on the broadcast tonight, no end in sight. after an explosion of violence in syria, the question that won't go away, what should america do? an nbc news exclusive, our cameras go inside guantanamo bay prison. and you may not believe how your tax dollars are being spent. >> it's official, the springtime of 2012 was the warmest ever. and from cherries growing in michigan to bears in colorado, mother nature is thoroughly confused. new threat, more tonight on the huge piece of tsunami debris that washed up on u.s. shores. tonight, what we're learning about what else came along for the ride. and the warning to parents. why children are at risk when the doctor orders a c.a.t. scan. "nightly news" begins now.

good evening. the world may be about to witness another civil war. we have already witnessed horrible violence yet again in syria where the fighting goes on. a civilian uprising, remember, brutally outgunned by the heavy hand of the regime trying to crush it. the united states tries to fend off withering questions about when the world will act. the problem is syria's leader assad still has a lot of power and a lot of friends around the world, and while the wheels of diplomacy grind on and civilians are dying in alarming numbers fast, fair warning here as we begin tonight, some of the images are hard to watch. but remember, it's these images that might finally trigger action by the rest of the world. we begin with ayman mohyeldin in cairo. >> lying for the world to see, the victims of what amateur video seems to show a massacre.

in villages and surrounding areas. among the did, women and children, even entire families were killed. we reached a human rights activist in syria in contact with eyewitnesses. they blame the military and government militias. >> they attacked the area first by shelling and then the people whom they met there, some people were killed, shot in the heads and others killed by knife. >> a similar attack occurred two weeks ago in the village of hula. u.n. observers on the ground today tried to visit the area of the most recent massacre. they came under attack and were denied entry by the syrian military. >> the regime sponsored violence that we winced again in homa yesterday is simply unconsenable. >> for more than a year, the assad regime has suppressed an uprising against his rule.

but many fear this country is descending into civil war as opposition forces become more militarized and brazen in their attacks against government forces. kofi annan who brokered a u.n. peace plan aimed atinding the violence said today what many on the ground already know. >> i must be frank and confirm that the plan is not being implemented. >> while annan spoke, syria continued to burn. civilian military continued its assault on towns where civilians young and old were fleeing the shells raining down and while the international community continues to wrangle over what it can do, syrians caught in the middle continue to cry out for help. complicating diplomatic efforts further is the fact the assessment by kofi annan if violence continues in syria, not only is it going to implode and drag syria into a worse situation, but it will explode across the entire region.

>> ayman mohyeldin starting us off in cairo. thanks. now to domestic news, specifically the news today about our weather and our climate. the final numbers are in and it's official now. this spring was the warmest in the recorded history of the united states. also the 12-month period since they started keeping track. these stats make for much more than just a curiosity. the impact on the world we live in is as big as the raging and early wildfires they're fighting right now in the american west. our report tonight from our chief environmental affairs correspondent anne thompson. >> one glance at the fruit laden peach tree, the biggest crop ever, tells illinois farmer chris eckert the weather is unusual. >> we have had to hustle to get our work done on time because normally we would have another three weeks to get everything in place. >> the impact visible in america's farmland. early strawberries in new york,

early wheat in kansas. harvesting on memorial day instead of july 4th. >> this is the first one i can remember. it's one for the books. >> northern michigan's cherry processors stand empty. a warm march followed by a frost decimated 90% of the crop and killed hundreds of jobs. now local makers of cherry products must look overseas. >> this year, we're going to be sourcing some cherries from poland. >> it was a record warm january through may in some 100 u.s. cities triggering allergies, mosquitos, ticks, and record wildfires. in colorado, the issue is bears. >> we anticipate a pretty busy summer. >> out of hibernation early, and drought conditions could send hungry bears to where people live. >> the food may not be there later in the year. at least not in a plentiful supply, so that's what we worry about. >> for the past 12 months, every state in the lower 48 had lower

than average temperatures except for one. climatologists say we're in unprecedented territory and one of the suspects, green house gases created when we burn oil, coal, and gasoline. >> these types of warm weather outbreaks for a prolonged period of time is what we would expect with climate change. >> already, a record breaking year and summer is still two weeks away. anne thompson, nbc news, new york. as you know, we have been tracking the tsunami debris from the japan earthquake, just now arriving on the shores of the pacific northwest. last night here, we showed you the biggest single piece so far, a giant section of floating dock from japan. now taking up residence on the beach in oregon. it tested negative for radiation, but scientists are worried about something else that might have come along for the ride across the pacific. our report on that from nbc's miguel almaguer. >> tonight, this usually quiet beach in central oregon is a popular destination for field trips and researchers.

the 66-foot concrete and steel floating dock washed ashore wrapped in a blanket of algae and a cluster of critters. the massive piece of tsunami debris tested negative for radiation. >> the tsunami occurs, the debris washes away. and then the mellot down on the nuke laer power plant so it didn't really get exposed. along its 5,000 mile journey across the pacific -- >> it's a genus of algae. >> scientists say the dock picked up things they have never seen in oregon before. >> an amazing diversity of species on the planet and it's cool when those from the western pacific come to your shore without a plane trip. >> hundreds of millions of organisms clung to the dock, but there's concern some could be invasive species. algae, crabs, and starfish that are native to japan could be a problem here. >> this scraped it down, bags everything up, hit it with a shot of fire to sterilize it, and they're done.

>> a precautionary move in what is expected to be the first of a wave of debris drifting towards our shores. and starting tomorrow here, brian, in southern california, local volunteers will comb beaches in search of tsunami debris. so far, nothing has been discovered, but with the recent find in oregon, there's a sense of heightened awareness. brian. >> going to start getting interesting very soon. miguel almaguer in santa monica tonight, thanks. now we have an nbc news exclusive. a rare look inside the notorious u.s. military facility in guantanamo bay in cuba, gitmo, the central prison for terrorism suspects and a highly controversial place, as you know. michael isikoff has gained exclusive access to guantanamo bay and reports on all of the things we taxpayers are paying for. >> gitmo detainees watch cable tv, play soccer in a new recreation yard, and pray five times a day. america's most expensive prison

has a life of its own despite president obama's vow his first day in office to shut it down. >> guantanamo will be closed no later than one year from now. there we go. >> but the president's promise now seems all but forgotten. blocked by congress and concerns over releasing detainees in light of ongoing national security threats. >> we treat them all as, you know, a threat. only because if you don't, then you're going to get surprised and that's not our business. >> it may come as a surprise, but as nbc news discovered, military officials are quietly upgrading gitmo, spending millions that could allow it to stay open for years. >> we have made it safer for the detainees, safer for the guard force. >> just this week, the official opening of super rec. a controversial new heavily guarded soccer field. price tag, nearly $750,000. there's also a new headquarters for the guards and plans for a new hospital. also, enriching your life

classes, where detainees can learn to paint, write a resume, even handle personal finances. person finance? >> that's one class. it's not a popular class. just to keep these guys busy. >> a lot has changed here. camp x-ray were the first detainees were brought ten years ago is now an abandoned relic overgrown with weeds, preserved as evidence under a court order. but many of the detainees who were once locked up in these cages are still being detained at gitmo with no prospect of going home anytime soon. today, 169 detainees remain here and it's costing u.s. taxpayers $140 million this year. some $800,000 per detainee. this is camp six, the most modern facility here at guantanamo and exclusively communal living compound housing 80% of the detainees, all of who are deemed to be compliant with the rules and eligible for more privileges like 21 cable

tv channels, dvd movies, newspapers and a library. >> they have 13,000 books in the library here. all kinds of books. even harry potter in russian and arabic. why is gitmo still here? >> as far as being able to close down the operation, i can do that in a couple months with the building and people. we have removed these belidgeerants from the battlefield and our job is to detain them, and we do that very well. >> there's still the problem of what to do with the remaining detainees, many of whom were deemed eligible for release, only there's no country willing or able to take them. so for the foreseeable future, gitmo and its growing costs are here to stay. michael isikoff. nbc news, guantanamo bay, cuba. >> still ahead here as we continue along the way, are c.a.t. scans putting kids at risk for cancer later in life? our reality check on the risks. and later on, a remarkable second chance to chase a dream. randson.

and if it wasn't for a screening i got, i might have missed being here to meet him. the health care law lets those of us on medicare now get most preventive care for free like annual wellness visits, immunizations, and some cancer screenings. and that's when they caught something serious on mine. but we could treat it before it was too late. i'll be around to meet number two! get the screenings you need. learn more at healthcare.gov. you don't want to miss any of this! begins with back pain and a choice. take advil, and maybe have to take up to four in a day. or take aleve, which can relieve pain all day with just two pills. good eye. to help protect your eye health as you age... would you take it? well, there is. [ male announcer ] it's called ocuvite. a vitamin totally dedicated to your eyes, from the eye-care experts at bausch + lomb. as you age, eyes can lose vital nutrients.

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you might have seen the story today about children and c.a.t. scans and the risk of radiation exposure in high doses. it turns out the link to potential future cancers is stronger than we may first have thought. our report tonight from our chief medical editor dr. nancy snyderman. >> as medical technology improves so does our ability to diagnose problems. but at the same time, we have unwittingly exposed ourselves to higher levels of radiation with unintended consequences. a new study proves a direct link between exposure to radiation from childhood ct scans and the risk for two common types of cancer. researchers in england followed healthy children for 17 years. their findings, those who had two to three ct scans were three times more likely to get brain cancer. and five to ten scans tripled the risk of leukemia. radiation is unavoidable and part of everyday life from sunshine to television to the food we eat. it's estimated the average

person gets about 620 millirems a year. just one ct delivers about 200 millirems of radiation. in perspective, that one scan is equivalent to about five mammograms, 20 chest x-rays, and going past the luggage xri inspection at the airport 100,000 times. children are more susceptible because their cells are multiplying so quickly. that's one reason some hospitals have upgraded their ct scanners using machines used by siemens and ge. >> everyone is pushing the envelope to keep the doses low as possible but maintaining image quality. >> while mri and ultrasound can be radiation free alternatives, in some cases, a ct scan is necessary. >> radiation is associated with some risk, but at the same time, it's very important that the immediate problem get addressed appropriately, and when a ct scan is necessary that it be performed. >> no one is saying not to get a

ct scan. but you should be an informed consumer, and that means not getting a test unnecessarily and asking would an ultrasound or an mri do the same thing? and sometimes a hospital just needs new software and that could be an up grade for as little as $100,000. sounds like a lot but not when you're talking about a multimillion dollar machine and sometime machines are old and need to be replaced. at least ask, is it necessary and does the machine give the lowest dose necessary to do the job right? >> and i have to up grade my terminology, i call them c.a.t. scans, they're really ct scans. >> we forgive you. >> dr. nancy snyderman, as always. up next, teens texting at the wheel. tonight, we're learning just how common this dangerous habit really is. ngerous habit really is. this man is about to be the millionth customer. would you mind if i go ahead of you? instead we had someone go ahead of him and win fifty thousand dollars.

congratulations you are our one millionth customer. people don't like to miss out on money that should have been theirs. that's why at ally we have the raise your rate 2-year cd. you can get a one-time rate increase if our two-year rate goes up. if your bank makes you miss out, you need an ally. ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense. to live the american dream. i'm proud to represent the usa because to me it's the best country in the world. this is what the red white and blue means to me, what does it mean to you? and blue means to me, you wouldn't want your doctor doing your job. so why are you doing hers? only your doctor can determine if your persistent heartburn is actually something more serious... like acid reflux disease. over time, stomach acid can damage the lining of your esophagus. for many, prescription nexium not only provides 24-hour heartburn relief,

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announcement from years back. it's 10:00 p.m. do you know where your children are? well, these days, perhaps the question should be, do you know what your children are doing? every few years the centers for disease control surveys this nation's high school students about some of the risks they take on a regular basis, the kind of things parents suspect and fear the most and nbc's tom costello has our report. >> i made a mistake. if i could take it back, i could take it back. >> in massachusetts, 18-year-old aaron deveaux is sentenced to a year in jail for texting while driving and killing a 55-year-old father of three. now a cdc survey on risky behavior finds a third of all high schoolers admitting that texted or e-mailed while driving over the previous 30 days. >> it's frustrating while we're making great progress in increasing seat belt use and reducing the number of kids who are driving while drinking,

other safety issues pop up in their place, related to new technology. >> other findings, the number of kids smoking cigarettes hasn't changed much in recent years. about 16%, but more kids are regularsy smoking marijuana, 23%. and while fewer kids are drinking alcohol, nearly 21% had taken prescription drugs without a prescription. it's no surprise to teen and adolescent psychiatrist. dr. josh winer. >> it's not just the bad kids using drugs and alcohol. drugs and alcohol are being us s sed by the straight-a students and the captain of the football team. >> experts say so much of the abuse is a sign of the tines. with high schoolers under so much pressure at school, at home, and online. >> nearly 16% of students said they had seriously considered suicide in the past few months. nearly 8% had attempted it. a third were sexually active, a third had been involved in a fight at school. 20% said they had been bullied. >> some of this has to deal with the complexities of being a teenager.

there's a lot of stress in being a teenager. >> teen stress and the risky behavior it can lead to. tom costello, nbc news, washington. eugene ferkauf has died. he was known as the father of modern day discount retailing and he once graced the cover of "time" magazine because of it. he started ej korvette's here. in the new york area. grew into dozens of stores. the urban myth was that the name stood for eight jewish korean war veterans. not true. it was an amalgam of two men's initials and the type of ship he served oin in the navy in world war ii. he was 91. and bob welch has died of an apparent suicide. he's known to music fans as an early member of fleetwood mac. he went on to a solo career. his notable singles were "sentimental lady" and "ebony eyes." bob welch dead of a self h self-inflicted gunshot wound. he was in failing health. he was 65 years old. next up here tonight, a young man's incredible journey to clear his name and now his

effort to make up for lost time. . i can tell you, down here, people measure commitment by what's getting done. i'm mike utsler, and it's my job to make sure we keep making progress in the gulf. the twenty billion dollars bp committed has helped fund economic and environmental recovery. another fourteen billion dollars has been spent on response and cleanup. long-term, bp's made a five hundred million dollar commitment to the gulf of mexico research initiative... to support ten years of independent scientific research on the environment. results will continue to be shared with the public. and we're making sure people know that the gulf is open for business - the beaches are beautiful, the seafood is delicious. last year, many areas even reported record tourism seasons. the progress continues, but that doesn't mean our job is done. bp's still here, and we're still committed to seeing this through.

very sore looking kinda blistery. it was like a red rash... like somebody had set a bag of hot charcoal on my neck. i was a firefighter for 24 years. but, i have never encountered such a burning sensation until i had the shingles. i remember it well. i was in the back yard doing yard work. i had this irritation going on in my lower neck. i changed shirts because i thought there was something in the collar of the shirt irritating my neck.

and i couldn't figure out what was going on. i had no idea it came from chickenpox. i always thought shingles was associated with people... a lot older than myself. i can tell you from experience, it is bad. it's something you never want to encounter. for more of the inside story, visit shinglesinfo.com we want to leave you tonight with a story of redemption. brian banks was at one time the one of the best high school

football players in the country when his life was changed forever by a false accusation. now he's getting a second chance on the field and off. his story from nbc's kristen dahlgren. >> it's every young athlete's dream. >> look where i am. look where i am today. >> a try-out with the nfl. an appearance on the "tonight" show. >> being here is too cool for school. >> just last month, brian banks couldn't have imagined any of it. >> my only dream in the world was to just be free. >> he was a convicted felon, a registered sex offender, accused of kidnapping and raping a classmate ten years ago when banks was just 16. a high school football standout being recruited by some of the nation's top colleges. there was no dna evidence or witnesses, but his lawyer told him he should take a plea deal.

banks served over five years in prison, his nfl dreams shattered. finding any work was tough, until a friend request on facebook from his accuser. >> she was real adamant about wanting to reconnect, in her words, let bygones be bygones. >> banks met with her and a private investigator and caught this on tape. >> no, he did not rape me. >> did he kidnap you? >> no. >> last month, the california innocence project helped clear his name. and with the end of the nightmare, banks picked right up with the dream. getting back in shape and finally getting his shot. he has try-outs schedules with six nfl teams and after today's workout, an invite back for seattle seahawks mini camp. >> it's just such a great illustration about not giving up. >> a second chance for a man who knows life isn't always fair, but that sometimes dreams -- >> why not shoot for the stars? >> -- really do come true.

kristen dahlgren, nbc news, new york. >> and that is our broadcast on a thursday night. thank you for being here with us. and a reminder to please join us this evening for "rock center" in its new home at 10:00 eastern, 9:00 central from this very studio. i'm brian williams. and of course, we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. ♪ [ male announcer ] for our families... our neighbors... and our communities... america's beverage companies have created a wide range of new choices. developing smaller portion sizes and more low- & no-calorie beverages... adding clear calorie labels so you know exactly what you're choosing...