on our broadcast tonight, out of jail. george zimmerman leaves in the middle of the night in a bulletproof vest. meantime, a surprise tonight involving the local police chief at the center of the storm. wild weather after that mild winter for millions. a powerful spring storm is dumping heavy rain and snow causing headaches up and down the eastern seaboard. walmart scandal. millions shop there, and millions work there. tonight the world's largest retailer is in full crisis mode accused of hands out millions in bribes. and making a difference. chelsea clinton with the students of joplin high and the town determined to give them a night to remember after a year they'd rather forget. night to remember after a year they'd rather forget. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

good evening. george zimmerman is somewhere in this country tonight walking around be like a free man unless you look closely and notice he's wearing a tracking device that allows sheriff's deputies to monitor every step he atakes via gps while he is out of jail on bond. he walked out into the open air in the middle of the night and wearing a bulletproof vest. out of jail for the first time since his arrest. while the police chief in sanford, florida that ran the department at the time of the shooting resigned for good today, stepped away until the city council there said they didn't accept his resignation in this highly charged case. we begin tonight with nbc'siery sanders in sanford, florida. >> reporter: in the early morning hours george zimmerman walked out of the seminole county jail. what you could not see was the bulletproof vest his lawyers say

his family gave him. safety is now a top concern. death threats including those posted on twitter are the reason for those fears. >> it's getting worse now, i think, because for whatever reason people feel because he's let out that they're being let down. that's really not whaepts happening. he's supposed to be out until we find out what happened that night in a trial. >> he has 85 letters of appreciation -- >> late today sanford city commission rejected the police chief's resignation. some alleged his department botched the murder investigation from the state. an appointed special prosecutor later charged zimmerman with second-degree murder in the shooting death. the neighborhood watch volunteer was set free on $150,000 bond. his lawyer says he's now in hiding. only law enforcement knows his every movement, because he's being tracked with a gps-enabled ankle monitor. >> my client wants to make a statement. >> reporter: on friday he apologized but under oath where

everything you say can can and will be used against you, martin family lawyers say george zimmerman made an error. he gave two versions of how old he believed 17-year-old trayvon martin was. >> i thought he was a little younger than i am. >> on the recorded police line on the night of the shooting. >> how old would you say he leakess? >> late teens. >> he thought trayvon martin was a couple of years younger than him. that's a lie, because on the night trayvon martin was killed he told the police dispacher he was a teenager. >> reporter: legal experts say just as useful for the defense is a lead investigator admitted he did not know who confronted whom. >> did you have any evidence to support who started the fight. >> no. >> when they can't say where the fight started, who confronted who, they don't have any of that evidence. how are you going to prove intentional murder? >> reporter: today the court began releasing documents in the case filed. so far mostly procedural

reports, but eventually it will include every piece of evidence including the videotaped interrogation by the police of accused murderer george zimmerman. brian. >> kerry sanders in sanford, florida. thanks. a lot of the secrets of the u.s. secret service have been laid bare as this prostitution scandal unfolds. it swept up members of the secret service and military and now questions are being asked and answered about white house personnel who were on that presidential advance trip as well. our white house correspondent kristen welker has details tonight. good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. we're learning that a 12th secret service employee under investigation was staying at the same hotel as president obama in colombia. that was separate and happened a week before the president arrived, this as the fallout continues. arriving in colombia on a prescheduled trip, defense secretary leon panetta said the

pentagon had suspended the security clearances of military personnel under investigation in the prostitution scandal. >> frankly, my biggest concern is the issue of security. >> reporter: and a senior defense official said today a 12th military official is now under investigation. that person is with the white house communications agency or waca, the military advisers who secure technology like phones and computers on presidential trips and works closely with the white house aides to provide secure communication. >>waca is staffed entirely by military personnel and not white house staff. >> reporter: jay carney said the white house counsel conducted its own investigation into whether white house staffers were involved in the scandal. >> there's no information that any member of the white house advance team engaged in improper conduct or behavior.

>> reporter: on friday carney told nbc news there was no need for an internal investigation. >> an internal investigation, if you will, and you don't know it? >> i have no reason, as i said yesterday, to believe that there is a need for that. >> reporter: this weekend lawmakers called for the white house to investigate, but the administration says the inquiry was done sirchlly in an attempt to do its own due diligence. nbc news has also learned that that white house communications agency employee is an enlisted army soldier who has been stripped of his duties pending the outcome of the investigation. so far there are six secret service employees who are on their way to being separated from the agency, and that number is expected to increase. brian. >> kristen welker from the white house tonight. thanks. the criminal trial of former democratic senator and presidential candidate john edwards got under way with opening arguments today. in a spris turn as the judge told the court a key prosecution

witness contacted other witnesses to ask them about their planned testimony. experts say former edwards aide andrew young may have violated federal law with those phone calls. edwards is on trial for accepting illegal campaign contributions to hide an illicit relationship. he faces six counts of violating campaign finance laws. now to the season of wild weather and great extremes. while it was 99 degrees in las vegas today, in the east it looks for all the world like it's only going to snow these days on halloween and again in late april. for millions of americans and some big population centers, the winter of 2011-2012 didn't show up until today. a big spring storm with heavy rain, winds, snow causing headaches on the road at airports, leaving some folks who live at higher elevations under a foot of snow, in fact. weather channel meteorologist jim can to her is in orchard park, new york tonight. jim, good evening. >> reporter: good evening,

brian. we're sitting about 12 miles to the south-southeast of the city center in buffalo new york, and it's white again where they mowed this lawn here at orchard park and played golf for the last month. look at the crabapples fully in bloom here with beautiful flowers on them. today we didn't get enough snow here to down these trees. that's the good news. the problem is elevation, elevation, elevation. as we get up high, they've had 18 inches of snow in laurel summit, pennsylvania, elevation 2700 feet. it's winter in the east, and the west has really heated up. while snow isn't entirely unusual this time of year in upstate nokz, today's alate april storm caught some folks off-guard after the unseasonably warm weather earlier in it spring. >> march was beautiful. >> reporter: in southwestern pennsylvania -- >> it caused some schools to be delayed or canceling classes today. >> reporter: some schools canceled classes today aamid

worrying about slick roads and power outages. as the storm continues the big worry is the wet, heavy snow will topple tree branches and power lines. >> if it becomes ice now and did rains on it and that turns to ice, that will bring them down. >> reporter: take a look at this picture from frostburg, maryland. same yard, spring scene, suddenly turned into winter just one week apart. elsewhere in the northeast, rain is bringing relief to parts of new england. putting a dent in the drought there. on twitter no complaints about the soaking. a different story out west where sunday sizzled with record highs this time of year. 82 in portland, oregon, boise was 91, 99 in las vegas, 105 in phoenix, and 113 in death valley. and 40s expected tomorrow, brian. 50s as we head into wednesday, hoping folks get back to spring, which is what they started with back in february here.

back to you. >> unbelievable scene there. jim cantore, upstate new york. to presidential politics. mitt romney picked up another gop endorsement today. this time it was rudy guiliani who was spreading the word for newt gingrich up until right now. so for months he'd been saying bad things about romney like this on "morning joe." >> i have seen a guy and i run a lot of elections, never seen a guy change his positions on so many things so fast on a dime. everything. >> so the latest politician to change his position on a dime apparently rudolph giuliani endorsing romney. and perhaps part of what makes so many americans cynical about the process. as for romney himself, he appeared aas part of a political it test drive today with one of the men mentioned as a possible vice presidential pick, florida republican senator marco rubio.

romney called rubio an extraordinary leader, but never one would elaborate on his chances thus far. former vice president dick xhany spoke in depth today for the first time about receiving his new heart. he was interviewed by steve scully of c-span in front of an audience of college students in washington just four weeks after the surgery. cheney called it the kind of gift that's unbelievable. >> i feel a lot of emotion that goes with that frankly. one is great gratitude to the individual who donated -- the family who donated the heart that i was privileged to receive. i'm back to having a strong, healthy heart. >> the former vice president says his health is now the best it's been in a long time. still ahead, as we continue along the way on a monday night, the scandal rocking the largest retailer on earth. allegations of millions of dollars in bribes and a company cover-up at walmart.

later, how do you throw a high school prom after a tornado has taken the high school away? tonight chelsea clinton visits joplin, missouri, the team and the town that's amaking a difference. making a difference. making a difference. emily's just starting out... and on a budget. like a ramen noodle- every-night budget. she thought allstate car insurance was out of her reach. until she heard about the value plan. dollar for dollar, nobody protects you like allstate.

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♪ okay. what's your secret? [ male announcer ] the united mileageplus explorer card. get it and you're in. as we mentioned, there's trouble tonight for a legendary brand name, one of the nation's biggest business empires. walmart that operates in 27 nations around the world is accused to use bribery to expand business in mexico and covering it up. the u.s. justice department is investigating this, and congress is now taking notice. the implications could be enormous. our report tonight from nbc's john yang. >> reporter: mexico's a prime

example of walmart's aggressive international expansion. 2100 stores, one-fifth of all outlets worldwide, and more than 200,000 workers. more than any other private employer in mexico. a decade ago that country had 500 stores. how did walmart grow so much so fast? according to the "new york times" the company paid big bribes, a violation of u.s. law. we're in mexico city covering the story. >> the newspaper's investigation suggests that walmart executives here in mexico spent millions of dollars on bribes in the early 2000 to give out money to local government officials to speed up the permitting process so they could build their stores more quickly. >> reporter: in a statement walmart said we're deeply concerned about these allegations and are working aaggressively to determine what happened. the times reported that walmart executives at their arkansas headquarters had evidence of the bribes in 2005, but allegedly

tried to cover it up despite the company's public commitment to high ethical standards. >> i'm very surprised they would have allowed anything like this to have occurred in mexico and even more so try to bury it as opposed to burying it. >> they could be prosecuting for violating the federal corrupt practices act. that could be fines for the company and prison for executives. the allegations are a big blow to a company whose name means shopping to many americans, and that works to project an image of hometown values created by legend founder sam walton. >> they need to worry about their reputation with those buying their ultimate products. >> reporter: as a scandal in mexico threatens a household name in america. john yang, nbc news, washington. we're back in a moment with a big surprise for drivers on a big freeway. [ male announcer ] when these come together,

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we're past a year now since the earthquake and tsunami in japan, and the evidence is soon going to start to pile up on our side of the pacific ocean as the currents carry tons of it to the east like the occasional soccer ball. some folks just found one washed ashore in alaska. japanese handwriting in sharpie on the ball helped trace it back to a japanese school and a teenager whose family lost everything in the tsunami. he said the soccer ball was his prized possession, and there are plans to get it back to him. he used to be known as the brawling nba basketball player named ron artest until he changed his name to metta world peace last fall. whatever you call him, world peace is in big trouble with the nba again after elbowing james harden of the oklahoma city thunder in the head. the l.a. lakers forward was charged with a flagrant foul, ejected from the game. harden ended up with a concussion. he was down for a long time. world peace says it was an

unfortunate accident, but is likely to be suspended by the nba again. drivers in southern california are used to putting up with a lot, but yesterday's traffic jam on the 5 freeway was a new one. a mother duck and her ducklings were trying to cross the massive expanse of pavement, ten lanes across with hundreds of cars blowing past at 65 miles per hour and above. the traffic alert sign read, ducks waddling southbound in center divider. that's a first. by the time the highway patrol arrived, the ducks were gone hopefully to the safety of nearby griffith park. we got a glimpse today of the first pictures taken of an all-white killer whale anywhere in the wild. videos taken by a russian research team in 2010, but they revealed it to the world today along with the admission that they have been looking for the whale which they named iceberg in the days ever since. when we come back here tonight coming together after a terrible tragedy, how an entire

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joplin, missouri. that was post-tornado joplin, missouri where just because the storm took away their high school doesn't mean it isn't prom season. that presented a challenge, how to make sure the kids that lost so much at least get to enjoy a proper prom. one teacher had a big idea. the town helped out, and tonight chelsea clinton tells us about a team effort at "making a difference." >> joplin high school, class of 2012. with graduation less than a month away, seniors usually coast through final days of high school carefree, but this senior class grew up a year too soon. last may 22nd a massive tornado ripped their missouri town to shreds, reducing joplin high and thousands of other buildings to rubble. in na split second life forever changed for students like holly o'dell whose grandmother, vicky, was killed by the tornado. >> she always told me i was beautiful and made me feel better.

>> reporter: after so much loss, senior year was a time to recover. students attend class to two unconventional kamplss, this one at a vacant department store at the mall. every day is an improvization. choir class held in the back of the cafeteria. on top of everything else, no one knew how they would pay for spring prom. >> you're going fob in groups of six. but teacher amber travis wouldn't let the tornado overshadow senior year. >> this is a happy moment they should look forward to every year. even when times get rough. >> reporter: she started a fund-raising drive. donations poured in across the country. pretty prom dresses and sparkly shoes for a free shopping spree. 1100 carnations and lilys shipped from columbia at no cost. local businesses pitched in, too. some shops rented cut-rate tuxedo. the beauty school styled free

up-dos. help even came from neighbors with little to give. >> you have to dig deep for courage and strength that you've never tapped into before. you just do it because if you don't, you'll curl up and die. >> reporter: as she copes with losing her home and business, liz easton made 1500 cupcakes for the prom. >> the more you help others, the faster you heal. >> reporter: reminders of the tornado are everywhere. >> this is where i used to live. that is my high school. it was my high school. rr katie simpson thought that she would die here when the tornado plowed through the store where she was working. this past year has been a hard road back. >> i can tell you that we don't feel 18 or 17 or 16. we feel much older. >> reporter: but not too old to believe in a little magic and the power of healing from a

dress, a dance, high school friendships and the crowning moment that is prom night. >> the king and queen, chelsea is here with us in the studio. i used to live in joplin, and it hurt to go back and emotion is just beneath the surface every day. it's an unbelievable thing. >> everywhere. the number of people who told us that they used to cry every night and now they cry once a month and that they're getting through this day by day, week by week, month by month. given that the tornado struck on high school graduation day last year, being there for prom was just such a poignant moment and a testament to their strength. >> nice to have good news out of there. chelsea, thank you as always. that's aur broadcast for monday night. i'm brian williams, and as always we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. always we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com