millions are traveling for the thanksgiving holiday. the heart-stopping video, a car speeding towards the bridge checkpoint at niagara fall, going airborne then exploding in a fireball. the checkpoint in flames. two people in the car killed. the fbi investigating, was it intentional? the bridges into western new york from canada shut down at the nation's airports, the tsa already on high alert and what new york's governor just revealed. it comes on one of the busiest travel days of the year. bumper-to-bumper traffic, record-breaking air travel. in houston, the accident on the tarmac, plus the impact on flights after that massive storm. also tonight, a major new development in that hostage deal reached between israel and hamas. for families, the agonizing wait, when will the four-day pause in fighting begin? which of the hostages will be freed, and will any americans be among them? back at home new details in that walmart shooting in ohio. was it racially motivated? what the fbi is saying tonight. and from their vineyards to your thanksgiving table, how these wine masters are bottling the american dream. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. and good evening. i'm tom llamas in for lester. we begin tonight with the major scare at the rainbow bridge connecting the u.s. and canada at niagara falls where today a speeding car hit a median, went airborne, then crashed into a checkpoint building, catching fire, exploding, and leaving two people in the car dead. fearing a possible terrorist attack, authorities closed the rainbow bridge and three other border crossings and imposed heightened security on both sides of the border. authorities searched that car and say there were no immediate signs of an explosive device. new york's governor saying there's no indication of a terror attack, but with tensions high in the middle east and so many americans traveling for thanksgiving, the crash near one of america's top tourist attractions comes at a time when the country and the world are on edge. emilie ikeda begins our coverage tonight. >> reporter: tonight, the fbi is investigating a fiery crash at the u.s./canada border. >> i've never seen anything like this. car just exploded. >> reporter: officials in both countries now on high alert. >> mr. speaker, this is obviously a very serious situation at niagara falls. >> reporter: moments before, you can see a white sedan hitting a median and going airborne. witnesses watched the incident in horror. >> there was a car in front of him. he swerved out, went in front of the car, hit the fence, went flying up into the air. >> reporter: law enforcement sources tell nbc news the car was going at a very high rate of speed in western new york when it crashed into a checkpoint structure at rainbow bridge, caught fire, and exploded. both people in the car died, and a customs and border protection officer sustained minor injuries. >> at this time, there is no indication of a terrorist attack. >> reporter: as new details emerge, three border crossings closed earlier today are now re-opened and the buffalo airport still blocking international flights on one of the busiest travel days of the year. new york has already been in a heightened threat environment since the attack on israel last month. now as several million people prepare to line new york city streets for the macy's thanksgiving day parade, authorities say to expect an increased security presence. >> we don't see any nexus between the incident there and here in new york city. we're going to continue to be out in full force. >> reporter: as police work around the clock to ensure a safe holiday. >> emilie ikeda joins us now live from new york as preparations are under way for the macy's thanksgiving day parade. emilie, is there a concern about mass gatherings tomorrow? >> reporter: tom, while today's crash rattled some visitors and caused a cascade of security concerns, tonight police say people should enjoy the thanksgiving fun. this is an event local law enforcement have been preparing for all year. tom. >> we see that already happening behind you there. emilie, thank you for that. i'm joined on set by nbc's chief justice correspondent jonathan dienst. i know you have more about the fiery crash. >> police say they believe the driver was a buffalo area businessman. they believe a relative may have been in the car with him, but the crash seemed so horrific, forensic work continues. they do not know why he was driving at a high rate of speed approaching that checkpoint. officials tell us the couple may have stopped at a casino shortly before the crash. they're looking into whether they had exchanged currency for a planned trip to toronto to see a rock concert. authorities stepped up security earlier today as a precautionary measure as the fbi and other agencies work to determine what happened. at this hour, tom, accident or reckless driving, the leading theory. >> all right, jonathan. we thank you for that. the incident at the border, of course, comes as 49 million americans are hitting the road for thanksgiving, and the nation's airlines report record passenger levels this week. tom costello is watching it all for us tonight. >> reporter: from the san mateo bridge in the west to i-95 in the east, a bumper-to-bumper day. >> on the approach headed to mcclean and across the gw parkway. >> reporter: with drivers paying 35 cents less per gallon than last year. >> it's very busy and trying to get back to the family. >> reporter: meanwhile, it's been shoulder-to-shoulder in the nation's airports. >> pack your patience. that's all you can do. pack your patience. >> reporter: long lines snaking through checkpoints, though the tsa managed to keep most under 30 minutes. >> it makes me regret not getting tsa precheck. >> reporter: the faa now says 2.9 million people are flying today, more than predicted. on a mostly blue sky day, though, many east coast airports were still delayed after heavy rain and wind caused 5,500 delays and 72 cancellations tuesday. >> still looking at the time line. >> reporter: today heavy turbulence forced the faa command center to temporarily close. some military airspace opened up for thanksgiving. at houston hobby airport, two private planes collided on the runway, no injuries, before the airlines, this is the big test. the clock is ticking and on a domestic flight they got about 45 minutes to get the plane in, back off, passengers on and out again. on an international flight about 90 minutes. american chief operating officer david seymour. >> we're going to carry over 500,000 customers every day. >> every day? >> every day, yeah, it's a busy period for us. >> reporter: a record-setting week with a record-breaking crescendo sunday as nearly 3 million passengers all try to fly home at once. >> all right, tom joins us live. tom, following that incident on the canadian border, any change to airport security around the country? >> reporter: tsa says, no, it was already in a forward-leaning posture, more officers in airports, more dogs because of the situation in the middle east. by the way, we just checked. 3,000 right now, 3,000 delays nationwide, 62 cancellations following the weather we had move through last night and this morning, tom. >> tom costello with that, thank you for e word tonight about that deal to release hostages held by hamas in gaza. israel's national security director now says, that won't start to happen until friday. keir simmons is in israel with the latest. >> reporter: tonight, a delay to the long negotiated break in gaza's bloodshed. the hostage release including three americans and potentially many children will not happen before friday. 3-year-old abigail may be among them. her parents were killed. >> our emotions are just going a little more crazy because it does feel like we're closer. >> reporter: the delay despite the head of mossad in qatar tonight to agree to 50 hostages to be released over four days. the aim to release 100 hostages, officials say, and 300 palestinian prisoners, teenagers and women, some jailed for minor offenses, others for attempted murder. a day of frantic phone calls for families like the mother of mia schem, forced to appear in a hostage video hoping their wait will soon be over. >> it's like russian roulette. we are waiting to see, to see who will come back home. >> reporter: prime minister netanyahu had hailed the deal, saying it included visits by the red cross to the other abductees. but israel's prime minister vowing a short pause would not end the war. while hamas today releasing another video of fierce fighting. truckloads of aid are planned, but today there is no end to the civilian suffering. "they are massacring us before the truce," this man says. in tears he told us his children and grandchildren might not survive. today he learned 60 members of his family are now dead. friday's pause, too late for them. families here and in the u.s. have been preparing for the first group of hostages to be released tomorrow. now they face a further agonizing wait. tom. >> and that wait is so difficult. all right. keir, thank you for that. also tonight, the unusual meeting at the vatican. pope francis with families of the hostages in gaza and with palestinian families. anne thompson is in rome for us tonight. >> reporter: at his private residence, pope francis met separately with families of israeli hostages and palestinians with relatives in gaza. american rachel goldberg's 23-year-old son hirsch was captured october 7th. the number of days he's been gone taped to her chest. >> i actually said to him, you know, my heart was taken 47 days ago, and i will wear the number on my heart until my heart comes back. >> reporter: she brought a picture of hirsch and showed the pope a video of his capture. his lower left arm blown off by a grenade. >> how did the pope react to that? >> he put his hand on his heart, and he spoke in italian saying, his heart is with me. >> reporter: rachel and her husband john say today's hostage agreement gives them hope, even if their son isn't freed, because the red cross will finally be allowed to see him. >> we have a team of orthopedic specialists preparing detailed notes of exactly what medications hirsch should be on and what treatment he should be getting. >> reporter: the palestinians say the pope listened to them about their plight. >> he can ask for an immediate cease-fire, but this is not what -- the only thing that we asked for. we asked him to use his power for a more just and long-lasting peace. >> reporter: u.s. ambassador to the vatican joe donnelly helped orchestrate today's meeting. >> the pope's voice may be unparalleled in the whole world as to influence, that when he speaks, the whole world, you know, hundreds of countries hear. >> reporter: tonight both sides hope the world listens to francis' pleas for peace. tom. >> anne thompson from the vatican tonight, thank you. in 60 seconds how new weight loss drugs being used by millions are altering their appetites for thanksgiving meals and more. the food industry is paying attention right after this. diets and exercise add to the struggle. today, it's possible to go from struggle to cholesterol success with leqvio. with a statin, leqvio is proven to lower bad cholesterol by 50% and keep it low with 2 doses a year. common side effects were injection site reaction, joint pain, and chest cold. ask your doctor about twice-yearly leqvio. lower. longer. leqvio® a first child can be stressful. so to make things a little less overwhelming, progressive is offering special rewards for new parents. but we're not stopping there. we think even cat ladies deserve rewards. left-handed people. people with birthdays. recent grads who can't move on with their lives. all of them and these people we found on the internet can be automatically enrolled in the progressive loyalty program and get special rewards. even people who just got back from europe. it's actually pronounced croissant. i was just in europe. back now with new details in that ohio walmart shooting that left four people injured near dayton. the fbi says the 20-year-old gunman who took his own life may have been racially motivated after examining the writings in his journal. investigators also say he used a rifle that was purchased two days before monday's shooting. a stunning reversal in the world of artificial intelligence. sam altman, ousted chief executive of openai has been reinstated. it comes after hundreds of openai employees threatened to leave the company. several board members who opposed him have also been replaced. as we gather tonight with friends and family getting ready for the thanksgiving holiday, some are changing the way many people think about their thanksgiving feast. the growing popularity of weight loss drugs. stephanie gosk on a holiday meal changer. >> reporter: step aside, stuffing and pumpkin pie. for many americans the focus this thanksgiving may be less on the food. the use of revolutionary weight loss and diet medications is skyrocketing. there's some people this holiday is about piling up a lot of food on your plate. is that something that you would do anymore? >> no, absolutely not. >> reporter: jackie lost 75 pounds in the last year taking the diabetes drug mounjaro. >> you're just not eating the same amounts that you used to. >> it all looks so good, but you just don't have anywhere to put it. >> at the end of the day, how can you resist that pumpkin pie, jackie? you kanltsdz resist. >> i don't, but i only get just a little bit. >> reporter: the conservative estimate is that at least 3 million people are taking diabetes drugs ozempic and mounjaro or the obesity drug wegovy. do you think people are going to buy less turkeys? >> i doubt that's going to happen this thanksgiving. >> reporter: but while the bottom line for food companies hasn't changed, the industry is paying attention. in october walmart's ceo told bloomberg shoppers picking up prescriptions to weight loss medications were buying less food. how do you think food companies will start adapting? >> easy, things like portion control. if people are saying, i get full faster, then maybe i want to pivot to something that's smaller portion sizes. >> reporter: which is what grandmother jackie says she will prefer tomorrow while she enjoys some of her newfound energy. >> i'll be running around with the kids. i am thankful i am going to be able to do this and enjoy it more this time. >> reporter: with a little less food and lots more family. stephanie gosk, nbc news. up next, the shock and outrage in mississippi over the treatment of another homicide victim. how his family finally learned of his fate. . the feeling of finding the psoriasis treatment she's been looking for. sotyktu is the first-of-its-kind, once-daily pill for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis for the chance at clear or almost clear skin. it's like the feeling of finding your back... is back. or finding psoriasis can't deny the splendor of these thighs. once-daily sotyktu is proven to get more people clearer skin than the leading pill. don't take if you're allergic to sotyktu; serious reactions can occur. sotyktu can lower your ability to fight infections including tb. serious infections, cancers including lymphoma, muscle problems, and changes in certain labs have occurred. tell your doctor if you have an infection, liver or kidney problems, high triglycerides, or had a vaccine or plan to. sotyktu is a tyk2 inhibitor. tyk2 is part of the jak family. it's not known if sotyktu has the same risks as jak inhibitors. find what plaque psoriasis has been hiding. ask your dermatologist about sotyktu for clearer skin. so clearly you. sotyktu. ♪ limu emu & doug ♪ [bell ringing] and doug says, “you can customize and save hundreds on car insurance with liberty mutual.” he hits his mark —center stage— and is crushed by a baby grand piano. are you replacing me? 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