back in. >> you're a betting man, san francisco's not going to -- we'll be back at 6:00. on this sunday night -- massive bomb attack. the scenes of devastation and carnage in baghdad. more than 150 people killed. isis blamed for a third big attack in less than a week. the deadliest in iraq in years. holiday controversy. more on hillary clinton's interview with the fbi about her private e-mail server as the trump campaign tries to distance itself from an image that appeared on his twitter feed. speed trap? drivers fight back against a ticket-writing town they claim unfairly hits them with big fines. some calling it highway robbery. and on the job. inside the boot camp for dogs getting trained to guard against terror and sniff out explosives at airports. "nightly news" begins now.

>> announcer: from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with kate snow. good evening on this holiday weekend here in the u.s. a horrific scene in baghdad, iraq, when a suicide bomber attacked a crowded shopping area shortly after midnight. coming in the mid- of ramadan, the streets were filled with families out for a late night dinner. it's been a week of nearly constant news of terrorist attacks from turkey to bangladesh, and now baghdad, where isis almost immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing. the u.n. envoy for iraq calling it a heinous attempt by isis to avenge recent losses on the battlefield in iraq. we begin tonight with lucy cavanaugh. > reporter: baghdad skies ablaze after a powerful blast. death and chaos on the streets. isis claiming responsibility. two bombs in one night. devastation on an

appalling scale. shops and restaurants reduced to rubble in the upscale neighborhood of kara karada, timed for maximum impact. a refrigerator truck packed full of explosives blowing up outside of this busy shopping mall as families were breaking their ramadan fast and celebrating the end of the school year. as firefighters battled the blaze in to the early hours of the morning, daylight revealed the full scale of the destruction. an entire block decimated. rescue workers searching for survivors. inside these makeshift stretchers, the dead and injured. many of them women and children. it was the third mass slaughter of civilians blamed on isis in less than a week. istanbul's airport, a popular cafe in bangladesh, now baghdad. the terrorists so far keeping their promise of a series of attacks before the end of the muslim holy month. they also come after

iraqi forces retook fallujah from isis last month, a breakthrough in the battle against the extremists who controlled the city for more than two years. >> they will continue launching these offensive strikes while defending, as best they can, their remaining territory, their two cities, mosul and raqqah. >> reporter: a victory that today came at a heavy price, as survivors and onlookers try to make sense of the deadliest attack in iraq so far this year. nbc news, london. it's been a busy holiday for the presidential candidates, even though they're taking a break from the trail. the clinton campaign spent today trying to move past her interview with the fbi on saturday morning over her e-mail server, while the trump camp worked to distance itself from a tweet that's being called anti-semitic. we get more on all of it tonight from kasie hunt. >> reporter: hillary clinton this weekend trying to turn the page on an fbi

investigation into her private e-mail. her team is hoping this means she'll be cleared of wrongdoing before she accepts the democratic nomination for president just weeks from now. charging ahead with vetting potential vice presidents, hopefuls spanning out to defend her sunday. >> i think that there won't be an indictment and i think that means that she did what many secretaries of state have done in the past. >> reporter: clinton taking in a saturday evening performance of "hamilton" on broadway after she and top aide cheryl mills spent the morning at fbi headquarters. officials from the justice department and the fbi interviewing her for more than three hours about her use of private e-mail as secretary of state. clinton telling nbc's chuck todd she wanted to get it over with. >> i've been eager to do it, and i was pleased to have the opportunity to assist the department in bringing its review to a conclusion. >> reporter: meanwhile, donald trump dealing with his own problems. his team still not explaining the image posted to his twitter account on saturday, attacking clinton as

corrupt, showing what appeared to be a star of david over a pile of money, an image that also appeared two weeks earlier on twitter, posted by a user who promoted other racist imagery. on trump's feed, the image was quickly replaced with a modified version. but with two of the six points of the star still visible. his former campaign manager defended him. >> a tweet is a simple tweet. and the bottom line is, you can read into things that aren't there. this is a simple star. >> reporter: but the anti-defamation league took him to task saying, quote, it is long overdue for mr. trump to reject the anti-semites and racists with the same clarity and energy that he's brought to the campaign trail when calling out other candidates. trump's campaign didn't respond to repeated requests for more explanation of that tweet. and in the past, trump has praised his son-in-law's jewish faith. trump and clinton are both planning to be back out on the

campaign trail after the fourth of july holiday. they're on a collision course in north carolina. clinton's going to appear for the first time when president obama in charlotte, and then donald trump is rallying in raleigh just hours later. kate? >> that's going to be an interesting day. kasie hunt, thanks. donald trump has a penchant for using nicknames to try and belittle his adversaries. for weeks he's been mocking hillary clinton ally senator elizabeth warren accusing her of exaggerating her native american heritage. that's drawn outrage from some in that community. katy tur has been looking into trump's record and has our report. >> she said she's native american. and i said pocahontas. it's pocahontas. >> reporter: donald trump attacking elizabeth warren's claim of native ancestry. it is not the first time trump has infuriated native americans. in the early '90s trump tried to block the spread of indian gaming, competition for his atlantic city casinos. he filed a lawsuit in federal court and testified before congress, claiming indian casinos were riddled with organized crime.

>> i think organized crime is rampant, rampant. i don't mean a little bit. it's rampant on the indian reservations. >> reporter: an assertion contradicted by the justice department and fbi. >> we do not see a concerted effort of organized crime to infiltrate indian gaming. >> reporter: and referring to a foxwoods casino in connecticut, trump said this -- >> i will tell you right now, they don't look like indians to me. they don't look like indians. now, maybe we say politically correct or not politically correct, but when you go up to connecticut and you look. now, they don't look like indians to me, sir. >> thank god that's not the test of whether or not people have rights in this country or not. whether or not they pass your look test. >> as trump left the room, a reporter followed up. watching trump that day was rick hill, then-chairman of the national indian gaming association. >> it is a racist attempt to protect the market share that he

holds. >> reporter: hill, a member effort the onida nation, says trump hasn't changed. >> the same style and the mccarthyism tactic, fear mongering, and the same thing he did back in '93. he is really not coming out of character. he's just including more people of color now. >> reporter: trump failed to stop indian gaming. he quietly dropped his lawsuit in 1994 and tried to join forces with native americans, making overtures to tribes in washington state and florida to develop casinos. but neither effort took off. the trump campaign didn't respond directly to the content of this story, instead saying that this is nothing more than nbc news trying to bail out hillary clinton's terrible, very bad weekend by unfairly attacking mr. trump. it goes on to say that the real story this weekend was clinton's meeting with the fbi. >> which we covered. katy tur, thank you. in california tonight, they're battling fires in several parts of the state, including a big wildfire in central california that threatens dozens of homes. steve patterson is following it all and

has our report. >> reporter: it's the season of relentless flames. a chain of monster blazes tearing through the west. tonight conditions from california's five-year drought are turning trees into matchsticks. about 100 homes threatened by the deer fire in central california that has so far consumed close to 1,800 acres. >> i'm not panicking yet. >> reporter: captain tyler townsend is worried about resources. his crew's barely recovered from another massive fire that started last week in the same area. >> we're hoping to have these fires contained, stabilized soon so that we can get our firefighters some rest. >> reporter: in northern california, the trailhead fire's injured two, threatened 2,600 structures and is now near 4,000 acres. l.a. county fire is stressing safety with fireworks. >> if you're in a wildfire area, fireworks could actually start any vegetation on fire. even the vegetation in your backyard you may

think is safe. >> reporter: a nine-acre fire in san bernardino charred two homes and destroyed two more with police investigating possible arson. this man says he barely escaped the flames after he heard his chihuahua, penny, barking. >> the flames were just beating up against the glass. the dog's freaking out. so, we ran out, the dog ran out, and we can't find her. firefighters already tested in a season that's just beginning. steve patterson, nbc news, los angeles. here in new york, a funeral was held today for elie wiesel, the author, nobel peace prize winner, holocaust survivor and conscience of the world, as president obama described him. wiesel died yesterday at age 87. morgan radford has more tonight. >> reporter: a community of mourners lifting elie wiesel's casket as they greet his death and celebrate his life. >> he inspired us and gave us a sense of responsibility. >> reporter: pictured here at age 16 in the

bunk of a nazi concentration camp just days after it was liberated by u.s. troops. wiesel survived the holocaust, documenting its horrors in his critically acclaimed novel "night." later becoming an activist and noble peace prize laureate, citing injustice on the world stage. his own scars from cruelty never forgotten. >> hatred is degrading and vengeance demeaning. they are diseases. their history is dominated by death. >> reporter: today the world remembers his call for inclusion. president obama saying he raised his voice not just against anti-semitism but against hatred, bigotry and intolerance in all its formdz. former president bush calling wiesel the example of a graceful life. but for those who knew him privately, he was more than just a living legend. he was a selfless leader. >> gave his family hope, gave his family direction. and most importantly, he gave them unconditional love. >> reporter: his son describing a gentle and devout man who was

always interested in others and whose quiet voice moved them to better themselves. >> i know and i speak of experience, that even in the midst of darkness, it is possible to create light. >> reporter: shining on the legacy of human kindness. morgan radford, nbc news. a scare this morning in central park after an explosion was heard. it led to a big response from the police and fire departments. sources familiar with the investigation tell nbc news that a young man visiting from virginia was severely injured in the leg when a homemade firework or explosive went off. it's not clear where that explosive came from police say there is no evidence of terrorism. still ahead tonight -- motorists fighting back against a town they believe unfairly caught them in a speed trap. and lester holt on a program that guides young offenders to a better life before it's too late.

as millions of americans hit the road this holiday weekend, more than a few might get stopped for speeding. but in south carolina, some drivers are fighting back, filing a class-action lawsuit against a town they claim is running an illegal speed trap. as gabe gutierrez reports, millions of dollars could be at stake. >> reporter: it was a road trip dusty holman would rather forget. >> i definitely feel ripped off. >> reporter: on his way to myrtle beach, the navy veteran was driving through the tiny town of turbeville, south carolina, population 800, when he was pulled over.

>> i was speeding and i was definitely willing to pay the ticket. >> reporter: but this one was different -- $388, citing a town ordinance passed in 2003, much higher than the typical state fine but with an upside, no points assessed on his license. >> speed trap is basically what that is. >> reporter: he ended up fighting the ticket, ultimately paying $150 for the state penalty but getting points on his record. this retired couple was also stopped driving back from a vacation in florida. >> of course, it's not fair. this is how they support the town, then there's something wrong. >> reporter: now a class-action lawsuit has been filed alleging the town, covering less than two square miles, is being unjustly enriched by using a local ordinance to fine drivers when a state law is already on the books. despite repeated requests for an interview, town officials here declined to speak to us on camera citing the ongoing lawsuit. the police chief previously told nbc station wois that the ordinance made the

streets safer. the attorney representing the town now says it plans to challenge the legal basis of the claim, specifically the ability of an individual who has voluntarily pled guilty to or forfeited a fine for a presumptively valid town ordinance to seek reimbursement of the fine paid. the attorney also says the town gives a significant percentage of the receipt to the state. in 2017 with the ois watched as the chief wrote multiple tickets on labor day, stopping several out-of-state drivers. >> it's morally wrong and i don't think we should tolerate it. >> reporter: state representative jimmy bales has unsuccessfully tried to pass legislation to block the local ordinance. >> it is illegal, absolutely. highway robbery. >> reporter: what began as costly road trips now turning into a legal battle far beyond traffic court. gabe gutierrez, nbc news, turbeville, south carolina. when we come back -- the big pileup and a close call last night at daytona.

at nascar's sprint cup race last night, a massive multi-car wreck at the daytona international speedway in florida. it happened in lap 90 when jamie mcmurray slid down the track, triggering a crash that involved some 22 other cars. several were so badly damaged, they couldn't return to the race. but there were no major injuries. here in new york, some young people who wound up on the wrong side of the law are getting a second chance thanks to an innovative school program that begins in jail and continues by providing even more important lessons when they get out. lester holt met up with some of them. >> reporter: going to jail can be about learning lessons. >> you got to be mentally strong.

sometimes i break down. sometimes i don't. but i can't. i'm in this predicament, i got to get it over with. >> reporter: at new york's infamous rikers island jail, some of those lessons by necessity are quite literal. >> new york state is one of two states that consider 16-year-olds adults. and one of ten states that considers 17-year-olds adults. >> reporter: so you're obligated to teach those kids. >> well, we're obligated to provide age-appropriate programming. >> reporter: rikers island academy is an alternative high school, educating youth on the inside but it is the lessons they learn once they're back on the outside that can determine their futures. >> we offer a combination of things. we know that in order to thrive, young people need a sense of belonging and they need opportunities to achieve. >> reporter: for that situation, who's creating the problem? >> reporter: and that means a net to catch

them, which is where friends of island academy comes in. getting to young offenders before the streets get them. >> you can get a kid who's coming out of rikers, it's his first time there, what chance do you have to turn it around, make sure he doesn't go back? >> they have to turn themselves around. we have to build a relationship to get them to hear and trust that there is a way. at rikers it is very difficult. >> reporter: because once they end up back in the streets -- >> the clock ticks. the minute they're back into their natural environment it starts ticking. >> reporter: to beat the clock, friends focuses on job placement, education, even mental health intervention. just one year out of rykers, 20-year-old isaiah mullen landed a union job at a manhattan hotel. is it hard to get someone to trust you when you've been locked up? >> it is. but there's good people out there. they know that second chance is always good. >> reporter: at 22, darryl, free on bail, is working for his second chance as a father. >> you ready? ahh! growing up knowing that a lot of guys

don't take care of their responsibility as a father and being in a child's life just makes me every day when i wake up to not be a statistic. >> reporter: like the one that says half of young adults released will likely go back to jail unless someone is there to show them another path. >> i'm just going to go home a better person. go home a better person and don't come back. >> our thanks to my friend, lester holt, for that report. when we come back, we'll take you inside the training program for dogs doing their part to keep our airports safe.

finally tonight, the deadly attack on the airport in istanbul this past week brought new focus to the issue of airport security here in the united states, especially this holiday weekend with so many of us traveling.

with that in mind, the tsa is trying to increase the number of bomb-sniffing dogs at u.s. airports. janet shamlian went to the military base in texas where they're all being trained. >> reporter: to the dogs, it's just a game. >> oh, good girl! >> reporter: but teaching them to sniff out explosives is a new front in the war on terror and part of a plan to keep long lines moving at security checkpoints. >> these dogs are extremely important for the fight on terrorism just for the fact that they are almost unbeatable when properly trained. >> reporter: at lackland air force base in texas is boot camp for canines. 17 buildings configured like an airport with dozens of locals hired to play the passengers. in this exercise there is an explosive hidden somewhere in this terminal and the dog's job is to find it. and she just did. pasca is among 250 dogs graduating this year. >> good girl!

>> her nose is one of the most phenomenal noses i've trained here. >> reporter: earning deployment to an airport and a job like the one this girl has. she knows what she has to do. >> yes, without a doubt. i'm just here to hold the leash. >> reporter: there are 900 canine teams like this one nationwide with plans for more. how sensitive are the dogs' noses? the trainer compares a human and a dog smelling a burger. >> if you say, okay, i smell the cheese, i smell the meat. well, a dog smells the cheeseburger, he'll smell everything that's on it. he'll smell the salt and pepper, he'll smell the ketchup, the mustard and if somebody spit on it, the dog is trained, hey, somebody spit on that burger. good girl. >> reporter: bella is training in a mock security line. this time i've got the bag with explosives and she knows it. >> i would trust this dog. i would fly whatever airport she's at with no problem, knowing she's doing her job. >> reporter: as much as $25,000 to train each dog, it is an expensive program. >> good girl!

>> reporter: but the cost, trainers say, of not using them could be much higher. janet shamlian, nbc news, san antonio. and that is "nbc nightly news" for this sunday night. i'm kate snow reporting from new york. i'll see you back here tomorrow. for all of us at nbc news, have a great night.

right now at 6:00, preparing for the fourth of july. what is being done right now to crack down on illegal fire works. first, we have breaking news. state park rangers are looking for a person in the water at sunset state beach. they were reported missing about two hours ago. helicopters have been sent to help with that search. we'll get you more investigation once we know it. >