green light? dr. jaw is here with what parents need to know. also tonight texas's abortion ban temporarily blocked by a federal judge the immediate impact on women in the state and what's next in the battle. the first images of the damaged pipeline blamed for the california oil spill disaster could it have been caused by a 30 ton anchor. and new tonight, the major class action lawsuit just announced. deadly flash floods and high water rescues in the southeast where the severe weather threat is moving tonight. the senate announcing a deal to raise the debt limit but for how long the sweeping new report detailing then president trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 election what it reveals. the suspect in a texas high school shooting out of jail new video of a fight breaking out moments before shots were fired. and tonight the allegations of bullying from the suspect's family. and 18 former nba players charged.

the multimillion dollar scam they're accused of running on the league this is nbc "nightly news" with lester holt. good evening we may be moving rapidly tonight towards emergency approval for covid vaccines for children ages 5 to 11. pfizer today submitting its application for emergency use authorization for kid-sized doses of its vaccine, potentially extending covid protection to nearly 30 million children the fda promising to act quickly. an advisory committee now set to meet and make its recommendation on october 26th, less than three weeks from now regulators to review pfizer's plan to administer smaller doses of the vaccine to children as we get new snapshots today as much the pandemic is impacting kids the pediatric shots, if approved, could help narrow the vaccination gap. right now 56% of americans have been fully vaccinated.

stephanie gosk has the latest >> reporter: just in time for holiday travel that's when nearly 30 million children between the ages of 5 and 11 could become eligible for the pfizer vaccine today the company officially asking the fda for an emergency use authorization. >> i think that is amazing. i have been waiting for that for a long, long, long time >> reporter: according to pfizer, a dose one-third the size of that given to adults is both safe and effective in young children. >> i do think it makes a difference in reducing sick days, missing school, potential for hospitalizations and other complications. >> reporter: this vaccine not only protects from the disease. it protects from disruptions in life, doesn't it >> absolutely. >> reporter: the fda advisory committee is expected to meet october 26th to make a decision

convincing some parents may be a challenge. only 30% say they would get their children vaccinated immediately. >> it's something that i would like to see a lot more information. >> reporter: the pfizer announcement comes on a day when two new studies show the wide ranging impact the pandemic has had on the nation's children a report in the medical journal jama found substantial and persistent declines in pediatric vaccinations for other illnesses, including measles. the biggest drop took place when covid first hit, but numbers are rebounding slowly because of staffing shortages and health center closures. another study done by the cdc reveals that more than 120,000 children have lost a primary caregiver from covid, a disproportionate number, 65%, are racial or ethnic minorities. >> we do not yet have a coordinated response to address the needs of those children and the time is now to do that. >> reporter: among the risks they face, dropping out of school early, violent behavior and depression.

>> this problem of being without your parent or caregiver is not something that young people or children recover from. >> reporter: a reminder that ensuring protection from the virus is a priority, but rebounding from the damage done by the pandemic could be a lot harder >> so, stephanie, once this vaccine is authorized for children, how long before we see shots going into arms? >> reporter: well, lester, you may remember when the adult vaccine was authorized, it took just three days. the company tells us they're ready to ship out right away they're just waiting for the word lester >> stephanie gosk, thank you. to talk more about this now, i was joined a short while ago by the dean of brown university school of health i began by asking him if we should lower our expectation of how many children may receive these vaccinations >> 70 million adults have not yet gotten vaccinated. i do expect that some chunk of kids may not get vaccinated immediately as well. but i'm hoping a majority will. of course, i think all kids should we're going to have to kind of manage our expectations on this

>> we are seeing mandates begin to take hold in a lot of industries, a lot of places do they appear to be working and in your opinion are they going far enough >> they are working. they are working there has been a noisy minority who is protesting. but when you look at united airlines, look at the hospital 98%, 99% of people are getting vaccinated i think we will see this play out across the country and i think they are far enough. >> let me ask you about communications and how well the health industry is doing in educating all of us. you know, at the outset, when the vaccines came about, nobody was talking about breakthrough infections yeah, we heard they were 90% some odd percent effective. but now we're seeing these breakthrough infections a lot. it's a bit rattling and unsettling >> i think all of us could have done a better job explaining even if it's 90%, 95% effective, that means there are going to be breakthroughs. and over time, there is going to be some waning and i think none of us knew about the delta variant, which is a major reason we're seeing a lot of breakthroughs

so we should have done a better job communicating that was a real risk. >> speaking of communications, the booster shots for a select number of americans in different demographics, do you see that being extended to all vaccinated people >> i do eventually i expect over the next couple of months we will see more data for relatively young healthy people my expectation is all americans will end up needing to get a booster. >> we're coming down from delta right now. what does the next wave look like are they going to become increasingly small >> yeah. i think you will see little blips that look much better they're going to vary a lot based on underlying vaccination rates. in new england, high vaccination rates, i expect a high blip over the winter midwest, great plains, still a lot of people not vaccinated we will learn to really manage this virus. that controversial new law banning most abortions in texas is blocked tonight but the battle is far from over after the ruling by a federal judge, the state says it will appeal hallie jackson has the latest. >> reporter: in texas tonight, some providers restarting abortion services for

people more than six weeks pregnant that's after a federal judge pressed pause on the country's most restrictive abortion law there, which prohibits the procedure after a fetal heartbeat is detected, usually before most women even know they're pregnant the divisive law met with went into effect last month with the judge saying since that moment, quote, women have been unlawfully prevented from exercising control over their own lives in ways that are protected by the constitution but with the texas attorney general pledging to appeal, abortion providers could still get sued if the injunction is lifted and the ban goes back into effect. >> it is scary because we know the retroactive piece is still there. although, it is like completely unjust and it's cruel. and the majority of people in this country and in the world who have been watching what's been happening in texas think this is absurd. >> reporter: the law so controversial partially because of how it's written.

it gives $10,000 to private citizens who successfully sue anyone who helps with an abortion even someone who, say, drives a supports the texas ban slammed the ruling as an unelected judge interfering with the clearly expressed will of texans, hoping for a victory on appeal and pledging the fight will go on. >> this is the beginning and a beautiful beginning of being able to pass laws all over the country that protect babies and serve their mothers. >> reporter: lawmakers in multiple states are looking at the texas model for their own new abortion laws. but whatever happens with those could be eclipsed if the supreme court decides to overturn the landmark abortion case roe v. wade in a case from mississippi in front of them this term. >> hallie jackson in our washington news room, thank you. in southern california, the first class action lawsuit against the owners of that broken oil pipeline by businesses that say they were harmed by the massive spill. this comes as we get a first look at the damaged pipeline

itself miguel almaguer is there. >> reporter: the first images of a splintered pipeline captured 80 feet underwater reveal the more than foot long dash where oil gushed into the pacific. authorities now say they're inspecting the 41-year-old pipe which runs from this oil rig to shore for signs of corrosion and pressure problems. but for now many believe the pipe was likely hit by a 30-ton anchor like this one. >> the fact that the pipeline appears to have been dragged leads me to conclude that it probably was caught on the ship's anchor. >> reporter: reviewing satellite imagery in the hours before and after the spill, the coast guard will likely be able to pinpoint which cargo ships were anchored in the area, a jammed shipping lane dotted with a maze of drilling platforms. >> as long as you have shipping and offshore oil development operating in close proximity, this is the kind of accidents and spills that you can expect to have happen

>> reporter: with so much focus on the investigation, the true disaster is unfolding out here at sea these booms can only hold back so much oil, which is quickly moving through this fragile ecosystem. with more wildlife and pristine miles of beaches saved from this massive spill, tonight the search for answers and the probe to hold someone responsible. miguel almaguer, nbc news huntington beach, california. in alabama tonight at least four people are dead after a flash flooding event caused by more than a foot of rain in some places they were in cars swept away more than 100 people were rescued from homes and cars the threat continues in the southeast with nine million under flash flood watches. tonight the senate announcing a deal to avert a financial meltdown democrats and republicans are set to raise the debt ceiling, which allows the government to keep borrowing money it is a temporary fix until early december when they will have to negotiate again.

and a new report just out from the senate judiciary committee detailing the extremes then president trump allegedly went to to overturn the 2020 election peter alexander is at the white house. peter, it is the first time we are hearing some of these accounts. >> reporter: lester, that's right. this new report says that former president trump directly asked justice department officials nine times to investigate his baseless claims of mass voter fraud. one key moment, just days before the capitol riot, mr. trump from the oval office pressured the acting attorney general, jeffrey rosen and others, and discussed replacing rosen with someone who promised to pursue those election lies. mr. trump, the report says, only backed down after rosen, his deputy, even a top white house lawyer all threatened mass resignation. a house committee wants to learn more, but the former president's allies, lester, say they will not cooperate. >> peter, thank you. in just 60 seconds, did bullying play a role in the shooting in

texas. what the suspect's family is saying and 18 former nba players indicted in an alleged scheme worth millions

breaking news tonight in texas where that 18-year-old student accused of shooting three people in his high school has now been released on bond. this comes as police confirm the identity of the two teens seen in a video fighting before the shooting sam brock has details. >> reporter: tonight timothy simpkins is out on bond a day after police say he perpetrated a school shooting that left a 15-year-old in critical condition >> do you have anything to say? >> reporter: among the many tragedies unfolding is the fear students are now carrying to class. >> and there is no reason that a student should bring a firearm into a school or feel threatened in that way that they feel like they got to have a weapon. >> reporter: arlington pd investigating several disturbing videos the student in the white shirt

being beaten, the alleged shooter. and the aggressor, the victim in the icu. his family says they reported bullying to the school. >> the decision he made taking the gun, we're not justifying that protect himself. >> reporter: do you believe that bullying played a role or could have >> i do understand the family's concerns and to the family, i want to assure them that we are going to do everything we can to look into why that happened >> reporter: today police made another arrest for a young student threatening violence against a different arlington area school on social media. parents and police calling for sweeping change in safety and culture. sam brock, nbc news. next, 18 former nba players facing federal charges, accused of a multi-million dollar fraud scheme here's gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: the 18 nba veterans are accused of ripping off the league's health benefits plan by filing fake claims for medical

procedures that never happened. >> the defendants' play book involved fraud and deception. >> reporter: prosecutors allege ex-nba player terrence williams orchestrated the scheme recruiting other players by offering fake invoices for chiropractic treatment and dental care according to the indictment, they submitted nearly $4 million worth of claims. the health plan paid out $2.5 million. williams got nearly $230,000 in kickback from the other players. >> this industry loses tens of billions in dollars a year to fraud. these costs are then passed on to businesses and customers. >> reporter: prosecutors say the scheme unfolded from 2017 through 2020 ex-power forward, gregory smith, is accused of seeking reimbursement for root canals in beverly hills when he was actually playing basketball in taiwan among the others charged, glen davis, shannon brown and six-time nba all defensive team member tony allen, along with his wife late today, sebastian pleaded

not guilty walking out of federal court with an ankle monitor. the other former players have not yet commented. the nba today called the allegations disheartening and promised to cooperate fully with the u.s. >> all right, gabe thank you. up next tonight, the crisis on the border and the covid threat

working at recology is more than a job for jesus. it's a family tradition. jesus took over his dad's roue when he retired after 47 year. now he's showing a new generation what recology is all about. as an employee-owned company, recology provides good-paying local jobs for san franciscans. we're proud to have built the city's recycling system from the ground up, helping to make san francisco the greenest big city in america. let's keep making a differene together. there is another crisis across from the border thousands of migrants in a camp just south of the texas border in mexico where they face not only deportation and starvation but also the threat of covid.

morgan radford is in mexico >> reporter: for manuel and his young son, this is home fleeing from el salvador, he's been here for more than 45 days he's one of nearly 2,000 people living in this encampment, hoping to get across the texas border just steps away you're not here because you want to be here it's because you were threatened manuel asked us not to use his full name or show his face for fear of violence from the cartels, which aid workers say. have fought over this city for years as a trafficking route. people are afraid to leave this encampment because they're afraid to get kidnapped. >> oh, they will get kidnapped. one person's worth is between $2,000 and $6,000. so you leave this encampment, yes, you will be kidnapped. >> reporter: when you say the different gangs are watching and monitoring this area, i mean, are they watching now? >> yes.

>> reporter: there are nearly 2,000 people inside this encampment you can see them lining up for basic necessities like food and water. but now they say the real threat is covid do you have what so many people here in this encampment, are you afraid of covid? >> you're always afraid of it you can't really maintain distance but you're always living with that fear. >> reporter: a fear that many here say could soon get worse since basic sanitation is hard to come by so to shower, you have to pay ten pesos just to shower aid workers like felicia say they have seen a surge in covid cases in recent weeks with up to 150 people per day testing positive >> at one point in each family there was at least one person who had covid. the kids had covid

the moms had covid pregnant women had covid. everyone had it. >> reporter: it's a problem that traces back to a policy called title 42, a section of u.s. health law first enforced by the trump administration and still in place under president biden. it essentially shuts down the mexican border to many asylum seekers leaving them to wait and face a shortage of covid tests while they do. what is the worst case scenario if you run out of covid tests and simply cannot bring enough here >> the worst case scenario has already been happening. ambulances have been called multiple times because people can't breathe. >> reporter: to be clear, most of the people in this encampment do not have asylum or legal cases pending. most are here just waiting for the border to open. >> yes this is hope you are looking at this is what hope looks like right now. this is what hope looks like right now. >> reporter: hope to one day

find a home better than this. and you don't have any place to go this is a last chance. morgan radford, nbc news, mexico. next for us tonight, raising awareness of a lessor known breast cancer risk her mission inspiring america.

tesla leaving palo alto and moving hq to texas. elon musk explains why. also we'll clear up some of the confusion about the new mask guidelines. we are live at oracle park where the dodgers just got off the field. finally, this is breast cancer awareness month. and tonight one woman's mission to make people aware of a lessor known variant that can be

deadly inspiring america. is power ask freelance writer's mantra, even more so since berger learned she and two of her three daughters have a little known genetic mutation that increases their risk for breast cancer >> the more i did my research, i realized that it's a gift >> reporter: are you on a one-woman crusade to tell other breast cancer survivors that you should be tested >> i am. >> reporter: often called the third breast cancer gene less than 1% of breast cancer patients have the mutation it's impact can be devastating. increasing the risk for breast cancer by 58% with a family history. 33% with no history and upping the risk for ovarian and pancreatic cancers. >> my reporter instincts kicked in and i thought, this is a story. i have to write about this. >> reporter: berger's report in "the new york times" this summer struck a nerve with other breast cancer survivors like herself.

why didn't women know about this gene >> there was a lack i would say in general knowledge or general public knowledge about this gene because it is much less common. >> reporter: this doctor says patients screened before 2014 should be tested those who haven't can be monitored or undergo preventive surgery. action powered by knowledge. >> to turn it into something positive is -- it's pretty satisfying. >> reporter: and save lives in doing so anne thompson, nbc news that's "nightly news" for this thursday. thank you for watching, everyone i'm lester holt. please take care of yourself and each other good night

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cause one aisle doesn't cut it. i need an entire store. explore floor & decor in person or online. i'm raj mathai next on nbc bay area news tonight we have answers on when you can ditch those masks indoors. bottom line it might not be for months. we'll show you why. also a crime in oakland brings the police chief nearly to tears. >> when you have children, you understand. >> a teenage girl dead as she was an innocent victim of road rage. another big time company leaving the bay area. tesla bailing on palo alto and heading to