we have to get that recipe. >> right up your alley. >> thank you for joining us us at 5:00. see you at 6:00. >> bye-bye. on our broadcast tonight, inside the cockpit as flight 214 slammed into a seawall in san francisco. and with the focus now on the pilots, tonight what investigators have learned about what was happening in those final moments before impact. breaking their silence. those three young kidnapped women held captive in a house in cleveland for a decade. they're speaking out now for the first time. marijuana for kids. a growing number of parents using it to treat everything from autism to epilepsy. and while it's controversial, they say it works. and great expectations in london, where they are awaiting the big arrival any day now. "nightly news" begins now.

good evening. and again tonight a lot of attention is being focused on a runway in san francisco, along with a seawall and the waters just offshore. nearby, of course, sits that burned out hull of a wide bodied jet. and just tonight at the latest briefing on the crash of the asiana airline's 777, we learned the jet was indeed flying low and slow, too low and too slow it turns out to make it to touchdown without incident. we learned a lot more about the cockpit crew today. all veterans of long haul air travel. and because of their experience, the investigation into what went wrong here now gets more intriguing. again tonight, nbc's tom costello starting us off from the scene at sfo in san francisco. and tom, we also learned of a very close call for other members of this crew. >> reporter: that's right, two flight attendants on board were ejected out of the back of this plane as it crash landed. amazingly, they survived. the training captain, the captain who was training his

colleague to fly the 777, he said that they thought they were coming in at 137 knots. that's the appropriate speed, but they realized they were in trouble when they saw the papi lights, the red lights at the end of the runway that were supposed to guide them in. they were not lined up properly. and from there something went terribly wrong. today, new pictures of the crash scene in san francisco. the top priority for investigators has been to interview all four pilots who were on board flight 214, including the veteran captain who was new to the 777 and was at the controls saturday. the teaching captain told investigators he realized at 200 feet they were coming in too slow and too low. >> he recognized that the auto throttles were not maintaining speed and he established a go around attitude. he went to push the throttles forward, but he stated that the other pilot had already pushed the throttles forward. >> reporter: investigators are not alarmed that a veteran captain was making his first

landing attempt at sfo in a 777. >> no one's going to walk into a cockpit with 100 landings under their belt. they have to get experience. we have to figure out how that happens. >> reporter: retired united captain ross aimer teaches new pilots that if an approach isn't perfect, they abort the landing attempt. >> decisive. be decisive. if you think you're too high or too slow, do something immediately. >> reporter: today the president and ceo of asiana arrived to a media frenzy in san francisco, promising full cooperation with the investigation. meanwhile, the only crew member to speak to korean media, a flight attendant lee eun hi. she worked frantically to free passengers and other crew members trapped inside the plane. >> translator: actually, i was not thinking, but acting. as soon as i heard emergency escape, i conducted the evacuation. >> reporter: two teenaged girls from china died on saturday, one of them possibly hit by an arriving emergency vehicle. of the more than 180 passengers injured, 26 remain hospitalized, six in critical condition,

including one child. a tae kwon do team returning from korea today, explained the crash and the aftermath. >> when i came down the chute i looked over at the wing, and i could still see fuel dropping from the wing. >> reporter: meanwhile, questions about why some passengers grabbed their luggage, purses, carry-ons, even duty free shopping before exiting the plane. then the urgent phone calls and text messages to loved ones. >> it's a life and death situation for you to stop and get your bag as opposed to to get off the aircraft and think about all the other people who are coming behind you. >> reporter: the ntsb says because this is a foreign crew, there was no legal obligation to drug test them, and they were not drug tested after the fact. by the way, having 28 left closed has created problems here at sfo. they have delays running up to an hour or so. 70-plus cancellations today alone. brian, the ntsb says they may take another week or so to continue to look at this

aircraft that's out on the runway. back to you. >> tom costello leading our coverage starting off tonight on this situation in san francisco. tom, thanks. those three young women held for a decade in a house in cleveland, ohio have broken their silence, two months since they were freed. they have made public video statements in which they talk about their brand new lives and the support they've received since their release. our report tonight from our national correspondent kate snow. >> reporter: we've known them only vaguely. the thumbs up from gina dejesus. a single photo of amanda berry. she was a 16-year-old girl when she was taken in 2003. she's now a 27-year-old mother. >> i want everyone to know how happy i am to be home with my family, my friends. it's been unbelievable. i want to thank everyone who has helped me and my family through this entire ordeal. everyone who has been there to support us, it's been a blessing to have some an outpouring of love and kindness.

>> reporter: michelle knight, kidnapped when she was 21 read from a carefully prepared message. >> i want everyone to know i'm doing just fine. >> reporter: her lawyers said her manner of speech was just nerves and had nothing to do with her time in captivity. none of the women mentioned ariel castro by name. but michelle referenced the decade she spent inside this cleveland house. >> i may have been through hell and back, but i am strong enough to walk through hell with a smile on my face, and with my head held high and my feet firmly on the ground. >> reporter: gina dejesus went missing at age 14. appearing with her parents, these were her only words. >> i would say thank you for the support. >> reporter: cleveland city councilman matt zone told us last month, that gina is staying with family. and has the shih tzu terrier puppy she bonded with as a prisoner. >> she definitely wants to get

their drivers license. she is interested in maybe going back to school. she wants to do the little simple things, the things you and i take for granted. >> all the things she's missed out on. >> nearly half her life, for sure. >> reporter: clevelanders have been good at giving the women space to heal. >> i'm getting stronger each day, and having my privacy has helped immensely. >> i will not let the situation define who i am. i will define the situation. >> reporter: one doctor who's treated other kidnapping survivors says making the video itself was probably therapeutic. >> being able to retell the story says i'm a survivor, i'm still here. it's also sending the message, not only to the public but to the perpetrator to say, you didn't damage me. you didn't ruin my spirit. i'm still alive. >> we have been hurt by people, but we need to rely on god as being the judge. god has a plan for all of us. thank you for all your prayers. i'm looking forward to my brand new life. thank you. >> reporter: the women also wanted this video out now so that the paparazzi would be less

likely to hound them to get that first video. meantime, ariel castro's trial is scheduled for august. he's pled not guilty on hundreds of charges, with more charges expects perhaps this week. prosecutors are meeting this week to discuss whether to pursue the death penalty. brian? >> achingly sad, but empowering at the same time. kate snow, thank you for that report. a sad day in prescott, arizona today. the memorial service for all 19 firefighters, members of that single wildfire hotshot team. they died fighting a fire that by the way continues to burn. people came from across this country, and among those paying tribute today, the soul survivor from that crew. nbc's miguel almaguer was there and has our report. ♪ >> reporter: the tribute honored their lives and their sacrifice. >> wade scott parker. >> reporter: 19 fallen firefighters who fought and died together.

dan fraho was their chief. >> if i could fulfill my fondest wish, it could be that my tears would wash away the pain and loss that we all feel. ♪ you raise me up >> reporter: the granite mountain hotshots were a band of brothers who saved homes and battled blazes wherever they were called. >> an elite unit in every sense of that phrase. >> reporter: last week the hotshots were in their own backyard when a firestorm swept over them, only one man in the team survived. brendan mcdonagh, the crew lookout, was a mile away. today he read the hotshot prayer. >> lord, bless my hotshot crew, my family, one and all. >> reporter: for nine days, the city of prescott and the firefighters across the country have saluted the hotshots. joe wojcik lost his son kevin.

outside, thousands gathered in the summer heat to pay their respects. >> it's amazing to see the amount of people thahave supported our small town and the heroes that are from here. >> reporter: tonight a city, a state, a country remembers the granite mountain 19. ♪ >> thank you. and i miss my brothers. >> reporter: miguel almaguer, nbc news, prescott, arizona. and across the west today, other firefighters carried on the battle, including a big one in southern california, still out of control after four days now. almost 5,000 acres burned. look at the size of the smoke plume. at least eight structures damaged or destroyed in this one. the death toll in quebec has now risen to 15 in that explosive train disaster. 40 other people still missing after a series of explosions on this runaway train which was loaded with oil. over 30 buildings destroyed in all, many of those evacuated

were allowed to go home finally today. now to sanford, florida and the trial of george zimmerman. where today the focus was on the injuries sustained during what became a deadly confrontation. nbc's ron mott with us from there tonight. ron, good evening? >> reporter: hey, brian, good evening to you. a starkly different day of testimony today compared to yesterday. for starters, there were only three witnesses who made it up to the stand, compared to ten yesterday. and as you mentioned, most of the focus was on george zimmerman's injuries and trayvon martin's gunshot wound. now, the defense called a well known expert on gun shot wounds, a forensic pathologist named dr. vincent di maio, who testified the evidence he reviewed supports zimmerman's account of shooting martin while martin was on top of him. he also testified there were six impact injuries to george zimmerman's face and head. but on cross-examination, the

prosecutor showed the doctor a picture of george zimmerman's bloody nose and the prosecutor put his hand over the nose and mouth and asked, what should be on the hand? and he said blood. zimmer man has said martin was covering his mouth while they struggled, yet no blood was found on martin's hands. the defense is expected to rest its case, which means this jury could be charged before the end of this week. >> ron mott, sanford, florida again tonight. ron, thanks. still ahead for us this evening, medical marijuana, adults, of course, have been using it for years. now a growing number of parents say it's working for their kids. of course, not without a lot of controversy. and later on tonight, the anticipation in the air in london, with a big arrival on the way.

because growers can breed the

plants with low levels of thc, they're getting just the medicinal benefits and not the high. still, some critics say marijuana used therapeutically could also be a gateway to other drugs. it's not been clinically tested nor approved by the fda. >> using marijuana as a medication is jumping the gun, we really don't know what the side effects or long term consequences of marijuana are on children.

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this was just at nightfall ÷ on the mall in washington last night. it's going to look this way as long as the scaffolding is covering up the washington monument. it remains closed.

it's undergoing repairs following the east coast earthquake of 2011. and the thinking here is its( beauty shouldn't suffer just because it's under repair. it will stay this way until the spring of 2014 when it's unveiled. much of the city of toronto was up to their hubcaps in water today and then some. as a month's worth of rain fell in a matter of hours yesterday. there were water rescues, lots of power outages and subway closures as the storm parked itself over the city. the whitey bulger mob trial under way in boston today devolved into what it appears to be, a bunch of reputed wise guys bulger, the accused former head of the winter hill gang, had to listen to a former associate testify against him today on the stand. kevin weeks called bulger a rat. f-bombs started flying and the

judge had to step in to stop it. there is consumer product news tonight. the folks at hamburger helper say they'd like to be thought of more as just helper, since more and more people are eating chicken, and there is a helper for that too. general mills say they just want to help dinner in america. they say a million homes a night serve some sort of helper. and finally, about last night's broadcast, we covered this terrible train explosion in canada. and we showed a map when we were zooming in to correspondent katy tur's live report. play that back and hold it, you'll see what a few of our sharp eyed viewers saw, including at least one u.s. senator. new hampshire's gone, vanished, it apparently moved to vermont, and then new york took over a bunch of territory and nobody knew it. mea culpa and full disclosure. new hampshire was lost by our graphics department. it has since been found and put back. and this calls for a reminder of great things about new hampshire. it's got the best motto, live free or die.

and it is the home of the first in the nation primary. its entire elected delegation is women, governor, two u.s. senators, and members of congress. and while they are all serious people, new hampshire has also given us seth myers and sarah silverman and the inventor of tupperware is from there, and paper towels were invented in new hampshire. so to the great people of the great state of new hampshire, from the peaks of the white mountains to the shores of winnipesaukee, please accept our apology. when we come back after a break, the jockeying for excitement building tonight across the pond.

finally tonight as we úbl mentioned, the waiting game is fully underway in london. kate middleton is due pretty much any time now. we already know the official title of their child prince or princess of cambridge. and to mark this approaching occasion, one of our london based correspondents had an idea. he recently became the father of twins, born at the very same hospital and so tonight, nbc's keir simmons offers this early birthday letter to the newest ñ

>> reporter: your royal highness, you're not even here yet, so you couldn't know. but you're about to become the most famous baby in the world. outside st. mary's hospital where you'll be born, reporters and photographers already u. staking out their places. get used to them, they'll be with you all your life. get used to them, they'll be with you all your life. just ask your father. he made his debut outside the same hospital 31 years ago. that's your grandmother holding him, diana. the world loved her. sadly she's gone now.írñ and there's charles, your grandfather. their wedding was seen round the world. so was your parents, william and kate. the whole world is on a first name basis with your family. especially your great grandmother, elizabeth. you'll have her job one day, whether you're a boy or a girl. that law's been changed just for you.

you may have to wait a while. charles and your father are already in line. and elizabeth's been queen for 60 years. but if you hang in there, one day all this will be yours. your face will be on money and stamps. and we don't even know what your me is yet. like your dad and your uncle harry, you may be proud to wear the uniform one day and serve your country in the military. no matter what you do, you will be in the spotlight. it's already begun. just look at the souvenirs. and these imaginary family m snapshots created by a london artist for new york magazine..o your folks will work hard to protect you. it won't always be easy. you will need to appear ordinary while living a life of privilege and tradition. but your life is set to be extraordinary, and it hasn't even begun.) keir simmons, nbc news, london. back on this side of the atlantic, that's our broadcast

on a tuesday night.sma thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. and we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. >> nbc bay area news begins with breaking news. this was the first time that he and the flying pilot that he was instructing had flown together. >> right now at 6:00, an inexperienced instructor accompanying the pilot. we have new information about the flight crew that landed at sfo. >> so what happened inside the cockpit? investigators are on the scene of the 214 crash. they continued their interviews with the crew today, attempting

to nail down what they were doing in the final moments of that flight. the ntsb released new information today, including the fact that the two flight attendants were ejected from the plane on impact. we have a close look at what might have went wrong. and some passengers say first responders moved too slowly following the crash, but we begin with cheryl herd and that ntsb briefing. >> reporter: a lot of ground covered at the briefing. the chair person talked about a lot of things. she talked about the slides being deployed inside the aircraft. she talked about what happened moments before the plane crashed. and she also talked about the interviews with the pilots. all of this coming down as asiana airlines president and coo touched down at the