>> we did. >> thanks for watching nbc bay area news at 5:00. >> "nbc nightly news" is next and more local news at 6:00. good night. >> see you then.

and crews carried out 130 water rescues on saturday. a helicopter captured the dramatic rescue of one man, stranded on the rooftop of the submerged building. the same storm system caused a tornado near corpus christi. this photo was posted to the national weather service's facebook page. volatile and unpredictable weather that's playing out across the country on this unofficial start to summer. >> most people plan for memorial day thinking spring or early summer. this time around, unfortunately, it got very cold in parts of the country and stormy in others. >> reporter: in florida, on-shore winds created a higher rip tide risk. yellow flags warn swimmers of the dangers. from hot to cold. in vermont and upstate new york, emergency crews plowed snow in higher elevations and restored

power to homes after a late-season storm. temperatures have been 10 to 30 degrees below average for this time of the year and up until today rainy and cold. now the sun has come out. so have the crowds. >> this has been inusual even for the east coast to have it turn so cold. but we're dealing with it. >> reporter: at jones beach, people braved the blustery weather to take in the annual memorial day bethpage air show. the remainder of the holiday weekend calls for warmer weather, along with the potential for more storms later this week. michelle franzen, nbc news, new york. now to the memorial day forecast and the threat of more severe weather later in the week. meteorologist todd santos joins us from weather channel headquarters. todd, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, lester. we are going to see at least some improvement especially for the northeast. the winds should settle down. we'll see 70 degrees from new york up towards boston.

at least there is kind after bonus day this weekend. elsewhere in the countries, 80s dallas, 86 atlanta. where you see orange on this map it means temperatures in the 70s and a chance of thunderstorms over to chicago. on monday, where you see the red, the better chances of severe thunderstorms. hail and wind-pro-duducing stor. on monday though where you see red, better chances for severe thunderstorm, hail and wind producing storms but kansas city up towards southeastern portions of nebraska, you could see a chance for even isolated tornadoes. that threat starts to pick up a little bit more towards tuesday, including central portions much kansas and especially back through say central oklahoma, some of those areas that were just devastated, including moore. we want to keep everyone af head of that threat. moore, president obama was in that storm ravaged town in oklahoma today, the scene of monday's ferocious tornado that killed 24 people and devastated this oklahoma city suburb. the president offered financial support and words of comfort to the survivors and grieving families.

nbc's ron mott was there. ron? >> reporter: lester, good evening. those two dozen people who were killed here on monday are being honored tomorrow night at a memorial service behind me. earlier president obama urged all americans to do their part to help moore gate back on its feet. ♪ there's power power wonder-working power ♪ in the blood of the lamb ♪ >> reporter: today's church services in moore were filled with songs of praise, as usual. but unlike other sundays, they worshipped outside at south gate baptist church. the building is still without power. across town at suburban baptist the sermon was focused on a pointed question. >> what does this mean? if there is a god, why does he allow all this stuff to happen? >> reporter: a half-dozen families who worship here lost their homes yet the pastor's 17-year-old son colton says their faith survived the tornado's 200-mile-per-hour winds intact. >> god's going to take care of us, wherever we're at. we trust in him and he's got a

plan for everything and we know that. >> reporter: a steady stream of relief supplies is flowing in from around the nation as displaced residents continued sifting through what's left of where they loved. late this morning air force one touched down in the tornado zone with the president appearing to wipe away a tear while with a storm victim. reminding residents the recovery will be difficult and long. >> if i have's got one message for folks here today, go online, donate to the american red cross. >> reporter: mr. obama promised residents the federal government will be with them every step of the way. >> when we say that we've got your back, i promise you we keep our word. >> reporter: noting fema has logged 4,200 registrations for disaster aid already paying out $3.4 million. oklahoma's governor is hoping that assistance remains reliable as rebuilding efforts begin. >> we know at different times in the past money hasn't always come as quickly as it should.

♪ i was sure by now god ♪ you would have reached out >> reporter: meantime, the faithful counted their blessings. ♪ though my heart is torn a community thankful in spite of the devastation, grateful this memorial day weekend it wasn't any worse. the salvation army has collected about $5 million in donations since monday. the american red cross, $15 million, a quarter of which came by those $10 cell phone text messages. lester? >> ron mott in moore, oklahoma tonight, thank you. there was no escape for the president from his critics today especially those hammering the administration for its crackdown on leaks to the media. new york senator charles schumer today says he's organizing a group of eight senators to work on setting rules on how media leaks about government secrets are investigated. the latest on the crackdown now from nbc's national

investigative correspondent michael isikoff. >> reporter: journalists should not be at legal risk for doing their jobs. >> reporter: that was the president last week announcing the justice department will institute internal guidelines to the news media. after disclosures that prosecutors, in their effort to crackdown on national security leaks, secretly seized the phone records of ap reporters and the private phone records of a fox news journalist. new questions today about the role of attorney general eric holder, hiding the review. >> you cannot investigate yourself. i think it is a total conflict of interest. >> reporter: on friday the justice department confirmed an be in report that holder had personally approved a 2010 sealed search warrant for fox news reporter james rosen's e-mails. in court papers an fbi agent says rosen asked, solicited and encouraged a source to give him sensitive information about north korea and that he was a possible co-conspirator for violations of the espionage act. >> what the public must never condone is efforts to shut down reporters in asking the

questions they need to ask. >> this amounts to a campaign against journalism in my mind. >> reporter: a justice official says a search of rosen's e-mails followed extensive deliberations within the department and that a federal judge made an independent finding that probable cause existed. past government efforts to go after leakers have sometimes backfired, most notably with the pentagon papers and watergate in the '70s. bob woodward's meeting with deep throat in a parking garage made for cinema drama. >> get out your notebook. there's more. >> reporter: but today, technology has changed the game. >> it is easier to track these leaks now than it used to be. if you e-mail someone, if you call on your cell phone it is much easier to establish that then than if you leave a flower pot on your stoop and go meet in a basement. >> reporter: there could be more to come. sources familiar with the case tell nbc news that prosecutors may be closing in on another suspected leaker who allegedly provided classified information to "the new york times" about

the computer virus used to disrupt the iranian nuclear program. lester? >> michael isikoff at our washington newsroom, thank you. overseas now to the conflict in syria. there are new fears tonight that the civil war raging there may be spilling over into lebanon complicating the push for peace. nbc's richard engel has this report tonight from istanbul. >> reporter: good evening, lester. beirut is feeling the strain and now the bite of the syrian war across the border. two rockets exploded today in the lebanese capital. in neighborhoods controlled by the militant group hezbollah. one rocket hit a residential building. the other a car dealership. there were several injuries. the attack appears to have been a response to a speech yesterday by hezbollah leader when he publicly committed his group. to helping president bashar al-assad defeat rebels who have been trying to topple him for two years. there's now a sectarian fight that straddled both sides of the

syrian/lebanese border. hezbollah is a shiite group that backs bashar al assad shiite's regime. syrian rebels on the other hand are sunnis. today's rocket attack in beirut was likely the work of sunnis in lebanon. their way of saying if hezbollah wants to fight us in syria, we can fight back in lebanon. it is a very dark sign of what to come. lebanon suffered through 15 years of civil war, mostly in the 1980s and has never really recovered. beirut is a popular tourist destination but tensions between sunni, shiites and christians are just below the surface. and now, because of syria, they're boiling over again. lester? >> richard engel in turkey, thanks. in northwest oregon tonight, attempted murder charges have been filed against a 17-year-old student. he's charged with planning to detonate homemade explosives at his high school. police identified the suspect at grant accord of albany, oregon south of portland. they say he manufactured at least two devices which they discovered hidden under a

floorboard in his mother's house. when "nbc nightly news" continues this memorial day weekend, the plan to recycle cell phones. why criminals may be benefiting more than the environment. and, the love fest. in the lone star state, where barbecue is its own religion.

cell phones. they're being stolen at an alarming rate, but now some police say new automated kiosks where can you trade in your used cell phone and get instant cash are making it easier than ever for criminals to profit off your stolen phone. here's nbc's national investigative correspondent jeff rossen. >> reporter: they strike without warning. thieves snatching cell phones

right out of your hands. some victims even getting beaten up. >> hi, i can help you swipe your device. >> reporter: now a top cop says these machines are fueling the violence. >> that's the motivator for the criminal element. >> reporter: they're called eco atms, kiosks that recycle your used cell phone. there are more than 400 of them in shopping malls across the country. here's how they work. you put your phone in a bin. the machine scans it for market value and then gives you cash right on the spot. but critics say these machines are driving thieves to steal more phones for a quick payout. washington, d.c. police chief kathy linear. >> i can knock you down and steal your phone, find the nearest atm and get up to $300 cash. >> reporter: in fact, police say stolen phones have turned up inside of ecoatms nationwide from georgia, texas to california. the company says it has a system

to keep criminals away. first scanning the person's driver's license and then taking a photo of them. >> we have a team of people who verify in realtime with the person standing in front of the machine is the person that is placed the license. >> what happens if they are not the same person? >> we deny the transaction. >> reporter: we found it is not always true. >> i need to take a picture of you to compare it to your i.d. >> reporter: we sent these two customers who looklike nothing like. >> what happens if the person in front of the machine is not same it's clearly not her, yet the machine still takes the phone and spits out the money. >> don't forget your cash. >> reporter: same result at another eco atm. remember, the company makes money off the phones. we shared our findings with them. >> i want to show you a picture. does this look like the same woman to you. >> no, it does not look like the same woman. >> this went up to two of your machines.

two different phones. >> it would appear we missed that one. >> twice. >> we look at these transaction and learn from each transaction that we do. >> if we found this in one day who's to say this is not happening at a lot of different kiosks? and a lot of different states every day. >> we work hard to make sure that it's not. he says out of every 10,000 phones bought they discover five are stolen and those are returned. but d.c. police say they are finding a lot more than that. tracking at least 200 stolen phones to these machines. eco atm says it also provides photos, fingerprints an phone serial numbers that have helped police make arrests. >> we're collecting more information about these people selling phones than anyone else. >> work after the fact, we appreciate that. don't get me wrong. but it doesn't help the person who's just had their jaw broken for the phone. >> reporter: because of our investigation, eco atm now says it is reviewing its systems and looking for ways to improve. jeff rossen, nbc news, new york. when "nbc nightly news"

continues in a moment, remembering the sacrifice on this memorial day weekend of the greatest generation.

the march of time on this memorial day weekend is a powerful reminder that we are losing many of the americans who sacrificed so much during world war ii. particularly those who fought the brutal battle of normandy. pulitzer prize winning historian rick atkinson has written a new book called "the guns at last light," about the valiant men and women who fought in that decisive campaign for the

liberation of europe. he sat down with nbc's tom brokaw at the national world war ii museum in new orleans. >> it is one of the greatest stories in the history of humanity. and it is a story ultimately about humanity. the individuals are invariably men with feet of clay, which makes them more interesting. >> here at the world war ii museum i met a member of the 82nd airborne, he said for four days he said we felt alone. >> things didn't go according to plan. they rarely do in airborne operations. it took them a better part of the week to either get captured, get killed or make their way into some sort of cohesive unit. >> very quickly just off the beach it becomes really primal warfare. >> there's a lot of atrocity in normandy and something we don't like to think about because we don't like to think of our soldiers committing atrocities

but the germans were brutal from the beginning and it created a cycle of atrocity and reprisal that went on until 1945. >> and the french civilians in that part of france to a degree that no one really appreciated for a long, long time took enormous casualties, terrible suffering. >> there were very few towns or villages in normandy that escaped unscathed. and the fact that you can go to normandy today and be received as machine american, as the descendant of those heros, and that's how they look at them as heros. >> the difference between world war ii and modern wars from an american point of view, it was all in from an american point of view. everybody had a role. and now it is less than 1% of the population. >> it is incumbent as citizens. it is part of our duty to the republic that understand even if we don't have a blood stake in the way so many did during world war ii, they are our flesh and blood. we should consider them our

grandsons and granddaughters in the same ways as if they literally were. i think that's something that we owe to those generations that came before. >> historian rick atkinson in a conversation with tom brokaw. and now to the unity being demonstrated by those who raced in the boston marathon. with secretary of state john kerry by his side in ethiopia today the men's winner of the marathon said he will return his medal in a gesture of solidarity with the victims of the boston bombings. when we come back, beef, ribs and pork. grab your napkins for a taste of texas barbecue. ♪ what's my problem ♪ too much barbecue

on this holiday weekend as many folks bring out the grill, we're going old school. hardwood only, no gas allowed so pass the pulled pork and the brisket and the ribs. kevin tibbles in the pit tonight. >> i need those ribs, some fatty brisket. >> reporter: if you're going to break bread with daniel vaughn, better roll up your sleeves, because bread isn't part of the equation. >> it is the best bite. >> reporter: vaughn is all about the barbecue. texas barbecue. in his new role at "texas monthly magazine," as the nation's only barbecue reviewer. is that a weighty responsibility? >> in texas it is, yeah. i mean -- >> you bet. >> reporter: so most days you can find this transplanted ohioan bellying up to the

brisket bar at one of the lone star state's many smokehouses. >> we have to get beef short rib for sure. >> half-pound of brisket. that's pork butt right there. what do you call that? this is a family show now, here, barbecue is religion. >> this is good stuff. it is concentrated smokiness. >> reporter: and vaughn seeks that perfect marriage of smoke and meat. >> this is wonderful. >> i mean the fatty ends where you get the meat candy. you'll get a hunk of fat and you'll get a hunk of fat and then you'll realize, you know what? i actually just want to eat that anyway. >> that's why i'm not talking anymore. don't know if you've noticed. >> reporter: vaughn says he's eaten in more than 600 barbecue joints in the last half dozen years. even tackling flintstone sized short ribs. >> see, now that's a spare rib. that's no wimpy baby back. >> reporter: he even sports a pair of cowboy boots displaying

various cuts of beef. but keep those napkins handy. >> do you ever use utensils? >> i'm born with them! >> reporter: to aficionados, he's the king, stopping to shake hands, share stories and take a few snaps. does your wife think that you're starting to smell a little bit smokey yourself? >> she doesn't notice anymore. >> reporter: remember, folks, you're welcome to make a mess. just don't mess with texas barbecue. kevin tibbles, nbc news, dallas. man, am i the only one getting hungry? that's "nbc nightly news" for this sunday evening. i'm lester holt reporting from new york. for all of us here at nbc news, good night.

good evening. i'm terry mcsweeney. >> i'm diane dwyer. one person is dead and 11 people taken to hospitals after a crash involving a party bus on the peninsula. it happened early on highway 101 near the broadway exit. nbc bay area's kimberly terry has more for us. kimberly? >> diane, that crash happened at about 2:00 a.m. this morning. chp says 43-year-old man from oakland was driving south bo bund on 101 when his car hit the center divider coming to rest in the safe lane. a party bus carrying 18 people hit the front end of