>> on the broadcast tonight, decision day. the obama health care law is upheld by the supreme court, and it's the chief justice who tips the balance. tonight the ruling, the politics of it, and what it means for nearly every american. in contempt. the vote in congress against the u.s. attorney general late today and the dramatic walkout in protest. the destruction from the wildfires raging in lorado. tonight we have a stunning new view of just how much is already gone. and the comeback. neighbors wiped out by another disaster, proving the american spirit does endure. disaster, proving the american spirit does endure. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television captions paid for by nbc-universal television

good evening. it was the most important single effort of the obama administration, and today it became the most important supreme court decision of the past several years. the court upheld the obama health care law today. it wasn't a surprise that the more liberal members of the court voted to uphold. it was a surprise that the chief justice of the court crossed over and joined them and cast in effect a deciding vote, perhaps mindful that it's called the roberts court, chief justice john roberts gave the president the victory he wanted, though it was, immediately, enveloped in politics with republicans still vowing to kill it. we have complete coverage of all of it tonight starting with our justice correspondent, pete williams, who broke the news for us on the air this morning. pete, good evening. >> reporter: brian, it was a blockbuster decision, both in terms of what the court said and who said it. in upholding the law it was not the usual partisan split and it was not the usual swing justice,

anthony kennedy, who made the difference. as a spirited crowd waited for word of the court's most important ruling in decades, the decision came a few minutes after 10:00 a.m. >> our country is finally on the path of sanity when it comes to health care. >> reporter: but not everyone was elated. >> the government is out of control. >> reporter: the 5-4 decision upheld the law as a use of congress's power to tax. anyone who doesn't buy insurance has to pay a penalty, and the court said that amounts to a valid tax. >> today's decision was a victory for people all over this country whose lives will be more secure because of this law and the supreme court's decision to uphold it. >> reporter: opponents of the law had challenged the central requirement that all americans must get health insurance. they said congress' power to regulate commerce did not extend to people who chose not to buy something, that is, who don't

have insurance. chief justice roberts, plus the court's other conservatives, actually agreed that the law could not be justified as a use of the commerce power. but roberts joined the court's liberals in upholding the law instead as a legitimate use of the congressional power to tax people who choose not to get health insurance. because the constitution permits such a tax, roberts wrote, it is not our role to forbid it or to pass upon its wisdom or fairness. the key to the decision turned out to be the chief justice, a life long conservative appointed to the court by president george w. bush. >> the fact that a conservative republican appointed chief justice wrote today's opinion joining with the court's more liberal members would and should give americans a lot of confidence in the decision that it's not just a political thing. >> reporter: while opponents of the law, including 26 states, took some comfort in the court's statement on the limits of the commerce power they were hugely disappointed the law was upheld. >> what i think we all need to do in this country is to realize that we have awakened to a new day where an unprecedented tax

has been imposed on us, literally against our will. >> reporter: the court today also weakened a different part of the law, a punishment for states that decline to provide expanded benefits under the federal medicaid system. >> the court was saying that the federal government cannot blackmail the states and threaten to take away all their medicaid money if they did not accept the new, expanded proposal. >> reporter: so here is the legal bottom line. the massive health care law stands except for the medicaid punishment on the states. that means by 2014 anyone who can afford health insurance and doesn't get it will have to pay a tax. brian? >> pete, in plain english, basically this court is made up of five republicans and four democrats and that's why we see so many 5-4 decisions. you touched on this in your story. how extraordinary was it that this chief justice appointed by president bush crossed over in this way on this day and on this issue?

>> well, completely, because i can't think -- i don't think there's another case since john roberts has been on the court of any importance at all, perhaps any case at all, in which this was the lineup. the liberals plus the chief justice john roberts. this was his first time doing that. >> and, pete, for the people who were trying to read the tea leaves during oral arguments when this was presented that day in court, wasn't one big factor the fact that the administration's lawyer had a pretty rough go and was fairly roughed up and people thought that didn't bode well for passage of the law? >> that was a bright, shiny object that some people fastened on, but if you look at the comments of the justices, really, the seeds of john roberts' agreement with the health care law were there. yes, we had some skepticism but he also made comments suggesting he was willing to uphold it as well, brian. >> pete williams reporting for us at the end of a long day of superb, spot on reporting from the supreme court. pete, thanks. one more note here tonight about

the president. when the decision came down, he was apparently in the west wing of the white house watching a bank of tv monitors and at first he thought his health care law had been defeated because he noticed headline graphics on two of the cable news networks that turned out to be wrong. less than a minute later an aide entered the room and told him the correct result. the reaction as you may know was fast and furious, especially from the right. michele bachmann called the health care law a playground of left wing social engineering, while rick perry said, freedom had been frontily attacked. for more reaction our chief white house correspondent and political director chuck todd at the white house. chuck, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. i wouldn't describe the white house as euphoric tonight. call them relieved and, in fact, you can hear november in the president's remarks today when he talked about the law and his reaction to it.

>> it should be pretty clear by now that i didn't do this because it was good politics. i did it because i believed it was good for the country. i did it because i believed it was good for the american people. but what we won't do, what the country can't afford to do, is refight the political battles of two years ago or go back to the way things were. with today's announcement, it's time for us to move forward, to implement and, where necessary, improve on this law. >> now, later in his remarks the president couldn't resist taking a jab at his opponent mitt romney, noting that mitt romney was the first guy in favor of a mandate for health care back when romney was governor of massachusetts. for his part, though, here is how mitt romney responded to the decision. >> what the court did today was say that obama care does not violate the constitution. what they did not do was say that obama care is good law or that it's good policy. if we want to get rid of obama care, we're going to have to replace president obama.

>> reporter: and it was clear there was some energy on the right today, brian. the romney campaign has already raised over $2 million online since the decision was announced this morning. >> all right. chuck todd with all things political from the white house tonight. chuck, thank you for that. this health care law affects just about every american, and tonight we are hearing some of the many american voices weighing in on the news out of the supreme court this morning. our report on that tonight. >> reporter: for kathy watson today's supreme court ruling is personal. >> it brought tears to my eyes. it took a ton of bricks off me. i felt like relief. i'm actually going to be able to keep my health care coverage. >> reporter: with a high white blood cell count she couldn't get insurance. she went through her savings to pay the bills then was diagnosed with cancer. the health care law created an insurance pool in florida for people with preexisting conditions like watson, allowing her to buy coverage. >> i'm not really sure what i would have done if the law was

struck down. >> reporter: as of 2014, insurers can no longer deny coverage to anyone with preexisting conditions. there will be no annual dollar limit on the amount of coverage people can receive, and everyone will have to buy insurance, the so-called individual mandate or pay a penalty. victoria strong in kansas city says she can't afford health coverage. >> i just want to know what this means, what this means -- what do i have to give, what do i have to take, and what are the fees at the end of the year? >> reporter: today's ruling means what is already in effect stays, including the provision allowing parents to keep children on their insurance until age 26. the insurance company doesn't welcome the news or the law, complaining it will impose a sales tax on insurers that will drive costs up, costs that could be passed along to the consumer. for small business owners like joe it is the unknown cost of the law that could impact his printing business. >> without a doubt it's something we're ready to expand

and at this point what i'll do is either hold off or i may hire part-time employees instead of full-time employees. >> reporter: he offers health care to his 48 workers. if he goes to 50, he says the law would require him to provide more comprehensive and expensive care or pay a penalty. he says the penalty makes more sense. >> the penalty is far below my premiums. it'll be cheaper for me to allow the employees to go and purchase insurance on the exchange by themselves. >> reporter: a potential unintended consequence of a law aimed at expanding health care. nbc news, new york. with us here in the studio tonight our chief legal correspondent savannah guthrie. in washington the moderator of "meet the press" david gregory. welcome to you both. savannah, let's talk about chief justice john roberts. today lawrence trod the harvard professor who can say he taught barack obama and john roberts at harvard law school said that

with this decision crossing over to join the liberals roberts might have saved the institution. he has to be hyperaware that the court these days is viewed as politically as anything else in washington. >> this is something that justice roberts has talked about repeatedly. it's something that almost consumes him. he cares very much about the institution of the court, the credibility of the court. he has expressed a distaste for decisions that come down 5-4 against those predictable party lines. well, today we got a 5-4 decision all right, but it was not along the ideological lines. but look, he is still a conservative jurist. there is plenty of conservative ideology shot through the opinion that he wrote today. he really comes down hard on the government's theory of broad federal powers and put some new limits on congress's spending power. he's a conservative jurist, no question, but he is thinking about not only his own legacy but the legacy of the court, itself. >> david, you and i spoke earlier today, and if i'm correct you seemed to think this thing will get ridden all the

way. we got what, 131 days until election day. this thing goes until november as issues go? >> you know, it's interesting. i spoke to somebody close to governor romney today who said the brighter the line, the bigger the issue, the better for mitt romney. this is a bright, red line between the president and mitt romney over the future of health care reform in this country. i'm reading from the chief justice's opinion when he says, the court does not express any opinion on the wisdom of the affordable care act. under the constitution the judgment is reserved to the people. well, that's what politics is about. and the romney campaign wants to make this a central issue and the president, too, brian, giving him an opportunity he started with today to resell, to a skeptical public, this law, what it means now, and there are things already in effect, and what it will mean down the line even though some key elements haven't taken effect yet. >> david gregory in washington, savannah guthrie here with us in our new york studios rounding out the very best team of coverage on this story today.

thank you both. one other big decision tonight from the supreme court on an emotional question pitting freedom of speech against american military honor. this was the so-called stolen valor case. the justices ruled today that while it may not be right, it is legal to lie about military service. that the law cannot stop someone from lying about receiving military honors and medals. our own military affairs analyst here at nbc news, jack jacobs, who happens to be a recipient of the medal of honor, said today that while only a pathetic creature would lie about such things, he sides with freedom of speech in this case. still ahead for us this evening, an update from the fire lines in colorado, where so much has been lost and a monster fire is still very much on the move tonight. later, a different disaster blew away almost everything they had, but tonight an entire community is making a difference

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we are getting new views tonight of the massive wildfire that's causing so much damage in the colorado springs area. more than 18,000 acres have been destroyed so far. this is still burning out of control. our report on the firefighter from nbc's miguel almaguer. >> reporter: just beneath the smoke a clear picture of the devastation. in a once thriving community named mountain shadows, street after street, 346 homes, leveled by the wildfire. >> it's an act of god. i don't know how else to put it. yes, we've got a lot of loss of property, but we've got a lot of other property that was saved. >> reporter: 35,000 are evacuated. shelters are full, shops closed, entire neighborhoods are like a ghost town. monty is among another 20,000 who have been told they may be ordered out next.

>> you don't want to go to sleep for fear of the thing coming over the mountains. >> thinking about it day in and day out is an incredible amount of stress. >> reporter: after a short break 400 weary hometown firefighters gear up for another 24-hour shift on the front line. >> keep your crew ready. >> reporter: trevor leland doesn't know if his own home was standing. his wife was alone when the evacuation call came in. >> it was pretty hard, you know, hearing her scream on the phone. everything's on fire. what do i do? where do i go? trying to talk her through that and then have to hang up and go to work. >> reporter: and tonight, brian, several staff members of the u.s. olympic committee have also been forced to leave their homes but that training facility where so many of our olympians prepare for the summer games is not in any danger, and just moments ago we have learned this fire has become the most destructive wildfire in colorado state history. brian? >> unbelievable. miguel, thank you for focusing attention tonight on the firefighters in that fight. miguel almaguer remaining in

colorado springs for us. regarding the weather that's contributing, here is a number. 92 million americans are living under a heat advisory tonight. 21 million people in our country are under an excessive heat warning. here's one more number. over a thousand heat records have fallen across this country in just the last seven days. today it was hot in a lot of places with temperatures north of a hundred. and the weekend forecast is calling for extreme heat, especially along some of the big population centers in the east. up next for us tonight, a history making vote today. all part of a feud involving the white house and a claim of executive privilege. ege.

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eric holder today became the first united states attorney general ever to be held in contempt of congress. the vote was a result of a dispute over a botched federal

anti-gun trafficking operation known as fast and furious. some of the guns ended up in mexico. two of them were found at the scene of a fatal shooting of a u.s. border patrol agent. house republicans say holder misled them about the operation and that he is withholding documents. they're accusing the justice department of a coverup. we get a late report tonight from nbc's kelly o'donnell. >> reporter: in a rare act of protest, most democrats walked off the house floor, refused to vote, and headed out the capitol door. >> shame on you! shame on you. shame on you. >> reporter: they insist the attorney general eric holder is being treated unfairly. >> this is not about oversight. this is about overkill. >> reporter: inside the chamber -- >> i don't take this matter lightly, and i would, frankly, hope it would never come to this. >> reporter: -- house republicans joined by more than

a dozen democrats voted to sanction the attorney general. they say holder failed to turn over subpoenaed documents that might explain why the justice department gave congress false information. >> whoops, sorry. that's not good enough. >> we were lied to. we were lied to repeatedly and over a ten-month period. >> reporter: after the vote, holder responded with pointed language toward republicans. >> today's vote may make for good political theater in the minds of some but it is at base a crass effort and grave disservice to the american people. >> reporter: tonight the white house dismissed the contempt against holder calling it a politically transparent stunt. the president injected himself last week by claiming executive privilege over some of these documents shielding them from congress. house republicans say they will continue to fight for access and fight for answers. brian? >> kelly o'donnell after an eventful day on the hill. thanks. up next for us here tonight,

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difference report tonight. joplin, missouri was the scene of one of the worst tornadoes in that state's history last year. a third of that town was wiped out, but now, thanks to a whole lot of people pulling together as they do, there are some sweet endings to the story. chelsea clinton tonight has our "making a difference" report. >> reporter: in the year that has passed since the deadly tornado ripped through their city, the people of joplin have proven to be a force of nature stronger than any storm. tirelessly rebuilding, brick by brick. the tornado took almost everything from liz and reverend jim easton. their home and the baking business they had just opened. >> there are moments where i thought, i can't do this. >> reporter: friends and strangers strengthened her resolve. a local bank arranged financing with generous terms. working from her sketch, architect jeff miller drew up blue prints free of charge. local contractor trace hawk absorbed some of the building costs, and troy and ginnie richards owners of joplin building materials provided

concrete blocks at a deep discount. >> the spirit of joplin is to give back to their neighbor, period. >> reporter: that's why the startup of this family bakery became a town event. >> i think it's time we opened this place! thank you for coming. >> reporter: even the mayor came to the grand reopening. >> there's a saying that the strong get even stronger during a difficult journey. the same can be said of a community. >> this is my neighbor, my old neighbor. we left our neighborod together. >> reporter: liz easton says she has now come full circle, and she's not the only one. her bakery joins some 400 other local businesses with the true grit to build again. >> that's joplin. we all came together, you know, for the bad and we're all celebrating together for the good. >> reporter: and what better way to celebrate than with a sweet indulgence? no one can say it's not well deserved. >> can't go wrong with that. >> reporter: after all the town has gone through. chelsea clinton, nbc news, joplin, missouri.

that is our broadcast on a thursday night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. we sure hope you can join us for "rock center" tonight at 10:00, 9:00 central, and then, of course, right back here tomorrow evening. course, right back here tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com