on the broadcast tonight, states of emergency with a ferocious system on the move, the coldest temperatures north-to-south in years. tonight, relentless snow and ice and a new disaster on the tracks. targeting christians. mass executions and new threats tonight as a new front opens in the war with isis. also, a sea of humanity fighting back tonight. a powerful message as europe reels from new terror attacks. pain relief. with a procedure now skyrocketing in popularity among 40-somethings. and, live from new york, an anniversary party for the ages. "nightly news" begins now. from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news."

reporting tonight, lester holt. good evening and welcome on this president's day. the misery of this exceptionally brutal winter is being felt across a much wider section of the country tonight including the south. while boston desperately looks for somewhere to put the remains of its fourth major snowstorm in two weeks, another storm is dumping snow and crippling travel across a huge area from kentucky to washington, d.c., with tennessee facing dangerous ice. right now 20 states are under winter weather warnings or on top of it all arctic cold extending well into the south with sub zero lows in some parts. once again our team is in place. miguel almaguer is along the icy waters on boston tonight, miguel. >> reporter: lester, good evening. we're on a coast guard cutter tonight. a 65-foot battering ram used to clear ice from critical shipping lanes. the eight men that work on this vessel do so in frigid conditions. but tonight so much of this region feels like an icebox.

today when millions woke up across new england, the view wasn't pretty. a region buried in snow is now crippled in ice. >> it's unbearable right now. >> reporter: the windchill dipping double digits below zero across much of the northeast. the arctic blast setting record lows from maine to new york. in boston where it felt like negative 26. >> it's incredibly cold. you can barely see over the mountains of snow. >> reporter: insult to injury. nearly 100 inches of snow in just three weeks. residents digging out any way they can as fast as they can. >> dug a tunnel to get the snow blower out and worked our way out. >> reporter: mass transit is crippled. trains running on limited service. what isn't moving is f >> as boston digs out, i ask everyone please still continue to remain patient and calm. >> reporter: wind-whipped waves battered the coast of massachusetts. ice and water everywhere. in plymouth, rare thunder snow. >> oh, yes! yes! we got it --

>> reporter: the weather channel's jim cantore in the middle of it all. >> oh, again! >> reporter: 150 miles offshore a life or death rescue for the coast guard. a father and son plucked to safety. this afternoon we were aboard the pendant, a coast guard ice breaker plowing through the boston harbor. >> this is unprecedented back here. this ice is so thick it's actually stopping the ship. >> reporter: thick ice and heavy snow causing roofs to buckle. this one gave way at an apartment complex in new hampshire. in philly, firefighters battled fire and ice dousing flames as they dodged icicles. on the roads black ice was deadly. at least six killed over the weekend. today, more spinouts and wipeouts. now with the cold settling in even more snow is on the way. >> enough. no more. surrender the snow. >> reporter: tomorrow, another blast.

another frigid day. more snow means more ice on these waterways. believe it or not the guys that work this vessel say after they clear a shipping lane like this, within an hour it freezes right back over. they call this one of the coldest places to be in all of massachusetts. and, lester, tonight it certainly feels like it. lester. >> all right, miguel, thank you. as we said the misery from all this extends well into the south where there are several states of emergency tonight as snow, ice and freezing rain makes for some very treacherous conditions. nbc's gabe gutierrez has the latest on that end of the weather story tonight from louisville. >> reporter: punishing snow, brutal wind and dangerous ice brought much of the south to standstill today. the largest snowfall in recent memory hit kentucky. >> people are not used to the snow here. and they don't know how to drive in the snow. >> reporter: causing widespread crashes, vehicles swerving out of control and trucks overturning. police rescuing more than 150 stranded drivers. >> it's hitting the whole state,

so it's all hands on deck. >> reporter: how does this snowstorm compare to other winters? >> this is the most accumulation we've had in one event in almost ten years. >> reporter: this mass stretches across 20 states and knocked out power to tens of thousands of people. >> too cold. for the south. >> reporter: from virginia to arkansas, a snowy, icy mess. blinding making travel treacherous. several governors have declared states of emergency. the national weather service warning the potential for a crippling ice storm is increasing as the storm moves east. >> everybody needs to take this weather event very seriously. >> reporter: the president's day holiday easing what could have been an even more dicey morning commute. throughout the country more than 1,800 flight cancellations. in nashville they prepared for snow, and they're battling thick ice. in chicago temperatures hovered in the single digits. >> you have to watch out for ice. never look up when you walk. everything's looking down. >> reporter: and south of the

windy city crews desperately search for a vehicle that may have crashed in the frigid river. back in louisville, four-wheel drive is in high demand. >> on my way here i helped push six people up a hill that probably shouldn't have been out. >> reporter: as tonight much of the south is on ice. here in louisville the snow is beginning to taper off as the storm moves east, but the bone-chilling temperatures will remain. it will be a long night for crews trying to treat roads here. when it gets to be this cold, even all this salt can only go so far. lester. >> all right, gabe, thanks. with 73 million americans now under some sort of winter weather advisory or warning, let's go back to boston where we find meteorologist dylan dreyer. dylan, is there any relief in sight here? >> reporter: unfortunately, lester, no. as soon as the snow and ice exit, the arctic air is going to surge in. we've had a lot of snow back through kentucky and back through nashville we saw the worst ice storm they have seen

in 20 years. that's going to move into the carolinas overnight. to the north we're looking at all snow. it's a quick-mover and it should exit the coast by the time we go into late morning and early afternoon on tuesday. as for snow we could see as much as a foot of snow down near richmond, virginia. and further north we're looking at the biggest snowstorm washington, d.c. has seen this season. we could end up with nine inches of snow. boston looking at another of inches. ice will be a major concern through raleigh. we could see as much as half an inch of ice crippling the roads and power lines. and after that it's all about the arctic cold. by thursday morning, lester, in raleigh they'll bottom out at one degree. add that to the ice and that's going to make problems. >> dylan, thank you. let's pivot to a disaster unfolding in snow bound west virginia. a train carrying more than 100 tankers of crude oil derailed and caused a massive explosion, leaking into a river and prompting evacuations.

nbc's tom costello has late details from washington. >> this happened 1:30 this afternoon when a csx train car went off the tracks in fayette county near mt. carbon, causing a massive explosion that destroyed a nearby home. we're told one person was injured, nobody killed. tonight, about 200 people have been evacuated. the biggest concern is that tanker car is leaking oil into the kanawa river. water treatment facilities downstream have shut their intake valves and residents are being told don't drink the water for now. meanwhile heavy snow tonight is slowing the response. but again, one injured, nobody dead. the concern is really water quality. lester. >> amazing sight. tom, thanks. turns overseas where isis turned its wave of terror to a new front, libya. releasing a chilling video of christians executed in a mass beheading. and now isis is threatening to go even further. we get more from our chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell. >> reporter: 21 egyptian coptic christians being paraded along

the tripoli waterfront before being beheaded by isis in libya, even as the terror group threatened to kill more egyptians in libya. among thousands of egyptian migrants unable to find jobs at home. egypt scrambled f-16s to retaliate. it set isis targets in libya, the first time it's taken military action against the terror group. back home in their impoverished village, calling isis bumpers, monster. and the horror galvanized protesters in cairo as italy, the last western power in tripoli evacuated its citizens. and pope francis mourned the latest victims. he said their only words were jesus, help me. they were killed simply for the fact they were christians. but in libya now gripped by civil war, isis is taking root. >> there's only one message that comes from them, which is convert to our ways, do things our ways or we're going to kill you.

>> reporter: the threat has been growing rapidly. three weeks ago isis attacked a tripoli hotel killing ten including an american contractor. last summer, the u.s. evacuated the american embassy. taking over the ambassador's residence. and 2012 benghazi attack killing four americans including ambassador chris stevens. a rapid dissent from the nato victory after the opposing moammar gadhafi in 2011. tonight, experts warn isis will continue to thrive in countries like libya and syria, torn by civil wars. and that air strikes alone will not root them out. lester. >> andrea mitchell, thank you. in denmark tonight two men are under arrest suspected of aiding the gunmen in a pair of deadly terrorist shootings over the weekend. we're learning more about that man who carried out the worst terrorist violence in that country in decades. nbc's keir simmons has our report tonight from copenhagen. >> reporter: thousands rallied in copenhagen tonight.

coming together after a weekend of violence. the city's mayor was embraced by the mayor of paris, where attacks last month killed 17. the u.s. ambassador, a boston native, visited the cafe where supporters of free speech had gathered saturday. an audio recording captures the moment of the attack. [ gunfire ] more than 30 shots leaving one man dead. >> i could hear arabic and the shout. >> reporter: hours later the gunmen attacked a synagogue killing a security guard before being gunned down by police early sunday. >> denmark was hit by terrorism. >> reporter: the shooter is said to be this man, abdel el hussein, reportedly released from prison two weeks ago. tonight, the jewish community here is defiant. >> we wanted to change our way of life, and we will not give

them that triumph. >> reporter: but anti-semitism in europe is on the rise. this weekend a jewish cemetery in france was desecrated. israel's prime minister netanyahu has called on european jews to immigrate to israel. european leaders oppose that. and in copenhagen grief and anger are tempered by tolerance. >> we have to not to be mad at every muslim because that's very important. >> reporter: and, lester, those two alleged accomplices appeared in court today charged with helping the gunmen hide the weapon after the attacks. officials here will be investigating whether the gunmen had links to jihadi groups. amid reports he had pledged allegiance to isis before the attacks. lester. >> keir simmons in thanks. trial resumed for the man accused of killing american sniper chris kyle. the jury has listened to witnesses describe the

defendant's confession from the stand. today they hea words. here's jacob rascon in stephenville, texas. >> reporter: for several minutes eddie ray routh doesn't move. the jury hears the nearly hour-long recording the media ordered not to broadcast to audio. he doesn't answer directly rambling about flying pigs and people feeding on his soul. but then he confesses he shot chris kyle first saying if i did not take out his soul, he was coming to take mine next." routh describes the guns he used, admits to stealing kyle's truck and trying to escape. at least three times the investigator asks routh as he understands that what he did was wrong. right, routh answers. yes, sir, he says later. at one point routh interrupts the interview to ask about his parents saying "i'd like to see them, at least hug my mom one last time, you know." and finally, routh apologizes saying "i'm just sorry for what i've done, you know.

and we can work this out." and "i guess i need to be doing more thanking in this town than hurting people." during cross-examination the defense established the ranger who conducted the interview did not know routh had been diagnosed as psychotic, released from a medical center only eight days before the crime. routh has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. we expect to hear from mental health experts later in the week. lester. >> all right, jacob, thank you. still ahead here tonight, seeking pain relief. the procedure more and more americans are choosing to undergo many of them at a younger age than ever expected. also, a night of a thousand stars, or at least it felt that way. we'll take you on a visit to where all the "snl" magic happens. tomorrow is possibility. and the power to unlock it resides in a box behold the biscuit. nutrients packed in a dense bundle of farm-grown grain and capped with pure deliciousness.

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the procedure is a costly one both in terms of money and how long it takes to recover, but for many people there is no other option besides a hip replacement. increasingly younger people who thought the ordeal would be years in their future are facing it right now. anne thompson tells us more. >> reporter: on a bitterly cold day outside cleveland, 48-year-old janet mizzola is playing paddle tennis, something hip pain made impossible just a year ago. >> i was having a hard time walking around without a limp and difficult time sleeping. >> reporter: the active mother of three underwent a total hip replacement. once a surgery for seniors, it's

increasingly common for middle-aged americans. in a new repor disease control says total hip replacements for those 45 and over more than doubled in a decade jumping from 138,000 to almost 311,000. the biggest increase came in the 55 to 64 group where the number nearly tripled. how long can a patient expect an implant to last? >> what i generally tell patients to expect is that th% chance that the hip we put in today is still going to be functioning well for them in 20 years. >> reporter: the average cost for this procedure is just over $30,000, according to blue cross blue shield. but prices can vary widely, from as little as $11,000 in birmingham, alabama, to almost $74,000 in boston. yet there's more to this decision than price. experts suggest two other numbers to keep in mind. you want a doctor who does more than 50 hip replacements a year and a hospital that performs

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♪ it's my party and i cry if i want to, cry if i want to ♪ ♪ you would cry too if it happened to you ♪t with that massive hit about teenage angst in the spring of 1963. lesley gore has died. she died of cancer here in new york. lesley gore was 68 years old. it's true that adults tend to lose a bit of height as we get older. seems that goes for our landmarks as well. surveyors announced a new measurement today for the washington monument. it's nearly ten inches shorter than when the monument was

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welcome back.. we thought before we go tonight we'd bring you up to the eighth floor here at 30 rock where an estimated 20 million people witnessed television history last night. beyond those doors the legendary studio 8h home to "saturday night live." last night they celebrated their 40th anniversary. along this hallway pictures of the various casts throughout the years. from among these folks would emerge some of the biggest names in comedy. last night they came home along with a star-studded list of celebrity guest hosts to celebrate a show that has spanned the generations and kept us laughing. >> live from new york it's saturday night! >> it was an unprecedented night.

>> from comedians to actors to alec. >> giants from every corner of the entertainment world on stage and in the audience. >> larry davis. hey! how you doing? >> good evening. i'm jane curtain. >> i'm tina fey. >> and i'm amy poehler. >> classic skits re-imagined. >> dear rosanne. ♪ how'd you get so funky ♪ >> it created stars of unknowns. >> here's the one and only, eddie murphy. >> so happy to be back here in just a magical feeling. >> and made established performers want a piece of it. ♪

>> and for 40 years "saturday night live" is still bringing down the house. >> good night and have a pleasant tomorrow. >> good night. and have a pleasant tomorrow. ♪ >> "saturday night live" at 40, land shark and all. our congratulations to all our friends at "snl" on a television milestone. that's going to do it for us on a monday night. i'm lester holt. thanks for watching. for all of us at nbc news, good night.

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