right now. >> announcer: from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. good evening. the death toll has risen even higher today from that violent storm system that tore through the south, and it's on the move tonight. as we start here, cities from northern carolina up to the d.c. area under the threat of tornadoes. at least four more people were killed this afternoon, some in waverly, virginia, where there's been significant damage tornado. at least seven people have died from this time yesterday. right now at least ten states are at risk for severe weather with the highest tornado risk this evening. nbc's miguel almaguer reports from the storm zone. >> reporter: tonight this is what they fear, funnel clouds, possible tornadoes, a weather system still and whipping winds with. with at least four dead today there's another night of dangerous weather still ahead. >> look at that. oh, my god calls for 70-mile-an-hour winds. tens of millions in the danger zone. the wicked winter weather a powerful linear system fueled by the strongest el nino on record raking across ten states. the storm mangling the landscape, ripping apart homes and taking lives. >> the glass is breaking and you can hear things flipping around outside, i mean, just total carnage. >> reporter: with three killed on tuesday and dozens injured, convent, louisiana, was in the bullseye, 160 homes demolished. >> we went from the floor to the ceiling, from the wall to the floor. >> reporter: braxton lott, his wife and three small children rode out the storm in this trailer. they were pulled into the air and rolled over several times across the street. savannah clinging to her daughter as she was being sucked out of a window. >> she was like flying out the window literally. i had her by her ankles. >> reporter: with up po to 30 tornadoes reported in pensacola, florida, a twister apartment complex. it's said to have traveled two miles, described as a war zone, homes shredded, rvs flipped over and cars tangled in trees. with the same weather system triggering up to 18 inches of snow in the midwest, at least 67,000 have lost power and now more could, too. a state of emergency as the threat across the east isn't over yet. as the rain continues to hammer down here in raleigh, we remain under a tornado warning until a bit later on tonight. lester, the storm is moving towards washington, d.c., and your area in new york. it's expected to hit that region around 11:00 tonight. if there is some good news, it should be packing a bit of a lighter punch. lester? >> all right. miguel almaguer tonight, thank you. tonight the scandal involving dangerous air bags in millions of cars appears to be growing even larger with u.s. senate investigators saying they have uncovered evidence that the takata corporation was deceiving automakers for years about its and there is a growing possibility that the recall could now grow to cover half of the cars on american roads right now. nbc's tom costello has details. >> reporter: it was just before christmas when 52-year-old joel knight was killed in south carolina. his 2006 ford ranger hit a cow on a country road. the takata air bag inflater exploded on impact. >> when it contact, this could have prevented us, his death could have been prevented. >> reporter: the shrapnel that came severed his spine. at least nine have been killed from exploding air bags. now senate investigators say internal e-mails show takata was aware its air bag inflaters were defective and yet deceived its customers, the automakers for years. a 2006 takata e-mail says reports were cherry picked and somebody was schmoozed to accept certain in another e-mail an employee writes if the customer requests records or makes an audit we'll have a lot of failures, sometimes 38%, but t tata disputes whether the writer had the right knowledge. >> they were manipulating data to make it look like this explosive device was in fact safe. >> reporter: in a statement takata says it's deeply sorry for all fatalities and injuries that have occurred and the issues raised in the e-mails are entirely inexcusable and will not be tolerated or repeated. it's already been hit with a record $70 million fine. a stunning 24 million vehicles are under recall for a potentially defective air bag. now, regulators are under congressional pressure to expand the recall to include every takata air bag in america. potentially 120 million vehicles. that would be nearly half the cars on the road. meanwhile, in south carolina the knight family is suing both takata and ford. >> that someone could be so inconsiderate of >> reporter: over an air bag meant to save lives that instead took yet another. tom costello, nbc news, washington. donald trump is aiming for a knockout after three landslide victories. the gop front-runner could be headed for a super tuesday sweep if his opponents can't stop him and frustration is growing from some in the party as rubio and cruz continue to target each other, not the man who is charging towards the nomination. we have it all covered tonight starting with nbc's katy tur in houston. katy, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, lester. donald trump is looking more and more like the favorite to wiwithe nomination, and now the last nominee, mitt romney, is taking aim. donald trump with evangelical leader pat robertson in virginia today trying to hit ted cruz where it hurts, targeting christian conservatives at regent university. >> i've got to be a good person today, at least for the next hour. >> reporter: coming off his big win in nevada. winning, winning, winning. >> reporter: the new yorker is looking for a lock on the nomination sooner rather than later. >> we might not even need the two months, folks, to be honest, all right. >> reporter: around if polling is indication he could be right. the billionaire resonating across voting blocs. >> we won of the evangelicals, we won with young. we won with old. we won with highly educated. we won with poorly educated, i love the poorly educated. >> reporter: nevada numbers like new hampshire and south carolina show trump won evangelicals, conservatives, moderates, those who are worried about immigration, those who wanted an outsider and those who are angry. trump's abrasive tone working. >> stay on course, stay on message. >> reporter: in fact, donald trump alone got more votes than total votes cast in nevada's 2012 gop caucus. today that cycle's nominee mitt romney speculated trump has something to hide. >> the reason that i think it that there's is because every time he's asked about his taxes he dodges and delays. >> reporter: the candidate repeatedly saying he will release his taxes at some point. the trump effect is in full effect. now he's looking for a knockout. >> thinks three chief opponents all have to run in their home states and trump could beat them haul. he can beat kasich in ohio. he can beat rubio in florida and it can all can begin in next tuesday in texas ted cruz is suddenly the first one voted off the island. >> reporter: step setting the rivals up for a lone star state showdown. katy tur, nbc news, houston. >> reporter: i'm hallie jackson in texas, a state where they remember the alamo, but it's a battle. ted cruz is winning here. a new poll shows he's up double digits over donald trump, 15 points. >> it is good to be >> reporter: nationally though, he's neck and neck with marco rubio for second place. the two fighting to be the trump alternative but fighting each trump picks up delegates and momentum. you worry you're wasting your time attacking marco rubio instead? >> that's an interesting question given i'm the only candidate on the debate stage who has consistently pointed out donald trump's liberal record. >> reporter: given that it hasn't worked yet? >> well, at this point he's won two of the first three states and i've won one. >> reporter: cruz looking now to super tuesday in texas where today he won the endorsement of the governor. in his home state where he must win, his confident campaign pointing to 27,000 volunteers here. rubio's campaign equally confident in their strategy, wait for cruz to fail and lay off trump, for now. >> i don't have any voters begging me to attack anyone. i'm not in this race to attack any republican. i'm more than happy to show differences. >> reporter: but the florida senator has what could be his own alamo to fight in the sunshine state which awards all its delegates to the winner meaning a second place finish won't matter. that primary three the beginning of the end of this republican race. hallie jackson, nbc news, houston. the discussion over the supreme court escalated to a new level as president obama hit back at republicans who said they will refuse to meet with any potential nominee until the next president is election. the nbc has learned is vetting a republican governor for the vacancy, a move that seems designed to put gop senators in an uncomfortable position. our justice correspondent pete williams has details. >> the notion that there's some two-month period -- >> reporter: at the white house meeting with the king of jordan the president tried to keep the heat on senate republicans and their leader mitch mcconnell for saying choosing a supreme court justice should be up to the next president. >> the american people are going to have the ability to gauge whether the person i've nominated is well within the mainstream. >> thank you, thank you. >> reporter: and democrats let it be known that on a long list of potential nominees is brian sandoval, the republican governor of nevada and the state's judge. >> this is a way for democrats in the white house to extract maximum pain on republicans on their stance not to hear any nominee. >> reporter: but republicans say vice president biden saw things their way 24 years ago when he chaired the senate judiciary committee and said no confirmations during a presidential campaign. >> action on a supreme court nomination must be put off until after the election campaign is over. >> reporter: words that senate republicans are now gleefullyyrecalling. >> what we're doing is what the democrats top leadership has advocated in the past. >> reporter: but it was actually the rank republican on senate judiciary 24 years ago who said confirmations should go on during a campaign. >> it is this process, if process which should not be changed for election year expediency which has signified the majority of our system of government. >> reporter: president now says he'll have a nominee, quote, in the weeks ahead. >> mr. president, how many names? >> reporter: pete williams, nbc news, washington. a dramatic day in the civil lawsuit reporter erin andrews. in court andrews looked on in tears as her father testified about her trauma after a man secretly filmed her at a hotel. andrews is suing her stalker and the hotel's owner and former management company claiming they let it happen. nbc's morgan radford has details. >> reporter: an emotional day for erin andrews, wiping away tears while her father describes her as a shell of the person she once was. >> she's terrified. she's depressed. she's not the girl that we used to know. >> reporter: steve andrews, a veteran reporter, testifying on behalf of his daughter and her $75 million suit against the man convicted of stalking and secretly filming her naked in her nashville hotel room in 2008. >> she kept screaming i'm on the internet. i'm on the internet. i'm naked. everything i've worked for is done. >> reporter: andrews' lawyer says michael barrett removed and of andrew's hotel room and held up a cell phone and recorded her naked. >> he wanted a room right next to her. i remember thinking to myself how does this happen. >> reporter: andrews' attorney called a hospitality expert to the stand. >> that's the cardinal sin in the hospitality industry is to give somebody's room number away or let them know that they are staying there. >> reporter: hotel's lawyer blames only the stalker. >> he deceived, he connived, he stalked. that's what mr. barrett did. >> reporter: mr. andrews believes someone needs to pay for what happened to his daughter. >> first time in my life as her -- sorry, as her father where i didn't know if she was safe or not. i fathered for her life. >> reporter: morgan radford, nbc news. still ahead here tonight, milania trump's first solo interview about the campaign, opening up about her marriageeo donald trump, whether she ever thinks he's crossed the line and what happens on those occasions when they disagree. also caught on camera, e-cigarette in a man's pocket. what if one piece of kale could protect you from diabetes? what if one sit-up could prevent heart disease? one. wishful thinking, right? but there is one step you can take to help prevent another serious disease. pneumococcal pneumonia. if you are 50 or older, one dose of the prevnar 13 vaccine can help protect you from pneumococcal pneumonia, an illness that can cause coughing, chest pain, difficulty breathing, and may even put you in the hospital. even if you have already been vaccinated with another pneumonia vaccine, prevnar 13 may help provide additional protection. prevnar 13 is used in adults 50 and older to help prevent infections from 13 strains of the bacteria that cause pneumococcal pneumonia. you should not receive prevnar 13 if you have had a severe allergic reaction to the vaccine or its ingredients. if you have a weakened immune system, you may have a lower response to the vaccine. common side effects were pain, redness or swelling at the injection site, limited arm movement, fatigue, headache, muscle or joint pain, less appetite, chills, or rash. get this one done. ask your doctor or pharmacist this is sheldon whose long day setting up the news starts with minor arthritis pain and a choice. take tylenol or take aleve, the #1 recommended pain reliever by 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slovenia. >> i'm my own person. he's his own person, and i think that's very important. i don't want to change him. he doesn't want to change me. >> reporter: what about many felt he had insulted mexicans? >> no. i don't feel he insulted the mexicans. he said illegal immigrants. he didn't talk about everybodod >> reporter: but you're an immigrant? >> yes. >> reporter: do you ever think he's gone too far? >> i followed the law. i followed the law the way it's supposed to be. i never thought to >> reporter: when he talked about a ban on muslims, do you worry about it? >> what he said it will be temporary and it's not for all the muslims. it's the ones -- we need to screen them, who is coming to the country. he wants to protect america. >> reporter: milania speaks several languages but what about some of the language her husband uses. >> do i agree all the time with him? >> no, i don't, and i tell him that. i tell him my opinion. i tell him what i think. sometimes he listens. sometimes he don't. >> reporter: even if not only visible to the public, milania trump is clearly a key sounding board for the republican from unir. andrea mitchell, nbc news. we're back in a moment with a warning about a potential risk in the water for children and pregnant women and yet another with my moderate to severe ulcerative colitis, the possibility of a flare was almost always on my mind. thinking about what to avoid, and how to deal with my uc. to me, that was normal. until i talked to my doctor. she told me that humira helps people like me get uc under control and keep it under control when certain medications haven't worked well enough. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimesesfatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened; as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you've been to areas 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tape. it's a man taken by complete surprise when his pants pockets burst into flames. an e-cigarette wasbattery is blamed for the blast and as nbc's joe fryar tells us it's hardly the first time something like that has happened. watch. >> reporter: a customer was simply stopping for snacks at a kentucky gas station when the security camera captured this startling moment. >> suddenly there was a blast in his pocket and there was fire, big fire. >> reporter: york hamilton suffered second-degree burns. he says the spare battery for his e-cigarette device exploded. the flames eventually doused by a clerk. it's the latest injured tied to electric vapor products, reports popping up from oklahoma to california. >> i pulled it away from my lips and >> reporter: doctors at harborview medical center in seattle have seen five different patients in the past five months. >> the way that the battery is in the device it becomes a high-powered rocket that can cause significant force and injury to the patient. >> reporter: the problems center around lithium ion batteries that power the device which can overheat especially if the wrong charger is use. the american vaporing association says when charged and used under proper conditions, vapor products pose no more of a fire risk than other products that use lithium ion batteries like cell phones and laptops. are a lot of customers asking you about this? >> yes, they are. >> reporter: at the vape source in l.a., they tell you not to carry the batteries in your pocket. >> it might touch the loose change or key and it will start to get hot. secure your battery case like this and then pretty much it's protected. >> reporter: advice to make sure that people can vape without the fireworks. joe fryer, nbc news, los angeles. our interview from orbit. when astronaut scott kelly says he's during itstsirst year, a humpback calf and its mother are almost inseparable. she lifts her calf to its first breath of air, then protects it on the long 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lyrica. now i have less diabetic nerve pain. and i love helping little ones get off on the right foot. ask your doctor about lyrica. finally tonight, around-the-world journey many times over for astronaut scott kelly though he's never lost sight of home. it's been right outside the window on the international space station. after a year in orbit, testing the effects of prolonged space flight, his ride back to earth departs next week so we decided to check in with him one more time before the big homecoming. astronaut scott kelly is in the home stretch. >> i started counting down when we got to ten days left which was a few days ago. >> reporter: kelly is one of two participants in nasa's mission, the first american to spend a year in orbit. as of today kelly has orbited the earth 5,344 times. talk to me about the metal and psychological impact of being up there. you look out the window and see the world pass by. you see familiar sights. what does that do to you to watch that? >> you know, you definitely have a different perspective on the earth and things that happen down there. i'm actually looking at it right now. the window is open. closely, have it on during the workday and in the evening so i keep probably more -- more in touch with what's going on on earth when i'm in space than when i'm actually on earth. >> reporter: kelly has been posting photos on social media throughout his mission. his awe-inspiring pictures of his home planet have become a huge hit. are you a bit nostalgic as your time in space is nearing an end? >> the ability to press our limits with regards to exploration and discovery, i think it's been a privilege of being a part of that, and it's something that i'm going to miss, but i've been up here for a long time and i also look forward to going home. >> the astronaut is expected to make his homecoming when sunday. when he wraps up his mission he will have traveled more than 143 million miles in space, and the one thing he's looking forward to the most when he gets home. >> human contact, the people you love on earth, your family, your friends, people you miss. >> reporter: and we wish kelly safe that will do it for us on this wednesday night. i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching and good night.voters hit the polls. plus, we'll meet one name on the ballot you may not know yet. severe threat is less as much of the dynamics lift to the northeast however, a few thunderstorms will develop along the cold front as it moves through the state. clearing skies and cooler temperatures tonight through thursday. good evening and thank you for joining us for the news at 7. i'm dawndy mercer plank. and i'm charles molineaux. one man is dead after being hit by a falling tree. it happened this afternoon in darlington county. the victim is michael gaines, senior. officials say he was walking on gilchrist road fell. we heard from one man who tried to step in to help. "the guy, we was laying down and the tree was on top of him and he was hurt, he was hurt, i looked up and the top was on top of him. a rotten tree fell and hit him." the darlingotn county coroner says gaines had stopped along the road near his home to remove storm debris from the roadway when that tree fell on him. the strong winds brought down trees and knocked out power to thousands of homes and businesses. roads in downtown columbia were blocked for a while when power lines fell and traffic lights went dark. chad mills is at laurel and marion streets . at this point, the intersection of laurel and marion streets is still closed. columbia fire department is still on-scene. sce&g is out here too. drivers should avoid this area. a tree has fallen taking out several power lines