low 90s by next week. >> thanks. thanks for joining us. on the broadcast tonight, deadly day in egypt. supporters and opponents of the ousted president battle in the streets.awúm egypt once again in the chaos. taking the stand. the mothers of trayvon martin and george zimmerman testify.7sñ each says it's her son on the 911 tape screaming for help. what went wrong? it began as a routine night at the fireworks until the explosives went off in the wrong direction. and invasion from the deep. spreading fast, wiping out other species. what can be done to stop the assault of the lion fish. "nightly news" begins now. the battle over that

country's political future is turning more violent. reports of at least 30 dead and it is spill further into the streets. the u.s. state department condemned clashes between s7 supporters of ousted president mohamed morsi and his opponents. the crowds throwing stones, firing guns. in short, all-out mayhem on a key bridge crossing the nile river. our team in cairo has been witness to the kay ought all night watching it unfold. we begin with nbc's eamon mohyeldin. good evening. >> reporter: we watched it unfold this evening from right here. su porters of former president mohamed morsi marching in the streets demanding the ousted president be reinstated before marching on to the state television building where they came face to face with morsi's opponents. the two sides fought the battle for hours. the type of fighting many fear is pushing egypt to the brink. it began with two sides taunting each other, just yards apart on

cairo's most important bridge. they broke up pavement and sidewalks and used stones to attack each other. the anti-morsi crowd using scrap metal as shields, forcing their way down the ramps. within minutes, it became a full-scale assault. we were on the streets as the injured were being rushed from the front lines. from our balance cone we saw a muslim brotherhood supporter firing his gun and then reloading to shoot again. both sides used fireworks as makeshift weapons. for hours, there was no security in sight. no police, no army as the fighting raged on. sometimes, hand to hand. anti-morsi demonstrators set fire to a car on the bridge and charged down the ramp. pushing back the muslim brotherhood supporters, but they couldn't hold their ground. some were grabbed and beaten. ambulances struggled to get to the wounded. some were rescued. others appeared lifeless. two hours in, morsi supporters charged up the ramp and onto the bridge, taking control, but not for long.

the army, which forced morsi out just wednesday finally rolled across the bridge, opening fire to control the fighting. within minutes, anti-morsi demonstrators jumped on top of the tank, waving flags, chanting the people and the army are one. morsi supporters were driven back, for now. nbc news, cairo. this is richard engel. just hours before the bridge showdown, a deadly armed confrontation. thousands of morsi supporters marching to free their detained president from an army barracks near the airport. several videos appeared to show they were shot at. security forces opening fire. a man lying dead on the ground. then carried away. the wounded are brought in by motorcycles, treated right on the ground. several appeared to have been

hit by live ammunition. the wounds we saw looked like they were caused by shotguns. >> one is in the head, in the chest, in the heart. >> reporter: we saw more than a dozen wounded. this man said he saw a protester die in front of him. medics told us at least four were killed and it wasn't just cairo. in alexandria, more clashes. and in the sinai, the army was on its highest alert. four of its posts attacked. one soldier was killed. the muslim brotherhood called this a day of rejection and promises to keep it up until morsi is returned to office. no sign the army will let that happen, setting the stage for more violence. the main problem now, carl, this country is so divided. many egyptians, i would say the majority, support the military's intervention. they certainly do here in tahrir square.

as we saw today, millions of other egyptians represented by a van guard of thousands feel they were cheated. >> richard, who is the stabilizing force in cairo? will the military stop this violence, or will it get worse? >> reporter: well, it's about the will. i think the military and police force could stop this violence if they really wanted. both are enormous forces and could impose a curfew, checkpoints all over the country. instead, we haven't seen that. the army, which intervened and did it quite controversially doesn't want this to look like a coup. it doesn't want to alienate more people, it doesn't want to alienate washington and european allies who haven't been particularly welcoming. but the army may have to take those drastic steps. >> our team in cairo tonight, thanks. meantime, florida, a dramatic day in the second degree murder trial of george zimmerman as the mothers of both trayvon martin and zimmerman took the stand.

nbc's ron mott in sanford, florida, for us tonight. ron, good evening. >> reporter: carl, good evening to you. these two mothers didn't take the stand for very long today but what they should should resonate with this all-woman jury, all parents themselves but for one. they know their son's voices when they hear it. two mothers two opinions, about whether it is trayvon martin or george zimmerman screaming on tape. >> my youngest son is trayvon benjamin martin, he's in heaven. >> reporter: sybrina fulton says writing in part i pray that god gives me the strength to properly represent my angel, trayvon. he may not be perfect, but he's mine. with george zimmerman looking on, the prosecutor played the 911 call that captured the shooting. >> so you think he's yelling help? >> yes. >> reporter: then asked a question, considered central to this case. who is screaming for help?

>> ma'am, that screaming or yelling, do you recognize that? >> yes. >> and who do you recognize that to be, ma'am? >> trayvon benjamin martin. >> reporter: zimmerman's mother heard differently when she testified hours later for the defense. >> do you know whose voice that was screaming in the background? >> yes, sir. >> whose voice was that? >> my son george. >> reporter: earlier the cross examination of martin's mother was interrupted after just a few words. >> we apologize for your loss. >> objection, improper. not a question. >> you need to ask a question. >> reporter: trying several times unsuccessfully to get martin's mother to consider the possibility that zimmerman was the person screaming. >> if you were to listen to that tape and not hear your son's voice, that would mean that it would have been george zimmerman's voice, correct? >> and not hear my son screaming? is that what you are asking? >> yes, ma'am. >> i heard my son screaming.

>> reporter: zimmerman plead not guilty to second degree murder. saying he acted in self-defense. >> i heard him yell, but not like that, yes. >> reporter: the state rested its case this afternoon. its final witness, martin's older brother, and the medical examiner who performed the autopsy. >> i believe trayvon martin was alive for one to ten minutes after he was shot. >> reporter: who concluded martin was not killed instantly. >> he can still feel pain in other words. >> yes. >> reporter: the defense challenged the doctor from revising his earlier estimate to one to three minutes. as it custom, the defense made a motion for acquittal, which judge debra nelson quickly denied. the state called a total of 38 witnesses before resting its cased today. mark o'mara, the defense attorney, says the defense is likely to go until wednesday or thursday next week before the jury is handed the case. carl. >> ron mott in sanford, florida, thanks. an especially violent couple of days in chicago. battling an epidemic of gun violence. citing police reports "the

chicago tribune" says 8 people were killed and more than 30 woundsed in shootings since wednesday. the wounded, including two boys just 5 and 7 years old who were at parks with their families. 5-year-old jayden donald was shot in the abdomen and the leg. this morning, outside the hospital, his mother spoke. >> why would you do something like this? why? all of these innocent people and kids, why would you do something like that? it makes me want to go in the house with my kids and never come out. it just needs to stop. nobody gave nobody the right to play god, period. it just needs to stop. it's just senseless. >> reporter: jayden donald in critical condition. shootings and murders had been dropping in chicago in the first half of the year. in california it came without warning as they gathered for a relaxing and festive evening of fireworks. thousands of people getting

ready for the show in simi valley, california, when a platform holding the explosives gave way, sending exploding fireworks into the crowd. nbc's john yang has more tonight. >> reporter: in simi valley, california, a night of celebration -- >> oh! oh! >> reporter: turned to horror, caught on amateur video. the show was only minutes old, when exploding fireworks were launched into thousands of spectators about 900 feet away. >> run, run, run! >> today some recalled the chaos. >> fireworks that normally go high, some going two feet, some going ten feet. it was all just right really low, all up over the ground. >> i got out of my chair and dove behind it, you thought you were going to get burned. >> reporter: police and firefighters rushed to help the injured. officials said at least 41 people were hurt, the youngest 17 months old. at least two remain hospitalized today, listed in fair condition. debris hit josh in the back, but he wasn't hurt.

>> i saw an old lady with a big wound in her chest. she couldn't get out of her chair because she was like in shock, you know. >> reporter: officials say it appears that one of the platforms holding the launchers tipped over, that sent the fireworks into the crowd instead of into the sky. in a statement, the new york-based fireworks company says it deeply regrets the injuries and will conduct a thorough and complete investigation. it wasn't the only july 4th mishap. officials blame fireworks for burning 14 boats at a seattle marina, causing about $1.5 million in damages. last year, san diego's planned 17-minute show lasted 15 seconds, whenall the fireworks went off at once. in simi valley today, investigators picked through the debris of last night's accident. reminders of the dangers of this yearly american celebration. john yang, nbc news, simi valley, california.

there is some positive news about the economy as the government's latest report on jobs was better than analysts expected. employers added 195,000 jobs in june and more in april and may than first thought. the unemployment rate stayed at 7.6%, because more people looked for jobs, another positive sign. we're joined now by cnbc's kelly evans. >> good evening, a surprisingly steady pace of job growth here and reassuring sign for those worried that the economy might again buckle in a spring swoon. the u.s. added 195,000 jobs last month. the prior two months revised to show that stronger pace of job growth than previously thought. that brings the total this year to about 1.2 million through june. in fact that's the best start to a year since 2005 and that's all good news. bulk of the gains seen in retail, restaurants, hotels, which aren't always the highest quality jobs. there was also a jump in the number of part-time workers. and another concern, the spike

in the number of discouraged workers, those who have given up looking altogether and left the labor force entirely. that figure rose above 1 million people last month, up 25% from june of last year. and a lot of that gain was centered on people over age 55, giving up on the job market. so taking all of that into account, the unemployment picture looks notably weaker, carl. >> one good thing for those who do have jobs, they made a little bit more in hourly earnings than they have in a while. how encouraging is that? >> that's true. the increase we saw last month while not large itself matched for the biggest increase we've seen so far in this recovery. and especially when w inflation pressures still low, it does means consumers might have a little more spending power and perhaps some more confidence this summer. >> kelly evans with us here on the jobs picture tonight. thanks. >> thank you. still ahead, it may not look threatening, but looks are deceiving. the battle to stop a dangerous predator, all along the east coast.

and later, the news a lot of catholics have been waiting for about pope john paul ii.

back with an underwater battle going on this summer against a predator that causes destruction wherever it goes. and tonight, it is going far and wide. this menace called the lion fish. nbc's kerry sanders went on the hunted in florida. >> i would expect we'd see quite a few down there. >> reporter: looking beneath the clear blue waters of florida keys is a beautiful, but frightening fish.

poisonous, abundant and with an appetite that won't quit. >> it's a big fish vacuum cleaner. >> reporter: in eight years, lion fish have proliferated off the east coast. >> it only took a handful of these fish to get together to start reproducing. once that happened, the oceans are all connected and it just spread like wildfire, really. >> reporter: where a few once were found off the bahamas, they are now as far north as rhode island, well south to the caribbean and just recently started showing up in a wide area of the gulf of mexico. scientists worry they will devastate native fish populations. >> we have some evidence that groupers occasionally will eat them, but once a grouper who has experienced that spine, they may never eat another one, because those spines are very venomous. >> reporter: as for natural predators, a team of biologists off the florida keys dives for

lion fish almost every day. >> oh, my gosh, he's tiny. >> reporter: they capture and kill what they can, but it's a monumental task. a female lion fish lays up to 30,000 eggs every four days. it's estimated more than 300,000 lion fish nowin habit reefs in the keys. that's three times the population from just two years ago. >> a bag of lion fish. >> reporter: scientists concluded they will never get rid of the fish in the area. but they have decided the best way to win, eat them to beat them. cooked at more than 400 degrees, these white flaky fish are no longer toxic. biologists believe if they can create a market, maybe commercial fisherman can hold this menacing invasion in check. kerry sanders, nbc news, the florida keys. we're back in a moment with news about the campaign to turn a beloved pope into a saint.

just eight years after his death, we learn pope john paul ii is going to become a saint. that's record time in the modern history of the roman catholic church. john paul wasn't the only pope to be cleared for sainthood today by pope francis. the story from michelle franzen. >> reporter: during more than a quarter century as pope, john paul ii traveled the world, making history, inspiring millions, and earning their affection. at his funeral in 2005, mourners called out santo sevito, saint now. now it is -- it has happened. pope francis appearing with pope emeritus benedict announced he will become a saint, perhaps before the year is out. two miracles attributed to john paul. the healing of a brain aneurysm

in a costa rican woman, which took place on the day of john paul's beatification. the miraculous cure of a french nun inflicted with parkinson's disease. another pope will be made saint as well. john xxiii, who presided over the second vat kin council. >> conservatives love john paul ii. liberals love pope john paul xxiii. what pope francis is saying, let's honor and revere both men. >> reporter: a chance to unite the catholic church. shaken during john paul's reign and ever since by sex abuse and corruption scandals. corruption scandals. today at st. patrick's cathedral, john paul's impending canonization was welcome news. >> if there's anybody that kind of brought people together, it was pope john paul ii. >> exciting to have a saint that we knew. that we live through. >> reporter: the people's pope, now soon to become the people's saint.

michelle franzen, nbc news, new york. here in new york, the medical examiner identified the remains of a victim of the 9/11 attacks, almost 12 years later. jeffrey wahls, a new york fire department lieutenant from staten island. he was 37 when he died, leaving a wife and young son. his sister said the family thought about his death every day, and is taking the identity of his remains as a sign that he is okay. up next, an honor for a brave man in boston.

finally this evening, we'll take to you boston, a very special fourth of july performance by the boston pops. police officer richard donohue almost died in the shoot-out with the boston marathon bombing suspects. last night he took the podium as guest conductor. a special honor during the orchestra's annual holiday concert. i'm carl quintanilla, for brian and everyone here at nbc news, thank you for watching. we leave you with a look at how america celebrated the fourth. have a good night and a great weekend. ♪ ♪

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nbc bay area news starts now. thanks for joining us on this friday. >> if your neighborhood sounded like a war zone last night, you were not alone. illegal fireworks were launched all over san jose last night, but no arrests were made despite promises by police that they would crackdown. we sent scott budman to a south bay location where you can find legal fireworks. >> reporter: the legal firerks, in fact, two nights of them, will kick off here at great america in just a few

hours. this on the heels of a july 4th full of the illegal kind of fireworks in the south bay with sometimes hazardous results. these are the fireworks that south bay wants you to see. they're legal and safe. this, on the other hand, is what firefighters responded to onñquy an illegal fire work. >> the fireworks went up. it caught in our trees, and this he just went up like that. >> reporter: and that kept crews busy all night. >> it's a tough sell. it's a community thing. it's a community mind set that we have to try to change. >> reporter: captain cleo doss says while debris like this is all over the city, no arrests were made for shooting off illegal fireworks on the fourth. there just aren't enough resources. >> you have your fireworks, people who just le