tonight how the game made history and what's up for the u.s. team. going to extremes. record rain are, flash floods threatening the midwest with much of the country in the grip of this devastating drought. and driving on auto pilot. tonight we are the first to try out new technology hitting the american roads sooner than we all think. whether we like it or not, "nightly news" begins now.

good evening. more towns in iraq have now fallen to this heavily armed isis group. they have taken control of more real estate and are now getting awfully close to the border with jordan and saudi arabia. that will get the region's attention very quickly. just as it has the attention of the u.s. secretary of state. john kerry has made a rare visit to baghdad delivering a very blunt and sobering message that president obama could launch a military strike at any time. our chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell is traveling with the secretary. with us tonight from nearby ayman, jordan. it is notable that 11 years after this u.s. invasion of oh iraq that was meant to make that country safe for democracy, the u.s. secretary of state still has to come and go secretly and under heavy security. >> reporter: indeed. it's his first trip there in more than a year. brian, john kerry's message, his urgent message today to

baghdad's political leaders was stop fighting amongst yourself or risk having isis shatter iraq's fragile peace. iraqi troops didn't turn and%k%n today but isis militants advanced to bakuba less than 30 miles from baghdad. the insurgents control almost the entire border with syria and for a while also seize add key checkpoint with jordan urging to the urgency of john kerry's trip to baghdad, landing under intense security. he met with sunni and shia power brokers. for almost two hours with prime malaki stressing that this is a moment of decision, a critical time for iraq's leaders. >> iraq faces an exsten shell threat and iraq's leaders have to meet the threat with the urgency it demands. the very future of iraq depends on choices that will be made in the next days and weeks. >> reporter: the other leaders with whom you met today indicate

that they have the confidence that prime minister malaki can change? >> all of the leaders that i talked with today, including prime minister malaki, professed their commitment to the meeting the date and their understanding that they need to move rapidly to form a government. >> reporter: nothing illustrates how much things have changed here in iraq than this u.s. embassy here in baghdad. the most fortified, the largest embassy in the world. now thousands of its staff have been redeployeded, relocated to safer posts because of the threat of isis. as isis grabs more territory shiite militias organized to fight back. the threat of civil war is real. and with militants now controlling iraq's border with syria and threatening jordan, the u.s. is not going to wait forever for malaki to show he can lead. kerry also said pointedly today that the u.s. is gathering critical intelligence that president obama is ready to take military action if it becomes important he will do so.

also today, iraq finally granted u.s. troops legal protection that the u.s. has been demanding and those first u.s. military advisers will be embedding with iraqi forces, with the iraqi command in the next few days, brian. >> andrea mitchell covering the travels of the u.s. secretary of state starting us off from jordan tonight. thanks. in other news, back in this country the sunday evening roller coaster ride that had much of the nation kicking and screaming all at once right up until the stunning turn of events in the closing seconds. it turns out last night's usa/portugal game was the most watched soccer game ever broadcast on american television. just under 25 million americans tuned in and spent the day recovering as a result. bill neely reports tonight from brazil. >> reporter: american fans were defiant leaving the game. >> we love you! >> reporter: this was the tie that felt like a loss. >> really tough. >> the worst thing that ever

happened to me. >> so close! lit literally the last play of the game. >> reporter: emotions were high from the start. jermaine jones put the u.s. level. the fans were ecstatic. captain clint dempsey had players and fans alike believing it was game over. until this -- there had been just seconds left. the faces said it all. not just at the stadium. in chicago, a crowd of 20,000 watched the game that had them gripped. moments from celebrating a famous victory, it was snatched away to their utter disbelief. in brazil today, sore heads and broken hearts for u.s. fans. >> terrible when you think you have something and you lose it. >> how do you process what happened and be literally, like, 15 seconds away. >> for me it was an unqualified

victory. my girlfriend? she cried. >> reporter: it was the most watched game in u.s. soccer history. with 20 million facebook interactions about the game and 8 million tweets, this world cup now ranks as the biggest social media event ever. team usa's success is inspiring the young and may prove a turning point for soccer in the u.s. >> when i grow up, i'm going to be a soccer player, of course. >> i'll be like, it's okay, man. >> reporter: the fan focus is now on the next game. >> we've got germany next. we're going there. it's going to be ridiculous. >> reporter: but none of them want a repeat of the agonizing final seconds of american soccer's biggest game. and the team's dream of qualifying for the knockout stage is very much alive. in thursday's game against germany, the u.s. players don't have to win. they can tie. they can even lose by a goal. after last night's soccer

shocker, everyone is hoping for, yes, a historic but a lot less cruel a game. brian? >> bill neely back at the scene of so much suffering yesterday. in brazil, bill, thanks. tonight, record rainfall and flash flooding continue to threaten the american midwest. the most rainfall in the twin cities to start the year since 1871. all of it happening while much of the country is caught in the grip of a history-making drought. our report tonight on all of it from nbc's john yang. >> reporter: minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes. today it looks as if residents are living in the middle of them. outside the twin cities, a race against time as homeowners sandbag their homes. storms spawned funnel clouds over hastings, minnesota. in minneapolis, more heavy rain prompted new concerns over fresh erosion at the mudslide near the university of minnesota's medical center. with some iowa and minnesota crops under water, there's not

much those farmers can do. >> hopefully we'll be able to replant some of the soybeans that were damaged. on the corn side, it's late for that. >> reporter: in a matter of days parts of the region got as much as ten inches of rain. a normal rainfall for two weeks. in june alone, sioux falls, south dakota, has gotten more than 13 inches of rain. that's more than half the average total for a year. >> over a dozen states are going to see showers and thunderstorms. some of them will be severe from the high plains all the way from texas on up into ohio. >> reporter: meanwhile, the national climate data center said today around the world last month was the warmest may on record. on the west coast, the problem is not enough rain. california sufficienting an exceptional drought with some areas rationing water. >> if it does not rain this fall we have a nightmare of incalculable proportions. >> reporter: june has been a month of weather extremes.

john yang, nbc news, chicago. by the way, this drought isn't limited to just the u.s. coffee prices are on the rise quickly because of unprecedented drought in brazil. the world's largest coffees producer. starbucks is set to raise prices starting tomorrow morning on some of its products from 10 to 15 cents following moves by dunkin donuts and folgers which have raised prices by about 9%. now to an issue that affects every american family. the basic struggle between work life and home life and finding a way to balance it all for those who can. today the president took up the issue. what just might be an opening salvo to win over a critical voting block. we get our report tonight from our senior white house correspondent chris jansing. good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. what's being talked about tonight are kitchen table issues that impact nearly every american. will i get paid for maternity leave? can i take time off to care for

a sick child or parent? as is often the case here, the answers get tied up in politics. chris gardner works at outdoor gear company rei, is dad to two little girls and husband to a full-time teacher. does their story sound familiar? >> there is a negotiation that happens every day about who is picking uh which child and the taking them to which activity? >> reporter: it's the work life pressure millions of americans face but the law does little to address. in a survey of 185 countries just three don't require paid family leave, oman, pap with a new guinea and the u.s. nearly half of working parents have turned down a job because it would be too hard on their families. today the white house held a summit on working families to make the case for family-friendly policies. jetblue has more than 2,000 customer service reps who work from home including this mom to a 9 and 12-year-old. >> i work 40 hours a week. the schedule works around my personal life. not the other way around.

>> reporter: the software company sass has free on-site day care. >> i can walk over, see how he is and get back to work. >> reporter: these are rare exceptions. the white house today offered few specifics on how to fix the problems facing working families and acknowledged the reforms it supports are unlikely to go anywhere. >> i think the real hope here is to foster a conversation. >> reporter: republicans have a message to potential swing voters from boehner to marco rubio who says the proposals don't go far enough and will soon outline reforms of his own. but the president who took four working parents to lunch near the white house brushed off suggestions the summit is politically mote sated. for him, he says, it's personal. >> i was raised by strong women who worked hard to support my sister and me. i saw what it was like for a single mom. >> reporter: for chris gardner, it's all about the support he gets at work. >> i feel very fortunate to have built a career over time while i have been building a family. >> reporter: but the fact remains many women can't even

get a paid day off to give birth. while the president is able to give white house employees paid maternity leave, extending that to the rest of federal employees and beyond would take literally an act of congress. >> chris jansing from are the white house north lawn. oversaes three journalistses from al jazeera english have been convicted on terrorism related charges. each sentenced to seven years in prison at minimum. it was a chaotic court session in this case that's drawn condemnation from the obama white house. the journalists are accused of supporting the muslim brotherhood which egyptian authorities declared a are terrorist organization. prosecutors offered little evidence to back up the charges against them. we also have an update on the health condition of army sergeant beau bergdahl.

army says he's left the hospital. he's being treated with outpatient care at a texas military base including debriefs and kounsling from psychologists. sources the tell nbc news bergdahl has yet to contact his parents. over the three weeks since his release from afghanistan. still ahead for us on a monday evening, cars that drive on their own becoming a real thing we are going to see a lot more of. tonight a first look behind the wheel. and later, making a difference for kids who thought they were going to camp to learn to play softball but ended up learning so much more than that.

while those of us who drive do not relish the feeling of looking over in traffic and seeing a driverless car alongside us at high speeds the idea of it is becoming real. there is news today about a new device going on sale that enables a car to steer itself. it's in part to help those who

cannot drive a car of their own but need to get around. our report tonight from joe fryer in alimeda, california. >> reporter: what's happening inside this car might stun your driver's ed teacher. >> my hands are off the wheel. we can enjoy the ride. >> reporter: no hands while driving5+ñ/ñ#6o)÷uç created by cruise. once you're on the road driving in a lane, press a button and the car steers itself. >> it's got cameras, radar, gps and other sensors. that keeps track of the road and where you are in relation to it. >> reporter: for $10,000 cruise will modify your car. right now they are just altering certain audis and drivers can only turn on the only the on designated california highways. >> it's great for long trips and a commute. it's not the science fiction pipe dream of the button you push to go from work back to home. >> reporter: it's a first step toward a totally driverless vehicle which several automakers hope to build by 2020.

google has a bubble-shaped car with no steering wheel or gas pedal. liz gains with reco is partly owned by nbc universal and took a ride in one. >> google thinks the big next step is when you get a car that can take a blind person to do their errands, bring a senior citizen across town. >> reporter: the goal is safety. about 90% of crashes are caused by human error. >> do you think computers could drive better than humans? >> absolutely. if you think about it, the computer can react faster than you can. >> reporter: the idea troubles those who know electronics can fail. if that happens, who is responsible in a crash? >> it's likely that companies will have a much larger share of the liability. but the hope is that if these vehicles are safer that total liability will be much smaller because crasheses will be far less frequent. >> reporter: california is now writing laws for self-driving cars and vote hopes his technology will hit the road

next year. joe fryer, nbc news, alimeda, california. we are back in a moment with an unbelievable story of survival and a very happy family reunion.

steve rossi has died. comedy fans remember him as the straight man and the crooner in the duo after allen and rossi with marty allen. they were a staple of tv talk shows back in the day. rossi was 82 years old. full adajami has died. he was a constant presence on american television for well over the past decade. born into a shiite muslim iranian family in lebanon he studied arab intellectuals before his family moved to the u.s. where he earned his own ph.d. worked at johns hopkins, later at the hoover institution. while his views changed over the years his advice was sought by

presidents, thinkers and journalists. he died of cancer at 68 years old. president obama will award the medal of honor for conspicuous ga lan tri for ryan pits for his actions in combat in kunar province, afghanistan, in 2008. this will make the 40th medal of honor president obama has awarded while in office though many of they will have been posthumous and for past conflicts. at the ceremony in mid july pitts is slated to become the 80th living are recipient of the medal of honor. we have reported on a lot of auto recalls of late, specifically the problems at gm which have led them to recall as many vehicles as they have sold in the past seven years. another stat came out today. it's a staggering number courtesy of the washington post. just this year so far, automakers have recalled 1 in 10 of all the vehicles on the american road. that is over 28 million cars and

tru trucks. finally a golden retriever in california has a lot of explaining to do. murphy the dog went missing during a family camping trip two years ago. she darted off when she heard a hunt er's gunshot. the family never gave up searching for her. when a camper recently thought they spotted her, they brought her old blanket and dog bed and clothing with the scent of family members on it into the forest where she was spotted. a week later they went back. she was found sleeping on her blanket. her family said she's skinny and eating them out of house and home, but they are happy to have her home at long last. up next for us here tonight, what if they called it a softball game and it ended up being something else entirely? our making a difference report.

>> announcer: making a difference, brought to you by pfizer. >> finally tonight it's that summer camp time of year. our focus is on one particular camp in kentucky. it looks just like summer camp. it's when you look closer you will see there is something extraordinary going on. our making a difference report from our national correspondent kate snow. >> reporter: like any softball camp, there are drills, batting

practice, fly balls. but the way steven makes contact or jace can throw a fast one is really something to see. show me how that works. >> i just pitch it. >> there it is. >> reporter: their coaches for this week-long camp are all members of the wounded warriors amputee softball team. just like the kids, they are all missing arms or legs. >> when you travel and meet young guys with amputations, we just want to give back to show anybody with disabilities anything is possible. >> good job. >> reporter: it isn't just a softball camp. field trips to car kads and the kentucky derby track, they bond with each other. >> you don't feel alone. >> reporter: adrian lost his leg eight months ago when he was playing soccer and a car crashed through the schoolyard fence.

the dad asked, son, are you hurting? he goes, no dad, i don't have time to hurt. i only have time to be happy. >> reporter: over five days they learn a lot from each other. >> i just thought i was going to come here to learn softball, but apparently not. >> nice. oh, wow! [ cheers ] >> i learned how to tie my shoes. and never give up. >> reporter: on the last night of camp they were all stars. [ cheers ] >> reporter: each player called out by name. >> logan powell! [ applause ] >> reporter: it wasn't really important who won that championship game. it was what they took away when the game was over. kate snow, nbc news, louisville,

kentucky. what a great story to start off a new week. that is our broadcast for this monday night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. we, of course, hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. right back here tomorrow evening. good night. nbc bay area news starts now. a water rush in the south bay. the drastic measures homeowners and farmers are doing to keep the water flowing. good evening, and thanks for joining us. i'm janelle wang. >> and i'm jessica aguirre. drought reaching critical mode for some homeowners. those who depend on well water are running low, forcing some to haul in their own water. we have team coverage tonight. rob mayeda is watching the radar

and has more on other next chance of rain. but we begin with michelle roberts. some people have it tougher if they have the well water. >> reporter: that's right. people all over the area are cop serving, taking shorter showers and not watering the lawn as often. but up here in morgan hill, people are worried about fires. drilling for water didn't used to be this tough. >> there's more people taking the water out. >> reporter: which means in drought years, tom has only one option. >> drilling deeper is the only way to find more water. >> reporter: he's the third generation driller, done this all his life and never seen the conditions so dry. today he's working on a walnut farm in gilroy that depends on a well that's running low. >> he doesn't want to lose his walnuts. >> reporter: he's been bombarded with