brian williams joins us next on nightly news. >> good night, folks. on our broadcast tonight, full denial from patriots quarterback tom brady and from his coach as a football inflation scandal remains bigger than the upcoming super bowl as the question remains who or what was responsible. do not enter. the new warning tonight says certain visitors should stay away from disneyland as health officials scramble to get this measles outbreak under control. inferno. a ferocious fire still burning over a day after it started. hundreds of families lose everything. why this one has been so hard to fight. and sidekicks. as we hit the streets to chronicle the trend that's arrived out of nowhere and includes taking one's best friend out for a ride. "nightly news" begins now. from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this

is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. good evening. a potential cheating scandal involving one of the great teams and great quarterbacks in the history of the game continues to consume a colossal amount of time and attention surrounding the industry of football that is the nfl. late today tom brady took questions from the press saying several times he had no knowledge of it or role in it. if baseball is our national pastime, football is something closer to an obsession. last year's super bowl was the most-watched television broadcast of any kind in television history. the game between the seahawks and the patriots will be played ten days from now. and today was consumed by allegations that the patriots had an edge in getting there. we begin with nbc's ron mott at the home of the patriots in foxborough, mass. hey, ron, good evening. >> reporter: hey, brian. good evening to you. an extraordinary day here at the stadium. tom brady and bill belichick answering dozens of questions about reports of this so-called

deflate-gate controversy. and they both said they don't have a clear explanation for what happened. >> i didn't alter the ball in any way. >> reporter: quarterback tom brady is used to being in the spotlight. >> i felt like we won the game fair and square. >> reporter: though not on the hot seat especially on social media labeled a cheat. >> you have never knowingly played with a football that was under 12 1/2 pounds of pressure? >> no. >> is tom brady a cheater? >> i don't believe so. i mean, i feel like i've always played within the rules. i would never do anything to break the rules. >> reporter: earlier patriots coach bill belichick said he was shocked to learn about the deflated ball controversy saying he's never concerned himself with the feel of a football in four decades of coaching. >> i'm trying to coach the team. that's what i want to do. tom's personal preferences on his ball -- footballs are something that he can talk about in much better detail. and information than i could possibly -- than i could possibly provide.

>> reporter: with 2007's spy-gate and the half million dollar fine he paid for videotaping an opponent's signals during a game belichick once again faced a barrage of questions. >> i've told you all i know. i've told you everything i know. i've told you all that i can tell you. i've told you everything i know. >> reporter: what remains unknown is who, besides the ball runners on the patriots sideline had access to team footballs after the referees certified them before the game. ex-nfl ball runner eric hester. >> there's only one or two ball boys that are responsible for the balls before and during the game. >> reporter: and while in 2011 tom brady expressed his preference for a softer football, former nfl quarterback joe theismann says it's not necessarily an advantage. >> i never concerned myself with that. if i could hold it and i could throw it, i was very happy with it. >> reporter: during today's practice brady and his teammates prepared for the big game ahead while their leader tries to keep his eyes on football's biggest prize. >> i think this is obviously

something we'll address but at the same time we're focusing on trying to go out and beat the seahawks. >> reporter: now, when asked whether anyone from the nfl has talked to him about deflate-gate, tom brady clearly said, no, which is only adding mystery to what the league says it is reviewing tonight, brian. >> that was the odd development from that press conference today. ron mott up in foxborough tonight. ron, thanks for starting us off. now we go to the west where we have been covering a growing and very worrisome measles outbreak which just today appears to have spread to yet another state. as you may know this one started with several visitors to disneyland, and now parents of unvaccinated young children are tonight being warned to stay away. our report tonight from nbc's hallie jackson. >> reporter: when it comes to the spread of measles, it's a small world after all. the outbreak that began at disneyland has now expanded to arizona, along with colorado, oregon, utah, washington and to mexico. as california health officials

issue a warning for those who aren't vaccinated and especially kids too young for the vaccine. >> i would recommend those children, infants, are not taken to places like disneyland today. >> we're vaccinated so no concerns. >> reporter: but some park employees are not. so disney's offering free shots and immunity tests to its workers. the park now monitoring about 100 colleagues of the five employees who came down with measles. an outbreak disney says could have happened anywhere unvaccinated people come into contact with the highly contagious virus. when parents come to you and say they don't want their children vaccinated, how do you talk to them about vaccination? >> i try to let them know that the fears are misplaced. that multiple studies have shown the safety of vaccines, how effective they are. >> everything else my kids bring home, the last thing i need is measles. >> reporter: but susan lawson will not immunize her children against measles after she says her daughter had a severe and life-changing reaction to the vaccine. >> does my child's life mean less than a vaccine child's life? i don't think so.

>> reporter: the conversation online, heated. don't be an idiot. vaccinate your kids. measles can kill. practice responsible parenting. in orange county one high school banned two dozen unvaccinated students from attending class during finals week. experts say it's the best way to contain the spread of measles especially in areas where clusters of parents decide not to immunize their kids. >> it could cover an entire community within a matter of weeks. >> reporter: a disease doctors thought they wiped out 15 years ago, now an outbreak growing bigger faster. hallie jackson, nbc news, los angeles. late word from overseas tonight of the passing of a major figure in the middle east, king abdullah of saudi arabia has died at the age of 90. our chief foreign correspondent richard engel is with us tonight. richard, good evening. talk about this and the impact. >> reporter: well, the impact could be quite significant. state television in saudi arabia reported that he died. he was 90 years old.

he died of pneumonia. he'd been ill for some time. he's supposed to be buried in saudi arabia in a state funeral tomorrow afternoon and to be succeeded by his half-brother king solomon who himself is 80 years old. king abdullah will be remembered at home for reformer but mostly for maintaining stability in saudi arabia through the chaos of the arab spring and taking steps to lower oil prices. >> richard, other news in the middle east today is the government of yemen has officially fallen. this is news for us because the rebels in charge while not enemies of the united states per se are not friends either in a region that's been a mess for some time. >> reporter: right now we have two countries in the arabian peninsula where their future is very uncertain. in yemen the president resigned his house was surrounded by rebels and he effectively threw in the towel. he decided he didn't want to fight anymore. the question is the current

government, the president that now just resigned, was very cooperative with the united states in fighting against al qaeda. and al qaeda in yemen has been a very aggressive presence. it's not clear that the rebel group will be so cooperative. >> all right. richard engel on all things foreign tonight. richard, thanks. at this time last night we were in havana having traveled there with the most senior u.s. officials to visit cuba in decades and where today the so-called normalization talks got under way while the u.s. military base that is part of that island stole some of the attention. our chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell remains there and has our report from havana tonight. >> reporter: cuba is a country ready for change. optimism is everywhere. hope and smiles on the faces of american and cuban diplomats today. but on the opposite end of the island a story making waves back home. at the u.s. naval base at guantanamo bay, the base commander fired. captain john nettleton relieved of command

in connection with an alleged affair with a woman on the base. he's now being investigated by ncis about the death of her husband whose body was found floating in the bay. the naval base itself an irritant to cuba since 1898 when the u.s. took control. cuba has long demanded it back. just one more argument in more than a century of disputes. but now the angry billboards and protests outside the u.s. intersection, the future american embassy are gone. anti-american slogans like this one replaced by billboards promoting tourism. complicated negotiations on trade, travel, banking and internet access, and the u.s. diplomat says human rights. >> we do have differences in that subject, profound differences with the cuban government, and it was part of the conversation today. >> reporter: her cuban counterpart. >> this process is about establishment of civilized relations between two countries with profound differences.

>> reporter: just a beginning today says former cuban diplomat carlos alzugara. what do you think is going to be the hardest bridge to cross? >> we have to abandon our mentality of speech and not react and try to see things as they really are. and the u.s. has to abandon the idea that somehow cuba can be pushed around. >> reporter: well, the u.s. diplomat assistant secretary jacobsen is going to be having breakfast with cuban dissidents first thing tomorrow making it clear on some things brian, cuba and america will agree to disagree. brian. >> andrea mitchell from our broadcast location in old havana. thanks. a meeting of two potential heavyweights for the gop nomination for president. jeb bush landed in salt lake city today for a private sitdown with mitt romney. sources tell nbc news this was a previously scheduled and casual meeting planned well before both

men expressed interest in entering the race in 2016. last night people in new york city called 911 because they thought the west side of the city was somehow on fire. it turned out to be a colossal five-alarm fire across the hudson river in new jersey. it is still burning. firefighters are still at it tonight. it started yesterday afternoon at 4:30. hundreds of families have lost everything, schools are closed. officials say it started by accident and spread incredibly quickly. nbc's anne thompson has our report. >> reporter: it was a monstrous inferno. flames ripping through the avalon at edgewater apartment complex destroying 240 units forcing a thousand people to flee their homes. 500 have nothing to go back to. this morning at a local hotel mara talbot and two of her three children tallied their losses. >> i have no i.d. we didn't take flip-flops. we didn't take jackets.

>> reporter: cole is applying to medical school. >> i'm worrying about my college apps are on my computer at home and my text books and things like that. >> reporter: all consumed in a fire so massive you could see from manhattan last night and smell it this morning. >> i just got up thinking in the middle of the night i'm like what is that smell? >> reporter: though the complex was up to code officials say the construction of the building allowed the fire to move quickly. roofs built with tresses that are inexpensive but pose especially dangerous challenges in fighting fire. >> it's very difficult because once it's in the walls and floors, lightweight construction you're chasing it and that's what we have to do. we just to have to start ripping open things and fight it. >> reporter: this fire was destructive but not deadly. four people were hurt, two firefighters and two civilians all suffered minor injuries. safe but many like the talbots, not secure. >> i feel like it will work out somehow. i don't know. >> reporter: facing a future they never imagined. anne thompson, nbc news,

edgewater, new jersey. and still ahead tonight, a state of emergency in one of the most beautiful parts of our country. a pipeline burst spills thousands of gallons of cancer-causing agents into a water supply. a frozen river now making for a difficult cleanup mission. and later, it's really just a great excuse to hold a charity event and look at some great faces along for the ride.

difficult mission unfolding tonight on the yellowstone

river. a large oil spill that has dumped toxic chemicals into the water. people who live near it became alarmed when they could actually smell and taste oil in their drinking water. now responding crews are having a tough time figuring out how to clean it up under a frozen river surface. nbc's miguel almaguer has our report tonight from glendive in montana. >> reporter: at the family cafe in glendive, it's bottled water only and limited refills. >> people are probably afraid to come out and eat. we tell them out front we'll sell them bottled water. >> reporter: the town draws water from the yellowstone river. locals say they could smell even taste oil in their drinking water. >> our dogs won't even drink the water. they were outside eating snow. >> reporter: the epa is searching for what they can't see beneath this frozen sheet of ice, at least 40,000 gallons of crude oil. >> frankly, i don't expect we'll get much oil out of the river. >> reporter: the yellowstone river weaves across much of

montana. at least this section is polluted with oil. it's a state of emergency. the 12-inch pipe owned by bridger pipeline ruptured beneath the river. oil spewed until engineers shut it off, but it reached glendive's water treatment plant. sheens of oil have been spotted 40 miles downstream. with benzene, a cancer causing chemical detected in the water at three times greater than federal standards allow, bottled water is being trucked in. for this fragile ecosystem, it's the region's second spill in just over three years. cleanups can take years and cost tens of millions of dollars. >> it's going to take us some time to figure out what caused this, but we will find out what happened and do everything we can to make sure it doesn't happen again. >> reporter: tonight, the ruptured pipeline has been capped, but the long-term effects to wildlife and the environment may not be known for years. miguel almaguer nbc news, glendive, montana. back in a moment with the

surprise announcement today from an american champion. also the accident involving one of the great treasures of the planet and the botched repair job that followed sadly. , sadly.

two deaths to report tonight, one of them a giant in the state of kentucky. wendell ford was both governor and a u.s. senator who over four terms rose to the number two post in the democratic leadership. seldom pictured without a cigarette, he was an unabashed champion of the tobacco and coal industries. wendell ford was 90 years old. and vince camuto has died. a hugely successful designer and marketer of womenswear. he was co-founder of nine west. a game changer in the business. vince camuto was 78 years old. jeff gordon, one of the best-known names in nascar and at 43 years of age among the elder statesmen of the sport, has announced he's going to park the famous 24 car after this coming season. he is a four-time series

champion coming off a great year, third all-time in victories. he has survived and prospered in a dangerous game. says he may still race part-time. to many of us kale will always be a great former nascar driver while bacon may be a national treasure but the folks who write the zagat guides to restaurants and dining say these two foods are over. their 2015 survey of dining trends declares bacon and kale are dead. they say many customers are just over both of them. some other interesting stats, 81% of diners say they've sent a dish back to the kitchen and an equal number admitted they've eavesdropped on the table next to them. leave it to drug smugglers on the u.s./mexico border to come up with the next delivery system for their product. in keeping with the times they've turned to drone, one of which recently crashed on the california side after being overloaded with meth. the dea says smugglers have been using this drone technology for several years. and one of the great relics

of the ages has suffered irreversible damage. a crucial piece of the king tut burial mask broke off. it's the blue and gold elongated braided beard beneath the chin. it either weakened or broke off during cleaning. it was hastily, as you can see there, reattached with epoxy and scratched up in the process. since the troubles in egypt, there has been great and growing concern over the continued safety of such treasures. when we come back here tonight, it's a thing now, it involves dogs and side cars and a camera to record it all.

a new documentary is out that takes viewers along on a unique ride. it started out as a noble idea. you'll see what it's become. it combines side cars, a lot of pairs of goggles, road trips, traveling companions all on camera to record it all. we get the story tonight from nbc's jacob rascon. >> how do you have any stress when you got, you know, that unconditional love? you know? >> reporter: j.d. whitaker and his dog hercules are on a mission to visit every service memorial in america.

but you know what they say. it's not where you end up. it's how you get there. and in this case it's whether you're wearing doggles, with a "d." "sit stay ride" is a documentary about side car dogs in america. >> i think there's two reasons to have dogs in the side car. one, because you don't want to go anywhere without the dog. and the second reason is because it's so cool. >> reporter: the film followed 18 riders and their dogs, most of them rescues, exploring why they do this. or as they put it, why not. >> people love dogs and side cars. it's just kind of a match made in heaven. >> if you're not a dog person, you probably don't get it. you know it's hard to explain the intrinsic comfort and joy that you get from having your buddy along with you on a trip. >> hey, pup. go ahead and stand up. >> reporter: in the documentary j.d. and hercules ride the tour of honor.

we met them near their home in north carolina. >> if i started riding away without him, he'd chase me down the road. he would. i guarantee you. >> reporter: j.d. discovered side cars in egypt carting around radio equipment for the air force. >> i got hooked on side cars. came home and i built one to take my kids out. kids grow up. of course they want to bring their dogs. so when the kids are gone, all you got left's the dog. >> reporter: the dog and the road. >> what really hit me with that film such a diverse group of people diverse group of dogs and we're all speaking with one voice. >> reporter: and one trusty companion. jacob rascon, nbc news. that is our broadcast on a thursday 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.

i just wish i could bring the girl back to the mother. >> right now 6:00, a cold case could be cracked. dna technology linked to the death of local girls. good evening. thanks for being with us. i'm raj mathai. >> i'm jessica aguirre. those cases may now be headed toward a resolution nearly four decades ago, four young women were brutally killed by the so-called gypsy hill murderer. today a new suspect linked to the crimes by dna appeared in a san mateo county court for the

first time. michelle roberts is outside the courthouse with more on the suspect and the cases many thought would never be solved. michelle? >> reporter: that's right. he was in court today but did not enter a plea. he still need to get a lawyer. today was the first time the victims' families were able to see him face-to-face. he's described as a sociopathic serial killer by the san mateo county district attorney. >> he need to be held accountable for what he did to the victims in our community. >> reporter: he's being charged for the murders of 17-year-old paula baxter and 18-year-old veronica casio. in 1976 they were both sexually assaulted and stabbed to death near gypsy hill road in pacifica. ronald cane is a retired detective sergeant from millbrae. he said he always had hope the killer would face his day in court. >> i feel wonderful this is solved. i just wish i could bring the girl back to the mother. >> reporte