>>. >> not allow iran to dominate iraq the way it dominated libya and syria. >> kerry is choosing his words very carefully knowing that too much u.s. pressure on maliki will backfire causing him to dig in. even as the u.s. worries that time is running out to save iraq. kate? >> andrea mitchell traveling with secretary kerry tonight, thank you. new developments in the crisis involving thousands of migrants, many of them children who continue to cross into this country illegally from central america. starting tomorrow, hundreds of them will be flown from texas to

california, for processing, in an attempt to ease the burden in south texas. more tonight from nbc's mark potter. >> reporter: with the flood of central american families and unaccompanied children pouring into south texas, an overwhelming border patrol holding facility there, u.s. officials are scrambling to find new places to hold and process them. this week they say they'll have families with small children to sites in san diego and el centro, california. already overflow crowds of families crossing the south texas border have been sent to el paso for screening, while many of the unaccompanied children have been moved to the border patrol station in nogales, arizona. agents say they're catching as many as 12 to 1,400 my grants a day in the texas rio grande valley. >> everybody has found themselves a little overwhelmed with the amount of traffic that we're dealing with. >> reporter: since october, more than 52,000 unaccompanied kids

have been caught trying to cross the border illegally, along with 39,000 adults with children. this is a scene that repeats itself day by day, hour by hour, immigrants crossing the border from mexico into the united states. this is a group from el salvador, arriving moments after sunrise. didn't even know they were in the united states. once they found that out, they sat down to wait for the authorities. last friday the white house announced a plan to stem the immigration flow, by speeding up the removal process. but an investigation by the associated press shows it's currently a very cumbersome and slow process that can take years, especially for children. who are unlikely to ever face consequences, and who keep crossing the border every day. mark potter, nbc news. in california, the worst drought has gotten even worse in the last week with many in the state facing water restrictions, and increasing concerns about

the potential ripple effect on the american economy. we get the latest on that from miguel almaguer. >> reporter: in california, this is a watershed moment. the water supply in many reservoirs is dismal with the hottest, driest months still ahead. >> the drought we're in is disastrous. >> reporter: felicia chairs the state water board. >> we have communities that are in danger of running out of drinking water. there will be hundreds of thousands of acres of farm fields that will be fallowed. >> reporter: over the last six months, the golden state has turned red, exceptional drought the most severe condition now covers a third of california. at folsom lake, low water levels are a threat to fish. 24,000 trout were moved from this hatchery to colder lakes because they face certain death. >> the second time we've done this since world war ii. it's a big deal, because of the

drought. the water is simply too warm for these fish to survive. >> reporter: crippled by a dismal snow pack, last year, versus this year, california is a tinderbox. firefighters say the drought has created explosive conditions. a 200% increase in wildfires already this year. >> we're exceptionally dry. we haven't been this dry in decades. >> reporter: but this is not just california's crisis. the state's agriculture and cattle help feed much of the nation. experts say food costs could rise everywhere. the view in california isn't pretty. and the water outlook is just as dismal. miguel almaguer, nbc news, los angeles. in brazil, all eyes were on the world cup soccer match tonight between the united states and portugal, played in the heat and humidity of the amazon. the game was a potential turning point for both teams, and it has just ended. bill nealy is there for us

tonight. bill, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, kate. from a hot and steamy amazon, the fans leaving the stadium behind me after a sizzling game. it was the biggest game in u.s. soccer in a decade. and it didn't start well. the first game, the u.s. were up after 29 seconds. this was very different. the u.s. were behind within five minutes. a terrible defensive error by jeff cameron, seized on. 1-0 portugal. the u.s. team pulled themselves back into the game. michael bradley shooting close, very close. sab yen johnson drawing a gasp from the u.s. fans with a powerful shot. >> a shot from a long way out. >> reporter: portugal are the world's fourth ranked team and it was soon clear exactly why. one shot rattled the post. the next produced a world class save from tim howard in the u.s. goal. the second half almost started for the u.s. like the first defensive mistake, and a shot

just too high that would have given portugal a big lead. then the closest u.s. chance, michael bradley had a goal of his mercy, with the portuguese defender doing just enough. it should have gone in, according to the coach's reaction. but soon it was in. jermaine jones from outside the box, let fly, and it curled beautifully. the u.s. were back in it. portugal's backs were against the wall. the relief on faces of fans and coach alike was clear. it wasn't long before it was shear euphoria. one playing with a broken nose. got his chance, at least a chance at the ball. and scored his second goal of this world cup. the writing was on the wall for portugal, until the last gasp attack, and portugal pulled it back to 2-2.

the u.s. were seconds from going through. it was almost the last action of the game. and the script from a hollywood movie. a great tie for the u.s. at the end, it felt almost like a defeat. a win and they would have gone straight through to the knockout stage. now they have one more game against the number two team, germany. but kate, after tonight, anything is possible. back to you. >> bill neal yea in the steamy amazon tonight. it's not your ordinary spoon. how technology is helping pem return to a simple task. and regain their dignity. later, some thought she had an image problem. now she's proving them wrong. all the way to wimbledon.

we're back tonight with a development that could make life easier for millions of people who have trouble with some of life's most basic tasks. because they're living with tremors, things that most of us take for granted, like using utensils, can be a big challenge. now there's help with technology that gives them a more steady hand. we get our report from our chief medical editor, dr. nancy snyderman. >> six months ago, kelly avoided meeting in a restaurant and dining in public. >> people do stare at you and look at you like something's wrong. it can be very embarrassing to the point where i don't even want to eat. >> kelly is one of more than 10 million americans living with essential tremor. a disorder that can make even the simple act of eating a struggle. >> makes me very uncomfortable. >> but then she discovered liftware, an electric spoon that

she says steadies her hand and restores her dignity. >> this was the biggest blessing, biggest table wear. >> the ceo of the san francisco based lift lab. >> there are motion sensors inside. >> the spoon turns on when lifted from the table. a motion sensor inside moves it in the opposite direction of where the user is shaking, canceling out more than 70% of the tremor. he came up with the idea in graduate school while working on stabilization mechanics for the military. but he knew the technology could be used to help those living with parkinson's and essential tremor. >> this is something where, you know, people are struggling every day. it's something i think really we empathize with, and have compassion for. >> that compassion allowed joe bremhorset to enjoy his favorite food in public again. >> i love soup. for 20 years i couldn't eat soup until i came across this spoon. >> joe now has his essential tremor under control.

but he said he will never forget the first time he saw joe use a prototype spoon. >> it showed him eating soup. and then actually feeding himself. all of my work had actually been useful. >> there are plans to roll out new attachments. a fork and a deeper spoon will be available this month. and they're already on kelly's wish list. >> i don't have people staring at me now. if they are staring at me, it's because they're wondering what i'm using. they're no longer staring at me to find out what's wrong with me. >> a simple utensil restoring dignity to so many. dr. nancy snyderman, nbc news, new york. when we come back, how a little girl got her big birthday wish from google.

with all of its apps and cloud computing, an old-fashioned handwritten note was probably the last thing that google expected. but there it was, their google, from a girl named katy, asking the company if her father a google employee could please have wednesday off for his birthday. and p.s., she said, it is summer, you know. it seems to have worked. the dad's boss wrote katy back, praising his work and saying that, yes, on the occasion of his birthday, it would be just fine if he not only took wednesday off, but the whole first week of july. sometimes the personal touch can

still go a long way. in california last night, a first in major league baseball. alex torres the reliever for the san diego padres became the first pitcher to wear a protective padded cap. the league approved the cap earlier this year after a pitcher for the oakland a's was hit in the head by a line drive and suffered a serious concussion. torres said he doesn't feel much different between the padded cap and a regular hat. up next, a young american at wimbledon, how she courted success and proved that words couldn't hurt her.

finally tonight, two rising stars in their sports are clearly headed for bigger and better things. lucy lee, the 11-year-old golf sensation we told you about who qualified for the u.s. women's open, well, she missed the cut for the final round, but she's clearly a young woman to watch. and so is taylor townsend. she's an 18-year-old tennis prodigy getting ready to play this week at wimbledon, and she's becoming a role model for young women because of comments about her image that she refused to let stop her. we get her story tonight from nbc's erica hill. >> reporter: 18-year-old taylor townsend is ready. >> i'm so excited. i love the grass. i love wimbledon. >> reporter: while the chicago native has seen victory at wimbledon as a junior, this will be her first time on the grass

as a professional. if the french open is any indication, it won't be her last. >> i shocked myself at the french, to be honest. just because i didn't fully believe that i belonged in the circuit. >> reporter: a lefty who loves to play the net, townsend made it to the third round by deceiving corney, then ranked number 20 in the world. >> she has everything possible that you would want in a tennis player. i mean, she can do anything on the court. >> reporter: townsend's success as a pro also helped to prove she had come a long way from the summer of 2012. when the usda refused to pay her travel to the u.s. open until she got in better shape, raising the question of a more diplomatic way to say the teen needed to slim down. what did it mean to you? >> i was disappointed. i felt it gave me more drive.

>> reporter: instead of dwelling on the snub, townsend pushed herself harder, embracing her body and her goals. after paying her way to the open, she proved a powerful point on the court. winning the doubles title and finishing 2012 ranked number one junior in the world. did it make that victory at the u.s. open in 2012 a little bit sweeter? and that number one ranking? >> oh, yeah. >> reporter: townsend's talent, drive and the way she handled herself brought plenty of big names into her corner, including top pro deana garrison. >> this has given her something to hold on to, to grasp. when a young person is saying, thank you for standing up for body image, it will only make her better. >> reporter: townsend is spreading her message, working with these kids like these preschoolers at the washington tennis and education foundation to show them anyone can be a champion. erica hill, nbc news, washington. and on to wimbledon.

that is "nbc nightly news." brian williams will be back here tomorrow. i'm kate snow reporting from new york. from all of us here at nbc news, york. from all of us here at nbc news, good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

. thousands in the bay area and millions worldwide watched it live. team usa coming so close to beating portugal. we're live with reaction from fans in the south bay. >> plus, blocking any beach from the public has been illegal in california for decades. now the state finally has a way to crackdown on violators. questions nearly one year later. what we hope to learn and a report on the deadly crash of asiana flight 214. >> announcer: nbc bay area news starts now. good evening to you. thank you for joining us. i'm peggy bunker. >> i'm terry mcsweeney. a big win for beach-goers. homeowners keeping the public away from the water may now be punished. it's a new law that will have a huge effect across the state and certainly right here in the