An interesting look back. Lets get the story of the moment. Chanel jones is in this morning. Good morning and happy new year. Officials are still trying to figure out what caused a massive fire that engulfed a Highrise Hotel on new years eve. Its blocks away from the worlds tallest building where they held a new years eve fire celebration despite smoke from the fire. The 36 story hotel and Apartment Building caught fire a couple of hours before the midnight fireworks show. According to officials 14 people were injured in the fire. The new Years Eve Party went on in germany after a threat. They received information about a concrete threat of an isis susz side attack. Still thousands of people flooded the city streets at midnight to welcome in the new year. Back home an alleged isis accused of planning an armed attack in upstate new york on new years eve. He went to a walmart on tuesday to buy supplies for the operation. They bought ski knives, duct tape and ammonia. Some communities are bracing for the peak of flooding that already damaged homes and businesses. Good morning. The Mississippi River has been cresting overnight. This area. Here. Lets start with the good news. Theres not been catastrophic damage and most of the heavies in this area are holding however theres plenty of bad news as well. About 150 homes in this area have been damaged. Nine levies have topped over. Theres certainly considerable destruction here. Death toll is at about 20 with four more people still missing. People are on edge up and down the mississippi here as this river crests. The big question will be will the river banks and levies hold back to you. Thank you. College footballs National Championship game is now set. Alabama had no problem at all in its cotton bowl match up against michigan state. Jay coker threw a pair of touchdowns for the crimson tide in the 380 win and in the orange bowl it was top ranked clemson with a big victory over oklahoma. The tigers scored three touchdowns in the second half and went on to win 3717. Clemson and alabama will play for the National Title on january 11th. Lets take a look at the weather. Much of the nation will be dry for new years day. It will be mainly sunny and cool in the west. Areas in southern texas and new mexico will see clouds and rain mixed at times with sleet. Parts of the southeast will also see rain from florida, the Florida Panhandle to the carolina coast. Around the great lakes expect lake effect snow. We should also say some areas in Northern New York could see one to two feet of snow. 4 inches of thats a look at the weather on this new years day. Now back to savannah. Chanel, thank you so much. Were getting 2016 started by looking ahead to the year in politics and the fight against terror as well as the economy. As we mentioned the Marathon Race to the white house is getting more intense with the Iowa Caucuses fast approaching. Chuck todd is nbcs political director and moderator of meet the press. Happy new year. Good to see you. Finally. This is the election year. Everybody is talking about it. Its still fluid. Before we get to the individuals in the race, chuck, at what point in the coming year will things start to really take shape . To take a long while. It may be until after the conventions. It may be finally in labor day it will take shape. This is the culmination of 15 years of voter anger and mistrust and its all culminated in this career. This is why we have donald trump. That. By the way, last year at this time donald trump was not on would talk about. We didnt take it seriously. Its amazing to see how he dominated the political calendar. Path to nomination . Its to keep winning. His is simple because theres so many forces trying to stop him. If he is at all short a party will do whatever it takes preventing him from getting the nomination. Hes not ever going to be a compromise candidate. Hes not going to see people hes better than x. The decision has been made so he has to win despite the forces stopping him. If we talk about ted cruz then he is also a controversial figure even within the republican party. Compromise . I dont. But trump made him look that way. If there was no donald trump we would be talking about the top ted cruz movement in the party and everything it would take to stop ted cruz from getting the nomination. Panicked. We cant kill them both. People say i cant believe we might have to accept the idea of a cruz nomination. But heres what one republican said to me. At least you know on any given day what cruz might say and you can prepare for it in advance. Yes he may be too far to the right to win a general election but hell at least be disciplined and they think trump you have no idea what he might say. Early states are important. Lets talk about marco rubio. Perhaps hes the republican that Hillary Clintons campaign fears how long can he go without winning. It depends on how he finishes. Look, he can make progress if its 3rd in iowa. 2nd in new hampshire, and it looks like it is a movement. Bill clinton did it this way. He didnt win either iowa or new hampshire. He made progress and 2nd was a victor for him but he has to win somewhere. Eventually you have to start winning. I think he has made a mistake and well see if this month plays out differently. He made a mistake almost cedeing iowa to cruz. I dont know if anybody can stop him. Fewer questions on the democratic side. I want to go to the last 12 months of the obama presidency. What might we expect to see from president obama that he would really want to be part of his legacy. Well, its funny, were going to find out in less than two weeks. Well have an earlier than ever state of the union and i have been promised that it will be unlike any state of the union we have ever seen. Typical laundry list of what hes going to try to do. Its going to be Something Different and something bigger, in some ways trying to set the table for what he thinks should be a bigger conversation for 16. Well see if he can pull it off. I heard president s before saying were going to redo how the state of the union is done. But heres why it does matter. Hillary clinton wins or loses based upon how voters feel about Barrack Obama on election day. If hes below 45 job approval she probably doesnt win. Get comfortable in that chair. Youll be here a lot in the coming years, chuck. Thank you. Another big issue in the election and 2016 the threat from isis here at home and also overseas. Richard engle is nbcs chief foreign correspondent. Richard, good morning to you. Happy new year. Its good to be with you. Happy new year with you. I wish there were happier news on the Foreign Policy front. Lets talk about this fight against isis. What a consequential year we have just been through. From the military standpoint well, i think 2015 was a tough year and we saw the u. S. Military increasingly involved. Very reluctantly but steadily involved in iraq and syria. It started out with a few advisors going to iraq. And then air strikes in iraq and then air strikes in syria and ultimately special forces being deployed to both countries and i think in the year ahead in 2016, were going to see more u. S. Involvement. That this steady encroachment is probably going to keep going. What do you think about this coalition . I mean in 2015 we saw other countries pulled into this like never before. Do you think the coalition has a fighting chance of really getting together and really making an impact . Thats the one thing i am some what hopeful for. Everyone now sort of accepts that isis is a universal threat. Russia saying that. The United States believing that. Yet there is no unified policy. I think Going Forward logic will somehow have to prevail and that even these rivals will have to agree, at least in principle, that they need to coordinate their efforts a little bit better to try to defeat this common enemy. I hope that logic prevails in 2016. Well see if it does. But the thorniest part of that of course is what is going to happen to Bashar Al Assad in syria and theres been this diplomatic track of talks on how to manage a political solution there. What do you think we can expect this year on that . I think it goes back to agreeing at least to fight isis. If everyone, iran, russia and the United States and saudi arabia and other countries can agree that is a principle that they all need to do that together, by accepting that theyll also be accepting that does need to be dealt with. But probably needs to be dealt with later on in the year. We wont hear a lot of talk about Bashar Al Assad. Instead theyll talk about fighting isis. Fighting isis together. But the assumption will be once isis starts to get weakened then youll have to address one of the root causes of isis which is Bashar Al Assads continued presence and if isis is weakened and there is progress made on that front then you might see more International Consensus to off ramp Bashar Al Assad. So much to talk to you about. Well be speaking to you a lot this year of course. Thank you for your time. And matt, over to you. Savannah, thanks very much. What does the new year have in store for your bottom line . From Interest Rates to technology, gas prices, Olivia Stearns is here with the financial forecast for the coming year. Happy new year to you. Happy new year. Can we say the end of 2015 got swallowed up in politics and before we move forward what was your economic headline for the past year . I would say the headlines was more jobs, cheap gas. Unemployment finally came back down to 5 . More and more people started getting a raise and gas fell to 2 a gallon. Thats good news. Solid year for main street. I want to get back to gas prices in a second but the other elephant in the room is Interest Rates up slightly higher for the first time in a decade. Why was this the time to do it . How will it impact us . So the fed is basically saying that were finally ready to take the training wheels off the economy. These 0 Interest Rates they put in place in the depths of the crisis, it was an emergency measure and after 7 years theyre saying the economy improved enough. Gdp is growing at 2. 5 . They think were read do do away with ultra low rates and theyre raising them a bit. But a lot of people say that could stall the economy. Its a middle ground. For sure. Thats why they waited so long its going to be incremental. The big risk is they raise them too far, too fast and overturn the apple cart. You brought up gas prices a second go. Lets go back there because theyre at incredible lows compared to the past decade or so. How long is that going to last . Good news is experts say you can get used to 2 gas. Oil is hovering around 40 barrel. 18 months ago it was 80. So it has come down really far, really fast and economists say because were producing more and more oil here at home and demand globally slowing down and china is slowing down we can get used to cheap gas. Its a big win for american shoppers and american manufacturers and good news for the car companies. One risk though energy jobs. Thats been a big driver of job growth here in the u. S. If technology is an important part of the economy. Whats the Technology Headline going to be . All the buzz is about these thats what we call start up companies valued at more than a billion dollars and im thinking of companies such as airbnb and uber, they have these astronomical evaluations. A all of them come out of the sharing economy. The thing is theres a lot of legal questions around their Business Models so nobody can really say what theyre worth. So stay tuned to those companies. So big question mark on those. Big question mark. This is more specific when it comes to technology. Everybody is Walking Around with these i dont want to use brand names but these wearables. These pieces of technology on your wrist. They have a big future . Seems so. 2015 the year that they went mainstream. So fitbit that company is growing gangbusters. They went public and 2015 was the year that apple finally came out with the watch. Its had mixed reviews but its the first iteration. People expect more. Look out for a lot more wearables. Look out for smart glasses and smart clothes. Clothes with threads that can your heart beat and your fitness. Something to look forward to in a lot of different areas. Thank you so much. Happy new year again. Matt, thanks. How are you feeling this morning . Celebrations to welcome in 2016 raged well into the night across the u. S. And around the world. Keir simmons has the wrap up of the hottest parties. The world celebrated overnight after what was, for many, a tough year. [ cheers ] new zealands countdown setting off fireworks around the globe like a wave of good will. Japan, releasing white balloons. Hong kongs fireworks designed to look like Smiling Faces and the skies lit up across the middle east where 2015 brought little to smile about. Belgium. A shame many said. Theres no point in running away from it. So yeah, i think they should have gone ahead with it. Tourists still piled into bronchusel city center to enjoy the lights and treats. In munich, German Police evacuated and shutdown two main train stations after receiving terror threats. Berlin tightened security. And partied on. But in paris, still scarred by octobers isis massacre, they put on a show of defiance. Hello 2016. And in london, the river was the stage of a new years extravaganza. While 2016 began in rio with 2 Million People filling the beach laughter and love. I love brazil. The spotlight will be on brazil in the year ahead when it hosts the summer olympics. Last night, the world looked forward with hope. A truly happy new year. For today, keir simmons, nbc news london. And if you were one of the people who were kind of indulging if those parties last night, well speak quitely. Why are you looking at me . Coming up the people and moments that the world couldnt stop talking about in 2015. And who will walk away with a golden globe . Will this be the year that they shine bright on blockbusters . What to watch out for in hollywood in 2016. But first, this is today on nbc. D in 2016. Something new has arrived. And it works in the middle of anywhere. The iphone 6s on u. S. Cellular lets you stay connected where other networks dont. Hurry in and get the iphone 6s today, and save 550. The iphone 6s on u. S. Cellular. Coming up, remember those viral videos and crazy stunts but when did it trend . 2015 or 2014 . Well put you to the test. Ill put you to the test as well. A little song, a little dance. All the fun we have today in studio 1a and all around the world. Jay knows how to keep his wheels spinning. Nice shorts, dad. They dont make em in adult sizes . This is what the pros wear. Look at the lines. Uhhh. Look at the other line. Mmmhh. Thats why he starts his day with those two scoops ready to eat my dust . Too bad i already filled up on raisins. By taking steps towards a healthy heart, jay knows hell be ready for the turns ahead. Hey, dont forget to put up your kickstand. bike bell sighs kelloggs raisin bran. And try tart and sweet kelloggs raisin bran with cranberries. Heres a little healthy advice. Eat well, live well, and take of what makes you, you. Right down to your skin with Aveeno Aveeno daily moisturizing lotion with the goodness of active naturals oat and 5 vital nutrients for healthier looking skin in just one day. Healthy skin equals beautiful skin. And for shower softness, add the body wash, too aveeno naturally beautiful results to the couple wondering what a good deal looks like. No. Seriously . Well give it a 6 for composition. Wow, what about just putting a fair, no haggle price on the window . Not zany enough . Sometimes the best deals are pretty plain to see. Why let someone else have all the fun . The sometimes haphazard, never boring fun. The why cant it smell like this all the time fun. The learning the virtue of sharing fun. Why let someone else have all the fun . Thats no fun. Unleash the power of dough. Give it a pop. Right when you feel a cold sore, abreva can heal it in as few as two and a half days when used at the first sign. Without it the virus spreads from cell to cell. Only abreva penetrates deep to block the virus and protect healthy cells. You could heal your cold sore, fast, as fast as two and a half days when used at the first sign. Learn how abreva starts to work immediately at abreva. Com dont tough it out, knock it out, fast. A des moines teenager is expected to survive after being shot at a home on the citys north side. It happened yesterday afternoon in the 13hundred block of east 14th street. The 14yearold victim showed up at the hospital with a gunshot wound to the chest. Investigators have not named a suspect. Or said what may have led to the shooting but they were called to this same home earlier in the month for a report of shots fired at the friday morning, new years about a week left to enjoy that beautiful Christmas Tree across the street before it comes down. Tamron joins the party. Hey, tamron. Start your engines. Racing. Next year we sparkle out. Were racing into the new year. There you have it. Perfect. Coming up, how to make this year the one where you finally stick to your new years resolution, whether you want to improve your body, your budge, or your home. Check, check, and check. Plus well have fun when andy grammer stops by for a live performance. But first lets take a look back at the new stories from 2015 that we will not be forgetting any time soon. Breaking news, masked men opened fire at the offices of a controversial newspaper in paris. Two armed men entered the building and began opening fire. Taking at a kosher deli. Meanwhile the two brothers suspected of the attack are cornered. Terrorists that traumatized this region for three day are dead but not before leaving 17 innocent lives ended. Kayla mueller an aid worker who died whi