more thundershowers still in the forecast tonight. thanks for joining us here at 5:00. nightly news is next. >> goodnight. on our broadcast tonight, dire warning. the prediction tonight that climate change could destabilize human society. the american cities under threat along with food and water supplies. deadline day. the final hours to sign up for health care or face a penalty, which today meant a new surge and new glitches. new recall. gm recalling over a million more cars as the woman in charge, the new ceo, out to fix some new problems is set to go before congress. and reversing diabetes. the surprising and positive side effects of weight loss surgery for potentially millions of patients. "nightly news" begins now.

good evening. the world has never been spoken to quite this way. we've never been warned like this before, all of us, about climate change, nor have so many countries agreed quite this much on the clear and present danger it represents. here is the takeaway. unless the world changes course quickly and dramatically, the fundamental systems that support human civilization are at risk. this is all coming from the u.n., and the evidence is convincing enough, in part because so many nations have agreed with these findings, that it will hit home across this country, especially in those population areas where people may need to be on the move faster than they first thought. it's where we begin tonight with our chief environmental correspondent anne thompson in port monmouth, new jersey. anne, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. when superstorm sandy hit here the water was above my head. now homes in this area are being

raised eight feet off the ground and this is why. the ocean is a quarter mile away, and today's u.n. report says coastal communities like this one are at risk and in the worst case scenario could disappear all together. rising sea levels are making storm surges more deadly, wildfires and heat waves are more intense, glaciers are shrinking, and today in green land where melting has doubled in the last ten years, more ice is going into the ocean. >> as nature's thermometerer, it just reacts. and when it goes away, we know we're in trouble. >> reporter: despite decades of dire warnings, the carbon dioxide elements went up since last year. what kind of risk does that pose to people? >> people who live in cities, people along the coast, in fact anybody who eats is under threat from climate change. >> reporter: oppenheimer says

yields of two crucial crops, wheat and corn are decreasing because of changing climate. and that could lead to conflict in a world where the population is growing. >> the lack of food and water create problems, after all those are the basics of life. in places where you have instability, it will make instability worse in all likelihood. >> reporter: it's not just on land. the oceans are absorbing more carbon dioxide, becoming more acidic. coral reefs are dying. and bill taylor says his oyster supply is declining on the coast of washington state. >> ultimately the whole shell fish industry is at risk. if the shellfish can't form a shell, we're out of business. >> reporter: the report says we can avoid the worst impacts by reducing emissions and moving infrastructures and people out of harm's way. in illinois, the government is buying and tear do you think homes in a flood zone. but if nothing is done the report warns that snowpacks in the west will shrink, causing

water shortages and worsening droughts. and the record heat of 2012 could become routine. >> we're likely to see most summers being hotter than the historically hottest summer. so what used to be the extreme, literally becoming the new normal. >> reporter: and these changes are picking up speed, affecting food and water supplies, human health and the loss of global species. the scientists say no one and no place will be immune. brian? >> anne thompson, port monmouth, new jersey on the jersey shore. anne, thanks. these past couple days we've had a big wake-up call in southern california where the ground has been unusually quiet in the greater los angeles area over the past few years. that changed when a 5.1 caused some minor damage. it rattled a lot of people friday night. it took place not along the more famous san andreas fault, but puente hills.

the good folks at cal tech are watching all of it tonight. >> when an earthquake happens on this fault it is just about the worst one we can imagine, it is long enough to have an earthquake greater than magnitude 7, maybe 7.5. it's located directly under the oldest parts of our city. so we have hundreds of thousands of very bad buildings that will be exposed to very strong shaking. so we put it all together and it's about the worst earthquake we can think of happening. >> it is true that friday night's earthquake was the strongest in the area since '08. and at this point we must add southern california has not had a major quake since the '94 northridge earthquake that killed several dozen people and caused $25 billion in damage. no the north now, washington state. that slow and awful search for the missing continues after the landslide there. the official toll has risen, now 24 known dead, though the number of missing has gone down over the weekend significantly.

nbc's miguel almaguer remains on the scene for us tonight. miguel, good evening. >> reporter: brian, good evening. once at 176, that number of missing has dropped down to 30. but as you mentioned, the death toll here has risen now at 24. and warm conditions and under sunny skies, the conditions couldn't have been better for this recovery operation, which could take months. the mud is 75 feet deep in some places. rescue teams nearly exhausted are being rotated in and out. there is danger, too, from chemicals that have spilled. so even the dogs have to be decontaminated after searching in this big, soupy debris field. crews are bagging what they can to be given back to those who have lost everything. this is still a massive operation where crews continue to find human remains. today, the governor here asked the president to declare the area a disaster zone to free up federal funds. brian, they could be finding

bodies into the fall. >> miguel almaguer, arlington, washington. miguel, thanks. the search for the missing malaysia airlines 77 has resumed tonight off perth, australia. a ship carrying a u.s. device that detects those pings from the flight recorders is now on its way to the search zone. and malaysian officials have revealed the final communication from the cockpit to the air traffic controllers, the copilot, first officer apparently said "good night, malaysian 370." that is a more standard signoff than had been previously thought there was no reason given for the discrepancy between the two. we're just hours from the midnight deadline now to sign up for health care for the year or face a penalty. and with the last-minute surge in people rushing to beat the clock, today came some new glitches with the website. white house correspondent peter alexander on the north lawn for us tonight. peter, good evening. >> reporter: brian, good evening. just a few months ago there were

real questions whether this law would work at all. but today the white house is touting a flood of new signups thanks to last-minute shoppers and others who struggled to enroll in the past. still today is was not without more problems. in san antonio, long lines filled the alamodome. in s.a.m. tampa, they crowded in the hallway. administration officials say this has been the biggest enrollment day since sign-ups began last october, three times their previous records. >> i want the insurance, because now more than ever, my daughter, i want to take care of my health. but signing up seems to be the problem. >> reporter: on daytime tv, vice president joe biden tried to reassure those who waited. >> they are able even if the deadline closes stay in line. they can get into the system. >> reporter: the first lady even enlisted help to make a pitch. today, the white house said substantially more than six million people have signed up. within sight of their early prediction. >> i think success looks like at at least seven million people

having signed up by the end of march 2014. >> reporter: still, for a while today it seemed like the healthcare.gov website may finish the way it started. off line briefly this morning due to a software bug, and again this afternoon preventing new applicants from logging in. people have until midnight tonight to sign up for private health insurance in 2014 through the marketplaces, and to avoid paying a penalty if they don't. the penalties are minimal this year, as low as $95 for adults. but by 2016, that number jumps to nearly $700 with a variety of exemptions. still unanswered how many have actually paid for their coverage, how many were uninsured before and what percentage are young and healthy, critical to offset the cost of older adults. the mix will affect how much you pay in years to come. it will be a couple of weeks before we get the final enrollment numbers, but it may be a couple of years before we truly know how well this law works. brian, as one expert told me tonight, it's a promising start,

but it's only a start. >> peter alexander at the white house tonight. peter, thanks. general motors announced late today it is expanding yet again the number of cars it is recalling because of potentially serious safety issues. this comes one day before the new ceo of gm is set to testify before congress. tom costello following these late developments from our washington newsroom tonight. tom? >> reporter: hi, brian. gm telling the government today it is recalling another 1.3 million cars in the u.s. this newly expanded list of recalled vehicles now focuses on a power steering issue. the new recalls include the chevy malibu and malibu max select models from 2004 through 2009 and then five other gm models. if the power steering is lost gm says it would require greater effort to control the car manually and that could increase the risk of a crash. this recall on top of the 2.6 million cars already being recalled because the ignition switches can slip out of the run position, cutting power to the engine, the power steering, and the air bags.

now, tomorrow, ceo mary barra is scheduled to testify on capitol hill on why it took so long to order a recall when gm had evidence of faulty ignition switch way back in 2001. at least 12 people have died in accidents believed to have been linked to the defect. in her prepared remarks, barra plans to apologize to continue and promises an independent investigation. brian? tom costello, thank you in washington. and they started out with features on high end cars, now the rear view cameras are showing up on a lot of vehicles we drive. and they are about to become a mandatory safety feature. the feds are requiring new vehicles under 10,000 pounds, that still includes buses and trucks, to have these rear view cameras by may of 2018, all part of an effort to reduce backup accidents which cause an average of 210 death, 15,000 injuries every year. many of the victims, sadly, are children. and as if the world needed

it right about now, a spike in tensions between north and south korea is becoming a tape of spring. when the south and the u.s. hold joint military exercises, south korea today released spectacular video of smoke screen shells going off during a mock beach invasion. but yesterday, tensions spiked when north and south korea both exchanged artillery fire, thankfully, no reported escalation beyond that. and we thought this was worth passing along tonight. for only the third time in the past 12 years, there were no american military fatalities over the course of the last month in afghanistan. no u.s. service members died in action during the month of march, something worth celebrating on behalf of so many american military families. still ahead for us tonight, beating diabetes. a life-changing procedure that for some is the answer they've been hoping for, even though it's designed for something else.

and later, one extraordinary woman and the power of music making a difference in the lives of so many kids.

there is encouraging news to report in the fight against the epidemic of diabetes. about 24 million americans have type 2 diabetes, the kind caused by being overweight, among other factors. researchers have found that weight loss surgery for these people can be more effective than taking medication in beating this disease. our report tonight from our chief medical editor dr. nancy snyderman. >> the plan is gastric bypass. >> reporter: we first met laura two years ago. >> she'll be in recovery a couple of hours. >> reporter: the day she had gastric bypass surgery. she weighed 361 pounds, struggled to walk and had type 2 diabetes. >> give me kisses! >> reporter: now she is a new mom, transformed inside and out. >> after the surgery i was off all of my medications.

that includes my diabetes medicine. >> reporter: her dramatic results, along with today's report, provides stronger evidence that weight loss surgery is much more effective than medication alone in helping people beat diabetes. >> there isn't therapy that can rival bariatric surgery in terms of weight loss and controlling diabetes. >> reporter: researchers at the cleveland clinic studied over 100 overweight and obese type 2 diabetics. they were divided into three groups. the first got gastric bypass, reducing the stomach to about an the size of an egg. the second group got a sleeve, constricting the stomach by more than half. the last group received medication alone and insulin as needed. three years later, both groups that got surgery had more weight loss, lower blood sugars, and the majority were able to stop take insulin andther diabetes medications. while doctors don't know exactly

why the surgery is so effective, they suspect hormonal changes kick in almost immediately following the surgery. but some caution that surgery alone is not a quick fix. >> this is a good option for people who just cannot respond to medical treatment, have very poorly controlled diabetes that isn't responding to anything else. >> are you ready to go work out? >> reporter: as for laura beth, she lost 181 pounds. >> i cook on sundays. >> reporter: now, in addition to carefully planning meals, she exercises every day with her toddler, kinsley. >> i'm just excited in life in general. i don't know what else is going to come, but i'm ready for anything. >> reporter: currently, insurance companies only cover surgery more morbidly obese patients. but today's report may prompt them to cover people who are just obese or overweight. surgery runs around $25,000, and that's a lot less than the $300,000 that it costs to treat a type 2 diabetic for life.

big economic difference, brian. >> i guess in the category of alternate benefits for medical advancement. we're back a minute with the pictures the royal family did not want the world to see.

a tempest this past week in the desert over photos that members of the white house press corp. took and put out over twitter. photos from the desert retreat of king abdullah of saudi arabia as he hosted president obama. because saudis aren't told much about inner works or luxurious desert living conditions, and because the king, who is somewhere around 90, was shown for the first time using oxygen, the photos, which were taken without restrictions, have gathered a lot of attention in saudi arabia and around the world. hobart alter has died. he was 80 years old, and he was famous for the invention that went by his name, the hobie cat.

the lightweight, fast catamaran quickly became the standard in its class, just like the foam-filled surfboard he invented and manufactured. he was 80 years old. and a protest by citizens in albuquerque against the local police practices stretched into ten hours and got out of hand yesterday. police in riot gear fired tear gas and mace into the crowd, and dragged off several protesters. they were protesting 37 police shootings in the past four years there, 23 of them fatal. one police officer was injured along with several of the protesters. and tempers flared on the university of arizona campus after they lost to wisconsin in the ncaas. police there responded in riot gear too, and in one case leveled a female student who appears in amateur video to be totally blindsided. friends say she was on her phone looking for her car when she was hit and knocked down hard, police and internal affairs now reviewing the video. tempers get hot over college

basketball this time of year as hopes and dreams get crushed and heroes get launched and brackets get destroyed. for the record, here are your final four, florida versus connecticut, followed by wisconsin versus kentucky, this coming weekend, let's be careful out there. opening day at 13 major league ballparks across the country. and on this first day for the new rule allowing video replay to challenge the umpire's call, don't you know an umpire's call was overturned in the braves-brewers game. a call of safe at first base was reversed. we're back with our making a difference report tonight, an extraordinary teacher helping mom bond with their babies.

our making a difference report tonight is all about the power of music. and the power of an inspiring woman, specifically, a woman in atlanta using music to help parents find a way in to help their children. we get the story tonight from nbc's rehema ellis. ♪

>> reporter: here at baby time, this seems like a natural thing. but for these families the hugs and the smiles didn't come so naturally. the children are developmentally delayed, and most are also visually impaired. >> you're total by the doctor that your child will never be normal, he'll never walk, he'll never talk, he'll doh never do normal things that kids can do, you become a little down. so it gives me hope to come here. >> reporter: hope because of what is happening in the wake up and sing music therapy class. ♪ you might say jacqueline howard is the maestro. these classes work to activate the senses. >> that is the biggest thing is learning to touch, because your hands are going to help you see. >> reporter: the sounds of music help parents connect with their babies, learning how to strengthen their bodies by helping them move. six months ago, gavin, who is almost two, was nearly

motionless. not anymore. >> he is touching more. he is just more social. >> reporter: for others, even a simple hug is a milestone. >> thank you. >> reporter: he was born one month before. >> reporter: a professor of music at moorhouse college, her study of music's impact on the brain was prompted by her late sister, who suffered uncontrollable seizures. >> i wanted to grow up to become a music doctor, and i knew i wanted to use music to help people. >> reporter: how long can you keep doing that with the children at the center? >> you know, until i take my last breath. i hope that is what i'll be doing. ♪ if you're happy and you know, your face will surely show it ♪ >> reporter: using music to strengthen children's bodies, and family time. rehema ellis, nbc news, atlanta. inspiring story to end on

for a monday night as we start a new week. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. we of course hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. right now at 6:00, the wrath of mother nature, redwood tree cracks in half and the blow sends branchs a block away. good evening and thanks for joining us. i'm raj mathai. >> we begin weather, here is a live look outside at highway 101 and palo alto. the rain is a welcome sight. we've seen it all today, powerful winds, thunder and of course, a whole lot of rain.

we have live micro climate team coverage. we begin with rob miata. >> we've been watching the rain, at times, with enbedded thunderstorms between 11:00 this morning and early this afternoon that did cause damage in parts of the east bay where terry mcsweeney will take a look at the damage. the focus of the heavy rain is downtown san jose. the 680 commute into san jose, the mountains seeing heavy downpours and you can see some of the heavy rain from santa clara and down into campbell and unlike previous storms, this brought beneficial rain. and joining us tonight, we've got our own meteorologist there, christina. this means this is good news we hope for the snow pack survey >>morrow.