our website nbcbayarea.com. we hope to see you tonight at 6:00. we'll be back. >> good night. on our broadcast tonight, fatal strike, an israeli attack kills children playing on a beach in gaza. tonight, what happened, international calls for a ceasefire. a live report from our own richard engel. dangerous breakdown, what's going on at the cdc? new revelations now about some of the dangerous viruses on the planet being kept in plastic bags in unlocked containers. risk warning, it's been used for heart health and cholesterol control for 50 years now, and tonight doctors say it doesn't work and could be dangerous. and water shaming, heavy fines announced for homeowners due to an extreme drought emergency. and now it's got people turning on their own neighbors. "nightly news" begins now. from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this

is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. good evening. it is not an all-out war but it's awfully close. and right now this back and forth firing between hamas and israel is preparing to take a pause, a temporary humanitarian ceasefire, so they can get aid into gaza where upwards of a million people are without water and where most of the casualties have been civilians. many signs continue to point to israel now preparing to move on the ground. they've activated 52,000 ground troops in that nation where military service is mandatory. this cycle of violence continues when hamas launches rockets from gaza rather, israel hits back. well, today sadly our cameras were there when disaster struck when civilians were hit and killed including four children. it's where we start again here tonight, our chief foreign correspondent richard engel has made his way to tel aviv. rich ar, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. this brief pause isn't even an

attempt to try to end this conflict. it's just a way to get some supplies to the people of gaza. in fact, this conflict seems to be escalating with nearly 200 israeli air strikes against the gaza strip today and about a hundred rockets being fired from gaza into israel. but it is in gaza where they have no shelters, no air defenses where they are seeing the brunt of the casualties. our camera recorded the shot. an israeli shell smashing into a gaza city port. it was broad daylight. there was no warning. it wasn't the precision war israel says it's fighting. a group of boys, cousins, playing on the beach now were running for their lives. until seconds later another shell hit. israel claimed it was firing at hamas militants at the port. but the dead were four young boys. several others from the same extended family were wounded

including tussum. he managed to crawl up the beach to a nearby hotel. medics rushed the boys to a hospital. parents started to arrive. unsure what happened but expecting the worst. a mother asked, where is my son? where is my love? then her worst fears came true. pray for your son, pray for your son, a relative told her. he is now a martyr. as word spread the other boys' families arrived. what were the boys doing, a father asked. they didn't have any rockets. he was my only son, said another. inside the hospital nbc's ayman mohyeldin spoke with the wounded boy. he could barely talk, shaking

and bleeding. we were playing, he said. i was with my cousins, then they died. he was wheeled away for more treatment. outside, crowds gathered. they wanted to take the boys' bodies to give them a hero's funeral. grief turned to anger as hundreds joined the procession. in this neighborhood, four dead boys became martyrs. only a few hours earlier they were just boys playing on a beach. and, brian, tonight the israeli military in a statement said the incident on the beach is under investigation but blamed hamas for fighting from urban areas. brian. >> richard engel starting us off on this sad state of affairs. richard reporting tonight from tel aviv. richard, thank you. in this country there are new concerns being raised tonight about the handling of some of the deadliest viruses on the planet. new revelations about dangerous

lapses in safety at the centers for disease control, the cdc. what even the director there calls a breakdown in the safety culture. nbc's tom costello has the story tonight from our d.c. newsroom. tom, good evening. >> reporter: hi, brian. government announced late today that workers discovered more dangerous pathogens in that box tucked away at the nih. 327 vials dating back to 1946 that contained potentially fatal viruses including dengue fever. that's in addition to the smallpox samples they found. it is the latest in the series of disturbing revelations of a nation's premier research labs. it's been a month of astonishing revelations, most recently july 11th, the cdc reveals that in may one of its labs accidentally sent dangerous live bird flu samples to a usda research center. july 1st, the nih finds live smallpox samples dating back to 1954 improperly kept in an unguarded storage room.

and june 13th, the cdc announces live anthrax samples were improperly handled in its labs exposing as many as 86 workers. >> what in heaven's name would go through the minds some scientists thinking a ziploc bag is enough to protect someone from anthrax? >> reporter: on the hill today, tough bipartisan questions that have been warned about for years including air flow systems repaired with duct tape, unlocked storage coolers, misplaced samples, expired disinfectants. one in three workers who lacked training. >> it appears cdc has not heeded those warnings. >> this vial of smallpox that's older than i am had been in a cooler. >> reporter: today cdc director tom frieden offered no excuses. >> what we're seeing is a pattern that we missed. the pattern is an insufficient culture of safety. >> reporter: the cdc experiments with dangerous diseases and biological agents to develop treatments in the event of an outbreak or bio terror attack.

they should be kept in air sealed rooms with workers wearing space-like suits. cdc director frieden told nbc news scientists sometimes become complacent. >> sometimes when scientists work with dangerous organisms year after year, they get a little bit too used to them. >> reporter: the number of labs researching dangerous pathogens has skyrocketed since 9/11. as maybe as 1,500, maybe more, no one is quite sure. there's still no government agency providing oversight. >> the more labs you have, the more of a chance that an accident will occur somewhere. it's just simple statistics. >> reporter: two cdc labs in atlanta remain closed as the agency conducts what it calls a sweeping review of its practices and procedures, but it insists the public health is not in any danger. brian. >> tom costello in d.c. for us tonight. tom, thanks. third day in a row now of severe weather in the northeast. this was the scene today in parts of massachusetts. flash flooding is a result of rain falling at the rate of over

an inch an hour. northeast still cleaning up from yesterday's high winds and heavy rains. the owner of a home on new york's long island said he felt lucky to be alive after this 100-year-old tree came down in his backyard. all of it part of the same cold air weather system that brought record lows to places like kansas city where it was 49 degrees, 45 in rapid city. in the west, an already active fire season getting worse. five states dealing with wildfires now, including two big ones in washington state where they officially declared a state of emergency today. the long and severe drought and a warmer winter are being blamed as the summer heat gets worse and conditions get even drier. many are forecasting a record remainder of the season ahead. and in california as they deal with unprecedented drought, they've now imposed steep fines for people who break the rules against the use of water outdoors. and at the urging of cities and

towns, thousands of people have been reporting violators by turning in their own neighbors. our report from southern california tonight from nbc's mike tiaibi. >> reporter: with each dry, cooked ground, the impact grows more profound. wildfires feasting on parched timber. half a million acres of farmland not being farmed, businesses folding. mark glasser of riverside believes the dire warnings. he's gone from a thirsty lawn on his 7,000 square foot property to desert landscaping and cut his water use by four-fifths. >> going from $400 a month in peak summertime season to barely cresting maybe $100. >> reporter: and now fines of up to $500 a day for wasteful outdoor watering, washing your car without a shutoff nozzle, allowing unchecked runoff of sprinkles or washing down sidewalks or driveways. >> there is not an infinite supply of water and we have to use that water sufficiently otherwise it may not be there

tomorrow for us. >> reporter: here's the drought's impact. the lake north of l.a. down 70 feet since may. back then there was water where i'm standing now, and it continues to drop another foot every day. montecito, home to celebrities like oprah winfrey and al gore, didn't wait for the new rules. collecting more than a million in fines already and convincing homeowners like ted to cut back now. >> watering once a week is sufficient for us. >> reporter: and in sacramento they've cut water use by 17% by declaring gold is the new green encouraging painted lawns and by inviting everyone to report anyone who's wasting precious water. >> we're all water managers. we can take the power upon ourselves to make sure that we, you know, do our best to conserve. >> reporter: and folks are ready to point the finger at violators. in bone dry san diego. >> it's good we keep an eye on make sure nobody abuses the water. >> reporter: and on social media. so-called drought shaming posts show neighbors spraying the sidewalk for an hour or washing his car, thanks, read this post,

for using the last bucket of water in california. the experts say the state could effectively run dry in less than two years. now californians are being told pay attention or it will cost you. mike taibbi nbc news, los angeles. new jersey governor chris christie is heading to iowa tomorrow. the place where politicians go to test their presidential chances. the "new york times" calls the trip a delicate post-lane closing political strategy for the governor who has been hurt by the g.w. bridge scandal back home in new jersey. a new nbc news/marist poll found americans in iowa and new hampshire view him more negatively than all other gop presidential prospects. we get our report tonight from nbc's kelly o'donnell. >> reporter: despite the toll taken by scandal on his national image -- >> if you're really awful, no one's asking. >> reporter: today, governor chris christie put his new jersey spin on a reboot of his

presidential chances. >> it's such an awful burden to be asked if you want to be leader of the free world. it's terrible. >> reporter: at an investors conference hosted by cnbc, christie enjoyed the 2016 speculation both swatting it away. >> since, you know, you were obnoxious enough to ask again so i might as well give you something. >> reporter: and giving it oxygen. >> the fact is that you should beware of people in my opinion who are overanxious to make that decision before they need to. that would, it seems, indicate to me ambition before wisdom. >> reporter: take note of christie's travel schedule. tomorrow he makes multiple stops across iowa. and later this month new hampshire. as head of the republican governors association, christie is going to raise money for gop candidates. but he can also test his personal standing with voters. seen as a moderate, christie's shot of the gop nomination had already been viewed skeptically by the far right.

then his crossover appeal was damaged by the bridge lane closure controversy. top aides were ousted, state and federal investigations are still underway. christie's denied any wrongdoing. >> someone went rogue on my watch. now listen. i'm accountable for that. >> reporter: his trips to iowa and new hampshire may determine how big a political price chris christie paid. kelly o'donnell, nbc news, washington. still ahead for us tonight, the new warning about a popular treatment for heart conditions and cholesterol control, and why doctors now say it could be risky. and later, a look back at the classic that changed summer in this country.

we mentioned this earlier, a warning's been issued tonight concerning a popular cholesterol lowering treatment that's been used for over half a century. americans are filling almost 700,000 prescriptions for niacin every month.

that number has tripled in the past decade, but now doctors are reporting in the "new england journal of medicine" that it doesn't work for heart health. and worse, they say it could be dangerous. our chief medical editor, dr. nancy snyderman here with us to talk about this. nancy, good evening. >> good evening, brian. this is niacin otherwise known to a lot of people as vitamin b3. we're talking about this drug because it's been used to treat high cholesterol. while statins are the most commonly used drugs to lower cholesterol, many people still use niacin to raise their good cholesterol believing it will reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. but today's study says that is not the case. researchers looked at over 25,000 people, half were on niacin, and they found, one, it does not reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke, causes serious side effects and risk of infection or internal bleeding and increases risk for diabetes.

so bottom line is niacin is only appropriate for patients who cannot use statins and then only under a very strict supervision with your doctor. and taking over the counter niacin, which you can find in a lot of places, the idea of that to reduce your cholesterol probably not going to do any good either. my advice tonight, stick that aside and talk to your doctor. >> this really got our attention today. nancy, thank you. we're back in a moment with a midair scare that had passengers hitting the roof.

three, two, one, zero. all engine running. liftoff. >> where were you? that was 45 years ago tonight. three men lifted off from a florida launchpad on a mission to the moon that had no guarantee of success or their own survival. they were the living embodiment

of the right stuff. apollo 11 was the culmination of the space race, a dead sprint against the russians for a decade who these days ironically offer the only ride to space for our american astronauts. of the original three apollo 11 astronauts, buzz aldrin and michael collins survive. neil armstrong died two years ago this summer. closer to earth in airplane news, a bad ride on a south african airways flight to hong kong. 20 injuries in a bout of clear air turbulence. some passengers' heads cracked the overhead compartments. more proof you need to keep your seat belts fastened while seated as they say. and while your airline captain won't do this, it's important to know they can if they need to. this is the work of a test pilot flying the boeing 787 taking a big commercial jet out for a spin cranking off a vertical takeoff just like they do in an f-16. these are good times for boeing back home in seattle. qatar airways just ordered 50 of the new generation 777 x jets with an option to buy 50 more.

that's a $19 billion product launch for boeing. the folks at the insurance institute for highway safety, the people who are always crashing perfectly good cars, they are out with an interesting list of the safest used cars for parents of non-rich kids who want their kids to have a safe ride. there are some surprises on the list including cars you can't quite envision kids driving, like the lincoln mks, the buick regal and lacrosse. smaller and more reasonable choices include the prius and accord and camry. for those interested parents and potential buyers, we put the entire list on our website tonight, nbcnews.com. a marine corps veteran of the vietnam war who lost both of his legs to a land mine 40 years ago is expressing thanks to the selfless employees at his local lowe's home improvement store in staten island, new york. after they fixed his wheelchair. he says he's been in a paperwork

battle with the va for two years. a bolt snapped on his old chair and he was at wits end when the lowe's guys took him to the back of the store after closing time and told him when they were done his chair would be as good as new. this photo expressing his thanks tells you all you need to know. 62-year-old michael susauna is a grateful man living in a grateful nation. and as luck would have it, after his story went viral on the web, a new wheelchair arrived at his home from the va. when we come back tonight, four decades later it's the reason we still wonder if it's safe to go in the water.

40 years ago this summer peter benchley's book called "jaws" was in the middle of a long run on the bestseller list. reading it was scary enough, but then the next summer came the movie which pretty much changed summer and going to the beach for an entire american generation. tonight, harry smith has our report on a summer myth about a big fish that has endured. >> reporter: from the moment we heard the first notes of john williams' unforgettable score, we knew we had a reason to be afraid.

screaming fans decided then and there to never again swim in the ocean. >> a shark is attracted to the exact kind of splashing and activity that occurs whenever human beings go in swimming. you cannot avoid it. >> reporter: the young and untested steven spielberg wanted this scene with stunt woman susan backlinie to be as realistic as possible. she was hooked to cables pulled back and forth to the beach and dressed in little more than cutoff blue jeans and swim fins. >> a lot of times when the shark bites they take the person out of the water. so he wanted me as high up as i could possibly get without giving him an "r" rating. he said he couldn't deal with a "r" rating. >> reporter: "jaws" was not, however, the beginning of shark mania. during the summer of 1916, four people were killed by sharks, or a shark, on the jersey shore. a bad reputation was born. >> shark! >> reporter: but the movie based on peter benchley's runaway bestseller forever put sharks in

the pantheon of evil predators. >> up until "jaws," people didn't even realize there were sharks in the water. >> reporter: ben and emily dreyfuss recently agreed the movie that made their father famous doesn't make much sense. >> you can find some plot holes. >> it could make more sense. >> it could. >> you're going to need a bigger boat. >> they had the bigger boat. >> yeah, they had the bigger boat. >> they just didn't take it. >> reporter: and while happy to indulge his children's opinions over skype, dreyfuss himself knows "jaws" is a masterpiece. >> yes, it's a masterpiece. any film that can make certain people lose their faculties, you know, 50 years later, i think that's considered a masterpiece. >> reporter: yes, while most of us agree it is safe to go in the water, who of us doesn't think what if? harry smith, nbc news, new york. that's our broadcast on this wednesday night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. we hope to see you right back

here tomorrow evening. good night. nbc bay area news begins with breaking news. that breaking news impacting the evening commute. two lanes of the dumbarton bridge are closed at this hour, firefigh firefighters dealing with a truck fire. >> we'll show you again that backup on the bridge from the nbc traffic camera, a truck carrying batteries caught fire on the bridge. this started unfolding about 4:00 this afternoon, right in the middle of rush hour. hazmat crews were called in,

because a truck filled with batteries can pose a health hazard. those batteries have acid and can be flammable. some lanes were closed. the chp says at this point it isn't sure when it will be able to reopen two of those lanes, but the backup is simply huge. just an area that you really want to avoid. we'll continue to follow the breaking news for you right now as you can see. and we'll bring you the latest. we're also following breaking news in stockton. a bank robbery and a high speed chase have left two people dead. the associated press was reporting one was a hostage, the other a suspect in the robbery. the suspect was one of three people who walked out of the bank of the west with automatic weapons pointed at the heads of three female hostages. the suspects opened fire as officers chased them along several highways. >> i could see the car getting blasted. i could see all the little sparks and everything off t