>> announcer: from nbc news, this morning, will smith on the new movie concussion that caught the attention of hollywood and the nfl. making a murderer. the netflix series that has thousands petitioning the president. and hoda shares stories that may change your life. all that cominup and more. welcome to "today" on a bone chilling tuesday morning in new york city. crowds are smaller than usual. what are we looking at?

>> brave people out there. big hugs. willie will come out and give you big hugs. >> absolutely. let them come in here. i'm not running out there. january 5th, 2016. maybe we had it coming. it was warm so long. al's morning jam? >> coldplay. >> the video is spectacular. really great. >> that's huge. >> exactly right. you know, we're less than four weeks to iowa caucuses. let's talk about who could be the next president of the united states. donald trump in a new nbc news survey monkey poll. >> could we come up with a better name? but survey monkey, opinion orangutan. >> find the back story behind that. >> survey monkey. wouldn't it be great if you went to their

bunch of chimps working everything. >> right now, all the employees are -- >> thanks, al. >> nbc news, proud of our partnership. >> that's right. >> that's right, we pay them in cash and bananas! first they poll people, then they pick bugs off each other. >> meanwhile, a reputable real poll. nbc news. >> it is an online poll. shows donald trump at 35%, holding a 17 point lead over ted cruz and marco rubio, third place. hillary clinton leading bernie sanders in the national poll by 17 points, 53-36.

hanging in there. going back to school. and spread out like a pancake. >> i felt way. and we had a nice time off down in the key, and once you are hanging

>> you want to stay? >> yes. you make up your day as you go there is nothing that you have got to do. >> you don't have to wake up at a certai that is awesome. and now it is a huge day. because yesterday the "bachelor" kicked off. >> and that is because we didn't get to to see it, amanda fils us in on what is happening. >> so this is season 20. >> what? >> season 20. >> you haven't missed a one, i am sure. >> right. no. >> and this is from the backb to find love. we think that he looks like a cross between peter br seth macfarland. >> and you know what, he does. >> look at that! wh one is the bachelor. >> wait a minute, if you shuffled those around, i am not kidding, amanda. >> and the show kicked off with the interviews with the girls, and this sis the girl they could not believ name is tee yar ra ra,

look at her interview. >> my chickens are like baby, ani don human babies, these are my babyies. i have a chicken named sheila who st in my room with me. she does everything with me. it is going to be extremely hard to leave my chicken, and i n 10 days, ever. i have to think long and hard about this, what comes first the chicken or the ben. how lg does a chicken live? what is the average life span of a chicken? >> i don't know, but it gets waccier than that, because they are all trying to get his attention. one girl showed up with a giant rose on her head. and this girl, only speaks russian, and she doing, is that

she hike ss the ball. eh, i don't know. and this girl showed up with a mini horse, because she is a cowgirl from texas. louis the mini horse. and the first ever twins on the show the go after be heart. >> that is weird. >> haley and emily. >> yes, and the girl that was the sts this girl lace. they rare positioning her as the villain. she c and very jealous already, and so at the end of the show, she got a rose from ben, and she takes bens a aside, and she says, i'm so mad at you, because you weren't giving me enough eye contact in the rose ceremony. >> i gave you a rose, and i just got done telling somebody else to go home. >> would you rather them stay? i get that, but it is -- >> i want to be clear that the issue is that i didn't make eye

>> you did not look at me once. i watched you. >> and lace is the one in the center of the controversy. >> i gave her a rose. i have a feel ing thating that the drama the girl with the draw marks and -- drama, and she is having jealousy issue ss on episode one, it is a long road. amanda's mother is here. and she has her mom here. >> she is so proud. >> would you wave so we can see. oh, there's your mom. all of the schooling paid off. >> t you, mom. thank you. >> thank you, sweetie. >> how long does it last? >> three months i think. >> oh, boy. thank you. so ellen had some fun. >> and we thought it was over, but it is not. >> and ellen and the prank fest

started out saying it was over. >> i made a resolution that i would not mess with matt lauer anymore. and instead, i will show you this clip of him interviewing adele adele. " hel to the other side >> and i never said this to a woman sitting across from me. can i hold your hand. can i see the other one? [ laughter ] >> oh, my gosh. isn't that amazing graphics group to be able to -- it is flawless, and it is like, wait a minute. >> his tongue was sticking out. >> that is the part i liked. >> exactly, that is the hot part. >> a the al album "25" is officially the top selling album of 2015, and only came out in november. >> can you imagine? >> and it is still the best selling album of the year this

so this is fun. there sis a principal at a middle school in atlantad it up is ron clark. and he runs a great school where the kids excel in all of this stuff. so he started a challenge that said, i bet you can't do it like me. so we wanted to try to dan the school. and so they took up thele challenge. here it is. i bet you can't rock like this i bet you can't walk like this you can't hit the folks like and you can't do it like me and you can't shuffle like me and they do it like me oh, you can't do it like me >> how about that? >> how much fun would that be to go to the sc part of the day with somebody like that.

>> and u youyou can get why the kids excel excel, because they love and the will lip-syncing is out. >> ande have a sneak peek of channing tatum who took on the song "frozen." let it go let it go that perfect girl is gone >> oh, my god. >> that is his wife reacting it. >> that is -- that show. >> and there should be a few surprises along the way. >> we need the to do that toge >> and houbtw about the the what-wha l nae nae. >> that means i have to learn a song, and i don't know any of these songs. all right. the stuffed bunny has gone viral on facebook. it was left behind at the adair hotel in ireland after a wedding

have of it in hopes that it would get the attention of the owner there on facebook. >> it rested in a robe. and given a spa day, and given a tour of the ground, and we are happy to say that the bunny l injected as -- identified as jelly cat, has been identified with the owner kate. so kate found the bunny, and she said she was lonely and could not sleep without it. what a sweet picture. >> we like the happy endings. >> we have got it, and we will give it away later today. spanky tuesday. >> oh, no! >> you know you love it. >> and you know who else we love? >> kirstie at hillshire farm, spice is the spice of life. that's why our craftsmen season every sausage perfectly. so you can coax out great flavor effortlessly. hillshire farm. because it's worth doing right.

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nice. she's the tv and film star who has been making us laugh for nearly 30 years. kirstie alley. >> but it is the role in the long running "cheers" that ce histo playing rebecca howe and scoring a emmy and golden globe for the best actress there. >> and kirstie has bee ove e years, and she has been very honest about it. and she has lost 50 pound, and kept it off for over a year, and she is going to tell us about that and all of the projects she is working on. >> happy new yeerar. >> happy new year to you guys. >> we had you sitting with all of the cakes. >> that is sort of funny.

>> and for me, it is day-to-day struggle, and i am the spokesperson for jenny craig, and i can go a little bit of many ways. >> and if i had that gentle accountaknow, at a first you weigh in, and you know, you weigh in every week with the consultant, and oh, my god, oh, my god, and then you start to showing off as you are getting the results. yeah, that is what i like. >> a not a paid spokesperson for the jenny craig and not to put you on the spot, but fit for you? >> yes, because the -- because it is personal. i would not do so well with counting, and we know that i don't do so well on my own, okay. and we have proven that. >> and you have a buddy. >> or like a football player, you have a coach, and you don't go running willy-nilly down

are a bad girl a a naughty girl, what is the indulgence that is the hardest thing to refuse? >> caviar. and it sis hard to obsess. and people say, well, caviar doesn't have any calories, but you put it on the eggs, and then you 40 eggs before. >> i have never heard anybody say th before. >> caviar, but we get new downfalls in life. >> and you up, don't you? >> oh, god. >> does that make you feel good or bad. god. >> well, it is in the notes. >> and i have my birthday coming up and i can collect social security and i am glad i can before it sis all gone. >> do you want to say the age? >> 65. 50 is weird. >> you can't believe it happened to you. i feel 28. i know that -- >> that is the exact age that i feel. exactly. >> and i thought that you would

to happening in life, a and so inside i feel 28, and outside i am clearly not 28. i think that who i feel like i'm -- i'm jennifer lawrence. i want to be jennifer lawrence, jennife lawrence and i'm obsessed with her, and s cut t hair "joy"nd tha ght, i cut this muc of my hair off, and i said, it i time to -- >> i love is. it is pretty. >> and oh, i am going to to pay >> what is it that you love about her? she is so real and so incredible incredible, and i just am ca and i am a stalk >> does she know this? >> she doesnit. but it is okay if she knows it, because i am a total, if i were around here, i wouldher, and if i liked her hair that

have had a star crush? >> it is on a girl, because i think that if i could be anow, who would it be, and it is jennifer lawrence, and then i'd be adele for the singer. taste. >> and i think that shows that i am older, and if i could be, and guys -- >> guy crushes? >> well, when you in the 20s and the 30s and you are picky. and i have always been very picky and no, no, and then over 45, i'd say, everybody is hand some. you know, the guys, like i see high school guys and college guys and i would not have given them the time of day, and oh, my god, so handsome? and have you seen our guy in "men "men's health." yosuf. he has a lot going on. >> surprise me with him. >> and we wi, and happy birthday to you, and congratulations. >> i think. you. i'm alive. >> and look good. >> all right. >> and coming up. do l something is

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test. it is time for brain teaser tuesday when we put your minds to work for solving a fu riddle. this is comeing from the national institute of environme it is. a baseball team won a game, and the score was 19-17 with no errors, and not a single man crossed the plate. how is that possible? a baseball team won a game 19-17 with no errors and not a single man crossed the plate. how is that possible? >> you have a few minutes to think about it. good luck before we reveal the answer. going to to be celebrating bo with where you belong. >> and from "glee" to his new

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it is brain teaser tuesday. before the break, we gave you a riddle. a baseball team won a game 19-17 with no errors, not a single man crossed the plate. how is this possible. >> two answers, could have been a woman or all the men were married, not a single man. not a single man. >> i didn't think it was easy. not to me. whatever. >> you're the one with a book allegedly. congratulations are in order for hoda woman. her book is out today, where we belong. features everyone from celebrities like leila ali and margaret cho to everyday people

their head and made a change. >> and my dear friend is here. we featured seven unique stories. one is about a couple, this is a great story who had it all, very comfortable life, they could ski and do everything they want. >> and they were young. >> decided to make a sharp turn. take a look. >> scottsdale, arizona. a picturesque home on a beautiful sprawling property, but the true beauty is with the family who lives within. >> i liked my parents because how supportive and joyful they are and how helpful they can be to me, and their loving hearts. >> the love ten-year-old quinn's parents have for their son is not lost on him. >> i have a loving family, a

>> quinn is where he belongs. but it wasn't always this way. quinn, his brother, and sister were born in haiti. >> there is a lot of children that need to find homes. >> just ten years ago, they were "those children." all three orphaned, found themselves without a place to call home. until a chance trip to haiti at the age of 51, craig realized he and his wife were ready to become first time parents. and his wife real iz dized they were ready to be parents. after a lifetime that convinced that fatherhood simply was not for him. craig and kathy ventured to haiti y of two, and returned as a family of five. >> i was wholeheartedl committed to not having children be a part of my life.

build a company with a winning track record, and i did not want the distraction of other things in my life. >> reporter: but after reaching goals and living a carefree life of golf and skiing. craig and kathy were searching for more purpose. >> i remember walking into my ve first orphanage. that entire experience which was, you noeknow, really profound. when i was in the midst of that orphanage, and then even walking a away fro orp there was a voice, this thing saying, do something. now, at the time i was not exactly sure what the something was. but, the obvious do something was to adopt one or two or in our case three of these children. that was the beginning, and now

something turned into something much different and bigger. and now 14,5, 14 and 10. and they are something different. esdesigner. >> like to design clothes, and that is my favorite thing. athlete. and quinn is a pint-sized pianist. it was not long that craig and kathy realized they wanted for others what they had on their own. so they started a foundation called "both ends burning" which is created to help thousands of orphans to live with families, they are building a global group re-examine and reshape child welfare. for kathy and craig and their three kids, this is where they belong. >> we are exactly where we belong. everythingpast, and even our

where we are right now. >> i am thankful for a roof over my head, and loving and giving family, and a brother and sister and mom and dad and all of the support i get. >> both of my parents like, they go out of their way to help other do that, and evenb like my older brother and younger brother do the same thing, so they the rub off on us almost. >> love is formed by the nurturing experience. so i think that our family is just like any other family. we have the good days and our bad day ss, and we have the challenges, but at the is still this, this fabulous entity call d called the family. and we are all better off becaus family. all five of us do understand this is where we belong, and we don't question it. >> that is so great. >> isn't that amazing. >> when i read the story, i was in tear ss at the end. it is incredible.

people that we feature, and is and some people are looking for where fay are belonging spiritually or swellintellectually or emotion ally. >> and craig was so sure that he didn't want children he had a vasectomy at 30. >> yes, i read that. >> so whatever you are looking at your change, there is somebody in here that represents the path that you need to be on, but there are a bunch of stories in here. >> and great stories. who would you say this book is for? >> i would s anybod somebody who is thinking of a second career, and somebody in the 50s or the 60s or a college trying to figure out where they want to be many their life or for anybody. and how about the hoda fans, because millions of those. and jane, thankyou. and flip up a glass and say congratulations. you have a book signing to today. >> yes, barnes & noble on the east 86th street, and if you want to learn more about the

of the book at klgandhoda.com. >> and what time, hoda? >> 7:00 tonight at the barnes & noble on the east side. >> and h you know where you knew where you belonged. head over to the facebook page and tell us about it. >> yes, we want to know that, too. >> oh my gosh, stephanie. we're, like, so goth. we're, like, goth goth. sfx: knocks on door. honey? i'm dying my hair, mom. hair dye? no, not in my bathroom! relax, mom. honey, just let me in! sfx: door rattling. no. tiffany! no. tiffany! it's just purple. teenage daughter? get scrubbing bubbles. kill 99.9% of germs and destroy dirt and grime. you only need scrubbing bubbles disinfecting cleaners for 100% problem solved. we work hard, so you don't have to. sc johnson, a family company. mmmm mmmm....mmmm mmm mmm

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most common side effect is nausea. . >> narrator: this is an nbc news special report. here is lester report. >> we're coming on the air because president obama is about to announce a number of new executive actions planehe plans to take. he will be joined by 12 people who have lost loved ones in mass shootings. chris jansing is on the north lawn. chris, give us details of what the president is about to announce. >> reporter: the biggest thing is to try to expand background checks. we know that in states that have universal background check, gun deaths have gone out. he will expand the definition of what it means to be a gun dealer because that means you have to be licensed if you have to be licensed, that means you have to do a background check. right now about 40% of gun sales do not require that. so by toughening up these regulations, they can have more

they're able to get a gun. do that, they will also have to add new fbi agents. they're also looking for money there congress to more atf agents, as well. republicans in congress and on the campaign trail have been very much against this, they say that this is the president taking matters into his own hands. chris christie called him a petulant child. but today, this is the president making his case to the american people who largely support background checks in general, lester. >> all right. and the president about to speak. he's being introduced by newtown father who lost his 7-year-old son, daniel, in the massacre at sandy hook elementary in 2012. as i said, he will introduce the president. let's listen to what he's saying. >> here with my family and vice president biden, listening to our president speak, and our

replaced with feelings of hope. and i remember thinking who will help him with this? it's a tall order. so since then, i've come to know and respect and learn from many amazing individuals and organizations who are doing good smart work in this space. and many of you are right here right now. many folks in the gun violence prevention coalition have had numerous meetings with vice president biden and president obama and their top advisers to address this issue. but we can't do it alone. and the president can't do it alone. the thing is, every gun-related death is preventable. and we need your help. we need everybody engaged in this.

as an elected if i recall ded official and a promise as a father that he would do everything in his power to protect our thags's children, to make our communities safer and curb the loss of life to gun violence in america. so today, we celebrate another example of how president obama and vice president biden continue to keep that promise. it is with such great honor that i introduce to you the president of the united states, barack obama, and vice president joe biden. [ applause ] >> the president entering the room after applause. again, there are family members

mass shootings. mark of course the father of a 7-year-old killed. debbie giffords there also. of course five years ago she was wounded in a mass shooting during an event at a shopping center. >> thank you. thank you, everybody. thank you. thank you, everybody. please have a seat. thank you. thank you, everybody. thank you. thank you, everybody. please, please, have a seat. thank you so much. mark, i want to thank you for your introduction. i still remember the first time

and the conversation we had about daniel. and that changed me that day. and my hope earnestly has been that it would change the country. five years ago this week, a sitting member of congress and 18 others were shot at at a supermarket in tucson, arizona. it wasn't the first time i had had to talk to the nation in response to a mass shooting, authorize would it benor would it be the last. ft. hood. binghamton. aurora. oak creek. newtown.

san bernardino. charleston charleston. too many. >> too many. >> thanks to a great medical team and the love of her husband, mark, my dear friend and colleague, gabby giffords, survived. she's here with us today with her wonderful mom. [ applause ] >> thanks to a great medical team, her wonderful husband, mark, who by the way the last time i met with mark, this this is just a small aside, you may outer space. he came to the office, and i

to him and he said i usually talk to him every day, but the call was coming in right before the meeting, so i think i may have not answered his call. which made me feel kind of bad. that's a long distance call. so i told him if his brother scott is calling today, that he should take it. turn the ringer on. i was there with gaby when she was still in the hospital. and we didn't think necessarily at that point that she was going to survive.

memorial memorial, about an hour later, gab gaby first opened her eyes. but i know the pain that she and her family have endured these past five years. and the rehabilitation and the work and the effort to recover from shattering injuries. and then i think of all the americans who aren't as fortunate. every single year, more than 30,000 americans have their lives cut short by guns. 30,000.

gang shoot-outs, accidents. hundreds of thousands of americans have lost brothers and sisters. or buried their own children. many have had to learn to live with a disability or learn to live without the love of their life. a number of those people are here today. they can tell you some stories. in this room right here, there are a lot of stories. there is a lot of heartache. there a lot of resilience, a lot of strength, but there is also a lot of pain. and this is just a small

the united states of america is not the only country on earth with violent or dangerous people. we are not inherently more reason to violence. but we are the only advanced country on earth that sees this kind of mass violence erupt with this kind of frequency. it doesn't happen in other advanced countries. it's not even close. and as i said before, somehow we've become numb to it and we start positioning that this is normal.

how to solve the problem, this has become one of our most polarized partisan debates. despite the fact that there is a general consensus in america about what needs to be done. that's part of the reason why on thursday i'm going to hold a town hall meeting in virginia on gun violence. because my goal here is to bring good people on both sides of the issue together for an open discussion. i'm not on the ballot again. i'm not looking to score some points. i think we can disagree without impugning other people's motives or without being disagreeable. we don't need to be talking past one another. but we do have to feel a sense of urgency about it. in dr. king's word, we have to

because people are dying. and the constant excuses for inaction no longer do. no longer suffice. that's why we're here today. not to debate the last mass shooting, but do something to try to prevent the next one. [ applause ] to prove to the vast majority of americans, even if our voices aren't always the loudest or

about a little boy like daniel to come together and take common sense steps to save lives and protect more of our children. now, i want to be absolutely clear at the start. i've said this over and over again. this also becomes routine. there is a ritual about this whole thing that i have to do.