Stop eating romaine lettuce. And a new twist in the fight over legalized pot. Days after california became the latest state to light up, the feds may be cracking down. This is nbc nightly news with lester holt. Good evening from our snowy doorstep here in midtown manhattan. It is only january 4th, but tonight some are calling it the blizzard of 2018. A deadly storm that has raced up the east coast with blinding snow conditions, bringing hurricaneforce wind gusts in places and snarling travel from coast to coast. And in boston, where theyre catching the worst of it right now the storm is prompting dramatic rescues from a powerful storm surge thats sent water crashing over sea walls, floodwaters leaving people trapped. Massachusetts is where we start tonight. Nbcs blake mccoy is in scituate, mass, with the latest. Reporter the fierce storm blew in quickly. Freezing rain then blizzard conditions along coastal massachusetts. High winds and waves battering homes. This is our house. Oh, my god. Reporter misery and danger for so many who live near the water. This is probably the worst ive seen it since ive been living here. Reporter linda vegan is holding her breath, waves carrying ice and debris crashing over the sea wall behind her scituate home. This came up into the street, didnt it . It did. Reporter in cape cod, water spilled on to roadways. Snow plows struggling to get through. Lets go. Straight back. Reporter further north in rockport, the weather channels jim cantore and his crew helping this driver out of danger. Where should i go . Out of the water. Just keep going. Just keep going up into the street please. The calling card here, storm surge, three feet of storm surge. Not taking that car back out of the bay, but actually bringing water into these basements right here where we actually had the Fire Department on hand as wated mix. [ thunder ] reporter in boston, rare thunder snow. The storm surge cutting a path right through the heart of the city. Definitely isnt normal. Ive never seen this before. Reporter high water leading to rescues along historic streets. The citys well prepared to handle the snow and a blizzard. The tidal surge is just a little different. Reporter its potentially the highest storm surge in 40 years for boston harbor, levels not seen since the catastrophic blizzard of 1978. Tonight Massachusetts Governor urging people to stay home. Back in scitate, thats where linda vegan will be. High tides now passed. Whats the concern now . The next high tide, around 1 00, 1 30 in the morning. Reporter it will be dark then. You wont see whats coming. All you hear are the waves splashing against the house. Reporter she and so many others planning for a sleepless night. The wion and on the back end of this storm later tonight comes bitterly cold air which threatens to turn all of this snow into solid ice. The danger here not over. Lester . All right. Blake mccoy starting us off, thank you. This powerful storm is having a Significant Impact on air travel. Around the country. With more than 4,000 flights canceled, 2,000 delays and dozens of International Flights diverted to cities outside the storm zone. All those passengers are stranded. And nbcs tom costello has more on the misery at the airport. Reporter across the east coast an allday losing battle to stay ahead of the snow. In new york wind and whiteout conditions at jfk and laguardia shut down flight operations, nothing moving. Security checkpoints, even Airport Stores closed. We dont have any plane. We need to stay here during four nights, then we need to wait. Reporter flight radar 24 shows very few flights over the northeast corridor. Even the charleston, south carolina, snow. You can leave on saturday morning at 8 17 a. M. Reporter even way out in los angeles, travelers settled in for a long wait to fly east. We had a nonstop to boston. Now were going to San Francisco with an hour layover, then to boston, if were lucky. Reporter Mario Castillo and his family will be on an airport floor tonight after their flight to newark then on to honduras was canceled. I have to stay in houston and go to honduras tomorrow. Reporter complicating matters, dozens of International Flights to europe and south america heading to new york, delayed from chicago, washington, charlotte and baltimore after their own cleanup. In the air they rerouted us to here. Now were currently stuck here. Reporter this massive Singapore Airlines a380 from old Airforce Base in newburgh, new york. Amtrak service up and down the coast canceled or operating on modified schedule. Flight aware is reporting tonight almost 800 Flight Cancellations for tomorrow. The airlines have waived the ticket change fees, but because this is an act of god, if passengers need a hotel, theyll have to pay for it themselves. Out here on the ramp, snow and ice and wind. And its going to be a long recovery. The airlines hoping theyre back up and running some time over the weekend. Tom costello, thank you. This monster snowstorm has crippled a huge portion of this country from florida to maine. A jawdropping satellite view now capturing the massive size and scope of it all from space. For more on the impact we turn to rehema ellis in hardhit long island. Reporter slamming the east coast. Its bad. Reporter turned dangerous and deadly. Outside charlotte, north carolina, two people were killed in this crash. And near raleigh, a desperate rescue attempt when a 13yearold boy fell through ice into this pond. I was just walking, and the ice cracked reporter across the south, thousands without power due to strong wind gusts. In virginia beach, residents turned to shelters for safety. In connecticut, it was near whiteout conditions. Its freezing. If you dont belong to be out here, you shouldnt be out here. Reporter the snow was too much for some structures to hold. There it goes. Reporter watch as this roof of this gas station collapses in new jersey. A state of emergency declared in the state as well as in new york. From my point of view, nothing is worth endangering human life. Reporter on long island, homes burned on oak island. Whats worse, fire crews were delayed getting there by boat because of heavy ice conditions on the water. For others, it was a day of digging out. 69yearold ann got help from friends clearing a half foot of snow from her driveway. But shes also on another mission. What are you looking for . Im looking for my newspaper. He may not have even delive digging out is the furious winds gusting up to 60 miles per hour. And Authorities Say another problem is on the way, plunging temperatures dangerously cold. And thats expected to last through the weekend. Lester . Rehema ellis on long island, new york, thank you. Blizzard conditions will continue well into the night throughout parts of new england. A dangerous freeze is moving in. Nbc news meteorologist dylan dreyer is in boston for us. Looks like youre still catching it there. Hey, lester, yeah, the winds are starting to get real gusty. They have been for the last several hours. But this storm has been playing out as expected and will continue to race to the northeast overnight. So lets take a look at the radar. You can see that the snow is already winding down back across the midatlantic. Well see it end in a few hours across southern new england, but it will last through the night across northern new england. We are still dealing with blizzard warnings. Theyll expire at 1 00 a. M. Across eastern long island. Theyll begin to new england at about 4 00 in the morning. As for additional snowfall 2 to 4 inches still possible here in boston on the back side of this storm. Downeast maine could see 4 to 8 inches before all is said and done. The concern will shift overnight to the gusty winds. Theyll continue to usher in the coldest air weve seen this season. And for those folks who have lost power in the storm, it is going to be a major concern going through the weekend. Lester . Dylan, thanks, hang in there. Well turn to the new record high on wall street today. The dow finishing about 25,000 for the first time. Stocks continuing to soar. Good news for your 401 k . Nbc News Business correspondent jo ling kent has more on what it means for your money. Reporter the dow flying by another milestone at breakneck speed. There it is. Dow 25,000. Reporter the dow has now skyrocketed from 18,500 the day after President Trump was elected, and jumping a thousand points in just the last five weeks, crossing 25,000 today. This record tying the fastest 1,000point move in dow history. The Strong Performance propelled by a positive private sector jobs report showing 250,000 jobs were added in december. And wall street bullish on the new year under President Trumps new tax law with tech and Energy Stocks leading the way. Weve got an economy thats firing on all cylinders, not just here in the u. S. But around the world. Interest rates are still low. Now weve got this tax reform which can further boost corporate profits. Reporter the stock market doesnt tell the whole economic story. Only half of american households own stock. I think its the people that are driving the economy. I dont think its as much of the political game as they like to take credit for. Reporter wage growth remains sluggish, up just 2. 5 in the last year. Today sears is announced its closing 100 stores this year as macys shutters 11 more, eliminating thousands of jobs. Tomorrow the monthly picture of how all americans are doing. Jo ling kent, nbc news, los angeles. Lets turn to the growing fallout on the feud between President Trump and his former chief strategist steve bannon. The president reportedly furious at bannon even as bannon tries to temper explosive remarks he made about the president and the trump family in a new book. Now, the president s lawyers are threatening legal action against bannon and the books author and publisher. Nbc White House CorrespondentKristen Welker has more. Sit down, everybody. Reporter tonight, President Trump publicly holding his fire amid a mounting feud with his former top aide, steve bannon. I dont know. He called me a great man last night. So he obviously changed his tune pretty quick. I dont talk to him. Thats just a misnomer. Reporter bannon playing cleanup on his radio show. The president of the United States is a great man. You know i support him day in and day out. Reporter but behind the scenes the fuming, according to several aides, after bannon questioned the president s grasp of policy in the new bo book, fire and fury and even accused trumps son and soninlaw with treason for meeting with a russian lawyer during the campaign. On wednesday the president excoriated bannon saying hes lost his mind. Now the administration threatening to sue bannon, the publisher. The white house lashing out. There are numerous mistakes. But im not going to waste my time or the countrys time by going page by page talking about a book thats complete fantasy and just full of tabloid gossip. Reporter but tonight new shock waves after author Michael Wolff raised questions about the president s Mental Fitness in an article in the Hollywood Reporter writing the president repeats himself. Everybody was painfully aware of the increasing pace of his repetitions. The white house defiant. Its disgraceful and laughable. If he was unfit, he probably wouldnt be sitting there and wouldnt have defeated the most qualified group of candidates has ever seen. Reporter and tonight growing questions about whether steve bannon is losing his influence as a number of republicans are siding with mr. Trump. The white house asked if bannon should be fired from conservative media outlet breitbart news. Something they should look at and consider. Reporter while bannon hasnt disputed any of his quotes in the book, a number of other former trump aides have said they were misquoted, but tonight the author and publisher say they stand by the account. Lester. Kristen welker at the white house tonight, thank you. A program note. Fire and fury author Michael Wolff will be Savannah Guthries exclusive guest tomorrow on today. In a controversial move, the Trump Administration plans to massively expand offshore drilling in both coasts and the atlantic. It would offer up to 80 of the Continental Shelf in the largest drilling lease ever and open up federal waters off california for the first time in over three decades. It sets the stagr environmental groups and coastal governors opposed to offshore drilling. Another move by the Trump Administration generating controversy tonight, and its all about the fight over legalized pot. Attorney general Jeff Sessions announcing that hes rescinding an Obama Administration policy that helped pave the way for legal weed in a growing number of states across the country. As nbcs Miguel Almaguer reports, the decision is being met with confusion and some concern about what it means. Reporter just days after Recreational Marijuana sales began in california, the attorney generals decision could dampen the spark that ignited the pot industrys massive growth. Today Jeff Sessions rescinding an Obama Administration policy which largely shielded legalized marijuana from federal intervention, allowing prosecutors to enforce federal law that prohibits pot sales. Its been busy nonstop as soon as the doors open we have people waiting. Green. The budding industry expected to harvest 1 billion in taxes within a few years. I expect lines out the door, and i expect the sun to come up and people to enjoy their cannabis. Reporter with california set to become the largest market for marijuana, recreational pot is legal under state law in eight states and the district of columbia. Some experts say the impact of todays move, while uncertain, may be limited. The idea has always been to prioritize the most dangerous, the most violent and the most difficult criminal organizations. Nothing about rescinding the policy will change that. Reporter sessions, whos long fought marijuana legalization, called it a return to the rule of law. Good people dont smoke marijuana. Reporter but todays decision doesnt clear the air where pot is sold. Miguel almaguer, nbc news, los angeles. Theres a lot more to share with you why Consumer Reports is warning you and your family not to eat romaine lettuce. Also, some good news tonight for americans in the battle against cancer. Well have it for you in a few moments. Stay with us. My digestive system used to make me feel sluggish but now, i take metamucil every day. It traps and removes the waste that weighs me down, so i feel lighter. Try metamucil, and begin to feel what lighter feels like. Mom stuffynosecold nosleep mouthbreather t strip it instantly opens your nose. Up to 38 more than Cold Medicine alone go to breatheright. Com today to request a free sample. Do i use. One thatsthat wgood for my teeth . Now i dont have to choose from crest 3d white comes new whitening therapy. Its our best whitening technology. Plus, it has a fortifying formula to protect your enamel. Crest. 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The cdc reports 17 people in 13 states have gotten sick, in canada 41 pe government blames contaminated romaine lettuce. U. S. Health officials are now interviewing people to find out what they ate in the week before they got sick. The cdc says because it has not yet identified the source, it cant recommend avoiding a particular food. We think the u. S. Government should be warning consumers about eating romaine lettuce until they figure out where this problem is coming from. Reporter cooking usually kills foodborne bacteria such such as e. Coli, but lettuce is not usually cooked. The best advice is simply not use the romaine lettuce. Switch to something else. Reporter the industry says its cooperating fully with the investigation, but even if romaine lettuce is the source, its highly unlikely to still be in stores because the last illness was reported in middecember. Until theres more proof ill continue to keep an eye out. 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But the democrat in the race has not conceded. Under state law the loser in the drawing can demand a second recount. The nations cancer death rate has fallen again dropping 26 since 1991 according to a new report from the american cancer society. It cites significant decreases in death rates from the four major types, lung, breast, prostate and colorectal. The report credits huge declines in smoking and better treatment. And baby, its cold outside, but lotto fever couldnt be hotter. No winners in wednesdays mega million and Powerball Jackpots means they now total more than a billion dollars combined with fridays Mega Millions jackpot at 445 million and saturdays Powerball Jackpot has 550 million up for grabs. Its first time both jackpots have topped 400 million each at the same time. When we come back, al roker with a late update on the blizzard crippling millions. Impacting millions and crippling travel. Ha. Prilosec otc 7 years ago, 5 years ago, last week. 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In fact, as we take a look, well see wind gusts of over 40 miles per hour. Especially up through new england. And thats going to continue right through tomorrow morning. Thats going to snarl air traffic. Airports are still going to be a mess. Plus, its also opening the back door to brutally cold air, the coldest of the season. We are going to be looking at temperatures in the morning that air temperatures 7 below in flint, a record, wilmington, norfolk, lagarde ja, laguardia, jacksonville all looking to set records. As we go into the weekend were looking at temperatures that are going to be brutally cold. The wind chills make it feel even worse. Then we look for the coldest air of the season both friday and saturday and sunday right from bangor all the way out to chicago and down to charlotte. So again, lester, a lot of folks are going to be losing power and theyre going to try to heat their homes, try to thaw out pipes. Dont use a blow torch. Keep drapes away from space heaters as you try to stay warm. Good to be in your neck of the woods, the plaza. We appreciate you spending part of your thats nightly news for this thursday night. Im lester holt. For all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching and good night. For all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching and good night. There are two types of people in the world. Those who fear the future. And those who embrace it. The future is for the unafraid. All because of you hello, sir. Nice to see you. Breaking news with Golden Globes host seth meyermeyers, w access learned now about the planned red carpet blackout. Disappointed in myself. Yes, he was sorry for posting the suicide discovery video, but wait physical you hear what logan paul did notre