different and this one is very different. >> never a dull moment. >> for all of us here at "nbc10 news," thanks for watching. >> the news continues now with "nbc nightly news." on the broadcast tonight, out of control. cars flying off the road. people trapped on ice. tonight this unending snow and freezing rain grinding highways to a halt deep into the south. the showdown over immigration takes a dramatic turn. a last-minute ruling dashes american dreams for millions of families under the threat of deportation. the train disaster. still burning tonight. so hot, investigators can't even get near it. as new questions emerge about all the dangerous cargo moving through so many cities and towns. and paying it forward. one restaurant's secret recipe that's helping to change the lives of the people who work there. "nightly news" begins now. >> announcer: from nbc news

world headquarters in new york this is "nbc nightly news," reporting tonight, lester holt. good evening. snow ice, freezing rain some of the worst winter has to offer has been dished out to a big part of the south. in a lot of places they don't often deal with this. you can just imagine how difficult life has been today in places like nashville, louisville charlotte. especially on the roads. many reduced to virtual danger zones. power is out in places schools are closed and flight schedules are a mess. and about our friends in boston tonight, they are closing in on 100 inches of snow so far this season. but it's what comes next that is going to add insult to injury record cold. our team is in place including gabe gutierrez in nashville who can tell us firsthand about the difficult roads. dave? >> reporter: lester good evening. the ice has paralyzed much of the south. tens of thousands of people are still without power. school districts have already closed for the rest of the week.

the national guard is standing by. the brutal wave of snow ice and freezing rain pounded more than 20 states. many southern states unaccustomed to snow and ice are now facing treacherous driving conditions. >> i cannot stress this enough please stay off the roads until conditions improve. >> reporter: this close call was captured by an nbc affiliate in virginia. one driver losing control, smashing into another vehicle, and nearly hitting the camera. late this afternoon, a dramatic ice rescue in new jersey. emergency crews were on their hands and knees wading through cracks of ice and snow to pull a young girl out of the frigid water to safety. on the other side of the state, a snowplow was swallowed by a sinkhole. we experienced chaos on the roads firsthand during our trip from louisville to nashville. it wasn't long before we hit a standstill gridlock stretching

for miles here on i-65. >> i'm glad i got enough gas. >> reporter: snarled traffic, frustrated drivers and many abandoned cars. from the air, you can see the music city brought to a halt. big sheets of ice covering the roads and trees. thankfully many people today decided to stay home. in west virginia a stunning snow scene captured from above. while in tennessee, a mother and her 10-year-old son were killed last night, hit by an oncoming semi after stopping to help an overturned suv. coast guard cutters continue breaking through the ice in pennsylvania and new york. and tonight the south is bracing for even colder temperatures ahead. dave gutierrez, nbc news nashville. i'm miguel almaguer outside boston. tonight, the big dig. they're moving the powder as fast as they can here. at snow farms, stacked several stories high. this is where mounds are poured

into melters. across new england, from front yards to rooftops -- >> it's just a pain. >> reporter: -- an incredible eight feet of snow. too much for some buildings to handle. roofs are giving way and going down. a new hampshire school canceled classes when the ceiling began to buckle. tonight bobby mallard is scrambling to keep boston warm through narrow walkways a stretch to deliver heating oil. tell me how difficult this has been for you guys. >> it's hard. the constant snow makes it hard are information the trucks to get around. >> reporter: the roads are a mess. public transportation has been crippled. it could take months to get the trains back on track. >> all the stops i tried to get on were closed. >> reporter: snow remains the biggest problem, no way to dig out if you can't get out. a wicked winter many are hoping to close the door on. there's been so much snowfall

here this season let me give you some perspective. we're inside gillette stadium where the new england patriots play football. the governor said you can fill this massive arena 90 times over. snow would be pouring out of the roof here. that's how much snow has hit this region. and lester it's still coming down tonight. >> what a picture. miguel thank you. janice huff is in the weather center. dare i ask what's next? >> more of the same unfortunately. another bout of arctic air is in place and is expected to be moving south and eastward over the next 24 hours. most of the sub-zero readings are what it feels like across the great lakes right now. watch the temperature take a nosedive. by wednesday morning, indianapolis minus 10. by thursday morning, atlanta will have sub-zero windchills at minus 4. raleigh, it will feel like minus 11. nashville, minus 13. then it spreads east to norm r new york city and boston. minus 16 in new york city.

buffalo minus 30 for the windchill. boston gets hit again on saturday morning with 20 to 30 below windchills. it will start to warm up a little bit after that. more cold air is waiting in the wings to come next week lester. so no relief not yet. >> janice huff thank you for being with us tonight. the battle over immigration. a little more than 24 hours before president obama's executive order was set to take effect which could stop the deportation of some undocumented immigrants a federal judge ruled that the president overstepped his authority. now that leaves millions in limbo. our senior white house correspondent, chris jansing, has the details. >> reporter: worried her dream may not come true. >> we were so ready for this. today it crushed us. >> reporter: in texas, alfredo garcia's plan a ph.d. program at notre dame is at stake. >> all the possibilities that i have in the future just vanished. >> reporter: the executive actions president obama signed

in november gave hope to them and more than 4 million other undocumented immigrants that they could live and work here legally. but a 123-page district by a district judge temporarily blocks the changes. >> for the people who would be potentially affected by the new programs this means their lives are on hold. >> reporter: the order would have meant protection from deportation, as well as to obtain social security numbers, work permits and the ability to travel. but once these services are provided the judge wrote, there will be no effective way of putting the toothpaste back in the tube should the plaintiffs ultimately prevail. those plaintiffs 26 states led by texas. >> in texas, we will not sit idly by while the president ignores the law. >> reporter: applications have been suspended while lawyers appeal the ruling. >> i disagree with it. i think the law's on our side. and history is on our side. >> reporter: across the country, activists on both sides organized rallies and press

conferences with emotions running high. millions of others who hope to be citizens one day wait. >> i may end up working when i can do so much more. >> reporter: tonight immigration officials are working furiously to make sure the confusion doesn't stop people from applying at all, if and when the program starts. meantime attorney general eric holder says the justice department is reviewing the decision to decide exactly how to proceed. lester. >> chris, thank you. investigators have made their way to the scene of that train disaster in west virginia that sent a massive fireball into the sky. it is still smoldering tonight. and though environmental experts now say they don't believe any oil spilled into nearby rivers this accident is raising plenty of new questions about all the dangerous cargo moving across this country. we get the report tonight from nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: throughout the day, the charred remains of 19 oil cars lie smoldering still too hot for investigators to get in close.

it was monday afternoon when a tremendous explosion rocked this remote area in fayette county after a 19-car train derailed destroying a nearby house and sending a massive fireball into the sky. residents are drinking bottled water worried if the water supply is safe. >> came back clean, no detections of any of the crude oil. >> reporter: the train was carrying oil from the balkan fields in north dakota to virginia. it went off the tracks in west virginia. lynchberg, virginia last year 30,000 gallons dumped into the james river. and quebec canada 47 dead a town leveled. the concern? oil train traffic is up 4,000% in six years carrying specially flammable crude out of north dakota and alberta, canada. >> you put 30,000 gallons of flammable oil per car onto 100

or 150-car train, and you try to drive it through a major population area anything goes wrong, and it's a disaster. >> reporter: many of the oil cars used today are older models that government safety regulators want phased out. but the railroad says the oil cars used in this crash were new, reinforced models. still, there's no such thing as a risk-free oil car. tom costello nbc news washington. a pivotal day of testimony in the trial of the former marine accused in the killing of "american sniper" chris kyle after five days the prosecution rested and the defense began laying out its case. nbc is covering the trial for us in stephenville texas. >> reporter: eddie ray routh didn't know he was recorded. for 23 minutes he says nothing, sitting and sometimes lying down in the back of a parked patrol car after his arrest. hey, marine an officer calls out, you all right back there? just so nervous about what's going to happen to me and my life today, routh said.

i've been so paranoid and schizophrenic all day. i don't know even what to think of the world right now. i don't know if i'm just insane or sane. the jury will weigh that very question. did routh know right from wrong when he killed chris kyle and chad littlefield. in five days of testimony from the prosecution, we heard two dozen witnesses, including kyle's wido taya. a texas ranger held up kyle's sniper rifle recovered at the crime scene. routh's mother jody took the stand saying routh was never the same after his military service, suicidal and in and out of a va medical center. she said doctors diagnosed routh with ptsd and prescribed him nine medications, including anti-sigh cot iks. jody routh also told the jury she begged the va not to release her son, only days before the crime. she also told them when she met chris kyle and asked for his

help he said he would do anything and everything in his power to help my son, end quote. the defense picks up their case again tomorrow morning. lester? >> jacob ras cone tonight, thanks. the new secretary of defense is now officially on the job. ashton carter took the oath of office at the white house today. carter replaces chuck hagel who resigned amid friction with the white house in november. he will serve as the fourth defense secretary under president obama. for weeks at ports up and down the west coast, a long-stewing labor dispute has created a virtual standstill. ships have been floating out at sea unable to unload. work has started to resume but after hundreds of millions of dollars were likely lost. joe fryer tonight out on the port of los angeles. joe, good evening. >> reporter: lester good evening. this is the scene on the water at the port of los angeles. cargo is moving once again after a temporary shutdown over the long holiday weekend. but as you can see, the backlog

is huge. we count more than 30 ships on the water, still waiting to unload. as the port gridlock continues, business owners like joe, who are feeling lost at sea -- >> in the 40 years i've been doing this it's the most unusual and devastating problem we've had with export shipping. >> reporter: this is peak period yet his citrus packing house is sending about half as much fruit as normal overseas. at issue, a long-simmering labor dispute between dock workers and shipping companies. >> it goes on for a few months, all of a sudden you're talking about a significant hit to the economy. >> reporter: labor secretary arrived in california to meet with both sides hoping to avoid a total shutdown of 29 west coast ports. >> no walkouts no lockouts and we have to have a deal now. >> look at all those ships. >> reporter: even if the dispute ended today, it could take weeks, even months to unload these ships and their cargo

containers filled with auto parts, electronics and other merchandise. in colorado big ring bicycle shop depends on shipments from asia. >> obviously disconcerting. >> reporter: he's starting to see delivery d >> at a certain point it will cost us sales. >> reporter: there are estimates that a total west coast port shutdown could cost the u.s. economy $2 billion a day. lester? >> joe fryer tonight, thank you. still ahead tonight, the secret to their success. a restaurant where the employees have amassed over $1 million in savings, and an owner with a loyal staff that never wants to leave. also 8 million fans and counting for a little country music. a captive audience and a farmer who is outstanding in his field. you know, just because your bladder is changing, it doesn't mean you have to. with tena, let yourself go. be the one with the crazy laugh.

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welcome back. now to an ongoing series of reports we call good jobs focusing on people across the country to solve all too common problems. we were inspired by a little restaurant who figured out a way to give its workers a much-needed safety net. cynthia mcfadden takes us to dinner. >> reporter: here in san francisco, the birthplace of america's counterculture a new revolution. ground zero this tiny french bistro. owner jennifer would be the first to say, hers is not the fanciest or hippest restaurant in town though the grilled pork

chop is hard to beat. what made it famous is something else on the menu right there in the fine print. >> provides full benefits for our hard working staff. which is less than 30 minutes in the meter. a parking meter out there will cost you more than $1.25 for 30 minutes. that provides every staff member even people who work one day a week with full benefits including full health insurance, full dental paid sick leave and 401(k) with a 4% match. >> reporter: it was a recipe she first cooked up after her own career waiting tables. >> just being treated like a thief, i was replaceable, irrelevant to the business. >> reporter: she bought this place ten years ago. she thought it would be different. >> you can live like a grown-up and work in a restaurant. >> exactly. >> yeah? >> yeah. >> and plan for your future. >> this little restaurant our 32 employees have over $1 million in savings. the average age is 26.

>> you could personally make a lot more money if you didn't do it this way, could you. >> no i don't think i could. the reason for that is the turnover is incredibly expensive. people who have been here for a long time can turn out a work level that someone who has only been here six months can. >> i'm a chef here. i love my job. >> one of the dishwashers has been here 20 years. a dishwasher. >> you can make a career here. >> yes. >> this is our job. we're not actors just trying to make a buck. we're here to stay. >> to say just because they don't put on a suit and go to work every day, they don't have a real job, or they don't need benefits like a real worker would, that's ridiculous. >> all this goodwill must come at a cost right? after all, san francisco is one of the most competitive restaurant markets in the world. >> a successful restaurant is 5%. >> what do you do? >> 22%. on a good year.

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. finally tonight, he's like a conductor whose symphony hall is a green pasture, or a choreographer whose dancers are the four-legged dancers. we get the story from nbc's harry smith. >> reporter: derrick does chores on the family farm. but beware inside this fresh-base ed d canyon -- >> what does a farmer say. >> everybody thinks i'm crazy. i get nervous if they didn't think that. ♪ do you want to drive my tractor ♪ >> reporter: he's a prairie

parodyist. he won an immediate audience on youtube. but then came this. derrick played trombone in the kansas state marching band. last spring he decided to break it out again. >> then i got the idea to go play for my cows. who else am i going to play to. >> reporter: why not, he wondered serenade the cattle. and they sang right back. how many have seen it now? >> 8 million. >> reporter: derrick's reckless imagination dared to reach even further. recently he posted this an etch a sketch type drawing of a smiley face with his pasture as a canvas and his feed truck acting as a paint brush, guiding the cattle into place. the video from a drone at 300 feet. do you think it's hard? >> yeah. >> reporter: while the smiley face was a masterpiece in its own right, his newest creation

may be even more impressive. the cattle take their place to form a heart, a valentine from the heartland. harry smith, nbc news pea body kansas. that will do it for us on this tuesday night. i'm lester holt. from all of us at nbc news thank you fo

and taylor kinney flashing her new half million dollar diamond. >> inside their top secret engagement party, now on "extra." new video, lady gaga hours after confirming she's getting married to taylor kinney. >> congratulations. >> his first words today about popping the question. >> hey mario, just for "extra." >> and. >> he's he's weird on the inside. i'm weird on the outside. >> why their weird relationship works. >> plus new couple alert mariah's ex nick cannon on a secret dinner date with strahan's ex nicole murphy. >> tracey morgan's surprise that didn't h