artists and beautiful human beings. robin williams, dead at the age of 63. we'll have more tonight at 6:00. on our broadcast tonight, breaking news. the shocking word from california that robin williams has been found dead at the age of 63. we'll have a live report. rage in the streets. a furious uproar after the fatal police shooting of an unarmed teenager. ri riots, looting and fears of another night ahead. american forces delivering aid to civilians starving on the run, under attack. tonight, concerns of a possible coup in baghdad. and tragedy on the track. could charges be coming for one of racing's biggest names of a shocking incident that killed a young driver? tonight, the view from the track. what another driver saw. "nightly news" begins now.

good evening. people around this country and for that matter around the world are reacting tonight to the terrible news of the death of robin williams. a statement from his wife confirming his death alludes to his battle with depression. now we know why. the 63-year-old actor and comedian died of an apparent suicide. he was among the most beloved contemporary american entertainers, a product of the juliard school in new york. a veteran of improv and stand-up comedy and won a ron oscar for serious role in "goodwill hunting." he did "good morning vietnam," "the dead poets society," "mrs. doubtfire" and on and on. tonight hollywood mourns this loss. we begin with a late report from

joe fryar in los angeles. >> reporter: to some he was the funniest man alive. comedian robin williams was found dead this morning in his california home in what the sheriff calls an apparent suicide. in a statement his wife said, "this morning, i lost my husband and my best friend, while the world lost one of its most beloved or the 'tises and beautiful human beings. i am uttererly heartbroken." >> there is a man in the background going don't worry, it will be cute. >> reporter: he gained fame on "mork and mindy." he made people laugh in "mrs. doubtfire." >> 10,000 years will give you such a crick in the neck! >> reporter: and was the voice and wit of the cartoon genie in "aladdin". >> good morning, vietnam! >> reporter: williams was praised for his serious performances in movies like

"dead poet's society" and "goodwill hunting" for which he won an oscar. >> it's hard to speak of him in the past tense. he's a vibrant person, so immediate. his comedy was instantaneous and immediate. >> reporter: in all william the films grossed $5 million worldwide. he was open about his struggles with addiction and maintaining sobriety. his publicist said williams was battling severe depression. he was 63 years old. tonight celebrities are sharing condolences on social media. williams's costar pam dawber said i'm devastateded. what more can be said? there will be a news conference tomorrow. brian? >> unbelievable news out of california tonight. joe, thanks. now we move on to st. louis to the images from this weekend of violence in the streets,

stores being looted, riot police with dogs barking and charging at protesters. they seem like it is another era but this outburst of violence is going on in present day st. louis, missouri. it all started with the fatal shooting by police of an unarmed black teenager. the fbi has now opened an investigation. but the shooting of 18-year-old michael brown has opened a wound in the community. the violence, which erupted and the anger following a candlelight vigil, has taken place in ferguson in suburban st. louis. nbc's john yang is there for us tonight. john, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. this is what a lot of businesses in this neighborhood look like. this tire store about $100,000 in losses. it's the same all up and down this main drag here in missouri. and as sundown approaches, officials are fearful of another night of looting and violence. >> don't shoot! >> reporter: in ferguson,

missouri, today more angry confrontations between protesters and police in riot gear. the same anger and outrage that exploded into a chaotic night of looting and violence. it began in the neighborhood where 18-year-old michael brown, unarmed according to police, was shot to death by an officer. authorities said the lawlessness spread into neighboring communities. >> it is a miracle, however, that nobody actually got shot last night. >> reporter: john zizzer saw his tire store looted on live tv. security camera video captured the action inside. what's that like? >> it's pretty grim. you can't do anything. all you can do is take a deep breath and remember to breathe. >> reporter: today, the fbi officially joined the investigation into brown's shooting. local authorities said the incident began midday saturday when the officer encountered brown and another young man on the street. he said brown shoved the officer into his cruiser, assaulted him and struggled for his gun. piaje crenshaw said she saw it happen from her apartment balcony and that it looked to

her as if the policeman reached for brown through his car's open window. >> looked like he was trying to force him into the police car or form him to stop walking. >> reporter: authorities say the struggle spilled on to the street where brown was shot multiple times. >> he was running this way, he turned his body towards this way, hands in the air, being compliant. he got shot in his face and chest and goes down and dies. >> reporter: police chief thomas jackson said the officer who hasn't been named is a six-year veteran. he's on paid leave. >> this is a tragedy for him too. nobody comes to work wanting to do this and go away from something like this feeling good about it. >> reporter: late today michael brown's parents spoke to reporters and pleaded for calm. >> going to do this right. i don't want no violence. we don't want no violence. >> michael wouldn't have wanted that. >> he wouldn't have wanted none of this. none of it. >> reporter: in announcing the fbi investigation today, attorney general eric holder said aggressively pursuing

investigations like this one are crucial to preserving the trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve. that on the day that michael brown was to have started college. brian. >> john yang starting us off suburban st. louis, missouri, tonight. john, thanks. now we move overseas to the crisis in iraq. more than a decade after u.s. forces invaded that country, toppled saddam hussein. over two years since the last u.s. combat forces left, there the u.s. is engaged once again militarily and politically in iraq carrying out air strikes, trying to help shape a government there capable of holding the country together, and one friendlier to the u.s. nbc's keir simmons is on the ground in northern iraq tonight, keir, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. u.s. air strikes have slowed the advances of isis here. these attacks have been brutal and relentless.

and u.s. aid drops have eased the humanitarian crisis, but it's now a political crisis adding to fears that this country may be unraveling. this is why the u.s. is involved in iraq again. thousands of desperate refugees swarming helicopters scrambling for aid after being stranded for days without food and water in the brutally hot mountains of northern iraq. religious minorities, including christians driven from their homes by isis militants, some protesting today outside the u.s. consulate in erbil. >> if we go back, they will kill us. and our men, they will slaughter them just because we are christians. >> reporter: many of the refugees walked to safety from their mountain refuge, exhausted. her son is sick. she has two more boys, both are missing. while here in erbil the displaced are destitute. there's nails on the floor.

steep drops. this is not a place for children. >> nothing short of a humanitarian disaster. these people were displaced from their villages from one day to the next and came with only the clothes on their backs. >> reporter: u.s. air strikes have helped rescue the refugees, taking out isis militants, artillery and armored vehicles, some of it u.s.-made captured by isis from the iraqi government. and the strikes have helped kurds win some key battles and slow isis' ruthless. in baghdad a political battle. prime minister nouri al maliki on television today refusing to give up power after a replacement was named to head a proposed unity government that could effectively stand up to isis. maliki's supporters protested and military forces loyal to him took up positions across the

capital. there were fears of a coup. fears cross currents that threaten to tear this country apart with the innocence, young and old, caught in the middle. u.s. government sources say that u.s. arms and ammunition are being supplied to kurdish forces. and the pentagon says those air strikes are having an effect, but are not likely to stop isis in the long run. brian. >> keir simmons in the north of iraq for us tonight. keir, thanks. he is one of the biggest names in big league nascar stock car racing in this country. and tonight all eyes are on tony stewart for an incident that took place on saturday night. at another place stewart likes to compete, at the local level at one of the small oval tracks that dot the american landscape. the places with devoted local fans who this weekend in upstate new york saw something terrible unfold in the heat of battle during a race. as a result a young driver is dead, and tony stewart could be in big trouble. we get our report tonight from nbc's kristen dal the --

dahlgren. >> reporter: he was a big name on a small dirt track. three-time nascar champ tony stewart racing in a sprint car, far from the spotlight until tragedy saturday night. >> tony stewart just hit that guy! >> reporter: video posted on youtube shows the fatal crash and what happened moments before. stewart's car, 14, and another car seem to tangle. number 13 spins out and kevin ward jr., the 20-year-old driver dressed in black, gets out, points at stewart and walks toward the speeding cars. at least five cars drive by before stewart hits ward. racer paul kinney drove right past ward standing on the track. >> i personally saw him, and, you know, i kind of had an idea what he was going to do. and, you know, confront somebody. >> reporter: it's not uncommon for drivers to get out of their cars. >> i've been in incidences where i've gotten out of my car and approached another driver. it's all emotion. it is, you know, you're mad, you're upset. you want to let that guy know that you think he did something wrong. >> reporter: stewart has a reputation for getting angry.

he once threw a helmet at another driver. this afternoon the ontario county sheriff said there is no indication of criminal intent, but stressed the investigation is far from over. >> there's no timetable to ending this as long as we believe there's information that might be out there that's factual and relevant. >> reporter: they are examining more footage of the race. an autopsy shows ward died of blunt trauma. while ward's hometown remembers a kid who was racing go karts at age 4. >> had a lot of respect. see somebody like that accomplish the things he would accomplish, it was racing when it was on. >> reporter: stewart remains in seclusion. >> this has hurt him deeply. this is not something he's taken lightly. he's grieving. >> reporter: as many debate what happened that night could change the culture of open confrontation on the track. >> the car's not on fire or an immediate reason to get out of the car, they should stay in their cars. >> reporter: now, stewart did release a statement over the weekend.

he said there are no words for this sadness. stewart's team told us today he is still grieving and only he will decide if he'll be able to return to nascar as scheduled this weekend in michigan, brian. >> kristen dahlgren at the track in upstate new york for us tonight. kristen, thanks. after a break, still ahead for us on this monday evening, an exclusive visit to the set, a look behind the scenes at a tv show and a company turning millions of americans into binge viewers. later, the big chill going on this summer. the very good reason why people across the country are doing this with increasing frequency these days.

back now as promised with a behind-the-scenes look at the television series that changed the definition of bingeing among viewers in the modern era. the show is "house of cards." it has millions of devoted addicts. and the company behind it, netflix, is now responsible for a staggering one-third of all internet traffic in north america in peak hours. we get our report tonight from cynthia mcfadden. >> reporter: "house of cards," nominated for 13 emmys this year, centers around the ultimate washington power couple. kevin spacey's masterfully manipulative frank underwood -- >> politics, this force is bigger than all of us.

>> reporter: -- and his ruthless wife, claire, played by robin wright. we were given exclusive access to the show's much-anticipated third season. >> ready for bed. >> she doesn't bother seeing this way. and i have to stay dressed [ bleep ]. >> reporter: and this is a very first look at the show's new sets. >> i know what happens, but i can't tell you. >> reporter: this all started with a simple strategy. >> pick the right story tellers and right projects and let them bring to the table what they know better than us. >> reporter: that left to other bold ideas releasing 13 episodes of the entire season at once, which created a lot of sleepless nights for binge watchers, but perhaps most importantly "house of cards" changed the business model of television. >> we have the opportunity to make history here. >> reporter: hollywood was shocked when the show's producers were given $100 million for two seasons without even seeing a pilot.

>> it actually wasn't as risky as everybody thought. >> reporter: because? >> all they need to do is get about 565,000 more members and they would break even. >> reporter: and they got about -- >> a lot more than that. >> reporter: in fact, since the show launched netflix has added more than 10 million new subscribers. in total netflix viewers now watch a billion hours of tv and movies every month. >> we are in some ways demonstrating that we've learned the lesson that the music industry didn't learn. >> reporter: which is? >> give people what they want when they want it. at a reasonable price. and the chances are they'll buy it and they won't steal it. >> set up a meeting. >> reporter: a strategy that seems to be working. cynthia mcfadden, nbc news, baltimore. >> there is more on our website tonight. we are back in a moment with the story behind the incredible image of the day.

thanks to a big awareness campaign that we were all too happy to be a part of, a whole lot of people around the world

went out last night if they had a cloudless sky to enjoy the super moon. when the moon appears its biggest and brightest, it's an event we won't see for at least another year. photos of this year's supermoon are making the rounds around the planet. the enjoyment wasn't limited to just those on the planet. the international space station crew got in on it, even though they see another moon rise another 90 minutes or so even they admitted this one was special. prior to yesterday only three golfers in the last century have won four pga majors at age 25 or younger. now make it four. rory mcilroy of northern ireland joins bobby jones, jack nicklaus and tiger woods. a dramatic run of great round at valhalla, louisville and rory mcilroy is now in big time company. speaking of things you don't see that often, a humpback whale and the empire state building in the background. researchers say cleaner water in the new york area has helped

bring the whales back mostly because of the return of the fish they like to eat. this is jerry. he showed up and showed off just off rockaway beach. when we come back, are you on someone's bucket list? why so many people spent the weekend challenging so many others to do this and take others' pictures.

finally here tonight, there's a very good reason why people all across this country this summer are challenging each other to dump buckets of ice over their heads. and they're doing it on camera. it's all to raise money to fight als, lou gehrig's disease. and the ice bucket challenge was started by a man in the thick of the fight. we get our report on all of it tonight from nbc's kevin tibbles. >> reporter: for all you folks with a bucket list out there, add some ice. what is the ice bucket challenge? either write a check to the als association or endure the ice dump. my suggestion, do both. the challenge comes from 29-year-old pete frates, a former boston college baseball star who since 2012 has battled the terminal disease that destroys the body's motor

functions. >> als is, you know, all we talk about really. but to see other people talking about it, it's like mind blowing. it's like all these people all of a sudden are paying attention to something so, so important to us. >> reporter: the big chill is spreading online. martha stewart did the brain freeze, the u-mass med school picked it up, so did the mascots of the boston celtics and bruins, and the kennedy clan including ethel kennedy who challenged president obama to take the plunge. when savannah guthrie doused matt lauer on "today," he had a challenge too. >> i am calling out brian williams. >> reporter: about that challenge we are told stay tuned america. which brings us to yours truly who challenges everyone to raise their awareness of als and challenge someone else too. results are pouring in.

the als association has raised $1.35 million in the same two-week period where it only raised $22,000 year. from a bucket and a bag of ice, the momentum grows to find a cure. kevin tibbles, nbc news, chicago. >> and that is our broadcast on a monday night as we start off a new week. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. we of course hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

nbc bay area news begins with breaking news. a sad day for hollywood, the bay area and people across the world. comedian and actor robin williams found dead inside his north bay home. >> he made the world laugh, but there are only tears tonight for the loss of robin williams. the actor found dead around noon today in his tiburon area home. the sheriff's department says he died of an apparent suicide. and a spokesperson says the actor and comedian was battling

severe depression. we have team coverage for you. we spoke to his acting coach, but we begin with terry mcsweeney with what happened. >> funniest man alive, that's how he was described back in 1997. and when you think of williams, you're likely to laugh, whether thinking of his standup routines or one of his many movies, but he also did serious roles and a serious problem. a long bout with alcohol and drugs. recently he was battling severe depression. 911 responded to a call today. 63-year-old robin williams was pronounced dead a short time later. as best they can tell, he was last seen alive about 10:00 last night. comedy was what made him famous. he came to los angeles and san francisco to work on his standup