on the broadcast tonight, jackpot. the biggest ever and almost every wants in. tonight, what should you do if your number comes up. what happened? tonight, as thousands more americans are deployed to the war zone, chilling new eyewitness accounts of the night a u.s. soldier was accused of killing civilians. >>o women allowed. tonight, why it may be time for a chorus correction? national hero. a woman silenced for years but never gave up hope and now about to make history again. "nightly news" begins now. good evening.

i'm lester holt, sitting in for brian tonight. what would you do, buy a private jet, pay off all your dent, or give lavish to charities. the jackpot north of $$1 millio, a lot of us are living the fantasy. by noon eastern, the jackpot had climbed to $640 million. mega millions is played in 42 states, the district of columbia, and the virgini ndz and they have been selling at 14,000 an hour. we know the odds of winning are ridiculously slim, yet a lot of us can't help bus picture themselves winning the check. stephanie is with some of them tonight. stephan stephanie, good evening. >> good evening, lester. a lot of people coming into shop said they have never played mega millions today, but today, they

had to. not because the odds are better, but because the prize is record breaking. the temptation is more than most people can resist. >> there's your number. >> just $1 for a chance at more than half a billion. >> i would buy a big house, big car. everything big. >> quit my job. >> i'm thinking yacht. >> when the jackpot jumped again, increasing by a staggering $100 million, twitter lit up. >> okay, i'll play. >> enjoying my last few hours being broke. >> and the lines just grew longer. at a pizza shop in new york city, they weren't selling many slices, just lots of tickets. >> i took the tickets. >> i got 11 now, but i have to go to 100 different locations and pay $1 each. >> in the 42 states that play mega millions, people are dreaming big as they stare down

inconshnsably tiny odds. >> maybe i can win and buy a team like everyone else is. >> each ticket bought has a 1 in 176 million chance of winning. >> like flipping a coin. jux because you got heads this time doesn't mean you will get heads next time. >> the ballooning ticket sales goes to ailing state budgets. georgia spends its money on prekind r garden projects. >> pennsylvania uses its money to support its seniors with low cost prescriptions and community centers. which means for most people in the long lines, the mga millions will end up being a voluntary tax. >> with the group, we spent $700, and we hope to all retire. >> there's your winning number. >> for now, for just $1, there's still a chance. there's a possibility that no one wins tonight.

if that's the case, it could push the next draw up to close to a billion dollars. lester. >> all right, stephanie. let's keep the dream alive. someone is likely to win tonight's jackpot. what if it's you? there's no shortage of dreams for all that money. there are some things you may not know about what to do first. we called on money expert suze orman for advice. >> the second you get that ticket in your possession, you need to turn it over, and when you turn it over, you will see there's a place to sign it, your social security number, everything. fill it out. once you have won, it's different. now you're in this whole dizzy stage of oh, my god, i have this money. i think everybody shz play lottery winner right now. think about what you would do right now if you really did win. would you take it in a lump sum? how would you do it? in case it happens when you're out of your body, you already

have those decisions made. think about how are you doing totake that money. yearly or lump sum and get your professional adviser in place right away. the only benefit for the annual payout is that you learn how to handle large sums of money. the big surprise is the emotional burden that it can create when a lot of money comes into your being. you think it won't be that way, i'm telling you, it very well can be. we always think, oh, if only i had that much money. here's the bottom line. money alone will never, ever, ever make you happy. but lack of money sure will make you miserable. >> suze orman on winning the lottery. another story that's getting a lot of attention tonight, news of a major security breach exposing potentially millions of credit card holders to identity theft. tonight, a federal investigation is under way and our justs correspondent, pete williams,

joins us now from washington with the details. pete, good evening. >> lester, it's unclear how many credit card accounts were effected, but the early estimates is this was relatively small as these attacks go. the target of the security breach was not the credit card companies themselves, visa, mastercard, and american express. instead, it was a hacker company that accessing the pipeline. the early estimates are it could involve 2 million accounts, but it's unlikely all of the card holders had their critical information stolen. so tonight, the credit card companies urge their customers to double check their bills for unauthorized charges and they won't be responsible for fraudulent charges. also developing, president obama is moving ahead with tough new moves to squeeze iran. our chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell joins us from washington as

well. and rhea, good evening. >> the president decided to make this decision after deciding there was enough oil in the bloebal market in order to not have real shocks without hurting key shocks and allies who depend on iran for oil. they force them to choose on doing business with iran or being bars from the economy in july. hillary clinton talked with king abdullah in saudi arabia. the saudis have promised to keep increasing their production to make up for the lack of iran exports. asian countries have cut back on their purchases from iran. driving prices up at the pump, the white house could still decide to release oil for a short-term fix, especially in an election year. no decision on that yet, lester. >> thanks. >> i want to turn to the investigation of an american soldier accused of slaughtering 17 civilians in afghanistan. tonight, his lawyer is accusing the yoousz government of

withholding vital information and afghans who said they witness the shooting claims staff sergeant robert bales did not act alone. all this playing out as thousands of troops from sergeant bales' home base plan to head to war. we get the news from miguel almaguer. >> for the second stryker brigade, 4200 men and women stationed here. >> nervous, never been without him, you know. he's our rock and he's leaving. >> a nine month deployment, the unit's first trip to afghanistan began. for many of the soldiers, this won't be their first time in battle. >> ready to go, get it over with, serve the country and do my job. >> witness on the ground in afghanistan, they'll join the third stryker brigade, the same unit sergeant bales was attached he. he was also based here at lewis mccord.

he'll undergo a full psychological explanation. his attorney said getting to the truth won't be easy and claims the united states government is whoelding vital information. >> they promised us if we sent people to afghanistan and we have people there already, they would cooperate and make witnesses available for us, and they have violated that promise. >> in afghanistan, u.s. military officials say access to the crime screen is difficult. security and bureaucracy to blame. in australia, this woman, born in afghanistan and familiar with the culture, is among the first international journalists to report from the villages. her account broadcast on australian television, include children who say they were there. eyewitness accounts conflict. this villager told nbc news there were other american soldiers there that night. he says, the person was not acting alone, and we have proof. but an afghan guard told the

australian crew, he watched bales leave the base alone in the middle of the night. there is little talk of bales here, among the soldiers leaving today. 23-year-old anthony harris says good-bye to his 10-month-old son and pregnant wife. >> i feel like it's one person or actually a group of people that made a mistake. something we have to deal with. >> a combat mission that includes winning the hearts and minds of the afghan people. now a mission more dangerous than before. miguel almaguer, nbc news. now to the investigation into the shooting death of trayvon martin. tonight, new information has come into light about the shooter, george zimmerman, specifically his behavior in a previous run-in with the law. we get the exclusive details from our national investigative correspondent michael isakov from sanford, florida. >> when george zimmerman was questioned by police after the trayvon martin shooting, it wasn't the first time he had

been in custody. in july 2005, he was arrested in orlando for resisting a florida law enforcement officer and obstructing justice. this police report obtained by nbc news states he used violence and battery upon the officer. the lead prosecutor on the case said today zimmerman could have been charged with a felony. >> i have seen people charged with less conduct than mr. zimmerman is alleged to have done that night at the bar. >> the incident took place at this college bar where an undercover alcohol control officer was arresting several employees for serving alcohol to minors. they showed their badge and asked zimmerman to leave the area. i don't care who you are, he said. after being asked to leave again, he said, f-you. the felony charges were reduced to a misdemeanor, and the court

ordered him into anger management classes. >> the program recognizes that sometimes people get arrested and they're not bad people, they're people who made a mistake. >> florida officials said if he had been convicted of a felony as originally charges in 2005, he wouldn't have been able to obtain a concealed weapons permit. zimmerman's attorney did not return repeated calls for comment. imagine driving down the highway minding your own business when you see this barreling down the road in front of you. two women traveling down the road in monterrey, new mexico, said they wouldn't believe it was crossing the road as they headed straight toward it. it happened in a rural area. >> and we're getting looks at incredible footage from a school bus in henryville, indiana. it lifted the 36,000 pound bus like a toy, tossing it into a nearby diner. the bus driver led students to

safety just minutes before. still ahead, as "nightly news" continues this friday, one of america's most exclusive clubs. will they finally admit women sdploo and later, more on the giant jackpot. what is it that makes so many people take a long-shot chance on a dream. he allergy muddlers. you know who you are. you can part a crowd, without saying a word. you have yet to master the quiet sneeze. you stash tissues like a squirrel stashes nuts. well, muddlers, muddle no more. try zyrtec®. it gives you powerful allergy relief. and zyrtec® is different than claritin® because zyrtec® starts working at hour 1 on the first day you take it. claritin® doesn't start working until hour 3. zyrtec®. love the air. like a ramen noodle- every-night budget. she thought allstate car insurance was out of her reach. until she heard about the value plan. dollar for dollar, nobody protects you like allstate.

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exclusive golf club, augusta national. the club hasmony 300 members, all men. now augusta may have to change course. nbc's lisa myers explains why. >> a gusta national golf club is among the most hallowed ground in golf, in its tournament, the masters, has provided some of golf's most memorable moments from its brightest stars. but this year's event threatened to be shadowed by controversy. the club has long refused to accept women as members, but it has invited the ceo of ibm to join, and the past four have. now, the new ceo of ibm is a woman. who is said to play golf, though sparingly. so augusta is under pressure to finally admit a woman. >> a lot of the people who cover the tournament cover the club, think that in fact female

membership will come to augusta national, but it will be on augusta's terms. and on augusta's timeline. >> add augusta, barriers have been slow to fall. the first black member, ron townsend, was admitted in 1990. the legend aary golfer, lee trevino, a mexican american, is reported reportedly changing his shoe in the parking lot. this woman tried to get women admitted and lost. >> it's power. it's not really about golf. it's about where the deals are made, and women should not be left out of that. >> burke said it's also important that ibm not allow its first female ceo to be treated with less respect than her male predecessors. today, agusza had no comment and ibm wouldn't comment either. the club is so secretive it's possible she has been invited to join and they're just not

telling us. those rooting for her worry that too much public pressure will be counter productive. >> thanks. score one for the baby boomers. nbc news has learned the colorado rockies are expected to announce today that 49-year-old jamie moyer will be named to the team's starting roster. the left-hander will then take a shot at history, pitching in the first weekend of the baseball season at 49, if he wins, he'll be the oldest pitcher ever to win a major league game. he made his debut in 1986, when many of his teammates were not born. against all odds. a woman who stood up to dictators and won, now being hailed as a hero. every day potentially harmful germs can collect on the surface of a denture. leading regular toothpastes are not designed to kill the bacteria that polident is designed to kill. polident's unique microclean formula has been proven to eliminate

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the lawn longtime dissident is poised to become a member of the very government that kept her down for so many years. nbc's ian williams is there. >> this is something few people ever expected to see in mien mar. holding posters that would have landed them in jail just a year ago in support of a woman whose quiet dignity and determination have gripped the country and the world. >> you think you'll win? >> for 15 of the past 23 years, her lakeside home has been a prison where she was kept isolated from family and friends. yet she never gave up hope and is now poised to win a seat in parliament and very possibly join a government that is embracing reform but is still dominated by her longtime military tormmenters. >> i don't think i have a right or any individual has the right to say i forgive or i do not

forgive. >> the spirit has won her a legion of international admirers. she was so exhausted this week that she had to stop campaigning, and the 66-year-old said she's still feeling delicate. >> any tough questions and i shall faint straight away. >> accusing her opponents of intimidation ahead of sunday's polls. there's a real sense of euphoria and for all its imperfections, it represents a first step towards real change in mien mar. led by the woman who defied the generals and won the heart of her nation. back now in this country, i want to show you a dramatic close call on a rooftop in dearborn, michigan. three firefighters were trying to break a hole in a roof at a drye cleaners when it began to buckle beneath them. one of those incredible moments

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it before. the reality is you have a much better chanlsz of being struck by lightning than matching all six numbers in tonight's mega millions drawing. but it doesn't help to dream. that's what many americans have been doing, including kevin tibbles. >> life, liberty, and the pursuit of lottery tickets. what is it that makes this a nation of american dreamers? >> i play the lottery because it's a dream. >> i'm dreaming big-time, yeah. >> we're a country literally built on the quest for a better life. it's what brought the mayflower, what drove the gold rush and the black gold oil booms. americans will migrate to where the fast money is, and dreaming of getting rich quick is addictive. >> it's a surprise. it's a whole notion of somebody getting something that they probably didn't deserve. ♪ luck be a lady tonight >> we sing about it, we make movies about it. we even make fools of ourselves

on television just to get our hands on more of it. millions of us are laying down a buck in hopes of winning a lot more of it. does that make us inherently greedy or just eager for better? so eager, a study found that folks earning less than $13,000 a year spend $645 of those dollars or 9% of their income on lottery tickets. >> it's all about making it in america in some way, and lottery is really kind of a way that really doesn't exist for most of us, but it's vicarious. >> five years ago, cynthia stafford was struggling to support five kids and make ends meet. she won $112 million. >> we all have dreams, and they do come true. you just got to believe in them and allow them to happen. >> but of course, this dream comes with odds of 176 million to 1. as for cynthia, she runs her own company and her own charitable foundation, and oh, she, too, has a ticket for tonight's drawing. kevin tibbles, nbc news,

chicago. if you're playing, good luck. that's our broadcast for this friday night. thank you for being with us. i'm lest er holt in tonight for brian. i'll see you later foridateline and tomorrow morning on "today." for all of us at nbc news, good night.