Good evening. The namedropping of those under consideration for top roles in a Trump White House grows louder by the hour. Now seated among the names of trump loyalists is a headsnapping list of outspoken critics including mitt romney public charge to derail trumps nomination. The question tonight is when trump is burying the latchet and turning the page or simply injecting reality showstyle drama will into drama into the weedy business of building an administration. Hallie jackson has new developments. . . Reporter donald trump doesnt forget insults. Mitt romneys delivered plenty. Donald trump is a phony. A fraud. Reporter the feeling was mutual. So mitt is a very sad guy. Reporter tonight nbc news has learned the former gop nominee for secretary of state, according to a source with direct knowledge of the president elects thinking. You need people of quality like mitt romney to be considered for the governing aspects even if the campaigning was a little bit at odds. Reporter no one from romneys side is talking. A transition source says the governor will meet sunday with the president elect after other potential picks to lead the state department came under fire. Rudy giuliani for reported business ties to foreign governments, and nikki haley for la o the South Carolina governor visiting trump tower today, raising questions about whether trump wants a team of rivals or when its just talk to show hes inclusive. I dont think that a cabinet needs to look like a benetton commercial, but i think that having folks of different ethnic backgrounds matters, particularly in that role. Reporter perhaps more than outreach to former foes, the president elect prizes loyalty. And by his side almost commander who served under president obama, now a leading contender for National Security adviser. As transition tensions rise in the National Security community. Tonight, multiple Senior Intelligence officials tell nbc news theyre preparing for the most wrenching transition in 15 years, saying agencies are being left in the dark, learning more from news media than from the trump team itself. Vice president elect mike pence is leading that team and leading the charge on capitol hill. Mike pence meeting with congressional leaders. Donald trump here meeting with the japanese Prime Minister tonight. The president elects schedule packed and not likely to let up. A top aide says after thanksgiving, the president elect will get out of new york and get back on the road to visit states he won for a thank you tour. Call it a victory lap, lester. Hallie jackson tonight in new york. Thank you. With democrats still reeling from election losses, Hillary Clinton opening up about the pain of losing the oval office as her party struggles to find its way. We get more from nbcs andrea mitchell. Reporter Hillary Clinton appearing for the first time publicly since her concession and devastating loss. There have been a few times this past week when all i wanted to do was just to curl up with a good book or our dogs and never leave the house again. Reporter until now her has been walking in the woods. A picture snapped by her husband. But last night, appearing defeated, dejected, talking about what she wishes she could tell her late mother. Your daughter will grow up to be a United States senator, represent our country as secretary of state, and win more than 62 million votes for president of the United States. [ applause ] reporter friends acknowledge how hard this has been. I actually talked to her the day before she made the speech. She was a little angry at the sequence of events in the last and its a sadness that im not sure will is will ever, ever totally leave Hillary Clinton. Reporter clintons former rival, who has still not called her, asked if his challenge contributed to her defeat. You can argue the exact reverse, that maybe i would have been elected president of the United States. Reporter and echoing Democratic Leaders new strategy, trying to win back working class whites by finding Common Ground with donald trump on infrastructure and trade. Where can you work with donald tr mr. Trump is serious about developing policies for working families, if hes serious about raising the minimum wage, i will work with him on that. Reporter as democrats regroup, president obama in berlin slamming Fake Campaign news on social media. If we cant discriminate between serious arguments and propaganda, then we have problems. Reporter and in another sign of democratic disarray nancy pelosi is now being challenged for the first time by an ohio congressman, tim ryan, from the kind of rustbelt district donald trump won overwhelmingly. Lester . Andrea mitchell, thank you. Now to the deadly natural gas explosion that rocked a small illinois town. One person was killed, 12 others injured in the massive blast captured by surveillance cameras. The explosion damaging several buildings, shattering windows and rattling a whole lot of nerves. Nbcs ron mott has the latest. For the night, employees still inside when an explosion blasted its storefront wide open. Surveillance cameras capturing two angles at the moment of impact. It shook everything. It almost felt like an earthquake. Just a massive rumble and a big boom and just everything came crashing down at one time. Reporter today the extent of the damage to the town square in canton, illinois, was clear. The sirens started digging outside the 125yearold opera house hit a supply line. A crew from the gas company responded, and the explosion happened as the crew was about to make a repair. The cause is under investigation. 38yearold worker arturo silva jr. Was killed. 12 others taken to the hospital. The force of the concussion felt for blocks. Everybody has to go three blocks. Reporter the latest in a series of recent explosions to rock communities around the country, 97 so far this year. When someone recording the incident later posted the video on social media. An investigation is now underway, and we get details from nbcs miguel almaguer. Reporter cell phone video captured the confrontation in flagstaff, arizona, when the officer threw the punch. Hey hey you cant hit a girl like that. Reporter police were responding to an eviction notice. Its unclear what led to the scuffle between officer jeff bonar and marisa morris, who was arrested, then today released. Marisa, just let him. Let him arrest you. Its hurtful. Its embarrassing. Its the people who are supposed to protect us, and they did not protect us. They ended up hurting me. Reporter today the Police Department placed the officer on leave. The chief saying he is concerned by what is depicted. It is our intent to conduct a very detailed and thorough investigation into this matter. Reporter in his report, officer bonar said he was kicked and kneed in the groin. The video shot behind a rail is not the only evidence. Reporter in flagstaff, police wear body cameras like these. Footage from this incident hasnt been released but is under review. On the ground so often in cases like these there is a rush to judgment and a call for immediate action. He is beating her up. Reporter from a freeway takedown in california, to a teen pool party confrontation in texas. Officers in past highprofile incidents like these never faced criminal charges. I didnt do anything asking for time and patience to determine if the whole story is on this shocking tape. Miguel almaguer, nbc news. Lets turn now to weather extremes across the country. Tonight, first these wildfires weve been telling you about. Now, 50 of them across seven states in the south. In the upper midwest, theyre bracing for the first blizzard of the season. Nbcs Kerry Sanders has more. Reporter the thick smoke from the the air. A challenge for the thousands of firefighters working around the clock. A little tough to breathe. Reporter the Party Rock Fire in North Carolina has been burning for 12 days now, and its still growing. Just one of the now 50 large fires burning nearly 120,000 acres across seven states. Residents just beyond the evacuation zone still impacted. This is a little much. I definitely feel reporter in atlanta, those with asthma and other breathing problems seeking relief. If somebody were to walk into a designated smoking area, in a closed room like an airport, youd be exposed to the same type of smoke that were exposed to from the forest fires. Reporter news from government forecasters. The drought fueling the flames could persist through the winter. Theres a weak la nina present. This mainly affects country meaning the south remains warm and dry, a trend we could see last through at least february. Reporter the northern u. S. Could see a cooler and wetter winter. Already in utah tonight, snow. A storm system bringing the first blizzard of the season with up to a foot of snow to the midwest. Back down here in the south, a weekend forecast for stronger winds which could mean more dangerous days ahead. Kerry sanders, nbc news, North Carolina. Today Federal Reserve chair janet yellen made her first comments since last we signaled what many have been anticipating, that the fed will most likely raise Interest Rates soon. Some analysts say the move could come as early as next week, and that could affect your money. Joining me is ali velshi, msnbc anchor and business correspondent. What does a rate hike mean for consumers . It means that janet yellen thinks the economy is Strong Enough now to handle it. One of the great explanations from the it can lower Interest Rates, like pushing the gas, raising the economy up. It can slow the economy down by raising Interest Rates. The fed thinks that the economy can handle a 25 basis points, a quarter of a percent basis points hike. If you have revolving credit, it will affect you because your loan will get more expensive. If you have an adjustable rate mortgage, that could go higher. If you havent got your Mortgage Rate yet, they have started to move a little bit er you havent been able to get any interest on your money or barely any. Now youll be able to get just a little bit. It might be the beginning of a series of Interest Rate hikes. Thank you very much. Ahead, the striking new report on a deadly epidemic that has more than 20 million americans in its grips. The terrible toll its taking on the youngest victims their children. Also, the thanksgiving text message mixup thats made a grandma and a teen viral sensations. . . 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Febreze small spaces and air effects, two more ways [inhale exhale mnemonic] to breathe happy. Hey, im paul. And i used to ask if you could hear me now with verizon. Im with sprint now because guess what . Its 2016 and every network is great. In fact, sprints reliability is now within 1 of verizon. And sprint saves you 50 on most verizon, at t and tmobile rates. So, i switched to sprint. And millions more have too. Can you hear that . vo dont let a 1 difference cost you twice as much. For people with hearing loss, were back now with a shocking new report from the Surgeon General revealing over 20 million americans are struggling with substance addiction, calling it a disease, not a character flaw. Weve reported on the heartbreaking images of the youngest victims of a drug epidemic. In particular, children whose parents overdosed on heroin in front of them. Tonight, nbcs kate snow talks with some of the children of other addicts who found help and hope. My dad still is on im sitting on my bed, petting my dog. And its nighttime, and my parents are yelling in the hallway. Reporter these are some of the youngest victims of heroin abuse, 13yearold gracie and her brother, 10yearold weston, drawing what they felt when their dad was using drugs. What is addiction . Its a disease. Like with drugs and alcohol. Reporter what about heroin, what does that do to your . Happy but not really happy. What do you want to tell addiction . Reporter theyve been through a special program near denver for children of recovering addicts run by the betty ford center. I call these boys and girls silent and invisible. Children are first hurt and last helped. Reporter for years, 8yearold cadens parents were both addicted to heroin. My mom and dad used to make pretty shapes like on metal. Reporter like on tinfoil . Uhhuh. Reporter would it be like burnt kind of . Uhhuh. Reporter took me a second. Or smoking heroin. We would do it in the car, while we were driving. Regime cadens mom reporter cadens mom nicole said they would sometimes forget to feed him. He missed 40 days of kindergarten. Gracie and weston noticed their dad was sleeping all the time. Not understanding that jerry, a paramedic and firefighter, was addicted to pills and heroin. Once he got help, he realized his kids needed it, too. I knew i wasnt the only one that had these problems, but i still felt alone at the time. Reporter what happened when you came here . I felt protected. I felt safe. Reporter jerry is back at work. 15 months clean. People might say, you know, how could you do that to your kids . A lot of guilt and a lot of remorse. And, you know, seeing their pictures and stuff they draw. Theres a lot of guilt and shame. He still is very able to help him in childrens terms. Reporter nicole has been sober for 18 months, and she can finally embrace being a mom. For so long, i i didnt have feelings. I would numb them out, and i didnt know how rewarding being a mom could be. Reporter jerrys wife, ann, says the kids see his strength. This is not something that you its become a family struggle, but its something to take pride in now. Reporter kids and parents finding recovery for the whole family. Kate snow, nbc news, aurora, colorado. Tough reality in our country. Were going to take a break. When we come back, what science is revealing about the best strategy for a certain call to your boss. Ain call to your boss. [burke] at farmers, weve seen almost everything, so we know how to cover almost anything. Even a rodent ridealong. [captain rod] happy Tuesday Morning captain rod here. Its pretty hairy out on the interstate. Traffic is literally crawling, but there is some movement on the eastside overpass. Getting word of another collision. [burke] it happened. December 14th, 2015. And we covered it. Talk to farmers. We know a thing or two because weve seen a thing or two. . 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The boy was picked up and dragged by a call to shoot and kill the gorilla to protect the child. And tourists in new york harbor got double the view today. They were there to check out the statue of liberty when reports started to flood in of rare sightings of a whale near liberty island. As you can imagine, its a heavily trafficked waterway, and the coast guard put out an alert for boats to be on the lookout and slow down to make way for an unexpected guest. For those of you me time, playing hooky from work every once in a while, a survey done by a Market Research company says the best time to call in sick is 6 38 a. M. On a tuesday. Thats apparently when youre most likely to be believed. Apparently unlike on a monday or friday when its pretty obvious youre angling for a long weekend. The best excuse stomach problems. Bosses tend not to ask any questions after that. When we come back, the surprise thanksgiving invitation thats driving social media wild, and the wrong number you bought a wig, a jersey, and overpriced nachos. Dont let sinus symptoms bring you down now. Nex and get back in the game. Sinex, the congestion, pressure, pain to clear your head. Medicine. Viagra single packs. So guys with ed can. Take viagra when they need it. Ask your doctor if your heart is healthy enough for sex. Do not take viagra if you take nitrates for chest pain or adempas . For pulmonary hypertension. Your Blood Pressure could drop to an unsafe level. To avoid longterm injury, doctor right away if you experience a sudden decrease or loss in vision or hearing. Ask your doctor about viagra single packs. Finally tonight, a week from now americans will gather around thanksgiving tables across the country. This year one family will have some extra place settings for some new friends, all thanks to a hilarious texting mixup thats gone viral. Heres nbcs kristen dahlgren. Reporter when 17yearold High School Senior jamal hinton got a text telling him thanksgiving dinner was at 3 00 this year its either the wrong number or my grandma learned how to use her phone. Reporter so jamal somebodys grandma. Just not his. He texted me back his picture and said, you aint my grandma, but can i still have a plate . Reporter thats where you might expect the story to end, but like a true grandma i said, sure, you can. I said, you know, thats what grandmas do. Reporter the two met last night. And jamals whole family is now going to wandas for thanksgiving. You know, ive got to figure out how big a turkey i need for 20 people. Reporter their texts touched a nerve. Im at 392,000 likes. 186,000 retweets, and 1. 7 million views. Weve noticed that people are seeking these feelgood, uplifting, heartwarming, humanizing stories. Reporter how much do people rally around stories like this . Oh, you see like tons and tons yes. Strangers about their new baby boy. The recipients they had never met brought gifts to the hospital. And who could forget sad paw paw who hosted a barbecue for hundreds after his grandkids didnt show up for homemade burgers . For new friends jamal and wanda this year, there is a lot to be thankful for. Feel like everybody sees this joy that two people, two strangers can actually connect. Reporter leaving for the smile. Kristen dahlgren, nbc news, new york. And that is going to do it for us on this thursday night. Coming up, the debut of thursday night football on nbc. The Carolina Panthers host the new orleans saints. Coverage begins at 7 30 eastern time. Im lester holt. For all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching, and good night. . . Watching, and good night. We are in charlotte where tonight the saints are in town to face the panthers, and both teams with the playoff hopes flickering. 37yearold drew brees is set to lead the leagues top passing attack against carolina who will count ont cam newton to salvage the season if there is in fact time for that. It is football night in carolina. Act like this is the defining win. A pair of teams trying to