can use every drop of this coming our way. >> thank you very much. >> thanks for joining us. "nightly news" with lester holt is next. >> we'll be back at 6:00. thanks. breaking news tonight, no deal, all the major players in the same room for the first time since the shutdown began two weeks ago. president trump prepared to let it go on. >> as long as it takes, i mean, look, i'm prepared. i think the people of the country think i'm right. >> neither side budging on the president's border wall demands after u.s. authorities fired tear gas at migrants allegedly throwing rocks at the border. war of words, president trump unleashes after mitt romney's scathing attack on him. disturbing video, children at a border shelter appeared to be kicked and shoved. dramatic call for help, a woman trapped, her car overturned in a watery ditch. how she led rescuers

to her. deadly joyride, the crash caught on camera. >> he took my mother's life away and he has to pay for what he did. >> reporter: a 14-year-old pulling pranks charged with a mother's murder. the cost of hundreds of prescriptions going up in the new year. what you need to know. growing scam, americans out of billions. how to protect yourself. the college football super fan whose battle has inspired america. good evening, everyone. it's great to bwith you today in the effort to fully reopen the government, unfortunately none president trump met with congressional leaders but first making it clear he is not budging from his demand for $5 billion in border wall funding. democrats holding their own, too. the impasse in day 12 with the president showing no urgency to end it. our hallie jackson starts us off tonight. >> reporter: a situation room briefing on the border

tonight that went nowhere. >> the president asked us to come back on friday. >> reporter: neither side is budging. >> we would hope that they would reconsider. >> reporter: the president's reiterating he wants more than $5 billion for a wall. >> the $5.6 billion is such a small number, literally, it's a month -- it's one month in afghanistan. we're talking about national security. this isn't just a border, this is national security. >> reporter: but democrats don't want to give a penny. nancy pelosi with savannah guthrie. >> if you and the democrats can't meet half way, if you don't compromise, then why isn't the shutdown partially your responsibility, as well? >> it has nothing to do with us. it has the president saying i will hold six agencies of government hostage to my campaign promise that i was going to build a wall, and that mexico was going to pay for it. that is so ridiculous, a. mexico is not paying for it, a.

and b, we have better use of funds to protect our border. >> reporter: if this stand-off keeps going, so will the partial shutdown. >> as long as it takes. i mean, look, i'm prepared. i think the people of the country think i'm right. >> reporter: hundreds of thousands of federal workers won't see a paycheck until the government reopens. like air traffic accident controller matthew in north carolina. he has a savings account but -- >> it's almost depleted. that was my rainy day fund and it rained. >> reporter: the president is focussed on the border officials tear gassed a group of migrants. agents aimed at people throwing rocks at them, not at migrants trying to cross into the u.s. multiple sources say democrats made clear to the president today they will move to reopen government tomorrow when they take control of the house but the senate plans to reject it. so we are left tonight with not much progress and not much consolation for federal workers. lester. >> hallie jackson,

thank you. president trump firing back after a scathing attack from fellow republican mitt romney that leaves some to ask could romney challenge the president in 2020? this as the field of potential democrat candidates grows. our kristen welker has more. >> reporter: tonight, president trump saying there is one reason democrats won't give an inch on the border wall. >> we're in the shutdown because of the fact that the democrats are looking to 2020. >> reporter: but could he face a republican challenge, too? incoming utah senator mitt romney writing in an op ed today the president has not e ntle of the office. president trump firing back. rd against president obama like he does against me, he would have won the election. >> reporter: today, romney insisting he has no plans for a showdown against the president. >> i'm not running again. >> reporter: on the democratic side former san

antonio mayor, julio castro says he'll announce his decision saturday and the biggest name so far to signal she's running, liberal fire brand elizabeth warren. >> america's middle class is just getting hallowed out. >> reporter: getting mixed reviews over this instagram the day of her announcement. >> hold on a sec, i'm going to get me a beer. >> reporter: critics calling it inauthentic pandering to younger voters. kristin welker, nbc news in washington. let us turn now to the american being held in russia. the u.s. ambassador able to visit him there today. his family says he is anything but a spy. nbc's hans nichols has the latest. >> reporter: tonight, american paul whelan getting the first visit from u.s. embassy officials in a moscow jail, a relief for the form er marine's twin brother. >> i'm relieved. >> reporter: questions remain about why he was arrested for espionage. >> i'm 100% confident paul was not a spy. >> reporter: whelan was

discharged in 2008 for bad conduct after being court-martialed for attempted larceny. a background experts say doesn't match the profile of a spy. >> it's very unlikely the cia would use someone like this. first, he apparently had a rocky tenure in the marine corps. second, he also had no diplomatic immunity. >> reporter: his family saying he was only in russia to attend a friend's wedding. hans nichols, nbc news, washington. netflix is under fire for pulling an episode of a show in saudi arabia that criticized the crown prince for the alleged role in the murder of journalist jamal khashoggi. nbc's andrea mitchell has more on the growing controversy. >> reporter: saudi arabia out law b an upcoming episode of muslim american comedian's network show slamming the crown prince for the murder of jamal khashoggi.

>> just a few months ago, nbs was hailed as the reformer of the arab world needed, but the revelations about khashoggi's killing shattered that image. >> reporter: now in a controversial move netflix pulling that episode of the patriot act saying it has to compile with local law. saudis can still see it on youtube. he wrote clearly the best way to keep people from watching it is ban it, trend it online and leave it on youtube. the crown prince with the support of president trump and his son-in-law jared kushner is defying worldwide criticism over the slaying. >> anyone that knows anything about saudi arabia certainly knows mohamed salman bears responsibility for the murder. >> reporter: this horrifying khashoggi's friends. >> saudi arabia right now is acting like a rogue nation, a rogue nation with no respect for the rule of law or human life

and dignity. >> reporter: but the republican senate has already put the white house on notice. if the president won't punish the saudis, congress may force him to. lester? >> andrea mitchell, thanks. prosecutors in arizona are considering criminal charges over shocking videos that appear to show migrant children being abused at a facility tasked with helping them. nbc's miguel almaguer with the disturbing tapes. >> reporter: the video of migrant children appearing to be dragged, shoved in the hands of prognosis prosecutors. it happened at the town of deal orates 24 shelters for unaccompanied minors. recorded in september, the video was recently released by state health officials who blurred some images. the federal office of refugee resettlement that

oversees shelters suspended operations at the young town facility in october. southwest key tells nbc news it fired several employees adding they do not in any way condone the behavior and have taken appropriate action in response. >> reporter: tonight this video is in the hands of prosecutors. miguel almaguer, nbc news. a new reward is being offered in the manhunt for the gunman that killed a 7-year-old girl. authorities and her family today asking the public for help solving what they call a senseless, random shooting. nbc's gabe gutierrez has more from houston. >> reporter: her family says jasmine barnes' life was summed up by her ve love, laugh. tonight, there is an all out manhunt for this killer. >> for this man to come out this parking lot and fire off shots at me and my kids was totally wrong. >> reporter: her mother is now out of the hospital after being shot in the arm. she told us she was going to get hecofour daughters when a red pickup truck pulled up next to her and a man started shooting. >> then my baby was an

angel in disguise and i'm going to be leading the charge until i get justice for my baby. >> reporter: a $50,000 reward is being offered to help find the gunman. sheriff's deputies are looking for that red pickup truck captured on surveillance video. >> it does definitely seem to be random, however, we're not tone deaf to concerns there could be a hate motive to this. >> reporter: jasmine's family is begging for the public's help to find the man who took this young girl filled with joy. gabe gutierrez, nbc news, houston. >> also in texas tonight, the tragic case of a 14-year-old boy charged with murder after police say he got behind the wheel to pull pranks with his friends and ended up killing a 45-year-old mother. our ron mott with that story. >> reporter: tonight, newly released survey videos show when three houston teens' new years day joyride turned deadly. unidentified teenagers throwing eggs when the teens say a driver

flashed a semiautomatic weapon and started chasing them causing them to broadside a pickup truck killing 45-year-old sylvia zavala. >> they pulled the lady out of the car and she was dead on sight. it was just horrific. >> reporter: police say the 14-year-old driver ran a red light and hit her car going at least 60 miles an hour. >> she was a happy independent woman. >> reporter: leaving the single mother's family devastated. >> i feel bad, right, like i do, but you took my mother's life away and he has to pay for what he did. >> reporter: the teen behind the wheel has been charged with murder and police say the driver who chased after the teen but did not stop after the accident is cooperating. investigators say the teen driver took his father's suv witht ron mott, nbc news. drug companies are the new year with price hikes on hundreds of medications. the soaring cost of health care is one of the biggest worries for american families and we'll be covering it all year in our new series "your money, your life." here is ann thompson. >> reporter: bitter bills for americans taking prescription

drugs. 60 companies raised prices on almost 300 drugs on the first two days of the year. price tracking firm rx savings solutions says the average hike is 6.3%, nearly three times the rate of inflation. >> drug companies raise prices simply because they can. >> reporter: for david mitchell the outrage is personal and professional. mitchell needs almost $300,000 worth of medicine a year to stave off his blood cancer and he leads patients for affordable drugs they want the elected officials in this country to make this drug pricing situation under control. >> reporter: today president trump promised action soon. >> we've gone through a big process and i think you'll see a tremendous reduction in drug prices. >> reporter: it worked last summer when pfizer and others delayed price increases at the president's urging until this

month. the industry trade group says spending on medicine is increasing at its slowest rate in years. >> what is actually paid for medicine, the net price of the medicine, is actually much lower than the initial list price because of the discounts and rebates negotiated in the marketplace. >> lester, we reached out to some of the largest manufacturers and the industry trade group and none of them gave a specific reason for the price hikes. instead, emphasizing that consumers will get discounts and rebates, but exactly how much depends on your insurance and if you have insurance aal >> ann thompson, thank you. now a consumer alert about a new and scary phone scam. imposters calling with a fake storyocial medsecurity number being

compromised. so far americans have lost millions. tom costello has one victim's warning. >> reporter: chris hall was home when she got the call. >> as we have received suspicious trails of information in your name. >> reporter: an automated voice claiming to be from social security. >> we will have to issue an arrest warrant under your name and get you arrested. >> reporter: then connected to a man with a foreign accent, she was told a drug cartel had stolen her number and she should act fast to protect her money. >> if i didn't go to the bank and get my money out, my account would be frozen. i wouldn't be able to have any money. >> reporter: it sounded real? >> it did. that's what bothers me, they are so good. >> reporter: the scammer stayed on the phone as chris her bank and withdrew $1,500 and she came to this store where she was told to use this chto take the $1,500 cash and deposit it into a bitcoin account. her money was gone forever. it's a scam with many victims. in 20173 3,200 victims lost money.

in 2018 35,000 victims lost $10 million. >> the truth is that incredibly smart people fall for this scam every single day. >> reporter: often tricked because scammers ghost their phone numbers to look like a real government agency. >> thank you for calling social serity. that is the real social security. >> right. >> reporter: if you get called, hang up. the real irs and social security don't call demanding money and threatening arrests. >> i should have stopped myself but i was scared to death. he made everything sound legitimate. >> reporter: an expensive lesson as christmas bills come due. tom costello, nbc news baltimore. three passings to tell you about tonight, daryl dragon one half of the captain and trk en tennille. he teamed up with his then wife tony with '70s hits. dragon was 76. sad news tonight for pro wrestling fans, gene okerland, the wwe interviewer

and announcer died. nicknamed mean gene held his own. he was 76. also tonight, actor bob einstein, the funny man from "curb your enthusiasm" died at 76. he was known for his character super dave and made so many laugh over the years with his own show and late night appearances. just ahead tonight, her car overturned in water but hear how one woman was able to lead rescuers to her just in time. how a streaming thriller became one of the most talked about movies of the year. the super fan who inspired a legion of sports fanatics.

next tonight the dramatic rescue after a woman was trapped in a car overturned in a watery ditch in california. florida. kerry sanders with the 911 call. >> reporter: a moment of crisis. >> there is water getting in the car and i can't get out. >> reporter:

20-year-old amanda antonio on the phone, her car flipped over in a watery ditch. >> i'm freezing. >> okay, how deep of water are you in? >> well, now it's up to my chest. >> reporter: fearful, her 911 call might end at any moment. >> i'm so scared. >> reporter: her battery at 5%. >> it's getting deeper. >> it's getting deeper? >> yeah. >> reporter: deputies still don't know her exact location. >> is someone here yet? >> they are getting close, ma'am, okay. >> please hurry. >> reporter: antonio realizes they may not reach her in time. >> i can't kick the window. >> reporter: then she has an idea. >> let me see if i can look on my google maps. >> reporter: she gives that information to the operator. >> hello? >> reporter: 16 minutes after the call began. >> i can hear you! can you hear me? >> reporter: rescuers find her. >> i didn't think i was going to make it out. >> reporter: antonio credits the dispatcher with helping her stay calm. >> i definitely did

not want to be the last person that she was able to talk to. >> reporter: tonight, she's safe with her family and grateful. kerry sanders, nbc news. >> an amazing, amazing story. coming up, the streaming sensation that's now a social media phenomenon. cvs pharmacy.

ed gets copays as low as zero dollars on medicare part d prescriptions. ed gets labels clear as day.

and, lily.... lily gets anything she wants. ed knows he could just have us deliver his prescriptions. but what's the fun in that? switch to cvs pharmacy. "bird box" is the hit netflix movie that's taken over social media feeds drilons watch. here's stephanie gosk and what's behind it. >> reporter: "bird box" had to be a blockbuster. you will die. >> reporter: sandra bullock, eminent death, the end of civilization. did i mention sandra bullock? a week after releasing, the company said it was breaking records and suddenly "bird box" was all over social media.

there is a blind fold challenge now. netflix recommends not trying it for safety reasons. so kim kardashian posted i like it. who's seen it? she got this reply, everyone, kim. literally everybody is talking about it. what did you think? mixed reviewed. there are disagreements over whether or not it's any good, but let's be honest, what does that really matter now? stephanie gosk, nbc news, new york. >> you can uncover your eyes now. the moving legacy of a college football super fan.

a bart tagging spree turns into an international incident. how a graffiti case from half way around the world... led to a bust here. plus, the san jose mayor talks about getting hit by a car. but the good news is what just happened in the last hour. next. in tonight's inspiring america, the football fan whose enthusiasm throughout his own tough battles has moved so many. here is joe fryer. >> reporter: they call

tyler trent a purdue super fan. >> just want to say get up. >> reporter: it's clear purdue is a tyler super fan. this young man first gained attention in 2017 when he camped outside the stadium before a game even though he just finished chemo for a rare bone cancer. the team took note. >> we want to fight with him and let him know he's not alone. >> reporter: the disease never stopped him from cheering for his beloved boiler makers, including when his team beat ohio state. >> hard to find words. >> reporter: he even flew to nashville last week to watch the music city bowl. >> he turned his own misfortune, his own tragedy into so much good for others. >> reporter: knowing each day could be his last, tyler wrote i still have a choice to make, to make that day the best it can be. that day came tuesday on espn "sportscenter" scott van pelt paid tribute.

>> boiler up and hammer down. now you can rest young man. >> reporter: tonight, we're all tyler's fans. joe fryer, nbc news. >> incredible young man in a league of his own. that's "nbc nightly news" for this wednesday. i'm lester holt.san jose )s mas recovery after being hit by an s-u-v, while riding his bike. right now at 6:00, out of the hospital. san jose's mayor talks about his recovery after being hit by an suv while riding his bike. plus, are rising rents to blame? not so fast. the real reason business owners are leaving one part of san francisco. but first, an internationally known tagger accused of vandalizing bart trains. the multination search that ended at sfo. the newsw. thank you so much for joining us. i'm garvin thomas. have and i'm janelle wang. raj and jessica have the night off. an international investigation to track down a tagger.

police in australia warn bart that a well-known tagger they were tracking was heading to the bay area. now that man is in custody in redwood city accused of tagging bart trains. nbc bay area's christie smith joins us near the millbrae bart station with more. >> reporter: that's right. investigators say they're still not sure how he gained access. there are fences around millbrae. but someone got in and spray painted bart trains with four-foot-tall letters. he was trying to leave the country and he had paint on him. the graffiti discovered at the millbrae bart yard. police officers in australia. >> when he was leaving the country the contacts made out here in the united states. >> deputy chief of