tom costello, nbc news, washington >> reporter: i'm miguel almaguer. as our nation races to reopen, many americans are finding a new normal as states send mixed messages today wyoming eliminating its mask mandate while california's governor says residents should try to wear two. the cdc insists we all need to keep our distance >> no masks. it's like one big party on the strip. >> reporter: but tonight this is what spring break looks like in parts of florida and texas. >> i'm kind of immune to covid i haven't gotten it since covid has started. i've been out and about. >> reporter: with every state easing restrictions, when dodger stadium welcomes back fans, only 11,000 will fill the 56,000-seat venue. >> that was outstanding. >> reporter: canceled last year, before tip-off this year, march madness is already trying to rebound after a group of five individuals tested positive for the virus. also sidelined, legendary coach geno auriemma days after his second vaccination. >> you have no idea with this thing. >> reporter: now states like california and massa

anne thompson, nbc news, new york >>> an nbc news exclusive inside a company developing another covid vaccine it hopes will be a global game changer. with more, here's catie beck >> reporter: developing vaccines is an uphill race one that novavax's ceo stanley irk has been running for decades. how close to the finish line do you consider yourself to be at this point >> well, never close enough but we are close. >> reporter: maryland-based nova vaccination has been developing vaccines for more than 30 years but has never had one approved and on the market now a possible victory on the horizon as the company mass produces tens of millions of doses of its covid-19 vaccine, confident it will be authorized for use in the united states do you believe your product is better than the other ones out there? >> i think they all work and i think everybody should take whatever vaccine that are offered them. >> reporter: promising early test results secured novavax a $1.6 billion contract from operation warp speed to produce 100 million doses for the u.s. but pre-pandemic novavax was sinking, suffe

morgan chesky, nbc news >>> senate confirmed mayor garland to be president's attorney general 20 republicans voting to confirm the judge. the republicans denied garland with a chance to be supreme court justice in 2016. >>> the president's new warning of the southern border of a surge of migrant children >>> the biden administration is facing pressure with a record surge of unaccompanied migrant children at the southern border. peter alexander with the white house's new warning. >> reporter: the biden administration delivered this blunt message to migrants >> the border is not open >> reporter: reversing another trump's border policies it comes as the country is facing a migrant surge. border officials revealing in february they had more than 100,000 encounters with migrants crossing the u.s. illegally. republicans argued president biden's approach is encouraging migrants to come >> word is out that the trump's policies are being replaced by the biden administration if you get one foot in america, you are never going to leave. >> reporter: the biden white house is asking whether it is a coin

. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news with lester holt. >>> good evening, everyone today a minnesota jury and millions of tv viewers relived the incredibly disturbing last minutes of george floyd's life the uninterrupted video of him while under the knee of a minneapolis police officer ten months ago shown today at the start of a televised murder trial of the now-former officer derek chauvin. prosecutors telling the jury it was not eight minutes and 46 seconds we were led to believe but rather nine minutes and 29 seconds that floyd was pinned to the ground they say floyd was murdered the defense suggesting drugs led to his death. we'll have full coverage of day one of the trial in a moment. >>> but we're also covering this candid moment today from the head of the cdc that gave us pause. i want you to hear it. >> i'm going to reflect only the recurrent feeling i have of impending doom we have so much to look forward to, so much promise and potential of where we are and so much reason for hope, but right now i'm scared. >> impending doom, scared about where we are with covid right now,

still open >> reporter: words to help us heal kevin tibbles, nbc news >> seems we'll all have stories to tell that's "nightly news" for this tuesday thank you for watching, everyone i'm lester holt. please take care of yourself and each other. good night ♪ ♪ >>> right now, at 6:00, it's happening again, another problem creates a long list of cancelled vaccination appointments in a few bay area counties, but it's not all bad news. >> i anticipate improvement week after week. >> the reason one infectious disease specialist this may be one of the last vaccine delays we will see. >>> and rain moving through the bay area, i'm tracking it on storm ranger and how much we will see in tomorrow's forecast. >> a push to make a permanent change in san francisco, even after covid, the reason a lot of people want outdoor dining in the parklets to stay. the news at 6:00 starts now. thanks for being with us. >> moving up to the red. the state gave the week update, now only two bay area county cans are in the most restrict i have purple tier, that is sonoma and contra costa county. what can folks do i

kevin tibbles, nbc news. >> seems we'll all have stories to tell. " for this tuesday. thank you for watching, everyone. i'm lester holt. please take care of yourself and each other. [cheers and applause] ♪ ♪ ♪♪ if you could give me one good reason ♪ ♪ why i should believe you ♪ ♪ believe in all the things that you tell ♪ ♪ and if you give your very best ♪ ♪ to bring me happiness ♪ ♪ i'll show you just how much i adore you ♪ ♪ 'cause you mean the world to me ♪ ♪ you are my everything ♪ ♪ i swear the only thing that matters ♪ ♪ matters to me ♪ ♪ oh baby baby baby baby baby ♪ ♪ 'cause you mean so much to me ♪ ♪ there's a feeling in my heart ♪ ♪ that i know i can't escape ♪ ♪ so please don't let me fall ♪ ♪ don't let it be too late ♪ ♪ there's a time when words are good ♪ ♪ then they just get in the way ♪ ♪ so show me how you feel ♪ ♪ baby i'm for real ♪ ♪ oh baby baby baby baby baby ♪ ♪ 'cause you mean the world to me ♪ ♪ you are my everything ♪ ♪ i swear the only thing that matters ♪ ♪ matters to me ♪ ♪ oh baby baby baby baby baby ♪ ♪ 'cause you mean s

while many had been driving less, they'll now be paying more miguel almaguer, nbc news >>> now to our series "kids under pressure" kicking off a special week of coverage across our nbc platforms on college admissions and tonight we're going to look at the cost of college and how the pandemic is making the process even more stressful for students and their families stephanie ruhle has our report >> reporter: for high school senior rains lucas his biggest challenge isn't getting into his dream schools, it's paying for them >> it's just not sensible to go somewhere and take on hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt and might have to turn down places that would really be a good school for me. >> reporter: college tuition has skyrocketed. today the average cost for a four-year public or private school has more than doubled over 30 years driving that is a lack of government funding at public schools and demand for more faculty, resources and amenities at all colleges lucas's father, john, says paying out of pocket for his son's dream school would mean draining his own retirem

the surprise news i had the privilege of delivering >> announcer: this is nbc "nightly news" with lester holt >>> good evening, everyone the rules of social distancing are changing tonight, but significantly those changes only apply to school kids. what was six feet is now three feet of separation in classrooms the cdc hoping that shortening the distance will give many schools, particularly those that struggle with overcrowding, the ability to accommodate safe in-person learning the pressure to get kids back in the classroom has never been higher, and as you'll hear from kids themselves in just a few moments, many are losing ground. on the other hand, covid is not releasing its grip on this country without a fight. in a few moments we'll hear how cases are picking up again and variants are taking hold just as we've been warned. but let's start on this friday in the classroom with stephanie gosk >> reporter: three feet instead of six. that's the new cdc guideline for social distancing in schools k through 12 >> we now have new information to help us refine our recommendations. >> reporter

gabe gutierrez, nbc news >>> we'll take a break. in just 60 seconds, the uproar over georgia's restrictive new voting law as a string of states consider similar action >>> and remembering beverly cleary, the beloved author of so many children's classics blal >>> ten months after the death of george floyd, opening arguments are set to begin monday in the trial of the former police officer charged with murder. nbc's shaquille brewster is in minneapolis. >> reporter: tonight in minneapolis, security is tight. the national guard activated as the city braces for potential unrest during its most high-profile murder trial ever >> residents should be expecting a gradual increase in law enforcement and national guard presence >> reporter: the jury of nine women and six men now seated the court says nine identifying as white, four black and two mixed race set to hear opening statements next week in the trial of ex-officer derek chauvin charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter and third-degree murder after pinning george floyd to the

blayne alexander nbc news that allowed a man wandering off airfield last month >> reporter: the home base of airforce one security failure allowed a man to wander around for about five hours before he was caught inspector general says the man's credentials did not checked at the entrance and the gate was shot properly closed, he was able to walk in. it was part for a training mission with two crew members aboard the man identified by local police as 36-years-old joseph armstrong should have stood out. he was wearing a cap that had distinctive balls on top that looked like mouse ears >> he could have roamed around a lot longer had it not been for that particular airman >> reporter: the man got nowhere near airforce one which had more extensive security pete williams, nbc news, washington >>> it may feel like spring in some areas, part of the west are about to get clobbered with a major snowstorm. what are we looking at, al >> reporter: lester, we have all sorts of weather to talk about we got flood watches and winter weather advisories and especially in texas for damaging winds and ha

resistance to the vaccines safety measures to protect americans are being lifted miguel almaguer, nbc news >> reporter: this is tom costello from new york city to the colorado rockies, adding the johnson & johnson vaccine is already helping to drive up innoculation numbers >> we can conceivably vaccinate the entire county within weeks >> reporter: the catholic bishop, something of a moral dilemma. like johnson & johnson was developed using fetal. pfizer or moderna should be chosen over johnson & johnson but in the j&j is the only vaccine. >> there is no need to turn down a vaccine including the johnson & johnson vaccine which is morally acceptable to use. >> reporter: johnson & johnson says there is no fetal tissue in their vaccine. heavily catholic louisiana, the governor says the choice is clear. >> if circumstances you are only to receive johnson & johnson, you should feel free to do so >> reporter: some americans are hesitant to get the j&j shot comparing vaccine trial results is impossible since they involved different populations and virus variants >> all three of these vaccines have

catie beck, nbc news >> messages from the heart. that's "nightly news" on this friday, i am lester holt, thank you for watching everyone, please t s >> right now at 6:00, mobile vaccination clinics in underserved areas. >>> plus, a lot more people are wondering about life after the pandemic. >> we're going to vaccinate as many people as we can. >> we get four possible scenarios from a prominent bay area professor. >>> and sobbing in the courtroom. this man accused in an anti-asian hate crime faces a judge for the first time. the news at 6:00 starts right now. thanks for being with us on this friday. i'm raj mathai. >> and i'm jessica aguirre. sit a major milestone. the state has vaccinated 2 million people in hard-hit communities across california. >> san mateo county can move into the orange tier, meaning businesses with open with no limits at all.

of princeton university, "wall street journal" columnist joon, jon ralston and nbc news correspondent julia ainsley. welcome to sunday. it's "meet the press." >> announcer: from nbc news in washington, the longest running show in television history this is "meet the press" with chuck todd. >> good sunday morning. it's fair to call the deteriorating situation at the u.s./mexican border a crisis, even if the biden administration refuses to use that word, but it's more than that. it's a political crisis for the new president with no easy way out. republicans are quick to blame mr. biden for the growing number of migrants crossing the border saying it's his rhetoric and policy shifts that caused the surge in migrants. the democratic administration says it was left with an unworkable immigration system

rehema ellis, nbc news >>> that's "nightly news" for this wednesday. thank you for watching, everyone ♪♪ honey you are a rock ♪ ♪ upon which i stand ♪ ♪ and i come here to talk ♪ ♪ i hope you understand ♪ ♪ that green eyes ♪ ♪ you're the one that i wanted to find ♪ ♪ and anyone who tried to deny you ♪ ♪ must be out of their minds ♪ ♪ because i came here with a load ♪ ♪ and it feels so much lighter ♪ ♪ since i've met you ♪ ♪ and honey you should know ♪ ♪ that i could never go on without you ♪ ♪ oh, green eyes ♪ ♪ green eyes ♪ ♪ honey you are a rock ♪ ♪ upon which i stand ♪♪ [cheers and applause] >> kelly: all right, all right! welcome to the show, everybody. give it up to my

>>> now, our nbc news investigation into deadly counterfeit pills flooding into america. kate snow has one family's warning ♪ >> reporter: 17-year-old zach didier was an overachiever, a straight-a student, musician, athlete, performer. his mom laura. >> yeah, he had a great drive and determination and a work ethic but underneath it all he had a huge heart. >> reporter: the night after christmas dad chris had just watched a movie with zach. >> he said okay, i had a good time, love you dad, good night. you would think your child's safe when they're at home. you'd think that they would be safe when they're in their room. >> reporter: zach died after buying what he thought was a prescription pain pill from someone he met on snapchat but it was a counterfeit containing a lethal amount of the powerful opioid fentanyl >> deaths like zach's are not overdose they're fraudulent, fake pills >> reporter: if someone buys a pill on social media, what do you think the chances are that there might be fentanyl in that pill >> very high there's no question about it >> reporter: special age

one officer is on leave while the entire department gets intense scrutiny ron allen, nbc news. >>> more troubling news about new york's governor and meghan markle speaks out about her lost of freedom when she joins the royal family >>> lawmakers in new york passed a bill today that'll remove emergency powers given to andrew cuomo at the start of the pandemic as the governor faces a deepening crisis over two scandals anne thompson explains >> reporter: new york state legislatures losposed to be a different person than we thought he was >> reporter: the state senate voting to repeal his emergency powers the new york times reporting top cuomo aide altered a state >> reporter: cuomo's advisor says no one altered the data, the hospital data was omitted because the state he was very sweet to me for a year and one day when he came onto me i would think we were friends or whether it was appropriate or that it was okay >> reporter: this week cuomo apologized >> i never knew at the time that i was making anyone feeling uncomfortable. >> reporter: tonight bennett's attorney says the governor's sta

for all of us here at nbc news, stay safe and have a great night. >>> right now at 6:00, a movement to spark change. hundreds of people filling the streets in the bay area again today, demanding an end to hate. news at 6:00 starts right now. good evening, everybody, thanks for joining us, i'm terry mcsweeney. >> i'm anoushah rasta. the lgbtq plus community standing against violence on asian-americans. city and state leaders were also on hand, demanding an end to the

one officer is on leave while the entire department gets intense scrutiny ron allen, nbc news. >>> more troubling news about new york's governor and meghan markle speaks out about her lost of freedom when she joins the royal family >>> lawmakers in new york passed a bill today that'll remove emergency powers given to andrew cuomo at the start of the pandemic as the governor faces a deepening crisis over two scandals anne thompson explains >> reporter: new york state legislatures losing patience with andrew cuomo. >> the governor is exposed to be a different person than we thought he was >> reporter: the state senate voting to repeal his emergency powers the new york times reporting top cuomo aide altered a state health deaths at nursing homes. cuomo considers writing about a book o >> reporter: cuomo's advisor says no one altered the data, the hospital data was omitted because the state health department could not confirm and it had been verified and it did not change the conclusion of the report the second blow to cuomo, the words of charlotte bennett's, a former executive assistant, o

rehema ellis, nbc news >>> that's "nightly news" for this wednesday.nk you for watching, everyone i'm lester holt. >>> right now at 6:00, more anger and fear, and now ready to take more action. >> it hurt me a lot because a lot of attacks have been going on. it's mind blowing. i have to go. >> the bay area asian community responds to the mass shooting in atlanta. >> also, brutal attack for no apparent reason on the street of san francisco. >> and if you don't speak up, who will? >> this man talks to us about his emotional scars and how those will last longer than the physical ones. >> it's coming along. i'm sharon at the solano county fairgrounds where 50-year-olds and up can now get the covid vaccine. >> the one thing solano county health leaders say they do well that sets them on a path to move the vaccination tiers faster than any other bay area county. >> the news at 6:00 starts right now. good evening. thanks for being with us. i'm jessica ageara. >> i'm raj mathai. we have been dealing with attacks in our asian community for months now. now, the

rehema ellis, nbc news >>> when we come back, the family that went all in to save these miracle puppies amid an unfolding disaster >>> there's good news tonight about nature's challenges and nature's wonders and how one family overcame an unfolding disaster to bring new lives into the world. aubrey morgan has always loved animals. so in january when a pregnant shepherd mix ended up at a local shelter, aubrey's family decided to foster the dog they named maggie >> you know, she's become family to us. >> reporter: making her cozy and safe in their san antonio home a new mom herself, aubrey knew she had to help. >> i started researching and figuring out what all it entails to foster a pregnant dog and to help her have her puppies. >> reporter: but last month when it was finally time, disaster struck >> millions in texas tonight are living a freezing nightmare. >> reporter: a deadly winter storm slammed into texas. >> and then all of a sudden the power goes out >> so i was already nervous. >> reporter: nervous because maggie was in labor. >> mama is panting and resting. >> reporter: with te

>> they should be fired. >> reporter: kathy park, nbc news >>> coming up, how this stuck ship in egypt could impact your wallet here at home. >>> plus, what you need to know before buying new furniture or appliances. why are they taking months to be delivered? >>> the world is watching a drama unfolding in egypt, where there's a new plan to free that massive cargo ship wedged in the suez canal. it's blocking a major shipping route and could have a big impact on the goods that end up in your home there's already a huge backlog of ships trying to get items to the u.s. you may have already been experiencing some big delays we have two reports tonight beginning with raf sanchez in egypt. >> reporter: tonight, a new plan to free the giant container ship blocking the suez canal. take advantage of higher tides and use tugboats to ease the "ever given" off the sands. but already talk of a fallback option, using cranes to offload some of the 20,000 containers on board. >> it could be a capsizing risk if you don't do it in measured, controlled, and calculated way. >> reporter: egyptian officials

nbc news correspondent is pete williams is following this story, here's a portion of his reporting on it. >> reporter: videos obtained by "new york times" show the moments before and after prosecutors say police officer brian sicknick was hit with a chemical spray. outside the u.s. capitol the day of the riot. he died next day, coroner not said what caused his death. two men accused of assaulting him can be seen in the video, julian khatter of new jersey, and george tanios of west virginia. says give me that bear, expletive, but tanios said it's too early. reference to the brand of bear prepellant spray he bought before coming to washington. nine minutes later video appears to show him raising arm to spray something at sicknick and other police officers. all three cover their eyes and prosecutors say cry out in pain. that night officer sicknick collapsed and was rushed to the hospital, died about 24 hours later. >>> meanwhile new federal court filings show prosecutors believe the leaders of the oath keepers and proud boys were in touch, did some planning and coordination before 1/6. o

. >> announcer: this is nbc "nightly news" with lester holt >>> good evening, everyone why did he do it knowing, of course, won't erase the pain for the families of the ten people killed in monday's colorado supermarket rampage. yet we are driven to understand and learn more about the suspect. maybe the clues are in the troubled history of the man now charged with the murders a history of violence that has emerged as police try to learn about what led up to the mass shooting. meantime, in what is now a familiar ritual of such wanton attacks, the political debate over gun control back in the open tonight the biden administration calling for new gun laws gun rights defenders opposing the question this time, however, how far can democrats stretch their slimmest of majorities in congress to make this time different? let's get to it all. let's start with erin mclaughlin in boulder. >> reporter: tonight, a community paying tribute to a local hero, lining the streets in honor of fallen officer eric talley, the first to arrive on the scene of monday's deadly attack as the community pulls tog

sam brock, nbc news, del rey beach. >>> up next, one teacher's inspiring mission to help her students make music like never ♪ >>> there's good news tonight about the power of music to inspire and how one piano teacher's call for help got her students the gift of a lifetime. ♪ something sounds a little different in chicago these days. it's the sound of piano music. as kids just starting to learn with keyboards all their ownool dream come true. your call for essentially help, right? has brought on so many riches. >> truly a blessing. >> reporter: a blessing months in the making for this educator, teaching piano remotely during the pandemic for students who had no instrument. >> it's like being on a basketball team, you come to practice learning all these drills but you never hold a basketball >> reporter: so she got an idea, posting a plea on social media >> hey hey i'm in the kenwood academy piano lab. unfortunately, due to covid, i've been teaching my students virtually from my home here's how you can help. >> reporter: hours later an opportunity. >> they sent me a check for $30,600.

steve patterson, nbc news. >> an interesting comparison. >>> still ahead the mother and daughter who aduated med school together now in the battle against covid side by side >>> there is good news tonight about the power of family bonds we first introduced you to a mother and daughter who made history graduating medical school at the same time last year now, they are working at the same hospital on the front lines in the battle against covid together >> it is after midnight. >> reporter: it has been another exhausting but exhilarating shift for new doctor, cynthia kudji-sylvester, a resident at louisiana state university health in lafayette. >> i am exhausted. i am tired >> reporter: for the 49-year-old, her degree was a dream decades in the making we first met cynthia and daughter jasmine last spring when both graduated from medical school at the same time. >> she is finally back in louisiana. >> reporter: during the pandemic, they also started their new careers at the very same hospital. >> say hi. >> hey >> reporter: when that letter came and said you were going to the same place -

steve patterson, nbc news, scottsdale, arizona. >>> in this holy season, the platforms of nbc news are focusing this week on faith. tonight, matt bradley takes us inside jerusalem where christians, jews and muslims are all observing religious holidays amid the pandemic >> reporter: this week in jerusalem, three of the world's major religions are gathering for holy week as a successful vaccine campaign slowly resurrects life from before the pandemic more than 50% of israeli citizens are now fully vaccinated according to the ministry of health saliba patiotos has lived in this old city his whole life >> the people who live in jerusalem, they are holy people, don't worry. together, jews, muslims, christians together hand by hand and we give jerusalem an example to the world that we live we suffer, but we live >> reporter: for christians like saliba easter comes this sunday for muslims, the holy month of ramadan begins in just two weeks. and for jews, it's the middle of passover week, but for people of all religions, the pain of the pandemic has also focused their faith. the katz family, a

tom costello, nbc news, washington. >>> california governor gavin newsom says he's worried about his job. today is the deadline for recall organizers to submit signatures to force an election to remove him from office. the move comes over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. nbc's jacob ward has more on the sixth attempt to recall the governor jacob, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, phillip. supporters of the recall effort are upset with the governor's handling of the pandemic, professionally and personally. his family had a large male at a time when they were forbidden in the state. it takes a small fraction of the voters in california to actually trigger a recall, about 12% of them, but it takes more than half of the voters to pull someone out of office. it's important to consider more than 50 recall efforts have taken place in california in its history and only one has ever succeeded. >> that was the 2003 effort to recall gray davis which brought arnold schwarzenegger into power. will this happen to governor newsom well, another thing to consider here is timing it wil

who's been leaving huge tips for restaurant workers >> announcer: this is nbc "nightly news" with lester holt >>> good evening and welcome. we've got a lot to tell you about tonight, beginning with the accelerated covid vaccination timetable just announced by president biden. he's now saying there will be enough vaccine on hand for every adult american by the end of may that's two months sooner than originally expected thanks to an unusual arrangement between johnson & johnson and a competitor to field its new vaccine more quickly. the president also calling for educators and school workers to be prioritized for vaccinations as it stands, close to 52 million americans have received at least one dose of vaccine. hospitalizations have declined to 47,000 yet there is growing worry that some places are rushing to open too fast texas tonight about to lift most of its pandemic restrictions including mask orders. a lot to cover let's start with tom costello >> reporter: from texas to ohio and across the country the first johnson & johnson vaccine doses went from boxes and into arms today as pre

who's seeking transparency >> reporter: offering clarity in the mystery of faith anne thompson, nbc news >>> up next, saluting recipients of our highest military honor. >> announcer: nbc "nightly news" is brought to you by weathertech. auto, home, pet. find your fit with weathertech. >>> finally, some profiles in courage and sacrifice on this national medal of honor day. here's peter alexander. >> reporter: it's our nation's highest and most prestigious military honor, awarded to service members who put their lives at risk above and beyond the call of duty >> their courage almost defies imagination. >> reporter: at the memorial to abraham lincoln, who founded the medal of honor, we spoke this week with two recipients about bravery on the battlefield. >> what's different about the medal of honor is that it's representative of something much higher than yourself. >> reporter: lieutenant colonel william swenson, that's him during a 2009 firefight in afghanistan, leading a team to rescue fellow troops and search for the missing. major general pat brady, who flew over 2,000 combat missions in

. >> nbc news reporting tonight that retired u.s. army lieutenant general russell honere, a friend of this broadcast and the task force he's been heading up reviewing what went wrong on 1/6 will present their findings and recommendations to lawmakers on monday. biden white house now facing a new challenge as it ramps up its effort to reduce the number of coronavirus infections across our country. state governors are now taking various approaches to restrictions and mask mandates even amid clear signs that the pandemic is nowhere near over. they're all doing it to stay on brand. today alabama's republican governor said she'll keep the statewide mask mandate for just another month and drop it in april. in connecticut ned lamont a democrat announced on thursday his state will soon end capacity limits on a lot of business categories while keeping a statewide mask mandate in place. the decisions by the leaders of mississippi and texas to lift the mask mandates led biden to call the moves a mistake and, quote, neanderthal thinking. well, t

we want to say welcome to the nbc news family. od to see you, raf. >> good to have a new member of the team. we have somara looking at the forecast. a lot of countries are waiting for spring to begin without the wicked weather. >> that's the caveat. we have warm weather but we have the storms. 7:27 in the morning. mother nature i popping off. seeing lightning and heavy rain moving through parts of tennessee. let's see, we have a warning through saturday afternoon. cold front swings into the mississippi valley, bringing some of the strongest storms and tornadoes and activity into tennessee, and then we see that shift to the east coast, into the carolinas early monday morning. then pushing through the mid-atlantic in washington, d.c. through tomorrow evening. this severe weather risk is going to be occurring throughout the weekend, impacting much of the south and parts of the southeast as well. we want that warm weather. we're getting that too. that surge of warm weather helps to fuel storms today and tomorrow. here's the weekend. to

nbc news capitol hill. congressional correspondent for "the new york times" and shannon. luke with let me begin with you. you cowrote an in-depth report on the delay in activating the national guard which was front and center in in today's hearing. how did what we heard today from the commanding general and others square with what we already knew about the national guard based on your reporting? >> well the delays were even more extensive than we previously knew. we knew about -- it took about four hours, more than four hours for the guard to get there. but what we didn't know is that they could have been approved within 20 minutes and gotten to the site if there had been a streamline chain of command and not road blocks put in place by the top of the defense department. we heard testimony through the commander of the d.c. national guard who said that he could have had a bus of 150 troops at the capitol within 20 minutes after he called for them if he had gotten approval. that would have been around the time the capitol was breached. that would have been before there were

let's bring in nbc news monica alba back with us, as well joining us yahoo! news medical contributor and founder of advancing health equity and founder of punch bowl news and nbc news political contributor. i'll start with you, dr. blackstock, let's talk about this milestone for a moment. one of lines that stood out from the president, him saying it is a time for optimism but not a time for relaxation. >> yeah. absolutely. this was a very sobering statement. it's a momentous milestone, yes. and president biden did there by being incredibly organized, by increasing manufacturing of vaccines, by increasing vaccination sites, and who's eligible to vaccinate. however, we are nowhere close to the end of this. we need to keep going, keep pushing, and hopefully we'll be able to ramp up vaccinations over the next weeks to months as the variants are here and cases are plateauing, and we're concerned about a fourth wave approaching. >> we have talked about getting to herd immunity, it's something the president also referenced in that speech there. i guess -- herd immuni

investment going on >> someone take responsibility and be a leader. >> reporter: morgan radford, nbc news, jackson, mississippi. >>> new developments on the highway horror in california the 13 people killed in tuesday's crash were among 40 migrants who entered the u.s. they're believed to be apart of a human smuggling operation. a mom says hospital workers missed her cancer diagnoses and falsified their records to hide their mistakes could it happen to you? >> reporter: kimberly johnson adopted three children after raising five of her own. she's not scared easily her annual mammogram terrified her. >> my mother died of breast cancer it was a horrific death. she was vigilant of annual exam, after her routine check in the hospital, she was thrilled >> we are pleased to inform you that your recent mammogram revealed of no evidence of cancer >> reporter: the letter was an error, she did have breast cancer she sued for malpractice and filed it out in court. >> reporter: now in a second lawsuit, letters that were never sent to cover their mistakes >> if they are doing this to people, people nee

in atlanta, i'm blayne alexander, nbc news. >> president biden on his way to atlanta stumbled a bit. this is new video of him boarding air force one at joint base andrews -- see the president briefly tripping twice on his way up the steps. he made it up the remainder of the steps without any help, saluted, and went on his way to georgia. >>> a 76-year-old asian american grandmother attacked in san francisco is recovering at home. her family says it will be a long time before she feels safe going outside again. she was attacked on market street on wednesday. her daughter and grandson say she can't see out of her right eye. >> one of her black eyes is leaking. >> police say 39-year-old steven jenkins assaulted her and another 83-year-old. jenkins is in jail. according to a go fund me page, pham is in the hospital with a fractured nose and possible neck fractures. people are showing their support for the asian american community bip donating to gofundme accounts for both victims. people have given hundreds of thousands of dollars so far. you can help in the efforts to stop the hate. nbc

nbc news confirming through patents thought wuhan institute e cases, keeping them for years. in a 2018 patent, demonstrated it had designed cages for breeding bats. the w.h.o. saying nothing should be ruled out. >> all hypotheses are on the table and warrant complete and further studies. >> reporter: but this morning, other scientists are calling for an independent investigation noting, that every conclusion in this report had to be signed off by china frances. >>> longtime confidante of jeffrey epstein, ghislaine maxwell, is now facing sex-ts sex-trafficking charges. prosecutors allege maxwell recruited a 14-year-old girl to engage in sex acts with epstein on multiple occasions between 2001 and 2004. in the case against her, this is the fourth underaged girl alleged to have been a victim. maxwell now faces a total of eight counts she pleaded not guilty to the original charges and remains in jail while she awaits trial. >>> all right. let's get a check of our weather now, with nbc meteorologist, janessa webb, to see what she is watching hi, janessa, good morning. >> good morn

and our one on one with michelle obama on her new netflix show and what she said about the feud between meghan markle and the royals >> announcer: this is nbc "nightly news" with lester holt >>> good evening and welcome. in more and more parts of this country, even those hardest hit by covid, life is beginning to look familiar again doors now reopening to things considered high risk just months ago amid growing confidence and an ever-expanding vaccination program, states and local governments are lifting restrictions the celebrations of life resumed drowning out the chorus of warnings from top health officials that it's too much too soon but tonight 71 million americans have received at least one vaccine dose and a fall in hospitalizations to under 31,000, both come as positive signs. and yet it's hard to ignore what's happening in europe tonight, where a new covid wave is putting on the brakes on life once more. is it a cautionary message? let's begin tonight with miguel almaguer ♪ >> reporter: as restrictions aretonight a record number of americans are on the move, packing bars, nightclubs, restaurants, and theme parks. even in the covid