in this weekend. going to be watching that. beautiful, beautiful weather. no one's complaining. >> not at all. >> lester holt is next with "nightly news." breaking news on multiple fronts, a terror plot stopped. a u.s. army veteran and an alleged isis sympathizer wanted to commit mass murder and one of the potential targets was setting off a bomb at the crowded santa monica pier. how he was caught in an fbi sting. new and extraordinarily acts of heroism at the synagogue. an iraq veteran running towards the gunman and tonight i'll take you to one of the largest sin grogs in the world on alert and stepping up security. >> boeing ceo under tire facing a barrage of questions for the first timece the latest on the investigation into the deadly

crane collapse on the google campus. cars crushed, four killed. what went wrong. hollywood remembering a trailblazer. john singleton, the first african american to earn an oscar nomination dies at 51 after suffering a stroke. an nbc news investigation of the popular company that screens and recommends trusted workers for your home improvement projects but some homeowners say their remodels were a nightmare. >> found out he was a convicted felon. >> tonight how home advisor is responding and what every homeowner should know. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. good evening. the cycle of hate and bloodshed from sri lanka to new zealand and sights, the fbi says it

arrested a u.s. army vetenging from freeways and tourist attractions in los angeles to police officers themselves, while expressing praise for isis. our pete williams has late details. >> reporter: federal prosecutors say 26-year-old mark steven domingo praised isis and told fbi undercover operatives he wanted to shoot police officers in patrol cars or set off a bomb on an l.a. freeway or at the santa monica pier or a white nationalist rally. he came to the attention in early march when he wrote on the internet he wanted to retaliate for last month's shooting spree at mosques in new zealand. >> this is when law enforcement identified a man consumed with stop him before could carry out his attack. >> reporter: investigators say beach but had no idea how to build a bomb. prosecutors say he was arrested friday night after

receiving what he thought were real bombs from the undercover operatives but the fbi says there was never a danger to the public because he was under constant surveillance. no comment yet from his lawyer, lester? >> pete williams in washington, thank you. the isis sympathizer is arrested, the leader of isis emerged after five years without being seen. our chief foreign correspondent richard engel has late details and new video of the threat. >> reporter: the video appears to show the elusive isis leader giving a pep talk to supporters. it's only the second video of him, the first five years ago when he founded the islamic state. tonight, baghdadi acknowledges his state is in ruins ground under foot by a u.s. on he sayg a long ofttrition captured isis members in syria told us last month baghdadi lived like a ghost. did you ever see him with your own eyes? >> absolutely not. only on tv.

>> reporter: baghdadi wants to be seen. apparently copying osama bin laden who released messages for years. u.s. officials are still working to confirm the video's authenticity but not expressing doubts. lester? >> richard engel, thank you. this evening a celebration of life is underway for the woman killed inside a synagogue when a gunman opened fire this weekend. details about the 19-year-old suspect and we're hearing about extraordinary acts of heroism as the attack unfolded. nbc's miguel almaguer is there. >> reporter: tonight in the very synagogue where the gunman opened fire, a celebration of life for laurie gilbert kay, the 60-year-old shot to death during a prayer servicen >> her husband ran to assess the situation. didn't even know it was his wife laying on the floor. he started to do cpr and realized it's his wife. he fainted and passed out. he's laying next to laurie.

>> reporter: the rabbi goldstein was shot in the hand saturday, bullet holes still riddle the door the gunman blasted through. he took a bullet to the leg ushering children out of the line of fire. he helped many escape the bloodshed including his 8-year-old niece struck by shrapnel. >> we went upstairs like crying and i was gushing blood. >> reporter: police say the gunman walked right through that door and into this room and suddenly began to open fire. survivors say he never said a word and simply stopped shooting because his weapon appeared to jam. before police arrived, oscar is any other reason other than god gave others. me the courage to do >> i don't think there it. >> reporter: nearby, 19-year-old john earnest was arrested a911 himself. media post minutes about a social before the attack on the forum 8 chan, an anonymous website used by them

earnest described hate as his motive. and tonight the suspect is an afterthought, a face and name to be forgotten as a community celebrates the life of someone larger than life and the heroes that saved so many others. with hundreds including a massive overflow crowd remembering the victim and the survivors, tonight we have learned the suspect will be in court tomorrow. he'll be charged with one count of murder and three counts of attempted murder plus a special enhancement for hate crimes. u. the california shooting one of several attacks of in recent ght lice here in new york and across the country are making their presence known outside houses of worship to detour attackers and reassure worshippers. for many worshippers, it's becoming a familiar sight, armed officers and guards stationed outside as they pray inside. within hours of saturday's

attack, the nypd ramped up security at synagogues. >> not only do we want to make people feel safe but we want to in fact, make them safe. >> i see vans and officers out here, that's a deterrent. >> it is. it's a presence that we want to let people know and let the good people know that we're out here and we're capable of protecting them. t to let the bad people know it's a warning. >> james waters is the chief of counterterrorism for the nypd. he says their approach is proactive. >> we talk to the houses of tell them l the ti what to look for. >> it was just six months ago 11 people were killed at pittsburghre but all faiths have been targeted in the recent wave of violence, christians in sri lanka, muslims in new zealand. just two weeks ago a man was arrested attempting to enter st. patrick's cathedral with gas cans and lighters. the often common link between attackers, the online

forums where violent threats appear. is it a difficult thing to weigh what is a threat and what is just talk? >> well, it's a fine line that people claim it's freedom of speech but we sometimes look at it and if it's concerning and threatening, we take a very close look at that. >> joshua davidson is the senior rabbi. at new york's temple emanuel. >> when houses of worship have to guard their doors the way they are now, then that really undermines the very effort that we aspire to. yet, these ston barriers sit outside the temple rative but grim reminders of too many headlines. are people genuinely scared? are they talking to you guys? >> it's more of an awareness. we tell them don't be scared, take that nervous feeling that you have and channel that into some positive energy and know that the police can protect them. >> the nypd routinely circulates anti-terror teams not only

outside places of worship but financial and tourist areas, as well. >> in seattle, investigators are trying to determine what caused a crane at a google building under construction to collapse and kill four people. tonight, new images show the horror as it came crashing down. our joe fryer is there. >> reporter: video from a car's dashcam captures the moment a crane collapses striking a building and breaking apart before landing on six cars on the street below. >> in the rearview mirror, i saw the crane fall behind my truck. >> reporter: vince was also driving in the area. he says he jumped out to help rescuing one woman from a crushed car and comforting her friend sarah wong, a college student who eventually died from injuries. >> she wasn't alone. i stayed as long as i could with her. >> reporter: in all, four people were killed including two iron workers on the crane. one of them marine veteran travis corbit married his wife samantha just last

year. >> he was the best partner i could have asked for. he was unbelievable. it's really tragic the world lost such a special person this soon. >> reporter: state regulators say the crane part of a project to build a google campus was being disassembled when it collapsed. it's unclear if wind played a role. the national weather service says gusts reached as high as 23 miles an hour around the time of the collapse. the general contractor on this project says it is cooperating with authorities. the investigation into what went wrong is expected to last at least six months. lester? j 737 max crashed in indonesia and two months since crashed in ethiopia and the ceo of boeing was answering questions for the first time since those disasters and direct questioning from tom costello. >> please join me in a moment of silence at this time to honor the 346 people on board those two flights. >> reporter: consumed by the

greatest crisis to hit boeing in decades, ceo dennis today faced tough questions from shareholders. >> you don't have to have 300 plus people die every time to find out something is unreliable. >> reporter: boeing says an anti-stall system on the 737 max called mcas misfired and pushed the nose of the plane into a fatal plunge in indonesia and ethiopia. crash, boeing never told the airlines or pilots about mcas because says boeing pilots didn't need extra training. >> why did you put an mcas system in place without notifying them? >> it's embedded in the handling qualities of the airplane. when you train on the airport, you're being trained on mcas. sy's not a separate em to be trained on. >> reporter: boeing is working on a software fix but says mcas was one of several factors that caused both crashes and pointed to the pilot's actions including

the excessive speed. >> there is no singular item. it a chain of events. >> reporter: meanwhile, the families of ten canadians today filed a wrongful death suit including paul who lost his mother, wife and three children in the ethiopian crash. >> the pain i've gone through, nobody will ever take that away, and nobody will ever bring my family back. >> tom joins us now, tom, we know the max is still grounded worldwide. is there word when the plane might be cleared to fly again? >> reporter: the final flight plan or flight test are expected this week or next, boeing did submit to the faa the software package, the upgrade for approval. that could take weeks so we probably are looking at mid to late summer before the max flies in u.s. skies again. >> tom costello, thank you. let's turn to the record-breaking measles outbreak we've been following. the cdc reports the number of confirmed cases is 704 across 22

states. that's the highest in 25 years. the cdc also recommended today that anyone flying internationally be fully vaccinated at least two weeks before their trip. now to the road to 2020 going through the key battle ground of pennsylvania today. joe bihon 2016. at we independents who have the same view have to choose hope over fear. unity over division. maybe most importantly, truth over lies. [ cheers ] >> nbc's kristen welker joins us from the white house. that audience biden was talking to could play a very big role in 2020. >> reporter: indeed, lester. former vice president biden was speaking to a firefighters union that just endorsed him. it's a part of biden's argument that if he's the nominee, he can win back working class voters in rust belt states prompting president trump to fire back. many union members are trump supporters and tweeting welcome

to pennsylvania, sleepy joe enjoy the trump economy. biden is just four days into his primary rollout and has faced criticism for not directly apologizing for his handling of anita hill's sexual harassment allegations during thomas clearance's confirmation, again trying to turn the page, biden responsibility that she did not get treated well, lester? >> kristen welker, thanks. we have a lot more ahead including tragic news into home improvement nightmares, one couple says a popular website matched them up with a convicted felon who left their home a disaster. and the miracle cave rescue, how one man escaped and helped save his family and friends. stay with us.

next tonight, our nbc news investigation into the popular home improvement site home advisor. we partnered with our affiliates that reported on dozens of home repair disasters across the country. tonight, the homeowners have a warning you need to hear. here is nbc's morgan chesky. >> reporter: you may have seen the commercials. >> for over 15 years,

homeowner haves trusted home advisor. >> reporter: home o your home for ucts criminal and financial background checks on their service professionals. >> reporter: nbc affiliates across the country have uncovered dozens of home advisor contracting disasters. in omaha, in atlanta and in charlotte. julie and jeff in the middle of a remodel turned nightmare. so we checked back in with them. how long has it been looking like this? >> about a year and a half. >> reporter: the contractor home advisor recommended kenneth bell. >> he installed the tiles and they are hallow back there, moisture can get in there so all of this has to be ripped out. >> reporter: bell abandoned the job leaving their home a mess. again, home advisor says it performs criminal background checks but they missed the

vickers found with a simple google search. >> pretty easily found out he was a convicted felon. >> reporter: a felon. had been on probation again all most the entire time he was on our job. >> reporter: kenneth bell who declined to comment. home advisor told nbc news prior to the their colaints, bell was removed for an unrelated reason and customer satisfaction is a top concern and screen all applicants and constantly working to improve screening processes but no screening process is foolproof and we're deeply disheartened when the vickers experienced. they say those words run hollow as they are left picking up the pieces. home advisor may be a starting point but warns. >> it doesn't matter where you find a business, but you still have to do some due diligence. you have to do research. >> reporter: a simple strategy to avoid something like this.

morgan chesky, nbc news, charlotte. coming up, tributes pouring in for an oscar nominee.

video what could be an unlikely russian spy. these images off the coast of norway that is russia's neighbor and that's a whale with harnesses strapped across its body including a mount for a camera. inside the mount, the words equipment of st. petersburg and speculation among experts, the whale was used for some sort of surveillance. tonight hollywood is mourning the loss of john singleton. the first african-american to earn an oscar nomination for best director died days after suffering a massive stroke. director john singleton shot to fame at an early age months after graduating from usc, he began shooting his ground-breaking debut movie "boyz in da hood."

the 1991 drama earning him a best director oscar nomination at 24 years old making first african american and youngest person ever nominated for that award. got this. >> i make films that have a heart and ordinary people can identify with. >> reporter: he directed "the people versus o.j. simpson" and co-created the fx crime drama "snowfall." singleton spent his life advocating for black artist and films in hollywood. actress regina king tweeting rest in power my friend, one of the greatest to ever do it. john singleton was 51 years old. >> and tonight, he's being remembered as a trailblazer who opened the door for so many others. we'll take a break and up next, the hero who helped save five others trapped inside a cave. a south bay councilman

forced out of his home. the ironic role he )s playing in his own eviction. and a racial slur is spray-painted on a car in the east bay. the unique way the owner is nding a messtovandal. that )s next right now at 6:

finally tonight, our gabe gutierrez tells a remarkable survival story. >> repelling rope one. >> reporter: one by one the five trapped men were pulled to safety. >> it's a miracle. >> reporter: andrew webb was the sixth, he escaped first and called for help levering behind his father, brother and uncle, two friends. it's known as cyclops cave. an experienced cave explorer, 22-year-old webb planned the trips for weeks. he told a relative if nobody heard from the group by sunday send for help but by saturday night they realized time was running out. there was heavy rain and mud. the others suffering from exhaustion and hypothermia. how did you manage to climb out? >> there was a few cracks you could grab hold enough and finally i got hold enough to wedge myself between two walls and snake out. it was do or die. climb or go. >> reporter: hours

after webb called 911, emergency crews repelled in. >> it was like winning the lottery. >> reporter: the narrowest of victories fueled not by luck but adrenaline. gabe gutierrez, nbc news, cleveland, virginia. >> glad they are out and okay. that is "nbc nightly news". i'm lester holt. thank you for watching everyone and good night. the san francis going to extreme right now at 6:00, if you love it, don't leave it. the san francisco community going to extreme measures to stop allplus, a broken water pi near the runway at sfo. what you need to know before heading there for a flight. but first -- >> we're going to be forced into thhim. a san jose uns learning firsthand the difficulties of our housing crisis.

the news at 6:00 starts right now. good evening and thanks for being with us on this monday. i'm raj mathai. >> and i'm jessica aguirre. a san jose politician getting a look at how rough the rental market really is. the landlord for councilman recall perales terminated his lease. >> the councilmember scrambled to find a place to live for his new family and dogs. it was difficult and it was expensive. nbc bay area's damian trujillo is in downtown san jose. sounds familiar for a lot of people. >> it really does resonate with a lot of people, raj. this is the councilman's second home, city hall. this is where he spends a lot of his time. there is a high-rise scheduled to go up next door within the next few mo but the this is where councilman raul perales spent the last nine years, a quaint home in these ts years. couldn't have asked for better over the crs