islamic militants tied to al qaeda storm a hotel. hostages held for hours. at least 23 people killed, 126 others just rescued. developments. heating up. trail. donald trump and ted cruz not backing down from the insults against each other as hillary clinton and bernie sanders prepare for the debate in their neck and neck race. murder mystery. an american woman killed on vacation in belize. the yoga mat left behind as one of a few clues. this morning, a search for her killer. it is official. the tennessee couple who told us they won the powerball take us along for the ride to the lottery headquarters. >> finally say yes. >> as a behind the scenes look at the big day and what they

today, saturday, january 16th, 2016. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> welcome to "today" on saturday. i'm erica hill. >> i'm craig melvin alongside dylan dreyer and sheinelle jones. let's get to the top story. the islamic militant attack in the west african hotel. it happened in burkina faso south of mali and north of ghana. the terror lasted for hours. nbc's kelly cobiella has been following it all morning long. kelly what do we know? >> reporter: craig, a hotel and cafe known to be used by westerners and united nations staff. it was the target. government forces with the help of the french are still looking for militants. the siege at the hotel is over.

people from 18 countries have been rescued after a night of terror. outside this splendid hotel cars in flames and sound of gunfire, militants held hostages and militant forces tried to break the siege. the assault started friday evening with four attackers opening fire at the hotel and cafe. this woman was in the cafe meeting friends from the u.s. said. as soon as anyone raised their heads, they fired at them. we had to play dead. they shook people by the foot to see if they were alive or not. if they were alive, they shot them. this man says the first police and government forces on the scene turned around and left. french special forces were sent

siege at the hotel was over. 126 hostages freed and four militants dead. this morning, government forces are still searching for attackers in the area and the death toll is rising. and this morning, the government is saying the fourth militant was killed at a nearby hotel just this morning. burkina faso's president saying two of the attackers were women. al qaeda in abu graib claimed responsibility for the paris attacks in november. 20 were killed in that siege and this time the number of dead is now up to 27. that number keeps changing craig. we are still trying to find out if americans were injured or killed. craig and erica. >> kelly, thank you. turning to politics and the battle with donald trump and senator ted cruz which shows no

we have nbc's kasie hunt live from myrtle beach, south carolina. >> reporter: good morning, erica. ted cruz and donald trump fighting this morning over what cruz calls new york values that doesn't line up with iowa conservatives. trump is hitting back but with the caucuses fast approaching, he is trading in the trademark big rallies in favor of retail politicking politicking. donald trump is still topping the polls, but now bending to iowa tradition. >> we have to get out. we have to win. >> reporter: making his first ever stop at a pizza chain and showing his human side. comforting a family who lost a child to heroin overdose. >> i know what you went through. your son is proud of you. >> reporter: the national frontrunner showing no sympathy for his rival ted cruz. >> how are you going to be president if you don't know

now he doesn't know he was a canadian citizen? >> reporter: cruz didn't tell officials about the loans from goldman sachs and citibank to help fund his campaign. on friday, he refused to answer questions about it. polls show cruz and trump far ahead of the establishment candidates battling for third. in new hampshire, marco rubio appealing to gun owners. >> i scored a rifle. thank you. >> reporter: hitting chris christie as a liberal. >> there are people running, republicans running, not supporters of the second amendment. >> reporter: and lindsey graham endorsing jeb bush and calling marco rubio inexperienced. >> i can say at 44, i wasn't ready to be president. >> reporter: as many in the gop establishment are finally beginning to accept that trump could win the nomination. the next question, can trump forgive an establishment that is

>> i love people who treat me fairly. so far so good. >> reporter: some republicans are starting to wonder if trump couldn't lock up the nomination quickly if he is able to win in iowa. you know what? he seems to be trying harder than ever after that rally in iowa yesterday. he is in new hampshire this morning and then on to a rally here in south carolina on a saturday afternoon. erica. >> kasie hunt, thanks. on the democratic side, hillary clinton and bernie sanders are getting ready for a crucial debate tomorrow night right here on nbc. while clinton once looked unbeatable, she is facing a stiff challenge from the vermont challenger. nbc's kristen welker has more. >> reporter: craig, good morning. the stakes could not be higher for the debate in charleston. it comes as the democratic race is in an unexpected dead heat.

for the candidates before the iowa caucuses. let's look at the numbers. in new hampshire, bernie sanders leads secretary clinton by four points. then in iowa, her huge lead has narrowed to just two points. 42% to 40%. what is going on? a lot of people think sanders is tapping into the anti-establishment candidate. secretary clinton's strategy is ramping up attacks against senator sanders on issues like guns and health care. she is sending out her surrogates like chelsea clinton and her husband, bill clinton. >> you have to decide what is best for america. it is not close who is best commander in chief or the best change agent with economic and social progress. >> reporter: now chelsea and bill clinton will hold their first joint event in iowa later today.

candidates will face-off at the dinner party here in charleston. it will be a prelude of some of the fireworks we will see here tomorrow night. craig. >> thank you, kristen. >> joining us is the political analyst and recently served as senior policy advisor for rand paul's campaign. good to have you with us. >> thanks for having me. >> let's start with the republican side. the wall street journal poll shows nationally, i want to get the numbers correct. cruz stands at 20%. donald trump is at 33%. looking at these numbers, and as we hear about the republican party preparing for donald trump as the potential nominee, what scenes? >> for so long, i think everyone thought the donald trump phenomena was going away. two weeks until iowa, he is here to stay and people are adjusting

better to have cruz? who is the lesser of two evils of the establishment. that is what is going through the minds of establishment republicans. trump feels threatened by cruz and does not want the lead to go away. at 7:00 a.m., he has been tweeting about cruz's canadian citizenship and the bank loans. >> it was revealed he had taken the first loan from his wife's employer, goldman sachs. now the times reporting this morning there was apparently a second loan. this from citibank. what does this mean for the narrative he has been weaving that he risked it all the and did not take out loans, but used all of his family savings. >> it does not help his authenticity. that is something he is pushing. he is going up against the establishment and he was up against a wealthy opponent in texas. now that doesn't seem to match up.

that believable. he is a princeton grad and harvard law grad. it is not a hard background and struggling when he ran for the senate in the first place. >> that's on the republican side. we turn to the democratic side. for the clinton campaign, this is clearly not, we can say what was expected with the race. bernie sanders really making gains here. how are things changing for the clinton campaign? are they responding well enough? >> they are clearly very concerned. her lead is eroding way more quickly than it did back in 2008. you look at just this week. chelsea clinton makes an entrance on the campaign trail and goes the attack in a huge way. so much so that the clinton campaign tries to talk down what she's saying. the clintons are personally threatened and frankly, it is going to make for interesting television if bill clinton gets going the way he did back in 2008. ubdued. how long can that last? i don't really count on it. >> it's going to be interesting.

hampshire, they could write that off as favorite -- if he wins in iowa, folks will be saying it's '08 all over again. >> full panic mode. >> good to see you. >> thanks. >> a reminder, you can catch the action. we don't have to wait until iowa. we'll see it in the democratic debate on nbc tomorrow night at 9:00 eastern, 6:00 pacific. if you are a little worried about your 401(k) this morning, you're not alone. it has been the worst two-week start of the dow in history. stocks closed down more than 2% on friday alone with the dow down nearly 400 points. why is this happening, and what does it mean for you? cnbc's courtney reagan here on a saturday morning. >> that's right. good morning to you both. >> good to see you. >> nice to see you. this has a lot of people thinking back to 2008. is this like 2008? >> i understand the fear. but this is not like 2008. in 2008, the economy was on the verge of total collapse. financial institutions were just disappearing overnight. this is much different.

fear induced. we'll talk about what that means in a moment. basically, the underlying fundamental companies of the united states are stronger now than they were in 2008. >> perhaps some of the companies were overvalued. >> very much so. that's when you hear the talk a correction typically is when stocks fall 10% from the more recent highs. that is what we see right now. that is a reset of stock prices. they become more expensive. >> we hear a lot about oil and china. how much of all of this is tied to those two? >> very much. china and oil are the two factors that are driving stock prices lower. you think about china. the world's second largest economy. it is a very big buyer of industrial products and consumer goods. steel, copper, handbags and cars. if china is buying less of those things, that is a direct impact to the united states. oil prices are sitting at 12-year lows. oil is indicative of economic

supply right now is way overshooting demand. that means investment in the energy sector is down and jobs lost. >> simple question. what should people be doing with money right now and perhaps what should they not be doing? >> the first thing, don't panic. don't go out and sell blindly. have a gut check. talk to your financial adviser. if you don't have one, get one. make sure are you comfortable with your investments. if a day like yesterday makes you nervous, take back some of your risk. if you are younger, maybe you can afford more risk. more risk, more reward. >> thank you, courtney. the government has issued a new warning about a virus which causes birth defects. the centers for disease control and prevention issued a travel warning for pregnant women. it's linked to brain damage in babies and is spreading rapidly in latin america and the caribbean.

zika have been reported in the continental united states. all contracted by travelers who had just returned from infected areas. police in belize are hunting for the killer of the abc producer on vacation there. 39-year-old ann sweeney worked in chicago. she was last seen on thursday when she went out to do yoga exercises. search dogs found her body in a nearby river. her injuries indicate that she was strangled after putting up a fight. police say so far they have no suspects. actor sean penn is speaking out about his interview with drug kingpin el chapo. he wrote about the interview why "rolling stone." he now says he regrets the article for the conversation it started. nbc's jacob rascon has more. >> reporter: they were at top of their game. two actors with a scoop nobody saw coming. cartel leader on the run ready

the celebration is over. el chapo guzman is behind bars. kate del castillo and sean penn's article el chapo starting the wrong conversation as he tells cbs's charlie rose. >> i have regret that the entire discussion about the article ignores its purpose. >> reporter: in his article, penn writes, there is little dispute that the war on drugs has failed. as many as 27,000 drug-related homicides in mexico a year and opiate addictions on the rise in the united states. a discussion nobody seems to be having. >> not much dialogue. >> my article failed. let me be clear. my article has failed. >> reporter: instead of drug policy. the world wonders if el chapo

it appears nobody got what they wanted, except the mexican and american governments. president obama and nieto congratulating each other yesterday over the recapture and the possibility of the leader of the world's most powerful cartel may finally face justice. jacob rascon, nbc news, mexico. dylan is here with a check of the forecast. we have folks on the plaza with umbrellas and ponchos. >> we have no cold air. we have no cold air to produce a lot of snow. most of the snow we are seeing in the higher elevations back through upstate new york and ski resorts in vermont and new hampshire. it is not a lot of snow. a couple of inches. it is fast moving. the rain is almost gone from new york city. the area of low pressure will pull away.

mainly through maine. the lake-effect snow kicks in once the colder air moves over the great lakes. we are looking to 4 to 6 inches and in the great lakes, we could see a foot of snow in dunkirk, new york and off lake erie and off northern michigan. we could have 1 foot of snow in traverse city. out west, moisture streaming off the pacific. it is rain in seattle and snow in the higher elevations. this will shift into northern california. especially as we go into tomorrow. we could see several inches of

elevations back near and that's your latest forecast. >> dylan dreyer, thanks, as always. no matter the weather, the skies are sunny for the tennessee couple who revealed on "today" that they won the enormous powerball jackpot. lisa and john robinson made it official getting the ticket validated at the headquarters. sheinelle is here. >> the robinsons picked up the giant check. it will be about ten business days before they get the full amount. we have exclusive access to their big day. >> we won the powerball! >> the moment of truth. confirming what the robinsons already knew. >> we knew it was the ticket.

>> the official validation. making the family instant millionaires. >> we're common people. we're just like you. >> the robinsons started their day with us with the behind the scenes look of the "today" show before sharing their story. >> mom, dad! >> john revealing he didn't want to stop for the ticket. >> i was on my way home from work. she called me and said do you want to stop and get a couple lottery tickets. i said i didn't real like stopping that night. i said yeah, i'll stop and get them. >> it was lisa who discovered it wassing was worth millions. the couple has no plans to let the money change them. >> talk about your life before you won. how was life? >> work, work, come home. take care of business.

come home, take care of business. >> are you staying with your job? >> yes. >> back in the city of munford, neighbors and strangers alike expressing well wishes. >> it is the biggest thing to happen. >> this is exciting as winning. >> the robinsons immediate plans paying off their daughter's student loans and staying in the home in munford. >> the big houses are nice, but you also have to clean them. >> the sum is just under $328 million. they ask for privacy as they get settled in with the new found fortune fortune. the million dollar question is will they really get privacy? can they go back to normal? >> that's a small town. >> we will see what happens. >> you can call us to come down

>> they were so excited to be here yesterday. they really enjoyed it. they were lovely. >> they will never been back. we'll never see them again. >> maybe they will do something good with the money. we can follow them. >> i like your thinking, dylan dreyer. okay, mr. sunshine. meantime, it's a big day for football fans as the nfl divisional playoffs get under way. the chiefs facing off against the new england patriots. >> go pats. >> it is a home game for the patriots defending super bowl champs. 41-14. >> calm down. >> then it is the green bay packers against the cardinals. you can see that game tonight here on nbc. coverage starts at 7:30 eastern. >> packers -- i won't say it. still to come here, the must-see moment of the week from the history making broadcast of

lawsuit over a popular lip balm. and adele with the lip sync performance you do not want to miss.

nbc. still to come on "today," a backlash against parents selling their children's girl scout cookies. how this is not helping their kids out. and can you tell me how to get to "sesame street." the season kicking off with a new tv address. we have some very special guests in the studio this morning to

we will get to them just two hours ago, allied air forces began attack on iraq and kuwait.

ground forces are not engaged. >> we are back on a saturday morning. it is january 16th, 2016. tough to believe, but operation desert storm takes you back to saddam hussein and iraqi forces began 25 years ago today. >> my goodness. hard to believe. here is what is making headlines today. at least 27 people are dead after a terror attack in the west african country of burkina faso. islamic militants with ties to al qaeda held more than 100 hostages for hours in a hotel. several attackers are dead, but special forces are still searching for more. walmart is closing 262 stores around the world this year. 154 of them right here in the united states. walmart will close mostly express stores and focus on the super centers. 10,000 employees will be affected. and one of the stars of the '90s show "saved by the bell" is

convicted of a stabbing in 2014. dustin diamond who played screech on the show is stabbed someone in the bar with non-life threatening injuries. we now get to "the download." >> a time to look back at the stories that had us talking. >> a morning show first. >> a "today" exclusive. broadcasting the entire show from the white house. >> particularly in times of stress, the american people need to hear from the president. >> i made the right decision. i'm positive. >> the historic show, the same day president obama delivered address. >> if you doubt america's commitment or mine to see if bin laden. >> the gloves were off with the republican debate stage. >> not a lot of conservatives come out of manhattan. >> when the world trade center

no place on earth could have handled more beautifully or more humanely than new york. >> the night's biggest target is the democrats. >> ten american sailors captured and released after the boats entered iranian waters accidentally. >> it was a mistake. it was our fault. >> military officials call the video pure propaganda. >> with drug kingpin el chapo behind bars again, newly released text messages show he had a crush on kate del castillo. the actress that brought sean penn. >> you are the best in the world. he wants to dance and drink tequilla with her. >> i have blisters all over.

eos lip balm. >> eos tells nbc news, we firmly believe this lawsuit is without merit. >> one thing that is a bit of a misnomer, something labeled organic is harmless. >> a world record jackpot. >> lucky news for a winner in china china hills, california. >> winning tickets in melbourne, florida and munford, tennessee. >> john, john, you have to check the numbers. >> they will divide the $1.6 billion jackpot evenly. >> and one year ago this week, we met wrangler for the first time. >> in 260 shows, he made more friends. after the show each day, he heads home for a full day of training. it is all to prepare him for the formal guide dog training for

>> you might all have solo karaoke moments in the car, but it never gets as epic as when adele takes on nicki minaj. given with flair i'm sitting big hair and this is what you live for yeah >> that is the greatest 15 minutes. if you have time to watch the whole car pool karaoke thing. >> we all love her. >> it is amazing to remember that these music superstars also listen to music. >> i thought the same thing. she said she turns on the radio in the car. >> nicki minaj chimed in on twitter and said she is

>> the lyrics are hard to memorandum or memorize. >> if the singing thing doesn't work for her, she is a job in british rap. dylan is back. we love dylan. it is getting cold. >> it is getting cold in the northeast. it is starting to work its way into the northern plains and upper midwest. the arctic high pressure system will drag down the colder air. highs in fargo, 7 degrees below zero for a high temperature. 22 degrees below average. minneapolis should top out at 3. madison, wisconsin, is 20. as we go to sunday, minneapolis, it will feel 22 below zero with the wind. and chicago is going to feel like 4 degrees below zero sunday morning. then highs during sunday afternoon, only getting up to 12 below in fargo. 1 in green bay. 30 in pittsburgh. it will cooldown in the

it is monday afternoon where you feel the chill. we are starting off with snow and a wintry mix through central vermont and new hampshire. that will move up into maine. we will see lake-effect snow kick in. on the west coast, rain up and down the west coast. it moves into and that's your latest forecast. >> dylan, thanks.

cell phone in your pocket buzzing when it wasn't? and i got this my second month here. you should have quit while you were ahead. 32 years at this place and i've got 9 days left before retirement. look jim, we've been planning for this for a long time. and we'll keep evolving things. so don't worry. knowing what's on your mind and acting accordingly. multiplied by 13,000 financial advisors. it's a big deal. and it's how edward jones makes sense of investing. wait... wait... perfect. at del monte, corn is packed at the peak of freshness with just water and a dash of sea salt. nothing else. so it's all-natural and delicious.

supports the vaseline healing project. join us to help millions in crisis heal their skin. terry bradshaw? what a surprise! you know what else is a surprise? shingles. and how it can hit you out of nowhere. i know. i had it. that's why i'm here. c'mon let's sit down and talk about it. and did you know that one in three people will get shingles? i didn't know that. i did. he's on tv saying it.

(all) no. that's why i'm reminding people like you to ask your doctor or pharmacist about your risk of getting shingles. because if you had chickenpox then the shingles virus is already inside you. (all) oooh. who's had chickenpox? scoot over. me too! when i got shingles i had this ugly band of blisters and look that nasty rash can pop up anywhere and the pain can be even worse than it looks. so talk to your doctor or pharmacist. we all in? (all) yes! good, 'cause if not we're gonna watch highlights of my career 12 hours straight. i know, talk about pain. seriously now, talk to your doctor or pharmacist today about a vaccine that can help prevent shingles. this portion of "today" is brought to you by merck.

more. let's get you to trending. it is girl scout cookie time. it is stirring up a sour debate this morning. remember kids would go door-to-door selling cookies. now you may be approached at the office. that is nothing new. what is new is social media. some people are pushing back against what they are calling the practice of parents selling cookies for their kids. the point of the sales is to teach kids valuable life lessons. the question now is are parents short changing their kids by doing all the selling for them. >> i think so. the only thing is when i was a kid, we did jump rope. i would go door-to-door and canvas. can you let your kids go door-to-door? >> a girl scout knocked on the door.

we bought our obligatory three boxes. >> if my dad could have brought some to work and sold them for me, that would be amazing. i sold six boxes a year. >> you could take the form in with him. you could do it that way. you are supposed to do the talking. you have to make them do the work. a belated happy birthday to wikipedia this morning. the web site celebrated 15 years. did you guys know that 28% of people alive today, 28%, have grown up never knowing a world without wikipedia. >> that's crazy. >> the site receives about 18 billion page views every month. it is the most linked to web site on the planet. there are now 35 million articles across all languages on wikipedia. there are middle school students

>> i remember when a guy came to the door selling encyclopedia. across the shelves. >> oh, the days. have you ever thought you felt your cell phone buzzing in your pocket or handbag and it was nothing at all? it is a common thing and there's a name for it. phantom vibration syndrome. a research at indiana university says it affects a whopping 89% of college under grads. why does this happen? researchers say it shows how dependent we are on our phones. it is so common for us to experience that without the phone, he get a mistake with a

i was just having this conversation the other day who kept thinking their phone was ringing. i said oh, it happens to me all the time to. and a feud with gervais and caitlyn jenner and jimmy fallon with the photo bombs sheinelle. >> one of his targets, of ricky gervais, was caitlyn jenner. this all started with the monologue. >> what a role model. showing great bravery in breaking down barriers and destroying stereotypes. she didn't do a lot for women drivers. >> the joke referring to a fatal car crash she was involved in last february. now jenner is saying i will call the globes and see if they need a new host next year. gervais responded with this tweet. at last, she always breaks too late.

the lesson here, never get into a war of words with a comedian. dear internet, anne hathaway, stop hating on jennifer lawrence. this is the experience with j-law and the reporter. behind the phone. you have to live in the now. >> sorry, sorry. how do you see yourself for the oscar night? >> we're at the golden globes. if you put your phone down, you'd know that. >> after that exchange, lawrence took heat online. anne is not having it. the actress and j-law fan took to her facebook page and said it was taken out of context. jennifer is a beautiful and talented and widely successful and popular oscar nominated young woman. please let us not punish her for these things.

being photo bombed than by jimmy fallon? how about being photo bombed by him and the cast of "sesame street." that is what happened to the parents and their children in the tonight show celebrity photo bomb. of course, being quiet is not what the muppets excel at. check out the kids reactions when they realized what was happening. >> hello! >> how are you? >> welcome. >> look at this. >> look who it is. >> that is so cute. we will be joined by ernie and abby cadabby later in the show. when was the last time you were so excited you were jumping up and down? >> when i got to work this morning. up next, we are putting

fans. before i had the shooting, burning, pins-and-needles of diabetic nerve pain, these feet were the first in my family to graduate from college, raised active twin girls, and trained as a nurse. but i couldn't bear my diabetic nerve pain any longer. so i talked to my doctor and he prescribed lyrica. nerve damage from diabetes causes diabetic nerve pain. lyrica is fda approved to treat this pain. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior. or swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, muscle pain with fever, tired feeling or blurry vision. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs, and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. those who have had a drug or alcohol problem may be more likely to misuse lyrica. now i have less diabetic nerve pain. and i love helping little ones get off on the right foot.

to the woman in the mid-90's showstopper... you're right. it's time to set this bird free. hot blooded, check it and see... got a fever of 103... feelin' hungry? how 'bout a donut?

whether it's 30-years old or 30-days old, carmax will appraise it in as little as 30 minutes. and then your only concern will be how to spend the cash. rad. we're back on a saturday morning. one of our producers went outside to see what questions the fans have for us. we have 60 seconds to know the questions. ready, set, go. the first question is how early do you have to get ready? for good morning, 3:30.

>> i get up at 3:15. >> this is a good one. what is your favorite area of town to visit your thing to do? >> i got the same one. what is your favorite place to visit in new york city. >> off broadway dance center. i can dance when i get a chance. >> we need video of that. >> people ask me places to go. the high line. >> what product could you not live without? stelladora breakfast treats. >> who is your favorite coworker? that's a good one. >> oh, who is that? >> oh, okay. >> and who did you look up to most as a kid. i thought it was who did you look like most as a kid. is melvin married? >> happily married man. >> we're out of time. >> very happily. still to come here, several

will help you get a head start on your week. but first this is "today." if i could blush, i would.

nbc. still to come here on "today" new digs for the fame of "sesame street." >> and guess who is here to tell us about what's in store? ernie and abby cadabby. yeah! >> hi, there. >> we're very excited to talk to them. but first these messages. this is a body of proof. proof of less joint pain. and clearer skin. this is my body of proof that i can fight psoriatic arthritis with humira. humira works by targeting and helping to block a specific source of inflammation that contributes to both

it's proven to help relieve pain, stop further joint damage and clear skin in many adults. doctors have been prescribing humira for 10 years. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened, as have blood, liver and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. want more proof? ask your rheumatologist about humira. humira.

in our house, imagination runs wild. but at my table, i keep the food real. like country crock's new recipe. made with real simple ingredients and no artificial flavors or preservatives. real country fresh taste from real ingredients. welcome to crock country. you're unpacking already? yeah, help me find some mugs. sure. (beep) hey... o.k. they'll do.

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good morning. terror attack. overnight al qaeda linked militants sieged a hotel popular

flames erupted. police storm the building. this morning, the search is under way for those responsible. and bad timing. the new movie about the deadly 2012 attack on the u.s. embassy in benghazi opens this weekend as hillary clinton goes neck and neck with bernie sanders. and brought to you by the letters h-b-o. "sesame street" starting a new chapter as millions of kids wake up to a new season on a new channel and there are lots of changes on the streets. ernie and abby cadabby will join us to tell us all about it. it's "today," saturday, january 16th, 2016. it might seem crazy what i'm about to say sometimes she's here you can

>> parents to be in nyc. >> good morning. >> i'm here at "today." >> we turn 16 in nyc. >> hey. this is an extra special crowd. >> yeah. it is nice to come out when the weather is nice, erica hill, but it takes special people to brave the rainy weather we have in the big apple on saturday morning. big thanks to all of you. >> thank you. >> thank you for being with us. >> there's a craig melvin crowd behind us. >> it's a cousin. we have a lot to get to. sheinelle is inside following the development in the story of the iran nuclear deal this morning. sheinelle. >> within hours, crippling u.s. sanctions could be lifted. we have foreign correspondent richard engel with the latest for us. richard, good morning.

this is the culmination of over two and a half years of often private diplomatic work. we are expected in a short time to hear the u.n. announce that iran has met its obligations paving the way for an immediate lifting of almost all of the economic sanctions that have been put on iran freeing up tens of billions of dollars allowing iran to trade on the international oil market, allowing it access to international finance. this means according to the u.n. that it has put certain checks in place that were required since last july that would make it more difficult for it to pursue any nuclear weapons. there will be an inspections regime, but this is u.s. diplomats say, historic day that could potentially pave the way iran. >> richard engel, thank you. this morning, al qaeda

responsibility for the siege on the luxury hotel in burkina faso. the siege went on for hours. the survivors say the attackers were shooting people point blank. two dozen were reported killed. security forces from the west african nation stormed the hotel and freed hostages. and an investigation is under way in belize into the murder of the american television producer. the woman's body was found in a river. she had been strangled. she was the 39-year-old executive producer for abc's chicago sdagstation. he is known as the scream robber. myloh jaqory mason was on the heists. the thieves wore costumes and "scream." the 25-year-old suspect was

motel outside denver. and president obama on youtube answering questions you may never thought to ask. the social media teens were invited to interview the president after the state of the union address and along with policy questions, he was asked more personal questions. >> if you had to pick a pair of pants for your dog. a or b? >> you have to go with this. this, i think. >> this is your final answer? you don't want to phone a friend? >> this is too conservative. too much. too much fabric. >> the last monthone. >> the president said he hasn't seen the last "star wars" movie, but the character he wants to be, han solo. >> dylan stayed outside with another check on the forecast. good morning, guys. we have a great crowd on the plaza. a lot of birthdays.

you're turning 40. a 10-year-old down there. so many celebrations. it is raining and not snowing. go figure. the snow is located up across new england. we have snow back through oklahoma and mountain snow out west. that snow in oklahoma is going turn into more of a rain event through the gulf coast. we could see strong storms today especially across florida and that's your latest forecast. erica. >> dylan, thanks.

could become an issue on the campaign trail. "13 hours" depicts the terror attack in benghazi. with the iowa caucuses near, could the renewed attention cause problems for hillary clinton who of course was secretary of state at the time of that attack. nbc's national correspondent peter alexander has more. >> we need immediate assistance. we are overrun. >> reporter: benghazi on the big screen. >> under attack. >> reporter: the trailer for "13 hours" touting the true story we were never told. about six cia contributeactors and their efforts to defend the compound from terrorists. a tragedy hillary clinton has had to answer for on multiple occasions. >> what difference at this point does it make? >> i lost more sleep than all of you put together. >> reporter: most recently grilled for hours by a house committee last year.

>> i want to reach for statesmanship. >> reporter: barely two weeks before iowa and clinton now neck and neck with bernie sanders with a recent poll of likely caucus goers. the film's release is at a critical time. >> we knew secretary clinton knew better at the time. >> it is an out and out indictment. this is one of the first movies i have seen that i believe every american should have to watch. >> reporter: donald trump even hosting a free screening of the movie in iowa. in the film, the rescuers tried to help, but were stopped by a cia chief. >> you are not the first responders. you're the last resort. you will wait. >> reporter: a report concluded that standdown order did not happen. former officials also flatly deny it. >> there was never any order to standdown. on the contrary. the effort was to do everything possible to try to save lives.

never name clinton in movie and don't have other agenda, choosing the home of the dallas cowboys for the movie's premiere. >> paramomot pictures hopes people see the movie in red states. the one thing that matters the most to anyone in hollywood is money. >> reporter: what happens beyond the box office is in the hands of the voters. for "today," peter alexander, nbc news, washington. >> the clinton campaign had no comment on the film. let's send it to dylan in the orange room with the special plaza fans of the day. >> i have my favorite buddies here. we have the best. ernie and abby cadabby from "sesame street." how are you? >> wonderful. we're happy to be here. >> are you nice and warm now? >> when you keep rubbing my arm, that makes me feel so much better. thanks for warming me up. it is rainy outside.

>> you will talk to us in a bit, but we will let you toss to break. do you know how to do that? >> sure. still to come on "today," we will tell you all about the new changes and lots of new friends on "sesame street." >> we will tell you about it in a few minutes after these across america, people like basketball hall of famer dominique wilkins... ...are taking charge of their type 2 diabetes... ...with non-insulin victoza . for a while, i took a pill to lower my blood sugar. but it didn't get me to my goal. so i asked my doctor about victoza . he said victoza works differently than pills. and comes in a pen. victoza is proven to lower blood sugar and a1c. it's taken once a day, any time. victoza is not for weight loss, but it may help you lose some weight. victoza is an injectable prescription medicine that may improve blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes when used with diet and exercise. it is not recommended as the first medica . . ...and should not be used in people with type 1 diabetes

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new address. ernie and abby cadabby have popped in to tell us all about it. >> hi, erica. >> hi, everyone. >> hi, good morning. >> we're going to get to our new friends in a moment. but for the first time in nearly 50 years the popular children's show won't air episodes -- the new episodes that is on pbs. that's because the "sesame street" crew is headed to hbo. some might say there goes the neighborhood. >> you have something you want to say to me? >> the former home of tony soprano and "veep" and "true detective" is making room for a new neighbor. >> thank goodness you have arrived. >> starting this morning "sesame street" will be brought to you by the letters hbo. >> here goes. >> the children's show begins its 46th season with new episodes airing exclusively on

>> the hbo deal i think allows to continue to serve the pbs audience and to potentially reach a new audience. >> while "sesame street" was a public television staple it's been a rough road over the past few years with the $18 million revenue loss. why hbo? >> well, elmo will never be on game of thrones. hbo has a great reputation for quality. i think that's what attracted them to that "sesame street" is that long history of extreme quality. >> with the new address comes new changes. elmo makes a big move from his humble apartment to a sprawling brownstone. oscar the grouch has upgraded his digs to recycling and compost digs. after the departure of long-time resident maria, the gang is welcoming nina, a new bilingual

>> it's still 1, 2, 3, "sesame street." it's filled with friendly people who want to be friendly to each other. >> shouldn't there be applause. >> "sesame street" says the show will be putting a greater emphasis on social skills. if you don't have hbo you will still be able to see the old episodes on pbs as well as the new episodes nine months after they air on hbo. >> but we are so excited this morning. as you saw earlier, ernie and abby cadabby are here this morning. >> hi, everybody. >> it's nice to be here in the cozy house. >> a good day for cozy. it's so rainy outside. you have -- you have a little bit of a change happening on "sesame street." abby i understand you have a new garden. >> oh. >> what are you learning this season? >> well, it's so magical in the community center so you never know who's going to stop by. >> really? >> yes. he was so awesome. and then we have all kinds of things we're learning about nature.

and stronger and smarter. >> yeah. all true. >> who else is stopping by? you guys always have great stars that swing by "sesame street." what else can we look forward to this season? >> go ahead. >> well, i was going to say we have gwen stefani for one. >> oh, awesome. >> singing? >> friendship. and she cheered me up one day. she taught me the best magic comes from a friend and a hug. >> that's very true. >> think about it, we have taken more selfies with you guys than any other celebrity who has been here. what is that like? everywhere you go around the world, people love you so much. >> i love it, because it makes me feel like we're part of everybody's big family. >> yes. >> our family got bigger because we have a new neighbor named nina. >> yeah. i can't wait to meet her. >> she's so nice. >> we ran out of time. will you come back? come back.

>> i could be here all day. >> thank you so much for stopping by. >> well, thank you for having us. it's wonderful to be here this weekend. >> so excited to meet you guys. >> come back again. coming up, how to organize dinner, how to organize your closet better. how to help give you -- you

>> that's coming up. we're back on a saturday morning with our "start today" series where we help you get a start on the upcoming week. >> there's easy things you can do today to get a better handle on the days to come. as always our experts have you covered. >> get a head start, get a head start. >> get a head start. >> get a head start today. >> today. >> today. >> today. >> we all know how overwhelming it can be to figure out what we're serving for dinner.

same thing over and over again. here's the plan. i want you to come up with a theme night for ease designated day during the week. like meatless monday, taco tuesday. whatever wednesdays. stir fry saturdays and healthy takeout for sunday. you have simple, delicious and super fun and healthy meals for every day of the week. >> find your own support group of other mothers. as a mom of two, i feel so thankful for my mom friends. we go for long walks with our babes, work out together, keep each other accountable and spend some time not thinking about our frustrations. find friends online or around your neighborhood. >> the average american changes jobs over the course of a career about 12 different times. as a result, you may wind up with retirement accounts all

but you need to know where you're starting from. so gather all your paperwork on your iras, 401(k)s, any other accounts you left behind, we can help you from there put a plan together that makes some sense. >> well, i live in manhattan so i don't have huge closets but the shelves i was given in the closet i used to house my shoe collection because i wear every pair. so the first step or the you, go into your closet and take out anything you haven't worn in a year. i have a trick that'll make your closets look like a celebrity's. go take a picture and print them out, then put them on the container and then you could stack up your shoes so you can see them all. because if you don't see it, you're not going to wear it. >> those are our tips.

>> today. >> and we'll have more great "today." >> that does it for us on a saturday morning. >> want to come over for taco tuesday? >> yeah!long-term control medicine, i talked to my doctor and found a missing piece in my asthma treatment. once-daily breo prevents asthma symptoms. breo is for adults with asthma not well controlled on a long-term asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid. breo won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. breo opens up airways to help improve breathing for a full 24 hours. breo contains a type of medicine that increases the risk of death from asthma problems and may increase the risk of hospitalization in children and adolescents. breo is not for people whose asthma is well controlled on a long-term asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid. once your asthma is well controlled, your doctor will decide if you can stop breo and prescribe a different asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid.

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