but flying and circled before crashing just miles before the airport. >> one of the considerations the investigators are going to look at is if the airplane was too low on fuel and

at its maximum range. >> a surviving flight attendant told rescuers the plane had run out of fuel. accompanying the team on the plane, 21 journalists, hoping to cover a fairy tale ending for a team that had surpassed all expectations, only to end in tragedy. late word that surgeons had to amputate the right leg of surviving goalkeeper jackson follmann. meanwhile, the colombian team that was scheduled to play against the brazilians today asked the south american soccer the championship title to their brazilian competitors. lester? >> tom costello, thank you. now to the investigation at ohio state where the fbi is trying to determine what set off a student to plow his car into a crowd, then go on a horrific stabbing spree yesterday. was there a connection to isis, or any other terror group? nbc's stephanie gosk has more. >> reporter: tonight the fbi is poring over abdul artan's laptop and other digital devices. law enforcement tells nbc news, there's no

disputing a claim from the islamic state media arm that he was working with them. authorities say they also have no reason to think his family knew what he was planning. artan smashed his car into an osu sidewalk and stabbed people with a butcher knife that authorities say he bought that morning at a local walmart. law enforcement officials also say a post was left on his facebook page, expressing anger over attacks on muslims worldwide. >> it scares me. it scares me that i live right next door to that. and didn't even know. >> reporter: neighbor louann carnahan was in shock. >> very nice people. the boy was very pleasant. >> reporter: artan's family fled somalia in 2007, lived in pakistan until 2014, when they moved to the united states. this is artan celebrating his graduation from community college just last spring. neighbors and friends say he was a devout muslim. amir kadar prayed with

two weeks ago. >> did he sound frustrated with the country? >> no. at all. he actually loved america. he loved the fact of the opportunity he had here to go to school. >> reporter: but police say artan attacked that school. >> flipped me up in the air. >> reporter: professor william clark said he thought it was a traffic accident at first. >> but then several people started shouting immediately. >> reporter: tonight, only three of the 11 injured are still in the hospital. stephanie gosk, nbc a late flurry this evening of cabinet picks from president-elect donald trump. nbc news has learned steven mnuchin is expected to be named trump's pick for treasury secretary as soon as tomorrow. >> and investor wilbur ross is expected to be his pick to lead the commerce department. elaine chao, wife of senate majority leader mitch mcconnell is trump's pick for transportation secretary. also a georgia congressman, tom

trump's pick for secretary of health and human services. we have a lot more on that in just a moment. but first, the president-elect is overshadowing his own cabinet picks with his threat today about jailing or perhaps revoking citizenship for people who burn american flags in protest. that, experts say, would be unconstitutional. we get details on this new firestorm from nbc's hallie jackson. >> reporter: the that's protected, though not popular. >> one flag was set on fire. one was -- >> reporter: not long after this segment about a college protest in which an american flag was burned, a trump tweet. quote, nobody should be allowed to burn the american flag. if they do, there must be consequences, perhaps loss of citizenship, or year in jail. but burning the flag is a form of free speech under the first amendment, upheld twice by the supreme court. >> in this country, we have a long tradition of respecting

matter. >> reporter: it's not that americans like flag-burning. in fact, before those court rulings, 48 of 50 states had laws banning it. in 2005, hillary clinton backed a bill that would jail flag-burners. still to some, more troubling than trump's threat to imprison protesters who burn the flag, is his suggestion of stripping citizenship. that would also be unconstitutional. >> the supreme court has ruled that taking someone's citizenship away can't be used as a punishment. that citizenship isn't a license that expires when someone commits a crime. >> reporter: now even newt gingrich, a high profile trump ally says he's got his own concerns about certain trump tweets, like a recent one on voter fraud, pointing to the different weight of a president's words, versus a candidate's. >> presidents of the united states can't randomly tweet without having somebody check it out. >> the president-elect

tour, kicking off thursday in cincinnati. he seemed to enjoy the energy of those campaign rallies as candidate. now as president-elect, lester, packing his bags to get back on the road. >> all right, hallie jackson, thank you. let's turn back to the president-elect's pick for health and human services. it's shining a spotlight on the coming effort to repeal and replace obamacare. the question for millions who depend on it, what next? nbc's kristen welker has that story? >> reporter: since obamacare's implementation six years ago, georgia congressman tom price has been proposing ways to dismantle it. >> a mandate that the government tells you what kind of health care you've got to have? is that what you want? >> no! >> reporter: now as president-elect trump's pick for secretary of health and human services, he has his chance. mr. trump's promise to eliminate obamacare could leave the 28

limbo. like adam koons. he says obamacare has helped him manage his diabetes. and while mr. trump has said he's open to protecting those with pre-existing conditions, koons isn't convinced. >> it's about trying to stay alive. i can't live without insulin. it's not a choice that i have insulin. i either get it or i die. >> reporter: kate gonzedo is worrying too, wondering if her birth control plan will be scrapped. if obamacare is repealed. so she opted for a longer lasting iud. >> i made the appointment right uncertainties about what sorts of resources would be provided to me in the next four years. >> reporter: jim harrell says his virginia beach community has been hit hard by the rising cost of premiums under obamacare, an average of 10% in the state. >> anything would be better than obamacare. >> anything? >> anything. >> reporter: but will mr. trump and congressman tom price be able to turn their promises for better, more affordable health care into reality? >> talking about repealing the affordable care act is

replace it and how to deal with the 20 million people who have already been covered by the law, is going to be really tough. >> reporter: adam koons just hopes they keep people like him in mind, while crafting an alternative. kristen welker, stone ridge, virginia. there was emotional testimony today in the trial over a deadly police shooting caught on camera. a former south carolina police officer taking the stand in his own defense, accused of gunning down an unarmed african- american man last year. nbc's gabe gutierrez has more on the drama in the courtroom and the video that stunned the nation. >> reporter: this bystander's dramatic cell phone video last year, appeared to show walter scott being shot in the back multiple times. today in a charleston, south carolina, courtroom, the former officer accused of scott's murder, gave his first detailed public account of what happened. >> i fired until the threat was stopped, like i'm trained to

broken taillight in april of 2015 and was preparing to write him a warning, but scott bolted from his car. >> in my mind, at that time, people don't run from a broken tail light. >> reporter: prosecutors say he fled because he was behind on child support payments and feared being arrested. slager told the jury he fired his taser three times, but that doesn't stop scott from grabbing the stun gun. >> i was in total fear that mr. scott didn't stop. phone video, he says, picks up the encounter seconds later as scott breaks away from the struggle. the prosecutor pressed slager on why he moved the taser closer to scott's body. >> you don't leave a weapon in the middle of a field like that. >> reporter: slager now says in hindsight, he would not have chased scott on foot in the first place and instead called for backup. >> his entire testimony was what he would have done different and things

remember then, which was just shocking. >> reporter: the jury, made up of 11 white people and one black man, is expected to begin deliberations later this week. gabe gutierrez, nbc news. still ahead here tonight, detecting breast cancer, the alarming number of women being diagnosed without the most common symptom. and one survivor who says a second opinion

back now with a warning about detecting breast cancer.

breast. but a recent study found that 1 in 6 patients have symptoms other than lumps which can be more difficult to identify. nbc's kristen dahlgren with more on the subtle signs you should be watching out for. >> do you want your reins tied? >> reporter: in 2014, beth laflor did something that may have saved her life. >> is it a miracle that you're here? >> perhaps. pretty close. >> reporter: she noticed a change in her breasts. not a lump. >> i would describe it as a thickening. and that's what caught >> reporter: so she had a routine screening mammogram. >> it was negative. >> reporter: nothing? >> nothing. >> that allows you to go a little longer. >> reporter: but the nurse who works as a lactation consultant couldn't ignore the changes to the shape of her breast, so she got another opinion from dr. deborah rhodes at the mayo clinic. >> there's a very bright area in the center of her left breast, and this correspondents to the area of her tumor. >> reporter: more

tissue. a new study in england showed 1 in 6 patients have symptoms other than a lump. >> what this new study tells us, is, it's profoundly important to be aware of your breasts, to be familiar with your breasts, even outside of a ritual monthly self-breast exam. >> reporter: in other words, know your own body. dr. rhodes said remember the word n.a.p.s., which stands for changes to the nipple, armpit, any pain, and changes to the skin or shape. subtlety, there will be more subtle to someone who doesn't know you as well as you know yourself. >> reporter: beth is now two years cancer-free, loving every second with her granddaughter. and all the milestones she might have missed if she had missed the subtle signs of her cancer. >> good job. >> reporter: kristen dahlgren, nbc news, rochester, minnesota. up next, the factor that could make you eight times more likely to have a major

there's alarming health news tonight if you or someone you love is a smoker. a new study shows that smokers under the age of 50 are over eight times more likely to have a major heart attack than non-smokers. researchers found this age group of smokers is the most vulnerable of any group. it's beginning to look a lot like christmas at the white house. today first lady michelle obama unveiled this year's decorations. families of u.s. service members invited for an early view. part of the theme a team of master lego builders spent 500 hours designing and building the decorations. 200,000 legos in all. there's a whole lot to celebrate this holiday season for 20 co-workers from tennessee who just hit a massive jackpot. today the group claimed a $420 million prize. the cash value is worth $254 million, meaning about $12.7 million apiece before taxes.

thousands of fans inspiring something

"nbc nightly news" finally tonight, two best friends taking social media by storm. a boy and his dog, bringing smiles to tens of thousands with their adorable pictures. now they're part of a mission to help other kids that need a place to call home. harry smith has more in our latest installment of "inspiring america." >> reagan, come here. >> reporter: as dogs good boy. >> reporter: always camera-ready. but he really shines when he's with his besty, 3-year-old buddy. >> here you go. >> reporter: buddy. not his real name. is a foster child living in oregon. >> i started calling him reagan's little buddy, because that's who he was. >> reporter: the dog belongs to buddy's foster grandparents. together the boy and the dog are nothing short of adorable. >> there was an instant bond. they loved each other from day one. >> reporter: the photos never show a

yet the two have more than 100,000 instagram followers. because of that, foster grandma sandy had an idea, a book. >> i felt like, it's a story that needs to be told. in addition to cute pictures. the good that they've been able to do for each other. and for foster kids everywhere. >> reporter: the proceeds will go to a non-profit that supports foster caregivers, like buddy's foster mom, cary lewis. been one of the hardest but absolute best things that we've ever done. >> reporter: there are more than 400,000 foster children in the united states. with more than 100,000 awaiting placement. the pictures tell you a lot about love, and joy, and sharing. >> it's such a powerful connection. >> reporter: who knows? maybe you know a dog who needs a new friend.

what a pair. that's going to do it for us on a tuesday night. i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching and good night. right now on news 3 live at 6:00 -- tears from the man accused of driving drunk and killing two brothers as he faces their mother in court. two thieves just moments away from being caught in the act can, caught stealing a gun from an suv in a summerlin driveway. and a new luxury theater about to open in downtown las vegas. we'll take you inside the eclipse and show you what makes it so unique. i'm very sorry. i don't have it in my heart to forgive. >> she's talking about the man accused of driving drunk and killing her two sons who were on

birthday present. thank you for joining us. i'm reed cowan. >> i'm jim snyder. for the first time an emotional willie worthams comes face to face with the mother of those young men. it's our top story at 6:00. news 3's kelsey thomas was in court for that and is live at the regional justice center. >> reporter: a rare exchange if you think about it. a tearful apology as that mother tries to explain the pain she's dealing >> i'm sorry. >> reporter: a tearful willie worthams apologizing to a mother struggling to foregive as she prepares to bury her two sons. >> i don't have it in my heart to forgive. so sorry doesn't cut it. >> reporter: the two brothers were in inseparable. >> i just had to see him for myself. >> reporter: in a blue jail jump suit with his hands shackled,