Christians Targeted: ISIS Expands Terror Wave to New Territory

One email, every night, with the news you care about from the Nightly News team.

Snow Emergency  The Northeast, already buried in snow, is now freezing over. An Arctic blast is setting record lows from Maine to New York — and in Boston it felt like 26 below zero. Mass transit there is frozen and crippled, and the city’s mayor is asking residents coping with record snow to “continue to remain patient and calm.” A Coast Guard ice breaker plowing through Boston harbor encountered ice so thick it stopped the ship. Learn More

Snow Slams the South  Winter misery extended to the South today, where snow, ice and freezing rain made for treacherous conditions from Arkansas to Virginia. Four-wheel drive vehicles are in high demand in Kentucky, there’s a sheet of ice covering the roads in Nashville, and throughout the region, vehicles swerved out of control. Learn More

Christians Targeted  After a video released over the weekend showed 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians paraded along the Tripoli waterfront and beheaded, Egypt is fighting back with its first military action against the terror group. Air strikes rained down on Libya, where ISIS has spread its wave of terror. The Pope had this to say about its latest victims: "Their only words were Jesus help me. They were killed simply for the fact that they were Christians." Learn More

Denmark’s Terror Attacks  Two men have been charged with aiding the gunman in Denmark’s deadly weekend terror attack involving a cafe and a synagogue. An audio recording captured the moment when 30 shots were fired. As thousands rally in unity, Copenhagen’s Jewish community is defiant. Still, there are more signs of growing anti-Semitism in Europe. Learn More

‘American Sniper’ Confession  Jurors heard accused murderer Eddie Ray Routh describe the guns he used and how he tried to escape after shooting “American Sniper” Chris Kyle in a taped confession played in court today. The recording lasted nearly an hour and included Routh asking for his parents, and saying “I’m just sorry for what I’ve done.” Learn More

Hip Replacements at 45?  It was once a surgery for seniors. But now people in their forties and fifties are taking on the ordeal of a total hip replacement in much greater numbers. Rates have doubled for those 45 and older in the past decade, a study finds. One doctor explained it by saying “people just really want to keep living that active lifestyle.” Learn More

Going Home  It was a mad dash to the water from a very happy group of swimmers. Rehabilitated sea lions were released back into the ocean from Laguna Beach over the weekend. As the video shows, they went as fast as their flippers would carry them. Learn More

What a Party  Eddie Murphy, Steve Martin and so many who gained fame on “Saturday Night Live” through the decades returned to its stage for the show’s 40th anniversary on Sunday. NBC’s Lester Holt brings you the highlights of the star-studded reunion from the famous halls of Studio 8-H, where it all happened. Learn More