and i approved this message... because change is coming." brea breaking news tonight. protests erupting at the capitol with the supreme court cliff-hanger now hours from a make or break vote. democrats blasting the fbi's report as a sham. republicans hailing it as vindication. as we await word from critical undecided senators, stunning words tonight from a former supreme court justice about brett kavanaugh. russian spies charged with hacking the u.s. anti-doping agency stealing the medical records of the williams sisters and simone biles to them of accuse cheating. the hunt for a masked killer dressed in black and terrorizing chicago. executing people seemingly at random. >> the fact is somebody in this roo probably knows who he is. he's somebody's neighbor. one of the biggest superstars on the planet cristiano

naldo accused of rape. his national team now sidelining him and tonight nike weighs in billion-dollar man. growing questions afteseven officers are shot while serving a warrant. one of them killed. others in critical condition. was it an ambush? gas prices rising and could soon hit their highest level in four years. why your family could pay a lot more next year. and parents behaving badly. brawling on the hand shakeine at their kids' football game. fists flying, kids crying, and adults in need of a time-out. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. >> good evening, everyone. drama, anger, and frustration playing out at the u.s. heapitol tonight on eve of a key vote in the confirmation of brett kav to the supreme court. todaprotesters crowded the halls confronting senators who in a secure room got their first look at what the fbi learned in its five-dayackground investigation of kavanaugh. republicans reading os findings as a green light to confirm him.

democrats labeling it incomplete. and tonight both sides or counting heads confirmation or rejection. once again, peter alexander leads off our coverage. r eporter: tonight thsands of demonstrators marching on the supremeourt protesting brett kavanaugh. >> shut it down! shut it down! >> kavanaugh has got to go! >> reporter: tensions on capitol hill, too, where they're blasting the fbi background investigation. these women confronting utah republic orrin hatch. >> don't you wave your veand at me. i wamy hand at you. >> when you grow up -- >> when i grow up! d >> reporter: a senators filing into a secure room reserved for classified briefings getting their first look at di the fbi's fs that will likely determine kavanaugh's fate. two crucial republicans seemed satisfied with the report. yi susan collins it appears to be a very thorough investigation. and je flake who originally called for the investigation saying it offered no

additional corroborating information. to back up sexual misconductegations against kavanaugh. but heidi heitkamp already announced her decision. >> i will be voting oro. >> rr: republicans saying the findings vindicate kavanaugh. >> for gs sake, this is the united states of america. nobody is supposed to be guilty until proven innocent in this country. >> so why don't we duck him under water and see if he floats?gh en enough already. let's vote. >> reporter: democrats slamming the five-day investigation as intentionally restricted and incomplete. >> democrats agreed that the investigatione scould be limited. we do not agree that the white house should tie the fbi hands. >> i'm not allowed to discuss it. the public can't see it. it's a complete sh>>. eporter: in total, fbi agents contacted ten potential witnesses interviewing nine. among those t interviewed, kavanaugh and his accuser

christine blasey ford whose allegations he denies. ford's legal team tonight denouncing the, quote, investigation as a stain on the process on the fbi and our american ideal of justice. can the white house say to americans right now they did a thorough job of vetting these claims. >> anybody that pushes back on the fact that dr. ford wasn't giamn e opportunity to state her case has been living in a cave. >> reporter: getting off air force one in minnesota tonight, president trump greeting supporters and praising his pick. >> i think he's doing very well. the judge is doing well, right? >> rorter: tonight 300 of the protesters at the capitol have been arrested. meanwhile, retired supreme court justice john paul stevens who once applauded kavanaugh now says he doesn't belong on the urt. e former liberal justice saying kavanaugh's performance in the hearings, temperament changed his mind. >> all right. peter alexander starting us off at the white house. tonight all the drama shifts to the senate chamber where the

first of tes is set for tomorrow morning. kasie hunt is at the capito what can you tell us? >> reporter: lester, good evening. we are on the eve of en an historic m for the united states senate. republican leaders insist they're going to hold t first vote on judge kavanaugh tomorrow morning. setting up a final confirmation likely on saturday. but it's friday's vote that's make or break. ort's going to tell us whetheot judge kavanaugh has the votes to be confirmed. and at this hour, there are four undecided.ho are republican susan collins, lisa owski, and jeff flake. they are still reviewing the fbi report and staying silent on what they plan to do. then thehe wild card. senator joe manchin. a democrat from deep red west virginia. he still doesn't know how he's going to vote ubither. if rcans lose three of these senators, judge kavanaugh cannot be confirmest ? >> kasie hunt, thank you. tonight the u.s. has charged seven top russian spies with hacking into anti-doping agencies and steali medical records of u.s. athletes like

serena williams and simone biles to falsely accuse them of cheating the motive? apparently revenge. our justice te correspondent williams has the stunning details. >> reporter: the justice department says after russia was banned fromhe 2016 olympics in rio for giving athletes performance enhancing drugs, russian military intelligence officers began hacking into the u.s. anti-doping agency in colorado. the russians stole medical records of 250 athletes, prosecors y, including serena and venus williams and gymnast simone biles falsely clming they were doping. the government says the russians were trying to get even. they cheated. they got caught. they were banned from the olympics. they were mad. and they retaliated. >> reporter: the u.s. filed charges against seven officers of russia's military intelligence unit. three of them were speparately charged in july bial counsel robert mueller with meddling in the u.s. presidential

election. four other russiin lligence officers were accused of hacking into this chemical weapons agency in theth lands as it was investigating april's nerve agent attack on a former russian spy and his ughter in england. dutch authorities say the four traveled on diplomatic passports, took these surveillance photos of their target, and stuffe a rented car with electronic spy gear to hack into wi-fi networks that they abandoned when police gto them. >> the russians got caught with their equipment, with the people who were doing it, and ave got to pay the piper. they're going to have to be held to account. >> reporter: none of the russians indicted re have been arrested, but the charges make it harder for them to travel, putting a dent in io their internl hacking. lester? >> pete, thanks. tonight as chicago prepares for this weekend's marathon, there is growing anxiety over a masked killer terrorizing one of the city's normally safe neighborhoods. he's dressed in black, caught on camera, and appears to shoot his victims at random. we get details now

nbc's stephie gosk. ce> reporter: chicago poli say this man is a killer. walking in broad daylight dressed head to toe in black. and he's terrorizing a neighborhood, his own cc neighborhoodding to investigators just days before the chicago marathon. >> the fact is somebody in this room probably knows who he is. he's somebody's neighbor. >> reporter: sunday morning 73-year-old as douglass watts killed. a single gunshot to the head. security footage shows the suspect running ft away moments aer the shooting. 36 hours later and s just 5 blockaway, eliyahu moskowitz was shot to the head a sile gun wound. detectiveday it was the same gun. the working class neighborhood of rogers park home to loyola university and not eknown for gun viole is scared. >> now that these two er mus have happened, it's just -- i'm nervous to anywhere alone. ou> reporter: patrols roll t the streets. 40 detectives are

dedicated to the case. an entire neighborhood is now looking oves oulder. until an arrest, their sense of safety is shattered. sthanie gosk, nbc news. > one of the world's most famous athletes is facing new scrutiny for a rape allegation made nearly a decade ago. las vegas police have reopened an investigation into the alleged rape of a woman who says her attacker was famed soccer superstar cristiano ronaldo. ronaldo denies all allegations. nbc news national correspondent miguel almaguer has more on the story. >> reporter: the most popular athlete on the planet, tonight soccer superstar cristiano ronaldo may be facing this biggest challenge of his life off the field. the 33-year-old sidelined from portugal's national team as he faces a rape allegation in the u.s. >> she suffers sion -- major depression. >> reporter: lest of all the attorney for

kathryn mayorga says ronaldo raped his client after drinks and danci at the palms casino in 2009. a civil suit claims ronaldo pulled the plaintiff into a bedroom and attempted ng toe in sexual intercourse. mayorga says she was sodomized screaming no, no, no. system, you can't give her back what she's lost. i wish we could say what occurred on june 13th, 2009, did not occur. >> reporter: with vegas police reopening the investigation, in 2010 mayorga and ronaldo reached a $375,000 nondisclosure settlement her attorney wants thrown out. ronaldo taking to soci media. >> fake, fake news. >> reporter: before releasing a statement reading in part, i firmly deny the accusations. blrape is an abomina crime that goes against everything i am and believe in. tonight one of the richest athletes on the planet and the face of the world's most popular sport says he's a target e because of his f and fortune.

lester, the victim says she was inspired movement. too and tonight the fallout from ronaldo gi may just be ing. nike who has an endorsement deal with the megastar said it is deeply troubled by the allegations. >> thank you very much.> update now on that shootout in south carolina that led our broadcast last night.on police officer was killed, six others injured. deputies were serving a search warrant when the shots rang out. tonight a police department is mourning the loss of one of its own. here's nbc's kerry sanders. >> reporter: a qui procession today honoring a fallen officer. >> he was a giant of a man but he was the proverbial gentle giant. and i loved him. me> reporter: emotions raw reering sergeant terrence caraway. killed in yesterday's shootout in florence, south carolina. >> i'm not sure that knowing a why is very reassuring in any way. >> reporter: because you lost a friend. >> we lost a friend. >> reporter: six other officers wounded, two

criticallyhat is now being investigated sible ambush. residents in this quiet community shaken. >> vehicles started racing towards our house and i ran back inside. >> reporter: it happened after police went to this home with a search warrant.co ing to law enforcement, the 27-year-old man si de, the target of a sexual assault investation. instead, his father 74-year-old frederick hopkins met them allegedly armed with a high-powered rifle. four foster children were also in the hom and hiding during the shootout. byron black has known mr. hopkins for years. >> he knwas coming. you know what i'm saying? he knew how to prepare himself fothat. he had my rifles. he was in vietnam. >> reporter: tonight the alleged gunman is in custody but the sheriff says he is yet to be charged. >> thanks. a trag new twist in the deadly car explosion in pennsylvania we've been following. today investigators

in allentown said the blast was labeled a murder/suicide when a father used a homemad hxplosive to kill himselis 2-year-old son, and a friend after sending letters to police describing himself as deeply depress>>. overseas now after the devastation of the earthquake and tsunami wiped out parts of an indonesianand, it has claimed 1500 lives. reporter: this is a wasteland of mud and misery. the ground churned like a giant wave here then collapsed forever changing the landscape. what transformed the to jelly is what scientists call liquifaction. caused when a quake is so forceful, it turns the land tliquid. reaching hard hit areas has taken nearly a week. people are growing desperate. te of thousands are living in limbo and grief. this man found his wife pulled from the

mud she was carried away to be buried again in a mass grave. nbc news, indonesia. >> so much heart break there. back in this country, if you commute to work or dre the kids to school and practice, you've probably noticed you're paying more to fill up the gas tank. price ace cross the oncountry have bee slow march higher this year. and tom costello reports they could level in four years. >> reporter: it's been four years since the national average for gas was $3 a gallon. but $3 gas may be weeks away the national average now $2.91 a gallon. but californians pay the most. a stunning $3.69. as voters consider repealing a state gas tax. in metro chicago, drivers are paying $3.12 on average. >> with gas prices going up and my check decreasing, it's like i almost got to find another job just to put gas in my car.

s>> reporter: her how it affects your wallet. the average car today guzzles a600 gallons each year. americans are now paying 40 cents more per gallon than they did st year. analysts estimate that a two-car family will spend $500 more for gas this year than last year. 3 but if gas goes to a gallon in 2019, that two-car family wil spend $740 more for gas than in 2017. the high prices come just as new u.s. sanctions against iran kick in next month. >> that effectively is going to cut off a good portion of crude oil that flows into the rket. that is also having an impact. >> reporter: with americans literally paying the price. tom costlo, nbc news. we need to tell you about a major announced for 6.5 million pounds of beef that may be ntaminated with salmonella. nearly 60 people i 16 nstates have gotten sick i this outbreak. the products including ground beef came from an arizona companynd re packaged between july 26th and september 7th. the complete list can be found on our facebook page.

ea still ah how police cracked a murder mysry using a fitbit the victim was wearin also, caught on camera. scary moments on a runway when two planes collide. whoa. this looks worse than i thought. mike and jen doyle? yeah. time for medicare, huh. i have no idea how we're going to get through this. follow me. choosing a plan can be super-complicated. but it doesn't have to be. unitedhealthcare can guide you through the confusion, with helpful people, tools and plans. including the only plans with the aarp name. well that wasn't so bad at all. that's how we like it. aarp medicare plans, from unitedhealthcare. but prevagen helps your brain with an ingredient originally discovered... in jellyfish. in clinical trials, prevagen has been shown to improve short-term memory. prevagen. healthie better life.

next tonight, the surprising tool police are using to solve crimes in e digital age. it's a device worn by millions. the fitbit fitness tracker. and investigators say at could be the key to cracki murder case in california. here's nbc's gabe gutierrez. >> rorter: 90-year-old anthony aiello said days after he left his stepdaughter's home in california, a coworker found.er de deep cuts in her head and neck. friends and stunned. >> i am very devastated. >> reporter: the murder mystery took a dramatic turn when police took a closer look at the fitbit tracker navarra wore on her left wrist. it showed her heart rate spiked at 3:20

p.m. on september 28th and then stopped moments later after her stepfather lefte use. today in court he pleaded not guilty. >> anything that is not a statement by a witness isonsidered circumstantial evidence. i think certainly the fitbit is relevant to establish the time of death, but it does not establish what the cause of death was. >> reporter: the case is just the latest example of how digital footprints are increasingly being used in solving crimes. a connecticut man was charged with killing his wife in 2015 based on evidence the found on her fitbit. and thisear investigators went through the fitbit of mollie tibbets, the iowa student who was missing for a mon before her body was found. >> all the digital equipment against a criminal. >> reporter: fitbit is intended to help honsumers take control of thelth. but tonight a district attorney in san jose is crediting oetectives for thinkiside the box. gabe gutierrez, nbc news.

coming up, the shocking football field brawl. and it's not the kid players. it's the coaches. football field brawl. plus crash on the runway. scary moments as two planes collide. sh on the runway. scary moments as (burke) that's what we call a huge drag. seriously, that's what we call it. officially. and we covered it. talk to farmers. we know a thing or two because we've seen a thing or two. ♪ we are farmers. bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪

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dramatic video on the runway the scene at the airport at the capital of sudan. two military planes collided while trying to land. one ended up tail in the air, its wing on top of the other plane. amazingly no one was killed. caugcamera. a youth football game erupting in a violent brawl in virginia. but it wasn't the er pls fighting. it washe coaches, the grownups. 's hardly the first time we've seen coaches and parents behaving badly on the fid. let's get more from kristen dahlgren. >> reporter: a post-game hand shake gone terribly wrong. the coaches' fists flying. an all-out brawl in front of 9 and 10-year-olds. steven salyers poste

this veo writing, grown men fighting at a pee wee football game today. please make this go viral. >> i juswant these coaches to see, hey look, your players are looking at your actions. look what you done. reporter: today the coach is apologizing for the poor display of sportsmanship in front of those we e pected to mentor. it is not an isolated incident. the problem so pervasive, referee brian barlow started this website posting videos of parents behaving badly. >> when people see themselves, they change their own dynamics. >> reporter: the hope that viral videos like this one mht get parents to act their age. kristen dahlgren, nbc news. >> pretty ugly to watch. up next, those who serve. help and the officer literally going the extra mile. what does it take to make digital transformation actually happen? do you just flip a switch... and presto your business is magically transformed? not quite. it takes a ground-breaking company like dell technologies.

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finally, the officer getting praise from all arod the country for the roadside now viral video of him doing something he never lp expected to woman in need. it's tonight's "those who serve." >> reporter: that's deputy steven montenez. he and his partner received a call about a wheelchair blocking traffic. they fou an elderly woman stalled in her electric wheelchair. the baery died a mile from home. ntenez decided there was only one solution. push. the wheelchair wouldn't fit in the cruiser and she didn't want to leave behind her onlyeans of transportation. heis partner joking withoman as they followed behind. >> you could pick it up. we're only about miles an hour. >> reporter: a good deed by officers willing to go that tra mile. and today there were

so many comments on the department's facebook page including one that said what great officers, thanks for serving your community in every way big and small. i second that one. that's "nightly news" for this thursdi'. lester holt. from all of us at nbc news, thank yofor watching, and good night. ll of us

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