on this saturday night, on the brink. tonight, missile warning sirens are blaring in the middle east. we're live inside israel and gaza as the region braces for a possible ground war. border crisis. we're on the front lines as the tide of undocumented immigrants continues to flood into this country and we meet some of the children going it alone. the price you pay with the cost of living skyrocketing more and more, retirees are living out the american dream outside the u.s. we'll tell you where they're going. and flying into history. 77 years after amelia earhart's ill-fated flight, her namesake attempts to finish what she started.

good evening. tonight israeli tanks are positioned outside the entrances to gaza, awaiting orders to invade as the aerial bombardments from both sides continues but claiming an uneven toll of dead and injured. the israeli military tonight successfully intercepted another barrage of hamas rockets, fired from gaza toward tel aviv. hamas, however, has had no such success, defending against israeli counter attacks. the death toll in gaza now stands at over 150, with over 900 people wounded. inside israel, there have been no deaths from the rocket attacks but at least 11 people have been wounded. tonight we have the view from the ground on both sides starting with martin fletcher in tel aviv. good evening. >> reporter: lester, good evening. the stakes are rising sharply here tonight. israel says because hamas is hiding its rocket launchers among palestinian homes in

northern gaza, tonight it will order palestinian civilians to leave their homes, quote, for their own safety. they were running for their lives in tel aviv tonight. hamas had warned, we'll hit tel aviv at 9:00 p.m. they fired at 9:07. 90 seconds at tel aviv. it came at 9:08. the iron dome anti-missile system did its job tracking the missiles, hitting them head on, destroying them. >> israel must defend itself. >> it must. >> israel must defend itself. >> hamas fired at least four missiles at tel aviv. no damage, no casualties thanks to the iron dome. israel's patience is close to the breaking point. tank columns continue to take oppositions today while some of the palestinian population in northern gaza has reportedly been warned to leave their homes. the army says it is ready to invade gaza to stop the rockets. all it needs now is the

government order and israelis are divided. >> every few years we are getting into some little wars and it never ends. i don't think that getting into gaza is the right solution right now. >> israel must go together and destroy the hamas. >> gaza, after five days of fighting, more than 150 palestinians dead, 1,000 wounded, 12 israelis wounded, the u.n. security council today called for an end to the fighting. everyone wants to stop the ground invasion and the carnage it would bring. the u.n. security council, the european union, the arab league. all are calling for a halt to the violence. now they're working on cease fire proposals. hamas has all but said they will listen but they won't stop fighting yet. >> martin is in tel aviv.

with no end in sight, the human toll is steadily rising in gaza. >> reporter: good evening. as it does every time around this time, it is an eerie silence that falls upon gaza. ambulances out in the streets. we're hearing the sounds of fighter jets and drones. a short while ago the israeli navy shelled the harbor to my right. there was an air strike that tried to kill gaza's police chief. it didn't. it killed 18, many from the same family but only the there is outrage over what might have been the deliberate targeting of a home for people with disabilities. in the daylight, the aftermath of israel's overnight air strike becomes visible. it is unclear why israel may have targeted this shelter for people with disabilities, but what is clear is the toll on the people who lived here. at the hospital where her brother and sisters waited, she was known only as victim number six.

she was 38 years old. her brother told me, we thought she would be safe from the war so we kept her in the shelter. they were wrong. a final goodbye wave from her sister, a shortstop at the local mosque for mourners young and old to pay their respects and she became a number again, one of more than 150 people killed in israel's war on gaza so far. just as we left them, hundreds flooded the streets for another funeral. this one for four men belonging to palestinian militant factions, killed in an israeli air strike while standing on a street corner. they've just laid another body on top of that hilltop there behind me. it is the sixth body in this one neighborhood alone today. it gives you a sense of the scale of loss that the people of gaza are now suffering. every palestinian death here is a source of renewed determination to live, this preacher tells the mourners. don't abandon the fight.

don't abandon the resistance, he says. while they mourn, the war rages on, smoke from yet another israeli air strike billows on the horizon. at the site we find more anger. word spread it is an israeli assassination of a senior hamas member. stoic looks on the faces of the elders but it is too much for the young ones to handle. another day in gaza, another day of bombardment, another day of death. the united nations said that more than 300,000 palestinians may be displaced with the israeli ground invasion. tomorrow morning, they plan on evacuating them. for those that remain behind, they'll have nowhere to go. lester? >> tonight inside gaza. thank you. iran long regarded as one of hamas' key patrons is weighing in on this latest mideast crisis. that country's foreign minister sat down with an exclusive, for an exclusive interview with our

own david gregory. he defended the actions we're seeing from hamas. >> do you condemn hamas? >> we do not condemn people who are defending themselves. we believe that actions that are putting civilians in jeopardy in gaza that have placed restrictions on civilians to get access to medicine, to food, have tried to starve the civilians in gaza, the united states and the rest of the members of the security council have a moral and legal responsibility to put an end to this and we regret that they haven't taken any action in order to address this. >> for more, let's bring in moderator of "meet the press." david gregory. david, as we have noted, they have called for a cease fire. what could the u.s. specifically do to try to end this fighting? >> try to keep pressure on, which the administration is doing. the administration has made it clear that it feels that israel, a stalwart ally, has the right to defend itself against rocket attacks that have been going on for years. the concern, of course, as we've

been reporting with the prospect of a ground invasion, how much more disproportionate the response could be and the death toll being much higher on one side, since it doesn't exist on the israeli side. that's what has the white house worried. especially after a collapse in peace talks. they don't want to see a complete unraveling of this area. >> you spoke with iran's foreign minister. iran is seen as a provider of some of the munitions getting into gaza. how can that flow be disrupted? >> they deny they're doing it. you heard from the foreign minister certainly some moral support for hamas and for the resistance from iran, which as you noted, has been a supplier of weapons and a supporter of hamas in the past. so this becomes kind of the rhetorical struggle as well, and iran is putting its thumb on the side of hamas and what it calls the resistance. >> all right, thanks. you can catch the rest of the exclusive interview with the iranian foreign minister

tomorrow morning on "meet the press." to a story we've been covering all week, patrol agents along our nation's border are seeing the resources put to the test by a steady stream of undocumented immigrants. nbc's mark potter got a firsthand look at the challenges those agents are confronting and the unaccompanied children they're coming face to face with every day. he brings us that story tonight from mission, texas. >> reporter: late in the afternoon as the light begins to fade, the immigrant wave into south texas picks up again. as more families and unaccompanied children from central america seek new lives in the united states. for the u.s. border patrol, it is a daily rhythm. on this afternoon, we're along as they find a group of mothers and kids from honduras who traveled 13 days before crossing the rio grande. among them, a nervous little girl, 7-year-old amy, who says she is alone here without relatives, hoping to find her mother in the united states.

when asked where her mother lives, she doesn't know but says it is written on a piece of paper. at first she can't find it in her clothing bag. but then remembers with great relief, it is in her back pocket and gives it to the agents. >> north carolina. prior to about a week ago, we were seeing amys -- young children like amy, probably 250 times a day. now we see roughly about 150 times a day. >> reporter: a few miles east in an area known as devil's corner, we find a much larger group from honduras, el salvador and guatemala. their trip through mexico took ten days. >> very tired. >> reporter: victoria, her daughter and all the rest are exhausted. >> this is a scene that repeats itself every day, every hour here along the rio grande. after this group comes in, they can expect to see another one very soon. reporter: just down the road we discover another group of

mostly young men who ran and hid from the border patrol. all terrain vehicles, helicopters and dogs swept in to find them all. to try to stem the immigrant flow, the patrol has sent more than 300 extra agents and academy grads to the rio grande valley where officials are starting to see a bit of a slow-down now. >> we were seeing about, apprehension rates about 1,400, 1,500 in a 24-hour cycle. now on average we see about a thousand. >> reporter: no one is sure if this is the start of a downward trend or if the flow of families and young amys will start to rise again. mark potter, nbc news, mission, texas. a new report is shedding light in the chaos surrounding last september's deadly shooting at the washington navy yard. the d.c. police department says that city officers were unable to access live surveillance feeds of the shooter as he carried out the rampage that left 12 people dead.

according to the report, the private security guard tasked with monitoring those cameras locked himself in the room and failed to contact authorities. good news for comedian tracy morgan. he's been released from a rehabilitation center following a deadly crash involving his limo and a walmart truck. today his agent confirmed that he will join other victims in filing a lawsuit against walmart. the suit alleges that the company was negligent when it allowed the driver to stay behind the wheel, despite being awake for over 24 hours. a new round of extreme weather is expected to hit the country later this week. that means temperatures could plunge by as much as 30 degrees in some areas. if that weren't enough, parts of illinois already reeling from flash flooding after a band of severe thunderstorms tore through that region earlier today. for more on all that, we're joined by the weather channel's kim cunningham. >> yes, we've picked up over five inches of rain in some parts of chicago. the taste of chicago canceled today. that's how bad it was. we had the heavy rain.

now we're worried about severe weather. then we'll be worried about the cold. let's show you what's coming together for this. we have this dip in the jet stream. that will allow the cold air to come southward but also to actually get some energy to the front. we're already starting to see some thunderstorms developing ahead of it. we could see more severe weather into chicago later on tonight. so from kansas city to chicago, we'll be watching indianapolis this evening. then once that front goes through, the next one comes in. then we'll watch the cold air. we're talking 30 degrees, a big change for you guys. 10 on 20 degrees below average. detroit, houston, cincinnati. we'll see the temperatures only in the 60s for your highs including chicago by tuesday. 69 degrees, detroit at 72. so the cold air is on the way. it looks like it will last all the way through next week. >> all right. thank you. when "nbc nightly news" continues this saturday, the rising cost of retirement has some rethinking about where to call home. and later, what's in a name? for one woman, a chance to take

care of unfinished business.

we're back with more. the price you pay. for many, it is the much deserved reward after a lifetime of hard work. the chance at a peaceful retirement. for some, the cost of spending their golden years in this country is simply too high. now more and more americans are looking to retire abroad. nbc's kris jansing caught up with one such couple in cuenca, ecuador.

>> reporter: the views are picture postcard perfect. cuenca, ecuador's third largest city. it has been called the paris of south america. and a growing number of american retirees like bill and judy collins call it home. >> every single day here is a whole new world. our only regret is that we did not move here sooner. >> reporter: the former school teachers left houston, texas for ecuador three years ago after realizing they just could not afford to retire in the u.s. >> we had checked out several other countries first and ecuador won. cuenco won hands down. >> i think they have lost their minds. >> reporter: their friends who they met in tango class were shocked when they told them they were retiring abroad. >> reporter: it never crossed your mind in any serious way that you might leave the united states. >> no way.

>> reporter: your friends love it there. >> good for them! >> reporter: and good for the collins' budget. >> that's a good deal. >> reporter: bill and judy pay $600 a month for their three bedroom apartment compared to the westons who spend almost $900 a month. the collins' grocery bill averages about $200 a month. half as much as the westons. medical costs are 50% lower, too, than in the states, and the collins are happy with their care. >> $20. that's all. >> the other day we went to see a cardiologist and it only cost us $30. the same visit in the states would be maybe $300. >> reporter: a bus ride costs 12 cents. lunch in a nice restaurant is about $2. >> salud. >> reporter: the collins admit they sometimes miss the people they left behind and try to visit as often as they can. >> we know that our family and friends can be reached within a day and then there is always skype. >> and facetime. >> and facetime.

>> reporter: and three years in they can't imagine retiring anywhere else. >> this is our home. we love it here. we really do. >> reporter: kris jansing, nbc news. coming up, a rare sight in cleveland today that had everyone talking and it wasn't lebron james.

tommy ramone, the founding drummer and last of the ramones has died. the band was thought to be the beginning of punk rock. they influenced a generation with hits like i want to be sedated.

tommy ramone was born tom airday but joined his band dates taking the name ramone. he died at his home in queens, new york, after a battle with cancer. he was 65 years old. the music world talk about the passing of a man from the jazz era. charlie haden, a grammy award winning bassist. his lyrical baselines improvising off the melody upended the traditional bop sound of the times and became known as free jazz. in 2012 he was honored by the national endowment of the arts as a jazz master. charlie haden died yesterday at 76. brazilian world cup fans are mourning a loss. the netherlands defeated the host country 3-0 in the match. a pair of early goals left brazil struggling early on and they never recovered. germany takes on argentina in tomorrow's title game. a sight in cleveland had everyone talking today and it was not king james. a controlled demolition took

down the city's inner belt, the bridge in true explosive fashion. for 55 years it carried hundreds of millions of cars across the cuyahoga river. this morning it was gone in half a second. it will be replaced by two new bridges. they should both be up and running in time for lebron's debut this fall. and it is the moon that will be taking on a starring role tonight. a so-called super moon will light up the skies, appearing bigger and brighter than what we're used to. it happens when the moon orbits closer to earth. if you happen to miss tonight's show, you're in luck. this is the first of three super moons we'll see this summer. up next, 77 years later another amelia earhart is flying into the history books.

finally, it's been 77 years since amelia earhart vanished while attempting to fly around the world. two weeks ago a young woman set out to complete the journey that earhart never did. as reported, she is living up to her name. >> reporter: there was much anticipation surrounding the final landing of this modern day amelia earhart. while it seemed certain her around the world flight would end smoothly -- >> girl! >> reporter: this odyssey was about something deeper.

>> i feel like it is a part of me. it is what i was born to do. now we did it. we finished the flight around the world. >> reporter: though amelia rose earhart recently learned she is not related to her namesake, she has always felt the connection, even as a kid. she thought maybe i can fly around the world. wouldn't that be awesome? >> reporter: it is why she got her pilot's license ten years ago and why she decided to re-create the 1937 journey that ended with amelia mary earhart disappearing over the pacific ocean. she called at this time amelia project, a way to get girls excited about aviation. we were with her before the flight. >> the view outside will be amazing. for a lot of it we'll be staring out at a big blue ocean. >> reporter: in the past 77 years, airplane technology has greatly improved. >> we're taking off. >> reporter: yet human nerves remain as fragile as ever. >> happy tears, right? >> reporter: as earhart began her emotional voyage, she had a special goal in mind. >> i want to see the sunrise around the entire globe. >> reporter: it is why every single takeoff was scheduled at sunrise, and this is what they

saw. using social media, earhart and her co-pilot shared all kinds of images from their two-week adventure which spanned 17 cities and 14 countries from brazil, senegal and beyond. toward the end they even circled the tiny island where her namesake was supposed to land but never made it. >> i was trembling as we flew over. i was struggling with my camera and finally set everything down and just looked. >> reporter: their trip ended where it began. >> there he is! >> reporter: in oakland, at the same hangar where the first amelia started her quest. >> i feel like we brought her home. >> reporter: a once in a lifetime journey for which the sun has now set. nbc news, los angeles. that's "nbc nightly news" for this saturday. i'm lester holt reporting from new york. i'll see you tomorrow morning on "today." then right back here tomorrow

evening. good night.

good evening. i'm peggy bunker. >> i'm terry mcsweeney. happening now, the last football game ever at candlestick park is less than an hour away. guys like montana, rice, white and a list of memories goes on and on. christie smith is there. so many great memories because of those guys. >> reporter: 16 and number 80 out here, montana and rice, that's what these fans are coming out here to see. they want to see a little bit of that old 49ers magic. this is some of the crowd out here. it's gotten very crowded within the last 30 minutes. almost feels like a regular niners game. fans