thanks for watching. we'll be back at 6:00. tonight, the government shutdown. the capitol in crisis mode on a day of denunciations over the budget stalemate. hundreds of thousands of federal employees furloughed as some of the country's greatest symbols are closed. dramatic images from around the country. armies of protesters in the women's march on the anniversary of president trump's inauguration. nbc news exclusive. we're inside north korea. lester holt is there in a region consumed. the shocking revelation about tom petty's death. a cause so familiar to families. a major medical advance that could save the lives of thousands of people living with a silent killer. the new draw of an old form of art. seeing the world through a lens that

has withstood the test of time. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with jose diaz-balart. good evening. right now as we speak, the united states federal government is shut down. congress and the white house after letting a midnight deadline pass have been unable to find common ground to pass a budget agreement that would fund the work of government employees. the last time this happened, more than 800,000 of the 2.1 million civilians who work for the federal government were ordered to stay home. it's likely come monday, if a deal isn't reached, the number could be the same. agencies like the epa and housing and urban development would lose almost all their staffing. the white house, 62%. homeland security more than 10%. left untouched, members of congress, who are the ones who will have to find the solution to this problem. kasie hunt has been chasing them down.

kasie, at this moment is there any glimmer of any hope? >> reporter: jose, we have been waiting all day to figure out the answer to that question. it's been negotiations going on. it's been minute to minute. lindsey graham and jeff flake have been huddled in mitch mcconnell's office for the last 90 minutes or so. they left to get dinner as we wait to see what mcconnell's next move might be. there's a couple of options on the table. we have to see what democrat strategy is as well. they could potentially go for a shorter term bill that would at least open back up the government's doors. democrats really want to see some sort of commitment on immigration for that to happen. quite frankly, trust has been incredibly low. i talked to chuck schumer who said he has real questions and the main question that i'm going to be asking for the next few days or however long we're in this mess is, can you trust any of the commitments you're getting from your fellow negotiators,

the republican leadership in the senate and the house and of course the president of the united states. at this hour we're expecting negotiations will continue into the day tomorrow, which would mean a second day of shutdown after a long saturday. >> the motion is not agreed to. >> reporter: early saturday morning without an immigration compromise, senate democrats said no deal. republicans firing back. >> the government shutdown was 100% avoidable. >> reporter: day one, a furious blame game unfolding hour by hour. >> you wanted a shut down, the trump shutdown is all yours. >> this is utter madness. >> the solution is to end the foolishness. >> negotiating with this white house is like negotiating with jell-o. it's next to impossible. >> reporter: the white house hitting back. >> chuck schumer said i'm giving you everything you asked for the wall.

>> mick mulvaney was not in the room. he does not know the truth. i do. >> reporter: some say the president is not helping. >> do you think the president is unreliable negotiator? >> i don't think we should be worrying about the president now. >> reporter: a group of senators holding out hope. >> the end game is to resolve this is in a bipartisan way. >> is that possible? >> yes. >> reporter: huddling through the afternoon to try to find some way out of stalemate. >> i want compromise and consensus. >> reporter: as the sun set, washington was headed for day two of a shutdown. >> do you trust the president as a negotiator? >> the president has backed off too many times. it's very, very difficult to sit down and negotiate with him. >> reporter: again that key question of trust. >> thank you very much. i want to bring in nbc's chief white house correspondent hallie jackson. what has the white house been doing today? >> reporter: the president has been in the white house for most of the day on the phone.

i've been told by multiple white house officials, he's been calling mitch mcconnell, paul ryan, members of his own cabinet like secretary mattis to talk about the agency contingency plans during this government shutdown. john kelly has been on the phone too. we have seen the white house dig in and insist they will not negotiate immigration when it comes to getting the government back open. they won't do it now. they plan to do it later. you have also seen them frame this short term deal that kasie is talking about as a concession to democrats. bottom line, we haven't seen any of the president publicly today, jose. no meetings at the white house with congressional leadership. he's been on the phone and online doing some tweeting, of course. >> when they're talking about immigration, it's about 800,000 young people who know no other country, the dreamers. >> reporter: absolutely. what you've seen, jose, is the white house wants to tie a solution to that for these so-called dreamers, to border security, chain migration as well. they have other issues they want to tie to what happens to those

undocumented people who were brought here when they were younger. >> chain migration another word for family reunification. any glimmer of hope in the next few days, kasie? >> reporter: i do think that there is a growing sense of a grind, a potential defeat that this is something that looks bad on every member of congress no matter their party. what are democrats going to be able to say they achieved for this. i think the dreamers are the key question mark here. this is why they took such a public stand. i have to say you've seen what i think is an important shift in what many people who have been very supportive of dreamers are saying publicly. some democrats including congressman luis gutierrez saying, build the wall. we don't care how high it is. just free the dreamers. help them make sure they can stay with their families. that's a mark shift and a potential opening for president

trump. >> thank you very much. as the political drama played out in washington on the anniversary of the president's inauguration, women across the country took to the streets as they did a year ago to demand equality, justice and social and political change. marches took place from coast to coast. a fair number of men were there to support them. nbc's morgan radford has our report. >> reporter: an army of marchers taking over streets in hundreds of cities calling for change in washington. demanding inclusion in chicago. >> this is what america looks like! >> reporter: fighting for equality in new york. >> we're out here because women have decided that they want to take back the conversation. they insist on being part of it. >> reporter: today's march takes place a year after organizers staged one of the largest protests in american history. a day after president trump's inauguration. >> people wanted to run towards something

and they ran towards the women's march. >> would you have organized this march if president trump hadn't been elected to office? >> we were going to protest regardless of whether it was hillary on donald trump. of course, donald trump was a line that had to be drawn for all of us which helped us harness these millions of people across the world. >> reporter: this year they say it's about harnessing that momentum and getting women to the polls and into office. >> show me what democracy looks like. >> this is what democracy looks like! >> reporter: women like kelly fowler who came out with her daughters. >> last year i marched. then i ran. [ cheering ] then i won. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: she marched in last year's rally and was so inspired she decided to run for state office in virginia and won. >> it was the week after the march. i felt it, i looked at my husband and i said, i have to run. i said i have a responsibility.

>> reporter: now the house delegate for virginia's 21st district, she joins several other women in the state holding office for the first time. an inspiration for millions of women hoping to change the face of politics. >> we want everyone to know that when we win, it was women who led us to victory. >> reporter: in new york city, police estimate that more than 200,000 people took to the streets. meanwhile president trump took to twitter saying today was the perfect day for all women to march celebrating unprecedented economic success and the lowest female unemployment rate in 18 years. these marches aren't over. with more scheduled in cities around the world tomorrow. jose? >> thank you very much. a situation unfolding in afghanistan after four gunmen attacked the intercontinental hotel in kabul. this is the largest hotel in the capital. special forces have killed one of the attackers. several have been injured. it's fear the number

of casualties will rise. we turn to north korea which is in the middle of a winter warming with the south in pyongyang. tonight lester holt is in north korea, a country still causing high anxiety over its nuclear program. lester, good evening. >> reporter: good evening from the north korean capital. how the conversation has changed in the run up to the winter olympics in south korea. months ago the conversation was about security concerns. now it's about hope and optimism as north and south korean officials have had their face-to-face meetings working out the framework of north korean participation in the games. we learn today that north korea will be sending a delegation into the south tomorrow to begin a survey to lay the groundwork for that participation. none of this is masking the ongoing nuclear tensions. north korea showing no signs it will roll back its nuclear program and so far there's been no linkage between that and its participation in the games. certainly this has

raised some expectations that maybe we're seeing the first hint of a thaw in the heated relations that have gripped this region for so long. our team is on the ground and getting reaction. we'll have more this week on nightly news. we'll send it back to you. >> thank you. as you just heard from lester, north korea will be sending a delegation to south korea tomorrow to inspect the venues. it comes after the committee officially clearing the way for 22 north korean athletes to participate in next month participating in five events including pairs figure skating. for the first time in olympic history there will be a joint women's hockey team made up of north and south korean players. the countries will march together under a unified korean flag. something we have not seen at the olympics since torino, about 12 years ago. an update on the death of tom petty. the cause has been revealed. while it comes as a shock, it's become an

all too familiar scenario. nbc's matt bradley has more tonight. note she was an american girl ♪ >> reporter: in the end, this legendary american rocker became another casualty of the opioid crisis sweeping across america. he died from an accidental drug overdose last october. the culprit, a dangerous cocktail of pain medications include fentanyl. the scourge of the opioid crisis. like with so many, his path to opioid abuse began with chronic pain. his family said was unbearable and the cause of his overuse of medication. ♪ despite his suffering, petty never backed down. in his last months he continued the tour for his fans playing through pain, emphysema, knee problems and a fractured hip. the day before he died

doctors told petty his hip injury graduated to a full on break. he was one of about 116 people u.s. health officials say die every day from opioid overdoses. his wife and daughter say the news will spark a healthy and necessary discussion about the opioid crisis and even save lives. a poignant final note from the singer songwriter after the last song in his final performance. matt bradley, nbc news, los angeles. now to a problem that britain is confronting head on. it affects millions of people around the world including here in the united states. being lonely. the british government is tackling it in a pretty interesting way, appointing a minister for loneliness. lucy cavanaugh has details. >> reporter: ever since her husband passed away, life has gotten hard for marion. at 84, she says the days are solitary.

her daughter busy with her own growing family and few living friends left to turn to. >> hello. is that trish? >> hi. >> reporter: today, a phone call is a lifeline for marion and millions across britain. the silver line, a charity that's reaching out to the lonely, seven days a week, 24 hours a day. >> providing a listening ear, showing that they care. some of the just basic human warmth, really, goes a long way in dealing with the calls we deal with. >> reporter: government studies found that more than nine million people in the uk often or always feel lonely. about half of those over the age of 75 live alone and more than 200,000 britons haven't spoken with a friend or relative in over a month. one study found that loneliness can hurt your health, increasing mortality the same as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. britain became the first country in the world to appoint a minister for

loneliness. >> the weather is dreadful up here. >> reporter: it's a move welcomed by marion. >> just pick the telephone up and ring. the satisfaction you get from it is wonderful. >> reporter: for her, simply hearing a friendly voice on the other end of the line makes the day that much brighter. lucy kafanov, nbc news, london. still ahead, the new technique that could save the lives of thousands who live with what amounts to a ticking time bomb in their bodies. the chaos in the cockpit as a pilot forcibly removed from his plane before take off.

we're back with health news and a new technique that could help save thousands of lives for people that develop a dangerous condition in the body's main artery. it's a silent killer. until now, surgically repairing the defect was difficult and often not successful. as our medical correspondent dr. john torres reports, it's a new technique of how treatment is being customized for each patient. >> reporter: joy once meant exotic trips and beach vacations. last year the 54-year-old lawyer suffered a heart attack. >> shocked. absolutely shocked. >> reporter: what was even more shocking, an unexpected discovery that would put her life on hold altogether. parts of her aorta, the largest blood vessel in the body, were so swollen they could burst at any

moment. a deadly condition called an abdominal aortic aneurysm. she had two of them. surgery would be dangerous. >> one day it would open me up and just blow. >> reporter: nearly 200,000 americans have these. the problem is, it's almost impossible to treat. doctors sometimes use a stent to repair but in most cases it doesn't work. they are often in places where the stent doesn't fit. so patients end up living with their own personal ticking time bomb. >> each anatomy of the patient is different. that's the problem. >> reporter: but now doctors at the mayo clinic have pioneered a personalized approach to treating what was once a death sentence. they first create customized stents designed for each patient. using 3-d printing they build a model of the patient's an or the that so the surgical team can do a practice run of the complex procedure. >> we're trying to

match the ideal stent to the patients. >> it results in better outcomes? >> yes. they are going home earlier and with less complications. less mortality. >> saving lives? >> saving lives. >> reporter: after having surgery, she's back to enjoying her life. >> i feel absolutely terrific, able to do most things i have not been able to do. >> reporter: thanks to a new life saving treatment with a personal touch. so far doctors have used the personalized procedure on over 450 patients, and now they are training more doctors across the country so more lives can be saved with a high tech approach to a deadly condition. >> great news, doctor, thank you very much. we're back in a moment with a dramatic air rescue at sea.

british airways apologizing tonight for a delay on one of its flights after a pilot was removed from the cockpit, arrested over fears he was drunk. it happened at london's gatwick airport just before the boeing triple 7 was scheduled to take off on an 11-hour flight. the first officer forcibly removed after flight attendants smelled alcohol on his breath. they alerted police. in this country, a rescue at sea after an elderly man became sick at sea. the captain called for help. new york city police sent a helicopter. the man was hoisted up to the helicopter which rushed him to a hospital. when we come back, how they are seeing the world and drawing new attention to an age old art.

finally tonight in an age of selfies, shares, insta images there is a movement out there that illustrates our world in a way that's withstood the test of time in way that lets people put their hands on what they're seeing. kristen dahlgren reports that all you need is a pen or paint brush and paper.

>> reporter: in this fast paced world, many see life through a cell phone camera, but bill elkins has a different view. >> i used to do photos only. they say where was that? where was that? >> reporter: he slowed down. >> i like to say i can do a sketch in about the time it takes to drink a cappuccino while it's still warm. >> reporter: you night think of sketching as a solitary pastime, he's not alone. he started a chapter of urban sketchers in his hometown of syracuse. he thought he might get a few artists to join. more than a hundred signed up like kathy. >> the urban sketcher rule is there's no judgment. you can be a novice or an architectural engineer. >> reporter: chapters are popping up around the world, more than 200 chapters of artists who meet up to sketch and share. james hobbs is in london. >> i spent a long time drawing, not being aware there was so many other people doing the same thing.

>> reporter: together sketchers captured some of 2017 biggest events, inauguration day, california fires, hurricanes maria and irma. back in syracuse they sketch whatever they want, the corner of a building, a cup of coffee. >> selfies. >> i don't know if i would want to go to a cafe and set a mirror up, but we do sketch each other. >> reporter: artists around the world, together, drawing attention to some of life's finer details. kristen dahlgren, nbc news, syracuse, new york. >> that's "nbc nightly news" for this saturday. i'm jose diaz-balart. tomorrow and early next week, lester holt will be reporting from inside north korea. be sure to tune in. thank you for the privilege of your time and good night. right now at si

this is what america is about, what you see today. people caring about each other. >> right now at 6:00, hundreds of thousands of women marking president trump's first year in office, marching in the streets across america. the news at 6:00 starts now. good evening. thanks for joining us. tens of thousands of people voicing concerns by taking it to the streets.

this crowd you see here is just the one in oakland. it wasn't even the largest in the bay area today. the second women's march is a national phenomenon that brought out signs, chants and plans about moving the country forward. we have team coverage for you. tom jenison has been in san francisco all day speaking to the men and women there. we begin live in oakland where women are setting their sights on the voting booth. roz? >> reporter: indeed. there were about 70,000 people here today -- men, women and children here for the march and a new mission. they are focused now on voter registration, education and bringing about change to the ballot box. >> my body, my choice. >> reporter: with the theme "hear our vote, march for our future" tens of thousands took to the streets of oakland.