move closer to shore what you can do to avoid what lies beneath. announcer: this is nbc nightly news with lester holt good evening i m tom llamas in for lester tonight we begin with breaking news massive ground stops and delays across some of the country s biggest airports, making the holiday travel chaos even more complicated. a difficult summer travel season is now going from challenging to worse before the severe weather even moved in, americans facing a rare combination of high gas prices, high airfare, and mass cancellations across the country. the july fourth getaway is under way it is unclear how far people will get. nearly 50 million navigating clogged airports and roads gas prices down slightly, still painfully high for so many americans tracking it all for us tonight, tom costello who starts us off. reporter: friday night and america s july 4th getaway looks dicey. critical airports up and down the east coast in ground stops with severe thunderstorms from or
airports packed. one airline offering passengers $10,000 to get off an oversold flight plus, record numbers expected on the highways, despite still sky-high gas prices and now storm clouds on the horizon. we will show you where. also, tonight wnba star brittney griner s trial in russia under way, facing drug trafficking charges and up to ten years in prison some calling it a show trial. could she go free in a prisoner swap? the deadly new russian attack on civilians in ukraine at least 21 killed after missiles hit an apartment building and recreation center. back here at home in the line of fire, two police officers shot to death along with their canine. several other officers injured. the chilling image of the suspect in court as police killings are on the rise in the u.s. and shark attacks. from florida to california a 17-year-old girl attacked at a popular beach. new warnings tonight to swimmers as shark