>>> TONIGHT, THE CATASTROPHIC >>> TONIGHT, THE CATASTROPHIC FLOODING IN TEXAS. PARTS OF MAJOR CITIES UNDERWATER AND NEW WEATHER THREATS FOR TENS OF MILLIONS. DEVASTATING FLOODING IN HOUSTON AND DALLAS. ROADS NOW RIVERS, HOUSES SUBMERGED, HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE NEEDING HELP. LOOK AT THESE DOGS RESCUED BY POLICE ON A JET SKI. CARS TRAPPED IN WATER, RISING FAST. EMPTY TRAILERS FLOATING AWAY. >> THIS IS THE WORST FLOODING I’VE EVER SEEN IN MY CAREER. >> NOW A NEW THREAT. ANOTHER ROUND OF POSSIBLY DANGEROUS TORNADOS. >>> AT USC, THE LAPD CLEARING OUT PROTESTERS AND A TWIST TONIGHT. THE THREAT OF DISRUPTIONS AT GRADUATION CEREMONIES. HOW SCHOOLS ARE PREPARING. >>> A MAJOR BORDER CROSSING FOR HUMANITARIAN HELP INTO GAZA, SHUT DOWN TODAY. WHY ISRAEL DID IT. >>> FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP’S SEARCH FOR A VP HEATING UP. TOP CONTENDERS, ALL IN ONE PLACE THIS WEEKEND. NEW REPORTING ON THE HUNT FOR A RUNNING MATE. >>> THREE AMERICAN AND AUSTRALIAN SURFERS MISSING IN MEXICO, NOW PRESUMED MURDERED. WHY OFFICIALS THINK THEY WERE TARGETED. >>> GOLD STAR FAMILIES SCAMMED AFTER THEIR LOVED ONES DIED. HOW THE ARMY SET THEM UP WITH THIS MAN, WHO THEN STOLE MILLIONS. >>> AND A ZEBRA ON THE LOOSE FINALLY CAPTURED, STRIPES AND ALL. >> Announcer: THIS IS "NBC NIGHTLY NEWS" WITH HALLIE JACKSON. >> GOOD EVENING. WE ARE COMING ON THE AIR WITH DRAMATIC RESCUES IN THE STATE OF TEXAS. DEADLY FLOODING, SUBMERGING ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOODS. MORE THAN 560 PEOPLE HAD TO BE RESCUED OR EVACUATED BY FIRST RESPONDERS AND YOU CAN SEE WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE FROM ABOVE, FROM THE AIR. ALL OF THESE HOUSES UNDERWATER. YOU CAN SEE IT HERE FROM THE GROUND. THAT IS A STREET SIGN. THE WATER IS NEARLY TO THE TOP OF IT, JUST FOR SOME PERSPECTIVE, WITH SOME 15 MILLION NOW BRACING FOR MORE, FROM DALLAS TO SOUTH DAKOTA TOMORROW. THE RISK, ANOTHER ROUND OF DEVASTATING TORNADOS WITH ANOTHER SERIOUS STORM SYSTEM MOVING IN FAST. WE HAVE TEAM COVERAGE TONIGHT STARTING WITH PRISCILLA THOMPSON IN HOUSTON. >> Reporter: TONIGHT, AT LEAST ONE PERSON IS DEAD AS DANGEROUS FLOODWATERS RAGE ACROSS TEXAS. BODY CAM VIDEO SHOW HOUSTON POLICE RESCUING THIS MAN AND THREE DOGS AFTER BEING TRAPPED IN AT LEAST EIGHT FEET OF WATER IN A FLOODED TRAILER PARK. >> OH, THAT WAS FLOATING? >> IN DALLAS, PASSENGERS STRUGGLING TO ESCAPE RUSHING WATER ON A ROADWAY. AND THIS EMPTY HORSE TRAILER FLOATING AWAY IN HAMILTON, TEXAS. SINCE FRIDAY, HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE AND PETS HAVE BEEN RESCUED ACROSS THE STATE. AMID A DAYS’-LONG DELUGE THAT HAS DUMPED MORE THAN 2 FEET OF WATER IN SOME AREAS, INCLUDING UP TO 2 INCHES, TODAY ALONE. >> THIS IS THE WORST FLOODING I’VE EVER SEEN IN MY CAREER. >> THIS RIVER NEARLY SWALLOWING AN EVALUATED ROADWAY. THEN AN EXPLOSION AND ELECTRICITY CRACKLING ALONG THESE POWER LINES, LIKELY CAUSED BY THE WET WEATHER. >> THAT’S CRAZY! >> Reporter: THE VIEW FROM ABOVE SHOWING HOMES UNDERWATER, SINKING CARS AND SUBMERGED STREET SIGNS, AS 8 MILLION PEOPLE REMAIN UNDER FLOOD ALERTS, FROM TEXAS TO OKLAHOMA AND ARKANSAS. >> VERY LITTLE SLEEP. JUST WORRYING ABOUT THE WATER GOING IN THE HOUSE. HOPEFULLY IT DIDN’T GO IN. >> THIS YEAR WAS BAD. >> OH, MY GOSH. >> Reporter: SOME, LIKE ERICA AND FRANK COURIER, RETURNING HOME TO FIND ALMOST EVERYTHING DESTROYED. >> THIS IS WILD TO SEE LIKE HOW MUCH DAMAGE IT DOES. THAT’S OVERWHELMING. >> TO THINK ABOUT JUST MOVING ALL OF THIS STUFF IN 14 DAYS AGO. >> LIKE STUFF IS STILL IN BOXES. WE HAD STUFF OVER THERE AND LIKE THE GARAGE WAS FULL OF STUFF. AND NOW IT’S ALL EVERYWHERE. >> Reporter: AND FOR THOSE IN THE FLOOD ZONE, THREAT ISN’T OVER YET, WITH MAJOR RIVER FLOODING EXPECTED TO LAST THE NEXT FEW DAYS. >> PRISCILLA IS JOINING US NOW. PRISCILLA, HAVE MORE FOLKS HAD A CHANCE TO GET BACK HOME YET, HAVE A LOOK AT THE DAMAGE? >> Reporter: NOT NECESSARILY, HALLIE. TAKE THIS NEIGHBORHOOD, FOR EXAMPLE, THE HOUSES BACK THERE LOOK VIRTUALLY UNTOUCHED, BUT THIS IS WHAT THE ROADWAY LEADING INTO THIS NEIGHBORHOOD LOOKS LIKE. YOU CAN SEE HOW HIGH THE WATER IS ON THAT SIGN. AND OFFICIALS WORRY THAT PEOPLE WILL TRY TO DRIVE THROUGH THIS WATER TO GET TO THEIR HOMES, AND THAT THAT COULD LEAD TO MORE RESCUES. HALLIE? >> PRISCILLA THOMPSON, THANK YOU. FOR MORE, LET’S BRING IN NBC NEWS METEOROLOGIST BILL KARINS. THERE ARE MAJOR ISSUES COMING UP FOR MILLIONS OF PEOPLE. >> HALLIE, WE HAVE A DANGEROUS MONDAY AFTERNOON/EVENING SMACK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE COUNTRY. WE’RE IN A LEVEL 4 OUT OF 5 RISK. WE CALL THIS A MODERATE. THIS RED BULL’S-EYE IS WHERE WE EXPECT THE BEST CHANCE FOR NOT JUST TORNADOS, BUT STRONG TORNADOES THAT WILL BE ON THE GROUND FOR A LONG TIME. WE CALL THEM LONG-TRACK TORNADOES. THE AREAS AT RISK WILL BE FROM OKLAHOMA CITY TO WITCHTA, HEADING UP INTO NORTHERN KANSAS, AND IN THE EVENING HOURS, HEADING TOWARDS TULSA, AND EVENTUALLY AROUND KANSAS CITY AND MISSOURI. THE TIMING, LATE AFTERNOON, THE STORMS FORM. SHOULD BE NEAR WITCHTA, OKLAHOMA CITY, ABOUT 7:00 P.M. AND THEY’LL TRY TO TRAVEL TOWARDS KANSAS CITY, HOPEFULLY WEAKENING BY THAT TIME, ABOUT 11:00 P.M. IN THE EVENING. WIND DAMAGE, LARGE HAIL. IT’S THE TORNADOES WE’RE VERY CONCERNED WITH. THIS THREAT WILL CONTINUE INTO TUESDAY. 24 MILLION PEOPLE AT RISK, AS WE TAKE THIS STORM SYSTEM INTO THE OHIO VALLEY AND AREAS FROM NASHVILLE DOWN TO LITTLE ROCK. THIS WEEK LOOKS JUST AS DANGEROUS AS LAST WEEK. >> OUT WEST ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES, MORE POLICE ACTION THIS WEEKEND, WITH THE LAPD CLEARING OUT ONE OF THE ORIGINAL PROTESTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. NOW THESE DEMONSTRATIONS ARE TAKING ON A NEW FRONT, GRADUATION CEREMONIES THEMSELVES. ADRIENNE BROADDUS IS THERE. >> Reporter: TONIGHT, COLLEGES NATIONWIDE GRAPPLING WITH ONGOING DEMONSTRATIONS. BEFORE SUNRISE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, OFFICERS CLEARED THIS ENCAMPMENT. PROTESTERS LEFT WILLINGLY, NO ONE WAS ARRESTED. >> THE PRO-PALESTINIAN DEMONSTRATORS CALLING FOR A CEASE-FIRE AND FOR THE SCHOOL TO DIVEST FROM ISRAEL. UNIVERSITY OFFICIALS SAY THEY CALLED IN POLICE ABOUT 12 HOURS AFTER WARNING THE ENCAMPMENT WAS A VIOLATION OF, QUOTE, POLICIES AND THE LAW, AND THAT PROTESTERS COULD FACE ARRESTS. >> AND WHEN THE STUDENTS WERE CLEARED BY LAPD FROM THE CENTER OF CAMPUS, THEY SHUT DOWN THIS MAIN STREET, AND THEY ALSO CHANTED, THEY DO NOT CARE, THEY WILL BE BACK. >> Reporter: AT THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA, IN CHARLOTTESVILLE, POLICE CLASHED WITH DEMONSTRATORS AS THEY TRIED TO TAKE DOWN AN ENCAMPMENT. THE SCHOOL SAYS AT LEAST 25 WERE ARRESTED FOR TRESPASSING. IT’S NOT JUST SCHOOLS. AT THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO, 68 WERE ARRESTED AND CHARGED WITH TRESPASSING. NOW SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS COAST-TO-COAST TRYING TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT TO CHANGE GRADUATION PLANS. IN ANN ARBOR YESTERDAY, NEARLY 75 PROTESTERS INTERRUPTED THE BEGINNING OF COMMENCEMENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN. DEMONSTRATORS CHANTING BEFORE BEING MOVED. >> THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TO PROTEST. >> Reporter: A LOT OF THESE PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, THEIR SENIOR YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL, THEIR GRADUATION WAS DURING COVID. THEY ALREADY HAD A RUINED. AND NOW YOU’VE GOT THIS GOING ON. >> Reporter: SOME UNIVERSITIES LIKE USC, HAVE CANCELED THEIR MAIN GRADUATION CEREMONY, WHILE OTHERS HAVE INCREASED THEIR SECURITY MEASURES. >> ADRIENNE JOINS US NOW FROM USC. ADRIENNE, CAMPUS IS JUST STARTING TO OPEN BACK UP? >> HALLIE, IT IS OPENING TO STUDENTS AND FACULTY, WITH VALID I.D. AHEAD OF FINAL EXAMS HERE THIS WEEK. MEANWHILE, ACROSS THE COUNTRY, AS GRADUATIONS CONTINUE, SOME VOLUNTEER STAFF ARE GETTING TRAINED ON HOW TO BEST DE-ESCALATE POTENTIAL DISRUPTIONS. HALLIE? >> ADRIENNE BROADDUS, THANK YOU. >>> A NEW ESCALATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST TONIGHT. ISRAEL CLOSING THE MAIN BORDER CROSSING USED TO BRING FOOD AND MEDICINE INTO GAZA, AFTER THAT KEY BORDER AREA WAS ATTACKED BY HAMAS. IT COMES AS THE HEAD OF A MAJOR AID GROUP TELLS NBC NEWS PARTS OF GAZA ARE NOW IN FULL-BLOWN FAMINE. MEGAN FITZGERALD HAS THE LATEST. >> Reporter: TONIGHT, ANOTHER MASSIVE BLOW TO THE DIRE HUMANITARIAN CRISIS UNFOLDING IN GAZA. ISRAEL SHUTTING DOWN THE SHALOM CROSSING AFTER THEY SAY HAMAS FIRED ROCKETS TOWARDS THE BORDER. HAMAS SAYS THEY TARGETED IDF HEADQUARTERS. THE CLOSURE A SIGNIFICANT SETBACK. IN AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW ON "MEET THE PRESS" THIS MORNING, THE HEAD OF THE WORLD FOOD PROGRAM SAYING PARTS OF THE ENCLAVE ALREADY GRIPPED BY FAMINE. >> SO WHAT I CAN EXPLAIN TO YOU IS THAT THERE IS FAMINE, FULL-BLOWN FAMINE IN THE NORTH. AND IT’S MOVING ITS WAY SOUTH. >> Reporter: THIS AS THE LATEST ROUND OF NEGOTIATIONS ON THE CEASE-FIRE ENDED TODAY. HAMAS CALLING FOR AN END TO THE WAR, A COMPLETE WITHDRAWAL OF IDF TROOPS, AND FOR PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO RETURN TO THEIR COMMUNITIES. PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU THIS MORNING DOUBLING DOWN, SAYING ENDING THE WAR IN GAZA WOULD KEEP HAMAS IN POWER. AND TONIGHT, A SOURCE WITH KNOWLEDGE OF THE MATTER TOLD NBC NEWS, CIA DIRECTOR WILLIAM BURNS IS IN DOHA AND WILL TRAVEL TO ISRAEL THIS WEEK. MEANWHILE, THE ISRAEL CABINET VOTING TO SHUT DOWN BROADCAST COMPANY AL JAZEERA FROM OPERATING IN THE COMPANY. AL JAZEERA RELEASING A STADIUM SAYING IN PART, WE WILL MAKE SURE WE REPORT BOTH SIDES, DESPITE THE FACT THAT WE HAVE LOST THE COVERAGE FROM INSIDE ISRAEL. MEGAN FITZGERALD, NBC NEWS. >> WITH JUST SIX MONTHS TO THE DAY NOW UNTIL THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, MANY OF THE TOP CONTENDERS TO ROUND OUT THE TRUMP TICK, AS THE FORMER PRESIDENT’S RUNNING MATE, DESCENDED ON MAR-A-LAGO FOR A DONOR RETREAT. YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THEM HERE. DASHA BURNS HAS MORE ON WHO’S IN AND OUT OF THE VEEPSTAKES MIX. >> Reporter: TONIGHT, FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP APPEARING AT THE FORMULA ONE RACE IN MIAMI. AND WITH SIX MONTHS TO GO IN THE RACE FOR PRESIDENT, THERE’S ANOTHER RACE HEATING UP TO BECOME HIS RUNNING MATE. POSSIBLE VEEPSTAKES CONTENDERS CONVERGING THIS WEEKEND AT A DONORS’ CONFERENCE IN MAR-A-LAGO. AT LEAST SEVEN CONTENDERS ON THE SHORT LIST, ACCORDING TO TRUMP WORLD SOURCES, SENATOR MARCO RUBIO AND GOVERNOR DOUG BURGUM SEEING THEIR STOCK RISING, GOVERNOR KRISTI NOEM SEEING HER FALLING, AND TRUMP PRAISING THEM AND THE OTHER PROSPECTS IN HIS SPEECH ON SATURDAY. >> WILL YOU ACCEPT THE ELECTION RESULTS OF 2024? >> I -- I LOOK FORWARD TO PRESIDENT TRUMP BEING THE 47th PRESIDENT. KRISTEN, YOU CAN ASK IT MULTIPLE TIMES -- >> SENATOR, JUST A YES OR NO PEOPLE. >> THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WILL MAKE THE DECISION. >> Reporter: NEWLY INSTALLED REPUBLICAN PARTY CHAIRMAN MICHAEL WATLEY ADDRESSING THAT ISSUE IN A SO-CALLED LITMUS TEST FOR RNC EMPLOYEES IN HIS FIRST NETWORK INTERVIEW. >> THE RNC HAS BEEN ACCUSED OF CREATING A SORT OF LITMUS TEST FOR EMPLOYEES OR POTENTIAL HIRES AROUND DENYING THE RESULTS OF THE 2024 ELECTION. IS THERE ANY TRUTH TO THAT? >> THE ONLY LITMUS TEST I HAVE IS WHETHER OR NOT YOU SUPPORT OUR REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE. >> Reporter: THE RNC SAYS IT’S RECRUITING 100,000 LAWYERS AND VOLUNTEERS TO MONITOR VOTING AND HAS FILED MORE THAN 80 LAWSUITS AS PART OF WHAT THEY CALL THEIR ELECTION INTEGRITY PROGRAM. >> WHAT DO YOU SAY TO CRITICS WHO ARGUE THESE LAWSUITS ARE JUST SORT OF PAVING THE WAY FOR FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP TO CLAIM THE ELECTION WAS STOLEN IN 2024, IF PRESIDENT BIDEN WINS? >> THEY’RE ABSOLUTELY NOT. LOOK, WHAT WE’RE TRYING TO DO THROUGH THESE LAWSUITS IS GET STATES TO IMPLEMENT COMMON SENSE ELECTION INTEGRITY PROGRAMS, THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH VOTER SUPPRESSION. >> Reporter: ANOTHER PRIORITY FOR WATLEY, UNITING THE PARTY, AFTER A BITTER PRIMARY AND A PUSH TO OUST HOUSE SPEAKER, MIKE JOHNSON. >> WE NEED MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF THE REPUBLICANS UNDERSTAND THE GRAVITY OF THIS ELECTION CYCLE AND THEY DO, AND WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE ON THE SAME PAGE AS WE’RE MOVING FORWARD. >> DASHA JOINS US NOW. AGAINST THE BACKDROP OF ALL OF THIS CAMPAIGNING, WE EXPECT THE FORMER PRESIDENT BACK IN COURT TOMORROW FOR HIS CRIMINAL TRIAL. >> Reporter: THAT’S RIGHT. AND CHAIRMAN WATLEY TELLS ME, WHILE IT’S HARD TO HAVE LESS OF MR. TRUMP’S TIME, THE FORMER PRESIDENT HAS BEEN ABLE TO CAPITAL ON THE MEDIA ATTENTION AND RALLY VOTERS FROM THE COURTROOM. HALLIE? >> DASHA FOR US THERE IN PALM BEACH. THANK YOU. >>> A MAJOR HIGHWAY IN THE NORTHEAST TONIGHT REOPENING AHEAD OF SCHEDULE, WITH BOTH SIDES OF THE I-95 IN CONNECTICUT NOW GOOD TO GO. THAT’S JUST DAYS AFTER THIS FIERY CRASH THAT CLOSED THE HIGHWAY THURSDAY MORNING. LOOK AT THAT. CREWS HAVE BEEN WORKING TO DEMOLISH THIS BRIDGE IN NORWALK AFTER IT WAS DAMAGED DURING THE CRASH WHEN A CAR HIT A FUEL TRUCK, WHICH THEN HIA TRACTOR-TRAILER. I-95, OF COURSE, IS ONE OF AMERICA’S BUSIEST HIGHWAYS. >>> AND OUT WEST, A ZEBRA’S DARING ESCAPE HAS COME TO AN END AFTER THE LAST OF FOUR ZEBRAS THAT GOT AWAY IN WASHINGTON STATE HAS BEEN CAPTURED. SUGAR HAS BEEN ON THE RUN FOR NEARLY A WEEK, AFTER SHE BUSTED OUT OF A TRAILER HEADING TO MONTANA. SHE WAS FINALLY CAUGHT AFTER HER OWNER CALLED IN SOME HELP. YOU COULD SAY SHE EARNED HER STRIPES FOR THAT ONE. >>> STILL AHEAD TONIGHT, NEW DETAILS ON A MURDER MYSTERY IN MEXICO, AFTER THREE SURFERS WENT MISSING. >>> PLUS, THE SCAM TARGETING GOLDTAR S >>> WE’R >>> WE’R >>> WE’RE BACK WITH NEW DETAILS ABOUT THOSE MISSING AMERICAN AND AUSTRALIAN SURFERS IN MEXICO. TONIGHT, FISHSOFFICIALS SAY THEY PROBABLY VICTIMS OF AN ATTEMPTED CARJACKING GONE WRONG. HERE’S MARISSA PARRA. >> Reporter: TONIGHT, NEW DETAILS ON WHAT MEXICAN OFFICIALS ARE CALLING A ROBBERY GONE OUT OF HAND. JUST OVER A WEEK AFTER THREE TOURISTS VANISHED ON A SURFING TRIP TO MEXICO. A LOCAL ATTORNEY GENERAL SAYING THE THREE BODIES DISCOVERED IN A WATER WELL 50 FEET DEEP ARE LIKELY THAT OF JACK CARTER ROAD, CALL LUM ROBINSON, AND HIS BROTHER, JAKE. SAYING THIS APPEARS TO BE AN ATTEMPTED CARJACKING GONE WRONG AND THERE WERE SIGNS THE MEN TRIED TO FIGHT BACK AND MET A VIOLENT END. THE MEDICAL EXAMINER’S OFFICE IN ENSENADA SAYING THE CAUSE OF DEATH FOR THE BODIES FOUND, GUNSHOT WOUNDS TO THE HEAD. MEXICAN INVESTIGATORS SEEN COMBING THROUGH EVIDENCE, FINDING BLOOD, BULLET CASINGS, AND DRAG MARKS NEAR THE MEN’S CAMPGROUND AND A WHITE PICKUP TRUCK BADLY BURNED. POLICE HAVE ARRESTED AT LEAST THREE PEOPLE, INCLUDING A WOMAN WHO WAS FOUND WITH WHAT APPEARS TO BE A CELL PHONE BELONGING TO ONE OF THE MEN, BUT POLICE BELIEVE THERE MAY BE OTHERS WHO WERE ALSO INVOLVED. >> IT’S TRAGIC. VERY TRAGIC. >> JAMES KNEW CALLUM ROBINSON. >> CALLUM WAS A GOOD GUY. SURFER. I KNEW HE PLAYED RUGBY AND WAS FROM AUSTRALIA. >> CALLUM AND HIS BROTHER, JAKE, BOTH FROM AUSTRALIA, LOVED TO SURF, BRINGING INGING THEIR FRIE AMERICAN JACK CARTER RHOAD TO ENSENADA, A KNOWN MEXICAN STATE WITHIN BAJA CALIFORNIA. TONIGHT, AS THE FAMILIES WAIT FOR MORE ANSWERS, LOCAL AUTHORITIES VOWING TO BRING SWIFT JUSTICE. MARISSA PARRA, NBC NEWS. >>> WE’RE BACK IN A MOMENT WITH MORE ON HOW MILLIONS OF DOLLARS WERE STOLEN FROM THESE MILITARY FAMILIES AND WHY SOME ARGUE THE ARMY DESERVES SOME OF THE BLAME. >>> IT CAN FEEL >>> IT CAN FEEL >>> IT CAN FEEL UPSETTING TO HEAR ABOUT ANY SCAM, WHERE VULNERABLE PEOPLE ARE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF, BUT WHEN IT HAPPENS TO GOLD STAR FAMILIES DEALING WITH THE DEATH OF SOMEONE THEY LOVE, IT’S INFURIATING. KEN DILANIAN NOW ON THE SCAM ARTIST WHO ACKNOWLEDGED STEALING MILLIONS FROM MILITARY FAMILIES WHEN THEY WERE AT THEIR ABSOLUTE LOWEST. >> YOU MUST HAVE BEEN SO PROUD TO SEE HIM IN THAT UNIFORM? >> OH, MY GOD, YEAH. >> Reporter: SHARON HARTZ WAS NOT ONLY DEEP IN MOURNING OVER THE SUDDEN DEATH OF HER 27-YEAR-OLD SON, SERGEANT THOMAS ANASTASIO, WHILE SERVING IN THE MILITARY -- >> HIS BIRTHDAY RIGHT BEFORE. >> Reporter: -- SHE WAS ALSO TOTALLY OVERWHELMED WITH ALL OF THE ARRANGEMENTS THAT COME WITH THE DEATH OF A LOVED ONE. THAT’S WHEN THE ARMY TOLD HER THAT SHE HAD NOT ONLY RECEIVE $500,000 IN DEATH BENEFITS, BUT THAT SHE WOULD BE SET UP WITH AN ARMY FINANCIAL COUNSELOR TO HELP HER WITH IT. >> THEY INSISTED THAT WE BE EDUCATED ON THE FINANCES, SO THEY WERE PROPERLY HANDLED. >> Reporter: SHE DROVE TO FT. DIX, WHERE SHE FIRST SAT DOWN WITH CAZ CRAFFY, WHO HELD A CIVILIAN JOB OFFERING ADVICE TO ARMY FAMILIES. >> WHAT WAS HE LIKE WHEN YOU FIRST MET HIM? >> VERY CHARISMATIC. >> THAT WAS A FACADE. CRAFFY WAS A CON MAN. >> I’VE LOST A LITTLE OVER $200,000. NOW I CAN’T AFFORD TO RETIRE. I FEEL TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF. I’M EMBARRASSED. >> Reporter: PROSECUTORS SAY CRAFFY WAS ONLY SUPPOSED TO BE GIVING FAMILIES GENERIC GUIDANCE. INSTEAD, HE HELD A SECOND JOB AS AN INVESTMENT MANAGER IN VIOLATION OF ARMY RULES. HE CONVINCED HARTZ AND OTHER GOLD STAR RELATIVES TO HAND HIM THEIR MONEY, THEN RACKED UP HUGE COMMISSIONS, EVEN AS HE MADE UNWISE INVESTMENTS THAT PLUMMETED IN VALUE. HE’S NOW PLEADED GUILTY TO BILKING DOZENS OF GOLD STAR FAMILIES OUT OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. NATASHA BEVARD SIGNED HER MONEY OVER TO CRAFFY AFTER SHE LOST HER HUSBAND, AN IRAQ COMBAT VETERAN, TO SUICIDE. >> I SAW IN A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME, I LOST A LOT OF MONEY. I HAD LOST LIKE $260,000 OVERALL. >> Reporter: PUBLIC RECORDS SHOW CRAFFY BOUGHT THIS $2.1 MILLION HOUSE IN 2022. IT’S NOW IN FORECLOSURE AND HE’S FACING TEN YEARS IN PRISON, BUT MANY VICTIMS SAY OTHERS HAVE QUESTIONS TO ANSWER. >> I DO BELIEVE THAT THERE IS BLOOD ON THE HANDS OF THE FARMER HERE. >> Reporter: ATTORNEY NATALIE KHAWAM SPECIALIZES IN SUING THE MILITARY. SHE’S REPRESENTING HARTZ, BEVARD, AND OTHER VICTIMS, CONTEMPLATING A LAWSUIT TO HOLD THE ARMY ACCOUNTABLE. >> THEY WERE AT THEIR LOWEST, AND HERE’S THE ONLY PEOPLE THEY BELIEVE THAT WAS GOING TO TAKE CARE OF THEM, THE ARMY, SENDS IN A PERSON THAT BASICALLY TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THEM. >> Reporter: IN A STATEMENT TO NBC NEWS, THE ARMY SAYS THEY CONDUCTED A THOROUGH CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION AND FOUND THIS TO BE AN ISOLATED CASE AND THAT THEY REMAIN DEDICATED TO CARING FOR FAMILIES OF FALLEN SOLDIERS. FOR SHARON, IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT THE MONEY. >> I FEEL LIKE I LET MY SON DOWN, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THIS WAS HIS WAY OF TAKING CARE OF ME AND MY CHILDREN. YOU KNOW? SO IT’S -- IT’S DEVASTATING. >> Reporter: KEN DILANIAN, NBC NEWS, PARAMUS, NEW JERSEY. >>> WHEN WE COME BACK, THERE’S GOOD NEWS TONIGHT ABOUT THESE GRADUATES AND THE MEMORABLE WAYS THEY’RE SHOWING GRATITUDE FOR THEIR PARENTS. >>> THERE’S GOOD NEWS TONIGHT >>> THERE’S GOOD NEWS TONIGHT ABOUT POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE, BUT ALSO GRATITUDE AND THE SPECIAL WAY THE CLASS OF 2024 IS SAYING "THANK YOU" TO THE PEOPLE WHO WORKED SO HARD TO GET THEM TO WHERE THEY ARE. >> BRENDA BERNESE GONZALEZ ROSARIO. >> Reporter: THE WALK ACROSS THE STAGE IS USUALLY THE EMOTIONAL MOMENT FOR GRADUATES, BUT FOR BRENDA GONZALEZ, IT WAS THIS WALK THAT MEANT THE MOST. >> YEAH! THAT’S HER, DAYS BEFORE GRADUATING, SURPRISING HER MOTHER, ANA LUCIA, IN HER BREAK ROOM AT HER JOB AT A MEAT FACTORY. AND PUTTING THAT SYMBOL OF HARD WORK AND ACCOMPLISHMENT, THE CAP AND GOWN, ON HER. >> AND I’M LIKE, YOU DID IT, MOM! WE DID IT! SHE MADE MY DREAMS COME TRUE. SHE PAID MY COLLEGE. >> OH, MY GOD. >> A HEARTFELT THANK YOU TO THE SINGLE MOM OF FIVE FROM MEXICO WHO WORKED THREE JOBS TO KEEP THE FAMILY AFLOAT. >> SHE DESERVED IT MORE THAN I DO. >> Reporter: SO MANY FIRST GENERATION COLLEGE GRADS DELIVERING THE SAME POWERFUL MESSAGE TO THEIR PARENTS. WE DID THIS TOGETHER. THAT’S IVAN HERNANDEZ GRADUATING FROM GRACELAND UNIVERSITY, WHEN HE PUT THE CAP ON HIS DAD, WHO WAS OVERWHELMED WITH EMOTION. AT AZEUS PACIFICA UNIVERSITY IN CALIFORNIA -- >> LIZZETTE FLORES. >> Reporter: YOU SEE THE PARENTS OF LIZZETTE FLORES WHEN SHE WALKED ACROSS THE STAGE. SHE’S THE FIRST IN HER FAMILY TO GRADUATE COLLEGE. >> DO YOU THINK YOU COULD HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YOUR PARENT’S SUPPORT? >> I DEFINITELY DON’T THINK SO. >> WHEN SHE HAD HER OFFICIAL GRAD PHOTOS TAKEN, SHE KNEW WHAT SHE HAD TO DO. >> I DEFINITELY FELT LIKE I NEEDED TO INCLUDE MY PARENTS, BECAUSE THEY WERE SUCH A BIG PART OF MY EDUCATIONAL JOURNEY. >> Reporter: THIS GRADUATION SEASON, NOW A SEASON OF GRATITUDE FOR STUDENTS LIKE CELESTE ZAMORA. >> IT WASN’T JUST ME WHO GRADUATED. MY PARENTS ALSO GRADUATED WITH ME. >> WE DID IT, WE DID IT! >> REMEMBER BRENDA AND HER MOTHER? THAT’S THEM AFTER GRADUATION, CELEBRATING WHAT THEY BOTH ACCOMPLISHED. >> BECAUSE OF HER BELIEVING IN ME AND HER SACRIFICING A LOT OF STUFF, TO MAKE SURE MY DREAMS COME TRUE, IT’S LIKE HER DREAMS CAME TRUE. >> JUST A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS TO THOSE GRADS AND TO THEIR FAMILIES, INCLUDING, BY THE WAY, BRENDA’S SISTER, WHO’S SET TO START COLLEGE THIS FALL. THAT’S "NIGHTLY NEWS" FOR THIS SUNDAY. LESTER HOLT WILL BE IN TOMORROW. FOR ALL OF US AT NBC, I’M HALLIE JACKSON. WE’LL SEE YOU RIGHT BACK HERE NEXT WEEK.