nearly 49 million people on the move this thanksgiving, up a million over last year. the biggest travel rush since 2009. you can thank low gas prices and cheaper airfares. chicago o'hair is debuting new automated screening lanes designed to get people through 30% faster. if you do run into problems flying this year, social media could be your friend. >> some of the airlines are answering twitter a lot faster than they would a phone >> reporter: now if only a tweet could dig you out of this. blake mccoy, nbc news, chicago. nbc news meteorologist dylan dryer is here with us. we're about to get hit with one of the busiest travel periods. where should people be on the lookout for the bad stuff? >> the pacific northwest and the midwest, that's where the next two storms are moving through. if we start on wednesday, for those of you traveling by air, we could see most of our delays across the midwest. mostly in the chicago area, because of poor visibility and also the possibility of seeing some heavier

northwest, we'll see occasional showers during the day in seattle, but then heavier rain tarts to move in overnight. if you're traveling by road, especially through the tennessee and ohio river valleys from chicago to nashville, we could see rain and storms early on. then improving conditions later in the day. the mountain passes in the pacific northwest, because of the snow, will cause significant slowdowns as well. as we go into thanksgiving itself, most of the country will see improvements, but we're still looking at possible delays across the to rain and mountain snow. in the pittsburgh area, that's where we could see most of our scattered showers and some rain will last through most of the morning with improvements during the day. we are looking at a wintry mix of rain and snow in buffalo early on, changing to rain later in the day. on sunday, as people return home, it doesn't look like many trouble spots at all. >> dylan dryer, thanks. wall street continued its post-election rally today with a new record.

were up 67 points today, to close above 19,000 for the first time in the dow's history. the nasdaq and s&p closed higher as well. the issue of jobs and bringing back those jobs lost overseas is at the center of donald trump's plan to pull out of the transpacific partnership. that's the big trade deal the u.s. and 11 other countries agreed to last year. but last night, mr. trump said he would get rid of it on day one of his presidency. we get more on this tonight from nbc's jacob rasc trotter was always going to be a factory worker. >> my livelihood, the way that i can raise my family, take care of my family, same way that my father did. >> reporter: in february, the chattanooga factory that provided for their families for decades, plans to downsize. those jobs, he says, shift overseas. >> cannot compete with them. we could probably do that, do those jobs now for free and we still couldn't compete with them. >> reporter: it's a difficult reality trotter and millions of americans fear would only intensify

partnership or tpp, which the president-elect says will go. >> i'm going to issue a notification of intent to withdraw from the transpacific partnership, a potential disaster for our country. >> reporter: it's a trade agreement between the united states and 11 other countries, including japan, mexico, and vietnam, that would lower trade barriers and taxes for u.s. goods. the winners in global trade deals often consumers who pay lower prices. the losers, often american workers, lower cost competition overseas. >> it's not possible to save all our jobs and have markets in the world open to american goods. we've got to have some trade-off, and that trade-off tends to be low value manufacturing jobs. >> reporter: in baltimore, drew greenblatt said tpp would help him add jobs. >> we need new markets to sell to. we need new clients to grow into. >> reporter: but it's an argument that doesn't convince

on trade. >> when he said he's going to make it one of his top priorities, that's good for you? >> it's good. people got to hold him to do it. he just be saying it and not doing it. >> reporter: one familying fearing a way of life is at stake. jacob rascon, nbc fuse, chat chooga, sneats. ben stiller rose to fame in some of the biggest blockbuster comedies of the last couple now he's getting serious, hoping to save lives by sending a message, every man should talk to their doctor about getting tested. his story from nbc's miguel almaguer. >> reporter: a man of many roles, today ben stiller celebrates one of his most important -- real-life cancer survivor. >> anybody who's had cancer, you know you have to keep on checking on it. but i'm really fortunate. >> reporter: speaking to matt lauer on "today" with his surgeon, stiller wants to send a message to men about getting

>> if it was up to me, i'd say every guy should go and get tested after the age of 40, 45. especially if you have a family history. >> reporter: the test itself, known as the psa, is easy. simple blood work. but some experts caution against routine testing, saying the psa can be unreliable and lead to overtreatment with painful side effects. >> this is a discussion the doctor has to have with their patient. the treatments for prostate cancer all have risks around urinary function and sexual function all have risks. >> reporter: the american cancer society recommends all men talk to their doctor about the benefits and risks of having the test, starting at age 50 for those with an average risk, and age 45 forify high-risk patients like african americans and those with a family history. but according to those guidelines, stiller, age 46, with no family history when diagnosed, should not have gotten the test. >> if i hadn't taken this test, i wouldn't have known.

it had probably become something that was not going to have the outcome, in terms of the treatment that it did have. >> reporter: tonight the beloved comedian, grateful for a life-saving test that he is deadly serious about. miguel almaguer, nbc news, los angeles. and some troubling news tonight, having to do with the zika virus. the doctor who first sounded the alarm now says infected babies who were born appearing healthy could have defects after all. the cdc studied 13 such normal looking infants and 11 of them now have microcephaly, a medical term for a smaller head which can cause brain damage. there's a lot more to tell you about. school bus dangers, how the bad driving is not limited to a few isolated incidents. the alarming findings of an nbc news investigation. also, the ordinary bucket that started a nationwide movement, now headed for his

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we're back now with a deeper look at school bus safety and bad driving after the deadly crash in tennessee. an investigation by our dallas station, kxas, found widespread problems with drivers in that city and well beyond. scott freedman has more on the disturbing findings. >> reporter: big yellow buses, racing past red lights, risking dangerous collisions. one bus driver nearly rear ending a car before running the red light. >> they are responsible for the

>> reporter: in dallas, the area's largest school bus agency fired 13 drivers, and suspended 229 more after an nbc news investigation uncovered these red light camera videos, along with nearly 500 tickets over a two and a half year span. drivers also racked up 1,700 complaints, called in by witnesses alleging reckless driving. >> we are taking the steps necessary, both systemic and personnel, so that this will not and cannot happen again. illinois to florida, to arizona, red light cameras show it happens in other cities too. in new york, drivers at several bus companies accumulated more than 6,000 speeding and red light violations in just two years. in miami, and nearby broward county, hundreds of school bus drivers received traffic tickets while driving school buses but continued to drive, one even on a suspended license. safety experts say it's ultimately up to bus company managers to police bad driving. >> if there's

bad habits that are out there, they need to be addressed and it needs to be done quickly. >> reporter: but that was not happening in dallas. nbc news discovered the agency that runs the buses never disciplined a single driver caught in those red light camera videos. instead, the agency spent $80,000 of taxpayer money to pay the tickets and the drivers walk away with no punishment, until we flagged it. statistically school buses are still the safest way for kids to get to school, but the chattanooga crash and these images are a wake-up call for swift punishment if drivers are reckless. scott freedman, nbc news, dallas. and we're back in a moment with a milestone for one of the most famous baby

if you were one of the 17 million people who took part in that ice bucket challenge craze two years ago, you're now a part of

adding the original bucket, the one that started it all to a new philanthropy exhibit, giving in america. it raised more than a hundred million dollars for the als association. two weeks after the death of legendary musician leonard cohen, some good news. one of his hits finally stands among the country's most popular. the original version of his 1984 ballad, hallelujah jumped to number 89 on the latest hot it was downloaded 33,000 times last week alone. and the original gerber baby turned 94 this week. she was four monthsing on when a family friend sketched that portrait now known all around the world. gerber liked it just the way it was. these days ann turner is a retired english teacher and novelist in florida. boy, they grow up fast, don't they? when we come back,

biggest over-achievers receiving highest

finally tonight, a who's who at the white house as president obama blew past the record for most medals of freedom awarded by a president. 114 in all over eight years, the highest civilian honor for some of the best and broitest this country it's safe to say the final class of the obama years did not disappoint. it was an extraordinary gathering that even before the ceremony made for some remarkable images, including the obligatory mannequin pose that soared across social media. president obama hosting and celebrating the 21 distinguished americans who each has left an indelible mark on the nation's fabric. >> extraordinary americans who have lifted our spirits,

towards progress. >> receiving the prestigious medal of freedom honor, giants of sport, including kareem abdul-jabbar, and michael jordan. >> renowned character actors like the guy from "space jam." >> reporter: legends of the screen, redford, hanks, and de niro. >> the sicilian father turned new york mobste casino. a mobster who needs therapy. >> reporter: actress cicely tyson. >> once he got her education and broke into the business, slee made a conscious decision not just to say lines, but to speak out. >> reporter: and for those wondering about this tweet, ellen degeneres did make it into the white house where the president praised her as a trail blazer.

on the most public of stages almost 20 years ago. >> reporter: there were musical icons, diana ross and bruce springsteen. >> i am the president, he is the boss. >> reporter: for all of them, the honor started with a phone call like this from the white house. >> oh, my gosh, no. >> yes, so you -- >> are you sure? just an old baseball announcer. >> reporter: but today, vin scully, that little old baseballnn an exclusive club. >> i think, as human beings, we each looked at each other and thought, we've really been fortunate. i know i did, for sure. >> as we noted, this is the last time president obama will award medals of freedom, and it was apparent he relished the moment. that's going to do it for us on a tuesday night. i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, thank you for

tens of millions are head for plane, trains and automobiles today on what's one of the busiest travel days ayear. >> the president-elect is sure to have almost two completely different platforms when comes to key issues that won the election. stocks soared new highs for the dow and s&p. and president obama honors 21 extraordinary americans, we have behind the scene details. "early today" starts right now. >> good morning. this morning, donald trump is

resort. it comes as he reverses course on key campaign promises while continuing to fill his cabinet. this morning the curry reports that south carolina governor nikki haley has been picked to be u.n.'s ambassador. we have word that dr. ben carson, one-time 2016 candidate has been offered the secretary housing urban and development post. mitt romney emerged as a top contender for secretary of state. it's a big news trump sit down turning head. after he backed off major campaign pledges, on the record and key among them, not prosecuting hillary clinton. he's what he said back on the campaign trail. >> hillary clinton should have been prosecuted and she should right now be in jail. >> lock her up! lock her up! >> that was then.

something i don't feel very strongly about saying he doesn't want to hurt the clinton, adding she went through a lot an suffered greatly in many different ways. trump's campaign manager kelly anne conway backed up trump's position saying this to nbc's chris matthews. >> he says it was a vicious primary, a vicious campaign. he thinks she and the clinton versus suffered enough. he just wants to unite the country and move forward not bawa site is blaring the title, broken promise, while the judicial watch says backing off clinton it would be a quote betrayal of the american people to drain the of out of control corruption in d.c.. during the campaign, he agree tacked the paris accord, signed by nearly every nation in the

that our companies can compete. >> now, trump says, he has a quote open mind about the deal, adding that when it comes to global warming, quote, i think there is some connectivity between human activity and climate change. the president-elect condemned and disavowed the recent gathering of alt right member itself when the conservative ties with white nationalism brought shock to many members making taz trump says it's not a group i want to energize and if they are energized i want to look into it and find out why. we are now looking the trump foundation if a new tax filing admit to violating irs rules, when it comes to trump's conflict of interest. the president-elect tells the "time's question" the law is on my side t. president can't have a conflict of interest rnltsz

after monday's deadly bus crash that killed five children. five are still hospitaled, six are still in critical condition. the church released ploons in -- balloons in honor of those lives lost. >> reporter: the driver of that bus johnthoney walker has been charged with reckless well over the speed limit on a narrow windy road when he lost control of the bus. nbc news learned that walker had his license suspended in 2014 for 25 days for failure to show insurance and he was involved in another minor school bus accident just two months ago, no one was injured. among those killed nine-year-old zoe nash, her younger brother 8-year-old zachariah was on the

intensive care. >> it's so tragic for so many families. >> that bus carrying 37 students was not equipped with seatbelts. the ntsb expects the on-scene investigation to last seven-to-ten days. they have one key witness driving behind the bus. they are asking for any other witnesses to come forward. there is good news in the fight against syria, a new airstrike killed a senior leader last week. according to a newta announcement. zplp hamaj's removal represents another blow to al qaeda in syria and shows u.s. continuation to pose a threat to the u.s., our allies and interests. >> he originally joined al qaeda and later mooed to a syrian affiliate. he had ties to terrorist groups throughout southwest asia. getting ready for a big day

thanksgiving, now it's time to face one of the biggest travel days of the year. let's check in with meteorologist bill karins, how are we looking across the country, bill? >> it's a storm, i don't think it's a horrible storm. i don't think we have crazy delays out there. this is what the delays look. as far as airports go the areas of red, minneapolis, o'hare, detroit, possibly even seattle and port land a little later on today, light rain, p visibility. as far as the highways go and the road, interstate 94, interstate-80 will have some issue itself. in the west, most will be later today into this evening. as far as the interstate go, driving wise, there will be rain, low visibility. not icy from chicago to nashville. we will find areas of the most, too, tomorrow if you travel early on thanksgiving day, some of those light showers will be

in the west, we will be dealing with more rain. i think travel thanksgiving day looks a lot easier than what people deal with today. here's a closer look at your day ahead. for today, you have a little wintry weather still left over. be careful driving in minnesota and northern wisconsin today. still a little coating of ice on the ground. thankfully no tornado yesterday or overnight. thunderstorms today into louisiana. and, of course, we got macy's parade forecast coming up. and black friday forecast. >> there is that to look past thanksgiving. bill, thank you very much. 21 of the innovators were celebrated by president obama if his final med am of freedom ceremony, awarding them with the nation's highest civilian honor, michael jordan, bruce springsteen, a star-studded class of honorees even the president admitted may be the best ever.