for all of us, thanks for watching. the news continues with "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. on our bro st tonight, ebola death in this country. the first patient diagnosed in the u.s. has died, and tonight there's another potential case at the same hospital in dallas. also, which u.s. airports are about to start passenger screening. our nbc news investigation, how safe is the artificial turf on the fields children are playing on aoss our country. is there a potential health risk? tonight, a coach who noticed a terrible coincidence among several soccer players and what we found that every parent should see. and were you cheated on your cell phone bill? how to spot the bogus charges and find out if you're entitled to a refund as the feds announce $100 million settlement. "nightly news" begins now.

from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. good evening. the first patient diagnosed with ebola in the united states has died of ebola in a dallas hospital bringing more attention now to the question surrounding his care and whether he'd be alive today if he'd been treated for ebola when he first sought medical attention. thomas duncan was 42 years old. and his death comes as the u.s. is scrambling to set up screening for incoming passengers at major airports of entry. it's where we begin tonight, nbc's ron mott is in dallas. ron, good evening. >> reporter: brian, good evening to you. a late report, a man brought here a member of the dallas county sheriff's office, he was in the apartment where thomas eric duncan was staying. he was there to serve the quarantine order on duncan's family. a family now prepare today say their final good-byes to their lost loved one. thomas eric duncan died shortly

before 8:00 this morning, eight days after being diagnosed with ebola. >> today we are deeply saddened by the death of the patient in dallas despite maximal interventions we learned today that he passed away. >> reporter: duncan's nephew left the hospital without speaking. but a question many are asking tonight, did a two-day delay hospitalizing duncan ultimately cost him his life? he complained of symptoms on the 24th, went to the hospital on the 26th but was sent home with antibiotics. two days later he returned by ambulance. he was given fluids, put on a ventilator and treated with an experimental drug. now comes the delicate and critical process of handling duncan's body, which is dangerously contagious. wearing protective gear, workers must wrap the body in three layers of plastic for either immediate cremation or placed in a specially sealed casket. meantime officials are tracking four dozen people, especially the ten who had direct contact with duncan. they include his fiancee and her family who were in the apartment where he stayed. their pastor broke the news to

them at a home where they're being quarantined, keeping he said, a safe distance. >> thoughts not only go to the shock and sadness of losing mr. duncan, but also whether this will be the course that their life will take next. >> reporter: tonight, nbc dallas affiliate kxas that senior sergeant michael monty who served duncan's family that quarantine order, was admitted to the hospital after feeling ill. ebola has not been confirmed. nevertheless a community remains on edge as they count down the 21 days of the incubation period. >> i'm on pins and needles every day in dallas, this week. and, yes, throughout the whole 21 days. >> reporter: now, in nebraska today the freelance cameraman working for nbc news in liberia got a blood transfusion today with blood donated by dr. kent brantly, one of the american survivors of ebola. dr. brantly made an offer here for thomas duncan, we did not

hear back. we asked hospital for comment tonight, brian, we have not heard back. >> ron mott starting us off in dallas. meantime, we're now learning which u.s. airports are going to begin the enhanced ebola screening for passengers coming to this country from western africa and what those new checks will involve. katy tur's live at jfk here in new york. katy, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. this is a major new step the federal government is taking in order to try and stop ebola before it even gets into this country. the five u.s. airports where new precautions will go into effect are jfk, newark liberty, chicago o'hare, d.c. dulles and atlanta hartsfield-jackson. the extra measures will start here at jfk on saturday. here's how it's going to look. passengers arriving from sierra leone, liberia or guinea will be questioned about their possible exposure and temperature taken. if they reveal exposure or possible symptom, they'll be

taken to a separate room with further screening done by the cdc. if determined to be a risk, they will be taken to an appropriate medical center. if they're not a risk, they'll be cleared, free to go. they'll still have to take a daily temperature log and give their contact information. now, brian, only about 150 passengers come here from those countries on a daily basis according to the cdc. and they do hope about 95% of them with this new screening. >> katy tur at kennedy airport for us tonight. katy, thanks. we turn now to the fight overseas against isis. the fbi asked for the public's help and they're getting it. information has been streaming in for 24 hours about the possible identity of a man appearing in an isis propaganda video, a man the fbi has reason to believe could be an american. we get our report from justice correspondent pete williams. >> reporter: the fbi says it's sorting through dozens of responses to its request for help in identifying the man thought to be from the u.s. or canada.

though most of his face is hidden, analysts believe enough is visible that at the very least his relatives could recognize him. the fbi has also used voice recognition software, but no matches yet. some analysts believe he may be first generation american or canadian and that english could be his second language, even though he may be 6,000 miles away in syria, a former fbi official says discovering his identity will launch a new investigation. >> the fbi will start working backwards until that person left the united states and even before that, how they became radicalized, who are their kind of inner circle. >> reporter: in canada authorities plan to step up security around public buildings, partly a response to their decision to join the coalition bombing campaign against isis. canadian officials say they're watching hundreds of people who have gone or tried to go to syria, and monitoring potential terror plots against canadians or americans.

four men arrested tuesday suspected of trying to plot isis inspired attacks there. among the possibilities discussed, a public beheading on a london street. after mounting this campaign to get public tips, the fbi says if the identity of the man on the video is discovered, that fact would not be made public because they wouldn't want the man to know when they're onto him. brian. >> pete williams at fbi headquarters tonight, pete, thanks. a continuing big story in this country, an update on the manhunt for the suspected sniper and cop killer in the pennsylvania woods. eric frein is now charged with possession of weapons of mass destruction because police say they found pipe bombs on his trail. they also say they found handwritten notes in which he details his ambush on two state troopers on september 12th. one of the troopers was killed. frein has now been on the run for 26 days. a somber procession today in california as the body of an air tanker pilot who was killed while fighting a fire at

yosemite was removed from the crash site. an honor guard on hand for the transfer of remains. it's a very dangerous job, shifting payloads, precision flying combined with often bad visibility. craig hunt was a 13-year veteran pilot, husband, father of two daughters. cause of the crash remains under investigation. some major cleanup needed tonight after violent weather cut quite a large path through part of our country. in western massachusetts this is the aftermath of what the national weather service says was a microburst, which can cause damage like a tornado except the winds shoot out in virtually straight lines instead of spinning. in kentucky six tornadoes did in fact touch down throughout that state causing all sorts of damage to homes and businesses. now we turn to our nbc news investigation. it's something a lot of parents and athletes are going to want to see. it's about artificial turf on

the football fields and soccer fields that so many of our children play on across the country. the material used as a granular synthetic dirt between the pieces of artificial grass be harmful? it starts with a soccer coach who noticed something about two of her players who developed cancer. and she learned of other young athletes with similar stories. nbc's stephanie gosk has been investigating the story for months and tonight has our exclusive report. >> reporter: for nearly 30 years soccer has been amy griffin's profession and passion. >> i love the highs and lows of sports. there's not many jobs are you feel the ecstasy of victory and the agony of defeat. >> reporter: but there was one low the university of washington coach didn't see coming. two of her goalkeepers diagnosed

with nonhodgkins lymphoma. >> she says that's the fourth goalkeeper i've hooked up this week. >> reporter: she remembers a conversation with her player that now haunts her. >> i have a feeling it has something to do with those black dots. >> this is the stuff everybody's talking about. >> reporter: socker and football players alike are very familiar with them. the black dots are actually shredded car and truck tires used in fields to fill the space between artificial blades of grass. they contain all the same chemicals found in most tires. the international agency for cancer research labels four carcinogens. while adding that at low levels of exposure there are considered safe. on a soccer field goalkeepers more than any other player roll around on the turf every practice. >> you don't eat tires. yet we were. as goalies or players, you would get it in your mouth and you wouldn't think about it. >> reporter: jordan starting playing goalie on turf when she was 12 years old. some weeks in high school practicing as many as 20 hours of crumb rubber.

at age 21 she was diagnosed with nonhodgkins lymphoma. >> i don't want anyone else to have to go through it. >> reporter: the former goalie is on the list, names the coach continues to gather of players who develop different types of cancers. 38 altogether, 34 are soccer players. annika, 18 years old, emma, 15. a list is no scientific proof. there's no research directly linking chrome rubber exposure to cancer. >> many are related cancers, but there are others in there too. what i would say is in general it's very difficult to study the relationship between an environmental exposure and cancer. >> reporter: no available studies replicate goalkeepers' playing conditions. but many researchers, states and localities defend the turf safety. davis lee has a ph.d. in

chemistry and sits on the synthetic turf council board. >> there's certainly a preponderance of the evidence to this point that says in fact it is safe. >> reporter: an nbc news investigation put that assertion to the test. gathering available studies and speaking with pediatricians, scientists and advocacy groups who say more research should be down. >> turf fields come with a number of real risks and a number of real benefits. and every community that's based with deciding what they want to put in has to kind of weigh in the different risks and benefits for that situation. >> reporter: among the available studies the synthetic turf council points to is one in 2009. the agency itself describes the conclusions as limited. nbc news repeatedly requested an interview, but after several e-mails and two phone calls, the epa refused. in a statement a spokesperson says the use of crumb rubber remains a state and local decision. and more testing needs to be done. if more research needs to be done, why are we allowing our

children to play on this surface? >> sure. well, more research can always be done. the question is whether or not the synthetic turf is safe. we've got 14 studies on our website that says we can find no negative health effects. >> reporter: pro-athletes and school kids alike are playing on more than 5,000 crumb rubber fields around the country. and the fields have already stirred some controversy. the new york city parks department and the los angeles school system no longer install the surface citing multiple health concerns. other cities applaud the fields because they say the turf is cheaper and more durable than grass and provides more outdoor space for kids to play. but griffin worries. >> i would love someone to say we've done some tests and we've covered all of our bases. and, yes, it's safe. and that would be awesome. that would be great. >> reporter: you want to be proved wrong? >> i would love to be proved wrong. >> coach griffin is the first to say she is not a scientist and

she tells me that the awareness raised on this issue will generate the research she and others think is needed. now, we have posted much more information on our website along with a dedicated e-mail address for any of our viewers. tell us your stories and comments. brian. >> stephanie gosk with the result of our months long investigation. stephanie, thanks. still ahead for us tonight after a break, are you among those hit with bogus charges on your cell phone bill? refunds are due and there are things you should be looking for in the fine print. and later, making a difference, the incredible scene happening on college campuses all across our country. ♪ i remember when i wouldn't give a little cut a second thought. when i didn't worry about the hepatitis c in my blood. when i didn't think twice about where i left my razor. hep c is a serious disease. take action now. go to hepc.com or call 1-844-444-hepc to find out how you and your doctor can take the next step towards a cure. because the answers you need, may be closer than they appear.

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it is a natural and valid question when looking over our cell phone bills. what exactly are we paying for here? well, tonight a big company, a major cell phone carrier, has been accused of sneaking charges onto bills. they've been ordered to pay the price for it $105 million. and if you're a customer, it could mean money back that was yours to begin with. our report tonight from nbc's peter alexander. >> reporter: have you ever heard that familiar ding? checked your cell phone and found a random text message like this? guess what? children laugh about 4,000 times a day, while adults laugh on average -- most people delete those. but they could be costing you. >> bills were deceptive and charges were imposed on consumers that were not authorized. >> reporter: today, federal

regulators announced at&t will pay $105 million in penalties including $80 million refunded to consumers for the unlawful billing. the ftc is presently suing t-mobile for the same thing. it's called cramming where the fee shows up on your bill as a $9.99 monthly subscription you never thought you had. at&t says it discontinued billing for those type of third party charges last year. do you ever read the fine print on your cell phone bill? >> no. who reads fine print? >> reporter: so what can consumers do? >> look for a vague term, something like usage charges or service charges you don't expect, look for $9.99 and $4.99 and look at the grand total. >> reporter: if you're used to paying a hundred dollars and your latest bill is more? call your provider and find out if you're being crammed. peter alexander, nbc news,washington. >> if your service is at&t and you think you've been unfairly charged, the federal government has set up a website where you can apply for a refund. we have a link to it on ours at

nbcnightlynews.com. we are back in a moment with the excitement tonight about a rare sighting off the coast. i got this. [thinking] is it that time? the son picks up the check? [thinking] i'm still working. he's retired. i hope he's saving. i hope he saved enough. who matters most to you says the most about you. at massmutual we're owned by our policyowners, and they matter most to us. whether you're just starting your 401(k) or you are ready for retirement, we'll help you get there. it's about getting to the finish line. in life, it's how you get there that matters most. like when i found out i had a blood clot in my leg. my doctor said that it could travel to my lungs and become an even bigger problem. so he talked to me about xarelto®. >>xarelto® is the first oral prescription blood thinner proven to treat and help prevent dvt and pe

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early risers throughout north america were treated to this, a rare so-called blood-moon, this morning. at least those lucky enough to have a cloud in the sky. blood-moon named for the color it takes on as it passes through earth's shadow. two new sets of stats out tonight show where we've been and where we're going starting with life itself. our life expectancy in this country has hit a record high, 78.8 years on average. breaks down for 81 years and change for women, 76.4 for men. and we're driving in better vehicles all the while. the epa says new cars last year have the best gas mileage ever. we're now averaging 24.1 mpgs, that's revolutionary compared to

when we started worrying about miles per gallon a few decades back. and another rare sight tonight. they're not used to this in the waters off southern california. a large pod of sperm whales put on a show for hours. they appear to be mothers and their young. and at one point they were playing with dolphins in the water. they are big, up to 45 tons each. they eat upwards of a ton of squid per whale per day. this is the largest group ever spotted so close to shore. they took up three square miles of ocean before moving the whole pack south. when we come back here tonight, the vital message behind a striking image. the story behind the hundreds of backpacks strewn across a college campus. that disease is for older people. not me. i take good care of myself. i'm active. i never saw it coming....it hit me like a ton of bricks. pneumococcal pneumonia was horrible... the fatigue... the chest pains, difficulty breathing.

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might not seem so big after all. ♪ we're back, and we begin tonight's making a difference report with a new and troubling number. it was revealed today the suicide rate in this country rose over 2% in 2012. among college students in america incredibly suicide is the second leading cause of death. it's a topic people don't like to talk about. that's often part of the problem. but we're about to see the hard work that has gone into a vivid

reminder that help is always out there and available. the story tonight from nbc's harry smith. >> reporter: a sunny morning on the campus of university of alabama birmingham. student volunteers are spreading backpacks across the campus green. the 1,100 backpacks have a purpose, to lure passersby. >> all the students around here carry backpacks. i guess you never really know what baggage they're carrying. i think the backpack is symbolic of what you carry around in life. >> reporter: the backpack displays the work of an organization called active minds and its founder allison melman. each backpack represents a student who has taken their own life. >> 1,100 backpacks is a lot of backpacks. and each one has a story. >> reporter: allison's brother, brian, was smart, funny, but few knew he suffered with mental illness. he took his life during his senior year in college. >> on the outside nobody could tell. he hid it from everybody because he was scared, he was ashamed,

he thought he was the only one. >> reporter: allison's goal, to pull mental illness out of solitary darkness and into the light of public awareness. >> i couldn't imagine doing anything else with my life right now. and at the same time it's more difficult than i think any other job would be. >> reporter: active minds now has hundreds of chapters. and every school year the backpacks go on display on campuses across the country. allison is certain it saves lives. >> there's a lot of students right now who are walking around who are thinking about dying. and my hope is more and more can have an answer for this and see kind of a future for themselves. >> reporter: that night the local chapter of active minds got a call. a student said he'd seen the backpacks and could they please help. harry smith, nbc news, birmingham, alabama. that's our broadcast on a wednesday night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams.

of course we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. dancing with the starrs procheryl burke blasting stephen collins today. >> cheryl's message to collins now on "extra." cheryl burke bla collins today. >> cheryl's message to collins now on " now on "extra." dancing's cheryl burke

forced to relive her own childhood nightmare as the stephen collins sex abuse scandal blows pup. plus, did collins' wife release the tapes for money? >> it sounds like he was tricked into making these admission. teresa giudice headed for martha stewart's famous camp cup cake? atlantaene today on the jersey housewife's troubles. >> i hurt for teresa. >> and is nene coming back to the atlanta slug fest? >> you've been reported $1.5 million. >> it's a lot nicer than that. then, new couple alert. reports sofia vergara's ex is hooking up with sharon stone. plus, "extra's" ultimate fall fashion guide. hey, everyone. welcome to "extra." i'm march row lopez.