cowboys. >> incredible. >> thanks for watching bay area news at 5:00, we'll see you at 6:00. . >> on the program this saturday night, race matters. rallies and vigils around the country for trayvon martin one day after the president calls on america to do some serious soul searching. extreme weapons. another record day of heat as severe storms move in. an exclusive look from the cockpit as a fight to contain w50i8d fires in the west. >> a woman riding a newly renovated roller coaster is thrown to her death. and helen thomas fearlessly asked ten presidents the tough question from the best seat in the white house. a look back at the groundbreaking career of an intrepid white house corresponde correspondent.

>> announcer: this is nbc nightly news with lester holt. substituting tonight, harry smith. >> good evening. it is a week since a jury in florida found george zimmerman not guilty in the death of trayvon martin. since then americans have been grappling with the means of that verdict. race has been an ines capable part of that conversation. yesterday a pensive president obama spoke for 19 minutes about the case. he said trayvon martin "could have been me 35 years ago." across the country today there were vigils and rallies. michelle franzen is in lower manhattan with the latest. good evening. >> reporter: good evening. the verdict in florida is a flash point over the laws, self defense laws and about race. crowds gathered in protest and in prayer and called for outrage to be turned into action. some echoing the president's own words. a day after president obama

weighed in on the trayvon martin verdict. >> trayvon martin could have been me 35 year ago. >> thousands turned out in a show of solidarity as justice for trayvon vigils coast to coast. the reverend al sharpton's national action networks organized rallies and turn out was sparse in some areas, but in major cities like miami, a course for change. >> i am, trayvon martin! >> reverend sharpton rallied the crowd including a show of support by stars beyonce and jay z, calling again for the justice department to file federal civil rights charmings against george zimmerman. the family including his mother. >> not only do i do what i can for trayvon martin, i promise you i will work hard for your

children as well. >> in miami, trayvon martin's father said it's time to turn the anger and anguish into action. >> one thing we mentioned is to advocate against senseless violence. we have to come together. >> an echo of the president's call for calm. >> if i see any violence, i will remind folks that that dishonors what happened to trayvon martin. >> those words resonated at the vigils today. >> for the longest time, racism in this country has been swept under the rug. we stand up and say i, i was trayvon martin 35 years ago. it resonates. that you can't sweep under the rug. >> reporter: organizers are calling for a review or repeal of the stand your ground laws like the in florida at the heart of george zimmerman's defense. harry? >> michelle franzen, thank you.

>> there may be relief from the suffocating heat and humidity that affected millions of people this week, but with that comes strong storms. weather channel's mike slidell has more tonight. >> this can go down as the sweatiest week of the summer for 100 million americans. >> brutal. >> the heat wave stretched into its seventh day in the new york east, people headed out to central park to try to beat the sizzle. the temperature cracked 90. >> it's going to break soon. is it going to break soon? >> this is the first time in more than a decade they endured such a long string of 90 degree days. the hot and streamy days stretches from d.c. to boston with reports of at leastics is heat-related deaths. the heat wave was broken by severe thunderstorms. mother nature even crashed pearl jam's sold out concert at chicago's wrigley field forcing

them to take cover until the storm passed. the group's latest album is entitled litning bolt. in the detroit area, thunderstorms brought down trees and power lines and more than 100,000 customers remain without power. >> one of the biggest storms i have seen in the area. >> strong storms were to plame for the collapse of this gym at an ohio college. in las vegas where they dealt with the hottest temperatures on records weeks ago, a leaky casino hotel roof and a different light show. photos capture lightning above the strip. back in the northeast, people are heading to the beaches and cools to cool off. the suffering is just about over. some of the cool air that dropped temperatures into the 40s this morning in northern minnesota is sweeping east, bringing swallow all those who have been sweating it out. storms along that cold front are producing gusty winds and heavy rain and lots of lightning and flash flooding. the rain has been spotty, but

even if you don't get the rain, it will be cooler tomorrow. new york city only 87 and boston temperatures below average and even cooler on monday. harry, we haven't seen a stretch of heat like this since 2002. only 20 times in 150 summers. the. >> i think the rain is heading your way. take cover. thanks. now to the wildfires ramging in southern california that have forced thousands from their homes. while cooler air gave firefighters a break and the threat is now storms moving in. nbc's miguel was on the fire lines near palm springs. >> for nearly a week, the mountain fire ripped across 27,000 acres of wild land. tonight this inferno is going through a tinder box difficult to reach. and palm springs, firefighters use the popular air tram to shuttle hot shot crews into the

mountains. much of this firefight comes from the air. nbc news was aboard one of 20 water dropping helicopters based in garner ranch, a crate cal and now 24-hour aspect of this firefight. >> other times when you are up there and you think it's getting hairy. >> many times. you have to stop and reevaluate everything. >> battling extreme fire behavior, crews faced rugged terrain in stifling heat, but finally a much needed break. cooler weather and thunderstorms are in the forecast. >> the change in the weather helped us immensely. >> near the mountain town of idle wild, 6,000 remain under evacuation tonight. diane o'neal and her daughter only have minutes to evacuate their flock of animals. >> we have three dogs back here. and a tanker. >> the o'neals and their

neighbors watch this firefight from a distance. a blaze still on the move. with the forecast calling if are thunderstorms all weekend, crews say they can make a turn from defense to offense on this firefight. the blaze is 25% contained and crews say they will make steady progress this weekend. harry? >> we will keep our fingers crossed. miguel, thank you. >> something went terribly wrong on a popular roller coaster in six flags in arlington. witnessed reports raising questions about whether the victim had been properly secured. here's nbc's sarah. >> six flags over texas in arlington, be 14 stories high with a drop of more than 79 degrees. by the evening, passengers watched in horror as a woman was ejected mid-ride. >> when they pulled up, the daughter and son of the lady that flew out of the car were

hysterical and they were saying that their mother flew out of the car. we were kind in in disbelief and said a prayer for her. >> another witness carmen brown told the dallas morning news she heard the woman express concern about her safety constraint prior to the start of the ride. she asked her to click her more than once. the guy was as long as you heard a click, you are okay. they didn't comment directly, but said we are working closely with authorities to determine the cause of the accident. this is the park's second fatal accident since opening in 1961. a woman died and ten others were injured when a raft overturned in 1999. tonight the park is open, but the roller coaster remains closed as the investigation continues. nbc news. >> a disturbing story about elder abuse from houston tonight where a suspect has been charged

withholding four men against their will to allegedly collect their disability and veterans's checks. they tricked and held captive for weeks. >> hopeful signs in the push for peace after weeks of diplomacy between john kerry and israeli and palestinian leaders. israel said they will release palestinian prisoners, a precursor to the twoed ises resuming direct negotiations in washington for the first time in if nearly three years. >> helen thomas the white house correspondent died today at age 92. he was a pioneer when white house reporting was strictly a man's job. she paved the way for many other women to follow. here's nbc's andrea mitchell. >> miss thomas has the first question. >> the policy of not bombing north vietnam may be undergoing a change. what is our policy? >> she was the first lady of the white house press corps, covering ten presidents and

making history herself. born of beb these immigrant parents, she landed a job with the press international, a pioneer woman in a man's questions and not afraid of asking pointed questions. her big break was covering jfk with her trademark thank you, mr. president. >> i saw that kennedy was really in a bind trying to answer questions. he went on and on trying to find the answer so then i got up and i said -- he said thank you! >> thank you, helen. >> in 1974 she was named a bureau chief. >> the first time in history that a woman has been selected for that high post. congraltulations. >> thomas married douglas cornell at the rival. >> i know that nancy upstairs would die. she is watching if i didn't call on you this that pretty red dress. >> thomas had strong opinions.

>> clintons had suffered a lot on the campaign trail and had a lot of chips about the press. >> she became more outspoken in later years. >> your decision to invade iraq caused thousands of americans in iraq -- >> you know i didn't want war. to calm i wanted war is flat wrong, helen. in all due respect. >> no longer in daily journalism, she drew simple for taking sideses, but she was already a legend. >> what do you want to have said about you in your time covering the white house? >> that she asked good questions and asked why. >> she always had the first requesty and the last word, leaving the rest of us to say thank you, helen thomas. the obamas said what made her the dean was the questions that hold leaders to account. harry? >> i know she was your dear friend. >> you bet.

>> it was a solemn day to remember in aurora, colorado. a gunman opened fire a year ago in a movie theater leaving 12 dead and dozens wounded and a nation in shock. nbc on the long healing process. >> this morning in aurora, people stopped for a day of remembrance. >> this has been a tough year for us. >> families held each other and listened to songs. ♪ amazing grace and they cried as bells tolled, once for each of the 12 people killed that night when a heavily armed gunman opened fire in a crowded movie theater. jasmine lost a friend. >> what is it for you to be here today? >> to remember the people that we loved and wish they could be here with us today.

>> janson young came to honor her boyfriend who died saving her that night. >> i needed to memorialize and it's better than just sitting home and crying. >> i am blessed to know i am still here to take care of my kids. >> year later joshua with is a veteran and father of two young boys. he was walking. >> you were not injured in the military. >> i come home and get shot in a movie theater. >> it's long and painful and not just the physical part. >> to walk in there and sit in the same seat and face my demons. it's something i had to do to move forward. >> kristin davis and eugene hahn couldn't make it to the memorial service. it's their wedding day. >> instead of rerunning the memories every year, i thought let's make a good memory and have you smile about that day.

>> it takes the right to owns guns very seriously. the shooting led to the passage of some of the toughest gun control measures in the country. one demands universal background checks. >> live in colorado tonight. thank you. >> when nightly news continues for this saturday, the nation's racial divide for the eyes of young men who deal with it every day. and the story of a brave little girl with dreams as big as texas. sometimes those dreams come true.

>> for more than a century moore house college proudly educated young african-american men to take positions of responsibility if their communities. as race once again became the focus of so much attention this week. nb c, visited the moore house campus to hear what moore house men are talking about. >> moore house men, we have to be awake and aware. >> a wake up call this week. >> the lesson we take from mr. martin is we don't have the muxly to just exist. >> at project identity, the focus on leadership and academics narrowed to a blunt conversation. being a black man in america. >> my teachers in the school told me i was going to get in it trouble with the law and my mender who is also a black male and leaders, they gave me a

different perception of myself. >> 20-year-old brandon is a peer mentor to a.j. thompson. >> when the verdict happened, i wasn't surprised. much like everybody else, i had a feeling of despair and anger. having that feeling made me feel like there is so much more work that needs to be done. >> after an emotionally charged week, president obama spoke candidly. >> very few african-american men in this country who haven't had the experience of being followed when shopping in a department store. that includes me. >> a difficult but necessary dialogue. >> i cannot fool myself into thinking there not special circumstances that i need to make my children aware of. i understand that and i troo ied to prepare them as much as i can. >> dr. king had a meeting -- >> with plaque men in society, you have strikes against you and

striving harder to prove yourself. >> i have to prove not just to the world, but also to those around me. the generation before me, are looking for those two steps up. >> ready to step up and reach out. young leaders of the next generation. nbc news, new york. >> when we come back, the little girl with the courage to dream big dreams.

>> he was beaten and bloodied at the edmond bridge. few equal his dedication and

bravery. what was john lewis doing at comic con, the annual california celebration of sci-fi, anime and pop culture? march is a graphic novel, part one of a memoire chronicling his remarkable life. >> i wanted to share this story with another generation. young people. the children. with teachers. to show that through peaceful, nonviolent actions, we can change america and when we change america, we can change the world. >> lewis was one of the organization organizers for the march on washington that was 50 years ago next month. >> christmas came early for a 6-year-old girl in arlington, texas. . >> madi has a rare form of brain cancer and her big wish was to play in the snow.

madi's dream came true thanks to a dallas company that turn understand 20,000 pounds of ice into madi's own winter wonderland. coming up, who wants old dogs. how one woman's photos are making a difference.

. >> finally tonight our making a difference report is about a woman whose photographs are giving older dogs that rare second chance. jill rappa port has the story. >> who wants to wear a wig. >> lori loves dogs so much she made it her day job. >> i am a professional pet photographer. i fell in love with it. >> are she has taken photos of pampered pets, but the most important clients are thes who need her most. months ago she began volunteering at a local animal shelter, working with senior dogs. a worker showed her photos used to promote dogs up for adoption. >> the photos looked like mug shots and the sad photos don't work. people don't want to look at it. they look away. >> lori put her skills to use.

>> my goal is to capture their personality. people can look at them and say oh, wow, that's a family dog. i can bring her home. >> when we saw lori's photos, all of the staff including all of us and management here, we were just astounded. you are seeing in a photo what you know you see whenever you deal with the animal in person. >> currently there over 7 million pets in shelters across the country. almost half will never make it out. a vast majority are older animals given up by owners in the twilight of their lives. >> something about an older animal that has been less ft toe alone in the shelter was something i cooperate allow to happen. >> older dogs have benefitted from the change. in the last month, five dogs have been rescued or adopted because of lori's photos. >> my photos showed smiles and

joy and that seems to be the magic formula. >> jill rappa port, in, about, c news. >> i'm harry smith is. lester will be back tomorrow. for all of us here at nbc news, good night. good evening, i'm diane dwyer, terry mcsweeney has the night off. a fire shut down a lucky supermarket in sunnyvale tonight. the fire happened on north matilda avenue a few hours ago.

that's where we find kimberly terry who has the latest for us. >> fire crews are still out here, just making sure that that fire is completely out, because these buildings are so close together. and that was their initial concern, that this fire would spread more than it did. the call came in about 2:30 this afternoon. when firefighters arrived, the fire grew significantly. they were worried the fire would spread to other businesses and also to the lucky's which is adjacent to the businesses that were on fire. >> we're still assessing the point of origin. generally we think it was somewhere in between the liquor store and the chinese restaurant. >> the luckies was evacuated and it just reopened about an hour ago. the chinese restaurant and that liquor store have major damage and will likely have to do some rebuilding before opening. i did speak to the owners of the liquor store who told me they had hundreds of thousands of dollars in