for the pbs "newshour" i'm john yang in >> reporter: for the pbs newshour, i'm john yang in chicago. eekend's shootings brings the overall total to 4,000 people shot in 2016. also there have been an additional 2,000 guns confiscated by the police since john's report. the the rate is about the same, averages a little less than one gun confiscated every hour this year. >> brangham: fans are mourning the loss of george michael and paying tribute to him as one of pop's biggest stars in the '80s and '90s. michael shot to fame as a member of the duo, wham, and then embarked on a successful solo career. his friend, elton john, called him "the kindest, most generous soul and a brilliant artist." for all of his success, michael faced personal struggles as well. he died on christmas day at his home in oxfordshire, england at the age of 53. let's begin with this remembrance by angus walker of independent television news. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: his songs, his voice, his stunning success george michael singer, writer, producer, perhaps the perfect pop star. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ just 21, he wrote wham's breakthrough

for the pbs newshour, i'm john yang >> woodruff: in the day's other news: the f.b.i.at islamic state supporters are urging attacks on u.s. holiday gatherings and churches, over christmas. that's in a bulletin from the f.b.i. and the department of homeland security. there are no specific threats, but a list of u.s. churches has been posted on a social media site used by the militants. police in italy have killed the man who allegedly plowed a truck into a christmas market in berlin, germany. monday night's attack killed a dozen people. early today, anis amri was shot dead in milan. it came hours after the islamic state group released a video statement he made. rohit kachroo of "independent television news" reports from berlin. >> where and when it was filmed is not clear, but the sentiment is emphatic -- he pledges allegiance to the i.s.i.s. leader. a video selfie, apparent proof he was inspired by the group. this morning, his body lay on the ground in milan after a thatout with police. later, the italian interior minister confirmed the manhunt was over. >> the person

john yang reports. >> yang: election day, part two: in some states protestors urged electoral college voters to dump president-elect trump. in pennsylvania ... >> i'm here today because i feel like it's the last chance we have to really save this country. i mean, hillary clinton won the popular vote. i'm hoping we can make some kind of difference in the electoral college. >> yang: the outcome didn't change, but controversy still swirls around evidence of russian cyberattacks aimed at influencing the election. >> there's no doubt they were interfering and no doubt that it was cyberattacks. the question now is how much and what damage and what should the united states of america do? >> yang: senator john mccain and fellow republican lindsey graham have now joined with democrats chuck schumer and jack reed to call for a special senate committee to try to find the answers. senate majority leader mitch mcconnell says existing panels should handle the investigation. clinton campaign chairman john podesta suggested the trump campaign may have colluded with moscow. >> what did trump incorpora

the newshour's john yang has our report. >> we are going to appoint "mad dog" mattis as our secretarydefense. but we're not announcing it until monday, so don't tell anybody. >> reporter: president-elect trump scooped himself thursday night, making his choice public in cincinnati, the first stop of his "thank you" tour. he met with retired general james mattis last month in new jersey. >> he is the real deal. he is the real deal. >> reporter: mattis retired as a four-star general three years ago, after four decades as a marine. he headed u.s. central command until 2013, in charge of operations in iraq and afghanistan. he would need a special congressional waiver, because federal law says a defense secretary has be out of uniform for at least seven years. in cincinnati, mr. trump pledged to ease still simmering post- election tensions. >> we're going to bring our country together. all of our country. we're going to find common ground and we will get the job done properly. >> reporter: but at harvard university, top officials of his campaign clashed with clinton campaign managers at a n

for the pbs newshour, i'm john yang. >> woodruff: and, two developments in election recounts today. judge refused to order one in pennsylvania, as green party candidate jill stein wanted. and a new tally ended in wisconsin, with little change. donald trump won both states. among those voicing concern about russia's attempts to influence the presidential election, a bipartisan group of senators called for an investigation into the cyberattacks that, they say, should alarm every american. jack reed, the ranking member of the senate armed services committee is one of those senators, and says he has no reason to doubt the c.i.a.'s conclusions. >> they definitely intervened in the election. they collected information against both democrats and republicans. and they seemed to only have released information with respect to the democratic candidate. the motivation, that is something that we're going to continue to probe. but it seems that they were interested in disrupting the democratic campaign as much as they could. >> woodruff: you don't have any question about that conclusion because t

john yang has our report. >> truly amazing group of people. >> reporter: today, president- elect trumpched out to executives from tech giants like amazon, google and facebook. >> we're going to be there for you. you'll call me, people, you'll call me. it doesn't make any difference, we have no formal chain of command around here. >> reporter: during the campaign, he had a different message-- scolding the industry for sending jobs overseas. >> we're going to get apple to start building their damn computers and things in this country instead of in other countries. >> reporter: earlier, mr. trump officially said he wanted rick perry to be energy secretary. he was the longest serving governor of texas, a leading oil and gas producer. he twice ran for president. during his 2012 bid, perry called for eliminating the energy department, but famously couldn't name it during a debate. >> it's three agencies of government that, when i get there, are gone. commerce, education, and the-- what's the third one there? let's see. >> reporter: last night, at a rally in wisconsin, the president-elect def

john. >> reporter: morning, carl. no official announcement yet. it appears that deborah huang yang, former u.s.ttorney now california law firm partner may be the front-runner to be the chairman of the s.e.c. no specific word from the trump organization and, of course, the president-elect's aides were saying on our conference call he continues to mix and match people and don't always assume people who come in for interviews are up for the job they're rumored to be up for. kelly o'donnell on capitol hill reports she is believed to be a top contender for the s.e.c. right now, at least as of a few minutes ago, rex tillerson of exxonmobil is believed to be a candidate for secretary of state. they didn't officially confirm that. we are watching a frenzy of meetings as president-elect trump and his team sort out who fits where. they emphasized they are mixing, matching, feeling out people, getting advice and changing slots what people are being put in as that interview process goes along. carl? >> john thank you very much for that. john harwood outside trump tower in new york city. >>> why "the wall s