dry weather all the way through tuesday. then another storm system next week. >> shall we go see? >> i've been. >> you can go again. tonight, shock waves in chicago -- plagued by violence, now the feds reveal patterns of shocking behavior by police. racial bias, excessive force, reckless shootings. secrets and lies exposed. america on ice. a massive life-threatening storm moving in, stretching 1,000 miles from texas to ohio. unning statements by civil rights icon, congressman john lewis. what he just told nbc news about president-elect trump. the reality of hope, one-on-one with president obama. looking back from where it all began. kidnapping mystery bombshell, snatched from the hospital as a baby, found alive 18 years later. the woman who raised her as her daughter, under arrest. and sea of blue, an emotional farewell for a hero.

who taught us all about the power of forgiveness. "nightly news" begins right now. >> announcer: from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. good evening. it is about as harsh a judgment as can be made against any police department. civil rights abuses, excessive force, shooting people who didn't pose a threat. just some of the damning findings in a u.s. justice department report about the chicago police department. the country's second largest police force. tonight, that city, already plagued by soaring gang violence, has agreed to a set of reforms after the chicago pd was excoriated by the feds, for abusive behavior felt most profoundly in minority communities. nbc's gabe gutierrez has details. >> the blistering report blasts chicago police, which the department of justice said had systemic problems.

violating the constitution. >> cpd does not give officers the training they need to do their jobs safely, effectively and lawfully. >> the government launched the year-long investigation after the release of shocking dashcam video showing officers shoot laquan mcdonald, 16 times. in another case betty jones, a mother of five,s -- was killed by an officer the day after christmas. her neighbor's son had been threatening the father with a bat. federal authorities say chicago officers shot and tasered suspects who pose nod threat. showed a prevalence of racial skrdiscriminatory conduct. used a training video made decades ago and if

anyone tried to investigate misconduct, the doj says, a code of silence among chicago police officers exists. extending to lying. >> the incidents described in this report are sobering to all of us. >> chicago is one of 25 investigations into law enforcement agencies the obama administration opened. the head of the police union here says this report was a politically motivated rush job before inauguration day. >> this is life and death. and what people don't realize is that every time we strap on that weapon, we have targets on us. >> for the family of betty jones, the report hits home. >> our mom was our everything. >> the officer who shot her is now suing the city. claiming he was not properly trained. even though the city had already begun its own reforms last year, today mayor emanuel announced he had agreed in principle to work with federal courts to revamp the police department. still, it's unclear what the incoming trump administration and his new attorney general might do. lester? >> gabe gutierrez in chicago, thank you. as we head into the weekend, a massive and is life-threatening ice storm is sweeping in,

sweeping in across 1,000 miles from texas to ohio. millions in its blazing path. nbc's blake mccoy has more. >> tonight freezing rain leaving a coating of ice across much of missouri. in springfield, some residents are already without power. >> we have young children in the house. so we're all worried. >> plows are out in force. treating icy roads that have proven deadly. states of emergency have been declared in places like kansas, where residents are stocking up on essentials. >> if you've got some elderly or more home-bound neighbors, check in with them. >> a quarter-inch of ice can create hazardous roads. half an inch can add 280 pounds on the power lines, causing them to snap. and an inch of ice can damage homes. tonight this is just the beginning for a system threatening over 40 million people across 15 states. >> dangerous icing continues through missouri this evening. tomorrow developing through oklahoma as well as kansas where we could see as much

as an inch of ice. heading through sunday and monday, notice it's spreading through iowa as well as wisconsin. >> out west, where the storm began, the utah department of transportation shared this terrifying video today of a snowplow being cut off. sliding 300 feet down a hill. the driver is recovering. and in portland, oregon today, a commuter train slid off the tracks. blow torches had to be used to melt the ice. tonight, as the dangerous system moves into the midwest, people are being urged to stay home. many schools, government offices and businesses were closed today ahead of the ice storm, limiting the danger on the roads. tonight you can see this blanket of ice continuing to form here in st. louis. this is day one of a three-day ice storm. lester? >> blake mccoy, thank you. a major development tonight concerning exploding air bags that have killed nearly a dozen people in the u.s. the takata corporation will pay more than $1 billion, pleading guilty to falsifying air bag testing data. three high-level executives could also be extradited to face charges in the u.s. here's nbc's tom

costello with more. >> the recall itself is record-breaking. 19 brand names, 42 million vehicles with defective air bags. in a plea agreement, the takata corporation admits it knew its air bags could explode, but for ten years provided fake test data to car makers. three to takata executives in japan also under criminal indictment. >> they falsified and manipulated data because they wanted to make profits on their air bags, knowing they were creating a risk for the end user, which is soccer moms like me. >> exploding airbag infla inflaters have killed 11 people in the u.s., injured more than 180 in september.

serena martina suffered life-threatening injuries when her airbag exploded. >> i remember looking down and seeing blood all over my shirt and i thought i was going to bleed to death. >> in a statement today, takata says it deeply regrets the circumstances that led to this situation and remains fully committed to being part of the solution. while it's agreed to pay $1 billion, most of that, $850 million, will compensate the automakers. only $125 million will go to the victims. >> the consumers left holding the bag and it's a dangerous one at that. it's one that can injure or kill you. i'm shocked. i'm stunned. it's as bad as it is. >> without enough parts, car dealers are behind in fixing all the vehicles under recall. just yesterday, ford recalled another 816,000 vehicles. the cars most likely to get fixed first are at least six years old and in hot humid climates where the airbag is more likely to explode. tom costello, nbc news, washington. let's turn to politics, the harsh and frankly stunning words for president-elect trump from a prominent democrat and civil rights figure.

congressman john lewis in an exclusive interview with nbc's "meet the press," says he does not believe mr. trump is a quote legitimate president. nbc's hallie jackson has more on the congressman's fiery remarks. >> tonight, a stunning statement from a congressional icon. going further than any democrat yet to publicly undermine donald trump. congressman john lewis with nbc's chuck todd. >> i don't see this president-elect as a legitimate president. >> you do not consider him a legitimate president? why is that? >> i think the russians participated in helping this man get elected. and they helped destroy the candidacy of hillary clinton. >> civil rights leader unflinching, despite president obama trying to tamp down this kind of rhetoric. reminding americans what democracy is built on. >> look, the people have spoken. donald trump will be the next president. >> president-elect trump's incoming press secretary pointing to the results. >> i think the facts speak for themselves. the election was a clear and decisive win for donald trump and an agenda of change to make america great again.

>> lewis' statement, a siren a week from the inauguration. with fallout from election day still lingering. intelligence assessments, russia purposely meddled with the election and the review of the fbi director's actions during the campaign. james comey visiting capitol hill for a closed-door briefing today where a source inside the room says he was confronted angrily by the former dnc chair. >> the fbi director has no credibility. >> at the capitol, preparations for huge crowds friday. but not congressman lewis. skipping the inauguration. >> you cannot be at home with something that you feel that is wrong. >> also tonight, new questions about coincidental timing of a call between top trump aide mike flynn and russia's ambassador, the same day that new sanctions were announced against moscow. the transition team saying the call did not focus on sanctions and instead coordinated only a talk between donald trump and vladimir putin after the

inauguration. >> hallie jackson, thank you. house republicans during their senate colleagues, taking a major step toward repealing obamacare. they've pressed ahead without a plan to replace it. leaving the estimated 20 million people who have coverage under the law worried about what comes next. we've got more from nbc's kasie hunt. >> the hardest part is getting the needle in. >> reporter: dee dee ward lives in the heart of trump country, rural tennessee, where she's battling cancer without the affordable care act she doesn't know how she would pay for her chemotherapy. >> what do you do? do you say -- i can't afford it? i have no money? and stay home and wait to die? >> 68% of voters in murray county backed donald trump. whose pledge to repeal and replace obamacare. >> repeal and replace. >> the house voting to approve a plan allowing major parts of the law to be repealed with just 51 votes in the senate. >> this provides congress with the legislative tools that we need. >> but replacing the law takes 60 votes, so they'll need to

compromise with democrats because there are only 52 republicans. first, republicans need a plan because they don't have one. >> is congress moving too fast? >> i don't think many of us expected to be in this position. >> suddenly republicans from red states are sounding the alarm. >> a lot of harm and damage created by the health care law. we need to focus on fixing that first and not pull the rug out from anybody. >> back in murray, tennessee. >> as i'm enrolling patients or reenrolling patients, they're asking, what am i going to do in a couple of months when all this goes away? and i really don't have any answers for them. >> it's putting intense pressure on the incoming administration. people like dee dee ward, pleading with members of congress not to leave her behind. >> try to see it from, not from your high pedestal than you're on. try to see it from the people down here. >> kasie hunt, nbc news, the capitol. with just a week left in his presidency, the white house

announced today that president obama will hold his final press briefing next wednesday. earlier this week, i traveled with the president to chicago, and just before his formal farewell speech to the nation, i sat down with him in one of his favorite restaurants for an intimate conversation about the hope that propelled him into office, and the reality of what would come. i want to show you something you've of course seen, it was grant park. the victory night. i want you to watch this. >> the road ahead will be long. our climb will be steep. we may not get there in one year or even in one term. but america, i have never been more hopeful than i am tonight that we will get there. i promise you, as a people, we'll get there. [ crowd chanting yes, we can ] >> yes, we can. >> did you? >> yes, we did. >> you did? >> look, if you had told me at the beginning of my presidency,

that eight years later the economy would be stabilized, we would cut unemployment in half from its peak. that the stock market would have recovered. if you told me we would have provided 20 million people health insurance that didn't have it before, i would have said, all right, we did okay. >> did you see some idealism in that young man, though? >> i did. and that idealism hasn't left. look, i'm grayer. people like to note the additional wrinkles. but my spirit is unchanged. it's undaunted. i continue to believe that as frustrating as sometimes it can be, american democracy moves the ball forward. >> there was one moment that stood out to a lot of people, it was the reverend pinckney funeral after the charleston massacre. you delivered the eulogy. i'll read the quote. maybe we now realize the way

racial bias can infect us, even when we don't realize it. so we're guarding not just against racial slurs, but also against the subtle impulse to call johnny back for a job interview, but not jamal. >> jamal wasn't getting called back for that interview five years earlier. why did not talk about things in that explicit way before? >> the truth of the matter is there's going to be times where people will listen. and times where they won't. this was a moment when i think the entire country recognized, not just the evil that had been perpetrated, but also this amazing response on the part of these people in this church. there were open hearts at that moment. >> and you were moved to sing "amazing grace." >> yeah. ♪ amazing grace ♪ how sweet the sound ♪ ♪ >> you do look for moments of

human connection. and in some ways, those end up being the moments that are most meaningful. >> much more of our conversation tonight in our primetime special "barack obama: the reality of hope". at 10:00/9:00 central on nbc. still ahead, stolen at birth, a newborn snatched from a hospital, found alive 18 years later after being raised by her alleged abductor. the victim's own suspicions, how the cold case finally unravelled.

we're back now with a stunner, in a kidnapping case that made national headlines 18 years ago. a baby snatched from her hospital room, vanished without a trace until now. and the woman who raised her is under arrest. here's nbc's miguel almaguer. >> it was 18 years ago when baby kamiyah mobley was abducted five hours after she was born. the disappearance from this jacksonville hospital riveted the nation. searching everywhere, police were looking for a woman posing as a nurse. who took the newborn from her young mother's arms. >> i just want to you bring my child back. that's all i'm asking from you. >> this is america's most wanted. >> the kidnapping drew national attention. after 2500 leads, the case went cold. then today, kamiyah mobley's parents learned their baby is alive and well. >> there's always hope. you know what i'm saying? i wake up, i believe she's waking up, too.

there's always hope. >> with no photos of kamiyah, just this rendering and a sketch of the suspect, today police announced the arrest of gloria williams. >> we did not know this until late last night that we actually did in fact have kamiyah mobley. >> dna confirmed kamiyah was the abducted baby. police say a tip led them to this home in walterborough, south carolina, where williams had raised kamiyah who had recently had suspicions. >> we do believe she did have an idea that she may have been a kidnapping victim. >> with williams in jail, a dramatic emotional moment. when a girl who identifies herself as alexis, the suspect's 18-year-old daughter, came to see her. >> this is going to be devastating once this child comes to fully understand what went on and what happened to her. >> tonight police say an 18-year-old cold case has finally been solved. the victims separated by a

lifetime met today for the first time on video chat. a new and tearful beginning. miguel almaguer, nbc news. pretty remarkable. we're back in a moment with the flight you'd never want to be on if you're superstitious, this friday the 13th.

well, imagine being at the airport and hearing the boarding call for flight 666 to the gates of hell on friday the 13th? it happened today, but in this case hell is h-e-l, the airport code for helsinki. the flight from copenhagen we're happy to report landed safely. by the way, the plane was 13 years old. queue the spooky music. we learned today on friday the 13th, the author of one of the most chilling novels of all time as died. william peter blatty wrote the

blockbuster "the exorcist." and wrote several other novels and screenplays but will be best known for scaring the wits out of us. he was 89 years old. when we come back, the final salute to a police officer who became a source of forgiveness and inspiration for so many.

finally tonight, a moving tribute here in new york today. thousands of police officers saying good-bye to a legend on the force, who became a symbol of forgiveness, inspiring not just his fellow officers, but people around the world and his story is also one of an incredible bond between father and son. here's harry smith. >> new york's fifth avenue came to a standstill today to make room for a funeral. steven mcdonald was a new york city cop. >> i think he was an inspiration for a lot of our officers. >> i think he stood for everything that was good. ♪ >> there wasn't a soul inside st. patrick's who didn't know his story. his son, conner. >> when god made my dad as a cop, he broke the mold. >> 1986, mcdonald, two years on the job, stopped some teenagers in central park. one pulls a gun and shoots him three times at point-blank range. >> when many of us would have let anger destroy our hearts, my

father forgave the young man who shot him every single day. >> after 18 months in the hospital, mcdonald stayed in uniform. he spoke at schools. and precinct houses. >> we have to do a better job of helping each other, supporting each other. and even loving each other. whenever you find yourself in that dark place, we can help you get out. >> police work was in his blood. his dad was a cop, and so was his grandfather. and so, now, is his son. >> my dad loved the nypd until the end. he loved the men and women who wake up every day to protect this city. >> at the end of mass, connor said his father would lead the congregation in prayer. >> lord, make me an instrument of your peace. where there's hatred, let me sow love. where there's injury, pardon. where there's despair, hope. where there's darkness, light. ♪ >> the prayer of st. francis, from a true officer of the peace.

harry smith, nbc news, new york. that's going to do it for us on a friday night. i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching. and good night. suffice it to say we will be prepared. >> right now at 6:00, washington, d.c. a getting ready for donald trump's nag ratii na >> the news at 6:00 starts right now. i'm raj mathai >> i'm jessica aguirre. we're one week away from naugs day. it's not just the transfer of power. but here in the bay area the demonstrations start tomorrow many the south bay.

david trujillo is live in the south bay. dami damian. >> reporter: there is actually one big rally tomorrow. these are the organize nicrs at big immigration rally. this is one of the signs they're making for tomorrow's rally in san jose. police say they will be ready. the anti-trump protests in san jose in june made national headlines for turnl violent. san jose police say this will not happen again. >> we're not going to tolerate violence. that is something that's not going to happen. >> reporter: they're working with organizers of two scheduled protests during inauguration weekend. they realize that people not affili w