clark: slowly but surely, the 1970s are disappearing. the 1980s will be upon us. what a decade it is coming up. happy new year! [ cheers and applause ] auletta: as you begin the 80s in the television world, the landscape was, on any given evening, 9 out of 10 people were watching ononly one of f three netwtwork. more thahan 30 millilion peope are addicted to o it. social critics are mystified by its success. what is it? it s television s prime-time, prairie pot boiler, dallas. bobby:y: a move lilike thatl deststroy all ofof ewing , and it l ll ruin our familyly name. i assure y you, a thouought le that nevever crosseded my mind. brotheher or no brbrother, whatever i it takes, i llll stop you u from destrg ewewing oil. dalallas realllly did estatah new ground in termsms of the weweekly, one hour s show thatat literallyly captivated amererica for 1313 years. dallas is a television s show whwhich in somome ways is s rd in t the 1970 ss and onone of the c crazy thins that
and fiery crashes caused by a massive dust storm. at least six people reported killed and dozens more hospitalized. plus, hundreds of law enforcement officers searching by land and air for the suspect who killed five people at a home in texas. the heartbroken father. a 9-year-old among the dead. authorities say the suspect had been deported multiple times. an nbc news exclusive. after the u.s. shot down a spy balloon from china, the military tracking another mysterious balloon over the u.s. what we know. an nfl star s 2-year-old daughter drowns in the family swimming pool. what parents of young children should know. just hours to go before a threatened hollywood writers strike. will your favorite tv shows be halted? and our interview with rock legend john fogerty, finally singing the songs again that made him famous. announcer: this is nbc nightly news with lester holt. good evening, and welcome, everyone. we start with breaking news. in a year defined by ext
draining their bank accounts. for some victims it s fatal. one mother who fought to convince police her son s death was no accidental overdose. those images of unruly passengers on planes. today, the flight attendants on the steps of the capitol. what they re demanding congress do about it. the growing scam involving ai. how criminals can impersonate you or a loved one and cash in. and on this vietnam veterans day, , haarry smiith on a a journey home more than 50 years in the making. announcer: this is nbc nightly news with lester holt. good evening, and welcome, everyone. we begin with developing news out of the vatican tonight surrounding the health of pope francis. just days before the start of holy week observances, the 86-year-old leader of the roman catholic church is in a hospital in rome tonight after suffering breathing difficulties in recent days. tonight the vatican reports pope francis is being treated for a respiratory infection and will remain hospit
both sides about when is his next court date, and when could he stand trial our full coverage. also tonight, the dangerous tornado threat more than 40 million on alert in the south and midwest, including areas still reeling from deadly storms al roker is here for the first time the officers who took down the nashville school shooter speak out. what went through their minds as they raced toward the gun fire and the uconn huskies winning it all in the family dynasties inspiring america. announer: this is nbc nightly news with lester holt good evening, and welcome. it was a legal spectacle never seen before in america with potentially unprecedented political ramifications, as well donald trump, the former president and current presidential candidate, walking into a new york courtroom after being fingerprinted and being charged with 34 felonies the charges stemming from a series of alleged hush money payoffs to an adult film star in hope of avoiding scandals as he ra
that has just wrapped up with russian president vladimir putin calling his meeting with chinese president xi jingping successful. today, the two leaders signing a joint declaration deepening their partnership. and the summit obviously comes at a critical time for the war in ukraine. there are strong indications now that russia and china are moving closer both economically and militarily. xi is framing himself as a possible peace broker and they say it could be the basis for ending the war. but the u.s. and western allies remain deeply sceptical. there are signs that russia has requested lethal aid from china but added they don t see evidence that weapons are being delivered. we have team coverage on this. ivan watson is in ukraine. but let s begin with will ripley in taiwan. what more do we know about the talks in moscow today? well, you know, there was a line from vladimir putin as they were signing these documents deepening their partnership that really summed up the re