on the broadcast tonight -- storm warning. 68 million americans in the path. a massive system on the move tonight from west to east and a wild weekend ahead during one of the busiest travel times of the year. deadline surprise. with just days to go, the white house makes a big change to the health care law and it affects a lot of americans.

damage control. late word from target tonight. what the company is doing after a massive data breach that has millions of customers on edge. and making a difference. the image of a young boy that moved so many people. now a young man inspiring others and paying it forward. "nightly news" begins now. good evening. i'm lester holt sitting in tonight for brian. on this friday before christmas, millions of americans are onhe move. tonight it looks like a lot of grand holiday plans are running smack into the teethf a big winter storm cutting its way across the country. from freezing rain and snow in the mid section, a tornado threat in the south to floods and ice storms into new england,

some 68 million americans could be impacted on this critical travel weekend. we are already seeing some of the impact tonight. chicago's o'hare airport is experiencing more than 750 delays today. that's where we begin tonight with nbc's john yang. john? >> reporter: good evening, lester. it has been a messy day here at o'hare with 95 million americans expected to hit the road this holiday weekend. the travel rush and the impact of the weather are just beginning. in topeka, kansas, and several other states today, roadways turned dangerous as light drizzle quickly changed to ice. in washington state, a ten-car pileup. the massive storm covers at least 35 states and carries with it a little bit of everything -- heavy snow from oklahoma to wisconsin, as much as ten inches predicted through sunday. possible tornadoes with the highest risk tomorrow from texas to tennessee. flash flood watches across 11 states from texas to new york. ice storm warnings in parts of northern new england, even as

record warmth is forecast elsewhere for sunday. as high as 80 in south carolina and 70 as far north as new york. >> what really worries me tornado-wise about this situation is, one, people don't usually expect tornadoes in december. two, they are going to be, in some cases, farther north than people expect them. >> reporter: it all adds up to potential travel misery from coast to coast. >> temperatures will be falling. >> possibly a couple of thunderstorms as the front makes it through the area. >> the bridges, overpasses, power lines, going to hang a lot of ice up there. >> reporter: already today flights leaving denver had to wait for de-icing before taking off a. 15 inches of fresh snow in flagstaff, arizona. in chicago, just getting to o'hare was a challenge. >> it did take a while to get here because of the rain. >> reporter: in wisconsin, a green bay packers tradition. about 600 fans shoveling out lambeau field for ten bucks an hour. here at o'hare, they are bracing for a messy weekend -- a mix of

rain, snow and freezing rain. lester? >> thanks, john. janice joins us tonight from the weather center. how is this going to play out? >> the timing couldn't be worse for travellers with this being right before christmas. the storm is just getting going in west texas with heavy rain moving into central oklahoma. they have ice storm warnings for central oklahoma tonight and tomorrow. could see as much as a half inch of ice there. in the meantime, here is the tracking and the timing of everything. thunderstorms will start to break out around midnight saturday west of dallas. heavy rain will start spreading into the ohio valley, parts of southern illinois. all the ice will spread from oklahoma into central sections of missouri as well. then we'll see thunderstorms setting up early saturday morning west of memphis moving eastward into tennessee, parts of alabama. this is where we could see tornadoes on saturday evening

pushing to atlanta on sunday evening. meanwhile snow from chicago to the great lakes and the ice storm across northern new england with record high temperatures on sunday around new york city close to 70 degrees. lester, back to you. >> janice, thanks. now to the late word from retail giant target after a massive data breach that exposed up to 40 million customers to identity theft. tonight the first lawsuit has been filed. target's ceo is apologizing and the company is in full damage control mode, assuring shoppers they won't be held responsible for any fraud. working to woo back customers who are understandably on edge. we get our report tonight from nbc's stephanie gosk. >> reporter: tonight target is offering a 10% discount to customers. but it may not be enough for angry, frustrated shoppers who aren't mincing words on the retailer's facebook page. one writes, thanks for failing us, target. others say they can't get through on the phone to cancel their target issued credit card known as red cards.

this is about the worst customer service i have ever seen. completely ridiculous. target said it will increase capacity online and in call centers. while more customers are finding suspicious charges. >> they were all way more than i would spend in one go. over $60, $80, $90 and a couple were declined. >> reporter: there are signs of trouble among loyal shoppers. >> i shop at target almost daily. >> reporter: target expresses regret for the inconvenience and steps are beg taken to help prevent incidents of this kind in the future. >> the clock is ticking. every second counts in terms of people going into their stores. having people not trust your store enough to spend that money will not bode well for the retailer. >> reporter: financial experts point out that the latest data breach is really a wake-up call for everyone. here are tips for people who believe they are victims of fraud. cancel your card or change your account number.

if you think your identity may have been stolen, put a freeze on your credit report so no one can open a fraudulent account. remember, credit cards are safer, but if you have to use that debit card choose the credit option instead of the debit option. avoid using the four-digit pin. cash is the safest. but credit and debit cards are here to stay. consumers, banks and stores will all have to find better ways to protect them. stephanie gosk, nbc news, new york. >> you can include president obama in the millions of americans getting away tonight for their holiday vacation. the first family is heading for hawaii. before he left the president held his last news conference of the year. a long one to close the book on a tough year. political director and chief white house correspondent chuck todd was there. he joins us tonight from the white house. hey, chuck. >> reporter: hey, lester. from the first words he uttered it was clear the president wasn't just looking forward to the hawaii vacation but getting this entire year in the

rear-view mirror. he was peppered with questions about low poll numbers and was asked if he believed this was the worst year of his presidency. there were questions he deflected. instead he tried to sell the idea that 2014 will be a better year for him, the country, and the economy in particular. he did hint he was going to reform how the nsa gathers phone and internet data but he didn't announce anything official. his most substantive answers were on health care. he called the website roll out his biggest mistake of the year but defended the changes his administration continues to make arguing they do not under mine the credibility of the law. bottom line, and we can all relate to this, the president had that "it's my last day before vacation, and i can't wait to leave" demean nor about him. >> we all get that. about the latest change, the one that affects people who receive cancellation notices, nbc's kristen welker explains how it works and why there is pushback. >> reporter: the latest last-minute change by the obama administration -- millions of

americans who got cancellation notices if their insurance companies now have the option to buy cheap, bare bones policies and could opt out of coverage all together without penalty. >> you could argue you may as well have delayed the mandate. >> that's not true. we are talking about a specific population that received cancellation notices from insurance companies. >> reporter: that population? an estimated 3.5 million people, some who were forced to buy more expensive plans because their policies didn't comply with the new law. now those with cancelled plans can apply for a hardship exemptions and get catastrophic coverage. that's a basic plan which was originally only available to people under 30 and those with serious financial hardship. today, backlash from the insurance companies. >> by allowing these people to be able to purchase coverage that's separate from the marketplace or opt out all together could result in higher costs for consumers purchasing

coverage. >> reporter: there was confusion at a sign-in center in silver springs, maryland, where workers scrambled to make sense of the latest change. >> it can be challenging as different parts of the law change on a weekly basis or sometimes on a daily basis. >> reporter: the white house says it has beefed up staff at call-in centers to help people navigate the system. there are now 12,000 trained representatives at 17 sites. still, the rocky health care rollout pushed the president's disapproval rating to its highest point ever. today he attempted to turn the page. >> when you try to do something this big affecting this many people, it's going to be hard. >> reporter: now on wednesday a group of democratic senators who were also facing political pressure because of the rocky rollout of the health care law urged the president to make this change. it only took him one day to comply. mr. obama announced today more

than a million people have now enrolled through the exchanges. lester? >> kristen welker at the white house, thank you. overseas to london where all 52 of the aging theaters got inspections today after a ceiling collapsed at the apollo theater last night. these pictures were taken by a theater goer. you can see plaster and planks of wood and the mayhem as people ran for the exits. 70 people were injured. authoritieses found no other problems at other theaters. in syria we have been reminded of the horrors of a nearly 3-year-old civil war with. chemical weapons, barrel bombs, a growing refugee crisis. tonight our correspondent in damascus tells us there is another deadly consequence of the war -- starvation. we should tell you it's hard to

watch. [ screaming ] >> reporter: starving children, images from the suburbs of damascus under siege, sending a desperate message. they are hungry for any meal. thirsty for clean water. in this nehoodighbor11 women and children reportedly died of hunger in one month. this activist lives here. >> this is one of the main streets. the assad shelling and bombardment didn't leave anything. we have over 8,000 civilians left living. >> reporter: in another suburb where hundreds died in a chemical attack last august, people are cut off and face hunger so bad they use rotten seeds to make bread. >> the assad regime is using starvation as a weapon of war. this is something much, much worse than sarin and using chemical weapons. >> reporter: this mother says

there is not enough food for her child. no sugar, no rice, nothing. an estimated quarter million of civilians are going hungry on both sides. communities in northern syria have been cut off by armed rebels. >> trying to persuade the government and the opposition groups to allow us to go where the needs are. so far we have not been able to. >> reporter: they are desperate for bread. just miles away we saw bakeries filled with bread. markets full of fresh produce. controlled by president assad in this part of damascus, families are struggling. everything is more expensive. but at least they have food. in the suburbs under siege, people make the most of the little they have using a bike to recharge batteries, relying on firewood for heat. as the fighting drags on, leaving the innocent trapped, hungry, just trying to survive. keir simmons, nbc news, damascus.

still ahead tonight, the countdown to a high stakes, high risk mission in space. up next, the underground mystery that's baffled a big american city. a lot of folks wondering what lies beneath. you're talking to the guy who hasn't approved a new stapler purchase in three years. but then i saw the new windows tablet, with a real keyboard, usb port, and full office. it's a tablet that works for work. plus, it's got apps and games, for after hours, of course. compared to an ipad -- way more value. these tablets are such a steal; i couldn't find a reason not to buy them. ♪ honestly, i wanna see you be brave ♪ [ male announcer ] when you feel good, no one is immune. emergen-c has more vitamin c than 10 oranges plus other antioxidants and electrolytes to help you come down with a serious case of healthy. emergen-c. making healthy contagious.

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upper belly pain, dark urine, or yellowing of skin or eyes. these could be signs of rare but serious side effects. crestor! yes! [ female announcer ] ask your doctor about crestor. if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. there is something weird going on underground in one of america's big cities. underneath the streets of seattle something is standing in the way of progress, but what is it? nbc's joe fryer has our report. >> reporter: in a city known for a giant needle that stretches toward space, everyone is now talking about a massive machine stuck beneath the ground. >> the fact that so many people are focused on something under the streets is fascinating. >> reporter: they call her bertha, measuring 57 feet in dimester she's boring a tunnel through seattle to replace an aging road along the waterfront. 1,000 feet into the 9,000 feet

journey, bertha came to a grinding halt. >> we are puzzled about what's preventing us from moving forward. >> reporter: there is speculation about what stopped bertha from boring. >> it could be jimmy hoffa, sasquatch. >> spaceships? >> ancient egyptians. >> reporter: it brings us to the museum of history. >> the answer might be in this very room. >> reporter: historian lorraine mcconnachey takes us back to the roots in the mid 1800s. >> where bertha is now was water. >> reporter: today it's buried by layers of fill leaving some to worry if the roadblock comes from the past. >> it could be a loek motive, a steam engine, a boiler. we really don't know what's under there. >> reporter: the process is under way to figure out what is down there. but getting there won't be easy. in fact, it could take weeks to solve the problem.

they are digging wells to reduce pressure around bertha so it is safe for crews to explore. odds favor a natural blockage like a glacial boulder. >> once we get down there, if it is a boulder we've got equipment, the tools to break it up manually. >> reporter: for historians captivated by the mystery bertha's lesson might be that sometimes you have to look back before moving forward. joe fryer, nbc news, seattle. we are back in a moment with an emotional homecoming today and answers for one family after so long. turn to roc® retinol correxion®. one week, fine lines appear to fade. one month, deep wrinkles look smoother. after one year, skin looks ageless. high performance skincare™ only from roc®. take skincare to the next level with new roc® multi correxion® 5 in 1, proven to hydrate dryness, illuminate dullness,

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nothing provides more powerful cough relief. robitussin. don't suffer the coughequences. astronauts on board the international space station are tonight making last-minute preparations for an urgent space walk to repair a broken cool pump tomorrow morning while space walks seem routine, this one is getting a lot of attention because the last time an astronaut walked in space, last july, he nearly drowned

when his helmet filled with water. as a precaution nasa equipped both space suits with a water absorbent pad and a snorkel in the event of an emergency. the astronaut would breathe into the snorkel until they get back into the station. we'll have coverage tomorrow morning on "today." there was an emotional scene this morning on the tarmac at los angeles international airport. a reminder that the emotional wounds of war last a lifetime for families of those killed or in this case missing for 63 years. sergeant first class joseph gantz served in world war ii and went to fight in the korean war where he was taken prisoner by north korean forces in 1950. he died as a prisoner of war a year later. his family never knew what happened. his wife clara, now 94, never remarried, never giving up hope she would one day see him again. his body was recently returned to the u.s. and his remains

identified. today she was there, weeping over his flag-draped casket as he finally came home. >> i'm so happy. it's a closure. he's coming home. i am very, very proud of him. he was a wonderful husband. understanding man. he always loved his wife. he was always taking care of his wife. we loved each other. and that made our marriage complete. >> clara today remembering her husband joseph, finally home after 63 years. we are back in a moment. after 63 years. we are back in a moment. [ grunts softly ]

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it matters. ♪ finally tonight finally tonight a story about an image you may recall. it's a photograph shot in 2007 that seemed to vividly capture the emotion of a child who lost a military father to the war in iraq. today that child is a young man who is drawing on his own experience to make a difference for other kids this holiday season. here is our national correspondent kate snow. >> reporter: he was only 8 years old when this famous photo was taken. christian received the flag from

his father mark's casket. his mother heather by his side, comforting him. that little boy with the trembling lip is 15 now, a high school sophomore who loves lacrosse. >> now that i'm older i really understand not having a dad -- like the impact that has. a lot of the time during lacrosse games i can look over and see everyone else's dad and my mom just next to them. it's always a reminder there that i don't have him. >> reporter: the holidays are particularly tough for christian and his mother. >> you find a new normal, new traditions, ways to get through the holidays. >> reporter: so this is their tradition now -- picking out the perfect present for other military children. like connor and cooper bunting, whose father bubba was killed in

afghanistan. >> it was neat to see my kids light up and be happy to get this package full of stuff. it wasn't even christmas yet. >> reporter: christian chose pint-sized lacrosse sticks for the boys. >> christian seems like a remarkable teenager to want to give to other families is so special. that's not something a lot of teenagers are thinking about these days. >> reporter: christian is passing on the kindness he received when a family friend, so moved by his photo, sent christian a gift. that gesture boomed into this -- a group called a soldier's child which gives gifts to children of service members around the holidays and on their birthdays. >> thank you! >> reporter: christian says giving to others helps him heal. >> i hope they feel like i did the first year when i got it -- just really nice inside. the thought of knowing that someone else is thinking about you over the holidays. >> people helped us when we didn't even know we needed help yet. it's always been important to us to pay it forward. and that's just become part of his life. >> reporter: it's something his dad lived by, too.

>> christian, i love you. i can't say that enough. >> reporter: he would like what you're doing? >> yeah. >> reporter: he would be proud? >> yeah. he would be smiling. >> reporter: the power of one young man spreading the joy of the season in honor of his father. kate snow, nbc news, maryland. that's our broadcast for this friday night. thanks for being with us. i'm lester holt. i will be with you this weekend. brian will be back on monday night. have a good weekend, everybody. night. have a good weekend, everybody. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com