Tonight, what we know and what we dont know about russias role in the election and their intent, and the broader concerns over a soon to be president publicly at odds with his intelligence experts. Nbcs Andrea Mitchell has the latest. Reporter tonight the fall outgrowing after that unprecedented attack by questioning its conclusion that it was russia that hacked the dnc and Clinton Campaign chairman John Podestas emails. They have no idea if its russia or china or somebody. It could be somebody sitting in a bed someplace. I mean, they have no idea. Reporter now a bipartisan call for congressional investigations into what the intelligence agencies say russia did and why. Republican leaders pointedly backing the cia over the president elect. I have the highest confidence in the Intelligence Community and especially the Central Intelligence agencies. Reporter and president obamas spokesman since the ee lepgs sharply criticizing trump. You didnt need a security clearance to figure out who benefited from malicious russian cyber activity. Reporter but no unanimous conclusions about the russias motive. Cain said he he did not think he was trying to help trump. We need a full i have seen no evidence of that. Reporter also trump escalating his war with the cia, dismissing the agencys crown jewels, the president ial daily brief. I dont have to be told. You know, im like a smart person. I dont have to be told the same thing and the same words every single day for the that. Reporter all of it shocking intelligence veterans. In 48 hours he said the Intelligence Community, on which he he will rely, is incompetent, politicized and frankly he didnt have a lot of time for them. Reporter how solid is the proof that russia was behind the hacking . The cia says it has high confidence and intelligence term meaning you can take it to the bank. That convinces me that there is very strong, beyond circumstantial evidence to justify the claim that the russians were doing something in our election. Reporter but will this political uproar trumps top choice to be secretary of state . Exxon mobil ceo rex tiller son who has deep business ties with Vladimir Putin. Its not as if theyre god parents children. It is being blown out of proportion. Reporter the fbi has not seen all the ci as evidence about why russia hacked so many democratic groups. Russia was trying to interfere with the u. S. Election. Official say probably to unsettle the voters and to damage Hillary Clinton, long a critic of putin. Lester . Thank you, andrea. This is big news in russia where they are watching with fascination, the partisan fall out over the cia report. Reporter has made his way to moscow. Richard, what are they reporter good evening, lester. First of all, russia is denying any involvement saying the kremlin in no way hacked to influence the u. S. Election. We spoke to a top today who said that russia simply wouldnt do it and that if any russians were involved, they were acting individually. But that said, its clear that russia is enjoying this, even relishing it. After all, theyre not getting Hillary Clinton who president Vladimir Putin personally hated. Instead, theyre getting donald trump who many in the kremlin feel they can do business with, no questions asked. So, the reaction here is mostly smiles. Lester . Richard engel in moscow tonight, thanks. Another day, another tweet and another American Company knocked on its heels by the president elect. This time its another about the price of a military program. Specifically, the cost of a fighter jet he says is out of control. Nbcs Peter Alexander has more. Reporter notice the joint strike fighter, the f35 is designed to be largely invisible to fly. But today it couldnt avoid landing on Donald Trumps radar. The president elect on twitter blasting the fighter jet programs costs as out control. Insisting billions of dollars can and will be saved. That tweet taking its toll on the f35s prime contractor, lockheed martin. Its share price plummeting more than 4 , its market value briefing dropping 4 billion. Trumps fierce criticism came as the Israeli Air Force received its first f35 delivered by secretary ash carter. Israel is our first and only friend in the region thats flying f35. Reporter but dominating the skies doesnt come cheap. The f35 is the pentagons most expensive Weapons Program with an estimated cost of 400 billion. The company said it worked aggressively to slash the price tag. Lockheed martin and the Industry Partners understand the importance of affordable for the f35 program. And since the beginning we have invested hundreds of millions of dollars to reduce the price of the airplane. Reporter just ys after bashing boeing for the cost of a new air force one, todays tweet represents the latest exam p of trump using his twitter feed as a negotiating tool. And theres late word tonight from the Trump Transition Team after the president elect had promised that this week he would outline how hell separate his own business interests from the countrys interests with a News Conference that was supposed to happen thursday. Thats been abruptly postponed. Tonight a senior transition official tells me trumps announcement will not happen until next month january as well as that News Conference that will be his first since the election. Lester, so far, no explanation for the delay. Peter alexander in washington, thank you. Now to the wicked weather pushing across the country, dumping a mix of ice and snow, triggering highway crashes and flight delays, after consecutive mild winters, Mother Nature is roaring and bitter cold is biting. In a moment al roker will be here with a forecast but first we have the latest from nbcs ron mott. Reporter dicking out, blowing it off, in the week. Overnight it has definitely compacted and turned into ice and its hard to get off of your cars. Its hard to get off the streets. Reporter across the midwest, the northeast and new england, loads of snow and sheets of ice. A dangerous combination that sent this delta jet sliding off the runway in detroit. And cars crashing into one another in a series of pile ups, a dozen injured near flint, michigan. I got hit from the front and the back four times and the side. That is a bad feeling. Reporter in would iowa two brothers were killed. More than 3,000 Flights Canceled another thousand today. Airplanes playing catch up. I had minneapolis six, chicago seven. Next up, a plunge into the deep freezer for 28 million americans. Temperatures ten to 30 degrees below normal. And another snowstorm sweeping across the country, reminding americans of winters swift approach. In the chicago area, the temperature should fall to about ten degrees tonight. After overnight it will turn colder in the morn ing with temperatures falling all day on tuesday and we sfekt it to be pretty raw around here the rest of the week, lester. All right, ron mott, thank you. Al roker joins us again tonight, monitoring it all. Al, what are we w looking ater here . Lester, here we go again. The polar vortex, its weakened. What that means is cold air comes from siberia into canada into our Northern Tier of states. By mid delay week it will be brutal. Look at these temperatures, 16 below for morning lows in fargo thursday, 3 below chicago, 3 above friday. And then we have a vigorous storm system making its way across the coast. Look at what it does. An s by thursday, snow in billings. Friday, it continues moving to the east andnd bringing snow into minneapolis, chicago, detroit, and then by saturday the eastern third of the country is blanketed with a mix of snow, freezing rain, and sleet. Its going to make for a messy travel for the holidays. Thank you. There ise breaking news for the war in syria what could be the last stand for families trapped in aleppo as they close in on capturing a city long under siege. The fighting is fierce and there are reports of new horrors from inside aleppo as rebel forces lose their grip. Nbcs kelly has late details for us. Reporter this is what the end looks like in eastern aleppo, dangerous, desperate, families trying to flee as bomb syrian soldiers hunting down the last hold out. And just a few hours ago, seven year old twitter account active again. The tweet, final message. People are dying since last night. And then, my dad is injured now. I am crying. Former student sala joins the rebellion five years ago. We are still here under siege. Reporter and overnight bombardment has pushed the rebels to the brink of collapse. Its all but over, this lieu dtenant general says. 98 of the east is now under government control. Thousands have fled. Thousands more still trapped. Among them, according to the united nations, at least. 500 children, 100 doctors and nurses and 300 seriously wounded, all in desperate need of evacuation. Russian and american talks to get them out or get them help have gone there is no outside help, this fighter said, no air drops of aid, no support. We put our trust in god. Tonight assad supporters in aleppo are celebrating. His enemies are being warned. You are out of time. Surrender or die. Kelly, nbc news london. There is more ahead here. Still ahead, a new t alert for holiday shoppers. Major store chains accused of faking sales to. Trick unsuspecting customers. How to know whether youre actually getting a deal. Ri also, who made the years r this Golden Globes nominations. After so much controversy over diversity in tensil town. Out your medicines, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. Do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, or adempas® for pulmonary hypertension, as this may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. Do not drink alcohol in excess. To avoid longterm injury, get medical help right away if you have a sudden decrease or loss of hearing or vision, or an allergic reaction, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. Ask your doctor about cialis. When i was too busy with the kids to get a repair estimate. Liberty did what . Yeah, with Liberty Mutual all i needed to do to get an estimate was snap a photo of the damage and voila voila sigh i wish my Insurance Company had that. Wait hold it. Hold it boys. Theres supposed to be three of you. Wheres your brother . Wheres your brother . Hey, wheres charlie . 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Reporter this Holiday Season youre looking for amazing sales, but tonight pressure is mounting against macys, sears, kohls and jcpenney. The Los Angeles City attorney saying theyre cheating you in new lawsuits accusing the retailers of fraudulent business practices, misleading creating fake sales. Like this dress at kohls, original price 50. On sale for less. But the lawsuit claims it was never sold at the original price. A false discount. At macys, this necklace, original price, 120. On sale for 30 bucks, but the lawsuit says it was never sold at the original price. We have sought a court order to put a stop to this practice and to order these stores to pay penalties now. Reporter in 2013, nbc news first uncovered this at jcpenney. Two former employees blowing the whistle. All of a sudden the rack of 7 shorts became 14 and then they were 50 off. They wouldnt always go on sale for 50 off. Not only was it a fake sales, but they were paying more than previously. Reporter since then jcpenney and kohls have both settled class action lawsuits, paying customers back more than 50 miio to comment tonight, citing pending litigation. So, how can you tell if its a real sale next time youre shopping . Experts say right there in the store, hop on your phone and go on the manufacturers website. Check out the suggested retail price of that item you want to buy. If the sale price isnt any less than that, youre not getting a real sale. Heres another piece of advice from experts. You can download a free app right now called shop savvy. It gives you instant price comparisons to other stores in the area. Check it out. You just type in the product and you get all those comparisons right there on the spot. Tips to protect all of us this Holiday Season. Jeff rossen, nbc news, new york. Were back in a moment with the danger forcing the public to stay away from a popular attraction. man my dad and i have the same eyes. Same nose. Same toughness. 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Its the diverse lineup getting a tangs after last years uproar over the oscars. Jill frier reports it could be a sign of whats to come. Reporter a year that started with another oscar so white controversy is ending with a diverse list of golden globe nominees, seven of the 30 film acting nods. I gave 18 years of my life to stand in the same part as you. Reporter viola davis in fences, to naomi harris in moonlight. I think its been a strong year for movies that reflect the black experience. Reporter april rain created the Hashtag Oscar so white in 2015 when the same thing happened again in 2016, prompting an oscars boycott and a searing monologue from chris rock. The academy pushed to diversify its membership inviting more than 600 new members, 46 of them women, 41 people of color hoping to avoid an oscar so white trilogy. I think we will not be seeing a repeat this year. If we do, then there is going to be even more controversy than there has been in the past. Women do some things, mr. Johnson. Reporter of course many of the movies earning praise this year were well in the works before oscar so white. For rain one strong year doesnt mean the hashtag is going away. She hopes Hollywood Studios will make more movies about all under represented communities. Its not a black and whitish yu. Its a representation issue for all those who should be able to see themselves on the screen as they pay their money to watch from the audience. Reporter a push for more diversity in fron joe frier, nbc news, los angeles. A popular california beach is now closed off to the public after a dangerous sink hole opened up there. The hole appeared in the side of a cliff over the weekend, cutting off the access path to pacifica beach south of san francisco. It may have been caused by an occurrence known as king tides which bring some of the biggest waves of the year. 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Every monday we like to end our broadcast with something inspiring. Tonightss the moment so many kids wait for all year, but visiting santa claus is not always a fun experience for children with autism. Our kristen dal gren explains how saint nick is making the day bright for them too in our inspiring america report. Reporter for many families a picture with san fa is is a rite of passage. Fo with anxiety. Trying to find a place that could actually deal with him, him having autism is difficult. Reporter for autistic children like her son aden, the music, lights and crowds can be too much stimulation. But this year aden is checking it all out on his own time. Its not like were being rushed. And hes actually being sociable, which is great. Reporter Autism Speaks is partnered with malls across the country to offer special sensory friendly visits for kids like aden before stores open. We might not be able to participate in a regular santa claus picture so coming early in the morning before the hectic season its nice. Reporter santa has special training. No booming hohohoes here. You cant do anything harsh or loud or reach out for them. You wait until they respond to you. Reporter and the big guy doesnt just go above and beyond. Sometimes he gets down on the kids level. This video of santa on the floor with a child [000 27 59;00] smile real big. Cheese. Reporter for a moment they arent defined by their disorder. Theyre just kids. How excited are you for christmas . That excited . Yeah. Reporter for parents, its the best gift in the world. Warms my heart. Makes me extremely happy to see my boy interacting. Byebye. Reporter the magic of christmas for everyone. Kristen dal gren, yonkers new york. We invite you to submit your own inspiring america stories on our facebook page. Thats going to do it for us this monday night. Im lester holt. For all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching and good night. Lights, camera, access. Congratulations, guys. Im like, did the show get nominated . I deserve this. Look at my dad this huge golden globe nominations day comes with a