>> just something seemed off, like in that airport. the area we were at. >> reporter: before the bombs went off, brad waldo says he had a gut feeling that something wasn't right. it prompted him and former usf basketball player kwame vaughn to leave the departure area of brussels airport. >> less than five minutes later some woman started screaming there's a guy with a gun. and like right after that, there were two explosions that went off. >> reporter: speaking with nbc bay area by facetime from europe, the 24-year-old says the blast site was pure madness. >> total chaos. there were people getting pushed down, people getting trampled. people like just throwing their phones, everything out of the way in order to get out of there. >> reporter: the former st. mary's college basketball star and four other americans are playing pro ball for a team in brussels. among those spvq)s, kwame vaughn from usf and mike mckinney from sacramento state. the team was flying to italy for a game. >> it was just scary because you look to your left, you look to your right, you don't know who to trust anymore. because the people that did this look exactly like you and i. >> reporter: he says eventually a team bus met them a few miles from the airport and he finally arrived in italy early this morning. despite the attacks, waldow says he isn't coming home to the bay area. >> i just feel like if i come back home, if we come back home, i feel like the people that did this, they got what they wanted. they got us living in fear, and i don't think we should do that. >> reporter: and waldow says all of the americans on his team plan to stay and play ball in brussels because they also say coming home would be giving in to the terrorists. reporting from our contra costa newsroom tonight, i'm elyce kirchner, nbc bay area news. a tribute to the victims can now be seen at the california capital. flags are flying at half-staff in honor of those killed in the terror attacks. coverage in ten minutes. presidential candidate hillary clinton issed a stanford laying out her anti-terrorism plans. here's what she and the other candidates have to say. coming up on "nightly news," lester holt reports from brussels with a deeper look into the urgent hunt for the aal&xñ developing story out san francisco right now, a mother in jail after her two toddlers go missing. we just learn the kids have been found days after they allegedly vanished. an hour ago we confirm the two little girls were found at st. francis hospital. but tonight police are looking for the so-called acquaintance that the mom supposedly left them with. pete suratos joins us live. do we have details of how those children surfaced there? >> reporter: we're still waiting to get confirmation from sfpd, but the acquaintance is the one that brought the kids to st. francis and the source says the kids are fine and this really all started when the mother reported the kids missing to the police department in that area and they said her story simply just didn't match up. that mother's name is shanyce taylor. she's 26 years old. she dropped off her 2 1/2-year-old and 14-month-old at a burger king monday afternoon with an acquaintance name of jacquita. apparently there was an agreement to meet up a few hours later to pick up her kids but jones showed up late. the two then agreed to meet the next day in the tenderloin area and sxwroens claims that jacquita never showed up with her toddlers. jones went to the tenderloin police station to report the toddlers missing and that's when investigators called her story inconsistent and eventually booked her on child endangerment and possession of narcotics. here's sfpd talking about the charges in a press conference before these toddlers were found. >> the mother was charged with the child endangerment because of circumstances that she put the children in when she left and did not return. >> reporter:s a i mentioned before, our sources also say it was the acquaintance who brought the toddlers here to st. francis and we're being told they're okay. at this time their mother's being held on a $106,000 bond. we're live in san francisco, pete suratos, nbc bay area news. thank you, pete. operator jd)u÷error, that's wha police said led to a dramatic tour bus crash in san francisco last year. that bus barreled out of control for several blocks leaving people seriously injured. but just a few hours ago the driver spoke out about the investigation for the first time. nbc bay area chuck coppola in san francisco with more. >> reporter: the driver says he knows the difference between the gas and brake pedals, but police believe he panicked. this afternoon 53-year-old kenneth malvar spoke for the first time publicly about the tour bus he was driving last november that ka reend down pos street injuring 19 people. >> there was a mechanical problem on the bus. >> reporter: earlier in the day a joint police and highway patrol investigation concluded that there was no mechanical failure and put the blame on malvar. >> he likely panicked after he struck the bicyclist and maybe mistook the accelerator for the bike -- brake, excuse me. >> reporter: police say a data confirmed that it was speeding. >> if he did, in fact, step on the brake, which we believe he did not, we definitely have proof to show he did step on the throttle. so that's why we believe he just apparently stepped on the wrong pedal. >> reporter: the driver's attorney said the accelerator stuck. >> they said i didn't know my gas pedal and brake pedal. to me that's absurd. because i know my pedals on the vehicle. >> reporter: investigators looked closely at the compressor. that supplies pressure to the brakes. malvar told his attorney he heard a pop just before he claims the brakes went out. >> that system was looked at very detailed. it was determined to be in functioning order with no pre-existing mechanical defects. >> reporter: but the bus involved, modified into a double decker to carry sightseeing passengers and more weight was not inspected before the accident. nor did state regulators know the tour company had acquired it. problems they hope to change. what happens now? malvar was cited for speeding. there are a number of civil cases being prepared. coming up at 6:00, what changes in the state law this accident may bring about. reporting live in san francisco, i'm chuck coppola, nbc bay area news. want to share some breaking news now. all-out security in downtown hercules because of a bomb scare. one walked into the police station saying he found a fake bomb in a bag and wanted to turn it in. the officer determined that the bomb could actually be real. the police department and city hall have been evacuated. two nearby senior centers have been told to shelter in place. and the public library has been set up=a=tp a shelter. the location you're looking at is 111 civic drive right downtown hercules. investigators are on the scene trying to figure out if that bomb is real and why someone turned it in and what's behind it. this area in hercules, one you want to avoid. the police station has been evacuated at this point. we'll continue to monitor the situation and bring you the latest as it develops. one lane of mission boulevard in fremont is still shut down after a frightening crash. this taco truck flipped over, obviously. the driver apparently swerved to avoid something in the road and lost control. the driver was hurt, but he's expected to be okay. now to b.a.r.t.'s ongoing electrical problems. within the past two hours things have immoved for riders on that troubled stretch of track in the east bay. b.a.r.t. began running two trains, one in each direction between the north concore and bay point stations. that's an improvement from one train during yesterday's commute. b.a.r.t. will now offer service between those stations past 8:00 this evening. last night service ended right at 8:00. the trains were interrupted last week so crews could concentrate on fixing the electrical problem that's been shorting out cars, knocking them out of service. getting replacement parts normally takes weeks but b.a.r.t. is saying it wants to expedite that process and work with commuters. b.a.r.t. facing criticism for preparing to hand out bonuses to employees. just last week that the transit agency said it needed more money to repairs to those aging tracks. b.a.r.t. workers are said to each receive $1,000 bonus because ridership is up. b.a.r.t. contends the bonuses are a critical incentive for hard working employees. workers receive $3 million in bonuses last year. bonuses part of the current labor contract soigned in 2013. deputies caught on camera beating inmates with batten. none of the officers turned their body cameras on. this came out last november and sparked outrage. you can see the three deputies beating the suspect in san francisco. the suspect was driving a stolen car and led the deputies on a high speed chase from san leandro to san francisco. he allegedly ran two patrol cars injuring a deputy. the pursuit happened after a chase. one officer turned on a dash cam but it did not capture the beating. an apartment close to falling off of a cliff but some people are still fighting to have them stay. tonight the commission will make a decision about the apartment complex on esplanade avenue. the cliff erosion has made the building dangerous to live in so it's been yellow tagged meaning people can go in and get stuff, but you can't stay there. tenants want those yellow tags removed and to be allowed back into their units. i'm michelle roberts live in the stanford campus where hillary clinton made a counterterrorism speech earlier today. coming up, hear her response to the controversial comments made by ted cruz following the attacks yesterday. and the fight between apple and the fbi over the san bernardino shooters' phone takes a new turn. we're learning who may be helping the government bypass apple and unlock that phone. plus -- >> come out and see us. it's a fun thing to do in san francisco. >> not just a man's job. meet the local woman making history. changing perceptions about what women really can do. and good afternoon. i'm meteorologist jeff ranieri. a few clouds here in san francisco and that blue sky continues on down to san jose. we're tracking your full micro climate forecast. i'll have details coming up in about eight minutes. more coragnow othe tror attas it coverage on the terror attacks in brussels.j3nz hillary clinton says it's time to work closely with our european allies to defeat isis. she made a counterterrorism speech at the campus of stanford. we're joined with more on the candidate's strategy and how it's dramatically different from opponents. >> reporter: it really is. hillary clinton was in town for a fund-raising event. she scheduled this speech today. her main message today waséu working together particularly with european allies. >> the threat we face from terrorism is real. it's urgent. and it knows no boundaries. >> reporter: speaking to a group of students and professors on the stanford campus, democratic presidential front-runner hillary clinton laid out her plan to keep america safe. >> the stakes could not be higher. >> reporter: she's calling for european governments to share activity, and she also used the speech to denounce republican ted cruz's call to increase surveillance of muslims in america. >> demonizing muslims also alienates partners and undermines moderates we need around the world. u only republican advocating for extreme measures. hours after yesterday's ik]atta donald trump said if he's elected president he would support torturing terror suspects, a position clinton >> waterboarding would be fine. and if they'd expand the laws, more t >> reporter: former+4fkñ u.s. ambassan1ayto russia and stanford political science professor mike mcfaul called her speech today appropriate andiwg timely. >> one has to have a smart strategy. sometimes a patient strategy;9ú achieve our objectives. >> reporter: george shultz, the former secretary of state in the reagan administration was in the audience today. he made a brief statement on his way out saying he did support clinton's plan that she presented today. reporting live on the campus, i'm michelle roberts, nbc bay area news. av xhtk area city is paying thousands for security guards to keep teams safe. but tonight there's new questions about who is really on the payroll and what they'rerm1 doing. story of the arrest of three guards. ? e accusations of neglect. they're paid $22 an hour to watch the railroad tracks for young people who might want to hurt themselves. but after we reported some guards were arrested while working for the city, palo alto leaders promised a new city contractor would be more professional and more alert. we set up surveillance to watch thes-ñ watchers. our hidden cameras documented a different story. how is the city showing that the their job? >> we spent lots of money contracting and hiring guards. >> reporter: what is it that you want to see at the tracks some. >> i want there to be more transparency. -p)entx4 input. >> reporter: tonight at 11:00, we'll show you what our surveillance cameras captured and what one guard was allegedly caught doing that has parents furious. ñó @(t&háhp &hc% if you have a tip for our investigative unit call 888-996-tips or send us an male officers from across santa clara the officers who didn't stop for those in the crosswalk and looked for anyone using a phone dr. this is the first time officers from mountain view and campbell have worked together to crack down on drivers in the city. for more than n+"i100 year drivers of the famed cable cars were called gripmen. now there's another reason the operator. amber jones is her name. now, the third woman to0> wow. >> to pull =that, stop that thing. and you got to stop it. >> yeah. that would be critical. >> and she did the weight training. she got it done. >> congratulations. i'd like to see you"3fhp try. >> thanks. let's turn to jeff ranieri. >> jeff believe is could do it. >> i hit the gym today, guys. so we had some beautiful weather out there today whether you're on the trolley car in san francisco orf5ç walking around south bay, you can see even though the temperatures cool off, we still have plenty of blue sky throughout the bay area. south bay at 66, peninsula at 68, san francisco, cooler wind rushing at 57. tomorrow morning's forecast we have smooth sailing for that commute. as we go ahead and take a look through tomorrow, we're going to be starting off here with chilly temperatures in the south bay at 48. east bay 44, and the north bay beginning at 4 3. vo last long. high pressure building off shore will bring warmingíuh@@ez the forecast. but the other thing this will do is deflect any kind of storm systems. we still need more rainfall in here with our current drought in place. you can see the storm track will be lifting well off to the north. no hope of any rain. with tvy area of high pressure, it helps to bring warmer air. on top of that we have another component that's helping temperatures to heat up. and that's the wind. we'll see winds coming more out eeserly direction. as you've been talking about, any time you get an easterly direction in the wind like napa and orinda, that will help temperatures to bump up even more. we think that will help temperatures to warmp the most here. that will put us with our max temperatures on friday at 74 degrees. check it out by sunday and monday, numbers begin to go down also upper 60s. eventually cooler weather coming our way but really a spectacular next three days. as we take you through the micro climate forecast on thursday, you can see san francisco not quite 70s. it won't be a'+vbr total offsho wind for you at the coastline. that's why it won't get too hot there. that will put the financial district. palo alto 70, stellar day tomorrow. and some of the most beautiful weather here, 73 in san jose. check out wine country on thursday's forecast. vacation, 73 degrees up into tri-valley comes in with more low 70s. high pressure keeps it dry right through saturday's forecast. no sign of any rainfall coming our way. next monday when you have windier and colder weather coming back so only maybe a chance here of spotty coastal showers on monday. but watch out closely. any sign of any rainfall ramping up, i'll be the first to let you know. >> we know you will be. thank you, jeff. the mountain view school district getting into the real estate game.hoicn coming up, their plan to make sure teachers can find a way to deal with the price of living in the south bay. and the bay area's bike share program is about to get a whole lot bigger. only help you if you live in very specific areas. happening now, a secret cross-border tunnel found in a california home is trending on twitter. police say smugglers built the home for the sole purpose of transporting drugs. plus a peek at the zombie world coming to the south bay. the show set from the popular series "the walking dead" is coming to san jose in august. ==jessts==the s the mty maye sold.a prive isrlii one.tonight we may have an answer. a private israeli company is celortedly helping the fbi crack open the san bernardino itooter's iphone. an israeli newspaper is reporting that a company called cellabright recently approached the feds. d a an transfer or extract data from smartphones. the fbi revealed on monday that it had outside help working on eal thone and asked the judge to owncel a legal hearing with apple. a south bay school district ==taetting into real estate. the school board is now looking for affordable housing in order an eep its teachers. atetrict leaders say rental prices in mountain view are out aksreach for teachers that make ent,oerage of $69,000 a year, so that means a lot of them are of with long commutes. >> i do know that people leave because of the commute times. they are always concerned about anbveling to -- being on the pad for two hours to get to their job. >> the district is now working with the city and businesses to gut together a plan for a housing project. cooper park in mountain view is a potential site for housing. ved military barracks in the e cy are being considered as well. th" drivers in san francisco illl soon have to share the at eets with more cyclists. an expansion of the bay area 2 ae sharing program will create six dozen new stations. an increase of a thousand more bicycles. it will roll out in phases over the next two years. the new stations will be in soem ma, the tenderline, mission bay, the castro and in the mission as well. year. s a south bay expansion in the works with 13 new stations lo san jose. the program will move into the east bay by the end of the year. a live look right now at the golden gate bridge where this ts oer weekend there's a warning he bdisitors. leave your car behind. li dge officials say they are closing parking lots on both o ta of the bridge from 11:00 in the morning until 5:00 p.m. that's to avoid a backup of cars surfing for parking spots. it causes a mess over there. justhre urged to take tour buses, taxis or ride sharing services. maritime mystery solved. the shipwreck discovered here in the bay area. outragor an legedully a soh bayr tonight at 6:00, outrage over an alleged bully at a south bay elementary school. he's accused of forcing his classmates to expose themselves. now police are investigating because they started asking questions. it went unsolved for a century. but today federal investigators say they officially cracked the case of the mysterious 95-year-old ship wreck. noaa and the u.s. navy say the remains of the u.s. conestoga were discovered just outside the golden gate bridge. the u.s. navy thought the tugboat sank near hawaii. that's where it was headed when it encountered rough seas in 1921. investigators now know the tug was swamped when it encountered gale force winds and monster waves in the gulf. it had 56 crew members aboard that were buried still under the water. >> oh, my gosh. >> more tonight on that at 6:00 as well. breaking news tonight. nbc news and a shocking trail of terror in brussels. the boum maker believed dead. tonight what richard engel has learned about how the horrific plot may have been set in motion. and a secret message found in a garbage can. fight over their wives. donald trump blame ted cruz for an ad, threatening to spill the beans on ted cruz's wife. tonight heidi cruz fires back. spring blizzard emergency shut down a major airport. people trapped in their cars on highwa highways. birth control battle. a big fight today that could impact women across the country. "nightly news" begins right now.