@around the country still @running without it? @"nightly news" begins right @now. good evening. ten american sailors held by iran are safe tonight. freed earlier today. quickly sparing another major international crisis. but not the humiliation of this sight of american navy crewmen, hands above their heads, boats and weapons displayed on iranian television and around the world. tonight we learned more about how they ended up in iranian hands and how two long, bitter adversaries managed to successfully extinguish this flash point before it could fully erupt. nbc's jim miklaszewski from the pentagon. >> reporter: the images are jarring. the ten american sailors on their knees, hands clasped behind their heads on the deck of their own u.s. navy vessel, surrounded by armed iranian military. iranians and aired on iranian-state television. once on shore, more of the americans, nine men and one woman in confinement and they were well treated. one of the sailors apologized for entering iranian territorial waters. >> it was a mistake that was our fault and we apologize for our mistake. >> it is unclear what were the circumstances when the video was taken. u.s. military officials call the video pure propaganda. the u.s. sailors were released early today. the two boats returned to the u.s. navy. secretary of state john kerry pulled out all diplomatic stops to personally negotiate the americans' release. calling iran's foreign minister at least five times over ten hours, according to a senior state department official. >> i'm appreciative for the quick and appropriate response of the iranian authorities. >> reporter: iran's foreign minister tweeted, happy to see dialogue and respect. latest example. but foreign policy experts warn in many respects that iran is a dangerous adversary. >> there are things they are doing in the region that are not helpful at all. they have american citizens detained in tehran which is of great concern to us. >> reporter: today the revolutionary guard acknowledged they found no evidence the americans were spying. and now that they have been released, the navy should find out why they drifted in iranian territorial waters where they were detained. tonight those ten american sailors are at an undisclosed location in the persian gulf. where they will get a full physical and mental health exam. the exact same treatment given to returning p.o.w. and hostages, lester. >> jim miklaszewski, thanks. this time last night we were in the nation's capital for the president's final state of the union address. the president striking raising questions he says americans need to answer about the economy, technology, security and the rancor in our political system. one of the biggest regrets he said was the political divide only grew during his time in office. and he spoke about what it will take to attain the future all americans want. >> but it will only happen if we work together. it will only happen if we can have rational, constructive debates. it will only happen if we fix our politics. >> while the president didn't mention donald trump by name, it wasn't hard to figure out who he had in mind with some of his more pointed remarks last night. and much to the surprise of many, trump again surfaced much the same way in the formal republican response to the president's speech. as hallie jackson reports, one of the gop rising stars used her national platform to take her party's front-runner to task. >> reporter: even when he's not supposed to donald trump still is. nikki haley's republican response rebuking not just president obama but her own party's presidential front-runner. >> during anxious times it could be tempting to follow the siren call of the angriest voices. we must resist that temptation. >> in that context, you are referring to donald trump, correct? >> he was one of them, yes. mr. trump has definitely contributed to what i think is irresponsible talk. >> reporter: trump now hitting her back. >> i'm very strong on illegal immigration, she's weak on illegal immigration. maybe it will turn out to be bad for her because people know where i stand and you see the numbers. >> reporter: governor haley and house speaker paul ryan represent what some establishment republicans think the gop should be, more diverse. more inclusive. what the gop has is donald trump, leading the pack and mobilizing a new base of support for the party. even as the back and his closest rival fights back. >> donald comes from new york and he embodies new york values. and listen, the donald seems to be a little bit rattled. >> reporter: trump keeping up birther attacks on cruz, and 15% of republicans now saying it brothers them he was born in canada to an american mother. >> that is a big factor. >> reporter: the rivals now fighting for first in iowa. leaving little room for the establishment candidates. >> the establishment is being left out entirely for the first time in history. are we going to be able to pull everyone together. >> reporter: the battle lines drawn and the gop civil war, the fight for the party's future. haley is standing by her speech even as she comes under fire from leaders on the conservative right. striking, given just a few years ago she was seen as a key party crusader, a star in the making in that wing of the party. >> hallie jackson, thank you. the race is growing contentious from the democratic side with four days until the next debate nbc, the latest polls show troubling news for hillary clinton. with her numbers slipping, clinton and bernie sanders are stepping up attacks on each other. we get more from nbc's kristen welker. >> reporter: hillary clinton and bernie sanders escalating the sniping today. clinton firing the first volley, repeating her toughest attacks on health care and guns. >> senator sanders has been a reliable vote for the gun lobby and i have been standing against them for a long time. >> reporter: on msnbc today, sanders punched back. >> to say i'm a supporter of the nra is a mean-spirited and unfair and inaccurate statement. >> reporter: her ramped up rhetoric comes with the democrats locked in an unexpected nail-biter. a new national poll showing her lead tumbling. she still tops sanders but only by seven points, 48% to 41%, a sharp decline from her month. on the "today" show today she downplayed the numbers. >> no, i'm not nervous at all. i'm working hard. and i intend to keep working as hard as i can. >> reporter: so why are more and more democrats feeling the burn? sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, could be tapping into voters desire for an anti-establishment candidate. that hunger particularly strong among younger voters under 45 who favor sanders nearly two to one. >> i think that bernie sanders aligns more with my views and i think we should be voting for the person who will be best in the white house. >> reporter: donald trump may have help erode some of clinton's support, reminding voters of her husband's transgressions when he was in office. >> i'm so proud my husband is on the campaign trail. in new hampshire and in iowa in the last week. >> reporter: and today president clinton returned, where he brushed aside the declining polling numbers, saying everything is good. a sign the clinton campaign may be the second time this week the aids held conference calls with reports bashing braes. he hasn't said how he will pay for the universal health care plan. a aide telling me those details are coming soon. lester. >> kristen welker, tonight, thank you. there are new questions about el chapo time on the run. just released text messages shows his infatuation with the same actress that helped arrange his interview with actor sean penn. we get details from jacob rascon in mexico. >> reporter: it plays like the telenovella that made her famous. a larger than lyft cartel leader on the run, smitten with a megastar, planning secret meetings in the mountains. in a series of text messages intercepted by the mexico government, el chapo gusman reaches out to del castillo. i'm very eager to meet friends. you are the best in the world. i will take care of absolutely everything. it is so moving that you say you will take care of me, she replies. no one has ever taken care of me. thank you. i am free next weekend. later guzman seemed to obsess over which cell phone to buy her as a surprise. preferably a pink phone. and writing to his attorney, tell kate that when she comes we will drink tequila and dance. tell her just like that. as for meeting actor sean penn, el chapo didn't know who he was and told his attorney, i'm looking him up on the internet. guzman, del castillo and penn finally met, which penn detailed in a rolling stone article, claiming guzman told him, quote, i supply more heroin, meth and marijuana than anybody else in the world. but guzman's attorney refutes that account. inside the federal prison behind me el move, this time by mexican authorities who have transferred him between cells eight times since he arrived here last friday. desperately trying to prevent yet another embarrassing escape. jacob rascon, nbc news, mexico. a warning today from the ntsb that without a major safety upgrade to the nation's rail lines, we risk another catastrophic crash. investigators say a system called ptc, for positive train control, could have prevented several deadly crashes. but while amtrak has rolled it out on many trains, tom costello reports that other railroads are lagging far behind. >> reporter: it happened last may 12th. eight passengers died, 200 injured when a speeding amtrak train derailed north of philadelphia. 2013, four dead when a speedy metro-north trail derailed in the bronx. 2008, 25 dead after a a stop signal in chatsworth, california. while the technology was available to prevent those accidents, none of the trains had it. >> it says you are going too fast. you are at 90 miles per hour. >> it is slowing down for you. >> it just took over control of the train for me. >> reporter: at the amtrak training center in it delaware, we saw how positive train control works. now, eight months after the philli crash, amtrak has finished equipping the entire northeast corridor. with transponders in the track's monitor every train and slam on the brakes if necessary. but ptc is only in place in the northeast and areas around los angeles. the rest of the railroads are owned by freightlines which complained about the technology cost and complexity. so congress has given them more time, until 2018, to get ptc up and running. not good enough, says safety experts. >> every day that ptc is not in place, we run the risk of another amtrak crash in philadelphia, or another bronx crash. >> reporter: in essence, the trying to remove human error as a factor by forcing the train to abide by speed limits and stop signals. >> amtrak said it would have saved lives in philadelphia. >> we are going to keep moving as quickly as we can to make a safer -- a damn safe railroad safer. >> reporter: still no word from ntsb on why the amtrak train was speeding in philli. but the high-speed safety fix is on a slow roll-out. tom costello, nbc news, delaware. a bitterly cold night in store for much of the u.s. blinding lake-effect snow and strong winds hit upstate new york. white-out conditions force major roads and schools to close. in about 85 cars were involved in a this morning. and millions were below freezing today in the midwest and northeast. while a slight warm-up forecasters are watching a potential weekend. we'll keep you posted on that. the national guard has been called in to aid in the water michigan. a city with a water supply contaminated with lead. they are joining community activists handing out water to residents. there are fears it may have sickened thousands of flint's children. a dismal day on wall street. cutting short a two-day rally as stocks dropped in the correction territory. the dow dropping nearly 365 points today. the s&p 500 closed down 2.5%. and the nasdaq plunging more than 3%. still ahead tonight, president obama vowing a moon shot to cure cancer once and for all. offering new hope for patients and their loved ones. but how? also time is running out to pay for -- to play for tonight's $1.5 billion powerball jackpot. it turns out there might be a real morning ted! scott! ready to hit some balls? sure. ooh! hey buddy, what' s up? this is what it can be like to have shingles. oh, man. a painful, blistering rash. i keep thinking how did he get this, he' s in such good shape. if you had chickenpox, the shingles virus is already inside you. 1 in 3 people will get shingles in their lifetime. your immune system weakens as you get older the shingles virus in check. after almost 3 weeks, i just really wanted to give it a shot. the shingles rash can last up to 30 days. i' m not feeling it today. don' t worry about it buddy. ll do it another day. don' t wait until you or someone you care about develops shingles. or pharmacist today about a vaccine that can i'm here at my house, on thanksgiving day and i have a massive heart attack right in my driveway. the doctor put me on a bayer aspirin regimen. be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. go talk to your doctor. you're not let's explore now a very ambitious idea announced by the president in his state of the union. a commitment to cure cancer in the way we committed to reaching the moon in the '60s. it will be led by joe biden and aimed at ending the disease that killed the vice president's son and 600,000 other americans every year. nbc's anne thompson explains what the new national effort could mean for cancer. >> reporter: the moon shot is the symbol of american ambition and achievement. now vice president joe biden will lead a similar effort to cure cancer. for biden, this is personal. choking up, talking to stephen colbert about his son beau, who died of brain cancer. >> my son was better than me. and he was better than me in almost every way. >> reporter: the vice president has two goals. increase spending on research and increase collaboration. just this week, a group of drug companies and researchers announced they would work together to find better treatments. last week biden's staff met with the president of the american association for cancer research. >> how close are we to curing cancer? >> we could really decrease by a lot the number of patients that die from cancer. so i think this ought to be our decade. >> dr. baselga biden with getting the first budget increase in a decade, an extra $264 million, a 5% jump. the american cancer society's dr. otis brawley said they need sustained funding and all patients need access to best care. >> 20% or more women with breast cancer get less than optimal breast cancer treatment. those are some of the things we could fix right now and fix very quickly. >> emily whitehead is now 10 years old because of a break-through to treat her leukemia at the university of pennsylvania and children's hospital of philadelphia. friday she will meet the vice president, a living example of what is possible. anne thompson, nbc news, new york. >> reporter: when we come back, they'll be there for you. the sitcom reunion fans have been waiting for for more than a decade. ? well, when you have copd, it can be hard to breathe. it can be hard to get air out, which can make it hard so i talked to my doctor. she said... symbicort could help you breathe better, starting within 5 minutes. symbicort doesn't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. symbicort helps provide significant improvement of your lung function. symbicort is for copd, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. it should not be taken more than twice a day. symbicort contains formoterol. medicines like formoterol increase the risk of death from asthma problems. symbicort may increase your risk of lung infections, osteoporosis, and some eye problems. 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yes! one phillips' colon health probiotic cap each day helps defend against occasional digestive issues. with three types of good bacteria. live the regular life. phillips'. woman: it's been a journey to get where i am. and i didn't get here alone. people who gave me options. kept me on track. and through it all, my retirement never got left behind. so today, i'm prepared for anything we may want tomorrow to be. every someday needs a plan. let's talk about your old 401(k) today. @ @ the wait is over, a new @name has come to brownstown. @special coverage of the browns @new head coach including his @past, the challenges he will @face and what you have to say @about it. @join us tonight at 7:30 right @here on channel 3. just a short time from now america will either have a new billionaire, or the powerball jackpot will roll over to another record. $2 billion. our kevin tibbles explains to us why our minds keep driving us to play even when we know the odds are against us. >> reporter: powerball lunacy is sweeping the nation. the symptoms -- an increased hope rate and crossed fingers. so we went to renounced behavioral psychologist dr. frank farley to analyze. >> why do we buy these things? >> turns out we americans suffer from a new condition. >> type t., for thrill, type t. personality. >> it is a thrill, man. i love it. >> reporter: that is why we're wearing out the machines, because for $2 a pop we could all be eternal optimists. >> this is it. this is going to change my life >> you have to have a little hope and drive. >> if you don't have hope, what do you have? >> $2. >> and then there is the mount everest effect. why play? because it is there. >> this is the mount everest of lotteries. it is too big to ignore. >> i want to be a billionaire. >> reporter: and heck, when you see everyone else lining up to play, it becomes contagious. >> f.o.m.o., fear of missing out. this is the newest fear in the armament of the psychologist. for us to study. >> because everybody else is buying a ticket? >> pretty much. >> reporter: there is another less scientific explanation. >> number one on my list is fun. >> reporter: and a few other reasons too. but for now the best prescription, stay optimistic until the powerball drops. kevin tibbles, nbc >> i don't know about you, but i feel better. that will do it for us on a wednesday night. i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, good night and good luck. night. i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, good night and @ @ tonight there is a new boss @of the browns, hue jackson is @the new head coach of the @cleveland browns. @it's a personal victory for @jackson who has waited four @long years to get another shot @to be a head coach in the @league.