good evening. we're coming to you from inside olympic park in london with the olympic stadium right behind us where we watched the opening ceremony and where the olympic flame is burning tonight. we begin the broadcast, however, far from here inside a courtroom in colorado, in fact. a state still trying to climb back and get stronger every day after witnessing one of the worst mass shootings in american history. whether the gunman was sane when he took all of those lives is something yet to be decided. for now he has been hit with a slew of charges including first-degree murder and this could be a death penalty case. our report tonight from nbc's mike taibbi in centennial, colorado. >> reporter: there was no camera in the courtroom today just a sketch artist but 24-year-old suspect james holmes so dazed and unengaged last week was alert and attentive as the judge told him he faced 142 separate felony charges.

that includes two death penalty counts, one for first-degree murder after deliberation and a second for murder with extreme indifference for each of the 12 victims killed. >> these are two alternative ways of getting a first-degree murder guilty verdict. >> reporter: but some victims' relatives are already saying they don't want the death penalty. mary ellen hanson's niece ashley moser, still hospitalized, suffered a miscarriage saturday and is the mother of 6-year-old veronica moser sullivan the youngest victim killed. >> i do believe he should be probably just locked away and live with what he did every day of his life. >> reporter: unanswered in court questions involving university of colorado psychiatrist dr. lynn fenton. holmes, a former ph.d student there, was a psychiatric patient of dr. fenton who in 2005 was disciplined by a state medical board for inappropriately dispensing medications and for unprofessional conduct.

did she have holmes on any medications? were there hints he was unraveling? did she warn campus police or other authorities? in court judge sylvester ordered a hearing on whether any evidence and details of the suspect's contacts with dr. fenton will remain protected and confidential. >> what holmes told the psychiatrist is the key to the outcome of this case. >> reporter: with hearings scheduled on a range of issues the actual arraignment won't take place until mid november, 3 1/2 months from now. that is when the defense will enter a plea. perhaps not guilty by reason of insanity and also when the prosecution might signal whether it intends to seek the death penalty. >> mike taibbi, thanks. mitt romney continues tonight what was supposed to be a low risk and statesman like three-nation overseas trip. instead and beginning with his conversation with us in london it's been controversial including his stop in israel

where the news from there followed the candidate to poland where peter alexander is tonight traveling with governor romney. peter, good evening. >> reporter: brian, good evening to you. mitt romney has found himself on the defensive during the first two stops of his foreign tour. first in london with the olympics then in israel with the palestinians and here in poland his campaign insists it will not be three stops in a row. with a solemn visit to the polish memorial marking the start of world war ii and a meeting with the founder of the country's solidarity movement -- >> thank you so much. >> reporter: mitt romney today tried to contrast himself with president obama, who romney says has neglected this eastern european ally. but the day began in israel with another diplomatic misstep that forced the romney campaign on the defensive. this morning romney told jewish donors at a fundraiser that israeli culture is part of

what's enabled israel to be more economically prosperous than the palestinian territories never mentioning the impact of severe trade restrictions imposed by the israeli government on the palestinian economy. culture makes all the difference, he said. i look out over this city and consider the accomplishments of the people of this nation. i recognize the power of at least culture and a few other things. that prompted this angry response from the palestinian leadership. >> today mr. romney takes another step with a racist statement saying the israeli culture is better than the palestinian culture. >> reporter: the romney campaign forcefully pushed back calling this a gross mischaracterization and their top strategist said this was not in any way an attempt to slight the palestinians and everyone knows that. the palestinians were already upset by romney's call during a speech sunday for jerusalem to be the capital of israel, a point of contention for decades. >> since 1967 administrations of

both parties have had the same position, which is that the status of jerusalem has to be solved through negotiations. >> reporter: romney will wrap up this overseas tour with a major policy speech, a foreign policy speech here in the capital city of warsaw tomorrow and then he returns home to the united states to focus on the issue he believes is the number one topic in this election, the economy. >> peter alexander traveling with governor romney in warsaw tonight. peter, thanks. syria's top diplomat here in london defected today criticizing the assad regime on his way out for their crackdown on the rebels that has killed upwards of 20,000 people so far. in syria the fighting goes on, a lot of it over control of the biggest city there, aleppo, the city the size of chicago, illinois, where the rebels have made their stand. we have been able to get a report out again tonight from our chief foreign correspondent richard engel, who is covering the fighting from inside syria.

>> reporter: the government assault on aleppo is strangling the city. u.n. officials say some 200,000 people have fled aleppo in the last two days alone. syrian troops seemed determined to drive the rebels out of this city along with many of its 3 million residents. the rebels are trying to fight back. but the rebels aren't completely defenseless. they filled gas canisters with shrapnel to make their bombs more deadly then spread fertilizer on the floor and add aluminum powder. now it's a dangerous mix. as they fill the canisters with the explosive, tiny, combustible particles float in the air. one spark and it'll all go up. these are crude bombs but as rebel internet videos show they're powerful. yet it's civilians suffering the most here. we've seen government troops shelling civilian areas indiscriminately.

this doctor is the only surgeon for 70,000 people. he's trying to stay neutral. >> we told them to fight only the army not the people. i told the government you must fight the free army only. >> reporter: dr. najid treats dozens of injured every day. bloody gauze rot on his floor and his medicine cabinet is nearly empty. this mother came today to find her son shot in the head by a government sniper. answer me, answer me, my life, she wails, but he never did. one more of the some 20,000 killed in a war that appears to be growing more deadly by the day. richard engel, nbc news, northern syria. now to this gathering of the world going on, the olympic games here in london, and once again for those planning to watch tonight the big news will

come out of the pool in two events airing on nbc tonight in primetime. our veteran viewers may remember how this works when we do spoiler alerts. if you don't want to see the results we're about to show on the screen close your eyes or look away for a moment. we won't say anything to give it away but it will be on the screen. and we'll tell you when it's all right to look back. here we go. the first bit of news involving a thrilling finish in women's swimming in the 100-meter back stroke. the colorado teenager missy franklin competing in that race and here's how it ended. the results are on the screen. and ryan lochte in the pool tonight for the 200-meter free style. there are the finishers in order. and now it should be safe to look back at the screen and it'll all be airing as part of our coverage on nbc tonight. there is more drama in the pool to tell you about, something making news tonight. any time you have a woman swim faster than a man and beat her own personal best by five

seconds, questions are sure to follow the competition. that's exactly what happened here today. the story tonight from nbc's chris jansing. >> reporter: for much of the women's 400-meter individual medley on saturday, american elizabeth beisel was in the lead but the chinese teenager ye shiwen was so fast she not only won the gold but posted a better time in the final 50 meters than even ryan lochte in his gold medal swim in the same event. a veteran coach called the results disturbing and unbelievable. >> we've never seen any swim that has ever been that far outside the range of previous swims that has not proven later on to have been tainted in some way. >> reporter: ye denied doping allegations. all medalists are tested and results turned around in 24 hours. a doping official said today there shouldn't be a rush to judgment. >> i don't have any reason personally to know what happened until i have further

information. >> reporter: that wasn't the only controversy today. olympic organizers responded to continuing complaints about empty v.i.p. seats. >> when we can, we're going to release those the night before and put them up for sale. 3,000 went up for sale tonight. >> reporter: but scores of seats went unfilled. in women's gymnastics, jordan weaver's coach complained about her surprising elimination from the all around competition last night. he called the rule that only allowed two gymnasts from each country in the finals ridiculous saying it penalizes teams deep with talent. aly raisman will go for the gold. while she was wowing on the uneven bars the world got a humorous glimpse of the excruciating tension her parents feel. lynn and ricky seemed to do the routine along with her. >> i didn't know i was moving that much at all. >> reporter: there are no formal moves here. you two have not trained. >> no. i didn't really realize we were in sync either.

>> reporter: and another athlete's family got a lot of attention today. lara phillips finished out of medal contention but royal relatives william, kate, harry, beatrice, eugenie and camilla all cheered her on. and if you're wondering why we haven't seen the queen at any events the past couple days, after her star turn at the opening ceremony she went off to that little getaway house. it's known as balmoral castle, brian. >> i've heard of it. so eventful and we're just getting started in london. chris jansing with all of it tonight. thanks as always. still ahead as we continue tonight along the way the london you don't see at these games. there is another story to be found on the side streets. and neighborhoods right alongside the olympic village. and later, he's the name at these games. we are at home with ryan lochte swimming again tonight in primetime.

as the world gathers here in london a lot of first timers to the city may be expecting the london of mary poppins. depending where they go and what they see they'll experience something awfully close. out here in the east end where the olympic village is, decidedly off the beaten path, it's a different london as nbc's stephanie gosk shows us tonight. >> reporter: just down the road from the olympic park the students at kings meet primary are holding their own olympiad

with hand made torches held high. these are the faces of a changing london. families from 46 different countries speaking 40 different languages. >> my parents are from ireland and malaysia. my parents are from ethiopia. >> my parents are from poland. >> euna king lives in the shadow of the olympic park too. >> when i was growing up i was the only mixed race child in my class. >> reporter: she is the second black woman ever to be elected to parliament. >> we said if london wins, then the world wins, you know? because london has basically the whole world here. >> reporter: there are the jamaicans, the indians of brick lane, africans, asians, europeans, muslims, hindus, christians. this is not the london that tourists typically get to see. here the double dip recession has hit hard. unemployment is over 14%.

>> that wealth doesn't trickle down anywhere, you know? they can see it. >> but they can't get it. >> but they can't get it. >> reporter: kingly's economic inequality was a driving force behind london's riots last year. for five days angry young people battled police, looted, and destroyed their own neighborhoods. the physical recovery from the riots has been slow. this pub still bears the scars. but the effort to improve lives is even more difficult. some hope the investment in the olympics will help create new opportunities. the olympic park will be turned into five new neighborhoods with affordable housing and gardens. the nearby mall has already added 10,000 new jobs. >> it's about affordable homes, jobs, and it's about giving a generation that inspiration. that's it for london 2012. inspire a generation. >> reporter: already children at the primary school seem to be getting the olympic message to

excel, a truly inspired performance. stephanie gosk, nbc news, london. up next here tonight, so many people making the ultimate sacrifice for technology. why emergency rooms are busier these days because of something a lot of us are doing.

the democrats have let it be known former president bill clinton will be given a prominent speaking role at their upcoming convention in charlotte. he will formally place the president's name into nomination. it looks like a gay marriage plank will make it into the democrats's party platform for the first time in history. because we are increasingly a nation of people with our noses buried in our technology and because that often means looking down when we should be looking straight ahead, new stats out tonight confirm what we've seen on our sidewalks all over the country -- emergency

room visits caused by distracted walking have more than quadrupled over the past seven years, and safety experts say that is likely a low ball estimate because not everybody reports or admits to using an electronic device, even after they're involved in an incident. boeing has so far produced fewer than 20 of those new 787 dream liners, but there's been an early problem. parts flew out of an engine over the weekend, ignited a grass fire in south carolina. it's actually the second recent incident. both are under investigation. the engine in question under the south carolina incident was made by ge, minority owner of nbc. the 787 is still so new it's not being flown yet by any domestic u.s. airlines though just tomorrow united is set to roll out its very first 787 for public display. when we come back here tonight, our interview with the man who beat phelps in the pool at these olympic games.

ryan lochte on the hard work that got him all the way here.

the sunset here in london. finally tonight in the swimming world among those who follow and cover the sport, ryan lochte was known to be and generally accepted to be the top swimmer in the world coming into these olympic games. but the name most americans have heard the most since the last olympics is michael phelps. that changed over this past weekend with the race heard around the world when lochte beat phelps in the pool. tonight we have an up close look at how hard he worked to get here, and nbc's kevin tibbles has our report. >> reporter: do not under estimate ryan lochte. >> i'm ready. i'm ready to rock. this olympics is going to be one to remember. >> it all paid off for lochte. >> reporter: and rock the pool he did. crushing rival michael phelps in the most grueling race of all the 400 individual medley, mounting a challenge to leave london as the new king of the pool. >> this is my one shot to prove

to the whole entire world that i'm the real deal. >> reporter: so since the beijing games lochte has cut back on fast food and kicked his training into overdrive. >> you have to do stuff that's different than any other swimmer has done out there. >> reporter: he doesn't just swim. he swims attached to weights. >> good job. >> reporter: and on dry land, a high bridge strong man regimen maximizes lochte's level of endurance. >> nice job. >> we'll go four triples. >> reporter: though it does include tossing back a few beers. >> nice. >> reporter: empty beer kegs designed to improve his already explosive backwards start in the pool. and sometimes being the best involves doing a few things out of the ordinary like a training routine that involves flipping 650-pound tractor tires. swimming came naturally to the

son of two swim coaches. his introduction to the water came at age 2, when one winter he accidently tumbled into the deep end of the pool. >> he's soaking wet, dripping wet with a snow suit on crying hysterically. you know, the next thing i know he jumped back in the water. i mean, he was crying because i pulled him out of the water. >> i love being in the water and i'm having fun doing it. it doesn't define who i am. >> reporter: dangerous in the pool, a free spirit outside of it. and humble throughout. never forgetting the day when as an 11-year-old his swimming idol refused to sign an autograph. >> i was a little kid. i was crushed. and then from there on i was like, you know what? if i ever get in that kind of position, i'll never do that. >> reporter: that is why he signs autographs and raises money for a foundation that awards college swim scholarships in honor of matt crutchfield, a 12-year-old swimmer who drowned. >> he's there for us.

he texted me on matt's anniversary date and said i know today is hard. love you. thinking about you. >> ryan and matt's sister are now best buds. >> i love him but he's like a big brother to me but sometimes he's just a big goof ball. >> reporter: a goof ball with a very colorful fashion sense. his closet is lined with a rainbow of sneakers. >> so you design these? >> yep. >> reporter: and why green? >> green's my favorite color. when i hang up my speedo, when it's all said and done, that's definitely what i want to get into. >> reporter: for now, there is some unfinished business in the pool. >> lochte beats phelps in olympic finals for the first time. >> kevin tibbles here with us. i'm dying to know who his swimming idol was who broke his heart. >> brian, he won't say. he said the person is still around and he doesn't want to embarrass him. perhaps a bit of a testament to the man ryan lochte really is. >> all right then. perhaps a vote for character. kevin tibbles with tonight's

interesting profile. thanks for that. all the coverage of course tonight on nbc beginning at 8:00, 7:00 central. and for us that is our broadcast on a monday night as we start off a new week. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams reporting once again tonight from london and we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. and we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com right now at 6:00, it's a place where olympic dreams begin. right now those dreams are on thin ice. another big day in london for our bay area olympians. we'll preview today's events. and desperate times for a bay area food bank, it's not a food shortage, but a people shortage. good evening, everyone. thank you for joining us.

skating versus shopping. an ice skating rink once used as a training ground is now on the brink of closure. marion, the rink is in jeopardy. is there anything to save it? >> reporter: this all could play played out in the courts eventually. what's happening is that the owner of this mall wants to tear down this rink and build more stores. but skaters here say the community needs recreation much more than retail. >> these kids are lacing up for skate camp and heading out on the ice. but their dreams of returning to camp here next summer are quickly melting. the owner of bridgeport shopping center says it will not renew the e center's lease when it expires in