making waves, hurricane bill churns up the east coast, creating dangerous conditions from florida to maine on a prime summer weekend. storm of outrage. growing condemnation over the decision to free the lockerbie bomber. was there a deal with gadhafi? manhunt, the international

search for a reality tv contestant, wanted for a brutal murder. where is he? and male or female? the gender questions about one of the world's fastest athletes the gender questions about one of the world's fastest athletes following an amazing finish. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening, this will be a summer to remember for many americans living in the northeast, an unusually cool, rainy start followed by blister, heat and now with only a few weeks left in the season, hurricane bill is emptying beaches up and down the coast this weekend. bill was downgraded late today to a category 1 hurricane, but not before lashing bermuda with high wind, surf and rain. tonight, parts of the massachusetts shore including the first family's vacation destination martha's vineyard are under a tropical storm warning. bill is on track to skirt the

coast with up to 40 miles an hour winds. weather channel meteorologist jeff morrow is on cape cod's nauset beach don't with the latest for us. hello, jeff. >> good evening, lester. last weekend it was tropical storm claudette that surprised folks on florida's gulf coast. now this wean we have a hurricane, a much more powerful system churning up the east coast of the united states. earlier, it actually sideswiped the island of bermuda with winds upwards of 90 miles an hour causing some power outages to 3,700 people there most being restore and causing waves on the outer reefs of upwards of 30 to 35 feet. now bill is turning farther up the coast and beaches like n off. set here were closed because of overwash coming up over high tide and will remain closed right into sunday. again, this is a prime summer weekend, one of the last of the year and a lot of folks aren't

taking kindly that they can't get down to the beach and enjoy one of these last weekends, so bill will sideswipe this yeah overnight an then move away toward canada, thankfully tomorrow. lester? >> thank you. while much of the east has escaped bill's winds and rains, its effectses are nonetheless being felt along hundreds of miles of beaches in the form of unusually strong rip current which is can pull even strong swimmers into danger. ron allen now with that part of the story. >> reporter: hurricane bill has been sending waves up to 20 feet crashing along the eastern seaboard causing dangerous rip current, closing beaches from delaware to new england, at least nine miles of new york city's public beaches, an area before six swim verse drowned in recent weeks, one of the deadliest summers in many years. >> the last thing we weren't it would to is close the beach on the a hot day in santiago, but the national advisory issued by

the national weather service is pretty strong and pretty clear. >> reporter: the biggest fear is rip current, the deadliest hazard swimmerses face, pushing swimmers out to sea that are the reason for about 80% of all rescues and 100 drownings each year. when waves crash on a beach, the surf rushes back out forming narrow channel, strong flow of water pushing away from shore, often at a rate faster than an olympic sprinter. >> stronger rip currents going out into deeper water. >> reporter: some west palm beach, florida, recently, rip currents pulled a swimmer some 200 yards away from the beach, by the time rescuers reached him and brought him ashore it was too late. >> i held on to him as long as i could until they got there. he was underwater. so there wasn't much i could do. >> reporter: if you're caught in a rip current, exerts say stay calm and swim parallel to the shore and then in. not directly back to the beach. >> it's only anywhere between 10 and 20 yards wide in most cases so if you turn and swim in it's like swimming upstream the whole time.

>> reporter: meantime back on cape cod, tropical storm conditions are expected to pass through overnight, hurricane bill staying some 200 miles offshore, well before president obama and the first family arrive on martha's vineyard sunday afternoon. ron allen, nbc news nbc news, oak bluff, massachusetts. anger and suspicion are growing tonight in the aftermath of the release of the only man convicted in the bombing of pan am flight 103 back in 1988 over lockerbie, scotland. stephanie gorsk has our story from london. >> reporter: this is what. the libyans did not want the tworld see. du abdelbaset ali mohmed al megrahi was freed from a prison because he is dying of cancer. >> we're apaulides at the manner in which al mm magrahi was

received. >> the images we saw were outrageous and disgust snoog today robert mueller wrote a scathing letter to the scott irish justice secretary who let magrahi go. he writes -- your decision gives comfort to terrorists around the world. also today, new york senator shuck k450u78er asked for a u.n. resolution against libya. >> it's clear that the libyan government's love affair with terrorism hasn't ended yet, we can't let them back into the international community until it does. >> reporter: there is now wide president suspicion that access to the libyan oil reserves way was behind the release. here's a photo of al magrahi and gado callfy's son. >> we always put you on the table. >> reporter: it's an accusation the british government strongly denies. >> it's not only wrong, it's

completely implausible and actually quite offensive. >> reporter: to deflect criticism today, 10 downing street released a letter written by prime minister gordon brown to gado callfy asking the libyan leader to handle ma a grahi's arrival with sensitivity and that the justice secretary was solely responsible for his release. but the growing furor, however intense, may not amount to much. >> there isn't much the u.s. government can do at this point, it's a ex post facto, it's a done deal. >> reporter: megrahi may lose his life to cancer but his freedom now seems secure. stephanie gosk, london. there are new reports tonight about interrogation techniques used by the u.s. on in the wr on terrorism, secret report to be released next week says among other things interrogators conducted mock executions to make prisoners believe others had been killed.

threaten iing a prisoner with imminent death is against anti-torture laws. with the democrats' health care plans coming under attack by republicans at town hall meetings, president obama took to the air reto refute the charges that have sent so many americans. mike viqueira has the latest from the white house. >> reporter: today in kansas, more opposition to the president's health care reform plan. >> if there's anybody else in the room that wants the government out of our pockets and out of our health care. >> reporter: while earlier in his weekly internet address, the president played defense. >> that's not true. >> reporter: refuting one by one, what he called outright distortion of the plan like on the question of illegal immigrants. >> illegal immigrants would not be covered. >> reporter: on allegations gnat current ban on using tax dollars for abortions would be lifted. >> nothing will change under reform. >> reporter: and yet again knock down the false claim that has given democrats fits.

>> there are no so-called death parnls an offensive notion to me and american people. >> reporter: this week, the president continued to try and calm public anxiety. >> if you like your private health insurance plan, you can keep it. >> reporter: but in response today, the republicans charge it is the president who played fast and loose with the facts. >> the ream is whether or not you get to keep your plan or your doctor is very much in question under the president's proposal. >> reporter: in fact, the congressional budget office says that nearly 6 million people would lose existing employer based coverage under the house plan and now at least one respected analyst said the debate is effectively over. >> reality doesn't matter anymore, the people have sort of stamped and disapprove on it and i don't think there's anything the president or democrats can do. >> reporter: the nonpartisan cook thinks that democrats have overrerchd now run the risk of serious election losses next year. the president meanwhile is urging supporters to ignore the naysayers and stay the course.

>> lester, as the president heads off for that week-long vacation in martha's vineyard for his family, to complicate matters even more, there's an intraparty fight among democrats act whether or not a government option is essential for reform. thank you. on "meet the press" senators orrin hatch and chuck schumer are among david gregory's guest. in this country, inmates set fire last night to a medium security pris prison near lexin kentucky. many of the 1 hundred inmates had to be moved because of the extensive damage to several buildings at the priss zbln. >> a cross-border manhunt is under way tonight for a contestant on a cable tv reality show suspected of brutally murdering his wife and mutilating her body to keep her from being identified. >> you're going to be finishing that bottle yourself.

>> reporter: as a reality show contestant, ryan jenkins was known as a smooth operator, but now better known as the subject of an international manhunt. police say he killed jasmine fiore, the woman he married in march, they lived in the spotlight together. but now detectives say jenkins may be arm and has will keep ahead of the authorities. >> this is a man on the run who will do anything at least initially to avoid apprehension. >> reporter: police found fiore's mutilated body dumped in a trash bin, she to be identified through the serial numbers on her breast implantses. >> the finger and teeth were removed. >> reporter: they found his car in a small coastal town and his boat which he may have used to enter canada. here in calgary, police are part of a nationwide dragnet. this city is far north of the border but it is where ryan jenkins grew up. the suspects father is dan je

jenkins, a prominent architect. the two have developed projects together, but some residents say ryan jenkins is better known in town for his wealth and his women. his relationships have turned violent in the past. in one instance, he pled guilty to assaulting his ex-girlfriend. she was sentenced to 15 months probation and counseling. >> the counseling inclus anger manage mchbt, counseling as directed, domestic violence counseling which would be relationship counseling. >> reporter: a man with a past and television prominence, now caught in the focus of a real-life manhunt. miguel almaguer, nbc news, calgary. when "nightly news" continues this saturday, while airline passengers are packed into increasingly crowded flight, why are all these planes just sitting out in the desert empty? and later, island time, for the first family. we'll be right back. esterol. what was i thinking? but now i trust my heart to lipitor.

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aircraft. >> reporter: are they parked primarily for economic reasons? >> yes, definitely, for economic reasons, we've gone from 164 aircraft in october of '089 to now we have over 210 aircraft in the storage facility. >> reporter: this sprawling air field of simmering pavement and open desert southeast of phoenix has long been a place where old planes go to die. >> when it reaches that life limit, we have all of the usable components removed from the aircraft and then we crunch the aircraft up and it gets recycled again and all of that metal gets reused. >> reporter: evergreen aviation recycles old planes and maintains and stores other, including younger jets parked here temporarily to wait out today's economic turbulence. planes like this brand new 777 cargo jet that came here straight from the boeing factory. with demand for freight down, the airline that ordered it more than two years ago, simply doesn't need need it at the moment. >> typically to operate a wide

body aircraft is $7 million or $8 million per year, where you can store it here for $60,000, $70,000 per year. >> reporter: prompted first by high fuel prices and economic collapse in the fall, airlines have slashed capacity, cutting flights, retiring older gas guzzling planes and side lining others in hopes of stemming their staggering losses. >> this is an excellent location because one, the humidity runs down about 12% as an average for the year. we don't have hurricanes. we don't have big storms come through here, we don't have earthquakes. >> reporter: but they don't just sit here gathering dust. some of these planes will find buyers, others will rejoin the fleet when travel picks up. >> why do you have the windows sealed? >> we weren't to keep the sunlight out. >> reporter: so they are carefully preserved in shrink wrap and kept in near flying condition, virtually ready to

fly, but no place to go, in the notoriously cyclical airline business, however, their desert care takers know that will change. in addition to storing plane, several airlines have recently been forced to defer or cancel orders they had placed for brand new planes before the economic downturn. up next here tonight, the gender question, chasing one of the world's great athletes. is she or isn't she? when we come back. almost as if you're wearing it. only new dove deep moisture has nutriummoisture, a breakthrough formula with natural moisturizers... that can nourish deep down. it's the most effective natural nourishment ever. new dove deep moisture with nutriummoisture. superior natural nourishment for your skin. with glad odor shield. special technology embedded in the whole bag neutralizes odors. your kitchen stays fresh.

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high winds are fanning do n dozens of wildfires in greece today, including this large one outside annen, two childrens hospitals have been evacuated as the fires moved close to heavily populated areas. at the world track and field championships in berlin, an maze aing race run by a young sprinter has raised eyebrows and uncomfo uncomfortable questions about gender and jeannette incident. stephanie gosk has our story. >> reporter: caster semenya didn't just beat the competition in the 800 meter world championship, she crushed them. the 18-year-old from south africa, a relative unknown before this year, ran so fast last wednesday, it didn't take long for officials and fellow athletes to suggest she might have an unfair advantage. >> it's suspicious that something not normal about that. and it's very reasonable i think that at that moment you look into it.

>> reporter: semenya isn't guilty of doping, but there are rumors she might have been born a man. >> i don't know who said and i don't know, i don't give a damn about it. >> reporter: the international sports federation, the iwf has launch and official gender investigation but determining jender is not as simple or clear-cut as one may think. >> we like to think of people as just being male or female, actually, there are some people that fall in between and it's difficult to actually assign gender. >> reporter: the investigation will take day, even we cans to complete. with not just one doctor but a whole team of experts running tests. in the rural south african village where semenya grew up, neighbors consider her a hero as the birth certificate clearly state, a woman as a well. >> they hated her every since they started racing, that's why they make up these stories but she resilient.

>> reporter: she not the first female athlete to face this kind of scrutiny in in the atlanta games, eight women were kicked out for failing jend ever test but were reinstated after further physical exams. today her championship hangs in the balance. >> if at the end of the this investigation it is proven that athlete is not a female, when he remove her name. >> reporter: but for caster semenya, the gold med sal hardly the only thing at stake. stephanie gosk, nbc news, london it. when we we come back here tonight, vacation time, the first family's island adventure. you've wanted to quit smoking so many times, but those days came and went, and the cigarettes remained. but today's a new day. and a few simple steps can make a real difference in your next quit...

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>> reporter: just five miles off the cape cod shore, martha's n vineyard can feel like a world away. but this weekend it has all the trappings of an obama campaign stop. >> he's our first black president. >> reporter: this island which host the clintons in the '90s is the proud choice of the obama, their home fb blue heron farm, a 28 acre compound on the southwest part of the island. the president himself is spay paying the tab speculated to be between $25,000 and $30,000. this is the way most people come to martha's vineyard, by ferry, but the obama's arrival will be slightly different. the first family will come by helicopter and unlike the clintons' visit there will be no flag waving crowds to greet them at the airport. >> in contrast, to the clinton whose went out often for ice creme and such like, there are no obama like events scheduled

for the obamas and their arrival is closed to the press. >> reporter: low-key is the vibe here. the laid back atmosphere attracts a list of celebrity, including spike lee and sing isser james taylor. phil mcandrews owns the offshore ale company where peanut shells cover the floor, burgers are on the grill and a special presidential brew son tap. >> we're very respectful of people's lives regardless of what their walk of life is. so if you're a celebrity and you want your privacy, we're very respectful of it. >> reporter: still if the president ventures to oak bluff, town popular with african-american vacationers, he will see himself everywhere. photos from his 2007 vineyard vacation are at the local gym, family portrait hangs at the bakery, though the black dog rules thisisland, even bo has his own t-shirt. the streets are rife with rumors about celebrities who may join the first family. will oprah show up? how about tiger? >> i'm trying to think of a

celebrity i haven't heard rumored to be here. >> reporter: no matter who shows up, the vineyard is ready to be the star of the sea for a we can. anne thompson, nbc news, martha's vineyard. >> that's "nbc nightly news" for this saturday, i'm lester holt reporting from new york. i'll see you tomorrow morning on "today," then right back here tomorrow evening. "today," then right back here tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com