multiple manhunts are taking place in three states for people killing a cop killer. a shooting moments classmates. a polar vortex is supposed to come into next week. a mysterious high-tech method used by today's car thieves. "early today" starts right now. it's great to be with you on this thursday morning, i'm frances rivera. >> i'm ayman mohyeldin. a manhunt is under way in georgia after one police officer

georgia southwestern university campus. in the last few hours, police released this wanted poster offering a $30,000 reward to capture the suspected gunman. kerry sanders has this story. >> reporter: an you are junt manhunt in america's georgia. a suspect accused of shooting two police officers. >> this is a very dangerous individual. we need to have him off the streets. >> reporter: 9:40 a.m., t officers responding to a domistic dispute at an apartment complex. the officers hit and he took off. georgia southwestern university on lockdown. a digital message sent to those on campus, please secure all doors and windows. >> within minutes of the call our campus was on lockdown. >> reporter: killed officer

four-year veteran jody smith, fighting for his life. this has been a deadly year for law enforcement. 63 officers shot and killed in the line of duty a. 66% increase over last year. georgia among the top five deadly for those who wear blue. >> that was nbc's kerry sanders reporting. this morning, there are two other manhunts under way in parts of the country. in suspect stabbed a vehicle multiple times outside a wal-mart. the officer is in stable condition and was touretted at the scene. officials are urging the public to dial 911 if they can identify the suspect n. kansas city, authorities have released this video hoping it will lead to the gunman that ambushed an off duty officer. he was working security, sitting in his own car the suspect walked um up to him and began

john glenn, the first american to orbit the earth has been hospitalized in his home state of ohio. the 95-year-old former marine and senator suffered a stroke two weeks ago after having heart valve surgery. it's not clear what caused it. he does not necessarily have cancer, according to a spokesman. a teenager is in critical condition after police investigate a high school shooting in reno, nevada. this lunging at a crowd of students a. second clip shows an armed officer and the 14-year-old on the ground clutching his neck. authorities later confirm a teenager was shot by a campus police officer t. student was taken to a nearby hospital if critical condition. police say the boy got into a fight wednesday and began threatening others with a knife.

else can teach them and somebody else can walk out of campus and hurt our kid. >> police are interviewing 40 eyewitnesses, all of students. the school officer will be placed on administrative leave. switching gears to politics. donald trump directed a harsh critique toward a single american using twitter. he blasted a local union leader who earlier questioned the . the man at the center of trump's criticism appeared on msnbc shortly after trump plasted him on social media. >> i'm not bothered by it by all means. i'm not backing up on my position.

tweeting, i'll keep on responding. >> it's been a busy 24 hours for trump after being named "time's" person of the year. he made a series of cabinet picks. his current cabinet picks have a combined wealth total of about $14 billion but it's one pick, in particular, that's giving democrats some dpreef. my colleague halle jackson has more. >> reporter: witth as head of the e the man who is currently suing it over power plant epigss regulations. a top transition source tells nbc news, todd prosecute has been tipped to lead that agency with pushback from those who fear he will keep fighting to dismantle president obama's climate initiative. less controversy surrounds another selection. transition sources tell nbc

will be tapped to head homeland security. he spent four decades in the marine corps. his son, who also served in the military was killed in 2010 in afghanistan. to lead the small business administration, former wwe head linda mcmann. >> you are right. he is scare. you are right. >> reporter: trump's days are long behind him. mcmann was an early supporter of his campaign. all of it adding and former generals, than kelly. >> i know more about isis than the generals do, believe me. >> reporter: now he is relying on them for key roles, three so far. president bush had four. president obama five. both men have been named "time "magazine's person of the year. so was trump, four months after calling his candidacy a meltdown, now calling him president of the divided states of america.

all his stock this summer. >> i don't think it's appropriate for me to be owning stocks when i'm making deals for this country. >> that, indeed, will affect one company positively and one company negatively. >> now an update for you on the tennessee wildfires that killed 14 people last week. two juveniles have been arrested forring a dpra rate issed arson. and additional charges are possible t. fires damaged over 1,700 structures and scorched more than 1,700 acres. firefighters are still working to contain some of the fires. new details this morning on the oakland warehouse fire that took 36 lives. we are learning no building inspectors had been in the building itself the last 30 years, believe it or not. now, at the time of friday's catastrophic fire the city was

not yet entered the building for examination. it's unclear whether the city holds fire inspections reports on that particular warehouse. >> well, i hope you are ready for this. an arctic blast is about to plank et a big part of the united states. >> that may continue the return of the dreaded polar vortex. nbc's kevin tibbles has the chilling details. >> reporter: a treacherous trek across the plains. a second day of snow stalled t north.com, closing many schools a. snow-smothered front door makes for a precarious trip outside. more snow in the forecast for idaho, too. some 40 accidents blamed on old man winter. a 23 degree drop in duluth, down 20 degrees if denver and 13 in chicago. >> i was not prepared for this. i bought these gloves five minutes agrochlt this week's big

polar vortex could plunge much of the country into an even deeper freeze by next week. kevin tibbles, nbc news, chicago. >> are we going to be ready for this? let's check in with bill karins, the winter snowstorm expected next week. the plus side, though, for the holidays. >> it gets everyone snirt. the kids like it. they want the white christmas. you'd rather get the snow. in denver negative 26 in wyoming t. dep freeze is on the move. it's being temperatures and wind chills in the 20. wind chills in the single digits, omaha, minneapolis and for the weekend all of this will arrive on the big coast. be ready. here's a closer look at your day ahead. so this is all we will do today. this is as warm as we will get. we won't get above freezing in st. louis and joplin n. texas, this is the coldest you have been all winter.

and the west coast is dealing with a big storm of their own. that will bring snow to the rockies also. >> there is not a lot of good news out there, that polar vortex, exactly. thanks for that, bill karnls. just ahead, disturbing results that involves things babies put into their mouth and the most overpaid actors in the world. who deliverance the least bang for their buck. teeth like an apple. it could be great on the outside not so great on the inside. her advice? at strengthens both. go pro with crest pro-health advanced. it's uniquely formulated with activestrength technology to strengthen teeth inside and is better at strengthening the outside than colgate total. crest toothpaste and mouthwash makes my whole mouth feel amazing. advance to healthier gums and stronger teeth from day one. my check-up was great. right when you feel a cold sore, abreva can heal it in as few as two and a half days when used at the first sign.

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out the top of the list. the church massacre in carolina has been done. it was filled with emotional tms of family members of the sleighing victim. one mother says there were 77 shots for someone they thought was looking for the lord. dylann roof faces the charges. the defence is not denying he committed the murders but is trying to spare him the death sentence. >> oh, you will be a dad in a few months, but it is a frightening safety warning of infants. many tested in a new study contains potentially harmful substances. >> that is scary. >> they tested 69 plastic teethers put in the united states. all the products tested at low

those labeled bpa free were non-toxic. they have been linked to neurological problems t. united states banned bpa in many children's product. baby teethers, however, haven't been thoroughly investigated. to learn more visit acs.org. >> it's crazy to imagine these products are getting into the child. ohio is a heart beat away from being one of the strictest abortion stas one of them. details next as "early today"

ohio governor john kasich must decide whether to stein heart beat bit. it would ban abortion when a fetal heart beat can be decked. if signed, it can be one strictest abortion bills in the country. hillary clinton will be on capitol hill for harry reid. she is scheduled to make her first public remarks after losing the election. sophia vergara has a case with her ex, essentially her embryos are suing her. could the suit actually happen? that's later on "today."

vehicles is out. the institute for highway safety found 82 models earned the top safety pick. can you guess which ones led that list? toyota led with nine winners, while honda and its acura division had five top safety pittsburgh award. check out the full list. i used to feel good about them. >> they are safe, toyota and lexus. they are manufactured by the same place, that makes sense. tear, can the market sustain such highs? cnbc nancy hungerford is here. good morning. >> reporter: just when you think the market is out of steam, we see the dow jones hitting the 12th record since the election. many investors say they see reason for stocks to go even further. one reason there is a seasonal factor. stocks tend to go higher into

there. i will say stock futures are playing a tiny pair back. we are looking at the dow lower by just ten points t. message we have been hearing from traders on wall street is they are holding out hope the so-called trump trade turns into a santa claus rally just from time for christmas, guys. back to you. >> thank you very much for that update, nancy hungerford. your cart can be stolen in a matter of seconds. this is different, the device is helping them out. it is alarming easy, that's

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out cosentyx. here's a new warning for drivers about a mysterious device being used to break into cars without even touching them. thieves are using 21st century technology to capture your keys, they're near you, you don't even know it's happening. details from national correspondent jeff rossen. >> reporter: in california, this suspect is using a mystery device to break into this suv, stealing a expensive bike. in seattle, another suspect holding his backpack close to the car door, boom, he's in. it's happening across the country. but now, officials at the national insurance crime bureau say they may have solved the mystery. this device that fits in a small pag could be what thieves are using, showing us how it works. >> all right.

because the device comes in two different pieces. your piece, my piece. my producer gi ovana will play the victim. any of you that park at a big parking lot. here's what happens, you and i will play the suspect, we would be in the parking lot talking amongst ourselves, nothing suspicious. meanwhile, you would park your car. >> getting out of my car, locking my door like i normally would and walking away. >> what she doesn't see are suspects traili with the device, cloning the signal of her car's key fob in just second. >> here i got the green light. i got a signal for the fob, i'm backing off. >> his device sends a signal for my smaller device. this is basically the keys of the car. remember the door is completely locked. when i hold this up to the door, i open the door right up. that's not all. with this device i just started the car. so now i'm a leave the in your

device. it's terrifying how fast this is. it's not just this car. our experts using the device to break in and start 17 different makes and models. the alliance of automobile manufacturers telling nbc news, automakers very working on multiple fronts to address security and enhance it. calming it a top priority. so what can we do? >> park in a crowded area, it lessens the >> reporter: a new warning just in time for your holiday shopping. jeff rossen, nbc news, chicago. >> wow. it's a mysterious device. >> top stories ahead, including a bodle flip competition for lebron. you are watching "early today." .

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right now on "news4 today." jailhouse interview, a man at the center of the pizza gate scandal explaining himself hours before he's back in court. a return to washington, what's bringing hillary clinton to congress today. an new mgm national harbor opens in just hours, what you need to know if you're going or try to avoid the traffic. plus your thursday forecast, we have the warning about the cooldown that's coming just in time for the weekend. it is 4:27. good morning, i'm aaron gilchrist. >> and i'm eun yang. melissa malae will have a look at your roads.

headlines. >> today our transition day to cooler weather. it's going to be chilly throughout the day today but most of us stay dry, right now we're coming in the 30s, most of us at or above freezing right now, 39 in washington, frederick 32 and 34 degrees down in coal pepper. i want to show you radar, notice our immediate area is completely dry, as we look back to the west and the panned handle of west virginia, far western maryland, light snowshowers outhe going to bring us very cold air tomorrow on into the weekend. this front could touch off a few sprinkles this morning, but for most of us it's a dry day. coming up in less than five minutes i will be walking you through you your morning hour by hour letting you know what you can expect as you head out the door. first we want to head over to melissa who is already tracking two accidents this morning. >> right now this one just updated here, westbound toll road just after fairfax county

crash, now they are saying all lanes blocked, this is a crash involving an overturned box truck and another vehicle. traffic being pushed on to fairfax county parkway. so if that hangs around no doubt that's going to start going yellow and orange and red for us this morning. another problem outer loop before b.w. parkway units arriving now on the scene. an update on that sh extra on the toll road coming up. happening today edgar welsh will be in a d.c. courtroom, inside the comet ping pong pizza restaurant on sunday. he claims he was investigating a fake news story called pizza gate which spread on line, it claimed the restaurant was involved in a child sex ring linked to the clinton campaign. >> news 4 spoke with the reporter adam goldman, he says welsh learned about the fake news through word-of-mouth and then found it online. >> he started drawing down on

and that it was real. i asked him if he discussed with anybody, he said he discussed it with his family and they seemed to think that there was evidence of that there was -- i guess children were being harbored at this pizza place. >> these photos are from welsh's facebook page. he is facing three felony charges. president-elect donald trump will head to ohio state university today. he is expected to meet with the victims and first responders of last month's attack. 11 people were hurt when a group of pedestrians and later stabbed several other people with a butcher knife. he was shot and killed by a campus police officer. trump was back on twitter late last night, this time with harsh words for a union president. news 4's tracie potts will tell us why in a few minutes. michigan's recount is over. a federal judge lifted an order last night that forced the statewide review of millions of

stein had no legal standing to request the recount. the decision clinches donald trump's win over hillary clinton in that state. stein is vowing to appeal the decision. hillary clinton will return to capitol hill today. she will attend and speak at the portrait unveiling of senate democratic leader harry reid. he is retiring at the end of this session of congress. clinton's public appearances have been rare since she conceded the election to donald trump last month. 4:30. ready to ro national harbor casino resort opens in oxen hill, we are counting down to when the doors open, right now we are 18 hours away. >> and 29 minutes and we get closer to the opening we have you covered on everything you need to know from how to make it to the new casino to what to check out once you're inside. yesterday casino officials checked a final item off their to-do list, maryland's top lottery and gaming officials