bay area, tip-off 7:00. next on "nightly news," what caused that powerful new spacex rocket to explode just after tonight, the new severe weather threat after deadly outbreak of tornadoes terrifying moments as tornadoes sweep in, killing at least three people in oklahoma roofs ripped away, homes leveled, airplanes upended in missouri tens of millions of risk once again for massive hail and powerful storms. just breaking, criminal charges dropped against alec baldwin, who was charged with involuntary manslaughter, after that deadly shooting on the "rust" movie set. production slated to restart on the movie today. so why are charges being dropped now? just in tonight, president biden's plan to announce his bid for election as new details emerge on the hunter biden investigation and the criminal charges prosecutors have considered this spectacular explosion on the first test flight of a new

powerful new spacex rocket what caused it, and why nasa is still call calling it in a success. car repossessions on the rise as more americans struggle to make ends meet how to navigate the high cost of owning a car. cutting down on food waste to combat climate change the amazing school that's making sure less ends up in the landfill in our series "climate challenge." and finding a signature moment with the coach who helps people tune up how they write their names. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt >> good evening and welcome. violent weather has exacted a heartbreaking toll this spring. the rate of tornado deaths in the u.s. rapidly outpacing last year and tonight, another community and state are reeling in the aftermath of a deadly strike people in mcclain county, oklahoma, found themselves in the literal path of disaster as a massive funnel cloud bore down last evening at least three lives

were lost in what the weather service has now classified an ef-3 tornado that left people trapped, ripped apart homes and businesses, and took out power for thousands. powerful winds from that same system tossing about small aircraft in missouri the oklahoma fatalities bringing to 66 the number of tornado deaths this year close to surpassing the 71 we see in an average year and this evening, more potential trouble on the horizon. catie beck starts us off now from oklahoma. catie, a devastating scene there tonight. >> reporter: that's right, lester. people here in cole, oklahoma, are still assessing what was lost overnight while millions more are now bracing for another round of powerful storms tonight, residents of cole, oklahoma, are picking up the pieces. sifting through piles of rubble where their homes once stood after danger swept into town late wednesday >> there's a tornado

>> reporter: the dark funnel cloud captured on video rain, hail and lightning striking around it. the national weather service preliminarily confirming an ef-3 tornado, claiming the lives of three people. >> she was the only one here. >> reporter: 19-year-old joseph davis says his grandmother, who he lived with here, was one of them. he was at work when the storm took hold. >> most of my stuff is completely destroyed there was another house right there. as you can see, it's been completely destroyed. >> reporter: the powerful winds overturning trucks, leaving businesses in mounds of rubble and thousands of residents without power. >> the whole house shook, and the windows and everything and, of course, the kids were scared. >> reporter: in nearby shawnee, a school gymnasium now unrecognizable and in kansas, a semi-truck sent sideways off of i-70 >> that's my granddaughter's bed right there up in the trees. everything is gone. >> reporter: back in cole, anthony mumi is thankful to be alive he and four family members were inside when his house was tossed into the air,

the walls collapsed around them. >> stuff flying everywhere i'm just hoping. hoping i'm on the outside and they're all underneath stuff. >> reporter: all five escaped with bumps and bruises. mumi lost his home and his business but not his hope he says he is standing on it. >> it gets worse, but we're alive. that's the main thing. we can rebuild lives is not something you can replace. >> reporter: catie beck, nbc news, cole, oklahoma and bill karins joins me now bill, what's the outlook for the rest of the evening >> good evening, lester we're hoping to avoid what we saw in oklahoma last night. so far so good, but we still have numerous hours to go into the overnight. we're watching a 1,200-mile-long line from south texas all the way up into areas of southern wisconsin of severe storms possible over the next couple hours this does include a tornado watch northern illinois, southern wisconsin. that's where our best chance of getting a tornado will be over the next couple of hours.

and close to milwaukee and chicago, we have to watch that closely. and then we could see huge hail. we've already had three-inch hail, which is baseball-sized in illinois we could have a repeat of that from waco to austin to san antonio. and in case you're wondering what we have to deal with as we heads toward the weekend, we get a little bit of a break tomorrow, marginal risk in louisiana and mississippi. but watch out on the southeast coastal areas on saturday. a chance for severe storms. >> it's been a tough spring, bill thanks very much we have late-breaking developments in the legal case against alec baldwin tonight his lawyers say all criminal charges against him will be dropped for the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of his movie "rust. miguel almaguer reports. >> were you in the room >> holding the gun, yeah. >> reporter: 18 months after alec baldwin was involved in the fatal shooting of cinematographer halyna hutchins, tonight the bombshell announcement from his attorneys the actor will no longer face criminal charges. "we are pleased with the decision to dismiss the case against alec baldwin," they write "and we encourage a proper investigation into the facts and circumstances of this tragic accident. the stunning reversal

appearing to clear the 65-year-old of involuntary manslaughter charges what's the bottom line here was there enough evidence here for a conviction >> i think the bottom line is that there was a rush to judgment and that there was never enough evidence against baldwin to begin with. >> reporter: with the santa fe district attorney's office, tonight nbc news has not independently confirmed what multiple outlets are reporting. the gun used by baldwin had been modified with a new trigger, making it possible to misfire as the actor said the legal debacle the latest victory for baldwin. in february, his lawyers successfully argued the gun enhancement charge, which carried five years in prison, should be dropped. do you believe alec baldwin should go to prison >> you know, it's not my call right now to believe whether he goes to prison or not. >> reporter: then in march, the special prosecutor stepped down from the case after baldwin's team said she posed a conflict of interest >> it seemed like the prosecution just kept

hitting hurdles along the way. and then the new sets of prosecutors that took over said why have we inherited this kind of mess >> reporter: the unraveling of legal charges comes on the very same day "rust" resumed production. this time at montana's yellowstone film ranch, now alongside director joel souza, who was also shot. tonight no comment from baldwin himself, who is back on set and apparently clear of criminal charges >> and, miguel, obviously this is a big development for alec baldwin but what about pending charges against other crew members >> reporter: lester, the attorney for hannah gutierrez-reed, the film's armorer, says she still faces a charge of involuntary manslaughter that case is moving forward. meantime, assistant director dave halls has already reached a plea deal in the case, six months probation lester >> all right miguel almaguer tonight, thank you we have new details this evening about president biden's plans to announce his campaign for reelection kristen welker is at the white house.

kristen, this could all happen very soon >> reporter: lester, that's right three sources familiar with the plans tell nbc news president biden is preparing to make his intention to seek a second term official next week with advisers eyeing an announcement as soon as tuesday. mr. biden would launch his candidacy with a campaign video message, the sources said now the president has teased his reelection announcement for weeks now, even telling our al roker during the easter egg roll he is planning to run. mr. biden is facing headwinds with low approval ratings in most polls, and even some democrats have expressed concerns about the 80-year-old seeking a second term. now, look, aides say there is one important caveat to all of this. the plans could always shift and aren't official until the announcement is out. still, this could all be teeing up a rematch between president biden and former president trump, who is currently the front-runner in the republican race. lester >> all right kristen, thanks. meanwhile, we have learned new information tonight about the criminal investigation into the president's son hunter biden. plus, an irs agent involved in that probe

is now asking for whistle-blower protection hallie jackson now with late details. >> reporter: new nbc news reporting tonight on the potential criminal charges federal prosecutors have considered against the president's son. three tax crimes and a charge related to a gun purchase, according to two sources familiar with the matter but after a years' long investigation, no charges have been brought, and now a new allegation the president's son is getting preferential treatment. in a new letter to congress, an irs special agent is asking for whistle-blower protection, citing his work in a high profile case but a source familiar with the matter, who also verified the letter's authenticity, confirms it is the hunter biden investigation. >> he would never forgive himself if he just sat there and said nothing >> why should people believe that your client is not motivated by political considerations in coming forward here? >> in terms of credibility, he's willing to be cross-examined he is willing to be tested he has documents that support some of the assertions he wants to make. >> reporter: the agent

has allegedly seen clear conflicts of interest and preferential treatment and politics improperly infecting decisions. last month, the attorney general making this pledge about the case overseen by a trump-appointed u.s. attorney in delaware >> he is not restricted in his investigation in any way. >> reporter: two senior law enforcement officials describing to nbc news growing frustration inside the fbi because federal investigators finished the bulk of their work about a year ago and suspect political interference is delaying the process >> apparently, it's about the department of justice having a bias here. >> we surely are curious to see if this is being slow-walked >> reporter: no comment from the justice department or irs, but the white house says the president's keeping an appropriate distance >> he believes in the rule of law. he believes in the independence of the justice department >> reporter: hunter biden, shadowed by a series of republican-led investigations, with his attorney saying it appears this irs agent has committed a crime by sharing private tax

information and had denied my client protections that are his right. >> there is a means for whistle-blowers to come forward and still to protect the rights of individual taxpayers. and that's what's happening here i think any kind of attacks on him personally is unfortunate. >> reporter: the agent's attorney says his client is not partisan and is insistent on speaking to both democrats and republicans if he does end up testifying. lester >> hallie jackson, thank you. the first test flight of a powerful new spacex rocket some day destined for the moon and beyond ended with a spectacular explosion today just minutes after launch we get more now from stephanie gosk >> three, two, one >> reporter: spacex's starship, the brainchild of billionaire elon musk, had liftoff. >> what a sight from the ground. >> reporter: and then the uncrewed flight had some problems. >> it does appear to be spinning. >> reporter: this was supposed to be moment the spacecraft separated from the super heavy booster. >> just experienced what we call a rapid

unscheduled disassembly. >> reporter: what is an unscheduled disassembly? it kind of looked like an explosion. >> rapid unscheduled disassembly is the spacex code for very large explosion. >> reporter: but even so, this was not a failure for spacex. >> and even getting a few minutes of flight like they did is incredible progress for them purely on the basis of the data that they're going to receive from that flight. >> reporter: musk's company has its eyes on eventually sending people to the moon and mars spacex is working with a $3 billion nasa contract there have been some dramatic explosions. but today the nasa administrator congratulated the company. "every great achievement throughout history has demanded some level of calculated risk," he wrote, "because with great risk comes great reward." musk spoke about risk with nbc news in 2021. >> this is -- space is risky. more than anything else, i just want to make sure we do everything possible to

maximize the safety of the crew >> reporter: musk says valuable lessons will be learned from today. another test launch is scheduled in a few months stephanie gosk, nbc news in 60 seconds, car repossessions skyrocket as more americans have trouble making their payments. what you can do the ease the pain and prevent a problem. with wetet amd, somemetimes i i worry my w world isis getting s smaller because ofof my sight.t. but t now, i can openen up my wororld withth vabysmo.. vabysmo o is the firirst fda-a-approved t treatment for peopople with wewet amd thatat improves s vision and delivevers a chancnce for up t to 4 monthshs betweeeen treatmenents. whicich means dodoing momore of whatat i love. ♪ vabysmsmo is the only trereatment designed t to block 2 causeses of wet amamd. vabybysmo is ann eye ininjection. don't tatake it if y you have an infecection or acactive swelelling in or aroround your e eye, or are allllergic to i it or any of itsts ingredienents.

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day, then travels for her new job in pharmacy operations is a thousand dollars behind on car payments and on the list to have her car repossessed. have you had to choose between car payments and other bills? >> absolutely. i've had to choose to have my rent late. >> reporter: all the while knowing she could wake up any morning to find her car gone have you lost sleep over this? >> oh, of course. >> reporter: that nightmare a reality for a surging number of families nationwide after tumbling at the start of the pandemic, the rate of american borrowers dubbed severely delinquent, or at least 60 days overdue on their car payments, is up nearly 18% from a year ago. that same rate for subprime borrowers up 40% in the last 2 years. repo agencies say the impact is obvious. the number of cars referred to you by the banks to get repossessed has tripled? >> correct it's all about inflation. you know

the price of fuel, price of food, and a lot of the customers can't keep up with their car payment and feed their family. >> reporter: especially given climbing car prices. the average monthly new vehicle payment hitting an all-time high of $730, many boosted by rising interest rates >> most americans need vehicles, we know that, they have to get from "a" to "b." and not only are there not a lot of affordable options, there are also not a lot of affordable loans. >> reporter: auto experts' advice for those struggling to make their payments? reach out to your lender ask about that grace period or loan restructuring. finally, don't buy cars based on monthly payments. >> buy it based on the price and save as much money to put down on the car. borrowing money costs money. >> reporter: tips to try and curb a troubling trend that is leaving more families running on fumes. maggie vespa, nbc news, detroit. still ahead, you'll meet the school kids fighting food waste, and the simple things you can do to help save the planet kikids fightining food wawaste, and t the simple ththings you c can do to help s save the plplanet. i e fromom my antidedepressant.. vraylalar helpeded give it a a . addingng vraylarar to a an antideprpressant.... ...is s clinicallyly proven

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as you sit down to dinner, how much of your plate will go to waste? in tonight's "climate challenge," anne thompson visits with students who are going above and beyond to make a change that experts say can have a serious impact on the planet >> reporter: lunchtime at hilliard horizon elementary, and the cafeteria is a classroom. students sorting their waste better than adults ever do when you get older, are you going teach your kids how to do this >> yes. >> reporter: what's motivating the kids? >> i think trying to do the right thing for the planet, for the environment. >> reporter: each year, food loss and waste in the u.s. produces emissions

equal to the planet warming carbon dioxide from 42 coal-fired power plants at a share table, students leave their unopened items for someone else >> people who made the food, they take a lot of time just to make it for us. >> reporter: this, along with curbside composting, are part of an effort in central ohio to cut food waste in half by 2030 the challenge, as you can see, is enormous look at this here we have some lettuce, an apple core, onions, everyday food waste that will ultimately end up in landfills. but very quickly, it all adds up. joe lombardi runs the solid waste authority of central ohio. >> about 15% of what you see here is going to be food waste in there. >> reporter: and is that your biggest single item? >> it is it's a million pounds a day coming into our landfill, just food waste. >> reporter: lombardi says an initial effort saw a 21% decrease in

food waste after focusing on money as motivation >> it's an economic issue. an individual household of four spends almost $2,000 a year on food that is wasted >> reporter: so if you can save all this money, why are people so reluctant to do it? >> it's -- it's just awareness. it is a subject that when you hear "food waste," it's kind of icky. >> reporter: icky doesn't keep riley savage from bringing her lessons home does it make sense to you to do all this work >> i mean, yeah. because it literally takes you seconds. >> just put it in the compost. >> reporter: connecting the dots for her mom jennifer what's the most important lesson riley has taught you >> i think not to compartmentalize things you know, it's not just about the food. it's just doing what's right. >> reporter: making school lessons life lessons. anne thompson, nbc news, columbus, ohio we wanted to update you on a report we brought you last week nbc news has learned a guatemalan migrant featured in a "nightly

news" story who said he was a minor while working overnight cleaning at a slaughterhouse in kansas is actually 21 years old. the young man had initially told nbc news and the u.s. government he was 16 to read more about how we went to guatemala to verify his age, visit nbcnews.com. and we'll be right back after a short break. break. so youou got an awawesome netwt. (seth)h) and whwhen i switctched, i goto chchoose the p phone i wanante. for frfree. not brbragging. (cecilily) you're braggining. (neieighbor) oh, he's braggingng. (seth)h) who, m me? never. . oh, excuse. hello,o, your royayal highne, sir.r... (cecily)y) okay, , that's s a brag. (s(seth) hey,y, mom. i gogotta call y yo. (vo) switch andnd choose ththe phoneu want,, likeke the increredible iphoho, on us. (cecilily) on t the networkrk worth brarag about. (vo) veririzon ♪ limu emu & doug ♪ hey, manan. nice pacace! clearly, y you're a safefe driver.

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like the way it looks? well, now you can even get a makeover for that here is gadi schwartz. >> reporter: john hancock's was bold mozart's musical treasury secretary jack lew's was just weird. oprah's is on brand. and picasso's signature? what's a picasso but what if you need a little help with yours? on a given week, how many signatures are you working on? >> try to meet 25 a day. >> reporter: what? 25 a day >> yeah, 25. mind you, it's 25 orders >> reporter: priscilla molina is a signature coach. she runs a design business, planet of names. and she is big on tiktok people pay her to turn their chicken scratc into autograph worthy art work >> a lot of people, particularly like soccer players and basketball players, are ones still giving out their autographs >> reporter: because how you can sign your name can say a lot about you. priscilla says for a generation never having learned cursive, having a striking signature irl makes a person feel confident.

>> to me, it's a portrait of your name. you have the freedom to use your name and design something that you want for yourself. >> reporter: a little nervous, i brave the wrath of her critical eye. i am embarrassed to show you my signature. >> i'm looking forward to seeing it >> reporter: are you ready? >> yes okay yeah >> reporter: but her designs were beautiful. that's awesome that's awesome you're a genius. this is crazy. >> thank you >> reporter: with a little practice, i was on my way. this must be what it feels like to have makeover for those that are going to watch this story, and they're going to realize that their signature is just trash, what's your advice to them? >> practice. i would say practice and have fun with it honestly, that's what i do i just have fun. >> reporter: wise words from a woman who is making quite the name for herself and a name for the rest of us, too. gadi schwartz, nbc news. >> already improving, gadi. looking good that's "nightly news" for this thursday i'll stick with the signoff. thanks for watching. i'm lester holt. please take care of

yourself and each other. good night, everyone er holt. please take care of yourself and each other. good night, everyone.

right now on nbc bay area news tonight, a devastating blow to oakland and a's fans. the a's are buying land for a ballpark in las vegas. so what happened? >> i think we're all disappointed. we put so much into our waterfront vision, and to not have success based