digging out. after a monster storm buries much of the east coast in record snow. grounded. in the wake of the storm, air traffic comes to a halt. >> i was on the telephone for three hours holding last night for u.s. air, and nothing. nothing. could not get through. >> will anxious travelers make it home for the holidays? the deal. what it took to convince a holdout senator to get on board with health care reform. and sudden death. word tonight from hollywood of the loss of a popular young word tonight from hollywood of the loss of a popular young actress. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening on this last full day of fall. millions of people up and down the east coast are recovering tonight from a decidedly winter storm that killed several people, dropped record snowfall, knocked out power, and has thrown a big monkey wrench into holiday travel plans. after burying places like baltimore, washington, philadelphia, and new york, this morning the storm marched into boston. and tonight from the carolinas to massachusetts everyone from highway and utility crews to airlines and their stranded christmas week passengers are struggling to regain their footing. we've got it all covered tonight, and nbc's peter alexander is in new york's central park tonight to lead us off. hello, peter. >> reporter: lester, good evening to you. this enormous storm pounded more than a dozen states across the east coast. and while the worst of it has passed, it left in its trail a historic blanket of snow and a preholiday travel mess. the blistering nor'easter is swept into new england overnight like a great white wave. 65-mile-per-hour wind gusts and nearly two feet of snow produced blizzard conditions along cape cod. residents without electricity were told to call 911 before head og to shelters. boston reporter nicole oliverio. >> tell emergency officials exactly why it is you need to leave your home. they don't want you driving if you don't have to. >> reporter: the historic storm on the last day of fall marched up the atlantic coast this weekend, paralyzing traffic on two major interstates in virginia, stranding thousands in their cars. >> it's been 12 hours since -- about 9:00, 10:00 last night. >> reporter: the treacherous conditions are now blamed for at least five deaths, though the driver in this accident near providence remarkably survived. washington, d.c. is digging out after its biggest december snowstorm on record. 16 inches. an army of plows attacked the beltway around the nation's capital. and the white house pulled out its snow blowers, as the first dog, bo, had a field day on the north lawn. baltimore was buried beneath its own record-breaking blast, more than 21 inches. even in a sport proud of its frozen tund rras, the ravens ga was delayed so workers could clear the stands. and philadelphia chalked up its second largest snowfall ever, nearly two feet for a city that normally gets 20 inches in an entire winter. sidewalks were only manageable on skis. across new york sanitation crews worked extra long shifts to handle the city's 6,000 miles of streets. >> we are able to plow and salt and shovel without a lot of extra traffic. and so monday morning will be slushy and cold and slippery. be careful. >> reporter: after the blizzard of 2009 the forecast calls for the weather to settle down. >> it's going to be windy and cold the next 24 hours, and then actually be pretty tranquil probably right through christmas eve. >> reporter: a holiday gift wrapped in white for those in new york's central park. a long-awaited snow day arriving in the last hours before winter. and some good news for those kids across the east coast. the forecasters say this weekend's blast, lester, should guarantee a rare white christmas. >> peter alexander. and weekend is the operative term here because that storm spared most commuters who head back to work tomorrow. but with christmas coming millions of other travelers are on the move. or at least they were trying to be. until the storm shut down a string of major airports. nbc's tom costello has more on that part of the story tonight. from washington's reagan national airport. tom, good evening. >> reporter: hi, lester. and in fact, the airlines are in recovery mode. right behind me you can see this line of passengers here. they're in line to get to u.s. airways. and this line had come all the way to the orange cones here. so they're making some progress. the airlines had cancelled flights into and out of cities in anticipation of the storm. now they've got to reposition all of those planes, more planes if they can, bigger planes, to make up for the thousands of flights that have been cancelled. for passengers traveling on the nation's trains, planes, and buses, the big digout of 2009 has turned the holiday travel rush into a travel nightmare. >> go back home, relax. we'll get i you going as soon as we can. it's not going to be anytime soon. >> reporter: washington's national airport remained closed until midday as crews removed 16 inches of snoel, dump trucks full, from ramps. inside, long lines and frustration. >> i was on the telephone last night holding for three hours to u.s. air. nothing. nothing. could not get through. >> they said the next few days it's booked up so don't even try. so i won't be home, maybe not even before christmas. i have to stay on hold. >> reporter: further north in philadelphia, 80% of the flights were cancelled on saturday. owen keogh was returning from his study abroad program in london but then ended up in charlotte. >> just about to land and then they told us they diverted it to charlotte. and here i am. >> reporter: owen was lucky. he got a hotel in charlotte. a lot of passengers slept on the floor. nationwide, hundreds of thousands of travelers have been affected. jetblue airways says it cancelled 167 flights. 170 at continental. while united, delta, and u.s. airways all report cancelling 1,000 to 1,500 flights each. at new york's laguardia airport the lines and delays have lasted for hours. >> i've been trying to get home for two days now. >> reporter: same story further north in boston, where the storm took aim today. whdh reporter amanda grace is there. >> airlines cancelled about 75% of their departing flights here at logan airport this morning. they did it before the snow even started, worried that their planes would get trapped here. >> reporter: the trouble is the airlines don't have a lot of slack to make this up. >> in the past year airlines have cut back on their capacity. so that means fewer flights, smaller flights, and that translates into fewer available seats. >> reporter: and it's not just air travel. amtrak has struggled to recover all along its buried northeast corridor. at new york's penn station thousands are anxious to get out. >> it's probably been about a 24-hour period with no sleep, hardly any food. >> reporter: same story at greyhound, with 430 cancelled bus trips so far. from the nation's highways to its rails and runways, patience seems to be the word of the day. all of the airplanes -- all the airlines, rather, have the same message. please don't come to the airports unless you have already checked online or called to make sure your flight is leaving. they have enough people camping out as it is. lester, one of our staffers has been told that she won't get out until the day after christmas. back to you. >> it's going to be tough going. tom costello, thanks. and with winter officially arriving tomorrow, you can bet that more winter weather is on the way. and joining us with a look ahead is the weather channel's jim cantore just north of here in central park. hey, jim. >> reporter: yeah, good evening, lester. looks like winter's going to pick up right where fall left off with a big bang in through here. first of all let's talk about our historic departing low. it is going to lock the cold dry air in through here. that's going to keep a lot of the snow. and obviously a lot of the headaches for many here as we go on in time. temperatures will be about 15 degrees below average for highs as they get just above freezing for many, many areas that dealt with this snow. now, here comes the next big storm. now, watch how many people this affects over the next five days. the new low spins up into the pacific northwest, basically comes through the rockies on tuesday. salt lake and boise, you are in play. heavy rain for dallas, possibly even severe weather down to the gulf coast as well. we're watching the ice begin to develop. and this is going to be an area of big interest because it was at this time last year, almost exactly to the date, that we had many, many people lose their lives on the roads because of a very similar ice storm. notice on thursday, christmas eve, snow and ice for chicago, the storm getting stronger. indianapolis, cleveland, roanoke, you're in play. and then christmas day the same areas affected by this historic storm will be dealing with not snow but ice. a busy week in the world of weather. lester, back to you. >> jim cantore from the weather channel. thanks. the storm left much of washington paralyzed and tomorrow federal agencies will be closed. but on capitol hill senate democrats finally managed to get enough votes to move forward on health care reform. but how they got there is raising questions about how democrats will scale the next big hurdle ahead. nbc's mike viqueira is at the white house to tell us more. mike? >> reporter: good evening, lester. another key vote tonight here in washington, 1:00 a.m. at the capitol, where democrats are expected to prevail yet again in what has become a desperate struggle over health care. the skies over the capitol had cleared by morning. but under the dome no shelter from the storm. >> and throw us all out. because nobody should be representing the country this way. >> reporter: republicans furious at a last-minute concession given to the last democratic holdout, nebraska's ben nelson. nine lines inserted into the measure, making sure that his state and his alone will not have to pay for the expansion of medicaid called for in the health care bill. >> this process is not legislation. this process is corruption. >> reporter: nelson, whose support was essential for success, today defended his efforts. >> my negotiations were what i felt i should have in changes in the bill. >> reporter: meanwhile, white house aides are applauding the senate bill. >> it is light years ahead of where we were. >> reporter: today howard dean, a leading liberal critic, said he approves the recent changes. >> so the bill is better than it was. but it's still got a lopping wao go. >> reporter: fanning out across the airwaves this morning, democrats touted their reforms. >>. >> tax breaks for small business. >> 94% of all mernsz are now going to have health care. >> insurance companies can't ban anyone with pre-existing conditions. >> the majority leader. >> reporter: but the senate bill now expected to pass on christmas eve must still be merged with the house, and there are some big differences. among them, the house would provide a public option. the senate does not. the house pays for reform in part with a tax on wealthy individuals. the senate would tax high-cost, or so-called cadillac health plans. and the house has yet sharper restrictions on abortion coverage than the senate. and as the debate rages on, public support for both reform and the president himself have fallen. now close to victory on health care, white house officials are unfazed. >> what i suggest is that you guys wait until next october to talk about polls, when they're actually germane to an election. >> reporter: and yesterday, lester, the president called olympia snowe. she's that moderate from maine. here to the white house. he wanted to get her support for this compromise over health care. she told him no. today she put out a statement, said she will not be voting for this bill tonight or this week, thereby dashing the president's hope to have bipartisan support for this health care reform at this point, lester. >> mike, thanks. weil we've been watching our weather at home, overseas winter swaerth a big story across much of europe. snow, ierks and subfreezing temperatures closed airports, shut down rail service, and stranded travelers in one major european city after another. the frigid weather is blamed for 29 deaths in poland alone. the eurostar rail line fell victim to the cold. the high-speed link between london and paris has been shut down indefinitely after trains broke down in the tunnel beneath the english channel stranding thousands of passengers, many without food, water, or adequate information. in iran today crowds gathered to mourn the death of ayatollah montazeri, one of the country's leading clerics. once a potential heir to e ayatollah khomeini, montazeri was a reform advoektd and critic of hard-liners including mahmoud ahmadinejad. he died in his sleep of heart failure. he was 87. when "nightly news" continues this sunday, one of the biggest shopping days of the year cut down size by weather in the east. the question now, how to make sure your gifts get delivered on time. also ahead, sad news from hollywood tonight on the death of actress brittany murphy. we'll be right back. i mean look at him - he is really bringing it. and look at me - i'm blank. i got nothing. that's when i had it with frequent heartburn. that's when i got prevacid®24hr... and husband number two! 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nbc's john yang has our report. >> reporter: the snow blanketing the eastern seaboard may be good news for santa and his sleigh, but it makes for tough sledding for shoppers and delivery trucks. the storm all but wiped out one of the biggest shopping days of the year from virginia to new jersey. today they were digging out. >> it's fair to say tomorrow everything that is -- and today to a great extent the city is open for business. so if you want to go shopping, just be careful, but check with your store. >> reporter: analysts say the calendar's working in retailers' favor. >> because christmas is as far away from super saturday as you can get. it's on a friday. there's plenty of time for retailers to recover from the storm. >> reporter: some buying appears to have shifted to the web. e-shopping peaked at 2.9 million visitors saturday night, up from 1.9 million a year ago. even before the storm e-commerce was one of the holiday shopping season's bright a report out today says it's up 14.4% over last year since thanksgiving. >> as consumers could not get to brick and mortar locations, they'd resort to shopping online for really this last spurt before the holiday. >> reporter: retail websites such as macy's and jcpenney offered free express shipping today but starting monday shoppers may have to pay extra to get presents delivered on time, a potential boom for ups and fed ex. that means more packages in the pipeline. ups projects tomorrow will be its busiest day. 22 million deliveries. more than 250 a second. >> you won't see purchases that were made yesterday not getting there due to the weather. everything is basically clearing up today and you still have four days before christmas. >> reporter: in the end analysts say the storm could make shoppers less deal driven and more willing to pay higher prices in order to wrap up their holiday shopping on time. john yang, nbc news, los angeles. actress brittany murphy died today apparently of cardiac arrest after being found unconscious in her west hollywood home early this morning. she was rushed to cedars sinai hospital in los angeles, but efforts to revive her were unsuccessful. murphy's breakout role came in the 1995 film "clueless." >> they're playing our song. the won we danced to. >> she went on to appear in dozens of movies and television shows including "girl, interrupted," "8 mile" and the animated series "king of the hill." los angeles police are investigating the circumstances surrounding her death. brittany murphy was 32 years old. and we're back in a moment with a visit to the front lines difference a long way from home. and you're still fighting to sleep in the middle of the night, why would you go one more round using it ? 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here with one answer is nbc's jim maceda in kabul. ♪ ave maria >> reporter: from a sunday morning mass -- >> may their families experience comfort during their time of sorrow and grief. >> reporter: to a nighttime sorting of gifts for the afghan poor. >> how about these? >> okey-doke. >> it's so rewarding it just breaks up any depression. >> reporter: 50-year-old u.s. army chaplain eric albertson plays many roles. and a pretty good guitar, too. >> five, six. >> reporter: all in the calling, he says, of caring for the inner well-being of his troops. >> so i've seen both ends. i've been with fellows when they've died in combat, and then i've been with them with their families when they were laid to rest. >> reporter: but despite chaplain albertson's efforts and others like him the u.s. army's morale is under attack. active duty suicides are at record levels. so is depression. and substance abuse. albertson, with already two tours in iraq and one here in afghanistan, agrees that morale is a problem and blames the stress of long multiple deployments away from home. >> i think of world war ii, for example. they were gone for four years. well, there are some troops here that have been gone for five. >> reporter: and facing an often invisible enemy has taken a toll. i.e.d.s and suicide bombers are on the minds of every soldier who goes outside the wire. >> we've heard them. we've seen them. we've seen the smoke. and i'm thanking my lucky stars, just praying every day. >> reporter: the army does what it can to boost morale, with pool tournaments. even fencing lessons. and a focus on outreach, like this drop-off of winter clothes and soccer balls at a kabul orphanage. it's the kind of experience that soldiers can share with loved ones back home. and that's a big bonus. many of the counselors we've spoken to here say that the average soldier will almost never share the darker side of conflict with family. >> the father, the son, and the holy spirit. >> reporter: an ordained catholic priest, albertson says that faith ultimately is the best morale boost for his troops but admits that after eight years of war it's getting harder to believe in peace. jim maceda, nbc news, kabul. when we come back here tonight, why santa's got a brand new bag this holiday season. 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