on this sunday night. powerless. misery. millions of americans in the dark with 100 degree heat. out west returning home to what's left after wildfires torch their towns. moment of crisis. new details about what led an american student into harm's way before he was brutally mauled by chimps. desperate measures, cash trapped cities selling ads in places, firing chicken wings on fire hydrants. more than half a century of your doctor being loved by his

town just $5 a visit seven days a week without ever taking a day off. this is "nbc nightly news with lester holt" substituting tonight kate snow. it has been a frustrating weekend. more than 2 million customers remain without power tonight and couldn't have happened at a worse time. with the holiday approaching crews are still trying to clean up the mess from a deadly storm that killed at least 14 people. they cope with stifling heat. it was a scorcher across much of the nation. washington, d.c. and 23 states recorded triple digit temperatures today. we'll tell you how long the heat will last. we begin with christen welker in washington. good evening.

>> reporter: kate, good evening to you. scenes like this are still the norm here in the washington, d.c. area. this entire region still recovering from friday's massive storm. >> frustrated. frustrated. highly frustrated. >> reporter: david is still living without power in his washington d.c. home more than 48 hours after a powerful storm hit the region on friday knocking down power lines and trees and wreaking havoc just days before the 4th of july liday. >> most of my neighbors have packed up and left somewhere. >> reporter: one of the millions still without power. a big cleanup job from ohio to new jersey and hard hit maryland. >> this storm had all of the impact of a hurricane without the warning. >> reporter: these maryland crews are working 16 hour days in triple digit heat to get the power back on but officials say

it could take up to a week until everybody is restored. is this one of the worst storms you have ever dealt with. >> this is the worst storm under the worst conditions. we work in blizzards and the snow. when you deal with the heat it is an entirely different dynamic. >> reporter: cooling centers opened up along the east coast. in virginia the lines were long to get into this library. tim shay says it has been a tough weekend. >> my black berry device is out and the internet is out at home. >> reporter: there are long lines at some gas stations because others have closed having run out of fuel. >> it is frustrating. at least it is a sunday and not rush hour. it is still a huge amount of time. >> reporter: the storm knocked out trees blocking an amtrak train stranding passengers for more than 20 hours in west

virginia before they were picked up by buses saturday night all adding to the frustration and continuing of friday's storms. >> we had always thought about taking a train ride and decided now is a time to try it. i have marked it off my bucket list. on monday utility crews will come from oklahoma, florida, georgia and missouri to help with restoration efforts. fema continues to work with the most heavily impacted states. >> at the start of this busy holiday week for families the question on everyone's minds how long this heat wave will last. we are joined by mike sidell in washington. what can you tell us? >> good evening. by the way atlanta set an all time high of 106. we thought it would get a couple of degrees cooler. hit 106. it took the city 32 years to break that all time record but only one day to tie it. in oo louisville, kentucky four

consecutive days with 100 degree heat. in south carolina the heat index of 116. planning a break on monday with temperatures still 5 to 10 dgz above average. on july 4th the core of heat shifts west. on friday storms knocked out power to 200,000 customers in chicago. winds were clocked at 80 miles per hour. it is much smaller and showing no signs of growth both promising signs. if they make it to d.c. it would be after midnight if they make it here. they would be much weaker. >> thanks so much. out west tonight firefighters are gaining ground on that massive wildfire burning in colorado. at this hour 57 major fires are still burning across the country. 50 of them west of the mississippi. the fire near colorado springs

torched homes and prompted thousands of evacuations. tonight some evacuees are returning home getting their first look at what's left. good evening. >> reporter: good evening. after burning for eight days the waldo canyon fire is roughly half contained. tonight away from the flames it was a tough day for evacuees. >> it was just so sad. we were so sad. >> reporter: behind the camera susan and her 16-year-old daughter, hannah, get the first look at the damage at what used to be their home. >> it's gone. it's not lost in luggage somewhere. it's gone. >> reporter: fire stripped away everything. they are among the families in the community where little is left standing. >> i have to take that minute and look at that house and i

have to cry. >> reporter: two years ago she lost her daughter and son-in-law. this week she told her son his childhood home is gone. >> my son just sent me a text from afghanistan and said we still have our memories. my kids grew up there. >> i'm leaving my house for probably the last time. >> reporter: it was tuesday when thousands fled the flames, a moving monster that swallowed home after home and claimed two lives. >> each of us comes today with something that we need help with. >> reporter: in sunday service prayers for the victims, support for the survivors. today across colorado seven wildfires are ravaging the state, the era of what is being called superfires, massive blazes feeding on forest land where growth goes unchecked. with thousands allowed to return

home for just a few hours in colorado springs the lucky ones find a house still standing. >> i was just glad it was there and to see it was okay. >> reporter: tonight the destruction in colorado is still being tallied. for families like the sullages the damage is done. >> she looked at me like i want to go home. >> reporter: do you want to go home, too? >> yes. i do. >> reporter: with 17,000 acres scorched and homes still threatened there is bad news with the ominous skies behind me comes a red flag warning. >> so hard to see some of that. thanks for your continued reporting. to presidential politics now. a new fallout from the landmark supreme court ruling upholding president obama's signature health care law. today both campaigns came out swinging continuing a fight that is likely to run right up until

election day. >> the idea that the federal government can mandate that the american people purchase a product is shocking to me. >> reporter: in the after math of the ruling defiance from republican leaders. >> this has to be ripped out by its roots. >> reporter: bobby jindal vowed to block key provisions of the law. >> every governor has two critical provisions to make. one is do we set up exchanges or set up medicaid. in louisiana we are not doing either of those things. >> reporter: conservatives are energized. in the 24 hours after the decision was announced the romney campaign says it took in $4.6 million from donors. with repeal out of the question without control of both congress and the white house the republicans view the ruling as a rallying cry for the fall. >> we have one last chance to defeat obama care and can do

that in november with the election. >> with regards to the mandate, the individual responsibility program which i have proposed. >> reporter: the overhaul was modelled after romney's own plan which included an individual mandate. >> the fact of the matter is it is the law. it will work. it is necessary and governor romney knows it because he did it in massachusetts. >> reporter: and democrats say many parts of the law are popular with the public. >> i think if republicans make as their number one issue the repeal of health care they are certainly going to lose the election in the house and the senate and the presidency. >> reporter: and the president has issued a stark warning to his big donors saying the super pacs are on the verge of handing the white house and the party and asking donors to give all they can to help him fight back. >> thank you.

there is another election today. mark potter reports from mexico city. >> reporter: the lines were long as tens of millions of mexican voters went to the polls to select their new president. with complaints raised about vote buying the election is being monitored and being watched closely in the united states where mexico's future is considered very important. jose is the main anchor for nbc's spanish network. >> we share a 2,000 mile border. what happens here has a direct impact on the united states, drugs, immigration and these issues are intertwined. >> reporter: the leading candidates are -- she is considered a victim of mexico's

sluggish economy and the controversial drug war. former mexico city mayor is the left wing candidate who lost last time. the leading candidate is a tellogenic former governor married to a soap opra opera st >> he is bright. he is energetic. that makes a great candidate. >> reporter: from the party that ran mexico for seven straight decades before it was voted out. >> i believe it would be a major setback for this country. >> reporter: argued it is much different now and vows to attract foreign investment, create jobs and reduce violence as many wonder if mexico is about to embrace the future or return to a past it once

rejected. still ahead as we continue on this sunday, what we are learning tonight about the american student viciously mauled by chimps. why he put himself in harm's way and what may have prompted the attack. a beloved country doctor making a difference. five bucks a visit for more than half a century. did you know when heartburn, it's too late to take prilosec because... but it's but zantac® works differently. it relieves heartburn in as little as 30 minutes. in fact, so, when heartburn strikes, try zantac® this has been medifacts for zantac® as her family pulled who out of the driveway, home so, when heartburn strikes, try zantac® this isn't just a teddy bear. it's a step towards normal. it's why allstate catastrophe teams didn't just arrive at these fires with cold water and checks

to help the grown-ups start the rebuilding... they also brought thousands of these teddy bears for kids. people come first. everything else is second. [ female announcer ] allstate customers affected by the recent wildfires call 1-800-547-8676. visit a mobile claims office, your agent or allstate.com i took my son fishing every year. we had a great spot, not easy to find, but worth it. but with copd making it hard to breathe, i thought those days might be over. so my doctor prescribed symbicort. it helps significantly improve my lung function starting within five minutes. symbicort doesn't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. with symbicort, today i'm breathing better. and that means...fish on! symbicort is for copd including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. it should not be taken more than twice a day. symbicort may increase your risk of lung infections, osteoporosis, and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. with copd, i thought i'd miss our family tradition.

now symbicort significantly improves my lung function, starting within 5 minutes. and that makes a difference in my breathing. today, we're ready for whatever swims our way. ask your doctor about symbicort. i got my first prescription free. call or click to learn more. [ male announcer ] if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. [ male announcer ] if you can't afford your medication, why let constipation stry miralax.? mirlax works differently than other laxatives. it draws water into your colon to unblock your system naturally. don't wait to feel great. miralax. we're back now with an update on the brutal attack by chimpanzees on an american student in south africa. nbc went there today and learned more about what may have led to the attack. >> reporter: inside the

sprawling sank chctuary. today his doctors say he is stable. >> after six hours in the operating room the doctors have attended to some fractures and attended to some of the wounds. >> reporter: he was on a study trip, an anthropology student from the university of texas. just before the attack he was giving a lecture about their behavior to a group of tourists and then went across the fence. new eyewitness accounts suggest he may have done that to prevent an animal from hurling a rock at people. >> it may have been instinctive for him to go for something which he thought was useful to do. >> reporter: other staff members raced to rescue him they became

targets, too. >> kept pursuing me. i climbed back inside the vehicle. it jumped on the bottom of the vehicle and i closed my door and he started beating through the window. >> reporter: chimps are highly territorial. there are 33 chimpanzees here. each one rescued from the entertainment industry. they are incredibly strong. some are seven times as strong as an adult human male. tonight his parents are on their way to his bed side as his long recovery begins. up next tonight critics call it commercial graffiti. some unthinkable places american cities are selling ads to make some much needed cash. laces? really? slip-on's the way to go. more people do that, security would be like --

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back now with a sign of the times. local governments across the country getting creative to raise much needed revenue. some of them have started selling advertisements in unusual public places and as you might imagine it is not without controversy. >> reporter: like many cities baltimore has long sold ad space on trains and buses. now politicians here are seeing red. how unusual is it? >> it is unusual. >> reporter: councilman pete welsh is behind a proposal to sell ads on fire trucks to stop the cash strapped city from closing three stations for good.

>> having advertisement puts control in the hands of the fire department itself. >> please don't shut down these companies. >> reporter: the city council just voted to support measure. >> when i first heard about the bill i thought it was idiotic. why look like nascar? after the shock wore off this shows how far we have to go to think outside the box. >> reporter: apparently baltimore isn't the only town thinking outside that box. city leaders throughout the country are getting creative to make ends meet. chicago has sold ad space on some iconic bridges to bank of america. philadelphia has rented out a transit station to at and t. and the small town of brazil, indiana let kfc advertise its fiery chicken wing on fire hydrants. critics say it is not only a bad idea but commercial graffiti. >> we live in a society where we face a constant on slot of

advertising. we think there should be some spaces preserved to reflect public values. >> reporter: even in baltimore many are skeptical that the fire truck ads would raise enough money to keep the fire stations open. what would you say to people who think it is tacky? >> if it keeps your fire station open you should consider it. >> reporter: the councilman said he would rather not close any doors. we have an update on an incredible photo finish at the u.s. track and field olympic trials. just over a week ago american sprinters finished in a dead heat for third place in the 100 meter crossing the finish line at exactly the same time. only one of them can run the 100 in london. tomorrow night on nbc felix and genvuwill face each other in a

runoff. if they tie again officials say they will flip a coin. one small town where the doctor is always in and has been for almost 60 years. you wouldn't want your doctor doing your job. so why are you doing his? only your doctor can determine if your persistent heartburn is actually something more serious... like acid reflux disease. over time, stomach acid can damage the lining of your esophagus. for many, prescription nexium not only provides 24-hour heartburn relief, but can also help heal acid related erosions in the lining of your esophagus. talk to your doctor about the risk for osteoporosis-related bone fractures and low magnesium levels with long-term use of nexium. possible side effects include headache, diarrhea and abdominal pain. other serious stomach conditions may still exist. let your doctor do his job, and you do yours. ask if nexium is right for you. if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help.

those surprising little still make you take notice. there are a million reasons why. but your erectile dysfunction that could be a question of blood flow. cialis for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment's right. you can be more confident in your ability to be ready. and the same cialis is the only daily ed tablet approved to treat ed and symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently or urgently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medications, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sexual activity. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as this may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess with cialis. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or if you have any allergic reactions such as rash, hives, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat,

or difficulty breathing or swallowing, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about cialis for daily use and a 30-tablet free trial. now, there's gentle, dependable constipation reland mer me... and me. new dulcolax laxative tablets for women are comfort-coated... so they're gentle on sensitive stomachs. new dulcolax laxative for women the overnight relief you're looking for. finally tonight our making a difference report in the great national debate over health care consider this. the story of one doctor in one small town in illinois. he practices a brand of medicine that has served his patients well for generations.

nbc spent some time with a good doctor and a good neighbor. >> reporter: for more than half a century the doctor has been in here in rushville, illinois. at 87 years old dr. russell donor still serves this rural community some 250 miles southwest of chicago. >> i come every day for a while. on sunday before i go to church. >> reporter: seven days a week? >> yes. >> reporter: it is no lie he has delivered more babies than there are people in this town of just over 3,100. >> i met him when i was born. i don't remember it but i'm sure he does. >> reporter: every morning he heads to the local hospital to do his rounds before settling at the storefront doctor's office he has operated since 1955. >> he delivered my daughter and first granddaughter. >> my mom brought me here.

>> reporter: just like you are doing today. always patients in the waiting room. no appointment necessary. >> he is a one of a kind. never be another one like this. >> reporter: things are still done the old fashioned way. records are kept in thousands of cards in filing cabinets. >> where is your computer? >> far, far away. i never had one. >> reporter: there is something else old fashioned, too. the price of a visit. >> just charge $5. >> reporter: you are happy with that? >> yes. >> reporter: $5 raised from 2 several years ago. for as long as he has been in rushville the pharmacy down the block has stayed open until it gets a call saying he has seen his last patient of the day. you never take a day off? >> i haven't. i guess i haven't. >> reporter: just remember the office closes at noon on thursdays. >> it has been 50 something

years. >> reporter: if you need the doc chances are you will be able to find him. if i had an emergency you would tell me to? >> go to the back door and see what is going on. they consider me the old country doctor. there is nothing wrong with that. >> reporter: an old country doctor who will even make a house call and there is nothing wrong with that. nbc news, rushville, illinois. >> and that is nbc nightly news for this sunday. i'm kate snow reporting from new york. for lester holt and all of us here at nbc news, thanks for watching. [ male announcer ] u.s. olympian gwen jorgensen

is going for aluminum. cullen jones is in it for water-resistant thermoplastic. and amanda mcgrory? she's competing for carbon fiber. they're not just going for gold, they're joining with citi to give back to the programs that helped them along the way with bikes, kickboards.