i'm lester holt sitting in tonight for brian. there has been a flurry of headlines today stemming from the violence and unrest in ferguson, missouri. last night's jarring images of police clad in military gear and firing tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters on the streets of an american suburb has reverberated across this country including to the obamas' vacation residence where the president called for peace and calm and lashed out at both violence against police and excessive force by police. this after a fourth night of violent protests stemming from a shooting death of an unarmed 18-year-old man by a police officer. tonight, the town of ferguson is back on edge as officials hope a change of strategy will help cool things off. we have two reports tonight from ferguson starting with nbc's ron allen. >> reporter: good evening, lester. police are calling this town a powder keg. protesters are gathered again. you can see them marching down the street, perhaps several hundred of them, and this is the very place where all that

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 olympic athlete right 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

the "nbc nightly news" continues with lester holt. develops surrounding robin williams' death and the disease he was apparently suffering from. >>> on the broadcast tonight, city on edge. it looks like a war zone. tear gas, armored vehicles and chaos. tonight, fears about what's being called a powder keg. >>> final days, new revelations from robin williams' wife about the private struggle the actor faced at the end of his life. >>> coming to america, we're with pope francis on a historic trip. what he told us about his plans to visit this country. >>> and, instant hit. six and a half seconds to stardom, a record deal, a number one single and millions of fans. tonight, how did he do it? >>> "nightly news begins now." >>> from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. >>> good evening. i'm lester holt sitting in tonight for brian. there has been a flurry of headlines today stemming from the violence and unrest in ferguson, missouri. last night's jarring images of police clad in military gea

we'll show you what we pounds. >> all right, lester holt in new york. thank you very much.'ll see you in just a few minutes. >>> here, at nbc 10, we'll be right back. >>> a treaty renewed at the jersey shore. members of the lenipae nation. every four years, the partnership is signed with various individuals in maintaining the delaware rif ear's clean, natural beauty. >>> let's get a final look at the forecast. >> absolutely. i think the first day of the week is going to be a nicest day. we're going to have low humidity, lots of sunshine as we go into monday. we don't see any kind of heat waves on the way. a couple of threats of rain this week. >> just throw back the umbrella, no big deal. thank you so much for watching. we'll see you back here at 11:00. nbc nightly news is next. edge, more arrests, tear gas, and frustration in ferguson, missouri. tonight the justice department orders a new autopsy on michael brown as photos emerge of the police officer at the center of the controversy. >> striking back the u.s. ramps up it's bombing campaign. this time to deny isis militant

i'm lester holt. see you tomorrow morning on "today" and back here tomorrow evening.ght. >>> and hope and love certainly know no bounds. a mother reunites with her daughter ten years after a tsunami separated the two. the amazing and emotional reunion that you just have to see. good evening to you. i'm peggy bunker. >> and i'm terry mcsweeney. danger on the front lines. three south bay firefighters hurt while battling a large fire in mendocino county. the lodge fire has burned more than 5,000 acres and residented are being warned they may need to evacuate. marianne favro joins us live from santa clara county fire headquarters in los gatos with more on how they were hurt. >> reporter: i just spoke with a battalion chief who tells me the three firefighters who were burned were just about to learn their first assignment when suddenly the fire unexpectedly shifted. the three were part of a team that left the south bay last saturday. after a few days, they were reassign t

i'm lester holt. there are several major developments tonight in the fight against islamic state militants. the u.s. for the first time launching warplanes on reconnaissance missions over syria. looking for potential targets in a prelude to possible air strikes against isis strongholds. we also learned told about two young americans caught up in this conflict. one apparently by choice. a 33-year-old midwesterner who was killed as he fought with midwestern militants. the other, a 26-year-old woman an aide worker, apparently being held hostage by that same group. all this as the administration scrambles to keep pace with the growing isis threat. we begin our coverage with chief foreign correspondent richard engel. richard, good evening. >> good evening, lester. president obama was here in charlotte today, talking about isis. the u.s. is acknowledging what a threat this group has become, and what a magnet it is for foreign fighters, including some americans. the u.s. air campaign in iraq may soon be exte

i'm lester holt in for brian. i'll be with you all weekend tomorrow on "today" and of course hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. course hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> announcer: nbc bayaries news starts now. >>> whoever wrote this, i don't think it's liberal or conservative, they are twisted. >>> under attack for flying a flag. i'm peggy bunker. >> i'm raj mathai. bitter feelings in a local neighborhood. someone sent a disparaging letter to people flying a flag outside of their homes. this hate mail is having the opposite effect on the neighborhood. now, more flags are flying. jodi hernandez joins us in san rafael. a lot of people are shaking their heads. how could this be happening in such a progressive area? >> reporter: that's what everyone is asking here. the young man that lives here put up more flags after he, like so many others here got one of those mean spirited letters over the flag that has been flying over his late g

i'm lester holt reporting from new york. i'll see you back here tomorrow morning on "today" and then right back here tomorrow evening. good night. >>> count down to kick off. tomorrow's preseason game is the next big test for the new levi stadium. thank you for joining us. more than 68,000 fans will pour into the new stadium for the preseason game. that means big changes at great america as well. marian is joining fr ining us f park. what should you do tomorrow? >> reporter: if you were planning to take your kids here tomorrow to enjoy the amusement park great america will be closed because it will be closed during all the 49er home games here at the new stadium. there will be other things to enjoy as well. the parking lot will be open and that's where more than 6,000 49 ticketholders will park. the event costs $85 and is open to the public. the building was

i'm lester holt. we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. . >>> nbc bay area news starts now. of >>> so people were able to communicate about it and go, hey, let's find this guy. >> right now at 6:00, arming themselves with technology, neighbors going digital to stay safe. >> thank you for joining us. i'm peggy bunker in for jessica aguirre. >> and i'm raj mathai. surveillance is helping homeowners and businesses protect the bay area. the home owners in one san jose community are arming themselves with social media, and they're doing it very effectively. damian trujillo joins us in the we willow glen district. what are they doing? >> reporter: the message to crooks here is commit a crime in willow glen, and you can expect thousands of people to see it or to hear about it, including police. and police say they could use the extra eyes and ears. this is perhaps one of the more compelling crime fighting stories in willow glen, a burglar ignores a surveillance camera and breaks into this home. hours later, the video is all over a soc

i'm lester holt sitting in tonight for brian. will syria soon be in play as the u.s. steps up its attacks on isis militants? just days after the execution murder of american journalist james foley, the obama administration acknowledged that the islamic state militant group is more dangerous than it was just six months ago. and signalled the u.s. will not be restricted by borders suggesting it is prepared to carry the fight from iraq next door into syria. of course isis doesn't recognize borders either. but for now the u.s. has only attacked a group inside iraq. more than 90 strikes so far with several more today. but are the margins in this conflict about to be widened? nbc's kristen welker is traveling with the president in martha's vineyard and has more on today's developments. kristen. >> reporter: lester, good evening. today the u.s. government said the execution of james foley is the first terrorist attack by isis against the united states and signalled u.s. military engagement could be ramped up. pentagon video captures u.s. air strikes destroying an armored tru

i'm lester holt reporting from new york. from all of us here at nbc news, good night. >>> we got off on lawrence expressway maybe 10:00 in the morning, we didn't get into the parking lot until 11:15. >> it may have taken awhile to get to the game. getting home was quite the breeze for many 49ers fans. the score likely played a role as well as lessons learned from the earthquake game. and the true test yet to come for the regular season. >>> thank you for joining us. i'm peggy bunker. terry mac sweeney has the night off. >>> it may not have been the game the levi stadium wants to stay buy. things did not go so well on the field, a lot went right off the field. team coverage of this very first football game at the new levi's stadium.

i'm erica hill >>> i'm lester holt alongside jenna wolfe and dylan dreyer. you were away last weekend. you were away and tan. >> jenna was here for me. >> we are all back together. >> what about you? >> you know ist the rules. anyway, it's great to have you here. something else special in your life we'll talk about coming up. >> every single person is going to say that dylan is pregnant. >> i realized that too. >> it was my birthday the whole time. just so you guys know. i just want to clear the air. >> i'm glad we cleared all of that up. >>> we've got a lot of news to get to this morning. it's the return of the american doctor infected with the potentially deadly ebola virus. he shocked a lot of people watching when he walked into the atlanta hospital where he's being treated this morning. we continue to await the arrival of a second american aide worker. kate snow has the latest for us. >> reporter: good morning. his wife says he is in great spirits and extremely grateful to be here. he is the first person with ebola to ever be treated in the united states

i'm lester holt sitting in for brian tonight. we begin with two powerful storms far from land that are still managing to pose a deadly double threat on beaches along the west and east coasts of the united states tonight, killing at least three people so far. here's the scene south of los angeles where they are seeing waves of historic po portions pounding the beaches courtesy of tropical storm marie threatening homes and putting swimmers at grave risk. now the view from the atlantic coast from the rockaways in new york city, high waves and rip currents are being churned up and down the east coast powered by hurricane cristobl. those waves have been so dramatic thousands of spectators have come to see them. they've proven to be a perilous draw. miguel almaguer is live in seal berach for us. >> reporter: waves are smashing the coastline tonight. coast guards say they haven't seen conditions like this in 25 years. thousands are flooding to the beach as first responders warn everyone stay back. tonight, in southern california beauty

i'm lester holt in for brian. tonight, as millions of americans begin a long holiday weekend, homeland security officials say they are not aware of any specific domestic threat from islamic militants. that question came into sharp focus today when great britain abruptly raised its domestic terror threat from substantial to severe. britain's prime minister, david cameron, today declaring there is no doubt that isis is targeting western europe. though uk officials also say there is no specific threat. this latest development comes as the obama white house spent much of the day on damage control trying to clarify the president's remarks yesterday about battling isis. the isis threat is one of two major foreign policy crises the president is juggling this weekend. we have full coverage starting with nbc's keir simmons in london. keir. >> reporter: good evening, lester. raising the threat level to severe means officials believe an attack is "highly likely" though they insist there's no intelligence to indicate an immin

i'm lester holt reporting from new york. good night, everyone. >>> right now at 6:00, the search for a gunman after a deadly shooting at the shoreline amphitheater. a man shot and killed backstage. who the police are looking for. >>> plus, turf troubles at levi's stadium. the grass replaced before tomorrow's preseason game. what the team is saying about the conditions. >>> and it's move-in day for thousands of new college students. we'll take you to the cal campus. good evening, everyone. i'm terry mcsweeney. peggy bunker is off tonight. a deadly shooting backstage at a bay area concert, thousands were at the shoreline amphitheater for the wiz khalifa concert last night. now police are hoping someone will come forward with clues. nbc bay area's marianne favro live in mountain view right now with the very latest. marianne? >> reporter: terry, right now, people are arriving for the rascal flatts concert tonight less than 24 hours after a man was shot and killed here at shoreline last night. the shooting happened backstage afte

i'm lester holt. see you tomorrow morning on "today" and back here tomorrow evening.> lights, camera, action! ♪ >> con sthsciously uncoupled. brad's red carpet attack. kim and kanye's multimillion wedding. all this in the first half of 2014. i'm shawne robinson. welcome to "access hollywood." the midyear roundup. the biggest scandals of the year so far. for that we go to bill. >> thank you. the year is halfway through. already, fair share of scandals. joining me now nimy guests. what's up, girl?

. >>> from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. >>> good evening. the stark image of a sick american doctor sealed from head to toe arriving back on u.s. soil today gave us a glimpse of just what health workers fighting the ebola outbreak in western africa are up against. here is the view from above as dr. kent brantly, infected with the deadly virus, was escorted into atlanta's emory university hospital. we believe he's on the right there. the brief image showing just some of the extraordinary precautions surrounding his transport here. brantly is the first of two americans to be treated in the u.s. for the disease, which while frightening has according to experts virtually no risk of spreading to this country. yet the nervous fascination surrounding ebola here is undeniable. we begin our coverage with nbc's kate snow outside the hospital in atlanta for us. kate. >> reporter: good evening, lester. these patients are being transferred here to emory university to get the best care in the world. a level of care they simply couldn't get i

i'm lester holt reporting from new york. from all of us here at nbc news, good night. .[dramatic music] male narrator: 365 days of sacrifice and suffering. - i've been preparing my whole life for this. - i know exactly what to expect now, and i've trained for it and i'm ready. - i feel like i was meant to do this, honestly. narrator: months of pain and preparation. - can flip steal the number one spot away and lead the charge into the city finals? - i truly, from the bottom of my heart, believe i have what it takes to be the first american ninja warrior. narrator: and it can all be undone in an instant. both: oh! [horn blows] - he hit the water. are you kidding me? - it doesn't matter how good you've done before. - one step and you're out. - if you have just one small failure, you're gone.

nbc's very own lester holt playing the bass guitar -- >> look at that. >> rocking out with the nbc news jimmy fallon's a fan and said he invited him to join the band and play with the roots. he jammed all night long. >> lester! i love you! i watch you on "weekend today," i watch you on "dateline," and i know that you played the bass, so we wanted you to come in and play and sit in with the roots. you're fantastic! thank you for doing this. >> i am just so psyched to be here with these guys. i know brian williams had the rap thing sewn up with you, so i needed a place. >> you have a place, and brian, you're in trouble. >> yeah. >> you'd better watch yourself, buddy. lester's here in the house playing some licks like that. >> i love how dapper he looked. he's got the tie on, the bass -- >> he looks so serious. and i highly recommend to those visiting 30 rock, if you see a flash on a bike, that is lester -- >> that is lester holt. he bikes everywhere. even in the hallways. now, the big candidate who crashed the kentucky senate race appears to be putting in some serious bank for a fake cand

i'm lester holt in for brian.you all weekend tomorrow on "today" and of course hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. tomorrow on "today" and of course hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. >>> memory forget fullness, sometimes to the point of dementia. >> i don't think o c

i'm lester holt.ing on >>> welcome, harry, to diagon alley. >> the whole idea walking down diagon alley, everybody who visits it will be staggered. will be literally staggered. >> there is your money, harry. >> it really is an intricate journey you take through diagon alley. alley. you are going to be able to walk through the brick wall just like harry potter did. >> you don't get to visit london without going to london. >> it's on an epic scale. i was more blown away by it than i thought i would be. >> dragon with a 64-foot wing spanning, breathing fire. >> can't wait to see it for myself. >> hi, harry. bill malfoy. >> i've been excited seeing the props and the sets. people who haven't been on the set before will be more delighted. >> we are excited about the set. when filmi i

i'm lester holt sitting in tonight for brian. a day after the earth violently shook across the san francisco bay area, one early estimate puts damage at $1 billion. hardest hit, the town of napa where homes were destroyed, historic buildings crumbled and pavement buckled. in a quake-prone region where the big one is never far from mind, the realization quickly set in that this wasn't it. but at 6.0 the early sunday morning quake was strong enough to send scores of people to hospitals, some with serious injuries. it was centered just to the northeast of san francisco near the heart of california's wine industry which has taken a big hit from this. nbc's joe fryer leads off our coverage from napa. joe, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, lester. there have been dozens of small aftershocks here. and the probability of a strong damaging aftershock in the next week is 25%. tonight, many here in napa are still on edge hoping the worst is behind them. new video today shows the magnitude 6.0 earthquake that shook homes and rattled n

i'm lester holt in for brian.u all weekend tomorrow on "today" and of course hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. >>> heartbreak new photo. robin williams out to dinner with his wife before his suicide. now on "extra." >>> robin williams and his beloved wife susan sharing one of their final meals together. the untold story of the woman behind the comedy genius. and breaking n breaking news to plans for the memorial. >>> michael j. fox totally shocked by williams' parkinson's news. >> depression is more common in parkinson's. >>> sofia vergara remembering robin. >> we have him on camera doing on impression of you. >> it goes on for a day. >> sofia's reaction today. >>> plus, five things you didn't know about robin. while spielberg phoned williams every day from the set of schindler's list. >>> another celebrity suicide scare. >>> michael strahan and nicole murphy back together? >>> plus, crazy new video, reese witherspoon wbusting a move. >>> now on

i'm lester holt in for brian. we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening.night. >>> julia roberts in an emmy tug of war sofia vergara's wild dance party. right now on "extra" at the emmys. a broiling red carpet, red hot fashions and hot couples. mario and our brand new team, charissa thompson and tracy edmonds with every angle. a rumored romance romance with gere. kerry washington keeping a big secret? then, before billy crystal's touching tribute, the emmy stars remember robin williams with "extra." who was sofia vergara blasting backstage. >> i know who she was. has no sense of humor. >> plus, the kiss that stole the show. that was nothing. who got caught on our kiss cam. >> that happens to me all the time. >> and -- >> who's going to get the crown for best dressed? >> i know who it is. >> right now -- >> at the emmy's. >> with "extra"! >> i watch you every single day. >> t "extra." nothing's impossible for "extra."

i'm lester holt. if there's anything we've learned as a nation at war for the past 13 years, it is that events on the ground can change rapidly and so can the mission. today, the united nations declared a refugee crisis in iraq. a level 3 emergency, its highest level. late this afternoon we learned u.s. special forces landed on an iraqi mountain top to assess the feasibility of a military rescue mission. thousands of yazidi civilians are stranded there under threat by islamic fighters. it was less than a week ago the u.s. began humanitarian air drops and limited air strikes against isis targets inside northern iraq. and now tonight a possible large scale refugee evacuation is on the table. we get to keir simmons with the latest on iraq in a moment, but first to the pentagon and nbc's jim miklaszewski. >> reporter: good evening. there's late word that those u.s. forces have flown off the mountain and safely back at their base. but for the first time since the u.s. mission in iraq began last week americ

♪ ♪ [ cheers and applause ] >> jimmy: that is "nbc news" anchor lester holt sitting in with the rootsmy man! [ cheers and applause ] oh, lester, i love you. i watch you on "weekend today," i watch you on "dateline" and i know that you play the bass, so we wanted you to come in and play and sit in with the roots. you're fantastic. thank you for doing this. >> i am just so psyched to be here with these guys. i knew brian williams had the whole rap thing sewn up with you. >> jimmy: yeah, yeah, yeah. >> so, i needed a place. >> jimmy: yeah, you have a a place. and, brian, you're in trouble. [ laughter ] you better watch yourself, buddy. lester is in the house right here, playing some licks like that. [ cheers and applause ] "dateline" plays the bassline. lester holt. >> steve: bassline, nbc. [ laughter ] >> jimmy: it's been a great week so far. there's more ahead. tomorrow night, the very funny will arnett will be here. [ cheers and applause ] we're going to go head-to-head in a game of karate pinata. >> steve: ooh. >> jimmy: so, we'll see how that goes. >> steve: hi-ya. >> jimmy: plus on

. >>> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with lester holt and erica hill. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a saturday morning. i'm lester holt. >> i'm erica hill alongside jenna wolfe. >> we are a great bunch. we like to think we are. ahead, we have live in gaza, another intense night of fighting. israel launching a full scale of bombardment as they search for a missing soldier. >> also ahead, we are talking heart health. how to keep your heart healthy with an easy swap with your favorite meals. this is part of our shine a lot city. the american heart association is working there to help keep people healthier. s this video has everyone talking this week. she is crying over the fact her baby brother will eventually grow up. cherish life's smallest moments. >> that will be great. we begin with the top story. that is effective of two first aid workers affected with ebola will return to the u.s. today. itis not clear if it will be brantly or nancy writebol. one will arrive today, the other set in a few d

that was lester holt reporting. very true. story there. >> yeah. >> anthony here talking about your forecast, which includes, maybe a little bit of rain. >> yeah. >> maybe some sprinkles, light showers. at this point, we get really excited for a few drops of rain. you know, the big thing we are going to be tracking is the lightning over the next 24 to 36 hours. you'll notice the spin, i've super imposed the water vapor imagery and you can see the moisture in the atmosphere riding right along the center right there across the coast of california. we've been seeing lightning strikes across the sierra and the coast this evening. so tomorrow, that lightning isn't forecast. most likely in the evening hours for us. notice right now, no rain in sight for us here in the bay area, but earlier in san jose, we had reports of some drizzle. but the lightning, again, is going to be the main focal point, that's going to be centered across the north bay and also across the tri-valley. i think that's going to be the better chance of those loca

i'm erica hill. >> i'm lester holt alongside jenna wolfe and dylan dreyer. the situation in ferguson, missouri, remains very tense despite the overnight curfew. >> we are going to get you to the latest. we want to take a look back to remind everyone how we got to this point. >>>s la the saturday, 18-year-old michael brown was shot and killed by a ferguson, missouri police officer. brown was unarmed. what followed was a week of protests, peaceful and violent have the officers were brought in to handle a rash of looting and violence. their heavily armed presence further enraged some residents there. on friday, police revealed the name of the officer who fired the fatal shot, officer darren wilson. police also released surveillance video of michael brown allegedly robbing a store shortly before he was shot and killed. on saturday, missouri's governor declared a state of curfew. >>> ron allen has been working this throughout the evening. he has the latest. good morning. >> reporter: it was an absolute stunning show of force last nye night. the police say the ini

. >>> time to check in with lester holt for a look at what is coming up on "nbc nightly news." >> newrnings about potential attacks by westerners training with isis militants. >>> one father makes a powerful case while some argue kids are not ready. >>> ray mcdonald arrested on domestic violence charges days after the nfl announces a new crack down on that issue. >>> an aspiring story how folks at one elementary school took matters into their own hands to help hungry children when we see you in a few minutes. >> we need inspiration. thanks, lester. we'll be right back. >>> you are taking a live look at a philadelphia art museum where made in america is day two and it is possible some people will have to evacuate because we are tracking thunderstorms rolling into that area right now. >> that is nbc 10 news for now. we'll see you back here tonight at 11:00. >>> on this sunday night, fighting back. usair power helps seal a victory over isis militants in one key iraqi town as proeb faces growing pressure to do more. >>> plus, an american city that is a fertile recruiting ground for islami

. >>> time to check in with lester holt for a look what's coming up on the nbc nicely news from new yorklester? >>> coming up tonight. more looting 0er7b9 in ferguson on the heels of a emergency released tape now the governor declares a curfew. >>> and why rick perry says the federal indictment for abuse of power is outrageous and a abuse of power itself. >>> and why packing hate is encouraged on the job. an american taip town named "rifle" and others like it. >>> and we'll introduce you to a 13-year-old girl who is shutting down the little league competition and making history when we see you in a few minutes for the "nightly news." george, back to you in philly. >>> busy news week. thanks a lot. see you in a few minutes. >>> live and in your living room, i'm here from comcast sportsnet. the focus shifted last night from the little leaguers to the eagles and primetime. the birds play their second preseason game against the patriots. jeremy mackland or cooper last night. pat's first drive and second out, tom brady picked off by carry williams and he's ghost. williams once called with the

for what happens next, tune in to n"nbc nightly news" with lester holt coming up next at 6:30. >>> video in of a car that crashed right through the front of a building. this happened on the d.c. side of southern avenue in southeast. right near ridge road. we were there as crews pulled the car out of the building. still work to learn what caused it and if anyone was hurt. >>> new at 6:00, the roof caved in as a building that has been s v vacant for years. roof and part of a wall collapsed on 10th street in northwest. debris rained todown on the apartments next door. >> they banged on the door, didn't get a chance to really make any observations. however, when we got outside, there was a black line across. my mom and i debating whether or not it's a streak or a crack in the wall. hopefully just a streak. >> no one was hurt. neighbors say a construction crew had been working on the building before it came down. and now the district has issued a stop work order. >>> new at 6:00, some local worshippers had topt through services after burglars hit their church at the shiloh church of god. darc

and time now to dmek with lester holt for a look at what's coming up on nbc "nightly news." lester?> hi, denise. coming up, the latest on the earthquake that rocked northern california. it's caused critical damage and widespread injuries. >>> plus an american hostage is freed in syria. we'll have all the details as u.s. air strikes continue in neighboring iraq. >>> also the tropical storm gaining strength in the atlantic. will it hit the u.s.? >>> and the boys of summer. the little league team that's taken the windy city and the country by storm when we see you in a few minutes for nbc "nightly news." denise, for now we'll send it back to you. >> our very own taney dragons. thanks, lester. we'll see you in a few. we'll be right back. ♪ the world famous fries you love, plus a shake of three new flavors you add. introducing mcdonald's shakin' flavor fries. shake up something new to love at mcdonald's. >>> a messy way to spend a sunday down the shore. the renault winery held its 150th anniversary and grape-stomping festival. even those who are too young to drink got in the spirit and h

. >>> from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt.

lester holt joins us at 5:30. new information reveals too many people are getting away with murder here in california. just ahead, the bay area cities that have the most unsolved cases. >>> plus -- >> the humane society has a mystery on its hands. someone keeps dropping off boxes of cats overnight. now they're hoping surveillance can help identify them. we'll tell you what the shelter wants from these people coming up. >>> and what it means for the animals at sea world. >>> good afternoon. i'm meteorologist jeff ranieri. a beautiful day across the bay area. sunny skies in san jose and sunshine in san francisco. we'll talk more about a great weekend forecast coming up. >>> then at 6:00 -- >> god bless america. >> homeowners in the bay area are targeted for their patriotism. the threat they received for flying the american flag. that's new at 6:00. >>> take a look. an unexpected delivery at a north bay delivery. two dozen cats are inside those boxes being unloaded there. the video shows the people dropping these box

the "nbc nightly news" continues with lester holt. develops surrounding robin williams' death and the disease he was apparently suffering from. >>> on the broadcast tonight, city on edge. it looks like a war zone. tear gas, armored vehicles and chaos. tonight, fears about what's being called a powder keg. >>> final days, new revelations from robin williams' wife about the private struggle the actor faced at the end of his life. >>> coming to america, we're with pope francis on a historic trip. what he told us about his plans to visit this country. >>> and, instant hit. six and a half seconds to stardom, a record deal, a number one single and millions of fans. tonight, how did he do it? >>> "nightly news begins now." >>> from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this

. >>> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with lester holt and erica hill. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> good morning, welcome to "today" on a saturday morning. i'm lester holt. >> i'm erica hill alongside jenna wolfe. >>> the latest on the ebola crisis. it's killed 1,000 people. this morning we will hear from one of the two u.s. aid workers recovering in atlanta. >>> a girl swept away in a tsunami ten years ago is found alive and well. how she became to be reunited with her family who thought she was gone forever. >>> overnight, another drop of humanitarian aid. this as questions are growing about the u.s. military's involvement. jim is following all of this this morning. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, erica. this is a crisis that gets worse by the day as the u.s. military made the secondary drop of food and water. the problem is there are some 15,000 refugees. but each left provisions for one day and only for half of them. tens of thousands of yazidi refuge refugees. the air drop of tons of today and gallons of water is welcome rel

that is our guy, friend lester holt, becomes an honorary root tonight at a taping of "the tonight showh jimmy fallon" for air this evening. that's lester slapping the bass. he was allowed to sit in with the house band the roots. he has always slapped a mean bass, but never for an audience quite this large. we are looking forward to it. >> when we come back after a break, one young pitcher's unlikely path to the pros. >>> finally here tonight, art school has never traditionally been considered a ticket to major league baseball. but that is exactly where a hard-throwing young pitcher started throwing hard enough to catch the eye of the scouts who eventually signed him to the pros. this is an amazing story about an unlikely life journey. we get our report tonight from nbc's joe fryar. >> reporter: at a cozy minor league ballpark in elizabethton, tennessee, the minnesota twins grow their rookies under the watchful eye of loyal fans. they are your boys, right? >> they are my boys. >> reporter: those boys come and go. but few come with a story like the big guy in the bullpen. >> now we have

. >> lester holt joins us next on "nightly news." >> in the meantime, find us online nbcbayarea.com. >>> on the broadcast tonight, city on edge. it looks like a war zone. tear gas, armored vehicles and chaos. tonight, fears about what's being called a powder keg. >>> final days, new revelations from robin williams' wife about the private struggle the actor faced at the end of his life. >>> coming to america, we're with pope francis on a historic trip. what he told us about his plans to visit this country. >>> and, instant hit. six and a half seconds to stardom, a record deal, a number one single and millions of fans. tonight, how did he do it? "nightly news" begins now.

lester holt will be with you this weekend. we, of course, hope to see you right back here on monday night. in the meantime, please have a good weekend. in the meantime, please have a good weekend. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> nbc bay area news starts now. >>> right now at 6:00. she's a homeless woman who can't stay away from airports. marilyn hartman already detained eight times this year, some people are asking why isn't she getting the help she needs. good friday, i'm janelle wang in for raj mathai. >> and i'm jessica aguirre. as we reported, the woman claimed that homelessness and mental illness led her to board planes without a ticket. robert honda joins us, and they are hoping that this case with this woman highlights the mental issues many people are facing. >> reporter: that's right. marilyn hartman has been put in jail twice after sneaking onto a southwest airlines flight. but after hearing her story, people who work with the homeless say it might be helpful to view her situation a little diffe