From nbc news World Headquarters in new york, this is nbc nightly news with lester holt. Good evening and welcome to our viewers in the west. Thank you for being here. We begin with a story that broke late today. The power struggle in the west wing of the white house has claimed another casualty. President trump announced by twitter this afternoon that he is replacing chief of staff Reince Priebus with Homeland Security secretary general john kelly. Priebus exit after six months on the job comes a day after he was excoriated by new White House Communications director Anthony Scaramucci and just a week after sean spicers abrupt resignation as press secretary. Our Kristen Welker is at the white house with late details on the shakeup. Reporter tonight, a major staff shakeup in the embattled west wing. Chief of staff Reince Priebus is out. President trump announcing his new pick in a tweet. I am pleased to inform you that i have just named general secretary john f. Kelly as white house chief of staff. Kelly had served as mr. Trumps secretary of Homeland Security. The president spoke about the big changes moments after returning to washington after a trip to new york. Reince is a good man. John kelly will do a fantastic job. General kelly has been a star, done an incredible job thus far, respected by everybody. A great, great american. Reporter a source close to priebus says he privately offered his resignation yesterday after the new Communications Director, Anthony Scaramucci, launched a profanitylaced tirade against him in the new yorker. What led to the ouster . Sources inside the white house says the president has been frustrated with priebus perceived lack of leadership for months and having put him in charge of healthcare, last nights defeat was the final straw. The motion to commit is not agreed to. Reporter secretary kelly is widely seen as a stabilizing force. A 45year marine veteran who has carried out mr. Trumps tough on crime and immigration policies as the leader of Homeland Security and, like his boss, wants to crack down on leaks. I think its darn close to treason. Reporter at his event in new york today, the focus was gang violence, but the president also sang kellys praises. Truly one of our stars. John kelly is one of our great stars. Reporter late tonight, priebus. Reporter in a statement tonight, priebus thanked the president for what he called one of the greatest honors of my life. According to a white house official, kelly starts his new role on monday. The move has been in the works for about two weeks. Priebus becomes the shortest serving white house chief of staff ever. Lester . Kristen welker, thank you. Lets bring in our political director, the moderator of meet the press. Chuck, were watching some serious issues. Our next story about north korea while all this drama is playing out in the white house with its attached distractions. What happens now . What faction won, and where does that take the administration . Well, look, today could actually be the day the start of a series of potentially good days. I mean, look, it was an untenable situation when you had this new Communications Director in open warfare with two of the president s closest advisers, the chief of staff, Reince Priebus, who is now out, and the chief strategist steve bannon. Look, its well find out if he can bring order. If everybody in the president s orbit, lester, i would say john kelly was probably the best candidate he could have picked to be chief of staff. But he can only be successful if, number one, the president gives him some authority, at least on staffing, and number two, if there is an acknowledgment of where things get started and where they end. Are people going to be able to do end runs around the chief of staff, this one, like they did before . I imagine that somebody who has worn the uniform is going to be harder to end run than a guy like Reince Priebus. So well see. But ultimately about what authority does this president give his chief of staff. I know youll have more on meet the press on sunday. Chuck, thank you. Lets go the other major story i mentioned a moment ago. North korea fired off another Intercontinental Missile late today, one that some experts are warning was capable of reaching several major American Cities. As it was the missile splashed down off the coast of japan where that countrys Prime Minister describes the launch as a serious and real threat. Today the pace of north koreas progress toward developing a longrange nucleararmed missile is the cause of grave concern in washington as well. Our Andrea Mitchell has the very latest. Reporter in the wake of a successful launch three weeks ago, north korea today firing a second longrange missile. The missile aloft for around 45 minutes, 2300 miles up, and landing in the waters off japan about 620 miles from its launch. The alarming advance, if shot toward the u. S. , could not only reach the u. S. West coast but some experts say even denver or chicago. A serious challenge to President Trump. That should get his attention that the north is not interested in doing something diplomatically. They want to have a weapons capability which can threaten the United States. Reporter the pentagon has been firing Missile Defense tests from alaska, but theyre not foolproof. And kim jonguns team is making alarming progress on the next step, producing a Nuclear Warhead small enough to be mounted on an icbm and withstand the heat of reentry into the atmosphere. They could conquer that challenge as soon as next year. Whats really missing here, andrea, is an entire team in a Trump Administration that is focused on solving this problem using all of the tools in our toolbox, military, diplomatic, intelligence, cyber, treasury sanctions. Reporter and tonight, in a show of force, the u. S. And south korea have staged a joint Ballistic Missile test in response. The chairman of the joint chiefs, general joe dunford, called his south korean counterpart to discussion military options. And just now the president has released a statement saying the United States will take all necessary steps to ensure the security of the American Homeland and protect our allies in the region. Lester . Andrea mitchell with that latebreaking information, thank you. Now the defeat for Senate Republicans and their last ditch effort to repeal parts of obamacare. As the marathon session stretched into the night, senator john mccain shocked his colleagues by casting a decided no vote. Provoking gasps in the chamber. Nbc capitol hill correspondent kasie hunt was up all night watching it and explains how it all went down. Reporter after seven years of fighting, the republican promise to repeal obamacare is broken. Senator john mccain stunned his president and his party overnight, stepping up and voting no. To gasps in the senate chamber. The socalled skinny repeal bill failed 4951. Two other republicans also voting no. This is, you know, clearly a disappointing moment. Reporter in the critical moments before the vote, the Vice President on the floor pleading his case. The president calling mccain on his cell phone. But it wasnt enough to cut the deal. They should have approved healthcare last night, but you cant have everything. Boy, oh, boy. Theyve been working on that one for seven years. Can you believe that . Reporter democrats today hailing mccain as a hero. Insisting they want to work with republicans. But theres no clear path forward. Republican leader Mitch Mcconnell not saying what hell do next. The administration is already hastening the collapse of obamacare. Theyve shortened the enrollment period, theyve cut outreach to encourage people to sign up. Reporter does President Trump understand healthcare policy . I havent talked to him at length on healthcare policy, but my republican colleagues who do say he doesnt understand it very well. Reporter the republicans who bucked their party now have to answer to voters. Susan collins is looking out for not just her party but her people in maine. Theres no sense in stabbing each other in the back. Thats what theyre doing with mr. Trump now. Reporter with Insurance Markets struggling and premiums rising, americans are still wondering if washington can do anything to help. There are already conversations going on between some republicans and democrats about how to at least stabilize the insurance exchanges, but with congress headed out on august recess for most of the month, its unlikely that this is going to come back up any time soon. Lester . Kasie hunt at the capitol tonight, thank you. Russia is retaliating against the u. S. For the new sanctions passed by congress over the kremlins meddling in the 2016 election. While President Trump has yet to say whether he will sign or veto those sanctions, moscow has already responded by seizing u. S. Diplomatic properties. Nbcs chief Foreign CorrespondentRichard Engel has more. Reporter from above it hardly looks like the kind of place to be at the center of a diplomatic row between washington and the kremlin, but the russian government said today its seizing this unassuming retreat for american diplomats and a Storage Facility the embassy uses. The American Country house outside moscow is now gated shut, and over the next month and a half, russia says it will be sending hundreds of americans home. Putting a cap on the number of americans who can serve in this country at 455, the exact number of Russian Diplomats who serve in the u. S. Its russias punishment for sanctions passed overwhelmingly by congress. The United States of America Needs to send a strong message to Vladimir Putin and any other aggressor that we will not tolerate attacks on our democracy. Reporter its also a delayed retaliation for similar seizures and expulsions by president obama last year. His response to russias election meddling. Back then, on the eve of President Trumps inauguration, putin didnt respond. But now, russian officials like andre klimov from russias Foreign Relations committee, called President Trump weak and ineffective. It seems to me personally from time to time that hes really prisoner of the white house. Reporter the u. S. Embassy in moscow said its been informed about the loss of its house and the personnel cap and has registered its complaint. Richard engel, nbc news, moscow. Tonight new moves from federal Health Officials in the battle to get more people to kick the habit. Step one is a path to make Tobacco Products less addictive by cutting the nicotine. Nbcs Kristen Dahlgren tells us more. Reporter calling it the leading cause of preventable disease and death cigarettes are the only legal Consumer Product that, when used as indicated, will kill half of all term users. Reporter the fda announcing a major regulatory shift. Its First Priority lowering nicotine in Tobacco Products. Also the role of flavored products like Menthol Cigarettes in attracting young smokers as well as cigars and ecigarettes. Ashley has been smoking for six years. If i wasnt addicted to nicotine, if i wasnt addicted to cigarettes, then i would have no problem quitting. Reporter the cdc estimates more than 36 million americans smoke. More than 3200 kids under 18 start each day. Smoking leads to 480,000 deaths each year. Thank you for calling the hot line. Reporter at National Jewish health in denver, hillary runs a Smoking Cessation quit line that covers 16 states. They receive up to 30,000 calls a month. On average, people take seven and eight times, seven or eight different quit attempts in order to be able to successfully quit. Reporter altria and Reynolds American issuing statements both endorsing the idea of a plan to regulate tobacco and nicotine. The fdas goal, they say, to reach a day where the most harmful products are no longer capable of addicting our kids. Kristen dahlgren, nbc news, new york. Still to come here tonight, shark warning. Why record numbers of great whites are suddenly being spotted off of some of americas most popular beaches, causing some dangerously close encounters. Were back now with new warnings at some of the busiest beaches in southern california. Great white sharks getting way too close up and down the coast. Advisories posted after a serious attack, and now dozens of other sightings. Heres Nbc News National Correspondent miguel almaguer. Reporter tonight in the Shallow Waters off of southern californias most popular beaches, great white sharks spotted in record numbers. Scientists say the coast here is a major breeding ground. We spotted at least four or five sharks right now. Reporter one of the oceans top predators with some incredibly close encounters. Ive seen the full grown ones, and theyre just jaw dropping. Reporter surfers, swimmers and kayakers like Brett Jackson coming within inches. It was like a foot from my face grabbing on to the kayak right here. Reporter with lifeguards launching drones to see whats in the water, officials are issuing more advisories and a spike in beach closures throughout the summer. This spring, near san diego, a mother wading in Shallow Water was attacked by a great white, left in serious condition. As we saw from the air, they are easier than ever to find, feeding on food thats abundant, including a dead whale. Dinner for this 14foot great white. Today scientists are tracking the sharks. Theyve been protected. Their foods coming back. Our oceans are getting warmer. So we should expect to see more sharks. Paddleboarding next to approximately 15 great white sharks. Reporter this summer surfers and swimmers are not alone. Great whites are lurking in the water. Whats been so astonishing is how incredibly close the great white sharks are coming to shore. This weekend here in huntington beach, theres a surf competition, but many surfers know the chances of being attacked by a shark are incredibly low. Lester . Miguel almaguer, safely above the surf there tonight. Up next, will it be a game changer . The first of these longawaited Affordable Electric cars hitting the streets. Were back now with a big sequel in theaters this summer. Its star, former Vice President al gore, back at it on his mission to combat Climate Change with a followup to his oscarwinning documentary an Inconvenient Truth that among other things shows how Climate Change can unite opposites in office. Anne thompson has our story. It is right to save the future for humanity. It is wrong to pollute this earth and destroy the climate balance. Reporter for al gores sequel, the news proved inconvenient. It is time to exit the paris accord. I really thought there was the chance that he would come to his senses, but i was wrong about it. Reporter so wrong they had to change the end of an inconvenient sequel truth to power. Is President Trump the biggest obstacle to solving Climate Change . Well, he is an obstacle. But i think hes kind of isolated himself on the issue. The rest of the country is moving forward anyway. Reporter in the movie, gore finds progress in unlikely places. Youre in georgetown. Right. Which is the reddest city in the reddest county in texas, and im a conservative republican. Okay. Reporter mayor dale ross voted for trump, but for the next two decades, georgetown, in the middle of oil country, will run on Renewable Power. What can other American Cities learn from georgetown . That if youre a factbased decisionmaker you can make this happen. And you have to put the petty National Partisan Politics aside and just make decisions based on the facts. Reporter Renewable Power offers cheaper lockedin rates. We have Wind Turbines and solar panels. What can those knuckleheads in d. C. Do to regulate that that increases our cost . The environment isnt republican or democratic. These storms and floods and droughts arent partisan. And the solutions arent partisan. Reporter political opposites finding Common Ground saving money and the planet. Anne thompson, nbc news, new york. And while still on the subject of the environment, could teslas new model spark an electric car revolution . Tesla is delivering its brandnew model 3 to the first 30 people who put down their deposits over a year ago. It can travel 215 miles on a single battery charge. With a list price of 35,000 its much more affordable than the rest of teslas luxury line, but if you want one, you may have to wait a while. When we come back here tonight, the amazing twists of fate that led a woman to repay a strangers kindness years later. Inspiring america is next. Next at 6 ms13 the brutal street gang making national headlines. Take vo the role san jose is playing in an international crackdown. Janelle take vo plus a record year for wasps. How to protect youself and your family from feeling the sting this summer. Next close next. Sot it finally tonight, how an act of kindness can come back around to you in the most unexpected ways. It all started three years ago when a nursing assistant found herself out of gas and out of money. And when a man offered her help, neither had any idea their paths would cross again. Nbcs catie beck has our inspiring america report. Reporter tunde hector says no coincidence could explain her miraculous story. On july the 18th, my life changed forever. And i am eternally grateful. Reporter when tunde, a home hospice aide, was hired to care for judy wright in her final weeks with parkinsons. She was my best friend. Reporter during dark days tunde brought peace. Gentle, read the bible to her. Just talked to her. She was our guardian angel. Reporter but tunde was saved once, too, ironically by judys son chris. When tunde first arrived, they realized theyd met before. He helped me at a time in my life where i was very down. Reporter out of gas roadside with only 5, chris stopped for a stranger. So this was the spot where you found her . Yeah, yep. Reporter filled tundes gas, gave her the 40 he had on him. Three years later, tunde would appear. Never, never, never dreamed wed see each other again. Reporter judy passed away, and the family, grateful for the gift of tunde, again gave her one. A lot of people believe in you and want to see you become a nurse. Reporter instead of flowers, they asked for donations toward the nursing degree tunde struggles to afford as a single mom. A check for more than 8,000. Lord, youre so good to me oh, my god reporter now shes part of the family. More sure than ever. Whether you believe in god or whoever you believe in, somebodys out there on your side. Reporter that this beautiful chapter was indeed no coincidence. Catie beck, nbc news, bogart, georgia. What a nice story to end our week on. We appreciate you spending part of your evening with us. That is nightly news for this friday night. Im lester holt. For all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching and good night. It doesnt add up because that is not the person we know. Right now at 6 00 coming to the defense of a bay area terror suspect. The reason his family was caught off guard by the charges. The news at 6 00 starts right now. I am terry mcsweeney. And i am janelle wang. This is the first time family has spoken on camera since the charges were announced. Sergio quintana spoke with the mans family. Reporter the charges against amir alhaggagi are very serious. Federal prosecutors claim he met with under cover fbi agents and took him to the Berkeley Campus that he wanted to bomb. That is not amir. For such accusations to be put against him, it makes us really like shocking and sad. Reporter his uncle tells me the charges are unbelievable. What were your reactions to the serious charges. When we look at amir we know, it doesnt add up. Reporter he has been involved in humanitaria