catie beck, nbc news, st.ouis, missouri. >>> in texas today an explosion and fire at a chemical plant that happened about 20 miles southwest of ft. worth. the cause is being investigated, but officials say that static electricity may have started it. about a dozen people were working in the plant. two of them were injured and a third is missing. >>> there is breaking news tonight out of western iraq where a u.s. military helicopter has crashed with american service members onboard according to a military official. there are multiple casualties. u.s. rescue teams and fighter jets, we're told, are responding to the scene. >>> also overseas, we have exclusive reporting from syria tonight on what could be a dangerous new conflict brewing within that brutal war. this one involving american troops and russians. we get details from chief foreign correspondent richard engel. >> reporter: we're traveling inside eastern syria on an exclusive trip with u.s. special forces. general jonathan braga tells us this rural terra

catie beck, nbc news miami. >> what a feneat idea.ou spending part of your >>> now on extra. a picture perfect proposal and then a slap in the face. >> i'm in love with someone else. >> bachelor ari, shocking betrayal as he dumps becca to go back to lauren. >> don't touch me. >> does the biggest villain in bachelor history think he made a mistake. the former bachelors watching and cringing. >> that was kind of hard to watch. >> and what will happen when the three come face to face tonight. >> all new oscar candids and gossip. new details on the man who stole frances mcdormand's oscar, who else the professional party crasher has gotten close to. plus, a see through dress, why she went on a late night fast food bing. >> two in n out burgers and then i went home. >> katy perry and jamie foxx rocking beverly tables on our m. >> when you walk, in the girls gasp and the guys go --

here's nbc's catie beck. >> reporter: hard to imagine sarah rollins was homeless three years ago. living on a bench in south boston, addicted to heroin. how many overdoses did you have? >> more than ten. >> reporter: after her last, she got help. and in recovery asked her former boss for forgiveness and her job back at this call center in portsmouth, new hampshire. >> i was afraid, but i was determined to show him that i was a different person. >> we're all broken in one manner or another. nobody's perfect. >> reporter: she worked hard. >> she came in, and she crushed it. >> reporter: earning a promotion and another mission. >> i said, sarah, there have to be other people like you that are struggling. do you know anybody? >> i was like, of course. >> reporter: sarah brought in 30 new employees who say being honest helped keep them clean. >> i could write that the reason why i left my other jobs is because i was a drug addict. i could never do that before. >> reporter: how did that feel to have somebody say we know your past and that's okay? >> i felt like i wasn't defined by my dr

tonight nbc's catie beck takes a look at two candidates. >> reporter: in michigan, even a frigid winter can't ice out a campaign. >> we're having quite a winter, yeah. >> reporter: but election season is heating up over a warm cup of coffee. political talk is perking. >> i'm running but i'm standing on the shoulders of a lot of people. >> reporter: first-time female candidates like democrat elissa slotkin, running for congress in the rural eighth district. how much did trump's victory play a part in your decision? >> you know, i think it was part of it, but it was the overall tenor and tone. just women feeling like if not me, then who? and if not now, then when? >> reporter: slotkin, a former pentagon official with three tours in iraq, is one of a record number of women running in the midterm. the spike follows the powerful me too movement. in 2018, 420 women in 47 states are planning to run for the house. now, only 84 women serve. >> it's up to us to do it. >> reporter: while democrats make up the majority of the new women candidates, republican women are seeing an increase, too. >> i'

catie beck, nbc news, new hampshire. >>> we have a lot to cover. including a cyber security breach and what you need to do to protect your passwords. >>> also those who serve. life after basketball for an nba superstar who found his calling it's 6 am. 40 million americans are waking up to a gillette shave. and at our factory in boston, more than a thousand workers are starting their day building on over a hundred years of heritage, craftsmanship and innovation. today we're bringing you america's number one shave at lower prices every day. putting money back in the pockets of millions of americans. as one of those workers, i'm proud to bring you gillette quality for less, because nobody can beat the men and women of gillette. gillette - the best a man can get. if you have moderate to severe or psoriatic arthritis, little things can be a big deal. that's why there's otezla. otezla is not an injection or a cream. it's a pill that treats differently. for psoriasis, 75% clearer skin is achievable with reduced redness, thickness, and scaliness of plaques

let's take you to atlanta where nbc's catie beck is outside a high school. catie, this is across the country. >> reporter: that's right, stephanie. the idea for today's event, for the thousands and thousands of students who will be doing this walkout, started a few miles from here in decatur, georgia. that's where the mother of a 13-year-old student said she had simply had enough, she wanted to take a stand against gun violence. she started talking to parents in the carpool line. the next thing she knew, it had gone across the country nationwide. we're aware of 60 schools mere in the metro area. school administrators telling us they think this is a teaching moment. this is a moment where students can learn to use their first amendment right to have peaceful protests. they're hopeful that the 17 minutes students are outside are reflective minutes when they're thinking about those students lost in parkland. we're expecting about 2,200 students to come out of this high school behind us in the next half hour. >> 2,200 students. and it started with a conversation