tom costello, nbc news, washington. and here in iowa, drivers are celebrating the record low gas prices. a gallon was going for a buck-89 yesterday in west des moines. that's nearly 40-cents per gallon less than at this time last year. still ahead on your news at noon. "i just wanted to make sure other kids wouldn't have to lose their friend like i did." this young girl is fighting to end childhood cancer. how she's doing it one hair bow at a time....and the new program shining light on her effort. "i think it would be a good gift "i think it would be a good gift this twelve year old is asking for your help so she can help others. in the season of giving, one 7th grade student is showing she's given a lot this year. here's a look at the accessory she crafts by hand...in honor of her best friend. @55:11 "everyone is really thought through." each hairbow is made with love... @54:26 "these take a little more time to do the sculptures." by anja gjullin. @51:52 "these are some of the smaller ones that you can come in for yea

. >> it was a hot item but nbc's tom costello has more on the many.u may be surprised to learn there's another big restriction. our national parks. >> there may be no better view of the national traerchlt brian's needle nose camera captured a gorgeous day. spectacular waterfalls, kayakers, and wild birds that also landed him in a heap of trouble. >> it was wonderful. >> that's the shadow of a police helicopter forcing his drone down and those are the feet of two park police officers. brian was busted. fined actually. he didn't know it but knackal parks are no-fly zones. grand canyon, zion, smoky mountains. the trouble, drones are disruptive to people and wildlife. >> that can interfere with nesting birds. we had an incident with a drone chasing bighorn sheep and actually separating the adults from the young. >> reporter: these spectacular images from yellow stone national park were also captured by drones. it's the scenery captured by others from around the world. >> i can sit here for hours and just gaze at this. >> nature lovers who come just for th

tom costello, nbc news, washington. and here in iowa, drivers are celebrating the record low gas prices. a gallon was going for a buck-89 yesterday in west des moines. that's nearly 40-cents per gallon less than at this time last year. still ahead on your news at noon. "i just wanted to make sure other kids wouldn't have to lose their friend like i did." this young girl is fighting to end childhood cancer. how she's doing it one hair bow at a time....and the new program shining

nbc's tom costello continues to watch along with us. what do you have, tom? >> our justice producer mike issued. lookout. that goes to law enforcement agencies throughout the region. looking for a black suv, possibly a yukon. authorities. a bolo has been issue for a black suv, possibly a yukon in that general vicinity. we do not know how many suspects may be in that vehicle, but that at the moment appears to be what police are looking for and as we mentioned earlier, neighboring l.a. county and the l.a. county counterterrorism unit both now have been stood up and are standing by and looking for this generally, when these bolos go out and anybody who has ever listened to a scanner or anybody who has ever worked in a newsroom knows that very often you'll hear an alert go out over the radio in which dispatch will say attention all cars, prepare to copy information on a bolo. be on the look out. in this case, in san bernardino. they would proceed to give that information to all the officers listening on the radio at the same time it's transmitted over the compute

nbc's tom costello continues to watch along with us. what do you have, tom? >> our justice producer mike kosner says a bolo has been issued. that stands for be on the lookout. that goes to law enforcement agencies throughout the region. looking for a black suv, possibly a yukon. that's coming from u.s. federal authorities. a bolo has been issue for a black suv, possibly a yukon in that general vicinity. we do not know how many suspects may be in that vehicle, but that at the moment appears to be what police are looking for and as we mentioned earlier, neighboring l.a. county and the l.a. county counterterrorism unit both now have been stood up and are standing by and looking for this vehicle as well. generally, when these bolos go out and anybody who has ever listened to a scanner or anybody who has ever worked in a newsroom knows that very often you'll hear an alert go out over the radio in which dispatch will say attention all cars, prepare to copy information on a bolo. be on the look out. in this case, in san bernardino. they would proceed to give that in

nbc's tom costello reports. << this morning, the f-a-a is investigating why this passenger plane rolled off a taxi-way in tennessee tuesday night... southwest airlines flight 31 -- originating from houston, texas -- was taxiing to the gate and became stuck in a ditch afterer landing at nashvilil internanaonal airport... taylor kennedy: you know, everything's normal. and then we hear this big pop... photos -- posted on social media -- show one of the plane's emergency slides deployed... a spokesman for southwest tells nbc news, quote: "the 133 passengers and five crewmembers were safely transported into the airport... the safety of our customers and employees remains our primary focus." eight passengers on board d e boeing 737 were transported to a local suffering minor injuries... mostly bumps and bruises according to the nashville fire department. taylor kennedy: it was scary, it was really scary, but we were on the ground. tuesday's incident comes just days after another southwest flight made an emergency landing in san antonio, texas. that aircraft landed safely after part of the win

here's nbc's tom costello. >> from birth, he was mellow, smiling, always happy. >> reporter: ryeland joseph was only four months old when he was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder. days have a risky bone marrow transplant and a weakened immune system, he took an unexpected turn. >> we talked to one of the doctors. >> i asked her, is he going to die? she said yes. >> reporter: ryeland died on may 16th, 2013, but he didn't die from the transplant or his rare genetic disorder. legionnaires' disease he contracted in his own hospital room, most likely from inhaling microscopic water droplets released in the share. the bacteria thrives in warm water environments like cooling towers and large plumbing systems, but the hospital in san francisco hadn't tested for it. >> i was angry like i've never been angry in my life. i mean had they tested for it, my son might still be here. >> reporter: ben offchildren's hospital tells nbc news it took immediate steps after ryeland's dealt including filters, adding tankless water in possible but it's not just hospitals. in the last year, legionella ha

nbc's tom costello has details. >> reporter: and they're off. 91 million americans hitting the road for the holidays. in six years, gas is now under $2 a gallon. so if your college kid is driving home from syracuse university to providence, the 300-mile trip will cost 23.88 in fuel. a savings of nearly $15 from two years ago before gas started falling. driving 500 miles home from the university of michigan in ann arbor to st. louis, roughly $25 cheaper than two years ago. >> on an inflation-adjusted basis, we're looking at the cheapest gas prices since the early 1970s. >> in july 2008 the gas prices hit the highest, $4.10 a gallon. now under $2 a gallon, it is cheaper than a gallon of milk at $3.34. and a small starbucks coffee at $2.15. bargains at the pump are transferring into car sales. more than 17 million expected this year. a whopping 55% of them light trucks and suvs. this new suv only gets 20 miles to the gallon in the city. but with gas prices so cheap, many customers suddenly a lot more affordable to drive. >> that is what brought orlando rodriguez to look at trucks at a ford

tom costello tonight with what many hover board buyers need to know. >> reporter: it happened at a mall kiosk tuesday. a hover board erupting in fire. just the latest involving one of the year's hottest selling gifts. in houston, this family won a hover board at a raffle, only to watch it catch fire the next day. >> i wasn't expecting it to blow up. >> reporter: in alabama it happened while timothy cade was riding his. >> the hover board exploded under my feet. >> reporter: in louisiana an entire house burned down after a hover board fire. another house fire in florida. nationwide, at least six series fires so far this year. hover boards first captured the public's fascination in back to the future. 26 years later, they're flying off store shelves and the internet. prices ranging from $200 to $2,000:. hover boards are made in china, which means they're not regulated. >> you don't know how well they're designed and how well they're going to function. and what safety defects they can be introducing. >> reporter: the biggest fire danger the lithium ion batteries have a history of overheati

tom costello, nbc news, washington. tonight, it saved the life of a little girl dying of leukemia. a revolutionary treatment with the power to change human genes. can it work on other cancers too? >>> and a car spins out of control on a high-speed chase and you can't believe who the wheel. >>> we're back with what could be a huge a treatment that changes the genetic makeup of your cells and turns them into cancer-fighting weapons. it brought one little girl, who was the first child to receive the treatment, back from the brink of death. nbc's rehema ellis has more in our series "target cancer: chasing the cure." >> reporter: emily whitehead is like most fifth graders, full of energy. but this 10-year-old is also a pioneer. we first met her three years ago when she was diagnosed with an acute form of leukemia. the cancer was growing out of control and doctors were out of options. desperate, her parents turned to an experimental treatment that only showed promise in a few adults. >> how sick was she? you were frightened? >> at one point the doctor came in and said you need to tell yo

here's tom costello. >> reporter: there may be no better view of a national treasure. skimming the river and tree line, brian needle's drone camera captured a gorgeous in virginia. spectacular waterfalls, wild birds, and kayakers. it also landed him in a heap of trouble. >> it was wonderful. it was one of the most beautiful places anywhere around here. then some problems started. >> reporter: that's the shadow of a police helicopter forcing his drone down. those are the feet of two park police officers. brian was busted, fined actually. he didn't know it, but national parks are no-fly zones for drones. yes, there's plenty of breathtaking drone video online. arches national park, the grand canyon, zion, the smoky mountains. the trouble, says the park service director, drones are disruptive to both people and wildlife. >> that can interfere with let's say nesting birds. we had an incident with a drone chasing big horn sheep and actually separating the adults from the young. >> reporter: these spectacular images from yellowstone national park were also captured by drone.

the potential fine tom costello, nbc news, washington. >>> when we come back, it's the moment generations of fans have been waiting for. the force awakens. >>> finally tonight, for a lucky few, the wait is over. "star wars: the force awakens" is premiering tonight in hollywood. it was a long time ago, way back in 1977, when the original became a force in popular culture. now all these years later, as our joe fryer reports, the new sequel is the most widely anticipated movie of the year. >> reporter: in a galaxy far, far away, better known as hollywood -- >> oh no! >> reporter: "star wars" lovers are lining up outside the tcl chinese theater. >> it's like every family reunion. you make time for it, you can't miss it. >> reporter: some of the fans will have spent 12 days in line. caroline ritter and andrew porters traveled from australia, before seeing the movie thursday, they'll get married right here, so what's more important? >> technically the is just as important. >> reporter: set about 30 years after "return of the jedi" "the force awakens" will introduce a new crop of characters and

here is tom costello. >> reporter: the crash scene in arizona, rugged and snow-covered. the ems chopper crash killed a pilot and flight nurse. the second crash in five days. in california last week four died. nationwide since 2004 there have been 46 fatal crashes killed 128 people. >> our industry's sole purpose is saving lives and not losing them and no one is more invested in safety than the air crew members and the clinicians that climb into a medical aircraft every day. >> reporter: last year the faa issued new orders, stricter flight rules for helicopter operators, communications, training and onboard safety equipment. but the faa didn't order the night vision goggles or auto pilot systems that the ntsb still wants. nationwide 7% are government owned. by counties, cities or state. the vast majority are owned by companies, many competing for business. >> and while they save thousands of lives every year, many emergency medical professions argue that the vast majority of patients aren't critical enough to be airlifted. >> we look at flights where had the patient simpl

as nbc's tom costello reports, the pace of change is catching many by surprise. >> spin up check. keep it locked. good. >> reporter: ski season was still weeks away at bolton valley, vermont, this year when the annual lift inspection came in the form of a fly-by, air sharks snapping photos and shooting video of the pulleys and cables that will carry 150,000 skiers this winter. >> pitch it into the wind at 5 degrees. >> reporter: then a close-up look at a nearby wind farm, looking for cracks in the turbines. >> the beauty of it is, now we don't need to send somebody up there to just check on it. >> reporter: a big improvement in safety and the cost savings approaching 90%. nationwide, this is the year drones have gone from gimmick to revolutionary to indispensable, providing instant aerial recon of a farmer's crops, surveying commercial aircraft for storm damage, measuring the shrinking arctic ice pack and surveying offshore oil rigs. among the most common uses for drones? commercial real estate along with film and photography. already the faa issued more than 2,100 exemptions for

as nbc's tom costello tells us, the folks who get us there are bracing for the holiday crush. >> reporter: on the ramp at dfw in dallas, the morning push, as the busiest travel day going into the winter holidays kicks into high gear. american airlines, the nation's biggest, moving 650,000 passengers today alone. the only weather hangup todayayn the west coast. >> san francisco ground delay program. >> reporter: at the new state-of-the-art command center, they track every one of the planes, watch the weather, even monitor social media for customer service issues. scott ramsey is in charge. >> if we have passengers issuing a complaint, they'll deal with them realtime. >> if somebody said my flight is delayed or miss my connection, how will they help? >> they start an instant conversation with the people on board. >> reporter: all airlines will carry 38 million passengers over the next two weeks. many customers taking advantage of low airfares. >> for the timing, i think the price is okay. >> reporter: but it is not just ticket prices that are low. gas is hovering near $2 a gallon. a seven-y

tom costello, nbc news, washington. >>> and up next, the divide in this country over guns as rigid as ever after the san bernardino attack. >>> we're back from >>> we're back from the southern california condo complex where the san bernardino killers apparently used their home as a staging ground for terror. their home part of the complex behind me. the arsenal they were able to amass and use to murder so many has reignited the highly-contentious battle in this country over guns. and as hallie jackson reports, it is a fight with no easy answers. >> reporter: taking target practice today, amanda robinson, reflecting on the san bernardino shooting. >> i think it kind of shows that gun control doesn't necessarily fix the problem. the problem is the ideology of the people using the guns. >> reporter: the iowa gun range visited by ted cruz today not calling off the campaign stop after the attack. >> you don't stop bad guys by taking away our guns. you stop bad guys by using our guns. >> reporter: republican candidates now arguing the conversation should be about terror control. >> they are

nbc's tom costello looks into the staggering task. >> reporter: with overseas terror attacks in mali and paris serving as fresh evidence of jihadi-inspired brutality, federal law enforcement has an all-consuming priority, tracking homegrown suspects who could become radicalized over the internet and engage in lone wolf attacks at home. the fbi tracking 900 potential suspects, 50 considered a top concern. >> the threat here focuses primary on troubled souls in america being inspired or enabled online to do something violent for isil. >> reporter: we don't know if san bernardino suspect syed farook had terror ties, but he represents the challenge facing law enforcement today. he was off the radar, american born, no criminal record, not on the terror watch list. over the last two years, the fbi has arrested 70 suspects in isis-inspired plots. 54 of them u.s. citizens, the vast majority, american born. >> the ability of isis to lever social media to radicalize more people and reach more people is there. it's difficult for law enforcement to challenge it. >> reporter: the homegrown terror

and as nbc's tom costello reports, the pace of change is catching many by surprise. >> reporter: ski season was still weeks away in vermont, this fall. when the annual lift inspection came in the form of a fly-by. air sharks snapping photos and shooting video of the pulleys and cables that will carry 150,000 skiers this winter. then a close-up look at a nearby wind farm looking for cracks in the turbines. >> the beauty is that now we don't need to send somebody up there to just check on it. >> a big improvement in safety and a cost saving approaching 90%. nationwide, this is the year drones have gone from gimmick to revolutionary to indispensable. providing instant aerial recon of a farmer's crops. surveying commercial aircraft for storm damage. measuring the shrinking arctic ice pack and surveying off shore oil rigs. and among the most popular, commercial real estate and film and photography. the faa has issued more than 2100 exceptions for commercial drone use. in maryland kevin has invested in a drone and hd cameras to help realtors market their homes on the internet. >> we are si

tom costello, nbc news, washington. >>> rita wilson, actress, producer and wife of tom hanks announced today she is cancer-free. she was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year. after undergoing a double mastectomy she says she is 100% healthy. wilson reminded americans of the importance of getting a second opinion which she credits for helping her catch her cancer early on. >>> when we come back here tonight, the heartwarming surprise awaiting an iraq war veteran and his family when they returned home. with the rain comes snow. ===take vo=== next at six near whiteout conditions the sierra... which is crippling traffic. ===jesstake vo=== and it's a worst case scenerio -- an active shooter in a school. only on nbc: how south bay schools are now teaching kids to fight back. ===next close=== the news is next. >>> finally tonight, as every homeowner knows, it's always something, something to repair, spruce up, to spend money on. it can be hard to keep up, especially if you get sick or have to be away from home for long periods of time. serving in the military, for example. tonight w

as nbc's tom costello reports it's a deadly combination we have seen in air disasters >> reporter: today, investigators laid out the sequence of event s that ended with an airbus a-320 in the java is a. the trouble started when a warning light indicated a rutter control malfunction. it had malfunctioned 23 times over the previous year but wasn't fully repaired. this time the crew's reaction was disastrous. the pilot pulled the circuit breakers to the plane's flight computers, causing the autopilot to disengage. with the co-pilot flying the plane climbed to 38,000 feet which led to a stall. tragic miscommunication in the cockpit. rather than telling the french co-pilot to push the nose down to recover from the stall, the indonesian pilot said pull down. down. >> reporter: the co-pilot pulled down as the pilot pushed down. the plane rolled 104 degrees to the left to the sea. have surely known they >>> the crew of this aircraft had multiple opportunities to save the airplane and respond properly. they didn't. >> reporter: for years safety experts warned many pilots overseas are overly depen

tom costello, thank you. as of tonight we are two months out from the first real test for the 2016 candidates among voters, the vie with a iowa caucus. with donald trump riding on top of the polls halley jackson says the competition is intensifying. >> reporter: in the race for the white house it's full tloting, two months from iowa where ben carson is stalled, slipping behind ted cruz who is pulling closer to front-runner donald trump. fuelled by evangelical support and his signature strategy -- taking on his own party. most recently for not fighting back harder against misperceptions that most republicans do not support contraception. >> this is a made up, nonsense example. last i checked we don't have a rubber shortage in america. [ laughter ] comments raising eyebrows with jeb bush, in single digits in iowa and new hampshire. adding staff there, but trump's still on top, trailed by marco rubio, chris christie stuck in 7th. and in drove overdrive rs hoping to make a move after several key en dormts in a st

tom costello, nbc news, washington. >>> when we come back, it's the moment generations of fans have beenting for. tonight's the night the force awakens. a trip to a bay area sporting goods store launches a police investigation. ===raj vo=== the question about ammunition now sparking accusations of racial profiling. ===vo jess=== plus, the biggest art heist in a local city's history. now, there's a break in the case. ===next close=== next. ==take sot== today's feeds hd "fremont ammunition stand up tz" 1.00-1.04 t >>> finally tonight, for a lucky few, the wait is over. "star wars: the force awakens" is premiering tonight in hollywood. it was a long time ago, way back in 1977, when the original became a force in popular culture. now all these years later, as our joe fryer reports, the new sequel is the most widely anticipated movie of the year. ♪ >> reporter: in a galaxy far, far away, better known as hollywood -- >> oh no! >> reporter: "star wars" lovers are lining up outside the tcl chinese theater. >> it's like every family reunion. you make time for it, you can't miss it. >> reporter: s

nbc's tom costello on how this could change the future of space travel. >> reporter: the liftoff was like a thousand rocket launches before, but for space x, this was no ordinary mission. just 4 1/2 minutes into flight, the first stage of the falcon 9 separated and did a u-turn, headed back to earth. then only seven minutes later mission control watched history in the making. for the first time ever, a rocket on a payload mission had returned and successfully landed vertically back on earth. while 385 miles up 11 communication satellites were released into orbit. in california, celebration. the upstart at space x had overcome a challenge that had stood for decades. how big of a challenge? space x said this was like launching a pencil over the empire state building, breaking it in half and reversing it and landing the pencil right-side up on a shoe box. recovering and reusing the first stage could dramatically cut the cost of future launches. the space x ceo billionaire elon musk. >> i think it is a revolutionary moment. >> reporter: six months ago a space x rocket blew up after lifto

let's go to tom costello watching along with us. tom, what do you have? >> i think yet again, leicester, st lester, this country is dealing with mass murder. 14 dead, 14 injured. his point was at a minimum, this is a domestic terror. so this is terrorism in some fashion. what we don't know is whether there is a nexus to foreign players in any way. or foreign actors in any way involved in this, or a foreign state or a foreign terrorist organization involved. we simply don't know. also interesting that he reiterated that point from the very earliest calls to police, there were witnesses who said there may be as many as three individuals who are involved in this mass shooting and the what is now -- it's 1:30 or so on the west coast -- 2:30 on the west coast, pardon me. they're going on the assumption they still have three suspects on the loose. nearly three hours after this incident first went down, they are still going on the assumption of nearly three different suspects on the loose. the faa has put flight restrictions in place over this particular area as

tom costello, nbc news, washington. >>> the man who co-created two famous fashion brands, dugougilous taumpkens taumpkens. he co-founded both the north face, active wear brand and the espirit clothing line. he was a renowned conservations using his fortune to create parks in south america. >>> for centuries many have hiding behind that smile. science may have an answer. >>> nbc nightly news is brought to you by -- i'm always there for my daughter. for the little things. and the big milestones. and just like i'm there for her, pacific life is there to help protect me and my family so i can enjoy all life's moments. pacific life. helping families for over 145 years achieve long-term financial security with lifelong retirement income. talk to a financial advisor today to grow your future with confidence. another day, and i'm still struggling with my diabetes. i do my best to manage. but it's hard to keep up with it. your body and your diabetes change over time. your treatment plan may too. know your options. once-daily toujeo is a long-acting insulin from the makers of lantus . consisten

tom costello has more tonight on an investigation launched by our denver affiliate kusa. >> july 3rd, frisco, chopper lifts off from seconds it down. fuel quickly begins pouring from the tank. fire. running. they manage to pull one flight nurse to safety. but the other flight nurse, dave rap shire, suffers burns over 90% of his body. the pilot dies. fire a contributing factor. the helicopter was only a year old. but the design of its plastic fuel tank dated back to when it was approved by the faa in 1977, 38 years earlier. now an investigation by our nbc affiliate in denver kusa has found more than 170 similar accidents across the country 78 confirmed fatalities. >> what sticks out is the aircraft is just consumed and you have to wonder why. >> reporter: for years experts have warned that helicopter fuel while the military has required crash-resistant fuel tanks since 1978, there is no such requirements for civilian choppers. crash resistant fuel tanks are available but the ntsb estimated that 85% of choppers built since 1994 don't have them. >> this is nationwide. it involves televis

as nbc's tom costello reports it's a deadly combination we have seen in air disasters before. >> reporterday, investigators laid out the sequence of events that ended with an airbus a-320 in the java sea. the trouble started when a warning light came on indicating a control malfunction. that control had malfunctioned 23 times on the same plane over the previous year, but was never fully repaired. but this time, the crew's reaction was disastrous. the pilot inexplicably pulled the circuit breakers to the plane's flight computers, causing the auto pilot to disengage. with the co-pilot flying the plane began climbing fast to 38,000 feet. that led to a stall. then tragic miscommunication in the cockpit. rather than telling the french co-pilot to push the nose down to recover from the stall, the indonesian pilot said "pull down." the co-pilot continued pulling up as the pilot pushed down. the plane rolled 104 degrees to the left, then fell 38,000 feet to the java sea. the passengers on board would surely have known they were in trouble. >> the crew of this accident aircraft had multiple opport

nbc's tom costello shows us why. >> reporter: those popular hoverboards now a top safety concern. >> the hoverboard, it exploded under my feet. >> reporter: at least ten fires linked to the volatile lithium some fires actually burned down entire homes. just as passengers start carrying holiday gifts on board, airlines are banning the boards in both checked luggage and carry-ons. >> we're seeing regular events worldwide where lithium batteries are overheating, causing onboard fires, that causes me concern. >> reporter: lithium batteries are in almost every cell phone, laptop, and tablet. airlines limit them as cargo after tests showed them self-igniting, posing a lethal threat to a plane. in this test an airline cargo batteries catches fire, then a thunderous explosion. just such a fire was blamed for the 2010 crash of a u.p.s. cargo plane carrying 80,000 batteries. two pilots were killed. in 2006 another u.p.s. cargo plane barely made to it philadelphia with a fire on board, both pilots managed to escape. u.p.s., jet blue, and fed ex are adding oxygen systems to can see through a smo