sexual misconduct involving underaged girls and allegations he paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to buy the silence of one of the alleged victims and her family. protests and outrage over undocumented immigrants that have been ordered out of the country as president trump defends the crackdown. and how a traffic stop by a sheriff's deputy -- >> there we go, come on, honey, there you go. >> turned into a heroic life saving mission for a baby. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. good evening on this busy news day, tropical storm barry is being felt along the louisiana coast, now less than 24 hours from land fall as a likely hurricane. torrential rains and a storm surge expected to produce life threatening floods. in new orleans today, crews hoping to hold f the risinmanyesidents heedin taking what they can eeft

some storm shelves practically bear. our kerry sanders is in the storm zone tonight. >> reporter: tonight tropical storm barry and bearing down on southern louisiana. portions of the grand isle under water as time has run out to prepare. >> nobody should take this storm lightly just because it's supposed to be a category one when it makes land fall. >> reporter: tens of thousands of tourists and convention goers in new orleans packing up and getting out. >> they gave us word and we said that's what we're going to do. >> reporter: 3,000 members of the louisiana national guard are on alert bringing boats and high water vehicles. the biggest rry, not wind, but water which is already rising. while storm surge can batter a coastline, this is what storm surge looks like. it's a fast-moving, flash flood. with the power of the atlantic ocean behind it. in the crescent city named because the mississippi river

makes that hard turn, there's another danger, that up to 70-mile-per-hour winds could cause a five-foot storm surge, pushing so much water up the river it spills over the top of new orleans levees. >> compounding the situation, the mississippi is eight feet above its usual level. see those submerged trees over there? that's where the riverbank should be. >> residents unsure what's next. >> i've never seen it this high. it's pretty impressive. >> reporter: tonight in low lying areas outside of new orleans there are expectations of widespread flooding. meantime, in the city, there is now a shelter in place order. that means that residents should it's now all about riding it out. >> we can see some of the waves overtopping behind you. kerry, thank you. let's get a read of where the stream is. let's bring in al roker. al, what are we looking at?

>> reporter: lester, right now barry is making its way toward the louisiana coast, currently 75 miles southeast of morgan city, louisiana. it's got winds of 65-miles-per-hour. it's moving west northwest at six-miles-per-hour. land fall sometime early saturday morning and makes its way up into the mississippi river valley. we are worried about storm surge, anywhere from two to six feet and that will cause a lot of flooding. and then add on top of that tons of rain. we are talking about a high risk of flooding through the lower mississippi river valley. rain fall amounts could top out at over 25 inches of rain. but generally 10 to 15 inches of rain. either way, lester, it will be really devastating flooding with this. all right, al. thanks. to our other big story breaking, the resignation of president trump's labor secretary. alex acosta faced harsh criticism for his role in the plea deal in florida in a sex abuse case against jeffrey epstein 11 years ago. our peterxa

>> reporter: president trump and alex acosta today walking out of the white house together before that surprise announcement, acosta was resigning. >> i just want to let you know this was him, not me because i'm with him. he's a tremendous talent. >> reporter: acosta's sudden departure comes less than 48 hours after the labor secretary defended his role the as the attorney in the controversial plea agreement with jeffrey spent 13th prostitution from a minor. >> the goal here was straightforward. put epstein behind bars. >> reporter: acosta today. >> i do not think it is right and fair for this administration's labor department to have epstein as a focus rather than the incredible economy that we have today. >> reporter: president trump also revealing new details about his falling out with epstein who he says he has not spoken to in 15 years. >> yes, and i did have a falling out a long

time ago. i was not a fan of jeffrey epstein, and you watch people yesterday saying that i threw him out of a club. i didn't want anything to do with him. that was many, many years ago. it shows you one thing, that i have good taste. >> peter joins me now. the president has already picked acosta's successor. >> that's right. the deputy labor secretary will take over on an acting basis. it is another cabinet post with a a a list that includes critical departments like defense and homeland security. >> peter, thank you. let's get to those late new details now, the epstein case, federal prosecutors accusing him of about that?perg.anne thompson >> reporter: these are very serious accusations and they come from a filing this evening by federal prosecutors. in it prosecutors are epstein influence potential witnesses. prosecutors claim that two days after the "miami herald" started publishing i.c.e.

stories that led to epstein's latest criminal charges, he wired $100,000 to an account controlled by a possible cospontaneous spetor. coconspirator. epstein is due back in federal court on monday for bail hearing. he is in custody and pled not guilty to charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy. thank you. r. kelly is back behind bars facing federal charges of child pornography and obstruction of justice. the embattled singer was arrested last night in chicago on more than a dozen felony counts. nbc's miguel almaguer is in chicago where 52-year-old kelly appeared in court today. >> reporter: unlike his last arrest, this time r. kelly was detained by federal agents. he remains in custody today. a new 13 count indictment accuses the r&b star of engaging in sex acts with five minors and recording the abuse.

a second federal indictment involves five additional victims. >> we're talking about forced labor, child exploitation, the production of child pornography. >> reporter: with two of his associates also charged, kelly is accused of using his entourage and star power to recruit girls to engage in illegal sexual contact. ♪ i believe i can fly ♪ at the height of his career, prosecutors say kelly would not allow his victims to leave their rooms to eat or visit the bathroom without receiving his permission. investigators credit the docuseries "surviving r. kelly" with helping build their case. >> it really put a spotlight on the magnitude of his acts. 2008 child pornography trial in which he was this is not me, y'all. i'm fighting for my [ bleep ] life. >> we believe he's innocent. we're going to fight to prove he's innocent. >> reporter: but tonight kelly remains in custody and behind bars.

not far from this courthouse in chicago kelly was arrested overnight while walking his dog. he did not enter a plea today. he's expected back in court next week. lester. miguel almaguer in chicago, thank you. protests around the country today ahead of this weekend's planned crackdown on thousands of undocumented immigrants who have rderedthe u.s. the president defended the raids today. let's get more from steve patterson. >> reporter: tonight cries of resistance on the eve of highly publicized i.c.e. raids targeting 2,000 undocumented immigrants in ten major cities. the operation is only aimed at immigrants who are under court orders to leave the country. >> people come into our country illegally. we're taking them out legally, very simple. it's not something i like doing. t pele have come illegally. we're focused on criminals. >> reporter: but many fear that the raids will include other family members at the scene.

>> to my family, this means fear. it stops us from wanting to go to work. it stops us from wanting to contribute to society. >> reporter: widespread deportation efforts aren't unique to the trump administration. according to i.c.e., more than 400,000 people were deported in 2012 under the obama administration, significantly more than the 256,000 people under president trump's white house last year. the difference analysts say, president trump has politicized it. >> it creates a lot of fear in immigrant communities. i don't think that fear is helpful from i.c.e.'s public safety mission. >> reporter: prominent democrats warning immigrants of their rights. no one can enter your home without adicial warrant. a preefrpive fight on the eve of a weekend for victims of the 9/11 attacks after powerful testimony from first responders. lewis alvarez battled

cancer pleaded with kong during emotional testimony in june. he died shortly after. if passed by the senate, funding would extend until the year 2090. breaking news tonight in indiana where firefighters battled multiple house fires in a neighborhood of west lafayette. officials say five houses were destroyed four others damaged. the cause not clear at this moment. exhaustion. now to the incredible video. a member of the u.s. coast guard riding a drug smuggler submarine in the pacific ocean. the narco finally surrendered but most of the subs got through the dragnet. >> reporter: the coast guard intercepting a fully loaded drug smuggler sub off south america, screaming at the smugglers to stop their boat. then a brazen display of courage, riding the sub pounding on the hatch. finally five men surrender.

it happened in june, the video just now released. in all three coast guard ships intercepted 14 narco vessels, confiscating 18 tons of cocaine and marijuana. street value, half a billion dollars. >> they acquitted themselves with great distinction and courage on the open seas. >> reporter: built in the jungle, the minisubs skim just below the surface. only 11% are ever caught. in a never ending game of cat and mouse with tom costello, nbc news, washington. tonight a rare look inside china and how that country is using cutting edge artificial intelligence not only to try to boost its economy but also to keep an eye on its own people. chief foreign correspondent richard engel shows us how. >> reporter: tonight china is sparing no expense to dominate the world of artificial intelligence. though much of the technology was developed in the united states, president xi jinping wants china to be the world's ai leader by 2030.

officials showed up this sprawling port where thanks to ai, human workers are being replaced. >> these automatic cranes are dropping off containers on to driverless cars. >> yes! >> those little blue trucks. >> yes. >> reporter: a every day with companies like amazon and netflix using it to rank products based watched, china is now using ai to rank its people. there are an estimated 200 million surveillance cameras in china and now they not only know where you are, they know who you are. many of the surveillance cameras feed into an ai system which can not only recognize your face but bring up your name, your social media activity, financial status, and criminal record. the ai calculates what's called a social credit score. if your score drops

too low, you're denied access to airports and trains. >> the chinese government is using artificial intelligence and in particular the rapid and substantial and impressive advances they've made in facial recognition as a way to monitor people. >> reporter: chinese authorities are using ai powered facial recognition to help pick out an ethnic group of muslims known as uighurs. and have sent upwards of a million uighurs this week 22 nations urged china to stop what they call arbitrary detention. china says it's part of a war . >> they've used ai to create more of a police state in china. >> reporter: china is investing in technology it believes will drive the global economy for decades to come and which allows the communist party to monitor its population on a scale never-before seen in human history.

>> richard, the focus is on the trade war with china, but i understand they're talking a broader deeper view. >> of course the trade war is important, has economic implication, but it's short term. in china time and time again we were told that there was a national mission now to overtake the united states and the ai piece is just part of it. >> richard engel, thanks. we want to let folks know you can watch more of richard's reporting "on assignment made in china" on sunday at 10:00 p.m. easternscientist on island. also how traffic stop for speeding is baby. all caught on camera. you won't want to miss it. ...was another around the corner? or could it turn out differently? my doctor recommended eliquis. eliquis is proven to treat and help prevent another dvt or pe blood clot... almost 98% of patients on eliquis didn't experience another. ...and eliquis has significantly less

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it's so important to us that verizon is supporting military families. when i have a child deployed, having a reliable network means everything. so, when i get a video chat, and i get to see their face, it's the best thing in the world. and i've earned every one of these gray hairs. military moms, we serve too. (vo) the network more people rely on, gives you more. like military plans with a special price on unlimited, $100 per line, and big savings on our best phones when you switch. we're learning new details in the case of an american scientist scientist who was murdered in greece. police now say they're searching for a knife they believe was used in the attack. >> reporter: tonight police say three suspects are facing questions over the murder of world renowned american scientist suzanne eaton. her body will be returned to germany where she lived

reports say leaving behind an investigation that has shocked the greek island of crete. police sources tell nbc news they're now looking for a knife believed to be used in the attack. eaton was killed by suffocation. detectives working on the theory her body was hidden in a cave after her death. the secluded cave, a former world war ii bunker only locals would know. 59-year-old eaton was last seen playing piano in her hotel. her family believed she had gone for a run. her passport, wallet, phone, and cash left behind. only her running shoes missing. her husband and two children have flown to crete to help identify suzanne. in a statement this week, her son max calling her a remarkable woman and brilliant scientists. police tell nbc news samples from under her fingernails will be dna tested. it may be their best lead. lester. thanks. and coming up how a traffic stop for speeding turned into an incredible life-saving moment.

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the scene in the scene in eden, north carolina, an explosion at a kentucky fried chicken restaurant captured on surveillance video. the blast was so powerful it was felt several miles away. there were no injuries. no word aketurned baby's life in south carolina. kristen dahlgren has more on a hero officer who sprung into action. traffic stop for speeding turned into a dramatic rescue. the 12 day old girl was unresponsive, her mom telling deputy she stopped breathing after taking a bottle. >> i'm going to put her on your lap. i'm going to check for a pulse. i got a pulse. she's got a pulse. >> reporter: he never stopped talking to the newborn has he calls for help and makes sure she's breathing. >> come on, baby. >> reporter: finally a cry. >> there you go. as long as she's crying like that, she's breathing.

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in tonight's inspiring america, a follow up to a story we told you about a few years ago about a mom who lost her 5-year-old daughter and how she chose to honor and remember her has now gone far beyond her imagination. >> it started with mac and cheese. it's just mac and cheese. >> when we first met becky nickels two years ago, she was delivering homemade mac and cheese to the children's hospital in aust

all from her loving libby food truck. >> this is the one the kids chose a long time ago. >> libby was becky's daughter who died of cancer at age five. when she was sick, becky's mac and cheese was all she would eat. >> this would make her happy that she has inspired something that make other people happy. >> this week a celebration. loving libby's mac and cheese now on sale in more than 200 grocery stores across texas. >> very creamy and cheesey. that's my favorite part. >> becky entered a contest impressing the grocery chain atb with her food and her mission. parents of patients she has fed for years was there when becky saw her loving libby mac and cheese in the store for the first time. >> thank y'all so much. as a mom i want people to know that libby was

here. i don't want her to go away. to hear people saying her name and to see her name constantly has fulfilled that for me. >> all profits will go toward providing more drbecky's food. that's "nightly news" for this friday. i'm lester holt. from all of us at nbc news, thank you for >> today on "steve" -- steve: what if you were told by your employer -- to get maternal, i couldn't work for the company anymore. steve: you can't say that! for another "hey, steve" update. >> you had over one million views on our site. have a baby and let him fire me. cha-ching! what happened after u left the show. >> three little ones running around. steve: so you on the verge of

mind! your >> is dad still stay at home? >> put your hands together for host, steve harvey! [cheers and applause] ♪[music]