Airport in tehran. All 176 people killed. This morning, the new video that appears to show the plane bursting into flames midair and investigators searching for a cause. State of emergency. New aftershocks in puerto rico after a string of earthquakes rocked the island. Everything started jumping back and forth, like up and down. Massive devastation, millions without power today. We are there live. All that plus, break in the case . The estranged husband of the connecticut mother missing for nearly eight months now charged with her murder. Major league scandal. The red sox under investigation after a report they cheated by stealing signs during their championship run in 2018. Is their world series title now in jeopardy . While were on the subject this is jeopardy the hit game shows greatest of all time tournament kicks off with a nail biter. What a game. What a way to start. The greatest of all time tournament. Well tell you who came out on top in round one. Who is ken jennings . Today, wednesday, january 8th, 2020. Announcer from nbc news, this is today with Savannah Guthrie and hoda kotb, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. Hi, everybody. Good morning. Welcome to today. Its nice to have you on a wednesday morning. It is a busy one. It is. Well get right to the breaking news. Iran following through with the vow to avenge the death of its top military commander. Iwran iran attacked two bases in iraq, a barrage of missiles unleashed. Theres no immediate indication of american casualties in those strikes. The revolutionary guard called the missile strikes fierce revenge. This morning, irans leaders are indicating this could be the nations only military response. President trump plans to address the nation about the situation this morning. We have in depth coverage from washington, iran, and iraq. Well start with Richard Engel who is in iraq for us this morning. Richard, good morning. Reporter good morning, savannah. From a wet and windy irbil. One of two locations targeted by those iranian Ballistic Missiles. At this stage, they say theres no reports of iraqi or american casualties. The iranian government did not waste any time claiming responsibility for this attack. It wanted the American People to know. It wanted the iranian people to know that this was irans response to the u. S. Killing of its top general. This, iran said, was its vengeance for the u. S. Killing of its top general. Ballistic missiles, roaring toward iraqi bases housing u. S. Troops. And claimed the Supreme Leader had personally overseen the launch in the control room. Iranian tv posted more video of what it said was the impact, around 5 30 p. M. Eastern time. There were two waves of attacks according to the u. S. Military, and iran fired at least a dozen Ballistic Missiles from inside iranian territory at u. S. Based b for logistics and on the allassad base. There was wild threats to bomb dubai, to bomb israel, to activate hezbollah and shia militias in iraq. To bring the whole middle east to war if the u. S. Counterattacked. Then, irans foreign minister tweeted, his country was ready to step back, if there was no american counterattack. Through it all, the u. S. Was silent, until President Trump tweeted the first reply. All is well, missiles launched from iran at two military bases in iraq. Assessment of casualties and damages taking place right now. So far, so good. With vengeance served, iran resumed the burial of its slain general, soleimani, considered a terrorist by the u. S. Iranian media made unsubstantiated claims that the attack killed does of american troops, that bases were annihilated, and american bones crushed. No sign thats true. The ayatollah saying the attack was a slap in americas face. But u. S. Officials tell nbc news, iran may have tried to deliberately Miss American troops, that the attack was more about restoring irans honor. Iranian media says that this attack, this barrage of missiles, was timed to take place at the very same time when the u. S. Carried out the drone strike, killing qassem soleimani. A lot of symbolism here and chest thumping from iran. Iranian officials are also suggesting they deliberate calibrated this attack. They wanted to show strength, that they were not afraid of the United States, but they didnt want to go so far as to trigger an all out war with the United States. Savannah . Richard engel, leading us off. Thank you. What is the next move from the white house in this showdown . Peter alexander is on duty at the white house for us. Good morning. Reporter good morning. The white house will deliver remarks at 8 00 a. M. Pacific time. There was no Immediate Reaction from the president following those missile strikes before he finally took to twitter, as richard noted, writing all is well and so far, so good. What appeared to be an attempt to reassure americans, not the kind of fiery rhetoric the president had been using, fueling hopes President Trump may neuse th may use this to avoid further retaliation. The Vice President and Top National Security officials with the president , including the secretaries of state and defense. The question this morning, how will the president respond . Trump ally Lindsey Graham called the strikes an act of war. If youre watching television in iran, i just got off the phone with the president. Your fate is in your own hands in terms of the regimes economic viability. You continue this crap, you will wake up one day out of the oil business. Reporter Top Democrats urging caution. Is next step is to prevent an elscalatory spiral that will mae the United States into an extended conflict. Reporter House Speaker nancy pelosi tweeting, we must ensure the safety of our Service Members, including ending needless provocations from the administrations, and demanding iran cease its violence. America and world cannot afford war. From Top Republican Kevin Mccarthy after speaking with the president he is very wellprepared to handle this appropriately. He is smart about the way hes going through this. He will assess the damage. And he will respond accordingly. Reporter even as Top State Department and pentagon officials focused on deescalation, earlier tuesday, the president delivering this warning before last nights strikes. Were prepared. Were totally prepared. And likewise, were prepared to attack if we have to. At retribution. Reporter those words echoed by defense secretary mark esper. The United States is not seeking a war with iran. But we are prepared to finish un. Reporter also, the new National Security adviser, robert obrien, insisting the United States is safer today, despite irans vows of revenge. Are we more safe today than less safe today than one week ago . I think were more safe. Over the past four months, the two greatest terrorist threats in the world, al baghdadi and soleimani have both been taken off the battlefield. I think that makes us safer. Reporter in an exclusive interview with nbc news, conducted earlier tuesday, joe biden says the u. S. Is closer to war and questions President Trumps justification for striking soleimani. I dont give him the benefit of the doubt of anything. You dont believe him . He could be true. But i dont give him the benefit of the doubt because hes lied so much about virtually everything. Reporter the president this morning, were told, meeting with his Top National Security officials in the situation room. The full house and senate today expected to be briefed by the president s top officials about iran and the intelligence that led to the soleimani strike. This morning, iranian officials said their final answer to their generals death will be to kick all u. S. Forces out of that region. When asked about withdrawing troops yesterday, the president says he wants to do it eventualliy lbut not is not the right point. Savann savannah . All right, peter. Thank you. Lets bring in ali arouzi this morning and our analyst, retired naval admiral, james stavridis. Ali, i will start with you. We heard that iran took and concluded its measures in retaliation for the killing of soleimani. Soleimani. Do you believe this is the end of irans response reporter well, savannah, the situation is very fluid. The attack was brazen but welltimed and calibrated not to invite some sort of massive reprisal as soon as they finish those attacks, iran started to put messages out, if the u. S. Doesnt retaliate, thats it theyre not going to attack anymore. And there wasnt an attack on iran and iran didnt attack anymore after that shortly, a couple of hours after the attacks were all finished, the Supreme Leader, the highest authority in iran, gave a speech to an audience at his compound and he said this attack was just a slap in the face for america meaning revenge for his righthand man, qassem soleimani. In that speech, he reiterated three or four times, that irans Main Objective is to get the United States out of this entire region. And he wont rest until he does that its unclear what direction were going on and a lot of it depends on the president s next move. If the president does decide to attack iran, over the rocket attacks, then this could seriously ratchet up again but for now, it seems to have quieted down it seems to be some bluster here the iranians are feeling victorious and theyre portraying that as much as they can. Theyre playing to a domestic audience here, savannah. On the theyre saying the attack on the alassad base was a massive attack and they took out helicopters and drones but those are uncorroborated reports, and we havent seen any pictures yet ali arouzi, in tehran thank you. Ill turn to admiral stavridis, and ask you essentially the same question do you think this is it from iran, or do you expect them to say, thats the official response, then itll be up to some provocative behavior in the region well, well learn a lot today when we hear from the president. And well see more as the next few days and weeks unfold, savannah lets be cautiously optimistic that this is a last exit before the tunnel moment. And that both sides are going to take a breather and step back. Ill tell you what to watch for. Watch for potential cyber activity theres offensive cyber capability that could be done in an unattributed way. And watchrabian gulf t see if theres Movement Towards our u. S. Warships at sea and then, watch for the militia, many of whom have said, this strike is not enough we may have to do more lets be cautiously optimistic but the bad news, the longer term still shows us with a great deal of potential conflict with iran were in deep disagreement about many issues. Lets be watchful. For the moment today, lets hope that both sides take a pause admiral stavridis, thank you very much. Craig joins the table. Almost hard to believe development in irans capital. Hoda, savannah, good morning to both of you really hard to believe coin dense here just as those iranian missiles were targeting u. S. Forces, a ukrainian passenger plane crashes in the iranian capital of tehran. Tom costello covers aviation for us what do we know what happened here reporter a horrific crash, a boeing 737 model, not a max. It went down 30 miles from tehrans International Airport so far, at this moment, it does not appear this is related to the missile strike taking place at about the same time does this video show the final moments of the ukrainian passenger plane falling from the sky over iran . The cell phone video showing a ball of fire the aircraft exploding seconds later as it hit the ground the impact lighting up the night sky. The video shared by a news agency run by iranian students has not been verified by nbc news and comes with a slew of misinformation out of iran amid increased tensions between that country and the u. S the Iranian State tv reports that the Ukrainian International airlines flight, headed to kiev, crashed shortly after takeoff tuesday night near tehran with at least 176 on board. The flames were so intense, according to iranian reports, rescuers had to temporarily stand back overnight, iranian authorities confirmed there were no survivors. Flight data shows the boeing 737 took off from Imam Khomeini International Airport to key yaif at 2 42 a. M. , local time, and stopped sending data just two minutes later. Boeing tells nbc news in a statement, were aware of the media reports out of iran. And were gathering more information. The boeing 737 800 has not been flagged for issues but boeing has been under intense scrutiny following two separate crashes involving the 737 max. Both happening within five months of each other, killing 346 people the 737 max has been grounded worldwide since march, created a crisis for boeing and leading to the firing of their chief executive. It was an hour after iran launched more than a dozen Ballistic Missiles against military bases in iraq, housing u. S. Troops. That attack prompting the faa to release an urgent alert last night, prohibiting carriers from flying in air space over iraq, iran and the persian gulf. Theres no indication that the two incidents are related. The passengers include iranians, canadians, ukrainians, swedes, germans, brits, and afghans. Boeing has a new statement it says, this is a tragic event and our heartfelt thoughts are with the crew, passengers, and their families meanwhile, major airlines, now cancelling flights into or out of tehran this morning guys, i think you have to ask the question, why were flights allowed to depart tehran International Airport if they had a missile strike under way at about the same time excellent question, tom one of many. I know its early here do we have any early indication of a possible cause . Not yet early reports from the Ukrainian Embassy suggested a mechanical issue. But the embassy removed that statement from their website they say the investigation is ongoing. Listen, as you know, these investigations always take a long time. And the airline says it will have had one of its best crews and best planes involved in the flight yesterday tom costello for us thank you. We want to turn to a state of emergency declared in puerto rico after a series of devastating and deadly earthquakes that caused a lot of damage, knocked out power across much of the island nbcs sam brock joins us now from puerto rico sam, whats the latest there reporter yeah, hoda, good morning. Guanica, one of the hardesthit regions where people tell me they were blind sided by the quake on Tuesday Morning still no power the damage is evident. Walk with me for a second. This was a twostory home, now crumpled beneath, youll see the foundations and the columns are compressed into the shape of an s. Theres hundreds of homes and buildings that look just like this, as residents are bracing for what comes next. This morning, puerto rico is on edge. Terrified residents jolted out of their beds two nights in a row by increasingly strong earthquakes. This felt like it was a train hitting underneath earth, and then everything just started jumping back and forth up and down. Reporter just before 4 30 a. M. Tuesday, a powerful 6. 4 quake shook the islands southwest coast, followed by dozens of aftershocks. The violent shaking causing this church tower to come tumbling down for parishioners, the church of the immaculate conception, onc a source of comfort, now, a pile of rubble. This school crushed underits own weight, homes split in half, buildings crushing cars, ro rockslides littering roadways. Everybody is in a state of alert. Reporter omar vasquez, his wife and 1monthold son, visiting from ohio, grateful to have escaped with their lives. My first reaction was pick up the baby and grab her, run out of the house immediately reporter their inlaws house is cracked the family scared to sleep inside the baby was resting peacefully. Now, hundreds of people are lining up for food and hoping Mother Nature doesnt deliver any more punches the quakes coming two years after Hurricane Maria dealt the island a devastating blow. Were still recovering from maria. And we have another maria coming on to us yeah its been hard reporter even in the midst of their pain, powerful acts of pulling together for people and pets we watched as this man scaled a house, wriggling through glass and debris, to rescue two dogs trapped inside and minutes ago, we watched the same man go sbback into this hoe and rescue two more dogs this home badly damaged. Across the street, this is his place. Still standing because he put in reinforcements several years ago. Many of the buildings up and down the street not so fortunate. The school was blocks away breaking news, we find President Trump has signed off on fema assistance in puerto rico. Sam brock, thank you. Mr. Rogers says, look for the helpers in the tragedies sam found a couple that was nice. Al is back this morning. He has a first check of the weather, including whats this were hearing about a late week winter storm well talk about that coming up lets look at whats happening today. We have snow squalls as the wind and front pushes through we have 43 Million People from West Virginia to new england airport delays from boston to d. C. Wind gusts, 45 to 50 Miles Per Hour heres the front pushing through. We may see snow squalls along the eastern seaboard, from boston to new york, all lakeenhanced snow and a cold start to this morning. It feels like 10 in new york minus 3 in binghamton. 8 in State College in d. C. , 19 degree windchill thats whats going on around the country. Were going to get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds now, you can skip the line with walgreens express, get in and out quickly with 24hour locations, or have your prescriptions delivered whenever you need us, were always just minutes away. Walgreens. Good wednesday morning, im kari hall. A live look at san jose with break in the clouds after Early Morning rain. Another round of rain moving in during the overnight hours. But we will take a break from the showers today. For the most part there will be a slight chance of a lingering shower. Better chance of rain tomorrow morning as we see the showers arriving before sunrise and then moving out by noon. On friday sunny and expecting more rain in the forecast early on saturday. And thats yo latest weather. Guys mr. Roker, thank you. Coming up, breaking his silence. Nissans former ceoturnedfugitive, ready to speak publicly for the First Time Since the dramatics escape from japan well have the very latest on that baffling case and did the Boston Red Sox cheat during the world series run in 2018 . The sign stealing is being investigated by Major League Baseball today first,his is today on nbc. T looking to get your business off to a fast start in the new year . Its go time switch to comcast business and get fast internet on the nations largest gigspeed network. Plus, complete reliability with 4g lte backup. And, cloudbased security to help protect the devices on your network. Greenlight your business in 2020 with fast internet and voice for 64. 90 per month. Switch now and get a 100 prepaid card when you add comcast business securityedge. Call today. Comcast business. Beyond fast. You sure you dont want me to come with you . Im very sure. Because i can. laughs make good choices. You make good choices. I am. Fiber is good for digestive health. Good choices never tasted so good. Kelloggs raisin bran. Just ahead, a heartwarming mystery solved after a man discovered video of a babys first steps on a vhs tape. We reunite them in our studio after your local news. She said my joint pain could mean permanent joint damage. And enbrel helps relieve joint pain, and helps stop that joint damage. Ask about enbrel so you can get back to being your true self. Enbrel may lower your ability to fight infections. Serious sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, nervous system and Blood Disorders and allergic reactions have occurred. Tell your doctor if youve been someplace where fungal infections are common. Or if youre prone to infections, have cuts or sores have had hepatitis b, have been treated for Heart Failure or if you have persistent fever, bruising, bleeding or paleness. Dont start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. Visit enbrel. Com to see how your joint damage could progress. Enbrel fda approved for over 20 years. Delivered to your car door so you can do more. Try drive up at target. Feels so good feels so good target run and done. A very good morning. It is 7 26, im laura garcia. In San Francisco a gathering underway to mark one year since a brutal attack of an elderly woman in visitacion valley. Organizers plan a sitin at playground where 89yearold yik hi huang died. Her family calls for justice and change. An 18yearold sufs has been charged in connection with the attraction. After the attack investigators say he broke into the victims nearby home. Well check the forecast with meteorologist kari hall. Were drying out after the Early Morning spotty rain moved through. Not all of the bay area had it but left with cloudy skies. As we head into today, well see a few spotty showers possible but overall well have a chance to dry out before another round of rain moves in early tomorrow morning. And it looks to clear out by tomorrow afternoon. Friday were seeing some sunshine and then some more scattered rain in the forecast. Early on saturday that may linger into the 49ers game, something well be watching going into the weekend. As we get ready to head over to mike, how is it looking on the roads. Not bad. South bay Holding Steady over the last half hour but a second crash north 87, the arrow toward 101. The second crash before the merge. Arrow with another slowdown approaching tully, second crash for the morning as well. And the rest of the bay, slow through san mateo. North 101 at keiaho. Your commute into San Francisco just past Treasure Island there is a disabled vehicle outside of the tunnel. We have reports on it but not on the incline. Back to you. Well reminder at the top of the hour President Trump is supposed to address the nation on irans missile strike. Well carry it live. Whatd we decide on the flyers again . Uh, fifteen minutes could save you 15 or more on car insurance. I think were gonna swap over to over seventyfive years of savings and service. What, were just gonna swap over . Yep. Pump the breaks on this, swap it over to that. Pump the breaks, and, uh, swap over . Thats right. Instead of all this that ive already . Yeah. What are we gonna do with these . Keep it at your desk, and save it for next time. Geico. Over 75 years of savings and service. 200 points shy and that means that ken jennings has won the 200 points shy, and that means ken jennings has won the first half what a game. What a way to start. Were back. Opening night drama on jeopardy s highlyanticipated greatest of alltime tournament. The shows biggest money winners, ken jennings, James Holzhauer and brad rutter. They were competing for the title of g. O. A. T. , greatest of all time and 1 million im surprised it took jeopardy this long to come up with this. You said something funny in the makeup room, jeopardy is having a moment. Everyone is in for jeopardy. Its not just for your grandma anymore. I think holzhauer becomes the winner jennings got the first round. They will keep playing until somebody wins three times. Yes lets get a check of your 7 30 headlines breaking news overnight. Iran fired more than a dozen missiles at u. S. Forces at two iraqi air bases. It was retaliation for the killing of irans top general, soleimani. According to the u. S. Military, they released two waves of attacks. Theres no immediate indication of american casualties in the strikes. Two people killed, five others rescued after a avalanche at a ski resort in north idaho. It happened tuesday at Silver Mountain Officials Say the area where the avalanche occurred had been closed off to skiers prior to the incident rescue crews were able to dig several people out of the snow they all all skiers have been accounted for. We may have gotten a glimpse into the future with north americas firstever demonstration of a pilotless air taxi there it is right there. That test flight happened in North Carolina that air taxi can carry two adults there were no passengers during the demonstration on tuesday because of faa rules the aircraft has been used in other parts of the world no word on exactly when it might be put into service here in the United States. Looks like a huge drone yeah, exactly we have new details on a case weve been following, the mysterious disappearance of a connecticut mother she was last seen eight months ago. Her estranged husband is now charged with murder and set to face a judge today ron allen joins us from the courthouse reporter the suspect is fotis dulos. His estranged wife, jennifer, disappeared in may of last year. There has been an extensive search to try to find her. This morning in court, we hope to understand why authorities finally believe theyre ready to charge the husband with killing his estranged wife fotis dulos is in custody, accused of kidnapping and murdering his estranged wife, jennifer, who has been missing for almost eight months. The couple embroiled in a bitter divorce and custody battle its over their five children. His girlfriend and former attorney are also facing conspiracy charges in the case in a statement, relatives of jennifer expressed relief about the charges but added, theres no sense of closure. Nothing can bring jennifer back. For months, dulos has maintained his innocence, including this exclusive interview with dateline last year did you have anything to do with jennifers disappearance . I did not i would like to leave it at that reporter arrest warrants say dulos laid in wait for jennifer to return home from dropping off at the school that morning dulos and michelle troconis, his girlfriend, who are already charged with tampering with evidence back in june, pleaded not guilty and were free on bail troconis, investigators say, has admitted to providing false handwritten alibis about the crime in which the three suspects are mentioned now, investigators citing a gag order, wont say what led them to charge due lohlos with murde. This is still ongoing reporter his attorney claims he is innocent we deny that mr. Dulos has any involvement in the disappearance of his wife, jennifer reporter and despite months of searches, Jennifer Dulos has not been found her disappearance now a case of murder still very much a mystery. Fotis dulos was facing other charges connected to this for a while. But the murder charge is just coming now what do you know about that . Reporter thats the question, savannah why has it taken so long to charge him with murder one reason may be because the investigators have not found a body the defense even maintains that the state cannot prove that jennifer is dead we hope to learn more about all that this morning here in court. Ron allen, at the courthouse for us thank you. Coming up next, the former ceo of nissan who made a dramatic escape from house arrest in japan, ready to tell his tale for the first time today. That story and much more, coming up, right after this its a brand new morning for breakfast. With the jimmy dean delights breadless eggwich. 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Tell your doctor if youve been to areas where certain fungal infections are common and if youve had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flulike symptoms or sores. Dont start humira if you have an infection. Humira is proven to help relieve pain, stop further joint damage,. And clear skin in psa. Want more proof . Ask your rheumatologist about humira. This morning on in depth today, a new twist on a case thats fascinated the world. Its been more than a week since the former chairman of nissan made a dramatic escape from japan where he was awaiting trial for alleged misconduct. Today, he is breaking his silence. Keir simmons has that story for us. Good morning. Reporter good morning. This was an extraordinary News Conference that just wrapped up. Ghosn battling to explain why he is on the run from justice in japan. Refusing to say how he escaped. The reports are like something from a hollywood thriller. In a News Conference that at times was chaotic, ghosn insisted hed clear his name. I am used to what you call mission impossible. Reporter he refused to talk about his seemingly impossible escape from japan, caught on this grainy airport footage that emerged from a Turkish News Agency this morning. Former nissan ceo ghosn flew to turkey before arriving here new years eve. I wont say how imamag manag leave japan, though i know youre interested in that. Im here to talk about why i left. Reporter his disappearance aided by a former green beret, michael taylor, sources close to the investigation telling the wall street journal. During the audacious operation ghosn slipped out of his home in tokyo. He traveled by bullet train to a small airport where he was smuggled past security, hiding in a large box used to transport gear. Too big to fit through the xray machine. Then the reports say he took a private jet to turkey, where this cctv was filmed, apparently showing him board a second plane to beirut. Japan issuing a warrant for his wife, though he denies she had any involvement. She spoke to cnbc last year. The day he got arrested i was with him in the apartment. It was a horrific day. Reporter this morning, ghosns japanese Lawyers Office raided. Investigations are under way in multimillion cowple countries. He was arrested in japan on charges of financial misconduct in november 2018. Including allegedly hiding tens of millions of dollars for compensation. The company saying in a statement, nissan discovered numerous acts of misconduct by ghosn through a robust, thorough investigation. He insisted he faced an unfair trial in japan. I was brutally taken from my world as i knew it. Reporter ghosn telling his side of the story, claiming he didnt run from justice but faced injustice and persecution. Nbc news reached out to the former green beret, michael taylor, who is said to have helped ghosn escape. We intended to reach him and havent heard back. Carlos ghosn, asked whether the stories were true he escaped in a packing case that was put into an aircraft, he smiled. Craig . Keir simmons for us in london. Thank you. 7 42. Lets get a check of weather from mr. Roker. Thats right. Were looking at an early spring pattern that could be a major severe outbreak on friday. 39 Million People. Its unusual for the Severe Prediction Center to issue something this far ahead. We could look at tornados, damaging winds, hail in the Lower Mississippi river valley. And it extends eastward on saturday, with damaging winds and the possibility of tornadoes. This system thursday, brings its way into the central u. S. Rain, storms, from texas to michigan, continues to the east on friday, spreading rain into the ohio valley. Back behind it, were looking at snow. And on saturday, the snow and ice develop in the midwest. It could be a problem. Severe threats shifting to the southeast. Look at the rainfall totals, five inches or more, into the Mississippi River valley and ohio river valley. And the potential for heavy snow good morning. Im meteorologist kari hall. Were going to see temperatures today reaching into the mid to upper 50s. There may still be a few lingering showers along the coast but for the most part dry today. A new round of rain moves in tomorrow morning before sunrise. It quickly moves through tomorrow morning and clearing out by the afternoon. And then for the rest of the forecast, it it looks like just about every other day well see rain chances. Our next round of rain after tomorrow comes on saturday. That is your latest weather hoda all right, al thank you. Up next, baseballs new signstealing scandal. 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And help heal your skin from within with dupixent. Dupixent is the first treatment of its kind that continuously treats moderatetosevere eczema, or atopic dermatitis, even between flare ups. Dupixent is a biologic, and not a cream or steroid. Many people taking dupixent saw clear or almost clear skin. And, had significantly less itch. Thats a difference you can feel. Dont use if youre allergic to dupixent. Serious allergic reactions can occur, including anaphylaxis, which is severe. Tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems, such as eye pain or vision changes, or a parasitic infection. If you take asthma medicines, dont change or stop them without talking to your doctor. So help heal your skin from within, and talk to your eczema specialist about dupixent. Were back, 7 48 a new cheating scandal in Major League Baseball. Here we go. The league has launched an investigation into a report that claims the Boston Red Sox illegally used video replay to steal signs. Nbc National Correspondent Miguel Almaguer is here with details on this one. Another big one. The red sox are accused of cheating in the 2018 season. They won the world series that year the teams hitters were redhot. Some are saying thats because they knew what pitches are coming red sox win the world series. Reporter this morning, the Boston Red Soxs 2018 world series championship is tainted in controversy an explosive new report says boston cheated, citing three unnamed sources. The athletic reports that the team stole pitching signs during the regular season as they smashed their way into the history books. Using replays steps from the dugout, during the game, players studied pitchers on video, then on base, relayed the pitching signs to their hitter, so their batter knew exactly what was coming next. The video replay cheating systems, allowed teams like the red sox to do, was to crack the code you were able to immediately take down this rather elaborate deinnocenfense the pitcher and set up reporter this morning, Major League Baseball says, given the allegations, mlb will commence an investigation into this matter in response, the red sox saying, we take these allegations seriously and will fully cooperate. In this day and age, when the stakes are so high, teams will do whatever they need to do. Reporter the cheating swaefrs s controversy comes as the leagu is still investigating claims another top team, the astros, also stole pitching signs, using banging sounds from their dugout to signal batters, when they won the world series the year before with the dodgers losing to both teams in the playoffs, this morning, some l. A. Fans are wondering, did they lose to champs or to cheats . You do feel sorry for the dodgers in this whole thing. What if both teams are found guilty of cheating what happens either team could space suspensions or fines the astros could be stripped of the world series thats highly unlikely the red sox investigation has just begun okay. Thank you, miguel thank you you look like you have something you want to say. No. All i need is more boston people to come after me come on. Its just a game well, sort of sorta just ahead, dr. Oz is here to share his 2020 wellness plan. The steps he wants us to take to improve our Overall Health this year also, our favorite story of the morning. 25 year old home video of a babys first steps found in a donated vhr. We have the guy who donated it, as well as the baby boy, all grown up were going to bring them together live for the very first time thats after your local news stf and remission, with dosing every 8 weeks. Stelara® may lower your ability to fight infections and may increase your risk of infections and cancer. 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You got to accenttchuate the positive eliminate the negative slow it down a little and latch on to the affirmative its okay but dont mess with mister inbetween i wish i could tell ya how i feel about a mornin like this. And that includes a good hearty breakfast. You need somethin to kinda warm the whole body up and gets it going. Its a great way to kick off your day. sensei beautiful. But support the leg when i started cobra kai, the lack of control over my business made me a little intense. But now i practice a different philosophy. Quickbooks helps me get paid, manage cash flow, and run payroll. And now im back on top. With koala kai. Hey more mercy. vo save over 40 hours a month with intuit quickbooks. The easy way to a happier business. Good wednesday morning. Right now it is 7 56 and were seeing light patchy fog around the bay area. A live look outside from San Bruno Mountain toward San Francisco. We see temperatures there reach 56. Also 56 in oakland. 57 in napa and 57 in san jose. As we go into today, there may be a now spotty showers but dry. A better chance tomorrow morning as the rain moves from north to south. Most of it does clear out by tomorrow afternoon. And well also get get more sunshine in the forecast on friday. Another wave of showers passing quickly on saturday morning into early saturday afternoon. And then by sunday it is sunny, looks like the rain comes every other day but may be more showers in the forecast early next week. More updates on that. Lets head over to mike. The fog you were talking about, the sun is behind it. That is the richmondsan rafael bridge. And now crossing west bound and the traffic smoothing on the incline across San Francisco. The bay bridge still reports of a crash around mid span. But traffic is moving bletter. Slowing in the Golden Gate Bridge you see that on the left side of the screen. North out of San Francisco very slow right now. The rest of the bay move nicely. Moments from now President Trump is scheduled to address the nation in response to irans missile strike targeting u. S. Military bases in iraq. Nbc will carry the address live and when it concludes the today show will cover its coverage. Were posting updates with the latest on the home page. Parents and students rattled in the north bay after the arrest of a man accused of kidnapping and sexual assaulting a girl on the way to school and tried to abduct a second student. We have the latest on the investigation. Another update for you coming in half an hour. Beyond the routine checkups. Beyond the notsoroutine cases. Comcast business is helping doctors provide care in whole new ways. All working with a new generation of technologies powered by our gigspeed network. Because beyond technology. There is human ingenuity. Every day, comcast business is helping businesses go beyond the expected. To do the extraordinary. Take your business beyond. Its 8 00 on toda its 8 00 on today. Coming up, breaking overnight, firing back. Iran launches a dozen missiles at u. S. Troops in iraq, retaliation for the killing of a top iranian general. The president is set to address the nation were live with the latest plus, dr. Ozs 2020 vision the good doctor joins us live to help create your very own wellness plan. Things you can do to feel your best this year and baby steps the story of a texas filmmaker who bought a vcr to watch some old tapes. But a video was still inside, and it sparked a real life mystery. Who was the baby taking his first steps more than 20 years ago . That toddler, all grown up, is here to reyunite with the man wo performed the ultimate, be kind, rewind today, wednesday, january 8th, 2020 from loyola university, maryland Golden Eagles from Tennessee Tech from pennsylvania today, im turning 50 good morning, everybody. Welcome back to today. So happy to have you with us on a wednesday morning. Looking at the beautiful faces on our plaza happy to have you along at home, as well. The coats on, the hats on, join the crowd lets get to news at 8 00. Theres breaking news overnight. Less than a week after the president ordered the killing of irans top general, tehran struck back with missiles fired at american troops in iraq nbcs chief Foreign Correspondent Richard Engel is in erbil with the latest on the impact of the attacks. Richard, good morning. Reporter good morning, savannah erbil is one of the two locations that were hit by those iranian Ballistic Missiles according to the iraqi Prime Minister, no word of any iraqi or american casualties a lot of symbolism in this attack so far, not a lot of damage. Iran wanting to show it was not afraid to act. This, iran said, was its vengeance for the u. S. Killing of its top general Iranian State tv posting video of groundtoground Ballistic Missiles roaring toward iraqi bases housing u. S. Troops. And claimed the Supreme Leaderhe control room ayatollah khamenei, had personally overseen the launch in the control room. Iranian tv posted more video of what it said was the impact, around 5 30 p. M. Eastern time. There were two waves of attacks according to the military, and iran fired a dozen missiles at facilities, based in erbil, hub for logistics and on the alasad base deep in iraq. Then, irans foreign minister tweeted, his country was ready to step back, if there was no american counterattack through it all, the u. S. Was silent, until President Trump tweeted the first reply. All is well, missiles launched from iran at two military bases in iraq. Assessment of casualties and damages taking place now so far, so good. Symbolically, with vengeance served, iran resumed the burial of its slain general, qassem soleimani, considered a terrorist by the u. S the ayatollah saying the attack was a slap in americas face but u. S. Officials tell nbc news, iran may have tried to deliberately Miss American troops, that the attack was more about restoring irans honor publicly, iranian officials are talking about how decisive their response was but quietly, iranian officials are saying they did try to calibrate this attack to show strength without provoking an open war with the United States. Savannah, back to you. Richard engel, in the region. Thank you very much. Officials are investigating the crash of a boeing 737 shortly after takeoff from tehran last night. Cell phone video appears to show the ukraine International Airlines plane on fire in midair. It has not been verified yet by nbc news but there were 176 people on board that flight to kiev none of them survived. The tragedy came less than an hour after irans missile attacks on u. S. Forces in iraq the Prime Minister cautioned against any speculation on the cause intill the investigatiunts complete a new study this morning is raising doubts about the potential link between baby powders containing talc and a higher risk for Ovarian Cancer research backed by the u. S. Government analyzed results from four longterm studies it found similar cancer rates in women that used the powders and women who did not. An editorial in the journal of the American Medical Association called the results, quote, overall reassuring. Concerns about baby powder and cancer led to thousands of lawsuits against the johnson and j johnson company. Another virus is spreading really fast right now and is particularly dangerous for young kids dr. John torres is here with more were talking about rsv. I heard about it at any kids preschool. You probably have, too is it a sharp increase it is a sharp increase. A lot of parents heard it, especially if their baby had it. Its a respiratory virus all of us as adults have probably gotten it its like a cold we get over it in a couple days. But for babies, with any respiratory or immune system issues, it can be serious or deadly and hospitals are seeing an increase of babies being admitted for this. Experts are saying it is not just an increase but a more severe case than usual this time of the year. How would you know . A lot of kids get colds, and even the flu how do you know . They all look the same. Sniffles and cough and fever the hallmark are rsv are respiratory issues if your child has difficulty breathing. The nostrils are flaring and you see their ribs wen theyre trying to breathe. If theyre breathing so hard they cant take in liquids and if you notice blue or gray discolorations of the skin, that means theyre in respiratory trouble. They need to see the doctor right away thats an emergency situation. Do we know why its bad this year its like the flu it fluctuates yeartoyear this year, it might be especially bad, experts are saying, because warm and cold is fluctuating, letting the virus get out more were socializing during the warm periods and spreading it more if your child gets it, are there meds no medicines to treat it or evacuation sevaccines to cure i. You want to wash your hands. Sing happy birthday twice, thats 20 seconds. Avoid crowds have people not kiss your baby, especially if they seem to be sick and wash the toys. Good tips this time of year for the small babies dr. Torres, thank you very much you bet we got the news covered. I have a boost i think youll like a pennsylvania girl is facing another operation this week. Shes been reunited with her good luck charm. 13yearold Briana Ramirez has a rare brain disorder. On saturday, she lost her minnie mouse doll while eating at chickfila. Mini has been with her through dozens of surgeries. Chickfila workers and customers even searched through the trash. Last year, briannas mom posted that minnie had been found that has to be a good omen and kudos to the workers at the chickfila, too thats sweet. Just ahead, speaking of sweet, sweet mystery solved after a man discovered precious home video of a babys first step total stranger he launched a campaign to find its Rightful Owner this morning, we will bring them together for the very first time theres our baby hes 26 years old now. Before we get to that, we will remember the trail blazing work of prozac nation author ebusinesslet Elizabeth Wurtzel. A woman that changed the National Conversation about Mental Health. whistling whistling big news america for a limited time, weve changed the shape of honey nut cheerios. Because we want people to know theyre delicious and can help lower cholesterol. Heart healthy. Get it . A heart can you believe they had one in my size . try eucerin advanced dry srepair lotion. 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The most common side effect is nausea. Talk to your doctor about chantix. Welcome back this morning, tributes are pouring in for a remarkable woman who had a major impact on the way we talk about Mental Health in this country thats right, nbc senior National Correspondent, kate snow, is here with her story good morning good morning, guys. Elizabeth wurtzel was 52 years old. Breast cancer cut her life short. But shes being remembered for all she did in life. Even if she ruffled some feathers reporter Elizabeth Wurtzel is being celebrated for starting a muchneeded conversation about Mental Health. It was 1994 when her memoir, prozac nation young and depressed in america took the literary world by storm. She chronicled her dependency on prozac, cocaine and ritalin. I was supposed to take 4 pills a day, to 8 pills to 16 and just multiplied like that. Reporter prozac nation, later made into a movie, was a true tellall. Detailing her upbringing in a broken family, her depression, despair, and experience with antidepressants before they were used or discussed openly. Critics called it narcissistic the New York Times said selfindulgent and selfaware. But theres no question, it created a cultural moment. She brushed back the stigma for psychiatric treatment for Mental Health issues. Reporter Lindsey Adler wrote on twitter. Ever felt stressed . Reporter 25 years after prozac nation came out, students in new york are taught about Mental Health and dont hold back. They were comfortable saying, yeah, im stressed i hate to see theyre stressed but im glad to see they can admit that its okay. Theyre not ashamed. Reporter wurtzel was certainly not ashamed. Last year, after she was diagnosed with Breast Cancer, she wrote about that, too. She loved being controversial and was always ahead of her time i wrote a 20nothing memoir when there was no such thing. I was addicted to snorting ritalin before there was adderall i have a riot girl i have always been the most impossible person ever to her fans, she was fearless. Many tweets of praise and appreciation that book mattered and so did Elizabeth Wurtzel thank you for being the mirror we needed. A family spokesperson said she put up a valiant fight and we admire her for that. We deeply loved her and hope she rests in peace when wurtzel wrote the piece about Breast Cancer last year, she said she was not afraid of the cancer, but she also encouraged women she had that b rrrca brca mutation and never got tested for it she said, everybody get tested if you have Family History i remember when that book came out it was such a sensation. So unusual at the time just the idea of a tellall, a firstperson memoir of a young person who was unknown, was a literary device that hadnt been used to that point she said that the fight against Breast Cancer was nothing like the fight to give up drugs her battles with addiction thank you, kate. Thank you we turn to mr. Roker well, we got some warm weather coming unusually warm again, we start off, were looking at this area of Severe Weather on friday, into friday night, for 39 Million People thats part of the warm surge of moist air. It continues on saturday, with damaging winds, hail and tornadoes likely heres what were looking like through today. Snowshowers and windy. Were also going to be looking at a lot of warm air coming in later on today a live look outside, we have some low clouds moving by. Well see a mix of sun and clouds today, maybe a couple spotty showers moving through but most of the bay area stays dry. A new wave of rain comes in tomorrow morning, moves through quickly and most likely clears by early tomorrow afternoon. Well see sunshine on friday and another light round of showers moving through on saturday, all clear on sunday. And thats your latest weather. Craig . All right, mr. Roker, thank you. Now, to a today exclusive and our favorite story this morning. This all started when a texas filmmaker got more than he b bargained for. He bought a secondhand vcr, then he got a mystery that he had to solve. Inside that machine was a familys personal home movie from 25 years earlier. This priceless videotape shows a happy toddler taking his very first steps. The onceinalifetime memory hidden away for a quarter of a century. That is until recently, when jim mckay discovered it inside this vcr he bought months ago it was at a Texas Goodwill store. The tape labeled, tyree learns to walk. I thought that was special. And i pressed play reporter mckay watched as a toddler surrounded by family, worked up the courage to walk. After a few stumbles, Tyree Alexander finds his way into his fathers waiting arms. The tape is a home movie of an amazing family. Reporter mckays next step, taking to social media to find the family in question ill include an email address for contact, if you do recognize the name or the family reporter days ago, mystery solved tyrees mother saw jims story on the news and told her son, an educator in austin, who excitedly reached out. Mckay writing to his followers on facebook, oh, my god, tyre just called me we freaking found him, yall once complete strangers, now the two are forever linked proof that spreading love an positivity in life matters, every step of the way. All right. Here we are, jim mckay the man who found that tape, is with us. Good morning good morning. Thats one of the funny things, if we found the tape, we would have thought, what a bummer terrible you went the extra mile. Why did you go allout to find this guy i felt it was really important. Today, with the internet, we can make this happen we can make that connection. Can we make something happen right now . Should we do it . You have not met tyre. He knows about you, and the tape would you like to meet him facetoface i would love to meet him. Tyre, come out and meet jim oh whats up, bro . Appreciate that, man good to meet you. Look at baby tyre i know. Hey doing well. Well done have a seat oh, man you guys have talked on the phone. This is your first facetoface meeting. First facetoface. Whats up, bro how did you feel about this video coming back into your life it was amazing. Never seen it before didnt know it existed i just talked to my brother this morning. He didnt know it existed. He didnt either . Hes in there yeah. My brother is there whats up, bro it was amazing i was out when my mom called me. She was watching the news. What did she say . Hey, you know, youre on the news right now youre walking as a baby im like, what im not going to lie i was two drinks in already. You know, like, okay, cool, cool you thought she was two drinks in. Okay. Im like, youre watching the news we had a feeling that your mom was probably more excited than maybe you were. What did she think of seeing that tape . Well, her first reaction was, i know that house. I know that living room. Thats what she said shes the one who set the camera up she recognized it. And she was like, those are my cubs shes momma bear those are my cubs. Thats how she recognized it she instantly called me. That was her first thing to call and give me the memory like your first instinct, which i appreciate how do you feel, jim . Tyre here and such an amazing gift its amazing. Im glad it worked out this well who would have guessed youve been getting calls from all over the last few days. Its a story that clearly resonates with a lot of folks watching why do you think it is why do you think so many people have gotten so into this i think its a touching story. And the odds of it working out as well as it did are incredible its sweet and heartwarming and a reunion. Bringing back something that was lost under such interesting circumstances. Tyre, youre 26 now, right . Yes im looking at you as a baby. You walk in. My god, its a ringer. What do you want to do with your life i want to hear i want to be as blessing as much as i can. Just like he did me. Thats my life goal, my purpose in life, its to help people and make people smile. I mean, thats the ironic thing about this, is that somebody came and did that for me you know and blessed me and made me smile. I mean, i havent seen, you know, me and my dad and my brother in a room for a long time to see that, to see all the love and everything, i mean, that took me back to a place i could never go you know, without having that tape now, its a digital copy thanks to my man we have the actual tape wow. Want to give it to tyre look at that. Do you have a vcr no way. What do you see i have seen this tape before. You have . Yeah. I remember this sticker. When you were a little boy . Yeah. Recognize the handwriting this is my dads handwriting. Thats my dads handwriting. Wow. Yeah and the crazy thing is, that used to be one of my things. A lot of kids dont know this today, when im talking to students i tell them, we used to put our pinkies in there thats how you rewind the tape stick one in there jim is your man he has a vcr he has two. One works. Mine is still blinking 12 00. Maybe you can help me with that. Maybe. Youre an educator, right . Yeah. Announcer this is an nbc news special report. Heres lester holt. Good morning, everyone. Were coming on the air to bring you the first public remarks from President Trump following last nights missile attack by iran on u. S. Occupied bases in ir iraq. The latest in what is surely the most perilous in u. S. iran relations in more than 40 years. This Current Crisis began just 12 days ago with an escalating exchange of hostilities between the two countries, leading to an attack on the u. S. Embassy in baghdad by iranianbacked protesters. Then five days ago, a u. S. Air strike in baghdad, ordered by President Trump, killed irans top general, qassem soleimani. Iran vowed revens, and last night it came through. There are indications iran may have avoided further escalation. The question now, of course, how will President Trump respond . He will be speaking at the white house moments from now. Things are set there. We have indications that theyve been making perhaps some lastminute adjustments to his remarks. We expect the president to emerge shortly. In the meantime, Nbcs Kristen Welker is at the white house. Kristen, what can you tell us . Reporter lester, good morning. Im in the grand foyer where we are waiting for President Trump to address the nation for the First Time Since those attacks overnight. The big question, will President Trump announce a retaliation against iran, or will he announce a deescalation . If you look to the tweet that he sent out last night, it was not fire and brimstone. Instead, it seemed to point to the fact that there have been no fatalities reported. He said, so far, so good. We anticipate what he will say. We know that democrats and republicans are calling on the administration to deescalate. President trump has had a busy morning. He spent part of it in the situation room with the Vice President , a number of other top officials. We are told that he will be joined by the Vice President when he comes to the podium in just a few moments from now. Lester, they have been monitoring the developments overnight, reaching out to democrats, reaching out to republicans, trying to make sure that they are briefed on this situation and the developments abroad. I anticipate we would hear President Trump defend his decision to take out irans top general. The administration has made the case he posed an imminent threat to the u. S. Democrats have said they want to see the evidence. We know top officials will be briefing the full Congress Later today. Lester, we are here waiting for President Trump behind me, seated a number of National Security officials. All right. We see some of the principals now taking their position at the podium. The leadership as we wait for the president to emerge quickly, lets go to Courtney Kube at the pentagon. What have you learned . Reporter were waiting to see exactly what we heard from Kristen Welker. Thats what will President Trump, what kind of tone will he take here this morning . We had this killing of soleimani days ago. The u. S. Military in the ensuing days posturing for an offensive, any kind of attack from iran, preparing for the attack to come on to a u. S. Military insulation in iraq, just in the last hours. We know now that the casualty count is zero. There were no americans killed in these strikes. How there that impact President Trumps decision to respond . Will this be a military any kind of a military response, or the fact that the casualty count is zero, does that mean that, in fact, itll be a larger diplomatic response, lester . Thank you, Courtney Kube. Lets go quickly to iraq right now, where Richard Engel is in erbil, one of the near one of the places that was attacked. Richard, what have you learned there this morning . Reporter well, right now, we are in a wait and see mode. Iran says it will not carry out more attacks unless there is a counterattack from the United States. Richard, well have to move back to the white house. The president now at the podium. As long as i am president of the United States, iran will never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon. Good morning. Im pleased to inform you, the American People should be extremely grateful and happy. No americans were harmed in last nights attack by the iranian regime. We suffered no casualties. All of our soldiers are safe. Only minimal damage was sustained at our military bases. Our Great American forces are prepared for anything. Iran appears to be standing down, which is a good thing for all parties concerned, and a very good thing for the world. No american or iraqi lives were lost because of the precautions taken to disperse all the forces and an Early Warning system that worked very well. I salute the incredible skill and courage of americas men and women in uniform. For far too long, all the way back to 1979 to be exact, nations have tolerated irans destructive and destabilizing behavior in the middle east and beyond. Those days are over. Iran has been the leading sponsor of terrorism, and their pursuit of Nuclear Weapons threatens the civilized world. We will never let that happen. Last woke, we took Decisive Action to stop a ruthless terrorist from threatening american lives. At my direction, the United States military eliminated the worlds top terrorist, qassem soleimani. As the head of the quds force, soleimani was personally responsible for some of the absolutely worst atrocities. He trained terrorist armies, including hezbollah, launching terrorist strikes against civilian targets. He fueled bloody civil wars all across the region. He viciously wounded and murdered thousands of u. S. Tr p troops, including the planting of roadside bombs that maim and dismember their victims. Soleimani directed the recent attacks on u. S. Personnel in iraq that badly wounded four Service Members and killed one american. He orchestrated the violent assault on the u. S. Embassy in baghdad. In recent days, he was planning new attacks on american targets, but we stopped him. Soleimanis hands were drenched in both american and iranian blood. He should have been terminated long ago. By removing soleimani, we have sent a powerful message to terrorists. If you value your own life, you will not threaten the lives of our people. As we continue to evaluate options in response to iranian aggression, the United States will immediately impose additional punishing economic sanctions on the iranian regime. These powerful sanctions will remain until iran changes its behavior. In recent months alone, iran has seized ships in international waters, fired an unprovoked strike on saudi arabia, and shot down two u. S. Drones. Irans hostilities substantially increased after the foolish Iran Nuclear Deal was signed in 2013. They were given 150 billion, not to mention 1. 8 billion in cash. Instead of saying thank you to the United States, they chanted death to america. In fact, they chanted death to america the day the agreement was signed. Then iran went on a terror spree, funded by the money from the deal, and created hell in yemen, syria, lebanon, afghanistan, and iraq. The missiles fired last night at us and our allies were paid for with the funds made available by the last administration. The regime also greatly tightened the reins on their own country, even recently killing 1,500 people at the many protests that are taking place all throughout iran. The very defective jcpoa expires shortly anyway and gives iran a clear and quick path to nuclear breakout. Iran must abandon its Nuclear Ambitions and end its support for terrorism. The time has come for the united kingdom, germany, france, russia, and china to recognize this reality. They must now breakaway from the remnants of the iran deal, or jcpoa. We must all Work Together toward making a deal with iran that makes the world a safer and more peaceful place. We must also make a deal that allows iran to thrive and prosper and take advantage of its enormous, untapped potential. Iran can be a great country. Peace and stability cannot prevail in the middle east as long as iran continues to foment violence, unrest, hatred, and war. The civilized world must send a clear and unified message to the iranian regime. Your campaign of terror, murder, mayhem, will not be tolerated any longer. It will not be allowed to go forward. Today, i am going to ask nato to become much more involved in the middle east process. Over the last three years, under my leadership, our economy is stronger than ever before, and america has achieved energy independence. These historic accomplishments changed our strategic pryor tis. These are accomplishments nobody thought were possible. And options in the middle east became available. We are now the number one producer of oil and natural gas anywhere in the world. We are independent, and we do not need middle east oil. The American Military has been completely rebuilt under my administration at a cost of 2. 5 trillion. U. S. Armed forces are stronger than ever before. Our missiles are big, powerful, accurate, lethal, and fast. Under construction are many hypersonic missiles. The fact that we have this great military and equipment, however, does not mean we have to use it. We do not want to use it. American strength, both military and economic, is the best deterrent. Three months ago, after destroying 100 of isis and its territorial caliphate, we killed the savage leader of isis, al baghdadi, who was responsible for so much death, including the beheadings of christians, muslims, and all who stood in his way. He was a monster. Al baghdadi was trying again to rebuild the isis caliphate and failed. Tens of thousands of isis fighters have been killed or captured during my administration. Isis is a natural enemy of iran. The destruction of isis is good for iran. We should Work Together on this and other shared priorities. Finally, to the people and leaders of iran, we want you to have a future and a great future, one that you deserve. One of prosper tity at home and harmony with the nations of the world. The United States is ready to embrace peace with all who seek it. I want to thank you and god bless america. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. You can hear reporters in the room asking questions. The president taking none as he concludes his remarks. His first reaction to the iranian attack on u. S. Occupied bases in iraq. The president , frankly, didnt have a lot to say about the attack itself. In terms of a response, he said they will impose new sanctions. The u. S. Has already imposed some of the harshest sanctions on iran. Apparently, prepared to do more. There was no talk of any military response in the way we heard the president there over the last several days. I want to go to andrea mitchell, who has been watching along with me. Our chief Foreign Affairs correspondent, andrea, what did you note in the president s remarks . It was a fascinating combination of the president s longstanding objections to the Obama Nuclear deal, the iran deal he got out of in may of 2018, and blaming the Previous Administration for financing the missiles he says were fired by iran last night. No retaliation, no military retaliation from the u. S. Sounding tough. Of course, what he said about soleimani, saying that his hands were drenched with blood. For all the tough talk and the threat of new economic sanctions and it is hard to imagine what has not been sanctioned because theyve already sanctioned the central bank. The Federal Reserve basically of iran. No one can move money on the International Exchanges through iran. Iran has been crippled economically by the sanctions as they stepped them up. But the other thing is, by saying again, as he has said for years, in the Iran Nuclear Deal, he provided that the Obama Administration provided 150 million, that is not factuallyi assets frozen in 179 when they took the 52 hostages and took over the embassy. The Iran Nuclear Deal did allow iran to get back its own assets, and thats a lot of the money he is describing. Let me go to Kristen Welker right now who is in the room at the white house. Or was at the white house and watching along with us. I noted the president , once again, defending his decision to go after soleimani. I didnt hear the word imminent threat when he talked abili ede threat. Theres been mixed messaging on that issue. Reporter thats a really important point, lester. Youre absolutely right. President trump gave a very robust defense of his decision to take out irans top general, qassem soleimani. At the same time, he really stressed soleimanis background. The fact his hands are drenched with blood, the blood of americans and his fellow iranians. Yet, he didnt talk about what exactly that imminent threat was. What did it look like . A day earlier, his defense secretary said that there was, in fact, an immeant threinent t. He was tracking it within days. We didnt hear that language from President Trump. So the question becomes, as we look forward to the rest of this day, what, if any, evidence will Senior Administration officials provide to the full congress when they brief them later on today . We know the secretary of state, the secretary of defense will be among the briefers. You have democrats and some republicans saying that, essentially, the administration should declassify the intelligence that is behind the president s decision to go after soleimani in the first place. So far, the administration has said they havent made a decision about that. Lester, you can bet they are going to get pressured on that. I would make one more point. You heard President Trump say that iran seems to be standing down. The question becomes, is the president standing down militarily . He put the focus on sanctions. I tried to ask him as he was leaving if he had ruled out any type of military retaliation. He didnt answer any of our questions. You can bet that those will be among the questions that lawmakers will have later on today. Lester . Kristen, thanks. Yeah, the president coming out in his first remarks. Americans should be grateful and happy that no american casualties, there was minimal damage in the attacks. Certainly, we are all grateful there was no loss of life. Let me bring in nbc news analyst and former u. S. Deputy assistant secretary for iraq and iran, brett mcgerk. Thanks for joining us. You talked last night about everyone kind of taking a step back. Does it occur that step back has occurred, that we are at a point now where, you know, Clear Thinking is prevailing . I would inject a note of caution. I think following what kristen emphasized, that the president said iran is taking a step back. Or standing down. I think, knowing iran, thats probably unlikely. I dont think well see an overt attack like we saw last night. This extraordinary event with Ballistic Missiles targeting mi americans in iraq. They attack through proxies. Since may of last year, weve been on an action reaction cycle. Attacks in the gulf against shipping. Attacks against saudi arabia. 20,000 military personnel poured into the middle east. That seems to be the track were on. I think were not on the top of the escalatory ladder as we seemed to be yesterday, which is good, but i dont see a pathway to get out of the action reaction cycle weve been on the last ten months. The president called on nato to become more involved in the middle east. How is that going to fly with nato allies who, frankly, have been criticized by the president in the past . Lester, i worked with nato. It is a great organization. To do anything in nato, you need unanimity amongst the 29 allies. Itll be unlikely the allies will pour into the middle east to help us. We embarked on the maximum pressure on our own, and we find it hard to have allies come with us when were in trouble. It is wishful thinking. Since may, 20,000 more military personnel into the middle east. I dont see them coming home soon. I really did not see the way for the president to try to open a new path for diplomacy. Mark twain said about diplomacy, it is give and take. Give one, take ten. You have to give one sometimes. To get back to the table, i think well have to put a really concrete offer on the table to the iranians. Heres what we expect. Heres the pathway. Right now, that really doesnt appear to be taking shape. Brett mcgurk, good to have you on. We want to go to the pentagon now. Courtney kube, who mans our post there. Courtney, what is the American Military posture at this point in time . Reporter its been defensive ever since the killing of soleimani a few days ago, just last week. Right now, one of the things that really stood out to me though from President Trump just now was him saying hes going to call on nato to become much more involved in the middle east. Nato actually had become much more involved, specifically in iraq just in october of 2018. They created a Training Mission there. Taken over by nato and manned by a canadian general, the first head of that. The mission, after the death of soleimani, that mission was suspended because the counterisis and the Training Mission had to stop while the u. S. Military and the coalition had to focus more on force protection of the troops who were there against this threat from iran and iranian militias and proxies. So it is interesting hes saying he wants nato to do more. We have no idea what capacity that would be. I think whatever response nato would have to that would also be fascinating. Another thing that stood out to me, lester, was him calling soleimani the worlds top terrorist. We know that, of course, he is on a foreign terror organization. Soleimani was, that is. Many people in intelligence and defense officials, analysts who i speak with consider the head of al qaeda to be the worlds top terrorist. Baghdadi, who was killed weeks ago in syria, would be another one. I never heard of soleimani referred to in that way. That was fascinating to me. To reinforce what we were talking about before the president came out, to see how he was going to respond. It became clear from the speech when he looked at his possible options, military or a larger diplomatic or Government Administration response, so far, theyre choosing Administration Response with sanctions, lester. Courtney kube at the pentagon, thank you. Kasie hunt is on capitol hill. We know democrats have been saying we need more information about what led up to all this. Were any of those questions answered today, and what are you hearing up there . Reporter the big question that was answered here, lester, seems to be that the president is taking a relatively deescalatory path. Some of his top allies already out on twitter. Congressman mark me doadows say this was a showing the president is being, on the one hand, strong, on the other hand, avoiding a conflict, trying to keep america out of a broader war. Certainly, it seems republicans are prepared to back him in that way. We are still waiting to hear from the Top Democrats here in congress about whether they consider this to be a deescalation. And i do think youre still going to see a lot of questions from lawmakers about exactly where we stand in this back and forth with iran. As brett mcgurk was eluding to, that seems to be still going on. Does Congress Need to potentially act to pass something, trying to limit the president s powers . The house may go down that road. Of course, republicans control the senate. From that perspective, that might be unliekely. Thank you. Lets go to chuck todd, moderator of meet the press. Did the president find an offramp . Did the iranians give him an offramp . They did and he took it. He didnt want to look like he took it. Thats why you heard him try to use forceful language in announcing the sanctions. Used forceful language in not saying theyre not going to retaliate. It is clear our retaliation for now appears to be the sanctions. I think it is notable at how the president tried to politicize this by blaming the Previous Administration for financing. You know, were glossing over that. The sitting president of the United States accusing essentially the previous president of helping to finance iranian weapons is quite remarkable that he is willing to push the envelope like that with the office with this office. I mean, i guess at this point, we shouldnt be surprised he does these things anymore. Its still a remarkable thing that he actually did it. For me, there was one giant, notable omission in his remarks. It was the lack of outreach or olive branch to the Iraqi Government who basically wants to kick the americans out. Strategically, thatd obviously be potentially a disaster when you think about isis. The lack of any sort of olive branch to iraq, i think, was, to me, notable and perhaps a diplomat diplomatic mistake. What about the reaching out to nato, an organization that hes broadly criticized, asking them to become more involved in the middle east . How is that going to fly . Well see. Our european allies in this have been spectacle of what weve been doing as it is with iran. Obviously, this would be a way of almost sort of forcing there to look like there is an international coalition. I get what the president is trying to do here. Right now, it looks like america is alone in this with the gulf state it states. Thats it when it comes to taking on iran. Nato would give the appearance of an international coalition. Thanks so much. What appears to be a step back by the president this morning from a cycle of escalation, and what many feared was the brink of war between the United States and iran. This story is far from over. Of course, breaths are still held largely. We will continue to follow all developments. Ill be back with a full wrap up when i see you this evening on nbc nightly news. For all of us at nbc news, im lester holt in new york. Good day. Good day ht their lives have been changed, for sure. Thats good thank you. Coming up next, no more excuses. Jills steals and deals are here exercise, care, everything you need to follow through on the new years resolutions Trump Obamacare is a complete and total disaster. Let obamacare implode. Nurse these wild attacks on healthcare hurt the patients i care for. Ive been a nurse in new york for thirty years. I know the difference leadership can make because i saw what Mike Bloomberg did as mayor. Vo mayor bloomberg helped lower the number of uninsured by 40 , covering 700,000 more new yorkers, Life Expectancy increased. He helped expand Health Coverage to 200,000 more kids and upgraded pediatric care infant mortality rates dropped to record lows. And as mayor, Mike Bloomberg always championed Reproductive Health for women. So when you hear Mike Bloomberg on health care. Mrb this is america. We can certainly afford to make sure that everybody that needs to see a doctor can see a doctor, everybody that needs medicines to stay healthy can get those medicines. Nurse you should know, he did it as mayor, hell get it done as president. Mrb im Mike Bloomberg and i approve this message. Were back with our first steals deals of the new year and its a fitting one no matter what your 2020 resolutions are, we have gear and gadgets to make them happen for you. Jill martin joins us good morning happy new year. Happy to see you all these things will help us get on the right path. I dont make resolutions for january 1st. Whether you start then, now or on the 20th, these are things that can help you throughout the year always a good time to make a resolution with the pillow, how does that fit in . How fitting after dr. Ozs how important sleep is and how hard it is to catch up on sleep. This is the vitalrem pillow. It comes in three lofts. 4 inches, 5 inches, 6 inches great for spinal alignment the retail is 79. Is that memory foam what is great is a lot of people sleep with this between their legs also for alignment. Thats really good to do the retail, 79. The deal is 23. 71 off. Its your choice of loft activewear. I firmly believe, if you have a good outfit, you might be more likely to exercise here you go. In every aspect of life, dress the part you have to manifest it. And with workoutwear, when you put the outfit on, it will prompt you mentally, to want to go marika activewear. 45 to 70 capri pants have tummy control beautiful. Theres tieups, zippers see the deals. All different on today. Com the retail, 45 to 70 the deal, 15 to 21 ats 70 off look at the details laceup thing on the back. Its cute. Its what makes you feel great and motivate you yes fitness trackers the next thing is the body glove activity trackers. Retail at 89. 99 it syncs to your iphone. You know how it works, a lot of you, with the app. It holds you accountable its steps . Its steps, tracks your steps, distance, calories, and quality of sleep itll show how much youre moving in your sleep things you dont think about that could help in your quality of life. The bloomingdales and macys, the deal, 29, 68 off lots of different colors. You can check that out are these weights . Yeah. These are a pound or a pound and a half today. Com. Its a set of two. What is great is this adds resistance to any movement running, yoga, pilates i started doing dance and home workouts you walk around the house in these, it adds a little extra. You could almost wear it as a bracelet yeah. 42 to 17 for two. Up to 64 off. I like those. Theyre adjustable this guys, are you going to demonstrate . I dont know. Are we these go around your ankles thats the workout i do. Be careful with your heels. Theres a whole pack of them. Do you use these no. Maybe youll start. Its a ball, the equipment set the retail is 98. 99 exercise ball with pump. And its a desk chair to work on posture. And you get one set of resistance bands i lay down and do the clam shells you can do it when youre watching tv or reading these are really great to have, especially if youre traveling how much . 98. 99. The deal is 36. You get the ball, the stand, and the bands. Extra heavy or the small depending on the resistance. The pillows activewear, the activity trackers, the toney bands and dynapro exercise kits. You can find the deals and more on today. Com deals. So you know, today will make a small share of revenue from your Purchase Look at sheinelle shes still going. Look at that. You have a whole hour to do working the glutes. Coming up on the third hour, the latest on the u. S. iran crisis we should mention in our report in the last hour, we aired some brief footage that was not from the most recent incident in iran also, hoda and jenna have a busy fourth hour, as well. Its coming up after your local good morning, everyone. 8 56. A gathering taking place in San Francisco this morning marking one year since the brutal attack of an elderly woman in visitation valley. Organizers held a sit in starting at sun rise at the playground where she was attacked. She died last friday. Today Community Leaders are joining her family to call for justice and change. An 18yearold suspect has been charged in connection with that attack. Investigators say after that attack he broke into the victims nearby house. Happening now, talking with people who organized this mornings sit in well have a live report in the midday newscast. You saw President Trump address the nation a short time ago following irans missile strike on bases in iraq. Many saying this is the greatest test of his presidency. Students and parents rattled in the north bay after the arrest of a man accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a girl on her way to school. On our twitter feed updates, pete will have a live report in our midday newscast at 11 00. More weather coming in an hour. Live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza, this is the third hour of today. Good morning, everybody. Welcome to the third hour of today. Im al, along with sheinelle, and craig. Dylan continues on maternity leave. We have Maria Shriver here. Appy new year. Thats right. We havent seen you since last year. Thats right. And when you come, you have good wellness stories. Wellness wednesday, stories. We have another one today about burnout. Im sure none of you are familiar with that. Two girls are tackling it and they have advice for the millions of people w
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