assaulting flight attendants a shocking racist incident on the basketball court tortillas hurled at a team from a majority latino high school the growing outrage. the massive outpouring of support for the first openly gay active nfl player, his important message to lbgtq youth. a month away from the olympics our exclusive of the tokyo 2020 president what happens if there's a covid outbreak and the big celebration for a miracle baby who beat the odds and is "inspiring america." >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. good evening, everyone it was a goal too far. tonight, the biden administration's acknowledgment it will miss its latest vaccination objective, as much a setback for the country as it is for the white house. pace of vaccinations stubbornly lagging president biden's july 4th target of having

70% of adults at least partially vaccinated appears it will come up short over 177 million americans have received at least one dose that leaves millions of unvaccinated americans at risk of the more contagious delta covid variant. dr. fauci today declaring the delta variant is the greatest threat to eliminating covid. that threat coinciding with an emerging generation gap over the vaccinations tom llamas now with late details. >> reporter: tonight the white hous sounding the alarm about the highly contagious delta variant, admitting a setback when it comes to vaccines. the country will fall short of reaching president biden's july 4th target for adult vaccinations. >> our goal by july 4th is to have 70% of adult americans with at least one shot, and 160 million americans fully vaccinated. >> reporter: the white house hitting the goal with nearly every age group except young adults. >> the country has

more work to do is particularly with 18 to 26-year-olds. the reality is many younger americans felt like covid-19 is not something that impacts them, and they've been less eager to get the shot. >> reporter: sajida med from new york' test and trace corps is working to get young adults vaccinated why do you think people your age aren't getting the vaccine? >> i feel like there's not encouragement to get the immune system they feel like even to get covid like nothing is going to happen to them >> reporter: queens resident dejesus say both grandparents are vaccinated, he is not ready. >> i am not worried about catching it. something that i just use my mask for protection everyone else's protection but i don't feel like a vaccine is necessary. >> reporter: in texas at houston methodist, 153 workers have resigned or been fired for refusing to get the covid-19 vaccine dropped as the delta

variant becomes the growing threat, accounting for 20% of new covid cases, doubling in the past two weeks. >> the delta variant is currently the greatest threat in the u.s. to our attempt to eliminate covid-19. >> reporter: he says vaccines protect against the variant, but with summer travel starting to heat up, health officials are warning the pandemic among the unvaccinated will only serve to incubate variants of concern. >> tom, there's a growing concern about variants as americans are traveling. >> reporter: that' right, lester. it will be a busy travel season. aaa saying it could be one of the busiest fourth of julys ever nearly 50 million americans expected to hit the roads and the skies. the cdc says the risk is low if you're vaccinated lester >> tom llamas tonight, thank you. make a plan when and where to get vaccinated, visit plan your vaccine.com for more. let's turn now t the showdown on a voting bill tonight in the senate president biden unable

to win bipartisan support for the election overhaul he called a top priority. garrett hakke is at the capitol with late details for us. >> reporter: in a defeat for president biden senate republicans blocking a democratic voting bill that would have overhauled the country's election system >> they don't even want to debate it because they're afraid they want to deny the right to vote, make it harder to vote, for so many americans. >> reporter: dubbe the for the people act, it includes a requirement states provide same-day voter registration, sets up a public financing system for congressional elections, and requires presidential candidates release their tax returns. democrats calling the bill a way to push back against new state voting laws passed by republicans. >> i am going to fight like heck with every tool at my disposal for its passage. >> reporter: but republicans tonight slamming the bill as a partisan power grab by democrats that would federalize elections, including preventing states from requiring voter id

>> it could be more aptly described as screw the people act it will make it much easier to cheat in an election. >> reporter: with th bill short the required 60 votes, some democrats are pushing for dramatic change to senate rules. but like joe manchin, arizona's kyrsten sinema showing no signs she will support that. >> what do you say to democrats disappointed by your op-ed abou the filibuster, feeling they could change your mind >> reporter: democrats compare it to round one of a boxing match, vowing to fight onto pass the bill. lester >> garrett haake, thanks this is part of a critical week for president biden's agenda nbc's kelly o'donnell is at the white house. the president is facing two key setbacks >> reporter: that's right, lester. for the president, challenges are colliding this week. that missed vaccination target voting rights legislation blocked, against those setbacks, mr. biden is quietly trying to nail down a bipartisan deal

on infrastructure, making calls, holding meetings here. the white house acknowledges time is running short and the toughest hurdle has been differing views how to pay for it, whether to include money for social programs and climate change but the president is described as encouraged that a compromise is still achievable lester >> okay. kelly, thank you in 60 seconds, shocking behavior at the end of a high school basketball game and claims of racism also, police use of force sending tens of thousands to hospitals each year. is it going too far?

as more people resume flying, reports of unruly passengers continue to soar the faa citing 3,100 incidents since january. more than two-thirds for refusing to wear masks. some facing fines of more than $20,000. outrage and claims of racism in southern california after tortillas were thrown at a high school basketball team during a postgame celebration.

guad vanegas has more on this. >> reporter: after a crushing championship loss for predominantly hispanic orange glen high school basketball team from the outskirts of san diego, insult added to injury when several players were pelted by tortillas. they say fans and players from the opposing team, coronado high, a predominantly white school in an affluent area were throwing them >> it is racist. it was planned it was not a spur of the moment thing >> tortillas, all that smack talking with coaches is unacceptable. >> reporter: on twitter, coronado's coach writing, a community member brought them and distributed them which was unacceptable and racist in nature the district school board also weighing in we fully condemn the racism, classism, colorism which fueled the actions of the perpetrators, who the district promises to hold accountable

members of the orange glen team say the sting of defeat pales against the wounds of racism >> take the win, move on and enjoy it. to downplay us, humiliate us like that >> i think it is sad, their crowd's idea of a joke is throwing tortillas at a hispanic school. >> reporter: a reminder that without sportsmanship even the winning side doesn't come out on top. a milestone in pro sports is being celebrated after a defensive end for the las vegas raider became the first active player in the nfl to announce he is gay stephanie gosk has reaction from the league and beyond. >> reporter: nfl player carl nassib says he hopes there's a day that announcements like his are no longer necessary. it is not today. >> i want to take a moment to say i am gay. i have been meaning to do this for awhile now. >> reporter: the response overwhelmingly positive from players like barkley and watt. the league and the team telling the

defensive end they're proud of him this fall, nassib will likely be the first openly gay nfl player to take the field. >> nassib comes up with the play. >> i just think representation and visibility are so important. >> reporter: he ha donated $100,000 to the trevor project, the largest organization dedicated to lbgtq young people. >> when young people look up and see people who are like them, it sends a message that they can succeed. >> i mean, this is not only a huge moment for carl but a huge moment for sports, specifically male professional sports. >> reporter: r russell played for tampa bay and dallas after he retired, he went public about being bisexual do you think this will actually change the culture in the leagu potentially? >> times are changing, the league is changing, society is changing i was honestly elated for carl and all of the kids looking at him, seeing themselves >> reporter: tonight the nfl had an announcement of its own.

the league is matching nassib's donation to the trevor project stephanie gosk, nbc news. in the series "future of the force," every year thousands of people end up in the e.r. after run-ins with police. nbc news and the marshall project examined one department's record and what we found is striking here is gadi schwartz. >> reporter: marissa santa cruz and paya were celebrating a 22nd birthday, there was a knock on the door staff told them to lower their music. the next knock was the police >> police, open the door >> i am a big guy, dark, too. and just the way i have my tattoos. some people can't help but to profile you >> reporter: the police told the couple they had to leave. while they were packing, paya cursed at the officers. >> start packing, let's go >> shut the [ bleep ] and let me pack! >> reporter: two seconds later they used tasers, batons, a riot gun.

>> i put myself in between them, then i was on the floor all i remember was feeling pain >> reporter: they were taken to the hospital for their injuries nationwide, at least 80,000 are sent to the hospital after an interaction with law enforcement or security guards. nbc news found over the past three years in san jose, 43% of use of force incidents ended in a trip to the emergency room >> are you comfortable with how many people are being hospitalized after use of force incidents? >> no. we need to do better, but again, any use of force incident is driven by the noncompliance of the individual we are trying to detain or arrest. >> reporter: the san jose police department says the numbers are high because they're doing the right thing, taking people to the hospital for even minor complaints is focus being put on deescalation as opposed to resorting to use of force? >> we are always looking for opportunities to better ourselves deescalation, slowing things down, tactical conduct, all these things are a basis for how our officers interact within the

community. >> reporter: in and of itself, cussing out a police officer is not enough for them to be able to use force. >> reporter: bryce peterson specializes in police use of force. says across the country, deescalation will build trust between communities and the police. >> officers are there to protect and serve so when people see the result of that, and it results in people being hospitalized or brutalized, it can definitely erode public trust >> reporter: they were not charged, are suing the department >> get off of me >> reporter: in response to the lawsuit, the san jose police say use of force was appropriate, reasonable, constitutionally permissible. marissa whose father works in law enforcement said that night at the hotel has changed the way she looks at police. >> i always did respect police and i always trusted them with everything because i knew them, i knew a lot of them having this happen firsthand was the biggest wake-up call. >> reporter: paya works as an unarmed security guard, says he tries to de-escalate with

empathy and understanding. >> put yourself in their shoes, you can automatically feel what they're going through. >> reporter: despite what happened, he hopes to fulfill his dream of going into law enforcement. gadi schwartz, nbc news, san jose, california an update to a story you saw here, a celebrity doctor and her husband demanding social media companies allow parental apps to monitor children's online activity after they suffered a devastating loss here's kate snow >> our son sammy was an amazing kid. >> reporter: in a ne campaign, dr. laura berman and her husband sam warn parents drug dealers use social media to connect with kids >> we experienced every parent's worst pain we lost our son. >> reporter: sammy bought what he thought was a pharmaceutical drug through a dealer he met on snapshot but it contained a lethal amount of fentanyl you're becoming an advocate it sounds like >> mostly because i have been so unbelievably infuriated by how

little our children are protected. >> reporter: there are a wide range of parental monitoring tools and apps out there. most allow parents to block sites. but the bermans want social media companies to work with monitoring apps to make it easier to screen children's content within social media sites. >> the problem is not all platforms accommodate parent monitoring software. >> and the ones that don't are the ones our kids are populating. >> reporter: an ap called bark flags worrisome posts or messages about drugs, bullying, mental health, violence but on iphones, snapchat, tiktok, instagram direct messages are not accessible to bark. >> that's the bare minimum we should be able to expect from social media platforms making gajillions of dollars off us and our children. >> our son ordered drugs off of a colorful menu, the words would be alerted us if we had that on

snapchat. >> reporter: snapchat says they're deliberate what user information can be released to third party apps and says it's willing to work apps if it doesn't compromise security and data privacy of the community. the company declined to specifically comment on bark. tiktok did not explain why they don't share content with bark but highlights its commitment to promote a safe and age appropriate experience for teens. instagram had no statement. a company spokesperson says they're focused on safety measures for teens, including limiting interactions between teens and adult strangers. the berman's youngest son uses snapchat every day. he's posted 380,000 times. >> i am not interested in taking social media down what i want is for them to partner with us, be as invested in protecting our children as they should be since our

children live there, or at the very least, don't stand in the way of us protecting them. >> reporter: through their grief, a new mission to help other families kate snow, nbc news. up next, our exclusive with the president of the tokyo olympics, what she says will happen if athletes get covid

the countdown is on, one month until the olympics kickoff keir simmons spoke exclusively to the president of tokyo 2020 about the game's strict covid

protocols. >> reporter: on th with olympic trials under way around the world, the president of tokyo 2020 telling nbc news in an exclusive interview, the games will be a blessing but there may be difficult days if an athlete is confirmed covid positive, seiko hashimoto says hard decisions have to be made, including possibly cancelling individual events. with just a month to go, the olympic village is ready to house more than 12,000 athletes from all over the world. they'll be shuttled in and out to be tested every day, and have to dine alone there's even a fever room local spectators will be able to attend games. the organizing committee announced on monday. venues will operate only 50% capacity. no more than 10,000 socially distanced fans per competition >> you could still decide to have fewer

spectators, maybe even no spectators? yes, that's always an option, she says when the games get under way, four new sports will make their olympic debut, including surfing. caroline marks, one of four surfers on team usa. >> i'm excited to hopefully put on a great performance for -- to show the world. >> reporter: tonight hashimoto says every athlete deserves a gold medal just for making it to the long awaited games. keir simmons, nbc news, london. up next, one little boy and a huge success story that's definitely "inspiring america. "nbc nightly news" is brought to you by liberty mutual insurance, only pay for what you need.

finally, i want you to meet a little boy who is a picture of joy, showing all of us what beating the odds is all about. >> say good morning, everyone >> reporter: meet richard scott william hutchinson the little guy that continues to accomplish big feats. >> he's a fighter. i think he will be a fighter for the rest of his life. >> he was born five months premature,

weighing less than a pound. so small, he could fit into the palm of a hand the doctors at children's minnesota hospital in minneapolis gave him a 0% chance of survival. >> we were scared. i cried. >> i wanted our son to survive so bad. >> beth and rick hutchinson fought hard alongside their son. even when covid restrictions made it a challenge. they drove across the state from their wisconsin home every day to be with him. >> we were by him, showing him that we cared and that we love him and that we want him to keep fighting. >> richard finally went home in december 2020, after spending more than six months in the neonatal intensive care unit. it's been a year of triumph for richard who just celebrated his first birthday and broke a guinness world record, becoming the most premature baby to survive. >> he went through so

much in his small little life. he is honestly my hero. >> a tough guy indeed. that's "nightly news" for this tuesday thank you for watching i'm lester holt. please take care of yourself and each other. good night ♪ ♪ ♪♪ well i won't back down ♪ ♪ no i won't back down ♪

♪ you can stand me up at the gates of hell ♪ ♪ but i won't back down ♪ ♪ no i'll stand my ground ♪ ♪ won't be turned around ♪ ♪ and i'll keep this world from draggin' me down ♪ ♪ gonna stand my ground ♪ ♪ and i won't back down ♪ ♪ hey baby there ain't no easy way out ♪ ♪ hey i won't back down ♪ ♪ hey baby there ain't no easy way out ♪ ♪ hey i will stand my ground ♪

♪ and i won't back down ♪ ♪ no i won't back down ♪♪ [cheers and applause] >> kelly: [screams] welcome to "the kelly clarkson show." give it up for my band y'all! [cheers and applause] that is tom petty and the heartbreakers to open up your day. in her house seats requested "i won't back down," why did you want to hear that? >> hi, kelly. first of all really excited to be on the show. i requested the song because i just think, i will be competing in the olympics this summer for the first time, the first time that this event is going to be showcased, so the song