capitol hill. i was almost afraid to see what i was to find. what i didn't want to find. >> a bay area family trying to heal after their lives were turned upside down in the boston marathon bombings. the family of aaron hern opens up about the moments after the first bomb went off. it's the e-book revolution. coming to a library near you. i'm scott budman, why you can soon check this out at your local library.

new details emerging about the cause of death for one of the accused boston marathon bombers. authorities are facing tough questions around that case. michael isikoff has more from washington. >> reporter: authorities searched neighborhoods near the university of massachusetts

dartmouth campus to see if dzhokhar tsarnaev tested the bombs prior to the attack. officials admit one of the accused bombers friends entered the country in january on an expired student visa. he's one of three conspireing to abinstruct justice in the case. homeland security failed to share information that his visa was no longer valid. >> this investigation, after the fact, just began. >> reporter: tsarnaev told his friends he knew how to make a bomb a month before the attack. they recognized his resemblance but instead of calling police,

they went to his dorm room and removed a we'll be right back and computer. >> if someone tells you they know how to make bombs and a month later there's bombs in the city and pictures put up by authorities as the possible bombers, you know. >> reporter: the lawyer denies they hid anything from the fbi. >> he's cooperating and looks forward to the truth coming out in this case. >> reporter: federal investigators are asking questions about tamerlan's wi w widow. material from an al qaeda magazine was found on her computer. >> that was michael isikoff reporting. a boy hurt in the boston marathon bombings is recovering. he could be back in school next week. his parents spoke at length for the first time about their son's

condition and say he is improving every day. he has 86 staples removed from his legs. they removed these pictures of him celebrating his birthday. his mother who recollects was running in the marathon talked about seeing the finish line when the bombs went off. >> i knew it's where my family was. i had to keep going toward the finish line. i couldn't get to them. the scene was chaos. >> she says it took two hours to finds aaron at a hospital. they realize they are the fortunate ones because aaron is alive and will be okay. national rifle association is under way today. a few months ago, the powerful gun lobby found themselves under fire. the ground shifted after washington tried and failed to get tougher gun laws. brian moore has the latest. >> reporter: after shooting down

the most serious gun control effort in decades the national rifle association's annual convention had the feel of a rally. the tone is as serious as the debate itself. >> how many bostonians wish they had a gun a couple weeks ago? >> obama can be stopped. >> reporter: nra members meet inside this hall, antigun forces are demonstrating outside. >> if a background check saves one life, it's more than enough. it's more than enough reason. >> reporter: houston is the front line in the debate over guns, the will of the american people and the right to bear arms. brian moore, nbc news. president obama finished his

three day trip through latin america. earlier in the day, he stressed the enormous importance of the u.s. trading bonds with countries in that area. he made the remarks in costa rica. he said a strong economy cannot be achieved without personal security, a reference with the issues, drug cartels and violence. eight american soldiers were killed in afghanistan today making it the deadliest day for u.s. troops this year. military officials say two were killed in an insider attack. one died in a small arms attack and five americans killed when their vehicles hit a roadside bomb. ift's according to international and afghan officials. the taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. >> it's difficult, like i said. soldiers who died in afghanistan is one too many. again, this should not have an

effect. we stay committed and we'll stay committed in this country. >> the taliban announced the initiative. they are working on increasing security against those types of attacks. israel confirmed an air strike against syria targeted weapons headed to hezbollah. richard engel has been covering it and has more. >> reporter: there is international concern about what is happening in syria and what will happen to the weapons stockpiled. nbc news learned israel carried out an air strike on friday. officials say the target was a depot containing weapons that israel said were bound to leave syria on the way to hezbollah. this is the second time israel has done a strike like this. the last one in january. again, similar targets, weapons that israel claim were being

shipped out of the country on their way to hezbollah. israel considers a red line, the transfer of any sophisticated game changing weaponry, that's the term israel uses or chemical weapons leaving syria on their way to hezbollah. it's operating in southern lebanon north of the border. this comes as the united states and many different countries are trying to come up with potentially a new strategy for syria as they watch the country and go deeper into chaos. there's a concern that not only will the weapons will leave the country, where will they go, hezbollah or islamic military group that is are operating openly inside syria? president obama does not see a scenario which american ground troops are sent in. that seems to be primarily a message to the american public as there is more and more talk coming out of washington that the united states will need to

become more deeply involved in the syrian crisis. richard engel, nbc news. coming up next, we'll introduce you to a bay areaball legend. how the sequester cuts may make life harder for him. a peek at the tech tool bar in the south bay. the local library with the first of its find program involving technology.

think of it as the apple genius bar at a public library. >> monday, you will be able to test readers at a library. scott budman had has the story you will see only on nbc bay area. >> reporter: yes, libraries are still filled with paper books, but especially around here, they are also full of tech savvy people. with that in mind, the cupertino library will roll out the tech tool bar, a smorgasbord of

e-readers. >> this is partly to train and use volunteers here who are more tech savvy and happy to take that time to explain to someone, oh, this is the feature of the kindle and this is the feature of the nook. >> we have digital magazines you can down spd load and keep. audio books. we are trying to get the word out there about all this free stuff we have beyond e-books. >> reporter: the library called it a genius bar on wheels, sitting in the shadow of apple headquarters, boosted by a grant, it will be staffed four day as week to help you find what you want online. >> we have so many digital assets available here at the cupertino library in particular that we realize it's important to get everybody educated and comfortable with the devices.

>> reporter: think of it aztecnology you can check out. there are more copies of physical books to check out but they know it's got to change soon because demand for e-books is happening at a faster pace. going from the hardwood to nearly homeless. >> a 79-year-old bay area basketball legend is showing how he's surviving and still winning olympic medals. the sequester is threatening to make his life harder.

sequestration is a big word with a bigger impact. the phrase brings thoughts of money. tonight, we put a human face to it. a man who once played for the harlem globetrotters is fighting the sequester cuts. >> good shot. oh! >> tony davis' nickname is bones. you can guess why. >> something wrong with the basket.

>> the average pick-up player in san francisco. >> jump shot. jump shot. >> he's 6' 10." he admits he may have shrunk a bit in the last decade or so. he's 79 years old. he's been playing ball for as long as he can remember and was a star in high school. >> 6'8" center, tony davis was high with 29. >> i was a kid then. i joined the globetrotters my last year in high school. they changed my name to jumping johnny jones because i could jump so high. >> he was drafted by the new york knicks. >> i didn't get to tryouts because i didn't have enough experience. >> in each of the photos from his elementary team in illinois to the university of hawaii and the professional team in france,

he's easy to pick out of the crowd. he doesn't blame racism for not making it in the nba but the doors were hard to open. in the past decade, he's been playing in the senior olympics. >> these are the medals i have received playing senior basketball. >> despite the medals, he's facing another challenge. the 79-year-old is in a government subsidized apartment. it's not where he imagined being at this time in his life. >> a social security check. i don't have physical problems. probably if i played proball, i would be broken up. >> with that trademark laugh and height, i discovered as we walked through the area, just about everyone knows davis here. >> how you doing? all right. that's one of the girls in love with me. >> you're a start around these

parts m. >> yep. >> he fell on tough times after his wife died. there's one place that opened their doors to him and saved him from ending up on the street. >> yeah. thank you. >> the senior center on church street in the heart of the tenderloin provides seniors with breakfast and lunch, medical care and transportation. they rely on federal funding for meal programs and the federal budget sequestration is threatening that funding. >> if you don't have the resources, which is money or a support group, you may need an organization like ours. >> they count on the senior center. >> if it wasn't for the senior center, i don't think i would be sitting here now. >> as he sits on his bed, he's looking forward. >> i'm blessed because i'm still playing basketball in the senior olympics. >> a door he's proud to have

helped open, but is thankful to those who opened doors to him when he needed it the most. and, when he turns 80, he'll play in the senior olympics this fall. >> what was it like walking down the street with him? >> incredible. he stood out. the globe trotter sweat suit and that kind of thing. he was so kind to everybody is what i got from him. >> it's the feeling i got. all right. meteorologist rob mayeda is here talking about big changes on the way. >> we are seeing the transition happening right now across the bay area. if you have evening plans in san francisco, let's show you what it looks like. the fog is screaming into downtown. mist and drizzle under the low clouds, too. the roadways may be damp later tonight. 60 in san francisco. still 82 in san jose. one more evening of 80s for your outdoor dinner plans and pleasanton and livermore.

santa rosa, napa, this is good news for fire danger. the temperatures are going to start to drop over the next few days. the fog is filling in down through santa cruz and salinas. the winds on shore. the item to watch other than the fact things are going to cool down would be seeing more than drizzle at times. the area of low pressure is going to form and sit to the west of the bay area. it could bring us a chance of seeing scattered showers or possibly hill top thunder at times between tomorrow afternoon off and on into wednesday. tomorrow morning, you'll notice areas of lighter rain possible. during the afternoon, it will be the east bay and north bay hill top where is the showers are firing up. maybe a thunder shower in the hill tops. look at the high temperatures tomorrow. only 60s and 70s around the bay area. a 10 to 20 degree drop.

then the chance for a few spring showers. that will continue as long as the area of low pressure is nearby. it will clear up for the second half of the week. if you like the 80s and 90s, enjoy the next two or three hours because it's going away. the sea breeze is back. it's helping things to the south. >> thanks very much. >> we'll be right back.

a new york park was renamed in honor of the beesty boys. the playground was renamed adam park. dozens of people came out to honor the local rapper. he died one year ago today after a battle with cancer. a surprise for an 8-year-old battling cancer. she was given the royal treatment and got to be a princess for the day. she wanted one thing. she wanted to be a princess and

she got her wish, which included a horse drawn carriage and a couple hundred subjects praising her name. the man that made it happen lost his dad to cancer. he makes things like this possible for children with cancer. >> i believe my daughter gave her life to make me into the man i am today to touch the lives of these children. >> her prognosis is good. this special day was a dream come true. the use of therapy animals in situations is something we see more and more these days. their presence in a hospital or nursing home is now common. would you believe libraries? we have the story that will make you bay area proud. >> reporter: when dave tells you

chr crystal is a good listener, it doesn't just mean she obeys commands. he means quite literally. she is a good listener. so good, in fact, it's what she's come to the library on this day to do. crystal is part of the furry friends reading buddy program. at 15 libraries and a handful of schools crystal and her friends show up and listen. children read to them. >> hip hop, hip hop, pull, pull, pull. >> reporter: it's not just dogs. >> we have 120 animals in the program. we have seven cats, i think three rabbits, a bird and i think there's a minihorse in there, too. >> i don't ever eat carrots. >> reporter: here is the idea behind it all. when children are just learning to read, doing it in front of a parent, a teacher or their peers

can be intimidating, embarrassing if they make a mistake. make one in front of crystal and she won't say a word. >> sitting next to him, maybe they decide they don't want to read. tell the parents if you could go back five feet, they move back and the kid reads louder. you can tell the confidence built up. >> it was a huge draw to them to just read. >> reporter: she's been taking her kids to read at the branch for months. she says she has seen an improvement. >> it's inspired them to read more. >> reporter: he says he's seen improvements over time from kids who come back week after week, amazed that so much can be taught without saying a word. >> it's a great feeling to realize you are helping somebody to read. >> all right. time for one last check of the forecast. it's a bizarre one. >> it is.

a different seven day forecast. like someone took the old one away. 60s and 70s for the highs and a chance of spring showers back in the forecast. >> thanks very much. thanks for watching the news at 5:00. >> stay with us. more local news in a couple minutes. look at them kids. [ sigh ] they have no idea what it was like before u-verse high speed internet.

yeah, you couldn't just stream movies to a device like that. one time, i had to wait half a day to watch a movie. you watched movies?! i was lucky if i could watch a show. show?! man, i was happy to see a sneezing panda clip! trevor, have you eaten today? you sound a little grumpy. [ laughter ] [ male announcer ] connect all your wi-fi-enabled devices with u-verse high speed internet. rethink possible.

good evening and welcome back. i'm diane dwyer. >> take a look at a massive fire at a palette yard in fontana, 40 miles east of l.a. it broke out about 3:30 this afternoon. soon, this was happening. towering stacks of the palettes blazing in the sky. firefighters are trying to use a hose to put out the flames. smaller spot fires broke out in nearby brush. firefighters are working fast to put those out, too, before they can turn into something bigger and more dangerous. they have