get your shrimp on today, only at red lobster. tonight, the major winter storm turning deadly and pushing east, causing chaos on the roads and at the airports. the nation's capitol s shutdown as the massive storm spreads

snow from the midwest to the mid-atlantic. the extreme weather blamed for at least four deaths. dangerous driving, hundreds of crashes, vehicles sliding on the road with nearly 2000 flights canceled, ground stop at chicago o'hare. our team across the storm zone and al roker tracking it all. and as snow slammed washington, congress convening to certify donald trump's election victory on the fourth anniversary of the january 6th attack. and vice president harris, what she told us before overseeing the certification after her loss. also tonight, president biden in new orleans meeting with victims families after the deadly terror attack. our new reporting. concerns about the city's barriers weeks before the super bowl, as fbi releases video shot by the attacker. the first human death from bird flu in the u.s., what we know. canada's embattled prime minister justin trudeau announcing he is stepping down amid plunging polls and donald

trump's tariff threats. and the wicked tale of dorothy's stolen slippers, revered after more than a decade. >> [ music ] this is nbc nightly news with lester holt. good evening and welcome. what for many was a back to the grind monday after a long holiday break turned into a travel nightmare due to a powerful and deadly winter storm that sliced its way across the country, from the plains and midwest all the way to washington, d.c., where that city virtually shut down under its largest slope snowstorm in four years. cities including kansas city with 11 inches, and cincinnati yesterday saw the biggest snowfalls in decades. in addition to slick and snow- covered roads triggering hundreds of crashes, power outages are still affecting hundreds of thousands of residential and business customers.

tonight, the worst of the storm has passed, but airlines are still trying to unsnarl flight schedules after storm -related delays and cancellations brought postholiday air travel to a crawl. sam brock starts us off from a snowy nation's capitol. sam, what is it like there tonight? >> reporter: yeah, lester, good evening. amazingly, still snowing. more than 80% of the departing flights today from dca canceled. the airport says the runways some schools not reopening . until thursday as this storm continueues to slodown many aspects of everyday life. tonight, a bout of arctic blast blanketing d.c. with more than a half a foot of snow fall, leading to serious safety hazards on the roads, like this crash today on the beltway, involving four vehicles, including a dump truck, a reminder of the rarity and danger of the system. >> we haven't had snow like this really in memory. i mean, this is the most at one time that i have ever seen since living here. >> reporter: even as the snow

also freezes activity into the city. >> no people, no trucks, no cars, and a lot of empty space. >> kind of weird. >> reporter: the sprawling storm disrupting travel, around 2000 flights have been canceled and more than 6000 delayed nationwide. this morning in chicago, a ground stop at o'hare airport, and kansas city international clocking 11 inches of snow just on sunday, it's fourth largest snowfall since 1888. at reagan national, passengers hoping to get where they are going soon. >> i heard about this storm, but i didn't think there would be an effect. >> reporter: the dangerous conditions across the country's midsection causing at least four weather-related deaths. kentucky's governor urging residents to take caution. >> the most important thing people can do today is to stay home and stay safe. the heavy snow burying cards. maggie vespa is in kansas city, missouri. >> repter: the roads here are an absolute mess, these cars clearly haven't moved since

snow started falling, and officials here in kansas city say cleanup could take days. >> reporter: the severe weather also causing 300,000 customers from virginia to illinois to lose power. the snow shutting schools down across the country. in washington, d.c., parents juggling work and childcare. do you think you could keep this up with your kids? >> oh gosh, i mean, i am emotionally prepared to have it go through wednesday. >> reporter: in a city normally defined by movement and chaos, mother nature hitting pause on almost everything. >> and sam, some of the dangers we have been seeing aren't over yet. >> reporter: well, lester, bitterly cold air is going to grip the eastern half of the country, temperatures plunging 10 to 25 degrees below normal. that deep-freeze expected to last for days. >> sam, thanks, let's talk about the deep-freeze, al roker is here, what are you looking at? >> you can see the remnants of that snow still coming across washington, d.c., that is just about done. as sam mentioned, 10 to 25

degrees below average temperatures tomorrow right into the weekend. wind chills into the low 20s in the midsection of the country. and then we have got a second storm coming that is going to move out of the gulf out the atlantic. righght now, what we are lookin at from thursday to saturday, a widespread area from the mid- atlantic down to the south with heavier snow, ice in the mid- mississippi river valley, strong storms down through the gulf. the models are not quite sure right now, but we could be looking at a major snow impact event going into the weekend. >> al, thanks very much. at the u.s. capitol, it was a far different scene from january 6th four years ago. the snow as you just saw, but also, congress quickly certified president-elect trumps electoral college victory without the violence of four years ago. here is garrett hick. >> reporter: tonight and a joint session lasting just 40 minutes, congress counting state electoral votes. >> donald j. trump in the state of florida received 30 votes

for president. >> reporter: certifying the sweeping victory of president- elect donald trump, who takes office as the 47th commander in chief. as president of the senate, vice president kamala harris overseeing the certification of her own defeat. >> donald j. trump of the state of florida has received 312 votes. >> [ cheers and applause ] >> the kamala harris of the state of california has received 226 votes. >> [ cheers and applause ] >> vice president-elect jd vance sitting in the front row. we spoke to harris on the way into the ceremony. >> what should people take away from today? >> [ inaudible ] >> reporter: the only disruption, a snowstorm blanketing the capitol, a stark departure from the violence four years ago when a mob of trump supporters attacked the capitol, delaying the count for hours. a deadly riot where many were also injured, including capitol

police sergeant. >> many of my colleagues were injured. to the point of even losing eyes. and these are the type of people that donald trump and his allies are trying to pardon. >> reporter: candidate trump downplayed the violence and his role. >> that was a day of love. >> reporter: and repeatedly suggested he might pardon some or all of the more than 1200 people who pleaded guilty to or were convicted of crimes involving january 6th. >> no, those people have suffered long and hard, and there may be some exceptions soon after. >> reporter: president biden who campaigned on a claim trump was a threat to democracy was asked last night if he still holds that view. >> i think what he did was a genuine threat to democracy. i am hopeful that we are beyond that. >> garrett, there is also a headline today involving former trump attorney rudy giuliani. >> that's right, lester, a new york judge holding giuliani in contempt of court for failing to turn over information to the two georgia election workers

who won $148 million defamation case against him. the judge saying he would decide on appropriate sanctions for giuliani at a later date. >> garrett, thank you. president biden and first lady jill biden are in new orleans tonight, five days after the truck attack that killed 14 people, and there are still more questions about safety in the french quarter. jesse kirsch now with late details. >> reporter: tonight, president biden and the first lady in new orleans, visiting the growing memorial on bourbon street as his administration promises more federal resources to protect the city. the white house sang next month mardi gras celebrations will now have support comparable to the super bowl. the announcement comes as nbc news has learned from the company that makes the new bollard barriers to being installed on bourbon street ahead of the super bowl that they are only guaranteed to stop cars going a maximum of 10 miles per hour. some experts say that is not

nearly enough. >> they hit the gas instead of the brake and they roll into the bollard, that's what that is designed for. it is not designed to stop a ramming attack like we saw on new year's eve. >> new orleans is mayor now says she wants a tactical expert to review the city's safety plans. >> the city of new orleans will always remain focused on improving public safety measures. no doubt about that. >> reporter: meanwhile, federal investigators revealing the suspecect visitenew orleans at least twice in the months before his deadly rampage. the fbi releasing this blurred video from october in which they say jabbar recorded with smart glasses while riding a bike through the french quarter. also seen looking at himself in the mirror to test the glasses. authorities say he was also wearing them during the attack. investigators also releasing this new video of his movements. at 1:53 a.m., he has an explosive device. 55 minutes later, they say he rammed a truck down bourbon

street. the explosives never detonated. still, 14 people were killed. tonight at the city's iconic cathedral, their families, the community, and the president gathering to honor the lives lost. >> and jesse, another test for new orleans, the beginning of carnival season. >> that's right, lester, two parades are planned for tonight around the french quarter, helping kickoff carnival, which is the season leading up to mardi gras. all of this as louisiana's attorney general now says she has ordered a review of security plans from new year's eve in orleans. lester? >> jesse kirsch, thank you. we are going to turn now to growing concerns over the bird flu. one state are reporting the first death in the u.s. related to the virus. what are health officials saying? >> we know this individual was in louisiana. the person was 65 years old with pre-existing conditions. this was the first severe human

case of h5n1 in the u.s. there have been at least 66 cases in this country since last year, most of them involved farmworkers who got the virus from sick poultry or dairy cows and had mild symptoms. this is believed to be the first case transmitted from what state health officials call a combination of backyard flock and wild birds. the good news here, the cdc says the risk to the general population remains low and so far, there is no sign of human to human transmission. >> okay, thanks for the update. canada's longtime prime minister justin trudeau announced today he is stepping down as he faced growing turmoil at home and a difficult relationship with president- elect donald trump. here is andrea mitchell. >> reporter: tonight, deeply unpopular at home because of soaring prices and ridiculed by president-elect trump, canada's prime minister justin trudeau bowing out. >> i intend to resign as party leader, as prime minister. after the party selects its

next leader through a robust nationwide, competitive process. >> reporter: the son of a popular prime minister, trudeau's movie star looks and family made him an international star, but in recent years, he was criticized for inflation and immigration. three weeks ago, his closest adviser, the deputy prime minister, resigned. >> it has become clear to me that if i am having to fight internal battles, i cannot be the best option in that election. >> reporter: a final blow, tension with president-elect trump, who threatened canada with 25% tariffs, despite trudeau rushing to mar-a-lago to appease him trump blamed canada for fentanyl and undocumented immigrants crossing the border. and canada's trade advantage with the u.s., mocking him on truth social as a governor. posting today, many people in canada loved being the 51st state. what is the impact of having a leadership crisis in canada? >> i actually think it probably smooths the relationship.

clearly, donald trump and justin trudeau were not on the same page. >> trudeau will still be prime minister for a few months of trump's presidency while canada decides how to replace him. >> thank you. in 60 seconds, a new study raising more questions about the effect of fluoride on kids' iqs. while many dentists disagree with the findings, when we come back. reactions can occur. get help right away for face, mouth, tongue or throat swelling, wheezing or trouble breathing. tell your doctor of nenew or worsening eye problems, like eye pain, vision changes, or blurred vision, joint aches and pain, or a parasitic infection. don't change or stop asthma or other medicines without talking to your doctor. ask your child's doctor about dupixent. alright, we got your home and auto bundled without talking to your doctor. and you saved hundreds. oh, that's nice, with the economy and all. what's the economy? [chuckling] where do we start?

what isn't the economy? yes. [ laughter ] uh, it's -- it's so many thing. right. look, all you really need to know is that progressive can save you money without sacrificing quality coverage. you follow? i'll just look it up. hmm. that went well. back now with new scrutiny on the safety of the water millions of americans drink. a new analysis finding a potential link between added fluoride and lower iqs in children. stephanie goss now with the study and the controversy. >> reporter: tonight, growing questions about whether fluoride in drinking water is doing more harm than good. a report published today concludes there is a statistically significant association between higher fluoride exposure and lower iq scores in children. by the national institutes of

health, analyzed existing research conducted outside the united states. the lead author telling nbc news, there is concern that pregnant women and children are getting fluoride from many sources, including drinking water, and that their total fluoride exposure is too high. the research is being criticized by many in the public health community. 52 of the 74 studies it looked at are rated low-quality, according to the authors themselves. the conclusions, based on fluoride levels, more than doubled what is recommended for drinking water in the u.s. >> the ongoing benefits of community water fluoridation at this time strongly outweigh the fluoride analyses that are presented in this paper that is just been published. >> superior fluoride toothpaste. >> reporter: fluoride has been added to u.s. drinking water since the '40s. more than 70% of americans get in their taps. the cdc, american dental association, and american

academy of pediatrics support fluoridated water, stating it reduces tooth decay by 25% >> cavities can obviously cause pain and suffering, people can get very bad infections. also, many people miss time from school, from work. >> the issue is getting growing attention because of new research and recent public comments by rfk jr., donald trump's choice to lead hhs, who wrote on social media, "the trump white house will advise all u.s. water systems to remove fluoride from public water." in an editorial, dr. bruce says today's study shows it is time to reassess fluoride in drinking water. >> the conclusions are sufficient to raise serious questions about fluoride's toxicity to the developing brain. that means we need to pause, we need to give ourselves a chance to look at this evidence fresh. >> stephanie, these studies are all done outside the u.s., is there anything being studied

currently in the u.s.? >> yeah, grades, researchers at unc chapel hill are starting babies, some who are drinking fluoridated water, some were not, they're going to track their development for four years. >> thank you for that. the students arrested. coming up, arrested for using a dating app, allegedly to lure men, and then beating them. as a part of an alarming trend? next. i started taking prevagen and i want people to know that prevagen has worked for me. give it a try. i want it to help you just like it has helped me. i've been taking prevagen for eight years now and it is still helping me tremendously. prevagen. at stores everywhere without a prescription. [ serene music playing ] and it is still helping me tremendously. welcome to the wayborhood. the wayfair vibe at our place is western. my thing, darling? shine. gardening. some of us go for the dramatic.

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enticing a man to campus and attacking him, then falsely telling police he is a sexual predator. here is liz. >> reporter: in worcester, massachusetts, authorities arrested six college students who they say lured a man to campus using a dating app where he was then chased down, assaulted, and accused of being a sexual offender. the ploy inspired by a social media fad that they say may be based on the former nbc tv series, to catch a predator. >> you see it on social media all the time, but you never expect it to happen right next to you, right at your own school. >> reporter: it happened at assumption university, where a man was invited to campus by an 18-year-old student who used her real profile on the dating app tinder. the 22-year-old man says he and his alleged date were watching a baseball game in the student lounge when the mob appeared and began calling him a pedophile and accusing him of liking sex with 17-year-old

girls. the group chased him to his car where they punched him in the head and slammed his car door on him. he got away. surveillance video shows a group of students, many of whom were sharing the video on their phones, laughing, and high- fiving each other. the university calling the behavior abhorrent and they have launched an immediate and thorough investigation, but the incident not isolated. 11 teenagers have also now been charged after two men were allegedly lured and beaten after meeting up with a person using a dating app. some of the teenagers got the idea through a viral social media trend they saw online. and now, at assumption university, charges against the students range from kidnapping to intimidation and assault and battery with a deadly weapon. they are set to be arraigned later this month. >> liz, thank you. we will take a break. then up next, the end of the road in the case of the missing ruby slippers from the wizard of oz. >> [ music ]

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> 20 years after they were stolen, it seems the case of dorothy's missing ruby slippers is finally closed. emilie ikeda with the good news tonight. >> follow the yellow brick road. >> reporter: while the wizard of oz continues to captivate america, the real world drama around the films famed ruby slippers is entering a final chapter.

the man accused of long hiding a stolen pair of judy garland's shoes appearing in court virtually today with plans to plead guilty, his attorney told the ap. the indictment saying jerry saliterman received, concealed, and disposed of an object of cultural heritage from 2005 until 2018, when authorities finally recovered the prized piece of hollywood memorabilia and a sting operation point >> they are more than just a pair of shoes, they're an enduring symbol of the power of belief. >> reporter: another man already pleaded guilty to the initial step of breaking in and snagging the shoes that were on loan to the judy garland museum in grand rapids, minnesota. >> this is the door that was breached. >> reporter: we met john there last year as the museum was raising money to try to win the slippers in an upcoming auction, but in december, the shoes shocked the world. >> $7 million. >> far exceeding their original value, thanks to an anonymous buyer. >> $28 million for the most

iconic piece of memorabilia. >> reporter: as their long journey to a new home comes to an end. >> there is no place like home. >> reporter: emilie ikeda, nbc news . >> that is nightly news. and we leave you on this snowy monday here in the east with the pandas of the national zoo enjoying the winter weather. thank you for watching, i am lester holt. please take care of yourself and each other. good night. >> [ music ]

received 312 votes. kamala harris. the election is certified president elect. trump's victory is