on the broadcast tonight, making the case for a strike in syria. late word of what the white house is telling congress, and tonight a report from inside damascus where they are bracing for an attack. paying the price. accusations of a cover-up over concussions, and now a massive payout from the nfl to thousands of players ravaged by hits to the head. sleepless in america. millions of people using prescription meds. tonight, who's desperate for a good night's sleep and why pills are not always the right answer. and against the odds. beloved tv star valerie harper. how she is doing months after a devastating diagnosis. tonight, meredith vieira is with her as doctors tell her something she didn't see coming. "nightly news" begins now.

good evening. i'm lester holt in for brian. the u.s. tonight appears to have just lost a key ally as it tries to build consensus for a punishing military attack on syria. there's late word from london that britain's parliament has voted tonight against supporting an attack. but even as efforts towards an international consensus unravel, the white house is still pressing its case here at home for a military strike. in a conference call this evening, members of the president's national security team are briefing congressional leaders in what the white house believes was the syrian government's role in a deadly nerve gas attack, and laying out the parameters in a military response with or without international partners. we have reports from washington, as well as inside damascus tonight. andrea mitchell starts us off from washington. andrea, good evening. >> good evening, lester. tonight the president is losing momentum for quick action against syria, and thinking of

the real prospect if he does act within days, he may be doing it alone. something the white house said today it is willing to do. u.n. inspectors were still collecting evidence today of last week's attack and now plan to leave syria saturday. their mandate is only whether a chemical attack took place, not who did it. the british jets landed in cypress, poised to take part in a military strike. the british government said an intervention would be legal on humanitarian grounds. but the jets are grounded for now. that's because the public is deeply opposed. and today the prime minister's own party rebelled against using force. looming over today's debate, the iraq intelligence failures a decade ago. >> the well of public opinion was well and truly poisoned by the iraq episode, and we need to understand the public's skepticism. >> we must consider, given where we've been before in this house, that the intelligence might just be wrong, because it was before.

>> today the british government's intelligence assessment said it is highly likely the regime was responsible for the chemical attacks. but no smoking gun. and tonight the government even lost a symbolic vote. >> the nos to the left 285. >> the white house is also on the defensive. members of both parties say it has a legal obligation to provide more classified intelligence to congress than tonight's telephone briefing. >> i think it's very important. i think both for legal reasons and for doing the right thing by getting buy-in from the congress, that the administration come up, talk to a broader set of members to get buy-in to the program. >> today syria's president assad said on state tv syria will defend itself in the face of any aggression. and russia is moving war ships to the mediterranean. again it said it would block any u.n. vote approving force. some experts say the president still needs to explain the mission. >> i think the notion that you

can simply launch a few tomahawk missiles, even a couple hundred and then walk away and say we've made our point, i don't think that's realistic. i think it sets in motion other dynamics with a russian support for syria, with iran's support for syria, with hezbollah support, et cetera. >> critics say the president still has not explained his rationale beyond wanting to punish syria for using chemicals and deter them from doing it yet again. the critics say he has yet to provide the legal rationale for military action. lester? >> all right, andrea. as we mentioned at the top of the program, the white house tonight is briefing top members of congress about how it will justify a strike on the assad regime. our chief white house correspondent chuck todd joins us with the latest on that. chuck, what are you hearing? >> well, i can tell you this, lester. the white house spent almost all day trying to calm down the jitterery members of congress. the president himself called john boehner and mitch mcconnell. tonight, about 20 key members of congress are getting briefed on all aspects of the situation by the president's closest

advisers, including susan rice, secretaries kerry and hague gel, secretary of national intelligence, and vice chair of the joint chiefs. what the white house hopes the briefing tonight will do will ratchet back the congressional public skepticism about the president's military plan. the white house believes the case against assad is clear-cut, and here's why. nbc has learned one of the key pieces of evidence that the u.s. has to prove assad's regime was behind the chemical attack is an intercepted communication that says assad's brother, a commander of the syrian republican guard, personally ordered the attack. that's why, lester, the president is so confident about where he stands on this. >> all right, chuck todd, thanks. let's get the read from syria in all this. in and around the city of damascus, the people who live there faced with the decision whether to leave or hunker down ahead of any possible strike on any number of potential targets by the u.s. tonight bill neely has made his way inside damascus to get a firsthand look at what's happening on the ground there. >> reporter: well, there is no

question there is anxiety, apprehension about what missiles might rain down on this city and when, and yet by its standards, it's been a fairerly normal day in damascus. the traffic is still flowing, shops have been open. and there is shelling in the suburbs. in fact, just a few seconds ago there was a boom. we saw shelling, plumes of smoke in a suburb hit by chemical weapons last week. but there is anxiety here. bigger queues at the border. people who have endured the conflict here for two years, finally leaving. there is fear any attack on the army sites might hit chemical weapons stockpiles and send 'e gases across this city. president assad himself being defiant saying syria will defend itself. there's also a little bit of worry that the inspectors are leaving one day early. echoes of baghdad ten years ago when the inspectors got a tip-off, left hastily and a few hours later the air strikes started.

one government official today said to me, we are expecting an attack. we know it's going to come. we just don't know when. back to you, lester. >> bill neely in damascus. there's word tonight of a major settlement between the nfl and thousands of former players who sued, accusing the nfl of concealing the long-term dangers of concussions, among other things. the league has tentatively agreed to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to compensate sufferers. though the settlement likely means the nfl won't have to disclose what it knew and when. we get our report tonight from nbc's ann thompson. >> reporter: in football, it's called getting your bell rung. for years retired players insisted the nfl willingly ignored the consequences of concussions and other head trauma. >> i lost all recollection of that complete day. >> from a neurological standpoint, you ncaa may never ever be the same.

>> reporter: today the nfl agreed to pay $765 million, to cover medical exams, and concussion injury compensation for retired players. it will also fund medical research. the nfl gets something, too. no admission of liability, or that the injuries were caused by football. in a statement, the league said it was critical to get more help to players and families who deserve it rather than spending many years and millions of dollars on litigation. still, for some retired players, it's an incomplete victory. >> it is kind of unsettling that you won't know about what they knew and when they knew about it. >> reporter: the settlement covers dementia, alzheimer's, als and a certain type of brain damage found in two nfl stars who committed suicide. kevin turner, a former running back, is one of the plaintiffs. are you still an nfl fan? >> absolutely. >> reporter: he now suffers from als. >> it's so important that help is coming now.

especially for those of us who have been given a -- >> reporter: a $765 million win, that's less than 10% of the league's revenue from just last year. ann thompson, nbc news, new york. >> for more on this settlement, let's bring in our friend bob costas from nbc sports, who's doing baseball duty up in boston tonight. bob, i want to briefly get your thoughts on this deal and what it means to the sport of football and those who play it. >> well, it closes a chapter, but it doesn't close the book. it's an ongoing problem, no matter how successful and popular the nfl may be, the sport is inherently brutal. many football fans i think are of a mind that kind of goes this way. i'll continue to watch football, but some of them are saying, i'm not going to let my son play football. and participation in youth football is down measurably over the past three years, as information about head injuries becomes more generally known. and so the nfl has to be concerned about that.

not only for its own participants, but for players potentially coming up. and that concern, i think is on two levels. a genuine human concern on the part of roger goodell, the commissioner, but also a compelling business concern. no matter how popular they are, this is something that could erode that popularity if they don't continue to deal with it. >> appreciate your thoughts. bob costas, good to see you tonight. thanks. >> thanks, lester. in nearly 60 cities across the country today, fast-food workers walked off the job to march in their largest nationwide protest yet, demanding a higher minimum wage, seeking better working conditions, and trying to highlight their struggle just to get by. nbc's katy tur has our report. >> what do we want? >> a living wage! >> reporter: they gathered before dawn in 60 cities, from chicago -- >> we can't survive on 7 25. >> reporter: -- to charlotte to new york, thousands of fast food

workers marched to demand higher pay from the current minimum wage of $7.25 to $15 for a roof over their head. >> i'm on the edge of homelessness right now. >> reporter: for food. >> me and my husband, we have to alternate days to eat. $150 on a good week. 20-year-old bronx mcdonald's employee, davis, like more than a quarter of the americans earning less than $15 an hour, can't make ends meet, can't feed her daughter without public assistance. >> i want a better life for my daughter. it's not to live on welfare. but if these are all the jobs that are available and this is the money i'm getting, how am i ever going to get off of welfare if this is all i'm making? >> reporter: according to the economic policy institute 88% of workers earning less than $10 an hour are over 20 years old. a third of those are over 40. but fast food companies say they can't afford the wage hike, and individual franchises would have to cut jobs or raise prices. >> nine out of ten restaurants, even those with big names are either independent or franchisees. in reality they're going after

the small business owner that is trying to stay afloat, and create jobs in the process. >> reporter: and despite thousands protesting, independent analysts say the workers have little leverage. >> the big risk is in a really weak job market, you don't want to give employers any excuse to cut back on their hiring any more than they've already done so. >> reporter: a risk at least davis is willing to take if it means a better future for her daughter. katy tur, nbc news, new york. in california tonight, fire crews battling one of the largest fires in state history have turned to using military drones as part of the fight to gain a closer look at where the flames are moving and where new fires are popping up. nbc news has exclusively obtained some of the video from the drones which is beamed directly to firefighters on the ground, with nearly 200,000 acres now charred. officials say full containment may take two weeks. but the fire will likely burn, they say, until the first rain or snowfall.

still ahead tonight, sleepless nation. a major new look at how many americans are turning to prescription sleeping pills for help, most of them women. later, meredith vieira with a personal look at valerie harper's inspiring journey and how she is already beating the odds.

our health news tonight is about a first of its kind look from the cdc at the millions of americans desperate for a good night's sleep, and turning to prescription meds for help. tonight a closer look at who is taking them, and why they might not always be the right answer. here's nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: from sunrise to sunset, and deep into the night, for many americans, there simply aren't enough hours in the day. sleep too often elusive. patty haggerty remembers her last full night of sleep. >> may 1st, 2005, i had just turned 40. >> reporter: exhausted, only averaging two hours of sleep a night, she tried sleeping pills that only made her groggy and

agitated. >> it was almost like the bed was mocking me. everyone else is asleep in the house and here i am. >> reporter: it turns out middle-aged white women who are educated are far more likely to turn to sleeping aids. in all, 8.6 million americans now take a prescription sleeping pill, including 5% of adult women and 3.1% of adult men. part of a bigger trend with nearly 70% of americans now taking at least one prescription drug. including painkillers, antidepressants and cholesterol meds. but sleeping pills are not supposed to be a long-term fix. >> generally most sleeping medications are recommended for use for one month or less. >> reporter: most people need at least seven hourt@p( older women are twice as likely than men to suffer from insomnia. considered serious when it takes 30 minutes or longer to fall asleep, if you're awake for at least 30 minutes during the night or wake up 30 minutes or earlier than you'd like. doctors say sleep hygiene can go a long way toward curing

insomnia, relaxing techniques, ensuring the room is dark and quiet, avoiding coffee or alcohol before bedtime, no television, no internet, and no texting. >> we can become psychologically dependent to anything we take for sleep. >> reporter: for patty, sleep returned when she worked through the fear and anxiety of not sleeping. she's now up to five hours. precious sleep for so many of us, so hard to come by. tom costello, nbc news, washington. tonight there's news of a change you might notice soon at the drugstore. bottles of extra-strength tylenol sold in the u.s. may soon contain a label on the cap that reads "contains acetaminophen." always read the label. the company says it's designed to stop accidental overdoses. overdoses send tens of thousands of people to the e.r. every year. we're back in a moment with

a big announcement, and we'll check in with brian to see how he is doing just over three weeks since his knee replacement surgery.

this was the scene eight years ago today as hurricane katrina roared ashore along the gulf coast and caused massive destruction in mississippi and louisiana, and claimed so many lives in and around the city of new orleans. august 29th, 2005, forever known as the day the levees broke. fast forward to today and though there's been a massive rebuilding effort, some areas still remain abandoned. but new neighborhoods are popping up, and officials say 80% of the prestorm population has returned. now, the picture of a day in what might just be a first at the vatican. take a look at pope francis, who's been quite active on twitter. there he is smiling and posing for a selfie with a group of young visitors inside st. peter's basilica. the people in the group snapping

pictures of themselves on a cell phone. we've got good news to report tonight. when folks return for their end of summer break on labor day, a good friend of ours will be coming back to work as well. brian has been given the all-clear from his doctors after knee replacement surgery just over three weeks ago. our own doctor, nancy snyderman, met up with him at the jersey shore. >> i expected a -- may i come back at two weeks? can i push to three? but i have to commend you. you've done this right. >> i have worked hard with a lot of help from really good physical therapists. you have to be a motivated patient, and i was a motivated patient. i was motivated to get out of 30 years of knee pain. >> what have you heard from people? because i know the letters and well wishes, they came flooding in very fast. >> i swear i've heard from every knee replacement recipient among our viewership for "nightly news." it's been hugely helpful. >> you can see much more of the

interview on our website tonight, nbcnightlynews.com, and you can see brian right here tuesday night. when we come back, the extraordinary courage of a beloved tv star. how valerie harper tells meredith vieira how she's doing.

finally tonight, the brave fight of a beloved television star. americans fell in love with valerie harper as rhoda on the mary tyler moore show and later on her own spin-off. earlier this year harper revealed she had been diagnosed with an incurable form of cancer. since then, something extraordinary happened. and she's already beating the odds. we get her story tonight from nbc's meredith vieira. >> we're all going to die. but because i've been told i have a finite time by my doctors, i just want to live every moment to the fullest. >> reporter: when valerie harper's lung cancer spread to the membranes surrounding her brain, doctors told her she would likely have only three to six months to live. that was in january. but harper held out hope. >> spontaneous remission lives as a possibility. you know what i mean, girlfriend? i mean it.

a lot of stuff that looks impossible is not. >> i've got to lose ten pounds by 8:30. >> the iconic actress who spent so much of her life in front of the cameras, offered nbc news an intimate look at her day-to-day fight for survival. for months we've been with her, chronicling her journey through a terminal diagnosis, as she undergoes chemotherapy. and high doses of cancer-fighting drugs. we were with her in june at the end of her three to six-month prognosis as she and her husband, tony, await the results of a crucial mri. >> i'm not expecting good news. i'm a little nervous. to tell the truth. >> dr. ronald latalli delivers the news. >> improved. >> really? >> wow. >> really? >> are you kidding? this is -- my god. geez. wow. >> the oncologist explains the results to all of us. >> we no longer see this mass right here.

i'd say that we're getting pretty close to a remission. >> wow. ñ >> did you even think she would be here at this point? >> that defies the odds. >> that's great to hear. >> reporter: harper is well aware that her condition could change at any time. >> it's not curable. there's no question. it has to be managed. >> yeah, but going from having three months to live, or less, we're into our sixth month. and now there's even hope beyond that. right now we're looking at -- i never planned on this. >> we're looking at christmas. >> this is overwhelming. >> for now, she and her husband have hope. meredith vieira, nbc news, new york. >> you can see more of valerie's story, a meredith vieira special when it airs thursday, september 19th, 10:00 p.m. eastern here on nbc. that's our broadcast for this thursday night. thank you for being with us. i'm lester holt in for brian. we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night.

nbc bay area news starts now. welcome everyone. a live look over the san mateo bridge as drivers navigate around the bay bridge closure. this morning i heard the commute went very smoothly, but look at it now. traffic slowly moving across the san mateo bridge highway 92. we also want to take a live look at our traffic map. 101 south getting towards the san mateo bridge on the left hand side of the bridge moving very slowly.

also 880 heading toward the san mateo bridge slow as well. >> i'm raj mathai. this is the longest period of time the bridge will be shut town since the earthquake in 1989. this is the commute on 880. it's moving. it's a little sluggish, but it's moving. now let's take a live look at the drive on 101 north. this is from our foe owe journalist norbert lee who is driving north there on 101. once again, it is a clowe commute, but things are moving at a slow pace. we have the latest on the commute. >> reporter: good evening, raj. it is not much different from the last time woyjecked 9at 5:00. you can take a look yourself. a hill bit better heading into the east bay. it's a little slow, does seem