outages and downed trees. more tonight at 6:00. >> drive safely beginning tomorrow or tonight. thanks for joining us at 5:00. >> see you back here at 6:00. good night, folks. on our broadcast tonight, babies diagnosed with measles. this time near chicago. five of them all at the same day care facility. and this raises the issue of infants too young to be vaccinated. 80 million at risk as hackers infiltrate one of the largest insurance companies in america making off with all the necessary tools for identity theft. tonight, who's been hit and the one thing to do right now. gathering storms. from coast to coast, another major snow event for a lot of the city still buried in the east and out west warnings of an atmospheric river threatening major mud slides. and play it again. the disappearing act that's happening in too many american homes, and the new push to bring back the music. "nightly news" begins now.

from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. good evening. five babies have been diagnosed with measles, all of them in the suburban chicago area all of them at one day care facility. it's part of this new measles outbreak that continues to grow. this news tonight about these five babies raises the issue of infants who are too young for vaccinations. this will no doubt prompt a lot of parents, if they haven't already, to check what the vaccination requirements are where their children are cared for. and it's where we begin tonight with nbc's hallie jackson. >> reporter: at this suburban chicago day care, five babies believed to be infected with measles. their parents powerless to stop it since the infants are too young for the vaccine. now a warning as many as ten other children may have been exposed to the virus and unvaccinated staff and kids are being asked to stay away for three weeks. >> there are likely to be more cases.

and so we shouldn't be surprised by that. the cat's out of the bag. >> reporter: 4 million kids in the u.s. are in similar situations, not old enough for the vaccine. if exposed to the virus, nine in ten of those babies will get sick. that vulnerability is why this dr. alana levine is reminding her patients to bring kids in for the measles shot as soon as they turn a year old. >> we're calling them in to make sure they get vaccinated right away. >> reporter: doctors say the best way to protect the youngest among us is for all of us to get vaccinated. >> there's something called herd immunity where most of us who are healthy need to be vaccinated, and those most vulnerable in our society get the protection they deserve. >> reporter: but in 17 states preschool vaccination rates are below the 90% needed for herd immunity. some communities tighten up the laws which let parents opt out of immunizing their kids for personal reasons. in california state lawmakers are allowing a bill to allow only medical exemption.

illinois allows parents to skip the measles shot for medical or religious reasons but not personal one. but that's a moot point for the parents of the infants infected here. nothing they could have done and nothing they can do but wait. the cdc says children can be vaccinated as young as 6 months old if they're traveling some place where there's a higher risk of measles, historically internationally. but those kids would need two more shots after they're a year old. brian? >> hallie jackson starting us off tonight. another big story. potentially tens of millions of americans are at serious risk of identity theft again after this country's second largest health insurance company anthem insurance got hit this time by a massive electronic attack. the hackers made off with many of the necessary tools to do a whole lot of damage to a lot of people. worst of all it includes social security numbers. our justice correspondent pete williams following all the late developments on this front from

our d.c. newsroom tonight. pete, good evening. >> reporter: brian, good evening. that's why this one is different from the recent big hack attacks at target and home depot. those went after credit cards and account numbers. this time the hackers were targeting the kind of personal information that can be used to steal someone's identity. anthem says the hackers struck last week targeting its massive database of 80 million current and former customers and employees. the company says it appears no medical information or credit card numbers were compromised, but it says a trove of personal data was stolen. names, social security numbers, birth dates, street and e-mail addresses and employment information. on a website set up for concerned customers, anthem's president joseph swedish says his information was compromised too. the company says it will send letters and e-mails to its affected customers in the 14 states where it operates. so far anthem says there's no sign its stolen data is being offered for sale but cyber security firm intel crawler says there's already a demand for it

on the internet's black market like this offering to buy the anthem data dump or just e-mails. >> in most ways that this data will be used by the criminals there's almost no way to prevent a crime. it's all about discovering it and mitigating the damage. >> reporter: so what should anthem customers do? the company says it's offering free identity theft protection. as for social security numbers experts say getting a new number won't help and could make it harder to get credit. and you can't change your name, birth date, address or job history. instead, consumer experts like hotspotshield.com recommend contacting the credit reporting agencies and asking for a credit freeze, blocking any new accounts using your social security number until you want something. >> it only takes about five or ten minutes. you go online, you plug in some information and you can thaw your credit very easily so when you want to get a line of credit, you have control over that. >> reporter: the experts also say check your credit card bill for charges you didn't make and be wary of e-mail offers, especially ones offering medical services.

as for who's behind this, investigators say the early signs point to china. brian. >> scary story. pete williams in our d.c. newsroom tonight. pete, thanks. for the first time today federal investigators were able to meet with the engineer of that commuter train that crashed into an suv north of new york city tuesday night. despite being stationed at the front of the train car, he survived this accident in which six people were killed including the driver of that suv, a 49-year-old mother of three. nbc's tom costello is at the medical center where the injured are being treated tonight. tom, good evening. >> reporter: hi, brian. we've got an unrelated medevac chopper coming in for a landing, but on the train accident we have five patients still here at the hospital one of them in critical condition. meanwhile, witnesses have told the ntsb that seconds before the arm came down on ellen brody's car, traffic was inching, inching through the railroad intersection, the crossing. working through the bitter cold, salvage crews were able to clear

and repair the tracks of the burned-out metro north train. the blackened remains taken to a nearby maintenance yard where investigators spent the day looking for clues. also today for the first time the train engineer steven smalls who was treated for smoke inhalation, told investigators his story. he said he slammed on the brakes as soon as he saw an suv inching on to the tracks, but the train was traveling at 58 miles per hour and there was helgts could do. >> he went in and out of the train dragging people out. the train was engulfed in fire and smoke. he went in there risking his own life until he was overcome by the smoke. >> reporter: the ntsb has also interviewed the driver behind ellen brody when the crossing arm came down on her car. is there a message here to drivers all over the country who come across crossing arms and guards all the time? >> once those arms come down, there's a minimum of 20 seconds before a train is going to enter that intersection. so if you are stuck, the conventional wisdom is abandon

your vehicle. >> reporter: ellen brody was a jewelry designer, married with three daughters. >> the whole community is devastated because she was a wonderful person. >> reporter: we now know the identities of all five men who died on the train. 69-year-old walter liedtke, a curator of european paintings at the metropolitan museum of art. 53-year-old eric vandercar who worked at a financial firm. 42-year-old joseph nadol and -- aditya tomor. and robert dirks a chemical scientist with a wife and two children. his father -- michael. >> all a father could ever want, a father and a mother. and having had him in my life for 36 years it was great absolutely great joy. >> reporter: meanwhile, the ntsb says this investigation could take months. but today they did also tell us that they are looking at the possibility and, in fact they've now determined that not only were the railroad crossing

signals working properly but so was a traffic intersection light nearby. brian. >> what a tragedy. tom costello, valhalla, new york for us tonight. tom, thanks. overseas search and recovery teams remain on the scene of that transasia airways crash in taiwan. 11 people are still missing presumed dead after that twin engine turbo prop fell out of the sky minutes after takeoff in taipei clipping the highway overpass, plunging into the river. the official death toll stands at 32. 15 people survived that wreckage. the fury that isis has now awakened in the jordanian people is now blowing back on the terrorist group many times over. today the jordanian military took to the skies to avenge the pilot that isis burned alive with isis targets today in their sites. our report tonight from our chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell. >> reporter: today jordan struck back, hard. dozens of f-16s hit isis weapons

supply centers in syria. the gun camera video shown on jordan state tv and facebook page with patriotic music. a mission named after the slain pilot muath kasasbeh. slogans on their jets reading, we are beating them. the targets chosen by the u.s. coalition but handed off to jordan's pilots in deference to their tragedy. 21 american aircraft flew escort providing surveillance and refueling. the returning f-16s flew over the pilot's village as king abdullah embraced his father, pledging his son's death would not be in vain. and state tv and social media showed jordan's ground forces training. and the king, a veteran pilot, dressed for action. >> they have a first-rate military. there's no question about it. both ground forces and air power. they've got an excellent intelligence service and lots of friends in the middle east. >> reporter: while in amman, the pilot pilot's brother was cheered by

thousands. this student said it was the way he was killed being burned alive, considered anti-islamic that united the country. to drive that point home prominent cleric jailed for criticizing the war against isis but today condemning them for the pilot's execution. jordan is fighting back but military experts say only america can really defeat isis. and today the white house said it will ask congress for new authority to fight the terror group but not the broad authority for boots on the ground that republicans have been demanding. brian. >> andrea mitchell in washington tonight. thanks. this crisis in ukraine has set off a diplomatic scramble by the u.s. and its allies including a visit to kiev today by secretary of state kerry. with the cease-fire in tatters, eastern ukraine is now a war zone. fighters backed by russia are on the offensive, and the u.s. may now arm ukraine's defenders, raising fears of some sort of cold war-style proxy war in europe.

nbc's bill neely is in kiev. >> reporter: this is a brutal winter war. rebels equipped by russia taking ground and lives. ukraine's army seems powerless to stop them. they've overrun the biggest airports in eastern ukraine, or what's left of it. the fighting has killed hundreds in recent weeks, so many innocent civilians. five people killed here waiting for emergency food. into the storm secretary of state john kerry today embracing ukraine's leaders. but they want weapons, not just warmth from the u.s. because they say they're at war with russia. >> we are not fighting with so-called rebels or guerrillas. we are fighting with the russian regular army. >> reporter: mr. kerry confirmed president obama is considering sending weapons to ukraine. >> we are not interested in a proxy war.

our objective is to change russia's behavior. >> reporter: one year on from a revolution that began in this square and ukraine is shattered. crimea has been absorbed into russia. eastern ukraine is in the grip of a war that's cost 5,000 lives, a war diplomacy is failing to stop. the talking goes on tomorrow as president putin meets european leaders, but the rebels he backs aren't listening. their offensive -- lent relentless. bill neely, nbc news, kiev. pope francis will address congress during his visit to the u.s. in september according to house speaker john boehner. confirmation came just today just as we received further confirmation that this pope communicates like a man of his times. he participated in a google hangout on the web and took questions in a global chat format. he called himself a dinosaur on the computer. says he doesn't know how to download pictures. he does not own an electronic

tablet. about kids, he said what matters is not winning. the important thing is to play and be with friends. and he said there's a treasure chest inside every child. he urged children not to hide the treasure they have but to share it with the wider world. still ahead for us tonight, millions bracing again, if you can believe it. another snow event from the midwest to the east. warnings of potentially catastrophic rain out west. al roker here in the studio with us when whe come back. also, a surprising sign of our times. what a lot of teenagers say they're doing and not doing as they leave the nest for the first time.

a new weather threat on the horizon tonight for the midwest and the northeast where many are still maneuvering around the remnants of the last storms. upwards of 18 more inches on the way for some, while on the west coast this so-called pineapple express is bringing heavy rain that won't quit for days on end. it's enough weather in the news to justify asking al roker to work late and join us in the studio. al, what have you done to us now? >> i'm telling you, brian, i wish i had better news. but they need the rain out west but it's all this coming at once. the hawaiian express, all this moisture starting in hawaii, coming up. heavy rain tonight into the weekend. upwards of a foot. that means we're going to be talking about the possibility of mud slides flooding big problems one slug of moisture after another just continuing to push in. as you look we put in the totals for the next 72 hours

some areas as much as a foot of rain, and that's a big problem. we've also got high pressure dominating. we're looking at bitterly cold air coming into the northeast. tomorrow morning boston 24 degrees below normal at 1 below. 7 in new york city, 9 below in albany. factor in the winds it feels like 4 below tomorrow morning, 14 below in albany 16 below in boston. and here comes with that cold air in place low pressure sliding across from sunday into monday and look at some of these snowfall totals already where they've got 42 inches on the ground in boston they may pick up another foot to a foot and a half. new york city may also, brian, be in that same bull's-eye. >> oh my goodness. al roker here in the studio. we'll keep calm and carry on. we're back in a moment with the beginning of the end tonight for hallowed ground home to so many memorable events.

female announcer: when you see this truck, it means another neighbor is going to sleep better tonight because they went to sleep train's ticket to tempur-pedic event. find the tempur-pedic that's right for you and see why they're the most highly recommended bed in america. plus, get three years interest-free financing. sleep risk-free with sleep train's 100 day money back guarantee. and of course, free same-day delivery. are you next? announcer: but don't wait! sleep train's ticket to tempur-pedic is ending soon! ♪ your ticket to a better night's sleep ♪ all parents of college kids and all college kids who got

through it okay can find something to think about in a new survey on college stress. it finds that first-year college kids' sense of emotional well-being is at the lowest level since ucla researchers started asking about it 30 years ago. a lot of it has to do with how much pressure is being put on high school seniors these days. researchers found are socializing about half as much as students their age in the late '80s, because they're too busy with things like a.p. courses, trying to get into a good college. radioshack has been a part of retail life in america for a long time. think about it. it's where you went for a computer back when people bought those earl candy computers. but no more. they've filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy today. they'll sell upwards of 2,400 stores. the growth in technology and easier ways to buy it ultimately killed the chain with radio in its name. they've been suffering losses for years.

every cathedral of sports has its worshippers and detractors. and in the bay area there are both where candlestick park is concerned. they started tearing the old place down this week. the neighbors there don't want a big implosion for the human it would kick up, so it's being taken apart piece by piece by excavators starting with the seats where a lot of kids saw their first game. the seats that shook in earthquakes, the seats that were filled by giants over the years. when we come back, the sound that's disappearing from homes across our country. ♪ "nbc nightly news" is brought to you by pacific life. for insurance, annuities and mutual funds, choose pacific life. the power to help you succeed.

there was a time in this country when living rooms were filled with piano music. if you were lucky enough to have one or know someone who did, it was the home entertainment center before there was anything that plugged into the wall. but that era has been slowly coming to an end. our story tonight is about one family piano business trying to keep the music alive. we get the story from nbc's harry smith.

>> reporter: if you live anywhere near charleston and you want to buy a piano, fox music store is the place to go. in fact, it's the only place to go. you have eight stores and eight competitors? >> in just charleston. >> reporter: man. and they're all gone. >> every one of them. >> reporter: charles' grandfather otto started this business in the depression. even in those difficult days people still found a way to afford a piano, but times have changed a lot. i downloaded this yesterday. >> for next to nothing. >> reporter: pianos are a big investment and fewer parents are insisting their kids play. plus, it's not exactly easy. lorraine white has been playing and teaching for decades. >> i always tell kids if you want to learn something, you've got to have a passion for it. if you get that passion for it, you're going to stick with it. >> reporter: oscar rivers knows.

sunday mornings at charleston's historic morris brown ame church the music is heavenly, but you've got to work like the devil if you want to be good. >> this piano's very difficult. and for some reason i have cried, i have prayed over this instrument, yeah. i'm telling you. >> it's a great way to interact with customers. >> reporter: back at the store charles' son joseph has been using social media to bring in new customers. >> we've never heard someone say i regret ever taking piano lessons, it was a waste of time. they always say, man, i wish i would have stuck with it. >> reporter: and because local schools have beefed up their commitment to the arts the foxes still see a future in the piano business. can you play a little bit? >> yeah sure. >> reporter: and let's be honest -- ♪ whenever you hear someone play the piano like this, you wish you could play, too. harry smith, nbc news, charleston.

♪ >> nice. that's our broadcast on a thursday night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. we of course hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. . right now at 6:00, it's moving in. a powerful storm moving into the bay area as we speak. thanks for being with us. i'm raj mathai. >> and i'm jessica aguirre. here's a live look at san rafael. the stork is expected to pack a punch. it's already causing flash flood warnings for parts of the north bay tonight. >> a to-do list. clearing the storm drains, cutting down trees and getting those sandbags. it's a must for those in the

flood zones. >> jodi hernandez and jeff ranieri are following the storm. where is it now? >> it's two to three miles off to the north and we're going to gradually watch this slowly push off towards the south as we head through the next 36 hours. we'll zoom in on the radar. most the activity is across eureka, california. it will eventually slide down here to us. we still do think, as we head throughout 8:30 9:30 and 10:30, we see showers develop in the north bay. we're not worried about flooding in marin or sonoma county. for several hours at a time it's the overnight. also into tomorrow the rainfall is going to go over the same spot and that's why we have the flash flood watch that's been issued