nbc's sam brock toured some of the dang and has our report some of the damage and has our report. >> reporter: in the pix black of night, a upform of a furious firebam. >> boom. it was a boom. a deadly gas explosion at a warehouse rocked northwest houston this morning. >> the moment we heard boom >> reporter: this home was moved off the foundation her daughter, dodged a sheet of shattered glass. >> our life, i am thankful we are alive, we are fine. >> reporter: how close were some people to harm's way you see the insulation and sheet rock here. look at this woman's bedroom. the entire ceiling collapsed on this side the only portion that didn't is right where she was sleeping the only window in this house that didn't shatter is the one window next to hersidents, a f feeling, after explosions from chemical plants unleashed chaos several times in the last year. >> we have a huge petrochemical industry here, and the law of averages, right, so the more you have, the greater the chances of something going sideways and we're fortunate because it is well regulated it doesn't happen more. >>

sam brock, nbc news. >>> we're back in 60 seconds with breaking news and a deadly terrorism case and the urgent new warning about kids and the flu. >>> tonight the justice department is calling last month's deadly shooting at a u.s. navy base an act of terrorism and the attorney general is demanding apple's he>> reportee justice department says tonight it was an act of terrorism when mohammed al ramshadi, a saudi air forc officer here in the u.s. for military training opened fire in a classroom at pensacola naval air station december 6th killing three u.s. servicemen on september 11th, the fbi says he posted this message on social media. the countdown has started. investigators say he also posted a string of anti american, anti israeli and jihad messages, the last one two hours before the attack but the fbi says he apparently acted alone. >> we have not identified any co-conspirators, any evidence that the shooter acted with anyone else or that he was inspired by any one specific group. >> reporter: out of 852 saudis in the u.s. for military training, 21 have been sent home after it

sam brock, nbc news. >>> still ahead tonight, hidden dangers. what you need tow our nbc news investigation. after takeoff. why this rocket launch was considered a big win >>> nasa is calling this morning's unmanned launch of a rocket a big success it took off from kennedy space center and then it exploded and that was on purpose the team was testing the safety systems to see if astronauts headed to the international space station would be able to escape in an emergency. the test dummies inside the escap capsule landed intact shortly after the blast in the atlantic ocean. >>> now to an nbc news investigation about your privacy and dating apps. it turns out some apps are sharing personal details with companies who want your intimate information. we have more on how you can protect your data. >> reporter: 31-year-old makeup artist i familiar with modern love >> if you swipe left or right, it's yes or no >> reporter: but some unknowns shocked her. she agreed to let patrick jackson with privacy firm, disconnect, follow her online dating activity on t

in the east, people spent the day in t-shirts with record high temperatures we begin tonight with sam brock in the tornado zone in louisiana. >> reporter: good evening in the middle of the night, a tornado three times as big as a football field, ripped through the community. the man got an alert to his phone and moved to the other side of the house. moments later a tree split that house in two tonight people across the south grappling with unimaginable devastation. >> you could feel the walls of the house moving >> reporter: as towards reeked havoc in arkansas, oklahoma and louisiana, forcing emergency declarations and sobering cleanups. >> when daylight came and looked out, we said there's no way this was a small tornado. >> reporter: in louisiana, a haunting scene entire streets blanketed by debris from homes. just miles away in boiser parish, an elderly couple was killed >> tornadoes this close to home, no this is worse. >> reporter: the storm racing across the u.s. in five days, bringing the worst severe weather in seven years. so far 11 lives lost, three each in alabama, texas and will

nearly a year into their experiment, the surprising way people are using that money here's sam brock >> reporter: in california's central valley, stockton has seen its share of financial problems but is now bouncing back the city's embracing a radical, new plan that could transform lives. mayor michael tubbs is the architect. >> is stockton a good representation of what american cities look like right now >> i think absolutely in terms of the promise and also the peril. 23% of our population lives in poverty. >> reporter: now, for 125 families, a monumental change in fortune. in february, stockton kick started seed, funded with private money. the city sends $500 a month on debit cards, no strings attached, to random recipients chosen from neighborhoods where the median income is roughly $46,000 a year they're betting people like laura plummer will spend wisely. she said the program is wearing fruits. >> reporter: what does an extra $500 a month mean to you? >> it means a lot. seriously, before seed came along, i was paying a lot of bills and didn't know how i was going to eat >> repo

more from sam brock. >> reporter: tonight heidi broussard's family says they haven't been updated on the investigation and don't understand why no murder charges have been filed in their daughter's death this, as police toda released new details suggesting broussard's childhood friend, megan, wanted her baby revealed video captured on cameras in broussard's apartment complex showed a car consistent with fieramusaca's the morning the baby disappeared and an adult white female carrying a small white infant that same day fieramusca told investigators she went to the beach, returned 24 hours later and told her ex-boyfriend don't be mad, but there's a baby on the bed. that ex-boyfriend, christopher green, said he initially thought the child was his until police showed him a flier with missing margot on it and he said that's the baby at my house charged with kidnapping and tampering with a human corpse, investigators said fieramusca told them she couldn't recall where she gave birth. her attorneys say they are anxious to review the evidence and resist the urge to rush to judgment until all

sam brock, nbc news. >> that emotional i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching and good night. >>> right now at 6:00, breaking down the door. the mothers illegally squatting in an oakland home are evicted. but why they say their fight isn't over. >>> also, back to the basics for south bay police. the new course for officers to break the language barrier are spanish speakers. >>> but first, he's being called a hero. being credited for saving a car. girl being attacked in a >>> the news a 6 joining us. >> we begin with breaking news. we have been following the story since our 5:00 newscast. you can see it downelow a fire at a resicycling center. >> as you can see the smokee let firefighters are digging in for a long fire fight. they say trash fires are notoriously hard to figure out. the fire is back there in that warehouse. we're starting to see smoke out of it in this direction. we are seeing the blue line transfer center in south san francisco. and it's in this office park. the employees here have been evacuated

all the facts are in a family waiting for justice for a young mother they call the bright light sam brock, nbc news. >>> also tonight, the governor to the rescue. new york's andrew cuomo caught on camera, helping a man out of a van that tipped over in an accident on the highway. cuomo's team passed the wreck. the governor stopping to cut the man out of his seat belt no life-threatening injuries were reported but an example of your governor in action. >>> up next, a car that acts like a credit card some of the hottest new ideas transforming how we live >>> we're back now with the amazing new innovations at one of the world's biggest tech shows, ces it could make your life easier but they're also raising more privacy concerns here is jo ling kent. >> reporter: this year at ces, traditional tech is getting turned upside down. the new samsung tv rotates from horizontal to vertical to make it easier for millennials to consume social media the smart diaper that alerts you on your phone when baby needs a change a bluetooth enabled reusable box may one day replace 1,000 cardboard boxes used for o

here is sam brock. >> i deserve this moment. >> reporter: support for texas high school senior deandre arnold just hit a crescendo >> you should be able to wear your hair however your want. >> reporter: ellen degenerous now weighing in after officials at barbers hill independent school district told deandre he couldn't walk with his class at graduation unless he cut the length of his dreadlocks to comply with the dress code. >> i'm begging you this kid is a good kid. >> reporter: deandre could return to school without cutting his hair but would be placed on in-school suspension, something his mother sandy says he does not deserve. >> so we knew the dress code is off the shoulders, above the earlobes and out of the eyes. >> reporter: the school district declined to comment today but last week the superintendent told nbc news the district recently clarified the policy. >> before it said you can't tie your hair up, so instead of that we changed it to you can't have your hair in any manner, when it's down it's in violation. >> reporter: deandre says he wears dreadlocks to honor his trinida

here's sam brock >> launching for the end zone, touchdown! >> reporter: just after the confetti rained down, steven ensminger jr., the son of an lsu coach, took a deep breath. >> i wish she was down here she would have been. >> reporter: only a month ago, ensminger lost the love of his life, his wife carley mccord >> everyone loves a good family football game. >> reporter: a well known reporter in the area whose small plane crashed on the way to lsu's semifinal game >> we were on the goal line i tucked my head down, and i said carley, make this one happen and we scored. i lost it. >> reporter: after the win, all ensminger wanted to do was find his father, lsu's offensive coordinator. >> i hope you find your dad too where is he? >> who knows >> reporter: moments later, the two embraced in a deep hug, sharing their anguish, but uplifted by the support of their team. >> he came out with the situation he had and gave it all to the team >> what does this mean for your family >> there really are no words. this is everything >> reporter: a victory t

sam brock reporting there. the memorial service will be tomorrow afternoon. >>> the quest for real i.d. is hitting another bump ahead of the deadline. so the real i.d. will be required if you want to fly domestically in october unless you use your passport. the problem, though, popping up during the applicationwhro you passports but they said a passport could be rejected at the dmv. so make sure to bring a birth certificate as well. and if you change your tham--e, marriage license. >>> a boost of low income housing, the examiner said redevelopment agency members want to use property tax revenues to fund about 6,000 new housing units offered at below market rates. the plan also involved borrowing money funded through the revenues. the former governor jerry brown vetoed similar legislation about five years ago. >>> the 77th annual golden globe awards are coming up this weekend. so the stage is set and it is a star-studded red car pat, host ricky gervais but this timed be time because he's going to go out with a b

nbc's sam brock has the details. >> reporter: in the middle of the caribbean -- >> exit now! >> reporter: -- a powerful earthquake rattled the region. >> guys, there was just an earthquake >> reporter: panicked people running from their homes and offices sxwlp there are about 180 of us. we're inside a ballroom, a giant ballroom, when the floor started shaking. >> reporter: a massive 7.7 temblor off jamaica's northwest coast, creating sinkholes, sparking tsunami warnings across the region and several aftershocks. the quake even felt in south florida. >> like a subtle sway of the other buildings just kind of like doing this. >> reporter: in miami buildings were evacuated en masse. firefighters right now in downtown miami just coming out of the building as we speak. there were at one point so many hundreds of people on the street here on brickell avenue that no one could move >> reporter: back in jamaica -- >> whoa. that was intense >> reporter: -- officials are now assessing the damage sam brock, nbc news, miami >>> it's time for q&a on capitol hill today as the next phase of p

nbc affiliate wdsu killed in a plane crash on her way to the peach bowl, are speaking out to our sam brockabout their unimaginable loss and carley's legacy >> reporter: the connection between carley mccord and steven ensminger jr. was instantaneous. it took steven just a few months to propose. >> i'm going to cry, oh, my gosh. >> words can't describe the kind of person she is. >> reporter: a lifetime of love for family, community, and sports, suddenly upended last week when a private plane carley caught a ride on crashed shortly after takeoff, killing five people on board, with one survivor critically injured that morning, steven says he missed a text from carley telling him one last time she loved him. >> did you message her back after that, knowing everything that had happened? >> yeah. i message her back every day. >> reporting from the saints practice facility -- >> reporter: a sports reporter for espn and nbc affiliate wdsu, carley was on the way to the lsu/oklahoma bowl gam in atlanta >> she was a shining light that made you shine when she was in the room >> she loved everyone. love

sam brock reports from miami. >> reporter: in the middle of the caribbean -- >> exit! >> reporter: a powerful earthquake rattled the region. >> guys, there was just an earthquake. >> reporter: panicked people running from their homes and offices. >> there are about 180 of us were inside a ballroom, a giant ballroom when the floor started shaking. >> reporter: a massive 7.7 temblor off jamaica's northwest coast, sparking tsunami warnings across the region and several aftershocks. the quake even felt in south florida. >> it was like a subtle sway of the other buildings are kind of doing this. >> reporter: in miami, buildings were evacuated en masse firefighters now in downtown miami, just coming out of the building as we speak there were at one point so many people on the street, brickell avenue, that no one could move. >> reporter: back in jamaica -- >> whoa! that was intense. >> reporter: officials are now assessing the damage sam brock, nbc news, miami. >>> the impeachment trial of president trump now moves to its next phase after his lawyers wrapped up arguments this

this high school in south carolina taking a direct hit for more, nbc sam brock joins "uss from louisiana. good morning, sam. >> reporter: frances, good morning. in the middle of the night a tornado three times the size of a football field ripped through this area. a man in this house moved to the other house and moments later a tree split it in two people across the south grappling with unimagined devastation as tornadoes wreaked havoc in oklahoma, arkansas, louisiana and missouri and weeks of declaration and sobering e lt out there and said no way this is a tornado. >> reporter: in louisiana a haunting bnked by debris from homes a elderly couple was killed after a tornado threw their tornado feet the storm racing across the u.s. in five days bringing the worst severe weather in seven years so far, 11 lives lost. three each in alabama, texas, and louisiana. one in both oklahoma and iowa. in midway, arkansas, the giant footprint of a house all that is left now is cinder blocks and rubble. coast-to-coast catastrophe king tides in orion swept a family to sea and killing a 7-year-old girl an

carley mccord >> her heart she loved fiercely she had the biggest heart i've ever seen >> reporter: sam brock 1975 newnbc news, bato rouge. >> a heartbreaking tribute. >>> severe weather we're watching, especially in the south. al roker is here al, what are we looking at >> lester, heavy rain, already rainfall rate up to 2 inches per hour with this system. tomorrow it makes its way from the southeast into the northeast mid-atlantic states as well saturday, heavy rain the back side of this, snow will develop. by sunday it snowfall amounts from 2 to 6 inches of snow from chicago all the way t northeast. airport delago lester, i'll see you tomorrow morning on "today." >> see you then, al, thanks >>> today is the busiest day for returns across america. nbc's vicky nguyen has time-saving ways to make returns in tonight's "price you pay. >> reporter: maybe they meant well with those gifts. but let's face it, the race to return is on ups alone estimates it handled nearly 2 million returns just today, up 26% over last year, thanks in part to the rise in e-commerce >> we're starting to see all of thes

now nearly a year into the experiment, the surprising way people are using the money nbc's sam brocklifornia's central valley, stockton has seen its share of financial problems but is now bouncing back the city's embracing a radical new plan that's transforming lives. mayor michael tubbs is the architect. is stockton a good representation of what american cities look like right now >> i think absolutely stockton's a good representation in terms of the promise but also the peril. 23% of our population lives in poverty. >> reporter: now for 125 families, a monumental change in forte. in february, stockton kick started seed, funded with0 strings attached, to random recipients, chosen fro neighborhoods where the median income is roughly $46,000 a year >> here are the grapes >> reporter: they're betting people like laura plummer will spend wisely now nearly a year into it, she says the program's already bearing fruit. what does an extra $500 a month mean to you? >> ooh it means a lot because seriously before seed came along, i was paying a lot of bills and didn't know how i was going to e

. >>> let's get to sam brock. he's in louisiana looking at the damage from a tornado there. sam, good morning. >> reporter: savannah, good morning. the tornado that touched down here in louisiana was packing wind speeds of 130 miles per hour, strong enough to rip tree stumps as tall as i am out of the ground. some of the properties were spared. a tree split that house in two. the elderly man living inside able to get outside just in the nick of time. this morning, millions of americans are reeling from mother nature's wrath. >> something i never want to experience again. it was scary. it was really scary. >> reporter: after tornadoes tore through at least four different southern states, flash flooding forced rescues in mississippi and claimed a life in oklahoma. crews have been working around the clock to bring back power to thousands. the storm, part of a powerful system that raced across the country, so far 11 people have died. three in alabama, texas and louisiana, and one in oklahoma and iowa. that includes jerry and mary sue franks, a louisiana couple killed when a torna

. >> reporter: officials are now assessing the damage sam brock, nbc news, miami. >>> the impeachment trial of president trump now moves to its next phase after his lawyers wrapped up arguments this afternoon. now a new battle is intensifying over whether to subpoena john bolton. here is peter alexander. >> reporter: tonight the president's defenders dismissing that reported manuscript from ousted national security adviser john bolton. >> if you want to call that evidence, i don't woul call it u would inadmissible >> reporter: now the crucial question, will bolton testify following the "new york times" report that bolton in his upcoming book accuses president trump of tying ukraine's military aid to investigations into the bidens the president has denied bolton's allegation, democrats demanding republicans call bolton. >> all we need is four who rise to the occasion and say we need to find out the truth. >> reporter: tonight a third republican, alaska's lisa murkowski suggesting she might vote yes. >> mr. bolton probably knows some things that would be helpful for us. >> reporter: but

nbc's sam brock is near dallas with the threat of this storm. good morning to you, sam. >> reporter: kristen, good morning. there were tornado watches for hours in the dallas am metro area sending people into shelters, sirens blaring. the extent of it was largely isolated. but in irving you can see there's debris over this parking lot. it even ripped the siding off this hotel. with 50 million people still at risk. in a flash a complex system of storms suffocating the south overnight, a likely tornado ripping the roof right off this house in keys, oklahoma. as a little girl living inside frantically tries to locate her dog. and in texas 70 mile an hour wind gusts were so powerful they toppled a semi-truck. the driver miraculously uninjured. a volatile mix of rain, hail and several confirmed tornados sweeping through a cluster of states including louisiana and arkansas. but the overall impact much wider. radar shows the squall line stretching from texas up the spine of the country to the midwest and great lakes. 44 million people bracing for flood

that was sam brock from new orleans. it was fun watching his mom and dad in the stands. >> joe burrow? >> yeah. joe burrow's mom and dad it was a nail-biter. it made your stomach hurt if you were an lsu fans >> five touchdowns last night. 60 on the season >> you're okay with all of it? >> i am because it was a good game and clemson, they went 29-straight. >> and clemson played incredibly well >> and trevor lawrence will be back next season and joe burrow won't be in his way. >> what are you guys talking about? >>> how about we talk about the weather? let's talk about the weather >> oh, matt! >> mr. roker, what's up? >> we got a couple of storms, guys, coming at us a system that's just draping across the south, bringing more and more rain. flash flood watches and warnings out. we're looking at 2 to 3 inches of rain from louisiana into missouri the next storm comes across the great lakes, brings snow, showers, gusty winds through the south. and then thursday, gusty winds, bitter windchills. temperatures drop in the northea

sam brock joins us with the very latest from there. hey, sam. >> hoda, good morning. officials with the usgs say this morning's earthquake, which struck about 4:30 local time is the largest in a series of earthquakes that struck the island. they're calling the it main shock, all from the same location, part of the same sequence. officials say we're not really going to know the extent of the damage until the sun comes up today but we just confirmed a 77-year-old person has died when the walls came crashing down and at least two other people are injured. the 6.4 magnitude earthquake, hitting puerto rico this morning, five miles of the southwestern coast. it's the largest quake to hit the region since 1970. the power authority tweeting that one of the power plants is damaged. its aftershocks are being felt this morning. it's the strongest series of quakes striking the u.s. the territory in the last week. puerto rico. this morning's quake comes one day after a 5.8 magnitude tremor struck on monday, causing power outages, collapsing home and creating small landslides. and

sam brock, nbc news,stockton. >> that's an interesting content. >>> next, the bad, good, bad is and uglythe first week of 2020. liberty. liberty. ♪ (worried) i'm not picking it up. you pick it up! i'm not picking it up! i'll pick it up! they're clean! (raps) 'cuz my hiney's clean. oh yeah i'm charmin clean. charmin ultra strong just cleans better. enjoy the go with charmin. breathe freely fast, with vicks sinex. my congestion's gone. i can breathe again! ahhhh i can breathe again! ughh.. vicks sinex, breathe on you wanna see something thatamazing?ing. go to hilton instead of a travel site and you'll experience a whole new range of emotions like... the relaxing feeling of knowing you're getting the best price. these'll work. the utter delight of free wi-fi... . oh man this is the best part. isn't that you? yeah. and the magic power of unlocking your room with your phone. i can read minds too. really? book at hilton.com. if you find a lower rate, we match it and give you 25% off that stay. expect better. expect hilton. >>> before we move on, it's time to dissect the week that was. it's the

away breaking news, we find president trump has signed off on fema assistance in puerto rico. >> sam brock, thank you. mr. rogers says, look for the helpers in the tragedies sam found a couple that was nice. >>> al is back this morning. he has a first check of the weather, including what's this we're hearing about a late week winter storm >> we'll talk about that coming up let's look at what's happening today. we have snow squalls as the wind and front pushes through we have 43 million people from west virginia to new england airport delays from boston to d.c. wind gusts, 45 to 50 miles per hour here's the front pushing through. we may see snow squalls along the eastern seaboard, from boston to new york, all lake-enhanced snow and a cold start to this morning. it feels like 10 in new york minus 3 in binghamton. 8 in state college in d.c., 19 degree windchill that's what's going on around the country. we're going to get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds now, you can skip the line with walgreens express, get in and out quickly with 24-hour locations, or have your prescr

witnesses say one of the quake's lasted about 30 seconds and nbc's sam brock is in one of the hardest hit areas. >> reporter: laura and scott, good morning. we're in puerto rico which is one of the hardest hit regions on the south western part of the territory here. behind me a sample of the damage that we've seen. a two-story home that collapsed underneath the columns that are bent into an s shape. this is the kind of damage up and down the streets. there is a school that collapsed a few blocks away. there was some seismic activity overnight but this morning much calmer. though people still reeling from the 6.4 magnitude earthquake that struck tuesday morning. that is the worst earthquake they've seen in a century here according to the governor. now we do know that president trump approved fema aid overnight and some compelling stories of people helping other people and pets. that story coming up on "today." back to you guys. >>> we're looking over here toward the south bay. folks, we'll have a new crash. we have two spots. the first one is the crash north 101 at the 87 merger. we se

sam brock is on the ground in louisiana. >> i'm in haute, louisiana. a tornado three times as wide as a football field swept through here. the man who lives in that home got an alert on his phone and moved to the other side of the house and moments later a tree split it in two. tens of thousands of people at one point lost power. temperatures are dipped into the 30s. so there is a furious effort now to try to restore the power. we'll have much more on that and crazy tales of people escaping alive coming up on the "today" show. >> thanks, sam. >>> 5:25 now. and this morning in australia, fire crews are turning from defense to offense for the first time in weeks. thanks to a break in the weather. but it comes with sad news. a firefighter died from a falling tree binging the number of deaths to at least 27. now more than 2,000 homes have been destroyed and that fire has killed perhaps millions of animals, robbing the surviving animals of the regtation they eat. but recent days they have started air drops of food and this photo right here, you're seeing he

nbc's sam brock is in one of the hardest hit areas. >> reporter: good morning. right now we're in puerto rico which is one of the hardest hit regions on the southwestern part of the territory here. behind me just a sample of some of the damage that we've seen. a two-story home collapsed underneath the columns there that are bept into an s shape. this is the kind of damage we're seeing up and down the streets. there is a school that collapsed a few blocks away. there was some seismic activity overnight but this morning much calmer. people still reeling from the 6.4 magnitude earthquake. that is the worth earthquake they've seen in a century according to the governor. we do know that president trump approved fema aid overnight and compelling stories of people helping other people and pets. that story coming up on "today." back to you guys. >> thank you, sam. >>> uber now expanding a safety feature to all users. the ride share company offering riders a four-digit pin code to ensure they are getting into the right car. uber and lyft have been experimenting with pin

address it >> reporter: the league, now trying to advance the ball on a delicate topic for "today," sam brocke league done the right thing in the past perhaps not? is the league putting its money where its mouth is now it spent $25 million on this change initiative. they will be spending more we can look forward to seeing another psa around the super bowl, as well. >> right, money going to grassroots and other things. organizations trying to change things on the ground, as well. >>> just ahead, as the impeachment trial starts today, how does it compare to the last one that happened two decades ago? andrea mitchell explores some of the parallels and key differences, after this. your sh. you hear that victor? i'm getting a new she shi-er she shed. she shi-er? mhhm. that's wonderful news. home insurance trusted by more people than any other. state farm. ♪ ♪ there are rising reports of a zombie outbreak across the area. the national guard- sometimes you just want to stay in. enjoy the great taste of dunkin' at home. sometimes you just want to stay in. a lot will happen in your life. wrinkles just