to draw attention to climate change. >> "nbc nightly news" is next. more local news on nbc bay area right here at 6:00. on this saturday night, searching for answers. new insights about the co-pilot who crashed a jetliner into the french alps including health issues and what he may have said as the grim recovery goes on. train crash near downtown l.a. a commuter train hits a car and jumps the tracks leaving more than 20 people injured. the backlash and new protests over a controversial w that lets businesses refuse to serve same-sex couples. concussion tests. it's quick and simple and it could be the key to making sure young athletes get the care they need after being hit. and second act for a grand old movie palace that fell on hard times. how it escaped the wrecking ball and was restored to all its glory. this is "nbc nightly news" with

lester holt. substituting tonight peter alexander. tonight, new details are emerging about what might have motivated the young co-pilot who deliberately flew his german airliner into the french alps this week. his ex-girlfriend is now speaking out about what she says the co-pilot told her including an ominous warning months ago. this as we learn about the plane's captain, the pilot who tried to break down the cockpit door. patrick sonderheimer was 34, the father of two. and like his co-pilot he completed a flight training stint here in the u.s. in phoenix. we begin again tonight with nbc's bill neely. he's in the french alps. bill. >> reporter: good evening, peter. here in france and in germany they are still searching for bodies, for clues and for answers to the question, what on earth drove this man to commit mass murder? well, now a young german woman may have provided them with some clues.

day five and the mountain still holds secrets the investigators are hunting for. but they're focused too on the secrets of the man who caused all this. co-pilot andreas lubitz hid medical problems from the airline he worked for, but was more candid with a flight attendant who said she was his former girlfriend. in an interview with germany's best-selling tabloid newspaper. she claimed lubitz said last year, one day i'm going to do something that will change the whole system and then everyone will know my name. she'd flown with lubitz for several months and said he had health problems and felt pressured by work. nbc news can't confirm her allegations, but investigators are now focusing on his mental state and medical records. after finding torn up sick notes at his apartment declaring him unfit to work on the day of the crash. today, more than 30 investigators were flown to the crash site to search for the missing flight recorder and for bodies.

the helicopters are coming and going here every few minutes. the cause of this crash may be known, but the search goes on. it is relentless. and it is hard. so far they've brought back more than 600 body parts. >> the first priorities is identification of the bodies. the fact there is 150 people die there so that's why it's hard. >> reporter: one pilot has seen more than most. >> we were the first to find the crash. >> reporter: the first pilot in is still shocked. >> a plane crash on the ground and you can't see anything. it's a little millions of pieces all over the floor. >> reporter: the family of the plane's pilot who tried to smash his way back into the locked cockpit, got as close as they could today. like the other bereaved gathering beneath the mountain where their loved ones still lie, lost in disbelief.

well, those families have already given dna samples and experts are now trying to match them with the remains found at the crash scene. the spanish interior minister says dozens of the dead have already been identified. but the whole process will now take weeks, peter. >> bill neely in the alps for us tonight. bill, thank you. for more on the investigation we're joined once again by former ntsb investigator greg feith. greg, where are investigators focusing their attention right now? and how are other airlines worldwide responding? >> right now the technical aspect of the investigation is gone. it's now focused on the first officer, his mental health and where the trap lines could have been to try to get him out of the cockpit because of some of these issues now developing. the airlines now because of this solo pilot being there and no way to get into the cockpit to remedy a bad situation are now adopting the protocols of the united states in putting a second

crew member in there so that in the event something happens, an incapacitation or nefarious act, they're going to be able to at least assist in trying to get somebody qualified back in to stop the process. >> investigator greg feith tonight, thank you. in this country we're following late developments in los angeles where a commuter train rammed into a car that was crossing the tracks. more than 20 people were injured. nbc's jacob rascon is in los angeles tonight with the latest there. jacob, good evening. >> reporter: peter, good evening. at least 21 people are hurt, two of them critically after the commuter train collided with a passenger car. the impact tore the roof from the small sedan and caused two of the train cars to derail. most people onboard were not seriously hurt, but the drivers of the car and the train are fighting for their lives tonight. it's the latest in a series of train crashes and derailments involving cars across the country this year. safety at railroad and train crossings has been the subject of intense investigation. in today's crash officials say it appears the driver of the car pulled out in front of the train. peter. >> all right, jacob

rascon in los angeles tonight, jacob, thank you. a decorated boston police officer is in critical condition tonight after being shot in the face. this happened last night when officer john moynihan and other officers approached a car during a traffic stop. the suspect allegedly shot moynihan point-blank under his right eye. other officers returned fire killing the suspect. officer moynihan was honored for his role and bravery during the shootout with the boston marathon bombers two years ago. in florida a gunman shot and wounded seven people early this morning during a spring break party. this happened at a house in panama city. all of the victims are in their early 20s and police said several were students at alabama a&m university. they were visiting the gulf coast. a 22-year-old suspect also from alabama was arrested and charged with seven counts of attempted murder. amanda knox began the next chapter of her life today after an italian court cleared her once and for all of the murder of her roommate back in 2007. we get more on this tonight from nbc's

kelly cobiella in rome. >> reporter: after seven and a half years, amanda knox is finally free. breaking her silence outside her home in seattle late last night. >> i'm incredibly grateful for what has happened, for the justice i have received, for the support that i've had from everyone, from my family, from my friends to strangers. i'm so grateful to have my life back. >> reporter: knox was a 20-year-old college student in italy when her roommate, british student meredith kercher, was sexually assaulted and stabbed to death. knox and her then-boyfriend raffaele sollecito were arrested, interrogated, tried three times and convicted twice for murder. on friday, italy's supreme court threw out the latest conviction and cleared them both. >> this was a mistake. from the beginning. we shouldn't have waited all these years. >> reporter: in a statement meredith kercher's family said

the decision came as a shock, but was an outcome we knew was possible. even if it wasn't what we expected. one man, rudy guede, said to be a small-time drug dealer knox admitted to knowing, is serving time for kercher's murder. knox when asked was emotional talking about her former roommate. >> meredith was my friend. and, it's -- she deserved so much in this life. i'm the lucky one. thank you. >> reporter: while knox is no longer on trial, her attorneys could be back in an italian courtroom on her behalf. they're considering suing the country's justice system for wrongful detention. knox spent almost four years behind bars in italy. her lawyers say she hasn't decided yet whether to sue or quietly move on with her life. kelly cobiella, nbc news, rome. new protests today in indiana after that state's governor

signed a controversial bill this week permitting businesses to refuse service to same-sex couples on religious grounds. the backlash was immediate and it was severe. we get more tonight from nbc's gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: outside the indiana state capitol today, a wave of fury. >> i think it's absolutely going back to the dark ages. >> i don't think religion should be in business. where you shouldn't be able to discriminate on whoever we want. >> reporter: on thursday indiana's governor signed a bill that would allow businesses to deny services based on their religious beliefs. >> this bill is not about discrimination. and if i thought it legalized discrimination in any way, i would have vetoed it. >> reporter: but opponents argued it wouldn't legalize discrimination, after the state's ban on same-sex marriage was overturned last year. >> it basically says to a group of people that you're second rate, you don't matter. and if you walk into my store, i don't have to serve you.

>> reporter: the backlash has spread across social media. apple's ceo tweeting, apple is open for everyone. we are deeply disappointed in indiana's new law. ahead of next weekend's final four in indianapolis, the ncaa released a statement. we are especially concerned about how this legislation could affect our student athletes and employees. indiana is now one of 20 states with so-called religious freedom laws. some feel the concerns are overblown. lisa squire owns a flower shop. >> i have thought a lot about this. i'm a strong christian. >> reporter: she opposes same-sex marriage. >> if someone walked in my store, i think i would serve them. >> reporter: still tonight the controversy is growing. seattle's mayor is now prohibiting travel by city employees to indiana, citing the new law. gabe gutierrez, nbc news. new questions are being raised in congress tonight about hillary clinton's private e-mails and the timing of her decision to delete them. nbc's kristen welker has that story

tonight. >> reporter: new revelations about hillary clinton's e-mails this weekend from the congressman who heads the special investigation into the attack against the u.s. consulate in benghazi. congressman trey gowdy says clinton deleted all of her personal e-mails, writing in a statement "we learned from her attorney secretary clinton unilaterally decided to wipe her server clean and permanently delete all e-mails from her personal server." gowdy had demanded the e-mails from clinton as a part of his investigation and admonished the former secretary of state on "meet the press" last sunday. >> we don't get to grade our own papers in life. and she had a very unique arrangement with herself as it relates to public records. >> reporter: clinton has already turned over 55,000 pages of e-mails at the request of the state department, which wanted to update its records. gowdy noted clinton purged her personal server after the request was made. friday a spokesperson for clinton said turning over those e-mails is in keeping with the letter of the law. writing in a statement, secretary

clinton has already turned all of her work e-mails over to the state department. clinton's use of a private e-mail account has complicated the rollout of her expected 2016 presidential run. earlier this week clinton tried to downplay the controversy. >> no more secrecy. no more zone of privacy. after all, what good did that do me? >> reporter: the question now, will the e-mail flak resonate with voters into 2016? >> unfortunately for hillary clinton she's created a situation where republicans can just keep raising questions about e-mails she deleted unless and until it starts backfiring on them. >> reporter: both sides are already drawing battle lines over the issue. democratic congressman elijah cummings called gowdy's actions a political charade. the republican national committee fired back saying "even nixon didn't destroy the tapes." a preview of things to come as 2016 approach, peter. >> kristen welker at the white house tonight. kristen, thank you.

intense negotiations in switzerland today with officials from the u.s. and other countries looking to reach a framework with iran for that country to scale back its nuclear program. the deadline for initial agreement is this tuesday. our chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell is in switzerland for us tonight. andrea, good evening. >> reporter: peter, good evening. u.s. officials say this is gut check time. the mood here really turned grim at the talks. john kerry had frantic talks into the night and all day with iran's foreign minister zarif. with the french. with the germans. u.s. officials say the final big obstacle is whether iran can keep its research and development on advanced centrifuges that iran says it wants for peaceful purposes but the u.s. and allies fear could be used to build a nuclear bomb. the other big issue is also how quickly sanctions would be phased out on iran. so the u.s. is pointing to iran, and iran officials are pointing to the u.s. if these talks do fail, perhaps to clear his head john kerry

took a bike ride today around lausanne here in switzerland. now as we come down to these final days, for the first time and this could be trying to have a negotiating strategy, but for the first time u.s. officials are talking about what will happen if all of this fails. peter. >> certainly is crunch time. andrea mitchell in switzerland tonight. andrea, thank you. tomorrow on "meet the press," chuck todd will have more in the middle east including the latest on the iran talks and the latest crisis in yemen including an interview with the saudi ambassador to the united states. when "nbc nightly news" continues on this saturday, detecting concussions. a test that is easy, accurate and doesn't require a doctor. and later, a monument to the golden age of movies. returning a palace to its former splendor.

we're back tonight with one of the biggest concerns for young athletes and their parents, concussions. but now a simple two-minute test done on the sidelines after a head injury is proven to be one of the most reliable ways yet to identify a concussion from peewees to the pros. when players collide, the impact can be just as severe as the 25-mile-an-hour car crash. leaving an athlete dazed and dizzy, or worse. university of delaware running back jaylen randolph suffered a concussion on this hit last october. >> i was looking around. everything was kind of spinning a little bit. >> stars? >> saw stars.

>> crucial to preventing more serious and long-term head injuries is quickly assessing an athlete for a concussion right there on the spot and then getting them out of the game. >> visual symptoms are incredibly common after a concussion. patients often complain of photo sensitivity, blurred vision, double vision and vertigo. >> reporter: researchers at new york university found this simple and inexpensive vision test where you're timed reading a jumble of numbers correctly assessed concussions in 75% of young athletes. under normal conditions it should take how long? >> about 37 seconds for a collegiate athlete. >> after concussion? >> 42 to 45 seconds. >> when combined with balance and thinking tests, like what year is it 97% accurate. the test can be a valuable tool especially in youth sports where doctors are rarely on the sidelines. the university of delaware sees nearly 40 concussions a year. soccer standout emily market says it's always in the back of her mind. when you watch a

player or teammate or opponent go down after bumping heads. >> yeah, it's your first thought. >> reporter: concussion? >> uh-huh. >> i want you to catch as quickly as you can. >> reporter: this school recently joined the nation's largest concussion study, a joint effort by the ncaa and department of defense. and now uses the vision test for all of its athletes before each season. >> so we can prepare this person to their own performance. so we really know objectively whether or not they're suffering an injury. >> reporter: taking the guess work out of the game. >> you can't fake what you do on those tests. the results are there. they're on paper. you can't get away from them. >> reporter: making sure the days of playing hurt become a thing of the past. good new tool for parents and coaches. up next, what happened when a 4-year-old girl decided she needed a treat in the middle of the night.

the view from high above it all as the soyuz spacecraft docked with the international space station. on board two cosmonauts and american astronaut scott kelly. kelly will spend almost a year on the space station. researchers are going to study how all that time in space affects kelly's body and compare it to his twin brother mark kelly, a former astronaut who will be monitored back here on earth. it was a mystery for at least a moment this week. what was a piano doing high on a mountain top in southern california? several hikers are the ones who noticed it sitting there. turns out it was used in a music video shot by a seattle artist. if you're wondering how it got there, a

five-person crew hauled it a full mile up the mountain using only a rope and a dolly. then to borrow a line, the hills in fact did come alive with the sound of music. and who hasn't had the urge in the middle of the night to get up and grab a snack? in philadelphia prompted a 4-year-old girl to get dressed, leave her house and go to a nearby 7-eleven for a slushie. police say a man saw the girl standing on a corner and brought her onto a bus to get help. the driver called the police who took her to a hospital where she was finally reunited with her mother. no word whether she ended up with that drink. we're back in a moment with a grand reopening that you're not going to want to miss.

finally tonight, a trip back in time when going to the movies meant going to a palace. that's what the grand thoo theaters of the first half of the 20th century were called. of course many of them fell on hard times and were demolished. one of them in brooklyn, here in new york, is enjoying a second act. our report tonight from nbc's erica hill. >> reporter: walking through the doors of brooklyn's kings theater was always supposed to feel like an event in itself. >> this place is absolutely glorious. i walked out here a couple hours ago and saw, you know, this great grand hall. and it was like, oh, this is going to be so much fun. >> reporter: when it opened in 1929, the kings was the largest theater in the area. more than 3,600 eats hosting major events on the screen and on the stage. but its glory days wouldn't last.

by the '70s this once opulent venue was barely hanging on. in 1977 the doors closed, seemingly for good. >> this is the old ladies lounge. >> reporter: after nearly 40 years of neglect and several failed attempts at redevelopment, its gilded roots had all but disappeared. what wasn't bolted down had been looted. >> it was a real mess. major water damage. plaster, powder all over the seats. >> reporter: recreating the original glory of this space also meant painstaking research. delicately peeling away decades of grime. >> every piece of the theater was touched by hand. from, you know, the molding of the plaster to the layers of paint. >> reporter: two years and more than $90 million later the restoration is nothing short of spectacular. did you have any idea sort of how majestic it would be? >> no. but it's just got a great vibe to it. and it sounds awesome on stage too.

>> reporter: now grammy award winning singer/song writer sarah mclachlan is helping usher in a new era for this architectural jewel. change the show or location or venue. >> everywhere i look it's grand and it's glorious. >> reporter: the company now running the theater estimates its rebirth will bring a much needed boost to the local economy. and along with it a renewed source of pride. >> i haven't been here since the late '60s. and to see it in this condition is just wonderful. >> theaters are the hearts and souls of neighborhoods in this community. and you start tearing them down and we just lose something that you can never get back. >> reporter: tonight in brooklyn that soul is alive once again. ♪ firmly in place for generations to come. erica hill, nbc news, brooklyn. a great place to see a show. that's "nbc nightly news" for this saturday.

i'm peter alexander reporting from new york. we'll see you back here tomorrow morning on "today." for all of us at nbc news, good night. nbc bay area news starts now. >> right now at 6:00 the sage is set for wrestlemania 31. levi's stadium sold out for tomorrow's huge event. we have live coverage as thousands of people have come to the bay area to see wrestling history. good evening. i'm vicky nguyen.

peggy is off tonight. >> i'm terry mcsweeney. vta says it's ready to handle tens of thousands of fans. they've had practice. the big difference is tomorrow many more fans will come from out of town and they will be using the light rail line for the very first time. many will be trying to drive to the stadium. meantime wrestling fans have a lot to do before the main event tomorrow. marianne favro joining us live from the s&p center where a hall of fame ceremony is going on right now. marianne? >> terry, right now, some of the biggest legends in all of wrestling are being inducted into the hall of fame. and some of the best stars right now the are here to honor them. just before the event, we talked to several wrestling stars on the red carpet who have ties to the bay area. including roman raines who will be wrestling tomorrow in thewwe world heavyweight championship at