good afternoon ... i'm sonya heitshusen. .and i'm dan winters ... thanks for joining us. thursday will be the warmest day of the week with highs near 60. it will be windy with a west wind up to 30 to 40 mph. more clouds return friday and temperatures will drop back to the 50s. clouds will continue to increase into saturday, with a few stray showers possible. on sunday, a strong storm system will pass through the midwest, bringing a good chance for rain into central and eastern iowa. a quarter to a half of an inch of rain is possible, especially in eastern iowa where the highest totals will be possible. temperatures will remain in the 40s to start next week, but will dip back into the 30s by this time next week. last month pete polson was found counts of assault and six other charges after going on a shooting rampage last novebmer.. today... he learned how many years he will serve in prison. channel 13's jodi whitworth was at the sentencing today and joins us with more polson was sentenced to 55 years in prison today.. before he learned his fate... his victims sent him off with some final and powerful words 033727 - i hope you spend the rest of your life in prison. i hope you die in there and i hope you got to hell - mark mitchell 010928 - in my eyes anyone who shoots someone in the back is a coward. pray you get the maxium sentence for your actions. you will never fully everyone us have gone though - ashley whitehill 063516 - the doctors are still not certain on what percentage of movement and strength ill get back in my left arm due to the choices you made that morning - zachary whitehill the victims and their families took the stand today... each one accounting for how november 17 20-14 changed their lives forever. on that day polson randomly shot at three people in a pleasant hill neighborhood... hitting two of them and narrowly missing a third. polson never denied the shooting but blamed it on his drug abuse 174425 - i wish now that every bullet would have hit me instead. it is impossible to come to terms with this. i hope that when i y im sorry, it heals in some way that sorry didn't cut it for the victims. in fact some of them told polson on the stand they didn't want to hear from him today. but none the less they are pleased with the sentencing. as for a des moines teacher and coach is out on bond, after he was accused of molesting a student. geral "tig" johnson made his initial appearance before a judge this morning. he is charged with sexual exploitation by a school employee and assault with intent to commit sex abuse. according to a police report ... a teenage student says johnson pulled her out of class then fondled her. johnson has been suspended from teaching and from coaching the roosevelt girls basketball team. this morning a judge also ruled he cannot have contact with any minors. the iowa dnr is investigating the shooting of a large animal that could be a wolf in northwest iowa. a coyote hunter shot the animal sunday morning. the dnr describes it as a "large canine" that "resembles a wolf". but the d-n-r is waiting on tests on tissue samples to determine the species. tomorrow morning we'll get a pretty good indicator of how much tax money the state plans to bring in. the revenue estimating conference will meet for the third and final time in 2015. economy will be the basis for governor branstad's budget levels for the next legislative session. he has to wait on those numbers to set his priorities ... but e thwa chamber alliance is already releasing its agenda to lawmakers. 'iowa needs to keep more iowans in the state, attract new iowans, and welcome new americans to make their home here in iowa.' immigration is a big part of the organizations policy, with respect to filling jobs in iowa. the chamber alliance disagrees with donald trumps call to temporarily stop muslims from coming into the country. we would encourage a dialogue thats more constructive with respect to immigration, and looking at how immigration is a central part of our economy today. the alliance also wants the legislature to help with efforts to better train iowa's workers, to provide some financial incentive in terms of cash for companies to structure. house district 21 in southwest iowa will remain a red seat for the next year. yesterday, voters in adams, cass, pottawattamie and union counties overwhelmingly elected republican tom moore to represent them in the iowa house. moore will replace jack drake who passed away in october. he'll finish out drake's term which expires at the end of 2016. if you saw something strange floating over des moines today, don't be worried ... it was just a middle school science experiment. "this is our fourth year that callanan middle school students actually have launched a weather balloon from callanan. we've done two fall launches now, and two spring launches. and what students do, is they take the data we receive from the weather balloon, and they turn it into science fair projects, as well as learning about the whole scientific process, and things like that." :01-:16 and this year, two go-pro cameras were attached to capture the curvature of the earth when it hits 90-thousand feet. the ten kids who worked on the bug. "i get to understand more about space, and how the atmosphere works, and i've loved astronomy since i was a kid." :01-:08 the balloon took about an hour and a half to pop and crash back to earth. our guest today knows a thing or two about crashes. dave sanderson was on board u-s airways flight 15-49 in january 2009 when he lost both engines to birdstrikes ... what happened next we all know as the "miracle on the hudson." coming up ... we'll talk with dave about that day and how its changed every day since for him. and coming up next ... it's perfect camping weather right now, if you're a die-hard cyclone fan. hear what these kids are putting up with in order to score the best seats in the house for tomorrow's cy-hawk game. the only place busier than the workshop at the north pole. today those two entities joined forces in des moines. some local elves helped ease santa's burden by helping him with his correspondences. 35904- i haven't been the best but i really do want this ... love mckayla 35912 35915- i stopped writing in tired."35918 a group of volunteers dressed in their holiday finest and sorted a group of volunteers dressed in their holiday finest and sorted through letters heading to the north pole via central iowa. each child that included a self- addressed stamped envelope will get a personal return message from santa's elves. postal workers say this is one of the best days of the year at the post office. 40230- 40244 "they really enjoy reading the letters ... peace on earth ... really good feeling the whole day we're here." volunteers will continue answering letters to santa until christmas eve. volunteers will continue answering letters to santa until christmas eve. the post office expects to send about 9-hundred replies this year. all cyclones fans want this year is a win over the iowa hawkeyes tomorrow night at hilton ... and they're seats in the house. outcue: ".. is great, cant wait " duration:0:00 these students aren't exactly "roughing" it outside of hilton these students aren't exactly "roughing" it outside of hilton this week ... but they aren't sleeping in comfy beds, either. by camping out they assure themselves the best seats for tomorrow's night's cy-hawk game. fans say its always worth it to camp out for the cyclones ... but the weather this year is much appreciated. the cy-hawk game is tomorrow night at 6:30. the cy-hawk game is tomorrow night at 6:30. if you don't fee like camping for a seat you can watch it on thursday will be the warmest day of the week with highs near 60. it will be windy with a west wind up to 30 to 40 mph. more clouds return friday and temperatures will drop back to the 50s. clouds will continue to increase into saturday, with a few stray showers possible. on sunday, a strong storm system will pass through the midwest, bringing a good chance for rain into central and eastern iowa. a quarter to a half of an inch of rain is possible, especially in eastern iowa where the highest totals will be possible. temperatures will remain in the 40s to start next week, but will dip back into the 30s by this time next week. volunteers will continue if you're doing everything right but find it harder and harder to get by, you're not alone. while our people work longer hours for lower wages, almost all new income goes to the top 1%. my plan -- make wall street banks and the ultrarich pay their fair share of taxes, provide living wages for working people, ensure equal pay for women. i'm bernie sanders. i approve this message because together, we can make a political revolution and create an economy and democracy that works for all thursday will be the warmest day of the week with highs near 60. it will be windy with a west wind up to 30 to 40 mph. more clouds return friday and temperatures will drop back to the 50s. clouds will continue to increase into saturday, with a few stray showers possible. on sunday, a strong storm system will pass through the midwest, bringing a good chance for rain and eastern iowa. a quarter to a half of an inch of rain is possible, especially in eastern iowa where the highest totals will be possible. temperatures will remain in the 40s to start next week, but will dip back into the 30s by this time next week. he survived the miracle on the hudson ... now he's dedicated he survived the miracle on the hudson ... now he's dedicated the rest of his life to helping save others. coming up next ... dan winters sits announcer: a horrific terror attack in paris. then, a brutal act of terror here at home. it's time for a tested and proven leader who won't try to contain isis. jeb bush has a plan... to destroy them. and keep america safe. jeb bush: the united states should not delay in leading a global coalition to take out isis with overwhelming force. announcer: tested and proven leadership matters. jeb bush. right to rise usa is responsible next month will mark the seven year anniversary of one of the most unbelievable stories many of us have ever witnessed. on january 15th, 1995 ... captain chelsey sullenberger steered a disabled airbus a-320 to safe landing on the hudson river, saving the lives of all 155 people on board. the final passenger to step off that plane that is stepping into our studio today. dave sanderson is in the metro this week sharing hihi firsthand account of the "miracle on the hudson" and how it changed his life you can hear more of dave's story tomorrow at a red cross fundraiser. it's at 5:30 at "forte event center" on 3rd avenue ... just south of wells fargo arena. its free to attend ... but the red cross asks that you r-s-v-p first. you can do so by calling ... 515-246-6314 ... or sending an email to iowa-red-cross- at-g-mail-dot-com some major announcements from the fbi today as they the san bernadino terror attack. hear how long ago they say the couple behind it became radicalized ... and what mysterious money in their bank account was intended for. is it race inclusive ... or reverse racism? hear the arguments for and against affirmative action that went before the supreme court today. and voters have weighed in on donald trump's controversial comments about banning muslims. the results of this poll may surprise you. news at four front door investigators now say the couple responsible for the killing spree in san bernardino.. were radicalized long before the attack a week ago today.. and that new information comes as they continue to look at who else may have been involved .. and how the terror plot may have been funded. jay gray has the latest from california. nats scene a week after the deadly attack here.. law enforcement sources tell nbc news, there are indications syed farook was planning an attack on a california target.. nats from broadcastify "we have several down in a conference room..." three-years before agents say he and his wife.. tashfeen malik.. killed 14 and wounded 21 inside the inland regional center.. that time-line would indicate they were radicalized before they even met.. "as early as the end of 2013 they were talking to each other about jihad and martyrdom before they became engaged and then married and lived together in the united states." investigators continue to pour through documents and other evidence found inside their home.. and now say the couple had been and likely plotting their attack for more than a year.. "we are also working very hard to understand whether there was anybody else involved with assisting them, with supporting them, with equipping them." that part of the investigation, focused now on a number of people witnesses saw entering farook's garage in the months prior to the attack.. counter-terrorism agents are also following the money trail. there are indications that 28- thousand dollars from an online loan deposited to the couples bank account two weeks before the killing spree may have been acquired to take care of their 6-month-old daughter and farook's mother after their death. can universities use race as a factor in choosing a more diverse student body - or is it a different form of discrimination? those were the arguments raised today in a case making its second appearance before the u-s supreme court. civil rights activists are concerned with what they heard. with the future of affirmative action on the line ... the supreme court heard the case of a texas woman who claims she wasn't admitted to the university of texas because she's white. sound abigail fisher - filed lawsuit against university of texas, austin :10- :17 "like most americans, i don't feel that students should be treated differently based on their race." but the university argued it considers race narrowly - one in a number of factors. sound gregory l. fenves - president university of texas, austin :22-:28 "diversity fosters an understanding of one another, our students and respect and their differences." it's actually the second time the high court has considered abigail fisher's case. back in 2013 ... the justices sent the case back to an appeals court for further consideration. in ninety minutes of argument today ... the court's conservative wing expressed skepticism of the need for affirmative action in modern college admissions. that's a troubling sign for civil rights activists. sound rev. al sharpton, national action network :48-:55 "i didn't know if i was in the courtroom at the united states supreme court or at a donald trump rally." the pivotal vote in this case - suggested several times the court needs more information ... raising the possibility this long-running, potentially landmark case may be headed back for another hearing. "brian mooar, nbc news, washington." there's also the possibility of a 4-4 tie vote. justice elena kagan recused herself from this case because she worked on it during her time in the justice department. president george w. bush's "no child left behind" education policy is now one signature away from death. today the senate passed the new "every student succeeds act" ... sending it to the desk of president obama. the new federal education measure keeps in tact many of the goals of no child left behind ... but it makes one major, important change. the new law will give more power back to the state's to determine how they local schools will work to reach federal milestones for student achievement. president obama is expected to sign the bill. for the fourth time in history ... time magazine's person of the year is a woman of the year. today german merkel was given the annual honor. time says he earned the distinction for her handling of an economic crisis earlier this year ... and her handling of the ongoing refugee crisis and terrorist threats in her nation. amongst the runners up for the honor were donald trump, caitlyn jenner and the head of isis. some very special babies were born recently at cornell university.... that have the potential to help prevent diseases. nbc's erika edwards explains. behold the world's first litter of puppies born through in-vitro fertilization. cornell's dr. alexander travis beams like a proud father when recalling the day the 7 pups were born 5 months ago.. "...very nerve-wracking until you heard those first cries and saw them wriggling around and then.. it was really great." it was a moment scientists had been trying to get to for 40 years. that's because --- without getting too heavy into the science behind the birds and bees of dogs --- complicated in canines than it is in other mammals. "yes, i like you, too!" so -- why do we care about the world's first litter of ivf puppies? besides the fact that they're just so cute -- the technology opens the door to ways of preventing hereditary diseases like cancer in certain breeds. "in-vitro fertilzation itself can't help prevent disease but what it does is it gives us a way to generate embryos and then we can use new technologies to hopefully go in and fix certain genes that cause those diseases." instead of treating genetic diseases -- these doctors some day may be able to prevent them. but first -- the basics. "sit, sit" erika edwards, nbc news. the i-v-f technology developed at cornell also has implications for endangered species. scientists can freeze and store semen and eggs of rare canine breeds ... and then reintrodue that genetic material into the gene thursday will be the warmest day of the week with highs near 60. windy with a west wind up to 30 to 40 mph. more clouds return friday and temperatures will drop back to the 50s. clouds will continue to increase into saturday, with a few stray showers possible. on sunday, a strong storm system will pass through the midwest, bringing a good chance for rain into central and eastern iowa. a quarter to a half of an inch of rain is possible, especially in eastern iowa where the highest totals will be possible. temperatures will remain in the 40s to start next week, but will dip back into the 30s by this time next week. it appears as though donald trump's comments about banning from entering the u-s this week aren't negatively effecting his image in the eyes of republicans. in a cnn poll released today the ump plan got a 65-percent approval tgrom republicans. but at the same time 75-percent democrats disappv ...aiising concerns about trumps chances of courting dependent voters in a geral election. steve handelsman has the story. democrats rallied against donald trump in new york. sot: imam khalid latif, nyu islamic center "if you see bigotry say something. if you see hatred say something." but trump got a warm welcome from the audience of abc's live with kelly and michael, where trump defended a temporary ban on muslims entering the u-s he claimed the arsenal of the san bernardino killers was known by a lot of people who did not tell police. ... a charge not made by investigators. sot: donald trump presidential candidate "you look at what happened in paris we're gonna have tremendous problems, it's getting worse and worse. and those problems are coming from a certain sector." no sector ought to face discrimination ...said president obama sot: president obama "regardless of what they look like or where they come from, or what their last name is or what faith they practice" but conservatives phoning talk radio back a ban on muslims sot: mike host "i couldn't get one critical call about donald trump" 65% of republicans support trump's ban in today's bloomberg politics poll. but just 37% of all voter including independents any gop nominee needs to win over next fall. party activists say trump is hurting that effort sot: michael steele, fmr. republican national committee chair "oh there's damage! the party has to figure out how to recover the message and if he or the party's not capable of doing that then when you get to november its going to be a very tough sled" but gop insiders fear trump's road the nomination now looks smooth and the muslim ban issue, they say is proof: every one of trump's republican rivals is condemning a ban that 65% of republicans today say they support. i'm steve handelsman, nbc news, capitol hill leader will make its endorsement of a candidate in the 2016 presidential race. this will be the first time the group has been unified behind one candidate. in 2011 bob vander plaats endorsed rick santorum ... but the family leader itself didn't endorse anyone. a number of political pundits are predicting that ted cruz will be the family leader's choice. last month cruz received the surprise endorsement of congressman steve king. today hillary clinton is making her way across the state ... she's speaking at a townhall in urbandale right now ... let's listen in for a minute ... our dave price is in the crowd tonight at five and six. thursday will be the warmest day of the week with highs near 60. it will be windy with a west wind up to 30 to 40 mph. more clouds return friday and temperatures will drop back to the 50s. clouds will continue to increase into saturday, with a few stray showers possible. on sunday, a strong storm system will pass through the midwest, windy with a west wind up to 30 to 40 mph. more clouds return friday and temperatures will drop back to the 50s. clouds will continue to increase into saturday, with a few stray showers possible. on sunday, a strong storm system will pass through the midwest, bringing a good chance for rain into central and eastern iowa. a quarter to a half of an inch of rain is possible, especially in eastern iowa where the temperatures will remain in the 40s to start next week, but will dip back into the 30s by this time next week. after centuries of focusing on making toys for girls and boys, after centuries of focusing on making toys for girls and boys, santa is finally after centuries of focusing on making toys for girls and boys, taking some time to work on himself. we'll introduce you to the fashionable new santa after centuries ofgetting a makeover this year at a canadian shopping mall. while the kids wait in line at one end of the mall for a traditional santa ... another line is forming elsewhere. scott lightfoot introduces us to fashion-forward santa. the man in red may be a timeless figure.. but he has never had a figure like this. "it's a little bit of a whimsical kind of play on everything." meet fashion santa ... he's making a list- and checking you out twice. this santa doesn't care if you've been naughty or nice- he just cares if you look good. s/ paul mason / fashion santa "you get people that are a little confused but once they think about it for a second they warm up." paul mason has been a model for more than 30 years. two years ago he grew a beard... and had an idea. "this will be beautiful. both in black... me in the middle... it's your christmas card." now... he's a christmas fixture at yorkdale shopping center. some "santa with style.. i love it!" with more than just his outfit. s/ j.p. roman / fashion santa fan "is he coming to my house down the chimney? you'd take that? i like it." others... get down right giddy "well, at my age you know like a baby you know going with santa haha!" the beard is white... the belt is black... and the red jacket remains. "i am wearing a velvet jacket... it's ferragamo, but i'm wearing a velvet jacket." but as for santa's traditional hat? "no hat.. no, god, please... draw the line there." it's white christmas with a touch of blue steel. s/ scott lightfoot / reporting "he may not be giving out toys this holiday season but he is giving back... yorkdale is donating a dollar to the sick kids foundation for every selfie taken with fashion santa that gets posted on social media." o you want me to do it higher uan get t tree?" e fashion-forwarddea hasbeen a hit with shoppers of all ages. s/ lucia connor / yorkdale marketing director "if you think about it when was the last time you had a visit with santa ... you'll see people walk by... stop... take a look... and its the first time they've perhaps had a photo with santa since they were seven or eight." proving you're never too old for santa. "merry christmas!" we'll be back in three minutes thanks for joining us on the channel 13 news at four ... the news at five starts right now. 045807 - i was literally millimeters away from death facing the felon... victims in a random pleasant hill shooting face the man who pulled the trigger. their words...plus how long pete polson will be spent behind bars. coach charged... the roosevelt girls basketball coach appeared before a judge this morning... tonight... jannay towne has the details on the sex abuse allegations lodged by a 16-year-old student. clinton's campaign... the presidential candidate is in iowa talking terrorism...and her plans to stop it. coming up...how hillary clinton is responding to donald trump's push to keep muslims from entering the u-s. a des moines coach and teacher today...