killed by an army psychiatrist. we're gathering more information for you at 6:00. >> brian williams continues our coverage on "nightly news." see you in 30 minutes. on our broadcast tonight, breaking news. a shooting at the army base in fort hood, texas. there are multiple injuries. we'll have a live report. sounding the alarm after a powerful earthquake triggers tsunami fears as far away as hawaii. tonight after a shaky time, what they're doing to prepare in l.a. where a lot of experts continue to say it's not a matter of if but when. big money. a major ruling froa divided supreme court today further opening the floodgates for wealthy donors to influence american politics. and "making a difference." ann curry with tonight's report about a young woman's inspiring effort to pay it forward in life. "nightly news" begins now. >> announcer: from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. good evening.

and we're going to begin here tonight with a breaking news story. and once again tonight, we are covering reports of a shooting at fort hood in texas. tonight after initial word of gunfire on the base which, of course, went through that mass shooting back in '09, witnesses then heard the sound of helicopters and sirens and on a base they were told to take shelter where they were and stay away from doors and windows. with the latest on what we know, from fort hood, jim miklaszewski is at the pentagon for us tonight. jim, good evening. u.s. military officials tell nbc news that there are four dead as a result of the shooting rampage at fort hood today. the shooter himself who it appears may have committed suicide and three victims who died of their wounds. the soldier was an enlisted soldier, 34-year-old ivan lopez

who apparently got into some kind of argument in the motor pool, pulled a gun and started shooting. no word yet on why this argument occurred and why he would have pulled out a weapon. the base was on lockdown for several hours. that lockdown has been lifted now. but u.s. military officials again confirm that four dead, the shooter and three of his victims. and we expect a news conference from fort hood shortly, brian. >> more when we know it from fort hood. jim miklaszewski at the pentagon for us tonight, thanks. now to last night's powerful earthquake in south america. powerful enough to trigger a tsunami warning all the way west in hawaii. and, of course, it comes after what's been a shaky time in california where it has focused experts on the quake prognosis and preparation. our report on all of it tonight from nbc's mark potter. >> reporter: the moment of terror captured on cell phone video. the massive 8.2 quake knocked

down buildings, triggered landslides, cut off power, and sparked fires that raged for hours. at least six people were killed. seven-foot waves hammered chile's coast, destroying dozens of boats in this fishing village. during a tsunami, authorities evacuated nearly 1 million along the coast, jamming roads for miles. recovery efforts have been hampered by cracked highways and flooded streets. authorities here have been preparing for years for the big one. [ sirens ] experts say this wasn't it, but still sirens in chile rattled nerves all along what's called the ring of fire, running from new zealand through indonesia and japan, across to alaska, and down the west coast of the americas. a zone of intense seismic and volcanic activity. the circles in yellow are large earthquakes just within the past two weeks. >> california's really too far away from chile to see anything. >> reporter: lucy jones is a seismologist helping the city of los angeles prepare for the big

one. >> we have buildings that will kill people. we know which ones they are. we need to find a way to get them retrofitted. >> reporter: last friday a 5.1 quake hit along the puente hills thrust fault, followed by hundreds of aftershocks. the puente hills fault is of particular concern because it runs right back there, directly beneath the l.a. city skyline from the heavily populated suburbs to the hollywood hills. it's been 20 years since the 6.7 north ridge earthquake shook los angeles, killing nearly 60 people. since then, it's been relatively quiet, raising concerns that angelenos aren't ready. >> 20 years has made us complacent. 20 years has made us think that's something in the past. that's not going to happen in the future. we live on active faults every si single day. >> reporter: experts believe a massive quake on this fault could kill up to 18,000 people and cause up to $250 billion in damage. >> if we have too big an earthquake with too much damage, people are going to give up on the city and leave. >> reporter: authorities say

they can't predict when that quake will hit but insist it is inevitable. mark potter, nbc news, los angeles. the supreme court today further opened the floodgates on the role of big money in american politics. in a 5-4 decision, the justices struck down restrictions long in place on the grand total any one person can contribute to all federal candidates for office, allowing wealthy donors to have an even bigger influence in politics. our justice correspondent, pete williams, at the supreme court for us tonight. pete, good evening. >> reporter: brian, good evening. the court left intact how much any person can give to a single federal candidate, but it did away with the limit on how much anybody can give to all candidates put together. a deeply divided court today struck down a post-watergate ceiling on how much any one person can give in total political contributions during a campaign. now almost $49,000 to all candidates and another roughly $75,000 to all political parties and pacs.

the five-member majority said the court has long found political spending to be free speech. chief justice john roberts said the government can no more restrict how many candidates a donor may support than it may tell a newspaper how many candidates it may endorse. dramatically summarizing the dissent, justice stephen breyer said the ruling eviscerates the nation's campaign finance laws, letting the rich drown out other views. where big money calls the tune, he said, the voices of the people will not be heard. supporters of the law that was struck down say look no further than what happened last weekend in las vegas. >> ladies and gentlemen, governor scott walker. >> reporter: three potential republican candidates for president including governor chris christie showed up at an event put on by billionaire casino owner sheldon adelson who along with his wife spent more than $93 million in the 2012 elections. the candidates were clearly there to woo him and his sizeable checkbook. >> hey, listen. sheldon, thanks for inviting me. >> reporter: supporters of the

contribution limits say the ruling increases the political power of the super rich like adelson. >> now he can give more money directly to congressional candidates than he was able to do before today's decision came down. >> reporter: the ruling undoubtedly means more big money in politics. >> today's ruling is going to cause the same explosion of spending on congressional races that we've seen in the presidential level. in 2000, bush and gore spent a combined $130 million on that general election. 12 years later, obama and romney spent $2 billion. >> reporter: but republicans call the ruling a victory for political freedom. >> it brings the political parties, i think the most accountable groups in america, a little bit closer to exercising our first amendment rights just like everybody else. >> reporter: republicans were hoping the court would use this case to strike down nearly all limits on campaign contributions, but only one justice, clarence thomas, seemed willing to go that far, brian. >> pete, back to the voice of the people as justice breyer put it, for the people who think what happened today was bad,

looking for remedies, what would those be? >> reporter: well, there's not much congress can do because the court said this is based on the constitution, and there are indications in this ruling that the court seems willing to strike down more and more contribution limits as they come here. the john roberts court has yet to uphold a challenged contribution limit. >> pete williams at the supreme court where today's decision was handed down. pete, thanks. day two of testimony for the new ceo of gm. she came under withering attack for the company's failure to order a recall over a decade ago in time to potentially save at least 13 lives, maybe more. general motors was today accused of criminal behavior by u.s. senators, many of them former prosecutors. but when they demanded more information from the ceo, mary barra, she didn't have much to offer. our report tonight from nbc's tom costello in washington. >> reporter: amy rademaker, natasha wagel, michael sharkey, brooke melton, just a few of the

young victims whose deaths have been linked to a defect in half a dozen gm models. >> the families are here. the victims are here. they want to be vindicated. >> reporter: this time in front of a senate committee, the ceo of gm, a 33-year veteran, still could not answer basic questions about gm policies and a decade delay in ordering an ignition switch recall. >> i don't know. i want to know that answer. i don't have the complete facts to share with you today. >> ms. barra, i really hate to say this, but if this is the new gm leadership, it's pretty lacking. >> reporter: if there's a smoking gun, it may be this internal gm document obtained by nbc news. authorizing a redesign to the defective part of the ignition switch for new cars in 2006. the name on the form, design engineer ray digiorgio. former prosecutor turned senator claire mccaskill. >> here's a document that he signed under his name, approving of the change.

>> reporter: but the part numbers remained the same for both new and old, making any change hard to track. >> is he still working there every day? >> yes. >> reporter: meanwhile, a house investigation has turned up more internal gm documents that cited high costs as a reason for not ordering fixes way back in 2005. one saying the cost of the ignition switch would go up by 90 cents. ceo barra promised action if gm's investigation finds wrongdoing. >> if that means that there's disciplinary actions up to and including termination, we will do that. >> reporter: all of it too painful for the family of sara troutwine. they now believe her fatal accident in 2009 may have been the result of the gm defect. >> i don't know how they sleep at night. i really don't. there's many people out there that lost loved ones for a $2 fix. >> reporter: while gm has an internal investigation under way, the justice department has launched its own criminal investigation. tom costello, nbc news, washington. well, this was bound to come up due to the tensions right now

between the u.s. and russia over ukraine. and considering the united states has no other way right now of sending astronauts into space other than to get a ride with the russian space program. nasa officials tell nbc news they are drawing up plans to curtail some of the cooperative work they do with the russians like meetings and travel between nations, but so far not including the big-ticket items of sending astronauts to the international space station. ♪ it was a scene so emotional today in watertown, mass, it was tough to watch as final respects were paid to boston fire lieutenant edward walsh. 43 years old. he left a wife and three children under the age of 10. among the mourners, walsh's young nephew wearing his own firefighting turnout gear. walsh will be buried next to his father, a former watertown firefighter. services for 33-year-old michael kennedy, an iraq combat veteran, will be held on thursday. still ahead tonight, the crackdown on texting behind the wheel in this country.

beyond the warnings, a new way some police are looking for them and taking action. and later, the surprising update tonight about the photo taken yesterday at the white house.

tomorrow morning the federal government is launching a major new ad campaign to warn about the dangers of texting while driving. we all remember past campaigns, don't drink and drive, use your seat belts. well, this new ad campaign is aimed at all the people who think they can text behind the wheel because they've done it before. they're in control. it only takes a second. the problem is, when it leads to an accident, even a deadly accident, advocates say the person texting often goes unpunished because investigations aren't thorough enough. but as our national correspondent kate snow reports tonight, there is great pressure on that to change. >> you look and you think, how did he not get a chance to grow up? >> reporter: debbie and ben lieberman's teenage son, evan,

was getting a ride to his summer job with friends in june of 2011 when the car he was a passenger in crossed the yellow line, hitting an oncoming vehicle. he was airlifted to a hospital. >> he had a lot of internal bleeding but evan was awake and was in pain. he said please take the pain away. just take the pain away. obviously they assured him that they would and said everything will be okay. we'll see you after. >> evan died a month later and his parents began to question the investigation into the driver's story that he fell asleep at the wheel. >> as soon as i saw the phone records, i saw a very different story. >> reporter: what did they show? >> they showed texting throughout the drive. >> reporter: the driver later admitted to texting earlier in the ride but said he was not using the phone when the crash happened. the liebermans were frustrated police never asked to see the phone at the scene and say the records they subpoenaed indicated it was left in the car, hauled to a junkyard. what do you think they might have found if they had asked for the driver's phone?

>> a half-typed message is possible. an open facebook page. >> either there's something there or there's not something there. but if you don't ask for it, you'll never know. >> reporter: more often than not advocates say law enforcement officials don't ask for the phone. >> it's a catch-as-catch-can. >> reporter: attorney todd clement represents accident victims in civil cases and says distracted driving should be investigated as vigorously as drunk driving. >> when somebody is suspected of drunk driving, there's an immediate test to determine whether or not they're drunk. there is no breathalyzer for distracted driving. >> reporter: but there is this. a device ohio and other states are already using. >> we can scroll down and actually see what was on the device itself. call logs, contacts. >> reporter: with a warrant or the owner's consent, ohio state highway patrol can plug in any phone and look for clues about what an ohio driver was doing just before impact. here's an example. >> these were the last two messages that were sent just before the crash. and then you have the text directly after the crash.

>> reporter: but civil liberties groups have concerns. the u.s. supreme court is right now considering whether investigators can search phones without a warrant or if that violates the constitution. as for the young man driving evan that morning, his attorney tells nbc news there's no evidence texting contributed to the accident. the dmv suspended his license for a year. for the liebermans, that doesn't feel like justice. they want phones checked routinely after any serious accident. >> you don't realize how everything falls apart when that one person is gone. if we could save somebody from understanding that as well as we understand it, then we'll have done something. >> reporter: kate snow, nbc news, new york. and we are back tonight after a break with what's behind tonight's global show of blue.

this is the night each year so many of the world's architectural landmarks get lit

up in blue. thanks to the folks at autism speaks, over 8,400 landmarks in 101 nations around the world, all of it to deliver the message of awareness for the 70 million people around the world with autism. you may have heard mention this morning of a new salt study just out today. it's generating a lot of talk and some controversy tonight. because this study from denmark finds the current guidelines for our intake of salt may be too low. it finds most people have no reason to change their dietary salt habits. and because it has generated so much discussion, our own dr. nancy snyderman will take on the topic on our website tonight. that's nbcnews.com. you know that announcement about promotional consideration that comes on at the end of some tv shows? well, promotional consideration appears to have played a role in the selfie that david ortiz took with the president yesterday at the red sox event at the white house. the picture of potus and big papi got wide distribution, and

note the device he used. it's a samsung galaxy. samsung admitted today they have a relationship with ortiz, not unlike ellen degeneres using the galaxy for the most-ever tweeted selfie from the oscars. attention american bosses. employers in germany along with the government there are leading a movement to reduce stress among workers. by asking managers not to e-mail or call their people after hours like the old days to save them from undue stress, enhance their well-being and avoid burnout. now experts in britain are calling on managers there to follow suit. and a quirk of meteorology has reminded those in the british isles it's a small world after all, and at times, it's unhealthy. the air in london has taken on a brownish gray cast of late in part because of sand being kicked up north from a storm in the sahara desert. the sand is mixing with polluted air from the industrialized sections of the uk. it has resulted in warnings to

those susceptible to respiratory illnesses. when we come back here tonight, the value of pennies making a big difference to those in need.

nbc news and "nbc nightly news" with brian williams, recipients of the 2014 peabody award for our series of reports on poverty in america, "in plain sight." and our "making a difference" report tonight deals with exactly that topic, combating poverty in america. it's a subject ann curry has reported on for us over the years as part of our team. and tonight she reports on an extraordinary teenager who has overcome great obstacles in her own life and is now determined to help others who find themselves in a position she knows all too well. tonight ann curry tells us how this teenager is making a difference. >> reporter: if you've ever questioned the value of a penny, you need to meet chandra starr who's found a way to turn all this zinc and copper into the equivalent of gold. organic fresh produce for the homeless and hungry in glenwood springs, colorado.

>> there you go. >> thank you. >> reporter: 13 years old, in junior high, helping the needy is an accomplishment. but that is only where chandra's story begins. seven years ago chandra was one of them, hungry and homeless, for a time living in a tent in the mountains with her mother, kim. what do you really remember about being here when you were so small? >> just the cold nights and snuggling up with my mom. >> reporter: i'm trying to imagine what this must have been like for you to -- >> it was devastating. really. >> reporter: the food was appreciated but offered few fruits and vegetables. chandra gained weight and was diagnosed as pre-diabetic. >> i cried every time i went to the grocery store. every time i had to decide on what to cook for dinner. >> reporter: when they got back on their feet last fall, chandra wanted to build a vegetable garden for the needy, raising money through a million penny project. that's a lot of pennies. >> there is a lot of pennies everywhere. you can find them on the ground.

you might be collecting spare change. >> reporter: all around town, the coins are now coming in. >> i think it's incredible, and i think it's a great thing she's doing. >> reporter: younger ones like this fourth grader are inspired to start their own penny projects. >> one of my family members has cancer. and i think that it would be a really, really good idea to raise money for him. >> reporter: if chandra reaches her goal, her garden will provide 2,000 people with fresh produce for an entire season. >> i'm so happy that she picked something that was so close to both of us in a way that maybe she knew, maybe she didn't. >> reporter: do you think that because of your homelessness here, that maybe something good came out of it? >> we've learned that we can handle anything. if we just have the courage and the strength to get through it. >> reporter: her hope untarnished by her experience, now using that strength to help so many others, one penny at a time. ann curry, nbc news, glenwood springs, colorado.

and that is our broadcast on this wednesday night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. we, of course, hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. >> the story continues to unfold at this hour. a devastating scene in texas. the gunman is dead. authorities say he is ivan lopez, an enlisted soldier. they say he took his own life after opening fire around 4:30 central time in fort hood. lopez was among the four killed. we're hearing that at least six

people were hurt, one remains in critical condition right now. witnesses say they heard powerful gunshots. president obama releasing this statement just moments ago. >> i want to just assure all of us that we are going to get to the bottom of exactly what happened. any shooting is troubling. obviously, this reopens the pain of what happened at fort hood five years ago. >> the president speaking from chicago tonight. shooting is a grim reminder of what happened in 2009. an army psychiatrist shot and killed 14 people, also at fort hood. we'll keep you updated as warranted. you can get up to the minute information at nbcbayarea.com. back here in the bay area, a double crisis for the city of san jose at the same time the police department is losing veteran office