>> announcer: from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is nbc nightly news with lester hold holt. >> good evening. it's more than 24 hours since a jury of women was sent behind closed doors to decide a murder trial that riveted this country for the last several weeks. the shooting death by a neighborhood watch volunteer in sanford, florida. tonight still no verdict. the suspension this this emotionally charged case is building inside and outside the courthouse and so are tensions. the requesty to be answered, whether george zimmerman shot and killed trayvon martin in an act of self defense. the prosecution contents it was second-degree murder. we will get legal perspective, but ron mott is outside the courthouse where there have been late developments. what's happening now? >> reporter: good evening to you. this jury has been almost three weeks and deliberating for 13 hours and counting and they asked the court to clarify the instruction for manslaughter. >> your verdict finding george zimmerman either guilty or not guilty must be unanimous. >> after 56 witnesses, 12 days of testimony and an assortment of evidence to digest, a chunk of concrete. >> on the sidewalk. >> a dummy. >> george zimmerman and trayvon martin. >> six women continue to tlib rate and among them five managers. the options. guiltiy of second-degree murder, guilty of manslaughter or not guilty. it will hinge on how they resolve key issues. who cried out for help? >> trayvon berchl min martin. >> my son, george. >> the position of the hol ter. >> he is saying that arm pits, how does he get the gun out? are. >> how severe were the judge ares? his description of trayvon martin in a call to police. >> so much of this case is documentary evidence. it's either a video, audio tape or photograph. jurors like that and prefer that rather than witness testimony or recollections. >> throughout the trial, defense attorneys did not stray often or far from their central argument that zimmerman fired in self defense after being attacked. he pleaded not guilt tow second-degree murder. >> i almost wish the verdict had guilty, not guilty and completely innocent. because i would ask you to check that one. >> by contrast, prosecutors sought to expose what they called inconsistencies or lies in zimmerman's accounts of the event. >> i submit to you trayvon benjamin martin is titled to the choice. it didn't come from his mouth. he told so many lies. that's why we are here. >> the jury heard a range of witnesses from the woman on the phone with martin during the encounter. >> i heard trayvon saying get off, get off. >> the lead investigator. of the first to interview him. >> you say following is not legally proper some are. >> it's not illegal. >> many thought they would come back quickly. that has not happened. we are past the point where they say it was a quick decision. >> they have gathered outside the courtroom all day. they have been larmly peaceful, but at one point there was a shouting match this required deputies to step in. there have been no injuries or arrests. >> i want to bring in legal analyst and veteran attorney kendall coffee. you heard the jury is asking for clarification on manslaughter. keeping in mind the prosecution is going for second-degree murder. what's the significance some are. >> both are subject to self defense. manslaughter is easier to prove. it doesn't require even an actual intent to cause the death of trayvon martin and doesn't require the hatred or spite that a second-degree murder charge would require. in order if manslaughter is returned as a conviction, the consequences are very serious. up to 30-year maximum prison time. >> trial watchers couldn't begin to speculate when they heard the request. is there anything we can read into that they want to hear more about manslaughter? are. >> we never know what the jury is thinking, but it suggests they are giving consideration to a charge of manslaughter. given everything that happened in the trial, that's a positive for the prosecution rather than a quick acquittal. they are thinking about manslaughter. that's a fascinating and intriguing development. >> kendall coffee, thanks if are being with us. in texas, high dramaa late into the night and in the end republicans have tough new abortion restrictions, one of the strictest in the country. the texas governor said he will sign. it's the latest in a series of state by state battles over abortion happening right now across the country. charles hadlock has our report. >> more than 2,000 protesters swarm the texas capital. >> we believe abortion in texas should stop at five months. >> if i ever get pregnant i want the option of getting an abortion. >> inside the senate chamber, lawmakers engaged intense confrontations of their own. >> who speaks for the baby some. >> women don't understand why you keep coming after them. >> the new law would ban abortions ever 20 weeks of pregnancy and require doctors to have admitting privileges within 30 miles of a clinic and require clinics to upgrade centers and say it would improve women's health. >> for their voices to be heard. >> critics led by senator wendy davis who defeated with a filibuster say the measure would force the abortion clinics to close. >> force more texas women to make dangerous, sometimes deadly decisions. >> the proceedings were disruptive times by protesters and chained herself to the brass railing. the vote was delayed until troopers could cut her loose. when it came, the vote was 19-11, mostly along party lines. >> we will push it to the point where abortion is called what it really is. the murder of a chile child. >> the next step i'm sure will occur outside the legislative process that will occur in the judicial system. >> courts blocked 20-week bans in arizona, georgia and idaho. new clinic registrations have been stalled in al bam and mississippi. the texas law might be tied up for years, but opponents welcome the legal challenge, hoping it goes all the way to the u.s. supreme court. charles hadlock, nbc news, boston. >>. >> news on the investigation of the crash of asiana flight 214 which was still unfolding on this broadcast a week ago tonight. authorities at san francisco international airport photocopied clearing away the wreckage and the runway is back open. we have more. >> when it returned to operation after the wreckage of asiana flight 214 was removed to a new location for further study and after a third victim, a 16-year-old teen whose family asked if are privacy succumbed to her injuries. >> it's a sad day at san francisco general hospital. we have done all we could to take care of this young lady. >> week ago that the boeing 777 slammed a sea wall on approach, snaps off engine and the mainlanding gear. the chairman said the aircraft's equipment was in working order. >> no a nopulous behavior of the auto pilot, of the flight director and the auto throttles. >>. >> the pilots clear to hand fly on visual approach were confused in the final seconds. >> first about being above the glide path, then about being on the glide path and later in the recording about being below the dplid path. >> about the pilots, a san francisco television station on friday not only misidentified them, but did so in a mu millian way. >> they fell for a prank and announced names that were totally false and racially insensitive. that prompted condemn nation by many, including journalists and the ntsb admitted one of the interns had wrongly confirmed the names and by ktvu. >> we made several mistakes. we never read the names out loud. >> from a tragedy that injured dozens and cost three lives. in, bc news, los angeles. >> a 6-year-old enjoy is in critical condition in a chicago hospital after falling into a hole in a sand dune and being buried under 11 feet of sand in a park in indiana. rescue crews worked using heavy equipment to dig the boy out and found him in an air pocket in the dune which allowed hadiment to breathe. the hospital said the boy is now breathing with the help of a ventilator and is responsive to commands. tonight across several states in this country dealing with severe flooding in and around the city of charlotte, north carolina. the 20th day in a row causing the worst flooding they have seen in years. parts of minnesota and colorado are also under high water tonight. we have incredible pictures out of western china where dozens have been killed by the worst flooding in a half century. many more are missing after days of torrential rain and there is more in the forecast there. >> now to an investigation in our series, the war next door. the immigration debate continues local and federal agents are keeping a close eye on mexican smugglers, making increasingly risky moves on the high access to traffic drugs and bring foreign nationals into this country illegally. authorities estimate multiple smuggling runs are attempted into california every week with boat runners taking dangerous routes. nbc's mark potter has our report. >> in broad daylight, mexican drug smugglers dump bails of marijuana as they try to outrun the u.s. coast guard. it happens routinely, day and night, up and down the california coast. off baja, the mexican navy finds immigrants trying to reach the u.s. with border security making it harder to cross by land, mek can 134ugleers are increasingly taking to the seas using fishing boats called congas. >> they run further and further offshore. >> they are also heading further north now. landed on the secured beaches of vapdenburg air force base and this one made it close to big sur. to avoid detection, they run through the environmentally sensitive channel islands national park off the santa barbara coast. >> they use them as a barrier and a place to rendez vous and refuel. >> smugglers left immigrants strand on one channel island and bails of marijuana on another. this area on santa cruz island is known as smuggler's cove and the scene of a tragedy in december when a u.s. coast guardsman was run over and killed by two men in a ponga boat. the victim was chief petty officer terrell horn shown on patrol last year. park rangers worry with about a half million visitors a year, smugglers can confront tourists. >> it's unfortunate that this activity is happening in a national park. >> on the mainland, the rancher worries about smugglers off loading near his property. >> that's where the boat landed and they have loads of mash. >> definitely reported that they found wet clothing and footprints. >> the landowner said smugglers use this drainage tunnel to enter her land. >> those people can be very desperate and that's what scares me. >> authorities have stepped up patrols to intercept the pongas. increasingly make arrests. the mexican smugglers show no signs of slowing down. mark potter, nbc news, ventura, california. >> a quick program note after a personal and angry exchange on the floor of the senate. harry reid and minority leader mitch connell will sit down with david gregory tomorrow morning on "meet the press." still ahead, a $30 million building sitting hospital and helicopters with not enough afghans to fly them. warnings about a billion dollars of taxpayer money down the train from afghanistan. >> a politician who might just be the popular elected official in america. >> we are back with a report in our series, the fleecing of americans. tracking waste fraud and abuse in washington. as the u.s. prepares to leave afghanistan, the pentagon is trying to strengthen the afghan military by providing new aircraft, but a government wash dog is warping that this like some other projects in afghanistan may prove to be a huge waste of taxpayer money. we have a report from lisa meyers. >> reporter: with most american troops about to leave afghanistan, the u.s. is trying to strengthen afghan special fors to deal with the taliban and the drug trade. the pentagon is buying them almost $1 billion worth of new airplanes and helicopters. there is a problem. a u.s. government wash doll learns that the afghans cannot operate and maintain the helicopters they already have and certainly not the new ones. >> this unfortunately is what we see time and again. >> per the last year the inspector general was issued reports on waste in afghanistan. millions for irrigation pumps that were not needed and expensive tractors too wide for the planning methods. paying for service and fuel thousands had stolen vehicles. $34 million state-of-the-art headquarters that the military doesn't want and probably will be torn down. but all that small potatoes compared to the aircraft the pentagon is buying. in spite of the warnings that the afghans have less than 25% of the personnel needed to fly and service them. recruiting is hindered by illiteracy and widespread ties to taliban or criminal elements. >> the afghans don't have the pilots and the pentagon doesn't have a plan. >> he wants to cancel the contracts. at stake, $770 million. this will not be an easy road, but insists the aircraft are needed now to develop a more capable afghan force. so far the u.s. spent a staggering $90 billion reconstructing afghanistan. they fear these new aircraft will end up like billions of other equipment and construction. rusting and unused. >> we are pretty good at buying things. at buying toys. our problem is planning if are it, maintaining it and making sure the afghans can use it. >> even contractors predict it will be at least years before the afghans can maintain the aircraft themselves. until then american taxpayers will pick up the tab, another $100 million a year. lisa meyers, in, b c, news, washington. >> back in a moment with an out of this world discovery, plus the fastest dog on two legs. >> we are back with the annual running of the bulls in patch loma and the annual goring of thrill seeker who is enjoy being chased by angry thousand pound animals with sharp horns hot on their behinds. among the 23 injured is a 35-year-old man from cleveland was gored when dozens fell at the narrow entrance to the building. >> a strong mers have been able to determine a color of a planet outside of our solar system. it may look familiar. it looks a lot like ours. as you can see it's blue. unilike earth that appears blue because of oceans, this is blue because of blue light. there is a guinness world record for everything. including the fastest dog on a scooter. norman is an internet superstar. he can ride a bike with training wheels and a skateboard. the sheep dog traveled just over 100 feet in 20 seconds on a scooter at a chairit event in georgia. they eagerly await him. he is the talk of the town. up for reelection. but the mayor still has to number bed by 8:00. mthe mayor s number bed by 8:00. othe mayor s number bed by 8:00. mthe mayor s number bed by 8:00. the mayor s number bed by 8:00. sthe mayor s number bed by 8:00. athe mayor so number bed by 8:00. ithe mayor s to number bed by 8:00. dthe mayo to number bed by 8:00. the mayos to number bed by 8:00. . when you hear that music it means just thing. it's election time somewhere in america. tonight we are focusing on a mayoral race in minnesota in which the popular incumbent seeking reelection is not even old enough for kindergarten. kevin tibbles is on the campaign trail. >> election feverit doers et, minnesota, population 22. >> keep your hands up. >> on the main drive pressing the flesh and handing out his card, he is up for reelection. >> i always wear your pin at work. >> this pint sized politician is 4 and carries a big stick. who can argue with the platform. >> if you are elected will we all get free ice cream cones some. >> yeah. >> it's off to the parlor we go. >> how many scoops do you want? >> five. >> a scoop of his favorite, butter brickle. he won last year when his name was pulled out of a hat. to vote it will cost you $1. you can put any name in the box and all proceeds go to the town fair. ballot box stuffing is encouraged. >> future mayors and future candidates of america. >> like most big shots, bobby has a chauffeur. his goes by the name of mom, who is flabbergasted by all the attention. >> he was in printed london and germa germany. that's crazy. my 4-year-old is a world traveler. >> what time do mayors have to go to bed? >> 8:00. >> probing interviewers take a back seat to butterflies. >> i had a lot of people get up from interviews, but never like this. >> i will give you my bestest. >> give me your bestest. holy smokes. that went a mile. >> the mayor unwinds with his rod and real on the local lakes that are teaming with fish. >> that fish was about two feet long, wasn't he? are pa. >> about 50. >> about 50 feet long? now you are sounding looic a real politician. >> after a dip in the lake, it's nap time and we take our leave. >> may name is robert and i approved this message. >> are vote for mayor bobby e6789 he won't kiss your baby, but he will kiss your fish. >> doers et, min. >> he found a new best friend. >> election day is august 5th. that's nightly news if are this saturday. i'm lester holt reporting from new york. we will be back here tomorrow evening. good night, everyone. good evening i'm dianne dwyer. >> and terry mcsween my. all four runways are operating tonight one week after the arabian airplane crashed one week. >> reporter: plans have sbn landing all day long. in fact you see one coming in right now about to land on runway 2-8 left where the asiana plane crash happened last saturday. so far there have been no issues. the runway opened last night at 5:05 in the evening and sfo is only reporting a few delays this afternoon. now, earlier today a few people came together to honor two of the girls killed in the crash. an international buddhist relief group organized the ceremony. a letter was read from farnts saying that loving will help us heal. organizer say the family was touched by the outpouring of support here in the bay area. >> they're happy b

Related Keywords

New York , United States , Germany , North Carolina , Santa Cruz Island , California , Texas , Afghanistan , China , Florida , Boston , Massachusetts , Minnesota , Indiana , Georgia , Washington , District Of Columbia , Mississippi , London , City Of , United Kingdom , San Francisco , Charlotte , Mexico , Arizona , Channel Island , Idaho , Colorado , Guinea , Chile , Chicago , Illinois , Channel Islands , Americans , America , Afghan , Mexican , American , Afghans , Harry Reid , Lester Holt , George Zimmerman , David Gregory , Tal Bam , Trayvon Martin , Alisa Meyers , Terrell Horn , Mitch Connell , Los Angeles , Dianne Dwyer , Trayvon Benjamin Martin , Ron Mott , Wendy Davis ,