from new york tonight, tropical storm alberto turning deadly as it slams texas with heavy rain and flooding. the remnants of alberto over mexico after making landfall there and killing at least four. the heavy rain and storm surge flooding the texas coast. it comes as brutal heat refuses to let up. 65 million on alert. and in new mexico, the massive dust storms and deadly wildfires burning out of control. also tonight, the manhunt for a suspect wanted for multiple murders in two states. where he was caught today. the close call for a southwest plane triggering urgent warnings after descending to just 500 the n. why amtrak feet over a suburb. why was it so low?

the train chaos in the northeast. why amtrak service was suspended from philadelphia to connecticut. the first debate just one week away. new details on the biden/trump showdown, where they'll be positioned on stage, and who will get the last word. remembering donald sutherland. the acting legend whose career spanned six decades. from "mash" to "the hunger games." his son kiefer's touching tribute. the warning about popular weight loss drugs, the dangerous counterfeits on the market. and saving the whales. the nearly 3,000-mile mission to rescue two majestic belugas from ukraine's war zone. >> announcer: this is nbc "nightly news" with lester holt. good evening and welcome, everyone. the broiling heat in the east, a flooded texas coast, and now the potential for new tropical weather threats forming on the distant horizon all making for a volatile start to summer. after several days, that heat dome sitting over the north east is still making life miserable for 65 million people, from the ohio valley to new england.

temperatures once again climbing into the upper 90s and challenging record highs. while some 1,800 miles away, residents of southeast texas are trying to dry out from a brush with what was tropical storm alberto. the storm turned deadly after striking mexico, while high tides and onshore winds are still causing coastal flooding. but there is no rest for the weary. weather watchers tracking two more areas of possible storm development, including one that could take aim at that same part of texas by early next week. sam brock is there. and sam, what's the situation right now? >> reporter: yeah, lester, the situation right now, a flood advisory is still in effect here for another day, even as the water has receded, lester, tremendously. and yet, look at all that is left here on street. it spans the entire thing, covering properties on both sides, as those who live here are just waiting for a reprieve. on the first day of summer, it's fire and rain across america with surfside beach,

texas, still soaked from the far sweep of tropical storm alberto, which made landfall in mexico earlier today. >> really weird looking out your living room window and just seeing water. >> reporter: everywhere. >> everywhere. >> reporter: driving around this texas town, you see palm trees protruding from pools of water and vacationers perched on decks like erica fine, unable to retrieve her car. >> we're waiting for high tide to go through. >> reporter: so current status is trapped? >> yeah, yeah, we're just a little bit stranded. >> reporter: the storm leaving a wake of damage along texas' coastline, with a tornado ripping this roof in rockport. >> it was all over the place. >> reporter: while flood waters remain in surfside beach. >> we thought everything was going to be clearing up pretty good this morning, but about

5:30, high tide hit and storm surge came back in, and we were right back to where we were yesterday. >> reporter: record-breaking heat elsewhere in the u.s. living up to the term summer solstice. >> brutal. very, very hot. >> reporter: some schools have had to postpone classes, as 65 million bake in triple-digit temps. in bangor, maine, the heat index climbing to 106. why a combination of wi winds and fire have wreaked havoc in new mexico. tonight, the white house declaring a major disaster. now with rain on the way, flooding concerns around the burn scars. the country's patience for trying conditions being tested, even as some take solace with how neighbors and community comes together. >> this community stays in touch in times of need like this. >> reporter: sam brock, nbc news, surfside beach, texas. all right, let's bring in al roker. al, you're looking at severe weather, also some concerns in the tropics. >> absolutely, lester. we've got two areas we're watching, one about this development zone in the gulf coa atlantic coast, but we're most concerned about this development zone in the gulf coast where we could see more heavy rain bringing to that same area another 3 to 5 inches of rain in southern texas, causing more flooding. this evening, 15

million people at risk from the rockies to the northeast, strong storms firing up. could see isolated tornadoes, winds, and hail. and the heat continues. if you're south of this front, washington, pittsburgh, cincinnati, triple digits possible, where as green bay, buffalo, burlington into the weekend, and boston will see much cooler temperatures, with lower humidity. lester? >> all right, al, thank you. a multi-state manhunt is over tonight with the man of interest in a string of murders under arrest in arkansas priya sridhar has late. priya sridhar has late details. >> reporter: tonight, a convicted felon and suspected killer is in custody, after evading law enforcement in multiple states for weeks. >> if you look at his criminal history, he was continuously escalating his violent behavior. >> reporter: before being arrested today, police say 50-year-old stacy lee drake was last seen on surveillance video tuesday outside of an arkansas motel 6. arkansas state police

who were leading the investigation, say drake is connected to crimes across several states. in oklahoma, police say he's a person of interest in last week's murder and carjacking of phillip emerson. >> be advised at least two people have been shot. >> reporter: he's also wanted in connection to two murders at a gas station about 200 miles away. in alabama, the tuscaloosa county sheriff is now revealing drake is a suspect in a murder they, too, are investigating. they say he was there for a few weeks using a fake name when he shot and killed russell andrews last month. his son, russell jr., says he was beloved. >> very kind and passionate person. he was very selfless. >> reporter: drake has an extensive criminal history spanning decades in multiple states that include convictions for robberies, carjackings, and assault. tonight, he's off the streets and behind bars. >> i can sleep better at night knowing that, you know, he's not going to hurt anybody else.

>> reporter: priya sridhar, nbc news. tonight, the faa is investigating why a southwest airlines plane flew very low over a suburb of oklahoma city, triggering low altitude alerts in the control tower. tom costello covers aviation for us. tom, do we understand what happened here? >> reporter: ah, it's starting to become clear. flight 4069 from las vegas was approaching oklahoma city airport at about 12:30 a.m. local time, but at eight miles out, flight aware and flight radar 24 show the plane at an altitude of just 525 feet, flying over the top of yukon, oklahoma, with some people there thinking the plane would hit their homes. it triggered a low altitude warning in the control tower. the tower radioed the pilot, asking if everything was okay. he replied yes, then aborted the landing, went around, and safely landed on a different runway. but nbc news aviation experts say this plane was very low and very slow. southwest tells nbc it's in contact with the faa to understand and address any irregularities with the aircraft's

approach to the airport, insisting safety is southwest's top priority. lester? >> all right, tom costello with that, thank you. and a major disruption of rail service in one of the nation's busiest travel hubs. brian cheung is at new york's penn station tonight. brian, what's the latest from there? >> reporter: lester, hundreds of thousands of passengers pass through penn station daily. it's one of the busiest rail hubs in the world, but this afternoon, two key services had to be suspended, new jersey transit and amtrak, due to power issues for the second time this week. both amtrak and new jersey transit say service has now resumed, but the outage, which amtrak says was due to a malfunctioning circuit breaker and exacerbated by a brush fire in new jersey that impacted wire repairs, highlights the sensitivity of the infrastructure system here. as you can see, there are still massive delays listed on the board here. canceled, canceled, canceled. and the high temperatures are also a factor. act amtrak has warned the extreme heat is forcing trains to

operate more slowly on the tracks. >> brian cheung, thank you. now to the race to the white house, and the battle over viral videos intensifying one week from the first debate. and there are new details about that debate. gabe gutierrez joins us now. gabe, what do we know? >> reporter: hey there, lester. after winning a coin toss, president biden picked the podium on the right side of the stage. and we now know former president trump will deliver the final closing statement. and it comes after both campaigns are already doing battle online. the video went viral faster than usual. president biden at the g7 summit in italy surrounded by world leaders appearing to wander off before being pulled back to the group by the italian prime minister. in reality, another camera angle showed the president was actually trying to greet skydivers who just finished a demonstration. but the republican national committee and conservative media quickly amplified the first angle, falsely claiming the president was meandering.

the biden campaign is calling it a, quote, cheap fake. what is a cheap fake? >> cheap fakes are these, you know, deceptively edited videos, and they're a huge part of donald trump's campaign strategy. >> reporter: rob flaherty is biden's deputy campaign manager, who's overseeing the war, and slamming the trump campaign, saying it's increasingly taking videos out of context. >> we have to be more aggressive about monitoring, about intervene, taking action against it, because it's going to be such a center piece of how he's communicating. >> reporter: that g7 video is among a string of clips some republicans say raises concerns about president biden's age and ability. tonight, the trump campaign arguing that there is nothing wrong with highlighting videos not digitally altered like this clip of president biden standstill for several seconds on stage until former president obama leads him offstage, and another where he also stood still as

people danced around him during a juneteenth celebration. the white house says the president did not freeze in these incidents, but was enjoying the moments. tonight the trump team telling us -- >> the biden campaign is trying to convince the american public not to believe their own eyes. we are simply posting these videos for the world to see and to come to their own conclusion on, which the american public has. >> reporter: the trump campaign argues the biden team has taken the former president's words out of context. >> we're going to put a 100% tariff on every single car that comes across the line. now, if i don't get elected, it's going to be a bloodbath. >> reporter: by claiming that comment referred to political violence instead of economic pain. >> then he said, if he loses, there's going to be a bloodbath. >> it's called the bloodbath hoax, taking my words completely out of context. >> reporter: there's always been misinformation during campaigns, but this election cycle, cyber experts expect much more of it, including a.i. generated deep fakes. former and current officials tell nbc news that the fbi and

department of homeland security have no firm plan to alert the public about deep fakes or other false information during the 2024 election, unless it's clearly coming from a foreign actor and poses a sufficiently grave threat. a digital battlefield raising questions about free speech, censorship, and partisan politics. gabe gutierrez, nbc news, wilmington, delaware. hollywood has lost a legend. actor donald sutherland, whose versatile career spanned six decades, has died at 88. joe friar with the touching tributes tonight. >> reporter: donald sutherland could not be confined by a single genre, from drama. >> can't you see anything except in terms how it affects you? >> reporter: to comedy -- >> i'm not joking. this is my job. >> reporter: to thrillers. >> the one at elizabeth's place was duplicating her. i don't play nice or bad or good. i just play the fella, so i can find something in everybody to play. >> reporter: his big break came in 1967 with "the dirty dozen." >> i'd rather be a

civilian, sir. >> reporter: he was hawkeye pierce in the movie "m.a.s.h." >> i've seen you somewhere before. i don't know your name, stranger, but your face is familiar. >> reporter: then opposite jane fonda in "klute." >> maybe i can bring you some friends. i've got some terrific friends. >> no, thank you. >> reporter: later, he ventured into tv, winning an emmy for "citizen x" -- >> welcome to the house of power. >> reporter: before introducing himself to a new audience on the big screen in "the hunger games." >> and may the odds be ever in your favor. >> reporter: in the 2016 western "forsaken," he played father-son with his real life son, kiefer. >> he's someone i wanted to work with for my whole career. >> reporter: today, kiefer called his dad one of the most important actors in the history of film, never daunted by a role, good, bad, or ugly. from ron howard, who directed sutherland in "backdraft," one of the most interesting every intelligent, and engrossing film actors of all time. a body of work that led to an honorary academy award in 2017.

>> thank you for putting my name on this. >> reporter: sealing his sweeping legacy. joe friar, nbc news. in 60 seconds, new warnings about fake ozempic and other hugely popular weight loss drugs. talk to your doctor about repatha. repatha plus a statin lowers ldl-c (bad cholesterol) by 63%, and drops the risk of having a heart attack. do not take repatha if you are allergic to it. repatha can cause serious allergic reactions. signs include trouble breathing or swallowing or swelling of the face. most common side effects include runny nose, sore throat, common cold symptoms, flu or flu-like symptoms, back pain, high blood sugar, and redness, pain, or bruising at the injection site. talk to your doctor about repatha. with cascade platinum plus, i have upped my dish game auntie, in that dishwasher? watch me platinum plus gives you the highest standard of clean, even in your machine. clean enough for you? yeah! scrape. load. done. cascade platinum plus.

a health alert tonight involving those popular weight loss drugs. officials warning some on the market may be dangerous counterfeits. here's anne thompson. >> reporter: weight loss drugs are now a global phenomenon. >> i went down four pant sizes. >> reporter: this country accounting for 71% of semaglutide sales, the active ingredient in wegovy and ozempic, a diabetes drug. but high demand breeds counterfeits that could jeopardize your health. the world health organization warning tonight that it found fake batches of ozempic in the u.s., uk, and brazil last year. >> it could have contaminates that could actually harm you. >> reporter: us-san diego professor tim mackey and a team of researchers bought

counterfeits of semaglutide online to find out what's being sold. >> when we purchased six of these products from online pharmacies, three were scammers, and another three sent us products that had questionable quality safety issues associated with them. >> reporter: so, if somebody had taken any of these drugs, could they have ended up in the hospital or ill from the drugs? >> yeah. so, patients, one, could have been scammed out of thousands of dollars, and two, they could have taken a product that had too much semaglutide in them, and could have been injured from that, as well. >> reporter: lilly also warning tonight about fake versions of tirzepatide, the active ingredient in mounjaro and zepbound, its diabetes and weight loss drugs. lilly says it does not sell these drugs on social media, and warns illegal online pharmacies selling fakes put people at risk. now, the makers of these drugs stress they are the only manufacturers and there are no generics. to make sure you're getting the real thing, get a

prescription from a licensed doctor and get it filled at a licensed pharmacy. lester? >> okay, anne, thank you. up next for us tonight, smooth sailing or rough seas? what we can learn about the economy aboard a working schooner. [both] because i said cologuard®! -hey there! -where did he come from? -yup, with me you can screen at home. just talk to your provider. [both] we'll screen with cologuard and do it my way. cologuard is a one-of-a-kind way to screen for colon cancer that's effective and non-invasive. it's for people 45+ at average risk, not high risk. false positive and negative results may occur. ask your provider for me, cologuard. when you need to prepare for unpredictable adventures... (gasp) you need weathertech. [hot dog splat.] laser measured floorliners front and rear. [drink slurp and splat.] (scream) seat protector to save the seats.

[honk!] they're all yours! we're here! hey, i knew you were comin'... so i weatherteched the car! can we get ice cream? we can now. kid proof your vehicle with american made products at weathertech.com. here's to getting better with age. here's to beating these two every thursday. help fuel today with boost high protein, complete nutrition you need... ...without the stuff you don't. so, here's to now. boost. (christine) my son really had to be head of the household because i became a dependent. my tip is every time i want to smoke a cigarette, i would think of my children. ( announcer) you can quit. for free help, call 1-800-quit-now this week on chewy,

shop all your pet's favorites and get a $30 egift card. enjoy more savings on more food, more toys, and more treats. more of everything they love, delivered right to your door. only with chewy. if you have wet amd, you never want to lose sight of the things you love. some things should stand the test of time. long lasting eylea hd could significantly improve your vision and can help you go up to 4 months between treatments. if you have an eye infection, eye pain or redness, or allergies to eylea hd, don't use. eye injections like eyla hd may cause eye infection, separation of the retina, or rare but severe swelling of blood vessels in the eye. an increase in eye pressure has been seen. there's an uncommon risk of heart attack or stroke associated with blood clots. the most common side effects were blurred vision, cataract, corneal injury, and eye floaters.

and there's still so much to see. if you are on eylea or a similar type of treatment, ask your retina specialist about eylea hd today, for the potential for fewer injections. this summer travel season, americans are spending more than ever on the road, in the skies, and as christine romans reports, on the sea. >> reporter: aboard

the schooner "stephen taber," which sets taber which sets sail from rockland, maine, the summer is completely booked. captain noah barnes, like his parents before him, ushering in guests. >> welcome aboard the "stephen taber." we're going to have a great time. >> reporter: vacationers pay just over $300 a night to eat, drink, and sleep aboard. >> 2-6 -- heave! >> reporter: and pitch in. >> hoist! >> we've got pilots techs and we've got plumbers and we've got cable installers. it's everybody. >> reporter: so business is good. >> so business is good. >> reporter: americans' summer travel budgets are up, up 18% overall from last year, and travelers are hungry for experiences. >> my cell phone went off and just got thrown into the cabin, and it was just wonderful. >> reporter: below deck -- >> today, i'll be cooking breakfast for about 26 people, including crew. and -- yeah, just another morning in

paradise. >> reporter: chef gray lidaker serves it up. >> we're having a maple sausage that is from a small farm in iowa. >> reporter: what's this job like? >> well, it's basically cooking all day long inside a shaking box. >> reporter: you must love boats. >> yes, the prerequisite for the job is must love boats. >> reporter: for captain barnes, rising costs are a challenge he has to pass onto passengers. >> i don't worry about our products. i worry about staffing. i worry about the cost of materials. >> reporter: do customers balk at the higher prices or they're still coming? >> we haven't seen a dip. i don't think we've met the place where people are resistant to pay it, but we don't want to find that spot. >> reporter: to maintain crew, he has raised wages. even still, chef gray and several deckhands live aboard when they aren't sailing. housing costs on the mainland out of reach. >> i couldn't find anything. it's phenomenally expensive, so staying

on the boat just made economic sense. >> reporter: gray sleeps here under the stairs. you can learn a lot about today's economy aboard a 115-foot wooden schooner built when ulysses grant was president. finish the sentence. the american economy is -- >> seems to be doing just fine from where we're sitting. well, there's something about this experience, being outside, being in good company, sort of reminds people the important things. good company, good food, cool boats. >> reporter: a contrast on deck. for so many affordability a challenge even when travel and leisure are booming. christine romans, nbc news, rockland, maine. and up next for us here tonight, the daring mission to ferry gentle giants of the sea to safety. ni (male vo) dan made progress with his mental health, but his medication caused unintentional movements in his face, hands, and feet called tardive dyskinesia, or td. so his doctor prescribed austedo xr— a once-daily td treatment for adults.

♪ as you go with austedo ♪ austedo xr significantly reduced dan's td movements. some people saw a response as early as 2 weeks. with austedo xr, dan can stay on his mental health meds— (dan) cool hair! (female vo) austedo xr can cause depression, suicidal thoughts, or actions in patients with huntington's disease. pay close attention to and call your doctor if you become depressed, have sudden changes in mood, or have suicidal thoughts. don't take if you have liver problems, are taking reserpine, tetrabenazine, or valbenazine. austedo xr may cause irregular or fast heartbeat, or abnormal movements. seek help for fever, stiff muscles, problems thinking, or sweating. common side effects include inflammation of the nose and throat, insomnia and sleepiness. ♪ as you go with austedo ♪ (male vo) ask your doctor for austedo xr. ♪ austedo xr ♪ ♪ limu emu... ♪ and doug. (bell ringing) limu, someone needs to customize and save hundreds on car insurance with liberty mutual. let's fly! (inaudible sounds)

chief! doug. (inaudible sounds) ooooo ah. (elevator doors opening) (inaudible sounds) i thought you were right behind me. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, ♪ ♪ liberty. ♪ (♪♪) (♪♪) try dietary supplements from voltaren, for healthy joints. i'm adding downy unstopables to my wash. now i'll be smelling fresh all day long. [sniff] still fresh. ♪♪ get 6x longer-lasting freshness, plus odor protection. try for under $5! type 2 diabetes? discover the ozempic® tri-zone. ♪ ♪ i got the power of 3. i lowered my a1c, cv risk, and lost some weight. in studies, the majority of people reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it.

i'm under 7. ozempic® lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events such as stroke, heart attack, or death in adults also with known heart disease. i'm lowering my risk. adults lost up to 14 pounds. i lost some weight. ozempic® isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. don't share needles or pens, or reuse needles. don't take ozempic® if you or your family ever had medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if allergic to it. stop ozempic® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or an allergic reaction. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. gallbladder problems may occur. tell your provider about vision problems or changes. taking ozempic® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase low blood sugar risk. side effects like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems. living with type 2 diabetes? ask about the power of 3 with ozempic®.

oakland's mayor. it is one of four connected to an investigation. what we're learning tonight, plus remembering willie mays finally, with fighting raging in ukraine, we want to tell you the story of a daring mission to rescue two majestic animals from the war zone. here's andrea mitchell. >> reporter: the russian offensive is in full force in kharkiv. the local aquarium at risk, home to two beluga whales. 15-year-old plombir and 14-year-old miranda. the battle was closing in. whale food, fresh squid, herring, and mackerel increasingly scarce. caregivers knew they had to get them out of the war zone. were you afraid that you and the whales would come under attack? >> certainly, the risk

of rockets and things were -- it was on our mind, for sure. >> reporter: the challenge, how do you move two 1,500-pound whales in 20,000-pound tanks almost 3,000 miles to their new home in spain? very carefully. the ukrainians with experts from the georgia aquarium, sea world, and oceanographic de valencia, came up with a plane from ukraine to spain with caregivers calming them down along the way. are they friends? are they even a couple? can i be so bold as to ask? >> it's an adult male and an adult female. they seem very bonded, very close. >> reporter: how do you feel now that ask? >> i mean it's an adult male and an you've accomplished this? >> taking these animals out of the war is probably one of the life experiences that

i could tell my grandkids. >> reporter: now safe in their new habitat and looking happy. andrea mitchell, nbc news, washington. and that is "nightly news" for this thursday. thank you for watching. i'm lester holt. please take care of yourself and each other. good night.

developing stories in the east bay. an fbi search at the home of oakland mayor sheng thao. it's part of a larger investigation. what we're learning about it tonight, and then a joyful celebration at lake merritt ends in gunfire. at least 15 people shot. i couldn't make it to my car. i had to run for my life. witnesses describe