for all of us here at nbc 10, thanks for watching. i'm renee chenault-fattah. >> i'm jim rosenfield. the news continues with "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. on the broadcast tonight, plot twist. the president calls out sony for caving to the hackers and pulling its christmas blockbuster. and tonight, the fbi says knot korea did it. now how will the u.s. respond? mean season, the flu hits early and hard across the country. tonight, a warning from doctors why this year is already worse than last. triple threat, big storms hitting right at the worst time. a big mess for families traveling for christmas. and making a difference by giving teachers a helping hand and giving millions of kids the tools they need to succeed. "nightly news" begins now. from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this

is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. good evening. i'm natalie morales in for brian. he'll be back on monday. there are a lot of fast moving developments tonight concerning the massive cyber attack on sony pictures. president obama had tough words for sony after making the decision to pull the film "the interview." >> sony's a corporation. it suffered significant damage. there were threats against its employees. i am sympathetic to the concerns that they faced. having said all that, yes, i think they made a mistake. >> the president saying the attack caused a lot of damage. this as we learned today from the fbi it now knows north korea did it, calling it a game changer. so what now? how will the u.s. respond? we have two reports and we begin with nbc's justice correspondent pete williams in washington.

pete, good evening. >> reporter: natalie, president obama's surprisingly forceful comments followed a public statement from the fbi concluding that north korea was behind the sony hacking based on digital fingerprints and a strong resemblance to past north korean attacks. mr. obama says by agreeing to pull his comedy, "the interview," sony caved to a dictatorship. >> if somebody is able to intimidate folks out of releasing a satyr kal movie, imagine what they start doing when they see a documentary that they don't like, or news reports that they don't like. >> reporter: he says he would have told sony executives not to be intimidated by a criminal attack. >> i'm sympathetic that sony as a private company was worried about liabilities and this and that and the other. i wish they'd spoken to me first. >> reporter: the fbi says the north korean government is responsible and offers three reasons why. the actual lines of computer code in the malware program that

started the sony intrusion are similar to north korean malware used in the past. that program communicated with computers "associated with known north korean infrastructure," and the attack was similar to one carried out by north korea last year on banks and media in south korea. >> while there's a strong statement by the fbi of north korean responsibility for this attack, there's still some ambiguity here on whether they did it on their own or merely directed. >> reporter: tonight law enforcement officials say they're still nailing down the exact mechanics and cannot rule out outside help, though one thing seems certain. >> we've got no indication that north korea was acting in conjunction with another country. >> reporter: now what to do in return. the president says the u.s. will act but won't say how. >> they caused a lot of damage. and we will respond. we will respond proportionately. and we'll respond in a place and time and manner that we choose. >> reporter: experts on north

korea say the u.s. must be careful not to make things worse. >> you have to worry about escalating it up. and because they're not the most stable country in the world, the last thing you want is something that would create second korean war. >> reporter: president obama says people should not change their behavior based on a hacker's threat any more than boston would cancel its marathon because of the possibility that somebody might try to cause harm. natalie. >> pete williams in washington for us. thank you. in hollywood meantime sony is doing damage control responding to the president, the company's ceo saying it did not give in. nbc's hallie jackson reports. >> hello north korea! >> reporter: even after the sony comedy turned serious enough to earn a response from the president, the studio's ceo tells cnn in an interview airing tonight he would make the movie again. >> we have not caved. we have not given in. we have persevered. and we have not backed down. >> reporter: but sony will not release "the interview" next

week as originally planned after most national theater chains refuse to screen it. >> we had no alternative but to not proceed with the theatrical release on the 25th of december. >> reporter: a decision cyber attackers now call very wise. a source close to sony says in a new message to executives hackers promised to ensure security for your data unless you make additional trouble demanding the movie never be released. so far trailers are still up on the film's facebook and twitter pages. but many in hollywood want more. >> there ought to be some plans made to get this movie out there so that we can say to ourselves as a nation and to anyone else out there who wants to threaten us with bodily harm, we are not going to be silenced. >> reporter: george clooney is fighting for the movie's release lashing out at the rest of the industry for not backing sony in a petition he circulated. nobody stood up. nobody took that stand, clooney says. adding this could happen to an electric company, a car company,

a newsroom. it could happen to anybody. the debate over self-censorship and self-expression stretching beyond hollywood. >> it's hard to say hollywood should be standing up for free speech because at the end of the day they are a capital. >> reporter: sony says in a statement it hopes anyone who wants to see the movie will have the opportunity to do so. the studio is looking at ways to release the film on different platforms, natalie, but right now it's not clear what that platform may be. >> we'll stay tuned. hallie jackson in los angeles for us. thank you. in addition to the attack on sony, president obama addressed some other major issues during his news conference today. this is likely the last time you will see the president answering reporters questions this year. our chris jansing is at the white house for us tonight. chris, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, natalie. this was president obama's last chance this year to make the case that in spite of crises from ukraine to isis to ebola

and sweeping victory for republicans in the midterm elections, america is making progress. and what's getting a lot of attention on social media? for the first time ever the questions all came from women. >> hello everybody. >> reporter: at his final press conference for the year it was a feisty president obama strongly defending his record. >> more jobs. more people insured. a growing economy. shrinking deficits. >> reporter: the president rejected critics who say he shouldn't open relations with cuba, even while acknowledging the castro regime represses its people. >> what i know deep in my bones is that if you've done the same thing for 50 years and nothing's changed, we should try something different if you want a different outcome. >> reporter: obama says change will take time. and there's no face-to-face diplomacy on the schedule. >> we're not at a stage here where me visiting cuba or president castro coming to the united states is in the cards.

>> reporter: the dramatic is just the latest in a series of pointedly decisions pushing limits on executive authority, immigration, climate change and internet regulations, define newly empowered republicans. and today he made it clear that's not going to change. >> i've never been persuaded by this argument that if it weren't for the executive actions they would have been more productive. there's no evidence of that. >> reporter: his continuing actions raise serious questions about how he'll work with the new congress since republicans have fought key pieces of his agenda. but the president intends to redefine what it means to be a lame duck. >> we've set the stage for this american moment. and i'm going to spend every minute of my last two years making sure that we seize it. >> reporter: the president's new year's priorities include action on tax reform and infrastructure. also action to improve relations between police and minority communities.

first though he'll rest up. the first family is headed to hawaii for the holidays tonight. natalie. >> all right. chris jansing at the white house for us. thank you, chris. late word tonight from the state department in washington a worldwide travel alert for americans. and it comes after that deadly hostage standoff in australia. let's go now to our chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell. andrea, at a time when millions are about to travel for christmas, what are americans supposed to make of this warning? >> reporter: well, natalie, intelligence officials tell me tonight there's no specific threat. but tonight the state department is alerting holiday travelers to be careful. the concern is that that lone wolf attack in sydney or terror groups like isis could inspire copycats to not only target american facilities but places like hotel, shopping centers, schools, places of worship. the caution is if you're heading overseas during these busy holidays, be vigilant, be careful. natalie. >> andrea mitchell, thanks. we are keeping a close eye as well tonight on the weather as tens of millions of you hit

the road or head to the airports. if you're traveling for christmas or expecting company coming to you, it could be a rough go for a lot of families with several big storms hitting right at the worst time. meteorologist janice huff is monitoring it all for us from the weather center. janice, what can we expect in the busy days ahead? >> a lot of crazy weather depending on your location. tonight it's not so bad. a lot of people of course getting a head start on the busy countdown to the travel before christm christmas. there is rain along the gulf coast, but another storm, yet another one, will be moving into the pacific northwest this weekend. that's this weekend. so you're going to find delays from vancouver, seattle down to portland with rain and heavy snow moving into portions of montana. sunday morning it is quiet east of the mississippi. but that changes too. coming up on monday there will be snow developing over the northern plains, quite a bit of it north of minneapolis and rain along the southeast coastline that will move up into the northeast. washington, d.c., philadelphia, new york, boston will see very

heavy rain on christmas eve. definitely travel delays there. a few thunderstorms around miami. chicago will see a bit of rain and freezing rain and snow in minneapolis. but it's dry and sunny from dallas to denver to los angeles with sunshine. but look, another storm, more rain coming into the pacific northwest on christmas eve. that will stretch all the way down to san francisco. very busy, natalie, back to you. >> certainly is. janice huff, thanks so much. to health news now and concerns over the flu. the centers for disease control said today there is already a widespread outbreak in more than half of the country. and 11 children have already died from the flu. nbc's stephanie gosk has more. >> reporter: doctors always tell us, get the vaccine. wash your hands. and if you're sick, don't could have on anyone. and please, please stay home. but even if everyone followed the advice, the flu would still spread. and now the cdc says this could be another severe flu season. already 13 states and puerto rico are showing high infection

rates. part of the problem is a new flu strain resistant to the vaccine. 13-year-old john gentry got his flu shot but still got sick. knowing he is asthmatic, dad didn't waste time getting him to texas children's hospital. >> we believe that had he not gotten the vaccine that he could have been much worse off. >> reporter: dr. carol baker is an executive director at the hospital. >> let's say the vaccine this year when we're done with the epidemic is only 40% protective. 40% versus zero, i'm going to take my 40% every day. >> here's the latest -- >> reporter: one key to prevention is good tracking data. some researchers have turned to social media. statisticians at johns hopkins analyze 10 million tweets a day searching for the word flu and then filtering messages like "i have the flu" to messages "i don't want the flu". >> it's not enough to know what happened last week and two weeks

ago, we want to know what's going on right now. >> reporter: there's an app for that. sickweather relies on social media to track all kinds of illnesses including the flu. so follow the doctors advice but also try something new. if you get sick, update your status or post a tweet. small way to take part in tracking a massive flu season. stephanie gosk, nbc news, new york. if you shopped at staples from mid to late summer, you might want to re-check your bank statements. back in october the office supply giant announced that it was investigating a possible data breach. well, today staples confirmed it. credit card information may have been compromised for nearly 1.2 million customers. the company has posted a list of all 115 affected store locations. still ahead tonight, baseball diplomacy. a potential game-changer from the u.s. breakthrough with cuba. also, our friday night "making a difference" report. learning about the gift of giving at school. in a race, it's about getting to the finish line. in life, it's how you get there that matters most.

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the tigers. one of the best players in cuba hitting a home run today. in the off season he played in japan, but dreams of playing for the new york yankees. why would you like to go there? porque? >> for me the best feeling in the world. >> reporter: but under economic sanctions imposed by the u.s. after the cuban revolution, the only way a cuban player can join a u.s. team is to defect and leave his country behind. cuban historian ismael knows many players lured away by millions of dollars versus what they make here. fort-dollars what? forty-dollars a month is what they make here. but with the u.s. and cuba promising to normalize relations, players hope allow to join american teams. if that happens cubans could insist their stars play at home

for a few years before going to the u.s. >> i think this is would be the one thing that would work in cuba's favor, it would stem the defections absolutely. >> reporter: historically baseball has been a passion shared by fans here in cuba and in the united states. and in the political world there have even been times of baseball diplomacy. former cuban leader fidel castro was a huge baseball fan. in 2002 he took former u.s. president jimmy carter to a game here. fifteen years ago the baltimore orioles played an exhibition game in havana before a huge crowd. currently there are at least 20 cuban players in the u.s. major leagues. fans hope more of cuba's best can some day join the u.s. rosters with the blessing of both countries. mark potter, nbc news, havana. we're back in a moment with a refund announced tonight for millions of cell phone customers. take a closer look at your fidelity green line

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michael phelps, the most decorated olympian in history pleaded guilty to his second dui offense in a baltimore courtroom today. phelps was sentenced to a year in prison yet he won't see the inside of a prison cell. his sentence was suspended, but he will serve 18 months of supervised probation. after his arrest on september 30th, phelps entered a treatment program for six weeks. he is barred from competing until march of next year. tonight, the feds say t-mobile will pay about $90 million in refunds to customers who were billed for text message services on their cell phones that they didn't order. the unauthorized charges are known as cramming. at&t settled similar charges in october. after nine years and more than 1,400 episodes, stephen colbert said good-bye to his comedy central show last night and did it with a little help from his friends including our

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it is so difficult for children to learn when they don't have the basic tools for success, but for millions of them whose families haven't been able to afford the school supplies they desperately need this year got a little bit easier. and it's all thanks to the kindness of strangers and an organization called kids in need. our "making a difference" report tonight from nbc's kate snow. >> okay. chapter 18, ready? >> reporter: like so many great teachers lea jones gives so much. >> my first year here i think was the hardest. i walked into a classroom with nothing, no curriculum books, no chapter books, no supplies. and that year i spent several thousand dollars getting classroom ready. >> reporter: for a lot of her fourth graders in st. paul, minnesota, basic school supplies

just aren't an expense they can afford. >> no one wants to be without school supplies. >> reporter: this year nine of the 20 kids in ms. lea's class came with next to nothing. >> i didn't have markers in the beginning of the school year. and we were doing this little project, and i didn't have none. >> you don't have markers, you feel left out when people do have markers. >> reporter: you're the only one that doesn't have markers? so the girls went to ms. lea. >> i said it's okay, i have stuff in my mary poppins closet. >> reporter: yes, her mary poppins closet. it's filled with school supplies she got through the organization kids in need. >> you get everything you needed? >> yes, i did. >> reporter: not just school supplies. >> it ruins your confidence when you walk into a classroom and you don't have what you need. you want to do those things and you can't. you just don't have the things you need to do it. >> reporter: the tools. >> uh-huh. >> reporter: kids in need also distributes backpacks and last year gave kids video cameras so

they could tell their own story. >> i want to talk to you a little bit about my day. >> reporter: all year along across the country teachers can restock at a kids in need center. this year the group has given $100 million worth of school supplies. >> we're giving them the basic tools, but i think we're giving them increased hope and dignity as well. >> it's about someone caring about you because they know that they need stuff so that they can succeed in school. >> reporter: in this season of giving, small gifts inspiring kids in need. >> thank you! >> reporter: kate snow, nbc news, st. paul, minnesota. >> great story and a great organization. that's our broadcast for this friday night. thank you for being with us. i'm natalie morales in for brian. he'll be back here on monday. for all of us at nbc news, have a good weekend. good night.

jennifer aniston and jennifer lopez dressed to kill, officially kicking off hollywood awards season. >> now on "extra." ♪ jennifer lopez, sheer perfection. jen aniston, practicing her

oscar speech? >> is this real live? >> charissa is at the very first "people" magazine awards. >> taking phone calls on the red carpet. when you're j. lo, you can do that. >> who was sewn into her dress? then -- >> the hot topic on the red carpet. did sony cave? >> why george clooney is blasting hollywood as cowards. now trending, rosie and whoopi's on-air blowup? >> you're a white lady telling me what is racist. plus, the new stephen collins' sit-down. >> he swears he's reformed, but is he still a danger? two star engagements? >> are britney and cameron both getting set to walk down the aisle? plus, fran dresher on the man who said he invented e-mail. >> he broke up with his girlfriend. we started seeing each other almost instant wli. this is "extra" at universal studios hollywood, the entertainment capital of l.a. [ cheers and applause ] hey, everyo