gabe gutierrez, nbc news, toledo, ohio. >>> thanks for being with us tonight. that is nightly news for tuesday. i'm lester holt. stay tuned for ourthis is at "sa scrapyard in richmond. a shelter in place order has been issued in the area. >>> we're following breaking news on the east bay. this is sims metal. a scrapyard in richmond. you can follow our twitter and facebook feed for the latest on this fire. >>> we're also just moments away from president trump's state of the union address. this is a live look inside the capitol building as we await his arrival just moments away. >>> thanks for joining us. i'm raj mathai. >> and i'm jessica aguirre. we expect to hear about the economy and state of security. you can see there the first lady. we're now looking inside the house chamber. we now join lester holt for coverage of the state of the union. >> i have been very active in overturning a number of executive actions by my predecessors. >> i believe that real and positive immigration reform is possible. >> believe me, we have to close down our government with buil

nbc's gabe gutierrez now with some potentially life-saving advice. >> killing it already. >> reporter: the potillo family felt like they were under attack. how bad was it? >> it was pretty bad. our 11-year-old got it first and then two days later our 2-year-old got it and then two days later i got it. >> reporter: so you dropped like dominos. >> drop like dominos. >> reporter: amy and her husband frantically wiping down surfaces to stop the flu. >> it was really frightening because when my 2-year-old's fever got really high, i was afraid he might have a seizure. >> reporter: it's gotten so bad in alabama the governor's declared a public health emergency. last week this school closed. >> it's been a bad year. >> reporter: and children's of alabama had to divert patients from its packed e.r. >> right now, one-quarter of more of all the patients in our pediatric intensive care unit have influenza or influenza-associated complications. >> reporter: this year's outbreak now widespread in every state but hawaii, taking the life of this 10-year-old in connecticut and this mother of three in

gabe gutierrez, nbc news, san juan, puerto rico. >>> this week marks 50 years since the american navy ship, the "uss pueblo," was seized by north korea. the sailors were taken prisoner by the regime of kim jong-un's grandfather. that's the same family that rules to this day. the anniversary comes at a time when tensions between the u.s. and north korea remain high. keir simmons went inside north korea to file this report. >> reporter: inside north korea, an american navy intelligence ship captured 50 years ago, still on display here. a window into the past that still haunts retired marine sergeant bob chicker. >> all of a sudden something hits and, holy cow. >> reporter: on january 23rd, 1968, he was taken prisoner while on the "us "uss pueblo" 14 miles from north korean land. he remembers the ship surrounded and taking fire. >> it happened so fast, you don't know what's going on. it blew me off my feet. >> reporter: one crew member was killed in the attack, 82 others taken as prisoners. >> u.s. negotiators met for the third time today with north korean communists. >> reporter: 11 mon

tonight gabe gutierrez revisits a group of veterans who've gone above and beyond. >> reporter: in the mountains of puerto rico, clara bell santana sleeps in what's left of her shredded home. desperate, she says, struggling without power, hardship on top of heart ache. her sick father died on christmas day. >> they are americans. they deserve help. they deserve support. and they deserve not to be forgotten. >> reporter: we first met jason matty, an iraq war veteran in october. he and other volunteers rushed in supplies. >> people are hurting really bad right now. >> this social media post went viral. since then he's launched his own nonprofit. veteran disaster relief. among the new volunteers, jose lebron, a retired air force veteran from san antonio, and lysette gonzales, a cleveland police officer. >> i saw his post and contacted his wife and said how can i get involved? >> reporter: together they're traveling through the mountains, bringing food, water filters, and medical care to lines of people still waiting for help. 70-year-old israel ortiz strums his guitar to dull the pain. di

now to gabe gutierrez for more. >> reporter: from dubai to seoul, to hong kong, 2018 is already making a spectacular entrance. >> for new year's, i'm hoping to have a year full of love, happiness, laughter and help others where i can. >> reporter: new zealand greeted it with pyrotechniques. north korea put on an extravagant show. in australia, sydney harbor lit up, a colorful display, celebrating the recent legalization of same-sex marriage. as the rest of the world rings in the new year, police are on high alert. in turkey, 100 people arrested with links to militants, istanbul doubling the number of officers. in germ any, stricter security after 100 women were groped and robbed two years ago at a new year's party. >> i feel safe. i'm not scared. >> yeah, not scared. >> the thing is fear. you can't let that ruin your life. >> reporter: in london, no specific threats, but urging revelers to report suspicious activity. >> 31,000 police officers in london. 8 million londoners. i want londoners to be the eyes and ears of the police to keep us safe. >> reporter: around the world, 2017 is co

gabe gutierrez is there tonight with the latest. >> reporter: the chaos erupted just before 8:00 a.m. >> marshall county high school. >> reporter: as students gathered in a common area. >> got one shot in the head, one in the back. >> reporter: hundreds of teenagers, running for their lives from marshall county high school in benton, kentucky. >> i heard, like two shots, and i turned around. and behind me i see this big figure of a person, and i just see like fire coming from a gun. >> reporter: 17 people injured, 14 of them shot. two 15-year-olds died. >> this is a wound that is going to take a long time to heal. >> reporter: police say a 15-year-old student barged into the school with a handgun and opened fire. >> he was apprehended. there's no way of knowing how far it would have went. >> reporter: this person was seen led away in handcuffs. how did you get out? >> well, i mean, we just ran. that's all i can say. >> reporter: this senior, his hands still shaking, says he and others had barricaded themselves in a classroom. >> i had seen one of the students that had been injured. i

our gabe gutierrez has more from atlanta on the big game. >> reporter: in the deep south, neither rain -- >> let's go! >> reporter: -- nor sleet -- >> i ain't never seen no dog beat no elephant. >> reporter: -- that can stop these fans. >> family and football right at the same level. >> reporter: family and football. >> family and football, they're right there. >> reporter: georgia taking on alabama, a southern showdown for the ages. not only are they epic rivals, their campuses just four hours apart, tonight, it's literally brother against brother. crimson tide receiver calvin ridley facing off against bulldogs wideout riley ridley. >> roll tide. >> reporter: then there's mentee versus mentor. coaching legend nick saban, who's won four titles with alabama versus georgia coach kirby smart, one of his former assistants. >> it is personal when we have to compete against each other. >> reporter: it's a competition he's used to. saban's record against his former assistants, 11-0. in the past decade, the teams have only met three times. in 2012, georgia lost a squeaker. this time, alabama o

nbc's gabe gutierrez has the details. >> oh, my god. it's like right here. like you can see all the smoke. everybody's screaming and yelling. >> reporter: near costa rica's pacific coast, an eyewitness describes the horrifying scene, after a single engine plane crashed in the woods. 12 people killed, including ten americans and two local crew members. >> it like went up, and then all of a sudden just beared to the left and nosedived right in front of us. >> reporter: tonight in suburban new york, friends and family are mourning the loss of bruce and irene steinberg and their three sons, matthew, william and zachary. >> inconceivable that a whole family should meet with such a disaster. they were a lovely family. >> reporter: also among the dead, mitchell and leslie weiss from near tampa, florida, along with their two children. the charter plane belonged to nature air, which did not respond to a request for comment today. in september, two passengers, including an american, were killed when another one of its flights reportedly crashed into a river. authoriti

we sent our gabe gutierrez to the cdc headquarters for details. >> take a nice deep breath. >> reporter: tonight for the first time in 13 years the flu is just about everywhere in the continental u.s., widespread in 49 states, and the rate of hospitalization has nearly doubled since last week. the cdc is now reporting 20 pediatric deaths so far this season compared to 3 at the same time last year. jonah rieben was just 4 years old and had health problems, so he was more vulnerable. his family near dayton, ohio, is heartbroken. >> one of the most difficult things that i've ever had to do was to tell my other children on saturday morning that their little brother wasn't coming home. >> reporter: this year's dominant flu strain, h3-n2, is particularly dangerous for children and the elderly. the south is being hit especially hard. alabama's governor's declared a public health emergency. and in georgia at de kalb medical, doctors saw more patients in the first week of 2018 than all last month. how do you feel right now? >> awful. it's gotten hard. my body's aching so it makes it difficult to

we get details from gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: tonight a pay raise at the nation's biggest retailer. wages at walmart will now start at $11 an hour, up from $9. eligible employees will also get up to $1,000 bonus depending on their years of service. karina hanson in texas, works at walmart with her husband. >> any extra income, that bonus, is awesome. that just means we get to spend a little bit and put into savings account for our three kids for their future. >> reporter: but the news comes on the same day walmart announced it was closing dozens of sam's club stores. walmart's one of more than 100 companies passing on savings after congress cut the corporate tax rate to 21% including jetblue, southwest and american airlines, a handful of banks, at&t and nbc parent company comcast. >> our historic reductions to the business tax will raise annual household income by an average of $4,000. that's a tremendous number. >> reporter: policymakers are divided on how much of this financial optimism is due to tax cuts and how much is due to low unemployment. >> at the end of the day, we're ru

gabe gutierrez, nbc news, atlanta. >>> coming up here tonight, luck of the draw. why a hotly contested race was decided by chance. >>> if you ever needed a reminder that every vote counts, today a random drawing was held to decide the outcome of an election in the virginia house of delegates that was still died after a recount and legal battle. a republicans' name was chosen from a bowl giving him the seat and allowing the statehouse gop to hold a majority. but the democrat in the race has not conceded. under state law the loser in the drawing can demand a second recount. >>> the nation's cancer death rate has fallen again dropping 26% since 1991 according to a new report from the american cancer society. it cites significant decreases in death rates from the four major types, lung, breast, prostate and colorectal. the report credits huge declines in smoking and better treatment. >>> and baby, it's cold outside, but lotto fever couldn't be hotter. no winners in wednesday's mega million and powerball jackpots means they now total nearly a billion dollars combined w

nbc's gabe gutierrez now with more on the investigation into the crash. >> oh, my like i can just see all the smoke. everybody's screaming and yelling. >> reporter: near costa rica's pacific coast an eyewitness describes the horrifying scene after a single-engine plane crashed in the woods. 12 people killed, including 10 americans and two local crew members. >> it all of a sudden beared to the left and nose dived right in front of us. >> reporter: tonight in suburban new york friends and family are mourning the loss of bruce and irene steinberg and their three sons, matthew, william, and zachary. >> inconceivable that a whole family should meet with such a disaster. they were a lovely family. >> reporter: also among the dead mitchell and leslie weiss from near tampa, florida along with their two xharnlchildren. the charter plane belonged to nature air which did not respond to comment. flights crashed into a river. authorities say this aircraft had been inspected a month ago but strong winds had dlied its landing earlier on sunday. the california-based travel company that organized the

gabe gutierrez, nbc news. >> all right. time to check back with nbc meteorologist bill karins who is keeping an eye on a new blizzard warning. >> let's talk about the northeast portion of this storm. this is mostly a thursday event. winter storm warnings now for norfolk, virginia beach areas, southern portions of maryland and we are still waiting to see the impacts how badly from d.c. to philly. as of now it looks like a little bit of snow. maybe something d.c., nothing philly. it is really i-95. and the areas of eastern new england that will be hit the hardest. possibly a foot of snow. 6 to 12 inches likely from hartford to providence to boston. again, pretty good cut off line in the dry air back in areas on a devastating bus crash at devils curve. r a quick and convt clean, try swiffer wetjet. there's no heavy bucket, or mop to wring out, because the absorb and lock technology traps dirt and liquid inside the pad. it's safe to use on all finished surfaces tile, laminate and hardwood. and it prevents streaks and hazing bet

gabe gutierrez, nbc news, toledo, ohio. >>> thanks for being with us tonight. that is nightly news t for tuesday. be sure to join us for the state of the union >>> the stage is set for super bowl lii. the big game is five days away as the eagles and patriots prepare to square off right here in minneapolis. this is our nbc 10 championship special "we want it." as the super bowl hits center stage all eyes are on one man. >> ain't intimidated by an old man. >> getting set to face the most successful qb in super bowl history. a defense that plans to rise to the challenge. >> we have to have four that can get up to stop the quarterback. >> reporter: tim furlong tours the site. vai sikahema is with the men calling the action. fans of all ages can't get enough. ♪ fly eagles fly ♪ >> dance to the biggest stage with us, nbc 10 championship special "we want it." >> announcer: sponsored by toyota, proud partner of the eagles. let's go places! >>> hello and thanks for joining us

gabe gutierrez, nbc news, san juan, puerto rico. >>> this week marks 50 years since the american navy ship, the uss pueblo, was seized by north korea. the sailors were taken prisoner by the regime of kim jong-un's grandfather. that's the same family that rules to this day. the anniversary comes at a time when tensions between the u.s. and north korea remain high. keir simmons went inside north korea to file this report. >> reporter: inside north korea, an american navy intelligence ship captured 50 years ago, still on display here. a window into the past that still haunts retired marine sergeant bob chicker. >> all of a sudden something hits and, holy cow. >> reporter: on january 23rd, 1968, he was taken prisoner while on the uss pueblo, 14 miles from north korean land. he remembers the ship surrounded and taking fire. >> it happened so fast, you don't know what's going on. it blew me off my feet. >> reporter: one crew member was killed in the attack, 82 others taken as prisoners. >> u.s. negotiators met for the third time today with north korean communists. >> reporter: 11 months of

tonight gabe gutierrez revisits a group of veterans who've gone above and beyond. >> reporter: in the mountains of puerto rico, clara bell santana sleeps in what's left of her shredded home. desperate, she says, struggling without power, hardship on top of heart ache. her sick father died on christmas day. >> they are americans. they deserve help. they deserve support. and they deserve not to be forgotten. >> reporter: we first met jason matty, an iraq war veteran in october. he and other volunteers rushed in supplies. >> people are hurting really bad right now. >> this social media post went viral. since then he's launched his own nonprofit. jose lebron, a retired air force veteran from san antonio, and lysette gonzales, a police officer. >> i saw his post and contacted his wife and said how can i get involved? >> together they're traveling through the mountains, bringing food, water filters and medical care to lines of people still waiting for help. 70-year-old israel ort ortiz strums his guitar to dull the pain. diabetic and bedridden in sweltering temperatures. >> reporter: why do

nbc's gabe gutierrez has the story. >> oh, my god, like it is right here. you can see all the smoke. everybody is screaming and yelling. >> reporter: near costa rica's pacific coast, an eyewitness describes the horrifying scene after a single engine plane crashed in the woods. 12 people killed including 10 americans and two local crew members. >> it went up and it all of a sudden beared to the left and nose dived right in front of us. >> reporter: in suburban new york, friends and family are mourning the loss of bruce and irene steinberg and their three sons, matthew, william and zachary. >> inconceivable that a whole family should meet with such a disaster. they were a lovely family. >> reporter: also among the dead, mitchell and leslie weiss from near tampa, florida along with their two children. the charter plane belonged to nature air, which did not respond to a request for comment. in september, two passengers including an american were killed when another one of its flights reportedly crashed into a river. [ speaking foreign language ] >> reporter: th

nbc's gabe gutierrez has the story. >> oh, my god, like it is right here. you can see all the smoke. everybody is screaming and yelling. pacific coast, an eyewitness describes the horrifying scene after a single engine plane crashed in the woods. 12 people killed including 10 americans and two local crew members. >> it went up and it all of a sudden beared to the left and nose dived right in front of us. >> reporter: in suburban new york, friends and family are mourning the loss of bruce and irene steinberg and their three sons, matthew, william and zachary. >> inconceivable that a whole family should meet with such a disaster. they were a lovely family. >> reporter: also among the dead, mitchell and leslie weiss from near tampa, florida along with their two children. the charter plane belonged to nature air, which did not respond to a request for comment. in september, two passengers including an american were killed when another one of its flights reportedly crashed into a river. [ speaking foreign language ] >> reporter: thrts say this aircraft had been

nbc's gabe gutierrez has more. >> reporter: bailey holt was just 15 years old. she loved music, art, and wanted to be a nurse. >> i miss everything about her already. she was just so beautiful and perfect. she had her future planned. >> reporter: bailey and preston cope were the two teenagers who died tuesday, when police say another student barged into kentucky's marshall county high school and opened fire. >> i know that she would have been the shooter's friend in a heartbeat if she knew that he needed someone to talk to. she was so beautiful and smart and perfect. and just such a loving big-hearted person. >> reporter: the assistant county attorney says he plans to try the 15-year-old suspected shooter as an adult, charging him with murder and assault. investigators have not yet publicly identified him. but eyewitnesses say he was a member of the school's band. >> are you looking at bullying as a possible motive here? >> i won't go into that. >> you think he was targeting the popular kids? >> i do. i truly do think that he was targeting a group of people. >>

nbc's gabe gutierrez has more on the terrifying morning. >> reporter: the chaos erupted just before 8:00 a.m. >> marshall county high school active shooter. >> reporter: as students gathered in a common area. >> got one shot in the head. one to the back. one to the abdomen. >> reporter: hundreds of teenagers running for their lives from marshall county high school in benton, kentucky. >> i heard like two shots and i turned around and behind me i see like this big figure of a person and i just see like fire coming from a gun. >> reporter: two 15-year-olds died. >> this is a wound that is going to take a long time to heal. >> reporter: police a 15-year-old student barged into the school with a handgun and opened fire. >> and he was apprehended. there's no way to know at this point how much farther it would have went. >> reporter: investigators would not identify the shooter but this person was seen led away in handcuffs. >> how did you make it out? >> well, i mean, we just -- just ran. that's all i can say. >> reporter: senior brian but the butler, his hands still trembling, says he and

let's get details from gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: christian mims loves lettuce. at least 30% of her diet, she says. >> romaine lettuce is my favorite. it's one of the ones that i really look for as a staple. >> reporter: but tonight a stern warning from consumer reports. stay away from romaine lettuce until health officials get to the bottom of what's causing an e. coli outbreak that's been linked to at least two deaths. in the u.s. the cdc reports 17 people in 13 states have gotten sick, in canada 41 pe government blames contaminated romaine lettuce. u.s. health officials are now interviewing people to find out what they ate in the week before they got sick. the cdc says because it has not yet identified the source, it can't recommend avoiding a particular food. >> we think the u.s. government should be warning consumers about eating romaine lettuce until they figure out where this problem is coming from. >> reporter: cooking usually kills food-borne bacteria such such as e. coli, but lettuce is not usually cooked. >> the best advice is simply not use the romain

gabe gutierrez, nbc news, atlanta. there. >>> we appreciate you spending part of your evening with us. that is "nightly news" for this monday night. i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, thanks for watching and good night. >>> the new day is on the horizon. >> i got chills. >> surprising words from stedman, and even a mandate from meryl. the globes speech that recharged the rally cry. could oprah 2020 actually be happening? >> what is oprah going to say?

nbc's gabe gutierrez now with potentially life-saving advice. >> reporter: the potillo family felt like they were under attack. how bad was it? >> it was pretty bad. our 11-year-old got it first then two days later our 2-year-old got it and then two days later i got it. >> reporter: so you drop like come moes. >> is drop like come moes. >> reporter: amy and her husband frantically wiping down surfaces to stop the flu. >> it was really frightening because when my 2-year-old's fever got really high, i was afraid he might have a seizure. >> reporter: it's gotten so bad in alabama, the governor's declared a public health emergency. last week, this school closed. >> it's been a bad year. >> reporter: and children's of alabama had to divert patients from its packed e.r. >> right now one-quarter of more of all the patients in our pediatric intensive care unit have influenza or influenza-associated complications. >> reporter: this year's outbreak now widespread in every state but hawaii, taking the life of this 10-year-old in connecticut and this mother of three in california. >> from the time

gabe gutierrez, nbc news. >>> we turn now to the flu epidemic that is already three times worse than this time last year and showing no signs of letting up anytime soon. and this year it's been deadly even for healthy people. not just the elderly or those with weak immune systems. nbc's anne thompson went to the front lines in this emergency talking with doctors to find out why. >> reporter: this 10-year-old, a fourth grader, loved hockey and the outdoors -- mourned today in connecticut. a victim of the swift and increasingly deadly flu. >> he was a strong, vibrant energetic kid. >> reporter: an active child dies just three days after feeling ill. it caught him off guard, his mother told "time" magazine. one of the healthy lives ended by this flu. >> why is it that someone who seems healthy can die so quickly from this disease? >> sometimes this -- this year's virus seems to be very strong and there are times when the body's own immune response is sometimes too vigorous. >> reporter: creating what doctors call a cytokine storm. it makes you sicker resulting in shock, sepsis and organ

we sent our gabe gutierrez to the cdc headquarters for details. >> take a nice deep breath. >> reporter: tonight for first time in 13 years the flu is just about everywhere in the continental u.s., widespread in 49 states and the rate of hospitalization has nearly doubled since last week. the cdc is now reporting 20 pediatric deaths so far this season compared to 3 at the same time last year. jonah was just 4 years old and had health problems, so he was more vulnerable. his family near dayton, ohio, is heart broken. >> one of the most difficult things that i've ever had to do was to tell my other children on saturday morn i morning that their little brother wasn't coming home. >> reporter: this year's strain is particularly dangerous for children and the elderly. the south is being hit especially hard. alabama's governor's declared a public health emergency. and in georgia at de kalb medical doctors say more patients in first week of 2018 than all last month. how do you feel right now? >> awful. it's gotten hard. my body's aching so it makes it difficult to walk. >> this season started

our gabe gutierrez has more from atlanta on the big game. >> reporter: in the deep south, neither rain -- >> let's go. >> reporter: -- nor sleet -- >> i ain't never seen no dog that can beat no elephant. >> reporter: -- that can stop these fans. >> family and football right at the same level. >> reporter: georgia taking on alabama, a southern showdown for the ages. not only are they epic rivals, their campuses are just four hours apart, tonight it's literally brother against brother. calvin ridley facing off against bulldogs wideout riley ridley. >> roll tide. >> reporter: then there's mentee versus mentor. nick saban versus georgia coach kirby smart, one of his former assistants. >> it is personal when we have to compete against each other. >> reporter: it's a competition he's used to. saban's record against his former assistants, 11-0. in the past decade, the teams have only met three times. in 2012 georgia lost a squeaker. this time alabama once again the heavy favorite. >> 38 years we've been waiting for this. >> reporter: 38 years. that's the last time georgia won it all. tonight

gabe gutierrez has this report. >> reporter: from dubai to seoul, to hong kong. 2018 making a spectacular entrance. >> for new year's i am hoping to have a year full of love, happiness, laughter and help others where i am. >> reporter: new zealand greeted it with pyrotechnics. scotland with bag pipes. north korea put on an extravagant show. in australia sidney harbor lit up. police in turkey arresting more than 100 people with suspected links to isis militants. in germany, stricter security after more than 100 women were groped and robbed two years ago at a new year's party. >> i am not scared. >> the biggest thing is fear that scarce people. >> reporter: authorities say there is no specific threat for tonight's fireworks but urging revellers to report any suspicious activity. >> i want londoners to be the eyes and ears of police and help keep us all safe. >> reporter: 2018 coming to a close with a cascade of lights. in japan, a celebration of new beginning and letting go. gabe gutierrez, nbc news. >>> hours from now more than 70 shops will be licensed to start selling marijuana in califo

gabe gutierrez has the details. >> oh, my god. it's like right here. i can see all the smoke. everybody's screaming and yelling. >> reporter: near costa rica's pacific coast an eyewitness describes the horrifying scene after a single engine plane crashed in the woods. 12 people killed including ten americans and two local crew members. >> it like went up and then all of a sudden just beared to the left and nosedived right in front of us. >> reporter: tonight in suburban new york friends and family are mourning the loss of bruce and irene steinberg and their three sons, matthew, william and zachary. >> inconceivable that a whole family should meet with such a disaster. they were a lovely family. >> reporter: also among the dead mitchell and leslie weiss from tampa, florida, along with their two children. the plane belonged to nature air, which did not respond to a request today. another one of its flights reportedly crashed into a river. authorities say this aircraft had been inspected a month ago but strong winds had delayed its landing earlier on sunday. the california-based

gabe gutierrez, nbc news. >> all right. time to check back with nbc meteorologist bill karins who is keeping an eye on a new blizzard warning. >> let's talk about the northeast portion of this storm. this is mostly a thursday event. winter storm warnings now for norfolk, virginia beach areas, southern portions of maryland and we are still waiting to see the impacts how badly from d.c. to philly. as of now it looks like a little bit of snow. maybe something d.c., nothing philly. it is really i-95. and the areas of eastern new england that will be hit the hardest. possibly a foot of snow. 6 to 12 inches likely from hartford to providence to boston. again, pretty good cut off line in the dry air back in areas carolinas. the cold air is in place in southern areas of new england waiting for the storm late tonight. >>> of course one of the biggest dangers is going to be the high winds with the storm, power outages and the cold air behind it. i'll tell you how cold coming up. >> all right. a lot to watch. bill, thank you. >>> the

we get details from gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: tonight a pay raise at the nation's biggest retailer. wages at walmart will now start at $11 an hour, up from $9. eligible employees will also get up to $1,000 bonus depending on their years of service. characters raina works at walmart with her husband. >> that just means more we get to spend a little bit and put into savings account for our three kids for the future. >> reporter: but the news comes on the same day walmart announced it was closing dozens of sam's club stores. walmart's one of more than 100 companies passing on savings after congress cut the corporate tax rate to 21% including jetblue, southwest and american airlines, a handful of banks, at&t and nbc parent company comcast. >> our historic reductions to the business tax will raise annual household income by an average of $4,000. that's a tremendous number. >> reporter: policymakers are divided on how much of this financial optimism is due to tax cuts and how much is due to low unemployment. >> at the end of the day, we're running out of workers. when you run out of work

nbc's gabe gutierrez has the details. >> oh, my god. it's like right here. like you can see all the smoke. everybody's screaming and yelling. >> reporter: near costa rica's pacific coast an eyewitness describes the horrifying scene after a single engine plane crashed in the woods. 12 people killed including ten americans and two local crew members. >> it like went up and then all of a sudden just beared to the left and nosedived right in front of us. >> reporter: tonight in suburban new york, friends and family are bruce and irene steinberg and their three sons, matthew, william and zachary. >> inconceivable that a whole family should meet with such a disaster. they were a lovely family. >> reporter: also among the dead mitchell and leslie weiss from near tampa, florida, along with their two children. the charter plane belonged to nature air, which did not respond to a request for comment today. in september two passengers including an american were killed when another one of its flights reportedly crashed into a river. authorities say this aircraft had been

nbc's gabe gutierrez has more. >> reporter: bailey holt was just 15 years old. she loved music, art, and wanted to be a nurse. >> i miss everything about her already. she was just so beautiful and perfect. she had her future planned. >> reporter: bailey and preston cope were the two teenagers who died tuesday. when police say another student barged into kentucky's marshall county high school and opened fire. >> i know that she would have been the shooter's friend in a heartbeat if she knew that he needed someone to talk to. she was so beautiful and smart and perfect. and just such a loving, big-hearted person. >> reporter: today the assistant county attorney said he plans to try the 15-year-old suspected shooter as an adult, charging him with murder and assault. investigators have not yet publicly identified him. eyewitnesss say he was a member of the school's band. are you looking at bullying as a possible motive here? >> i won't go into that. >> you think he was targeting the popular kids? >> i do. i truly do think that he was targeting a group of people. >> r

nbc's gabe gutierrez has more. >> reporter: bailey holt was just 15 years old. she loved music, art, and wanted to be a nurse. >> i miss everything about her already. she was just so beautiful and perfect. she had her future planned. >> reporter: bailey and preston cope were the two teenagers who died tuesday. when police say another student barged into kentucky's marshall county high school and opened fire. >> i know that she would have been the shooter's friend in a heartbeat if she knew that he needed someone to talk to. she was so beautiful and smart and perfect. and just such a loving, big-hearted person. >> reporter: today the assistant county attorney says he plans to try the 15-year-old suspected shooter as an adult charging him with murder and assault. investigators have not yet publicly identified him. eyewitnesss say he was a member of the school's band. are you looking at bullying as a possible motive? >> i won't go into that. >> you think he was targeting the popular kids? >> i do. i truly do think that he was targeting a group of people. >> reporte

gabe gutierrez, nbc news. >>> law enforcement in colorado have identified the gunman. the suspect opened fire seconds after officers the sher sheriff is calling it am an bush. >> we have one deputy down. >> it all started as they responded to a disturbance call in a suburb outside of denver. >> police say the gunman opened fire at the responding officers after barricading himself in husband bedroom. in the end, the gunman shot seven, five deputies and two si va -- civilians. he knew we were coming. >> and stay away from walls and windows as deputies returned gun fire killing the suspect. department just days ago. >> we are deeply saddened by the loss of zachary. when i salt wit with his way ul would see his life was over. police say all of the injured deputies are in stable condition. among them, deputy pirelli recoverying. the community now recovering the life on ever of one of their own. >>> we are learning five members of a mork family are among 12 dead. tenri members were on the flight. the plane crashed in a mountainous area, a popular tourist destination. photogr

nbc's gabe gutierrez has our sunday closer. >> reporter: in old san juan, celebration had been a long time coming. the iconic street festival rings in the end of the christmas season. but this year it also comes after the four longest months puerto rico has ever endured. >> they are americans. and they deserve not to be forgotten. >> jason maddy is still here. when fema was swamped after the hurricane, veterans swamped in. >> we first met maddy in october as they rushed in with supplies. this social media post went viral. since then maddy has launched his own non-profit, veteran disaster relief. >> its time now to help puerto rico. >> reporter: among the new volunteers, jose le braun, a retired air force veteran in san antonio, and seth gonzalez, a retired police officer. >> i saw jason's post and contacted his wife and said, how can i get involved, how can i go? >> reporter: together they're traveling through the mountains bringing food and medical supplies for people desperate for help. >> claribelle tells us she's sleeping in what's left of her home. 70-year-old eugene ortiz strums

gabe gutierrez reporting there. initial reports suggest this year's flu vaccine was only 10% effective. although doctors now say it's likely higher than that. still they say it's better than nothing. and even if you do get the flu, the shot could make symptoms less severe. get your shot if you haven't yet. >>> well, coming up, first it was fires, now it's mudslides. southern california in the middle of another emergency. what first responders are dealing with as they try to rescue people trapped in the mud. have now claimed at least 15 lives in montecito. twenty op >>> well, flash floods and mudslides have now claimed at least 15 lives in montecito. 20 people still unaccounted for right now and the worst of that weather appears to have passed but the damage is just now being realized. >> homes that weren't completely swept off their foundations were actually crushed by a massive wall of mud and snow. it happened when many people were asleep, giving them no chance to run. here is nbc's miguel almaguer. >> reporter: t

gabe gutierrez is following that. >> reporter: from dubai to seoul. to hong kong. 2018 is already making a spectacular entrance. >> for new year's, i'm hoping to have a year full of love. happiness, laughter and help others where i can. >> reporter: new zealand greeted it with pyrotechnics. scotland with bagpipes. hungary took the plunge early, while even north korea put on an extravagant show. in australia, sydney l harbor celebrating same-sex marriage. in turkey, authorities arresting more than 100 people were suspected links to isis militants. istanbul doubling the number of officers to prevent a recap of last year. in germany, stricter security after more than 100 women were groped and robbed two years ago at a new year's eve party. >> i feel pretty safe. i'm not scared. >> i think it's fear that scares people. you can't let that ruin your life many. >> reporter: after terror attacks this year in london, authorities say there's no specific threat for tonight's fireworks but are urging revelers to report any suspicious activity. >> we have 31,000 p

gabe gutierrez, nbc news. >> developing this morning, we are learning five members of a new york family are among 12 dead when a charter plane crashed in cota rica. 10 americans were on that flight and all perished. it crashed in mountain area near pacific coast, a popular tourist destination. photographs show burning wreckage of the plane in the woods 140 miles west of the capitol of san jose. government officials say the crew experienced pilot. civil aviation said it was headed for san jose when it went down and cause is under investigation. >> littleton colorado deadly rampage that left a sheriff deputy dead and several others injured. 37-year-old matthew opened fire seconds after officers entered his home responding to a disturbance call. the sheriff is calling the shooting an ambush. the community is in warning. we get more from nbc steve paterson. >> reporter: shots fired. a deadly shoot out in what the sheriff is calling an ambush. >> we have one deputy down inside the apartment. all of us have been hit at least once. >> reporter: all started as they answered a disturbance call o

gabe gutierrez nbc news. >> well, it is a new year, so that means it is day one for many of your 2018 resolutions according to a poll top resolution of 2018 is tie between being a better person and losing weight. while new year's resolutions only about 44% of americans were creating goals tore 2018. popular resolutions enjoying life to the fullest, breaking bad habits like smoking or drinking and spending less money to save money. buzz feed compiled a list with resolutions to unfollow toxic people on social media, also look at your phone less. only apologize when you mean it and try to do more what you love in 2018. >> developing this morning, we are learning five members of a new york family are among 12 dead when a charter plane crashed in cota rica. ten americans and two local crew members on that flight all perished when it went down crashed into a mountain area near pacific coast, a possible tourist desz continue nation. showing burning wreckage of the planes in the woods. say the crew experienced pilot cota rica said the charter was headed for san jose when it went down. the cau

nbc's gabe gutierrez has the story from denver. >> reporter: after serving in the army for seven years allison bush now suffers from nerve damage and is worried she might have multiple sclerosis. >> everything was falling apart. i couldn't take care of my kids. i couldn't do my job. >> reporter: she says she's waited 3 1/2 months for a primary care appointment at her local v.a. and another 60 days for an mri. is that acceptable? >> no, absolutely not, not when it's either that or nothing. what are you supposed to do? >> reporter: the average wait for primary care new patient appointments at the denver v.a. has topped 42 days, that's nearly twice the national average. denver leads the nation with the longest delays, even worse than the main facility in phoenix where a wait time scandal first erupted in 2014. delays there are believed to have contributed to patient deaths. now the agency has promised greater transparency with data available online. in denver, wait times are reviewed every morning. >> in october we completed 10,350 appointments. >> reporter: sallie houser-hanfelder runs t

gabe gutierrez has more. >> christian nims loves lettuce. >> romaine is one of the ones i look for as a staple. >> a stern warning from consumer reports. stay away from romaine lettuce until health officials get to the bottom of what's causing an e. coli outbreak linked to at least two deaths. in the u.s., the cdc reports that 17 people in gotten sick. in canada, even more. >> u.s. health officials are interviewing people to find out what they ate in the weeks before they got sick. because it hasn't identified the source, it can't recommend avoiding a particular food. >> we think that the u.s. government should be warning consumers about eating romaine lettuce until they figure out where this problem is coming from. >>> cooking usually kills food born bacteria such as e. coli, but lettuce isn't usually cooked. >> simply don't use the romaine lettuce. use something else. >> even if romaine lettuce is the source, it's highly unlikely to still be in stores. the last illness was reported in mid-december. >> until there is a little more proof, i mean, i continue to keep an eye out. >> it c

we get the latest from nbc's gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: near indianapolis 37-year-old carley slaven died just three days after being diagnosed with the flu. >> things just went downhill so fast. >> reporter: even though her kids had gotten a flu shot, she had not. >> we were all there holding her when she died. >> reporter: in san jose, california, maria also didn't have the vaccine. when she fell critically ill she lost her unborn baby. the cdc reports two-thirds of pregnant women have not gotten a flu shot, but the message is spreading. over the weekend lines stretched out the door in connecticut for free or low cost vaccines. >> i thought now was the time to be more proactive. >> reporter: nationwide, the cdc says there is enough supply, but the skyrocketing demand has prompted some urgent care centers to scramble. >> typically during this time in january you see health care organizations are returning unused flu vaccines, and for us to be on our third order just speaks to the demand. >> reporter: doctors say it is a myth that the shot itself will give you the flu. >> when you ge

we get the latest from nbc's gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: near indianapolis 37-year-old carley slaven died just three days after being diagnosed with the flu. >> things just went downhill so fast. >> reporter: even though her kids had gotten a flu shot, she had not. >> we were all there holding her when she died. >> reporter: in san jose, california, maria also didn't have the vaccine. when she fell critically ill she lost her unborn baby. the cdc reports two-thirds of pregnant women have not gotten a flu shot, but the message is spreading. over the weekend lines stretched out the door in connecticut for free or low cost vaccines. >> i thought now was the time to be more proactive. >> nationwide the dcd says there is enough supply, but the skyrocketing demand has prompted some urgent care centers to scramble. >> typically during this time in january you see health care organizations are returning unused flu vaccines, and for us to be on our third order just speaks to the demand. >> reporter: doctors say it is a myth that the shot itself will give you the flu. >> when you get the flu s