New york this is nbc nightly news. Reporting tonight, lester holt. Good evening. That bizarre aerial stunt in washington, d. C. Is still rattling nerves today with the question what if on a lot of minds. Were talking about that copter that flew undetected to the u. S. Capitol yesterday to some of the most restricted air space in the country. It was piloted by a florida mailman with a political message but who, as far as we know had no intent to do harm. But what if someone else was at the controls someone with deadly intent . Tonight were not the only ones asking and some of the answers were getting arent total he reassuring. Peter alexander has the story for us. Reporter first, the stunt, now the scrutiny. This is not good people. Reporter this unprecedented act of civil disobedience is today refocusing new attention on a longstanding security vulnerability, the threat posed by lowflying lightweight aircraft. Homeland security secretary jeh johnson. This individual apparently literally flew in under the radar, literally. Reporter federal authorities today charged 61yearold florida Mailman Doug Hughes with violating restricted air space and operating an unregistered aircraft. The maximum penalty one and three years each. A judge released hughes and ordered him to stay out of washington until a hearing next month. Hughes told the Tampa Bay Times last year he wented to deliver a message to washington to end big politics. Id rather die in the flight than live to be 80 years old and see this country fall. Reporter instead flight sparked a discussion about security. How did it happen . How did the helicopter get through . Why werent there alarm bells that went off . Why wasnt it intercepted . Reporter this was basically the gyrocopters flight path as it rounded the Washington Monument headed straight down to the capitol building. But had he taken a left turn the pilot would have had a straight shot for the white house. The nations capitol is teeming with law enforcement, secret servic police park police. But none stopped what hughes once described as a flying bicycle. Who should be in charge of that restricted air space ultimately . Weve got a well coordinated federal response to dealing with issues of those who penetrate the restricted air space. Reporter secret service, military capitol police. A well coordinated response. Reporter the u. S. Longer flies fighter jets 24 7 over d. C. Like after 9 11. So a senior military official tells nbcs Jim Miklaszewski even if jets were already in the air they would have been ineffective with a slow moving target. Ben montgomery drove to washington to watch. But the secret service says the paper never alerted authorities. Thats not my job to pull the plug on somebody doing Something Like this. Reporter today the white house even weighed in. Press secretary josh earnest saying this episode has prompted security teams to reevaluate their security measures throughout the nations capital. Peter alexander, thank you. Weve reported a lot of stories about americans allegedly trying to make their way to syria to join isis but tonight an ohio man is not only accused of going there and receiving terrorist training but also coming back to the states with plans to carry out an attack right here at home. Nbcs justice correspondent Pete Williams has details. Reporter american Officials Say todays charges reflect a growing fear people in the u. S. Going to syria, getting training then coming back as committed terrorists. Prosecutors today accused a 23yearold so malyborn man from Columbus Ohio abdirahman sheik mohamud for getting to istanbul and making his way into syria. For two months they say they got training in weapons explosives and handtohand combat following his brother who had gone there in 2013 to join al qaeda in syria and was killed in a battle last year. Court documents say when he returned to his familys house in columbus he talked to others saying he wanted to target the military police or anyone in uniform an wanted to quote, kill three or four american soldiers execution style. His arrest is a first since isis began recruiting. This is the first case of an american traveling, you know overseas to syria, training with terrorist groups there, then returning home to be arrested and indicted. Reporter he was arrested on state charges in february and had been under surveillance for months. Tracing americans who have been to syria is an urgent priority for the fbi as attorney general eric holder told us recently. We probably have hundreds under some kind of surveillance. Reporter Authorities Say tonighs proji hadi postings on facebook. His lawyer said he will plead not guilty at a Court Appearance tomorrow and he was caring for his mother when he was arrested. Now to that dramatic 911 call for help and the most unusual. For the first time were hearing that airport worker trapped in the dark in the cargo hold of an Alaska Airlines plane in midair. The worker realizing where he is and pleading with a 911 operator trying to grasp exactly what it is that he is trying to tell her. Our National Correspondent miguel algagger reports. Reporter the Alaska Airlines flight was departing seattle bound for los angeles when the 911 call came in from the planes cargo hold. Hello. Im trapped in this plane. I called my job but im in this plane. Youre where . Im inside the plane. I feel like its up moving in the air. Flight 448. Can you please have somebody stop it. Reporter the caller an employee at menses aviation who loads bags on to the plane, told authorities he took a nap. Trapped with a flight on the move dispatchers are confused. Where are you in a plane at . Im inside a plane. Alaska Airlines Plane flight 448. Are you at the airport . Im not in the airport. I feel like its moved because i feel like reporter the emergency call lasts 48 seconds, then suddenly drops off about. Are you by yourself or are you with somebody . Reporter with the plane climbing at 5,000 feet passengers hear banging and a scream from below their feet. And he was like help help. Were like what . Reporter airborne for 14 minutes, the trapped man was near the nose where its pressurized and temperature controlled. Pilot made an emergency landing. The baggage employee able to walk off the plane. With the airlines still investigating, we were able to speak to that trapped man who called 911 over the phone this afternoon. He tells us hes in good health back on the job and he says late tonight hes still feeling a bit tired. Lester . Miguel almaguer thank you. Tense of millions of americans on the alert for another day of Severe Weather including tornadoes. Alerts up already tonight. Meteorologist dylan dreyer is with us. Right now the Southern Plains where were seeing most of our activity. We have a tornado watch in red here but we also have several severe thunderstorm watches popping up in yellow. The biggest threat tonight will be for damaging wind gusts up near 65 miles per hour. Also some very large hail. Tomorrow the threat is going to shift a little further into southern texas. You cant rule out a tornado, but were still looking at our main threat as being of large hail and damaging wind gusts. Over in the rockies, the concern has been the snow. Take a look at denver where the snow plows are out once again. And on i70 just west of denver slippery roads causing accidents. In the Colorado Rockies baseball stadium, we were seeing that covered with snow because of the snowfall that we had in that area that we are looking at about 48 over the next 48 hours an additional 18 to 24 inches of snow. But the concern will be for the highest elevations. This is mainly for the ski resorts. We should see just an additional inch or so in denver. Dylan, thank you. Theres an alarming new warning tonight from the cdc about a dramatic jump in teens who use ecigarettes. Among High Schoolers the number of students or vaping ecigarettes tripped in just one year. Little is known about the potential health risks. Heres nbcs tom costello. Reporter the splashy marketing is designed to lure a Younger Generation away from traditional cigarettes but tonight the warning from the cdc is that ecigarettes contain potentially dangerous chemicals and nicotine that carried their own health risks. We dont want to be playing a game of tobacc a nicotine whackamole where were allowing others to skyrocket. Reporter but thats whats happen traditional cigarette has dropped to a record low, just 9 among teens while ecigarette use has tripped to more than 13 of all teens. 2. 5 million people. Another 1. 5 million smoke hookah pipes. I enjoy it more. It tastes better the smell is a lot better. Reporter ian king used to smoke a pack a day. Now he carries bottles of ecigarette flavors with him. So this is better you think . Yeah. Its not like with cigarettes where you get tars in your lungs because its a vape. Its vapor. Rep fda decided to regulate ecigarette sales to minors but researchers worry that teens may be especially vulnerable. The biggest concern is nicotine. Nicotine exposure to a developing brain we dont know the impact of that. Reporter the nicotine could lure kids into regular tobacco use. But the ecigarette industry tells nbc news the cdcs attack defies logic. Ecigarettes do not have any tar or any of the chemicals that are in tobacco. Researchers admit they dont yet know all the risks and that is the danger. Tom costello washington. Turning overseas to iraq where a major city is in danger of falling to isis. Thousands have reported which lies 70 miles west of baghdad. The u. S. Led coalition is carrying out air strikes in three villages which isis militants overtook yesterday on the edge of ramadi. An update tonight on the search for missing malaysia Airlines Flight 370 still ongoing in the southern indian ocean. Today malaysian officials said the search area will be expanded by another 23,000 miles if the plane isnt found in the current search area by the end of may. Malaysia australia and china are leading the search to find the plane which vanished march of last year. Back in this country, the nfl has reinstated Minnesota Vikings adrian peterson. The star rnunning back who missed most of last season due to child abuse charges, he can return to the league pending he fulfill all the obligations of his plea deal with authorities. A true selfmade Success Story played out on wall street today when etsy the online marketplace where people sell unique and handmade items went public. The initial stock quic doubled at open. It launched as a Small Company ten years now, now has an estimated valuation of over 3 billion. Rehema ellis has our report. Reporter bill and his wife started their Company Making cheeseboards in the shd selling them online. Theres a bit of nostalgia and its a useful item. It becomes a conversation piece. Repor and the personal touch is a moneymaker. Up to 45,000 a month, double that during the holidays. Its important that we have a lot of control over the quality of things and what kind of materials are being used. Reporter their Small Business is taking off with the help of etsy the online marketplace founded ten years ago caters to artists selling vicinity ang handmade arts and crafts from leg warmers to glassblown ornaments. Now with a wide reach. Etsy has more than 1. 4 million sellers, attracting more than 20 million buyers with sales close to 2 billion last year. Today the company that prides itself on having a majority of its sellers work from home made a big business move and went public. Sellers are excited. Theyre hoping that it brings more eyeballs to their site and even wider, more global reach than they had before. Reporter Fashion Designer rubin is like 56 of etsys sellers. He took his own money to start what is now a thriving business. In sales im pulling in over six figures a year. And i would say that from 2013 to 2014 my sales did double. Reporter the challenge now is for the artists who turn etsy into a billion Dollar Company to hold on to that homemade appeal. Rehema ellis, nbc news. Elsewhere on wall street today, a great day for etsy but a down day for the market overall. All three major indexes finished slightly in the red. A lot more news still ahead on a busy thursday evening including the new warning tonight from doctors about the risks of snoring and sleep apnea. Do they contribute to memory loss and possibly even dementia . Also a warning that will warm your heart. A brave little boy and a loving father asking for help to wipe away his tears. You wont believe the bring your vision for the future to life. For more than 145 years, pacific life has been helping families achieve lifelong Financial Security with innovative tools and strategies. Talk to a Financial Advisor to protect your family and plan today. Pacific life. The power to help you succeed. Pacific life proudly presents humpback whales, a whalesized movie for giant screen theaters. Fact. 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We have some news tonight that you need to hear if you snore or youre one of the longsuffering people who lives with someone who does. New evidence is out showing that snoring and sleep apnea have apparent links to something that scarce us all memory loss. Nbcs Stephanie Gosk has more. Reporter snoring can be maddening. Often more for the people who have to listen to it than the people who actually do. But new Research Suggests heavy snoring and the more serious condition, sleep apnea, could also have Significant Health consequences. Both reduce oxygen levels to the brain and disrupt sleep. The study, published in the journal neurology medical histories of 2,000 people between the ages of 59 and 90. Heavy snorers were diagnosed with mild Cognitive Impairment about ten years before those who slept well. I dont think sleep apnea causes alzheimers, but our hypothesis that it might accelerate the process. Reporter it could be a contributing factor then . Yes. Reporter men more than women. And those numbers only get higher as we get older. But there is treatment. Including this breathing machine. That air pressure acts as a stent to open up the airway. Reporter is that uncomfortable at all . Is it difficult to slt depends. People used one in the study delayed mental decline by a decade. Researchers say the message to snorers is get help for both the person who sleeps next to you and your brain. Stephanie gosk nbc news new york. Up next here tonight, cracking your knuckles. Is it really bad for you like your mom used to say . Tonight we finally have an answer. Also the big star wars reveal. Han solo chewy, a look at some familiar faces return and some woman its been a journey to get where i am. And i didnt get here alone. There were people who listened along the way. People who gave me options. Kept me on track. And through it all my retirement never got left behind. So today, im prepared for anything we may want tomorrow to be. Every someday needs a plan. 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To avoid longterm injury, get medical help right away for an erection lasting more than four hours. If you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision or any symptoms of an allergic reaction stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. Why pause the moment . Ask your doctor about cialis for daily use. For a free 30tablet trial go to cialis. Com in Small Business you have to work hard, know your numbers, and stay focused. I was determined to create new york citys first selfserve frozen yogurt franchise. And now you have 42 locations. The more i put into my business the more i get out of it. Like 5x your rewards when you make select business purchases with your ink plus card from chase. And with ink, i choose how to redeem my points for things like cash or travel. Hows the froyo . Just peachy. Literally. Ink from chase. So you can. One of the great mysteries of the human body may have been solved. Scientists used an mri to see what happens when we crack our knuckles. They say the popping sound comes from a vacuum or a bubble forming in the giant fluid. And for anybody whose mom ever told them to stop the study found no evidence that cracking your knuckles is harmful. Scary moments for the Country GroupLady Antebellum whose tour bus caught on fire along the highway in dallas this morning. Singer Hillary Scott posted on social media that the bus blew a tire then the fire sparked forcing a fast evacuation. No one is hurt though. Scott was on her way to dallas for this weekends American Country music awards. The release date feels so far, far away but today the cast of the new star wars movie ute yooited on stage complete with androids not among them Harrison Ford who is said to be doing well after his plane crash last month. But fans did get to see him in the brand new trailer. First official look at ford playing han solo in over 30 years. When we come back a father who asked for help cheering up his son. They never expected a. 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Reporter 7yearold carter gentle was born with a heart defect. Hes had a dozen operations because of it. When he came home from the hospital after the last surgery, his scars made him cry. He was upset with the way he looked and how the scars made him feel. He was afraid that people would think he was ugly. Reporter so carters dad mark posted a little message on facebook. I asked my friends to give him some likes and some comments just to make him feel better. Reporter then what an hour later i looked at the post and it had a thousand likes and that thousand turned into you know 10,000. Before we knew it we were at 100,000, and as of right now were sitting on about 1. 4 million likes. Reporter likes and messages like these. Scars are like a badge of honor wear them proudly, my friend you are a superhero i think youre scars are awesome, just like you. Oh and the girls will like your scars when youre older. I promise. And we all have scars. Just some of us have ones that are more visible than others. You are perfect, just the way you are. To help carter understand what was happening online his dad set his phone to ping with every new post. He would just look at me with these big eyes. Dad dad, i cant believe for me. It was neat. It was really really fun. Reporter today was playing outside like a kid without a care in the world. Those scars maybe not such a big deal after all, especially with so many people on your side. Awesome reporter harry smith, nbc news. I think carters going to be hearing a lot of pings starting right about now. Thats going to do it for us on this thursday night. Im lester holt. For all of us at nbc news, thank you for wa new video, Lady Antebellums tour bus on fire. New details on the country bands emergency now on extra. The first lady of Lady Antebellum trapped in a burning bus. What sparked the fire that erupted on the way to this weekends acm awards . Real housewife kim richards arrested allegedly drunk and on a rampage accused of kicking a Beverly Hills cop. All new details tonight. Nicki minaj engaged . Who is her man . Harry connick jr. , the new simon, blasting a contest. For you to say that highly disrespectful. Renees with j lo after the show breaking news of her new movie. The title, what does it allude to . The new star wars. Were home. And Naomi Campbell sitting down with tracey opening up about the empire sex scenes. We got on a pool table and made out the first day. This is the entertainment capital of l. A