on this sunday night, landslide victory. the overwhelming win in france as a centrist political outsider becomes president, defeating the far right anti-immigration candidate. tonight a deeply divided american ally tries to move on. moving to mexico. the american factory where hundreds of union workers are losing their jobs. no deal worked out by president trump for them. not so safe as a plan takes shape to create safe zones in syria. we will go to one camp where tens of thousands still live in fear of the war. secret mission. the american mystery plane that came back today after almost two years in space. its purpose? classified. and home sweet home. why more and more seniors are finding the house of their dreams in a place you might not expect. nightly news begins now.

♪ >> announcer: from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with kate snow. >> good evening. the vote was decisive in france today. a rejection of the far right candidate marine le pen and a big victory for centrist emmanuel macron. the main themes of the election so familiar now, nationalism versus globalism, and in this case the growing tide of populism appears to have receded. congratulations poured in from leaders around the world including president trump as macron vowed to address what he called his country's social fractures. we get the latest from matt bradley in paris. >> reporter: a campaign full of surprises ends without one. emmanuel macron will be france's next president. he is a former investment banker who wants to reform france's economy and strengthen the european union.

with most of the votes counted, he trounced anti-immigrant populist marine le pen by about 65% to 35%. after a last-minute hacking scandal, bitter debates, allegations of fake news and rare interventions from american politicians -- >> i have admired the campaign that emmanuel macron has run. >> reporter: the campaign revealed how deeply split france is. france's political divisions run especially deep here in marseille. marine le pen enjoys a lot of support in france's second city despite a massive immigrant population. a third of the city is muslim. >> i'm muslim, but it is not right in my front muslim. i'm a french citizen. >> reporter: le pen supporters here say they aren't racist, they just want immigrants to assimilate. just weeks ago, two french jihadis were arrested here, accused

of planning a terror attack, the latest of many. stefan ravallier is a local mayor and leader in the national party. it is not the color of the skin that's important but the color of the flag, he told me, the blue, white and red. when one adopts these colors you become french. but for many talk of integration sounds like racism in disguise and it won't go away with marine le pen. >> integration that's around, we don't need integration. we need justice. >> reporter: the kind of justice that macron hopes will transform france. well, french voters dealt a massive repudiation not just to marine le pen but to the anti-immigrant, anti-european politics that she represents. looks like that populist wave that had washed across the u.s. and brichbt has crashed here tonight on french shores. >> matt bradley in paris tonight. in this country, the next chapter in the health care debate began this weekend with new claims and concerns from the

president and his top aides, key lawmakers and concerned citizens. after the house passed the bill on thursday, it now moves to the senate. nbc's kelly o'donnell has the latest. >> reporter: though the president stayed out of public view at his new jersey estate for nearly three days, today his team was on television, pushing for more action on health care. >> we also believe that it is up to the senate if there are improvements to be made to make those improvements. >> reporter: visible on twitter, the president pressured his own party. republican senators will not let the american people down. obamacare, the president declared, was a lie and it is dead. a very different reaction at town hall meetings where constituents is vented and even booed. idaho republican raul lab rag door who made this claim. >> nobody dies because they don't have access to health care. >> reporter: but with concerns about coverage for those with preexisting

conditions on "meet the press" secretary tom price said most americans would not see a change. >> if you have medicare, if you have medicaid, if you have insurance through the va or tricare or through your employer, none of this affects you in the preexisting illness or condition discussion that we're having. >> reporter: but democratic senator dianne feinstein says rushing is dangerous. >> i'm really very worried that in the rush to judgment we create a major health care problem for people. >> reporter: and while there is political pressure on the senate including the president planning to be involved himself, it will likely take months before they take up their own version of a health care reform bill. kate. >> kelly, i sat down with former republican candidate for president carly fiorina. i asked her as a cancer survivor herself whether she is concerned about the bill's treatment of people with preexisting conditions. >> there's a lot of concern from opponents of this house bill that it leaves people with preexisting conditions in the

lurch. >> well, it would concern me if there was no way to help people with preexisting conditions. obviously it is critically important that we do. on the other hand, high-risk pools have worked in states before, and i think it is the right answer for folks. >> and you don't worry that those high risk pools create a pool of people who are then going to having higher premiums? >> i think that's why $8 billion has been set aside. i also think that it is a fallacy to say the federal government, the big federal government miles away from most people is going to care more and do a better job than state governments who are closer to their people, more accountable, therefore, to their people. >> kelly, what are the chances that what goes to the senate now matches what passed in the house or will it be substantially different? >> reporter: well, kate, essentially the senate can start over and use the house bill as a shell, writing their own ideas.

and senate leadership last named 13 republican senators, all of them men, to be part of a working group. they've already begun trying to deal with ideas, different approach else on some of the most controversial and complicated elements for health care reform. so some of what carly fiorina is talking about will be part of the senate discussion. what it ends up looking like is probably months off. kate? >> a lot more discussion to come. kelly o'donnell , thank you. you can see more of my interview with carly fiorina on our nightly facebook page and more tomorrow on msnbc. president trump of course, has made keeping jobs from leaving the country and bringing them back to the country a centerpiece of his administration. but economists warn he will have a tough time reversing the trend despite claiming an early success at an indiana company owned by carrier corporation. at another factory down the road, the workers are not so lucky. >> reporter: in indianapolis the end of the line is coming for 300 workers at a

rexnord, a global industrial company closing up shop here after 60 plus years. >> to relocate its indianapolis operations to an existing rexnord facility in mexico. >> reporter: american jobs headed to monterrey, mexico. this single mother just worked her final shift. >> i didn't think i would be leaving today, you know. i thought 20 years from now i would be retiring from this place. >> reporter: six months ago , president trump called the company out on twitter for, quote, viciously firing its employees vowing no more. unlike the deal he brokered at a nearby carrier plant. >> the plant you are talking about that you said ain't moving are moving. >> reporter: no deal to save these jobs despite union rallies. trump voter kyle beamer was laid off last month after ten years. >> in the long run he has done forgot about us because he's moved on to bigger and better things. >> reporter: now he hopes he doesn't have to part with his prized mustang to make ends meet. gone are $25 an hour american wages for $3 an hour mexican pay,

more than $15 million in savings rexnord says general office positions are being retained, the company added, and new non-union jobs created in texas. >> it is hard to argue $3 an hour versus $25 an hour from the company's perspective. >> we're the ones that made them wealthy. i mean that company is highly profitable. >> they had a "made in america" sticker on it. people take pride in that. >> reporter: the parting shot, workers were offered an additional $4 an hour to train their replacements. >> for me taking that extra money and showing someone else how do my job, not a chance in the world. frustrations and uncertainty amid white house promises to bring manufacturing back. ron mott, nbc news, indianapolis. overseas there's a new attempt to reduce violence and protect civilians caught up in the war in syria. a deal to establish more safe zones aimed at halting fighting between government forces and rebels in certain areas. the plan was worked out by russia, turkey and iran, but policing safe zones presents major challenges.

nbc's bill neely reports from jordan on the border with syria. >> reporter: in a wind swept corner of syria, a so-called safe zone and 80,000 people, surviving in tattered tents, a desert of human misery. victims of syria's seven-year war. a safe zone or at least it is meant to be, but the jordanian military pilot who took us in wouldn't fly over it. no government controls it. aid agencies can't get to it. the isis fighters these people fled from are inside it. 4,000 of them, according to the jordanian army. >> they have almost a whole weapon system, you can't imagine. we consider it as an imminent threat. >> reporter: an imminent threat? >> imminent threat in this part of the borders. >> reporter: isis uses the camp to attack jordanian troops with

suicide bombs, killing seven here. president trump has discussed safe zones with jordan's king and with vladimir putin. he'd like more of them in syria. to be truly safe, a zone like this needs to be protected not just by troops on the ground but by planes in the air. and neither jordan nor the u.s. is willing to commit to that. president trump did fire cruise missiles at syria after a calling a suspected chemical attack on civilians by the regime an affront to humanity. but enforcing safe zones may be a step too far. what the united states needs to work out are what are its priorities here, is it fighting isis or is it potentially losing lives and fighting a war to protect refugees like we see here? safe zones may not turn out to be very safe for anyone.

bill neely, nbc news on the syrian/jordan border. since he left office former president barack obama has kept a fairly low public profile, but tonight he is back in the spotlight accepting this year's profile in courage award at the john f. kennedy presidential library and museum. the award is named after kennedy's pulitzer prize winning book celebrating public service. nbc's rahema ellis has more tonight from boston. >> reporter: at the 2004 democratic convention in boston, barack obama's passionate speech. >> we are one people, seemed to reaffirm the american dream. >> there's not a black america and a white america and latino america and asian america. there's the united states of america. >> reporter: suddenly, a new political rock star emerged on the national stage, young and idealistic. amoba is elected to the u.s. senate and publishes a best-selling book, "the audacity of

hope." with early endorsements from ted and caroline kennedy, barack obama became the first black president of the united states. his family once again recognizes obama with this year's prestigious profile in courage award. >> president obama brought in a new generation as president kennedy did, and transformed this country. >> reporter: from ending more than 50 years of sanctions against cuba to clean air and health care reform. >> we are not a nation that scales back its aspirations. >> reporter: former republican presidents gerald ford and george h.w. bush have received the award, but obama is the first democratic president. >> usually as a president moves from politics into history americans tend to appreciate him more even if he was very controversial at the time. >> reporter: valerie jarrett was obama's senior adviser. >> he was able to soar above a lot of the kind of toxic rhetoric that you hear in

washington, and by every single indicator, he's moved our country forward. >> reporter: but now that his signature achievements are challenged by a new administration -- >> make no mistake, this is a repeal and a replace of obamacare. >> reporter: how far he moved the country is still an open question. president obama will be joined by first lady michelle and joe biden. inside, more than 700 guests watched as caroline kennedy and her son jack, president kennedy's only grandson, present the profile in courage award. live courage tonight on msnbc. kate. >> thanks so much. still ahead tonight, one city's lack of affordable housing brought into focus by a deadly warehouse fire. tonight survivors cost about the staggering cost of living in the bay area. .

authorities in oakland, california, have yet to determine what sparked a warehouse fire that kills dozens of people back in december. the death toll so high in part because skyrocketing rent forces many in the bay area to find shelter in places not designed for residential living. nbc's steve patterson has our report. >> reporter: 36 lives lost when flames ripped through oakland's ghost ship warehouse, an illegal living space that became a death trap. >> i had maybe 30 seconds to grab a head lamp, grab my cat, make it to the door and get out. fire waits for no one. >> reporter: former

tenant micky survived and says people were living there because the bay area has no affordable housing. >> studios are $3,000. it is insanity to think that's what it costs to live in the bay area. >> reporter: nicky says she found a room for rent in san francisco, hundreds of dollars a month for a space no bigger than a walk-in closet. >> we're at the height of the housing crisis, where housing costs and rents are going through the roof. >> reporter: new data from hud finds that in the san francisco area, housing costs so much that a family of four makg in05$1,000 a year is considered low income. compared to other major u.s. cities like los angeles, chicago and new york, it is a staggering number. oakland resident roxanne keller maris makes more than $80,000, had to move in with her sister to make ends meet. >> for me to live independently, i don't think so. just not right now. it does make you angry to grow up someplace and build your life there around your family and not be able to. >> reporter: the ghost ship fire took nicky's home but gave her a

new perspective on what she has left. >> i got out and every day i'm grateful for that. every day i'm grateful for the breath that i take, for the steps that i walk, for the experience that i have. >> reporter: strength from a survivor of more than one crisis. steve patterson, nbc news, oakland. >> and we will be right back.

the view from the ground this morning as an experimental unmanned space plane landed at kennedy space center in florida. the air force plane called the x-37b looks like a miniature space shuttle and spent almost two years in orbit. this was the plane's fourth classified mission conducting unspecified

experiments. a shock in the world of sports tonight. the olympic community and bobsled fans around the world are mourning the death of steven holcomb. the olympic champion was found in his room at team usa's training center in lake plas placid, new york, this weekend. the cause of his death remains unclear. >> reporter: steven holcomb lived life at nearly 100 miles an hour as america's best bobsled pilot. he made history at the 2010 vancouver olympics leading his four-man team to gold. and breaking a 62-year drought for team usa. in 2014, he picked up two bronze medals in sochi. >> holcomb does it again! >> reporter: over a week ago, the three-time olympian spoke to nbc news about the upcoming 2018 winter games. >> to be a driver just takes years of going down the hill and learning how to drive. i've come this far, why stop now? >> reporter: but this weekend holcomb was found unresponsive in

his room. in a statement, the united states olympic committee said steve was a tremendous athlete and even better person. he was known for finishing every race, high fiving his fans. holcomb had twists and turns off the track, too. he was diagnosed with a degenerative eye disease in 2002 that nearly cost him his sledding career. struggling with depression, he once tried to end his own life, taking sleeping pills. after an experimental eye surgery in 2008 saved holcomb's vision, he wrote a book about his journey from blindness to olympic gold. >> i think one of the biggest things i learned is just learning how much i can endure and what you can overcome. >> reporter: an athlete who was inspirational not only for his talents on the track but for his generous spirit. >> steven holcomb was just 37 years old. he will definitely be missed. when we come back, what's behind extreme downsizing?

finally tonight, a sign of the times as a growing number of seniors not only choose to downsize their homes but are going to extremes when it comes to space-saving, packing their lives into an rv or trailer. also, they can bank as much money as possible for retirement. in california joe fryer met up with one couple who found paradise on wheels. >> reporter: bill and donna bernard are truly downsizing from their crockpot, now a mere four quarts, to their home, just 399 square feet. >> it fit into our financial plan. it fit with our style. >> reporter: what are the benefits of living in a house like this? >> cleaning. it is so easy. >> reporter: look below, you will see they're actually living in an rv. >> this is our new park model. >> reporter: the

bernards bought the home last summer, planting it at a trailer park in pismo beach, california, and spent about $75,000 on their humble abode after selling their previous home for $629,000. >> that's one of the reasons we were able to retire at an early age. >> reporter: they're not alone. more and more baby boomers are choosing to sell their homes and move into 55-plus mobile home communities. >> this is one we just put in a few months ago. >> reporter: luis payne manages payne manages pismo dunes senior park which is full. >> just a peaceful place to live. 7:00, you can hear a pin drop. >> reporter: retirees stay so long she gave the place a nickname. >> the holding tank for the great beyond. >> reporter: it is a trend shattering the stigma attached to trailer parks. keep in mind in many places you own the home but not the land. >> reporter: so you want to find a community that is not at risk of redevelopment and you want to find a community that -- where rents are affordable. >> reporter: for the

bernards, pismo dunes is plenty affordable. it is also a short walk to the ocean. in fact, so far the only real downside going from a king bed to a queen and sharing one tv. >> i got him hooked on my reality shows. >> i make her sit through "gunsmoke." it is a trade-off. >> yeah. >> reporter: their home might be smaller but their quality of life has been upsized. joe fryer, nbc news, pismo beach, california. >> that is a killer view. that is "nbc nightly news" for this sunday. lester holt will be here tomorrow with the story of a field of dreams that's inspiring america. i'm kate snow reporting from new york. for all of us here at nbc news, have a great night. arson investigators, looking

i right now at 6:00, a church set on fire in the sbae. arson investigators looking into the possibility that someone did it on purpose. >> the news at 6:00 starts now. good evening and thank you for joining us. i'm peggy bunker. >> and i'm terry mcsweeney. the atf looking at the cause of a fire that it could have been much worse if not for a quick-thinking good samaritan. >> and marianne favro is joining us with details on the fire. >> reporter: the fire started here early this morning at the church of the east in san jose. church leaders tell us that someone set fire to a shed next to the church. this is the second suspicious fire in this area in