. >> from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. >>> good evening, mitt romney's full court press to try and shame the president over his attacks over romney's work with a private equity firm not only failed to get him the apology he was looking for, but the response he wanted today. the president isn't backing down. over the attacks over romney's role with the firm. mike viqueira is at the white house tonight with more. >> reporter: good evening. the president stayed on the offensive today, ignoring kplanltsz from mitt romney and his insistence the president back off his attacks on bain. despite a driving rain outside richmond, supporters turned out to hear a drenched president obama renew his attack on bain capitol. >> he invested in companies that have been called pioneers of outsourcing. i don't want a pioneer in outsourcing, i want insourcing. i want to bring companies back. >> this less than 24 hours after romney condemned the attacks and called for an apology from the president. >> the president's campaign has been outrageous in makin

nbc news, london. >> modest and plain. that is "nbc nightly news" for this saturday night. i'm kate snow reporting from new york for lester holt and everyone here at nbc news, thanks for watching. i'll see you back here tomorrow. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com blng >>> good evening. i'm diane dwyer. a rising star for the 49ers was stabbed this weekend, and it happened during a party in the south bay. nbc bay area's jodi hernandez is in the neighborhood where it happened in the hills of east san jose. jodi, what d

turning to news overseas now specifically in syria where nbc news has confirmed tonight the syrian forces have started moving chemical weapons from storage facilities. though u.s. officials refuse to speculate whether the assad regime is preparing to use those chemical weapons. this move comes a day after one of the worst massacres there since the start of the uprising. our chief foreign correspondent richard engel just back from there is with us in the studio this evening. >> a u.s. official tells us over the last several days syria has been moving some of its chemical weapons. u.s. officials don't know exactly why but there are reports that the syrians are moving the chemical weapons from one location to a slightly more secure location. any time a government is accused of massacring its own people including at least a hundred people yesterday and the government starts moving chemical weapons it is obviously a cause of great concern. [ chanting ] >> reporter: many syrians want to know how many more massacres must happen before outside help arrives. protesters across syria accuse the army

mike taibbi, nbc news, los angeles. >>> that's "nbc nightly news" for this sunday. brian williams will be here tomorrow. i'm lester holt reporting from new york. for all of us here on nbc news, good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com . >>> good evening. state fire officials say the wildfire burning in placer county has almost doubled in size from yesterday. it has destroyed one home and threatening nearly 200 others. 2,500 firefighters are now battling the fire right now and many of them are from the bay area. nbc bay area's kimberly terry joins with us more on the fire and what it means to bay area resources as well. kimberly? >> reporter: g

news camden, new jersey. >> and that is nbc "nbc nightly news" for this saturday. i'll see you tomorrow morning on "today". good night everyone. >>> good evening, i'm diane dwyer. the farmer's market was shut down and a dozen stores evacuated in san jose today and that's because police were concerned about a possible bomb in the willow glen

. >> nbc news camden, new jersey. >> and that is nbc "nbc nightly news" for this tuesday. i'll see you tomorrow morning on "today". good night everyone. matters. pioneers in outsourcing us jobs supports tax breaks overseas. insourcing. industry and favors bring jobs home. it matte

. >> from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. >> good evening, mitt romney's full court press to try and shame the president over his attacks over romney's work with a private eqwitty firm failed to get him the response he wanted today. the president isn't backing down. mike vicari is at the white house tonight with more. >> reporter: good evening. the president ignored complaints from mitt romney that the president back off his attacks on bain. despite a driving rain, supporters turned out to hear a dr drenched president obama renew his attack on bain capitol. >> he in involved in companies that have been called pioneers of outsourcing. i don't want a pioneer in outsourcing i want to insourcing. i want to bring companies back. >> this less than 24 hours after romney condemned the attacks and called for an apology from the president. >> the president's campaign has been outrageous in making the charges they have. i believe the kinds of attacks are beneath the dignity of the presidency ♪ oh beautiful for spacious kis for amber waves of

. >>> from nbc news world head quarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. >> good evening. as this long holiday week draws to an end, so does the crippling heatwave that has taken 66 lives since late june. temperatures dropped to the mid 80s in parts of the midwest that only a few days were sweltering under triple-digit temps. however, it remained dangerously hot further east in places like washington, d.c. which got into the 100s for the fourth consecutive day. we are still under excessive heat advisories and warnings, and around half a dozen daily heat records were set today as well, though far fewer than yesterday when over 200 daily records and ten all-time records were set. we'll check in with the weather channel in a moment. we begin our coverage here in new york tonight with nbc's michelle franzen. good evening. >> reporter: temperatures still hit 90 degrees here in new york city, but about ten degrees cooler than a day ago. that drew out more people here to central park, one of the cities here on the east coast all the way back to the midwest enjoying

we're very proud of here at nbc news -- the launch of our website nbc latino.com, a new english language news, information, and lifestyle website featuring hispanic perspectives. i'll be a regular contributor along with many of my colleagues. >>> coming up next as "nightly news" continues, setting buildings on fire on purpose. the unusual experiment here in new york city that could help keep neighborhoods safe across america. >>> and later, a new search for answers to a 75-year-old mystery. what happened to one of the world's most daring women? >>> here in new york city today an unusual scene to say the least. members of the fire department who usually put fires out starting them instead. they'll be back at it tomorrow. it's all part of an experiment that could help firefighters here and around the country figure out the best way to do their dangerous jobs and keep communities safe. nbc's ron allen has special access to what they're calling a live burn. >> reporter: when several fires erupted today on new york's governors island the fire department watched carefully then put out the flam

. >>> an nbc news exclusive. here in london today, our conversation with mitt romney about gun rights, religion, taxes and whether american voters really truly know who he is. >>> and let the games begin. they are actually under way even before opening ceremonies. but tonight, why some athletes will be staying home. >>> how u.s. navy s.e.a.l.s are playing a role that might just affect the chances of the u.s. team. "nightly news" from london team. "nightly news" from london begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams, reporting tonight from >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams, reporting tonight from london. >>> and good evening. from tower bridge here in london, our arrival here today as the games are set to begin also coincides with mitt romney's arrival here in london. the first stop of his first overseas trip of this campaign season and a chance for us to sit down with the presumptive gop nominee. more on that in

the new numbers are very troubling. nancy snyderman in our nbc news london bureau tonight. thanks. >>> now we turn to a big mystery playing out on the world stage. somebody blew up a bus filled with israeli tourists. the bomber was carrying a fake american i.d. it turns out. six people died in the blast. dozens more were hurt. investigators want to know who the bomber was and who ordered this. and this of course is being felt across a whole region now. our report tonight from nbc's martin fletcher in tel aviv. >> reporter: shock and panic moments after a bomb blew up a bus full of israeli tourists in bulgaria yesterday. caught on a tourist's smart phone. my family, my family is there she screamed in desperation. today the more than 30 wounded were brought home, three in critical condition. five israelis were killed. as for the terrorist, bulgarian officials say this was him. could be any tourist from anywhere. airport security cameras showed him wandering the terminal for an hour. police say he placed a bomb in the bus's baggage compartment and died in the blast. police fou

turning to news overseas now specifically in syria where nbc news has confirmed tonight the syrian forces have started moving chemical weapons from storage facilities. though u.s. officials refuse to speculate whether the assad regime is preparing to use those chemical weapons. this move comes a day after one of the worst massacres there since the start of the uprising. our chief foreign correspondent richa richard engel just back from there is with us in the studio this evening. >> a u.s. official tells us over the last several days syria has been moving some of its chemical weapons. u.s. officials don't know exactly why but there are reports that the syrians are moving the chemical weapons from one location to a slightly more secure location. any time a government is accused of massacring its own people including at least a hundred people yesterday and the government starts moving chemical weapons it is obviously a cause of great concern. [ chanting ] >> reporter: many syrians want to know how many more massacres must happen before outside help arrives. protesters across syria accuse th

turning to news overseas now specifically in syria where nbc news has confirmed tonight the syrian forces have started moving chemical weapons from storage facilities. though u.s. officials refuse to speculate whether the assad regime is preparing to use those chemical weapons. this move comes a day after one of the worst massacres there since the start of the uprising. our chief foreign correspondent richard engel just back from there is with us in the studio this evening. >> a u.s. official tells us over the last several days syria has been moving some of its chemical weapons. u.s. officials don't know exactly why but there are reports that the syrians are moving the chemical weapons from one location to a slightly more secure location. any time a government that is accused of massacring its own people including at least a hundred people yesterday starts moving chemical weapons it is obviously a cause of great concern. [ chanting ] >> reporter: many syrians want to know how many more massacres must happen before outside help arrives. protesters across syria accuse the army and pro assad

captions paid for by nbc-universal television >> announcer: from nbc news world headquarters in new york. this is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. >> good evening, i'm kate snow in for brian tonight. on this fourth of july, america is celebrating with parades, cookouts and fireworks. but for many across the nation, this independence day is different. in some states that are tinder dry, there will be no fireworks. in parts of 10 states, today is all about sweating it out without air conditioning, without any electricity at all as crews spend the holiday working to get the power back on after deadly storms. we have it all covered tonight beginning with the extreme heat. nbc's john yang is in chicago. good evening, john. >> reporter: good evening, kate. all across the heartland, it has been a scorcher of a fourth of july. highs in the triple digits as far north as minnesota and wisconsin. here in chicago, the high was 102. that ties a record set a century ago. across the eastern half of the country, americans spent the nation's 236th birthday trying to beat the heat. >> it's definite

. >> nbc news camden, new jersey. >> and that is nbc "nbc nightly news" for this tuesday. i'll see you tomorrow morning on "today". good night everyone. [ wife ] your dad's really giving him the business... the designated hitter's the best thing to happen to baseball! but it's not the same game! [ wife ] wow, he's really gonna get us a good deal. it's better! no it's not! the pitcher comes up and he's out! [ dealer ] he can bunt! whatever. but we're good with 0% apr for 60 months? oh, yeah, totally. thank you so much. that must've been brutal. [ male announcer ] the volkswagen autobahn for all event. at 0% apr for 60 months, no one needs to know

we're very proud of here at nbc news. the launch of our website nbc latino.com. the new english language news, information, and lifestyle website featuring hispanic perspectives. i'll be a regular contributor along with many of my colleagues. >>> coming up next as "nightly news" continues, setting buildings on fire on purpose. the unusual experiment here in new york city that could help keep neighborhoods safe across america. >>> and later, a new search for answers to a 75-year-old mystery. what happened to one of the world's most daring women in the world? in florida we had more suntans... in alabama we had more beautiful blooms... in mississippi we had more good times... in louisiana we had more fun on the water. last season we broke all kinds of records on the gulf. this year we are out to do even better... and now is a great time to start. our beatches are even more relaxing... the fishing's great. so pick your favorite spot on the gulf... and come on down. brought to you by bp and all of us who call the gulf home. do

nbc news/wall street journal poll. the president is viewed negatively by 43% of voters. his second worst rating since taking office. romney's negative rating of 40% is the worst that our poll has recorded for him yet. it's a rating that ranks him lower than john mccain in 2008 at this time, john kerry in 2004, and bob dole in 1996. yet it's the economy that continues to be the president's political achilles heel with a majority disapproving of how he's handled the economy. romney leads the president on who has better ideas for improving the economy, 43-36. but it's by big margins that voters say the bulk of information they've received from both campaigns in the last few weeks has been overwhelmingly negative, with mr. obama's campaign being viewed as slightly more negative than romney. while both campaigns are going on the attack, the hits seem to be taking a greater toll on romney. call it a likability gap. 46% of voters told us they didn't like romney personally. that compares to just 31% who said the same about the

janet shamlian, nbc news, houston. >>> now to an nbc news exclusive. our chief foreign correspondent richard engel is just back from syria where he got a firsthand look at the aftermath of one of the worst massacres since the syrian uprising started. a massacre we had heard about, but no one could verify until now. richard is with us in our studios. welcome. >> thank you. before we get to that, there are reports that just today there has been a new massacre with 150, perhaps 200 people killed. so, these massacres are, unfortunately, not rare. but what is rare is being able to verify them. not through anonymous internet video, but actually visiting the place and talking to survivors. that's what we did in one village. >> reporter: in the small farming village in northwest syria, villagers say a terrible massacre took place last december. antigovernment protests had just erupted in this area and syrian troops rolled in to stop them. these cousins had defected from the syrian army and feared the troops would be looking for them. >> translator: when we saw

. >>> an nbc news exclusive. here in london today,ur conversation with mitt romney about gun rights, religion, taxes and whether american voters really truly know who he is. >>> and let the games begin. they are actually under way even before opening ceremonies. but tonight, why some athletes will be staying home. >>> how u.s. navy s.e.a.l.s are playing a role that just might affect the chances of the team. "nightly news" from london affect the chances of the team. "nightly news" from london begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams, reporting tonight from london. >>> and good evening. from tower bridge here in london, our arrival here today as the games are set to begin also come insiincides with mitt romney's visit to london, the first stop of his campaign trip this season and a chance for us to sit down with the presumptive gop nominee. nor on that in just a moment. >>> first again tonight our attention is focused on the aftermath and

captions paid for by nbc-universal television >> announcer: from >> announcer: from nbc news world headquarters in new york. this is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. >> good evening, i'm kate snow in for brian tonight. on this fourth of july, america is celebrating with parades, cookouts and fireworks. but for many across the nation, this independence day is different. in some states that are tinder dry, there will be no fireworks. in parts of 10 states, today is all about sweating it out without air conditioning, without any electricity at all as crews spend the holiday working to get the power back on after deadly storms. we have it all covered tonight beginning with the extreme heat. nbc's john yang is in chicago. good evening, john. >> reporter: good evening, kate. all across the heartland, it has been a scorcher of a fourth of july. highs in the triple digits as far north as minnesota and wisconsin. here in chicago, the high was 102. that ties a record set a century ago. across the eastern half of the country, americans spent the nation's 236th birthday trying to beat the heat. >> i

that's "nbc nightly news" for this sunday. we will be on the air with live coverage of the president's remarks from aurora, colorado when they happen. i'm lester holt reporting. for all of us here at nbc news, i'm lester holt reporting. for all of us here at nbc news, good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

we're very proud of here at nbc news. the launch of our website nbc latino.com. the new english language news, information, and lifestyle website featuring hispanic perspectives. i'll be a regular contributor along with many of my colleagues. >>> coming up next as "nightly news" continues, setting buildings on fire on purpose. the unusual experiment here in new york city that could help keep neighborhoods safe across america. >>> and later, a new search for answers to a 75-year-old mystery. what happened to one of the world's most daring women in the world? more suntans... in alabama we had more beautiful blooms... in mississippi we had more good times... in louisiana we had more fun on the water. last season we broke all kinds of records on the gulf. this year we are out to do even better... and now is a great time to start. our beatches are even more relaxing... the fishing's great. so pick your favorite spot on the gulf... and come on down. brought to you by bp and all of us who call the gulf home. do you really think

nbc news, houston. >>> now to an nbc news exclusive. our chief foreign correspondent richard engel is just back from syria where he got a firsthand look at the aftermath of one of the worst massacres since the syrian uprising started. a massacre no one could verify until now. richard is with us in our studios. welcome. >> thank you. before we get to that, there are reports that just today there has been a new massacre with 150, perhaps 200 people killed. so, these massacres are, unfortunately, not rare. but what is rare is being able to verify them. not through anonymous internet video, but actually visiting the place and talking to survivors. that's what we did in one village. >> reporter: in the small farming village in northwest syria, villagers say a terrible me massacre took place. antigovernment protests had just erupted in this area and syrian troops rolled in to stop them. cousins had defected from the syrian army and feared the troops would be looking for them. >> translator: when we saw the tanks, we thought that was it for us

. >> "nbc nightly news" begins now. >> this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt substituting tonight and reporting from aurora, colorado kate snow. >> good evening from the scene of one of the worst mass shootings in our nation's recent history, this community is still struggling to understand what happened here early friday. at this hour, the number of dead remains at 12, 58 others wounded. either by gun fire, or in the chaos as the shooting started. right now 26 people still in the hospital. nine of them in critical condition. right now we are learning more about the victims at least one child among them. we are hearing stories all this as authorities expand their investigation about the suspect. today they are finally able to enter his heavy booby-trapped apartment. that is where we begin tonight. >> reporter: good evening. police used a controlled detonation. police were able to enter the apartment. they say it was successful but it was the first step not the last step in learning what secrets might be hidden in the apartment. part of the james holmes mystery is becoming clear. h

captions paid for by nbc-universal television >> ann is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. >>> good evening, it's a part of campaigning and a part of governing. you sometimes have to appear before audiences that may not agree with you on everything and may not seem like a good fit. it happens. because there are all kinds of voters in this country with all kinds of views, it's going to happen. we saw it happen today when mitt romney did something the president is not doing this year. he appeared before the naacp annual convention. the response from the audience there wasn't always warm. it's where we begin tonight with nbc's peter alexander on the campaign trail covering mitt romney. peter, good evening. >> reporter: brian, good evening to you. this is far and away the most pro obama crowd mitt romney has spoken to all campaign season. while his advisers admit they would never expect all african-americans to agree with all of mitt romney's policies, they insist they were pleased by the reception here. it was a gutsy claim from mitt romney. >> if you want a president who will make thi

nbc news, houston. >>> now to an nbc news exclusive. our chief foreign correspondent richard engel is just back from syria where he got a firsthand look at the aftermath of one of the worst massacres since the syrian uprising started. a massacre we had heard about, but no one could verify until now. richard is with us in our studios. welcome. >> thank you. before we get to that, there are reports that just today there has been a new massacre with 150, perhaps 200 people killed. so, these massacres are, unfortunately, not rare. but what is rare is being able to verify them. not through anonymous internet video, but actually visiting the place and talking to survivors. that's what we did in one village. >> reporter: in the small farming village in northwest syria, villagers say a terrible massacre took place last december. antigovernment protests had just erupted in this area and syrian troops rolled in to stop them. these cousins had defected from the syrian army and feared the troops would be looking for them. >> translator: when we saw

pete williams, nbc news, washington. >>> and tonight, skywest airlines tells nbc news it's investigating how a murder suspect was able to get access to one of their aircraft. a regional jet sitting on the ramp in st. george, utah, sometime after midnight. the suspect identified as brian hegland was a suspended skywest pilot himself. he got the aircraft rolling but clipped a wing, crashed the plane into some parked cars and killed himself. he was wanted by police in colorado springs for allegedly killing his girlfriend last week. >>> and in tuscaloosa, tonight, the hunt is over for a man police say opened fire overnight in a crowded bar near the university of alabama campus there. 17 people were wounded, at least one of them critically. the alleged gunman turned himself in today. police think he may be responsible for a second shooting now in the area. >>> overseas, the crisis in syria is playing out for a third straight day. notably now, in the heart of the capital city of damascus. the syrian army is fighting the rebels, an ominous development in a civil war that so far seems to have no

pete williams, nbc news, washington. >>> skywest airlines tells nbc news it's investigating how a murder suspect was able to get access to one of their aircraft, a regional jet siting on the ramp in st. george utah sometime after midnight. the suspect identified as brian hegland was a suspended skywest pilot himself. he got the aircraft rolling, clipped a wing, crashed into some parked cars and killed himself. he was wanted by police in colorado springs for allegedly killing his girlfriend last week. >>> and in tuscaloosa, tonight. the hunt is over for a man police say opened fire in a crowded bar near the university of alabama campus there. 17 people were wounded, at least one of them critically. the alleged gunman turned himself in today. police think he may be responsible for a second shooting now in the area. overseas, the crisis in syria is playing out for a third straight day. notably now in the heart of the capital city of damascus. the syrian army is fighting the rebels and ominous development in a civil war that so far seems to have no end. a man mohyeldin is following the devel

captions paid for by nbc-universal television >> announcer: from nbc world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. >>> good evening, it's a part of campaigning and a part of governing. you sometimes have to appear before audiences that may not agree with you on everything and may not seem like a good fit. it happens. because there are all kinds of vote irs in this country with all kinds of views, it's going to happen. we saw it happen today when mitt romney did something the president isn't doing this year. he and before the naacp convention. the response from the audience there wasn't always warm. it's where we begin tonight with nbc's peter alexander on the campaign trail covering mitt romney. peter, good evening. >> reporter: brian, good evening to you. this is far and away the most pro obama crowd mitt romney has spoken to all campaign season. while his advisers admit they would never expect all african-americans to agree with all of mitt romney's policies, they admit they were pleased by the reception here. it was a gutsy claim from mitt romney.

. >>> from nbc news world head quarters in new york this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. >> good evening as this long holiday week draws to an end so does the crippling heat wave that has taken 66 lives since late june. temperatures dropped to the mid 80s in parts of the midwest that only a few days were sweltering under triple digit temps. it remained dangerously hot further east in place s like washington, d.c. which got into the 10 0s. we are still under excessive heat advisories and warnings and more than a half a dozen daily heat records were set today but fewer than yesterday when over 200 records were set. we'll check in with the weather channel in a moment. we begin our coverage here in new york with michelle. >> reporter: temperatures still hit 90 degrees here in new york city but about 10 degrees cooler than a day ago. that drew out more people here to central park, one of the cities here enjoying a breath of fresh air following that unbearable heat streak. finally a break in the heat wave, enough of a drop to get most of the country out of triple digits but with temper

pete williams, nbc news, washington. >>> and tonight skywest airlines tells nbc news it's investigating how a murder suspect was able to get access to one of their aircraft. a regional jet sitting on the ramp in st. george, utah sometime after midnight. the suspect identified as brian hegland was a suspended skywest pilot himself. he got the aircraft rolling, clipped a wing, crashed into some parked cars and killed himself. he was wanted by police in colorado springs for allegedly killing his girlfriend last week. >>> and in tuscaloosa, tonight. the hunt is over for a man police say opened fire in a crowded bar near the university of alabama campus there. 17 people were wounded, at least one of them critically. the alleged gunman turned himself in today. police think he may be responsible for a second shooting now in the area. >>> overseas, the crisis in syria is playing out for a third straight day. notably now in the heart of the capital city of damascus. the syrian army is fighting the rebels, an ominous development in a civil war that so far seems to have no end. ayman mohyeldin is

captions paid for by nbc-universal television blab >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams, reporting tonight from london. >>> and good evening. from tower bridge here in london, our arrival here today as the games are set to begin also coincides with mitt romney's arrival here in london. the first stop of his first overseas trip of this campaign season and a chance for us to sit down with the presumptive gop nominee. more on that in just a moment. >>> first again tonight our attention is focused on the aftermath and investigation in colorado. a huge development in the case today. something from the accused gunman himself that was sent before the shooting that if discovered earlier might have changed this story. it's where we begin, again, tonight with miguel alguer in aurora, colorado. miguel, good evening. >> reporter: brian, good evening. a judge issued a gag order in this case, so police cannot publicly comment on the evidence they have received and gathered. law enforcement sources tell nbc news the suspect did mail a package which could become a valuable piec

news, rushville, illinois. >> and that is nbc nightly news for this sunday. i'm kate snow reporting from new york. for lester holt and all of us here at nbc news, thanks for watching.

and the latest nbc news/"wall street journal" poll shows both candidates are taking a hit. president obama is seen negatively by 43% of voters. that's his second-lowest number. romney fared slightly worse at 40%. his poorest number yet. rotors see the obama campaign as slightly more negative. >> he tried, you tried, it's okay to make a change. >> reporter: 46% of voters say they don't like mitt romney personally. only 31% say the same about the president. and that's even though romney is seen as the best to improve the economy by a seven-point margin. both campaigns have eased back on the attacks, but then again the conventions are just over a month away. lynn? >> thanks, here's your first look at other news going on around america today. >>> in arizona, they don't call them flash floods for nothing. a couple near tucson captured these images of rushing waters that overtook a creek bed in seconds. recent wildfires have wiped out a good chunk of the land that would normally control the runoff. >>> and in oklahoma, police had to use a robot to move and then blow up explosives

"nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >>> good evening. i'm natalie morales in for brian. on the eve of the july 4th holiday, a time usually for fun and family, but for many, there is no escaping the extreme heat. adding to the misery in the mid-atlantic region, patience is starting to run out with power still out for more than a million households. we begin once again nbc's with tom costello in the nation's capital. good evening, tom. >> good evening to you. we could have picked any one a number of neighborhoods here in d.c. and virginia. we have a tree down, cars crushed, power lines are down. they're slowly getting power back, but it could be until the weekend until everyone has power back. in the meantime, with the death toll at 26, the concern is, it may rise with the heat taking a toll. across a huge section of the country today, the growl of chainsaws filled the air, and neighborhoods still trying to dig out from a storm that passed four days ago. >> it surprises me that we have the debris, but more than that, that we haven't seen a

captions paid for by nbc-universal television >> announcer: from nbc news world headquarters in new york. this is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. >> good evening, i'm kate snow in for brian. on this fourth of july america is celebrating with parades, cookouts and fireworks. but for many across the nation, this independence day is different. in some states that are tinder dry, there will be no fireworks. in parts of 10 states, today is all about sweating it out without air conditioning, without any electricity at all as crews spend the holiday working to get the power back on after deadly storms. we have it all covered tonight beginning with the extreme heat. nbc's john yang is in chicago. good evening, john. >> reporter: good evening, kate. all across the heartland it has been a scorcher of a fourth of july. highs in the triple digits as far north as minnesota and wisconsin. here in chicago the high was 102. that ties a record set a century ago. across the eastern half of the country, americans spent the nation's 236th birthday trying to beat the heat. >> it's definitely really h

nbc "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >>> good evening. it's one of those huge multi-plex theaters in this community the same kind all of us go to, the same kind you can find in just about every american community where the same thing is going to be happening this coming weekend as happened here last night. it was the midnight premiere of the movie "batman" a sold out crowd and a few minutes into the movie what took place then will go down as one of the largest mass shootings in american history. we wanted to lead off with the latest numbers tonight and they are absolutely staggering. 71 people were shot in this incident. 12 of them dead. we have 59 wounded and some of the wounded are struggling with critical injuries. the suspect in this case has been identified as a 24-year-old ph.d candidate, university of colorado, said to be a san diego native to start off with. james eagan holmes. he arrived apparently according to police after much planning. he was suited out from head to toe in tactical gear, carrying multiple weapons. imagine this

"nbc nightly news." good night. "nbc nightly news." good night. have a good weekend. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com goo --ecaptions by vitac -- www.vitac.com [romney singing]: oh beautiful, for spacious skies, i'm barack obama and i approve this message. for amber waves of grain, for purple mountains majesty, above the fruited plain, america, america,

join us from nbc bay area -- for nbc bay area news at 5:00 and 6:00 and check in at nbcbayarea.com or on our facebook page all day for the latest details as they come in. >>> well, still ahead, beware of what's in the water. the new warning along santa cruz beaches that could have you changing your weekend day at the beach. >>> it is going to be a warm weekend, but you may want to skip the dip in the ocean, at least in santa cruz. this morning posted signs are warning swimmers to stay out of the water at a couple popular beaches. a 14-foot great white shark was spotted about 20 yards off of seascape in rio del mar beach around 2:00 yesterday afternoon. the shark apparently swam away but not before a pilot managed to snap a couple photos from the air as you just saw. now, the warning signs will stay up over the weekend advising visitors that swimming, surfing, and other water sports are not recommended. >> instead of enjoying synchronized swimming with a shark, maybe you want to jump in a pool this weekend. it will be cool and safe. christina loren has great weather for you. >> even a

nbc news, new york. >>> it's been an interesting day on the presidential campaign trail. president obama is on his first bus tour of the race and he has some competing company on the road. nbc news white house correspondent kristin welker is traveling with the president in parma, ohio. >> reporter: president obama began today's campaign in the vote rich swing state of ohio courting among others white working class voters who can make the difference in who wins and loses elections in the industrial heartland. >> hello, ohio. >> reporter: first stop? the manufacturing town of maumee where the president touted the bailout of the auto industry, which employs one of every eight ohioans. >> governor romney said we should just let detroit go bankrupt. i refuse to turn my back on communities like this. i was betting on the american worker. >> reporter: less than two miles away romney's surrogates and potential vice presidential candidates tim paul enty and bobby jindal hammered away at the incumbent president's message. >> we know we aren't better off than we were four years ago.

anne thompson, nbc news, new york. >>> it's been an interesting day on the presidential campaign trail. president obama is on his first bus tour of the race and he has some competing company on the road. nbc news white house correspondent kristen welker is traveling with the president in parma, ohio. >> reporter: president obama began today's campaign in the vote rich swing state of ohio courting among others white working class voters who can make the difference in who wins and loses elections in the industrial heartland. >> hello, ohio. >> reporter: first stop? the manufacturing town of maumee where the president touted the bailout of the auto industry, which employs one of every eight ohioans. >> governor romney said we should just let detroit go bankrupt. i refuse to turn my back on communities like this. i was betting on the american worker. >> reporter: less than two miles away romney's surrogates and potential vice presidential candidates tim pawlenty and bobby jindal hammered away at the incumbent president's message. >> we know we aren't better off than we were four years ago.

for "today," michelle franzen, nbc news, new york. >>> and dylan dreyer from our boston station whdh is joining us this morning with the latest on the heat wave. good to have you this morning. >> wonderful to be here. thank you very much. i'm happy to say we're finally going to get some relief from this brutal heat wave. i mean, it's not going to be perfect today, but today's our transition day. we are going to see temperatures start cooling off instead of widespread heat warnings across the area, instead we're seeing heat advisories still now pushing into the ohio river valley and it is still muggy. we're not looking at total relief here, but, today is our transition day. we're still in the upper 70s. feels like we're in the upper 70s with the humidity. it will be a little bit muggy. tomorrow looks awesome. we're looking at normal temperatures to work back into the northeast. this dip in the jet stream is going to bring us the relief we have been waiting for. but the west is going to deal with the brutal heat with temperatures out that way about 10 to 15 degrees above average. here,

this is all according to a new nbc news/wall street journal poll that saw both candidates' negative ratings hit an all-time high. nbc's brian mooar joins us from washington with those details. brian, good morning to you. >> good morning, lynn. the campaign has taken a negative turn. so have the poll numbers from both candidates. mitt romney accused the obama white house of leaking classified information for political gain. >> this conduct is contemptible. it betrays our national interest. >> president obama's accusing romney of being less than honest. >> he's been twisting my words around to suggest i don't value small business. >> the mud-slinging in this presidential campaign has been early and often. and the latest nbc news/wall street journal poll shows both candidates are taking a hit. president obama's seen negatively by 43% of voters. that's his second lowest number. romney faired slightly worse at 40%. his poorest number yet. ♪ america america >> voters see the obama campaign as slightly more negative. >> he tried. you tried. it's okay to make a change. >> 46% of voters say they d

for all of us here in aurora, colorado, i'm brian williams, nbc "nbc nightly news." good night, have a good weekend. >>> right now at 6:00, developing news, an act of terror inside a movie theater, the carnage unbelievable in a colorado time. right now from coast to coast, a nation pauses to reflect and to wonder why. good evening and thank you for joining us. >> police have no motive in one of the deadliest mass shootings in recent history. 12 people were killed and 59 others injured when a masked gunman dressed in body armor charged the crowded suburban theater. the suspect, james holmes who has extensive ties here in california. we have full coverage of this event from the bay area to carmel to san diego. we have live coverage. jay gray also in colorado tonight. >> reporter: it was just after midnight when the dark knight quickly moved from fiction to reality. >> we were watching the movie, it was a shoot-out scene, there were guns firing and loud bangs came from the right of the theater. smoke took over. >> reporter: witnesses say a man wearing a ballistic bullet

he never made any waves until an nbc news documentary team came to town. his act of bravery that followed would have gone forgotten if not for two unlikely people determined to honor his story. you're going to hear a deeply offensive word in this report, one you'll typically not hear on this network and one i personally don't take lightly but it's useful in this case to understand booker wright's pain and humiliation. >> the mississippi delta is nearly 2,000 miles from the hollywood hills where ray grew up and now works as a filmmaker. it's a lifetime away from the phoenix neighborhood where yvette johnson is raising her boys. and yet a year ago these two strangers discovered they shared a unique bond. it was a bond rooted in a 1966 nbc news documentary about race realizes in mississippi. >> people in other sections of the country are fairly convinced that we are prejudiced against colored people. >> the unvarnished views expressed by white mississippians sounds shocking today. >> i feel that god had a preference in creating the races separate. >> the man

nbc's jay gray has details. >> reporter: federal agents tell nbc news, james holmes the suspect in the movie theater massacre told them where they could find what could be key evidence in the case. the normal neuroscience graduate student apparently told investigators about a package he sent to university of colorado's medical campus in aurora. police found the package unopened in the mail room. inside they described what's described as handwritten details about killing people. as the investigation continues, so does the mourning here. >> i'm overwhelming by the tragedy of all of this and the senselessness of all of this, and, i mean, the people taken. >> reporter: people like 51-year-old gordon cowden, the oldest victim of the massacre took his two teenaged daughters to the movie. they survived. he was laid to rest. the first of at least 12 funerals, the victims of the attack. after the chaos and killing at the theater, there are now growing questions in this grieving community about what will happen to the crime scene. some say it should be torn down and replaced by a memorial. other