they do that? >> the fact that they did it. >> i'm glad they found this. ho on this sunday night, high alert. an islamic militant group threatens attacks on shopping malls, including the busiest mall in america. tonight, what is being done to prevent another deadly assault. image war. the disturbing pictures showing young children being trained by isis, while in london, the families of those three schoolgirls beg them to come home. power struggle in the south after a big ice storm leaves tens of thousands cold and in the dark with more severe weather on the way. and finding relief. the promising new treatment for the millions allergic to peanuts.

good evening you go, to the mall with any freak when? i this country, you are center of a new terror threat tonight. a group known as al-shabaab has posted a threat. it snot clear how much damage it could do here in the united states. we begin our coverage with nbc's kristen welker who is in washington tonight. good evening. >> carl, good evening. in a joint statement released today, the fbi and department of homeland security say there is no known specific or credible plot against the mall of america america or any other shopping center. still, they have alerted authorities across the country about the video released by the terror group, al shabaab. at one of the world's busiest shopping centers, the mall of america in minnesota there is extra security today this after a video surfaced overnight showing al shabaab, a

somali-based terrorist group calling for attacks against western calls, including this one. >> i just think when it's a threat like that, everybody thinks it's scary. >> reporter: they took responsibility for the 2013 terrorist attack against the west gate mall in kenya. a three-day reign of terror. more than 60 people were killed. today, the secretary of homeland security said law enforcement officials are investigating the latest threat and urge vigilance from the public. >> i would say that if anyone is planning to go to the mall of america today, they've got to be particularly careful. i'm not telling people not to go to the mall. there needs to be an awareness. >> reporter: the mall said we'll continue to monitor events with the help of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.

meanwhile, al shabaab also called for attacks of a mall in canada and london's oxford street shopping area. canadian authorities addressed ded the threat today. >> i feel like the mall very safe. i feel this community very safe based on the nature of the threat we received. >> reporter: the group has been recruiting heavily including in minneapolis near the mall of america and the city with a large somali population. >> this is what that group does. and that is why we've been focusing not just on going after the evil of isis overseas but also the homegrown terrorism. >> reporter: a senior administration official says so far, al-shababb has not shown an ability to launch major operations outside east africa. >> what this new video does is it moves al shabaab from being a region al al shabaab from being a regional threat to putting them on a world stage in terms of threatening western countries in the united states. >> reporter: law enforcement experts say al shabaab is hoping

to inspire lone wolf attackers. jeh johnson is batting to keep his agency open if couldn't can't resome its differences. dhs, which oversees much of the nation's security operations will shut down on friday. carl? >> kristen welker in washington, thanks so much. still no word tonight on the three british schoolgirls believed to be on their way to syria. their families made new appeals on camera for them to come back as isis militants released a new video of their own. our chief foreign correspondent richard engel has our report. >> reporter: a new video purports to show army training for the children of syria. isis appears to be recruiting and brainwashing what it calls cub fighters. and today, fears are growing about the fate of three british teenage girls who left their homes tuesday and traveled to turkey intending, it's believed, to sneak into syria. turkish police are trying to find them and their families are begging them to come home before it's too late.

>> we just want them to come home. mommy loves you. you're a baby. i'm holding on to hope that she hasn't gone there. >> reporter: turkey says it can't stop every foreigner who lands at its airports. >> the only way to prevent that entrance to the country is to know their name, to have a list in order to take necessary measures. >> reporter: the girls' names were not on any watchlist and now there are reports that they may already be in syria. turkey itself is no longer willing to trust isis to honor long-standing agreements. overnight, it sent 100 armored vehicles and nearly 600 turkish soldiers into syria to safely evacuate 38 turkish groups who had been guarding a tomb of one of turkey's founding fathers. the soldiers recovered the remains. the turkish operation took everyone by surprise but why act now? well, the u.s. has been talking

about intensifying its war against isis, promising a major offensive against the isis-held city of mosul. turkey could be trying to move its troops out of harm's way before isis has a chance to retaliate against them. richard engel, nbc news, istanbul. and for the first time tonight, we're hearing from the parents of kayla mueller, the young aid worker who was killed earlier this month while being held by isis militants in syria. in an interview with savannah guthrie that will be seen tomorrow morning on "today," her mother was asked about her plans to travel to southern turkey to help syrian refugees, work that would eventually take her across the border to syria where she was captured. >> when you knew she was going toward this place, which was a dangerous place, how did you feel? >> you know, for me, i believe i watched kayla grow, you know, this passion for her just -- i just saw such joy in her in helping. it was something she was called to do.

so a long time ago, i accepted that i can't control my kids. i can't control any of this. i just got to put her in god's hands and let him take care of her. >> and you can watch more of savannah's interview with the mueller family tomorrow morning on "today" and see how they're honoring their daughter's incredible lifetime of service. there was drama on the track at the daytona 500 including a comeback, a suspension, and now, a very famous broken leg. we have it all covered for us tonight from daytona. good evening. >> good evening to you. a lot of drama at this year's daytona 500 today, just about all of it off of the track, from a driver suspension to questions of safety. jeff gordon at pole position leading the field to green at the last 500. it was to be the story of this day until this crash. driver kyle busch's car slamming

into a concrete wall late saturday. as he is rushed into surgery, fellow drivers criticized daytona for not having safer shock absorbant barriers along every wall. late last night, an apology. >> this is not going to happen again. we're going to live up to our responsibility. we're gonna fix this and it starts right now. >> reporter: by morning, a new barrier between the track and the wall. this is where the accident happened. and these are the tire packs that were installed overnight. this is just a temporary fix until those soft walls can be installed. kyle was the second busch out of the race. his brother kurt was pulled from the 500 friday, the first time nascar suspended a driver indefinitely for allegations of domestic violence. busch hasn't been charged with a crime. but in a delaware family court, he was accused of beating his former girlfriend last september. busch denies the allegations and is appealing the judge's protective order. >> stewart in the wall. >> reporter: tony stewart did race, his first 500 since he struck and killed competitor

kevin ward, jr. it happened last august during a dirt track race. but the day belonged to jeff gordon, large crowds lining up at his merchandise trailer. >> i have a man cave at the house full of jeff gordon stuff. >> reporter: the 500 is the first race of his farewell season. a driver known well beyond the world of pit crews and checkered flags. >> i want to enjoy every moment and enjoy every fan and give back to them what they've been giving to me. >> reporter: it wasn't his day on victory lane. >> joey logano wins the daytona 500. >> reporter: that honor went to joey logano, his first daytona 500 win. as for jeff gordon, he was involved in a multicar crash on the last lap. he ended up coming in 33rd. back to you. >> thank you. other parts of the south trying to recover tonight from a crippling blast of winter weather.

it caused all kinds of problems in a region just not used to this kind of thing. nbc's gabe gutierrez is in monterrey, tennessee, tonight. good evening. >> reporter: carl, good evening. this storm was unlike anything this area has seen in recent memory. the weight of the ice snapped trees and brought down power lines. tonight, the national guard is checking on people stuck in their homes without heat. deep in tennessee's cumberland plateau, the ice was heavy and so is the heartache. >> it's been a time. >> reporter: freezing fog obscured the full scope of damage. 21 people died in the state's nearly half from hypothermia. the latest storm knocked out power to tens of thousands and tore apart tree limbs. >> it sounded like gun shots. and it was popping noises and then you hear it just hit the ground. the big woosh. >> reporter: today, crews cleaned up debris in crossville. >> it looked like a bomb has went off in every direction.

>> reporter: they're using a portable generator to keep the city's water plant running. the fierce wind saturday knocked down this electrical pole near the home of shannon harville's sister. >> you have ever seen anything like this? >> no, not around here. it's never been that bad around here as far as i know of. i lived here for a while. >> reporter: elsewhere in the country, more snow. colorado woke up to more than a foot. >> it's really bad. >> sheet of ice right now. >> reporter: in massachusetts, another barn collapse, horses rescued. >> it can be rebuilt. but the animals have to be saved. >> reporter: in new york, a roof fell sparking a gas leak and evacuations. >> doesn't look like there is that much snow on the roof. it can build up quickly. >> reporter: that ice making a mess of air travel. about 1,000 flights canceled today and already more than 1,000 tomorrow. tonight, tennessee continues under a heightened state of emergency. ice and snow destroying this marina and leaving ronny riddle and his family without power or heat.

>> it's been just like a tornado hit this town with all the ice and the wind. the ice stuck to the trees. just piling up like crazy. >> reporter: it will likely be days before power can be restored here. once again mshgs schools in tennessee will be closed tomorrow. >> incredible pictures. thanks. a lot of weather on the day. mike seidel is in irving, texas this weather is going to end eeventually, right? >> reporter: hope so not soon enough especially east of the rockies. we've got more problems here in dallas tonight. we're down to 33. in a matter of hours, the elevated highways behind me will ice up and become next to impossible to drive as that ice extends all the way to the deep south. but first, back to colorado with snow continuing to fall and add up. already in some of the

foothills, they've had a foot and a half of snow. here in dallas, all the way to little rock, the rain will go to freezing rain shortly. then the sleet and then on monday, a huge swath of frozen precipitation, sleet and freezing rain from midland, texas, to shreveport, louisiana. by monday evening, freezing rain is forecast as far south as parts of mississippi and alabama. a skier's delight in colorado, ski resorts picking up a foot of powder. an inch or two of sleet. fortunately the storm will have no impact back east. just another shot of dangerous cold. chicago shivers at 12 degrees monday and look at that, highs just two degrees. more than 30 below average. and more this tuesday, some spots could break back to back record lows. here in dallas, the city that averages 1.2 inches of snow a season, carl, i have a good feeling that not much is going to move tomorrow morning. and on another note, boston now officially at 99.9 inches of snow. they're less than ten inches from setting their snowiest season on record but no snow forecast for the next several days in boston. carl?

>> unfortunately, they're getting used to it. mike, thanks. when "nightly news" continues on this sunday peanut allergies and the new treatment that may help those who suffer from them. later, tonight's face-off in hollywood as the americans compete for oscar gold against a british invasion.

we're back for what could be an encouraging development for all those families, millions of them, who have peanut allergies. a new skin patch is showing encouraging results. the lot of parents know how serious peanut allergies can be. what should we know? >> three out of every 500 people have a peanut allergy. this is a peanut patch clinical trial. it is a mouthful. but what it really comes down to is taking a skin patch impregnated with peanut protein and having people wear it for a year. they took 221 people and spread them into two groups. one group got a high dose of the protein, one group a low dose. and the results? well, they found that after one year people who were exposed to the higher dose patch were able

to tolerate peanuts in their diet, up to four peanuts. that doesn't sound like a lot, but because peanuts can be found everywhere, it's a real idea that you can trick the immune system and it seemed to work better for kids under the age of 12. so if we can turn down the immune system by exposing it to this protein, there may be a window here. >> interesting. how quickly do you think it can get to market? >> well, it certainly isn't fda approved yet. they're going to tinker with the dosage and how the drug delivery system works. but no doubt, the need is there. if we can get away from treatment with things like antihistamines and epi pens, talk about prevention, that will be a huge step forward. >> a lot of relief for a lot of families. dr. nancy snyderman, thank you so much. when we come back, al roker giving us a preview to have night's oscars.

take a look at this video showing a successful effort to

free a 45-ton humpback whale from heavy fishing line that became wrapped around its body. it happened off the big island of hawaii. rescuers on a small boat were able to make several cuts to the line. the entangled whale was first noticed nine days ago. a sad note from the world of jazz. trumpeter clark terry has died. ♪ in a career that spanned almost eight decades, terry made it big in the 1940s and '50s playing with duke ellington and others. he became one of the first black musicians to hold a staff job at a network here at nbc. he also became known for mentoring younger musicians and commitment to jazz education. clark terry was 94 years old. it's a big night in hollywood, the 87th academy awards. as usual, there is some controversy. al roker is keeping an eye on it from his place on the red carpet. al, good evening. >> hey, good evening, carl. well, i got to tell you, the big story right now is the weather. this is tented, but it's raining right now. and, of course, they want to

make sure the stars look their best. but luckily, we got a tent, 58 degrees, showers. right now, everybody is dry. we have miss cotillard there. she is nominated for an award. we're live on nbc "nightly news." are you excited about tonight? >> i'm super excited. we hope you have a great evening. >> i will, for sure. >> best of luck. >> thank you so much. >> of course, the controversy is that there is very little diversity, carl, among nominees. of the 20 acting awards, there is not one person of color in there. a lot of folks are upset about that. in fact, there are protests going on outside the academy awards now. they're trying to pressure the academy to get more diversity in there because they feel like in this day and age, 2015, even though "selma" is represented as best picture, none of the actors or the director were nominated. so again, there is controversy on a night of celebration and stardom.

and, of course, we'll have all the details for you tomorrow morning on "today" with the "today" after oscar party. carl, back to you. >> not much sleep for mr. roker tonight. al, thanks a lot. he'll have more tomorrow morning on "today." and up next, the british are coming to hollywood to steal americans' oscars.

finally tonight, this is a big year for the british when it comes to the oscars. 40 nominations have gone to movies and talents from the uk. so we asked two of our correspondents in london and hollywood, katy tur and joe friar, to give us their takes on oscar night. get your popcorn because it is showdown time. >> reporter: they say hollywood is a tough town and tonight fighting for oscar gold, the brits have dared to enter the ring. in their corner, my colleague, katie tur, is in london who is not even british.

>> not british but an anglophile nonetheless. you better watch your back because the brits are coming. benedict, eddie redmayne, two brilliant brits playing two brilliant men at the cinema. >> reporter: spoiler alert, we call them theaters here. you can't beat bradley cooper and michael keaton. i mean one guy was bird man and batman, the other a navy s.e.a.l. >> reporter: not so fast. you have met pike, face it, fryer, you do not want to mess with pike. >> who are you? >> reporter: let me just say "birdman" has nine nominations, same for "the grand budapest hotel." >> starring a brit! >> not now. >> yeah, and like 100 americans including the king himself, bill murray. >> tell no one. >> you may have the numbers, but the brits aren't far behind. "the imitation game" has eight, "the theory of everything," five. beside if, you give a speech about kings, let's go back a little.

colin firth, owned king george. >> speaking of british leaders, we stand on principle. i wonder who won the oscar for playing margaret thatcher, oh, yeah, meryl streep, now nominated 19 times. >> daniel day-lewis. the only man to have won best actor three times. >> dimension meryl streep? >> speaking of, meryl streep did present an oscar to daniel day-lewis. >> always indescribable to see two greats sharing tv time. >> quit hogging the mike, fryer. >> joe fryer. >> katie tur be nbc news, hollywood. >> london. >> no, hollywood. >> that is nbc "nightly news" for this sunday. lester holt will be here tomorrow. for all of us here at nbc news, good night.

he was like too strong so he gets it. >> right now at 6:00, a thief find an easy target. girl scouts selling cookies in the east bay but that little girl fought back. when it's all said and done please bring the thief to justice. we'll show you. good evening p. >> give that little girl a new girl scout badge. only on nbc. this 10-year-old trying to raise money for her girl scout troops. that's when a thief robs the cookie jar, the cookie jar cash that