Arrest one of his top critics. What the u. S. Now demands. An urgent manhunt after a 6yearold was killed in a Road Rage shooting the new reward tonight. Yearbook backlash. What female students are accusing a Florida School of doing to their photos the extreme weather striking an ultramarathon. 21 people killed the search for survivors. Our Nbc News Investigation nearly one year after the death of george floyd. The controversial Police Restraints being used across the country with sometimes deadly Results Allergy sufferers. Why this season is so bad and what to do about it and those two historymaking sports moments inspiring america. Announcer this is Nbc Nightly News with Lester Holt good evening, everyone for weeks weve been holding our breath hoping it wasnt fools gold. But tonight the recovery seems genuine. Optimism spreading across the country as the pandemic recedes and the country reopens. While the pace of vaccinations has slowed, nearly half the population has now received at least one dose, and new cases are dropping fast. Make no mistake, we are not rid of covid, not by a long shot but with the unofficial start to the Summer Season just a week away, many americans are determined to make up for lost ground. We can also report tonight the cdc is investigating a small number of teenagers and young adults who have developed a rare inflammation of the heart after receiving their second dose. Is there a connection . Heres nbcs Tom Costello Reporter a week till memorial day, but america is already on the Pandemic Rebound festivals, parades, sporting events, graduations and proms. Were due for it. Last year we lost the summer because of covid, so this year is going to be a big Summer Reporter Tonight the closely watched cdc numbers all point in the right direction. New covid cases at their lowest level since last june. Hospitalizations and deaths down dramatically with nearly 50 of americans having received at least one vaccine dose, nearly 40 fully vaccinated i just feel more like myself, like back to normal kind of. Its not just about you. Its about your Obligation Reporter Today president biden and dr. Fauci appeared with several Youtube Stars encouraging young people to get vavaccinated the science behind both the safety and the efficacy of the vaccine is truly extraordinary. Reporter now New Jersey says its keeping its Mask Mandate in place for all schools and summer camps, while both l. A. And new York City schools say all kids will be back in the classroom this fall. I think a lot of School Districts are probably going to start the School Year with masks its going to be largely out of a sense of Uncertainty Reporter meanwhile, the cdc is investigating a few dozen cases of young teens who developed myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, after receiving their second dose but the symptoms were mild and its not clear the vaccine caused the condition this is unfortunately a condition that you can see in children and in adults and so far theyre saying no, there arent more cases than we would expect. And tom, we understand there is a real split going on between states that have vaccinated the most people and states that havent reporter yeah, nine states have vaccinated at least 70 of their adults, mostly in the northeast. States with the lowest Vaccination Rates are by and large in the southeast, lester. All right, Tom Costello tonight, thank you. New developments on the possible origins of covid, u. S. Intelligence saying researchers at a lab in wuhan, china got sick enough to need Hospital Care just before the outbreak. Sparking fresh debate in whether the pandemic can be traced to that lab. With more on that, heres keir simmons. Reporter Tonight Nbc News confirms the u. S. Intelligence report says three researchers at a Wuhan Lab fell ill and even went to the hospital right before the Coronavirus Pandemic began. Theres been growing speculation the virus escaped from the wuhan institute of virology. But an earlier joint study by the w. H. O. In china controversially dismissed claims the virus may have leaked from that lab. But back in march a member of that team told us some Lab Researchers were ill did some researchers get sick with flulike symptoms in the fall of 2019 . They were occasional illness because thats normal, though its nothing that stood out reporter do you remember how many researchers . Maybe one or two. Certainly not a big thing. Reporter in February A Western Intelligence Official told Nbc News the u. S. Has substantial intelligence that has not been made public about the actions the chinese government took related to the Wuhan Lab. And recently dr. Fauci became the latest Highprofile Scientist to question Chinas Theory that the virus came from an animal. Im not convinced about that i think that we should continue to investigate what went on in china. Reporter but some w. H. O. Scientists insist china can be trusted. Can you trust the chinese data the science has taken the lead here, and the data dont lie. Reporter but just this month another group of international scientists wrote this letter saying we need a transparent, objective, datadriven investigation into how covid began. Lester all right, keir simmons, thank you we want to turn now to that stunning act in the skies over europe authorities in belarus forcing down a Passenger Plane to arrest a wellknown Activist Secretary of State Blinken condemning that move. With more, heres Sarah Harman Reporter Tonight its being called a statesponsored hijacking. This commercial Ryanair Flight from greece to lithuania forced to land while flying over belarus. Belarussian authorities at first claimed there was a bomb threat. Sniffer dogs on the tarmac we just change the direction of flight and then we go down and to the left. Reporter but there wasnt a bomb. Instead, it appears to be a brazen operation by the president of belarus, alexander lukashenko, branded a europes last dictator by protesters, a staunch ally of president putin. His target, one of his sharpest critics, 26yearold Journalist Roman protasevich, who was on board during the Emergency Landing eyewitnesses say he panicked. Computer, like give it to the Girlfriend Reporter the plane eventually continued to lithuania without the journalist or his girlfriend on board. Now Opposition Leaders are fearful. Im sure that hes being tortured because he knows a lot of information. Reporter tonight the u. S. Is calling for an international investigation, and the eu is telling European Airlines to stop flying over belarus. Lester okay, sarah, thank you. In just 60 seconds, outrage after a High School alters the photos of 80 girls in the yearbook. What the school is saying about that. Breaking news near Las Vegas tonight. Our Affiliate Ksnv reports of an aircraft associated with the u. S. Military has crashed near Nellis Air Force base the type of aircraft and the status of the Pilot Or Crew have not yet been released. Heartbreak here in southern california. A manhunt for the shooter who killed a 6yearold Boy during a Road Rage incident near anaheim the Boys Family Pleading for the publics help. Heres nbcs Miguel Almaguer Reporter on this busy southern California Freeway the call for help. Shots fired, northbound 55. Reporter is now followed by a mothers desperate plea to catch a killer i want them to pay for what theyve done. Reporter Joanna Klunen says her 6yearold Aden was strapped to his Booster Seat in the Back Seat on their way to prekindergarten when a car in Orange Cut her off. I heard a a loud noise, and i heard my son say ow. And he had been Shot Reporter in a fit of Road Rage, a shot pierced the vehicles trunk, striking aden i tried to save him, but hes losing a lot of Blood Reporter the 6yearold who had just celebrated his birthday did not survive. Investigators shutting down and scouring the freeway for clues, tightlipped on what leads, if any, they have in their manhunt for a female driver and male passenger in a white volkswagen that sped away in recent years, aaa says theres been roughly 30 murders a year from Road Rage. Investigators are asking anyone with Dash Cam Video to step forward. Adens family is now offering a 50,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest a family already paying an unimaginable toll we all loved him so much reporter miguel almaguer, Nbc News, orange, california a digital coverup causing Outrage Tonight among students at a florida High School and their parents. Blayne alexander tells us more about that reporter when Riley Okeefe and Zoe Eye Iannone got their bertram high School Yearbooks they flipped straight to their pictures and were shocked by what they saw. The first thing you notice, i felt very uncomfortable. Reporter these are the original photos and heres what appeared in the yearbook the images edited to Cover Up more of their chest. And they werent the only ones. At least 80 female students at the High School in saint johns county, florida, found their outfits altered, deemed Dress Code violations after the pictures were taken. Now their Body Parts are an additional focus of attention that never would have been there in the first place if the School Hadnt called attention to it immediately i my blood started to boil. Reporter these families say the Dress Code needs to change, calling it a double standard when the school goes and edits out my cleavage in a photo but decides that a swim Team Photo is okay in speedos, it just sends the message that my body is inappropriate. Reporter the superintendent told us tonight there was not a sufficient review before the edits, adding there has never been an intent to embarrass or shame any student for the clothes that they wear. And the parents told us when they asked about the quality of the editing, they were told it was a product of being shortstaffed. Lester all right, blayne, thank you. Tomorrow marks one year since george Floyds Death which brought renewed scrutiny of Police Restraint practices. An Nbc News Investigation with the Marshal Project found their use has sometimes been deadly. Heres gabe gutierrez, and i have to warn you the videos are disturbing Stay Back reporter this Body Camera Video shows the tense moments that still haunt vanessa peoples. How often do you think about what happened every Day Reporter in 2017 police in aurora, colorado came to her home with a Social Worker for a child welfare check. Stay Back Reporter the encounter escalated quickly. I dont have to Stay Back. Stay back get the [ bleep ] get your Hand Off [ screaming the next thing i knew, they threw me down on the ground and they had my arm behind my back. And i kept telling them, i said, theres something wrong. My arm doesnt feel right. It hurts and he had his knee in my back. And it was like at that moment, i felt like i was going to lose my Life Reporter the Device Officers used to restrain her is known as a hobble and involves tying a persons hands and feet behind their back while on their stomach. An analysis of data Nbc News obtained found she is one of roughly 350 people who have been hobbled by the Aurora Police Department in the last five Years Reporter police say it is used on aggressive people. I wasnt treated like a human Being Reporter when fastening the feet and hands together the mlth is called a hogtie. Around the country since 2010 Nbc News has identified at least 23 people who have died following a hogtie or hobble. Imagine your closest sibling looking at them die. Reporter Kimberly Smith says her brother marcus was in crisis and seeking help from the police tell me where you want to go first reporter this video from 2018 shows the last moments of his life well help you but youve got to reporter hes unarmed when he approaches police outside a Music Festival in gree greensboro, North Carolina Police Hog Tie him so tightly his knees are off the ground he stops breathing and later dies the next morning in a Press Release Police said smith had collapsed in custody and that officers rendered aid the autopsy declared the death a Homicide No Police were charged. In resy, the city says the restraint was appropriate in light of the Safety Risk he posed to himself and others i had no idea what a hogtie was i had no clue. Thats how you treat an animal. Reporter as for vanessa peoples, who was restrained and survived, the city settled her case for 100,000 i know that she was injured, which is what we want to completely avoid in cases when we use the hobble or any Restraint System Reporter chief Vanessa Wilson makes a clear distinction between a hobble shown here and a hogtie. But aurora police did not have a Policy Banning The Hogtie until 2019 the hogtie is absolutely not safe. Reporter is the hobble method safe it is safe, but i want to do better. Reporter her department is now trying out a different kind of restraint using whats known as a Wrap Device demonstrated here. Most importantly, the person is upright. Its a better way of dealing with individuals that are in crisis and that are agitated reporter but for vanessa peoples, the updated training comes too late i have to walk around every day knowing that it happened and theres really nothing that i could do but just live with it. Reporter gabe gutierrez, Nbc News, aurora, colorado there are calls for greater Safety Precautions in China Tonight after 21 people died in an Ultramarathon Race many were dressed in tshirts and shorts when they were hit by brutal winds, freezing Rain And Hail during the 62mile Race up next for us here tonight, why seasonal allergies are back with a vengeance. Its not your imagination. Allergy season really is getting worse Kristen Dahlgren with why, and what you can do about it. Reporter while many are welcoming a return to the outdoors, for others it also marks the return of seasonal allergies. My eyes have been really watery. Stuffy, runny nose, headaches, pressure here and here. Its been feeling different this year for some reason. Reporter allergists are noticing it, too appointments filling up fast. I think my first available is september or October Reporter dr. Rita katru blames a combination of factors. Now that people are opening up and theyre taking their masks off were seeing an increase in pollen allergy. Reporter researchers found Pollen Season became 20 days longer between 1990 and 2018. And Pollen Counts were up more than 20 Climate Change was the biggest driver of seasons getting longer and a substantial driver of seasons getting worse with more pollen in the air. Reporter increasing temperatures mean plants starting their growing season earlier and making more pollen doctors recommend keeping windows closed at night, rinsing your Face And Hair and changing clothes after being outside. If your doctor recommends it, take medications before symptoms start you can always hang on to your mask if Pollen Counts are high a few steps to make sure youre not stuck inside all season. Kristen dahlgren, Nbc News now to our series Kids Under Pressure and the crisis within the pandemic impacting so many young people Stephanie Gosk on the rise in Eating Disorders. Reporter isolated in her room because of covid with no school and unable to see friends, 16yearold Chloe meltons Eating Disorder went from bad to dangerous i was in a controlled environment. Which the Eating Disorder thrives in. I was able to make all of my meals. I would isolate in my room i was eating dinner at 2 00 reporter why were you eating dinner at 2 00 intermittent fasting. The internet told me that was healthier reporter the weight dropped fast, slowing her heart to under 40 beats per minute was it easy in those moments not to feel bad about the behavior because you didnt have anyone looking at it yeah, yeah, definitely there were things i definitely knew i wasnt supposed to be doing that i did because i was by myself reporter three months into the Pandemic Chloe was diagnosed with anorexia, and ended up in an Atlanta Hospital at that same time patients just like chloe were also flooding Boston Childrens hospital. Typically we would see three to four patients with Eating Disorders on our inpatient service. Postpandemic we were routinely over 10 and getting as many as 15 or 16. Reporter thats three, four, five times the number of patients that youd normally see absolutely. And i would say its not just the volume, but the complexity and the Severity Reporter dr. Tracy richmond is the director of the eating Disorders Program at Boston Childrens. Id say a picture is worth A Thousand words here reporter its so heartbreaking. Absolutely. I mean, these are kids who should not be in a medical hospital setting. They should be at home in thriving reporter dr. Richmond reached out to eight other hospitals in the country and found a similar surge in severe Eating Disorder cases. Patient numbers doubling were seeing kids from all sort of racial and ethnic backgrounds, all sorts of socioeconomic backgrounds. Reporter we are coming out of this pandemic people are taking off masks, kids are back in school. Is this going to get better for you you know, i really worry about this next wave, to be honest ive had some patients who told me theyre really hesitant to go back were going to see ramifications for a long time in our adolescents mental Health Reporter chloe said she struggles every day. But she hopes her recovery might help someone else its scary. It never gets less scary until you keep doing it and its so worth it stephanie, you have to wonder, does this spike tell a larger story about childrens Mental Health right now . Reporter yes, lester experts say it really does the doctor i spoke with at Boston Childrens actually describes the Mental Health illnesses triggered by Isolation And School closures as a second pandemic. Lester all important information for parents. Stephanie, thank you up next the amazing athletes inspiring america. They soared into unfamiliar territory one athlete defying age, the other defying difficulty both Making History. It was a onetwo punch in the world of sports this weekend after not competing in more than 18 months, Simone Biles is back on the mat and with a new skill. Its called the yurchenko double pike. So difficult no other woman has ever attempted it in competition. I have a tendency, as soon as i raise my hands, to kind of overpower things and i did a little bit, but at least i was on my feet its a new vault im proud of how today went reporter the fivetime Olympic Medalist sporting a Rhinestone Goat on her leotard signifying, you guessed it, the greatest of all time but biles wasnt the only athlete Making History this weekend swarmed by fans walking to the 18th hole, at the age of 50 Phil Mickelson became the oldest golfer ever to win a major championship the now sixtime major winner beating out favored Brooks Koepka by two strokes for the Pga Championship i mean, this is just an incredible feeling because i just believed that it was possible, but yet everything was saying it wasnt. And i hope that others find that inspiration. Also getting a Hat Tip from longtime Competitor Tiger woods who tweeted, truly inspirational to see Phil Mickelson do it again at 50 years of age. Congrats. Biles and mickelson, two greats cementing their names in history once again its a Big Wow for both of them thats nightly news. Right now at 6 00, double it. Thats what Governor Newsom wants to do to the states firefighting budget. It shows the urgency of the effopen to put that plan into action. Im scott budman. Coming up how the effort by one city to get young people vaccinated includes reaching them on their phones. And what is going on in our waters . A spike in dead whales showing up on our shores. The speculation is, is that Climate Change could be affect being the Food Resources in the arctic. Marine biologists try to explain whats going on and if Theres Anything we can do about it. News at 6 00 starts right now. Thanks for joining us, im terry mcsweeney. Im jessica aguirre. Doubling down. Governor newsom wants to spend a double amount of money to fight firefighters. He says 2 Billion will pay for more Equipment And Forest management as we learn the Deepening Drought is killing off scores of trees, which could create wildfires like nothing weve seen before. Tell us more. Reporter its a really big problem. And the east bay