or don't wear skinny jeans. >> and no skinny jeans in the heat. not worth it. thanks for joining us here]÷dq 5:00. lester holt joining us next. tonight, a major turning point in the fight over the confederate flag. walmart, ebay and amazon say they won't sell it and a major flagmaker says they won't even make it any more. growing calls in more states to remove a symbol so painful for so many. a massive tornado outbreak barreling across the country. major cities in the high risk zone. nbc exclusive as we learn stunning new details about how those killers escape prison. the husband of the woman accused of helping them speaks to matt lauer about his wife and the alleged plot to kill him. and toxic fumes, how safe is the air you breathe on airplanes? an alarming new lawsuit.

flight attendants who say dangerous air gives serious harm to their health. nightly news begins right now. this is nbc nightly news with lester holt reporting tonight from washington. >> good evening. in the wake of the charleston church massacre an old symbol is generating new and growing controversy far beyond south carolina. that effort to remove the confederate battle flag has quickly transformed into a broader, nationwide movement against the flag image itself. as major retailers begin pulling confederate flag-themed merchandise from shelves. but what some see as a symbol of hate others see as an important piece of southern history. ron allen takes us into the center of the fight. >> today, one of the major flagmakers valley fort flag says it will stop producing the

confederate flag in honor of charleston. >> we wanted to make sure we stood up and took a firm stance. >> as major retailers dropped merchandise bearing the flag. we never want to offend anyone with a product that we offer, said walmart. >> i see brave ryry, i see honor, i see the country. >> south carolina's skaptal, jeff has a barn full of confederate flags and even one on the grave of a rebel soldier in his backyard. >> private henry robinson. >> reporter: a former commander, who insists the flag should forever fly over south carolina. >> it's a war memorial to honor 25,000 men a quarter of the men in south carolina died to protect this state. >> so many of the people in this state and the country see slavery. they see racism. they see the klan in that flag.

>> they stole it. they dishonored that flag. that flag never had anything to do about slavery. >> passion to keep the flag up as protesters at the statehouse again today demanded the larry bring it down. >> let us pray together. >> after a moment of silence for the nine massacred in mother emanuel church both took steps to debate the flag later this summer a two-thirds vote required to move it.

south carolina senator lindsey graham, now running for president, has resisted efforts to remove the flag. today he told kelly o'donnell, he's changed his mind. >> criticize me all you like. i am in a different place now. >> now, bipartisan calls across the south for states to eliminate confederate symbolism, like the emblem in the corner of the mississippi state flag and on the state flag of grnl, flags on virginia and tennessee license plates. defenders say that won't happen without a fight. the flag is such a contentious and emotional issue, many observers say expect more as the confederate flag continues to fly. lester. >> all right, ron. now to the accused killer who's apparently racist motives re-ignited this debate. officials released this dash cam video of roof's arrest over 13 hours after he allegedly killed nine people inside a charleston church. officials also tell nbc news that roof did, in fact, buy the semi automatic handgun used in the massacre from the store 25 miles from his home. tonight, a major at this hour fully half the united states, 25 states, from

maine to montana are under the threat of violent storms. there are tornado warnings right now in several states. part of a massive outbreak of tornadoes, hail storms, and flash floods that have already made direct hits in the middle of the country and 71 million people are bracing for impact in the east. al roker is monitoring a very

cabins are mostly empty. >> my question is how did they find out a place like this. >> this is no question sweat and matt are getting help. now discovered and on the run surviving in these woods got much more difficult. the weather here has beensearchers difficulties as well. there was a tip from the campground down the street that triggered a rapid and significant response. turned out to be a false lead. right now any tip in

this immediate vicinity is being treated with extra urgency. lester? >> all right. now to that exclusive and frankly eye-opening interview with lyle mitch whole with his lawyer sat down with the "today" show's matt lauer to open up for the first time over his heartbreak about the allegations against his wife and shock of learning of a plot to kill him. >> the instant you and your wife heard that richard matt and david sweat had escaped from clip, what -- from clinton, what was her reaction and your reaction? >> i couldn't believe it. her reaction -- she said they escaped. that's why -- i left it at that. >> at that point, lyle you had no reason to ask your wife do you know anything about this escape? >> no, no. no. and then the next morning, she said the state police called. i said for what? they wanted to know something about a package. a package? i said what are you talking about? she said, we have -- i have to talk to the

troopers. the investigator came out and said "mr. mitchell your wife has more involved than she's letting on." what? that's when she said she apparently bought two hacksaw blades a phillips and chisel. oh, my god. >> when but finally ask her pointblank, face to face? >> that night on the way home. she said that this -- i was scared. she said, "i have something else to tell you." i said "what's that?" she said "their plan was they want to kill you." i said "what?" they wanted her to pick them up. she said she wouldn't have gone through with it that's what she told me. that she really loved me and she was in too deep. >> one of the other headlines that came out that was your wife joyce had had a sexual relationship with one or both of these inmates. >> absolutely not. she swore on her son's life and her son -- never have i ever had sex. >> when you stop and think about it now, lyle isn't it very likely that had you been in the back of that car and had she

shown up in that getaway car that both of you would be dead right now is. >> absolutely 100%. she would get away they were going kill her, they were. all they wanted that was vehicle. >> let me ask you bluntly -- did you have anything to do with the escape -- >> absolutely nothing -- >> -- of the two convicts? >> my main concern is catching these people. >> your wife is facing several charges. >> yes. >> she could end up in jail or prison herself for quite a while. >> yes. >> would you stick with her through that or might you testify against your wife? >> right now i do not know. there are so many thoughts running through my head. do i still love her? yes. am i mad? yes. how could she do this? how could she do this to our kids? >> lyle mitchell speaking out for the first time today with matt lauer. the white house is on the verge of a major change to u.s. hostage policies, and it will have a big impact on families waiting and hoping for the safety of their loved ones trapped in

enemy hands far from home. nbc news has learned what the president will reveal tomorrow. our white house correspondent, peter alexander, is on the north lawn with details. peter, good evening. >> reporter: lester, good evening to you. this policy shift comes in response to fierce criticism from those families who lost loved ones held captive by terrorist groups like isis and al qaeda. a senior administration official tells me that tomorrow president obama will announce that hostages' families can privately pay ransom money. basically the government's going to look the other way and will not threaten to prosecute families that pay. the white house is also going to announce that it's creating what it calls a hostage recovery fusion center. it will be based at the fbi. it will also include a coordinator to keep families better informed. but the u.s. government importantly will still not pay ransom. and the white house also has no plans to appoint a high-level hostage czar. lester a lot of families and lawmakers had recommended that. >> peter alexander tonight, thank you. still ahead

tonight, how safe is the air we all breathe on airplanes? alarming new accusations from flight attendants about toxic fumes on board and serious health damage. also remembering a hollywood legend. an oscar winner who brought to life some of the most famous scenes in movie history.

we're back with our nbc news investigation into the air quality aboard passenger planes. four flight attendants have filed a lawsuit against boeing which supplies planes to

many of the world's airlines accusing the manufacturer of knowing about a defect that allows toxic fumes to leak through the engines and into the cabin, potentially affecting the air all of us breathe on board. here's nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: july 12th 2013, a medical emergency on board alaska airlines flight 769. the plane diverted to chicago. >> we immediately began to feel ill. just dizzy nauseous. we just couldn't think straight. >> reporter: four flight attendants complaining of nauseous chemical fumes in the cabin. two of them passed out. paramedics rushed all four to the hospital, sick disoriented, and struggling to concentrate. most modern aircraft get fresh air by bleeding outside air through the plane's engines and into the cabin. but a burning oil leaks inside the engine it can send toxic fumes through the ventilation system. two years since the incident vanessa woods and two fellow flight attendants claim tremors,

neurological and memory issues have kept phlegm returning to work -- kept them from returning to work. >> i'm hoping that i'll make a recovery. at least to recover you know some sort of life. >> reporter: now all four flight attendants are suing boeing claiming it's been aware of the danger for decades. included in the suit this 2007 e-mail from a boeing engineer who laments, bottom line is i think we are looking for a tombstone before anyone with any horsepower is going to take interest. in 2012 british airways pilot, richard westgate died. a british coroner found symptoms consistent with exposure to organo-phosphate compounds in the cabin air. the nation's flight attendant union says toxic fume events happen at least once a day, potentially affecting thousands. >> they may not realize they were sick or it was caused from contaminated air. they're not getting properly treated for that poisonous fumes that are now in their -- in their system.

>> reporter: boeing declined to comment on the suit but has always insisted cabin air is safe to breathe and contaminant levels are generally low. its newest aircraft the 787, does not use bleed air to ventilate the cabin. tom costello, nbc news, washington. up next here tonight, if you've ever sent an e-mail by mistake, if you've ever hit send and wish you could take it back, stick around.

one of television's favorites fathers has died. dick van patten who played patriarch tom bradford in "eight is enough" from 1977 to 1981. it was his best known role in a lifetime of acting that included broadway the early days of television and big screen including a string of mel brooks movies. remembered for his gentle comedy he was also an animal lover and serious poker player. dick van patten was 86. tom brady fans

today spending hours making an appeal under oath to nfl commissioner roger goodell at league headquarters in new york. as brady tries to get his four-game suspension over deflategate overturned. no word on what brady said or any new evidence he may have presented to make his case. a recall to warn you about over potential e. coli contamination in bottled water. it affects 14 brands of spring water produced by two niagara bottling plants in pennsylvania. it's sold mostly as generic or store brand labels like 7-eleven, shop rite, and wegman's. it's only a precaution because tests show no evidence of leukemia contamination of any kind in the water delivered to the plant or their finished products. and you know when you realize you just sent the wrong e-mail to the wrong person? gmail has added an "undo" feature for all users which would let you get embarrassing emails back without anyone being the wiser. just turn it on and set a window that will allow gmail to hold your emails for five

to 30 seconds before they go out, giving you precious time to recall them. when we come back feral a meister of the cinema who scored some of the best loved moments on the silver screen.

ordinance against fireworks. ===take vo=== the new penalty... if even so much as a sparkler is lit on your property. ===take vo jess === plus, the popular email service that now lets you "unsend" a message.

finally tonight, we remember a man behind some of the greatest scores of a generation. oscar winner james horner is feared dead after a single-engine plane registered to him crashed in california killing the pilot who has yet to be identified. no one has heard from horner since. from "titanic" to "braveheart" to "apollo 13," we look back at a legend at work. >> reporter: james horner's music in films didn't just pull at heartstrings it inspired. ♪ there's nothing i fear ♪ ♪ >> reporter: the 61-year-old composer scored more than 100 films. ♪ >> reporter: "braveheart." ♪ >> reporter: "apollo 13." ♪ >> reporter: "avatar." ♪ >> different worlds. different colors that i tried to bring out in the music, and a

lot of the emotion is carried in the music. >> james horner "titanic." >> reporter: in 1997 horner won two oscars for the megahit "titanic." including one for the song written for celine dion. ♪ there's nothing i fear ♪ >> reporter: she tweeted, "re no, sir and i are saddened by the tragic death of david horner. we will miss him." ron howard called him brilliant and said "my heart aches for his loved ones." what made horner the standout composer that he was? >> i think he understood instinctively how to get to the heart of a scene. ♪ >> reporter: horner also loved flying and cherished the work he did on a documentary film about a group of acrobatic pilots. >> basically just fly and write your soul and write your heart. that's what i did. ♪ >> reporter: james horner, an award-winning composer who helped make movies soar.

rahaima ellis, nbc news, los angeles. and that is going to do it for us on this tuesday night. i'm lester holt reporting from a stormer washington, d.c. you may have heard the thunder behind me. we'll pop those fireworks -- pay a fine. the 4th of july crackdowngi right now at 6:00 pop those fireworks and pay a fine. the fourth of july crackdown begins now. good evening and thanks for joining us. i'm jessica aguirre. >> and i'm raj mathai. we want to start in the east bay. we're following a developing story in oakland at this hour. we've been on the scene since our 5:00 p.m. newscast at this two-alarm fire near the coliseum. this is at a pallet factor near 98th avenue. you can see from our nbc bay

area chopper, fire crews cutting holes into that roof to access the fire. the smoke is visible from 880. around the 98th avenue exit. we continue to follow this firefight and bring you updates online and more updates here on the tv side. it's been a busy day for firefighters across the area. crews are monitoring hot spots after a fire burned dangerously close to homes in fairfield. you can see those flames peeking over the rooftops. the fire started around 1:00 this afternoon. from our chop e you can see how quickly the flames spread and charred those 15 acres right behind that community. this happened at the end of vista grand near i-80 in fairfield. neighbors sigh chp officers had just told them to get ready to evacuate. however, firefighters were able to get the upper hand. >> the fire department hit it really hard. a tanker actually dropped some stuff in behind their house and then the helicopter showed up. they did a great job. >> this fire was sparked b