on our broadcast tonight, shock waves from our nbc news poll numbers. the anger from the voters now having an impact on what's happening in washington where at least they're talking tonight as we head into another weekend. command and control. two of the top military men in charge of this nation's nuclear weapons have been fired within a week of each other. the all-out search for a boy with autism who cannot speak. missing now for a week. proving impossible to find so far in the nation's largest city. and making a difference in the classroom and far beyond. tonight, a special thanks to america's classroom teachers. "nightly news" begins now.

good evening. while it's too early yet to report real progress or any kind of real movement, it does appear that the anger of the american public might just force the hands of some of the holdouts in washington. the numbers in the nbc news poll we broadcast last night show the government shutdown have caused real damage and most respondents put the blame on the republicans in congress. and today we started hearing the very first indications that something might be worked out. let's begin our coverage there. our chief white house correspondent chuck todd can start us off with the latest. chuck, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. at this late hour, things are moving quickly in washington towards a potential deal to open the government and raise the debt ceiling so the country avoids default. right now it's the non-tea party republicans that are trying to come up with a dignified way out of the shutdown. the republicans are holding out

hope they can at least force a larger negotiation with the white house on a long-term deficit reduction deal. now, it's triggered this renewed sense of urgency is public opinion. the poll last night indicates the shutdown has backfired on the gop. two results really unnerved two republicans we talked to today. that the majority blamed the republicans and not the president. and a larger number believe it's the republicans pushing their own political agenda at the expense of the country's greater good. it's going to be a long weekend here, but don't be surprised monday morning, perhaps tuesday that we have a deal and that government is fully operational again. >> chuck todd starting us off at the white house this friday night. chuck, thanks. and now to the broad impact of this ongoing government shutdown. as we head into yet another weekend. our new nbc news/wall street

journal poll found almost one in three americans say this has had a direct impact on their lives. beyond the growing outrage, the frustration out there, some just don't have the time for this to drag on much longer. we have two reports tonight beginning with nbc's andrea mitchell. >> reporter: good evening, brian. the impact of this shutdown eleven days in is widespread as you point out. and for some, it's even a matter of life and death. for 17-year-old austin provich, the government is denying him a life line. a bone marrow transplant that could slow the progression of a rare genetic disorder. >> it's really upsetting to hear, because it's just a lot less risky to have the procedure done earlier rather than later. >> reporter: that same disorder claimed the life of austin's brother four years ago. the eleven-day shutdown really hit home today.

like capitol grounds matthew brocker whose paycheck was cut in half. his next check will be zero. >> pretty much exactly half of what i would normally be expecting if the government hadn't been shut down. >> reporter: in chicago, wayne reed can't get the paperwork he needs to apply to college. >> trying to go to college, and i can't apply for the tax transcripts i need because the irs is shut down. >> reporter: like this fatal bus crash in tennessee are on hold. for fishing guides in the everglades closed by the shutdown aren't life or death, but it means their livelihoods. >> that means we can't make any money. >> reporter: the government is allowing national parks in utah, colorado to reopen if this state picks up the tab. but there's no fix for veterans who count on that payment. >> if it wasn't for the check, we'd lose everything.

>> when it comes down to it, they leave us high and dry. >> reporter: since we told you about 2-year-old abby mccurtain, her mom heidi posted on facebook the nih staff responded to her e-mails even though they weren't supposed to. although abby and other children are still waiting and hoping. andrea mitchell, nbc news, washington. this is tom costello 75 miles from washington in red republican culpepper, virginia. but at the frost cafe on main street where burgers, fries, and grits are on the midday menu, the talk today was whether the government shutdown is to anyone's advantage. >> how can it be an advantage to put people out of work in this economy to solve their problems? >> i voted republican my whole life, but this time i don't care who's running. i'm voting for someone who didn't have the job. >> reporter: 25% of county residents work for the federal government. many of them are now out of work. and much needed tourism has

dried up as the nearby shenandoah national park is closed. an online poll conducted by the local paper show half blame the shutdown on the president, the other half on congress. this once-solid republican state has voted for president obama twice. still suspicion towards washington runs deep. >> old virginia may be outvoted, but if anything that's reinforced their anti-washington sentiments. they're cheering in some places the federal government shutdown. >> reporter: obama care is not popular here. is it appropriate to shut down the government in order to kill obama care? >> if it comes to that, yeah. >> reporter: what's the end goal? >> defund obama care. >> reporter: that's the end goal? and you're okay with shutting down the government if that's what it takes? >> yes. >> reporter: down main street at the legacy barbershop, one is a democrat, the other a republican. >> i blame everybody. capitol hill all the way to the white house. >> reporter: has the government shutdown affected your

pocketbooks? are you seeing less customers? >> yes. this is a friday and i've never seen one like this. >> reporter: but who's to blame? does it matter? >> at this point it's not about republicans and democrats. this is about america. >> reporter: main street and divided america but united in their frustration with washington. culpepper is quintessential small town america. george washington did the original town survey and this town was caught up in the cross roads of the civil war. passions and patriotism run deep here. >> tom costello and andrea mitchell, thank you to you both. we have the latest on the salmonella that's been linked. the cdc says 317 people have now been affected in 13 st22 states.

officials say three different plants operated there by foster farms are the likely source of this. the company has submitted a plan for changes in its processing and based on that, the government says it will allow those plants for now to stay open. overseas, sadly it's happened again. a tragedy at sea involving immigrants from africa trying to make it to italy. authorities say an overloaded smuggler's boat capsized today 65 miles from the nearest island. they say at least 27 people drowned with more than 220 rescued at sea. this is the same region where another boat capsized just last week killing over 300 people. and a huge and dangerous storm is gathering strength tonight off the coast of india. right now it is the largest concentration of energy anywhere on earth. the satellite image shows the cyclone named pilene has sustained winds 150 miles per

hour. gusts are greater than that. it's suspected to make land fall tomorrow afternoon. widespread destruction is expected. one forecast is saying tonight, quote, a catastrophic storm surge is a certainty. the nobel peace prize for 2013 has been awarded to a group that is part of the effort to dismantle and destroy syria's chemical weapons. for the prohibition of chemical weapons says it hopes this honor will help their efforts to achieve peace there. the announcement came as a disappointment admittedly for those who were hoping it would go to malala, the teenage girl from pakistan who has inspired so many people around the world after the taliban tried to kell her for speaking out for the right of girls to go to school and get an education. but she survived that and after a long recovery, as you may know, she's now continuing to spread her message of

empowerment and education. we get an update on her tonight from nbc's kate snow. >> we girls can change the world. are you girls with me? >> reporter: today malala's stage was the world bank. >> you can see the children are starving for education. and we need to help them. >> reporter: earlier in the week, it was "the daily show" touting her new book. >> they do not want women to get education because then women will become more powerful. >> happy 16th birthday, malala. >> reporter: and back in july, a standing ovation at the united nations on her 16th birthday. >> we must speak up with the books. they are the most powerful weapons. >> reporter: she was fighting for her life, shot in the head by the taliban just for saying girls have the right to be educated. today children prayed she would win the nobel. she deserve s it, says her

friend. when it didn't happen, people across the globe expressed their disappointment. but those who know her says malala doesn't need an award to make an impact. >> she already has millions of kids supporting her. >> reporter: first met malala a couple weeks ago. >> she started a movement that i feel is more precious than an award. >> reporter: the pakistani taliban continues to threaten malala and said today they were happy she didn't win the prize. but there's a reason malala has been called the bravest girl in the world. for years she said today she wondered what she would say if she were confronted by a would be assassin. >> listen to me first. listen to my voice. listen to what i say. and i will tell him that i want even education for their sons and daughters. >> reporter: malala said this week she didn't deserve the nobel prize. she was too young. today she told pbs news hour,

she has the bigger prize in mind. >> the reward to see every child go to school. i will serve my whole life for that. >> reporter: malala has big goals, maybe even prime minister of pakistan some day. when my 8-year-old daughter woke up this morning, the first thing she wanted to know is did malala win. i think that conversation happened all across the world this morning. that speaks to the power she has whether or not she has a moe bell peace prize. >> there were big expectations going into the day. thanks as always. here in new york, there is an all-out search for a boy with autism. he's nonverbal, he's been missing for days and new york police are trying to tell millions of people about him to spread the word and help widen the search. we get the latest tonight from nbc's katy tur. >> reporter: 14-year-old avon today kendo was last seen on surveillance video running away from his new york city school. that was last friday, now seven days with no signs of a

non-verbal boy with autism. his dad daniel. >> i try not to think of the worst. and i still have the support of everybody. >> reporter: today as they've done every day, the boy's worn out family comb the streets with the help of volunteers. police turned over manhole covers and swept the east river. everyone hoping the rescue doesn't turn into a recovery. >> we get leads here and there throughout the day. wherever we get them, we try to take them serious. call the police, detectives. >> reporter: now the family's search has gone national. the group autism speaks is offering a $70,000 reward for avonte's safe return. the group's vice president warns of the extra challenges when children with autism goes mitssing. >> he may not understand what they're saying. you know, could you just imagine how he must be feeling and the anxiety? so he may not be able to understand what they're saying. or he may not be able to communicate back what his needs are. >> reporter: here in new york, the nypd has expanded its

efforts to find the boy especially here in the subway system since he was known to like trains. this year alone, 14 kids with the disorder have wandered and died. according to the national center for missing and exploited children. but dad daniel says he's not giving up. >> he's definitely a fighter. >> reporter: tonight still more searching and a vigil for a young boy lost in a big city. katy tur, nbc news, new york. still ahead for us on this friday night, two of the men responsible for our nation's nuclear arsenal relieved of duty. both within a week. and later, the incredible story of classroom teacher heroism that received a huge emotional reaction from our audience of teachers. tonight we wanted to share it with you.

they are among the most responsible jobs in the u.s. military. the commanders in charge of this nation's nuclear arsenal. today one of them was fired for alleged improper conduct.

it's the second time it has happened this week. we get the story tonight from our pentagon correspondent jim miklaszewski. >> reporter: they are the ultimate weapons of mass destruction. u.s. minuteman missiles, each capable of carrying a 500 kiloton nuclear warhead. the man in charge of that arsenal was fired today. he's in command of 450 minuteman nuclear tipped missiles and their firing crews at three separate bases in the u.s. >> his role is part of carrying out the order we hope will never come. >> reporter: defense sources say an air force investigation found that during an official trip last summer, kerry engaged in misbehavior that was alcohol-related. the air force stresses the misconduct was not related to operational readiness or sexual

misconduct. no comment today from general kerry who remains under investigation. and only two days ago, vice admiral tim giardina was fired from his job for allegedly using counterfeit poker chips in a casino. america's nuclear mission is so critical, commanders are held to a higher standard. there are no second chances. in 2007, after the air force lost track of six nuclear armed missiles, flown by accident to an airfield in lands. fired both the air force secretary and chief of staff on the same day. >> because these officers are dealing with nuclear weapons, there's absolutely no room for error. >> reporter: the military must now decide whether the two officers relieved this week can remain in the service while somebody else takes over their nuclear commands. jim miklaszewski, nbc news, the pentagon. back in a moment with a

mistake you could say was of biblical proportions.

there was a tragedy at a zoo in the midwest today. a veteran zoo keeper 62 years old was killed by a 41-year-old elephant that he cared for for years. it happened at the dickerson park zoo in springfield, missouri. he made a sudden movement that took the life of the employee. it was scott carpenter on the ground in mission control who uttered those famous words "god speed john glenn," and his fellow and former astronaut was poised to round the earth that day. today john glenn issued a statement saying, god speed scott carpenter, remembering his friend who died yesterday at the age of 88. the vatican have taken

something back. they have recalled a commemorative medal that was struck. but they misspelled jesus as "lesvs." available in cold, silver, and bronze. four of them were already sold. they will now be collector's items. when we come back tonight, with all the dysfunction we have seen on display for a week, we'll meet folks here at the end of the week we can all be proud of.

our "making a difference" report tonight has to do with this nation's classroom teachers. with the news we've been covering lately you'd be thinking hee lows and role models are tough to find these days. but this week we wrapped up the fourth annual education summit in new york. for the occasion, we gathered examples of heroism in the classroom. one, a natural disaster and one not. one in newtown, connecticut, one in moore, oklahoma. tonight we wanted to share their heroism with you. >> well, you know, what you do as a kindergarten teacher is

divert the attention away from what's happening. i'm not sure about those noises. they said what is that. i said maybe someone's on the roof getting a soccer ball. so i read them a story. >> a lot of children are alive today because of actions the teachers took. and some of the teachers are alive today because of actions one of them took. >> she loved those students more than anything. she didn't call them her students. she called them her kids. she was so close to those kids and she loved them so much. >> she was found protecting her kids, doing instinctively what she knew to do. trying to shield them from the spray of the bullets. >> i immediately locked the classroom door. as i was doing this, i was reassuring them it's okay, everything's fine, we'll be okay. they did continue to cry, but they were able to hold it together. they were, they were amazing. they were quiet when i needed them to be, and they held each other. and they were perfect.

they were perfect. >> we had to pull a car out of the front hallway off a teacher. i don't know what that lady's name is, but she had three little kids underneath her. good job, teach. >> i was on top of six kids. >> on to have of six children. >> i was on top of them. >> and they're all okay? >> all mine are okay. >> i remember the little boy saying i love you, please don't let me die with you. i'm like, we're not dying. we are not dying today. quit saying that. and i did the teacher thing that we're probably not supposed to do. i prayed. and i prayed out loud. i said god, please don't take these kids today. >> she threw herself on my daughter to protect her. but to me the number one heroes here are the teachers that put their lives at risk to protect all these kids. >> i do have a student here who wants to say thank you to you. >> i told you we'd be okay.

>> our salute to the heroism in the classroom. that's our broadcast for a friday night and for this week. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. lester holt is here with you this weekend. we, of course, hope to see you right back here on monday and good evening on this friday. >> their season is now over, but the drama continues for the oakland a's. san jose is still trying to bring the franchise to the south bay. tonight, a new legal ruling that seems to be a mixed decision. so what exactly does it mean for the future of this team? nbc bay area's scott budman joins us outside of san jose city hall. scott, this is a complex legal decision. can you explain it in layman's terms here? >> reporter: well, we'll try to do it briefly, raj. briefly, both sides claiming victory tonight. here's what it's about.

while the a's continue to nurse their wounds after last night's tough loss. the a's season is over, but the battle over where they play next is still alive. with a federal judge's ruling that while major league baseball does have the right to regulate where its teams are moved, the city of san jose may still have a chance to pursue litigation against the league when it comes to its pursuit of the a's. >> it's good news for san jose. it means that our case against major league baseball will continue in federal court. we'll be able to do some discovery and get to the bottom of why the commissioner refuses to ask the owners to allow the a's to move to san jose. >> reporter: we also asked a's general manager billy beane to weigh in. >> it's been fun focusing on this team. you know, i handle the baseball operations. that's sort of above my pay grade. and so whatever's happening out there, i don't worrybo