chicago, the nation's third largest school district shut down teachers refusing to enter the classroom. the cdc under fire for confusion over testing and isolation guidelines what the agency's director said today. and omicron now impacting music's biggest night, the grammy's. >>> also this evening the deadly fire ripping through a philadelphia row house. at least 13 killed including 7 children what officials said about the smoke detectors. >>> the double winter storm threat blizzard conditions in the midwest. the the east coast a risk after that highway nightmare. al roker tracking it all. >>> the eve of a one-year anniversary of the capital riot. our exclusive inside the investigation. the rioters the fbi is still searching for. >>> the world's top tennis star turned away from australia. his visa canceled. the battle over his vaccination status. >>> and inside the super bowl of gadgets. how the pandemic is ushering in a new era of personalized tech. >>> this is nbc "nightly news" with lester holt, reporting tonight from washington, d.c. >>> good evening, everyone we're here ahead of t

>> reporter: there is nothing like a chicago dog. >> this food is awesome. >> the neighbor is faithful >> reporter: and at dave's red hots, the line is out the door. >> these hot dogs are made with love and they bring back old childhood memories. >> reporter: eugene yeah's family has owned this west side business for more than a century, a local place people count on. where does your money go >> right back into the community. >> some hot dogs and some chili dogs. >> reporter: but the hot dog history doesn't end here nope because dave, the original, was a russian immigrant who 90 years ago started selling hot dogs, making this the oldest hot dog stand in chicago. >> so i hope it goes on another 90 years. >> reporter: today dave's grandson ron myerson watches with pride. >> what's chicago? >> best hot dog city in the world. >> reporter: and this is the heart of it? >> this is a heart of it, yes. >> reporter: customers have memories, too how long have you been coming here? >> over 60 years. >> reporter: you're kidding me >> no, i'm not. >> this neighborhood is an institution. i work right

school boards abruptly slammed shut, upending the lives of hundreds of thousands of chicago families >> we had all winter break to have this planned out, and here we are the kids are kind of caught in th middle and parents like myself are really scrambling to get coverage. >> reporter: concerns about soaring covid cases and about limited testing, chicago's teacher's union voted to go remote. >> i have a 90-year-old grandmother with underlying health conditions and issues. and so i would appreciate being able to work in an environment where at least the students are all pcr tested weekly. >> reporter: city officials called the union's decision a work stoppage and canceled school altogether, a clearly frustrated mayor speaking out. >> we can't forget about how disruptive that remote process is to individual parents who have to work >> reporter: this first week of school after the holiday has seen a dramatic jump in school disruptions. more tha 4,500. back in october there were 28. still small compared to a year ago. but omicron is straining school systems to their limits rapid tests ar

allie from chicago requested that song. why did you want to hear "adia," allie? >> honestly it's actually more for my dad. we always go boating on lake michigan every summer, and always queuing up sarah mclachlan because he is a huge fan and it cracks me up every single time, because my friends are thinking, oh, we are going boating in chicago. we will listen to party music, nope, we are blasting sarah mclaughlin cruising down lake michigan. so "adia" reminds me of summer, and it is freezing in chicago right now, so i really needed that reminder. >> kelly: i love your dad, because you are so right come everybody is expecting a different playlist and i love that all of a sudden it is sarah mclachlan, it's great. she is great, that's why. any season. >> i am hooked now too. >> kelly: you had to be, you got forced to listen to it. >> yes. >> kelly: i love your dad, what's your dad's name? >> wt. >> kelly: that's your dad's name come he goes by wt? he sounds like a character in a novel. i'm into it. thank you so much, allie, i love sarah mclachlan and singing her mus

temperatures continue to drop all the way to 20s from chicago, buffalo in the teens mid-30s down into raleigh. we've got this system now. we've got the european model that brings it much closer to the coast with heavy snow from washington to new york the american model a little further east so the heaviest snow stays up in coastal new england. the good news is we're talking about that extreme snow right along the coast from new england around down into new jersey however, we have -- we are seeing now intensifying storms. this winter storm has got all this warm water to bring it energy, and with the water temperatures up over 10 degrees above average, bombogenesis, lester we're talking a bomb cyclone. this could be a really severe storm with heavy winds and heavy snow we continue to track it. >> i'll keep the snow boots out. al, thank you. >>> in just 60 seconds, the news about rising interest rates. what it means for your family, and what you should think about doing now. >>> all right. the federal reserve today left interest rates unchanged but signaled a hike is coming soon for the

., minus 9 in chicago. the good news is this is very short lived. by the end of this week, we will see temperatures moderating a bit 41 in new york city. 46 in washington, d.c. 36 in chicago. we have also got windchills to talk about and lake effect snow this is a big band of lake effect snow coming across. it's going to bring some areas another 5 to 8 inches of snow on top of what's already fallen, lester we're talking two inches of snow per hour between watertown and syracuse >> looks like winter's greatest hits. all right, al. thanks very much. >>> we've got an incredible medical breakthrough to talk to you about this evening. the first ever pig to human heart transplant surgeons at the university of maryland medical center in baltimore announcing they placed a heart from a genetically modified pig into a 57-year-old man on friday >>> just 25 days until the winter olympics, the most watched sports here's stephanie gosk with that. >> reporter: ladies and gentlemen, your 2022 u.s. olympic figure skating team. >> it's a really cool opportunity to ge

for allegra, now a senior, chicago public schools were completely shut down three straight days last week as the district and teachers union debated whether to go remote in the coming weeks how does that affect your stress level? >> my stress level i would say is pretty high. >> reporter: her mother has learned to keep a close watch over both allegra and her twin brother alexander. >> i worry 24/7 how they both will navigate school, life, everything emotionally. worried. >> reporter: and john also a senior now says there is a growing possibility his school will go back to remote any day now. does that create anxiety for you, stress >> it definitely creates anxiety. it feels like the same as it was last year. that sort of uncertainty you don't know what next week is going to hold anymore. >> reporter: there is overwhelming data that remote learning has taken a harsh toll on children's academic and mental health. the uncertainty of the pandemic over all has been incredibly stressful for kids probably important to really check in with kids and understand what it is that they're experien

in to our broadcast every night, you know kevin tibbles well >> reporter: kevin tibbles, nbc news, chicago. tel aviv bosnia minneapolis. baghdad. >> he's reported from just about everywhere and covered just about everything. a top notch correspondent with a huge heart but before the proud canadian became a beloved member of our team -- >> reporter: kevin tibbles, cbc news, montreal >> he was a reporter in canada for the cbc. in 1995 he joined nbc news and headed across the pond to london where he spent five years covering all types of stories, from the war in iraq -- >> reporter: it is an absolutely eerie day in baghdad >> -- to the death of princess diana in 2000 he returned to the states and settled in chicago where he's been for the past 20 years. he's covered five olympic games and learned how to fight like an ancient gladiator. he took us on a tour of some of london's best pubs. and held his own on the ice with some of the world's most elite athletes from a helicopter over the icy waters of alaska to the tulips of holland, michigan, and some of the greatest roller coasters, tibbles ha

in chicago, video of a testing drop box for students and staff overflowing. now sparking concerns. and while the biden administration has vowed to help, increasing the supply of at home tests, it won't come in time for many even colleges and universities delaying their return with at least 70 schools going remote as a semester starts >> i still believe very firmly and very passionately not only as an educator but a parent that our students belong in the classroom and we can do it safely we have better tools than we had in the past to get it done. we know what works >> reporter: and mental health experts agree. this pandemic has taken a toll on children and they belong in the classroom with safety measures in place. >> there is the psychological and social pieces of providing comfort, routine, structure, mental health treatment, peer-to-peer support and all of this is getting lost as a result of remote learning and the isolation that it brings >> reporter: a tough time for parents and administrators as they try to put the safety of kids first amidst a raging pandemic. nbc news >>> i

., new york, chicago, and seattle the airlines warned that would lead to massive delays, diversions and cancellations as soon as wednesday. >> the faa has to go airport by airport, runway by runway and do an analysis to clear these runways at airports so that we can safely fly. >> reporter: but the cell phone industry, which already delayed the rollout twice and says 5g is safe at&t today took aim at the faa saying we ar frustrated by the faa's inability to do what nearly 40 countries have done, which is to safely deploy 5g technology without disrupting aviation services. >> the bottom line is we've got to get this done safely, and right now every indication is it's not been tested, and it is not safe for a full rollout. >> tom, you have been reporting on this story now for weeks. this has a real kicking the can down the road feel how does this get resolved >> reporter: well, we don't really know. it could take weeks. it could take months the bottom line, the faa has to look at every single plane and determine whether its altimeter could be vulnerable to 5g it's already cleared 45% of t

. >> reporter: -- to chicago -- >> keeping violent offenders in jail longer will reduce violent crime. >> reporter: -- to upstate new york >> how do you describe the state of where we are right now? >> i think there certainly is fear >> reporter: the state of new york did away with cash bail for low-level offenders in 2019. that means some charged with crimes aren't held in jail, but instead are released until they stand trial. >> i've seen them myself where certain individuals, in my opinion, should not be released into our community they make our community less safe >> reporter: other states like california, illinois, kentucky, and new mexico have made similar changes. and shortly after reform was enacted in 2017, june rogers lost her 26-year-old son christian. the father of two was gunned down by a man arrested on a gun charge and released. >> i'm hurt, angry, all of that. i lost my child, and i don't believe this would have happened had it not been for bail reform. >> reporter: the argument made for bail reform is that often times low-level offenders can't afford bond and can sit

way to the midwest overnight, expected to barrel down on key airport hubs from denver to dallas and chicago. >> look, expect the worst but hope for the best you will likely find delays you will likely have your flight canceled. >> reporter: a rocky start to the new year for thousands of travelers. >> and vaughn joins us now. what are the airlines doing to try to clear this log jam of flights. >> reporter: peter, united just today began offering its pilots triple pay for any extra legs they fly in january these airlines are under increasing pressure due to these positive cases within their own crews. peter? >> vaughn hillyard in new york's laguardia airport today. thank you. >>> on wall street it was a losing day but a winning year stocks closed lower on this final day of 2021, but all three major indexes finished the year with double digit gains. the dow up more than 19%. the nasdaq more than 21%. and the s&p posting a gain for the year of nearly 27% we're back in a moment with that tiger attack in florida will a man who reached into his cage face charges? >>> tonight investigators are tryi

. >> chicago, pittsburgh, baltimore and philadelphia all at risk of dangerous travel conditions due to ice accumulation. new england is still digging out from friday's storm, and parts of massachusetts buried in a foot of snow, though some residents are making the best of it. >> it's a winter wonderland it's beautiful and my dogs have never seen snow before. so he's loving it. >> kids in new york are still holding on to the snow that's left >> any time you have snow in new york and children of elementary school age, it's special and it's terrific out here. >> you have to take advantage of it. >> as the northeast braces for more bad weather, airlines also can't catch a break. covid and storms canceling more than 1200 flights today >> kathy park joins me now live from central park in new york kathy, is there any relief to these freezing temperatures in sight >> jose, it will only get colder as the arctic air settles in early next week. by tuesday several cities here on the east coast including new york will be in the teens. jose >> kathy park in new york city. thank you. >>> now to nevad

cities like chicago, washington, d.c., and new york seeing hospitalizations plateau and some dips in the number of daily cases. >> overall, the prognosis, the forecast for covid is much brighter than it had been before and that is very positive news. >> reporter: and starting this weekend, if you have insurance, you can purchase up to eight at home covid tests a month and your insurance provider will cover most or all of the cost. check that you're purchasing from an in network provider if not, they'll only reimburse up to $12 a test and save those receipts you have to file for reimbursement by filling out a form such as this and this wednesday, a federal government website goes live. families can order up to four tests per household and they'll ship in seven to 12 days. >> we have a billion tests that will become available to people that they can order through the website. >> reporter: yet for many it will be to >> what yt described sounds like a lot of paperwork to get reimbursed by your insurer. >> reporter: yes, but for now that is what it is. the biden administration is working

the faa will prohibit pilots from using altimeters, including large airport hubs in dallas, new york, chicago and seattle. today the airline ceos warned, the vast majority of the traveling and shipping public will essentially be grounded, facing cancellations, diversions or delays. >> the faa has issued an airworthiness directive that would significantly impact our operations. >> reporter: the cell phone industry insists the technology has proven to be safe in europe it's already delayed roll-out twice and says it will turn down the power at ground stations near some airports. >> look, the wireless carriers are impatient to deploy technology that stands to make a big impact, a positive impact on our economy. but on the aviation side, we have also got to make sure that it's safe. >> reporter: tonight the airlines are warning they may have to ground planes and mass cancellations could start wednesday. lester >> i know you will stay on it tom, thanks very much. >>> in just 60 seconds, on this martin luther king jr. day, king's family and others marching washington for voting rights. >>> and the

. >> reporter: sue's north chicago garage is filled with warmth. >> how are you what do you need how can i help you >> reporter: for 12 years sue has been using word-of-mouth and her own money to feed anyone who is struggling >> this is a double xl, so this will probably go in a large kit or maybe one of the parents. >> reporter: even distributing warm winter coats >> what i think people don't realize is how many people are living in need in this country. >> reporter: since our visit last summer, she's expanded her pantry >> oh, god she's an angel from heaven. >> reporter: volunteers now load groceries for delivery to single mothers, refugees, the unemployed, the elderly. >> there is a lot of hidden poverty within our community. >> reporter: sue feeds some 200 families a week. >> it is hard getting that extra fruits and vegetables because they're so expensive >> reporter: many she's helped in the past now paying it forward. >> you had to rely on her at one point, too? >> i did we did most of our food came from sue at one point. so now this is my way of giving back to the people in my

health-care workers back to the job if they have mild symptoms the impact growing on schools, too the chicago teachers union voting tonight whether they'll refuse to report in person beginning tomorrow, and instead teach remotely many schools in philadelphia now joining atlanta, newark, and milwaukee temporarily going remote due to rising cases and staff shortages. >> it's harder for me to learn because some of the stuff i don't know because it's new. >> peter, i know the cdc has faced backlash for advising covid patients that they don't need a negative test to get out of isolation. now i understand the cdc issued an update what do we know? >> reporter: that's right. the agency is saying no negative test is required to get out of the recommended five day isolation period, though they say you should still wear a mask critics questioned the policy since people could still be contagious the cdc tonight says if you want to take a test and test positive, keep isolating another five days lester >> peter alexander at the white house, thank you. >>> while the president says testing will improve, righ

. >> reporter: the cancellations rippling across the country from chicago o'hare to fort lauderdale where andrea and her kids have been trying to get to detroit since friday. >> we had to stay an extra couple days and hotels are outrageous on new year's eve, so we were kind of >> the airline industry has been understaffed for months, even before this later surge with covid going back to the summer. >> so, tom, how are thing looking for tomorrow air travel-wise? >> reporter: so far >> reporter: while it truly has been a perfect series of storms for the airlines, consumer advocates say the airlines also bear some blame. >> the airline industry has been understaffed for months, even before this latest surge with covid going back to the summer. >>> there is some breaking news in the trial of theranos founder elizabeth holmes the verdict comes in moments ago. after the jury told the judge it was deadlocked on multiple counts we get more now from erin mclaughlin. >> reporter: elizabeth holmes once celebrated as an entrepreneur set to revolutionize medical testing leaves tonight a medical felon.

the same parent company, comcast >>> well, finally, in our inspiring kids series, a 14-year-old from chicago is counting his blessings and giving a few back to a community in need. >> my name jakiel jackson, i'm 14 years old i got the idea for project rm when i was 5 years old it was an experience i had with my aunt as she took me and my cousins to see homeless people. >> at 5 years old, he didn't fully understand the concept of homelessness, but he knew enough to realize there were people who needed help, and he asked his parents if they could get homes for those without them >> and eventually that showed my parents that i really had a passion for this and i wanted to do something so we sat down, we had a conversation, talked about what we could do, and we thought of bus and bags. >> jakiel and his family launched the nonprofit project im when he was 8 he came up with what he calls blessing bags as a way to help homeless people. >> so blessing bags, it was just pretty simple. the items in the bags are blessings, and they're in a bag, so i call them blessing bags. >> you're going to get one