♪♪ tonight the potential set back in the announced ceasefire deal if gaza as new strikes

there leave dozens dead. israel launchin new attacks on gaza and tee laying a key cabinet vote to ratify the ceasefire, accusing hamas of provoking a last-minute crisis. the militant group take it is still committed to the deal. and to release dozens of hostages, including americans. our richard engel is in jerusalem. the new concerns in california's fire zone. mud and debris slides. one home that survived the flames split in half. and the new lawsuits. who is accountable for these deadly blazes. the brutal cold blast we are tracking set to impact more than 300 million americans. major news on tiktok da before the u.s. is set to ban the chinese-owned app. the sudden pause by the biden administration. what it means for users. just in, elon musk's spacex losing its multibillion-dollar starship after its unmanned launch.

the new round of confirmation hearings for president-elect trump's cabinet picks. the warning from his choice for treasury secretary. he is the visionary director behind "twin peaks" and "blue velvet." remembering the legendary david lynch. and the tributes pouring in for the beloved hall of fame baseball announcer and actor bob uecker. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. good evening and welcome. it looks like it will be a while before the world can let out its breath as the first delicate steps in the path to a ceasefire and hostage release in gaza have already hit rocky ground. today less than 24 hours after an israel/hamas truce was struck,ers israel's cabinet delayed a critical vote on the pact, accusing hamas of creating a crisis. for the part, israel launching a new round of deadly strikes targeting hamas in gaza. hamas says it's committed to the ceasefire and

releasing # 3 hostages in the deal's first phase, including two americans. during a six-week truce beginning sunday, israel has its troops from gaza and release a number of palestinian prisoners held in its jails. tonight despite the renewed attacks, the u.s. expressing confidence that the agreement will hold while hostage families worry the lengthy timeline of bringing their loved ones home. richard engel reports tonight from israel. >> reporter: this boy tries to dig himself out after israel began bombing gaza again. he was rescued alive, amid fears a ceasefire and hostage deal with hamas could collapse before it even begins. the director of gaza's field hospitals told nbc news more than 100 palestinians, including women and children, have been killed since the agreement was announced last night. the israeli military says it's striking hamas members and weapons facilities.

israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu today postponed a government meeting, expected to ratify the ceasefire, blaming hamas for adding new conditions. hamas denies it. the delays and continuing airstrikes are terrifying, both gazans and the families of israeli hostages. >> it's a nightmare sometimes. >> reporter: in tel aviv tonight i spoke with eli david. his 24-year-old brother is not expected to be released in the first phase of the deal, which lasts six weeks. eli says the deal is too complex and could fall apart. >> i think it is a very bad deal, but we cannot go against it because it saves lives. innocent people. they have been held underground, inside terror tunnels, maybe tortured, and they will be coming back to the families. >> reporter: you know your brother isn't supposed to be a part of this first group? >> no. >> reporter: so, hopefully, when we see those initial hostages

coming out, how are you expecting to feel? happy, sad, jealous, all of these things? >> i will be happy for sure, but also for sure i will be jealous, and i will be more and more afraid because if it will continue, i mean, 42 days are many days that hostages can be executed, for example. >> reporter: in gaza, a woman responsible for 24 displaced children, worries the war will never end. you see the conditions are horrible, they said ceasefire. it's nonsense. all night they were bombing re, she says. the agreement would allow in te pritly needed humanitarian aid. living in a tent with little access to food, water and medicine, she says she can't survive like this for

much longer. >> richard, where do things stand tonight given the circumstances? >> reporter: well, it is still a go. israeli officials tell us that the israeli cabinet is expected to meet tomorrow t that they will likely ratify this deal to begin on sunday, which is when we could see the first hostages coming out of the gaza. >> richard engel in jerusalem tonight. thank you. in california there is a new concern in areas wiped out by the deadly wildfires. the threat of mudslides when rains finally come. as tens of thousands still have not been allowed to return to their homes. morgan chesky now with the latest. >> reporter: tonight a new danger emerging across a fire-stricken city. this palisades home split in half after officials say a water leak caused a scorched hillside to give way. no one was hurt, but there is still smoldering scene piling on anxiety

ahead of any future rain. if you were in a fire evacuation zone is there a likely chance you will be evacuated come rainy season for mudslides? >> there is a likely chance. we will have to tell homeowners to be alert. >> reporter: teams facing 36 square miles of inspections before more than 80,000 evacuated residents can safely return to their neighborhoods. >> they are shutting off the natural gas. they are cutting the electrical lines so ere is nothing that you can touch and get electrocuted if it was re-energized by accident. >> reporter: los angeles water and power crews testing hydrants to find the source of that on going water leak. the department now the target of of a civil lawsuit over a reservoir that was offline for maintenance. some palisades fire victims alleging a 117 million gallon water storage complex was empty leaving fire crews little to no water to fight the palisades fire. dan grigsby lost his home of 37 years.

what do you hope to accomplish with this lawsuit? >> accountability, i would say, and make sure it absolutely never happens again. >> reporter: l.a.'s water system already under investigation after crews reported shortages on the palisades and eaton fires. out of every fire hydrant you have seen, what have you found? >> most are down or low pressure. >> reporter: if you had a hydrant for this building? >> we might have been able to save the back half. >> reporter: last year, martin adams retired from leading los angeles water and power. the homeowners who saw that water go dry in a time of need? >> the one thing that is important to understand upfront, there is no water system in the world that could provide the kind of water demand required in this fire. >> reporter: and tonight officials say there are now more than 5,000 firefighters that have converged to join this firefight. their key mission, putting out the hot spots and driving up those containment numbers. lester. >> morgan, thank you. heads up about a

deep freeze. much of the country about to look like this as temperatures plunge going into the weekend. they will feel it first from the northern rockies to the southern plains. then across the nation on sunday. more than 300 million americans will experience below average temperatures by monday. turning to the breaking news out of texas. elon musk's spacex losing contact with its massive multibillion-dollar starship on its unmanned seventh test launch. tom costello joins us now with more. tom, what have you learned? >> it happened at 5:30 p.m., lester. starship was off the pad quickly. it looked great and a few minutes after lift-off in fact the booster rocket came back down to the pad just as spacex planned and demonstrated they can do. that incredible move. however, the same time starship, the spaceship, apparently disappeared. but spacex says that they lost telemetry. we have video from the turks and caicos

islands of what may be starship breaking up over the islands. so now spacex says that they will try to understand the root cause of what happened as it apparently disassembled, in the words of spacex, broke apart over the islands. they want to use this rocket some day to go it the moon and maybe mars. tonight a stunning about face over tiktok. for months there was rare agreement in washington that it should be banned if it's chinese owner didn't sell it. now the white house and others who opposed it are trying to keep it alive. here's savannah sellers. >> reporter: a major reversal concerning one of america's most popular apps. the white house saying they will not implement the ban on tiktok set to if into effect this sunday according to two administration officials. >> i feel like this is happening because of us. >> the fight isn't over. it's just going to be extended. >> reporter: the battle over the future of the app has gone to the to supreme court. now the administration says it won't enforce massive fines on the

companies who provide users access to tiktok. it's a stark shift from when the law was passed with massive bipartisan support. the president signing it into law. >> feels like we are losing, like, a community. >> reporter: now sources say democratic lawmakers called the white house asking for intervention and president-elect trump, who once to opposed the app, signaled he will intervene. national security officials still warn that tiktok's chinese parent company bytedance could steal american user data or manipulate data which tiktok denies. christopher wray had had this warning last year. >> who is tiktok? and ultimately it boils down to the hand which is a matter of chinese law of the chinese government and the chinese communist party. >> reporter: days before mr. trump's inauguration. according to three sources, tiktok's ceo is expected to attend along with the world's three richest men,

elon musk, jeff bezos and mark zuckerburg. just last night president biden took aim at big tech and what he called the dangerous concentration of power among a select few. >> i'm concerned about the potential rise of a tech industrial complex. the truth is smothered by lies for power and profit. >> and back to tiktok. we are waiting to hear from the supreme court whether it upholds the law in the first place? >> that's right. in fact, the supreme court just announced they will have a ruling tomorrow. that last-minute notice suggests there is a good chance we get that tiktok ruling since that sunday deadline is quickly approaching. >> thank you. also tonight, more high stakes confirmation hearings for president-elect trump's cabinet. garrett haake joins us. it is for treasury secretary, he was pressed about trump's economic plans? >> yes, scott bessent, a billionaire hedge fund manager, defended

the president-elect's views on tariffs and focused on extending the 2017 trump tax cuts that are set to expire the end much this year saying if they are not renewed it will cause a economic calamity and tax increase on the middle class. he said he doesn't support raising the moral outrage. he is expected to be confirmed with bipartisan support. in fact, republicans are increasingly optimistic they will get all of the president-elect's nominees so far confirmed. the first votes likely to come on inauguration day itself. lester. >> garrett haake, thank you. in 60 seconds, can an insurance plan meant to be a last resort option for people in california handle the burden of thousands of wildfire claims? our investigation is next. buckle up! whoa! there's toothpaste white, and there's crest 3dwhitestrips white. whitens like a 400 dollar professional treatment. pilot: prepare for non-stop smiles. crest. and my progressive rep was super helpful. tom hayes is passive progressive. the way kevin says he always has to help you. tom doesn't have progressive,

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>> reporter: these were the harrowing moments they saw their altadena home of 30 years go up in flames. >> feels like a bomb just came in and exploded on our town. >> reporter: across town in the pacific palisades another family stunned by the devastation of their community, too. >> i froze, literally. >> reporter: when you saw your home? >> sorry. and then the next house and the next house and the next house. >> reporter: two different neighborhoods, two different life stories but similar if one way. both families are on california's fair plan, the state created insurer of last resort that has doubled the number of residential policies in the past four years as private insurers raised homeowners' rates or dropped them. the edwards family says they were dropped by theheir insur last year and struggled to find a replacement. >> and they said, no,

sorry, we can't cover you. you are too close to the fire zone. >> reporter: estimates for the los angeles fire show insured losses are already about $25 billion for just the fair plan, it'sas much as 8 billion. the challenge the plan only has $377 million available to pay claims, and about $5.75 billion in reinsurance to help cover the plan's losses. it's a scenario the fair plan's own president warned about last year. >> we are one event away from a large assessment. there is no other way to say it, because we don't have the money on hand, and we have a lot of exposure out there. >> reporter: in september insurance commissioner lara issued this bulletin outlining an agreement for what might happen should the fair plan run out of money. the insurance companies can request permission to have fair plan policy holders share the costs, meaning their rates could soar. >> he is not doing his job. he is not protecting

consumers. >> reporter: democratic congressman and former california insurance commissioner john garamendi critical of the deal lara made. the reality is the commissioner has not been transparent and he is not forced the insurance companies to explain and to justify what they are doing. >> reporter: we talked to commissioner lara two days after the fire started. can the insurer of last resort sustain this? >> so, currently we don't know how many policies are in the insurer of last resort that we call the fair plan. we will get a better picture once the fire is contained. >> reporter: the fair plan also saying it's too early to determine if an assessment will be sought and the commissioner adding, he issued clear rules to safeguard financial stability and policy holders only have to cover additional costs as a last resort. for families like these, it's the last thing they thought they'd have to deal with. what's next? >> i don't know what's gonna happen. i don't know.

i'm sorry. >> reporter: it's okay. i'm so sorry. >> but i'm very hopeful we'll rebuild. i am so hopeful that we're going to get through this with god's help. we will get through this. >> reporter: liz kreutz, nbc news los angeles. we will take a break hear. coming up, from "twin peaks" to "mulholland drive," we'll remember the dark genius of david lynch next. mom's oss might keep us stuck on the couch. no way. ♪♪ if you have postmenopausal osteoporosis, and are at high risk for fracture, you can do more than just slow bone loss. you can build new bone in 12 months with evenity®. evenity® is proven to significantly reduce spine fracture risk. she said the evenity® she's taking builds new bone. builds new bone! evenity® can increase risk of heart attack, stroke, or death from a heart problem. tell your doctor if you have had a heart attack or stroke. do not take evenity® if you have low blood calcium

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the baseball world has lost one of its funniest voices. >> his first offering. just a bit outside. >> hall of famer bob uecker, the man known as mr. baseball, and the long time announcer for the milwaukee brewers has died. uecker played six seasons in the majors, mostly as a backup catcher. went on to a successful career as a broadcaster. and a comedic actor with roles in 1989's "major league" and the sitcom "mr. belvedere." he was 90. also tonight, we are remembering a cinematic legend, david lynch, one of the greatest visionary directors has died. stephanie gosk now on lynch's genius and his enormous influence. ♪♪ ♪♪ >> reporter: when david lynch's "twin peaks" hit network tv in 1990 it took a while for people to realize what they are

watching. >> this is, excuse me, a damn fine cup of coffee. >> reporter: a complete shattering of television norms. a dark twisted episodic that would be far more at home on hbo or netflix decades later. >> wait, pay dirt. >> reporter: that is how david lynch's career unfolded, making innovative films that reshaped hollywood. while challenging audiences to pay attention. today his family announced the 78-year-old has died. a long time smoker, he revealed over the summer he was struggling with emphysema. throughout his career his work received critical acclaim. except the 1984 version of "dune." expensive bomb. there were plenty of oscar nominations. the elephant man, blue velvet, and "mulholland drive" even with its withering critique of

hollywood just never a statue, until 2019 when he was given an honorary award. >> have a great night. you have a very interesting face. good night. >> reporter: outside of hollywood, lynch turned a meditation practice into a foundation, helping people from veterans to victims of violence. today his family said there is a big hole in the world, adding, but as he would say, keep your eye on the doughnut, not on the hole. stephanie gosk, nbc news. and up next here tonight, we will meet the teacher who invented a little engine that could have a huge impact. i needed more from my antidepressant. vraylar helped give it a lift. adding vraylar to an antidepressant is clinically proven to help relieve overall depression symptoms better than an antidepressant alone. vraylar is not approved for elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis due to increased risk of death or stroke. report changes in behavior or suicidal thoughts to your doctor. antidepressants can increase these in children and young adults. report fever, stiff muscles or confusion

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finally, it's the little engine that could. an invention that can save homes from wildfires. gadi schwartz with the good news about a man on a firefighting mission. >> reporter: at a home in pasadena, there is a one-man engine-building fire brigade. >> there is your firefighter. >> reporter: getting parts in by the hour for a contraption that is so in demand, if you stop by you better be prepared to help. >> another shipment just rolled up. >> reporter: david wittman is a high school science teacher on a mission. >> i want to save home. i'm sick of seeing neighborhoods burn to the ground. >> reporter: he is assembling a system that snaps into backyard pools. this is the fire engine, this is the firefighter and the pool is the hydrant? >> yeah. perfect. everyone is lining, it's just a pool.

not anymore it's not. it's a neighborhood defense system. all those pools. how many times have we seen neighborhoods wiped out, obliterated, and there is pool after pool after pool after pool. >> reporter: he says he is trying to build systems so people don't have to stay behind to protect their homes. the best thing is no one is in danger? >> no one is in jeopardy. >> reporter: he says david's little engine that could saved his home in the palisades. his son posting the tests before the fire and the aftermath. >> if this wasn't soaking for five hours, the fire would have lit up and burned everything. >> reporter: as for patents or whether others my copy his product. >> if i can educate people to make these themselves, great. >> reporter: for now, the teacher happy to show the world what a simple solution can do. >> i call it evacuating in style. at least you tried. >> reporter: gadi schwartz, nbc news, pasadena. that's "nightly news" for this thursday. thank you for watching.

i'm lester holt. please take care of yourself and each other. good night. i'm not happy with the way that pg&e handled the wildfires. yeah. yeah. i totally, totally understand. we're adding a ton of sensors. as soon as something comes in contact with the power line, it'll turn off so that there's not a risk that it's gonna fall to the ground and start a fire. okay. and i want you to be able to feel the improvements. we've been able to reduce wildfire risk from our equipment by over 90%. that's something i want to believe. [skateboard sounds]