the police officer. what will come out of it? boiling point in iran as a day of mourning ends in a police crackdown. cash for clunkers, making deals, drivi them off the lot. is there any downside? making a difference for the heroes of the tragedy we saul saw play out on tv. and we are hearing it yet again from baseball fans. say it ain't so. "nightly news" begins now good evening. at first members of the white house press corps thought the president was kidding. you could hear them laughing when there was talk of two men coming to the white house for a beer. the harvard professor arrested in his own home and the arresting officer. time has passed since then. the charges were dropped. but feelings are still raw. the national conversation on race has taken a bit of a turn

or two en route to tonight's gathering at the white house. the question is what comes out of this long-term? white house correspondent savannah guthrie is there covering for us tonight. savannah, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. this might be the most highly anticipated highly publicized beer ever had at the white house. it just happened. we can now show you the picture. at least a few moments that white house press cameras were allowed in to capture this beer between vice president biden, the president, sergeant crowley and professor gates. for most of the time that the press was there, the talking seemed to be between sergeant crowley and professor gates. while the vice president and president just listened. they had their beers and snacks, pretzels, peanuts. their families are also here and got a tour of the white house. and i'm told that the interaction between the two men was actually quite warm. as you know the president has said this is not going to be something about an apology but an opportunity to listen, a teachable moment. and he said earlier today he is frankly fascinated by the

fascination with all of this. he doesn't much care for the way the media has been referring to this meeting. listen -- >> i know this has been called the beer summit. it's a clever term. this is not a summit, this is three folks having, having a drink at the end of the day and hopefully giving people an opportunity to listen to each other. and as i said, the families got to tour the east wing and the west wing while this is all going on. and with this the president hopes to put this issue behind him. aides here as well as the president acknowledges he fans the flames when he stepped into this, remarking on it at a news conference last week. he is hoping they can move forward, brian. >> reporter: of all the participants at the table we already know sergeant crowley will be talking to the news media later this evening. correct? >> we do expect him to do that to say something to the media. it won't be here at the white house. it will be over at the afl-cio.

sergeant crowly brought a union representative with him along with kids and family members. at this point we don't expect to hear from professor gates. that could change. savannah guchlt thrie at the white house. thanks. >> reporter: we turn our attention now overseas, specifically iran. tensions that have been simmering just below the surface for weeks boiled over today on what was supposed to be a day to remember those who were killed in protests after those presidential elections last month. a lot of people thought they were rigged. iran is not letting foreign reporters in to cover what's going on there. but our chief foreign correspondent richard engel has been following all of it from beirut. he joins us from there tonight. richard, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. iranian security violently broke up demonstrations in downtown tehran today. and blocked opposition leader from addressing the crowd as the

dispute over iran's elections seems far from over it was supposed to be a day of mourning. at least s,000 demonstrators flashed victory signs in a cemetery on the outskirts of tehran. they came to pray by the grave of nedaga-sultan, the temperature-year-old killed. her death recorded on a cell phone has become a symbol of the opposition to the president, mahmoud ahmadinejad's contested re-election. >> i don't see protests subsiding. they're looking for opportunities whether it is religious ceremonies or mourning ceremonies to express their sense of injustice and outrage. >> reporter: but even today, on holy ground, iran's security forces moved in, swinging batons, and firing tear gas. with nearly all foreign journalists forcinged out of iran by the government, the demonstrators recorded the clashes themselves.

in one a gunshot is clearly seen and the protestors posted blogs, and internet messages. people chant "we are all one voice. we are neda. our neda is not dead it's the government that has died," wrote another. human rights' groups say at least s00 demonstrators have been killed so far and more than s,000 are believed to be in detention centers including tehran's notorious prison. released prisoners describe hot cells, packed with,00000 detainees. deprivation of food and water, electric shocks, torn out fingernails and broken bones. >> they want to send a message to the people if you participate in the protest this is the consequence. >> reporter: reports of abuse have become so widespread this week iran's supreme leader who is ultimately responsible for the crackdown ordered one detention center closed and s how prisoners set free. it was mostly a symbolic

gesture. and the man at the center of this controversy, president ahmadinejad, seems unfazed by the crackdown. his inauguration is planned for monday. brian. richard engel in beirut for us tonight on the story. in this country the so-called national pass time, major league baseball is back in the news tonight and once again it is for all the wrong reasons. a report that two of the game's biggest names, former boston red sox team mates tested positive for performance enhancing drugs back back. one goes by a nickname known to all of us baseball fans. big papi. our report tonight from rehema ellis. >> reporter: in boston, the three-run homer by david ortiz may stir up as much talk athat is casting another shadow over the game. news today that ortiz and manny ramirez now with the l.a. dodgers are yet two more major league big names linked with

doping dating back. certainly this is big news across red sox nation. >> reporter: in '04 they were teammates who became huge stars when they helped end the world series drought that has plagued the red sox for 86 years. they did it again in '07. but today what the players share is nothing to parade about. according to "the new york times," the two were among revly one hundred baseball players who tested positive for performance enhancing drugs in '03. wasn't this supposed to be a secret when the players agreed to submit to this testing? >> they were supposed to be destroyed end of '03 season. even the players weren't supposed to know their results. >> reporter: one by one names are coming out among them, barry bonds, sammy sosa and alex rodriguez, who admitted to doping earlier this year. initial reaction on the internet to the latest news, ranged from

anguished to blase. outside fenway park, many of the faithful were giving their favorites a pass. >> you know they're humans. i'm not looking up to them as super heroes. nothing is a shock anymore. >> a good guy. >> reporter: in los angeles, ramirez just coming off a suspension for drug use last year, is still hitting grand slams and is wildly popular. >> fans can rationalize any behavior by their own player while heaping scorn on players who compete for other teams. >> reporter: late today, ortiz says he was blindsided by the news. >> but right now i don't have no answer. >> reporter: america's favorite pastime, once again, mired in controversy. rehema ellis, nbc news, new york. now to the pacific northwest where the story tonight is the heat. in parts of the northwest, heat records are being shattered, in seattle, take one, parts of oregon, temperatures this week

are over one hundred degrees, weather channel meteorologist, mike seidel in seattle tonight where a lot of people are trying to beat the heat at the beach there. mike, good evening. >> good evening, brian. and some bad news tonight. we just learned one person has died from this heat wave here in king county, washington. this is the fourth consecutive day, soaring temperatures have sizzled in the pacific northwest making it the hottest july on record. >> hot, too hot, way too hot. we are trying to stay hydrated. >> reporter: in seattle where temperatures yesterday reached an all time high, people flocked to water fountains. and lake fronts. anything to stay cool. >> we don't have air conditioning. >> reporter: they're lining up to get ice cream at baskin robbins. >> anything to get out.

>> reporter: at home depot, fans and air conditioners sold out, 30,000 this week. >> as fast as we are putting signs on them. the customers are buying them. >> reporter: the heat wave brought temperatures 25 degrees above average. vancouver their hottest day on record with 108. portland was 106. >> the ocean air normally keeps us cool in the summer that stopped and the air mass got so warm it was able to push us up into the record breaking temperatures. >> reporter: this morning, runners got out to the track early in portland. >> trying to get my workout done before it gets too hot. >> reporter: and early shoppers at the farmer's market. >> get their produce as early as they can head back to the office, so they can get back in the air conditioning. >> reporter: and brian, this evening, few pieces of good news. home depot expecting shipment of air conditioners and fans tomorrow. and temperatures in an area where 15% of homes have air conditioning are going few be cooling off slightly over the next couple days. brian. hottest july where you are. second coldest july where we

are. mike seidel in seattle for us. thanks. on wall street, a big rally, faded going into the closing bell, cutting the day's gains almost exactly in half. still the dow on track for a monster july. the best in 20 years, up just 84 points on the day. nasdaq, gained 16 1/2. s & p up almost 12. getting close to the 1,000 level yet again. when we continue along the way this thursday night. taking the government's cash for clunkers trade-in program for a test drive. later, save from a fiery car wreck by strangers. millions saw the video today. now an entire community is rallying around an injured child's family. a heart attack caused by a clot, one that could be fatal. but plavix helps save lives. plavix, taken with other heart medicines goes beyond what other heart medicines do alone to provide greater protection against heart attack or stroke and even death by helping to keep blood platelets from sticking together and forming clots.

ask your doctor about plavix, protection that helps save lives. (female announcer) if you have stomach ulcer or other condition that causes bleeding, you should not use plavix. when taking plavix alone or with some other medicines including aspirin, the risk of bleeding may increase so tell your doctor before planning surgery. and always talk to your doctor before taking aspirin or other medicines with plavix, especially if you've had a stroke. if you develop fever or unexplained weakness or confusion, tell your doctor promptly as these may be signs of a rare but potentially life-threatening condition called ttp, which has been reported rarely, sometimes in less than two weeks after starting therapy. other rare but serious side effects may occur. (male announcer) if you take plavix with other heart medicines continuing to do so will help increase your protection against a future heart attack or stroke beyond your other heart medicines alone. you may be feeling better but your risk never goes away. help stay protected, stay with plavix.

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by now you may be aware of the government's cash for clunkers program to encourage people to turn in their old gas guzzlers for new, more fuel efficient cars. so far it is getting high marks. so much so that auto dealers are asking congress for more money. the taxpayer subsidy in this could run out after just one week. nbc's chris jansing has our report. >> reporter:enrique gomez's car is a gas guzzler. he wasn't planning to buy a new car yet. the government's car allowance rebate system unofficially known as cash for clunkers brought him on to the lot.

>> when i see the program, that qualifies. >> reporter: in gomez's case, trading in a crown victoria for a corolla gets him 11 miles per gallon of gas and $4,500 from uncle sam. to qualify, cars getting 18 miles a gallon or less can be traded in for fuel efficient models, earning a credit of $3500 to $4500. it got customers buying again. in florida. >> program like this is heaven sent. >> reporter: nebraska. >> in most every case there was somebody who was not in the market. >> reporter: and california. >> since friday we have increased our business probably about 30%. >> reporter: but the program isn't without critics including some environmentalists. take these suvs for example, they only have to get two miles more per gallon than the clunker turned in. a recent study suggested the more fuel efficient your car is the more you drive. so a questionable benefit to the

environment. as an economic stimulus, early results have been promising. nearly 2 # 3,000 new cars were sold as of wednesday. july auto assemblies ahead of expectations and car dealers want the popular program extended worried that the $1 billion could run out within a week. enrique gomez could have his new wheels by tomorrow. >> see. >> reporter: convinced this is just the thing to get his family and the economy moving again. chris jansing, nbc news, california. video of the day comes from the sheriff's office in plain city utah. an erratic driver, weaving, blowing through stop signs, speeding up, slowing down, he led the deputy to his own driveway, that's where the chase ended. the suspect exits the vehicle. he is 7 years old. he had taken the car to avoid having to go to church with his family. no charges were filed. the boy and his parents have discussed the incident privately and will do so publicly tomorrow morning on "today."

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country and around the world. the u.s. military considering a plan that could establish regional military teams to assist civilian authorities in the event of a major outbreak in the virus this fall. and in europe, transportation authorities said today they won't allow airlines to forbid flu patients from flying. an update now on the american students who suddenly found themselves quarantined during a trip to china. most of them are finally on their way home tonight. but some still must stay behind. nbc's adrian mong has the latest on a dream trip that took a bad turn. >> reporter: they spent 13 out of 17 days on their vacation in china in quarantine. but finally they're free. 52 students and six chaperones from saint mary's school in oregon, landed in beijing's airport tonight still wearing their mask from a quarantine in central china.

>> all right, saint mary's -- >> reporter: the second time they have been quarantined during they visit. they left behind 12 students, hospital liltzed, all confirmed cases of swine flu. a chaperone stayed behind to look after them until they have recovered. in the meantime, the rest of the group is finally breathing easy. >> we can get our mask off. >> they did a lot to make us comfortable. but it was quarantine. i am ready to go home. >> reporter: for the adults it certainly was a trip to remember. >> i have done a lot of chaperoning this is the most interesting by far. in terms of, you know, everything from logistics to activity building, when we only have a frisbee and volleyball to figure out stuff to do. so, it's been quite a challenge. >> i am already planning on coming back so i can actually see china instead of the three gates that we have gone out. >> reporter: the group will have one final chance to do a bit of sight seeing. they've been invited to tour one of the capital's oldest sites

tomorrow morning, the summer palace, before they return to the airport for the journey home. adrian mong, nbc news, beijing. today we learn the names of the 16 people who will this year be awarded america's highest civilian honor, medal of freedom. they include senator ted kennedy, tennis champion and women's advocate, billy jean king, retired supreme court justice sandra day o'connor, actor sydney portier and archbishop desmond tutu. see the full list on our website, nightly.msnbc.com. up next here tonight, the heroes who were at the right place at the right time to save a little boy and are still making a difference for his entire family. you might as well be. you see, their moisturizer sits on top of skin, almost as if you're wearing it. only new dove deep moisture has nutriummoisture, a breakthrough formula with natural moisturizers...

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ask your doctor how advair helps improve lung function for better breathing. (announcer) find out how to get your first full prescription free at advaircopd.com. we're back. time for our making a difference report. millions of people saw the video and nknew right away it was a

wonder anybody survived. two milwaukee brothers risked their lives to pull a mother and two kids from the flaming wreckage of their suv. as our own kevin tibbles reports tonight the call of duty didn't end there. >> there is a baby in there! >> reporter: when the suv carrying david harper, his mother and baby sister flipped and burned. two brothers, off duty fire fighters, braved the flames to pull them free. >> i remember see them hosing down my son, taking off his clothes and taking care of him before the ambulance got there. >> when you go in and i, saw that, david, i see his face, i saw my son's face. >> reporter: david suffered burns to 30% of his body and remains in serious condition. his family, uninsured and struggling financially had nowhere to turn. they found however that even though the fire was out the brothers and their families were still there.

a >> one thing i can do is make phone calls and talk to people about what this family need. >> reporter: overnight the city of milwaukee mobilized. there has been a rummage sale. everything from checks and cash to clothing and toys have been donated. >> we were there at the right time and the right place. now it is also we are going to carry it on further in helping this family. >> reporter: there was even a fund raiser at the local restaurant where john's daughters worked part time. >> as the community heard about this, this horrible accident, it was just unbelievable from that day on that the phones were ringing. >> reporter: just yesterday the family brought a donated laptop and is assisting with a website fund to help with medical bills. in their room at the ronald mcdonald's house, david's parents are simply overwhelmed. >> to see how many people are actually looking out for dj and praying for him. >> without the help of these other people you presumably would be very alone here. >> let america know there is still people out there that

care. and that will do anything and risk their lives. >> reporter: little david's a fighter, his parents say, and he has years of fighting ahead of him with plenty of people in his corner. kevin tibbles, nbc news, milwaukee. wanted to let you know, david harper's parents will be live tomorrow morning on "today." that's our broadcast for us this thursday night. thank you for being with us. i am brian williams. we hope to see you back here tomorrow evening. we hope to see you back here tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

done deal. michael jackson's mom gets custody