on the broadcast tonight, the plot thickens through the rupert murdock empire. now a surprising death. what's next in the story, and here in the u.s.? just the start of a sweltering week across much of the nation. tonight how bad it will get and for how long? a huge percentage of this country. looking for a connection between americans who serve in vietnam and an increased risk in dementia. america's team back at home tonight. they remain our top women. it just wasn't their day. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

good evening. it's one of the true media empires in the world. it's threatened and under attack. it's the empire of rupert murdoch, newspaper man who shut down one of his many papers but remains in the business along with some of the great name plates in film and television. the scandal that started with newspaper reporters eavesdropping on the cell phones of innocent people continues to claim new victims and may soon be felt more here in the u.s. than many first thought. it's still galloping its way through great britain where it is the story. tomorrow we get to hear from rupert murdoch. tonight there's another new development in this. we want to begin our reporting with nbc's stephanie gosk in london. stephanie, good evening. >> good evening, brian. every day since this scandal broke, there seems it be a new bombshell. revelations, resignations, arrests.

the last 24 hours are no exception. it's left people in this country wondering and worried what will happen next. the fabled scotland yard is reeling after two sudden resignations of its most senior leadership. sir paul stephenson, the police chief, and his deputy, john yates, career policemen who are the latest casualties in the phone hacking scandal. scotland yard is being accused of mishandling the investigation into "news of the world qug, maintaining at times close relationships with the very people they were supposed to be investigating. police officers accepting bribes from reporters has allegedly been commonplace. stephenson and yates deny any wrong doing on their part. >> i have acted with complete integrity and my conscience is clear. >> now the department tasked with counterterrorism and the 2012 olympics must find new leadership. what started as a scandal involving a single newspaper has now grown so large, it is rocking this country's

institutions and the murdoch empire. so far, there has been four high profile resignations, ten arrests. most recently, rebecca brooks, one of rupert murdoch's most trusted executives. she resigned and was arrested two days later brooks, who denies any wrongdoing, has been a power broker for over a decade in this country. >> somebody with huge charm, a lot of very political. she was very good at getting along side people. >> including david cameron. details of his visits with media heads were released over the weekend. since elected, he has met with brooks and other murdoch editors dozens of times. the prime minister has faced withering criticism for ties to andy colson, who was served as his communications chief. colson was also arrested last week. cameron is increasingly on the defensive, facing an energized opposition. >> terrible error of judgment in

hiring andy colson. i really say the prime minister has to get a grip. he has to come clean and also own up to the mistakes he made. >> in a bizarre twist tonight, news that a former "news of the world" reporter and whistleblower has been found dead in his home in england. seaning, seen here -- sean, seen here on the bbc, he was the first journalist to go on the record pointing the finger directly at andy colson, accusing him of actively encouraging phone hacking. the death is not suspicious, police say, but they are still investigating. all eyes will be on parliament when rupert murdoch, his son, james, and rebecca brooks take questions. the deputy prime minister nick cleg makes it clear what he wants to know. how high up the chain of command did it go, brian? >> stephanie gosk starting us off from our london bureau this evening. thank you. >> murdoch's news corp. is an

american company, and, thus, the scandal unfolding overseaed could have a huge effect over here. michael izikopf is with us with more on that. good evening, michael. >> good evening, brian. there are new signs tonight that the british phone hacking scandal is creating growing legal and financial troubled for one of the biggest and most powerful media companies in the world. rupert murdoch's news corp is a media giant that has brought moviegoers titanic and "avatar and cable viewers everything from the fox news network to the national geographic channel, but now the $39 billion corporate empire is facing its biggest crisis ever. the escalating scandal in great britain has already spilled over to u.s. shores. in two weeks the company's stock has dropped 21%, an $8 billion plunge in the market value.

late last week, a top murdoch aide for decades and publisher of the most prestigious newspaper, "the wall street journal," resigned. there are damage signs that the damage from murdoch could spread. >> up until now, there's been instability around mr. murdoch. people are sensing that the tide has turned against him and it may be time to ask fundamental questions about his operations. >> reporter: the justice department, at the request of members of congress has investigated into news corp. >> we are using the appropriate federal law enforcement agencies in the united states. >> it's not just whether "news of the world" may have hacked the phones of 9/11 victims in the u.s., a claim the fbi is investigating and for which there is no hard evidence. there are also questions about $160,000 in payments reportedly made from "news of the world" to scotland yard police officers. they've just reached tout british authorities to determine if those payments may violate a u.s. law that makes it illegal for american companies to bribe foreign officials. >> i can tell you that there are questions about whether the foreign corp practices act has

been violated by rupert murdoch and his news empire. >> reporter: there's another potential threat. a lawsuit filed by shareholders, including labor and municipal pension funds, accuses murdoch and other company directors of misusing corporate assets. in corporate papers, the lawsuit claims that the phone hacking reveals a culture run amok and that murdoch has treated the company like a family candy jar, including paying $560 million for his daughter, elizabeth. alleging corporate asset as opposed to political action committee funds voluntarily donated by employees were improperly used to support murdoch's political agenda. >> if you are a major shareholder of the company, you have good reason to be worried. this could pose a long-term threat to the company. >> we just got a statement from news corp this evening.

news corp is taking the allegations seriously and fully cooperating with the relevant authorities as appropriate. however, the statement continued, we reject the notion that the issues at news international are somehow indicative of our culture. regarding opportunistic litigation, we will defend against its court as necessary. >> mike, thanks. there's news from the midwest tonight. the weather has become down right oppressive. hot, heavy, humid air has settled over a huge area, making millions of americans miserable. in fact, 62 million people -- that's a full 20% of this nation's population -- dealing with heat advisories. that number will now grow, as it all heads east. nb's kevin tibbles with us from michigan avenue in chicago tonight. kevin, good evening. >> reporter: brian, tonight, 42 states are dealing with 90-degree plus temperatures, temperatures that have already been blamed for at least seven deaths and the thermometer keeps going up.

today, h-e-a-t is a four-letter word, especially for those working in it. >> it's terrible. i can't believe it. >> reporter: much of the nation has been turned into a convection oven, basting at the beach, cooling off in the water. just remember to keep everyone hydrated and that includes fido. there are heat advisories and warnings in 18 states, from texas to michigan. this month, heat records have been tied or broken a thousand times. >> i'm meteorologist eric fischer in minneapolis where the heat index, combination of the temperature and humidity reached 115 degrees. central and southern parts of the state remain under an excessive heat warning through wednesday. >> reporter: violent summer storms blamed for two drownings after a sailboat capsized in the annual chicago to mackinac race. and veteran rockers cheap trick bolted from the stage seconds before it was flattened by a thunderstorm in ottawa, canada.

some serious injuries. oklahoma city is on track to set a new record. 90 degrees or more for 47 straight days. the governor's called for a day of prayer for rain. so, who is chillin' while we're grillin'? at chicago's alan brothers steaks, temperatures in the meat locker are a frigid 15 degrees. >> you like it in here in the summer? >> it's way better. it's like being a polar bear. >> reporter: meanwhile, back in the broiler -- what are you doing at the end of the day? >> jump in the pool. >> reporter: this heat dome is expected to stay over the midwest for the next several days. bad news for you in the east, brian. it is slowly but surely headed your way. >> kevin tibbles, michigan avenue, chicago, one of the great places in the world, even when it's this hot. we have an update tonight on negotiations to raise the nation's debt ceiling as the clock ticks closer to treasury's deadline.

just two weeks away, august 2nd. while we learn they had did meet over the weekend, the white house said no to a tea party-backed plan that would cap spending and require a balanced federal budget going forward. negotiators are focused on a fallback plan now that would allow the president to raise the limit in three stages through next year. a. a once big brand name is no more. borders bookstore chain said today it will liquidate after failing to find a buyer. they're closing all 400 retail stores, all of borders nearly 11,000 employees will now lose their jobs. and technology giant cisco systems announced it's eliminating 6,500 jobs, part of an efficiency move. that's in cisco's effort to cut $1 billion in annual costs to the company. this was the last day in afghanistan for america's best-known general, david petraeus, who transferred

command of u.s. and nato led troops to his replacement, general john allen. a west point graduate with a princeton phd, easily the most celebrated modern day general officer is leaving to run the cia as the u.s. prepares for a gradual drawdown from afghanistan. when we come back here tonight, new research on head injuries and dementia and alzheimer's and a group that the researchers are most concerned about tonight. , and later, they may have come up short in the end, but the u.s. women's world cup team members are still american idols.

we're back, as promised, with news that may help solve a mystery. researchers set out to see what happened later in life to those americans who served in vietnam. what they found, presented today at the annual meeting of the alzheimer's association, is that head injuries during that war may be linked to dementia years later. and the findings could mean a frightening scenario, of course, for veterans of our current dual wars. thousands of them have come home suffering brain injuries. our report tonight from our chief science correspondent robert bazell. >> reporter: richard wanamaker, 62 years old, is suffering twice because of his military service. an initial traumatic brain injury or tbi. now, decades later, increasing memory loss. today's study looked at the medical records of almost 300,000 veterans, 55 and older,

over seven years, and included wanamaker's situation is hardly unique. >> among veterans that have been exposed to tbi, they have an increase of two-fold risk during other study follow-up of dementia. >> wanamaker was awaiting deployment when a vietcong threw a bomb. >> i walked into it, along with six fellow sailors. >> reporter: he always had some memory problems after his injury. >> i would always find a shortcut, write things down. >> reporter: he eventually won an appointment, deputy undersecretary in the department of affairs. he had to give it up. >> has it gotten worse over the years? >> nine times out of ten i can't remember my password. it may happen a couple of times during the day. i get lost out mowing the lawn. i have a riding lawn mower. >> cynthia has noticed changes in her husband. >> we'll be driving a very familiar route and he'll say to me, how do i get home from here?

and it's sad to see. >> you'll see contusions. >> reporter: dr. sam gandy, at mt. sinai school of medicine, shows how a brain injury, this white area, can lead to a huge loss of neurons and often, over the years, to dementia. wanamaker visits troops with brain injuries in afghanistan and iraqi, and know they could suffer the same way he suffers today. >> i feel bad for those guys. >> reporter: troops who face yet another risk in the years ahead. robert bazell, nbc news, buffalo. and up next here tonight, the reason 12 million children took a moment today to sing the same song.

a well done goes out to los

angeles tonight. all those warnings with carmageddon did pay off, including on this broadcast. people did stay away from the 405 freeway, which opened hours ahead of schedule after the big improvement project shut it down for a day and a half. during the work period, a bridge was demolished and lanes were widened, and it all went off without a hitch, except for a few tickets issued to people who just couldn't help themselves. they either rode bikes or ran along that long ribbon of highway. world war ii and korea veteran, proud marine, long-time former senator of ohio. to mark his birthday life.com, what's left of the late, great magazine of that era, released photos today never before seen. how about the young astronaut lounging in his hotel room or running on the beach back in the primitive days of workout wear? now it can be told nasa had an

early version of the ipad 3 in 1959. actually, that's not right at all. it's cockpit glass samples the astronauts were looking through. we met up with the senator recently at the air and space museum. he's doing great. though he's sad about the end of the manned space program. tonight we should tell you, he is recovering from successful knee replacement surgery on his 90th birthday. one of the towering world figures of the last 100 years turned 93 today. ♪ >> south africa's 12 million school children sang a special version of happy birthday to nelson mandela today, part of the global celebration for the hero of the anti-apartheid movement. mandela, a peace prize winner, slowing down now, spent the occasion at home with family today. we have a full report on the

celebrations on our website. that's nightly.msnbc.com. when we come back, what we watched this weekend. a champion who broke records and some women who tried and came awfully close.

finally here tonight, what we watched this past weekend. that answer is pretty simple. we went to see harry potter, in great numbers. the opening weekend of the last film in the series, or so we're told, earned a record-shattering $169.2 million in domestic ticket sales, $312 million overseas. just getting started. we also watched women's world cup soccer this weekend. people gathered all over the country and all over the world, for that matter, to watch the final match. talk about evidence of how much the world has changed in 60 years. for starters just think of it, the u.s. played japan in germany. in the end, the great u.s. women were out-gunned and japan had a rare moment of pure joy after a perfectly awful 2011 so far. our report tonight from nbc's anne thompson in germany. >> reporter: soccer players didn't know it before, arriving

back in the states today, they know it now. they are america's team. after 90 minutes of regulation and 30 minutes of extra time, the women's world cup came down to five penalty kicks for each side. after four, japan claimed the championship. a stunned american team watched the gutsy japanese squad celebrate. and then thanked their fans and the world for their support through this year's horrors, the earthquake, the tsunami and the nuclear meltdown. for the weary nation half a world away, there was, at last, a reason to smile. their victory in the middle of the night japan time making for cheerful morning reading. but if it's possible to win by losing, then the americans are victors, too. for their remarkable graciousness in a surprising defeat.

>> we have a lot to be proud of and we're going back to a country that's extremely proud of us and, you know, that means a lot. >> reporter: americans around the world watched the u.s. team sunday miss chance, after chance, after chance. frustrating, yes. but on nightly's facebook page and other media sites, fans praised both teams. congrats to our country and the country of japan. an amazing game, said one in new york. they could use some good cheer another posted. and, ladies, you did the u.s.a. proud. >> this is a great dramatic sports story at a time when sports in america isn't doing that great in some areas. >> reporter: two nations with different outcomes, both celebrating their athletes who played for the love of the game and country. anne thompson, nbc news, frankfurt. >> by the way, we're excited to say the u.s. women's soccer team will be here, out back on our

plaza tomorrow morning on "today." as for us, that's our broadcast for this monday night as we start off a new week. thank you for being with us. i'm brian williams. hope to see you back here tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com