the exchanges were hot and heavy between the donald and the factor. but do iowa voters care if trump ditches tonight's debate? new details on the oregon shooting with police and a message from bundy, occupiers, go home. mart closing 150 stores, devastating some communities, creating food deserts in others, without a grocery store to be found. plus police pay the price of excessive force during an arrest. long lines for 39 cents a gallon gasas and rachel maddow gets to the heartrtf theheater crisis in flint, michigan. "early today" starts right now. with four days until the iowa caucuses and donald trump is still not participating in the fox news debate tonight. host bill o'reilly pleaded with him to reconsider.

want you to consider, all right,t, think k out it, s s look, i might come back -- >> well, even though you and i had an agreement that you wouldn't ask me that, which we did, i will therefore forget that you asked me that. >> o'reilly also tried to play the religion card but trump wouldn't have any of it. >> in your christian faith there's the tenanant o oforb giveinousgive giveness giveness. don't you think that's the right thing to do? >> it it probably is but it's called an eye for an eye, i guess. >> no, no, no. if you're the christian, the eye for the eye rule goes out. turning the other cheek. right here. >> you're taking this much more seriously than i am. i'm going to have a wonderful time tomorrow night at 9:00 at drake university.

going up against the rest of the gop candidates in the fox debate scheduled for the same time at a separate event. meanwhile ted cruz is doubling down on his challenge, asking his twitter followers to tell him to accept #ducking donald. and from the cruzz campaign web page, which ows donald trump's head superimposed on scrooge mcduck. super pack supporting crews offering a donation of $1.5 million to charities committed to helping veterans. and "ted cruz wants to debate meme again. can we do it in canada?" >> and katy terr. >> reporter: trump possibly betting at the risk of a no show

poor performance. in response, trump's opponents are piling on, ted cruz not so subtly t teting that trump's a ward. and iowa, locales want to get it over with. >> i don't thinke's credible candidate. i wouldn't vote for him if he was the only one running. >> more drama, more pech lnt behavior. >> even beacher who is still deciding between trump and bush, says he's had enouou. >> i d d't need it at this point. >> if trump is running a risk, it's that some voters in iowa are going to say this is immature but that's relatively small, especially for people who are supporting trump who will see this as a move of strength. >> reporter: and there's still

followed through on its get out the vote effort. turning now to the democrats and the increasingly close race between hillary clinton and bernie sanders. yesterday the vermont sanders took time off to a private meeting with president obama. and afterwards, spoke with nbc's lest holt. >> it was a private conversation but if there's anyone in the world who understands what campaigning in iowa and new hampshire is all about and tting together an extraordinary grass roots movement that took him to victory, that is barack obama. >> and he went on to ad that his success in iowa is winning and he'll do that if there's a large voter turn out. and he's hosting a nonsanctioned debate this week and bernie sandnds is not ready to commit to that debate yet.

>> look, i'm ready for the debate and i hope senator sanders will change his mind and join us. and i think that the campaign should be able to work this out. i've said for a long time that i would be happy to have more debates and i hope we can get this ne. >> now to thehe latatt in the occupation of that oregon wildlili refuge. this morning a few antigovernment activists remain at the refuge. they have sealed off the facility with a series of check points. their leader sent this message through his attorney. >> to those remaining that refuge, i love you. let us take this fight from here. please stand down. >> nbc's so i fryjoe fryer has more. >> reporter: authorities are

wildlife refuge, blocking roads and some remain not giving up on their armed occupation. >> peaceful resolution is what you keep hearing and that's what we expect. >> reporter: but many of the group's leaders are now occupying a jail cell. some were stopped boo iy the fbi and state police. one vehicle drove off and hit a snow bank and then finiken emerged brandishing a firearm. he was killed. another one a was shot in the arm and survived. several including the bundy brothers appeared in court facing charges. and one had just returned home to see his family. three and half weeks have past since the armed group took control of the wildlife refuge and now they say those remaining need to pack up and go and they won't be arrested.

want to leave, they're free eto do so. and officic indictedd onn excessive force charges. caught on surveillance video in 2014, derrick price was arrested on a drug warrant and in the footage appears to surrender, at no point resisting the arrest but five deputies are seen kicking him repeatedly. he faces up to 10 years in prison and a a fine of $250,000 if convicted. the fourur other deputies rizion resigned. by the end oof today, walmart will have shut down nearly all of its stores scheduled for closing, many in small towns. here to one of the many communities that will struggle to find fresh food after walmart lelees. >> r rorter: in tiny oriental

everything changed when the giant came to town. >> it was bad. i mean, immediately it effected us. >> it kills me. >> reporter: for 44 years her family ran a grocery store here and then a walmart express came along and she closed her stores. >> i feel it's very malicious of them to leave this town in the state it's in. >> reporter: turning oriental into a food desert without a single grocery store. >> anybody here that wants to buy an onion has to drive a 40 mile round trip. >> reporter: the company plans to open 300 new locations around the world, closing stores is never an easy decision he says but it is necessary to k kp the companyytrong and positioned for the future. >> they weren't really in the right location and the product mix just wasn't right.

was laid off when walmart opened up near the mom and pop store. >> we were all about the people and they were all about us and when walmart came, we were no more. >> reporter: many ndering what will fill the voidd now thaha giant is lving town. >> all right, it's thursday. you made it most of the way through the week. bill karins is here. >> all eyes on florida once again. we had three to four inches of rain, a few isolated tornados, winds 90 to 0 miles per hour. and we're going to w wch the storms, again, isolated risk of severe storms. there are lightning strikes not far from the keys. and thene'll get another line this afternoon. so, a marginal risk of severe weather and then all down through the keys.

just like yesterday. and looks like fort meyers, will time you out, the worst of it around noon to 1:00 p.m. and then we'll continue to watch the line down towards west palm beach as we go throughout your late afternoon, if we get isolated tornados, likely near the miami area. so, keep an eye to the sky and your local nbc station as we go throughout to the early evening today. and the cold front will be gone by 8:00 p.m. and texas all the way to montana, nice l ltle january thaw. now a closer look at your day ahead. well, the temperatures are beautiful in the s/utheast today. it's hard to believe it was snowing and wintry last week where today it will be in the 50s. even 27 at fargo this time of year is above average. no cold shots on the way. middle of the countrtr pretty

big earnings and a few mood changes ahead forr facebook. plus, want to own a brand new delorean. we'll tell you how next.seizing opportunity. so i'm going to take this opportunity to go off script. so if i wanna go to jersey and check out shotsy tuccerelli's portfolio, what's it to you? or i'm a scottish mason ose assets are made of stone like me heaea. papa! u're no son of mine! or perhaps it's time to seize the day. don't just see opportunity, seize it! (applause) choose the one new revlon ultimate-all-in-one. our revolutionary mascara delivers 5 lash-transforming benefits. volume, length, definition, lift, and intense color. choose love

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find clear skin and a clearer path forward. for a a fferent kind of medicine, ask your dermatologist about cosentyx. five people were arrested yesterday who were believed to have helped three dangerous criminals escape from a california jail last friday. >> we are going -- continuing to focus on a vietnamese gang active in westminster and garden grove. >> around 250 law enforcement officers are searching for the three violent inmates, one of whom has been called animal lector from "silence of the lambs." because he's accused of torching

in texas one generous gas station had gas for 39 cents. we haven't seen prices that low since 1969. governor rick snyder said replacing the city's pipes is not on his short term agenda. residents are desperate for hopes to fix the toxic system. and first rachel maddow talked about the economic impacts with a master plumber. >> part of the problem is replacing that service line. how big a job is that? >> for something like this, probably three to five grand just to get the new line in there. without an upstairs, ruffle aoughly $4,000. and the plumbing will cost more than you could sell your house

>> a pediatrician who helped expose the elevated led levels in children. [ applause ] >> you can hear the way she's vivied in ts town. [ apause ] >> if we don't act f these kids now, we will see those consequences in 10, 15, 20 years. >> democracy needs to be restored in flint. when you're elected you are supposed to speak up and speak out on behalf of the people that got you there. >> we're going to do everything human possibly federally to help. however, it does n take the place of the state. the state has a rainy day fund. they caused it, they have to step up and fix this. >> democratic senators in congress say they plan to ad an amendment to an energy bill

the delorean is coming back to the future. a facility in humboldt, texas will start manufacturing it for the it first time in three decades, using refurbished parts. a new model will cost just under $100,000. the first car expected to be completed in 2017. and soon users of facebook will have more ways to express their feelings after four months of testing, mark zuckerberg says six new emote cons will be added soon including symbols for angry, sad, wow, yea, and love. just ahead, tennis star, serena williams is on her way to winning her seventh australia open title. and check out this blind side hit. wast on purposos u decide.

medicare part d prescriptions, walgreens says, carpe med diem. seize the day to get more out of life and medicare part d. just switch to walgreens for savings that'll be the highlight of your day. now preview the cost of your copay before you fill. you can even get one-dollar copays on select plans. feel a cold coming on? new zicam ld remedy nasal swabs shorten colds with a snap, and reduce symptom severity by 45%. shorten your cold with a snap, with zicam. (cell phone rings) where are you? well the squirrels are back in the attic. mom? your dad won't call an exterminator... can i call you back, mom? he says it's personal this time...

it's what you do. if you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance, you switch to geico. it's what you do. where are you? it's very loud there. are you taking a zumba class? one of the areas that i've been particularly interested in is the area of children. we intend to be sure that everybody in this room and every child in this state is somebody. no matter where they're born, no matter to whom they are born. i want to make sure that every child has a chance to live up to his or her god-given potential. i've spent my life fighting for children, and i'm not stopping now. i'm hillary clinton,

this morning on "today," theworkplace emergency series continued with what you should do if there's an active shooter at work. all right, in sports, the serena williams finds herself

open title. 6-0-6-4. she'll be in the finals on saturday. in hockey a blind side hit. they claimed he cross checked henderson into the boards. henderson gets up, looking a little dazed, no penalties were called and later he said the hit was unintentional and that he apologized to henderson. we'll see what happens when they rule on the seeminglyh dirty maneuver. and number five texas a&m loses to arkansas in fayette vill, 74-71. just ahead, guess which highly anticipated album was accidently leaked. plus actor harrison ford gives us the scoop on disney's new "star wars" land. entertainment is next. if it doesn't work fast... you're on to the next thing. clinically proven

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upcoming tv special. and tyra banks is a new mom. she welcomed a baby boy via surrogate. and she thanked her,r, calling her an angel of a woman. and amazon first ever super bowl ad will feature baldwin and dan merino. >> that's a good a-lister for your first super bowl ad. >> alec baldwin is a good one. i'm shannon mulaire and this is "early today." e trade is all about seizing oppopounity. so i'm going to take this opportunity to go off script. so if i wanna go to jersey and check out shotsy tuccerelli's portfolio, what's it to you? or i'm a scottish mason whose assets are made of stone like me heart. papa! you're no son of mine! or perhaps it's time to seize the day. don't t st see opportunity,

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angeles times, orange county sheriff's deputy loses ar 15 rifle. it was lost on tuesday after it was placed on the lid of the patrol car's trunk. the shift s srted around 7:00 p.m. and noticed it was missing nearly eight hours later. anyone with information is asked to call the department. and australian accused of planning to pack kangaroo with bomb. they discussed setting the kangaroo loose on police officers. he was inspired by the islamic state. he pleas notot guilty to the charges. the university of missouri professor who tried to block a reporter from a campus protest has been suspended pending further investigation.

has also been charged with assault. ne 99-year-old lady didn't think it was adorable when she woke up screaming to banana on her chest. it's native to south american rain forests snuck into her home monday night. it's been returned to its rightful owner. this time today the challenger claiming the lives of all seven astronauts. here's how it was reported. >> reporter: it was a bitter cold but sparkling coldmorning. here that last seconds of the countdown. >> three, two, one, and lift off. and it has cleared the tower. >> reporter: all the communications between shuttle and mission control showed that it was going fine.

was finally on its way. >> three good fuel cells. engine is tlaut throttling up. >> reporter: it happened under one minute into flight. >> velocity 125 per feet per second. nine nautical miles. >> reporter: from mission control, silence. then bland, chilling report. >> we have a report from the flight deignynamics officer that it has exploded. we're checking to see what can be donet the american people e n't afford to wawa for ideas that sound good on paper... but will never make it in the real world. the grandmother who has to choose between paying for medicine and paying rent...

the single mom who desperately needs a raise... can't wait. the student with a mountain of debt can't wait. we can make real progress, right now. i'm caucusing... i'm caucusing... i'm caucusing for hillary clinton. i'm hillary clinton and i approve this message. today on agday it's a busy week for both grain and cattle