he flew for 76 days in the spirit of louisiana, a 1976 hyper lance pa-32 single engine aircraft. mason made over 20 stops around the world, include duge buy, paris and taiwan. his longest leg of his journey was the 14-hour, 2,150 mile stretch from japan to alaska. mason flew not only to break a world record, but to raise aware of unds for the met camps louisiana. it's a free summer camp for children with varying disabilities or illnesses such as autism, spina bifida, and down syndrome. mason has served as a camp counselor for three years and has raised over $30,000 for the camp during his flight. to raise these funds and break the world record, mason overcame all obstacles he faced, including a sand storm over saudi arabia and two category 5 typhoons that kept him grounded for the better part of september. i am proud of what mason was able to accomplish and how he has represented the great state of louisiana. from one pilot to another, i congratulate mason on his incredible achievement and look forward to what he will accomplish next. mr. speaker, i rise today about something tha

louisiana? >> we are spending $2,857 perrp capita in ate subsidies. >> reporter: 80% in the form ofn strial tax exemptions, in caich the state's industries, mostly petro-che are freed from the local property taxes that fund services like police, parks and public schools. >> i'd like to welcome you to the board of commerce and industry. >> reporter: for 80-plus years, a state board has ap nearly all of these tax breaks. >> all in favor of approving these, en globo? indicate with an aye. fo reporter: 100% exemptio ten years. ( gavel ) >> motion carries. >> reporter: problem is, the local counties, called "parishes" in louisiana, don't get the taxes the companies would otherwise pa >> they're being given billions of dollars in this parish alonen in ives every year. billions. >> reporter: in southwest louisiana's caenasieu parish, ronmentalist mike triticos showedcoal-fired power plant built in the 1950s. >> it produces a lot of electricity and it gets a huge set of tax breaks every year. .> reporte

devastation at louisiana tech university forced the close at least through friday..rmitory areas, students' cars..and several of the severely damaged.les guice, president, louisiana tech university: "windows and glass blown out. things like that. athletic facilities are basically unusable."just next door in texas..multiple funnel clouds caught on camera tearing through the state..and the violent storms blamed for the deaths of a mother and her two children...killed when their car was swept away by flood waters..the family's father found clinging to a tree when he was rescued.i'm reid binion reporting. turning now to weather with lawrence karnow. (ken) lawmakers at the state capitol met today to discuss a trio of affordable housing bills... referred to by supporters as the keep families home bill package. reporter charmaine nero has the details. members. committee fellow public and from the after hearing amend the bill a large crowd of people stood one by one in line - telling the committee whether they support or oppose the bill. people on both sides admitting someth

louisiana is right in the middle of this effort. louisiana criminalized abortion in 1856. technically, the law was pretty strict. it was only if a woman's life would be jeopardized. anyone copper forming an abortion for any other reason was subject to 10 years of hard labor in the state penitentiary. when historians go back and look at what actually happened, we found that when physicians performed abortions, even in louisiana because they were worried about the health, we found they were never prosecuted. technically the law was pretty strict, we found that courts didn't really intervene. sometimes we have to be very mindful of the difference between what is written in the law and how the law is practiced in society. this is an important moment for historians to intervene and see what was happening. you may recall from the essay we there was a reason why these laws were passed. do you recall who initiated the campaigns to criminalize abortion at all stages of pregnancy? who wanted these laws? specifically, before hospitals are a big deal, who in hospitals? initially, you

why a louisiana town literally moved itself to hi those stories and much moregh toon "nightly businessort" for this wednesday, april the 24th. >>> and we do bid you a good evening, everybody, and welcome. sue is off tonight. the powerful stock market rally of 2019 took a breather today one day after the s&p 500 and the nasdaq composite closed at record levels,arngs from some very big corporations were not enough to push stocks higher in today's session and by the close, the dow industrial averag was down 59 points for a 26,597 and the nasdaq was down 18 and the s&p slid by six, but look at how t marke has come this year so far. the dow, the s&p, the nasdaq all up double digits and four sectors have gained % or more led by information technology, but is theally sustainable? bob pisani takes o>> we are not of the woods just yet. earnings season has been, for the most part, pretty positive. companiesreeating by much wider margins than they usually do. beyond the earnings beat, we see some signs of theslowdown in china bottoming out. europe is showing at least some sign of stability. it's

>>> three historically black churches burned down just miles apart in louisiana. investigators now looking to see if the fires are connected. >>> and an nbc news exclusive, the father of timmothy pitzen speaks out for the first time after a many claimed to be his missing son. >> he's alive soi kw he is. >> the family not giving up the search. >>> terrifying video of a lion tamer mauled by one of his own animals. the attack in front of a huge crowd of spectators. why the trainer says he is to blame. >>> and they don't have driver's licenses, but these young racers are already proving they've got a need for speed. ♪ >>> this is "nbc nightly news" with kate snow. >>> good evening to our west coast viewers tonight. with the president calling for a tough new approach on the southern border, late today he announced on twitter that his secretary of homeland security will be leaving her position. in her job, kirstjen nielsen became the face of controversial policies. she's come under intense scrutiny from democrats. while she's publicly supported the president's policies,

and elsewhere in the country, texas, louisiana, and arkansas are in line for a possible severe weathers weekend including damaging winds, hail, and even the potential for tornados. anne-marie. >> oh, man. laura podesta here in new york. thank you. >> it doesn't end. >> no, it does not. >>> all right. well, that severe weather forecast in the south is expected to arrive as early as tomorrow. chief meteorologist drew burgoyne of our milwaukee station wdjt is tracking that troublesome system. >> hi. i'm meteorologist drew burgoyne. the spring storm system continues to ramp up, and notice south dakota over the last 24 to 36 hours just getting pounded with the heaviest snow. here's some of the snowfall reports. several areas with 2 feet of snow across portions of south dakota. thankfully it looks like this system at least when it comes to snowfall will weaken on friday. it will continue to cause some issues throughout northern parts of minnesota. on the eastern side of our storm, some scattered showers even some rumbles of thunder heading toward the east coast, and then all eyes are going t

meanwhile, in shreveport, louisiana, four people were shot in a mobile home. the have i can timz were ages 10 to 19. police say a gunman shot into a trailer, injuring three females and one male. they were taken to the hospital. police are still searching for the suspect. >>> and in wilmington, delaware, people were sitting on their stoops when gunshots rang out. six people were injured at the intersection of 10th and pine street. police there are investigating the cause of the incident. >> dramatic video of a drunk driver slamming into a chicago police cruiser. cbd shared the surveillance. blowing through the red light and crashing into the side of the police suv. that suv as you can see there goes airborne. the driver's blood alcohol content was .205. that is 2 1/2 times the legal limit. the officers were not seriously hurt, but the other driver did sustain injuries. >> the women's ncaa women's championship game had one of the most fantastic finishes in recent history. >> jackson richards, dran dram, brown and person for the championship. it's jackson. on the

. >> new orleans, louisiana, was one of the first place for jazz -- >> new orleans, louisiana was onee first place for jazz where they could collaborate to make the music they love. despite the stringent segregation in the south in the 20th century, jazz was a way for musicians of different races to break the barrier of the segregation and create music together. >> this collaboration is the epitome of what it means to be american. in america, we celebrate our differences and work together to create something greater than ourselves. ♪ >> beginning in the 1950's, it beginning in the 1950's, united americans under the banner of rebellion. rock 'n roll is another momentous a powerfully influential genre of american music. during the civil rights era, rock 'n roll encourage black and -- encouraged black and white youth to interact, providing a common interest to bridge the stark racial divide. tennessee ismphis, a prime example -- hiring black and white employees to work side-by-side in a segregated south. >> the power of music, the power of opportunity, the power of empowerment, not just

the governor of louisiana, john bell edwards says this period reminded louisiana of a dark past of intimidation and here's what we heard from the state fire marshal. >> this community is safe again. we are extremely unequivocally confident we have the person responsible for these tragic crimes on these three churches. and i have to tell you, this investigation is probably one of the most unique arson investigations that i have been involved in in my 33 years in that this was an attack on the house of god. >> we know that in addition to local and state investigators, the atf, the fbi assisted in the investigation. that deputy, the suspect's father, is said to be hurt and shocked, but all officials there believe that the terror is over. kate. >> still the questions are going to linger until there's a firm answer of just why this person would do this. thank you so much, victor. >>> coming up for us, the national enquirer is up for sale. why now? and who's buying? we'll be right back. . . . travel and dining now kayak and opentable let you earn travel rewards every time you dine. earn points with e

>> louisiana's governor has declared a state of emergency here. the parking lots and tore the roof off of this coffee shop. the national weather service has confirmed an ef-3 tornado packing winds of 136 miles an hour and as you mentioned, savannah, this was part of a storm system that spawned tornados in texas and louisiana. here in ruston, two people were killed, a mother and son died when a tree fell on to their home. it isst eight tornados here in louisiana, most of them carving a path of destruction that stretched about 150 miles. savannah. >> all right. really starting to see it as the sun is coming up. thank you. >>> the measles outbreak has more than 200 students and staff at two big college campuses in la los angeles under quarantine. they must stay home. the order comes as the number of measles cases nationwide hit a 25-year high. at least 694 cases in 22 states since january. >>> we turn to a bizarre story out of baltimore. the city's mayor is embroiled in a scandal over her own self-published children's book series. >> now she is facin

severe weather throughout the weekend acrossenal texas into louisiana. so the kick off of the weekend here dealing with rain. prime time wer for saturday and sunday. >>> in today's quickhits, watch out. ete bt shooter in the league is gng even better thanks to contacts. since he got corrective lenses, he said it is like the whole world has opened up. >>> we get a first look at a remake of terminator. >> and cardi b with billboard nominations. wow, that's an aggressive yellow. pretty great, huh? if you're a banana. i find it very... appealing. kellogg's raisin bran with bananas. two scoops meet real banana slices. i've done a good job of raisin ya. super saturday! two scoops meet real banana slices. friends & family - take an extra 20% off! stsave on men's polos - $10.39.. junior's tees - $9.60... and bath towels - only $7.19. plus - get kohl's cash! this super saturday... only at kohl's. - [woman] with shark's duo clean, i don't just clean, ♪ i deep clean carpets and floors, so i got this. yep, this too, and this, please. even long hair and pet hair are

>> tammy, in louisiana. thank you. wnbc's dave price is here with the latest on the storms. what do you see? >> this is going to be a rough condition for in the southern tier of the country. you can see the heavy rains in red right here on the radar picture and we still have tornado wches in effect for much of louisiana and into mississippi. the real bulls eye here is from shreveport all the way over to jackson, down to lakeharles. and this is going to continue to work its way towards the eastern sea board. tonight 18 million people at risk. not only into the evening but the overnight as well for tornados, damaging s, wi upwards of 60 miles per hour and hail. now, as wd into tomorrow this low pressure system doesn't lose much energy. 71 million people affected through the atlantic states and the northeast. and the threat of flooding exists as we take a look along the mississippi river and sections ofhe carolinas. a tough weekend for many, jose. >> tonight some s are saying president trump crossed the line and may have put the safety of a .congresswoman in jeop white house co

landry parish, louisiana. officials are calling them very suspicious. the fbi has now joined the investigation into the cause and the motive, but local pastors there say there are similarities among all three fires. here's abc's zachary kiesch. >> reporter: tonight, a church fires in just ten days all in the same louisiana parish. the fires being investigated as authorities responding after the easant baptist church. the flames tearing through the 100-year-old house of worship. tonight, the state's fire marshal telling abc news that they are classifying the st. landry parish fires as suspicious. >> there are absolutely suspicious elements that have led us to believe that this is a crime. >> reporter: officials saying they've discovered several common patterns with two other church fires. after seeing st. mary's baptist burned to the ground, remains rooted in the support of faith and family. >> what's done in the dark will. >> reporter: police have added extra security and patrols to protect the parish's churches. tonight, the sheriff issuing a stern war

time, in louisiana, in doston near louisiana tech university, a tor touched down there.nnah? >> tough day there. tough day ahead. kerry, thank. former vice president joe biden made it official today. he is running for president. the 76-year-old announced his bid on video saying there is a battle for the soul of this nation. >> if we give donald trump eight years inhohe white e, he will forever and fundamentally alter theharacter o this nation. who we ar and i cannot stand by and watch that happen. >> biden'she leap into t race makes 20 democrats officially seeking the party's 2020 nomination. n is expected to kick off his campaign on monday at a rally in pittsburgh. >>> springtime usually marks the end of the flu season, but an unavpected second viral we is now spreading across the countri this the longest flu season in ten years. which brings us to nbc news medical correspondent dr. john torres with what we need to know. usually we go from flu season into aller season. but now you're seeing more flu? >> we are. it's confusing people. u symptoms.hey have allergy this sta

lindsay cooper works with the louisiana governor's office of coastal activities in louisiana, we're not waiting for some federal. >>policy to come in and say this that we're doing work. the state level and the parish level at the individual level cooper says the fact that this hearing was held at all gives her hope in washington alexandra, mound. coming up. >>say is now kicking it with adidas a superstar assigned a multilayer deal with the apparel company as part of the deal adidas will lodge fiance is a signature sneakers and apparel and quibi will service the company's creative partner. say launch her own activewear line back in 2016 called ivy park. it was previously sold at top shop, but it will now fall under adidas. >>the killing of rapper nipsey hussle is affecting fans everywhere and artists in connecticut created this street muralthe mural is that t heaven's gate park in hartford. police say shot and killed on sunday outside the clothing store he founded in los angeles a suspect as we mentioned, eric holder is being held on $7 million bond. parking in los angeles can be a night

this morning it is east texas stretching in to louisiana dealing with this severe weather right now. it's a classic setup. strong low pressure system over the red river valley pulling in very warm, very humid, and very unstable air, and a lain of strong thunderstorms with wind gusts will march east over the next two days. so our severe weather outlook for today includes wind damage, hail, and isolated tornadoes. the biggest risk, the strongest risk is much of the state of alabama, much of the state of mississippi, and also the eastern half of louisiana, including the cities of jackson and birminghamnd and new orleans with slight thunderstorm risks, severe thunderstorm risks. on friday the storm and severe weather threat moves east. the highest risk of severe thunderstorms which includes isolated tornadoes once again stretches from south washington, d.c., including norfolk, raleigh, all the way to north carolina but a slight risk all the way north to our nation's capitol. all of this will move out and the weather will calm down as we head toward easter sunday. there will be snow in th

. >>> a suspect is in custody after fires at a black church in louisiana. >>> six u.s. states under blizzard warnings as a severe spring storm strikes from the rockies to the planes. >> welcome to "early start," i'm christine romans, travel misery. >> yesterday was rough, 2 feet of snow in some parts of south dakota. i'm dave briggs, it is 4:00 a.m. in the east. good morning to you all. attorney general bill barr dropping a bomb shell at the senate hearing telling lawmakers he thinks the trump campaign was spied on and he'll be looking into why. >> in spying on a political campaign is a big deal. it's a big deal. >> you're not suggesting, though, that spying occurred? >> i don't -- well, i guess you could -- i think there's a spying that did occur, yes, i think spying did occur. >> barr provided no evidence for that claim. a source familiar with his thinking later telling us he meant spying in the classic sense of intel collection. barr wants to find out whether there was a proper basis for surveillance. sara murray with more from washington. >> reporter: good morning c

. >>> there's new hope for the parishioners of three black churches in louisiana that were torched byarsonist. a gofundme effort created just last week has hit its goal of more than $1.8 million. the money will go to bring them back from the ashes. omar villafranca reports from one of those churches in opelousas, louisiana. >> reporter: while all eyes were on the devastation in paris and the world pledged to rebuild the fire-ravaged notre dame cathedral -- ♪ hallelujah >> reporter: worshipers thousands of miles away in louisiana continued to pray for the rebuilding of three historic churches destroyed in just ten days by arson. >> there were pews there. >> reporter: pennsylvania store harry's church was one of those burned to the ground. his grandfather helped start greater union baptist more than 100 years ago. are you going to build this place bigger and better than before? >> bigger and better. god is in control. we're going to build bigger and better. >> reporter: after more than a billion dollars in donations poured in for notre dame, some on social media pointed to three smaller

. >>> still ahead here on cnn, the son of a sheriff's deputy has been arrested in louisiana and chargedith burning the churches in the parishes and but first the attorney for stormy daniels, michael avenatti allegedly stealing millions from his clients. 300 miles an hour, that's where i feel normal. having an annuity tells me my retirement is protected. learn more at retire your risk dot org. hmm. exactly. and doug. liberty mutual customizes your car insurance, so you only pay for what you need. nice. but, uh... what's up with your... partner? oh. well, we just spend all day telling everyone how we customize car insurance, because no two people are alike, so... limu gets a little confused when he sees another bird that looks exactly like him. [ loud crash ] yeah. he'll figure it out. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty ♪ and not one dollar out of pocket buy for closing costs.n payment no down payment, no closing costs. why rent when you can buy? jx all of you. (÷s2v how you live, what you love. that's what inspired us to create america's most advanced intern

louisiana's gover has declared a state of emergency here. er least two people w killed here in ruston. a mother and son. and the asef-3 tornado w packing winds of36 miles an hour carrying the entire roof off this coffee shop. this morning the cleanup is underway after violent storms sliced through the south. che dangerous system whi is still on the move spawning destructive tor in texas and louisiana. >> we're still assessing de in mule parishes. >> reporter: ruston confirmed there was a powerful ef-3 tornado that spun through the town. >> it's some of the worst devastation we've seen. >> reporte pow lines and trees snapped like trees. kendra butler and her son were killed when a tree fell onto hoeir . and louisiana tech -- >> we actually have a lot of damage, a lot of debris across the campus. >> reporter: but despite the damage, t students ar safe. a lot of our residential with ties are damaged windows and glass blown out. athleticsfacilities. >> reporter: jalen ferguson spent draft dayel hping his a lot of people lost their property. got

arthel: fires in historically black churches in louisiana, officials are now calling them suspicious.incidence that they occurred in short period of time. everything is being done to the maximum of our ability. >> the latest on investigation ahead, plus president trump brushing off talk for summit and central america as he ramps up rhetoric on the border. next former white house national security adviser captain bop wells weighing in on how the president is handling this. . with nine grams of protein and twenty-six vitamins and minerals. ensure, for strength and energy. and twenty-six vitamins and minerals. now kayak and opentable let you earn travel rewards every time you dine. with just one reservation on opentable, you can start saving money on hotels with kayak. get started at kayak.com/diningrewards. it's a revolution in sleep. the sleep number 360 smart bed, from $999... senses your movement and automatically adjusts on each side to keep you both comfortable. and snoring? how smart is that? smarter sleep. so you can come out swinging, maintain your inner focus, and wake up reste

. >> right now the state of louisiana using federal funds for an experiment that could turn into the blueprint of dealing with some call climate refugees. cnbc's diana olick explains. >> reporter: at a small church meeting house, in a small louisiana farm town, a small community is making a very big decision. >> the option to purchase has been signed, signed today. >> reporter: the community up to 40 homes is moving together to higher ground. the state of louisiana is using federal funds to purchase land, build new homes, demolish the flood damaged homes and turn this neighborhood into wetlands. so you will knock down the houses and these, as well? >> right. >> pat forbes who administers community development block grants for disaster relief is in charge. >> it's quite clear that we're having more disasters. consequently we have to start doing things that are smarter. one of the easiest, smartest things you can do is get people out of harm's way. >> reporter: pecan acres built in the 1970s near a canal but in the last decade it's seen more frequent and intense flooding, its levee is

those that are helping to rebuild those churches in louisiana must be heard. they are not politicians. they are not activists. they are people that wanted to pray and worship their god. and if any of us and all of us can't get past our differences to really deal with this moment, then i don't think we deserve the platforms that we have. and it starts with our own inspection and reflection on ourselves. as i said last night, i will never forget mrs. scott king, the widow of martin luther king, jr., and her son martin iii telling me refrverend you've go to watch what you say. i've had to deal with that. all of us need to do that tonight when we look at what we do whether it is large or small, that we can make sure that we're part of the light rather than the darkness. thank you, danielle, shelby, and eugene. that does it for me. i'll see you back here next saturday at 5:00 p.m. eastern. up next, "meet the press" with chuck todd. >> this sunday, the president versus congress. president trump says he's done cooperating with russia investigations. >> i have been th

the campus of louisiana tech was hit especially hard by the storm. classes remain canceled at the school today. >>> the ntsb is traveling to illinois today to investigate an intensive massive chemical spill that sent 37 people to the hospital. sheriff's deputies say it spilled in the suburb of beach park yesterday morning. the spill created a plume of chemical smoke. a preliminary examination showed that the leak causes unconsciousness and even death when inhaled. police say at least seven people are in critical condition. >>> the nl held its draft last night and for the 22nd time a heisman trophy winner was selected first. the arizona cardinals chose oklahoma's quarterback kyler murray with the first pick. more notable picks, the raiders took clayland farrell at number four. the new york giants made a shocking choice with the sixth pick picking duke quarterback daniel jones. >>> coming up on the "morning news," the governor of maryland calls on baltimore's mayor to resign after federal agents raid her home and city hall office. >>> and invasion of t

a safety emergency in louisiana as a tornado kills a mother and son janice has been tracking more severe weather for today. steve: keeping annual eye on it jillian, thank you very much. meanwhile, have you heard this? hundreds of college students are in quarantine right now in california as that measles outbreak grows all across the country. are anti-vaccinationers the problem? we'll separate fact from

. >>> 3 churches in louisiana burned to the ground. police have a suspect in custody.paloosa, louisiana and i have details coming up. >> watch gotham and the oracle tonight on ktvu fox2. >>> a 21-year-old man has been taken into custody in connection with fires that were intentionally set up 3 churches in saint landry parish, louisiana. the suspected arsonist in the case is the son of a deputy sheriff. fox's charles watson has the details. >> reporter: people in appaloosa, louisiana are breathing a sigh of relief following the rest of the 21- year-old man accused of burning 3 churches to the ground, all of which cater to a predominantly african-american congregation. local and state officials say with this arrest, the community is safe once again. >> it cannot be justified or rationalized. these were evil acts. let me be clear about this. hate is not a louisiana value. >> reporter: the suspect has been identified as holden matthews, a white man, appaloosa's resident and son of a deputy sheriffs officer. making knew nothing. he knew nothing about his son's activity. whe

to the back of a truck in june of 1998, dragging him nearly three miles on a rural road near the louisiana border. one of the killers, john william king, was put to death last night. he's the second person executed for the murder. king's family has created a foundation to fight racially motivated hate. >>> the fbi has joined the investigation into the california crash that left eight pedestrians injured. police in sunnyvale say isaiah peoples deliberately rammed his car into a crowd tuesday evening. his family says the 34-year-old is an army veteran. he faces eight counts of attempted murder. the victims included three children, one of them a 13-year-old girl in critical condition. police don't believe it was a terrorist act, but they say peoples showed no remorse. investigators are still determining a motive. >>> former homeland security chief kirstjen nielsen had apparently struggled in vain to prepare for russian interference in the upcoming 2020 election. sources say nielsen had been

sheriff's deputy now arrested, accused of lighting those fires at historically black churches across louisiana. >>> also ove landing after hitting an object on the runway at jfk, taking a chunk out of the wing. >>> found alive. how rescuers and helicopter crews finally located these hikers missing nearly five days. what they say saved their lives. >>> or a few drops of blood -- >> the drop out now getting the scripted treatment. how "snl" star kate mckinnon is taking on the role of the embattled theranos founder elizabeth holmes. >>> and clean getaway? police responding to a 911 call with guns drawn, expecting a burglary suspect, but you'll never believe what was waiting behind that door. >>> and it is great to have you with us on this very busy thursday morning. that major spring blizzard is a live look at denver, the storm shutting down parts of a major interstate this morning. >> ginger will bring us the latest on that. >>> first, that breaking news, wikileaks founder julian assange arrested in london. after seven years of asylum in the ecuadoran embassy, the ecuadoran government released a

. >> it is going to be a big deal, especially back through texas and louisiana. it's part of the system bringing the heavier rain from new england down through virginia right now but it extends all the way back down as a frontal system from texas to louisiana. we are going to lose the heavier rain this morning through the northeast, but through lubbock, texas, we have torrential downpours, severe thunderstorm warnings and tornado watch for the next several hours until 9:00 stall time. that's an area we need to focus on the strong storms this morning. the afternoon as the front system combines with daytime heating there's a good chance we'll see strong storms, including east central texas, most of louisiana, and part of mississippi, even southeastern arkansas. large hail in excess of 1 inch in diameter, we could see tornadoes spin up and gusty winds. tomorrow this threat shifts a little farther to the east, especially back through the appalachians part of tennessee into kentucky and west virginia. 49 million people at risk tomorrow for, again, those damaging wind

reporting that three historically black churches have burned in less than two weeks in one south louisiana parish where officials said they have found suspicious elements in each case while there is still no official motives or suspects there is a very long and ugly white supremacy history of burning predominately black churches here in the united states especially in the southern states these latest fires come up with three straight years of hate crime increases in the u.s. including a seventeen percent rise in just two thousand and seventeen alone and here is where the twist my friends comes in because according to the a.c.l.u. at a time when violence by white supremacy this is on the rise the f.b.i. appears to be targeting black people in a secret intelligence program concerning so-called black identity extremists and extremist group that well. doesn't actually seem to exist isn't that extreme so today let's take a hard look just where u.s. law enforcement priorities are when it comes to to combating extremism as we start watching the hawks. already. get the. real thing that's what. the

abc's steve osunsami is on the scene, too, tonight. >> reporter: federal agents rushed to louisiana. the atf is here tonight with their national response team, and so is the fbi, looking for clues in these burned up pews and steeples, hoping they lead to whoever is responsible. at mt. pleasant baptist church, which burned on thursday, you can still smell the smoke tonight from the police line. >> i don't understand it. you're at a place of worship, that you've been wore shipping for 40 years and then sunday morning, you don't have it no more, for no reason. another iles from there, rod apn st. mary baptist church burned on march 26th. today, we found hymn books and bibles that burned, too.e is churches and authorities fear they're looking for an arsonist and a racist. >> whether it's a single person, a single technique, a single method, we're not ready to speak to that yet. but obviously there is a relation with these three fires. >> reporter: congressman clay higgins, who represents this community in washington, recorded and posted a video on facebook promising justice. >> you will.

an ef-3 striking ruston, louisiana. the roof of this motel 6 completely gone. staggering damage from an ef-2 in bryan, texas. and the line of storms now heading up the east coast, reaching the northeast tomorrow night. at this hour, tornado watches remain in place. abc's marcus moore is in hard-hit ruston, louisiana. >> reporter: tonight, deadly tornadoes striking in the middle of the nights. students at louisiana tech racing to wake each other up. >> oh, my gosh. >> nick, get up! >> reporter: debris strewn across campus. the softball field in tatters. classes now cancelled. direct hit from a massive twister with at least 1 136-mile-per-hour winds. ripping the roof off of this motel 6. >> i couldn't move out of my bed, basically. do rooms, now you can see nothing but blue skies. falling trees slicing the city's homes in half and claiming the lives of a mother and her son. outside of jackson, mississippi, a tow truck driver involved in a two-vehicle crash on wet roads. his truck plunging off of a bridge. in new orleans, severe thunderstorms swamping streets and

as you know, seven tornadoes touched down here in louisiana. of them a powerful ef-3 twister with devastating winds. you can see from our second camera what it did to this hotel when it hit in the middle of the night. room after room here is destroyed and there is damage like this spread throughout this town. this morning, parts of the south lie in ruins. a violent storm spinning up powerful twisters -- >> that's a tornado! >> reporter: cutting a path of destruction in louisiana stretching for 150 miles. the town of ruston, home of louisiana tech university, taking a direct hit. >> it first was really heartbreaking, kind of shocking because you see it on movies but never think it can happen to you. >> reporter: students enduring the storm and winds upwards of 140 miles per hour behind the dorm room walls. outside debris is spread across the campus. this field torn apart. >> this place has just been decimated. >> reporter: off campus a woman and her young son killed when a tree fell on their home. the punishing storm charging across the town wit

day gushing into the gulf of mexico, affecting 70,000 square miles of the golf and polluting of louisiana i'm a mississippi, alabama florida the disaster flush 5 million barrels of oil in the gulf, causing extensive damage to marine life, fishing industry, and tourism. at the time, stephen murawski was the chief scientist. now with the university of south florida and over the years he and his team have spent extensive time studying the goa goal. >> deeply mixed on fisheries and animals like red snapper for example had high levels of oil in their body. that's been going down over time, as the level of contaminants have declined. but that's not true for all species. >> the worst impact or to shrimp, oysters, and crabs. lsu's ed overton, an environmental chemist, focused on the oil itself and where it went. >> it gets degraded to other organisms and carbon dioxide bid virtually all of it. not 100% but much has been metabolized. >> says it still remains in recovery mode nine years later. >> we see these effects and we will see these effects for a long time. >> then there is the impact of bp i

lindsay cooper works with the louisiana governor's office of coastal activities in louisiana, we're not waiting for some federal. >>policy to come in and say this that we're doing work on the state level on the parish level at the individual level cooper says the fact that this hearing was held at all gives her hope in washington. alexandra mt. ask your question you have to be honest what would you do if you found a large bag cash on the side of the road. well that actually happened so someone discovered thousands of dollars in a bag on the side of the road and they actually returned the money to the police department so this happened wednesday and all over and a man called the placer county sheriff's department saying that he lost about $14,000. he left the money on the top tire of his car, our look see you then drove off he forgot about it. and jill jennings comes along she finds the money at first she thought it was trash so she opened it up she looked inside was nearly $16,000 including money orders. that's a lot of money to lose. so james says keeping the money never crossed her mi

new video taken on the campus of louisiana tech. the softball field in tatters. classes now canceled. >> we were literally just here last night and with a great crowd and great weather and then now look at it. >> it's unbelievable. something like this is so quick and powerful. you don't even know it's coming. >> i've never seen damage like this before. >> reporter: this motel 6 now destroyed with part of its roof torn off. abc's marcus moore is there. >> look at this. stairs at this hotel that once >> reporter: louisiana governor john bel edwards declaring a state of emergency urging people to stay home if they can. >> everyone needs to understand that now is not the time to come could ruston to sightsee. we have a lot of work going on out there to clear debris, to do search and rescue and make sure that overpasses and bridges are safe. >> the storm will slowly make its way into the northeast. we'll have the full forecast in minutes. >>> now to the race for the white house. former vice president joe biden capping off the first day o

so we're in a real sad situation in terms of the pallor that is industrial corporations have in louisiana and companies like monsanto along with. monsanto's it is like all big ever come across highly profitable and highly influential political circles few years ago the complete. hundred million dollars expansion of the round up plan for instance and cancer so you'd welcome our governor bobby jindal and our first lady so pretty agenda. governor jindal whose wife is a former monsanto employee praised the expansion of the round up plant in two thousand and ten every year since then this plant in cancer alley has had the most toxic releases in the entire state. is really important to remember there's a real difference in any pesticide between is active ingredient which in the case of roundup for example is go ifas eight verses all the surfactants an urge to go into that for pesticide when it's sprayed and to demonstrate this research it had to ponds with frogs in them and in one pond you just put the active ingredient of roundup like to say very little impact on the frogs. in the next pond he

we had ongoing tornado warnings in louisiana with this sell, these cells developing in central louisianasevere storms along the gulf coast including new orleans, and that is ongoing throughout the morning and afternoon and evening as the system moves eastward and we will see the potential for heavy rainfall in the northeast and coastal areas heading into the weekend but we should see nice conditions. here's your forecast today. the storm on the gulf coast. a beautiful day in denver, very hot i will point out across the southwest. here it comes. it is summertime. todd: 37 after the hour. after years of privacy scandals facebook concern have to pay up to the tune of $5 billion. jillian: tracy carrasco explains it next. -poof -- you're a burger. [ laughter ] -everyone acts like their parents. -you have a tattoo. -yes. -fun. do you not work? -so, what kind of mower you got, seth? -i don't know. some kid comes over. we pay him to do it. -but it's not all bad. someone even showed us how we can save money by bundling home and auto with progressive. progressive can't protect you from becoming yo

go to shipstation.com/tv and get 2 months free. >>> police in louisiana have charged the 21-year-oldon of a local sheriff's deputy with three counts of arson of a religious building. three churches were set alight over ten days. j josh campbell picks up the story. >> reporter: this is what is left of mt. pleasant baptist church, the last scene in a case involving fires at three churches. this church is over 100 years old. and it is now left in rubble. now authorities believe this is the work of the son of a sheriff's deputy who con on ductsed not only this attack, but the two others. arsons are the most difficult to investigation because oftentimes evidence can be consumed in the fire. however it was in this sanctuary that authorities got their big break. they found remnants of a gas can that the suspect performed at a local store along with cloth and a lighter using his own debit card. for his part, he faces three charges of arson. left unsaid is whether this will be deemed a federal hate crims investigation continues. the pastor says that he has actually united them and their faith

now the state of louisiana is using a federal funds for a remarkable experiment that could turn intoor dealing with what some are calling climate refugees >>> at a small church meeting house in a small louisiana farm town a small community is making a very big decision. the community is moving together to higher ground the state of louisiana is using federal funds to purchase land, build new homes, demolish the old flood damaged homes, and turn this neighborhood into wetlands >> so you're going to knock down all of these houses and these as well >> right >> pat forbes, who administers community development block grants for disaster relief is in charge >> it's quite clear that we're having more disasters, and consequently, we had to start doing things that are smarter. one of the easiest, smartest things you can do is get people out of harm's way. its levee is no longer adequate. back to back floods in 2016 and 2017 drew the governor's attention and a plan was hachd to buy out the homeowners and move them here, barely two miles away, but ten feet higher. >> concernel jackson raised he

students at louisiana tech racing to wake each other up. >> oh my gosh. >> nick, get up!reporter: debris strewn across campus. the softball field in tatters. classes canceled. ruston, louisiana taking a direct hit from a massive twister with at least 136-mile-per-hour winds. ripping the roof off this motel 6. >> i couldn't move out of my bed, basically, it was that terrifying. >> look at this, stairs at this hotel that once led you to rooms, now you can see nothing but blue sky. falling trees slicing the city's homes in half and claiming the lives of a mother and her son. outside of jackson, mississippi, a tow truck driver killed in a two-vehicle crash on wet roads. his truck plunging off of a bridge. in new orleans, severe thunderstorms swamping streets and delaying the start of the famed jazz and heritage festival. this tornado producing storms tracking across 150 miles, cutting a long swath of destruction. buildings shredded in bryan, texas. northeast of austin wednesday, this truck overturning, stuck in a ditch. good samaritans banding together, flipping that vehicle

three of the fires took place in louisiana's st. landry parish.thern louisiana near the arkansas and texas borders. >>> the south is being hit by severe thunderstorms overnight. the storm system you can see there on radar stretches from the gulf up to memphis to texas. cars in grapeland about 100 miles east of waco were damaged and flooded. accuweather's paul williams is large hail and isolated tornados everywhere you see red. for the northeast, rain upstate new york, boston. a winter storm for maine. heavy thunderstorms for d.c. more rain for the northwest. flooding rain along the coast. and then throughout the north-central part of the country, more major flooding throughout several rivers. kenneth, stephanie? >> lots of rain in that forecast there. >>> the late former president george h.w. bush will be honored on a stamp this year. >> it will be issued june 12th on what would have been his 95th birthday with a ceremony at his presidential library and museum. the first-cls amp design is based on a 1997 photograph. bush was president from 1989 to