on the broadcast tonight, high alert, the national weather service is warning people in advance of a violent weekend ahead. it will test the readiness of an entire region coming off some devastating hits. on the brink, fears of an imminent invasion in ukraine as leaders there accuse putin of wanting to start world war iii and russian aircraft are active overhead. >> firing back, the nra takes center stage and takes on gun control advocates including a group of mothers demanding action. >> finding his voice, how some beloved disney characters opened a world for parents of a child with autism. "nightly news" begins now. >> from nbc world news headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with brian

williams. >> the national weather service started warning people days in advance of violent weather conditions and happening again tonight. after a quiet start to this 2014 tornado season, tonight they are trying to alert a big section of the country that a potentially dangerous weather system is setting up over a large area stretching all the way clear back to the west. a multiple day outbreak of bad weather is feared, starting tonight on the eastern seaboard. as you saw the national weather service says quote, the environment will favor super cells with a risk of tornados. 32 million people will be in the path of this, some of them in the part of the country that suffered big hits last season. it's where we begin tonight with nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: already tonight, tornados report in eastern north carolina at the start of what could be a volatile few days. fast-moving storms with 60 mile

per hour storms and hail tear through the state this afternoon. it was three years ago this weekend that a massive ef-4 tornadoer to through tuscaloosa and bedrooming ham, alabama, killing 64 people. an ef-5 devastated job lynn, missouri, with 15 fatalities. last year, another ef-5 took aim at moore, oklahoma, including seven people killed when their elementary school was hit. many oklahoma schools still don't have the money to build tornado shelters, so here they are welding together four huge shipping containers reinforced with concrete and dirt berms. all 225 kids should fit inside. >> it can't be built fast enough. we're nervous every time a storm comes over. >> reporter: thankfully, tornado season is off to a slow start this year with below normal temperatures, but meteorologists warn something is brewing. >> we'll have a multi-day

tornado episodes rolling into houston, rolling in fact by wednesday all the way to raleigh, north carolina. >> reporter: tornados cause roughly a billion dollars in damage each year. this video from the insurance industry shows the house on the left coming apart in a low-level tornado, 96 mile per hour winds. a camera inside captured the explosion. meanwhile, the better built house on the right remains standing. researchers say a house can with stand a low-level tornado if it has metal straps holding the roof to the walls, the walls to each other and to the foundation. >> if people built our better building centers what we call fortified, we would see little or no damage from ef-0s and 1s. we would make a big dent in ef-2 damage. >> reporter: last week moore, oklahoma passed stronger building codes. fema is urging people to prepare now and pay attention to the weather over the coming days starting in the west and

gradually working its way across the country. oklahoma city, little rock, st. louis, atlanta in the zone, louisville into raleigh, all in the danger zone, brian? >> tom costello starting us off in advance of what may be a sporty weekend for a lot of people. tom, thanks. there is late word tonight from the pentagon that russian aircraft have crossed the boarder into ukrainian air space several times in these last 24 hours, a clear violation leaving the entire region on edge now as ukrainian leaders accuse putin of trying to start a war. andrea mitchell monitoring late developments from the washington news room tonight. andrea, good evening. >> good evening, brian. the pentagon says russian troops have been testing equipment and getting within a mile of the border and sending jets in and out, and that prompted ukraine's prime minister accusing russia of trying to start a third world war. hagel tried to call his russian

counterpart, but there was no return call. and there's reports that vladimir putin has cut off all high-level contact with washington. meanwhile, there have been skirmishes between russian troops and eastern ukraine. a news reporter, now free, says russian partisans held him for four days, beat him and accused him of working for the cia, which is not true. in south korea today, president obama called european leaders to urge more sanctions on russia that will be imposed on monday we're told. the allies agreed to ratchet up sanctions with russia but not as far as the u.s. wants to avoid hurting their own economy. they do a lot of business with russia. >> andrea mitchell in our d.c. news room tonight. andrea, thanks. some tough video ahead here. in iraq, a stark reminder today of the violence that still consumes that country more than two years after u.s. troops pulled out. a suicide attack, it was recorded on video as it happened. watch the white van here under incoming fire as it drives through the gate in baghdad

during a campaign rally ahead of next week's election. the explosion killed at least 11, one of three explosions at this event left a total of 31 dead. it's become a gruesome way of life there. and a group linked to al qaeda claimed responsibility. nine days after the ferry disaster off the coast of south kor korea, they have recovered 183 bodies with over 100 still missing. and a devastating picture is emerging of how so many things that might have saved more lives went so wrong. we get more tonight from nbc's bill neely. >> reporter: dozens of divers today at the wreck of a ship that investigators now believe was riddled with fatal faults. it sank with passengers trapped and life rafts unused. it had 46 rafts, more than enough for everyone. this is a rescue worker trying to unlock the casing of 12 of them, none would open.

investigators have now seized the ferry's sister ship and found its life rafts and escape shoots were faulty. they raided government offices suspecting officials were bribed to pass both ships as safe. they believe the captain lied that the ship was overloaded with loose cargo and the steering was faulty. anger is growing, parents of the missing students attacking a government minister. then targeting three naval officers leading the search, cursing them. distraught parents are struggling to identify bodies submerged for nine days. one couple left with the body of a child they believed was theirs, dna tests soon showed it was not. for all of them, this is a nightmare. at the ship, divers have reached one room filled with the bodies of 48 students, all of them wearing life jackets.

the operation here is focused entirely on recovering bodies. it's only when they salvage the ship, raise it up, that they can begin to prove what happened with the cargo and with the steering. president obama led a silent tribute today on a visit to south korea bowing his head and offering its president america's condolences for what he called an incredible loss of life. a loss prosecutors here believe was caused by criminal negligence on and off the ship. bill neely, nbc news jindo, south korea. in this country, the issue of gun violence and specifically a new campaign by a big-name politician to combat it had the national rifle association and its ceo on the offensive today, and a cultural divide on stark display. nbc's stephanie gosk has our story. >> reporter: the annual nra

leadership conference kicked off today in indianapolis with the kind of rallying cry from wayne lapierre that we's known for. >> nr a's 5 million members and american's 100 million gun owners will not back down, not now, not ever. [ applause ] >> reporter: roughly 80,000 people will attend this weekend's gathering. the nra meets after weathering a recent push for stricter gun control triggered by a string of deadly shootings. gun control activists are trying to regain lost momentum including a group of mothers who protested the convention. >> before us today stands the goliath of the gun lobby and we are the davids. >> reporter: shannon runs the organization that joined forces with former mayor mike bloomberg after he pledged $50 million to the group earlier this month. >> this is the first time there

has been a grassroots network to go up against the gun lobbying. >> reporter: they addressed the influence of the nra in washington. >> you shouldn't vote for somebody that's putting your child at risk, and you should vote for somebody that has the courage to stand up and do what's right for the country. >> reporter: la pierre took on bloomberg directly today in a video shown at the convention. >> this guy thinks he can scare us by running from a fight to protect our rights and freedoms. he's one guy with millions, we're millions with our 25 bucks. >> reporter: neither side in the emotional debate looks ready to back down. stephanie gosk, nbc news, new york. tonight, millions of people are heading to roam to witness something we've never seen before and may not see again, two popes including john paul ii will be named saints, and two living popes expected to be in attendance for the occasion. ann thompson is there tonight. >> reporter: pope francis is a big draw, but even he hasn't seen a crowd at the vatican like

the one that's expected sunday. 1 million people from around the world to witness two popes, john the xxiii and john paul ii become saints. with a large contention from john paul's native poland. >> the state of john paul ii still lives in the nation. >> reporter: but with the joy, there is anguish from people like barbara blaine who was sexually abused by a priest. >> pope john paul ii had the opportunity and authority to stop the sexual violence, and he refused to do so. >> reporter: john paul believed in the power of saints. he created 482 of them, more than all his predecessors combined, by streamlining the process and eliminating the critical voice known as the devil's advocate. >> one of the things the devil's advocate would have focused on that, the clergy sex abuse crisis. >> reporter: washington's cardinal donald whirl has no

doubt john paul is worthy. >> it's a decoloration, that the person is a holey person. and i think that's what it is about. >> reporter: the city is ready for the multitudes. >> what i can look for better than an event that will advertise the city and its beauty, about 2 billion people. >> reporter: that's the expected global, tv and internet audience. sign of the times some 40 corporate sponsors are helping defray the costs. for the faithful like ruby and roger, this is not about money. >> here you are, you're becoming part of history. >> reporter: here at the vatican, pope francis will preside over the mass on sunday and pope benedict is expected to attend, just adding to the historical significance of an already unprecedented event. brian? >> ann thompson in rome for us. ann, thanks. a reminder nbc news will provide live coverage starting at 4:00

a.m. eastern time starting on sunday morning on this nbc station. still ahead for us tonight, ho uh a family discovery has the power to change the way we look at autism. it's about a father and son connecting thanks to some mutual friends. and later, by george, he won't remember a minute of it but millions will sure miss him down under.

among the best known disney lyrics of the modern era, you ain't never had a friend like me. tonight, we have a story about a young man with awe tim. he became nonverbal as a boy, but when he disappeared into his own world of animated disney movies, he discovered friends he didn't know he had. and for his parents, learning to speak the language of those movies, gave them a way into their own son. it's a remarkable story contained in a new book but veteran journalist and author ron suskind. it's the story of his son owen, and we get their story tonight

from nbc's rehema ellis. >> reporter: you might say owen lives in a disney world, painting the characters like a pro, and discussing the movies endlessly with his dad. >> little mermaid, beauty and the beast, the lion king. >> reporter: owen has come a long way. before his third birthday, ron's playful and chatty younger son was suddenly silent. >> owen just kind of vanished on us. they said autism, all that language went down to just one word, juice was his only word after a few months. >> reporter: owen's only comfort seemed to be disney movies like "the little mermaid." and so his family watched them over and over again. ♪ part of your world >> about a year after owen loses speech, we're up in the bedroom. now he is offering a little gibberish at this point, and

he's saying juicer voice. and we thought he wanted more juice. >> no, just your voice. >> well, that's what we didn't know. all of a sudden, cornilla says he's not saying juice, he's saying just. and i turned to owen and i say, just your voice, just your voice. and owen says juicer voice, juicer voice. >> reporter: still, they didn't know anything he was understanding until three years later on his brother's ninth birthday. >> he looks at the two of us, >> what did you say, owen? >> walter doesn't want to grow up like "peter pan". >> because i have to grow up tomorrow. >> it's almost like he must be memorizing these movies and attaching them to what he sees in the world we live in. >> reporter: for him, it was a defining moment. >> what if i talk to him as one of the characters, what will happen? >> so i push yago up through the

bed and i say owen, come on now, what does it feel like to be you? >> i'm not happy because i don't have any friends. >> that's what owen said and that's our first conversation. >> owen, what was that like for you? >> everything was coming back together. >> reporter: for years, some experts have advised families with children on the autism spectrum to suppress their fixation while others say to use them. they are looking into the journey to figure out if these affinities, whether they be disney, maps, puzzles or black and white movies can be used in is a systematically, therapeutic way. >> maybe the focused interest a child has could be used as a way to get into that child's mind. >> from "robin hood". >> reporter: owen now 23 is attending a transitional college program where he met his girlfriend emily. owen's story is the subject of a compelling new book by his dad.

>> it completes the collection. >> we celebrate love, maybe in a little bit of a different way because of so many years in which we couldn't touch him. we couldn't get to him. >> reporter: now you can. >> now we can. >> reporter: the family hopes their experiences help other people in the autism community find their place in the world. rehema ellis, nbc news, cambridge, massachusetts. >> how about that? coming up tonight after a break, remembering a man that helped achieve a record that still stands today.

members of the uniform division of the united states secret service are being credited with saving the life of a tourist. just outside the white house complex in washington, a woman visiting from dallas with her husband suffered a heart attack. the first officer is seen on video responding, calling for backup, second officer to arrive is an emt. they brought her around. she was transported to the

hospital, found to have a blocked artery and had a stint put in just last night. the officers are being credited with a great save. earl morrall has died. he was a figure for millions of nfl fans because he was the definition of the term having a strong bench. morrall shined brightest when he came in to replace some of the greatest players in the game. he came in for unitas and helped the colts win the super bowl. and he replaced the injured bob in the perfect season in nfl history, the dolphins perfect year in '72. at age 38, he was the oldest player and they called him pops. earl morrall had three super bowl rings. he was 79 years old. >> one more here from the world of sports, a young fan of a prohockey team in grand rapids is the face of joy after this moment. his favorite player stopped to talk to him and gave him his stick. it just worth spending a moment with this and looking at this kid who is just so happy, he can't stand it. when we come back, on the

road with a little prince who promptly steals the show.

finally here tonight, it lasted 19 days, an official

visit to australia and new zealand starring prince george, the newest member of the british royal family. while his parents are hardly fading in popularity, they were all but relegated to supporting roles on this trip. our report tonight from nbc's keir simmons. >> reporter: as any parent will tell you, traveling with a young child can be a nightmare, future king or not. like most kids, prince george did his best to embarrass mom and dad. his first photo op, he grabbed the biggest toy and those who commented, unkindly that george looks a little grumpy but most of the time on this trip, the first of a lifetime, young george rose to the occasion. in moments like this one coming face-to-face with a rabbit-like creature. called a billaby. even that time, he seemed surprised by the applause. get used to it, george, the royal future is in your hands.

the trip was a success for will and kate, too. apart from parenting they worked hard, played hard and left a great impression. >> reluctantly, katherine, george and i leave australia tomorrow. we go away with wonderful memories, and george goes away with his cuddly woman bat which he has taken to chewing so lovingly. >> reporter: since it was george who stole the show, perhaps he should have the last word. which roughly translated means, it's been fun, now please can we go home? keiran simmons, nbc news, london. and that is our broadcast on this friday night, and for this week. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. lester holt will be here with your this weekend. we, of course, hope to see you right back here on monday night. in the meantime, have a good weekend. good night.

nbc bay area news starts now. right now at 6:00, slick roads and a wet commute, and the rain isn't over yet. good evening and thanks for being with us on this friday. i'm raj mathai. >> and i'm jessica aguirre. some wet streets are lingering after a messy, wet day. it's a sight we don't see often across the bay area, clouds rain, but it's not going to make much of a dent in our drought. >> the storm system is situated right across the bay area.

but the heaviest rainfall is beginning to push off to the south. we will begin to get in the clear after lightning and some thunderstorms. most of it has started to move out. as we zoom in and get a stop on the radar, a little bit of a closer scan, you can still see a few spotty showers well offshore. i don't think we're done for tonight, but we're done with the strongest rainfall at the moment. great news if you have any plans for this evening. you're going to be able to get out and about without any major heavy downpours. some huge news coming into the weather center today, for the first time in at ace a year, we're going to see a month above average rainfall. not a whole lot of rain but when you look at the average we should have in april, it's 1.25. so we've got a surplus of