tonight, president biden defending scathing special counsel report questioned his memory. the president coming before the cameras slamming special counsel robert hur's report on his handling of classified documents. hur not seeking charges, but describing the president as a, quote, elderly man with a poor memory. mr. biden hitting back >> and my memory is fine. and vice president kamala harris today also blasting the report. what she said in defense of the president. also tonight, the deadly plane crash on the highway in florida. the plane colliding with at least one vehicle. the shooting in times square in new york the nypd saying a 15-year-old wounded a tourist then fired at a police officer in the heart of manhattan. the arrest tonight the urgent manhunt in tennessee a deputy fatally shot. the armed and dangerous suspect on the loose. the dramatic video

of the first tornado on record to hit wisconsin in february. israel ordering an evacuation ahead of an expected invasion in the gaza city of rafah, and president biden's sharpest rebuke yet of israel's offensive. the military naming the five u.s. marines killed in a helicopter crash what we're learning. and her dad's a niners fan, but she's rooting for travis and taylor a house divided just two days from the super bowl >> announcer: this is nbc "nightly news" with lester holt good evening, and welcome. the white house and democrats tried to seize the narrative tonight following the cringeworthy characterization of president biden's age and memory contained in that special counsel report into mr. biden's handling of classified documents after his vice presidency calling the memory references "gratuitous. the president hurried

to get in front of tv cameras and in front of the headlines last night highlighting the special counsel decision not to charge him with a crime over those documents, but refuting the idea that they were willfully retained, but it was special counsel robert hur's references to the president's memory and advanced age that has the white house on the offense. vice president harris calling the memory comments, inaccurate and inappropriate, saying, they were clearly politically motivated. peter alexander has more on the fallout. >> reporter: tonight, president biden ignoring questions about that explosive special counsel report after last night disputing the report's conclusion that he willfully retained and disclosed classified materials after his vice presidency. >> the assertions are not only misleading, they're just plain wrong. >> reporter: special counsel robert hur found no criminal charges are warranted. today the white house slamming hur's report comparing it to the justice department's classified documents investigation of former vice president mike pence. >> it was a brief one-page letter to mike pence, but in

this case, there was a 15-month investigation. he reached the inevitable conclusion based on the facts and the evidence that there was no case here >> reporter: justice department officials tell nbc news, hur included damaging details referring to what he called the president' diminished faculties and faulty memory because that was a key reason hur did not recommend charges, arguing a jury would be unlikely to convict because president biden would present himself as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory. >> i'm well-meaning, and i'm an elderly man, and i know what the hell i'm doing. >> reporter: at that hastily called news conference -- >> my memory is fine. >> reporter: -- the president became most heated about scathing details in the report that during his interview, mr. biden did not remember when he was vice president, and that he did not remember even within several years when his son beau died. >> how in the hell dare he raise that frankly, when i was asked the question, i thought to myself, it

wasn't any of their damn business. i don't need anyone to remind me when he passed away. >> reporter: but moments later reigniting questions about his memory referring to the president of egypt as the president of mexico when talking about the crisis in gaza >> the president of mexico, el sisi, did not want to open up the gate to allow humanitarian material to get in. >> reporter: it's the latest in a series of flubs just this week saying that he recently spoke with french president mitterrand, who died decades ago. >> mitterrand from germany -- i mean from france -- looked at me and said, said, you know, why -- how long you back for >> reporter: and appearing to forget the name of hamas until a reporter said it >> there's been a response from the -- there's been a response from the opposition, but --

>> hamas >> yes, i'm sorry, from hamas. >> reporter: the white house says president biden is not the only political leader who misspeaks and rejects the report's characterization of the president's memory. >> we do not believe that part of the report lives in reality. >> reporter: the vice president is also slamming the special counsel. >> the president's demeanor in that report as characterized could not be more wrong on the facts and clearly politically motivated. >> reporter: our latest nbc news poll shows voter concerns with both president biden and republican front-runner donald trump, who recently confused nikki haley and nancy pelosi speaking about january 6th. >> it's like nikki haley is in charge of security. >> reporter: 76% of americans have major or moderate concerns about the president's mental and physical health 48% have those same concerns about mr. trump. >> and, peter, you have new reporting about how the white

house will try to counter the special counsel. >> reporter: lester, aides here tell me that they're going to send out people who meet with president biden regularly to talk about their personal experiences with him and to rebut what the special counsel said lester. >> peter alexander starting us off, thank you. those questions raised in the special counsel's report are underscoring concerns about mr. biden's age and memory among some voters garrett haake is in battleground pennsylvania for us tonight. >> reporter: tonight voters in america's biggest swing state say the special counsel's accounts of president biden's memory lapses only reinforce their concerns about the president's age. jada george voted for biden in 2020. >> it's kind of scary. you know, he's like the commander in chief. he should, you know, be able to remember things. >> reporter: but no democrats we spoke to here in battleground pennsylvania, the president's birthplace, said the report would change their plans to vote for biden a second time >> i think in terms of the policy and kind of where the country is

going right now, you know, i'll favor him. >> reporter: theater manager rob cash telling us he's also convinced by biden's likely opponent. >> you still think he's head and shoulders over the other guy? >> absolutely. absolutely the other guy is a joke trump is a joke. i'm sorry. he was a joke. >> reporter: but for trump supporter paris williams, the difference between the 81-year-old biden and the 77-year-old trump is much greater than four years >> trump's not much younger. >> not much younger, but you can see somebody getting older. you can see age. >> reporter: donald trump's campaign has spent the last day blistering president biden over the contents of that report, and the former president is expected to do the same when he takes the stage here behind me tonight for what will feel like the first general election rally of this campaign season. lester. >> all right, garrett haake, thank you. just in from florida, a plane crashing on a busy highway. the small jet colliding with the vehicle. at least two people are dead tom costello covers aviation tom, what do we know >> reporter: yeah, five people were on board this private jet, a bombardier 600 challenger the plane had taken off from ohio state university airport in

columbus, ohio, though not affiliated with osu. it was scheduled to land in naples then before flying on to fort lauderdale, but minutes before landing, the pilot radioed that he had lost both engines and would not make the runway the plane then crashed on the southbound lanes of i-75 clipping the wall and the truck before exploding into a ball of fire and tumbling down the road airport and county firefighters used foam to put it out. the plane is operated by a charter company based in fort lauderdale the faa and the ntsb are now investigating, lester. >> all right, tom, thank you for that. in san diego, the five marines who were killed in that helicopter crash have now been identified. they range in age from 21 to 28 years old and include a lance corporal, a sergeant, and three captains the helicopter crashed while flying between bases on a training mission. one of the marines had recently become a father in new york, a 15-year-old is under arrest after allegedly shooting a tourist in a store in times

square and firing at police here's erin mclaughlin >> reporter: tonight, in new york city, a 15-year-old wanted for opening fire on police officers in a crowded times square and shooting a tourist in the leg with a 45 caliber handgun now in police custody according to law enforcement. >> considering where these shootings took place, it's an actual miracle that we're not having a very different conversation right now. >> reporter: police say the teenage migrant recently arrived in new york from venezuela in september. one of three teens who according to police entered a sporting goods store thursday evening, stopped by a security guard for allegedly stealing clothes. >> our suspect takes out a 45 caliber handgun, a very large handgun, shoots at her into a crowd striking a 37-year-old female tourist from brazil. >> reporter: the victim telling our affiliate wnbc, she heard a loud bang before seeing blood dripping down her leg.

>> he had no problems firing into a crowd of the store, striking a tourist, not shooting at our cops once, but shooting at them twice. >> reporter: police say the other two teens were also arrested. the incident now part of a troubling trend of moped robberies, snatches, and pickpocketing in new york city. >> there are some venezuelan groups, groups of migrants -- i say some, not all -- that are affecting crime in our city. >> reporter: just yesterday police releasing this video allegedly showing a group including migrants kicking and punching two new york city police officers seven have been charged with more believed to be on the run. erin mclaughlin, nbc news, new york shock and disbelief in southeast wisconsin where a confirmed tornado, the first ever in the state in february hit south of madison, lots of damage, but no significant injuries were reported. it was spawned amid record temperatures, and the heat wave is not over angie lassman is

tracking it. some remarkable high temperatures. >> definitely, lester, and that warmth is fueling those tornadoes that we saw across the midwest, and it continued today with records being broken in detroit and chicago. we're going to keep it going through the rest of the workweek and into the weekend. 58 degrees expected for new york tomorrow, into the mid-60s for washington, d.c. by the time monday rolls around, we turn our attention to our next winter storm though we see this bring heavy rain across portions of the southeast and then lifting to the north cooling and bringing the potential for some possibly heavy snow across interior portions of the northeast, along the i-95 corridor looks a little wetter. between monday and tuesday, though, we could pick up anywhere from two to four inches of snow, lester isolated amounts up to six inches. >> angie, thank you very much. and tonight, new tensions between the biden administration and israel following president biden's rebuke of israel's war against hamas in gaza. andrea mitchell has new reporting on all of this. andrea, good evening >> reporter: lester, that growing rift became more apparent with a rare public

criticism of israel from the president last night >> the conduct of the response in gaza, in the gaza strip has been over the top. >> reporter: the latest friction over netanyahu's plan for a ground offensive in rafah where more than a million displaced palestinians are now living, but israel says it's the last hamas stronghold all of this during tense meetings in israel when sources tell us blinken was prepared to say at a news conference there were some positive elements to hamas' counteroffer to a u.s. brokered hostage proposal, but before he could, netanyahu went public calling the hamas proposal "delusional. lester >> andrea, thank you. in 60 seconds, the urgent manhunt in tennessee for the suspect who shot and killed a sheriff's deputy and injured another. we've got late details after this

a manhunt in tennessee tonight for a suspect accused of shooting two sheriff's deputies, killing one of them. kathy park is there and has late details >> reporter: tonight in east tennessee, a solemn procession moving the body of deputy greg mccowan killed during a traffic stop >> help. help i've been shot >> 344, i've been hit. suspect fled >> reporter: the shooting happening in maryville just outside knoxville thursday night. the tennessee bureau of investigation saying one county deputy deployed a laser after 42-year-old kenneth dehart jr. wouldn't cooperate and refused to get out of his vehicle. tbi say dehart began shooting killing deputy mccowan and injuring deputy shelby eggers. at least one of the deputies returned fire >> i'm so sorry that we lost the young man. i talked to his family earlier and apologized for not protecting him. >> reporter: authorities say dehart is still on the run

considered armed and dangerous. his car found abandoned near the crime scene. records show a lengthy criminal history including a weapons charge conviction as a result of another police stop and standoff in 2004. >> you are determined to find the suspect. >> we're going to find the suspect, 100%. >> reporter: tonight, a community mourning a dedicated deputy, who began his full time career with the department in 2020. a year later he was honored for rescuing a man in a burning vehicle, and tonight authorities providing a new update saying dehart's brother is now in custody for assisting the suspect. lester >> all right, kathy park, thank you. coming up, in majestic montana, drug cartels and the scourge of fentanyl are a growing blight on native american reservations our nbc news investigation is next.

we're back now with our nbc news investigation. as fentanyl fuels the worst drug crisis in u.s. history, federal law enforcement tell us, cartels are now setting up shop and targeting native american reservations. cynthia mcfadden explains why >> reporter: the blackfeet reservation in northern montana is beautiful and vast it is also drowning in fentanyl >> the drug problem on our reservation, it's so serious that it's pretty much wiping out a generation >> i'll do anything to help >> reporter: marvin

weatherwax jr. i a leader here. as in many native communities, addiction has long been a problem, but two years ago after 17 fentanyl overdoses and 4 deaths in just one week, the tribe declared a state of emergency >> would it be fair to say that you're in a perpetual state of emergency right now? >> yes, we are it's as if fentanyl is raining on our reservation. >> reporter: federal law enforcement officials tell nbc news, one of the most dangerous of the mexican drug cartels, sinaloa, once run by the notorious el chapo now by his son is targeting blackfeet and the state's six other reservations with a steady flow of drugs including fentanyl >> what brought you up here >> reporter: this man, a member of the sinaloa cartel, was pulled over for a traffic stop on a montana reservation. >> are you from around here you got a passport >> from mexico >> mexico? >> mexico, yes >> reporter: ultimately he and two other cartel members were successfully prosecuted in one of the largest drug busts in the state's history including over 700,000 fentanyl pills seized

according to montana's u.s. attorney. so, why are the cartels interested in the reservations over a thousand miles north of the mexican border? >> profits are just out of this world. >> reporter: until a couple of months ago, stacy zinn ran the dea here in montana. she tells me on the reservations, the price of fentanyl is high, and law enforcement is sparse, fertile ground for the cartel >> drugs in other cities are saturated you have multiple cartels. well, up here in montana, it's pretty much wide open space and territory for them to be able to grab. >> reporter: profit margins soar the further away from the mexican border you go. a single fentanyl pill that costs between 4 and 25 cents to produce in mexico could be sold for 50 cents to a dollar in san diego and over $100 on some reservations here in montana, and then there's the lack of law enforcement. according to a former

federal official, there are less than 20 dea agents for the whole state. as for the reservations -- >> these reservations don't have enough tribal police to protect them nefarious people, the ones that are committing crimes, know this. >> reporter: on the northern cheyenne reservation, the boarded up meth houses bear witness to what community leaders say is a staggering drug problem. two years ago, there were only 19 police officers for the whole reservation, so the tribe sued the bureau of indian affairs asking for help, but no help arrived. they're now down to seven officers. >> i was very frustrated about it. >> reporter: tribal leaders say the effects are devastating. >> have you seen a spike in other kinds of crime? >> sexual abuse and sexual assault >> human trafficking. >> child neglect. >> reporter: while the bureau of indian affairs tell us they don't comment on pending cases, zinn insists more resources are urgently needed. >> we are fighting this problem standing

on one leg, and half the time we're handcuffed. >> reporter: she says right now, the cartels are winning. cynthia mcfadden, nbc news, montana. we'll take a break here, but there's much more to tell you about including a house divided and taylor swift right in the middle of a super bowl sunday showdown.

finally, just two days until super bowl lviii, and tonight we go inside a house divided. a niners fan versus a

taylor swift super fan. here's sam brock >> reporter: here in the heart of niners country -- ♪ this night is sparkling ♪ >> reporter: you'll find the sweet sounds of 10-year-old annabelle pierce performing taylor swift with her dad mike >> playing and watching music is really fun for us. >> reporter: it's an unbreakable bond ♪ only heightened by a recent trip to swift's "eras" tour, but they're not in harmony -- >> show me that brock purdy. >> reporter: -- on one big thing. >> mccaffrey can't catch it. >> reporter: who to support in the super bowl >> who do you support, annabelle? >> chiefs all the way. >> since the age of when >> since the age of when taylor started dating travis. >> reporter: you see, while mike is part of the 49ers faithful, annabelle's idol is taylor swift. >> you can't go anywhere without having a swiftie

around, because, like, you can't go anywhere without having chiefs fans except maybe, maybe downtown san francisco. >> reporter: in many ways it's brought these two even closer together >> all the dads will get together and watch the football games, and our daughters all now want to come and watch them with us. >> reporter: the duo might be living in a house divided, but they do agree on taylor's massive impact. >> she's the biggest player on the field. >> like, the energy at one of her concerts is like something i've never seen before, and if that energy is behind the chiefs, we should probably be a little nervous. >> reporter: a tense 48 hours to come ♪ i'll spend forever ♪ >> reporter: but a high note for dads and daughters everywhere sam brock, nbc news, half moon bay, california >> that's terrific that's "nightly news" for this friday. thank you for watching i'm lester holt. please take care of yourself and each other. good night ♪ this night is sparkling ♪ ♪ don't you let it go ♪

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