nfl said today about rescheduling it. also tonight, chaos in the house. for the first time in 100 years, the election for speaker going to multiple rounds after a group of hard right republicans denied kevin mccarthy the votes he needed on the first ballot so what happens now? the suspect in the idaho college student murders appearing in court for the first time in pennsylvania waiving extradition. his family in the courtroom and the new body cam the suspect's brush with police as he and his father drove across country two weeks before his arrest severe weather on the move reports of more tornadoes in the south. in the midwest heavy snowfall creating danger on the roads. we're tracking it. the former crypto mogul pleading not guilty to fraud charges. when he is set to stand trial. and reports of children eating marijuana edibles soaring more than 1,000% the warning tonight for parents.

>> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt good evening, everyone in a sport known for its danger and high risk, there is hardly anything that can compare to the horror and crushing sadness of the moment that played out on the field of cincinnati's paycor stadium last night. with millions of viewers watching, buffalo bills safety damar hamlin collapsing on the field at the end of a play after suffering cardiac arrest medical teams rushed to perform cpr as players from both teams looked on, some praying. many appearing to be overcome by what they were witnessing. tonight, the 24-year-old hamlin is in a cincinnati hospital listed in critical condition through a spokesperson his family saying, we are deeply moved by the prayers, kind words, and donations from fans around the country. tonight, the nfl, which ultimately suspended last night's game, says it will not be played this week. maggie vespa begins our coverage

>> bring healing and restoration to damar's body right now >> reporter: tonight, prayers are pouring in for 24-year-old buffalo bills safety damar hamlin >> this was just like a gut punch. >> reporter: he's in critical condition in a cincinnati hospital. >> what a match-up a lot in play tonight. >> reporter: following a terrifying injury that unfolded live on monday night football. after tackling a bengals wide receiver in the first quarter, hamlin stood up and took a few steps before collapsing to the ground >> now another bills player is down. >> reporter: doctors from both teams and medics rushed the field performing cpr for more than ten minutes. >> this is the last thing you want to see. >> reporter: players formed a wall around hamlin as he was treated. many overcome with shock and emotion. then the bills knelt to the ground to pray as the ambulance drove off the field. hamlin's mom came down from the stands to ride with him. >> the game has been temporarily suspended. >> reporter: both teams retreated to their locker rooms, and after a tense hour

of uncertainty, the game was postponed indefinitely tonight, league commissioner roger goodell saying, the highly anticipated match-up will not resume this week the bills say hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest when an electrical malfunction in the heart causes it to stop beating, different from a heart attack, which is when blood flow to the heart is blocked. >> the fastest someone can administer cpr to someone that suffered cardiac arrest, the better their chances are of surviving. >> reporter: it's unclear if the cardiac arrest was caused by the hit, but the team says hamlin's heartbeat was restored on the field before he was transferred to the hospital tonight, his family releasing a statement, your generosity and compassion mean the world to us. please keep damar in your prayers hamlin is in his second season with the buffalo bills, a sixth round draft pick, the pennsylvania native grew up playing football he chose to stay close to family for college playing for the university of pittsburgh >> i saw it on my tv everyone is standing

there praying, and you get flashbacks about the kid, you know, the person you knew is in danger. >> reporter: in the last 24 hours, heartbroken fans flooding a holiday toy drive hamlin started in 2020 for kids in need the original goal, $2,500 now donations around 5 million. >> trying to do my job a little bit better. >> reporter: tonight, a powerful clip of hamlin resurfacing online describing the emotions he felt after a teammate and close friend was injured. >> i just grabbed his hand a little bit harder because you never know when, like, the last day could be, and you get in an experience like this, and i'm cherishing it every moment i can >> maggie joining us now from the medical center where hamlin is being treated. maggie, as you noted there, there's been huge outpouring of support for him. >> reporter: yeah, lester support and visitors we've seen reports that the head coach for the cincinnati bengals was here and wide receiver stefon diggs. diggs one of several bills players who the nfl says did not

travel home to buffalo overnight. he wanted to stay here close to their teammate lester? >> maggie vespa, thank you. after hamlin's injury, the focus quickly shifted to the nfl itself about how it handled the crisis and about the dangers of the game. here's tom costello. >> wide open >> reporter: damar hamlin's life and death emergency comes in a season of intense scrutiny of the nfl's priorities and practices, what some call a delay in calling off last night's game and allegations the league has a f failing to prioritize player safety. september 25th, miami quarterback tua tagovailoa suffered an apparent head injury, yet was cleared by a team doctor to keep playing. slammed to the ground four days later in another game, he was taken off the field unconscious. the nfl said its concussion protocols had not been followed and quickly tightened them on christmas day, tagovailoa suffered yet another concussion the risk, permanent neurological damage. >> i'm very concerned

about the nfl's protocols. >> reporter: like damar hamlin, myron rolle played safety in the nfl. today, he is a neurosurgeon in boston who says the challenge for the nfl required neurologists on the sidelines is to overrule both players and management who often want to keep playing. >> i do think that if the nfl called that game a lot sooner, it would have sent a message loud and clear that we take our players' health and safety seriously this game is irrelevant now. >> reporter: retired defensive back ryan clark tweeted, it's a game a game you never suit up and think you're not going to make it home. >> unfortunately, we've just become accustomed to seeing a stretcher come out at times, an ambulance come out at times. >> reporter: former buffalo bills center eric wood, now a bills radio analyst, retired after suffering a potentially catastrophic neck injury players' safety, he says, is a far higher priority now >> i would almost say that we hit a point of maximum violence prior to really cracking

down on these head injuries, and now i feel like the game is being played at a much safer level. >> reporter: the nfl says it has been in constant contact with both teams and the players association since last night's game the league has already paid out a billion dollars to former players suffering the effects of head injuries, memory loss, depression, headaches, anxiety, dementia. america's favorite game is also very violent. lester? >> all right tom costello, thank you. let's get to that epic battle now starting off the new congress where kevin mccarthy is still struggling to get enough votes to become speaker. a chaotic kickoff for the gop as they take back control of the house. garrett haake now with late details for us. >> how do you feel about the vote >> reporter: it's not the kind of history republicans were hoping to make tonight, for the first time in 100 years, failing to elect a speaker of the house >> a speaker has not been elected >> reporter: on ballot -- >> a speaker has not been elected >> reporter: after

ballot -- >> a speaker has not been elected >> reporter: the chaos, the result of a bitter battle between republicans. a small but stubborn faction of right wing members voting against party leader kevin mccarthy >> people ask me, what do you want? i want the tools, or i want the leadership, to stop the swamp from running over the average american every single day >> reporter: mccarthy projected confidence this morning >> i'm not going anywhere i will always fight to put the american people first, not a few individuals that want something for themselves >> reporter: but also predicting a drawn-out process. >> is there any scenario in which you drop out of this race? >> no. >> reporter: mccarthy had already made major concessions to the rebel republicans who were pushing him for prime committee seats, commitments to vote on specific legislation, and rules changes, including some that would make it easier to oust a speaker later. with the house constitutionally bound to elect a speaker

before taking up any other business, rank and file republicans, the vast majority of whom backed mccarthy, growing frustrated by the small group of holdouts >> if i didn't know any better, it's like the democrats paid these people off let's pay them off let's make it look like the republicans can't govern and don't deserve any gavels whatsoever that's what it makes it look like. >> reporter: for much of the day, top democrat hakeem jeffries actually had more votes for speaker than mccarthy but republicans hold the narrow house majority and the only real path to electing a speaker if they can agree on who. >> garrett, it appears they're heading now for a fourth round of voting tomorrow. are the republicans getting any closer to consensus? >> reporter: no, lester they're actually farther away mccarthy losing 20 republican votes in the last ballot tonight. he can only afford to lose four former president trump declining to stand by his endorsement of mccarthy telling me in a brief interview, we'll see what happens. lester >> garrett, thank you. in pennsylvania today, the suspect in the killing of those four idaho college students agreed to be extradited

stephanie gosk with more on his day in court. >> bryan, bryan, did you do it? >> reporter: handcuffed and in a prison jumpsuit bryan kohberger was escorted into a packed pennsylvania courtroom today. in a brief hearing telling the judge he will not fight extradition to idaho the 28-year-old says he is not responsible for the murder of four university of idaho students last november according to his public defender. >> he believes he is going to be exonerated that's what he believes those were his words, so he's really been very easy to talk to, actually, and he's in a calm demeanor. >> reporter: kohberger grew up in eastern pennsylvania graduating last year from desales university with a masters in criminal justice. today heavy security, state and local police, surrounded the small county courthouse two law enforcement sources tell nbc news forensic genealogy, the dna of extended family members, played a role in his arrest kohberger was studying to get his doctorate in criminology from washington state, just

15 minutes from the crime scene. he drove cross-country with his father in december in the white hyundai elantra authorities had been looking for. body cam footage obtained by nbc news shows indiana state troopers pulling the father and son over on the highway. kohberger's attorney says they were stopped twice on that trip for speeding and tailgating >> i believe it to be a random coincidence >> reporter: kohberger's parents say they are cooperating with authorities, while the father of kaylee goncalves says he is eager to come face-to-face with his daughter's alleged killer >> i want him to be sick of seeing us and sick of knowing that these people won't let it go. >> reporter: when kohberger is extradited to idaho, he will be formally charged with four counts of first-degree murder he's expected to plead not guilty lester? >> all right. stephanie gosk tonight, thank you millions are still at risk of severe weather this evening from the same system that brought everything from heavy snow and ice to flooding and even reports of tornadoes the south getting blasted as the west

braces for more. here's miguel almaguer >> reporter: even for parts of minnesota and south dakota, these were epic whiteout conditions spinouts and stalls jammed roadways as upwards of two feet of powder were expected to fall in pockets of the region. with 10 million battling snow and ice, the midwest was hammered by blizzards while twisters carved across the south small communities in alabama and arkansas taking the brunt of the damage for now as suspected tornadoes touched down but 20 million are still at risk for severe thunderstorms and the chance of more tornadoes. that same storm system swamped swaths of kentucky with fierce flash flooding. greenville's fire department overwhelmed as roads went underwater first responders scrambling to pluck students from a waterlogged school bus.

>> once we got here, the fire department called in their swift water rescue team. they were able to get to the bus to get the kids and get them back over to the dry side where they could get on to school. >> reporter: the scene eerily reminiscent of the historic flooding that washed over san francisco and sacramento earlier this week. now after california was pummeled by an atmospheric river, two more are expected to hammer the state even harder today, there was only a brief break in the rain, which gave communities like this one just enough time to prepare for mudslides, which seem inevitable lester? >> miguel almaguer in california, thank you. and with so much more severe weather on the way, let's bring in dylan dreyer. you got a lot going on on that map tonight. >> we have tornado watches in effect until 9:00 this evening for parts of georgia into alabama, too. and you can see where these storms are falling. we have lots of red showing up on the map here indicating that we have torrential downpours, lots of cloud-to-ground lightning, and also, still the continued threat of strong tornadoes. also wind gusts up to 75 miles per hour, and

now that it's dark outside, it's a dangerous time of night to have these storms move through because you just simply cannot see them tomorrow we do still have a chance of stronger storms down into georgia, the panhandle of florida. but it looks like we are not going to see as widespread of a chance of tornadoes, but we do still have the chance of wind gusts up to 60 miles per hour the ground is totally saturated so looking at three to four inches of additional rainfall that could lead to more flooding concerns in that part of the country, too. >> all right you and our climate team will be on it. thanks, dylan. >> absolutely. in 60 seconds, the crypto mogul in court. how the feds will try to get billions of dollars back for investors.

the former crypto mogul accused in what prosecutors call one of the biggest fraud schemes in history entering his plea today in a new york federal court. cnbc's kate rooney has been following the story and joins us now with more. kate, good evening >> lester, sam

bankman-fried arrived to federal court today in manhattan where he pleaded not guilty to eight counts, including fraud. prosecutors allege the founder and former ceo of the collapsed cryptocurrency exchange, ftx, cheated investors out of billions of dollars, money that's still missing, but today the justice department announced a new task force dedicated to finding those funds and getting money back to victims legally bankman-fried could be facing an uphill battle. two of his top associates have already pleaded guilty to their own charges and are now cooperating with authorities. bankman-fried's trial is expected to start in october, and if he's found guilty, he could spend the rest of his life in prison. lester? >> all right kate rooney, thank you. up next, against all odds, a dramatic story of survival and rescue. plus, the new warning about cannabis edibles and kids

a remarkable rescue in northern california a tesla plunging about 250 feet off a cliff and landing on the rocks below. two adults and two children were in the car. all were found alive lifted into helicopters and taken to a hospital. officials said both children were in car seats that saved their lives. all suffered nonlife-threatening injuries a warning tonight about children and marijuana.

a new study finds a number of kids exposed to cannabis after eating edibles soared more than 1,000% in recent years emilie ikeda with what parents need to know. >> reporter: from gummies to chocolates, many cannabis edibles look a lot like regular snacks but these thc-infused products are catching more than adults' attention. a report out today from medical journal "pediatrics" reveals the rate of children under 6 eating cannabis edibles is skyrocketing, rising more than 1,300% in recent years nearly all of the exposures reported happened in the child's own home and more than a fifth resulted in hospitalization. >> for a long part of it, we didn't know if he would be okay >> reporter: elizabeth perry's son oliver had to be medevacked after getting into her cannabis-infused gummies recommended by her doctor as a sleep aid. she takes less than one gummy. her toddler ate 15. >> it looks like candy. it tastes sweet and, you know, nothing about it to a child gives any indication that it's something that he should not consume. >> reporter: the troubling trend ballooned, researchers say, as families spent

more time at home during the pandemic and a growing number of states legalized recreational marijuana. >> the symptoms kids can get range quite a bit. it can be very mild and nothing can happen we've also seen kids get pretty sick, which includes coma, difficulties breathing. >> reporter: the pediatrics study recommends you store edibles in a locked compartment away from the kitchen, and if your child accidentally ingests any, call your local poison control center immediately. some states have passed laws regulating product packaging, but nothing at the federal level. the fda says it's working to address concerns lester? >> all right emilie, thank you. up next, a historic day in congress plus, how nancy pelosi paved the way for so many.

finally, a historic day in congress mitch mcconnell becoming the longest serving party leader in senate history. democratic senator patty murray, the first female senate pro tem, and congressman hakeem jeffries, the first black lawmaker to lead a party in congress. jeffries succeeds nancy pelosi, and ali vitali reports tonight on her lasting impact on the women who have come to washington. >> reporter: ask these democratic lawmakers about house speaker

nancy pelosi and it doesn't take long for the pelosi-isms to start flowing. >> know your why and center that. >> she often says to some of us in private, you know, no one is going to give you anything >> she always encourages to be your own leader. >> reporter: even if not every skill can be taught. >> i cannot handle that level of stilettos. >> reporter: the history making first female speaker of the house famous for her toughness and deep understanding of her caucus even amid clashe and disagreements. pelosi paving the way for the next generation of strong female leaders >> their ability to be female, to be able to be empathetic, and at the same time trying to show you how to throw a punch. >> when i came to congress there were 23 women. over 400 men and 23 women. come on. you know, get out here so some of us just made a decision. we have to change

this >> reporter: and she did. a change that was clear the day she announced her departure from leadership. >> for me the hour's come for a new generation to lead the democratic caucus. >> reporter: there are nearly five times as many women serving in the house as there were 35 years ago, in part due to pelosi's recruitment and encouragement. >> to learn from the best has been extraordinary. >> reporter: once selected she ensured women were in key position. >> how do you ensure she's not the last female speaker? >> well, i think that's up to all of us, but she set the blueprint. be yourself, know your values, know your mission and go execute. >> reporter: and maybe in heels [ laughter ] >> reporter: ali vitali, nbc news, washington and that's "nbc nightly news" for this tuesday. thank you for watching i'm lester holt. please take care of yourself and each other. good night, everyone

. right now on nbc bay area news tonight, a powerful storm less than 24 hours away. potential evacuations and flooding. we'll break down exactly what to expect hour by hour and what your options are if you do get flooded out. also, the life-threatening injury to damar hamlin. the impact it's having on the players and fans across the country. and sam bankman-fried pleading not guilty. what's next for the disgraced crypto mogul accused of fraud? good evening. i'm raj mathai. this is not normal. not often do we have such rain damage and flooding across the bay area. almost every county facing problems. next up,