Being widely discredited. And a big move for a paralyzed man unable to use his arms and legs. Now able to play video games, a medical breakthrough with the power to change lives. Nightly news begins right now. Announcer from nbc news World Headquarters in new york, this is nbc nightly news with lester holt. Good evening. We. Begin with a chilling exo of the cold war. U. S. Officials expressing deep concern tonight over a dangerously Close Encounter caught on tape between an American Navy destroyer and russian fighter jets. The navy says its vessel was operating in International Waters of the ballotig sea when the russian warplanes made simulated attack passes. Whats being described as one of the most aggressive acts in a growing pattern of muscleflexing by russia. Nbcs Peter Alexander has details. Reporter below the bridge link. Russian fighter jets busing the uss donald cooke. Unarmed attack claims one stricken within 30 feet and so low that the plane caused a wake in the water. These photo revealing how close they came. The flybis, more than 30 in all between monday and tuesday. U. S. Officials say the cook was in International Russians 70 miles off the russian coast. The ships commanding oflser condemning russias behavior as unsafe and unprofessional. Watch the jets aggressively swooping in over the deck, simulate hag maneuver that would be used in an attack. Earlier a russian helicopter made seven passes above the cook photographing the ship. The department of defense officials taking note. I hear the russians are up to their old tricks again. Reporter white house, too. Reporter the Russian Military, including Russian Military aircraft, have come close enough to each other or have come close enough to other raise serious safety concerns. Reporter the u. S. European command warn the russian jet actions could unnecessarily increase tensions or cause serious injury or death. Last october two u. S. Navy jets intercepted a pair of russian planes flying near a u. S. Ship in the pacific ocean. Four months earlier a russian jet buzzing a uss destroyer in the back sea. Its happened before, but never like this. Peter alexander, nbc news, washington. Theres late word tonight of another big shakeup in the Trump Campaign bringing on a heavy hitter, a veteran gop strategist as the frontrunner steps up his attacks on his own party, calling the primary rules a disgrace. Nbcs katy tur has new details on trumps war. Reporter the gop frontrunner openly at war with the gop itself. The system, folks, is rigged. Its a rigged system. Now you have to understand im not complaining about the states that i won. Those are okay. Reporter trump was able to outnegotiate him in louisiana and colorado by convincing more unbound delegates to support cruz. Trump focusing on party rules under which winning the most votes doesnt necessarily equal winning the most delegates, and now hes placing blame right at the top with the rnc chairman telling the hill its a disgrace for the party and Reince Priebus should be ashamed of himself. Priebus responding on twitter nomination process known for a year and beyond. Its the responsibility of the campaigns to understand it. Complaints now . Give us all a break. Trump trying to blame the system and galvanize his supporters, many of whom say they feel alienated by washington. If the rnc were to be perceived by the millions of Trump Supporters as somehow not supporting him fully, it would permanently damage the gop. Reporter right now trump needs to win 61 of the remaining delegates to get to 1,237 and lock up the nomination on the least one rnc rules Committee Member suggests the rules wont be so stringent. If donald trump exceeds 1,100 votes, he will become the nominee even though he may not have 1,237. Reporter after Campaign Infighting donald trump announced another big hire, rick wiley, Governor Scott walkers former campaign manager, another sign that the campaign is trying to get serious about this delegate hunt. Tonight here in pittsburgh, pennsylvania, with 71 delegates up for grabs. Lester . Katy tur, thank you. There are even more new twists tonight in the shooting death of former nfl star will smith. For the first time were hearing his wifes account of the night her husband was killed and she was left badly wounded. Nbcs Gabe Gutierrez has the latest. Reporter today three her attorney raquel smith, still recovering in the hospital from two gunshot wounds to her le ags, gave her first public account of the shooting death of her husband, former nfl star wil smith. Always does, was protecting her. Reporter he says saturday night the hummer driven by smiths alleged killer cardel hayes stopped suddenly. They slammed on their brakes on magazine street, did not believe they even hit the hummer. Reporter so they drove off. Suddenly this hummer drove up up at great speed behind them and rammed the bask their car. Reporter police say an argument between the two men escalated, and hayes opened fire. We have evidence that shows no remorse whatsoever, that he actually stood over will smiths dead body. Reporter did mr. Smith ever threaten to go get his gun inside the car . Im not aware of any threats by mr. Smith to go get a gun. Reporter but on tuesday Police Confirmed they discovered a fully loaded gun in smiths car raising a number of questions, including why it took investigators more than two days to find it. Police say they needed time to methodically execute a search warrant. The coroner said today smith was shot eight the back and once in the left side of his chest. And for the first time were hearing from the attorney of hayes passenger who calls this justifiable homicide. Smith had had a gun and was going to shoot it and cardel may have saved boast their lives, the attorney tells nbc news. We assume will smith is a saint, but hes not. A public viewing for smith now scheduled for friday as the investigation into his final moments intensifies. Gabe gutierrez, nbc news, new orleans. The teen known for his socalled affluenza defense is back in the headlines. Ethan couch face adjudge once again today in adult court, and this time he did receive prison time, nearly two years or 180 days for each of the four people he killed in a drunk driving crash. Nbcs Miguel Almaguer has more. Reporter ethan couch, better known as the affluenza teens, was in adult court today ordered to stay in jail for nearly two years. The 19yearold who was at the center of manhunt saying little in court as the judge imposed his sentence. You will remain in the county jail at this time. I want you to understand that. Youre not getting out of jail today. Reporter in 2013 couch received ten years probation after a drunk driving accident that left four dead and nine others injured. The defense argued his life of privilege left him with no sense of responsibility. Last december after this video surfaced which was said to show couch partying, he was accused of violating his probation. He fled to mexico with his mom, evading authorities for weeks. Today tonya couch watched her son sentenced. Weve all wanted justice for this, and i, you know, im certainly glad to see that his you know, his confinement is going to. Reporter ethan couch ordered to stay in jail. 180 days enough . I dont think it is, but thats the limb nations of the hybrid case that were at. For families small victory but still not enough. Miguel almaguer, nbc news . Tonight a heated standoff is under way after tens of thousands of verizon workers walked off the job early today. A major strike that will potentially impact millions of customers. Nbcs Stephanie Gosk has details. Reporter from boston to new york to arlington, tens of thousands of verizon workers took their grievances to the street. Cootntract negotiations over health care, pensions and outsourcing are at a standstill. The goal is to hurt verizon and to compel them to come to the table and zettel. Reporter strike affects verizons telephone, internet and tv business on the east coast separate from verizons much larger and more profitable wireless business. The workers out here are the technicians, the people that take calls in the call centers or fix the telephone line. Verizon says they train 10,000 people to take over them. The problem is there are 36,000 workers on i think if the strike goes on for several months, the questions will be about customer loyalty, customer satisfaction. Reporter in new york today, it was an irresistible campaign stop. Hillary clinton in manhattan, Bernie Sanders in brooklyn. Verizons ceo blasted back. When rhetoric becomes disconnected from reality, weve crossed a dangerous line. Verizon, which made a profit more than 18 billion in 2015, says the companys proposals are both fair and necessary to stay competitive, but Union Leaders refuse to go into mediation. This company has no boundaries at all when it comes to greed. Reporter today at least compromise is not on the table. Stephanie gosk, nbc news, new york. A scathing new report is calling out the Chicago Police department for longstanding systematic racism in its r. Now the task force behind the report is demanding sweeping changes. We get more from nbcs ron mott. Reporter tonight a task force appointed revealing its blunt findings, that the Police Department has a history of racism and must address it head on. I think where theres no doubt that we have a lot of work to do in the sense of not only restoring trust but building what i think are essential values of transparency. Reporter report cited the 2014 death of m laquan mcdonald, an unarmed black man shot 16 times by police, calling it the Tipping Point for community anger. The Task Force Found police here have shot blacks at an alarming disproportionate percentage over the years, nearly threequarter of Police Shooting victims from 2008 to 2014 were africanamerican, compared to 1 hispanic and 8 white and the report also finding black drivers were stopped by police more often than white or hispanics and subjected to vehicle searches at a rate nearly that four times of whites. The man now directly tasked with guiding chicagos Police Department into the future, eddie johnson, was unanimously approved by the city council today. A rebuke of Chicago Police culture and of the Department Still under way. Ron mott, nbc news, chicago. We have a story now of a breakthrough that sounds like something out of a Science Fiction magazine or novel. A man paralyzed for years after breaking his neck now able to move his hand, even playing games all thanks to a chip implanted by doctors in his brain. Nbcs joe fryar on this new medical hope. Reporter these may look like mindless hand movements, but they are the product of six years of research in one paralyzed mans hard fought quest to move his own hand using his own thoughts. I really hope that this is going to be something that will give People Movement back to they thought was lost forever. Reporter five years ago when ian burkhart was a College Freshman he dove into an ocean wave and was slammed into a sandbar breaking his neck. The freak accident left him paralyzed from the middle of his chest down. While his brain can still send signals his spinal cord injury and cant get to his muscles, so doctors at ohio state implanted a chip in his brain, a computer then decodes all the signals and sends that information to another device on burkharts arm, a bypass around his damaged nerves. It wasnt something that was completely natural because i lost all the sensation in my arms, so i had to rely hon my eyes to really know that my hand was opening and closing. Reporter like a child learning to walk, burkharts progress was gradual. At first any movement was an accomplishment, but after months of grueling work he can now swipe a credit card and even play the guy tar, sort of. For now all of this is only possible when hes in the lab hooked up to the computers. The goal is to make this simple and routine so patients can use it at home with his family. Reporter its still early but the Research Holds Promise for those with stroke and traumatic brain injuries, Ground Breaking technology with the dy. Joe fryar, nbc news. Exciting possibilities. Still ahead tonight, actor Robert Deniro like youve never heard him before opening up to nbc news about his sons autism and defending a highly controversial antivaccine film. Also outrageous wait times. What airports are doing about increasingly long you owned your car for four years, you named it brad. You loved brad. And then you totaled him. Ryou two had been through evu. Erything together. Two boyfriends, three jobs. T youre like nothing can replace brad. Then Liberty Mutual calls, r and you break into your happy dance. If you sign up for better car replacement , well pay for a car thats a model year newer with 15,000 fewer miles than your old one. See Car Insurance in a whole new light. Liberty mutual insurance. Lergies with nasal congestion . Find fast relief behind the counter with claritind. [ upbeat music ] strut past that aisle for the allergy relief that starts working in as little as 30 minutes oral decongestant. Live claritin clear, for your retirement, you want to celebrate the little things, because theyre big to you. And that is why you invest. The best returns arent just measured in dollars. Td ameritrade. Actor Robert De Niro is raising eyebrows over nbc news about autism. In a rare moment de niro opened up about his 18yearold son who has autism, and he is now the biggest celebrity yet to voice a widely discredited point of view that childhood vaccines and autism are connected. Nbcs kate snow has more. Reporter in a candid interview on today Robert De Niro says he believes theres a link between vaccines and autism. I as the parent of a child who has autism, im concerned, and i want to know the truth, and im not antivaccine. I want safe vaccines. Reporter just two weeks ago, de niro and his tribeca Film Festival pulled a controversial new documentary on that very topic because other filmmakers were threatening to back out, but today de niro said he still wants people to see the film vaxxed. The there are many people who come out and say i saw my child change overnight. Reporter is that the experience you had, your child changed overnight . My wife says that. My child is autistic, and every kid is different, but there is something there. Theres something there that people arent address, and for me to get so upset here today on the today show with you guys means theres something there. Reporter dr. Paul offet heads a prominent vaccine education center. Saddens me to think that someone as someone intelligent as Robert De Niro could believe theres a vast International Conspiracy involving hundreds of reference and academicans and others to hide the truth. Reporter 15 studies found no relationship between vaccination and you a trump and Autism Speaks says vaccines do not cause autism. The fact that vaccines dont cause autism is a fact. Reporter scientists worry de niros words will create unnecessary fear and confusion for parents. Kate snow, nbc news. Were back in a moment with why steph curry and the Golden State Warriors have a almost everything, so we know how to cover almost anything. Even a stag pool party. party music splashing destruction splashing destruction burke and we covered it, october twentyseventh, 2014. Talk to farmers. We know a thing or two because weve seen a thing or two. We are farmers. Bumpadum, bumbumbumbum another day, and im still struggling with my diabetes. I do my best to manage. But its hard to keep up with it. Your body and your diabetes change over time. Your treatment plan may too. Know your options. Oncedaily toujeo is a longacting insulin from the makers of lantus. It releases slowly to provide consistent insulin levels for a full 24 hours. Toujeo also provides proven full 24hour blood sugar control manmade insulin used to control high blood sugar in adults with diabetes. It contains 3 times as much insulin in 1 milliliter as standard insulin. P dont use toujeo to treat diabetic ketoacidosis, r during episodes of low blood sugar, t or if youre allergic to insulin. Allergic reaction may occur anksd may be life threatening. Dont reuse needles or share insulin pens, even if the needle has been changed. The most common side effect is low blood sugar, which can be serious and life threatening. It may cause shaking, sweating, fast heartbeat, and blurred vision. Check your blood sugar levels daily while using toujeo. Injection site reactions may occur. Dont change your dose or type of insulin without talking to your doctor. Tell your doctor if you take other medicines and about all your medical conditions. Insulins, including toujeo, in combination with tzds thiazolidinediones may cause serious side effects like Heart Failure that can lead to death, which could be serious. Pay no more than 15 per prescription for 12 months. Eligibility restrictions apply. Learn more at toujeo. Com info or call 8005803421. Also, 9 out of 10 Medicare Part d patients can get toujeo at the lowest branded copay. Ask your doctor about the proven full 24hour blood sugar control of toujeo its the final night of the nba regular season, and the Golden State Warriors have a shot at making history. Steph curry and company could shatter the record for most regular season wins which is 72 set by Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls 20 years ago. And after 20 seasons, kobe bryant takes the court for the final time. A big farewell planned for the superstar who earned five Championship Rings with the lakers. If youve been to the airport lately, then youre likely well aware that lines are swelling, overwhelmed by an increase in passengers and not enough people on the job. There are growing calls for the tsa to fix it. The head of charlottes airport saying today they are dealing with lines up to three hours. Heres nbcs tom costello. Reporter pick your airport, atlanta, minneapolis, newark. The tsas security checkpoints are looking more like choke points. Lines closed because there arent enough screeners. Pay mock the worst in the country seattle, waits as long as 90 minutes. Better be there an hour and a half before your flight because, you know in, some instances thats barely going to get you there in time. Reporter sea tack says the tsa has staffing of 19 of the 32 lanes so the airport is hiring private contractors to help load bins and guide passengers. The Security Officers will now have time to focus on actually screening and xraying bags. Reporter Mitch Brennan was waiting at newark. Im really hoping that i can even make my flight at this point. Can you see the line behind me reporter tsa admits its simply struggling with attrition and understaffed having underestimated the sudden surge in passenger volume nationwide. Passenger volume now averaging 2. 2 billion a day. On sundays 3 million. The choke points are causing passengers to miss flights. On a recent spring break week nearly 6,800 American Airlines passengers never made it on board prepared for high volumes at the airport its because there are just that many more people traveling. Reporter to speed things up the tsa is hiring 200 new officers each week and moving dog teams from slow to busy airports to screen passengers standing in line. In the dogs or officers dont detect explosives, passengers could move to expedited screening lanes. Tom costello, nbc news, chicago ohare airport. When we come back, a rock star of the tech world, sean parker on his multimillion moon im always there for my daughter. For the little things. And the big milestones. And just like im there for her, pacific life is there to help protect me and my family so i can enjoy all lifes moments. Pacific life. Helping families for over 145 years achieve longterm Financial Security with lifelong retirement income. Talk to a Financial Advisor today to grow your future with confidence. T let dust and allergies get between you and life s beautiful moments. With flonase allergy relief, they wont. Most allergy pills only control one inflammatory substance. Flonase controls six. And six is greater than one. Flonase changes everything. This is joanne. Heuhr long day as a hair stylist starts with shoulder pain when. Hey joanne, want to trade the all day relief of 2 aleve with 6 tylenol . Give up my 2 aleve for 6 tylenol . No thanks. For me. Its aleve. Pi had so many thoughts ponce i left the hospital after a dvt blood clot. What about my wife. What were building together. And could this happen again . I was given warfarin in the hospital, but wondered, was this the best treatment for me . Pi spoke to my doctor and she told me about eliquis. Blood clots pand reduces the risk of them happening again. Pnot only does eliquis treat dvt and pe blood clots. Z but eliquis also had x significantly less major x bleeding than zthe standard treatment. Knowing eliquis had both. Turned around my thinking. Ndont stop eliquis unless you doctor tells you to. Neliquis can cause serious, and in rare cases, fatal bleeding. Ndont take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve nor abnormal bleeding. Nif you had a spinal injection while on eliquis ncall your doctor right away if you have tingling, nnumbness, or muscle weakness. Nwhile taking eliquis, you may bruise more easily. Nand it may take longer than usual nfor bleeding to stop. Nseek immediate medical care for sudden signs of bleeding, nlike unusual bruising. Na eliquis may increase your bleeding risk nif you take certain medicines. Ntell your doctor about all planned medical nor dental procedures. Eliquisz treats dvt z pe blood clots. Plus had lessx major bleeding. Z both made switching z to eliquis right for me. Ask your doctor if its right finally tonight, we want to tell you about the launch of an ambitious new moon shots of sorts to end cancer. It comes through famed tech billionaire sean parker who announced a huge 250 million donation for cuttingedge research, and tonight hes speaking about text conclusively with nbcs keith morrison. Reporter at 19, he was a disrupter. He cofunded napster, and at 24 he was a president of facebook. Im sean parker. How do you do. Reporter though the parker played by Justin Timberlake in the social network the was not him at all, he says, but he is a billionaire with a huge ambition, to well, not him, of course, but the unique band of world class scientists hes brought together to fix a system that he says is simply not working. When someone that has my background as an entrepreneur sees an opportunity to change lives, to change the world and its not being funded. Reporter why cant i do it . Its actually kind of in my dna to go after those sorts of opportunities. Reporter how . Unprecedented collaboration mostly and a way to break through red tape. What if the breakthroughs and data at one institution could be used by anyone at the other . Reporter today parker announced that 40 cancer labs and more than 300 researchers have signed on. Their focus, immunotherapy which tries to turn a patients own immune system against his or her cancer. Parker is a believer in umno therapy. And so is fifth grader emily whitehead. When we met her three years ago show was struggling with leukemia, and after immunotherapy. Shes cancerfree, and i couldnt believe it. I just i thought it was a dream. Reporter parker wants more emilys. Its a Manhattan Project for curing cancer with the immune system. Reporter too ambitious . Maybe, and maybe not. This is what cures look like. Reporter maybe a disruption that saves lives. Keith morrison, nbc news, los angeles. Thats going to do it for us on this wednesday night. Im lester holt. For all of us at nbc. Bradley cooper, will smith, Jennifer Lawrence and chris pratt. Hollywoods biggest stars invade las vegas now on extra [ cheers and applause ] [ cheers and applause ] the vegas strip looking like the 0s car red carpet. Bradley coopers hangover reunion. Thats where ken jeongs balls were around my neck. J law and chris pratts slipup. And we have all the breaking