tonight, not backing down. a new war of words erupts as donald trump comes out swinging in an interview with nbc news refusing to apologize for slamming john mccain's status as a war hero. tonight, what mccain is telling us as trump's republican rivals pounce. a new era begins for once bitter enemies. controversy and history as the cuban flag rises in washington. and the u.s. embassy reopens in havana after more than 50 years. we're there live. on alert. the military orders stepped-up security at recruiting centers after that deadly rampage in chattanooga as we learn disturbing new details about the gunman's final hours. and to the rescue. as whiplash weather triggers raging fires,

then floods a powerful storm smashes records. and why forecasters fear for what's in store. "nightly news" begins right now. >> announcer: from nbc news world headquarters in new york this is "nbc nightly news with lester holt." good evening. no backing down today by gop presidential contender donald trump whose unfiltered and blunt talk has again ignited controversy. the latest came over the weekend when trump said vietnam war veteran and former p.o.w. senator john mccain is not a war hero. and while the comments like those trump made about illegal immigration recently have sparked outrage it is worth noting that he leads the latest republican presidential poll though deeper examination suggests the mccain comments may be hurting him. we begin with nbc's katy tur. >> reporter: donald trump being donald trump today, refusing to apologize for saying john mccain is not a war hero.

telling matt lauer this morning -- >> well i'm not a fan of john mccain. he's done a terrible job for the vets. i go around matt on the circuit, and i'm seeing so many vets and i see families crying before me. >> reporter: this firestorm sparked saturday. >> he hit me -- he's not a war hero. >> he's a war hero. 5 1/2 years -- >> he's a war hero because he was captured. i like people that weren't captured. okay? i hate to tell you. >> do you agree with that? >> he's a war hero because he was captured. okay? you can have -- and i believe -- perhaps he's a war hero. >> reporter: mccain responding for the first time today on "morning joe." >> does donald trump owe you an apology? >> no i don't think so. but i think he may owe an apology to the families of those who have sacrificed in conflict and those who have undergone the prison experience in serving their country. >> reporter: and at a convention in pittsburgh veterans weighed in.

>> he never wore the uniform. he's never served with any of us. so he doesn't deserve the right to say that. >> reporter: trump has been swiping at mccain since the arizona senator criticized him for his immigration stance and accused him of firing up the crazies at trump's rally in phoenix. >> i thought it was a term of endearment. >> can we get a little more clarification on the crazies comment? >> reporter: but on the campaign trail trump is taking all the heat. >> he should just apologize. i think that will probably move it on to the next thing. >> reporter: next on trump's circuit, voters in south carolina. >> i do like him because he's done a great job with business. >> as a republican i would say that i've heard enough out of donald trump at this point. >> reporter: as the billionaire tries to convince this early nominating state his tough talk is the right talk. katy tur, new york. this is peter alexander in washington. while lieutenant commander john mccain was locked in a north vietnamese prison cell surviving a plane crash in 1967 only to

endure five years of interrogations and torture, donald trump, the son of a successful real estate developer, was on his way to an ivy league degree. as trump writes in his 1987 autobiography "the art of the deal," "when i graduated from college i had a net worth of $200,000. i had my eye on manhattan. like many others trump avoided the vietnam war draft thanks to four student deferments and a medical deferment for what his campaign describes as bone spurs on both heels of his feet." this weekend trump couldn't remember the details. >> which foot did you have the bone spur in? >> you'll look it up in the records. i don't know. it's in the records. >> reporter: when trump later entered the military draft lottery, he received a high number. >> well i got very lucky. we had lottery numbers. and i guess this was my biggest factor of luck in my life. >> reporter: while mccain followed his father and grandfather, both admirals into the navy trump, who was sent to military school as a teen pursued a different route, telling "the new york times" in 1984 two of the men he admired most were were

a prominent new york builder and broadway impresario flo ziegfield. at the vietnam veterans memorial candid reviews of candidate trump. nancy rogan's brother's plane was shot down during the war. he survived. >> i think it's basically ignorance and probably more than that it's arrogance on the part of donald trump. >> reporter: al coleman's been guiding tours here for years. >> it's donald trump. i mean if anybody's ever watched one second of "celebrity apprentice" it's what he does. he's inflammatory to a fault. >> reporter: both trump and mccain have been strong supporters of the veterans community. while mccain serves as chairman of the senate armed services committee, trump has supported numerous charitable organizations and even gave $1 million to help build a vietnam veterans memorial in new york city. lester? >> peter alexander tonight. thank you. a big change in the relatio. bitter enemies for longer than most americans and cubans can remember. the two countries opened embassies in each other's capitals for the first time in half a century. that's nine presidents

ago. we're live at both embassies tonight, and we begin with our chief foreign affairs correspondent, andrea mitchell, in washington. andrea? >> reporter: good evening, lester. and here at the new cuban embassy you can hear the latin beat. they're still celebrating in the streets. history was indeed made today when diplomatic relations were restored between the united states and cuba after 54 years. but replacing decades of hostilities with trust, that's going to take more time. cuba's flag flying over washington for the first time since 1961. even as protesters from both sides faced off against each other. inside cuba's new embassy, the star-spangled banner. symbolic changes that began before dawn at the state department where cuba's flag was hung for the first time. there is a lot to overcome. a socialist revolution. the bay of pigs. the cuban missile crisis. a flood of refugees. and a tug of war over 6-year-old elian

gonzalez. now under president obama cracks in a u.s. trade embargo that started under president eisenhower. commercial flights, banking, a fledgling internet service. but cuba's foreign minister on his first visit here demanded more. >> i emphasize that the totally lifting of the blockade the return of the illegally occupied territory of guantanamo are crucial to be able to move towards the normalization of relations. >> reporter: and no give on human rights. >> they know we're not going to stop raising human rights issues. we made that very clear. >> reporter: but it was a start. and next month kerry will visit havana the first secretary of state to go there since 1945. andrea mitchell nbc news at the cuban embassy in washington. this is gabe gutierrez in havana where like most days hundreds waited in the heat to apply for u.s. visas. but today was different. >> it's very good.

>> reporter: this is the u.s. embassy now and dunil garcia rodriguez hopes its reopening will make things easier. today's news was in the state-run newspaper, on page 4. but the historic washington ceremony was covered live on cuban television and there was no mistaking the excitement people feel here. once unthinkable, u.s. flags are now in fashion, and more cubans are glued to their smartphones as the government expands public wi-fi. >> is there a lot of hope here? [ speaking spanish ] "a lot of hope," this woman said. for most cubans the internet is still unaffordable and unreliable. >> very very bad. the speed is very slow. >> reporter: but miguel abrero thinks it will be a game changer. he already has a website for his dog-breeding business. >> internet for me have been a blessing for my business. he wants to connect with customers in the u.s., and like many cubans he hopes to travel there. at the embassy tonight the new flagpole

stands ready. the u.s. flag will go up during secretary kerry's visit next month. but in many ways it's already here. for decades this building has been the site of massive anti-u.s. protests. not today. instead, the cuban government pulled back some of its security guards and allowed tourists to get a little closer to take pictures. lester? >> gabe gutierrez in cuba tonight. thank you. the military has ordered stepped-up security measures at recruiting centers across the country after that deadly rampage in chattanooga. where nbc news has learned disturbing new details about the gunman his troubled history, and what happened in his final hours. our national correspondent miguel almaguer has the latest. >> reporter: mohammad abdulazeez the gunman who opened fire on two military facilities battled depression since childhood, claim his parents. a family spokesman says he also fought substance abuse. and tonight we're learning he kept a journal in which he wrote about suicide. after a dui charge and

losing his job this year his family believes his personal struggles are at the heart of thursday's attack. before he unloaded round after round, a senior law enforcement official tells nbc news mohammad abdulazeez spent time at a gun range. a family spokesman says he jokingly called himself a muslim redneck, was broke, deep in debt and spent his last 72 hours before the shooting in a downward spiral. >> total shock that anyone in america would do this but especially someone who lived down the street. >> reporter: abdulazeez's family released a statement, reading in part "there are no words to describe our shock, horror and grief." >> the parents perhaps may be able to put a lot of things together. perhaps it wasn't as clear to them over the last few years. but after this act is taken, they start to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

♪ >> reporter: over the weekend sailor randall smith became the fifth service member to lose his life. his mother coming to chattanooga for one final good-bye. >> my son is a hero. he died doing what he loved. >> reporter: with the bodies of the victims en route to their home towns for burial there is still no motive for the shootings and no firm link to terror groups. tonight the search for answers continues in a sea of loss. in the wake of the shooting here a national directive was issued late last night to help step up security at facilities like this one nationwide. it's aimed at preventing another tragedy. lester? >> all right, miguel thank you. a wild convergence of weather has sent rescue crews in the west rushing to save people first from wildfires fueled by scorching heat then raging floods triggered by a powerful system. a rare major storm this time of year in california. and as nbc's hallie jackson reports, forecasters are warning this could be just the beginning thanks to the return of el nino.

>> reporter: the record-breaking storms slamming the west are triggering flash floods. like the one that wiped out an interstate bridge near palm springs. another flooded homes near san diego. >> the mud was coming through right here, and there was water like this. >> reporter: the storms stranding cars shutting down l.a. beaches, and for the first time in ages the angels baseball game. >> they haven't had a rainout in 20 years. >> reporter: baby raccoons their home wiped away forced to ride out the weather somewhere dry. more rain this month than san diego has seen in the last 100 julys. >> it's california. it never rains this bad here. >> reporter: it could be a preview of what's to come as el nino picks up strength. that's when weaker trade winds let unusually warm surface water build up off south america, fueling tropical storms in the eastern pacific. the ripple effect stretching to the west coast, which could see

a wetter fall and winter. but even that won't put a dent in this historic four-year drought. >> even if we have an above-normal rain year which is only about 15 or 16 inches of rain we'll need multiple years and multiple el ninos to get us out of this drought. >> reporter: the rain is helping firefighters in southern california, now getting a handle on the 4,000-acre blaze that torched 20 cars in the cajon pass. but overall, the double whammy of wildfires and drought leaves stretches of burn zones where the land's so dry water rushes right off. making mudslides more likely. another risk from wet weather like the west coast hasn't seen in decades. this is one of the places where mud and rocks slid into a residential street. it's sunny out right now, but forecasters predict more rain over the next few days which means the potential for more scenes like this one. lester? >> hallie jackson in california tonight. thank you. still ahead tonight, a shocking investigation about

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ballounballoun. we are back with a disturbing investigation into what happens to the dna evidence collected from sexual assault victims to catch their attackers. tonight nbc news has partnered with the "usa today" media network to examine a serious backlog in

testing rape kits, leaving a lot of victims waiting for justice. our national correspondent kate snow reports. >> reporter: on an august night in 1998 in detroit, jas asleep next to her infant son when a man broke in and sexually assaulted her with a gun to her head. afterward, she spent hours at the hospital having dna evidence taken, expecting justice. >> if he felt that comfortable coming through my window i probably wasn't the first one and i definitely wouldn't be the last. >> reporter: years passed and no word from police. turns out that dna evidence kit was sitting untested in this dingy warehouse along with 11,340 others. >> up there? >> yeah. third or fourth floor. >> reporter: we first reported on detroit's astonishing backlog two years ago. but tonight we have a better idea just how big the problem is nationally. u.s. taid media network found more than 70,000 untested rape kits based on records from more than 1,000 police departments around the country. >> kind of like a slap

in the face to the victim. you know it makes them maybe not want to report. >> you think it might make people think why bother? >> right. why waste my time? >> reporter: phoenix has one of the highest numbers of untested kids over 1,700. >> they have no evidentiary value left for us. meaning we already know who the suspect is or we have determined that no crime occurred in those cases. >> reporter: unlike many cities on the list phoenix does have a protocol for deciding how to process sex crimes evidence. >> what's the harm in testing every single kit? >> you're taking something that has no evidentiary value to you in a case and you're placing that in front of every other crime that is occurring in the city of phoenix. >> reporter: but in detroit prosecutor kim worthy a survivor of sexual assault herself, told us victims enduring rape kit examinations deserve to have the evidence tested. >> what my job is is to get to the truth of a matter. and that means we have to look at each and every one of those rape kits. >> reporter: worthy has raised millions to test around 10,000 of the backlogged kits so

far, leading to the discovery of 456 suspected serial rapists. when johnny's kit was finally tested 13 years after her attack there was a match. her rapist was sentenced to up to 37 years in prison for her attack. >> i would just like to say to the other survivors out there, don't give up hope seeing the person who did that to you will really make you feel -- it'll make you feel good. >> reporter: two years ago congress passed a law requiring federal guidelines on how to handle sex crimes evidence. they're not expected though until the end of next year. lester a lot of response to this story. the hashtag testthekits is trending. >> and police potentially could connect a lot of dots if they test them. >> they could. >> kate thanks very much. when we come back sibling rivalries. the outgoing oldest child, the frustrated middle child, and the spoiled youngest? really? are those stereotypes about birth order really true? what a new study reveals when we come right back. we live in a world of mobile technology,

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do you know who i am? i'm moe green. i made my bones when you were going out with cheerleaders. >> one of the great character actors has died. his career spanned a half century, but alex rocco will forever be known for his most famous role in "the godfather" as vegas casino boss moe green, who gets whacked in one of the most famous sequences in movie history. he appeared in dozens of other films and tv shows over the years, winning an emmy in 1990. alex rocco was 79 years old. a new study may finally put to rest some very old stereotypes about birth order. you know the ones about first-born children being smarter and better lear the middle children being often ignored and frustrated. jan brady comes to mind. and the youngest child, lazy and spoiled. researchers studied 377,000 high school students and found relatively little difference in intelligence and personality, no matter where you fall in the birth order. a study sure to

trigger a few sibling arguments. when we come back one man making a difference, spending his life and a small fortune uniting children with families who want them. but managing my symptoms was all i was doing. so when i finally told my doctor, he said humira is for adults like me who have tried other medications but still experience the symptoms of moderate to severe crohn's disease. and that in clinical studies the majority of patients on humira saw significant symptom relief. and many achieved remission. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers including lymphoma, have happened; as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common and if you've had tb hepatitis b, are prone to infections or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. if you're still just managing your symptoms,

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finally tonight, a story of love and generosity. a man who's dedicated his life to helping so many others making a difference by uniting so many foster children with adoptive parents. growing families including his own. here's nbc's rehema ellis. >> reporter: heather haas is about to become a mother for the first time. 54 and single she's adopting 10-year-old jamie, her foster child. >> i found jamie and jamie found me and we clicked, and we understand one another. >> this is what you wanted for so long isn't it? >> mm-hmm. i think probably my whole entire life. [ applause ] >> the court hereby approves this adoption. >> reporter: hugs for her daughter and her lawyer gene balloun, who has handled for than 1,000 foster care adoptions free of charge. >> we're on the second 1,000. the next goal is 2,000. >> reporter: balloun took the state funds normally given to pro

bono attorneys and created a scholarship fund. so far over $700,000 has been awarded to more than 500 foster kids to help pay for college. >> once you have these children in your home you fall in love with them. >> reporter: he should know. balloun and his wife sheila have fostered 29 children. and they adopted two of them. david is now 28. hannah now 16 and starting to think about college herself. >> i really want to be a teacher like my mom or a lawyer like my dad. >> reporter: her 86-year-old dad now raising a teenager. >> certainly makes me feel younger, i think. >> it's keeping him young. it's making me old. >> i order this courtroom to give this wonderful family a standing ovation. [ applause ] >> reporter: back in court gene balloun is helping start another family for 7-year-old emily orr. >> i order him not to stop. that's a court order.

>> reporter: no objections here. rehema ellis, nbc news olathe kansas. >> that will do it for us on this monday night. i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching and good night.

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