on this wednesday nights, terror targets. new arrests in an isis-inspired plot to kill police officers and plans to behead a victim. what nbc news has learned about an imminent attack the suspect armed with knives, the fbi listening in. twice as bad as we were first told. turns out anthrax was fedex'd to dozens of locations, far more people put at risk. what went wrong? the cost of cancer. what's behind the skyrocketing price of cancer drugs? some costing $10,000 a month. for some medications to survive means going bankrupt. and here come the brides. so many of them flocking to a tiny post office for a very big reason. we'll lift the veil on a wedding secret

you'll love. "nightly news" begins right now. good evening. in boston disturbing new details emerged this afternoon of alleged terror plot to kill police officers including plans for a beheading. the fbi who had been surveilling one of the suspects says two men met over the weekend to discuss the plan. one is now in custody and appeared in federal court. the other believed to have been influenced by isis social media messages shot to death yesterday when he allegedly confronted police and federal agents who had gone to question him with a military-style knife. our justice correspondent, pete williams reports. >> reporter: investigators were back today at the scene where a boston police officer and an fbi agent yesterday shot the man authorities say was plotting to kill police.

26-year-old usaama rahim of boston. the fbi revealed new details about the investigation. nbc news has learned that three weeks ago based on rahim's social media postings and messages the fbi put him under 24-hour-a-day surveillance. agents disclosed today that they were watching as he went on line may 25th and 27th ordering three knives with long blades from amazon. they sarah he will and two others met last sunday and talked about about rahim's plan to behead someone in another state. someone not named in court documents. just yesterday, the fbi says rahim changed his plan saying in a wiretapped phone call that he wanted to attack police tuesday or wednesday, adding "i'm just going to go after them. those boys in blue, cause it's the easiest target." yesterday, alarmed by the call the fbi decided to break cover and question him before he got on a bus with one of his knives. official revealed today that when five boston police officers and fbi agents approached he drew this knife and refused to drop it.

they say he was shot as they were backing away. hoping to calm community leaders, boston police today showed them surveillance video of the shooting. those who saw it called it inconclusive but disputed a claim by rahim's brother that highway was shot in the back while talking to his father on the cell phone. >> what the video does reveal to us very clearly is that the individual was not on the cell phone. the individual was not shot in the back. >> reporter: also today, one of the men the fbi says was in on the plot 25-year-old david wright, appeared in federal court. arrested late yesterday after police and federal agents searched his house in the boston suburb of everett everett. a shock to neighbors. >> say hi to them every day, and they're out it hurt us. to hurt the police. >> reporter: wright was charged with encouraging rahim to get rid of evidence by destroying his smart smartphone. investigators say wright told them he knew of and supported the plan to behead someone in another state said to be a prominent person in

new york. a plot one official dismisses tonight as a fantasy. as for how many people like rahim are under constant surveillance the fbi will say only that it's well over 100. lester? >> all right. thank you. another big story we're following tonight, new development in that anthrax scare at labs all across the country. the pentagon now revealing they mistakenly shipped potentially live anthrax bacteria to at least 51 locations in 17 states and three different countries. more people put at risk than we knew. our pentagon correspondent, jim miklaszewski, reports. >> reporter: the announcement out of the pentagon was a shocker. the potential shipment of live anthrax more than twice as high than first reported. defense secretary bob work warns it can only get worse. >> we expect this number may rise because the scope of the investigation is going on. >> reporter: as of today, suspect anthrax samples were sent to 51 research labs in 17 states washington, d.c. and three

foreign countries. two labs one in maryland, the mother canada actually received live anthrax spores. the anthrax samples provided by the military are irradiated to kill any live spores before they are shipped to other labs for research into how to protect against a bioterror attack. the killing technique failed. four large batches retested in the past two weeks contained live anthrax. >> those sterility tests did not detect the presence of live anthrax. we need to know why. >> with one milliliter of liquid -- >> reporter: amazingly, anthrax both live and inactive are routinely shipped in small vials via federal express, packed in several sealed containers in dry ice to keep them frozen. so far, without incident. >> as of this point, we see absolutely no danger to the broader american public. >> reporter: in fact, defense official claim the small amount of liquid anthrax in question would pose

little threat to anyone in good health. >> what they are saying is scientifically accurate in that the chances of getting anthrax from the dilution of these samples and in the form in which they were in is virtually nil. >> reporter: despite those assurance, u.s. official tell nbc news the centers for disease control may suspend all anthrax shipments from any qualified agency until it can be determined exactly why the military's irradiation process failed to kill those live anthrax spores lester. >> jim miklaszewski at the pentagon. thank you. there are new twists in a murder investigation that has captivated so many people in this country. the family and their housekeeper held hostage, then killed inside their mansion, set on fire. a suspect was later arrested after a multistate manhunt. now the focus has moved to who else may have been involved. our national correspondent, peter alexander, has new details. >> reporter: tonight d.c. police are zeroing in on records

from three cell phones stolen from safos and amy sophoat louse and their housekeeper that might lead to another killer. search warrants just unsealed today reveal how police suspect the killer or killers forced their way to the multimillion-dollar mansion, breaking a window pane and set of french doors and kicking in a door found broken near the lock with a shoe or boot print visible on the outside. police now searching for the footwear that matches that print. darin wint is the only suspect currently charged in the brutal murders. the document show detectives are also focusing on mr. savopoulos' assistant, 28-year-old jordan wallace who police say admitted about lying about when he first met mr. savopoulos to get the $40,000 ransom money and how he delivered. police combing his phone history. wallace has not been charged with any wrongdoing in connection with the case. court records detail the evidence police were looking for inside the chevy cruz he was in and the box truck with him. weapons used in the

murders, duct tape to bind hands and feet and a red bag used to carry ransom money. also on the list clothing or shoes with blood on them credit card or paperwork from the savopoulos home, and digital recordings from cameras at the house. investigators have not said what if any items they've found. tonight the pressure on police to find the killers intensifies as the savopouloses' two teenage daughters are left to grieve. nbc news. jurors in the colorado movie master trial now in -- massacre trial now in its sixth week are hearing from the shooter himself. his chilling thought, twisted logic, even his regrets about the atrocity he carried outinated-- carried out inside that theater. we have more. >> reporter: the mumblings and confessions of a mass shooter. >> i thought i would make myself more valuable by killing people. >> reporter: 22 hours of interviews with a court-appointed psychiatrist theater

gunman james holmes in his own words. >> the reason why i chose mass murder or something like a serial killing. >> tell me why. >> because it was impersonal. it was something i could actually do. >> reporter: up until right before he opened that theater door, holm says part of him wish -- holmes says parts of him wished the fbi or his psychiatrist would stop him. >> i kind of regret that she didn't lock me up so everything could have been avoided. >> reporter: holmes shot 82 people that day. 12 of them fatally. >> i only count fatalities. >> what about the wounded? >> they were like collateral damage, i guess. >> reporter: especially difficult testimony for a courtroom full of survivors and victims' families. >> all he wanted to do was kill a bunch of people and they were collateral damage. to know that your child was caught in that randomness, it's

truly devastating. >> reporter: the psychiatrist who conducted the interview says holmes was mentally ill. but legally sane. >> how did it feel to be really doing it? >> then it was autopilot. >> reporter: key testimony from the gunman himself who has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. nbc news, los angeles. a pair of deadly crashes on our nation's highway today involving buses and tractor-trailers. in pennsylvania a semi was split in half when it collided with a bus carrying italian tourists through the poconos. the bus driver and at least two others on the bus were killed. and in texas, at least two people were killed when a passenger bus slammed into the back of a big rig about 90 miles from houston. ten other were taken to hospitals. a desperate mission underway on the other side of the world. rescuers racing against the clock to get to anyone who may still be alive after that cruise ship known as the "oriental star" capsized with hundreds

on board. our ian williams has more on the frantic search in china. >> reporter: with time running out, rescue workers began cutting open the hull of the "oriental star." salvage ships lined up preparing to raise it. there have been no further signs of life from inside the ship. more than 400 passengers are still missing. divers are now finding only bodies. this one says visibility in the rough, muddy waters is near zero forcing them to rely solely on touch. authorities tightly control access to the site and the survivors. just 14 have been found so far including the captain and chief engineer who are in police custody. they face questions about why the ship caught by a passing vessel's security camera just before the accident didn't take shelter from the storm that apparently sank it as others reportedly did after severe weather warnings. state media has been playing up the work of the authorities,

knowing that in china despair can quickly turn to anger. distraught relatives are demanding answers -- why did the "oriental star" sink so quickly with so many of their loved ones on board. it's now daybreak on a wet thursday morning here. the search area has been extended 135 miles downstream. officials fearing passengers may have been swept away by the fast-running yangtze river. preparations are being made for the worst. ian williams, nbc news, china. we're keeping a close eye on a massive hurricane churning off the coast of mexico. hurricane blanca on the verge of becoming the most powerful a category 5 storm. the sixth cat 5 storm on earth this year. and our hurricane season just got started this week. it's expected to hit the baja peninsula this weekend. cabo san lucas right in the path as of now. still ahead tonight, the cost of cancer. the price of lifesaving drugs rising sharply.

some over $100,000 a year. so many desperate patients including one woman forced to sell her home and declare bankruptcy to save her life. also, facebook's sheryl sandberg speaking out about the sudden loss of her husband. her heartfelt message about grief and what she's learned in the toughest time of her life. and what she's learned in the toughest we all enter this world with a shout and we see no reason to stop. so cvs health is creating industry-leading programs and tools that help people stay on medicines as their doctors prescribed. it could help save tens of thousands of lives every year. and that would be something worth shouting about. cvs health, because health is everything. there's a more enjoyable way to get your fiber. try phillips' fiber good gummies plus energy support. it's a new fiber supplement that helps support regularity and includes b vitamins to help convert food to energy. mmmmm, these are good!

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patients and their families into bankrupt including one woman you're about to meet forced to move out of her home just to pay for the medicine she needs to keep her alive. nbc's anne thompson shares her story. i win! >> reporter: lauren bowman's laugh masks the growing anger about the price of her life. >> without this pill we die. our family are left because we couldn't afford a pill. >> reporter: the pill good evening eco gleevec helps manage or myeloid leukemia. a single dose keeps her alive. even after her insurance kick in, lauren's monthly co-pay can run as high as $2, 200. twice the average mortgage payment. it's helped drive lauren into bankruptcy though she has a full-time job. now she's packing up her condo and moving back in with her mom. >> on days i feel like i can't go on anymore, all i have to do is look at her. she's my reason. minneapolis gleevec is

a nearly $5 million a year drug for novartis triple from the 2001 debut. from $2,600 a month to $9,200 today even though the drug has not changed. >> that's not inflation, right. that's happened as they've recouped their investment in the drug many, many time over. >> reporter: memorial sloan ketter's dr. peter bach says the u.s. cancer drug market is completely broken. what is it that drives the price of cancer drugs then? >> essentially companies set the prices high as they think they can get away with. and they say it's the cost of research or something, but there's no evidence of that. >> reporter: in the last five years, there have been at least 15 new cancer drugs that cost more than $10,000 a month. but unlike gleevec, these drugs may only extend life an average of months not years. bach says drug prices should be tied to performance. >> the prices have nothing to do with value. they're hard to explain. they're hard to justify. >> reporter: how many

programs have you been on? almost every month for four years, lauren's begged her church charities, even novartis to help her pay for gleevec. >> i send a picture of her so they can see it's not just me, it's her. >> reporter: last month novartis agreed to help. lauren will pay just $10 a month, but she will need to reapply every year for the rest of her life. in a statement, novartis says profit pay for research which has led to the approval of gleevec for five for more cancers. the majority of patients pay less than $100 out of pocket a month, and it offers an extensive assistance program for those who can't afford the medicines, like lauren. >> to me, that's you playing god. you're getting to pick and choose who's living and who's dying all because of a buck. >> reporter: the high cost of life that for lauren and so many others is pryiceless. anne thompson louisville kentucky. tomorrow, our series continues with the unique way cancer patients are raising money to pay their bills. back in a moment with

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los angeles just became the largest city in the nation to raise the minimum wage to $15. the city council voted 13-1 today hike the minimum wage by the year 2020. cities like seattle and san francisco have already voted to raise their minimum wages to $15. one of the most prominent business women in the world is opening up about her personal tragedy. facebook's sheryl sandberg posted a heartbreaking message today on that social media site about the sudden death of her husband about a month ago. our rehema ellis has more on sandberg's struggle to carry on. >> reporter: it went viral almost immediately after it was posted. facebook's sheryl sandberg thanked friends today for helping her pull through the last 30 days mourning the loss of her husband david goldberg. the coo and mother of two shared what she

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finally tonight, it's june. that means it's wedding season. a lot of planning goes into that perfect day which bring some couples flocking to an unusually named town in the pacific northwest to get the one thing missing from their invitations. our hallie jackson explains. >> reporter: in a building the size of a postage stamp in a town not much bigger -- >> this is like the only business here. >> reporter: business is booming at the third smallest post office in america. >> wedding invitations? >> yes. yes, we do. >> reporter: after all, it's wedding season and this is bridal veil. home to a particular postmark coveted by couples like christine and tyler who drove two hours to get two doves and two hearts on their wedding

invitations. >> everybody pays attention to the little details. they just kind of push them over the edge and just make them that much more meaningful i think. >> reporter: soon-to-be brides also flock to post offices in romance, arkansas bliss, new york, and loveland colorado. but at bridal veil bridal mail is 95% of its business. with this post office exist if it weren't for the brides? >> i don't think so. but luckily, there are plenty of brides. there is no shortage of brides. trust me. >> reporter: nearly 200,000 invitations a year come from as far as south korea and australia. >> they want the fairytale, and i want to be a part of that fairytale in a positive way. >> reporter: sure it's not the biggest part of the wedding day -- what are you most looking forward to? >> marrying the woman of my dreams. >> reporter: good answer. >> thanks for calling bridal veil post office -- >> reporter: as any married couple knows,

it's the little thing that can mean the most. signed sealed, and delivered with love. >> that's good right there. >> reporter: hallie jackson, nbc news, bridal veil, organization. >> we'll be watching the mail for our invite. that will do it for us on this wednesday night. i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching, and good night. nbc bay area news starts now. right now, 4:30 the superstars grooving in oakland. that's lebron james. the clock is ticking. >> the average tech worker now making more than $300,000. how these high salaries are el henning and hurting the bay area. >> >> and firefighters are call thing year's fire season catastrophic. thanks for being with us. i'm raj mathai. >> i'm janelle wang.

this is a brush fire in antioch. we've seen several of these this year. michelle roberts is live where crews are getting ready for a potentially dangerous fire season. michelle? >> reporter: this is what they're up against this season. i'm told if i were standing in this spot last year this grass would be below my knees. but because we had some rain in the winter and spring this is the grass situation we're dealing with. look how dry it is. this is what they were testing, trying to figure out how to put it out as quickly as possible. >> i think this year is going to be worse than last year. >> reporter: last summer cory jacobson was a rookie firefighter. >> it's a passion. >> reporter: today he's back in yellow with his crew training for another fire season. some fire officials expect it to be catastrophic. >> at any point in time the wind could shift and we could be chasing this. >> reporter: today they set and