on the broadcast tonight, new penalties. the nfl cracks down on players involved in domestic violence after a public outcry over how it handled one high profile incident. critical condition, joan rivers in the hospital tonight after she reportedly stops breathing during a routine medical procedure. turf wars, the growing battle over access to some of the nicest beaches around. why so many are now being told to stay away. and building blocks, carrying kids away from their computers and getting them back to the future with the basics.

"nightly news" begins now. from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. good evening. brian is off tonight. i'm lester holt. the outcry was loud and it was heard. today there was a big apology and turnabout by the nfl on an issue that has sparked outrage especially among women over how the league punishes its players involved in domestic violence. today, the commissioner of the nfl after last month staunchly defending his two-game suspension of ray rice admitted he got it wrong. today the league announced a tough new policy that will now sideline those guilty of domestic violence or sexual assault for a minimum of six games to outright banishment for the league for second offenses. more on this tonight from nbc's peter alexander. >> reporter: the nfl has been under intense criticism after

baltimore ravens running back ray rice was suspended last month for just two games, one-eighth of the regular season for a domestic violence arrest. this video obtained by tmz sports shows rice dragging his then-fiancee out of an elevator at an atlantic city casino after allegedly knocking her unconscious. the two married a month later and rice publicly apologized with his wife by his side. >> i'm working every day to be a better father, a better husband, you know, and just a better role model. >> reporter: today in a letter to nfl owners commissioner roger goodell acknowledged making the wrong call on rice's punishment. i didn't get it right, he wrote. simply put, we have to get better and we will. tough on domestic violence or sexual assault, under the new nfl policy players will face a suspension of six games without pay for a first-time offense, and a banishment from the league for a second. since the year 2000, 77 players have been involved in domestic violence incidents with six being cut by their teams. >> there was concern that the female fans would ultimately be alienated by the nfl's actions as it related to ray rice. >> reporter: women make up

nearly half of the league's fan base. the nfl says it reached out to domestic violence prevention groups before finalizing its new policy. >> i think what came out of the nfl today is extraordinary in terms of its leadership, its decisiveness and its commitment to make a difference on this issue. >> reporter: for domestic violence and drug offenses, while rice's suspension is two games, this week an arbitrator upheld a year-long ban for cleveland browns wide receiver josh gordon for failing a marijuana test. roger goodell today instructed owners to share his memo with every nfl player writing domestic violence and sexual assault are wrong, they are illegal, they are never acceptable and have no place in the nfl under any circumstances. still, lester, ray rice's punishment remains unchanged. >> peter alexander tonight, thank you. comedy legend joan rivers is reportedly in critical condition in a new york hospital tonight after she stopped breathing while undergoing a medical procedure at a manhattan clinic.

nbc's katy tur is outside the hospital for us tonight. katy. >> reporter: hey there, lester. this happened around 9:40 this morning. the 81-year-old comedian was reportedly having a minor endoscopic treatment at a facility a few blocks from here. the 81-year-old woman was transported to mt. sinai in cardiac arrest. meanwhile daughter melissa and grandson, cooper, got on a plane from los angeles. we are told they are still in the air at this time. her family released a statement today thanking for everybody for their support and promising an update when they can. meanwhile, e news is reporting that rivers is in critical condition. famous for her self-depricating, biting and sometimes cruel whip, rivers was promoting her latest book here in new york yesterday. she was scheduled to have a show in new jersey tomorrow. but, lester, obviously that has been postponed. >> all right, katy tur in new york.

thanks. president obama moved late today to tamp down speculation about possible u.s. air strikes against isis militants in syria. even saying, "we don't have a strategy yet." the president also addressed a dangerous new turn in ukraine where russian forces crossed the border today. two major foreign policy crises for the president. nbc's kristen welker is at the white house with more for us tonight. kristen. >> reporter: lester, good evening. with those two foreign policies crises escalating, an embattled president obama made a late afternoon stop in the briefing room here. his main message, he's still weighing his options when it comes to syria. and no military action is imminent. moments before meeting with his national security team president obama appeared in the white house briefing room and acknowledged he is considering military action against isis militants in syria. >> i directed secretary hagel and our joint chiefs of staff to prepare a range of options. >> reporter: but he also made it clear, no decision has been made to expand the current air strike campaign into syria. >> i don't want to put the cart before the horse. we don't have a strategy yet.

>> reporter: the administration has already launched more than 100 air strikes against isis targets in iraq including five more today. but the advance of isis in syria is a growing concern. overnight the militants released a graphic propaganda video, partially clothed syrian soldiers forced to march in the desert then massacred. the president said any military strategy would require a coalition. and that will take time. >> i asked secretary kerry to travel to the region to continue to build the coalition needed to meet this threat. >> reporter: and on the other foreign policy crisis, ukraine, the president continued to press russian president vladimir putin after reports that at least 1,000 russian troops crossed into ukraine in support of pro-russian rebels who have been losing ground in the five-month separatist war there. >> russia has deliberately and repeatedly violated the sovereignty and territorial integrity of ukraine. and the new images of russian forces inside ukraine make that plain for the world to see.

>> reporter: the president who met with his ambassador to russia in the oval office today reiterated the u.s. will not take military action to stop russia. but mr. obama warned more sanctions could be coming. >> this ongoing russian incursion into ukraine will only bring more costs and consequences for russia. >> reporter: now, the president who spoke to german chancellor angela merkel about russia's actions could announce new sanctions as early as next week when he attends the nato summit. when asked if he would need congressional approval to take military action in syria, he said it was too soon to say because he hasn't yet decided on a course of action there, lester. >> and one more note from the white house tonight, several hundred activists marched to protest the deportation of migrants, especially children, in this country illegally. officials said 145 protesters, an unusually high number, were arrested for blocking a sidewalk during the demonstration. tonight, federal agents are investigating a computer hacking attack on several big banks

including the country's largest jpmorgan chase. pete williams has more from our washington newsroom on this. pete. >> reporter: lester, federal officials say the hackers targeted jpmorgan chase and a few other firms earlier this month scooping up a huge amount of data on customers and bank employees. but officials have not yet said whether the hackers stole bank account numbers, credit card numbers or account passwords. there are signs federal agents say that the hacks may have come from eastern europe or perhaps russia. and that's led to some speculation that the hacking might have been retaliation for u.s. sanctions on russia over its incursions in ukraine. jpmorgan says it's not seen any sign that the stolen data has actually been used to drain money from customer accounts. the bank says customers should report any suspicious activity they detect in their accounts and that those affected will not be held liable for any fraud, lester. >> pete, thanks. for a third day high alerts on both the east and west coasts

today as powerful storms far out at sea continue to cause life threatening conditions on beaches that attract millions of people this time of year. nbc's miguel almaguer has our report from newport beach, california. >> reporter: in newport beach, at the world famous surf spot called the wedge, wicked waves like few have ever seen before. today, mother nature is southern california's biggest tourist attraction. thousands are flocking here, some ditching work to witness raw power, beauty and these surfers. >> things go bad in split seconds. people who get in trouble, you know, they usually panic. >> reporter: drone video

capturing surfing legend lairdhamilton shooting the pier in malibu. >> when you spend your life in the ocean, you know, the priority is that everybody's okay. great surfers drown, great surfers get hurt all the time. >> reporter: this afternoon, more rescues, more close calls. smashing surf has hammered the region. sailboats grounded, piers ripped apart in catalina. a lifeguard station that survived many storms, smashed to pieces. tropical storm marie has hammered western shores for three days. on the east coast, rough surf and rip tides from hurricane cristobal has claimed at least seven lives. at jones beach on long island swimming is banned just before the holiday weekend. swells top ten feet. >> there was some rogue waves that are just coming slamming down taking you out. >> reporter: tonight, danger in the water on both coasts. epic storms and unforgettable surf. the show here at the beach as well as these massive crowds will likely stick around until friday.

that's when waves here on the west coast are expected to die down. lester. >> quite a scene behind him. miguel, thanks. as the ebola outbreak continues to spread in west africa, a sobering new prediction today. the world health organization says the epidemic could infect 20,000 people and spread to ten more countries. and that gave more urgency to news today that human trials will now be accelerated on an experimental vaccine to prevent this deadly disease. our report tonight from nbc's kate snow. >> reporter: in liberia it's getting worse by the day. too few doctors and hospitals, too many patients. >> the numbers are going up rapidly. much faster than we thought. >> reporter: another worker with the aid group doctors without borders wrote this week the hardest part is not being able to hold and comfort a dying child while wearing so much protective gear. with more than 1,500 deaths, a new vaccine to prevent ebola can't come soon enough. >> next week we're going to be putting this vaccine for the

first time in humans. >> reporter: 20 healthy adult volunteers in maryland will get an experimental vaccine. researchers hope it will trigger immunity to ebola. the vaccine will also be tested in britain and the african nations of mali and gambia. it's not to be course the way mumps and polio are, but it could protect people in hot spots. what's the hope? >> if in fact it is a vaccine that's going to be safe and effective, you'd want to give it to the people in the area who are at risk, but particularly those people who are the health care providers. >> reporter: is this as fast as you can go? because as you know people are dying every single day. >> well, first of all, again, be careful this is not a treatment of a sick person. this is a prevention of infection. we still don't know if it works. having said that, we're going extremely quickly. >> reporter: human trials of other drugs are being expedited too to fight an epidemic that at

the moment seems unstoppable. kate snow, nbc news, new york. still to come tonight, as we approach the big holiday weekend, why that beach you love may now be off limits. and later, building a new foundation for kids by getting them back to basics. [ brian ] in a race, it's about getting to the finish line. in life, it's how you get there that matters most. it's important to know the difference. like when i found out i had a blood clot in my leg. my doctor said that it could travel to my lungs and become an even bigger problem. and that i had to take action. so he talked to me about xarelto®. [ male announcer ] xarelto® is the first oral prescription blood thinner proven to treat and help prevent dvt and pe that doesn't require regular blood monitoring or changes to your diet. [ brian ] for a prior dvt i took warfarin, which required routine blood testing and dietary restrictions. not this time. ♪ while i was taking xarelto®,

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astrazeneca may be able to help. they've been together for a decade, got engaged two y they've been together for a decade, got engaged two years ago and today we learn that angelina jolie and brad pitt were secretly married this past weekend. the wedding was at their chateau in the south of france, a small ceremony attended by close friendd