Now. From nbc news World Headquarters in new york this is nbc nightly news. Reporting tonight lester holt. Good evening. The force of the impact of that plane crash in the french alps was so strong that even the rugged container that held the voice recorder designed to withstand over 3,000 gs was left twisted. Yet tonight officials are saying they have managed to recover the critical information it carried. Sounds and voices from the cockpit which could help explain why the plane flew into a remote mountainside. Tonight, its the focus of a perilous search and recovery operation. Also today we learned more about some of the 150 people who perished including three americans. We have two reports beginning with bill neely at the staging area in the french alps. Bill whats the latest from there . Reporter good evening, lester. Investigators are confident they will find the cause of this crash after hearing those final sounds from the cockpit. The victims of this tragedy were from 18 countries including the u. S. Their grieving relatives are beginning to arrive here in the alps close to a site that is a picture of horror. Its difficult and dangerous to get to the wreckage. Searchers are wenched in helicopters cant land the debris smoldering. This is a mass grave. The plane is barely identifiable. Some windows here a tire there. The wings and cockpit in a thousand pieces. The voices recorded in the cockpit on a damaged black box have been analyzed but investigators say they still dont know what caused the crash. The second flight recorders casing has been found, but not the contents. The names of many onboard have emerged. Three americans died. Two of them identified as emily selke, a Drexel University graduate. And her mother y vonvonne from virginia. There will definitely be a hole in our Church Community and the community at large. Reporter at the German School that lost 16 teenage students and two teachers numb shock. Hundreds of troops and police are ready to join the search but as we discovered access to the remote site miles from any roads is almost impossible. As well as the snow and ice these mountainsides arent stable for searchers for anyone this is dangerous. This operation to first find and then recover bodies and debris wont just take days. It will take weeks. There were moments of silence today from colleagues of the flight crew at dusseldorf and barcelona airports. From the leaders of france, germany n w flew over the crashed site and from stunned locals. Silence interrupted only by the harrowing search of the helicopters. Bill neely, nbc news seyneslesalps, france. This is tom kos tell low. The fact that flight 9595 crashed into a mountain at 440 Miles Per Hour could be compelling evidence that the crew was incapacitated. The a320 is equipped with a ground proximity Warning System that tells pilots to pull up if the plane is headed for a ground collision. Terrain ahead. Pull up reporter but the germanwings plane never attempted to avoid the mountain. Captain spent more than 20 years in safety and crash instructions. Its a loud warning and one pilots take seriously. That adds a little bit of additional evidence to the crew being incapacitated. Reporter french nfgt investigators are now analyzing, but they need the flight data recorder to unravel what happened to the plane and in the cockpit. A process that could take weeks. Translator were not in a position to give the slightest explanation as to why this plane began to descend, unfortunately, until it slammed into the mountainside. Reporter we still dont know if the crew programmed the plane to descend from 38,000 feet. If so why didnt they program an end to the decent . And why did the crew fail to respond to radio calls from callers concerned about the descent. Both were tested and passed and the planes were checked on monday and another captain who flew the plane on monday said it performed perfectly. Also today clarification on a 30minute delay that flight took just before departure out of barcelona. The airline says that was at the request of air Traffic Controllers because of air congestion issues and not maintenance related. Lester. Tom costello, thank you. Another story that broke here at home involving Bowe Bergdahl. Held captive by the taliban for five years before being rescued in a controversial prisoner swap. Our pentagon correspondent Jim Miklaszewski was the first to report in january that bergdahl would be charged with desertion. And tonight those charges are official. Reporter nearly six years ago thenprivate first class Bowe Bergdahl walked off his outpost in eastern afghanistan and into the hands of the taliban. Today, he was charged with desertion. Desertion with intent to shirk important or hazardous duty. Reporter bergdahl also faces a second more serious charge of endangering his fellow soldiers, maximum penalty life in prison. Josh corder served with Bowe Bergdahl in afghanistan. I think hes very lucky theyre not talking about firing squad and Death Penalty for him. Reporter during his five years in captivity bergdahl appeared in several hostage videos forced apparently to condemn the war in afghanistan. You are not fighting stupid humans. You are fighting very smart people who know exactly how to kill. Reporter in may of last year bergdahl was released in a controversial prisoner swap. The Obama Administration agreed to release five highvalued taliban prisoners from Guantanamo Bay in exchange for bergdahl. Later one of the taliban prisoners tried to reengage in the fight in afghanistan but was stopped. Upon his release bergdahls parents appeared in the rose garden with president obama. Little comfort to sandra and an di andrews who lost their son darren in afghanistan and claim he was killed while searching for bergdahl. Hes not a hero. Hes a traitor. You know hes a deserter. He left his post in war. Reporter officials here tell nbc news its likely bergdahl will be offered a plea deal to avoid jail time. Tonight, bergdahls attorney would not discuss that but did ask all americans to withhold their judgment about bergdahl until all the facts emerge lester. Jim, thanks. Now to another story weve been closely following. Conflicting accounts tonight whether the president of yemen has fled his country as shiite rebels overtook a key airport as well as a military base that american troops evacuated just days ago. Yemens government has been an important u. S. Ally in fighting al qaeda in that country. Back here in this country a michigan man accusing police of Excessive Force after a traffic stop in january quickly escalated into a beating from several officers who are now under investigation. It was captured on a Police Dashcam minus the sound. Nbc station wviv in detroit first broke this story. And our Anne Thompson picks it up tonight. Reporter how did this traffic stop on this suburban detroit street become so violent so fast . Dashcam video from a police car shows two officers approaching 57yearold floyd dents vehicle. The first officer has his gun drawn. Quickly he is on the ground. And that first officer appears to put him in a chokehold. Then that officer starts punching dent in the head 16 times according to dents attorney as the second officer tries to handcuff dent. A third officer tasers dent twice in the stomach and once in the leg. All three officers are white. Dent is africanamerican. I heard somebody in the background say, officer, tase him. I told him i cant breathe. And he just kept choking me. Reporter dent who has no criminal record suffered a fractured eye socket that january night. Today he told reporters he was not resisting arrest. When someones beating you in your face you have to protect yourself. Reporter the Police Report says the officers stopped dent after seeing him run a stop sign in an area known for drug activity. When dent failed to stop immediately, police thought he was fleeing and eludeing them. When he opened the door cops say dent said to them ill kill you. Theres no audio on the tape. The officers mics were either turned off or not working. A judge dismissed all the charges brought against dent from that night except one, possession of cocaine. Police say they found a baggie of coke under the passenger seat. The cop who found it years ago was accused and acquitted of planting evidence. I saw him plant it in my car. Reporter police are investigating that allegation and the behavior of their own. I was notified that night of the prisoner going to the hospital. And the investigation was ordered immediately. And its ongoing at this time. Reporter as does the question why did this traffic stop become so violent . Anne thompson nbc news new york. Late today one of the two former university of Oklahoma Fraternity members expelled over a racist chant caught on video broke his silence. Levi pettite stood by africanamerican civic leaders. While he refused to say how and where he learned that chant, he did offer an apology. There are no excuses for my behavior. I never thought of myself as a racist. I never considered it a possibility. But the bottom line is that the words that were said in that chant were mean, hateful and racist. I will be deeply sorry and deeply ashamed of what ive done for the rest of my life. The investigation into this incident continues. And the University Says more students could be disciplined. Millions keeping a close eye on the skies tonight. Severe storms firing up on the radar across parts of the midwest and the south. Large hail likely and tornadoes possible. Oklahoma city tulsa and fayetteville just some of the Large Population centers bracing for a dangerous night ahead. We turn now to a story you wont see anywhere else tonight. A look inside the thrilling dangerous world of bull riding where eight seconds can feel like a lifetime. And many of the riders are awfully young. Kids with a ton of guts and talent and parents who know that extreme risk is part of the tradition. Nbcs Senior Investigative correspondent Cynthia Mcfadden shows us. Reporter meet some of the toughest kids in the world. Show me the provision. Thats it . Thats pretty impressive. At texas youth bull riders rodeo in ft. Worth the kids start young. And its a family affair. You know there are soccer moms. Were rodeo dads. Reporter 6yearold wk seymour rides sheep. 7yearold rider rutledge is updated a calf. By 9 theyll both be on junior minibulls. By 15 on the real deal. No question about it bull riding is one of the most dangerous sports of the world. Of the 18 people who have died in decades, seven were children. But that doesnt stop these kids. Its not a matter of when you get hurt but its a matter of how bad you get hurt. Reporter rodeo founder mike vergari pushed for texas law that requires every kid to wear a steel cage helmet and a protective vest. They buckle it up real tight and then their head is nice and secure. Dont worry about losing teeth or messing up that pretty face. Reporter but a vest and a helmet cant always save a life. In 2009 12yearold wade hammer died within minutes of getting bucked off and trampled at a colorado rodeo. Two years later in florida 16yearold brooke koets was kicked in the side and died. Both were wearing helmets and protective vests. In the 16 years this texas youth rodeo has been around no child has lost a life but there has been plenty of pain. So the people who say are you kidding, youre going to put your little kid on one of these great big mean animals, you say . He wants to ride. Thats fine. If he dont want to ride well go play baseball. You know theres kids that get hurt and killed playing motocross or playing football take a weird shot or a line drive to the head. You know accidents happen. Reporter but rodeo accidents are becoming ever more frequent. Over the last three years of one noted study, the rate of catastrophic injury and death increased by more than 100 . That spike may have more to do with the animal than the rider since breeding bulls that kick spin and buck has become a hightech multimilliondollar industry. The goal is to produce bulls for the pros, as seen here in this professional Bull Riders Association video. But sometimes those socalled ranked bulls end up with the kids. It was way too big. Reporter this 10yearold ended up on a steer vergari admits should not have been there. Your goal is not to get ranked bulls in the ring with those kids . Not at all. Not at all. Do they come in there . Yes. Do they come yes, i tell stock not to bring them back again. Thats not what i want. Reporter but parents and kids are willing to take the risk. Even ones who limped off today. Their passion for the sport bigger than their fear. Cynthia mcfadden, nbc news ft. Worth, texas. Theres a lot more news ahead tonight. If your teen has the keys to the car, what youre about to see in just a moment may warrant a frank conversation with them about the danger of distractions. Wait until you see what happens in the seconds before crash cameras capture every moment in the car. Thank you for being a sailor, and my daddy. Thank you mom, for protecting my future. Thank you for being my hero and my dad. Military families are thankful for many things. The legacy of usaa Auto Insurance could be one of them. 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The long lasting quicker picker upper and now try new bounty with dawn. Available in the paper towel aisle. An alarming new report out tonight from aaa that every parpt is going to want to hear. It concerns teenage drivers and how often they get distracted in the car and how often it can lead to disaster. Nbcs Peter Alexander takes a look. Reporter its a generation driven by distraction. Teenagers juggling music, makeup cell phones. Hands off the wheel, eyes off the road. Spinning out, nearly rear ending a pickup barely missing this semi. Lexi is one of thousands of teen who is had two cameras mounted on their car in exchange for a discount on Auto Insurance. Watch what happened when she was 16 looking down at an ipod. Her eyes off the road were six seconds, almost barrelling through a road sign. If a car would have been coming i would have hit them straight on. And who knows what condition my car or i would have been in after that. Reporter the wisconsin teen wasnt hurt but it could have been much worse. She could have been killed could have totalled the car. And she wouldnt have even known what hit her because it happened so fast. Reporter aaa found distractions contributed to 58 of the teen crashes it studied. Cell phones a factor 12 of the time. Over 50 of the teen drivers that were on a cell phone took no evasive action. They didnt steer and they didnt brake until they hit the vehicle in front of them. Thats scary. Reporter and friends can be fatal too, with each additional teen passenger in the car the risk of a deadly crash increases dramatically. Teen drivers many times feel like theyre invincible, but they also are not great at assessing risk. Reporter todays teens addicted to their devices putting their safety and yours in jeopardy. Peter alexander, nbc news new york. Still ahead, our visit to the countrys newest giant roller coaster, one of the tallest and fastest in the world. Our daredevil correspondent getting a 95mileanhour ride claritind presents two allergy sufferers. One had allergies with nasal congestion so he tried the newest allergy spray, which could take several days to feel the full effect of relief. The other went straight to the pharmacy counter for the fast, powerful relief of claritind. Its tough on allergies with nasal congestion and starts to work in just 30 minutes. The moral . Nothing works faster than claritind. Find it at the pharmacy counter. And live claritin clear. Across america people, like Basketball Hall of Famer Dominique wilkins, are taking charge of their type 2 diabetes. With noninsulin victoza. For a while, i took a pill to lower my blood sugar but it didnt get me to my goal. So i asked my doctor about victoza. He said victoza works differently than pills and comes in a pen. Victoza is proven to lower blood sugar and a1c. Its taken once a day, any time. And the needle is thin. Victoza is not for weight loss but it may help you lose some weight. Victoza is an injectable prescription medicine that may improve blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes when used with diet and exercise. It is not recommended as the first medication to treat diabetes and should not be used in people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. Victoza has not been studied with mealtime insulin. Victoza is not insulin. Do not take victoza if you have a personal or Family History of medullary Thyroid Cancer multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if you are allergic to victoza or any of its ingredients. Symptoms of a serious allergic reaction may include swelling of face lips, tongue or throat fainting or dizziness, very rapid heartbeat problems breathing or swallowing, severe rash or itching. Tell your doctor if you get a lump or swelling in your neck. Serious side effects may happen in people who take victoza including inflammation of the pancreas pancreatitis which may be fatal. Stop taking victoza and call your doctor right away if you have signs of pancreatitis, such as severe pain that will not go away in your abdomen or from your abdomen to your back with or without vomiting. Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take and if you have any medical conditions. Taking victoza with a sulfonylurea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. The most common side effects are nausea, diarrhea, and headache. Some side effects can lead to dehydration, which may cause kidney problems. If your pill isnt giving you the control you need. Ask your doctor about noninsulin victoza. Its covered by most health plans. One of the worlds best known Food Companies is gobbling up another in a massive merger. The ketchup people at heinz are buying kraft foods, a mac and cheese fame. Creating the fifth Largest Food Company in the world with estimated 28 billion in annual revenue. A jaw dropping video when a sinkhole swallows a bus hole and spattered out on the other side being swept away. The bus was evacuated just in the nick of time. Heavy rains and flooding have drenched brazil which is not unusual for this time of year. When we come back its the new mustride attraction of the summer. And were moving you to the front of the. People with type 2 diabetes come from all walks of life. If you have high blood sugar ask your doctor about farxiga. Its a different kind of medicine that works by removing some sugar from your body. Along with diet and exercise farxiga helps lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. With one pill a day, farxiga helps lower your a1c. And, although its not a weightloss or bloodpressure drug farxiga may help you lose weight and may even lower Blood Pressure when used with certain diabetes medicines. Do not take if allergic to farxiga or its ingredients. Symptoms of a serious allergic reaction include rash, swelling, or difficulty breathing or swallowing. If you have any of these symptoms stop taking farxiga and seek medical help right away. Do not take farxiga if you have severe kidney problems, are on dialysis, or have bladder cancer. Tell your doctor right away if you have blood or red color in your urine or pain while you urinate. Farxiga can cause serious side effects including dehydration, genital yeast infections in women and men, low blood sugar, kidney problems, and increased bad cholesterol. Common side effects include urinary Tract Infections changes in urination and runny nose. Do the walk of life yeah, you do the walk of life need to lower your blood sugar . Ask your doctor about farxiga. And visit our website to learn how you may be able to get every month free. I have a cold with terrible chest congestion. Better take something. 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One of the tallest and fastest roller coasters in the world unveiled today at a North Carolina theme park. And when we heard about it we knew nbcs Kevin Tibbles was brave enough to take the plunge. Reporter they often say its lonely at the top, but not in charlotte, North Carolina. Riding the fury 325 at carowinds theme park youre surrounded by screams for three and a half hair raising minutes. The first time you ride fury you will remember it for the rest of your life. Reporter its light years from coney island and americas first coaster, which crept along at 6 Miles Per Hour. At 325 feet in the sky, its the tallest gigacoaster in the world. Even the statue of liberty would fit underneath. After that initial climb riders drop straight down. Its the most exciting thing i think ive ever done. Its amazing. Reporter it was designer rob deckers job to turn his dream drawings into a 6,600foot long adrenaline rush. Im kind of the crazy idea guy. People cant drive a car that fast. And they certainly cant take turns like were taking at 95 miles an hour. Reporter and where else would a newbie ride but right up front. The general manager has been coaster crazy all his life. You never stop smiling. I never stop smiling. If you cant have fun working at an Amusement Park you cant have fun. Reporter settle in on snoopys spaceship and catch some zforces. Tara never felt better. Kevin tibbles, nbc news charlotte, North Carolina. Not in a million years. But good job, kevin. Thats going to do it for us on this wednesday night. Im lester holt. For all of us at nbc news thank you for watching and good night. Celine deion in tears, her first interview about putting her multimillion contract deal on hold. Now, on extra. He turned her into a super star at the age of 12. Now celine repays her husband, renee. It was very hard. How renee broke the news his cancer was back moments before celine went on stage, and his future as she returns to vegas. Johnhams first words about his secret stint in rehab. How are you feeling . Why the madmen star quietly sought help at this celebrity center. Then mrs. Obama on jeopardy. Ill take first lady hair controversies for 1,000 alex. The web ex ploeds, asking where is her hair . Then it was one of primetimes biggest mistrees. Why again did you leave ncis . Cote depablos here. Her first words about her surprise exit and her new series the dove keepers. And Cate Blanchett goes off on reporter. Thatep ]