guys, back to you. >> tom costello there. this morning deputies are looking into new reports of kkk flyers. "the washington post" says found one on the driveway. in lou den county as well. another says and synagogues of sat and. >>> police were called to that scene before 6:00 a.m. police are not released the victim's name. >>> now to the developing story out of tampa with sus spegted serial killer there. today 24-year-old howell donaldson first court appearance. stood silently as judge discussed charges. accused of randomly killing four people. some family members were in court. another hearing will be held tuesday to determine whether he'll be held without bond until his trial. >>> we are also following another developing story out of florida where authorities are expanding the search for this missing teen. he disappeared over the weekend with her soccer coach. shaken her family to the core. as nbc carryan there may be a new clue in the case. >> reporter: this morning deputies say new surveillance pictures say caitlyn and r

we asked our tom costello to give us a status check. >> reporter: call it tuesday traffic tie-up, 51 million of us traveling today through sunday, 9 out of 10 driving. this is the hour in many cities when highways are maxed out with volume. in atlanta, houston and detroit, aaa says tomorrow afternoon will be just as bad. when is best time to return home? before the sun rises friday. worst times? late afternoon saturday and sunday. >> b-15 is your gate. >> reporter: meanwhile a million more passengers than last year are packing the airports to see friends and family. >> aunt and uncle, cousins and gramps and grandma. >> reporter: in atlanta, blue skies at the nation's busiest airport. >> one of the smoothest i've ever seen it. >> reporter: clear flying. cold in the north, record warmth midsection south, denver, 47 today, 67 tomorrow. >> we do a lot of preplanning and effort to make sure we can execute cleanly. a lot of coordination with the faa in denver. >> reporter: goal to turn the planes around as quickly as possible. 45 minutes or less for narrow body, 1 hour and 20 minutes for w

tom costello, nbc news, washington. >>> there is a striking new warning from the government about climate change. a major new federal study concludes humans are the dominant cause of the rise in global temperature since the mid-20th century. the white house approved the report's release, though it contradicts much of the trump administration's stance on climate change. >>> we turn now to a revealing look at just how cunning and deceptive those russian efforts were to influence america's election. a disturbing example on social media, a twitter account claiming to belong to an american woman, but actually operated from russia intent on spreading disinformation in the u.s. nbc's jo ling kent has details. >> reporter: on twitter and on her blog, jenna abrams sure looked like an american, commenting on everything from kim kardashian to missile defense with plenty of strong opinions sprinkled in between. one of her tweets in 2016 went viral saying, to those people who hate the confederate flag, did you know that the flag and the war wasn't about slavery? it was all about money. >> they took re

here's nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: this evening the grocery chain once known as whole paycheck is moving fast to drop its prices and that reputation. with new owner amazon.com, whole foods today announced fresh turkey will be at least 20% cheaper this thanksgiving. organic turkey, which can average about 5.49 a pound at grocery stores, now 3.49 at whole foods. nonantibiotic turkey 3.50 a pound on average now 1.99 at whole foods. amazon prime members will get another 50 cents off. and deep discounts on boneless chicken breast, peeled shrimp, canned pumpkin and organic sweet potatoes. amazon whole foods forcing change on the grocery business. >> this is an all-out war that amazon whole foods is going against walmart, going against shop-rite, going against every other supermarket in the country. >> some news from amazon this morning. it is cutting prices further on certain items at whole foods including holiday staples. >> reporter: on wall street today, competitors' stock sank. walmart, kroger and target all lower. consumer price cuts could target profit margins, even employee wages

tom costello, nbc news, washington. >>> tonight, the holiday rush is officially on. nearly 51 million americans expected to travel for this thanksgiving, the most in 12 years. in a moment, al roker will have your forecast, but first we turn to nbc's blake mccoy with an eye on the roadways. blake, how is it looking? >> reporter: kate, good evening. you can see it is slow going here in chicago, like it is across much of the country. a good economy means more people are making the trek to see family this thanksgiving, and it's now crunch time. >> we are on the road again. we're taking our annual thanksgiving trip from -- >> rhode island to d.c. >> reporter: with six kids in tow, jessica everett begins the journey from rhode island to washington, d.c. >> and while traffic is heavy, we're still moving, which is the best thing you can hope for. >> reporter: road trips by far the most popular form of thanksgiving travel. just look at the gridlock last night in los angeles. from road to rail to air, all types of holiday travel are up this year. air travel seeing the biggest

tom costello, nbc news, washington. >> it's getting harder and harder out there. coming up, why customers are complaining about their new iphones freezing up in more ways than one. ♪ when you have doctors working as a team for your health, you get the care you need to help you thrive. ♪ visit kp.org to learn more. kaiser permanente. thrive. ♪ >>> caught on camera, a wild police chase. the suspect in a stolen truck leading oklahoma city police on a pursuit that lasted nearly three hours. a lot of folks watched it live. the suspect live streamed himself on facebook as he drove. the chase went off road where one officer with a rifle confronted the suspect, but he reversed, later crashing into a pond. he fled on foot but an officer finally caught up to him and tasered him. >>> tonight, apple says it will fix an issue with the new iphone x after some customers complain that the phone can temporarily freeze up in cold weather with the touch screen and the keyboard not responding. the company says it's already working to correct the issue. the fix will likely come in the

tom costello, nbc news, washington. >>> there is speculation today over whether a familiar face might run for the white house in 2020. former vice president joe biden is not ruling it out. biden is busy promoting his new memoir in which he opens up about his son beau's battle with brain cancer. after beau died in 2015, a grieving biden said the window to run for president had closed. but on the "today" show, he didn't sound so sure. >> no, i'm not closing the door. look, i've been around too long. i mean, i'm a great respect he were of fate. and but who knows what the situation is going to be a year and a half from now. >> biden did dismiss recent claims that he was being considered to replace hillary clinton as the democratic nominee last year, saying he never would have agreed to that. >>> still ahead tonight, the new warning about high blood pressure. why the number of americans with it is suddenly skyrocketing to nearly half of all adults. are you one of them? we're going to tell you about the steps that could save your life. >>> also, those who serve. a policeman and his pint-siz

nbc's tom costello with a reality check on the winners and losers. >> reporter: the president insists cutting taxes on corporations will fire up the economy. >> my plan is for the working people, and my plan is for jobs. it's not good for me, believe me. >> reporter: but an independent tax expert who looked at the president's 2005 returns for nbc news says mr. trump stands to make a lot of money under the proposed tax code. >> the president would save on his tax return in 2018 $22.6 million in federal income tax. >> reporter: and the president's heirs could save more than a billion dollars if congress eliminates the estate tax on the wealthy. but what about everyone else? that depends on where you live and what you earn. here's why. congress wants to reduce or eliminate key deductions families rely on. mortgage interest, city, state, local property taxes. instead, congress would create one standard deduction. $12,000 for individuals, $24,000 for families. tax advisers say for a family earning $120,000 on the east or west coasts where local taxes are much higher, losing those key deduc

tom costello, nbc news, washington. >>> at an emergency u.n. security council meeting late today, u.s. ambassador nikki haley said north korea's missile launch tuesday brings the u.s. closer to a war it doesn't want, but if it comes, haley warns, the regime will "be utterly destroyed." new photos released by the north korea government reportedly show kim jong-un guiding the test fire of an intercontinental ballistic missile that it claims can hit the u.s. mainland. >>> back home, police believe they finally caught a potential serial killer who has been terrorizing the tampa area. the suspect now charged in four murders. and if convicted he could face the death penalty. nbc's tammy leitner has more on his arrest and the tip that led police to him. >> reporter: four families overcome with emotion. >> i don't have to look behind my back every two seconds now. >> reporter: tonight, a suspected serial killer accused of murdering their loved ones has been locked up. last night police arrested 24-year-old howell donaldson iii. the tip came tuesday aft

here's nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: the undercover tests were conducted by homeland security audit teams charged with probing tsa czech points nationwide. yet again sources say officers failed to detect test weapons at a disturbingly high rate. the audit teams usually try smuggling guns, knives and mock explosives through tsa checkpoints. in 2015, the tsa failed to detect 95% of the team's weapons. the latest failure rate said to still be unacceptably high. >> we found that briefing disturbing. >> reporter: on capitol hill today, members of congress grilled the new tsa chief, who just provided them a classified briefing on aviation vulnerabilities. >> we need to do more to confront the growing threats aimed at the aviation sector. >> reporter: in a statement today, the tsa said, "we take the findings very seriously, and are implementing measures that will improve screening effectiveness at checkpoints." the tsa wants the money to roll out new c.a.t. scan type of 3d screeners that better check carry on bags for signs of weapons. >> certainly additional investment would make traveler

thanks for joining us, tom costello. >> thank you, tom. >> you bet. >> well, here we go, folks, our firstd air of the season, a serious shock to the system tonight. and for the first part of your weekend, too, doug is coming right back for an update. >> and on the record with the billionaire who has given so much of his time and money to preserving our city for years to come, what he says about his success, his sense of humor and the debate ove r what if we could keep more amof what we earn?d. trillions of dollars going back to taxpayers. who could possibly be against that? well, the national debt is $20 trillion. as we keep adding to it, guess who pays the bill? and her. and her. congress, we should grow the economy. not the debt. ♪ >>> chances are very good that you've heard his name. david rubenstein, for uh town full of politician ands those who want to be politicians, rubenstein has really made a mark on washington without ever holding public office. >> no bigger mark, i can tell you. he's the living thread between iconic landmarks like the kennedy center, the national museum of afri

tom costello, nbc news, washington. >> it's getting harder and harder out there.g up, why customers are complaining about their new iphones freezing up in more ways than one. it's raining... our home was ruined... mom: our first concern was the kids. this was going to be hard on them. chubb got us a place to stay in the same school district. otherwise it could have been a nightmare. dad... chubb turned a disaster into an adventure for our kids. mom... and no one missed a day of school. ♪ people spend less time lying awake with aches and pains with advil pm than with tylenol pm. advil pm combines the number one pain reliever with the number one sleep aid. gentle, non-habit forming advil pm. for a healing night's sleep. ...studying to be a dentist and she gave me advice. my daughter is... she said dadgo pro with crest pro-health. crest pro-health protects all... ...these areas dentists... ...check most. immediately i felt a... ...difference it did an... ...extremely good job of cleaning 4 out of 5 dentists confirm... ...these crest pro-health... ...products help mai

we get more now from nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: it's a growing terror tactic used around the world with devastating results. july 2016, a truck on the board walk in nice, france, plowed through crowds of people on holiday. 86 killed, 200 injured. similar tactics used on the london bridge last may, 8 dead. another five killed in march. around the world, attacks in barcelona, stockholm, berlin, and in the u.s. last year at ohio state university 11 injured. for years isis and al-qaeda have called for just this type of low-tech attack using cars and trucks to mow down and kill as many people as possible. >> these small-scale attacks using tools, not even weapons, but tools that are widely available make actually suppressing this entirely, not just difficult, but truly impossible. >> reporter: in new york last may, it wasn't a terror attack, but a deranged suspect on drugs who killed a woman and injured 22. after driefrmiving through a crn times square. n.y.p.d. commissioner james o'neal told lester earlier this year the threat from trucks is top of mind for the n.y.p.d. critical respon

nbc's tom costello has more. >> reporter: the plane involved is a navy workhorse, a twin engine turbo prop c-2 greyhound like this one, used mostly to fly mail and cargo to ships at sea. the navy says the plane was flying from a marine base in japan to the "uss ronald reagan when it went down in the philippine sea. the eight people who were rescued were airlifted to the ship, reported to be in good condition. three others still missing. while the pentagon isn't commenting on the cause of the crash, the japanese defense minister says engine failure may have played a role. but the plane, known as a cod, has a remarkable safety record. in service for more than 50 years, it hasn't been involved in a fatal crash since 1973. >> i think it's done a stellar job. i can't think of any other turboprop that's had this kind of safety record, let alone a military aircraft. >> reporter: still this has been a deadly year for the u.s. 7th fleet with 17 sailors dying in two collisions involving other ships. the pentagon removing eight top naval officers from their posts. >> 7th fleet has been running a

nbc's tom costello takes a deeper look. >> reporter: ridgewood, new jersey lies just 20 miles from manhattan, and boy, do they pay for it. jennifer and rafael brido bought their four-bedroom home 26 years ago for $245,000. now it's worth $750,000. their property taxes nearly $18,000 a year. but under the republican plan the bridos worry their home value will sink just as their total tax bill skyrockets. >> in order to make the home affordable for us we count on that deduction. >> reporter: a lot of americans count on deducting their mortgage interest and their property taxes from their federal taxes. but now congress is talking about capping or eliminating those deductions. the size of that deduction depends on where you live. in the middle of the country homeowners typically have $6,500 or less in combined deductions. but on the coasts, where homes are more expensive, the deductions average $10,000 to $12,000 a year. in some metro areas, $20,000, even $30,000. many americans could find it costs more to keep their homes and makes it harder to sell. >> well, if you cannot write off interest a

tom costello, nbc news, washington. >>> turning to breaking news. another intercontinental ballistic missile launched by north korea. first in months and highest by far. experts now fear north koreans' missiles could extend reach as far as new york. president trump saying late today we'll take care of it. chief foreign correspondent richard angle with late details. >> reporter: north korea fired one of its biggest and most controversial missiles today, similar to this one launched last september. intercontinental ballistic missile which in theory could reach the continental u.s. not the way they fired this one, went almost straight up, peaking the south korean military said, at attitude of nearly 3,000 miles, traveling 600 miles until it japanese coast, causing no damage. president trump, often criticized for provocative and at times threatening rhetoric, today kept cards close. >> it is a situation we'll handle. >> reporter: defense secretary mattis added a little more detail. >> went higher than any previous shot. >> reporter: why now? political p

nbc's tom costello with the new details. >> reporter: a week before baltimore detective sean suiter was shot and killed, the revelation from the city's police commissioner was stunning. suiter was set to testify before a federal grand jury the next day against eight elite baltimore officers already indicted in a police corruption investigation. but the commissioner says there is no evidence that suiter was set up. >> the bpd and the fbi do not possess any information that this incident is part of any conspiracy. the evidence in fact refutes that notion. >> reporter: police say evidence on suiter's clothing suggests a struggle, a three-second radio transmission may have captured the moment suiter was shot with his own gun. >> we do not know where these shots came from. we have officers in locations. let's everybody take cover somewhere, okay? and his partner were investigating a 2016 triple murder when he approached a suspicious individual in a vacant lot. his partner was across the street at the time of the shooting. police insist he's not a suspect. an 18-year veteran and father of fiv

tom costello, st. petersburg. >> i don't mind that.that's one of those things, there's a lot of creepy stuff about your phone and following you around, but it is kind of neat if it does help people get jobs. the trucking industry is using it to find truckers because that's an industry where there's a lot of shortage of people. the u.s. army is using it to attract recruits. west point is using it as well to get students. i don't know, what do you think? i don't mind it. >> social media is where we get all of our content at this point. 72% of hires in 2016 originated from online job searches, networking sites, social media. >> versus the old way of job referrals and knowing somebody. >> the classified ads. so now you're -- this trend is following going where people are. now, do i like seeing on my facebook feed that i need botox, get rid of my belly fat and teeth whitening? not so much. >> you've been on my facebook feed again. that's not yours. >>> coming up, a federal consumer watchdog who made a name for himself taking on the financia

>> tom costello in baltimore tonight, thank you. >>> there's word this evening from washington. something you rarely hear these days. a bipartisan deal on guns. congress is responding quickly to the discovery that the air force failed to report records that would have blocked the gunman from buying the rifle he used to kill 26 people at a texas baptist church. our justice correspondent pete williams has details on the new proposal. >> reporter: 11 days after one of america's worst mass shootings, sutherland springs, texas, is still burying its dead. a procession of hearses carried the nine members of john holcomb's family. a loss spanning three generations. so many mourners came for wednesday's funeral that some were turned away. >> couldn't get in to see john, but i've been praying for him ever since it happened. >> reporter: three more victims, joann ward and her two children, were remembered at separate services. the discovery that the gunman, devin kelley, was able to buy the rifle he used in the shooting because the air force failed to report his domestic violence convictio

tom costello with a reality check. >> here we go. >> reporter: another day of physical therapy for 2-year-old jackson. born with spine ba bifida, his parents spend $25,000 a year out of pocket on his care then itemize and deduction much of it from their taxes. >> nice job. i like that. >> reporter: but under the house plan that deduction would go away. >> i can't see us taking away care for him. so most likely it would be putting ourselves into debt to be able to care for him. >> reporter: last year nearly 9 million households claimed medical deductions, including for in-home therapy, costly medications and nursing care, expenses that often total much more than the new standard deductions republicans are posing of $12,000 for individuals, $24,000 for couples. >> for any family caring for a senior in a nursing home or for any family caring for a disabled child or adult, their taxes are going to be much, much higher. >> reporter: if congress also kills the individual mandate which requires all americans to also have insurance, nonpartisan experts predict everyone's premiums will jump at

nbc tom costello reports on what happened up there in new york. >> reporter: tense moments for people a board a plane, monday night jfc. after the wings of the wide body liners got too close brief lir clipping each other. the faa says egypt air flight 986 headed to cairo when the wings connected. shearing off the tip of virgin wing. tour revealed how it happened. told the toywer said he had a problem, pulled it off to the ta taxi way, but apparently not far enough. >> we are having a technical difficulty. >> virgin, disregard all, that pull off to the right, if you can. >> unfortunately we clipped the wings. >> all right. >> reporter: fortunately no one was injured but both planes significant damage to both of the wing tips. >> tom costello reports that the egypt airplane was able to return to the terminal on own power. the virgin atlantic plane had to be towed. >> glad everybody was all right. >>> se for congressman accusing him of sexual harassment. former deputy chief of staff, ran his campaign. and says conniers made unwanted advances. he stepped down from the house judiciary comm

tom costello has more. >> reporter: it's a growing terror tactic used around the world with devastating results, judgment, 2016, a truck on the boardwalk in nice, france, plowed through thousands of people on holiday, 86 killed, 200 injured. similar attacks on the london bridge last may, eight dead. another five killed in march. around the world, attacks in barcelona, stockholm, berlin. in the u.s. last year at ohio state university, 11 injured. for years isis and al qaeda have called for just this low type attack using cars and trucks to mow down and kill as many people as possible. >> these small scale attacks using tools, not evenwell weapons, tools widely available, make actually suppressing this entirely not just difficult but truly impossible. >> reporter: in new york last may it was a terrorist attack, but a deranged suspect on drug who killed a woman and injured 22 after driving through a crowd in time's square. nypd told lester earlier this year the threat of trucks is top of mind from the nypd command using city trucks to wall off large areas, including thanksgiving. >> we had

tom costello, nbc news, washington. >>> malls are not just for shopping anymore. event that could lure you back into stores this holiday season. >> take a look at these beautiful dishes. they're not being served in a fancy restaurant. the foot is made d is made by fs and served in a firehouse. what they're s er >>> firefighters are some of the bravest in the community and this week they'll put hats aside to pick up bragging rights is on the line and molette green has day one by the manassas city fire department. >> this firefighter cookoff has really kicked off in manassas engine company number 1. these guys have been in the kitchen since 2:30 this morning and dustin and justin are cooking it up and let's bring on the final plates and show you what they have here. braised shortribs. that is the entree with broccoli, mashed potatoes and the shrimp scampi over there. then we want to show you the appetizer and we've dug in already. >> it needs to be -- >> it used to be six. crab risotto right there, just delicious. >> kevin schaefer is here. >> good morning. >> good

nbc's tom costello has more on this. >> good day.ourse, are some of the world's most beautiful animals, elephants are big prizes with central africa losing over 60% of the elephant population in a decade. sometimes as many as 100 a day. the tweet came overnight after hearing the roar from animal rights advocates, president trump weighed in on the department of interior's controversial decision to allow elephants and liions to be brought out of africa as trophies. the president tweeting, put big game trophy decision on hold until such time as i review all conservation facts a. temporary win for cons vacation activists. >> having elephants and liions is a huge driver to the economy. there are millions and millions of people from all over the world to see it alive. >> reporter: now if they end up easing restrictions, conservationists say it's a huge step backwards. >> we're essentially rolling out the carpet for the next walter palmer. >> reporter: he sild cecil the liion in zimbabwe. a beloved symbol of that wild i wild life studied by

tom costello nbc news washington. >> we'll be right back. you nervous? ♪ ♪ >>> that wraps up this hour for me. i'm sheinelle jones. news continues with richard lui. >> thanks. i'll try to follow your energy. hello, i'm richard lui right here in new york city. we have new development ns the russian investigation. confirming jared kushner met with russian during the campaign. meanwhile, misconduct scandals facing politicians. taking to twitter to attack al franken while remaining silent when it comes to ray moore. the president's response now by new scrutiny over allegations that he himself faces. we'll start though this hour with those new developments in the russia investigation. the attorney for donald trump junior confirming to nbc news just a short time ago the president's son did attend a dinner last year with russian banker and putin ally alexander torsion who has been accused of links to organized crimes, allegations that he denies. torsion is the same russian banker outreach to the trump campaign was not disclosed by jared kushner to senate

tom costello explains. >> reporter: 20 miles from manhattan, boy do they pay for it? bought their four-bedroom home for and now it's $750,000, property taxes nearly $18,000 a year. under the republican plan they worry the home value will sink as total tax bill skyrockets. >> in order to make the home affordable for us, we count on that deduction. >> reporter: a lot of americans count on deducting mortgage interest and property taxes from federal taxes. but congress is talking about capping or eliminating those deductions. size of the deduction depends on where you live. middle of the country, typically $6,500 or less in combined deductions but on the coast it's $10,000 to $12,000 a year, some metro areas even closer to $20,000 find it makes it harder to sell. >> if you can't write off interest and tax benefits, fewer people want to buy a home. values decline and ownership rate declines. >> reporter: that home values could drop by 10% on average and 15% in pricey areas. republicans insist higher standard deductions will make up the difference. >> very much aimed at mid

nbc's tom costello joins us now. tom, we have two different tax plans, the house and senate. in general, what are experts saying could happen when these -- when it comes to your home with these tax plans, especially the state and local taxes? >> so, there's a lot of data and a lot of nuance. we're going to try to give you the broad brush strokes. the bottom line is it looks like we are coming to an agreement between the house and the senate where they would cap the property tax deduction so you can writeoff on your federal income tax. caps that at $10,000. in other words, you could not writeoff anything more than $10,000 on your property taxes. but then there's the other equation here which is mortgage interest which homeowners also deduct and at the moment that is sitting at a million dollar. side would say on a new mortgage, they would not allow you to write off any interest over $500,000 on a $500,000 mortgage. the senate keeps it at a million, we're going to probably head to a compromise. you may think, well, wait a minute, people with a half million dollars or $750,000 m

tom costello, nbc news, washington. >> that would be a bummer if it got cancelled. >> i know. i have to get home to the food. >> better bring some with you. we'll be right back. -4.7 in gonzalez -no reports of damage >>> did you feel it? breaking news we're covering this morning. a 4.7 earthquake in gonzalez just south of salinas. no reports of damage so far but a lot of tweets people saying they felt it. >> they felt it in san jose, in oakland, a lot of different places. but, again, as you said, no reports of anyone hurt or any image damage we can know of right now. >> that's right. we're keeping tabs of it. keeping tabs of the forecast, kari hall. >> yeah, anytime something happens on the san andreas fault we're like, wait, what is happening? seeing some spotty showers moving through as we get a look at this forecast. san francisco today in the low 60s. a break tomorrow from any rain but it rolls right back in on wednesday. this looks to be much more of a wetter and storm system that may linger a little bit longer. so a lot to track here in the forecast over the next several

. >> the jets actually clipped wings on the taxiway, here is nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: tense moments for passengers and crew aboard two planes both headed overseas from new york's jfk airport monday night. after the wings of the wide-boded jet liners got too close, briefly clipping each other. egypt air heading to cairo was moving on the taxiway when its right wing touched the left wing of a virgin atlanta flight headed to london. the audio recording from the tower revealed how it happened. the virgin atlantic pilot told the tower he had a problem and he needed to solve that before the plane could take off. he pulled the massive boeing 77 off the side of the taxiway, but apparently not far enough. [ inaudible ] >> disregard all that. pull all the way off to the right as far as you can. [ inaudible ] >> we can confirm they have hit the left-hand wing of the virgin. >> reporter: fortunately no one was injured, but both planes sustained significant damage to each one of their wing tips. >> tom costello reporting there. the faa says that there was no fuel leakage reported. the egypt air