touching down, cutting off a community. we're in the storm zone. also tonight, the new twist in the deadly hijacking of a transit bus in atlanta. the suspect by chance speaking to tv cameras hours before the chaos. what he said about his struggles with mental health. the mass casualty incident in illinois. three sheriff's deputies shot as they entered a home with a barricade suspect. president biden in italy for the g7 summit. the new security agreement he's expected to sign with ukraine as russian warships reach cuban waters 90 miles off the u.s. coast. house republicans voting to hold attorney general merrick garland in contempt of congress, but will it go any further than that? and remembering the nba legend whose silhouette became the league's logo. lebron and jordan paying tribute tonight to the great jerry west. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. good evening, and welcome. we are watching an extraordinary weather story unfold in south florida tonight. the rain just not stopping. for a second day, a slow-motion system triggering intense downpours and flash flooding. tonight, flash flood warnings and emergencies are posted into the evening. many streets are impassable. cars have been left stranded. adding insult to injury, the risk of lightning and severe wind gusts. rain totals in the last two days across southern florida exceeding a foot in some places with no relief expected before saturday. downpours just this afternoon falling at an estimated rate of four to six inches per hour. flights in and out of the miami area have faced hundreds of delays and cancellations. fort lauderdale airport recording 7 1/2 inches of rain in the last six hours. sam brock is in the middle of it all tonight and starts us off with the latest. >> reporter: tonight, florida under siege from severe weather. this reported tornado slamming down in martin county, florida, while about 100 miles south, chaos on the roads near miami beach. >> the cars are floating and the water is so high right now. >> reporter: on this iconic highway, vehicles swamped by flooding. >> how would you describe the conditions right now? >> very bad. horrible. >> reporter: another round of vicious rain battering the state for hundreds of miles canceling flights and delaying travelers. >> i'm going to miss all my connection flights. >> reporter: with life-threatening flash flood warnings popping up from miami-dade to broward. >> there was a lot of rain, a lot of rain. >> we had to stop and walk because we couldn't see from the rain. >> reporter: florida's notorious flood problems re-emerging even as miami beach has recently raised some of its roads for drainage, but the porous limestone underground is an issue. >> it creates something we call compound flooding where the water is coming from underneath, you may see it percolate up through the storm drains. when you add rainfall on top of that, there's nowhere for the water to go. >> reporter: this is only the middle stretch of a week of rain. you can see cars are being towed behind me all other places. >> we went to move the car up on the garage so we can stay here. >> reporter: the challenge now, what still lies ahead in the days to come. >> sam, as i mentioned at the top of the broadcast, this will be around for awhile. >> reporter: look, lester, parts of south florida have already seen more than a foot of rain from north dade where i am out to fort lauderdale. as you suggest, we have at least four to eight inches more expected by the end of the week, and, lester, it only takes six inches to stall out a car, something many people are discovering tonight. >> all right. sam brock, thank you. we're going to turn to the deadly hijacking of a transit bus in atlanta and the stunning new detail we have learned about the situation. here's priya sridhar. >> reporter: a terrifying scene unfolding during rush hour in atlanta tuesday. >> a person shooting on the bus. >> reporter: as 39-year-old joseph grier hijacked a gwinnett county bus with 17 passengers on board. >> i think there's something taking the bus hostage. >> reporter: police say it all started with a fight between grier and a fellow passenger. that passenger pulled out a gun, then grier grabbed it and shot the passenger before ordering the bus driver to flee the scene, authorities say. >> right now i'm in an extreme -- >> reporter: earlier that day, grier spoke to wxia at the scene of an unrelated shooting in downtown atlanta telling our affiliate he was bipolar and manic. >> my thing, i'm in a manic episode. >> reporter: hours later is when police say grier hijacked the bus. johnny gilbert says his wife was a passenger as it all unfolded. >> she called me and told me that a guy, one guy shot another guy on the bus. >> reporter: police say grier fatally shot that passenger with the passenger's own gun. tonight, the victim identified as 58-year-old ernest byrd jr. >> my heart goes out to the family. >> reporter: the entire hijacking lasted nearly 40 minutes, the bus seen driving in the wrong direction of traffic and hitting multiple cars before a georgia state trooper was finally able to stop the bus by shooting his gun into the engine. >> it's something that we'll never forget. >> reporter: tonight authorities confirming the suspect is a convicted felon. he now faces 31 charges including kidnapping and murder. lester. >> all right, priya, thank you. there's breaking news out of northern illinois. three sheriff's deputies and a suspect shot in an exchange of gunfire at home where police had responded to a report that someone was threatening to harm themselves and others. the deputies are said to be in good condition. no word on the suspect's condition. overseas, president biden traveling to italy for a high-stakes meeting with allies as the war in ukraine intensifies. gabe gutierrez is there. >> reporter: tonight, president biden landing in italy for a high-stakes summit, a critical focus, the war in ukraine, a russian missile strike today in ukrainian president's zelenskyy hometown killed at least nine people and injured another 21 including two children. the white house announcing president biden will sign a bilateral security agreement pledging long-term defense cooperation. this as russian warships arrived in a show of force off the coast of cuba just 90 miles from the u.s. the pentagon has sent ships and aircraft to track them but says they don't pose a threat. the g7 summit will bring together leading democracies. president biden is looking to shore up alliances, though every leader at the summit is facing low approval ratings. just days ago in european parliamentary elections, hard right and populist parties scored a clear victory. but also weighing on the president, the felony conviction of hunter biden. while he's ruled out pardoning his son, today the white house press secretary did not rule out the president commuting hunter biden's sentence, which could erase or reduce any potential prison time but would not expunge the conviction. a white house official later telling nbc news, any talk of a commutation was premature. biden aides, meanwhile, are looking ahead to hunter biden's september tax evasion trial in california, which could expose new information about his foreign business dealings. here in italy, president biden is expected to meet with ukrainian president zelenskyy tomorrow and pope francis on friday. lester. >> all right, gabe gutierrez, thank you. a barrage of rockets fired into israel today from over the border in lebanon as a u.s.-backed cease-fire plan for gaza is in peril. raf sanchez is in northern israel. >> it's time for the haggling to stop and a cease-fire to start. >> reporter: tonight a visibly frustrated secretary blinken in qatar accusing hamas of making unacceptable demands as it tries to change the terms of the cease-fire deal laid out by president biden. >> hamas could have answered with a single word, yes. instead, hamas waited nearly two weeks and then proposed more changes. >> reporter: a source familiar with the talks tells us, hamas is seeking a time line for when israeli forces will withdraw from gaza. it's not clear if israel will commit to that, accusing hamas of giving a negative response. but the mediators say they'll keep trying to bridge the gaps, and in gaza, exhausted families tell our team they're praying for a deal. "enough killing, enough destruction, and enough suffering," this displaced man says. the u.s. says a gaza cease-fire is also the best way to ease the growing crisis on the israeli/lebanon border. these israeli families running from rockets fired by iranian-backed hezbollah militants. the idf says more than 200 were fired today, one of the largest bombardments of the entire war. >> we're seeing more interceptions now over the skies of northern israel. the fresh barrage of hezbollah rockets comes in. >> reporter: the attack in response to this israeli strike, which killed a senior hezbollah commander, and at his funeral today, calls for revenge. here in northern israel, tens of thousands have been displaced by the fighting since october 7th. a similar number just over the border in lebanon. lester. >> all right, raf, thank you. now, to capitol hill. the house voting to hold attorney general merrick garland in contempt of congress for refusing to hand over recordings of president biden's interview with the special counsel. ali vitali is there. this was a close vote along party lines. >> reporter: very close, lester. the speaker telling us the house did its job tonight, all but one republican voting to hold attorney general merrick garland in contempt for defying a subpoena to turn over audio of an interview president biden did with special counsel robert hur. that regarding his handling of classified documents. hur did not charge the president saying, a jury would view him as a, quote, elderly man with a poor memory. the white house invoked executive privilege regarding the audio, but lawmakers already have the transcript of it. the doj not expected to act on the referral saying, the house of representatives has turned a serious congressional authority into a partisan weapon. lester. >> ali vitali, thank you. the aclu filing a legal challenge to president biden's recent executive order -- executive action on the border and we have new reports that migrants crossing illegally are still being released into the u.s. here's julia ainsley. >> reporter: tonight, new evidence migrants who cross the border illegally are still being released into the u.s. by border agents. one week after president biden signed an executive action suspending their entry. >> if they choose to come without permission and against the law, they'll be restricted from receiving asylum and staying in the united states. >> reporter: but nbc news has learned border patrol is still releasing many migrants into the u.s. who crossed illegally to pursue asylum claims. a senior dhs official tells nbc news, nose -- those releases have dropped by more than half but are still happening because agents don't have enough space to detain the large numbers of arriving migrants. an internal memo to border patrol agents in san diego directs agents there to release migrants into the united states unless they are from these eight countries. overall illegal border crossings under the new policy are still high, but have dropped from 4,000 to 3,000 per day, dhs sources tell us. president biden signed the executive action after fierce criticism of his handling of the border with a record nearly 10 million migrants entering the u.s. since he took office, but the border patrol union says the president's new action is not tough enough. >> it's status quo. things have not changed. this executive order has not made any significant impact as it relates to illegal border crossings. >> reporter: "we suffer a lot just to get here" says this guatemalan woman waiting in mexico to cross and late today immigration advocates suing saying the asylum restrictions go too far. >> this ban is patently illegal. the trump administration enacted a near identical asylum ban. we sued over that and won and hope to win again. >> reporter: a senior dhs official tells us it's too soon to judge the new policy's effectiveness and need more help from congress to increase immigrant detention and do more deportation flights. lester. >> all right, julia, thank you. in just 60 seconds, the cost after you buy a home. why insurance rates are going through the roof and some homeowners' policies are suddenly being dropped next. h cidp: cidp disrupts. cidp derails. let's be honest... all: cidp sucks! voices of people with cidp: but living with cidp doesn't have to. when you sign up at shiningthroughcidp.com, you'll find inspiration in real patient stories, helpful tips, reliable information, and more. cidp can be tough. but finding hope just got a little easier. sign up at shiningthroughcidp.com. all: be heard. be hopeful. be you. (♪♪) is he? claritin clear? yeah. fast relief of allergies with nasal congestion, so you can breathe better. claritin plus decongestant. live claritin clear®. some welcome news today as may inflation came in cooler than expected, up 3.3% year over year. the fed today leaving interest rates unchanged and signaling just one cut is likely this year. price relief coming in areas like airline fares down almost 6%. used cars and trucks down more than 9%, and smartphone prices down 11 1/2%, but in our series, "the cost of living," brian cheung reports now even after buying a home, the cost of maintaining it is hitting americans hard. >> reporter: taron joiner is a single mom of three living in atlanta. when she bought her home in 2020, she thought her low mortgage rate would keep monthly payments down, but water damage from severe winter storms led to two insurance claims, and the event planner wasn't prepared for what came next. >> i did expect my rates to go up, but i did not expect to be dropped. >> reporter: she scrambled for a new policy only to find rates skyrocketing. her premium going up from 1,200 to more than $5,700 a year with her new provider. >> to get penalized for just being a customer who needed help, it just felt, i don't know, like a little bit of a betrayal. >> reporter: she's had to cut back her spending and pick up more work as a graphic designer. >> hey, i'm back in the business. this is what i'm doing. if you need something -- >> so you can cover the homeowner's insurance. >> yeah, trying to brace myself. >> reporter: the costs of owning and maintaining a home have soared up 26% and home insurance is a major piece. that's up 20%. one of the reasons, climate change. last year the united states had a record 28 separate weather and climate disasters costing at least $1 billion. with insurance companies losing money in 16 states. and now many insurers are dropping customers from their policies, sometimes leaving entire states, and not just ones on the coast. >> we've never seen anything close to this. >> reporter: even in iowa, a place that doesn't get hard hit by hurricanes or wildfires. >> these last five years have been more difficult because of hail, tornado, wind, and other factors that are not weather related. >> reporter: in atlanta, joiner says she and the kids are happy in their home, but it hurts when she looks at the bills. >> do you regret purchasing this home? >> there are times where i feel that way, yes. >> reporter: the cost of living at risk of becoming too much to bear. brian cheung, nbc news, atlanta, georgia. and up next for us tonight, the massive settlement from johnson & johnson over allegations they misled consumers about the safety of baby powder. a salonpas lidocaine flex. a super thin, flexible patch with maximum otc strength lidocaine that contours to the body to relieve pain right where it hurts. and did we mention, it really, really sticks? salonpas, it's good medicine. your best defense against erosion and cavities is strong enamel - nothing beats it. new pronamel active shield actively shields the enamel to defend against erosion and cavities. i think that this product is a gamechanger for my patients - it really works. 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[ sniffs ] yep, that's mold. well, then, let's see if we can save you some money with progressive. guess how much i originally paid for this fireplace? 23 bucks. materials and labor. just ignore him. you got bamboozled! finally, the sports world is remembering basketball legend jerry west, who died at age 86. morgan chesky has a look at his remarkable career and how he came to define the nba down to the logo. >> reporter: in a game filled with players larger than life, jerry west stands alone. his loss at age 86 follows a career spanning six decades, four teams, and countless moments, never too big for a player, relentless as he was clutch. >> two seconds, one second, west throws it up. he makes it. >> reporter: after drafting west number one in 1960, he led the lakers to nine nba finals, capturing one title after six heartbreaking losses to the boston celtics. >> the lakers' jerry west shooting here as scorer, but it's all in vain. >> reporter: following a hall of fame playing career, he found new life in the lakers' front office assembling the championship showtime teams of the '80s, then another dynasty alongside kobe bryant and shaquille o'neal. >> greatest basketball mind ever. >> reporter: the west virginia native immortalized when his silhouette was made the nba logo. in 2019 west honored again with the presidential medal of freedom. >> i was a dreamer. i sat alone on our front porch and wondered if i'd ever make it to the top of the mountain, what will i see on the other side? well, i did make it to the other side, and my dreams have come true. >> reporter: nba stars honoring an icon, lebron james writing, my mentor, my friend. hopefully i continue to make you proud. you're already missed. michael jordan sharing, i wish i had been his teammate, rest in peace, logo. >> what would i like for people to think about me? he was a good guy, and he cared. >> reporter: a gritty champion proving an endless pursuit of excellence is the only way to play. morgan chesky, nbc news. and that is "nightly news" for this wednesday. thank you for watching. i'm lester holt. please take care of yourself and each other. good night. after guarding his home from a wildfire. the tips from experts as we head into fire season. good afternoon. i'm audrey asistio. welcome to nbc bay area news at 4:30. we are tracking other stie