"nbc nightly news" is next. more local news at 6:00. on this sunday night, the conversation. eight days after the george zimmerman verdict, the national dialogue heated up with more public calls to changes to stand your ground laws. grisly discoveries, echos of the past in cleveland as three women are found dead. echos of a serial killer. and tonight the search is on for more bodies. roller coaster tragedy. concerns may have been voiced by a woman just moments before she was thrown to her death. rising rates. a dramatic jump in mortgage rates. can you still buy in on a good deal. and here's the scoop. what does your favorite flavor reveal about you?

good evening. while race has dominated the national conversation in the wake of the george zimmerman acquittal, including remarks from the president himself, questions of race barely figured in the criminal trial itself. the question of self-defense, however, did. today that became the focus again as politicians lined up on either side of those controversial stand your ground laws that give citizens in several states broad latitude to defend themselves. we begin tonight with the latest fallout from the zimmerman verdict and nbc white house correspondent kristen welker. kristen, good evening. >> reporter: lester, good evening to you. protesters took to the streets again today in some cities. the calls for renewed conversation and change growing louder. today, protesters turned out in houston flanked by police on horses.

a day after nationwide rally promptedly the verdict in the trayvon martin trial. all of this as the debate shift focused to stand your ground laws, which allowed deadly force in cases of life and death. >> i think it will be useful for us to examine some state and local laws. >> reporter: and there was some support for that today from arizona senator john mccain. >> is worth looking at again? >> i think that -- yes, i do. and i'm confident that the members of the arizona legislature will. and because it is a very controversial legislation. >> reporter: but those stand your ground laws found in some form in more than 20 states have strong support. arizona governor jan brewer has made her position clear. i support stand your ground. i think it's a constitutional right. on "meet the press," the chair of the congressional black caucus said preventing another tragedy like trayvon martin's death is a broader civil rights

issue. >> i don't care how many laws you put in place, you cannot legislate against prejudice, bias, racism. you cannot do it. >> meanwhile the timing of president obama's remarks has sparked a debate. >> a week of protest outside the white house, pressure inside the white house pushed him to that podium. >> i disagree with tavis in a profound way. president obama has been talking about race and doing things about race for a long time. the reality is he walked to the podium. he wasn't pushed to the podium, he walked to the podium. >> the professor called on him to stay engaged. >> he can't be the only voice, primary voice but has to be the primary instigator and inspiration because millions of people admire president obama. >> despite the pleas, president obama has no plans to convene conversations about race at the white house. he will continue to push dates to review the laws. lester. >> kristen welker, thank you. for the second time,

cleveland, ohio, has been rocked with the discovery of hidden bodies and the possibility of another serial killer in that city has been exposed. three women unearthed and the search for victims isn't over. here is michelle franzen. >> reporter: late this afternoon, police in east cleveland, ohio, blocked off an open lot after a new discovery of a partially buried garbage bag near the place three women were found this weekend, each of the bodies found in garbage bags. volunteers checked all day searching abandoned homes and sifting through tall weeded lots. authorities say the unidentified victims were found within 200 yards of each other. >> three females obviously appeared to have been killed within the last six to ten days.

>> police fear a possible copy cat killer is responsible. michael madison was arrested on friday. after the first body was found, he had -- >> it appears that it was the work of one person and we have him in custody. >> reporter: the mayor says the suspect is a registered sex offender. during interviews he led police to believe he was inspired by a convicted serial killer anthony sowell. he was convicted of 11 murders in 2011. his victims were hidden less than ten miles from the latest crime scene. >> the question is are there just these three victims and could someone have committed these terrible offenses with him. >> reporter: the discovery has shaken this community and have many wondering how this could happen again. michelle franzen, nbc news, new york. we turn to texas and questions of whether concerns were raised about the famous roller coaster at the six flags amusement park in arlington right before a mother was thrown to her death. nbc's charles had lock is there

with more on the investigation tonight. >> reporter: it was rosie esparza's first visit to texas. on facebook postings, her family said she was having a good time, until she got on the texas giant. the amusement park's star attraction, teaching dramatic plunges and hair pin turns. while boarding the ride, according to witnesses, she was concerned that her lap restraint was not working. she asked an attendant to check it. in an interview with dallas news.com, carmen brown describes what she saw. >> he was going through like this, doing this. and he was like -- >> witnesses say she was in a panicked state as the ride took off, soaring four stories above the park. on the first turn, tragedy struck. >> the guy that was sitting right behind the lady said that right when they came down off the first bump and hit that first turn, she flew out. >> reporter: six flags says it's conducting an investigation and issued a statement saying we are committed to determining the cause of this tragic accident

and will utilize every resource throughout the process. but the process apparently will not involve government regulators. texas is one of 21 states without oversight to investigate amusement park accidents. >> there's absolutely no federal oversight, no state investigative oversight or any local investigative oversight. >> massachusetts congressman, now senator ed markey has introduced legislation every session since 1999 to establish federal regulation of amusement rides. but the measure has repeatedly failed. late today senator markey renewed his call for federal regulation. six flags is open tonight by the texas giant remains closed as the company continues its own investigation. lester. >> charles hadlock, thank you. >> it was another extraordinarily deadly weekend in chicago. six people killed in shootings since friday, another 17 were injured. among them was a 6-year-old girl shot while attending a

vigil for another victim. >> we would never expect to experience this stuff in real life. i wouldn't want nobody to see it. >> more than 200 people killed in the city this year. there were dramatic rescues after thunderstorms inundated the phoenix area today. flooding washed out a number of roads in the metropolitan area trapping this motorist and others in the fast moving waters until firefighters came to the rescue. at one point the downpour was so heavy u.s. 60 was closed in both directions. there's progress on the battle in the huge wildfire in southern california that's burned tens of thousands of acres. miguel almaguer in palm springs for us tonight. good evening. >> reporter: as you can probably tell here over the last several hours, we have seen steady and at times heavy rain. a big turn around for firefighters who were facing triple digit heat a few days ago. thunderstorms began to roll in early this morning here in this region. localized flooding has helped the firefighters douse many of the flames.

it's a big break for those 3,000 plus firefighters on the front lines battling the mountain f e fire. at roughly 27,000 acres this blaze has destroyed several homes. it was one of the top priority fires. it has cost $20 million to fight. the blaze is 50% contained and evacuation orders have been lifted. lester. >> thank you very much. there is a report out of syria that the assad regime is responsible for a massacre. a syrian human rights organization says 13 members of a family, including women and children, were killed. this as the humanitarian crisis is unfolding at a catastrophic level the world hasn't seen in two days. nbc has a report. >> reporter: on the front lines of syria's civil war, the fighting rages on between the assad regime and rebels. and now for the first time

syrian opposition is battling amongst itself, they are fighting al qaeda dissidents in a few towns all while humanitarian suffering reaches new catastrophic levels. more than 6 million people have been displaced both inside and outside of syria, 4 million syrians can no longer meet their basic food needs. and nearly 5,000 people killed each month since last july. 6,000 people are leaving the country every day, a rate the u.n. says the world hasn't seen since the rwandan genocide in 1994. many of them are fleeing here to this refugee camp in jordan. make shifts tents are homes to nearly 30,000 refugees, even though they escaped syria, he asked us not to reveal his family's identity, saying his family back home could be punished. he shows where a bullet seared

his wrist walking home with groceries one day. after a security force came and took his sister and cousin, he took his wife and children and fled first to lebanon and now to egypt. they yearn to return to their homes and families, something they won't do until the regime falls. for,000 now, there's no indication it will happen. some say the conflict may drag on for years and they may be in power. the suffering will also go on. nbc news, cairo. pope francis making his first group abroad to brazil, home to 123 million catholics. nbc's anne thompson is traveling with the pope and has more. >> reporter: on copacabana beach where tourists worship the sun daily, this week the focus turns to god. this is the backdrop for world youth day, a catholic carnival

led by pope francis, the first pope from latin america. more than a million young pilgrims from 170 countries are expected to come hear the pope's call to reenergize the church with missionary zeal. the largest u.s. contingent hails from brooklyn celebrating mass this morning before boarding the bus for the ten-hour flight. francis' journey will take 13 hours, sent off today by thousands in the square. the pope's first overseas trip from st. peters is expected to cost $150 million, about a third of that, some $50 million, will be paid for by brazil's government. vatican officials acknowledge it's a lot of money, but point out it pales when compared to the $13 billion brazil will spend on next year's world cup. that spending drug brazilians into the streets in recent weeks. angry the government is financing stadiums instead of

improving health care and education. now there are fears protesters will use the papal visit to highlight their demands. >> he doesn't want to look like he's taking sides in this local dispute. at the same time he has to preach the gospel which is about justice, concern for the poor. >> reporter: francis will visit notorious slums, home to 22% of the city's residents. here in the largest catholic country in the world, the church is losing members to the growing pentecostal movement. three-quarters catholic in 2000, today brazil is just two-thirds. its influence under siege, the catholic church seeks a revival. in rio where both privilege and poverty thrive. ann thompson, nbc news, rome. when nbc news continues on this sunday night with mortgage rates inching up, home buyers are facing an old nemesis, sticker shock. and the big birthday bash in the big easy for a loveable legend.

we're back now with the rapid rise in mortgage rates analysts say points to a stronger economy. cnbc's real estate economist says it's also short-circuiting the housing market. >> nice corner lot, mature trees. >> they have been house hunting for two months. now they're looking for a bit less home. >> it's hard. because you see the houses that you want, and you knew at one point you probably could afford them and now you can't. >> reporter: mortgage rates have jumped more than a full percentage points since the start of may. so payments on a $200,000 home

went up $120 a month. why the increase? investors raise up when news the federal reserve would begin pulling money out of the mortgage markets pushing rates to record lows. >> my biggest concern is we're not going to have demand anywhere remotely close to what we had three months ago, 12 months ago when this super fed stimulus is in place. >> reporter: to make matters worse, mortgage rates are rising with home prices. potential buyers are losing purchasing power by the day. >> we've lost a lot. >> with all of the homes we're giving up something. usually it's the location, the kitchen. >> the location and kitchen are the first things to go. >> last week the fed chairman urged caution. >> see if there's impact. >> justin and erin know the impact, owing more on the

mortgage than their home is worth, these underwater boroughers hope to refinance for a lower payment. >> we pretty much missed the boat. rates continued to increase. it didn't make sense for us to go forward. >> despite the rise they are still historic lows. back in the '90s, they are more than twice what they are today. lower rates are the new normal. buyers today need a lot more in the way of cash down and high credit scores to even qualify for low rates. >> we're losing our dream of getting a home each time it goes up. >> reporter: for those on the margins of home ownership every point counts. nbc news, washington. >> when we come back tonight, what your favorite ice cream flavor may say about your personality.

as we continue to watch and wait, no word from buckingham palace about the arrival of the newest royal. we're outside the hospital in london. good evening.

>> reporter: good evening, lester. it is now more than a week since what some people said was the duchess of cambridge's due date, still no sign of him or her at st. mary's hospital here. william and kate left her parents' home on friday. it is about an hour away. thought they spent the weekend at kensington palace. it's ten minutes away. meanwhile, the queen said she would like to see the baby born before she begins her vacation in scotland this week. so far no news she has canceled those plans as she and the world waits for the royal baby. >> thanks very much. there's cause for another celebration in britain. thousands cheered as chris plume crossed the finish line. the first ever twilight finish. he became the second britain in a row to win the race. there was drama at golf's oldest championship starting five shots back from the leader, phil mickelson surged ahead and closed his round with a birdie

putt at the 18th green capturing his very first british open and fifth major title of his career. here is something new york yankee fans may never seen again, boston's fenway park, standing ovation from red sox nation. this was an understandable exception, yankees hall of fame pitcher mariana rivera who is retiring at the end of the season. ernest hemingway has many admirers but now we know his biggest fan was his mother grace. a series of scrapbooks she compiled since childhood went on digital display. scrapbooks contain letters, drawings, even homework assignments, clues to the childhood makeup of a mind that produced a winner pulitzer prize, "the old man and the sea." this being national ice cream day, taste experts at baskin-robbins are trumpeting you are what flavor you eat. chocolate, you're supposed to be

charming. vanilla fans are idealistic. we're surprised to learn mint chocolate chip fans tend to be curious while rocky road mavens are good listeners. when we come back a jewel in the crown of the crescent city still singing after all these years. new orleans where the past

easily ming else with the present and something old is always new, nbc's kevin tibbles and a band leader who is still

keeping time with the changing times. >> reporter: in a city renowned for letting the bones temps roulet, a birthday party. at 102 years old, ferbos remains a jewel in the crescent city's musical crown. >> how old do you feel when you're playing? >> i don't feel old at all. i've been playing so long, since i was young. >> reporter: think of it, ferbos was born in 1911 before the sinking of the titanic. as a young man growing up in the creole community he watched a group of women playing trumpet in a brass band. >> if they could do it, i could, too. >> lionel is the type of musician that stuck to the new orleans style. >> reporter: that style is something ferbos helped create with other jazz giants.

he learned to read music and spent the depression years playing with other unemployed african-american musicians in a band put together as part of roosevelt's new deal, different times in america. >> segregation and integration. >> yeah, that's right. >> did you ever think you would see that happen? >> no, never did. and a colored president. >> how did you feel when president obama was elected? >> it was a new thing in your life, because you never dreamed of something like that. >> four decades has and weekly with bandmates at the palm court cafe. >> the notes, his own personal version of it. >> reporter: and a much younger generation flocks to hear him sing and play, often from a list of 100 jazz favorites scribbled out on cardboard.

lionel ferbos's favorite tune, "when you're smiling." ♪ when you're smiling the whole world smiles with you ♪ >> reporter: on this night the whole world is smiling with you, lionel. kevin tibbles, nbc news, new orleans. >> we send our birthday wishes as well. that's "nbc nightly news" this sunday evening. brian williams will be back here tonight. i'm lester holt reporting from new york. from all of us at nbc news, thanks for watching and good night. look at 'em.

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good evening, i'm diane dwyer, terry mcsweeney has the night off. a good samaritan is dead after trying to help victims of a car accident. the california highway patrol says the man was killed on 280 near the woodside exit this morning. kimberly tere joins us from redwood city with the story tonight. >> reporter: 280 was shut down for about three hours, the california highway patrol investigated the fatal accident, a public information officer tells us that that accident happened about 2:40 this morning in the southbound lanes of highway 280, just north of woodside road. he says a black honda clipped the rear endf