extreme measures trying to stop the mers virus, we alert airports across the country. from bad to worst, donald sterling unloads going on a rant about magic johnson and aids, while his wife calls the nba sex it's in a new interview with savannah guthrie. smear campaign, are we witnessing an attack on hillary clinton and did carl rove take things too far neighborhood, and letters from jackie, unguarded messages hidden about her husband, her life, her marriage, a sign of jackie kennedy not seen until now. "nightly news" begins now. >> from nbc news world

headquarters in new york, this is nbc "nightly news" with brian williams. >> good evening the mers virus arrived seemingly out of nowhere. we actually foe it started in the middle east and is potentially fatal. while public health officials have been downplaying the threat after two confirmed cases here in the u.s., just today, the federal government stems up its efforts to keep it out of this country. today a health advisory went up at all major u.s. airports alerting travelers to the middle east and trying to prevent its spread. health care workers in orlando are being tested after they came in contact with a patient. tonight, this virus is being taken very seriously. it's where we begin our reporting tonight with our chief medical editor dr. nancy snyderman. >> reporter: the white house today responding to concerns about the deadly virus now showing up in the united states. >> and the president has been briefed on this development. the cdc is taking the current

situation very seriously and is work income close coordination with local health authorities. >> reporter: so far, two cases have been confirmed. a patient in indiana was hospitalized for 12 days and released last week. the second, a saudi resident who was visiting family tonight remains hospitalized in orlando, florida in good condition and now 20 health care workers at two hospitals in orlando are being tested for mers. health officials on the front lines of previous global outbreaks, like bird flu, swine flu and sars are concerned. a doctor resently returned from the arabian peninsula where he has been studying the ca sars o. >> it is similar to other illnesses from other respiratory pathogens. you might think it's an influenza. >> reporter: that's why the tsa

has begun to alert travelers. these signs are being posted at major airports across the country, about the disease's symptoms and how to prevent its spread. m mers started in the middle east and jumped to bats, camels and now humans. there are reports in 17 countries, most in the arabian peninsula. now with dubai being the world's busiest airport, containing this virus may no longer be possible. and because so much commerce now goes through the middle east, this outbreak has world wide medical implications, but it also has major economic repercussions, too, brian. >> we will keep our eye on it. nancy snyderman starting us off. thanks. we are tracking extreme weather from coast-to-coast tonight. mostly it's a line of weather cutting the country in half from the fwlax to the gulf of mexico. the let in is severe flooding falling in parts of the state of

texas and the last day than they have seen all this year. record heat is fueling fires once again if california, our report on all of it tonight on nbc's janet shandly. >> reporter: in the west, record high temperatures and the gusty santa ana winds sparked a brush fire in san diego, forcing monita schools to be evacuated. tonight, north of the santa barbara, a new fire. a fast going brush fire pushed winds in heavy vegetation, there downed power lines, self departments are responding. >> with little soil moisture, temperatures will rise quickly five to 15 degrees above average. >> reporter: in houston, water was the problem. stalled cars and buses littering the road. >> well, i'm in an suv. i can't even make it through. >> reporter: this is a proof of flood waters in ohio, washing away a road outside cleveland at 3 is-feet in this high school. in new york, a state of

emergency after a village flooded. while strong winds near saratoga springs vaulted a bouncy house 50-feet in the air with three small children pence, two were seriously hurt when one landed on a parked car, another on the street. a denver flight board with cancellations all over the country as extreme weather takes control. a huge mess for air travelers in the mid-west tonight and beyonding smoke at an faa regional radar facility in ill foy triggered evacuations, then forced a halt in all chicago airports, ahoyer and mid-way. flights are slowly resuming tonight, but it's slow going, getting back up and running after hundreds of delays and cancellations because of the huge amount of traffic they handle there en route. and a tense drama that played out all day in suburban baltimore after a pan rammed a truck through the lobby of a tv

station if to you towsend, maryland. employees were quickly evac wasted as a swat group surrounded the building. a person with mental health issues was taken into custody after a five-hour standoff. things appear to be going from bad to worse for embattled clipper's owner donald sterling, trying to desperately hang on to his hooem team. what he said in a new interview and magic johnson and aids, his wife is reacting to her husband's comments. >> and i'm so sorry -- >> in a puzzleing at times rambleing tv interview it was a supposed to serve as hess public mea culpa, donald sterling dug it deeper with legend magic johnson. >> what has he done? >> he's a business person. >> he's got aids. did he do any business? i'd like -- did he help anybody

in south l.a.? >> he iv. he doesn't have full blown aids. >> what guy goes to a city and has sex with every girl and has hiv. is that someone we want to respect and them our kids about? >> we watched that interview with sterling's estranged wife shelly and her lawyer. >> he's not the man i know or i knew. there is something wrong. >> you think there is something wrong with his mental faculties or the sentiments he has in his heart? >> i really think, personally, he has dementia. because i can't believe anybody would answer questions like. some people would look at that and think, maybe you are making excuses for him? >> nope. i don't make excuses for anybody. i really think something's wrong. >> reporter: today, magic johnson responded in an interview on cnn. >> my whole life is devoted to

urban america. i just wish he knew the fact when he's talking. but he's a mans who upset and he's reaching. >> reporter: the nba said just this week the decision to ban donald sterling for life extends to mrs. sterling's 50% ownership, too. she vows to fight. >> why am i treated unfairly because i'm a woman? >> reporter: are you saying the fba is being sexist by pushing you out? >> i really think so. would an owner's wife say the same thing and would the owner be asked to leave the fba? or would they just say, well, she's a legal wife. >> brian, it was really unusual to get to watch this interview with mrs. sterling and see her digest it. she went through the range of emotions. she was teary at one point when her husband was talking about her, what a beautiful person she was. there were moments of anger. a lot of moments of bewilderment, especially the remarks about magic johnson. she thinks he may be suffering

some dementia. >> in the meantime, this saga goes on. 'van fa guthrie with us. thanks for being with us. overseas, a u.s. military global hawk drone flew its first under surveillance mission over nigeria today in the search for hundreds of kidnapped school girls. this comes as the nigerian government said today it might negotiate with the terrorists. this was an agonizing day for relatives as they tried to identify loved ones in the video by terrorists. stephanie gosk reports from neighboring cameroon. >> reporter: the girls are hard to recognize in matching garment clothes they were forced to wear. today parent poured over the images, trying to find their daughters. the father sat with a correspondent from nbc's partner itn and watched the video for the first time. >> reporter: so you know her? >> this girl i know. >> reporter: is she 16 or 17?

do you know her parents? >> reporter: but he couldn't find his daughter mary. this is the only picture he has of her now. niece girls are in everyone's thoughts here. >> i feel very sad for them. because like us now, they're in exile. >> i am worried about the peace of the country. >> reporter: and the concern is spreading. here if neighboring cameroon in a poor mostly muslim neighborhood of the capital, they worry support for the militant group may take root. boka haram, he says, is not islam. he says that message is a part of his prayer every single week, especially to young people. he tells them boka haram is bad for them and bad for cameroon. the defence ministry says this is what they are up against, a cache of weapons it claims to have seized near the nigerian border. just last week, boka haram

attacked a nigerian village killing hundreds. evidence of what the militants and their swaggering leader are capable of in a region that parents have seen their daughters still alive are still so afraid. stephanie gosk, nbc news, cameroon. this was another deadly day in ukraine as the crisis in the eastern part of that country goes on. at least six ukrainian soldiers were reported killed in an ambush when they came under attack by pro-russian forces outside a village in the region of done yefk. a former leader of israel is going to prison. he served for three years. he was heavily involved in the middle east peace process at the time. he was sentenced to six years today for accepting bribes in a real estate scam before he became prime minister. at sentencing today in israel, the judge said, quote, a public servant who accepts bribes is akin to a traitor.

as of tonight, there are 77 living recipients of the medal of honor in this country. the latest was rewarded today after being delayed for years in bureaucracy, president obama bestowed this nation's highest military honor decorateing a young man whose combat actions in afghanistan were the definition of courage and sacrifice. we get his story tonight from our pentagon correspondent jim miklazewski. >> reporter: army specialist kyle white on a rugged mountain pass in eastern afghanistan, moments before his world exploded in what he calls the worst day of his life. >> it just seemed like the entire valley was there. >> reporter: white's platoon became under heavy fire in an enemy ambush. with no place to take cover, white, himself, was severely injured and feared the worst. >> i remember thinking we're not going to make it through this pun u one. >> reporter: this specialist was

seriously wounded. white ran through a barrage of fire to save him. >> came saved my life. >> reporter: who other soldiers were injured. white repeatedly raced through enemy fire to save them. >> you request see the rocks around him, you see sparks fly out. >> reporter: about the third or fourth time, did you ever even think i can't go out there again? >> i told myself at the beginning of the ambush i'm going to die. if it's going to happen, it's a matter of when. why not do some good and help my guys out until it happens. >> reporter: at the white house today, president obama presented whited with medal of honor, the nation's highest military decoration, there in the east with his life long friend who says he owes everything to kyle white. >> yeah. i can never repay him for saving my life, but it is kind of something he deserves. >> i don't really know what to

say. i don't think he owes me anything. if the roles were reversed, he would have done the exact same thing. >> reporter: jim miklazewski, nbc news, the pittsburgh. the pentagon. we are are back from our studios in new york right after this. .

. we are back as promised with nasty ballistics playing out tonight, long before the next presidential race heats up. a war of words between two of the biggest names in their party. carl rove in a very personal attack against hillary clinton and today fellow republican newt gingrich called this the type of thing that weakens the fabric of our democracy. our report tonight from our chief white house correspondent chuck todd. >> reporter: hillary clinton is used to being on the defensive as on the day she testified about benghazi in her wayneing days at secretary of state. >> the fact is, we had four dead americans. was it because of a protest or guys out for a walk one night decided they'd go kill some americans.

what difference at this point does it make? >> reporter: you be it wasn't just an compass exasperated clinton, recovering from the healthcare of her life, wearing lenss for double vision. >> i still have lingering effects from falling on my head and having the blood clot. but the doctors say that will all recede. >> reporter: before attacks, attacks on the presumed presidential front runner, including benghazi, russia, nigeria, even the lewinsky scandal, but her personal health had been off limits until this morning. the new york post reported carl rove went there, using the highly charged phrase brain damage in a speech. rove disputed that account. >> i said she didn't have brain damage, she had a health episode. this will be an issue. >> reporter: a clinton spokesperson issued this aggressive rebuttal. >> all he wants to do is inject the issue into the echo chamber,

an he's succeeding. >> reporter: jay carney, white house secretary, wacked rove, alluding to his melt down if 2012. >> rove may have been the last person on election night to act knowledge the president won election. >> even newt gingrich couldn't protect rove. privately, they said if clinton won, their hope, going nasty early convinces her not to. long time confidante james carvel says wishful thinking. >> i think she will run, i think 24 hours ago, they're greater today. >> reporter: as said, she finds the political environment disheartening. chuck todd, nbc news, washington. >> we are back in a moment in news tonight that a legendary career could be coming to an end.

one of the lions of the house of representatives on the

democratic side may have to leave congress because of a screw-up. congressman john conyers expected to run for his 26th term in november is being kept off the ballot in the primary because of invalid signatures on a petition. unless he wins on appeal, he'll have to run as a write-in candidate, always a difficult proposition. already, his fellow michiganer john gi ngel. he was first elected in 1964. he turns 85 on friday. and we learn today what we suspect is the time the winner of 2014 was the first for air travelers in years the worst in fact since the government started collecting 20 years. the first three months of the 83 cancelled 4.6% of the.

the airlines are also much more to can sell flights with the approach of bad weather. when we come back tonight, some private thoughts, not private anymore from jackie kennedy being paid public for the first time.

. finally tonight, we are getting more insight into the life and tiles of jackie kennedy in letters about to be auctioned. letters from a young jackie kennedy that reveal new things about one of the most famous women in history. we get our report from andrea mitchell. >> reporter: she was young, beautiful, privileged, setting abroad, taking a trip to ireland, a retired irish priest, a family friend became her chaperone and confidante. dearest father leonard, playfully describing herself, i have iron grey hair. >> they began an extraordinary correspondence when she left the island and it continued until father leonard died in 1964. the letters tell us everything about the excite mtd when she first met her future husband john f. kennedy.

>> reporter: she poured out her heart about her parents divorce and the dashing republican who reminded her in some troubleing ways of her father. >> i think the most remarkable closings about jfk, he's like my father in a way. loves the chase and is bored with the conquest, once married, he proved he is still attracted with other women and resents you. i saw how thatnarily killed mummy. >> reporter: she wrote, maybe i'm just dazzled and picture myself in a glittering world of crowned heads and men of destiny. not a world of house wives. that world can be very glamorous from the outside, if are you in it and lonely, it's can be hell. she wrote of the marriage, i loved being more married than i did in the beginning. >> that's why these letters convey someone who loves her husband, loves being married, but is eyes white opened with the pitfalls.

>> she wrote father leonard, i have to think there is no god or i will have no hope of seeing jack again. her daughter caroline paid fribt to her. >> my mother was a woman of tremendous courage and commit. and she worked hard to do her very best every day of her life. >> reporter: andrea mitchell, npc news, walk. >> that's our broadcast on a tuesday fight. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams, we, of course, hope to see you back here tomorrow evening. we leave you tonight with a look at arlington national cemetery, which parked the anniversary of the first burial there. today they laid a wreath on the grounds. those sacred grounds. good night. .

nbc bay area news begins with a weather alert. right now at 6:00, you can't see it, but if you were out in it, you sure could feel it. the temperature in san jose at this hour, still 95 degrees. and then look live here in san francisco where there's little relief, even in the city tonight. temperatures there in the 90s. a warm ending to a very hot day. good evening, and thanks for joining us. i'm jessica aguirre. >> and i'm raj mathai. a live look in san jose where

cyclists are competing in the annual tour of california, they started in san jose and trek uphill to mt. diablo. the spectators are also braving the elements. if you spent the day in san francisco you just couldn't escape the heat. we have coverage on our alert. but we get started with jeff ranieri who's talking about the surge in temperature. >> it's one of the days that you open up the door and feel the air overriding u the hottest temperature is coming in at campbell with 100 degrees. some 20-plus degrees above average. and we're in store for a hotter day tomorrow. right now at 6:00 we're down about 6 degrees from the daytime high. but it's still very hot for this time of year, 94 in