tonight, alarming shutdowns on wall street and in the air. the new york stock exchange frozen for much of the day, and united airlines suffers its own major outage. trades halted, planes grounded. what's going on? no holds barred. it's the interview that has so many people talking. our correspondent one on one with donald trump. >> do you want to apologize? >> no. there's nothing to apologize for. >> doubling down on comments that set off a firestorm. it was a federal agent's gun. a stunning twist in the killing that shocked the nation. a woman shot to death seemingly at random on a san francisco pier. and in hot water. a hollywood star accused of stealing truckloads of public water for his sprawling california

estate as a devastating drought forces homeowners to dramatically cut back. "nightly news" begins right now. >> announcer: from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news with lester holt." good evening. a lot of us got that uneasy feeling today when within hours of each other separate computer outages grounded all united airlines flights and halted trading on the new york stock exchange. it turns out they were unrelated glitches but they quickly got the attention of homeland security officials, who determined there was no cyber attack. and while that gave us a reason to breathe easier it didn't make the day any better for grounded and delayed passengers or stock traders. and it reminded us all once again of what a razor-thin digital threat we all hang by. we have two reports. first stephanie gosk on the stock exchange breakdown. stephanie, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, lester. well, the new york stock exchange is one of the world's

largest. so when something goes wrong here on wall street, the country and the world take notice. and today the exchange came to a grinding halt for hours. when the opening bell rang this morning the biggest concern was the chinese market. but that would change. >> i've never seen this happen. >> reporter: at 11:32 without warning the new york stock exchange shut down. >> what i'm trying to figure out, i don't have the answer, is exactly what's causing this glitch. >> reporter: traders were stunned. >> there was a collective gasp. >> it was a collective gasp. and traders started running around, talking to each other, clearly on the hunt for the information they'd just lost. >> reporter: no access to stock prices. 700,000 orders stopped in their tracks. at 12:09 nyse tweeted, "we're experiencing a technical issue that we're working to resolve as quickly as possible." but on a day when the computer system for a major u.s. airline shut down there was early concern that this may be a large-scale cyber attack. >> there's no indication that malicious actors are

involved in these technology issues. >> reporter: while terrorism is ruled out, the cause is still unknown. an overnight upgrade of the software system may have played a part. today's abrupt shutdown is not unprecedented, but it's rare. in 2013 the nasdaq exchange went black for three hours because of a technical glitch. at 3:10 the nyse was back up and running. no one lost money, and trade had continued on other exchanges. >> does this have a knock on people's confidence in the system? >> this was an inconvenience here at the new york stock exchange. but because of quick thinking as far as i know no clients were hurt and nobody suffered a big loss. >> reporter: but what may be damaged is the powerful system of wall street. >> it's a black eye. it's embarrassing. it's not what you want to see from the face of capitalism, which this place is around the world. >> reporter: for nearly four hours on wall street today no one was feeling very bullish. stephanie gosk, nbc news, new york.

>> reporter: this is tom costello in washington. from the crowded runways at l.a.x. all the way cross-country to the ramp at newark. >> what was frustrating was on the united website they didn't have any information about the delay. >> reporter: to the gates at chicago o'hare where at 9:00 a.m. not a single plane was backing out. >> they can't even tell us when our flight's leaving, so we have to head through security now. hope for the best. >> reporter: the morning rush went nowhere fast for tens of thousands of united passengers after the nation's second biggest airline suffered yet another computer glitch. the ripple effect stretching to curbside in los angeles to miserably long lines in denver, minneapolis, and houston. >> basically, the late flights are going to keep us from getting to some very important meetings we were hoping to make. >> reporter: it all started just after 8:00 a.m. eastern. united says a computer router failed, taking out flight scheduling and passenger check-in systems. that led to an faa ground stop for all united airlines

flights nationwide until 10:00 a.m. the good news, it happened on wednesday, one of the slowest travel days of the week. the bad news, it's the height of the summer vacation season. >> it's always frustrating when there's a delay because we have our vacation planned and travel and stuff like that. >> reporter: in all, says united, more than 800 flight delays, roughly 60 united and united express flights canceled. just the latest disruption caused by computer glitches since united merged with continental in 2010. the most recent on june 2nd affected 150 flights. >> you have redundancy, double redundancy, triple redundancy. these kind of things just can't happen in a 24 by 7 full-time system that basically has to be on all the time. >> reporter: united airlines says it's confident this was not the work of hackers, rather it was a failure with a router, that critical component to the computer system, and it says this was completely unrelated to what happened at the new york stock exchange. lester? tom costello tonight. thanks. now to the interview that has so many people talking this evening. donald trump surging in republican primary polls even as he loses

business deals. trump doubling down today in an interview with nbc's katy tur, backing up his comments that have sparked so much controversy. >> we are taking mexico's problems. mexico is beating us on trade, and they're beating us at the border. but mexico doesn't want to take these people. so what do they do? they send them to our stupid politicians and we have sanctuary cities and we have all of this nonsense. i've been saying this for a long time, katy, and it's a disgrace. and frankly, if i didn't bring it up you wouldn't even be talking about immigration right now. >> when was the last time you were at the border? >> i've been to the border probably three or four times over the years. and i have many people that live around the area. i'm going to arizona this weekend where they want to talk to me because arizona is -- in some ways i'm the most popular person in arizona because of my stance. and i'm going to be -- >> but when was the last time that you were there? >> probably three years ago. >> so how do you -- if you haven't been there in three years, how do you know that it is such a problem?

>> because i know it was bad then and it's worse now. it was terrible then, and it's worse now. it's worse now than it's ever been. you don't even have a border. people are just flowing through like water. there's no border right now. and we're taking them and putting them in our jails and our hospitals and we're paying them money through different sources. it's a disgrace. >> do you think -- >> and by the way, i'm not -- i have great relationship with the mexican people. i have many people working for me, you can look at the job in washington, i have many legal immigrants working for me, many come from mexico, they love me and i love them. and if i get the nomination i will win the latino vote. i will win it because i'm going to create jobs. >> you're for the second amendment. do you have a gun? >> i have a license to have a gun, yes, i do. >> do you own one? >> yes, i do. >> do you use it? gun range? >> it's none of your business. it's really none of your business. i have a license to have a gun. >> gun control. >> what are you asking -- >> stronger background -- >> excuse me. yes, i have a gun and

yes, i have a permit to have a gun. >> stronger background checks? what about that? is there any step that you would take to make it harder to get a gun in this country? >> the problem is once you get into that you start getting into a situation, the slippery slope where all of a sudden you're going to really violate the second amendment. >> do you have a plan for isis? >> i do have a plan. >> what is it? >> with isis you kill them at the head. you take the oil. that's where they're getting their money. if you bomb the hell out of it you bomb the hell out of it. you've got to stop their wealth. they have tremendous wealth. >> what about civilians? >> i'm talking about oil. >> what do you think of hillary if she wins the nomination? >> i think hillary would be a terrible president. she was the worst secretary of state in the history of our nation. why would she be a good president? jeb bush will never take us to the promised land. he doesn't have it. hillary will never take us to the promised land. hillary will be a disaster as a president. we need somebody that can make great deals with china, with japan, with mexico. we need somebody that really understands and cherishes the

military. i actually think i'll be the jobs president, but i actually think i'll be even better in terms of the military. i will create military where nobody's going to mess around with the united states. >> katy tur along with chuck todd here with us. katy, he's still suffering fallout with his business dealings over all this. >> celebrity chef jose andres has backed out of opening a restaurant in trump's d.c. hotel, and nevada republican senator dean heller says he will be giving back the campaign contributions that trump gave to him and giving them to charity instead. >> and chuck, he said in that interview that we wouldn't be talking about immigration if it weren't for him. is he right? >> he's 100% right. okay, let's put that on the table. we are having a conversation on immigration. not a great one. not the most substantive one. but yes, we're having one because of him and what he's brought to this campaign. and i think another part of this that we can't ignore is that there is a chunk of the american electorate he's speaking for. this is a chunk of the american electorate that does feel left

behind. the middle class part of the country that feels as if the middle class isn't the best place to go rise up. and they don't know who to blame. they blame some of washington. they blame some of wall street. so trump is channeling that anger. he's doing it inaccurately. he's believing every conspiracy theory and fact that he finds on the internet and not the ones that are straightforward. but the sentiment is one that people i think are connecting with. so we can't ignore who's following him. he may flame out, as i said before, and i expect him to, but there's still a chunk of voters who believe this. by the way, his comments on hillary clinton will shock i think some people today because at one time he praised her job as secretary of state and he's been a big supporter of the clintons in the past. i think that's going to get him in trouble. >> that's not praise we heard a moment ago. >> no, it's not. and that's how republicans might try town do him. >> chuck and katy, thanks very much. we have posted katy's entire interview with donald trump on our website. you can find the full conversation on nbcnews.com. there's other news

to tell you about. a new twist in a murder case that's become a flash point in the fight against immigration. authorities have traced the gun that an undocumented immigrant allegedly used in the shooting of a woman on a san francisco pier. and sources say it came from a very surprising place. nbc's hallie jackson with more on that for us. >> reporter: the gun that killed 32-year-old kate steinle originally belonged to a federal agent with the bureau of land management. the weapon stolen from his car according to the agency. prosecutors say that gun ended up in the hands of juan francisco lopez sanchez, who has pleaded not guilty to shooting steinle, raising questions about why the mexican immigrant was allowed to walk free in san francisco in the first place. after drug convictions in washington and oregon federal immigration officials deported lopez sanchez five times. each time he returned to the u.s. within weeks. twice to arizona and twice more to texas. arrested there as recently as 2009. he was released from a bay area jail this

spring but san francisco officials never notified i.c.e. they don't have to. san francisco's considered a sanctuary city, along with more than 7 0 other municipalities nationwide including new york and philadelphia. places that generally don't get involved with federal immigration law unless there's a legal reason. >> these sanctuary city policies were designed to help promote public safety but in fact they undermine it because they make life less safe in the immigrant community where convicted criminals cause harm to all members of the community. >> reporter: but supporters of sanctuary laws say they create better relationships between law enforcement and immigrant communities. >> local government is not in the deportation business. >> would you go back and do anything differently knowing you that know now? >> i would. >> what? >> i would go right downtown to i.c.e.'s door and tell them to do their job. >> i.c.e. says they did as a seemingly random shooting shines a spotlight on what some call a broken system. hallie jackson, nbc news, san francisco. baltimore's police commissioner anthony batts has been fired 2

1/2 months after the the riots overt death of freddie gray. the mayor announced that batts is out just hours after the police union released a scathing report on the depending handling of the riots back in april. gray died earlier that month from injuries he received while in police custody. we are getting an incredible look this evening at the exact moment a flash flood hit. the terrain is dry one second. the next it's covered in a deluge of rushing water and debris after a severe storm. the destructive power captured on video in utah's johnson canyon. we've got a lot more to tell you about tonight. magnum p.i. allegedly caught by a real-life private eye. tom selleck accused of stealing water to use at his california ranch. an uproar amid this drought emergency as millions are forced to cut back. and later, hello mudda, hello fadda, letters from camp going viral. laughter and tears far from home for the summer.

we're back now with the uproar involving a hollywood star. actor tom selleck accused of stealing truckloads of public water, having it brought to his estate during the middle of california's historic drought, when so many other people are being forced to cut back. the high-profile figure, the latest face of so-called water shaming. our national correspondent miguel almaguer reports. >> reporter: actor tom selleck may be in hot water, according to a lawsuit a truck

routinely hauled water from this hydrant eight miles away from his home onto the actor's 60-acre ranch. >> i can explain! >> reporter: the "magnum p.i." star isn't talking and hasn't responded to our requests for comments. in court documents thes claims a water truck repeatedly tapped a water hydrant for 18 months. during one week alone the truck observed making seven trips into and four trips out of the hidden valley area where the selleck property is located. selleck is being sued for $21,000, the cost of the investigation. the water district is also asking selleck to cease and desist, to stop taking water. the sheriff tells us he faces no criminal charges. >> it's really about doing the right thing and preserving our water supply for our users. >> reporter: with water reserves dwindling across the state the public is doing its part. water use slashed by 29% in may. the mormon temple in

los angeles letting its nearly 100,000-square-foot lawn go brown. >> we're picking up the pace. water conservation is setting in. but we're not there yet. and we have to keep at it. >> reporter: so-called drought shaming, neighbors reporting neighbors for water waste. >> do you really need to do that in the middle of a drought? >> reporter: -- has become a trend as water companies threaten fines. tonight it's selleck's turn. after the water company hired a p.i. to catch magnum p.i. miguel almaguer, nbc news, los angeles. we're back in a moment with the lengths some are going to to keep the confederate flag flying in south carolina.

♪ ♪ one day a rider made a decision. the decision to ride on and save money. he decided to save money by switching his motorcycle insurance to geico. there's no shame in saving money. ride on, ride proud. geico motorcycle great rates for great rides. in south carolina the emotional effort to remove the confederate flag from the state house grounds hit a hurdle. dozens of them in fact, as a state legislator from a rural upstate community launched an

effort to kill a bill. nbc's ron allen has more. >> representative pitts is recognized on the amendment. >> reporter: representative mike pitts is virtually a one-man wrecking crew in the south carolina house. offering amendment after amendment, at least 25 and still counting, dominating the emotional debate about a bill that would remove the confederate flag from the state house grounds. >> yellow jasmine has a good smell. >> reporter: he wants a bed of state flowers planted if the flag and its pole are removed. or a granite monument with the flag cast in bronze. or the flag in a glass case. what his critics call filibuster by amendment. >> clearly you're trying to thwart is this process. >> no. i am trying to reach a compromise and find one amendment that can do that. >> reporter: he hails from a rural community in upstate south carolina, a manufacturing and farming hub. >> why is this flag so important to you? >> i grew up with that flag. the current flag. being almost a symbol of reverence because

of my family's service in that war. it was not a racial issue. >> are you concerned that you're on the wrong side of history now? >> no, i am not. i would like the heritage that i represent also respected in the process. it's that simple. >> reporter: the debate went on for hours with a number of other defenders of the flag adding their voices. all this continues on thursday. most observers expect the bill will eventually pass, with the flag coming down perhaps by the end of the week. ron allen, nbc news, columbia, south carolina. a moving moment from the pope's eight-day visit to south america. an elderly woman in a wheelchair was lifted up to greet pope francis, who kissed her during his swing through ecuador. before he departed that country today a dad brought his son up to say good-bye. the little boy will never remember it because he was asleep the whole time. the pope's tour now continues to bolivia, where he received a warm welcome despite the chilly weather.

when we come back, kids saying the darnedest things. the gems from campers practicing the lost art of letter writing.

===take vo=== how law enforcement finally caught him. ===janelle/radar=== plus: we're tracking summer storms. the unusual weather that could hit your neighborhood. ===next close=== the news is next. ==janelle/take live== we begin with breaking news in finally tonight,

for kids today nothing is ever more than a text away. but what happens when a generation raised on the instant gratification of the digital world collides with the old-fashioned customs of summer camp? here's nbc's rehema ellis. >> reporter: the sounds of summer sleep-away camp. even in this digital age the tradition of sending handwritten letters endures. at camp louemma in northern new jersey the kids right home at least twice a week. >> dear mom and dad, i'm having the best time ever. >> i miss you so much, but camp is amazing. >> reporter: it's a way for them to express themselves, whether they miss home or not. >> no offense to them, but i'd much rather be here with all my friends than talking to them. >> reporter: or maybe it's for parents everywhere who've taken to posting the letters on social media. >> dear family, i must write you a letter even though nothing important has happened. >> reporter: life's lesson of the day -- no pain, no gain. often funny, sometimes even a tad dramatic.

one camper writes, "i want to go home now. these wet spots are my tears." we caught up with doug and joanna goldoff whose two children write every other day. >> i love you. i miss you. you're da best. >> reporter: 12-year-old zachary and 9-year-old danielle are away at camp for the second week. >> oh, mommy, i cried five times already. you know, it kind of pulls at your heart a little bit. but then the next letter is i'm having the best time ever. >> reporter: we were there when they received a letter. >> to whom it may concern. >> i'm not going to lie. this is a little anti-climactic. >> reporter: it's nice to know some things haven't changed. >> to see them actually writing the way we used to, which was the norm, is actually nice to see. >> reporter: letters from summer camp. sure to become precious family mementos, and reading them over and over never gets old. rehema ellis, nbc news, roslyn, new york. >> absolutely priceless. that's going to do it for us on a wednesday night. i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, thank you for

watching, and good night. nbc bay area news begins with breaking news. >> breaking news happening right now in sacramento where crews are battling two fires just miles apart. good evening. thank you for joining us. >> let's take you outside and show you the live picture. you're seeing that big, thick, white plume of smoke seen from miles. it is coming from a raging fire at a dump that is in sacramento. the dump is south of sacramento state. now, earlier we could see flames shooting into the air as firefighters battled the fire. they're also dealing with another blaze just south of the dump, that one is a brushfire that broke out on a field on the

edge of a neighborhood east of highway 99. you can see in that fire the flames were moving fast. at one point, that fire burned through a fence and right up against the home. but this big flumplume of smoke coming from a dump fire south of sacramento state. happening right now in the south bay, firefighters are mopping up after this brushfire in gilroy. it broke out before 5:00 on monterey road at highway 101. quick work by firefighters knocked this out in less than 30 minutes. no homes ever threatened but railroad tracks in the area had to be shut down briefly. no word on how this fire started. all the fires, we're getting something we don't see a lot of in the summer rain drops. dark clouds hovering over the bay. there is a chance of scattered showers overnight and tomorrow. we have team coverage for you, robert honda is stand by in the south bay. we begin with chip ranieri here to tell us who might