on the broadcast tonight, hours to go before voting begins in south carolina where newt gingrich has scored again in a big important debate. can mitt romney though stop the momentum? fire and ice. a new threat in the west from a fast-moving wildfire, while tonight a big snowstorm is on the move bringing a new blast of winter from the midwest to the east. disaster at sea. new worries about the shifting wreckage of that giant cruise ship in italy. it's now too dangerous for the divers to take that risk. and remembering a legend. etta james, a powerful voice, though a troubled life. she left us with a signature song. "nightly news" begins now.

captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good evening tonight from florida. the next battleground state in this already-wild gop primary campaign, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. the storyline tonight is all about tomorrow's vote in the first in the south primary in south carolina. specifically, a late last-minute surge by newt gingrich that could, at minimum, delay the best-laid plans of the romney campaign. we have it all covered for you tonight. we are going to begin with nbc's peter alexander in north charleston this evening to start our coverage. peter, good evening. >> reporter: brian, good evening to you. hours before the first votes are cast in this state the romney campaign is trying to limit expectations here. governor romney telling nbc news

a short time ago it's always been a, quote, uphill battle in this state. this as newt gingrich appears to have much of the momentum. after a stormy week, undoubtedly the toughest of his entire campaign, mitt romney tried to rally supporters ahead of tomorrow's primary. >> thank you, governor. wow, here comes the rain. oh, my goodness. you guys are great. >> reporter: now surging in south carolina, newt gingrich is trying to capitalize on his fiery performance in last night's debate. >> tomorrow is going to be a very, very important day. >> reporter: gingrich quickly set the tone of the debate, blasting the media for focusing on his second wife's claim he wanted to continue his affair with then-mistress, now wife callista. >> he was asking to have an open marriage and i refused. >> i am appalled you would begin a presidential debate on a topic like that. the story is false. every personal friend i have who knew us in that period says the

story is false. >> reporter: rick santorum argued that the former house speaker's temperament and outspoken manner are vulnerabilities. >> grandiosity has never been a problem with newt gingrich. he handles it very, very well. that's one of the issues here. >> i think grandiose thoughts. this is a grandiose country of big people doing big things and we need leadership prepared to take on big projects. >> reporter: santorum accused romney and gingrich of straying from conservative ideals. >> i've been fighting for health reform, private sector bottom up the way america works best for 20 years. these two guys were playing footsies with the left. >> when will you release your tax returns specifically? >> an hour ago. >> reporter: the focus on romney's personal wealth intensified as gingrich released his tax returns just before the debate. romney wavered when asked if he would follow his father who also

ran for president, and release several years of his tax returns. >> maybe. i don't know how many years i'll release. i'll take a look at what our documents are. >> reporter: ron paul is still holding steady in this race. but last night's struggle to assert his libertarian message. but grabbing the spotlight this afternoon, former candidate hermain cain and comedian stephen colbert who ridiculed the entire republican field. >> the only difference between mitt romney and a statue of mitt romney is that the statue never changes its position. >> reporter: also today, the campaign in this state famous for nasty primaries turned ugly with an e-mail sent out under gingrich's name saying that he insisted his ex-wife have an abortion. tonight the gingrich campaign says that was false. >> peter, we keep saying it, another wild day in this campaign. peter alexander starting us off from north charleston tonight. thanks.

over to ron mott in orangeburg, south carolina. you spent the day on the trail with newt gingrich. if mitt romney is dialing back talking about cautious optimism after last night's red meat moment at that debate what's it like to be newt gingrich today? >> reporter: hey there, brian. newt gingrich is flying high right now. there is a lot of confidence in this camp. he is going in tomorrow full of optimism. they say they have seen late polling numbers that suggest that he has pulled ahead of mitt romney going onto saturday's big election here. what's striking about this reversal of fortune is that newt gingrich came to south carolina ten days ago limping after the lackluster finishes in ohio and new hampshire. he needed a big finish here. he might get it. he got not one but two standing ovations this week during the presidential debates. his crowds are large and enthusiastic. he had an overflow crowd here in orangeburg this afternoon. while the speaker seemed a bit tired of all the travels this week, the crowd hung on his

every word. they didn't seem to mind at all. there were no questions about the interview his ex-wife gave to abc news last night. they are with him. he says it's about getting the vote out tomorrow. he hopes he will be the winner when they declare it tomorrow night, brian. >> ron mott traveling with the gingrich campaign. thanks. a program note to our viewers, we're here in florida preparing for monday night's debate. the gop candidates in tampa at 9:00/8:00 central, the next time we'll see you. that's on your nbc station on the nbc television network. for now, lester holt in new york will take you the rest of the way tonight. thanks and good evening. all right, brian, good evening to you. so much for the warm snow-free winter. the midwest is getting socked with the second major snowstorm in as many weeks. chicago is looking at six to eight inches before it's all over tomorrow morning. that big system is pushing east. weather channel meteorologist mike seidel is in chicago tonight. mike?

>> reporter: hey, good evening, lester. it's a travel nightmare whether you're driving here lakeshore drive or flying. 20-minute commutes are taking as long as two hours. so far, more than 800 flights have been canceled today at chicago's two airports. a major winter storm walloping cities in the midwest today. chicago expecting up to six inches through this evening. already, drivers are seeing havoc on the road. >> they're not too good so far. they haven't been plowing much. >> reporter: the first real blast of winter started later this year. it's already january and workers at the chicago home depot say shovels and salt have been flying off the shelves. >> we are expecting to have a lot of snow. we are all geared up as far as supplies go. >> reporter: the storm system dumped snow across the entire region with seven inches in iowa, six inches in illinois, three in minnesota, causing massive delays at area airports. the dry, fluffy snow adds up quickly and is severely reducing visibility. >> one lane open, the other is closed.

sometimes you can see, sometimes you can't. >> reporter: a similar system pounded the pacific northwest with snow, ice and rain. they are still recovering. 250,000 homes around seattle, takoma and olympia were without power today. downed powerlines blanketed the region. >> i've never seen this before and it's frightening. >> reporter: it's these images we'll soon be seeing farther east. you can follow this mess east here. check out the forecast map as the snow heads into pennsylvania and arrives in new york city after midnight tonight. around sunrise in boston tomorrow morning, that pink color, a wintry mix to start out in d.c. and baltimore. then it changes to rain. in philadelphia, you may get mixed sleet and ice after some snow. one to three more inches here. windy and snowy in chicago. three to five in new york city. this is the first snowfall in new york city since the big storm back in late october. >> we know that well. we had a free ride around here.

does this open up the flood gates or snow gates for the rest of winter to proceed as usual? >> reporter: not in the short term. in fact, it will warm up sunday and monday back into the 40s and 50s in much of the east. next storm will be a rain storm. there is not a whole lot of winter weather on the weather map coast-to-coast next week. so far, nothing persistent like last winter. >> mike seidel in chicago, thanks. a fast-moving wildfire in reno, nevada, burned more than two dozen homes tonight and forced thousands from their homes. miguel almaguer is on the scene. >> reporter: driven by 82 mile-an-hour winds fueled by bone-dry brush, crews could do little to slow the 40-foot wall of flames surging towards reno. 26 homes engulfed in a the marry matter of hours. >> those are hurricane-force winds. it was extremely difficult working conditions. visibility was next to nothing.

>> reporter: the moving inferno torched six square miles. 10,000 people had to evacuate. the vice president in town to campaign cut his visit short. >> they just told me if i don't let you guys get out of here relatively soon, they're going to make you get out of here. >> i can feel the heat. >> it's really hot. >> reporter: u.s. 395 was shut down. this couple was caught in the middle. they were lucky. 13-car pile-up, several motorists were hospitalized. nevada's governor declared a state of emergency. the national guard was called in, choking smoke and an eery orange sky could be seen for miles. this morning janice didn't know if her home of 12 years was spared. >> you're numb. i was never this scared in my life and helpless. >> our house is fine. >> reporter: connie, one of the lucky ones. >> i'm so sorry for some of my neighbors. >> reporter: it hasn't rained here for 57 days, but finally, the weather could become a friend.

rain and snow are in the forecast. but for some, the damage is done. 26 houses destroyed while thousands of others wait to see if their home is still standing. miguel almaguer, nbc news, reno, nevada. overseas now. six u.s. marines were killed today when their helicopter went down in helmand province in southern afghanistan. u.s. officials say there were no signs of enemy fire. the crash is still under investigation. in syria where that violent uprising has been going on for nearly a year, the u.s. is considering closing the embassy in damascus and pulling out all american personnel. last summer, pro government demonstrators attacked the u.s. compound and the security situation is deteriorating. nbc's ayman mohyeldin's reporting inside syria continues tonight on our website nbc nightly news.com. we reported earlier this week on the high technology strike that some of the world's

biggest websites organized to protest an anti-piracy bilk pushed by major media companies, including our parent nbc universal. the protests by sites including google, facebook, wikipedia and craigslist seems to have worked. both houses of congress have now delayed votes on the bill indefinitely with senate majority leader harry reid announcing the decision on twitter. federal safety officials said today they wrapped up their investigation into reports of chevy volt battery fires, and they say the electric cars do not have any identifiable safety defect. gm says the investigation shows the cars are safe. the company ordered a fix to the 8,000 volts already sold to protect the battery from side impact crashes that could cause puncture or leak in that patry pack. on wall street tonight, a mixed day.

the dow up more than 96 points. nasdaq down about two. up next -- danger down below. a new setback for divers in their race against time to recover those still-lost in that disaster at sea. also a ground breaking new film about legendary fighter pilots. tonight the real-life story of the new battle to get their story told. later, the president brings the house down. ♪ i am so in love with you

back now with the latest news in the race against time off the coast of italy, where searchers are trying to recover the 21 still missing from the costa concordia which hit the rocks a week ago tonight. today another setback. divers had to stay out of the

water or risk getting trapped or injured themselves. michelle kosinksi has our story again tonight from italy. >> reporter: with no word of missing loved ones, no diving today, the families gather to place flowers on the sea. efforts today focus on monitoring that ship, even using sensors lowered from helicopters yesterday, and underwater robots to see changes up close. also revealing a boot, a pillow, the chairs from on deck. from the searchers' perspective, a shifting environment from below. stunning to see a modern-day "titanic." the ship's bell, the deck where passengers would have come to be rescued. gigantic chain and anchored lowered to swing the ship and beach it here. more video from just after the accident, a crew member reassures passengers. "we kindly ask you to go back to

your cabins until we resolve the electrical problem. everything is under control." on this tiny island where this pizzeria has become a town hall, this engineer, an expert in shipwrecks explains concordia's precarious position. it is teetering on rocks only around 100 feet from this, a steep drop-off more than 200 feet. we asked how big a risk that really is right now? "big," he said. not huge, but big. but he said there is now an idea being urgently discussed to tether the ship, possibly with chains, to shore. something he says could be done and quickly to keep the fuel tanks from sinking further and potentially rupturing under pressure, which would create an even bigger disaster than this already is. so what are those sensors

showing? the coast guard says constant vibration, movement. it's not really clear how much of that is settling and how much is sliding toward the edge. we are talking millimeters per hour. enough instability at times to put divers at risk of being trapped themselves. lester? >> michelle kosinksi, thank you. up next, remembering an american original with her share of troubles and magnificent voice.

we are about to show you the video that's gone absolutely viral today. last night president obama was here in new york city for a series of fund raisers. he was at the world-famous apollo theater in harlem. soul legend al green finished performing. to the utter delight of the crowd, the president decided to try a line or two from an al green classic. ♪ i'm so in love with you

>> the president last night at the apollo. music fans all over the world are mourning the loss of etta james tonight. her distinctive and versatile voice graced hits that ranged from blues to rock and roll. she'll always be remembered for one particularly haunting night club ballad. here is rehema ellis. ♪ at last >> reporter: etta james, that voice. ♪ at last my love has come along ♪ >> reporter: an iconic american voice that soared with passion and sank with sorrow. born jamesetta hawkins in los angeles in 1938, she started singing when she was 5, first in church. etta cut her first record at 15. in 1960, she signed with the famous chicago blues label chess records. eventually recording her signature song.

♪ at last >> reporter: people said etta james sang like an angel. ♪ go and cry girl >> reporter: but she was a fallen angel. she dealt with heroin and cocaine addiction for many years, but she always praised god for helping her get back up. ♪ i've always been a dreamer >> reporter: always hitting the notes with just the right amount of hurt and hope, but most of all, truth. ♪ i'll forever be a blind girl >> reporter: etta james was 73.

at arlington national cemetery, surviving members of world war ii's storied units the tuskegee airmen said good-bye to another of their own today. lieutenant luke weathers was one of about 1,000 young black men to confront racism to earn their pilot wings and went on to amass an impressive combat record in world war ii. today there are only about 100 living members of the tuskegee airmen. this weekend, their story is hitting the big screen, but perhaps not without facing some

of its own color barriers. >> i hit left rudder, brought it down. >> reporter: like every fighter pilot, roscoe brown talks with his hands, at almost 90, telling war stories like they were yesterday. >> boom! and that was with it. that was the first jet shot down over berlin. >> reporter: that's brown in 1945 in the cockpit of a p-51, the f-16 of its day. now, the real life war stories of brown and his squadron mates, members of the legendary tuskegee airmen are the basis for the new movie "red tails." >> you are the first negro to shoot down one of them! >> reporter: an action flick that battling the nazis over europe and racism at home. >> we have a right to fight for our country the same as every other american, so you shut us down or you let us fly. >> we were isolated. people don't understand how rigid segregation was.

>> reporter: ironically, the film faced its own battles, when major studios balked how to market it, george lucas fronted $58 million of his own money. terence howard is one of its stars. >> it's like, why? market it, it's an action movie. it's an all-black cast and the white guys are the bad guys. market it. you just market it. it's a movie. >> reporter: the makers of "red tails" know what it's like to want to prove their detractors wrong. in this case, hollywood and its commercial doubts about a black action film. >> we all knew what we were doing was a statement. we knew the spotlight was on us and we couldn't fail. >> reporter: the success of the tuskegee airmen helped end segregation in the military and roscoe brown who introduced the film to school kids hopes the story on the big screen can continue to enlighten. >> in the black community, we need to talk about it's cool to be smart. i like to say the tuskegee

airmen were cool and the tuskegee airmen were smart and you can do it, as well. "red tails" opened in theaters today. that's our broadcast this friday night. thank you for being with us. i'm lester holt in tonight for brian. i'll see you later tonight on "dateline." and all weekend. brian will be back here monday and monday night for the debate. have a good weekend, everyone. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >> good evening, thanks for joining us. >> one down, two to go. a second stronger storm is moving into the bay area and is making this friday commute sluggish to say the least. >> chief meteorologist, jeffrey, is tracking the storm and joins us with the first forecast. jeff? >> we are fee