will be no attempt on the life of donald trump? how he answered and his reaction to the possible cease-fire between israel and iran-backed hamas. and princess kate, the good news she is announcing about her battle with cancer. news she is announcing about her battle with cancer. this is "nbc night >> this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. >> >> good evening and welcome. the political will behind president-elect trump's second cabinet is gettings it first test with pete hegseth. you would be left thinking he is either unfit to lead the pentagon or an excellent choice as a change agent for a military bureaucracy. democrats focused on past hegseth comments about women in combat and excessive drinking. hegseth slamming allegations as anonymous false claims and part

of a smear campaign. lawmakers were sharply divided along party lines just six days before trump's inauguration. that is where we begin tonight. >> reporter: president-elect trump's embattled pick to lead the pentagon, pete hegseth, making an impassioned pitch for the job. >> it is time to give someone with dust on his boots the helm. my only special interest is the war fighter. >> reporter: arguing he is the target of false attacks. >> there is a coordinated smear campaign orchestrated in the media against us. >> reporter: hegseth facing a grilling from senate democrats, over a 2017 sexual assault allegation. police investigated and no charges were filed. local prosecutor said no charges were supported by proof beyond a reasonable doubt. >> you admitted it was consensual. you were married and had a child by another woman.

how do you explain your judgment. you have admitted you had sex while you were married to wife two after fathering a child by wife three. you admitted that. if it had been a sexual assault that would be disqualifying to be secretary of defense, wouldn't it. >> if it is a false claim. >> reporter: republicans rallying to his defense. >> we need someone to go in there and fight for innovation and change. i think you are that person. i apprecte your willingness to sit here and listen to the undignified attacks. it is ridiculous. >> reporter: democrats going after hegseth's past opposition to women in combat roles. >> you will have to change how you see women to do the job well. i don't know if you are capable of that. >> reporter: in a positive sign, a combat veteran previously seen as a hegseth skeptic appeared more supportive today. >> will you support women continuing to have the opportunity to serve in combat

roles? >> my answer is yes, exactly the way that you caveated it. given the standards remain high. this was seen as a make or break moment for hegseth. you have new reporting on the impact of this. >> trump transition officials are extremely pleased with hegseth's performance. he can only afford to lose three republican votes and still be confirmed. one republican senator thinks hegseth is on track for the confirmation as early as next week. >> let's get to the deadly wildfire emergency in southern cal. 13 million people remain under red flag warnings tonight. liz kreutz has details. >> reporter: fire ravaged los angeles on edge as southern

california braces for another extreme wind event. the initial weather service issues the same advisories. >> we have staffed all available resources, strategically placing fire patrols and engines in the unimpacted high risk areas in the city. > reporter: in the past week 60 miles around l.a. county has been scorched. >> air efforts are a critical part of the firefight. you can see it here. teams are attacking the fires and the hot spots like this one from the air every chance they get. >> reporter: officials say 37 people remain unaccounted for, and 25 people are confirmed dead. now growing scrutiny about how the fire started. this video, taken by pedro

rojas, shows a large blaze beneath the electrical towers in the early moments of the eaton fire. alleging negligence for failing to deenergize the transmissisio line which the suit says sparked the deadly fire. what is the proof you are pointing to that it started at the transmission line? >> in our complaint we allege videos, photographs, eyewitness testimony and we know they have tools like psps. public safety power shut off that they could have used and chose not to. >> reporter: a long time fedex worker who lost her altadena home in the eaton fire. >> i wish they shut off everybody's power. >> reporter: in a statement the utility says they understand lawsuits have been filed and will review them and points to the fact that the cause of the fire continues to be under investigation. in the palisades fire officials

are not ruling out arson as a cause as the atf leads the investigation. tonight southern california hopes the ferocious flames stay away. >> liz, officials are warning residents about a health emergency as well. >> reporter: yeah lester, air quality is a huge concern right now. millions are under a wind blown dust and ash advisory with officials concerned the winds will allow the dust and debris to travel. residents are urged to stay inside and wear a mask if you are outside for an extended period of time. >> liz kreutz, thank you. let's get right to al roker. those santa ana winds are still a threat. >> they are, at least for another 24 hours. 13 million people under the red flag warnings, the parcularly dangerous situation, pyramid lakewestlake village just north of pasadena. the winds right now are higher up in the mountains with up to 50 to 60 miles per hour wind

gusts. overnight tonight the gusts are going to increase again with low humidity. tomorrow they will diminish. that is the good news. the bad news is that we have another 24 hours with the improving conditions. really bad news, no matter what, it is bone dry with only 10% of the rain they needed to get since october. >> al roker, thank you very much. just developing, hundreds of policentering the residence of south korea's president yun in a second attempt to arrest him. yun has been holed up for weeks after being impeached for his attempt to impose martial law. the presidential securities service has been protecting him. tonight special counsel jack smith's report on the election interference case against president-elect trump finally made public six days before the inauguration. >> reporter: special counsel jack smith pulling back the curtain on the historic investigation that once loomed

over the president-elect. it never got to a jury. in smith's final report he writes prosecutors amassed enough evidence to obtain and sustain a conviction at trial, accusing donald trump of a series of criminal efforts to stay in office after he lost the 2020 election. >> it was fueled by lies. it was lies by the defendant that were targeted at obstructing a bedrock function of the united states government. >> reporter: the case never got far as mr. trump denied wrongdoing and pled in the as his attorneys managed to successfully delay. the justice department finally agreeing to toss out the indictment after he was reelected citing the long-standing policy against prosecuting the president. smith largely stayed out of public view and mr. rump routinely directing ire at the prosecutor. posting today -- >> what they have done to me in

terms of weaponization, indictments, impeachments and everything else. in the end it probably helped me. >> reporter: smith using his final report to lay the attack at the capitol at mr. trump's feet, just as the president-elect is days away from being sworn in there. he says he plans to pardon some rioters his first day in office. >> in 60 seconds my exclusive interview with the president of iran. and the crimiminal charges over the alleged iranian charges to assassinate donald trump. ♪ miebo ♪ ♪ ohh yeah ♪ miebo is the only prescription dry eye drop that forms a protective layer for the number one cause of dry eye: too much tear evaporation. for relief that's ♪ miebo ♪ ♪ ohh yeah ♪ remove contact lenses before using miebo. wait at least 30 minutes before putting them back in. eye redness and blurred vision may occur. ♪ miebo ♪ ♪ ohh yeah ♪

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with the u.s. just days before president-elect trump takes office. we spoke via government interpreter and nbc news reviewed the translation independently. we travelled to iran for a critical interview with iran's president, masoud pezeshkian. what made you decide to run for president? >> because of difficulty in the country and other countries around us. i decided to solve this problem. >> but to the incoming american president many problems in the middle east center around iran. in his first term president-elect trump imposed significant economic sanctions to stop iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and pulled out of the iranian nuclear deal. i want to first talk about donald trump. he promised increases sanctions,

maximum pressure on iran. do you have a message for him? >> what is clear thus far is that we are living in iran ever since the beginning the united states has tried to topple iran. i do hope that trump will conduce to peace in the region and the world and not conversely contribute to bloodshed and war. >> are you willing now to have direct, open talks with washington, with president trump? >> problem we have is not in dialogue, it is in the commitments that arise from talk and dialogue that we will have to commit to. we held talks with five plus one, lengthy talks. we upheld all of the commitments that we had to commit to, but unfortunately it was the other party which did not live up to

promises and obligations. >> israel and the united states are beginning to talk about whether a military strike against iran might be necessary to stops it nuclear program. if that were to happen what would iran's reaction be? >> you see naturally enough we will react to any action. we do not fear war but we do not seek it. >> do you think an attack against iran is likely given the current circumstances? >> i strongly hope this will not transpire because it will be to the detriment of all of the actors, not only merely us. >> president-elect trump has said when asked about the likelihood of war that anything can happen and it is a volatile situation. the president macron of france said we are nearing a point of no return. when you hear those type of characterizations, where do you think it leaves the tension right now? >> there are tensions, and they

serve no party's interest. whatever we have done thus far has been peaceful. we do not seek tcreate nuclear weaponry or armorment. however they accuse of seeking the manufacturing of a bomb. this is a scheme they are trying to follow in order to fabricate some sort of a pretext. this is not true. >> and all of it happening as u.s. and western officials believe that iran has been significantly weakened. this is not the same iran as when donald trump was last president. s it influence in the region has been greatly diminished by losses among allies and proxies, hamas, hezbollah, the fall of the syrian government. has that left iran in a weaker position? >> i do not see any link here.

some of the friends might see a link, but compared to last year inside the country we are more coherent. we are more robust. we have better participation. we have a more solid security in the country. >> and then there is the impact of what u.s. prosecutors say was a plot by iran to kill president-elect trump before his election win. one potential threat to diplomacy could be seen as what the u.s. believes was iran's plan to assassinate donald trump. was there such a plan? he blamed israel and other countries. >> this is yet another scheme that the foreigners are following in order to feed into iranaphobia. >> you are saying there was never an iranian plot to kill donald trump? >> never, by no means.

>> are you willing to promise there will be no attempt on the life of donald trump? >> ever since the beginning we never intended to do that. >> and we asked about a potential cease-fire between israel and iranian-backed hamas. do you think there is a role for iran in bringing about the peace and the release of hostages? >> we do whatever we can in order for peace to prevail in the region. we will spare no effort in order for the prisoners to be released. >> part of my interview in tehran with the president of iran. up next as we continue with the potential ban on tiktok, the new chinese apps they are turning to instead. tiktok, the new chinese apps they are turning to instead. i was afraid we had to do more. like what? i already exercise, take my statin, eat kale. i can tell you're trying, but there's a high chance you'll have another heart attack. i don't want to go through that again. what else can we do?

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with the supreme court expected to rule any day on a law that could ban tiktok in the u.s., some of the app's rivals are seeing a surge. >> we are going to tiktok's other apps. >> reporter: amid fear a tiktok ban could take effect some americans flocking to chinese apps like red note. and lemon8. both apps have similarities to tiktok, and lemon8 shares a parent company, byte dance. >> we are doing it to spite our own government. >> reporter: some say it is a form of protest. >> i go into an app like red

note. they are saying no. no. i am in control of here i give my data. >> reporter: some users protesting american-owned meta. the law that could ban tiktok largely focuses on u.s. government concerns that china could manipulate content americans see or steal users data. tiktok denies this. byte dance is explicitly named in the law. users assuming the government is not prepared to block other apps like red note but they could. byte dance could sell to an american owner. rumors swirling if elon musk is in talks to buy it. tiktok tells nbc news that is pure fiction. >> coming up as we continue tonight, after the fire the spirit of perseverance in an african-american community deeply rooted for generations.

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from cancer. kate writing on instagram about the relief that she feels saying she remains focused on recovery. finally amid all of the destruction in california, one community is in ashes and is fight to preserve the past. gadi schwartz now with the good news tonight. >> reporter: as the history of altadena is forever changed by fires it character is being sketched by an artist left without a home. for more than a half century altadena has been a beacon of light on a hill, one of the first places in the 60s to welcome black and brown families. today black ownership is 80% here. the type of place you find people like walt butler who spent his blessed life giving away money to lose everything he had at the age of 83. the community coming together, raising over $800,000. his first thought, a food truck so he can give right back. >> it is going to be funky.

>> reporter: at a bookstore called octavia's book shelf today there is no room for books, only donations. >> we have become a hub where people can come and get what they need. >> reporter: the store is named for altadena's famed science fiction writer octavia butler. she wrote about a girl in the year 2025 facing an apocalyptic fire fueled by climate change. as wind, as water, as fire, as life, god is both creative and destructive, demanding and yielding, sculptor and clay. god is infinite potential. god is change. >> you guys are the seeds of change. >> we hope so. yeah. we hope so. >> gadi schwartz, nbc news, altadena. >> and that is "nightly news" for this tuesday. thank you for watching. i'm lester holt.

♪ ♪ the higher that i climb ♪ ♪ the deeper i fall down ♪ ♪ i'm running out of time ♪ ♪ so let's dance while we're waiting ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ we will live longer than i will ♪ ♪ we will be better than i was ♪ ♪ we can cross rivers with our will ♪ ♪ we can do better than i can ♪ ♪ so dance while you can ♪ ♪ dance 'cause you must ♪ ♪ love out of lust ♪ ♪ dance while you can ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ so tirired of waing ♪ ♪ come baby ♪ ♪ so tired of waiting ♪ ♪ come baby ♪ ♪ we will live longer than i will ♪ ♪ we will be better than i was ♪

♪ we can cross rivers with our will ♪ ♪ we can do better than i can ♪ ♪ so dance while you can ♪ ♪ dance 'cause you must ♪ ♪ love out of lust ♪ ♪ dance while you can ♪ ♪ love out of lust ♪♪ [cheers and applause] [cheers and applause] >> kelly: okay. okay. okay. [cheers and applause] >> kelly: alright. [cheers and applause] >> kelly: welcome to "kelly clarkson show." give it up for the band y'all.

i love that song. i was going to change it at the end. they're not surprised. back in 2011 the album "wounded rise" if you don't have it, check it out. big fan. let's move onto the next guest. one of the most successful comedians of all times. you have seen him in "rescue me" and movies like "wag the dog" and movie in three dozen "ice age movies" playing diego. his new show is called "going dutch" thursdays on fox. please say hello to denis leary. [cheers and applause] [cheers and applause]

>> my gosh. >> kelly: right from the go. you're fun. >> thank you, everybody. >> kelly: their energy is incredible. >> can i say one thing before i start. this is the first time doing the show. first time seeing you sing live. it's crazy. >> kelly: thank you. i'm so excited you're here. we're big fans. so you love this time of year. i heard this about you. i think this is rad. i want one. we have a natural one that develops but i'ma trade to get on it. you have an eyes rink. >> for years. my wife's dream was to own horses. i'm a city boy. kafplt ya. >> horses? we got horses. then my dream if it was possible was to build an outdoor skating rink with the kids were small.

both of my son and daughter became hockey players. it was an outdoor gathering spot and we played hockey outdoors. >> kelly: i love that. i love that tkaeug more. >> that dog was chancey. an irish wolf hound. he was huge. massive. his favorite part of the hockey rink. we cooked cheese burgers after we played and he would walk by and bite them out of peoples hapbts hands, one bite. >> kelly: we have natural ponds on the property but i'ma trade to skate on them. >> depends how cold they are. >> kelly: it's pretty cold. >> maybe i should come to my house with my buddies. >> kelly: you can be the guinea pig. >> we will skies. play goalie. >> kelly: i like that near the edge. the goal is near the edge. is it true though, like when you

were young a none changed the trajectory of your life. >> yes i was a terror in school. >> kelly: creative, yes. >> i was interested in what i was interested in. one was smoking. another one was drinking. another one was girls. that's the main reason i went to school. to smoke in the school yard and talking to girls. this none, sister rosemary sul sullivan in a play. she forced me to do it to pick up girls for the dance numbers. i said i'm not doing it. she said you get an hour off from class for the rehearsals. soy did it. and all of the prettiest girls from the classes were in the musical. i was like, this is kind of cool. i learned i could sing. i kind of got hooked. i didn't have the greatest grades or any money. she said, she use to teach a coarse at emmerson college, a

night course. she said they have auditions for scholarships. that is how i got into emmerson. i stayed friends with her until she die the in her early 90s. >> kelly: teachers are amazing. >> a really amazing person. an amazing nuns. continues the nuns that hate me out there one liked me. >> kelly: you only needed to reach one. >> i reached one none. it worked out. >> kelly: we need to get to a couple of kpherpblz. we have someone in the audience to help us out. >> dennis, my family and i love your movies since the "sandlot." "you're killing me smalls" stay here kelly has more dennis after the break. can neuriva support your brain health? mary. janet. hey!