degree. they awarded $72,000 in scholarships. yeah. fantastic. great job. we're back at 6:00. hope you can join us then. impeachment. the historic house vote just days away. as the white house signals a major drawdown from afghanistan, an nbc news exclusive state of emergency in new orleans. the city's government shut down after a cyberattack. how vulnerable are our cities the child body slammed by a school police officer caught on camera. the investigation now into why the man who allegedly groped this reporter live on tv now charged with sexual battery. what he says happened. and there's good

news tonight one of the most iconic lines from the holiday season. >> everyone. >> given new life by two inspiring, young actors this is "nbc nightly news" with jose diaz. >> good evening at the height of the holiday shopping rush. a sudden burst of gunfire in a packed georgia mall here's the moment it happened [ gunshot ] terror, panic, and chaos as thousands of people fled for their lives. shoppers and business owners barricaded inside stores. hiding in closets and dressing rooms tonight, police are investigating the motive nbc's morgan chesky joins us from the cumberland mall in atlanta tonight. morgan jose, good evening. you can imagine the sheer terror of those holiday shoppers inside when that gunfire rang out

the shooting causing pandemonium, sending a stampede of shoppers running out this entrance behind me some people, even leaving their shoes behind and tonight, police are still trying to track down that gunman, who opened fire tonight, panic tearing through an atlanta mall as gun shots ring out, sending shoppers running for cover. it happened at the cumberland mall in northwest atlanta with just 11 days till christmas, the mall was packed filled with visitors trying to finish their holiday shopping. >> i just saw people running outside. bumping into chairs. everything scary. >> the mall going on lockdown cobb county police called the incident a verbal altercation that started at the food court one person was shot and is receiving treatment. the suspect identified but still on the loose. the shooting comes at a time when americans are on high alert just days after six people were killed at a jersey city market and four months after 22 people were killed inside a walmart in el

paso even the police remaining vigilant. >> cobb county police trained frequently on active-shooter protocol we recently all just went through active shooter training as a police department. so we were able to put that training into use today. >> shoppers who were inside the mall still on edge. >> last thing you would ever think about somebody being shot inside a mall. >> i always when i go to a mall, i always kind of have one eye open anyway. >> 25 years ago, this would have been a shooting in a mall because of a dispute between two parties. and all of the shoppers would not have reacted the same. but now, instinctively, they react as if it's an active killer. they run they hide. they get behind barricades. >> morgan, yousi said the suspect is still on the loose any idea where he might be tonight >> police say they do know the identity but they have yet to say where his exact whereabouts are. in the meantime, heavy

police presence remaining here gathering surveillance video in hopes of learning more. >> morgan chesky in atlanta. turning now to politics and a big week in washington president trump now on the brink of impeachment is considering his defense options. and trying to get at least one democrat to switch sides ahead of the upcoming vote. hans nichols reports >> reporter: the president tossing the coin at the army navy game as he prepares for his own impeachment battle ahead in the senate. comparing himself to brett cavanaugh during his contentious supreme court nomination after watching the disgraceful way that a wonderful man, brett cavanaugh, was treated by the democrats, i understand why so many dems are voting republican but ahead of next week's house vote, a possible democratic defection. >> there is nothing that has turned up that truly is impeachable. >> the new jersey democrat reportedly feeling the heat from the president. a democratic official telling nbc news they expect van drew to leave the party. but even with his anticipated no-vote,

impeachment on track for a trial in the senate trump aide down playing reports that white house counsel pat cipollone will lead the president's senate defense. >> the president may have a number of attorneys helping him. >> reporter: as the president's senate allies advocate for a short trial without calling the bidens to testify. >> i want to end it. i don't want to legitimize it. i hate what they're doing. >> reporter: and graham is also hoping to hearing directly from rudy giuliani, who met with the president yesterday after returning from ukraine. but outside the impeachment process. >> rudy, if you want to come tell us what you found, i'd be glad to talk to you >> reporter: even as some of trump's congressional allies question giuliani's trip. >> i didn't really know why rudy was in the ukraine. >> hans, some big news coming out about troops in afghanistan. while the president was attending that army-navy game. >> so the president and the white house is planning to announce the potential drawdown of some 4,000 u.s.

troops from afghanistan. that would leave between 8 and 9,000 troops in an 18-year war that the president campaigned on ending jose. >> hans nichols at the white house. thank you. we have new developments tonight in the stabbing death of a new york city college student. disturbing details are now coming out of court about the young woman's struggle against her attackers. kathy park has the latest >> reporter: tonight, a dive team back in a manhattan pond searching for evidence in the stabbing of 18-year-old barnard college student tessa majors the investigation taking a major turn with the arrest of a 13-year-old boy. and new details revealed in court friday our new york station wnbc reporting that a detective testified saying that the suspect and his two friends were at morningside park on wednesday, intending to commit a robbery. the detective testifying the boy said his friends put the young woman in a choke-hold and removed

items from her pocket. the suspect even describing the stabbing and the struggle as feathers flew out of her jacket adding tessa tried fighting back. biting one of her attackers on the finger according to the detective. while it's unclear what role the 13-year-old played in the brazen crime, he's facing a list of charges as a juvenile, including second-degree murder his attorney saying he had no criminal history. and that there is no allegation he touched the victim or took anything from her. because of his age, the teen is not being identified by nbc news officials are also questioning a 14-year-old. and looking for a third suspect. described by family as a light that shined brightly, tessa expressed joy in writing and music. tonight, a memorial grows in her mhonor as a community remembers a young life cut short. >> i hope that this investigation finds the truth. but i'm -- i mean, i'm heartbroken for all parties. >> kathy, when will

the 13-year-old suspect appear in court again? >> reporter: jose, a judge ordered that the suspect be held until tuesday. so that's when he's expected to be back in court. meantime, we reached out to the suspect's family right now, they had no comment about this case jose. >> kathy park in new york thank you very much. the big easy is in a state of emergency right now. the city of new orleans under siege by cybercriminals hacking into government computers. and not the first time either phillip has the story. >> reporter: tonight, the city of new orleans crippled after a cyberattack. websites down. phones unanswered. the mayor declaring a state of emergency as local and federal officials work to figure out who's behind the hack and how much damage has been done. hackers gained access to government systems on friday morning. city hall telling employees to power down and unplug their computers immediately. >> investigation is still in progress. so there's much that we are still to learn

about this attack. the mechanisms and what was significantly compromised. >> officials say emergency operations have not been impacted and are communicating via twitter. this is the third cyberattack in louisiana this year. in july, several school systems were infected by malware. and just last month, a ransomware attack held state data hostage hackers demanded the government pay up. louisiana's policy is not to pay ransom. instead, officials wiped hard drives. >> they will look for the sitting ducks and pursue them aggressively in order to get these ransoms. >> there have been more than 100 attacks targeting state and local governments this year alone maryland, florida, and texas were among those hit the hardest. states that refuse to pay ransom may still end up paying. >> they've been millions upon millions of dollars trying to clean their systems of this malware but often times, paying the ransom and unfortunately so, can be cheaper than taking these remedial

measures. >> it's called ransomware was there a ransom request in new orleans? >> oddly enough, there has not been any request for ransom officials in new orleans say about 4,000 of their computers were affected but the good news tonight some systems have started to get back up online and no personal data has been compromised. no evidence of that. >> thank you very much severe storms and tornados left a massive parts of florida today, at least two tornados hit overnight along the state's northeast coast. one with winds of at least 110 miles an hour toppling trees and causing damage to buildings in the area. no injuries were reported overseas now to new zealand where the death toll from this week's volcano eruption has risen to 15 today, a recovery team returned to the site searching for more bodies it's a risky mission they had to wear special suits protecting them against the scorching ground and toxic air a video that went viral of a runner

inappropriately touching a female reporter live on tv has now turned into a criminal charge. sarah harmon has the story. >> reporter: it was a slap seen around the world. in a video viewed more than 10 million times. >> so very exciting. >> visibly-shaken carried on reporting from savannah, georgia. tonight, that jogger, 43-year-old thomas callaway, is facing a sexual battery charge. and is out on bail his attorney saying callaway deeply regrets the situation. callaway admitting he touched her in an interview with nbc affiliate wfaz. >> alex, i'm sorry i did not mean to do this yes, i touched her i did not know where i touched her because i just kept running. >> saying she was hurt physically and emotionally. telling cbs "this morning. >> he kind of winds up and, you know, he hit me hard. the reason why maybe it caught so much fire

is because the emotion is extremely relatable for women all over the world. >> reporter: in a police report, she described the incident has a smack and grab declining further comment due to the criminal investigation. >> all reporters deserve not to be assaulted. while they're doing their job. >> reporter: with her station wsav saying it continues to support alex's case moves forward. tonight, a reporter becoming the story for all the wrong reasons. sarah harmon nbc news. >> when we come back, a police officer body slams a young student. caught on camera the outrage in the community tonight. also, how social media companies are scrambling to keep phony videos offline struggling off line. coughing oh no,... ...a cougher. welcome to flu season, karen. is a regular flu shot strong enough... ...to help prevent flu in someone your age? there are standard-dose flu shots.

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with a troubling story out of north carolina. a middle school resource officer is on paid leave after slamming a child to the ground and a note of caution. the video is disturbing matt bradley reports >> reporter: this shocking school surveillance video shows a north carolina school resource officer walking a middle school boy to the office then abruptly body slamming him not once but twice the vance middle school resource officer who has no previous incidents on his record has been suspended pending an investigation by the state of north carolina. >> this is a use of force case and the sheriff appropriately is

called i called in an outside agency to investigate. and i can just assure -- i've been able to assure the family this is being conducted appropriately. >> i was shocked. >> curtis is the sheriff of vance county he requested the state-level investigation. >> seeing a child that small remind me of one of my grandchildren. >> there is no sound on the surveillance video and it's unclear what was said between the officer and the student that might have sparked the officer's violent reaction we now know the child was not hospitalized his mother said he's suffering only from a bump on his head but for many parents and school officials, there's no justification for using that kind of force on a child who is under 12 years old. >> it hurt me because i say like, no, that's the school my baby go to. >> emma williams' grandson is a vance county middle school student. >> what a kid says, that person -- that's a grown man. and the job you have you got to have standards. >> reporter: standards that vance county officials hope will be

imposed by the state matt bradley nbc news. >> still ahead, new use for fish oil the medical breakthrough just approved that could help prevent heart attacks. plus, is seeing believing? secrets behind those fake videos popping up all over social media. mom, why do we always come here for the holidays? how did you find great-grandma's recipe? we're related to them? we're portuguese? i thought we were hungarian? grandpa, can you tell me the story again? behind every question is a story waiting to be discovered. behind every question i can't believe it. that sophie opened up a wormhole through time? (speaking japanese) where am i? (woman speaking french) are you crazy/nuts? cyclist: pip! pip! (woman speaking french) i'm here, look at me. it's completely your fault.

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a setback today for a a billion-dollar baseball stadium under construction thick black smoke and flames poured out of the roof of the globe life field the new dallas area home for the texas rangers. the fire has been contained and the cause is under investigation. the stadium is supposed to open march 1st. to health news now important information for anyone at high risk for cardiovascular disease. the fda has expanded the use of a drug derived from fish oil. it's been on the market to help lower the levels of artery-clogging fat. but just yesterday, officials approved it for those who also have heart disease and diabetes and take cholester cholesterol -- reduces risk of heart attacks and strokes by about 25%. more online videos

are manipulated. clips called deep fakes. real people digitally altered to do or say fake things and it's chilling how they might be used. jake ward has details. >> reporter: you know this footage. >> i shall resign the presidency effective at noon tomorrow. >> but what about this >> i will not be resigning the presidency at noon tomorrow because i am not richard nixon. in fact, i'm jake ward i'm a television correspondent and the fact that my face can be put on to the late president's and do a pretty good job of fooling you. well, that's a sign of just how much trouble we are all in. >> you see, i would never say these things someone else would someone like jordan peele. >> made by a hostile nation just for laughs it doesn't matter. deep fakes are good enough to fool anyone. so good that twitter, facebook, google, and both political parties are scrambling for ways to fight them.

>> i believe that this is the next wave of attacks against america. >> one of the top experts. now facebook has come to him even though he's a vocal critic of the company to help it develop tools for detecting deep fakes. >> we all have these little ticks if you will. >> hi, everybody. >> hi, everybody. >> hi, everybody. >> the trick is teaching computers to spot patterns in how public figures speak. >> president trump, when he puckers his chin, his mouth is closed and when his mouth is open, he doesn't pucker the chin. >> so this pattern is his fingerprint. >> exactly. >> algorithm is built to help researchers spot deep fakes in candidates of the 2020 presidential race by learning their patterns. >> every candidate, they all have their own little tells. >> farid says his system is a temporary victory. an endless war between hackers, journalists, and academics. to preserve our trust in real footage, should digitally watermark what we shoot so it's easy to

see what's been altered. >> i would like to see the apples and androids of the world eventually incorporate this into the native app. >> you have to authenticate the camera. >> exactly. >> a warning as fake footage of public footage goes viral. >> vice president will be sworn in as president. >> pictures may no longer speak for themselves jake ward. nbc news berkeley, california. >> when we come back, tiny tim's big dream we'll meet the two young broadway actors melting hearts in the holiday classic.

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there's good news tonight about dreams coming true. two little boys with big hearts are starring in the broadway christmas classic. but it's the differences they share taking center stage. >> tiny tim who did not die. >> in "a christmas carol," it's tiny tim who melts scrooge's heart. >> my name is ebaneezer. >> sebastian and ortiz don't just share the

role they share a diagnosis. they both have cerebral palsy for nearly two centuries, tiny tim has been seen simply as the poor boy on crutches but these two boys see so much more. >> he really is like me very happy very hopeful but he has a disability >> both were diagnosed soon after birth the disorder affects motor skills and movement but it hasn't deterred either of them. >> i really like being in a show. and it's so much fun and i just want to tell the kids that they think they can do it but they actually can. so believe in yourself. >> i am strong, you see. >> reporter: jay, now eight years old, caught the acting bug after modeling for an adaptive clothing line sebastian, now seven, started musical theater classes last

year after watching his big sister's dance recital. >> it's a dream come true not only for him but for all the kids as well with the same disability. >> through the process, jay and sebastian have become close friends. >> like to hang out with my best bud. >> the two boys believe they can deliver what other child actors can't authenticity. >> a character with a disability should not be played by a person without a disability because it's not natural. >> reporter: backstage before their big scenes, the now-seasoned pros show few nerves. >> i get to be in front of everybody >> reporter: a character from the past redefined in the present. >> god bless us! everyone carlos gomez santa clara and thc nightly news" for this saturday kate sno

. right now at 6:00, holiday celebrations on hold after vandals melt the ice at an east bay rink. the news at 6:00 starts right now. good evening, everyone. thanks for joining us. i'm terry mcsweeney. anoushah has the night off. a popular bay area holiday attraction is closed tonight.

when it reopens is uncertain after vandals strike. plenty planning to hit the ice, and plenty are disappointed tonight. marianne favro live in brentwood with this story. >> reporter: terry, it is kind of sad. you can see the ice rink is empty. and that's because most of the ice has already melted. and the timing could not have been worse because, as you can see here, the holiday parade downtown is going on. and this is normally the rink's busiest night of the entire season. running a seasonal ice rink in downtown brentwood has been on tom gregory's bucket list, but the brentwood native arrived today to water running down the street. vandals opened a valve on the chiller, causing the ice to melt. >> complete horror. this is our busiest day. we know it's going to be, or would have been. we had people lined up at 9:00 to get in here this morning. we had more birthday parties