demonstrations. if people do see vandalism or criminal behavior, they will not hesitate to make an arrest. "nbc nightly news" is next. on this saturday night, day of protests and demands for greater accountability over the use of deadly force from police as tens of thousands converge on washington and well beyond. without warning, a rare tornado in los angeles captured on tape as the region digs out from this week's devastating storm. cyber hunt. after a major computer attack, we'll show you how they begin to track down the hackers. beautiful life, two years after a tragedy that shocked the world, a deeply personal tribute in words and music. and the little prince, a royal christmas story you won't want to miss. from nbc news world

headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. good evening. the spontaneous shock and anger we saw in the streets in the immediate aftermath of two grand jury decisions involving police use of deadly force against unarmed black suspects turned into a national call to action today. the biggest turnout was in washington, d.c., with thousands of marchers and organizers demanded reforms in how the justice system deals with such cases and greater police accountability. the controversial deaths in ferguson, missouri and new york's staten island involve white officers. but they were just two of several cases protesters focused on today that they believe are part of a broad and troubling pattern. kristen welker is in washington to tell us more. kristen, good evening. >> reporter: lester, good evening. the message here today, justice for all. more than 40,000 people turned out to express their anger, to express their grief. one of the largest days of protests we have seen in recent weeks.

>> black lives matter! >> reporter: determined voices filled the nation's capital today as thousands marched a mile up pennsylvania avenue to capitol hill. >> we feel like this needs to be a fight that involves all of us in society, black lives matter for everybody. >> i'm looking for justice. >> there is a problem that our black kids are being murdered. >> reporter: each step for eric garner, michael brown, tamir rice and trayvon martin, young black boys and men killed in confrontations with police or in martin's case a security guard. their families all in attendance and united in their grief. what are your emotions now? >> i'm overwhelmed at the support. i'm feeling the love and the support and everything, but i also feel a great sadness. >> reporter: bus loads of demonstrators, some traveling all night, are here to voice their concerns and demand change, an end to what they say is racial profiling and police violence.

their demands include better training for authorities, body cameras for police and changes to the legal system. msnbc host reverend al sharpton founded the national action network, the lead organizer of the event. >> this is not a black march or a white march, this is an american march. >> reporter: there were a few tense moments when protesters from ferguson, missouri demanded to speak. but calm was restored when they were allowed. but the day was largely peaceful with rallies across the country. in boston, houston, new york. and there were some counterprotests. >> i 100% support our policemen and women who are trying to do their job. >> reporter: and while it may be too soon to call this a movement, protesters say momentum is building. >> it may not be the civil rights era, but it's a close cousin. >> reporter: drawing big names. >> black lives matter. black lives matter. >> reporter: people of all races. >> it is not a black issue, a white issue or any particular

race. >> reporter: and ages. >> i want to be part of a change so that my kids can grow up in a world where they don't have to be afraid of the police. >> reporter: now, so far just a handful of arrests reported. 23 in boston. none here in d.c. president obama has ordered up a task force aimed at improving relations between police and the communities they serve. lester. >> kristen welker tonight, thank you. new developments this evening in the hanging death of a black high school student in north carolina. this case was first ruled a suicide but is now being investigated by the justice department. his parents say too many questions remain. we get more on this tonight from nbc's rehema ellis. >> reporter: several hundred people marched today in the small town of blatenboro, north carolina calling for justice. >> what do you want? >> justice! >> reporter: voicing gratitude that several authorities are now

investigating the death of a high school football player who dreamed of going pro. >> i just wanted to thank you. i appreciate all the support. the fbi has agreed to look into it. and that's what i wanted. >> reporter: in late august 17-year-old lennon lacy's body was found hanging from a swing set frame in a predominantly white trailer park. >> it's a black male subject. >> reporter: state investigators ruled it a suicide. >> we need to make sure that everything we do is thorough, it's comprehensive and professional. as i stand before you today, i believe that's happened. >> reporter: but lacy's family says it doesn't make sense. >> he was just too excited for life. he loved life. >> reporter: they say lennon, the youngest of four brothers was not despondent, hanged with a dog leash with a belt he did

not own and wearing shoes that didn't fit him. the family with help of the naacp urged authorities to look deeper. >> we know it was a hanging, but the question is was it self-inflicted, was it a staged hanging, or was it a hanging, a lynching homicide? >> lennon talked to me about everything. his demeanor hadn't changed as far as being suicidal. we were too close for that for me not to know. for me not to know. i'm his mother. >> reporter: tonight, one mother confident she knew her son and still searching for answers about how he died. rehema ellis, nbc news, new york. this was another day of cleaning up and digging out after mud and rock slides in southern california brought on by this week's torrential rains. how much rain? well, one meteorologist cited by the "los angeles times" put it at 10 trillion gallons, or enough to fill 15 million olympic size swimming pools. nbc's miguel almaguer is in camarillo, california again for us tonight. miguel. >> reporter: lester, good evening.

the rocks and boulders that came tumbling downhill can weigh thousands of pounds. in some areas up here they are stacked up to 20 feet high. there was so much power behind this mudslide it literally crushed all of the homes below. on san como lane this is the sound of progress. a community digging out, salvaging what they can from where they can. but for some there's little to save. >> horrible. really horrible. really, really horrible. >> reporter: richard was home when mud poured through his windows, when a wall of rocks and boulders came crashing down. >> ran to the master, went out that back door and the rest is history. >> reporter: he's one of ten homeowners who have lost it all. most of what he owns was destroyed in just seconds. it's the years of memories though he'll miss the most. >> but there's things that are just lost. i mean, there's family pictures

of people that are long passed, never get that stuff back. >> reporter: it was the wild west, the drought stricken state hit with days of torrential rain. and then there's this. >> all of a sudden i heard like a loud sound. >> reporter: a rare tornado touched down not far from downtown los angeles friday morning. 65-mile-an-hour winds. >> i heard big old sound, boom, and it went dark in the house. >> reporter: but in the mountains outside los angeles to the sierras in northern california this was the perfect storm. at least two feet of snow. >> so great. the snow's perfect. this storm really did us good. >> reporter: tonight there are signs of progress. and though some lives won't be the same. >> we had christmas presents were right here. >> reporter: many here are grateful to be alive. the damage here will likely soar

into the tens of millions of dollars. when you see the destruction here it's incredible not a single person was injured. so many people still call this place home, and they say they will rebuild. lester. >> miguel almaguer in camarillo, thank you. it's been three weeks since hackers broke into sony entertainment disrupting operations and exposing secrets. the fbi is investigating but doesn't yet know who is responsible. how is a cyber attack investigated and why does it take so long? we asked our justice correspondent pete williams to take a look. >> reporter: it's a corporate nightmare, embarrassing internal e-mails from sony entertainment stolen and posted on the internet. details of salaries, internal bickering and projects in the works. so how do investigators figure out who's behind a cyber attack often someone half a world away? attacks often start this way with an innocent looking e-mail sent to an employee. clicking on it launching a

malicious file that burros into a company's central computer system and opens an electronic back door allowing outsiders a way in. they can send commands remotely to rummage through and copy databanks. once an attack is detected, investigators will determine how the program was written looking for lines of computer code that match examples from the past. >> typically a hacker will cobble together malware from other code they can find. and use it to dissect where it came from. >> reporter: investigators will also check computer logs to get a snapshot of incoming e-mail at the moment of the intrusion, that may help trace where the attack came from, a path that zigs and zags as hackers root their attack through a series of servers to cover their tracks. companies that do the detective work say getting to the source is becoming more difficult. >> groups know that their work will be tracked and that investigators are looking at it. so any way that they're able to

make that investigation harder they will employ. >> reporter: not all attacks come from far away or even from outsiders. some experts say it's possible the sony hack came from current or former employees given how much the attacker seemed to know about the company and the people who run it. >> this kind of attack is very personal. it's going to attack key personalities within sony. and those kind of personal attacks usually come from somebody who believes that they've been wronged. >> reporter: whatever the source this latest attack has many american companies newly worried about their own security. pete williams, nbc news, washington. a breakthrough of sorts today in congress as the senate managed to prevent a government shutdown with another short-term extension just hours before the midnight deadline. nbc's capitol hill correspondent kelly o'donnell is following it all for us tonight. kelly, what's the latest there? >> reporter: well, good evening, lester. the senate is giving themselves a few more days to keep the government open while a renewed battle over immigration popped up from tea party senator ted

cruz. he's effectively forcing a marathon weekend session because he's taking on a fight that outside conservatives want, to try to block the president from getting the funding he needs to carry out his executive order on immigration. and then i can tell you that other republican senators are frustrated by this tactic because they'll have more power in the new year. even with all of these hurdles there is a sense that this will be passed by monday. and that would keep the government open for a whole year. lester. >> all right. kelly, thanks. a reminder chuck todd will have much more on the capitol hill showdown and the fallout from the torture report including an exclusive interview with former vice president dick cheney tomorrow on "meet the press". when "nbc nightly news" continues on this saturday, making day care more about learning and how it's getting new attention as a national priority. and later, just released, the new photographs of the young man who would be king.

there was a big summit at the white house this week what president obama called one of the best investments we can make, expanding early education for young children in day care. we get more on this from our senior white house correspondent chris jansing. >> reporter: when babies come to this home day care, they'll get more than lunch and diapers changes. there's reading, science for babies, numbers, colors, shapes, even sign language. and the oldest is just 15 months.

>> sometimes they have the whole idea like we are baby sitters, we are teachers. >> reporter: there's growing evidence that the benefits of early childhood education start at birth. but by the time kids are 4 the u.s. is only 28th in the world in access to early education after countries including iceland, russia and mexico. >> honestly it's a disgrace. and as a nation we should be ashamed. anyone who thinks learning starts at 5 really doesn't understand child development and brain development. >> reporter: on wednesday after being introduced by a day care success story. >> all kids should get the chance to learn when they are little. >> reporter: president obama announced a billion dollars to expand programs but will ask congress next year for $75 billion that would be paid for with a tobacco tax. >> it will not just grow the economy for everybody, it will change young lives forever. >> reporter: and with a push from some famous parents. >> i'm jennifer garner, a mom of three. >> i'm shakira and i support early childhood development.

>> i'm john legend and i want to help our children -- >> reporter: as any parent will tell you, day care is shockingly expensive, costing more than tuition and fees at public colleges in 31 states. but a study from m.i.t. concludes that early learning brings $7 in benefits for every dollar spent. and republican governors have been some of the biggest supporters. >> we have less special education. we close the achievement gap between rich students and poor students. >> reporter: in many states there are long waiting lists. some tens of thousands of children long. who can't get into educational day care. you don't give them homework. >> no, of course not. no. the homework is for me to be ready for the next day. >> reporter: chris jansing, nbc news, the white house. when we come back here tonight, how one father is paying tribute to a beautiful life that was.

the scene at arlington national cemetery today in what has become a holiday tradition. hundreds of volunteers laying wreaths at every one of the 230,000 graves including the tomb of president john f. kennedy and the tomb of the unknown soldier. there were similar scenes at military cemeteries across the country. in belgium today a group of americans and belgians gathered to mark the 70th anniversary of one of the biggest and bloodiest battles of world war ii, the battle of the bulge. some came dressed as american g.i.s to mark the occasion and to thank the americans. the defeat of the germans was a turning point in the war. closer to home, there is another anniversary being marked this weekend, it was two years ago tomorrow that 20 children and six adults were murdered at the sandy hook elementary school in newtown, connecticut.

each of their devastated families has found their own ways to honor and remember those they lost. for one grieving father, a jazz recording artist, the answer was right there in his hands. his music speaks with intensity and emotion. but when his little girl died, so it seemed did the music for jazzman jimmy greene. >> when my daughter was killed there was a period where i couldn't even drive my car. my body was so weak and shaking that i couldn't do normal everyday things. >> reporter: two years have passed since 6-year-old ana marquez-greene and all those precious lives were taken at sandy hook elementary. >> there are bad days and there are worse days. and on the worse days you pray for a bad day. >> reporter: as much as jimmy and his wife, nelba, wanted to forget that awful day, they of course wanted to remember and honor their little girl. >> tip me over and pour me out. >> well, it started just with me picking up the instrument and

playing some long tones, rudimentary exercises to gain strength. >> reporter: with the encouragement of a record executive friend with studio time, jimmy set out to tell ana's story. >> she used to call her dad a jazz magician. my daddy is a jazz magician. >> i love that. go with that. >> reporter: one of her favorites may be from the musical "annie." it's one of the songs on jimmy greene's newly released album "beautiful life" which he arranged and composed for ana. it's a poignant and emotional tribute featuring other big jazz artists. and in one song ana herself. taken from home video of ana and her brother isaiah a year before her death. >> they printed the lyrics along with the hymn, my daughter just

wanted to participate in whatever he was doing. >> reporter: the family is also honoring their daughter through the ana grace project which promotes healthy, social and emotional connections in schools. >> our slogan has been love lives because we wanted our message to be heard that you don't get a choice in life what happens to you sometimes. but you do get a choice in how you respond. >> reporter: and for the greenes that response has been to capture and share ana's life in a way she was sure to love. >> she was such a bright and gregarious little girl. and in the aftermath of her murder we really felt like we needed to do all we could to keep her memory alive. >> the greenes say some of the proceeds of beautiful life will go to charities in ana's name. the album is available for purchase and download online. up next here tonight, a royal christmas with the new photos you won't want to miss.

in case you hadn't noticed, today is december 13th, 2014. in other words it's 12/13/14. some people considered it a lucky day to get married. including the nine couples in billings, montana who got married this morning at exactly 10:11 on 12/13/14. it will be a very long time before the calendar reflects three sequential numbers. in fact, you'll have to wait until the next century, until january 2nd, 2103. or 1/2/03.

someone who might well see that day is britain's prince george. while he's not even 2 years old new photographs today for christmas show the future king of england very much at ease with his place in the royal family. you'll see what we mean in tonight's robert from kelly cobiella in london. >> reporter: a royal christmas surprise, pictures of prince george on the steps of kensington palace taken before the winter chill. in knee-high socks and a sweater vest. his proud parents released just three pictures. >> he's got a wicked little smile. he looks mischievous and everything william and kate have said about him brought out in those photographs. >> reporter: they haven't said much only that he's a little rascal with a good set of lungs and his mother's face. you be the judge. that's william on the left. either way the public can't get enough. the young royal's first trip abroad last spring to new

zealand turned into the prince george show. there was the famous play date and the close encounter at the zoo. even when he's not traveling with his parents, george can still steal the show. just this week prince william joked with president obama about being in the delivery room 17 months ago and forgetting to ask if it was a boy or a girl. [ inaudible ] >> reporter: and what will be waiting for the prince under the tree? >> i'm sure he won't be getting any sort of computer games or anything like that. i'm sure it will be jumpers and teddy bears and things like that. >> reporter: that may not go down so well. these days the prince's favorite toy is mom and dad's ipad. kelly cobiella, nbc news, london. well, you can't top cute baby pictures. we'll call it a broadcast. that's "nbc nightly news" for this saturday. i'm lester holt reporting from new york. i'll see you tomorrow morning on "today" and right back here

tomorrow evening. good night. and right now at 6:00, thousands trying to make their voices heard. the latest on the protests here in the bay area and across the country. good evening, everyone. we're tracking a developing

story across the bay area. take a look at some live pictures from our nbc chopper. thousands of people taking to the streets in oakland right now. they were marching up harrison and turned onto 13th. just a few minutes ago, protesters were stopping traffic. the crowd now heading out of there in the area of 15th and harrison. earlier this afternoon, a large crowd gathered and they've been on the move ever since. the big concern is as it gets dark in the east bay, that's when the protesters have caused the most damage. on the uc berkley campus today,