destruction. hundreds of homes decimated. for the first time, we see the massive scope of the damage. targeting trump. a critical night for cruz and rubio. it could be their last chance to blunt donald trump's mar to the nomination. super lice warning, striking in 25 states. extremely resistant to the ways we usually get rid of them. what every parent should know. don't drink the water. another big city warns its residents about what's flowing into their homes. and video horror. the chilling moment that made erin andrews courtroom. as jurors see the tape that she says turned nightmare. "nightly news" begins right now. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. good evening. states of emergency are in effect in virginia, and north carolina right now. among the places that

of a violent and deadly storm that rampaged from the south up the eastern seaboard. today we're seeing the full extent of the damage from some 50 reported tornadoes over the last two days. nine people were killed. and millions were impacted from downed trees and power outages, to floods and canceled flights. tonight the region is still trying to recover. nbc's miguel almaguer reports. >> reporter: tonight this is what the damage looked like in seven states. homes have been shredded, lives are in shambles, after more than 50 reported tornadoes. >> i went to see where the house was, it wasn't there. >> reporter: in waverly, virginia, there's as much heart break as destruction. in the f-1 tornado with winds up to 110 miles an hour, carving a path nine miles yard and 300 yards wide. this foundation, all that's left in the bull's-eye. the bodies of two adults and a toddler discovered 300 yards away from the living

trying to ride out the storm. >> it could be your loved one. the feeling is unbearable. >> reporter: toya jones lost her 2-year-old cousin ian, as well as her uncle larry and friend devine. >> he was the best, he was funny. >> reporter: in all, at least nine are dead across the region. >> no clue where even the building is. >> reporter: in north carolina, hunts boro road is obliterated. the tornado peeled the roof and walls off pam west's house. she and her husband, rick, went back to salvage what they could. >> there's nothing really to get. >> it's all gone. >> it's all gone. >> reporter: overnight, powerful winds flipped a semi in new york city. on nearby long island, falling trees tore down electrical wires sparking fires. and this morning, the dramatic rescue after a coast guard boat helping a stranded fishing vessel capsized. the fishermen had to be air lifted to safety.

pennsylvania crushed more than 50 homes. parts of amish country leveled. in a community that uses no electricity, it's the power of neighbor helping neighbor. what took minutes to destroy will now take months to rebuild. this three-day storm system plowed a path across 70 million people showing very little mercy. on one block alone, the damage can easilien in the millions. while the storm moved through this community in a matter of minutes, it will take months to rebuild. >> miguel, thank you. a critical night in the race for president. the final gop debate before super tuesday, when voters in a dozen states go to the polls. and it could be the last shot for marco rubio and ted cruz to do anything to knock donald trump off his march to the nomination. meantime, the clinton campaign strategizing not only about democratic opponent bernie sanders, but also looking ahead to a potential matchup with trump in the fall.

starting with hallie jackson in houston. hallie? >> reporter: good evening, lester. right now, donald trump appears to be leading in all of those super tuesday states, except for one, texas. we're here tonight. he'll again be at the center of the bull's-eye. in texas, where everything's bigger, so are the stakes at tonight's debate. the last stand before super tuesday for donald trump's rivals to stop him. he's facing fire today, not from his competitors in houston, but across the border. >> we're going to build a wall, and who's going to pay for that wall? >> reporter: now in a war of words, colorful ones with mexico's former president. >> i'm not going to pay for that [ bleep ] wall. he should pay for it. he's got the money. >> reporter: trump now demanding fox apologize as he gets ready for a different battle with ted cruz and marco rubio in texas. but it's the sunshine state where trump looks hot. topping 40% there in

jeb bush dropped out. marco rubio trailing by 16. feeling the heat on his home turf. rubio's aides tell nbc news watch for him to hit trump for his positions on israel and health care tonight, as rubio's top strategist guarantees a victory in florida. tweeting, take it to the bank. rubio needs to win there, like ted cruz needs to in texas. new numbers show cruz still in command in his home state for now. trump and rubio jockeying for second place. a cruz aide tells nbc the candidate is preparing responses to accusations he'll probably face about dirty tricks or lies. and ready to engage both rubio and trump. >> we can't be fooled by p.t. barnum. >> the time for the clowns and the acrobats and the dancing bears has >> for tonight's debate to matter on tuesday, one of two things must have. donald trump must have his worst debate so far, or ted cruz or marco rubio must be

punch on trump. >> reporter: setting up a wild night in the wild west. hallie jackson, nbc news, houston. >> reporter: hillary clinton is setting her sights on donald trump. >> it's been most surprising to me to see somebody who was affable. really traffic in the prejudices and paranoia. >> reporter: her campaign girding for a potential general election matchup, sending out a fund-raising e-mail titled, everything's coming up trump. her top surrogate taking constant aim. >> he wants to make america great again. i don't think america ever stopped being great. we need to make america whole again. >> reporter: campaign sources telling nbc news they're working on challenges to trump's divisive and unconventional campaign if clinton should win the nomination, with a strategy that might also be unconventional. the most recent national polling gives clinton a slight lead over trump. but clinton has a more immediate battle taking on bernie

carolina, where a black lives matter activist confronted clinton last night for seeming to disparage black youth while talking about the drug problem as first lady, describing, quote, predators saying, we need to bring them to heel. tonight in a statement, clinton saying, looking back, i shouldn't have used those words. still, the moment underscores her challenge connecting with some young voters. >> everyone person in this room is enormously powerful. >> reporter: they continue to flock to senator bernie sanders, today in ohio and in flint, michigan. a "new york times" editorial calls on clinton to release the transcripts on the paid speeches given to wall street. saying the stonewalling only fuels speculation. it could be a cloud that hangs over her campaign whether she's taking on senator sanders or the gop nominee. >> kristen, thank you. let's bring in our political director, moderator of "meet the

you've been doing the math, how might this play out for trump and his rivals? >> let's start with our best estimate of what the delegate count is going to look like after super tuesday. it's over here on the board over here. essentially if donald trump wins all of these super tuesday states like he did in south carolina, he will build a little over a 100 delegate lead, starting a methodical march to the nomination. and then he has a chance to accelerate it, and essentially cinch the nomination two weeks later. how does he do it? if he wins all of these winner take all states, by beating kasich, all delegates in florida by beating rubio, he gets to 650 delegates. basically halfway to the magic number of 12 1237. however, if john kasich can beat trump in ohio and marco rubio can beat trump in florida, look at how the delegate map changes. we did the math here. what does this mean, lester, is the bottom line?

left in the republican nomination race. donald trump wins this nomination by march 15th, we're headed to cleveland in a contested convention. there is no other scenario. >> all right. chuck, thank you. high drama tonight in the battle between apple and the fbi. the company filed a motion today to throw out a judge's order for it to help the fbi crack an iphone used by the san bernardino killers. saying the feds are seeking a dangerous power, all of it as apple insiders say the company is now working on a new version that would be impossible to unlock by anyone but the user. our justice correspondent pete williams has details. >> reporter: apple has always made security a selling point. >> these are the new iphones. >> reporter: when it released the iphone 6, snowden was warning about government surveillance, apple made a point saying it would no longer help police get information out of the new phones when they were locked, even when served with a search warrant. now apple is trying to make the phones more

develop an iphone that cannot be unlocked by anyone but the user, not by the police, not even by apple itself. it's fighting the fbi which wants apple to modify the software in the phone to disarm the security and let agents try to unlock an iphone used by one of the san bernardino attackers. the fbi director told congress today it's a lead that must be pursued. >> we must do a competent investigation following the murder of 14 people in san bernardino. and we'll use whatever lawful tools are available to us. >> reporter: apple said the fbi is trying to force it to create a brand-new version of the iphone by changing the software, and it says the government cannot do that. >> you cannot ask a private citizen to create a product for it. and it cannot ask apple to change the iphone in ways that was never intended to be used or to be employed in. >> reporter: apple today told a judge in san bernardino that what the fbi wants would create a back door, leaving personal information vulnerable

thieves, hostile foreign agents and unwarranted government surveillance. next week both apple and the fbi will face off in a hearing on capitol hill. they both say it should be up to congress, not the courts, to settle this fight. pete williams, nbc news, at the supreme court. chilling and uncomfortable moments in court today that prompted star sports anchor erin andrews to leave the courtroom, as jurors saw for the first time the tape at the center of her lawsuit against a hotel giant that captured her private moments in her hotel room, shot by a stalker in the room next door. we get more from nbc's morgan radford. >> reporter: today the video that she says changed her life was shown to a room full of strangers. erin andrews stepped out as the jury sat in the dark watching those stolen images viewed almost 17 million times. >> so this is the first one at the national marriott, correct? >> yes, this is one of the -- once it's on the internet, it's on the internet. many people have

>> reporter: michael barrett modified the peephole of the door and filmed her getting dressed in 2008. the former insurance executive admitted to following her to three different hotels across the country. caught in 2009, he offered a tearful sentenced to 2 and a half years in jail, begging for >> his apology isn't good enough. the video off the internet. i've cried enough. video down. >> reporter: earlier today, andrews' therapist testified by video, describing the panic andrews felt when her stalker got out of jail and she wasn't told. >> she was extremely concerned that this would reinvigorate the story on the internet. >> reporter: andrews is expected to take the stand next week. hearing new testimony from the man she says left her hurt and humiliated. morgan radford, nbc news. the people of jackson, mississippi, are facing a scary and unfortunately familiar

lead found in drinking water. children and pregnant women have been warned not to drink the water in this city of more than 170,000 people, where 30% live below the poverty line. there are questions about why they weren't warned sooner. >> reporter: the lead warnings rattled the people of jackson. many like the mother of three worry their city is another flint. >> just to hear that water is gone wrong in another city, in another state, and now my own city and state. it's something i would have never thought of. >> reporter: officials downplay the comparisons, while at the same time warning pregnant women and children under 5 not to drink the tap water for six months. small children need lead testing, and everyone should avoid hot water and run the tap two minutes before using it. the problems began last june. 20% of home samples had high lead levels. ten months later, 10%.

alerted city leaders. the public wasn't warned until wednesday. nearly eight months after the first high readings. state officials say they were following epa guidelines. >> we've done exactly what the federal -- >> you look at the requirements and your evaluation is actually not sufficient. >> they're not sufficient. and we've made the change so that they will be more sufficient. >> reporter: it won't be an easy fix for jackson. the mayor said the plants need urgent upgrade. a problem facing nearly every city. >> lead is all over the country. this is going to become a national >> reporter: at this children's clinic, worried parents have been calling all day. >> better to be safe than sorry. especially with the children at stake. >> reporter: monica says her church sent flint. but now they wonder if they should have kept it here. stephanie gosk, nbc news, jackson, mississippi. the risk from so-called super lice.

and it's already spreading in half the country. what to do if your kids come home with it. a sports superstar just made a dream come true for a little boy who became a woman: it's been a journey to get where i am. and i didn't get here alone. there were people who listened along the way. people who gave me options. kept me on track. and through it all, my retirement never got left behind. so today, i'm prepared for anything we may want tomorrow to be. every someday needs a plan. let's talk about your old 401(k) today. what makes thermacare different? two words: it heals. how? with heat. unlike creams and rubs that mask the pain, thermacare has patented heat cells that penetrate deep to increase circulation and accelerate healing. let's review: heat, plus relief, plus healing, equals thermacare. the proof that it heals is you.

i was able to quit smoking. and then i started running. now, i feel a lot better. (announcer)you can quit. for free help, call 1-800-quit-now. if you have high blood pressure like i do, many cold medicines may raise your blood pressure. that's why there's coricidin hbp. it relieves cold symptoms without raising blood pressure. so look for powerful cold medicine with a heart. coricidin hbp. every auto insurance policy has a number. but not every insurance company understands the life behind it. those who have served our nation have earned the very best service in return.

get an auto insurance quote and see why 92% of our members plan to stay for life. if you have school age children, maybe you've dealt with it, or you likely know a family who has, lice. the cdc reports up to 12 million children a year will get lice. and tonight, that important warning you need to hear.

outbreak of so-called super lice, much more resistant to treatment in 25 states so far. here's how to stop it. >> reporter: 11-year-old lylea is getting checked for lice today. sure enough, they're back again. her mother, andrea, says this is the fourth time in a year for her family. >> she was itching her head. it wasn't like she was itching her head. >> reporter: she's not alone. scientists have recently identified super lice, resistant to the main chemical in over-the-counter treatments. the so-called super lice have now spread to 25 states. >> it's important not to panic. lice are not a health hazard. they don't transmit disease. >> reporter: to kill these super lice, experts advise first try learning how to comb them out. use over-the-counter treatments repeatedly over several weeks.

prescription treatments. wash clothing and linens in hot water. there's also a lice clinic like hair genie. >> there's nothing to be ashamed of. we tell the kids, it's not your fault. somebody gave it to you. >> reporter: lyla is learning to stop it from spreading. >> they have a spray. i use their spray. before i go to school. >> what do you and your girlfriends do? do you share hats, hair brushes? >> no, i get my hair brush, and since we're on the phone a lot, we have to make sure our heads aren't together. >> reporter: families need to stay super vigilant against super lice. we're back in a moment with a big but rather unexpected name who has a role to play go, go, go, go, go, go... touchdown! choir and harp music. this place, it's the best-kept secret in football since... hey, how did he get in here?! and with toe nail fungus! fight it! with jublia. jublia is a prescription medicine used to treat toenail fungus. use jublia as instructed by your doctor.

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republican for the court vacancy. he told the white house he does not wish to be considered for the job. a surprise announcement ahead of the oscars. vice president joe biden will appear at the ceremony to spotlight the issue of campus sexual assault. the efforts he's leading to fight it. she will introduce lady gaga's song "until it happens to you" highlighted in the documentary the hunting ground. a little boy who touched so many on social media got the thing he most desired. the 5-year-old wanted the jersey worn by soccer star messi. it proved impossible for his family in afghanistan to get. so his brother made him one with a plastic bag, and a magic marker. the photos went viral and messi was so moved, he sent the boy not one, but two signed jerseys. when we come back, should a wall be built on a border? how the controversy is dividing voters who will decide the

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one small texas town in our series "we the people." >> reporter: it's a bitter wind that blows through the oil fields south of san antonio. here in the city, people say 95% of the jobs depend on the price of a barrel of the black stuff. and it's dropped like a stone. >> it's horrible. >> reporter: chaz manages a small oil service company. 50% of his business has vanished. he wants the economy back on track. >> we have to let somebody go. it weighs on you after a while. >> reporter: zack is 27 with a family, a mortgage and no job. >> it will break you down as a man. i have a 7-month-old little girl that relies on me that didn't ask for this life. >> reporter: here's the kind of candidate he's looking for. >> someone that's going to fight for us. >> reporter: with the southern border less than 200 miles away, the issue of jobs and

hand, over beers and bris cut at the red dog ice house. >> immigration has to do with the sovereignty of our nation, not just me, but every job. if somebody's coming across the border taking their job. >> reporter: stanley has also been laid off. >> i think we should build a wall. you don't want me to tell you what kind of wall i would build. >> they're coming from a different background. >> reporter: in a place where opportunity has dried up, it is troubling for a young father. >> i don't know where i'm going to be or what i'm going to be doing, but i'm going to go to work. >> reporter: and for the moment, there is no sign that the wind is changing direction. kevin tibbles, nbc news, karne kre, texas. i'm lester holt reporting from our studios in los angeles. for all of us at nbc news, thank you for

night.business...iowa is leading the nation in an unfortunate category. we'll tell you what it is... 'its just a matter of common sense and courtesy really.' there is a new attempt to instill those qualities into iowa drivers. hear how cyclists are reacing to it... and how it could change the rules of the road. buying and selling items online can often make people nervous... see how local authorities are trying to take away that unease.

agriculture business, getting trapped in a grain bin. and a new study shows it happens here in the hawkeye state more than anywhere else in the country... good evening and thank you for joining us. i'm erin kiernan... comes from purdue university. it found more people encountered year, than also includes a bit of good news... channel 13's mike dasilva joins us with more. it is a nightmare scenario...but the good news is when they do happen there are some important life saving tools that can be used to rescue people. we were pretty fortunate that day. everybody was. it was june of 2013 when arick baker became trapped in a grain bin on a farm just south of iowa falls. captain jason barrick would later be given an award of valor for his actions that day.... 06:53:19 i was the initial one in there barrick says using "grain bin rescue tubes" made saving baker's life possible. 06:58:05--21 'that was the only way that we could get to him the fastest 06:58:22--33 'figured out where he was, got down to him, dug him out below his shoulders and stuff like that, just to find him, and get him a little bit of water and other stuff that he needed. otherwise you wouldnt be able to, it be, you wouldnt be