Heavy weight sorenson weighs in live tuesday, december 16th, 2014. Announcer from nbc news, this is today with matt lauer and Savannah Guthrie live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. Good morning. Welcome to today on a tuesday morning. Were starting to get details from pakistan and an attack out there. And the details are shocking. It is our top story. Unthinkable attack of the taliban on school. Students and teachers shot one by one as gunmen went through classrooms. Katy tur on this. Good morning to you. Good morning, matt. 126 killed, mostly children. Were told the gunmen went in, wearing suicide vests and, as you said, shot some kids one by one. There are also more than 100 injured. These numbers keep going up as the attacks are still ongoing. Five heavy explosions were heard and now Pakistani MilitaryOfficials Say five of the alleged terrorists are dead. Its unclear if they detonated their own bombs or were killed. Its also unclear how many are left and just how many students are still being held hostage. Ambulances and police rush to a military school on the border town of peshawar, pakistan, as as many as 11 taliban storm the compound, killing 126 and injuring scores more, Still Holding some hostage. There is worry there are many still inside. Taliban Spokesman Says the attackers are suicide bombers on a revenge mission. This boy made it out only to describe the horror from a hospital bed, saying today he had a chemistry exam, as the firing started, militants entered and opened fire on all of the students. They killed a 2yearold child, who was visiting. Others inside say the gunmen went class by class and shot some kids one by one while they beat others. Military officer told reporters the militants literally set a teacher on fire with gasoline and made the kids watch. Nearby lady redding hospital was told to get ready for mass casualties as the death toll and number of victims continues to climb. Peshawar, miles from the afghanistan border, has been the target of frequent attacks in the past but has seemed relatively quiet as of late. The taliban claimed responsibility saying we targeted the school because the army targets our families. We want them to feel our pain. A taliban Spokesman Says the bombers were told to only target the Army Personnel and not harm the children. Clearly, that did not happen. The group also says this attack is in retaliation for Army Operations in the countrys tribal area. Matt . Katy tur, thank you very much. Richard engel is nbcs chief foreign correspondent. Good morning to you. Were used to hearing and have become accustomed to hearing about attacks in pakistan. This is across the border. It appears to be for revenge. What can you tell us . The afghan pakistan border taliban operates on both sides. And for years the taliban have been crossing over the border and fighting in pakistan. The pakistani government is fighting the taliban on its side of the border. And the problem is there has never been a really effective coordinated strategy between pakistan and the United States to try and push them from both sides of the border. And as the u. S. Troops draw down, taliban have been getting stronger in afghanistan, which is causing problems on the other side of the border in pakistan. And then in june, to get to this specific attack, in june the Pakistani Military launched a major offensive in the tribal area that is katy mentioned where the taliban is strongest in pakistan and that is the reason that the group says it carried out this revenge attack against a school. And the strength of the taliban right now in this region, how would you describe it . I would say its getting stronger. Its getting stronger because u. S. Troops are drawing down. Its like squeezing a balloon. You squeeze it in one part, it just shifts to another area. As u. S. Troops draw down in afghanistan, do fewer and fewer operations, they are able to grow in numbers, grow in strength there and operate in pakistan as well. Richard engel, its a terrible story. Thank you for coming in this morning. We appreciate it. An iraq war veteran suspected of killing six family members, including his exwife. A possible sighting leading to a Massive Police response overnight. Rehe rehema ellis has more on all of it. Good morning. Reporter good morning, savannah. Im at Police Headquarters 30 miles outside philadelphia. Some schools are closed today in the area, a precaution, as police hunt for a man in connection with whats been called one of the deadliest shooting rampages ever in this region. Overnight, a possible lead in the search for fugitive gunman Bradley William stone after an attempted robbery in doylestown, pennsylvania, by a man who matches stones description. The victim, who was armed, resisted and fired multiple rounds at the suspect, last seen fleeing the area on foot. The incident follows a dramatic scene on monday with s. W. A. T. Teams following a home in nearby Montgomery County where they believe stone was hiding out. We saw the smoke come up. They threw it in their front door. I dont know. It was crazy. Reporter police say the suspect was not there. As we stand here right now we do not know where he is. Reporter Authorities Say stone went on a deadly shooting spree early monday morning, killing six family members, including his exwife, her sister and brotherinlaw, her 14yearold niece, her mother and her 75yearold grandmother, 17yearold nephew, the only survivor, is being treated for a head wound at a philadelphia hospital. Its just hard to believe. This is just in one day its all gone. Everything is all gone. Nbc affiliate wcau talked with a neighbor who didnt want to be shown on camera, but said she heard gunshots and saw stone leaving with his two children. I opened the window and i asked him was everything okay. He just looked at me and said shes hurt pretty bad. We have to leave. Reporter Authorities Say his two children were found unharmed. Mr. Stone delivered his two daughters to a neighbor in pennsburg. That is the last time he was seen by anyone. Reporter police say 35yearold stone has been known to use a cane or walker, but they dont know if hes using any of those devices now. Savannah and matt . Rehema ellis, thank you very much. We have a series of tragic story this is morning, learning more about that terrifying hostage siege in sydney, australia. The victims held for more than 16 hours, and were also learning more about the man behind it. Hallie jackson is in sydney with the latest. Hallie, good morning to you. Reporter good morning, matt. The australian Prime Minister says the gunman was not on a terror watch list and described him as disturbed. Here in downtown sydney, many are choosing instead to focus on the victims. Even at 11 08 at night, this plaza filled not just with flowers but with people, who came to pay their respects to the two hostages who died in this crisis, both now being remembered as heroes. Just hours after this dramatic and deadly end to sydneys hostage crisis, a somber Service Honoring the two lives of the innocent victims killed in the downtown cafe. These heroes were willing to lay down their lives so that others might live. Reporter katrina dawson, 38yearold lawyer and mother of three, died after reportedly shielding her pregnant friend from gunfire. 33yearold torii johnson was killed after he tried to wrestle the gun away from his captor. He wasnt coming out until everybody else was. Reporter ending the nearly 17hour siege, officers storming the building. Hostages sprinting for safety. The Lindt Chocolate cafe lighting up from inside. Several people were hurt, including a Police Officer. The gunman was killed. He had a long history of violent crime, infatuation with extremism and mental instability. Reporter the self described cleric had a criminal history, released on bail last year after being charged as an accessory in the murder of his exwife, who was stabbed and set on fire. This man represented him in that case and others. Were talking about a person who, probably as a result of a combination of factors, became unhinged and acted in this extraordinary, catastrophic way. Reporter he forced his hostages to hold an islamic flag on the cafe windows but australian Officials Say hes a lone wolf, an extremist. As an australian and a muslim as well reporter growing memorial at the cafe. In the heart of sydney, testament to its unity. Reporter the crisis is over. But the investigation is not. A full official account of those 16 some hours inside the cafe is still some time away. Police say theyre talking with the hostages and their families to try to put the pieces together. Understandably, matt and savannah, theyre very emotional. Hallie jackson, thank you very much. The hacking scandal that has rocked sony pictures. Hollywood is bracing for the possible release of even more emails and private information. Should the press publish them . Joe friar is in los angeles with the latest. Good morning. Reporter good morning, savannah. Town hall meetings, execs reportedly apologized and tried to rally the troops. Were hearing from the stars of the sony movie the interview, upcoming comedy about north Korean Leader kim jong un that the hackers say they dont want released. Its impossible for seth roegan to do an interview about the interview. I cant believe people are so happy. Look at this stolen information. Lets read it. Reporter theyre upset that its become public. Theyre not doing anything illegal. Theyre not trying to fool you as the consumer. Theyre having private correspondence with one another. Here, read it and pick it apart and dissect it. Reporter rogen and franco have not been spared. Execs reportedly apologized again for controversial emails unveiled during the attack. Whats the economic trade off by keeping amy versus replacing her. Reporter now the man behind the tv drama the newsroom is criticizing Media Outlets publishing information from the hack. In a New York Times oped, aaron associationin writes as demeanted and criminal as it is, at least the hackers are doing it for a cause. The press is doing it for a nickel. Many legal experts say its hard to stop the coverage. The media is free to publish even illegally leaked information, information originally stolen by someone else and then leaked to them. Attorneys for sony have sent letters to some Media Outlets, demanding they not publish materials from the hack. As for the movie the interview, due out on christmas, seth rogen says he has not been asked to make any changes to the film since this hacking attack started. Savannah and matt . Thank you, joe. By the way, aaron sorkin will talk to him, and he says the press is basically complicit with the hackers. Well talk to him. Interesting to hear what he has to say. Closer to throwing his hat into the 2016 president ial ring, and its former Florida Governor jeb bush. Reporter he may have handed out the clearest clue yet that hes preparing to unwrap his president ial ambitions, releasing tens of thousands of emails as well as a new book in the new year and now his mother, barbara bush, appears to be on board, too. Taking the stage as Commencement Speaker at the university of South Carolina monday. And i can tell you from personal experience if your parents worked in politics, well, you know the rest. Dont be afraid to shake things up. And dont be afraid of change, especially in your own life. Reporter his visit to the important gop primary state comes after the former governor announce announced he will release 250,000 emails from his time in office. Part of serving or running, both of them, is transparency, to be totally transparent. Reporter another sign . Bush has also recently shed 15 pounds. The son of 41 and brother of 43 says will he decide whether to chase 45 in short order. I have no idea if i would be a good candidate. I hope i would be. I think i could serve well as president. Reporter last year on today, barbara bush made her opinion clear. There are other people out there that are very qualified and weve had enough bushes. Reporter but now she has even had a change of heart. I think shes come around now, honestly. So many people have come up to her and said jeb is the most qualified guy. Reporter hardly a shooin with positions on immigration and education at odds with much of the partys base. A bush announcement would immediately put pressure on another familiar last name in politics, Hillary Clinton, who has signaled she could wait until spring to launch a 2016 campaign. Matt . We will wait and see. Peter alexander at the white house, thank you very much. Natalie is here with new fallout on the uva story. Thats right, new fallout about that story of sexual allegations at the university of virginia. In mid september about allegation s of a gang rape at fraternity in 2012, officials knew, but did not request an investigation until Rolling Stone released its article in their magazine. School officials have not responded to request for comment. General motors has raised the death toll in relation to the defective ignition switches to 42 people. He has received 251 death claims and more than 2,000 injury claims since august. The fund so far has deemed 100 claims eligible for compensation. Hanukkah, the jewish festival of lights begins tonight. In washington, d. C. They will mark the occasion by lighting the national menorah. Its a symbol of the eightday holiday. Vice President Joe Biden will deliver remarks at the event. Heartwarming storiative tortoise who helped his friend get back on his feet. One tortoise is stuck, upside down on his shell. His friend comes to the rescue. Slowly, using his head and front legs, managing to nudge him from underneath and flip him over. Didnt appear to be a thank you there. I think he was pretty grateful for that. The kids certainly you hear them cheering and happy. No thank you, because he was the one who pushed him over in the first place. Probably. Just making good on it. They actually sped that up. It took two days. It was a heartwarming story. Leave it to the dover boys. Al, whats up . Weve got some showers and thunderstorms along this front. Nothing all that horrible. We are looking at activity ahead of the front. Warmer conditions, 10 degrees warmer than behind it. Pittsburgh right now, showers. Chicago, lot of fog. Going to be a lot of airport delays both at ohare and midway. We have colder air. We watch snow wrap around this, u. P. Of michigan on into parts of wisconsin, michigan as well. Rain moving into the northeast. Well see some airport delays during the day today as the afternoon wears on. D. C. , baltimore, philly, new york, new york city, boston. Back behind the system were looking at generally between 3 to 6 inches of snow. Yknow what my business philosophy is, reynolds . No. Not exactly. To attain success, one must project success. Thats why we use fedex one rate®. Their flat rate shipping. Exactly. It makes us look topnotch but we know its affordable. garage door opening sighs honey, havent i asked you to please use the. We dont have a reception entrance. Ship a pak via Fedex Express saver® for as low as 7. 50. Good morning, im meteorologist bill henley. Clouds moving in and temperatures moving up. Tos with rain developing later this morning and this afternoon. By tomorrow, the rain is done, the wind picks up, 53 degrees tomorrow, but it turns chillier for thursday and friday with afternoon temperatures in the 40s. Clouds return over the weekend. On saturday increasing clouds and then a chance of rain and snow on sunday with a high of 41. Showers end monday morning with a high of 40. Have a great day. Mr. Roker, thanks very much. Tamron is here with all things orange, in the orange room. Not all things, but most things. You know what . Were kind of teeing up tomorrows looking back at the biggest news story of the year. From the ebola crisis to the amazing care workers who not only treated patients but ultimately survived that virus to the many other topics we discussed during the year. Of course, Malaysia Airlines lost two passenger planes. Since its disappearance in march, mh370 mystery lingers on, only to be followed with a plane shot down over the ukraine with 300 souls on board. And ferguson continues to be a big story. Well take a look back. And transitioning into the world of sports by the way, ferguson, 16. 8 million tweets. And the world cup solidifying its top at the list. Some of the big stories you see there. Isis, ebola. Polar vortex. Mr. Roker, you remember the big controversy with that . Whats that . People never heard of it and then you had to whip out your meteorological book, if thats the word for it, from 1910, that the polar vortex was not made up. Do you remember that . I do. Im just kind of glad you finished that. That pause was a little long. Anyway, its on the list. Ray rice. We know that matt recently spoke to ray and his wife. And the bill cosby story. Well break it down tomorrow with the big list. Tamron, thank you. Coming up on the ongoing Sexual Assault allegations, bill cosbys wife breaks her silence. What she has to say. Plus aaron sorkin and the cyber attack against sony, why hes not pleased how its being handled, specifically by the media. First this is today on nbc. 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