marathon a day, 26 miles a day. >> coming up at 6:00, more on our immigration coverage and what the president said tonight, how it affects the bay area. on our broadcast tonight, no -- showdown over imgration, the president live from the white house boldly going where he threatened to go, and it's controversial. "nightly news" begins now. >> a special good evening for our viewers in the west. as we come on the air, the president speaking live from the white house, laying out his plan for immigration. as he threatened and promised, going around congress, doing what republicans had warned him not to do. our senior white house

correspondent, chris jansing, live at the white house. good evening. >> good evening, brian. tonight president obama made his case for the most sweeping changes to immigration policy in nearly three decades. pushing the envelope as far as white house lawyers advised him he could. it was a personal, pragmatic and historical argument for giving legal stats us to nearly five million of the estimated 11 million people in the u.s. illegally. >> are we a nation that tolerates the hypocrisy of a system where workers who pick our fruit and make our beds, never have a chance to get right with the law? or are we a nation that gives them a chance to make amends, takes responsibility and give their kids a better future? >> reporter: so who benefits? immigrants in the u.s. illegally for more than five years, but whose children are residents, will be able to work, get a social security number, but they are not eligible for social

security benefits or obamacare. more dreamers are eligible too, the undocumented immigrants who have grown up in this country. and in a change, it doesn't matter how old they are, as long as they came here before 2010. the executive action won't cover parents of dreamers. white house lawyers didn't think they could make a legal case for that, and it doesn't cover farm workers. republicans are pushing back, strongly, calling the president's actions an unconstitutional power grab. they say they're considering a range of responses from legal to legislative challenges. though they won't say specifically what. and the president isn't backing down. >> and to those members of congress who question my authority to make our immigration system work better, or question the wisdom of me acting where congress has failed, i have one answer. pass a bill. >> reporter: so what happens next? the president will sign a pair of presidential memorandums

tomorrow in las vegas at an immigration rally. he'll make his case in the coming weeks and months and he's set up a bitter partisan fight that could last well beyond the legal and legislative challenges. brian? >> chris jansing, thank you. now the reaction that millions of families have been waiting to hear. jacob rascon from sacramento. >> waiting for immigration reform is all the castillo family has ever known. even after tonight's announcement, they are still waiting. >> our people worked and still taking care of the children, cleaning houses and offices and different things. but we are in the darkness. >> reporter: growing up, they couldn't get jobs or driver's licenses. >> i definitely learned from my dad. you know, just never give up.

>> reporter: she couldn't apply to medical school. >> i remember growing up and my dad would say, by the time you're 10, they'll be legislation that will allow us to be here and work hard and adjust our status. >> reporter: two years ago when president obama deferred deportation for some children, she and her siblings qualified for a new life. >> these are just papers. it's plastic. it's probably not worth very much, but it means a lot in my life. >> the castillo parents hope the president would extend the benefits to them. today they learned that probably would not happen. >> it's hard. >> reporter: this is their first time out of shadows since coming to california from mexico nearly 30 years ago. they now wait for permanent solutions for hard-working immigrants like their children, whose american dream still has an expiration date. jacob rascon, nbc, sacramento. now, back to the east where

the death toll has sadly climbed to ten people tonight in western new york. where so much remains paralyzed in a state of emergency in and around buffalo, new york. the region mother nature has placed inside some sort of a bullseye. 135 miles of new york throughway remains closed, travel banned in towns outright after second wave of snow. and roof collapses are a fear because of the weight of it all. lester holt starts us off tonight in a community with over six feet of snow on the ground. >> reporter: day three. >> this is absolutely crazy. >> reporter: and the snow keeps falling. and the weight of it all, over five feet of snow and counting, is beginning to cause roof collapses. more than 100 patients had to be evacuated from this nursing home in cheektowaga today when the roof began to show signs of weakening. >> the roof is compromised. obviously has not collapsed yet, but there's potential for it. >> reporter: in hamburg more than two dozen people driven

from the roads in whiteout conditions and deep snow have been holed up in this walmart store since tuesday. >> couldn't ask for a better place to be stranded. >> reporter: from the air today we could see entire sections of the buffalo area painted in white. rooftops that look as if they'd been slathered in whip cream. we worked our way south of buffalo and it gets a lot worse. we can count dozens of cars that were stopped in their tracks, buried in snow. barely the roof is visible. it's like the day the earth stood still. >> reporter: but even as road crews make progress, there are neighborhoods still cut off, surrounded by chest-deep snow. we ventured down one cul-de-sac on foot where we could only shout a conversation with mary ann sanson. have you ever seen it like this? >> i've never seen anything like this. i've lived in this area my whole life. >> reporter: officials say they're doing their best to reach those facing emergencies and are reminding home-bound residents to take precautions. >> we've been stuck here since

monday evening. >> reporter: we met the shram family last night. they're still snow-bound. but today her husband david finally got out walking four miles to get food for their baby evan. >> first challenge i had to overcome was the eight-foot high wall of snow. when i finally did get to the store, it's disheartening to find out that the cupboards were bare, in a manner of speaking. but i was able to find two quarts of milk, which is better than none. i was also able to get baby food which was a big plus. >> reporter: look at the people shoveling the snow off their roof. six feet of snow on their roof obviously concerned about a collapse of some kind. they can't dig their way out of this neighborhood. crews are clearing the new york throughway, but it is still closed tonight. and hundreds of stranded vehicles remain. you can see the wall of snow there along the edge of the lake. it's just a big gray wall. still buried under all that snow, buffalo ralph wilson stadium where tonight the bills have declared a snow day,

calling off sunday's scheduled game against the jets. and that gray wall we showed you dumped a lot more snow here this afternoon. and one word about that woman you saw me shouting across the snowy yard to, she lives in that house behind me. thankfully she was able to hire a crew that came in and dug a path way, they can now get out tonight, brian. >> what a scene. lester holt in western new york tonight. thanks. struggling with the aftermath of a terrifying incident on campus. last night a man armed with a handgun entered a library where hundreds of students were cramming for finals. he opened fire wounding three victims as those inside went for safety. our report tonight from nbc's mark potter. >> reporter: police identify the shooter as 31-year-old myron may, a new mexico attorney graduated from florida state in 2005 and returned to tallahassee just three weeks ago. authorities say he was suffering a mental crisis and feared the government.

>> mr. may had a written journal and videos where he expressed fears of being targeted. >> reporter: officials say just before 12:30 this morning may shot two students outside the crowded campus library and an employee in the lobby. student sarah evans heard a gunshot there and rolled her cell phone camera. >> i just saw him laying behind the desk bleeding, wounded, in complete shock, terror. not knowing what to do. >> reporter: warned by intercom some students barricaded themselves in classrooms. this senior says one of the bullets lodged in a book in his backpack saving his life. >> for me to still be alive was too many coincidences. that's got to be god. >> reporter: shortly after the first 911 call, police say they kill may outside the library after he refused to surrender. officials say at the time of the shooting, there were 4 to 500 students inside this library studying for final exams and that the incident could have been much worse. police say may acted alone, but

don't yet know why he opened fire here. mark potter, nbc news, tallahassee. bill cosby set to perform tonight for a benefit in the bahamas for a volunteer organization whose membership includes thousands of mostly african-american women in business. as that is going on sexual assault allegations continue to swirl all around cosby. and a newly released video shows him being confronted by a reporter doing his job, then pressuring that same reporter not to release his answer. our report tonight from our national correspondent kate snow. >> reporter: bill cosby and his wife were interviewed two weeks ago by an associated press reporter about works of art he loaned to the smithsonian. toward the end the reporter asked about old allegations against cosby. >> i just wanted to ask if you wanted to respond at all about whether any of that was true. >> there's no response. >> reporter: cosby declined to comment several times. >> i think you were told. i don't want to compromise your integrity.

but we don't -- i don't talk about it. >> reporter: and then cosby said this. >> now, can i get something from you? >> what's that? >> that none of that will be shown? >> i -- i can't promise that myself. >> and i would appreciate it if it was scuttled. >> reporter: cosby asked his publicist to call this reporter's boss. the associate the associated press says it decided to release the video this week after more accusers came forward. and today the story expanded again. another woman said cosby drugged her for sex. >> instead of empowering me like he said he does to people, he made me a victim. and all my life i've been a victim -- >> reporter: she says she continued to see cosby and later asked for and received thousands of dollars from him. cosby representatives had no comment today but previously said they would not dignify decade old discredited claims with a response. kate snow, nbc news, new york.

still ahead for us on this thursday night, minivan owners who think bigger means safer will be stunned by the results of new crash tests. and there's bad news about some of the most popular vehicles on the road. also, the iconic force behind so many of the classics for decades from hollywood to broadway as we bid farewell to an american legend.

there are new crash test results out tonight as we said for minivans, the mode of transit for millions of american families. and the grades for some of the most popular brands will likely surprise the families who drive their kids around in them every day. in fact, safety experts said about these crash test results that one vehicle in particular as you're about to see was among the worst they have ever tested. we get our report on all of it tonight from nbc's peter alexander. >> reporter: on the road they're a family favorite, but owners who think larger means safer will be stunned by these results. today, news that some of the

best selling minivans are failing a crucial crash test that simulates the front corner colliding with another vehicle, a tree or a lamp post. the insurance institute for highway safety warns the nissan quest is one of the worst performing vehicles it's ever seen for this type of crash. >> we had to cut the seat out in order to remove the dummy. and then we needed a crowbar to pry the front foot loose. >> reporter: in houston kathrine fuller says she's now nervous about taking her kids out in her nissan quest. >> i always thought since it was a larger vehicle and roomy vehicle that we were all safe. >> reporter: minivans are typically designed on mid size car platforms but wider and heavier. that leaves large areas less protected in a serious crash. >> high proportion of the minivan market is running a poor rating in this test. and those poor ratings are in some spectacularly poor crash test results. >> reporter: honda odyssey tested last year earning a good rating. and toyota sienna with an acceptable rating. but the quest, chrysler town &

country and dodge caravan all received poor ratings. nissan says it's committed to vehicle safety and will seek opportunities for improvement. chrysler says its minivans meet or exceed all government mandated safety requirements. jarring results for safety conscious parents. peter alexander, nbc news, washington. when we come back in a moment, the royal dress code just announced for a certain group of americans because the royals are about to visit.

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a lot of food and beverage news tonight starting with the downside of our diet. a new study out this evening showing the global cost of obesity. the cost to all of us and our health care system is $2 trillion. that's as much as the societal cost of smoking, close to the combined cost of armed violence, war and terrorism. say if present trends continue upwards of half the adult population will be overweight or obese by the year 2030. now to where food and drink are consumed in great amounts, tgi friday's has announced a holiday gimmick. tgi friday's restaurants in the uk will use a mistletoe drone to encourage kissing as it flies among the tables. so it is fair to ask, when you combine whirling rotors, batteries, remote control, human hair and scalding hot beverages, what could go wrong? william and kate are making

a stop in washington in early december, and because of that and perhaps some perceived slovenliness on the part of press corps on capitol hill in d.c., the folks who credential the press corps on both sides of the pond, are out with separate memos reminding journalists, some working 14-hour days in nonoptimal conditions to spiff up generally, adhere to a dress code especially during the royals' visit. as they spell it out, that means pants or skirt suit for women, jacket and tie for men. and they note that includes technicians. when we come back, remembering the legendary director who gave us "the graduate." and back then he was just getting started.

we learned this morning that mike nichols had died at the age of 83. in the sports world guys like him are called a players coach. in this life he was an actors director and he died respected by all. he was wickedly funny, he loved funny people and they loved him right back. and that was just the start of it. [ laughter ] mike nichols first burst onto the scene as comedy wingman to elaine may.

he then quietly slipped behind the camera and in short order became the favorite of some of the best actors of our time. >> the directors, they're for other people. the point is to help the actors. and if you can't help them, you're not doing your job. >> reporter: they loved him for how he saw things. case in point, his masterpiece, "the graduate." other directors would simply show us dustin hoffman. nichols chose to shoot him through the arched seductive leg of mrs. robinson. >> mrs. robinson, you're trying to seduce me. >> and let us in on the key to life and financial success. a brief list of his directing credits begins on broadway. barefoot in the park, the odd couple, death of a salesman, prisoner of second avenue. his first film, who's afraid of virginia wolf, received 13 oscar nominations. >> a great, big, fat -- >> stop it.

>> i hope that was an empty bottle, george. you can't afford to waste good liquor. >> reporter: then came "the graduate," the film version of barefoot in the park, carnal knowledge, silk wood, catch-22, working girl. >> i have a head for business and a bod for sin. is there anything wrong with that? >> reporter: for television, wit, angels in america and on and on. in fact, he's one of a dozen people in history to have earned the egot, an unromantic pentagon like acronym for winning the emmy, grammy, oscar and tony. >> you see before you a happy man. >> reporter: he was a kind of social and cultural anthropologist. his work tracked life in america perhaps because he was an immigrant, born in germany. he changed his name upon arrival as his family of russian jews fled the nazis. a bad reaction to a childhood inoculation left him without hair. and he wore wigs all his life.

as he went about studying everything he could about people. >> there's only one question, what is it really like when this happens? when somebody seduces someone, when somebody kills someone, when somebody loses someone? >> reporter: mike nichols showed us to ourselves. his impact on the arts of 50 years of american popular culture is indelible. >> if heaven exists, what would you like to hear god say when you arrive? >> welcome, mike and diane. >> about that diane he just mentioned, that would be our friend, diane sawyer, his wife of 26 years. her beloved partner, mike nichols was 83 years old. that is our broadcast this thursday night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. we hope, of course, to see you right back here tomorrow evening. goodnight.

nbc bay area news starts now. >> president obama in perhaps the boldest move of his presidency charts a new course on immigration. >> my fellow americans, we are and always will be a nation of immigrants. >> one that changes america and the rest of the world. >> you can come out of the shadows and get right with the law. >> they crossed the border, risked their live, and many end up in the bay area. >> this has to be done, because a lot of people are living in

fear because of this. then, in the tech capital of the world. >> this is the only country in the world where one general croatian go from nothing to something. >> this executive action ripples through silicon valley. the heart of innovation. live team coverage of president obama's immigration order starts right now. >> and good evening. thanks for joining us. i'm jessica aguirre. >> and i'm raj mathai. a notable and controversial night for president obama. his high stakes address answered many questions but also left the door wide open for several other issues here is a basic overview of the president's plan. it would allow undocumented parents of u.s. citizens to legally live here in the united states. they would have to apply. it also expands the pool of young undocumented immigrants, the so-called dreamers who are eligible for protected status. foreign workers trained in high-tech will also have an ease jr. time staying in the u.s. >> while the stakes are especially high here in california, the president's actions could impact an estimated 1.6