on this sunday night, why did it crash? the air disaster that killed 224 people. russia now claims the plane broke apart in midair. but that leaves so many questions about how this could have happened. deep sea mystery. a wreck found 15,000 feet down is now believed to be that ship that vanished into a hurricane a month ago with 28 americans on board. threats from isis. richard engle has an exclusive interview with the brother of a man isis recently beheaded. the killer was sending him chilling text messages during our interview. failing our veterans. the hospitals charged for caring for servicemen and women with tens of thousands of positions

unfilled forcing many vets to wait for treatment again. all tangled up. the race to rescue a massive humpback whale caught in hundreds of feet of fishing line off california. nightly news begins now. from nbc news world headquaters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news." reporting tonight, kate snow. good evening. after visiting the crash site a russian official said the airbus a-321 that crashed over egypt sinai peninsula broke apart in the air. the plane disintegrated at a high altitude. how that metro jet plane fell from the sky killing all 224 people on board. it was a plane filled with tourists, families flying home from vacation at red sea resorts. now their loved ones, many of them in russia are mourning and

there are more questions than answers. bill neally starts us off tonight from cairo. >> reporter: it fell out of the sky and no one knows why but there were more clues today. the debris is so scattered, the planes tail three miles from the cockpit that russian investigators say it broke up in midair. search teams are examining suitcases, human remains, the tangled wreckage for signs of explosion, fire, or mechanical failure. tragic reminders of the 224 lives lost. the plane's two black boxes have now been recovered and soon the voices and data from the cockpit will be analyzed. investigators still have no idea why the plane suddenly lost altitude and speed at 31,000 feet. why the pilot made no distress call or exactly why the plane broke up in mid-air. >> they're going to be looking at the flight controls. they'll be looking at the fuel system and then they'll also be looking at maintenance issues

that may have induced some sort of technical failure. one of the things that you can't rule out at this time is whether or not there was an explosive device of some sort on the aircraft. >> reporter: they're searching where the bodies of dozens of passengers were examined by a russian forensic team. most of the dead have now been brought here to be identified. many of them only through dna samples. it is grim work. 25 of the dead were children. some photographed near the plane. the youngest this 10 month old waiting to go home. metrojet said it's aircrafts are technically safe. russia isn't so sure grounding the a-321 fleet. some airlines are now refusing to fly over the area until the cause of the crash is known. in russia, it was a day of mourning, prayers, and tears. a nation in shock. and tonight the bodies of dozens of the russian tourists are being flown from here back to

st. petersburg, the city they left to go on vacation. no one is ruling out any possible cause of the crash that killed them. not even terrorism. because no one knows for sure yet whether this was mass murder or a tragic accident. kate. >> bill reporting from egypt. thank you. there are new developments in the mystery of a cargo ship that disappeared a month ago with 33 people on board. 28 of them americans. it sailed off into hurricane joaquin and vanished on october 1st. but now, it's final resting place may have been found. >> reporter: in the waters near where it was last seen, finally a sign of what is believed to be the massive ship, 15,000 feet below the surface. according to the ntsb, images captured by the orion scanning sonar show the 790 foot cargo ship on the bottom resting

upright and in one piece. sub marines will dive almost three miles down in an attempt to recover the ship's data recorder. 33 crew members went down with the el faro. michael holland was among those lost. >> my head wants answers but my heart wants hope. so it's struggling to find that balance. it's just a nightmare. >> reporter: the el faro took off from jacksonville florida on a routine run to puerto rico. joaquin was a tropical storm. the ship lost propulsion and was taking on water and leaning to the side. it was the last communication. by then joaquin's winds were 120 miles per hour with waves as tall as buildings. days later the body of one crew member was found. no others. just debris. like a life ring and lifeboat. several families have filed lawsuits claiming the ship had a history of problems.

while the ship's owner has not commented on the lawsuit, today the company said this, we have fully supported this search and the investigation. we continue to keep the crew and their loved ones in our thoughts and prayers. now answers to what did happen could be closer than ever. but for some families -- >> i will never get over it. there is nothing worse than losing a child. >> reporter: closure may be much harder to find. nbc news. isis claims yet another victory in syria today in clashes with government forces and now new criticism is erupting in this country over the u.s. change in strategy in syria as nbc white house correspondent kristen welker explains the 2016 gop candidates are pouncing on the president's plan to put a small number of u.s. troops on the ground. after thousands of u.s.-lead air strikes today isis militants are moving closer to capturing a key

western city in syria. the turmoil underscoring the broader crisis that prompted a new step. the white house announcing some 50 special ops troops will now be sent to syria. their mission to train, advise, and assist but not engage in combat. >> how is that not a change in strategy? >> because our strategy all along has been focused on building the capacity of local forces to fight these fights against isil for themselves in their own country. >> reporter: it's a reversal for a president that vowed to wind down the wars in the middle east. now with more troops headed to the region, he'll pass the syria crisis on to the next commander and chief. >> how are you all? >> reporter: for democrats a measured response. secretary clinton saying she sees merit in the plan. bernie sanders more skeptical. >> my nightmare is that the united states once again gets caught up in a something that never ends. >> reporter: republicans have accused the president of being

weak on foreign policy. >> i applaud him for engagement with the special operators. but there should be a real strategy to take out isis and to take out assad. >> it's an admission. it's a reflection that when you don't make a decision, things get worse, not better. >> we have seen for 6.5 years leading from behind. >> reporter: candidates also called for a no fly zone including dr. ben carson today. >> i think we should establish a no fly zone there and we should enforce it. >> reporter: but for war weary voters it's a thorny issue in 2016. >> republicans can and will criticize the president as being weak on foreign policy and defense, particularly in the middle east. but they have to be careful. the american public does not want tens of thousands of boots on the ground in the middle east. >> reporter: the other issue, debate with candidates for calling for more questions about

syria after that cnbc debate. several campaign reps are meeting tonight to discuss possible changes. >> thanks so much. there's late word tonight of a video claiming to show two activists beheaded by isis. they were found dead on friday. nbc news will not show that video. instead we're airing an interview that our chief foreign correspondent did with one of the victims before his murder and an exclusive with his brother who received a terrifying threat during our interview. >> reporter: by the time the emergency services showed up at an apartment building in the turkish city this weekend all they could do was carry out the body of two young syrian men. both were members of a group of activists who risked their lives to tell the world what is going on in their hometown, the isis capitol in syria. both men were beheaded. we knew one of the victims.

we interviewed him in turkey about a year ago and asked him about the threats on his life. he didn't flinch. of course there is danger but we're the sons of our country. if we don't show the crimes of isis to the world, who will? he was proud of his work. they secretly film and smuggle out videos designed to embarrass isis like this one showing bread lines contrary to isis's claim that the so-called islamic state is prosperous and thriving. we asked him if he was afraid? they put a ransom on my head he told us, for anyone that kills me. we told him we hopes he stays safe. i'm taking precautions, he told us. i rarely leave my apartment. how did isis manage to reach and brutally murder him, stabbing him nearly 50 times? today for the first time we learn the answer from his brother who says it started

about six weeks ago when an old family friend rented an apartment next door. he came in a smart way. he was a good guy. welcoming. so he knew he could get to him. this is that man who he said unexpectedly moved in next door. claiming to be an isis defector, he befriended him and the other murdered activists. here they are together. both activists were killed in his apartment. a turkish police source says they have other evidence against him. he slipped back into syria to rejoin isis but he hasn't kept quite. as we were filming he received a text message on his phone. the message he just sent me said we killed ibrahim to break your heart, he said. >> he said i did it and we're coming for you. >> he said just wait, your turn is coming in a matter of days, he said. he showed me the window to the

rented apartment across the alley. he says he covered the windows with cardboard and blankets right before the murders and invited over two suspected accomplices. if they think this will stop me, they are wrong. just the opposite. i'm more determined. we will keep going until we are finished with isis. this is a promise for all the victims, he says. richard engle, nbc news, turkey. and a programming note, lester holt will be sitting down with president obama for an exclusive two-part interview on what he still wants to accomplish at his final year in office approaches. that's starting tomorrow right here on "nbc nightly news." still ahead tonight, a crisis facing our veterans. some wait months for care because the va hospitals that are supposed to help them don't have enough help themselves. have enough help themselves. tens of thousands of va have enough help themselves. tens of thousands of va i use what's already inside me to reach my goals. so i liked when my doctor told me

i may reach my blood sugar and a1c goals by activating what's within me. with once-weekly trulicity. trulicity is not insulin. it helps activate my body to do what it's supposed to do release its own insulin. trulicity responds when my blood sugar rises. i take it once a week, and it works 24/7. it comes in an easy-to-use pen and i may even lose a little weight. trulicity is a once-weekly injectable prescription medicine to improve blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. it should be used along with diet and exercise. trulicity is not recommended as the first medicine to treat diabetes and should not be used by people with severe stomach or intestinal problems, or people with type i diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. trulicity is not insulin and has not been studied with long-acting insulin. do not take trulicity if you or anyone in your family has had medullary thyroid cancer or multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2 or if you are allergic to trulicity or its ingredients.

stop using trulicity and call your doctor right away if you have symptoms of an allergic reaction, such as itching, rash, or difficulty breathing; if you have signs of pancreatitis such as severe stomach pain that will not go away and may move to your back, with or without vomiting; or if you have symptoms of thyroid cancer, which may include a lump or swelling in your neck, hoarseness, trouble swallowing, or shortness of breath. medicines like trulicity may cause stomach problems, which could be severe. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and any medicines you take. taking trulicity with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase your risk for low blood sugar. common side effects include nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, decreased appetite, and indigestion. some side effects can lead to dehydration, which may cause kidney failure. with trulicity, i click to activate what's within me. if you want help improving your a1c and blood sugar numbers with a non-insulin option, ask your doctor about once-weekly trulicity. and click to activate your within. like limiting where you earn bonus cash back.hings. why put up with that?

but the quicksilver card from capital one likes to keep it simple. real simple. i'm talking easy like-a- walk-in-the-park, nothing-to-worry-about, man-that-feels-good simple. quicksilver earns you unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, everywhere. it's a simple question. what's in your wallet? we're back now with our on going nbc news investigation into failures at hospitals for veterans. according to a recent usa today analysis one in six jobs within the va system were still vacant as of midsummer. while there is a nationwide shortage of primary care doctors for all of us, patients at some va facility versus to wait a month or two just to be seen. as tom costello explains. >> reporter: fayetteville, north

carolina. home to the 82nd airborne. it can take weeks or months for vets to get seen at the local va hospital here and fayetteville has had the longest wait times in the country. >> aggressive cancer. >> reporter: two years ago vietnam vet rick leslie says a doctor diagnosed his prostate cancer but he had to travel to durham for radiation, surgery, and treatment. >> they don't have availability of the resources to do the pr t prostate cancer or urologist available to do it. >> reporter: it's a problem nationwide. usa today crunched the numbers. 41,000 full and part time jobs unfilled. in fayetteville, 59 of 187 position jobs vacant. among the highest rates, psychologist. 21% of those positions nationwide, open. in fayetteville the va had only half the psychologists it needed as of mid july. >> i hoped they could help me

get my life back on track. >> reporter: scott served two combat tours in afghanistan and last year came home with ptsd but only had two psychiatric appointments in 18 months. >> i self-medicate more often than i should because i'm not receiving the care that i need. >> reporter: former va manager says that va records prove patients are going without care. >> there's 1200 patients that don't have a doctor assigned over there. >> because that doctor is gone. >> he's gone. >> reporter: he was chief of logistics at the va in fayetteville. >> what's the problem here? why are a third of the positions unfilled? >> the hours are too long. the number of patients. the patient load is way too high. the pay is inadequate. >> reporter: and the number of vets needing care is exploding as vets retire. but it's a big challenge.

>> the challenging with hiring the staff are the location of ruralness. lack of having a medical school nearby, and some of the salary caps for specialties that are hard to recruit for. >> reporter: some unfilled positions are for facilities that haven't yet opened and it's been aggressively recruiting at medical schools but in october the va's inspector general issued a troubling finding about the medical center in phoenix where allegations about patient appointment delays came to light last year. extreme shortages starting in 2014 in the urology department potentially impacted thousands of patients and contributed to clinically significant delays in urology care and unnecessary risk for some patients. one phoenix va patient whose prostate cancer spread while he waited for care died. they have added staff and improved waiting times since then. meanwhile in north carolina rick

leslie's cancer now spread to his bladder. the va will now pay for his cancer care outside the va system. tom costello, nbc news, fayetteville, north carolina. >> there's late word tonight that fred thompson, the former senate and character actor has died. his family released a statement. he served as counsel to the watergate committee and senator from 1994 to 2003 and ran for president in 2008 and many will remember him from his other career acting in movies and tv including a long running stint on nbc's law and order. on nbc's law and order. fred thompson w this bale of hay cannot be controlled. when a wildfire raged through elkhorn ranch, the sudden loss of pasture became a serious problem for a family business. faced with horses that needed feeding and a texas drought that sent hay prices soaring, the owners had to act fast. thankfully, mary miller banks with chase for business. and with greater financial clarity and a relationship built for the unexpected,

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talking about. the miami hurricanes down by 3 against duke with a wild return on the final kick off. they lateraled in a game of keep away to a touchdown with no time left on the clock. they tweeted out a break down of the winning play. 8 laterals in all. but today the acc suspended the officiating crew for blowing several calls that lead to such a stunning upset. >> here in new york tonight could be the met's last stand. they're down three games to one to the royals. but one of the most popular fixtures in the stands is there rooting for the team. >> reporter: 52 years of new york mets memories. lou has seen it all. as a met's usher since the stadium opened in 1964. >> one game is more exciting than the other as years go on. one year i made 81 games. >> reporter: he loves the game and the fans love him.

>> opening day of this year, i had around 9 to 11 people around me. and my boss comes up to me and says hey, luke, any problem here? i said no, mr. ken, there's no problem. these are all my fans. they all come over to say hello to me. >> reporter: with a purple heart and bronze star pinned to his uniform at 91 he has quite a life story to share. >> in 1944 i was in the battle of the bulge and i was wounded in france. and here i am working for the new york met organization for 52 years. who ever would figure that one out. >> reporter: this year, he hopes the mets win the world series. >> it would be great, you know? three times. as long as i stay healthy i'll make it again. >> reporter: win or lose he has advice for his beloved team and

the rest of us. >> enjoy life every day. every day. and have a smile on your face. that's the main thing. everybody will love you with a smile on your face. >> reporter: advice that keeps him coming back to the ballpark. nbc news, new york. >> maybe he'll bring them some good luck tonight. when we come back, a rescue team sometimes the present looked bright. sometimes romantic. there were tears in my eyes. and tears in my eyes. and so many little things that we learned were really the biggest things. through it all, we saved and had a retirement plan. and someone who listened and helped us along the way. because we always knew that someday the future would be the present. every someday needs a plan. talk with us about your retirement today.

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watching turned into whale rescue when this humpback was spotted in distress. entangled in fishing line, some inside it's mouth, the rest wrapped around it's body. >> based on what this looks like, it's been awhile. you know, just nobody saw it probably. >> the whale was first spotted wednesday dragging a trail of fishing line. two days later spotted again more than 100 miles south where a first rescue attempt ran into trouble. the whale became agitated and drove to deeper waters. on saturday a crew from seaworld joined the effort getting their boatwright up behind the whale. >> it's very, very dangerous. they're so big. >> reporter: turning off the engine. letting the whale tow them along as they cut away the remaining line. >> as much as it's dangerous and scary it's exciting and exhilarating and at the end of the day it's a really good feeling to know that we're able

to help these guys. >> reporter: entanglements like this average about a dozen per year. this year, there have been four times as many. >> we are at or near 50 and to be honest i've been so busy with the actual entanglement i haven't been able to keep one the record. >> reporter: something attributed to el nino. warmer waters bringing the whales closer to shore. for this whale, cautious optimism. most but not all of the line has been cut free as it continues to migrate south, hope that this whale has been given a fighting chance. blake mccoy, nbc news, los angeles. let's hope. that's "nbc nightly news" for this sunday. up next, football night in america. the green bay packers take on the denver broncos. lester holt will be back here

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bolstered by a tremendous defense, the broncos are 6-0, but the packers have streaked out to that same mark, and so tonight it's a matchup of unbeatens in denver. >> here come the broncos. >> make the play. >> marquee quarterbacks, premiere defenses. >> intercepted! >> oh, man! >> undefeated teams. >> throws to the lt