Year at this time weve seen three times as many flu patients as weve seen all of last year. Reporter more than 50 cases a day of flulike symptoms. Is it fair to say you are overwhelmed . Id say yes were at overflow right now, we definitely are, were very busy. Reporter patients like lawrence johansson. Yesterday morning, fever, feeling terrible. Reporter you look like you feel lousy. I do. Reporter at brigham and womens hospital, 50 more already this year than all of last year. Veteran e. R. Doctor, dr. Charles pazner. Patients feel like theyre run over by a bus, body aches, joint aches, feverish, oftentimes have sweats. Reporter in chicago hospitals are so overwhelmed with patients seven have closed their Emergency Departments diverting ambulances to other facilities. At a hospital in allentown, pennsylvania, theyre dealing with the onslaught of patients by triaging them in a tent in the parking lot. This influenza virus is tenacious. Dropless can be anywhere. How can you avoid the flu . There are some simple precautions. Wash your hands frequently, 15 to 30 seconds at a time, keep your hands away from your eyes and nose. You touch your face more than 2,000 times a day and thats the easiest place for the virus to latch on. So far i dont think its peaked yet. Its still rising. Reporter if you think youre at risk, the answer might be a click away. On flunearyou. Org 20,000 volunteers are compiling reports so you can check how severe the outbreak is in your zip code, theres a facebook that checks status words for cough and sneeze. Cdc has an app that tracks data state by state. If you think you have the flu, call your primary doctor immediately. Dont go immediately to the emergency room. The hallmark remains prevention and for almost everyone out there, thats a flu shot. We undervalue prevention in this country, brian. I think we have to drive home the fact this is a virus that can put you in the icu within 48 hours. This is not a season to fiddle around with. The flu shot is a good one this year. Its good, a Perfect Match and available. Dr. Nancy snyderman starting us off tonight thanks as always. Our climate is in the news tonight as well, the big insurance giant, the Company Called munich re says a natural disasters caused 160 billion around the world in 2012. Sandy, of course, was a big part of that in the east and its still costing. In the midwest, it was the drought. The new numbers coincide with the official numbers with a look at just how hot our past year was and our report tonight on this from our chief environmental correspondent, anne thompson. Reporter raging infernos, surging seas, howling winds. 2012 was extreme weather, hotter than any year on record. The results, federal Scientists Say of nature and manmade Climate Change. The 2012 temperatures are part of a longterm warming trend and that is associated with Climate Change. It is hard to pinpoint what percentage Climate Change has of a role in the 2012 temperatures. It did have a role. Reporter under normal conditions we should see one record high for every record low but in the first decade of the century we saw two record highs for each record low. In 2011, it was threetoone and last year, five record highs for each low. In 2012, much of the country sweltered. One out of every three americans had at least ten days where they had to deal with temperatures at or above 100 degrees. Thats a lot of heat. Reporter all that heat plus a lack of rain and snowfall created a historic drought that still grips over half the country today, making the Mississippi River less than mighty, so shallow in places barge traffic could come to a halt. I think that were looking at some very risky situations for the middle of the country for the coming year, the persistence of the drought so far is a real concern. Reporter extreme weather caused extreme hardship, 11 disasters topping 1 billion in losses, 125 People Killed in Superstorm Sandy alone. Its not just the u. S. Catastrophic wildfires raged across southeast australia this week fueled by tripledigit heat that forced the government to add a new color to its maps purple, indicating up to 122 degrees. Back in this country the city of chicago normally snow covered in january today tied the record for the most days without at least one inch of snow, 319. Now the reason this record of 2012 is significant is because what it signals for our future. Federal Scientists Say we can expect warmer years to become more frequent with more and bigger intense heat waves and perhaps more drought, brian. About the last thing we needed to hear but its news because of that. Anne thompson, thank you as always. Now we turn to gun control and our post newtown era. The white house is gearing up for a fight on this issue, announcing today they will meet with representatives of the nra later this week. Nbas ron mott covering this story for us. Reporter two years ago today 9yearold christinataylor green was the youngest shot in a grocery store. In a new campaign her mother is pleading for stricter gun laws. I have one question for our leaders, when will you find the courage to stand up to the gun lobby . Reporter her questions are part of a growing chorus around the country for gun prevention. Today, calls for action were joined by a new voice, former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords who was shot in the head in the arizona spree, launching an effort to curb gun violence. Gabby and i are both gun owners. We are strong supporters of the Second Amendment but weve got to do something from getting the guns into the wrong hands. Reporter its a sentiment that seems to be spreading. A gallup poll taken after newtown says 58 are tougher on gun sales. Up 15 points from 2011 and nearly 2 3, 62 say its time to ban high capacity ammunition magazines, the kinds often used in mass killings. All of this talk of gun restrictions meant banged up business at Second Amendment sports in tucson. Because of the word banned on the political side were seeing more of that fear purchasing. Reporter andy stopped in to buy his wife a handgun. People are going to be passionate about their weapons and the Second Amendment. Reporter the white house is preparing its strategy to address gun violence which is expected to include a push for background checks on almost all gun purchases, reinstatement of the assault weapons ban and stronger penalties for gun traffickers. Among the groups invited to meet, the National Rifle association. You want one more law on top of 20,000 laws, when most of the federal gun laws we dont even enforce. We have to just keep the talk going. Reporter sarah brady, who led the fight for handgun control after the 1981 assassination attempt against president reagan left her husband paralyzed hope this amounts to more than just talk. We cannot have a long conversation about this. Weve got to have action and weve got to have action quickly or it will fade. Nbc news learned family members and victims of the newtown, connecticut, tragedy, will soon announce they, too, have formed a new organization, brian, they want to be part of this ongoing dialogue. This issue is still top of mind. Ron mott with us in the studio, thanks. In colorado a harrowing day at the Pretrial Hearing in the case of another accused mass shooter, james holmes, charged with killing 12 people, injuring 58 others in the july shooting rampage at the aurora, colorado, movie theater. Prosecutors played 911 tapes, one of which included anguished cries for help from a 13yearold with two cousins inside, including a 6yearold, both gravely wounded. In another call you could hear 30 shots ring out in the background over the course of a telephone call to 911 that lasted 27 seconds before the callers voice was drowned out. There is news tonight about that attack on the u. S. Consulate in benghazi that killed four americans. The only suspect in that attack has been set free in tunisia. His Attorney Says the judge let him go due to a lack of evidence. We also learned secretary of state Hillary Clinton pictured at the white house today and back on the job this week will testify later this month about the benghazi attack. Senator bob corker tells our own Andrea Mitchell mrs. Clinton is likely to testify the morning of january 22nd. Now to aviation for the second night in a row theres trouble to report with one of boeings new 787 dreamliners. The aircraft a whole lot of people had hailed as the future of american aviation, yesterday it was a fire, today a mishap moments before takeoff, for a planeload of passengers. Tom costello covers aviation for us, hes with us from san diego tonight. Tom, good evening. Reporter hi, brian. This actually occurred in boston today, Japan Airlines 787, Japan Airlines yesterday as well, but today they were just about to depart fully loaded with passengers when they developed some sort of a fuel leak and they lost 40 gallons right there on the ramp. They went back to the gate, fixed the problem, the plane did, in fact, leave for tokyo but we can tell you that this follows yesterdays incident also involving a Japan Airlines 787, that was a belly, the fire in the belly of the plane, i should say. Investigators now think thats tied to an auxiliary power unit, a battery pack and there have been other emergency landings and problems with Electrical Systems over the last few months or so. United airlines has ordered inspections of all of its 787s. Most aviation experts believe that these are problems with a hightech plane but they could also start to undermine confidence in the 787. Brian . Tom costello on the latest problem from san diego tonight, tom, thanks. Now to an unwelcome surprise for millions of americans this new year, Health Insurance premiums that are causing sticker shock, doubledigit increases in some places, suddenly a whole lot of families are watching this happen in the era of the socalled Affordable Care act, better known as obama care. We get an explanation here tonight from nbcs lisa myers. Reporter as a pediatrician, dr. Jan mayzell knows all about rising medical costs but she was stunned to discover the cost of her own Health Insurance is going up a whopping 25 this year. Im impacting my ability to retire because im depleting my savings to keep this Health Insurance. Reporter some Insurance Companies in california including anthem blue cross, aetna and blue shield of california are proposing rate increases of 20 or more for some individual customers. Today the california insurance commissioner deemed one proposed group increase unreasonable and accused companies are trying to maximize profits. Its a disaster. It explains why we have 6 million to 7 million californians who simply cant afford Health Insurance and its not going to get any better. Reporter and its not just california. In florida and ohio, insurers have instituted doubledigit rate increases. New york, which unlike california has power to roll back rates has generally held increases below 10 . Overall medical costs are projected to rise only 7. 5 this year, so some experts are puzzled by the doubledigit premium increases, and question whether it has something to do with the obama care law, which will bring big changes next year. They know theyre going to have a lot of changes and lose some business and get new business anyway. It may be that this is the best strategy for them to maximize profits for this year. Reporter the Insurance Companies insist they are not profiteering and say higher premiums are the result of simple math and a few early costs of obama care. Premiums are going up because costs are going up. Two, because of the population thats being served, is it older and sicker versus younger and healthy, and three, the new requirements with respect to regulatory issues as well as benefit, new benefits requirements. Reporter and they warn that with added requirements and taxes under the new health care law, some consumers can expect significant increases again next year. Lisa myers, nbc news, washington. Still ahead, as we continue on a tuesday night, the news tonight about alcohol, women, and the increasing health risks they face. And later, why some serious people are saying if the government only minted a 1 trillion coin, it could actually save us from economic disaster. Back now a disturbing new look at at growing problem of binge drinking in our country today. The centers for Disease Control warn excessive drinking is a problem especially for women in the United States and results in the death of some 23,000 women and girls every year. Our report from rehema ellis. Reporter in movies, tv and music, its art imitating life. You smell like booze. Reporter according to a new report by the cdc, younger women arent just drinking in large numbers, the drinking is becoming potentially dangerous, and is often overlooked as a Health Problem for women who respond to alcohol differently than men. Some of these differences include females being more susceptible to the effect of alcohol on risk of cancer, the effects of alcohol on the liver, females are more susceptible to the effects of alcohol on the brain in terms of brain damage. Reporter binge drinking is defined as at least four drinks at one occasion, something young women say they see all the time. Women may be like to let loose and have fun. They want to go and drink and relax. Reporter in a survey of 278,000 women 18 and older nearly 14 million women binge drink about three times a month, thats one in eight women. Among 7,500 High School Girls the report finds one in five report binge drinking. Who is most likely to binge drink . White and Hispanic Women between 18 and 34 years old, and those with Household Incomes of 75,000 or more. Why is it happening . Experts say it could be pressure. One of the things that we might be seeing is a coping mechanism in binge drinking, and alcohol is being something to be stress relief. Reporter experts say more education is needed to help young women make wise choices about whether they should drink alcohol and how much. Rehema ellis, nbc news, new york. And were back in a moment with the night the luck o the irish ran out. Chances are, youre not made of money, so dont overpay for motorcycle insurance. Geico, see how much you could save. We learned overnight one of the great nonfiction writers of our times, richard ben cramer, has died. If you were a Young Journalist in this country wanting to know how best to cover politics, campaigns and politicians, richard cramers book what it takes it all it took. It chronicled the 1988 campaign as it focused on bush 41, on bush 41, dukakis, biden and all the educated at Johns Hopkins and columbia. Richard ben cramer died of lung cancer at the age of 62. Well, you know how they say roll tide. The tide certainly rolled right over notre dame last night as alabama owned the bcs College Championship game. From the getgo there were sad irish eyes all over this today. A 4214 thumping for the crimson tide of alabama. Their Third National championship in four years. When we come back here tonight, the new push to settle the next big fight in congress. Why some are saying we should really just make a very valuable coin. Finally here tonight, so we survived the fiscal cliff after all. The next dire circumstance youre going to hear us talking about around here is the debt ceiling, which, make no mistake, has the capacity to crash the u. S. Economy. So wouldnt it be just like the current thinking in washington and the cast of characters there if they could mint a coin they could spend that could solve the problem. Believe it or not, some serious people are asking, why not . Our report tonight from nbcs kevin tibbles. One fight down is another taken up. Reporter deadlock in washington . Again . Take all the fights we had, and put them all in one fight. Some are even threatening another government shutdown. Reporter how to solve it. What if we simply minted a platinum trilliondollar coin . Not entirely new, the trilliondollar bill was introduced on the simpsons. Ooh, a trilliondollar bill, thats a spicy meatball. Reporter still it is an idea getting a lot of currency online. Petition with more than 6,000 signatures and Nobel Prize Winning economist paul krugman says the president should be ready to mint that coin. In theory the treasury would mint the trilliondollar coin and then walk it over to the Federal Reserve for deposit, so the government can pay its bills. Oops. Is it legal . Technically the treasury doesnt need the permission of congress to mint platinum coins, but does it make economic sense . This whole coin business doesnt deal with the debt and deficit issue and it does not make it go away. My name is David Greenstein and im a professional numismatist. Easy for you to say. Reporter we visited a coin dealer to figure out how big it would need to be. Solid platinum 747 aircraft to have 1 trillion worth of platinum. Reporter some suggest its a political ploy. We should have known a coin was obamas solution to everything. It was right there in his slogan, change. Reporter the next big political battle will most certainly be whose face gets to be on it. Obama . Boehner . Or maybe bieber. Kevin tibbles, nbc news, chicago. That is our broadcast on a tuesday night. Thank you for being here with us. Im brian williams. We hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. We hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. Good night. Captions by vitac www. Vitac. Com right now at 6 00, who is the man behind the barge . New details about the tanker crash at the bay bridge and the pil pilots checkered history. Reporter and in san jose we may soon see more curbside dining outside. Ill tell you why it may cost the city nothing. Surgery suspended the problem left in the east bay hospital scrambling this afternoon. Good evening and thanks for joining us. Im jessica aguirre. And im raj mathai. It could have been disastrous. Everyone is having trouble understanding how it exactly happened. Tonight federal investigators are joining the probe into whats being now called a major incident. An oil tanker hitting the bay bridge for the first time excuse me, for the second time in five years. We have Live Team Coverage tonight. Bay areas arturo santiago will take a look at why the tanker was allowed to go underneath the bridge when the visibility was so poor. The latest on the investigation from treasure island. Jodi . Reporter the coast guard says it wrapped up its first interview of the pilot today. We understand he is an expert at navigating ships through the nuances of the bay. He has done it hundreds and hundreds of times before. Now hes in the hot seat as investigators try to figure out what went wrong. A ship hitting the bay bridge, thats a big deal. We love the bay and we want to see it protected. Reporter thats why investigator are so intent on finding out what caused the 752foot oil tanker to side twip a tower of the bay bridge, a major