on this sunday night, no apologies from donald trump over his explosive comments as a new survey reveals where the candidates stand after the first republican debate. fighting isis. the u.s. steps up its campaign against the terrorist group in syria by moving fighter jets to neighboring turkey. back to ferguson, memorials and tributes one year after the shooting death of michael brown set off a national debate about police conduct and race. standing guard. after the chattanooga shooting we're with some of the heavily armed citizens on patrol at this recruitment center. and remembering frank gifford, the nfl hall of famer and broadcast legend. "nightly news" begins now.

good evening. donald trump says he's got nothing to apologize for, even as a comment he made about fox debate moderator megyn kelly continues to draw widespread condemnation. trump says his words are being twisted unfairly. meanwhile an nbc news survey suggests his performance at the debate and firestorm that followed have not hurt his standing in the race. chuck todd joins us in a moment. we begin with halle jackson on the campaign trail in huntsville, alabama. halle, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, willie. the republican field has scat r scattered itself across the country to iowa, south carolina, and here in alabama, where folks are getting ready for a ted cruz rally. no matter where candidates go they cannot seem to get away from questions about the one who is leading the race and shaping the conversation. the candidate who spent much of his career on camera stayed off

camera today. donald trump phoning in to political talk shows refusing to back away from his controversial comments about fox debate moderator megyn kelly. >> i apologize when i'm wrong. i said nothing wrong. >> reporter: he says he was not implying the anchor was hormonal. >> you can see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever. >> the point is women understood that comment and yes it is offensive. >> reporter: trump still dominating the conversation and the polls. >> maybe i shouldn't change. i'm leading by double dingities. >> is he consuming this campaign right now? >> you know, chuck, it's funny. this doesn't steam bother me. >> but it does bother other candidates which add his comments about mexicans and john mccain will hurt the party in 2016, senator lindsey fwra ham

call him an out of control car driving through republicans and somebody needs to get him out of the car. >> made a decision with donald trump. if i comment on everything he says my whole campaign will be consumed by it. >> reporter: several republicans hit the campaign trail today including senator ted cruz. at what point does trump cross the line and hurt the republican party? >> i don't think the american people are interested in politicians bickering at each other. we'll keep the focus of this campaign on the problems. >> reporter: ben carson sees a silver lining. >> he's bringing a lot of interest and hopefully that interest will translate into people becoming forward. >> reporter: trump tweeted out a minor attack on carly fiorina accusing him of being boring. other candidates hope to move on like senator cruz who hopes his

tour will make a play for key southern states. chuck todd has more on how the candidates stack up. chuck? >> what is the julyout from thursday's debate? we did a scientifically conducted panel online survey. when asked who do you think won the debate? republicans picked somebody in the happy hour debate. carly fiorina the runaway winner as far as republicans are concerned. donald trump finishing second, rubio, cruz and carson rounding out the top five. who do you think lost the debate? on that front donald trump came out on top, rand paul, jeb bush, and chris christie the top four of who lost. so where is the race overall? overall donald trump still ahead and basically the same 20% to 23% he's been holding onto. look at the shakeup below.

bunch of the outsider candidates have popped now. carly fiorina, ted cruz, ben carson, marco rubio all saw upticks, some of the insiders, jeb bush, scott walker, they lost some gravity. that tells you something about where this republican party is today. they're gravitating toward the outsiders, whether it's trump or somebody else. willie? >> after all that, trump is still up double digits at least in that poll, chuck, thanks. a major development tonight in the fight against isis. six americans f-16s arrived in turkey today to join the battle against isis in neighboring syria. our pentagon correspondent jim miklaszewski has more. >> reporter: the u.s. has launched more than 6,000 air strikes against isis and iraq in syria. yet the overall war seems to be locked in a stalemate positioning the war planes at the incirilk airbase may provide a boost to the campaign.

the f-16s will be within only minutes away from the potential isis targets, providing a much more rapid response to any isis threat. u.s.-armed drones flying out of incirlik launched timely attacks against enemy forces inside syria. this also signals that, for the first time, the turkish military is getting more directly involved in that fight just across its border. u.s. military officials caution at the same time, however, this is not a game changer. air strikes alone cannot defeat isis and this is a long-term fight that could drag on for as long as 20 years. willie? >> jim miklaszewski at the pentagon tonight, thanks so much. police are investigating a horrific crime in houston. man shot and killed eight people inside a home there, including six children yesterday, after breaking into the house. police say the suspect, david ray connolly iii had been living there until recently and may

have been related to one of the victims. the children ranged in age from 6 to 13. connolly allegedly opened fire on the police when they arrived but later surrendered after a standoff. he's been charged with capital murder and was denied bond by a judge today. there are new developments tonight in the fatal police shooting of a man in arlington, texas, after a confrontation with police officers there. we get more tonight from nbc's gotti schwartz. >> reporter: moments before 19-year-old christian taylor was shot and killed by police a security company was matching his every move. surveillance video shows taylor being tracked through an arlington, texas, car dealership, climbing on cars and at one point jumping on a hood and whipping out the windshield. eventually taylor gets back in his own jeep and rams it through a secured gate and then drives into the dealership show room window. police say there is no video from inside but you can see officers calmly approach.

>> suspect locked himself in the bathroom, now causing a disturbance. >> reporter: the police chief says officers ordered taylor to get on the ground but they say he tried to escape through a back door. >> during this arrest there was a confrontation between officers and mr. taylor which led officer brad miller to discharge his weapon. >> reporter: the 49-year-old fired four rounds. miller had just xwrad waited from the police academy in march and was being supervised by a training officer. the training officer fired his taser. >> if this was not justified and authorized under the law, there will be consequences. >> reporter: taylor's family says whatever the circumstances, he didn't deserve to die. >> we're going to make mistakes, we have to learn. he didn't get a chance to learn. his life is over. >> reporter: this as "the washington post" puts this incident in perspective nationwide, reporting that 585 people have opinion killed by police this year so far. 24 of them black and unarmed. arlington's chief says he recognizes the concerns. >> this instance has not

occurred in isolation, but rather it has occurred as our nation has been wrestling with the topics of social injustice, inequities, racism, and police misconduct. >> reporter: the chief pledging transparency, even asking the fbi to help investigate in the wake of yet another controversial shooting. gotti schwartz, nbc news. it was one year ago today that a white police officer shot and killed a black teenager during a confrontation in ferguson, missouri, setting off weeks of unrest and raising questions about racial equality and police conduct in this country. nbc's ron allen, who was there one year ago, is back in ferguson with our report. >> reporter: one year later, hundreds gathered at the spot where darren wilson shot and killed michael brown. other families who lost loved ones in deadly encounters with the police joined in. >> police are still killing us. it's a crisis that's going on. >> reporter: then at noon, four

and a half minutes of silence for the four and a half hours that brown's body lay on the ground. >> he walked to the store, he never came back. i don't know how you explain it. >> reporter: wilson was not charged with a crime. today they marched through the streets of the city with reminders of the battlefield that ferguson became. >> no justice! >> no peace! >> reporter: back then state highway patrol captain ron johnson was widely credited with helping to restore order. one year later he says he's seen small steps forward. >> if i stand here and say we've taken big steps it would give a false sense of accomplishment. >> reporter: there's new lead leadersh leadership, african-american police chief, city manager and top judge along with three black city counselors. in a city where the justice department accused the police and courts of racial bias, the city refutes the allegations. all officers are now wearing body cameras and despite fears of flight the city says most of the 200 businesses damaged

during the unrest have stayed. still many of those marching today insist progress has been too slow. >> also hopeful there's been more progress in the past year than the prior 20. >> i believe that my nunt xhoount and my people have come together. >> reporter: alicia webb says they have a newed sense of purpose. she's headed to college soon, all of her tuition paid by a michael brown scholarship. >> i have to be success envelope mike brown's name. he's going to live on through my work forever. >> reporter: this evening, calls for more peaceful protests monday with plans quietly taking shape for acts of civil disobediences, sit-ins, and blocking traffic in cities across the country. >> ron thanks so much. we got the sad news a few hours ago that frank give ford died suddenly this morning at his home in connecticut. known nearly as long for his long run in the monday night football booth and hall of fame career on the field, give ford

was born in 1930 to be a star. his southern california good looks just as easily could have taken him to hollywood but frank give ford was a football player, all-american at usc, first round pick of the new york giants, eight pro bowls and the 1956 most valuable player of the envelope. the hall of famer caught a touchdown pass in the giants' dramatic overtime loss to the baltimore colts in the 1958 nfl championship game, which earned the title the greatest game ever played. gifford's career was put on hold for nearly two years after an infamous hit he took from chuck bednara of the philadelphia eagles. gifford returned from the head injury and made another pro bowl before retiring in 1964. frank's charm made him a popular choice for advertisers. >> nothing like them. >> reporter: and a familiar face in popular culture. >> where are you from? >> bakers gen field, california. >> reporter: frank gifford was something of a straight man in a

caucus monday night football booth joined by how warde cosell and dandy don meredith. in 1986, gifford married his wife, kathie lee, a beloved member of our nbc family, with whom he has two children. >> congratulations. >> these have been recycled yet again. you know what? we are green -- thank you, sweetheart. >> cheers. >> frank and kathie lee share a birthday on august the 16th, one week from today, when frank would have been 85. our thoughts, prayers and love tonight are with frank's children and with our dear friend and colleague, kathie lee. when "nightly news" continues on this sunday, armed volunteers on patrol outside military recruitment offices, ♪ every auto insurance policy has a number. but not every insurance company understands the life behind it.

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what's in your wallet? it's been more than three weeks since a gunman opened fire in chattanooga, tennessee. now nbc news has learned the navy plans to station armed guards at all 70 of its reserve centers that are not located on military bases, and it's also considering providing protection at recruitment centers. in the meantime, armed volunteers have been standing watch at some of these facilities. nbc's ronan farrow spent time with some of them this last would ek in cleburne, texas. >> reporter: terry jackson is setting out for what he calls a mission. the army veteran father of five meets up with a group of self-titled arms. >> two, three magz. >> i have the rock river ar-15.

>> do you think it's overkill to have this much gear? >> some people would say yes but as a deterrent, no. >> reporter: they call themselves operation hero guard and they watch over two recruiting offices here. >> we haven't been asked to come, we haven't been authorized to come. that's what americans do. they step up and answer the call. >> reporter: he says only people who can legally carry guns can join. >> we work two to four-hour shifts typically. some days i stay out here the whole nine hours. >> our motto is not today. we're not going to lose anybody, not while we're on duty. not today. >> reporter: many support the extra fire power. >> i feel safer knowing that they're here. >> reporter: but not everyone feels safer. jeff duggar runs a nearby car dealership. >> this is beside our school. do we really want to pass by three, four men carrying high caliber assault rifles?

i don't think so. >> reporter: since the shooting in chattanooga armed civilians have been guarding recruiting centers from texas to georgiamegeorgia, colorado, wisconsin and beyond. for its part, the pentagon has urged them all to leave, after one volunteer's gun accidentally discharged in ohio, but the group in texas has no such plans. >> pentagon hasn't protected them up 'til now. who is going to? either arm these recruiters or replace us with the national guard. and we'll go home. >> reporter: and until then? >> we'll be here. >> reporter: standing their ground, waiting for the military's next move. ronan farrow, nbc news, cleburne, texas. when we come back, a new pro football hal super poligrip seals out more food particles. so your food won't get stuck. and you can enjoy every single bite. eat loud. live loud. super poligrip.

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another day, another world record for 18-year-old american swimmer katie ledecky at the world championships in kazan, russia. the 800 meter freestyle. ledecy set three world records, won five gold medals and the first swimmer to win the 200, 400, 800 and 1800 meter competition. feat they are already calling the ledecky slam in ohio the late senior seau was inducted into the pro football hall of fame. among those who paid tribute was his daughter but it wasn't as simple as that. here's kristengren. >> reporter: for june yar seau's daughter sidney, a moment to honor her dad's football legacy was almost overshadowed by

controversy. setting a 5-year-old policy of not letting others give speeches for inductees, the hall of fame first told the looib backer's daughter she couldn't speak on his behalf. study of his brain revealed cte, a disease caused by repeated blows to the head, an issue that has plagued the lead and led the seau family to file a lawsuit. >> i know at times it seemed as if everything you accomplished in life wasn't enough. >> reporter: after drawing widespread outrage, the hall of fame let sidney answer one question on stage. >> i want nothing more than to see you come on stage, give the speech you were meant to give, give me a hug and tell me you love me one last time. >> reporter: a spokesperson called the tribute moving, saying last night's ceremony was a spectacular celebration of junior seau, but in her hotel room in video posted by the "new

york times" sidney gave the speech he wanted. >> it is his passion and heart that make him truly extraordinary and ledgered end dear. >> reporter: like her koms on stage it was a celebration of his life and career. >> what keeps coming to mind when i think of him is the fact that he was basically superhuman. >> reporter: but the pain and tragedy of his loss is hard to miss. >> i think we tend to forget about our favorite invince inl, unstoppable, undeniable superhumans is the minor detail, that they are, too, human. >> reporter: a tribute to the newest hall of famer. >> congratulations, dad. you made it. >> reporter: whose legacy now reaches far beyond the football field. kristen dahlgren, nbc news, new york. york. up next tonight, you're down with crestor. yes! when diet and exercise aren't enough, adding crestor lowers bad cholesterol up to 55%. crestor is not for people with liver disease, or women who are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant. tell your doctor all medicines you take. call your doctor if you have muscle pain or weakness,

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mpbltsz they came here as enemies the united states but they left as friends. hundreds of thousands of german prisoners were brought to the u.s., in some cases they were put to work and formed bonds in their communities, bonds reveal that a trove of newly released letters. nbc's mark potter has our report from tennessee. >> reporter: this story of kindness and love begins with the horrors of world war ii. where at lies brought hundreds of thousands of prisoners to the u.s. one of the camps holding more than 300 german prisoners was built on a family farm in lawrenceburg, tennessee. today it's a quiet neighborhood. >> this was the area where the

tents were located, and there would have been a barbed wire fence around them with the towers. >> reporter: the biggest historical treasure from that era was found decades later in the farm owner's house by lynn pettis in her great aunt's closet. >> i looked down and there was a corn flakes box. >> reporter: full of more than 350 letters of gratitude from the german p.o.w.s and their families to the striblings and the brachs, the americans who cared for them at the camp on their land. >> everybody wrote telling them how thankful they were for the kind treatment of their loved one. >> reporter: for two years the germans worked the land with the americans, who fed and clothed them. >> they became normal people to them, as opposed to enemies. >> reporter: their letters from after the war are now at lipscomb university in nashville translated by professor charlie mcveigh and a german student. in the writings often very personal, the germans referred to the americans as family

members. >> "well dear mother i wish that i could see you. i love you." >> reporter: some would send gifts and photos of their new families and were grateful for the many gifts sent by the americans including a wedding dress. >> i am happy when i see the dress. i am married for one week. it renews your faith in mankind, and the world we live in today, that this could happen even in the worst of circumstances. >> reporter: heartfelt letters from long ago from bonds made during a time of war, still inspiring today. mark potter, nbc news, lawrenceburg, tennessee. that's "nbc nightly news" for this sunday. lester holt will be here tomorrow night. i'm willie geist reporting from new york. i'll see you tomorrow morning on "today."

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