we have two reports to start off with tonight beginning with nbc's john yang in nashville, illinois outside of st. louis. john, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. the sizzling heat has left the midwest. it was about 15 degrees cooler than two days ago here in southern illinois. look at what it's left behind -- scorched crops, parched farmland, and a human toll as well. across the midwest and northeast the collective sigh of relief as temperatures finally receded from the triple digits. >> love this weather. so much better. >> this is beautiful. >> reporter: in the wake of the heat wave, scores of heat-related deaths, many the sick or the elderly. at least 18 each in chicago where temperatures topped 100 for four straight days and maryland where power crews struggled with the aftermath of deadly storms more than a week ago. not even wildlife was immune. waterways from north dakota to south carolina got so hot tens of thousands of fish died. >> on friday morning we discovered that fish were finally starting to die here. >> reporter: it all adds up to one hot early summer confirme

>> john yang, dubuque, iowa tonight. hn, thanks for that report. >>> up next after a break, we first met him as one of archie bunker's friends, that was before he moved on up. tonight america has lost a big sitcom star. this country was built by working people. the economy needs manufacturing. machines, tools, people making stuff. companies have to invest in making things. infrastructure, construction, production. we need it now more than ever. chevron's putting more than $8 billion dollars back in the u.s. economy this year. in pipes, cement, steel, jobs, energy. we need to get the wheels turning. i'm proud of that. making real things... for real. ...that make a real difference. ♪ >>> this right here is the definition of a flash flood right before our very eyes. a viewer at our nbc station in tucson shot this video. it captures exactly something we've been reporting on and talking about here recently. this happens to be an area scorched by wildfires. and note, the soil can't absorb the rainfall. instead, it has no choice

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. >> rep

>> john yang out in the heat again tonight for us. thank you, john. >>> overseas now to the latest crack in the syrian regime. and new pressure from the u.s. on those still supporting syria's president assad. secretary of state hillary clinton is strongly urging them to be on the right side of history. more now from nbc chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell. >> reporter: the secretary of state in paris today with a show of support for the syrian opposition and at a meeting of 100 nations hoping to end the killing a very public message for two who were not there. >> i ask you to reach out to russia and china and to not only urge but demand that they get off the sidelines and begin to support the legitimate aspirations of the syrian people. >> reporter: russia is syria's life line. china follows russia's lead. they have resisted international pressure to force syrian leader assad from power. >> they are holding up progress, blockading it, that is no longer tolerable. >> reporter: the u.s. wants tougher sanctions and is alre

nbc's john yang is in chicago. good evening, john. >> reporter: good evening, kate. all across the heartland, it has been a scorcher of a fourth of july. highs in the triple digits as far north as minnesota and wisconsin. here in chicago, the high was 102. that ties a record set a century ago. across the eastern half of the country, americans spent the nation's 236th birthday trying to beat the heat. >> it's definitely really hot. >> reporter: chicago had only it's second triple digit 4th since they began keeping records. >> it's hot out here. >> people jammed the beaches, although the nation's water temperatures in the mid-70s. cooler water could be found in park fountains and frozen treats. >> we were going to go to the beach, but i think it's too hot for that. >> i go inside and the first thing i do is stand in front of the window unit. >> reporter: milwaukee set an all-time record high for the day as did madison, wisconsin, south bend, indiana, and paducah, kentucky. st. paul, minnesota,'s scheduled half marathon was cut to five miles. in philadelphia's july 4th

nbc's john yang reports from chicago. >> reporter: across the eastern half of the country, americans spent the nation's 236th birthday trying to beat the heat. >> it's definitely really hot. >> reporter: chicago had only its second triple-digit force since it began keeping records. >> it is good and hot. >> reporter: milwaukee set an all-time record high for the day as did madison, wisconsin, south bend, indiana, and paducah, kentucky. st. paul, minnesota's scheduled half marathon was cut to five miles. in philadelphia's fourth of july parade, marchers sweltered as they passed independence hall. similar scenes in st. louis where they hit triple digits for a full week. a fire truck helped cool off spectators. the oppressive temperatures with highs near 100 from the plains to the atlantic are the result of a massive hot air stalled over much of the nation's midsection. >> typically we don't see it this hot so early in the season. we're talking about unprecedented temperatures for places like atlanta, even st. louis seeing 100 degrees seven days in a row. that is something we don't norm

john yang, nbc news, chicago. >>> up next here tonight. how it is an 11-year-old managed to fly from england to rome with no boarding pass. more than that, without anyone realizing he had boarded the plane to begin with. this is an rc robotic claw. my high school science teacher made me what i am today. our science teacher helped us build it. ♪ now i'm a geologist at chevron, and i get to help science teachers. it has four servo motors and a wireless microcontroller. over the last three years we've put nearly 100 million dollars into american education. that's thousands of kids learning to love science. ♪ isn't that cool? and that's pretty cool. ♪ >>> if you live in north korea, the big news you would have learned today is you have a new first lady. put it another way, kim jong-un is off the market. he went and got married and korean state-run tv today announced the happy union, and it came out of nowhere. our chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell has the story. >> reporter: imagine a combination of kate middleton and princes

. >> that was nbc's john yang reporting. >>> elsewhere, fire crews are battling to try and contain the wildfires burning in nine western states. montana's largest fire has burned at least 16 homes and charred 386 miles. the ash creek fire is 55% contained and in colorado, fire officials are predicting full containment by sunday, scorching 28 square miles and destroying almost 350 homes. >>> to the campaign trail where president obama begins a bus tour through ohio and pennsylvania. mitt romney spoke out in new hampshire about the health care update. tracie potts has more from washington. good morning. >> good morning. let's start with the bus tour. the president today will start in toledo, ohio. he will be targeting working class men. the polls are showing us while he is doing well with women and some other groups, this is a group that seems to be wavering between president obama and mitt romney. a recent average, shows the president with less than a three-point lead within the margin of error. on the fourth o of july, he addressed military members saying we need more immigration laws

john yang reports from chicago. >> reporter: across the eastern half of the country, americans spent the nation's 236th birthday trying to beat the heat. >> it is definitely really hot. >> reporter: chicago had only its second triple digit score since they began keeping records. >> it is good and hot out here. >> reporter: milwaukee set an all-time record high as did madison, wisconsin, south bend, indiana, and paducah, kentucky. and st. paul's half marathon was cut to five miles. philadelphia's july fourth parade, they sweltered as they passed independence hall. similar scenes in downtown st. louis which hit triple digits. the oppressive temperatures with highs near 100s from the plains to the atlantic are a result of hot air stalled over the nation's midsection. >> typically, we don't see it this hot. st. louis, seeing 100 degrees seven days in a row. that is something we don't normally see. >> reporter: if that weren't enough, nearly 1 million people in ten states in the district of columbia spent the fourth just like the founding fathers, no electricity, no air-conditioning. last

nbc's john yang is in debuke, iowa tonight. john, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian.ught is a double whammy for mississippi barge shippers. they have less product to ship. and the low water levels mean higher shipping costs and slower traffic. from minnesota to the gulf of mexico, the 2300 mile mississippi river is a critical backbone of american commerce, carrying 60% of the nation's grain, 22% of u.s. oil and gas. 20% of coal. in all, $180 billion of goods. but the drought of 2012 has humbled the mighty mississippi. steve frydel has worked on the river nearly a half century. he hasn't seen it like this in almost 25 years. >> mother nature decides it wants to do something, it doesn't make any difference what man made does. >> reporter: travel down the maritime superhighway and see the dramatic control. in cairo, illinois, 12 feet low than normal. further south in memphis, it's 17 feet lower than normal. in vicksburg, mississippi levels are off by 21 feet. u usually here in st. louis, it's about 30 feet deep. right now the river is 15 feet deep. >> low water means les

john yang, nbc news, chicago. >>> up next here tonight. how it is an 11-year-old managed to fly from england to rome with no boarding pass. more than that, without anyone realizing he had boarded the plane to begin with. [ female announcer ] women have made it the number one selling anti-aging cream undeniably. it creamed unbelievably a $500 cream and now women have made regenerist microsculpting cream also unscented. women love it. in original and also fragrance-free. 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, osteo

natalie. >> john yang in evansdale, iowa. thanks, john. >>> the los angeles sheriff's department confirms deputies were called monday to the home of michael jackson's mother in calabasas, california. katherine jackson is the guardian of michael's three children. reported a family disagreement over whether jackson's children would stay in calabasas or travel to california to be with their grandmother. tmz showed a photo of janet jackson and jermaine in an argument. she surfaced thursday after being reported missing. however, paris jackson tweeted she still hasn't spoken with her grandmother. >>> and feeling peckish? luckily you don't have to share your breakfast like these guys do. the pair of hawks can't seem to get along as they share that plate of food. all right. who wins there. >> nobody is winning. >> looks like dinner at my house. the kids go at it. >> give it back. >> how about a check of the weather. >> all right. we'll show you we're looking at a really expanding heat wave from sioux falls to tulsa, as far east as wi

john yang live in chicago. i appreciate it. you a few minutes ago, there was a tragedy on the fourth of july off of long island and the other story with story being electrocuted while they were swimming on the fourth. two siblings were killed while swimming near a private dock near the lake of the ozarks. both died at the hospital. faulty wiring on the dock that wasn't grounded properly is most lick le to blame. >> two boys swimming on house boats when they were struck by an electrical current. died and an 11-year-old is on life support. a faulty cord may have caused that accident. we move on this to this story and a lifeguard sprang into action when a holiday swim turned dangerous in florida. he helped save a life, but couldn't save his own job. live in florida with the story that has many outraged. >> this lifeguard has a job to save lives. he was fired after trying to save someone from drowning. when a stranger ran up to him asking for help, lopez jumped out of his chair. >> i was on stand and a guest came up and said there

john yang is in nashville, illinois, with the latest. chicago's hit hard by this heat.reporter: rear we're down state but it's 20 degrees cooler than it was two days ago on saturday. west of here in st. louis, they had ten days above 100. chicago had four days in the triple digits. it's the cumulative effect of that heat that really brought on heat-related deaths. 18 in chicago. as you say, 74, at least 74 across the nation. so, this heat wave was not only sort of inconvenience for some people, it really did turn deadly and affect their health, richard. >> you're stanning in the middle of a cornfield. i bet you have some information for us, about how this excessive heat has hurt and affected farmers out there. >> reporter: that's right. down here in nashville, illinois, this corn should be about eight feet high. as you can see, it barely comes up to my waist. the last rain that the farmer here said he had last decent rain, was three months ago, april 14th. the government, the agriculture department says the corn crop nationwide is in its worse shape since 1988, the deva

nbc's john yang is feeling the heat in chicago. once again, john, it is relentless up there. >> reporter: it is, willie. this morning officials in chicago are investigating a possible third heat-related death. meanwhile forecasters saying it will be one more day of triple digit record heat here. but within a couple more days, it will be 20 degrees cooler. in chicago, another day for the books. the official high, 103, a new record for the date. >> like louisiana weather. so hot, it's unbearable. >> must be something to do with this global warming they are talking about. i'm beginning to believe it now. >> reporter: one potential refuge, the shedd aquarium, no power. >> we don't have power at home either. we were coming here to get away from the heat. >> reporter: today there may be more kids cooling off in park fountains. chicago schools have canceled all summer school sessions. in st. louis, repairmen worked over time. >> every day it's been over 100 degrees. we never got a break yet. >> reporter: forecasters say relief is in sight

natalie. >> john yang in evansdale, iowa. lympics begin britain celebrating a huge victory after bradley wiggins on sunday became the first british rider ever to win cycling's tour de france. wiggins said he would skip the traditional victory glass of champagne because he starts olympic competition next week. >>> a quick round of what has you talking online. last night's teen choice awards are a hot google choice. justin bieber won trophy for male artist and taylor swift was named choice female artist. the favorite sing along song "call me maybe." >>> this spectacular video of a close encounter with a glacier going viral on youtube. a tourist getting a closer look at one of greenland's natural wonders was nearly swamped by a large wave when a huge block of ice broke away. one passenger said i have never been this close to dying before. >>> and 19-year-old video artist barakdubs has another winner, singing one direction, "what makes you beautiful." ♪ >> he's a biochemistry major at the university of tennessee who takes up to th

. >> john yang in nashville, illinois. thanks, john. >>> president obama is using a white house address today to push congress for a one-year extension of tax cuts for the middle class only. republicans want to extend those cuts for all americans. meantime mitt romney's campaign is calling renewed criticism of the republican candidate's personal finances, quote, desperate character attacks. >>> today hollywood remembers film legend ernest borgnine. the beloved gap toothed academy award winner died sunday. borgnine was best known for his role in "mchale's navy" and "from here to eternity." borgnine was 95 years old. >>> tennis crowned two new champions, swiss star roger federer claiming his record tying seventh record sunday. he defeated andy murray, the first british monday for 75 year years. serena wins and teamed up with sister venus for the couples competition. >>> america loves spidey, the top grossing box office, $65 million, second, "ted" and "brave" third. >>> a sweeping view, a beautiful panorama of the martian wint

john yang is in triple digit heat in chicago. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, willie. the forecast back above 100 here in chicago today. officials are beginning to warn residents about this dangerous and potentially deadly heat. as the nation celebrated its 236th birthday with fireworks, across much of the country it was as hot as a fire cracker. chicago had only its second triple digit 4th of july on record. this bank thermometer hit 104 degrees. the official high, 102, tying a record set more than a century ago. >> we need to protect ourselves and those who are at greatest risk from heat-related illness this summer season. >> we're tough but this one -- this one is a little more than we're used to. >> lake michigan beaches were jammed but water temperatures in the mid 70s didn't offer much relief. with the nation's mid section in the grip of hot air, excessive heat warnings continue. in des moines people tried to have some holiday fun despite blistering heat. >> too hot! we're having a good time. >> reporter: st. louis hit triple digits for the seventh straight day,

john yang has the latest. >> reporter: wearing bright pink t-shirts emblazoned with the images of the, drew and heather collins struggle to keep it together. 12 days after investigators say their daughter, elizabeth collins, 8, and her 10-year-old cousin, lyric cook-morrissey, were abducted. >> guy as long as i can and then i break down and i get up and guy again. >> reporter: now there's signs of tension between heather and her sister, letter lyric's mom, misty cook morsi. >> even though we would like to be as one family, it has made it to be two separate -- two separate families. >> reporter: the source of the conflict, statements from investigators last week that lyric's parents, now estranged, weren't fully cooperating. monday, misty took a second polygraph test. she said she passed. investigators wouldn't discuss the exam. >> we are getting the cooperation that we are asking for. so, it's getting better. >> reporter: both misty and her husband, who spent time in prison over drug charges, over the weekend, she acknowledged her criminal past but said it had nothing to do with the g

nbc's john yang has the latest on the search. >> reporter: posters and pink ribbons dot this communitych continues for 10-year-old lira cook more see and her 8-year-old cousin elizabeth collins. lyric's mother says the family has done all they can. >> we've told all we know to tell. we've done the polygraphs. we've done the cooperation. >> reporter: the girls were last seen 11 days ago when nay set off on their bikes later found at myers lake. an intensive search and draining the lake turned up no sign of them. one week after they disappeared, investigators say they had evidence that lyric and elizabeth were alive but offered no details. >> we aren't sure of their evidence. do we feel they're alive? we always felt they were alive. >> reporter: lyric is raised by her relatives, while her parents, no estranged, spent much of the last ten years in prison on drug charges. >> that's going to cause law enforcement to invest more time, not only looking at the parents but looking at their known criminal associates. >> lyric's mother and aunt say it is family's criminal past has nothing to do w

john yang is at a farm in southern illinois. john? >> reporter: brian, take a look at this cornfield. these corn plants should be about eight feet high right now. they barely come up to my waist. see the brown sort of seared leaves. this is the plants burning themselves out trying to produce something. and so far, this is about all they can produce. those that can, just little ears like this. very little pollination. there's a soybean farmer around the corner that told me if it doesn't rain two inches a day for the next two weeks until the end of july his crop will be gone. this corn crop, the farmer here, says he hasn't seen a decent rain in three months. the yield is so low he says it may not be worth the fuel to harvest it. and that is showing up in the futures market. corn up 22% over the last 30 days. wheat up 32%. soybeans up 9%. a very tough summer for farmers. brian? >> yeah. certainly has been. john, stay cool. i'm sure we'll see you again. >>> all right. coming up, economic espionage in cyberspace. we'll dig in to china's cu

nbc's john yang is live for us in chicago. >> reporter: hello, tamron.er day for the record books here in chicago. a little while ago the official temperature reading was 102. and that ties a record set for this date more than a century ago. as the nation celebrated its 236th birthday with fireworks, across much of the country it was as hot as a firecracker. chicago had only its second triple-digit fourth of july on record. this bank thermometer hit 104 degrees. the official high, 102, tying a record set more than a century ago. >> we need to protect ourselves and those who are at greatest risk from heat related illness this summer season. >> we're tough, but this one -- this one -- this one is a little more than we're used to. >> reporter: lake michigan beaches were jammed but water temperatures in the mid-70s didn't offer much relief. with the nation's midsection in the grip of a massive hot air, excessive heat warnings continue. in des moines, people tried to have some holiday fun, despite the blistering çheat. >> too hot. but we're having a good tim

>> john yang reporting live from chicago. coming up next, the young and the restless. young voters helped president obama ride to victory in 2008. could they be the key to his defeat in november? [ male announcer ] don't miss red lobster's four course seafood feast, just $14.99. start with soup, salad and cheddar bay biscuits then choose one of 7 entrees plus dessert! four perfect courses, just $14.99. come into red lobster and sea food differently. four perfect courses, just $14.99. you do a lot of kayakingno. whoooa i'm in a river. what are some good kayaking words? like...rapids? look, i'm going through the rapids. ok. i'll take it. new offers in new places so you can try new things. sync your american express card with facebook, foursquare, and twitter to find savings. that's the membership effect of american express. she would help her child. no. no no no no no. mommy's here [ male announcer ] with everything. but instead she gives him capri sun super-v. with one combined serving of fruits and vegetables. new capri sun super-v. >> the obama campaign has a wave of

nbc's john yang is at a corn and soybean farm in southern illinois. how bad is it there, jon?er: the asked the impact of the farmers. this picture tells the story. these corn plant this time of the year should be eight feet high. the farmer here says he hasn't seen a decent rain here in about three months, since april 14th. all across the corn belt farmers are saying their crops are just about a loss, total loss for this time of year. listen to farmer jim nice of kansas. >> a rain today isn't going to do us any good. it's over with on corn. mother nature hasn't been very good to us this summer. >> next year before we can start over again. and we will have to make big adjustments economically. >> reporter: anticipating a shortage, the corn -- the price of corn, corn futures, has shot up 35% in just the last three weeks. that's going to translate into higher prices at the grocery store for things like cereals, for tortillas, corn chips, that sort of thing. of course, corn is used in a lot of other products. you can see the ripple effect going on. now, a lot of farmefers and agri

>> john yang in evansdale, iowa. >>> before the olympics begin britain is celebrating a huge victoryst british rider ever to win cycling's tour de france. wiggins said he would skip the traditional victory glass of champagne because he starts olympic competition next week. >>> now for a look at what is trending today, our quick roundup of what has you talking online. last night's teen choice awards are a hot google search. justin bieber won the surfboard trophy for choice male artist. taylor swift was named choice female and choice country artist. the show ended with carly ray jepsen belting out the internet's new favorite song, "call me maybe." >>> this close encounter with a glacier is going viral on youtube. a tourist boat getting a closer look at one of greenland's natural wonders was nearly swamped. one passenger said, i have never been this close to dying before. >>> 19-year-old video artist baracksdubs stitched together another winner. this features our commander in chief singing one direction's "what makes you beautiful." ♪ that's what makes you beautiful. >> baracksdubs is a