plus, confusion and outrage over who should get vaccinated first. why one medical center is apologizing to its frontline workers. on alert more than 100 million bracing for dangerous christmas storms bringing fierce winds, heavy rain and snow. the threat of widespread power outages. caught on camera an incredible rescue after a house explodes here, baby. i got you, baby. the heroes who saved a 3-year-old from under the rubble and tracking santa a look back at norad s mission to keep kriss kringle on the move how it all began with a little boy and a wrong number announcer: this is nbc nightly news with lester holt good evening i m kristen welker in for lester on this christmas eve. we re tracking a number of major developments the airports packed with holiday travelers ignoring warnings from health officials to stay home. and that powerful winter storm complicating matters even more we begin with the tens of millions of americans in desperate need of financial
in japan. 376 million people. good for them. i wonder if they prefer extra crispy or the original. original. i was always an original person back when i ate the bird. it was good stuff. love it. good yard bird there at kfc. ts is something of a christmas tradition, as well. water skiing on the potomac neaea the nation s capital. interesting. this is the 30th year st. nick made the splash joined this year by mrs. clause, elves, reindeer, frosty the snowman. surprised he didn t melt in this weather and even the grinch was there. we didn t spot any members of congress out there, but who knows. cheering them on. there was a grinch you mentioned. so i m sorry, kidding. so kids if santa doesn t bring you what you wanted this morning, now you know what he was doing instead. the temperatures in d.c., yeah, upper 70s. can t resist. yesterda\. a lot of sleep in new york truck outside my apartment. ice cream truck on christmas eve. first time ever that has been the
mass, noting the simplicity of jesus christ s birir. pope francis condemned what he called society s intoxication with consumerism, pleasure, abundance and wealth. he says jesus calls on christians to act in a way thaha is simple, balanced, consistent, capable of seeing and doing what is essential. the upsurge of violence in the holy land brought more tension to christmas celebratioio. palestinian president mahmoud abbas joined christian faithful in bethlehem for midnight mass. bethlehem has been at the center of violence, but as molly hunter reports, the celebrations have returned. reporter: mixed feeling between the celebration and the sad feeling. reporter: that sad feeling shared widely this year. after months of violenen in the occupied palestinian territories and israel left 19 israelis and more than 130 palestinians dead, israel says more than half of those palestinians were in manger square, the birthplace of jesus, the crowd s smaller. tourism suffering. people
what s wrong with that? yeah, it s a little different. eating the colonel s chicken is so popular kfc starts taking reservations in october. the wait time can be as long as six hours if you don t have a reservation. about 3.6 million people will feast on kfc today? japan? in japan. i don t blame them. good for them. i wonder if they prefer extra crispy or the original. or the original. i was always an original person back when i ate the bird. it was good stuff. love it. good yard bird there at kfc. this is something of a christmas tradition, as well. water skiing on the potomac near the nation s capital. this is the 30th year saint nick has made the splash. he was joined this year by mrs. clause, elves, reindeer, frosty the snowman. surprised he didn t melt in this weather and even the grinch was there. we didn t spot any members of congress out there, but who knows. so there was a grinch you mentioned. so i m sorry, kidding. kids, if santa doesn t bri
story now in mississippi. reporter: tonight, severe weather still on the move. with blinding rain in alabama and flooded roads south of atlanta. this after a devastating christmas week tornado outbreak. oh! i think that s a tornado brewing up! reporter: over 24 tornadoes reported. i looked up, the roof was blowing off the house. reporter: watch as these two tornadoes merge into one massive twister. swirling winds lifting this tractor trailer and sending it careening onto its side. in holly springs, mississippi monster tornado. reporter: the national weather service says this tornado was at least an ef-3 and may have tracked over 100 miles across two states. it was like a war zone. reporter: first responders rushing to help the injured, including retired nurse sherry keel. she was on her way home from last-minute christmas shopping. there s a lady face down in the ditch. she kept asking about her child. years old, didn t survive. i can t imagine i jus