Nationwide as car dealers smash alltime records. What americans are buying. And awkward. What really happened. That cringeworthy moment on live tv that has everyone talking. Nightly news begins right now. Good evening. It was apparently no accident. That left a 32yearold woman dead and some three dozen others injured on the Las Vegas Strip last night. Today police tell us there is evidence that the driver that rolled on the sidewalk and mowed through a crowd of pedestrians did so on purpose. Amid the unfolding carnage, some banged on the cars window pleading for the driver to stop. The driver, a mother from oregon, is tonight facing criminal charges and is jailed under 24hour watch. Nbcs morgan rat ford has details. On the strip. Innocent pedestrians mowed down when a car jumps on to a sidewalk out of nowhere. The car hit them and it was like a bowling ball hitting pins. Witnesses stunned and then angry. Chasing down the driver. They were not polices chasing the car. They were random duded. Reporter behind the wheel Lakeisha Holloway with her daughter in the car. The video obviously shows intention. Her exiting the roadway on to the sidewalk and then obviously plowing through the pedestrians on the sidewalk. Reporter holloway swerved on to the sidewalk not once but twice, gaining speed for a quarter of a mile. Injuring more than 30 and leaving one dead. A 32yearold mother of three from arizona. We havent determined to exact fact what the motive was. He believe she had some disassociation with the father of her child. We dont know the exact recipient that reporter she fled the scene, parked at a nearby casino, left her daughter in the car and asked a valet to call 911. Authorities say she was homeless and living out of her car with her toddler for the last week. But not for the first time. She was homeless in oregon but overcame that. Seen here in a promotional video for a jobtraining program. Being homeless and on my own taught me how to stand on my own two feet. Reporter in las vegas, standing in front of the paris casino posing just steps away from the scene of the crime. She didnt appear to be distressed due to her actions. Reporter investigators do not believe this is terrorism but they havent ruled it out. This busy piece of the Las Vegas Strip just reopened today. Police say the driver who is in custody could face charges ranging from child abuse to murder. Lester. Thank you. Overseas now to the headlines for years. Afghanistan. And a grim reminder that american troops remain in harms way. Today, one year after president obama declared the end of the u. S. Combat mission there, six americans were killed and two more injured in a Suicide Attack near baghram airfield. And here at home six families are coping with a terrible loss four days before christmas. Jim miklaszewski is tracking down the details of what happened. Reporter the six americans were killed today just as the war for the Afghan Military had taken a turn for the worst. The u. S. Service members had been call fod ed to a meeting with local afghan leaders northeast of the bagram air base. As the americans walked through the village, a lone suicide bomber on a motorcycle drove into the group and detonated his vest. The devastating blast killed six americans and wounded two others. Plus an afghan interpreter. Attack on u. S. Forces in afghanistan in more than two years. And in his christmas message just last year the president declared the u. S. War in afghanistan was over. Our longest war will come to a responsible end. Reporter but today without direct u. S. Combat support, Afghan Forces are engaged in a losing battle with the taliban throughout large parts of this month the pentagon issued a dire report on the Afghanistan War staying security has deteriorated. The taliban is now launching 1,000 successful attacks per month and for the first time isis has started mounting attacks in afghanistan. Still the president intends to reduce the number of american troops in afghanistan before he leaves office which critics claim could put u. S. Troops at greater risk. The smaller the american contingent, the more dangerous it is going to be for those who remain. Officials here say it is impossible to predict what the afghanistan battlefield will look like a year from now. Or just what kind of war the next president will inherent. Lester. Jim miklaszewski, thanks. The only person charged so far in the San Bernardino terror attacks will stay behind bars for the foreseeable future. A federal judge denied Enrique Marquez bail saying he is a danger to the community. He is accused of providing the guns used the december 2nd attack. And helped plan two other attacks which were eventually aborted. A war of words between the two frontrunners for president. Donald trump wants Hillary Clinton to apologize for something she said in the latest debate. But after a strongly worded statement from the clinton camp, trump shouldnt hold his breath. Katy tur gets to the truth from the claims behind both spending the weekend insulting jeb bush. Donald trump is of his own. This time from Hillary Clinton. He is becoming isis best recruiter. They are going to people showing videos of donald trump insulting islam and muslims. She should apologize. She lies about emails. She lies about whitewater. She lies about everything. Disaster. Reporter for now intelligence said trump is right. They have not used it recruiting. So will Hillary Clinton apologize. Hell no, her Campaign Said in a statement. The person that needs to apologize in this matter is donald trump. This allows each of them to be front and center, to act as if they are the partys nominees and to dominate the discussion and that is what you want when you are in a president ial race. Reporter the biggest casualty so far in the 2016 political season, the truth. And political facts told the most falsities of any of the candidates. His only statement on the truthometer was about Vladimir Putins poll numbers. He has an 80 approval rating. Something opponents on both sides keep pouncing on. I think you have a pathological liar. I have to get this off my chest. Donald trump is a jerk. Reporter even the president is acknowledging trump is invoking palable fear. I think that is what he is exploiting during the course of his campaign. Reporter across the country crowds are responding by the thousands. Even tonight, waiting for hours in the cold and rain to see the man turning politics on its head. And as the rest of the field toils away in new hampshire, donald trump is here in grand rapids, michigan, filling this arena. That and the attacks feeling like a primary election. Thank you. Today senator Lindsey Graham announced he is dropping out of the race. He was lagging behind badly in the polls including in his home state, the early primary state of south carolina. And one more note on president ial politics. A surprise announcement from team clinton today. Chelsea clinton tweeting that shes pregnant with her second child. A little sister or brother for her daughter charlotte expected to arrive next summer. Just maybe around the time of the Democratic Convention in july. Well see. Tonight an early holiday present for millions of americans and something we havent been able to say in six years. The National Average for gas is now under 2. At 1. 99. And a lot of folks are celebrating by going shopping for a new car or truck. Pushing sales to record heights. Nbcs tom costello has theyre off. 91 million americans hitting the road for the holidays. And for the first time in six years, gas is now under 2 a gallon. So if your college kid is driving home from Syracuse University to providence, the 300mile trip will cost 23. 88 in fuel. A savings of nearly 15 from two years ago before gas started falling. Driving 500 miles home from the university of michigan in ann arbor to st. Louis, roughly 25 cheaper than two years ago. On an in flation adjusted bases, were looking at the cheapest gas prices since the early 1980s. In july 2008 the gas prices hit the highest, 4. 10 a gallon. Now under 2 a gallon it is cheaper than a gallon of milk at 3. 34. And a small Starbucks Coffee at 2. 13 and transferring into car sales. More than 18 million expected this year. Light trucks an suvs. This new suv only gets 20 miles to the gallon in the city. But with gas prices so cheap, many customers say bigger suvs are suddenly a lot more affordable to drive. That is what brought Orlando Rodriguez to look at trucks at a ford dealership out of miami. Another boat. When you have to fill up the tank and it is 30, it gives you the budget to bigger. Reporter and big savings on heating. 800 for heating oil. With redictions this could be the new normal for several years to come. Tom costello, nbc news, washington. The official start to winter kicks off just before midnight tonight. But it is a mixed bag across much of the country. Here in new york, and across much of the east, holiday heat, christmas will feel a lot like spring. While the droughtstricken west has been hit with a blast of cold and snow in the mountains. Miguel almaguer weather extremes. Reporter in droughtstricken northern california, the winter is more than welcome. A series of storms rolling in. At this tahoe ski resort, 152 inches of snow and counting. No drought buster in the boom for business that has been dry. This is fantastic. It is great. It hasnt been like this in four years. Reporter in the northwest, theyve already gotten more snow this season than last. And thats a lot of snow. Reporter and there is record rain in oregon too. Near the coast, the land is giving way. Homes are crumbling. A woman killed in a mudslide. In nevada tonight, high winds toppled trucks. Gusts at 70 miles per hour. Here in l. A. , where it has been in the 30s, it will be in the 60s just in time for christmas. But thats no match for the weather flip flop across the country. In new york city, it eve. Its gous for december. The weather is driven by el nino. Unprecedented warmth through christmas. 30 degrees above average. Dozens of records will be crushed across half of the country. Reporter the forecast Christmas Eve in washington, d. C. And atlanta, 75. Boston, 67. In vermont, some bears arent even hibernating yet. New england ski resorts showing green, not making it. But boston, dont forget last season. Tonight marks the start of winter, not the end of it. Miguel almaguer, nbc news, los angeles. There is more trouble for chipolte. The cdc revealed today another outbreak of ecoli linked to the restaurant chain. Five new cases have been identified in three states. Kansas, north dakota and oklahoma. It is not clear whether the new outbreak is linked to the earlier one that sickened 62 people in the cdc said this is a different strain of ecoli. Still ahead, fallout from the mistake seen around the universe. The shocking finale to the Miss Universe pageant when the crown was given to the wrong contestant on live tv. Also trapped 100 feet off the ground. The ride that lasted much longer than anybody wanted at sea i absolutely love my new york apartment, but the rent is outrageous. Good thing geico offers affordable renters insurance. With great coverage it protects my personal belongings should they get damaged, stolen or destroyed. [doorbell] uh, excuse me. Delivery. Hey. Lo mein, szechwan chicken, chopsticks, soy sauce and you got some fortune cookies. Have a good one. Ah, these small new york apartments. Protect your belongings. Let geico help you with renters insurance. If you could see your cough, youd see all the sickness youre spreading. 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It was a gift for the internet too. Social media mocking harveys mistake. Trending topic on twitter. At the offices of buzzfeed today i feel bad for steve harvey but at the same time, you know, we got something great out of it. Reporter the master of media, donald trump, the former owner, tweeted this would never have happened if he was still running things. As for steve harvey, misspelling philippines and colombia in his tweet didnt help. In the end miss colombia showed the grace of a winner. While the real winner summed it up like this. This is very very 2015. Reporter and very likely to be remembered as the years most cringeworthy moment. Kristin dahlgren, nbc news, new york. Not to mention the pearls of live tv. Were back in a by the faa if you are getting one of these holiday gifts. You totaled your brand new car. Nobodys hurt, but there will still be pain. It comes when your Insurance Company says theyll only pay three quarters of what it takes to replace it. 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A pair of astronauts, including scott kelly who is almost nine months into a historic year, yearlong mission, ventured outside of the space station. They had to move a stalled mobile transporter four inches so a russian cargo ship could dock there later this week. And nfl superstar is suspended. The league said Odell Beckham jr. Will have to sit out one game. He drew three personal fouls in a very physical matchup with panthers cornerback josh norman yesterday. At one point he dove to hit norman helmet to helmet but he was never ejected from the game. Beckham does have the right to appeal his suspension. When we come back, the inspiring story that led these men from a life on the street to command pe watching football together is great. But i think women would agree. The thing is, about half of men over 40 have some degree of erectile dysfunction. Well, viagra helps guys with ed get and keep an erection. Ask your doctor if your heart is healthy enough for sex. 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Included a group of men so often regarded by society as among the voiceless. But as kristen wellter reports, thank foz one person making a difference, these men have found a song in their hearts. [ singing ] reporter a Christmas Concert in Atlanta City Hall that these men could have once never imagined. It gives recognition. Because a lot of times these people are dealing with difficulty. Invisible, because the singers are all homeless. Like william augustine. For the past four months he has lived on streets, sleeping in this shelter most nights. It is a hard life. It is a really hard life. Reporter this man, the music director at the church that houses the shelter, started the choir three years ago. I was brought up to somebody needs your help, you help them. And i hope that people will recognize that in these men. The choir rehearses two nights every week. Marvin coin still remembers his first concert. We were like rock stars. That is how you feel. Reporter the choir performs locally but this year noonon pushed to get to the group to washington, d. C. I said i wonder if we could pull off the white house. And he did. And they were invited to sing for holiday visitors. Their voices in the east wing tonight matching the mood of christmas cheer. It was everything i hoped for. It was everything i dreamed of. Reporter these men without homes of their own, lifting their voices together. In it a house that belongs to everyone. Kristen welker, nbc news, the white house. Well all be home tonight. That will did it for us on this monday night. Im lester holt. For all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching and good night. Good evening and thanks for joining us. Im sheila brummer. Democratic president ial candidate Bernie Sanders is in siouxland tonight. This is a live look at the Sioux City Convention center where sanders will speak in about an hour. Its only the candidates second time in sioux city since announcing his candidacy. And the first since july. Ktivs matt breen will be with the candidate and will have