into them. but you know once you put in that time and effort they become part of the family and they are just so wonderful to be around. adoption fees for the long-term commitment you can consider fostering. rob, how about one last bark at the forecast. >> we have a little bit of everything, showers, sun, and we will see the trend towards tomorrow morning and dryer weather late tomorrow through tuesday. and more rain back by midweek. >> nightly news is up next. we're back at 6:00 p.m. so join us then. . tonight, the horrific death toll in russia still rising, and what the white house said late tonight about the terror group behind it. new video of gunmen storming

the concert hall in moscow. more than 130 killed, nearly a dozen people arrested. why vladimir putin is blaming ukraine. major flooding and flood warnings up the east coast. this music festival canceled for the night. a ground stop at miami's airport, thousands of flights delays nationwide, as the northeast is hit with record rain. >> we need help. and up to 2 feet of snow in parts. deadly bus crash in texas, carrying dozens of preschool students. one student and parent speaking out. >> she closed her eyes when it happened, so she wouldn't get glass in her eyes. shutdown averted. president biden signing a bill today after a late-night session in congress. new details on princess kate, her cancer diagnosis, part of a troubling trend more younger people being stricken with the

disease. squatter showdowns, the rise of people moving into homes that are not theirs. why it's so hard for the real homeowners to get them out. and march madness, kaitlyn clark takes a hit to the face. how she responded on the court. >> announcer: this is nbc "nightly news" with jose diaz-balart. good evening. the united states tonight is condemning the terror attack in moscow. the death toll sits at 133. gunmen storming the complex killing civilians before setting the place on fire. authorities have detained nearly a dozen people, including four people they say carried out the act of terrorism themselves. an offshoot of the terror group isis has taken credit. it's the same group that's targeted americaning before, killing 13 troops three years

ago. but when vladimir putin addressed the nation today, he placed the blame elsewhere. bradley is covering it all for us tonight. a warning, the video you are about to see is disturbing. >> reporter: tonight, moscow still smolders as the death toll continues to climb from friday night's attack. at least 133 people were killed and hundreds more injured after as many as four gunmen attacked a packed house at this concert hall. shooting automatic weapons, throwing bombs, and dousing the building in flammable chemicals. this video showing gunmen opening fire on victims even as they huddled on the ground. i honestly thought it was a firecracker, said this witness, but these crackles weren't stopping. there was screaming, panic. at least some of the gunmen were able to flee, but russian authorities say everyone has since been caught.

11 people have been arrested so far, police said, including four who participated directly in the attack. american intelligence says they have no reason not to take the terror group at their word. russian state tv aired video they said showed investigations of two suspects. one is asked why he did it, for money, he replies. but that doesn't stop russian politicians from trying to blame a more familiar enemy, ukraine. russian president vladimir putin said today the perpetrators were caught as they fled toward ukraine where they expected to be welcomed. ukraine has denied any involvement. tomorrow will officially be a day of national mourning in russia. now russians are cueing at clinics trying to donate blood to stop their nation from bleeding. >> we are getting a new on the record statement from the white house. >> reporter: that's right. a national security spokes

person said they shared information with russia about a planned attack in moscow and said isis is solely responsible and ukraine had no involvement. >> thank you. back here in the u.s., the first week of spring is off to a dangerous start for tens of millions tonight. rain and even snow barrelling up the entire east coast bringing potential blizzard conditions in some parts. >> reporter: tonight, dangerous and disastrous flooding taking aim in the east coast. relentless downpours in miami. >> every time it rains, our heart is in our throat. >> reporter: this latest rain maker generating a familiar fatigue in fear. >> it's absolute real fear. it's a worry of what might happen. it's a worry of what we know will happen. >> reporter: flooding today making tools like pumps, hoses, and gloves a way of life.

>> every time it floods, this is not right. >> reporter: further upstate, this trooper car rear ended by a tractor trailer on icy roads. strong winds knocked this person off course. heavy rains leading to a multi-hour ground stop. across the country today, roughly 6,000 flights delayed. more than 300 canceled. on friday in miami, the rain, wind, and lightning, forced a temporary shutdown of the ultra music festival on its opening night. daniel said he rolled his ankle in the chaos of people trying to get to dry ground. how scared were you? >> i don't think i've ever been in the middle of a rainstorm this bad in miami. >> reporter: the dangerous deluge on the east coast not the only dilemma, a one-two punch of spring showers where maine could

see its largest snowfall of the season as this latest round of nature's fury seems far from finished. >> george, we can see the flooded area. is the worst of it now behind us? >> reporter: yeah, residents in this neighborhood certainly hope so. they say even a little bit of rain here causes all this flooding. they are of those 37 million under the flood alerts. it does appear to be letting up. jose. >> thank you. some good news from washington after congress averted a government shutdown. the senate voted overnight to pass the sweeping $1.2 trillion funding bill after heated last-minute negotiations. senators did reach the midnight deadline, but the lapse was very short, had no real impact. president biden signed the bill today. we are learning new details tonight about a tragedy in texas after at least one student and one adult were killed in a

school bus crash while the bus was carrying preschool students. priscilla thompson spoke to one child who survived. >> it's tough, it's very tough. >> reporter: this is the moment hector compos held his 5-year-old daughter again after her first field trip ended in a deadly crash. mom angelica was on the trip. >> just the fact that i was there. i spent the day with all those kids. it's just heartbreaking. >> how are you feeling today, cally? >> good. >> what do you remember? >> we like rolled on the bus. >> she closed her eyes when it happened so she wouldn't get glass in her eyes or anywhere. >> reporter: she and more than 40 of her preschool classmates were on a bus home from the zoo friday afternoon when officials

say they were hit by a concrete truck. a young boy on board was killed, police say, along with the driver behind the bus. it occurred on highway 21 just outside of austin. tonight, at least three staff and two students remain hospitalized. this man ran outside to help. >> what i saw was all the kids covered in blood crying, trying to get out. we brought all the towels we had to clean the kids. >> reporter: police say the driver of the concrete truck did not appear impaired, leaving many unanswered questions for parents like hector. >> someone needs to be held accountable. we need answers for the kid that's passed away and for their families. they need answers, and the kids fighting for their lives. we need answers as well. >> reporter: families here now working to heal as a community grieves. jose. >> priscilla thompson.

thank you. there are new concerns tonight about the highest paid star in baseball. the mlb has launched an investigation into a betting scandal involving shohei ohtani's interpreter. there are questions whether it will impact him. >> reporter: tonight, the stakes are rising in the scandal surrounding star la dodgers pitcher shohei ohtani with major league baseball launching an investigation. league officials say they learned about the allegations involving them from the news media, adding our department of investigations began their formal process investigating the matter. the big question, what was ohtani's involvement. >> it's becoming a bigger story because this void has not been filled with answers yet. you're talking about a guy tho just signed a $700 million contract. >> his name came up in

connection with an investigation into a sports betting ring. he said ohtani bailed him out of $4.5 million in gambling debts. >> this is murky territory, what did ohtani do, what did ohtani know. >> reporter: matthew is that alleged booker under investigation. his lawyer said he had no contact with the star pitcher. boyar has not been charged with a crime. >> he never met shohei ohtani or dealt with him. >> reporter: a scandal that according to legendary sports agent lee steinberg could engulf baseball itself. >> we're talking about the best player in all of baseball. we haven't seen a two-way phenomenon like this since babe ruth. >> reporter: all eyes will be on ohtani here again at dodger stadium tomorrow when he takes the field against his former teammates on the los angeles

angels. >> david in los angeles, thank you. unlike baseball, in college basketball today, the drama was in the game. it was caitlin clark in iowa's first appearance in this big dance. the record-setting star player came up big. >>. >> reporter: in front of a roaring home crowd, caitlin clark taking this shot to the face. her response, driving, shooting, passing, racking up 27 points in iowa's first-round win in the ncaa tournament against holy cross. >> i'm a competitor. i love having fun. i love this game. i'm a perfection nis. >> reporter: clark looking to cap her record-setting year with a championship before she heads to the wnba. but fans of the sport are no stranger to madness where

cinderella teams can change the story lines. in the men's bracket last night, number 13 yale stunned crowds with its second-ever tournament win against number four seed auburn. and tonight, michigan's number 14 seed, oakland university looking to defy the odds once again after the grizzlies' stunning upset over number three kentucky earlier this week. >> oakland with a march memory of a lifetime! >> reporter: all eyes remain on six-year senior jack gohlke. for favorites and underdogs alike, the big dance, a huge chance to waltz towards history. and now prince ses kate is now the face of a troubling trend, more young people diagnosed with the disease.

we are back with princess kate's cancer diagnosis. her revelation all the more shocking because of her age, just 42 years old. she's part of a troubling rise in cancer rates in younger people. megan fitzgerald has more. >> reporter: tonight, reality setting in after the world was shocked by the latest revelation from the british royal family. >> in january, i underwent major abdominal surgery in london. at the time, it was thought that

my condition was noncancerous. the surgery was successful, however tests after the operation found cancer had been present. >> reporter: in an emotional video message, the 42-year-old princess of wales saying she's now undergoing preventative chemotherapy treatments. a devastating message that hits close to home for people like may keen, who was 26 years old when she was diagnosed with stage four gastric cancer. what were your thoughts when you saw the princess' video message? >> i immediately thought cancer does not discriminate whether you're rich, poor, young, old. >> reporter: the princess of wales and may, both part of a growing and disturbing trend that shows cancer on the rise for young people across the world. the term is called early onset cancer and defined as people diagnosed under 50. a 2023 bmj oncology analysis found that 29 different cancers

had risen nearly 80% globally between 1990 and 2019. why are we seeing a rise of cancer in young people? >> there are a number of factors. first and foremost is access to screening and treatments, environmental risk factors and your own family history. >> reporter: as for may, she considers herself among the lucky ones. the cancer is gone for now, but she still has five more years of tests and scans ahead. it's a very difficult and emotional journey that more and more young people are forced to take. >> for everyone facing this disease in whatever form, please do not lose faith or hope. >> reporter: megan fitzgerald, nbc news. win son. >> and we're back in a moment with squatters taking over homes across the country.

and we're back with the rise of squatters across the country. people refusing to leave homes they have no right to be in. valerie castro with what you need to know. >> do not touch me. >> reporter: they're the house guests no one invited. >> you're trespassing, and you're harassing me. >> reporter: squatters making themselves right at home. >> get out of my house. >> it's not your house. >> reporter: they're people that take over mostly vacant properties that aren't theirs. one new york case even turning deadly. police now believe the

52-year-old was killed by squatters. patty peoples said she discovered two women and kids in a florida property she was preparing to sell and filmed her intense conversations with them. >> i had squatters that did $40,000 worth of damage, stole appliances. >> reporter: at one point, even threatening her with atire iron. she said it took more than a month to get them out. how did you feel? >> it is quite frankly one of the most frustrating unfair experiences and frightening experiences of my life. the burden of proof was on me, not the renters. it's unfair. >> oh, my god. >> reporter: unfair because squatters take advantage of laws meant to protect renters, often leaving homeowners helpless. >> you shouldn't be trying to steal my house! >> reporter: this video of a homeowner trying to force squatters out is hand cuffed by police and removed from her own home.

no charged were filed. new york attorney says squatting cases are on the rise due to more vacant properties and the rise of prices. >> if they pull out a fake lead or a fake deed, now it's a he said/she said. >> reporter: flash shelton who advises homeowners says to set up your home with security cameras. >> your best protection is being able to document when someone comes in. >> reporter: and call police as soon as you find someone. >> please support this bill. >> reporter: back in florida, patty is advocating for new laws to fight squatting. >> reporter: what do you want to say to squatters across the country? >> the gig is up. in the next year, hopefully squatting will be a pandemic that's on the decline. >> reporter: hoping her story empowers others to squash out the squatters. valerie castro, nbc news.

when we come back, the inspiring run by these future heroes.

there's good news tonight. so often the good news doesn't get as much attention as the bad. so every saturday, we highlight the many people who spread joy and love. these are just some of those stories this week. this is what honor looks like.

a sea of american flags as hundreds of probationary fire fighters in new york city unite for their spirit run. before graduating from the academy. >> how about a big round of applause for our fdny probationary fire fighters. >> now, the newest members of new york's bravest. and talk about lending a helping hand. 15-year-old ran 26 miles at this week's la marathon before collapsing. lapd sergeant rushed in, but the teenager insisted on finishing. so the sergeant lifted him up, helping him walk. and then, he carried him across the finish line. >> you got it dude! >> as a father, i would want my kids to have that mentality that you never give up. that's part of the qualities of

a hero is never giving up, and he never gave up. and when we talk about heroes, it's moments like this that live forever in our hearts. >> no, no, please no! >> that's sophie shaving her own head to support mom tracey who's battling stage four to vaovaria cancer. sophie making sure her mom knows she will never fight alone. >> our mind goes to kick this cancer in the butt, and sophie's there to support me, which was just amazing. and here's a milestone, jennifer duggen will never forget. >> please stand so we can honor you. please stand. >> there she is getting her masters degree at tennessee tech when all of a sudden they played this message from her son william serving in the military far from home. >> hey, mom. i know i'm not there for

graduation, so i figured i would make a video and tell you i'm proud of you, congratulations, and i love you. keep pushing. i'll see you soon. >> so take me back to that day that you saw him on that screen. >> oh, my goodness. it was so emotional. my heart just exploded. i'm so proud of what he's doing. this is his second deployment within two years. >> jennifer also serves, a proud member of the tennessee army national guard. how does it make you feel, as a parent, to know and see that your son gets it? >> when he decided to join the military, i said, will, are you sure you want to do this? and he said, mama, you did it. i just want to be like you. >> that's nbc "nightly news" for this saturday. i'm jose diaz-balart. thank you for the privilege of your time and good night.

right now at 6:00, skies clearing after rain rolled through much of the bay area today. we'll tell you how the rest of the weekend is looking. rob has your updated hour by hour forecast. developing right now, a rare and deadly mountain lion attack. first in california in twenty years. what we know so far. plus, a high school game being claimed as racist and dangerous. the message as the north bay community pleads for kids to stop playing. the news at 6:00 starts right now. thanks for joining us. gia has the night off. the bay area is off to a stor