market whiplash from huge losses on christmas eve to historic gains today. the dow lured back with the biggest single day point gain. we look at what caused the rally. cr trump's mission, the president and first lady fly to iraq for a special holiday meeting with the troops. it's t president's first ever visit ta combat zone. the death of another young migrant in u.s. custody after crossing the bordee second this month, what led to his death and could it have been avoided? they say there is way to defend against it. will a russian nuclear system ignite an arm's race. w system ignite an arm's racee system ignite an arm's racea system ignite an arm's racep system ignite an arm's

racen an system ignit arm's race em ignite an arm's raceo system ignite an arm's racen system ignite an arm's race. it's the kind of story that every parent who has sacrificed for their kid will want to hear. a baseballr takes care of those who took care of him. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lesr holt. good evening. i'm kate snow in for lester tonight. you'd be forgiven for feeling a little this week on this day after christmas, wall street was celebrating. the dow jones industrial average up almost 1100 points. that is the largest single-day point gain ever. all the more remarkable when you consider christmas eve when the broader market was down almost 20% from recent highs and people were talking about a bear market. und drivene in part by positive reports about holiday sales. our kristen dahlgren stts us off tonight. >> reporter: a post christmas bonus on wall street, today's bi gains completely erasing monday's steep dive. >> wow, a dramatic rally to finish the day. hr>> reporter: all indexes soaring, thanks to potive

news from retailers. amazon reporting it record number of items over the holiday season. it's been a volatile month today ending a four-day losing streak in which the markets appear on track to mark the worst december since the great depression amid concerns of e government shutdown and questions over the future of federal reserve chair jerome powell. top trump advisor kevin with hans nichols. >> you made it clear secretary mnuchin's job is safe, is the job chairman's safe? >> 100%. >> 100%, the job is not in jeopardy? >> absolutely. that's correct. yes. >> that was a signal politics wast going to take over economic policy investors liked hearing that. >> reporter: fears of an impending recession eased for toda when h you get this kind tf a snap back rally, you wafind out if it's going to be confirmed by even more rallies down the road. >> kate, it's important to note with this rally, the market

is down double digits from the highs earlier this year. a survey of cfoshows lf believe we will be in a recession by the end of next year, 82% by the end of 2020. >> kristen dahlgren, thank you. as the stock market was rebounding, president trump was making a splash overseas, the president and first lady took their first trip to a combat zone visiting with american troops istern iraq. at the al assad air base.at t al assad air base. chief whe house correspondent hallie jackson has more. >> reporter: a standing ovation for a milestone two years in id the making, prt trump personally thanking troops fighting isis. >> two years ago, when i became president, there was a very dominant group, they were verdominant. today they are not so dominant anymore. >> reporter: the president signing autographs and signing for selfies says he has no plans to pull ou the u.s. milt of iraq but defended

his controversial decision to withdraw the military from syria, a move that lead the defen secretary to resign in protest. >> we're no longer the suckers, folks. we're respected again aks a nation. if youisis and if we see something happening with isis that we don't like, we can hit them so fast and so hard, they really won't know what the hell happened. >> reporter: the president spent thhoe s on the ground, his moves blanketed in secrecy for safety. >> had concerns for the presidency, not for myself personally. i have concerned for the first lady, i will if tell you, buou would have seen what we had to go through with the darkened plane with all windows on whatsoever, lights anywhere. >> reporter: president trump had come under fire for waiting this long to visit troops in an active war zone. >> i've had an unbelievable busy schedule, and i will be doing it. >> reporter: at this point in his presidency, barack obama had visited combat troops in the

middleast and george w. bush traveled to iraq just eight months after the 2003 war began. >> i don't think there actually listening to the people carrying out these orders. >> reporter: president trump said today he's in no rush to name a replacement for out going fense secretary jim mattis and praised mattis' two, patrick shanahan who will at least temporarily take over that job next year, kate? >> hallie jackson, thanks. there are new details tonight about the death of an 8-year-old guatemalan boy who was in u.s. custy after he crossed the border with his father. he's the second migrant child to die le this month weing detained. gadi schwartz has the latest from new mexico. >> reporter: this is the area in el paso, texas where an 8-year-old boy and his father was first apprehended on

december 18th. six days later, the boy, members o congress identified as felipe gonzalez is dead. border protection releasing a timeline of events saying agents logged 17 h elfare checks from decembto the 22nd, provided hot food and water and listed several transports between ree patrol stations from el paso to new mexico. it wasn't until the morning of december 24th that an age noticed the child was coughing and appeared to have glossy eyes. tr0 minutes later he was sferred to a hospital.te hierature was 103 degree he was tested for strep throat, dinosed with a cold, given medication and released from the hospital and taken to another nearby holding facility. a few hours later, he began voting and on the way back to the hospital lost consciousness. he passed away at 11:48 on christmas eve. e >>sponded by doing secondary medical checks. paramedics, border

patrol agents checking each chi>>. eporter: as a sweeping review is ordered in detention facilities across the country. today department of homeland security ki nelson. kate, border patrol eh apsions are up nearly twice as much as last year. many children and currently there is a order to prevent cbp from keeping children in custody for more than 72 hours. in this case, he was in custody for over 130. kate? , >> gadi schwar thank you. today marks day five of the govement shutdown about 800,000 federal workers have been affected and if president trump and congress don't come up with a compromise on boarder security soon, s some of those work will not receive paychecks starting on december 31st. nbc's garrett joins me from capitol hill. are we any closer to a e,eal? >> khis partial government shutdown will go into a six-day tomorrow. the two sides are

still too faapart to strike a deal to end the shut down and send the few hundred those federal employees back to work tomorrow, especiallythe president out of the country and lawmakers mostly back home in their districts. the issue mains what it has been. how much money if any will cob geese give pr thident for border security or the wall? mocrats are willing to spend money on boarder security but absolutely not the 5 billion-dollar the president requested. democrats see it as an expensive ineffeive ol. >> where does that leave hundreds of thousands of federal employees going thout pay eventually? >> reporter: about 400,000 stayed home on furlough, the first y. federal work another 400,000 were deemed essential and had to go to work today but paychecks are something of a question mark. for example, there are 42,000 activity du members of the coast guard expecting to be paid on december 31s but if the shutdown isn't lifted by friday, that paycheck simply won't show up until it is. it's looking increasingly unlikely

the shutdown will end by friday. the president today in iraq digging in saying he's willing to wait as long as it takes to get e border wall. both sources say they expect the shutdown to continue into january. you. t haake, thank to moscow, the kremlin said today it had successfully tested what is known as a hyper sonic missile that travels faster than the speed of sound, can carry a nuclear war head and ay the russianst can evade u.s. missile defense systems. pentagon correspondent hans nichols has more. >> reporter: president vladimir putin testing a new intercontinentalss miing. putin watched it leave the launch tube and strike a target 3,700 miles away. declaring it invulnerable to intercept. russia says it can be armed with a nuclear weapon and travel up

to 20 times the speed of sound. without confirming the results of today's test, the pentagon has acknowledged that america is vulnerable. >> we don't have any heefense that could denymployment of such a weapon against us. >> reporter: adding urgency to the pentagon's plan to lo dean american version. >> the hyper sonics is a game-changing technology and that's why it's so t important for embrace it. >> reporter: how far with we from fielding the technology? >> we'll put a hyper sonic system in the field before 2023. >> reporr: russia first toted the missile in march with wi an animation s the war heads flying towards florida. >> offensively and defensively, the united states military is working very hard on hyper sonics. we are in an arm's sonics. we are in an arm race. >> reporter: but for putin, his new missile is a perfect new year's gift for the hans nichols, nbc news, the pentagon. in indonesia,

fears tonight another killer wave coulbe ming. the volcano is still spewing lava and ash. the loss of life from saturday is 430 with more than 150 still missing. nbc's sarah harmon is there with an update. >> reporter: tonig authorities warnhe volcano that triggered en deadly tsunami over the wecould unleash another one. anak krakatau is 30 miles from one of the most populous coasts as driving rains and rs volcanic tre continue, scientists say portions of the crater could collapse and they are warng ople to move inland, half a mile from the sea. please don't panic this government scientist urges, saying it's just a idrecaution but iwas a landfrom the volcano that sent a eaall of water crashing

into fronts here with no warning. killing hundreds and destroying thousands homes. >> an eruption or volcanic activity close to shore, you're not going to get much warning at all. m>> reporter: nowore than 20,000 people displaced. many searching h desperately throug the devastation trying to recover some of what they have lost. she and her son baly escaped with her lives. you ran field? >> yes. >> reporter: others ul outrun the water. with dozens missing, rescue turning into recovery. with an angry volcano on the horizon, residents keep a wary watch on theea. rlier, the military told us to get off the beach. they are so concerned about another deadly wa, we had to come here to a town three miles from the coast but there are proble here, as well. the volcano spewing dangerous ash into the air. kate? >> thank you. in south dakota a aplane crashed in

sioux falls neighborhood on christmas day killing two people. residents have been evacuated as investigators try to figure out what happened. >> i think we lost an aircraft. >> reporter: in sioux falls, a christmas day shattered. >> it sounded like a bomb. >> two houses currently on fire. >> reporter: the 5:00 p.m. impact shaking jim's neighborh the explosion scorching two homes. >> the plane came down in the backyard areas in between the four structures. >> reporter: the couple on board, vaughn and joann myer died. today federal veinvestigators ar hoping to find something in the scored debris. >> larger debris fields indicate either higher impact forces or the airplane may have started shedding parts in f >> reporter: no one on the ground was hurt but for this neighborhood, a holiday they won't soon forget. morgan, nbc news. a winter storm not

making things easier in the region. snow and wind are an hitting the and there are severe storms in texas, as well. serious weather that might make for travel holiday delays. we're joined by nbc meteorologylan dreyer. where do we look? >> this is a huge storm. on the northern side wind gusts up to 35 miles per hour and blizzard warnings in effect for the northern planes and we could haveo nine, up to 12 inches of snow possible. on the southern side, it's about the severe weather. we had tornado warnings popping up across central texas. this ithe threat through the night with large hail, damaging winds, isolated tornados are a possibility. is will create delays at the airports if you're flying tonight. we'll see them down south through dallas and farther north eaecause of the snow and like minneapolis st. paul. tomorrow it's mostra that will be the threat and we will likely see delays in chicago down to st. louis and memphis and m on friday, this st system moves east. it's warm enough for mainly rain but that heavy rain could cause

delays up andown the east coast on friday, central and northern new england will see snow. this is a big storm of the country. st >> thank you. still ahead tonight, double etrouble in italy as moun erupts and an update on the unstoppable r.b.g. how ruth bader ginsburg is doing following cancer surgery. get the tissues out, a major league rookie gives his parents a gift they never expected. from in columb. they pinpointed the columbian and ecuador region and then there's a whole new andean region. that was incredibly exciting because i really didn't know that. we never spoke about that in my family. it just brings it home how deep my roots are and it connects me to them, and to their spirit, and to their history. 20 million members have connected to a deeper family story. order your kit at ancestry.com.

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>> reporter: leaving his mom speechless. >> i am paying off the loan at the bank. also i paid off all your debt, as well. what?ep orter: no more mortgage. gift of financial freedom from a prospect who earned a $4.25 million signing bonus from a kansas city royals. brady posted the vid h twitter feed, the emotional letter viewed more than 6 million times. the grand gesture recognizing their efforts to help him succeed and reach his dreams. >> now instead of trying to save money to replace t savings account you drained on baseball, you can spend it on yourselves. becausyou deserve the very best, i want you both to know how much i appreciate you an how none of this would be possible without you. >> reporter: a christmas pitch right down the middle. >> love you bothore than you could ever imagine.

in>> reporter: strikg the heart with love and appreciation. >> that is love. we're back in a moment with a warning f netflix users and why you shouldn't click on company until you see our report. and those who serve, a story on the power of mentoring, the unlikely friendships making a big difference in one u.s. city. if you have psoriasis, little things can be a big deal. that's why there's otezla. otezla is not a cream. it's a pill that treats moderate to severe plaque psoriasis differently. with otezla,75% clearer skin is achievable. don't use if you're allergic to otezla. it may cause severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. otezla is associated with an increased risk of depression. tell your doctor if you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts, or if these feelings develop. some people taking otezla reported weight loss. your doctor should monitor your weight and may stop treatment. upper respiratory tract infection and headache may occur. tell your doctor about your medicines d anif you're pregnant or planning to be. otezla. show more of you.

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some bing news out of indiana tonight, there is an pl exion at caramel high school. reportedly injuring at least two people, one with severe burns. officials say the fire may have started in a mechanical room. parents have been sc directed to thol stadium locker rooms to pick up their kids. double trouble on sicily today as mount etna's eruption caused an earthquake. the volcano has become more active this week sping ash and smoke. the biggest tremor had a magnitude of 4.8. the quake damaged structures throughout

the area and injured ten people. supreme court justice ruth bader ginsburg is out of the hospital, the nation's highest court confirming she was dischargedthe new york hospital on tuesday after ouancero cancer noduels were from her lung. the federal trade commission warning netflix customers about an e-mail scam. criminals are posing and asking recipients to confirm payment details. experts say it's a good idea to avoid clinking linksike is together and best to log on your netflix account on the netflix site. when we come back, it's hard to overstate the diff a mentor can make. a program building bridges tween law enforcement and the communities they serve. lean as i would like 'cuz i'm way too busy. who's got the time to chase around down dirt, dust and hair? so now, i use heavy duty swiffer sweeper and dusters. for hard-to-reach places, duster makes it easy to clean. it captures dust in one swipe. ha! gotcha!

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finally tonight a story about an organization i've been involved with for years, big brothersbi sisters. there may be no greater gift finally tonight a story about an organization i've been involved with for years, big brothers, big sisters. there may be no greater gift for a young person than quality time and guidance and in dallas a mentoring program launched two years ago is bridging the gap between gifts and those who serve replacing distru th friendship. ie>> hi, ms. krist >> you ready? >> 7-year-old nila woods thinks of christie chamberlain as her sister. >> you want to play i spy? o> they love their weekutings. today it's a holiday party at the z and a trip to the reptile house. >> don't open that. >> i won't open it. >> it's christi's day that makes their pairing unique. she's an officer with the dallas police gang unit. >> we see kids that are so young and involved in really violent crimes and so they need s. they need someone.

>> reporter: christi and nila are part of bigs and blue, adults in law enforcement mentor kids in communities where those groups don't always trust each other. christi brought the matching sweaters. >> i went right before cked her up from school and surprised her. >> i surprised her with a gift. >> reporter: this fall, local police departments challenged wheach other to see o could sign up the most bigs. >> we'll cnect later, have fun. >> reporter: participats more than tripled. dallas police chief rene hall says the program is helping. >> the relationships between the law enforcemt and community between the country has broken down and we truly need to build it up and how we start, we start . with the you >> reporter: nila is making plans for warmer weather. >> one place we haven't been to is six flags. >> when it's warm, we'll go. >> reporter: building bridges one friendship at a time. >> i think they are going to six flags. there are 80 cities across the country with bigblue programs. that is nbc night ly news on a wednesday night.

i'm kate snow, for all of us at nbc news, have a great night. people aren't talking about giant's delicious spiral ham glazed with real honey. they're not talking, because they're eating. oh, hello. at giant, it's the little things that make mealtime easy, leaving more time for those closest to you, during the holidays.

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