on the broadcast tonight, mercury rising and misery too. relentless heat. power still out. tonight an expected boom for some american farmers looks like a bust. the fallout from the wildfires in the west. the damage left behind after the flames are out. to catch a thief. do these faces look familiar? what some police departments are doing these days to find their most wanted. hooked. the hidden epidemic. tonight a solution that seems to be working helping teenagers stay clean and sober. and air brush. are all these pretty women fake? what happens when an eighth grade girl took on america's biggest teen fashion magazine? grade girl took on america's biggest teen fashion magazine? "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

good evening. i'm kate snow. i'm in tonight for brian. if you're living in alaska or oregon you may be starting to wonder what all the fuss is about. but for about the past week much of the nation has been in the grips of dangerously high heat. it just won't let up. take a look at these high temperatures today. all or parts of 24 states and the nation's capital were either under heat advisories or excessive heat warnings today. it's been inconvenient for a lot of americans and for some growers who depend on the land for their livelihood there are real fears tonight that this year could be one of the worst harvests in decades. we begin once again tonight with nbc's john yang out in chicago. john, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, kate. for chicago it was another day for the record books. the official high 103. that set a new record for the day. and also this heat wave has turned deadly now as chicago

officials confirm the first two heat-related deaths. with so much of the nation still in the clutches of the early summer heat wave, people sought relief in any way they could, often in water. in chicago tourists found a new use for the iconic bean sculpture. shade from the sun. >> what did you think when you saw the shade? >> oh, let me in there. let me in there. >> this is really cool. guys did a good job. >> literally cool. >> it is cool here. >> reporter: a few blocks away heat buckled the pavement. >> this is happening across the country from wisconsin to texas. you're seeing streets buckling all over the place. >> reporter: in st. louis where it broke 100 degrees for the eighth straight day air conditioning repairmen worked overtime. >> i worked yesterday. >> reporter: today more record highs. at least 20 cities from atlanta to as far north as wisconsin. forecasters say relief may be just around the corner. >> we are looking at this

pattern change to take place by the end of this weekend and certainly by the beginning of next week. it's going to feel much more comfortable especially for the middle of the country. >> reporter: hundreds of thousands of people remain without power after last week's storms. outside washington, d.c. most of lisa's neighbors have electricity, but she is still in the dark. the utility says her power won't be back until at least sunday. >> when they told me july 8th this morning i cried. >> and cooler temperatures without soaking rains won't alleviate the abnormally dry conditions affecting more than 200 million americans -- two-thirds of the population. >> this corn we're looking at now should be eight feet tall. >> reporter: dave says his southern illinois farm hasn't seen a decent rain since april 14th. the government says the nation's corn crop is in the worst shape since 1988, and it sent prices up more than 35% in just three weeks. >> our corn is just about done for. i would expect that the yield is

going to be ridiculously low this year. >> reporter: today government forecasters said a likely el nino weather effect could begin as soon as this month, much earlier than expected. and that could contribute to more extreme weather not only in this country but from south america to asia. kate? >> john yang once again in chicago tonight. thank you. now to the west from montana to new mexico. record-setting wildfires are charring mountains, valleys, and houses. nearly 1,000 homes have been destroyed already this fire season. firefighters were hopeful today that thunderstorms and monsoon rains might help them douse the flames but as we're about to hear, it could make their jobs harder not easier. chief environmental affairs correspondent anne thompson reports on the impact of these increasingly bigger and more destructive fires. >> reporter: when the fires finally go out, this is when the environmental impact really begins. >> after a fire, what's set into place is the series of events

especially on steep slopes of massive erosion where the soils can literally be stripped from the land, leaving a barren wasteland. >> reporter: transforming forever the landscape of the american west. dr. wally covington of northern arizona university says the more than 2 million acres already burned this year stripped the land of trees and soil that helped keep watersheds clean, leave hundreds of animal species without places to live and forage, and ruin the beauty that's put 25% of colorado homes in a fire risk zone. >> what we've been seeing really not just this year but since 2000 is an increasing crescendo of heavier fires that are burning hotter than anything we've seen in historic times. >> reporter: leaving some to question if this wildfire season is worse because of climate change. the warming of earth's atmosphere by burning fossil fuels such as oil, coal, and gas. the vast tinder box, visible from the air. >> it makes things hotter and

that of course adds to the wildfire risk but the heat dries things out more so you get more evaporation. >> reporter: in a normal year we should have one record high temperature for every record low. so far this year there have been ten record highs for each record low and there's been much less snow and rain. boulder, colorado, home to the national center for atmospheric research, recorded its driest march to june on record. >> when we get extreme heat and record heat, the combination of heat and dryness creates these conditions that are really explosive. >> reporter: and consequences that are dire. >> we won't see these forests coming back in our lifetime or even our grand children's life times. >> reporter: altering the very environment that made america's west great. nbc news, new york. it's been an interesting day on the presidential campaign trail. president obama is on his first bus tour of the race and he has some competing company on the road. nbc news white house

correspondent kristen welker is traveling with the president in parma, ohio. >> reporter: president obama began today's campaign in the vote rich swing state of ohio courting among others white working class voters who can make the difference in who wins and loses elections in the industrial heartland. >> hello, ohio. >> reporter: first stop? the manufacturing town of maumee wherthe president touted the bailout of the auto industry, which employs one of every eight ohioans. >> governor romney said we should just let detroit go bankrupt. i refuse to turn my back on communities like this. i was betting on the american worker. >> reporter: less than two miles away romney's surrogates and potential vice presidential candidates tim pawlenty and bobby jindal hammered away at the incumbent president's message. >> we know we aren't better off than we were four years ago. we know we can't afford another four years of this president. >> reporter: intent on

disrupting president obama's carefully choreographed trip. >> this group looks like they might get into some trouble here. >> reporter: jindal and pawlenty repeatedly crossing paths with the obama campaign even arriving ahead of time demonstrating with their blistering attacks how important this state is to the electoral math in november. >> we should dub his tour the broken promises tour for america's middle class. >> reporter: but the president used the advantage of incumbency to announce a policy initiative that had the political effect of a direct appeal to the economic interests of voters in ohio. >> just this morning my administration took a new action to hold china accountable for unfair trade practices that harm american auto makers. >> reporter: prompting the romney shadow campaign to respond. >> you've heard the phrase johnny come lately. when it comes to getting tough with china this is barack come lately. >> reporter: this morning "the wall street journal" joined conservative critics in accusing the romney campaign of making contradictory statements about

whether the mandate to buy insurance or pay a fee is actually a tax or a penalty. tomorrow a new jobs report comes out. if that report is as bad as the last one, it could create a new story line for both campaigns. >> kristen welker on the road with the president tonight. thank you. when news broke last night that illinois congressman jesse jackson jr. had been on a previously undisclosed leave of absence for two weeks his office said he was being treated for exhaustion. well, today a new statement says the congressman was grappling with, quote, physical and emotional ailments and will need extended in-patient treatment. jackson's public image has taken a hit recently after revelations of an extra marital affair. he is also the subject of a house ethics committee investigation over whether he broke any rules while pursuing the senate seat that became available when barack obama was elected president. jackson denies any wrongdoing in that matter. in florida, george zimmerman, the neighborhood watch captain who shot and

killed trayvon martin, could be free from jail while he awaits his trial on second-degree murder charges. the judge set bail today at $1 million. a lot more than it was back in april, because the judge said zimmerman was deceiving the court at that first hearing about being broke. tonight zimmerman's lawyer says his client doesn't have the million dollars. along with good, old fashioned shoe leather a growing number of police departments across the country are turning to a new modern day weapon for fighting crime and finding suspected criminals. think of it as the video equivalent of a most wanted poster on youtube. here's nbc justice correspondent pete williams. >> reporter: in akron, ohio police want to know who was using stolen credit cards to buy things at local stores. so this week they posted this surveillance video on youtube, hoping to generate tips. it's part of a growing trend seeking public help by putting videos online hoping someone will see a familiar face. philadelphia police tried it after a woman riding on a city

bus beat up a passenger. just two days after the video was posted investigators got a tip that led to an arrest. authorities in philadelphia say since starting their video villains program a year ago they've used youtube and other social media to help solve 85 crimes. it's the latest example of using the media to reach out for tips. first came posters and newspaper articles. then crime stoppers segments on local television. now social media, twitter, facebook, and more and more youtube. a survey by the international association of chiefs of police shows that nearly 90% of the nation's law enforcement agencies use social media of some kind to seek public help. youtube is coming on strong. many agencies have now set up their own youtube channels and surveillance videos from crime scenes are internet ready. police in montgomery county, maryland are convinced it's effective. they use the internet tool of youtube to investigate a crime apparently organized on the internet, a flash mob robbing a convenience store.

>> people in the community will view the video and then help us identify people in the video. but more than that it also helped investigators see who was responsible for doing what specific acts. >> reporter: and videos can be posted instantly getting the word out quickly in helping to stop criminals before they can attack again. pete williams, nbc news, washington. in mexico the winner of last weekend's presidential elections enrique pena nieto is speaking about challenges ahead. in an interview with jose diaz vallard of telemundo he talked about the drug-related crime wave that has cost the lives of tens of thousands of mexican citizens over the past six years. >> translator: what the mexican state needs to do first is to focus its strategy, to have a better police force, a larger police force. we need to specialize these security forces to fight the crimes that generate the most

violence -- homicide, extortion, and kidnapping. this is part of the strategy we're going to follow to focus the attention of the mexican state on what today hurts mexican society. >> president-elect enrique pena nieto. the concern on this side of the border is that under pena nieto fighting drug trafficking may not be as big a priority as reducing street crime in mexico. for the first time in seven months nato supply trucks today crossed the border from pakistan into afghanistan. pakistani authorities finally reopened those crucial supply routes after an expression of regret by secretary of state hillary clinton for the accidental killing of 24 pakistani troops during an air strike last fall. the final report is in on the 2009 crash of an air france flight from rio to paris that killed 228 people when the plane went down in the atlantic ocean. french investigators blamed faulty equipment and pilots who

did not know how to properly respond when a key part froze up during a storm. still ahead as "nightly news" continues for this thursday, hooked and still in high school. tonight a solution to keeping kids clean after they come back to class. later, a 14-year-old girl goes on a mission and tells "17" magazine to get real. feeling of a dry mouth? it can be the side effect of many medications. dry mouth can be frustrating... and ignoring it can lead to... sipping water can help, but dentists recommend biotene. biotene moisturizes and helps supplement some of saliva's enzymes, providing soothing relief when you need it most. don't ignore dry mouth... look for biotene in your oral care section today. this has been medifacts for biotene. for many, nexium helps relieve heartburn symptoms caused by acid reflux disease. osteoporosis-related bone fractures and low magnesium levels have been seen with nexium.

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to keep kids from calling old friends or drug dealers and random drug testing is part of the school day. northshore is one of 35 publicly funded recovery high schools across the country. and what makes this school different from a conventional campus is that every student here is struggling to stay clean and sober. >> you'll hear ongoing conversations about what a student needs to do to avoid alcohol and drugs and have fun in sobriety. >> bringing it home. >> reporter: music and writing are a big part of the curriculum for 17-year-old ian monroe belcher and for the first time he is even enjoying math. >> my life is a lot better. >> reporter: ian has been in and out of rehab seven times but this time instead of heading back to his old high school and old influences he came to northshore. the school's founder michelle lipinski says compassion is the

key to her school's success. >> we treat them with respect and kindness. >> reporter: this isn't just happening at the high school level. some colleges now offer drug and alcohol free dorms. the oldest program started right here at rutgers university in new jersey. the on campus community provides counseling, academic, and other support to help students far away from home resist the urge to relapse. back at north shore there are guidelines for clean living everywhere you look. >> i still have time to change my life. >> reporter: also acceptance for those still fragile from rehab, detox, or even jail. >> the perception is that these kids are the bad kids and what we don't realize is they're our kids. they're all of our kids. >> i'm actually learning things. >> reporter: students working hard toward a common goal, a good education, graduation, and recovery. north shore says students who stay in school and sober for an initial 90 days have an impressive graduation rate of 92%.

and on the subject of addiction we will have a special report tonight on "rock center" about a growing crisis, a generation of children addicted to pain killers before they're even born. that's tonight on "rock center" with brian williams at 10:00 eastern, 9:00 central. up next, a life guard who broke the rules to save a life and got fired. ...98, 99, 100! ready or not, here i come! ♪ found ya! you always find me. you always hide here. [ male announcer ] tim and richard smucker have always loved the taste of just-picked fruit. so it's no wonder why today smucker's makes the world's best jam. for five generations, with a name like smucker's, it has to be good.

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like a lot of folks last night people in san diego were expecting a dramatic fireworks show. and it was dramatic, but you have just pretty much seen the entire thing. some sort of technical glitch caused all the fireworks to go off at the same time and then the crowd was told that was it. the city apologized and encouraged everybody to just head home.

a florida life guard who was fired after leaving his assigned zone to help rescue a swimmer will be offered his job back. the company that provides life guards at hallandale beach now concedes it acted too quickly when it fired tom lopez for leaving his section of the beach in that moment of crisis. tonight lopez says, thanks but no thanks. he no longer wants the job. love it or hate it and there are londoners who do both. there is a striking new addition to the london sky line just in time for the olympics. it's called the shard as in shard of glass. at 1,016 feet, it is the tallest building in europe. the shard officially opened today. lots of office space is still available, we're told. the view is magnificent. when we come back, teenage girls on a mission. tonight a big-time magazine says we get it. what makes the sleep number store different? you walk into a conventional mattress store, it's really not about you. they say, "well, if you wanted a firm bed you can lie on one of those.

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nbc's mara schiavocampo has our report. >> reporter: in pitfield, maine 14-year-old julia bloom isn't afraid to step up or to speak out. >> after i retire from ballet i definitely want to do activist work. >> reporter: this spring julia started asking her middle school friends what they thought of the glossy, ultra perfect images in teen magazines like "17." she found that many girls were turned off by pictures that were photo shopped and air brushed. >> these pictures make me feel really bad about myself. >> reporter: so julia decided to fight back. >> why don't you back off? >> reporter: she started a video blog and online petition asking "17" magazine to include at least one unaltered photo spread each month, writing, i want to see regular girls that look like me. >> it shows girls that there are more than one types of beauty.

>> reporter: critics say when it comes to being bombard wed glamorous photos in magazines and ads teenagers are especially vulnerable. >> they compare themselves to the images they see when they're forming their self-esteem and sense of who they'll be in the world, and it gives them an unrealistic image to live up to. >> reporter: julia's crusade struck a nerve with supporters posting their own videos online. >> it's harmful on so many levels. >> reporter: and flocking to the petition. 84,000 signatures in all. this month the magazine announced a body image peace treaty. reaffirming its commitment to never change girls' body or face shapes but saying the magazine will continue to retouch minor imperfections like stray hairs and pimples. >> started as just a petition and i feel like we've grown into a whole movement. >> reporter: a movement to change what girls see in magazines and in the mirror. mara schiavocampo, nbc news, new york. >> go julia. that is "nightly news" for this thursday night. thanks so much for being with us.

i'm kate snow in tonight for brian. i'll see you right back here tomorrow night. i'll see you right back here tomorrow night. have a good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com