Tonight the critical hours for President Biden as the race to do debate damage

control intensifies. The president today acknowledging I screwed up and our

new reporting he's privately torn between acceptance and defiance in the face of

calls to withdraw. Now saying according to sources he wants to get more arrest and

revealing he saw a doctor after the debate even after the White House said that wasn't the case.

Former President Trump now weighing in.

Also tonight the huge wildfire in California, tens of thousands evacuated from their homes,

July 4th festivities, canceled, all during a dangerous heat wave

for more than 140 million Americans under alerts tonight.

Hurricane barrels path of destruction, ripping up parts of Jamaica, now taking aim at Mexico.

So is Texas next?

We're tracking it live.

The latest on law enforcement on high alert at holiday celebrations across the country.

And the news just coming in, two confirmed shark attacks, one in Florida, another in Texas.

The phone call between President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. Is there optimism for a potential

ceasefire? We've got the new reporting. The FBI now investigating Chinese Olympic swimmers who

failed doping tests and who are set to compete in Paris just three weeks

from now.

And those July 4th holiday sales, what experts say is really a deal now and what's worth

waiting for. This is NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt.

Good evening, I'm Halley Jackson in for Lester,

and we're coming on the air tonight with President

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