the last three days, but the questions, what are they and who may have sent them and the unreal moment at today's briefing as the white house seeks to put to rest questions about extraterrestrial activity also tonight, the violent u-haul rampage in new york city striking pedestrians. eight injured, some critically what we're learning about the driver now in custody the double storm threat packing snow and powerful winds, we're tracking it. the new miracle rescues even as the death toll soars to 35,000 in the earthquake that hit turkey and syria the 13-year-old boy pulled from the rubble today more than 180 hours after disaster struck the warning from nato, a new russian offensive long in planning is now under way in ukraine our richard engel in a city under siege terrifying plane plunge why did a united airlines flight nearly nosedive into the pacific ocean? and the celebration in kansas

city after the chiefs' thrilling super bowl win. >> announcer: this is nbc "nightly news" with lester holt good evening, and thank you for joining us a country still uneasy over that china spy balloon tonight still waiting for answers about the multiple unidentified objects shot down by u.s. fighter jets over the weekend. three objects over three days tonight, administration officials saying they don't know what they are, what their purpose is, who launched them or even if they're connected the first object was downed friday off alaska's arctic coast. saturday, another was shot down by a u.s. jet over northern canada, an area defended jointly by the two countries. and then yesterday a u.s. jet downed a flying object over lake huron officials say the latest objects do not present a military threat to anyone on the ground, but were a potential threat to air traffic. tonight the u.s. sharpening its eyes on the skies as operations are under

way to retrieve the mysterious objects. andrea mitchell has the very latest. >> reporter: as more electronics from the chinese spy balloon are recovered from the ocean floor, new questions about why the administration is now shooting down unidentified objects without knowing what they are defense secretary lloyd austin in brussels today >> i want to reassure americans that these objects do not present a military threat to anyone on the ground they do, however, present a risk to civil aviation and potentially an intelligence collection threat. >> reporter: the white house says the objects were not sending signals, were drifting, not propelled. but one was flying at about 20,000 feet over sensitive military sites according to the pentagon >> in light of the chinese balloon program and this recent incursion into our airspace, the united states and canada through norad have been more closely scrutinizing that airspace including enhancing our radar capabilities

>> reporter: all three objects about the size of a small car, but different. an octagon with strings dangling, possibly sensors, over lake huron, michigan a cylindrical object over the yukon in northern canada and another over the arctic waters of alaska. >> we're just on a higher alert posture and the rules of engagement are assume hostile intent and if you're in doubt shoot it out of the sky. >> reporter: the u.s. still doesn't know whether they were from china, other foreign adversaries or civilians. nbc's janice mackey frayer asked china's spokesman in beijing >> can you confirm that any or all of the three other objects also belong to china or is this just a coincidence? >> reporter: he answered "we're opposed to any attempt to smear china by creating something out of thin air. but he went on to say the u.s. has flown at least ten surveillance balloons over chinese airspace in the last year, something the white house strongly denies and after the norad commander refused to rule out that the three most recent objects were aliens

this unreal moment at a white house briefing >> i don't think the american people need to worry about aliens with respect to these craft. >> andrea, has the u.s. said anything about resuming talks with china >> reporter: yes, lester in fact, the state department said today it's important to keep lines of communication open and is not ruling out a meeting between secretary blinken and china's top diplomat in germany later this week so far the president has not said anything publicly about these most recent takedowns. but the search for any debris from them is under way, and that's critical to identifying just what exactly they were. lester >> andrea mitchell starting us off tonight. thank you. here in new york what the police are calling a violent rampage by a man in a u-haul truck that hit and injured eight people in two neighborhoods in brooklyn before he was arrested stephanie gosk has late details >> reporter: it was a terrifying scene in brooklyn this morning. security video shows a u-haul careening into a bike lane hitting one cyclist while another dodges the out of control truck but police say it was

no accident. moments later that same u-haul smashes into a moped and tears onto a sidewalk, a police car chasing behind before it ended, eight people were hit including a police officer in what the new york city police commissioner is calling a violent rampage. >> we have seven different locations to process including the one behind us. at this time we have no indication that there is any terrorism involvement in this incident. >> reporter: according to multiple law enforcement officials the driver, weng sor, is in his 60s. his motive is unknown. police tried to stop him just before 11:00 according to authorities. but he got away, sparking a high-speed chase that ended at a tunnel entrance leading to manhattan >> the patrol got in front of him so the guy couldn't escape or go nowhere right after that the officer came out with a gun and they got the guy. >> the driver did not say nothing. >> reporter: in the aftermath new yorkers helped victims on the

street and the sidewalks. two of those injured are reportedly in critical condition tonight the governor of new york is praising the police for acting quickly stopping a driver who looked like he wanted to hurt as many people as possible. stephanie gosk, nbc news, new york. we're watching two storms that could spell trouble this week winter weather and high wind alerts are in effect across parts of the west, the rockies and plains through wednesday. heavy snow and some snow expected in the plains and upper midwest, and another storm developing in the northwest will move east with more potential for heavy rain and snow. a week after those devastating earthquakes in turkey and syria the death toll is now over 35,000 but there are still signs of hope and stories of heroism to be told. gabe gutierrez went inside a hospital that's treating the survivors. >> reporter: tonight after more than 182 hours trapped in the rubble this 13-year-old boy is alive. holding a rescuer's

hand more astounding rescues a week after the initial earthquake this newly released security camera footage showing the terrifying moment as buildings crumbled into clouds of dust. today, we visited the hard-hit turkish city nurdagi. for the living, new tent camps for the lost, new graves earlier today a search and rescue team was called in here because they got word there might be a survivor trapped in that rubble it turned out not to be the case. they instead found the body of a 16-year-old. right now her family's in the process of identifying her. as turkish prosecutors issued warrants against more than 100 building contractors suspected of shoddy construction, the turkish government is also facing backlash over what many call an inadequate response including delays in search equipment [ speaking non-english "there should be investigations," this quake survivor says. "human life has no value here." but amid all the tragedy, glimmers of hope this new video shows hospital workers scrambling to save

children as the ground shook. and today, we were granted rare access to another facility, turkey's adana city hospital where doctors are treating this unidentified baby believed to be 2 months old they cannot find his parents. over the past week this hospital treated some 4,000 earthquake victims and for the workers here it's personal one of their nurses was killed how remarkable has it been to see some of these children survive after more than 100 hours in the rubble? [ speaking non-english "amazing," this physician said "it's a miracle. especially after day 4 and 5. that's around when 7-year-old kanen okur and her father jim were pulled from their collapsed apartment. today we met them in their hospital room. how long were you trapped? "101 hours," she says, matter of factly even after such a terrifying ordeal this

young girl is eager to brag about her father. [ speaking non-english "we couldn't even breathe," she tells me "and dad was able to find a little space where there was air. desperate for a drop of water they passed the time by playing rock paper scissors. "i made a promise to my daughter. tomorrow we're coming out," he said. but by the very last day he had lost hope how did you find the strength "it comes from love," he says. tonight his mother is still missing. his daughter is never letting go >> gabe, it's simply remarkable to still see these incredible rescues more than a week later >> reporter: yes, lester they're a bright spot in all this darkness but the number of rescues is dwindling and rescue operations are scaling back here. lester >> gabe, thank you nato saying today russia's massive new offensive in eastern ukraine has begun. richard engel reporting tonight from a city under siege

we have to warn you some of the images are disturbing >> reporter: russian troops are throwing everything they can at their new offensive in eastern ukraine, hitting more than a dozen cities in the last 24 hours. the ukrainian military is fighting back hard but is slowly losing ground nato today warning ukraine is using up ammunition faster than western allies can provide it we entered the town of chasiv yar some have had enough "i thought it would get better but now i don't," mikola says. he boards a bus for a safer village. others here waited too long vera left her basement shelter to find food two hours ago. a russian artillery shell killed her "we just heard a big explosion. she has a son 14 years old, she says. "how long can we bear all of this? the mayor and his team arrive with aid. he tells us he's encouraging people to get out now.

then, "that's incoming," he says "we're leaving." he's saying the incoming is getting a little too close and thinks we should go inside we're going to go down here to a bunker there are people inside here. hello. >> how are you today >> reporter: well, okay okay how are you today? >> very good >> reporter: this family has been down here for eight months. the mayor tries to talk them into leaving, to no avail back outside oksana has just given birth and is being evacuated to a hospital. maxim is two hours old, born as vera was killed even the mayor's team paused for a quick peek then another surprise. ludmila's here we met her last week. she wouldn't let me leave her shelter until i sampled ukrainian hospitality. well, ludmila is a former nurse you delivered the baby "yes," she says.

"i had some clamps and delivered the baby in the basement." oksana and maxim made it to safety far away from the advancing front line for the first time in months ukrainians are starting to lose ground and the russian offensive is only expected to intensify in the coming days and weeks. lester >> it's heartbreaking to see what those folks are going through, richard, thank you. in 60 seconds, close calls on the nation's runways, raising concerns among aviation officials and passengers what's going on? we look behind the headlines next

back now with the terrifying close calls recently involving u.s. airliners with the lives of hundreds of passengers on the line the ntsb says it's looking for anything these events may have in common. here's tom costello. >> reporter: tonight, new details of a serious close call first reported by the "air current" involving a united flight on december 18th in hawaii climbing out of maui headed for san

francisco, the 777 suddenly went into an extreme unexplained dive, more than 7,000 feet per minute. flight radar 24 shows the plane coming within 800 feet of slamming into the ocean before pulling out of the dive in an extreme climb, then continuing on. united tells nbc news after landing the pilots filed the appropriate safety report united coordinated with the faa and union, the pilots receiving additional training in austin this month, another close call >> southwest abort fedex is on the go >> reporter: a fedex plane forced to abort its landing to avoid colliding with a southwest plane. and a serious close call at jfk airport last month >> delta 1943 cancel takeoff plans! >> reporter: delta 1943 ordered to cancel takeoff after an american plane mistakenly taxied across the same runway the american pilots have now been subpoenaed to appear before the ntsb investigators on friday after originally declining

the interview since it's audio recorded. lorinda ward is the ntsb's chief of air carrier investigations at what point does the ntsb raise a red flag and say something here is amiss >> that's why we do the investigations, is to see if we do have a red thread that needs to be pulled >> reporter: the ntsb reports 82 so-called runway incursions or close calls since 2007 but no significant uptick lately. still a former faa chief says there is cause for concern. >> there's no seat in the cockpit for complacency and i think it is a warning and i think it does call for action. >> reporter: and congress will demand answers this week as it holds hearings into that massive faa computer failure that led to a nationwide ground stop last month. lester >> all right, tom. thank you. as the cdc reports growing sadness among teens tonight, next we'll visit a school that teaches lessons in happiness

good evening i'm dana griffin in los angeles. we're following late-breaking news out of lansing, michigan where a shooting has occurred on the campus of michigan state university police reporting multiple injuries. they're also searching for the suspect. michigan state community members are being asked to shelter in place we'll update you once we get the latest. now back to lester with so many high school students today facing emotional challenges, a popular college course has now been revamped for

teens with lessons in something most schools don't teach. how to be happy. kate snow has more in our series "kids under pressure." >> take a few more slow, deep breaths >> reporter: this is not a typical science elective for high school seniors, meditating, writing down what they feel grateful for at the noble and greenough school near boston, jennifer hamilton is teaching the science of happiness modeled after a curriculum first developed by yale professor laurie santos >> when you're happy, you're like this happiness is going to last forever >> reporter: her college class on happiness was the most popular course ever taught at yale now she's add s. >> do you think students in your school are happy >> reporter: available through the site coursera >> we put a lot of thought into developing strategies that teens could use to regulate their thought patterns like what can they do in the moment to feel better >> reporter: it all comes as the cdc today released new sobering statistics in 2021 more than 40% of high school students reported

feeling so sad or hopeless they couldn't engage in regular activities for at least two weeks. and nearly 60% of teen girls felt persistently sad or hopeless, a dramatic increase over a ten-year period. >> it's like a nationwide thing especially with kids in their college processes getting stressed out about decisions. >> a lot of kids in our generation we're just putting on this i guess mask to like tell everyone like yeah, i'm okay and you really aren't feeling that way >> we have unrealistic kind of comparisons with each other. >> start by focusing on your breath >> reporter: brian grant is taking the happiness class now. brooke manning and mark gerot took it last semester. the course starts by redefining happiness hamilton says too many teens think reaching a goal like getting into college will make them happy. >> in order to get there they're just putting their heads down and they're kind of grinding. and they get to whatever that goal is and they look around and they're like why am i not happy >> reporter: in class they learn strategies to be happy now. like building relationships, being fully immersed in an activity, savoring

experiences. the course culminates with every student making a change. mark reduced his time on social media from six hours a day to an hour and a half. >> i decided to do other things like meditation, social connection, getting more sleep that was a big one >> reporter: you found time for all that. >> i found time for all that once i put my phone down >> reporter: brooke set up a nightly video chat with the sister she missed >> we face-timed every night for like 15, 20 minutes and just kind of talked about our days >> that's something you wouldn't have done if you hadn't had this course >> definitely not. >> reporter: brian says he's already gotten a lot out of the class. >> it just like makes me super conscious of what i'm grateful for and what makes me happy. >> reporter: are you happier after taking this course? >> yeah. >> yes >> i'd say that. >> i think it kind of like really allowed us to focus on like what's real and what's actually important, which is happiness >> reporter: kate snow, nbc news, dedham, massachusetts. and up next for us tonight, the closest thing to mt. rushmore in minnesota getting a snowplow named after you. grammy winner lizzo's warm reception in the

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like i did with preservision" a massive celebration in kansas city after the chiefs capped off a thrilling comeback against the philadelphia eagles to win their second super bowl in four years on sunday kansas city will honor the chiefs again with a parade on wednesday. finally, leave it to the people of minnesota with its frigid winters to find humor in the snowplow. maggie vespa on how

they're warming spirits and inspiring america. >> reporter: in a state synonymous with brutal winters, plows double as proof of minnesota's comedy chops. how popular did you think this was going to be? >> not anywhere near as popular as it became. >> reporter: in 2020 the state's department of transportation hoped to thaw the icy isolation of covid lockdowns with a contest, letting the public name snowplows. 122,000 votes later, a pun-packed tradition was born producing pop culture plays like the big leplowski, and control salt delete. celebrity nods like scoop dogg and betty white-out. and in pure minnesota fashion, op, just going to plow right past you perhaps the gold standard, manned by david jackson. >> you are the driver of plowy mcplowface. >> yep >> reporter: plowy's namesake

a british vessel online voters famously dubbed boaty mcboatface in 2016 >> people see it and they're like oh, it's plowy! >> reporter: jackson sees the silliness as gratitude. >> i think they get a better appreciation for what we do >> reporter: this year's winners honoring entertainment royalty with better call salt, you're a blizzard harry -- >> you're a wizard harry. >> reporter: and blizzo the grammy winner blown away >> to know that there is a snowplow named blizzo makes my heart melt. >> reporter: a warmth voters deem unavoidable. >> how can you live in a place so cold and not have a good sense of humor >> reporter: maggie vespa, nbc news, st. paul, minnesota. >> some very clever people that's "nightly news" for this monday. thank you for watching, everyone i'm lester holt. please take care of yourself and each other. good night

right now on next bay area news tonight, we are following breaking news on the campus of michigan state university. students are sheltering in place as campus police respond to a potential active shooter. good evening on this monday. i'm raj mathai. we want to start and update that breaking news. that active shooter at michigan state university. investigators say there have been two shootings as of right now. cell phone video shows a huge police presence there on campus. it is unclear how many people have been shot, but there are multiple reported injues. we do not know the extent of those injuries at this moment. at least nothing has been confirmed. the