police revealing two missing teens feared to be victims, too, are now suspects on the run. inside jeffrey epstein's private island, the secluded compound where at least one accuser says she witnessed sexual abuse, and the warning signs one worker says he saw there. a terrifying plane scare. the passenger jet liner blowing out its tires after a hard landing. the nose gear collapsing. thankfully no one was hurt. and also tonight, the new tornado strike and millions under a severe storm threat. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. >> good evening, everyone. a very public and poignant battle is won tonight for those who bravely confronted the ashes, debris and hidden health dangers of ground zero. as 9/11 victims compensation fund, ensuring a financial safety net sickened by toxic exposure at the site. our jeff bennett has late details. >> reporter: tonight a victory for the first responders who risked their lives on september 11th. cheering from above the senate floor. >> expression of approval is not permitted in the gallery. >> reporter: as the bill passes to permanently pay for the 9/11 victim compensation fund. >> the yeas are 97, the nays are 2. the bill is passed. >> reporter: the two senators voting no, republicans mike lee and rand paul. both introducing measures to cap pay outs, which failed. >> this should never have been a fight. >> reporter: the compensation fund had been running short on money. recently gaining nationwide attention following passionate pleas for support fro first responders and comedian jon stewart. >> your indifference costs these men and women their most valuable commodity, time. >> reporter: stewart back on capitol hill today. >> we'll spend some time today thinking about the friends that we've lost, who gave their last moments really, coming down to washington and fighting for their brothers and sisters. >> reporter: louis alvarez was one of them. the new york police detective spent months searching through the toxic rubble at ground zero. >> you made me come down here the day before my 69th round of chemo. >> reporter: weeks later, alvarez died of 9/11-related cancer. today his son david in washington. >> i want to thank you for not forgetting him. >> reporter: making sure lawmakers followed through on their promise to his father. >> better sooner than now, but better late than never. >> reporter: much needed relief for first responder dennis murphy, now battling cancer that spread to seven parts of his tomorrow he'll have his 57th round of chemotherapy. >> this bill means a lot financially to a lot of people. but to be honest with you, i'd give all the money up to be healthy. i think everybody feels the same way i do. >> reporter: the next step is for president trump to sign the bill. a white house official says he's expected to do that in a friday afternoon ceremony surrounded by some of these first responders. lester? >> all right, jeff bennett, thank you. another major story tonight, we're just hours away from former special counsel robert mueller taking the hot seat iquestions about the russia pre for the first time. nbc's kristen welker now in the most anticipated testimony in years. >> reporter: tonight, house democrats huddling in a last-minute practice session, preparing to question robert mueller in a make or break moment for their case against the president. >> i think it's very important that these facts come to light. our committee is most concerned about the compromise of national security. >> reporter: nbc's kasie hunt is on capitol hill. >> when robert mueller sits down here tomorrow, it's going to be the 89th time he's testified before congress over a long public life. democrats know this might be their last chance to convince the american public on impeachment. so they tell us they plan to keep their questions sharp and targeted. >> reporter: overnight, after mueller's request for guidance, the justice department instructing he must remain within the boundaries of his public report, something mueller said he would do in may. >> the work speaks for itself. and the report is my testimony. >> reporter: but democrats blasting the new guidance. >> it's part of the ongoing cover up by the ad conspiracy between the trump campaign and russia, but made no determination about obstruction of justice. >> there is nothing there, and we're going to see that tomorrow. >> reporter: president trump today dismissing the hearing as an excuse by democrats to push for impeachment. >> we have the best economy in history, the best employment numbers in history. gee! let's impeach the president. i mean, you figure it. these people have gone totally crazy. >> reporter: and we are learning tonight mueller has requested that one of his closest deputies sit next to him. that deputy will be there to advise his former boss, but is not expected to answer questions. lester? >> kristen welker at the white house, thanks. and join us for our special coverage of mueller's testimony. we go on the air starting at 8:15 a.m. eastern here on nbc. a shocking new twist in the case tonight of an american woman and her boyfriend murdered ay in canada, police now say two teens who were also feared to be victims are now considered suspects and on the run. nbc's morgan chesky now with the latest. >> reporter: it's the newly released video capturing a couple's final hours alive. american chynna deese and her australian boyfriend lucas fowler in an embrace at a gas station. tonight authorities have launched an urge search for the suspects responsible for their murder. a pair of teenagers who in a wild twist just yesterday were thought to be possible victims, too. >> kam and bryer are no longer considered missing. the rcnp arering kam mcleod and bryer schmegelsky suspects. >> reporter: their bodies were found outside their broken down van shot to death. police say the break came nearly 300 miles from where the couple was found in british columbia. officers found a truck set on fire, but no sign of its occupants. the childhood friends who are now suspects. tonight investigators say they're likely armed, may be disguised, and on the run. >> we're asking for the public, if you spot bryer or kam, consider them dangerous. do not approach. >> reporter: and tonight police believe those two teens are also tied to another death in that same remote area. a man's body found very near where that burned out car was located. lester? >> morgan chesky, thank you. severe system even ripping the roof right off an inn as terrified families s there it is. >> reporter: a suspected tornado touching down today in massachusetts on cape cod. >> oh! >> reporter: shocking families at local hotels. >> all of a sudden our ceiling lift up and back down. >> reporter: the storm system whipping up wind, toppling trees and leaving thousands without power. similar scenes played out in new york and in new jersey. crews are cleaning up after heavy rain and flooding overnight. >> it was a miserable experience for everyone. >> reporter: in new york, normally busy streets turned into flooded rivers. and in new jersey, a tree split this home in half. >> this was sudden. >> reporter: the severe weather causing chaos for travelers up and down the eastern seaboard. with flight cancellations creating a ripple effect throughout the country. >> we're very frustrated, tired, and we want to go home. >> reporter: home to see what else the weather has in store. morgan radford, nbc news, new york. or passengers a me anxious plane made a rough landing today at an airport when its nose gear collapsed. here's nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: from a passing bus in lagos, the ground view of a passenger jet stuck in place. >> thank you, lord. no tire. >> reporter: landing on a rain soaked runway, the air p 737 with 139 people on board came down hard. then as the plane exited the runway, two tires blew, the nose gear collapsed, the strut punching through the pavement. >> oh, my god. >> reporter: no one was injured. once off the plane, a first glimpse of the damage. >> i'm thankful to the pilot. >> he kept talking to us. >> reporter: founded six years ago it flies mostly on the twitter page the airline pledges no short cuts, safety first. in a statement claiming today after land being safely and rolling to the runway exit, the nose gear developed a problem and partially collapsed. a nigerian accident team now investigating. tom costello, nbc news, washington. >> lawyers for jeffrey epstein said today they will appeal a judge's decision to deny him bail while he awaits trial on sex trafficking charges. and tonight we are learning more about epstein's lavish and odd life-style at his secluded compound in the u.s. virgin islands. stephanie gosk is there with a firsthand look. >> reporter: at jeffrey epstein's private caribbean get away in the u.s. virgin islands, grounds workers still go about their jobs. reluctant to talk. excuse me. can i just talk to you for a second? epstein pleaded not guilty to federal charges. he's ais mansionlosda and new y. no mention of this island, but authorities say he declared it his statues, and manicured lines of palm trees. epstein bought little saint james in 1988, and he built a sprawling compound here. for years he looked across the water at this other island, great saint james. he bought that one in 2016. now his attorneys say the two together are worth just over $86 million. epstein engineered near total privacy, 24-hour security, and guard dogs. >> i was told things absolutely that occurred on the island were matters of privacy and not to be discussed and at no time was i to interact with any of the guests. >> reporter: steve scully worked on epstein's phone lines for years. were they upped under 18? >> i'm not sure. >> reporter: he said he saw pictures of topless girls on the compound. that struck you as odd? >> really odd. >> reporter: it was a conversation with one of epstein's employees from palm beach that made scully quit his job. >> he said what's with the young girls? i said, oh, yeah. i'm not real comfortable with the young girl thing. is that in west palm beach as well? he said worse. >> reporter: he pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution in florida in 2008 as part of a controversial plea deal. in a civil case against the government about that deal, one accuser says she took part in an orgy on epstein's private island in 2002, with eight other young girls who appeared to be under the age of 18. epstein registered as a sex offender in the virgin islands. but unlike in the u.s. where he had level 3 sex offender status, considered the most dangerous, here he was classified as tier 1. it meant he had to check in with local authorities once a year. looking back, scully, a father of three daughters, tells us he regrets not speaking out sooner. when you think about the accusations against him, what does that make you think of in terms of your kids? >> i'm awful glad that they weren't visitors on the island. >> reporter: if anyone calls for help on that island, lester, it takes police 30 minutes to get there. >> stephanie, how often did he go to this home? >> reporter: residents tell us he was there pretty often, sometimes twice a month. he flies in on his private jet, then gets on his private helicopter to get to the island. >> all right, stephanie gosk in st. thomas tonight. thank you. police have made an arrest in the murder of a 21-year-old student that has shocked the campus of ole miss. tonight the suspect in custody is a fellow classmate. nbc's blayne alexander has that story. >> reporter: tonight 22-year-old brandon is behind bars, charged with murdering 21-year-old university of mississippi student ali kosktial. >> he is being held in our jail without bond. >> reporter: multiple sources tell affiliate wlbt, costial was seen friday night outside a bar near the university, adding a n lake the following morning about 20 miles from campus with several gunshot wounds. both costial and thesfeld attend ole miss. today the university announced he has been suspended. these pictures show the two of them together. his father says his son is innocent. >> you know everybody, you trust everybody. right now it doesn't feel like that. >> reporter: mourning the loss of one student, police believe, at the hands of another. tonight there are black ribbons outside of ali's sorority house. the university's interim chancellor is calling her death an unspeakable loss. lester? >> blain, thanks. one of america's closest allies has a new leader. boris johnson, london's outspoken former mayor, has been named u.k. prime minister. he has a big task ahead of him, steering through the task of brexit. nbc's bill neely is in london tonight. >> reporter: tonight he inherits a crisis. boris johnson trying to unite a nation in maverick style. >> i say to all the doubters, dude, we are going to energize the country. we're going to get brexit done. >> reporter: today winning the president's endorsement. >> boris johnson. good n.e's smart. >> reporter: and he's divisive like president trump. blonde, brash, a populist, and born in new york. once critical of the president. >> i think donald trump is clearly out of his mind. >> reporter: johnson now wants a trade deal. america's top ally now led by the eccentric successor to theresa may whom brexit destroyed. johnson wants britain out of europe by november. today johnson called this a pivotal point for britain. tomorrow he starts work in there. and not much time for him, lester, to unite this skeptical country. >> all right, bill neely in london, thank you. still ahead tonight, we'll take you inside the new way the fda is targeting the teen vaping epidemic. also controversial i.c.e. arrests caught on camera and how i.c.e. is responding tonight. i- why think about your heart? 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(nathan) secondhand smoke caused measthma attacks, infections and lung damage. and i never smoked. (announcer) if you or someone you know wants free help to quit smoking, call 1-800-quit-now. all right. we're back now with the bold new move by the fda to combat the teen vaping epidemic and to stem the use of e-cigarettes. gadi schwartz has more. >> reporter: tonight a new ad campaign hitting the airwaves and making its way onto teenager's phones. >> vaping can lead to trying cigarettes. >> reporter: tv, youtube and instagram commercials teaching a magic trick turning vapes into cigarettes. >> it's not magic, it's statistics . >> reporter: the fda rolling out the new psas this month getting kids to think twice before trying e-cigarettes. >> i didn't think i was going to get addicted when i first started and i honestly didn't know i was addicted until i would say a few months in the 9th grade. >> reporter: caleb was one of 3.6 million teens and preteens estimated to have vaped last year now trying to encourage others to stop in high schools where one in five students is currently addicted. >> no child should have to deal with the nicotine addiction. >> reporter: tomorrow caleb's mom is set to testify in front of congress over the role juul, the popular e-cigarettes brand has played in getting kids addicted to nicotine. on cnbc the c.e.o. apologizing. >> the product is not intended for them. >> reporter: the company removing flavors criticized for targeting teens and shutdown the instagram accounts. now ads from the government hoping to push back a growing epidemic. gadi schwartz, nbc news. >> up next for us tonight, a violent arrest by immigration agents raising questions tonight. evere ulcerative colitis or crohn's, your plans can change in minutes. your head wants to do one thing, but your gut says, "not today." if your current treatment isn't working, ask your doctor about entyvio. entyvio acts specifically in the gi tract to prevent an excess of white blood cells from entering and causing damaging inflammation. entyvio has relief andy hiremission.erm infusion and serious allergic reactions can happen during or after treatment. entyvio may increase risk of infection, which can be serious. pml, a rare, serious, potentially fatal brain infection caused by a virus may be possible. tell your doctor if you have an infection, experience frequent infections or have flu-like symptoms or sores. liver problems can occur with entyvio. ask your doctor about the only gi-focused biologic just for ulcerative colitis and crohn's. entyvio. relief and remission within reach. relief and remission because you very difficult for too go throughmily everything that they go through. maybe not in the same way, but you're still there. 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[cheers and applause] ♪ every day is a good day ♪ every day secie that. thank you all very much. thank you, folks. thank you. that's good. [cheers and applause] steve: hey, i don't know if you saw this or not. i want to bring this to your attention. recently, an nfl football player vonta davis, who plays for the buffalo bills, he did a lot of that got him heat on the internet. 28-6, atwas losing, halftime. he quit. [laughter] steve: yeah. at halftime. he retired from football at halftime. [laughter] steve: his teammates was getting ready to go back out on the clothes. the second half. chans [laughter] off. changed his clothes. shoulder pads, just took it off. in his car and drove home. [laughter] [applause] steve: no. seriously. happened.y it never happened in the history game. at halftime -- i don't know who hit him. somebody hit in the first half. mind about whole football. [laughter]