answering back and helping young hockey players of color. we'll have that story coming up at 6:00. >> lester holt and "nightly news" is up next. breaking news tonight, hurricane dorian taking dead aim at florida, the new track as we come on the air. dorian gaining strength poised to strike as a powerful category 4 storm this holiday weekend. the storm surge potentially life threatening. stes of emergency just declared in georgia, expanded to every county in florida, millions on alert, the rush to get ready. president trump cancelling a trip overseas to monitor the storm. al roker is tracking it all also tonight, under fire, former fbi chief james comey, the justice department's watchdog finding comey violated rules of leaked memos of private conversations with president trump

how the president is reacting the urgent warning for ecigarette users, stop vaping immediately health officials say. >> i had no idea what was happening inside my body and that's very scary >> tonight the number of vapors with lung disease growing. the shocking surveillance, a pregnant jail inmate in labor, her cries for help she says went ignored. the woman forced to give birth in her cell alone. the terrifying discovery, a massive arsenal, dozens of guns, eight grenades, more than 2,000 rounds inside the home. and that's not all police found and the slam dunk that seems impossible until you see it with your own eyes. with ester holt. good evening, i'm kristen welker in for lester we begin tonight with the millions of americans bracing for what could be a dangerous and deadly storm, hurricane dorian is intensifying as it churns toward the u.s.

the storm is expected to strengthen to a category 4 hurricane before hitting florida over the holiday weekend. with dorian on that collision course, many are now preparing for a direct hit, stocking up on food and medicine and some are even getting out of town. tonight, there is an expanded state of emergency in florida and parts of georgia and we begin our coverage with al roker. al, what are you seeing out there >> kristen, the latest from the national hurricane center, 85-mile-per-hour winds with dorian. northwesterly movement at 13-miles-per-hour it quickly becomes a category 3 tomorrow, category 4 on sunday, land fall central florida on monday afternoon. the american model, land fall central florida on monday. in the european, down in southern florida on tuesday. catastrophic winds over the bahamas on sunday hurricane force winds for florida on monday. and the rainfall, coastal sections of the southeastern florida area, five to

ten inches of rain isolated 15 inches we're still watching these models trying to coalesce, and we haven't even talked about storm surge yet. kristen, it really bears watching all weekend long >> indeed. al roker, thank you for that and in florida tonight the state's 21 million people have been placed on alert, residents racing to get ready and tourists scrambling to get out as dorian approaches the coast guard late today raising the alert level for port canaveral. that's where we find kathy park tonight >> reporter: hurricane dorian slammed into the caribbean flooding streets, toppling trees, and capsizing boats, but spared the island from major disaster now, the storm has its eye on florida and is expected to hit the state as a dangerous category 4 the governor issuing this blunt warning >> the time to act is now. if you haven't acted, act to make preparations do not wait until it's too late >> reporter: residents in davie packed this

costco stocking up with day's worth of food and supplies, some stores not able to keep up with the demand nasa isn't taking any chances either, moving hardware out of harm's way at kennedy space center meanwhile on the central coast where tourism is key, restaurants are struggling to fill seats on what would typically be a bustling labor day weekend. >> we've probably dropped 30%, 40% in business >> reporter: the beach also thinned out >> really only like us and a few other people here two days ago it was total stacked. >> reporter: vacationers cutting their holiday short. >> the tourism is definitely going to be a little down this year >> reporter: getting in and out of florida may pose a problem >> pack a lot of patience you may find longer lines than you expected here this weekend because of people trying to get out of town earlier. >> reporter: as all signs show dorian seng and port canaveral is one of the busiest cruise ports in the world and tonight cruiselines are modifying itineraries for their guests to ensure their safety as hurricane dorian moves in

kristen? >> kathy park, thank you for that report from florida as dorian barrels toward the u.s. mainland, we wanted to give you an idea of exactly what it's like to be inside a hurricane and feel those extremely powerful winds nbc's kristen dahlgren with more on what could be in store when dorian is expected to blast ashore >> reporter: with all the talk of wind speeds and categories, the university of maryland's research wind tunnel shows us what that really means. >> all right we're at tropical storm force winds. this is too late to be boarding up your windows. >> reporter: by th time we hit hurricane strength at 74-miles-per-hour -- >> i can't walk against this anymore category 1 older mobile homes might be destroyed. we see them damaged. we start to see a lot of power lines down. even some stronger structures would see some roof damage 96-miles-an-hour we are now at category 2 strength these winds are way too strong

i can barely lean into them anymore >> reporter: category 2 can bring damage t older structures, uprooted trees, and significant power outages. >> this is a category 3 now. this is devastating damage in the older homes destroyed, power and water out for several days maybe weeks. >> reporter: so, that's as high as they let us go. add in storm surge and a cat 4 or 5 can be catastrophic what researchers learned from tests here can be life saving >> people think that they're prepared, but once the winds pick up, once the water rises, they're not as prepared as they think. >> reporter: a stark warning -- that the time to get ready may quickly run out. kristen dahlgren, nbc news, college park, maryland president trump tonight is cancelling his trip to poland so

he can monitor the storm. meanwhile he's also speaking out about former fbi director james comey. comey coming under fire in a scathing new report which found he violated fbi policy by leaking memos of his private conversations with the president nbc's hallie jackson is at the white house. >> reporter: the justice department's independent watchdog is blasting james comey for setting a, quote, dangerous example by not safeguarding sensitive information during his time leading the fbi that's specifically referring to memos comey wrote after his interactions with president trump, describing being asked for loyalty and to let go of a former investigation into michael flynn. comey shared one of the memos with a friend to share with a reporter with th revelations triggering the appointment of special counsel robert mueller. >> i thought that might prompt the appointment of a special counsel. >> reporter: the report says comey was not permitted to release sensitive investigative information in order to achieve a

personally desired outcome. the ig says he violated fbi policy by doing so and although some of what comey released was later deemed classified, it was not at the time. the justice department is now declining to prosecute as comey responds defending himself today. to all those who spent two years talking about me going to jail or being a liar and a leaker, ask yourselves why you still trust people who gave you so much bad info for so long, including the president. president trump tweeting perhaps never has somebody been more disgraced and escoriated than james comey. >> comey who lied and leaked he's a liar and he's a leaker >> reporter: comey has become a political lightning rod for the right. >> this report confirms it. mr. comey is a meathead he's a political hack. he hurt the fbi badly. >> reporter: but some democrats argue comey did what he had to do at an extraordinary political moment >> we are better off as a nation for james

comey having kept these memos and i think they will be important well after this administration wraps up >> reporter: the white house tonight is accusing comey of disgracing himself and his office as comey says he would like to hear sorry we lied about you from his attackers. kristen? >> hallie jackson at the white house, hallie, thank you. the trump administration moved today to roll back federal rules on a greenhouse gas that scientists say is a major contributor to climate change the epa proposed revoking obama era regulations requiring oil and gas sites to monitor and plug methane leaks. environmentalists are threatening to challenge the proposal in court next to the 2020 race democratic front runner joe biden again on defense tonight after a report he had been repeatedly and inaccurately telling a war story on the campaign trail we get more from nbc's peter alexander. >> reporter: it's a moving war story that joe biden has told before >> this guy climbed down a ravine, carried this guy up on his

back under fire. >> reporter: that he was in afghanistan as vice president when he was asked to pin a silver star on an heroic navy captain. >> i do not want the damn thing please do not pin that thing on me, sir do not do that he died. he died. >> reporter: according to "the washington post," almost every detail of that story he told friday appears to be incorrect, that he was conflating elements from multiple actual events including when he pinned a bronze star on this army staff sergeant, chad workman. ultimately "the post" reports biden got the location, the time period, the military branch, and the rank of the recipient wrong as well as his own role in the ceremony >> this is the god's truth, my word as a biden. >> reporter: ask if he conflated multiple stories, he told a north carolina newspaper, no, i don't think so the central point is it was absolutely accurate what i said he refused the medal it comes as president

trump has repeatedly accused the democratic front-runner of being off his game >> joe biden has truly lost his fastball. >> reporter: the president has made numerous exaggerations and false statements including this claim just this week >> kim jong-un who i've gotten to know extremely well, first lady has gotten to know kim jong-un >> reporter: the white house later clarifying that the first lady has never met kim. >> reporter: staff sergeant workman told "the post" eight years later he remembers meeting with biden and felt like the former vice president really understood >> peter alexander, thank you. as we've been reporting an epidemic of gun violence is spreading through st. louis, missouri, and innocent children are often caught in the line of fire authorities are offering big payouts for information as the community remains outraged by these killings ron allen is there >> we losing too many people, families >> reporter: pain and anger erupting at an

emergency community meeting. >> we had to bury five people in our family >> yes, we did >> within two days >> reporter: a long line of those who lost loved ones demanding authorities stop the bloodshed. in the st. louis metro area, at least 20 children have died in gun violence this year, more than a dozen since spring vigils for victims all too often like this one for 8-year-old journey thompson >> she kissed me and told me bye. >> reporter: her father let her go to a football jamboree, a reward for doing her chores then gunfire broke out. >> she was a protector and lover and she just wanted everybody to know that she loved us >> reporter: the case is unconnected but a disturbing pattern, investigators say. adults usually the target, the kids innocent bystanders. afterwards witnesses refuse to tell police what happened. police hoping $100,000 of reward money will entice residents to come forward people are afraid. what do you tell them? >> stand up and stand out. we will do our best to protect them as besteporr: witt more help, the fear is

m he unrelenting street even more young lives. ron allen, nbc news, st. louis. and also tonight the stark new warnings for ecigarette users health officials in city advising to stop vaping immediately as the number of illness potentially linked to ecigarettes grows. we get more from anne thompson >> any pain when you breathe? >> no. >> reporter: this is not how maddie nelson wanted to spend her summer vacation. >> they had no idea what was going on inside until they put me into a medically induced coma >> reporter: after three yearsw of daily vaping, the 18-year-old developed a high fever and pneumonia. her doctors thinks were caused by her habit. >> i still have to be on oxygen at night and i just finished my prescription of steroids that i was taking but other than that i'm doing pretty good. >> reporter: she's one of a growing number of people getting sick leading to more warnings today about vaping, indiana's governor targeting teens. >> the best thing we can do is make sure they never start

department joining the national chorus urging people to stop after 16 users were hospitalized with a type of pneumonia caused by poisons or toxins nbc news reached out to the health departments of all 50 states and found there are nearly 300 confirmed or suspected cases connected to vaping symptoms include coughing, shortness of breath, and fever. >> just because they are safer or perceived to be safer than cigarettes doesn't mean they are safe i think we're now seeing clear evidence that that is not the case >> anne joins us now anne, good to see you. what is in this vaping liquid >> it's a chemistry pile along with nicotine and flavoring. there's something called propylene glycol it's used in antifreeze, perfume, and that artificial fog you sometimes see at concerts. while generally considered safe, it is as a doctor said it is a chemistry experiment every time you inhale. >> such important information tonight,

anne thank you for that report really appreciate it on that same topic, many people use ecigarettes to vape marijuana. but today the nation's surgeon general sounding the alarm on pot saying it's thre times more potent than 20 years ago dr. jerome adams is warning pregnant women who use marijuana to ease morning sickness that it can harm their baby's development and teens who use the drug could have attention, memory and decision making trouble we will have more ahead tonight, including the video sparking outrage, the pregnant inmate in labor, no one coming to help her. forced to deliver her baby alone in her cell then the massive arsenal seized inside a home, what police found in addition to dozens of guns and the young man who never gave up on his hoop dreams inspiring america. stay with us

tonight a denver mother is suing after she says she was forced to give birth alone in a jail cell without any medical care

the entire thing caught on camera blaine alexander has more >> reporter: diana sanchez's journey to motherhood began in a jail cell, forced to give birth alone after hours of begging for help, the entire ordeal caught on this surveillance video released by her lawyer sanchez first raised the flag at breakfast time telling a deputy at 5:02 a.m. she was in labor, then again at 6:34. her lawyer says she tried at least nine times to get help. at one point officials slipped an absorbent pad under the door finally you see sanchez writhing in pain address and a 10:44 a.m. give birth to her baby boy. >> she was in excruciating pain. she was petrified. she was humiliated >> reporter: the video shows after the birth, staff entered her cell and 32 minutes later her lawyer says she sanchez was being heldarges.

now she's suing for negligence in a statement, the denver sheriff's department says her cell was located in the jail's medical unit and sanchez was under the care of denver health medical professionals, noting they've since changed their policy to make sure inmates in labor are immediately taken to the hospital. a year later, both sanchez and baby are home and hoping a judge gives them closure. blaine alexander, nbc news well coming up, the terrifying discovery inside a quiet neighborhood

next tonight, police say they've seized a massive weapons arsenal inside a home in philadelphia officials say they recovered dozens of guns, thousands of rounds of ammo, and that's not all here's nbc's miguel almaguer >> reporter: the massive stockpile of weapons, 39 guns, more than 2,000 rounds of ammunition, and 8 mostly inactive grenades were hauled

away by police the depot where investigators sa bombmaking materials were also found discovered in the philadelphia suburbs as much armory as it was a home, even veteran officers were shocked by the find. >> we found at least a gun in every single room in the house. some were hidden under furniture. some were in drawers some were in cabinets. >> reporter: responding to a call of a suicidal man -- >> says he is armed. possibly multiple guns in the home. >> reporter: -- the 72-year-old homeowner who authorities call an avid weapons collector was taken other in for a man tall investigation. the cache of hand guns, rifles, and assault rifles nearly all loaded are being cataloged. >> we're going to get the serial number of every single gun and we're going to run that serial number >> reporter: tonight no arrests and no charges as police say there was also no longer a threat here, an arsenal dismantled in the middle of a quiet suburban neighborhood >> good catch by

philadelphia police. coming up next, "inspiring america," the college athlete and the slam dunk you just have to see to believe.

finally in tonight's "inspiring america," a college athlete who proves strength is much more than physical. here's ron mott. >> good. >> reporter: 21-year-old zion clark is like many young wrestlers, lean, chiselled, and full of grit >> good job. >> reporter: but it's what he doesn't have that sets him apart. zion has a rare birth defect causing his lower body to not develop. >> what you're born with is what you're born with. you can't go back in time and change things you've got to keep moving forward

>> reporter: that wasn't always easy for in and out of foster homes since birth, he says he felt very alone. >> were you an angry young man? >> i was very angry. >> mm-hm >> reporter: but everything changed when zion turned 16 living with his new foster mother. >> i had been wanting a boy. and when i first saw him, it was just something that was in my spirit. he needed a home he needed a mother >> reporter: kimberly hawkins decided to adopt him. >> he said, yes, i want you to be my mom. i said, let's do it. >> ready >> reporter: she helped zion bring his passion, wrestling, to the next level >> his persistence and his accountability throughout his career was absolutely second to none. >> he taught me more about life than i taught him >> reporter: he won 30 matches his senior year of high school and was caught in this viral video with his new trainers >> you want to be your best version of yourself you're going to have trials and tribulations, but the

end result is worth it if you stay with it. >> reporter: overcoming the odds and standing tall. ron mott, nbc news, ohio >> talk about a slam dunk how incredible zion's dream is to compete not only in the 2020 paralympics, but the olympics, too. we have no doubt he will remarkable young man . right now, the sharks are are fed up with racist comments that he said are he being directed at him. the action he is taking to get rid of the hate. >> and a story we first told you about. the investigative unit uncovered that buildings on the uc berkley campus are in danger of collapsing when the big one hits. what students think. and breaking news out of the south bay. a serp for a killed a pedestrian and ran. >> the news at 6:00 starts right

now. >> raj is off tonight. >> that happened at jackson and story road. at this hour, the intersection remains closed. damian is joining us live. what can you tell us? >> well the man-hunt is under way,s unless they are looking for the driver ofhe we have here at the scene that the victim is a male adult. police have surrounded the body with police vehicles. to protect the body and identity at this point. police say the driver of the brown suv was speeding west bound on story road. they say, he ran a red light. crashing in to the blue pick up truck. the brown suv struck a pench who appeared to be on the crosswalk, killing him. and the suspect ran from the scene and the man-hunt ensued. the victim -- it started with