>> she's still laughing at me. >> i'm visualizing the roller skating. >> it was laughable. on this saturday night, american release, after five years of captivity, a u.s. soldier is freed by the taliban in an extraordinary prisoner exchange that has some asking did the u.s. negotiate with terrorists? under investigation, the government looks at whether a top golfer, a big-time gambler and one of the most powerful men on wall street were involved in insider trading. deleting history. getting rid of those unwanted things about yourself on the internet. now it's possible, at least for some people. and the next chapter of a popular and beloved series that fostered the love of learning in generations of youngsters. reading rainbow goes digital.

>> from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. good evening. we begin with the surprise release in afghanistan today of a u.s. army sergeant held prisoner by the taliban for nearly five years. sergeant bowe bergdahl was held reportedly in good condition and flown to a coalition air base in afghanistan. bergdahl was captured in 2009. his freedom comes in exchange for the release of five guantanamo bay terror detain who are in the air on their way to the persian gulf nation of cutter. his parents and president obama appeared in the rose garden. >> the community in idaho or military which rallied to sup -- support the bergdahls through thick and thin and he wasn't forgotten by his

country because the united states of america does not ever leave our men and women in uniform behind. >> it was incredible and good news but today's news not without some controversy. we have two reports beginning with jim. >> reporter: lester, that was a remarkable event a short time ago in the rose garden with president obama and i can tell you that it was almost impossible to imagine five long years ago. >> what's your name? >> my name is beau bergdahl. >> reporter: this is the first glimpse nearly five years ago, three weeks after he was captured by the taliban outside his base in afghanistan. clearly frightened and prodded by his captures, he feared the worst. >> scared i won't be able to go home and very unnerving to be a prisoner. >> reporter: worried most about his parents back in idaho.

>> i miss them and i'm afraid that i might never see them again. >> reporter: as of today, he's a prisoner no longer. the dramatic hand off took place in eastern afghanistan. several dozen u.s. special operations forces and a band of about 18 taliban fighters, both sides heavily armed warily approached each other as american attack helicopters circled. after a brief verbal exchange, bergdahl was released and walked alone toward the american commando who whisked him away to safety. he appeared in five hostage videos, clearly under during russ and sometimes criticized the u.s. war in afghanistan. >> i'm afraid to tell you this war has effected us. >> reporter: his release was the result of a prisoner swap. a year ago the taliban first offered to release bergdahl in exchange for five prisoners being held at the guantanamo bay defense center in cuba.

today, less than six hours after he was freed, five top taliban prisoners at gitmo were loaded on a u.s. c-17 to be flown to cutter in the persian gulf. president obama said bergdahl's recovery confirms america's commitment to leave no man or woman behind. in the rose garden late today with president obama his parents were still overwhelmed by the news. >> we'll continue to stay strong for bowe while he recovers. thank you. >> we can't communicate the words this morning when we heard from the president. >> reporter: critics argue today's release of the five taliban prisoners may put american lives at risk. >> our past experience for the last ten years, basically is when you let them go, they go right back to combat. >> reporter: in hailey, idaho, his hometown, the entire community was overjoyed. >> he has touched so many lives

and i think he has a lot to come home to and a lot of people grateful for him. >> but he's still got a long way to go from afghanistan he's to germany for a full physical exam and to san antonio for a psychological exam to help him adjust back into society and his new found freedom. but many here at the pentagon are also eager to talk to beau when they get the chance because they want to know just why did he walk away from his secure military out post in afghanistan five years ago, lester? >> jim, starting us off as joyous as the news of sergeant bergdahl has some wondering. christian welker is looking into that and has some reaction. >> reporter: it's been a long-standing government policy, the u.s. doesn't negotiate with terrorists.

>> america will never make concessions to terrorists. >> no nation can negotiate with terrorists. >> reporter: news the obama administration secured the release of sergeant bergdahl for five afghan prisoners has drown sharp criticism. mike rogers writes this fundamental shift in u.s. policy signals to terrorist around the world a greater incentive to take u.s. hostages. the white house is saying there were no direct talks between the u.s. and the taliban, instead the qatarrys acted as intermediaries. >> we negotiate, quietly, diplomatically behind closed doors with third parties. some foreign policy experts note ronald reagan swap arms with iran for hostages. >> the united states policy should be we'll always negotiate, we're willing to negotiate, but we'll never compromise the national security of the united states.

>> reporter: meanwhile, some republicans are criticizing administration for failing to compile with the law that requires administration notify congress 30 days before releasing prisoners from guantanamo. the ranking members of the services committee writing we our joy at sar gent burghdal's release is the president ignoring the low. we moved as quickly as possible. still expert the say with so much bipartisan support for the release, there likely won't be much push back. >> they risked they could break this rule, law with no consequences and that's likely the effect. >> reporter: lawmakers are demanding to know what steps the u.s. is taking to make sure the detacribed as taliban leadership don't return to the fight against the united states and allies. the white house is saying they will be held in qatar for a year. lester? >> thank you.

tonight a new round of anxiety for veteran whose want to see real action and real results over the scandal at the treatment delays at va hospitals. here is kelly o'donnell. >> reporter: tonight the va is a bureaucracy and crisis with veterans demanding action from florida. >> i think they should put someone in there that know what is they are doing and that really has the veterans on their side. >> reporter: to phoenix. >> i just like the veterans to be treated with some respect through the va system, and not just be used to try to get a promotion. >> reporter: in washington where one drama is over after the president accepted friday's resignation ending eric shinseki's time as va secretary. >> we're concerned that the air might get let out of the balloon and the american people will move on. >> reporter: multiple investigations are underway,

falsified appointment times are a major focus. the first chapter of the internal audit finds a systemic lack of integrity within health administration facilities. one key example, 13% of va scheduling staffers said they had received instruction to enter a different date in the system than the veteran had requested. >> what we don't need is a witch hunt. we need an honest investigation. >> reporter: to get answers, they should not have to endure another long bureaucratic wait for real reforms. kelly o'donnell, nbc news, washington. to an investigation underway involving top golfer fill mickelson, a gambler and billion-dollar wall street investor. were they involved in wall street trading? they say they have done nothing wrong. we get that story from craig melvin. >> reporter: phil mickelson teed

off in ohio and appeared cool under pressure despite he, one of the richest investors on wall street carl icahn and las vegas sports gambler walters are the subject of an insider trading probe. the fbi and securities and exchange commission look whether mickelson and walters received private information from icon about his investments in the clorox company and looking at whether they traded illegally and made a profit off that information. >> they are looking at phone calls. they are looking at bank records. they are looking at travel records. they are looking at records like that that try to put these two men in contact someplace with someone who has inside information. >> reporter: none of the three men have been accused of any wrongdoing. >> i have done absolutely nothing wrong and that's why i've been fully cooperating with the fbi agents and i'm happy to do so in the future, too. >> scott spoke to ichan by phone.

>> he said he knew of phil mickelson but they have never met. he says his 50-year career is unblemished and he's never given inside information to anyone. >> reporter: for mickelson, one of golf's highest paid players, the scandal could tarnish a squeaky clean image. the nba has announced they are moving forward on the sale of the la clippers to steve balmer. so it is cancelled a meeting next week at which the nba would have voted to terminate the sterling family's ownership of the team. shelley sterling sold the team without approval of her husband donald and she agreed not to sue the nba. analysts say that means a $1 billion lawsuit against the league by donald sterling is probably moot. overseas, there were violent demonstrations today in turkey. riot police used tear gas and water cannons on hundreds of anti-government protesters who defied a ban on such demonstrations.

the clashes came on the anniversary of protests last year. thousands of people were wounded and at least a dozen were killed during months of protests. there is growing anger in india and beyond tonight over an attack on two girls who were raped and killed earlier this week. this is the latest attack in a country facing criticism for years and it has done little to combat wide spread sexual violence. we have more on this tonight from duncan. >> reporter: there were wide spread protests across india today after a brutal attack on two teenage girls. the victims were cousins, just 14 and 12 years old. they went outside tuesday night to use the bathroom and disappeared. their bodies later found hanging from a tree. they had been gang raped and strangled. behind the outrage allegations

the police refused to help when the father of the young's girl reported them missing. the family, the community once known as the untouchables in india's ancient system. they claim that's why the police turned them away. >> we are very, very angry and this is why so many people showed up today. to share their grief and anger and say we are victims of violence everywhere. >> reporter: anger at the police and indian government has been growing since the 2012 gang rape and murder of a female student on a bus. her attackers were sentenced to death after nation-wide protests. since then, prison sentences for rapists have been doubled. but human rights activists say the problem is getting the police to take allegations of rape seriously in the first place. >> the first thing they will tell her is you're lying. this is not happened to you. you're trying to falsely implicate. >> reporter: in this case, there have been five arrests, two police officers along with three of the suspected attackers. the girl's father a farm worker is refusing to take compensation from the government. instead, he demanded and is getting a federal investigation.

tonight his fight for justice is gaining support across india. nbc news, london. in the meantime in southeast asia, a volcano in indonee -- indonesia is causing problems. tens of thousands of feet in the air ash and two clouds drifted over australia cancelling flights to and from and within australia. two of the clouds drifted southeast over australia forcing the cancellation of numerous plig flights to and from and within australia. calling it the right to be forgotten, removing unwanted items about yourself on google. coming soon to a course near you, how about a round of foot golf.

we're back with a fact of life. everything about you could be found on google. who wishes something could be deleted? my report from stephanie gosk. >> reporter: the internet holds undesirable details of our life. anything online you want to pull off? >> yeah. >> and iraq, everywhere such as. >> reporter: up until now what happened online generally stayed online but europe's top court said internet users have a right to be forgotten. citizens there can ask google to remove links about themselves

from the company's europe based search engine. >> i think it's a fantastic decision. we all make mistakes. >> reporter: the company determines what gets pulled based on certain criteria. take this story i did on the ava museum four years ago. i would love for it to be forgotten forever. ♪ ♪ friday night and the lights are low ♪ >> reporter: i would have to prove it was inadequate, obviously, irrelevant, clearly, or inappropriate, no one should have to watch me dance. google ruled against the rules calling the case a coalition between the right to be forgot and the right to know. >> we have a great tradition of open access to records and when you google someone, that's not suppressing information, that's suppressing information from the past.

that sounds like hiding. >> reporter: they have yet to pull anything down but when they do, searches out of europe will generate links and the item can be posted again creating a new link. other search engines like yahoo and bing are closely following the case. the european court may say there is a right to be forgotten, but there are some things that simply never will be. stephanie gosk, nbc news, new york. >> so if you have a computer, it's gosk and aba. when we come back, an exciting new chapter for a kids' classic.

we've got good news to report for parents that might

hope for a revival of "reading rainbow." so many grew up during the running on public tv. it appears the host will bring it back on digital. here is janet shanleyen. >> reporter: it was around for a generation. ♪ take a look, it's in a book, reading rainbow ♪ >> reporter: millions grew up on reading rainbow, the pbs program was showered with awards before ending in 2009. >> first poem is called book. >> reporter: the long-time host this week wants to kick start a campaign to bring it back, not on tv but how kids learn now, interactively and on the web. >> i want to make this completely free to classrooms in need. >> reporter: his goal was a million dollars in 35 days. he had it in 11 hours. >> i am overwhelmed. thank you so much. tonight, donations have topped

$3 million. >> it seems to be giving people who grew up on the show an opportunity to give back to something they feel gave to them. >> reporter: 35-year-old christine still knows the theme song from when she watched in the '80s. she donated 250 dollars so her three children could enjoy it, too. >> through my childhood and adulthood, i loved to read and a big part of it is due to "reading rainbow." >> reporter: it's a tablet app, donations will put it on the internet for a subscription fee but free for kids in need. >> i'm on a mission. i got stuff to do. we got kids we're losing, slipping through the cracks. >> reporter: a pot of gold at the end of "reading rainbow." janet shanleyen, nbc news houston. another icon from 1980s pop culture has been sold. it's the glass house in ferris bulers's day off. as you recall, it was this house where cameron kicks his father's

ferrara out of the glass into the ravine. a treasure hunt that has lots of folks in southern california in a cash-driven frenzy. the mystery man said dozens of mystery angry birds would be buried can cash. they find a couple hundred bucks without striking it rich. you have to be rich to >> a sport in which a hole in one gets a whole new meaning.

finally tonight, chances are you may not have heard about a sport gaining ground. if you like the fairway and you like to check, this may be one to check out. >> reporter: popularity of golf and soccer and you get foot golf an athletic marriage of, well, soccer and golf. >> you just don't use clubs. you use your leg and a 5 x 5 soccer ball. >> reporter: some rules, same course, same european origin. golf is established. foot golf is well on it's way played in 22 different countries. roberto and laura brought the sport to the u.s. they are the founders of the american football league. >> here we have over 120 courses in 30 states. >> reporter: who is this sport designed for? who is your target audience?

>> anyone can play. it can be as fun as you want. >> reporter: even the pga is a fan. why? because it's bringing people back out onto the golf course. kristen springs in new jersey just launched foot golf this spring and it's already taken off. >> we've seen all sorts families, young people, men and women, completely different clientele enjoying the sport. >> reporter: the dress code argyles, the rules like golf. >> this is a par five. >> reporter: with a touch of soccer. >> that is a terrible, terrible shot. >> reporter: don't think this isn't competitive. what is happening to my ball? like many first timers, foot golf takes a little practice. >> mainly, you want to go to the left. >> reporter: a lot of patience and a little bit more practice. ta da! it's easy to see why this is becoming such a popular new sport. jenna wolf, nbc news.

that's "nbc nightly news" for this saturday. i'm lester holt reporting from new york. i'll see you tomorrow morning on "today" and right back here tomorrow evening. have a good night, everyone.

good evening. i'm terry mcsweeney. >> and i'm diane dwyer. we begin in san francisco where dozens of emergency crews swarmed an apartment building on russian hill this afternoon. many of them are in full hazmat gear. police shut down part of jackson street outside the building near polk. kimberly tere has more on the investigation for us now. kimberly? >> reporter: i'm going to step out of the way to show you what is going on over there. jackson street in the russian hill neighborhood is shut down. it has been since this morning as the fbi executes a search warrant on a building here between fopolk and van ness. it's part of a criminal investigation. but they wouldn't elaborate beyond that.