series against the st. louis cardinals. looks great out side. 60s for the game. a little bit of fog just the way the giants like it. >> thanks for watching the fbi is asking for help in . identifying an isis militant on a new and chilling video speaking english in a north american accent. they fear he's an american. caught on camera. a traffic stop turned violent with children in the backseat recording it all. another case of mistrust between the police and public and everyone is rolling. driven to distraction. hands free but not distraction-free for drivers. turns out that technology could be making things more dangerous behind the wheel. and glen campbell as we haven't seen him before in his fight against alzheimer's, though able to still channel his music. what he shared with us from his private battle as he says farewell to public life. "nightly news" begins now.

>> announcer: from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. good evening. he's wearing a mask because isis fighters don't like to show their face, but we can hear his voice. and tonight, because he sounds like he could be an american, the fbi is asking all americans if his voice sounds familiar. there's no way to know exactly how many americans have gone overseas to fight for isis. it's even harder to figure out their motivation. but in this case, the feds are calling on citizens for their help. it's where we begin tonight with our justice correspondent, pete williams. >> reporter: it's an aspect of the isis terror group that has american officials especially worried. appeals to an american internet audience. now the fbi is hoping to use that propaganda against isis to identify this man seen in its latest video. >> we're here in the 17th division military base just outside the city of al raqqa. >> reporter: he claims to be in

the syrian city of al raqqa wearing a mask, desert camouflage and a shoulder holster. behind him he says there are syrian soldiers digging their own graves. they're later seen, the tape claims, being executed. the fbi posted a short excerpt of that video on its own website hoping someone might recognize the voice or the appearance. >> behind me you can see the officers' residence. >> reporter: he speaks english and arabic. investigators say the accent could be american or canadian but say they have no idea where he's from. u.s. officials have long feared that americans would join up with isis in syria. the fbi today also asks for tips about anyone else planning to join terrorists overseas. just yesterday the fbi revealed that a 19-year-old suburban chicago man was arrested over the weekend, planning to fly to turkey to join up with isis. and today in london, authorities arrested four men accused of plotting a terror attack there. british intelligence sources say

one of them had recently returned from syria. authorities in the uk and the u.s. tonight say some knives were found when today's arrests were made in london, but officials say they do not believe the men had yet formulated any specific plot or even method of attack. brian? >> pete williams outside fbi headquarters to start us off tonight. pete, thanks. overseas tonight there's concern about this u.s.-led campaign to take on isis. air strikes against isis in syria started three weeks ago. they started initially in the skies over iraq. the stated goal here as defined by the president is to degrade and destroy isis, but tonight another key city is on the brink of falling. it's called kobani. it's on the syrian border with turkey. and if it falls, it gives isis then another stronghold. our own richard engel has watched it all unfold. he joins us tonight from southern turkey. richard, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. the administration set a very ambitious goal. but if isis can take kobani, it

can do the same to other cities, which raises questions about the american strategy. at the syrian border today supporters of kobani flashed victory signs still hopeful that fighters in the city will repel isis militants. but there's no victory in kobani. isis has already seized two neighborhoods in street-to-street fighting. reportedly committing atrocities as they advance. idris nasan, just back from the battlefield, briefed his men. the news isn't good. they need heavier weapons. >> we need something more effective. than normal weaponry. >> reporter: so you're outgunned. isis is better armed? >> of course. >> reporter: back on the border supporters of kobani remain hopeful, but many here feel abandoned. they say promises of u.s. help against isis have been lies. people here say what they've seen from the u.s. so far is

mostly symbolic, a few scattered air strikes, which haven't been enough to slow down the isis advance, let alone save kobani. this battle is a test case for the u.s. war on isis in syria. so far it's failing. isis advanced on kobani for three weeks, the militants moving so openly we could see their formations, identify their vehicles every day. yet they weren't stopped. it doesn't match the rhetoric of u.s. officials. >> we will follow them to the gates of hell until they are brought to justice. >> reporter: but here the u.s. didn't even chase isis over this hill. in this case, the gates of hell had an address, an obvious one, but it seems not to have been a priority. in a statement to nbc news tonight, a u.s. official said the situation in kobani is horrible, but the u.s. isn't providing close air support in

syria and is pursuing a, quote, iraq-first strategy. >> richard engel on the situation in southern turkey tonight. richard, thanks. in this country, it has been a week now since the public learned of the first case of ebola diagnosed in the u.s. that patient in dallas, the dozens of people who may have had contact with him are now in the critical period when the symptoms could start to show. u.s. officials are warning that americans' risk of exposure will not go away until the epidemic is brought under control overseas. that is going to require u.s. military boots on the ground. we get our report tonight from nbc's kate snow. >> reporter: for weeks the u.s. military has been slowly moving personnel into west africa. today the pentagon said of the as many as 4,000 troops going, only a small number will work with blood samples in labs testing for ebola wearing full protective gear. the rest will have access to face masks and gloves. >> my family knows where i'm at,

but i reassure them that we have a daily brief of medical precautions we take. >> reporter: they can't be too careful. in a country where waste from ebola victims is incinerated outside clinics. can it live on surfaces? >> if there's blood or other human fluids with the virus in it, then it can live for hours to days. >> reporter: passengers leaving west africa are already being screened, but now the u.s. government will begin screening incoming passengers at airports in this country some time this week. they're talking about taking temperatures and doing a personal interview. might that make a difference? >> you can take a temperature. unfortunately, that doesn't get at every single person who has had illness or has come into contact with someone that had ebola. asking those questions is an important thing to do for screening. >> reporter: despite all those efforts, experts say it's likely another ebola case will travel into the united states. but isolated cases do not equal

an outbreak. >> the enemy is a virus. it's a difficult virus to stop, but we know how to control it. >> reporter: and so far they know that no one who came into contact with the ebola patient in dallas, thomas eric duncan, has shown any symptoms of ebola. that patient, duncan, is being given an experimental medicine now, the very same one being given to the patient here, an nbc freelance cameraman. back to you, brian. >> kate snow in omaha, nebraska for us. kate, thanks. still the number one concern for so many parents across this country is the enterovirus. as we've heard from a lot of viewers on our website, it's scary because it's random, fast and virulent, and more children have now been stricken. nbc's rehema ellis has our report. >> reporter: at this hospital in philadelphia, two more mysterious cases of acute muscle weakness that could be linked to enterovirus d-68. the virus has now shown up in 44 states and the district of columbia, with five new cases in new jersey and the first case in florida confirmed today. >> enterovirus d-68 is in our community.

so a lot of people have been exposed. >> reporter: there are more than 100 different types of enteroviruses, and it's estimated that 10 to 15 million infections occur in the u.s. each year. but doctors are concerned about d-68. mostly seen in children because their immune systems are less developed, spread by touching, sneezing or coughing. the strain can start like the common cold or flu, with wheezing, high fever and dehydration. treatment varies depending on symptoms but includes fluids, rest and, in some cases, oxygen. doctors say wash your hands with soap and water. no kissing, hugging or sharing utensils. don't touch your face with dirty hands. have you talked to your pediatrician at all about what you need to do to keep mariah safe? >> yes. she actually said just make sure you keep washing your hands daily, and like don't let everybody be around her touching her. >> reporter: tonight parents remain vigilant. we're only in the middle of the enterovirus season. rehema ellis, nbc news, philadelphia.

police in a town not far from chicago are tonight facing a lawsuit. the officers accused of resorting to excessive force after they pulled a family over for what was at first a minor violation. the rest of this story, as we've seen in other cases like this, was caught on camera. we get our report from nbc's kevin tibbles. >> reporter: what appears to be a routine traffic stop becomes a violent encounter with police. >> how can you say somebody is not going to hurt you? people are out there being shot by the police. >> reporter: in the backseat, lisa mahone's two children, her 7-year-old daughter and 14-year-old son, who records on his cell phone camera, as a hammond, indiana police officer tases jamal jones. >> felt like my civil rights was just thrown out the window, along with my body. >> reporter: they filed a federal lawsuit against the hammond police for use of excessive force. police maintain jamal jones

refused to get out of the car and issued a statement saying, police officers were at all times acting in the interest of officer safety and in accordance with indiana law. >> there is a level of mistrust between many segments of the american population and the police, particularly when you're talking about low income or minority communities. >> reporter: the hammond incident in late september comes at the same time police dash cam video appeared showing a south carolina police officer shooting an unarmed man at a gas station. >> get out of the car. >> why did you shoot me? >> reporter: levar jones was shot in the hip. the officer charged with aggravated assault and battery. just this year, the pew research project found that 90% of adults own a cell phone and more and more confrontations with police are being videotaped. in ferguson, missouri, cell phone video recorded the aftermath of the death of michael brown and the protests that followed. >> look at what's happening with twitter around the ferguson,

missouri, the uprest in ferguson, it was everywhere. it was on facebook, it was on twitter. now i think there's just more access to technology, and it's so easy to get things to go viral. >> reporter: as technology advances, the police and the public are making sure they have the pictures to make their case. kevin tibbles, nbc news. and still ahead for us tonight, speaking of technology, the surprise findings about all the hands-free technology in the car that's supposed to help you stay focused at the wheel and how it could make driving more dangerous. and later, a star is born. a free agent signs with the nba and he's 5. and there's an important reason why he got the contract.

>> good evening, i'm joe frir in los angeles. me have breaking news out of northern california. yosemite confirms a small plane has crashed. cal fire says this afternoon it lost contact with one of its air tankers, which was flying over that fire. the status of the aircraft and the pilot have not been determined, according to cal fire, stay tuned to your nbc station and nbc news.com for more information throughout the evening. now back to brian in new york. we mentioned this before the break. there's new research out tonight about distracted driving. this just may be the cost of good intentions. this study finds that hands-free

technology that was supposed to help us all stay focused while at the wheel is often itself a dangerous distraction. we get our report on this tonight from nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: it's the very technology that's supposed to keep our eyes and our attention on the road. >> play cd. >> tuning to a.m. 850. >> oh, heavens. >> reporter: but new research finds hands-free technology meant to keep our hands on the wheel can actually take our mind off the road. >> please say a command. >> call john doe. >> calling donna at home. >> not donna, no. >> reporter: aaa and university of utah researchers looked at brain patterns, reaction times and driver behaviors. >> saturday is going well. so -- >> reporter: the more interaction the system requires -- >> sorry, i didn't get that. >> reporter: -- the greater the chance of distraction. >> you have to say the message just right. if you get off by a little bit,

it doesn't understand. >> reporter: the greater the distraction, the greater the chance of missing a traffic light, stop sign or pedestrian. listening to the radio is a low category 1 distraction, but it increases if we listen to e-mails. >> you have at least 25 e-mails. here are the latest three. >> reporter: or if you try to dictate a text. and the distraction increases to a 3 or 4 if we try to talk to a computer-generated voice. aaa says the least distracting system was toyota's entune with a 1.7 ranking, similar to listening to an audio book. the most distracting the chevy mylink with a 3.7 ranking, but chevrolet takes issue with the research, telling nbc news aaa's singular study focuses on research related to cognitive functioning with no correlation to increased crash risk. it's all about finding the balance where technology helps instead of distracts. tom costello, nbc news, washington. we're back in a moment with a dramatic street fight caught on camera. sure sounded like a brawl was going on out there.

as they say in astronomy, check your local listings. a good astronomy website will tell you if you can see the rare event as tonight gives way to tomorrow morning. in some places it's going to be possible to view an eclipse of the moon and the rising sun at the same time. it takes careful watching of both horizons. steve curry has died. he was an actor and a singer. and if you don't know his work, you did know his hair. that was steve curry on the poster as an original cast member of the show "hair." and he became its iconic logo and album cover for which his family says he was never paid a dime. steve curry was 68. this is the kind of thing you hate to see, violence taking place right out in the open, right in front of people's houses. wait a second, it's kangaroos

having at each other in the road. >> the wrong lempt in a quiet suburban neighborhood and you can hardly tell them to take it outside if they're already there. >> meet the newest member of the utah jazz, j.p. gibson, all of 5 years old. the jazz signed him to a one-day contract for a special scrimmage with the team on monday night. he's dealing with a kind of leukemia and getting to play with the team as a super fan already, made him feel really good. when we come back tonight, glen campbell, battling alzheimer's, giving fans one last gift. ♪ not gonna miss you

finally here tonight, every 67 seconds, on average, in this country someone is diagnosed with alzheimer's. for everyone in the fight there are millions of caregivers among their loved ones. three years ago we learned that glen campbell, the enormous star of american music, had entered the fight himself. he went public with it hoping to combat the stigma that still accompanies the diagnosis sometimes. tonight here he's invited his fans to see his farewell to public life.

our "making a difference" report tonight from nbc's cynthia mcfadden. ♪ i'm still here but yet i'm gone ♪ >> reporter: this is a legend at work. glen campbell singing the last song of his 50-year career. this final video recorded nearly two years ago but seen here for the first time. ♪ i'm not gonna miss you >> reporter: the words, the truth about the disease destroying his brain. >> this indicates that in all likelihood your difficulties are due to alzheimer's. >> reporter: devastating news that would have meant the end for most entertainers. >> i ain't done yet. just tell them that. good evening, ladies and gentlemen. i'm glen campbell. ♪ it's knowing that your door's always open ♪ ♪ and your path is free to walk ♪ >> reporter: but for all his success, his most enduring legacy might be the battle he's waged with alzheimer's disease. not just going public with the diagnosis three years ago but heading out on a farewell tour with three of his kids.

his wife in the wings it was a high wire act. i mean, you're holding your breath will he be able to make it through the performance. >> we all held our breath every single night. >> who are these people over here? oh, yeah, there they are. >> reporter: to make the stakes even higher, he invited filmmakers to come along. the result, a raw and emotional new documentary "glen campbell, i'll be me." >> i know that he wanted to tell the gnarly truth. you're showing the audience what this man's up against and what 44 million people are up against worldwide. >> how is the alzheimer's, glen? >> oh, i gave it a left hook. >> who is that? >> that's you, honey. >> that's me there? no kidding. >> reporter: it's remarkable because at some points where he doesn't recognize his own children, he can play the guitar like nobody's business. >> the doctors all told us, it was good for his brain. ♪ >> reporter: during the tour,

the disease was in the early stages, but two years ago campbell had to quit performing. we visited him just last week. the disease is now in late stage six. stage seven is the end of the road. can glen still play the guitar? >> it comes and goes. some days he gives us a big surprise. he'll pick it up, and we'll be like, whoa, where did that come from? >> reporter: conversation is no longer possible, but the music is still in the man. >> he's still glen campbell, and he still loves and feels and expresses joy and sadness. he really made himself vulnerable because he wanted to make a difference. >> reporter: cynthia mcfadden, nbc news, nashville. >> proves that bravery takes many forms and here's to all the caregivers out there as well. that's our broadcast on a tuesday night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. we, of course, hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. goodnight.

we're following breaking news, it's an air tanker that crashed, apparently, while battling a wildfire in yosemite. i want to show you some video that we just got of the dog rock fire burning inside the national park. this started about 2:45 this afternoon. numerous air tankers were sent in. one particular air tanker was fighting the fire when it apparently went down around 4:30 this afternoon. locals said they heard some sort of noise, what sounded like a crash and then all of a sudden they lost visibility with this air tanker.

emergency crews are out this moment looking for that plane. now, this fire is between the park boundary and arch rock station. again, it started about 2:45 this afternoon. it's burned about 130 acres so far. the national park service is telling us that the plane did crash. it's believed to be an s-2 tanker. this is a picture of a tanker that looks similar to that one, it's not the actual tanker. it comes as cal fire is being taxed to the limit. highway 140 is closed. that's the highway that goes into yosemite. about 60 homes have been evacuated so far and the push is on to find the remains of this air tanker. at this point we don't know how many people were on board or what kind of condition it is, but they are hoping to do some sort of rescue at this point. we'll continue to follow this breaking news and get you the latest information as soon as we get more. fi> also new at 6:00, a bitter