Missiles on the road. Nightly news begins right now. This is nbc nightly news with lester holt. Reporting tonight from the olympic summer games in rio. Good evening. Here at olympic park, it is gold and silver for team usa tonight in womens gymnastics. Most coveted title, rookie simone biles seemingly unaffected by the pressure of High Expectations just delivered a jawdropping performance here to take the gold medal. With fellow american aly raisman taking the silver. We caught up with simone biles just a short time ago. Im feeling like a whirlwind of emotions, excited, happy, proud, of both me and aly because we both went out there tonight and we both did our jobs. So i couldnt ask for anything more. Evening. Nbcs Miguel Almaguer has more on an exciting day and an exciting night to come here. Reporter simone biles left little doubt from the beginning. I dont think theres anybody else that can do this vault like simone just did. Reporter the 49 gymnast standing tall, leaping to new heights. On the floor, the vault, the beam and the bars. Tonight crowned the allaround olympic gold and silver. Aly raisman springing to the podium, too. Biles moments ago. We just kept telling each other to have fun, its only one more routine. And i think thats what we did. Reporter in guanabara bay, the belgian evi van acker, a frontrunner in sailing has fallen behind after falling ill. Her coach says she got an infection while training in the polluted waters last safe. In the time trial Kristin Armstrong took home gold and won the hearts of millions with this special mother and son embrace. When you become a mom, theres no reason to give up your goals and your passions and your dreams. Reporter in the pool, the americans needed wonderwoman to come to the rescue after falling behind in the 4x200 relay. Australia, i believe, has the lead right now. Reporter the australians had a nearly onesecond advantage, a lifetime in the pool before Katie Ledecky could and you can see it already as shes just swimming right there with her. Reporter surging through the pool, ledecky needed only 50 meters to catch the aussie. And ledecky has the lead with a hundred meters left. Every person in this pool is scared to race Katie Ledecky. Reporter with each stroke ledecky builds on her lead pulling away in a sprint that wasnt close in the end. Ten meters left for Katie Ledecky of the united states. Reporter ledecky cruised to the wall nearly two seconds the u. S. Women win gold in the 4x200. She won the gold medal. Thats a part of history. Were all just so happy to be a part of it and just soaking it all in. Reporter tonight the shine of a champion who in history stands alone. Later on tonight over at the aquatic center, Michael Phelps and ryan lochte will face off in what will likely be their last headtohead showdown. Great rivalries in the last several years. We told you about those two pools that were green. Still green today. No easy transition as we turn back home now to silver spring, maryland. A suburb outside washington, d. C. , where an investigation is under way tonight as the cause of a deadly Apartment Building explosion. Authorities say it was felt as far as a mile away. It caused people to jump to safety. Nbcs hans nichols is there where the search for the missing continues. Garden apartments in a predominantly Central American community in silver spring, maryland. As the fire raged for two hours, ladders hoisted to windows, first by neighbors, then firefighters. Survivors spoke of dramatic escapes. Children and adults leaping from the second story. Oh, lord. County police on scene. Advising people trapped on second and third floor. Reporter the force of the blast twisting metal, sending windows and bits of balcony across the street, some 70 yards. At least two people confirmed dead, 34 including 3 firefighters hospitalized. As many as 100 people displaced and several missing. Good lord. That looks like a plane flew through it. Reporter today the shell of the building still smoldering. Maria esperanta heard the explosion, got up to investigate, and when she returned the floor beneath her son collapsed. She hasnt seen him since and asks for help in finding him. Officials acknowledge they received a call late last month about the smell of gas at the complex but today said any connection is premature. Were not prepared to discuss at this time any causes of this incident. Reporter this afternoon the rescue operation looking more and more like a recovery. Hans nichols, nbc news, silver spring, maryland. For the third time in less than a week in this country a child has been involved in a horrific accident on an amusement p boy suddenly plummeted from a roller coaster at a park outside pittsburgh where hes hospitalized tonight. Nbcs blake mccoy has details. Reporter just after noon thursday, excitement turned to panic when a child fell from a roller coaster at the idlewild and soak zone theme park in ligonier, pennsylvania. Is this child on the ground . Did you move him . Reporter the 3yearold said to be alert and talking when he was air lifted to Childrens Hospital in pittsburgh. It requires a child to be at least 48 inches tall but only 36 inches if they ride with an adult. How the boy fell out is unclear. Our rides are inspected daily, and were not going to go into that right now, but safety is always our number one priority. Reporter the accident on the 78yearold wooden coaster comes just days after three girls were injured on a ferris wheel in tennessee when the car they were riding in turned over. Sunday a 10yearold boy was killed in kansas while riding whats been billed as the worlds tallest water slide. Doctors caution some rides can be unsafe for children simply because theyre young. Theyre impulsive. There are examples of children trying to climb out of moving roller coasters at small amusement parks just because they get frightened. Reporter but an Industry Association points out the chance of injury is about 1 in 16 million, calling on site right now helping to determine what went wrong. As for that 3yearold, he was conscious when brought here to the hospital and tonight his family is asking for privacy. Lester . All right, blake mccoy, thank you. A grieving husband is speaking out to nbc news after his 73yearold wife was shot dead accidentally by a Police Officer in florida during a training drill gone horribly wrong. There are a lot of questions that remain about how this could have possibly the victims husband tells us he saw it all with his own eyes. Heres nbcs kerry sanders. Weve been married 55 years. Reporter Gary Knowlton today mourning the loss of his wife, mary. On tuesday just moments after this photograph was taken, he witnessed in horror as his partner of 55 years was shot to death by Police Officer lee coel. He was role playing as i was maybe ten feet away and watched her get shot. Reporter the tragic accident happened during a shoot dont shoot Citizens Academy class like this one where the gun would normally be loaded with blanks, marker rounds, but how could real bullets end up in the weapon . Experts say a revolver like the one used in the florida tragedy should have been equipped with sizing collars to prevent live ammunition from being loaded. If the collars were inserted in the training ammunition marking or blank would be able to fit in that firearm. Reporter officer coel on paid administrative leave has faced controversy before. He was investigated for an arrest last year when a man was mauled by his police dog for about two minutes. He wasnt sanctioned but did receive additional screening. Coel and his police union did not comment today but tonight mary knowltons family still forgiving. Shouldnt have to live with it for the rest of their life. Reporter kerry sanders, nbc news, miramar, florida. Lets turn to president ial politics now. A new day and a new controversy for donald trump who over the last 24 hours in speech after speech and interview after interview has repeatedly asserted that the president of the united states, barack obama, is, quote, the founder of isis. And trump isot even when given a chance to explain. Nbcs Hallie Jackson has the latest. Reporter his hyperbole hitting new heigs. Isis is honoring president obama. He is the founder of isis. Reporter after accusing the president of founding the terror group tonight, true to form, Donald Trumps not backing down. Hes the founder of isis. I call president obama and Hillary Clinton the founders of isis. These are the founders of isis. Reporter many east created a vacuum of power that let isis flourish. You meant that he created the vacuum, he lost the peace. No. I meant hes the founder of isis. I do. Hes the most valuable player. I give him the most valuable player award. I give her, too, by the way. But hes not sympathetic to them. He hates them. Hes trying to kill them. Hes the founder. Reporter the founder of isis is this man, abu al zarqawi. The u. S. Has conducted more than 11,000 strikes against isis and spent more than 8. 5 billion fighting the terror group. Its about changing the storyline immediately and relying on stage craft. And thats what donald trump did today. Reporter Hillary Clintons campaign slamming trump for his, quote, unprecedented lack of knowledge. In the midst of what Time Magazine today calls simply a meltdown, trump so far sticking to the strategy that got him this far. I just keep doing the same thing im doing right now. Im going to have a very, very nice long vacation. Reporter while trump sees political opportunity linking clinton to the president , there may be Political Risk in going after him so hard. Nbcs newest Favorability Ratings show the president nearly twice as popular as trump. Lester . Hallie jackson in florida, thank you. A new study out today reveals an alarming trend. More car crashes are being caused by falling debris often with deadly a 40 increase in the last 15 years. As nbcs Gabe Gutierrez reports, the study says these harrowing moments youre about to see are preventable. Reporter it can happen in an instant. Highway cargo breaking free turning into missiles. There it goes. Boom. Reporter this mattress on a new jersey highway forcing drivers to swerve. A truck tipping over bursting into flames. Reporter holden amore was almost killed in florida when a heavy piece of sheet metal smashed through his windshield. I was driving on the interstate when a torpedo essentially went through the windshield and hit me in the face. Theres really no reason why i should be here. Reporter a new aaa study finds between 2011 and 2014 dangerous debris played a key role in at least 200,000 crashes, causing more than 39,000 injuries and 500 deaths. Twothirds of those objects falling out of a vehicle, most in the middle of the day on freeways. Joe starks, a road ranger for the Florida Department of transportation, says hes seen it all. The weirdest thing i found was barbecue grills, couches, brandnew furniture, televisions. Reporter in 16 states drivers of unsecured loads face potential jail time. It could be extremely dangerous. Reporter here in louisiana the penalty can be up to six months in prison. People need to make sure that their loads are secure by using they can make sure that those items that theyre carrying are properly secured. Reporter advice, police say, can prevent a heavy load from carrying a heavy price. Gabe gutierrez, nbc news, new orleans. Still ahead here tonight, two words. Simone biles. Fresh off her allaround gold medal win with yet another astounding performance. A look at how she pulls off those gravitydefying moves. Also speaking defying gravity, big trouble for the young man caught scaling the outside of trump tower. Relief often leads to places like. This. This. Or this. Today, theres a new option. Introducing drugfree aleve direct therapy. A tens device with high intensity power that uses technology once only available in doctors offices. Its wireless remote lets you control the intensity, and helps you get back to things like. This. This. Or this. And back to being yourself. Introducing new aleve direct therapy. My belly pain and constipation . Ive heard it all. Eat more fiber. Flax seeds. Yogurt. Get moving. Keep moving. I know try laxatives. Been there, done that. My chronic constipation keeps coming back. I know. Tell me something i dont know. Vo linzess works differently from laxatives. Linzess treats adults with ibs with constipation or chronic constipation. That are easier to pass. Do not give linzess to children under six and it should not be given to children six to seventeen. It may harm them. Dont take linzess if you have a bowel blockage. Get immediate help if you develop unusual or severe stomach pain, especially with bloody or black stools. The most common side effect is diarrhea sometimes severe. If its severe stop taking linzess and call your doctor right away. Other side effects include gas, stomacharea pain and swelling. Talk to your doctor about managing your symptoms were back now from rio with what you might call the science of simone biles. How exactly does she do what she does . She makes it look easy, but for most of us, its just not humanly possible. Heres nbcs stephanie gosk. I would describe my style of gymnastics very powerful and i guess you could say fun. R gymnasts who have to compete against her. Gold medalist Nastia Liukin and tim daggett say simone biles leaves them speechless. She is, by far, the best gymnast that ive ever seen. Reporter do you run out of superlatives . Ive said that many times. There arent enough adjectives. Reporter most gymnasts have one specialty. Biles has three. Vault, beam and floor. Shes lightning quick. Shes strong. She has amazing air sense. Thing, and it all comes together. Reporter the best example is on floor when she does her signature move, the biles. She does a roundoff to a back handspring, then flies in the air, she does two flips in a layout position which we call a double layout. Right before shes about to land she does a half turn, so then shes forced to have what we call blind landing. Reporter behind the perfection is power. A power gymnast is somebody thats able to generate tremendous force with their legs. If youre more powerful, you can fly more things and you can make it look even easier. And just up and up. Reporter which is exactly what biles does on the vault as well. Its jaw dropping when you watch her. I think when we slow it down in slow motion, too, you just see actually how high she goes. Reporter no one does harder routines, which means before she takes to the floor, biles already has the potential to score higher than anyone else. Gymnastics is all about doing the hardest stuff possible and making it look easy, and thats what she does. That. She makes it look so easy. Reporter thats why no one can touch her. Stephanie gosk, nbc news, rio. Absolutely fascinating. Were back in a moment with how and when you can catch a spectacular show in the sky tonight. Had so many ts once i left the hospital after a dvt blood clot. What about my wife. What were building together. And could this happen again . I was given warfarin in the hospital, but wondered, was this the best treatment for me . I spoke to my doctor and she told me about eliquis. And reduces the risk of them happening again. 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The young man whose stunt caused high anxiety at trump tower now faces big trouble with the law. 19yearold steven regatta has been charged with re and criminal trespass. He kept millions glued to their screens for nearly three hours as he climbed with suction cups before police hauled him in on the 21st floor. Tonight macys says it plans to close about 100 stores next year, about 14 of its stores, as the nations Largest Department store chain says its trying to be more nimble in an ultracompetitive market. Keep your eyes on the sky for something meteor shower hits its peak. Experts say more than 200 meteors, double the usual rate which hasnt happened since 2009. Western states will have the best view, but the action doesnt start until the overnight hours. When we come back, how the u. S. Womens Gymnastics Team is inspiring a new generation to follow in their footsteps. Generatio generatio in their footste im hall of famer jerry west and my life is basketball. 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If you have had spinal anesthesia while on xarelto watch for back pain or any nerve or muscle related signs or symptoms. Do not take xarelto if you have an artificial heart valve tell your doctor before all planned medical or dental procedures. Before starting xarelto tell your doctor about any conditions, such as kidney, liver or bleeding problems. To help protect yourself from a stroke, ask your doctor about xarelto. Theres more to know. Xarelto. It takes a lot of work. To run this business. But i really love it. Im on the move all day long. Boost complete nutritional drink has 26 essential vitamins and minerals, including calcium and vitamin d to support strong bones and 10 grams of protein to help maintain muscle. All with a great taste. I dont plan on slowing down any time soon. Stay strong. Stay active with boost . I worked years to get my medicare dont know where id be without it so when i heard about conartists committing medicare fraud. It made me so mad i wanted to give them the old onetwo to get a free offer or gift two, always check your medicare statements for errors these crooks think were clueless, they dont have a clue its your medicare, protect it finally tonight, they have given us some of the more memorable moments here in rio including another dominating performance this evening. The u. S. Womens Gymnastics Team certainly earning their place in history here. And now the future generation is looking up to these olympians who, as rehema ellis tells us, are inspiring america. Reporter as simone biles powered her team to a golden moment, fans in her hometown of spring, texas, and nationwide roared with pride. Who knows how many little girls are thinking they want to be like aly or maybe gabby or madison or simone . Reporter true enough, a group of budding gymnasts at chelsea piers fieldhouse in new york watched in adoration usa like 10yearold analyse. Only 2 when she started tumbling in a sport that traditionally didnt look much like her but no is more diverse than ever. Do you think you could end up in the olympics . I want to. I was inspired by them. And they were like really good. Reporter shes following role models like dominique dawes. It does not get much better than that. Reporter the first africanamerican home a gold medal in 1996. In the 2012 london games, Gabby Douglas made stunning olympic history. And its a gabby gold. Reporter winning the individual allaround championship. And now simone biles. Soaring to new heights and changing the game. 18yearold maya rhymers couldnt be more pleased. A junior olympic qualifier shes and grateful to simone and others who helped the sport cross color lines. You shouldnt feel like youre not able to join a sport because of your skin color. Its a sport for everyone. So if shes able to inspire, then thats amazing. Reporter the changing face of the worlds best gymnasts inspiring a new generation of Young American girls. Rehema ellis, nbc news, new york. We look forward to seeing some of them on for us on a thursday night. Im lester holt. A reminder, nbc primetime olympic coverage starts at 8 00, 7 00 central with another big night in swimming and gymnastics. For all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching and good night from rio. Nbc news, thank you for watching and good americas latest conversation about crime, punishment, rape, and privilege centers on boulder, where a former cu student this week escaped prison time after raping a helpless woman. He got probation, instead. The judges decision is creating National Headlines and causing colorados attorney general to take the rare step of criticizing sentences like these. Nights in jail for the next 2 years, during the day he can go to school, work, and on probation for at least 20 years. Probation and work release, for rape. 2 years ago he promised to take a drunk College Freshman back to her place and instead took her to his home and sexually assaulted her as she slept. The judge chose probation rather than an indeterminant sentence, 4 years to life. Corrections officials would be the ones decidingn willkerson would have been released. Attorney general kauffman said probation sentences like these send a terrible message. I have a genuine concern for what seems to be a pattern in sentencing and sex assault cases, where the viewpoint and impact on the perpetrator seems to be taking precedence over what has happend to the victim. What is the message sent by the sentence . We are saying that that