moving across northern california. we'll have details and when the heaviest rain is moving in. on our broadcast tonight, crisis in ukraine. the race against time now to find a solution as a u.n. diplomat sent in to keep things calm gets caught up in a dramatic confrontation. and big changes tonight in the brutal world of college admissions. the s.a.t. gets its first major overhaul in years. hiding toll. the surprising findings. more people are dying from alzheimer's than previously reported. what it means now in the search for a cure. and the moment of crisis in daytona beach, florida, where strangers were forced into action to save the passengers in a minivan being driven into the water. "nightly news" begins now.

good evening. with russian soldiers armored vehicles on the streets of crimea in ukraine, the only rational alternative to firing those weapons is to try talking, but a day of attempted diplomacy has fallen short. this remains a crisis tonight. secretary of state john kerry was unable to make headway in paris today, then a frightening turn of events for a u.n. representative on the ground in ukraine, who was met by live weapons, armed men and surrounded at gunpoint. he has been forced out of crimea tonight. we get our report from our chief foreign affairs correspondent, andrea mitchell, who is back in our d.c. room after a whirlwind trip with the secretary of state to ukraine and back. andrea, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. there was very little to show for high-stakes diplomacy meeting today, even as that u.n. dirment came face-to-face in crimea.

a dramatic confrontation, armed pro-russian thugs threatening a u.n. mediator outside of ukraine's neighborhood headquarters in crimea. special envoy robert serry took refuge in a cafe calling for help. nbc's partner itn jays mace was there. >> he and his female assistant were very frightened, asked us to stay and keep filming while they phoned frantically to new york and kiev, local officials trying to get rescued. >> reporter: last week, serry was blocked from getting to crimea in time to see the russian troops getting today, only hours after finally getting there, he was forced out, his mission not accomplished. >> my car was blocked, and i -- and somebody, who did not identify himself, was telling me that he had orders to bring me immediately to the airport. >> reporter: serry did get out safely, but the incident added more pressure on crisis meetings in paris. >> we saw what happened today with special envoy serry just

how important it is to ensure the safety of those monitors. >> reporter: here in paris, secretary kerry is trying to rally the allies to be tougher against vladimir putin, but first they have to figure out what is putin up, just what is his end game. kerry tried to get answers today from putin's foreign minister, sergei lavrov, but lavrov refused to meet with ukraine's acting former minister, whom kerry had brought to paris, hoping to engineer the first talks between paris and ukraine's new transitional leader. why didn't you pete today? >> i don't know. >> reporter: while diplomats work, the u.s. is beefing up military presence in poland and the baltic, sending six additional fighter jets and a fueling plane to support nato. and this afternoon, hillary clinton tried to clarify remarks she had made comparing putin's moves to the nazis before world war ii. >> what i said yesterday is that

the claims by president putin and other russians that they had to go into crimea and maybe further into eastern ukraine because they had to protect the russian minorities, and that is reminiscent of claims that were made back in the 1930s. >> reporter: tonight, john mccain is accusing the pentagon of intelligence failures for not seeing russia's moves into crimea. the pentagon said it saw troop movements, but it was not clear what russia intended. brian? >> andrea mitchell covering a lot of ground for us in the space of one day from our d.c. newsroom tonight. thanks. and tonight, there is special concern for all the american families dealing with the anxiety and the cost of college entrance exams. the college board today announced the first major changes to the s.a.t. in nine years, and it took steps to level the playing field

among those taking the exam. we get more from our chief education correspondent, rehema ellis. >> reporter: this girl is more than 1.5 million students taking the s.a.t. every year. did you stress out about this a lot? >> yeah, i was cramming every single night. >> reporter: many spend months and thousands of dollars preparing. >> it is like a game and what you learn in your preparation is strategies to play the game. what you do on s.a.t. is not even what you're doing in high school. >> reporter: david coldwin, president of the college board explains that is about to change. >> there is no mystery as to what success in college and career training requires. it is time for a test that is open so kids can productively practice and ready themselves. >> reporter: the redesigned s.a.t. is going high tech. by 2016 it will be available in both paper and digital forms. it is returning to a score cale of 1600. had of the sa portion will be optional, and the current penalty for

wrong answers is being removed. other issues will go away. instead, more practical words like synthesis and empirical will be included. calculator use will be limited. there will also be more work an analyzing texts, and they will ask students to refer to real world examples and documents. >> what is the meaning of this word? >> reporter: you don't ask yourself that question every day. >> i don't think i even know that in life. i don't think i need to know that, do i? >> reporter: jose garcetti's family moved here to the united states ten years ago. his family spent money on the courses. >> i delayed my english courses just to give my son the opportunity to take the courses so he can be the one in the family to go to college. >> reporter: test prep is a $4.5 billion dollar a year industry. >> many parents spend a lot of money to help their children get higher s.a.t. scores, and for those families who can't afford it, it is a disadvantage. >> reporter: to eliminate some of the economic disparity, the

college board is partnering with kahn academy to offer free prep material. >> there's always going to be folks hiring pry-prices tutors and whatever else, but i think we'll make it level to a larger degree. >> reporter: rehema ellis, nbc news, austin. in washington today, a public and startling example of the kind of behavior congress has become known for and congress has become gridlocked over. it happened during a hearing about the politically charged issue of the irs and accusations of targeting political conservative groups. lois lerner, the former irs official at the heart of the scandal, again refused to answer questions citing her fifth amendment rights 11 separate times in response to questions from republican chairman darrell issa, but it was what happened after lerner finished is what drew attention. elijah cummings was not allowed to speak as issa ended the

hearing and hit the kill switch on the speaker button. >> i want to ask the question -- >> what is the big deal? may i ask my question? may i state my statement? >> you're all free to leave, we've adjourned, but the gentleman may ask his question. we're adjourned. thank you very much. >> mr. chairman, i have one procedural question, and it goes to trying to help you get the information by the way that you just asked. >> what is your question? >> i'm going -- no, let me say what i have to say. i have listened to you for the last 15 or 20 minutes. let me say what i have to say. sir, i have one procedural -- >> ms. lerner, you're released. >> but first i would like to use my time to make some brief points. for the past year, the central republican accusation -- in this investigation -- >> we're adjourned. close it down. >> -- single documents. >> thank you. >> i am a member of the congress of the united states of america. i am tired of this. >> well -- >> we have members over here each who represent 700,000 people.

you cannot just have a one-sided investigation. there is absolutely something wrong with that, and it is absolutely unamerican. >> hear, hear. both members of congress later made their way to working microphones and journalists to explain what happened in that hearing room and why. there was a surreal event this week in daytona beach, florida, where onlookers couldn't believe what was unfolding in the water in front of them. and once they determined it wasn't a stunt of any kind, once they determined a family was in danger and a minivan driving into the surf, complete strangers then went into action, and we are happy to report everyone emerged okay. we get the story tonight from nbc's janet shamlian. >> reporter: this was the heart-stopping scene along daytona beach where a mother driving on the vehicle-friendly sand turned her minivan into the ocean, witnesses say, and drove it directly into the waves. with three children screaming,

it was a tragedy in the making until a handful of strangers put their own lives on the line, sprinting into the water and hearing the voice of a little boy inside. >> the little boy said, please help us, our mom is trying to kill us. all i could think about, you know, we're getting the kids out no matter what. >> reporter: tim is a north carolina truck driver and volunteer firefighters who was vacationing with his own family. by his side, another good samaritan seen here fighting the currents as he carries the 9 and 10-year-olds to shore. they tell us a toddler is still trapped inside. >> god almighty, there is a baby in the car. >> reporter: with the honda odyssey now half submerged and being pulled further into the atlantic, the men fight the force of the water, to pry open the door and unbuckle the 3-year-old from the car seat and carry the child to safety. donna pratt and taylor quinton, vacationing from vermont, say they're inspired by the rescuers. well, i thought it was really brave of them to do that

and after it actually happened, we went over and thanked them for putting their lives in danger to help somebody else. >> reporter: tonight, the pregnant mother from south carolina is undergoing a mental health evaluation. police were at her house two hours before the incident, alerted by family but found no reason to detain her. >> she had the right answers and she said she was headed for an abuse shelter. so at that time they could not do anything with her. >> reporter: tonight, the investigation continues, and the children are safe, thanks to the selfless courage of strangers who rushed into the surf. janet shamlian, nbc news. daytona beach. overseas tonight, pope francis has made comments on this ash wednesday that are drawing criticism and may stop or di miniature his luster a bit among american catholics, who have become in short order big fans of the pope who has proven himself to be a reformer in the vatican.

it is mostly what he said about the church sex scandal that is getting the attention. our report from nbc's anne thompson. ♪ >> reporter: pope francis opened the season of penance and forgiveness urging the faithful to resist a godless culture, but it's his unapologetic defense of how the church is dealing with the priests sex abuse crisis that is igniting controversy. in a front page interview published in italy's largest newspaper, the hope said the catholic church is possibly the only public institution that acted with transparency and responsibility. nobody else did more. still, the catholic church was the only one to come under fire. abuse survivors blasted his words as disingenuous and criticized the pope for failing to take any concrete actions to protect children. >> it is heartbreaking for us to see the true colors of pope francis and it seems to be that he wants the same reckless and private ways of coping to continue. >> reporter: francis' strong words surprised some as this is the pope who's captured the

world's attention with the simple message of mercy making this humble man a global star, now with a magazine devoted solely to him. francis wants none of it saying "to paint the pope as some sort of superman, a star, is offensi offensive." >> he's not wanting to be superpope. he would like people to pay attention to what he is saying. >> reporter: and what the pope makes clear in this interview is while he will listen the basic teachings of the catholic church are not up for review. on birth control banned by the church but used by many catholics, the pope said it is not a question of changing the doctrine but going deeper so that pastoral concern takes into account situations and what can be done for people. he reit rated the support of traditional marriage but opened the door on civil unions saying we need to look at different cases and evaluate them. the pope trying to take a new approach to the issues dividing many catholics. anne thompson, nbc news, new york. and still ahead tonight, the surprising news about alzheimer's disease and how it

is taking a much higher toll than we first thought and first reported. and later, wheels up, the incredible underground recovery that so many people have been following tonight. we sent our cameras down into the sinkhole.

back as promised with new numbers on alzheimer's disease, now responsible for many more deaths than anyone thought at first, rivaling cancer and heart disease, in fact. the news could have big implications in the search for a cure. we get more on this tonight from our chief medical editor, dr. nancy snyderman. >> hey, harriet, come get on this. >> reporter: today's study could impact the 5 million people living with alzheimer's and their families. >> and a hug. >> reporter: the rush university medical center report suggests the actual number of deaths each year from alzheimer's disease may be as many as 500,000.

that's 6 times more than the 83,000 currently reported. why the discrepancy? because death certificates are notoriously inaccurate focusing only on the immediate cause of death. >> pneumonia, urinary tract infection, heart attack, you know, those are things that are obvious to people when somebody dies and that is what the doctor will frequently list on the death certificate as the cause of death. >> reporter: today's report could have major implications for funding of alzheimer's research, which currently lags way behind diseases like diabetes, heart disease, aids and cancer. the alzheimer's association says this new study highlights that alzheimer's is a fatal disease, and it is important for guiding the allocation of public resources. today's study matters a lot to the schaffer family. >> i love this one. >> reporter: married 50 years, charlie and his wife, harriet have three kids and nine grandkids and now a new challenge. >> well, i have been diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment. >> reporter: they're worried alzheimer's runs in the family. charlie's mother charlotte died at age 91 and the

family suspects the real cause was alzheimer's disease. >> she would ask a lot of questions over and over, and they never actually did an autopsy or anything, but we all knew it was alzheimer's. >> reporter: so while this lifelong athlete still has game -- >> way to go, danny. >> reporter: -- he is focusing on raising funds and awareness for alzheimer's research to hopefully spare his family from this awful disease. >> i don't want my children to have this, and i don't want my grandchildren to have this. >> way to go, houston! >> reporter: these numbers are a game-changer with regard to the significance of alzheimer's disease and reinforce how important it is to collect data in the right way and a reminder that death certificates should be as accurate and hold as much significance as a birth certificate and that's a gap that we have not yet reached, brian. >> anecdotaanecdotally, a lot of us thought it was worse than some of the numbers reported. so, nancy, thank you as always. we're back in a moment with

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♪ a good friend of ours was honored here in new york today, tom brokaw received the jefferson award for public service. the presenter was u.s. former treasury secretary robert rubin. the award, by the way, was sponsored by jacqueline kennedy onassis, and is one of the foremost honors, by the way, for public service in present day america. and about that promise by the president, if you like your health care plan, you can keep it, the white house announced late today that some will now be able to keep their plans for another two years before they have to meet the requirements of the affordable care act. republicans immediately cried foul, calling it a political move to prevent cancellation notices from showing up in the mail just before the midterm elections this fall. george p. bush is a step closer to elective office in texas. he won the gop nomination last night for the office of texas land commissioner.

george p. is the son of jeb, grandson of 41, nephew of 43. george p., who we first met as a young lad back in '88 at the gop convention is a ft. worth attorney these days. the fact that his mother was born in mexico, he speaks spanish, is something the gop is counting on for outreach to hispanics in that state. when we come back here tonight, inside the rescue operation to save the collection of classic cars gobbled up by that sad force of nature.

finally here tonight, if you're a true corvette fan or you live with one, that means you have been maintaining a kind of silent vigil for those eight beautiful one-of-a-kind collector edition corvettes that got swallowed by that angry sinkhole in of all places the corvette museum in bowling green, kentucky. on behalf of muscle car enthusiasts everywhere, we're happy to report all is not lost. in fact, they recovered the fifth car just today. we get the story tonight from nbc's gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: beneath this 100-foot dome, a sinkhole is ripping apart much more than a museum. as crews dig, they're finding

memories buried deep. >> it is just hard to put into words how we all feel. there were a lot of tears that morning. >> reporter: last month, security video captured the remarkable moment when the floor of the national corvette museum gave way, swallowing eight classic cars into a 60-foot-deep crater. the first vette hoisted up, worth about $8 million, revved up to cheers showing only minor damage on one. the second one, not so much. these are not just hunks of steel, bowling green is home to the only corvette plant in the world. >> the most exciting car in america today. >> reporter: first launched in 1953, the chevy corvette was america's first two sports car. and it quickly became part of the nation's psyche, inspiring the tv movie "route 66," a tribute to life on the open road. that nostalgia brings william johnson to this museum once a month. he still remembers the day he

bought his first vette in 1977. >> if you're having a bad day, you go get in your car and it goes away. >> emotional impact. >> reporter: jack and eileen krause drove all the way here from michigan. >> if any work of art got destroyed in a fire or in any natural disaster, people would be heartbroken about that piece of art being lost. and it is the same way, these are all one-of-a-kind very special corvettes. >> reporter: after they're taken from this pit they will be displayed as is until august and then restored. a testimonial to the resilience of one of america's dream cars. gabe gutierrez, bowling green, kentucky. >> still hard to watch. that's our broadcast on a wednesday night. thank you for being with us. i'm brian williams. we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night.

right now at 6:00, more is better when it comes to wet weather. you're looking at our very active radar as another storm pushes through the bay area. good evening and thanks for joining us. i'm janelle wang in for raj mathai. >> i'm jessica aguirre. rain becoming a familiar sight is beginning fall across the bay area tonight and at this point, it is enough to make the roads wet during the evening commute. chief meteorologist jeff ranieri is tracking this latest round of

wet weather and jeff, we can take all we can get. >> yes, we definitely can. you can see there is more on the way here, even though we got showers up across the north bay. it's raining heavy here near redding, as well. we'll get a piece of that coming our way, at least throughout the next through hours or so and live radar, it's not overly heavy in the north bay. it's very scattered in nature and also light in intensity. right through santa rosa, spotty showers and then you can see back here towards the tri valley, showers near livermore, plea ramon. the other thing we're watching, as the storm gets closer, there is a little uplift in the atmosphere. we have a slight risk of severe weather that could produce a few isolated thunderstorms, if any do develop likely gusty winds and also possibly some hail. we'll have more on that full forecast and the timeline of the