here's tammy leitner. ♪ >> reporter: at miami's faith community baptist church, pastor police officers they come like they are coming to worship. we believe in the element of surprise. >> reporter: one day after a san diego teen opened fire in a s coming to an end because people are losing it. >> reporter: the message of hate all too familiar, after deadly attacks in sri lanka, new zealand, and last year at a pittsburgh synagogue. are you concerned? >> we're incredibly concerned. >> reporter: sherri zvi with the florida anti-defamation league says the shooting triggered a nationwide security advisory. >> people are feeling emboldened to not only speak hatefully but to actually act hatefully. >> reporter: recent attacks are prompting more faith-based security training, and at this tampa church -- >> i have my glock, so knowing that, people are here packing, i feel good about it. >> reporter: a shift in religion, as some worshippers are taking solace, knowing armed security are ready to react. tammy leitner, nbc news. >>> one day after a construction crane came crashing down in seattle,

>> tammy leitner, thank you. >>> dave price has the latest on these storms. dave? >> well, they continue to stretch all the way from northern new england to the florida panhandle marching toward the east. and at this hour, tornado watches posted through ohio, in through west virginia, kentucky, the carolinas down to georgia. and just before air time, posted in sections of maryland, virginia and our nation's capital. so we continue to watch that not only into the evening but through the overnight. this area now encompasses 87 million people in major population areas. damaging winds, tornadoes and hail all part of this program. and we continue not only to watch this, but a second set of issues over in the midwest. snow. let's go to some videotape and show you what it's like in chicago this evening. hundreds of flights, close to 1,000, canceled at o'hare and midway airport, and that's just part of the problem. as we head through the overnight, upwards of half a foot of snow falling in northern michigan. an awful end to the weekend and a tough morning commute ahead for

tammy leitner, nbc news, louisiana. >>> a 6,000 square-f fllfes and explosion on saturday.kers had been painting inside at the time of the blast which may have been triggered by fumes. w withn-li-threatening injurie. >>> with two days to go before elections in benmin netanyahu h made a controversial new proposal that appears to be aimed at gaining votes and winning a fourth term. critics say the move could jeopardize a long-term solution to the israeli-palestinian conflict. nbc's bill neely has more from tel aviv. >> reporter: this was a big last-minute promise from benjamin netanyahu in a close race. he says if he's re-elected he'll annex part of the west bank, seized by israel half a century ago, and home to nearly half a million settlers. a pledge aimed at winning votes from the ultra right who called for this for years. his deputy minister says president trump shouldn't be surprised by it. >> the assumptionen before pres obama and even the president bush that thosedereace agreemen angr at netanyahu's pledge. >> this is throwing the region as a whole into the cycle of vi

here's tammy leitner. >> good morning. >> reporter: at the age of 2 ben carpenter was diagnosed withpinal muscular atrophy. a disease that robs people of the ability to move. >> when he was diagnosed we were told he probably won't live until his next birthday, he may not breathe on his own, eat on his own. >> what was life like? >> it was really not knowing what exactly to do. >> reporter: but 22 years later ben has beaten the odds, and he believes it has something to do with the magic of this sport. >> there wasn't really anywhere where i fit in or really felt at home until power soccer came around. >> reporter: power soccer is a sport only for power wheelchair users. this group of professional athletes is second in the nation. ben is a mechanical engineer. his teammate is a software developer. >> they're just people. they just happen to use wheels instead of shoes. >> when you watch your son out there dominating, how do you feel? >> obviously i'm proud of him. but to see him where he is now and even though i know through the years he has regrets that his disease has progressed, he'

nbc's tammy leitner starts us off tonight from the storm zone. >> reporter: deafening wind tore through franklin, texas today in the moments before a storm hit the eastern part of the state. >> tornado on the ground headed towards franklin. >> reporter: houses flattened, residents shaken, rescuers responding. >> we've had significant damage in downtown franklin. multiple trees, power lines down. >> reporter: at least a dozen people were injured too seriously according to law enforcement. >> a strip of homes on the other side of town over here just completely gone. just gone. everything's gone. >> reporter: smith couldn't believe how loud it was. >> we could hear wind whistling and cars were -- sirens were everywhere. >> reporter: the rest of the state got hit hard, too. baseball sized hailstorms pummelled central texas and louisiana wasn't spared either. in shreveport lightening lit up the sky. while pounding rain throughout the state made driving dangerous. the bad weather across the southern u.s. also wreaking havoc on flights nationwide, causing over 600 delays and 300 cancellations.

tammy leitner has more on how some congregations are taking safety into their own hands. >>> at miami'saith community baptist church, this pastor said you would never know some of this parishioners are armed off-duty police officers. >> they come like they come into worship. we believe in the element of surprise. >> one day after a san diego teen opened fire in a synagogue, the fear being felt by the faithful across the u.s. >> reporter: the message of hate all too familiar after deadly attacks in sri lanka, new zealand, and last year at a pittsburgh synagogue. >> reporter: are you concerned? >> incredibly? >> reporter: florida with the anti-deaf mission league said the shooting triggered a nationwide security advisory. >> people are feeling emboldened to speak and act matefully. >> reporter: it's prompting more faith-based security training. and at this tampa church -- >> i have my gun. knowing people here are packing, i feel good about it. >> reporter: a shift in religion as some worshippers are taking solis knowing armed security are ready to react. tammy leitner, nbc news. ♪ ♪ right

nbc's tammy leitner has more. we want to warn you. these images are disturbing. >> shots fired! shots fired. >> >> reporter: three georgia officers. >> we're about to force entry. >> reporter: trying to save a pregnant woman and her 16-year-old son being held hostage. dramatic body cam video capturing the moment officer taylor webb is shot. a hail of gunfire. s.w.a.t. officer keegan merit shot in the hand. >> i'm hit. >> reporter: dragging himself to safety. a bullet shatters a window where this officer was just standing. more than 100 shots fired during the 15-hour standoff. backup arrives, freeing officer webb from this garage where he had taken cover. police trying to keep the shooter, 47-year-old anthony bailey, at bay. >> i have got a hostage. >> reporter: his pregnant girlfriend sandra white and her son were found inside killed. >> he was a single parent. he had a great future ahead of him. >> reporter: futures cut short despite the best efforts of these officers risking everything in the line of duty. tammy leitner, nbc news. >> absolutely horrible. >>> new developments i

and for me, i think this is an origin story of poetry. >> hey. >> reporter: tammy leitner, nbc news.ilies are formed in all different ways. you can't get any more unique than that. >> what a great close knit family. >> okay, time to let the shenanigans begin. it is april fools day. while you still may be getting your jokes and pranks together, some companies are going all out starting with google. the navigation google maps features a built-in game of snake. users can navigate different cities around the world creating an arcade game. there is a new screen cleaner tool that can wash away smudges and polish your screen. the files mascot will ricochet down your phone as if it were a tall building to remove fingerprints and other dirt. streaming device roku is pulling tricks announcing it has released the press pause remote. it's designed to make it easy for your dog to tune into their favorite tv entertainment. and soda stream has teamed up with astronaut scott kelly for a new product that turns excess gas into sparkling water. so, don't get pranked today. there are going to be prankst

tam tammy leitner is in texas. >> reporter: the youngest victims were just 3 and 8 years old. the family was out for a drive when a tree crushed their car. tornadoes ripped through texas, flattening towns across the lone star state. >> this is our house. it's gone. but i am so thankful tore alive. >> reporter: in al to, texas, rooms impassable, loam leveled, the gym at the local elementary school destroyed. deafening winds before the tornado touched down. >> a tornado on the ground outside of hearne, headed towards franklin. >> reporter: cars crushed, homes flattened, rescuers rushing rescuers rushing in. >> homes on the other side of town just gone, everything is gone. >> dozens of homes leveled according to law enforcement. >> we've neff seen anything this devastating before. >> residents still in shock. >> we could hear wind whistling and cars -- sirens were everywhere, it was terrifying. >> the rest of the state got hit hard, too. hail more than 3" wide pummeled central texas. louisiana wasn't spared either. in shreveport, lightning danced across the sky. pounding rain thr

tammy leitner joins us from the hospital where the brave officers are being treated. good morning. >> good morning. two officers were shot during this standoff and are here recovering after surgery. both are in stable condition but it will be a while before they return to work. >> shots fired, shots fired. >> reporter: these are the tense moments when three georgia officers tried to save an eight months pregnant woman and her 16-year-old son being held hostage. dramatic body cam video capturing the moment veteran s.w.a.t officer taylor webb is shot in the torso and hip his body camera falling to the ground, a hail of gunfire coming from the house as s.w.a.t. officer keagan merit is hit in the hand, before tumbling across the ground to safety. here, a bullet shatters a window where this officer was just standing. more than 100 shot were fired during the nearly 16-hour standoff outside of atlanta. back up arrives to free officer taylor from the garage where he had taken cover and where police found 39-year-old sandra white's body. but the shooter, 47-year-old anthony ba

just an awful, tragic story. >> awful, heartbreaking, tammy leitner, thank you. >>> this morning, the baylor lady bears and notre dame fighting irish are getting ready to face off in tomorrow nighwos n's championship. it comes after notre dame's coach made an impassioned plea for equality for women before last night's semifinals. nbc's kathy park is here with more. he's got a lot of people, including her opponent talking. >> she had a lot to say. muffy mcgraw is one of the most successful basketball coaches ever. she and her team are in the national championship tt.orrow ni this morning she's making headlines forer comments off the court. the notre dame basketball team and their coach muffy mcgraw. > i rish p out the huskies for a second straight year. >> mcgraw and the fighting irish knocking off the uconn huskies and their male coach, the two coaches barely acknowledging each other after the game. the victory coming after mcgraw made an impassioned plea for genderer equality in h sport and in society as a whole. >> i'm getting tired of the novelty of the first female governor of thi

police say a gunman is holding a child hostage after shooting and injuring two officer nbc's tammy leitner has the latest. >> reporter: a dramatic scene outside of atlanta tonight where police say a 16-year-old boy is being held hostage, barricaded inside a home with a gunman. >> reporter: that gunman opened fire on two georgia officers as they tried to enter this house earlier today. investigators say the officers did not return fire. both taken to the hospital and are in stable condition. >> two officers so our prayers go out for them. it was shocking. >> reporter: family describing one officer as a veteran. >> two tours in iraq, afghanistan and been on the force awhile. >> reporter: police domestic situation as a woman called police. she managed to escape. since then they have been communicating with the gunman that may know his teenage hostage. >> we hoped he would release the 16-year-old. he said we would. we're standing by waiting. >>> there are new fears in the measles outbreak sweeping parts of this country. a medical center in california is warning hundreds of people they may have

nbc's tammy leitner. a video. >>> let's head straight to the west coast where nbc's molly hunter is in l.a. you're not going to believe this. hundreds of people are now under quarantine amid this measles outbreak. what triggered officials to implement a quarantine? who exactly is it affecting? that sounds major. >> reporter: stephanie, it is major. it's unbelievable it's 2019 and nearly 300 people, mostly college students here at ucla and a nearby state, cal state l.a., are quarantined for 24 to 48 hours. they're looking at two exposures. one of the students was actually in france hall, who was exposed. they know he was here. they know he was at a nearby building. the numbers are staggering. for ucla it's 76 students, 6 faculty members. they're looking at april 9th quarantine. for cal state it's 71 students and 127 employees. that's from an april 11th exposure. that is extraordinary. now, university officials are saying they need everyone inside who can't prove they've been vaccinated. the vaccinations we

. >> tammy leitner, thank you. >> the leader of a group that is detaining migrants at the u.s. border is in custody himself. larry mitchell hopkins is expected in court after authorities arrested him for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. the 69-year-old leads united constitutional patriots. members held migrants in new mexico before turning them over to border patrol. >> we're turn to the deadly weather wreaking havoc in one of the most isolated countries. iran has seen two weeks of rain and flooding that killed at least 76 people and cost $2 billion in damage. we have the story from iran. >> not seen in iran and living memory. opening the floodgates of a crisis affecting some 2 million people. the deluge hitting almost 4.5 thousand cities. 9,000 miles of roads. soldiers, clerics and volunteers clear rubble and distribute supplies. mass evacuations forcing some of iran's poorest people to seek shelter. this man and his wife have middle to start with and now left with nothing except the clothes on their back. this looks like a lake, but it's a village swallowed

nbc's tammy leitner has the story. >> reporter: community prayers at this vigil last night for missing 5-year-old andrew friend. the boy so many called a.j. was last seen wednesday night at the family home in crystal lake outside of chicago. the next morning, he was gone. a massive search for a.j. continued throughout the weekend, but police say canines have only picked up his scent inside the family home, indicating he was not abducted. a.j.'s mom joanne cunningham in tears last week as her lawyer said she was innocent. >> ms. cunningham doesn't know what happened to a.j. and had nothing to do with the disappearance. >> reporter: a.j.'s father was questioned by police saturday. today, pleading for his little boy's return. >> i just want my son to come home. okay? >> reporter: we now know a.j. had a troubled life. in 2013, he was put in foster care, born with opiates in hysreturned home. but trouble for the family again in 2018 when his parents were investigated for neglect. and later his mother for both neglect and abuse. they were later cleared. since a.j.'s disappearance, the state

we want to get to nbc news' tally lighter tammy leitner who the ground there. >> reporter: texas wasck-to-back tornadoes. only about a thousand people here. 80 of their homes were damaged. the high school was damaged. the elementary schools were damaged. to give you an idea every single house on this street was damaged. this house over here completely wiped out and we're here with the homeowner byron. we have been watching you for the last two days go through your house, comb through it, sift through, look through anything you can save, take me back to the tornado. how did you survive this? >> just by the grace of god. you know, as i look back at it, i still wonder to myself how, you know, how did i survive this? because there ain't to way. >> reporter: it blew you actually through the back of the house. >> it blew me through the back of the door, through the house, the whole deal. >> reporter: amazing, amazing that you survived. thank you so much for talking to us and sharing your story. halle, just amazing stories of survival on this street. and in this community and all across the

for more on how this is impacting their community, we go to nbc tammy leitner. >> reporter: pastor gerald'swo sanity's congregation is visi visiting. >> what's done in the dark will be brought to the light. >> reporter: their church was destroyed. >> why? why would they do that? >> reporter: his is the third black baptist church to burn in ten ds in the s south losiana parish. a rural area where religion is present in most homes. >> the community is connected. we all belong to the same history. we all know eachther. >> reporter: shamika mallet is searching for answers. >>> do you think this could be racially motivated? >> yes. i think it has to do with race. >> reporter: her family has been attending saint mary's baptist for generation. her mother and grandmother are buried in the back. a authoritien't calling it arson yet, but say they found suspicious elements at each fire. >> we do believe that crimes have occurred. we believe that thehree fires obviously are not coincidence tal. they are related. >> reporter: there's a longy histf black churches being targeted in the south. pastortoussa

for more we go to nbc's tammy leitner. >> wraparound. >> reporter: as the skies opened up, cecil and his family linked arms and prayed. >> the goof was gone. the wall was laid out. i didn't go through the front door. it was already there. >> reporter: his grandson 6-year-old malachi was scared for his life. >> the house started moving and then i was just crying. i thought my mom was gonna get hit by the tornado. >> reporter: cecil's home, one of 75 buildings destroyed, when at least two tornadoes pummeled tiny alto, texas. >> i've been here all my life and it's hard. >> reporter: for chief jeremy jackson, it was personal. >> we couldn't protect them. it was out of our hands. >> reporter: 50 people injured here. 50 miles away another twister him. hymns for jason dylan creel, brothers who died when a fallen tree crushed their car. the local pastor sharing their family's heart break. >> they're hurting, no doubt. as i talked to the grandfather this morning, he said god's still good. >> reporter: nearby, franklin, texas, was devastated, too. mississippi wasn't spared, getting heavy torna

tammy lightni tammy leitner has more. >> reporter: it was quite the show in the courtroom, drama you would never see in a misdemeanor case but the defendant is a billionaire businessman and whatever happens in that courtroom will likely alter his legacy. >> they stand up here, theye , they shout, they scream. >> ts was no ordinary pretrial hearing. ers fighting from the start. at the crux of this hearing, whether video allegedly showing new england patriots owner robert kraft engaged in a sex act will be allowed during the trial. >> i needed to observe that the money these women were receiving was dirty money from clients paying for a sexual service. the defense had 30 witnesses on stand by, but the lead tectidete on the case was the only one to take the stand, providing intimate details into the investigation. >> there was one evening in question where a groupt of eigh males got off a golf cart, walked into the establishment, came back outside and i'll use the analogy, touch down jesus, lifted his hands and walked back inside. at that point, i understood that this was not just a reg

tammy leitner, thanks so much. maria la rosa is with us this morning with a look at where the storms are headed today. good>>morning. ood morning. that franklin tornado preliminary rating of ef 3, we're learning. one of 15 reported tornadoes over the last 24 hours,ng stretcrom texas all the way into alabama. more than 120 reports altogether. already tracking severe weather this morning, in fact, a nrn o watch has been issued for parts of georgia now, including atlanta and n to later on this afternoon. conditions mean watch ou heads up still favorable for severe weather. still favorable potential here, that area in orange, north carolinaoulear up t pennsylvania. the major hazard potential wind damage but there is als a threat for tornadoes once again. this powerful system will continue tostove to the drawing up warmth and moisture. showers and thunderstorms all the way to the northeast, even as we get into later this evening and overnight.l the rainf will add up about 1 to 3 inches, but there is also snow component.

nbc's tammy leitner is live in alto, texas, one of the hardest hit areas.f the damage there? the images look awful. >> reporter: good morning. the tiny community of alto, tex awas hit hard. this is a town of about 1,000 people and 80 of their homes and businesses were damaged. 50 people were injured. let me give you an idea of the destruction. the people in this house, they survived, but if you take a look at this house, it's hard to imagine how they survived. and every single family on this house, they have a story of survival. we spoke with one family, and they told me that they huddled together in the bedroom. and they prayed for 30 minutes as the tornado passed overhead. it blew off the roof. it knocked down the walls, and yet somehow they lived to walk out of that house. now if you look just beyond this house, there's another house that's completely flattened. we spoke with the police chief, and he has a very small department of only six people. and as they go through this community, he told me it's completely devastating for them because he knows ever

nbc's tammy leitner is outside the courthouse in jupiter, florida. morning. >> reporter: good morning, peter. here's the big questions, was this video leaked a who leaked it. an emergency motion was filed in court after it appears this video was being shot around to the highest bidder. it didn't take long, just one day after a florida judge blocked prosecutors from releasing surveillance video allegedly showing patriots owner robert kraft inside jupiter pa, the video allegedly surfaced. according to celebrity news web site the blast, someone offered to sellti porons of the video taken of the billionaire from orchids of asia day spa. and this report had lawyers rushing back to court for an emergency junction. the blast reporter and founder mike walters tells c news, the video appears to show kraft undressed laying on a table with his hands behind his head. the video appears to have been shotrom overhead, and that they were shown come a portion of it. he would not sayac who approd them or the price. after doing our due diligence, felt inclined not to go

for "today ", tammy leitner, nbc news. >> we were captivated by that. >> that guy, was it johnson who did it, who hit his practice swin d and theyn't call a penalty, that was crazy. >> i don't know. i feel like if i accidentally knocked my ball off the tee. >> that's the way you and i play.kn they played that way at augusta. >>> shall we talk about theat r? >> yes, let's talk aboutough th upper midwest. they cannot catch a brea from the snow. minneapolis saw close to ten inches. south of town re ic snowfall oelgtss two to four inches but enough to weigh down on the terees and p lines. winds very gusty. power outages are occurring out in that area. it going to remain 15 to 20 degrees below average.tu temperes will be pretty cold as well. we are looking for today's severe threat to go further south through louisiana and texas especially later this afternoon into this vening. hail, damaging winds, tornadoes all possible in this area. the rain up and down the northeast will exit by late morning and into early this on after rain amounts and snow out in the pacific northwest. that's a look

for "today ", tammy leitner, nbc news. >> we were captivated by that. >> that guy, was it johnson who did it, who hit his practice swing, and they didn't call a penalty, that was crazy. >> i don't know. i feel like if i accidentally knocked my ball off the tee. >> that's the way you and i play. i know they played that way at augusta. >>> shall we talk about the weather? >> yes, let's talk about the weather through the upper midwest where they cannot catch a break from the snow. minneapolis saw close to 10 inches, south of town we saw a little more ice. snowfall totals were 2 to 4 inches, it was enough to weigh down on the trees and power lines, winds were gusty, power outages are occurring out in that area, and it is going to remain about 15 to 20 degrees below average. temperatures will be pretty cold as well. we are looking for today's severe threat to go further south, especially down through louisiana and texas later on this afternoon into this evening, hail, damaging winds, tornadoes, all possible until th -- in this area. the rain . >>> and we have a pretty mild start. 50 degree

nbc's tammy leitner is in miami with the details. >> reporter: hey, there, kendis.was quite the show in the courtroom. drama you would never normally see in a misdemeanor case. but the defendant is a billionaire businessman and whatever happens in that florida courtroom most likely will alter his legacy. >> they stand up here, they yell, they shout, they scream -- >> reporter: this was no ordinary pretrial hearing. lawyers fighting from the start. at the crux of the hearing, whether video showing new england patriots owner robert kraft engaged in a sax -- in a sex act will be allowed during the trial. >> i need to observe that the money these women were received was dirty money from clients paying for a sexual service. >> reporter: the defense had 30 witnesses on stand-by but the lead detective on the case was the only one to take the stand friday. providing intimate details into the investigation. >> there was one evening in question where a group of approximately eight males got off of a golf cart and walked into the establishment and came back outside and did sor