>> announcer: the democratic national convention. this is nbc "nightly news with lester holt" reporting tonight from philadelphia. good evening. we begin with breaking news, hillary clinton has just made history, securing the delegate votes she needs here at the dnc to become the first woman ever to be nominated for president by a major party. the roll call vote ending just a few minutes ago on the floor, was south dakota and putting hillary clinton over the top. bernie sanders himself moving to suspend the rules and support and nominate clinton by acclimation and show of unity. >> i move that hillary clinton be nominated as the candidate for the democratic party of the united states. >> it was an extraordinary moment here at the dnc, let's begin with nbc's kristen welker. >> reporter: lester, it is electric on this floor and emotions erupted when senator sanders read out secretary clinton's name, this party which has been deeply divided tonight took a major step toward party unity. history unfolding tonight, in a city where democracy was born. a roll call vote officially nominating hillary clinton, the first woman as a major party nominee. passion on all sides, bernie sanders emotional as his brother reads his name. >> with pride, i cast five votes for bernie sanders. >> reporter: the headliner tonight, her husband poised to make the case for his wife in personal terms, but there are fresh signs not everyone is ready for her. earlier today, bernie sanders greeted with boos from the california delegation. >> it is easy to boo, but it is harder to look your kids in the face who would be living under a donald trump presidency. >> reporter: but today vice president biden arriving at the convention, downplaying any party disunity. real concerns about party unity yesterday, do you think that senator sanders took some strides towards unifying this party? >> we have to be a little graceful here. you know, the sanders delegates worked their tail off. they get a chance, man, give them a chance. i promise you they're going to be fine. >> reporter: the challenge for clinton's team, trying to reverse numbers like this one, a whopping 68% saying clinton is not honest or trustworthy. so the entire convention designed to reveal things the campaign believes many still don't know about one of the most famous people in the world. a case that will be made by party stars like biden, the president and daughter chelsea. governor, what do these speakers have to teach voters about what they don't already know about hillary? >> the public charges and the counter charges, they don't know the softer side of hillary clinton. >> reporter: last night it was a rough start, sanders delegates pulling up signs and booing when hillary's name was mentioned some even brought to tears but on stage, efforts for unity. comedienne sarah silverman. >> can i just say to the bernie or bust people, you're being ridiculous. >> reporter: the first lady may have made the greatest impact, rallying the crowd against donald trump. >> don't let anyone ever tell you that this country isn't great. that somehow we need to make it great again. because this right now is the greatest country on earth. >> reporter: while polls show a majority of sanders supporters are now behind clinton, we found a mixed response among some of his delegates today. raise your hand right now if you know you're going to vote for hillary clinton on election day. this arena is anxiously awaiting former president bill clinton, the other big speakers tonight, mothers who have lost their children to gun violence and in interactions with police, all attempting to serve as character witnesses for hillary clinton, lester? >> kristen, thank you. the roll call, a time-honored political tradition. peter alexander is also there watching it unfold. peter what is it like from where you're watching? >> reporter: there was an ovation across the room, i just spoke to the retired senator from iowa, tom mar ken, a former friend of sanders. he said that sanders had to dig down deep for that moment, but it went a long way to help unify this party. we also spoke to some bernie sanders supporters, some of whom have already left the arena,. they said this vote for hillary clinton is in effect a vote for donald trump. i met a short time ago, a 102-year-old woman who said she would die if hillary clinton were elected but now she said she hopes to wear her dress for the inauguration. it was 12 years ago tomorrow, when much of the nation first heard the name, barack obama when he gave his now famous keynote address during the 2004 convention. as he prepares to address this convention tomorrow he prepares to talk about the leaked e-mails and whether the russians were behind the computer hack. >> do you believe the russians are behind that hack and the release and they were actually trying to interfere with the u.s. political election? >> i think the fbi is still investigates what happened. i know the experts have attributed this to the russians. what we do know is that the russians hack our systems, not just government systems, but private systems. but, you know, what the motives were in terms of leaks, all that, i can't say directly. what i do know is that donald trump has repeatedly expressed admiration for vladimir putin. >> reporter: sounds like you're suggesting that putin might be motivated to prefer trump in the white house? >> i'm basing this on what mr. trump himself has said and i think that trump's gotten pretty favorable coverage back in russia. >> reporter: is it possible in your mind that the russians would try to influence the u.s. election? >> anything is possible. >> much more of savannah's exclusive interview with the president tomorrow morning on "today". the president may have a tough time tomorrow night giving a more passionate memorable speech than his wife did last night, that rousing rebuke of donald trump that electrified this room and brought clinton and sanders supporters together after a day of high drama. here's nbc's andrea mitchell. >> reporter: michelle obama usually shunning the political spotlight but last night stealing it, the wife of the nation's first african-american president trying to pave the way for the first woman to hold that office. >> because of hillary clinton, my daughters and all our sons and daughters now take for granted that a woman can be president of the united states. >> reporter: bringing people to tears about her husband's place in american history. >> generations of people who felt the lash of bondage but who kept on striving and hoping and doing what needed to be done so that today i wake up every morning in a house that was built by slaves. >> reporter: the speech a circuit breaker, steadying the ship after the convention's rocky start. her husband loving it, tweeting, an incredible speech by an incredible woman, couldn't be more proud. sparking almost universal praise. >> the speech was well written, well delivered and i thought it was very effective. >> if you weren't moved by that, go see the doctor. >> reporter: even an unlikely source, don't trump, telling the hollywood reporter, i thought her delivery was excellent. i thought she did a very good job, i liked her speech. this time because mrs. obama was speaking for hillary clinton. their relationship is complicated. sparks flew during that tense primary fight. >> our view is that if you can't run your own house, you certainly can't run the white house. >> reporter: but old resentments have faded and hillary clinton's election is now intertwined with preserving barack obama's legacy. >> what i admire most about hillary is that she never buckles under pressure. >> reporter: a speech so compelling, some wonder whether despite denials, she could become the second first lady to run for office. andrea mitchell, nbc news, philadelphia. >> we turn now to our political director, the moderator of "meet the press" chuck todd. we saw the moment of bernie sanders acclimation, hillary clinton the nominee, a moment of unity. but how do they repair the damage of four days of hillary clinton being beaten up last week in cleveland? >> i thought the corner turned a different vibe here on the floor today than yesterday. >> how will bernie sanders' delegates react? are there a handful of bernie delegates who have walked out doing bernie or bust things, i think we're talking 10% or less. it's a much much different vibe. that's good news if you're clinton, because it means you can focus the rest of this convention on her. >> bill clinton speaking tonight. he was once regarded as her best kept or not so best kept secret weapon. does he still have that? >> i think this is the toughest speech he has ever given. he's always comfortable giving a great speech for barack obama, for al gore, for himself. he's always struggled a little bit more supporting his wife, and part of it he takes all the attacks on her personally and he gets a little bit wrapped up in it. i'm guessing he would say this is the tou toughest speech he's ever given. it will be fascinating how he makes the sell of her. turning overseas now where a chilling terror attack inside a small town catholic church has shaken france to its core. two attackers who pledged allegiance to isis, stormed in during mass, attacking a priest and taking hostages, one of the men was being monitored by authorities after terror related arrests. a warning, some of these details you may find disturbing. >> reporter: french police responded quickly and decisively. surrounding the church where two terrorists took hostages in a suburban town in normandy. but what the militants did inside the church has shocked many in france. according to a nun who survived, the attackers, forced the 86-year-old priest to kneel, then performed some kind of sermon in arabic by the altar and slit the priest's throat. >> i think this is the first time that a man of the cloth has been murdered at his alter in a place of worship in europe through an act of terror since the second world war. >> reporter: french police killed the terrorist and arrested potential accomplices. the church attack was profane, it also seems to be a huge intelligence failure. one of the suspects had been charged with links to terrorism, was out on bail and required to wear a monitoring anklet. how is this happening? >> this is not someone who went outside and tried buying explosives, this is not someone who went abroad to another country. how do you track someone, how do you anticipate when someone is going to pick up a knife or get behind the wheel of a truck and randomly murder people? >> reporter: isis quickly claimed the attackers as its soldiers, so quickly, experts think that the attack was directed by isis or at least that the group new got -- knew about it in advance. the vatican called the attack barbaric. there were thousands of isis foll followers and sympathizers who brought europe's war right to france's churches. there are new details in japan's deadliest mass killing since the end of world war ii. 19 people were stabbed to death as they slept in a center for the disabled. an official now says the suspect was hospitalized just months ago after writing a letter saying all people with disabilities should, quote, cease to exist. but he was released in march after doctors concluded he was no longer a danger to himself or others, he is now in police custody. it remains dangerously hot for millions tonight suffering under two separate heat domes in the east and west. temperatures felt like they were in the 90s and 100s for many in the east. hot conditions fueled violent storms yesterday. a camera ap captured this amazing sighted, lightning striking the empire state building. still ahead tonight, going flames, fire tearing through communities and forcing officials to declare a state of emergency as homeowners return to find nothing left. also back in the dnc spotlight, but will bill clinton's speech hurt or help his wife's chances in her bid following his footsteps to the white house? we're back now with the fierce battle being waged against growing wildfires in california. los angeles county has declared a state of emergency as crews struggle to contain a fire that scorched 37,000 acres and further up the coast, a separate fire has forced hundreds of evacuations. nbc's gadi schwartz has more. >> reporter: a fire rages over one of california's crown jewels. one of the historic redwood forests. the fire has forced evacuation, torched 20 homes and shut down the famed state park. air quality in northern california cities like san francisco under a health warning. 300 miles to the south, los angeles grappling with the threat of flames, ash and smoke from the so-called sand fire that destroyed 18 homes. >> this was an 11 bedroom house? >> 11 bedrooms, seven p pats. >> reporter: now, most evacuations have been lifted but homeowners are finding devastation. >> it's so sad, i just don't know what's going to happen from here. >> reporter: for kathy mccray, 18 years of memories gone. >> this is just a couple of items that my son michael had made that we hung on to. >> reporter: meanwhile, at local animal shelters, livestock and pets of all kinds are finding care from a community doing anything they can to help. >> we can accommodate even much more than we have here which is almost 500 or so. >> reporter: overnight, progress has been made, buffer zones built with hand crews and attacks from the air. >> this fire is acting like a rattlesnake in a pile of rocks, it can strike in any direction any time it wants to. that's what we have to be cautious of. >> reporter: while out on the firelines, crews in california are bracing for yet another day of triple digit heat and the constant threat of a firestorm. out here, just a testament to just how fast this fire moved, down below, you are seeing the remnants of three homes where firefighters once lived with their families, everything out here a burned out wasteland. lester. >> almost like a moonscape. thank you. we're back in a moment with late details about what bill clinton is expected to say here tonight when he takes center stage at the dnc. now that hillary clinton has officially locked up the nomination here at the dnc, the spotlight is shifting to another clinton, her husband, the former president. sources tell nbc news, that when bill clinton takes the stage here tonight, he'll focus on things the public may not know about his wife. here's nbc cynthia mcfadden. >> reporter: with 440 public events in 47 states since january, bill clinton, who tu turns 70 in a few weeks has worked hard to get his wife to this night. >> everyone should have a chance to meet an american president. >> reporter: thinner and grayer than his heydays he still wants to shake every hand and answer questions. >> that says bill clinton for first lady. nothing would make me pro prouder. d >> reporter: matt mckenna was his spokesperson for eight years. >> he has this unique understanding for the candidate and the job, like no one else has. >> reporter: but there have been problems, on the trail, he's faced hecklers, and his drive by meeting with attorney general loretta lynch on a phoenix tarmac pushed his popularity down significantly from 47% to 37%. his speech will be as important for his legacy as hers. expect him to double down on those white working class voters she has struggled to connect with. >> you can be forgiven for thinking things are going to hell in a hand basket. >> reporter: so we went back to his childhood hometown to see if the folks in hope still have that connection. and we discovered some are lukewarm about another clinton presidency. >> i think he's still a hero to many people in this state. but it's a different world now than it was in the 1990s. >> reporter: rick kennedy is the editor of "the hope star." he says when clinton came to arkansas to campaign for the democratic candidates for governor and senate two years ago, both still lost by double digits. >> so the magic wand definitely didn't work back then. >> reporter: still, his last convention speech is credited with giving president obama's re-election a major boost in 2012. >> i want to nominate a man who is cool on the outside but who burns for america on the inside. >> reporter: you were advising him, what's the press strategy going forward? >> it's her campaign, she's doing a great job and if she asks you to do something, then do it. >> reporter: the unstated advice, and otherwise, don't mess it up. cynthia mcfadden, nbc news, philadelphia. we're back in a moment with some final thoughts from the dnc in philadelphia. >> is there a second? . next at 6: hillary clinton makes history. ===janelle/vo=== how she's helping inspire a local group to get more women involved with politics. ===raj/vo=== plus ..is a free trial offer -- really free? nbc bay area responds and quickly resolves the issue with "google express." ===raj/close=== next. ==janelle//take vo== finally, in the emotional and supercharged atmosphere of this election season, it's not easy to set aside politics and our likes and d dislikes, but if you can, take a moment to consider it's been less than a century since women in this country were given the right to vote. and tonight a major political party has nominated a woman for president. history has unfolded here tonight. whether you support or even like this woman, the fact is that as of this day, the political playing field has been widened. what remains the same is the power of your vote, man or woman, that vote is hillary clinton's or donald trump or any other candidate to win or lose, let's make them earn it. that will do it for us tonight on this tuesday night, i'll see ve:00 pacific, 10:00 p.m. eastern. 7:00 p.m. eastern for prime time coverage of the democratic national convention. for all of us here at nbc news, thank you for joining us and good night from philadelphia. homes and animals in the path of a raging wildfire just south of the bay area. right now at 6:00, homes and animals in the path of a raging wildfire just south of the bay area. we're on the fire lines as crews work to evacuate residents and rescue pets from the flames. nbc bay area news starts right now. thank you for joining us. >> you can smell it in the air, especially in the south bay. the smoke from the fire in monterey county continues to seep here into the bay area. the battle also continues on the fire lines. the number of firefighters has doubled in the past 24 hours. this fire is only 10% contained. here's a view from one of our nbc choppers. 20 homes have been destroyed so far. the flames have charred nearly 20,000 acres. we have multiple reports tonight. we'll start with marianne favro at the staging area in selinas. >> reporter: raj, i can tell you, 300 people have been forced to evacuate. some had to get out so quickly heyed that no time to grab their pets. that's when the rescue efforts began. intense heat and flames shooting 200 feet into the air. that's the scene on the front lines of the fast-moving fire near big sur. the fire has forced many to get out in a hurry. sometimes that meant leaving beloved pets behind. now specialized employees with the spca are going behind the fire lines to rescue those pets. >> we have currently rescued 32 animals. >> reporter: including three horses, 18 cats, two parakeets and four baby turkeys. but these aren't the most

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