Announcer from nbc news word headquarters in new york, this is nightly news with lester holt. Good evening. More pieces of the Trump White House are coming together tonight, including one whose pick is sounding alarm bells among those who had been hoping for a less provocative tone. The president elect tapping as his top strategist stephen bannon, one of the controversial architects of his noholds barred election campaign, leaving washington with bated breath as the incoming president s choices and words foretell what the next four years will look like. Theres also developing news coming in about the president elects children that is likely to raise a few eyebrows. Nbcs Hallie Jackson is standing by in washington with the late details. Hallie, what have you learned . Lester, nbc news has learned hes asked whether its possible for family members get security clearances before the inaugural. This is unprecedented and a sign of just how important trumps children would be in his new administration. Now, beginning to take shape. From pennsylvania avenue to fifth avenue, the trump transition, now full throttle. At trump tower, the president elect fielding a call from russias vladimir putin, saying he looks forward to a strong and enduring relationship. A relationship eyed skeptically by some National Security experts as trump works to pick his own National Security adviser and others in his administration. But perhaps no pick will be as controversial as the one hes already made. Steve bannon, as chief strategist. Defended today by trumps new chief of staff, reince priebus. He was a force for good on the campaign at every level that i saw, all the time. Reporter before joining trumps campaign, bannon ran breitbart news, saying he wanted to make the outlet a platform for the altright, a conservative Extremist Movement with ties on white nationalism. Bannons critics, lashing out today. Pointing to breitbart headlines, like one calling a conservative columnist a renegade jew, and Gabrielle Gabby givers Gabby Giffords a human shield. President obama dodging a question late today. It would not be appropriate for me to comment on every appointment that the president elect starts making. How you doing, sir . Reporter Rudy Guiliani defending bannon today. I find him to be a very, very decent, very good, extremely smart man, and a very loyal and patriotic american. Reporter bannon and priebus helping to shape the future president s policies. Reince priebus is the good angel and steve bannon is the bad angel, and which one of these two critical players in the Trump White House wins out is going to decide the shape of trumps presidency. Reporter the president elect now signaling flexibility on some of those proposals, like on health care, and on immigration, but on abortion rights, no leeway on roe v. Wade. The president elect has not revealed any other cabinet or west wing picks yet, but two sources familiar with the decisionmaking say radio host Laura Ingraham is a leading contender for the press secretary job. Shes not commented publicly. Hallie jackson, thanks. Late today, the man who president elect trump will replace in the oval office spoke out. President obama held his first News Conference since one of his most vocal critics will replace him in the white house. He revealed what happen. We get more from andrea mitchell. Reporter tonight president obama opening up about his successor and the first meeting in the oval office. We had a very cordial conversation. That didnt surprise me. Reporter with protests nationwide revealing his advice to the president elect. I did say to him that its really important to try to send some signals of unity and to reach out to minority groups or women. Reporter but when asked if he still thinks donald trump is unqualified, he dodged. He successfully mobilized a big chunk of the country to vote for him and hes gonna win. He has won. I dont think hes ideological. I think ultimately hes pragmatic in that way, and that can serve him well as long as hes got good people around him. Reporter and with trump hitting 133 battleground stops in the last 100 days, versus Hillary Clintons 87, many democrats, nbc news has learned, including bill clinton, say Hillary Clinton did not reach out enough to White Working Class voters. Tonight, president obama implicitly agreed. We have to compete everywhere. We have to show up everywhere. I won iowa not because the demographics dictated that i win iowa, its because i spent 87 days going to every small town and fair and fish fry. Reporter other democrats agreed. Tonight a scramble to take over as dnc chair. An early favorite announcing this afternoon, keith ellison, the first muslim congressman. How we all going to pitch in to fix this party to make working america know that the Democratic Party is absolutely on their side. Reporter as the president leaves tonight for his last foreign trip, he said he will reassure european leaders donald trump told him he will not pull out of nato. One Campaign Idea that mr. Obama says his successor will not fulfill. Lester . Andrea, thank you. With part of the country dissatisfied with last tuesdays outcome, antitrump protests continue to swell. Today High School Students from washington, d. C. To los angeles organized largescale walkouts. Tens of thousands took to the streets this weekend. Some demonstrations have turned violent with hundreds of arrested from coast to coast. One of the cornerstones of the Trump Campaign was a vow to bring jobs back to america and now fulfilling that promise is job one for the incoming administration. Tonight, our Kevin Tibbles takes us to a company in the midwest where workers are putting a whole lot of hope into what the president elect said on the campaign trail. Reporter when carrier air conditioning told its 1,400 employees it was shutting down to move production from our facility in indianapolis to mon raye monterrey, mexico reporter it became a focal point for donald trump in the election. Were bringing jobs back to our country. Were not going to let carrier leave. Reporter many at carrier are counting on him to keep his promise. Put your money where your mouth is. Simple as that. Reporter across from the plant, sullys bar and grill, where workers after their shift say they have High Expectations for the president elect. We want you to do what you said youre going to do. Were going to hold you accountable. Reporter just down the road, another blow to american jobs, the rex plant, makes ball bearings, it too is moving to mexico. 350 jobs lost. But trumps threat to make companies that leave pay fines, may not help. In the end, manufacturing in the United States, a lot of it is going to be relocated to lower cost countries and im afraid thats just a fact of life. Reporter in a statement, carrier says its trying to ease the workers transition, providing three years advance notice of the move, and by funding education and retraining programs. Some carrier workers see politics at play. They can say whatever needs to be said to get peoples vote, especially in a time like this when were all losing our jobs. If he can come here and save these 1,400 jobs tomorrow, ill gladly vote for him again. Reporter many of these workers say they took a gamble on trump and are hoping the payoff means winning back their jobs. Kevin tibbles, nbc news, indianapolis. Now to georgia where a jury has reached a verdict in a case that shocked the nation. A father accused of murdering his young son by intentionally leaving him inside a hot car to die. Nbcs Gabe Gutierrez has late details. We find the defendant guilty reporter Justin Ross Harris in a georgia courtroom this afternoon, showing no emotion after being convicted of an unthinkable crime murdering his 22monthold son cooper by leaving him to die in a sweltering suv on purpose. Anybody who could do this, and the evidence showed that he did this intentionally, he has malice in his heart. Reporter the case had riveted the nation. In june of 2014, harris told police he forgot to drop off his son at daycare, and drove straight to work, not realizing cooper was strapped in his car seat for seven hours. Harris reaction caught on dash cam when police arrived. Oh, my god, what have i done . Reporter in a trial filled with dramatic testimony, prosecutors argued harris wanted to escape his marriage and the responsibilities of being a parent. Alleging the 35yearold was exchanging explicit Text Messages with multiple women, including an underage girl, the day cooper died. There was no doubt the defendant lived a double life. Reporter the defense insisted he may have been a bad husband, but coopers death was a tragic accident. Weve never once ever wavered in our absolute belief that hes not guilty. Reporter harriss exwife testified on his behalf, saying he loved their son. I knew that this wasnt something that was done purposefully. Reporter harris faces life in prison, sentencing is set for next month. Gabe gutierrez, nbc news, atlanta. Now to wildfires burning out of control across the south. Thousands of firefighters are working to contain them. Residents are warned to stay indoors as investigators try to figure out if someone is setting them on purpose. Nbcs Kerry Sanders has more. Reporter where theres fire, theres smoke. So much of it, Health Officials in macon, north carolina, today, handed out masks to residents, choking on the nasty air. My allergies bothering me more than normal. Reporter air quality alerts in place from charlotte, to atlanta, to nashville. A view from nasa of the southeast United States reveals the extent of the smoke. The fuel for the fires tinderdry brush brush. More than 70 wildfires now burning in the region, some of which officials are now investigating as arson. This is one of the worst conditions for wildfires north carolinas ever seen. Reporter making it especially difficult to control, low humidity, gusting winds, and recordbreaking drought. Weather stations in alabama are expected to mark 58 days without a drop of rain tomorrow. In north carolina, Caroline Kruger says its the same. Weve had some dry spells, but this year has been unbelievable. Reporter dangerous smoke and haze is expected to last at least through the end of the week. Kerry sanders, nbc news, miami. There is sad news to report tonight, gwen ifill, anchor of you news anchor and Washington Week on pbs and a former nbc news correspondent has died after a long battle with cancer. She was just 61 years old and many around here have lost a good friend and a treasured colleague. While the world of journalism has lost a trail blazer. We get more on her life and legacy from pete williams. Good evening, im gwen ifill. Reporter one of the most successful African American women in journalism, coanchor of the pbs news hour and moderator of the networks Washington Week. The greater vulnerability was on things like the tax return. Reporter the daughter of a methodist minister, she started as a newspaper reporter in boston where she faced racism on the job. She moved on to the baltimore evening sun, the Washington Post and the New York Times before becoming a television correspondent, joining nbc news in 1994, to Cover Congress and politics. Involving the president , the first lady, and their political supporters. Reporter then came the switch to pbs in 1999. Washington week. Reporter for what became Washington Week with gwen ifill. As we welcome governor palin and senator biden. Reporter widely respected for her reporting, she moderated the Vice President ial debates in 2004 and 2008. President obama, one of the rising black figures she wrote about in her bestselling 2009 book praised her today. She was an especially powerful role model for young women and girls who admired her tenacity and intellect. Reporter her cleareyed reporting brought dozens of awards, but she was proudest of the women and minorities she inspired. Pete williams, nbc news, washington. Well take a break here. In a moment, just in time for thanksgiving, travel rush. The new innovation that could make the huge headache over losing your luggage a thing of the past. Also the crime that gripped the nation. The hit Netflix Series making a murderer, tonight the brandnew development in the case. Were back with a story that will be of interest to anyone who plans to fly over the coming holiday season. Or anyone whos ever experienced the frustration of an airline losing a bag. Delta air lines said today it was nearly finished rolling out an upgrade to the tracking system that it hopes will soon make it highly unlikely anyone will lose a bag again. Nbcs tom costello explains. Reporter its a 50 million upgrade that most passengers will never see. Right there, embedded in the delta luggage tag, a tiny microchip and antenna that could one day make losing your bag a thing of the past. 12 minutes to go. Flight leaves at 12 07. Reporter in baltimore today, we saw how it works. The moment the bag is checked, it transmits its consist tan gps location, from the belly of the airports to the baggage carousel at the final information, the information sent to real time to passengers phones. So for this flight today, if i want to track my checked bag, i simply pull up the app, then i can identify exactly where it is at the airport at this moment. A few minutes later, our silver bag moved up the conveyor belt. The app showed the bag moving into the plane. It was a wonderful trip. Reporter the kind of information John Campbell wishes he had. He recently flew home from a fishing trip, but his cooler full of salmon didnt. Its amazing to me that this time, the time im really counting on them to do the job, they dont. Its very frustrating. Reporter nationwide, nearly two million bags were mishandled in 2015, roughly 3. 2 per 1,000 passengers. Delta thinks it can get that number down to one. I can actually tell in real time if someone makes a change to anything to do with the departure of this aircraft. Reporter other airlines are also working on new bag tracking technology, but the delta upgrade coming just in time for the holiday rush. Were back in a moment with a Supreme Court justice getting into the act with a brandnew gig. Were back now with the latest twist stemming from the hit Series Making a murderer. It involved the younger man accused of taking part in a grisly crime, whose trial was seen by millions of netflix viewers as a miscarriage of justice. Tonight Brendan Dassey has been ordered set free and nbcs blake mccoy has the story. Reporter making a murderer captivated viewers, and tonight, one of the men at the center of the Netflix Documentary is being ordered free by a wisconsin judge. Brendan dassey, confessed to helping his uncle, steven avery, kill photographer Teresa Halbach in 2005. The taped interrogation raising eyebrows for many. If brendan, if youre not look at me. If youre not sorry, i cant help you. Reporter a judge this summer taking a fresh look at the case believes that confession to be coerced. Pointing out, dassey was only 16 years old, had significant intellectual defects and no Prior Experience with Law Enforcement. The Wisconsin Attorney general appeals the decision. This almost never happens. And when it does, its usually because a new killer was found or new evidence appeared. Instead, this documentary, this movie, exposed fundamental problems in the original trial. Reporter avery, who is also serving a life sentence, has filed his own appeal, while Law Enforcement has openly questioned the accuracy of the documentary. I call it a movie, i dont call it a documentary, because it doesnt share all the facts. Reporter making a murderer now helping to exonerate one. Blake mccoy, nbc news, chicago. By day, she serves on the Supreme Court. By night, shes the operas newest star. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg made her debut to a standing ovation this weekend at washington, d. C. Kennedy center. A longtime opera fan. She has appeared in productions before, but this was her first speaking rowe. We should add, no singing was required. When we come back, how some young poets are making the day a little brighter for folks with their words of kindness. Finally tonight, we want to start this week off with a story about how a few kind words really can make somebodys day. Instead of parking tickets, some drivers are finding a pleasant surprise on their windshields, courtesy of some creative young minds, part of our inspiring america. On you new monday tradition here on nightly news. Heres joe fryer. Reporter we see so much this world through the lens of a windshield. Who knew a car window could offer a glimmer of peace too . Do you ever field weird doing this . Yes. Reporter alex lewis may look suspicious hop scotching from parked car to parked car. Dont worry, hes not leafing flyers. Hes sharing poems. Words are incredibly powerful. They have the opportunity to build people up, or tear them down, to give hurting humans hope, or even breathe life into dead dreams. Reporter its a small thing, but it has a lot of power. Absolutely. Reporter lewis came up with car window poetry after moving to Colorado Springs this year. He gathers writers to craft the tiny notes. Enlisting creative talent from schools. I love that, man. Thats really good. Reporter like these fourth graders at odyssey elementary. Youre inspiring people and making them feel good. If you dont feel like the star of the show, make it your own. Reporter each kid a little poet who knows it. Be yourself because youre special. Kids have just a different way of seeing the world, and theyre able to see the beauty in it. Reporter for those on the receiving end brought a little smile to the face. Reporter poems are a simple surprise. It says, you have magic no matter what. Share it and have fun. How sweet. Reporter its a movement lewis hopes will grow. Theres so much negativity. So a little bit of positivity goes a long way. Reporter a space typically reserved for unwanted parking tickets, now filled with welcome words of kindness, free of charge. Joe fryer, nbc news, Colorado Springs. Some words to live by. Thats going to do it for us on this monday night. We want to leave you tonight with images coming in from around the world of super moon, the closest its been since 1948. Live look right now at the super moon right now over chicago. Im lester holt, for all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching and goodnight. Right now at 6 00, a march stretching several miles. The message these students have for president elect, donald trump. Good evening, thanks for being with us here at 6 00. Im raj mathai. And im jessica aguirre. And day seven of protests had more student walk outs. Donald trump is not our president. We have several reports for you this evening. We begin with nbc bay area Jodi Hernandez live in oakland. Reporter students say this election have left them with a feeling of utd utter despair. They took the streets in big numbers here in Jack London Square and all over the city hoping to be heard. They may not have a vote but hundreds of middle School Students proved they had a voice. As they walked out of class and took the streets to protest the election of donald trump. As a female, i do not want a president who says vulgar things about women. We want donald trump to notice were not just going to take this liing down. Reporter determined to keep things peaceful, they marched and chanted through town from Jack London Square to city hall, ending the day in the fruitve