holiday with all of us. >> enjoy your presidents' day evening holiday and enjoy the olympics. >> bye-bye. on our broadcast tonight, crimes against humanity. tonight, the astounding charges against the young leader of north korea and the new evidence concerning the brutality going on inside that country hidden away from the rest of the world. hijacked. passengers trapped in mid-air at 30,000 feet. the co-pilot commandeers the plane, locking the captain out of the cockpit and making demands, while all those on board fear the very worst. history on ice here in sochi today. a big first for the americans while the weather continues to cause problems. and tonight's the night. just hours from now, "the tonight show" officially returns to new york. we'll have our conversation with jimmy fallon about the start of a new era. "nightly news" begins now.

good evening. today an official of the united nations tried to tell the world so there will be no mistake that we are living in the middle of a modern-day hitler. we are talking about kim jong-un, the young leader of north korea. and this report from the u.n. is an attempt to wake up the world so no one will ever say as they did after world war ii, for instance, that they didn't realize how bad it was until it was too late. this evidence is based on interviews from defectors and survivors. the u.n. said today north korea, quote, has no parallel in the contemporary world. it is where we begin our broadcast tonight with our chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell. >> reporter: north korea kim

jong unat his father's mausoleum, a birthday trubt. even as the u.n. accuses the kim regime of vast horrors going back decades -- deaths, murder, enslavement, torture, imprisonment, rape, sexual violence and forced abortions. >> there will be no excusing a failure of action because we didn't know. we do know. >> reporter: the survivors of the prison kept pictures to illustrate starvation, torture and public execution of hundreds of thousands. for the u.n. and human rights watch, an advocacy group. lee yong guk, a prisoner at camp 15 said a fellow prisoner trying to escape was dragged back to the camp behind a truck and then executed for all to see. this woman, in prison for 28 years, drew pictures after she got out. she said guards would spit in their mouths. if they gagged, they would be beaten, former guards told human

rights watch many people lost their minds. children starved. families foraged for snakes or mice to feed their children. and the report says that when women prisoners gave birth, they forced others to kill the baby by drowning it in water or suffocating it by holding a cloth or other item against its face, or putting the babyfacedown so that it cannot breathe. >> this report is really the most comprehensive documentation that we've seen of the unimaginable cruelties of the north korean prison camp system. >> reporter: this man, a north korean army general who defected said today's report will bring hope to the north korean people. but will they ever learn of it? >> i don't think there is any regime in history that has controlled information and sealed the country like north korea. >> reporter: the u.n. commission warned china it could be guilty of aiding and abetting them. by returning defectors who then executed them.

china calls the charges a plot to defame and sabotage its country. advocates say the u.n.'s general assembly, where china has no veto, should now take action so this report gets a world forum. brian? >> andrea, as we said, it's hard to hear about. but the u.n. says they need the world to know. andrea mitchell from our d.c. newsroom tonight. andrea, thanks. now to a drama that played out earlier today. it was all going as planned on board an ethiopian airlines jet that is until the co-pilot locked the pilot out of the cockpit of the aircraft and hijacked the plane with over 200 people on board, including 11 american passengers. what followed was a tense few hours in the sky as the hijacker flew the aircraft to switzerland. we get more tonight from nbc's ayman mohyeldin. >> please don't smoke. >> reporter: inside this ethiopian flight 702, passengers in their seats, hands on their heads as swiss police prepare to

board the plane in geneva. on the tarmac outside, police surround the plane, escorting more than 200 passengers and crew off one by one. the ordeal began hours earlier an overnight flight from the ethiopian capital, addis ababa en route to rome. but the plane never made it. instead it was hijacked by the co-pilot, a 31-year-old ethiopian. the hijacker redirected the plane over italy, which scrambled fighter jets after the plane signalled a hijacking in progress. over switzerland, the hijacker radioed that he wanted to refuel and said he feared for his life. >> we need asylum assurance that we will not be transferred to the ethiopian government. >> reporter: he circled geneva repeatedly, as seen tracking on this map before he was allowed to land.

the pilot, still locked out, reassured the passengers and asked them to be patient. the plane is safe, he said. the copilot is locked inside. he is not armed so there are no risks. the hijacker then climbed out of the cockpit window down a rope and turned himself in. swiss police say he now faces hijacking charges. ethiopian officials say there was no justification for what the copilot did and are requesting his extradition. while passengers who lived through the ordeal finally made it to rome, relieved to be with loved ones. ayman mohyeldin, nbc news, london. and now back here to russia to the action at these winter olympic games. here in sochi, a very big day on the ice specifically for the americans, and we'll say right here at the outset we're going to talk about some team usa results that have been out all day but will indeed be televised in prime time tonight. the americans made history with a breath-taking performance in ice dancing, and they won a medal in two-man bobsledding for

the first time in more than six decades. the weather continues to be a factor here. thick fog in the mountains forced several events to be rescheduled. nbc's chris jansing back with us with all of it tonight. chris, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. let's start with those ice dancers. i saw them after they skated tonight. what do you say to your partner of almost 17 years after winning gold? charlie white told meryl davis simply i love you. and although they are not romantically linked, they are now in the olympics history books together. tonight, they are watching ice dancing. michigan natives meryl davis and charlie white followed up last night's world record performance in the short dance with another world record in the long. >> it has been amazing trying to come to terms with being olympic champions.

>> reporter: judges awarding some rare perfect scores. >> they are just beautiful. it is breathtaking, so fluid the way they move across the ice, it is gorgeous. >> reporter: it is the first time in history america has claimed ice dancing gold. and a long-awaited breakthrough in bobsled after winning team usa's first gold in four-man in vancouver, steve holcomb triumphed again, taking bronze in two-man. >> so much hard work has gone into it. we're so proud to bring home a medal after a 62-year drought. >> reporter: bode miller, now the oldest alpine medalist ever at 36 with bronze in the super g, serving notice now he is ready for giant slalom. >> i don't think i'm done yet, hopefully i get to come down here and go through the process again. >> do you feel good about it? >> i do. i think, you know, i think a lot of people will be surprised when i medal in gs. >> reporter: the weather meant no medals today in know board

cross. the x game designed for danger with the high-flying potential for wipeouts. we saw that yesterday with the women. and today, fans came out to see the men. with racers ready and anxious to get under way, dense fog cloaked the top of the mountain. >> we have a cancellation for the competition today. >> yeah, you couldn't see anything. i mean, we're going to be going big off the jumps and it is nice to be able to see where you're going. >> reporter: and the men's biathlon, postponed for a second time because the athletes could not see the shooting target. nothing to do but wait for the fog to lift. both snowboardcross and biathlon are on the schedule for tomorrow. so if they actually come off, it will be a huge medals day in seven different events, brian. >> chris jansing with all things olympics games tonight. chris, thanks as always. a quick check of the medal count. at the start of the final week of competition, u.s. and russia on top tied for the lead with 18 apiece. followed by the netherlands, norway, and canada. in venezuela today, the government ordered three american diplomats to leave the

country accusing them of helping to organize these anti-government protests that have turned violent and deadly in recent days. there are fears of more fighting tomorrow after opponents and supporters of the government called for new demonstrations. we have a correspondent on route. we'll have a complete report from there on this broadcast tomorrow night. and in the u.s. there is still more rough weather to report tonight. this is how it looked in wisconsin today as much of the midwest was pounded by heavy snow and ice again, creating more dangerous conditions, on the roads, cause mortgage than 600 flight delays and cancellations. it is all heading east again, and meteorologist janice huff is in our new york weather center with more tonight. janice, good evening. >> hi there, brian. well, yes, this storm is now moving through michigan, ohio, and indiana, pressing towards the east coast for tomorrow. they're expecting anywhere from 4 to 6 inches of snow across ohio tonight.

it hits new york city for the morning commute, another 2 to 4 inches here. and then in boston, it hits you for the evening commute. you can see another 4 to 8 inches of snow on top of what you have. then following that will be this huge warm-up. here is wednesday. here is thursday. temperatures 60s and 70s down towards atlanta. by the time it gets to the northeast, it's in the 40s and 50s. that's going to mean rapid snow melt. practically every inch of the ground is cover snow across new england and the northeast. that rapid snow melt may result in a lot of flooding by this weekend, brian. janice huff, as always, thank you, and a big night in new york for more reasons than one. coming up tonight, our revealing conversation with jimmy fallon, just hours to go until his debut as host of ""the tonight show." what he told us about what you'll see starting tonight.

later tonight, following your late local news, in fact a new era will begin at 30 rock in new york where lucky members of the audience filed in for

tonight's taping of episode one of "the tonight show," starring jimmy fallon. after a hugely successful run in los angeles, jay leno has passed the baton east to jimmy. and before we left new york jimmy sat down with us in his old studio to talk about his debut, what it all means and what those of us in the audience can expect to see. >> i'm just excited. it is all starting to sink in, it is becoming real. you're going like wow, i can see everything now. this is actually going to happen. >> and it is going to happen in new york, not just because jimmy fallon is from here, but because he believes the show belongs here. >> there is nothing like being in this building. there is nothing like being in this city. it really does infuse the broadcast. it's huge. >> it is where "the tonight show" started, actually in the actual studio where we're going to be. that is where johnny carson was, that's where jack paar was. there is broadway there is times square. there is something glamorous

about it, you know, and i think that is "the tonight show." >> fallon moves an hour earlier as part of a package deal along with his friend steve higgins and the roots. they composed the theme music from his iphone into his microphone with narration. >> beautiful new york theme, "the tonight show," jimmy fallon's color. walking around. and higgins -- >> higg lynns will be doing the announcing. >> tonight's guests are emmanuel lewis. musical guests creed. >> always called out the number of the show. >> there he is, jimmy fallon. ♪ >> that is good. the time slot will now be fought over by two jimmy's and a dave. along with all the media out there slugging it out for the turf johnny carson used to own outright.

>> here's johnny! >> hash tag, is it friday yet? >> fallon has modernized late night comedy. there are parodies and games of chance, celebrities throwing things, a lot of drinking, some chest waxing. there is slow jamming, some better than others. jimmy does jagger and bruce and dylan. and what has become a fallon signature, his friday night thank you notes. >> thank you, hamburger helper glove for helping me cook and for never mentioning how you lost a finger. >> jimmy fallon is built to please. he works for laughs, works for the approval of his audience in the studio and at home. and at home, things have changed for jimmy. the fallons are new parents of daughter winnie, who has his full attention. >> i'm remembering things as they're happening now more. i'm enjoying the moment more, because when you have a baby, you enjoy all of their moments. >> his audition for "snl" seems

so long ago, but he got the job and stayed six years, then "late night", now "the tonight show." he says it's all still surreal. we ended our interview with a walk from jimmy's old studio across the hall to his beautiful new home. and while our cameras were not allowed in because the network did not want to spoil tonight's debut, it's hard to adequately describe what we saw. you guys can't -- i can't believe you have done this all in pink. >> well, pink is the new blue? >> and why the urinal? >> just efficiency. maybe the hot tub is too much. i'm keeping the urinal. >> are you sure this is going to be ready for tonight? >> it better be. we're going on the air. >> and another thing that will just have to wait until we'll see the first episode tonight, the new opening sequence by director spike lee. jimmy's first guests are will smith and u2. and to our friend jimmy, long may you run.

another break for us. we're back in a moment with the close call that a lot of people are keeping a close eye on tonight. are keeping a close eye on

there is a gripping photo that is being beamed around the world. u.n. workers found a 4-year-old boy named marwan walking by himself in the desert between syria and jordan. he is a refugee, fleeing from the fighting in syria. he got separated though briefly from his family, and then he bravely walked on alone until volunteers put him together with his parents. tonight the family has been reunited. they're living in a u.n.-sponsored refugee camp. the russians aren't going quietly after losing that epic hockey game against the u.s. here in sochi this past weekend. the russian goal that was disallowed because the goal itself was out of position, that dpnt go down well. and today outside the u.s. embassy in moscow, fans erected

a banner protesting the american referee, brad meyer, who might have thought previous to this that it was an honor to be there at the olympic games. and it once survived an attempt on its life by the famous man, but the so-called eisenhower tree at augusta national golf club could not survive the brutal weekend ice storm down south. it's been taken down after it was damaged. it got its name when president dwight david eisenhower campaigned to have it removed in 1956 after it got in the way of one too many of his tee shots. the club refused. the leader of the free world learned his powers were limited, at least where it came to the golf club. but nature always bats last, as they say. and space buffs are watching the night skies again tonight. this time it's an enormous asteroid roughly the size of three football fields. it will whiz by the planet earth. they are not certain by how much

it will miss us, only that it will. telescope cameras are set up to record this fly had-by at 27,000 miles an hour. you can link to a live web cast on our website tonight. when we come back, the story of an athlete that might just sum up the true spirit of the olympic games.

finally tonight, from here in sochi, the story of one athlete who really does define the olympic spirit. and we get his story tonight from nbc's kevin tibbles. >> reporter: he marched proudly and alone, carrying his tiny nation's uniquely shaped flag into the olympic stadium. and when it comes to competing, 44-year-old nepalese cross-country skier dachhiri sherpa suffers no grand illusion. >> i think i will be last, but it doesn't matter. >> reporter: because for dachhiri sherpa, the olympics are so much more than precious medal. >> for me, the main goal is to be here and to participate. >> reporter: as far as countries go, nepal ranks 94th, about the size of a home to mt. everest, the highest peak on earth.

but it is also a poor country. dachhiri's village is a four-day walk from the capital, kathmandu. how small is your village? >> very small, very small. >> reporter: it is for people living in isolation that he competes, with dedication, integrity and heart. do you want to be an example for younger nepalese to get involved in sports? >> this is my dream. >> reporter: he lives part of the year in geneva, where he is a brick layer, but his true passion is for children. in nepal, he provides orphans with an education. do you feel like you're a long way away from home here? >> yeah, i'm very far away from my home. >> reporter: in russia, he takes in the sights. >> do you speak english? >> reporter: even posing for a few friendly pictures. but he is here to compete for the children of nepal. for you just to get to the olympics is like climbing mt. everest.

>> i think so. >> reporter: at race's end, he surprises even himself, finishing not last, but second to last, 17 minutes behind the winner who waited to shake his hand. kevin tibbles, nbc news, rosa khutor, russia. as we said, the olympic spirit. and of course prime time olympic coverage is coming up tonight on this very network. and you know how we love a comeback story. bob costas is back in the chair tonight. he is feeling well enough to come back after sitting out a few days to recover from that eye infection. i dropped by the prime time studio earlier today where i found a guy anxious to return to work. we were so worried about you because we know what you put into this. >> but you know what? too much attention spent on it. and it got to the point where they were so blurry and light sensitive, i didn't feel that bad, but i couldn't inflict any more of it on the american public, at least not for a while. >> bob costas will host the prime time coverage, starting at

8:00, 7:00 central. as for us, that is our monday night broadcast as we start off a new week. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. >> they were graveyard partners and friends. >> killed in the line of duty, two chp officers that trained together, worked together and now died together. good evening and thanks for joining us on this monday. i'm raj mathai. >> i'm jessica aguirre. they are trained to respond to car accidents along california highways but two chp officers with bay area ties died on the roads they patrolled. incorrect information they

received may have played a role in that accident. jodi hernandez joins us live and jodi, this is the deadliest chp incident in more than 15 years. >> reporter: that's right, jessica. i'll tell you, the mood here at the chp office here in oakland is very somber. this is where officer brian law began his career. he worked here for five years before getting transferred to fresno. today's news is very tough to take. >> it's a huge loss. you know, it's a loss in the first place to lose an officer. it's even harder when it's someone you know. it's even harder when it's your friend. >> reporter: that's the feeling among california highway patrol officers as they learn add long-time colleague lost his life. 34-year-old brian law who began his career in oakland and his partner 33-year-old juan gonzalez were killed in a crash this morning while