Good morning. Here are some of the stories we're following at NBC News:
1. German pilot apparently rehearsed suicide crash
The German pilot suspected of intentionally crashing his passenger jet in the French Alps in March also entered crash settings on the previous flight, a preliminary report says — an apparent rehearsal of the suicide mission. Read more in NEWS.
2. One of six cops charged in Gray death says arrest was legal
One of the six Baltimore police officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray is disputing the prosecutor’s claim that Gray was illegally arrested. Lawyers for the officer say the knife Gray was carrying was illegal. Read more in NEWS.
3. Sweeping water restrictions adopted in California
California water regulators have adopted sweeping and unprecedented restrictions on how people, governments and businesses can use water amid the state’s ongoing drought. Read more in ENVIRONMENT.
4. Four convicted in mob killing of Afghan woman
Four people have been convicted of murder and sentenced to death in the brutal mob killing of an Afghan woman in Kabul that sparked widespread protests. A judge sentenced the four to hang. Eight other people got prison time. Read more in NEWS.
5. Why Huckabee faces long odds
Former Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas is the latest Republican to declare for president, but he’s a long shot. Republican donors and elected officials are resistant, and some are lining up behind other candidates. Read more from MEET THE PRESS.
6. Mother uses pizza-delivery app to call for help
A Florida mother being held hostage at knifepoint by her boyfriend managed to call for help using a pizza-delivery app, police say. She asked for a small, hand-tossed pizza with pepperoni and wrote “911 hostage help” in the comments. Read more in NEWS.
7. Massachusetts man arrested in stabbings of parents
A Massachusetts man has been arrested in the stabbing deaths of his parents, whose bodies were found over the weekend at a condominium in the Virgin Islands. Read more in NEWS.
Nightly spotlight
After watching an NBC Nightly News report, a New York doctor spent the next year going back and forth to Africa to adopt a young girl orphaned by war.