on our b on our broadcast tonight, school shooting, it has happened again, this time a middle school student opens fire on fellow classmates before a teacher steps in and takes action. the water's edge, it's back on, but is it safe. so many families fearful of what's coming out of the tap. high stakes. a big surprise out of detroit. a big gamble by ford, uncorking a game changer for the best selling vehicle in the country. and letters to jackie revealed for the first time 50 years after the young widow spoke to the nation. "nightly news" begins now. good evening. there has been another school shooting in this country. this time in new mexico, authorities say a middle school

student suddenly opened fire this morning. a 12-year-old, apparently armed with a shotgun, wounding several others, one of whom is in critical condition. and yet again as students were seen fleeing from another american school, inside at the height of it a teacher stepped in to a dangerous situation to keep it from getting even worse. it's where we begin tonight with nbc's mike taibbi. >> reporter: it was just after 7:30 a.m., the start of the school day at berrendo middle school in eastern new mexico when the latest suspected school shooter opened fire. at least two students, a 12-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl were airlifted in critical condition to a trauma hospital in lubbock, texas, 175 miles away. the alleged gunman, a seventh grader himself and armed with a shotgun was confronted first by a teacher and then the police. >> it's one thing for an armed state police officer to enter a school and do his or her job,

it's another thing for a teacher or staff member to intervene in a situation like this. >> reporter: at the first report of a shooting, the school was locked down, access roads sealed off except for emergency responders. >> go to the school and be with your child. >> reporter: worried parents were instructed to gather at a nearby mall to be reunited with their children once they had been safely escorted from the school. >> several civilians coming out the south side. >> reporter: the shooting comes one month after a disgruntled high school senior in colorado gunned down a fellow student at arapahoe high school, before turning the gun on himself. this shooting occurred at a smaller middle school, some 200 students, in a sparsely populated corner of new mexico. but the impact was no less traumatic. >> it was insane. it's is this real? is this really happening? how can this be happening? what's going on. >> reporter: another community shaken by the school shooting, just 14 days into the new year. mike taibbi nbc news, los angeles. in west virginia tonight,

the water is back on in thousands of homes and businesses after days of going without following the chemical spill. officials there continue to insist to the public that it's safe, but a lot of families are understandably refusing to go anywhere near it. our chief environmental affairs correspondent anne thompson joins us again tonight from charleston, west virginia. anne, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. there is plenty of skepticism here as residents confront water that doesn't look or smell right. and investigators dig for the reasons behind the chemical spill. freedom industries president gary southern was on site today but still not talking to the media. as crews worked to clean up the chemical spill that tainted charleston's water. also on site, a team of u.s. chemical safety board investigators. >> clearly, there was a hole that formed in the bottom of the tank, number 396. we need to understand why that formed. was it corrosion? was it some sort of other fault that occurred?

>> reporter: three years ago, the chemical safety board recommended local officials create a hazardous chemical prevention program after an explosion at the nearby bear crop science plant. it never happened. 24 hours after christie goldman started flushing her taps, she's still using bottled water and feeding her kids on paper plates. how worried are you about the water? >> well, i'm worried when you smell the water. >> reporter: it's most pungent in the shower. >> just like gas has a smell and you know it's there, you stay away, this has a smell. >> reporter: other residents report discolored water. the water company says that's due to sediment in the pipes not the spill, and promises the odor will go away. increasingly people feel like lab rats in a scary experiment about the impact of the chemical mchm. >> why was there so little known about this chemical that we know poses such a threat to our drinking water source? >> reporter: consumer advocate

erin brockovich, whose own fight against water contamination was made into a movie starring julia roberts, met with 100 residents last night. >> at the end of the day, it's disheartening and frustrating and people are still left with a lot of unanswered questions and a whole lot of concerns. >> reporter: the city of cincinnati is not taking any chances. tonight it will close its water intake valves on the ohio river as the chemical plume passes. >> it's important for citizens the residents in the cincinnati area to know that our water is safe. we're taking all necessary precautions to keep it safe. >> reporter: now, as the chemical heads down river, it is dissipating, but the fear isn't, as cincinnati and now louisville monitor for any potential trouble. brian? >> anne thompson in west virginia again for us tonight. anne, thanks. new jersey governor chris christie gave his state of the state address today, while the state of his administration is engulfed. his political future is in peril, the investigations into

the intentional traffic jam on the george washington bridge are just getting started. and he talked about the troubles again today. nbc's kelly o'donnell has our report tonight from trenton. >> reporter: on his way to the assembly chamber, governor chris christie prepared himself for another public display of regret. while tradition welcomes the governor with applause, controversy is where christie began. >> mistakes were clearly made. and as a result, we let down the people we're entrusted to serve. i know our citizens deserve better. much better. >> reporter: the unfolding scandal has brought ridicule and withering criticism. today christie faced the state lawmakers who have launched investigations. >> without a doubt, we will cooperate with all appropriate inquiries to ensure that this breach of trust does not happen again. let me tell you everybody, i was

blindsided yesterday morning. >> reporter: governor christie denied any prior knowledge of an intentional plan to snarl bridge traffic last september. but how close to christie were the people who did know. an examination of documents shows at least six people in governor christie's inner circle and three more christie allies at the port authority were actively messaging or mentioned in communications last fall about the traffic jam. but not necessarily what had caused it. four of the key players are now gone, the others are still on the job. >> what has occurred does not define us or our state. >> reporter: christie's personal credibility has taken a hit. a monmouth university/asbury park press poll asked, do you believe chris christie has been completely honest? 40% said yes, but 51% said no. >> governor, was that enough to restore your credibility? >> reporter: the governor took no questions after his speech, which focused on his second term agenda. and even democrats said this investigation is not their only

priority. >> this will play itself out, but the truth of the matter is, there are many other things that we have to tackle. >> reporter: the next step in the investigation comes thursday, when a committee is expected to issue subpoenas. aides say christie will get back to a more normal public schedule around new jersey to promote ideas he outlined today. and he'll keep his fund-raising trip in florida this weekend. brian? >> kelly o'donnell in trenton again tonight, covering the state of the state of new jersey. kelly, thanks. in washington today a vote to extend long term unemployment benefits went down in the senate as the chamber descended into partisan argument. instead the vote was 55-45. it needed 60 votes to advance. negotiations to find a compromise will go on, but that's little comfort to more than a million people who were cut off from benefits right at the beginning of the year. tonight a federal judge in philadelphia has put on hold that $760 million settlement between the nfl and retired players to settle claims

involving concussions and brain injuries. while it sounds like a lot of money, and it is, the judge says three quarters of a billion dollars might not be enough now to cover some 20,000 football players. the judge says she wants more financial details before signing off on the settlement. new yorkers often get around by subway or cab, and judging by most tv shows, everyone in l.a. drives a prius. but in the area outside of those two places, the part better known as america, the number one best selling vehicle for several years running is the ford f-150. not just the best selling truck, the best selling vehicle of any kind. and with that in mind at this week's detroit auto show, ford is taking an enormous gamble, by introducing the new f-150 not made of steel, but aluminum. it has more in common with an aircraft body than a traditional truck body. but will truck buyers like what they see hen they come around to

kick the tires? our report tonight from nbc's john yang. >> reporter: it was the much anticipated highlight of the auto show. >> ladies and gentlemen, this is the new ford f-150. >> reporter: the 2015 ford f-150 pickup. 700 pounds lighter, up to 20% more fuel efficient, and ford engineers pledge just as durable as its predecessors. and here's the surprise, it's not made of steel, but of aluminum. >> with aluminum, pound for pound, is tougher than steel. >> reporter: it's also a big gamble by a company used to taking risks. ford was the only carmaker not to take a government bailout. and this isn't just any pickup, it's america's pickup. more than 33 million sold, more than 11 million still on the road. >> ford is going for fuel efficiency and durability. if it can put that combination together, this can be a huge game changer for ford. >> reporter: this heavily tested

new truck will be made of military grade aluminum, like the humvee and the bradley fighting vehicle. but the real test will be how it plays in places where pickup trucks are part family car, part mobile office, like sycamore, illinois, west of chicago. farmer howard metcalf's f-150 just hit 100,000 miles. he says he'll replace his ford truck with a steel 2014, not aluminum 2015. not ford tough? >> it doesn't sound very ford tough. >> reporter: it could just make a convert out of trapper jason grindle, a chevy guy. >> you can save gas. save weight, and get more power out of your truck for not pushing 800 pounds down the street. somebody's doing something right, you know. >> reporter: waiting to see if there will be an aluminum ford in their future. john yang, nbc news, sycamore, illinois. still ahead for us tonight, the pay gap. maria shriver and her new eye-opening report that has women across the country talking. that would include beyonce, fighting to right a wrong. and later, mystery solved.

the underground explosions in the middle of the night. they have tracked down the cause. night. they have tracked down the cause. are you flo? yes. is this the thing you gave my husband? well, yeah, yes. the "name your price" tool. you tell us the price you want to pay, and we give you a range of options to choose from. careful, though -- that kind of power can go to your head. that explains a lot. yo, buddy! i got this. gimme one, gimme one, gimme one! the power of the "name your price" tool. only from progressive. ♪ [ male announcer ] bob's heart attack didn't come with a warning. today his doctor has him on a bayer aspirin regimen to help reduce the risk of another one. if you've had a heart attack, be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. [ male announcer ] your eyes. even at a distance of 10 miles... the length of 146 football fields...

they can see the light of a single candle. your eyes are amazing. look after them with centrum silver. multivitamins with lutein and vitamins a, c, and e to support healthy eyes and packed with key nutrients to support your heart and brain, too. centrum silver. for the most amazing parts of you. centrum silver. my feet felt so heavy at the they used to get really tired. until i started gellin'. i got dr. scholl's massaging gel insoles. when they're in my shoes, my feet and legs feel less tired. it's like walking on a wave. dr. scholl's massaging gel insoles. i'm a believer! time to complete your bachelor's or master's degree and prepare for a new career. with devry university's merit-based career catalyst scholarship you can. apply by february 28th for up to $20,000 for qualifying new students. with this scholarship you could be on your way. in 2012 90% of our associate and bachelor's grads actively seeking employment had careers in their field within 6 months.

make this your year. start at devry.edu. apply by february 28th. of interest to our viewers tonight, l.a. firefighters are attacking a brushfire that is burning near homes in pacific palisades. once again we go to nbc's mike taibbi. he is in our los angeles newsroom with more. mike, good evening. >> good evening, brian. under a red flag warning, hundreds of firefighters jumped on that one quickly, and it's now said to be under control. meanwhile, up north what started out as a brushfire on kimball island in sacramento county soon engulfed one structure and threatened many other. firefighters were deployed to try to control the fire while coast guard crews helped residents to safety. no injuries have been reported. now back to brian in new york. all this week across nbc news, we have special coverage of the economic status of women in the country, and the pay gap that exists between the genders. a new bound document called the

shriver report is getting a lot of attention, including as we mentioned a minute ago from beyonce who is among many interviewed in the report. and calls gender equality a myth. she says, "men have to demand that their wives, daughters, mothers and sisters earn more." nbc's maria shriver was invited to the white house to present her report to president obama late today. she's been able to join us from there tonight. hey, maria, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. as the son of a single mother, president obama said he's very sympathetic to these issues, that one in three women is living on the brink of poverty in the united states of america. and one of the main reasons is the persistent wage gap that exists between men and women. >> can you count them? >> reporter: aileen rizzo is a math consultant. she helps teachers teach math for the fresno board of education. you are in a fight for equality? >> yes. >> reporter: if someone told you years ago you would be doing this, what would you have said? >> i wouldn't have believed it.

i really wouldn't. >> reporter: rizzo, a mother of two, is the first in her family to go do college, and has two masters degrees. but one day a new male colleague revealed that his starting salary was nearly $12,000 more than she was making after four years in the same position. >> my heart dropped. i was -- my mind was just whirling and thinking, well, how did this happen. >> reporter: when she complained to her bosses, she was told that starting salary was based on someone's previous pay. outraged, rizzo joined the advocacy group, the american association of university women to help her fight. >> the thought is, i'll never catch up. >> reporter: on average, women make 77 cents to every man's dollar. the shriver report finds that closing the wage gap would cut the poverty rate for working women in half. adding close to a half a trillion dollars to the economy. why do you think the wage gap

still exists today? >> unconscious bias is a huge part of it. >> reporter: katharine lusk is a policy adviser for the city of boston, which intends to be the first city in america to pay men and women equally. >> women are penalized when they try to negotiate for pay. they're less likely to be considered for jobs that has historically been held by men. all of those things hold women back. >> it's time to pass the paycheck fairness act. so that women will have more tools to fight pay discrimination. >> reporter: while president obama has pledged to fix the problem, congress has been slow to respond. and aileen rizzo feels she has no choice but to take her fight to the courts. recently she won the right to sue her employer. the fresno county office of education declined to comment to nbc news, but in a letter they sent to rizzo, they said that their hiring formula had not resulted in a disproportionate impact on gender. undeterred, rizzo says her fight is about the future for her daughters.

are you proud of your mom? >> yes. >> i'm passionate about what i do and i love it. and at the same time, i had to decide that i wanted to see it through, because i wanted the world to be different for my daughters. >> reporter: brian, president obama told me he would like the issues that are in this report to inform a summit that he wants to hold here at the white house in the spring on working families. >> maria shriver, having presented her namesake findings to the president at the white house late today. maria, thanks for being with us tonight. >> thank you. another break. we're back in a moment with a force of nature making some big names take cover. making some big names take cover. [ female announcer ] we lowered her fever.

you raise her spirits. we tackled your shoulder pain. you make him rookie of the year. we took care of your cold symptoms. you take him on an adventure. tylenol® has been the number 1 doctor recommended brand of pain reliever for over 20 years. but for everything we do, we know you do so much more. tylenol®. plays a key role throughout our lives. one a day men's 50+ is a complete multivitamin designed for men's health concerns as we age. with 7 antioxidants to support cell health. one a day men's 50+. bob will retire when he's 153, which would be fine if bob were a vampire. but he's not. ♪ he's an architect with two kids and a mortgage. luckily, he found someone

who gave him a fresh perspective on his portfolio. and with some planning and effort, hopefully bob can retire at a more appropriate age. it's not rocket science. it's just common sense. from td ameritrade. dennis olson of fond du lac county, wisconsin, thought his garage had blown up. he called the sheriff's department in the middle of the night. they were getting a lot of similar complaints of a ground shaking boom. next day dennis got his stick

and found a 100 foot crack in his driveway. geologists believe it was caused by an ice quake. it happens when water seeps into very cold ground, where it then freezes and expands and cracks the earth. it sounds and feels like a mild earthquake. they are most common in polar regions. they've been active, loud, and forceful this year in wisconsin. the other end of the spectrum now is the australian open now under way in melbourne. it's 108, feels much hotter in the sun. spectators are getting baked in the stands. not the good kind. they're trying to cover all exposed skin. a ball boy passed out. several players have cramped up. one got sick. a player who collapsed from the heat called conditions inhumane. it's been hot enough on the court to melt the bottom of a water bottle that was put down on the surface, and an american player said it feels like when you open the oven when your baked potato is done. incredible pictures are in

from mars. the pictures show the tire tracks of the curiosity rover. in one case you can make out the little car itself. it takes a kind of deep space photographic bank shot to pull this off. the pictures were taken by the mars reconnaissance orbiter flying overhead while orbiting mars while the little rover is driving toward a nearby mountain. to put this another way, they can take a picture of tiny tire tracks on mars, but they still can't make a cell phone battery that lasts for more than about 10 minutes. when we come back here tonight, the first lady who comforted millions with her grace, and how so many reached out to comfort her. lady who comforted millions with her grace, and how so many reached out to comfort her. with a highee due to afib, a type of irregular heartbeat, not caused by a heart valve problem. at first, i took warfarin, but i wondered, "could i up my game?"

my doctor told me about eliquis. and three important reasons to take eliquis instead. one, in a clinical trial, eliquis was proven to reduce the risk of stroke better than warfarin. two, eliquis had less major bleeding than warfarin. and three... unlike warfarin, there's no routine blood testing. [ male announcer ] don't stop taking eliquis unless your doctor tells you to, as stopping increases your risk of having a stroke. eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. don't take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. while taking eliquis, you may bruise more easily and it may take longer than usual for any bleeding to stop. seek immediate medical care for sudden signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. eliquis may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. i've got three important reasons to up my game with eliquis. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor today if eliquis is right for you. more importantly, i've never fallen. even better.

what the "l'? what the "l"? ♪ what the "l"? guys? what the "l"? [ man ] what the "l"? what the "l"? ♪ [ p.a. announcer ] what the "l"? [ buzzer ] what the "l" is this? "l" if i know. what the "l"? i'm not fixing that. noooo. [ male announcer ] check out what the "l" is going on. at staples. her long day of pick ups and drop offs begins with arthritis pain... and a choice. take up to 6 tylenol in a day or just 2 aleve for all day relief. all aboard. ♪

it was 50 years ago tonight jacqueline kennedy, still mourning her late husband, went on national television to thank americans for their expressions of condolences. today the kennedy library released some of those moving and heartfelt letters for the first time ever. the story tonight from nbc's andrea mitchell. ♪ >> reporter: she had been widowed for only 53 days, less than two months since the assassination. joined by her husband's brothers, bobby and teddy wearing black.

her only jewelry, her gold wedding band. jacqueline kennedy spoke to the nation for the first time since that terrible day in dallas. thanking the nearly 800,000 people whose letters of condolence had poured into the white house. >> the warmth of these tributes is something i shall never forget. >> reporter: released today a time capsule of comfort and pain. 22,000 letters so moving, so personal, they were set aside to be answered individually. the carpenter in patterson, new jersey, who made a bust of jfk for his garden. miss prince's french class in rhode island. 10-year-old bridgette bear from lake charles, louisiana. she wrote mrs. kennedy i would love for you and your children to come over to our house when you're not busy. and in a kenyan village, the toddler named kennedy after the president. jfk can had just sent his namesake a signed picture from the white house. it arrived two days after he was killed. but most poignant of all, the letter from maxine mcnair, mother of denise mcnair, one of

the young girls killed five months earlier in the bombing of the 16th street baptist church in birmingham, alabama. dear mrs. kennedy, when the tragic news came across the airwaves, again my heart said, it isn't true. it didn't happen. >> isn't it strange how people with so much to give to the world are taken. >> reporter: mrs. mcnair today on why she was moved to write. >> i was hoping it would give her some comfort, because i got a lot of comfort from the letters that people wrote me. >> reporter: two women a world apart, brought together by the shock and pain of violent sudden loss. >> may i thank you again on behalf of my children and the president's family for the comfort that your letters have brought to us all. >> reporter: an archive now preserved for all time. andrea mitchell, nbc news, washington. and that is our broadcast for this tuesday night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night.

we're following developing news this evening. we've been following a fire burning in the delta. you see intense flames and evacuations. thanks for joining us. i'm raj mathai. i'm jessicaing. the location is kimble island in the delta that's right across from the marina. this is what we know, a call came in, the coast guard said the fire began as a brush fire. the call came in to the

sheriff's department around 3:15 this afternoon. one strike tour burned but at one point there were 20 structures burning but it turned out one burned. no one was injured. the residents were taken and evacuated off the island. cal fire fighting the dpier and looks like they are making headway. we're keeping a very, very close eye on the is the situation. >> a serial arsonist remains on the loose and the fire department is tracking them and they are short staffed. firefighters couldn't do much as the home burned across the street from the station. budget cuts are to blame. this map shows five of the 30 fire stations, all of them firefighters tell us are dealing are reduced staffing, a lack of equipment or a station closure all together. damian trujillo joins us from station 30 west of downtown. this is one of those