ukraine, the rising toll in gaza, and what he told me about his health after his secret hospitalization earlier this year. the deadly tornado outbreak across multiple states, while in the west dangerous heat. at a trump rally in phoenix, nearly a dozen treated for heat exhaustion. the deadly air strike on a gaza school. dozens killed, including children. israel tonight calling it a precise strike. the dramatic testimony from hunter biden's former romantic partner and widow of his brother beau. the new video of her throwing away hunter's gun at the center of the case. the suspected gilgo beach serial killer charged with two more murders. and the disturbing blueprint allegedly found on his computer. and the 21-gun salute, honoring more than 4,000 allied troops killed 80 years ago. the numbers that tell the story of d-day. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. >> good evening and welcome. and to the heros of d-day who we celebrate today, thank you. it's where we start tonight, 80 years after the daring american-led assault on the beaches of normandy, france that turned back the tide of nazi tyranny. allied leaders gathered today to pay tribute to d-day veterans who risked it all in the name of freedom. survivors of that harrowing day who fought their way off the beach as fresh-faced boys and young men returning to normandy today as old men, but still in the eyes of so many, standing ten feet tall. speaking from the american cemetery near the graves of nearly 9400 u.s. military dead, president biden offering his salute to the gathered veterans, saying the allied forces of d-day did their duty. in a moment, part of my interview with secretary of defense lloyd austin from normandy. but first, here is peter alexander. >> reporter: 80 years later where youthful bravery landed, today these last surviving heroes returned. [ "taps" playing ] just above the shores where 150,000 allied troops wade into the surf and were met by an endless barrage of nazi bullets, from the president a solemn tribute. >> it's the highest honor to be able to salute you here in normandy once more, all of you. god love you. >> reporter: fewer than 200 of america's sons who stormed these beaches on d-day to help reclaim the continent from nazi germany are still with us. the commander in chief today greeting many of them, most wearing their uniforms, some in wheelchairs and over 100 years old. president biden touting the unified front of western allies that succeeded on d-day. >> it was a powerful illustration of how alliances, real alliances make us stronger. a lesson that i pray we americans never forget. >> reporter: on this anniversary, the president also harnessing the heroism of that day. to highlight the urgent threat that hovers over europe and the danger of a russian victory in ukraine. >> we stand against tyranny, against evil, against crushing brutality of the iron first, and we stand for freedom. we defend democracy. >> reporter: among the most poignant and person moments, ukraine's president volodymyr zelenskyy embraced by a d-day veteran. >> savior of the people. >> oh, no, you're the savior. >> reporter: we visited with tom hanks, who's helped tell the story of america's greatest generation. >> we have a few men and women who i see as being 16, 17, 18, maybe 25 years old. were it not for their choice to come and do the right thing 80 years ago, you and i with not be standing here right now. >> reporter: and late today we met 100-year-old corporal harold terrance, who was just a 20-year-old kid from the bronx when he landed here, and telling us about the memories that still haunt him. >> war is disgusting. if you've ever been on the battlefield, you know. you have nightmares. >> reporter: but this weekend marks a new beginning. just miles from here, he'll marry his 96 years fiancee, trusting all the friends he lost will be with him. >> i love each and every one of them. i just feel good coming here. it brings back unpleasant memories, but it makes me feel good that i haven't forgotten any one of them or anything. >> and peter, this anniversary event had a special resonance for so many of these heroes. >> that's right, lester. even some of the veterans themselves today acknowledged this may be their last trip to normandy. but not 100-year-old corporal harold terrance, who tells me he plans to be here next year with his new bride. lester? >> all right, peter alexander, thank you for that. also speaking at today's d-day observance in france, u.s. secretary lloyd austin, afterward joining me for an interview about the lessons of d-day against the backdrop, of today's threats to the world order. >> it certainly is a reminder of how important it is to contest aggression and to contest tyranny. we can never forget to be grateful to those men and women who gave their lives here. we can never allow the memory to fade, because if we do, i believe that we'll be headed down a very dangerous path. >> you're on the european continent where a war rages in ukraine. we saw recently the u.s. congress begin to show signs of wavering support for ukraine. what does that portend, and what's the message to american allies? >> i've seen bipartisan support for ukraine throughout. ukraine matters. and you've heard us say this a number of times, not just for ukraine and not just for europe, but it matters to the world. it certainly matters to our security. >> but u.s. support has been incremental. why not just untie ukraine's hands and give them everything they believe they need to win this war? >> you know, i've been in touch with my counterpart from the very beginning on a weekly basis and discussing what their needs are, what kind of training they need, what kind of weapons, ammunitions they need, and we provided that. >> but can they win? >> what we want to see at the end of the day, lester, a democratic sovereign ukraine that has the ability to defend its sovereign territory and deter aggression. and i think they can certainly be successful at that. >> i also want to ask you about the situation in israel and gaza. you know very well what urban combat looks like. you commanded american troops in some of those very circumstances. when you look at the number of civilian deaths in gaza, what does that tell you about the way israel is waging this fight, and should they be doing it a different way? >> first of all, to the point that you made, lester, this is a complex environment. it's a three-dimensional fight -- rooftops, alleyways, tunnels underground, so very difficult. and to compound that, hamas routinely centers itself in and among the civilian population, puts its command and control facilities, its logistical modes underneath schools and hospitals. we are going to continue to provide support to israel so it can defend itself. but number two, there are clearly ways to ensure that we're protecting the civilian population and moving the civilian population out of harm's way. and there are ways to be more precise in terms of in achieving one's objectives. so i don't think the two are mutually exclusive. you can accomplish your objectives and still protect the civilian population. >> and prime minister netanyahu has stated his goal very clearly. that is to destroy hamas. putting the politics of that aside, militarily, is that even possible? >> well, lester, as we both know, hamas is an idea. and the way that you defeat an idea is with a better idea. and so not only do you have to defeat hamas' military capability, but you must do the right things to provide for the civilian population so that you strip the civilian population away from hamas. >> and mr. secretary, i would be remiss if i didn't ask you about your health. i know you recently had another treatment related to your prostate cancer that required you to temporarily transfer authority. how are you doing right now, sir? >> that treatment was not necessarily -- was not related to the cancer. it was something that we had planned. but to answer your question, i'm doing fine. my doctors are taking good care of me, and cancer-free at this point. >> those are great words to hear, i'm sure, for you and your family. secretary, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us. safe travels. >> well, thanks, lester. good to talk to you. now to the deadly tornado outbreak stretching from michigan to maryland. while in the west tonight, record-breaking heat. erin mclaughlin joining us from the storm zone. erin, good evening. >> reporter: lester, they've been cleaning this up all day. a fallen tree completely crushed that home. you can see a downed power line just dangling over there. it's the latest destruction in a season of climate issues. a tornado tearing through the city limits, injuring five and leaving a trail of destruction wednesday evening, just 25 miles outside of washington, d.c. >> you see all the debris flying in the air. this is probably it right here. >> it was definitely an eerie feeling. >> reporter: travis murphy filmed this video of the tornado from the roof of his apartment. >> we rarely get any extreme weather events, much less a tornado. >> reporter: residents living on hard hit dogwood drive say they've never seen anything like it. >> did you know what to do? >> not really. i thought maryland was pretty safe. >> reporter: next door, martin perez and his family were trapped when a tree fell on their house. they're now safe. >> seeing my daughter and my wife by my side. my wife is bleeding. >> reporter: last night a dozen apparent tornadoes struck the state of maryland, with a total of 22 reported across five states. at least one was deadly. in michigan, a 2-year-old boy died when a massive tree fell on his house while he and his mother were sleeping, according to first responders. and out west, extreme temperatures, with 27 million living under heat alerts from texas to california. phoenix expected to reach a sweltering 113. at a campaign event with former president trump, 11 people treated for heat exhaustion. >> ice-cold water! >> reporter: all this before the summer has even begun. tonight in even the unlikely places, residents say they're wary of what's next. erin mclaughlin, nbc news, gaithersburg, maryland. and back to the middle east now. israel is defending an air strike on a school in gaza that left dozens dead, including children. the military saying hamas was using the facility for cover. raf sanchez now with more from tel aviv. we have to warn you, some of the images in this report are disturbing. >> reporter: tonight israel facing questions over this deadly strike on a u.n. school in central gaza. the idf says it precisely targeted three classrooms where hamas and islamic jihad operatives who took part in the october 7th attack were hiding. >> terrorists with blood on their hands. >> reporter: but schools like this have been a refuge for palestinian families seeking safety, and hospital officials say of the 40 people killed, more than half were women and children. "we were sleeping and suddenly the place fell on our heads" this boy says. "i don't know what happened." the idf says it twice delayed the strike because there were too many civilians in the area. but the state department is seeking answers. >> if you see 14 children die in that strike, that shows that something went wrong. >> reporter: tonight an israeli human rights group calling the attack a suspected war crime. saying while it's illegal for hamas to operate out of a school, that cannot justify the massive harm to civilians. the death toll giving new urgency to the white house's push to end the war and free the hostages. president biden and 16 other world leaders tonight demanding hamas accept the ceasefire proposal on the table, saying there is no time to lose. and the president facing new domestic pressure tonight with the naacp calling on the u.s. to halt arms deliveries to israel, a step the president's indicated he is not willing to take. lester? >> raf sanchez, thank you. now to dramatic testimony in hunter biden's gun trial as his former romantic partner and the widow of his late brother beau took the stand. ryan nobles is at the courthouse. >> reporter: tonight, the prosecution in hunter biden's federal criminal gun trial calling hallie biden, the widow of hunter's brother beau, who hunter had a romantic relationship after his brother died. hallie biden testifying she found the gun hunter purchased, the one prosecutors allege he bought after lying on a background check claiming he is not an active bringing user. prosecutors showing this video of hallie biden tossing the gun in the trash outside a grocery store. she told the jury i didn't want him to hurt himself or my kids to find it and hurt themselves. adding i realize it was a stupid idea now, but i was just panicking. and testifying about the drug use, "he would be agitated, high-strung," she said. saying she saw him with crack rocks the size of ping-pong balls, adding that hunter introduced her to crack. it was a terrible experience that i went through, and i'm embarrassed and ashamed of that period of my life. prosecutors saying that hunter was still using drugs just days after filling out the background check. showing a text message from the time where hunter told hallie, quote, i was sleeping on a car smoking crack. on cross-examination, biden defense lawyer abbe lowell asking "you've have no idea whether he was just saying that or whether he was actually there?" "correct," hallie said. lowell also getting hallie to concede despite her impression of hunter's behavior and despite his finds drug paraphernalia, she never physically saw him use drugs in 2018. as the case closes in on a verdict, president biden saying today if his son is convicted, he will not offer him a pardon. lester? >> okay, ryan, thank you. in just 60 seconds, the suspected gilgo beach serial killer back in court. the new murder charges he faces and the chilling blueprint prosecutors say was found on his computer. nd the you'll get better when you're not blamed for a condition you can't control. you'll get better when your pain isn't minimized, dismissed, forgotten. we will never stop trying to get better. because when medicine gets better, all of us can get better. (♪♪) ( ♪ ♪ ) start your day with nature made. the #1 pharmacist recommended vitamin and supplement brand. -cologuard®? -cologuard. cologuard! -screen for colon cancer. -at home, like you want. -you the man! cologuard is for people 45+ at average risk, not high risk. false positive and negative results may occur. ask your provider for cologuard. ♪ i did it my way ♪ we're back now with breaking news about the horrifying notes prosecutors say they found on the alleged gilgo beach serial killer's computer. emilie ikeda has that and the two new murder charges he now faces. >> reporter: just weeks after investigators revisited the home of the gilgo beach murder suspect, tonight rex heuermann is facing new murder charges, now accused of killing a total of six women over the past several decades. prosecutors pointing to what they believe is the 60-year-old architect's planning document to methodically blueprint his kills. why is the planning document critical to the investigation? >> this planning document crystallizes and encapsulates his intent for the commission of these murders, namely, he intended to murder these victims every step of the way. >> reporter: unearthed in march, the document goes into excruciating detail with apparent tasks to complete before, during, and after killings. things to remember reads "get sleep before hunt" and "consider a hit to the face or neck next time." a body prep checklist includes a note to remove head and hands. another section lists problems, citing dna, tire marks, fingerprints, and hair. it was hair recovered from the victims' bodies that prosecutors used to tie heuermann to the murders of sandra costilla, killed in 1993 and jessica taylor in 2003. parts of her remains were discovered within a mile of the suspect's other victims, the so-called gilgo four. today taylor's family fighting back tears. >> this year has been 21 years since she was taken from us, longer than the chance that she got to be alive. >> reporter: the d.a. is not ruling out the possibility for more charges against heuermann, confirming today he is the suspect in a seventh killing as well. heuermann continues to plead not guilty. lester? >> emilie, thank you. we're back after this with a scary moment at a kansas city chiefs practice. plus, the new health warning linked to a new popular sugar substitute in gum, candy, and more. a year after a heart attack, mike's feeling like himself again. but even though time has passed, his risk of a second attack hasn't. mike is still living in the red. with a very high risk of another heart attack or stroke. he doesn't know with his risk factors his ldl-c (bad cholesterol) is still too high - the recommended level is below 55. are you living in the red? get in the know. learn how to get a free ldl-c test at attackheartdisease.com. 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(♪♪) we're back now with breaking news about a kansas city chiefs player, chiefs defensive end bj thompson had a seizure and a cardiac arrest during a team meeting today according to an nfl network report. citing sources, the 25-year-old was taken to the hospital where he is reportedly in stable condition. we turn to a health alert now on a study released today raising concerns about a popular sugar substitute. anne thompson is here. anne, what are we learning? >> lester, this is the latest study to find a link between a common sugar substitute and cardiovascular issues. xylitol is in all sorts of things like sugar-free gum, candy and baked goods, each toothpaste. now researchers from the cleveland clinic found xylitol is related to an increased risk with heart attack and death. it supercharged blood they found xylitol can supercharge blood platelets, making them more likely to clot. more research is needed. but what concerns researchers is the people most likely to eat the sugar substitute is those with diabetes and already at risk for heart probl