tonight, the race to recover that u.s. drone brought down by a russian fighter jet. the rising tensions. moscow saying it will try to retrieve the drone wreckage from the black sea. what the u.s. says it did to keep sensitive data from falling into russian hands. defense secretary lloyd austin speaking to his russian counterpart for the first time in months. his message to the kremlin. and our new reporting. who approved those jets' aggressive actions? also tonight hundreds of thousands without power on the west and east coast. a nor'easter dropping

three feet of snow in parts of the northeast. in the west evacuations after storms bring rain and floods to california. now crossing the country. stocks falling on wall street amid fears another major bank could fail. the terrifying accident at a texas zoo. a tree falling on multiple people including a child. what we're learning. the high-stakes hearing. the judge in texas who could ban the abortion pill nationwide, even in states where abortion is legal. what happened in court? and america has a new favorite pup after more than 30 years. which breed beat out labrador retrievers to become the top dog. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. good evening, and welcome. after a dangerous confrontation in the skies, a warning tonight from russia to the u.s. not to fly aircraft near its airspace throwing the onus on the united states for that midair collision between a russian and american plane over the black sea yesterday. the u.s. making clear its pilotless

surveillance plane was flying legally in international airspace when it was knocked from the sky by a russian fighter jet that had been flying close and aggressively. the act raising alarms in the pentagon. secretary of defense lloyd austin confirming he spoke by telephone today with the russian defense minister, though not revealing the nature of their conversation. the u.s., however, accuses the russians of reckless and unprofessional behavior, and we have new reporting tonight on just how high up the orders came from in russia. peter alexander is at the white house with more. >> reporter: tonight, for the first time since that stunning confrontation in the sky between two russian fighter jets and an unmanned american drone, defense secretary lloyd austin revealing a rare phone call with his russian counterpart. >> and the united states will continue to fly and to operate wherever international law allows. >> reporter: russia tonight says it's trying to retrieve

remnants of the drone in the black sea, but the pentagon says it erased sensitive information. >> it probably broke up. there's properly not a lot to recover. >> reporter: the u.s. says russian jets made at least 19 passes by the drone in international airspace tuesday, even dumping jet fuel on it before clipping and damaging the drone's rear propeller. the u.s. then downed the $32 million drone into the sea. tonight officials here say it's unclear whether russia's actions were intentional. >> it is possible that this was just a reckless incompetent piece of aviating by the pilot but we don't know for sure. >> reporter: russia insists the incident was an american provocation and that its jet never touched the drone. but top republicans are demanding the white house warn russia about specific consequences if it happens again. >> president biden, you're the rodney dangerfield of world leaders. nobody respects you, and if you don't change your game and up your game, we'll

have world war iii. >> what consequence will russia face for its actions? >> we have communicated our deep concerns and condemnation of this to the russians, and i would also say that we are going to continue to fly in international airspace, and, number two, we're going to continue to support ukraine. >> peter, we've just learned who in russia the u.s. says gave the green light for this. >> reporter: lester, three officials familiar with the intelligence tell nbc news that russia's aggressive actions including dropping jet fuel on the drone were approved by the highest levels of russian leadership, but the actual collision with the drone, they say, was likely not intentional. lester. >> all right, peter alexander with the latest. thank you. hundreds of thousands are without power tonight after two major storms swept across both coasts. in the west thousands remain evacuated while in the northeast, millions are digging out from feet of snow. emilie ikeda is in the middle of it all. in upstate new york,

emilie, good evening. >> reporter: lester, this is an area used to winter weather, but as you can see in the drooping tree branches, this colossal storm dropped heavy snow, trouble for power lines too. tonight the northeast digging out from a dangerous deluge of rain and snow. >> this is the worst snowstorm i've ever plow ed. it's crazy. >> reporter: parts of the region unrecognizable now buried beneath three feet of snow. marking a preliminary record for massachusetts. the treacherous conditions didn't stop state police from rescuing a pair of hikers stranded overnight. while the snow tapered off, high-powered winds gusting above 60 miles an hour continue to wreak havoc on travel plans. >> delayed until 9:20 and it was supposed to depart at 3:15. >> reporter: thousands of more flights today delayed. this is the result of that heavy snow and whipping winds across the region. a tangled mess of downed trees and power lines leaving many

families without heat in frigid temperatures. >> people with families, kids, the elderly, and we have no heat. pretty crazy. >> reporter: the race to restore power for tens of thousands under way on both coasts. back-to-back storms blasted an already waterlogged california. >> i was devastated. i just started crying. i want to cry now. >> reporter: relentless rain collapsing this hillside today carrying apartments along with it, and in northern california, hurricane-force winds uprooted towering trees, ravaging apartments and crushing cars. >> too much lightning but then there was a big thud. >> reporter: today california's governor in monterey county where neighborhoods have remained flooded for days. a coast-to-coast cleanup as winter leaves a lasting mark. emilie ikeda, nbc news. it was another anxious day on wall street today with new worries about banks pushing down the dow 280 points after the collapse of silicon valley bank and signature bank. there are now concerns

about the health of major banks overseas. brian cheung is here. brian, what happened today? >> lester, the concern is that the bank issues we have here might be happening abroad too after the u.s. government stepped in to save depositors at two banks this weekend, swiss officials are now on watch for what's happening at credit suisse, a zurich based bank, 1 of the 50 biggest in the world bleeding deposits and the swiss national bank said today it could step inp if n. here in the united states, the focus is on california-based first republic. two agencies that rate corporate finances downgraded the bank today saying they worry about depositors pulling money too. first republic said over the weekend it was in strong shape but the stories here and broad underscore the concern of the drama in the banking sector being far from over. in texas a federal judge heard arguments in a lawsuit aimed at banning the most prescribed pill for abortions. it's been fda approved for more than two decades. as dasha burns explains, the outcome could have consequences nationwide.

>> reporter: anticipation in amarillo building for weeks as a case in this texas courthouse could restrict access nationwide to the abortion pill, the most commonly used method for terminating pregnancies in the country. a conservative judge appointed by trump could soon decide whether to issue a preliminary injunction blocking access to mifeprex, generically known as mifepristone. the fda approved it as part of a two-drug abortion regimen in 2000. both sides had two hours to present their arguments and the judge peppering them with questions. today was the first public hearing in the case. the judge delayed adding it to the public docket to avoid a circus-like atmosphere inspiring one group of demonstrators. >> i remember before roe v. wade and now i'm looking at it all over again.

>> i value life. i think itxtremely precious. >> reporter: the plaintiffs are challenging them arguing it didn't evaluate its safety and endangered women further when they made it available through telemedicine during the pandemic. the claims in the lawsuit are unsupported by any evidence, they say, and said in court today a ruling in the plaintiff's favor would amount to unprecedented action and would cause significant public harm. since its approval in 2000, the fda says more than 5 million women have taken mifepristone with 28 deaths associated with the drug. >> what happens here today will be felt by all americans no matter what your feelings are. >> reporter: a ruling that could radiate nationwide. dasha burns, nbc news, texas. after a string of near collisions, the faa had a safety summit today, and gabe gutierrez has the latest on a trend the transportation secretary calls deeply troubling. >> reporter: from the runway to the tower to the cockpit, the mantra is safety first, but after a string of alarming air

travel incidents, today the faa held a rare emergency summit. >> we can't wait for the next catastrophic event to seek the warning signs of today. >> reporter: so-called runway incursions have been on the rise since 2017. up from 1,300 back 1,600 last year as the acting head of the faa told lester, that's raised eyebrows. >> we can never be complacent. over the past few months there have been several more serious near collisions including one in january at jfk and one at washington's reagan national where a regional jet pilot rolled in front of a departing united airbus jet right before takeoff. >> cancel takeoff clearance. >> aborting takeoff. aborting takeoff. >> reporter: today's summit drew representatives from airlines, airports, unions and regulators. >> is the airline industry overstressed right now? >> that's something we have to look at. >> reporter: jennifer homendy chairs the national transportation safety board. >> what's going to

happen in the future when we have more of a congested airspace? >> reporter: the ntsb renewing its call for longer cockpit voice recordings. right now the devices in the u.s. only keep two hours before being overwritten. the ntsb wants 25 hours. >> we don't have cockpit voice recorders in any of the six runway incidents. >> reporter: meanwhile, the faa says it plans to hire 1,500 air traffic controllers this year, 1,800 next year. lester. >> gabe gutierrez, thank you. in texas today scary moments at the san antonio zoo. a tree falling onto visitors sending several people to the hospital. blayne alexander has late details for us. >> go, go, go. >> oh, my god. >> reporter: it took just seconds for this terrifying scene to unfold at the san antonio zoo. officials say a massive tree branch unexpectedly broke and fell injuring two adults and five children, one of them critically. it happened just after noon right in the middle of a busy

spring break holiday. >> we heard what sounded like fireworks, crackling noise. >> reporter: chris ryan was there with his two daughters and his wife captured these frantic moments. >> turned around and realized the branch was falling down and that crackling noise was the breaking of wood. >> reporter: he and others immediately rushed in to help. >> joined a group of people that were assisting this lady get up and get from underneath the branch and get on her feet. as we were doing that, she was yelling about her baby. >> how chaotic was this moment? >> it was -- i mean, it was very chaotic. a lot of screaming. there were people crying. there were a lot of people in pain. >> reporter: the zoo says its emergency teams quickly responded and began treating guests adding the police and fire department were there within minutes. the zoo says it will be open tomorrow. blayne alexander, nbc news. in 60 seconds, the new border crisis as a record number of migrants crossed the northern border. why so many are traveling to canada to reach the united

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we reported on the we've reported on the migrant crisis at the u.s. southern border, but tonight we turn our attention to america's other border to the north. julia ainsley and the record number of migrants coming into the u.s. from canada. >> reporter: tonight, america's newest border crisis. this one up north. >> it's definitely a huge issue. >> reporter: we are on an exclusive trip with local police patrolling near new york's border with canada. >> this is unheard of up here. i mean, i've never seen anything like this. >> reporter: the clinton county sheriff's office says they're encountering migrants, mainly mexicans, illegally crossing over at record levels crossings here almost ten times higher than they were last year. nearly 70,000 crossings over the entire northern border since october. >> there was a large number of people picked up. it was a busy weekend.

>> reporter: we arrive at a clearing in the woods, an area where sheriff david favreau says his team rescued 20 migrants including an elderly woman from frigid temperatures. we find clothes marking the path. these are footprints right along the canadian/u.s. border believed to have been left by migrants crossing over in the dead of night where they can be exposed to hypothermia and frostbite. this family recently found carrying a baby and toddler in subzero temperatures. >> they're coming out with these materials that absorb the moisture and then freeze, and they're freezing to their skin. >> reporter: officials say some mexican migrants believe there's a better chance they'll get into the u.s. through canada, and they can fly to canada without a visa. this man says he flew there and then crossed over. so far the spike in migrants here has not approached the record level at the southern border where last year there were over 2.3 million illegal border crossings. today the border patrol chief in a stunning admission acknowledging they don't have control of the southern border. >> does dhs have operational control of our entire border?

>> no, sir. >> reporter: we met khalid, a turkish migrant who crossed into the u.s. from mexico heading north thinking he'll have a better chance at asylum in canada. >> what's in canada for you? >> have a safer life. >> reporter: in new york, local residents tell us not knowing who may be coming through their woods at night makes them uneasy. local police tell us the biden administration is not doing enough. >> does border patrol need more people up here? >> absolutely. there aren't enough people to be able to cover all this. >> reporter: last week border patrol added 25 agents to this sector. some of them taken off the southern border. they say it will deter migration, but local police here say they need much more. lester. >> julia ainsley thank tonight, thank you. up next the big mobile merger and why ryan reynolds is about to score a huge payday.

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all of the above. i do it for exercise and because i love the puzzle. solving the puzzle. >> reporter: new research from mcmaster university in canada shows solving that puzzle is part of keeping her brain healthy. scientists have found that using gps does too much brain work for us. >> they're extremely convenient but they take the thinking out of it. they take the brain effort out of it, and it may be doing us a disservice in the long run. >> reporter: losing navigational skills can lead to cognitive decline, even dementia, but reading a map stimulating the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for mental mapping and memory. >> by turning the gps off and using a map instead to navigate through unfamiliar routes, we're training that part of the brain and it's less likely to decline. >> reporter: people who participate in orienteering are seeing memory is better and instead

relying on a map could be beneficial to your aging brain. >> one of the first symptoms associated with alzheimer's disease is a loss of our ability to get from point a to point b. this is why orienteering may be a beneficial way to stave off decline because it taps right into that thing that they're losing first. >> reporter: you don't have to get lost in the desert to get the brain benefits. experts suggest changing your usual route, turning off the gps on routine trips and getting lost on purpose. for kathy with a family history of dementia, her good old map and compass could be the key to keeping her brain sharp. >> yay. >> reporter: dr. john torres, cave creek, arizona. the new most popular dog in america right after this pause. and long live you. kisqali is a pill proven to help women live longer when taken with

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pause. finally tonight, america has a new top dog, but as sam brock reports, it's also unleashing a debate. >> reporter: to wear the crown of most popular canine, it's really a dog eat dog competition, but apparently america has spoken, and the answer is the french bulldog. >> my buddy. he's my best friend. the sweetest dog, crazy too. they're balls of energy. >> reporter: the frenchies lapping up the limelight after the american kennel club announced their registrations leapfrogged the previous title holder for three plus decades, labrador retrievers who have a bone to pick with that

dethroning, and so do their owners. >> i'm a lab mom for life. >> and why is that? >> because of my lifestyle and their lifestyle. >> reporter: third on the list, golden retrievers. are you surprised that the french bulldog is the most popular dog in america? >> they're expensive. they're cute, you know, but for me it's not for me. >> reporter: perhaps we should have seen this coming after the winner of this year's dog show was, in fact, a french bulldog. >> if it wasn't a healthy breed, i wouldn't have stuck with them. if it wasn't a joyful breed that loved kids, i wouldn't have been in it. >> reporter: critics called for more oversight on their breeding and bans based on their flat faces that can lead to a host of health issues, but as this owner points out, they're the perfect dog for modern day america. >> a french bulldog just wants to sit on the couch and watch tv with you. >> reporter: whether sleeping or showstopping, there's

clearly a new sheriff in town, sam brock, nbc news, miami beach. >> i wonder if they allow write-in candidates. i have an idea. >> that is "nightly news" for this wednesday. i'm lester holt. please take care of yourself and each other. good night.

oh my god! >> tracking troubled windstorm, power outages hitting hundreds of thousands of homes, taking a look at the cleanup effort across the way across the bay area. good afternoon, this is audrey, welcome to bay area news at 4:30 pm, we haven't seen anything like this in nearly 30 years, pg&e said it is the worst single day since

19,