tonight free at last, inside the release of the american tourist held hostage in syria reunited tonight with his family after being held for two months, why the0-year-old blogger was arrested in a war zone. >> an entire team of navy seals ordered sent home from iraq after allegations of sexual asslt and misconduct just a day after8 marines were detained in california on human smuggling and the cold case discovery, 34 years after a young girl was aidnapped when she was homene, her disappearance even drawing attention to child abductions. now after all those years her remains finally discovered. ng>> the not knowi breaks parents' hearts. it's the worst aspect of a missing child. danger in the

water, a man dies i after swimminga water park and becoming infected with a rare brain eating amoeba. where they're ually found and what you can do to stay safe. the massive merger, what the $26 billion deal between sprint and t-mobile could mean for the price you pay. d a dream come true. the emotional moment when a young fan gets .to meet his football hero >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. good evening an amican blogger who's around the world adventure took him into a countryripped with civil war, death, and unspeakable suffering has emerged alivend apparently well months after he was seized by sgovernment troop in syria. his release as a result of quiet negotiations and comes as we get a disturbing new look at the cross fi there. richard engel reports. >> reporter: tonight rare good news from syria. 30-year-old american sam goodwin is now free. his family tells nbc

news goodwin kept this blog as he aimed to travel to every country. and with ten countries in left, he went war-torn syria. syrian sources tell nbc news goodwin was ntraveling ale about l wo mohs ago without locahelp when he was arrested by the syrian regime. in a statement, his family said goodwin is in good health. we are grateful to be reunited with our son. they thanked the lebanese government for brokering goodwin's release under terms that remain unclear. and tonight, these images are capturing nd the danger a heartbreak ongoing in syria. gi a father digng for f is family in the rubbles home near rebel held. just bombe locals say, by russia, the regime. he's unchle to r his daughters, one dangles from her shirt. the doctor who treatem old us we see images like these every day, hundreds of

them. he said the older girl who tried to pull up her baby sister didn't survive. but the baby is recovering well. >> richard, other americans who are still being held in syria tonight? >> reporter: at least two americans, lester, including the american us journalist atin tice. but there could be more because some families like the goodwinson't go public thinking that it could help in the go neations. others, however, think that going public and the pubcity will help pressure the captors. >> all right, richard engel tonight, thanks. te>> an entire platoon of eli.s. navy seals has been removed from iraq and sent home after reports of sexual assault and other misconduct at a fourth of july party nbc's miguel almaguer has the details. >> reporr: the elite navy seals who trained in san die were deployed on a mission tsin iraq when repor of serious misconduct were made.

two u.s. military officials confirm investigats are aeviewing an alleged sexualault by a member oseal team 7 against a female servicmember who works with the unit. it's said to have taken place on the urth of july weekend whilsome were drinking, against the code of conduct while deployed. >> u.s. military officials say that when confronted with the allegations, the sealcircled the wagon, refusing to give up information about their teammates to investigators seeking the truth. >> reporter: that code of silence not sitting well with top brass. l major t. hilciding to send the seals back to california. a military statement notes the commander lost confidence in the team's ability to accomplish the mission. >> the allegations are serious enough. bu the seals refusing to give up the truth is a violation of the very honor code they're supposed to live by. >> reporter: the news of a tarnished mission in iraq comes as ncis announcenumber

of marines detained thursday at camp umpendleton on han smuggling and drug charges has now risen to 18 in addition to a sailor. tonight investigators looking into serious reports of misconduct both at home and abroad. miguel almaguer, nbc news. tonight police are going door to door in an urgent man hunt f intensifying two teenagers on the run suspected of murder. here's morgan chesky. >> reporr: tonight canadian police converging on a small town, crews setting upec chk points as heavily armed officers search nearby woods, searching door to door for two teens turned murder suspects. someone may not have been aware of who they were providing assistance to. >> reporter: they have been on the run for two weeks. his father feels his son will end his life y.n a blaze of gl >> he's going to be dead today or tomorrow. i know that. r >>orter: police believe the childhood friends killed three including american chynna deese on a road

ip with boyfriend lucas fowler, both shot to death outside their broken down van. police then found the body of professor leonard dyck near a burnt up pick up truck the teens had been driving. they weren't spotted again until more than 1,200 miles away. day, another burned vehicle, more than 800 miles east near the town of gillam in northern n manitoba, a town fear with alleged killers on the loose.mo rgan chesky, nbc news. there is outrage tonight in mississippi and beyond after a photo emerged of three chej students, two of them wituns posing in front of a bullet riddled plaque honoring emmett till the murdered african-american teen who became a civil rights martyr. blaine alexander has more. >> the picture is controversial, three smiling university of mississippi students, two with guns posing in front of a memorial to slain civil right icon emmett till, the sign riddled with

llets. it's not clear whether the students vandalized it, but for many it's drudging up memories of a painful past. emmett till was 14 when he was brutally murdered by a group of whiteen more than 60 years ago in mississippi. his killers went free. >> it is not surprising but disturbing. >> reporter: nbc news a has not beene to identify one of the students in the photo and could not reach the other two for comment. all three were suspended from their fraternity kappa alpha which called the picture unacceptable. te' miss calls i offensive but says the students' actions did not violate its code of conduct. that defaced sign isno gone soon to be replaced. it will be the fourth marker. the three before it vandalized. state senator david jordan was in court for emmett till's murder trial. >> what is your message to people who would deface markers like this? >> stop it. . just stop it we're better than

that. >> reporter: from a controversial picture and important blaine alexander, nbc news, mississippi. there has been friction for weeks between nancy pelo and alexandria ocasio-cortez. today the pair held a one on one meeting, but was it a meeting of the minds? jeff bennett joins us now. jeff. >> that's right, lester. house speaker nancy pelosi holding a high profile 30 minute sit down mng with the freshman member of congress to try to smooth things over, pelosi even tweeting the photo with alexandria ocasio-cortez afterwards, both of them smiling. now, the meeting ll fos sharp disagreements she's had with ocasio-cortez and other progressives over strategy and key issues. pelosi down played those disputes, comparing the situation to disagreements within a family. and the house speaker today also said she wants to continue chaking a wait and see approao pursuing dimpeachment procees as now nearly 100 house

democrats are calling for impeachment. the president tonight dismissing it as nonsense. lester. >> all right. jeff, thanks. now to the price ur you pay for yoell phone bill after the feds today gave approval for a mega merger, two of the biggest cell pne companies combining. jolene kent takes a look at what that could mean for you. >> reporter: tonight the question many smartphone users are asking, will i pay more? that's because t-mobile and sprint are one step closer to a megamerger, the justice department clearing the way for a $26 billion deal that uld combine the third and fourth largest wireless providers in the u.s. but 14 state attorneys general led by new york and cornia are suing to block it saying the combined company would force consumers toay more on their cell phone bill thanks to less competition. >> it's bad for consumers, bad for innovation, and bad for workers. there's a possibility that your phone bill, the cost of your phone bill, particularly if prepaid mobile service will go up.

>> reporter: the companies say the deal is a win for consumers. t-mobile has promised not to raise prices for thres. and sprint will spin off its prepaid phone service, boost mobile and virgin mobile to dish, a pay tv company. >> critics are saying this doesn't pass the smell test. >> and it doesn't pass the smell test why?>> well, dish has no previous experience selling wireless service. >> reporter: the justice department is telling us this merger will help bring # 5g to more people across the country. and the de means three providers are going to be handling more than 95% of all american cell phone customers. >> all right jolene, thank you. dramatic moments caught on camera with a coast guard giving chase, drug smugglers tossing cocaine overboard as they try to make an escape in the eastern pacific. it was part of a series of cocaine busts over the last

2ew weeks. in all000 pounds seized worth an estimated $350 million. tonight there's growing concern about vaping after eighteens wereos htalized for serious lung damage. nbc's joe fryer has that story for us. >> reporter: at children's hospital of wisconsin, eighteenag s have been hospitalized with severe lung damage in just the past month, d andtors suspect vaping is to blame. symptoms, extreme coughing, fatigue, and shortness of breath. >> vaping is causing harm to our kids. and we want that message to be loud and clear. >> reporter: state officials say ping is the common thread among the eighteens, but they've yet to e if a specific device or substance as the cause. with an estimated 3.6 million teens and , reteens vaping last yearalth officials and parents worry it's a trend moving in the wrong direction. this week vaping was front and center in congress for a hearing cused on the popular ecigarette brand juul. >> you don't ask for

permission. you ask for forgiveness. you're nothing but a marketer of a poison and your target has been young people. >> reporter: citing internal documents, members of a house th panel accused company of m directly to children. a juul executive acknowledged past ayssteps but their focus is on getting adults to quit e igarettes. >> wneed to work together to make sure no underage consumers use this product. it is terrible for our business. it is terrible for public health. terrible for our reputation. >> reporter: bad for business, and doctors thay bad for kids' heal joe fryer, nbc news. and in tonight's your money your life, we follow up on the world's most expensive drug with a $2 million pricetag. the company that makes it assured us earlier this year that insurance companies would cover it. k asristen dahlgren reports it's a battle for some families. >> reporter: this boy is just three months ol but his parents say time could be

running out. >> how quickly could his health change? >> it co happen at any time. there is no way of knowing when an on set will occur. >> he was born with an rare disease call ed spinal muscular atrophy. at any moments his legs could stop working. some kids lose the , ability to een breathe. but then came a new pp gene therapy aroved by the fda this spring. >> you thought this was your miracle. >> yeah, absolutely. >> the one time infusion is the most expensive drug in the world with a pricetag e'f $2.1 million. >> wre committed to insuring every child who needs this medicine gets the medicine. >> at the it was approved, the drug maker said the single treatment is half the price of ten years of current treatments. >> we have had conversations wi jor insurance companies around the country. we expect there to be full coverage. >> reporter: but just two meths later, som families are fighting with their insurance companies. >> high price is set that is not affordable for our society,

insurers and the government try tfi re out how to grapple with that, and patients get caught in the middle. >> reporter: both public schoolteachers are coved by a small nonprofit insurer. they were denied because the plan doesn't cover any gene therapies,ituation that could confront a growing number of americans. >> the situation we're seeing right now with access is a problem that will only get worse. >> reporter: tre are at least 400 gene therapies in development, some for more common conditions. they're incredibly expensive because through a pain staking process, they ge literally chan the dna of the patient offering hope for a one-time treatment to cure a disease. this family's insurance company told us they won't pay for the drug until the are system figures out how to cover these expensive therapies without jeopardizing the opportunity to provide affordable benefits to everyone else.

they told nbc news that a wide range of patients have been covered and it's common for there to be an appeals process. >> they told us in the future it may be covered. well, the futurenos my son needs it now. >> hi. >> reporter: a little boy who may only have gu chance if the system can fi out how to handle these cutting cdge but extremely hight treatments. kristen dahlgren, nbc news, monroe, ohio. >> there's a lot more to tell you about as we continue night, including a major new break in an infamous cold case, a kidnapping that terrified the nation, a 12-year-old girl who vanishing without a trace after a school christmas case. we hear from john walsh on the new developments. a killer in the water. a man dies after doctors say he was infected by a brn ting amoeba. what you need to know. and inspiring america, the moment a little boy who overcome so much meets his hero. little boy who and here we have another burst pipe in deark. if you look close... jamie, are there any interesting photos from your trip? ouch, okay. huh, boring, boring,

you don't need to see that. . oh, here we go can you believe my client steig had never heard of a home and auto bundle or that renters could bundle? wait, you're a lyer? only licensed in stockholm. what is happening? jamie: anyway, game show, kumite, cinderella story. you know karate? no, alan, i practice muay thai, nt completely differekillset. to take care of any messy situations. and put irritation in its place. and if i can get comfortable keeping this tookus safe and protected... ...you can get comfortable doing the same with yours. preparationh. get comfortable with it. ...you can get comfortable doing the same with yours. minimums and fees seem to your typical bank.n of capital one is anything but typical. that's why we designed savings with no fees or minimums. edthis is banking reimagin what's in your wallet? a peul night sleep withoutuld onac imagine... frequent heartburn waking him up. now that dream is a reality. nexium 24hr stops acid before it starts for all-day,

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her remains finally found nearly 35 years later. her case part of a tonational movement stop child abductions. with more, here's tom costello. eporter: in a colorado field, the newly discovered remains of a child missing for more than 34 years. nell matthews was just 12 years old and home alone when she disappeared after singing at a school t.christmas concer her sister jennifer. >> it's closure for me and my family, but it also raises new questions now. >> reporter: in 1984 it was a terrifying kidnapping that even president reagan addressed. >> five days before christmas, jonell disappeareom her home. it reporter: a came amid a rash of high profile child kidnappings including adam walsh who was murdered in 1981. his father founded the center for missing and exploited children. >> the real job now is honor that little girl. her parents know where she is, but we need to find the coward that killed her.

so that this family can put this issue hi bend them. >> reporter: last year 250 children were abducted by strangers, many more by parents. ex rts say surveillance cameras, amber alerts, text messaging, and phone apps that track children have helped keep kids safer. but social media has hildo helped fuel sex trafficking with predators moving from street corners to kids' computers. 10,000 reports of child sex trafficking every year in the u.s. >> america is the richest most powerful anirst world country on the and we're the number one offender of sex trafficking of children. obthat's a huge prm. >> reporter: in colorado, police won't say if they have any new suspects in jonell's murder. today she would 47 years old. tom costello, nbc news, washington. be we will back in a moment with a new warning about a daer the water. k in a moment with a new warning abou ct ologuard: colon cancer screening for people 50 and older at average risk. i took your advice o and asked my doctor toer cologuard, that noninvasive colon cancer screening test. the delivery guy just dropped it off.

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utark. gabe gierrez has details on the arming danger. >> reporter: tonight this brain eating amoeba is being blamed for the death of a north carolina man. die gray was swimming at this water park near fayetteville earlier this month. >> we're not closing yet because the amoeba that causes this tape of illness is naturally ocrring in fresh water bodies of water. >> reporter: the single celled organism is usually found in wa shallow fresr when it gets hot. the amoeba can cause severe headaches, fever, nausea, and vomiting which can progress to iff neck, seizures, and a coma. it is not infectious when the water is sw allowed, only when forced up the nose. during activities such as diving and water skiing. >> if you're in warm water, thehi best t you can do is not put your head below the water.t buif you're doing water sports, wear nose plugs>> eporter: the

amoeba is rare but often dead. in 57 years there have only been 145 known infections in the u.s. with only 4 survivors. three years ago sebastian defied the odds shock odds shocking his family. >> we are so thankful that god gave us a miracle. >> reporter: the c says the illness is particularly difficult to treat because it's notoriously hard to detect and progresses so quickly. gabe gutierrez, nbc news. when we come back, inspiring america with a fan who gets his big wish. ginspirin america with fact is, every insurance company hopes you drive saly.

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use caution driving or operating machinery.ll teour doctor if you've had mental health problems. the most common side effect is nausea. quit smoki slow turkey. talk to your doctor about chantix. finally tonight, this was a big day for a young man, a young fan, who got his wish at the philadelphia

eagles traing camp. here's stephanie gosk with tonight's "inspiring america." >> what does a little boy do when he meets his hero? he lets the nfl ar know just how he feels. >> you're my hero. >> carson wentz is the quarterbacfor the philadelphia eagles. and while there are plenty of reasons to a bean of his skill, this 11-year-old adores wentz for how he handled two season ending injuries in the last two years. >> he said mom if carson can come back e from his kneand om fris back, i can do this. >> guys, it'sl footb day. >> giovanni has a rare genetic disorder that affects his mcles and bones. >> he's had 12 surgeries, everything from his eyes to ankles to hips. >> reporter: when things got tough, he channelled wentz who fought to get back to training camp this year, today taking

time out to hug his biggest fan. >> it was everything. ept was amazing. >> rorter: because the only thing better than having a hero is realizing your hero also has a big heart stephanie gosk, nbc news. >> what a great story to end the week on. that's "nightly news" for this friday. i'm lester holth k you for watching everyone. and good night.

. lights, camera, access. >>ntroduced to jeffrey epstein. who pitched himself as a recruiter for victoria's secret. >> yet another horrific twist in the case against jeffrey epstein.