i just want everybody to witness it. i do not want to be in trouble with michelle. >> he's innocent. good night. see you at 6:00. ht, the growing threat. strong warnings of a widespread tornado outbreak yet again tonight with tornadoes already on the ground. part of a powerful system with 60 million americans in its path. the campaign surprise from michele bachmann. a lightning rod in washington, a leading voice of the tea party, and what might be behind her sudden decision. was it a setup? an american mother of seven is jailed in mexico. is she an innocent woman wrongly accused or is there another story here? and earning power. a sea change for women at work and at home. tonight our look at the stats that confirm the transformation of america's modern family. "nightly news" begins now.

good evening. tonight another night in this wild season of weather. there is more than one wave of severe weather. again tonight it's already been severe. the threat is tornadoes embedded inside bad weather from texas to minnesota with tributaries in the northeast and northwest. all in all another night of this means over 60 million americans are in the path of potentially severe weather tonight. as we go on the air this evening, at least 20 states are under some sort of tornado watch or tornado warning. we begin our coverage tonight with nbc's janet shamlian in pratt, kansas, in the south central part of the state. janet, good evening. >> reporter: hi, brian. there are tornado warnings all over tonight from texas to kansas up to nebraska where just within the last 90 minutes there are reports of at least six twisters on the ground. as you said, this is a very powerful system. those warnings are going to

continue all night into the next couple of days. a massive dangerous tornado tearing up kansas. >> this is getting way too close for comfort. >> reporter: within an hour there was another even larger. it stayed on the ground, weather watchers say, more than an hour tuesday. denny took shelter in a building on his farm when the twister raced through. >> kept on getting stronger and stronger. all at once there was nothing over me. everything just left. >> reporter: some 21 reported tornadoes in 24 hours, most in kansas. stretching from texas north to michigan, a state that rarely sees twisters. the national weather service launched a team to assess the damage. in erie, pennsylvania, a rare tornado damaged buildings and toppled power lines. no one was hurt. >> this is a high precipitation super cell. >> reporter: in amarillo, texas, the news team at nbc station kamr took shelter in the bathroom as the storm closed in.

>> we are taking cover now in the center of the building. a tornado passed yards away from the downtown area. >> reporter: meteorologist john harris never stopped broadcasting. >> it was a roar, a discomforting thought. we knew there was something going on outside of the building. >> reporter: in illinois, flooding. the power of the storm captured on security cameras at carl sandburg college as torrential rain sent floodwaters bursting through the doors. tonight, no let-up. watches and warnings covered several states as severe storms target the same communities devastated last week. >> the ingredients today and thursday are very similar to what we saw back when shawnee and moore, oklahoma, were hit ten days ago. the instability is there. the turning of the winds that allowed the storms to rotate. when they do, they drop tornadoes. >> reporter: the severe weather is pushing through just as moore is trying to regain its footing. crosses outside plaza towers

elementary a somber reminder of last week's loss. as the cleanup continues tonight, there is intense focus on the forecast. no one is letting their guard down here. communities like this are on high alert tonight. while the system is moving to the north and east it is doing so slowly meaning kansas and oklahoma will have warnings for at least the next 24 hours. brian? >> janet shamlian with just one of the crews covering this tonight in pratt, kansas. thanks. now let's check in on what kind of a night we can expect. chris warren at weather channel headquarters tonight. chris, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. a busy night. that's the short answer. already the severe weather outbreak is under way. we are watching storms develop. there is still the risk for seeing a tornado outbreak as well. so we are looking at these storms developing. we are watching the watches, also the warnings as they come in.

as we look at the area, the threat area, the areas in red show us where there is that tornado watch that's currently in effect. this means this area here, conditions are favorable for the development of tornadoes. with this tonight, tomorrow, there is the possibility for long track damaging tornadoes. here is the threat for tonight. anywhere in red you have your best chance for severe weather. some of these storms, again, could be life threatening. very strong. now isolated tornadoes are possible in the northeast tonight. also looking at the potential for damaging winds and some very strong wind gusts. for tomorrow, another significant severe weather and tornado threat. notice, some of the same areas that are seeing it tonight now including some bigger cities could have some very strong storms. that's for tomorrow. this threat still continues again on friday. looking at oklahoma city. still in the red. still in the threat zone. so this severe weather outbreak we are seeing is going to be with us for a few days. pay attention, be prepared. be ready to go under ground if asked to do so. >> folks in the path of this well advised to stay close to a local broadcast. chris warren in weather channel headquarters for us tonight.

chris, thanks. a scary scene last night in lancaster, california, about 70 miles north of l.a. a sandstorm during rush hour. visibility came down to zero and led to multiple wrecks including a 20-car pile-up. sand was carried in by 60 mile an hour wind gusts which made the antelope valley look like the sahara desert at times. we learned late today a letter addressed to new york city mayor michael bloomberg has preliminarily tested positive for ricin. a second letter arrived in d.c. at the headquarters building of mayors against illegal guns financed in part by bloomberg. the letter to the mayor apparently contains a reference to the gun law debate. the letter never got near the mayor. there is no indication that anyone became ill as a result of it. it's now all under investigation by the fbi. more fallout tonight from the irs scandal. a legal advocacy group filed suit on behalf of 25 different

tea party organizations accusing the irs and top obama officials of violating their constitutional rights. at issue here, the irs admission that it singled out some conservative groups for special scrutiny when they were applying for tax exempt status. this suit names attorney general eric holder, treasury secretary jack lew and lois lerner who took the 5th in front of congress last night. now to a surprise announcement from michele bachmann, the one-time presidential contender. a lightning rod of sorts in washington. she says she's leaving congress at the end of her term. she says ethics inquiries stemming from her failed presidential bid have nothing to do with this decision. our report tonight from nbc's andrea mitchell. >> reporter: on youtube the tea party leader, one of the best known conservative voices in america, announced she's quitting congress next year. >> i have decided next year i will not seek a 5th

congressional term. >> reporter: she first attracted attention for attacking barack obama in 2008. >> i'm very concerned that he may have anti-american views. that's what the american people are concerned about. >> reporter: she was a breakout star in the first republican primary debate two years ago. >> i'm a wife of 33 years. i have had five children. we are the proud foster parents of 23 great children. >> reporter: and fought her way to an upset victory in the iowa straw poll two months later. >> there is no cooler place in the united states than iowa. >> reporter: but there were stumbles along the trail. she repeated false claims about the hpv vaccine. >> she told me her little daughter took that vaccine, that injection, and she suffered from mental retardation thereafter. it can have very dangerous side effects. >> reporter: a poorly delivered tea party response to the president's state of the union prompted a classic snl spoof. >> we can have an economy that

looks like this. oh. >> reporter: in the end, a 6th place finish in the iowa caucuses forced her to suspend her presidential campaign. she was a legendary fund-raiser. $15 million in her last congressional race, the most for any district in the country. she won re-election narrowly and was already running ads. >> great news. the u.s. house just passed my bill to repeal obama care. >> reporter: she denies she's retiring because of an ethics probe into payments by her pac. >> this decision was not impacted by the recent inquiries into the activities of my former presidential campaign or former presidential staff. >> reporter: while she's closing this chapter, few people think this is the end of her story. andrea mitchell, nbc news, washington. there's been another high profile drone killing. days after president obama gave

a high profile speech about new rules and more transparency for u.s. drone strikes overseas. pakistani officials said a top taliban commander suspected of organizing attacks on americans in neighboring afghanistan has been killed in a drone strike near the border. u.s. government has not confirmed the strike. now to an international drama playing out in mexico. an american mother of seven jailed in mexico, accused of trying to smuggle drugs into the u.s. her family insists she is the victim of a set-up here. tonight the mexican embassy in washington says the u.s. and mexican governments are in close contact about this case.

our report tonight from nbc's miguel almaguer. >> reporter: tonight behind the walls of this notorious mexican jailhouse, an arizona mother of seven, a devout mormon, is accused of being an international drug runner. she's spent a week locked up behind bars for a crime her family said she never committed. >> i'm angry, upset. her own country would do this to her. >> reporter: born in mexico, now an american citizen, maldonado was with her husband, traveling from hermosillo to their phoenix-area home after they say they attended a funeral. their bus was stopped by the mexican military when police say they discovered 12 pounds of marijuana strapped under her seat. mexican police aren't talking. maldonado's family says yanira never had knowledge of the marijuana. they say they are not sure it existed as they never saw police take it off the bus. >> my wife is a loving mom, a great wife. a grandma. our one-year anniversary was this last saturday. she had to spend it in prison. >> reporter: today maldonado's mexican attorney fought for her release inside this -- nogales courthouse. she has still not been charged.

a judge will decide if there is enough evidence for trial. meanwhile her story is spreading on social media. an arizona lawmaker and the u.s. state department are in contact with maldonado and her family. >> we are working to schedule another visit with her. the last time we were able to visit with her was may 24. >> reporter: tonight this mormon mother of seven remains in custody. an accused drug smuggler behind bars. miguel almaguer, nbc news, along the u.s./mexico border. still ahead, a look at the transformation in the modern american family. the sheer number of moms officially declared primary breadwinners in their families. and later it was once considered an impossible place to get to and survive once you were there. now there is a traffic jam trying to get there.

as we mentioned new numbers confirm what we have all seen happen across american society.

the record number of moms who are now primary wage earners for their families. it is a dramatic change from a few decades back. nbc's rehema ellis has more on what's behind the numbers. >> i'll push you three more times. >> reporter: just north of atlanta trey burley is a freelance writer and a full time dad. >> every day is daddy day in our house because i'm a stay-at-home parent. >> reporter: his wife is the primary breadwinner. >> so i asked my husband could you please stay home with the kids? it was economical. i made more money than he did. >> reporter: they are not alone. a pew center report finds in a record 40% of households with children under 18, mothers are now the sole or primary source of income for the family. it is a dramatic shift from 11% more than 50 years ago. the report revealed two distinct groups of working mothers. 37% have a higher income than their husbands. 63% are single moms. >> ready to fly.

>> reporter: in los angeles becca breedlove, a divorced mother of 5-year-old river says staying home is not an option. >> the reality is i have to work. i give her 110% when i get home. >> reporter: more women enter the work force when men lost jobs during the recession. there are still questions about how far a woman's paycheck will stretch. >> they are contributing to the family income. the concern is they earn only 77% of what men earn on average. if you're a single mother you cannot provide adequately for your family. >> reporter: even though the survey says most americans think kids do better when mom is home the burley family says this arrangement works for them. >> all right. >> when you're in the situation you don't think about it. it's just your life, and you love it. >> reporter: for many american families, this is the new normal. >> let's eat with your right hand. what was your favorite part about the park. >> reporter: rehema ellis, nbc news, new york.

we're back in a moment with a loss in the music world and the explaining the president was forced to do last night. top stop.

♪ ooh child ♪ things are gonna get easier ♪ ooh child >> clarence burke, jr., died. that was his voice telling us things were going to get easier. that's what 1970 sounded like. he was the lead singer of the five stairsteps and the oldest of the five burke brothers who, along with their sister, had a string of hits including "ooh child" which earned a spot on rolling stone's 500 greatest songs of all times. clarence burke, jr., was 64. we have lost a member of the nbc family. veteran correspondent don oliver died last night. during his quarter century with nbc news starting in the mid '60s he covered it all. vietnam, middle east, civil

rights, including the assassination of the reverend dr. martin luther king, jr., and a string of presidential campaigns, ground-breaking coverage of the environment as well. if you watched a lot of tv news back in the day, especially if you were an nbc family, you knew his name, his face, his work. he was a tough, competitive montana original. our colleague don oliver was 76 years old. great moment on the field at fenway. jeff bowman lost both legs in the boston marathon bombing but survived thanks to the guy we know as the man in the cowboy hat. he's carlos aridondo. together last night they threw out the first pitch in front of a roaring hometeam crowd. they did a great job. boston sports teams continue to honor all the victims at every event. we were in boston earlier today where we sat down with six of the most extraordinary women you will ever meet. they are all amputees.

they are all boston marathon victims. some of them knew one another before. some met just today. you will want to hear them tell their story. our conversation will air on an all new rock center this coming friday night, 10:00/9:00 central. there is another old song "lipstick on your collar." the president of the united states had some explaining to do when he showed up at a white house event to talk about the situation with his collar. not to worry, there was a very good explanation. the president said the culprit was the aunt of "american idol" runner-up jessica sanchez who got some lipstick on him when she gave him a hug hello. >> i just want everybody to witness. i do not want to be in trouble with michelle. that's why i'm calling you out. right in front of everybody. >> the president intent on clearing things up last night. the folks at smithfield, as in smithfield hams, have agreed

to sell the company for close to $5 billion to the chinese. china is the number one pork consuming nation in the world. this would be the largest takeover to date of an american company by a chinese company. when we come back here tonight, the news from 29,000 feet that stunned the world and changed the world 60 years ago tonight.

finally tonight it was 60 years ago today. it was big news around the world when people learned that a british climbing expedition had conquered the highest mountain on earth. climbing to the top of everest was an act of bravery and daring. things had to go well, and they did. things have changed a lot since then. more than 3,000 people have now scaled everest. while it is still the top of the world, make no mistake, in recent years it's taken on something of a less rarified air. something closer to a tourist attraction. jim maceda has our report. >> reporter: the goddess of snows, the mother of the universe, mount everest. the highest place on earth, but it may as well have been the

dark side of the moon until 60 years ago today when edmund hillary, a bee keeper from new zealand and tenzing norgay, his sherpa friend, conquered everest. >> it was like landing on the moon. in a way it did the same thing. it was going where no one had gone before. >> reporter: at an everest exhibition today in london queen elizabeth remembered where she was the day the news broke, attending her own coronation at age 27. in katmandu near everest the occasion was marked by that pal's version of a ticker tape parade honoring climbers past and present. things have changed at the top of the world. it's become crowded. more than 3,000 climbers have now reached the summit. almost 300 have died trying. the simple gear of the past replaced by thermal boots and high tech micro fleece jackets. hundreds of expeditions a year. human traffic jams on everest are as common as the rubbish

left behind. at up to $75,000 a slot for a guided climb, everest is for sale. >> now it seems to be a commodity you can buy off the shelf. >> reporter: there are still firsts. a russian daredevil's record-breaking base jump off everest this month. a japanese man, at 80, the oldest to reach the summit last week. what did the late sir hillary think of this? here's what he said on the 50th anniversary. >> i simply dislike the commercialization of the climb of everest. i don't regard that as climbing a mountain. >> reporter: a mountain that's stood for 60 million years and changed dramatically in just 60 because it's there. jim maceda, nbc news, london. that's our broadcast on a wednesday night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night.

-- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com good evening, everyone. i'm janelle wang in for raj mathai. >> i'm jessica aguirre. staying safe in san jose as crime continues to take the headlines. how do we keep from becoming targets? in half an hour a meeting will answer that question and everyone is invited. nbc's bay area george kiriyama

has that story. >> reporter: the crime in the city has reached crisis mode. here at the library in south san jose, it's happening days after a very violent weekend. three homicides in a span of four hours, one of them happening not too far from where councilman lives near oak grove high school. the others were in east san jose. they will be talking to neighbors about reporting crimes and how to be good witnesses and the councilman says this has been in the works for a few weeks now and clearly there's frustration. >> it's a sad coincidence after such a violent weekend. however, i think it indicates that it is needed as much as ever. >> reporter: and this meeting will begin in 30 minutes here at the santa maria library. >> thank you, george. more details now. it's been a viol