on our broadcast tonight, hostage raid. police storm in to end a 16-hour standoff in australia, but not everyone made it out alive. tonight, what we know about the dead hostage-taker and his motivation. studio scolding. sony pictures, along with a big name in hollywood, demanding the news media stop reporting on stolen e-mails. to his defense. camille cosby speaks out for the first time about the accusations against her husband. contagious comeback. the growing number of grown-ups coming down with childhood diseases like mumps and chickenpox and how people can protect themselves. and "making a difference." a nationwide outpouring for the library that became a sanctuary in the middle of so much trouble in ferguson, missouri. "nightly news" begins now.

from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. good evening. it was one of the worst days in the modern history of one of the great cities in the world, sydney, australia. one man now dead, held 17 innocent people in standoff from day into night before it ended in flash bang grenades and gunfire. and not all the innocents got out alive. it's where we begin our coverage with nbc's sarah james in sydney, australia. sarah, good evening. >> reporter: sydney is in shock. no one believed something like this could happen here, brian, with two hostages dead and others injured. i'm standing just a few hundred yards from the cafe where it all began. and that is now a crime scene. many questions remain today. police say this is an active investigation.

>> reporter: after more than 16 hours, the siege ended in violence. heavily armed police stormed the cafe, using what appeared to be stun grenades after hearing gunfire inside. as paramedics race to the scene, stretchers ready. >> they made the call because they believed at that time if they didn't enter, there would have been many more lives lost. >> reporter: it all began during morning rush hour. at 9:45 police are called to the lindt chocolate cafe in downtown sydney. the busy heart of the business district in australia's biggest city. 17 hostages inside. they're forced to hold up a flag showing the islamic declaration of faith written in arabic. one after another hostages stand in the window at gunpoint, some for hours. others later post the gunman's demands on social media. he wants an isis flag and to talk to the australia prime minister. as the news spreads, air traffic over sydney is diverted. there are evacuations, the sydney opera house, the u.s. consulate, which issued an

emergency warning to americans. and directly across from the cafe, the channel 7 newsroom, where a police sniper takes up a position. >> we saw some chilling scenes as the gunman forced these hostages up against the glass window. >> reporter: the gunman is spotted through the window, later identified as iranian-born man haron monis, a sheikh on bail facing murder charges of his ex-wife. six hours into the crisis, three hostages escape. 9:00 p.m. the cafe lights go out. the police don night vision goggles. at 2:08 in the morning the hostages suddenly run for their lives, police storm the building and in the shootings, the gunman is killed and so are two hostages. a man and woman both in their 30s. bloodshed to end a nightmare. sara james, nbc news, sydney. >> reporter: this is richard engel. we've heard the term before, a lone wolf, a terrorist who

strikes out on his own. in sydney it was a muslim extremist with a loose grip on reality and a long rap sheet. a self-promoter who craved media attention. it's people like him, loners, outcasts with delusions of glory and revenge who are most susceptible to the propaganda posted by groups like isis. >> they're saying you don't need to travel to syria to be effective, to be a warrior for us. you can take the fight to the citizens in your own country. >> reporter: in the west, deadly incidents are happening with alarming regularity. in canada in october a gunman who shot soldiers in parliament was inspired by isis. days later in new york, a man whose social media profile was full of isis propaganda, attacked police with a hatchet. and the tsarnaev brothers in boston, inspired to kill americans by a radical islamic ideology. >> people are worried we're going to see these kind of lone

wolf attacks in the united states. but we already are seeing them. >> we've seen them. we've seen what happened in boston. you can go back even to ft. hood. we've seen it in the united states. and certainly the potential for violence here is great because the amount of weapons available on the street. >> reporter: the u.s. has seen lone wolves before. and experts say we'll see more of them. two new studies indicate that around 30% to 40% of these lone wolf attackers are deranged and have some sort of mental illness. i think the term lone wolf is somewhat more romantic than it needs to be for these individuals. >> richard engel, concluding our coverage after a bad day in australia. richard, thank you. now to a breaking story we've been covering all day, a manhunt in the metropolitan philadelphia area where the death toll tonight stands at six and one man is still at large and wanted in a series of killings which appear to be connected. nbc's rehema ellis is in harleysville, p.a. tonight. >> reporter: good evening, brian. a manhunt is underway tonight. and police are searching for

more details about the tragedy that unfolded in three communities today about 30 miles outside of philadelphia. late today s.w.a.t. teams surrounded a home in search of the suspect who officials say is armed and dangerous. according to police 35-year-old bradley william stone went on a deadly shooting spree early this morning, killings six family members and wounding another man. policeay one of the victims, the suspect's ex-wife, two children who had been in the apartment, were later found unharmed at a neighbor's, another victim, his ex-wife's 75-year-old grandmother. officialing say the suspect is an iraq war vet discharged in 2011. tonight he's wanted by police. brian? >> rehema ellis on the story tonight. harleysville, pennsylvania. there has been a late development today in the still spiraling saga of bill cosby. his wife of 50 years, camille cosby, has broken her silence on the allegations against her husband and has come out swinging at the news media. our report tonight from nbc's

anne thompson. >> reporter: for months camille cosby has sat silently as her husband was asked if the allegations he drugged and sexually assaulted women were true. >> there is no comment about that. >> reporter: today, she defended bill cosby. in a statement saying "the man i met and fell in love with, whom i continue to love, is the man you all knew through his work." that man appeared to be the ideal husband on tv. but more than two dozen women have come forward to tell a much different story. most recently supermodel beverly johnson. >> i most certainly didn't think of my legacy as being the first african-american model to grace the cover of "vogue" and drugged by bill cosby. >> reporter: camille cosby says that portrait is of a man she does not know, painted she says by individuals and organizations whom many in the media have given a pass. she compares the scandal to the now discredited "rolling stone" article about an alleged gang

rape at the university of virginia. none of us ever want to be in the position of attacking a victim, but the question should be asked, who is the victim? bill cosby's lawyer has consistently denied the allegations, and the comedian has never been charged with a crime. but two women are now suing cosby. anne thompson, nbc news, new york. a major figure in hollywood who is among those affected by this massive and ongoing electronic attack on sony pictures, says the news media should not be reporting on stolen e-mails and thus none of us should be reading what's in them. aaron sorkin, who gave us "the west wing" and "a few good men" makes a good argument about the theft while the company fights back. our report from nbc's joe fryer in los angeles. >> reporter: award-winning screen writer aaron sorkin is penning a different kind of script, an op-ed in the "new york times." he's calling media outlets that public information from the sony pictures hack, morally treasonous and spectacularly dishonorable.

his name and soon to be filmed movie about steve jobs have popped up in e-mails exchanged between studio executives and not always in a positive light. but to that, sorkin says, i don't care, because the minor insults that were revealed are such small potatoes compared to the fact that they were reveal, not by the hackers, but by american journalists helping them. sony's attorneys have now sent letters to some news organizations demanding they not publish information from the hack. but ucla law professor eugene volic says it will be hard to stop the coverage. >> generally speaking, the media has a first amendment right to publish such information, even if it was originally illegally gathered and leaked. at least so long as it's in a manner of public concern. >> reporter: so far hackers have released eight batches of internal documents and embarrassing e-mails and promising what they call a christmas gift with even larger quantities of data to come. the hackers want to block the

release of an upcoming movie, the interview. seth rogen and james franco broke their silence about the hack on the howard stern show. >> i can't believe people are like, look at the stolen information, read it, read it. >> reporter: sony held a private town hall meeting today. much has been said about celebrities and executives, hackers also stole personal information from sony employees. they too are at the center of this massive cyber attack. joe fryer, nbc news, los angeles. he is the son of one president, the brother of another, now jeb bush is sending the strongest indications yet that he may run for that job. but a ballot with another bush on it is just one of the reasons why a lot of voters may feel a bit of deja vu in the race for 2016. our report tonight from nbc's andrea mitchell. >> reporter: could 2016 be the year of the political re-runs? or in jeb bush's case, political sequels? jeb bush today in south carolina, which just happens to be an early primary state,

teasing graduates about following in their parents' footsteps. >> and i can tell you from personal experience, if your parents worked in politics, well, you know the rest. >> reporter: he's showing every sign of running, plans to release 250,000 e-mails from his years as florida's governor, plus a new book, and a strategy. refuse to veer right in the primary to appeal to more voters in the fall. big brother george w. is egging him on. >> he knows i want him to run. if i need to reiterate it, i will. run, jeb. i think he'd be a great president. >> reporter: hillary clinton, another familiar face with a big head start. but under big pressure from the party's left. >> the american people are disgusted by wall street bailouts. >> reporter: elizabeth warren says she's not running now. but can clinton whose made paid speeches for wall street, appeal to democratic populace?

she's already trying. >> don't let anybody tell you that, you know, it's corporations and businesses that create jobs. >> reporter: so if this is a year when voters want something different, warren, chris christie, rand paul. >> i don't think hillary clinton or jeb bush can run as an outsider. >> reporter: still with signs that rick santorum, mike huckabee, even mitt romney might run again, that could make hillary clinton or jeb bush look positively new. andrea mitchell, nbc news, washington. throughout the ebola scare it was said the nation could use a surgeon general for public health advice. now over after a year in the waning days of the democratic senate majority, the senate voted narrowly 51-43 late tonight to confirm dr. vivek murthy. he faced fierce opposition from mostly republicans over his support for obamacare and for gun control. still ahead on this monday evening, childhood viruses like chickenpox and mumps affecting more and more adults including some very famous names. also, if you're waiting for

a fedex package on this busiest shipping day of the year, we've got a good idea as to where it might be. s to where it might be. to where it might be. to where it might be. o where it might be. where it might be. where it might be.

there is evidence out there right now you don't need to be a kid to get sick with what we usually think of as childhood viruses like chickenpox and mumps. a lot of adults, some prominent but some not, are coming down with illnesses we fear for our children and don't usually associate with our friends and family. we get our report tonight from our chief medical editor,

dr. nancy snyderman. >> reporter: angelina jolie, celebrity superstar, now grounded by a common childhood disease, chickenpox. keeping her from her own premiere. she said in a youtube video released by universal pictures. >> i will be home itching and missing everyone and i can't believe it. >> reporter: meanwhile more than a dozen nhl hockey players have come down with the mumps. >> sidney crosby comes in. >> reporter: pittsburgh's penguins captain sidney crosby was diagnosed yesterday even though he had been vaccinated. the right side of his face is swollen from inflammation of the sal vary glands. >> results came back positive, he's been in isolation. and he has mumps. >> reporter: whooping cough is also making a big comeback. in california it's the worst epidemic in 70 years. at a hospital in brooklyn, new york, er dr. john marshall knows

that protection from childhood vaccines can weaken over time. do you think it's reasonable to expect that we may be looking in the near future at a new battery of booster shots for adults? >> i think the concept of additional booster shots for adults makes good sense. >> reporter: for whooping cough adults should get the tdap vaccine every ten years. protecting against tetanus, diphtheria and per tusis. if you've never had the chickenpox or vaccine, get it now. two doses at least four weeks apart. for mumps, anyone born after 1957 should consider a booster of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. for chickenpox more painful blisters and risk of pneumonia. as for mumps, more severe inflammation that in some cases can lead to infertilate. so while there are individual recommendations and we don't want to broad blanket everything, brian, these are real conversations to be had as adults. what shots might i need to protect myself? >> as a hockey fan i can't

believe we're talking about mumps this season. nancy, thank you. as always. we're back in a moment with the reason why the woman who brought us the movie "frozen" is apologizing to a lot of parents. ♪ ♪

tonight, we note some departures from american life, starting with phil stern, the great hollywood photographer whose evocative work started in the army and world war ii, where he received a purple heart for his wounds. after the war he went west where he chronicled the golden age of hollywood stars, singers and actors, including frank sinatra lighting a cigarette for jfk in 1961, the last american president photographed with a cigarette. phil stern was 95. sy berger also was a world war ii vet.

when he came home, he turned the topps baseball card company into a national obsession. he added color photos and stats on the back and gum. and we were all hooked. sy berger was 91. and david garth has died. he was the first modern day political consultant, the father of the powerful tv campaign spot. he helped get a lot of new york city mayors elected, his clients included lindsey, cuomo, rudy giuliani and bloomberg for starters. david garth was 84. visitors to the 9/11 memorial and museum here in new york last night were startled to look up and see former president george w. bush. it was an unannounced visit, small entourage. onlookers said he appeared to be moved by the exhibits that chronicled the defining day of his presidency and the aftermath, which of course goes on to this day. if you're waiting for a package to arrive, it might be in mahwah. a fed ex truck overturned and ripped open on the interstate in mahwah, new jersey, and it carried a lot of people's hopes and dreams for christmas.

minor injuries for the driver who said he was swerving to avoid a tire. this is fedex's busiest day of the year. they say all parcels will get to their destination after a slight delay. and the director of the movie "frozen" says she is now forced to apologize to parents quite often who have been driven to the breaking point by the song "let it go." jennifer lee says just a year ago parents thanked her right and left for the great work. that was before a lot of long car rides with kids listening to that song on repeat. when we come back tonight, an outpouring for the library where so many turned to when they had no place else to go in ferguson, missouri.

there were arrests this weekend in several cities across the country as tens of thousands protested the recent killings of unarmed african-americans. a protest movement, of course, that started in ferguson, missouri. while we were there covering the violence and the aftermath, with the schools closed and fighting in the streets, the ferguson public library put out a message offering wi-fi, water, rest, and knowledge. they became a safe place for kids to go and they stayed open.

now the good will the library fostered is being returned so many times over. ron allen has tonight's "making a difference" report. >> reporter: the small, unassuming ferguson public library suddenly has the world's attention. >> we wish you strength, patience and compassion. >> reporter: the only full-time employee says the words of praise and the contributions keep pouring in. >> the vast majority of our donations have been in the 10, 20, $30 range. >> reporter: money and, of course, books. boxes still arrive every day stored away until volunteers can get them on the shelves. how many do you think you've gotten so far? >> hundreds. maybe more than 1,000. i don't know. >> reporter: ferguson's unrest following the death of michael brown erupted just blocks away. but the library has stayed open day in and day out. an oasis especially when schools were shut for up to a week. >> it was heartbreaking to know that our students weren't where they were supposed to be. >> reporter: teachers like carrie held class here.

it was a traumatic time for young people here. >> yes. >> reporter: it still is. >> yes, and for old people as well. >> reporter: word spread mostly through social media. the library was open for classes, meals, safety. we will stay open to serve people of #ferguson, the library tweeted. as the grand jury cleared officer darren wilson, violence erupted again. >> i think i'll -- >> reporter: janet was so moved by taking daughter jay to the library, she's now tutoring neighborhood kids after school. your home has become like the library. >> yes. >> reporter: at last count the library had donations of almost $400,000. almost its yearly budget. >> it's been amazing for the library. >> reporter: and every book donated bears a special sticker -- unity. a legacy this library and so many here hope one day to achieve. >> got your books? >> yes, mommy. >> reporter: ron allen, nbc news, ferguson. great story to end our broadcast on this monday night

as we start out a new week. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. goodnight. somebody tried, try to do something, put an end to it. don't leave us hanging. >> at 6:00, looking for answers and looking for help. the new accusations from several flooded-out peninsula residents. the finger-pointing continues as the water rises. more rain is on the way. good evening and thanks for being with us. i'm raj mathai. >> i'm jessica aguirre. a pause between storms is allowing some areas of the bay area to deal with damage done by today's rain and wind. in san jose's almaden valley

power lines came crashing down shutting off the power, closing schools and leaving a lot of parents scrambling for what to do. and it's not over yet. more rain is coming in tonight and there will be more rain the rest of the week as well. we have team coverage for you. nannette miranda joins us from a flooded neighborhood that's demanding help. marianne favro has problems in san jose. we begin with chief meteorologist jeff ranieri who's tracking this storm and the others that are coming right behind it. >> we're going to have a busy week over the next five days. right now doppler radar, a few areas of scattered rain in the north bay, east bay. but the zone of rain i'm most concerned about right now is moving in across the peninsula. we told you about this at 5:00. right now it's producing rainfall rates close to 1 inch per hour. this will likely cause some issues on the roadways. we're talking about 280, highway 101, and any kind of interior roads that the locals use throughout woodside, redwood city, palo alto. we'll zoom in, get a closer