on our broadcast tonight -- here in london, a huge day for the american women, a big win on field. also at home, will women and donations now come back to those races for the cure. a big change at the top of the nation's biggest breast cancer charity. and tom brokaw tonight on why so many americans have always been just a bit bonkers for the brits. "nightly news" from london for the brits. "nightly news" from london begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening. after a wild day and a wild night in these summer olympic games, when night fell here in london there were simultaneous crowds of 80,000 people in two

different stadiums here. it's been a big day for team usa, a big day for both individual and team sports, capped off by the soccer game that aired live a short time ago on the nbc sports network across the country. and this was a big one, especially for all the american families whose weekends are spent on the sidelines cheering on an athlete, the u.s. women's soccer team 0 goes to the top of the medal stand again for another gold medal. nbc's chris jansing is here to start us off. >> we talked about this as the year of the woman. well, team usa has two-thirds of their golds won by women. tonight that epic soccer battle for the americans lived up to the hype. for u.s. women's soccer there had never been a final like this. team usa had waited a year to avenge their devastating world cup loss to japan. with the clock ticking down and chance of usa echoing through

the record crowd of more than 80,000, redemption for the americans 2-1. hope solo was mobbed. >> it was a team effort for this entire tournament. it shows what it takes to win championships, team woushg, loyalty and believing in other. >> reporter: carli lloyd scored twice. their t-shirt said it all, greatness has been found. now a warning. we are about to give results in a race you won't see until tonight, the men's 200 meter spring. in a race for the ages, usain bolt exploded into the lead of the 200 meters and became a legend. no olympic sprinter had ever repeated in both the 100 and 200. >> there's no words to say how i feel. i came here to become a legend and i'm now a legend. >> reporter: at jamaica house in london, they're celebrating the medical sweep for the world's fastest man and his teammate.

a 17-year-old clarissa fields from flint, michigan, made history. she came to the olympics for boxing, fought hard out of the ring against poverty and prejudice. she leaves london with gold. >> i don't know what's next, you know. this has been my dream for the last four or five dreams. >> reporter: oscar pa store yus had already made history but now he has a chance for a medal. in the 4 x 400 preliminary, a teammate collided with the roommate. after judging the video, the south african is back in the finals. in those same prelims, team usa got a new hero. mitchell, he heard a pop in his left leg while running. in an inspirational act of bravery, he kept running through excruciating pain, only to learn later he had broken his leg. he said, you've got three guys depending on you. you don't want to let them down.

and when i was at olympic staid yumt tonight, there was a gold medal ceremony for american alison felix who won the with 200 meters last night. that crowd that looks like the united nations didn't just cheer. they roared. the olympic spirit and the excitement is alive and well at these games, brian. >> unbelievable day of action. chris jansing starting us off. thanks. back home in the u.s. tonight, an update on the story we've been following, the controversy involving the susan g. komen foundation has soiled one of the great names and best-known brand names in all of charity. the instantly recognizable and zealously guarded trademark pink ribbon always stood for one thing, it was the 1isymbol for e fight against breast cancer until controversy came along and komen cut fands for planned parenthood, a decision it later reversed. now senior leadership has given way, the founder nancy brinker whose late sister was susan g.

komen has stepped down from her royal as ceo. but will it be enough to calm the storm and quiet critics. >> reporter: the shake-up moving founder ceo out and into a different management role was welcomed alz much-needed change at komen affiliates like the one in seattle where the annual raise for the cure raised $500,000 less this year with participation down 30%. donations also were down sharply in many other parts of the country. >> i do see this as a path to recovery. i am hoping that people will begin to look at us moving forward. >> reporter: charity watchers say it is a step forward. >> it was pretty clear that some change at the top was needed as a really strong signal to all the women who depend on susan g. komen and those services. >> komen insiders tell nbc news that this will remove brinker from day-to-day operations.

they say she will retain a significant amount of influence and that this would not have happened without brinker's consent. so it's been very hard for her. but on the web, some skepticism, too late, too late. i will never, ever trust komen again. this longtime donor says she's still not giving any more money. >> i see this as window dressing and as pr. the bottom lionel is, nancy brinker will still be running the organization. >> reporter: the biggest winners are low income women. lisa myers, nbc news, washington. >> the government's new drought monitor report is out. it's more bad news for the midwest and the plain states. it increases the number of areas suffering under what's called extreme or exceptional drought. in illinois that means 80% of the fields and a lot of places the corn crop is now a total loss, soy beenz cto could be th

next to go. we also got a new hurricane forecast for the balance of this season. government scientists have upped their expectations 4 the big storms, predicting 12 to 17 so-called named storms, 5 to 8 hurricanes, 2 of 3 of which could be major. part of the reason here, warmer ocean temperatures out there that can feed hurricane formation. we also learned today the lawyers for the accused gunman in that movie theater shooting in aurora, colorado, feel that their client james holmes is indeed mentally ill. this came during a court appearance today. it could be setting the stage for an insanity plea. overseas now to syria as we reported last night in the fierce fight for that nation's largest city, aleppo, people are being warned to leave as the syrian army now ratchets up their assault. many are leaving, and that's creating a new crisis of refugees. again tonight, our report from our chief foreign correspondent

richard engel inside northern syria. >> reporter: the rebels in aleppo are losing ground, pulling back as syrian troops push deeper into the city. and, as we saw traveling through the nearby considerside, the battle in aleppo is creating a growing refugee crisis. 500 refugee pack a school, most from aleppo. and just minutes after we arr e arrive, a new group is dropped off. there's no water or much food at the school. and it's 100 degrees in the shade. this is china, and russia's fault. may god punish them, a woman says. rebels tell us there are now more than 100,000 syrians from aleppo living just like this. hoping to cross into turkey and join the already 50,000 syrian refugees there. 29-year-old ha psalm dorish came from aleppo with his son. he says the government assault is not random.

they're only attacking sunni muslim neighborhoods leaving alone the minority shiite muslims who have ruled for years. it's a claim backed by dozens of witnesses. there's no attacking against the shiite or al oweite issues? no, none 0 at all, he soez. it's a sectarian war. bashar al assad anything sunni. >> reporter: many say deliberately targeting along religious lines, the syrian government is trying to provoke a war between sunni and shiite muslims and is creating sectarian hatred that will make any post-war reconciliation here far more difficult. brian? >> richard engel reporting again from northern syria. now to the presidential campaign back home. mitt romney is expected to announce his choice of a running mate soon. speculation, as you may know, is heated. every word he says on the topic is being scrutinized.

our political director, chief white house correspondent chuck todd spoke exclusively to governor romney about it today. >> what do you want your running mate to say about you? what do you want your selection to say about what kind of president you're going to be? >> i don't think i have anything for you on the vp running mate other than i certainly expect to have a person that has strength of character, vision for the country, that adds something to the political discourse about the direction of the country. i happen to believe this is a defining election for america, that we're going to be voting for what kind of america we're going to have. >> interesting bit of mitt romney's exclusive talk with chuck todd late today, part of a special hour to air on msnbc later this month. one more note on things political. knowing a hot product when he sees one, the president today visited the u.s. olympic training facility in colorado, promptly took his shoes off, got on the mat and said his

grandmother would be proud there were no holes in his socks. still ahead, as we continue from london tonight -- one of the breakout stars from the american women's team with a killer kick that helped to win a gold medal just tonight. and if you've never seen a million dollars on fire, we'll show you that, too. ♪ [ male announcer ] start with a simple idea. think. drink coffee. hatch a design. kill the design. design something totally original. do it again. that's good. kick out the committees. call in the engineers. call in the car guys. call in the nerds. build a prototype. mold it. shape it. love it. give it 40 mpg. no, 41. give it a huge display. give it a starting price under 16 grand. take it to the car shows. get a celebrity endorser. he's perfect. "i am?" yes, you are. making a groundbreaking car. it's that easy. ♪ begins with back pain and a choice.

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. in order to get to today's gold medal game, the u.s. women's soccer team had to make it past canada first in the semifinal and they were powered to that 4-3 win in large part by the play of megan rapino who scored two goals in that crucial game. she's had a stellar olympics after playing as a sub for team usa until just about seven weeks ago. her story here tonight from nbc's stephanie gosk. >> reporter: watching the u.s. women's soccer team, it's hard to miss megan rapino's shock of blonde hair, especially when she does this. >> drives it! a magnificent goal by megan rap rapineo. >> reporter: a clutch goal against canada. one of the team's newest additions, rapinoe is playing like a star here in london, three goals and three assists. thanks her team says to a signature style and razor-sharp

technical stikills. >> she's differently. she marches to the beat of a different drum. we know she's a special talent. >> reporter: even though at times she pass faces off with players with more power and speed. >> i think you can be creative and you can understand a game in a way that allows you to beat someone that is stronger and faster than you. >> reporter: she's not just creative. she's a character both on and off the field. >> she is one of the funniest girls i know. >> we have so much time together in airports, in hotels, i want to be laughing as much as possible. >> reporter: rapinoe not on the road, she comes home to redding, california, where she started playing soccer at age 5. what are the chances these are the exact same goals that were up when you played as kids. >> by the looks at it, probably 100%. >> reporter: she played here with twin sister rachel. all day long every chance they got. >> this is my assistant rachel. we're here today to show you the

basic skills of soccer. >> they went at each other tooth and nail on that soccer field day in and day out, month after month. >> and stayed friends. >> and stayed friends. oh, yeah. >> so close. >> reporter: the whole family is close. parents jim and denise dedicated weekends for years driving megan and her sister to games. when not in the car, denise works at jack's grill where she has been a waitress for 25 years. jack's grill is rapinoe fan club headquarters. >> how are you? >> reporter: when megan was growing up, there were no competitive leagues here in redding, certainly nothing like this. soccer has surged in popularity, the success of their homegrown hero has played a very large part in it. she has also translated that success into becoming a spokeswoman for a different cause. in june she told "out" magazine she's gay, something her family and friends knew for a long time but she felt would hem others. >> to feel like they have someone to kind of look up to would be really cool for them.

i don't feel like, you know, there's anything wrong with me. i feel like i'm actually special. >> reporter: rapinoe proves it every time she takes the field, her fancy footwork, and an undeniably style all her own. stephanie gosk, nbc news, redding, california. up next tonight, when it comes to airlines and schedules, there's a new list of the good, the bad, and the ugly. nt? the blissful pause just before that rich sweetness touches your lips. the delightful discovery, the mid-sweetening realization that you have the house all to yourself. well, almost. the sweet reward, making a delicious choice that's also a smart choice. splenda no-calorie sweetener. with the original sugar-like taste you love and trust. splenda makes the moment yours.

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the photos of the day from the new mars rover "curiosity" shows mohr of its neighborhood, including the first 360 panorama in color. it still looks like the mojave desert. scientists remind us they've just begun as far as the imagery we'll be seeing along the way. >> because you have to take the bad with the good in the exploration business, this was bad. a major mishap for a prototype landing craft. this was a testing craft of the

morph yus spacecraft. this is not supposed to happen. that's what a million dollars looks like when it's on fire. it was unmanned. there were no injuries. nasa kbikly said for its part budgeting for failure during testing is part of the process. we never would have gotten to the moon without failure. and better now than later on. and in other space news, one of the old shuttles, the "endeavour" is headed to southern california. traffic being what it is, they're already warning people on october 12th it will make a 12-mile two-day journey two miles an hour so average l.a. speeds over surface streets from lax to the california science center. los angeles, you've been warned. begin your planning of alternate routes now. and in the flying business, for regular people, a lot of new data just out. the big news, the best first half of any year on record for on-time performance in the air. hawaiian and alaska airlines just ranked 1 and 2 for on-time

performance. best u.s. airport for on-time departures and arrivals? salt lake city, newark worst in both categories. a new gallup poll shows that most americans think the tsa does a good job though older respondents were less likely to say nice things about the tsa. penn state announced changes today for their iconically plain football yufrmz. starting this coming season, they will have blue ribbons for abuse victims and the jerseys will now have players' names across the back. they say it's designed to give credit to those who still choose to play for the nittany lions. when we come back tonight, it's called a smeshl relationship for good reason, afr all. what is it about the u.s. and gb? doesn't have to take longer. i'm done... i'm going to read one of these. i'm going to read one of these! [ female announcer ] unlike sprays and dust rags,

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if you're still having difficulty breathing, ask your doctor if including advair could help improve your lung function. get your first full prescription free and save on refills at advaircopd.com. . here at these olympics, there have been two big story lines in just these recent days, the u.s. surging in the medal cou count. and the great britain and u.s. relationship p. the revolutionary war and the

fact they call soccer football. but as tom brokaw remind us about how important british is. >> every american school child knows we began our country by rejecting the idea of royalty. not so much anymore. it turns out we're bonkers for royalty. any major royal event is big box office on american television. the queen, so much more than the head of the royal household. tracy ullman an american citizen but always a brit. >> she's done a bloody good job, the queen, if i say so myself and kate middleton just rejuve yaited it all again. on we go. >> it doesn't stop with the royals. on we go to "downton abbey," the

lifestyle of the british upperclass. >> are you afraid someone will think you're american if you speak openly? >> i doubt will it will come to that. >> the other british royalty has other subjects, mccartney and the beatles, nick and the stoenz, molly wood, that very american institution, some of the biggest stars are british. best pictures? "the king's speech." before that, "shaikz pekespeare love." "harry potter" conquered america young and old. we know what we like british. so what do the british like american? >> for all of our crumbling about how america might behave around the world, we're wearing levi's, drinking coke, using ipads. >> in our election year, the brits watch america with a sense of bewilderment.

>> we talk about guns, god and government. those are the three things we don't understand. the role of government is. more complicated here. people in america don't want it. in britain, we expect government to provide things for us. >> in these olympic games there's a kind of mutual add -- admiration society. there are more of us here, but t -- with the bigger medal count, but britain is having a great run. and it is an agreeable mix. they can row. >> great britain takes the gold medal! >> we can swim. >> and gets it done! >> they're better on a horse. we're better on hardwood. >> what i love about this olympic games that happened in england is we've imported a ton of americans' self-esteem. we could never high-five years

ago. it was like -- now we're high-fiving, we're winning gold medals. >> wills, kate and harry, the younger royals, are a big attraction for americans in the stands. they seem like the kids next door. if this is your idea of next door. >> and brian, tracy ullman also made the point that kate is so popular, yet she does not have one tattoo and she retains an air of mystery. there's so much about her we don't know, contrary to everything else in the celebrity world these days. >> imagine that. and she still gets by. tom brokaw, thank you so much. by the way, tom's documentary tribute called "their finest hour" airs this saturday night on nbc at 8:00 eastern, part of our prime-time olympic coverage that night. for us nor now, that's our broadcast on a thursday night. thank you for being here with us. and a reminder, olympic

prime-time coverage tonight at 8:00/7:00 central. i'm brian williams will reporting from london. we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. for all of us here, good night.