>> lester holt is next with nightly news. breaking news tonight, the triple storm danger threatening to reek havoc from coast-to-coast, as millions are traveling for the thanksgiving holiday. three powerful storms on the move, with heavy rain, snow and strong winds will it spell trouble for the famed macy's parade? we're tracking it all tonight. also breaking, the terrifying moments a carjacking suspect armed with a machete attacked a police officer in broad daylight how that officer escaped with his life. the new twist in that controversial navy s.e.a.l. case, the order that the defense secretary says came directly from president trump and what he's saying about an alleged secret deal between the white house and the fired navy

secretary. the brazen heist caught on camera thieves breaking into a famous museum and making off with priceless jewels the hunt for the suspects is on. the outrage after an urgent call for help. the man suffering a stroke giving 911 the name of his hotel but struggling to provide the exact address. >> i understand, sir i'm not there. you are. i need you to help yourself here a little bit and get us an address so we can get you an ambulance. >> the precious minutes that ticked by before the dispatcher sent help. and before you fly this holiday, the insider tips to make sure your bags arrive at the same time as you >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt good evening, everyone a triple threat of bad weather is aligning tonight for what could be a very tough thanksgiving getaway across a big portion of this country. winter weather alerts are in effect for 21 million americans, snow is already falling and storms are looming from coast-to-coast three weather systems colliding with a perfect storm of travelers, a record number 55

million expected to head out of town we'll get the latest forecast from al in a moment. but we begin with gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: tonight, tens of millions of americans are bracing for a set of storms, just in time for thanksgiving. snow pounding several states, the roads already dangerous. and in new york, some deflating news, the iconic balloons from the macy's thanksgiving day parade may not fly for the first time since 1971 if sustained winds are over 23 miles an hour and gusts top 34 miles an hour. >> we have a lot of things in place to prepare ourselves for any kind of weather condition. but you know, really won't know until we get to that day. >> reporter: some airports are rolling out new technology this is miami's new automated baggage screening area and the tsa says new orleans' new screening area lets officers screen twice as many bags per hour outside the airport, ride share companies are employing traffic engineers to prepare them for the holiday rush.

>> thanksgiving is going to be really busy. so i don't want to sugarcoat that i think people will need to anticipate long lines. >> reporter: back here in new york, preparations for the parade are underway. officials say it will be a game time decision on whether those balloons will fly. lester >> all right gabe, thank you. let's turn to al roker al, a lot of families getting ready to travel. what are we looking at >> right now, lester, we have 2,000 miles worth of winter storm watches, advisories and warnings from california all the way to the u.p. of michigan. storm system bringing rain and snow tuesday, minneapolis, denver airport delays down to houston and chicago. we move into wednesday and those delays move into the northeast and again back into the midwest. and then as we look at our second storm coming into the pacific northwest, western delays from portland to san francisco, making their way by wednesday down to san diego, las vegas and salt lake. and on thanksgiving day, the western two-thirds of the country a mess clear but windy in the northeast and new york, lester, big

problems for the thanksgiving day balloons. >> already thanks for spelling it out for us. we're following breaking news here in los angeles a carjacking suspect welding a massive machete running at a police officer nbc's morgan chesky on how they took him down. >> reporter: tonight, it's the video capturing the end of an alleged carjacker's run from suspect. welding a machete and running at a police officer that opens fire police say the man's crime spree started this morning off famed sunset boulevard, where he pulled out the blade to rob an auto parts store from there the suspect headed for a past food drive through using that same weapon to steal police. >> the officers gave chase and used less lethal options, and eventually ended in an officer-involved shooting. >> reporter: a witness captured this scene the officer yelling at the man still wielding a machete >> hey, don't do it. don't do it. >> reporter: before being forced

to open fire the suspect struck and killed by police gunfire tonight, the officer who opened fire is injured but expected to make a full recovery morgan chesky, nbc news. tonight, president trump is defending his order to the pentagon not to strip a navy s.e.a.l. of elite status in a controversial war crimes case instead, it's the navy's secretary who is out of a job. miguel almaguer has the latest. >> reporter: tonight, defense secretary mark esper says the order came from the president, do not remove embattled navy s.e.a.l. edward gallagher from the unit a clear directive from the commander in chief who became entangled in the review of gallagher's behavior. >> he wanted to take his pin away i said no. you're not going to take it away he was a great fighter one of the ultimate fighters. >> reporter: with gallagher keeping the try trident pin, cig

fieing being a s.e.a.l., the navy secretary was forced to resign richard spencer who publicly disagreed with the decision to intervene wrote this stunning resignation letter reading, i no longer share the same understanding with the commander in chief who appointed me in regards to the key principle of good order and discipline. i cannot in good conscience obey an order i believe violates the sacred oath i took earlier this year, gallagher was acquitted of shooting iraqi civilians and killing a captive enemy fighter with a knife but he was convicted of posing with a dead isis soldier gallagher on fox sunday. >> this is all about ego and retaliation. this has nothing to do with good order and discipline. >> reporter: with spencer appearing to have been pushed out for defying the president, the pentagon says spencer was forced to resign after going behind his boss' back propin house that would have allowed the review to proceed with a guarantee gallagher would remain a seal the president tweeting, eddie will retire peacefully with all of the honors he has earned.

>> we'll protect our war fighters somebody has their back and it's called the president of the u.s. okay >> reporter: tonight this navy s.e.a.l. keeping his trident at the order of the president and at the cost of the navy secretary. miguel almaguer, nbc news. and just in tonight, a federal judge ruling that president trump's former white house counsel don mcgahn must testify before congress. nbc's kristen welker is at the white house. what do we know? >> reporter: lester, that's right. this ruling is a setback to president trump's efforts to keep his top aides from testifying a federal judge ordered former white house counsel don mcgahn must appear before congress. late tonight, the justice department saying it will appeal the outcome could lead to renewed efforts by house democrats to compel testimony from other top officials, like former national security advisor john bolton meanwhile, top democrat adam schiff writing about the impeachment investigation, quote, the evidence of wrongdoing and misconduct by the

president we gathered to date is clear and hardly in dispute. republicans argue no evidence ties president trump to quid pro quo lester >> kristen welker at the white house. thank you. the newest democratic candidate for president making his first campaign stop today. mike bloomberg launching a blistering attack on president trump. let's get more on that from nbc's andrea mitchell. >> reporter: after years of will he or won't he three-term new york mayor michael bloomberg, a former republican turned independent a democrat, in a virginia diner today now a presidential candidate. no kickoff rally with supporters just an announcement with reporters. >> i am running for president to defeat donald trump and to unite and rebuild america. >> reporter: fearing a biden slump, a warren surge and a trump victory, bloomberg saw an opening, launching a record $30 million in tv ads to instant criticism from opponents. >> michael bloomberg is making a

bet about democracy in 2020. he doesn't need people he only needs bags and bags of money. >> reporter: the self made mega billionaire is skipping the early primaries. but can bloomberg win over african americans despite his stop and frisk program, ruled unconstitutional for targeting people of color? he apologized a week ago. >> i was wrong and i'm sorry. >> reporter: bloomberg's campaign tells us he thinks only a moderate can beat president trump in the critical battle ground state the test for bloomberg is persuading enough democrats to get the chance to take on the president. lester >> all right andrea mitchell, thank you. the parents of a university of utah student allegedly murdered by a man she dated while on the phone with her mom are recusing the school of not doing enough to protect her after she raised red flags here is nbc's steve patterson. >> reporter: tonight, the parents of 21-year-old lauren

mckcluskey are demanding justic. >> it's been over a year since our smart, beautiful and athletic daughter lauren was murdered on the university of utah campus. >> reporter: she was shot and killed last october by melvin rowland, a 37-year-old convicted sex offender she ended her brief relationship with him after learning he had been lying about his name, age and criminal history now, her parents are suing the university claiming campus police ignored their daughter's pleas for help. >> my daughter is a university of utah and she just called us and looks like she was being attacked. >> reporter: the lawsuit alleges lauren contacted university police several times about roland's intimidating behavior weeks before she was killed. >> they did not believe her, and they were dismissive the university repeatedly and consistently ignored its obligation. >> reporter: this september, the university filed the motion to

dismiss the suit arguing rowland wasn't affiliated with the university and said the mistakes led to her death the university today says it is working with several organizations on preventing violent crimes against women and promoting victim safety. a family demanding change after they say no one was listening when their daughter spoke out. steve patterson, nbc news. there is outrage tonight after a man suffering a stroke couldn't get help for several minutes because he didn't have the exact address. nbc's stephanie gosk with the story first reported by our chicago station wmaq. >> the whole room went bizarre. >> reporter: dwayne knew it was an emergency. >> chicago emergency, jennings. >> reporter: the 52-year-old pennsylvania native was far from home and suffering from a major stroke. >> i'm at the thompson chicago hotel. >> you're what >> sorry, it's hard to talk.

>> reporter: the call transferred to paramedics. >> so what is it you're looking for, sir >> an ambulance. i'm dizzy. my face is going numb. >> what is your address, sir >> i'm at the thompson chicago hotel. >> reporter: again says where he is. >> i need you to look on a business card or something and see what the address is, sir. >> i'm so dizzy i can't stand up. >> reporter: instead of looking up the address of the hotel, the dispatcher asks him to find it himself. >> the thompson chicago hotel. >> i understand, sir i'm not there. you are. i need you to help yourself here a little bit and get us an address so we can get you an ambulance. >> i finally got frustrated and i hung up from 911 and i'm now lying in the bed staring at the ceiling thinking this is it. >> reporter: unable to call the front desk, he finally gets address using siri.

>> i call 911 back and i'm trying to remember address. >> what hotel? where you at >> the thompson chicago. >> reporter: again, he's asked to produce address. >> where is that at? >> it's 21 east -- hang on one second i have to look at the address. 21 east bellevue place. >> reporter: the dispatcher appears not to have heard. >> yeah, give me address. >> i'm trying to switch. my phone won't let me switch. >> reporter: precious time passing until a police officer who had remained on the line speaks up. >> he said 21 east bellevue place. >> reporter: altogether, nearly ten minutes pass the before he got 911 to send an ambulance. >> you type it in on the line and hit search and it comes up i don't know why they had such a hard time for that the fact that it didn't even

occur to them as a possibility instead of just insisting on him finding an address is mind-blowing. >> reporter: chicago emergency services tells nbc station wmaq their systems are not connected to the internet for security reasons. adding the new technology that we are rolling out will help resolve this challenge moving forward. rabil is at home in pennsylvania recovering. >> so, stephanie, the big question then is why can't 911 track a call from cell phones? >> lester, chicago is one of many places around the country with an old 911 system emergency services are now scrambling to update those systems with new technology improving response times even a little bit can save thousands of lives. >> all right as millions of us get ready to travel for thanksgiving and the holiday season, how can you be sure your checked luggage arrives when you do? tom costello goes behind the scenes and shows us. >> reporter: 1.4 million pieces

of luggage move through america's airports every single day. >> no lithium batteries and no e-cigarettes, right? >> right. >> reporter: from the ticket counter to belts, to tsa, and the belly of a plane. >> do you have any problems in the bag, that's what you'll report back. >> reporter: throughout the journey, every bar coded bag is constantly scanned and tracked. >> realtime tracking allows our customers to know where their bag is throughout their journey. >> reporter: in philadelphia, the entire process can run two miles. every single checked bag goes through a that c.t. scanner. anything that looks suspicious gets diverted for a second look. roughly 12% of checked bags in philadelphia require extra screening. what is it igethscreen. >> it's wrapped food and fish in here. >> reporter: fish? >> you have some meat. >> reporter: the travel tips, weigh your luggage at home if it's over 50 pounds you'll

pay more and use the app to track your bag realtime and leave a travel itinerary with your name inside the bag just in case it gets lost. if the tsa does open your bag. >> i call it my love note. >> reporter: your love note? >> yes. they know i was in there >> reporter: you may find a tsa love note once you get where you're going tom costello, nbc news, philadelphia. >> all important advice. up ahead, as we continue, the massive jewel heist caught on camera. the thieves that made off with priceless treasures. the best holiday gifts this season may not fit in a box. we'll tell you where to look for the best deals on dream vacations. hope you can stay with us.

a manhunt is under way tonight after a brazen heist at a museum in germany. thieves making off with a priceless hall of jewels here is kelly cobiella. >> reporter: it's called the green vault but in a matter of minutes police say thieves broke in a security camera capturing two

of them, before dawn, with flashlights in the jewel room pulling out an ax, hacking their way through display cases holding nearly 100 sparkling artifacts. getting away with diamond broaches and sword, a strange of pearls the jewels so precious officials say they can't put a price on them the museum director said the stolen treasures from the 18th century were handed down over generations. the green vault and royal palace ne of rope's oldest museums home to 4,000 artifacts including the 41 carat dresden green diamond. it and more than a dozen other valuables are safe and sound tonight in new york to the metropolitan museum of arts. tonight investigators in germany are combing for clues. they think someone set a fire to plunge the area into darkness but so far no sign of the brazen

thieves or dresden's priceless treasures. kelly cobiella, nbc news. why so many are giving the gift of travel this season the deals you won't want to miss

in tonight's "price you pay," ahead of black friday, our jo ling kent explains why the hottest gifts aren't necessarily the kind you can wrap in a bow. >> reporter: beyond electronics, toys and clothes, the best deal this holiday season may be a trip to paradise consumers, especially millennials, are spending more and more on experiences rather than stuff and companies have noticed. hotels, airlines and cruise liners are rolling out deep discounts right now. there's even deals to ride the rails. amtrak is running a track friday sale priceline promoting 200 million in deals with a new flash sale every two hours. and some major airlines expected to release discounts on some international and domestic routes your favorite theme parks also

cutting prices, including 10% off parks in orlando. experts recommend, do research in advance so you know if the deal is a good one check the fine print for restricted dates and fundability and set price alerts for the dream destination now and sign up for e-mails from local tourism burroughs and check company's social media and make sure you're buying from a credible company to make sure you're not getting scammed if the deals aren't good, keep refreshing the discounts will continue through travel tuesday, next week lester >> thanks.

he's the hero dog we got to know after he chased down the world's most wanted terrorist. today, he was at the white house. here is kristen dahlgren.

>> reporter: in a surprise ceremony, the combat canine getting a hero's welcome at the white house. >> came over from the middle east, just arrived with some of the great people from the special forces. >> reporter: the belgium dog was injured in the raid that killed the isis leader last month he since healed and returned to active duty but today was accepting accolades, receiving a medal and a plaque along with some pats on the head. >> the dog is incredible actually, incredible we spent some good time with it and so brilliant, so smart. >> reporter: the world first learned of conan in a tweet after the raid the president then teasing the white house visit. avenue be a permanent home for the pooch? >> melania, do you want to adopt the dog for baron? >> no. >> reporter: so his future may not be as first pup but in many minds tonight, he's definitely top dog. kristen dahlgren, nbc news. >> good dog, indeed.

that's "nightly news." i'm lester hol right now at 6:00, a long criminal history. the new details we're learning about a san jose man accused of having pipe bombs in his home. >> i'll have the latest in the storm set to start arriving tomorrow. we'll get you to the hour by hour forecast. >> one of the most notorious problems f updge on the fight a the dirty streets. >> the news at 6:00 starts right now. good evening and thanks for being with us. >> filthy, smelly, and unsanitary, an nbc bay area investigative report brought the full problem to light. the streets of san francisco are just plain dirty and getting dirtier. however there are a few spots

where the amount of human and pet waste is a little bit less. the city believes it's because of 24 hour publics. they're calling for more toilets. >> reporter: there was a rally earlier today. the toilet that you see behind me is one of three that will open for 24 hours. the other is on castro and market and one south of market. today mat hany was leading the rally on this one celebrating the extense of a pilot program to keep the toilets open around the clock. >> keep this bathroom open 24 hours permanently. >> reporter: matt haney led