new results show the race tightening and now another candidate declaring victory. breaking on the coronavirus front. new flights evacuating hundreds of americans from china u.s. tourists trapped on cruise ships and the chinese doctor who blew the whistle on the outbreak, his tragic fate. the shocking reveal from elizabeth smart. the kidnapping and sexual abuse survivor saying she was attacked again, this time on a plane. how she's fighting back and a popular car booster seat for young children, the new alert tonight. >> announcer: this is with lester holt. good evening snow, heavy rain, flooding, even finally, the tornadoes all part of successful journey a massive and deadly home for an american storm system bringing astronaut afr misery from the deep south to new england tonight. here's kevin tibbles 25 million people from earth. kentucky to maine are >> thumbs up and a under winter weather huge smile. alerts for snow and >> reporter: ice. completing a 328-day in the south where at mission, the longest least three people for a woman in space, have been killed, millions more face violent winds and even celebrating twisters, toppling trees and damaging holidays 240 miles up. homes. her time aboard the

and flash flood international space warnings are up station full of tonight from georgia achievement. to the carolinas our gabe gutierrez has six space walks including the first all-female space walk. the latest >> i'll be able to do >> reporter: tonight, that the powerful winter storm is tearing >> reporter: the through much of the russian soyuz carrying country, producing koch and crew landed today in kazakhstan. snow, hail, rain and now the nasa scientist tornadoes. goes under the this security camera microscope herself, captures a possible the focus of several twister ripping studies on the effects through a north carolina neighborhood. space has on women this dash cam video >> christina, welcome shows a tree falling home >> her next on a georgia highway, barely missing assignment, oncoming traffic celebrating all planet at least three deaths earth has to offer including a trip to the beach. have been reported from toppled trees in tennessee and south carolina tens of thousands of people across the south are without that's "nightly news." power. i'm lester holt. ♪ good night, everyone these students huddled in a school hallway singing songs during a tornado warning. in mississippi, this frightening funnel cloud ripped roofs off homes. >> all of a sudden the wind and the rain got so heavy, we ran inside >> reporter: after dumping snd own lahoma, in new orleans, the fast-moving system brought damaging hail, torrential rain and

relentless wind. >> that's got to be a tornado. >> reporter: at this construction site, scaffolding crashed onto cars. >> it happened so fast i've never seen nothing that bad before >> reporter: today more snow fell in parts of the midwest, and it's expected to intensify overnight in northern new england. lester >> gabe gutierrez in ♪ chicago, thanks. this could be a >> ♪ i hope you never lose potentially violent night in some places ♪ your sense of wonder wnbc's janice huff is tracking it. janice, what can we expect ♪ g >> lester, we'll start with the tornado ♪ but always keep that hunger watches that are still in effect across parts of the southeast ♪ may you never take look at all of these watches in effect up and down through the carolinas. ♪ one single breath across this area, 23 million people at risk for damaging winds and possible tornadoes from jacksonville all ♪ leave you empty handed the way to wilmington, north carolinae ecipitation wil be heavy, so flooding ♪ i hope you still feel is a possibility over ♪ small when you stand the carolinas, ♪ beside the ocean ♪ whenever one door closes especially coastal ♪ i hope one more opens ar areas. on the north side of that, heavy snow, maybe as much as ad all the wao ♪ promise me that you'll give ♪ faith a fighting chance

♪ and when you get the choice boston a day after his ♪ to sit it out or dance acquittal on both impeachment charges, president trump celebrated his victory while denouncing those ♪ i hope you dance who tried to remove him from office as evil and corrupt, even using an expletive on live tv. our peter alexander is at the white house ♪ >> reporter: calling ♪ i hope you dance it a celebration, president trump tonight savoring his senate victory >> we went through ♪ i hope you dance hell unfairly. did nothing wrong, but this is what the end result is. [ cheers and applause ♪ i hope u it's the only good headline i've ever had in "the washington post." >> the president unplugged, riffing for ♪ i hope you stilll bide the oc♪ more than an hour. >> i never thought a word would sound so good it's called total ♪ whenever one door closes acquittal. >> reporter: praising a packed crowd of political allies >> mitch mcconnell, i ♪ promise me that you'll give want to tell you, you did a fantastic job. ♪ faith a fighting chance [ applause ] >> reporter: both buoyant and bitter, ♪ and when you get the choice unloading on the democrats and the ♪ to sit it out or dance >> it was evilit was leakers ad liars. >> punctuating hisanger with a

expletive. >> it was all bullshit >> reporter: and this ♪ i hope you dance message to the people of utah. >> and they them i'm sorry about mitt romney i'm sorry. >> reporter: it wasn't the first time today [cheers and applause] the president attacked the only republican who joined democrats voting to remove him what's up! earlier shattering the bipartisan tradition welcome to "the kelly clarkson of the national prayer breakfast with swipes show." at both romney and house speaker nancy pelosi all right. let's see who chose >> i don't like people who use their faith as justification for doing what they know is wrong, nor do i like people who say "i pray for you" when they know that that's not so >> romney today with nbc station ksl, standing by his decision >> i believe that when i swear an oath to god, i have a responsibility to be exactly truthful, and i am truthful and did what i believe was absolutely right for our country.

>> reporter: pelosi firing back at the president.t henows little about, faith and prayer >> reporter: trading new insults while defending tearing up the president's state of the union speech. >> he looked to me like he was a little sedated. he has shredded the truth in his speech. he's shredding the constitution in his conduct. i shredded his state of his mind address. >> reporter: tonight the president unapologetic with one exception. >> i want to apologize to my family for having them have to go through a phony, rotten deal. ivanka, thank you, honey. come >> reporter: tonight the senate's top democrat chuck schumer is dismissing the president's white house event as an hour and a half of mistruths and profanity. lester the impeachment is over, but the iowa caucus is not. the head of the democratic national committee now demanding a recanvass of the vote three days after the caucus chaos that has the final

tally in limbo morgan radford has details. >> reporter: more confusion tonight over those iowa caucus results as the head of the democratic national committee calls for a recanvass, an audit of every single detail from monday night >> is that a blow to some of the progress you've already made? >> no. i don't think there are going to be any substantial differences in the most important vote, and that is the popular vote >> are you claiming victory in iowa? >> where i come from, morgan, when you get 6,000 more votes than your opponent, where i come from, that sounds like a victory to me >> reporter: the the winner is the one with the most state delegates, and with those final results still uncertain, senator sanders and former mayor pete buttigieg are now locked in a battle for new hampshire. >> new hampshire is not the kind of place to let iowa or anybody else tell you what to do. >> the latest monmouth poll shows sanders leading in new hampshire by just four points within the poll's margin of error and former vice president joe biden

and senator elizabeth warren still trailing. and as the front-runners blitzed the granite state ahead of friday night's debate, voters here say despite the chaos on caucus night, they still have faith that their vote will count. >> do you feel confident? >> yes, i definitely feel confident, for sure >> we need to be engaged. we need to treat this as important because it is. >> reporter: morgan radford, nbc news, manchester. let's turn to the coronavirus. as the death toll climbs, more americans are headed home on two flights tonight from the epicenter in china while hundreds of others remain trapped on a ship in japan miguel almaguer has the latest >> reporter: the two chartered cargo planes will carry over 500 evacuees desperate to escape wuhan they'll land at lackland air base in texas and eppley airfield in nebraska, where during their 14-day quarantine, they'll be checked for the coronavirus every 12 hours >> to have 200 other people who are possibly contagious be around you at any time, it's a little

concerning >> reporter: with hundreds of americans in quarantine at miramar air station, five evacuees who developed a fever or cough are now being monitored at local hospitals. in china tonight, more than 600 dead including the whistle-blower doctor who was silenced by police after being one of the first to warn of an outbreak he died at a wuhan hospital nine days after contracting the virus himself. in tokyo, passengers with coronavirus removed from this cruise ship as thousands of others, including 400 americans, spend yet another night quarantined at sea. >> everybody's a suspect, i guess, is kind of how we're being treated. >> reporter: in hong kong, another 3,600 people are floating in limbo, docked in the city's harbor. nbc's molly hunter is there. >> are you okay? >> reporter: back at home, the u.s. government is prepping more facilities like this one in washington state to house the

sick as more americans come home by the planeload with great precaution. tonight we are told two americans in wuhan, china, are being treated for the virus with great concern that more americans there could get sick there are renewed efforts to bring everyone to military bases like this from that country lester >> miguel almaguer, thank you for the update a big public memorial is planned for kobe bryant, his daughter, and seven other people killed in that helicopter crash 11 days ago. the event will be held monday, february 24th at the staples center in l.a. where bryant played for so many years and where a memorial was held when michael jackson died inhe harvey ork today, weinstein trial after hearing from six women who accused weinstein of sexual assault. nbc's stephanie gosk has been on the case stephanie, what can we expect now as the defense takes over >> well, lester, we can expect the defense team to continue to question the accusers' credibility and motivation, the same way they have through

some very tough questions during cross-examination. we've heard already from six accusers, three of them supporting witnesses the prosecution says harvey weinstein lured these women using his power and influence as a hollywood producer, and then he sexually assaulted them of course, weinstein has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges. he denies ever having nonconsensual sex. an interesting thing, the judge in court today said that the defense could take three or four days roughly to wrap up their case that would mean as early as next week, the end of next week, the jury could take this case and start to deliberate >> stephanie, thanks. we'll be right back in just 60 seconds with a shocking revelation by elizabeth smart, who survived being kidnapped as a child and the new ban that has some american travelers outraged

tonight, the survivor of an infamous kidnapping is speaking out elizabeth smart was abducted when she was 14 and suffered months of sexual abuse. now smart says she was

attacked recently again aboard a flight. nbc's joe friar on how she's fighting back. >> reporter: as a teenager, elizabet smart was kidnapped and repeatedly raped now as an adult, she says she was sexually assaulted again, this time on an airplane while flying home to utah last summer smart says she was asleep when the man next to her started touching her inappropriately rubbing his hand on her inner thigh. >> seriously, again? like, can this really be happening to me again? do i have a big sign across mre that says "victim" i mean, how is this happening to me again? >> reporter: smart said she filed a complaint with delta, does not blame the airline. in a statement, delta says we took the matter seriously and have continued to cooperate with ms. smart and the appropriate authorities. smart says she also spoke with the fbi and the investigation is ongoing. the fbi says it can't confirm or deny an investigation. according to the

federal government sexual assaults on flights are rising at an alarming rate, up 66% over a three-year period smart says after what happened last summer she decided to create a self-defense program in utah for women and girls. she calls it smart defense. she first made headlines in 2002 when at the age of 14 smart was abducted at knifepoint from her bedroom. >> elizabeth, if you're out there, we're doing everything we possibly can to help you. >> reporter: she was held captive for nine months before she was rescued. since then, smart has been an advocate for missing persons and victims of sexual abuse, responsibility that for her remains as important as ever joe friar, nbc news. now a disturbing case of child abuse. a father, an nypd officer charged with murder after he forced his 8-year-old son with autism to sleep in a freezing garage nbc's rob rob -- ron allen on the multiple warnings the boy's mother says were

ignored. >> let him go! let him go >> heart wrenching video from a custody battle, a mother picking up her children from their father michael valva today charged with murdering his 8-year-old autistic son authorities say tommy valva froze to death after being forced to sleep in his father's garage as punishment >> it was nothing short of cruel, callous, wanton and evil >> the father's girlfriend also charged with murder. both pleading not guilty. >> i filed so many complaints asking for help, begging for justice that never happened >> reporter: tommy's mother says, and so do prosecutors, that valva was reported many times for mistreating his boys >> the children were wearing diapers. they were coming to school soaked in urine. they were looking for food on the classroom floor, in the garbage. >> looking for food in the garbage? >> right exactly. >> reporter: she says records from a state hotline showed dozens of warnings including

from the boys' school. the most recent saying tommy had bruises and abrasions all over his face nbc news has not been able to verify the documents due to the ongoing investigation. >> what about the fact that your ex-husband is a police officer? >> well, he was actually protected because of that, as well >> reporter: today prosecutors promising a thorough investigation. >> you see, this case is public. but there are kids out there dying every day and nobody knows about it >> rr: aepteother distraught over a system failing to save her son as nationwide nearly 8 million children are reported abused every year. ron allen, nbc news, riverhead, new york. >> an incredibly disturbing story. there is outrage tonight from frequent fliers and others who get to avoid long airport security lines. the trump administration is putting a freeze on the global entry program in new york and says it could be expanded to other states erin mcloughlin tells us why >> reporter: today the

trump administration escalating his battle with the state of new york the department of homeland security is banning residents from enrolling or re-enrolling in the so-called trusted traveler program like global entry that make it easier to cross the u.s. borde passed last year, it limihermation with i.c.e. and customs and border protection new york officials saying the law allows immigrants to come out of the shadows and calls dhs' new ban political retaliation. >> this is unbounded arrogance, disrespect of the rule of law. >> reporter: dhs says the new york law creates a security issue preventing the federal government from tracking down potential criminals. >> we no longer have access to make sure they meet those program requirements, so we need to do our job. >> reporter: some travelers at jfk airport are not happy. >> i think it's a very mean, spiteful way to get back at new yorkers. >> reporter: new york says it's not backing down. >> in all likelihood this dispute will go

to the courts, and new york will argue that the federal government has exceeded its constitutional authority. >> reporter: trump officials say any state considering legislation similar to new york's green light law could also lose access to trusted travel programs. one official singling out the state of washington lester >> reporter: erin mclaughlin tonight, thank you. up next, serious new safety questions about a popular child booster seat s of

car booster seats for children, suggesting they may offer little to no protection in certain car crashes.

here's tom costello. >> reporter: in 2016, the brown family had no way of knowing that a week after a family trip to disney world, 5-year-old jillian would be on life support after suffering a catastrophic spinal cord injury in a horrific car crash today jillian is paralyzed below her neck and relies on a ventilator to breathe. her parents say her evenflo big kid booster seat failed to protect her. >> her body was just flung, and she just was -- you know, it really didn't support. >> reporter: now a propublica investigation has found evenflo's ow internal crash tests show children sitting in a big kid booster seat could suffer serious head, neck and spinal injuries in a side-impact crash. >> their own top car seat engineer admitted that if a child's body moved the way that the dummy did in the crash, that that child could wind up with paralysis, with a head injury, or could die >> reporter: the american academy of pediatrics recommends

children stay in five-point harness car seats until they outgrow them, sometimes at 65 pounds or more. but the owner's manual and packaging for jillian's booster seat suggested 30-pound children could use it. jillian weighed 37 pounds the manual today says 40 pounds, but the box propublica inspected still says 30. while labels on the boosters claim they're crash-tested, an evenflo engineer said in 2016 that doesn't mean the seats actually protect children think we say that we offer any type of side-impact protection >> reporter: evenflo tells nbc news, our product performed as it was designed to do ask did not cause the child's injuries the severity of crash and/or driver error did, and no child restraint or booster seat can assure a child will avoid injury in a car crash, especially a severe one. >> i feel fooled by the labeling on the box when i bought it, and i wish i never

did. i wish i stayed with a five-point harness seat with a lot more protection >> reporter: other car seat makers have been sued in the past, but there are still no federal standards for side-impact car seat crash tests. lester >> quite alarming. all right. tom costello, thanks up next, the american who made history in space finally home

safely back on mother