of five patients paying the price in emergency. and attention poll holiday shoppers. the best way to save on gifts might be how you pay for them. nightly news begins right now. >> from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is nbc nightly news with lester holt. >> good evening. in a year of several high profile shootings by police officers, few have stood out or generated more than the live image streamed across social media or sas till moments after a traffic stop last july. we begin tonight with a major development on that case. that saint paul minnesota officer has now been criminally charged after prosecutors determined kas still did everything write complying with officers before he was fatally shot and key evidence in the case is that disturbing

nbc blake mccoy has details. >> oh, my god please don't tell me he's dead. >> reporter: the aftermath of the killing by police was seen around the world. tonight the officer who fired the fielt s fatal shots is being charged. charged with second degree manslaughter carrying up to ten years in jail plus who counts of dangerously discharging a firearm. each carrying up to five years. previously said he thought he was reaching for a gun. he had a pt officer. >> i told him not to reach for it. i told him to get his hand off it. >> you told him to get his id sir, his driver's license. >> said he was calm and complying with officers commands. >> his dying words were in protest that he wasn't reaching for his gun. there simply was no objective threat posed to officer ganez. >> the july shooting sparked violent

minnesota governors mansion for weeks and the girlfriend gave several passions and please. her fourld was in the backseat when he was killed. >> it was god that made sure those bullets didn't ricochet. it could have been all three of us. >> the police union yan says it's disappointed with the charges adding no one can speak to what he encountered. with a not guilty plea expected, his mother warns it's just the beginning. a different chapter and we all hope and pray the right thing is done. >> sure . >> reporter: she hopes the evoutcome will be felt nationwide. wildfires impacting half a dozen states. air quality alerts as smoke blankets big cities sending people to the hospital. we get the latest from

heavy aerosol on the flames. water dumped as new mandatory evacuations go into effect. >> making sure i got all my valuables. >> reporter: with his wedding photo in hand, david benson like hundreds of others now on the move. more than 80,000 acres ablaze. 5,000 firefighters from as far as alaska on ton started the dozens of major fires. in tennessee two men charged in separate arson cases another arrest in kentucky. police say that suspect admitted he set the fires to get more facebook likes. >> why would do you that? it's just sad. >> this part is hard. >> reporter: in athens alabama the cracked earth painful evidence of the record drought feeding the flames. 60 days without a drop

here almost 37 years and the ponds have never been dry. >> reporter: officials banning campfires, smoking cigarettes even parking off road for fear of igniting dry leaves below. >> there is a cold front coming. could bring gusty winds this weekend that might make matters worse. >> reporter: with that forecast, fears tonight these fires will only grow. across the south tonight, air quality red. that is unhealthy. it means anybody in the impacted area could be susceptible to breathing problems. meanwhile firefighters plan to bottle the blazes overnight. hoping lack of wind giving them an upper hand, lester. now to drama surrounding white house transition of power. donald trump in a early morning series of tweets denying reports of turmoil inside his team as

rolls. more on that and surprise name being considered to join the new administration. >> reporter: tonight, through trump tower's revolving door, a countdown to cabinet selections. another name now in the mix for secretary of state. sources familiar with the discussion citing south carolina who backed trump even after constituents are embarrassed by her. >> governor, are you going to support no response from the governor's office. eight days in. president elect trump is looking like candidate trump did. inside transition. much of what happened during his campaign, internal joiking, leadership changes, complaints privately and publicly. no one really knows who is in charge. >> there is some confusion going on about a chain of command coming out of new york. >> reporter: vice president elect, mike pence, the new

home today with vice president joe biden. trump's team blames the griping on sour grammys from people forced out as they purge lobbyist. >> we're doing great up there. i was at d.c. yesterday at boast transition offices. very engaged. >> reporter: made first cabinet nominations within a few days of potents conceding, it took president obama two weeks. president clint more than a month by that >> every transition goes through chaos and turnover. >> reporter: trump is insisting his is going snoothly in a tweet attacking the media. on day after dining with his family, but ditching the reporters assigned to follow him. breaking decades of protocol. his supporters slugging it off. >> i find it admirable. what he is saying there's a new way of doing things. there's a new sheriff

>> reporter: the white house correspondent association calls the move unacceptable. the point of the small group of press is to be protected in case of national emergency. without that on a day like 9/11 president bush would not have been able to address the nation from the florida school. >> thank you. turning overseas where after a three-week reprieve, deadly new air strikes have been launched on aleppo syria. among the sites hit, an underground hospital built to care for children torn city. nbc news has gotten exclusive access into the hospital and for more on the attack, turn to richard. >> reporter: the only children's hospital was bombed by syrian helicopters. served 4,000 patients a month. no more. one of the doctors filmed the aftermath for us. hospitals are targets in syria and the

ruthlessly. from the basement. the doctor spoke to us over skype. asked us not to show his face. >> the attacks, there are more than 90,000 children. these children are not terrorists. we are not terrorists. >> reporter: nbc news has been filming at the hospital for two months. had the only relatively advanced maternityd aleppo. now it's out of commission. relaunched to take back the city. people there are not expecting help from the outside. what do you think the change of power in the united states will mean for you and for aleppo? >> for me, i'm not worried because of trump because mr. obama didn't do anything for the people. >> reporter: the bombs are still falling there. rescue workers pulled a girl from under

up for what some near is a final push on the city. richard engel, nbc news, new york. back home turn attention to the shock so many americans deal with after a health crisis. new report shows over 1-5 patients getting hit with surprise medical bills. after being treated in emergency rooms. why it's happening so often and how you can prevent it. >> reporter: a trip to out doors man did not anticipate this when he shattered his ankle. >> never in my wildest dreams was i thinking about out of network doctors. i just needed help. >> reporter: he and his wife got a bill for almost $800 even though the hospital was in insurance network. >> in network hospital with an out of network doctor. makes no sense. >> reporter: in today's health care maize it's not unusual

journal of medicine: finding patients get surprise bills costing an average of $623. >> that's a house payment. it's rent. it's food. the reason some er doctors contract independently and not the same hospital they work. >> we have to get out of the bizarre world where the network of hospitals and physicians don't match. at the end of the day, it's causing huge distress for the patients. >> patients are p college of emergency physicians blames insurers who don't offer reasonable reimbursements. while insurance companies say hospitals should encourage doctors to sign on with the same insurers they use. >> so what is a patient 20 do? >> best advice is do your homework beforehand. >> er doctor himself and others suggest

davis's bill, but like many, he's whethering financial pain while trying to heal. we turn now to troubling new findings in the national highway traffic safety admini administration. in the first half of the year, climbed more than 10% compared to last year. after years of decline the rising rates could be linked to apps. apps desi t 345i be putting your in danger. >> reporter: in corpus christi, three killed on the freeway, in minnesota a teenager kills a father and daughter. from florida to california, nearly 18,000 people have died on highways in the first six months of this year. a startling 10% spike compared to last year. >> turn left. >> experts say apping may be driving the troubling trend,

before. >> i knew she was gone, but you know, you don't want to accept it. >> reporter: bonnie lost her daughter amanda to distracted driving. >> so temps to just check my facebook status or let me send a tweet or check my e-mail. it can end in the blink of an eye. >> reporter: popular apps like snapchat let you post photos in current speeds. pokemon go let you search for create and waze asks commuters to report accidents. >> you're trying to listen, watch for traffic and drive and maneuver and look at your device. >> reporter: all of the app companies stress there are safe ways to use them. take waze which encourages drivers to easy them hand free with voice commands and put down phones. still experts worry it isn't enough. >> we know hands free is not risk free. it's not your hand

>> reporter: commuters across the country may be losing sight of what's important. the very apps designed to make life easier and more enjoyable may be making the road more dangerous. nbc news, logs angle loss. still ahead as we continue tonight. ready to start holiday shopping. why now 3may be a perfect time to sign up for a new credit card. also tom hanks,

we're still a week out from thanksgiving, but retailers are offering black friday discounts. those are aren't the only deals. big competition among credit card companies to get your business. right now could be the best time to take advantage of these offers. nbc has >> reporter: the best way to save on gifts this season may be how you pay for them. credit card analyst say there's never been a better time to shop for a new car, especially rewards cards. >> we're seeing an arms race in the credit card business because people are spending. the great recession is in the rearview mirror. people are feeling comfortable. >> plus and capital one average $600 worth

points. >> thbanks feel more comfortable extending credit. >> reporter: shoppers are already spending more during the holidays, meeting the higher requirements of cards can be easier. for champl, chase sapphire requires spending $4,000 in the first three months. annual fees can be expensive too. 95-$450 of a yeemplt paying off balance every month is a must. interees are a great thing for personal finances if you know you can pay them off. >> reporter: retailers may also offer you a credit card with in store rewards. experts say it's best to skip it if you don't pay it off monthly. >> reporter: average retail rates are 24% versus 15% for regular cards. whatever you choose, shop around. >> the first thing that you should think about is how you want to use the card and what you want to get

never travels anywhere, don't get yourself a miles card. >> reporter: in the season of giving, using credit wisely to stretch holiday budget a little further. nbc news, new york.

we have an update tonight on the nobel surprise. nobel prize for literature. went silent a few days after the announcement, but later told an interviewer the reward left him speechless. said he will not be in stockholm to accept ward at the december 10 ceremony. wishes he could receive the prize personally, but other commitments make it unfortunately impossible. no word on who will scoop it up for him. the white house announced today the final group of

highest honor. all-star list among the names. ellen degeneres, robert de niro, bill and melinda gates. tom hanks, higmichael jordan. diana ross, vin scully. bruce springsteen and tieton. we put the full list on our website. caught on camera, a thing a lot of parents fear when a florida mom turned away fro table. her 11 month old baby boy suddenly fell off. only to be caught by quick thinking nine-year-old brother. the baby wasn't injured, but now sharing video as a safety warning to other parents. when we come back, the police officer gaining fame for turning his his ride alongs into sing

headlines this year about strained relationships between police and the communities they serve. one officer in

perceptions by reaching out and finding harmony with the young people in thiz school. social media is singing his praises. get the story from nbc's gab gutierrez. >> reporter: at his day job, phil is a school resource officer, but in moralton, an hour outside little rock, he's become a bit of a rock star. on duty not just to protect and serve, but also sing. he calls it cop car karaoke. inspired by james emmy awarding car pool karaoke ? oh, i love the way you ? >> so you started lip singing in the beginning. >> yes, two, three years ago. >> now you do sing. >> i try to sing. >> pretty or not, his videos have racked up

around arkansas are providing backup. it's become a weekly ritual. own rift on community policing. >> just shows how fun music can bring people together. >> he's at every ball game, every event. goes above and beyond to be a presence for these kids. >> reporter: a positive presence after he noticed growing mistrust of police officers nationwide. >> my favorite part of connecting with these kids are showing them gun and badge that we're people. we're just like them. >> reporter: and for this father of two, the job can get personal. >> love you. >> love you too. >> we have kids we need to reach out to that haven't been given a fair share and these kids mean more than anything to me. >> reporter: it is that responsibility he says that keeps him singing. maybe off key, but on

news. arkansas. >> i don't know about you, but that leaves me with a smile on my face. that's going to do it for us on a wednesday

>> announcer: in a doctor's world exclusive. >> it's it's like war, torture and a nightmare all in one . >> announcer: this black eyed peas singer is revealing the life-threatening diagnosis he's kept secret for years. watch the bombshell, no one was expecting it. >> this situation is drastic. >> announcer: then, as clint eastwood's daughter stumbled on a fountain of youth? >> dr. travis: i am dubious. >> announcer: that's today n.

? ? ? >> dr. travis: welcome to the show today, joining us is a good friend, board certified dermatologist dr. sonia batra. ready to get to it, doc? >> dr. travis: never too late to get to this picture. this gentleman is 80 years old, he is making headlines for the runway swagger, he's known as the "hottest >> look at that physique. hours a day of working out, three hours a day. >> mc-hammer pants are back in. >> dr. travis: i like his style. >> it's all about how it's not about age, it's about state of mind. and that's his method. >> he has swagger. good for him. >> i thought his nickname in chinese, is awesome. a boy toy is "young fresh