From nbc news World Headquarters in new york, this is nbc nightly news with brian williams. Good evening. It is not an allout war but its awfully close. And right now this back and forth firing between hamas and israel is preparing to take a pause, a temporary humanitarian cease fire, so they can get aid into gaza where upwards of a Million People are without water and where most of the casualties have been civilians. Many signs point to israel now preparing to move on the ground. Theyve activated 52,000 Ground Troops in a nation where military service is mandatory. This cycle of violence continues when hamas launches rockets into from gaza rather, israel hits back. Well, today sadly our cameras were there when disaster struck when civilians were hit and killed in gaza including four children. Its where we start again here tonight, our chief Foreign CorrespondentRichard Engel has made his way to tel aviv. Reporter good evening. This brief pause isnt even an attempt to try to end this conflict. Its just a way to get some supplies to the people of gaza. In fact, this conflict seems to be escalating with nearly 200 israeli air strikes against the gaza strip today and about a hundred rockets being fired from gaza into israel. But it is in gaza where they have no shelters, no air defenses where they are seeing the brunt of the casualties. Our camera recorded the shot. An israeli shell smashing into a gaza city port. It was broad daylight. There was no warning. It wasnt the precision war israel says its fighting. A group of boys, cousins, playing on the beach now were running for their lives. Until seconds later another shell hit. Israel claimed it was firing at hamas militants at the port. But the dead were four young boys. Several others from the same extended family were wounded including tussum. He managed to crawl up the beach to a nearby hotel. Medics rushed the boys to a hospital. Parents started to arrive. Unsure what happened, but expecting the worst. A mother asked, where is my son . Where is my love . Then her worst fears came true. Pray for your son, pray for your son, a relative told her. He is now a martyr. As word spread the other boys families arrived. What were the boys doing, a father asked. They didnt have any rockets. He was my only son, said another. Inside the hospital nbcs Ayman Mohyeldin spoke with the wounded boy. He could barely talk, shaking and bleeding. We were playing he said. I was with my cousins, then they died. He was wheeled away for more treatment. Outside crowds gathered. They wanted to take the boys bodies to give them a heros funeral. Grief turned to anger as hundreds joined the procession. In this neighborhood four dead boys became martyrs. Only a few hours earlier they were just boys playing on a beach. And, brian, tonight the Israeli Military in a statement said the incident on the beach is under investigation but blamed hamas for fighting from urban areas. Brian. Richard engel starting us off on this sad state of affairs. Richard reporting tonight from tel aviv. Richard, thank you. In this country there are new concerns being raised tonight about the handling of some of the deadliest viruses on the planet. New revelations about dangerous lapses in safety at the centers for disease control, the cdc. What even the director there calls a breakdown in the safety culture. Nbcs tom costello has the story tonight from our d. C. Newsroom. Good evening. Tonight. Reporter hi, brian. Government announced late today that workers discovered more dangerous pathogens in that box tucked away at the nih. 327 vials dating back to 1946 that contained potentially fatal viruses including dengue fever. Thats in addition to the smallpox samples they found. Disturbing revelations in the labs. Its been a month of astonishing revelations, most recently july 11th the cdc reveals that in may one of its labs accidentally sent dangerous live bird flu samples to a usda research center. July 1st the nih finds live smallpox samples dating back to 1954 improperly kept in an unguarded storage room. And june 13th the cdc announces live anthrax samples were improperly handled in its labs exposing as many as 86 workers. What in heavens name would go through the minds some scientists thinking a ziploc bag is enough to protect someone from anthrax . Reporter on the hill tough bipartisan questions that have been warned about for years including air flow systems repaired with duct tape, unlocked storage coolers, misplaced samples, expired disinfectants. One in three workers lacked training. It appears cdc has not heeded those warnings. This vial of smallpox thats older than i am had been in a cooler. Reporter today cdc director tom frieden offered no excuses. What were seeing is a pattern that we missed. The pattern is an insufficient culture of safety. Reporter the cdc experiments with dangerous diseases and biological agents to development treatments in the event of an outbreak or bioterror attack. They should be kept in air sealed rooms with workers wearing spacelike suits. The cdc director told nbc news scientists sometimes become complacent. Sometimes when scientists work with dangerous organisms year after year, they get too used to them. Reporter the number of labs researching dangerous pathogens has skyrocketed since 9 11. As maybe as 1,500, maybe more, no one is sure. Theres still no Government Agency providing oversight. The more labs you have, the more of a chance that an accident will occur somewhere. Its just simple statistics. Reporter two cdc labs in atlanta remain closed as the agency conducts what it calls a sweeping review of its practices and procedures, but it insists the Public Health is not in any danger. Brian. Tom costello in d. C. For us tonight. Tom, thanks. Third day in a row now of Severe Weather in the northeast. This was the scene today in parts of massachusetts. Flash flooding is a result of rain falling at the rate of over an inch an hour. Northeast still cleaning up from yesterdays high winds and heavy rains. The owner of a home on new yorks long island said he felt lucky to be alive after this 100yearold tree came down in his backyard. All of it part of the same cold air weather system that brought record lows to places like kansas city where it was 49 degrees, 45 in rapid city. In the west an already active fire season getting worse. Five states dealing with wildfires now including two big ones in Washington State where they officially declared a state of emergency today. The long and severe drought and warmer winter are being blamed as the summer heat gets worse and conditions get even drier. Many are forecasting a record remainder of the season ahead. And in california as they deal with unprecedented drought theyve now imposed steep fines for people who break the rules against the use of water outdoors. And at the urging of cities and towns thousands of people have been reporting violators by turning in their own neighbors. The report from Southern California tonight from nbcs mike tiaibii. Reporter the impact grows more profound. Wildfires feasting on parched timber. Half a million acres of farmland not being farmed, businesses folding. Mark glasser of riverside believes the dire warnings. Hes gone from a thirsty lawn on his 7,000 square foot property to desert landscaping and cut his water use by fourfifths. Going from 400 a month in peak summertime season to barely cresting maybe 100. Reporter and now fines of up to 500 a day for wasteful outdoor watering, washing your car without a shutoff nozzle, unchecked sprinkles washing down sidewalks or driveways. There is not an infinite supply of water and we have to use that water sufficiently otherwise it may not be there tomorrow for us. Reporter heres the droughts impact. The lake north of l. A. Down 70 feet since may. Back then there was water where im standing now, and it continues to drop another foot every day. Montecito, home to celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and al gore, didnt wait for the new rules. Convincing homeowners to cut back now. Watering once a week is sufficient for us. Reporter and in sacramento theyve cut water use by 17 by declaring gold is the new green encouraging painted lawns and by inviting everyone to report anyone whos wasting precious water. Were all water managers. We can take the power upon ourselves to make sure that we, you know, do our best to conserve. Reporter and folks are ready to point the finger at violators. In bone dry san diego. Its good we keep an eye on make sure nobody abuses the water. Reporter and on social media. Drought shaming posts show neighbors spraying the sidewalk for an hour or washing his car, thanks, read this post, for using the last bucket of water in california. The experts say the state could effectively run dry in less than two years. Now californians are being told Pay Attention or it will cost you. Mike taibbi nbc news, los angeles. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is heading to iowa tomorrow. The New York Times calls the trip a delicate postlane closing political strategy for the governor who has been hurt by the g. W. Bridge scandal back home in new jersey. A new nbc news marist poll found americans in iowa and New Hampshire view him more negatively than all other gop president ial prospects. We get our report tonight from nbcs kelly odonnell. Reporter despite the toll taken by scandal on his national image. If youre really awful, no ones after you. Reporter today, governor Chris Christie put his new jersey spin on a reboot of his president ial chances. Its such an awful burden to be asked if you want to be leader of the free world. Its terrible. Reporter at an investors conference hosted by cnbc, christie enjoyed the 2016 speculation both swatting it away. Since, you know, you were obnoxious enough to ask again so i might as well give you something. Reporter and giving it oxygen. The fact is that you should be ware of people in my opinion, who are overanxious to make that decision before they need to. That would, it seems, indicate to me ambition before wisdom. Reporter take note of christies travel schedule. Tomorrow he makes multiple stops across iowa. And later this month New Hampshire. As head of the republican governors association, christie is going to raise money for gop candidates. But he can also test his personal standing with voters. Seen as a moderate, christies shot of the gop nomination had already been viewed skeptically by the far right. Then his crossover appeal was damaged by the bridge lane closure controversy. Top aides were ousted, state and federal investigations are still underway. Christies denied any wrongdoing. Someone went rogue on my watch. Now listen, im accountable for that. Reporter his trips to iowa and New Hampshire may determine how big a political price Chris Christie paid. Kelly odonnell, nbc news, washington. Still ahead for us tonight, the new warning about a popular treatment for heart conditions and cholesterol control and why doctors now say it could be risky. And later, a look back at the classic that changed summer in this country. You know what i love america . Fine barbecue, good times and zero heartburn. And thats why i take prilosec otc each morning for my frequent heartburn. Because it gives me. Zero heartburn prilosec otc. The number 1 doctorrecommended frequent heartburn medicine for 9 straight years. You cant beat zero heartburn. Prilosec otc. One pill each morning. 24 hours. Zero heartburn. Sfx car unlock beep. Vo davids heart attack didnt come with a warning. Today his doctor has him on a bayer aspirin regimen to help reduce the risk of another one. If youve had a heart attack be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. Im dave and i have copd. Im kate and i have copd, but i dont want my breathing problems to get in the way my volunteering. Thats why i asked my doctor about breo. Oncedaily breo ellipta helps increase airflow from the lungs for a full 24 hours. And breo helps reduce symptom flareups that last several days and require oral steroids, antibiotics, or hospital stay. Breo is not for asthma. Breo contains a type of medicine that increases risk of death in people with asthma. It is not known if this risk is increased in copd. Breo wont replace rescue inhalers for sudden copd symptoms and should not be used more than once a day. Breo may increase your risk of pneumonia, thrush, osteoporosis, and some eye problems. Tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high Blood Pressure before taking breo. Ask your doctor about breo for copd. First prescription free at mybreo. Com we mentioned this earlier, a warnings been issued tonight concerning a popular cholesterol lowering treatment thats been used for over half a century. Americans are filling almost 700,000 prescriptions for niacin every month. That number has tripled in the past decade, but now doctors are reporting in the new england journal of medicine that it doesnt work for heart health. And worse they say it could be dangerous. Our chief medical editor, dr. Nancy snyderman here with us to talk about this. Nancy, good evening. Good evening, brian. Niacin otherwise known to a lot of people as vitamin b3. Were talking about this drug because its been used to treat high cholesterol. White statins are the most commonly used drugs to lower cholesterol, many people still use niacin to raise their good cholesterol believing it will reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. But todays study says that is not the case. Researchers looked at over 25,000 people, half were on niacin, and they found, one, it does not reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke, causes serious risk of infection or internal bleeding and increases risk for diabetes. Bottom line is niacin is only appropriate for patients who cannot use statins and then only under a very strict supervision with your doctor. And taking over the counter niacin, the idea of that to reduce your cholesterol probably not going to do any good either. My advice tonight, stick that aside and talk to your doctor. This really got our attention today. Nancy, thank you. Were back in a moment with a midair scare that had passengers hitting the roof. Looks like were about to board. Mmhmm. Im just comparing Car Insurance rates at progressive. Com. Is that where they show the other guys rates, too . Mmhmm. Cool. Yeah. Hi. Final boarding call for flight 294. [ bells ring on sign ] [ vehicle beeping ] whos ready for the garlic festival . This guy bringing our competitors rates to you now, thats progressive. Its progressive pain. First that feeling of numbness. Then hot pins. Almost like lightning bolts, hot strikes into my feet. So my doctor prescribed lyrica. The pain has been reduced and i feel better than i did before. [ male announcer ] its known that diabetes damages nerves. Lyrica is fdaapproved to treat diabetic nerve pain. Lyrica is not for everyone. It may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. Tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior. Or, swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, changes in eyesight, including blurry vision, muscle pain with fever, tired feeling or skin sores from diabetes. Common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs and feet. Dont drink alcohol while taking lyrica. Dont drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. Those who have had a drug or alcohol problem may be more likely to misuse lyrica. [ karen ] having less pain, that means everything to me. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor about lyrica today. Its specific treatment for diabetic nerve pain. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor about lyrica today. You know. Theres a more enjoyable way to get your fiber. Try phillips fiber good gummies. Theyre delicious and an excellent source of fiber to help support regularity. Mmmm. These are good the tasty side of fiber. From phillips and cialis for daily use helps you be Ready Anytime the moment is right. Cialis is also the only daily ed tablet approved to treat symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently. Tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medicines, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. Do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as it may cause an unsafe drop in Blood Pressure. Do not drink alcohol in excess. Side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. To avoid long term injury, get medical help right away for an erection lasting more than four hours. If you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or any allergic reactions like rash, hives, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing or swallowing, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. Ask your doctor about cialis for daily use and a free 30tablet trial. Three, two, one, zero. All engine running. Liftoff. Where were you . That was 45 years ago tonight. Three men lifted off on a mission to the moon that had no guarantee of success or their own survival. They were the living embodiment of the right stuff. Apollo 11 was the culmination of the space race, a dead sprint against the russians for a decade who these days ironically offer the only ride to space for our american astronauts. Of the original three apollo 11 astronauts, buzz aldrin and Michael Collins survive. Neil armstrong died two years ago this summer. Closer to earth in airplane news, a bad ride on a south African Airways flight to hong kong. 20 injuries in a bout of clear air turbulence. Some passengers heads cracked the overhead compartments. More proof yeep your seat belts fastened while seated they say. And its important to know your pilot can if they need to, this is the work of a test pilot flying the boeing 787 taking a big commercial jet out for a spin cranking off a vertical takeoff just like they do in an f16. These are good times for boeing back home in seattle. Qatar airways just ordered 50 of the new generation 777 x jets with an option to buy 50 more. Thats a 19 billion Product Launch for boeing. The folks at the Insurance Institute for highway safety, the people who are always crashing perfectly good cars, they are out with an interesting list of the safest used cars for parents of nonrich kids who want their kids to have a safe ride. There are some surprises on the list including cars you cant quite envision kids driving, like the lincoln mks, the buick regal and lacrosse. Smaller and more reasonable choices include the prius and camry. For those interested, we have the entire list on our website tonight, nbcnews. Com. A marine corps veteran of the vietnam war lost both of his legs to a land mine 40 years ago is expressing thanks to the selfless employees at his local Lowes Home Improvement store in staten island, new york. After they fixed his wheelchair. He says hes been in a paperwork battle with the v. A. For two years, a bolt snapped on his old chair and he was at wits end when the lowes guys took him to the back of the store after closing time and told him when they were done his chair would be as good as new. This photo expressing his thanks tells you all you need to know. 62yearold michael susauna is a grateful man living in a grateful nation. And as luck would have it, after his story went viral on the web, a new wheelchair arrived at his home from the v. A. When we come back tonight, four decades later its the reason we still wonder if its safe to go in the water. [ female announcer ] its simple physics. A body at rest tends to stay at rest. While a body in motion tends to stay in motion. Staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. But if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. Prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion. Because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief for many with arthritis pain and inflammation. Plus, in clinical studies, celebrex is proven to improve daily physical function so moving is easier. Celebrex can be taken with or without food. And its not a narcotic. You and your doctor should balance the benefits with the risks. All prescription nsaids, like celebrex, ibuprofen, naproxen and meloxicam have the same cardiovascular warning. They all may increase the chance of heart attack or stroke, which can lead to death. This chance increases if you have Heart Disease or risk factors such as high Blood Pressure or when nsaids are taken for long periods. Nsaids, like celebrex, increase the chance of serious skin or allergic reactions, or stomach and intestine problems, such as bleeding and ulcers, which can occur without warning and may cause death. Patients also taking aspirin and the elderly are at increased risk for stomach bleeding and ulcers. Dont take celebrex if you have bleeding in the stomach or intestine, or had an asthma attack, hives, other allergies to aspirin, nsaids or sulfonamides. Get help right away if you have swelling of the face or throat, or trouble breathing. Tell your doctor your medical history. And find an Arthritis Treatment for you. Visit celebrex. Com and ask your doctor about celebrex. For a body in motion. 40 years ago this summer peter benchleys book called jaws was in the middle of a long run on the best seller list. Reading it was scary enough, but then the next summer came the movie which pretty much changed summer and going to the beach for an entire american generation. Tonight, harry smith has our report on a summer myth about a big fish that has endured. Reporter from the moment we heard the first notes of John Williams unforgettable score, we knew we had a reason to be afraid. Screaming fans decided then and there to never again swim in the ocean. A shark is attracted to the exact kind of splashing and activity that occurs whenever human beings go in swimming. You cannot avoid it. Reporter the young and untested Steven Spielberg wanted this scene with stunt woman susan b backlinie to be as real as possible. She was hooked to cables pulled back and forth to the beach and dressed in little more than cutoff blue jeans and swim fins. A lot of times when the shark bites they take the person out of the water. So he wanted me as high up as i could possibly get without giving him an r rating. Reporter jaws was not however the beginning of shark mania. During the summer of 1916, four people were killed by sharks, or a shark, on the jersey shore. A Bad Reputation was born. Shark reporter but the movie based on peter benchleys runaway best seller forever put sharks in the pantheon of evil predators. Up until jaws people didnt even realize there were sharks in the water. Reporter ben and Emily Dreyfuss recently agreed the movie that made their father famous doesnt make much sense. You can find some plot holes. It could make more sense. It could. Youre going to need a bigger boat. They had the bigger boat. Yeah, they had the bigger boat. They just didnt take it. Reporter and while happy to indulge his childrens opinions over skype, dreyfuss himself knows jaws is a masterpiece. Yes, its a masterpiece. Any film that can make certain people lose their faculties, you know, 50 years later, i think thats considered a masterpiece. Reporter yes, while most of us agree it is safe to go in the water, who of us doesnt think what if . Harry smith, nbc news new york. Thats our broadcast on this wednesday night. Thank you for being here with us. Im brian williams. We hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. Good night. The answer to treating your dogs fleas and ticks is staring you right in the face. Nexgard, from the makers of frontline® plus. Its the only soft, beefflavored chew that kills both fleas and ticks. Vets recommend it. And dogs, well, theyre begging for it. Nexgard is for dogs only. And hasnt been evaluated for use in pregnant, breeding or lactating dogs. Reported side effects include vomiting, dry flaky skin, diarrhea, lethargy and lack of appetite. Use with caution in dogs with a history of seizures. Recommended by vets. Loved by dogs. From the makers of frontline plus. An innocent picture of me posting a selfie, like this. Disgusting. Feel like youre