thanks for watching. on this sunday night, high alert. tonight louisiana's governor declares a state of emergency, and they're already feeling the effects in florida as a powerful tropical storm zeros in on the gulf coast. in the meantime, out west an out of control firestorm forces entire towns to evacuate. power shift. an historic turning point in egypt. the muslim brotherhood candidate elected president. tonight, what it means for the rest of the world. washed away. on this first weekend of summer, a growing crisis for america's beaches. and rock star, l.a.'s newest hunk slides into the spotlight. fans clamoring to catch a glimpse.

captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening. already tonight a big part of florida is feeling the high wind and rain from tropical storm debby as millions living along the gulf coast remain on edge and on alert for its eventual landfall. forecasters have had a hard time this is the mess that can be seen from space tonight. this storm has already proved dangerous, a tropical storm warning is up tonight from the mississippi-alabama border into northwestern florida. but taking no chances, louisiana's governor has already declared a state of emergency. the weather channel's mike seidel is in tampa, florida tonight to bring us the very latest. mike? >> reporter: good evening, lester. here on these beaches they're getting pounded.

tropical storm debby, the first one in the gulf of the season, has already claimed its first fatality. oil rigs have been evacuated. that could affect the price you pay for gas at the pump. this is the worst flooding here since 1993, nearly 20 years ago. look at these eight to hen-foot waves battering these beaches. that's probably going to be the story along the coast. a lot of sand going out into the gulf. huge impact with beach erosion and inland, too, as much as seven inches of rain. water rescuers in clearwater this afternoon had at least three reported tornado, one of those a killer. a tornado watch until 8:00 and likely that will be extended. look at the radar, a broad swirl with debby, heavy rainfalls from northern and central florida, into the panhandle of south georgia where they need it. some totals could top 15 inches of rain. the track has been tough. we're more confident right now that it is not going to texas but look at the red zone, the color from louisiana to florida.

it may not make landfall for three more days, so more wind and rain pounding these areas until maybe wednesday. o and fema tonight, lester is urging all residents to heed the warnings of this dangerous storm. next high tide at 5:00 a.m., and once again the gulf of mexico is going to go right into the pool here at the hotel. back to you. >> a soaked mike seidel starting us off tonight. thanks. meantime tonight, folks out west are dealing with a weather related emergency of their own. more than 20 major wildfires burning right now, thousands of residents in colorado have been ordered to evacuate as a wildfire there grows out of control, dangerously close to their homes. we get the latest from nbc's michelle franzen. >> reporter: billowing smoke and towering flames surrounded homes today outside colorado springs. hundreds of firefighters battled the waldo canyon fire that scorched more than 2,000 acres and is threatening densely populated communities and parks.

>> our primary objective today, structural protection and continuing to hold the line that will stop the fire from coming down into that mountain shadows area. >> reporter: the fast moving blaze is 1 of 8 wildfires burning in colorado, the worst fire season in a decade. >> this isn't something we haven't seen before, but it is unusual to see a fire with this potential. >> reporter: the biggest, the high park fire just outside ft. collins has been burning for two weeks, charred nearly 81,000 acres, destroyed nearly 200 homes and displaced hundreds of residents. >> it's really one of those days where, if we have nothing really lost and we've gained acres, it's darn good. >> reporter: in nearby estes park, 21 homes and cabins were destroyed. >> i didn't even think to take my phone and wallet, because the fire was a little further down. >> reporter: tinder box conditions that continue to stoke fires throughout the west. basically the ingredients for this fire are single digit

relative humidity levels, strong erratic winds. and we have a ridge of high pressure acting like a dome, just locking in all of this heat. in utah, firefighters near salt lake city are starting to get a handle on the so-called dump fire, possibly sparked by target shooters. with the fire season just getting started, residents and crews know they have a long summer ahead. michelle franzen, nbc news. overseas now to another big story we're following tonight, a historic turning point in egypt. more than a year after rage and revolution swept across that country, egypt has a new and freely elected leader, a one-time political prisoner, now president. our chief foreign correspondent richard engel joins us now from cairo's tahrir square, where the celebration continues late into the night. richard? >> reporter: they certainly are, lester, with fireworks as well, egypt today took a major turn, electing a conservative president who wants to impose

islamic law. it was a year and a half ago in this square that students brought down president mubarak, but in the end it was the islamists who managed to do what the students could not. rise to power. 2:00 p.m. tahrir square, the muslim brotherhood is already celebrating. their victory in egypt's most important election ever still isn't certain. two hours later, judges appear on state tv to officially announce that the muslim brotherhood's mohammed morsi has in fact won, with a 52% majority. tahrir explodes in both joy and religious ecstasy. god is great, they shout. here they are singing a simple islamic chant to give thanks that mohammed morsi has won the presidency. egypt is at a crossroads,

decades of secular, often oppressive military rule are over. and now this country is starting a new islamic chapter. in tahrir, crowds hold up copies of the koran. this is our constitution, they shout. for decades, the brotherhood's slogan has been islam is the solution. >> if you want to achieve anything good, you have to return to islam. >> reporter: nearby, clerics lead more cheers. the army is now ours, they say. but across town, other egyptians see the brotherhood's win as a catastrophe. that democracy has brought a fundamentalist, anti-american and basically anti-democratic president who wants to change the laws. the vote, just to pass the power. egypt is lost they yell, as they tear up morsi's picture. morsi gave his acceptance speech tonight, reaching out, promising

moderation and to include all egyptians in a new government. but in tahrir, many see their victory as much more than that. as divine intervention, and say it is only the beginning of profound changes still to come. the muslim brotherhood still faces serious challenges. the military has already taken away many of the president's key authorities, so a power struggle between the islamists here and the egyptian military could lie ahead. lester? >> richard engel in cairo tonight, richard, thanks. andrea mitchell is nbc's chief foreign affairs correspondent. how is all this sitting in washington? >> just now the white house announced the president called mohammed morsi and wished him well. congratulated him and said he wants to work together with him on egypt's transition to democracy. u.s. officials are watching events, lester. they're saying so far, so good. they're impressed that dr. morsi promised tonight to abide by

international treaties, that means not breaking egypt's important historic treaty with israel. he also committed to observe women's rights and minorities right, as richard said. and said he plans to be the president of all the people. will he honor those commitments? administration officials say their greatest leverage is, egypt's economy collapsed after the revolution. morsi needs us, they need billions of dollars in u.s. aid and imf loans if his government is going to have any chance of surviving. today, john kerry, who's done a number of delegate missions for the white house, revealed he recently went to cairo, he had two very candid talks with morsi, and morsi acknowledged the central issue facing his future is economics. kerry believes that morsi understands what he has to do. the immediate question will be whether egypt's military will let him have the power to make some very tough decisions. lester? >> andrea mitchell, tonight. thanks. this week, the supreme court wraps up its current term, and that means we'll finally hear a decision of the blockbuster showdown over president obama's

health care law. our justice correspondent pete williams is at the court tonight. pete, good evening. >> reporter: both that and arizona immigration are huge issues. but the stakes are especially high for health care. any way you look at it, in terms of the law or politics or the effect on millions of people, this will be one of the supreme court's most important rulings in decades. it's president obama's most significant accomplishment, one he still champions. >> here in the united states of america, nobody has to go broke because they get sick. >> reporter: it's one that eric cantore, house republican looerd, vows looer leader, vows to wipe off the books if it survives the challenge. >> we're going to take to the floor a bill that calls for the total repeal of obama care. >> reporter: 26 states ask the court to strike down the law that all americans get health insurance. >> the supreme court finds itself in the middle of a storm, a political storm in the presidential election coming up, because it's the president's signature achievement. and this is about health care, which touches all of us.

>> reporter: when the justices heard more than six hours of oral argument in late march, they seemed deeply divided over the key issue. how far can the government go to make people buy something? one of the court's conservatives said, if it could make people buy insurance, it could make people eat healthier food. >> everybody has to buy food sooner or later, you define the market as food. therefore, everybody's in the market. therefore, you can make people buy broccoli. >> reporter: but the obama administration found some sympathy for its position that health care is different because the cost of treating people who don't have insurance is shifted to those who do. >> you are entitled to health care when you go to an emergency room, when you go to a doctor, even if you can't pay for it. >> reporter: some of the nation's largest insurance companies now say they will continue honoring a few of the law's requirements even if the court strikes it down. that would include letting parents keep children on their policies until age 26, covering preventative services such as blood pressure screenings and removing caps on the costs of lifetime patient spending.

>> they could be put into place quickly and easily. they're popular. and it's not surprising to me that the major insurers -- not all of them, but the major insurers have indicated that they will not back-pedal on those. >> reporter: the big insurers have said nothing about keeping a popular provision of the law that blocks them from denying coverage because of pre-existing conditions. there's no way to be sure when the court will issue this widely anticipated decision. it could be as early as tomorrow, or it could be as late as thursday, which will probably be the last day of the term, lester. >> pete williams, tonight. thanks, pete. . still ahead as "nightly news" continues, america's beaches packed with sun bathers. and bulldozers, trying to stave off a glowing problem. and secrets in america's well-to-do suburbs. for more and more middle class families, things may not be as they seem.

back now with a growing problem at america's beaches where a lot of folks have spent this first's weekend of summer from coast to coast the sand is disappearing at an alarming pace. our chief environmental affairs correspondent anne thompson explains why. >> reporter: on the beach in atlantic city, you'll find children building in the sand and adults doing the same on this new jersey barrier island. one of many battles to preserve america's beaches. from salt, coastal storms and rising sea levels, fueled by climate change. >> 80% of our beaches are eroding up to 50 feet a year in louisiana which is the erosion hotspot of the united states. >> reporter: summer has yet to start, and already erosion issues are closing south carolina's folly beach county park, part of long island's

robert moses state park, and in san francisco, they are debating whether it is worth the effort to try to save ocean beach. though the beach is where we like to play. >> you get refreshed. it clears your mind. >> reporter: it plays a critical role in our natural defense. >> the beach is nature's protection against storms for the island and everything behind it. >> reporter: here it means atlantic city's famous boardwalk and hotels and casinos, so the beach is being fortified with this $18 million project. 1.3 million cubic yards of sand will be dredged, filtered and spread along five miles of shorelines. can you just put the sand anywhere? >> no. we generally want to put the sand where it is going to do the most good. >> reporter: including at the brand new revel resort. >> i think it will be very important, because that's what we're selling. we're selling a beachfront experience. >> reporter: critics say this is just another example of man's folly, trying to replenish what the ocean is so determined to reclaim. but it can work.

look at miami's south beach. rescued by a $65 million addition of sand in the lay 1980s. the foundation for today's popular tourist destination. >> if we let the natural erosion proceed, we wouldn't have any beaches in south beach, miami beach or large parts of ft. lauderdale. >> reporter: a chance no one here in atlantic city wants to take. anne thompson, nbc news, atlantic city. we're back in a moment with a health care stont for a television icon.

jeopardy host alex trebek is in a los angeles hospital tonight after suffering a mild heart attack. a "jeopardy" spokeswoman says the 71-year-old trebek is expected to make a full recovery

and be back giving answers when the game show resumes production next month. as millions of americans still struggle in a fragile economy, nowhere has the face of poverty seen a more dramatic shift than in this nation's suburbs. a third of america's poor now live in the bedroom communities surrounding big cities. since last fall, "dateline nbc" has been following three families, all living in comfortable suburbs near boulder, colorado, as their formerly solid middle class lives descend into poverty. joyce welch, a stay at home mom, living a comfortable middle class life in superior, colorado never thought she would have to ask for help. after her husband, a mechanical engineer, lost his job and the family ran out of savings, she had to. >> what ideally would be enough to make you breathe the most easily. >> if we had enough to pay half of the rent. i just remember sitting there

going, i cannot believe i'm having to do this. this sucks. >> joyce spoke to sara nelson at the sister carmen community center. sara is the program director. it is a non-profit organization that provides financial assistance to low-income families and helps them access public safety nets like medicaid, housing, and food stamps. in 2010, only 4% of sister carmen's clients were from well to do suburbs like superior. by the end of 2011, that had exploded to a whopping 22%. your demand went up from 2010 to 211 when the financial crisis started in 2008. why now? >> i think especially when it comes to middle class families their resources are drained. they've utilized all of their savings, all of their retirement funds. and we're their last resort. >> for the welch family, paying basic bills has become a struggle. even the grocery bill. so joyce put on a brave face and

went to the sister carmen food pantry. >> i'm thrilled and blessed to have sister carmen. >> but you don't like coming back here? >> i hate coming back here. i hate it. i want to be able to do -- i want to pick what i want to eat. i want to feed my kids what my kids will eat and not have to worry about, okay, but this is all we've got. >> at least three and a half million suburbanites have fallen below the poverty line since 2007. for now, joyce has had to begrudgingly accept she's one of them. do you ever fear this is life as you're going to know it? >> i do fear that, and i think that that strengthens my resolve. i will fight whatever i have to fight. and i will not stay here. >> we'll show you what happens to joyce and the other families we follow tonight on "dateline." we follow tonight on "dateline," america now lost in suburbia, at a special time tonight 8:00, 7:00 central.

when we come back here, a solid debut for a new rock star on the scene.

finally tonight, as promised, the coming-out party today for l.a.'s newest rock star. an actual rock. 340 tons, to be exact. it's the cornerstone of a new exhibit that once again raises the question, what exactly is art? nbc's mike taibbi went looking for some answers. >> reporter: it has a title, "levitated mass." but most will probably just call it a rock. the two-story high boulder transported in march over 11 long nights at 5 miles an hour from a granite yourly 100 miles away. today the exhibit's open. >> l.a. rocks. >> it humbles you. it makes you feel quite small.

>> the concrete work is spectacular. >> reporter: the los angeles county museum of art helped the artist realize a vision he had for 40 long years. now, visitors will find themselves looking up at the improbable, the monster 340 ton rock, moved from its desert birthplace to an inner city home across the street from a 99 cent store. heiser, who almost never does interviews, did one for us. >> it's the happiest day of my life. >> reporter: it's a happy day for a museum which has commissioned other ambitiously avant garde works, like this light made of lamp posts. blackman's michael govin says he knows what visitors will say about this one. >> wow! that should be the reaction of most people. >> reporter: it's not all oohs and aahs. an artist friend of mine from new york told me it's horrible, people showing up just bought the act. it's all about the money. it did cost $10 million to reach this day, a figure that inspired

a facebook page called "the stupid boulder. amongst comments bsh a ridiculous waste of money. and seriously -- a rock? >> what about critics that say it is not art. >> we know different. we're experts. >> that's right. >> reporter: and here it is, a giant pebble hardened in the primordial soup 100 years ago. a stone that's gathered no moss, but that is gathering plenty of attention. mike taibbi, nbc news, los angeles. that's "nbc nightly news" for this sunday. don't forget "dateline" tonight. brian williams will be here tonight. i'm lester holt reporting from new york. for all of us here at nbc news, new york. for all of us here at nbc news, goodnight. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

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