tornadoes on the ground this evening in what is just the start of what forecasters already know is going to be a violent weekend. line of fire. a smalltown police chief gunned down days from retirement. the latest in a new wave of violence against police. failure. for north korea. a major embarrassment with the whe world watching. oddly, the party there goes on like nothing happened where. to the rescue. the big city mayor who rushed into a building to save a neighborhood. what he is saying about the brave deed that's getting a lot of attention. "nightly news" begins now. >> good even. we've had tornado on the ground

tonight in oklahoma and the problem with this ferocious weather system grinding its way through the american midwest tonight is this. beyond what the good people of oklahoma are suffering through, forecasters are already warning of an extremely violent weekend. the kind of thing you don't often hear warned about in a forecast a day in advance. late today, the bad weather made itself felt in norman, oklahoma, home of the oklahoma sooners. outside of oklahoma city. initial reports after the first tornado touched down said there were no injuries. but again, this is sadly just the start forecasters are able to say with confidence tonight. it's the start of a bad weekend ahead. dr. greg forbes is the severe weather specialist at the weather channel with us from their atlanta headquarters tonight. dr. forbes, i understand this is the second time since '03 that such an alert has gone out in this region this far in advance. two-part question.

what's the situation tonight, and how can you say with such a high degree of confidence what's going to happen this weekend? >> the situation tonight is we still have that same storm that has hit the norman area now producing another tornado. let me show you on radar. norman is in the lower left-hand kornder. it's going to the northeast. we had a report of a tornado near dale and clark heights. we are looking at the possibility of isolated tornadoes tonight. the red shaded area until ability 10:00 p.m. as we go into tomorrow, the ingredients get more favorable. the time until about 10:00 p.m., the lighter shaded red, anywhere from parts of south dakota and minnesota down across the central parts of nebraska and kansas and oklahoma, and even after dark over night, texas into central iowa. a tornado outbreak is likely. how we know this is that it's a pretty well defined surface low

is forming. the gulf of mexico is pretty much wide open, the high pressure that had been giving drier air to the region has moved out and the disturb nls in the jet stream is blasting its way to the northern region. that's going to give tomorrow the severe weather threats. even up into wisconsin for april and down into texas. but for sunday, at least the tornado threat not as high, but it's a pretty high tornado threat tomorrow and there could be strong, maybe long-lived tornadoes as well. >> joplin, missouri on the high risk map. the last thing they need. we'll keep an eye on the weather channel this weekend. thank you as always. now to an expanding danger zone across much of the country thanks to the unusually warm and dry winter. tonight, parts of 48 states are abnormally dry or in the midst of a full blown drought. for a lot of folks, that means a high risk of fires, and for some

growers, the situation is now dire. leading to higher prices for everyone at the supermarket eventually. we have our report tonight from our chief environmental affairs correspondent anne thompson. >> you can already see the impact of the drought. wildfires erupting in tinder dry sections of new york, new jersey, and florida. low levels of water in colorado streams where there is less snow in the mountains to melt. today, more than half the country is dry or in drought. it is particularly bad up and down the nation's east coast. almost two thirds of georgia already suffers from extreme or exceptional drought. >> there's not any rain in the ten-day forecast. >> farmer kevin mitchum is watching his livelihood evaporate. >> we have been farming pretty well my whole lifetime. i have never seen it this bad, not for this long. i think we in the fifth year of a consecutive drought. >> his family's worked the land for 100 yearser but this year,

his irrigation pond hasn't gotten water since january and he fears there won't be enough water to plant peas, the crop that provide husband summer income. >> this week, prices of peppers from florida doubled, where high temperatures have lowered production. >> early concern, always a concern in florida about freeze in the winter months. this year, it's about hot weather. it's an nulths situation. i can't remember conditions like this ever. >> it's taken more than a record warm march to cause the problem. officials blame back-to-back lunina events in 2010, bringing drier conditions to the southern u.s. >> we're not sure, 100% where we're going from here, but we hope it's not going to get much worse. in fact, with the demice of la nina, we hope this is about the

end of it. >> u.s. drought officials say it'sw way too early to talk abot water restrictions but the are s s that are vulinable are georgia. and in the west, california, colorado, new mexico, and utah. >> in the midwest, too much of it tonight. anne thompson, thanks. now, to new england and tragedy in a small new hampshire town where a police chief just about to retire lost his life in a standoff that came to a deadly end. this is the latest evidence of the disturbing trend across the country as violent crime has decreased and a growing number of police officers are being killed. nbc's michelle franzen is in greenland, new hampshire tonight. good evening. >> the small town is in shock tonight. many residents coming here to the police and fire center to pay tribute to michael maloney. he was set to step down as police chief one week from today

to start his new life. last night changed everything. flowers line the walkway of the town center where greenland new hampshire police chief michael maloney, headed the force for 12 years. the 48-year-old was gunned down thursday night in the town he was sworn to protect. trying to serve a search warrant during a drug raid. four other officers were wounded. >> everybody was stunned and they felt that they just couldn't believe this was happening. in our little state. >> across the country in modesto, california, sheriff's deputy robert paris was shot and killed serving an evixz notice at an apartment complex that was later set ablaze. the suspected shooter refused to come out. experts say the killing of these police officers are part of a worrying trend. 72 officers were killed last year, making it the third straight year that police deaths increased. up 75% from 2008. >> budget cuts across the board

have decimated law enforcement agencies. we have cut training, cut equipment, cut manpower and technology. all of that puts officers at grave risk. >> other law enforcement officials believe that what's called preventative policing, more street stops of potential suspects and moving more officers into crime ridden areas has always put more police at risk. but back in greenland, relatives and colleagues aren't thinking about that. >> i told my grandchildren last night that the one thing that they could feel that their father died doing what he loved most, protecting other people. >> now, family and friends who were once planning and organizing a retirement party are now planning for his funeral. the police department has set up a memorial fund.

>> michelle, thanks. turning to presidential politics. this was the day mitt romney appeared before the annual meeting of the nra, but in his remarks to the convention in st. louis this afternoon, he mentioned the word gun only once, and along the way took a swipe at the president. >> you know, we need a president who will enforce current laws, not create new ones that only serve to burden lawful gun owners. president obama has not. i will. >> mitt romney today in st. louis. and meanwhile in washington, the president and first lady released their tax returns today. they show adjusted gross income of nearly $790,000. the obamas paid $162,000 in federal taxes. and made contributions to various charities of just over $172,000. as 22% of their earnings, most of it from sales of the president's childrens book. and we noticed an interesting small detail on the tax returns,

sasha obama's full given name is actually natasha. we're learning more about the spending scandal at the general services administration. the agency that is supposed to be in charge of purchasinpurcha keeping the government going, and managing costs. in addition to a lavish taxpayer conference, we learned about a second conference. this one for gsa intern. ahead of a congressionling hearing on the matter scheduled to start monday, the inspector general has referred some of his findings to the u.s. justice department which could lead to a criminal investigation. >> now to the news that was just breaking as we were on the air here last night, the launch of the long-range rocket by north korea despite near universal warnings not to do it. the launch failed over the ocean. a huge embarrassment for north korea in the eyes of the world. and the global reaction has been

swift. our chief foreign correspondent richard ringle joins us once again from inside pyongyanpyong. good evening. >> good evening, brian, from a very foggy pyongyang. there is a sense of relief across this region that north korea's rocket test wasn't a success. here in north korea, well, the government isn't saying much. north korea's long range rocket turned out to have a remarkably short range. it flew for just 90 seconds, then, according to u.s. officials, the rocket separated properly, but the second stage failed to ignite. without power, it fell. caught fire, and crashed harmlessly in the sea about 100 miles off south korea. >> there was a critical failure. i'll bet somebody had seen that problem and had failed to report it. they were afraid to report it because the leadership that we saw looked like idealogical bullies who were intolerant of

desent. >> moments after the launch, governmentfficials were stunned and silent. later, we were rushed through downtown pyongyang expecting to learn more about the rocket. the only information thus far, a single paragraph by state media saying the rocket failed to enter orbit. then we saw why we were really there, a huge crowd was assembled. military officers festooned with medals. school children with balloons. all waiting for a surprise under two ghost-like shrouds, but the outline of thick glasses gave big hints to what they were. korea's new leader, king jong-unmade a rare appearance. finally, the big reveal. at least 50 feet tall, bronze statues of kim ilsung, the nation's founder, right arm outstretched to the heavens, and his son, kim jong-il, idealized

and smiling. you can't make this stuff up. these colossal statues were supposed to be unveiled after a successful rocket and satellite launch. that never happened but the celebrations are continuing none the less. there's been almost no talk here about the rocket launch. almost like the government is trying to ignore it. the crowds didn't seem disappointed or at least they didn't show it, waving bouquets of plastic flowers. it was hard to see how many gathers until they started to disperse. there were 100,000 at least. the rocket was a failure, but here, no matter. the cult of personality prevails in the world's last stalinist state. the concern now, brian, is that north korea could try to carry out an underground nuclear test to try to show strength after weakness. >> another strange day in a strange place. richard engle from pyongyang, nor north korea. still ahead as "nightly

news" continues, the mayor who ran into a burning building even though his own security detail tried to stop hip. tonight, he sdroibs the terrifying but heroic rescue. and 100 years after the great ship down, an american family shares their family's amazing titanic tory for the first time. what ? customers didn't like it. so why do banks do it ? hello ? hello ?! if your bank doesn't let you talk to a real person 24/7, you need an ally. hello ? ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense. you're probably muddling through allergies. try zyrtec® for powerful allergy relief. and zyrtec® is different than claritin®

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blistering. and it will heal very quickly, i'm sure. >> burns from what many are calling an act of heroism. thursday night, the mayor returned home only to find his neighbor's house on fire. >> that's the kitchen. >> that's where the fire started? >> where the fire started. >> when booker realized a woman was trapped inside, he sprang into action. the mayor reacted even before the fire department responded. he entered his neighbor's building through the front door and went up the stairs to the second floor where he suddenly found himself face-to-face with a room full of smoke and flames. his body guard tried to stop him. but booker ran through the fire, hoisted his neighbor onto his shoulder, and carried her to safety. >> if he didn't, she would be dead. >> news of booker's bravery spread almost as quickly as the fire. among the postings on twitter, it's a bird, it's a plane, it's cory booker. and superheroes dress up as cory booker on halloween. it's not the first time the

mayor has served his constituents in unusual ways, from shoveling snow to chasing down a suspected robber. >> he's a selfless person. he doesn't think twice to help anyone. >> after the rescue, booker and hodge were taken to the hospital. though she's in serious condition, her mother is grateful. thanking the neighbor who gives a whole new meaning to the term public servant. nbc news, newark. >> up next here tonight, the truth about men and women and who really causes the most traffic accidents. spring has sprung but so have my allergies. nighttime is the worst. i can't breathe and forget sleeping. good mornings? not likely! i've tried the pills the sprays even some home remedies. then i tried something new. [ male announcer ] drug-free breathe right nasal strips. [ woman ] you just put it on and ... amazing! instant relief. i breathed better slept better.

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lightning strikes including this, a 20-second camera exposure showing lightning hitting all four towers of the bay bridge. power outages and localized flooding. speaking of which, there will never be another hurricane irene. they're retiring the name after that awful slow-moving storm last year that killed 41 americans and cost a staggering $16 billion. this is the 76th time they have retired a hurricane's name. there is video tonight of a routine traffic stop that became anything but. this happened in vietnam, a police officer hung on to the windshield wipers of a moving bus when the driver initially refused to pull over for what he knew would be a ticket. fellow officer captured this heart-stopping videotape from a vehicle in front. it ended well. the cop, at least, was well enough to finally write a ticket for the driver. maybe this will settle some arguments in your house or perhaps start a few new ones.

new study by the national highway traffic safety administration says of the accidents caused by hitting the wrong pedal like the gas when you mean the brake instead, most of those are caused by women drivers. but men shouldn't worry. their title is still intact. male drivers in general are still behind almost two out of every three traffic accidents in this country. up next here tonight, if you thought you had heard all of the amazing stories from the titanic 100 years ago, there's one more we're debuting just tonight. [ kyle ] my bad. [ roger ] tell me you have good insurance. yup, i've got... [ dennis ] ...allstate. really? i was afraid you'd have some cut-rate policy. [ kyle ] nope, i've got... [ dennis ] ...the allstate value plan. it's their most affordable car insurance -- and you still get an allstate agent. i too have... [ dennis ] ...allstate. [ roger ] same agent and everything. [ kyle ] it's like we're connected. no we're not. yeah, we are. no...we're not. ♪

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call or click to learn more. [ male announcer ] if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. finally tonight, sunday marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the "titanic." for descendants and survivors it's time to reflect on a deeply pernt account of that day. we talk with an american couple sharing their amazing connection to the titanic for the first time. >> katherine and bob mcguire share many passions, like running, but it took years of marriage before the couple stumbled upon a special bond. >> we realized we have both had ancestors on the titanic.

>> jack fare, bob's grandfather, just 17, was sailing home in first class with his parents after a european vacation. and emma bucknell was also in first. at 60, a veteran of dozens of tran trans-atlantic crossings. both survived when more than 1500 perished and both left harrowing accounts in freezing water after a collision with an iceberg three times its size. from their house in portugal, they share their story for the first time. fare had jumped from the deck just minutes before it sank. >> down and down i went, spinning in all directions. swimming as hard as i could in the direction i thought to be away from the ship. >> somehow, he resurfaced and spent that night clinging to this overturned life boat. mrs. bucknell was in life boat number eight. >> we fought our way through the darkness. i rode for an hour straight. her take charge attitude

inspired this scene from the 1958 film, "a night to remember." both made it to safety, but like many "titanic" survivors, another ordeal began. bucknell became withdrawn. fare became a successful banker, but could never survive his survivors guilt and at age 50 took his life. after so much loss and suffering, kate and bob prefer instead to focus on something which looking back would never have happened without their own personal titanic story. it's really their greatest joy in life, their three children. lucy and jack, both accomplished musici musicians, and eldest son bobby, a professional pinist. katherine and bob have no plans to tell their story again, but they turn seaward to a tragedy with a long shadow and to brave loved ones who survive.

jim maceda, portugal. >> that's our broadcast for this friday night and for this weekend, thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. lester holt will be here with you this weekend. we, of course, hope to see you right back here on monday night. in the meantime, have a good weekend. good night.