News Information and Media Site: Nightly Rundown: Coast-to-coast Thanksgiving storm; Trump Cabinet picks targeted with bomb threats; 3 Americans freed in swap with China

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By Dan Donahue

Wednesday, November 27, 2024

Good Wednesday afternoon. A coast-to-coast storm is threatening Thanksgiving travel, the FBI is investigating bomb threats targeting President-elect Trump's Cabinet picks, and three Americans have been released in a prisoner swap with China.

Here is what's in our Nightly Rundown.

Coast-to-coast storm threatens to disrupt Thanksgiving travel for millions

Al Roker is tracking a major storm on the move across the country just as a record number of Americans are expected to travel for the Thanksgiving holiday.

In the skies today, hundreds of flights have been delayed by weather in Denver, while a shortage of air traffic controllers is causing ground delays in Newark.

The storm is delivering rain to the Midwest that will intensify this evening from St. Louis to Indianapolis and into Pittsburgh. Airports in Kansas City and St. Louis are expected to see weather impacts, with slowdowns possible in Nashville, Dallas, Houston and Austin.

Thanksgiving Day is shaping up to be a washout along the East Coast, with rain expected up and down the I-95 corridor from Florida to Maine, and accumulating snow for the interior Northeast and northern New England.

If you're planning to travel for the holiday, here are some of the best and worst times to leave.

Trump's Cabinet picks targeted with bomb and "swatting" threats, FBI says

The FBI said it is investigating several bomb and "swatting" threats against President-elect Donald Trump's Cabinet picks.

"The FBI is aware of numerous bomb threats and swatting incidents targeting incoming administration nominees and appointees, and we are working with our law enforcement partners," the agency said in a statement.

The nominees and appointees "were targeted in violent, unAmerican threats to their lives and those who live with them," Trump transition spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.

Three senior law enforcement officials briefed on a swatting incident involving multiple Trump allies told NBC News that the threats were not credible.

No devices or physical dangers were found, and some of the threats may have come through social media, the officials said, and the threats did not involve U.S. Secret Service protectees such as Trump or Vice President-elect JD Vance.

Three Americans released in prisoner swap with China, official says

Three American citizens who had been detained for years in China have been released, a State Department spokesperson said today.

The three men, Mark Swidan, Kai Li and John Leung, will soon be reunited with their families, according to the spokesman.

"Thanks to this administration's efforts and diplomacy with the PRC, all of the wrongfully detained Americans in the PRC are home," the spokesperson said, referring to the People's Republic of China.

The three were released as part of a prisoner swap for Xu Yanjun, an officer in China's Ministry of State Security, and Ji Chaoqun, a Chinese national, a U.S. government official said.

Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire takes effect in Lebanon

After more than a year of fighting, a U.S.-brokered cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah has taken effect and appears to be holding in southern Lebanon.

Under the deal, Israeli forces will withdraw from southern Lebanon, and Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group, will retreat north, about 18 miles from the border with Israel.

Those Hezbollah fighters will be replaced by 5,000 troops from the Lebanese army, which was not officially a party to the conflict.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threw his support behind the ceasefire Tuesday, calling it an opportunity to focus on threats from Iran. But he warned Israel would "respond forcefully" if the ceasefire is violated.

What else we're watching:

Tonight Lester Holt interviews Sunita Williams, one of two NASA astronauts who've been stuck in space for months, as she prepares to celebrate Thanksgiving on the International Space Station.

A California man has been charged after allegedly trying to fly with two suitcases filled with clothing caked in illegal drugs, federal prosecutors said.

A man who went missing 25 years ago has been reunited with his family after they saw his photo in a USA Today report, authorities said.

The Northern Lights may be visible across these parts of the U.S. on Thanksgiving.

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade returns tomorrow with some new surprises.

Watch us this evening at 6:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. CT on NBC, or check your local NBC station listing. After the broadcast, access Nightly News video on NBCNightlyNews.com or the NBC News app.