Bitter Cold Blankets Country, As Chill Moves East

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

AirAsia Families' Agonizing Wait  The start of 2015 in Surabaya, Indonesia was marked by the arrival of coffins carrying victims of AirAsia Flight 8501. So far, the bodies of only nine of the 162 passengers on board have been recovered, as weather continues to impede efforts. Searchers are now focusing on a dark shadow about 100 feet below the water they believe could be the bulk of the plane’s fuselage.     Learn More

Bitter Cold Blast  At the Rose Parade in Pasadena today floats were covered in flowers, while spectators covered up in blankets to brave the bitter cold. A winter chill dropped snow on Southern Arizona and turned roads to ice in Texas and Oklahoma, causing hundreds of accidents. As the blast moves east, parts of New York and Pennsylvania could get hit by more than a foot of snow.     Learn More

Welcoming 2015  The first day of the new year began with many of the usual festivities and celebrations. Hundreds of Bostonians took a polar plunge into the frigid waters of Dorchester Bay. Pope Francis shared wishes for the new year. Philadelphia’s Mummers Parade lived up to its 115 year tradition. Find out which city won fireworks 'free-for-all' of the night.     Learn More

New Year, New Laws  Along with minimum wage increases in 20 states, a host of new laws took effect across the country today. In Illinois, employers must now provide pregnant workers accommodations like frequent rest breaks. In California and Connecticut, undocumented immigrants can now apply for driver’s licenses. NBC’s Pete Williams on the newest laws of 2015.     Learn More

Mexico’s Missing Students  Mexico has been rocked by a wave of violent protests ever since late September, when 43 college students went missing. The FBI is now helping with the investigation at the request of the Mexican government, but a new report accuses Mexican federal authorities of conspiring with local police in the attack. The federal police declined to comment to NBC News, but one reporter says, “Nothing was an accident that night."     Learn More

Where is Missing MH370?  It’s one of the biggest mysteries in aviation history. Nearly ten months since Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 vanished from the skies, there is not a trace of the plane and the 239 passengers who were on board. What makes this search so difficult from the AirAsia crash is the complete lack of physical evidence in the ocean's waters.     Learn More

Out with the Old  The promises we make and the habits we’re hoping to break to start 2015 on the right foot -- what you’ve shared with us about your new year’s resolutions.     Learn More