on this saturday night, machete attack. tonight, what authorities found in a bag he left behind that could have made it much worse. evacuated. u.s. special forces leave one of the most dangerous places in the world after a series of deadly attacks. what it means for the fight against violent extremists. spring fever. news for millions of americans who suffer from allergies. why this season could be one of the worst yet and what you can do to get some relief. and flying high with the thunderbirds. our incredible bird's eyeview from the cockpit. this is "nbc

nightly news" with lester holt. substituting tonight, peter alexander. good evening. tonight investigators are still trying to figure out what caused a man with a machete to go on a rampage at the new orleans airport, a popular destination for millions of americans each year. it happened last night. he targeted travelers and tsa agents alike. tonight we're learning it could have been much worse. we begin with nbc's kerry sanders in new orleans. >> reporter: two minutes of sheer chaos in concourse b at the new orleans airport friday night. >> there was just a lot of screaming and everyone was running and hiding behind stairs and everything. >> reporter: panicked travelers ran and ducked for cover from a man deputies have now identified at 63-year-old richard white. witnesses who recorded the rampage say white began spraying insect repellant at tsa officers and passengers at the security screening area. he then pulled a machete from his waistband and began

swinging. >> he swung the machete several times. the agent actually was able to prevent him from swinging it even more times by striking him with a piece of luggage. >> reporter: 56-year-old tsa officer carol rochelle who's also a grandmother, took charge. he chased her and an unarmed deputy pulled her gun. >> i saw her starting to back up and then shoot him like three shots. >> reporter: she was so close she thought she was hit by the machete. it turns out it was one of three bullets that brought white down. >> the triceps. i'll be fine. >> reporter: two bullets brought him down. one to the chest, the other to the face. >> i have to say she's my hero. she saved my life. the man was whacking

me with a machete. >> reporter: it could have been worse. when it was over the bomb squad found six molotov cocktails, fuses and a barbecue lighter. in the commotion white had dropped the bag holding those bombs. >> you rather be lucky than good. and i think we were both last night. to the nth degree. >> reporter: we may never know why white went on the attack. family members told deputies that white had a history of mental illness but that he was never violent. white, who was a jehovah's witness refused to receive certain medical care at the hospital. he died this afternoon. peter. >> kerry sanders, thank you very much. here in new york a brooklyn family is in mourning after a house fire that claimed the lives of seven children all from a single family. only two managed to escape and tonight are fighting for their lives. nbc's ron mott has our report. >> reporter: firefighters rushed to a burning brooklyn home in under three and a half minutes,

but still too late to save seven children of a family in one of the city's deadliest fires in years. the youngest victim just 5 years old, four boys three girls. the eldest 16. officials say their 45-year-old mom and another sibling, a 14-year-old girl jumped from a second floor window both in critical condition. >> it's a tragedy for this family. it's a tragedy for this community. it's a tragedy for our city. >> reporter: authorities say they couldn't find any smoke detectors on the first two floors only in the basement. a neighbor who lives here said he heard someone screaming for help shortly after midnight looked out the window and saw flames ripping through the side of the house back here and called 911. karen rosenblatt says her husband made the call. >> there were flames coming out of all over the place. very very heavy thick smoke. you could barely see the house at all. >> reporter: officials say the fire started in the kitchen, a malfunctioning hot plate left onto keep

food warm during today's jewish sabbath. as words of the tragedy spread through the largely orthodox jewish neighborhood sad and shock. >> i hope the mother. if she makes it through this i don't know how she's going to face what happened to her family. >> reporter: new york's mayor bill de blasio called it unimaginable. >> this beautiful vibrant family 24 hours ago in tact and now so many lost. and two clinging to life. >> reporter: ron mott nbc news new york. tonight, u.s. special forces are being evacuated from one of the most dangerous countries in the world, yemen. the move comes after a deadly terror attack that claimed more than 100 lives and it could have a significant impact on the fight against extremism. nbc white house correspondent kristen welker has been tracking those developments. kristen, good evening. >> reporter: peter, good evening. sources tell nbc news the u.s. is pulling its troops from yemen because the threat is just too high. it's a stunning turnaround for a country that president

obama had once praised as a counterterrorism success story. after this week's deadly terrorist attacks in yemen, today the pentagon announced it's pulling out 100 special forces the last u.s. troops in the country. >> it makes sense. if we can't protect our people they just can't be there. it will have a real impact on counterterrorism operations. >> reporter: yemen is home to al qaeda in the arabian peninsula, a training ground for the underwear bomber convicted of trying to blow up a u.s.-bound jetliner in 2009 where a drone strike killed anwar al awlaki awlaki. yemen's president was a key partner in the u.s. counterterrorism effort even supporting u.s. drone strikes. but in january shiite rebel forces drove him into hiding with the country now on the verge of civil war a vacuum has opened for extremist groups. >> al qaeda and isis can now expand their presence. and our ability to counter that is very much inhibited.

>> reporter: isis has claimed responsibility for yesterday's mosque bombings and for this week's museum massacre in tunisia. new video shows the two gunmen. >> i believe isis is not done extending. it's not done showing its shark teeth in yemen or other places. >> reporter: the white house said it was skeptical that isis was behind the attacks and tried to tamp down concerns. >> there's no doubt of how dangerous this is. but there's also evidence to indicate that these kinds of extremists are under continual pressure from the united states and our allies. >> reporter: but counterterrorism analysts say no matter who is behind the attacks, the fact that isis has claimed responsibility is powerful propaganda. >> the isis brand, the islamic state brand, is rising. >> reporter: a new challenge for the u.s. as yemen descends further into chaos and uncertainty. the special forces being evacuated includes green berets and navy s.e.a.l.s.

peter. >> kristen welker at the white house. tonight president obama is making first public comments about prime minister netanyahu's re-election. >> i have given it to him given statements prior to the election it is going to be hard to find a path where people are seriously believing that negotiations are possible. so we're evaluating what's taking place. >> for more we're joined by our political director and moderator of "meet the press," chuck todd. chuck, all week the white house telegraphed its displeasure with netanyahu after this re-election. so what does that mean for the u.s. and israel going forward? >> well, what it means and what the president is not so subtley signaling there is that protection of israel at the united nations when it comes to the issue of palestinians and a two-state issue is no longer guaranteed.

will the united states be there if the palestinians mess around in criminal court? yes, but will the united states be there and prevent the world community using the united nations as a way to outline what a two-state solution could look like to sort of force the issue? it really does sound like to me the answer is no not anymore. that the u.s. might actually sign-off on using the u.n. this way when for years, peter, the policy of the united states has been no stop it at the u.n. and instead let it be direct talks. but now it's clear the president just doesn't believe the prime minister. >> and, chuck, as you know just this week house speaker john boehner announced he's going to go to israel thisr hurt the relationship? >> i don't think it has anything -- i don't think it does either to be honest. a member of congress going to israel is not news in that respect. it would only mean something if something is said there, if it's used as some sort of public statement that may be the speaker wants to make against the president, something like that which i highly doubt

he would do. i wouldn't read too much into it. >> chuck tothd, thank you very much. chuck will have much more on the strained u.s.-israeli relationship tomorrow morning on "meet the press". secretary of state john kerry and other leaders say substantial progress has been made to a nuclear deal with iran. but they warn iran's leaders will have to make difficult decisions in order to reach a framework. the comments come ahead of next week's critical talks. both sides have ten days to reach a framework for a deal before their deadline. first lady michelle obama is winding down a five-day tour of asia designed to promote an issue that's close to her heart, the education of girls. at least 62 million girls in the developing world are not in school something mrs. obama hopes to change. but in places like cambodia where she visited today, the challenges remain enormous. here's nbc's ian williams. >> reporter: she greeted michelle obama with the likes of cambodia's leader with the lucky ones. only 20% nationally make it through high school and just a

quarter of them are girls. at this school outside she met girls who have stuck with school and shared their hopes and ambitions. >> becoming a medical doctor. >> reporter: mrs. obama said she was proud and moved by what she heard. >> we need your input. >> reporter: but keeping girls at school, the aim of the let girls learn initiative is an enormous challenge here especially in rural areas where girls come under family pressure to marry young and stay home. for ten years she's been trying to change that supporting schools with the aim at getting kids particularly girls, hooked on education from an early age. the aim here is not only to provide practical things like books and uniforms but also to make school fun because in that way they hope the kids will want to keep coming back. >> school has to be the most exciting thing going on.

and then they'll come. and they do. >> reporter: she calls it lighting a fire of young ambition that can overcome objections from more traditional families. let girls run will become a peace corps. one aim is to create role model, girls like the 18-year-old aspiring doctor who met the first lady. were you nervous? >> yes. i hope that i will become like her. >> reporter: inspired by a powerful message. >> when girls get educated when they learn to read and write and think, that gives them the tools to speak up. >> reporter: later she visited the world heritage temple. but what she didn't see was the legions of children. a reminder of the huge challenges her initiative faces. ian williams, nbc news, cambodia. when "nightly news" continues on

this saturday when millions of americans suffer from spring allergies, why this particular season will be nothing to sneeze at. and later, inside the cockpit with the you know, just because your bladder is changing, it doesn't mean you have to. with tena, let yourself go. be the one with the crazy laugh. and keep being their favorite playmate. with tena's unique super absorbent micro beads that lock in moisture and odor... tena lets you be you. it's happening. today, more and more people with type 2 diabetes are learning about long-acting levemir® an injectable insulin that can give you blood sugar control for up to 24 hours. and levemir® helps lower your a1c. levemir® comes in flextouch® the only prefilled insulin pen with no push-button extension.

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about levemir® flextouch®. covered by nearly all health insurance and medicare plans. today finally marks the first full day of spring but much of the northeast woke up to a fresh layer of snow on the ground. and if that weren't bad enough, many people could be feeling the effects of our historic winter long after all the snow melts. experts say it could

mean trouble for the millions of americans who suffer from allergies. nbc's anne thompson has our report. >> we're going to do some testing on you right now. >> all right. >> reporter: across the country americans are giving their right arms and more to relieve their allergies. scratch tests are an unwelcomed sign of spring. chris bodden is suffering at school in louisville kentucky. >> can get pretty miserable. my nose completely clogs up and i can't breathe at all. >> reporter: last year the nation's allergist named louisville america's spring allergy capital. >> the bible belt is now the pollen belt. we're seeing a lot of issues particularly in louisville and those areas where chris went to school. >> reporter: but dr. clifford basset says no section of the country is exempt. the exceptionally snowy winter will push grasses. while warm temperatures out west are fueling sneezing and wheezing. does climate change

have any role in this? >> climate change, global warming, carbon dioxide tells to produce pollen and the pollen may be supercharged. >> reporter: every weekday for more than 20 years retired doctor has climbed to the roof of gotlieb memorial hospital to record what's in the air outside chicago. >> we're seeing more and more problem with people with allergists in general. >> reporter: our warming world is extending the misery. a 2001 study found the ragweed pollen season now lasts an additional two to four weeks across much of the u.s. another study predicts pollen counts will more than double by 2040. it's not just that allergy season is lasting longer as any doctor's office will tell you it's also starting earlier. so to survive the pollen onslaught, doctors say know your triggers start your medicine a week before symptoms usually occur and shower before going to bed to wash

off the pollen so you too can enjoy the wonders of spring. anne thompson nbc news new york. when we come back a town divided over how to honor the memory of those who served. if you have medicare part d, walgreens gets that you might be at the corner of "looking for a good deal" and "sheesh, i wish i'd looked some more." that's why walgreens makes it easy to switch your prescriptions and save money. just stop by. and leave all the legwork to us. switch your prescriptions to walgreens where you could save even more on medicare part d with copays as low as zero dollars. at the corner of happy and healthy. introducing... a pm pain reliever that dares to work all the way until... the am. new aleve pm the only one to combine a safe sleep aid plus the 12 hour strength of aleve. (vo) maggie wasn't thrilled when ben and i got married. i knew it'd take some time.

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century happens every 18 years before retreating again. the ancient is linked only by a narrow causeway at high tide. dozens of u.s. veterans gathered on the japanese island of iwo jima to mark the 17th anniversary of world war ii's bloodiest battle. americans raised a flag giving hope to the war weary back home. the battle claimed the lives of more than 6,800 americans and 21,000 japanese. now to a debate that's left a south carolina town at odds. it's home to a war memorial that honors those who died fighting for this country and lists them by race. but not everyone in greenwood, south carolina agrees on plans to rewrite that history. here's nbc's mark potter. >> reporter: on main street an aging war memorial fallen from world wars 1 and 2, korea and vietnam, korea and vietnaing the nation's segregated past listed

dead from greenwood as either white or colored. for those seeing it in 2015 can be a shock. >> yep, this is kind of sad, isn't it? >> i grew up here but in black and white, it just bothers me. >> reporter: it also bothers deeply the mayor ofd, who leads a town that's 42% black. >> the term colored is offensive. it's offensive to me so i can only imagine how it feels to african-americans. >> reporter: the argument that whites and blacks both fought and died should be honored together mayor adams raised $15,000 to build new plaques with all the dead listed alphabetically not be race. >> i don't think main street is a place where you should be glorifying segregation. >> reporter: but today those plaques still sit in the mayor's office after he learned a state law prohibits changing historical monuments without a two-thirds vote of the legislature. former national park historian and painter eric williams believes the plaques should

stay right where they are to preserve history and teach future generations. >> they need to know that at one time the country was not always as welcoming and integrated as it is now for different races. >> reporter: but senator nicholson disagrees. he has introduced a bill to change the plaques honoring the dead. >> i think that's so important that they be given the same respect. it's not about what race you are. you were willing to fight and give your life for this country. >> reporter: but it seems unlikely his bill will pass this year. mayor adams says he is considering a lawsuit against the state demanding the fallen here be honored equally. mark potter nbc news greenwood, south carolina. up next some top gun inspired moves. and we are taking you into the cockpit. ...and the wolf was huffing and puffing... kind of like you sometimes, grandpa. well, when you have copd it can be hard to breathe. it can be hard to get air out, which can make it

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the real question that needs to be asked is "what is it that we can do that is impactful?" what the cloud enables is computing to empower cancer researchers. it used to take two weeks to sequence and analyze a genome; with the microsoft cloud we can analyze 100 per day. whatever i can do to help compute a cure for cancer, that's what i'd like to do. hey, how you doin'? it hurts. this is what it can be like to have shingles, a painful, blistering rash. if you had chicken pox the shingles virus is already inside you. 1 in 3 people will get shingles in their lifetime. i wish that there was something i could do to help. the shingles rash can last up to 30 days.

talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your risk. finally tonight, if you're afraid of heights hold onto your hats. tens of thousands will turn out for this weekend's los angeles county air show. among the biggest draws the air force thunderbirds. nbc's joe fryer managed to hitch a ride. >> reporter: the proud airmen who fly these fighter jets are impeccably trained pros. and every now and then they let a guy like me tag along. with our pilot major tyler ellison, aka wolf we roar off the runway. within seconds of leaving the ground.

>> get ready, here comes some gs. >> reporter: we're flying straight up totally vertical to 17,500 feet off the ground which you can see is directly behind me. that's just the beginning. for the next hour we're sampling all kinds of maneuvers including a loop that takes us completely upside down for a few moments. a window to the world now directly below. >> so we basically just did a whole loop around like a roller costar. >> reporter: only hours took about 7,000, 8,000 feet to do. we also do something dubbed the knife edge. >> yeah no kidding. >> reporter: they call this one the eight-point roll. while there's nothing like experiencing these moves in the cockpit, they're still pretty cool to see from the ground. >> when the thunderbirds are going to come and do their sneak pass i'm going to look away from the jets and look at the crowd. you can see on the faces those kids are hooked. and you're like got that one.

>> reporter: our pilot earned his eded his pilot's driver's license. >> unique to get a ride to the airport. >> reporter: eight have combat aviation experience but on this day it's just the peaceful skies and low hanging clouds. >> call cloud chasing. >> reporter: of course we also have to experience some gs like this rapid turn so strong for a moment my vision turns gray. >> feeling a little gray back there? >> reporter: finally after a journey that took us 200 miles away we returned to the airfield. >> i'm grateful and overwhelmed. and i did not throw up. >> reporter: a bucket list mission accomplished. joe fryer, nbc news lancaster, california. we'll be sure to check on joe this weekend. that's "nbc nightly news" for this

saturday. i'm peter alexander reporting from new york. for all of us here at nbc news, have a good night.

lights, camera, access. >> madonna's new number one album. was monique back-balled from hollywood? everybody, welcome to "access hollywood." i'm shaun robinson. we start with madonna. she's been fierce and unstoppable. in our new interview, madonna talked openly about lordes going to college and her new music. we began the interview wanting to know what went on with that kid. >> after her brit awards fall madonna called her armani beautiful and that it was tied