10, i'm jim rosen field. thanks for joining us tonight. i'll see you back at 11:00 with jaclyn london. we continue with nbc news with brian williams. growing questions about that hard to watch video like what the league knew and when. and now the widening conversation about domestic abuse. critical mission. the president prepares to make his case to the nation for destroying isis. tonight here we debut a new nbc news poll that reveals just how worried most americans are. diagnosing autism. the small study making big news. it's about parents identifying the signs earlier than ever. and in some cases actually reversing some of the symptoms. and the reveal. with its usual drama, apple unveils the new devices designed to make our old devices obsolete including what they now want us to wear. "nightly news" begins now.

good evening. the difficult to watch video of a football player punching a woman and knocking her out cold inside a hotel elevator tonight remains at the center of a growing conversation and controversy about domestic abuse and the big business that happens to be america's favorite sport, the nfl. and while it is hard to watch, it's also hard to believe the nfl never saw it until the rest of us did just yesterday. but the commissioner says tonight that is the case. and he now knows that every aspect of this case is being looked at all over again because of the widely held view that this was both a failure of the justice system and a failure of the sport. it's where we begin again tonight with josh elliott. he's live with us at nbc sports network headquarters. good evening. >> reporter: good evening to you, brian.

roger goodell reiterated late today that league officials never saw the video showing the altercation between ray rice and his now wife janay until monday, but the firestorm that tape has generated has the nfl scrambling still. football fans across the country reacting to the video showing the violent altercation between ray rice and his then-fiancee put their anger on display today. a fury directed at rice and the nfl. the collective rallying cry -- too little too late. videos such as this surfaced on social media of fans burning ray rice jerseys. and that wasn't all. nike, one of rice's sponsors terminated its contract with them. while the ravens as well as major sporting goods chain such as kicks and model's announced an exchange program allowing fans to return unwanted rice jerseys. >> the give to ray rice.

>> reporter: the video game maker announced it was pulling rice's image from its madden football game. as players we must speak up, stand up for what's right. this is way bigger than football. don't be blind to what's really important. while ray rice's wife janay rice was angry as well but for a different reason. posting on instagram in part, this is our life. what don't you all get. if your intentions were to hurt us, embarrass us, make us feel alone, take all happiness away, you've succeeded on so many levels. and for the first time since the tape's release nfl commissioner roger goodell addressed the burgeoning crisis in an interview with cbs news. >> we had not seen any videotape of what occur in the elevator. >> reporter: still a torrent of headlines from around the country today are calling for goodell to go. >> the nfl was not thinking about women first, the nfl was not thinking about domestic

violence first. the nfl was thinking about business and the law first and as a result they're in big, big trouble. >> reporter: the nfl has spent millions marketing the game to gain more female fans. now 45% of the total fan base. many of them now say they are fans no more. >> the nfl is so big and so powerful, it took their own fans to bring them around to the realization that they had really messed this up badly. they're going to have to take leadership on this issue to win those fans back. >> reporter: now, former baltimore raven ray rice broke his silence today issuing a statement saying he has to stay strong for his family. he also told nbc news that he's hired a public relations firm and will have more to say later when he says he feels the time is right. >> josh elliott, nbc sports headquarters starting us off again. now the other big aspect of this story and that's domestic abuse. according to the cdc one in

three american women will have experienced some form of domestic abuse at some point in their lifetime. this very high profile incident has started something of a national conversation about a topic that, of course, is very personal to so many americans and that includes our own tamron hall who is with us tonight. >> reporter: good to see you. it is personal for millions of families including my own and for those who advocate on be half of domestic abuse survivors. but this conversation today proves something. you don't have to be personally affected to know that this is a public crisis. 4.7 million women are victims of physical assault by an intimate partner each year with women aged 18 to 24 most at risk. only 55% of the cases of domestic violence are ever reported to police. >> and he slapped me on the bed and duct taped me. >> reporter: i recently sat down with a group of strong women who are the faces behind the numbers

like sheena. she and her daughter were abused. >> he then grabbed my daughter's thigh and just squeezed it with the same pressure that he was skreezing my neck. >> reporter: in 2004 my own sister was found dead in her home. while no one was ever brought to justice police told my family all signs pointed to domestic violence. sadly, she is not alone. today the hashtag why i stayed was trending on twitter. >> she may stay because she believes it's better to keep her family together. she may stay because she loves the abuser. there are a lot of complicated reasons why people may stay. >> reporter: then senator now vice president joe biden introduced the violence against women act which was signed into law 20 years ago. it allows funding for shelters, gives prosecutors and police more power and allows an order of protection to follow a person state to state. >> the one regret i have is we call it domestic violence, as if it's a domesticated cat. it's the most vicious form of violence there is because not

only the physical scars are left, the psychological scars that are left. >> reporter: and since 1996, the national hotline for domestic violence received 3 million calls, brian. that means on the line with the woman asking for help. who answered? someone who was there. >> tamron, we appreciate you being here tonight because it is so personal. tamron hall with us in the studio tonight. we shift gears to our other major story this evening. the president preparing to address the nation tomorrow evening to prepare the american people for a long campaign to destroy the terrorist group isis. "the wall street journal" poll reveals nearly half of americans think we are less safe than we were before 9/11. that's the highest since we started asking this question back in 2002. our senior white house correspondent chris jansing on the north lawn of the white house where the president met with congressional leaders about this isis threat earlier today.

chris, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. that meeting lasted almost an hour and a senior white house official has just told me that the president asked for one specific thing from congressional leaders and that's the authority to train the syrian opposition. it would require a congressional vote and, although he didn't get a commitment in the meeting, house speaker john boehner issued a statement saying he would support the president if he would support the military in a training and advisory role. time is of the essence. they believe right now they can get a buy-in from other counties in the region to help. they've been working toward that. also in that meeting, the president did not ask leaders to vote to authorize military action. he doesn't think he needs that. and sources say he didn't ask for additional funding for the isis operation either. he did outline the speech he's going to deliver tomorrow night to the american people and the scheduling in primetime does raise the stakes. it points to both the seriousness of the threat and awareness of the white house that it's making people

increasingly nervous. >> chris jansing at the white house tonight. we'll see you back there tomorrow night. our moderator of "meet the press" and political director chuck todd with us here in new york with more on the new poll numbers. >> the spike in the 9/11 fear all comes from the coverage of the beheadings of the two american journalists. the most followed news story that we've tracked in five years. and that's where the anxiety level comes from. and that's why we've seen such a flip on somehow we now want to see intervention in syria. 61% in our poll say they'd like to see military action including 33% who would like to see us send combat troops. talk about a flip. a year ago talking about military strikes in syria. only 21% wanted to do that because it didn't impact americans. that was about chemical weapons and assad. the stakes for the president tonight he's got a major political problem on his hands. just 32% approve of the job he's

been doing. 62% disapprove. it's a huge spike this summer and it's all about what has raped to be unsteadiness in handling this isis crisis. >> we'll have answers tomorrow night. our whole team will be on the air tomorrow night with live coverage of the president's address to the nation. again 9:00 p.m. eastern time here on this nbc station. now to business news, and it is tech season in the business world. and for apple today that meant product rollout day including the first all-new product in the post steve jobs era of ceo tim cook. the apple watch. jacob rascon was there for the announcements. good evening. >> reporter: brian, good evening, it was a major moment for apple and ceo tim cook. a lot on the line here. a lot to prove. and with a handful of new products, the apple event seals to have lived up to the hype. the test now becomes will consumers buy it. >> good morning!

>> reporter: departing from tradition, apple ceo tim cook skipped the apple company updates. >> everything's great. >> reporter: and jumped right into what he called the greatest phones in the world. >> these are the new iphones. >> reporter: the biggest change might be the bigger sizes. then there's the faster processor, improved cameras, more user friendly text message options and a host of other one-ups. >> we have one more thing. >> reporter: cook has been criticized for not producing a truly original apple product since iconic apple co-founder steve jobs' passing. today he answered his critics with the apple watch. >> amazing what you can do from your wrist. >> they've been under pressure for not innovating. i think you can just feel morale in the company on this front rising. >> >> reporter: it comes in different colors and sizes and wristbands. apple says it's their most personal product ever. and there was something else.

both phones and the watch come with apple pay, a mobile payment system that apple hopes will eventually replace your wallet. >> google has had it in various android phones for a while but people haven't wanted to use it that much. the apple brand and the marketing machine will probably give them the best chance that anybody's had yet to actually make this work. >> reporter: the eyes of the world were trained on apple today. >> apple watch -- >> reporter: and while the laundry list of new ithings will impress the masses, the tech giant still has a lot to prove. the question is will consumers buy it? >> what's the new thing? >> reporter: cook told brian williams during product development that's what apple's all about. >> our whole role in life is to give you something you didn't know you wanted and then once you get it, you can't imagine your life without it. >> reporter: and, of course, how can you get this apple watch? it comes out early next year starting at 349. both of the iphones you can

start to preorder on friday. and brian, people are already lining up to buy them. >> something you didn't know you wanted. those words reverberate. jacob, thanks. tonight the threat of severe weather and flash flooding continues in the american midwest. torrential rain, tornado watches in several states and to the west parts of arizona, nevada still under water. a nearly 30-mile stretch of i-15 north of vegas remains shut down. at one point cameras caught a van washed away by rushing water. this is a major artery between las vegas and salt lake blocked. officials say it could remain that way for several more days. still ahead for us on a tuesday evening, diagnosing autism earlier than ever before. how a small group of parents were actually able to reduce the symptoms in their children, guarded excitement tonight in the autism spectrum community. and later a fairytale cinderella story. a young woman about to make history.

♪ [music] defiance is in our bones. defiance never grows old. citracal maximum. easily absorbed calcium plus d. beauty is bone deep. crestor lowered bad cholesterol in it's a fact. high-risk patients more than lipitor. bad cholesterol... you're going down! yeah! lowering cholesterol is a big deal, especially if you have high cholesterol plus any of these

risk factors, because you could be at increased risk for plaque buildup in your arteries over time. so, when diet and exercise aren't enough to lower cholesterol, adding crestor can help. i'm down with crestor! crestor is not right for everyone, like people with liver disease or women who are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant. tell your doctor about other medicines you're taking. call your doctor right away if you have muscle pain or weakness, feel unusually tired; have loss of appetite, upper belly pain, dark urine or yellowing of skin or eyes. these could be signs of rare but serious side effects. are you down with crestor!? ask your doctor if crestor could help you. if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. ♪ [music] jackie's heart attack didn't come with a warning. today her doctor has her on a bayer aspirin regimen to help reduce the risk of another one. if you've had a heart attack be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen.

as we said before the break tonight a groundbreaking but small new study is offering hope to so many families that just may be there could be a way to reduce the symptoms of autism spectrum disorder if you catch them early enough. the numbers as we've reported are stagger iing. 1 in 68 kids now diagnosed in the spectrum. this new study is a small one and it's prelimary but could lead to significant changes in the way parents flag those symptoms and then help their children. we get help from our national correspondent kate snow. >> reporter: as a baby isabel was unusually fixated on objects. >> say good morning, isabel. she wouldn't turn to look at me. still just be looking at the bars on her crib as if i wasn't there. >> reporter: so when her parents heard about the work sally rogers was doing they moved the family to northern california to be part of her study of seven infants. like isabel, the babies all showed early signs of autism,

not seeking a parents's attention or interacting, abnormal repetitive behaviors or fixations, not making age-appropriate sounds like mama or dada. for 12 years researchers taught the parents how to read cues. >> parents aren't asking how where do i find therapists for my child. their very first questions to us are always what can we do. we learn to pick up on just a little glance op her eyes away or a tiny frown. >> reporter: when the infants made sounds, their parents were coached to celebrate, to reinforce that communicating matters. reading with their child in front of them instead of in the lap became a way to force eye contact. the change in isabel was dramatic. >> december of 2011 she was 8 or 9 months and that was a very typical look just kind of disengaged. and then this is april of 2012 and that -- i mean -- that makes

me want to cry just looking at it. it's just light-years beyond where she was. >> reporter: isabel is 3 now, an age when many toddlers are just beinging diagnosed. of all infants six caught up on learning skills and language, a hopeful sign, but every child with autism is different. >> i think parents should be reassured that the earlier we start intervention the better but it's never too late. >> reporter: these methods need to be tested again in larger studies but even this pilot study offers encouragement that perhaps very early intervention can make a difference. >> this was a small study, big, big results and big news tonight. kate snow, thanks. we're back after a break in a moment with news about changing tastes in this country. what americans are eating less of and drinking more of. for over a decade, doctors have been prescribing nexium to patients just like you.

for many, prescription nexium helps heal acid-related erosions in the lining of the esophagus. there is risk of bone fracture and low magnesium levels. side effects may include headache, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. if you have persistent diarrhea, contact your doctor right away. other serious stomach conditions may exist. avoid if you take clopidogrel. nexium 40 mg is only available by prescription. talk to your doctor. for free home delivery, enroll in nexium direct today. lots of them, right? but when you try to get one by using your travel rewards card miles... those seats mysteriously vanish. why? all the flights you want are blacked out. or they hit you up for some outrageous number of miles. switch to the venture card from capital one. with venture, use your miles on any airline, any flight, any time. no blackout dates. and with every purchase you'll earn unlimited double miles. now we're getting somewhere. what's in your wallet? so i got dr. scholl's massaging and gel work insoles. red. now we're getting somewhere.

they absorb the shock of working on my feet all day. i feel energized! i'm a believer. dr. scholl's massaging gel work insoles. i'm a believer! has a new easy-to-swallow coating... so the nutrients for your eyes, heart and brain go down easier. for a limited time, get your four-dollar coupon at centrum.com. and other car insurance companies? yes. but you're progressive and they're them. -yes. -but they're here. -yes. -are you... -there? -yes. -no. -are you them? i'm me. but the lowest rate is from them. -yes. -so them's best rate is... here. so where are them? -aren't them here? -i already asked you that. -when? -feels like a while ago. want to take it from the top? rates for us and them. now that's progressive. call or click today. when folks think about wthey think salmon and energy. but the energy bp produces up here

creates something else as well: jobs all over america. engineering and innovation jobs. advanced safety systems & technology. shipping and manufacturing. across the united states, bp supports more than a quarter million jobs. when we set up operation in one part of the country, people in other parts go to work. that's not a coincidence. it's one more part of our commitment to america.

home depot is dealing with what will likely be the largest breach of credit card information in retailing history. it's feared 60 million accounts were exposed. home depot's been scrambling to get on top of this and reassure customers. today the attorneys general of four separate states launched an investigation into the data breach. economic trends to report starting with job openings. they remain at their highest levels in 13 years. hiring is the highest pace in seven years but a rising tide not lifting all boats. mcdonald's has posted its worst sales decline in a decade. down by much more overseas than they are here, and we don't know what this says about us either, but the u.s. has overtaken france as the largest consumer of wine on the planet. americans are producing more wine and drinking more of it than the french. a tip of the hat to our friend ann compton over at abc news.

retiring today 41 years to the day after starting her career as a correspondent. she has covered seven presidents, traveled to all 50 states and along the way she and her husband raised four children. and trust me, ann made life better for all of us who covered the traveling white house. thanks to her consistently good company, high energy and good cheer. so to our friend ann, we say well done, congratulations, and enjoy grandparenting. well, a little kid has been recorded for posterity and forever just by being a little kid. there was president obama saying good-bye to an outgoing secret service agent and his wife when their son did a face plant on the soft and inviting couch there in the oval office. his family now gets to cherish this photo forever and blow it up during his rehearsal dinner. when we come back, a fairy tale beginning for a young woman who's already made history.

apples fall, but the apples of your cheeks don't have to. defy gravity. juvéderm voluma® is the only fda-approved injectable gel to instantly add volume to your cheek area. as you age, cheeks can lose volume. voluma adds volume creating contour and lift for a more youthful profile. for up to two years. temporary side effects include tenderness, swelling, firmness, lumps, bumps, bruising, pain, redness, discoloration and itching. ask your doctor. juvéderm voluma®. defy gravity. and cialis for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment is right.

cialis is also the only daily ed tablet approved to treat symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medicines, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long term injury, get medical help right away for an erection lasting more than four hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or any allergic reactions like rash, hives, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing or swallowing, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about cialis for daily use and a free 30-tablet trial. do you have something for pain? i have bayer aspirin. i'm not having a heart attack, it's my back. i mean bayer back & body. it works great for pain. bayer back & body provides effective relief for your tough pain. better? yeah...thanks for the tip! dad,thank you mom for said this oftprotecting my future.you.

thank you for being my hero and my dad. military families are uniquely thankful for many things, the legacy of usaa auto insurance could be one of them. if you're a current or former military member or their family, get an auto insurance quote and see why 92% of our members plan to stay for life. last night here we talked about horton who came to be known for his uncanny ability to hear a who. tonight we have the story about another icon of our childhood, cinderella. and the opening tonight on broadway of a landmark rodgers & hammerstein production

that's all about magic and history. we get our report tonight from rehema ellis. >> reporter: it's the newest look for an ageless story. ♪ cinderella >> reporter: starting tonight keke palmer is the first african-american woman to step into cinderella's shoes on broadway. >> i didn't think it was possible because i didn't even think being an actress was possible. >> reporter: when the rodgers & hammerstein producers saw her, it was magic. >> when she walked in and started singing and reading the lines, it was just love. she had everything we were looking for. >> pterodactyl. >> reporter: since her 2006 breakout role in "akeelah and the bee" she's been someone to watch. from nickelodeon to several other movies. >> try to have a little fun. >> reporter: now at 21, she's the nation's youngest talk show host with her own program on b.e.t. ♪ in the arms of my love

>> reporter: when palmer got the call for broadway she says she was overwhelmed. >> i don't even know how to describe this feeling. i was just very -- this is crazy. this is crazy, girl! >> reporter: but she says this is more than just a role. >> this is the dress. >> reporter: oh. >> when cinderella turns into cinderella. >> reporter: the play "cinderella" is also about encouraging girls to broaden their expectations. >> young black girls that think that certain things aren't possible. it's good for them just to be able to see someone that looks like them and lets them know it's possible. but just because you have never seen it doesn't mean that you can't be it. >> reporter: keke palmer, a young woman living a cinderella dream. ♪ in my own little corner >> reporter: on broadway. ♪ in my own little chair ♪ i can be whatever i want to be ♪ >> reporter: rehema ellis, nbc news, new york. beautiful story to end on for this tuesday night. thank you for being here with

us. i'm brian williams. we'll leave you tonight with what you might have seen if you had a cloudless sky where you live last night. last of the supermoons this year, the harvest moon. usually a harbinger of cold weather. look back for you here tonight night. new pop star cat fight. taylor swift versus katy perry. >> taylor publicly takes a shot and katy bites back. now on "extra." taylor swift's new song

about her enemy. is she talking about katy perry? what sparked the feud, and how katy just threw gasoline on the fire. melissa rivers getting some retail therapy after joan's funeral. plus, howard stern's wife beth today on the tense moments before howard's unforgettable tribute. >> he really wanted to make joan proud. the first pics of ray rice and his wife as she speaks out about the shocking beatdown. >> why she's defending him and who she's blaming for ruining their lives. all new britney. super sexy project. >> you're going to be sleeping with a lot of people. >> i don't know about that. then, jen aniston in a see-through lbd. >> and kendall jenner's rocking the sheer look too at new york fashion week. plus, jane fonda on her new body of work. >> talking about a big boob job. >> this is "extra" at universal