cool off. scattered showers in the south east wins on the day. scattered showers come a hit or miss thunderstorm, around 70, and a chance for an isolated shore on the east -- cher on the eastern shore. 79, almost 80 degrees on tuesday with a chance for storms. showers and cooler weather on wednesday. thursday looks like the best day of the week. >> what do you have tonight? >> the orioles. they kept losing on sundays. not the case anymore. why? defense oliver the place. defense oliver the place.

>> 11 sports and pete gilbert. >> in chicago this afternoon, baltimore parks a rising star facing a baltimore rising star. at least he went to high school in baltimore. the orioles going for the series when. in the bottom of the second, admittedly not at his best today. still good enough to get the job done here. in the same inning, this groundball -- a shot to short. >> a great pick from lee. top of the 5. reynolds. crushed. 3rd homer of the season. orioles take a 2-0 lead.

bases loaded. markakis. a sigh of relief. scores 3. orioles take a 5-0 lead. poor brent. tough day. sizzler to third. great pick. one of nice picks today at 3rd. a called strike 3. apologize.t the orioles win the three strayed, timely hitting, and well can they run it this year. >> then did something for us offensively. you would like to tack it on a little bit because you know they will make a run on you. a nice play in the hole.

>> we made some great plays. mark make some great plays and third. dino has been playing well so it is nice to have the defense behind it. >> they are not done with their 15 minutes of fame. game 1 against the oklahoma city, the grizz going. durant of the thunder should be the star. randolph. if you're not going to bother, i will. he has the range, getting it from three. k.d. how quick is he? 38 points. turnovers did them in. that and randolph knocking down shots. 1.zzilelies take game

fired from georgia tech, he finds a new job at george mason. this one could pay $1 million per year with bonuses. he struggled the last several seasons despite recruiting great talent. he takes every program of quality talent in mid major conference. add in the $7.20 million buyout from georgia tech and he continues to break the bank. you have to see this. maybe the best ceremonial first pitch ever. at dodgers stadium, -- >> wow. >> he throws a strike with his toes. a very great shot. we will check the forecast with we will check the forecast with tom coming up.

this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt reporting tonight from tuscaloosa, alabama. >> good evening. four days after the historic outbreak of tornadoes that swept across the south, leveling

communities, killing 342 people, we learn today still hundreds of others are officially listed as missing, unaccounted for. four days in it's still difficult for us to show you how much was lost. take a look. one tornado in tuscaloosa cutting across several miles through heavily populated areas. every pile of brick, every pile of wood here tells a story. this was a japanese restaurant. 20 people took refuge in the office. it's still standing. ten others took refuge in a cooler. they all survived as the building literally disent grated around them. officially 39 people have died here in us the tuscaloosa. there's a growing fear that number of will go up. john? >> there are so many stories here. remarkable survival. devastating loss. people tonight are pulling together, picking up and trying to move forward. >> reporter: a show of force today from the obama administration as five agency heads, including three cabinet

secretaries, got a first-hand look at the damage and the needs. >> i don't think words can fairly express the level of devastation here. >> reporter: in heart-hit tuscaloosa, officials released the names of the 39 confirmed dead. their ages ranging from 95 years to 8 months. more than 450 are still missing. >> my heart tells me that we will have many more fatalities. >> reporter: the work of rebuilding power grids shifted into high gear. across the south at least 650,000 customers remain without electricity. ♪ >> reporter: at tuscaloosa st. john baptist church, a spiritual rebuilding. 14 members of the congregation lost their homes but none of them lost their lives. >> the tornado had no addresses. amen. no addresses were on there. there were no black and whites. >> reporter: in the alberta city neighborhood, 14 people rode out

the tornado in the basement of this home and escaped with just scratches. >> when we first stood out and started screaming, because we knew our house was gone, but we looked around and everybody's house was gone. >> reporter: the university of alabama's school year was cut short by the tornado. but students are sticking around to run a relief operation. since they started on friday, more than 12,000 meals cooked, packed and delivered. other donations of diapers, toiletries, canned goods, sorted, packed, out the door for delivery almost as fast as they come in. the heart is the power of twitter. >> we need white bread. ten minutes later a man will show up and say i have $100 worth of sliced bread. it's the way our generation is and our community responds. >> reporter: a single facebook post sent volunteers descending on an elementary school. they recovered books from the rubble of the school's library before tomorrow's expected rain. >> i was hoping to get a handful

of people i knew to help out. i got here at 10:30 when i said and there were already ten people out here working. people i didn't know. strangers. >> reporter: it's not just local folks who are lining up to help, lester. the city's volunteer hotline has been getting calls as far away as new hampshire and california, all with one question. what can we do to help? >> what an incredible outpouring. john yang, thanks very much. from alabama to neighboring mississippi now. one small town especially hard hit by a tornado that roared through smithville with winds estimated at more than 200 miles an hour. nbc's ron mott is there tonight. ♪ >> reporter: today in smithville, where the dearly departed were mourned, the faithful gave prayer. out in the open next to rubble under a fireworks tent. emotions raw, exploding into tears for what was lost here including 15 lives, 150 businesses and homes and all but

one house of worship. >> this is the church of god right here. this over here is a building. >> reporter: the pastor called his sunday sermon filling your hope chest. encouragie ining the congregati lean on each other. while so many in this town of 900 are hurting, that didn't stop them and scores of volunteers from resuming the backbreaking task of picking up the pieces. with tales of survival spreading from one debris field to the next. like this 77-year-olds. i don't know how you made it out. >> i don't either. >> reporter: he doesn't plan to rebuild. long stretches of power lines are simply gone. though crews have begun setting new poles. tomorrow, however, one sign of normalcy returns with the school heavily damaged. students will head back to class, elsewhere. welcome news, says teacher nora cole, who cried under that fireworks tent about wednesday's tornado, her faith solidly

intact. >> it didn't shake my faith at all. we'll come through it. >> reporter: one of the speakers at this morning's church service echoed that very sentiment saying, we will come through this but adding, we'll never get over it. lester? >> ron mott, thanks. these severe storms we've been following here in the south, also the midwest, have led to another problem. dangerous flooding that may only get worse. the weather channel's jim cantore has more on that for us tonight. jim, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, lester. that has certainly been overshadowed as the kind of tornado outbreak that we've had in the month, for that matter. you can see behind me here relief efforts are well under way. if you don't have a tarp on your roof, you better get one quick. we got 24 hours until that rain comes in. let's take a look at this computer model. what we've asked it to do is mimic out the atmosphere about 48 hours from now. you can see the showers and the thunderstorms from texas through arkansas, tennessee and, yes, mississippi, alabama, some of the hardest hit areas as well.

but you can see where the precipitation is going to be heaviest. right there in that yellow area we're talking about 4 to 8 inches. where we've already had historical crests, we're expecting record crests once again as we go through the next several days along the mississippi and ohio rivers. this is the only going to make things worse. lester? >> jim cantore, thanks. the other big story we're following here tonight, fallout from a nato air attack that the libyan government says killed one of moammar gadhafi's sons and three of his grandchildren. today angry mobs set fire to the british and italian embassies in tripoli which prompted britain to expel libya's ambassador to london. nbc's mike taibbi is in tripoli with more on last night's nato strike. >> reporter: there's no doubt there was an air attack. nato confirmed it. reporters here who are tightly controlled were bussed to the scene to record the damage. two of the four structures at the compound destroyed. blood trails on the floor. a government spokesman says

moammar gadhafi's son, saif al arab, was killed. at the time of the air strike on saturday night, gadhafi and his wife were also reportedly in the compound for a family gathering. >> he's in good health. he wasn't harmed. his wife also is in good health. she wasn't harmed. >> reporter: in rebel controlled benghazi, eastern libya, there were celebrations of the news that the strikes had killed members of gadhafi's family. there are also doubts expressed that gadhafi's son was actually killed. nato's commander said all targets were military in nature. that nato had no independent confirmation of casualties or of the identity of any casualties. in fact, though, the air strike was the third in a week that reportedly came close to taking out gadhafi himself.

one attack while he was giving a televised speech about a proposed cease-fire with nato. but even with the bombs falling reportedly so near to where gadhafi was speaking, his offer to negotiate with nato did not include even a hint he might surrender power. instead he said, i am not leaving my country. no one can force me to leave my country. that was hours before the latest attack in the intensifying nato air campaign reportedly came close to forcing regime change another way. >> this was a direct operation to assassinate the leader of this country. >> reporter: pro-gadhafi demonstrators believe that and believe, too, that their leader has now seen family members killed while escaping with his own life again. mike taibbi, nbc news, tripoli. when "nbc nightly news" continues on this sunday evening, a milestone witnessed today by one of the largest crowds in vatican history. we take it a day at a time.

that's how it is with alzheimer's disease. she needs help from me. and her medication. the exelon patch -- it releases medication continuously for twenty-four hours. she uses one exelon patch daily for the treatment of mild to moderate alzheimer's symptoms. [ female announcer ] it cannot change the course of the disease. hospitalization and rarely death have been reported in patients who wore more than one patch at a time. the most common side effects of exelon patch are nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. the likelihood and severity of these side effects may increase as the dose increases. patients may experience loss of appetite or weight. patients who weigh less than 110 pounds may experience more side effects. people at risk for stomach ulcers who take certain other medicines should talk to their doctor because serious stomach problems such as bleeding may worsen. people with certain heart conditions may experience slow heart rate. [ woman ] whenever i needed her, she was there for me. now i'm here for her. [ female announcer ] ask the doctor about your loved one trying the exelon patch. visit exelonpatch.com to learn more.

visit exelonpatch.com [music playing] confidence available in color. depend® colors for women. looks and fits like underwear. protects like nothing else. depend®. good morning. great day. ... ...

this was a joyous day in rome as one of the biggest crowds in vatican history witnessed the beatification of pope john paul ii. the last milestone before sainthood. ann thompson is in rome for us tonight. good evening. >> reporter: good evening, lester. six years after his death pope john paul ii can still draw a crowd as today the faithful answered the call. under a perfect roman sky, a massive demonstration of faith. 1.5 million catholics crowding every cobblestone in st. peter's square and beyond.

here pope john paul ii declared blessed. the unveiling of a joint tapestry of the late pontiff signals his beatification and unleashed a wave of emotion. many in the crowd flood to the streets to get a spot in the square. >> we camped out until 4:00 in the morning. then we got in line for about five hours. but it was worth it. >> reporter: susan labelle came to honor the man who changed her life. >> in '93 came to denver. he turned me around and made me look at christ. >> reporter: at mass, this french none who says john paul cured her parkinson's disease carried a relic of his blood to the alter. igniting memories of that tragic day in 1981 for chicago's cardinal francis george. >> with the relic, you know, his blood was spilled on that piatsa. now his blood is at the alter.

i found that overpowering. >> reporter: the proudest people in the square were john paul's fellow fold. waving their colors. pope benedict xvi remembered his predecessor as a rock, restoring christianity as a religion of hope. yet the priesthood still reels from the sex abuse scandal, critics accuse john paul of ignoring. for father robert gall and the priests who call himself the john paul generation -- >> one could perceive that. >> reporter: after mass, swarms of pilgrims filed by john paul's casket. a final show of gratitude to a man already a saint to so many. now, the pope needs one more miracle to be cannonized a saint. tonight the faithful continue to file past his coffin. the vatican says the basilica will remain open until the last

person has prayed. lester? >> anne thompson in rome for us tonight, anne, thank you. much more as "nightly news" continues from tuscaloosa, right after this. host: would foghorn leghorn make a really bad book narrator? foghorn (stammering): it was the best of times, it was the wor - i say worst of times. and by worst i'm talkin' as bad, i say, as bad as my aunt ginny's corn puddin'. that stuff'll sink you like a stone. engineer: ok that was a little... foghorn: you gettin' all this in there son? i just added that last part it's called "adlibbin..."anyway...it was, i say it was... vo: geico. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance. dr. scholl's custom fit orthotic center recommends the custom-fit orthotic that's best for your tired feet. foot-care scientists are behind it. you'll get all-day relief. and you could save a couple hundred bucks. for locations, see drscholls.com. thank you... can become romantic just like that. a spark might come from -- a touch, a glance -- it can come along anywhere, anytime.

and when it does, men with erectile dysfunction can be more confident in their ability to be ready with cialis for daily use. cialis for daily use is a clinically proven low-dose tablet you take every day, so you can be ready anytime the moment's right even if it's not every day. tell your doctor about your medical condition and all medications and ask if you're healthy enough for sexual activity. don't take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain as this may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. [ man ] do not drink alcohol in excess with cialis. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than 4 hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, stop taking cialis and call your doctor right away. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if cialis for daily use is right for you. for a 30-tablet free trial offer, go to cialis.com. a fiber that dissolves completely, is clearly different.

benefiber. it's the easy way to get more fiber everyday. that's the beauty of benefiber. i know it's sort of my weakness. i always keep it in the house. well, that and boston crème pie, white chocolate strawberries, and mmm key lime pie. yeah, i've already lost some weight. [ female announcer ] yoplait light -- over 30 delicious flavors at about 100 calories. babe, what are you doing?! ♪ [ female announcer ] the yoplait you love, now in a 4-pack. try it today.

we're back again from alabama. as we heard at the top of the program, people here are not just waiting for help from the outside. despite what you see behind me, there are large areas of this city that are undamaged, yet it seems the entire city is gladly sharing the burden of recovery. there are no strangers in tuscaloosa anymore. just really good neighbors. they are everywhere. on trucks, trailers, on foot. regular citizens passing out water, food. >> they need the water. >> reporter: at a call-in radio show a resident says they need water in his neighborhood. help is soon on the way. some of them haven't met before today and some aren't even from around here. but now rolling through this deeply scarred landscape, they share what they see as a common responsibility.

in their wake, they leave a trail of grateful survivors. >> you getting any help out here? >> there's so much help it's unbelievable. >> reporter: many of those they help are volunteers themselves. no job is too small or too big. and there is so much to do. >> it's really encouraging. >> reporter: it would be easy to label this uniquely southern hospitality. except we've seen it before in many parts of this country. tragedy reminding us that at the end of the day, we're all in this together. >> any community would do what we're doing. i mean, it's -- how could you not? it's your home. >> one woman we found helping here came all the way from louisiana. she said the folks here were there for us during katrina, doggone it, we're going to be here and help the folks here through their really tough time. that's "nbc nightly news" for this sunday. brianil