local economy. >> check them out at safeway. >> see you soon. on our broadcast tonight -- taking sides on syria. across this country the american people raising their voices in the high stakes debate over a military strike. the surge in car sales. what's driving so many buyers to the lot as millions of americans decide it's now time for a big ticket purchase. the kitchen debate. the new research, the new advice on preparing chicken at home that a lot of folks just aren't going to agree with. and making a difference for a little girl who would like very much to be the next serena williams. "nightly news" begins now. from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. good evening. there are two different conversations going on in this country right about now.

one of them in washington, the other in the rest of the country. both of them have to do with an extremely violent civil war along way away from us in syria. president obama says he's convinced the government there used chemical weapons against its own people and that the u.s. must attack, and he's asked congress to go along with him. so, in washington the conversation went like this today. secretary of state john kerry made the case to a house committee, and while he spoke protesters made the indelible point silently sitting behind him that the u.s. would then have blood on its hands. across the rest of the country, americans who are tired of two wars over the past decade or more are wondering if even a limited attack is worth the cost and the potential risk. it is where we begin tonight with nbc's kelly o'donnell in grand rapids, michigan. kelly, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. the message we're hearing is loud and it's lopsided against the use of military force. the americans who want to be

heard at meetings here and around the country are even more opposed than those questioned more broadly in public opinion polls. it does reflect a concern about the country getting involved in another conflict. >> you don't know, for example -- >> reporter: crammed into tight spaces -- >> what difference are we going to make? >> reporter: -- and crowded together. >> i want you to vote no on syria. >> all we're going to do is again is create another problem. we need to stop. >> reporter: out today to see their congressmen and say their peace on syria. do you think the u.s. should take action? >> no, i don't. >> reporter: that no was repeated again and again. each time congressman justin amash asked for a show of hands at nearly a dozen stops over two days. >> how many are opposed to military strikes? >> reporter: and in his republican district near grand rapids, michigan, amash has been holding these sessions exclusively about syria, a country where his own mother was born. amash, a republican, does not support a military strike saying u.s. national security is not at stake.

do you think leadership in washington will listen to what you've been hearing here? >> i think so. if they go against the will of the american people to this extent, there will be serious repercussions. >> reporter: from packed town hall meetings in connecticut, to oklahoma this week, americans have vented their frustrations and fears. west virginians fired up the phone lines into washington. >> thank you for calling senator joe manchin's office. >> reporter: staffers keeping track of what the public has to say. >> i'll let the senator know you're opposed to intervening in syria. >> reporter: back here in michigan -- >> cleaning up everybody's mess. >> reporter: -- war weariness is evident. when you hear the administration say this will be very limited, do you believe that? >> no, i do not. he has no idea if that's the case. this is a complete unknown. >> reporter: clearly outnumbered at meetings today pastor tim cooper says he thinks the u.s. must do something. >> i can't imagine our commander in chief asking to do this if it weren't going to be effective.

>> reporter: the congress has just a couple of dozen of the hundreds of people he's met do support this. i checked back with senator manchin's office. they say they have received 2,000 e-mails and phone calls overwhelmingly opposed and, brian, the people we met said they have a lot of compassion for the suffering in syria but so many doubts about what the u.s. can and should do. brian. >> kelly o'donnell starting us off from grand rapids, michigan tonight. kelly, thanks. while critics tend to be more vocal than supporters in this, and we just saw some of that, all of this is adding pressure on the president to take his case directly to the american people, even as he takes the case to the world stage. tonight he's in sweden where he said today it wasn't just him drawing this so-called red line on chemical weapons. our chief white house correspondent chuck todd traveling with the president tonight. chuck, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. well, the pressure on the president to speak publicly in

some sort of official form primetime address, oval office style address to the nation, the pressure is coming from democrats, from republicans, from leadership on the hill, from outside support of the president. all of them saying if you want congress to do this, you've seen the polls, mr. president. you're going to have to make this case yourself. if anything, to simply give political cover to a bunch of house democrats. a lot of them got elected on being anti-war, anti-iraq, and if they are going to do this for the president, they want the cover from him explaining it to the american people, and one of those explanations has to do, of course, with this red line, and today here in sweden the president redefined what he meant by his red line. take a listen. >> i didn't set a red line. the world set a red line. the world set a red line when governments representing 98% of the world's population said the use of chemical weapons are abhorrent and passed a treaty

forbidding their use, even when countries are engaged in war. congress set a red line when it ratified that treaty. >> reporter: the president is making the case that this is everybody's problem on capitol hill, everybody's problem in the world community, and, brian, tomorrow, the president leaves for russia where he's going to come face-to-face, if only briefly, with the one man that has stood in the way of international cooperation on this, vladamir putin. >> all right. chuck todd with the president tonight in stockholm, chuck, thanks. now back to what we said at the top of the broadcast about washington and the conversation going on there. the huge lobbying effort by the obama team to get a yes vote on this military strike. our chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell covering from our d.c. newsroom tonight. andrea, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. the president's proposed air strikes did get past the first hurdle in a key senate committee today, but the president is still facing a fierce debate in the house as tea party republicans and liberal

democrats joined forces against the white house. the war continued today with the government battering rebel forces near damascus. as congress fought political wars in both houses, a sharply divided senate foreign relations committee voted to support the president, 10-7, but added time limits. 90 days for military action, and to satisfy john mccain the white house has to deliver a strategy for syria within 30 days. the house was even tougher, as members asked the questions voters are asking why should syria matter to them? >> why is it always america out front? i know we've got the best military, and i'm very proud of that, but why are we out leading this again? >> ever been to the cemetery in france, you know, above those beaches? why did those guys have to go do that? because we were standing up with people for a set of values and fighting for freedom. >> not a one member in my district in south carolina or the e-mails of people that have contacted my office say go to

syria and fight this regime. to a letter they say no. >> i am not going to sit here and be told by you that i don't have a sense of what the judgment is with respect to this. >> reporter: members have doubts about the rebels. >> who are the good guys over there in syria? >> you're referring to the opposition, i assume. >> do you implicitly trust these people? >> that's not my business to trust anybody. >> certainly it has to be the business because you're making decisions to go into war and put american lives at risk. >> reporter: and they have doubts saying they were lied to about iraq. >> i want to make sure that you promise us that you're telling the truth. >> congressman, i am proud and perfectly willing to tell you that everything that i've said is the truth. >> reporter: most members don't want to go it alone. today russia's president putin dangled the idea of supporting a u.n. vote for military action but still does not believe the u.s. evidence of a chemical attack by the regime. today defense secretary hagel told congress that the air strikes could cost tens of

millions of dollars, but secretary kerry then said that arab leaders have offered to pay the full cost. brian. >> andrea mitchell rounding out our coverage in d.c. tonight, andrea, thanks. now to some other news, including the surprising story out of ohio. late last night the death of ariel castro, the man who held those three young women captive in his cleveland house for more than a decade, found dead last night in his prison cell. authorities believe he hanged himself with a bed sheet. he had just been sent away last month to begin serving out the rest of his life in prison as part of a plea deal to avoid the death penalty in the first place. if you spend any time out on the road across this country, then you've probably seen them, the shiny new cars and pickup trucks, a lot of them with temporary dealer tags belonging to someone who just bought themselves a new vehicle, and sure enough there is proof of what we're seeing on the road. the big automakers are up double digits in sales, making august their best month in years. nbc's tom costello is at a

toyota dealership in suburban maryland tonight. tom, good evening. >> reporter: hi, brian. in fact, 70% of the cars that toyota sells here are made in america. it just had its best month in five years. americans, it seems, are gaining confidence in the economic recovery and finding that deals like this offered by all automakers are simply too good to pass up. on this first wednesday in september rick palmisano was picking up his new toyota highlander. >> everything is good. brought you a check. >> fantastic. >> reporter: bought it over the weekend for $32,000, trading in another car, getting a rebate and taking advantage of good financing. >> with the combination of the low interest rates, 0.9, 1.9 and the fact that it was time for me to change vehicles, i thought this was the best time to do it. >> reporter: average sale price of a new car nationwide, $31,252. hit a record high in august but low interest rates and longer loan terms, up to seven years, lured in the customers. with suvs and pickups and small

cars the top sellers. gm sales surged, up 15% in august. the silverado pickup and the chevy sonic subcompact were the most popular. toyota is now number two behind gm, sales up a whopping 23% in august. ford sales up 12% and the f-series pickup selling every 42 seconds and chrysler sales up 12% and nissan sales also strong, up 22%. leasing has returned in a big way. cnbc's phil lebeau covers the auto industry. >> consumers are looking for the lowest monthly payment, and because of low interest rates and because of the deals being structured by automakers, many times you can get into a lease with a monthly payment of $200 or $215. >> reporter: one of the hottest selling cars, the ford fusion. to keep up with demand, ford has opened a new assembly line. tammy darvish runs one of the country's biggest dealership chains, 31 franchise selling ten different brands and says

americans are no longer skittish about the price at the pump. >> well, i think consumers are used to it, and as long as we stay under the 4.50 level, they are used to the cyclical process. >> reporter: dick palmisano wasn't worried and drove off in his new suv. demand has been so strong, some dealerships have struggled to keep enough inventory on hand. it's a nice problem to have, but automakers want to make sure that the demand is there permanently before they start ramping up production. brian. >> tom costello on the sales floor for us tonight. tom, thanks. by the way, the big car sales numbers were a big driver in terms of sending stocks up today, the dow up almost 97 points, nasdaq up 36. there is a new weather system we're keeping an eye on this evening. it's so far being called tropical depression seven that's formed in the eastern caribbean. it's expected to go northwest and strengthen and could become, could become tropical storm

gabrielle within the next day or two. the first three months of the atlantic season, by the way, have now passed without even one full-blown hurricane. that's the first time that's happened in 11 years. when we continue on this wednesday night, what if you were told that an unwashed chicken was safer to eat and prepare? tonight we'll tell you about the new food safety research that a lot of folks just aren't going to agree with. and later, the story out of hollywood today about jack nicholson that is being firmly denied by none other than jack nicholson.

we are back with our health news story tonight, and as we mentioned, let's be honest here, it's very likely that a whole lot of people just aren't going to believe it when they hear

that this new research says washing a chicken, just rinsing it off before you prepare it and cook it, may actually do more harm than good. we get the story tonight from nbc's kerry sanders. >> reporter: the average american eats 81 pounds of chicken a year, and as mom always told you before cooking wash the chicken. even julia child said it was a must. >> run the water right through it inside and out. >> reporter: but now a study by drexel university says that's a huge mistake. >> i mean, i've done this for 43 years. >> reporter: as an animation created by drexel shows, water splatters up to 2.3 feet from the spigot, and those droplets carry with them bacteria like salmonella. >> there are about a million salmonella illnesses and about 378 deaths from salmonella per year. >> reporter: the number one protection, say experts, make sure chicken is thoroughly cooked, and tonight a warning from the government that changes

to the poultry inspection process could put food safety in jeopardy. currently up to four usda inspectors monitor 140 chickens a minute, but under an industry-supported proposal there would be only one government inspector, and the line speed could increase up to 175 birds a minute. already the usda has been testing these changes, but in a report released today the gao writes faster line speeds raise concerns about food safety. >> i think that they are putting speed over safety. >> reporter: the usda says the new inspection system will reduce the risk of foodborne illness. no washing, new advice that may be hard to swallow in countless american kitchens. kerry sanders, nbc news, ft. lauderdale. >> and we are back in a moment with the latest attempt to make your current smart phone obsolete.

you want answers? >> i think i'm entitled. >> you want answers. >> i want the truth! >> you can't handle the truth! >> well, jack nicholson, it's interesting you would say that because a lot of us wondered if there was any truth to a big story we woke up to out of hollywood this morning. it was an anonymously sourced report saying that jack nicholson, of all people, has quietly retired from acting, due in large part to memory loss. today, however, when asked for comment by nbc news, we received an adamant denial from nicholson through a spokesman who said the 76-year-old actor is very much still in the game, is suffering no memory loss or dementia and, in fact, is reading scripts for future film projects. john mccain has been caught red-handed, and he has copped to it. a "washington post" still photographer grabbed this shot of mccain playing video poker on his smartphone during yesterday's hearing on syria in

the senate foreign relations committee. in his own defense, mccain said sometimes truth is he gets a little bored listening to his colleagues for hours on end. further, he admitted to losing badly at the virtual card game, and because we can't resist a good segue, speaking of smartphones, samsung thinks the device now belongs on your wrist. today they unveiled their galaxy gear smart watch with a 1.63-inch electronic screen, 4gb memory and hd camera built into the watchband. when you get a call, you're supposed to just raise it to your ear. when you get an e-mail or a text, it's designed to talk with your other samsung device so you can read it on a larger screen. it's another shot across apple's bow, and we get to see the new apple product line on september 10th. this may be the largest diamond of its kind we will see in our lifetime. the sotheby's auction house is showing off this 118-carat white diamond.

it's the size of an egg. it started off life at 299 carats when it was discovered in the rough in africa, but it needed some work. estimated bids for this are put at between $28 million and $35 million. another break. when we come back, "making a difference," by getting some kids into the game, the set and the match.

finally here tonight, it happens at this time of year every year, right after nightfall here in new york city. there's a bright spot on the skyline off to the east. it is the unmistakable glow of the u.s. open. it's a big ticket event with fancy people and expensive seats watching the best tennis players in the world. luckily, it's not the only game in town, thanks to the efforts of some good people to get some kids into the game who would normally not have the chance. our "making a difference" report tonight from nbc's rehema ellis. >> keep going, keep going. >> reporter: drills are demanding, honing basic tennis skills, but this court next to the marcy housing project in brooklyn, new york, isn't part of a swanky tennis club. here they use portable nets and

even play the game across a chain link fence. >> nice. >> reporter: but for dozens of kids like 10-year-old nia and 14-year-old brandon, it's still the best. >> it's not just hitting the ball back and forth. it's also about strategy, angles, masks. >> it's being out here with other kids, and it's my career. >> reporter: she means this is a chance to develop a career as a tennis pro, like her idol serena and venus williams. >> nice shot. >> reporter: the king's county tennis league is a non-profit run by michael mccaslatt, a forensic scientist who moved into the neighborhood from washington, d.c. five years ago and brought his love of tennis with him. >> you hit it to you two and back of the line. >> reporter: when he saw the housing project's run down seldom used courts, he saw an opportunity. >> i said this is too good to be true, almost meant to be a. >> reporter: with a bucket of tennis balls and used rackets he invited kids to join him. the program got off to a slow start. at first only one kid showed up,

but mike was determined, and four years later more than 100 kids are involved. >> everyone is ready. >> reporter: tennis is now offered at four public housing projects free of cost. he's recruited lawyers, chefs, consultants to volunteer what they know about the game and about life. >> tennis is the medium to have these interactions so that these kids can see what opportunities are out there. >> reporter: his approach to the game got the attention of the u.s. tennis association, now big financial supporters. >> we don't have to have a regulation tennis court in order for tennis to make a difference. >> reporter: anything about playing tennis help you with schoolwork? >> focusing. >> reporter: because you have to focus to play this game. >> and do my schoolwork. >> reporter: a sport for these kids -- >> you guys twice in a row. >> reporter: that's turning out to be more than just a game. raheema ellis, nbc news, brooklyn, new york. >> and that is our broadcast on a wednesday night. thank you for being here with

us. i'm brian williams, and we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. breaking news at the 6:00 hour, an undercomp drug operation ends in gunfire. >> it is happening in sunnyvale. the suspect has been rushed to the >g >> nbc bay area's -- joins us from the scene. >> reporter: there is a white pickup truck in the parking lot. the driver's side window is shattered. there is glass on the ground.

the officers are being tight lipped about the details. but you can see a dark forest green minivan next to it. we don't know if that van was involved in this. but here's what the dps is saying ri saying right now. one man was shot at 2:00 in the afternoon. that is about a block from 101. the dps says it happened during a police and county sheriff undercover drug operation. we talked to the manager of a motel 6 that is right behind the restaurant. he says he saw officers shouting at a person in a char to get out and someone got out of the car and the manager says shots were fired and the dps says since this was a planned operation the suspect was known to the officers and at one point one of the officers felt threatened. >> if you feel someone's life is in immediate jeopardy you are trained to protect yourself by responding in kind.