From nbc news World Headquarters in new york, this is nbc nightly news with brian williams. Good evening. The organization that is hellbent on terrorizing the civilized world is tonight claiming another victim. A Young American woman, a 26yearold from arizona. Until today they have not named her. We have not named her in keeping with her familys wishes, but her family has now given us the permission to identify their daughter Kayla Mueller. Isis is claiming she was killed in an air strike by the Jordanian Air force. Striking isis targets in retaliation for that Jordanian Air force pilot who was killed by isis. This is an awful turn of events today, potentially tragic for a Young American woman and her family. We have it covered for you here tonight. Richard engel is standing by to talk to us from iraq. But first we begin with nbcs Andrea Mitchell in washington. Andrea, good evening. Reporter good evening, brian. U. S. And jordanian officials are cautioning tonight against those isis claims that the only American Woman held by the terror group has been killed in syria by a u. S. Led bombing raid. Her name is Kayla Mueller, a 26yearold aid volunteer from prescott, arizona. A 2009 graduate of Northern Arizona university in flagstaff. Seen here in pictures now provided by her family, including one with her mother, marsha. Shes described as adventurous, idealistic, passionate about helping the victims of Bashar Al Assads civil war in syria. Posting this video in 2011, two years before she was taken hostage. I am in solidarity with the syrian people. I reject the brutality and killing that the syrian authorities are committing against the syrian people. Reporter volunteering among Syrian Refugees she was captured by isis near aleppo in 2013. And today the group claimed she was killed by coalition bombs, a shaky claim at best. Isis posted pictures with the caption the building in which the american female captive was buried beneath its rubble, but isis says she was killed in raqqa. The pentagon says there were no u. S. Or jordanian combat missions near raqqa. Gun camera video showed yesterdays raids were in al hasakah, 140 miles away. We do not at the present have any evidence to corroborate isils claims. Reporter even as jordans queen rania led a rally against isis today in amman. For kaylas family in arizona it has been an excruciating 18 months. With only a few tantalizing clues from her captors, proof of life last may, a ransom demand, a u. S. Special forces rescue attempt in july. But kayla and the other captives had already been moved. Three americans held with her, james foley, Steven Sotloff and peter kassig were since beheaded. But kayla was never paraded on camera by isis giving the u. S. Hope she was still alive. Today, a former french hostage tweeted, Kayla Mueller was among the very last of my former cell mates last detained. I was full of hope she could have a way out. Tonight, for kaylas family theres no way to know her fate as the agonizing wait continues. Brian. Andrea mitchell in washington. Our thoughts remain with that family tonight, andrea. Thanks. Isis continues to try to prove its savagery and while the u. S. Continues to attack isis from the air, its fallen to others to carry out the offensive on the ground. The problem those on the front lines say theyre not getting the support in the fight they need. That report tonight from our chief Foreign CorrespondentRichard Engel in irbil, iraq. Reporter we joined washingtons closest allies in the war against isis. Kurdish troops traveling past the mosul dam to their newest front line outpost. Holding this ground has been a hard fight. In just two weeks theyve lost three men and been attacked by 20 car bombs. A commander showed us the wreck of one saying a kurdish fighter stopped it in the nick of time with a shoulderfired rocket. Kurdish fighters called peshmerga have taken back some ground from isis. This base is proof of that. But its slow going. Right now it looks like this is going to be a long war. Reporter head of the kurdish regions Security Council says neither air strikes nor praise from washington are enough to win this war. So are you saying that despite all of this praise the help isnt coming to the kurds . Praising is good. We also see ourselves as trusted allies the United States and the free world, but fighting needs more than just praising. It needs guns. It needs weapons. Reporter and those weapons simply havent been coming. The kurds here are lightly armed, just rifles and rocket launchers, and theyre being attacked daily. So there was just an incoming round in this area. Luckily it overshot this position. You can see where the soldiers there, the kurdish fighters are looking [ gunfire ] there comes in another round. So lets try and find a more secure area. Reporter this base cuts deep into isis territory and controls what was the main isis supply route from syria. Now, isis wants it back. All that stands in its way are these men. We will fight as much as we can. We are not going to give up or surrender to isis. Reporter there are american advisers here in irbil, thats where theyre based in the north. What are they telling you . Theyre trying to evaluate the situation to coordinate the air strikes with the peshmergas and our forces on the ground. And basically they are doing their best. Reporter are they frustrated . I think many of them are just as frustrated as we are. Reporter and, brian, i can tell you American Military advisers who are right here in irbil but not officially allowed to speak to us are deeply frustrated. They agree the kurds need more and bigger guns, but theyre not authorized to provide them. Brian. Richard engel from irbil in iraq for us tonight. Well stay on this story, obviously. We turn now to news in this country, and for a lot of people that means weather. Folks are keeping a close eye on the skies as we head into the weekend from coast to coast, in fact. Torrential rain slamming several states in the west as this major system pushes ashore. And in the east another big snowstorm coming together. Nbcs Miguel Almaguer has our report. Reporter the river of rain is now pouring into Northern California. The most powerful storm this year set to dump sheets of water for five straight days. Outside sacramento we heard some big booms and then all the power shut off. Reporter wind speeds top nearly 80 miles an hour. Up to ten inches of rain could fall here. If we can get through the night reporter in the Mountain TownFirst Responders are bracing for an emergency. We have already done reverse 911s, advised over 1,000 people that this waters coming. Reporter with trees toppled into cars and homes, and power out for thousands near medford, oregon the cleanup is under way, but outside seattle, one community is still flooded in four feet of water. Now there is fear mudslides could be triggered next. The storm system thats walloping the west is being funneled by the Pineapple Express, an Atmospheric River dumping a stream of topical moisture across the region. The express can be hundreds of miles wide and 1,000 miles long. Its like pointing a big hose right on california. You get a lot of rainfall in a short amount of time. Reporter still, all the rain wont end californias drought. The snow pack is just 25 of average. The states largest reservoir more than half empty. The last three years the driest in state recorded history. A historic drought and now a crippling storm. The Pineapple Express giving the west a wild ride. With steady rain hammering Northern California it is snow that this state needs to help alleviate the drout. Thats simply not going to happen. The storm is too warm. Most severe rain is expected here in the next 12 to 24 hours. The river behind me could raise 13 feet in less than a day. A Flash Flood Warning in in effect for much of this region. Brian . Miguel almaguer in Northern California for us tonight. Miguel, thanks. For more on the storm and the next snow event churning up, al roker pulling night duty with us in the studio. Hey, al. Brian, we told you yesterday we would see this moisture coming in and there is no end in sight, unfortunately. Strong rain, winds through monday, another 10 to 15 inches of rain before this is all over. Plus lake effect snows pushing into upstate new york today ahead of this big system causing a multicar pileup along i81. Some 30 vehicles involved including four tractortrailers. It was a mess. Miraculously nobody seriously injured, just some bumps and bruises. Parts of the highway were completely closed. Here we go now. Second system coming in. Its bringing the snow. It starts sunday into monday. Ice in new york. Heavy snow to the north. And the snowfall amounts, the european model, which has not been doing that great this year, calls for a foot of snow around boston. The american model, a foot of snow, three to six inches in new york city, bri. And ice on top of that. Monday mornings commute is going to be a mess. Sporty out there again, al roker, thank you, as always. We are learning new information tonight about the tragedy on the train tracks north of new york city including the calls for help in the moments after that commuter train slammed into an suv on the crossing. Theres also new information about safety changes that were ordered at that crossing, but changes that were never completed. We get our report tonight from nbcs tom costello. 911, whats your emergency . There was a car that was hit by a train in mount pleasant. Reporter the first calls for help capture the confusion and panic. The train was on fire. The train, metronorth right at valhalla station past on lakeview just exploded. The train exploded . Yes, the front car just exploded. People are jumping out of the train. Reporter that explosion was caused by the commuter train hitting an suv stopped on the tracks. We learned today that new brighter warning lights were ordered for the crossing in 2009 but never installed. And there are no bells at the crossing to warn motorists of an oncoming train. If the suv driver 49yearold ellen brody, was stuck in traffic beyond the flashing lights she may not have known a train was coming. This grade crossing is not required to have bells because theres no pedestrian walkway. Reporter today, ellen brody was laid to rest. Also remembered today eric vandercar. Meanwhile investigators again were collecting evidence in the burned out remains of the train car where five passengers died. Nationwide there are 2,000 accidents at Railroad Crossings each year. Last year 239 people died. Many of the crossings date back 50 years or more. In a country that can put a man on the moon, we can design better grade crossings that save lives and prevent this kind of crash. Reporter tonight the ntsb says mrs. Brody was indeed driving on a road that was not her normal route because of a car accident that sent cars detouring around it. Meanwhile investigators are also looking at the cell phone records for mrs. Brody and the engineer. Thats standard part of any investigation. They want to make sure distraction didnt play any role. Brian . Tom costello still on the story, thanks. As we all saw on video this week it took just seconds after takeoff for that transasia flight to run into trouble in taiwan. Less than three minutes for it to end in disaster careening out of the sky. Tonight, we have a better idea of what happened when control was lost and never regained. Along with the remarkable story of a family that made it out of there alive while so many others did not. Our report again tonight from nbcs ian williams. Reporter dazed but alive just moments after the crash. Lin mingwei clings to his 2yearold son, lin, his wife and son had changed seats to be together at the back of the plane. It probably saved their lives. Today, lin described how the plane shook violently as it plunged to the river. All the seats fell off, he said. The passengers were trapped underneath. Retrieved from the planes black box cockpit data showing how quickly things went wrong. 37 seconds into the flight an alarm, trouble with the right engine. Six seconds later the pilot powers down the left engine, struggling to level the plane. More alarms as the plane loses speed. Two minutes and six seconds in the pilots distress call. In the final seconds the pilot tries to restart the engines but time runs out. 58 people aboard, just 15 survivors. Among them the family of lin mingwei. His son still in intensive care but out of danger. Ian williams, nbc news, beijing. Still ahead fon us on a friday night, dramatic measures from the nations largest doityourself tax preparer as customers who went to file their taxes were told someones already done that while trying to steal their money. An alarming notice from the most popular web service for people who file their own taxes. Weve gotten late word before we came on the air toned that turbotax has started processing state income tax returns again after freezing them over the last 24 hours. The reason for the halt, many users found someone had already filed to claim their refunds illegally. Our report tonight from nbcs anne thompson. Reporter Nicole Miller hadnt even started thinking about her taxes until last week. I got an email saying that my efile was successful and i hadnt even filed my taxes yet. Reporter not only that but her state taxes were filed in georgia. Miller lives and works in wisconsin. So shed called turbotax, the Software Company she used for the last three years. Turbotax told me that i was likely the victim of fraud. Reporter complaints from miller and customers across the country forced turbotax to stop processing state tax returns thursday. Its Parents Company intuit says it is not a breach of turbotaxs system. It says its Identity Theft with information obtained from other sources outside the tax preparation process. Because this additional systems put in to prevent fraud, set up a hotline and free credit monitoring for victims. At this time of year taxpayers cant be too careful. You need to make sure that you are using programs that are encrypted and that youre using the programs on a secure line. Dont use the wifi at the coffee shop to file your taxes. Reporter miller says she always looks forward to getting a refund, but will file differently this year. Im definitely not going to use turbotax or any sort of Online Service ever again. Were going to get an accountant this year. Reporter to make sure her family and not someone else gets her refund. Anne thompson, nbc news, new york. Back in a moment here with an update on a student and his principal who have inspired so many people across our country. Well show you where their story has taken them now. Female announcer when you see this truck, it means another neighbor is going to sleep better tonight because they went to sleep trains ticket to tempurpedic event. Find the tempurpedic thats right for you and see why theyre the most highly recommended bed in america. Plus, get three years interestfree financing. Sleep riskfree with sleep trains 100 day money back guarantee. And of course, free sameday delivery. Are you next . Announcer but dont wait sleep trains ticket to tempurpedic is ending soon your ticket to a better nights sleep the job market continued the trend of the last few months with the u. S. Economy adding 257,000 jobs in january. Thats better than economists expected. Unemployment rate, however, ticked up to 5. 7 . Reason given for that many people who previously given up on finding a job are now actively looking again. U. S. Congressman Alan Nunnelee has died. A republican from mississippi. He represented the northeastern district part of the state. He had just won reelection to his third term. Hes been in Failing Health for some time following the discovery of a brain tumor. The congressman was just 56 years old. He leaves behind his wife and their three children. We have an update tonight on a story weve been covering on this broadcast. This was the image that went viral. 13yearold student from Brooklyn New York named vidal who shared his story about his extraordinary principal on a website called, humans of new york. He described all the good she does including her dream of bringing her students on a visit to harvard. Well, the donations started pouring in topping 1 million and counting and yesterday look at this, here they are, vidal and principal lopez meeting in the oval office with president obama who saw their story and asked to meet them. When we come back, complimentary breakfast, complimentary wifi and now complimentary canines. There are so many good dogs in need of good homes in this country with millions ending up in shelters every single year, so to find permanent placement some animal lovers are turning to temporary digs including a hotel where guests are offered climt complementary canines in the hopes of filling a vacancy perhaps in their lives. Our story tonight from nbcs janet shamlian. Are you checking in . I am. Reporter a friendly bark and a wagging tail, thats the greeting at a North Carolina hotel where a canine holds in the lobby and sometimes crashes happy hour. This kills me every time im here because i always have to resist the temptation to bring one home. Reporter like the guests anna belle is here only a few days. Some dogs last an hour and a half, and some dogs last a little longer. Its amazing. Reporter the rescue in the aloft hotel has teamed up for a oneofakind effort, giving shelter dogs the visibility that will likely save their lives. She dropped her toy and ran over to me and i looked at jim and said, ah, im ready. Reporter they adopted bridget after meeting her in the lobby. Sometimes when theyre seen behind bars and shelters, its hard to imagine this could be your family pet, but when theyre in venues such as these, its uplifting, its enlightening. Reporter a los angeles rescue using this retro Clothing Store as an adoption spot. Not everyones shopping for tshirts. You can fall in love anywhere. Absolutely. Amen to that. Reporter at the hotel, guests dont take the dogs at checkout. Theres a waiting period to ensure what started as a chance encounter really is something more. Its not every week i come back in theres a new dog, new breed, its very special what theyre actually doing here. Reporter the new turf for pet adoption, a temporary stay on the road to a forever home. Janet shamlian, nbc news, North Carolina. That is our broadcast for this friday night and for this week. Thank you for being here with us. Im brian williams. Lester holt will be here with you this weekend. We of course hope to see you right back here on meechkd. In the meantime have a good weekend. Good night. Im hysterical trying to make sure the kids are in one piece. Right now dangerous conditions for drivers, including this mother and her children. The rain not over yet. Good evening. Im jessica aguirre. And im raj. This looks similar in all of the bay area. The wind is still whipping at this hour. We begin with our meteorologist, and jeff, where is the storm right now . Its moving off to the east but were still finding significant amounts of rain falls all the way down towards san jose and you can see some yellow popping here obviously an indication of heavier pockets of rainfall. I do want to take you to heavier pockets impacting the southern peninsula. You can see stanford also woodside, some areas of yellow strong downpours. This also goes for los gatos just in the last 18 hours alone. You have rainfall an inch per hour. Los gatos, be very careful if youre doing any traveling that way tonight even through the santa cruz mountains. Back here across morgan hill well continue to see heavy rainfall track here across 101 as we head through the next 10 to 15 minutes. Maybe on top of that the next hour or so. We take you to the 24hour