Singer-songwriter Carole King is receiving the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song from the Library of Congress and actress and comedian Carol Burnett will receive the 2013 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. NBC’s Brian Williams reports. (Nightly News)

Two years after a tornado destroyed much of Joplin, Mo., the town has come back even stronger with changes to their infrastructures that are helping people stay safe. Now, nearly 80 percent of new homes include a safe room, and a new hospital will open in 2015 with windows able to withstand 250 mph winds. NBC’s Erica Hill reports. (Nightly News)

Vernon McGarity, who was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Harry S. Truman in 1945 for his heroic actions in World War II, died Tuesday in Tennessee. NBC’s Brian Williams reports. (Nightly News)

Eric Garcetti was elected the first Jewish mayor of LA in an election with a turnout of just 19.2 percent, a modern-day record low. NBC’s Brian Williams reports. (Nightly News)

Sathwik Karnik cruised to victory in the National Geographic Bee. To clinch the title, the 12-year-old from Plainville, Mass., correctly named Chimborazo as the mountain in Ecuador that represents the farthest point from the Earth’s center. NBC’s Ali Weinberg reports.   (Nightly News)

In an exclusive special report, NBC’s Maria Shriver speaks with three senators who are working to create legislation that will allow outside prosecutors to decide whether or not to take military sexual assault cases to trial rather than relying on military commanders to play that role. (Nightly News)

Los Angeles voters, in a record low turnout, have picked a new mayor. Democrat Eric Garcetti, a former city councilman, won the race for mayor of the nation’s second most populous city. NBC’s Miguel Almaguer spoke with the mayor-elect. (Nightly News)

In the biggest mass public school closing in U.S. history, the Chicago Board of Education is closing schools they say are under-used. NBC’s Brian Williams reports. (Nightly News)

Douglas Shulman insisted he was not responsible for the IRS’ targeting of conservative groups, but apologized that it had happened under his watch. Lois Lerner, head of the IRS tax-exempt unit, also appeared before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, where she took the fifth. NBC’s Kelly O’Donnell reports. (Nightly News)

In a letter to Congress, Attorney General Eric Holder detailed the legal defense for targeting the American citizens. NBC’s Chuck Todd reports. (Nightly News)