Then floods a powerful storm smashes records. And why forecasters fear for whats in store. Nightly news begins right now. Announcer from nbc news World Headquarters in new york this is nbc nightly news with lester holt. Good evening. No backing down today by gop president ial contender donald trump whose unfiltered and blunt talk has again ignited controversy. The latest came over the weekend when trump said vietnam war veteran and former p. O. W. Senator john mccain is not a war hero. And while the comments like those trump made about illegal immigration recently have sparked outrage it is worth noting that he leads the latest republican president ial poll though deeper examination suggests the mccain comments may be hurting him. We begin with nbcs katy tur. Reporter donald trump being donald trump today, refusing to apologize for saying john mccain is not a war hero. Telling matt lauer this morning well im not a fan of john mccain. Hes done a terrible job for the vets. I go around ma