track in the bay area. if you can get to malibu this weekend do it. on sunday at 8:00 p.m. it's over. >> good weather for us. >> good night. on the br t tonight -- y of rage. tens of thousands in egypt defy government forces, sparking deadly new confrontations. plus, is the u.s. indirectly aiding the crackdown? back to school. at the scene of a massive and destructive tornado that killed dozens, the memories still raw and tornado safety still a big issue. desperate hours. we travel deep into the idaho wilderness on horseback where the fbi tracked down that kidnapped teenager. tonight we speak with the horseback riders who spotted her and made the critical call. and reversal of fortune. how a young man, once homeless, raised enough money in a week so he could head off to college today. "nightly news" begins now.

good evening. i'm lester holt sitting in for brian. the world can only stand by and watch in horror today as one of the most vital countries in the middle east spiraled deeper into chaos and maybe even civil war. in egypt, two days after hundreds of its supporters died in the face of a government crackdown, the muslim brotherhood made good on its promise to take to the streets again in what it billed as a day of rage. the outcome was the one many feared. tonight an estimated 100 people are dead in cairo and other egyptian cities, and, once again, our richard engel was there to witness it all. he joins us now from cairo. richard, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, lester. there are now open battles between supporters of egypt's democratically elected president and the military that removed him. and today the two sides clashed violently here in cairo.

in cairo's ramses square, just protesters denounced egypt's military-backed government. but after just three hours, it turned. gunshots rang out, demonstrators set bonfires, prayed for strength, broke stones for ammunition, slid barricades into place, and ramses square, named for egypt's greatest pharaoh, became a front line. the protesters are taking cover under this elevated highway and seem to be taking live fire from a police station just up the road. wounded were hoisted on to motorcycles and ferried to clinics. some already looked dead. egypt says it's fighting its own war on terrorism and is running 24-hour coverage, demonizing the muslim brotherhood. in is maliyah, north of cairo,

the army shot to kill. but in alexandria thousands supported the protesters. back in ramses square, we followed the wounded to a nearby field hospital. a mosque where some protestors arrived barely alive. after chest compressions, we watched this man die. medics closed another protester's eyes, wrote his name on his forehead, and made room for the next victim. dr. mohammed monsef had been walking by the mosque when he came in to help. >> i'm not with the muslim brotherhood. just trying to save lives. >> reporter: as the doctor made his rounds, a man screamed that his son was shot in the neck. >> i think he's dead. >> reporter: monsef called for an air pump, but just after working for a minute, his initial assessment was correct. >> reporter: monsef, himself a father, told the man his teenage son is now in heaven.

from windows above the mosque, women looked down at what is happening in this city, some stoic, others horrified. the situation now is so tense, lester, that, as we were on our way back to the bureau tonight, we were stopped at several different checkpoints where people were leaning into our car to see which side we were on, the muslim brotherhood or the military. and this could be repeating itself again and again. the muslim brotherhood is now calling for a week of daily protests. >> all right, richard. thank you. and the u.s. has a lot riding on a democratic egypt, which it has long seen as a linchpin to its strategy for a secure and stable middle east. so what can the u.s. do to put pressure on the egyptian government to end the violence? a lot, actually, so why won't it? nbc's david gregory tonight on the obama administration caught between a rock and a hard place. >> reporter: egypt's bloody crackdown has critics asking whether american taxpayers are footing the bill for all the violence.

why the blame? follow the money. the amount of u.s. aid to egypt is an estimated $1.5 billion each year, including aircraft and tanks and military training for officers. only four other countries, including israel and iraq, get more. the president may condemn the violence -- >> we deplore violence against civilians. >> reporter: -- but won't call for an end to the aid. one adviser calls that a, quote, knee-jerk move at this point. critics argue the time is now. america's only leverage to pull egypt back from the brink is the money. >> at the end of the day, i don't want american dollars to be used by this interim government to basically kill their way into power. >> reporter: u.s. aid to egypt dates back to the camp david accords of 1979. it buys the u.s. military's access to the suez canal, which connects the mediterranean to the red sea, ensures peace with

israel and the sinai desert and is supposed to provide support for democracy in egypt. what democracy, you might ask, as the military jails democratically elected leaders and crushes protests in the street. >> anybody in egypt looking at the united states would see that we really don't have a game plan. we don't have a strategy. we have not articulated how we want to see this end. >> reporter: u.s. officials are hopeful egypt will pull back, noting the deep and historic ties between the u.s. and egyptian militaries. what's more, if america cuts off aid now, other countries have promised to fill the void. >> if we were to cut off aid, we would have no leverage with anybody in egypt, which is really the strategic nerve center of the arab world. >> and that is why the stakes are so high here. but the real question is whether america lacks the influence it once had in the region, with centuries of religious and sectarian scores to settle.

lester? >> there's nothing easy about any of this. david, thanks. i know you'll have a lot more on "meet the press" sunday. we'll see you then. there is extreme weather and more misery on the way tonight for millions of people in the south, for whom "rain" has become a dirty word. we want to bring in weather channel meteorologist jim cantore for the latest now. jim, good evening. >> hey, lester, good evening. the wet summer continues in the south, and of course the preexisting conditions we have here are going to make it worse. let's talk about this. several states, florida the first here in the top five wettest julys on record. look at this. all these are top five states. that means the soil is already wet, and when you're talking about bringing in tropical moisture, which we are this weekend, that does not make it easy for anybody, really from new orleans all the way up to charleston, south carolina. here is the setup, the jet stream dips, that pulls the moisture northward. so many areas that have already had rain, even today around savannah, georgia, where they've had some flooding, they are going to get it again. the stalled front provides the focus for that rain and

unfortunately it's sitting from charleston to new orleans. so we will see round and round and round of rain this weekend in these areas, in some cases three to five inches. so it will not take much for the area to flood. the first to go, savannah tonight. they've got some flash flooding there the city. good evening, i'm miguel almaguer in los angeles with late-breaking news. two major wildfires are destroying homes and threatens others. in utah several homes have been destroyed by a blaze that has charred at least 14,000 acres. meantime, in idaho, another fast-moving inferno is threatening 1600 homes. the 100-square-mile beaver creek fire is drawing resources from across the street. now back to lester holt in new york. >> it has been an emotional day in moore, oklahoma, as the new school year began and many students returned to temporary schools. two of their own elementary schools were destroyed in may's devastating tornado. here is what moore looked like

before that tornado, and here's how it looked after. its 17-mile path of destruction killed 24 people and wiped out scores of homes and businesses. tonight, our national correspondent kate snow is in moore at the site of what was plaza elementary school. kate? >> reporter: lester, these are seven crosses for the seven young children who died here. they're rebuilding now for next year, but today students headed back to school at a temporary facility just down the road. there were smiles and hugs. >> are you excited today? >> reporter: back-to-school jitters compounded by all they've been through. >> a lot of her friends still aren't coming back this year so it's been a rough summer. we're still not ready. >> reporter: today teachers did all they could to provide some normalcy. but it's hard to forget. as xavier delgado waved at our camera today, he was pulled free in may after being trapped under a wall. >> i heard the banging on the building, and that's all i heard. then the building just fell. >> reporter: six of the seven

killed were in xavier's class. their teacher ms. doan is still recovering. >> i mean, this is what i want to do and this is where i want to be. so i do want to come back. >> reporter: does this school have a storm shelter? >> no. >> reporter: if a storm hits this year, students would be moved to the junior high next door into interior rooms. this doesn't look super sturdy. >> it's not tornado-proof, but it's the safest place -- >> reporter: it's the best you've got. >> right. >> reporter: but it's not enough for the legg family. >> when you hear that your school is the safest place to be and it blows away, literally everything around you goes up in the sky, you no longer feel safe. >> reporter: their son christopher died in may. they pulled their other two children out of plaza towers and put them in the one elementary school in moore that has a certified shelter. even so -- >> last night was full of anxiety. last night was, mommy, my stomach hurts, i don't want to eat, i don't want to sleep. can i go to bed with you?

>> reporter: for principal amy simpson, one of the hardest parts is knowing that some kids no longer feel safe here. >> i'm afraid that they've lost the trust and that they've lost the security that we had before may 20th. >> reporter: but for many, just being back in school was therapy. >> just to have them in my classroom is exciting, that i get to love on them and comfort them and heal together with them during this time. >> reporter: they're trying to think of everything. there was rain in the forecast today, and principal simpson was worried that the sound of the rain on the new roof might scare the kids. well, the rain held off, lester. the sun is still shining. >> all right, kate. thanks for bringing their story to us. there are new revelations that the national security agency intercepted e-mails and tracked phone numbers of americans in violation of its own rules. just a week after the president promised new steps to protect the public, "the washington post" reports that nsa leaker edward snowden provided proof of

the nsa's record of breaking privacy rules thousands of times. the agency says these were mistakes, not willful violations of the rules, and the white house tonight says the documents show the nsa is catching and reporting its own mistakes. still ahead on "nbc nightly news," an nbc news exclusive. we return to the mountains of idaho with the riders who gave authorities their big break about the kidnapping of hannah anderson. and later, news of a secret revealed after decades of speculation about what really went on inside area 51.

we're back tonight with the first public appearance of hannah anderson since the california teenager was rescued in the mountains of idaho last weekend. and an exclusive first look at where she was found. hannah attended a fund-raiser for her family last night in san diego. friends saying she is grateful for the support. we know that the big break in the case came from a group of horseback riders who came across

anderson and her abductor by chance in the wilderness. nbc's kevin tibbles made his way into that area and has our report. >> reporter: the craggy mountain trails and high pines of northern idaho are majestic and treacherous, which is why when these four seasoned riders came upon a man and a young girl 20 miles from the nearest paved road, something didn't seem right. after all, one is a former sheriff and the other a back country guide. >> we definitely knew something was drastically wrong. >> reporter: one thing in particular stood out. the man had a cat. >> cradling that cat and just stroking it. kind of odd. >> reporter: it was only after they returned home and saw the amber alert for 16-year-old hannah anderson that they became alarmed and called police. >> in fact, the horseback riders that saw dimaggio and hannah, that was tip number 200, and it

turned out to be the one. >> reporter: for the past two days, mark and christa john and mike and mary young took nbc news along as they retraced their tracks. >> when they come into the lake and seen this beautiful lake, they thought they were alone. >> reporter: this backcountry is so remote it's even called the river of no return wilderness area. and the four riders say they rarely encounter anyone up here. nothing but rock and ridge for mile after mile has left them in awe that the young hostage in tennis shoes and sweats even made it this far. >> they call us heroes, but she's more than likely the hero. >> reporter: if this chance encounter far from civilization hadn't taken place, these four riders shudder to think what might have happened. >> i don't know if we saved her life. i know we set the stage for somebody else to save her life. >> reporter: a chance encounter on a remote trail that likely saved a life.

a search of james dimaggio's burned-out home revealed guns ammunition and incendiary devices. and after spending two days in the woods here with these riders, it's very apparent that this remote place and this chance finding were remarkable. lester? >> all right. kevin tibbles tonight. thank you. we're back in a moment with news about a military secret revealed. also, why some zoo visitors did a double take at the lion exhibit.

bert lance, a georgia banker who followed president jimmy carter to washington and became head of the office of management and budget, has died. lance was forced to resign under a cloud of scandal. he was later cleared of wrongdoing. president carter in a statement called lance a dedicated public servant and a close friend. bert lance was 82. the truth is out, and tonight it's a victory for all those conspiracy theorists who

thought they knew what's been going on at a sprawling plot of land in the nevada desert known as area 51. nbc's pete williams has details of a secret that's inspired a lot of speculation. >> reporter: the movies have been on to it for decades, something weird in the nevada desert. >> take my word for it. there's no area 51. >> that's not entirely accurate. >> reporter: 8,000 square miles an hour and a half drive north of las vegas, once so secret that people who worked there, like radar and missile expert thornton barnes, could not tell their own wives. >> she had no idea where we were and thought we was in another country. >> the most highly classified data america holds. >> reporter: the movies were right about one thing. it was a super secret government testing site in a dry lake bed, its exact location long suspected and now revealed on this newly declassified government map, where the cia developed a cold war spy plane called the u-2.

>> they obviously didn't want the soviet union to know about it, and to ensure that, they wanted a facility where it could be tested away from everybody else. >> reporter: but the need for test flights soon caused a huge spike in reports of ufos. the declassified cia documents say, as the sun set, commercial planes were flying in the dark while the u-2s 40,000 feet higher would still reflect the sun's rays and appear to be fiery objects. >> it can't be aircraft. aircraft can't maneuver like that. >> what else could it be? >> reporter: in all these newly declassified files there's nothing about aliens or their captured spacecraft. >> they're here, aren't they? >> mr. mulder, they've been here for a long, long time. >> reporter: leaving ufo buffs to wonder what's next to be declassified. pete williams, nbc news, washington. and then there's the story of the lion who was living a lie. a chinese zoo is under fire for

trying to disguise a dog for a lion. really? visitors thought something was strange when the beast inside the lion's cage started to bark instead of roar. think that's a clue? the animal was actually a tibetan mastiff, a breed with a mane not unlike a lion's. but come on, really? in its defense, the zoo says it wasn't trying to deceive anyone. it was just making do while the lion was away for breeding. when we come back, the young man who's following a dream thanks to a lot of people who never met him but were moved by his story.

finally tonight, a story of beating the odds. a young man from california who learned some tough lessons about life, now headed for a college education. his journey to get there was capped by a remarkable turn of events just in the last week. nbc's miguel almaguer has our report. >> reporter: like so many kids this time of the year, today 19-year-old james ward is saying his good-byes and heading off to college, howard university. >> wow. >> reporter: but, unlike most kids, he won't miss the place he used to call home. >> where i slept was right around here. >> reporter: james was homeless for four years. he shared this cramped room in a shelter with his mother, younger brother and sister.

>> i would just stare at the stars in the sky. >> reporter: his window to the world overlooked the streets of l.a.'s skid row. >> this will be a place that i'll never forget. i would try to hide it from people, but now as i've gotten older i've realized that it was nothing to be embarrassed about to be begin with. >> reporter: james did well in high school. it was his ticket out of here. howard university offered to cover 70% of his expenses but he was still short $14,000. >> he's not looking for a handout. he's just looking for a chance. >> reporter: jessica southerly, a volunteer at the shelter who also had been homeless, launched the james fund, a web site that asks strangers for donations. after a tweet from teach for america and a few plugs from celebrities, in just seven days, jessica's web site, homeless to howard, hit the target, though just for this year. >> i didn't know what to feel. i was -- i didn't believe it. it felt too surreal. it was like a dream. >> reporter: he's left skid row behind with this message. >> no matter who you are or

where you are in life or what social class you're in, there's always someone out there to help you or someone out there who you can help. >> reporter: today james boarded a plane to get his college education, but he's already learned some of life's most important lessons through the kindness of strangers. miguel almaguer, nbc news, los angeles. as we end another week, brian has asked that we pass along his thanks to all of you, all the folks who have sent best wishes to him following the knee replacement surgery he underwent 11 days ago. he is continuing to recover and has written about his experience on our web site tonight so check it out. that's our broadcast for this friday night. thank you for being with us. i'm lester holt in for brian. i'll see you a bit later on "dateline." but, for now, good night and have a good weekend.

nbc bay arab -- area news begins. we have breaking news out of the east bay, a traffic alert on highway 24 because of an officer involved shooting. can you see a number of police cars in the area and officers on the ground there. this is near wilder road. that's the exit on the eastbound road. this afternoon, several lanes had to be closed. we also have a story in the south bay. $11 million in limbo, a brand new library is caught in a funding fight between the city and county of santa clara.

the controversy sparked a bitter protest today. in santa clara's river mark village. nbc bay area's kimberly terry is at the library with this contentious debate. >> reporter: this library is 99.99% done, but it's empty and won't be opening anytime soon. >> save our library! >> reporter: library supporters said they've been planning for it. 11 million already spent. they say they don't understand why it will not be completed. santa clara county says it was spending redevelopment money on the library when under state law that money should go to schools and special districts of the county won a court order last month,