on the broadcast tonight, a dramatic turn of events in ukraine. after days of bloodshed, tonight president obama talks to president putin amid word of a deal. also, down to the wire here in sochi. another wild day of ups and downs for the americans, plus controversy over one of the biggest events of the games. water crisis. another maive environmental disaster, one of the largest coal/ash spills in history. toxic sludge spread over 70 miles, and tonight residents express fear and outrage. and the amazing rescue caught on camera in the middle of a busy highway. a baby not breathing when an army of strangers springs into action. "nightly news" begins now.

good evening. i'm lester holt in for brian who will be back in new york on monday. our top story tonight comes again from this part of the world where after days of anti-government protests and bloodshed and growing international pressure, the government of ukraine has agreed to concessions, hoping to end the violence at a dangerous standoff that's lasted months. the white house welcomed the deal, but it could be seen as a setback here in neighboring russia which wants to keep ukraine in its circle of influence. president obama and putin spoke by phone about it at length today. meantime tonight in the ukrainian capital, protesters continue their siege of independence square, where more than 70 people have died in the past 48 hours.

our chief foreign correspondent richard engel is there. richard, what's the latest? >> reporter: good evening, lester. after so much bloodshed, a deal has been reached that could bring ukraine more democracy but it still needs to be implemented and the city remains on edge. independence square today living up to its name. protesters cleaning up. peaceful, but on alert. filling sandbags and building barricades in case the riot police come back. trust is gone here after central kiev became an inferno this week, protesters ringing themselves with bonfires to keep the riot police at bay. police gunning down scores of demonstrators. a tragedy that may have also been a tragic mistake for the government. under pressure of new sanctions from the u.s. and others and after all-night negotiations with russia, europe and the

opposition, today ukraine's president yanukovych appeared to give in signing a deal he has resisted for months, limiting his power and restoring parliamentary democracy. for nastya, a fashion photographer turned revolutionary, the deal isn't enough. >> we should not have a dialogue. >> reporter: svetlana, an office manager says even early elections now scheduled for december are too late. >> we want him to go right now. >> reporter: others had even stronger feelings. shouting "death to the dictator." some of yanukovych's own police are starting to change sides. we found 40 officers who put down their guns and joined the protests. as twilight came, the mood grew somber. priests also now siding with the opposition, led prayers for the dead. night has come and the protesters are still here.

they think they have yanukovych in a corner, that his compromise is a sign of weakness, and that if they stay here, they can get rid of him. ukraine's pro-moscow ruler has been weakened by three terrible days and a few thousand resilient demonstrators. and tonight, lester, many protesters in this square want to keep going until the president is removed. and some hard-liners say unless that happens, they'll resort to violence with weapons. lester? >> all right, richard. as we said at the top of the broadcast, president obama spoke with russian president vladimir putin by phone. no doubt a difficult conversation. certainly a delicate balancing act for the u.s. to get involved in what russia considers its affairs. nbc's andrea mitchell is monitoring that end of the story from our washington newsroom. hello, andrea. >> reporter: hi, lester.

a senior state department official said that president obama initiated this call to president putin, his some time antagonist, this time, though, after bloody confrontations in kiev and the olympics, the two sides had what was called a constructive conversation, and they both agreed the plan needs to be implemented quickly and the economy needs to be stabilized. although putin sent a deputy to monitor the all-night talks, the russians did not sign the documents. putin now agrees with obama that russia wants to be part of the plan to keep violence from flaring up again, some extreme rebel groups still don't want to give up their weapons and the agreement is very, very fragile. just now the white house has said the president on this call also congratulated putin on hosting the olympics. lester? >> andrea mitching, thank you. now to what continues to be a big concern back home, the weather. after a wild night of near blizzard conditions for some and tornado watches and warnings for others, today strong thunderstorms rolled across the

southeast, the midatlantic, toppling trees, drivers dealing with flooding and dense fog. high winds knocking down power lines. meanwhile, in minnesota and wisconsin, the problem is more blinding snow. meteorologist janice huff has joins us now on what we can expect as we head into the weekend. hi, janice. >> hi, lester. well, the blizzard is moving away, which is great news for the great lakes. and the severe thunderstorms have now moved off the eastern seaboard. so we expect a quiet weekend across most of the country, there could be thunderstorms down towards miami with the cold for tomorrow, of temperatures in the 80s there. otherwise, nice on to the eastern seaboard. 60 in boston. 67 in atlanta. out west it's nice too, 74 degrees in dallas. for sunday's weather, it looks like it will be just as quiet for much of the country as well. in the east, 40s and 50s. 70 in atlanta on sunday. 25, chicago. no major weather systems coming our way across the country. maybe some light showers in the pacific northwest. minneapolis, though, does cool down.

that's the key, though. we're going to see much colder weather. next week more of the arctic plunge. and by thursday of next week, lester, we'll be back in the deep freeze from minnesota down to the carolinas. lester? >> all right. janice, thanks. as we head to the final week for the olympic competition in sochi, another high drama for team usa. and after a disappointing loss to canada in the women's hockey gold medal game, today it was the u.s. men's turn to face off with the canadians. elsewhere, there is controversy about the outcome of lady's figure skating. but up in the mountains it was another historic day for the american women. and nbc's anne thompson joins us now with more on the day. >> reporter: good evening, lester. a new olympic star for team usa and a skating controversy marked this second friday of the olympics. but here is a spoiler alert. because i'm about to talk about some results that have been widely reported today. the u.s. and canada, peaceful neighbors except on the ice.

tonight the u.s. men would fare no better than the u.s. women the night before, losing 1-0. team usa will now play for bronze. >> you know, we still have an opportunity to win something tomorrow, so that is the focus now. >> reporter: controversy still swirls over the lady's figure skating results. south korea is defending champion yuna kim gave a beautiful, artistic performance. but the judges gave the medal to adelina sotnikova, whose athleticism and passion electrified the home crowd. some are crying foul. nbc's olympic figure skating analyst scott hamilton says the judges got it right. >> adelina sotnikova was the best athlete on the ice last night. she may not have been the most beautiful artistically, but she was the athlete that won the gold last night by collecting the most points. >> reporter: the usa's ashley wagner wants changes to the anonymous judging system. >> if you give a certain skater a mark, you need to be able to

put your name and your reputation on the line for it. >> reporter: tonight, the u.s. struck gold on the mountain, 18-year-old mikaela shiffrin winning the women's slalom. >> you wish you could win every day. >> the youngest skier ever to do so. no surprise to her father, jeff. >> when you have confidence you can do it the nerves don't get to you as much. >> reporter: these games have heart. the skiers who cleaned the halfpipe offered this tribute to canadian sarah burke, who died in a training accident two years ago. american maddie bowman won the gold medal in the skiing halfpipe, the event burke fought to get into the olympics. >> well all try to aspire to be here. i think it will take all of us to fill her shoes because they were so big. >> reporter: and after losing in the team events tonight, it is official. the u.s. long track speed skating team will go home without a medal, the first time that has happened, lester, in 30 years. >> all right. anne, thanks very much.

we have been reporting on the broadcast for several weeks about the water concerns in west virginia after the major chemical spill. well, tonight there is renewed fear and outrage after another huge environmental disaster, this time along the north carolina board were virginia. nbc's kristen welker has our report. >> i see this as a crisis. >> reporter: the concern was palpable last night at this town hall meeting. hundreds of residents demanded to know what has been done to clean up the coal ash spill polluting the dan river, which runs along the north carolina-virginia border into a lake where 12-year-old virginia roberts has spent much of her childhood. >> i am always at the lake so i don't want to get sick from the lake. i don't want it ruined. i've been there all of my life. >> reporter: three weeks ago a pipe that runs under a coal ash pond collapsed at a plant owned by duke energy company. coal ash is the waste produced from coal burning power plants and contains potentially cancer-causing toxins.

authority say that the water is safe to drink when filtered, but residents should avoid direct contact like swimming in it. one source has been testing the water. >> we're finding levels of arsenic up to 35 times higher than the human health standard. >> reporter: last night, the public peppered the epa and duke energy with questions for two hours. >> the response, as we said, will not be paid for by our customers. that will be paid for by insurance, if available, and shareholders. >> reporter: this is coal ash, the sludge that is carpeting parts of the dan river, in some places it is five feet thick and stretches 70 miles. north carolina governor pat mccrory worked at duke energy for nearly 30 years. >> currently it is safe to drink the water. >> reporter: meanwhile, federal prosecutors are investigating the ties between the state and duke energy. at least 20 environmental agency employees have been subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury. have you been served a subpoena?

or anyone in your office? >> no, i have not been served a subpoena. and no one i appointed or no one in my office has been served a subpoena. >> reporter: but with miles of sludge still coating the area, residents are worried. >> i want to be able to live here safely and be able to fish the dan river like i fished it all of my life. and with my parents. >> reporter: gripped by fear for their health and the future of this community, kristin welker, nbc news, along the dan river. still ahead tonight, caught on camera. the dramatic rescue of a 5 month-old baby boy. pleas for help along the highway and strangers answer the call. later, more from here in sochi. and an american olympic champion whose new look on life is inspiring others.

we're back with a dramatic scene that unfolded in the middle of a busy highway in miami. a baby not breathing, his aunt

screaming for help, strangers running to the rescue, and a newspaper photographer who captured it all with his camera. we get the story tonight from nbc's mark potter. >> reporter: the incident, during a traffic jam on this miami highway was broadcast live on local radio. >> we have several reports of a woman exiting her vehicle, screaming for help. >> reporter: that woman is pam rauseo, whose 5-month-old nephew, sebastian de la cruz had just stopped breathing. out of the car, she dropped to the ground to help the child. >> and i ad administered cpr, which i was scared to do, because it was seven years since i learned how to do it. >> reporter: behind her, in his car, was miami harold photojournalist al diaz, who ran to find help. >> i turned towards traffic trying to flag somebody down. and lucila stopped. >> reporter: lucila godoy rushed to help and comfort rauseo, and to dial 911. >> yeah, i was like please, don't die on me, because i don't know what i'm going to do.

>> reporter: meanwhile, diaz found this police officer in his car. >> when the child started breathing, the officer took him from me. and that's when i broke down crying out of relief. >> reporter: two officers from miami-dade fire rescue who arrived credit rauseo for saving her nephew. >> thank god she knew what she was doing. >> reporter: with the situation finally under control, diaz began to take photographs. sebastian, seen in these home videos was born last september, two months premature. suffering from congestion, he and his aunt were returning from a doctor's visit when the emergency occurred. in photos today, sebastian appears much better. doctors say he is in critical but stable condition thanks to lots of strangers who came to help him. mark potter, nbc news, miami. >> incredible story. when we come back, remembering a friend and colleague and one of the best in the business.

president obama greeted the dalai lama today at a meeting

closed to journalists, though the white house did release a photo of the third meeting between the two. the chinese foreign ministry again objected, accusing the u.s. of interfering in chinese domestic affairs. the president has long pushed china to recognize tibet's culture and protect human rights there. but the white house also said the president reiterated to the dalai lama that the u.s. does not support independence for tibbett. and the white house announced today that president obama will award the medal to army veterans long overlooked in for their heroism in world war ii, korea and vietnam. it's part of a congressionally mandated review to determine if veterans were denied because of prestigious. the march 18th ceremony will include the most medals awarded at any one time. we lost a long-time member our nbc news family. garrick utley died at his home

in new york after a long battle with cancer and is being remembered by his many friends tonight as one of the best in the business. >> good evening. >> reporter: for three decades, garrick utley covered the world for nbc news, reporting with authority and insight from just about everywhere. >> in tel aviv. >> san jose. >> beijing. >> stockholm. >> vatican city. >> reporter: he was nbc's chief foreign correspondent, our bureau chief in london and paris, and later host of magazine shows, anchor of sunday today and weekend nightly news. and moderator of "meet the press". >> with garrick utley. >> he tried to mix the genius of the american system. >> reporter: he was among the most familiar faces on television, and at 6'6", he was hard to miss. born in chicago to journalist parents, his father was commentator on nbc. >> good evening, ladies and gentlemen. >> reporter: garrick got into the family business, and in the early '60s, became one of the very first network reporters based in vietnam.

>> it will be a long struggle, and the outcome is very much in doubt. garrick utley, nbc news, saigon. >> reporter: throughout his career, garrick utley was admired and respected for his intelligence and dedication. he is remembered by his friends and colleagues for his kindness and for being a true gentleman. >> good night from all of us at nbc news. >> garrick utley was 74. our thoughts tonight are with gertje, his wife of more than 40 years and the entire utley family. we're back with more from sochi right after this.

tomorrow in the mountains outside sochi, american bobsledder steve holcomb will try for his second medal of the games when he leads his four-man team down the track on the first day of that competition. and for at least one fan cheering the americans on, holcomb's performance, win or lose, will be a sight to behold. brett gray traveled more than 6,000 miles with his dad to see the winter games in sochi. and to see the athlete whose story changed his life. or the fact that gray can clearly see the american

bobsledders thunder down the track he owes in part to team captain and olympic medalist steve holcomb. they never met, but share the degenerative eye condition that limit their view of the world. an athlete who wrestled for several years, gray started to have vision problems in college. >> i got to where i was tired of straining and not being able to see. >> reporter: in 2010, he was diagnosed with keratoconus. >> it robs them of the ability often times to read, drive a car or even just function normally in life. >> reporter: for steve holcomb, keratoconus was so bad it nearly cost him his sledding career. severely depressed, he attempted suicide in 2007. >> i knew my career was coming to an end. i'm lying to my friends and my family. i'm lying to my sponsors, my coaches, my push crew. >> reporter: a cornea transplant was not an option for the bobsledder because of the long recovery time. it was eye surgeon dr. brian

boxer wechler who in 2008 offered holcomb a life-changing alternative. >> it strengthens the cornea through an application of special vitamin solution combined with a special type of light. he had an implantable lens that restored his vision. >> reporter: the non-invasive surgery stabilized the eye disease. holcomb regained his 20/20 vision. >> steve holcomb is going for gold! >> reporter: and went on to win the gold medal in the 2010 vancouver games. his remarkable comeback story made headlines. in oklahoma, brett gray's mother heard about holcomb's journey and got an idea. >> i thought this was my kid. i can't watch him go blind. i started searching for this olympic gold medallist. >> going to be a little red. >> reporter: just last month, gray underwent the so-called holcomb c-3r surgery. it was a success. >> it is like a dream come true to be able to have my son to be able to see. i don't have words to tell you how i feel.

>> reporter: now in sochi, brett gray cheers on his olympic hero, inspirational not only for his victories on the track, but for helping others by sharing his struggle. >> people having the same success that i did is extremely heartwarming and extremely motivating for me. >> reporter: and holcomb looks forward to meeting brett gray after he is done competing here. the that's our broadcast for this friday night. thank you for being with us. i'm lester hotel in for brian. he'll be back on monday. and a reminder, olympic prime time coverage begins at 8:00, 7:00 central. i'll see you in the morning on "today" and right back here tomorrow evening. good night, everyone.

breaking news, a water main break is flooding the streets. these are pictures from the chopper. you can see the water overflowing on the curbs. good evening i'm jessica aguirre. >> i'm raj mathai. that's about less than a mile from the cal campus next to long fellow middle school. this is a residential area. firefighters say crews were called to the scene around 4:00 this afternoon, about two hours ago. they were able to shut off one of the water valves but not all. they say while the water is

getting close to the homes, as you can see there, there was never a breach. nbc bay area churl heard is on her way. we'll bring you the very latest once she reaches the break and gathers for information. >> a ring accused of stealing thousands of credit card numbers all across the bay area. 600 fake credit cards taken. >> vicky nguyen has been tracking this high-tech crime for more than a year. so many of us swipe that card at the gas pump. >> we do. this allows crooks to steal your financial information while you're filling up. today investigators showed us what they seized and explain how they are keeping up with this next level of id theft. >> these are very, very good quality fakes. >> you're looking at fake credit cards and driver's licenses made with real financial information that was stolen from gas pumps in san jose, san francisco, fremont, redwood