Begins now. Announcer from nbc news World Headquarters in new york, this is nbc nightly news with jose diaz balart. Good evening. Im Peter Alexander in for jose. New years festivities are well underway across the globe. Here in the u. S. As the clock ticks down to midnight, americans are preparing to ring in 2017 surrounded by beefed up security. Police are out in force in the wakes of attacks from brussels to berlin even employing physical barriers like giant sand trucks to protect crowds. Millions are expecting to watch the ball drop in times square. Thats where we begin with nbcs ann thompson. Reporter a dazzling start to 2017. Amid reminders of the everpresent danger. New york preparing with a record 7,000 officers in times square. How confident are you that you can keep all of these people safe . Im extremely confident. We are so well prepared to do this, this is something that the nypd does so well. Reporter people already waiting for hours. Its been on my bucket list since i was little. Reporter among the first sell branlts in the global party sydney, australia. Fireworks illuminating the harbor bridge. The citys biggest display ever. Hong kong, dubai, moscow lightening up their skies. In tokyo capturing the moment in a sea of selfie sticks. This year, concrete vehicles and heavy barriers are placed to block truck attacks. The carnage in nice in july and berlin two weeks ago. Germanys capital flooded with extra police. In an unusual move, some carrying machine guns at the party near the brandon berg gate. Chance wi chancellor merkel calling islamic terrorism the test. Theres the eternal of hope of peace. A more worldly atmosphere here in the city that never sleeps. Tonight ready to party into the new year. And so far new york city Officials Say there is no direct Terror Threat to the expected 2 Million People gathering here in times square to ring in 2017. Peter . Anne thompson, thank you. In chicago today an unfortunate reminder of the year that was. Hundreds of people marched quietly on Michigan Avenue carrying crosses for each person killed in violence in that city this year. More than 760 people were victims of homicide compared to fewer than 500 last year. An organizer of todays march said the violence wont end until everyone in chicago decides its their problem. There is a new front tonight in the hacking war between russia and the u. S. This one in vermont. It appears the russians may have tried a cyber attack on a Power Company in that state. It comes days after unprecedented moves by the Obama Administration to punish russia for hacking during the president ial campaign. We get more from nbcs chance nichols. Dozens of russian officials boarding government planes. Forced to leave the u. S. By midnight tonight. The retaliation for Cyber Attacks allegedly directed by moscow. Now american authorities rushing to protect the National Electric grid. Russian malware found on a laptop at burlington electric. A utility with fewer than 2,000 customers. Perhaps a target because of the size. Thats the beauty of choosing a small utility. Number one, it will have very limited security infrastructure. Its tied into the grid system. Reporter the utility said it uncovered the virus before it could infect Computers Controlling the grid. We took immediate action to isolate the laptop and alerted federal officials of this finding. Vermonts governor pointing the finger at the leader of russia. Americans should be both alarmed and outraged that one of the worlds leading thugs, vladmir putin, has been attempting to hack our electric grid. The discovery of the hack came after the department of Homeland Security on thursday warned operators of Critical Infrastructure to be on the look out for code used in grizzly step. What american officials call russias cyber war campaign. The malware found on the burlington laptop bearing the unique russian signature. The infiltration raising concerns about the vulnerability of key systems. Weve always understood there are vulnerabilities. Now we understand that the russians have the capability to potentially exploit them. Reporter neither the russians nor the white house have publicly commented on the potential breach, but a u. S. Official telling nbc news that thursday nights analysis was shared for this very reason. To help private networks defend against malicious russian cyber activity. Peter . Hans nichols, thank you. 20 days before he takes office, a provocative new message today from president elect donald trump who once again brought up his enemies and those who fought him and lost, as he put it. It was a trumpstyle new years tweet. It came as the president elect broke tradition in another way. Nbcs Kelley Odonnell is following it off fr all from florida. Reporter a trump helicopter buzzed overhead. A motor candidate rolled into Donald Trumps mansion in palm beach. After postings on social media revealed he made an unannounced exit spending several hours today at his juniper florida golf course. Hours earlier trump began his holiday with a message on twitter. Happy new year to all, including to my many enemies and those who fought me and lost so badly they just dont know what to do. Love. Once again, striking a different tone than his call for unity election night. I say it is time for us to come together as one united people. [ cheers and applause ] its time. The president elect demonstrating he wont follow convention with his twitter account or the media. He left without staff and press assigned to travel with him any time hes in public. A trump aid stated we werent aware that the president elect left home. Dont anticipate any additional situation like this between now and inauguration. Trumps team had agreed to follow this decades old practice intended as a safe guard so a president s wrashlts are known. Trump will ring in 2017 as he did last year. A family and ticketed bash at the mar lag go club. Reporter and the press pool left behind earlier today is going briefly to that Party Tonight for several hundred guests. Its not hosted directly by the trumps. When in public, the press pool is there so any president can connect with the American People immediately in a time of crisis. Its expected that the trumps will go back home to new york after their holiday here tomorrow. Peter . Kelly odonnell, following the next president tonight. Thank you. Tomorrow morning on meet the press chuck todd takes a closer look at president elect trump and his relationship with the media. In ohio, sad news tonight about the small plane that went missing over lake erie. Its now being recove recovery effort with no sign of the plane or the six people on board. Nbc Janet Shamlian has the latest. Reporter dive teams couldnt enter the choppy water. Authorities looking for wreckage and remains. No chance of rescue for six people aboard a twinengine cessna that crashed thursday night. Weve done from the rescue into recovery. Reporter the jet single piloted by Beverage Company chief executive john flemming. Passengers including his wife susan, teen sons jack and andrew, along with a neighbor and his daughter. The group headed home to columbus, ohio on a scheduled 40minute flight after attending a cavaliers game. Light snow and wind gusts up to 40 Miles Per Hour could have been the problem. Conducted by u. S. Coast guard, Canadian Coast Guard and local assets by air, water, and along the shoreline. Reporter in washington state, the wreckage of another missing plane has been found. Four dead after it crashed after takeoff from seattle. The cause still unknown. Janet shamlian nbc news. The u. S. Strongly criticized israel this week for its policy of building new settlements on occupied lands. The palestinians see as part of their future homeland. The tough talk by the u. S. And israel is one thing, but to see just how complicated this issue is, kelley cobiella spent this week on the dividing lines. Reporter this is the dream neighborhood. A biblical home to the jewish people. And today an israeli settlement. Its the very cradle of jewish and israeli civilization, and if we dont have rights to live in el, we have rights to live nowhere. Reporter his home is in the west bank, on land that palestinians hope will be their future state. Their identical twins. Reporter he chose to raise his seven kids here. To help secure israels future. We are determined to remain here. Reporter the palestinians are just as adamant in their view this is their land. Anybody who knows even a little bit of modern history knows that the palestinian have absolutely no historic or legal or moral rights to this land. Reporter its the reason many of the more than 500,000 settlers moved here to claim what they say is their ancestral land. Its my home. Reporter across the fence, the ahmad family. Palestinians living here for generations. This land is for palestinians. The jews come here in 1940. Reporter the settlement once small and far away has expanded. Right to their yard. The settlement is after this fence. Reporter they say settlers throw rocks, a molotov cocktail landed in their living room. Do you feel safe here . No. My children are not safe. This is my home. My house. These are two of the boys. Reporter both families say they wont leave. Both want peace but dont agree how to get there. And both wonder what a Trump Administration will do. I hope we can solve problems. Im cautiously optimistic. Reporter families and futures at stake. Kelly koeb ya ya nbc news in the west bank. Still to come, taking care of body and mind. Why so many are now incorporating meditation into their mix for a healthy life. Also, inspiring america. We follow up on iron max. A boy whose real vo a lifetime of your dogs nutritional needs. All in one. Purina one. Healthy energy, all in one. Strong muscles, all in one. Highly digestible, and a taste he loves, all in one. Purina one smartblend is expertly blended. With 100 nutrition, 0 fillers, always real meat 1. Lifelong smart nutrition. Its all in one. Purina one. That just tastes better. Fresher. More flavorful. Delicious. With more great nutrition. And 25 less saturated fat. Only egglands best. Better taste. Better nutrition. Better eggs. Has been a struggle. I considered all my options with my doctor, who recommended oncedaily toujeo®. Now im on the path to better blood sugar control. Toujeo® is a longacting insulin from the makers of lantus®. It releases slowly, providing consistent insulin levels for a full 24 hours, proven full 24hour blood sugar control, and significant a1c reduction. And along with toujeo®, im eating better and moving more. Toujeo® is a longacting, manmade insulin used to control high blood sugar in adults with diabetes. It contains 3 times as much insulin in 1 milliliter as standard insulin. Dont use toujeo® to treat diabetic ketoacidosis, during episodes of low blood sugar, or if youre allergic to insulin. Allergic reaction may occur and may be life threatening. Dont reuse needles or share insulin pens, even if the needle has been changed. The most common side effect is low blood sugar, which can be serious and life threatening. It may cause shaking, sweating, fast heartbeat, and blurred vision. Check your blood sugar levels daily while using toujeo®. Injection site reactions may occur. Dont change your dose or type of insulin without talking to your doctor. Tell your doctor if you take other medicines and about all your medical conditions. Insulins, including toujeo®, in combination with tzds thiazolidinediones may cause serious side effects like Heart Failure that can lead to death, even if youve never had Heart Failure before. Dont dilute or mix toujeo® with other insulins or solutions as it may not work as intended and you may lose blood sugar control, which could be serious. Toujeo® helps me stay on track with my blood sugar. Ask your doctor about toujeo®. The scene in berlin a short time ago as the city rang in 2017. Thousands of people watching the fireworks tonight. A reminder Kathie Lee Gifford and hoda kotb will ring in the new year at 8 00 7 00 central on nbc. As a new year begins, many of us will make eating less and exercising more priorities. Well see how it goes. As it turns out, some are trying to incorporate a calming effect into their lives through meditation, yes, there are apps for that. Steve patterson has our report. Reporter with a new year upon us, gyms are swelling under the weight of new memberships, as millions resolve to build a better body. Together lets take a long, slow deep breath in. Reporter lately, though, people like this are waking up to the idea that mindfulness matters as much as mus. You dont have to bring spirituality to it. Think of it as an exercise for your brain. I open a place like this because i was looking for it. Reporter she left life as a tv executive to find her own peace of mind. Later founding a Meditation Studio in los angeles to help others do the same. I would say at the very least youre going feel relaxed. The most youll feel change and your life will start turning in a positive way. I think most people are feeling that. Reporter a 2015 study found some form of meditation is practiced by at least 18 million americans. Nipping at the heels of the nations 16 billion yoga industry. Its a simple thing. You open up the app and press play and get guided through meditation sessions. Reporter reporter Richard Pearson cofounded a Smartphone App that teaches meditation. Knowing that everyone cant visit a studio. We want it on your tolist every day. Reporter with 35 million in investment and 11 million users, head space is growing that proving he may be on to something. The on thing, youre on your phone all the time. Yeah. Reporter something meditation is supposed to do is disconnect you. Isnt it a little bit contract i are . The irony is not lost on us. Its where people are. Its sensible to meet people where they are rather than building something they cant fit in their lives. I wouldnt call it a fad. I would look at it more as a life skill. Reporter a promising path to inner peace. Helping fight stress no matter where you go. That could be worth a try. Coming up a fresh perspective on the year that was and the when heartburn hits, fight back fast with tums smoothies. It starts dissolving the instant it touches your tongue. And neutralizes stomach acid at the source. Tum tum tum tum smoothies only from tums because my teeth are yellow. These photos . Why dont you use a whitening toothpaste . Im afraid its bad for my teeth. Try crest 3d white. Crest 3d White Diamond strong toothpaste and rinse. Gently whiten. And fortify weak spots. Use together for 2 times stronger enamel. Crest 3d white. As 2016 draws to a close, weve been following up on some of our most Inspiring Stories over the year. Tonight a boy whose courage earned him a starring role in his favorite comic book. Since we first met him, hes been busy just like a super hero helping others. How this little man is inspiring america. Hi everybody reporter its been quite a year for 6yearold max leavy. Super fan of comic books and now a super hero himself. Yes reporter we first hit met him in january after surgeons put a port in his chest for the medicine treating his hemophilia, a disease that prevents blood from clotting. His response i get to be iron man were here because thats where iron man has it but they had to put it in a certain spot so they had to put it here. Reporter thats okay. Yeah. It is. Reporter when Marvel Comics heard about max, they wrote a story about him and called him iron max. How proud are you to be in the ironman copp comic book. Proud. Not just pretty proud. Proud. Reporter he got the grand tour of marvel headquarters in new york. It was, like, a random kid who hemophilia. Wears a helmet all the time. Walking around. And then max a super hero in a comic book. Its actually changed me. Reporter it changed his family, too. Big sister zoe created a calendar. Hearts for hemophilia raising more than 1,500 to help people like max. Everyone coming up to us like max is a hero. Thats what the year has been. Its incredible. Im not really a super hero but people call me a super hero. I could be a super hero if i did more super heroish things. Reporter a little boy fightsing a disease and helping others sure sounds like the definition of a super hero to us. Nbc news new york. Way to go max. Up next the new year, as we look at the scene tonight in beijing. We asked children here for their take on the year ending and the i tried hard to quit smoking. But when we brought our daughter home, that was it. Now i have nicoderm cq. The nicoderm cq patch with unique extended release Technology Helps prevent your urge to smoke all day. Its the best thing that ever happened to me. Every great why needs a great how. That just tastes better. With 10 times more vitamin e. And twice the omega 3s. Because why have ordinary when you can have the best. Only egglands best. Better taste. Better nutrition. Better eggs. Imy moderate to severeng crohns disease. I didnt think there was anything else to talk about. But then i realized there was. So, i finally broke the silence with my doctor about what i was experiencing. He said humira is for people like me who have tried other medications but still experience the symptoms of moderate to severe crohns disease. In clinical studies, the majority of patients on humira saw significant symptom relief. And many achieved remission. Humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. Serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened; as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening Heart Failure. Before treatment, get tested for tb. Tell your doctor if youve been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if youve had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flulike symptoms or sores. Dont start humira if you have an infection. If youre still just managing your symptoms, talk with your gastroenterologist about humira. With humira, remission is possible. Finally tonight with so many grown up issues confronting us the past year and challenging us in 2017, we wanted to get a different perspective, a more innocent view of the year that was and the year to come. So we sat down with some first and second graders at Public School 261 in brooklyn. Here they are in their own words. Summer vacation. Disney world. Reading a lot of books. I went on a trip with my mommy. My favorite part of the year is being with my friends. I learned how to swim. In 2016, i didnt know what six plus six was. It was tricky for me, so i learned that six plus six equals oh, i forget again. 12. Yeah, 12. I learned how to tap dance. I learned something called karma and karma is basically pay back. Like, if youre nice, youre going to get something nice to happen. And my mom dad get good karma parking. A new years resolution is when you have a goal. Sort of like you redeem yourself. A new years resolution is something you really want to try to accomplish. My resolution goal is to become an artist. To get a dog in 2017. [ laughter ] to stop fighting with my sister and play more piano. To stop biting my nails. To practice playing guitar and get better at it. Something i want to do for other people is donate toys and books and clothes. I dont really know what that is. Stop smoking. Dont liter. Its important for people to be kind. Maybe my sister should be kind to me because thats how it starts. That people can say nice words like i love you. Treat people how you want to be treated. I wish for peace. To make a lot of friends. Happiness. Happiness. Fun. Joy. Umm, i wish that all their dreams come true. Happy new year happy new year happy new year [ noise makers ] happy new year to you guys. Simple, meaningful thoughts for the new year. Before we go, we have an announcement for our viewers in new england. Starting tomorrow, january 1st. There will be a new nbc station in boston. So if youre looking for nightly news or any other nbc programs, youll find them on channel 10 on those cable providers in boston. Again, thats starts tomorrow. New years day. Thats going do it for us on this saturday night. Im Peter Alexander reporting from washington. From all of us here at nbc, thank you for watching and have a safe and happy new year. Hello, everyone, and welcome to the show. Happy holidays, all. Im dave spadaro. The eagles, just one game remaining in this 2016 season. Were going to focus on a couple of players with very interesting stories to tell. Were going to talk about the art of being a demon on special teams, and then we go off the field, and brian explains why its so important to look good in front of the camera. We begin the show tonight with our goal to go feature on running back ryan mathews who has overcome some hardships in his past to make it to the nfl. Its an incredible story, and here it is. It was hard. I had him when i was 16, and for a small time, we lived in a car. We were homeless. That was a dark time in my life, i mean, he doesnt remember, but it was tough. I just decided one day, this is not how im going to live. I changed my life. I left that situation, and i went and got help, and got a job, and i got two jobs and at times i had three jobs. I worked and i provided for him, and we had a good life. It was hard. You know, i never had, like, a positive father figure, you know, that was arod