he spoke exclusively with our keir simmons. here it is >> reporter: staging the olympics in a pandemic poses difficult challenges japan's prime minister, yoshihide suga >> nice to meet you. >> reporter: telling nbc news in his first-ever u.s. television interview many japanese people are deeply worried that there will be a rise in infections did you consider cancelling the games >> translator: i think that cancelling the game is very easy to do, but japan made the bid and was rt of the world. >> reporter: there's a huge weight on your shoulders. your political career perhaps depends on these games. are the olympics worth it >> translator: over 4 billion people across the world will be watching these olympic games. in that context, overcoming the hardship of the coronavirus and to be able to hold the games, i think there's real value in that. >> reporter: japan's prime minister was the first world leader to meet president biden at the white house the two coordinating countermeasures on china. >> translator: i think president bid

keir simmons, cal perry, antonio hilton, thank you so much. as we mentioned in japan. >>> coming up, more on the olympics, new protests plus extreme heat adding another challenge for those athletes and a look at what the first lady is up to there. >>> also the new and very real push to overturn roe v. wade. could the supreme court strike down its own ruling? >>> democrats blast the fbi saying the agency failed to fully investigate allegations against brett kavanaugh. now details on that next. nothing will stop me from vacation. no canceling. flexible cancellation. kayak. search one and done. so then i said to him, you oughta customize your car insurance with liberty mutual, flexible cancellation. so you only pay for what you need. hot dog or... chicken? only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ just two pills for all day pain relief. aleve it, and see what's possible. age is just a number. and mine's unlisted. try boost® high protein with 20 grams of protein for muscle health. versus 16 grams in ensure high pr

we sent our keir simmons across the country to gauge japanese sentiment now that the games have begun. >> reporter: tonight, japan's opening ceremony celebrating its rich history and culture widely praised, despite the lack of spectators and protesters outside. after 14 days in the country, when our movements were restricted, we left tokyo this week traveling across japan to see how people here really feel. meiji castle is one of the oldest in the nation. modern japan's political battle ises now over covid and the olympics. do you think the olympics should go ahead? >> translator: we have no choice. >> reporter: we stopped in hiroshima where we met american sheresse encarnacion. >> you were in california until seven months ago, now here, how does it compare? >> there's more rules and regulations. the people adhere to them, are more willing to adhere to them. >> reporter: this city knows what it means to overcome adversity. this building the only one left standing when the atom bomb hit in 1945. today coronavirus has become part of life. >> there are limitations or restrictions in plac

keir simmons standing by to give us a firsthand look at the hidden and historic beauty that surroundsour own, but we need help naming them. >> you are an olympian for the rest of your life. >> no one can take that away from me. >> tomorrow, hoda is there live as simone biles leads team usa in their debut. at the tokyo olympics "today" is where the games begin. >>> a very good morning to you. it's 8:26. i'm laura garcia. a try-county summer camp is canceled after a covid outbreak. it's for kids 5 to 11 years old. last week five campers tested positive. symptoms for all are said to be camp has been cancelled for the rest of the summer. other events were canceled so they can disinfect the building. >>> they're saying it might be a little humid today. >> yeah. we're feeling the humidity, and we're seeing the monsoon move closer to the area. you see all if rain moving across southern california. we'll have a chance for rain later on this evening, maybe even some lightning. that's very concerning as our vegetation and everything is very dry. then as we go toward the middle of the week, it's

first lady met with japan's prime minister, keir simmons sat down with him to talk about japan's rising cases and how he's handling the pandemic and the game. >> billions of spectators will be watching the games. i believe the best to beat covid-19 and overcoming the difficulties to go ahead with the games and to convene the games. i think that has a value in itself. >> you can watch "nightly news" with lester holt at 6:30 right before the olympics special from the bay area to tokyo. that's going to be hosted by our own raj mathai who's in tokyo right now. that show is at 7:00. >>> they have already hit the mat, members of the u.s. women got some practice today, the team rotated and vaulted. team qualifications began on sunday in japan which is saturday night our time. the final is set for tuesday and if you want to watch the opening ceremony live, you are going to have to get up early. it is starting a 3:55 a.m. our time. if you would like to sleep, we'll reair it our time. >>> the dixie fire burning in butte county exploded to more than 100,000 acres. it is now a megafire. it is the s

impunity in russia by and large, as long as they don't target russian businesses >> reporter: when keir simmonsast month pressed putin about cyber criminals based in his country, the russian leader denied it >> translator: where is the evidence? where is proof it's becoming farcical. >> reporter: there's nothing funny about the impact of ransomware crippling the u.s. economy an estimated $20 billion a year and putting critical infrastructure at risk. >> and ken dilanian is with us now. ken, what's the white house prepared to do about this latest attack >> reporter: white house officials never expected biden's warning to putin to have immediate impact and will wait six months to assess the situation. >> keeping a close eye on that. ken dilanian, thank you very much. >>> a major east coast interstate quickly turned into the scene of an intense standoff between a group of armed men and police today shutting down a neighborhood near boston kathy park has the details. >> reporter: tonight, emergency on the interstate after an hours' long standoff in massachusetts that shut down portions of a busy i-

keir simmons hit the bars for some of japan's most popular beverages.nt obama tasted when he visited in 2014 in a minute, i'm going to give you guys a taste of that when i open it up, it isn't just sake that is one of japan's biggest exports. as i said, it's whiskey, too so i had the reluctant and tough task of going to investigate >> reporter: remember this >> for relaxing times, make it sintore time >> reporter: nea since that seminole movie, japanese whiskey has become a global phenomenon. hello. so tell me, how do the japanese drink whiskey? first, a highball, whiskey asan soda >> that's good >> it's a really clean flavor. >> next. >> just whiskey and water. >> reporter: and the third way >> on the rocks. >> on a rock >> reporter: it's all about the taste. oh, yeah >> yeah. >> ooh, yes, that's good >> reporter: so how do these japanese whiskeys compare with scotch you drink a scotch whiskey, it is like you've reached in, taken a bunch of mud from the highlands of scotland and put it in your mouth. this is nothing like that. this is like you're stand

. >> nbc's keir simmons live from tokyo.ir. >>> still ahead, with a moratorium set to expire, congress trying to keep people in their homes. that story and so much more when we come back. and so much more n we come back kin, we switched to tide hygienic clean free. it's gentle on her skin, and out cleans our old free detergent. tide hygienic clean free. hypoallergenic and safe for sensitive skin. the sleep number 360 smart bed is on sale now. it's the most comfortable, body-sensing, automatically-responding, energy-building, dually-adjustable, dad-powering, wellness-boosting, foot-warming, temperature-balancing, recovery-assisting, effortlessly life-changing proven quality night sleep we've ever made. save up to $1,000 on select sleep number 360 smart beds and adjustable bases. plus, 0% interest for 24 months & free premium delivery. ends monday. before nexium 24hr, anna could only imagine a comfortable night's sleep without frequent heartburn waking her up. now, that dream... . ...is her reality. nexium 24hr stops acid befo

nbc's keir simmons has more. >> reporter: garrett, before that spectacular ceremony celebrating japan'suding this temple in kyoto and to talk to people beginning with japan's prime minister and now he literally has his job on the line over these olympics, and just in the weeks after the games, he will face a review of his mandate with his presidency of his party running out in late september. so, it couldn't be more important for him. it is important for the u.s. of course, because japan is a crucial ally and the third biggest economy in the world. so i wanted to pres the prime minister over whether he considered just canceling the games. >> many japanese people are concerned if there is a rise in infections, and did you consider canceling the games? >> translator: i think that canceling the games is easy to do, but as i said before while facing the coronavirus and while trying to hold a safe and effecttive olympics would be perilous, but japan won the bid, and i feel that we must fulfill our obligation to the rest of the world. what worried me the most is that the public opinion was di

keir simmons found the perfect place here in japan for a beginner's lesson in meditation. >> his trip e a naname for youourself. even if yoyour office,e, and babank balancece are... far fromom glamorousus. that meaeans expensising nonothing but t pizza. yourur expenses s look good, and your b books are set for r the month!h! ...g.going up againsnst this guyuy... and pitctching yourr idea 1 100 times.. no, no, nono! no. i lilike it. -h-he likes itit! .....and you defininitely love e that. intuit quiuickbooks helps smsmall businenesses be more e successfulul withth payments,s, payroll,l, banking a and lilive bookkeeeeping. that was another way, i would smoke once an hour- that didn't work either. all that would happen at some point in the day, i would end up doubling up. umm, other ways that i'd try to quit was, umm, i'd stop buying cigarettes totally. but if i took three puffs off of, like, fifteen friends', those didn't count. because they weren't my cigarettes and they weren't full cigarettes. [laughs] ya know, i went through a lot. >>> and welcome back the olympics are all about the

. >>> like most things, because of covid, fear not, nbc's keir simmons taking us on a journey throughout >> japan's unique culture combines high-tech international cities and historic, hidden beauty, with its mountainous terrain, unchanged for centuries, the roads to tokyo are a journey back in time one of the most famous called the nakasendo. >> means the way through the mountains. this is one of five roads that led from the shogan's capital of edo, present day tokyo >> the story of this ancient path as historian oleg benesh explains is vividly depicted in these 19th century woodblock prints. >> here we see a few pilgrims, peasants, people carrying goods, and we don't see any wheeled traffic. someone wearing like a basket. >> this strange head gear was born by buddhist monks, a mask from another era, and not unlike the road to tokyo 2020, embarking on this journey required strength and courage. >> this looks like it might be the start of the samurai procession i think you can see people wearing two swords. >> two swords they wore two swords. >> samurai would normally wear two swords. >>

keir simmons is in tokyo following the latest. >> reporter: stephanie, it's another warm night here inty of heat still surrounding the decision by simone biles to pull out of the team final after that tumble on the vault, saying that she wants to focus on her mental health, saying in interviews that she has been fighting demons. now, a statement from usa gymnastics now saying she will not compete in tomorrow's final of the individual all-around competition and she will be evaluated daily, steph, to see whether or not she will take part in next week's individual event final. meanwhile, another statement from u.s. olympic and paralympics, the u.s. olympics and paralympics committee, saying you've made us all proud, directed to simone biles, saying we applaud your decision to prioritize your mental wellness over all else and offer you the full support and resources of our team usa community as you navigate your journey ahead. now, steph, jade carey will file in for simone biles tomorrow. she qualified ninth. meanwhile, katie ledecky achieved gold in the 1500. she did not win the 200 frees

joining us from kyoto, japan, national correspondent keir simmons who this week sat down with japan's tension i would say. it's easy to beget unless are you in japan and hear how much the prime minister has riding on these games. his term as president of the ruling liberal democrat ig party here in japan runs out at the end of september. so he literally faces trying to get a renewed mandate weeks after the olympics is over. now, his party did badly in tokyo elections just recently. the polls have been against his decision to hold the games. although, it's come back in his direction e direction a little bit. we will get to why is this should matter for the white house. 1st i wanted to press him on why he is literally pressing the games. many are deeply worried there will be a rise in infections. did you consider canceling the games? >> i think canceling the games is very easy to do. however, as i have said before, while facing the coronavirus and trying to hold a safe and secure olympics and paraolympics, this will pose many different challenges. but japan made the bid and was awarded

putin did do an interview with my colleague, keir simmons.t of the reporting about tucker carlson's communications from axios. two sources said his two kremlin intermediaries live in the u.s., but the sources could not confirm whether they were both american citizens or on u.s. soil at the time they communicated with carlson this is relevant because if one of them was a foreign national and on foreign soil during the communications the u.s. government wouldn't necessarily have had to seek approval to monitor their communications. it all has an echo to mike flynn and his conversations he lied about, was prosecuted for, pled guilty to, and pardoned by the ex-president. he, too, was picked up communicating with the russian ambassador and with his experience had to have known there was a chance the united states government listened to him. what is the missing piece here for you, frank? what questions do you have? >> because of the source of this, which is tucker carlson, i have to tell you, i have great -- to even buy into this. i don't know what