megalodon. >> rob, explain this? >> we need a storm to clean that camera and going to get it. look at that, it's coming. clouds thickening up, rain to showers tomorrow and ongoing showers through to wednesday. >> tonight, president biden and other world leaders arriving in london for the queen's unprecedented funeral. the powerful moment her grandchildren led by prince william and harry stand vigil by her side king charles thanking people in that massive line as president biden touches down in the uk, our inside look at the massive security operation >> the single largest policing operation that the met police has ever undertaken. tropical storm fiona hits puerto rico tonight, on track to strengthen into a hurricane tomorrow residents boarding up and buckling down. the island's port shut down, cruise ships re-routed and new fears for the electric grid

the lights going out on the governor's press conference plus the strongest storm alaska has seen in nearly 50 years this home swept away bearing witness. a reporter in the ukrainian town as they discover mass graves, hundreds killed. were war crimes committed? >> new busloads of migrants arriving in new york and washington today with a promise of more to come what happens after they arrive? and guardian angels the inspiring reason these officers promised to keep showing up for this young girl this is "nbc nightly news" with josé díaz-balart. >> good evening. it will be one of the largest gatherings of world leaders ever, the funeral of queen elizabeth now less than two days away heads of state began arriving today president biden just hours ago. some already paying their respects to the queen.

there were rehearsals for the funeral today. it will be filled with huge, powerful moments of ceremony, but today, today was the smaller moments that spoke the loudest. this was prince william, his brother harry, and six of their cousins standing in silence at the queen's side, one final vigil. earlier in the day, prince william and the king shook hands with the crowds who were waiting in line for hours to pay their respects that line now has a wait that is nearly 14 hours long keir simmons is covering it all for us tonight. >> reporter: into the somber hall they emerged in silence taking each step in unison, william and harry with six cousins side by side the quiet interrupted by the tap-tap of sword on stone and they took their places eight heirs to a

thousand years of history never in that millenia have a monarch's grandchildren held a vigil like this. both william and harry in uniform, all bowing their heads, their emotion unmistakable princesses eugenie and beatrice writing today, our dearest grannie, we've not been able to put much into words since you left us all. you were our matriarch, our guide, our loving hand on our backs leading us through this world throughout the day, world leaders came to pay their respects prime ministers from canada and australia japan's emperor and empress, and president biden and dr. jill biden who touched down just moments ago back in westminster the people keep coming the five-mile line visible in satellite pictures, more than a dozen mourners rushed to the hospital in the midst of very cold temperatures [ cheers ] but for some in the right place at the right time, a surprise visit from king charles and prince william this morning

>> i can't talk right now. >> i just shook hands with prince william. >> the queen is just so special for this country and having king charles and prince william here is just -- the whole thing, you know, we're england, we're british, you know. we love the monarchy i think it's really special to be here ♪ ♪ >> tonight, rehearsals under way for monday's state funeral. ♪ >> when the queen will be laid to rest in windsor beside her beloved late husband, prince philip. keir, tonight we're learning just how many people are expecting to see the funeral >> yeah, millions around the world, jose, and on big screens here amazing when you think this abbey's been hosting royal events for a thousand years jose >> keir simmons in london, thank you. >> lester holt will be anchoring this broadcast from london tomorrow night and we will have complete coverage of the funeral for queen

elizabeth live from london monday morning starting at 5:30 a.m. eastern. tropical storm fiona is bearing down on puerto rico right now. the storm on track to become a hurricane by tomorrow many are wondering if the island is preparing to withstand yet another september storm. george solis is there. >> reporter: tonight puerto rico is bracing for impact la isla del encanto, the island of enchantment, halftime by wind and revising waves, a tropical storm fiona charges forward, now barreling across the leeward islands, it could become a hurricane here by tomorrow >> you're scared >> i would say yes >> reporter: tonight, the race is on to fill gas tanks as officials in some towns warn residents to evacuate. others stocking up on food. >> across the island, grocery store parking lots are packed and shopping carts are full and people getting supplies to help weather the storm.

shoppers on edge as fiona comes closer she tells me she lives close to the beach where there's always flooding and after hurricane maria there's always extra fear that fear, well founded after maria and hurricane irma ravaged the island's fragile power grid proof of that unpredictability today when the lights went out during the governor's press conference now his dire warning tonight saying -- [ speaking non-english >> we should not underestimate this storm. the port of san juan, one of the busiest in the world for cruise ships now closed and tourists lik jonathan vega from rhode island staying put in his hotel >> the hotel is pretty safe they've assured that even if they lose power the hotel will still be functioning >> george, this storm hitting almost five years to the day after hurricane maria devastated the island.

>> reporter: that's right, jose. many here in puerto rico say they've learned a lot since they won't be particularly when it comes to storm prep. the growing inteity of this storm has many on edge tonight. jose >> george solis in ponce, puerto rico thank you. there is extreme flooding in the far northwest as well. in alaska, forecasters are calling it the worst in nearly 50 years. take a look at this from nome where tides 11 feet higher than normal washed away a house. and it was windy as well gusts getting up to 91 miles an hour in one western location alaska's governor has declared a disaster. dozens of people have left their homes for higher ground. today more buses filled with migrants arrived from texas into major american cities the busses are part of a larger political fight, but at the heart of it are real people, men, women and children who have faced horrendous circumstances just getting to the u.s. border what happens to them next

maggie vespa reports >> reporter: from a busy bus recall the in manhattan to the vice president's home in d.c., from downtown sacramento to military barracks in cape cod tonight an escalating border battle. >> do you know why you were sent to new york? >> this man from venezuela has no idea why he was bussed to new york city. many parents with small kids and babies just as lost >> these three busses came after three more arrived this morning port authority officials say they all came from el paso, texas. the arrivals mark a growing political war with republican governors in texas, arizona, and florida bussing and flying migrants en masse to so-called sanctuary cities this morning for the second time this week a bus dropped dozens outside vice president kamala harris' washington home. while in sacramento, three venezuelan migrants arrived in

this week from texas, unsure of who bought their plane tickets. one telling station kcra they walked 27 miles from the airport to an address written on their paperwork >> two of them said they wanted to go to utah, and one of them wanted to go to manhattan, and somehow they ended up in sacramento >> legal experts say many of these migrants will have to return to where they entered the u.s. to process their asylum cases, which can take more than a year most won't be able to get legal jobs meanwhile, in d.c., churches are helping to provide temporary shelter. in massachusetts, the approximately 50 migrants who were flown to martha's vineyard earlier this week are now at joint base cape cod. the governor promising they will have access to legal and healthcare services and for the more than 11,000 who have arrived in new york city since may, public schools have opened their doors, enrolling 1,400 migrant children for classes. meanwhile, the city confirms close t 8,000 remain in homeless shelters like this one.

do you know what the plan is long term? two men who didn't want to be identified say there is no long-term plan they are here with no family and no idea how to find housing, this as the busses continue to roll in >> maggie vespa joins me now from port authority in new york. maggie, how much advanced notice are authorities there getting now before these buses roll in? >> reporter: jose, here in new york the mayor' office said they're flat-out not getting any notice from these governors or these states and sometimes local governing agencies and non-profits will reach out ahead of time, but that's sporadic. officials say they often hear later on about buses having arrived that they didn't even know were coming jose >> maggie vespa in new york, thank you. now to the war in ukraine and the latest developments in a horrifying discovery a mass grave found in an area where ukrainians recently managed to push out russian forces erin mclaughlin made her way there, but

first, a warning, that what you are about to see and hear is disturbing >> in the forest next to the izyum town cemetery, the grim dig for human remains carries on after ukrainian forces pushed russian soldiers out of the area, left behind is the overwhelming stench of death. today investigators unearthed more bodies. >> do you know what happened to them we do not know , this prosecutor says. we are finding people who are still unknown. on friday, investigators found one mass grave with the bodies of 17 ukrainian soldiers many with broken bones, hands tied behind their backs and other signs of torture, but civilians have been buried here, too. >> there seems to be more graves than trees in this area, many of the graves are unmarked others have numbers. some, too, have names including these graves, the graves of two children killed on

march 9th of this year >> alexander is here to visit the grave of his 68-year-old mother he says she was sick, but with the town cut off by russian forces, there was no doctor to help he says his son also died, killed fighting on the front lines i had to call my son sometimes who was in kharkiv, he says it was dangerous it's difficult for me to talk about that >> so much pain. i'm so sorry >> reporter: this town of izyum is destroyed, hardly a building untouched by war the streets are mostly empty and eerily quiet. this man says after months of intense bombardment and the russian occupation it's the silence that scares him most. at first there were a lot of bodies in the streets, so we were

bigger them about an burying them, he says. >> do you know anyone who was killed >> yes, i do a lot of people i know were killed. how many, do you know? >> he says it's difficult for me to know for sure. we stopped counting. erin mclaughlin, nbc news, izyum, ukraine coming up, the historic security challenge ahead of the queen's funeral to keep all those world leaders and the royal family safe.

and back to our top story now. the massive

history-making security mission under way right now ahead of monday's funeral for queen elizabeth. it's the biggest security operation ever in the uk molly hunter reports from london. >> today, king charles and prince william stopping by the met police command and control center in the midst of what british police say is their biggest operation ever, deploying the greatest number of officers in the met's history. nbc's matt bradley spoke with the deputy assistant police commissioner. >> the scale of this is something that is hugely difficult to compare with anything else. >> it's bigger than the queen's platinum jubilee, and bigger than the 2012 london olympics. >> so they really learned an awful lot from that kind of security procedure that went on there with all those visiting dignitaries. >> the met police have put into action a global protect operation with 2,000 guests at the state funeral on monday, it will be one of the largest gatherings ever of heads of state, many of whom who will arrive with their own security.

>> there's the other threat to the diplomats and the heads of state who will be dealt with in a much more secure fashion, so president biden will be able to bring his full security detail with him and his armored beast, the limousine that he travels in >> the other main threat, duncan says, is directly to the royal family who like on wednesday will walk all together out in the open behind the queen's coffin on a planned, well-publicized route. but before the events get under way on monday, police will install 24,000 barriers at key locations and sweep for hidden explosives. by monday morning across 22 miles of central london, there will be thousands of unarmed uniformed officers, or bobbys, hundreds of authorized firearm officers with guns, sniffer dogs at ies, hundreds of authorized firearm officers with guns, sniffer dogs at transport hubs and air cover by at least

three aircraft with reinforcements available. all of it to keep the queen, her friends from around the world and all her subjects as safe as possible. >> molly joins us from london molly, there have already been a number of security incidents. >> jose, there have been, but not that many when you consider the sheer size of these crowds police say they have arrested 34 people including a man inside westminster hall quite close to the queen's coffin jose >> molly hunter in london, thank you. still ahead, the high cost of kids' sports why prices to play are going up and the way your family can save s your family can save your family can save s your family can save

tonight, investigators are on the scene of a mid-air collision near boulder, colorado. officials say a single-engine plane and another aircraft collided and crashed today in this field near a small airport at least three people were killed. no word yet on when caused the crash now to another way inflation is hitting home the rising costs for kids to participate in sports from uniforms to fees, it's all adding up, forcing some families to make tough choices. gadi schwartz reports on the price to play >> there is nothing ayden loves more than hitting the ice in las vegas. >> this stick is $330? >> yeah. >> how did you pay for this >> lots of baby-sitting and wrestling. >> even though he's pitching in, his mom amanda says prices are the highest they've ever been. >> how much will that cost >> that one probably about 500.

>> 500 >> yeah. >> reporter: hockey is the most expensive of youth sports and your so decided to be a goalie which is the most expensive of the most expensive. >> it was about -- almost $5,000 and he hadn't hit the ice yet. just in equipment. >> 200 just for the gloves. >> this is goalie glove, right >> it's stuff he'll have to buy again as aden gets bigger the spike isn't just for hockey the rising cost from everything from gear to gas means higher prices for athletes to compete across the board. >> the rising costs have largely been in these travel teams there are coaches to pay for. there's hotels, flights, and on and on and on it's just gone up significantly over the past generation and coming out of the pandemic, we're seeing yet another boost in cost >> reporter: this busy mom jessica bowen know sports result in higher test scores and lower levels of depression and obesity. that's why the family's cut costly entertainment and eating out so her four

kids can stay connected with cheer squad, football and basketball. >> it keeps them busy and gives them purpose. that means i might have to take from one household income to cover another household income to kind of make ends meet. >> experts caution the higher prices will keep some kids off of the playing field. >> if your family can afford those 2,000, $3,000 fees, you're in and if they can't, you're out coming out of the pandemic we are seeing an even further splintering of that divide there are options to saving money, try lower cost, local community leagues and shop around for secondhand equipment and have a candid conversation with your kids about what sports they really want to play and how much they hope to get involved >> difficult choices as more families make sacrifices so their kids can stay in the game >> i know you have a daughter, and i know she's thinking about hockey. >> i would love if she chose a cheaper sport. >> $1,800 for the

pads. >> $1,800 for that and the pads inside. >> wow >> gadi schwartz, nbc news, las vegas. >> when we come back, the heartwarming reason why first responders showed up to give this little girl a back-to-school welcome she will never forget

there's good news tonight about always being there and the heros who stepped up to support one little girl's big day 5-year-old ana stolinski has a smile that lights up any room

her mom, casey, says the brave little girl brings joy wherever she goes >> she loves the spotlight. >> so when officers from the laverne, tennessee, police department took her to the first day of kindergarten last month, for ana, it was another great adventure. >> when all of the officers showed up i went -- [ gasp ] >> you're doing great, sweetie. >> reporter: their surprise, a tribute to ana's dad, kevin, a lieutenant on the force who died last november stepping in to support the family o ana's big day, dozens of officers and other first responders from all over tennessee there they are, lined up outside ana's new school, greeting her one at a time with hugs, high fives and words of encouragement. >> how many officers were out there waiting for you? >> a jillion >> the gesture meant

the world to ana's mom, casey >> kevin and i were married for 15 years he cared for his community. he wanted to help. >> sergeant eric stats worked alongside kevin. tell me about why you felt it was so important for you and so many others to be there? >> kevin was very crucial in organizing and helping put on events like this to help support fallen officers and their families and crucial parts of their lives like prom, weddings, graduations or first days of school like ana. >> reporter: that community of officers now honoring his memory with a vow to always help casey and ana. >> i call them now my guys i can call any one of my guys anytime. >> reporter: their dedication, a mission, guided by a deep sense of brotherhood sergeant, there'

a bigger message here, isn't there? >> when one of us hurt, we all hurt, but we're also there for each other the good times and the bad. we're a family that cares deeply for each other. >> and the officers say they will be by ana's side to celebrate her future milestones, as well. that's 9 millimete >> that's "nbc nightly news" for this saturday a reminder, lester holt will be here with you tomorrow live from london i'm jose diaz balart thank you for the privilege of your time, and good night right now at 6:00, it is coming. september storm, and bringing rain to parts of the bay area. hour by hour time line for you. twist in east bay shooting.

women police thought was victim charged with murder. reason her arrest game two months later. unexpected guest for vice president harris, dozens of migrants showed up again at her home in washington d.c. news at 6:00 starts now. i'm terry mcsweeney. >> i'm gia vang, parts of the bay area about to get soaked, tracking the storm all weekend. live look on san bruno mountain, it's foggy, hopefully the water will wash that away. but radar is full of bands of green. crews are getting ready to prepare. rob has much more. >> watching areas we'll see biggest impact, likely north of the golden gate. view in san francisco, cloudy skies. san francisco and