there tonight. we've got clear skies throughout san jose. we'll have more in the forecast coming up at 6:00. >> have a great weekend. on our broadcast tonight, dangerous mistakes. big trouble at the cdc. admitting more serious incidents in handling some of the world's deadliest viruses like anthrax and bird flu and now two high security labs have been shut down. summer chill. the weather phenomenon about to make lot of vacation spots unusually cold. like july temperatures in the 50s. cleveland rocks. the decision is announced and the crowd goes wild and we're live from there tonight. about a boy, the new film opening this weekend that critics say isn't quite like anything we have ever seen before. "nightly news" begins right now. >> good evening.

it is called the centers for disease control for a reason. it's the one place that deals with the worst stuff on the planet. the most virulent, fatal and feared substances, bacteria and viruses, on planet earth. they must be kept somewhere ideally contained and under lock and key. right now, there are big problems at the cdc over just that. the control and handling of dangerous substances. the recent incident involving anthrax made news, then today we learned about more. and the head of the cdc spoke out in anger and took action today. it's where we begin on this friday night with our chief medical editor dr. nancy snyderman. >> reporter: the cdc responsible for tracking every infectious disease on the planet including anthrax, influenza and smallpox is reeling today after a series of embarrassing mistakes. >> i'm just astonished that this could have happened here. i'm upset. i'm angry. i have lost sleep over it. i'm working around the clock to

make sure we do everything possible to resolve it. >> reporter: today the cdc acknowledged a sample of animal influenza sent to a lab in may was contaminated with the deadly h5n1 bird, exposing lab workers. even worse, it wasn't reported right away. >> as to why it took six weeks for that to be made apparent to us, i can think of no valid explanation. >> reporter: h5n1 bird flu is so infectious that millions of birds in asia have been slaughtered to keep it from spreading. another mistake -- last month 86 cdc employees were potentially exposed to anthrax after samples were mishandled. anthrax is a bioterrorism agent, used as a weapon to kill five americans in 2001. adding to the problem, the shocking discovery last week of six vials containing the smallpox virus in a storage room at the national institute of health.

today it was revealed that two of those vials contained live virus, capable of infecting people. the vials should have been destroyed 50 years ago. in response to the incidents the cdc today shut down the flu and anthrax labs and stopped shipping any infectious agents from its highest security facilitieses. >> this should be a wake-up call that this could have happened in any number of labs around the world and tonight there shouldn't be a lab director in the world sleeping easily. >> reporter: no one was infected in any of the incidents, but the fact that the public could have been sickened is a black eye for the most trusted public health institution in the world. there is no doubt tonight, brian, that people will be held accountable, and i expect that heads will roll. >> certainly got our attention today. nancy snyderman, thank you as always. overseas tonight, in the middle east, it goes on. something just shy of war, but it's constant. no letup in the air attacks being lodged by israel and hamas. the death toll now topping 100

in gaza, most of them civilians. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu said today he won't be swayed by international pressure as israeli tanks continue to gather on the border. our veteran middle east correspondent martin fletcher in tel aviv for us tonight. good evening. >> reporter: brian, israel says it's destroyed 2,000 rockets in gaza, but there are many more targets to hit. and the army says it's all set to invade gaza. all the army needs now is the government order. gaza's death toll passed 100 today. palestinians killed in israel's four days. but israel says it's trying to limit the civilian casualties. this is how. they call it the knock on the roof. a neighbor shouts, warning, warning. before israeli attacks a civilian home, it warns them by dropping a bomb with no explosives and also sends text messages and makes phone calls to the residents. one minute after the warning,

israel says it is all the fault of hamas for hiding control centers and rocket launchers among civilians. rockets like these. islamic militants have fired 660 rockets at israel in four day thes. the first to do any real damage hit today. a gas station in the southern city of ashtardin. the impact caught by the cctv cameras. eight wounded, one seriously. and prime minister netanyahu said today, no international pressure will stop us acting with all our power. about the ground invasion he said, we are weighing every opportunity. and a battery was deployed from the factory today. the anti-rocket system has knocked out almost all of the palestinian rockets threatening cities. it's enabled tel aviv residents the main targets, to take it all in stride. >> my parents are more worried than i am. [ sir sirens ]

>> reporter: but this is tel aviv tonight. today hamas warned foreign airlines not to fly into tel aviv. they said it's also a military airport, but no rockets have fallen nearby and there's been no change in the routine. >> martin fletcher, as we enter yet another day, thanks. back in this country to a community outside houston still reeling from a dramatic tragedy. there was a dramatic moment in court today as we learn more now about a man charged with going on a deadly rampage. we have an update tonight from nbc's miguel almaguer. >> reporter: facing a judge for the first time today, ronald lee haskell's knees buckled as he heard the evidence against him. charged with capital murder, he collapsed in court. >> maybe reality is finally setting in. this is not television. this is not fiction. he is facing his consequence. >> reporter: police say haskell was looking for his ex-wife when he broke into his

sister-in-law's home, shooting five innocent children and their parents. stephen and katie stay, execution style in the same room. 15-year-old cassidy, the lone survivor, called 911. >> cassidy, she's a hero. she put her hands over her head. and she was shot in the side of her head. >> reporter: after a slow speed pursuit, haskell surrendered. police believe he was en route to kill his ex-wife's parents. >> the focus of my defense with regard to mr. haskell is going to be on his mental condition. >> reporter: haskell has a history of domestic violence. in 2008, a guilty plea for assaulting his then wife. just last week, haskell's mother filed a restraining order after she says he choked her until she passed out. days later, haskell showed up in texas. >> the truth is, a human being sometimes you have no idea what they're going to do and when

they are going to do it. >> reporter: tonight, just outside houston, there are no answers. only sorrow and pain. if convicted the suspect could face the death penalty here in texas. as to the 15-year-old girl, incredibly she's been released from the hospital. brian? >> miguel almaguer, outside harris county courthouse, thanks. authorities are on alert in washington state where five wildfires are burning. one nearly 30 square miles in all. temperatures topping 100 degrees on the way this weekend, making for a difficult fight. hundreds of firefighters are battling the flames in the eastern part of the state. some folks there have been warned to be ready to evacuate now at a moment's notice. as you might have heard, this was a big day in cleveland. they are getting lebron james back. four years ago, lured by the white sands of south beach, the green that was being offered by the miami heat and his quest for gold championship rings, lebron

broke hearts in cleveland and he left and he went to find all of that in florida. now four years later, he's headed back to the place that brung him to the dance and he's going back to stay so this was a happy day in cleveland. that's where nbc's jenna wolfe is for us tonight. good evening. >> reporter: good evening to you, brian. yeah, lebron james admits he was young and maybe even a little reckless with the hearts of cleveland fans the first time around. but now he's back to make things right after the city of cleveland said that's more than enough. they're the three words that the city of cleveland has been waiting to hear for four years -- i'm coming home. and with those words came these words. >> one of the greatest moments in cleveland. >> are you crying? >> i mean -- >> it's fantastic. >> reporter: there wasn't a big splashy announcement or a press conference like when he left cleveland heartbroken four years ago. instead, an essay.

rather heart felt to his fans explaining why he was coming home and admitting his leaving caused hard feelings. my relationship with northeast ohio is bigger than basketball. i didn't realize that four years ago. i do now. the suspense about the next move kept the city on edge. people swarming his house with police on hand. now this whole thing almost came crashing down when the owl picked miami as the place lebron was going to end up. i don't know who her sources are. but like the last three days the whole thing caused a lot of confusion. i hear you. a lot. this whole saga documented everywhere. from tv to t-shirts. the lying king has been forgiven, but this news isn't just good for basketball fans. >> lebron coming back means good for business anywhere. not just around the stadium, right? >> no question that the city is definitely going to be impacted in a positive way. >> reporter: speculation that with lebron's return, ticket prices for the cavs could suddenly become the most expensive in the entire league -- upwards of $200.

and in return, lebron writes he's on a mission to bring glory back to cleveland. our city hasn't had that feeling in a long, long, long time. >> you have done a wonderful thing for cleveland. >> reporter: but cleveland's gain is now miami's pain. lebron's image already defaced. >> it's bittersweet because he give -- he gave us four great years. >> we won't burn jersey, i promise. >> lbj! >> reporter: how quickly cleveland has forgotten and forgiven. on to the current salary cap rules, lebron james will make under $21 million. the cleveland cavaliers have even moved a couple of players to make room for lebron. it was a classic case of whatever it takes.

if you listen carefully you can hear celebrations throughout this city tonight. lebron james is back in town. >> that's right. jenna wolfe on the eve of a very big weekend in the city of cleveland. thanks. another story certainly got a lot of attention in some parts today. the national weather service warning that a summer version of the polar vortex was about to make a return visit next week throwing a wrench in a lot of family vacation plans. temperatures are expected to drop from the 80s and 90s, the stuff of july into the 50s and 60s in some areas of the country. we get our report tonight from nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: think back five to six months ago when many of us developed a deep hatred for a weather phenomenon we had never heard of before. >> the polar vortex allows it to make its way down to the south. >> i don't think in my years of standing here i have been this cold. >> now that we're in the next deep freeze and the next polar vortex for better or for worse the thaw could be a long way off. >> reporter: that was in february. today, minneapolis hit 81 degrees. on monday they'll be lucky to

get out of the 50s. >> this is typically the warmest time of the summer. this is a shock to the system, especially for those in the northern plains and the upper midwest where temperatures will be about 30 degrees below average for this time of year. >> reporter: experts say that massive typhoon in japan is the cause, forcing the jet stream to take a big dip to the south. on thursday, the weather service was calling it the return of the polar vortex. but meteorologists say only a piece of the polar vortex will make it feel like fall football weather next week. >> it's a little fragment of cold air hiding up above the arctic circle. that's coming down, july style. again, it's not january. july. that will bring some record lows our way. >> reporter: hit hard with the polar will vortex last winter, chicago. >> it doesn't feel like summer is totally gotten here yet. >> reporter: now at the lickety-split ice cream shop they're preparing for the next cold snap. >> when it's 80s it drops down to 60, we see less people. >> it's going to be like 55. that's cold for the summer. but not a polar vortex. >> reporter: the good news, it will only be a chilly swim for a few days in many cities. the bad news? the real start to autumn is two months away. tom costello, nbc news,

bethesda, maryland. >> you had to add that at the end. still ahead on a friday evening, a police officer tries to sound the alarm by doing something very powerful on camera are to warn against a big summer danger. and later, the changing face of a young actor growing up on film like we have never seen before.

a police officer in north texas is issuing a very powerful message tonight by making a video of himself in the heat, alone, in his car. intended as kind of alarm about this big summer danger after several high profile family tragedies and many more close calls that keep on happening across our country. our report tonight from nbc's rehema ellis. >> sweating. probably hard to see. >> reporter: after 15 minutes -- >> breathing is a little harder to do. >> reporter: then 20. >> it's very, very hot. >> reporter: corporal jesse

peterson sat in his car in texas as temperatures outside reached 94 degrees. >> it's somewhere around 130 degrees inside the car in 25 minutes. >> reporter: after 30 minutes, he had to stop. >> my body is telling me to get out. it's pretty brutal. definitely an awareness even for myself. >> reporter: heat stroke is the second leading cause of nontraffic fatalities among children in the u.s. so far this year, 16 children have died. a recent survey of 1,000 parents found that nearly 7 in 10 know about the dangers, but said they would leave their own children alone in a car. 14% of parents reported they have actually done it. experts say most people think a tragedy won't happen to them. >> and that is the worst mistake any person can ever make. because if you think it can't happen to you, then you won't put the protections in place that will prevent it from happening. >> reporter: right now, there are no government-approved technologies on the market to alert when kids are left in the car.

experts say parents and caregivers need to be the first line of defense. >> anyone watching this can potentially save a child's life if they see a child left alone in a car. >> reporter: in fact, tennessee just passed a law to protect passersby who break a car window if they think a child's in danger. it was passersby in new mexico who rescued a 5-year-old girl locked in a hot pickup truck for more than an hour. >> screaming, sweating, unsure, very scared. >> reporter: a child saved and a reminder of an avoidable tragedy. rehema ellis, nbc news, los angeles. we'll take a break and be back in a moment with the greatest show on earth. coming this weekend.

the state of tennessee has lost two titans in just the last 16 days. first came the death of former senator howard baker. now today the death of john seigenthaler. while nbc news viewers came to

know his son of the same name, john, sr., the patriarch is being remembered as a legend in the south and a champion of journalism and the first amendment. he was the long time editor of the nashville tennessean who showed such great courage in the civil rights struggle. he twice worked for bobby kennedy. he was an air force veteran and effortless writer with the restless mind. he loved the newspaper business and later had a hand in shaping "usa today." he meant the world to tennessee and he loved it right back. john seigenthaler was 86 years old. on the eve of the world cup finals it has occurred to several million people around the world these two teams playing for all of it represent the home nations of two living current and former popes and they just might be praying for different outcomes. here's the artful photoshop making the rounds on social media today. pope francis pulling for his native argentina, while benedict

is thinking only of germany. it will all be over but the shouting sunday afternoon. and a word about the heavens. here's hoping you have cloudless skies this weekend starting tonight, so you can see one of three so-called super moons this year. it looms so large in the sky because it's nearest to the earth about now. it will appear especially enormous near the horizon. if you're visiting new york this weekend you're in for a treat. the solar dynamic known as manhattanhenge when the setting sun shines right down the west to east cross streets creating some beautiful urban views. when we come back, more than a decade in the making and opening tonight. what one critic calls one of the most extraordinary movies of 2014 or for that matter the 21st century so far.

finally tonight, as we head into yet another summer weekend, something new will be appearing in selected theaters that some critics are already saying is unlike anything else we have seen. it's been more than a decade in the making. and we get the story behind it from our man in hollywood, at least for tonight, nbc's mike taibbi. >> reporter: director richard linklater's "boyhood" is unlike any other seen before.

the scenes are unremarkable. a boy rolling his first gutter balls. >> don't worry about it. >> wish i could use the bumpers. >> you don't want the bumpers. life doesn't give you bumpers. >> reporter: but this is a scripted movie filmed for a few days a year, ever since the summer of 2002. the actors grow older with unknown breakout star eller coaltrain as mason, moving as a real character from his 6-year-old baby fat through adolescence to the doorstep of college. >> you know on paper it seems crazy. but it was one of the easiest yeses i ever had in my professional life. >> ready to have some fun? >> reporter: it's a movie about small moments in any family's life. a little boy sitting in an alley. a bedtime story. a first crew cut. a fast food lunch. a divorced father played by ethan hawke trying to get his kids to talk to him. >> is that so hard? >> dad your questions are hard to answer. >> let's get on that boat. >> reporter: linklater and hawke had collaborated on before movies.

"before sunset, " "before midnight." they told willie geist on "today" that "boyhood" was a logical next step. >> what a way to tell a story. >> be cool like i used to be. >> revisit the characters over time. >> reporter: linklater said not much happens in the movie. life was enough. critics saw plenty. >> from the first couple minutes of the movie you're drawn in. you realize that this is that rare film that you can just sit back and let it wash over youment >> reporter: 12 years of his life. >> it's incredible. like nothing else. >> reporter: the star with equal billing, time itself. mike taibbi, nbc news, los angeles. that is our broadcast for this friday night and for this week. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. lester holt will be here with you this weekend. we, of course, hope to see you right back here on monday evening. in the meantime, please have a good weekend. in the meantime, please have a good weekend. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

nbc bay area news starts now. right now at 6:00, key evidence revealed. new clues into sierra lamar's disappearance, and they're coming o of a grand jury report released in the last half hour. >> i'm raj mathai. we begin with that story m he's accused of murdering the morgan hill teenager, and this report has been unsealed. the report outlines some of the key evidence against torres. it includes dna details and the possibility that sierra lamar

and garcia torres had more than just a casual encounter. this is part of a 2,000-page document we have just obtained. we are at the courthouse with the latest details. robert? >> reporter: we have been poring over this transcript, and even though it is incredibly technical and detailed, we have gotten some very interesting new information. as we have been reporting, torres was charged in the disappearance of sierra lamar even though her body has never been found. but investigators tell nbc bay area, there was evidence linking the two. some of the inferences in the transcript are graphic. but much of the testimony revolved around the testimony of bodily fluids, including some found on her clothing. now t