next is "nightly news" with brian williams. see you at 6:00. on our broadcast tonight, outbreak and it's a troubling one. a spike in measles cases across this country. the highest in almost 20 years, and tonight, the cdc is hitting back at parentwho are not vaccinating their children. hospital attack, a security guard opens fire on american doctors caring for children in afghanistan. a father and son among the dead. new rules on e cigarettes, just as they become a big thing, now comes the crack down. and get a grip, what was he thinking? tonight, major league baseball reacts not so much to cheating but to doing it so openly. "nightly news" begins now. from nbc news world

headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. good evening. a disease once thought to be gone in the united states is making a come back and today, the centers for disease control pushed back at parents who are declining vaccines for their children. the number of children with measles in this country is spiking, along with mumps and whooping cough and in light of the new numbers, an infectious disease expert blamed rumors and conspiracy theories for a fall off in vaccinations. young parents today haven't seen these diseases, and they don't respect or fear them. this is an issue of public health and where we begin tonight with dr. nancy snyderman. >> reporter: new mom meredith greenstein had a scar lately saying three month old raleigh might have been exposed to measles. >> we knew something had to be done. so on the advice of our pediatrici

pediatrician, we took her immediately to the emergency room. >> reporter: greenstein, an nbc employee, says everything turned out okay and tests were negative, but she has every right to be worried. this extremely contagious disease spread by sneezes is surging at the fastest pace in two decades. >> in the first four months of the year, we're breaking records. >> reporter: today the cdc says at least 129 measles cases from 13 states have been reported in the united states this year. most have been in california and new york. the majority of those who have become ill have not been vaccinated. a growing number of unvaccinated americans, combined with international travel, has health officials concerned. >> measles are still circulating around the world. it's an airplane away, and we need people to make sure they are vaccinated, and that their kids are up to date on vaccines. >> things to ask about, international travel. >> reporter: at this medical

center in brooklyn, this doctor is making sure the staff knows what to look for. >> high fever, rush. >> reporter: because most have never seen measles before. >> because we're seeing an increase in cases of measles, a lot of doctors haven't actually seen the measles, we're trying to educate them on the things to watch out for. >> reporter: the symptoms of measles again really begin seven to 14 days after a person has been infected. first a mild to moderate fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes, sore throat. two or three laters, tiny white spots may appear inside the mouth. then a blotchy reddish rash appears on the face and spreads downward. this mother isn't taking any chances. she got her 4-year-old son james vaccinated today. >> i want to protect him. especially he gets sick very often, so i want to protect him. >> reporter: it's easy to forget before the measles vaccine became available, this disease infected half a million people

every year, sending nearly 50,000 people to the hospital it is a preventible illness and complications like pneumonia, deafness and even death have to be taken seriously, brian. >> we thought it was vanquished. thank you. overseas today, there was an awful attack on americans at a hospital in afghanistan. an afghan security guard opened fire on a doctor exiting the building to greet a group of visiting medical professionals. the guard who was supposed to be protecting them shot them in the back killing three injuring one other before turning the weapon on himself. we get our report tonight from richard engel. >> reporter: it happened here outside this kabul hospital, run by an american christian charity, cure international. it's one of the best pediatric and maternity clinics in the city, treating 37,000 afghans a year for nearly a decade. today a policeman at the gate

opened fire killing american dr. jerry umanos and two visiting american doctors. the white house condemned the attack. the u.s. embassy saying those killed were humanitarians. this deprives the citizens of afghanistan valuable medical expertise. umanos, a pediatrician and father of three, volunteered in kabul for years. back home in chicago friends and family remembered. >> i know jerry would also really like everybody to know about his love for the afghan people, and our love for the afghan people. >> he was such a great person. such a warm spirit. you couldn't ask for a better person. >> reporter: today's tragedy is the latest case of afghan security forces killing unarmed americans. earlier this month, a policeman open fired on two associated press journalists, killing one of them. the u.s. military has long been targeted by so-called insider attacks.

but u.s. forces are now leaving afghanistan. we watched them hoist away equipment last fall, so militants increasingly hit non-military western targeting including a kabul hotel last month, killing nine. civilians including medical workers and journalists still travel the streets and don't fire back. now a decade of work to improve the standard of living in afghanistan is at risk as no foreigner, even those trying to help, can feel safe. after the i a tack, the policeman shot himself, firing under his chin. but brian, he survived and then he was treated at the very same hospital that he had just attacked. he was in stable condition, and then transferred to afghan custody. >> as you said, bears repeating, these were americans over there trying to help. richard engel, thanks. a strong warning to russia late today, in fact, by u.s. secretary of state john kerry. the stop interfering in ukraine or face more sanctio.

this followed an escalation of the crisis just today as government security forces in the eastern part of ukraine moved against those pro russian insurgents. the fighting turned deadly and provoked more tough talk by the russia and the u.s. our report tonight from jim meceda in ukraine. >> reporter: violence today and maybe a tipping point. ukrainian special police booked by troops closed in aggressively on the key pro russian strong hold. clashing with militants, killing at least two at check points outside town. a battle that had ukrainians holding their breath, wondering if this could trigger a military invasion by russia to protect the fellow russian speakers. that's been the fear throughout the standoff. today president putin called the kiev government's use of force a grave crime against his own people and warned it will have consequences.

and russia quickly launched new war games, ground and air forces just across ukraine's boarder. u.s. officials describe the exercises to nbc news as pulsing the border, making a run to rde. u.s. officials describe the exercises to nbc news as pulsing the border, making a run to ukraine and stopping soft to the government in kiev and a threat from president obama traveling in japan if putin doesn't step back from the brink. >> there will be further consequences. we will ramp up further sanctions. >> reporter: ukrainian forces also cleared insurgents from the city hall near crimea, once again flying the ukrainian flag. tonight across eastern ukraine and other occupied towns like this one, prorussia militants refused to back down insisting they will fight to their last drop of blood. jim maceda, nbc news, donetsk. on another front, a huge setback tonight for u.s. efforts to somehow, some way restart some sort of peace process in

the middle east. after a lot of work and almost an entire year of shovel diplomacy by secretary of state john kerry just to get the israelis and palestinians to talk to each ore. it all fell apart today. andrea mitchell live in the newsroom in washington with the details on this. good evening. >> good evening, brian. john kerry's nine month quest for peace between israel and the palestinians is on life support. it was in trouble thanks to failures by both sides. but now the palestinians have joined forces with a rival palestinian faction, hamas, considered terrorists by both the u.s. and israel. but taud prime minister netanyahu responded saying he's now suspending all talks with the pill stalestinians. >> as long as i'm prime minister of israel, i will never negotiate with the palestinian government backed by terrorists. neither would you. would you negotiate with a government that is backed by al qaeda? that calls for the destruction of america?

that has murdered americans? >> tonight secretary kerry does not concede his dream of middle east peace is entirely lost but even he acknowledges they are at a very difficult point. and it's hard to see how this can be salvaged at all, brian. >> andrea mitchell with the latest on this tonight. andrea, thanks. eight days since the south korean ferry capsized and sank. today some of the families were taken to the site of the disaster where more than 120 bodies remain trapped inside the wreck. most of them, again, high school students. divers have now recovered 175 victims, among them the boy who was the first to call 911 to say the ship was sinking. in this country he was hailed by some as a populist hero. the nevada rancher who resisted the government's attempts to remove his cattle from federal lands, but tonight it's what cliven bundy has had to say in recent days about race that is

causing outrage and has some of his supporters running from him and fast. and fair warning, his comments contain language seldom heard this day in age. our report tonight from nbc's mike taibi. >> reporter: in the day of viral videos, everything can happen quickly. supporters helped him hold off government attempts to seize the cattle grazing on federal lands, even though he refused to pay more than a million in grazing fees and fines. >> i'm after freedom. i don't recognize the united states government as even existing. >> reporter: now not two weeks later he lost much of the freedom fighter status in conservative circles with these comments about race. >> i want to tell you one more thing i know about the negro. >> reporter: comments first referenced in today's new york times and now gone viral about african-americans he saw outside an urban housing project. >> they abort their young children, they put their young men in jail because they never learned how to pick cotton.

and i often wondered, are they better off as slaves picking cotton, having a family life and doing things, or are they better off under government subsidy? >> the fallout has been swift. the distance traveled at the speed of the internet starting with some of bundy's major supporters. senator rand paul called the comments racist and offensive will nevada senator dean helen's word, appalling and commentators on fox news that supported bundy's cause were suddenly silent or openly critical. las vegas review journal reporter keith rogers who followed bundy's case for years says the rancher has one logical move. >> i think cliven has to look inside himself and maybe he might be a bigger man by saying i'm sorry. >> reporter: he did not apologize today, repeating his comments about race. but while the dispute over grazing his cattle without paying fees isn't every -- >> the court has rules that this

cattle is in trust pass -- >> his role as an unqualified anti-government hero is. mike taibbi, los angeles. an interesting and admittedly briefly tense exchange between our political director and chief correspondent chuck todd and america's new ambassador to japan, caroline kennedy. chuck is in japan traveling with the president on his four-nation asia tour. he put a political question to ambassador kennedy about a potential hillary clinton run for the white house after she forcefully supported president obama back in '08. >> can you foresee yourself supporting hillary clinton in 2016 if she chooses to win? >> can i foresee myself? >> yeah. >> sure. >> would you like to see her run? >> i would like to see her run if that's what she wants to do. i think she would be great. >> because the last time you didn't support her, that's why i was just curious if this time you want her to do it and would be behind her. >> yeah, i just said that. that's great. yeah. that would be great. >> ambassador caroline kennedy

with chuck todd in tokyo. still ahead for us on the broadcast, new rules just announced for what is being marketed as a smoking substitute. the feds are stepping in on the e-cigarette industry. and later, what a 10-year-old visitor handed to the first lady during a visit to the white house. a moment caught on camera and getting a lot of i a tension.

the federal government today announced the first steps toward regulating e-cigarettes. they are growing in popularity, especially among those trying to quit traditional cigarettes. the fda needs to know much more about the risks and so far they say they don't know much. our report tonight from nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: they are springing up across the country, vapor bars, caters to e-cigarette customers, many trying to wean themselves off of tobacco. in los angeles, the liquid nicotine business is booming.

>> it's water vapor, so it's very light tasting. >> i have green tea lemonade, like a pineapple peach. >> reporter: fueled by a massive marketing campaign. >> i've been a smoker for 20 years. and i just found a smarter alternative. >> reporter: e-cig sales have taken off, $2 billion last year and growing. now for the first time, the fda is preparing to regulate -cigarettes, much as it regulates tobacco, prohibiting sales to minors, free sample handouts and vending machine sales. requiring manufacturers to provide a full list of the chemical ingredients and nicotine warning labels. >> we don't know as much about the health and safety risks of e-cigarettes. that's why we want to be able to regulate them so that we can get the information we need about what's in them. >> reporter: with 250 different brands on the market, regulation is a must, ultimately providing the end user with a product that is consistent. unlike traditional cigarettes,

e-cigarette makers will be allowed to advertise on tv, and for now, the fda will permit the sale of flavored varieties which many consumer advocates say are to attract young people. a charge the industry denies. meanwhile, the experts warn highly addictive nicotine still isn't regulated. >> there are some of these products that deliver a very high content of nicotine, far, far higher than smoking several cigarettes. >> reporter: it's the vapor clouds themselves that led many cities to been a e-cigs, as the fad spreads. the concerns are there are chemicals in the vapors that could be toxic to the people inhaling or nearby. by knowing what they are, they will learn whether they are harmful. >> tom costello out of washington with that story, thanks. next, a surprise about something found in millions of american homes.

>> the state of california

continues to look to mother nature for help. the updated drought map came out today showing for the first time in it's 15-year history, the entire state is listed in a d-1 to d-4 category drought. that means 100% of the state, home to 40 million people, give or take, is in the drought. this may be the definition of moxie or guts or chutzpah, as part of take your children to work day, a 10-year-old girl in the front row named charlotte bell said her dad was out of work for three years and produced his resume. he worked for the obama reelection campaign. mrs. obama gave charlotte a hug and took her dad's resume with her when she left. lady's home journal calls itself a place for practical beauty and fashion advice, easy recipes and sound marriage

advice and perhaps because those may seem like almost quaint notions, the "ladies home journal" is running the monthly becoming a quarterly magazine and web presence instead. a bit of history here, it's 131 years old. it was the first american magazine to hit a circulation of 1 million and achieved that number back in 1903. it was one of the so-called seven sisters in the women's magazine business. "mccalls", "better homes and gardens ", "family keeping", "red book" and "woman's day." when we come back tonight, about last night on the mound and right there in plain sight.

finally here tonight, let's just say this for the record, a lot of baseball pitchers use foreign substances to get a better grip on the ball, especially on cold nights in april and october. hitters can hit in the cold and fielders can field but it's tougher to throw and make the ball do what you want at high speeds. having said that, most pitchers hide it. not last night when a pitcher on the new york yankees might has well brought a can of pine tar to the mound with him.

>> reporter: if there is an art to cheating, michael pineda's performance last night might be called bold expressionism. all that little dab of pine tar in the second inning did was get him a ten-game unpaid vacation compliments of major league baseball, and a fair amount of ridicule, two boston sports writers included. >> cheat on your wife but make sure it's not the neighbor's wife. >> everybody would be looking to see if the red sox' pitchers are doing anything. >> reporter: two weeks ago cameras caught what looked like pine tar on his hand against the rival red sox but this time the skipper didn't let it slide, even on a chilly night. >> particularly in climates like last night, you're looking for some sort of grip. i think there are ways to be more discrete. >> reporter: baseball and cheating some say go together like hot dogs and beer.

cleveland indians slugger albert bell was caught corking his bat in '94 and gaylord perry was fond of the spitball from vaseline to hair tonic giving the ball juice. one pitcher carried an emory board. he denied any wrongdoing but still got nailed by the ump. and then there is the classic pine tar from the '80s. a home run called off because of the goo on his bat. outside fenway park, fans on both teams called foul on pineda, but they were forgiving. >> if it's something that everybody does, why not, right? >> reporter: another magical yankees/red sox moment, a slight of hand too heavi havavy on the obvious. ron mott, nbc news boston. >> that is our broadcast for a thursday night. thanks for being with us. i'm brian williams. we hope to see you back here tomorrow evening. good night.

>> it was one of the best things that ever happened to our neighborhood. >> right now at 6:00, banding together to fight crime like only the bay area can: with technology. >> new at 6:00, social networking not just for socializing. bay area cities are fighting back against crime and dwindling police forces. a specific app that's gaining ground. oakland and san jose among the cities turning to this free app to lower their crime rate.

nbc is in the area not just for police departments, but for residents. >> you're absolutely right, raj. it started here in south bay where crime is a big topic of conversation. so, of course, is technology. today, in several bay areas, the two of them came together. part of a trend using social networking to try to take a digital bite out of crime. >> in the south bay and the east bay, police departments have cut back. so neighborhoods are increasingly turning to the web to stay in touch. specifically, social networking site, nextdoor.com. >> when we found nextdoor and started using it, it was one of the best things that ever happened to our neighborhood. . >> reporter: she says it's hard to meet neighbors face-to-face as often as they'd like, so they social network in good times and bad. >> we did experience a very difficult situation, recently.