tonight, the final week sprint to the election joe biden going to offense, hoping to turn traditionally red georgia blue in florida, barack obama had a new attack on donald trump. the president on the trail, trying to defend three states he won in 2016. and taking a supreme court victory lap. new justice amy coney barrett officially sworn in today the coronavirus spreading faster than ever in the u.s., 71,000 cases a day tonight, our cross america series brings us to wisconsin, just as that state breaks its daily record for cases and deaths and the anger over new crackdowns overseas.

the disturbing video police in philadelphia fatally shooting a black man, they say he had a knife. violent protests erupting 30 officers injured. the city braces for more unrest tonight. massive walls of fire explode in california. over 90,000 evacuated as firefighters are critically injured racing from zeta a hurricane warning on the gulf coast evacuations ordered. the new track. the leader of nxvium described by prosecutors as a cult-like group, facing his victims in court. and new screening guidelines for the same kind of cancer chadwick bozeman battled. what you need to know. this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt, reporting tonight from wisconsin. good evening from milwaukee. seven days to go until the election and day two of our journey across america president trump briefly here in the state of wisconsin, hoping to rekindle some of his 2016 success here while joe biden is also on the trail looking to redraw the map,

venturing into what was once considered solid republican territory. the clock winding down for both men tonight to secure a path to victory and seal the deal with voters who have not yet cast a ballot let's begin with kristen welker >> reporter: vice president joe biden closing his campaign on offense rallying voters at a pair of events in georgia, a state democrats haven't won for presiden since 1992 biden holding his first rally in the shadow of franklin roosevelt, a small town where fdr heale from polio before ultimately pulling the country out of the great depression biden aiming to cast himself as a president that will bring the country back from the pandemic and economic crisis. >> that's the job of a president. a duty of care for everyone this place, warm springs, is a reminder that though broken, each of us can be healed. >> reporter: he accused mr. trump of

fostering a climate of division >> i know our people i know we can unite and heal this nation. >> reporter: while polls show a tight race in georgia, some democrat say the strategy could be risky, arguing biden should focus on swing states instead of trying to expand the map. still, top surrogate, former president obama, was in critical florida today, unleashing his most scathing attack yet against president trump. >> he's turned the white house into a hot zone >> reporter: blaming the president as covid cases rise in more than 40 states across the country. >> he said this at one of his rallies covid, covid, covid. he is jealous of covid's media coverage. >> reporter: kristen welker nbc news, atlanta, georgia. >> reporter: i'm geoff bennet in omaha, nebraska, for president trump, a trio of stops on the campaign trail today. >> i have to say, i am working my ass off. >> reporter: hoping his large rallies in defiance of covid recommendations will pay off as he plays defense in the

midwest. first up, battleground michigan, a state he won by fewer than 11,000 votes in 2016 >> seven days from now we're going to win the great state of michigan and we're going to win four more years in the white house. >> reporter: but polls show joe biden up by 9 percentage points. and as president trump's handling of the coronavirus crisis threatens his hold on key states, the president criticizing media coverage of the pandemic. >> turn on, covid, covid, covid, covid, covid, covid >> reporter: and blaming testing. >> we're testing everybody. in many ways, i hate it, but overall it is good to have the testing, we find out where it is and we find out a lo of things, but they use it to make us look bad. >> reporter: after michigan, another push in must win wisconsin, a state he carried four years ago, polls showing it now leaning democratic the president touting last night's swearing in of new supreme court justice amy

coney barrett. presiden trump's final campaign stop here in reliably red nebraska president trump trying to keep joe biden from winning one of five of the electoral college votes. lester >> geoff bennett, thank you. now across america. tonight, as the country adds an astounding 71,000 new covid cases a day, wisconsin already in the glare of the national political spotlight suffering some of the worst of the pandemic breaking a single day record of new covid cases, 5,262, and deaths, 64 what seemed so distant for people here early in the pandemic now weighing heavily as they go to the polls these are the critical milwaukee suburbs that could determine if president trump wins wisconsin again or if joe biden flips it back to blue our journey brings us to wisconsin not only because it is a swing state, and an importan part of a path to victory for both men

but also it is a state that's been rocked by two of the major issues of the campaign the protests for social justice and the violence, plus a frightening surge in covid cases and hospitalizations >> my symptoms were cough, fever, body ache >> reporter: melissa armer had covid last spring, but breathing problems lingered for weeks. so she went back to the hospital where doctors made another discovery. >> i'm lucky that i survived it and lucky i had to go into the hospital when i went into the hospital, i would have never known i had leukemia >> thankfully, it was caught early melissa is undergoing treatment now, telling us her experience is one reason she's voting for president trump. do you think the president has done a good job with covid? >> i think so. i think he's done what he knew what he could

do for us. >> reporter: but leah blomberg sees it much differently she too battled covid, spending several days on a ventilator. >> what is it like to watch what transpired the last couple months >> frustrating for sure i just don't understand people's aversion to wearing masks. >> she said she voted early for joe biden. >> do you think that he can turn this around >> i would hope so with stricter restrictions on wearing masks. >> you think biden will push for mandatory mask wearing? >> i would hope so altogether i think he could do a muc better job than trump. >> next door, in battleground michigan, they're months past the darkest covid days, but it is still impacting the election >> almost feels like a bomb went off in our area >> dr. sam fawa spen weeks treating covid patients, despite the president's heavily criticized pandemic response, he told us he's giving president

trump the benefit of the doubt and his vote >> i don't think he did everything perfectly and neither would have anyone else but i think and truly believe he did things as best as he could given what he knew at the time. >> mindy priskey is also voting for the president. >> we are in the way of recovering some of the economy. a lot of people say a lot quicker than was expected and i think we need to stay the course with that >> she owns an ice skating company and says her business was devastated by covid restrictions imposed by michigan's governor that mindy thought were unfair. >> you could go to the casino so if they could be open at 15%, why couldn't we? >> i'm just looking at everything i worked for for 17 years, invested into a business that had to shut down. >> latrisha wilder was also forced to close her fitness studio for weeks but told us she's voting for biden saying she can't trust president trump.

>> i'm a woman, i'm a black woman, i'm a small business those three things alone does not seem like it is on his radar. >> then there's the flashpoint over race and justice which is also swaying americans' votes back in wisconsin, we met antonio godfrey sr >> i never protested a day in my life but after watching george floyd's murder happen, i felt the need i felt -- i was angered. >> there's antonio at a protest. his son noah was right there with him. >> it was very emotional. it was it was that good emotion. it made me feel warm the community has started that process of wanting change. >> he says he won't vote for president trump. >> he does not have my best interest in mind, he doesn't have the people of color's

interest in mind. >> arletta allen, th first black city councilwoman in fond du lac, also took part in protests, but takes different view of the president. >> i am going to vote for him, mostly because i am a republican, not because of the fact that i am a trump supporter. >> what would you say to donald trump if he was sitting here now >> it is up to you having that position of power to be able to oversee and push forth change the people are looking for. >> great to hear from all those voters we wish melissa the best with her treatment. meantime, authorities in italy are bracing for more violence as people protest new covid crackdowns bill neely is there. >> reporter: police fired tear gas overnight. as crowds protested tough new rules, curfews, bars and restaurants closing early to try to stop the explosive rise of covid. record cases today, hospitals filling fast

>> next weeks will be terrible, i imagine. >> reporter: in bergamo, the center of the first wave, everyone wears a mask. in this small town, more than 6,000 people died with covid in over a month in the spring the worst death rate in the world today as the virus sweeps in again, people here are terrified. >> we are scared to go outside home, we are scared to meet other people. >> reporter: nearly everyone here lost family. >> two parents in four days in march is terrible. >> reporter: they feel another terrible toll, history repeating itself bill neely, nbc news bergamo. protests and violence in philadelphia after police shot and killed a black man they say was armed with a knife. almost 100 arrests, 30 officers injured with more, here is ron allen.

>> reporter: tonight, philadelphia is preparing for more of the anger and rage that spilled onto the streets. at least 91 people arrested businesses vandalized and looted police vehicles damaged, following the death of walter wallace jr. seen on this video, police responding to calls about an armed man, heard telling him to put down a knife before opening fire. [ sound of gunfire ] wallace's family says there was a domestic problem and that police wer told the 27-year-old father of four had mental health issues when they first arrived. >> they didn't have to shoot. we need new laws we need them to be trained differently. >> reporter: the officers that used deadly force against wallac didn't have tasers, the commissioner citing budget constraints. >> these officers were not deployed tasers as is the case with many other officers in the department. >> reporter: today, police are tight lipped about the investigation, haven't released body cam video or revealed the officer's names, concerned for their safety >> i watched the video

of the tragic incident it presents difficult questions that must be answered >> reporter: wallace's killing igniting hours of violence. >> multiple officers down >> reporter: 30 officers injured, mostly by throwing rocks and debris a female sergeant hit by a pickup truck still hospitalized in stable condition with a broken leg tonigh police confirm they've alread stepped up presence for possible more unrest and now late word, the pennsylvania national guard is sending hundreds of members in to help lester in california, an epic battle against fire and wind. flames threatening homes, forcing evacuation of almost 100,000 people miguel almaguer is there. >> reporter: whipped by catastrophic winds for a second day, the wildfires in southern california sound like a jet engine as they explode across orange county as massive walls of fire threaten homes, nearly 90,000 people were forced to suddenly flee flames >> this is a mandatory evacuation zone. >> i thought the world

was ending. >> reporter: tonigh authorities are investigating if electrical equipment may have sparked the fire it is not the power and size of wildfires but the wind that's causing all of this damage and so much destruction. facing some of the most dangerous conditions this year, two young firefighters were critically injured. tonight across the state, 23 million are facing red flag warnings >> the winds were, i mean, they were whipping i can only imagine what it was doing with the fire. >> reporter: there's some good news thos erratic, powerful santa ana winds are starting to ease up. lester >> that's some good news miguel almaguer, thank you. there are new hurricane warnings on the gulf coast with zeta expected to hit tomorrow al roker, what's the latest >> lester, tropical storm zeta has hurricane warning, tropical storm warnings up for the central gulf coast it will become a hurricane overnight and then make its way on land somewhere in

louisiana late wednesday, then rocketing to the mid-atlantic and northeast, bringin heavy rain for the northeast into thursday night we look for storm surges up to 5 to 8 feet with large destructive waves and rainfall amounts upwards of 8 inches in the lower mississippi river valley as it moves to the northeast, bringing anywhere from three to four inches of rain, lester. >> all right, al, thank you. the leader of nxivm, described b prosecutors as a cult like group was sentenced to 120 years in prison. keith ranieri was convicted of treatin some of his followers as sex slaves. over a dozen victims faced him in a courtroom in new york today. in 60 seconds, the new screening recommendations for colon cancer

back now with major health news about when people should start to screen for a potentially deadly form of cancer. senior medical corresponden dr. john torres joins

us now dr. john, what's the change >> lester, today a highly influential task force of doctors recommended that colonoscopies and othe screenings start at age 45, lower than the current recommendation of 50. the reason a sharp increase in younger people developing colorectal cancer, and the hope is to catch some of these tumors before it is too late this is especially important for african-americans who have higher rates of colorectal cancer. the actor chadwick bozeman wa a prime example. this change is significant. it means insurance companie will cover colonoscopy starting at age 45 right now, it is just a draft recommendation this panel's recommendations usually lead to their approval lester >> all right, dr. john, thank you. in our series, america under pressure, we look at a crisis within the covid crisis, how the isolation of seniors in long-term care facilities can be deadly here is kristin dahlgren. >> reporter: when this

98-year-old died last june, his death certificate read failure to thrive due to covid restrictions. >> he died of a broken heart and loneliness >> reporter: the gregarious veteran had been quarantined for months as the pandemic spread his daughter tammy could no longer visit. his health aides noticed a change >> she said he wasn't himself, he was slumped over in a wheelchair >> reporter: she never saw him alive again. >> it breaks my heart. >> reporter: it is not an isolated incident measures meant to keep seniors safe are being blamed for a parallel health crisis. >> the stress of isolatio for the last six months has prematurely aged some of the patients that don't have that much time left. >> reporter: on a texas facebook page, people are posting before and after photos of loved ones iris parnell from june to october. vivian johnson in just one month. it's why at least seven states can no

classify some family as essential care givers that allows becky to visit her mother-in-law in a texas nursing home >> we are it for her, we are friend, family, everything >> reporter: and now she says more essential than ever. >> we are the ones that brought to their attention if she wasn't eating well or if she was sad >> we have patients who wonder why they can't go home for thanksgiving and did their family leave them an is anybody going to come back for them. >> reporter: dr. joshua uy believes a balance with careful visit from loved ones could save lives tammy thinks about what she would say to her dad. >> it wasn't our choice and i'm sorry, and boy, that's not what i wanted. >> reporter: she hopes more families can soon say it in person. >> i love you. >> i love you. >> reporter: kristin dahlgren, nbc news, new york. up next for us, the unlikely football sensation.

tonight, the big reward for college football's newest star here is catie beck >> reporter: wake forest football starting strong this season partly thanks to the power plays of number 45 defensive back nick anderson >> did anybody expect you would be having this kind of season? >> i don't know if you expect any freshman, let alone a preferred walk-on, to have thi type of season. >> reporter: a walk-on standout who played

saturday's game against virginia tech with skill and heart, nailing three interceptions and 11 tackles. the unexpected victory cause for celebrating. anderson hoisted up as a hero. >> whether you're a walk-on or the numbe one guy on the team, everybody is treated the same i felt that since day one. >> reporter: on the field after the game, another unexpected win, but this one just for anderson >> in the spring, he is going to be on scholarship. >> reporter: that scholarship a reason for him to work even harder. >> each one of my teammates is gonna go ou with 100% effort and i want to play for them, i want to play for the school, for my family. >> reporter: and for unforgettable victories that catch us by surprise catie beck, nbc news. we'll be right back

traveling around the country talking to voters this week, one thing has already become clear the 2020 election is in many ways just that, a referendum on the year 2020, the year that brought us sickness, that's taken loved ones and friends, taken jobs, brought us unrest in our streets and tested the meaning of truth are we a divided nation

you bet we are angst, uncertainty and fear will do that. rarely has an election ever bee so personal for so many or stakes so consequential. now after all of the passion and anger, the quiet power of voting will speak to and for our future that's "nightly news" for this tuesday see you tomorrow from pennsylvania ♪ ♪ hey slow it down ♪ whataya want from me ♪ whataya want from me

♪ yeah i'm afraid ♪ whataya want from me ♪ whataya want from me ♪ there might've been a time when i would give myself away ♪ ♪ oh once upon a time i didn't give a damn ♪ ♪ but now here we are ♪ so whataya want from me ♪ whataya want from me ♪ just don't give up ♪ i'm workin' it out ♪ please don't give in ♪ i won't let you down ♪ it messed me up ♪ need a second to breathe ♪ just keep coming around ♪ whataya want from me?