our coverage will begin at nbc news and nbcnews.com. >> coming up on "early today" it was hillary clinton before bernie sanders, iowa voters go to the polls two weeks from today. eastern's move to release five americans, leads to lifting of economic sanctions and possibly lower oil prices and a new era of diplomacy. inside sean penn's secret meeting with el chapo, the actor speaks out. plus, after successfully launching the jason 3 satellite into oisht the spacex rocket exploded after a landing accident. >> the contradiction have spoken.

the critic's choice awards. all tripped up, this legless lift on purpose. you decide. "early today" starts right now. hi, good morning, everyone, thanks for being with us. i'm shannon mulaire. three of the americans released from iran have arrived safely in germany. the group, including washington post correspondent jason rezaian first landed in switzerland before a trip to germany where they are resting and recuperating at an american air force base. the prisoner change negotiations posted this picture of rezaian after the trio landed in geneva. we are live from tehran with the latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, shannon, that's right t. three american, possibly even five american iranian prisoners have been released. and this is the culmination of a long and very important diplomatic process between the united states and iran that started a little over two years

talking directly to one another, something they hadn't done since the 1979 islamic revolution. we've seen a slight softening of relationships. once the two sides started talking to each other, we seen things fall in place in a short period of time. we seen the implementation of the nuclear deal. we seen these miner iranian prisoners released. we've avoid an international crisis, when u.s. sailors drifted into iranian territorial waters. so this is a huge and significant change between iran and america. two countries that are ideological opposed to each other. the two sides probably aren't going to be best friends, but this is certainly a step in the right direction, between two countries that have had very bad relationships for almost four decades. shannon. >> absolutely. a day many people have been waiting for. thank you. iraqi security forces have is the up checkpoints in baghdad

reported missing. arab news channel al arabiya said their contractors or trainers were taken by militants on friday. no word yed yet on their tan. the state department released a statement last night saying, quote, we are aware that american citizens are missing in iraq. it goes on to say, we are working with the full cooperation of the iraqi authorities to locate and recover the individual. two weeks from today, voters in iowa head to the polls. last night they go their final look at the democratic presidential candidates squaring off head-to-head in south carolina. brian moore has the heils. >> reporter: in their final debate to this pre-election season, hillary clinton pounded bernie sanders on gun control. >> he voted to let guns go on to amtrak. guns go into national parks. >> sanders gave no ground. >> you have received over $600,000 in speaking fees for

>> reporter: in refusing to criticize bernie sanders past. issue? no i have not. >> reporter: clinton picked apart the medicare plan he introduced before the plan. >> i'm not sure if we introduced the plan you introduced tonight or nine times in the congress the fact is, we have the affordable care act. >> clinton played the card. >> reporter: i am the only raise taxes on the middle class. >> reporter: sanders countered. >> guess what, in terms of polling, we are rung ahead of secretary clinton in terms of taking on my good friend donald trump. >> reporter: governor martin o'malley barely qualified for this debate. he did his best to stand out. >> if donald trump wants to start a registry in this country by faith, he can start by one with me.

>> the latest nbc news-"wall street journal" poll shows republican front runner donald trump in trouble in head-to-head matchups against the democrats. front runner hillary clinton leads trump by 10%, bernie sanders is up even more, 15% over the donal. this as senator ted cruz is gaining ground in iowa and new hampshire. halle jackson brings us up to speed. >> reporter: against ted cruz, donald trump's done playing nice. >> he's a nasty guy. nobody likes him. nobody in congress likes him him. >> reporter: a new attack not on policy, personality. values. >> our friends in the media, it seems like they lit their hair on fire. they're very confused. what are these new york values of which you speak? now i would say in the rest of america, people know exactly what that means.

using trump's own words, from more than 15 years ago, discussing abortion and gay marriage. >> i lived in new york city and manhattan all my life so my views are a little different than i lived in iowa, programs r. trump fighting back against rivals who say he is too liberal. >> she running for the conservative party's nomination. he should be conservative. he hasn't shown it. >> i'm conservative. when it comes to different elements that i believe in. that's what people understand. i will solve our trade problem. i will solve our military provenl i will get rid of isis. >> reporter: as trump targets cruz, trying to pull away, he could risk alienating some in the grass roots as he found out in south carolina. the reception from the tea party is there. nasty. >> say whatever you want, he didn't report bank loans. that's okay. >> nbc's halle jackson reporting.

silence on the interview on cbs "60 minutes" last night the actor explains he was well aware of the risk he was taking for the "rolling stone" interview. >> i was baffled at his will to see us. my article should not have made this much noise. el chapo should not have been this popular a figure to read about. i can't say for sure, you know, that there's no risk. >> have you heard from anybody in the cartel? >> no. >> penn's included, but the controversial interview was a failure, because it distracted from the attention on the war on drugs. the "rolling stone" article "el cham po speaks" was pend a day after he was arrested. they stated it was the only way of obtaining an interview. penn called the attitude of professional journalists an incredible hypocrisy. el chapo is held in the same jail he was in last year. authorities plan to have him

the lead water crisis in flint, michigan continues, drawing more attention on a national scale. during a drake debate in south carolina yesterday, hillary clinton became the first candidate of either party to mention flint, stating the people of the city have been victims of government screw-ups water. she went on to highlight what her own campaign has contributed in response to the crisis. also yesterday, president barack obama declared a medical emergency in flnt freeing up to $5,000 in federal aids. however the president denied governor rick snyder's request for a declaration. celebrities are also taking time to respond, reverend jesse jackson stated flint is a crime scene and called for governor snyder to take responsible for his actions. pom icon cher, part in other words with water company icelandic glacial to send almost 200,000 bottles to flint she has

voice her support. developing overnight the u.s. coast guard says search and rescue crews have located don't that appears to be from two u.s. military helicopters that collided a tough coast of oahu in hawaii late thursday t. choppers were kaerl 12 u.s. marines on a nighttime training mission. there have been no sign of survivors. the coast guard spokesman says the search and rescue is still active. crews have been facing the efforts. so far it's covered more than 18,000 square miles. severe weather spawned two tornadoes that tore through central florida early sunday. a couple was killed, five family members were injured, when one of the twisters destroyed their mobile home. nbc meteorologist bill kierans is here. i saw people tweeth about that, for people to be careful. >> it was the middle of the night.

of rough weather, tampa, sarasota, ft. meyers. unless you live under a rock in the eastern third of the country, will you hear rumors of a snowstorm coming friday, saturday of this week. don't listen to anybody this far out about snowfall amounts. the storm itself is well out here in the pacific. so that's the system we'll watch in the days ahead. let's kind of track the trend with that storm and the one we are dealing with right now a. little snow in eastern mass, great lakes. lake effect machine will be on today and tomorrow. we will watch one storm the beginning of this week a. clipper low brings us light snow t. bicker storm the one that will get all the buzz this week will probably not develop until thursday, somewhere near texas. friday, somewhere in the southeast. it's too early, who will get the snow and the rain. it looked to be just enough of cold air. it's possible for a significant storm to hit with snow, ice, and

who will get hit? i do know this morning, you are shoveling in boston and also rhode island. that's your national weather. now, here's a closer look at your die ahead. temperatures are cold, too. look at the great lakes today. yesterday was a frigid day with the wind chills. bad. a high temperature today will struggle to get above zero today from duluth to minneapolis. so tweel have more details in the week ahead, yes, the possibly exists for the first significant snowstorm for the east there it was bound to thank you. well, the big bin i winners of the critics choice awards, plus the one actor who stole everyone's heart. and the good and bad of spacex's latest launch. the details on that. you are watching "early today." 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

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the most common side effects r are flushing and stomach problems. tell your doctor about any low white blood cell counts, infections, any other medical conditions, or if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. learn more about the most prescribed pill for relapsing ms in the us, at tecfidera.com. talk to your doctor about tecfidera, and take another look at relapsing ms. >> welcome back. the stars were out at last night's 21st annual critics

>> with actor comedian t.j. miller on hosting duty and his friends there. leonardo dicaprio won best actor for the "revenant" "mad max, furry road" had eight wins in all. "lime? light" won for best ensemble. one of the most memorable moments was when amy schumer explained the key to her success. >> are you an act tres, have you this area right here, you have to write your own stu. if you want to get it made. >> however the stars who stole everyone's heart was ja come tremplay when he won best young actor for his star turn in "the critically acclaimed room." >> i want to say thank you to all the critics who voted for me. it must be a super hard vote because of all the other great

and i know where to put this, right on the shelf right beside my millennium falcon. >> that little voice. for the first time ever, rock legend david bowie garnered a number one album on the billboard chart this following his death last week after an 18-month battle with cancer. his 27th and final album debuted on top. despite foggy weather yesterday, nasa successfully launched a spacex rocket carrying an ocean monitoring satellite into orbit. however, the landing wasn't quite as smooth. when the rocket landed on to a floating barge in the pacific, there it goes. the support leg broke off. the rocket toppled over and exploded in flames. we're getting there. just ahead, when a perfect team has nothing to look forward to, i'm explain that one.

but was it on purpose? we'll let you have a look. details next. does the smell of a freshly bound presentation fill you with optimism? do you love your wireless keyboard more than certain family members? is your success due to a filing system only you understand? does printing from your tablet to your wireless printer give you a jolt of confidence? if so, you may be gearcentric. someone who knows that the right office gear helps you do great things. and there's one place that has it all. office depot officemax.

announcement: this storm promises to be the biggest of the decade. with total accumulation of up to three feet. roads will be shut down indefinitely. and schools are closed. campbell's soups go great with a cold and a nice red. made for real, real life. ugh! heartburn! no one burns on my watch! try alka-seltzer heartburn reliefchews. they work fast and don't taste chalky. mmm...amazing. i have heartburn. alka-seltzer heartburn reliefchews.

all right. let's check sports now. the nfc and afc championship games are set. we begin in charlotte. first place scrimmage.

stewart a. good start to his day. inside the 40. >> not a bad start for the home team panthers. moments later, jonathan stewart would score the first of two rushing touchdowns. carolina was red hot, scoring on a defensive pick. on 3rd and 14, cam newton throws a lace tore greg olson putting up 31 unanswered first-half incredible. seattle finally fights back. a russell wilson strikes a germane curse and connects to tyler lockett who manages to keep his feet inbounds. seattle gets as close as 31-24 when an onside kick goes carolina's way. they hold on to advance to host the carolina cardinals next week. to denver, steelers and broncos ground out every yard and point. pittsburgh up 1. broncos' peyton manning hands

into the end zone. broncos up 20-13. two minutes to play, big ben scrambles, loses the ball. broncos win it setting up the 17th edition of manning versus tom brady. you might hear about that this week. next the controversial on the hard court, oregon state versus utah, after the ref went for the ball. it appears the senior trips a ref who falls onto the floor. the referee calls it technical and ejects reed with under three minutes in a tied game. oregon state lost this one 59-53. we likely have fought heard the last of this situation. za smu remains the nation's only unbeaten team in the top 20 after winning their 17th against tulane, 60-45. wah. wah. just ahead, two men in virginia have been arrested for trying to join isis. details on that.

celebrating its tenth anniversary with something super special. details on that coming up don't stare at me. see me. see me. see me to know that psoriasis is

. >> what do you think the president's legacy in american politics will turn out to be? he's only got one year left. >> providing health care for hundreds of thousands of people. >> you hear some republicans saying, hey this president promised to bring this country together, he's actually made it more divided. >> i don't think this president,

responsible for the country being so divide. we all are responsible for it. >> has it made it worse? >> i don't think he made it worse. i think there are people because of his election made a conscious decision who said we will not get a victory. had obama been treated differently because of his race, i really believe. that you wouldn't hear if it would have been a white democrat or republican speaking hear someone holler out, "you lie." a member from the republican party. >> you think that was race? >> i think part of that was race. and you wouldn't have a governor putting her finger in the face of a white president. i think there are invisible signs of disrespect for the man. i have always said, if you don't respect the man, respect the position. so when the president said to me in the evening at the state of the union as he was walking down the aisle, john lewis, i love

i said, mr. president, i love you, too.

>> this is 7news now. >> christa: good morning. if you're sharing your holiday with us, welcome. we're good to go for 7news "today in new england." ism here are system of the stories we're working on. the matchup is set. tom brady and peyton manning will face off for chance to go to the super bowl. it's the 17th time the two have played each other. peyton didn't play earlier this year when the broncos beat the patriots in denver. >> christa: the democrat, presidential candidates taking the stage for the final time before the iowa caucuses. gun control and health care the biggest topics. front-runners hillary clinton and bernie sanders taking several swipes at one another. we'll have a full report coming your way. >> sarah: a rutland family grateful their dog was okay after it was found beaten in their front yard.

who used a stick to beat the family pet. anman control believes it was a targeted attack. >> christa: if you're just waking up and you haven't looked outside yet, don't. >> sarah: it's pretty if you don't have to get out in it. >> christa: this is true. it's a holiday, so maybe you have the luxury of sitting inside and grabbing a coffee. we did get a few inches overnight. it looks like it will continue for next couple hours. we knew it was only matter of time. >> sarah: chris, i did tell you when i looked out the window, it is very beautiful, like a delayed white christmas. >> chris: it's beautiful. it's like someone shook the snow globe up. we have some slick travel, though. hanover, four inches of sluf. rockland four inches of fluff. even south boston giving some snow. it's easy to move, fluffy stuff. we saw that overnight and we're

morning, the bulk of it the next hour to two. take a look at cape ann stretching back to the 495 belt. this deep shade of blue area, heavier bands working on in. this is going to be the last gasp of some bursts of snow coming in. s be steady snow. dark blues right now are approaching that 128 corridor. essentially from the weston tolls right up into waltham. that sliding eastbound. it's going to go through norwood and dedham and eventually into the city of boston. behind it the snow starts breaking up, so i don't expect it to last all this much longer, between 6:00 and 8:00 a.m., that snow winding down and a couple scat flurries. how much snow in whatever you have now, another coating to an inch. a lot of us getting away with three to four inches of fluffy snow. there is a winter weather advisory in effect with slippery travel until 10:00 a.m. 27 in boston. these numbers holding into the 20s as we go through the day and it turns windy. "today in new england" starts right now. >> christa: winter weather