>> reporter: sunday, president obama weighed in writing "i know this case has eliciteded strong passions. and in the wake of the verdict, i know those passions may be running even higher, but we are a nation of laws and a jury has spoken." this afternoon, attorney general eric holder promised to keep looking into martin's killing. >> the justice department shares your concerns. i share your concerns. >> reporter: tonight, george zimmerman is said to be in hiding, according to attorney mark o'mara. meantime you can as for trayvon martin's parents, other than a tweet or two since the verdict, they have been largely out of public view. brian? >> ron mott in sanford, florida, starting us off tonight. more now on this notion of federal charges potentially against george zimmerman. and in light of the trial just concluded, what those charges could be. our justice correspondent, pete williams, here with us in our d.c. newsroom with more on this presumably, we are talking about something in the category of a hate crime and isn't that notoriously hard to prove? >> very hard to prove. and the short history that that law has been on the books, the justice department has pledged to look at what the fbi learned about the shooting and what the fbi gathered during the trial it would be surprise tuck federal brought a criminal case. the most likely law thank could be invoked is the relatively new one, the federal hate crime statute passed four years ago, make tag federal crime to cause bodily injury to someone because of the victim's actual or perceived race. so the government would have to try to convince a jury that trayvon martin was shot because of his ray not because of self-defense or some other motive. several former civil rights prosecutors today said it wouldn't be enough, for example, for the justice department to claim that george zimmerman started following trayvon martin because of his race. proving intent, these experts say, is very difficult when t. when the government has got conviction under the hate crimes law, there has usually been other strong evidence showing racial motivation. unless the justice department can come up with something more, a federal case here seems very unlikely. >> pete williams on the other front of this. thanks, pete. as always, we shift our fact to the focus that weather is making news tonight. yes, it's summer. and yes, across a lot of this country, it's supposed to be hot right about now, but forecasters are warning about a dong rouse and oppressive kind of heat wave hitting a big part of this country, one of the more sustained we have seen in years. meteorologist janice huff is with us from a very hot stretch of sixth avenue in midtown manhattan. and janice, i can report here in washington, we officially hit 100 at 3 p.m. >> that's right, brian. it's hot up and down the northeast corridor. like you said, while the sheet not uncommon here in sum, the duration that we are expecting is uncommon. right now, we are looking at anywhere from at least six to seven days of this searing heat across the northeast. right now behind me, just across the street from our studios at 30 rock, it's 97 degrees on this thermometer, 97, 96, it is fluke weight. but i'm about ten blocks south of central park, where it is slightly cooler. 92 degrees right now in central park. temperatures are expected to reach the mid-90s for the next five to six days. the heat index, or what it feels like, will be well above 100 degrees. right now, some areas, it still feels that way. heat advisories will be in effect across much of the northeast from washington, d.c., where you are, brian, all the way into new england, for the next several days. the heat will be excessive in places like philadelphia where it feels like 99, right now just a little after 6:30 here on the east coast. the advisories will stay in affect the same areas, mainly the urban areas, the cities that hold in the heat because of all the buildings and the concrete and the roadways. we call that the heat island. it doesn't cool off very much at night. this area of high presse that's been building across the ea for the past couple of days is not going anywhere until later into the weekend. it will start to shift a little bit more back over the ocean to and we'll start to see some relief by then. in the many time, it's going to stay cycling. it is going to be smothering this heat. and it could be dangerous. what we need to remind everybody is that heat-related illnesses, and deaths in particular, are higher during heat incident he is than any other type of weather event, more than tornadoes, more than hurricanes, floods. people can die in the heat. everybody has to stay cool and comfortable. resleeve on the way in a few days. back to you. >> big strain on utilities as well. janice huff from the heat eye law and of manhattan tonight. janice, thanks. as always there may be a lot more coming from edward snowden about the nsa and how it operate. the newspaper columnist who first reported on the snowden leak says the fugitive former contractor has sensitive, detailed blueprints of how the security agency operates. glen greenewald has thousands of document us it, basically the instruction manual for how the nsa is built. snowden remains in limbo at that airport in moscow. back here, lots of americans hitting the road, the peak of summer vacation season. if you're among them, you have seen what we are paying for gas. aaa says the average price for gallon of regular now 3.61. that's up 14 cents from one week ago and it goes up from there. we asked nbc's tom cost tell throw look at what's driving it this time. tom, good evening. >> reporter: hi, brian. in fact, july and august are typically the peak months for summer driving, as americans pack up for the summer vacation. we are told that is at least one reason why gas prices are moving higher. ♪ summer in los angeles and mike's three ice cream trucks are on the move, but keeping them fueled up costs him $300 a day. nine years ago, it cost half that. >> it affects my bottom line, because at the end of the day you it's what you take home. >> reporter: california has some of the highest gas prices in the lower 48, averaging 4.01 a gallon. in the midwest, it's illinois and chicago where the city averages 4.06 a gallon. the cabbies know -- >> to make a dollar, i have to come up with 75. and nobody has got into my cab, you know? >> i have to have gas in order to go to work. so it affects my life greatly. >> reporter: why the sudden surge? analysts say you can blame a lot of it on the summer driving season. >>? an old-fashioned case of supply and demand. americans requiring more regular gasoline, refineries producing it, resulting in a decline in crude inventories. >> reporter: there's also concern the unrest in egypt could spread and disrupt the flow of oil through the suez canal. there and have been production hiccups at a few u.s. refineries, helping to push prices even higher. add it all up, an extra 14 cents per gallon in a week, 22 cents in a year and 800-mile round trip in the family van from chicago to minneapolis will likely cost about $178 in fuel. looking for the cheapest gas? gasbuddy.com has that. you type in your location and the stations with the lowest gas pop up. here in washington, it ranges from 3.59 a gallon to 4.79. some consumer advocates are skeptical with the oil industry's explanation that prices are driven by the markets and not manipulated seasonally by the oil companies themselves. meanwhile, back in los angeles -- >> if the prices keep going up, guys like me will go out of business. >> reporter: ice cream man is thinking of parking in a fix load cation, giving up on chasing oil price. some analysts we talked to say we may see another ten-cent increase for the gas pump but may be the top for the summer. the big variable continues to be the weather. a hurricane could send prices even higher. brian? >> tom costello, suburban washington for us tonight. thanks. now to the event earlier today that brought us here to washington, the current president and first lady hosted a former president and first lady. george h. w. bush and barbara bush were both saluted for the points of light organization the president supported it is now the largest volunteer service organization in the world with 4 million people putting in 30 million hours of service every year. it was a gracious day, all about the volunteers and a tribute to 41, who, true to form, and in classic modesty, tried to cut off the thunderous ovation he received. he is 89 now. he survived a big health scare last year. and while his legs have quit on him and his voice isn't as strong, it was a familiar-sounding former president who took to the mic briefly. >> like coming home for barbara and me. the rest of you coming to this house to be greeted by this superb hospitality knows no bounds. thank you all very much. >> by the way, his son, neil, says they are calling dad gq instead of 41 these days because of the expressive sock choices he has been making. points of light honored one volunteer on eachdy of his existence. today, they handed out award number 5,000 to a retired couple from iowa, floyd hammer and kathy hamilton, who have decided to dedicate their lives to feeding over 2 million meals to hungry children in 15 overseas countries. still ahead tonight, news of an alarming rise in blood pressure, but this time you can it's among children in the u.s. tonight, the alarming spike the doctors are seeing and what they are recommending. and later, the critics thought it was just too good a murder mystery for a first-time novelist. turns out, the author had written a few other things. [ male announcer ] pearls. hairbands. and now hot pink toes. seems tough for a tough dog like duke. but when it has anything to do with gwen, he's putty in her hands. for a love this strong, duke's family only feeds him iams. compared to other leading brands, it has 50% more animal protein... ...to help keep his body as strong as a love that can endure anything... even every fashion trend. iams. keep love strong. it's hard to describe, because you have a numbness, but yet you have the pain like thousands of needles sticking in your foot. it was progressively getting worse, and at that point i knew i had to do something. once i started taking the lyrica the pain started subsiding. [ male announcer ] it's known that diabetes damages nerves. lyrica is fda approved to treat diabetic nerve pain. lyrica is not for everyone. it may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior. or swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, changes in eyesight including blurry vision, muscle pain with fever, tired feeling, or skin sores from diabetes. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. those who have had a drug or alcohol problem may be more likely to misuse lyrica. ask your doctor about lyrica today. it's specific treatment for diabetic nerve pain. as we mentioned, our health news story tonight is important, it is about high blood pressure which, of course can lead to so many other serious illnesses a new study out tonight found an alarming increase in children with high blood pressure. our report from our chief medical editor, dr. nancy snyderman. >> you have done amazing. >> reporter: 15-year-old ethan borest is on a mission to get healthy, like a lot of kids, he is struggling with his weight. and more surprisingly, high blood pressure. >> my favorite salty snacks are those little 100-calorie things of popcorn, fritos. that is my weakness. >> reporter: today's study examined over 11,000 children ages 8 to 17 for more than a decade and found an alarming rise of high blood pressure, an increase of 39%. researchers blame obesity for the increase in the number of kids with high blood pressure and they say too much salt is another reason blood pressure levels are so high. >> there's a lot of sodium contained in places you wouldn't expect. it's in yogurt. it's in processed foods. it's in soup. it's even in breads. >> reporter: as for salt, how much is too much? it varies. ages 1 to 3, no more than 1,000 milligrams a day. 4 to 8 years old, 1200 milligrams are. ages 9 to 50, 1500 milligrams. these are all markedly less than adding one teaspoon of salt a day. >> small changes can make a big difference. >> reporter: joanna is the medical director at camp shane. >> you guys want to hear some music? >> reporter: where ethan is getting in shape this summer. >> what i have been seeing lots of young kids high blood pressure readings. i haven't seen that so frequently in the past. and in fact, i actually sent my machine it in to be checked. >> reporter: stabilizing blood pressure can prevent long-term problems like premature heart attack, stroke and kidney disease, just the type of conditions ethan wants to avoid. he has lost 50 pounds and his blood pressure is now under control. >> the more he continues to lose weight, the more we are gonna try and avoid this high blood pressure from coming back. >> reporter: prolonged elevated blood pressure isn't good for brain growth either and the concern is if blood pressure remains elevated, that can put pressure on the brain and that might even be a risk factor for dementia later in life, brian. all good reasons to get it controlled. >> dr. nancy snyderman in our home studios in new york. nancy, thanks. also in new york, on wall street today, the markets finished slightly up across the board. the dow, s & p, both hit new all-time highs for the third straight trading session. we are back in a moment after another break with one couple's amazing find along the side of the road. before copd... i took my son fishing every year. we had a great spot, not easy to find, but worth it. but with copd making it hard to breathe, i thought those days might be over. so my doctor prescribed symbicort. it helps significantly improve my lung function starting within five minutes. symbicort doesn't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. with symbicort, today i'm breathing better. and that means...fish on! symbicort is for copd including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. it should not be taken more than twice a day. symbicort may increase your risk of lung infections, osteoporosis, and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. with copd, i thought i'd miss our family tradition. now symbicort significantly improves my lung function, starting within 5 minutes. and that makes a difference in my breathing. today, we're ready for whatever swims our way. ask your doctor about symbicort. i got my first prescription free. call or click to learn more. [ male announcer ] if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. [poof!] [clicks mouse] there's doughnuts in the conference room. there's doughnuts in the conference room. automatic discounts the moment you sign up. little things anyone can do. it steals your memories. your independence. ensures support, a breakthrough. and sooner than you'd like. sooner than you'd think. you die from alzheimer's disease. we cure alzheimer's disease. every little click, call or donation adds up to something big. autopsy was performed today on cory monteith, the can need--born co-star of "glee" was found saturday in his hotel room in vancouver. he had struggled much of his life with substance abuse and last emerged from rehab in april. the death of this talented young man an enormous shock to the show's global fan base. cory monteith was 31. leonard garman has died, he was richard nixon's white house counsel after ron dean left. he advised nix ton resign and suggested j ed gerry ford as hi replacement. he used to say he was born on a kitchen table in a tenement house in brooklyn. he could never fully explain nixon and never fully comprehend him and later in year, he represented a full range of climb groenlts wealthy shadey charters to the poorest of the poor as a human rights lawyer. he was a professional jazz musician who played saxophone in the late 1940s for henry jerome's band, where he sat between two other musicians whose names were stan getz and alan greenspan. leonard garman was 89 years old. won't be easy, but the mayor of london wants to buy heathrow airport a, build upwards of 100,000 homes on the site and then move heathrow to a different location outside the city of london. heathrow is the size of 35 disney lands. it's the busiest airport in europe by far and near the top of the list worldwide. because heathrow needs more run twice grow, mayor boris johnson says now is the time to get this right. he says it needs to close due to noise, congestion and pollution. history was made in nascar this weekend. morgan sheppard became the oldest driver ever to start a nascar race. morgan sheppard is 71. all veteran fans know his name and have watched him race for decades. he scraped together a ride this weekend in new hampshire for the top tier nascar race. he dedicated his run to the fans. he lasted 92 out of 300 lapse and says if the good lord allows, he is going to try to race in next year's daytona 500. and history was made in major league baseball, at least in terms of fans. this man's name is greg van neil and yesterday's cleveland indians home run game, he caught four foul balls that's got to be a record, at least we reckon. somebody give that man a contract. a young couple on their way to a dave matthews concert pulled over on the side of the road to help a guy out. add blown tire on his bike. he was out of luck and stuck and the guy was dave matthews. he was playing that night in hershey, p.a. he was on a bike ride without a cell phone when the flat happened. the nice young woman and her boyfriend enjoyed backstage passes after saving the day and the lead singsinger. when we come back, the plot twist very few people saw coming. my mantra? trust your instincts to make the call. to treat my low testosterone, my doctor and i went with axiron, the only underarm low t treatment. axiron can restore t levels to normal in about 2 weeks in most men. axiron is not for use in women or anyone younger than 18 or men with prostate or breast cancer. women, especially those who are or who may become pregnant and children should avoid contact where axiron is applied as unexpected signs of puberty in children or changes in body hair or increased acne in women may occur. report these symptoms to your doctor. tell your doctor about all medical conditions and medications. serious side effects could include increased risk of prostate cancer; worsening prostate symptoms; decreased sperm count; ankle, feet or body swelling; enlarged or painful breasts; problems breathing while sleeping; and blood clots in the legs. common side effects include skin redness or irritation where applied, increased red blood cell count, headache, diarrhea, vomiting, and increase in psa. ask your doctor about the only underarm low t treatment, axiron. 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[ male announcer ] that's handy. ♪ finally here tonight, you might have heard already, the big shocker in the book world, a crime novel, a good one, some thought too good for a first-time novelist no one ever heard of. then we learned the truth, and put it this way, good luck finding a copy of this book right about now the story tonight from nbc's clekeir simm in london. >> reporter: harry potter made jk rowling a famous name around the world. but that was nowhere to be seen in april. "the cuckoo's calling" by robert galbraith, thought to be a former military investigator, some thought too good to be a first-time author. >> i thought a new writer and i he has got a lot of futu. >> reporter: last week, an anonymous tweet, galbraith is rowling. the paper launch and investigation. >> there's something we need to find. >> reporter: hired a language expert to compare the writing and found literary gold. >> in this case, what happened when iran the statistics, every one point jk rowling. >> reporter: rowling confess $. i hoped to keep the secret a little longer, it has been wonderful to publish without hype or expectation. she started as an unknown, showed this documentary crew this tiny apartment in scotland where it all began. fame became a burden at times but she vowed to keep writing, even after harry potter. >> i will always write. i can't imagine stopping writing. >> reporter: harry potter sales are close to half a billion. "the cuckoo's calling" had sold just 1500 copies, but try finding one today. no? no galbraith at all? >> no, trying to run all over around find t. >> reporter: it has surged to number one on amazon. no, can't find it anywhere. many think this was all a pr stunt f so it's working. >> certainly let you have a read it i want it back. >> reporter: publisher plans to print more, to solve another mystery, how to find another copy. keir simmons, nbc news, london. and that is our broadcast on a monday night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. we hope to see you back in new york tomorrow evening. good night. a nation divided. anger across america. storming a hotel. and dead man walking? >> there's no question in my mind his wife is at risk. >> where is george zimmerman? >> he's in hiding and reportedly left the state of florida. and what went wrong for the prosecution? >> we believe that we brought out the truth. then -- the death of glee actor cory monteith. his lost weekend. the last photo. what co-star jane lynch is saying today. and the return of the twinkie, is the new twinkie as good as the old one? plus, after her big breakup with george clooney, stacy kiebler's new gig. now, "inside edition," in high definition, with deborah norville. hello, thank you for joining us. i'm diane mcinerney in today for deborah norville. the george zimmerman trial captivated the entire country, and his acquittal in the shooting death of 17-year-old trayvon martin has sparked strong reaction on both sides coast to coast. paul boyd has the latest on the emotional aftermath to the verdict. >> we the jury find george zimmerman not guilty. >> massive protests break out coast to coast, in the wake of the george zimmerman verdict. from new york's times square to the streets of los angeles. in l.a. a crowd storms the posh "w" hotel. police used rubber bullets to disperse everyone. >> what are you angry about? >> that a murderer got away with murder? no, david, what am i angry about? that you're asking me that question. >> it's done, it's done. >> don, that's -- >> it's done. why are you angry? >> because a murderer got away with murder. >> on "the view," whoopi goldberg asked zimmerman's attorney if their client followed trayvon martin because he was black. >> if because he's black can he never look suspicious? >> walking down the street? i kind of think no, because i'm black, i walk down the street, if somebody says hey, you might snatch my pocketbook, i