morning. not a big storm but a few raindrops, major headlines. the move. a powerful storm traps american tourists as a category 3 hurricane slams into the baja peninsula. taking aim. late word tonight of a u.s. air strike near baghdad. the start of a stepped-up campaign to decimate isis. on defense. the nfl brings in a team of women, including a star former prosecutor, to tackle the issue of domestic abuse as we learn two players caught up in this scandal could be back on the field this week. and the price you pay for airline tickets. it turns out there's a formula for getting the cheapest fare, as in the exact day and time you should be buying to get the best deal. "nightly news" begins now. from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with brian

williams. a special good evening to our viewers on the west coast tonight where starting south of the south land, way down the pacific coast, millions are bracing, starting tonight for a rare confluence of events. a hurricane, large enough to trap american tourists in mexico's baja peninsula, but it's not a storm that will help with the ongoing drought in california as it moves into the u.s. in fact, it may end up hurting firefighting efforts and bringing more rain to areas that have had more than they can handle. we start off reporting with nbc's miguel alma gar. >> slamming ashore with 125 mile an hour winds, hurricane odile pummelled cabo san lucas, nearly a foot of rain in just hours. a category 3 hurricane, winds peeled back roofs, swamped streets and cut power across the popular tourist region. sara mckinny and 3-month-old

madison took shelter where they could. their hotel bathroom. >> everybody basically got in their bathtub and held each other tight and made it through. >> reporter: overnight, 164 shelters in cabo were prepared to take in 30,000 people. floors were jammed, hallways and basement packed. some rode out the storm in stair wells. everyone warned, take cover. for many, this is the only way home, the international airport, closed. >> we booked a hotel room, so we can be at the airport any time there might be a flight going, so we can be a stand by. >> tonight, reports of looting, while flash flooding is still a major threat. now hurricane odile has its eye on the american southwest. the weather channel's mike seidel. >> an elevated risk of flooding, some debris flows that could be life-threatening.

>> reporter: arizona and new mexico are still cleaning up from last week. now to the other piece. this hurricane could end up hurting in the effort to extinguish multiple wildfires burning in california right now, because it's possible the wind component of the storm and none of the rain will impact the firefight. our report on that effort tonight from nbc's hali jackson in orange, california. >> reporter: across the state, a heat wave is blanketing fire crews smothered by thick smoke and flames. >> a dozen wildfires are now burning in california with others torching parts of oregon and washington. >> with the heat and humid we're expecting again today, with those dry conditions, it causes extreme fire behavior. >> reporter: near yosemite national park about 1,000 people have been forced to leave their homes. the fire there burning over some 20 buildings. nancy worried her house was among them.

>> all of a sudden i saw a flame, some smoke right over my house. and so i knew i had to get out. >> reporter: she found out today she's one of the lucky ones. heat advisories are in effect in southern california with temperatures above 100 degrees. and it's even hotter inside canyon walls, which acts like an oven baking crews inside. how do you make sure you and your guys stay safe? >> create safety zones. make sure we're staying hydrated. >> reporter: with no place to hide from the blistering conditions, even the wildlife is looking for new ways to stay cool. with little relief in sight for man or beast. halle jackson, nbc news, orange, california. the prolonged air campaign that the president spoke about to the american people last week and warned about to a war weary public is already underway. and just today it included a u.s. air strike on the edge of baghdad. days after the president called isis unique in its brutality,

the world was forced to endure the announcement of yet another beheading this weekend. now it's clear as isis forces are on the move and identified, u.s. forces are moving against them by air while it's still unclear how many other nations are joining in this fight. our chief foreign correspondent is in istanbul this evening. richard, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. the air strikes are still only inside iraq. what was unusual about this one is that it is so close to baghdad. and that does appear to be an escalation. and momentum is now growing to cross the border and carry out air strikes against isis in syria as well. as isis violence continues, paris today held a war conference at the urging of the united states. 26 nations lining up against isis, a show of unity. french president hollande saying it's everyone's fight and there's no time to lose.

isis still holds large parts of iraq and syria and dozens of foreign hostages including two americans. the group traffics in hostages, acquiring them from other kidnappers in syria then marking them for death. isis holds 49 turkish diplomats, powerful leverage of turkey as -- over turkey as it considers whether to join the fight. the obama administration is proposing a three-pronged assault on isis. build a coalition, rebuild the iraqi army, and support moderate syrian rebels. and weaken isis with air strikes. but there were glaring absences today, like iran. saudi arabia said it would boycott if iran attended. so the u.s. reached out to iran privately but was rebuffed. iran's supreme leader saying the americans' hands are dirty. how can we cooperate with those hands who are dirty.

iran's hands are hardly clean. it has infiltrated the military in iraq and backs the assad regime in syria, which was also absent today. >> we're interested in people willing to contribute to this coalition, but we are not interested in the assad regime. >> reporter: u.s.-led air strikes could help assad regain his country after years of bloody civil wars, retaking territory as isis is pushed out. secretary kerry said that several countries have committed themselves to taking part in direct military action, but like turkey many of these countries don't want to associate themselves with this war on isis publicly. >> richard engel starting us off from the region tonight. richard, thanks. after a weekend of football and now heading into monday night football, the national football league remains at risk of getting more attention for its commissioner, its policies, and the personal lives of some of its players, than the sport itself on the field. and tonight the negative headlines continue with the league in damage-control mode and the announcement of a team of women being brought in by the

nfl to impact this crisis. we get our report tonight from our national correspondent, peter alexander. >> reporter: across the nfl today almost every hour another headline. carolina panthers pro-bowler greg hardy appealing his conviction for threatening to kill his ex-girlfriend. might play next sunday. >> we didn't suspend him. we're not doing anything of that nature. >> reporter: the minnesota vikings star adrian peterson benched yesterday after being charged with allegedly injuring his 4-year-old son. while disciplining him, will return. >> what we know about adrian not only as a person but for what he's done to this community, we believe he deserves to play. while the legal process plays out. >> reporter: in a statement he wrote, i'm not a perfect parent but i am without a doubt not a child abuser. hall of famer cris carter himself, physically disciplined as a kid spoke out sunday. >> this is the 21st century. my mom was wrong, she did the best she could, but she was wrong about some of that stuff she taught me. you can't beat a kid to make

them do what they want to do. >> reporter: all this as the nfl debuts its own new line-up. embattled nfl commissioner roger goodell announced four women will lead the league's crackdown on domestic violence and sexual assault. among them the former chief of the new york city district attorney's sex crimes unit. >> this is an effort on the part of mr. goodell to shift this issue off the front pages so that he can get back to business as usual. it is too late. it is too late for business as usual. >> reporter: with goodell must go banners flying over stadiums, the growing scandal has intensified scrutiny of the commissioner, who the nfl rewarded with more than $104 million from 2008 to 2012. still, goodell has powerful supporters. >> some owners are communicating with other owners saying they need to be out there and get in front of the message and support the commissioner more vocally. >> reporter: many are questioning the nfl's integrity. >> if the nfl and the ravens had

to see that video to be moved to significant action, then those who support the league demand the same, to see action, to see change before believing. >> reporter: tonight a representative for the nfl players union tells nbc news it will file an appeal tomorrow on behalf of former baltimore raven ray rice challenging his indefinite suspension from the league. brian? >> peter alexander remains on the story for us tonight. peter, thanks. there is news tonight in the investigation into gm. those faulty ignition switches that caused air bags not to deploy during crashes. the company knew about the problem for years, but didn't notify drivers about them or issue any recalls until it was far too late. well, tonight the attorney ken fienberg who handled claims after 9/11, after the b.p. oil spill and other high profile incidents says he has received 125 death claims related to crashes from the faulty switches. he has determined that at least 19 wrongful death claims are eligible for payments from gm. that is higher than the 13

deaths gm has linked to this defect. things are wee bit nervous across the atlantic tonight because scotland may be about to do something we here in the colonies did a while back, declare independence from great britain. there's a lot at stake and the polling remains neck and neck. which means the united kingdom which we all came to learn as england, wales, northern ireland and scotland, may not be so united after all. our report tonight from kelly kobe aia in edin burg. >> reporter: scotland, land of bagpipes and "brave heart" -- >> they'll never take our freedom. >> reporter: now in another epic battle over its future. to leave the united kingdom, or not. with polls saying it's too close to call, british politicians have resorted to begging. >> we want you to stay. head, heart and soul we want you to stay. >> reporter: the scottish flag

was even raised over 10 downing street. that doesn't go well. you might think of scotland as independent, but it's not. it's been part of great britain for centuries. and many people here say it's been too long. they're tired of taking orders from a central government far away. but what would a split really mean? would the union jack lose its scottish blue? would scotland still pay bills with a british pound? what about all the uk oil pumped from scottish waters? or the uk's nuclear arsenal on submarines based in scotland? big banks are threatening to move if scotland breaks away. even the queen who has a castle in scotland weighed in this weekend saying, i hope people will think very carefully about the future. derrick grifin runs his own business. he says his "yes" vote is for his daughters. >> i feel we give too much money to a country, or government, that just doesn't look out for us. >> reporter: irene, a no vote, says the debate is splitting scotland in two. >> families are not speaking to

one another. falling out. >> reporter: it's that bad? >> it's that bad. >> reporter: you compare this to a marriage. >> yes. and who wants to go through divorce if they don't have to? >> reporter: on thursday scotland will decide. and no matter the outcome, half the people here won't like it. nbc news, scotland. still ahead for us tonight, speaking of traveling the world, did you know there's an exact time when it's best to buy airline tickets to save the most money? tonight, the advice from the experts of the air. and later, the shocking piece of clothing for sale on the web that has a big store chain issuing what it calls a sincere apology.

we are back and now we go to the air. and while this is not a promise of comfort, it may get you a better price. believe it or not there is a day of the week and a time of day when buying airline tickets saves you the most money. the same way airlines try to reduce flying to a science,

consumers can now use that science to their own advantage. nbc's tom costello covers aviation for us and has tonight's report. >> reporter: mid-morning at l.a.x. for daisy and her family returning to minneapolis. but the trip wasn't cheap. >> it was frustrating because we thought we were going to do an inexpensive trip and $340, that's not too bad, but in the end when you're paying $500. >> reporter: experts say there is a strategy to saving money. start looking at airfares three months before you want to travel. the perfect moment to buy? tuesday at 3:00 p.m. after airlines cut fares and competitors match prices on as many as 20,000 flights a day. the cheapest days to travel? tuesday, wednesday and saturday when there are fewer business travelers. >> the number one mistake people make when they're buying airline tickets is procrastinating. >> reporter: whatever you do, avoid buying a ticket within seven days of departure when business travelers will pay top dollar. just look at the prices from

washington reagan to san francisco. fly next sunday it will cost $1149 round trip. book now flying in two weeks, $877. leave in three weeks the price drops to $742. but pay for a trip seven weeks away, you can go for $465, a $684 savings. >> if you ask a person in the aircraft to raise their hand and ask how much they paid, you'd see clusters of people that paid different price points, depending on what day they bought, what day they're raveling. >> reporter: you can save money if you fly hungry. while everyone prefers to fly nonstop, you can save often 50% if you make a connection, have a layover, sacrificing time for savings. the most expensive day to fly, sunday. seats are often full with vacationers flying home. as for holiday travel. >> probably just going to be in the minnesota cold all winter. >> reporter: if you can, book now.

tom costello, nbc news, washington. and we're back in a moment with something new you may notice coming to hotel rooms across this country.

we learned today tommy boggs died. born in louisiana into one of the royal families of the democratic party. thomas h. boggs grew up to be a lobbyist, political fundraiser in washington without parallel for many years. his parents both served in congress. his sister, cokie roberts survives him, as does his wife, three children. his firm spun off a number of political notables and represented a slew of different interests. tommy boggs dead of an apparent heart attack at 73. and philadelphia has lost one of its greats. tony off has died. the pulitzer prize winning cartoonist for the inquirer for

over 40 years was a colossus of the trade. he was 72. whatever else is remembered from hillary clinton's trip to iowa this past weekend to attend a big political steak fry along with her husband, it's this sound bite from her speech that may survive for all-time. >> i'm back! [ cheers and applause ] >> she says she's thinking about running. our own andrea mitchell contends she sure appears to be running. clinton wrote in her new book that she was devastated to finish third there behind obama and edwards back in '08. the iconic photograph along with the song refrain, four dead in ohio, memorialized what happened 44 years ago when national guard troops opened fire on the campus of kent state university, killing four students, wounding nine others. so kent state and many others took great offense when urban outfitters offered and has since taken down, a vintage women's sweatshirt with what the company said was discoloration and holes from wear that sure look like

bloodstains and bullet holes to others. the company says it sincerely apologizes. some people always do, some people never do, but if you're a guest in a marriott in the near future, you might find incentive in your room in the form of an envelope suggesting a tip for the housekeeper. it's called the envelope please. it's an effort by a women's nation, which was founded by maria shriver, most housekeepers in this country make under $10 an hour. their trade association suggests a $1 to $5 tip per night stayed for those hotel guests who are so inclined. when we come back, an emotional ceremony to honor two american heroes after nearly half a century.

finally tonight, many decades after the last shots were fired, today the president of the united states named two new recipients of the medal of honor. for their acts of valor and courage and sacrifice decades ago on the battlefield in vietnam, and only one of the two recipients is alive today to accept the nation's highest military honor. our report tonight from nbc's kristen welker. >> it just was not my time to go. that's all i can say.

>> reporter: sergeant first class bennie adkins deployed near the ho chi minh strale when the enemy attacked on march 9, 1966. >> first few hours it was a tremendous amount of mortar attacks on us. >> reporter: in a fierce 38-hour fight adkins killed as many as 175 enemy combatants, carried wounded americans to safety and was hit 18 times. >> that's what the medical report said. and i don't know -- i can't confirm or deny that. but i was a little bit bloody. >> reporter: they evaded the enemy in the jungle for another two days, even encountering a tiger before adkins and the other survivors were rescued. his wife, mary, informed adkins was missing, waited weeks before learning he had lived. >> you can't sit down and cry. i mean, you want to. but you can't. >> reporter: today, his family and some fellow soldiers watched

as the president bestowed him with the medal of honor. also honored, specialist donald sleat killed at age 20 in vietnam shielding fellow soldiers from a grenade. >> he pulled it close to his body and bent over it, then as one of the men said, all of a sudden there was a boom. >> reporter: sloat's brother, william, accepted the honor. >> reporter: colonel jack jacobs is a vietnam veteran and medal of honor recipient. all medal of honor recipients say the same thing, we don't wear the award for ourselves, we wear it for all those people who can't. >> the other 16 that paid the ultimate price are the heroes. >> reporter: kristen welker, nbc news, the white house. and that is our broadcast on a monday night as we begin a new week. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. we certainly hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night.

right now at 6:00, too close for comfort. new calls for a high-profile leader at the california public utilities commission to step down. good evening. thanks for being with us. i'm raj mathai. >> i'm jessica aguirre. they're under fire late this afternoon. three senior employees lost their jobs stemming from their questionable relationships with the p.u.c. team coverage tonight on this new development. >> nbc's chief investigative reporter tony kovaleski has a --

we begin with marianne favro in san francisco who just talked to pg and e. >> after reviewing e-mails, they admit that there were several times when the company violated rules about communications involving a pending rape case. >> was pg & e too cozy with the public utilities coalition. after reviewing 65,000 e-mails to and from in 2010, it's firing three high-level employees over improper communications with state regulators. >> we took this action today. we've let three people go, all senior officers of the company. we've also created a new role called the chief compliance officer and engaged former secretary of interior ken salazar to be on adviser to us. >> they launched the internal investigation after allegations weree