Nightly news begins right now. Announcer this is nbc nightly news with lester holt reporting tonight from washington. Good evening. All the warnings and fears of a hot dry summer are coming to pass in the drought stricken west where dangerous wildfires are ranging in no fewer than three straits from Northern California where residents are fleeing threatened neighborhoods east of the napa valley to montana. With still months to go, the western fire season has already far outpaced last years. Leaving a lot of americans on edge. Hallie jackson is covering it for us tonight from winters, california. Reporter in California Wine country, nine square miles torched, flames and smoke so thick they blocked out the sun. We got it involved, the wind shifted. Reporter what started as a brush fire exploded fast, wind whipping it across steep rugged hills destroying a trailer and barn. Its fire season. You never know what will happen. Reporter 200 homes under threat. Two neighborhoods evacuated including melindas, the fire burning within a few feet of her front door. Its just burned into my memory. Ill never forget it, the smoke, the flames, all the fire trucks, running back and forth was very, very scary. Reporter more than 1300 firefighters attacking this from the ground and the air in an area where a recordbreaking drought turned brush and trees into tender. If the drought wasnt so bad, would you see this fire moving so quickly . Probably not. Reporter so far the west has seen almost 1200 more wildfires this year than last, including one burning now at Glaciers National Park in montana. I dont want to die in flames. Reporter dakota duncan and his family had to run from the fire. I had my iphone from the window and the flames were so hot, i would feel the heat off my arm. Reporter most of that fire is still not under control is neither is one near Washington State threatening a town ease water supply. Near napa, crews are getting ready, bracing for the worst. And the landscape here, lester, proving when its hot and dry, a single spark can destroy so much, especially this time of day, late afternoon, early evening when the winds start to pick up. You can see the smoke coming over the ridge here. Investigators are trying to pinpoint what started this fire which is still only 15 contained. Lester . Hallie jackson in winters, california to start us off, thanks. Ever since the 9 11 attacks, its another attack by al qaeda were conditioned to fear most but now the head of the fbi reminded us how much times and circumstances have changed, saying that isis now poses a bigger terrorist threat in this country than al qaeda. The face younger and sights firmly set on staging attacks on the American Home front. We get more on this from kristen welker. Reporter this video is the latest in a series of dozens distributed by isis online, some featuring children as the group steps up its campaign to target teenagers and young adults. It comes on the heels of a stark admission by the fbi director. Isis now poses a larger threat to the u. S. Than al qaeda. Isil is not your parents al qaeda. Its a very different model and by virtue of that model, its the threat that were worrying about in the homeland most of all. Reporter words underscore a growing concern that isis wants followers to carry out attacks in the u. S. The fbi arrested 56 people in the past year and a half for isisinspired plots. 40 of those arrested are 21 or younger. Jay johnson acknowledged a weakness, the u. S. Is lagging to counter isis on social media. I believe that message is being developed, but it needs a broader platform. Reporter unlike al qaeda that is secretive and hard to contact online isis wannabes can send direct messages that monitors computers 24 hours a day. Isil is buzzing on your hip. That message is being pushed all long. Long. D long. A long. Y long. If you want to talk to a terrorist, they are right there on twitter messaging. Reporter counterterrorism experts says the u. S. Needs to do a better job discouraging young people from buying the radical message. There is no doubt that countering extremist messages, whether al qaeda or isis has been for the past 14 years the weakest link in the u. S. Governments counterterrorism arsenal. Reporter they arrested nearly a dozen radicalized americans including some of those who were planning attacks during the july 4th holiday. Lester . Quite a reality check. Thank you. One week since that shooting rampage in tennessee took the lives of five servicemen, were witnessing a remarkable response. Americans answering a call to duty. Some honoring the victims of the terrorist rampage by joining the Armed Services while others take up arms across the country to protect those who protect us. Nbc News National correspondent Miguel Almaguer has the latest. Reporter carrying semiautomatic rifles armed with handguns wearing bulletproof vests, this is what they call operation protect the troops. We could be a deterrent. Reporter its happening outside strip malls across the country from Washington State to utah, colorado to virginia. Civilians taking up arms, wanting to protect military recruiters. I dont think im a gi joe. I dont think im a vigilante. Im an american thats wanting to protect the people that protect me. Reporter the navy and marines say they appreciate the show of force, but tonight are asking these growing numbers to stand down. Its been a week since bullets shattered lives and windows in chattanooga, the right time for Jonathan Brown to enlist in the army. Way too close to home. Reporter brown says he knew the gunman, and now he knows he wants to serve. Once i saw the news, it was 100 im ready to go as quick as possible. Reporter recruiters say one week after the shooting, the numbers are up. Today danny cross signing his paperwork for the army. Tomorrow brother ben, a family man will also enlist. Here they honor the the fallen in more ways than one. Today the body of marine corps skip wells. In chattanooga, five bells for the victims, a moment of silence and resolve to go on. Tomorrow just outside of chattanooga, they will pause again, the first of those five funerals will take place not far from here, marine Sergeant David white will be buried with full military honors. Lester . Miguel almaguer as we see the crowd leaving tributes. Thank you. In south texas, preliminary autopsy results were released about sandra bland, the woman that died in jail after being arrested after a traffic stop. Some had questioned whether foul play was involved but the District Attorney said the cause was suicide by hanging and that there was no evidence of a violent struggle. He also said toxicology tests found marijuana in blands system but that more tests were needed to determine when she ingested it. To politics now, no one could ever accuse donald trump of not knowing how to orchestrate political theater. Today it was a visit to the u. S. Mexico boarder to highlight illegal immigration and boarder security, issues that propelled him to the top of the polls but it isnt what trump did today that has republicans worried, its what he said opening up the possibility of running as a Third Party Candidate, which could be very bad news for the gop. Nbcs katy tur has details from laredo, texas. Reporter making good on his tough talk, donald trump took his campaign to the boarder today. The wall will save you a tremendous amount of money. Reporter people in laredo, texas didnt embrace him as he hoped, stepping off his plane to protest and into controversy as the boarder patrolmens union which initially invited him dropped out early this morning saying an endorsement was never discussed for any president ial candidate. They are petrified and afraid of saying what is happening and they are the ones that invited me. Reporter trump came anyway, instead getting a tour from the mayor. For those who live here, immigration isnt so cut and dry. Do you think the people that cross over are criminals or some are. Some arent. But you cant paint them all with the same brush. My grandfather is a mexican, and my grandfather work hard to put his children through school and put food on our table. Reporter trumps visit a chance to once again control the message, moving the focus away from john mccain and back to his rallying cry on illegal immigration and with the possible and potent threat he could mount an independent run if he feels hes being unfairly treated against his fellow republicans. I want to run as a republican. I think ill get the nomination. Well see soon enough but i think ill get the nomination. If he thinks hes not treated well and will be a Third Party Candidate that will guarantee Hillary Clintons election, it says a lot about this man. Reporter the polls on his side and press following his every move, trump continues to campaign his way leading up to the first Republican Debate exactly two weeks from now. As for that boarder wall that trump wants to build, the boarder stands four states, about 2,000 miles long and experts say a wall would be billions of dollars, trump has said that hes going to have mexico pay for that wall. Still no word today on how he would do that, lest er. Thanks. Chuck todd is here with us. Lets game this up, trump runs as an independent, how could that affect the race . Depends on the support he has. There is two recent examples to go through. Number one he has to get on the ballot. Hes probably the most famous Third Party Candidate of our generation. Ross peroe. Being a billionaire, he could finance getting on the ballot. Thats the hardest thing to do. He gets on the ballot and starts campaigning as hard as he is now, you could argue he can end up pulling votes from both sides in someways. He is appealing to this sort of populism that could appeal to even some on the left, depending on what kind of candidates run and the true 50 state election. The most likely is he ends up like ralph nader that flipped a few states. Back then New Hampshire and florida and handed the election to george w. Bush. In this case, donald trump getting 3 or 4 could flip an arizona from red to blue, could flip a texas from red to blue. Bottom line like the analysts said, it would change this map to the a sea of blue for hillary clinton. Were not the only ones gaming this i suspect. A lot of people doing the math. An amazing discovery by nasa to tell you about. The space agency found what its calling earths cousin, the most similar planet to our own they found and as Peter Alexander reports, its generating a lot of excitement about the possibility of life far, far away. Reporter home sweet home, earth this new image from a million miles away, but houston, we may have company. Most earthlike planet ever found, its official name kepler 452 b. Makes me feel like there is a solar system like ours. There is another earth out there. Space, the final frontier. Reporter its a search thats long captured our image gages. Gages. Imageinati. On. The federation has charted but not explored several class m planets in that area. Reporter nasa may have found the real deal nicknamed earth 2. 0. Thats us on the left, the bigger older planet on the right, but not next door. 1400 light years away spotted by the kepla rrks telescope. Like earth, the new planet or bit as sunlike star. Its a goldie locks planet, not too cold, not too hot to hold water needed to sustain life. Nobody knows if life is actually there or what the kepler planet looks like and the timing is good. Just this week david hawking himself announced a 100 million hunt for alien life. It seems quite likely life is out there. Reporter and last week nasa mess moore mess moorized us with this picture. With more than 1,000 confirmed planets, one that looks like home. Peter alexander, nbc news, washington. It does stoke the imagination. Still ahead tonight, the skyrocketing cost of Cancer Treatment driving so many patients to the brink of bankruptcy. 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Anyone whose ever had cancer or seen a loved one or friend go through the fight knows first you get hit by the diagnosis, then hit by the huge bills for the treatment. The cost of cancer drugs has soared in recent years pushing so many patients to the brink of bankruptcy. Tonight, more than 100 of this countrys top cancer experts are fighting back. Nbcs ann thompson has our report. Reporter this is the future steward and ken dream of, walking his daughter kathrine down the isle. Lets go reporter but this is his present. The seventh year of stage four cancer. End of the line. Weve gone past circling the drain to clinging to the wreckage. Reporter the cost of keeping steward alive has taken almost everything. Bills, bills, bills. Im depressed. I worry all the time about money. Reporter with their insurance maxed out, a foundation picks up the copay for stewards chemo and steward feels pressure to choose between the home and stopping treatment. We had the conversation, my wife and i should i do that . Because our choices are lose the house or lose my life. There is no third choice. Reporter their dilemma is why today 118 leading cancer specialist say Drug Companies must lower prices that can top 100,000 a year. The card holder saw the Drug Companies, they put in a price based on what the market can bear. Reporter in response, doctors want patients to ban together signing an online petition to speed up access to generic drugs and let patients import drugs from less expensive countries. How much responsibility do Drug Companies bear for the price of cancer drugs . You look at the long period of time, the difficult science, the high cost of developing them, we have to do it in a way that keeps investors willing to give us the money to do that research and development. Reporter they have invested in each other, not wanting to choose between money and their fathers life. 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