we'll see you at 6:00. >> from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. >> and good friday evening from our studios here in new york. before we get under way with "nightly news," however, we have to begin instead with a breaking news story just in to us wechlts ha . we have a late report on the very latest details. >> reporter: we're getting news out of malaysia that a malaysian airlines 777 is missing. this is flight number 370, we are told, flying from kuala lumpur to beijing in the early saturday morning, disappeared over vietnamese airspace roughly two hours into the flight.

this flight had a total of 239 passengers and crewmembers on board from 13 different countries. we are told that two hours into the flight, the malaysian authorities lost contact. the vietnamese authorities never heard from this plane, neither did chinese authorities. so now a search and rescue team has been activated. they're now actively looking for this plane. malaysia airlines telling nbc news it is aware that a plane is missing at this hour, and it is saying that its thoughts and prayers go out to all the affected passengers and crewmembers. this is, again, lost in the airspace over vietnam in the early morning hours of saturday. we do not have any more details on if anybody has heard or seen this plane. there are malaysian 777 down this hour we believe somewhere between malaysia and china. brian, back to you. there are reports tonight that what has been a cold war

style standoff between russia and ukraine has turned hot, apparently after russian troops have moved in on a ukrainian military installation. now that the russians have taken effective control of the crimea region, no one really expects they will ever give it up. the largest question perhaps is how far this goes and how much of what is now ukraine does russia consider its own. our chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell starts us off again tonight from our d.c. newsroom. andrea, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. until now both sides were avoiding a military crash in crimia. but tonight they escalated the conflict. armed men ran through two gates of a ukrainian missile defense in sebastopol. even as vladimir putin back in sochi was kicking off the paralympics and telling the ukrainian delegation he hopes the games will help reduce tensions between their

countries. ukrainian athletes will compete, but in protest sent only their flag bearer to the opening ceremony. he was cheered when he entered. >> a rousing ovation from the crowd in russia. >> reporter: the flash point of the u.s. and nato is crimea's threat to secede from ukraine and become part of russia. in a tense call thursday night, president obama told putin that would be illegal. putin countered, the kremlin said today that last month's uprising was an unconstitutional coup. and ukraine's current government is imposing entirely illegitimate decisions onto crimea and eastern and southeastern regions of ukraine. john kerry tried again, calling russian's foreign minister sergey lavrov. critics say the u.s. needs to be tougher.

>> i wish the president would speak up more and label vladimir putin for what he is. and i hope that john kerry understands that when lavrov lies to his face, on friday, while the troops were moving in, lavrov told him they weren't doing anything. shouldn't we understand these people? doesn't that remind us of a bygone era that we thought was bygone? >> reporter: in kiev, ukraine's acting president told nbc the ukraine needs to protected from russia. >> we're pretty much sure the civilized world will not leave ukraine alone against such an aggress. >> reporter: and how aggressive will putin get? the pentagon today seven studied his body language, looking for clues. perhaps they can dig back to this photo. reagan's photographer at a moscow 1988 summit. souza has noted the man who looks like a tourist on the left resembles a young kgb officer, vladimir putin. tonight the state department says it has authorized the

return of family members of u.s. personnel from ukraine. and it issued another travel warning against americans going there. brian? >> andrea mitchell in our d.c. newsroom on this friday night. andrea, thanks. in this country, there was genuine and palpable tension today in washington among some of the top names in the republican party after a comment by republican senator ted cruz of texas rubbed some of his senate colleagues the wrong way. it had john mccain defending the honor of his former colleague, fellow decorated veteran and fellow presidential candidate bob dole. we get more on all of it tonight from msnbc's kelly o'donnell. >> reporter: one of the tea party's most provocative figure. >> of course, all of us remember president dole and president mccain and president romney. >> reporter: texas senator ted cruz triggered a new republican rift, not without attempted humor, but with this pointed claim about principles.

>> look, those are good men. they're decent men. but when you don't stand and draw a clear distinction, when you don't stand for principle, democrats celebrate. >> reporter: that brought out the warrior in john mccain today on "andrea mitchell reports", sending 90-year-old bob dole, who is deeply admired by republicans as a hero in world war ii and the party's choice for president in 1996. >> i wonder if he thinks that bob dole stood for principle on that hilltop in italy when he was so gravely wounded and left part of his body there fighting for our country. >> reporter: dole, who is in frail health, chided cruz in a statement today. cruz should check my voting record before making comments. i was one of president reagan's strongest supporters, and my record is that of a traditional republican conservative. mccain, who has had a tough relationship with cruz says he went up to him on the senate floor thursday to say that he and romney are fair game, but told cruz not to go after dole.

>> i hope that ted cruz will apologize to bob dole. >> reporter: but senator cruz did not apologize. today his office released a statement saying cruz greatly respects the heroic military service of senators dole and john mccain, suggesting anything otherwise is just an unnecessary distraction. but added that cruz will not back down on matters of conservative principle. even if others may disagree. fuelling a battle that cuts across generations in a party struggling to find its future voice. kelly o'donnell, nbc news, washington. and about that contentious house hearing we aired two nights ago here involving two members of congress who got pretty heated. there has now been an apology, you will recall the chairman of the oversight committee, republican darrell issa of california, cut off the microphone, refused to let his colleague, maryland democrat elijah cummings ask questions

after an irs official invoked her fifth amendment rights. turns out issa called cummings last night and apologized. he told a newspaper that he should have been, quote, much more sensitive to the mood that was going on at that hearing. now to an american report and jobs report out today, the labor department said that employers added 175,000 jobs last month, far more than the previous two months. the unemployment rate actually went up slightly to 6.7% because more people started to look for work. there were fears that the brutal winter weather may have had a larger impact on businesses and hiring than it did in the end. in florida, the pregnant mother who drove a minivan carrying her three children into the ocean was charged today with three counts of attempted first-degree murder. after undergoing a psychiatric evaluation, ebony wilkerson was taken into custody by the local sheriff's office. officials there said she denied trying to hurt the children, but the children told investigators otherwise. they were all rescued by several bystanders who jumped into the

water to help. overseas, more drama today in the trial of oscar pistorius, who from the beginning has claimed he shot his girlfriend, reeva steenkamp, after mistaking her for an intruder. but the prosecution is building a case that there is another side to the olympic athlete, one capable of deliberate murder. nbc's ayman mohyeldin was in the courtroom again today in pretoria. >> reporter: oscar pistorius on trial for murder and on public display, at times this week overcome with emotion, even gagging when forced to relive the night he shot and killed girlfriend reeva steenkamp. >> he always finishes well. >> reporter: his days as an olympic hero now a fading memory. as the prosecution paints a darker picture today with the testimony of former girlfriend samantha taylor. >> did you know the accused owned a gun? during your relationship? >> yes, my lady. >> how did you know? >> he kept it on him all the time, my lady.

>> reporter: a picture of pistorius as trigger-happy, temperamental, prone to anger. >> oscar screamed at you? >> yes. >> one occasion or more? >> on more occasions, my lady. >> reporter: this is where oscar pistorius sits. yesterday, he broke down. he was visibly emotional. but today a different story. he sat very stoically, listening to an ex-girlfriend level some serious accusations against him. taylor said that pistorius once fired a gun through the sun roof of a car, angry after being stopped for speeding. and he accidentally fired a gun in a restaurant, another friend testified this week. >> i remember, he said please take the blame for me there is too much media around me. just take the blame for me. >> all this paints a picture with a flawed character. a person who is perhaps a bit arrogant. >> reporter: and unfaithful. taylor was asked how the relationship ended. >> he cheated on me with reeva steencamp.

>> reporter: at one point, she broke down in tears. >> just take your time, please. >> an emotional first week in what could be a long trial that has already tarnished a once golden image. ayman mohyeldin, nbc news, pretoria, south africa. we got a revealing look today at the next generation to take the reins in this country, the latest in the generational progression that started in the modern era, at least, with the greatest generation. their children, the baby boomers, then genx, and the so-called millennials. the new data both confirm and debunk some widely held assumptions about them as a group. we get our report tonight from nbc's stephanie gosk. >> reporter: millennials are young adults, 18 to 33, perfect fodder for the entertainment industry, from "big bang theory" to gaethe new girl" to "girls." >> i don't want to freak you out, but i think i may be the voice of my generation. >> reporter: finishing school and getting jobs but not quite running things yet.

a pugh research poll showed that this generation compared to previous young generations tends to be more politically independent. >> whenever choosing what you're going to vote for you, you have to choose less of both evils. >> reporter: less religious. less than 58% are certain that god exists. and they are less likely to get married. 26% of millennials are hitched, versus 48% of baby boomers at the same age. >> i have faith in the fact that the person that i am in a relationship with feels the same way, and i don't think that we need to get married to define that. >> reporter: like young people before them, they are generally optimistic and generally self-absorbed. what sets them apart is their reliance on technology. how much time without your smartphone before you start to feel a little uncomfortable? >> two to three minutes. >> oh, yeah. i don't like to go to the bathroom without it. >> reporter: we're at the headquarters for buzzfeed, a new website that basically catered

to millennials. a bunch of them work and play here. years of a struggling economy have left an impression. >> the previous generation had last access to the american dream. we can't. we're in debt. there are no jobs. >> reporter: time magazine did a whole spread on the millennials, with a gentle jibe that may have stung. >> they're so earnest. they're so easily offended where as i'm generation x and all the horrible things written about us, i don't think any of us cared. >> reporter: so if there are any millennials watching, please don't be hurt. you'll soon grow out of it. stephanie gosk, nbc news, new york. and still ahead tonight, testing for possible radiation in the waters off california three years now after the nuclear disaster in japan. and later the incredible comeback of an american hero just five months after his salute went worldwide.

we have an update from the west coast tonight. three years now after that tsunami in japan and the

disaster at the fukushima nuclear plant, we know about all of the debris that has washed up on our shores. but now scientists from long beach state university have started to look for something else, signs of radiation in the kelp that is found off the california coast. nbc's miguel almaguer has our report. >> all right, are you guys ready? >> reporter: shoving off from the port of long beach, professor steve manley leads the expedition. just beyond the breakwall, the marine biologist spots what he is looking for. >> all of this, all of this, that one right up there. >> reporter: could this kelp forest be contaminated with radiation from fukushima? collecting their first samples, researchers from kelp watch 2014. >> kelp watch is a scientific campaign designed to use our local kelp beds as detectors of radioactive materials that are coming over from fukushima. >> reporter: tsunami debris

began washing ashore on the west coast two years ago, the leading edge of waste littering the beaches of hawaii and hitting the coast of oregon. >> kelp is a natural filter? >> it's a very good natural filter. >> reporter: if radiation is discovered here, it could be measured in kelp. but will it pose a public health threat? >> people, when they don't have information they start to make up their own information. and there was a lot of fear. i wouldn't be concerned about swimming in the water or eating the local fish. >> reporter: but its impact on the environment and marine life remains an unknown. over the next nine months, researchers will make more than 40 collections up and down the west coast. the kelp will be sent to a lab for analysis. professor iwomoto, who studies the effect of radiation on the body says there is no reason for fear. >> we haven't seen anything that should raise any kind of red

flags or alarm to the general public. >> reporter: lab results may soon give us proof contaminated water has traveled 5,000 miles to our shores. for now, no alarm, but these researchers know their work is just beginning. miguel almaguer, nbc news, long beach, california. and we're back in a moment with a picture designed to put something in perspective.

well, if you remember the heat dan quayle took for how he spelled potato or the grammatical trouble that 43 got himself into, you may want to see this from last night. president obama paying tribute to the great aretha franklin at the white house. one song, though, in particular. >> when aretha first told us what r-s-p-e-c-t meant to her -- [ laughter ] >> the president just decided to go with it, in keeping with the spirit of the evening, which was a raucous good evening of music at the white house. the captain of the queen mary ii has posed in such a way as to show how tiny a human is,

even the captain of the ship when compared to the behemoth queen mary ii. now ten years old, the veteran of 200 atlantic crossings. conditions had to be perfect for this photo to work, and they were. he posed on that bulbous portion of the hull that usually rides below the water line, which in case you're ever on maritime jeopardy is called the forefoot. and a big birthday around here for the big guy who makes a big deal out of people's birthdays for a living. willard scott turned 80 today. and a reminder to our friend willard to hang in there and live well, because in just 20 years, you get one of these. happy birthday from all here to willard scott. when we come back, the journey of a lifetime for a young man we have come to know while telling his story.

finally tonight, we have an update on a young army veteran we came to know because he came to the world's attention after a photo of him struggling to salute while badly wounded and in his hospital bed, ricocheted around the world. well tonight, nbc's harry smith checks in on sergeant josh hargis, an afghanistan veteran and army ranger who is living proof of their famous credo, "rangers lead the way."

>> reporter: people who know josh hargis weren't surprised to see him hand peddling a bike near victory drive this week near ft. benning, georgia. not surprised because hargis doesn't know the meaning of the word quit. we first saw josh in this picture in october, after losing both legs to an ied. he somehow managed to salute after being awarded a purple heart at a field hospital in afghanistan. we marveled at his determination when we visited him and his wife, taylor, in january. now, he may not be a new man but he is getting closer and closer to becoming the old josh. >> being able to do everything with my wife again, i feel like i can give her myself again. you know, who i was. >> reporter: and with little time to spare, you may recall taylor is expecting in may. >> even though we have been through you know, tough times and everything that has happened, if we just keep looking at everything as a challenge and something to overcome we'll set a good

example for our son. and just grow together. >> reporter: josh and taylor were in columbus to meet up with her brother, sergeant patrick griffith, whose idea it was to put together a warrior's walk from his base to josh's. >> we're walk from forth stewart all the way down here to ft. benning. >> what's it like? how many miles? >> 222 altogether. >> reporter: a core group of a dozen or so made the entire journey in 17 days. but in the home stretch, almost 100 people, family members, other soldiers, their families, and even strangers joined in to let this young couple know they'll always be there for them. >> good to see you, man. >> reporter: but with the finish in sight, the caravan stopped. >> all right. i'm going to walk with you guys now. >> reporter: josh and taylor have always insisted theirs is a shared story. they want you to know that many others stand in harm's way every day. and while the hargis family may

have its challenges -- >> there is a brighter side you can get to. there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. you just got to keep walking until you get there. >> reporter: and as they say down here, rangers lead the way. harry smith, nbc news, columbus, georgia. in addition to asking all of you to keep all of our veterans and active duty in your thoughts and prayers, there is information on our website tonight for all those who wish to help sergeant hargis and all of our wounded vets. that is our broadcast tonight, i'm brian williams, lester holt will be here with you this weekend. of course we hope to see you back here on monday evening. have a good weekend. good night.

that breaking news, a missing plane carrying hundreds of passengers. thanks for joining us on this friday. i'm raj mathai. >> i'm janelle wang. it took off and was supposed to land in beijing at 2:30 pacific time but never landed. the plane lost contact with air traffic control at 10:40 this morning. the boeing 777 has 229 passengers with two infants and 12 crew members o. officials say

passengers are of 13 nationalities. a search and rescue mission is underway right now. this is a statement from malaysia airlines, mh 370 has lost contact with air traffic contr control. they are working with the authorities who have activated their search and rescue team to locate the aircraft. the airline is also in the process of calling relatives and passengers of the crew members, as well. this is flight number 370, of course, we'll continue to monitor this breaking story and bring you any updates as they come in. a rare plea from one of the bay area's most notable cities. some from mountain city want the took boom to stop. interesting to hear this explanation. >> reporter: yeah, it's interesting, raj. the mountain view city counsel is planning to b