Day present, the gift of life. And she was one of hollywoods first it girls. Tonight we remember mod squad actress peggy lipton. Announcer this is nbc nightly news with kate snow. Good evening. The rain just hasnt stopped. Its already been a recordbreaking month for louisiana, texas and alabama. And tonight, that rain outpacing the drainage system in new orleans where the water stood at knee level in some areas today. The Severe Weather also causing flooding across mississippi and beyond. The dangerous system also spawning tornadoes like this one in campbell county, virginia, on saturday. As it all moves east tonight, the storm affecting major cities in the southeast. We begin with tammy leitner. Reporter tonight, this latest storm system pounding the south. Look at that. Reporter from tornadoes to unrelenting rain. The system already wreaking havoc across six states with more than a foot of rain from texas up to kansas and down to louisiana. Bringing recordbreaking rainfall to the state in the month of may. And dangerous flooding. Louisiana declaring a state of emergency. Overnight, dramatic rescues in a neighborhood in mississippi. 15 people trapped in their homes and cars. The torrential rain causing several dams and levees to swell and burst in the southern part of the state. Flash flooding may be to blame for this Freight Train derailment. More than 20 cars toppled, but no one injured. As strong storms move through the area, residents in new orleans awoke sunday to flooded streets and submerged cars after several city water pumps lost power. The weather was really, really bad, and i came out like 7 00, and it was all flooded. And you have to use a boat out here. Reporter the only way for some residents to get around, by kayak. This storm minof may one of the wettest springs weve seen. Tammy leitner, nbc news. With a pause in the rain near houston, crews resumed cleanup today in one of the worlds busiest shipping channels. A collision between an oil tanker and two barges in the ship channel friday spilled thousands of gallons of toxic chemicals used to make gasoline. Officials are monitoring the air and Water Quality around the clock and advise against eating fish caught near the site of the spill. They estimate it will take two more days to move the capsized barge. Now to some terrifying moments at an International Airport today as a plane made an Emergency Landing without its front wheels in myanmar. And it wasnt the countrys First Aviation mishap in recent days. Heres nbcs ron allen. Reporter the frightening moments when a plane carrying 82 passengers and 7 crew finally lands at mandalay International Airport when the front landing gear failed. Smoke rising in the cabin. A frantic effort to get everyone off. Evacuate evacuate. Reporter Myanmar NationalAirlines Flight ub103 took off from yangon for an hour and 20minute flight to mandalay. In a statement, the airline said an Emergency Warning System went on when the front landing gear wouldnt go down. The pilot tried a backup procedure that also failed. He circles the tower twice so air Traffic Controllers could see whether the nose landing gear was down, dumped fuel to reduce the planes weight. Then put the plane down, landing with no front wheels. Just last week, another landing incident in myanmar when a bangladeshi plane skidded and overran a runway in a rain storm. At least 5 of the 30 passengers injured. The aircraft seriously damaged. Now again today, disaster averted. The pilot being hailed as a hero for a terrifying Emergency Landing that ended with everyone aboard safe. Ron allen, nbc news. At the white house today, President Trump bracing for a new round of conflicts with democrats in congress, pushing back on their demands related to at least 20 investigations into his administration and his personal finances. Matt bradley has more. Reporter the white house is building another wall, this one against a siege of subpoenas and legal demands from mostly house democrats. The democrats have nothing, the president tweeted this morning, quoting republican consultant ed rollins. They just want to distract from this president. The Washington Post listing at least 20 separate investigations with the white house blocking nearly 80 demands for documents, testimonies and other evidence, including the president s tax returns, testimony from his son donald junior and an unredacted version of Robert Muellers report into Russian Election interference. The president s resistance has some Democratic Leaders pondering drastic measures. If the courts take too long, we use our own judicial process within the congress, and, look, i think if you fine someone 25,000 a day to their person, until they comply, it gets their attention. Reporter some democrats even calling for arrests. But for some republicans, the legal maneuvers look like pure politics. So this is really, i think, degenerated into partisan politics. And the best thing we can do at this point is say, lets get on with the countrys business. Reporter and the president believes democrats fullcourt press will ultimately backfire. They want to do investigations instead of investments. They want to do what theyre doing, which looks so foolish, and maybe i read it wrong, but i think it drives us right on to victory in 2020. Reporter these cases could last months or years, maybe even past the president s term. But at least one could come to a head soon, and thats when the president s Accounting Firm will face a hearing this week. Kate . Matt, lets turn to the ongoing trade war with china. On friday, the u. S. Raised tariffs on u. S. Chinese goods from 10 to 25 . Today it seemed almost like there was a disconnect between the president and one of his top advisers about who pays for those tariffs. Thats right, kate. Today the white house economic adviser larry kudlow acknowledged on fox news that americans, not the chinese, will be paying for those tariffs. Now thats contradicting playing trumps assertion that only china will pay what is in effect a tax, kate . Matt bradley at the white house tonight. The spotlight is back on Felicity Huffman as she prepares for another highprofile day in boston federal court. Tomorrow the actress is expected to enter her guilty plea before a judge in the College Admissions scandal. Nbcs kathy park has a preview. Reporter actress Felicity Huffman is expected back in court tomorrow. Shes agreed to plead guilty for her part in the College Admissions scandal. The desperate housewives star admitted to paying 15,000 for a proctor to change her daughters answers on the s. A. T. S, improving the girls score. In a statement she wrote, i accept full responsibility for my actions and will accept the consequences that stro legal experts say her swift apology may work to her advantage. Felicity huffman is like many white collar defendants in trouble for the first time. Shes racing to court to plead guilty, cooperate with the government, get the lowest sentence possible and just move on with her life. Reporter shes among the dozens of prominent parents charged with paying big bucks, in some cases hundreds of thousands of dollars, to get their kids into selective schools. While some parents have agreed to plead guilty, Actress Lori Loughlin and her Fashion Designer husband are not among them. This is government prosecution 101. The longer she waits, the worse it may be for lori loughlin. Reporter this fbi sting dubbed operation varsity blues is a story line made for hollywood and is already being scripted for a smallscreen series. And, kate, after huffmans plea hearing tomorrow, shell be sentenced at a later date, and she could be looking at 4 to 10 months in prison. Kathy park, thank you. A texas man has been arrested in connection with the disappearance of a 4yearold. Maleah davis went missing earlier this month. Now police have arrested her mothers former fiance derion vence. Charging him with evidence tampering. Vence was taking care of maleah while her mother was out of town. Ome,nvestigators found the girls blood and other evidence they now believe are connecte happearance. The tense debate over gun laws in this country reignited last week after a deadly shooting at a school in colorado. That same state is about to enact a controversial law meant to reduce gun violence. But the move is pitting sheriff against sheriff. Heres steve patterson. Reporter two sheriffs, between them more than 60 years in law enforcement. But now, deeply divided over one law. The extreme Risk Protection orders give judges the power to decide if officers can temporarily take away guns from people thought to be at high risk of harming themselves or others. Its been passed in 15 states across the country, and it takes effect in colorado next year. We just dont agree on this law. Reporter steve reams is so strongly against enforcing it, hes willing to go to jail. Arguing the law goes against several amendments, including those governing unreasonable seizures of property and the right to bear arms. And that, in your opinion, is a violation of the constitution . Absolutely. That turns due process on its head. Reporter reams reaction may seem extreme, evemodeclaring t Second Amendment sanctuary counties. Rorter the bill wad last month, just weeks before yet another Deadly School shooting in a denver suburb. She called me and she was hysterical and she told me there had been a shooting. Reporter its that kind of tragedy coupled with the shooting death of a close colleague that has Douglas County sheriff Tony Spurlock backing the measure. We knew the individual that shot and killed zach parrish. Weve been dealing with him for three months. Reporter sheriff spurlock said they knew about the shooters erratic behavior before his deputy, a father of two, was gunned down, and that a law like this could have prevented the tragic ambush. Is it perfect . No, its not. I believe that lives will be saved. Reporter while both sheriffs say the law is a temporary fix, they do agree on a common cause. Getting to the root of so much violence and pushing for legislation devoted solely to improving mental health. Steve pattso lets take a turn to the reality that youve probably noticed at the checkout counter. Stores with fewer cashiers or maybe none at all. Last week here in new york, amazon opened its fourth cashierless store. No Human Interaction needed. But the trend toward convenience comes at what cost . Heres nbcs ron mott. Reporter its the future of checking out, and experts say theyre in to stay. I like it. Its super convenient. Its a faster way to just pay your grocery and get out of there. Reporter but automated cashiers are beeping and creeping up on people like jaden carpenter, a 22yearold single mom whose job working the registry at coventry market in cleveland is her only source of income. I fully depend on my job as a cashier for my son and for myself to support where i live. Thank you. Have a good day. Reporter jades been a cashier three years and says she has an advantage over machines. I do think that i sell more products because i know what they want, and i can have it ready for them as soon as they walk up to the counter. Reporter amazon has taken a very different approach with its go stores. Literally shop and leave, no interaction needed. In a statement, amazon says, weve simply shifted how our associates spend their time so they can focus on the tasks that will make the biggest impact. There are more than 3 million cashier jobs. 74 of them held by women. In the last five years alone, 50,000 jobs have gone offline, a trend expected to continue. It does worry me because i do believe that these entrylevel jobs that are applied in retail and some of the other jobs that are around will ultimately be automated out of existence. Reporter at coventry market, jade is proud of the skills shes developed. Ive learned how to interact with people, how to count money, how to make a schedule. R a add promotion to assistant manager. Ron mott, nbc news. This is a somber mothers day for family and friends of peggy lipton. She wove her way into pop culture as a model, singer and an actress. The mod squad star had a long career and shared the spotlight with a famous husband and daughters. They announced her passing this weekend after a battle with cancer. Peggy lipton made her biggest mark at the height of the 60s. The 21yearold starring as undercover cop julie barnes in the tv hit the mod squad. You . Sure. Seems only the natural choice. Reporter the series a landmark in television. One of the first to feature an interracial cast. It also cemented liptons status as one of hollywoods it girls. I just wanted to get out and be seen or be known. And yet, along with that was like, dont look at me. N. Dont want to be reporter the mod squad earned her a golden globe for best actress in a television series. Shed later step off screen to raise a family with thenhusband music producer quincy jones. The couple divorced after 16 years of marriage, having two daughters, both actresses, kidada and rashida jones. Lipton returned to the spotlight several times. Most notably in a role on the tv cult classic twin peaks. Costar Kyle Mcloughlin tweeting the rr diner is dark today. Very sorry to hear peggy lipton is gone. Weve lost a beautiful soul. Her daughters released a statement about their mother saying, peggy was and will always be our beacon of light both in this world and beyond. She will always be a part of us. Peggy lipton was 72 years old. And liptons storied career also her singles landing on the billboard charts. Ive y to teach tolerance to kids, but not everyone approves. Also, just in time for Meghan Markles first mothers day, a brandnew picture of the royal baby with a special tribute to princess diana. Story time at the library or a bookstore is a tradition for families with young children. Well, now in more than two dozen locations across toury there is a new twist on story hour with the goal of using imagination and play to teach acceptance. But as our Kristen Dahlgren reports, it is not without controversy. Reporter across the country, protests, police lines and petitions. All in a battle over books. Or rather who is reading books to children in a Literacy Program called drag queen story hour. Once upon a time reporter Jonathan Hamilt helped bring the concept to new york. I guess our goal is to make every kid feel comfortable and have a safe space to explore. Kids can feel safe in a space where they may be feeling different. Reporter there are now more than 35 chapters nationwide. Performers with the nonprofit undergo training and in many cases background checks. For jonathan, the dramatic flare and kids curiosity seemed a perfect fit. Is that your real hair . Is that your real name . Are those your real nails . Just like really funny things like, is that a wig . They know its dressup and its a costume. Reporter but theres been backlash. Not to bring their kids to this event. Reporter Contentious City Council meetings. The wickedness. Reporter even lawsuits. Some saying, not in our town. On behalf of god, were asking him to move this totally out of our community. Reporter others insist it confuses kids still learning about gender identity. This is certainly inappropriate. This kind of thing for a little bitty child. Theyre too young to comprehend such a thing. Reporter for jonathan, though, the protests are exactly the point. Making sure the next generation is taught tolerance. When they grow up and see someone different down the street, they wont treat them any different because of how they look or act. Reporter so far, most of the programs are still in place. At the end of the day, were just reading to kids. Were promoting literacy, playing games, having fun. Reporter kids and drag queens, controversial to some, but here, at least, keeping the audience hanging on every word. Kristen dahlgren, nbc news, new york. Coming up the mom who is thrilled to be alive thanks to the son she calls her hero. Streaking across the sky over check out that bright light chicago friday night. It was a meteor captured on cameras around the region lasting only a few seconds and stunning folks around the windy city. It burned out quickly, breaking apart before it could ever make impact. Next, to the shooting star lighting up the internet today. The newest member of the royal family. The duke and duchess of sussex released this cute little photo of baby archies little feet as Meghan Markle celebrates her first mothers day. The royals paying tribute to all moms, including prince harrys mother. Princess dianas favorite flowers, you see them there. Forgetmenots, in the background on purpose. When we come back, a sons sacrifice to save his mothers life. Finally tonight on this mothers day, a son in utah recently showed his mother just how much he loved her by giving her the Priceless Gift of life. Molly hunter has their story. Reporter the decision to save his mothers life was the easy part. I was very willing because i love my mom. But for brandon finley, convincing his mom gwen was harder. It took days to get her to finally even think about the idea. Reporter gwen had been sick for nearly three decades, five years after she was diagnosed with auto immune hepatitis, she developed cirrhosis of the liver and needed a liver transplant within three years. She pushed on, refusing to seek a transplant donor. I didnt want to take a liver away from somebody else. Reporter in between hospital visits, there were weddings and Family Vacations with her four children and 21 grandchildren. But last year, doctors forced her to sign up for a transplant waiting list. At her age, they told us, they were up front and said, this is her only chance. Reporter her children, now all grown up, came to terms with just how sick their mother really was. And her only chance was brandon. 37 years ago, brandon was in the nicu for days. Ting care of him. The fact we were all worried about her and that she wasnt the one that could be the caregiver really bothered her. Im not sure i have the words to describe how i feel about my son, that hed risk his life for another human being. It didnt have to be his mother. Reporter but it was his mother. And now both are recovering three months after their surgeries just in time for mothers day. I dont have to buy her a present now, right . Reporter molly hunter, nbc news. Gwen says instead of dreading her future she now sees it as one full of hope. That is nbc nightly news on this sunday. Tomorrow, lester sits down with the men branded as the central park five, and ava duvernay on her series that sheds light on their wrongful conviction. Im kate snow. Happy mothers day to my mom and all the moms out there. For all of us at nbc news, have a great night. A search across the bay area to find a kidnappe right now at 6 00, a search across the bay area to find a kidnapped girl. We know she was never kidnapped. Her dad is under arrest. The news at 6 00 starts right now. Go good evening. The father thought if he filed a fake report, police would work harder to find his stolen car. He ended up in handcuffs. We have the false amber alert. Reporter this all started with a reported car robbery and kidnapping in oakland. Police here spotted that car. After a chase, it ended here when the car and the driver crashed into that bus stop