good evening. this is the end of the supreme court's term. on thursday we learn their judgment on the obama health care plan, but today came the other major decision of this late term when the court struck down some key portions of that controversial law in arizona meant to crack down on illegal immigration. it's an emotional issue. it's a local issue in a lot of places, and it's political, of course, especially in an election year, but the court said today in effect the federal government gets to deal with immigration not the states. we have it covered tonight from washington to arizona to the law, itself.

we begin with our justice correspondent pete williams at the supreme court. pete, good evening. >> reporter: brian, this is a narrow victory for arizona, but enough of one for the governor to declare victory today and to vow to start putting the surviving parts of the law into effect as soon as all the legal battles are over. while the court today struck down major parts of arizona's tough immigration law, one that inspired state crackdowns around the nation, it unanimously upheld the most controversial requirements, that police making arrests or traffic stops check the immigration status of anyone suspected of being here illegally and detain them until their status is verified. >> this is the day that we have been waiting for. make no mistake. arizona is ready. we know the eyes of the world will be upon us. >> reporter: four justices joined anthony kennedy's overall opinion. the court's three liberals and chief justice john roberts. the three other conservatives

dissented. justi justice kagan sat this one out. it came with a warning to arizona that if police detain people too long or use the law as a pretext to round up illegal immigrants then the part of the law upheld today might cross the line on what is constitutional. >> the court is saying there are very strict limitations on how this provision can ever be implemented. i think it's also saying there are substantial legal matters to be resolved before any implementation goes forward. >> reporter: the surviving part of the law now goes back to the arizona courts to consider whether it invites racial profiling, something the state strongly denies. today's ruling struck down provisions of the arizona law that made it a state crime for illegal immigrants to look for work or lack proper immigration papers and that would have let police there arrest without a warrant anyone they suspected of being here illegally. justice scalia spent 11 minutes reading a forceful dissent saying arizona should be entitled to pick up the slack in

lax federal enforcement. he called the obama administration's new policy letting children who were brought here illegally remain, quote, the non-enforcement program. the court will be in session just one more day this term, thursday, and that's when we'll get the health care decision ending this term with maximum drama. brian? >> all right. pete williams, where it all happened today. pete, thanks. now to where this all started. this was the arizona case the court decided today, after all. nbc's mike taibbi is there tonight and has reaction for us to the court ruling. >> reporter: it only seemed like a normal day for letisha ramirez's family, her husband off to his construction job and her children watching early morning tv. but she and her husband have been in this country illegally for over a decade. when she later watched the supreme court ruling unfold, she said the verdict though it only upheld the so-called show your papers part of the law was still

threatening. >> the community won't be able to go out, have a normal life. they're going to be afraid that if they go out they might get stopped just for your color. >> reporter: kelly townsend is a mother, too. >> my daughter is half hispanic. >> reporter: she and other supporters saw today's ruling, which requires law enforcement to check immigration status, as a clear win and a reason to keep pushing for the parts of the bill ruled unconstitutional. >> i do believe that is a victory that was the heart of it. it's necessary. >> this is where the rubber meets the road. >> reporter: meanwhile on the front lines of the state's effort to curb illegal immigration, local units like pima county's border crimes unit work with federal border patrol agents to try and stem the flow along 120 miles of border. >> they get to this spot, they're almost home free? >> yes. >> reporter: the sheriff's department has detained and arrested hundreds while sb-1070 was drifting in the political

winds and pima county sheriff clarence duknik says this ruling will change nothing about how the job is done. >> it doesn't take a genius to determine whether somebody is here illegally given the reality of our work. >> it is also a reality that most in this state believe arizona must do what they say the federal government has not done. >> this is the law. we need to enforce it. >> reporter: the reality, too, that one group primarily believes today's ruling leaves them as vulnerable as ever. arizona's already spent about $3 million defending its controversial law. most of it from private donations. there were some questions raised today about whether they'll still be the appetite, the political will to continue to defend the law vigorously if the taxpayers have to start footing the bill. >> mike taibbi in phoenix for us tonight. thanks. now we'll talk about politics and the law. first of all, all of this of course taking place in a presidential election year. with us now our chief white house correspondent and political director chuck todd, who is at the white house.

chuck, look at this for us vis-a-vis the political campaign under way. >> today was the day where the obama campaign was pretty happy with what happened and the romney campaign was not very happy. let's start with president obama. you talk tosome democratic strategists and they say the part of the law that was upheld will only help them motivate hispanics even more and help them essentially alienate them from the republican party. as for mitt romney, brian, you saw today he doesn't like talking about this issue right now because they know the fine line they have to walk between not looking like they're contradicting what romney said during the primary campaign and not alienating hispanics. he said today he was against the decision, if you will. he wished that the supreme court had given states more leeway, but he's trying not to talk about it much. he wants to be talking about the economy. >> chuck todd on the white house lawn. thanks. that's politics. now about the law. it's always good to ask a lawyer. with us now here in our studios in new york are chief legal correspondent savannah guthrie.

savannah, what survives here and where to from here? >> actually, the most controversial provision, the one that allows state officers to determine the immigration status of anyone they've lawfully stopped, and i think we'll see more lawsuits, frankly. this is a law that has never gone into effect because of this supreme court litigation. well, now it will, and that issue about whether that proef ifgs tproef -- proef ifgs the law leads to racial profiling will be at issue potentially. that was not something the court decided today. now you can expect plaintiffs to file lawsuits and say hey my constitutional rights were violated. >> we'll be back at this thursday when the next big decision comes down on health care. thanks. always a pleasure. there were two other supreme court rulings today including a case originally brought from montana, a state that has largely managed to keep outside money out of its politics but not anymore. the justices said their controversial ruling in that citizens united case that opened the big money flood gates

applies to montana and every other state. also the court ruled today that juveniles can't be given mandatory life sentences without parole. they say that's cruel and unusual punishment. and, therefore, unconstitutional. also, in the news we are covering tonight a tropical storm in the gulf of mexico pummelling the florida coast line, not notable for its power as much as its size and its slow, meandering track. tropical storm debby has dumped 10 inches of rain in the panhandle in just over 24 hours. 20 counties have been declared disaster areas and the governor has called up the national guard to help. our report from nbc's kerry sanders. >> reporter: tropical storm debby is now soaking parts of the florida panhandle with up to 5 inches of rain an hour. the u.s. coast guard rescued a family of nine and two dogs stranded in a vacation house on a small island near apalachicola. >> you're all right. >> reporter: and there have been

at least three reported tornadoes. in venus, florida a 32-year-old mother died but saved her 3-year-old daughter as she cradled the girl in her protective arms. >> about 400 yards of nonexist ent road. >> reporter: in pasco county some flooded roads are closed and homeowners are sand bagging as fast as they can. as the waters recede in other areas, sink holes have started to open. >> thank god it happened while we were here, but it's still emotional. >> reporter: in elvers, florida, the river swelled its banks. fun for some kids but not for life-long resident barry hov. >> i'm concerned about snakes. i know you are. what do you need to do now for your property? anything? or is it too late? >> too late. >> reporter: tropical storm debby has hammered more than 300 miles of florida -- 50-mile-per-hour gusts have knocked out power to more than 35,000 residents and forced the evacuation of 600 inmates from the jail in pensacola.

and tonight in florida and southern georgia there are warnings to expect more of same. kerry sanders, nbc news, brooksville, florida. now to where this is all headed and when and for that we check in with weather channel meteorologist jim cantore. he's about 200 miles north along the coast in st. marks, florida. hey, jim, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. we're right here at the light house. you can see it behind me. it's kind of amazing if this thing isn't coming ashore i'd be very, very surprised right now because we've had some very, very heavy rain. occasionally winds have gusted 50, even close to 70 miles per hour up in apalachicola. but the event here is rainfall. let me show you what has happened as we set the staining herstaining -- stage here. yesterday a rainfall dale record in tampa well over 7 inches. as we take you up to the panhandle these amounts are coming in so quick we've already

gotten up to 15 inches of rain just south of the state capital here in tallahassee. this is where band is setting up tonight and the rainfall event as well. you can see how much more rain is going to fall talking about amounts which could exceed 15 inches. at the rate they're coming down especially at 3 to 5 inches an hour, one of these is coming in right now, we could get that 15 inches in one night so an area that has extreme drought like we have right now, almost the worst category, is literally in 24 to 48 hours going to go right out of that and possibly into a massive flood. that is a huge concern across the entire state of florida, specifically this evening, the panhandle. back to you. >> so while we have covered bigger and much more powerful storms, this sure is a rain maker and a formidible one. jim cantore with us from the florida coast tonight. thanks. overseas tonight decidedly mixed emotions in egypt after this weekend's news that mohamed morsi of the muslim brotherhood was officially declared the winner of that country's first

democratic presidential election. this means big changes in egypt and beyond especially in that region. our chief foreign correspondent richard engel joins us again tonight from tar hrir square. people are just coming to grips with how momentous this really is. >> reporter: certainly big changes could be ahead. supporters of the muslim brotherhood mohamed morsi are still here in the square celebrating, playing music, hoping this will be the start of a new, islamic state in the middle east. what an incredible change of events. when this revolution began a year and a half ago, in this square, mohamed morsi was behind bars. today morsi was touring president mubarak's old office, even sitting down in his old chair testing it out for size. critics say that the rise of the muslim brotherhood to power will be absolutely disastrous for this country, turning egypt certainly anti-israeli and

perhaps anti-american as well. brian? all right. all of that will deserve watching over the coming days. richard engel, thanks. still ahead as we continue along the way on this monday night the mean season. the fires in the american west so bad now half the nation's firefighting aircraft are all working in one state. later, let the games begin. it looks like michael phelps might have met his match. a great rivalry in the pool on the road to london. n my right s. an intense burning sensation like somebody had set it on fire. and the doctor said, cindie, you have shingles. he said, you had chickenpox when you were a little girl... i said, yes, i did. i don't think anybody ever thinks they're going to get shingles. but it happened to me. for more of the inside story, visit shinglesinfo.com for many, nexium helps relieve heartburn symptoms

caused by acid reflux disease. osteoporosis-related bone fractures and low magnesium levels have been seen with nexium. possible side effects include headache, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. other serious stomach conditions may still exist. talk to your doctor about nexium. mine hurt more! mine stopped hurting faster... [ female announcer ] neosporin® plus pain relief starts relieving pain faster and kills more types of infectious bacteria. neosporin® plus pain relief. for a two dollar coupon, visit neosporin.com. i've been fortunate to win on golf's biggest stages. but when joint pain and stiffness from psoriatic arthritis hit, even the smallest things became difficult. i finally understood what serious joint pain is like. i talked to my rheumatologist and he prescribed enbrel. enbrel can help relieve pain, stiffness, and stop joint damage. because enbrel, etanercept, suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbrel,

your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if, while on enbrel, you experience persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. [ phil ] get back to the things that matter most. ask your rheumatologist if enbrel is right for you. [ doctor ] enbrel, the number one biolog medicine prescribed by rheumatologists. . as we mentioned we've got a dangerous situation in the american west. conditions are bad. red flag fire warnings are posted from kansas all the way west to california and in colorado it's downright urgent.

11,000 people evacuated right now tonight, 12 active fires. this smoke plume was caught by our veteran cameraman ray farmer on approach into denver's airport. it looked more like the aftermath of a nuclear explosion from the air. nbc's miguel almaguer is covering for us tonight in colorado springs. miguel, good evening. >> reporter: brian, good evening. the fire burning in the hills behind me has been described as relentless, what some feared as a worst case scenario after a prolonged drought here came true. it's a blaze that for now crews cannot stop. fueled by dry brush, fanned by 30-mile-per-hour winds, the waldo canyon fire in colorado springs is a monster that consumed five square miles in just hours. >> i think it's probably the greatest natural threat we have seen in this community in the last 30, 40 years. >> reporter: the blaze, closing in on homes, forced 11,000 to

evacuate sunday. hundreds of tourists left vacation campgrounds to seek shelter in a high school gym. >> we're used to the hurricanes and evacuating. now forest fires and it's just like reminding us of being back home with the hurricanes. >> reporter: tonight popular campgrounds and state parks are shrouded in smoke and closed. across colorado, at least 12 major wildfires are burning tonight. in estes park, a gateway to the rockies, 22 homes were destroyed by a fast-moving blaze. in fort collins the hyde park fire has now claimed 248 homes. 3,000 are still evacuated. marco mendoni is living in a motel. >> this is my life right now, and right now we're in limbo. >> reporter: what makes it so difficult to fight? >> you have extreme fire behavior, large, flaming fronts. we can't get right up on the edge of the fire. >> reporter: today fema authorized the use of federal funds to fight fires in colorado and the air force brought in

four specially equipped heavy air tankers to join the more than 70 aircraft already in the fight. >> almost half of all the airborne fire equipment in the country is in colorado. >> reporter: the worst fire season in more than a decade is tonight nowhere near over. brian, you can probably hear and see the big threat tonight. wind, a red flag warning in some 11 states across the west. as for the blaze here it's charred some 3400 acres. it is 5% contained. the mean start to a fire season that is threatening both lives and homes. brian? >> a terrible situation out there, colorado springs tonight. miguel almaguer covering for us. miguel, thanks. up next here this evening, too close to call. they've looked at it closely. a race so close even a photo finish wasn't enough. ok! who gets occasional constipation,

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a government panel is tonight urging doctors to conduct regular obesity screening during checkups. they say they should regularly calculate the body mass index for every patient they see. for example, a normal bmi is less than 25. an obesity bmi begins around 30. well it started out beautifully. eric and erin wahlberg had a beautiful wedding in michigan and a reception on gun lake in shelbiville but during the wedding photos they ended up in dunn lake in shelbiville because the wooden dock there couldn't handle that many people. it was a big wedding party. in the year of digital photography a true photo finish is rare these days but there was a real tie in the u.s. track and field olympic qualifying trials in the women's 100-meter race, an exceedingly rare dead heat for third place and a spot on the u.s. olympic team. allison felix and jenna bartomo

were both credited with times of 11.068 seconds after a review of the photo fin iish. now it is up to them to decided to break the tie either with a run off or a flip of a coin if you can believe it. last weekend we told you about the hurdler lowello jones who has overcome so much hardship and got a lot of attention and overcame heart break at the last olympics. well she has earned her spot on this year's team finishing third. up next an exciting day in the fight for who will rule the pool at the london olympics. before copd... i took my son fishing every year. we had a great spot, not easy to find, but worth it. but with copd making it hard to breathe, i thought those days might be over. so my doctor prescribed symbicort. it helps significantly improve my lung function starting within five minutes. symbicort doesn't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. with symbicort, today i'm breathing better. and that means...fish on! symbicort is for copd

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and be better protected from mayhem like me. [ dennis ] mayhem is everywhere. so get an allstate agent. are you in good hands? we are just 31 days away from the start of the summer olympic games in london and tonight the action is in a swimming pool in nebraska, and the u.s. olympic swim team trials featuring the top two male swimmers in the world. nbc's kevin tibbles is covering the countdown to london. he's with us now from omaha tonight. kevin, good evening. >> reporter: brian, there are 1800 swimmers competing here this week, but tonight all eyes will be on two of them. michael phelps and ryan lochte. he's the greatest swimmer of all time -- is he about to meet his

match? michael phelps simply dominated in beijing. eight events, eight gold medals. never been done before. enter the challenger to the crown, ryan lochte. no stranger to world records or the olympic podium and the first real test of phelps' metal. >> that's kind of our battlefield when we step on the pool deck. we do everything we can to try to get our hand on the wall first. >> reporter: 27-year-old lochte has trained nonstop for the last four years with a steel-eyed focus on london. he's beaten phelps but never at the olympics. >> i get so excite d trying to race him. i feel like this is my time. >> reporter: the first big showdown? tonight. the grueling 400-meter individual medley. in today's preliminaries a shot across the bow. lochte beat phelps by four seconds. >> we don't have a super bowl. we have an olympic games and it

happens every four years. >> reporter: formidible titans drawing from each other, pushing each other. lochte's coach says racing phelps has made ryan a better swimmer. >> any time you have a chance to race him it's going to be a big challenge, so i think that's helped ryan and by the same token ryan isn't afraid to race and i think that's helped michael. >> reporter: they are bringing attention to the sport like never before, from magazine covers to video games. and a myriad of commercials and sponsorships. >> i'm ryan lochte and i'm here to finish first. >> reporter: but in the pool there can only be one winner and lochte says he's ready. >> i want to go down in history as one of the world's greatest swimmers ever. >> reporter: to achieve that all he has to do is beat the best there's ever been. >> michael hates to lose more than he likes to win. and that's a rare athlete. >> reporter: and with london only a month away, tonight's matchup is bound to be the beginning of an epic rivalry that will continue right to the

olympic games. >> all right. kevin tibbles in omaha tonight. by the way, these olympic trials will be televised tonight here on nbc. that's 8:00 eastern and pacific. and for us for now that's our broadcast on a monday night. thank you for being with us. i'm brian williams and of course we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night.