Good evening. Police helicopters buzzing overhead are ubiquitous from the skies over many big cities here and abroad that they are barely noticed. No one expected the awful tragedy that happened last night in the center of scotlands biggest city when a Police Chopper came crashing down on the roof of a crowded pub. At least eight people are dead, more than a dozen hurt. Tonight just over 24 hours later, searchers are working their way through the wreckage, trying to account for all of those inside. A process Officials Say could take days. It happened at a riverfront pub in glasgow. Thats where Annabell Roberts is tonight with the latest on the unfolding disaster. Reporter the Police Helicopter lies broken, embedded on the roof of the pub. When it hit, more than a hundred people were inside this popular music venue in the center of glasgow, listening to a band, enjoying a night out. Eyewitnesses describe the engine sputtering before the chopper fell. Plummeted like a stone and dropped down. It was tumbling at the same time. Reporter part of the roof collapsed ending up huge clouds of choking dust. There was a whooshing sound. The came straight up and the whole roof just caved in. It was like a mushroom cloud. It just enveloped everybody with dust. It was horrific. Reporter Police Confirmed the pilot and two Police Officers traveling in the chopper were killed. Five more bodies have been found inside the building. This is a complex and ongoing rescue operation. It will not be a quick operation. This is a very complicated and, indeed, dangerous scene. Reporter the search continues. Officials say the site is too dangerous to know for sure if more people are trapped. When celebrations are normally held to honor scotlands patron saint but today they mourn. A special mass has been held. In a statement the queen said her thoughts and prayers are with the victims. 14 people remain in hospitals across this city tonight being treated for very serious injuries. Meanwhile both the police and the company that built the helicopter have launched investigations into this fatal accident. Lester . Annabell roberts in glasgow tonight. Thanks. An elderly american being held by north korea appeared in a video released today as the United States appealed for his release. We get the story now from nbcs joe fryer. Reporter the video released by north korea state media shows 85yearold Merrill Newman now detained more than a month reading an apology. He asks for forgiveness for allegedly killing north korean soldiers and civilians during the korean war. The video shows newman stamping the statement with red thumbprints, but it couldnt be confirmed if newman wrote the apology. Diplomatic experts say the video could be a sign. This may be a prelude to figuring out what it can extract from the United States for this release and then the release. Reporter newman, a korean war veteran dreamed of visiting north korea. Last month he fulfilled the dream, touring with a friend. Relatives say he was on a plane getting ready to leave when a north Korean Military officer took him into custody. Last week newmans wife spoke with nbc news. We have a lot of strong support. But when you dont know where your husband of 56 years is, you dont know his health, you dont know when he will be home with us, its not an easy situation. Reporter today, a state Department Official said the Swedish Embassy in north korea which handles issues dealing with u. S. Citizens was granted access to newman. Meanwhile another u. S. Citizen, kenneth bay, has been detained in north korea for more than a year. Today in a statement the white house said it was deep thely concerned about the welfare of both men and urged their releases. Joe fryer, nbc news, los angeles. For many people in this country, today the weekend meant another chance to hunt for holiday bargains as the first numbers were released from black friday which retailers consider the most important day of the year. Nbcs Kristen Dahlgren is watching from here in new york for us. Good evening. Reporter good evening, lester. Big changes to tell you about. We just got the numbers in. What we are seeing is really the end of black friday as a behemoth shopping day. Not because retailers are struggling but it is now a twoday event starting on thanksgiving. We are seeing a change in whos coming to the stores. People shopping online and on their smartphones in record numbers this year. Even with doorbusters dwindling the hunt for the deal was still on. The best time to be shopping now. I got here as early as i could. 200 boots for 39. Cosmetic kits less than 50 off. Reporter shoppers spent 9. 7 billion on black friday, down 13. 2 from last year. Add in thanksgiving day shopping and sales rose overall, 2. 3 from the same two days last year. All in all it was a good, safe two days and a good number on the sales standpoint. Reporter according to the National Retail federation, holiday sales are expected to be 602 billion this year. Hitting the stores isnt for everyone. The search for the best deal can bring out the worst in people. I would liken it to the hunger games. It seemed like we were being attacked over a sweater. Reporter natalie pettyjohn shopped online. You can do it from your bed, your kitchen, on an airplane, wherever. I think the convenience of that, people appreciate. In todays world we are all busy. Reporter analysts predict online sales could top more than 48 billion this holiday, up 14 from last year. I believe in going online, finding the best deal out there. Reporter walmart saw record traffic on its site. 400 million page views thanksgiving alone. Its not just people shopping from the comfort of home. Nearly 7 in 10 smartphone owners are expected to use their mobile device to make purchases. This black friday we saw a huge spike in people using their mobile devices and tablets. Sales were up almost 50 this season. Reporter as more and more shoppers take their hunt for bargains high tech. I will go innen and sometimes look for what i want. Then i will go online and see if i can find a better deal. Reporter retailers will take the sales however they can get them online or in store. We get more numbers out tomorrow. Retailers will be watching. Shoppers will be watching to see how the stores did and if there are going to be more markdowns as we approach the holidays. Kristen dahlgren in manhattan. Thanks. Millions of americans have another challenge on their minds this weekend signing up for health care under the new Insurance Program, or at least trying to. The Obama Administrations selfimposed deadline to fix the Health Care Website is midnight tonight. Kristen welker is following the story. I guess the question is how are they doing. Reporter they say they are doing okay. Tech experts have only a few hours left to meet the white houses own deadline for getting the Affordable Care act website running smoothly. Critical point in restoring confidence in a damaged presidency. In virginia today, signs of progress for the Governments Health insurance website. My experience was wonderful. I love it. There were no problems. We went through everything real smooth. It was really fast this morning. I was really surprised. Reporter deirdre said she had trouble signing up in october. Today she was one of six people nbc news interviewed reporting success, signing up with the help of a nonprofit called neighbors keeper. I was able to get through and select a plan. All i need to do now is send in a payment to activate the plan. Reporter the Obama Administration claimed to be on track to meet its midnight deadline to serve 50,000 users at once but that deadline is also aimed at repairing a presidency. We fumbled the roll out of the health care law. Reporter president obamas Approval Ratings have plummeted since the disasters rollout in october, drawing criticism from republicans and democrats alike. Meeting its own goals may not satisfy administration critics. Web experts say there is no guarantee the fixes are going to work. Its not easy to tell with 100 certainty if the site is going to perform. Reporter john engates is one of six analysts the white house invited to inspect the facility where technicians are working around the clock to fix the website. The website is doing better. Its certainly in a position where its taking traffic, doing what its supposed to do. Reporter engate says it may not be enough. If too many users come to the site at a given time the whole thing could stop. Reporter anticipating that, the administration thes Top Health Official urged users to log on during offpeak hours. The president s legacy in many ways doesnt rest on politics or philosophy. It rests on technical competence, the ability to take his policy and turn it into reality that ordinary americans can take advantage of. Reporter one Administration Official says the site is close to being able to host 50,000 users at once but wont give a specific number. Political analysts say the administration set the barlow and its goals vague to make it that much easier to claim success. Lester . Kristen welker, thank you very much. For more on the continuing challenges facing the health care roll out we are joined by david gregory, moderator of meet the press. They are keeping the barlow. How do they manage expectations now as we reach the deadline . Well, lester, lets focus on that. The need to manage expectations. Because of how poorly the rollout has gone out. I know from my own reporting the administration will say they have reached the point where they can handle 50,000 users at a time on the site. About 800,000 in a day. That puts them on track to get to some of the numbers they want to get to by march but its far from certain. They have enough progress, they think, to handle big capacity. They dont want to send people rushing to the site yet. Theyre going to start targeting key groups like the young healthier americans to get them to sign up and to use political tricks as well. Political tools in their bag to target those groups and get them to sign up. All right thanks. For more on this tomorrow, davids guests will include Cardinal Timothy dolan, archbishop of new york. We turn to the crisis in syria now. The United Nations said the civil war there is damaging a generation of children. The latest numbers explain why. More than a million children are refugees. Threequarters of them under 12. Almost 400,000 of them have wound up in lebanon. For many as nbcs Ayman Mohyeldin tells us, childhood is becoming a thing of the past. Reporter its Early Morning but these children arent going to school. They are Syrian Refugees headed to farm fields in lebanon. Cold and underdressed, a fire is all that keeps them warm until their work day begins. Hours on their feet, painstakingly lifting and dumping bucketloads of vegetables. They are now the breadwinners for their family of nine. We had no choice, maria says. We dont have proper blankets or canned food. Once schoolkids, they are now child laborers. They dont have places for us to go to school here. Eight organizations are trying to help, but life in lebanon is hard for the young refugees. Some looked at first like kids at summer camp dancing, drawing, singing. But behind the smiles lies something darker. This boy, sometimes playful can be visibly aggressive. A symptom of a civil war he and his family escaped only to find themselves living in this makeshift tent. A few pots and pans the only reminder of home. It is a hard existence says his father. He has a broken back and struggles to walk. So it is up to ibrahim and his brother to make the daily trek for water. Nearly 200 Refugee Families live in this tent city, one of at least 1400 such camps across lebanon. Families make shelters with whatever scraps they can find. No running water, no sanitation, no electricity. At the tent city here Health Workers treat a stream of children, many suffering skin diseases and malnutrition. Some are scared. They are not able to speak. They cry at night. All they can do is scream because they are scared what may happen. Reporter for now aid workers face an uphill battle trying to give the children a childhood they were forced to leave behind. Ayman mohyeldin, nbc news, lebanon. When nbc nightly news continues on this saturday, a new twist on the house call. You will be surprised who is showing up to help. Later a remarkable comeback story. How they are thriving again on the coast of florida. With millions of people focused on health care and the governments new Insurance Program we want to tell you about a novel approach to bringing medical costs down. It involves a variation on what used to be a common practice in this country the house call. Our report tonight from nbcs chief medical editor dr. Nancy snyderman. Reporter visits to the emergency room are skyrocketing. About 130 million a year. Im going to listen to you, too. Anybody can be seen. So i think in our country now a big thing is that the Emergency Department is the safety net for people without insurance. Reporter it is a tremendous burden on hospitals struggling to keep costs down. 81yearold lady here with shortness of breath. Reporter thats why minnesotas north Memorial Health care system is among the first in the country to test a new approach they think may reduce admissions and keep people healthier. They are sending paramedics on house calls to patients with chronic conditions like diabetes and asthma who may otherwise go to the e. R. You get to spend more time with them, find out whats going on, whats bothering them. What they need help with. How are you today . Reporter Chris Anderson is among the first group of paramedics specially trained to make house calls. He checks in on patients like victoria, helping her with her medications and blood tests, things she used to visit the emergency room for. Youre in better shape than i am. Reporter the project started in october after hospital officials referred people who use the emergency room nine or more times a year. North memorials chief medical officer dr. Kevin crosston says the number of repeat patients is often staggering. Some patients are here 23 times in a month. Reporter since then paramedics made more than 1,000 home visits at a fraction of the cost for a trip to the e. R. Barb andrews runs the program. It gives us as paramedics an opportunity to be proactive rather than reactive. Reporter and says it is a new way to think about the role of First Responders in caring for patients. See you next week. Empower them to manage their own Health Better in the home. Keep them out of the nursing home. Keep them out of the hospital. Reporter north memorial doesnt have data on the cost savings yet but believes the program will reduce admissions and give better care to the chronically ill. Thats better for everyone in the long run. Dr. Nancy snyderman, nbc news, new york. When we come back tonight, a strange sight on the water. Well tell you what it means. Take a look at this. A rare circle of ice rotating in the Cheyenne River in north dakota. Its been a hit on the web this week. Its about 50 feet in diameter. Scientists say its not a solid sheet of ice but a collection of ice cubes caught together as the water began to freeze. Another sign of the season. The live reindeer cam in st. Paul, minnesota. As we move toward christmas, viewers can check in on the reindeer 24 hours a day. It was set up by Animal Planet and is billed as a nice alternative to the yule log on the screen at holiday parties. Keep in mind the reindeer may be otherwise occupied come december 24. In case you are wondering the atlantic Hurricane Season ended today pretty much a no show. This was as bad as it got. Tropical storm andrea hitting parts of the south in june. There were 13 named storms this season, but only two became hurricanes. Thats the fewest since 1982. Neither of the hurricanes made it to the United States. In central illinois, a happy reunion to report. Almost two weeks of a deadly tornado. Specialist Jacob Montgomery of the Army National guard and dexter, his pit bull puppy. They were separated after montgomerys apartment was destroyed. The dog was found 19 days later under the rubble. He learned about it from n a facebook message from a neighbor. Next a comeback story you dont want to miss. Finally tonight one of the Great Success stories the world of wildlife. The return of green sea turtles to the coast of florida, decades after they were placed on the endangered species list. There was an increase in nesting this year capping a remarkable recovery. Heres nbcs mark potter. Reporter on a remote beach on the east coast, newly hatched green turtles struggle toward the waters edge to begin life at sea. Once faced with extinction, green turtles are now on a remarkable comeback, a Success Story cheered by environmentalists. They are majestic, charismatic animals that intrigue us. The world would be a poorer place without them. Reporter they eat sea grass and adults can weigh more than 400 pounds. In the spring, females dig nests in the sand to lay their eggs which hatch nearly two months later. Because they are easily captured green turtles were long harvested for food and nearly disappeared. We ate a lot of them, almost ate every one of them. Reporter in 1978 the u. S. Added green turtles to the endangered species list. To protect them. Biologists counting turtle nests at the Archie Carr National Wildlife refuge in florida are astounded by the results. There were only 62 nests in florida in 1979, there are 35,000 this year. It can take green turtles 20 to 30 years to mature and begin building nests like this which is why Scientists Say its taken so long since they were put on the endangered species list to see such positive results now. Green turtles face other threats such as fishing lines, hooks and nets. At the Turtle Hospital in the florida keys, many are treated for aggressive viral tumors. The cause . Unknown. We have so many more, higher percentage coming with tumors all over them. It gets on their eyes so they cant see and they starve. Reporter scientists also worry rising ocean levels and sea walls will destroy their nesting sites. Every day twice a day at high tide the beach will be covered with salt water. Reporter still, the nesting explosion now is seen as a hopeful sign that conservation measures can work to restore a valued species that nearly went away. Mark potter, nbc news, melbourne beach, florida. Thats nbc nightly news for this saturday. Im lester holt reporting from new york. I will see you tomorrow on today and then back here tomorrow evening. Have a good night, everyone. Captions by vitac www. Vitac. Com good evening. Thanks for joining us. We start with developing news. The white house is urging north korea to release an 85yearold man who has been held there more than a month. Merrill newman is from pal oo ao and a career war veteran. We have the latest including new video, as well. Reporter Merrill Newmans wife spoke to nbc news earlier this week. The family said nothing in response to a video of the 85yearold that surfaced yesterday. On that video released by north koreas official news agency, hes seen reading a handwritten apology. At the end of the statement he bows, then there is video of the korean war veteran putting his thumb print on each page of his confession. An expert says this is clear a force add poll ji. Its likely newman read it with the hope it would secure his release. I think by doing what