he was involved, but certainly he has been named before as a key figure in the region, and someone they have been after and have warned could be involved in terror attacks. and this attack lasted a long, long time, didn t it? yeah, it wept on for 4 1/2 hours, right in the heart of downtown jakarta, very close to a busy shopping mall near the united nations office, not too far from the u.s. embassy either. and clearly, it was aimed at those who were out getting coffee or getting lunch in the middle of the day. and it also shows just how much these isis operatives are able to target downtown areas around the world even in areas where there is heightened security. alistair jamison in london for us this morning, thank you very much. now to politics and tonight s debate. seven republicans will be in primetime tonight, and one rising candidate is now going into the matchup with, well, another controversy. senator ted cruz now under fire for failing to disclose a loan
aboard missing flight mh-370 staininged ed staged a protest in beijing. over mixed messaged that whether wreckage found was in fact wreckage from the missing aircraft. some families demanded to be taken to the island where the debris was found. this as france steps up search efforts. i m joined by alistair jamison. what s the latest? reporter: this week long new search operation began today. it involves french military forcing including an air force sea patrol, two boats and a helicopter from the marines. and including foot patrols and other vessels. it covers a large area, some 75 miles by 25.
toulouse, france where we find nbc s alistair jamison. what are we learning? reporter: good morning, jose the week-long search operation involves french military forces including an air force sea patrol, a ship and a panther helicopter from the marines, and another ship two other helicopters and foot patrols. it began today over a huge area some 75 miles by 25 miles. however, the southern hemisphere s winter weather is acting against them. now, they re not looking for the plane, they re looking for debris. it would be up to investigators to decide whether thinking they find is of significance in the investigation or just more ocean debris. meanwhile, that boeing 777 wing fragment is still being tested here at this military lab. france still hasn t announced any firm link to mh370 but the malaysians as you know say that they have conclusively proved that it is part of the missing
earlier today. why should i give up this leverage? i am running as a republican and i am winning by actually a lot. obviously i would much rather run as a republican. i let that be clear. i just want to see if somebody gets in that i like and if i am treated with respect i would not run as an independent. but i want to leave the option open just in case that doesn t happen. nbc s peter alexander is in cleveland with more on that and a whole lot more. reporter: good morning to you from cleveland. if you were looking for a good entertaining debate to kick off the political season this didn t dis disappoint. donald trump not shying away from the spot light but complained questions to him were much tougher than to anybody else and at times they were simply not nice. it started with a show of hands but only donald trump raised his. mr. trump reporter: refusing to commit that he won t run as an independent. you can t say tonight you can make that pledge. reporter: r
since the death of michael brown. i m craig melvin from new york city and there is a good chance you were watching the debate last night. 24 million people tuned into last night s republican debate, making it the most watched cable news telecast in history. today, several of the republican candidates are in atlanta addressing the red state forum, an annual meeting of conservatives there. not only the trail today t man everyone continues to talk about. donald trump, who courted controversy right from the start last night when he refused to rule out a third party run that he did not back down this morning on morning joe. i m a natural negotiator and i like leverage. honestly i d much rather run as the republican. and i let that be clear. if somebody gets in that i like and i m treated with respect i would not run as an independent. but i want to leave the option open just in case that doesn t happen. today trump is also criticizing the moderators and characterizing many o