following this hour. extreme heat and storms threatening holiday celebrations from california to the east coast as more than 1,000 flight delays frustrate travelers trying to reach friends and family by the fourth of july. also this hour, vladimir putin looking to strengthen ties with china after the public embarrassment of last week s armed rebellion as president zelenskyy argues the pace of ukraine s counteroffensive is not meeting its hopes. more troops occupying the west bank as president netanyahu faces criticism from the united nations. we begin this hour with what s become a record setting run-up to independence day. from busy skies to hectic highways, nearly 51 million americans are expected to travel for july 4th. friday broke records as the single busiest day in tsa history. extreme weather could slow everything down with millions under severe weather alerts an concerns over strong thunderstorms in the mid-atlantic states and portions of the northern great pla
where the system is headed next bringing heavy rain with it. and the child lost in the shuffle, flying alone and sent to the wrong city. what the airline is saying tonight. deep inside hamas tunnels. new video from underground as israel s military says that s where they found the bodies of five hostages. the latest on the long shot effort to restart negotiations with reports of dozens killed in a new refugee camp strike overnight as new warning signs the conflict could expand. a tanker struck by iran an ocean away plus, the post-message of peace and richard engel s rare access in bethlehem, a silent night in the holy land covid, rsv, and flu on the rise the sharp increase of cases just as families get together for the holidays and our visit to the tiny town where the iconic dolls are still being born 40 years after the nationwide frenzy. announcer: this is nbc nightly news with kate snow. good evening i m garret haake in for kate a near record number of americ
the u.s. turns up the pressure on israel. defense secretary lloyd austin in tel aviv. what he said about protecting civilians as gaza s reported death toll nears 20,000. the major shift from pope francis on same-sex couples. what the vatican announced today. the governor of texas signing a controversial new border bill, setting the stage for a major showdown with the federal government. the verdict in the trial of marvel star jonathan majors, charged with assaulting his former girlfriend. new developments in the investigation into lead-tainted applesauce that sickened dozens of children. was it done on purpose? and harry smith on the tradition dating back more than a century in a place they call the christmas city. announcer: this is nbc nightly news with lester holt. good evening and welcome, everyone. much of the east coast recovering tonight from a massive storm that brought heavy rain, coastal flooding and high winds from florida to maine, killing at least
pass, texas where a record 12,600 migrants have crossed in a single 24-hour period. there s never been more. write it down in pencil. desperate times apparently call for desperate measures. wait till you hear what texas is doing now because it says washington is doing nothing now. we are now. you know, the numbers are staggering. they keep changing day by day. another record, another day. these are numbers heretofore thought impossible to get to. that you couldn t possibly get anywhere near them. but so be it. fox s bill melugin is at the southern border of what is behind the wave and what they re doing to address the wave. bill? neil, the situation at the southern border has gotten so bad that multiple sources tell me that federal bureau of prisons personnel have been sent down here to help border patrol with transportation of illegal immigrants. the bureau of prisons confirming this. they are providing transportation resources and they tell me the resources are limited. w
though there have been varying reports on the number of casualties. the us geological survey says the quake had a magnitude of 5.9. chinese state media is also reporting that some water, electricity and road networks are damaged. a second quake struck neighbouring xinjiang hours later on tuesday. the damage from that 5.5 magnitude strike was not immediately clear. in a statement, chinese president xi jinping said: he has ordered full rescue efforts to gansu, one of the country s poorest regions. we ll bring you more details as they come in. now, international pressure is growing for israel to ease its military campaign in gaza. on monday, the us defense secretary was the latest to add his voice during talks with prime minister benjamin netanyahu and israel s war cabinet. the department of defense says mr austin underscored the need for concerted efforts to protect civilians and urged israel to plan for transitioning to the next phase of operations. his israeli counterpart sai