and unrest in kenosha, wisconsin last year. prosecutors portrayed the teen as a vigilante. his attorney saying it was self-defense tonight the reaction outside the courthouse and president biden weighing in. also tonight, the fda and cdc advisers green lighting both pfizer and moderna boosters for all adults can it stave off a holiday surge? busy airports as the thanksgiving rush gets underway. the severe storms threatening travel plans for millions al roker is timing it out for us. after months of gridlock, house democrats passing president biden's massive build back better spending bill the hurdles it now faces in the senate. the results just in from the president's physical today. the health issues his doctor says warrants detailed investigation. and why this was a history-making moment for vp kamala harris. after 46 years, is there a break in the jimmy hoffa mystery? and adele is back.

her emotional return with her first album in six years. this is nbc "nightly news" with lester holt. good evening not guilty the words repeated five times in the kenosha, wisconsin courtroom today as kyle rittenhouse walked free. acquitted of homicide charges in the deaths of two men he shot and killed during a night of protest and unrest in the streets the now 18-year-old overcome and virtually collapsing into his chair as the verdict was read the jury accepting rittenhouse's claim that he acted in self-defense when he fired his military style rifle killing two and wounding a third man and that they were the aggressors the case touching deeply into the heart of the country's cultural and political divide from those who view today's decision as a victory for the second amendment, to others who fear the jury verdict legitimizes vigilante justice. gabe gutierrez leads us off tonight.

>> we, the jury, find the defendant kyle h. rittenhouse not guilty. >> reporter: inside the courtroom an emotional moment as the verdict was read. >> kyle h. rittenhouse not guilty >> reporter: kyle rittenhouse collapsing and then hugging his attorney the verdict a complete rebuke of the prosecution's case not guilty on all five felony counts. outside the courthouse -- >> this is a dark, dark day for america. >> i felt like they made the right choice. you know, it was simple self-defense. >> reporter: the closely watched case had sparked an intense national debate over self-defense and the second amendment. >> i think it is a victory for the thousand year old right of self-defense and our young hero, kyle. >> reporter: but for the loved ones of anthony huber, the second man rittenhouse shot and killed, today's verdict is heart-breaking. >> every day i wish i

could come home to him, but i can't because he's dead. and now the system is telling me that nobody needs to answer for that >> reporter: the prosecution says that while we are disappointed with the verdict, it must be respected. the president also weighing in. >> i standby what the jury had concluded the jury system works. >> reporter: over the three-week trial, prosecutors had portrayed the then 17-year-old rittenhouse as a vigilante looking for trouble. rittenhouse's lawyers say he was attacked and acted in self-defense. and ripped into one of the prosecution's key witnesses who confronted rittenhouse. >> you took your gun out and began -- i'm going to use the word "chase. chasing or running after a man who was running away from you, correct? >> that's correct. >> reporter: rittenhouse came to kenosha during the unrest following the police shooting of jacob blake. we spoke with blake's uncle right after today's verdict. >> reporter: what do you make of the verdict? >> that's ridiculous self-defense is if somebody enters your house and is doing you wrong. out on the streets, he was a provocateur.

>> reporter: but the defense says those videos prove their case. >> i think the crucial moment was the video. >> reporter: defense attorney mark richards says another key moment was his client taking the stand before the trial, his team had assembled two mock juries. one heard rittenhouse's testimony. the other did not. the reaction, he says, made the choice clear. >> reporter: how important was it to put him on the stand >> it was between an acquittal and a not guilty. >> reporter: if he had been convicted of the most serious charge, first degree intentional homicide, rittenhouse faced life in prison. tonight, he's a free man. >> so, gabe, the trial over do we know what's next for rittenhouse? >> reporter: well, lester, his lawyer says he'll probably move from the area he's had 24-hour security since the incident meanwhile, this city had been bracing for a verdict for days, but tonight so far the scene here is calm and peaceful, lester. >> all right, gabe gutierrez in kenosha, thank you. tonight millions more americans are officially eligible for covid vaccine booster shots after

the fda and the cdc gave the pfizer and moderna boosters emergency use authorization for all adults anne thompson now with late details. >> reporter: seeking to end the confusing patch work of booster eligibility from state to state, today the fda and cdc authorizing third shots of the pfizer and moderna covid vaccine for all vaccinated americans 18 years and older why did the federal government change its position on boosters for adults >> it just took a little while for the cdc and fda to catch up in the process. but the science has actually been pretty clear for a few months now. >> reporter: tonight 17 states are seeing an increase in covid cases of 25% or more over a two-week period in minnesota, covid cases are closing in on 5,000 a day, driven by the unvaccinated. many so serious, they are overwhelming hospitals. now the department of defense is sending medical teams to help exhaust its staffers >> when the health care system is stretched this thinly, it affects everyone's care. >> reporter: the

increase coming as more than 53 million americans prepare to travel over thanksgiving >> if you get the booster now, you can really slow down spread and reduce your own risk of getting infected >> reporter: what protection do boosters offer? >> so the evidence on boosters is that they dramatically lower your risk of having a break-through infection. we know break-through infections can happen. boosters are really quite protective against that. >> reporter: to qualify for a booster, you must have had your second dose at least six months ago while anyone 18 and over can get the extra shot, the cdc now says 50 and older should get the shot are we going to need another booster in six months and then six months after that? >> we might need another booster a year down the road. it might become an annual shot. i don't think we're going to need one six months from now. >> an interesting point. we're still very early in this. but i know there are developments regarding president biden's mandate for private companies and vaccinations >> that's right. the biden administration

suspended enforcement of the vaccine mandate the president issued for private businesses over 100 employees the change was to comply with a court order which found the mandate staggeringly overbroad and fatally flawed. tonight millions of americans are on the road or about to be hitting the road for thanksgiving in numbers not seen since 2019 among the challenges, a winter storm threatening travel early next week. here's tom costello in chicago. >> reporter: it starts now, the great 2021 holiday getaway is underway and, yes, the airlines are under tremendous pressure to perform with the pandemic's heaviest passenger levels yet >> that's why we're leaving to go home now, so we don't have to deal with the thanksgiving traffic. >> reporter: the tsa expecting to screen two million passengers over each of the next ten days. >> it is going to be a lot of people now. and i think it is going to be a shocker. >> reporter: after suffering operational

meltdowns and canceling thousands of flights this year, spirit, american and southwest say they're ready. southwest and american even offering incentives to employees to work over the holidays though, employee response has been skeptical. american pilots rejected the offer. >> this is the new normal air traffic has more than doubled from a year ago today and at the same time, airlines were asking staff to retire. it's not as easy as pulling them back from retirement there are systemic issues going on. throw in the coming storm on the east coast and airline delays could quickly start to mount but the vast majority of americans will be driving to their thanksgiving gatherings, paying $3.41 a gallon on average for gas, the most since thanksgiving 2013. a 200-mile road trip will cost roughly $27 compared to $17 last year on the jersey turnpike today, the early birds were getting ahead of the traffic. >> with the

flexibility of working remote and other stuff nowadays, it makes sense to leave early on if you can. >> reporter: roads will be most congested on wednesday between noon and 8:00 p.m. then sunday after thanksgiving between 1:00 and 7:00 p.m. if you are flying, check in online and arrive early if your flight gets canceled, rebook yourself using the airlines app. >> tom, i know tsa agents are facing a vaccination deadline very soon. could that impact holiday airport staffing >> reporter: they have to be vaccinated by monday three days before thanksgiving a month ago the tsa said only 60% of their officers were vaccinated it now says about 90% are. they are convinced they will have full staffing on thanksgiving. lester >> you mentioned that coming storm that brings us to al roker. what are we looking at here >> all right what we are watching is this system coming out of canada. it will be bringing rain and storms from texas into ohio on sunday now, by monday, there

is morning rain along the i-95 corridor. lake effect snow really starts firing up by the time we get to tuesday that lake effect snow will continue. some areas picking up 6 to 12 inches of snow along with bitter windchills airports will be impacted early next week boston for rain and wind new york, washington d.c., cleveland snow and wind chicago gusty winds. big hub there. as far as roads, boston to buffalo and i-90 going to be problems i-80 from new york to cleveland snowy conditions as well, lester. >> all right al roker thanks very much, sir. after a long night, a major breakthrough today for president biden. house democrats passing his massive social spending and climate bill after a non-partisan analysis found the plan is not fully paid for as he had insisted garrett haake is at the capitol. >> the build back better bill is passed. >> reporter: tonight democrats delighted, celebrating on the house floor after narrowly passing president biden's more than $1.6 trillion social and climate spending bill, which includes hundreds of billions of dollars in climate investments, universal pre-k and

provisions to lower health care costs. >> this bill is monumental it's historic. it's transformative. it's bigger than anything we have ever done. >> reporter: the bill was the culmination of grueling months' long negotiations between progressive and moderate democrats and was delayed for another day by top house republican kevin mccarthy. >> this is the single most reckless and irresponsible spending bill in our nation's history. >> reporter: who prevented a vote last night with a record breaking eight and a half hour speech. >> personally, i didn't think i could go this long. >> reporter: every republican in both houses of congress opposes the bill. >> this is radical stuff. this isn't going to mandate to transform america. >> reporter: another hurdle, despite president biden's repeated pledge that the plan was paid for -- >> guess what? it's paid for. it's totally paid for. >> reporter: the nonpartisan congressional budget office thursday saying that's not true, that the bill will add some

$160 billion to the deficit. a discrepancy that could loom large for the senate's most conservative democrat joe manchin still publically undecided on backing the bill. >> i'm still looking at everything, absolutely. >> reporter: the senate plans to start work on this bill when they come back from thanksgiving break with a goal of finishing it by christmas. a very ambitious time line. lester >> garrett haake at the capitol. thank you. in just 60 seconds, a late update on the president's health as history was made today at the white house. after almost half a century is the mystery over jimmy hoffa's disappearance closer to being solved?

there is breaking news tonight about president biden's health after a physical his doctor says the president remains healthy and fit, but noted some issues. the vice president also making history today while the president was at walter reed. kelly o'donnell is at the white house. and kelly, you asked the president about it today. >> reporter: and the president told me he

feels great. on the eve of his 79th birthday the white house physician released a summary of the tests and exams done today while mr. biden is deemed fit and healthy, the president has a stiffened gait and ongoing acid reflux which contributes to frequent coughing we have seen. today's checkup made history. for 85 minutes while the president was under sedation for his colonoscopy, he transferred authority to vice president kamala harris, making her the first woman ever to briefly possess presidential powers. a jury is now deliberating a lawsuit against the organizers of the unite the right rally that erupted in violence four years ago and led to the death of a counter protesters pete williams is following it for us. >> reporter: a federal court jury is now deliberating after four weeks of testimony about the 2017 right wing extremist violence in charlottesville. it is a civil rights lawsuit filed by nine people who say they

were injured four of them were hurt when a neo-nazi drove his car into a crowd of counter protesters. the two dozen defendants include some prominent white nationalists, including richard spencer who coined the term "alt-right" and christopher cantwell who became known as the "crying nazi." because of his emotional video that he posted after he was sought for arrest in a separate incident. the case was brought under a 140-year-old law known as the ku klux klan act that allows private lawsuits against people who conspire to violate civil rights several of the defendants told the jury, yes, they were violent. some even bragged about it but they say there was no conspiracy and that their exchange of racist social media posts amount to protected speech lawyers for those who filed the lawsuit say each of them should be awarded at least $3 to $10 million in damages. >> the damages that are sought here are sufficiently large to put the individuals

and the groups that are accused into bankruptcy, to financially ruin those groups to prevent them from engaging in this kind of action in the future. >> reporter: the jury will likely deliberate several more days in a trial that could set a pattern for striking back at similar acts of violence in the future lester >> pete williams in washington, thank you. after 46 years there may be a break in the disappearance of jimmy hoffa a tip reportedly from the son of a mafia associate led the fbi to a former landfill in new jersey where they collected evidence last month. nbc news has confirmed the fbi is looking for the body of hoffa. the former teamsters boss who disappeared in 1975. up next tonight, the enormous financial toll for millions who must look after a spouse or partner in "the cost of care.

now to our series "the cost of care" and the impossible situation millions of american families find themselves in when one spouse falls ill and the other must take care of them as stephanie ruhle tells us, it is sending so many into financial ruin. >> reporter: for sherry richmond, this is a love story. but it is also the story of the difficult reality for millions of older americans since her husband rick had a stroke five years ago, sherry has been his full-time caregiver. >> one, two. >> reporter: she manages everything, from rick's medication and appointments. >> what's going on tomorrow?

>> reporter: to the household bills and meals. all of the responsibilities squarely on sherry. >> it's rough. there is no social life at all. my life is wrapped around taking care of him. >> reporter: did you ever expect to find yourself in this situation? >> absolutely not. i was 54 years old i didn't even have the knowledge of medicare, medicaids, what do you do when there is no income life was good. never would have thought to be facing really smack in the face >> reporter: they lived off his truckdriver salary. >> i did not have to work went out camping all the time cruises. we just enjoyed life so much. and then it was gone. >> reporter: now sherry is among the 5.7 million americans caring for a spouse or partner. and like many, she's having to do it with a big loss of income and little financial help. >> we see many caregivers who don't make enough money to qualify for the cost

of care but make too much money to qualify for many of the public benefits available >> reporter: spouses in about half the states may qualify through state or private programs under requirements that vary by location. but in oklahoma, she's ineligible because of an outpatient program rick attends twice a week she's had to burn through their savings. >> there are people who receive disability from the government. do you think caregivers should? you're linked to a disability. >> i do. i will never be able to work as long as i am taking care of him. >> reporter: experts say couples should make a financial plan before care becomes a concern. and for older spouses, contact a local agency on aging to learn about available resources. >> the reality is that most of us will need some level of care as we age and over 80% of that is provided by family. >> reporter: despite the challenges -- >> want to help your bride up >> reporter: for sherry, caring for rick remains a labor of love.

stephanie ruhle, nbc news. we'll take a break. up next, her music and message. why adele's deeply personal new album is touching so many

finally, it's already a huge hit the first new album by adele in six years stephanie gosk tonight on how the singer continues to touch so many ♪ >> reporter: on a mountain top in los

angeles, adele introduced her new album. her talent and glamour on a new stage ♪ >> reporter: the soaring vocals were what caught the world's attention a decade ago. ♪ hello from the outside. >> reporter: but for many fans what turned appreciation into adoration was the deeply personal and relatable story adele was telling, which she recently discussed with oprah. >> uh-huh. >> if music helps me in any situation, then i would like to do the same for people that feel so alone when they're feeling something to be reminded that they're not alone. >> reporter: the album "30" titles simply with her age dives into her struggles with divorce, holding nothing back, including tracks "cry your heart out," "i drink wine" and a song written for her nine-year-old son, who makes a cameo. >> there were moments when i was writing the record or i would listen back to

something and be like, that might be a bit too private. but nothing is as scary as what i have been through the last two or three years behind closed doors. so i'm not frightened. >> reporter: it is fair to say the doors have opened. and the fans are there for it plenty of wine, plenty of tissues and the adoration for adele only growing ♪ >> reporter: stephanie gosk, nbc news and that's "nightly news" for this friday. thank you, everyone, for watching i'm lester holt. please take care of yourself and each other. good night

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not guilty in kenosha. the impact felt here in the bay area. we're having a discussion about what this verdict says about our justice system. and vice president kamala harris making history again. by doing something no woman has ever done. we'll tell you about the 85 minutes that broke barriers. good