hotel. >> thanks for watching. >> too small. >> see you at 6:00. >> bye-bye. on our broadcast tonight, our nbc news exclusive, ann curry with the president of iran who says isis wants to kill humanity. also why he calls this u.s.-led coalition to destroy isis ridiculous. front lines, now at least 13 massive fires torching california with a deluge about to slam the southwest. manhunt for a sner on the loose who opened fire on police described as a survivalist. now schools have been shut down because authorities say he could be anywhere. and meredith's message as she adds her voice to all those now talking about domestic abuse. the story from her past that has touched a nerve today. "nightly news" begins now. from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this

is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. good evening. they have been publicly identified as the enemy behind our enemies for years in the middle east where iran has been supplying and fortifying and financing the weapons and the fighters that go up against u.s. forces. but these days iran and the u.s. may find themselves in agreement over a rare area of mutual interest, this fight against isis. you are about to hear the president of iran condemn isis while still criticizing the u.s. in a moment, the debate going on here over engaging isis. but first, nbc's ann curry traveled to tehran to speak with president rowhani exclusively. she starts us off from there tonight. ann, good evening. >> reporter: that's right, brian. good evening. iran's president rowhani condemned isis to saying to execute persons against islam, against all religions, even against humanity. >> translator: they want to kill

humanity. and from the viewpoint of the islamic tenets and culture, killing innocent people equals the killing of the whole humanity. and therefore the killing and beheading of innocent people in fact is a matter of shame for them. and it's a matter of concern and sorrow for all the human and all the mankind. >> reporter: as harsh as president rowhani was on isis, he was absolutely withering on president obama's strategy to fight it. >> translator: how come they are doing only air strikes? are americans afraid of giving casualties on the ground in iraq? are they afraid of, of their, you know, soldiers being killed in the fight they claim is against terrorism? if they want to use plane and if

they want to use unmanned plane so nobody is injured from the americans, is it really possible to fight terrorism without any hardship? without any sacrifice? >> reporter: president rowhani told us iran won't have anything to do with the coalition against isis. and he called it "ridiculous." rowhani also says iran will do whatever is necessary to keep terrorists from occupying baghdad or iraqi religious sites. he called that a red line and added taking a shot at president obama, when we say red line, we mean red line. brian. >> ann curry in tehran tonight following her exclusive interview. ann, thanks. now to the other part of this, in the meantime in congress, first the house, then the senate, the debate over arming syrian rebels to fight isis. but there are lingering questions about whether the president and military leaders are on the same page about the potential for american ground forces. our chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell is

in our washington newsroom. andrea, let's start with the reaction today to ann's interview. >> reporter: well, tonight administration officials tell me they don't want to get into a tit for tat with rowhani. they're not going to respond to ann's interview with the president of iran. the administration did try to get iran to join the fight against isis. and it was turned down flat. so even as the administration today did try to speak with one voice against combat troops in iraq. at central command today president obama tried to end the war with his own generals over how to fight isis. a day after the chairman of the joint chiefs opened the door to using combat troops in iraq. >> it may include the use of u.s. military ground forces. >> reporter: the president slammed it shut. >> as your commander in chief, i will not commit you and the rest of our armed forces to fighting another ground war in iraq. >> reporter: john kerry hounded by antiwar protesters in congress today echoed the president. >> the u.s. troops that have

been deployed to iraq do not and will not have a combat mission. >> reporter: but officials tell nbc news general lloyd austin recommended inserting u.s. special forces into iraq before launching air strikes against isis. but the white house turned him down. as u.s. fighter jets and spy planes return from striking isis targets in iraq, the isis propaganda machine with a video clip of president obama and the white house made to look like a movie trailer for coming attractions. a terror war against america. >> the amendment is adopted. >> reporter: late today the house quickly passed a bill to train and equip syrian rebels in saudi arabia. but at least some senators pointing to past failures in iraq say it won't work. >> why do we think that training the rebels will turn out any differently? in west virginia we understand the definition of insanity. >> reporter: and kerry got flak from some for the u.s. even talking with iran about cooperating against isis. >> to me iran is a regional instigator.

it's a patron of the murderous assad regime. it's a sponsor sectarian divisions inside iraq. >> reporter: and complicating any alliance between the united states and iran is iran's support for syria's president assad who is of course also at war with isis. but despite all of this, tonight iran and the united states top negotiators sitting down in new york city picking up those nuclear talks trying to come up with an agreement and break the stalemate. stay tuned. >> all right. andrea mitchell in our d.c. newsroom tonight. andrea, thanks. tonight, in this country we are following a growing manhunt for a cop killer, a sniper being described as a survivalist. meaning he could be anywhere. now hundreds of law enforcement are out trying to find him. we get our report tonight from nbc's stephanie gosk in blooming grove, northeast pennsylvania. >> reporter: armed, dangerous and on the loose. alleged cop killer eric frein continues to allude search teams

in the thick woods in the pocono mountains in the pennsylvania area. today 15 schools were closed, nearly 13,000 students stayed home. officials concerned for their safety while waiting for buses. state police with this warning to the gunman. >> eric, we are coming for you. >> reporter: investigators believe frein has launched his own personal battle against law enforcement. beginning last friday when he shot two troopers just outside the front door of their barracks during a shift change killing corporal bryon dickson, and a husband and father of two. and injuring trooper alex douglass who survived after emergency surgery. monday a man tipped police off to frein's car two miles away. inside camouflage face paint, military gear and two rifle shell casings matching those found at the crime scene. searching this state forest is risky. according to the affidavit, a frein was a member of his high school rifle team and his father, a retired army major, says he personally taught his son how to shoot and in his

words "he doesn't miss." >> part of the challenge of course is that many believe if you shoot a cop, if you shoot a trooper, you will literally shoot anybody. >> you don't know like what he's capable of, like if he plans on, you know, attacking the public for a public stunt or just the police officers. i guess you don't really know what to expect and that's scary. >> reporter: frein lived with his parents. nbc news spoke with his sister. he did something messed up, but he's still a human and he has feelings, she said. it's not our family's fault. tonight, until the gunman is caught everyone worries who he may target next. this is the barracks where those two troopers were caught. it's now kind of a staging area for the local, state and federal authorities that are running this search. not far from here they're holding a public viewing for corporal dickson. and you can imagine the security there tonight, brian, is very, very tight. >> stephanie gosk on this urgent

and sad situation in northeast p.a. tonight. stephanie, thanks. tonight, the american southwest and what we call the desert southwest is bracing for as much as six month's worth of rain to fall in a matter of days. the remnants of what was hurricane odile now moving into the u.s. flash flood watches across at least five states. our team is there throughout the night. we'll have the very latest tomorrow morning on "today." and in california there are now at least 13 separate major fires burning under what's being called unprecedented fire conditions, record heat, extreme drought. that makes for a tough slog for over 6,000 first-rate firefighters on the front lines. nbc's miguel almaguer has our report tonight from the town of weed, california. >> reporter: a massive wildfire burning outside sacramento is the most dangerous blaze in the country with fuel in its path and wind to its back, it's

bigger than manhattan and threatening more than 2,000 homes. at least a dozen blazes are burning in california. 6,500 men and women are working the lines, grueling around-the-clock work. the state's top fire chief and director of emergency services showed us the burn zone. they've lost 90,000 acres this season. >> we've been very aggressive all summer with fighting fire, but of course the fires that escape that initial attack they're burning at explosive rates. >> reporter: in the town of weed, 150 structures went up in minutes including fire chief's darren quiggly. >> right here's the living room right here. that's our dining room. >> reporter: this is where he raised his four children while ordering resources to protect his neighbors, he lost his own home. >> it's a strong community. we got strong friends. we've all been reaching out to each other. we all took the same losses. >> reporter: despite so much loss, there have been small victories. in smoldering debris

firefighters find a kitten who survived the firestorm. >> kind of a happy ending to a sad day. we were glad to find it. >> reporter: a reason to smile, a reason to push on. in windy and dangerous conditions this is what firefighters are battling for. while many homes have been lost, literally right across the street block after block has been saved. sometimes the fire fight goes house-to-house, and sometimes just a few feet and a plain load of pink fire retardant like that on the homes behind me can make all the difference. brian. >> miguel almaguer, that surreal scene in northern california tonight. miguel, thanks. there are more developments tonight in this unfolding scandal inside the nfl. late word from arizona police say cardinals running back jonathan dwyer, formerly of the steelers, has been arrested on suspicion of aggravated assault, another serious incident for the league to deal with. meantime two other teams with players in trouble with the law

made very public reversals today trying desperately to contain this damage while the nfl's customers continue to voice their anger. a report on all of it tonight from nbc's peter alexander. late today police marched him past camera shortly after his arrest for allegedly assaulting his 18-month-old child and the child's mother in july. dwyer denies the allegations. less than 36 hours after the minnesota vikings announce think star adrian peterson would play on sunday, another reversal. >> we made a mistake. and we needed to get this right. >> reporter: overnight the vikings ordered peterson to stay away from all team activities until the felony charge that he used a stick to discipline his 4-year-old son is resolved. peterson who will get nearly $700,000 a week to stay home tweeted a religious message that read in part, the pressure may be tough but you will make it through. today, nike suspended its sponsorship of the star. then late this afternoon the carolina panthers announced

pro-bowler greg hardy, the only player under scrutiny actually convicted in a domestic violence case, is taking a voluntary leave with pay, $772,000 a week. hardy is appealing his conviction. the nfl players union is calling for an arbitrator in its appeal of ray rice's indefinite suspension. nfl commissioner roger goodell, who hasn't made a public appearance in a week, will be called as a witness. >> what we really need to see is for the commissioner to come out and stand up to the press and stand up to these inquiries and stand up to the public, which is outraged at the decisions he's been making. >> reporter: as rookies rice, peterson and hardy participated in the nfl's mandatory training program that included actors role play domestic violence situations. >> we have a saying in the nfl, it says don't be that guy. >> reporter: zachary developed the program. >> they know how hurtful it is and how it can end a career. and we don't want that to happen. but unfortunately we can't be everywhere.

>> reporter: on sunday sportscaster hannah storm spoke emotionally. questions from her own daughter that remain unanswered. >> mom, why did he do that? why isn't he in jail? >> reporter: and after the nfl hired four women to manage the league's policy on domestic abuse, the black women's round table said it's unacceptable that none are women of color. they cited the disproportionate impact of domestic violence on african-american women and the fact that two-thirds of nfl players, brian, are black. >> peter alexander remains on this story for us tonight. peter, thanks. and we're back with more on this wednesday night from new york after this. this debate over the mess in

the nfl is going on across this country wherever people gather. that includes social media. on twitter it goes by the hash tag, whyistayed where women talk about why they had difficulty leaving an abusive relationship. the stats are one in four women will experience domestic violence in their lifetime. one in four.

today, a member of our own nbc family shared a painful story of her own. and meredith vieira's powerful words are being credited for the inspiration and the attention they bring. we get the story from our national correspondent kate snow. >> it's very, very complicated issue, so i wanted to explain to you why i stayed. i was in an abusive relationship many, many years ago as a young woman -- >> reporter: it wasn't an easy story to tell. >> i loved this guy. it started out with we would have a fight and he'd sort of grab my arm. and, you know, i didn't think a lot about it. and then it turned into pushing me against the wall. and then it went beyond that to actually taking his hand and grabbing my face and saying i could ruin your career if i wanted to and no one would want you. >> reporter: meredith vieira says she struggled to share intimate personal details. >> then there was the night -- we shared an apartment.

and he threw me into a shower naked in scalding water, and then he threw me outside into the hallway. and i hid in a stairwell. >> i think there are a lot of myths out there that domestic violence only happens to people who have low self-esteem, which is absolutely bunk. and the fact she's got this phenomenal life now, great relationship and a phenomenal career, i think gives survivors hope that you can get past this. >> reporter: the last time domestic violence had such a spotlight was the o.j. simpson case. >> picked her up, threw her against the wall. >> reporter: ann, who works with survivors in chicago, hopes this moment is even bigger. >> i hope it's more than a moment, honestly. i think that the availability of social media and hashtags and facebook is helping to reach people who might not otherwise be reached. >> by all means, tell somebody what's going on. let somebody know. >> reporter: it's not so easy to just get away, vieira said

today, but her words may inspire others to do just that. kate snow, nbc news, new york. and we're back with more from new york after this.

in scotland the vote begins in just hours. the people of scotland will decide whether or not to break away from the united kingdom. this will have a huge impact on everything from banking to energy to the military. and the voting age starts at 16. with the polls close, british politicians have resorted to begging the scots not to split. nbc's kelly cobiella is in edinburgh for us tonight. kelly, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. the outcome is no clearer than the weather and frankly neither are the polls. the final polls out tonight showing no edge for either side, a statistical tie. politicians were out making those final pleas. some of them very emotional. even offering up a deal for more autonomy.

but people here are still very divided. and they're still changing their minds as well. one voter told us she was a yes and now she's a no. >> kelly cobiella will be checking back with you tomorrow night on the results. thanks. and now to a movement afoot in the health business to let americans know there are tiny plastic beads in some makes of toothpaste. they do not biodegrade, they never quite seem to leave the environment. they were discovered by dentists and dental hygienists who spotted them embedded in patients' gums. they are found in a lot of products including crest prohealth and 3d white. proctor & gamble says they are safe and approved by the fda but they are voluntarily removing these microbeads from most of their products in six months time. the beads often slip through water filtration systems. they've been found in oceans, rivers, streams and in fish. we'll take another break here. when we come back, the phone frenzy about to hit.

a wildfire spirals out of control near highway 50 threatening homes and forcing evacuations. we have a crew on the fire line. leading the nation, the uc systems plan to combat sexual assault, next. finally here tonight, the reviews are now coming in. and while we've all heard the hype over the new iphones, we now get to see the actual product and hear how it works. the lines will be predictably

long, but is it worth the wait and all the attention? we get our report tonight from nbc's jenna wolfe. >> reporter: with the highly hyped much-anticipated release of the iphone 6 and 6-plus, we had to ask. >> i want the iphone. i absolutely do not need the iphone. >> reporter: you want it? >> i want it. >> reporter: it appears plenty of people want it. in the first day of preorders apple set a new record 4 million phones sold in 24 hours. >> if you don't get it the first, you'll be waiting ten to 12 weeks. >> reporter: this is apple's eighth installment of the iphone, eight generations of facelifts. both got a bigger screen. that big screen mocked online. and by apple's main competitor. >> now it's not being dismissed by competitors, it's being imitated. >> reporter: how smart is the iphone 6? >> smart. i mean, there's a reason this thing's called smartphone. >> reporter: take this expert graciously lent us the iphone 6-plus this afternoon and it didn't take long for me to make some very close friends.

you want me to take your picture with the iphone. this is a first for me. but luxury has a price. >> when you factor in how much you're using this device any given time in a day, it's worth it. >> reporter: a brand new iphone 6 the most basic version without a contract will run you about $650. yes, it's expensive. but think about this, on average we check our phones 150 times a day. so at $650, you're looking at $4 every time you check your phone the first day. after a month that number drops to 14 cents. after six months it's just two cents to look at your phone. and that's not that bad. but do we really need it? as apple's ceo tim cook said. >> our whole role in life is to give you something you didn't know you wanted. >> reporter: whether you want it or not, if it's as slippery as some claim, you'll want a new carrying case so you don't need a new iphone 6 right away. jenna wolfe, nbc news, new york. >> that is our broadcast on a wednesday night. 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. >> announcer: nbc bay area news starts now. right now at 6:00, a you? black eye for the national football league. tonight a call for change from the nation's capitol. good evening everyone. i'm jessica aguirre. i'm raj mathai. there's no end in sight. another player arrested for domestic violence while two teams benched their star player. greg hardy was benched. he was convicted in the summer. jonathan dwyer was arrested today for domestic violence.

he's being investigated for aggravated assault of his wife. sponsors are concerned and so is washington, d.c. congresswoman nancy pelosi and jackie spear are blasting the 49ers. they feel the niners should deactivate ray mcdonald during his domestic violence case. are the niners changing their stance? marianne favro is at team headquarte headquarters. >> a somewhat tense news conference today. >> reporter: that's right. jim harbaugh is sticking with his position of due process and allowing ray macdonald to play. in the meantime, today, congresswoman spear is sending a letter to the nfl commissioner asking for immediate changes so players accused of domestic violence will head to the bench instead of the playing field. >> after watching 49ers defensive end ray mcdonald play again last sunday following