5:00. lester holt is next. >> see you at 6:00. on this monday night, under attack. late details about the gunmen armed with assault rifles opening fire at an anti-islamist event in texas and the hero cop who took them down. a nightly news exclusive. >> we're with bill clinton in africa. answering our big questions and what he would do if hillary wins. freddie gray's family speaks out about the charges against the police officers. and the riots in baltimore. melissa rivers, her first interview since the death of her mother. what's in a name? for her royal highness, princess charlotte elizabeth diana of cambridge, a whole lot. nightly news begins right now.

good evening. it was an attack that drew comparisons to the "charlie hebdo" massacre in texas. this happened in texas. and the attackers were shot and killed before they could kill. it happened at a dallas suburb where a group the southern poverty center has called a anti-islamic hate group. they were holding a prophet contest. it is being investigated as a possible terror attack. the two shooters have been identified and at least one, it turned out, had already been on the fab's radar. jacob reports from garland, texas. this mangled car driven by the two gunmen detonated by police to get rid of potential explosives has authorities investigating whether this event was a terrorist act. >> we have not knocked that out. we're working with an fbi. >> one of the

suspects, elliotton simpson was known by the fbi. sunday night's attack targeted the freedom defense initiative labeled by some as an anti-islamic hate group. it sponsors a contest offering $10,000 for the best cartoon of the muslim prophet muhammad. something considered deeply offensive by many slims. despite heightened security, two men in body armor jumped out wielding assault rifles and wielding fire. the only thing standing between them and more than 200 people inside was a traffic officer. >> the officer was using his duty pistol. they were using assault rifles. >> the officer returned fire, killing the attackers. >> did he a very good job and probably saved lives. >> we are going to move you all into the auditorium. >> video taken inside showed s.w.a.t. officers trying to calm the guests. >> in a matter of seconds, they came in

secured all exits and said they didn't want to leave the room. >> law enforcement sources that they were roommates living in phoenix. today authorities searched the apartment for clues and evidence of the planning behind the attack. the group's leader pam geller rejected the suggestion that she intended to provoke an attack. >> i do not think i put them in danger. i think violent jihadists put them in danger. >> reporter: many have come out and condemned the attack. one of the gunmen tweeted out his allegiance as a holy warrior with a half-hour before the shooting. >> thank you. to politics. in an nbc news exclusive, bill clinton making headlines. responding for the first time to a storm of accusations to citizen biks big money. major donations from foreign countries to the clinton foundation. while hillary clinton

was secretary of state. >> reporter: bill clinton said he had no regrets about taking if you understand. >> i don't think there's anything sinister in trying to get wealthy people in countries seriously involved in development to spend their money wisely if a way that helps poor people. i don't think there's anything wrong with that. i think it is good. >> reporter: even while the criticism at home rumbled, the heart warming stories in africa are undeniable. at the hearing foundation program, 150 people will be fitted for hearing aids. their goal? a million people by 2020. >> this boy will hear for the first time. the former president chocks up the criticism. under pressure the foundation has recently announced it will only accept

contributions from six western governments going forward. >> is that an acknowledgement it was a mistake not to stop the other donations before your wife ran for president? >> no. absolutely not. it is an acknowledgement that we're going to come as close as we can during her presidential campaign to follow the rules we spold when she bamd secretary of state. >> reporter: he vigorously defended the $25 million given by saudi arabia noting they have given to many presidential libraries including himself. critics point out that political candidates are not allowed to take any foreign funds to avoid the possibility of influence pedaling. >> if anybody could show me that anyone had tried to do that, i would stop taking their money. >> reporter: mr. president, you know there's a perception out there that the clintons play by their own rules. >> well, i know -- >> reporter: the e-mail account, the mistakes on the tax forms for the foundation. >> all right. tell your viewers, tell your viewers what

were those mistakes? >> reporter: the 990's? >> tell them what the mistakes were. >> reporter: on the line with foreign government contributions were supposed to be. those were zero. they were put in a different location. >> we did disclose all the foreign governments. there was no attempt to hide them. the guy that filled out the forms made an error. we didn't tell nobody who gave us the money. he put it on the wrong form. >> reporter: it was an innocent mistake. >> it was all in there. >> reporter: it was right the year before though. >> i can't explain why they can do it all i can do is fix it. >> reporter: it isn't just the foundation's funds that have come under attack. it's his own. for giving 11 speeches for $500,000 or more while his wife was secretary of state. she's now running for president. will you continue to give speeches? >> oh, yeah. i got to pay our bills. i also give a lot of it to the foundation every year. you know, we got a lot to do. >> reporter: here in africa, the controversies back at home seem very far

away. these are some of the poorest kids in kenya. a sampling of the 10,000 who are now attending high school. thanks to commitments made through the clinton global initiative. >> my dream is now real. >> reporter: this program has been a whopping success. 98% graduate. 94% go on to college. >> there has never been anything like this where you raise over $100 billion worth of stuff. it's helped 430 million people in 180 countries. >> reporter: from work ing with local farmers to a clinic in kenya treating babies with foundation purchased medicine. bill clinton is deeply proud of the work and believes the criticism doesn't add up. >> think about that, there's this big nefarious strategy by talking wealthy people in countries into giving money to help poor people. that's the theory.

i just don't believe over the long run the american people won't figure that out. >> reporter: if your wife is elected president, will you step down from the foundation? >> well, if it's the right thing to do i will. >> reporter: why might you step down if she were elected? >> i might if i were asked to do something in the public interest i had an obligation to do. or i might take less of an executive role. my work is -- i'm involved in this as you can see. so i might do that. but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. >> reporter: meanwhile he's getting back to work. cynthia mcfadden. even with controversies swirling over the funding. hillary clinton still leads the top republican candidates for 2016. in a new nbc news "wall street journal" poll. fewer people believe she's honest and straightforward. that number dropping from 38% last year to 25% now. this comes as clinton's lawyers say she's agreed to one day, not two of testimony before congress later this

month about benghazi and her private e-mail server. the republican side of the race got more crowded today with two more candidates jumping in. carly fiorina, the former ceo of hewlett packard. who ran a race for senate in 2010 became the first official female gop candidate for 2016 today. retired neurosurgeon ben carson announced he is joining the republican field. jurors in the penalty phase of the boston marathon bombing trial saw something they haven't seen since the trial began. a show of emotion from dzhokhar tsarnaev. as his relatives from russia took the stand. nbc news justice correspondent pete williams was in the courtroom. >> reporter: after dzhokhar tsarnaev sat stone faced while dozens of witnesses told of the pain and suffering he caused, today he showed emotion for the first time. wiping away tears as relatives from russia recalled his childhood. his 66-year-old aunt

waved to him during a courtroom break, overcome at seeing him, unable to testify. she was one of five relatives from russia brought here to talk about his past. all were issued electronic ankle monitors, housed in a secret location and escorted to and from the courthouse by the fbi. cousins told the jury he was especially close to his older brother, tamerlan growing up. they said when tamerlan visited them in russia a year before the bombing he had embraced radical islam. defense lawyers played a recording of his voice talking in russian about jihad that was found on dzhokhar's computer. according the a defense translation, he said maybe you're able to hold it down, but i haven't been able to. i have this rage of hatred inside me. the case could go to the jury by the middle of next week. tsarnaev's lawyers are calling for a sentence of life without parole saying he'd be locked away and forgotten at the super max prison in colorado. lester? >> thank you.

new tensions in baltimore today where the calm on the streets was briefly broken when police arrested a man on a handgun charge. they were quick to tamp down on reports the man had been shot. in the meantime, the family of freddie gray is speaking out about the criminal charges filed against the six baltimore police officers accused of being involved in his death. i sat down with gray's mother, twin sister and stepfather as well as their attorney and asked them about the reaction to the filing of charges. >> i was shocked but happy to hear the charges -- because i didn't expect it so soon. but i was really happy that it turned out this way. >> gloria, freddie was your baby. talk to me as a mother, the pain that you're experiencing. >> i got a -- i wish it didn't never happen. it didn't never happen. and i won't never be the same. i will never be the

same. >> fredrica, you lost your twin brother, freddie. >> it's -- for me to lose my twin, it's like i can't sleep at night. i cry. i really miss him. the pain i feel is unbearable. >> tell me about the freddie we haven't read about. >> the funny freddie, the freddie that's always happy and smiling and caring and loving. >> i think this is a question i'd like to address to you, if i may. sometimes in these cases, there is a tendency to want to turn it back on the victim. people saying, why did he run. he had a record. what do you say to those people? >> there's no relevancy to that at all. because the police had no basis other than him running. to stop him or to arrest him. and there's no crime called running while black. and there's no crime called felony running. >> richard, when the

violence broke out last week, were you concerned that it would take the focus off of justice, off of freddie? >> i was so hurt and ashamed that they would apparently attempting to use it in the name of freddie. i was very discouraged with that. very discouraged. >> things turned around very quickly. people stood up, and said no more violence. you were one of the voices. >> yes. >> calling for peace? >> yes. even though it was a tragic situation, we must protest and raise our voices in a peaceful manner. >> so my conversation with freddie gray's family, still ahead here tonight. an nbc news exclusive melissa rivers opens but that the loss of her mother. why she says her mother's death was entirely preventable. facebook sheryl sandburg and a terrible tragedy on a family vacation.

what we're learning about it tonight.

tonight eight months into the shocking death of joan rivers, her daughter, melissa, is opening up in her first interview about her mother's passing following a throat procedure at a clinic in new york. she sat down with matt lauer to talk about joan and the circumstances surrounding her tragic death. >> i had gotten e-mails on the plane she was in a medically induced coma and they were dropping her body temperature.

which i knew was bad, because that was the protocol for catastrophic brain injury. >> reporter: do you remember when you walked in the hospital? >> uh-huh. >> reporter: what did you see? >> i couldn't believe what i was seeing. it becomes very surreal. and there's my mom and machines and doctors. >> reporter: a week after she underwent a throat procedure at yorkville endoscopy she died in the hospital with her daughter by her side. >> reporter: it was preventible in your opinion? >> in my opinion it was 100% preventable. >> reporter: what could they have done to prevent this? >> how about paying attention to the vital signs. >> reporter: she is suing the hospital and the doctors who were possible for her mother's care. an anesthesiologist has responded to the lawsuit denies any wrongdoing. and they say patient safety is their highest priority

adding that they "use state-of-the-art monitoring device and have emergency resuscitation equipment including a crash cart immediately available during the procedures. >> reporter: what did you hear that bothered you the most? >> the selfie. >> reporter: explain it for people who don't know the selfie. >> there was a story circulating that during the procedure the doctors were taking selfies of themselves with my mother while they were working on my mom. >> reporter: is it true? >> allegedly they weren't taking selfies they were taking pictures of each other working. >> reporter: it wasn't technically a selfie, but your mom was in the picture. >> allegedly. >> reporter: melissa says she hasn't seen those photos. medical staff told health department investigators that a doctor used a cell phone to take pictures of joan rivers while she was unconscious. you write about the time when she's in the hospital and she passes away. >> yes. >> reporter: can you read it for me? >> when it was time to

remove the ventilator, she was surrounded by those she loved most and who loved her most. i laid in the bed and held her for a while. i didn't have to tell her, she knew. she didn't have to tell me she loved me. i knew. >> reporter: that's a gift. >> it's a gift. >> matt lauer with melissa rivers. and we're back in a moment when a tragedy that struck one of the top power couples.

they were a couple that appeared to be living the dream. facebook coo sheryl sandburg and her husband dave goldberg. the virtues of their marriage described in a best seller sand burg wrote about finding success at work and home. in one terrible unexpected moment everything changed. here is nbc's joe fryer on goldberg's sudden death.

>> reporter: dave goldberg was coo of a successful silicon valley company and married to well-known facebook executive. authorities in mexico say goldberg died from head trauma while exercising on vacation. he was just 47. >> he wasn't larger than life but he lived a great large life. it's a tragedy that one of the very good people in silicon valley this would happen to at a young age. >> reporter: his wife spoke often about the importance of finding a life partner. >> if you pick someone who is going to share the burdens and the joys with you, you will go further. >> reporter: she wrote she found that partner in goldberg. he is my best friend, dedicated co-parent and the love of my life. >> we might someday go public -- >> reporter: he ran the online polling company survey monkey and supported his wife's push for gender equality. >> we need to do more. >> reporter: his family is asking everyone to share their favorite

memories on his facebook page. a lasting memorial to be shared with their two children. joe fryer, nbc news, los angeles. there is more to tell you about tonight. when we come back, it's not just a name, it's a tribute. how the duke and duchess decided what to call the newest royal.

after months of speculation, the suspense is over. we now know the name of william and kate's new baby girl, the princess of cambridge. if you're thinking she would be named after her late grandmother, princess diana, you're only kind of right. here is katy tur. >> reporter: william and kate introducing their new princess. who slept through all the excitement. kate, somehow managing to look great only ten hours after giving birth. today, london celebrated. guns fired. bells rang. all for her royal highness princess charlotte elizabeth diana of cambridge. what's in a name? charlotte evokes her grandfather charles. among the first to pay a visit. elizabeth, her great grandmother, the

queen. and of course, diana. gone now for almost 18 years. the grandmother she'll never know. elizabeth and diana never close, now brought together in a name. >> he doesn't want his mother's memory to die. he wants his mother to be remembered for what she was. she will be now. >> reporter: william is championed his mother's memory from the beginning. he proposed with diana's engagement ring. >> she won't be around to share in all the fun and excitement. this is my way of keeping her close. >> reporter: that same ring on prominent display for charlotte's debut. also on display, briefly, prince george. who turns two in july. a little bewildered, but clearly the master of the royal wave. a skill he may teach to his little sister someday. katy tur nbc news, london. that will do it for us. on this monday night. i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching and good night.

nbc bay area news starts now. he was restricting her ability to call for help. >> right now at 6:00 a 49ers standout finds himself in the national spot light today for what he did off the field. good evening. i'm raj mathai. >> i'm jessica aguirre. those are the allegations that landed the 49ers player bruce milner the middle of a domestic violence case. miller is now facing one charge but it's another blow for a league battling an image

problem. nbc bay area's robert handa joins us. >> reporter: it's surprisingly complex. it's getting a lot of attention because it's a domestic violence case involving an nfl player. apparently there's no evidence of physical harm or contact with the victim. 27-year-old bruce miller remained quiet during and after being charged with misdemeanor vandalism today. the fullback is accused of throwing his girlfriend's cell phone against a wall during an argument on march 5th. at the time police say the woman say that miller pushed her out of his parked car before smashing the phone but later she denied there had been any physical contact. >> that investigation concluded with not enough evidence to charge anything beyond the misdemeanor vandalism. >> reporter: the d.a.'s office said the case is still a domestic violenc