Nightly news begins right now. Announcer from nbc news World Headquarters in new york, this is nbc nightly news with lester holt. Good evening to our viewers in the west. A white house struggling to find a singular message about its syria policy following thursdays Cruise Missile attack tonight finds itself suddenly in damage control mode after Spokesman Sean Spicer tried to draw a moral comparison between Bashar Al Assad and adolf hitler saying hitler didnt even sink to using chemical weapons. The historical fact that hitler gassed millions of jews and others was not lost on many who were watching mr. Spicer as he spoke at todays press briefing. His words and attempts at clarification touching off an emotional response. Now just a short time ago came an apology. White house correspondent Kristen Welker has details. Reporter tonight, a messaging misstep rocking the white house after press Secretary Sean Spicer compared syrias president , bashir al assad, to adolf hitler. We didnt use chemical weapons in world war ii. You had somebody as despicable as hitler who didnt even sink to using chemical weapons. Reporter those comments sparking an immediate backlash. Hitler gassed millions of jews in concentration camps during the holocaust, that forcing spicer to clarify before the briefing was over. I think when you come to sarin gas, he was not using the gas on his own people the same way that assad is doing. There was not he brought them into the holocaust center, i understand that. What im saying the way assad used them where he went into towns and dropped them down onto innocents in the middle of town. Reporter spicer apparently referring to concentration camps when he used the term holocaust center. Moments after the briefing, spicer sending out three more clarifications. In no way was i trying to lessen the horrendous nature of the holocaust. Any attack on innocent people is reprehensible and inexcusable. The damage already done. On twitter outrage. One person demanding spicer learn how to fact check. Another saying the comments make me physically ill. Tonight calls for spicer to be fired including from House Democratic leader nancy pelosi and the ann frank center. Sean spicer has delivered one of the most repulsive slurs against a group of people we have ever heard from a white house podium to imagine on passover. Reporter still the controversy underscoring the white houses struggling to offer a clear message and policy when it comes to syria. No one knows what president trumps intention is in syria or his plan or his strategy. Reporter late tonight spicer apologized for his comments. Take a listen. To draw any comparison to the holocaust was inappropriate and, and insensitive, and obviously especially during a week like this, regret that. Meanwhile, the president seemed to make a similar point as spicer without mentioning hitler, saying some of the worst tyrants in the world didnt use the kind of gases the syrians used. Thank you. Comparisons aside, the administration continues to justify its strike on syria. Secretary of state Rex Tillerson arriving in russia today for critical talks while the white house is accusing russia of trying to cover up the syrian regimes deadly chemical attack on civilians. Nbc news chief Foreign Affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell has more from moscow. Tonight secretary of state Rex Tillerson arriving in moscow trying to clarify mixed signals on syria from the administration and confront the russians with new evidence that the assad regime carried out that deadly chemical attack. Declassified intelligence including samples showing sarin gas was used, that it was delivered by syrian aircraft and that russia is trying to cover up what happened. President trump tonight explaining his decision to strike with fox business network. Were not going into syria. But when i see people using horrible, horrible chemical weapons, which they agreed not to use under the Obama Administration but they violated it. Earlier today in italy, tillerson taking a hard line on russia for not living up to its past promise to eliminate assads chemical weapons. It is unclear whether russia failed to take this obligation seriously or russia has been incompetent, but this distinction doesnt much matter to the dead. Reporter but two hours before tillerson landed, vladimir putin, assads chief military ally, already firing back comparing todays accusations to the bush administrations false claims about saddam husseins wmd. Putin claiming it is antiassad rebels tied to the u. S. Who have chemicals. Saying they are planning to plant chemicals and blame the Syrian Government for using them. Tillerson, who as an oil company deal maker once received a medal of friendship from putin is now emerging as a tough critic. After weeks of mixed messages on syria a longer term longer term status of president assad will be decided by the sear january people. In no way do we see peace in that area with assad as the head of the Syrian Government. Reporter tillerson trying to deliver one message convincing putin to try to negotiate assads exit, a tall order. With russias government saying tonight relations with the u. S. Are worse than any time since the cold war. Its not certain putin will agree to meet with tillerson tomorrow so he can deliver that message. Lester. Andrea mitchell in moscow tonight. Thank you. This evening, facing an International Public relations nightmare United Airlines has abruptly changed course and apologized to the passenger who was violently pulled from his seat so airline employees could fly instead. That passenger meanwhile is still in the hospital being treated for his injuries. Nbcs tom costello has new video showing what happened in the moments before the chaos. Reporter tonight new video taken moments before the sundays altercation on the United Airlines flight. No, im not going. Im not going. Reporter we now know the passenger is 69yearold dr. David dao of kentucky. Fellow passengers say dr. Dow and his wife first accepted uniteds offer of 800 each to voluntarily give up their seats for crew members but returned when they realized they wouldnt get home in time for work. Moments later airport security, not Police Officers, dragged him out of his seat. My god, what are you doing . The video of dr. Dao appearing unconscious and bloodied quickly went viral. In china, a critical market for United Airlines exploded on concern that dr. Dao was singled out for being asian, calling for a united boycott. Today first blaming the doctor for the incident, united ceo, oscar munoz changed his tone. In a statement saying, i deeply apologize to the customer forcibly removed and to all other customers aboard. Munoz is promising a full investigation with the results by april 30th saying, i have committed to our customers and our employees that we are going to fix whats broken so this never happens again. The Flight Attendants Union applauded. This was inexcusable from start to finish. It was not right. Its being looked at. Procedures are going to be changed, training is going to be better. Meanwhile it turns out dr. Dao has a checkered history in kentucky. In 2004 he was convicted of trafficking in prescription drugs, placed on probation and had his medical license suspended. He resumed practicing in 2015. But its uniteds handling of the way he was treated on board flight 3411 that led to an all out Public Relations disaster. United stock was down as much as 4 today but when munoz apologized, it rebounded closing down just 1 . But the question is how much lasting damage is there to the united brand . Lester. Tom costello tonight. Thank you. Were learning much more this evening about the shooter who opened fire inside the special needs classroom at an Elementary School in san bernardino, california, and about his victims, his estranged wife who taught there and the 8yearold student who was also shot and killed. Nbcs Gadi Schwartz has the new details. Reporter north park elementary, parents and kids leave tributes to the victims. Im in shock. I cant believe this happened. Reporter 6yearold jocelyn will have trouble going back to school. She saw her teacher karen smith, and friend 8yearold Jonathan Martinez shot and killed in her classroom. He just walked in with a gun and started shooting. Reporter police now say the gunman was cedric anderson, smiths estranged husband. The district says he went to front office, signed in and then walked into her class and opened fire, reloaded and started shooting again and then killed himself. I cant sit here and tell her, you are going to be safe. She is not. There its nothing i can tell her to make her feel safe. Jonathan, his youngest vehicle, victim, a student with williams syndrome, a genetic disorder. He is remembered as extremely affectionate. She wants to go see jonathan . I try to explain to her that he moved on. Anderson had been arrested for Domestic Violence in the past. A restraining order a little he threatened an exgirlfriend with a butcher knife. His criminal history included four prior arrests, 1982 to 2013. Those four arrests included a weapons charge, Domestic Violence charge, a theft charge. In none of those cases was there a conviction. Online his facebook was filled with posts about his love for his wife. But her family said recently they had separated, smith going into hiding because she was terrified of anderson. She effectively kept her private life private. Now the community asking if a school can ever be entirely secure. Gadi schwartz, nbc news, san bernardino, california. There is an important change to tell you about tonight in the fight against one of the most common and deadly cancers, Prostate Cancer. About 180,000 men are diagnosed every year and 26,000 die. Whether to routinely screen men for Prostate Cancer and starting at what age has been controversial. Nbc news medical correspondent dr. John torres has the new guidelines. Reporter under the old guidelines for Prostate Cancer screening, Stephen Weinstein didnt need to get the psa blood test in his 50s but he started screening anyway. And this year, doctors found an aggressive tumor. It would have spread. Theres no doubt that would have killed me at a very young age. Reporter today an influential medical task force is changing screening guidelines, now urging all men age 55 to 69 to talk to their doctor about getting a psa test. Men aged 70 and older should not get screened. This should really be a personal choice a man makes together with his doctor. The goal of these conversations is really to understand benefits and harms. Reporter previously experts worried psa tests were unreliable and could lead to unnecessary surgeries with painful side effects and screenings dropped. Now new evidence found psa tests reduced the chance of dying of Prostate Cancer. And theres a new approach to managing cancers that arent aggressive, active surveillance, which means frequent checkups looking for changes. It allows us only to intervene on their cancer when we have clear evidence the cancer has become more aggressive. Stephen weinstein ignored the previous guidelines because his father died of Prostate Cancer. If you want to live and be with your friends and family, why not do everything you can to keep your self healthy. Significant advice on how men should screen for this deadly cancer. There has been a lot of back and fort. A lot to take in here. Ultimately talking about a blood test. We are talking about a blood test. These guidelines changed because we learned about different types of Prostate Cancer. Some are deadly, others not necessarily. Bottom line, men need to sit down and have a discussion with their doctor about the test. Dr. Torres, thank you very much. Now to arkansas where starting next week the state plans to execute seven inmates in 11 days. It would be an unprecedented stretch of Capital Punishment, one of the state says is necessary because the lethal drug is about to expire. Nbcs Gabe Gutierrez with details. Behind these walls in rural arkansas, seven men are preparing to die, all convicted of capital murder. All scheduled to be executed over an 11day span starting monday. It is unprecedented that a state is trying to execute this many people in this short a period of time. Jeff rosenswag, represents three of the inmates and calls this Assembly Line killing. It is a race against time, because one of the drugs used in the lethal injection midazolam will expire at the end of the month. Manufacturers have been reluctant to resupply the states after he was used in a botched execution in oklahoma. Weve suffered long enough. But for susan connie, it cant come soon enough. Ive been promised by the state. Death row inmate, don davis shot her mother jane daniel in the back of a head during a robbery 27 years ago. My mom really suffered that last day. Reporter executions are relatively rare here in arkansas. These will be the first in 12 years. The state now finds itself at the center of the nationwide debate over the death penalty. After peaking in the 90s, Capital Punishment in the u. S. Is at its lowest point in a quarter century, just 20 executions last year. Lethal injection still the preferred method. But drug shortages have prompted some states to consider other options such as a firing squad in utah and nitrogen gas in oklahoma. Im so sorry. Lawyers for the condemned in arkansas are now desperately arguing a rushed job makes it more likely something will go wrong. Gabe gutierrez, nbc news, arkansas. Still ahead the hero doctor shot in the street while saving a stranger. The terrifying incident caught on camera. This Good Samaritan lived to tell his tale in an nbc news exclusive. Terrifying moment when a girl slips from her harness on a highflying carnival ride. Were back now with an nbc exclusive. A hero doctor speaking out for the first time after helping a after nearly being murdered for helping a woman being attacked. Peter gold watched the video for the first time this morning, remembering the encounter vividly two years later. Nbcs Miguel Almaguer has details from the doctor who nearly lost his life while trying to save another. Reporter the chilling crime caught on camera. A woman dragged down a new orleans street by an armed man when peter gold, a medical student, stopped to help. I saw a man having a girl in a choke hold, and my instincts got the best of me. Next thing i knew, i was out of the car. Reporter soon gold would be staring down the barrel of a gun. He held his gun to me and told me at that pointblank im going to kill you. Reporter at close range gold is shot. The gunman pulling the trigger again and again, aiming at his head but the gun jammed. The bullet threw me to the ground and the phone fell away from me. Reporter gold called his parents before the encounter. I heard him say, man, i dont have any money. Reporter gail and bob gold listening as their son was gunned down. We heard the shot, so we knew he was shot. Its a very helpless feeling. Peter, good morning. Reporter sitting down with matt lauer gold watched the surveillance tape for the first time exclusively on today. It makes me feel so lucky and happy to be able to share this moment with you and be able to spend time with friends and family. Reporter in the two years since the shooting, gold again came facetoface with the man who tried to kill him, testifying when euric cain was sentenced to 50 years in prison. To stand up in front of him and tell him how i felt, how it made my family feel was moving and powerful and helped me move forward. Reporter today peter gold is a doctor and founder of a Program Helping underserved youth, still devoted to helping others, just as he was when he put his own life on the line. Miguel almaguer, nbc news. What a remarkable story. Well take a break. Up next, the beautiful springtime phenomenon so big it can be seen from space. Were back now with the state of emergency declared by floridas governor as crews battle more than 100 wildfires burning throughout the state. Since february nearly 70,000 acres had been scorched there with at least 19 homes destroyed. Caught on camera, a terrifying scene at a carnival. A girl slipped from her harness at a bungee swing over 160 feet high and came hurling toward the ground upside down, her feet tangled in the harness. Amazingly she was reportedly not injured when the incident happened in france on sunday. Check out the view in california, with so many wild flowers in bloom, they could be seen in space. This is what it looked like before and this is what it looks like after. Its a rare super bloom caused by an unusually wet winter after years of drought. Up next, why trash it when you can fix it. The growing trend breathing new life into prized possessions. Next at 6 south bay deputies step out with a new piece of standard equipment. Raj vo well tell you about their extra set of eyes. Jess vo and preventing another United Airlines fiasco. What a local politician is doing to make sure this never happens here jess next close next. Jess take vo right now at 6 finally tonight, do you have items in your home that dont work anymore but you just cant seem to part with them . Nbcs harry smith tells us about a growing trend bringing people together to fix all things beloved but broken in our inspiring america report. Reporter every other month in a basement of a church in new pauls, new york, volunteers gather to fix things. And everything they fix, they fix for free. This is a favorite, so im really thrilled she could f