for watching. i'm nextrenee chenault-fattah. the news continues with "nightly news." a major data breach in the federal government. hackers are being blamed. "nightly news" is next. on this thursday night, breaking news. late word of what could be the biggest hack attack in american history. the u.s. government targeted, and nbc news has learned china is the prime suspect. is a serial sniper on the loose? growing fear in colorado after a series of unsolved shootings. are people being targeted? the latest cutdown on a residential street. the little pink pill that some call the female viagra given a major victory tonight. will it soon be available? and the cost of cancer. children suffering their desperate parents turning to strangers for lifesaving help. "nightly news" begins right now. ♪

good evening. details of our top story are still breaking. word coming down late this afternoon of what sources are telling us is a massive chinese hack of u.s. government computers. perhaps on a scale never seen in this country before. the target -- the agency that handles government employee records. putting at risk the personnel files of millions of current and former federal employees. andrea mitchell is on it and has late details. >> reporter: officials say this could be the biggest cyberattack in american history. the culprit, they say, china. as many as four million current and former government employees have been told their personal information including names social security numbers, and birthdays, could have been hacked from the office of personnel management. the agency that screens and hires federal workers and does security clearances for 90% of the federal government. tonight the obama administration is scrambling to assess the

damage and warning millions of employees they should monitor their bank accounts and will get government help with credit report and identity theft insurance. officials also tell nshz the data breach involved a never-before-seen cyber-indicator and could potentially affect every federal agency. the fbi's investigating but in the past cyber-attacks from china have come from this chinese army building in shanghai. this comes after last year's suspected north korean attack on sony and reports that russia had hacked the white house, state department, and irs, including president obama's e-mail. today before the attack was disclosed, intelligence committee member senator ron wyden told nbc news -- >> i continue to feel that it is very important that we ramp up our efforts to go after foreign hackers and foreign threats. >> reporter: u.s. official say that this breach is serious, but it could not be the worst case scenario, they hope. that would involve the disclosure of the identities of the cia's covert agents.

so far at least, they do not think that the cia covers have been blown. so far, the chinese embassy has not responded to our calls about the hacking. lester? >> all right, andrea mitchell. thanks. a major victory late this afternoon for that little pink nail some are calling the female -- pill that some are calling the female viagra. what could be the first drug on the market of its kind for women. >> reporter: this is the medication promising to restore sexual desire to women who have lost it. the little pink pill. tonight one step closer to fda approval after experts said it should be made available to women. but the advisory panel did so amided what it called serious safety concerns. nausea and unexpected fainting and it said benefits of the drug were modest. >> suddenly i felt the flutter. and i always say it was not a fluter in my heart. it was like, whoa! what is that? welcome back. >> reporter: amanda parish took the pill every night as parts of a clinical trial of flibanserin in pre-menopausal women which

twice in the past six years failed to get approval. it is not, as it's been called the female viagra. >> viagra increases blood flow and it's approved for use only in men. this drug flibanserin, works in the brain on a woman's desire. >> reporter: while experts say distressing low sexual desire is a real medical condition impacting 16 million u.s. women, critics argue the little pink pill isn't the solution. >> if there were a very effective drug for increasingly bead no women that didn't have any -- libido in women that didn't have side effects and therapy had already been tried, that might be useful. this isn't that drug. >> reporter: the fda generally follows the recommendation of its panel. a final decision is expected this summer. nbc news, new york. we turn now to a story developing in northern colorado where there is growing concern that a serial sniper may be on the loose. three people shot since april.

one on a bike another in a car and the latest last night. a 65-year-old man gunned down on a residential street in loveland colorado, 50 miles north of denver. nbc's jacob rascon has late details. >> reporter: the most recent colorado shooting victim was apparently just out for a walk. the 65-year-old man gunned down late wednesday night. >> there's an opportunity to feel fear because we don't know if this is related to the other shooting. >> reporter: two weeks ago john jacoby was shot dead while riding his bike. in april, cory romero of shot in the neck while driving on the cincinnati. the attacks happened 90 minutes north of denver only miles from each other. investigators say the first two shootings are connected and they're looking into the third and into about a dozen report of random blown-out car windows in the area. >> the public needs to be vigilant. they need to be observant. and if they see any suspicious

activity report it to your local law enforcement so we can investigate it. >> reporter: tips from the public have been critical in solving past serial shootings. in 2002 when snipers killed ten people in washington, d.c., and virginia in 2005 and '06 when shooters in arizona killed at least six and injured 19 and last year when a machine in kansas city shot -- a man in kansas city shot at 12 cars injuring three people. the fbi is offering a $10,000 reward in the first two incidents. two dead and one injured in northern colorado. the search for a possible serial shooter now more desperate. a task force investigating the shootings just wrapped up the press conference. they say there are similarities between all the cases. they are tackling this with unprecedented manpower they say, and resources and want to reiterate the fbi is offering a $10,000 reward for information from the public. lester? >> jacob rascon thank you. we've gotten our first look at the arsenal of weapons that a man had inside his car when he jumped over the white house fence last fall and made it deep

inside the building before he was finally taken down. our senior white house correspondent, chris jansing, has more. >> reporter: these are the weapons white house fence-jumper omar gonzalez brought to washington the day he scaled the fence. a machete, tomahawks, numerous knives, and a huge amount of ammunition. the cache is described in chilling detail in a 25-page sentencing report. >> the secret service had to categorize the threat. there is like a def con 5. serious situation. >> reporter: and once gonzalez got inside the white house, he was carrying this knife with a 3.5-inch serrated blade. this could have really hurt somebody. >> yeah. absolutely. and body armor's not designed to protect against edge weapons either. you could have slashed someone. slashed someone's throat. >> reporter: this is where law enforcement would later find omar gonzalez' car. 15 machines in that direction was the white house. it was not his first run-in with

police or the secret service. an even more threatening arsenal was found when virginia state police pulled him over last july. high-powered rifles a sawed off shotgun, handguns and a map with the white house highlighted. he was sentenced to 30 years in prison but it was suspended. >> the mitigating factors would be that the defendant did haven't enough of a criminal record and frankly, no one was injured during the incident. >> reporter: this time prosecutors are recommending 21 months in prison and three years supervised release. at the white house, temporary metal spikes have been clamped on to the existing barricade. but nine months later, still no permanent fix for a fence that's proved tempting time and again. 21 months is the maximum under sentencing guidelines. the report says gonzalez has shown remorse and acknowledges the army veteran suffers from post traumatic stress. tonight, the white house says it has confidence in the secret service and the reforms put in place since the fence jumping. lester? >> thank you. the thwarted home-grown terror attack on police officers in boston is having a ripple

effect nationwide as police departments grapple with fears over the far reach of isis on social media. radicalizing people already here to target police officers. our just correspondent, pete williams, has that story. >> reporter: the fbi's claim that it disrupted a boston plot to attack police officers is the main hallway talk at a meeting today of big city police chiefs in phoenix. officials say last fall's hatchet attack on a new york city police officer and this week's plot to attack police in massachusetts were both inspired by calls on isis social media to go after people in uniform including police. >> it's a continually growing threat to this country. it's a very big wild card. law enforcement has to constantly look for new strategies to try to combat this. >> reporter: the fbi says that after ordering three knives on line last week usaamah rahim of boston ad first planned to behead someone in new york pamela geller who organized last month's "draw muhammad"

contest in texas. >> i think it was more along the lines of wishful thinking. you know, we had 24/7 surveillance on him. we were monitoring all potential targets. >> reporter: the fbi says rahim abruptly changed his mind tuesday morning and told a friend he would begin attacking police that very day. law enforcement officials say he called his father that morning to say "you're not going to see me again after today." in boston today, his brother and lawyers for the family said he was killed before police even had legal authority to arrest him. >> the family hopes to work productively and cooperatively with federal and local authorities in a joint effort to search for truth. >> reporter: investigators are questioning a rhode island man after searching his house for two days. official say he knew about some of rahim's plans. he has not been charged. pete williams, nbc news, boston. there was an enormous outpouring of grief today at

delaware's state copapitol where the casket of beau biden, the eldest son of vice president joe biden, was laid to rest with honors. hundreds lined up to pay their respects inside. beau biden, who served as delaware's attorney general for two term died saturday after battling brain cancer. president obama will give the eulogy at biden's funeral on saturday. the already very crowded republican field got another player today. former texas governor rick perry announced he's jumping into the race for president. perry also ran in 2012 but dropped out when his campaign failed to spark much heat. it was, however, scorching inside the hangar where perry made today's announcement. this makes ten in the gop race for the white house with more expected like jeb bush who is now set to announce his campaign his candidacy on june 15th. now to one of the most talked about stories of the day. the duggars. the parents that have come under so much criticism after it was revealed their son while he was a teenager sexually assaulted

five underage girls, including members of his own family. a lot of questions about what the parents knew and when they went to authorities. the duggars are now speaking out and defending themselves. here's nbc's stephanie gosk. >> reporter: their son admitted sexually abusing five minors as a teenager. four of them his own sisters. one, only 5 years old. the duggars waited a year to get help and even longer to tell the police. >> this was not rape or anything like that. this was like touching somebody over their clothes. there were a couple incidents where he touched them under their clothes. but it was like a few seconds. >> josh has done some very bad things. and he's -- he's very sorry. >> reporter: their defense on fox news triggered an immediate and passionate response. >> the worst thing a parent can do is deny or minimize childhood sexual abuse in a family. when a family finds out about

childhood sexual abuse, the help should come immediately. >> reporter: in a police report uncovered by "in touch" magazine, the duggars say josh first told them about the abuse in march, 2002. then again that july, and a third time in 2003 when they sent him away to a christian program for four months of treatment. >> it was after the third time he came to us where we felt, you know what we have done everything we can as parents to handle this in-house. we need to get help. >> reporter: 36% of sexual abusers of children known to police are children themselves. 25% of their victims are family members. but the numbers can be misleading because so many cases go unreported. only 18 states require parents to report their children to authorities. the duggars' home state of arkansas is not one of them. >> it's true that parents are not necessarily mandatory reporters, but they do have a legal obligation not to allow childhood sexual abuse to go on in their own home.

>> reporter: tlc has pulled the duggars' show "19 kids and counting." but this family's reality is still very much in the spotlight. stephanie gosk, nbc news, new york. still ahead tonight, the cost of cancer when it strikes young children. more and more desperate parents turning to help and paying for lifesaving treatment. new evacuations tonight as floods rage and millions brace under the threat of tornadoes again. my constipation and belly pain have my stomach feeling all knotted up. i've tried laxatives... but my symptoms keep returning. my constipation feels like a pile of bricks... that keeps coming back. linzess can help. once-daily linzess treats adults with ibs with constipation or chronic constipation. linzess is thought to help calm pain-sensing nerves and accelerate bowel movements. linzess helps you proactively manage your symptoms. do not give linzess to children under 6 and it should not be given to children 6 to 17.

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we are back with another in our special series of reports that we're calling "the cost of cancer." when insurance can't or doesn't cover the full cost of sky-high medical bills more and more patients and families are having to turn to the internet and rely on the kindness of strangers. nbc's anne thompson has their story. >> reporter: 32-year-old megan morgan is fiercely independent. how hard is this to ask for help? >> i can't do it. >> reporter: but this single mom has no choice. her 13-month-old son henry, has inoperable neuroblastoma, a rare form of cancer. >> i have just started using the "c" word. it's hard, your little one has cancer. >> reporter: megan, who runs a dog-walking business has been here for two weeks. the bill for the room alone is already $40,000. she's one of an estimated 45 million americans with a high deductible insurance plan. $5,000 that must be paid first. can you cover that $5,000?

>> oh goodness no. i mean, it is justice henry and i. we are in a precarious financial situation like in a good month. >> reporter: megan's cousin kristi is scared too and wants to help. >> it's hard because i can't fix it just like she can't fix henry. >> reporter: so kristi is crowdfunding raising money on the internet. the pack family is doing it too. 9-year-old wes has the same kind of cancer as henry. he relapsed and has to travel from virginia to new york every month to see specialists. expenses not covered by insurance. so how much do you owe? >> $97,000. >> reporter: can you pay any of that? >> no. i don't think we can even get close. >> reporter: so the family started a page too and they are far from alone. in 2011 there were just over 8,000 medical campaigns on gofundme the biggest crowdfunding website. by 2014 there were more than 600,000, raising almost $200

million. but crowdfunding can't help most americans, and we all need to be prepared. >> we can no longer assume that if you have insurance you're all set. you may not be. you really need to think about what kind of deductible do you have and do you have the savings that you need to get you through an illness. >> reporter: megan and henry are still in the hospital how's he doing today? >> he's having an awesome day. this morning he had toast. he grapes. and it's more than he's eaten in three weeks. >> reporter: their page is more than halfway to its $20,000 goal. >> i am so grateful because i know that i'm going to need help whether i like it or not. >> reporter: learning to rely on others so her son can live. anne thompson, nbc news, portland, maine. we're back in a moment. a surprise broadway show in the unlikeliest of places. ♪ super poligrip seals out more food particles. so your food won't get stuck

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the seemingly unending stretch of dangerous weather is continuing tonight in the middle part of the cub-- the country. severe sports in kansas, nebraska, and wyoming. flash flood watches and tornado watches already issued tonight. near kansas city flash flooding provoked evacuations. in the tropics, we continue to monitor hurricane blanca as it bears down on baja weakening slightly but still powerful as cabo braces for a hit on sunday. moisture from the storm could push into the american southwest next week. if only this could happen the next time your flight is delayed -- take a look. ♪ >> the video just started to go viral. today stranded passengers are treated to an impromptu performance by casts of "the lion king" and "aladdin" musicals. they were stuck when bad weather delayed their flight from new york to orlando for six hours

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destinies will collide tonight in california where game one of the nba finals tips off. golden state hasn't got then far in 40 years but the city of cleveland hasn't seen a championship in any major sport in 51 years. whose fans want it more? here's nbc's craig melvin. [ cheers ] >> reporter: for the fifth straight time lebron james is getting ready to play for the nba championship but this time it's different. when lebron broke up with cleveland -- >> going to take my talents to south beach. >> reporter: betrayed fans spilled into the streets to trash his name and torch his jersey. dominic franklin's son held out hope commissioning this mural for a south cleveland barber shop. >> we wanted him to come back and finish his career here. >> reporter: lebron listened to fans and returned to the rustbelted city on the cusp of its own comeback. they announced they would hold the convention here boarded up plight and rampant poverty

slowly being replaced by signs of progress. still, not a major sport team has won a tide here -- a tides here in 51 years. >> we haven't had a champion here in who knows how long. >> reporter: they're starving in cleveland, but they're hungry here as well. golden state has not hoisted a championship trophy in 40 years. gary liss was here the last time. he's been a season ticket holders for 54 years. >> we had a couple bad ones yes, but still came. >> this is home for me. this is -- i got warrior blood. >> reporter: their team boasts the lead's best record, most valuable player stefan curry, and his 2-year-old daughter riley. >> daddy -- >> i know. hold on one second okay? >> reporter: golden state favored to win, but don't tell franklin. he lost his son a few month before lebron came home. dad finished the mural. >> my son is sitting there saying i told you, i told you, i told you. >> reporter: two fathers, sons

and cities anxious for a long overdue championship. craig melvin, nbc news, oakland. that will do it for us on this thursday night. i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching, and good night. the duggar sisters defending their brother josh after he sexually abused them. >> now on "extra." jessa and jill duggar forced to come forward with their ugly family secret.

>> do you feel like the victim of a molestation? >> before their explosive sit-down with megyn kelly friday why they refused to call older brother josh a child molester. jada pinkett smith taking on the rumors she has an open marriage with will. >> i'm not his watcher. bobby flay's exex fires back. was she behind the cheater banner? the first rob kardashian sighting since caitlyn jenner's debut. backlash over the big moment. then all new scenes from tom cruise's "mission im: 5." and who's the katie holmes lookalike spotted with tom. plus the new interview with jerry and jessica seinfeld. did she really get him a toilet for father's day? >> oh god. >> now on "extra" from universal