>> thanks for joining us at 5:00. tonight shock waves. teenagers charged with hate crimes after a video of a man with special needs beaten, taunted and tortured. tonight chilling new details in the case that's gripped the nation. america's top spy defends u.s. intelligence. it was russia, he says. high drama hours from president elect donald trump secret briefing. bracing for impact. massive winter storm. from coast to coast, an emergency that could paralyze cities in the south. peanut allergy surprise. new way to combat them. tonight nation's doctors say something parents have been told for years is wrong. a hollywood dream come true. movie stars jumping at the chance to work with a young

filmmaker who is inspiring america. "nightly news" begins right now. good evening. there's a lot of ground to cover tonight. including the disturbing news about russian hacking delivered to capitol hill by the white house today. testifying before a senate committee about the extent of russian attempts to influence the u.s. election. but we're going to begin with an unimaginable crime that kuchz the intersection of race, technology and even politics, and what police in chicago tonight are calling a hate crime. four black young adults accused of kidnapping and beating an 18-year-old white man with special needs, and hurlg racial insults during a vicious attack that was broadcast live on facebook. the horror began on new year's eve and today resulted in a series of criminal charges.

some of the images you're about to see are hard to watch. nbc is in chicago tonight with late details. >> reporter: the horrifying images have been seen arnold the world. an 18-year-old with mental health challenges tortured, his clothing and hair slashed with a knife. his head pushed into a toilet forced to drink the water. the accused four african-americans did not hide their faces on the video streamed live to facebook. taunting the white teen with racial and political expletives. [ bleep ] donald trump [ bleep ] white people. >> tonight reaction from the white house. >> they do demonstrate a level of depra virks ty that is an outra outrage. >> the victim's grandmother tells nbc news she's too upset to watch the video. >> i don't want to watch him suffering.

i know he did. >> reporter: investigation confirm the victim went to school with one alleged assailant. jordan hill. victim's parents dropped him off to meet hill for a sleepover. hill then allegedly drove him into the city in a stolen van. >> investigators say the 18-year-old was being held captive in one of these homes on chicago's west side. he was found tuesday afternoon wandering and disoriented about a block away. >> he is able to escape when a downstairs neighbor calls the police complaining about all the noise upstairs. >> among the charges announced today against the two men and two women who are sisters, a hate crime, kidnapping, unlawful restraint and battery with a deadly weapon. african-american community leaders are appalled. >> you see the racial slurs there. you see the insults. you see the disability. it's a hate crime all the way. >> i hope god speaks to their souls.

and shows them the right way. >> those suspects will make their first court appearance in chicago tomorrow. as for the victim, he is home tonight and traumatized. having trouble communicating. >> blake, thank you. now as promised the dramatic day on capitol hill. the nation's top intelligence official and other spy chiefs insisting before congress that russia was indeed behind hacks during the election. in the face of repeated dismissals from president elect trump. as our andrea mitchell reports their conclusions found support on both sides of the aisle. >> tonight we're in agreement among democrats and republicans. donald trump has doubts, but they say russia did it. >> every american should be alarmed by russia's attacks on the nation. >> reporter: john mccain calling the hacking an act of war. most of the senators supporting the intelligence officials after trump's repeated attacks. >> who actually is the benefactor of someone who is about to become commander in chief trashing the intelligence community?

>> i think there is an important distinction here between healthy skepticism, but i think there's a difference between skepticism and disparagement. >> james clapper retiring in 15 days after 53 years in intelligence. serving every president since jfk. saying he is apolitical, but preparing to brief a tough critic, the president elect tomorrow, about the russian hacking report, face to face. >> you're going to be challenged tomorrow by the president elect. are you okay with being challenged? >> absolutely. >> just two hours before today's hearing, perhaps an olive branch from trump. backing off a tweet wednesday seeming to support julian assange over u.s. intelligence. trump tweeting today, the dishonest media likes saying i'm in agreement with julian assange. wrong. the media lies to make it look

like i'm against intelligence when in fact i'm a big fan. it could be awkward. also in the briefing, trump's national security adviser, michael flynn, who clapper fired as head of defense intelligence. >> do you think some of this is personal between clap per and mi mike flynn who fired him? >> i have no idea. as to the intelligence briefing that's coming friday, i've never met anybody that's been briefed that's gotten any doubt russia did this. >> reporter: tomorrow morning officials tell nbc news the intelligence will brief bipartisan congressional leaders here before going to new york to face donald trump. some will be classified and made public next week. >> andrea mitchell on capitol hill, thanks. president obama was already briefed today on that intelligence report. and this evening we have an exclusive look inside the top secret report he was presented. nbc's hallie jackson has that. tonight an exclusive inside look at a top secret report on russia. one that went directly to president obama today. so what does it reveal?

two top intelligence officials with direct knowledge of the report tell nbc news it details russian cyber attacks against not just the democratic national committee, but the white house, the joint chiefs of staff, the state department, even american companies. some hacks successful, others thwarted. the report explains moscow's motives to disrupt the democratic process and partly as payback, the intelligence analysts conclude of president obama's questioning of the legitimacy of president. it's not just because of last year's campaign, either. the report tracks russian cyber activity back to 2008 and 2012. it does not speculate on whether russia's interference affected the outcome of 2016. president obama says today he has full faith in the conclusions of that report. president elect trump will get the same briefing tomorrow has seemed skeptical of the intelligence community so far. >> the president of nbc chicago

carol marine. >> when the president elect receives his own briefings and is able to examine intelligence as his team is put together, and they see how professional and effective these agencies are that some of those current tensions will be reduced. >> hallie jackson, nbc news, the white house. president-elect trump had more on his mind than the oval office, which he takes over in a little more than two weeks. for about an hour today he was deposed in a contentious lawsuit over his business deals. details from chris -- krist kristen welker. >> reporter: inside trump tower today, president elect donald trump in the hot seat, deposed in a breach of contract suit that started two years ago in a high powered celebrity clash between trump and famed chef, jose andres. trump sued him after the chef scrapped plans for a restaurant in the new washington, d.c. hotel, accusing him of making disparaging remarks.

remarks about mexican immigrants while launching his campaign. >> they're bringing drugs. they're bringing crime. they're rapists and some are good people. >> reporter: in a statement trump's attorney said the deposition lasted for about an hour and reiterated his argument. andres breached his lease by walking out. not responding to request for comment, but tweeted today, let's resolve this in a friendly way. we donate money to a charity is a great deal. >> trump insisted controversial comments may actually be good for business. on display this summer in a deposition in which another chef broke ties with trump over his language about immigrants. >> if he had the restaurant, he would be helped instead of hurt. >> why do you think that. >> i tapped into something. i tapped into illegal immigration. >> reporter: trump just paid out $25 million to settle three lawsuits against trump university and is still embroiled in several other

lawsuits which could follow him to the white house. only a few sitting or incoming presidents have ever been deposed. grant, ford, carter, clinton. an exclusive club with one new member. now to states of emergency in the south tonight. bracing for a potentially paralyzing winter storm. a massive system already causing headaches across huge parts of the country. in a moment, al roker will join me with late details on the forecast. first, nbc jacob rascon. >> reporter: the severe weather warning stretched from coast to coast. >> we are still seeing troubles on the road. >> reporter: white out conditions. a truck driver digging himself out in michigan. heavy snow blanketing the sierra and rocky mountains out west. five feet in some areas. a nightmare for many in colorado, especially for this man stuck on a chairlift, and for two skiers in utah lost in a snowstorm for 14 hours, building a shelter out of a dead tree to stay alive. >> we needed to warm up.

we were completely soaked head to toe. >> portland scrambled to restore power. a water rescue in southern california. further north, interstate 80 shut down in both directions. megan and elizabeth among those stranded for several hours. 82 million americans under winter advisories. southeast bracing for impact. atlanta expecting a winter's worth of snow in one day. hoping to avoid a repeat of 2014 when just three inches of snow paralyzed the city. why does this matter? >> we are never going to be caught again in a situation like 2014. >> reporter: near chicago, it was surf's up for this group of friends. a little fun amid punishing winter storms that are far from finished. jacob rascon, nbc news, atlanta. al is here. trouble all over the map. >> start in the great lakes where we have lake effect snow from cleveland on into watertown new york.

we'll see storm totals of 2 to 3 feet. we've also got this double barrel low pressure system coming through the gulf and up along the southeast. snow will mix with rain and sleet and make for dangerous travel and so our latest models show one to two inches in the new england. heaviest snow concentrated. rul -- raul lee, charlotte, atlanta may see two to five inches of snow. out west atmospheric river of moisture coming into the pacific. a storm that happens once every 5-10 years. talking anywhere from 4-10 inches of rain. some areas could pick up in the sierra nevada 20 inches of rain. 2 trillion gallons of water before it's over. a dramatic takedown tonight after a wild nearly week-long manhunt for an inmate on the run who escaped from a federal prison in rhode island, gone for hours before anyone even noticed. ears nbc's kristin dahlgren.

>> reporter: after five days and a multistate manhunt escaped inmate is now in custody. his trail cold for days until today. with at least two alleged attempts at bank robbery. at 9:00 a.m. this morning, a man matching his description was spotted passing a note to a bank teller demanding money. hours later, he tried again. just a few miles away. that's when police got their man. >> suspect briefly attempted to resist, but the trooper took control. >> fled a prison new year's eve. daring escape starting around 7:00 p.m. during outdoor recreation time. prison officials said he scaled a basketball hoop and reached a rooftop, jumping down and cutting through a barbed wire fence, possibly injuring hims f himself. the warden says officers didn't notice he was missing until around 10:30, then took an hour to notify police.

the 35-year-old has a long criminal history include -- including a child rape charge. awaiting trial on charges he stole 16 guns from an army reserve center in 2015. prison officials are facing questions about how this could have happened. >> this incident is wholly and entirely unacceptable. still ahead tonight, preventing peanut allergies. big changes to parental guidelines. what experts say you should do to prevent a lifetime of dangerous complications for your infant. also, the casualties of christmas. why the shopping landscape is about to change across the country.

we're back now with big changes to the way parents should protect children from developing peanut allergies. new recommendations from the nation's top doctors who may seem to contradict everything we've been told. nbc explains. >> reporter: when kelly found out her daughter was at high risk of developing a peanut allergy like her brother, the doctor's advice was surprising. give him food containing peanuts. >> it's scary because there's a family history of it. >> reporter: but today stunning new recommendations from the government's top authorities at the national institutes of health. even children with a family history should eat peanut products to a very early age to prevent allergies from ever developing. >> certainly the timing is key. there is a window where the immune system isn't going to recognize peanuts as dangerous.

that we believe happens very, very early. >> reporter: according to the guidelines, infants at high risk should be introduced to small doses of peanuts after four months with doctor supervision. all other children can start at 6 months at home. eat foods containing peanut butter and avoid having it mostly straight. >> he has been eating yogurt with peanut powder every day and no signs of allergy. >> not having to worry about the allergy is huge. don't have to worry about a life or death reaction. eases your mind. >> reporter: today a newer approach that could spare kids from developing peanut allergies. nbc news, new york. when we come back here tonight, return to sender. how all the holiday gifts you don't want are adding up to a historic day.

there is some pretty telling evidence tonight of the toll online shopping is having on some of the nation's biggest

department stores. after disappointing holiday sales, two retalg -- tailing giants, first macy's and now sears, are announcing plans to close hundreds of stores and lay off thousands of employees as retail habits change. here's nbc tom costello. >> reporter: they are two american retailing icons with roots going back to the 1800s. macy's and sears. >> sears where america shops for value. >> reporter: now both struggling against 21st century digital competition. macy's closing 100 stores and laying off up to 10,000 employees. kmart and sears closing 150 stores. even selling the craftsman tool line. another department store, kohl's s, also posting losses over the holidays. >> people can get their hair blown, go to the gym, go to

the coffee bar. >> americans did spend big over the holidays. up 4% over last year. online sales up a whopping 17%. more amazon, less sears. >> i think it's sad, but it's a lot easier for people to just do online shopping. they can sit home on their couch. >> americans today are choosing discounters, among them t.j. maxx, ross and burlington. >> to survive, retailers need a digital and physical store offering something unique. even amazon is opening pop-up stores, where else, but the malls. on the subject of that all online holiday shopping. today is expected to be the biggest day ever for online returns through ups. on this day alone, ups expects to ship 1.3 million unwanted packages back to retailers today. which the company has dubbed national returns day. when we come back, lights, camera, compassion. why some big stars are leaping in to help a teen realize his

hollywood dreams. unexpectedly.

==vo== what forced the government shutdown that could continue into the weekend. ===janelle/vo=== and, the search for this woman. the questions danville police are anxious to ask her.===next finally tonight, a star is born. at just 16, he's already written and acted in his very own movie with the help of a bunch of

hollywood a-listers, an organization that is inspiring america. our miguel almaguer has the story. >> reporter: on the set of this hollywood film, you'll find famous faces. but the real star of this zombie thriller, 16-year-old anthony conte, the writer and leading man. >> it's so powerful. it's you expressing you. i love that. >> reporter: everyone here is a volunteer, giving to the make-a-film foundation. when this team heard anthony was battling a rare life threatening cancer, everyone leapt at the chance to work with him. >> there was no thinking. they were just "yes" and that really did a maze me and touch my heart. >> reporter: the make a film foundation grants film wishes to

children battling serious diseases. so far, more than 100 documentaries and four short films completed. the volunteers are tinseltown's biggest stars coming together to give special kids a chance to shine. >> this is his dream come true. this the movie he wanted to make. it's a culmination for him of a life that he's fighting to keep. >> reporter: anthony couldn't come to los angeles for premier night so hollywood came to him. a special screening at his hospital in boston. >> seeing the film, it was everything i had hoped for. >> reporter: this movie may not be a blockbuster just yet, but for this young filmmaker, it's the role of a lifetime. miguel almaguer, nbc news, los angeles. that's going to do it for us on a thursday night. i'm lester holt.

for all of us on nbc news, thank you for watching and good night. jan/contvo right now at 6: it's horrible. it's awful. it's the most kind of awful you can imagine. >> right now at 6:00, a toddler shot in the east bay. what we're learning tonight about a possible connection to a recent homicide. the news at 6 starts right now. good evening. thanks for joining us. i'm janelle wang. >> and i'm raj mathai. yesterday a young father was shot and killed, today a little girl is wounded. her family is now at her bedside. she was shot this afternoon in oakland right near mills college.

jodi hernandez is in oakland tonig tonight. these crimes could be linked. what is the latest you're hearing. >> reporter: the family of the man killed yesterday tells us they've been contacted by homicide investigators about a possible connection to that case and today's shooting of a toddler. tonight that toddler is being treated here at children's hospital for a gunshot wound. >> i think it was make four gun shots, four gun shots and then a pause and then another three or four gun shots. >> reporter: that's what people in this neighborhood heard about noon today when police say somebody shot at a car occupied by a mom and a toddler. wounding the 22-month-old little girl. >> the mother and child were in the vehicle at the time of the shooting and again the child did sustain a gunshot wound. >> it's horrible.