Some of the top stories NBC News is following Tuesday:
Drumbeat grows for strike on Syria
The White House is getting ready to release the evidence — characterized by Secretary of State John Kerry as “undeniable” — that the Syrian regime has used chemical weapons. President Barack Obama’s latest calls were to his counterparts in Australia and France, and this morning Prime Minister David Cameron said the British military was preparing for a possible strike. Read more at NBC News.
Firefighters make gains in California, but blaze still poses broad threat
A wildfire near Yosemite National Park now covers the same area as the city of Chicago, but firefighters are gaining ground. It’s 20 percent contained, up from 7 percent a day earlier. The so-called Rim Fire threatens 4,500 buildings, the power and water utilities for San Francisco, and the famed California sequoias. Read more at NBC News.
High honor for ‘conspicuous gallantry’
Only five men alive who served in Iraq or Afghanistan can wear the Medal of Honor. The latest is Army Staff Sgt. Ty Michael Carter, who braved a torrent of bullets and saved a comrade during a 2009 ballet near the Afghan-Pakistani border. Then he came home and walked onto another battlefield — the battle with post-traumatic stress disorder.” Watch an interview with Carter at “Nightly News.”
Obama sends condolences in Australian ballplayer’s killing
The president and first lady say their thoughts and prayers are with the family of Christopher Lane, the Australian baseball player who was out for a jog when he was shot dead by three teenagers, one of whom told investigators they were just bored. A presidential spokesman says there’s an “extra measure of evil” when a life is cut so far short. Read more at NBC News.
21 sickened in measles outbreak tied to Texas church
Health officials say 21 people, including a 4-month-old, have been sickened in an outbreak of measles spreading through the congregation of a Texas megachurch. The parent organization of the church advocates faith healing and suggests that people “first seek the wisdom of God,” then get medical attention. Read how the church is fighting the outbreak at NBC News.
Relatives of Fort Hood victims talk about upended lives
The sentencing phase in the court-martial of Army Maj. Nidal Hasan, who killed 13 people in a 2009 shooting spree at Fort Hood, Texas, resumes this morning. On Monday, relatives of dead soldiers talked about waiting for their worst fear to come true — the knock on the door from two soldiers sent to break the awful news. Watch it at NBC News.
Making progress against a silent killer of women
An estimated 14,000 women are killed each year in the United States by ovarian cancer, most diagnosed too late for treatment to be effective. Part of the problem is that the symptoms mimic those of other, more common diseases. But a promising blood test is giving doctors some hope. Watch Dr. Nancy Snyderman’s report at “Nightly News.”
Thou shalt not steal (but can try to make it right 40 years later)
A 200-year-old, leather-bound Bible was stolen from a church on the coast of England in 1971. More than 40 years later, a package came in the mail — the book and an anonymous note from the man who says he took it. The church treasurer says the man is a “God-fearing chap” making an attempt at a confession. Read why at NBC News.