details and joins us from richmond this evening. >> reporter: raja,