From nbc news World Headquarters in new york, this is nbc nightly news with brian williams. Good evening. Im kate snow in for brian tonight. Even with the holidays upon us theres still tension and debate in many parts of this country over the use of force by police. In recent weeks weve seen so many demonstrations against law enforcement, but the ambush of two new York City Police officers last weekend has focused attention on the dangers officers face every day on the job. Today, thousands of people came from near and far to attend a wake in new york city to honor one of those fallen officers and support the citys police force. Nbcs ron mott is outside the church tonight. Ron, good evening. Reporter good evening, kate. The wake for officer rafael ramos continues tonight, all afternoon mourners have been streaming into this church you see behind me. It is a significant show of support that is spread well beyond new york city. A somber processional for a fallen officer. The body of rafael ramos brought into a church today, quiet salute and long lines to honor his life. We love rafael ramos. He was a gift to our church. Were going to miss him a great deal. Great to see everybody get together the way they have for a very good fellow officer ramos. Reporter ramos and his partner wenjian liu were gunned down over the weekend sitting in their patrol car. Liu, married just two months. His widow sobbed as a News Conference announced a 9 11 charity is raising money to pay off mortgages for both families. We want to help lift them out of some of the despair theyre in today. Reporter Vice President biden will attend ramos funeral on saturday along with as many as 25,000 officers estimated by the nypd to pay their respects today and tomorrow. These men coming from utah on a free flight offered by jetblue to Police Departments nationwide. Anything we can do to get back out there and support them, we have to. We have to. Because we know theyd do the same for us. Reporter amid the sadness, the nypd says it has received dozens of threats. Six people arrested, these weapons found in one suspects home. Something that you may have taken for granted a week or two ago, you know, you may get special attention this time. Just heightened awareness. Reporter tensions between police and minority communities have fueled protests around the country. And here in new york mayor bill de blasio has been criticized by some for supporting the demonstrators. Officers turned their backs when he arrived at the hospital after the shooting. And today a group of retired officers flew a banner over the city expressing that same sentiment. In response the Mayors Office said this is a time to honor the officers and that dividing people wont help our city heal. Meanwhile, a memorial grows back at the scene where officer ramos and liu died as their families prepare to say final goodbyes. Im going to miss his loving presence, and i cant even begin to fathom what lifes going to be like without him. Reporter theres late word tonight that Vice President biden will offer remarks at tomorrows Funeral Service for officer ramos. Meantime, details for officer lius funeral are not yet set. His family in china making travel arrangements to get here. Ron mott, thank you. Until yesterday it was down to the wire for christmas shopping. Tonight, its down to the wire for retailers hoping to salvage this years Holiday Shopping season. And, yes, that means even more sales. And if youve wound up with a bunch of gift cards that you may not want, one big retailer has an idea that you might find appealing. Nbcs Gabe Gutierrez is in side one of the busiest malls this time of year in atlanta. Gabe, good evening. Reporter kate, good evening. So far this years Holiday Shopping season has been good, but not great. Almost four in ten americans plan to return something during the holidays. And today some stores were ready as early as 6 00 a. M. For some christmas comes a day late. Right now were just trying to catch all the deals. See a lot of 50 off, even 60, 70, saw a couple 80 off. Reporter this year the National Retail federation predicts holiday sales will increase just over 4 , but retailers are scrambling to make up for lackluster sales on black friday and socalled Super Saturday this past weekend. The shoppers are outsmarting the stores waiting for deeper and deeper discounts as you get closer to the end of hanukkah, christmas and new years. The longer shoppers wait, the better the bargains. Reporter for consumers it could be a perfect storm. Lower gas prices, more expendable income. The cost of cotton also down. Experts say that means more deals on clothing. The deals have been awesome. Weve been here since 8 00 this morning. And weve got a lot of good things. Reporter new this year, the Worlds Largest retailer, walmart, is testing an unprecedented gift card swap. Yes, on its website you can Exchange Gift cards from more than 200 stores, restaurants, Even Airlines for a walmart card. For example, a 100 gift card from target would get you almost 97 at walmart. One from best buy 92. Starbucks, almost 73. I think it is something that is unique and could certainly help to be a driver of walmart sales. Reporter at atlantas lenox square, robin fox was here early to beat the crowds. How many returns are you making today . It was about ten. Reporter ten returns . Yes. That was half off. Reporter if youll be joining her this weekend at the return counter, bring your id. More stores are asking for it, to cut down on fraud. And the postholiday rush is just beginning. U. P. S. Said today that it expects just u. P. S. Alone to return more than 800,000 holiday packages to retailers. Kate . Wow. Gabe gutierrez in atlanta tonight. And as you heard gabe mention something that may help postholiday sales a little bit, this was a 92nd straight day that gas prices have fallen in this country. The average price of a gallon of regular is now at 2. 32. Thats down 12 cents over the last week alone. A year ago on this date the average was almost one dollar more. Several dozen states are now reporting at least one service station selling gas for under two bucks. Sony was still dealing today with a suspected new hacking attack. This one on its Playstation Network as the company tried to recover from the devastating attack related to its movie the interview. We get the latest tonight from nbcs hallie jackson. Reporter the error messages lighting up xbox live and playstation appeared to be no mistake. A possible cyber attack downed both networks as people tried to log on with their new Christmas Gifts but couldnt. Well, hack that one too or what . Reporter today frustrated gamers vented online. Day two with no internet, no log in, nothing. Rumbling past 50 hours now. Anger at the real life grinches. Neither xbox or playstation is commenting on what caused the crashes, but a hacker group called lizard squad gleefully took credit. Theyre already on the fbis radar for previous attacks against gaming systems. Sony owns both playstation and the studio that made the interview, and xbox is one of the platforms streaming the controversial comedy. Could this outage be related to the original cyber attack against sony . I really dont think so. I dont see any type of connection to the original attack. Remember, they didnt actually steal anything. No data. All they did was turn the lights off. Reporter a separate group is believed to be behind the cyber attack on Sony Pictures which the u. S. Blamed on north korea. Those hackers appear to threaten retaliation if sony released the movie to the public. But sony did anyway to 331 theaters nationwide where the interview grossed more than 1 million on opening day. Thats a really good number. Those theaters, a lot of them were sold out. Its almost not even about the movie anymore, its about what the movie represents. Reporter Sony Pictures says its grateful for the fantastic audiences reaction. Like in austin and im proud to be an american reporter a hollywood ending for this movie, but just the start of questions of impact on screens big and small. The movie is Available Online too, but the streaming statistics are not out just yet. Worth noting though that the interview ranked either number one or number two on google play and youtube movies, kate. Hallie jackson in los angeles. Thank you. Former president george h. W. Bush remains in a hospital in houston, texas, tonight three days after he was brought there with shortness of breath. Nbcs jacob rascon is in houston with a new update. Jacob, whats the latest . Reporter kate, good evening. Once again a family Spokesman Says mr. Bush remains in high spirits and continues to make progress. But he will stay yet another night at houston methodist behind me. This will be his fourth night since being rushed here by ambulance on tuesday after having some trouble breathing. At 90 years old, hes the oldest living former president and suffers from parkinsons disease that makes it difficult for him to speak or walk. Were told he spent Christmas Day with family at the hospital as he did two years ago with bronchitis and a persistent cough. So, kate, hes doing well but not ready to go home just yet. Good news. Jacob, thank you. Tonight, we learned the name of a Company Recalled caramel apples after an outbreak of listeria that killed five people. And made nearly 30 others sick in ten states. Its the happy apples company of washington, missouri. The affected apples have a best used by date of november 23rd, consumers are being warned by the cdc to throw those apples away if they still have them at home. Ten years ago today just a day after christmas the world was stunned by one of the worst natural disasters in modern times. The 2004 indian ocean earthquake and tsunami killed thousands and transformed the landscape triggering a decade of rebuilding and recovery. Nbcs katy tur has been reporting from the region this week and has our story tonight on lives lost and lives changed forever. Reporter it was a day like no other, one remembered every day since. And now the jakarta tsunami Early Warning center, constant vigilance. Here they monitor one of the most active fault lines on earth, the same one that ruptured in 2004 causing a towering tsunami that devastated cities in 14 countries. No shelter, no food, no power, no water. Reporter today, on the tenth anniversary the dead are remembered. Almost a quarter of a million lives lost across the region. In indonesia, sri lanka, india and thailand. Its still as vivid as if it happened yesterday, says this indonesian woman. You cant imagine how much we fear the ocean now, says another in india who lost her son, mother and two grandchildren. Petra nemcova was in thailand vacationing with her boyfriend simon atlee when the wave came crashing into their hotel room. She was found eight hours later, her pelvis broken in four places, buried in debris and clinging for life to a palm tree. Atlee didnt make it. But as hard as it was to lose him, she says it was worse to hear childrens screams for help through the trees. And after half an hour i didnt hear them anymore. And that was one of the hardest that was the hardest moment of that experience. Was not the physical pain. It was not being able to go and help. Reporter through her charity, happy hearts, shes built 107 schools in areas ravaged by natural disasters. I cannot change the past. I can change the future of the children. Reporter for the people of this region, hope has returned. Lives have been rebuilt, but no one here will ever forget what happened that day ten years ago. Katy tur, nbc news, khao lak, thailand. Still ahead tonight, keeping the skies safe. An inside look at what happens to your luggage when you check it in. And later, mystery solved, why the Little Prince was absent on Christmas Day. The airlines estimate that 45 million of us are flying over this holiday break, and that means as many as 100 million pieces of luggage checked in and screened at airports nationwide. More than 99 of them arrive at their destination, believe it or not, on time with their owners. But have you ever wondered what happens after your bag takes off on the conveyer belt at the airport . We get an inside look tonight from nbcs tom costello. Reporter midmorning at miami international. Three plane checks, three bags checked to puertoplata. Thats going to be d26, which is this way. Reporter and the biggest baggage system in the western hemisphere is once again being put to the test. 11 miles of computerguided belts carrying 60,000 bags every day. But what you dont see is whats behind the counter. Could you please flip the bag reporter from the baggage control room to the tsas extra screening rooms. To get that behind the scenes view, were checking this bag. But ours has three cameras. Down the belt and very quickly the bag passes through a giant tsa scanning machine looking for explosives. If your luggage is one of the very few that trips the alarm, screening officers could send it here for a hand search. Only 5 of bags are ever physically opened. Today, laptops, wine bottles, Christmas Gifts and food are getting a second look. And a pass. The officer knows what to look for because the image pops up right here on his screen. It could be electronics, could be liquids, anything dense. In this case its a tortilla press. Officer luis gomez has come across car parts, live spiders, even a freshly caught fish. Im thinking is it going to start flopping around on the table. I got to keep it under control. Reporter bar codes and security cameras keep track of everything. If you are caught stealing and fired and youre subject to criminal prosecution by local authorities. Reporter but the number of tsa officers arrested for theft is down 68 in ten years. Meanwhile the bag moves through a complex network of sensors that ensures it ends up at the right plane. Everyone carrying two, three bags per customer. Reporter the advice for holiday travelers. Dont put any electronics in your bag, dont check your car keys or your cell phone. And no medicine. Reporter and put your trip itinerary inside your luggage on the remote chance it doesnt arrive with you. Tom costello, nbc news, miami. Were back in a moment with a truly special Christmas Day delivery. Every day is a new opportunity to help make life better right here in San Francisco. Whether its helping local businesses like the fruitguys grow and prosper, supporting nonprofits like juma ventures as they fulfill their mission or helping neighborhoods like the tenderloin become vibrant communities. If theres a way to help the people of San Francisco thrive and succeed, well find it. Thats the power of local connections. Thats bank of america. A crisis over french fries of all things is easing in japan because of a shortage caused by a labor dispute here in the u. S. , mcdonalds had limited orders to only the small size at its 3,000 japanese branches. The country imports most of its frozen fries, but now theyve increased shipments by air and from the east coast of the u. S. And the company says all fry sizes will now be available again ten days from now. Thank goodness. In this country the call came in just before 6 00 p. M. In philadelphia, and two Police Officers responded to aid in delivering what would be the best Christmas Present of all for one young couple. Here they are after helping the woman give birth on a subway train. She was already in labor when they and the other officers got to the scene. They coached her through the delivery, even unwrapped the umbilical cord from the babys neck and from there it was on to the hospital where the baby, mom and dad are all doing just fine. Well, drivers heading north on the garden state parkway in new jersey noticed something a little unusual on one of the signs on Christmas Day. It was exit 135. And instead of the towns of clark and westfield, you can see someone made it clark griswold, you know, the dad played by chevy chase in christmas vacation and other National Lampoon vacation movies. There were lots of smiles until it was all taken down. And in england a lot of people wanted to know why the duke and duchess of cambridge attended a Christmas ChurchService Without 17monthold prince george. Afterward his mother provided the answer telling wellwishers she was sorry george wasnt there but he would have been heard in church. In other words, hes a regular noisy baby. Something a whole lot of us parents can relate to. And when we come back, tom brokaw talks with Angelina Jolie on the hero behind her new movie unbroken. Finally tonight, it was a big Christmas Day at the box office for unbroken, the new movie about a world war ii hero Louis Zamperini, who died this year at the age over97. Age of 97. His remarkable life story became a best selling book that Angelina Jolie made into a movie produced by our Sister Company universal pictures. Tom brokaw got to know them both during the making of the film. Reporter i followed director Angelina Jolie for almost a year as she brought unbroken to the big screen. She saw in Louis Zamperini, life lessons for modern society. Lessons that emerged from his long terrible ordeal. Its not that we dont know what it is to forgive or to you know, what brotherhood is, what patriotism is. We know it. But we need to know how to connect to it. We need reason to connect to it. Reporter angelina developed a close personal relationship with louis. An olympic athlete he survived a wartime plane crash. 47 days on a life raft, he was declared dead and faced barbaric treatment in several japanese prisoner of war camps. Given all that you went through, was there ever a moment when you just fleetingly thought, i cant do this . I cant go on . It never occurred to me. Im a very positive person. No matter what the situation is, ive learned how to be content, ive learned how to handle it. Reporter through the force of his will zamperini survived his brutal treatment and came home a hero. How did he do it . We got insight from the decorated navy seal of blackhawk down fame. When you read louis story, were there times when you thought to yourself, oh, my god . Yeah, absolutely. Perhaps theres a dna characteristic that helps one tolerate pain and helps one recover, but i think most of it is psychological. Reporter and world war ii veteran clarence graham, a prisoner of war even longer than louis. Could you tell when you got into these camps who of your friends would survive and who wouldnt make it . It was pretty obvious. Somebody that had an outgoing personality, looked for the good, they had a good chance. Thats the bombardier space. Reporter to the end Louis Zamperini looked for the good. He remained unbroken. What a gal. Tom brokaw tonight on an extraordinary life. And that is our broadcast for this friday night. Thank you for joining us. Im kate snow in for brian. Lester holt will be here this weekend. For all of us at nbc news, have a great weekend. Goodnight. A cold snap in time for the weekend. Right outside your window, if youve been outside, you know what it is. Already a chilly night. Its expected to drop to near freezing, maybe even a little below in parts of the bay area tonight. Nbc bay area meteorologist rob mayeda tracking frosty temperatures. Man net miranda with how people are gearing up for this cold snap. Reporter you definitely need layers out here. Long johns, tights, sweaters, big coats, hats, youll need it out here. But its not just the people that need layers, its the stuff around outside your house too. Cover and protect. That will help you get through this cold snap. Very windy, cold. Reporter sleeping near the guadalupe river, Javier Javier how cold its gotten. There are no outreach efforts to get him and other homeless into shelters. Javier says hell touch it out. Two blanket, one sleeping bag. Is that enough . I think so. I can handle it with that. Reporter the things outside your home may not handle frigid temp us. The guys at ace hardware want you to think about protecting your exposed water pipes. Just keep an eye for 32 degrees or below. That doesnt happen as