on our broadcast tonight -- under oath. dramatic testimony in the opening day of the jerry sandusky trial. nbc news has learned that more possible charges against top officials at penn state. out of control, fast-moving wildfires in the west. forcing hundreds of families out of their homes. we're on the front lines tonight. the crime wave at your local supermarket, shoplifters, bulk buyers and big brands and why it is costing all customers. and getting enough sleep, new evidence that restless nights can increase the risk of stroke for millions of americans. stroke for millions of americans. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

good evening. he is identified in court documents as victim number 4, a 28-year-old man who today became witness number one in the criminal sex abuse trial of former penn state football coach, jerry sandusky. prosecutors opened their case with his dramatic story of what he says happened to him when he was all about 13 years old. again, there are more witnesses after him. this is just the start. nbc's john yang is in bellefonte, pennsylvania. and fair warning to our viewers, this trial got off to a disturbing start in keeping with the nature of this story from the very beginning. and john, good evening. good evening, brian, seven months after this scandal brought down a university president and a legendary college head football coach, jerry sandusky who maintains his innocence in the face of 52 charges of sexual abuse finally today faced his accusers in court. the first witness, identified in court documents as victim 4 said

he was a 90-pound teenager when the abuse began. he described how showers with sandusky and the penn state coaches locker room went from horsing around to hugging and caressing to oral sex. now, 28, he testified that the abuse went on for about five years. he became emotional when he was questioned by the defense. >> he said under cross-examination he regretted not coming forward earlier because he felt guilty that maybe he was responsible for these other victims having been molested. >> reporter: throughout the testimony, sandusky and the jury of seven women and five men seemed to pay close attention. the witness kept his eyes on the jury and the prosecutor, only occasionally stealing glances at the defendant. he said he met sandusky through the coach's second mile charity for trouble kids and testified sandusky lavished him with gifts, cash, sports gear, a sideline spot at home football games and trips to two bowl games, all things he was afraid he would lose if he spoke up. this was something good

happening he said. i never had a father figure and i am liking everything i am getting. he is the first of eight accusers expected to testify. in his opening statement, prosecutor, joseph mcgettigan, cited sandusky's interview with bob costas on rock center. >> are you sexually attracted to young boys, underaged boys? mcgettigan showed the accuser's childhood pictures as he called sandusky a predatory pedophile. >> the image that will come out of this is of stolen innocence by a sexual predator, that is the message the prosecution is trying to paint. >> defense attorney, joseph amendol told jurors that showering with young boys is not a crime. he said the accusers' stories changed during the investigation and they hoped to make money from the case. against this backdrop, national investigative correspondent has uncovered new details. >> state prosecutors recent ly obtained internal penn state e-mails in which top officials, not to report an allegation of sexual abuse. these e-mails could lead to new charges in this case.

>> reporter: late this afternoon the witness became defensive and evasive under cross-examination. perhaps a sign of what is to come and what awaits the other accusers in this case. brian. >> john yang starting us off from pennsylvania tonight. john, thanks. now to the american west, and while summer is still officially ten days off this could be an epic fire season and sadly it is off to a roaring start. today the focus shifted to colorado and a fire so big and so explosive it is moving at a top speed of 40 feet per second, driven by 30-mile-an-hour winds and it is officially out of control. our report tonight from nbc's charles hadlock. >> reporter: flames leaping 300 feet into the rocky mountain sky, residents and fire fighters fear the worst is still ahead. >> it's a very aggressive fire, it's fuel-driven, wind-driven. so conditions have not been favorable.

it has grown in a number of different ways. >> reporter: starting as a single plume of smoke saturday it quickly exploded into the largest fire in this part of colorado in 25 years. from space, smoke spreads as far away as nebraska and south dakota. >> it looked like a volcano was going off at our house. >> reporter: near bellview, colorado, jeremy foreman is one of thousands of people who evacuated their homes. but he returns every few hours to turn on pumps and sprinklers. >> i figured if we could keep the trees from going up beside the house it would keep out from going over the roof. >> reporter: federal fire fighters took over managing the runaway fire. but bringing it under control will depend on the weather. >> still a lot of fuel around our houses. so if it comes in from a different direction we could still be in trouble. >> we thought we were trapped because we didn't think we could get to the highway and get up or down. >> reporter: the high park fire is one of several burning in the west. new mexico's little bear fire is burning in forest where in 1950

a fire orphaned a little bear cub. fire fighters named him smoky bear. he grew up to become the symbol of the u.s. forest service. >> only you can prevent forest fires. >> reporter: prevention is one challenge. putting out a fire like this one will take days perhaps weeks. the hope for containment today i will tell you is tenuous, entirely dependent on weather conditions. we may be at zero after today. and sometimes you just have days like that. and you, you, you regroup and you do it again tomorrow. >> reporter: tomorrow more air tankers and water dropping helicopters will join the fight here in colorado. 400 fire fighters are already here. tomorrow, 200 more will join them. brian. >> charles hadlock on the brave fight against that fire in colorado. charles, thanks. in the florida panhandle torrential rain has brought widespread flooding and led to one death, a 23-year-old from mississippi who drowned in rough serve in pensacola. more than 20 inches of rain have

fallen in the area in two day's time. damage already estimated in the millions of dollars. now, overseas tonight to the crisis in syria. more violence, more than 100 dead, more reports of a new massacre in what is really devolving into an all-out civil war. our chief foreign correspondent richard engel is with us tonight from the region in cairo with news of what could be a change in assad's grip on power there. richard, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. a western diplomatic source told me the syrian regime is "wobbling." there are now according to this source, regular gun battles, very close to the presidential palace. in downtown damascus. and that the syrian regime is having command and control problems over its own armed forces. now, does wobbling, brian, mean that bashir al-assad is about to get on plane and leave the country? probably not. but it means that he has less

control over what is going on on the ground, because a civil war is breaking out between sunis and shiites. i was told this is not shaping up to look like libya where there was a unified opposition fighting an unpopular dictator, but more like baghdad with militia groups fighting along sectarian lines. >> and appalling violence every day. richard engel from cairo. richard, thanks as always. in this country a lot of us woke up to a bizarre story out of the west coast that the u.s. secretary of commerce had been involved in two hit-and-run accidents in california over this past weekend. late this morning the commerce department said 68-year-old secretary john bryson had suffered a seizure. he was found unconscious at the wheel. he was treated at the hospital and tonight we're told he is back home in washington recuperating. so far there are no charges. officials say, drugs and alcohol were not involved. it's one thing to know about your own finances, how you're faring in this economy, and how it feels to you, but it's quite

another to find out where you fit when compared to everyone else in america. we got a new picture today of what it is like for everyone, especially the economic core of this nation, formerly known as the the middle-class. and there is fresh evidence today from the federal reserve, of how brutal this economy has been. our report on all of it tonight from nbc's anne thompson. >> reporter: it is the symbol of the american dream -- owning a home. but the collapse of the housing market sent the net worth of the american family into a tailspin. the net worth for the very middle or the median falling from $126,400 in 2007 to 77,300 in 2010. a stomach-churning 39% drop. >> these numbers go a long way to explain why the recovery has been so modest and why it is still so fragile. >> reporter: incomes took a big hit too. with median earnings sinking nearly 8% to $45,800.

those in the middle-class suffering the biggest losses. as a result, fewer families save. dropping from a little over 56% to 52%. the lowest level since the federal reserve began collecting this information in 1992. >> that means they are much less confident about their situations, indeed they're afraid, it means they're willing to spend less. >> reporter: during those tough three years, american families tried to reduce their debt. particularly what they wracked up on plastic. they carried fewer credit cards, and the proportionate families carrying balances on the cards dropped almost 7%. what this makes clear is that america's middle-class paid the highest price. though incomes fell for those at the very top and the very bottom, it was nothing like what happened to those in between. two decades of economic progress erased in just three short years. brian. >> this should really worry every american. anne thompson, thank you.

now to an outgrowth of the tough economic times so many are faces, stores across this country are reporting the large scale theft of a lot of different items now missing from shelves. from lawn dream detergent, ink cartridges to cosmetics and then all apparently resold and everybody ends up paying for this. our report tonight from nbc's miguel almaguer. >> reporter: the acts are brazen as they are illegal, thieves stealing some of the most popular brands, tide, tylenol, crest whitestrips. it's organized retail crime, a $12 billion a year problem sweeping through the country. now even more prevalent in today's difficult economy. >> this is what they do for a living. this is their full time job. >> reporter: dennis dansack was a federal agent in the attorney general's office who fought organized crime and the top cop for kroger's, the top grocery chain. thieves know the punishment

won't fit the crime. if caught the charge may be shoplifting. >> it is very high reward and very low risk. they have a shopping list and they know specifically where to go in the store. >> reporter: in seconds brand name products are piled into bags, daring thieves stuffing their socks. but lapd detective, kent otis says the tactics can be sophisticated. >> retail crime crews go in there and literally steal $10,000 of product in one single day. they may have, you know, anywhere from five to seven people working in their crew. they can go hit multiple locations. in the end the stolen products are resold on the street and increasingly online. a bottle of tide like this usually costs about $11 here in the store. on the black market we found it for as little as $1. it is a huge loss for retailers, one that is ultimately passed along in higher prices. >> unfortunately, the cost of theft and crime are passed down to you and i as consumers. >> reporter: shoppers are now

finding some of their cosmetics, infant formula and razors, under lock and key. so far little has worked to slow this multibillion dollar crime wave happening in plain sight. miguel almaguer, nbc news, los angeles. still ahead here, as we continue on a monday night, the latest risk. and it is a big one. of not getting a good night's sleep. dr. nancy snyderman will join us here tonight with that. the man who had the guts to tell the trophy generation not everybody should get a trophy. tonight he tells us what he meant with his tough love commencement talk. us what he meant with his tough love commencement talk.

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our "health news" tonight is about the lack of sleep and the real consequences for those who don't get enough of it including the very real increased risk of stroke. the story from our chief medical editor dr. nancy snyderman. >> reporter: sleep, a rare commodity in many homes across this country, may be even more important than previously thought. sleep experts presenting their latest findings in boston revealed that middle-aged or older americans who get too little sleep increase their risk of stroke dramatically. >> when you have this sleep loss you increase inflammation in the body, you also -- there is disregulation in blood pressure as well.

>> reporter: and this affects many american adults. the number of people who report a full eight hours or more of sleep each night has dropped 10% in the last decade to 28% in the u.s. >> there is not enough hours in the day. >> i am a truck driver, i work 10, 14 hours a day. >> sometimes you just worry too much. >> reporter: stroke, the fourth leading cause of death in this country, occurs when blood flow to the brain is interrupted. it is more common in people with high blood pressure. sleep deprivation can be a contributing factor. today's study says that those who get less than six hours of sleep at night are four times as likely to suffer a stroke. what makes this new research even more concerning is that the more than 5,600 people included were not overweight or suffering from inactivity. also key risk factors for stroke. a reason experts say to make sleep a priority. >> it is just making a commitment to stopping working, stopping all those activities, earlier in the night and giving themselves adequate opportunity. >> there may be some connection

between lack of sleep and disturbances in the cardiovascular system and while the results are preliminary the numbers really point to a worrying conclusion that in addition to your weight and not smoking and getting some fresh air and yes all of the things we know to do, sleep has to be on that list of how we keep ourselves healthy. the first thing i would say, to people, brian, get your television set out of your bedroom. >> oh, boy, this story got the attention of a lot of people today as you know. thank you. >> you bet. up next, speak of health news, an emotional revelation from robin roberts and what happens next for her. next for her. if you are one of the millions of men who have used androgel 1%, there's big news. presenting androgel 1.62%. both are used to treat men with low testosterone. androgel 1.62% is from the makers of the number one prescribed testosterone replacement therapy. it raises your testosterone levels, and...

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it has more of seven antioxidants to support cell health. that's one a day men's 50+ healthy advantage. our thoughts tonight are with our friend and broadcasting colleague robin roberts who shared some bad news with her viewers on abc this morning, she announced today she has been diagnosed with a blood disorder related to the treatment she got when she successfully battled

breast cancer five years ago. she told viewers her older sister will be her donor as she now undergoes a bone marrow transplant and she is positive about her prognosis. >> she is going to be my donor. [ applause ] >> thank you, thank you. >> doctors tell me that it is going to be a tremendous help in, in me beating this and to use your phrase, george, bottom line, i am going to beat this. >> robin roberts said she will undergo the bone marrow transplant later this summer or in the fall depending on how she responds to the preliminary first stage treatment. british prime minister david cameron admitted today that something that sounds like the plot of "home alone." he and his wife and entourage left their 8-year-old daughter in a pub after a recent lunch. the couple traveled home in separate cars didn't realize until they got to number 10 downing street each one thought little nancy was with the other

parent. turns out she had gone to the bathroom just as everybody was getting ready to leave. mom raced back to pick her up and found her helping the pub staff with their work. a man hitchhiking across this country while working on a memoir about the kindness of the american people has been shot in a drive-by attack. ray dolen of west virginia was approaching a pickup truck outside billings, montana. he thought the truck had pulled over to offer him a ride. when the driver allegedly turned around and shot him in the arm. driver tested positive for drugs and alcohol according to local police. next, the high school english teacher who delivered one of the most memorable graduation speeches we've heard in a long time. 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,

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finally here tonight, it's commencement season, and if you were watching friday night you saw our annual compendium of the commencement send-offs for the class of 2012. we have put the piece on our website. a collection of all the positive messages for the graduates. fair warning they weren't all positive this year. one commencement speaker at a massachusetts high school delivered a message a few days back that may speak for a whole lot of people. he made news around the planet

by telling the students they aren't special and then some. he is a veteran english teacher at wellesley high school and his name is david mccollough, jr., son of david mccollough, the legendary historian and author. as we found out talking to him about it this weekend his message to the kids he loves was about a lot more. >> each of you is dressed you will notice exactly the same. and your diploma, but for your name, exactly the same. all of this is as it should be because none of you is special. >> i wanted to give these kids whom i know well and care very much about something useful. you are not special. you're not exceptional. contrary to what your u-9 soccer trophy suggests, your glowing seventh grade report card despite every assurance of a corpulent purple dinosaur,

that nice mr. rogers and your batty aunt sylvia, no matter how often your paternal caped crusader has swooped in to save you you are nothing special. >> i perhaps naively had no idea that the entire electronic world was eavesdropping. >> if everyone gets a trophy trophies become meaningless. we have of lately, americans to our detriment come to love accolades more than genuine achievement. >> kids have to stumble they should fall. they learn how to get up that way. kids are so pressured to succeed they will do everything to not to fail. it's not the success they want, they want to avoid failure. >> exercise free will, and independent thought not for satisfactions they will bring you but for the good will they do others, the rest of the 6.8 billion and those who will follow them. and you too will discover the great and curious truth of the human experience is that selflessness is the best thing you can do for yourself. the sweetest joys of life then come only with the recognition that you are not special, because, everyone is. >> our thanks to david mccollough junior.

if you want to see the full speech and his full conversation with us they're both on our website as of tonight. that is our broadcast on a monday evening. thank you for being here with us as we start off a new week. i'm brian williams. we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com "planned parenthood we'res gonna get rid of that." romney is saying he'll deny women the birth control and cancer screenings they depend on. when romney says "do i believe the supreme court should overturn roe v. wade? yes." he's saying he'll deny women the right to make their own medical decisions and when his campaign can't say whether he'd support equal pay protections.