Is nbc nightly news with brian williams. Good evening. Im 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 nights jarring images of police clad in military gear and firing tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters on the streets of an american suburb as 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 18yearold 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 nbcs 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 violence erupted last night. The concern is whether these protesters will defy the call not to gather after dark. And just how much force the police will use to stop them. A fourth straight night of classes turned fergusons main street into a battlefield. A score of heavily armed and Armored Police faced off with protesters. You must be out of the street reporter the trouble started when the police rocked hundreds of marchers and then as night approached ordered them disburse. Return to your vehicles. Reporter we were with the marchers, things were calm, winding down. Then the police seemed to run out of patience and tried to clear the streets. Hours later tear gas. Police insist they fired because bottles and molotov cocktails rained down on them. I thought it was beyond heavyhanded. Reporter antonio french spent a night in jail arrested in his car with other protesters. Smoke bombs come out and the tear gas comes out. Its not like i can just drive through the smoke. I think that its very important that we demilitaryize a response to what have been by and large very peaceful protests. Reporter Law Enforcements response has come under scrutiny. Residents complain police have acted more like soldiers than cops. St. Louis county Police Officers seen here in full riot gear approaching one man are outfitted according to police with sub machine guns and assault rifles. Earlier this week tactical officers arrived in a bearcat, an Armored Vehicle which can withstand the impact from a 50caliber machine gun and yesterday pointed in the direction of protesters a precision rifle with a range of 500 to 800 yards. This afternoon protesters brought their grievances right to the front door of the Ferguson Police department. I do believe in selfdefense. Reporter and the states governor announced a change. Im announcing that the missouri Highway Patrol under the supervision of captain ron johnson, who grew up in this area, will be directing the team that provides security in ferguson. Reporter right now the Police Presence is not that heavy. You can see the protesters are marching down that street, that main drag, going into the neighborhood where Michael Brown and his family live. The boy who was killed. Again, the police are laying back. They want to keep this road open. Things are calm for now, orderly. The big question, what will happen after dark . Lester. Ron allen, thanks. It is important to note the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the shooting of Michael Brown is not complete. No matter what the outcome this tragedy has brought to the surface all that divides the community of ferguson. Our coverage continues with kevin tibbles. Reporter ferguson, missouris welcome sign seems out of place these days. The main street in this st. Louis suburb is filled with hurt and anger. A woman with a flag questions her country. We are divided by race. We are divided by class. No justice reporter a minister with his bible questioned police. Well, i believe in the justice system, but justice hasnt been served. Reporter in many ways ferguson was a city divided long before shots rang out last saturday. More than 60 of the population here is africanamerican. City administration is mostly white. The Police Department has 53 officers. Three are africanamerican. 24 live below the poverty line. 1. 5 times the rate in the rest of missouri. The longer it takes for us to come into the urban core with a solid plan of Community Outreach and resource delivery, this will happen again. Reporter the citys mayor was confronted today by some of those arrested for protesting browns death. Accusing police of going too far. He promises to address concerns. This is an issue perception between Law Enforcement and africanamericans. This didnt start here, hopefully we can end it here. Reporter and while police prepare for perhaps another angry night, ferguson schools are closed, unlike elsewhere in st. Louis. Our children are suffering and disgraced. Reporter still in the midst of tension normalcy. Mail gets delivered. People chat. Brian coldman wears his message loud and proud on his chest. We have to think in the future. And the future of what are we going to do about this. We should communicate. Reporter and many people here say their real concern is the fact that the two sides are so divided and so far apart, lester, that they worry they will never be able to sit down and speak to one another. All right. Kevin, thank you. As we mentioned, president obama addressed the turmoil in ferguson today asking everyone involved to take a step back. There is never an excuse for violence against police or those who would use this tragedy as a cover for vandalism or looting. Theres also no excuse for police to use Excessive Force against peaceful protests, or to throw protesters in jail for lawfully exercising their First Amendment rights. Now is the time for healing. President obama today appealing for calm in the streets of ferguson. The search for answers continues into the shocking death of Robin Williams. Today his wife revealed more about the personal battle her husband faced in his final days, something we didnt know until now. Nbcs joe fryer has that story. Reporter in his final days, Robin Williams was fighting many internal foes. According to a statement from his wife, susan schneider, robins sobriety was in tact and he was brave as he struggled with his own battles of depression, anxiety, as well as early stages of parkinsons disease, which he was not yet ready to share publicly. It made some sense to me actually because most people with parkinsons will suffer from depression at some point of the disease, often early on. Reporter for those suffering from both, the National Institute of Mental Health says each illness can make symptoms of the other worse. But its unclear if parkinsons can be linked to williams suicide. He had been candidly battling depression long before the parkinsons diagnosis. This summer williams returned to rehab to maintain his sobriety. Longtime friend steven pearl saw williams last month and thought he looked frail and seemed detached. It was an uncomfortable sad vibe. Thats all i can say. He wasnt all there. Reporter parkinsons is a brain disorder and can effect walking and movement. The centers for Disease Control says parkinsons is the 14th leading cause of death in the united states. About 60,000 americans are diagnosed each year. Men are one and a half times more likely to have parkinsons than women. Celebrities with the disease include michael j. Fox, boxing great mohamed ali. Tonight fox tweeted stunned to learn robin had p. D. , pretty sure his support for our information predated his prognos prognosis. I wish him peace. Now to an update on our top story last night. The humanitarian crisis in northern iraq. The pentagon says u. S. Air strikes have helped break the siege by isis militants of a mountain where thousands of refugees were trapped. President obama said air strikes on isis targets will continue. And iraqs embattled prime minister, nouri al maliki, announced late today he will step down paving the way for a new government that many hope will bring the country together as it battles the insurgents. For the first time today pope francis acknowledged he was coming to america. Our team was with him as he began a historic trip to asia. He spoke with Anne Thompson about his plans to visit philadelphia. Reporter on the 11 and a half hour journey to seoul, south korea,s pope spent time with reporters. He acknowledged for the first time he plans to come to america. I asked him in italian if he will come to philadelphia. He said yes. And mentioned world family day that will take place in that city next year. This is the first papals flight to fly over china. As he does with every nations air space that he enters, the pope sent a telegram to chinas president. Whats significant about that telegram is its the first public communication between the vatican and china in more than 50 years. When we landed, his modesty was on display in a nation that likes to flaunt its economic success. Pope francis rolled into the capitol in a compact kia soul. He spoke publicly in english for the first time calling for peace. Peace is not simply the absence of war, but the work of justice. Reporter in a nation that loves the pope seeks its heart with a more basic message. Anne thompson, nbc news, seoul. Now to the olympian who is making a different kind of comeback. Amy van dyke won six gold medals in the summer olympics, but in june she lost the use of her legs after a terrible allterrain vehicle accident. Her road to recovery has not been easy, but it has been inspiring. Nbcs Miguel Almaguer has her story. Stretching for the wall reporter she broke records and made history. The most successful u. S. Athlete at the 96 olympics, she won four gold medals with two more in 2000. In june the champion was inspiring fans again wearing a brave face as she entered physical rehab on a stretcher. Thank you. Reporter still recovering from an atv accident that severed her spinal cord, today shes headed home. Its been a lot of work, yeah, absolutely. Been a lot of smiles and a lot of laughs. Reporter she used the same grit and determination that won her gold to get her strength back. Once the fastest woman in the water, the pool has been her toughest battle. Ill say the first time i went into the swimming pool, that was the hardest thing. Im like im not doing therapy. Im swimming laps. And they looked at me like this is not what were doing. That was really, really hard. Reporter the hall of famer may never walk again, still shes thankful. Ive met some amazing people here. And theyve really changed the way i think. Reporter and she wants to change the way others look at people with spinal cord injuries. Shes already back on the water. I am a better person i think than before this injury. The fact is i did probably pass away and you all of a sudden go, whoo, we got another chance. Lets do it right. Reporter an olympian whos still a champion. Miguel almaguer, nbc news, los angeles. Still ahead tonight, news for anyone in the market for a new car, august usually means big discounts but this year somethings missing on the lot. And later, a star is born and it only took six and a half seconds. 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Summer blowout savings continue reporter slow car sales in august usually mean great deals, but this year sales are sizzling. Nationwide in july more than two dozen models averaged less than 30 days on dealer lots before being sold, well below the 50day average. The fastest selling models are luxury cars, but chevys, toyotas and sub rus are also going fast. At fitzgerald sub ru in maryland, new cars are gone within five days. Right now i have one of these, i have one of these and i have one of these. Reporter and these are your hottest cars . Correct. Reporter greg lewis says sales are the strongest since the cash for clunkers deals. The market is high and Interest Rates are very low and thats driving a lot of people in here to buy cars. Reporter some buyers, like karen, have to wait weeks, even months for their cars to arrive. Im okay waiting just a little bit for what i wanted. Reporter consumer advocates say buyers should do their homework. 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The investigation into wards death is ongoing. He was struck by nascar driver tony stewart during a race last weekend. Today, stewart announced he has withdrawn from a sprint cup event this weekend. Big news tonight about one of the most powerful jobs in sports, mlb chief operating officer rob manfred has been elected the new baseball commissioner by league owners. Hell replace bug selig who has served in that position for over 20 years. Tonight, the curtain drops on a legendary venue. After 54 years san franciscos famed Candlestick Park will host its last public event. The stick has been home to history from playoff games to a papal visit, even the last live beatles concert. And who better to close out the stadium tonight than sir paul mccartney. And a changing of the guard to report here at nbc news. Our political director in chief White House Correspondent chuck todd today was named the new moderator of meet the press. 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But my friends are like freaking out. Reporter now a year later with almost 3 million followers hes a bona fide star. Its like a complete army of people around me right now. I would never expected i would have this much power. Reporter in a sway of internet famous stars is only expected to grow. A variety survey out last week showed that for teens the biggest celebrities in film, tv and music are no match for the popularity of youtube stars. Hes getting so big now. And then hes not going to be my little sister anymore. Reporter seans internet fame has secured him a record deal. And last month his fans pushed his e. P. To number one on itunes, just 30 minutes after its release. All this and not a penny spent on promotion, marketing or radio play. Nothing. If this was to end tomorrow, like i can say i traveled across half the united states. The craziest things that most 16yearolds cant say. Its pretty awesome. Reporter lets not forget his very vocal fan base. Obviously you have thousands of screaming girls chasing you around. Thats amazing. Reporter and already amazing year for a kid who just turned 16. This is like the best summer ever. Thank you guys so much reporter jenna wolfe, nbc news, new york. Best summer ever. Love that. Thats our broadcast for this thursday night. Thank you for being with us. Im lester holt. We hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. Have a great night, everyone. Robin williams shocker, his secret battle with parkinsons, now on extra. Robin williams wife today making a stunning confession. How far along was his parkinsons disease when he took his own life. Then, did this scene trigger his relapse and why he was tortured over making mrs. Doubtfire two. New emergency audio and the very last known photos of williams two nights before his suicide. Broadway dimming its lights in a tribute to the star. Plus, one of robins final interviews that will break your heart. Williams asked what he would do if he had 90 minutes to live. Ushers new interview about his ugly divorce. Hot couples news, George Clooney and his fiance amal boating in italy. And guess who just gave birth to this adorable baby girl. Plus, jon hamm on his dirty dance with Daniel Radcliffe . Now on extra from Universal Studios hollywood, the