next at 11:00, families are gathering in amsterdam and malaysia. their loved ones were killed in a plane crash in a war zone over ukraine. there are questions tonight about what or who fired the

missile that killed hundreds of people. >> i feel physically sick. >> the death toll is climbing but it could have been higher. a mother and her baby are given a second chance at life. >> there is now a ground invasion in gaza. we'll tell you what israel says it is targeting and how long the invasion is supposed to last. >> news 4 at 11:00, begins with breaking news. >> we have team coverage of two breaking stories tonight. >> it is now 6:00 a.m. in gaza where israeli forces have put boots on the ground just hours ago. we'll have more on the story. we begin along the ukrainian border with russia where malaysia flight 17 crashed today. nearly 300 people killed. the death toll is up from 295 to 298. the airline says that's because it just learned there were three

infants on the flight. >> u.s. officials tell nbc news it appears the plane was shot down by a russian-made surface to air missile. it's not clear who would have fired it. ukraine calls it terrorism. tonight there are calls for an independent international investigation. we begin our coverage tonight with nbc senior white house correspondent chris jansing. >> reporter: good evening. the president returned to the white house a short time ago with one major unanswered question. were any americans among the victims of the jet liner crash. the president has been working the phones. it started this morning. he was on the air with with vladimir putin talking with wbt new sanctions that were imposed because of the arms movement over the russian-ukrainian border when the reports first came out. since then he's talked to secretary kerry, regular briefings from the national

security team as he traveled to delaware and new york for fund-raisers. what we know is intelligence officials believe it was a surface to air missile. you could tell the size of the debris field, nine miles that it was a catastrophic event that happened in the air. eyewitness reports have been gruesome of people strapped to their seats on the ground. there have been offers of assistance from the united states which have been accepted although no teams have traveled yet. the u.s. the leaders in the world in these types of investigations. the question remains about where they might go to assist with the investigation the ukrainians might need. of course tonight it is a scene of tragedy and the tragedy continues. >> we know where most of the passengers on malaysia flight 17 were from. the airline said it is trying to

confi confirm nationalities of people on board. here we have the stories of some of the families waiting for word at airports overseas. >> reporter: anxious, afraid and very sad. a group of distraught families arrived at kuala lumpur's airport looking for answers to another malaysia airlines disaster. it was the netherlands that suffered the biggest loss. 154 of the passengers were from there. a lot of their families are gathering at the amsterdam airport, united by grief. we know victims were on their way to an international aids conference in australia. a researcher and several others died in the crash saying at this incredibly sad and sensitive time the ias stands with our international family and sends condolences to the loved ones of those lost to the tragedy. the death toll went up when the

airline announced it hadn't accounted for three infants on board. >> one mother said she was supposed to be on the plane with her baby but got bumped are from the flight. >> i didn't know what to do. i feel physically sick. i feel like i have been given a second chance. ho hopefully i can see my family again. >> here at home in washington, it's been quiet at the dutch embassy and the embassy of malaysia. >> they are losing their loved ones. >> we spoke with a man whose mother worked at the embassy of malaysia. he couldn't believe one airline could face two disasters in four months. >> i was thinking it shouldn't be again. >> reporter: but it is. a little more than four months after flight 370 disappeared over the south china sea.

in this crash it's affecting families from australia to indonesia. germany, france and the uk. it's likely that americans and people from other countries were on board as wellment reporting live in northwest d.c., chris lawrence, news 4. >> russian president vladimir putin tonight is blaming ukraine for the crash. he says that country must, in his words, bear responsibility. he said this would not have happened if there were peace and military actions had not renewed in that country. putin asked the russian military to provide assistance in the investigation. >> tonight websites track real time air travel and shows minimal activity in ukraine's air space. u.s. carriers agree ared not to operate near the russian-ukrainian border. some foreign airliners are doing the same thing. greg fife with the nional

transportation safety board said it's up to individual countries and airlines to determine which route ares are safe. >> i've got a feeling that with malaysia and other carriers that continued to fly there, they didn't perceive the overflight of a war zone like this as a threat given the fact that they were 33,000 feet. >> this isn't the first time military weapons have taken down commercial jets. in the midst of a cold car russians shot down korean 007. and a u.s. navy surface to air missile mistakenly targeted an iran air flight killing 290 people. >> on wall street, news of the crash coupled with concern of little bitle call unrest caused stocks to tumble. the dow jones industrial average fell 151 points. shares of the largest airlines shut down 3% by the closing

bell. >> israel's ground invasion of gaza. israel called up 18,000 people. they want to destroy tunnels. john kerry spent the evening talking to israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu. he expressed concern about the potential loss of civilian lives. >> a thousand people chanting, singing, waving signs, packed the square for the stand strong for israel rally. the group called for peace and said israel has a right to protect itself. a small group opposed the speeches t. jewish community relations council sponsored the rally along with dozens of synagogues and community groups. >> the sun is about to rise are over the middle east. a new day of fighting will

begin. for the latest on the situation on the ground we go to richard engel in gaza. >> reporter: the ground invasion began with israeli strikes on several sides of gaza, from the north and east and from the sea. we watched the tracers from israeli guns firing over gaza. they show where the rounds are going. illumination flares were shot over gaza city, the most densely populated part of the gaza strip, home to nearly 2 million palestinians. the flares help israel target as drones circle the city. israel said its ten-day military offensive against hamas has entered a new phase. it is unclear how long it could last. israeli officials suggested two weeks. the immediate target, israel said are tunnels from gaza into israel. militants use them to sneak up on and attack israeli towns.

today, israel leaked footage show militants trying to approach a town. when they hear a drone they head under ground. israeli called in an artillery stroke to destroy the tunnel. a few hours earlier today there was talk of a cease-fire. in fact for a few hours there was a brief humanitarian pause p. it may be the last pause in the fighting for some time. they are threatening israel saying if it continues with the offensive it will, quote, pay a heavy price. richard engel, nbc news, gaza city. >> you can catch up on the breaking developments overnight in the malaysia airlines crash are and the gaza ground invasion. get the latest tomorrow on news 4 today at 4:26 a.m. in other news fire destroyed town homes forcing a dozen people to find a new place to live in maryland.

chopper 4 flew over tonight. prince georges county firefighters say the cause is under investigation. >> also new the justice department says fedex knowingly delivered prescription drugs to dealers and addicts. in aeral inthe government charged them with shipping drugs f from online pharmacies to people it knew had no prescriptions. fedex denies the accusations saying it asked the government for a list of the illegal pharmacies. officials with the company say they work in transportation, not in law enforcement. >> next at 11:00, controversy over a public art project. some say it's inviting pollution in the river. >> a sports network with a message for announcers about using the name of washington's football team. >> how about our weekend weather? >> the humidity remains low

tomorrow and for the weekend. i'll have updates on any rain

a coincidence as the world is focused on the disaster from ukraine. 18 years ago tonight twa flight 800 exploded off long island new york killing all 230 on board. the flight was 11 minutes into the trip from new york to paris. earlier in month the federal government declined to re-open the investigation after a witness claimed he had evidence that the plane was shot down. >> at the washington navy yard workers will begin to building

197 in february. the i-team got a look at the renovations last month . workers were relocated after the shootout in september in which 12 navy yard employees were killed. vice admiral william hilarities told defense contractors today he expects all workers back by the end of april. he said he's proud of the resilience of survivors but notes some suffer post traumatic stress because of the violence they witnessed. >> cbs sports will let individual announcers to decide whether to use the name redskins. some newspapers stopped because they consider it offensive. bob costas hassle called the name a slur. cbs said it will let the production teams make the call. >> in weeks construction will begin on a public art project. it will look like a flooded gas

station next to the east capital bridge. it's a commentary on environmental issue ares be but some people worry it will lead to more pollution in the river. >> reporter: there is a new gas station coming in the middle of the river. an art project. >> in the wrong place. >> reporter: doug tells me the gas station sculpture could make people think it is okay to pollute in the water. >> let me tell you what doesn't belong in the river -- toxic chemils, excrement, trash, tires, cars, refrigerator and art projects. >> reporter: you would see it on your day away do to downtown. it will look like a gas station with price signs, pillars and a roof. it will light up at night. we talked to the director of community arts and humanities.

>> it will be an exciting illumination of a gas station. >> reporter: the artist hopes it will make people think of environmental issues. >> to focus on environmentalism, rising tides in the world. a real and timely issue. >> reporter: it is one of 25 projects coming. the gas station has been approved by local and federal agencies. tonight the artist said she's listening carefully to concerns and is trying to work hard to figure out the best way to move forward the. construction is set to begin in august. doug sigland plans to check the sta stay with us of the permit and plans to educate people. >> i think the reporters were fighting over the assignment to be on the water tonight. it's a nice night. >> oh, it was beautiful. temperatures are comfortable in washington.

cool in the suburbs with clear skies. looking at temperatures to drop tonight similar to last night. this will be a nice friday. for the weekend, mainly dry. most if not all of the weekend will be dry. tracking the chance of an isolated shower on sunday. as we talk about heat and humidity it will be humid saturday and sunday. but the humidity starts to make its way into the forecast on monday. by tuesday, hot and humid. i will about shower and storm chances coming up on the 7-day. here are temperatures. we are in the 60s. except for washington. gathersburg at 61. 67 in camp springs. 66 in menasis. it will be a nice start for friday morning. what a beautiful end to the work week. something to look parted to. satellite and radar showing clear skies now. that will be the case early tomorrow morning. mainly clear skies with

temperatures in the 50s and 60s. 7:00 a.m., a temperature of 68 degrees. stepping out the door, you may want to grab a light jacket if you are in a rural area. plenty of sunshine through the midday. you will notice the clouds more. the high tomorrow, 85. we hit it at 3:00 in the afternoon. your friday evening is dry. it will be mostly cloudy at that point. a temperature around 80 degrees. nationals take on the brewers around 7:00. temperature a balmy 80 degrees. mostly cloudy but as the sun goes down it will be cooling down at the game. by the last out, temperatures in the low to mid 70s. consider a light jacket if you get chilly easy. for the weekend, saturday, plenty of clouds around throughout the day.

it will be humid. sunday, we can't rule out an isolated shower. a temperature of 84. typically our high is 89 degrees. we are below that. what's working in our favor is the low humidity. that's not the case on monday. a high of 87 with the chance of a shower or thunderstorm. partly sunny sky. tuesday and wednesday, highs in the low 90s. it will be muggy. there is a chance of showers and thunderstorms on tuesday and wednesday. plenty of dry time on thursday. a high of 88. a little bit humid. spectacular again tomorrow. >> enjoy it while we can. >> exactly. >> thanks. >> coming up, tiger woods bouncing back at the british open. opwithout the internet i would probably be like a c student.

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this is the xfinity sports desk brought the to you by xfinity, your home for the most live sports. >> in great britain a uh couple former champions are struggling. >> the defending champ especially is the most notable one. if you have a busy schedule clear it. especially a breakfast meeting with the tv in the morning. tiger woods is looking tiger-like. rory mcilroy is pacing the field. while the defending champ is feeling left out. used to seeing cloudy skies. it was a glorious day at royal liverpool today except for phil mickelson. the defending champ had trouble today. second shot on 18. he's willing it to the fairway.

goes into the gallery. that's not a place you want the ball there behind the fencing. watch phil's reaction. where's my ball? what? you've got to be kidding me! he would bogey, two over 74, tied for 84th. his rival tiger woods sh last time we saw him on course he missed the cut at congressional. today he started two over but turned it around from the fringe on 11. this is for birdie. holes it. the birdie. the first of three straight birdies for woods. three under 69, tied for tenth into the second round. the man they are all chasing, rory mcilroy. two-time major are winner throwing darts out there. second shot on the par 4 second. you could call this near perfect. two inches away from perfect. he'd birdie the hole rory caught

a sweet 656. he's the one to beat after day one. >> going into first rounds in tournaments, there is no real expectation. i felt with the conditions the way they were today there was going to be low scores. i didn't have a number in my head. i executed the game plan well enough. 66 was the number at the end of the day. i'm happy. >> i was two over through two. i had four par fives to go and two short holes. if i could play those well and the tougher ones even par i would be under par. >> tomorrow tees off at 9:05 a.m. meantime college basketball. we can add another worry to the list for maryland. a ton of big players moved to the big 10. now one of their scorers is out with a broken hand. jake lehman fractured a bone in his nonshooting hand.

he'll miss four to six weeks of summer workouts. the good news is it's his nonshooting hand and no surgery is required. he played in a voluntary team pick-up game when it occurred. he will return in time for practice. one more night. nfl commissioner roger goodell said next year's draft will be in chicago or l.a. we get to see if the jets fans travel. >> boo. >> nice to mix it up a little bit. >> you need to mention also, because i think it e's importan they have decided to put -- in the hall of fame. some of us think that's a no-brainer. anyway, we -- >> the most legendary tarapin of

a recap on the latest on our top story. it appears a malaysia airlines jet liner was shot down out of the sky over ukraine today. the united nations security council will have an emergency meeting on the crash at 10:00 tomorrow. >> tonight we know all 298 passengers and crew on board were with killed. the flight left amsterdam headed for kuala lumpur, malaysia. intelligence sources say u.s. spy satellites detected a missile launch. >> stay up to date with the developments in ukraine and also

with the situation in the middle east and the ground invasion by the israelis into gaza in that area. news 4 today begins at 4:26 in the morning. [ mom ] when the nest gets too quiet...

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redefining what tv can be. [ cheers and applause ] ♪ >> steve: from studio 6b in rockefeller center in the heart of new york city, it's "the tonight show starring jimmy fallon." ♪ tonight, join jimmy and his guests -- john lithgow, miranda kerr, musical guest, jason mraz,