anti-government protesters begin day three of their siege in oregon vowing to stay put until their needs are met. >> we're here to defend the people. >> the fbi hoping for a peaceful end to the standoff. we're live at the scene. boiling point. saudi arabia severs ties with iran, giving its diplomats just hours to leave the country as tensions rise over the saudi's execution of an iranian cleric. and deepwater discovery, the first images of the cargo ship that sank after the captain sailed it right into a category 4 hurricane it was built to survive. no sign of the 33 crew on board or the black box that could solve the months old mystery today,mond monday, january 4th, 2016. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with matt lauer

studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. and good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a monday morning. we've advanced a year, and, i mean that literally. happy birthday belatedly. >> thank you, to you as well. >> yeah. >> do you believe it? we're so much older. >> did you celebrate? >> i did. that's why i'm on a ten-second delay. my new year's is extending to monday, january 4th. >> we'll catch up in a while. we'll start with our top story. new fireworks in the presidential race to begin the new year, including donald trump's very first television ad. we have it all covered beginning with nbc national correspondent peter alexander. peter, good morning to you. >> reporter: matt, happy new year to you. donald trump ringing in the new year with what is in effect his campaign's closing argument. this long awaited first tv ad is provocative, a lot like his candidacy, focusing on illegal immigration and the threat from

face of his critics. this message. >> reporter: overnight donald trump released his first tv ad of the campaign, a move he's airing in iowa and new hampshire, the ad reinforces his stance on isis and immigration. >> that's why he's calling for a temporary shutdown of muslims entering the united states. he'll quickly cut the head off of isis and take their oil. >> reporter: the new ad comes on the heels of a new recruitment video from al qaeda affiliate al shabab in africa, highlighting trump's proposed muslim ban, trump shrugging it off. >> they use other people. what am i going to do? i have to say what i have to say. >> reporter: instead citing an isis video. >> fornicators. >> reporter: that attacks former president bill clinton for his past sexual transgressions. >> i think it's an isis, and they really put him down as a degenerate. >> reporter: front-runner now targeting both clintons. >> hillary clinton created isis with obama. >> reporter: just as the former president gets set to hit the trail today on his wife's behalf tweeting the worst thing hillary could do is have her husband campaign for her, just watch, and hammering bill clinton for his alleged misconduct.

picture for her or for bill because i'm the only one that's willing to talk about his problems. i mean what he did and what he has gone through i think is, frankly, terrible, especially if she wants to play the woman card. >> reporter: clinton is even hearing about it on the road. in new hampshire she dismissed a republican state lawmaker who heckled her about her husband's alleged extramarital affairs. >> you are very rude, and i'm not going to ever call on you. >> reporter: across the board the candidates are now in the final sprint. listen to this. this week alone they're going to hold 44 events in iowa. in fact, the majority of them have about 28 from the freshman senator ted cruz. shows you just how important the caucuses are to his candidacy, and there in new hampshire 58 events overall, all in the first week of what is certain to be a history-making year. matt, savannah, back to you. >> all right. peter alexander. peter, thank you very much. >> what can we expect to hear from former president bill clinton as he hits the campaign trail for his wife? nbc's kristen welker is in new hampshire with that side of the story this morning. kristen, good morning.

>> reporter: savannah, good morning to you. will try to seal the deal when he campaigns here in new hampshire. campaign aides tell me expect him to be a frequent presence on the trail. of course, this first stop does come amidst a barrage of criticism from donald trump as peter just talked about. clinton campaign officials really brushing that aside. they say, look, he's one of the most popular politicians in the country. they believe the benefits far outweigh the costs. in terms of strategy, they tell me don't expect secretary hillary clinton to engage in some type of verbal tit for tat with donald trump over the issue. of course, it's the last thing she really wants to be talking about. instead you'll see her do what she has been doing consistently, which is to criticize donald trump over his controversial comments, including his call to ban all muslims from entering the united states. from a political perspective, new hampshire is really anyone's game right now. clinton and bernie sanders

if clinton wins, it would allow her to lock up the nomination early, but for bernie sanders this is really do or die. polls show he has a lead here. he's from neighboring vermont, but, of course, hillary clinton has a close relationship with new hampshire as well. she won here in 2008. by the way, she could explain a loss in new hampshire, but a loss in iowa would be devastating, and that is where she will be campaigning later today. savannah. >> all right, kristen welker, thanks. let's bring in chuck todd, nbc's political director and moderator of ""meet the press,"" and nicolle wallace, msnbc analyst and former white house communications director under good morning, happy new year. >> happy new year. >> we're going to meet here often over the next month or so. >> there's an election this way, >> people are going to start >> let's talk about donald trump's first campaign ad of this presidential election. it pushes all the buttons. you hear him push as a campaign stop. these are his applause lines. >> right.

>> no. that's necessary. the thing with donald trump's candidacy is that it is blaring out of every speaker you come across, so i'm not sure what a paid ad gets you that his campaign isn't already achieving. they saturate the airwaves. everyone has heard these messages either from donald trump himself or in the coverage of it. money. spending the money on is organization, organization, organization. that's what i'm trying to figure out. you know, his folks are not frequent voters. they show up in general elections, but they're not frequent primary voters. he needs to be coming up with ways to make sure these folks come, particularly in those caucuses but also as well as new hampshire. this doesn't feel like a "get out the vote" message. >> let's talk about hillary clinton. she's deploying bill clinton who, of course, democrats consider to be one of their best surrogates, a great campaigner. meanwhile, donald trump is pulling up all this stuff from the past. the clinton side wants to blow it off, nothing to see here, but he's putting things back out into the ether that we haven't really heard about in ten years. smart politics for trump? >> last week, if you're a normal person you were not watching

every into this campaign, congratulations, i was not among you. last week donald trump had some voices from the mainstream media really say that these were legitimate attacks, both on the race questions for 2008, some of bill clinton's rather questionable moves against then senator obama, and then on the fidelity question. so i don't think that it's surprising that donald trump is going after the clintons. i think the clintons can look to jeb bush and others to say the perils of ignoring an attack from donald trump. >> look, i think it's smart on trump because there's been all this speculation, isn't he really actually secretly wanting to help the clintons. now, number one, he's not trying to help the clintons. he's attacking them. two, it gives this idea of inevitability. hey, i'm already looking to the general election, i don't need to be dealing with the whole primary mess. i think it will be interesting to see if the clintons take the bait. i hear you. you don't want to ignore it, but if you get into the mud then the

>> and look what's happening. we've done an entire interview only talking about donald trump and hillary clinton. so it's wild-card football weekend coming up. each give me your wild card. who should we be looking at? >> it's possible the true front-runners lose one or both of the first two votes. i think rubio and christie's camps feel very strongly they are peaking at exactly the right time, rubio making a speech this morning in national security. they feel like that gives them an edge and christie making some stealth moves in iowa. >> the one thing that could happen that's not out of the realm, ted cruz could win iowa and new hampshire. why? so many people trying to make new hampshire make or break. they will split up the moderate vote, and nobody is competing for cruz's vote in new hampshire. >> trump may ask himself why he didn't attack cruz with the tv ads as opposed to what we see right now. chuck, nichollk nicolle, thank you. thank you, guys. president obama will meet

with attorney general loretta lynch in the oval office today. they will discuss options on the steps he could take to help reduce gun violence. the president expected to use executive action to strengthen background checks for those who want to buy firearms at gun shows. republicans strongly oppose any moves the president may make, and legal fights seem likely. donald trump called possible actions an assault on the second amendment. in other news, a tense situation playing out in oregon this morning. armed protesters are occupying buildings on a federal wildlife refuge. nbc's joe fryer is near the scene of the standoff which is now entering its third day. joe, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. authorities are urging the public to stay away from this refuge. there is no visible police presence here, but the fbi says it wants a peaceful resolution. protesters here want local control of this federal land and say if necessary, they're prepared to stay here for years. the headquarters of the malheur national wildlife refuge has been turned into a compound for an armed occupation. inside, they are making soup and stocking up. >> we are setting ourselves up to help the citizens here in harney county to reclaim their lands back. >> reporter: throughout this remote community, there's

growing frustration over the occupation. the county canceled school all week out of a concern for safety. >> i don't like the militia's message. >> it's sort of frightening when there's people making threats and people touting guns. >> reporter: over the weekend activists took over the refuge which was empty at the time. it's unclear how many are here. in a statement the sheriff says the group wants to overthrow the county and federal government in hopes to spark a movement across the united states. protesters say they won't get violent unless the government does. >> we are here to defend the people, and we will not take aggression. >> reporter: ammon bundy is the group's leader. he's the son of cliven bundy, the nevada rancher who in 2014 had his own standoff with the government over grazing rights. this latest protest centers around oregon ranchers dwight hammond jr. and his son stephen. both are supposed to report to prison today, convicted of lighting firings on public land near their ranch.

the hammonds already served time, but a judge ruled it wasn't enough. >> seems like a bit of an overkill. >> reporter: dozens rallied peacefully saturday in support of the ranchers. that's when a small group splintered off, driving to the refuge and taking it over with no plans to leave any time soon. have said they do plan to report to prison today. in the past that attorney has said that this group that's here right now does not speak on behalf of the hammonds. matt and savannah. >> all right. joe fryer, thank you. now to a diplomatic crisis overseas. it's being closely watched by the obama administration. saudi arabia severing ties with iran amid escalating tension over the saudi's execution of a prominent cleric. nbc's chief global correspondent bill neely has more on this. bill, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, matt. this is a war of words, and it is dangerous.

iran's diplomats, the two nations trading warnings and insults. of course, they both claim to lead the muslim world across which there are being riots and protests over an extraordinary execution. tensions are growing with mass demonstrations above all in iran at the killing of a shia cleric by its main sunni rival, saudi arabia. protests from india where rioters condemn saudi arabia to bahrain, where shia crowds called for the death of the saudi royal family, to new york, a protest reported on iranian tv. >> we pray to god that things are calmed down. >> reporter: the diplomatic spat is growing too. saudi diplomats have left iran after crowds burned the saudi embassy. their spokesman giving iranian diplomats 48 hours to leave saudi. the cleric killed was buried quietly, but the execution of 47 men has echoed around the muslim

world. nimr al nimr was an internationally known shia scholar, harshly critical of the saudi regime who was harshly executed for its shia minority. iran's supreme court leader warned saudi arabia would face divine revenge for a crime. the execution has inflamed tensions. the two countries' war of words now worse than ever. and the u.s. is now very concerned, not just at diplomatic ties have been cuts, but effect that a could have on the war in syria and planned peace talks. iran and saudi arabia, of course, back different sides in that war. there's no sign this will boil over into conflict between the two, not yet anyway, but, matt and savannah, this is serious. >> bill neely in london on this story. bill, thank you very much. this morning we're getting

our first look at wreckage of the ill-fated cargo ship "el faro" that sank after sailing into the path of a category 4 hurricane this morning. nat is following this story. good morning. >> good morning. it's being called the worst u.s. maritime disaster in 35 years. 33 people died when this ship went down. now the ntsb is releasing an underwater look at what's been found so far. new overnight, the first underwater images of the wreckage of "el faro," the container ship that was carrying 33 crew members when it sank near the bahamas during a powerful hurricane last october. the eerie images show the stern of "el faro," the navigation bridge which detached from the main vessel and a badly damaged deck sitting 15,000 feet below sea level. on october 1st the "el faro" was sailing from jacksonville, florida, to puerto rico when it lost engine power and got caught in the category 4 storm. investigators have yet to discover the 35-foot mast where the ship's data recorder was located. that so-called black box could contain clues about the last

which remain a mystery. viewing the video of the wreckage has been emotional. >> we're looking, of course, for the bridge and the voyage data recorder, and we got up to that level to see just openness was extremely moving and difficult. it was a very big surprise to us to see that. >> also missing were any remains of the crew or their belongings. all 33 people on board are presumed dead, but none of their been found. the ntsb is considering launching a second investigation to locate additional wreckage and uncover more clues as to what happened. >> i think it was a series of unfortunate events, and without any other information i truly blame it on hurricane joaquin. >> the ntsb doesn't know if and when a second search for the wreckage could occur, but either way it could take as long as a year before more details about

guys. >> all right, natalie. thank you. let us start the new year with a little powerball fever. it's heating up now that the jackpot has reached a whopping $400 million. that, by the way, the sixth largest in history. no one matched all six numbers on saturday's drawing. the next drawing wednesday. if you are wondering, mr. roker, about your odds of winning, try 1 in 292 million. >> wow. >> feeling lucky? >> yes, i am. yes, i am. >> i know. reunited. >> happy new year. good to see you guys. let's take a look at some of the weather we've been seeing over in missouri. that flooding has been just horrible. the good news is we're starting to see a little bit of a break. the weather has cooperated. but we still have to worry about folks downstream. right now the river flood gauges are in better shape than they have been. over the weekend it was 400 and now it's down to 228, 27 locations in major flooding. memphis, tennessee, they are going to see their crest right around friday at 40.5.

that's just above moderate flood stage. we'll continue to watch this. other big thing we're watching, the cold air. it was back to normal. winter is here. right now it feels like 2 below in buffalo. 21 in new york city, boston 18, washington feels like 26. today the temperatures will feel anywhere from 13 below to 14 above, 10 to 40 degrees below average. and after a record december, it feels even worse. but look at this. here's the good news. this is short p-lived. by wednesday we're above average from chicago, buffalo, washington, new york city and portland. we're going to get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds. we'll give it a 6 for composition. scary. wow, what about just putting a fair, no haggle price on the window? not zany enough?

sometimes the best deals are pretty plain to see. >> and that's your latest weather. >> all right, al. thanks so much. coming up, the push to extradite the so-called affluenza teen from mexico. plus, we'll hear for the first time from the family of one of the victims he killed in a drunk driving crash. >> and then on a new rossen reports, the crash test you need to see before you take your pet

on your next car ride, but, first, this is "today" on nbc. welcome aboard my starship. ahoy, mateys! it's full of things i love... like me brave crew... and my fellow space adventures and free of things i don't. like aliens. just like eye patches. and when it's time to refuel, i eat chex cereal. it's full of stuff we pirates need. no artificial flavors, and it's gluten-free. excelsior!

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it's 7:30. it's monday morning. it's the 4th of january, 2016. back to work for a lot of people. a lot of folks out on our plaza extending the holidays a little longer. >> the tree, by the way, out there. thursday. i still want to see it come down before thursday. that's when it goes down. amazing how quickly we become scrooge right after the holidays. >> haven't watered it in days. >> back inside studio 1a, a look at stories making news right now.

overnight donald trump released his first tv ad of the campaign. >> he's calling for a temporary shutdown of muslims entering the united states. >> taking aim at the democratic front-runner. >> hillary clinton created isis with obama. >> just as the former president gets set to hit the trail today on his wife's behalf. president obama taking aim at gun control. >> tens of thousands of our fellow americans have been mowed down by gun violence, tens of thousands. >> he plans to bypass congress to do it. >> i directed my team at the white house to look into any new actions i can take to help reduce gun violence. anti-government activists are occupying a federal office building in a wildlife refuge. they are protesting the prison sentences of two local ranchers. >> it's sort of frightening when there's people making threats and people touting guns. >> we are here to defend the people, and we will not take aggression. days of flood left a mess behind. people have been able to get into their homes to save what

what they have lost. >> come on in. >> whoo. >> this is the worst. this is about as bad as it gets. the powerball jackpot has exploded to over $400 million. the next drawing is wednesday night. >> so lots going on on a monday morning. we turn now to the latest on the case of the so-called affluenza teen. we've been covering this for several years now. while ethan couch's deportation from mexico is on hold, for the first time the family of one of the four people he killed while driving drunk is now speaking out. nbc's gabe gutierrez has more on that. gabe, good morning to you. >> reporter: matt, good morning. while ethan couch remains in detention in mexico, his mother tonya is in custody here in l.a. awaiting extradition back to texas. and as this drama plays out, the family of ethan couch's victims are still waiting for what they call justice. this morning two and a half years after a drunk ethan couch killed youth pastor brian jennings and three others in a horrific crash jennings'

out for the first time. >> i don't understand all this. >> reporter: in their first television interview, jennings' mother and sister kristi mccarty say watching the so-called affluenza teen trying to evade the law again is painful. >> you find out he flees to mexico with his mom and it's just devastating really. >> you keep waiting and waiting and thinking that some day this person is going to feel something, and you still don't see it. >> reporter: this morning ethan couch is waking up in this detention facility in mexico city, his surroundings anything but affluent. a mexican immigration official tells nbc news that couch lives in a sparse room, sleeps on a bunk bed, and likely has three or four roommates. during certain hours he can watch tv in a common room and has access to a patio where we can play basketball or soccer. couch is still in mexico because

fernando benito filed paperwork to block deportation, and the two will meet to discuss his next steps. benitez telling nbc news my job is to oversee that his ultimate delivery to the u.s. authorities is done by the letter of the law hand in accordance with my client's wishes. couch's mother tonya did not fight deportation. her lawyer says she did not violate any texas laws but she is being held on $1 million bail, charged with hindering the apprehension of a felon. another one of pastor jennings' sisters amy peete says the couch family needs to be held accountable. >> i'm angry that ethan still doesn't get why his actions are wrong and has no remorse, and i'm also angry that his mother keeps enabling him and that she continues to set no boundaries with him. >> reporter: tonya couch is expected to appear in court here in l.a. tomorrow and could be back in texas by mid-week. guys, as for ethan couch, his case could drag on in mexico for

>> all right. gabe gutierrez. gabe, thanks very much. we turn to al now. what should we expect from this whether? >> talking about el nino and how it's been affecting the pacific northwest and sierra. it's finally starting to make its way into southern california as well bringing much needed rain. we've got a couple of storms backed up. storm number one is bringing rain from san diego all the way to eureka, california. storm number two, this is the one that we're really watching tuesday in wednesday, it's going to be a potent one, so we're going to be looking at maybe an inch of rain today for much of california. more mountain snows for the sierra and rockies, but this second one, the highest peaks could see two feet or more, but also the threat of flooding, debris floes and burn areas and looking at some places 2 to 3 to maybe 5 inches of rain in southern california, upwards for the valleys in the foothills, urban roadway flooding possible. but the good news is more snow pack for the sierra. they need that, and they are going to continue to get it. we do have watches for the l.a. county mountains and winter

sierra. >> get your latest weather channel on cable and weather.com online. matt? >> thank you very much, al. just ahead, princes william and harry -- i said princes -- open up in a candid new interview about their father and their future. >> and a new rossen reports for anyone who owns a pet. >> hi, good morning. i'm jeff rossen. you come to your local pet store, and the aisles are full of products making big promises, doggie harnesses and carriers

that will keep your pet safe, even crash-tested. but check out this crash test video that shows many of them failing miserably. dogs flying. so how is this allowed, and what are you supposed to do? our investigation coming up.

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welcome back. 7:40 now on a monday morning. this morning on "rossen reports" a safety alert for you and your pets. >> and we've got some video you'll want to see. a warning. some of it is disturbing. nbc investigative correspondent jeff rossen is here. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you. happy new year. if you have a dog or a cat, i bet you've done it. hopped in a car and brought them along. no straps, no harness. it's cute after all. the dog is climbing around and whizzing by their face but it turns out it's dangerous.

people are now getting into accidents so companies are making products to keep your pets safe, making big promises. you can find them at almost every pet store, but experts say many of the products don't work, putting your pet in danger, so how is this allowed? this morning the crash test you need to see. >> reporter: this doggy dummy is strapped in with a popular harness sold in pet stores today. it's supposed to keep him secure in a crash. so why is he going flying? same with this harness and this crate. the dog smashing right through, all failing miserably. the harnesses paid for people like lauren lynn out for a drive with her dog buddy. he isn't strapped in, jumping all over here and distracting him all over the road. >> i don't see a problem with him getting wind in his ears and fur. >> reporter: but experts say it's dangerous. dashcam video showing dogs flying out of cars. nearly hit by oncoming traffic. the dog is okay. this dog even falling out of a window and amazingly survives, but it's not just dogs in danger

wandering around your car. >> in the event of a crash, a pet can be a projectile. they can hurt everyone, including themselves, so keep trip. >> so you come to the pet store to buy a harness, buy a carrier to keep your pet safe, some of the companies making bold promises on the packaging. check out this official looking seal, crash tested. others say certified certified safety and locks into place, but experts say many of them are deceptive. they don't work in a crash, and believe it or not, pet products like this are not regulated by anyone, not even the federal government. >> firing. >> reporter: so the watchdog group center for pet safety decided to check them out with official crash testing, and what they found was alarming. all this damage at just 30 miles per hour. >> so this is our pet product graveyard, and many of these products did not do well in testing, and most of them failed. >> reporter: these are products

>> these are products on the market right now, and the manufacturers are still making those claims. >> reporter: in fact, 25 of 29 products tested failed. harnesses snapping right off. dogs center airborne, and watch this doggy dummy breaking through the crate, shattering it to pieces. that could be your pet. >> pet products are not defined as consumer products by the consumer product safety commission, so they bypass any kind of oversight and regulation. that's really scary. >> reporter: the consumer product safety commission telling nbc news based on our mandate from congress, cpsc does not have jurisdictions over these products. the american pet products association declined our request for an interview, adding they can't comment on the testing, but they back car safety restraints. >> pet owners should be screaming about this. if you get into an accident and one of these products fails, it puts you, your family members, and other drivers on the road at risk.

>> yeah. when we reached out to the consumer product safety commission, they told us to check with the national highway traffic safety administration, so we did that. they told us to check back with the consumer product safety commission, so a bit of washington finger-pointing going on here. the good news, while the majority of products did not hold up a few of them did and we have a list of the products that passed the pet center's crash test on my facebook page right now, facebook.com/rosinsenreport. you should really check it out. >> all right. a lot of people at home with things they shouldn't be putting their dogs and cats in. people driving around with the pickup drug with the dog in the back. >> that's tied down. anything not tied down in a slow speed accident will go flying. >> jeff, thank you very much. coming up, apologies in advance. what ricky gervais is saying ahead of his hosting duties at the golden globe awards. >> and carson in the orange room with a very lofty new year's resolution from the founder of

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facebook founder mark zuckerberg always seems to come up with ambitious new year's resolution. cars op, what do you think of this one? >> happy new year, guys. good to see you. this one is interesting. zuckerberg's past resolutions have been interesting, too, ranging from everything learning mandarin to meeting aew person ery day tonlyating mea from amalshat he' hunt. well, here's what he's going with this year, shared it on his facebook page. let's bring it forward and you'll see it. my personal challenge for 2016 is to build a simple ai to run my home and help me with my work. i guess like jarvis in "iron man." this ai will control music, light and temperatures in the house. will let friends in the door using a facial recognition program and monitor his new daughter max's room, those sorts of thifnlgs the resolution received a lot of attention but one of zuckerberg's responses in the comment section starting with darlene writing in i keep telling my grand doubters to date the nerd in school. he may turn out to be mark zuckerberg. mark writes back this. even better would be to encourage them to be the nerd in

their school so they be the next successful inventor. >> hey, carson. >> hey, i'm 58. could you explain what ai is. >> artificial intelligence. thank you very much. >> should have mentioned that. >> whole move beit. >> i know. >> i think a lot of people might not know. >> i should have said that, apologize, artificial intelligence, like jarvis in "iron man" that helped robert downey jr. do a lot of things including making coffee. >> is zuckerberg going to become iron man. >> this response by mark zuckerberg is so good, it brings tears to my eyes. as a father of a young doubt you are, yes. a nice inspiration as we kick off the new year. >> zuckerberg makes me feel bad about my resolution like don't drink so much. like learns mandarin, awesome. >> by the way, carson, my first day back, congratulations to you. >> thank you, appreciate t.welcome back. >> just ahead, a candid new interview on family, friendship and fatherhood with prince william and prince harry.

stars on the planet. jennifer lopez sits down with natalie, but first your local news. hey dad. hey sweetie, how was your first week? long. it'll get better. i'm at the edward jones office, like sue suggested. thanks for doing this, dad. so i thought it might be time to talk about a financial strategy. (laughing) you mean pay him back? knowing your future is about more than just you. so let's start talking about your long-term goals... multiplied by 13,000 financial advisors. it's a big deal. and it's how edward jones makes sense of investing. to the used car buyer who's worried about getting taken for a ride... don't worry. the only rides you'll get taken on at carmax

but just in case that absolutely 100 percent perfect choice... ...turns out to be... less than perfect... we give you five days to change your mind. sorry. i sure had a lot on my mind when i got out of the hospital after a dvt blood clot. what about my family? my li'l buddy? and what if this happened again? i was given warfarin in the hospital but i wondered if this was the right treatment for me. then my doctor told me about eliquis. eliquis treats dvt and pe blood clots and reduces the risk of them happening again. not only does eliquis treat dvt and pe blood clots, but eliquis also had significantly less major bleeding than the standard treatment. knowing eliquis had both... turned around my thinking. don't stop eliquis unless your doctor tells you to. eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding.

or abnormal bleeding. if you had a spinal injection while on eliquis call your doctor right away if you have tingling, numbness, or muscle weakness. while taking eliquis, you may bruise more easily... and it may take longer than usual for bleeding to stop. seek immediate medical care for sudden signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. eliquis may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. eliquis treats dvt & pe blood clots. plus had less major bleeding. both made switching to eliquis right for me. ask your doctor if it's right for you. what about this guy? this guy's... been through a lot. dogs bring out the good in us. pedigree brings out the good in them.

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it's 8:00 on "today." coming up, the princes get personal. will i am and harry speak candidly about the future, their family and fatherhood like never before. >> you get affected by some things that happen a lot more as a father, just because you realize how precious life is. >> yeah. >> it puts it all in perfective. >> and got a minute. we'll show you 60-second screenings you can do at home that can help you keep healthy all year long.

sizzle as we talk with the one and only jennifer lopez. getting married again? >> maybe. i love getting married. >> and the newly engaged eva longoria. >> oh. hey, guys. >> today, monday, january 4th, 2016. >> we're here in new york city for the first time. hi, mom! >> spending the last day of winter break with the "today" show. >> i'm celebrating my sweet 16 from oceanside, california. thanks, mom, for the surprise trip. >> all the way from houston to see al! >> we're back now.

this is the fourth day of january, 2016, and say hi to some people who just can't let the party end. nice to have you guys. >> i love it. nice brisk air. starting to feel like winter. like. coming up, eva longoria is in the house. we'll chat with her about her new show, and did we mention she's newly engaged. so much to talk to her. >> nice, congratulations. >> that's great. >> let's first go inside. natalie's check out the top stories of the morning. natalie. >> hey, guys, good morning once again. this morning donald trump has released the first tv ad of his campaign. it reinforces his call to temporarily bar muslims from entering the united states showing the suspects in the san bernardino terror attacks. it vows to, quote, cut the head off isis and take their oil, and it repeats trump's proposal to build a wall along the u.s. border with mexico. the ad is airing in iowa and new hampshire. former president bill clinton is making two solo

today campaigning for his wife. both are brushing aside personal and political attacks by drufrm. hillary clinton is in a tight race in new hampshire with bernie sanders who is leading in some polls. a win for clinton could help her lock up the nomination early. the public is being warned to stay away from a federal wildlife refuge in oregon where an occupation by armed protesters has entered its third day. they claim the federal government is abusing its power by unfairly prosecuting ranchers who refuse to sell their land. this morning i asked the group's leader ammon bundy if he renounsd violence. >> the only violence if it comes our way will be government is wanting their building back being and that's what it will be. we're putting nobody in harm's way. we are -- we are not threatening anybody. we're 30 miles out of the closest town. >> meanwhile, the schools in the county have been closed because

of the armed occupation. ammon bund set son of cliven bundy, the nevada rancher who back in 2014 had his own standoff with the government over grazing rights. britain's prince william and harry speak openly about family life in a new documentary airing tonight in the uk. the occasion is the 40th anniversary of a charity started by their father prince charles, and the brothers share the kind of personal insights that we're not used to hearing. >> do his duety. >> speaking candidly in a new documentary, the men of britain's royal family are opening up. >> a lot more -- i'm a lot more emotional than i used to be. >> really. >> weirdly. >> getting personal about their friendship and family with 33-year-old william sharing his thoughts on fatherhood. >> i never used to really kind of sort of get to worry about things and right now the smallest little things i can feel you well up a little bit more. >> the documentary celebrates 40 years of the prince's trust, a

charity founded by prince charles. the 90-minute special focuses on the prince of wales and the work to help struggling young people succeed. but it's his sons' candor that is most striking. >> the advice that he can give us based on the contacts that he's made over the year, incredible. >> yeah. >> prince harry openly discussing his relationship with their father. >> you can -- you can actually ring him up and say i'm in a bit of a pickle or even better you can off load stuff. >> yeah. >> william describing how 2-year-old prince george and 8-month-old princess charlotte have changed him. >> you get affected by sort of things that happen around the world or whatever a lot more i think as a father, just because you realize how precious life is. >> right, yeah. >> and it puts it all in perspective. >> some of the world's most prominent men known for their privacy now speaking out about their relationship and hopes for the future. >> and prince harry also says that his father is driven by a sense of duty that was instilled in him at a very young age.

well, frustration came to a head sunday for buffalo bills kicker dan carpenter after he flubbed an extra point for the sixth time this season. carpenter slammed his helmet down, take a look what happens next and ricocheted off the tougher and hit him right in the face. just like that he's an internet sensation for all the wrong reasons. the bills though still ended up beating the jets, sorry jets fans, 22-17. i wore my green in sympathy. we'll send it back over to matt. >> knocked us out of the playoffs, too, natalie. thank you very much. what if we told you that to stay healthy this year all you need is 60 seconds. nbc news medical contributor dr. natalie azar is here with important health screenings you can do at home, and they only take a minute. doc, good morning. happy new year. >> hi, matt, happy new year. >> this seems to come from the journal too good to be true. this is called the cross-legged squat test and how do you perform it, first of all. start off with ten points. that's fantastic.

cross your legs and squat all the way, do it at home. sit down on the floor and get back up. if you don't use your hand, you don't use your feet or don't wobble at all you keep your ten points. any part of the body that touches down you lose a point. >> what is it telling me? >> how could doing a squat predict longevity. well, according to researchers a couple years ago, it did so with alarming accuracy. the lower the number, the greater likelihood it is that you're going to die in the next six years so the take home from this is not so much that -- it's >> look at them. here. >> they are body surfing. nothing about your longevity there but this is good. course. >> it's not that easy. it. could it be a surrogate for underlying health and stamina, flexibility and all that. >> all right. breath. you look at the tongue. not only is it not fun to be around, it can be a signal of a serious medical issue. >> it can. basically what you do with the test is scrape the tongue with a spoon and stick it in a plastic

light for about a minute and then you smell it. the issue here, that odor -- why would anybody want to do this? the vast majority of cases will be related to gum disease and tonsils and things like that but a really ominous odor, fruity odor could be a sign of diabetes, ammonia a sign of kidney disease. you can try it at home. >> moving right along. >> okay. >> this is called the clock test and it's really for dementia. >> this is actually really a validated test. actually somebody performed it on my dad a couple years ago. base chi what you do is have a patient and ask them to draw a clock. they need to do all the numbers in the correct order and get all twelve and show with the hands what time is 3:40. >> what does it mean if you have trouble doing this? >> right. a lot of it is cognitive function such as memory, problem solving, something called executive function like planning so basically the ability to do all those four things gets you four points. it's a good screening test for early dementia.

>> if you have someone that doesn't do well on this one, get them to a doctor. >> yes and checked for dementia. >> this is for the eyes. >> macular degeneration, one of the most common causes of visual loss. over the age 50 look at a window frame, preferably like a french door or something with a lot of frames where you can see vertical and horizontal lines, cover one eye for 30 seconds and the other eye for 30 seconds, any distortions, bowing out, waving, moving parts could be a sign of early visual loss. get that evaluated. >> good idea. this is called the wobble test, but this has to do with the thyroid. >> this has to do with the thyroid. in this test you're basically holding your hands straight out and you place a people on it and you want to see whether or not you see any trembling or shaking. the paper on there actually helps to bring that out. could be a sign of something called hypothyroidism where your thyroid is revved up. anxiety, asthma medications, too much caffeine can also cause this, also something called benign essential tremor. not specific or sensitive for

this diagnosis but a lot of endocrinologists use this to screen. >> and finally artery health that will take 60 seconds as well. >> something to screen for something called peripheral arterial disease, vascular disease in the legs. lie superine, lie into the on a bed with your legs elevated 45 degrees on a cushion and keep them there for about a mincht and then you hang them over the edge of the bed. if your legs get very pale when elevated and take a long time to -- to get their color back, it could be a sign disease, risk factors, diabetes. >> great information. one of the crew guys can help savannah and natalie get up. good. coming up next, the way that one little girl tried her best to extend her christmas vacation. record. the history made by "star wars" and jennifer lopez on the role

and how kids changed her

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mmmm mmmmm mmmm, mmm, mmm mmmm, mmm mmm, mmm! mmmm, mmmm mmmm, yoplait (trap door opening) rootmetrics in the nation's largest independent study tested wireless performance across the country. verizon, won big with 153 state wins. at&t got 38, sprint got 2, and t-mobile got zero. verizon also won first in the us for data, call speed, and reliability. at&t got... text. stuck on an average network? join verizon and we'll cover your costs to switch. 8:13. we're back now with the first official trending of the year.

the headline bagel scoopers ruining new york city. if you are new to bagel scooping matt will demonstrate. you say you've been known to do this. >> you use your finger and get the bready part out. >> less carb thing. >> exactly. >> scoop it out. you get less bread. that's not the reason i do it. >> why? >> it's a vessel for the cream cheese and the butter. >> you are saving a couple of calories i think. >> you put more butter and cream cheese. >> because it's like completely to what a bagel should be. if you have a bagel be all in. the article says you might as well eat your pizza with a fork. i eat pizza with a fork. >> order the flat stanley. a flagle. >> i like it -- the part i like is that part. >> i like the doughy inside.

scooping as matt is, joy bauer is here with her diet cleanse of the new year. >> there you go. >> next up the secret to getting on dad's good side. a survey uncovered the top things that make dads grumpy. some of the things that made the list. being treated like an atm, bad manners, and always getting socks for presents. coming in at number 2, traffic jams. not just a dad thing. but the number one thing that gets dads grumpy, people in their houses who leave the lights on. >> yes. by the way, this list could have been like 50 years ago or today. >> doesn't matter. >> with the thermostat. keep jacking the thermostat up. >> i walk through my house and every light in every room is on. >> you have a pool you might keep the heat on and that costs you. but we worry about the light in

>> heater in the pool. >> can we come over? >> we don't care about. >> you pour all of that avion in the pool. what about the valet? >> you cannot be wasteful. these make croutons. >> there you go. >> chicken feed. >> toast them on the pool heater. >> do that too. >> how many times have we heard beauty is only skin deep. inside counts. that is true but not if you are try to get seated at a restaurant. a documentary in london tested the theory, female models hit up three restaurants, all seated, guess where, at the front. prime seating. >> unbelievable. >> i'm shocked. then, some what they call not so attractive men were september innt in, in the back or not given tables at all. >> not shocking at all. >> especially in new york.

>> carson spent time in los angeles. that happens. >> yes. >> the big thing is have the line outside to make it appear like it's crowded at a restaurant or club. there could be few people inside. >> it's the beautiful cars out front too. same thing. >> i think we can all agree that the first monday after the holiday break can be rough. check out one little girl and what she did. her name is cara. and in an adorable attempt to prolong her winter break cara gave her parents a letter she said she found in the mail box. it reads, the school company is taking a brake so the kids will get one more week of school off and we will need your child to sign their name here. >> official stamp? >> absolutely. >> a-plus for creativity. >> this is cara's report card. a, a. >> on to the latest box office

record for "star wars" and a crime show that has fans speaking out. >> let's do it, first "star wars", starting off with another box office record. "the force awakens" raised $88.3 million in the third million. its domestic total $740.3 million. it beat "titanic." it is now the second highest grossing movie ever. still in one, "avatar", $760.5 million. "star wars" expected to overtake it in the next couple days. >> have you seen it? >> i saw it this weekend. great. >> coming up next, watching this yet? i haven't seen it. talking about making a murderer. if you don't know about it the latest craze. following the case of steven avery released after being exonerated only to be arrested and convicted of murder. he is serving a life sentence

without the possibility of parole and now fans have spoken. tens of thousands signing online petitions in his favor. more than 156,000 signing a free steven avery petition. and more than 19,000 petitioning the white house for a presidential pardon. the white house i think 100,000 signatures by january 16, then the white house has to respond at least publicly. that's going to be interesting. ricky gervais, returning for his fourth awards show, and already apologizing in advance for his actions that he hasn't done saying because i can see the future i'd like to apologize now for the things i said at next week's golden globes. i was drunk and didn't give -- live at 8:00 eastern, 5:00 pacific here on nbc. >> good teaser. >> we're going to hear more on this program on friday here on "today."

and i on the red carpet hosting the preshow and have a wrap of the winners and the fashions and much more next monday morning. >> you love the fashions. >> al's got a check of the weather. i like your fashion, the thin corduroy. >> we have got some lake-effect snow to talk about. cold air coming in. look at this, we're going to be watching generally this -- these bands of snow showers coming across the great lakes from michigan all the way into western new york, basically about 4 to 6 inches of snow. but this is something we don't see a lot, ocean effect snow. that's right. especially right there in eastern new england. from boston, providence town, on into nantucket. we could be looking at about 2 too 4, some areas 6 inches of snow that comes off the ocean

that's what's going on and that's your latest weather. >> thank you. jennifer lopez of course one of the busiest stars on the planet. adding more to her schedule. natalie recently caught up with her. >> she is joining the family, starring in shades of blue, a new police drama here on nbc. it's the latest endeavor for one of the most successful well known brands in entertainment. jennifer lopez is a power house

from music to film to fashion. now she is returning to television in the new nbc drama "shades of blue." >> you play a detective, tough as nails. >> very tough, single mom. >> lopez play as single mother and resource detective who becomes an fbi informant against her own unit. >> i loved about this story and this piece mostly that it was very human, you know, that people at the core are good but we do things that are questionable all the time. we make bad decisions, then we have to live with them. >> opposite her ray leota. >> every betrayal begins with trust. >> did you train with the nypd? >> i played so many cops so i know a lot about it, but it's

not so much about cops, as it is about the world and about human nature. >> from the small screen to a recent block buster at the american music awards the 46-year-old continues to wow audiences. dancing for seven minutes to a medley of the year's hits. >> you killed it. it was intense. what does that mean to be an inspiration to many of us in our 40-plus years? >> it's important since i was in my early 20s that there was a moment they were going to try to write you off. don't write us off at a certain point. we have so much to offer. i feel like i knew nothing in my 20s but i thought i knew everything. in my 30s i knew nothing. like i didn't know anything. then in my 40s now i feel like i'm starting to accept myself for who i am. >> as if she isn't busy enough lopez will headline in las vegas later this month. >> your name in the marquee. >> awesome. i know.

it doesn't seem like it's the right name but it works. >> it is the right name. are you ready or rehearsing? >> we're not ready. getting there. >> what is the show going to look like? >> i think vegas gives you aee neek opportunity to have a more intimate experience with your audience. i want them to know me as a person and artist and as an entertainer when they leave there. there. i really feel that embodies who i am as an artist and person. that i really give all i have to everything that i do. >> including her most important role, mom to 7-year-old twins max and emmy. >> it made my life better, one, but i think they just change your perspective on the entire world, you know, how you look at life. that was a big kind of epiphany for me. they helped me grow as a human being.

we should mention shades of blue thursday here on nbc. features a star-studded kagscast. more in the next hour as well. >> we love jennifer. isn't she amazing. we love her. >> coming up al is going to get personal with his wife debra, they have a new book, we'll get advice when it comes to marriage, kids and more. >> we'll get personal with eva longoria as well. you have a preference? >> i said no, i don't have a good side.

photographer said this one -- america is not just electing a president, we're also electing a commander in chief. that choice matters. because strengthening the economy, making healthcare more affordable, raising incomes. all of that depends on us being both secure at home and leading the world. i will get up every single day and do whatever it takes to make sure our country is safe and strong.

good morning. nice to see you. hi. 8:30 now on this monday morning. it's the 4th of january, 2016. here we are in the new year. beautiful. is that what this is?

>> coming off the roofs. >> i didn't even recognize them. snow flurries are here. >> festive. i like. coming up. starting off the new year right when it comes to the food you consume. joy bauer will be here to tell but a few things. if you eliminate these from your diet you'll have a much healthier new year. >> plus the lovely eva longoria is here to open up about her new comedy and upcoming walk down the aisle. >> logged into your computer. >> all right. >> i forgot to clear history. i'm in trouble. and a very special guest shares his family's wisdom, our own mr. al roker. >> i don't know about wisdom, but my wife deborah and i teamed up for a new book called "been there, done that" sharing some of the life lessons we've learned from our friends including some of the folks here on the "today" show and families as well. >> all right. >> look forward to that. first, let's get the forecast. >> all righty. here we go. a look into the week ahead. going to be a wet one out west

snow showers around the great lakes. by the time we get to the mid-week period we are looking for more snow showers in the upper great lakes. out west a lot of snow. latter part of the week icy conditions in the upper midwest and snow through the plains, wet weather mid-atlantic states. look at temperatures, below normal early week and mid-week it warms up again in the northeast and upper midwest and below normal out west and look late week much above to above normal temperatures even half of the country.

that's what's going on around and that is your latest weather. savannah. >> all right. al, thank you so much. here we go. we are launching our special series start today to healthy. begin 2016 on the right foot. all month long we'll get helpful tips on food, fitness and finance. here to tart it off is nutritionist joy bauer. i'm ready for detox. tell me what we're doing. tell me about the cleanse. >> the rules of the game. this is the overview. the foods to lose. there's four main food groups so let's go through them. we have white starch, fatty meat, sugary drinks, salty foods, fried anything, candy, milk chocolate and sweetened dairy, things like sugary yogurts and chocolate milk but don't worry because the foods to choose is even longer, so the foods to choose now include

produce, fruits and vegetables, lots of whole grains, eat whole grain bread and pasta and brown rice. leaner meat, fish and sea foods, nuts, seed, dark chocolate and unsweetened plain dairy. i know there's some sweetened yogurts that you see. if everybody goes to the website today.com i have all the results of the game and sample menus, you name it. >> you do great with the meal plans to make it easy. >> yeah. >> now we'll do a little experiment with our friend chloe cleanse. >> this is chloe cleanse. >> hi, clowy. >> started 2016 feeling really out of shape but she is inspired and she's motivated to make major changes, so i'm going to walk through three tips, simple everyday things that everybody can do, and you are going to watch and marvel at how chloe is going to completely transform. >> okay. >> so the first tip is i want everybody to ditch the white bread and rolls and sub the whole grain counterparts. automatically be fueling your body with better stuff. >> okay. >> let's take it one step

further, when you have the whole grains, i want you to pick out, scoop some of the inside out because every time you do this, savannah, you'll save yourself about 100 calories. if you did this just five times a week throughout the month of january, you'll save yourself more than 2,100 calories and the equivalent of this. >> ta-da. >> chloe is going to continue to do this throughout the she's now going to drop 7.5 pounds. although it's a subtle change i'll tell you she's thinned out her hips and trimmed a couple inches off her belly. that's the dangerous fat. she reduced her risk. >> scoop it out. not all of it. >> just some of it. >> what is chloe's next? >> every day to lose a sugary beverage. we're talking sodas and sweetened teas and even fruit juice and fruit drinks, instead have a refreshing glass of water.

this is pretty huge. look how i jacked this up. >> refreshing glass of -- wait for it -- water. >> the payback is phenomenal. if you do this for the month of january, you save yourself the equivalent of 8.5 cups of straight sugar which is 550 jelly beans. and, chloe's going to continue to do this throughout the year and she will now drop another 23 pounds. so look at the total. now she is markedly thinner. >> she is. i barely recognized her. >> wait until the third tip. >> good, breakfast is served. >> three is swap out the fatty cuts of beef for leaner versions. instead of prime rib, i want people to choose leaner. instead of wings, skinless poultry. instead of fatty pork chops, lean pork tenderloin.

if you are able to do this for meals, five times during the week, at the end of the month or the end of january you're going to save yourself more than 10,000 calories and more than 1,000 grams of fat. that is equivalent of 12 sticks of butter. >> wow. that's impressive. what is lean beef? >> sirloin, fillet, you can get -- you have to look in the store. if you don't see a lot of marbling you know it's lean. >> are all pork chops fatty? >> most are very fatty. the majority of the sfat around the bone. chloe has been doing this throughout the entire year. she saved more than 123,000 calories and dropped another 35 pounds. so to put this into perspective let's look at her before the journey and then we'll look at her after. look at that. >> wow. >> that is a marked change. she went from unhealthy out of

shape to fit and fabulous. >> i would say she is too thin. >> cholesterol is down, boosted energy. so my start for everybody is to ditch the white starch, sugary beverages, the fatty meat and you'll lose weight, boost your energy and feel better in 2016. i promise. >> thank you so much, joy. we'll see you a lot. if you want to go on our website joy has the plan, the whole thing. check it out. tomorrow, jenna bush hager and exercise excuses. been there, done that, al and his wife, marriage, family and

first, this is "today" on nbc. cordes: most nurses are tough. they're problem-solvers. they like making things better.

people don't have access to healthcare because they just can't afford it. bernie sanders understands how pharmaceutical companies and major medical companies are ripping us off. bernie tells the truth, and he's been consistent. he understands that the system is rigged, and he's the only one who can bring real change. i'm bernie sanders, and i approve this message. we're back now at 8:30.

who teamed up with his wife of 20 years deborah. >> it's a clerk of stories told from each other's perspectives on everything from raising kids to keeping the spark alive and like most couples al and deborah don't always agree. >> we have a lot of conflict over these trips that we have to take for work. boast us travel a lot with our jobs. >> i think it's okay if you're not there every minute. the time. i will take the very last flight that i can take to get to where i need to be and take that first flight back and get home because somehow i feel like i'm a better mother if i do it. >> i try to tell deborah, look, take an extra day, get a massage, you know, see some friends. >>able, on the other hand, well, he'll leave sunday before he needs to be there on monday because he wants to have a nice dinner. it just sort of grates on mow he doesn't feel the get i feel. >> we're in the same business

i'm weather and goofy stuff. >> i'm going through research about, you know, somebody, some expert i'm interviewing the next day and i'm underlining and making notes. >> make notes. i'm going out to interview the cast of "black list." we do the same things but we don't do the same things. when we with leila it became a difficult point in our marriage because i was already working mornings, and abc came to her and said we'd like you to do the news person's job on "good morning america." >> an opportunity that i had dreamed about, prayed about. >> we have a brand new baby. somebody needed to be home with her in the morning. >> i was really, really surprised about how conflicted i felt inside. >> so deborah decided to step back. you know, her career suffered some for it, and, you know, you always feel guilty about that.

>> i admit deep down in my hearts hearts i felt that i've sacrificed more but i think he's also listened to me, too, and try to feel a little bit of my pain. i love my husband dearly. he is the most wonderful man i know, but he calls me too much on the phone. >> i drive my family crazy because i call all the time, and i may not actually have anything of any great import to say. >> how did it go this morning? how are you can the santa ana winds a okay. everybody get off okay. dog good? yeah. why are you calling? >> i just like touching base. >> which is beautiful and sweet and romantic, but i say to al all the time it would be so much more meaningful if we had the conversation later in the day. then i can actually be relaxed and hear it. i'll find it actually funny. >> even leila, my 17-year-old, is there something you wanted dad? i just wanted to hear your voice. >> okay. bye. you know. it's like -- i guess that's not good enough. okay. sorry. >> i still don't know everything al put in the book. i'm kind of nervous. i guess i should probably read

it. >> i don't think that you want to necessarily admit. >> that's true. >> on camera that you haven't read the book. >> i didn't say i haven't read the book, haven't read all the chapters. so consumed with my chapters. >> that's half the book. wait a minute, i'm half the book. you only read your half. >> and i read some of yours, by didn't read everything so i'm kind of worried. i don't know what's in there. >> i love the fact that he tries to take things in stride in a very warm and funny way. >> you're a very compassionate person and i think she's instilled that in our kids and a lot of it has rubbed off on me. >> oh, thank you. >> way to end there, al. >> i know. >> have you read the book? i have read both. i actually have, and there's one chapter where we talk about my driving because i -- i'm not a deborah is. she's like mario andretti at the brickyard, and that's when we fight so i just decided i don't drive anymore when we're together, and the kids -- >> she does the driving. >> she does the driving, and the kids even talk about it in the

book. they are like it's just horrible being in the car with the two of us. >> i'm glad you got to do this today before you leave tomorrow for the golden globes. >> wants to have a nice dinner so he leaves early. >> >> i'm team deborah on that one. >> so am i. >> but you should be more team al. you should take an extra day. >> i'm team deborah. >> the book is "been there, done that." up next, eva longoria on the big new projects in her life, a new show and an upcoming wedding, but, first, this is "today" on nbc.

huge wedding, huge, huge. we're back now. it's 8. 47. here we have eva longoria, star of the new nobodies comedy "telenovella" playing a spanish soap star who doesn't speak spanish and to top it off she

take a look. >> ah. take that. i won. >> okay. >> but you know what? >> it will be easier. >> hold hon. >> we can do it. >> yeah, yeah, hold on. here we go. okay. yeah. okay. that would have been a lot easier. >> eva, good morning. good to see you. >> good morning, good to see you. >> so great to have you back on nbc. >> oh, thank you. >> and this is getting some great reviews. >> amazing. >> people are really excited about it. >> yeah. >> what made you want to do this show? >> oh, my gosh, developing it in my production slate, and when the first draft came in, it was so funny. the part of anna so yeah, she's vulnerable and crazy and it's justified. >> but you weren't originally supposed to star in it.

>> no. >> but you kind of fell in love with anna. >> i fell in love with anna sophia, plays a spanish soap star who does not speak spanish. >> i love that. >> that was my life growing up. i'm latina but i didn't speak spanish, i've learned it since, but it was like i was always a fish out of water in my own culture and she is that, and she's very funny, and, you know, i knew would i go back to tv one day but the bar was set so high from "desperate housewives" that i was like i don't know, i don't know. i was a little gun shy and i loved the time off. >> i was going to say. that's not too bad either. >> yeah, yeah. >> you've got great co-stars in the show. >> yeah, yes. i have amazing co-stars, dine far mar yaia plays my best friend, like the lucy and ettel. i'm getting in travel and she's pulling me out of it. we have a big pop star, big musician from the latin world and now he's kind of crossing over and just a dream to work with.

didn't you work on "the young and the restless? ." you bring any of this? >> a lot. mark cherry said the different between daytime soaps and primetime, in daytime soaps the men are the divas, in daytime the men are the ones who are like the jerks. >> and then you go to primetime and then it becomes the women. >> in this show your ex-husband, not only do you not speak spanish which i guess is kind of an obstacle when you're in a spanish speaking "telenovela". >> my ex-husband comes on the show and chaos ensues. all of these characters could be in a dentist's office, like how do you work with somebody you hate. how do you work, you know, a younger person anything at your heels, trying to take your spot? you guys know that here at "today," right? >> there's no drama in television. what are you talking about. no way. >> carson's vying for everybody's spot, i know it. >> he is. he is. diva, biggest diva here. all right.

time to get all up in your business. congratulations. >> thank you. >> you recently got engaged. >> you recently got engaged. >> tell us about your man. >> he's amazing. he's gorgeous and really the kindest human being i've ever met, and -- and he's really private so i never talk about him because he's like don't talk about me. >> oh, no. >> yeah. >> we don't want to be the source of your first fight. are you planning like a big wedding or are you doing something low key? >> we haven't even discussed it. i'm still in the glow of the engagement. it was such a surprise. it was in dubai in the desert so we're still like absorbing that, that moment. i'm still applauding him for how beautiful and amazing it was. >> oh. >> then we'll talk about, you know, the big fat mexican wedding. >> ever notice that you're dating someone and the question is when are you going to get engaged and the question is as soon as you get engaged when are you going to get married? >> and then when are you going to get divorced? >> let life happen. >> they put you together before you're together and break you up

before you're broken up. it's a lot of fun. >> happy for the show and, of course, your personal life. >> thank you so much. >> eva, good to see you and "telenovela "premiers at 8:30, 7:30 central time right here hon nbc. back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc. days after the paris attacks, senators came together for a top-secret briefing on the terrorist threat... marco rubio was missing - fundraising in california instead. two weeks later, terrorists struck again in san bernardino... and where was marco? fundraising again in new orleans. over the last 3 years, rubio has missed important national security hearings and missed more total votes than any other senator. politics first: that's the rubio way. right to rise usa

on average, it takes three hundred americans working for a solid year, to make as much money as one top ceo. it's called the wage gap. and the republicans will make it worse by lowering taxes for those at the top and letting corporations write their own rules. hillary clinton will work to close the wage gap. equal pay for women to raise incomes for families, a higher minimum wage, lower taxes for the middle class. she gets the job done for us. i'm hillary clinton and i approve this message. >> all right. still to come on a monday morning, more with jennifer lopez.

little more revealing. also, more about al's book and deborah's book. >> and america ferrera. >> will be with us as well. >> breaking, deborah has read the book. she has now read the book. >> yes, she has. >> i think that's funny that she just read her part. >> her chanters. >> as far as she's concerned that's the best part of the book, her part, and she's not wrong. >> got a lot more coming on a

local news and weather. > this morning on "today's take" surstar jennifer lopez on her newtvhow and the two life then, al and his wife deborah get personal opening up about their 20-year marriage. and from the new comedy superstore emmy winner america ferrera is here. all that and more coming up now. from nbc news, this is "toys's take" with al roker, natalie morales, al roker and tamron hall live from studio 1a

in rockefeller plaza. welcome to "today" on a monday morning, january 4th, 2016, the first monday of this year. i'll willie along with al, natalie and tamron. good to see you. >> good crowd out there. >> back together on friday o new ar'sday, but we were a little groggy, let's be honest. i feel like this is the day here. >> back for the new year. >> and ready, boom. >> people on social media had a time with our new year's day show. >> because i was -- >> whatever we did. >> i was in new york, and then very quickly thereafter i was in pasadena for the rose parade with hoda. >> you teleported. >> you're avatar and even after i said the new year's show was on tape they still didn't quite -- they were still confused. >> you were brave. and my favorite float was the one from the university of iowa. i don't know how you feel about that. >> yes. i -- i mistakenly said iowa state. >> oh, boy. >> you would have thought -- >> and then they lost their game, right?

>> that was the best part. so i was the subject of two waves of tweets. the first tweet, group of tweeting, was that i was an idiot because i mis -- i said iowa state instead of iowa. honest mistake. i corrected it, okay. get it, okay, done. thank you. then after they got blown out i got all these tweets it's al roker's fault. he cursed us by calling us iowa state. >> oh. >> so it was like wow. >> i think there's a way to remedy this. take a trip up to the campus. let's have a huge pep rally. >> okay. >> sure. >> they love me. >> they love me there. >> a way to make amends, come on. >> there you go. >> that i have the power to take a school and crush it. >> so you're the king-maker. >> at rose parade. >> you and carly fiorina who was also blamed for that because she tweet that had she was not going to road for her alma mater stanford, rooting for iowa that day, they shade she was pandering and when iowa lost

blame. not a great stanford thing. >> i am announcing i'm going to be her running mate. >> the there you go. you heard it here. >> start it now, twitter. you heard it. >> just withdrew from the race. >> dropped out because of roker. let's talk a little new year's eve. >> yeah, yeah. we just had a little home soiree with the kids. >> tony bennett there. >> with lots of kids. cider. >> they all stayed up. they all made it. i didn't, on the other hand. i made it actually. no, i did. surprisingly. we had a little party, little dinner party with neighbors and it a good time. >> mr. roquer? >> i was at parade, hoda and i at the parade. >> great pic. >> great smile. >> and took the kids, thank you, and my nose and nephew went to disneyland and had fun.

>> the weather was terrific, lovely, lovely. >> nice for the parade. >> you were skiing. >> that's right. >> you were. >> making moves -- >> i was skiing. >> on the slopes. that's what they call them. >> i don't know. i've never been. >> the things that go downhill. >> on the hill. >> and you get the sticks on your feet. >> i said i've never been so i live through you and your ski trips if it's not in a prompter i don't often know. is that in the prompter, i just saw willie ski. hit the slopes. >> put some wood on your feet and you go down as fast as can you. >> wow. >> actually hey maizing. >> sunrise. my hotel window and every morning i saw that. >> in utah. >> deer vale, just absolutely beautiful. so pretty and as i was skiing one day i came up on a trail and had to take a picture, appropriate for this election year. there was the trump trashlgs it was the most beautiful and luxurious. >> built a wall. >> and the arrow pointing up, like his numbers, going straight up.

>> green trail so it's easiy. >> nice beautiful. >> what were you saying, competitive, natalie, an easy trail. >> i wasn't saying let's go skiing but if you want to. >> green trails you were on. >> i was with the kids. so i was with this white stuff and you were where the sun was in a warm place. >> i walked in. al is like look at you all milk chocolatey. >> i was in a beach in antigua in a place called tamron hill. >> goes to places named after her. >> limits me to one place. christmas wearing our pjs, allegedly pjs, my niece and nephew gave me cowboy sgloots what is in that? >> liquor. >> rum, maybe? >> and then this is the favorite picture of my holidays. stop laughing at my life. it says you can't scare me. i'm from texas. that is cute. >> i think she's afraid of you

in the pajamas. >> those were from my cousin and i took my 19-year-old nephew did, a vacay for the first time together and i thought about the three of you a lot. we have children and i don't and here i am with isaiah this, 19-year-old, we talk every single sunday, and i really got to know this kid in a different way. he was so outgoing. we went to a party that was like arabian nights themed holiday party and this woman came up to dance with him and i thought he's never going to do it and he jumped up and the crowd went craze. okay, little isaiah. i still remember the 3-year-old, not the 6'2" 19-year-old. >> a handsome young man. >> such a sweet kid and he's going back to college soon. >> that's pretty cool. >> the fireworks on the beach. >> and every person who approached him, yes, sir, no, ma'am, yes, ma'am. your parents did well in my corrupting you. so it was a fun family vacay. >> excellent. >> some of your pictures to show us what you did, too.

>> #today'stake. a lot of you made resolutions and sometimes people make very lofty resolutions especially mark zuckerberg. always set out to do the impossible such as learn mandarin in the span of a year. he resolved last year to read two books a month and also to meet a new person every day, so this year, what do you do if you're mark zuckerberg, what's your new year's resolution? well, he wants to create an ai, artificial intelligence, that will control everything in his home just by his voice. >> like varris in "iron man." >> i want this, but what i love, not just jarvis which would be amazing, but in response to that people on facebook were saying want to use a road. i keep telling my grand daughters to date the nerd in school because he may turn out to be the next mark zuckerberg and thanks to family and friends i've reconnected to classmates and family.

encourage them to be the nerd in their school so they can be the next successful inventor. >> nice. >> and firing all of us. be the nerd, right, and he's -- they are raising their beautiful young daughter, max, he and wife priscilla chan posting this picture as well wishing everybody a happy new year. look how gorgeous she looks in the little dress. >> going back to the ai. >> well, they are mark zuckerberg sets his mind to it, something will come of it. >> they have some very -- >> hal on "space odyssey". >> or "the matrix," any number of movies. >> we want one in control, a mark zuckerberg would be cool. >> something that sheds the temperature zone in your house. >> they have some like that, okay, you know, you could watch your daughter which you can do on camera. >> like bb8 rolling in. >> i want bb8. >> that's what i want. >> google the self-driving characters that's ai. that's where everything is

going. keeps sort of publicly saying >>the beginning of the machine. >> i'm sure it's going to happen. >> like we have our own will smith to save the day here. >> you know, or keanu reeves, i'm telling you, you know. morpheus. hey, so if you're -- "the matrix." >> i love that you went there, amazing. >> if you're a jets fan, really not much to be happy about yesterday. >> no. >> except for this moment. second quarter bills kicker dan carp per going for the extra >> no. >> so here's what he does. he takes -- throws the helmet down and boom! >> ow. >> that's tougher. >> oh. >> that was their only bad moment, and he's okay, so that's all right. >> and they ended up winning, the bills won 22-17. >> i smell len berman. nobody got hurt. >> just cried. >> and looping it. at home now --

>> it went viral. >> i'm a giants fan so my heartbreak for the jets. needed to score, didn't happen. >> didn't turn out too well for the giants. >> no, no, that was a long season. had a couple of super bowls recently so it's good. >> how recent successfully. >> it's been a couple of years. >> when was it last? >> five years. >> i mean, i'm a cowboys fans, i can't say anything. come on. >> mr. roker. >> okay. so it is freezing out. you know what. it's actually below normal. the kind of adding insult to injury. it's been so warm, december record-setting month. so look at these temperatures tomorrow morning. going to feel like 3 in new york, 9 in columbus and 18 below in caribou. it will feel like on tuesday afternoon single digits to below zero, but good news is things bounce back on wednesday on into thursday. the other thing we're watching, el nino. it's been affecting northern california and pacific northwest. one storm, weak to us, not a big deal.

an inch of rain, but this number two storm tuesday into wednesday is going to be pretty power. if it's going to bring in heavy showers, thunderstorms, a lot of the good news, a lot of snow up into the cascades and the sierra. upwards of 2 feet or more in the highest peaks, but the rain will bring the threat of flooding debris floes into the burn areas into southern california. look at the rainfall, anywhere from 2 to 3 inches and some

we'll be watching flo >> and that is your latest weather. >> al, thank you very much, sir. coming up next, one-on-one with jennifer lopez. natalie sits down with jen every to talk about her latest drama "shades of blue," we've streamlined shipping and improved our e-commerce with the tools on fedex small business center. it's really helped us become more efficient... >>sweet. unlike this new open floor plan. >>what do you mean? well there's no privacy anymore. >>and how many times a day do i apply the ointment? nowhere to have a meeting... and it's just... (chaotic office sounds) too loud to concentrate. >>well, good job using fedex. at least we're all in this together, right? make your e-commerce more efficient with fedex. it's always worth remembering... that icing the cinnamon rolls is a privilege not a right. unleash the power of dough. .

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verizon also won first in the us for data, call speed, and reliability. at&t got... text. stuck on an average network? join verizon and we'll cover your costs to switch. jennifer lopez is an entertainment powerhouse. the syringe, actress, producer and fashion designer and author has now managed to squeeze in a starring role in nbc's new drama "shades of blue" premiering this thursday, and i recently had the chance to catch up with j. lo to talk about the new show and all of her amazing success. >> you heard them. >> jennifer lopez is returning to television in the new nbc drama "shades of blue." >> you have to do exactly as i say. >> lopez plays a single mother and resourceful detective who becomes an fbi informant against her own unit. >> go after cops who are tearing communities apart.

not the ones who are trying to hold them together. >> corruption is corruption, detective. >> i loved about this story. >> yeah. >> and this piece mostly that it was very human, you know, that >> mm-hmm. >> but that we do things that are questionable all the time. we make bad decisions and then have to live with them. >> lopez is a powerhouse from music to film to fashion. she has created an empire worth a reported $300 million. what does that mean to you to be an esoperation to so many of us in our 40-plus years? >> it's important to me being in this business since i was in my early 20s there was always a moment where they would try to write you off. like don't write us off at a certain point in our lives. we have so much to offer. i feel like i knew nothing in my 20s but i thought i knew everything and in high 30s i realized i knew nothing, like i actually didn't know anything and now in my 40s i feel like i'm starting to accept myself

for who i am. >> and she delivers. >> i try to tell myself good things about myself. >> we're constantly like beating ourselves up. like if you really stop for a serbs i'm going to tell myself nice things. like you're youthful and timeless at every age. you're amazing. you are doing really good. you have a lot going on. >> i'm going to start wake up in the morning and give myself a little jennifer lopez mantra. >> a little pep talk. you're the smartest girl in the room. you say crazy things to yourself, and all of a sudden it works. and then somebody says you're the smartest girl in the room. >> and as if she wasn't busy enough lopez will also headline in las vegas later this month. all i have is the title. >> i named it "all i have" because i have a song called "all i have" because i really feel that that embodies who i am as an artist and as a person, that i really give all i have to everything that i do. >> including her most important role, mom to 7-year-old twins max and emme. >> they just made my life better, number one, but i think they just change your

perspective on the whole entire world, you know, and how you look at life and that was a big kind of epiphany for me, having children. they help me grow as a human being. >> and "shades of blue" premiers this thursday at 10:00, 9:00 central right here on nbc. coming up next, another latina superstar. we have america ferrera. she's back on tv on nbc with a new comedy called "superstar." hey. how are you? you're going to love this one. it's such a funny show. we're going to catch up with do you know the secret to a happy home in these modern times? it's a housewife who's in control of the finances. actually, any wife, husband, or human person can use progressive's name your price tool to take control of their budget. and while the men do the hard work of making money, she can get all the car insurance options her little heart desires. or the women might do the hard work of making money. [ chuckling ] women don't have jobs. is this guy for real? modernizing car insurance with -- that's enough out of you! the name your price tool, only from progressive.

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mega store who just noticed a striking resemblance between a new employee and a mannequin. >> now i get why you looked familiar when you started working here. at first i thought you were this white dude from middle school who wore his pants backward. >> it's a mannequin of a caucasian male. if that's what you see when you look at me, maybe it's on you. >> this's something about that expression. it just kind of makes you want to -- >> punch him in the face. >> a little bit. [ laughter ]. >> thank you for joining us. >> thank you for having me. good morning. >> this looks like so much fun. tell us about your character amy. >> it is so much fun. we have a fabulous cast. amy has been working at cloud nine, we hope you have a

i got this script and i thought this is an environment i've never seen before. we've never seen this place on television with these characters who are all working class people. we have this incredibly diverse cast. and everyone is funny and we all come from different walks of life. and amy is a ten-year veteran of the super store of cloud nine. she's just getting by. i grew up watching shows about everyday working class people. so that's one of the things that drew me to the show. it's so much fun. >> i had the opportunity to interview a while back. you guys really go there, you push a envelope with subjects and issues. >> it's true. that's one of the special things about comedy.

also get an opportunity to start conversations through humor. where the show goes is surprising and deep. i'm super proud of the show. we had a great time making it. >> we heard that the hardest part was keeping a straight face while taping. >> absolutely. i waste a lot of film and a lot of time. our cast is ohso funny. we have mark mckinney. he's so funny. we spend our time laughing. >> is it true you guys shot the pilot for this show in an actual super store, in a kmart and people started to think you were an employee at the store. >> try it. put on a name tag and a vest and stand anywhere and people will come up and ask you questions. we were shooting in a real kmart that was open and functioning.

oh there's a dog in the studio. >> that's wrangler. >> looks like my puppy almost. sorry, i got very distracted. i love you, wrangler. you really distracted me from super store. >> super store at 8:00/7:00 right here on nbc. earn once when you buy, and again as you pay. that's cash back now, and cash back again later. it's cash back d\j vu. the citi double cash card. the only card that lets you earn cash back twice on every purchase with 1% when you buy and 1% as you pay. with two ways to earn, it makes a lot of other cards seem one sided. plumpify your lashes with new plumpify mascara a ginormous lash boosts lashes to 50 times the volume

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a metro shooting in a mcdonalds parking lot has landed one person behind bars and another in the hospital this morning... it happened around 8 saturday night at this mcdonalds near drake's campus... witnesses say a car pulled into the parking and someone started shooting. gunfire hit a 19 - year - old man in the leg. shortly after the shooting -- police saw a car flee from the scene and chased it into a nearby alley. they found 21-year-old antwain robinson inside with a hand gun... he is now charged with possessing and carrying a weapon as a felon... but he isn't charged with firing the gun. authorities say they're waiting to find two other possible suspects. a des moines man will be sentenced today.. after killing an elderly des moines man. 20 year old ngor makuey was found guilty of the charge last month. he faces a mandatory life

sentence. he attacked 97 year old rupert anderson and his wife in their home in 2014. anderson later died. makuey says he broke in because he needed money. he will be sentenced in polk county court at 8-30 this morning. on average, it takes three hundred americans working for a solid year, to make as much money as one top ceo. it's called the wage gap. and the republicans will make it worse by lowering taxes for those at the top and letting corporations write their own rules. hillary clinton will work to close the wage gap. equal pay for women to raise incomes for families, a higher minimum wage, lower taxes for the middle class. she gets the job done for us.

taking a look at the . president obama will meet with attorney general loretta lynch today to determine what steps to take to help reduce gun violence. the president is expected to use executive action to strengthen background checks for those who buy guns at gun shows. this morning donald trump has released his first tv ad of his campaign.

it reinforces his call to temporaryily bar muslims from entering the united states following the san bernardino terror attacks. it repeats trump's proposal to build a wall along the u.s. border with mexico. general motors is investing $500 million in the ride sharing company lift. they plan to open hubs where lift drivers who don't own cars can rent gm vehicles. they hope to develop a fleet of self-driving cars that can be summoned with lift software. fat wallet says you're in luck, that you can save money this month on fitness equipment, workout gear and sorts apparel. shoppers can find savings of 25 to 50% off such items. the website says now is also a good time to buy winter apparel. some stores offer 60% off

throughout january. it was another huge weekend at the box office for "star wars" bringing in another 88 million dollar, now closing in on the all time record for the top domestic film, a record currently held by avatar. power ball fever is heating up now that the jackpot has reached a whopping $400 million. it's the sixth largest power ball jackpot in history. no one matched all six numbers in saturday's drawing. so the next drawing is this wednesday. you've got a couple of days to get your tickets. your odds of winning are 1 in 292 million. piece of cake. let's get a check of the weather from mr. roker. >> we've got to buy some tickets. >> let's do it. >> so let's look at your weather lottery for the early part of the week. snow around the great lakes, also out west. looking at wet weather as well. sunny and cooler in the east. and snow around the upper

mississippi valley, more wet weather in texas. look how much rain and snow we're looking at out west. in the latter part of the week icy and snow conditions through the plains. we start colder than normal in the east. then we start to flip the switch. much of above normal temperatures from the upper midwest through new england. by the latter part of the week, eastern half of the country way

>> and that is your latest >> thank y and that is your latest >> thank you very much. our man al has reported from every corner of the world. his rokerthons have broken world records. now he's also an author. >> he's written a book with his wife about lessons they've learned. family wisdom for modern times. >> they're sharing the wisdom on a sensitive topic, driving. >> when she moved to this city, she was definitely afraid of getting behind the wheel of a vehicle. now, our biggest fights are because i'm not aggressive enough behind the wheel. >> i really captainn't stand it when al drives. it makes me crazy.

he won't zip ahead and take chances. >> what are you doing? come on. step on it! >> he's driving like a little old lady heading to church. >> i've come up with a fantastic solution. i don't drive in the car with her. when we get ready to go, i hand her the keys. >> congratulations on this. >> thank you. >> it's phenomenal, the candor, the humor, everything. we need to go to a master class taught by the two of you. >> no. read this book and do the complete opposite. >> i like that you give debra the keys.e deborah the keys. there's some points where you argue and others where you just say, you know what, might as well hand >> it's actually my favorite chapter chapter in the book. the kids also talk about it. there's my oldest girl courtney in the middle. >> i think it's a jedi mind strik

trick by you. >> this is not the worst thing in the world. >> you've written a lot of books before but nothing this personal. >> no. >> there's a moment where you go, oh, everyone's going to hear about this. >> i didn't even want to write this book. she really wanted to share. again, it's the difference between men and women. guys are like, okay, we've been through this. and women want to share. and women want to share, so i -- i said yes, dear, and -- and -- the only way we survived this we did not write it together. >> the only way we survived this is we did not write it together. i wrote my part. she wrote her part. >> and you get to rehearse. >> i've read all of hers.tudy the mannium here and talk about the goal though. open up about the family, the marriage. what's the goal and what >> what do you want people at home to get out of it? >> no matter what you're doing we all have the same issues pretty much.

if you're a working couple and that at the end of the day the mom is going to bear more of the responsibility and the guy is going to do what he does. but get to the place in the middle where you kind of accept what the other does and does well. and don't criticize the other. >> you talk about some of the tough times as well. there was a time that she was going after an interview and you ended up getting it. >> yes. in our work we rarely compete. i do the goofy stuff and the weather and she does hard news. this nexus happened that unbeknownst to me that i had to go for this interview and she didn't get it and it was a very, very difficult time. i mean, we had to do some couples therapy. >> did you address it head on? >> we did. it was a very difficult issue that we had never had to address before.

>> you also write about some of the sacrifices that debra has made over the course of her career. she gets her dream job and decides to turn it down in favor of being a mom. >> she suffered. she took a bit of a hit in her career. she didn't let that stop her. she's an amazing mom and continued pushing through and she's one of the stalwarts up there at abc news. >> you're an amazing couple. >> two people who truly belong together. >> yeah. sometimes it doesn't feel like that. but i think every marriage goes through that. >> absolutely. that's reality. the reality. >> have to be together to make it. >> all in the book "been there, done coming up next, want to make good on that resolution to join a gym today? >> we'll tell you what you need

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nature made. the number one pharmacist recommended fish oil brand. jane didn't like restrictions. not in life. and not when it came to watching her calories. why settle on taste? jane thought. that's why jane loves light & fit greek nonfat yogurt. bursting with rich creamy awesomeness and 12 grams of protein. all for 80 calories. no settling here. what else does jane love? that you could win a fitbit flex from light & fit. learn more on specially marked packs. light & fit. feel free to enjoy. it's the first monday of the new year and if you made a resolution to lose weight and get healthy you may be considering joining a gym. >> yes, but before you sign that contractual want to listen to what "today" national investigative correspondent jeff rossen has to say. good to see you buddy. >> are you going to be doing

>> that's what we signed up for. >> though mine is not turning up. >> we're talking about gym memberships today. >> yes, we are. >> a lot of us go into the gym and signing contracts and a lot of people want to know about the contract and so what should you do. the first thing is get it into writing. you want to make sure that every single thing the sales person tells you about is in the contract because these guys, they are commissioned-based, love them all but they are commissioned-based and may say things to you that actually aren't true to get sale. make sure it's in the contract. >> so you don't have to just sign what they put in front of you. you can amend that deal. >> also know what's in the deal to decide whether to sign or not. the other question a lot of people say can i pause my gym membership. i'm going away for a month, have a sabbatical or going on vacation or if i get an injury. you want to make sure that that's in the contract as well. that is something that not all gyms offer so you want to check on that. >> okay. you also say you want to go and make sure you check it out at a busy time. >> yes. >> to know if there's going to be a place that you'll be waiting around a lot to use the equipment.

>> a lot of people will go visit the gym during their lunch hour and it's dead and no one is really there. i can get a bike or peeves equipment whenever i want. go visit the gym at the time that you actually plan on going during the day. if you plan on going there after work at 6:00 or 7:00 at night visit the gym at 6:00 or 7:00 at are night. >> and check out the cleanliness, do they have hand sanitizer stations and all of those things matter. >> make sure the gyms are working, out of order and make sure the sanitizer machines work and towels there as well. >> what if it's not working out for you and what if you don't like the fit. >> breaking the contract. >> it's infamous. people have credit things because they try to break the contract. >> you're in a legal contract, and so what you want to do is ask if there's a cancellation period, right, because some states like missouri, for example, one of the -- at least one state makes it a law that you have a few days to get out of a c.a lot of gyms will give you 24 hours or a couple of days. >> right. >> that's number one.

check on the cancellation period so if you go home and say i shouldn't be doing that, you can get out of it. also, pay with a credit card. we always give this advice. don't pay with a debit card, credit card so that way you can dispute the charges and say it's not working out and here are the reasons and your credit card company can back you up. last resort is to call consumer affairs if you're promised something you're not getting. >> what's interesting, you have the old school gym contracts that we got to know and now you have a lot of gyms that do packages where you buy ten sessions but you have to use them in "x" amount of days and people don't realize that as well. >> that's the thing, goes back to the first tip, read the contract because nothing else matters. doesn't matter if the sales person told me, don't worry about it, it's fine, i'll take care of you. doesn't matter if jim said i'll take care of. >> cookie clubs, cupcake class. >> while you're on a spin bike, no, thank you. thank you so much. up next, all nexter size, as i mentioned, work up an appetite.

meat and potatoes meal that can feed your family of four, guess what, for under $15. we're going to dig into that and eat after this. my moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis made a simple trip to the grocery store anything but simple. so finally, i had an important conversation with my dermatologist about humira. he explained that humira works inside my body to target and help block a specific source of inflammation that contributes to my symptoms. in clinical trials, most adults saw 75% skin clearance. and the majority were clear or almost clear in just 4 months. 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.

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you can even get one-dollar copays on select plans. . on today food if you blew out the budget over the holidays now is the time to do inexpectsive cooking at emwho. brian mularkey is the executive chef at seersucker at herringbone and has a meal that can feed four for under $15. brian, good to see you, my friend. >> happy new year, happy new year and congratulations to all you parents for getting the kids back in school. mine is off. our vacation starts now. >> celebrate. >> back to, would. we're all happy. >> it's not only dinner, it's breakfast and lunch. >> i took a challenge, feed four for under $15. what we'll do here is make some meat balls, pork meat balls and we'll cut it with a little bread, our chef in vegas, geno,

putting milk-soaked bread into the meat balls and a little bit of garlic. you get your meat and potatoes for under $15. we're going to start with a couple of nice meat balls. >> ideal size of the meat balls, does it matter? >> if it's an appetizer small, entre bigger, ice cream scoops you can use also. take these and transfer them into the oven here and cook them until they are done. pork, cooked all the way through and then -- >> those are beautiful. >> absolutely beautiful. >> couple here and the idea is, so we'll take these out right here. we'll use the same pan. in the kitchen industry it's called the one-pan pickup. greatest thing in the world. don't want to do a lot of dishes so we try to utilize the same pan. hit it with a little bit of onion, a little bit of parsnip, carrots and potatoes, a little root vegetable hash. >> make hash here. >> and get the flavors of the meat ball. >> keep billing the flavor and keep going right over here. we transfer over here and now we'll add a little kale because

>> not saying good-bye to kale yet. stir that in a little bit right there, and the idea, is you know, my wife and i, we shop and shop and so much food gets thrown away. 40% of our groceries in the u.s. get thrown away so the idea was, you know, take these meat balls and do a little egg hash in the morning and have a meat ball sub the next day with the baguette. >> this is the secret weapon, the brown butter. >> the brown butter. don't need to be making sauce, brown birth, cook it down here, a nice nuttiness, do a little bit of rosematter, a little rosemary and garlic, all you need, a little herbs right there. everybody thinks you've been doing all day. >> smells great. >> it's a lot of fun to -- it's a nutritious stake and potatoes on a budget, and -- and you can transfer it to more and more meals so when you shop, think about what am i going to do with the leftovers.

pastas and saving the ingredients and, of course, it's all about this. >> turn it into a great bolognese. >> really good. >> got our dinner, there's our breakfast with the egg and the lunch is the meat ball sub- >> absolutely incredible. make it out of beef, portion anything you want, veggie if you want. >> brian, happy new year. >> brate to see you. >> all good. >> amazing recipes under $15 this week.

this is "today" on nbc. days after the paris attacks, senators came together for a top-secret briefing on the terrorist threat... marco rubio was missing - fundraising in california instead. two weeks later, terrorists struck again in san bernardino... and where was marco? fundraising again in new orleans. over the last 3 years, rubio has missed important national security hearings and missed more total votes than any other senator. politics first: that's the rubio way. right to rise usa is responsible for the content of this message. look who we've got here. >> looky here. >> happy new year. >> two headlines. number one, well, three, jenna is hosting, eva longoria and you know who is here with a brand new book out. al roker! >> oh, my gosh.

>> with deborah, his wife who wrote book.

>> big book for youdes moines police are investigating a shooting in the drake neighborhood... it happened in the three thousand block of forest avenue saturday night. police say an 19 year old man was shot in the leg while walking into mcdonald's. he's expected to be okay. officers tracked down a car that fled the scene... and arrested 21 year old antwain robinson after finding him with a gun. robinson is charged with "carrying a weapon" and "possession of a weapon as a felon." police say

they're still searching for

you got people working incredibly long hours. median family income today -- $4,000 less than it was in 1999. the bottom line of this economy is that it is rigged. what this campaign is about is to demand that we create an economy that works for all of us rather than a handful of billionaires. if you work 40 hours a week in america, you should not live in poverty.

>> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. funday monday has arrived january 4th, 2016, and jenna bush hague ser here while kathie lee enjoys a little extra vacation.