on our broadcast tonight, we're in ferguson, missouri, as the national guard now moves in following some of the worst violence so far. and new revelations about the shooting that started it all, specifically how michael brown died. tonight, fears here in ferguson about what nightfall will bring once again. also, a critical mission today in iraq. u.s. air strikes drive back isis. there's been a major development in the fight. and health news, the images many people were talking about today having to do with sun versus skin and the damage we can't always see. "nbc nightly news" begins now. this is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams reporting

tonight from ferguson, missouri. good evening. it's been ten days since a young man died in the street after being shot by a police officer in a residential neighborhood not at all far from here. and last night the violence was the most intense so far. in some of the worst urban violence in this country in recent years, both sides went at each other. police eventually got the upper hand by firing smoke canisters, tear gas and rubber bullets. we are coming to you tonight from the parking lot of a target store because it's where the national guard is able to guarantee our safety. that was a big development here today. the governor has called out the guard to help restore order, mostly by freeing up the local police. the whole world is indeed watching ferguson, missouri, population about 20,000. it's part of the st. louis metropolitan area.

it has changed from majority white to majority african-american in recent years and there are problems, like poverty, like 50% unemployment among young males and now this in the heat of august. we begin our coverage here tonight with nbc's ron allen who has been covering all along. ron, good evening. >> good evening, brian. good to see you. commanders have been shifting tactics trying to find the right balance between allowing peaceful protest but maintain public order. tonight, there's no fur kwu, but there's a lot of backup and fire power if it just looks like things might get out of control. missouri national guard troops deployed to ferguson today. where emotions are still raw. michael brown's family released graphic details of his death from an autopsy they commissioned. high profile pathologist michael baden performed the forensics examination finding brown was shot at least six times, two wounds to the head. >> six bullets struck and two may have re-entered. and three bullets were recovered

at the first autopsy. >> reporter: the family insists their son was killed while trying to surrender to police. police have said brown assaulted the officer who shot him. video of the shooting scene shows brown's body in the street with an officer standing nearby. under mounting pressure from many, including the governor, to speed up the investigation, prosecutors told nbc news they're trying to begin getting evidence to a grand jury this week. >> police-involved shootings are different. and they're different because the officers by their nature and by law are authorized to use force. the real issue is whether that force was appropriate in that situation. >> reporter: last night ferguson saw its most violent demonstrations yet. the police have warned the protesters to clear this area, but the protesters say they're not going anywhere. and you can see the police are starting to move in. police chronicled a relentless barrage, 8:25 p.m. first reports of gunfire.

then 8:28 p.m. reports of eight armed men. 8:56 p.m. hundreds trying to attack the police command center throwing molotov cocktails. several businesses were looted. police made at least six arrests. now as another night approaches families are frightened. malonda white has three children. school is still closed. >> we are always in danger because we cannot go anywhere. we can't get on the bus. we can't even go home and lay our heads down and just be peaceful. >> reporter: prosecutors say it could take months for them to decide whether to file charges and arrest officer darren wilson in this case. meanwhile attorney general eric holder is headed here tomorrow based on -- sent here by president obama. he's also ordered a third autopsy in the case as the federal government keeps a close eye on things here in ferguson. >> ron allen starting our coverage from ferguson tonight. ron, thanks. and because of what has happened here, more people across the country are now talking about

the so-called militarization of local police forces. vehicles in some cases right off the battlefield from iraq and afghanistan, officers with assault weapons wearing desert camo on the streets of this town just last night again. and now the national guard is moving in, but not in the role that you might initially think. our next report tonight from nbc's mark potter. >> reporter: after the worst night of violence yet, the missouri national guard rolled out with a mission very clearly and narrowly defined. they will not be out on the streets tonight. they will only guard theic command post and will answer to the missouri highway patrol still in charge of overall security. in a written statement today, governor jay nixon said the guardsmen are to provide protection and ensure the safety of our unified command center, which was the target last night of a coordinated attack. >> that will free up law enforcement resources to protect the peaceful protesters, the citizens of ferguson and their

property. >> reporter: the command center is set up in a shopping center about a half-mile from the main protest zone. last night police wearing gas masks ran through the parking lot to form security lines after hearing reports of nearby gunfire, molotov cocktails and an angry crowd heading their way. it took more than an hour to bring the threats under control. >> they love their child. >> reporter: the events last night were in stark contrast to an emotional church service yesterday in support of the brown family in which highway patrol captain ronald johnson, the man in charge of security, offered a heartfelt message. >> i wear this uniform, and i should stand up here and state i'm sorry. [ applause ] >> i love you. i stand tall with you. and i'll see you out there. >> reporter: but when the streets raged out of control again last night, the guard was called up to free more police officers for street duty. the missouri national guard was most recently deployed in the spring of 2013 working around the clto

flooding along the mississippi river. now in ferguson it's here to keep the peace as national guard troops were most recently in new orleans in 2006 after six murders there. in 1992, the guard restored order in the wake of the verdict in the rodney king beating trial. and in 1968 they were activated in four cities to control riots after dr. martin luther king jr. was assassinated. and right behind us is that police command post where the national guard will be providing security so that more of these officers out here now, brian, can hit the streets tonight. >> this sector of town should be a safe place tonight. mark potter here with us. mark, thanks. president obama returning to the white house for two days from his working vacation on martha's vineyard today was briefed by attorney general eric holder, ron allen mentioned this earlier, and other advisors on the situation here in ferguson late today speaking from the briefing room in the west wing

the president said the attorney general will travel here to ferguson on wednesday to meet with federal law enforcement official who are investigating the shooting of michael brown. over 40 fbi agents are going door-to-door interviewing potential witnesses. we saw some of them here today. joining us now live from weldon spring, missouri, about 30 minutes from here, is the democratic governor of this state, jay nixon. governor, let's start with the subject of our last report there. something you express shock about the other day was the militarized look of the police force here. this started as a local matter then went state police and now with the national guard arriving in military uniforms and vehicles, it won't help that. but what do you intend to do about it? >> well, when we saw that militaristic look and the reaction of folks that night, we called the patrol in, captain johnson and his team did peace marches and got involved there and that night was peaceful. unfortunately the next morning there was a release of that

report in the videotape which i think all of us have seen lighted up a tinderbox here. since that time we've been working to make sure we calibrate the response to make sure we get peace, justice, protect the property there but give people the right to continue to voice their first amendment rights. >> governor, let's talk about ferguson. long after the news media leave, and we will, and long after the streets are calm, and they will be some day, ferguson exists with the problems we are seeing today. specifically this near 50% unemployment rate among the very young males we see in the streets, a police force of 53 officers, only three of whom african-american. missouri's a great state. i used to live here. these have been however some of the worst days in the state's modern history. what about ferguson and parts of missouri like it going forward? >> well, first of all, it's a challenge faced all across the country. and that's what's happened.

this has scratched an old wound in many ways. and that sometimes hurts as much as the first time. so what we're asking folks to do is to have their first amendment rights but understand that we need to use this horrific loss and death of michael brown as a way to try to find a way to bridge towards the future, to bridge to bring people together. i know that's hard, but we got to get justice and we got to get peace. and when those two come into contrast, it makes it impossible to get either. >> governor jay nixon on whose order the national guard will be arriving right here behind us later this evening. governor, thank you very much, during your busy day for being with us here tonight. earlier today we went to the neighborhood where michael brown lived and died. it's basically two right turns away from where we are now. it's a neighborhood of modest single-family houses and garden apartments. it is peaceful. it is jarring when you come across the memorial where he died in the middle of the

street. while we were there we talked to the reverend jesse jackson about how this town will heal. he then introduced us to a woman who lives there, like most of the people there, she is looking for some positive change to come from this. for the people watching the news tonight, what should they know about this neighborhood? during happy times. >> during happy times it's a great neighborhood. but people are afraid. >> is there anything good that's going to come out of this? maybe get some attention? >> i believe so. >> what might that be? >> i think the whole incident with mike brown is just going to change the way we've been treated by the police. and i think a good change is going to come. >> just part of our time today. and what we can't emphasize enough is a sad but very peaceful neighborhood not far from here where many folks took great pains to point out they have stayed away from the area where the violence has been welling up during the night.

we have a lot more news to get to tonight. and we must shift our focus overseas now to iraq, specifically, and a critical mission today. and progress to report as the u.s. air strikes continue to bombard isis positions, late today president obama called the recapturing of the mosul dam by iraqi and kurdish forces with help from the air a major step forward in the fight. the dam supplies water and power to millions of iraqis. it's in very delicate shape on a good day. we get our report from there tonight from nbc's bill neely in iraq. >> reporter: american war planes overhead, kurdish rockets on the ground. the militants of isis are being pounded, driven from villages they laced with mines and ieds. this is a battle around mosul dam. the kurds say they have now retaken the dam from isis.

it is critical for iraq supplying water and power to millions. the islamists are on the run. their vehicles litter the roads. this is the first time that the seemingly unstoppable advance of isis has not only been halted but been reversed. there were 15 u.s. air strikes today hitting dug-in positions. but the isis bullets still flew overhead. kurds are appealing to the west for better weapons. they say they're outgunned by isis. and they acknowledge american firepower has made all the difference. [ gunfire ] they are firing these rockets at isis positions about six miles from here, south towards the city of mosul, which isis still controls. away from the battlefield refugees from a religious minority the militants want to wipe out. isis killed this girl's sister.

without american air strikes, says her father, we could never have driven isis away. they've lost so much, but today their enemies lost ground and a crucial battle. bill neely, nbc news, near mosul dam, iraq. >> and back here on the other side of the world we'll take a break from here in ferguson, missouri. a lot more news still ahead tonight including health news. new images revealing what you can't see about what the sun is doing to your skin. we've heard all the warnings tonight, some startling new evidence being offered. and later, a remarkable making a difference update. a young girl with a bucket list and how so many of our viewers stepped up to help her see the world quite literally. she's still the one for you.

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ask your doctor about cialis for daily use this is bill. his doubleheader day at the park starts with back pain... and a choice. take 4 advil in a day or just 2 aleve for all day relief. peanuts! peanuts! crowd cheers! here we are in the blistering missouri august heat. this next s here we are in the to blistering missouri august heat. this next story is timely during this summer of 2014.

it's new video circulating that contains dramatic proof of the importance of wearing sunscreen. we have reported before one in five americans will develop skin cancer. it's a warning everyone's heard, but prior to this we hadn't seen evidence presented quite like this. we get our report tonight from nbc's rehema ellis. >> reporter: in the video people on the street were asked to look at themselves through the unforgiving lens of ultraviolet light. the difference is dramatic and eye opening. it's the same uv light used in a dermatologist office. but taking it to the street has a real impact. what do you think about this video being out there? is this useful video for the public to have? >> i think it's fantastic. i'm so excited that it's out there. because i've never seen more interest in sunscreen and sun damage. >> reporter: every year there

are more than 3.5 million cases of skin cancer. half of all adults report at least one sunburn in the past 12 months, increasing the risk of skin cancer. the filmmaker offers a stunning reminder, that people can protect themselves. again, using the uv light you see what happens when sunscreen is used. it darkens the skin like a protective shield against the sun. when we showed people the video, they were stunned to see the effect of sunscreen. >> wow. >> reporter: so how much protection do you need? doctors say use at least an ounce. that's about a shot glass full. applying every one to two hours, especially after swimming. and make sure it's water resistant and offers broad spectrum protection. >> just putting on a cream changes everything, right? >> reporter: it's a message we've all heard before. now the evidence is in black and white. rehema ellis, nbc news, new york. we are back in a moment with the news today about money and some very big cost centers in american life. ost centers in

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we learned today that jim jeffords died. a giant of vermont and national politics for decades. he was elected to the house back in 1974 as a moderate republican, the only republican in the house in fact to vote against president reagan's reductions in taxes back in '81. two decades later as a u.s. senator and increasingly disillusioned with the gop he announced he was leaving his own party, becoming an independent and thus tipping the balance of power in the senate to the democrats. he declined to seek re-election in '06. he's been in declining health in recent years due to alzheimer's. james jeffords was 80 years old. we mentioned earlier the startling new numbers out today about money and how many americans specifically are unable or somehow unwilling to save more for retirement.

more than a third, 36% of all americans, say they have nothing in the form of retirement savings. for those under age 30, 70% say they have nothing saved for later in life. for millions of americans a big chunk of that money spent is spent on our children. and new numbers out today from the government reveal a child born last year, for example, will cost a middle-income american family an average of $245,000 until he or she reaches the age of 18. that does not include the cost of college tuition. costs factored in here do include food, housing, child care, education. a 1.8 increase, by the way, over previous year. when we come back, how our own viewers are making a difference after seeing our story about a young girl on a mission to see the world. to see the world. moderate to severe is tough, but i've managed.

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we are back here in ferguson, missouri, tonight. the scene of so much violence and so much heart ache, we figured we had a few minutes to devote to some good news at the end of our broadcast tonight. specifically, a way of thanking our own viewers for stepping up to help a young woman after a

story we aired about the gradual loss of her sight. and all the places she still wants to see. after our story first aired, many of our nightly viewers came forward and are making a difference for her. we get our updated report tonight from nbc's peter alexander. >> i think i can get it right here. >> reporter: a few weeks ago this was a view lily could only dream of, san francisco's famed golden gate bridge. >> my mom talked about it for a long time. and she was like, oh, it was really pretty. and i wanted to see it before i may or may not go blind. >> reporter: just 12 years old lily has a rare genetic disorder called usher syndrome that's left her hearing impaired and will likely cause her to lose her vision completely. we first met lily earlier this summer at her home in michigan where she celebrated for raising more than $100,000 for the foundation fighting blindness. while lily's trying to make a difference for others, "nightly news" viewers wanted to make a difference for her sending her and her family to places she's

always wanted to see. >> there were some anonymous donors that said, well, we have to make this happen. and i felt like the happiest person in the world because there are people that want to help me with what i'm going through. >> reporter: their first trip a whirlwind tour of the city by the bay, from alcatraz to fisherman's wharf and of course that bridge. >> when i first saw the bridge i was like this is really pretty. and i was like why is this red? it's the golden gate bridge. >> reporter: and thanks to your generosity her family is making plans to visit hawaii, the eiffel tower, the leaning tower of pisa and stonehenge. >> she has so many things she wants to see before her vision were to get worse. it's pretty cool. >> reporter: peter alexander, nbc news, washington.

and on that note, that is our broadcast for this august monday night as we begin a new week. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams reporting tonight from ferguson, missouri. good night.

[ screaming ] wait till you see who has joined the bucket brigade now. as hard as it is to believe, er