first political troubles in new york city. >> it's outrageous and i don't know what's motivating it. >> blasting a unique internal memo from the new york state board of elections accusing him of breaking campaign state laws. i'm liz cho. >> i'm bill ritter. the mayor tonight denying any wrongdoing. >> the allegation is he helped avoid campaign finance laws so the new york senate races could receive tens of thousands of dollars. >> mayor de blasio says bloomberg and others have done the same thing. >> if the investigation has been going on for months, why was this memo just now leaked to the press? the mayor tonight is calling in to question the motivations behind releasing this document but first he told me he's done

>> can you unequivocally say that you neither any member of your team violated finance laws? >> i can unequivocally say that. >> reporter: his administration, he says, has approached political fundraising the way his predecessors did. over the weekend de blasio's lawyer likened the allegation to a red light ticket for running a green light. >> i'm quite convinced the facts will show it was done legally and appropriately. >> reporter: when you see something done in this kind of fashion, when you see an inappropriate leak, of course it begs the question of motevation. >> reporter: today the manhattan da said he's been investigating city hall for months before this regulator alleged what she described as willful and flagrant violation of election law. it involved the 2014 race for state senate. mayor de blasio sought to elect three candidates from the hudson valley who would support his agenda. state law prevents an individual donor for giving more than

de blasio's team allegedly arranged for those three candidates. >> it's a big deal for two reasons. one is the possibility is the criminal allegations are in fact true in which case it's a very big problem. >> reporter: kenneth cheryl is a political scientist at hunter and says the bigger problem is a bigger picture. the fundraising probe comes when the mayor is already playing defense amid other investigations involving city government. the author of the memo, chief enforcement officer, is an appointee of andrew cuomo. >> letting this information out as a leak is an effort to cause a distraction that weakens the mayor's it does that by first of all taking up his time and energy that he might be devoting to advancing his political agenda.

denied being the source of this leak and she stood behind the nonpartisan nature of all 21 of these pages. da vance would not say tonight how long he expects the criminal investigation to take. as for the three political candidates, they wound up with gobs of money for their campaigns but it didn't work. they all lost. we're live at city hall, josh einiger, channel 7 eyewitness news. new at 6:00, new video tonight of a suspect in an attempted rape on manhattan's lower east side. police say the man followed a 24-year-old woman in to the elevator in her building on sunday. investigators say he pushed the victim against the wall and then began to fondle her. they say he then followed her in to her apartment. he ran when a man came to the door. tonight the tragic death of a second grader sending shock waves through an elementary school in westchester county. 7-year-old lily love died over the weekend. so far there's no official cause of death.

to reassure parents of other students. lucy yang is at the school in eastchester with more. >> she loved outdoor sports and arts and crafts. she was a bubbly second grader here at green vale. grief counselors were made available after lily love passed away this weekend. >> reporter: the kids went out for recess today but there was definitely a dark and difficult cloud over greenvale elementary school. >> i feel bad for the family and community. hopefully they find out what happened. >> we're all saddened by the death of lily love. there are truly no words that can make sense of this tragic loss of a young life. >> reporter: this is beautiful lily cate love, her name as sweet as her smile. the 7-year-old died saturday prompting officials to reach out to the community insisting it was safe to return to school monday.

commissioner issued this statement that love's death was, quote, an isolated event whose circumstances appeared to be confined to the deceased child. there are no instructions of any impact to others at the school. despite such assurances, there's no official word on how lily died, leaving many questions surrounding broken hearts. >> we did speak with the dad on saturday evening and he was very gracious and very grateful to the community and the community during this time. >> i'd like everybody to say a prayer for her and her thoughts -- and our thoughts are with her. >> wednesday evening the school is planning to meet with parents to try to address their many concerns. again, no word on cause of death. in eastchester, lucy yang, channel 7 eyewitness news. an emotional day in court in brooklyn.

in a fire testified in the trial of a teenager accused of setting it. rosa rodriguez and her partner dennis guerra on the elevator in an apartment in coney island. happened april 2014. rodriguez describing being choked by thick smoke when the elevator doors opened. police on long island are trying to figure out who is. a bullet got lodged in the front window. bullet flew through her neighbor's car window. their 8-year-old son was sleeping in the back seat. >> family came home from a party and they were unloading the car. and the husband went to place everything else. the child was sleeping. before he actually came by, that's when shots were fired.

someone who was visiting her house. now to vote 2016. they're calling it the [ inaudible ] primary. a chunk of amtrak's northeast corridor from connecticut to northeast pennsylvania. polls show it could be a big day for hillary clinton and donald trump. both leading in the northeastern states. ahead of those primaries, what looked like a move today by ted cruz and john kasich to sort of maybe kind of join forces to not divide their votes and hurt trump's chances of securing the nomination. but they're getting blow back and push back. kasich says he will not campaign in the primary in indiana in two weeks but he's not telling his supporters to vote for someone else. cruz doing the same. not campaigning in oregon and new mexico. no shocker, trump blasting his rivals' strategy. >> so they colluded and actually i was happy because it shows how weak they are, how pathetic they are. >> i don't doubt donald trump is going at that scream and yell

probably cry and wine some as well. that has been donald's pattern. >> a top ted cruz aide says the campaign has identified a short list of possible vice presidential candidates. a spokesman for carly fiorina said she's among those being considered but cruz refused to answer a question on that subject today in indiana. governor kasich speaking about the arrangement with cruz publically for the first time while campaigning in philadelphia today. he downplayed the significance of the quote, it's not a big deal. also held a town hall event in maryland. on the democratic side, hillary clinton rallied today in pennsylvania. the biggest of the five delegate contests tomorrow. clinton already has 80% of the delegates. she needs to clinch the democratic nomination. she's comfortable enough with her lead in the polls that she ignored bernie sanders today, instead targeted donald trump. >> donald trump says wages are too high in america and doesn't support raising the minimum wage and i have said come out of

and actually talk and listen to people. >> bernie sanders was in connecticut today. he also attacked trump during a rally in hartford, saying even his opponents have more money. the people have the power to elect the government that works for everyone instead of the 1%. >> when we stand together and fight for an agenda that works for all of fight for a government that represents all of the people and not just the 1%, that when we do that, there is nothing we cannot accomplish. >> they moved to the university of pittsburgh where he told a crowd of more than a thousand that young and poor people need to vote in higher numbers if anything is to change. as we continue with eyewitness news at 6:00 for this monday night, they're partying for prince tonight. >> as one person here in harlem put it, prince gave his fans

paying tribute to the musical genius. i'm kemberly richardson. coming up i'll take you inside this party on the other side of the break here on eyewitness news. >> we'll see you in a few minutes. also ahead, controversy at the 9/11 memorial. a group of students singing the star-spangled banner are suddenly told to stop singing. >> and the suspension of patriots quarterback tom brady reinstated. appeals court today doing that for mr. brady for the deflate gate scandal. >> i'm going to focus baseball. 65 degrees. we've got a little sunshine for the mets-reds and 65 degrees. how about tomorrow night with

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new at 6:00, no official finding what caused the death of prince. >> he was cremated and a memorial has been held, a private one. but tonight the celebration of his life continues. a big block party in harlem. >> they're singing, they're dancing, and remembering the 57-year-old music legend. eyewitness news reporter kemberly richardson is there. >> it is no secret. prince really loved harlem. he performed here. he gave money to organizations here and tonight on the plaza in front of the state office building, take a look.

together to pay tribute to the really larger than life entertainer. to them he really was their prince. >> i'm going to miss him so much. >> reporter: even now, four days after his sudden death, many people here in harlem can't believe prince is gone. >> i saw him when he first started and i saw him when he ended and i just can't forget him and every time i hear purple rain 80 years old, i'm moved. >> reporter: a fitting location for a celebration or member of music industry royalty. fans gathered on the plaza of the harlem state office building. they're here to celebrate prince's life, his many accomplishments. >> i hope what people will take from this is will you stay true to yourself and persevere or work hard, it's its own reward.

entertainer, philanthropist, deacon of change. prince was found unresponsive at his estate in minneapolis. friends and family gathered for a small private ceremony after his remains had been cremated. it's not clear why the 57-year-old died. results from an autopsy won't be known for several weeks. but that's not the focus here. it's about paying tribute to a man who touched so many lives. >> prince made phenomenal music that just went over beming to the imagination. many different kinds of people, jessica is here with her little one. >> it's a global phenomenon celebrating his life, teach her about joy and music and celebration. >> if you want to come on down, you have plenty of time. the party goes on till 8:00. kemberly richardson, channel 7 eyewitness news. a middle school choir from north carolina was forced to

banner outside the 9/11 memorial in lower manhattan and the video of them getting the silent treatment has gone viral. the group was on a school trip that had stopped in washington, d.c. before the city and sang the same song so the choir members thought it would be okay to do the same thing at the 9/11 memorial. security came up and they were told to stop. why, you might be asking? the guards called the performance a demonstration and a permit is needed for that. a spokesperson for the memorial tells eyewitness news security handled the situation incorrectly. still to come, meteorologist lee goldberg says we're in for a little rain this week. yes, we need it. >> we do need it. >> how long will it last? when is it going to get timed

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outside we go. we have sunshine and beautiful weather over new york harbor. clouds will be rolling in through the night. 66 degrees right now. humidity is 45%. the high of the day, upper 60s. there are your sunrise and sunset times. we'll be pretty close to that average during the day tomorrow. the first showers could show up late tonight. a few could be around in the morning commute especially in new york city. there's a threat of thunderstorms tomorrow, not severe, better in the afternoon hours and probably leading in to the evening commute. wednesday is your best bet. then cooler, cloudier as we go through late week. hopefully the weekend shapes up okay. poughkeepsie at 67 in yonkers, pleasant spring evening. cooler along the coast with the east wind, 50s, islip, montauk, and bridgeport. 75 in lakehurst. wait till you see tomorrow's ranges. clouds thicken up. couple showers could sneak in by

showers coming in the predawn hours. they're around especially from the city north during the morning commute. the middle of the day not a lot going on. clouds, even breaks of sun. that will be our warmest temperatures. this cold front right now stationary over upstate new york is going to collapse in to the area tomorrow. it's in the 40s in syracuse and burlington yet we're pushing 75 to 80 here. temperatures are tricky with the front tomorrow. on the chilly side of the front, half the area. the front will be a focus for showers and storms. the front should push to our south on wednesday allowing for a fair amount of sun especially from the city northward. that's probably your best bet of the week. let's go back to the timing for the showers. a couple showers neeking -- sneaking after midnight. best chance over the hudson valley, northern new jersey. then in the afternoon hours a break midday with thinning of the clouds then showers and thunderstorms as we go to mid

toward the end of the evening commute and partial clearing. temperatures which are in the mid 40s to mid 50s tonight, incredible range tomorrow. 48 in montauk to 78 in toms river. new york city, hudson valley, northern new jersey somewhere in the middle in the 60s and lower 70s. your accuweather forecast, mostly cloudy and dry this evening. you don't need the umbrella. the rain will come in later and in to the morning hours. you need a shower or thunderstorm, you need an umbrella. tomorrow morning then again in the afternoon you need it. i keep reminding people all afternoon. mostly cloudy. 45. nice day on wednesday. then cooler clouds and more shower.

is this over or can brady appeal it? >> football fans want to know if today's ruling finally does put deflate-gate to bed. patriots fans hope it does not. new england quarterback tom brady told today by a federal appeals court in new york that he must serve the four-game suspension handed down oh, so long ago by the nfl. that ruling overturns a lower court ruling and chooses the nfl over the players union in this battle over the use of deflated footballs in the 2015 afc title game under the previous ruling brady was allowed to play last season. now we have today's ruling saying that suspension should stand. here's part of the ruling, stating the nfl commissioner did not overstep between the league and the union. so we wait for what's next. mets were at citifield. mets playing well. there's plenty to talk about here. laura behnke is live at citifield right now. >> the mets found themselves quite a groove on this latest road trip going 7-2 away from home.

citifield, they'll look to pick up where they left off. >> reporter: they returned on a role. they want to keep on going. >> they deserve to see a good performance by the home team. >> reporter: the mets will turn to noah syndergaard who has been dominant. >> from a peers perspective, from another baseball player's perspective, exactly how hard it is to do what he's doing and how easily he's making it look. >> he's taking this, the way he's feeling and throwing, he's taking it to a new level where his confidence is soaring. >> reporter: the team will be without yoenis cespedes for the third straight game. the slugger met with doctors today and had his swollen upper leg drained. >> we're looking at it on a day by day basis. fortunately we have the depth that we anticipated we would need. >> also tonight before the game matt harvey will be receiving his players choice award for comeback player of the year last year in the national league.

behnke, channel 7 eyewitness news. yankees meantime in texas tonight, eovaldi throws. yanks wrapped up a 3-6 home stand. new york's hockey hopes with the islanders who broke through last night to win their first nhl stanley cup playoff series since 1993. isles beat them in double overtime, celebrating in brooklyn. they win the series and move on to the next round for the first time in 23 years. they'll play the lightning, game 1 in tampa later this week. nhl will set the schedule after the games tonight are played. big nba news today. steph curry out at least two weeks with a sprained right ligament. the reigning mvp has to sit out. so do the math here. two weeks. curry could miss the rest of the first round series. if the warriors were able to advance, he's outside probably the first four games of round two. curry has a grade 1 sprain to the mcl. warriors try to repeat as nba champs.

are a rare breed. more video proof. recent baseball games, pirates-diamondbacks. home run. dad in yellow. baby in yellow. one hand for the baby. one for the souvenir. and mr. yellow not alone this weekend. here we go to the red sox-astros game. foul ball. dad in the red shirt. baby in the right arm. foul ball caught. initially he gives the ball to the daughter. then watch this. give me my ball back. [ laughter ] >> nice catches. let's look at some of the stories we're working on for eyewitness news at 11:00. sade is here. >> new at 11:00, a teen trapped when a truck falls on him. he talks about who came to his rescue. what would you do if you found a snake living inside the walls of your home? it happened to one local family. wait till you hear how long it was living there. all coming up new tonight at 11:00. >> that's it for us. thanks for watching. i'm bill ritter. >> i'm liz cho.

muir is coming up next. for all of us here, have a great night. tonight, breaking news. the plane crash right into a residential neighborhood. the pilot practicing takeoffs and landings. the critically injured on the scene. >> totally engulfed house here. >> the images coming in now. also breaking -- meteorologists warning the worst severe weather of the season. millions bracing for tornados and severe storms. in the next 24 hours. we're live in the storm zone. taking on trump. ted cruz and john kasich team up. and trump with his fiery response tonight. and what he just said about hillary clinton. >> does hillary look presidential to you? the urgent manhunt after authorities say it was planned -- now warning other family members to arm themselves. the stunning discovery.