Trump has abruptly dropped out of tomorrow nights debate in an apparent huff, a decision apparently not rooted in any shrewd political strategy but rather in a spat between trump and fox news which is carrying the debate. For any other candidate, it would be a highly risky move, but as katy tur reports, for this candidate no one is placing bets. Reporter when it comes to donald trump, the only rule is there are no rules. Five days to the caucus and the billionaire is skipping iowa today for south carolina, and skipping the fox news debate tomorrow. I dont know what games roger ailes is playing but whats wrong over there. Reporter trump and his Campaign Manager arguing fox isnt fair after it sent out a press release mocking trumps complaints about moderator megyn kelly. The candidate still angry at kelly for reciting things he himself said about women. Unlike the very stupid and highly incompetent people that run our country, mr. Trump knows when to walk away from a bad deal. Reporter trump the risk of a no show is better than the risk of a poor performance. Reporter in response trumps opponents are piling on. Ted cruz not so subtly tweeting that trump is a coward. Reporter the drama making National Headlines but not here in iowa where locals want to get it over with. I dont think hes credible candidate. I wouldnt vote for him if he was the only one running. More drama. More petulant behavior. Reporter even mike beecher, who is Still Deciding between jeb bush and donald trump, says hes heard enough. Wouldnt you want to see another debate to really be able . I dont need it. Reporter okay. I dont need it at this point. If trump is running any risk, its that some voters in iowa may say this is immature, but i think that risk is relatively small, particularly for the people already supporting trump who will look at this not as a petulant move but as a move of strength. Reporter though polling suggests the bigger the turnout the better trump will do still little sign the campaign has followed through on its get out the vote effort. Late tonight trump announced a counterevent at drake university. Now all of the attention is back on the frontrunner, and, lester, as you know, hes never liked to be challenged. Hes grown increasingly sensitive on the trail lashing out at reporters and now refusing to face a tough moderator. All right, katy, thanks. With democrats Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders days away from their showdown in iowa, sanders was here in washington, d. C. , specifically the white house, where he met with president obama. Its a meeting planned weeks ago. I caught up with senator sanders right after his oval office chat, and he told me their conversation covered domestic and Foreign Policy issues and, yes, politics. It was a private conversation so im not going to get into it but i think if theres anybody in the world who understands what campaigning in iowa and New Hampshire is about and in putting together just an extraordinary grass took them to victory, that is barack obama. A few days ago the president speaking to politico seemed to be speaking in glowing terms about secretary clinton, her leadership, her depth of experience. She can start here day one, more experienced than any nonvice president has ever been who aspires to this office. Some people say he was tipping his thumb on the scale in her favor. Did you sense that . Nope. I didnt were you bothered by . Nope, i wasnt. I read the interview, and i thought he was very evenhanded. I think there are some people who spun it this way. Bernie sanders whats your bar for success in iowa . Winning. Number one. Yeah. I mean, i think that we have worked really hard. We started off in iowa later than secretary clinton did, but in the last number of months we have put volunteer effort. We have 15,000 volunteers, and let me tell be very clear about this, lester. Caucus night in iowa, you will be able to tell very early, i think, who wins and who loses. If there is a large voter turnout, were going to win. If you come in second place, what does that mean for the rest of your campaign . It means that we came in second place in iowa and were off on the run into New Hampshire to try to win there. But is it disappointing . Would be it crushing and get you off your game . At the end of the day in terms of delegate selection, if you get 52 or 48 it will mean very few delegates. Psychologically obviously its northern. Word on the street youve got a lot of ad dollars youll be buying on television. Are you going to be going directly at Hillary Clinton . Are you going to turn negative . No, no, no. We differentiate ourselves from secretary clinton every single day. That is what a campaign is about. Lets talk about the significance of your campaign. President obama, the first africanamerican Hillary Clinton could become the first female president. Not a lot has been talked about the fact that you would become the oldest and the first jewish president. Is that something you reflect on and think about . Sure, i do. Thank god i am in good health and as a former Long Distance runner, was a pretty good miler when i was in high school, did a little running in college, my endurance is strong. In terms of my religion, im very proud of my jewish background, and it has had a significant influence on me. And one more note from our interview. The New Hampshire union leader is hosting a debate next week that will air on msnbc. Hillary clinton said today that shes in and we asked Bernie Sanders if hes in as well. He said he wasnt ready to commit because he wants to expand on that plan and add additional debates to the schedule as well, so stay tuned there. Want to bring in right now our political director, the moderator of meet the press chuck todd. Chuck, lets go back to donald trump for a moment. Is there a hidden strategy perhaps in him refusing to debate and obvious question could it backfire . Well, look, always a chance could backfire. Iowans could be offended by the idea, but heres where it could be a shrewd move. Look, debates havent been Donald Trumps best moments. The most recent debate was probably list best debate but thats grading a little bit on a curve. Hes been fine, not collapsed, but debates only matter to the voters if somebody has a disastrous performance, so heres why it could be a shrewd move. Trump not being there. No way he can make a mistake and say the wrong thing, but guess what could happen . His chief rival in iowa ted cruz, after five minutes of bashing donald trump for being there, what do you think the rest of the candidates are going to do . Are they going to continue going after donald trump or piling on ted cruz and who benefits more from that, donald trump . This could end up being a very shrewd move by the frontrunner. All right. Chuck, thanks very much. A group of armed antigovernment protesters are still occupying a federal refuge in oregon after their leaders were they seized the refuge over three weeks ago demanding the release of ranchers convicted of setting fires on federal land. As Nbcs Joe Fryer reports, those still at the refuge are strongly being urged to leave. Reporter authorities are tightening their grip around the Malheur National wildlife refuge tonight, blocking roads and setting up checkpoints. Inside the refuge some antigovernment militants remain, not giving up on their armed occupation. Peaceful resolution is what you keep hearing and a peaceful resolution is what we expect. Reporter many of the greens leaders, including ammon bundy are now occupying a jail cell. While driving along a rural highway yesterday, some were stopped by the fbi and state police. The senior Law Enforcement official tells nbc news one vehicle drove off and hit a snow bank and then Lavoy Finicum emerged brandishing a firearm. He was shot and killed. Im disappointed that a traffic stop yesterday that was peaceful resolution to this ended badly. Reporter three weeks ago, finicum said hed rather die than go to jail. I have no intention of spending any of my days in a concrete box. Reporter but his daughter says he would never put someones life in jeopardy. Hes a great man and just because he said he doesnt mean that his night wont go on. Hes now had a martyr. Reporter during the highway confrontation another militant ryan bundy was shot in the arm but survived. Today seven suspects including the bundy brothers appeared in federal court facing felony charges. Another occupier John Ritzheimer was arrested in arizona. He had just returned home to see his family. Three and a half weeks have passed since the armed group took control of the wildlife refuge. Now the fbi says those remaining need to pack up and go and wont be arrested. If the people on the refuge want to leave, they are free reporter a lit development tonight. Ammon bundy through his attorney is asking the remaining occupiers to stand down and go home. Its unclear how many militants remain at the refuge, but we know after the events that happened yesterday some did pack up and leave earlier today. Lester . All right, joe, thanks. In south florida today, wild scenes as a tornado rolled through new ft. Lauderdale with winds near 100 Miles Per Hour flipping cars on a college campus, damaging roofs and leaving hundreds of homes without power. At least one person was injured. Theres a new warning tonight from doctors. American doctors that the zika virus is a pandemic demanding a more aggressive Global Response and Top Public Health experts are saying the u. S. Must do more to prepare for zika as American Airlines expands refunds offered to pregnant women who booked flights to affected countries. Nbcs tom costello has the new details. Reporter in the streets of rio, celebration before carnivale expected to million turnists, but the conditions here are perfect for mosquitos, hot and muggy with lots of standing water. Nbc news was with sanitation crews dispatched to wipe out zikacarrying mosquitos already linked to 4,000 cases of microcephaly in brazil, babies born with deformed heads and brains. 24 countries and territories are now on the cdcs list of areas that pregnant women or women who could become pregnant should avoid. Meanwhile in a top medical journal today, two top american researchers accused the World Health Organization of failing to act fast enough. Now we have a pandemic. It started to involve multiple continents, and certainly many countries, more than 21 countries in the americas. We need Global Leadership for this evolving rapidly accelerating health problem. Reporter while travelers infected with zika abroad have already returned to the u. S. , there is growing concern that zika mosquitos could soon spread to the southern u. S. States and then spread north become in brazil with carnivale and olympic tourists expected this summer, a quarter of a million soldiers are now on Mosquito Control missions and carolina lobo is seven months pregnant. Im worried because i cant have a baby with microcephaly and i dont want it, nobody wants it. Reporter president obama is pushing american researchers to develop a vaccine quickly, but that could be years away. The good news. People who arent pregnant and contract zika should develop mild symptoms if any at all and then have immunity for life. Tom costello, nbc news, washington. A Grade School Principal from indiana is being hailed as a hero for saving her students from a horrific bus crash, but sadly as nbcs blake mccoy tells us, she gave her life to protect those children. Reporter parents and kids in mourning over the death of their beloved Elementary School principal, 69yearold susan jordan killed in a freak accident bus unexpectedly lurched forward, jumping the curb. In her final moments witnesses say jordan pushed children out of harms way. We started Going Forward and we hit a tree and i was just really scared because i didnt know what was going to happen. Reporter two 10yearolds were injured in the accident but are expected to be okay. Boys and girls, this is National Kindness week. Reporter jordan had been principal of amy beveland elementary for 22 years, someone who always put kids first, whether it was making pancakes or handing out birthday cards to each student. When you heard that in her final moments she was pushing kids out of the way to save them from that bus. I said thats our susan. Thats our susan. Shes a hero. She was had a hero every day. Reporter what caused the bus to suddenly jolt forward is under investigation. The School District says the driver showed no signs of being under the influence of drugs or alcohol. And were told that this bus had just passed regular inspection last friday. There were no violations found that contributed to the crash. Reporter classes resume tomorrow, and while the building will be open, its heart and soul will be missing. Blake mccoy, nbc news, indianapolis, indiana. Weve got more to tell you about here tonight. Still ahead, shock waves across america as the Worlds Largest retailer prepares to close many of its stores. We take you to one community thats losing much more than big discounts. Also, why super bowlbound quarterback Peyton Manning is facing an nfl music woman ill never remember all the projects, presentations, or meetings i gave up my nights for. musics drums intensify but days like this, ill never forget. Get out there, in the 2016 ford escape. Be unstoppable. Take back my life song music this is sheldon whose long day setting up the news starts with minor arthritis pain and a choice. Take tylenol or take aleve, the 1 recommended pain reliever by orthopedic doctors. Just two aleve can keep pain away all day. Back to the news. What if one piece of kale could protect you from diabetes . What if one situp could prevent Heart Disease . One. Wishful thinking, right . But there is one step you can take to help prevent another serious disease. Pneumococcal pneumonia. If you are 50 or older, one dose of the prevnar 13 vaccine can help protect you from pneumococcal pneumonia, an illness that can cause and may even put you in the hospital. Even if you have already been vaccinated with another pneumonia vaccine, prevnar 13 may help provide additional protection. Prevnar 13 is used in adults 50 and older to help prevent infections from 13 strains of the bacteria that cause pneumococcal pneumonia. You should not receive prevnar 13 if you have had a severe allergic reaction to the vaccine or its ingredients. If you have a weakened immune system, you may have a lower response to the vaccine. Common side effects were pain, redness or swelling at the injection site, limited arm movement, fatigue, headache, muscle or joint pain, less appetite, chills, or rash. Get this one done. Ask your doctor or pharmacist by tomorrow walmart will have shut down almost all of the 154 stores that it has targeted for closure around the nation. All of its express locations are closing, many of which are in small towns. Nbcs Gabe Gutierrez takes us to one of the many communities that will struggle to find fresh food after walmart leaves. Reporter in tiny oriental, north carolina, population 900, everything changed when the giant came to town. It was bad. I mean, immediately it affected us. Can tills peter mehegan. Reporter for 44 years renee smiths family ran a Grocery Store here and then a walmart express came along and 17 months later she closed her doors. And i feel it was very malicious of them the shape that its it. Reporter now walmart is closing more than 150 stores in the u. S. , turning oriental into a food desert without a single Grocery Store. Anybody here that wants to buy an onion now has to drive about a 40mile round trip. Reporter this location in california is set to close tomorrow. Around the country many communities are worried about what this will mean for their economies. Walmarts ceo points out the Company Plans to open 300 new locations around the world. Closing stars is never an easy decision, he says, but it is necessary to keep the Company Strong and positioned for the future. They werent really in the right location and the product mix just wasnt right. Reporter Rebecca Anderson was laid off when walmart opened near the mom and pop store where she worked. Its just all about the people and they were all about us and when walmart came, it was no more. Reporter tonight she and so many others will fill the void now that the giant is leaving town . Gabe gutierrez, nbc news, altadena, california. When we come back here tonight, many complained that plows werent out in force after the blizzard of the Parking Police you owned your car for four years, you named it brad. You loved brad. And then you totaled him. You two had been through everything together. Two boyfriends, three jobs. Youre like nothing can replace brad. Then Liberty Mutual calls, and you break into your happy dance. If you sign up for better car replacement , well pay for a car thats a model year newer with 15,000 fewer miles than your old one. See Car Insurance in a whole new light. Liberty mutual insurance. Ibsd. You know the symptoms when they start. Abdominal pain. Urgent diarrhea. Now theres prescription xifaxan. Xifaxan is a new ibsd treatment that helps relieve your diarrhea and xifaxan works differently. Its a prescription antibiotic that acts mainly in the digestive tract. Do not use xifaxan if you have a history of sensitivity to rifaximin, rifamycin antibiotic agents, or any components of xifaxan. Tell your doctor right away if your diarrhea worsens while taking xifaxan, as this may be a sign of a serious or even fatal condition. Tell your doctor if you have Liver Disease or are taking other medications, because these may increase the amount of xifaxan in your body. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant, plan on becoming pregnant, or are nursing. The most common side effects are nausea and an increase in liver enzymes. If you think you have ibs with diarrhea, theres a potential cloud hanging over the super bowl. The nfl says it is conducting a comprehensive review of allegations in a report by al jazeera that broncos quarterback Peyton Manning had Human Growth Hormone shipped to his home. The league says it will not have results before the big game. Manning has denied using performance enhancing substances. Here in washington, d. C. , drivers are getting hit with a huge tab after the blizzard of 2016 shut the city down. The district, which struggled mightily to clear the streets of snow, turned out to be it came out to handing out more than 1 million in parking tingts and more than the storm hit on friday. More than 600 cars were towed, but this evening the snow emergency here has finally expired. And you think 1 million is cool. How about 5. 8 billion. Thats how much facebook did in revenue in the last three months of 2015. Rapid growth has the social networking giant seeks to challenge google as the most powerful internet behemoth. When we come back, when michigans governor admitted today about flints water cri another day, and im still struggling with my diabetes. I do my best to manage. But its hard to keep up with it. Your body and your diabetes change over time. Your treatment plan may too. Know your options. Oncedaily toujeo is a longacting insulin from the makers of lantus. It releases slowly to provide consistent insulin levels for a full 24 hours. Toujeo also provides proven full 24hour blood sugar control and significant a1c reduction. Used to control high blood sugar in adults with diabetes. It contains 3 times as much insulin in 1 milliliter as standard insulin. Dont use toujeo to treat diabetic ketoacidosis, during episodes of low blood sugar, or if youre allergic to insulin. Allergic reaction may occur and may be life threatening. Dont reuse needles or share insulin pens, even if the needle has been changed. The most common side effect is low blood sugar, which can be serious and life threatening. It may cause shaking, sweating, fast heartbeat, and blurred vision. Check your blood sugar levels daily while using toujeo. Injection site reactions may occur. Dont change your dose or type of insulin without talking to your doctor. Tell your doctor if you take other medicines and about all your medical conditions. Insulins, including toujeo, in combination with tzds thiazolidinediones may cause serious side effects like Heart Failure that can lead to death, even if youve never had Heart Failure before. Dont dilute or mix toujeo with other insulins and you may lose blood sugar control, which could be serious. Pay no more than 15 per prescription for 12 months. Eligibility restrictions apply. Learn more at toujeo. Com info or call 8005803421. Also, 9 out of 10 Medicare Part d patients can get toujeo at the lowest branded copay. Ask your doctor about the proven full 24hour blood sugar control of toujeo. Fact. Advil pain relievers are used by more households than any other leading brand. To treat their aches and pains more people reach for advil. Relief doesnt get any better than this. Just a day after we reported that none of the lead pipes poisoning the water in flint, michigan are being removed, Governor Rick Snyder admitted there are no plans to replace all of them. Instead, the state is relying on water treatments to build up a protective coating inside the pipes. In the meantime, the community continues to suffer. We asked our Kevin Tibbles to visit flint and talk to residents about the impact on their lives as part of our series we the people. Reporter macintosh drive used to be straight up american middle class but no more. For many that dream has died in flint. The loss of industry, the loss of jobs and tainted with lead. Along macintosh drive anger. My normal life has totally changed. No more life like it used to be. Thats gone. Reporter dewana taylor has lived here nearly 20 years. She wants to move but says now the house will never sell. The truth. I cant get past that. How could you deliberately give reporter strong questions for her government which many in flint feel has abandoned them. Across the street the hodges. Father shane has three kids under the agech 6. The effect of lead on a childs development can be devastating. I am beside myself with fear and fear of the unknown. Reporter in this home they await the results of lead testing. At night i just, you know, i pray on my knees that everything will be taken care of. Rodney kotspur has lost faith. Somebody as to be accountable. Reporter in a city of almost 100,000 where more than 40 live below the poverty line they are stunned by the indifference. We do not count. They have lied to us, an they have left us behind, and whatever happens to us doesnt matter. Reporter left behind on macintosh drive and facing an uncertain future again. Ken tibbles, nbc news. Flint. And a program note. Tonight my colleague Rachel Maddow will hold a town hall on this crisis live from flint at 9 00 eastern on msnbc. Thats going to do it for us on a wednesday night. Im lester holt. For all of us at nbc night. Hundreds of nursing jobs remain open in the area. How carilion is stepping up its recruiting efforts. Plus. Theres no snow in the forecast but some students still out of school