hope to see you then. >> on this saturday night, new evidence, the disturbing new images that purr port to show what happened in syria to the victims on the day of the chemical attack. as the white house's intense campaign for military action heats up at home and overseas. olympic worry. the votes are in, tonight, which country will p host to the summer olympics in 2020? more than a game, the videos that can actually help kids focus and improve their brain power. and striking gold. not a bad catch for a family of treasure hunters just off the beach in florida. >> announcer: this is nbc nightly news with lester holt. substituting tonight, harry

smith. >> since we first saw the images of syrian civilians suffering the effects of what many believe to have been a chemical weapons attack, the white house has insisted that the atrocity demands a response. convincing the world and the american people of that necessity has been difficult to say the least. tonight disturbing images you have not seen before meant to move america to action. nbc's peter alexander is the at the white house with the story. good evening. >> reporter: good evening to you. these videos are among 13 you tube clips ploided to nbc news by a government official. they were shown during a classified briefing last week and we should let you know the videos are quite graphic. they are paralyzed with pain and fear. a little boy barely conscious. a young girl almost unable to move. rows ofs, many children. the only sound is the greens of

the victims and prayers for the dead. government officials tell us the intelligence community authenticated the videos as chemical attacks on august 21st. nbc news cannot independently verify the video's authenticity, but there no visible injuries with the symptoms, foaming at the mouth and uncontrollable shaking consistent with a nerve agent. dianne feinstein requested the videos from the cia and spoke about them thursday. >> we received that this morning. it's horrendous. >>. >> the videos, the latest elements in the administration to convince congress and the american people of the need for limited military action in syria. the chorus of voices against intervention is growing. from new york time square today to the white house. the president has not wavered, calling members of congress

friday while flying home from russia on air force one. >> weigh cannot turn a blind eye. failing to respond to this outrageous attack increases the risk that chemical weapons could be used again. >> this was a preview of the national address the president will deliver tuesday night trying to better clarify the stakes. >> if he can convince everyone that there is a plan and if things go wrong, there is a plan b. i think he can tell people on this. >> the biggest obstacle are members of his own party. >> if the president loses congress, it cost him credibility in the united states, but also cost him credibility around the world. >> leading up to a vote that could come next week, the white house is spanning out forces, making the round sunday morning. joe biden hosting key republican senators that night. president obama doing six national interviews monday on the eve of his remarks to the country. the president will make more calls to congress members this

weekend, nbc news determined that the graphic videos not not been seen by members of the house yet. they will be shown the videos in the next classified briefing scheduled for monday. >> peter alexander at the white house, thank you. the program note, we will have an interview with president obama on monday night here on nightly news on the eve of his address to the nation about syria. >> in the meantime, secretary of state john kerry continues travels overseas where he is making the president's case. nbc's chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell is in paris this evening. good evening. >> reporter: good evening, harry. the president is trying to drum up support for military action from european leaders with mixed events. secretary kerry came to paris hoping to change public opinion at home and in france. [speaking foreign language] rep respect france is the one

willing to fight with the u.s. even france wants to wait until un inspectors report on the chemical attacks. while 28 other european nations meeting with kerry in lithuania said assad must be punished. >> in the face of this use of chemical weapons, the international community cannot remain idle. >> reporter: the european union wants to wait for the report. public opinion in france is against military strikes just as in the u.s. >> we don't have to go there because that's not our business. >> this really concerns us. >> people at home areal ting their congress members we want to worry about our schools and our kids. how can you take action in the face of that without the mandate of the un and without the mandate of europeans for military action? >> because this concerns every american's security.

this is not remote. this is not some far off place where something happened that is just one arab sect killing another arab sect on some is internal fight. we are supposed to turn away because the un itself has begun a tool of ideology or individual nations and not say that the principal we put in place and had fought for all of these years is going to be thrown away? i don't think so. >> facts are facts and that assad is responsible for that. no doubt. >> in st. peters square the pope held a five-hour prayer vigil for peace. after writing to vladimir putin not to use military force. pope francis tweeted today, pray for peace. and tomorrow secretary kerry will be meeting with arab leaders who are still divided about using military force.

they will cover back to washington and resume the other members of congress. >> andrea mitchell in paris tonight, thank you. heads of state and members of congress and the american people debate whether to attack syria, the war wages on. bill was in a hard hit part of damascus as the g-20 leaders met this week. >> amid the talk from world leaders, a call to prayer echoed through damascus. but no one answered because there is no one left here. war has emptied this suburb of its people. no one is driving here now at any speed. a debate rages about missiles america might fire, the debris from thousands fired already is piled on high. countless thousands died here. rebels and government troops fought this district to oblivion.

president assad's army holds it now. the victor's ties is a ghost town. >> it seems a very long way from here to the g-20 gathering of leaders, none of whom have any military experience or any experiences anything like this. it's a summit that won't solve syria's crisis, won't end the war and won't stop american missiles. weapons which won't stop the street battles here. syria's immediate future seems very dark. >> that was bill neely reporting from damascus. one of the ideals of the olympic games is peace through sport. on this evening when there is so much talk of war, news from the international olympic committee about what city will host the 2020 summer games. the finalists, istanbul, madrid, and tokyo. and the winner is -- >> the games of the 32nd olympiad in 2020 are awarded to the city of -- tokyo!

>> madrid was crushed after a tie in the first round. that left two very different cities up for consideration. >> tokyo. one of the safest cities in the world. >> japan recently had to defend itself over fresh concerns over safety at the devastated nuclear pound plant of fukushima. >> let me assure you that fruition is under control. >> tokyo's financial and political stability made it a more attractive option as the ioc contends with fallout from the recent choices. anger over the russian government's laws on gays that could impact the winter games this coming february. construction delays and social unrest in rio dejaneiro, site of the 2016 summer games and

violence and unrest in sir why not far from istanbul with protests. >> if you asked me who would win, i would say istanbul. too many things went down in istanbul. the riots and doping scandals. >> tokyo was the safe choice. we really had no choice but to go to tokyo. >> congratulations, tokyo! >> a choice that has given japan something to celebrate. >> the last time tokyo was the host of the olympics was in 1964. here at home, firefighters are still battling to completely contain the major wildfire near yosemite national park tonight. they fear the hot dry weather there may impede their fight. the so-called rim fire is 80% contained, but has grown by 10,000 acres since thursday. it has burned almost 400 square miles and the third largest fire in california's history.

in ohio the family of a man killed by a drunk driver is speaking out after an unusual confession. this week a young man admitted he was responsible for the accident and posted his confession on video. that story from nbc. >> he starts out obscuring his image or fading to black even as his words are unmistakable. >> i killed a man. >> then full face on camera. >> i am matthew and on june 22nd, 2013, i hit and killed vincent. >> 61-year-old vincent was a navy vet, a photographer, and father of two when his pickup truck speeding into on coming traffic slammed into his jeep at 2:40 in the morning. in the-minute confession, he was bar hopping and drinking heavily and blacked out behind the wheel. now -- >> when i get charged, i will

plead guilty and take full responsibility for everything i have done to vincent and his family. >> he is no hero. he took too long to say anything and a good man died senselessly. >> he was a really nice guy. he would do anything february anybody. >> this did matter to the prosecutor. >> it's unusual and refreshing for someone so say i did it. >> i guilty plea could

>> we are back with an update on

electronic cigarettes. some people r using them in an effort to quit smoking real cigarettes. the the study out in the medical journal found that e cigarettes worked as well as nicotine patches in helping smokers kick the habit. they got a lot of attention earlier this week when they said more and more young people are using them although the risks are still uncertain. tonight some news you may not want to share with your children. while plenty of parents are concerned about the kinds of video games their kids are playing, it turns out that some of those games can actually help children in their thinking and focus. that story tonight from the chief medical editor dr. nancy snyderman. >> 10-year-old jackson can't get enough of his video games. >> i love them because they are really awesome. >> he spends hours a week glued to the scream for time and therapy. jackson has adhd and every week

he meets with boys like himself and the doctor and play video games. yes, video games to challenge their minds. >> they have to be aware of another kid's feelings and intentions. mostly it requires a great deal of support. >> they are really excite and engaged and eager to play with each other and to work together to solve problems. >> new research e own forces the benefits behind play like this, finding it's an improved way of thinking and strength knows brain agility. researchers checked with 72 volunteers and after 40 hours of gaming, those carrying a strategy-based game showed better speed and accuracy on cognitive tests. >> they were able to juggle multiple information sources better and adapt to changing environments. >> researchers say the findings could lead to new and improved

treatments if are people with adhd or brain injury. >> wa we need to do is understand what parts of the video games are having the positive effects on people and to isolate what's happening in the brain. >> though violent video games have been the topic of controversy, linked with aggression and addiction, this study finds that strategy-based games to promote learning and mental dexterity. at the game's learning society in wisconsin, researchers study and promote games exploring the best way to tap into the benefits. they created more than a dozen games to date. >> these are games that are educational. >> building on encouraging news that video games could be much more than child's play. dr. nancy snyderman, nbc news, new york. >> up next, images that are just out of this world.

>> 3, 2, 1, zero ignition. >> in case you missed it, take a look at the launch of nasa's newest mission to the moon. the video you can see with the naked eye, millions saw it as it streaked across the sky in the eastern united states. the unmanned spacecraft was launched from nasa's falt in virginia and while there was a small technical problem, nasa nrnls think they can fix it before the spacecraft begins studying the moon's atmosphere in about a month. >> in london the folks of scotland yard are wondering how it happened yet again. an intruder was able to get into

buckingham palace intending to steal some of the treasures in the queen's residence. at one point in the investigation, a tense moment for the queen's son, prince andrew. we have more. >> it is one of the most iconic buildings in london and perhaps the world. millions of people visit buckingham palace each year on official tours and the famous royal garden parties. late monday it was an uninvited guest who scaled the fence. he reached the rooms that house many priceless works of art. it was before he was arrested on suspicion of burglary in this public part of the palace. the private royal apartments are in the next wing. another man was arrested outside. the queen is still on vacation in scotland and was not there for monday night. she was enjoying the highland

games far from this latest security scare. this is the most serious break in in more than 30 years. the last time someone got inside the palace was 1982 when the queen found a man inside her bedroom. it is said michael fagan sat on the queen's bed talking to her before she was able to raise the alarm. in 2004, protesters said bat man was able to reach a balcony. a review is being carried out after this latest breech, but one former royal body guard said it's unlikely the queen will allow more security. >> they have to police with her majesty herself who doesn't want to be in prison. >> they some day expressed reports royal protections are anxious. two days later police pointed guns at prince andrew, mistaking him for an intruder. no word from the royal family today for the queen. as ever, it's business as usual.

nbc news, london. >> and back in this country the nfl season has just begun, but the associated press learned that grammy award winner bruno mars will perform at met life stadium new jersey when the super bowl is played there. in a moment we will take you to sunken treasure.

finally tonight, it is

called florida's treasure coast. as you are about to see, there is a good reason for that. the discovery of a nice hall this week so close to the shore, you could almost swim to it. we get the story from gabe gutierrez. >> for this family, the hunt is a way of life. they have been in the diving salvage business for 16 years. >> five seasons at least. we found i believe three gold coins. >> eric schmitt and his father never expected much this week. yet just 150 yards off the coast of ft. pierce in only 50 feet of water, there it was. >> ready for this. >> not just porcelain from the dynasty, but 64 feet of gold chains and three gold coins and a gold ring. a haul they estimate may be worth $300,000. >> you hate to say it's a dream come true, but it's a dream come true. >> for came from a fleet of

spanish ships ripped apart by a hurricane and more than 1,000 were killed and gold and silver spilled across the ocean floor. that's why this part of florida is known as a treasure coast. >> they are littering all over the place. >> that i will have to share the loot with a company that owns the salvage rights. some will go to the state of florida for museums. >> not only finding the material, but it's the history part. >> but these modern day treasure hunters say the find is about something else worth more than gold. family. >> we come out here and work and do stuff together. it's not something you get a chance to do the way we live anymore. very special. >> a discovery of a lifetime. three centuries in the making. gabe gutierrez, nbc news, ft. piece florida. >> that's nbc nightly news for

this saturday. i'm harry smith reporting from new york. have a good evening. right now at 6:00. smoke could be seen for miles. crews raced to stop the spread of a fast moving brush fire on the peninsula. good evening everyone i'm terry mcsweeney. crews are still at the scene of

a brush fire that prompted the evacuation of some homes on this very hot afternoon. i was unnerving for people in live in the area. the fire broke out near the intersection of chestnut avenue and hill side avenue. monte francis is live in the neighborhood. monte, what is the latest? >> reporter: well, terry, good evening. the good news is that fire crews have the upper hand on this fire. most of the people evacuated are being allowed back into their homes. there's still some smoke lingering in the neighbors. but the danger for people who live here has passed. take a look at what it was like just a couple of hours ago. this was cell phone video taken by a man who lives here. south san francisco police went door to door in this neighborhood, it worders san bruno mountain and they were told to evacuate. the fire was reported at