for all of us i'm renee chenault-fattah. >> i'm jim rosenfield. "nbc nightly news" is next. tonight, breaking news on several stories as we come on the air. a dramatic takedown in the manhunt for two escaped killers. one shot dead. we're there tonight. law of the land. american history as the supreme court rules same-sex marriage is legal in every state in the union. celebrations and weddings under way. massacre at the beach. deadly terror attacks on three different continents. and tonight nbc news has learned u.s. intelligence is bracing for a july 4th threat. and amazing grace. a rousing, extraordinary tribute in charleston as president obama leads a church of mourners and a wounded city in song and an unforgettable remembrance. a very busy night, and our coverage begins right now.

>> announcer: from nbc news world headquarters in new york this is "nbc nightly news with lester holt." good evening. quite frankly, we haven't seen a news day this busy in a long time. so many news stories we're following today starting with a landmark decision by the u.s. supreme court, making same-sex marriage legal in all 50 states. emotional reactions across the country marking a dramatic and historic shift in this country's social landscape. and a story we plan to have extensive coverage of tonight. but at this moment there are breaking developments in the hunt for those escaped killers in upstate new york. we want to get right to nbc's stephanie gosk in malone new york. stephanie, what's happened? >> reporter: good evening, lester. this is an active scene in malone right now. two senior new york officials tell us that richard matt has been shot and killed but his sidekick david sweat, is on the loose in these woods. after a nearly three-week-long manhunt and a

jaw-dropping prison break, this could finally be coming to an end tonight. two senior new york state officials tell nbc news tonight that richard matt has been shot and killed. 50 miles from clinton correctional facility in the town of malone near lake titus. multiple law enforcement sources tell nbc news that matt and sweat were traveling close together when a border patrol tactical team encountered matt and opened fire when he appeared to have raised a shotgun and pointed it at them. authorities were conducting a sweep near route 30 when they heard shots near a campground. after that the team closed in on matt. evidence at the scene indicates that sweat was nearby and authorities say they are close to moving in on him. officials believed they were getting close dwroer ar to a capture, saying last weekend dna evidence at a cabin in the small town of owls head new york was a positive match to both convicts. we got an exclusive look at that cabin today, located a mile and a half into the woods off the main

dirt road called wolf pond road. it's a hike up here, and matt and sweat would have had to come along this road. the question everyone has who lives here on their mind is how did they know to make the turn back there? how did they know to keep walking? it's part of a hunting camp called twisted horns which is owned by corrections officers. three of them work at clinton correctional. but the person who discovered the convicts works at another prison. the story is that the cabin owner came up here on his atv and he just had his dog and a gun and he was coming to check the cabin. he looked through the door and he saw someone move. another positive dna hit at another cabin today, authorities say, 13 miles north in malone near where matt was shot tonight. it's been 21 days since the convicts' daring escape from the maximum security prison. the two cutting through walls and pipes. using a catwalk to get out. exiting through this manhole. authorities have followed thousands of leads, zeroing in on the area near the

prison. >> we have no reason to believe they're in canada yet. >> reporter: the terrain has not made this an easy capture for law enforcement. >> it's rugged it's tenacious, it's -- weather has not cooperated. it's probably been as much of a challenge to the inmates as it has been to law enforcement. >> reporter: there are very few roads here in malone leading to lake titus. they have all been shut down, and residents who are trying to get back to their homes are told it's just simply too dangerous to go through there now. lester? >> stephanie goss nic upstate new york. thank you. now to that historic supreme court decision legalizing same-sex marriage across the land and it's profound. the 5-4 vote in many ways reflecting the huge societal shift of the last 20 years. the president saying today there are days like this when that slow steady effort is rewarded with justice that arrives like a thunderbolt. we'll have all the celebrations across the country and also hear from those left disappointed by the decision. but first let's get to the court and our justice correspondent pete williams. pete set the scene

for us. >> reporter: lester good evening. it's the most important gay rights ruling ever and it's the culmination of decades of legal battles. it comes from a supreme court that just 30 years ago said gay people could be punished as criminals. [ cheers and applause ] a huge cheer then singing as the decision reaches the crowd out front. ♪ yet wave ♪ the historic ruling struck down the bans on same-sex marriage still in effect in 14 states all of them in the south and the midwest. it was already legal everywhere else. justice anthony kennedy wrote the 5-4 ruling joined by the court's liberals. "the right of same-sex couples to marry is part of the liberty promised by the constitution," kennedy said, "which grants them equal dignity in the eyes of the law." after the decision was announced the crowd seemed to grow people wanting to celebrate and be closer to the supreme court. couples who fought the bans in kentucky were ecstatic. >> it's been a long path for us in our 33

years. we know that people have been fighting this fight for decades. >> reporter: pam yorksmith and her partner battled ohio's ban. >> for us this started out as a dream to add my name to our son's birth certificate. >> reporter: james obergafel wanted to be declared the survivor on his spouse's death certificate. >> i know in my heart that john is with me today. >> reporter: each of the supreme court's four conservatives filed a dissent. chief justice john roberts said the couples made strong arguments rooted in social policy and fairness but such a decision he said should rest with the people, not judges. justice antonin scalia called the court's reasoning a threat to american democracy. if he had written the ruling he said "i would hide my head in a bag." >> we hope this decision today will not be used as an excuse to ostracize, to demonize or to punish people for holding views contrary to what five of the nine justices said today. >> reporter:

massachusetts in 2003 was the first state to permit marriage for gay couples. others followed slowly. then a rush of court rulings in the past two years brought it to 70% of the nation's population. >> people don't have to hold their breath as they cross state lines and worry they're going to lose their marriage and lose their protections as they do. >> reporter: today's ruling settles the issue of same-sex marriage nationwide. it could be undone but only by a constitutional amendment or by a future supreme court that changes its mind. and neither of those seems at all likely. lester? >> pete williams thanks. across the country right now wedding bells are ringing. in texas and alabama and georgia, places where some people thought this day might never come. celebrations are under way tonight, and nbc's hallie jackson has all the latest. >> congratulations, america! >> reporter: from the stonewall inn in new york to san francisco's city hall celebrations decades in the making. but perhaps none as meaningful as these. same-sex marriage ceremonies in states where it was illegal

before today, like in arkansas. >> spouses for life. >> reporter: and in texas where jack evans and george harris finally wed after 50 years together. >> we didn't want troush into anything. but we're ready. >> reporter: the paperwork was not quite right, with the word woman still printed on the license. >> the time has come. texas has finally caught up with history. love rules. >> reporter: social media lit up with profile pictures turning to rainbows and 33,000 tweets per minute at its peak. ellen degeneres writing simply "love won." and tim cook apple's openly gay ceo, calling it a victory for equality perseverance, and love. >> you wouldn't think that something so basic could take so long. >> reporter: two decades ago only 27% of americans supported same-sex marriage. now 60% do. but that shift is far less pronounced among republicans. about 6 in 10 oppose the court's decision

according to our latest nbc news/"wall street journal" poll. with many christians especially in conservative parts of the nation deeply unsettled. >> it's not the will of the people to have same-sex marriage. now there's no point in having civil marriage in this country whatsoever. >> reporter: in alabama at least two counties are refusing to issue any marriage licenses gay or straight. >> this is a sad day for children. a sad day for our constitution. a sad day for america. >> reporter: for opponents of same-sex marriage a blow from the supreme court. for supporters a victory. for equality and love. and in west hollywood, which was one of the first cities in the country to publicly support marriage equality thousands of people are expected at a rally tonight, lester. and for many of them it's the perfect way to cap gay pride month. >> all right. thanks very much. another major story still developing tonight, three terror attacks tonight on three different continents playing out almost simultaneously.

in france kuwait, and tunisia. where a massacre occurred at a beach resort popular with european tourists. and here at home nbc news has learned tonight u.s. intelligence is bracing for a july 4th threat. we want to bring in michael michael leiter former director of the national counterterrorism center now executive vice president of the security firm lidos. isis has been calling for "a month of disaster." is that what we saw play out here an answer to that call? >> i think it largely was, lester. and what this really showed is the diverse threat that officials face. you had the one in kuwait which is really driven by the sunni-shia divide. you have in tunisia a less secure situation because of the arab awakening. and then you have what strikes the greatest fear in u.s. officials' hearts, and that's the attack by the likely homegrown terrorist in france. >> and we hear perhaps there's a threat for july 4th that officials are going to be on the lookout for here. the nature of these kinds of attacks seem

low-tech. is there a way to prevent them? >> it's extremely difficult. the fbi has active investigations in all 50 states. these can come up from almost anywhere. so they are watching people they know about, but it's the ones they don't know about with guns knives or just a car that really does make them nervous. and july 4th is obviously a good target even if there isn't anything specific that they're watching today. >> michael leiter thanks very much. and with more on today's attacks and the fears here at home let's go to nbc's kelly cobiella. >> reporter: the attack turns this mediterranean beach resort into a scene of bloody horror. bodies motionless in the sand. people rushing to help survivors. many of the wounded in shock. eyewitnesses described utter panic. >> we were on the beach sunbathing right by the pool. all of a sudden we hear shooting. i stand up. and a guy drops an umbrella and out comes a gun. and he starts shooting at everybody to the

right of us. i got up and shouted "gun. gun." and then he started shooting everybody around him. >> as i turned the bullet just hit me in my arm. >> reporter: one gunman was killed by police. at least two other suspects were taken into custody. the target, tunisia's imperial mahaba hotel popular with tourists including many from germany, belgium, and great britain. >> our hearts go out to the victims of these appalling terrorist acts. >> reporter: just three months ago an attack on tunisia's national museum left 20 dead most of them tourists. today's toll at least 37. in kuwait another attack. a suicide bomber struck a packed shiite mosque in the heart of kuwait city. he blew himself up during friday prayers. at least 27 worshippers dead more than 200 injured. >> security in kuwait

is extremely tight. for this attack to take place at a shia mosque in itself is extremely rare. in france a third attack. an american-owned gas factory outside lyon. a man crashed his vehicle into gas canisters, triggering an explosion that injured two people. the severed head of the man's employer was found at the factory gate. flags bearing arabic inscriptions. the suspect, his wife and two others were arrested. just this week an isis spokesman called on muslims everywhere to rise up and make ramadan a month of calamity. but were today's attacks coordinated? >> we certainly noticed there was a common theme between all of them. and more importantly, this is what isis wants. isis has been calling on individuals, whether they're in europe or the middle east to carry out attacks of this scale. >> reporter: one day, three attacks. and fears of more to come. kelly cobilla, nbc news tunis. we've got a lot more ahead on a very busy news night including a spirited tribute to the victims of the charleston church massacre. the once-in-a-lifetime

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senator clementa pinckney. we were in charleston as well this morning speaking to some of the hundreds who lined up hours before the service, a diverse crowd who told us they were hoping for a message of unity from the president, who delivered with spirit and with song. our ron allen continues to lead our coverage from charleston. >> reporter: the reverend senator clementa pinckney left his beloved mother emanuel church for the last time this morning. as thousands gathered in a nearby sports arena turned into a sanctuary because so many mourners wanted to say good-bye. president obama, who met the pastor here during the 2008 campaign led a delegation of national and state leaders. >> we are here today to remember a man of god who lived by faith, a man who believed there were better days ahead, off in the distance. >> reporter: he praised pinckney a preacher at age 13 as an activist minister and political fighter as well elected to the state house at

just 23 and then the senate. and mr. obama praised pinckney's grace and saw that same goodness in the aide who diedeight who died with him. >> blinded by hatred the killer could not see the grace surrounding reverend pinckney and that bible study group. >> reporter: mourners grieved throughout the city. families with children who witnessed history. watching the service at theaters museums, the street in front of mother emanuel. the president's eulogy also a call to confront tough issues -- gun control, race relations, taking down the confederate flag. an impassioned president mindful of the history of the church its pastor and the moment. even leading the congregation more than 5,000 strong in singing an old hymn. ♪ amazing grace ♪ [ applause ] ♪ how sweet the sound ♪

♪ was blind ♪ ♪ but now i see ♪ [ applause ] >> may god continue to shed his grace on the united states of america. [ cheers ] [ applause ] >> reporter: a very very powerful moment, and many leaving that auditorium came here to mother emanuel where the services continued. this evening friends and relatives gathering to pay their respects to cynthia hurd 54 a librarian who died with her church brothers and sisters. the funerals continue this weekend and on into next week. lester? >> ron, you've been there this long and painful week. the president was there to give a eulogy but clearly he was talking beyond that church. did it seem to bring together and send a message that community was looking for?

>> i think it did, lester. politics aside, this week has been just so emotional, so disturbing so uplifting as well. and i think the president was caught up in all that. it's impossible not to be standing in an auditorium with 5,000 people. and we also believe he spent some time some good time with the families of those who lost loved ones here at this church. >> ron allen. >> reporter: just a profound week. we've seen a lot of things over the years. this was an absolutely profound experience. >> ron, thank you. we're back in a moment with the sightseeing trip that quickly guys, it's just the two of you. the setting is just right. but here's the thing, about half of men over 40 have some degree of erectile dysfunction. well, viagra helps guys with ed get and keep an erection. and you only take it when you need it. ask your doctor if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take viagra if you take nitrates for chest pain; it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. side effects include headache, flushing, upset stomach and abnormal vision. to avoid long-term injury,

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tonight marks the end of a momentous week in this country, a week filled with events that altered the very fabric of our american culture. and while we often see these seismic shifts through different lenses we have all become witnesses to history in the making over just a few days' time. here's harry smith. >> reporter: sometimes the currents of history surprise us. from the tragedy in charleston arose a movement that had long been stalled in an eddy of complacency. >> make this day the day that the flag comes down. >> reporter: suddenly from state to state the words rang out loud and clear. take down the flag. and this morning the supreme court made clear that the rights of gay americans are equal to that of everyone else.

>> today's ruling from the supreme court affirms what millions across this country already know to be true in our hearts. our love is equal. >> reporter: a civil rights ruling that not so long ago seemed far-fetched. in an instant the future was here now. and yesterday the court ruled the government does indeed have the right to subsidize health care for the poor. >> health care is not a privilege for a few but a right for all. >> reporter: will the affordable care act become this generation's social security? >> whoo! >> love wins! >> reporter: what some embraced as progress others will argue is egress. our american family will always have its differences. navigating change though is what makes us who we are. harry smith, nbc news charleston. >> a week that will be remembered for a long time to come. for some of you that is going to do it for us on this friday night. for other stations our coverage continues with a second half hour of news in just a moment.

i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news thank you for watching. and good night.

♪ from nbc news world headquarters in new york this is "nbc nightly news with lester holt." >> and our coverage continues now with several developing stories including history made at the supreme court. a 5-4 ruling that same-sex marage is a constitutional right now legal in every state from coast to coast. the reaction was swift from the court to the campaign trail, and there's no one better to provide insight for us than our political director the moderator of "meet the press," chuck todd. and pete williams as well from the supreme court. and chuck, let me start with you. this caps a week of wins for the president after his health care victory, a big victory on trade, in congress. how will this week