everyone else. and nobody looks at us differently. wedding party. new york's gay pride parade turns into a gay marriage celebration. bachmann overdrive. a new iowa poll puts tea party favorite michele bachmann neck in neck with g front-runner mitt romney. and making a difference for veterans who need help in a setting you might not expect. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

good evening. in minot, north dakota, the river has finally crested, but the damage has been done. and a lot of folks there are still holding their breaths. 4,000 homes and businesses under water. 11,000 people displaced. and officials say despite the fact the water level in the souris river is expected to start dropping, until the highest water passes, they are not out of the woods. and all eyes right now are on the levees, the last line of defense. these have been some anxious hours in and around the city of minot. that's where nbc's john yang starts us off tonight. good evening, john. >> reporter: good evening, lester. the city is holding its breath. the army corps of engineers are standing by in case any of these levees fail. the advance of this water may have been swift but the retreat is going to be agonizingly slow. this water isn't going anywhere any time soon. in minot today, the furious effort to reinforce the last

lines of defense around the city's critical infrastructure. >> this is our war zone here. and this is where we continue the fight. >> reporter: so far the levees are holding at the water filtration plant. but officials have ordered already weary residents to boil their drinking water in case the supply is contaminated. >> until there's a significant reduction in the water level, we all have to remain vigilant. >> reporter: the souris river crested in minot about two feetó lower than forecast, but still shattered a record set in the 1880s. the historic flooding across the region is due to heavy spring rains and record snowpack. nearby the missouri river reached new highs and areas downstream continue to be threatened. this week st. joseph, missouri,& a city of more than 75,000 people, could see the worst flooding since the 1990s. in nebraska, a temporary barrier protecting a nuclear power plant along the missouri river deflated. officials said the plant was not affected. in minot, 4,000 homes and businesses have been damaged and

more than 11,000 people have been evacuated. but so far only a few hundred are in the city's temporary shelters. many are turning to friends and neighbors instead. >> it's a very big house, but because there's three families there now, we have one bed with lots of stuff. but it's just like a sleepover. so it's all good. >> reporter: for residents allowed into evacuated areas for the first time today, the scene was stunning. >> you hear so much about what it's like out here. but when you actually see your house, and you know it's not just your basement, it's your whole house -- i'm sorry. >> reporter: while the floodwaters are still nine feet deep in some areas, signs that the river's begun its slow retreat led officials at this company to start tearing down a berm they hastily built three days ago.

>> we feel that we've hit the crest and now we're going down and, if need be, if it comes back, we can put the berm back in place. >> reporter: cities down river are waiting for the crest to roll through their areas now. so this entire region is dug in for a long slog. lester? >> john yang, thanks. in parts of the south tonight, severe drought conditions have helped lead to more wildfire. in gulf shores, alabama, homes along the beach had to be evacuated as a big fast moving fire in gulf state park threatened residential areas and campgrounds. fire crews say the fire is contained but not completely under control tonight. here in new york tonight, the gay pride parade is always a major event. but today it turned into a mega celebration two days after the governor signed a bill legalizing same-sex marriage. nbc's mara schiavocampo joins us now from manhattan's west village. mara? >> reporter: lester, this is the parade's 41st year. for the first time ever the crowds are celebrating more than

just gay pride as new york is one of just a handful of states where same-sex marriage is legal. at new york city's annual gay pride parade, a hero's welcome for governor andrew cuomo. just days after signing a same-sex marriage bill into law, a huge political victory for the governor, making new york the sixth state to legalize gay marriage. >> i was so proud and honored to be the governor of this state signing this law into effect. >> reporter: many here say this year's parade isn't just a celebration of pride, but for the first time, equality. >> i've been with my partner for 21 years, and we've never been able to enjoy the rights that are afforded to married people. >> reporter: but long after the initial jubilation fades, new york's business owners will still be celebrating. >> i think it's going to be fantastic for new york city. >> reporter: craig markham of the crosby street hotel says he

expects to see a wedding related bump in business for his industry and beyond. >> there are so many businesses associated with weddings. you have florists. you have cake decorators. you have caterers. >> reporter: new york is already one of the world's most popular tourist destinations. the city estimates the new law will bring more than $180 million to the state in the next three years. 41 states have specifically xd banned same-sex marriage. but national polls show support is steadily increasing. and for the first time ever, opposition has fallen below 50%. the financial benefits could be one more reason for other states to follow new york. >> there is a kind of race going on. every state that legalizes gay marriage, they get a burst of spending and a bunch of activity, you know, thousands of couples that had been wanting to get married are able to do so. >> reporter: free to marry. a new reason to celebrate. turning an annual march into a wedding party.

that law goes into effect in 28 days. new york state has no residency requirements for marriage, so same-sex couples are expected to come from all over the nation to tie the knot here. lester? >> mara, thank you. turning to presidential politics now, a new poll in the key early caucus state of iowa that had even some veteran political watchers doing a double-take today. nbc's mike viqueira reports. >> reporter: in iowa this weekend, newt gingrich struggled to revive his flagging campaign. even as a widely watched poll there revealed that gingrich and others are chasing a surprise front-runner. >> i have a titanium spine to be able to do what needs to be done to turn the economy around. >> reporter: in a new des moines register poll of likely gop caucusgoers, tea party favorite michele bachmann is locked in a statistical tie for first place with mitt romney. >> i'm so thankful to be able to be here with all of you today. >> reporter: bachmann plans to formally throw her hat in the ring tomorrow in iowa in an event in her birthplace of waterloo.

even as she fights the perception she's too far outside the mainstream. >> are you a flake? >> i think that would be insulting to say something like that because i'm a serious person. >> reporter: but bachmann has courted controversy in the past. as she did in this 2008 exchange with "hardball's" chris matthews. >> you think barack obama may have anti-american views? >> absolutely. i'm very concerned that he may have anti-american views. that's what the american people are concerned about. >> reporter: today bachmann says president obama's patriotism is not in question. bachmann must also contend with another presence. as she did in new hampshire when mitt romney declared his candidacy, sarah palin may overshadow bachmann when she comes to town tuesday to screen a new documentary about her political rise in alaska. >> sarah had courage to try. >> reporter: but the big loser in the new iowa poll may be tim pawlenty. >> thanks for coming. >> reporter: after already spending 26 days in the state and assembling a well regarded

campaign team, the former minnesota governor is behind not only romney and bachmann, but gingrich and hermann cain as well. he leads only rick santorum and jon hundredsman. he has to stand out. it's difficult to do given the crowded race and we have other candidates coming in along the way. >> reporter: lester, it's going to be crowded in iowa early this week as president obama heads there on tuesday for an event centered on jobs and the manufacturing sector. meanwhile before that on monday, the president will host leaders of the senate both republicans and democrats here at the white house to try to break that impasse that's emerged over bringing down the national debt and deficit. remember, they're operating on that august 2nd deadline to come to a deal, otherwise the country may face default on it obligations. lester? >> mike viqueira at the white house, thanks. the death toll in a collision between a big rig and an amtrak train has been raised to six tonight. the truck slammed into the california zephyr friday. in the remote nevada desert

about 300 miles east of the train's destination, a san francisco suburb. 28 people are still listed as missing. tonight the associated press reports the trucking company involved in the accident has been cited repeatedly by state authorities for operating in an unsafe manner, including having one truck taken off the road because its tires were completely bald. now to the former fugitive whitey bulger caught in california last week after eluding the fbi for 16 years. tonight we're learning more about his life on the run and his life now behind bars. here's nbc's miguel almaguer. >> reporter: two days after james bulger entered a massachusetts jail, we've learned new details about his 16 years on the lam. charged with a laundry list of crimes including 19 murders, the 81-year-old gangster that looks more like a grandpa has been described as chatty while behind bars.xd lindsay seer dated bulger and knew him as jimmy. >> we had a very nice life together.

he was a wonderful father. he was very supportive. >> reporter: housed in plymouth county's notorious g unit, bulger is surrounded by other high-profile inmates, all considered dangerous. for 23 hours a day he's confined to a cell. bulger can shower, walk a caged yard or make a phone call during his one free hour. a far cry from life on the run lived in the open. bulger called santa monica home. neighbors say he was often seen at the bustling third street promenade. didn't seem to matter much police and surveillance cameras lined the walk. bulger is also said to have routinely crossed into mexico, slipping back and forth over the border with a fake id to buy medicine. for all those years it seems james bulger wasn't trying to hide as much as fit in. >> jimmy had always been adamant about the idea that he was not going back to jail. >> reporter: he's had a taste of prison before. in the '60s he did time on the rock at alcatraz.

now back behind bars again, it seems bulger is talking about life on the run. the man they call whitey may be confined, but he hasn't been silenced. miguel almaguer, nbc news, los angeles. when "nbc nightly news" continues on this sunday, high drama and a lot of uncertainty in a very high profile murder trial. later, it may look like any peaceful summer vacation. but what's going on is making a big difference for some american veterans.

the murder trial of a young mother that has become a media obsession across the country is at a dramatic cross roads tonight after a sudden recess left everybody guessing about what's going on. nbc's peter alexander reports. >> reporter: when casey anthony returns to what's become the most mesmerizing courtroom in america tomorrow morning, the air will again be thick with anticipation. >> we will be in recess till 8:30 monday. >> reporter: the latest cliffhanger, what led the judge to abruptly adjourn saturday morning before the jury ever entered the room involving another heated argument between attorneys. >> he didn't even know if this was new or not. >> reporter: this jaw dropping case of a 2-year-old girl named caylee allegedly murdered by her young mother is now entering its sixth and perhaps final week of testimony. the biggest question, will casey anthony take the stand in her own defense? >> if the defense is going to

deliver on what they said in opening statements about an accidental drowning and sexual molestation at the hands of her father, only casey anthony can testify to that. >> reporter: among the explosive new twists, casey anthony's mother, cindy, who first took the stand nearly a month ago. >> found out my granddaughter has been taken. >> reporter: her emotionally charged testimony seeming to incriminate her daughter by supporting prosecutors' claims that caylee's body had been stowed in the trunk for several days before being dumped in the woods. but last week both cindy and casey's brother, lee -- >> i was -- i was very angry at my mom. and i was also angry at my sister. i mean, i was just angry at everyone in general that they didn't -- that they didn't want to include me. >> reporter: delivered powerful testimony that appeared to contradict the state's case. and even drew this rare rakes from casey.

wow. also revealed, dramatic new pictures of caylee opening the door to the backyard all by herself as well as photos of her climbing into the family swimming pool. >> do you know what that photograph is of, mrs. anthony? >> yes. >> reporter: with its allegations of deep, dark family secrets, the casey anthony trial keeps attracting an international audience. even sparking this predawn fight for position among would-be spectators outside the courthouse. >> so because of the elements of mystery and putting this forensic and circumstantial evidence together, it draws people in. people who are armchair detectives sitting at home liking a good true crime story. >> reporter: a true crime story that could be in the hands of the jury by the end of this week. peter alexander, nbc news, new york. up next, what happens to a company town when the company has to close up shop? then, an incredible trip toó the beach for a surfer. wait until you see what happened.

even as the summer driving season is heating up, the price of gas is going down. the national average price for regular unleaded is $3.58 a gallon. that's down seven cents from a week ago. but it's still 83 cents a gallon higher than it was this time last year. high gas prices are just one challenge we're living with in these difficult economic times. but for one town, the greagr ecession and lackluster rebound have led to the end of the line. the town of empire, nevada, in the remote nevada desert no longer exists becau the

company that created it in 1923 has left.ec here's nbc's mary thompson. >> reporter: 100 miles northeast of reno, the newest addition to empire, nevada, is a three-mile fence surrounding its 130 acres. the fence will keep out cattle and squatters who might wander into this modern day ghost town. a town that lost its 350 residents when its drywall plant shut down. >> we've got the weeds in the lawns to take care of. >> reporter: lonnie dike is a plant manager for drywall manufacturer, usg. the company that owns empire. >> there were a lot of emotional outbursts when it happened. you know, it's a frustrating thing not only to lose your job, but you're going to lose your home, too. >> reporter: he says the plant and town were too costly to operate given demand for drywall was cut in half when construction dried up after the housing bubble burst. a company town since its founding in 1923, usg built most of its 200 homes after it bought empire in 1948.

recently leasing those homes to employees and their families for under $200 a month. >> hard to think about it closing completely. all my friends grew up here. and my kids grew up here. >> reporter: in december, the residents were given five months of free rent and were told they needed to leave by june. without children to teach, its elementary school closed, its two churches are empty, and no one plays its nine-hole golf course. even its zip code, 89405, is no more. discontinued when the post office shut down. now any mail is sent to a p.o. box in neighboring gerlach. as for the plants' 93 workers, some retired, some are out of work, though a good many found jobs mining gold. still, reminders of their days in empire remain. like the hats they threw in a tree when the plant closed. while hope remains for usg veteran al worley.

>> if it comes back, i don't know why it wouldn't, i would live here again. >> reporter: for now, the gates to this empire are closed. mary thompson, cnbc, empire, nevada. you may have heard the term jumping a shark. how about a shark jumping a surfer? a piece of vida to show you. a four-foot spinner shark leaping over a surfer waiting to catch a wave. a photographer who works for the orlando sentinel newspaper didn't realize what he'd caught on tape until another surfer standing nearby said, "dude, did you see that?" i think he said it like that, anyway. when we come back, making a difference for veterans suffering from an all-too common wound of war.

among the many lessons learned after almost ten years d of war in afghanistan is that those who fight can never quite leave the war behind. tonight, we have the story of an innovative new approach to healing the scars of post-traumatic stress. one that for many returning war veterans is making a difference. here's lee cowan. >> reporter: there are few places further from war than wine country. but on a bike ride through napa's sun drenched vineyards we found a pitched battle under way.

>> i saw just too much. i think it just broke me as a person. >> reporter: two tours in iraq left ryan kahlor an alcoholic. romeo horvath's deployment left him suicidal. both were suffering from ptsd. and the v.a. referred them here. do you feel better? >> i feel a lot better. i'm ready to go back into the real world and be successful again. >> reporter: it's called the pathway home. in addition to traditional clinical therapy, there's the nontraditional, too. vets go scuba diving. bowling. they even do pilates. here, community members are therapists, too. >> these guys have been and done and seen things that we'll never experience, and i just feel like it's kind of our duty to give back to them. >> reporter: it's anything but institutional, says fred gusman, who's worked with ptsd all his life. he figured that if transitioning to civilian life is a problem, then enlist civilians to help. >> these are our sons and

nephews, cousins, neighbors. this is what we owe. >> reporter: matt carhart's ptsd was so bad he couldn't even go to the grocery store. but after four months in the program he's now back in school, supporting a new wife and a new baby. >> you look at history like vietnam veterans, a lot of them ended up on the streets. people like fred are making sure that doesn't happen. >> reporter: but it may not be for long. that's because in a place so well known for what grows on its vines, there's one thing, of course, that doesn't. and that's money. and the pathway home is running out. in fact, it's nearly broke. fred hasn't taken a salary in months. the vets pitch in where they can. >> they talk about it all the time. what can we do? for many of them, this has been the best thing in the world. >> reporter: vineyards and veterans have something in common. they both bruise. but bruised grapes often make great wine. if just given the chance. lee cowan, nbc news in the napa valley. that's "nbc nightly news" for this sunday.