it is striking when you watch that lester holt tape. but even compared to a year and a half ago, he seems impaired. he was calmer and more fluent even when talking to lester holt than he is today. there is a tremendous accumulating pressure on him. it is not just legal. it is political. he is preparing for the argument he expects after november when clearly he expects to face at least a democrat house, maybe a democratic house and senate. >> joyce vance, the president is venturing into legal scholarship tonight in his interview with bloomberg he says i view it as an illegal investigation. i'm not saying anything. i'm just telling you this. you read the great scholars, the great legal. there should have never been a special counsel. your reaction to that? >> he's just wrong when he says that. the reason that we use special counsels in our federal criminal justice system or previously independent counsels is when we have a criminal investigation that the justice department needs to conduct but the people who would be in charge of the inve

>> she did, lester. she told katy tur today that she has been interviewed by the internal and added she would be willing to speak with him again and turn over her tapes. in another bombshell, she said e-mails stolen from the clinton campaign before they were released by wikileaks but declined to give any evidence. no response from the white house or the special counsel about that. >> thanks. >>> overseas to the horrific bridge disaster in italy. at least 23 people have been killed, 15 more injured, as crews now dig through the mangled rubble. it happened in the port city of genoa when a bridge collapsed during a storm, sending dozens of cars plunging. let's get the latest from lucy kafanov who made her way to italy. >> reporter: this video capturing the horror. the moment a massive bridge collapses during a powerful storm, sending cars plunging, witnesses stunned. >> i got out of the car and i saw people running away from the bridge and some people -- there was even a guy with his face covered in blood.

lester? >> kristen welker, thank you. you'll hear more from omarosa on her exclusive interview with chuck todd sunday on "meet the press." >>> troopers and national guard members are standing by as we approach a year since the brutal clash between white nationalist and counter protesters. the city is now under a state of emergency determined to prevent any new clashes as washington d.c. braces for potential violence of its own. gabe gutierrez is in charlottesville with for. >> reporter: tonight, charlottesville downtown malls under a high state of alert. >> we will not tolerate any form of violence in the community. >> reporter: sunday will mark one year since white supremacists violently clashed with counter protestors, this time the city is not issuing demonstration permits but officials expect crowds will gather to honor the life of the 32-year-old woman killed when a driver ran his car into a crowd. >> i just remember putting my head down and wailing. >> reporter: a year later, her mother

lester? >> catie beck, thank you. >>> as that courtroom drama plays out, president trump made an about face against his son and a russian lawyer back in june 2016. the president now admitting it was all about getting information on hillary clinton. but as our peter alexander explains, that's not the story he was telling before now. >> reporter: president trump today on vacation but hardly in vacation mode no public appearances but plenty of public complaints watching cable news coverage still fuming about robert mueller's inquiry, even after he himself igniting about the meeting between his son and the russian nald unior trying to clean up after his father admitted out right it was about getting dirt on hillary clinton. he blamed the media instead. >> they have gotten plenty of mileage out of this thing and they will keep milking it for as long as they . >> reporter: the president's reversal coming by tweet. a far cry from the misleading explanation he indicated from air force one on his son'

lester. >> all right lucy. thank you. >>> in london tonight investigators say a car that plowed into a crowd neart parliam was a deliberate attack. several people hurt in what appears to be the latest in a string of terrorist incidents usin vehicles as weapons. we get the latestrom nbc's bill neely. >> reporter: the car that was used as a weapon crashed outside parliament, cctv captures it swerving into the wrong lane, hittingcyclists, then heading for the most heavily-guarded building in britain, two police officers mping out of its path. >> armed police surrounded the car, the driver hauled out and handcuffed. he is9,ritish, born overseas. >> we are treating it as a terrorist incident r orter: it happened just yards from last year's vehicle attack that killed five. this driver also it appears acting alone. police are now searching the man's car. they have found no weapons and they're searching for a motive. he wasn't on any british terror watch list. this, another frightening reminder the terror threat.ll bi

lester? >> eter alexander covering the president in new jersey, thank you. >>> there is a state of emergency in the city of charlottesville, virginia, as we approach the anniversary of the white nationalist rally that ended in a woman's death, and that same group that held hold a repeat rally except this time it will be right across from the white house. that's where we find nbc's catie beck. catie? >> reporter: well, lester, d.c.'s mayor and police chief are bracing for sunday's are you night the right rally, happening here in lafayette park. there is going to be an enormous security presence here. unite the right is the same group that held last year's volatile event in charlottesville, virginia, that ended with a deadly car attack that killed one person and injured many others. this location is just across the street from the white house. still park officials have given permits to both white nationalist rally organizers and counter protesters. they say the two will be kept separate, but em

lester? >> gabe gutierrez, thank you. >>> nearly a week after officials in pennsylvania uncovered the abuse of more than 1,000 children by predator priests and a coverup, tonight pope francis is acknowledging the pain and betrayal in a letter condemning it as a crime and asking for forgiveness but it comes as too little too late for some who suffered the horror of that abuse. ouan ♪ >> reporter: today, a remarkable confession from pope frances. admitting the leaders of the catholic church failed their people on priest sex abuse. we showed no care for the little ones. we abandoned them writing in a letter to the world's 1.2 billion catholics, we were not where we should have been, that we did not act in a timely manner realizing the magnitude and damage done to so many lives. sean daugherty says one of those lives is his. >> the last three popes should have made that statement. they are really behind the times on this. there is a lot further that he needs to go. >> reporter: the catalyst, that

here is hall of famer nolan ryan and this is our very own lester >> maybe lester and i should have aompetition. ♪ >>> lights, camera, cess. >> how about a new girl on the side? so who is shawna happened to shookus? >> i'm so sorry. i'm falling apart. >> just before tonit's

coming up in your forecast at 6 clchblgt > >>> lester holt is up with news. >>> developing news tonight, one of president trump's long-time confidants granted impunity with the hush money payments. what did he tell the feds? the revelation hours after the president blasted michael cohen for turninon him. >> it's called flipping and it almost ought to be illegal. >>> also tonight, jeff sessions fires back at the boss. in an extraordinary public war of words, the president slamming sessions again over not controlling the russia investigation. >> what kind of a man is this? >> but this time sessions hits back. >>> a state of emergency as a major hurricane slams hawaii. residents and resorts hunker down bracing for a disaster. >>> an imposture caught at the airport trying to get into the country. the brand-new security technique that scanned his face and found he wasn't who he claimed to be. >>> and authorities 8-year-old walk the dog alone. >> she was gone for five minutes and the police were at the door. >> that sparking a debate. parents divided. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news"

it let's go to nbc's special report coverage lester holt. so this is it, lester. now we know what it is. they have concted him -- convicted him on the five tax counts, one of the counts failing to file a foreign bank acunt report. just double checkingere and two counts of bank fraud. just double checking here. yeah, okay. so that'st. five tax fraud counts, one account of failing to file a foreign bank account record for the face that had overseas bank accounts and two counts involving loa that he tried to get, the prosecution said, when his business in ukraine ran out of steam. support to get cash t his lavish spending habits by taking out loans against theti prop he owned in the u.s. they have convicted him on two those nine bank fraud counts. now, those were the most i seris counthe trial, the bank fraud counts carry potentially the most serious penalty. they have convicted are him ofl wo of the nine counts. so 18 counts in all. they have convicted him on only 8. they could not reach agreement on the other 10, and on those the judge will declare a mistry. so a v

lester? >> peter alexander at the white house, thank you. >>> in the meantime, across washington the president's dahter and senior advisor ivanka trump was making waves of her own today publicly breaking with her father's policy of separating families at the border calling it a low point. she also said she disagreed with her father's inflammatory charge the media is the enemy of the people. our chief white house correspondent hallie jackson has details on a rare public family divide. >> reporter: from a family focused first daughter, a red line on family separations at the borde >> that was a low point for me, as well and i am very against family separation. and the separation of parents and children. >> reporter: it was the policy of ivanka trump's flat t trump's flat therather that triggered more separations in tfi t place but she never pushed back publicly until that had been reversed. now she's making her view clear on thatonnd omething else. >> sorry? >> is the enemy the people? >> no, i

. >> announcer: this is ws np bc nightly with lester holt.bc nightly ne lester holt. >>> good evening, everyone. an american hero is bravely facing the twilight of his lito ght. the family of john mccain says the long-time arizona senator, former naval aviator and proner of war chose to discontinue further treatment for brain cancer. mccain battled the disease for more than 13 months. in a statement today the saying the progress of the disease and advance of age render their verdict. tonight prayers and wishes for a man that's impacted american politics in ways few have while defining public service. andrea mitchell has much more. >> reporter: john mcin returning to the senate lassummer with his wife cindy after being diagnosed with an aggressive brain cancer. >> hey, how are you doing, guys? >> reporter: leaving a his colleagues wit searing speech about their collective failures. >> stop listening to the loud mouths on the radio and television and internet to hell trith them. let't each other. >> reporter: and delivering the decisive vote of obamacare with a silent thuwn. he spent th

lester? >> stephanie gosk tonight, thank you. >>> graphic surveillance video released by police in nashville tonight is raising new questions about the shooting death of a suspect at the hands of police. no charges have been filed but that city's mayor tonight is ordering a comprehensive review of policing procedures. our gabe gutierrez has details. >> reporter: in the newly released video captured on a nearby security camera, you can see a nashville police officer chasing a man down a sidewalk. the officer opens fire and the man drops to the ground. the officer then moves slowly closer with his weapon still drawn. 25-year-old daniel hammrick died a short time later. his mother is devastated. >> i want an apology and something have to be done about this because i'm very hurt about my son. and i just want justice. >> reporter: the nashville district attorney's office released the video today. the officer is on administrative leave and nashville's mayor announced a comprehensive review of polic

why was lester holt on his mind?omebody realizes this is part of a pattern of obstruction. >> he tried to do that with the access hollywood tape. he was telling people he didn't think it was him. >> he told a senator that wasn't my voice. you talk about gas lighting. >> what is really interesting about this clip that we forget is that this is trump trying to clean up another big lie because they floated to the world that he fired james comey because of poor treatment of hillary clinton during the campaign. >> trump was very upset about that. >> it seemed like this is true. all of his aides said it is because we are protecting hillary and then he says it was about russia. >> remember who drafted the memo. here is another thing about this tape. i want your thoughts on this. the president's own lawyer, rudy giuliani, has constantly referred to the lester holt interview as evidence for his own arguments. have a listen. >> i can right now give you the answer that he is going to give to the question, why did you fire james

lester? >> kristen welker, thank you. >>> a jury in the paul manafort trial concluded a second day w of deliberatioh no verdict. they are weighing on 18-count indicent ainst the former trump campaign chairman including accusations of tax and bank fraud. the judge in the case says he received personal threa and today announced he would not release the names of jurors for safety reaso. >>> let's turn to colorado where we're husband and father who police say murdered his wife and children in a case that gripped iche nation. a horrurn of events outside denver left investigators searching for a motive.c ws national correspondent miguel almaguer has the latest. >> we're going to maker suokies. >> reporter: police believe they found the bodies of 3-year-old celeste and 4-year-old bella. investigator tors say their remains weres say their remains weres say their remains weres say their remains weres say their remains were discovered near their mother shanann watts. the girls were found inside oilas t

lester? >> peter alexander at the white house, thank you. >>> and another headline involving president trump as he spoke at a raucous florida rally last night, supporters of an online conspiracy theory group were spotted in the crowd. that group known for sometimes spreading falsehoods about a-list hollywood stars and those they consider political enemies. nbc's jole ling kent explains. >> reporter: the letter "q" on signs and t-shirts represents qanon, a community that pushes false conspiracy theories, including that a child sex ring is being run by hollywood celebrities and democratic politicians, and bogus claims about tom hanks and steven spielberg. >> steven spielberg is a pedophile. >> they use that as a cultural touch point to get people very are anti -trump. >> reporter: facebook has not responded to our request for comment. online conspiracy theories can have real world consequences. like pizza gate in 2016, when a man opened fire on a d.c. pizzeria because he believed hillary clinto

. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester lt. > good evening, everyone. the hard limits of ya lolty testing president trump on two fronts tonig cluding a surprise government immunity deal involving a friend of his. as if that wasent gh, the president got serious pushback from his attorney general jeff sessions today after the presidt publicly bashed him for not having his back in the russia investigation. but it w that immunity bombshell involving someone close to the president and with knowledge of those hush money payoffs that may be rattling the white house tonight. that's where we start jackson. s hallie >> reporter: tonight, the publisher of "the national enquirer" making headlines. david pecker granted immunity, the president's former fixer according to a source familiar with the matter. pecker is a long-time friend of the president who heed tch and kill negative stories about him including, according to cohen, having his company pay rights to her account of an alleged affa with donald trump. pecker shares what he knows about the yments and who may

lester? >> all right. miguel almaguer, thank you. >>> overseas now to a horrific attack i a country facing one of the worst hu manitarian crisises in the world. some of these images are graphic. we get details from nbc's matt bradley. >> reporter: the images disturbing and heartbreaking, children pouring into a hospital, most of them under 10 years ri old, still wea their backpacks and school uniforms, covered in blood. after their school bus was hit by a bomb, a f crater at the site the air strike, the smoke from the blast visible for miles away. tonight, at least 29 children returning from a school picnic among the dozens killed. aid groups demanding an investigation. >> children shouldn't be collateral damage. >> reporter: this little boy covered in soot andurrounded by the dead was asked if he is okay. my legs hurt he said. saudi arabia and the united arab emirates have been bombing for more than three years helped by intelligence, advice and equipment from the u.s. they are trying to fight off the reb

lester, this just in, initial reports from the u.s. government say there were no americans on board and so far the mexican government has said there are no reported fatalities. >> tammy litner tonight, thank you. >>> let's turn to the latest threat, plastic weapons knockof. the technology is accessible and so are the guns. tonight, a federal judge has just blocked a release of blueprints for the guns after several states took legal action to stop their release. tom costello has late details. >> reporter: they almost look like plastic toys but experts insist so-called ghost guns are very lethal. nine state attorneys general and senate democrats are tried to block this man, cody wilson, from posting the 3d instructions online. a federal judge agreed to an injunction. >> make no mistake about it, this is the doing of the trump administration, part of a long pattern letting the gun lobby get whatever they want. >> reporter: this morning, president trump tweeted i am looking into 3d plastic guns being sold to the public. already spoke to th

lester. >> peter alexander, new jersey. thank you. >>> there are breaking developments on a story we told you about last night. 11 children rescued in a makeshift compound in a desert. several people charged with child abuse and they have made a grim discovery. the remains of a young boy found on the property, still no confirmation if it's the missing 3-year-old boy whose disappearance triggered that raid. >>> now to the new plea tonight from the parents of missing iowa student, mollie tibbetts who vanished who vanished without a trace three weeks ago after going out for a run. her family begging anyone with information to come forward and if someone is holding her, to please let her go. we get more now from stephanie gosk. >> reporter: tonight, mollie tibbetts parents hope whoever may have taken her is watching. >> if you're with molly now you obviously don't mean to hurt her. this has gone far enough. you need to stop now and need to face the consequences. >> reporter: three weeks ago the 20-year-old university of iowa st

on nightly news with lester holt here on nbc. sergeant john chapman joins a group of about 3,400 people, an elite group who have received america's highest military honor since the award was created in 1861. joining me now is, as lester said, another member of that elite group, msnbc military analyst, retired colonel jack jacobs. jack, you're with me for every one of these and you never fail to feel the honor that is bestowed upon not just them but really the military at large. people who are in our services at large who don't get these roi recognitions. it's almost like each one of these is about everybody who fights in silence. >> that's what every recipient will tell you, he doesn't wear it for himself, he wears it for all those who can't. here's a story that was told to me by bob carey, medal of honor recipient, used to be governor of nebraska, lost his leg in vietnam, navy s.e.a.l. somebody once asked him what does it take to get a medal of honor? well, you have to do something, people have to see it, they have to be able to

lester. >> a sad and disturbing story. thank you. >> tensions reaching a boiling point between the u.s. and one of its nato allies tonight. turkey is accusing the u.s. of trying to tank its economy after president trump ordered new sanctions. and as our chief foreign correspondent richa richard engle explains, it can be traced back to fight over one american citizen. >> reporter: andrew brunson under house arrest in turkey is at the center of a battle of wills. on one side turkey's president accusing washington of stabbing turkey in the back. on the other side, president trump playing hardball. last week the administration doubled tariffs on turkish metals exports, sinking the country's currency 20%. erdogan in multiple em passed speeches urged turkeys not to bow to american pressure he considers blackmail saying, they have their dollars. we have our god. brunson has become the face of this angry impasse. turkey accuses the pastor, a long-time resident, of having contact with plotters who tried and failed to overthrower do

lester? >> pete william in washington, thanks. >>> there are now developments after a fatal encounter in orida that sparked protest and reignited the debate over that state's stand your ground it started with an rgmerar ment over a parking spot and ended with an unarmed man dead. the man that pulled the trigger is facing charges. >> reporter: tonight michael drejka is in jail charged with manslaughter, he's seen in this rveillance video last month shooting markeis mcglockton. >> i've been in i guess a daze because that was my baby. so the day when i heard that he was getting charged, i guess i could start healing. >> reporter: mcelderry glo he had gone in a convco convenience store with his kid to buy snacks. mcglockton leaves the store and shoves drejka to the ground. >> he felteing slammed to the ground, he thought he would be further attacked. >> reporter: the shooting sparked protests and outrage over why drejka who is white with a legal perment wasn't chand the stand your ground law that

that's on him, not lester holt. >> i don't agree entirely with what you're saying, chris.he lester holt interview, like i said, may be the grandfather of this investigation. but, you know, you had that exchange, tit for tat between him and comey p who had tapes and who had notes and that all ballot these things forward. comey himself said he released his notes in order to try to draw in a special counsel, and he got what he wanted. i got to tell you, this is back in the day when i think the communications operation was still catching their feet. i believe the president never should have done that interview myself. i'm betting he regrets it now too. but i believe that that sound bite that was marketed widely was not a representation of what he truly said in that interview, and i believe that's what the president is referring to. and i think he's talking about it now for the first time because these chickens are coming home to roost, and he's thinking about the things that he said that brought on this investigation. >> right. but to be fair, michael, this is not a man who wa

. >> announcer: this is "nbc nigly news" with lester holt. >>> good evening, everyone. president trump did play his own potential legal jeopardy a day after his former lawyer michael cohen admitted to campai finance violations and an open court fingered the president as a partner in crime. mr. trump today explaining why he thinks those hush just before the men election were not illegal. but he may have dug himself in a little deeper by contradicting his original story of what w and when he knew it as cohen signals he has plenty more to say. we begin coverage with hallie jackson. a>> reporter: aft double blow from two d confidence tur criminals, president trump tonight is defending what he knew and when about the payments his lawyer made meant to keep two women quiet about affairs. did you know about theym ts? >> later on i knew and they weren't taken out of campaign financat a much bigger thing. did they come out of the campaign? they didn't come out of the campaigey ame from me. >> reporter: here is the president in april. ou>> did you know the $130,000 payment? >> sol

lester huntt -- hated joe mccarthy, and joe mccarthy hated lester hunt.everybody knows that mccarthy was anti-communist and all that. there was also a certain anti-gay movement, part of mccarthyism. at the time, lafayette square, lafayette park was a meeting place for gay men. lester hunt's son, who was in his early 20's, i think, was over there. and was going to -- you know. police were there people lookingre for a good time. he was arrested. normally, this would not lead to anything. but joe mccarthy and his henchmen found out about it and said this is how we are going to get rid of lester hunt. democrat in a a very republican-leaning state. so let's threaten him, that we were going to expose this throughout wyoming, that his son had been arrested. at first, lester hunt fought that off. but then he was about to run for we areion, and they said really going to smear this all over the state. he was so distraught that he went into his office in the senate and shot himself, committed suicide with a rifle. that was a story that i had not heard. a bit about t

he went on lester holt. lester holt's interview was as good as anybody could do, better than any of the people around mueller could have done. >> so why lie now? the answer is almost certainly special counsel robert mueller. trump's firing of comey is central to the question of whether the president obstruct justice. advisers to the president are worried what a democratic controlled house would mean for trump. one aide saying it would be, quote, like a perfect storm, with hearings, investigations, and possible impeachment proceedings. that may explain why this president expanded his campaign to undermine the russia probe, now going to the extreme of claiming what we can see and hear with our own eyes and ears somehow does not exist. >> stick with us. don't believe the crap you see from these people, the fake news. what you're seeing and what you're reading is not what's happening. >> novels have been written about this kind of thing. jim acosta is live outside the white house now. jim, any indication from pe

we see what the president actually said in that interview with lester holt. stick around. there is more news. today's moving church service for john mccain, arizona friends and former vice president biden honored the senator's legacy. >> my name is joe biden. i'm a democrat. and i love john mccain. here we go. discover. i like your card, but i'm absolutely not paying an annual fee. discover has no annual fees. really? yeah. we just don't believe in them. oh nice. you would not believe how long i've been rehearsing that. no annual fee on any card. only from discover. but i am a simple farmer.bas! my life is here... [telephone ring] ahoy-hoy. alexander graham bell here... no, no, my number is one, you must want two! two, i say!! like my father before... [telephone ring] like my father before... ahoy-hoy! as long as people talk too loudly on the phone, you can count on geico saving folks money. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. it was always our singular focus. to do whatever it takes, use every possible resource. to fight cancer. and ne

. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. >>> good evening, welcome to our viewers in the west. we begin in houston tonight where the manhunt has ended for the killer who executed a prominent heart doctor in an apparent act of revenge. tonight police believe the suspect himself a former cop was preparing for an armed showdown but instead with officers closing in took his own life. since the july 20th shooting of the cardiologist who once treated the elder president bush, it appears that suspect was hiding virtually in plain sight. nbc's tammy leitner has late details. >> this is our suspect. >> reporter: an intense manhunt coming to a dramatic end. >> i think he shot himself. >> reporter: joseph james pappas wanted for a revenge killing of a doctor in broad light killed himself after a stand off with police. the 65-year-old was wearing body armor and had two guns on him believing he may have been preparing for a shootout after 15 days on the run. >> you normally don't put on a bulletproof vest when you think about suicide. >> reporter: houston police closed in on pa

i'm savannah guthrie in for lester tonight. we start with the words that rang out in a texas courtroom late today, guilty. a police officer on trial for murder near dallas after hoping -- opening fire on a car full of teenagers leaving a party. a 15-year-old boy was killed that night and today the jury convicted the officer that fired the fatal shot. nbc news national correspondent, miguel almaguer has the story. >> we the jury, unanimously find the defendant, guilty of murder. >> reporter: the guilty verdict could put a former texas police officer behind bars for life, roy oliver convicted in the death of 15-year-old jordan edwards. >> it's been a long time, a hard year. i'm just really happy. >> reporter: the 2017 officer involved shooting was captured on body cam. oliver and his partner were clearing a house party when gunfire rang out nearby. as high school students fled the scene, oliver's partner ordered a car packed with five black teenagers to stop. as the vehicle pulled away, oliver fired five times. fatal shot strikin

i'm savannah guthrie in for lester. senator john mccain relished a battle and liked to get the last word and today he did just that, issuing a farewell statement read by a close aid in phoenix, a message of thanks, a message of hope and a pointed message of warning about the state of our politics today. and yet there were plenty of politics today. a controversy over the way president trump decided to honor mccain or not honor him and the rare reversal that came next. nbc's peter alexander starts us off from phoenix. peter, good everyone. >> reporter: savannah, good evening from the arizona state capital where john mccain is being remembered as a man of courage and integrity. it comes as president trump is igniting a new controversy for his inaction and his actions in the wake of mccain's death. tonight, inside the senate chamber where he served six terms, john mccain's desk draped in black, the maverick never at a loss for words delivering his farewell statement through a trusted aid. >> i've often observed that i'm the

holt," lester holt is back on the show everyone.he is starring in "american woman" on paramount network, alicia silverstone is joining us. [ cheers and applause ] and we will have music from bryce vine. so it's a great show tonight. so happy you're all here for it. before we get to our guests, president trump admitted on sunday that his campaign tried to collude with russia. capping off a busy weekend of tweeting and watching cable news. for more on this it's time for "a closer look." ♪ [ cheers and applause ] >> seth: donald trump loves doing three things. golfing, campaigning, and watching tv. he's our first retiree president. [ light laughter ] pretty soon he's going to put a retractable awning on the white house and sit out there with a word search puzzle, his shorts, and black socks. [ laughter ] and this weekend trump did all three of his favorite activities. on friday night he was at his golf course in new jersey when he went on twitter to attack lebron james and cnn anchor don lemon. now remember, trump has repeatedly insist

>>> lester holt with nightly new. >> and we'll be back at 6:00. we'll see you them. >>> tonight, the death of the queen of soul, the legendary arena franklin passing away at 76, after a bat battle with cancerer. her life, her legacy, her music. ♪ you make me feel like a natural woman ♪ >> tonight, tributes pouring in from around the world. >>> stunning revelation, president trump admits he revoked the ex-cia director's security clearance over the russia probe. john brennan firing back, calling the president's denials of russian collusion hogwash. >>> the shocking turn in the missing pregnant mom mystery. >> at this point, we have been able to recover a body we're quite certain is shannan watts. >> her husband allegedly confessing to killing her and their two young daughters. >>> good news for those with life-threatening allergies. after outrage over skyrocketing costs, a cheaper version of a life-saving device will finally hit the market. >>> and mini van safety alert, one of the most popular models scoring poorly in the latest crash tests. what y

. >>> lester holt is next for nightly news. >> have a great night. >>> tonight, breaking news on multiple fronts as we come on the air. president trump's former personal attorney, michael cohen cuts a deal and pleads guilty to a slew of crimes including that secret payoff, apparently to stormy daniels, the campaign finance violation to keep her quiet before the election. cohen says candidate trump directed him to do it. president trump has just reacted to the news. >>> also breaking tonight, paul manafort, the former trump campaign chairman found guilty of financial crimes now facing years behind bars. the first victory in court for robert mueller. >>> a tragic discovery in iowa. authorities have found the body of missing student mollie tibbetts, who vanished nearly a month ago. >> we have confirmed with homeland security investigations he is an illegal alien. >> the accused killer charged with murder and believed to be in the country illegally. why did he do it? >> this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. >> good evening, everyone. what a day it has been. two courthouses 200 miles ap

. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. savannah guthrie in for lester tonight. >>> and we begin with that stunner out of a courtroom in new mexico. a judge there today dropping all charges against a group of suspected muslim extremists, men and women accused of starving 11 children on a remote desert compound. one child found dead. and most shocking of all, prosecutors said, those kids were being taught to kill. was this some kind of terrorist training camp? and how did this case collapse? the new developments we just learned tonight from nbc's miguel almaguer heavy. >> reporter: in taos, new mexico, all charges dismissed against the suspects accused of child abuse and alleged terrorism at a secret desert compound. the charges dropped on a technicality, after prosecutors failed to meet a preliminary hearing deadline. >> the rule is very clear that if somebody is in custody, and ten days goes by, that the district court shall dismiss the matter without prejudice. >> reporter: late today, the district attorney re-filing char

i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching and good night. wasting time and money. the new numbers that show how much it )s costing us to drive n >>> wasting time and money, the new numbers that show how much it's costing to drive on bad bay area roads. >>> also, what's killing the doves. the mystery deepening in a south bay neighborhood. >>> first, a break in the case. we learned the name of the driver arrested for killing a chp officer and another man. what investigators say caused him to veer off the road. >>> good evening. >> we begin with that breaking news. a traffic stop that turned deadly. a chp officer and another driver killed when a truck veered off the road and hit them. just moments ago investigators announced what triggered the crash. >> the chp just made this announcement about 15 minutes ago. they say 36-year-old shawn walker from rockland was on his phone at the time and caused this deadly crash. police say he killed motorcycle officer curt gris and another driver on i-80 in fairfield last friday morning. the officer pulled o

lester holt got caught fudging my tape on russia. that's simply not true. let me play the tape. you'll see specifically what the president said. >> regardless of recommendation i was going to fire comey knowing there was no good time to do it, and in fact when i decided to just do it, i said to myself, i said you know, this russia thing with trump and russia is a made up story, it's an excuse by the democrats for having lost an election that they should have won. >> why is he making up a bogus excuse now, all of these months later, more than a year later? >> that's the big question, why now. if you're going to argue that, i was taken out of context, that's not what i meant to say, funny way of showing it by bringing it up over a year later. his comments in the clip you played are not ambiguous at all. and then there's the may 9th letter the president sent to james comey firing him saying you know i appreciate you told me on three separate occasions i wasn't being investigated by you, but nevertheless i agree with the justice department. >> let jeffrey toobin weigh in. go ahead.

lester holt joins us next on "nightly news". >> hope to see you at 6:00.night several major developing stories as we come on the air. a shocking grand jury report from pennsylvania. at least 1,000 children and possibly thousands more molested by hundreds of predator priests. authorities say it went on for decades as senior church officials instead of rushing to expose it covered it up. >> the time of telling these victims to keep their truth to themselves has ended. ud allegations he racial slur by calling omarosa a dog, and she wastes no time making new explosive allegations. the white house asked to guarantee there are no tapes of trump using the "n" word said this. >> i can't guarantee anything.

not lester holt. >> i don't agree entirely. the lester holt interview maybe the grandfather of this investigation. you have that exchange about him and comey about tapes and notes. and that brought the things forward. comey himself said he released the notes in order to draw in a special counsel. and got what had wanted. this is back in the day when the communication operation was still in catching their feet. i believe the president never should have done the interview. i'm betting he are regrets it. i believe the sound bite marketed widely was not a representation of the ha he truly said in the interview. i believe that's what hes referring to. he's talking about it now for the first time because these chickens are coming home to roost. he's thinking about the things he said that brought on this investigation. >> to be fair, this is not a man who waits for a ripe opportunity to say something. he counters immediately. he's about counter punching. he had plenty of time to say it. he never said it until now. thank you nor your t

. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. >>> good evening i'm kate sw in for lesteronig and we begin with breaking news out of new mexico we come on the air. authorities say multiple people have died and dozens are jured after a highway crash between a grayhound bus and a tractor trailer. emergency responders are still on the scene ght now. hospitals are on high alert for patients and we begin tonight with the latest on the crash from nbc's gadi w schwartz in ne mexico. >> reporter: along a new mexico highway, unbelievable destruction showing a median covered with wreckage, a grayhound passenger bus and a semi truck. new mexi police calling this a mass casualty event with multiple fatalities but unclear how many. the crash happening late this afternoon on i-40 near the small town 100 miles west of albuquerq albuquerque. the graybus was carrying 47 passengers from albuquerque to phoenix. it sent parts of the vehicles flyinnd ds of feet and the crash shutting down traffic on eparhighg wafoysr ados zepons of patients but at unclear how many es passengers survived. gadi

lester tonight.e begin with breaking news out of new mexico as we come on the air. authorities say multiple people have died and dozens are injured after a highway crash between a greyhound bus and aemgency r ar still on the scene right now. hospitals are on high with the latest on the crash from nbc's gadi schwartz in new mexico. >> reporter: along a new mexico highway, unbelievable destruction, showing a median covered with wreckage. the unmistakable shape of a greyhound passenger bus and a semi truck. new mexico police calling this a mass casualty event with multiple fatalities, but unclear how many. the crash happening late this afternoon on i-40 near the small town of thoreau, 100 miles west of albuquerque. police say the truck collided with a big rig, the impact so powerful, it sent parts of the vehicles flying hundreds of feet. the crash shutting down traffic on the highway as police investigate. local hospitals prepar preparing for dozens of patients. authorities still unclear how many passen

lester holt didn't get caught fudging his tape on russia.amous interview after he fired james comey. in which he admitted on camera to lester holt that in part he fired james comey because of the russia investigation. watch. >> i was going to fire regardless. he made a recommendation. regardless of recommendation i was going to fire comey. knowing there was no good time to do it. in fact when i decided to do it i said to myself, this russia thing with trump and russia is a made up story. >> now, more than a year later the president says lester holt fudged the tape. of course no evidence of any fudging. no fudging. for the part that is damning president is in the middle of a sentence. no cut a way no edit. an extended version of the interview has been on the web site since may 11, 2017. for the president and followers evidence just doesn't matter. all that matters is what the president says. no matter how many times he lies. contradicts himself or makes things up. it seems to be part of the pattern of trying to dis credit words that aren't go

act in a fashion that you can lo back and not be embarrassed but proud. >>> lester holt reporting. >>> at n9:14 this saturday. a stunning start to your weekend as we give y a live look outside. 'l had a beautiful sun rise as well. check in with lauren rickets afr this.te you wanted to save on prescriptions... so you went online... and got so lost in a mumbo-jumbo of co-pays, coupons and codes that your brain went offline. next time ask your cvs pharmacist. our proprietary search tool analyzes ways to help lower your prescription costs. just drop in.... before you conk out... see what you might save at cvs pharmacy. for low-price leader:tone, comfloor and decor.ide the prices are the lowest you will find. not only did we find lots of options, but we were like, oh my gosh, it's so affordable. it's affordable no matter what your budget. i saved a lot of money at floor and decor. we came in under budget, way under budget. yeah. it's really the best pricing. you're getting an incredible product for an amazing price. why wouldn't you want to save money and make your house look great? i love