it but we can say it. thanks for joining us. lester holte next for nightly news." tonight, not again. another monster hurricane is taking aim at caribbean islands left devastated by irma. the storm now in extremely category 4, it could hit as a category 5. a major storm emergency. and eyes also on another tropical system. this one threatening the northet. al roker is here. high drama as an unpredictable president prepares to address the world at the u.n. what will he say about north korea and iran? >> acid attack, american students burned in a bizarre incident at a train station in france. hazing in america, our special look at a growing concern on college campuses. tonight an anguished dad who says hazing pushed his son to suicide. and the marathon bombing

survivor and the movie star, inspiring america. nightly news begins right now. >> announcer: from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is nbc nightly news with lester holt. >> good evening and welcome to our viewers in the west. this especially active and deadly hurricane season is quickly whipping to the alphabet with jose still spinning off the eastern seaboard, the newest storm maria intensified to a category 4 hurricane today. and tonight it's making a b-line to some of the same caribbean islands decimated less than two weeks ago by irma, including the hard-hit virgin islands. puerto rico, which suffered a glancing but damaging blow from irma, is this time braced for a direct hit. potentially the strongest to make land fall there in decades. thousands still in the dark from the last storm are stocking up on provisions tonight ahead of hurricane maria. our gabe gutierrez is in san

juan now with the latest. >> reporter: tonight already lashing the caribbean island of martinique, hurricane maria a powerful category 4 storm is now barrelling towards puerto rico. >> we are very, very, very worried. >> reporter: today in san juan, a frantic scramble for supplies. again, just days after irma, maria has rapidly intensified. the government now declaring a state of emergency rationing basic provisions like water and baby formula. >> there's no water anywhere. i can't find water. i can't find ice. >> reporter: while irma decimated islands like barbuda, it only grazed puerto rico. still knocked out electricity on 75% of the island, more than 60,000 customers still in the dark. this spree of storms exposing problems with its fragile power grid and crumbling infrastructure. among the hardest hit areas by irma, the coastal town of louisa, debris still piled on the street. nancy rode out irma in her home when a tree fell through her roof.

now she's terrified of what maria might bring. the island hasn't seen a category 4 or 5 storm since 1932. today, puerto rico's governor ricardo, urged people in flood prone areas to get out. >> it's the difference between life and death. it's that simple. >> reporter: puerto rico was the safe haven for some 3500 evacuees from other caribbean islands. some on dialysis still in the shelter. others like gabriel williams from st. thomas desperately trying to find a flight to the u.s. main land. >> i'm thinking how much more does my home have to take, you know? >> reporter: the island that helped those devastated by irma now in maria's direct pathment a hurricane warning is now in effect for the island. the national weather service says it expects catastrophic winds. the government is preparing hundreds of shelters to house more than 100,000 evacuees if necessary. lester? >> all right, gabe gutierrez in

san juan tonight. gabe, thanks. let's bring in al roker now who is tracking all these storms. let's start with maria. >> the most dangerous one out there now, it is currently, lester, category 4 storm, 130 miles per hour storms. it is moving north at 10. if we look at the track of this thing, it's going to come through the lesser antilles then on to the virgin islands. puerto rico has not seen a direct hit since 1998 with 150 mile per hour winds. 6 to 9 foot storm surge, 18 inches of rain or more. continuing on into the turks and caicos with more strong storms, category 4, 130 mile per hour winds, a devastating storm surge. now to jose, which is close to the u.s., but the good news is won't make land fall, but really strong winds from the del mar peninsula to the cape cod islands. we're looking at surf that will be anywhere from 10 to 20 feet and rainfall, lester, from nan ta -- nantucket, flooding a possibility. but we are most concerned about

puerto rico and maria. this could be devastating for those ieltds. >> and lots of time left in hurricane season. al, thanks very much. now to the high drama and heavy security here in new york as president trump prepares to address the u.n. general assembly for the first time, more than 100 world leaders and diplomats holding their breath over what this unpredictable president who has derided the very existence of the united nations will say. all of it coming amid nuclear tensions with north korea and a war of words over the nuclear deal with iran. nbc's kristin welker has details tonight from the u.n. >> reporter: with a critical test on the world stage now underway, president trump engaging in a day of diplomacy, meeting with the leaders of israel and france, but it's north korea that's front and center. >> as far as north korea is concerned, i think most of you know how i feel. >> reporter: mr. trump's message, the global community has to come together to counter the mounting nuclear provocations. tonight defense secretary james

mattis adding to the tough talk, saying military options exist that wouldn't put nearby seoul at grave risk. over the weekend, the president mocking leader kim jong-un with a new nickname, "rocket man" as the u.s., japan and south korea unleashed a new show of force over the korean peninsula. another flash point, the iran nuclear deal with a crucial deadline a proefrping. will president trump uphold the deal orchestrated by the obama administration? >> you'll see very soon. >> reporter: today the leader of iran unleashing this stern warning. >> such an agreement would carry a high cost for the united states of america. >> reporter: and as he grapples with global threats, the president is trying to shake things up at the u.n., long a critic. >> when you see the united nations solving problems? they don't. they cause problems. >> reporter: today holding a meeting focused on ways to improve it, later the president putting a new twist on his old campaign slogan. >> the main message is make the

united nations great again. make the united nations great. >> i think the president has to show the rest of the world egs interested in the world's pronz and demonstrating concern for our other allies as he wants to be concerned about our north korea problem. >> reporter: during his keynote address here tomorrow, president trump is expected to talk extremely tough about north korea and he'll explain how his america first foreign policy fits on the world stage. lester? >> kristen which will kerr outside the united nations here in new york, thank you. as the president prepares to address the u.n. for the first time, there is turmoil swirling around his foreign policy team. secretary of state rex tillerson accused of crippling the department he's charged with leading while the same time facing pressure from another high-profile administration figure. we get details from our chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell. >> reporter: the president's first meeting at the u.n. today with u.n. ambassador nikki haley

close behind, not the nation's top diplomat rex tillerson. harolded when he arrived as a management whiz. ha, i'm the new guy. >> reporter: now widely criticized for presiding over a state department where nobody's home. out of six under secretaries, only one, an obama holdover, is in place. and of 26 assistant secretaries, there's only one trump appointee. key embassies without an ambassador in south korea, afghanistan, egypt, saudi arabia and india. foreign diplomats telling nbc news they have no one to call. tillerson, the first secretary of state in memory, to not personally deliver the state department's yearly human rights report. >> there is a perception that the united states has abandoned its fundamental of our foreign policy, and that is respect for human rights. >> reporter: tillerson telling the london embassy staff last week his top priority -- >> the most important thing i can do is to enable this organization to be more

effective, more efficient. >> reporter: proposing such drastic state department cuts, the republican senate insisted on adding $11 billion to the budget. slamming tillerson's proposal as a doctrine of retreat that would weaken america's standing in the world. >> they don't call it foreign relations for nothing. it's about relationships. it's about consultations. it's about negotiations. you need people to do that. >> reporter: in the wings, the high profile u.n. ambassador nikki haley, could she be angling for his job? >> well, i'm not going to be asked because rex tillerson is not going anywhere. >> reporter: a rivalry now so intense one state department official pointed out haley thought it was more important to appear at the white house friday than attend a crisis meeting on north korea at the u.n. lester? >> all right, andrea, thank you. a chaotic scene in san francisco today when pro-immigration activists shut down a news conference with house minority leader nancy pelosi in her home district. the purpose of the event, calling on congress to immediately pass the dream act, but dozens of protesters

interrupted calling pelosi a liar for taking part in negotiations with president trump to keep daca protections for undocumented immigrants brought to the u.s. as children in exchange for tighter border security. pelosi eventually exited after about 30 tense minutes. the city of st. louis is bracing for a possible fourth consecutive night of violent protests after a former police officer was found not guilty in the fatal shooting delath of an african-american motorist. nbc's blake mccoy is there. >> reporter: just after sunrise, silence in st. louis. a call for peace and justice. >> we wanted to keep it strong and powerful, just showing that our presence is powerful. >> reporter: it's at night that things have sometimes turned violent. >> guilty as heck. >> reporter: friday agitators pelted the mayor's home with rocks and paint. saturday two dozen businesses vandalized and last night more store fronts smashed in.

you'll pray for them to get peace? >> yes, i will pray for them. >> reporter: neighbors have been quick to help clean up. >> this is what st. louis is. it's people helping people. it's not what happened last night. >> reporter: more than 140 people have been arrested since friday when a white police officer was acquitted in the 2011 shooting death of a black man. u2 and ed sheeran both canceled concerts here this weekend. the national guard remains on stand by. state and local police are out in force. >> we're in control. this is our city. and we're going to protect it. >> reporter: here on damaged store fronts you can see volunteers painting murals over the plywood. some of these business owners tell us they plan to close early tonight, bracing for another protest. lester? >> blake mccoy in st. louis, thank you. let's turnover seas now to a frightening attack on american students at a train station in france. the young women burned by acid, the latest incident involving an

increasingly common and dangerous weapon. we get details now from nbc's ann thompson. >> reporter: the brazen attack happened in front of this tran station in mar sigh france. a 41-year-old woman throwing hydro caloric acid on four boston college students. identified as charlotte kaufman, kelsey, michelle and courtney, all juniors. the students were treated at a hospital and released. police arrested the attackers saying she has a history of mental illness. krug, who was hit in the eye, posting on facebook they are anticipating a quick recovery. and asking for prayers for their attacker, writing, mental illness is not a choice and should not be villainized. >> we are very proud of the girls and how they have acqu acquitted themselves throughout this difficult ordeal. >> reporter: they say there are 1500 reported acid attacks per year, 80% of the targets are women. in london almost 300 attacks this year, including this one by two suspects on a motor bike captured on surveillance.

the american women plan to finish the semester in europe. like other students we talked to, unafraid. >> i think that it was random that it happened to them and so it doesn't make me feel unsafe here. >> reporter: learning to cope with dangers at home and abroad. ann thompson, nbc news. >> london residents returned to their commutes amid stepped up security today after the rush hour terror attack aboard a subway train on friday. two suspects have been arrested, one possibly seen minutes before the attack, carrying the same kind of bag the bomb was found in. that suspect reportedly lived in a foster home for refugees honored by queen elizabeth in 2010. still ahead, hazing in america. one devastated family out to change the system after they say fraternity hazing drove their son to his death. also trouble in store for one of the biggest names in the toy biz. stay with us.

with a family who hopes their experience will spark change. here's nbc's kristin dahlgren. >> reporter: in 2013 penn state freshman was looking forward to

joining fraternity phi sigma cap a. >> he said, dad, it's the only fun thing i'm doing here. >> reporter: but pictures later discovered on his phone show a different story. a gun pointed at a pledge's head. dead animals, bottles of liquor with pledge's names. hazing. marqise texted his resident advisor. i feel like i've done so much that it can't get any worse, but it always does. yes, it will get worse i'm sorry to say, but it will. marqise made it and was initiated and expected to hayes new members. he wrote, some of this is just hard to watch when you're a brother. marqise texted his ra. sometimes i feel like i'm falling apart. according to court documents, she told her superiors. one week later marqise jumped from a hotel roof. >> marqise died of a guilty conscience. it's the things that marqise was doing that were so antithetical to who he was as a human being. >> reporter: a grand jury found no criminal link between hazing and his suicide.

in a note marqise wrote, i saw this coming since i was a child. were there any signs of suicidal tendencies before the hazing? >> zero, none whatsoever. >> reporter: his parents say they should have been told what was happening to their son. they are suing the fraternity, university and two employees. >> he died while they knew and they did nothing. >> reporter: penn state suspended phi sigma kappa for six years but denies a link between hazing and marqise's death. the fraternity declined our request for comment due to pending litigation. now the grand jury investigating the death of another penn state pledge tim who died after a night of drinking is reexamining marqise's suicide. penn state has enacted reforms to combat hazing. most states outlaw hazing, but only ten have laws making it a felony. and advocates are pushing the new federal law that would require schools report hazing in order to change the culture. >> they think it builds a sense of solidarity or a sense of

brotherhood. but what they don't realize is that you can do all of those things in a way that's not physically dangerous or harmful. >> we were never concerned that marqise would be harmed by pledging. so, folks, parents, students, they need to take that very seriously. >> reporter: a family seeking solace and a change in the system. kristin dahlgren, nbc news, rose daly, new york. >> there is more ahead as we continue tonight. up next, two buses and a deadly collision. the moment of impact caught on camera.

how much money do you think you'll need in retirement? then we found out how many years that money would last them. how long do you think we'll keep -- oooooohhh! you stopped! you're gonna leave me back here at year 9? how did this happen? it turned out, a lot of people fell short, of even the average length of retirement. we have to think about not when we expect to live to, but when we could live to. let's plan for income that lasts all our years in retirement. prudential. bring your challenges. a tragic crash caught on camera early this morning here in new york, it happened in queens when a charter bus barreled through an intersection slamming into a city bus, making a turn. at least three people were killed including a pedestrian. over a dozen more were injured, several in critical condition. is a big american brand about to file for bankruptcy? our partners at cnbc are reporting that toys r us could

file as soon as this week. though plans aren't definite and both its plans to file and the timing could change, the move could help the company deal with its debt load amid a changing landscape as many kids and parents choose computer tablets over traditional toys. a toys r us bankruptcy does not necessarily mean the company would close any stores. and it was a night dominated by politics at the emmy's. the show began with a surprise appearance by former white house press secretary sean spicer. and later a pair of emmy wins by the snl stars who played clinton and trump. kate mcken enand alec baldwin. little lies cleaned up with several awards nicole kid man. top honors went to veep for best comedy series and handmade's tale for top drama series. up next, hollywood superstar jake gyllenhaal on his inspiring new movie whose real life story he's bringing to the big screen. next at 6: an unusal robbery in

the south bay.. ===jess vo=== and this mask was left behind - what it )s telling police about the crime and criminal who wore it. ===raj/2shot=== and the theft that has san francisco )s sheriff sending out a warning to her deputies... ===next close=== the news is next. sot no one should be able to go into someone else )s property and t finally tonight, he became a symbol of strength in the aftermath of the boston marathon bombing. now jeff bowman's incredible story is a major hollywood movie starring jake gyllenhaal.

tonight the star and the real life hero are taking us and our kevin tibles inside a true story that's inspiring america. >> reporter: new bonds between new friends. one, the movie star. the other, the survivor. >> man, does it feel good to be around this guy. >> reporter: jake gyllenhaal plays jeff bowman in the new feature film, stronger. bowman was there at the finish line when the bombs went off at the 2013 boston marathon. his trauma captured forever in this photograph. >> first, why would someone take that picture? then you start realizing that it captured something great. they were saving my life. >> reporter: jeff lost both his legs. >> four years ago i was down and laying in a hospital bed with basically, you know, no path ahead of me. and here i am now. and i want people to look at that and have hope. >> you take for granted when someone standing the way he does

and is walking around the world in these legs. >> reporter: that battle with pain and fame included a bout of addiction. >> you have to fight through the hard stuff. it's a real struggle and that's life. >> i really need you right now. >> reporter: and overcoming life's struggles with the help of those around us is what "stronger" is all about. >> i kind of realized that everybody is struggling and we all need each other. >> my daughter here -- >> oh, yeah? >> i love that scene. everyone is telling me she did a book report for me. half of me is like, why would you write something about me? and the other half is like, all right, was it good? what did you get? >> you're like a symbol to a lot of people. >> what did you think of the film? >> i like it. i don't want to boost myself and be, i don't know, conceited. >> you can say you like it. >> i like it. >> reporter: and unwitting hero. but a hero just the same.

kevin tibbles, nbc news, boston. >> glad he liked it. we appreciate you spending part of your evening with us. that is nightly news for this monday night. i am lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching and good night. . runs :03 ==raj/tao= no one should be able to go into anybody's else's property and take it. right now 6:00 fighting back against robbers. a clue one left behind in san jose neighborhood. the news at 6:00 starts right now. good evening and thanks for being with us. raj mathai. >> and jessica aguirre. so the creepy clown crime mask making a comeback? a clown mask left behind at a scene raising question base who owns what it's used for, if it's a clue of what's to cop. nbc bay area damian trujillo. damian what do we know about it.

>> well the victim in in case showed us a picture of the clown mask that police took in for evidence. the suspect was not wearing the mask at the time of the crime. it apparently fell out of his get away car. it will be interesting to see if police link the mask to other crimes in the area. this is a creepy clown mask justin weiss says a suspect drops last week. next to a pair of rub are gloves. san jose police responded and took away the items. >> any say that they believe it might be linked to a few home invasions. then a slough of robberies. >> weiss says he was installing at aet shutters at a home when he saw young girls and this men stealing power tools from his truck. they jumped in the car and weiss ran after them down the street. police later told him the car was stolen out of fremont. >> i work hard for the tools. and those are what ise