on the iranian attacks at 8:00 our time. watch it right here on nbc bay area news and all of our digital platforms. have a great day. good morning. breaking news -- retaliation. iran fires more than a dozen ballistic missiles at u.s. forces, hitting two air bases in iraq. as the iranians cheer its leader, say that concludes the response to the killing of the top general. is it really over? the president is going to address the nation today. our correspondents are inside iran and iraq just ahead. breaking overnight, a ukrainian passenger jet crashes moments after takeoff in the

airport in tehran. all 176 people killed. this morning, the new video that appears to show the plane bursting into flames midair and investigators searching for a cause. state of emergency. new aftershocks in puerto rico after a string of earthquakes rocked the island. >> everything started jumping back and forth, like up and down. >> massive devastation, millions without power today. we are there live. all that plus, break in the case? the estranged husband of the connecticut mother missing for nearly eight months now charged with her murder. major league scandal. the red sox under investigation after a report they cheated by stealing signs during their championship run in 2018. is their world series title now in jeopardy? while we're on the subject -- >> this is "jeopardy!" >> the hit game show's greatest of all time tournament kicks off with a nail biter. >> what a game. what a way to start. the greatest of all time tournament. >> we'll tell you who came out

on top in round one. who is ken jennings? today, wednesday, january 8th, 2020. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. hi, everybody. good morning. welcome to "today." it's nice to have you on a wednesday morning. it is a busy one. >> it is. we'll get right to the breaking news. iran following through with the vow to avenge the death of its top military commander. >> iwran -- iran attacked two bases in iraq, a barrage of missiles unleashed. there's no immediate indication of american casualties in those strikes. >> the revolutionary guard called the missile strikes fierce revenge. this morning, iran's leaders are indicating this could be the nation's only military response. >> president trump plans to address the nation about the situation this morning. we have in depth coverage from

washington, iran, and iraq. we'll start with richard engel who is in iraq for us this morning. richard, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. from a wet and windy irbil. one of two locations targeted by those iranian ballistic missiles. at this stage, they say there's no reports of iraqi or american casualties. the iranian government did not waste any time claiming responsibility for this attack. it wanted the american people to know. it wanted the iranian people to know that this was iran's response to the u.s. killing of its top general. this, iran said, was its vengeance for the u.s. killing of its top general. ballistic missiles, roaring toward iraqi bases housing u.s. troops. and claimed the supreme leader had personally overseen the launch in the control room.

iranian tv posted more video of what it said was the impact, around 5:30 p.m. eastern time. there were two waves of attacks according to the u.s. military, and iran fired at least a dozen ballistic missiles from inside iranian territory at u.s.based b for logistics and on the all-assad base. there was wild threats to bomb dubai, to bomb israel, to activate hezbollah and shia militias in iraq. to bring the whole middle east to war if the u.s. counterattacked. then, iran's foreign minister tweeted, his country was ready to step back, if there was no american counterattack. through it all, the u.s. was silent, until president trump tweeted the first reply. all is well, missiles launched

from iran at two military bases in iraq. assessment of casualties and damages taking place right now. so far, so good. with vengeance served, iran resumed the burial of its slain general, soleimani, considered a terrorist by the u.s. iranian media made unsubstantiated claims that the attack killed does of american troops, that bases were annihilated, and american bones crushed. no sign that's true. the ayatollah saying the attack was a slap in america's face. but u.s. officials tell nbc news, iran may have tried to deliberately miss american troops, that the attack was more about restoring iran's honor. iranian media says that this attack, this barrage of missiles, was timed to take place at the very same time when the u.s. carried out the drone strike, killing qassem

soleimani. a lot of symbolism here and chest thumping from iran. iranian officials are also suggesting they deliberate calibrated this attack. they wanted to show strength, that they were not afraid of the united states, but they didn't want to go so far as to trigger an all out war with the united states. savannah? >> richard engel, leading us off. thank you. what is the next move from the white house in this showdown? peter alexander is on duty at the white house for us. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. the white house will deliver remarks at 8:00 a.m. pacific time. there was no immediate reaction from the president following those missile strikes before he finally took to twitter, as richard noted, writing "all is well" and "so far, so good." what appeared to be an attempt to reassure americans, not the kind of fiery rhetoric the president had been using, fueling hopes president trump may neuse th

may use this to avoid further retaliation. the vice president and top national security officials with the president, including the secretaries of state and defense. the question this morning, how will the president respond? trump ally lindsey graham called the strikes an act of war. >> if you're watching television in iran, i just got off the phone with the president. your fate is in your own hands in terms of the regime's economic viability. you continue this crap, you will wake up one day out of the oil business. >> reporter: top democrats urging caution. >> is next step is to prevent an elscalatory spiral that will mae the united states into an extended conflict. >> reporter: house speaker nancy pelosi tweeting, we must ensure the safety of our service members, including ending needless provocations from the administrations, and demanding iran cease its violence. america and world cannot afford war. from top republican kevin mccarthy after speaking with the president --

>> he is very well-prepared to handle this appropriately. he is smart about the way he's going through this. he will assess the damage. and he will respond accordingly. >> reporter: even as top state department and pentagon officials focused on de-escalation, earlier tuesday, the president delivering this warning before last night's strikes. >> we're prepared. we're totally prepared. and likewise, we're prepared to attack if we have to. at retribution. >> reporter: those words echoed by defense secretary mark esper. >> the united states is not seeking a war with iran. but we are prepared to finish un. >> reporter: also, the new national security adviser, robert o'brien, insisting the united states is safer today, despite iran's vows of revenge. >> are we more safe today than less safe today than one week ago? >> i think we're more safe. over the past four months, the two greatest terrorist threats

in the world, al baghdadi and soleimani have both been taken off the battlefield. i think that makes us safer. >> reporter: in an exclusive interview with nbc news, conducted earlier tuesday, joe biden says the u.s. is closer to war and questions president trump's justification for striking soleimani. >> i don't give him the benefit of the doubt of anything. >> you don't believe him? >> he could be true. but i don't give him the benefit of the doubt because he's lied so much about virtually everything. >> reporter: the president this morning, we're told, meeting with his top national security officials in the situation room. the full house and senate today expected to be briefed by the president's top officials about iran and the intelligence that led to the soleimani strike. this morning, iranian officials said their final answer to their general's death will be to kick all u.s. forces out of that region. when asked about withdrawing troops yesterday, the president says he wants to do it eventualliy lbut not is not the right point. savann savannah? >> all right, peter. thank you. let's bring in ali arouzi

this morning and our analyst, retired naval admiral, james stavridis. ali, i will start with you. we heard that iran took and concluded its measures in retaliation for the killing of soleimani. soleimani. do you believe this is the end of iran's response >> reporter: well, savannah, the situation is very fluid. the attack was brazen but well-timed and calibrated not to invite some sort of massive reprisal as soon as they finish those attacks, iran started to put messages out, if the u.s. doesn't retaliate, that's it they're not going to attack anymore. and there wasn't an attack on iran and iran didn't attack anymore after that shortly, a couple of hours after the attacks were all finished, the supreme leader, the highest authority in iran, gave a speech to an audience at his compound and he said this attack was just

a slap in the face for america meaning revenge for his right-hand man, qassem soleimani. in that speech, he reiterated three or four times, that iran's main objective is to get the united states out of this entire region. and he won't rest until he does that it's unclear what direction we're going on and a lot of it depends on the president's next move. if the president does decide to attack iran, over the rocket attacks, then this could seriously ratchet up again but for now, it seems to have quieted down it seems to be some bluster here the iranians are feeling victorious and they're portraying that as much as they can. they're playing to a domestic audience here, savannah. on the they're saying the attack on the al-assad base was a massive attack

and they took out helicopters and drones but those are uncorroborated reports, and we haven't seen any pictures yet >> ali arouzi, in tehran thank you. i'll turn to admiral stavridis, and ask you essentially the same question do you think this is it from iran, or do you expect them to say, that's the official response, then it'll be up to some provocative behavior in the region >> well, we'll learn a lot today when we hear from the president. and we'll see more as the next few days and weeks unfold, savannah let's be cautiously optimistic that this is a last exit before the tunnel moment. and that both sides are going to take a breather and step back. i'll tell you what to watch for. watch for potential cyber activity there's offensive cyber capability that could be done in an unattributed way.

and watchrabian gulf t see if there's movement towards our u.s. warships at sea and then, watch for the militia, many of whom have said, this strike is not enough we may have to do more let's be cautiously optimistic but the bad news, the longer term still shows us with a great deal of potential conflict with iran we're in deep disagreement about many issues. let's be watchful. for the moment today, let's hope that both sides take a pause >> admiral stavridis, thank you very much. craig joins the table. almost hard to believe development in iran's capital. >> hoda, savannah, good morning to both of you really hard to believe coin dense here just as those iranian missiles were targeting u.s. forces, a ukrainian passenger plane crashes in the iranian capital of tehran. tom costello covers aviation for us what do we know what happened here

>> reporter: a horrific crash, a boeing 737 model, not a max. it went down 30 miles from tehran's international airport so far, at this moment, it does not appear this is related to the missile strike taking place at about the same time does this video show the final moments of the ukrainian passenger plane falling from the sky over iran? the cell phone video showing a ball of fire the aircraft exploding seconds later as it hit the ground the impact lighting up the night sky. the video shared by a news agency run by iranian students has not been verified by nbc news and comes with a slew of misinformation out of iran amid increased tensions between that country and the u.s the iranian state tv reports that the ukrainian international airlines flight, headed to kiev, crashed shortly after takeoff tuesday night near tehran with at least 176 on board. the flames were so intense,

according to iranian reports, rescuers had to temporarily stand back overnight, iranian authorities confirmed there were no survivors. flight data shows the boeing 737 took off from imam khomeini international airport to key yaif at 2:42 a.m., local time, and stopped sending data just two minutes later. boeing tells nbc news in a statement, we're aware of the media reports out of iran. and we're gathering more information. the boeing 737 800 has not been flagged for issues but boeing has been under intense scrutiny following two separate crashes involving the 737 max. both happening within five months of each other, killing 346 people the 737 max has been grounded worldwide since march, created a crisis for boeing and leading to the firing of their chief executive. it was an hour after iran launched more than a dozen ballistic missiles against military bases in iraq, housing

u.s. troops. that attack prompting the faa to release an urgent alert last night, prohibiting carriers from flying in air space over iraq, iran and the persian gulf. there's no indication that the two incidents are related. the passengers include iranians, canadians, ukrainians, swedes, germans, brits, and afghans. boeing has a new statement it says, this is a tragic event and our heartfelt thoughts are with the crew, passengers, and their families meanwhile, major airlines, now cancelling flights into or out of tehran this morning guys, i think you have to ask the question, why were flights allowed to depart tehran international airport if they had a missile strike under way at about the same time >> excellent question, tom one of many. i know it's early here do we have any early indication of a possible cause? >> not yet early reports from the ukrainian embassy suggested a mechanical issue. but the embassy removed that statement from their website they say the investigation is ongoing.

listen, as you know, these investigations always take a long time. and the airline says it will have had one of its best crews and best planes involved in the flight yesterday >> tom costello for us thank you. we want to turn to a state of emergency declared in puerto rico after a series of devastating and deadly earthquakes that caused a lot of damage, knocked out power across much of the island nbc's sam brock joins us now from puerto rico sam, what's the latest there >> reporter: yeah, hoda, good morning. guanica, one of the hardest-hit regions where people tell me they were blind sided by the quake on tuesday morning still no power the damage is evident. walk with me for a second. this was a two-story home, now crumpled beneath, you'll see the foundations and the columns are compressed into the shape of an "s." there's hundreds of homes and buildings that look just like this, as residents are bracing

for what comes next. this morning, puerto rico is on edge. terrified residents jolted out of their beds two nights in a row by increasingly strong earthquakes. >> this felt like it was a train hitting underneath earth, and then everything just started jumping back and forth up and down. >> reporter: just before 4:30 a.m. tuesday, a powerful 6.4 quake shook the island's southwest coast, followed by dozens of aftershocks. the violent shaking causing this church tower to come tumbling down for parishioners, the church of the immaculate conception, onc a source of comfort, now, a pile of rubble. this school crushed underits own weight, homes split in half, buildings crushing cars, ro rockslides littering roadways. >> everybody is in a state of

alert. >> reporter: omar vasquez, his wife and 1-month-old son, visiting from ohio, grateful to have escaped with their lives. >> my first reaction was pick up the baby and grab her, run out of the house immediately >> reporter: their in-laws' house is cracked the family scared to sleep inside the baby was resting peacefully. now, hundreds of people are lining up for food and hoping mother nature doesn't deliver any more punches the quakes coming two years after hurricane maria dealt the island a devastating blow. >> we're still recovering from maria. and we have another maria coming on to us yeah it's been hard >> reporter: even in the midst of their pain, powerful acts of pulling together for people and pets we watched as this man scaled a house, wriggling through glass and debris, to rescue two dogs trapped inside

and minutes ago, we watched the same man go sbback into this hoe and rescue two more dogs this home badly damaged. across the street, this is his place. still standing because he put in reinforcements several years ago. many of the buildings up and down the street not so fortunate. the school was blocks away breaking news, we find president trump has signed off on fema assistance in puerto rico. >> sam brock, thank you. mr. rogers says, look for the helpers in the tragedies sam found a couple that was nice. al is back this morning. he has a first check of the weather, including what's this we're hearing about a late week winter storm >> we'll talk about that coming up let's look at what's happening today. we have snow squalls as the wind and front pushes through we have 43 million people from west virginia to new england airport delays from boston to d.c. wind gusts, 45 to 50 miles per hour here's the front pushing through. we may see snow squalls along the eastern seaboard, from boston to new york, all lake-enhanced snow

and a cold start to this morning. it feels like 10 in new york minus 3 in binghamton. 8 in state college in d.c., 19 degree windchill that's what's going on around the country. we're going to get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds now, you can skip the line with walgreens express, get in and out quickly with 24-hour locations, or have your prescriptions delivered whenever you need us, we're always just minutes away. walgreens. good wednesday morning, i'm kari hall. a live look at san jose with break in the clouds after early morning rain. another round of rain moving in during the overnight hours. but we will take a break from the showers today. for the most part there will be

a slight chance of a lingering shower. better chance of rain tomorrow morning as we see the showers arriving before sunrise and then moving out by noon. on friday sunny and expecting more rain in the forecast early on saturday. >> and that's yo latest weather. guys >> mr. roker, thank you. coming up, breaking his silence. nissan's former ceo-turned-fugitive, ready to speak publicly for the first time since the dramatics escape from japan we'll have the very latest on that baffling case and did the boston red sox cheat during the world series run in 2018? the sign stealing is being investigated by major league baseball today first,his is "today" on nbc. t

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just ahead, a heartwarming mystery solved after a man discovered video of a baby's first steps on a vhs tape. >> we reunite them in our studio after your local news.

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♪ feels so good ♪ feels so good target run and done. a very good morning. it is 7:26, i'm laura garcia. in san francisco a gathering underway to mark one year since a brutal attack of an elderly woman in visitacion valley. organizers plan a sit-in at playground where 89-year-old yik hi huang died. her family calls for justice and change. an 18-year-old sufs has been charged in connection with the attraction. after the attack investigators say he broke into the victim's nearby home. we'll check the forecast with meteorologist kari hall. >> we're drying out after the early morning spotty rain moved through. not all of the bay area had it

but left with cloudy skies. as we head into today, we'll see a few spotty showers possible but overall we'll have a chance to dry out before another round of rain moves in early tomorrow morning. and it looks to clear out by tomorrow afternoon. friday we're seeing some sunshine and then some more scattered rain in the forecast. early on saturday that may linger into the 49ers game, something we'll be watching going into the weekend. as we get ready to head over to mike, how is it looking on the roads. not bad. south bay holding steady over the last half hour but a second crash north 87, the arrow toward 101. the second crash before the merge. arrow with another slowdown approaching tully, second crash for the morning as well. and the rest of the bay, slow through san mateo. north 101 at keiaho. your commute into san francisco just past treasure island there is a disabled vehicle outside of

the tunnel. we have reports on it but not on the incline. back to you. >> well reminder at the top of the hour president trump is supposed to address the nation on iran's missile strike. we'll carry it live. what'd we decide on the flyers again?

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200 points shy and that means that ken jennings has won the 200 points shy, and that means ken jennings has won the first half what a game. what a way to start. >> we're back. opening night drama on "jeopardy!'s" highly-anticipated greatest of all-time tournament. the show's biggest money winners, ken jennings, james holzhauer and brad rutter. they were competing for the title of g.o.a.t., greatest of all time and $1 million >> i'm surprised it took "jeopardy" this long to come up with this. >> you said something funny in the makeup room, "jeopardy" is having a moment. >> everyone is in for "jeopardy. it's not just for your grandma

anymore. >> i think holzhauer becomes the winner >> jennings got the first round. they will keep playing until somebody wins three times. >> yes let's get a check of your 7:30 headlines breaking news overnight. iran fired more than a dozen missiles at u.s. forces at two iraqi air bases. it was retaliation for the killing of iran's top general, soleimani. according to the u.s. military, they released two waves of attacks. there's no immediate indication of american casualties in the strikes. two people killed, five others rescued after a avalanche at a ski resort in north idaho. it happened tuesday at silver mountain officials say the area where the avalanche occurred had been closed off to skiers prior to the incident rescue crews were able to dig several people out of the snow they all all skiers have been accounted for. we may have gotten a glimpse into the future with north america's first-ever demonstration of a pilotless air taxi there it is right there.

that test flight happened in north carolina that air taxi can carry two adults there were no passengers during the demonstration on tuesday because of faa rules the aircraft has been used in other parts of the world no word on exactly when it might be put into service here in the united states. >> looks like a huge drone >> yeah, exactly we have new details on a case we've been following, the mysterious disappearance of a connecticut mother she was last seen eight months ago. her estranged husband is now charged with murder and set to face a judge today ron allen joins us from the courthouse >> reporter: the suspect is fotis dulos. his estranged wife, jennifer, disappeared in may of last year. there has been an extensive search to try to find her. this morning in court, we hope to understand why authorities finally believe they're ready to charge the husband with killing his estranged wife fotis dulos is in custody, accused of kidnapping and murdering his estranged wife,

jennifer, who has been missing for almost eight months. the couple embroiled in a bitter divorce and custody battle it's over their five children. his girlfriend and former attorney are also facing conspiracy charges in the case in a statement, relatives of jennifer expressed relief about the charges but added, "there's no sense of closure. nothing can bring jennifer back." for months, dulos has maintained his innocence, including this exclusive interview with "dateline" last year >> did you have anything to do with jennifer's disappearance? >> i did not i would like to leave it at that >> reporter: arrest warrants say dulos laid in wait for jennifer to return home from dropping off at the school that morning dulos and michelle troconis, his girlfriend, who are already charged with tampering with evidence back in june, pleaded not guilty and were free on bail troconis, investigators say, has admitted to providing false handwritten alibis about the crime in which the three

suspects are mentioned now, investigators citing a gag order, won't say what led them to charge due lohlos with murde. >> this is still ongoing >> reporter: his attorney claims he is innocent >> we deny that mr. dulos has any involvement in the disappearance of his wife, jennifer >> reporter: and despite months of searches, jennifer dulos has not been found her disappearance now a case of murder still very much a mystery. >> fotis dulos was facing other charges connected to this for a while. but the murder charge is just coming now what do you know about that? >> reporter: that's the question, savannah why has it taken so long to charge him with murder one reason may be because the investigators have not found a body the defense even maintains that the state cannot prove that jennifer is dead we hope to learn more about all that this morning here in court. >> ron allen, at the courthouse for us thank you. coming up next, the former

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...and clear skin in psa. want more proof? ask your rheumatologist about humira. this morning on "in depth today," a new twist on a case that's fascinated the world. >> it's been more than a week since the former chairman of nissan made a dramatic escape from japan where he was awaiting trial for alleged misconduct. today, he is breaking his silence. keir simmons has that story for us. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. this was an extraordinary news conference that just wrapped up. ghosn battling to explain why he is on the run from justice in japan. refusing to say how he escaped. the reports are like something from a hollywood thriller. in a news conference that at

times was chaotic, ghosn insisted he'd clear his name. >> i am used to what you call "mission impossible." >> reporter: he refused to talk about his seemingly impossible escape from japan, caught on this grainy airport footage that emerged from a turkish news agency this morning. former nissan ceo ghosn flew to turkey before arriving here new year's eve. >> i won't say how imamag manag leave japan, though i know you're interested in that. i'm here to talk about why i left. >> reporter: his disappearance aided by a former green beret, michael taylor, sources close to the investigation telling the "wall street journal." during the audacious operation ghosn slipped out of his home in tokyo. he traveled by bullet train to a small airport where he was smuggled past security, hiding in a large box used to transport gear.

too big to fit through the x-ray machine. then the reports say he took a private jet to turkey, where this cc-tv was filmed, apparently showing him board a second plane to beirut. japan issuing a warrant for his wife, though he denies she had any involvement. she spoke to cnbc last year. >> the day he got arrested i was with him in the apartment. it was a horrific day. >> reporter: this morning, ghosn's japanese lawyer's office raided. investigations are under way in multimillion cowple countries. he was arrested in japan on charges of financial misconduct in november 2018. including allegedly hiding tens of millions of dollars for compensation. the company saying in a statement, nissan discovered numerous acts of misconduct by ghosn through a robust, thorough investigation. he insisted he faced an unfair trial in japan. >> i was brutally taken from my world as i knew it.

>> reporter: ghosn telling his side of the story, claiming he didn't run from justice but faced injustice and persecution. nbc news reached out to the former green beret, michael taylor, who is said to have helped ghosn escape. we intended to reach him and haven't heard back. carlos ghosn, asked whether the stories were true he escaped in a packing case that was put into an aircraft, he smiled. craig? >> keir simmons for us in london. thank you. 7:42. let's get a check of weather from mr. roker. >> that's right. we're looking at an early spring pattern that could be a major severe outbreak on friday. 39 million people. it's unusual for the severe prediction center to issue something this far ahead. we could look at tornados, damaging winds, hail in the lower mississippi river valley. and it extends eastward on saturday, with damaging winds and the possibility of tornadoes. this system thursday, brings its way into the central u.s. rain, storms, from texas to michigan, continues to the east

on friday, spreading rain into the ohio valley. back behind it, we're looking at snow. and on saturday, the snow and ice develop in the midwest. it could be a problem. severe threats shifting to the southeast. look at the rainfall totals, five inches or more, into the mississippi river valley and ohio river valley. and the potential for heavy snow good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. we're going to see temperatures today reaching into the mid to upper 50s. there may still be a few lingering showers along the coast but for the most part dry today. a new round of rain moves in tomorrow morning before sunrise. it quickly moves through tomorrow morning and clearing out by the afternoon. and then for the rest of the forecast, it it looks like just about every other day we'll see rain chances. our next round of rain after tomorrow comes on saturday. >> that is your latest weather hoda >> all right, al thank you.

up next, baseball's new sign-stealing scandal. >> the boston red sox now accused of cheating during its last world series winning season how the team and the league are responding this morning, right after this the rarest of magical creatures. in the epic new addition to the wizarding world of harry potter™. only at universal orlando resort. stay at an amazing universal hotel with rooms starting from $79 dollars plus tax per night. restrictions apply. my derm jglycolic acid.on her little anti-aging secret- revitalift 10 percent glycolic acid serum. with our highest concentration of glycolic acid. resurfaces skin to visibly reduce dark spots and wrinkles. revitalift glycolic acid serum from l'oréal. which means it's even loved by 5 year old cammie.er.

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steal signs. nbc national correspondent miguel almaguer is here with details on this one. another big one. >> the red sox are accused of cheating in the 2018 season. they won the world series that year the team's hitters were red-hot. some are saying that's because they knew what pitches are coming >> red sox win the world series. >> reporter: this morning, the boston red sox's 2018 world series championship is tainted in controversy an explosive new report says boston cheated, citing three unnamed sources. "the athletic" reports that the team stole pitching signs during the regular season as they smashed their way into the history books. using replays steps from the dugout, during the game, players studied pitchers on video, then on base, relayed the pitching signs to their hitter, so their batter knew exactly what was coming next. >> the video replay cheating systems, allowed teams like the red sox to do, was to crack the

code you were able to immediately take down this rather elaborate deinnocenfense the pitcher and set up >> reporter: this morning, major league baseball says, given the allegations, mlb will commence an investigation into this matter in response, the red sox saying, we take these allegations seriously and will fully cooperate. >> in this day and age, when the stakes are so high, teams will do whatever they need to do. >> reporter: the cheating swaefrs s controversy comes as the leagu is still investigating claims another top team, the astros, also stole pitching signs, using banging sounds from their dugout to signal batters, when they won the world series the year before with the dodgers losing to both teams in the playoffs, this morning, some l.a. fans are wondering, did they lose to champs or to cheats? >> you do feel sorry for the dodgers in this whole thing. what if both teams are found guilty of cheating what happens

>> either team could space suspensions or fines the astros could be stripped of the world series that's highly unlikely the red sox investigation has just begun >> okay. >> thank you, miguel >> thank you >> you look like you have something you want to say. >> no. all i need is more boston people to come after me come on. it's just a game >> well, sort of >> sorta just ahead, dr. oz is here to share his 2020 wellness plan. the steps he wants us to take to improve our overall health this year also, our favorite story of the morning. 25 year old home video of a baby's first steps found in a donated vhr. we have the guy who donated it, as well as the baby boy, all grown up we're going to bring them together live for the very first time that's after your local news stf and remission, with dosing every 8 weeks. stelara® may lower your ability to fight infections

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good wednesday morning. right now it is 7:56 and we're seeing light patchy fog around the bay area. a live look outside from san bruno mountain toward san francisco. we see temperatures there reach 56. also 56 in oakland. 57 in napa and 57 in san jose. as we go into today, there may be a now spotty showers but dry. a better chance tomorrow morning as the rain moves from north to south. most of it does clear out by tomorrow afternoon. and we'll also get -- get more sunshine in the forecast on friday. another wave of showers passing quickly on saturday morning into early saturday afternoon. and then by sunday it is sunny, looks like the rain comes every other day but may be more showers in the forecast early next week. more updates on that. let's head over to mike.

the fog you were talking about, the sun is behind it. that is the richmond-san rafael bridge. and now crossing west bound and the traffic smoothing on the incline across san francisco. the bay bridge still reports of a crash around mid span. but traffic is moving bletter. slowing in the golden gate bridge you see that on the left side of the screen. north out of san francisco very slow right now. the rest of the bay move nicely. moments from now president trump is scheduled to address the nation in response to iran's missile strike targeting u.s. military bases in iraq. nbc will carry the address live and when it concludes the "today" show will cover its coverage. we're posting updates with the latest on the home page. parents and students rattled in the north bay after the arrest of a man accused of kidnapping and sexual assaulting a girl on the way to school and tried to abduct a second

student. we have the latest on the investigation. another update for you coming in half an hour.

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it's 8:00 on "toda it's 8:00 on "today. coming up, breaking overnight, firing back. iran launches a dozen missiles at u.s. troops in iraq, retaliation for the killing of a top iranian general. the president is set to address the nation we're live with the latest plus, dr. oz's 2020 vision the good doctor joins us live to help create your very own wellness plan. things you can do to feel your best this year and baby steps the story of a texas filmmaker who bought a vcr to watch some old tapes. but a video was still inside, and it sparked a real life

mystery. who was the baby taking his first steps more than 20 years ago? that toddler, all grown up, is here to reyunite with the man wo performed the ultimate, be kind, rewind today, wednesday, january 8th, 2020 >> from loyola university, maryland >> golden eagles >> from tennessee tech >> from pennsylvania >> today, i'm turning 50 good morning, everybody. welcome back to "today." so happy to have you with us on a wednesday morning. looking at the beautiful faces on our plaza happy to have you along at home, as well. >> the coats on, the hats on, join the crowd let's get to news at 8:00. there's breaking news overnight. less than a week after the president ordered the killing of iran's top general, tehran struck back with missiles fired

at american troops in iraq nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engel is in erbil with the latest on the impact of the attacks. richard, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, savannah erbil is one of the two locations that were hit by those iranian ballistic missiles according to the iraqi prime minister, no word of any iraqi or american casualties a lot of symbolism in this attack so far, not a lot of damage. iran wanting to show it was not afraid to act. this, iran said, was its vengeance for the u.s. killing of its top general iranian state tv posting video of ground-to-ground ballistic missiles roaring toward iraqi bases housing u.s. troops. and claimed the supreme leaderhe control room ayatollah khamenei, had personally overseen the launch in the control room.

iranian tv posted more video of what it said was the impact, around 5:30 p.m. eastern time. there were two waves of attacks according to the military, and iran fired a dozen missiles at facilities, based in erbil, hub for logistics and on the al-asad base deep in iraq. then, iran's foreign minister tweeted, his country was ready to step back, if there was no american counterattack through it all, the u.s. was silent, until president trump tweeted the first reply. all is well, missiles launched from iran at two military bases in iraq. assessment of casualties and damages taking place now so far, so good. symbolically, with vengeance served, iran resumed the burial of its slain general, qassem soleimani, considered a terrorist by the u.s the ayatollah saying the attack was a slap in america's face but u.s. officials tell nbc news, iran may have tried to deliberately miss american

troops, that the attack was more about restoring iran's honor publicly, iranian officials are talking about how decisive their response was but quietly, iranian officials are saying they did try to calibrate this attack to show strength without provoking an open war with the united states. savannah, back to you. >> richard engel, in the region. thank you very much. officials are investigating the crash of a boeing 737 shortly after takeoff from tehran last night. cell phone video appears to show the ukraine international airlines plane on fire in mid-air. it has not been verified yet by nbc news but there were 176 people on board that flight to kiev none of them survived. the tragedy came less than an hour after iran's missile attacks on u.s. forces in iraq the prime minister cautioned against any speculation on the cause intill the investigatiunts

complete a new study this morning is raising doubts about the potential link between baby powders containing talc and a higher risk for ovarian cancer research backed by the u.s. government analyzed results from four long-term studies it found similar cancer rates in women that used the powders and women who did not. an editorial in the journal of "the american medical association" called the results, quote, overall reassuring. concerns about baby powder and cancer led to thousands of lawsuits against the johnson and j johnson company. another virus is spreading really fast right now and is particularly dangerous for young kids dr. john torres is here with more we're talking about rsv. i heard about it at any kids' preschool. you probably have, too is it a sharp increase >> it is a sharp increase. a lot of parents heard it, especially if their baby had it. it's a respiratory virus all of us as adults have probably gotten it it's like a cold we get over it in a couple days.

but for babies, with any respiratory or immune system issues, it can be serious or deadly and hospitals are seeing an increase of babies being admitted for this. experts are saying it is not just an increase but a more severe case than usual this time of the year. >> how would you know? a lot of kids get colds, and even the flu how do you know? >> they all look the same. sniffles and cough and fever the hallmark are rsv are respiratory issues if your child has difficulty breathing. the nostrils are flaring and you see their ribs wen they're trying to breathe. if they're breathing so hard they can't take in liquids and if you notice blue or gray discolorations of the skin, that means they're in respiratory trouble. they need to see the doctor right away that's an emergency situation. >> do we know why it's bad this year >> it's like the flu it fluctuates year-to-year this year, it might be especially bad, experts are

saying, because warm and cold is fluctuating, letting the virus get out more we're socializing during the warm periods and spreading it more >> if your child gets it, are there meds >> no medicines to treat it or evacuation sevaccines to cure i. you want to wash your hands. sing "happy birthday" twice, that's 20 seconds. avoid crowds have people not kiss your baby, especially if they seem to be sick and wash the toys. good tips this time of year for the small babies >> dr. torres, thank you very much >> you bet we got the news covered. i have a boost i think you'll like a pennsylvania girl is facing another operation this week. she's been reunited with her good luck charm. 13-year-old briana ramirez has a rare brain disorder. on saturday, she lost her minnie mouse doll while eating at chick-fil-a. mini has been with her through dozens of surgeries. chick-fil-a workers and customers even searched through

the trash. last year, brianna's mom posted that minnie had been found that has to be a good omen >> and kudos to the workers at the chick-fil-a, too >> that's sweet. just ahead, speaking of sweet, sweet mystery solved after a man discovered precious home video of a baby's first step total stranger he launched a campaign to find its rightful owner this morning, we will bring them together for the very first time there's our baby he's 26 years old now. before we get to that, we will remember the trail blazing work of "prozac nation" author ebusinesslet -- elizabeth wurtzel. a woman that changed the national conversation about mental health. (whistling)

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this morning, tributes are pouring in for a remarkable woman who had a major impact on the way we talk about mental health in this country >> that's right, nbc senior national correspondent, kate snow, is here with her story good morning >> good morning, guys. elizabeth wurtzel was 52 years old. breast cancer cut her life short. but she's being remembered for all she did in life. even if she ruffled some feathers >> reporter: elizabeth wurtzel is being celebrated for starting a much-needed conversation about mental health. it was 1994 when her memoir, "prozac nation: young and depressed in america" took the literary world by storm. she chronicled her dependency on prozac, cocaine and ritalin. >> i was supposed to take 4 pills a day, to 8 pills to 16 and just multiplied like that. >> reporter: "prozac nation," later made into a movie, was a true tell-all. detailing her upbringing in a broken family, her depression,

despair, and experience with anti-depressants before they were used or discussed openly. critics called it narcissistic "the new york times" said self-indulgent and self-aware. but there's no question, it created a cultural moment. she brushed back the stigma for psychiatric treatment for mental health issues. reporter lindsey adler wrote on twitter. >> ever felt stressed? >> reporter: 25 years after "prozac nation" came out, students in new york are taught about mental health and don't hold back. >> they were comfortable saying, yeah, i'm stressed i hate to see they're stressed but i'm glad to see they can admit that it's okay. they're not ashamed. >> reporter: wurtzel was certainly not ashamed. last year, after she was diagnosed with breast cancer, she wrote about that, too. she loved being controversial and was always ahead of her time i wrote a 20-nothing memoir when there was no such thing. i was addicted to snorting ritalin before there was adderall i have a riot girl i have always been the most

impossible person ever to her fans, she was fearless. many tweets of praise and appreciation that book mattered and so did elizabeth wurtzel thank you for being the mirror we needed. a family spokesperson said she put up a valiant fight and we admire her for that. we deeply loved her and hope she rests in peace when wurtzel wrote the piece about breast cancer last year, she said she was not afraid of the cancer, but she also encouraged women she had that b rr-r-c-a brca mutation and never got tested for it she said, everybody get tested if you have family history >> i remember when that book came out it was such a sensation. so unusual at the time >> just the idea of a tell-all, a first-person memoir of a young person who was unknown, was a literary device that hadn't been used to that point >> she said that the fight against breast cancer was nothing like the fight to give up drugs her battles with addiction thank you, kate. >> thank you

we turn to mr. roker >> well, we got some warm weather coming unusually warm again, we start off, we're looking at this area of severe weather on friday, into friday night, for 39 million people that's part of the warm surge of moist air. it continues on saturday, with damaging winds, hail and tornadoes likely here's what we're looking like through today. snowshowers and windy. we're also going to be looking at a lot of warm air coming in later on today a live look outside, we have some low clouds moving by. we'll see a mix of sun and clouds today, maybe a couple spotty showers moving through but most of the bay area stays dry. a new wave of rain comes in tomorrow morning, moves through quickly and most likely clears by early tomorrow afternoon. we'll see sunshine on friday and another light round of showers

moving through on saturday, all clear on sunday. >> and that's your latest weather. craig? >> all right, mr. roker, thank you. now, to a "today" exclusive and our favorite story this morning. >> this all started when a texas filmmaker got more than he b bargained for. he bought a secondhand vcr, then he got a mystery that he had to solve. >> inside that machine was a family's personal home movie from 25 years earlier. this priceless videotape shows a happy toddler taking his very first steps. the once-in-a-lifetime memory hidden away for a quarter of a century. that is until recently, when jim mckay discovered it inside this vcr he bought months ago it was at a texas goodwill store. the tape labeled, tyree learns to walk. >> i thought that was special. and i pressed play >> reporter: mckay watched as a toddler surrounded by family,

worked up the courage to walk. after a few stumbles, tyree alexander finds his way into his father's waiting arms. >> the tape is a home movie of an amazing family. >> reporter: mckay's next step, taking to social media to find the family in question >> i'll include an e-mail address for contact, if you do recognize the name or the family >> reporter: days ago, mystery solved tyree's mother saw jim's story on the news and told her son, an educator in austin, who excitedly reached out. mckay writing to his followers on facebook, oh, my god, tyre just called me we freaking found him, y'all once complete strangers, now the two are forever linked proof that spreading love an positivity in life matters, every step of the way. all right. here we are, jim mckay the man who found that tape, is with us. good morning >> good morning. >> that's one of the funny

things, if we found the tape, we would have thought, what a bummer terrible you went the extra mile. why did you go all-out to find this guy >> i felt it was really important. today, with the internet, we can make this happen we can make that connection. >> can we make something happen right now? should we do it? you have not met tyre. he knows about you, and the tape would you like to meet him face-to-face >> i would love to meet him. >> tyre, come out and meet jim >> oh! >> what's up, bro? appreciate that, man >> good to meet you. >> look at baby tyre >> i know. >> hey >> doing well. >> well done >> have a seat >> oh, man >> you guys have talked on the phone. this is your first face-to-face meeting. >> first face-to-face. what's up, bro >> how did you feel about this video coming back into your life >> it was amazing. never seen it before didn't know it existed i just talked to my brother this morning. he didn't know it existed. >> he didn't either? >> he's in there >> yeah. >> my brother is there

what's up, bro it was amazing i was out when my mom called me. she was watching the news. >> what did she say? >> hey, you know, you're on the news right now you're walking as a baby i'm like, what i'm not going to lie i was two drinks in already. you know, like, okay, cool, cool >> you thought she was two drinks in. >> okay. i'm like, you're watching the news >> we had a feeling that your mom was probably more excited than maybe you were. what did she think of seeing that tape? >> well, her first reaction was, i know that house. i know that living room. that's what she said she's the one who set the camera up she recognized it. and she was like, those are my cubs she's momma bear those are my cubs. that's how she recognized it she instantly called me. that was her first thing to call and give me the memory like your first instinct, which i appreciate

>> how do you feel, jim? tyre here and such an amazing gift >> it's amazing. i'm glad it worked out this well who would have guessed >> you've been getting calls from all over the last few days. it's a story that clearly resonates with a lot of folks watching why do you think it is why do you think so many people have gotten so into this >> i think it's a touching story. and the odds of it working out as well as it did are incredible it's sweet and heartwarming and a reunion. bringing back something that was lost under such interesting circumstances. >> tyre, you're 26 now, right? >> yes >> i'm looking at you as a baby. you walk in. my god, it's a ringer. what do you want to do with your life i want to hear >> i want to be as blessing as much as i can. just like he did me. that's my life goal, my purpose in life, it's to help people and make people smile.

i mean, that's the ironic thing about this, is that somebody came and did that for me you know and blessed me and made me smile. i mean, i haven't seen, you know, me and my dad and my brother in a room for a long time to see that, to see all the love and everything, i mean, that took me back to a place i could never go you know, without having that tape now, it's a digital copy thanks to my man >> we have the actual tape >> wow. >> want to give it to tyre >> look at that. >> do you have a vcr >> no way. >> what do you see >> i have seen this tape before. >> you have? >> yeah. i remember this sticker. >> when you were a little boy? >> yeah. >> recognize the handwriting >> this is my dad's handwriting. that's my dad's handwriting. wow. yeah and the crazy thing is, that used to be one of my things. a lot of kids don't know this today, when i'm talking to students i tell them, we used to

put our pinkies in there that's how you rewind the tape stick one in there >> jim is your man he has a vcr >> he has two. one works. >> mine is still blinking 12:00. maybe you can help me with that. >> maybe. >> you're an educator, right? >> yeah. >> announcer: this is an nbc news special report. here's lester holt. >> good morning, everyone. we're coming on the air to bring you the first public remarks from president trump following last night's missile attack by iran on u.s. occupied bases in ir iraq. the latest in what is surely the most perilous in u.s./iran relations in more than 40 years. this current crisis began just 12 days ago with an escalating exchange of hostilities between the two countries, leading to an attack on the u.s. embassy in baghdad by iranian-backed protesters. then five days ago, a u.s. air strike in baghdad, ordered by president trump, killed iran's

top general, qassem soleimani. iran vowed revens, and last night it came through. there are indications iran may have avoided further escalation. the question now, of course, how will president trump respond? he will be speaking at the white house moments from now. things are set there. we have indications that they've been making perhaps some last-minute adjustments to his remarks. we expect the president to emerge shortly. in the meantime, nbc's kristen welker is at the white house. kristen, what can you tell us? >> reporter: lester, good morning. i'm in the grand foyer where we are waiting for president trump to address the nation for the first time since those attacks overnight. the big question, will president trump announce a retaliation against iran, or will he announce a de-escalation? if you look to the tweet that he sent out last night, it was not fire and brimstone. instead, it seemed to point to the fact that there have been no fatalities reported.

he said, so far, so good. we anticipate what he will say. we know that democrats and republicans are calling on the administration to de-escalate. president trump has had a busy morning. he spent part of it in the situation room with the vice president, a number of other top officials. we are told that he will be joined by the vice president when he comes to the podium in just a few moments from now. lester, they have been monitoring the developments overnight, reaching out to democrats, reaching out to republicans, trying to make sure that they are briefed on this situation and the developments abroad. i anticipate we would hear president trump defend his decision to take out iran's top general. the administration has made the case he posed an imminent threat to the u.s. democrats have said they want to see the evidence. we know top officials will be briefing the full congress later today. lester, we are here waiting for president trump behind me, seated a number of national security officials. >> all right. we see some of the principals now taking their position at the

podium. the leadership as we wait for the president to emerge quickly, let's go to courtney kube at the pentagon. what have you learned? >> reporter: we're waiting to see exactly what we heard from kristen welker. that's what will president trump, what kind of tone will he take here this morning? we had this killing of soleimani days ago. the u.s. military in the ensuing days posturing for an offensive, any kind of attack from iran, preparing for the attack to come on to a u.s. military insulation in iraq, just in the last hours. we know now that the casualty count is zero. there were no americans killed in these strikes. how there that impact president trump's decision to respond? will this be a military -- any kind of a military response, or the fact that the casualty count is zero, does that mean that, in fact, it'll be a larger diplomatic response, lester? >> thank you, courtney kube. let's go quickly to iraq right now, where richard engel is in erbil, one of the -- near one of

the places that was attacked. richard, what have you learned there this morning? >> reporter: well, right now, we are in a wait and see mode. iran says it will not carry out more attacks unless there is a counterattack from the united states. >> richard, we'll have to move back to the white house. the president now at the podium. >> as long as i am president of the united states, iran will never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon. good morning. i'm pleased to inform you, the american people should be extremely grateful and happy. no americans were harmed in last night's attack by the iranian regime. we suffered no casualties. all of our soldiers are safe. only minimal damage was sustained at our military bases.

our great american forces are prepared for anything. iran appears to be standing down, which is a good thing for all parties concerned, and a very good thing for the world. no american or iraqi lives were lost because of the precautions taken to disperse all the forces and an early warning system that worked very well. i salute the incredible skill and courage of america's men and women in uniform. for far too long, all the way back to 1979 to be exact, nations have tolerated iran's destructive and destabilizing behavior in the middle east and beyond. those days are over. iran has been the leading sponsor of terrorism, and their pursuit of nuclear weapons

threatens the civilized world. we will never let that happen. last woke, we took decisive action to stop a ruthless terrorist from threatening american lives. at my direction, the united states military eliminated the world's top terrorist, qassem soleimani. as the head of the quds force, soleimani was personally responsible for some of the absolutely worst atrocities. he trained terrorist armies, including hezbollah, launching terrorist strikes against civilian targets. he fueled bloody civil wars all across the region. he viciously wounded and murdered thousands of u.s. tr p troops, including the planting of roadside bombs that maim and dismember their victims.

soleimani directed the recent attacks on u.s. personnel in iraq that badly wounded four service members and killed one american. he orchestrated the violent assault on the u.s. embassy in baghdad. in recent days, he was planning new attacks on american targets, but we stopped him. soleimani's hands were drenched in both american and iranian blood. he should have been terminated long ago. by removing soleimani, we have sent a powerful message to terrorists. if you value your own life, you will not threaten the lives of our people. as we continue to evaluate options in response to iranian aggression, the united states will immediately impose additional punishing economic sanctions on the iranian regime. these powerful sanctions will

remain until iran changes its behavior. in recent months alone, iran has seized ships in international waters, fired an unprovoked strike on saudi arabia, and shot down two u.s. drones. iran's hostilities substantially increased after the foolish iran nuclear deal was signed in 2013. they were given $150 billion, not to mention $1.8 billion in cash. instead of saying "thank you" to the united states, they chanted "death to america." in fact, they chanted "death to america" the day the agreement was signed. then iran went on a terror spree, funded by the money from the deal, and created hell in yemen, syria, lebanon, afghanistan, and iraq. the missiles fired last night at

us and our allies were paid for with the funds made available by the last administration. the regime also greatly tightened the reins on their own country, even recently killing 1,500 people at the many protests that are taking place all throughout iran. the very defective jcpoa expires shortly anyway and gives iran a clear and quick path to nuclear breakout. iran must abandon its nuclear ambitions and end its support for terrorism. the time has come for the united kingdom, germany, france, russia, and china to recognize this reality. they must now breakaway from the remnants of the iran deal, or jcpoa.

we must all work together toward making a deal with iran that makes the world a safer and more peaceful place. we must also make a deal that allows iran to thrive and prosper and take advantage of its enormous, untapped potential. iran can be a great country. peace and stability cannot prevail in the middle east as long as iran continues to foment violence, unrest, hatred, and war. the civilized world must send a clear and unified message to the iranian regime. your campaign of terror, murder, mayhem, will not be tolerated any longer. it will not be allowed to go forward. today, i am going to ask nato to become much more involved in the middle east process. over the last three years, under

my leadership, our economy is stronger than ever before, and america has achieved energy independence. these historic accomplishments changed our strategic pryor tis. these are accomplishments nobody thought were possible. and options in the middle east became available. we are now the number one producer of oil and natural gas anywhere in the world. we are independent, and we do not need middle east oil. the american military has been completely rebuilt under my administration at a cost of $2.5 trillion. u.s. armed forces are stronger than ever before. our missiles are big, powerful, accurate, lethal, and fast. under construction are many hypersonic missiles. the fact that we have this great military and equipment, however,

does not mean we have to use it. we do not want to use it. american strength, both military and economic, is the best deterrent. three months ago, after destroying 100% of isis and its territorial caliphate, we killed the savage leader of isis, al baghdadi, who was responsible for so much death, including the beheadings of christians, muslims, and all who stood in his way. he was a monster. al baghdadi was trying again to rebuild the isis caliphate and failed. tens of thousands of isis fighters have been killed or captured during my administration. isis is a natural enemy of iran. the destruction of isis is good

for iran. we should work together on this and other shared priorities. finally, to the people and leaders of iran, we want you to have a future and a great future, one that you deserve. one of prosper tity at home and harmony with the nations of the world. the united states is ready to embrace peace with all who seek it. i want to thank you and god bless america. thank you very much. thank you. thank you. >> you can hear reporters in the room asking questions. the president taking none as he concludes his remarks. his first reaction to the iranian attack on u.s. occupied bases in iraq. the president, frankly, didn't have a lot to say about the attack itself. in terms of a response, he said

they will impose new sanctions. the u.s. has already imposed some of the harshest sanctions on iran. apparently, prepared to do more. there was no talk of any military response in the way we heard the president there over the last several days. i want to go to andrea mitchell, who has been watching along with me. our chief foreign affairs correspondent, andrea, what did you note in the president's remarks? >> it was a fascinating combination of the president's long-standing objections to the obama nuclear deal, the iran deal he got out of in may of 2018, and blaming the previous administration for financing the missiles he says were fired by iran last night. no retaliation, no military retaliation from the u.s. sounding tough. of course, what he said about soleimani, saying that his hands were drenched with blood. for all the tough talk and the threat of new economic sanctions -- and it is hard to imagine what has not been sanctioned because they've

already sanctioned the central bank. the federal reserve basically of iran. no one can move money on the international exchanges through iran. iran has been crippled economically by the sanctions as they stepped them up. but the other thing is, by saying again, as he has said for years, in the iran nuclear deal, he provided -- that the obama administration provided $150 million, that is not factuallyi assets frozen in 179 when they took the 52 hostages and took over the embassy. the iran nuclear deal did allow iran to get back its own assets, and that's a lot of the money he is describing. >> let me go to kristen welker right now who is in the room at the white house. or was at the white house and watching along with us. i noted the president, once again, defending his decision to go after soleimani. i didn't hear the word "imminent

threat" when he talked abili ede threat. there's been mixed messaging on that issue. >> reporter: that's a really important point, lester. you're absolutely right. president trump gave a very robust defense of his decision to take out iran's top general, qassem soleimani. at the same time, he really stressed soleimani's background. the fact his hands are drenched with blood, the blood of americans and his fellow iranians. yet, he didn't talk about what exactly that imminent threat was. what did it look like? a day earlier, his defense secretary said that there was, in fact, an immeant threinent t. he was tracking it within days. we didn't hear that language from president trump. so the question becomes, as we look forward to the rest of this day, what, if any, evidence will senior administration officials provide to the full congress when they brief them later on today? we know the secretary of state, the secretary of defense will be among the briefers. you have democrats and some

republicans saying that, essentially, the administration should declassify the intelligence that is behind the president's decision to go after soleimani in the first place. so far, the administration has said they haven't made a decision about that. lester, you can bet they are going to get pressured on that. i would make one more point. you heard president trump say that iran seems to be standing down. the question becomes, is the president standing down militarily? he put the focus on sanctions. i tried to ask him as he was leaving if he had ruled out any type of military retaliation. he didn't answer any of our questions. you can bet that those will be among the questions that lawmakers will have later on today. lester? >> kristen, thanks. yeah, the president coming out in his first remarks. americans should be grateful and happy that no american casualties, there was minimal damage in the attacks. certainly, we are all grateful there was no loss of life. let me bring in nbc news analyst and former u.s. deputy assistant

secretary for iraq and iran, brett mcgerk. thanks for joining us. you talked last night about everyone kind of taking a step back. does it occur that step back has occurred, that we are at a point now where, you know, clear thinking is prevailing? >> i would inject a note of caution. i think following what kristen emphasized, that the president said iran is taking a step back. or standing down. i think, knowing iran, that's probably unlikely. i don't think we'll see an overt attack like we saw last night. this extraordinary event with ballistic missiles targeting mi americans in iraq. they attack through proxies. since may of last year, we've been on an action/reaction cycle. attacks in the gulf against shipping. attacks against saudi arabia. 20,000 military personnel poured into the middle east. that seems to be the track we're on. i think we're not on the top of the escalatory ladder as we seemed to be yesterday, which is good, but i don't see a pathway

to get out of the action/reaction cycle we've been on the last ten months. >> the president called on nato to become more involved in the middle east. how is that going to fly with nato allies who, frankly, have been criticized by the president in the past? >> lester, i worked with nato. it is a great organization. to do anything in nato, you need unanimity amongst the 29 allies. it'll be unlikely the allies will pour into the middle east to help us. we embarked on the maximum pressure on our own, and we find it hard to have allies come with us when we're in trouble. it is wishful thinking. since may, 20,000 more military personnel into the middle east. i don't see them coming home soon. i really did not see the way for the president to try to open a new path for diplomacy. mark twain said about diplomacy, it is give and take. give one, take ten. you have to give one sometimes. to get back to the table, i think we'll have to put a really concrete offer on the table to the iranians.

here's what we expect. here's the pathway. right now, that really doesn't appear to be taking shape. >> brett mcgurk, good to have you on. we want to go to the pentagon now. courtney kube, who mans our post there. courtney, what is the american military posture at this point in time? >> reporter: it's been defensive ever since the killing of soleimani a few days ago, just last week. right now, one of the things that really stood out to me though from president trump just now was him saying he's going to call on nato to become much more involved in the middle east. nato actually had become much more involved, specifically in iraq just in october of 2018. they created a training mission there. taken over by nato and manned by a canadian general, the first head of that. the mission, after the death of soleimani, that mission was suspended because the counter-isis and the training mission had to stop while the u.s. military and the coalition had to focus more on force protection of the troops who were there against this threat from iran and iranian militias

and proxies. so it is interesting he's saying he wants nato to do more. we have no idea what capacity that would be. i think whatever response nato would have to that would also be fascinating. another thing that stood out to me, lester, was him calling soleimani the world's top terrorist. we know that, of course, he is on a foreign terror organization. soleimani was, that is. many people in intelligence and defense officials, analysts who i speak with consider the head of al qaeda to be the world's top terrorist. baghdadi, who was killed weeks ago in syria, would be another one. i never heard of soleimani referred to in that way. that was fascinating to me. to reinforce what we were talking about before the president came out, to see how he was going to respond. it became clear from the speech when he looked at his possible options, military or a larger diplomatic or government administration response, so far, they're choosing administration response with sanctions, lester. >> courtney kube at the pentagon, thank you. kasie hunt is on capitol hill.

we know democrats have been saying we need more information about what led up to all this. were any of those questions answered today, and what are you hearing up there? >> reporter: the big question that was answered here, lester, seems to be that the president is taking a relatively deescalatory path. some of his top allies already out on twitter. congressman mark me doadows say this was a showing the president is being, on the one hand, strong, on the other hand, avoiding a conflict, trying to keep america out of a broader war. certainly, it seems republicans are prepared to back him in that way. we are still waiting to hear from the top democrats here in congress about whether they consider this to be a de-escalation. and i do think you're still going to see a lot of questions from lawmakers about exactly where we stand in this back and forth with iran. as brett mcgurk was eluding to, that seems to be still going on. does congress need to potentially act to pass

something, trying to limit the president's powers? the house may go down that road. of course, republicans control the senate. from that perspective, that might be unliekely. >> thank you. let's go to chuck todd, moderator of "meet the press." did the president find an off-ramp? did the iranians give him an off-ramp? >> they did and he took it. he didn't want to look like he took it. that's why you heard him try to use forceful language in announcing the sanctions. used forceful language in not saying they're not going to retaliate. it is clear our retaliation for now appears to be the sanctions. i think it is notable at how the president tried to politicize this by blaming the previous administration for financing. you know, we're glossing over that. the sitting president of the united states accusing essentially the previous president of helping to finance

iranian weapons is quite remarkable that he is willing to push the envelope like that with the office -- with this office. i mean, i guess at this point, we shouldn't be surprised he does these things anymore. it's still a remarkable thing that he actually did it. for me, there was one giant, notable omission in his remarks. it was the lack of outreach or olive branch to the iraqi government who basically wants to kick the americans out. strategically, that'd obviously be potentially a disaster when you think about isis. the lack of any sort of olive branch to iraq, i think, was, to me, notable and perhaps a diplomat diplomatic mistake. >> what about the reaching out to nato, an organization that he's broadly criticized, asking them to become more involved in the middle east? how is that going to fly? >> we'll see. our european allies in this have been spectacle of what we've been doing as it is with iran. obviously, this would be a way of almost sort of forcing there to look like there is an

international coalition. i get what the president is trying to do here. right now, it looks like america is alone in this with the gulf state it states. that's it when it comes to taking on iran. nato would give the appearance of an international coalition. >> thanks so much. what appears to be a step back by the president this morning from a cycle of escalation, and what many feared was the brink of war between the united states and iran. this story is far from over. of course, breaths are still held largely. we will continue to follow all developments. i'll be back with a full wrap up when i see you this evening on "nbc nightly news." for all of us at nbc news, i'm lester holt in new york. good day. good day ht their lives have been changed, for sure. >> that's good >> thank you. coming up next, no more excuses. jill's steals and deals are here exercise, care, everything you

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dynapro exercise kits. >> you can find the deals and more on today.com/deals. so you know, "today" will make a small share of revenue from your purchase >> look at sheinelle she's still going. >> look at that. >> you have a whole hour to do >> working the glutes. coming up on the third hour, the latest on the u.s./iran crisis we should mention in our report in the last hour, we aired some brief footage that was not from the most recent incident in iran also, hoda and jenna have a busy fourth hour, as well. it's coming up after your local good morning, everyone. 8:56. a gathering taking place in san francisco this morning marking one year since the brutal attack of an elderly woman in visitation valley. organizers held a sit in starting at sun rise at the playground where she was attacked. she died last friday. today community leaders are joining her family to call for

justice and change. an 18-year-old suspect has been charged in connection with that attack. investigators say after that attack he broke into the victim's nearby house. happening now, talking with people who organized this morning's sit in we'll have a live report in the midday newscast. you saw president trump address the nation a short time ago following iran's missile strike on bases in iraq. many saying this is the greatest test of his presidency. students and parents rattled in the north bay after the arrest of a man accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a girl on her way to school. on our twitter feed updates, pete will have a live report in our midday newscast at 11:00. more weather coming in an hour.

live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza, this is the third hour of "today." good morning, everybody. welcome to the third hour of "today." i'm al, along with sheinelle, and craig. dylan continues on maternity leave. we have maria shriver here. >>appy new year. >> that's right. we haven't seen you since last year. >> that's right. >> and when you come, you have good wellness stories. wellness wednesday, stories. >> we have another one today about burnout. i'm sure none of you are familiar with that. two girls are tackling it and they have advice for the millions of people w