breaking news tonight. school bus horror. several students killed, many injured, when the bus slammed into a house and wrapped around a tree, splitting it in half. we have a late report. manhunt for a killer. a police officer ambushed and assassinated, a deadly stretch for law enforcement. four oic across three states in just 24 hours. holiday week storm blanketing a big part of the country, threatening to make a travel nightmare for millions. beating black friday, skipping the crowds but not the savings. how those in the know are already getting big deals right now. and glory days, our monday inspiring america. the 55-year-old father who just made college football history, proving it's never too late to live your dream.

>> from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. good evening on a very busy monday, we begin with breaking news, a terrible story developing out of chattanooga, tennessee, where a school bus carrying 35 elementary students has crashed, and it has killed some of those on board. hospitals were put on alert to receive patients this afternoon as rescuers worked to extricate victims after the bu wound up split in two around a tree. let's get the very latest now from nbc's kerry sanders. >> reporter: photos on twitter taken by the chattanooga fire department show rescue teams at work. one firefighter perched on top of the crumpled bus, tipped on its side, wedged between two trees. the emergency call went out at around 3:20 this afternoon. >> school bus flipped off the roadway. it is occupied with children. they believe there is ejections. >> reporter: on board 35 children,

>> i can see an arm moving, but i don't know if anybody can get to it. >> reporter: 23 children were transported to the hospital. >> a bus crash involving schoolchildren is every public safety professional's worst nightmare. >> reporter: 8-year-old darrion griffith escaped with only bumps and bruises. >> glad you're safe, buddy. >> reporter: it's unclear why the driver lost control of the bus. tonight parents at chattanooga are gathering at woodmore anxiously praying for their young children. tonight in chattanooga the authorities tell nbc news there are multiple fatalities. there are reports there could be a dozen dead children in this accident. the medical examiner is now at the scene. the authorities say that the bus driver is indeed cooperating with the investigation. lester? >> absolutely horrible, kerry, thank you. there are also late-breaking developments in the

style death of a texas police officer. the 50-year-old san antonio pd detective was one of four law men gunned down in three states in a 24-hour period. it has been an exceptionally deadly year for the nation's law enforcement officers. nbc's jacob rascon is in san antonio with the latest. >> reporter: tonight after a two-day manhunt police have captured the man they say executed one of their own. >> we arrested 31-year-old otis tyrone mccain. >> reporter: the suspect seen in new outside san antonio police headquarters sunday morning, walking inside at 7:45 for just 20 seconds. four hours later, detective ben marconi was shot twice in the head. >> i've got an officer down in front of headquarters. i need ems right now in front of headquarters. >> reporter: his killer taking off in this black mitsubishi sedan. the fbi, texas marshals all searching

more than an assassination of a police officer. >> reporter: marconi was the fourth law enforcement officer shot in 24 hours. an ambush in st. louis, missouri, a drive-by shooting in sanibel, florida, another officer shot in gladstone, missouri. so far this year, 58 officers across the u.s. have been killed by gunfire, compared to 36 such killings all of last year. detective marconi graduated from the san antonio police academy 20 years ago, retired detective roy naylor was right there with him and worked >> it was tough. because it wasn't the way somebody should go, especially somebody that was respected as well as he was. >> reporter: ambushes like this one have a chilling effect, naylor says. >> people see this, they're like, why do i want to be a cop if i'm just going to get shot for no reason? >> reporter: minutes ago, the san antonio police chief confirmed they arrested 31-year-old otis tyrone mccain, about a

s.w.a.t. team members took him into custody without incident. he was with a woman and a 2-year-old child. he was arrested, as i said, without incident for what they called a cold and calculated murder. the mayor said we can all breathe a little easier tonight. lester? >> jacob, thank you. now to the winter wallop hitting in the middle of fall, a big snowstorm blanketing part of the country right now and it could mark just the beginning of lingering travel nightmares as we head into this very busy holiday travel week. al rokeril blake mccoy out in the thick of it. >> reporter: whipping winds and whiteout conditions as the first major snowstorm of the season is now hammering the northeast. more than two feet of snow has fallen in parts of upstate new york, crippling cities at the start of this busy thanksgiving travel week. >> we woke up with all this. i'm like whoa! she likes it but mommy is not really feeling it. >> reporter: here in syracuse, new york,

just not this much this early. keep in mind, none of this was here 24 hours ago. are you surprised how much snow you're getting out of here? >> it's outrageous. >> mark roush's snowblower on the fritz, not quite ready for all this snow either. >> uh-oh. >> reporter: it's making a mess of the roads. near marathon, new york, a bus slid onto its side while swerving to avoid a spunout car. eight students suffered minor injuries. tonight, driving remains treacherous into connecticut and the rest of new in new hampshire, two deaths are being blamed on icy roads. air travel being impacted as well, high winds at new york's laguardia airport causing delays, just three days before thanksgiving. >> try to get out before everything gets crazy. >> reporter: this year, 1 million more americans will be traveling for thanksgiving compared to last year. with the travel rush just beginning, tonight many find themselves going nowhere fast.

more than 20 inches so far. people are being advised to stay home until this lets up tomorrow morning. lester? >> all right, blake, thanks very much. let's turn to al roker. where is this storm going and what are we looking at as we head closer to the holiday? >> we have problems, lester. right now you can see on the radar we are starting to see this tapering off, talking about another one to three, maybe six inches in some of the higher elevations. as far as travel, we're going to see a parade of storms coming as looking at, as far as the air travel, on wednesday, chicago's going to be a problem, periods of rain throughout the day, improving conditions in the evening. minneapolis a problem, detroit as well, with again, more rain, possible delays, mixture of rain and snow, heaviest rain in the evening. as far as travel, i-94, i-65, i-70 going to be problems as well, st. louis to pittsburgh, rainy travel, ponding and problems there, and then as we move out west, i-5 going to be the big problem from sacramento to seattle, rain and snow over the mountain passes. lester, of course we'll continue to

>> all right, al, thanks very much. a developing story tonight in japan, where it is early morning now. all eyes there have been locked on the sea after a powerful earthquake struck off the coast of fukushima, setting off tsunami warnings and evacuation orders. this is the same area where a nuclear power plant was destroyed by a tsunami after a devastating quake five years ago. we get the latest from nbc's miguel almaguer. >> reporter: the 6.9 earthquake jolted japan as the sun was coming up, triggering a serious and immediate warning. >> tsunami warning for the coastal areas of fukushima. >> reporter: local television urged viewers to find higher ground quickly. the powerful quake sending a shock wave through the region and fear of powerful tsunami could be even more dangerous than the tremor. with tsunami sirens blaring, the shallow quake hit at 6:01 a.m. local time off the coast of fukushima

warning reverberating across a region at rattled before. >> translator: please evacuate. >> reporter: in 2011, a 9.1 earthquake brought japan to its knees, but it was the 25-foot wall of water, a massive tsunami, that killed thousands and destroyed nuclear power plants. tonight in japan, another quake, and now the shock wave of fear that comes with tsunami warnings. those tsunami warnings call for waves up to ten feet high. so far they have only registered at two to three feet. of any damage at the nuclear power plants. lester? >> miguel almaguer tonight, miguel, thanks. president-elect donald trump met today with more prospective members of his administration as his team released a video of trump talking about his legislative priorities. at the same time, questions remained about how trump will separate the work of his businesses from his work on the nation's business. we get more tonight from nbc's hallie jackson. >> reporter: late tonight, a new video from the president-elect. >> our transition team

trump listing off his ten-point plan. >> on imigration, i will direct the department of labor to investigate all abuses of visa programs that undercut the american worker. >> reporter: a tape produced by his own team. the press not invited. his aides today forced to fend off new questions about how the president-elect can juggle both his business dealings and the business of the country. >> by the time he takes office, as president of the united states, everything, every law every "i" and every "t" will be dotted. >> reporter: the focus, his new d.c. hotel and a recent reception complete with trump wine, meant to woo foreign diplomats. >> they spent a lot of time talking about the property and how they hope that this would be a property that the diplomats would use. >> reporter: the sales pitch, raising concerns overseas customers might stay there to win brownie points with the next president. meanwhile, the foreign bank that financed trump's acquisition of that property and

justice department, a department trump will oversee come january. trump's name not just on hotels here at home but around the world, 15 properties internationally, with a lucrative deal in turkey, and business ties in saudi arabia, even he assailed the clinton foundation for its links to the foreign government. >> why don't you give back the money that you've taken from certain countries -- >> reporter: some of trump's biggest deals coming from india, pictures now surfacing of some indian business partner despite the president-elect in the thick of transition talks at trump tower. >> the conflicts that are going to follow from his ownership of the trump organization while serving as president are pervasive. they're obvious. they're foreseeable. >> separately, late tonight, different video is surfacing that's raising some concerns. it shows an alt-right conference here in washington, where one of the speakers praised donald trump with language similar

it is only normal again when we are great again. hail trump! hail our people! hail victory! >> people in the crowd responding with straight armed salutes. that speaker, richard spencer, telling nbc news he intended his words to be ironic and exuberant, insisting the alt-right is not an neo-nazi movement. adding trump has been good for them. trump spokesperson responding to that conference says president-elect trump has continued to will be a leader for every american. lester? >> hallie jackson, thank you. there is urgent new concern tonight about the situation in syria, after government forces bombed yet even more hospitals in the rebel-held part of aleppo, leaving 250,000 people with severely limited access to critical care. the u.n. humanitarian chief says the situation has gone from terrible to terrifying, and now barely survivable. our latest now from chief foreign

captured the moment bombs hit what was one of just two hospitals left in eastern aleppo. a team from al jazeera television was filming inside. patients didn't know where to run. nurses faced a heartbreaking choice, taking babies out of the incubators keeping them alive, or leaving them in a hospital that had become a target. now, there's only one hospital left. member of the aleppo medical council. >> we're so worried for the final hospital. >> reporter: if this final hospital is bombed, what will it mean for the people in eastern aleppo? >> it surely will be a disaster for all of news medical. >> reporter: by almost any measure, this part of aleppo under attack by the syrian regime is already a disaster. >> there is no food completely. >> reporter: food is running out.

there is bombing now. >> reporter: if you need to go with me, you just hang up, okay? the 250,000 civilians in eastern aleppo are trapped, bombed, and now have almost no access to medical care. richard engel, nbc news, new york. >> all right, we need to take a break here. in a moment, we'll look at the holiday week ahead for the black friday shopping craze be coming to an end? how to get those deals online now. also, some good news out tonight about i love that my shop is part of the morning ritual around here. people rely on that first cup and i wouldn't want to mess with that. but when (my) back pain got bad, i couldn't sleep. i had trouble getting there on time. then i found aleve pm. aleve pm is the only one to combine a sleep aid plus the 12 hour strength of aleve. for pain relief that can last into the morning. ? look up at a new day...? hey guys! now i'm back.

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back with news on the big day coming up this week. not thanksgiving, we're talking about the day after, black friday. companiemp for your dollars, but this year, the holiday deals are already here and as jolene kent explains, it could be the end of black friday as we know it. >> reporter: in f shopping like this makes you cringe, good news. experts say black friday madness may soon be a thing of the past. >> the way black friday is really changing. it's not just one day. it is these five days

under the sun. >> reporter: sales in stores on black friday were down 12% last year, and this year shoppers plan to spend half their holiday budget online. in fact, many retailers have already kicked off their online black friday sales. here's how to take advantage of deep discounts right from your couch, starting now. fill up your shopping cart, and as the black friday deals come out, sign out of the site all together. stores want you to complete the sale, so when you log back in you may get new discounts or free shipping. outsmart retailers by deals on different device, shop on your phone, your tablet and your computer. prices may change by device because retailers are tracking your search history and past shopping habits. and don't ignore the live chat option, use it to ask for a coupon or free shipping or a discount. >> you can actually ask them, hey, is there anything you can offer me today, and they might say, not today, but listen, we have a secret flash

so log back on. >> reporter: join the club, if you spend a lot on amazon it probably pays to sign up for prime and many stores have programs for loyal shoppers that offer deeper discounts and points to make free purchases. quick and easy ways to skip the crowds but not the savings. jolene kent, nbc news, new york. we're back in a moment with a scary moment caught on camera involving a popular toy this coming holiday season. comin.

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some good news to report in health news about dementia. a study from the university of michigan found the rate of dementia in seniors has dropped by 24% since 2000. there's no cure for dementia, but researchers say the drop may be due to more education keeping minds active, and more effective treatments for diabetes and heart disease, which are also linked to memory problems. sabra is issuing a

mum husband products. the reason? listeria was found at one of the company's manufacturing facilities, but not in any tested finished product. the recall is specific to containers with a best before date of january 23rd, 2017, or earlier. and four days to black friday, toys "r" us is pulling a tonka truck model off the shelves, one of the 12-volt ride-on dump trucks burst into flames in the back of that adult sized pickup truck you see there, then it caught fire again when the owners returned it. toys "r" us said it was an isolated incident and they're working with the toy company to find out exactly what happened. when we come back, "inspiring america" and running the play of his life, 55 years

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is recommended by more doctors than any other brand for minor arthritis pain. aleve. live whole. not part. group of perfectly law-abiding citizens. is tweeting and deleting a crime? what if you're the president? and two dudes get really high. for a new drone's eye perspective of colorado's beauty. next. finally tonight, living proof that you're never too old to pursue your dreams, and this one is something like right out of the movies. nbc's gabe gutierrez has the story of a guy inspiring america, and oh, by the way, inspiring a lot of us in our 50s, by turning back the hands of father time, and making history on the field.

joe thomas sr. is not your typical college student. >> going to work every day, coming to class five days a week, it's very tough. >> reporter: the 55-year-old at south carolina state university is now believed to be the oldest player ever in division one football. so what's your secret? >> just eating and working out. >> reporter: near the end of the first quart against savannah state, thomas took this hand youf for a three-yard gain but yard sticks could not fully measure the impact of this carry. this shop? >> oh he wanted it a bunch. he's been wanting it for years. the guy comes in my office and says i want to play. >> reporter: thomas played ball in high school, but a speech impediment made him think college wasn't for him. decades later, after the economy tanked and his construction business crumbled, he needed a new start. >> i needed a college education. >> reporter: majoring in engineering, he started practicing with the same squad where his son, current green bay packer joe thomas jr., had played just a few years ago.

kind of took it as a little joke, but after a while when he actually was out there working out, coming in the weight room and do the conditioning, we accepted him as one of the regular players. >> reporter: he was serious. >> oh,eaous. >> repter: and since his collegiate debut, he's brushed off comparisons to rudy. >> rudy? >> reporter: yeah. >> he was a little smaller guy, wasn't he? >> reporter: but he calls it the happiest moment of his life. >> i reached my goal. >> reporter: a goal now a life lesson. >> just never give up. always stay focused. graduation, a new career, and maybe he'll even try wrestling, he says. after all, at 55, he's just getting started. gabe gutierrez, nbc news, orangeburg, south carolina. there was a lot of grim news in this newscast, but a great story to end on, and we invite you to submit your own "inspiring america" stories on our facebook page. that's going to do it for us on a monday night. i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching and good

quizzes on monday are the worst, sharpen your pencil. true or false, you can smoke marijuana and buy a gun in colorado? think carefully. the wrong answer is a federal crime. when was the last time colorado voteed for a democratic president while america picked a republican? think way back. this next question is a mix of philosophy and transparency.

violation of records preservation law? if you can identify this person, we will tell you where this photo was found. a sports question: is tony romo to the broncos a crazy idea? or a crazy good idea? pencils down, quiz over, next starts right now. if you are a fan of freedom, and you would prefer to stay free, there is something you should know. if you enjoy marijuana and you want to buy a gun, you c both legally in colorado without committing a federal crime in the process. anastasiya bolton, friend of next and part of our 9 wants to know team found a pesky new piece of paper venlt >> how do i make a-- paper. >> how do i make a statement about a form? a piece of paper? i know, i will use the words "marijuana and guns" in the same sentence. >> in so far as marijuana is concerned, it is still a controlled substance federally.