21st century. this is nbc "nightly news" with lester holt. good evening for years he has been dogged by stories of elicit relationships with underage girls. today the wheels of justice caught up to those stories and caught up with singer r. kelly in a brooklyn courtroom. a jury in his sex trafficking trial finding kelly guilty of all nine counts. the disgraced r&b superstar described by federal prosecutors as a predator who controlled his young and vulnerable victims through threats and intimidation but some of those victims turning the tables, testified against kelly in often vivid detail in the words of one lawyer following today's verdict, finally their voices were heard stephanie gosk is in brooklyn with more on the dramatic outcome and what lies ahead for r. kelly. >> reporter: it is a verdict prosecutors say was nearly 30 years in the making. r. kelly guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking ♪ i believe i can fly. >> reporter: the man who wrote the grammy winning '90s anthem "i believe i can fly" now facing decades behind bars. >> today's guilty verdict forever brands r. kelly as a predator who used his fame and fortune to prey on the young, the vulnerable and the voiceless. >> reporter: the verdict caps a five-week long trial with often graphic testimony. victims describe being locked in rooms for days for not following kelly's rules, like not asking for permission for going to the bathroom or making eye contact with other men who appeared in the docu series "surviving r. kelly" was just 16 years old when she says she was abused by the pop star. >> the breaking point for me was when rob slapped me and he choked me until i blacked out. >> reporter: the racketeering charge normally used to convict mafia bosses allowing the government to introduce sexual abuse allegations outside the statute of limitations. at the center of the case pop star aaliyah who died tragically in a plane crash. one witness said she walked in on alliyah and kelly engaged in a sex act. the majority of the victims young black girls and boys at the time of the abuse. the former assistant district attorney who tried bill cosby believes this trial could be a turning point. >> these were decades worth of tears that these women have been crying, but at least they have an opportunity to be heard. >> reporter: one in four black girls are sexually abused before age 18 few go to the authorities. the defense portray the accusers in this case as opportunists who wanted money and fame themselves. >> witness after witness of giving three, four, five different versions as to what they said happened here. >> reporter: the jury wasn't swayed, deliberating less than nine hours total guilty on all counts >> to the victims in this case, your voices were heard and justice was finally served >> stephanie, r. kelly has been behind bars for the last couple of years what happens next for him? >> reporter: r. kelly will stay behind bars. he has a sentencing hearing on may 4th where he faces 10 years to life and multiple upcoming trials on both state and federal charges. lester >> stephanie gosk in brooklyn thank you. now to montana and that amtrak train derailment that killed three people and injured dozens tonight the ntsb says the train was actually going just under the speed limit as they shift through the wreckage for clues as to what went wrong. miguel almaguer is there. >> reporter: oh, my god. it's on its side. >> reporter: cell phones captured the aftermath. but tonight the ntsb confirms multiple train mounted cameras were rolling before and after the deadly amtrak derailment, traveling just under the 79 miles an hour speed limit the agency says passengers may have been ejected. >> we're literally thrown out of our chairs, my father and i. it was unlike anything i have ever felt. >> reporter: after multiple 911 calls -- >> 911, what is your emergency? >> hi. i just - i'm on an amtrak train in montana that just crashed. >> reporter: it was mostly volunteers who raced to the scene in the middle of rural montana. >> the train is destroyed down there. >> reporter: zach snyder is one of the three who lost their lives. his wife somehow survived also killed in the crash two passengers dozens were injured. five hospitalized. with the ntsb piecing together saturday's crash, amtrak's empire builder was traveling west with two locomotives and ten cars on a fairly straight stretch of tracks. at least five cars suddenly derailed three plowing off the tracks entirely near joplin with more than 150 onboard, the train was equipped with positive train control, a safety feature that virtually prevents all derailments from human air. >> we'll be looking at the mechanical condition of the train. we will be looking at the human factors of the crew. we will be looking at the people who inspected the track. we will be looking at the track conditions. >> reporter: bnsf, who maintains the track, says the rail had just been inspected days earlier. tonight the widening probe for answers after a tragedy on the tracks >> and, miguel, we know from previous accidents that some of these trains are equipped with recorders, including this one, right? >> reporter: yeah, that's right, lester investigators have recovered the black box. in addition to the speed, it will tell them if braking was applied. couple that with the onboard video and you will have some powerful clues. president biden sat down and got a covid booster shot at the white house today, but made it clear that the first priority is to get initial shots into the arms of the quarter of americans who haven't been vaccinated gabe gutierrez now with the latest >> i'm going to get my booster shot and right here. >> reporter: at the white house today, president biden rolling up his sleeve, getting a covid vaccine booster eight months after getting his first two doses. 23% of americans still haven't gotten any shots. >> that distinct minority is causing an awful lot of us an awful lot of damage for the rest of the country. >> reporter: but now critics say his administration's booster roll-out has been confusing. some states are handling it different. limiting boosters to those 65 and older. west virginia's governor urging people 18 and older to get them. >> they're dancing around it with gobbledygook language, but you opened the flood gates wholeheartedly and everything to say, go get your booster shots. >> reporter: tonight growing backlash over vaccine mandates, a requirement for new york health care workers took effect today. the governor says she will call in the national guard if they don't show up to work. >> i'm hopeful i don't have to do this. >> reporter: with more schools back in session, over the past two weeks, children made up 26% of all new covid cases. that's an 8% jump from two weeks before across much of the country, new covid cases overall are down but in places with low vaccination rates like kentucky, hospitalizations are still high saint claire regional medical center in moorehead is struggling to find space. some of the hospital staff is actually making house calls to try and prevent people from ending up here in this covid unit. >> it's very tough because we're not used to this. this isn't anything we've ever witnessed before. >> reporter: in this parking lot, this hospital set up a tent for monoclonal antibody treatments. >> they are given four injections and that usually takes, you know, first time about 15 minutes. >> reporter: kathy mazzotti had been vaccinated and now has a breakthrough case. >> it's just bad so i don't want to end up there i'm going to take all the measures i can. >> reporter: gabe, let's circle back to these mandates i understand there is breaking news regarding mandates in the school's largest school system. >> reporter: yeah. that's right, lester a short time ago a federal appeals court ruled that new york city's vaccine mandate for teachers and staff can move forward. it was set to take effect tonight at midnight, and it applies to more than 150,000 employees. lester >> all right, gabe gutierrez, thank you. let's get to the high-stakes showdown in congress now over a possible government shutdownmake or break week for pres plus, a make or break week for president biden's agenda democrats are in complete control of congress, but they are also deeply divided. kelly o'donnell is at the white house. >> reporter: tonight president biden's political and policy legacy on the line after today's vaccine, his plans in need of a boost >> your agenda and your presidency. >> reporter: first facing a deadline to keep the federal government open by this friday. tonight republicans blocking a bill to fund the government and extend the country's good credit until december so democrats will try again. this week make or break decisions on the president's signature priority, a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure plan. and the massive climate and social program spending currently at $3.5 trillion. >> if we do that, the country is going to be in great shape. >> reporter: democrat joe manchin is a pivotal moderate. >> i'm concerned the society moving to more of a mentally versus a rewarding mentality. >> reporter: while republicans complain the biden agenda is too costly. >> it is paid for by putting a debt on to the next generation of americans that's how it's paid for. >> reporter: the president said he's personally getting involved in negotiations with lawmakers tonight and tomorrow, leaving room in his schedule for more talks this week as he tries to get his own party over the finish line. lester >> all right kelly. thank you. in just 60 seconds, the big jump in murders in this country the alarming new report by the fbi and what's behind that spike. and ford with a major announcement about its cars our nbc news exclusive. if i have something to help me breathe better, everything will be fun and nice. but i still have bad days... flare-ups, (cough cough) which can 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in so many cities this year is on the rise here's pete williams >> reporter: the weekend brought philadelphia a grim new record, passing 400 murders so far this year 60 more than in all of last year. >> the situation now is causing philadelphians to be frightened, to be scared often scared for their own family members, scared for themselves. >> reporter: it is an alarming trend in american cities of all sizes. murders soaring, too, in portland, oregon and jackson, mississippi. the fbi revealed today that murder jumped 29% in 2020 compared to the year before the biggest increase since it began tracking the data six decades ago. overall, violent crime was up almost 6%. but it isn't just street crime that drove the numbers. the fbi says a big share of the murder victims were killed at home experts who study these trends say two factors have formed a deadly combination more people forced to stay home because of covid lockdowns, and a huge increase in gun sales, especially to first-time buyers. >> these guns that were purchased in 2020 were ostensibly for the shake of protecting the family against intruders. unfortunately, that may be the reason for the purchase, but ultimately too often they are used against a family member. >> reporter: roughly three-quarters of murders in 2020 were committed with a gun that's a historic high, too. some police chiefs say other factors include fewer officers on the street and more offenders released on bail one bright spot, property crimes were down for the 18th year in a row. one reason, with more people at home, fewer houses are burglarized. lester >> all right pete williams, thank you. the man who attempted to assassinate president reagan in 1981 has won his unconditional release. a federal judge has agreed to end court and medical supervision. hinckley, now 66, was released in 2016 and allowed to live in virginia with his mother, who died in july today the judge said hinckley has shown no violent tendencies in decades but the ronald reagan presidential institution and institute opposes the decision saying it believes hinckley still poses a threat. now to that big announcement from auto giant ford exclusively to nbc news the company planning to dramatically increase production of so-called electric vehicles, spending billions on new plants and hiring thousands of new workers. here's tom costello. >> reporter: in a brand-new plant in michigan, the future of ford is already rolling out. the all electric version of the f-150, the best selling vehicle in america with 150,000 orders now ford tells nbc news exclusively it is going all-in on electric, pledging that within nine years 40% of its fleet will be battery powered. 113 years after the model t first hit the road -- >> they're going to love it. >> reporter: -- henry ford's great grandson, chairman bill ford, says this is ford's new model t moment. >> because everything is changing. my great grandfather saw our industry five years ago, it would be very recognizable to him. now we're on the cusp of a revolution. >> reporter: and ford is betting big on the revolution. spending another $11 billion to build new plants in tennessee and kentucky and hiring 11,000 new workers. outside memphis, an all-new carbon neutral campu producing electric vehicles, their batteries and recycling systems. near louisville, kentucky, two new battery plants to power trucks and suvs. more jobs and investments in existing michigan plants and new job training in texas and beyond. >> if this $11 billion investment you are making now, is it still a risky bet or do you feel better about this one >> listen, of course it is risky. any time you bet on a future, it is by definition risky. but it is a bet that i'd make any day of the week because electrification is coming the battery industry is coming to america and we just want to be at the forefront of it. >> reporter: with going green a corporate mandate, promising more electric vehicles ford is putting the shovel in the dirt and driving innovation along the way. henry ford invented the assembly line more than 100 years ago. but this is the prototype for the next assembly line a robot moves the vehicle along. if something goes wrong, they don't shut dowth assembly line tonight ford is pledging a made in america stamp on its evs. what would your great grandfather say today about your new model t for the 21st century? >> i think he would say, what took you so long. >> reporter: how quickly will we see most vehicles on the road battery powered? ford says that's up to how quickly the consumer buys into the electric vehicle but general motors says it wants to get rid of gasoline engines by 2035. lester >> an exciting future. tom, thank you up next, new warnings about a deadly counterfeit drug that teens are buying online an exclusive with the new head of the dea online. an exclusive with the new head of the dea. 3 people who don. i don't know anybody who's had it. your uncle had shingles. you mean 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pills are deadly >> 4 out of 10 >> yes. >> he was on the floor and gone. >> reporter: i'm so sorry. we have profiled many families who lost children who bought a counterfeit pill they bought through social media >> there are social media apps that intentionally make it so that the information so someone creates a story on snapchat, that's a 24-hour story. >> reporter: that's why the kids like it. >> yes. and it's also why the drug traffickers like it. >> reporter: should social media companies be doing more to help you? >> yes there is no question in my mind that social media companies are not doing enough to stop this problem. >> reporter: her critique as social media companies come under increasing scrutiny for failing to protect younger users. in an exclusive interview today, the head of instagram announced they're pausing plans to create an app geared towards tweens "the wall street journal" recently reported on internal research showing the app may be harmful to the health of teenage girls. >> if anybody leaves using instagram feeling worse about themselves, that's an important issue we need to take seriously. >> reporter: snapchat said we are focussed on raising awareness and significantly improving our operational work to combat drug dealers on our significantly improving platform. >> it is really important that everyone be understanding that in this phone there is a drug dealer >> reporter: she is hoping her sharp warning will spread that message. kate snow, nbc news washington up next for us tonight, the composer who is breaking barriers and inspiring america. so when i started having unintentional body movements called tardive dyskinesia... ... i ignored them. but when the movements in my hands and feet started throwing me off at work... i finally had to say, 'it's not ok.' it was time to talk to my doctor about austedo. she said that austedo helps reduce td movements in adults... ...while i continue with most of my mental health medications. 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'cause we are. . next on nbc bay area news tonight. a heroic move by a bay area cop. the rookie police officer pulls a man from this burning car. >> what was going through my mind was just i need to get him out as soon as, like, now. >> the officer joins us tonight and tells us why the driver was unconscious. >> also, he's sticking to his beliefs, even if it costs him millions of dollars. >> it's none of your business, that's what it comes down to. >> is it our business, andrew wiggins explains