that's where we find nbc's miguel almaguer. hi, miguel. today's early spring storms delivered had a late winter blast. millions wake up to steady snow an treacherous road conditions from maryland, maine, cars, even a school bus were sliding all over the road. at cape cod this nor'easter clipped the coast, but this was no knockout punch. last year at this time homes were igloos. this season though in part because el nino blew in warmer temperatures out east, boston had the warmest december on record. the city was buried under 108 inches of snow last season and this year only 25 inches. this is what it looked like this morning where we're at. now tonight a much different scene. the snow is all but evaporated. still in places like the plains and in other parts of the midwest they are blaising for more wild weather in the days ahead. lester? >> all right. miguel almaguer, thank you. >>> still ahead tonight, banking on your potential. we'll talk about the new way people are >>> also, superstar serena williams firing back after a tennis >>> and

nbc's miguel almaguer has the tale of the tape. >> reporter: passengers on flight 141 called it fight night. >> there was serious punches. >> reporter: a brawl breaking out between five female passengers. that's when i stepped in. >> reporter: the throwdown came just after touchdown. a spirit airlines flight from baltimore to los angeles, ending in hair-pullinging and flying fists. two customers appeared to be intoxicated, playing loud music on a boom box. other customers asked them to turn down their music. the ladies refused and said, what are you going to do? a fight broke out. police boarded the plane. all five women detained then released. the friendly skies, not so friendly anymore. >> our aircrafts are fuller than ever, people are closer together. the incidents leading to an air rage incident are higher than ever. >> reporter: a fellow passenger said he was drunk, to a belligerent man refusing to leave his seat. flight attendants say unruly passengers are the toughest issue they face. us to de-escalate the situation. >> reporter: an ugly problem becoming far too common. miguel

nbc's miguel almaguer has farewell. >> reporter: l.a.'s legendary sixth street bridge could be tinsel town's best supporting actor. >> code 6 at the bridge. >> reporter: there's samuel l. jackson and ryan gosling in "drive" and arnold schwarzenegger's "last action hero" just to name a few. the bridge in the spotlight without ever saying a word. >> it's very nostalgic to be back here. >> reporter: director randal kaiser put the sixth street bridge >> reporter: in the 1978 smash "grease." >> i was blown away by just how big the scale is. grease is the word, is the word >> everywhere i go in the world people have seen this and seen the sequence and remember it. >> reporter: built in 1932, the bridge served its time. it's crumbling now. the old concrete falling apart, no longer able to support the gridlock of 15,000 cars every day. the curtain call on this 85-year-old bridge is already under way. it's going to take four years and $450 one. as if goes in hollywood a newer younger model will take its place. traffic may move because i'm happy >>

our miguel almaguer has more on the reagan's special california connection. >> reporter: tonight, the reagans are back together but for many this final good-bye isn't any easier. >> i absolutely loved them and adored them. they were part of a golden era. >> reporter: for two days, the line stretched. 9,000 waited for hours to spend just a few minutes with the former first lady. >> from what i understand, she was the boss. >> reporter: the public admiration for this public couple is deeply rooted here. the reagans met in hollywood, married in studio city, lived in sacramento where he was governor. >> my wife nancy. she was california's they loved coming home to santa barbara's western white house. >> the ocean and the islands were so clear >> reporter: comfortable in a suit and gown, the first couple seemed most at ease in flannel and denim. after washington's beltway, it was back to california's bel-air, the same home they would live and die in. >> she has a lot of love in her heart to that she's done, especially for her him. >> reporter: crowds lined the ronaldd reagan freeway for he

nbc's miguel almaguer has the wild details. >> the driver may be armed. 40-mile chase started during rush hour. can't hide. >> reporter: a low-speed pursuit, but this was high drama. >> this vehicle is stolen with kids >> reporter: police say the driver, thomas ueno, kidnapped his girlfriend and two young children. a domestic dispute playing out on one of the nation's busiest free ways, i-5, endangering the public for more than five hours. >> he's not going to get very far. >> reporter: onlookers with cameras are there when the pursuit comes to an end in affluent newport beach, the suspect holding up his 1-year-old. finally the woman and children able to run towards police as ueno flees into the night. the suspect is shot with nonlethal rounds. >> the suspect in a hoodie comes running up and says, i'm hit. i'm hit. >> he escapes, slips through the dag net into the night. today it's a manhunt, but like this chase, police say it's only a matter of time before they have their man. miguel almaguer, nbc news, los angeles. nearly a year in space, astronaut scott kelly is coming back home.

nbc's miguel almaguer has more on the americans in belgium and their families anxiously awaiting word back home. >> reporter: at least six americans were injured in the attack, belgium. here at home their families waited desperately for word from their loved ones. the middle of the >> reporter: chad wells' son mason suffered second-degree burns and was hit by shrapnel. the 19-year-old was at the airport, along with mormon missionaries richard norby, joseph empey and fanny rachel plane, all recovering. ironically mason was in paris when 130 people were killed and also survived the attack. >> i think that experience of the chaos and civil unrest prepared mason for whatever he experienced today. >> reporter: for parents news campaign stakingly low. lauren cleary, monica hall and kate duffy, students from quinnipiac university, were also at the airport during the attack. janet cleary got the call at 3:00 a.m. that lauren and her friends were all safe. >> she called and crying hysterically, that you know, that she -- that there was a bombing, that she was at the airport and a bomb went off

miguel almaguer, nbc news, los angeles. >>> scary video out of baltimore. take a look.t shows the sidewalk and the side of a parking garage when suddenly an suv plows right off the fourth floor, plunging to the ground below, landing upside down. mir aciously the woman behind the wheel did not suffer serious injuries. police say she was pulling into a parking space when the accident occurred. >>> when we come back, amid the chaos, they rushed to help. some even injured themselves. the heroes of the brussels attacks when we come back. >> announcer: "nbc nightly news" is brought to you by pacific life. for life insurance, annuities and investments, choose pacific life. the power to help you succeed. test. test. next at on n bay ea ne. >>> finally tonight, as the details continue to emerge about those who carried out the brussels terror attacks, so too are the incredible stories of heroism that day. ordinary people who risked their own safety to save others. here's nbc's kelly cobiella. >> reporter: minutes before two bombs ripped through the brussels airport, alfonz was sm

miguel almaguer, nbc news, los angeles.

miguel almaguer, nbc news. los angeles. >>> tonight we have the first major tie at the supreme court since the death of justice scalia. a case presenting a big challenge to the power of unions for public employees. it comes as president obama's nominee to fill the vacancy was meeting a republican senator. our justice correspondent pete williams is at the court to tell us more. >> reporter: lester, the tie is a big boost for unions representing millions of the nation's public employees, teachers, nurses, firefighters, police, and roughly half the states. a group of california teachers challenged the requirement that public employees who don't want to join a union still have to pay a share of union dues to cover the cost of negotiating contracts. but the tie leaves a lower court ruling in place in favor of the unions. and tonight a sign of another possible tie. the supreme court ordered lawyers in the obamacare case to address a possible compromise it would give contraceptive coverage of religiously affiliated gr

miguel almaguer, nbc news, hollywood. >>> a scare today for passengers aboard a jetblue flight landing in the ba ham has. the crew able to land the plane safely after the landing gear malfunctions. the those gear only partially extended. there are no reports of injuries. >>> still ahead, getting scammed. more and more americans falling victim to phony online vacation offers. tonight, how to protect your family. >>> also the mystery deepens. new scientific evidence that someone may have robbed shakespeare's grave. >>> if you're starting to plan a vacation, you should pay attention to a new warning from law enforcement about a growing fraud online costing travelers millions. people going online to book vacation rental properties, only to show up and be told the place was never for rent. families out thousands of dollars, left stranded with nowhere to stay. nbc's olivia sterns has what you need to know to keep scammers from stealing your vacation. >> reporter: four bedrooms, ocean views, $200 per night? shelly stamos thought she found a vacation steal online. >> it was gorgeous. we looked

miguel almaguer, nbc news, san diego. >> we wish him many happy landings.hat will do it for us on a monday night. i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching and good on t peniu. whieflameburni near >>> right now at 6:00, wind whipped flames burning near facebook headquarters. this is on the peninsula. crews are trying to get an upper hand on the brush fire as major roads are shut down. good evening and thanks for being with us. i'm raj mathai. >> i'm jessica augeri. this is what we know. a 10 to 20 acre brush fire. this is the view from a traffic cameras about an hour ago you can see the smoke billowing unfolding near the intersection of university avenue and bay front expressway. it is right near facebook headquarters. traffic in the area normally heavy at this time of day and only making things worse, you're looking at the traffic cameras right now. let's show you a live picture on 101. on the right part of your screen there, southbound direction it's going slow. northbound moving pretty well. police are advising drivers to avoid t

nbc's miguel almaguer has more on the americans in belgium and their families anxiously awaiting word back home. >> reporter: at least six americans were injured in the attack, but thousands are in belgium. here at home their families waited desperately for word from their loved ones. >> she was there in the middle of the blast. >> reporter: chad wells' son mason suffered second-degree burns and was hit by shrapnel. the 19-year-old was at the airport, along with mormon missionaries richard norby, joseph empey and fanny rachel plane, all recovering. ironically mason was in paris when 130 people were killed and also survived the boston marathon terror attack. >> i think that experience of the chaos and civil unrest prepared mason for whatever he experienced today. >> reporter: for parents news campaign stakingly low. lauren cleary, monica hall and kate duffy, students from quinnipiac university, were also at the airport during the attack. janet cleary got the call at 3:00 a.m. that lauren and her friends were all safe. >> she called and crying hysterically, that you know, that she -- th

nbc's miguel almaguer has more. >> at least six americans were injured in the attack.ands are in belgium. here at home, their families waited desperately for word from their loved ones. >> he was there in the middle of the blast. >> chad wells' son, mason, suffered second-degree burns and was hit by shrapnel. the 19-year-old was at the airport along with mormon missionaries richard norby, joseph empey and fannie rachel clain, all are recovering. ironically, mason was in paris when 130 people were killed. and also survived the boston marathon terror attack. >> i think that experience of the chaos and civil unrest prepared mason toor whatever experience. >> for parents, news came painstakingly slow. lauren cleary, monica hall and kate duffy, students from quinnipiac university were also at the airport during the attack. janet cleary got the call at 3:00 a.m. that lauren and her friends were all safe. >> she called and crying, hysterically that you know, that she, there was a bombing, that she was at the airport. and a bomb went off. >> nbc's miguel almaguer reporting. >>

miguel almaguer, nbc news, los angeles. >>> and we are back in a moment with a huge fireball caught on camera that rocked the city in the midwest. (ray) i'd like to see more of the old lady. i'd like to see her go back to her more you know social side. (vo) pro plan bright mind promotes alertness and mental sharpness in dogs 7 and older. (ray) it was shocking. she's much more are. (jan) she loves the food. (ray) she wants to learn things. the difference has been incredible. p (vo) purina pro plan brightv mind. man: dear mr. danoff, my wife and i are now participating in your mutual fund. we invested in your fund to help us pay for a college education for our son. we've enclosed a picre of our son so that you can get a sense there are real people out here trusting you with their hard-earned money. at fidelity, we don't just manage money, we manage people's money. my belly pain and constipation? i've heard it all. eat more fiber. flax seeds. yogurt. get moving. keep moving. try laxatives. en there, done that. myhronic constipation keeps coming back. i know. tell me something i don't know

nbc's miguel almaguer shed some light on results all drivers should hear. >> reporter: with nearly half of all traffic accidents occurring in the dark, tonight a study about headlights by the insurance institute for highway safety, shining a new light on a dark danger, raising concern for allen and nancy hinabush. >> i haven't thought that much about headlights. >> reporter: the institute studied 31 2016 mid-sized vehicles. the toyota prius v with l.e.d. lights and high-beam assist were the only car to rank good and 20 other vehicles are acceptable or marginal, one-third ranked poor. the most expensive doing the worst. >> the worst vehicle only lights up the road about 130 feet down the road compared to the best performing vehicle which can see 400 feet down the road. >> reporter: the study found many headlights are for style, not safety. the prius v and the bmw 3 series side by side. the toyota lighting up the fence. in this example the bmw failed to illuminate a mannequin and deer. a night-and-day difference from the prius. automakers say they are within federal guidelines. bmw and me

miguel almaguer, nbc news, los angeles. >>> scary video out of baltimore. take a look.shows the squaidewalk at the side of a parking garage. an suv plunging to the ground below landing upside down. miraculously the woman behind the wheel did not suffer any serious injuries. she was pulling into a parking space when the accident occurred. >>> when we come back, amid the chaos, they returned to help. some even injured themselves. the heroes at the brussels attacks, when we come back. your body was made for better things than rheumatoid arthritis. before you and your rheumatologist move to a biologic, ask if xeljanz is right for you. xeljanz is a small pill for adults with moderate to severe ra for whom methotrexate did not work well. xeljanz can reduce joint pain and swelling in as little as two weeks, and help stop further joint damage. xeljanz can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections, lymphoma, and other cancers have happened. don't start xeljanz if you have an infection. tears in the stomach or intestines,

miguel almaguer, nbc news, san diego. >> we wish him many happy landsings. that will do it for us on a monday night. i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, thank you for >>> janice dickinson battling breast cancer. >> her first interview, now on "extra." >>> janice dickinson's courageous announcement. >> just two weeks ago, i was diagnosed with breast cancer. >> how she discovered it, and why she's going public with her diagnosis. >> i am not going to let that define me.

miguel almaguer, nbc news, san diego. >> we wish him many happy landings.hat will do it for us on a monday night. i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching and good night. for all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching and good narrator: all that political mail might be overwhelming. let's simplify. only one candidate has been endorsed by the washington post: kathleen matthews. as a journalist and progressive leader at marriott, she has a broad and deep facility with policy. emily's list praises matthews as pro-choice and the post says on gun control, clean energy, education and health research kathleen matthews to move the ball forward." kathleen: i'm kathleen matthews and i approve this message. >>> you potentially could be back in the white house where you lived for eight years. what are you most excited about? >> if i today name one thing -- >> the presidential candidate's answer may just surprise you. and liz hernandez with a side of hillary clinton rarely seen. plus we know all about the tough