with isis or other terror groups, 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 to that. and didn't even know. >> reporter: neighbor lou ann karna han 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 caddar prayed

just 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: bhu 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 news, colombus, ohio. a late evening of cabinet picks from president-elect donald trump. nbc news has learned steven man uchin is expected to be named trump's pick for treasury secretary tomorrow. and investor william ross is expected to be his pick to lead the commerce department. elaine chao, wife of mitch mcconnell is his

transportation secretary. 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 fire storm from nbc's hallie jackson. >> reporter: the president-elect, today proposing punishment for a form of protest that's protected, though not 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 unpleasant speech.

the supreme court's decision on that 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 a punishment. that citizenship isn't a license that expires when someone commits a crime. >> reporter: now even newt gingrich, a high professional trump ally says he has 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 also on twitter to promote what he's calling his thank you

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 effort to repeal and replace obamacare. what next? nbc's kristen welker has that story? >> reporter: since obamacare's 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 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 million people currently enrolled, in limbo.

protecting those with preexisting conditions, kuns 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 gon zeedo is worrying too, wondering if her birth control plan will be scrapped. so she opted for a longer lasting iud. >> i made the appointment right because of uncertainties about what sorts of resources would be provided to me in the next four years. >> reporter: jim herrel says his community has been hit hard by the rising cost of premiums under obamacare. >> 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 cack

the easy part. figuring out how to replace is is going to be really tough. >> reporter: adam countries just hopes they keep people like him in mind, while crafting an alternative. 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 couom the nation. >> reporter: this bystander's dramatic video appeared to show a man shot in the back multiple times. today in a south carolina courtroom, the man accused of the murder, gave his first detailed account of what happened. >> i fired until the threat was stopped, like i'm trained to do. >> reporter: michael slager said he pulled

broken tail light 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 was in fear of being arrested. >> i was in total fear that mr. scott didn't stop. >> reporter: the cell phonede 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 said in hindsight he would not have chased him on foot and instead called for backup. >> his entire testimony was what he would have done different and things he's remembering now that he didn't remember then, which was just shocking. >> reporter: the jury,

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

. back now with a warning about detecting breast cancer. the most common symptom women report are lumps in the breast.

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. >> reporter: in 2014, beth la flor 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 my attention >> reporter: so she had a routine screening mammogram. >> it was negative. >> reporter: nothing? >> nothing. >> reporter: but the nurse who works as a lackitation 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 right area in the center of her left breast, and this corresponds to her tumor.

against dense breast 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. >> if there's 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. kristen dahlgren, nbc

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

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 view is legos. 200,000 lein 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. up next, a boy and his dogs, with tens of thousands of fans inspiring something amazing. "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

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 go, reagan is a true ham. >> hey, reagan, what a 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 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 clear view of buddy's face for his protection. yet the two have more than 100,000 instagram followers. because of that, foster grandma sandy had an idea, a book.

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. >> foster care has 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 m t 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. harry smith, nbc news. >> can't get enough of those pictures. 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

the embers are burning as fewer sweeps through the smokey mountain, dozens burn to the ground, three died in the cherished areas,t dolly parton's dollywood, what brought down a brazilian plane that brought down almost every player of a brazilian soccer team. more about president-elect trump's denner with mitt romney. >> i had a wonderful dinner with president-elect trump. it was enlightening and engaging

much. a dangerous pipeline explosion in the kansas city area. the long awaited return of tiger woods. "early today" starts right now. it's good to be with you. i'm frances rivera. we begin this wednesday morning with breaking news on a deadly and destructive weather in the south. there are at at least confirmed fatalities after a tornado tore through southern alabama. nbc's bill cairns is tracking this severe talk about the threat. is it still over? >> no, it's not over yet. we are dealing with a tornado watch in areas of southern tennessee. the worst of it overnight had been earlier in areas of mississippi. then it shifted into alabama overnight. as far as the reports go, as of now, we have about 85 reports of either wind damage or tornado. so far we're at 27 reports of tornadoes and it looks like the one that was the deadliest was

it here the extreme northern corner of alabama. also reports of many destroyed buildings there, including a 24 hour-hour day care center they said were destroyed. these numbers of injuries an deaths will fluctuate. these are overnight tornadoes, very little warning in the way of these. most people are asleep. when daybreak comes, whole see a lot more destruction. >> so alarming, so jolding. we will continue to watch it. thank you very much. als are battling wildfires that forced the evacuation of 14,000 people in gatlinburg and pigeon storm, tennessee. residence and vacationers thought they were safe until they looked out their windows. >> panic. that's all we had was panic. we could zee feel the right, it was nothing but red. >> this whole someplace on fire. >> how would you describe this? ? >> the gates of hell.

this is a resort town about an hour from foxville. the flames threatened several popular tourist destination the most visited national park in the country. also an aquarium with 10,000 animals, dollywood was spared, parton who just released a psa about wildfires says she is heart broken and paying for all the families. three people have died so far in the wildfires. some the biggest the state has ever seen. the last 100 years in the state of tennessee. >> tonight, authorities are beginning to assess the damage. entire neighborhoods destroyed. officials are investigating the cause of the fire and have not ruled out arson. this morning, we are learning more about that plane crash in colombia that killed 71 people. investigators retrieved two black boxes from the acre. on the flight were a brazilian

playoff in medellin. the plane crashed a mile before the airport a. flight attendant who survived said the plane ran out of fume t. death toll from monday night's crash was lowered from 75 on tuesday after it was learned four people didn't board the flight. only six people swieshe survived, including team soccer stadium to remember the players. brazil's president declared three days of national mourning. this morning, we are one step closener finding out who will be the country's top diplomat. president-elect donald trump had a second meeting with mitt romney and in-house chief of staff reince priebus. there are reports a third meeting could take place later today. trump is taking his time in

dinner with trump and priebus. >> i had a wonderful evening with president-elect trump. we had another discussion about affairs throughout the world and he continues with a message in bringing people together. all of those things combine candidate give me increasing hope that president-elect trump is the very man that can lead us to that better future. >> remember during the campaign, there was this message from romney that was very different. >> donald trump a phony, a fraud. the bullying, the greed, the showing off, the mysogeney t. absurd 3rd grade theatrics. >> and we are also getting word that former goldman sachs executive and hollywood producer stephen menuchin will be tapped for secretary. and elaine khao will get the nod

is. wilbur ross and tom byrum price join. simply so much for draining the swamp. this morning, there is one promise trump made will come to fruition. carrier says it will now keep 1,000 jobs in the hoosier state. initially it made the decision to relocate to mexico, something trump had been strongly against. on thursday, trump to indiana to celebrate the decision. he is expected to visit ohio with mike pence kicking off their thank you tour. overnight, several activists took to trump's newest hotels to burn two-foot long trumps that flag burners should be jailed and their citizenship revoked for thing a. in 19 i don't know, they ruled it was not a crime but a form of

crews were called to the scene tuesday evening after this fire broke out near kansas city airport t. pipeline was carrying ethane and pro pane. the flames which could be seen from miles away didn't affect any flights to and from the international airport. no one was hurt in the incident. police in manchester, england, have released new video of a terrifying road rage incident, in the hopes they will leadm police say the truck driver turned violent when he was asked to share his insurance information a. fit broke out. it didn't end with that, the man repeatedly slammed his truck into the vehicle the victim's vehicle, he took a shovel, smashed apart their windshield the two victims were not hurt, after this you can imagine very shaken up. there is a whole lot to celebrity for 20 co-workers from a tennessee metal manufacturing