on our broadcast tonight, firestorm. exploding in size, turning deadly. tonight, what will it take to gain control over those boiling wildfires in the west? on the stand, a wrenching day for prime witnesses and the jury in the jerry sandusky sex abuse trial. game changer. a big announcement tonight that could change the way america's young athletes take the field. worth less, the harsh reality hitting home for so many american families. how long could it take for the middle class to recover from the loss of so much money. a special conversation with the first president bush's granddaughter. "nightly news" agains now.

captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening. as we focus our attention on an urgent situation tonight, the wildfires in the west with, may be like this for the entire fire season this year. it's early yet. in all, 18 fires are burning in nine separate states. the big fire in colorado consumed an additional 7,000 acres overnight. it's burned over 40,000 acres in all. it's moving at a top speed of 40 feet per second of forest. the smoke shrouding downtown denver, 60 miles away. it's where we begin tonight with nbc's miguel almaguer. >> reporter: some folks have been let back home for the first time. other neighborhoods have been told, be prepared to leave your house at a moment's notice.

this as firefighters ramp up efforts on the ground and in the air. >> today's assault is critical with assistance from other states. helicopters try to beat back flames that firefighters on the ground can't reach. it's extremely dangerous work, over rugged mountain tops, shrouded in smoke, alive with fire. >> we work close to the ground and the terrain is an issue, wind is a condition. >> sparked by lightning, the high park fire has been feeding on acre after acre of bone dry forest. now it's turned deadly. a 2-year-old grandmother died if the cabin she loved. rescue teams tried to reach her, but were forced back by the flames. many of the 800 firefighters moving toward the front lines are volunteers, some even losing their own homes, finding a blaze burning in their backyard. >> they could see their houses burning, yet they were fighting to protect the school that meant so much to their community.

>> reporter: with with 118 structures damaged or destroyed, hundreds of evacuees can only watch, wait or worry. >> it's our dream home. >> it took a year for ryan hodak and his wife to build their home. it took only moments for the fire to close in. >> according to the map, the fire came through and whether our house exists or not is 50/50. >> if the winds kick up, more houses will be in danger. 2600 homes are in the colorado evacuation zone. in the meantime, in new mexico, a state of emergency. the little bear fire destroyed 125 structures and more threatened. this neighborhood completely wiped out. deadly fires that tonight are out of control and on the move. >> here in colorado, this fire has charred some 43,000 acres by tonight. crews hope to have it 10% con and itted. it will likely bun for weeks.

brian? >> miguel almaguer ft. collins, colorado, starting us off tonight. thanks. now to the second day of the jerry sandusky trial. a key prosecution witness took the stand and a warning here about today's rough testimony. our report from nbc's john yang. >> reporter: mike mcqueary was a graduate assistant at penn state in february 2001 when he headed to a small staff locker room one friday night. as he entered, he testified he heard smacking sounds, rounding the corner, he said he saw jerry sandusky and a boy he guessed was about 10 or 12 in the shower, engaged in behavior mcqueary called sexual, wrong, perverse. sandusky faces 52 related charges and has pled not guilty to all of them. mcqueary said he reported the incident to head coach joe paterno, but he was blocked from

saying what paterno told him because it would be hearsay. paterno died in january. mcqueary said he never told police, because he had discussed the matter with university vice president gary shultz who was responsible for the campus police. earlier the jury heard a halting and hesitant 18-year-old known in court documents as victim one. he told of meeting sandusky through his second mile charity, and described how sandusky went from kissing him on the forehead to oral sex when he was 12 years old. i didn't know what to do, he said, i blacked out and didn't want it to happen. when he sought help, a school guidance counselor was skeptical saying sandusky wouldn't do something like that, they didn't believe me. victim one was bullied out of his high school and moved to a new school where he graduated last week. today as the defense pressed him on inconsistencies in his grand

jury testimony. the witness seemed to grow angry and frustrated. finally burying his head in his hands. oh, my god, he said, it's hard enough for me to tell these folks of the jury, and let alone this size of room or more of people. i'm sorry, but you're asking me the same exact questions over and over and i will tell you the same answer every time. >> when you start adding these victims together, we start to get a whole complete package, and each victim reinforces the other. >> reporter: there will be more testimony from sandusky's accusers. once the defense takes over, his attorney says sandusky himself will take the stand in his own defense. brian? >> john yang in bellafonte, pennsylvania, john, thanks. shelly zimmerman, the wife of martin's killer, george zimmerman was charmed with one count of perjury today. she lied to a judge about the couple's finances during a bond hearing in april. in washington today,

attorney general eric holder took heavy fire from republican krit he cans in a senate hearing and calls for his resignation are growing louder. the democrats contend it's all about politics in an election season. our report tonight from kelly o'donnell. >> reporter: today a dramatic turn in the long simmering conflict between republicans and attorney general eric holder. >> you leave me no alternative but to join those that call upon you to resign your office. >> i don't have any intention of resigning. >> republicans leveled a series of accusations. the latest over national security leaks, that republicans allege could involve senior obama administration officials. >> there are clearly people around the president leaking stories that involve highly classified information. >> reporter: a string of news stories revealed top secret details about u.s. operations against al qaeda and iran's nuclear program.

>> our investigation will follow the leads wherever they take us. >> reporter: the attorney general has named two government lawyers to find the leakers. but holder refused republicans' demands for an outside special counsel. >> i'm asking you for your legacy and for the good of the can't to reconsider your decision -- >> they are good lawyers, they are tough prosecutors -- >> reporter: several times holder took heat and fired back. >> but senator, i think you're missing something here, the -- >> i think you're missing something here. you're missing the fact that this is a very big deal. >> reporter: democrats came to the attorney general's defense. >> i think to have a fight over how we do this now will set back any leak investigation. >> reporter: another controversy, republicans claim holder has misled and refused to cooperate with congress's investigation of a failed operation that sent u.s. guns into mexico. code name fast and furious. >> today holder made a new offer to try to work out differences

over fast and furious, that could include providing more documents to congressional investigators, very important, brian, house republicans have made a serious threat to hold the attorney general in contempt of congress next week. brian? >> kelly o'donnell on the hill for us tonight. thanks. >> the violence in syria is escalating now. a top u.n. official calls it a civil war. and today secretary of state clinton accused russia of sending a new shipment of attack helicopters to syria. the assad regime has been using choppers to clinch the uprising. in moscow, tens thousands of russians took to the streets to proceed test against president boughten. for the first time since he retook that office last po, a lot of opposition leaders have been rounded up by russian police just yesterday. back in this country there have been a lot of headlines today about the disappearing

american middle class. as we've reported here last night, the new report from the fed shows that american families lost 40% of their worth during what some economists now refer to as the great recession. tonight, anne thompson continues her reporting on how the recession is hitting home as many people are forced to adjust expectations. >> jill and her mom angie are caught in the economic squeeze on the middle class. jill's out of work for the second time in three years. 58-year-old angie juggles two jobs. >> we're in the middle and we're with fighting to stay there. >> reporter: linked by the financial challenges they face, similar to the bleak picture painted in this survey. >> at 37, i was certain i was going to be completely in the middle of my glorious career, i never thought for one second i would have to call my mom and say, mom, you know what, could i borrow like 20 bucks?

>> reporter: they're careful of every expense. today americans are extraordinarily cautious. >> we were burned very severely during the financial crisis, and many people saw the illusion of what they thought they had disappear quite quickly. >> the most devastating blow, the collapse of the housing market. >> reporter: the federal reserve says housing accounted for almost 30% of family assets in 2010, the around value of the family's primary home slid more than 17%. a loss of $55,000. >> the thinking was, it could take a decade to recapture the values. now can you imagine it being two decades to get back the kind of declines we've seen in housing in this country. >> reporter: a little more than 15% of families reported their houses were under water in 2010, worth less than what they paid for them. for the first time families borrowed money for education and cars. 19% of families took on debt to pay for school. the average owed more than

$25,000. jill an electrician by trade is one of them. >> i'm a little over halfway dn with my master's program and i'm $30,000 in debt. >> reporter: there has been some improvement in the economy since the snapshot was taken 18 months ago. housing values have stopped falling, other surveys show a combination of higher stock prices and paying down debt has help net worth rise. they both agree there's no quick way out of this hole. >> quickly becoming the story of our teams. anne thompson as always, thanks. still ahead along the way on a tuesday night, big news about an american tradition on the playing field. and a big change on the way for the game. and later, turning 88 and getting a little tearful in the process. a conversation between bush 41 and his granddaughter. more people do that, security would be like -- there's no charge for the bag. thanks. i know a quiet little place where we can get some work done. there's a three-prong plug.

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playing fields. pop warner football, the largest youth football organization in the world is rewriting its rule book to try to protect the kids who play all across this country. and our chief medical editor dr. nancy snyderman has exclusive details. >> reporter: for this family, pop warner is a big part of life. 8-year-old anthony plays football. sister maddie is a pop warner cheerleader. dad matt, a coach. and his wife roberta a spirit squad leader. they joined in part because of the organization's safety philosophy. when in doubt, sit it out. and say the new regulations bring even more reassurance. >> it's a sense of comfort knowing that he's not going to get hit all the time. >> reporter: the group's executive director says safety comes first now, but admits things weren't always that way. >> i think particularly with with concussions, so much of it was just a lack of awareness.

you got your bell rung. you got dinged, get back in the game. >> reporter: more head injuries actually occur during practice than in games. that's why the organization has created a concussion awareness initiative. most kids practice nine hours a week, the new guidelines would with mean that only one with third of that time could be spent the in contact with another player. no head to head hits, and tackling must be initiated within the three foot zone. children's brains are especially vulnerable. >> players who get a second, third, fourth concussion really can have a detrimental effects and have a degradation in their function. you weren't knocked out, were you? >> reporter: that's why doctors are keeping close eyes on kids like 10-year-old dominick hollister. he's had three concussions and now wears a special helmet on the field and gets regular

checkups. there are more than 4 million sports related concussions in the united states each year, and football accounts for more than half of those. so a call today. a lot of people are going to be surprised tomorrow, brian about these new recommendations. i think it's going to change how little kids learn how to play football. >> this is going to be a big deal across the country. another big deal for post menopausal women taking vitamin d supplements and calcium. >> this is going to confuse some people. the united states task force has said that vitamin d and calcium supplements in the normal doses that are prescribed do not really prevent osteoporosis breaks and fractures. there's not enough evidence to recommend that people take them in routine dosages. they are saying, the higher dosages for women over the age of 65, the jury is still out. the down side is, kidney stones, heart problems, there's just not

enough proof to show that it works and that it's worth it. >> the bottom line as always, consult your doctor, which we just did. nancy, thank you as always chlgs a missing baby, a 32-year-old mystery tonight has been solved. people with a machine. what ? customers didn't like it. so why do banks do it ? hello ? hello ?! if your bank doesn't let you talk to a real person 24/7, you need an ally. hello ? ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense.

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the story was made famous in the movie "a cry in the dark" with meryl streep. tonight we are the closest we're ever going to get to proof that a dingo snatched a baby in the wilds of australia. sur rounded by her family, lindy chamberlain held up a death certificate confirming what she's believed for decades. max page who was so cute as darth vader in that terrific

volkswagen commercial. max page has to go in for heart surgery, he was born with a con genital heart defect. we wanted our young friend darth to know everything's going to be okay, and we'll see you again when your ticker is all fixed up. hard to believe it's been 25 years, was one of the signature moments of the reagan presidency, in the waning moments of the cold war, june 12th, 1987, when ronald reagan stood in berlin and said, mr. gorbechav, tear down this wall. it talk about your sign of the times, the nobel foundation has cut back the money they give out with the nobel prize by 20%. turns out like so many people around the world, they got caught in some bad investments, the prize will come out with a check of just over a million dollars. doc emmerich had the call last night. >> the kings are the kings. there were broken hearts across jersey. the kings beat the devils

handily to take the stanley cup and hold it aloft on home ice last night in l.a. up next, 41 turning 88 and talking about the big event. and life these days with his granddaughter jenna. our cells plays a key rolets tf throughout our entire lives. ♪ one a day women's 50+ is a complete multi-vitamin designed for women's health concerns as we age. ♪ it has more of seven antioxidants to support cell health. that's one a day women's 50+ healthy advantage.

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our former presidents tend to be beloved figures in this country. we're with lucky to have four of them alive today. the senior of them is george senior. he's turning 88. his legs give him a little trouble, he's slowed down a bit. he sat down at the family compound in maine with with jenna bush hager who began with a fashion note. >> so your socks have been making headlines. >> well, i like a colorful sock. i'm a sock man. this is a modest pair here today. subdued you might say. >> these days my grandfather says he's happiest on the sea, spending time with family. >> we had picnics on that island over there. >> six kids, 17 grandkids and the newest edition, a great

granddaughter born last year. >> she's a beautiful girl. and it takes me back. i wish i were going to be around to see her grow old. i won't be. >> what's with anding like? >> aging's all right, better than the alternative, which is not being here. >> sometimes i know you can hear me, but you pretend you can't. >> right. >> why do you do that? >> keeps you on the ball. >> is that one of the advantages of aging, if you don't want to hear what people are saying, you just say what? >> three generations of my family recently returned to the white house. dad said, and i'm going to start crying, which i promised myself i wouldn't. he loves that his portrait is going to be hanging near yours. >> that's sweet. that's very nice, we're pleased. and two presidents in one family, that's pretty good. we're both lucky. lucky to have served. he had two terms as president, and did a great job.

i'm proud to be next to your dad there. very proud. >> in a recent letter to his children, always the bpoetic letter writer, my grandfather finishes his thoughts on aging. >> as the seas get higher, the winter colder, i'll be making some notes, writing it down so lest i forget. so i can add to the report on getting older. maybe they'll come up with a new drug that makes legs bend easier, joints hurt less, memory come roaring back, and fears of falling off fishing rafts go away. i'll be there ready when you are, but i'll be there ready when you are, there's so much excitement ahead, so many grandkids to watch grow. if you need me i'll be here, devot

devotedly, dad. >> he may be dad to them, but he's mr. president to us. 41 reflecting on his 88 with his granddaughter after a life well lived. congratulations, mr. president. that's our broadcast for this tuesday night, thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams, as always, we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night.