audience were facebooking tame he was there. >> he was there would you titho hoodie. but nice to see him on streets and videotape their executions. foiled by a massive counterterrorism operation in australia as the feds now in this country step up security. midair scare. a frightening scene on board a jetblue flight. an engine apparently explodes, smoke fills the cabin, forcing an emergency landing. blowup. the exploding fire in california that has now grown to the size of atlanta. and too close to call, the polls have closed in scotland as they count the votes. a cliffhanger that could change the course of history. "nightly news" begins now. from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. good evening. officials in australia say

they've broken up an urban terrorism plan inspired by isis, which if you can believe it and we're forced to believe it due to what isis has done so far, the terrorist group was planning to take people off city streets in australia and execute them for the benefit of video cameras. australian police say this was prevented and put down in a series of raids. and this comes as national and local security officials here have stepped up their vigilance in light of the latest isis propaganda. it's where we begin tonight with our justice correspondent pete williams. >> reporter: it was australia's biggest counterterrorism operation ever, more than 800 officers in sidney and brisbane stopping what authorities say was a plot to kidnap people and videotape their executions for propaganda. >> islam means sincerity and submission. >> reporter: police say they acted after intercepting an international phone call from this man, mohamed ali giving attack instructions. originally from afghanistan, he

was a bouncer, an actor in sidney, now considered a senior leader of the terror group in iraq and syria. >> exultations, quite direct exultations were coming from an australian who is apparently quite senior in isil. >> reporter: american officials are worried about the latest isis recruiting videos slickly produced. while emphasizing there's no known plan for attacks in the u.s., police in new york are more visible in public gathering spots like times square. concerned the videos could inspire people here. while u.s. officials say about a dozen americans may be fighting with isis at any one time, they say more than 100 citizen haves roo have gone to the region to join us with various rebel groups. a concern expressed today in congress by defense secretary chuck hagel. >> is isil capable today of sending radicalized americans back to this country to do harm to the united states? >> oh, i think they're capable of doing that today.

>> reporter: also today, a rochester, new york, man accused of trying to recruit for isis, mufid elfgeeh pleaded not guilty in a federal courtroom. prosecutors say he urged two men to join isis in syria unaware they were actually fbi undercover informants. prosecutors say he's the first person in the united states charged with trying to recruit for isis. and they say after months of investigation they're confident he acted alone. brian? >> pete williams at the justice department, thanks. in washington late today the senate has followed the lead of the house approving legislation to allow the arming and training of syrian rebels fighting isis there. shortly afterward president obama talked about it with the news media. >> i'm pleased that congress, a majority of democrats and a majority of republicans in both the house and the senate, have now voted to support a key element of our strategy. our plan to train and equip the

opposition in syria, so they can help push back these terrorists. >> the president at the white house earlier this evening. in other news in this country, it's one thing to hear about the masks that would fall down from the ceiling should there be a problem on your flight. it's quite another to have to use them. it happened to 147 people on board a jetblue flight leaving southern california today when an engine apparently exploded. and it got dicey on the way to an emergency landing when smoke filled the cabin, as you're going to see in our report from nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: terrifying moments onboard jetblue flight 1416, long beach to austin this morning, when only a few minutes after takeoff a cabin was suddenly full of smoke. passengers grabbing for oxygen. the pilot urgently broke into radio traffic. >> runway three zero. >> reporter: something was wrong with the right engine on the airbus a-320. apparentlies -- passengers

reported hearing an explosion and then smoke quickly filling the cabin. >> we'll be evacuating. >> roger. >> smoke on the right engine. >> appears no smoke out of the right engine. >> roger. >> looks like people are starting out of the back already. >> reporter: once on the ground, passengers jumped on evacuation chutes. >> my son who is handicap, tumbled down and luckily another nice man grabbed his face before had hit the concrete. >> reporter: as fire crews moved in, passengers said when they were in the air they weren't sure they'd make it. >> there were a few points where i thought about trying to call my parents saying this could be it. >> my son was the only thing i could really think about. probably say it's the best feeling i probably had in my life today, yeah. >> reporter: in all four people treated for minor injuries. jetblue says it's still investigating what went wrong. tom costello, nbc news, washington. and if it's possible, the fire situation in california has now worsened. at least ten major fires burning amid record heat and drought. and the biggest of them all has

now tripled in size prompting more evacuations as it's charred more than 70,000 acres. our own miguel almaguer is in pollack pines, california. east of sacramento tonight. miguel, good evening. >> reporter: brian, good evening. investigators say this bowl of smoke, this fast-moving fire was sparked by an arsonist. tonight an arrest has been made. the smoke behind me a clear indication of how powerful and quick this fire is moving. tonight, there is plenty of fuel, plenty of dry forestland in its path. >> look at that. oh, my gosh. >> reporter: working around the clock the king fire named for the road it began on, races out of control even at night, when fire activity typically slows. firefighters are exhausted. little time for sleep, no break in sight. >> everything down here is burni burning, it's doing what it's doing. >> reporter: investigators say the blaze was intentionally set. 37-year-old wayne allen huntsman has been arrested on suspicion

of arson. >> mr. huntsman is in the el dorado county jail with bail set at $10 million. >> reporter: the fire began saturday, expanding thousands of acres every day, then suddenly exploding overnight, tripling in size. now visible from space. >> i just want to leave. i just want to leave. >> reporter: with 2,800 homes in danger, the priority, save structures any way they can. lives are packed into cars, some refuse to leave. >> i got no place to go. send my wife and dog down to her mom's but me and my dog are going to stay. >> reporter: chewing through everything in its path, the blaze looks like a volcano spewing toxic smoke visible from 60 miles away. >> abbott, bring your saw here! >> reporter: crews are stripping away timber to slow the fire's spread. the choreographed air attack led by a spotter plane. but tonight mother nature is in control in a fire fight far from over.

with this blaze roughly 5% contained, tonight crews say flames are moving away from homes. but already as much land as the city of atlanta has been burned. this fire will likely go for weeks. brian? >> miguel almaguer in california tonight, thanks. a very different problem through much of the southwest this evening as the remnants of a hurricane turn streets into rivers and parts of the desert southwest, arizona, new mexico, texas, one of the hardest hit cities, el paso where there have been over 100 rescues reported thus far. there are new developments tonight in the manhunt for a cop killer and survivalist on the loose in northeast pennsylvania. the suspect has just been added to the fbi's ten most wanted list. schools remain closed there as a community gathers to mourn with police snipers guarding the funeral. our report tonight from nbc's stephanie gosk in blooming grove, pennsylvania. >> reporter: the funeral for corporal bryon dickson, husband and father of two boys, packed the local cathedral.

>> thank you for all that you've done. godspeed, hammer. we love you and we miss you. >> reporter: the crowd spilled out on to the street in to a sea of state troopers. from as far away as south carolina. >> when one passes away, unfortunately, it's like a brother or sister. like a >> reporter: with snipers on rooftops, the manhunt for alleged shooter eric frein widened today. investigators are focusing on frein's past, in a club that military enthusiasts role play. ben met frein during regular war games like this one posted on youtube. >> the group of people was a group of educated hobbyists and outdoors men who like to get out and have some fun. >> reporter: long says frein never did or said anything alarming. >> we just want to know. want to know what happened, you know? where is he? if he did it, why? >> reporter: people here in blooming grove want to know where he is too, so their lives can go back to normal.

schools were closed here again today. and there are still residents locked in their homes, brian, who aren't coming out unless it's absolutely necessary. >> stephanie gosk, blooming grove, p.a. tonight, stephanie, thanks. a major headline into the investigation into new jersey governor chris christie and his administration. federal officials tell nbc news that after nine months investigators have concluded there is no evidence that governor christie had advance knowledge of any politically motivated scheme to shut down lanes on the george washington bridge, which is the world's busiest span. this is the federal investigation, mind you. while a separate grand jury continues to investigate over alleged abuses involving the port authority, no headline tonight. the headline here however, the federal charges are now ruled out for chris christie and the affair that came to be known as bridgegate. the polls have closed in scotland. and by tomorrow morning we will know if it is still part of the united kingdom. the vote over independence went down to the wire, closer than a lot of people imagined.

and the wild card may be the voting age of 16. nbc's kelly cobiella live in edinburgh for us tonight. kelly, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. no tanks on the streets, no shots being fired, but this could still be a revolution. millions of scots went to the polls today to decide if this country, no bigger than south carolina, with less than a tenth of the united kingdom's population, will end a union more than 300 years old. the people of scotland put everything else on hold today to decide their future. >> that's how important it is. >> reporter: a sense of history in the making. >> if not who, then who? and if not now, when? >> reporter: a record turnout. more than 80%. on the ballot, should scotland be an independent country, yes or no? a simple question with

complicated, unanswered questions about who would get what, north sea oil reserves, nuclear submarines, nato membership, even the british pound. scotland could pay a price if it chooses independence. for the first time voters as young as 16 had a say. show of hands, who's a "yes" vote? who's a "no" vote? but they're split just like their parents. >> and you are a? >> "no" voter. >> reporter: why "no"? >> i think there are too many uncertainties. >> i think if we get independence to look back and say we helped. it would be a really good thing. >> reporter: both sides used social media to get their point across. kate smith was in the field of "no" voters. a "yes" vote would mean her husband's job moves south. >> i'm very, very sad that it's come to this in scotland. >> reporter: the man at the center of the independence movement, reassurance for scotland and the rest of the world. >> so the u.s. has nothing to be worried about? >> nothing whatsoever. >> reporter: still, scotland is restless tonight.

>> this is the only chance we're going to get. >> reporter: from living rooms to pubs, this country and the united kingdom it may soon leave are in for a long, sleepless night. the polls are closed, the counting has started. we won't know the result for several hours yet. meantime, another historic vote today, st. andrews, that legendary and elite golfing club, voted to allow women for the first time in its 260-year history. change is in the air, brian. >> let's call that the first early result from scotland tonight. kelly cobiella in edinburgh for us. kelly, thanks. the president of ukraine got a warm welcome in washington today, but came away with less than what he wanted. addressing a rare meeting of congress president poroshenko said his soldiers need help fighting those russian-backed rebels. >> they need more military equipment. both lethal and non-lethal.

blankets, night-vision goggles are also important, but one cannot win the war with blankets. >> president obama met with poroshenko at the white house said only nonlethal aid would be provided. and we're back with more from new york right after this.

>> tonight's scandal continues to envelope the nfl and his embattled commissioner roger goodell. again tonight, a goodel must go banner, ahead of thursday night football. all of it playing out as we're learning new details of another nfl player just arrested for domestic violence. our reporter tonight from our national correspondent, peter alexander. >> reporter: this is the latest face of the nfl's domestic violence crisis. the arizona cardinals jonathan dwyer charged with aggravated assault after fights with his wife at their phoenix home in july.

court documents say dwyer headbutted her breaking her nose. neighbors called police. >> the defendant was hiding in the home and had told his wife that if she alerted the police to what this defendant had done that he was going to kill himself. >> reporter: the next day police say the 229-pound running back punched his wife in the face then picked up a shoe and threw it, hitting their son in the stomach. dwyer's wife, who fled to another state with the toddler, contacted authorities last week, three days after the ray rice tmz sports video went public. dwyer denies the allegations, but the cardinals quickly pulled him from all team activities. a new nbc news/maris poll finds 53% of americans disapprove of the scandal. -- of the nfl's handling of the widening scandal. but 85% say the crisis will not affect how much football they watch. >> last weekend four different nfl games got over 20 million viewers. and i think that that is an indication that people are going to continue watching no matter what. if anything it's drawing more viewers. >> reporter: and nfl sponsors including anheuser-busch that

put out a tough statement this week want to make sure those fans stay. >> the moral authority of professional football in this country became a beer company. that's how bad things have gotten. >> reporter: today chicago bear brandon marshall, with three arrests for domestic violence and an nfl suspension in 2008, spoke candidly about the complex realities of domestic violence. marshall was never convicted. >> it's not an epidemic in the nfl. it's an epidemic in our world. so i would just say that pay attention. because the more we talk about it, the more people are going to get help. >> reporter: despite nearly two weeks of blistering headlines including calls for nfl commissioner roger goodell to step down, our poll found fewer than 30% of americans believe goodell should resign. brian? >> peter alexander on the continuing saga of the nfl. peter, thanks. we're back in a moment with a surprise announcement tonight from one of the richest men in the world. and the late news a damage assessment from that security breach at home depot. just how bad it really was. , a

assessment from that security breach at home depot. just how bad it really was.

a change at the very top for oracle, the huge software company. larry ellison, who co-founded oracle and is today the fifth richest man in the world, abruptly announced today he's stepping down as ceo. he is 70. he stays on as chairman. his old job will be split by two co-ceos. ellison's whose peers in the industry included gates, and he has enjoyed his money over the years, gobbling up land in hawaii and yachts and jets and fast cars and his sponsorship of the american cup. we can now put a number next to the security breach at home depot. they now say upwards of 56 million debit and credit cards have been compromised over a five-month period this year. that would make this much bigger than the christmas time breach at target stores. as a result of this many banks are going ahead and sending out new cards to customers. there were lights in the skies over the rockies a few days ago that everybody chalked up to a meteor shower. but we now know better.

the folks in the federal government who track such things now say despite their denials, it was a russian spy satellite coming to the end of its life. the cosmos 2495 burst in the -- into a fireball as it re-entered the atmosphere over the american west, showed up on local weather radar east of cheyenne, wyoming. its fiery death leaves an estimated 98 spy satellites from various countries orbiting up there and looking down on all of us. long-time "snl" cast member and bill clinton imitator darrell hammond has been chosen to replace don pardo for -- as the nour of "saturday night live". truth be told over the past few years as don was in failing health on and off, it was hammond's voice we heard doing an impression on those

broadcasts, unbeknownst to the audience. don pardo passed away in august after 70 years with nbc. when we come back, go big or go home. a big anniversary for the reigning king of the road and those of us who enjoy riding up high.

finally tonight, if you're

trying to get around one in traffic, they are lumbering dread naughts. if, on the other hand, you have a big family or a lot to haul, they are lifesavers on four wheels. the venerable chevy suburban has reached an important milestone. it's not for everyone, except for everyone who owns one or has ever loved one. our report tonight from nbc's kevin tibbles deep in the heart of texas. >> reporter: 24 hours a day across 4 million square feet, 4,500 people produce an icon for the american road. >> it's tough, roomy -- >> reporter: the chevy suburban this month celebrates its 80th birthday. the oldest, longest running automobile name plate in the world. and a mainstay in the family driveway. >> people love them because they can put their kids in there and all the equipment for the sporting goods or wherever they're traveling. >> reporter: that hasn't changed since your grand dad's suburban was made in detroit. but today all the work is done here at gm's massive arlington, texas, facility. from the stamping of the metal

to the assembly, to finished product rolling off the line. >> it's like baseball and apple pie. >> reporter: to learn all things suburban, just ask 81-year-old charlie hall. he's been making cars for gm for 58 years. >> you've been here longer than i've been on god's green earth. >> that's what a lot of them say. >> reporter: he calls co-workers family. and why not? granddaughter cara works down the line. >> i honestly like working with my papa. >> reporter: the original sold for a mere $685. today's base model is about $50,000. in torrance, california, george morgan proudly pampers his '56. >> like the music you heard when you were a kid, it's like the cars you saw when you were a kid. >> reporter: the chevy suburban may look sleeker and fancier, but it will still carry anything. just ask the dad down the street who coaches little league. kevin tibbles, nbc news, arlington, texas.

and that is our broadcast on a thursday night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. as always we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. goodnight. nbc bay area news starts now. >> right now at 6:00, a fast-moving wildfire burning through thousands of acres. and now one man with a criminal history is being blamed. good evening and thanks for joining. i'm janelle wang in for jessica aguirre. >> and i'm raj mathai there is a lot happening. the fire is growing. highway 50 is closed and a suspect is in jail tonight, accused of starting this blaze. wayne huntsman is being held on $10 million bail after his arrest in placerville yesterday. he is accused of intentionally

setting the fire near sacramento. here is the most recent numbers. it has burned 80,000 acres. more than 2,000 homes are threatened, and containment remains at just 5%. nbc bay area's jodi hernandez is live near the fire line where the skies are filled with smoke. >> reporter: raj, it is incredibly smoky out here. in fact, my eyes are stinging. now, we are standing alongside highway 50 where you can see the trees along the highway are charred. in fact, some of them are still on fire. now firefighters have been working hard all day to keep the fire from jumping the highway. and while they have managed to do that, they have been successful at that, this beast of a fire is nowhere near contained. 50 helicopters drop water on a fire firefighters describe as growing and dangerous. the king fire more than doubled in size overni