on our broadcast tonight, feeling the heat. records are falling as temperatures rise, and now the serious business and deep impact of this drought. and how everything's about to pay for it. flight risks, what were needles doing in turkey sandwiches served in delta airlines. and the other story making news in the ies, the jetliner stolen in utah. the man in charge of security falls on his sword in london. a 7-year-old girl, a fall from a third floor window, and one brave man in exactly the right place at the right time. one brave man in exactly the right place at the right time. nightly news begins now.

captions paid for by nbc-universal television 26 out of our 50 states are feeling the effects of this drought. one scientist said today we're moving from a crisis to a horror story. there are fields of grain in this country that will produce zero crops this year. there's no rain in the forecast, in the affected area, until the middle of next week, and the relentless heat again today across much of this country did not help. more on that in a moment. first tonight the impact on one crop and how we'll with all pay for the damage done to corn field as cross this country. this is how americans will pay the price for the worst drought in half a century. we begin tonight with kevin tibbles in waterloo, iowa. >> reporter: the farmer who

planted this crop says he could expect to get about 30% of the corn from this field than he did last year. in dunker ton, iowa, the stunted brown baked fields of corn tell it all. the worst with drought in half a century is taking its toll. just ask the farmers. >> what does your crop look like? >> it's withering. >> reporter: he's delivering last year's corn just to fulfill this year's contracts as the yield plummets. >> 33 years we've always had a crop, it's not looking good right now. >> reporter: yet farmers were so optimistic, this year's corn crop was the largest planted in 75 years, 96.4 million acres. now the nation's midsection is reeling with kentucky, missouri, pi illinois and kansas having the

poorest condition. >> we're in a challenge of looking in some cases at no crop. >> reporter: and reduce crop or no crop ripples throughout the economy. >> we're going to have so ration corn usage for feed, ethanol, livestock usage and everything. >> reporter: already the price of corn has shot up on the chicago futures market. >> it's probably the one most important thing to just life on the planet next to water. >> reporter: and the price of corn affects almost everything. >> we use corn as a feed for livestock, as a feed for poultry. when the price of corn goes up, that pushes up the price of just about everything that we buy at the supermarket. >> reporter: lots of other corn products we buy too from crayons to car tires, to shampoo and make-up. the consumer will pay the price. >> at this particular time, with a weak economy, a weak job market and weak wage gains, any increase in prices is something

that's going to hurt more than it normally would. >> reporter: for now, life on the farms of america's heartland is just plain tough. life for many farmers as they sit and watch their crops dry up, all they can do is look to the heavens and pray for rain. for many of them, rain just isn't coming. >> what a sad story in for those family farms. kevin tibbles in waterloo iowa tonight. for more on the worst of it, where it's headed next, eric fisher is with us from washington, d.c., tonight whereby the way the temperature reached a high this afternoon of 101. eric, good evening. >> good evening, brian, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, heat again, a huge story. take a look at where the core of it was during the day today, anywhere from the plains to the great lakes to the northeast in the mid-atlantic. many cities reaching 100 degrees including indianapolis, detroit and right here in the nation's capital. when you start to talk about temperatures like that, breaking records and a lack of rain,

drought comes to the conversation as it is right now. over half the nation in at least moderate drought. we'll get a new look at this drought monitor thursday morning. we'll see if things got worse from last night. they probably have. we're watching a multibillion dollar disaster in progress as we speak. some of those same spots, middle of the country looking at heat continuing. we will see a break here in the capital. usually on average this is the hottest time of the year, it tends to get cooler from here, that's the case. >> just thinking hot air worse than normal on capitol hill tonight. eric fisher in washington, d.c., thanks. it's a big deal to get served food on an airline flight these days, it's something else entirely when it contains a dangerous foreign object. specifically the needles discovered in some of the inflight catering served on board several delta airlines flights from amsterdam to the united states. the fbi has now joined the investigation. they would like to know how the needles got there. our report tonight from pete williams.

>> on board delta airlines planes from the netherlands to the u.s. on sunday the strange and disturbing discovery was made on four flights. one to minneapolis and seattle and two to atlanta. inch long needles were found in turkey sandwiches served to three passengers and an air marshall. delta itself discovered them in two other sandwiches. >> i bit into it, it was like something jabbed me in the top of my mouth. my first impraegs was it was a club sandwich and there was a tooth pick or something. >> he was treated and advised to take the anti-aids drug truvada. the food was prepared by gate gore may, a global provider of food and other services to airlines. it appears this was done deliberate

deliberately. >> we're taking this seriously, and we're doing an investigation at there moment. we have detectives working on this case. >> reporter: the tsa says when it heard about this on sunday it immediately notified all u.s. airlines flying out of amsterdam. delta the only airline affected says it takes this matter extremely seriously and is working with gate gourmet to ensure the safety of the food it serves. there's no sign that anything similar was done to any other flights or airlines. who did this and why is so far a mystery. pete williams, nbc news, washington. skywest airlines tells nbc news it's investigating how a murder suspect was able to get access to one of their aircraft, a regional jet siting on the ramp in st. george utah sometime after midnight. the suspect identified as brian hegland was a suspended skywest pilot himself. he got the aircraft rolling, clipped a wing, crashed into some parked cars and killed

himself. he was wanted by police in colorado springs for allegedly killing his girlfriend last week. and in tuscaloosa, tonight. the hunt is over for a man police say opened fire in a crowded bar near the university of alabama campus there. 17 people were wounded, at least one of them critically. the alleged gunman turned himself in today. police think he may be responsible for a second shooting now in the area. overseas, the crisis in syria is playing out for a third straight day. notably now in the heart of the capital city of damascus. the syrian army is fighting the rebels and ominous development in a civil war that so far seems to have no end. a man mohyeldin is following the developments from cairo. >> reporter: it was 12 years ago today that president assad took power in syria. tonight his fight to stay in power is playing out in syria's

capital. the violence and bloodshed has reached damascudamascus. armored tanks and other carriers have been deployed in key parts of damascus, pounding opposition rebels and protecting important government installations. it's the most fighting to hit the capital since the conflict began a year and a half ago. it intends to expand its operations in the coming days, while syria's minister said they have repelled infiltrators. the fight has now come to damascus itself. >> ayman mohyeldin, thanks. ten days to go now until the olympic games get underway in london. the man whose company was hired to provide security at all the olympic venues admitted his company screwed up and now they're working overtime to make it right, and they're going to need a lot of help. our report from nbc's stephanie

gosk in london. >> reporter: at london's olympic park, british soldiers are doing a job very few imagined when they enlisted. manning metal detectors and searching bag. the private company hired by the government was supposed to provide 10,000 security guards, but last week admitted they were at least 3500 short and on any given day, they don't know how many of the employees they do have will even show up. the british military and police are feeling the gap. the head of g4s got a grilling in parliament. >> it's a humiliating shambles for the company, yes or no? >> i cannot disagree with you. >> reporter: the problem continues to grow at olympic venues around the country. 180 local policemen had to fill in today at this hotel for olympic soaker players north of london. members of parliament want to know how this could have happened. >> day by day we started to realize that the pipeline and the people we thought we were going to be able to deliver we

couldn't. >> reporter: with just ten days before opening ceremonies, olympic organizers say this is not what they wanted to be talking about. but they insist the security of the games will not be compromised. >> our venues are safe and secure, we have the number of people we need. >> reporter: on a separate security issue, the tsa is sending over a small group of representatives to advise the british government. they won't income uniform or conducting any searches. their real job is to be to assist with the large number of americans that will will arriving here for the games. >> ten days and counting. stephanie gosk in london for us tonight, thanks. mitt romney opened up a new line of attack on president obama accusing him of insulting business leaders and one romney supporter went even further than that. our report tonight from nbc's peter alexander. >> reporter: an unusually animated mitt romney today seized on some of president

obama's own words, charging they reveal an anti-business bias. >> if you want to understand why his policies have failed, why what he has done has not created jobs or rising incomes in america, you can look at what he said. >> reporter: what did the president say? while outlining his vision of american progress, a partnership between business and government last friday, he included this line. >> if you have a business, you didn't build that, somebody else made that happen. >> reporter: with both sides angling for any advantage, romney pounced. >> to say something like that is not just foolishness, it's insulting to every entrepreneur, every innovator in america, and it's wrong. >> reporter: and he added this about the president's view of the role of services and economic government. >> we pay for those things, the taxpayers pay for government. >> reporter: the romney campaign is fighting to redirect the debate away from his tax runs and tenure at bain capital.

>> tax havens, offshore accounts. >> reporter: mitt romney has used every trick in the book. romney's surrogate briefly changed the subject today. >> i wish this president would learn how to be an american. >> reporter: challenged by reporters, sununu later tried to clarify. >> the president has to learn the american formula for creating business. >> reporter: an obama campaign spokeswoman weighed in writing the romney campaign has officially gone off the deep end. >> late today the conservative magazine complicated things for the campaign. echoing obama campaign calls for romney to release more tax runs and rick perry said candidates should be as transparent as they can, leaving the romney campaign right back where it started the day, on the defensive. >> peter alexander in our d.c. newsroom tonight. still ahead for us, the terrifying video that luckily ended happily in a new york city

driver being hailed as a hero, and a little girl was in big trouble. a woman, a rescued dog and an emotional reunion hundreds of miles away. ok! who gets occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas or bloating? get ahead of it! one phillips' colon health probiotic cap a day helps defend against digestive issues with three strains of good bacteria. hit me! [ female announcer ] live the regular life. phillips'. ...more talk on social security... ...but washington isn't talking to the american people. [ female announcer ] when it comes to the future of medicare and social security,

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and our innovative online tools ensure that you're always in the loop. one more way quicken loans is engineered to amaze. talk about being in the right place at the right time. a new york city bus driver was walking home from work when he heard a commotion. the story tonight from nbc's katy tur. >> reporter: 30 feet up in the air, her hand on the building, her legs swinging off to the side. a 7-year-old girl stood, swayed and seemed to dance on top of an air conditioning unit. three floors below, steve stretched out his arms and waited for what looked like the inevitable. >> like everything went in slow motion. that's it, i looked up and it's like -- everything just pounding, pounding. >> reporter: heart pounding but he caught her and the child

suffered only a few bruises. the father was just coming home from his shift as a new york city bus driver when he heard screams from outside the building. >> you were the only one with the presence of mind to stand beneath her? why do you think you did it? >> i have a 7-year-old. >> reporter: the child has autism and she may not have fully understood the consequences of jumping. as the young girl's family thanked their new hero. he told us this was just her dad doing what he does best. >> the child is almost my age, so he always carries me, so i guess probably he'll be able to catch her. >> reporter: st. bernard tore a tendon in his shoulder, an injury he says well worth with the life saved. >> everyone's calling you a hero. >> that's from the heart, it's instinct.

any parent or anyone who loves kids like me, would have done the same thing. >> reporter: katy tur, nbc news new york. the kisscam moment from last night that involved a well known married skoup el at a basketball game. so what i'm saying is, people like options. when you take geico, you can call them anytime you feel like saving money. it don't matter, day or night. use your computer, your smartphone, your tablet, whatever. the point is, you have options. oh, how convenient. hey. crab cakes, what are you looking at? geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance.

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william raspberry has died. he was a columnist for the "washington post" for 39 years. his column was also syndicated in 200 paper as cross this country. he was awarded the pulitzer prize for commentary back in 1994. his views were hard to predict or pin down. his moderate views used to confound some civil rights leaders. his very last column dealt with the crisis of absentee black fathers in america. he was the product of small town mississippi. he taught journalism at duke

university for ten years. he financed journalism scholarships out of his own pocket. interestingly in addition to his wife, children and siblings, he's survived by his mother who is 106. william raspberry was 76 years old. today marks a big anniversary in the life of a product that changed our lives forever. the air conditioner is 110 years old today. it was invented by willis carrier, of the carrier business. earning him the nickname the father of air conditioning. the first air conditioner was turned on to cool down a printing plant in brooklyn, new york. nothing was the same after that. it changed living indoors. some say it changed the outdoors as well, with so many nations burning coal to make electricity to power air conditioners. you know kisscam, the

cameras in the arena find an unsuspecting couple and put them under relentless pressure to kiss. later in the game, when given a second chance and egged on by daughter malia, they planneded one and the crowd went wild. tonight bruce springsteen gently got back at the folks in london who pulled the power and stopped his concert with paul mccartney in hyde park because of a noise curfew, playing in dublin tonight. they took the stage with their own generator. bruce opened by finishing the song twist with and shout, continuing what they started in london, as he put it, before they were so rudely interrupted. and then he played i fought the law. tonight we're happy to report the power stayed on for all 31 songs, in the 3:21 concert.

when we continue here this evening. a road trip to make a difference for a family that had lost its best friend. if we took the nissan altima and reimagined nearly everything in it? gave it greater horsepower and best in class 38 mpg highway... ...advanced headlights... ...and zero gravity seats? yeah, that would be cool. ♪ introducing the completely reimagined nissan altima. it's our most innovative altima ever. nissan. innovation that excites. ♪ nissan. innovation that excites. hey kev, ♪ nissan. innovation that excites. hey how about a bike ride? you're not my dad ahh!! hey honey, back feels better, little dancing tonight, you and me? dr. scholl's pro inserts relieve different types of lower body pain by treating at the source so you're a whole new you. go pro with dr. scholl's. [ male announcer ] we believe small things can make a big difference. like how a little oil from here can be such a big thing in an old friend's life.

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a difference" report. a woman rescued a dog she thought was a stray. then things took an unexpected turn. soon a woman and dog were on the road for another big deed. mara schiavocampo has our story. >> reporter: though she seemed like within of the pack. this is not really home for savannah. found wandering the streets in georgia, the husky wound up in a shelter that found a new jersey foster family to take her in, just before she was going to be put down. >> two hours to live? >> two hours to live. >> reporter: a lifelong animal lover said to herself, this dog is no stray. 800 miles away, terrell steven son came across savannah's picture, he instantly knew it was his family's dog. >> her eyes are one a kind. >> reporter: for more than a

month, the stevensons had searched for savannah after she ran away during a storm. her disappearance making another recent loss even more difficult. >> they were always outside together. >> reporter: belinda's husband and savannah's best friend was johnny, nicknamed pop, a 20-year military veteran who served in iraq. he left for afghanistan in january, one month later he died of heart failure. >> there will never be nobody else that can take my husband's place. >> reporter: stevenson's wife of 30 years e-mailed and thanked her for sharing the story. >> i felt like another piece of him was taken from me. >> reporter: ogden knew savannah belonged at home. she packed up the car and drove 14 hours with a caravan to georgia. bringing back more than just a pet.

>> i'm getting a little piece of pops back. >> reporter: one dog's unlikely homecoming, and a family reunited. mara schiavocampo, nbc news, westwood, new jersey. that is our broadcast on this tuesday night, thank you for being here with us, i'm brian williams. we hope to see you right