100. >> there you go. thanks for joining us here at 5:00. lester holt is back with "nightly news." >> and we'll be back at 6:00. /s tonight, the escalating war of words and the uproar in congress over president trump's comments the president says his remarks about four democratic congress women were not racist, as the house erupts over a resolution to condemn his suggestion that they should go back to the countries they came from no federal civil rights charges against a new york police officer in the death of eric garner as he was restrained by officers. >> i can't breathe i can't breathe. >> garner's death five years ago prompting national protests over excessive use of force by the police survivors story, the woman who was missing three days in the california wilderness speaks out, saying she got lost after running away from a man who threatened her with a knife. >> grabbed hold of me and really scary and threatened with his knife. >> the flash flood catastrophe

in the south 20 inches of rain leaving towns under water. forcing children to be rescued from day care. now millions across the country facing the biggest heat wave of the summer al roker will have the latest. fighting alzheimer's disease. new research and what could be a major factor and some simple things you can do to prevent it. and 50 years after the apollo 11 launch, why we are all still moon struck. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt >> and good evening, everyone. we start with breaking news ted tonight to officially n esident trump for his racist tweets. several republicans joining democrats in voting for the resolution the vote forced members to take a public position on the president's demeaning call for a group of liberal congress women to go back and fix the places they came from all of the women are of color and most born in the u.s but the vote unlikely to shame mr. trump who called on republicans to not show

weakness our hallie jackson has late details. >> reporter: drama as democrats tonight work to put the president's racist attack into the congressional record, voting to approve a resolution that, quote, strongly condemns president donald trump's racist comments that have legitimatized and increased fear and hatred of new americans and people of color. >> join us in condemning the president's racist tweets. to do anything less would be a shocking rejection of our values and a shameful abdication of our oath of office >> reporter: that comment triggering a rare and remarkable house floor fight. republicans successfully arguing the speaker broke the rules with a personal attack. >> i request the gentle woman's words are requested to be taken down >> reporter: one democrat leaving in disgust >> no, because we want to just fight. i abandon the chair. >> reporter: the resolution symbolic, meant to put republicans under pressure to vote on the president's tweet sunday suggesting four freshmen progressives go back to their home countries

all four lawmakers are women of color and u.s. citizens. only one was not born in the u.s. top republicans, mostly deflecting and defending president trump. >> this is about socialism versus freedom >> the president is not a racist, and i think the tone of all of this is not good for the country. >> reporter: it's a moment fueling already bitter partisan divisions from the capital to the white house where top aide kellyanne conway had this combative exchange with reporter andrew feinberg. >> to which countries was he referred >> which ethnicity >> why is that relevant to this -- >> because i'm asking you a question >> reporter: the president for his part tweeting today, i don't have a racist bone in my body. and again attacking the four women lawmakers. >> they can leave. they can stay. but they should love our country and they should work for the good of our country. >> reporter: the president has rarely shied away from explosive racial politics, dating back to his days plugging the birtherism

conspiracy theory. and while fanning those flames may have helped him in 2016, it wasn't all beneficial in the midterms and may not be effective come 2020. lester >> all right, hallie jackson at the white house. thank you. there is breaking news tonight of a shake up at planned parenthood the organization forcing out its president after less than a year on the job, and it comes amid a battle over new and more restrictive abortion laws across the country. nbc's kristen welker has late details for us >> reporter: tonight with abortion rights under fire, the president of planned parenthood, lena wen says she was forced out of her job today wen tweeting, i just learned that the board ended my employment at a secret meeting and in a letter to employees adding, the move comes amidst philosophical differences over the direction of the organization the board has decided to, quote, double down on abortion rights advocacy planned parenthood thanked wen for her service. a source familiar with her departure tells nbc news, it was due to management style and lack of pic

wen was the first physician to lead the organization in decades. >> we will win because we are standing on the right side of history. >> reporter: just yesterday the trump administration began enforcing a rule barring federally funded family planning clinics from providing referrals for abortion that means planned parenthood stands to lose about $60 million a year abortion rights advocates say that could limit reproductive services available to low-income women. it also comes as several states have passed legislation to restrict access to abortion. for president trump opposing abortion rights has long been a key priority and campaign promise. >> and we're proudly defending the sanctity of life >> reporter: planned parenthood changing its leadership at the top as it enters an uncertain new te >> federal prosecutors said today they will not charge a new york city police officer in the

death of eric garner his death five years ago sparking protests across the country because of the way he was restrained ron allen has the details. >> he was killed on the streets. and this cop is still hired. >> reporter: the pain still raw for eric garner's family the video of his arrest for selling untaxed cigarettes five years ago and his plea heard 11 times. >> i can't breathe i can't breathe. >> reporter: helping ignite a national debate about policing and sparking a movement. >> i can't breathe >> reporter: today federal prosecutors said they will not charge officer daniel pantaleo on desk duty since the incident saying they cannot prove he willfully choked garner to death. >> an officer's mistake, fear, misperception, or even poor judgment does not constitute willful conduct under federal criminal civil rights law. >> reporter: officer pan tax leo said he relied on his police training to arrest garner and garner's resistance and poor health caused his death.

in a statement today, the attorney said the decision confirms the fact that officer pantaleo did not violate eric garner's civil rights. garner's family who settled a wrongful death claim with the city for nearly $6 million wants the officer not only prosecuted, but fired. >> this is an outrage, an insult to injury. you killed my son and you won't get away with it >> reporter: the case is not entirely over. as garner's family and officer pantaleo awaits the out come of a internal police disciplinary hearing. a decision is expected next month. lester >> all right, ron allen, thanks. in chicago tonight, music star r. kelly has been ordered to remain behind bars as he now faces over a dozen federal sex assault charges. ron mott is at the courthouse, and, ron, the judge ruled kelly is a danger to the community >> reporter: he did indeed, lester good evening to you. this was a major setback legally for r. kelly as that judge said he needs to remain in jail

he's a danger to the public. r. kelly could potentially be in jail all the way through not one, but two federal trials and that, of course, could take years. the 52-year-old singer appeared in court wearing an orange jump suit and was shackled at his ankles he pleaded not guilty to 13 charges surrounding the alleged sexual abuse of five minor girls. his attorneys say they are considering an appeal on the bond decision left undecided is when and where r. kelly would be a rained on the new york charges which include racketeering, lester >> all right, ron, thanks. here in new york, a woman says financier jeffrey epstein a boodsed her as a child spoke out today. calling on more alleged victims to come forward.hat >> to all the victims of jeffrey epstein, my name is courtney wild and i was sexually abused by jeffrey epstein as a child. >> reporter: courtney wild first accused jeffrey epstein of

sexually abusing her over a decade ago now she's calling on others to tell their stories >> you may try to convince yourself that this is a long time ago and you've moved on, but you are not alone and this was not your fault >> reporter: epstein pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking charges in new york. in new mexico, at least three new accusers have come forward according to law enforcement sources. >> this is a case, at least in new mexico, that should have been investigated many decades ago, and it was not and so we are playing catch up at this point. >> epstein owns a sprawling ranch and estate complete with airplane hangar and landing strip where the attorney general says some of the abuse took place. >> this is a very large residence in a very isolated part of new mexico >> reporter: in court documents in a separate civil case, a woman who works for epstein as a graduate student says in 1996, he flew her 15-year-old sister to the ranch and touched her inappropriately on the massage table. as new accusers come forward, state law enforcement are forwarding their cases to federal prosecutors in new york. epstein's next court appearance

is thursday morning when a federal judge will decide whether or not he gets bail. if he doesn't get bail, lester, and is convicted on these charges, he could be in prison for the rest of his life >> all right, stephanie, thanks. let's turn now to the summer of extremes. triple digit heat on the way across the country and in the south remains of hurricane barry still carving a path of destruction. severe flooding in parts of arkansas leaving homes and businesses and cars under water. but that next threat coming is that scorching heat. yes, it's july and it's supposed to be hot, but it's about to get dangerous. al roker joins us now. al, lay it out for us. >> lester, a lot of folks are going to be seeing the hottest temperatures of the summer big dome of high pressure, a heat dome is pushing the jet stream way up to the north and so that combination of heat and humidity means 38 states will be seeing heet indexes of over 100 degrees. 200 million of us or more will be feeling this dangerous heat we're talking about triple digit

heat right into saturday for oklahoma city, memphis, chicago, cincinnati, omaha, and moving to the east, new york city, philadelphia, chicago, cleveland, washington and nashville. dangerous heat indexes, lester, right into the weekend >> all right, al, thanks an update tonight on the murder mystery in louisiana. police in baton rouge say they arrested the man in the death of community leader and civil rights activist sadie roberts joseph ron jermaine bell was a tenant in one of her rental homes and owed $1200 in rent according to authorities. tonight bell has been charged with first degree murder tonight a grieving husband and father whose family was killed in the crash of an ethiopian airliner is calling on boeing to scrap the 737-max and for its top executives to face criminal charges and he's preparing to deliver a strong message to congress tomorrow as he tells our tom

costello sath his pain remains hs since unbearable his wife carol, his three children ryan, kelly and ruby, and his mother-in-law ann, all died paul, a canadian, is now all alone. >> they took my life away because without my family, i don't have a life. >> reporter: the ethiopian crash came months after another 737-max crashed in indonesia in all, 346 people killed. he blames boeing and the faa he plans to tell congress the max should never fly again, and boeing execs should face criminal charges though that's unlikely >> for the sake of human life safety, the 737-max should be scrapped >> reporter: meanwhile, the 737-max remains grounded worldwide. boeing expects to submit a package of software fixes in september, but under intense scrutiny, faa approval could take time. u.s. airlines that fly the max are taking it out of service until early november at the

earliest but aviation experts believe it could take longer than that. >> it's going to go out to the end of the year at least, in my view, because the eyes of the world are looking at the ungrounding of this airplane, and there's still a long way to go >> reporter: again tonight, boeing says it regrets the loss of life and is deeply sorry for the impact to the families and loved ones >> and tom joins us now. tom, there is news of another plane crash you are reporting on that happened a couple weeks ago in texas what can you tell us >> reporter: yeah, this was an addison texas just north of dallas on june 30. you may recall this plane had ten people on board. it was taking off and suddenly it seemed to rollover and go right into a hangar. newlg le violently over to the left, and then almost a cork screw right into that hangar now, we know that the crew had discussed possible engine trouble on the left side investigators are looking at whether it lost an engine. and if it did, it would have done exactly that, banking over hard to the left, going straight into a hangar.

everybody on board was killed, ten people, eight members of three families, and the pilot and copilot on their way to st. petersburg lester >> terrifying video to watch all right, tom, thanks we turn to health news now a new development to the fight against alzheimer's disease. doctors are now focusing on inflammation as a possible factor and they say there are some simple things that people can do to reduce their risk. dr. john torres tells us more. >> who is that >> reporter: connor o'brien is like so many americans, struggling to take care of a father with alzheimer's. >> growing up he was the life of the party, you know, class clown. and now i just look at him he's my hero, and just cry >> reporter: after so many drug failures, now scientists have a promising new target, inflammation >> so this is what a healthy brain should look like but when there is inflammation and disease, the nerve cells are wiped out, decimated, just threads of them left

>> reporter: dr. rudy tansy at massachusetts general hospital discovered inflammation kills millions of nerve cells, shutting down the area responsible for thinking and memory and he says there are things you can do now to fight inflammation >> so these life-style interventions, how do those help your brain prevent alzheimer's >> each one does something different. sleep clears out the brain exercise grows new nerve cells in the brain diet helps your bacteria in your gut to help your brain >> reporter: new studies suggest life-style changes can reduce the risk of alzheimer's by up to 60%. dr. tansy says you can protect yourself with the shield sleep, handle stress, interact with friends, exercise daily, learn new things, and eat a healthy diet >> i want to stay healthy. i hope i'm never in my dad's shoes. >> reporter: simple steps we can all take to fight inflammation, the possible culprit behind this devastating disease. dr. john torres, nbc news, boston >> we've got a lot more to talk about tonight. up ahead, we hear from the woman who was missing in the wilderness for three days.

why she says she was chased into the woods. also how that alligator who showed up in chicago was caught by an out of towner.

from california tonight, we are learning new details about a harrowing survivor's story a woman found after four days alone in the wilderness. here's miguel almaguer >> reporter: tonight cheryl powell is back in the arms of family, out of the hospital, sharing her story of survival. >> the guy comes from behind, you know, from behind a tree, whatever, and, you know, grabs hold of me and really scary and threatened with his knife. >> reporter: powell says while at this remote camp site with her husband, she walked away to use the bathroom with her dog when a man, hiding in the trees, suddenly surprised her, threatening to harm her. >> the first thing that's going to happen here is i'm going to use this knife on your dog and then if you don't let me have your way -- my way with

you, i'll use it on you. >> reporter: fearing for her life, powell says she and her dog were able to escape into central california's white mountains. her husband says he suspected foul play all along. >> i want this guy to be caught. this monster has to be caught. nothing at this point is more important than catching this guy. >> reporter: for three nights and four days, search teams scoured the mountains finally coming across powell's dog and then her the powless met with investigators today. authorities will only say, our office is actively investigating the circumstances surrounding her disappearance. we have no further information >> luckily i'm here and all the great help and support from everybody made it happen >> reporter: tonight, the powells are headed home with an unforgettable story. miguel almaguer, nbc news.

>> a short break, then the moon up close what we still don't know 50 years after apollo 11.

it was 50 years ago today,

apollo 11 blasted off for the moon on a mission that changed history. as joe fryer reports, we are still fascinated >> reporter: at the griffith observatory in los angeles -- >> can he see it >> yeah. >> ah! >> reporter: you could say the telescopes are match makers. >> i see the moon. >> reporter: linking curious humans with that bright white orb 238,000 miles away do you ever get sick of the view up here >> never it's so beautiful. you see the entire los angeles basin and, of course, the beautiful moon >> reporter: dr. lawyer danley is curator here at griffith home of the massive telescope >> you can see surfaces of other worlds and that's incredible >> reporter: this week the observatory is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the moon landing. what was your feeling in that moment? >> ecstasy i don't think there's any other way to describe it i was crying, and i was only 11. >> reporter: since then, we've

learned a lot about the moon one of the most important things she says is that it's really old. >> before apollo, we didn't know whether it was a recent thing or an ancient thing and, in fact, it was formed in a huge impact right after the earth was formed >> reporter: but there's still so much more to learn, like are there resources to help us stay alive there. a dream that hasn't vanished >> in 50 years, my grand kids are going to be living there [ laughter ] >> reporter: even after all this time, the moon still has a way of wowing us long distance relationship that endures. joe fryer, nbc news, los angeles. >> when we come back, chicago's newest star finally emerges.

. hundreds of teenagers know this east bay house is a place to party. why police and neighbors say they're helpless to shut it

down. >> also, a choking baby, finally tonight, an update on that out of town guest who became the talk of the town captivating chicago. here's kevin tibbles >> reporter: the paparazzi out in force for a glimpse of chicago's elusive celeb. >> we have some amazing news for the city of chicago. >> reporter: chance the snapper, all five green feet of him, was nabbed overnight after a week on the lamb today wearing a red bow tie, introduced to his adoring public >> it is a beautiful, beautiful alligator. >> reporter: when he was first spotted in a park, local volunteer alligator bob offered to track him down. then specialist frank rob was imported from gator central, florida, where gators belong >> everybody's got different blessings. this is my blessing. >> reporter: in the dead of night, suddenly he appeared, and was snagged with a fishing rod, unharmed >> he should run for office here i think he'd probably win.

>> reporter: chicago's resident reptile now awaiting a new home in a zoo or sanctuary. and his claw print on the walk of fame. kevin tibbles, nbc news, chicago. >> we're glad he'll be safe in those winter months. sure he'll have plenty of visitors that's "nightly news" for tuesday. i'm lester holt. thanks for watching, everyone. and good night . oh, my gosh. >> a friendship forged through a traumatic experience. the summer camp worker in san jose who helped save a baby's life. >> plus, a good shake. the pair of quakes that rattled the bay area, what the chances are of another earthquake. also a house party in the middle of the night. you can see it there. the neighborhood insta county blaming a house in foreclosure for all these teenagers flooding onto the street. we want to start tonight with breaking news about the supreme court. retired justice john paul stevens has died.

justice stevens who was known for his trademark bow tie was the third-longest serving justice in supreme court history. he served 35 years. he was also a veteran of world war two and nominated for the high court in 1975 by president ford. justice stevens was 99 years old. good evening, and thanks for being with us at 6:00, i'm raj mathai. >> i'm jessica aguirre. a quiet community in the east bay is in an uproar. neighbors are complaining about that. hundreds of teens holding late night parties on their house, in a house on their street. and police appear unable to really keep it from happening. mark matthews is at the house in oakley with what neighbors and the chief of police are saying about this. >> reporter: jess car, tica, th behind me, the brown one, is in foreclosure. that's the party house. and what the police are saying