nationwide plus the latest on that deadly lightning strike the rising death toll. the house fire leaving ten dead including three children the latest on the investigation. demanding justice. the teen who died under the weight of police officers. his family saying he was george floyd before george floyd. my investigation tonight. indiana poised to become the first in the country to pass a near total ban on abortion after roe v. wade was overturned. and the unforgettable umpire flipping the script and inspiring america. good evening everyone pessimism about the state of the american economy turned to welcome surprise today with new numbers confirming the nation is still cranking out jobs at a brisk pace a whopping 528,000 new jobs added last month. the unemployment rate dropping to 3.5%,

tying the prepandemic low. the figures suggesting the country has not edged off into a recession. not to be ignored however inflation. still eating into pay checks and a federal reserve poised to raise the key interest rate next month for the fifth time this year in an effort to slow the economy and bring prices down. after suffering bad economic headlines for weeks an enthusiastic president biden today trumpeting the job gains with the steady drop in gas prices kelly o'donnell reporting now from the white house. >> reporter: an unexpected summer scorcher the hot jobs market. employers added twice the number of jobs predicted for july 528,000. the unemployment rate dropping to 3.5%, tying the prepandemic

low. the figures suggesting the country has not -- leading the job growth leisure and hospitality followed by professional services, health care, transportation, and housing. >> it shows there are some signs of the economy that are still very strong. >> the undeniably good news over shadowed for millions of americans by 40-year high inflation. in south carolina, angelina scott faces painful choices. >> the economy right now is making me choose between my medication and food and bills. >> reporter: she and her husband matthew are both working but can't cover all their rising expenses >> i feel like the economy is really suffocating me slowly. it feels like no one cares. it doesn't matter. >> reporter: a july survey finds 51% of americans now don't have an emergency fund that can cover three months of expenses and about half of the

country's elderly now struggle to pay for essentials while a president's political fate is often linked to the state of the economy. new nbc news reporting finds a restlessness among democratic donors who would prefer a different nominee for 2024 one democratic fundraiser speculated about the president stepping aside, saying there is going to be a lot of pressure coming up post midterms yet most see president biden as the strongest contender in a potential rematch against donald trump as americans cope with higher prices, another critical snap shot on the economy is expected wednesday the consumer price index. the latest inflation number will be released lester >> all right, kelly o'donnell, thank you. also tonight senate democrats are voicing optimism about passing their big climate tax and health care bill. ali vitali is at the capitol. how did it finally come together? >> senator sinema now in lock step with the

caucus after senator schumer accepted her changes to the bill including removing a provision that would have closed the carried interest tax loophole which benefits wealthy hedge fund managers. plus adding billions in drought relief funds. now it is full steam ahead. democrats going into a rare saturday session to pass the package, schumer telling me today he is confident his party will stand together to pass this legislation which at the earliest would be sunday lester >> okay. thank you. just breaking, a jury in austin, texas ordering alex jones to pay millions in punitive damages anne thompson joins me now. what happened in court today? >> reporter: lester, this is a big win for the victim's parents a texas jury today ordering alex jones and his company to pay more than $45 million in punitive damages. to the parents of jessie lewis who died in the sandy hook school massacre on top of yesterday's decision, which means jones and his company must pay jessie's parents a total of

$49.3 million. that's a lot of money but a fraction of the 135 to $270 million a forensic economist says jones and his business are worth jones faces two similar lawsuits from other victims' families he did not show up in court for today's verdict. lester >> anne thompson thanks tonight some of the busiest airports in the country from d.c. to new york are on ground delays as severe storms move in. thousands of flights delayed or canceled nationwide meanwhile tens of millions of americans are under heat alerts in the northeast and the plains temperatures surging today into the 90s and triple digits. increasingly, severe weather is being tied to climate change. here's sam brock >> reporter: the grueling heat that's gripped the country is showing little sign of letting up >> central air is key. >> reporter: more than 60 million people tonight again

sweltering under heat alerts with cities in the northeast seeing their warmest temperatures in a decade dallas has now topped triple digits 40 times this year, almost doubling the annual average. then there's the storms earth cam video from the washington monument showing lightning strikes around the same time four people were struck across from the white house killing three including a couple in their 70s. >> i was in a state of shock and i couldn't believe it. >> reporter: the wrath and cruelty of a changing climate felt deeply outside of new orleans. on the isle de-jean-charles. the signs are everywhere figuratively and literally for the native american groups who lived here for generations. >> we are standing with one foot in the water and one foot on land >> reporter: chris brunet spent all 57 years of his life on this land. now the choctaw nation is part of an unprecedented relocation receiving

nearly $50 million in a federal grant to help around a hundred people seek higher ground >> being forced because of erosion and hurricanes to move inland >> reporter: the move is completely voluntary but mother nature is clearly closing in the island transforming from 22,000 acres in 1953 to just 300 in 2017. chris's house somehow managed to go 20 years without damage from a hurricane until ida which not only left its mark here but ripped through most of the remaining properties on the island as the barrier of land that used to blunt storms continues to erode now a pathway to a new isle, some 40 houses in gray, louisiana, which families will occupy any day now >> they can literally with stand 150-mile-per-hour winds. >> reporter: in what could be a playbook for future cities. >> we know there are more occurrences like this coming not just in louisiana but around the country and the world. we have to start learning how to do it right. >> reporter: the harsh reality of coping with climate displacement as communities like

isle de jean's look to preserve their past. sam brock, nbc news, new orleans. a house fire overnight in eastern pennsylvania killed ten people including three children according to a local paper a volunteer firefighter who responded to the tragic scene said the victims were all relatives. tonight there is an ongoing investigation into what caused the fire tonight the battle over abortion is playing out in indiana as that state moves toward banning almost all abortions. stephanie gosk now with late details. >> reporter: tonight indiana is on the cusp of passing a ban on abortion the first state to take that step since the supreme court overturned roe v. wade. the senate still has to weigh in one last time it has been anything but a smooth process the battle waged over the exceptions >> ending the life of an unborn child is neither necessary nor an evidence based treatment for rape >> does this apply to a fifth grader who has

been the victim of incest >> it -- it does >> reporter: in the end the ban includes exceptions for the mother's health and victims of rape and incest >> the inclination of people, the pregnancy is a result of this, this is going to be something that compounds her trauma i would just respectfully say not always >> reporter: this doctor is an ob-gyn against abortion and worries some may take advantage of the exceptions. >> there is always a risk of somebody exploiting that ability to justify getting an abortion. >> reporter: on the other side dr. bernard argues exceptions for rape and incest don't really protect the victims. she performed an abortion on a 10-year-old rape victim whose story captured headlines and caught president biden's attention. from your experience do women who are the victims of rape and incest want to come

forward and talk about it >> not even slightly they've been through something that is probably the most traumatic thing they've been through. >> reporter: when it comes to the health of the mother there are challenges there as well it sounds pretty straight forward you're allowed to get an abortion if your health is compromised by the pregnancy or your life. is it straight forward? >> not at all. there is no way that we could come up with a list of exceptions for every possible scenario >> reporter: dr. amy caldwell works one day a week at planned parenthood but spends most of her time in the hospital where doctors worry about criminal charges >> we are frightened there have been a lot of group chats there's been discussions about do we stay, do we go? >> reporter: do you mean do you leave all together >> yeah. >> reporter: leave indiana, leave the hospital. >> yeah. >> reporter: the law will likely pass in the coming days before going to the governor for the final say. stephanie gosk, nbc

news, indianapolis. tonight we are keeping a close eye on soaring tensions between china and the u.s. as china ramps up a massive show of force near taiwan. here is andrea mitchell >> reporter: china's military escalation at a fever pitch, its highest in memory on all fronts air, sea, land, cyber, and space. fighter jets circling taiwan missiles fired over the island nine landing in waters off japan. detouring commercial flights and rattling a major u.s. ally all a furious response to house speaker nancy pelosi's visit supporting the democratic government in taiwan. china claims taiwan is its territory. >> these provocative actions are a significant escalation china has chosen to over react and use speaker pelosi's visit as a pretext to increase provocative military activity in and around the taiwan strait. >> reporter: all of this is raising u.s. fears of an accidental confrontation.

>> up in those fighters that are potentially going nose to nose in and around taiwan, that's not tony blinken you know, it's goose and maverick these are young men and women. they're fired up >> reporter: in the taiwan strait a chinese nuclear submarine below the water war ships above. >> within these zones, they are firing missiles, torpedos, naval gunfire. it's a kind of a defacto blockade >> reporter: and china has cut off all lines of communication with the u.s. no high level military or naval talks no cooperation on illegal migration, drug trafficking, or climate change and china sanctioned speaker pelosi and her family pelosi's message to china tonight? >> they will not isolate taiwan by preventing us to travel there they are not doing our travel schedule. >> andrea, if i can change subjects slightly and talk about the tension with russia this news following brittney griner's prison sentence.

>> indeed. now that the trial is over the russian foreign minister now says for the first time they are willing to talk about a prisoner swap but only in private so the u.s. will test whether vladimir putin is really serious. president biden said today i'm hopeful. we're working hard lester >> okay. andrea mitchell, thank you. in 60 seconds the baby formula crisis. why some parents are still struggling to find food for their children what families need to know

all right. now to a story we have been following closely, the baby formula shortage that left many families scrambling tonight many say they are still not out of the woods. >> reporter: the nightmare that has been ruling parents' lives for months >> parents are desperately scrambling to find baby formula. >> reporter: isn't over yet we spoke with mom felicia edwin back in may. >> it's just not a good feeling to be on edge at every moment. >> reporter: since then she and her husband toby say

there's been little relief >> it really gets down to, all right. we only have about a day or two worth what is our next move going to be? >> and that in itself is nerve-racking. >> reporter: while the situation improved some our look at store shelves this week found big gaps remain where formula should be the latest nationwide data shows a 27% out of stock rate for powdered formula that is despite the reopening of abbott's critical sturgis manufacturing plant which resumed production earlier this summer but not yet for all products the biden administration has had domestic manufacturers ramp up production and flown in the equivalent of nearly 64 million eight-ounce bottles of formula from abroad. the white house this week announced more flights to come but also acknowledged for many families the problem persists. >> this has not gone away and we do understand that there's a lot more work to do >> back ordered. canceled. >> reporter: in new jersey sarah chamberlain has not been able to order a single can of specialty formula

online since april she now depends on facebook groups to track down the products which her 8-year-old who suffers from a metabolic disorder relies on for 70% of her nutrition what's it like to be a mother in this kind of situation? >> it's difficult. i mean, her health and development is at risk without this formula that is an incredible burden for a parent. >> reporter: industry experts anticipate supply to normalize in the fall a long road ahead for families still weathering a day-to-day struggle. nbc news, montclair, new jersey up next tonight, my report of the death of an unarmed black teenager in the wake of the george floyd case why his parents say his death deserves another look

we're back now with the case of a black teenager who died after a struggle with police nearly four years ago one that anton black's family says has similarities to the death of george floyd. anton black's case is not widely known outside maryland and now there are questions about why his death was ruled an accident greensboro, maryland september 2018 an unarmed black teenager fleece from police there is a chase and a struggle all caught on body cam 19-year-old anton black under the weight of police officers crying out to his mother >> you were always

here how you guys doing my name is anton black. >> reporter: anton was a star athlete and budding model. >> this is my baby boy, anton. >> reporter: and now his father says anton is an example of a broken system. outraged that his son's death was declared an accident. >> you're begging for your life and they don't get off him. how is that an accident my son was george floyd before george floyd. >> reporter: there is at least one connection between george floyd's case and anton black's. dr. david fowler maryland's former chief medical examiner who signed off on anton's autopsy report testified two years later for officer derek chauvin's defense that floyd's death was undetermined >> if anton black is an accident and george floyd is undetermined, then how many other cases that we have no idea about are accidents and undetermined >> reporter: dr. roger mitchell is an expert in in custody police deaths how many in custody deaths are there in

the u.s. each year >> no one knows. >> reporter: there are roughly 2,000 medical examiners and coroners in america dr. mitchell says there is no central data base, so no one knows how many people like anton die in police custody every year but he says he has a solution, adding a single box on a death certificate. >> a check box on the u.s. standard death certificate that allows us to see from a physician's hand who is dying in custody no matter what the manner of death so we can have an objective, public health measure of this issue. >> dr. fowler declined to speak with nbc news don't miss the new episode of "dateline" tonight at 10:00 p.m. eastern, 9:00 central. when we come back here tonight how one beloved umpire's unique style on the field is changing the game and inspiring america. while summer

while summer softball season hits a fever pitch one umpire is calling games unlike any other our affiliate kare 11 in minneapolis has the story. >> play ball two strikes! >> reporter: by tradition umpires are an anonymous bunch it's their nature. >> you know the umpire's name? >> no i don't. >> reporter: but one field over at the minnesota girls 10 and under state softball tournament, everyone knows this name. >> my name blue lou. you know what i got.

>> what do you got >> i got a team that's hotter than hot. >> reporter: and loves his strike calls >> he does the one where he bowls i believe we will win! >> reporter: part game official, part motivational speaker, part acrobat everyone knows blue lou. but who is he? >> louis williams iv. >> reporter: louis williams iv came to minnesota to play football at st. cloud state university >> i had like a year and a half left of school they cut the team because of the budget issues >> reporter: louis stayed, finished his engineering degree, struck a pose with his mother, and went to work in his field. the field of manufacturing engineering. and the infield. >> last year around this time i read a book called "the compound effect" and it basically was talking about if you got a talent, put it on display for the world to see >> reporter: you might say louis jumped at the opportunity. how much do they love him? that's a team pleading to have louis move from another game to theirs >> please! >> reporter: the girls

will encounter plenty of umpires they won't long remember and one they will never forget >> as long as the kids have fun hey i'd do a hundred back flips. >> reporter: nbc news, minnesota. >> that is terrific. that is "nightly news" for this friday. thank you for watching everyone i'm lester holt. please take care of yourself and each ♪ ♪ ♪♪ when you're tired when you're lonely ♪ ♪ you can just reach out an

arm ♪ ♪ know i'll be there ♪ ♪ i'll help you weather the storm ♪ ♪ us together nothing's ever ♪ ♪ felt more like home ♪ ♪ know i'll be there ♪ ♪ you will never be alone ♪ ♪ all i need is your love tonight ♪ ♪ all i need is your love tonight ♪ ♪ in that moment when you're feeling ♪ ♪ like there's nothing at all ♪ ♪ reach out to me ♪ ♪ know that i'll answer the call ♪ ♪ us together nothing's ever ♪

♪ felt more like home ♪ ♪ know i'll be there ♪ ♪ you will never be alone ♪ ♪ all i need is your love tonight ♪ ♪ all i need is your love tonight ♪ ♪ all i need is your love tonight ♪♪ [applause] >> kelly: [screams] welcome to "the kelly clarkson show"! give it up for my band y'all with "love tonight" by the australian music duo shouse also with jaco killing it on the saxophone! i did not even know! you look so great right now,

with antonio vendettas, you look so great. i love it. we are still without an audience today because of this stupid pandemic, but we have some awesome people dialed in from all over the country and our house he gets. maxwell, texas, texas! she asked that i sing "love tonight," why did you want to hear that song? >> hey, kelly, i have been a fan since 2019 and i'm looking for new music on social media platforms to dance to. i came across a song "love tonight" on spotify and turned into a band for it. it's a good one for a beginning shuffle because of the lower tempo, and i saw a girl shuffle dancing, she was flowing and i decided to try it out myself. and i was teaching myself new moves and combos, and i'm just grateful for this chance and opportunity to share it here today. it's a beautiful art and i am thankful for the music that we get to connect with and flow too.

>> kelly: thank you so much, jenna! dancing is so loving and freeing, i do it in my house by myself listening to music. whatever, judge me. we have a great show and it all starts up on the roof. that's right, beautiful southern california so we are taking advantage of the weather and staying even safer during the surge by hosting some of our guests up there. we did it yesterday and it was so fun. it felt like a date, but i am cool i'm into it. let's do another interview alfresco, jason, can you give me an extra long -- i am in heels, yes, okay. here we go. ♪ ♪ all right, and just like that i am on the roof, y'all, these guests are very funny. you have seen one in "the office" and "the hangover" and the other in marble

streaming cinematic universe. their names are randall park and ed helms! we can't touch, but we can do this. have a seat! we have a new thing. we are trying to keep it even safer in her outside. >> randall: it's terrific. >> ed: is this real water? >> kelly: it is not, we don't have anything for you. we will bring water out now. [laughter] so this is our cafe alfresco. that's what we are calling it, how long have you known each other? it feels like your chemistry you guys have known each other for ever. >> randall: we were married back in the -- >> kelly: [laughs] >> randall: we were married and twins. we were friends for a long time, we lost touch, and then we were reunited add to beyonce's birthday. >> ed: that's right. >> kelly: is that a true story? okay, i was like, you're so much cooler than me.

what? >> randall: no, the real story is a lot more fascinating, actually, we just kind of met each other here and there. >> ed: and kenny would trace the origin. >> kelly: i love that though. you have great chemistry. i saw y'all recently on "the voice" in the last season and y'all are so funny. i love your chemistry. but the office had a huge comeback like the last several years, i think because of streaming, everybody although shows that maybe were popular years ago are coming back around, is that cool to have a whole new fan base for it? >> ed: it's totally insane and mind-blowing, honestly. there are kids who weren't even born when the show started cornell like avid fans. >> kelly: it's a great show. >> ed: yes, it's totally amazing, randall was on the office. >> randall: i did an episode and it's crazy -- >> kelly: is that when you met? >> randall: that's what i thought but it wasn't. i did one scene in one episode. i was in and out and like a

couple of hours. and that one scene is probably the thing that i am recognized both for. to be on that's how powerful you are. >> ed: it makes our shows "true story" and office reunion. >> kelly: i know that you were on "the voice," but blake is a member of your a cappella group. he just not john. >> ed: except for john. yes, john and i have been rivals for decades. >> kelly: make sense. >> ed: beyonce's party. >> kelly: you had a cappella-elf. did you grow up really singing a cappella? >> ed: not a cappella, but i was a choral nerd, so like singing all the time. my buddy warren goodrich and i