on this sunday night, game over. a spectacular end to the winter olympic games as team usa scores another medal, but tonight, it's russia with even more reasons to celebrate. invisible danger. a deadly leak of carbon monoxide gas overcomes people at a shopping mall, including first responders. a wake-up call to the risk at home and beyond. at what cost? the deep impact of the severe drought in california, and how most americans are paying the price. and winners and losers. our look back at the triumphs, disappointments and surprises after more than two weeks have kept the eyes of the world trained on this little corner of russia.

>> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt, reporting tonight from the olympic winter games in sochi, russia. >> good evening. the olympic flame that burned brightly here for 17 days was extinguished just a few hours ago, bringing the 2014 winter games to a close. sochi's suitability as an olympic host city was questioned right up until opening day, mainly over the looming threat of domestic terror. but tonight, the russian organizers had reason to celebrate, punctuating the end of what turned out to be a secure and successful olympic games with a rousing, artistic, and whimsical closing ceremony, where sochi passed the torch to the site of the next winter olympics. meantime, it was a busy day leading up to the end of these games with americans looking to close out these games on a high note. chris jansing is with me. chris?

>> no doubt, lester. team usa did it scoring a medal on the final day of these games. no one had more to celebrate than russia. they cleaned up at home after being 11th in the medal count in vancouver. so, maybe with the exception of no gold for russia's men in ice hockey, the xxii winter games went pretty much according to their plan. sochi staged a spectacular farewell to the most expensive olympics in history, an explosive display of national pride. ♪ including an homage to the history of russian arts, the paintings of chagall and kandinsky, a swirling tribute to russia's literary great, ballet from bolshoi, 62 grand pianos and rack man -- rachmananoff. >> a little bit of a glitch

here. >> reporter: in an inspired flashback to the opening ceremony and the olympic ring that didn't open, a charming display of self-deprecating humor. tweets of their now-ubiquitous selfies. competition was still under way today. steve holcomb's team won the final usa medal, bronze in four-man. final american tally, 28 medals overall, nine gold. but the home team won the medals race with 33, a reason for russia to cheer. >> maybe the second place or maybe third, but we didn't think that we would be the first. >> i feel love to my country. >> reporter: even a smile from president putin, pulling off the high-wire act after staking so much on a successful and safe games, which came off without a single major security incident. then with a tear from the giant polar bear mascot, and with the voices of singing children, an exuberant handoff to pyongchang, south korea, host of the next winter games in 2018. in a final farewell, the sky over sochi was ablaze with

fireworks, a breathtaking end-of-games party and thank you to the host. >> it was just great. >> it was a great celebration of the olympic spirit, and i think they should be very proud of themselves. >> reporter: those sentiments were echoed by the president of the international olympic committee, who said russia delivered all that it had promised. organizers have a week and a half to regroup. the paraolympics come to town march 2nd. >> the show's not over yet. >> not yet. >> chris, thank you. we turn next to the neighboring ukraine, where former president viktor yanukovych is a wanted man tonight and the future in that country is uncertain. richard engel reports again tonight from kiev. >> reporter: sunday mass at kiev's st. michael cathedral was dedicated to the protesters who died to oust ukraine's president. the cathedral became a field

hospital this week when riot police opened fire on demonstrators. and just as fast as the government was overturned for that massacre, a new government is now being formed. in a series of rapid-fire votes, parliament today made its speaker interim president and issued an arrest warrant for viktor yanukovych. security camera footage appears to show when he fled with suitcases, realizing perhaps it might be a one-way trip. by nightfall, independence square, once filled with bonfires and molotov cocktails, glowed with candles. >> these people who stays here, they are heroes for me. >> reporter: by the memorial, soft light, ukrainians sang their national anthem. rosaries hung on barricades protesters built to stop police bullets. >> i have so much pain in my heart for everything that is going on here.

>> reporter: peace is holding, but the protesters aren't convinced the revolution is over. by staying here at any price, these protesters managed to change the political balance of power in europe and central asia. but they're not ready to disperse yet. they want to keep the pressure on and oversee this country's transition of power. the challenges ahead may already be emerging. to the east, by the russian border, there were marches in support of yanukovych and moscow. and tonight, russia has withdrawn its ambassador to ukraine, calling him back to moscow for consultation. >> richard engel, thanks. the u.s. said today this country stands on the side of the ukrainian people and said it would be a big mistake for russia to intervene militarily in the crisis. nbc's kristen welker is at the white house with more. kristen? >> reporter: lester, national security adviser susan rice appeared exclusively on "meet the press" this morning, her first sunday show appearance since her comments on benghazi

in 2012. but the first topic today was ukraine. rice rejected the idea that washington and moscow were nearing a return to cold war-style tensions, saying both the u.s. and russia agree that ukraine should remain unified. but she strongly cautioned russia not to get engaged militarily. >> that would be a grave mistake. it's not in the interest of ukraine or of russia or of europe or the united states to see the country split. it's in nobody's interest to see violence return and the situation escalate. >> reporter: on benghazi, rice said her assertion in the days after the attack that the violence appeared to be a spontaneous response to an anti-muslim video, quote, turned out, in some respects, not to be 100% correct and there was never an intent to mislead the public. but republican senator john mccain called rice's explanation to benghazi today a little

embarrassing, calling the information misleading. rice said she shared the best information that the administration had at the time. lester? >> kristen welker, thank you. an update tonight on the arrest of one of the world's most wanted drug kingpins, joaquin "el chapo" guzman, head of the sinaloa cartel, was apprehended yesterday at a mexican beach resort. today, authorities in the united states said they will move to have him extradited and tried in cities where he is wanted. that includes new york and chicago. it has no odor. it can't be seen. it can be deadly. we're talking about the danger of carbon monoxide gas which leaked out of a restaurant heating system last night on new york's long island, killing one man and injuring dozens of others. we get more on that story tonight from nbc's kristen dahlgren. >> reporter: saturday night, the start of the dinner rush at a new york mall. >> they just started telling everybody to get out. >> reporter: this emt was one of 28 first responders at legal

seafood's employees overcome by carbon monoxide. >> they said there's a high co content in the building and you have to get out. by that time, we were all really, in retrospect, already starting to feel the effects. >> reporter: the restaurant's 55-year-old manager succumbed to the gas and died at the hospital. customers got out unharmed, leaving their meals unfinished. today, the restaurant is condemned, the leak traced back to a faulty pipe in the water heating system. legal seafoods expressed condolences, vowing to conduct safety checks in all of its restaurants calling for stronger safety codes everywhere. you have to get a lot of calls this time of year. >> we do. this firehouse today alone got two or three calls for carbon monoxide. >> reporter: an average 439 people die of carbon monoxide in the u.s. every year. just today, emergency crews responded to a hotel in algonquin, maine. ten people were reportedly overcome by carbon monoxide. >> we believe it's a furnace problem. that's the only thing in the building that would create carbon monoxide.

we're investigating that further at this time. >> reporter: dozens of people evacuated a baltimore hotel, and in charlotte, north carolina, dozens of people were sickened at a church. what do people need to do? >> what do people need to do? most of all, people need to have a carbon monoxide monitor. >> reporter: and know the symptoms, which can mimic the flu. headache, dizziness, fatigue, confusion that can quickly turn to loss of consciousness. a silent, odorless killer, but one that can be prevented. kristen dahlgren, nbc news, new york. turning back to the olympics, these will be remembered as the games where both the marquee athletes and the host city were saddled with expectations. nbc's stephanie gosk on who and what delivered. >> reporter: fast, furious and breathtaking. >> and he goes for it. >> reporter: the olympic fortnight is defined not just by victories but also by surprises. >> sage kotsenberg, you're an

olympian. >> reporter: unavoidable expectations to seize them and become a hero. >> team usa wins! >> reporter: fall short and get this question. >> was there something in particular you were struggling with? >> reporter: the u.s. did rack up some gold in sochi. ice dancers meryl davis and charlie white made history. so did skiers ted ligety and 18-year-old mikaela shiffrin. in ski slope style, the u.s. u.s. men made a full sweep on the olympic stage. shaun white pulled out of snowboard slope style to focus on the half pipe, where his fourth place finish shocked everyone. >> it's a tough night. and i think that's all it is. >> reporter: for u.s. speed skaters as well, shut out from the podium for the first time in 30 years. >> i did the best i could and, unfortunately, it wasn't the best. >> reporter: controversy changed women's figure skating, analysts worry complicated, anonymous scoring is confusing even the most enthusiastic fans. >> when a score comes up and it says 127.48, i have no idea if i

should be excited or not. i don't know what that means. >> reporter: beyond the athletics, like all olympic games, it is one big cultural exchange, to see a country they may not know much about in a completely different light. in the buildup, concerns about terrorism and criticism of russia's anti-gay propaganda law dominated the headlines. president vladimir putin's $50 billion olympic project was plagued by reports of corruption and human rights abuses. in a busy marketplace, as the games wound down, it was hard to find any discontent among local shop owners. this city is a lot more beautiful, this woman told us. we jumped ahead by about 30 years. in the end, the games went smoothly. the only real surprises took place right where they belong, on the podium. stephanie gosk, nbc news, sochi. when "nightly news" continues on this sunday, some scary moments today at daytona, forcing everyone to take cover.

in florida today, shortly after the daytona 500 got under way, and then this announcement. >> at 38 laps, the race has been red flagged temporarily. >> that's because a tornado warning, and it would force the race to stop and 250,000 people in the grandstands were told to take cover. it prompted at least one race team to crouch down inside a trailer. this photo was put out on twitter by a radio station. the warning was lifted a short time later. in the american west, they can only hope for more rain as a long and severe drought takes a growing toll, especially in

california. it's having a devastating effect on cattle and crops. that means higher prices at the grocery store for all of us. we get more on this tonight from nbc's miguel almaguer. >> reporter: in central california, this is the sound of extreme drought. cattle ranchers selling off their herds. without rain, there is no grass for grazing. >> what i'm hearing from fellow ranchers is panic. >> reporter: cindy tuse, a rancher for 17 years, says many can no longer afford the price of feed. >> if we continue to have the conditions that are in place right now, i see more selloff. i see more cattlemen having to sell their entire herd. >> reporter: ranchers here echo what the president said when he met with farmers. >> what happens here matters to every working american, right down to the cost of food that you put on your table. >> reporter: tonight at the grocery store, you may already be paying more for milk. the midwest drought of 2012 is

still driving up prices today. but in farming towns like firebaugh, this historic drought is hitting home now. with prices up for produce, sales are down. this market has laid off three employees and many more in this town of nearly 8,000 are leaving. city manager ken mcdonald says the situation in firebaugh is so dire, the food bank is feeding farmers. firebaugh's in serious trouble? >> without a doubt. it's a severe crisis. >> reporter: firebaugh is one of several communities here in the central valley that feeds the nation. but the drought has turned this region into a virtual dust bowl. without water, the harvest in this field is ruined. the allens have been farming for three generations. but with another harvest lost, this may be their last season. >> a lot of people don't realize the amount of money that's going to be lost, the amount of jobs that are going to be lost. and we can't recapture that. >> reporter: from crops to cows, the drought is crippling the

west and the fallout is headed east. miguel almaguer, nbc news, firebaugh, california. coming up as we continue here tonight, with a little more than two years to go until the next olympics, a look at the enormous challenges ahead.

a woman believed to be the oldest-known survivor of the holocaust has died in london. alice herz-sommer was from prague in what is now the czech republic. and the fact that she was a pianist may have helped her survive at a german concentration camp. along with other musicians, she performed concerts at that camp. she was the subject of a film "the lady in number six." that has been nominated for best short at next week's oscar awards. she was 110 years old.a awards. she was 110 years olc awards. she was 110 years ol awards. she was 110 years ola awards. she was 110 years old

awards. she was 110 years ole awards. she was 110 years olm awards. she was 110 years oly awards. she was 110 years old. and maria von trapp has died. she was the last surviving member of the musical family whose escape from the nazis in austria has become the basis of "the sound of music." she was portrayed as louisa in the 1959 broadway musical and in the 1965 film that won for best picture. maria von trapp lived in vermont. she was 99 years old. as sochi breathes a sigh of relief after the conclusion in the winter olympics, nervous tensions are building in rio de janeiro which will host the summer olympics in just two years from now. in olympic terms, that is not a lot of time. and they admit the list is long and it is challenging. bill neely is there tonight with a progress report. >> reporter: rio, the city of sun, samba and soccer, and now the site of the next olympics. but behind the smiles and excitement, serious concerns. >> it is just a huge bay of sewage. >> reporter: this bay will host olympic sailing. it's filthy. and rio is struggling to clean it up on time. rio's mayor concedes it's a

problem. >> this is one of our biggest challenge. we can -- we have to show that we are able to deal with these things. >> reporter: this is the site of the next olympic games. it's a building site. the officials in charge of the olympics are telling rio to speed up. there's not a single day to lose, they say. rio won the games in spite of being the least prepared to host them. the city's feeling the heat from olympic officials. they're worried. are you? >> of course. of course. i have to worry. that's my job. i worry every day. >> reporter: brazil has seen its worst riots in decades over the cost of hosting the olympics and this summer's soccer world cup. many are angry, too, that thousands of rio's poorest have been evicted to build olympic facilities. this man fears his family is next. brazil has the olympics, he

says, but no justice. new homes have been built to house some of the evicted, but the demolitions continue. rio watched the winter games, baffled at some events. next, it's their turn. they love a party. but will it be on time? every city official i talked to says rio will be ready. the international olympic organizers say this city needs constant supervision. the road to the rio games won't be easy. back to you, lester. >> all right. bill neely, thank you. up next, sochi, take two. the moments we won't forget.

as our time here in sochi draws to an end, we want to take a moment to reflect on what a time it has been, witnessing the excitement, the heartbreak, the painfully thin margin that separated victory from defeat and experience it all through the eyes of the athletes who put it all on the line, proudly representing their countries. >> reporter: russians see themselves as dreamers. >> and it looks like we have a little bit of a glitch here. >> team usa in sochi. >> [ speaking foreign language ]

[ screaming ] >> american sage kotsenburg becomes the first to strike gold at sochi. he's chewing gum in the olympic final. >> brother, frederick, cheering him on. >> alex deibold has made olympic history. >> i see him, he's my everyday inspiration. >> snowboarder shaun white will go home without a medal this time. >> a changing of the guard perhaps in men's half-pipe snowboarding. >> -- has withdrawn for medical reasons. >> oh, no! >> the second i stood up and the crowd just started screaming, i had to finish. >> it's unbelievable that the united states has swept the podium here with such a strong international field. >> noelle pikus-pace has that olympic medal. >> she did it! >> t.j. oshie, the hero of the

today's men's game against russia. >> team usa wins! >> 62 years of waiting is finally over! >> more than 16 years of training will come down to just two performances. >> olympic champions. the highest score ever recorded. >> it's been a big day for team usa here in the mountains. >> ligety has the gold! >> 18-year-old colorado native mikaela shiffrin is dreaming big. >> gold for the u.s.! >> and that's "nbc nightly news" for this sunday. brian williams is back tomorrow. i'm lester holt, reporting from sochi. a reminder, the broadcast of the closing ceremony begins at 8:00, 7:00 central here on nbc. for our team here and all of us at nbc news, good night.

>> a milestone for professional sports. the nba's first gay player took the court tonight. stanford grad jason collins just signed with the brooklyn nets. just the dalai lama is in the bay area. what he had to say to hundreds at a rally in berkeley, why others proper testing his visit. a death investigation at a popular south bay mall. what we know after police shut down part of the busy shopping center. >> good evening. i'm terry mcsweeney. >> i'm diane dwyer, on late tonight because of olympics coverage. we begin tonight with the dalai lama visiting bate area. they landed friday, today he spoke to a sold-out crowd in berkeley. it hasn't been all peaceful. dozens of peoplere