NBC Nightly News
Jul 2 Thur
2026 • E165 Jul 2, 2026 20m
The heat is on. A life-threatening heat dome is now expected to remain over much of the east for days. New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. are all declaring heat emergencies. And the extreme heat is already impacting the holiday travel rush. Plus, a former Olympic canoeist was indicted by a grand jury for allegedly damaging the renovated Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool. Prosecutors say park officers saw him ripping up pieces of the pool’s liner. And security has ramped up outside of Madison Square Garden as the massive celebrations start. The couple donated 26 million dollars to charities across the U.S. before their big day. Finally, Tom Llamas introduces us to Eileen Collins, a retired NASA astronaut, who made history as the first female pilot and the first female commander of a space shuttle mission.