choices, we've come to the center of the political universe today, monday, february 1st, 2016. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is a special edition off "today," iowa votes, with matt lauer and savannah guthrie, live from des moines, iowa. and good morning, everyone. we thought this day would never come, but it's finally arrived. welcome to a special edition of "today" on a monday morning. we are, yes, in des moines, iowa, joined by a lot of enthusiastic residents of this state on a very pivotal day in the presidential election. >> this is so exciting. it's an early morning for you and will be a late night for the folks if they're planning to caucus. it happens every four years. finally time to vote. it's caucus day. in a few hours from now, iowa will be the first state to officially vote for who they

the candidates have been crisscrossing the state for months. 60,000 television ads have aired here. countless doors have been knocked on. after it all, the republicans and the democratic races are neck and neck. definitely up for grabs. >> want to give you a sense of where we are. the west end architectural salvage here. nice store with nice people. everything is for sale, except the people behind us. >> they also serve coffee. >> they do early in the morning. even the desk here, if you like it, call and make a bid. it's for sale. >> we can do it on steals and deals later. busy morning ahead. donald trump, marco rubio and sarah palin will be here. >> you will see what happened when matt and i spent time on the trail over the weekend. it was fun to get out and glad hand a little bit.

>> get the lay of the land. let's begin with the last-minute push of support for the men and women running for president. we have it covered. let's begin with nbc national correspondent peter alexander and the gop. good to see you. >> welcome to iowa. this state doesn't pick the next president but they whittle down the field. you've felt the energy. even ted cruz can see a trump win tonight could make the billionaire unstoppable. >> reporter: in little more than 12 hours, we'll know. will it be donald trump? >> you haven't had a winner in iowa in sf16 years. we're going to have a believer, you better believe it. you're going to have a winner this time. >> reporter: or ted cruz? >> we need to take power out of washington and back to we the people. that is what this campaign is all about. >> reporter: or can marco rubio turn his late surge into tomorrow's surprise story? >> we are going to win this state in the general election. we are going to turn america around.

trump with a five-point lead over his rivals, a controversy over a mailer sent by a cruz campaign. labeled, voting violation, claims to be an official record with a grade of how often residents caucused. the secretary of state blasted the cruz campaign, saying it misrepresents iowa election w. trump teed off. >> i thought real estate people in new york are bad. the politicians are the worst liars. wow. it's a fraud. >> reporter: cruz remains defiant. >> i will not aimgszpologize for using every tool we can to encourage voters to vote. >> reporter: with trump's wife by his side. >> he will be unbelievable. the best deal maker. >> reporter: this weekend, the cruz into victory bus got stuck in mud, hoping it won't shadow

>> ted cruz would have visited all 99 countries by the end of the day. an overall turnout is going to help trump. evangelical turnout will help cruz. i was told the size of the gap between trump and cruz, and marco, because they want the message to be that this is a two-man race. >> peter, good to have you in downtown des moines. thank you very much. >> as we said, the race on the democratic side is just as compelling. heldry clin ry hillary clinton and bernie sanders, deadlocked. andrea mitchell is covering these final pushes until the caucus tonight. >> a tight race heading into tonight's caucuses. hilary hillary clinton and bernie sanders are in a statistical tie. on the democratic side, the issue is turnout, getting the supporters to show up.

sanders were working into the night, making their closing arguments to iowa voters. >> this is a campaign of the people, by the people and for the people. >> reporter: sanders speaking to thousands of supporters in des moines. just six miles away, it was a clinton family affair. >> senator, secretary of state and the next president of the united states, hillary rodham clinton. >> reporter: drawing her biggest iowa crowd yet. >> i am a better candidate and, thanks to you, i will be a better president. >> reporter: clinton's final pitch, experience. >> when you caucus tonight night, you're not only selecting a president, you are selecting a commander in chief. >> reporter: sanders is change, rallying young people who have never caucused before. >> join in the political revolution. thank you all very much. >> reporter: at a student rally saturday, sanders sang with the band, "vampire weekend." this land is your land

on older women, in the past, her most loyalty supporters. this time, even women have clinton fatigue. >> ultimately, it's not just being the first woman but it's being the right president at the right time. >> reporter: both camps are relying on armies of paid staff and volunteers to turn out the vote. and the clinton team has gone high tech, with an app to spot precincts where they can take delegates from sanders by steering voters to martin o'malley. >> the final poll has clinton three points ahead within the margin of error. money. sanders from millions of small donors. it could be a long primary battle ahead, especially if he wins an upset tonight. >> thank you so much. let's turn back to the republicans. we'll be talking to a number of candidates throughout the morning. first up, donald trump is on the phone with us. good morning. >> good morning.

we find out, do donald trump supporters actually turn up and vote? you're not one to be modest. are you predicting a win tonight? >> no, i can't do that. i mean, we've had the biggest crowds, bigger than anybody. bigger than bernie, who is second, i will say. but the crowds have been incredible. i i n't know. i think so. the enthusiasm, savannah, is incredible, and it looks like we're going to miss the snowstorm, which is good news. but it's going to come later. but i will tell you, it's been an amazing journey. there's a lot of love in those rooms. i would think that they would show up to vote. i hope so. >> mr. trump, there's been a lot of headlines over the last several months in iowa about you and ted cruz. yet, in the last couple of days, you're starting to hear more and more about marco rubio. his campaign is saying he has marcomento marcomentum and seems to be surging. is he a threat? >> i think everyone in the race

you don't know what's going to happen. it's politics. he's a capable guy, and he's in there running and pitching. we'll have to see what happens. he came in third in the poll, the latest poll, the last poll, and we'll have to see what happens after tonight. probably by 10:00 tonight, we'll know the results. >> right here, right now, cruz seems to be your toughest competition. you have really laid the hammer down on him. he has dropped in the polls, but he's still in there. you're still neck and neck. why has he been so hard for you to shake? >> well, i think that, you know, he's a professional politician. he's a talented guy. you know, we're all talented people. i said he was born in canada, which is true. a lot of people have a question as to whether or not he's actually able to even serve as president. it's come out loud and strong. i tell you, some constitutional lawyers just over the weekend

not allowed to be president. that's a big cloud over his head. i said he should remove the cloud by asking for declaratory judgment from the courts. you have numerous lawyers, including one from harvard, who said it is untested law. numerous lawyers have come out saying he's not allowed to run. he's not allowed to serve as president. that's a tough thing. i think that's affected him quite a bit by a lot of people, frankly. >> donald, you based a large part of your campaign on being a winner. a successful guy who knows how to close the deal. if you don't win tonight in iowa, how much does it damage your political brand? >> well, i'd like to win. i'm doing incredibly well with the evangelicals. as you know, you probably saw the numbers. they have shot up through the sky. nationwide, leading with evangelicals. jerry falwell, jr. came in

we had an amazing two days together. sarah palin, who will be on your show later, she's a terrific person, terrific woman, and she's going to be -- she endorsed me, as you know. sheriff joe endorsed me. willie robertson endorsed me. i'm getting endorsements from everybody. so many people are going to be announcing endorsements over the next short period of time because they see what's happening. it's a movement. people want to take our country back. they want to -- look, my theme is make america great again, and that's what they want to do, matt. they want to make america great again and it's what we're going to do. we're not going to make deals like the iran deal. it's a foolish deal and could have been better, if it was made at all. so many other deals. eating our lunch. japan is eating our lunch. i mean, all of them. we want to bring it back. back. >> well, donald trump, this is your first election day, so we'll be watching it with you, of course.

we appreciate it. >> thank you very much. appreciate it. let's bring in nicolle wallace. good morning to you. the question about a loss tonight for donald trump and how it damages his political brand, what do you think? >> listen, i think that he said what i was going to say, which is that this is a series of known-unknowns. i thought it was actually a sober interview from donald trump this morning with you guys. no one knows if his movement, as he described it -- bernie sanders describes it as a revolution on the democratic side -- is goingf people are going to show up. is their model going to bear out the right number of evangelicals, or is donald trump's movement going to upend the republicans? >> a little uncertainty even from donald trump himself, who is usually a ton of confidence.

>> the fact he's doing so well with evangelical voters, is that things? they can be dispososive of what ultimately happens. he's winning them, donald trump. >> i sat down with my two evangelical whisperers, friends who know the block the best, and trump? they said, it's a misnomer. evangelicals, obviously, we have a set of values but we want to win, too. their attraction to donald trump isn't dissimilar from the attraction from the rest of trump's support. they want someone who can win and see him as someone who can do that. >> we're going to switch to the democrats in a second and talk to secretary clinton. let me stick with the republicans for a second. we've been hearing so much and you have since you've been here, that there is a surge going on with marco rubio. you had a chance to get out there over the last day or so. is it real? >> i think it's real but it has more to do with what we're going to talk about tomorrow morning, new hampshire. it has more to do with setting him up to be in a strong

him as their representative, to war back and come into new hampshire. >> what about ted cruz? he has staked it all on iowa. he has money. he has organization. frankly, it's the envy of a lot of the other campaigns here in iowa. if he doesn't pull out a win tonight, then what? >> i agree. iowa is must-win for ted cruz. but they are so calm and confident. i think they're seeing something on the ground, not just in their turnout model, but in their direct line of communication with voters that gives them a lot of confidence about their chances tonight. >> nicolle wallace, thank you very much. we appreciate it. let's get a check of the early weather from mr. roker. we talked about a snowstorm moves into iowa. timing, al? will it have an affect on the >> it might. especially for folks a little in. they've pretreated the streets. take a look at flag staff, arizona. in fact, listen. thunder snow.

this storm is making its way to the east. it's already dumped a bunch of snow throughout california, arizona, and it is headed this way. here's what we're looking at for today. already, snow making its way through the rockies. now, this system will push to the east. as it does, we look for some fairly good snow falling through the rockies today. heavy snow for southern-central rockies. moves to the plains later this evening. tomorrow, we have a blizzard likely for iowa. snow falling at rates of 2 inches an hour. heavy snow in the upper midwest. out west, flag staff, denver, 8 to 24 inches of snow. the timing for iowa looks like this. we're going to start this afternoon with clouds. then by around 8:00, moves into the western part of the state. pushes in later in the evening hours. by the time we get into tuesday, it's a full-blown blizzard. snowfall amounts, the way we're looking now, des moines, about 6 to 8 inches of snow.

of 18 inches of snow. hastings, nebraska, 12 to 18. we'll get to your localanderson will be most cloudy with a 20% chance of showers. southwest breezes at 5-9. high of 65. the asheville, hendersonville area will see fog until late morning and a 50% chance of showers 11 am on. high of 60. mostly cloudy overnight

>> guys, how cool is this? the table my monitor is resting on is the hood of a studebaker 1963 daytona. >> wow. >> you had that car when it was new. >> this is my car. >> al, thank you very much. let's get back to politics here. what does caucus day have in store for hillary clinton? the former secretary of state is with us now. secretary clinton, good morning to you. >> good morning. >> you have been campaigning for about 300 days now, and today is the day that iowans get to tell you how they're feeling. did you wake up this morning excited, nervous, anxious, what? >> i woke up very excited. really energized because we've been having just an amazing

the caucus tonight. we've got such a great campaign organization. we've got thousands of volunteers. we knocked on 125,000 doors this past weekend. there's just so much excitement, and it's infectious. we're going to keep working as hard as we can until the caucuses are finally over this evening. we hope that, even though it's a tight race, a lot of the people who are committed to caucusing for me will be there. standing up for me. i will do the same for them in presidency. >> it is a tight race here. some of your democratic allies, democratic leaders, have said point-blank that bernie sanders, a democratic socialist as he describes himself, cannot win a general election, that republicans cannot wait to have an ad that has the hammer and the sickle. you have kind of tiptoed around it. but this is crunch time. if you believe it, why n n come right out and say it? bernie sanders, you may love

win a general election. >> well, i know, savannah, that is exactly what a lot of democrats are saying. a lot of elected democrats, people who want to take back the senate in the 2016 election. want to add to the numbers of democrats in the house. maybe make some progress in governors and -- >> are you saying -- >> -- state legislatures. i think it's fair to say he has to run his campaign and present his views. we have differences, and i've been pointing out those differences. i think that it's important for me to tell voters what i want to achieve and how i will go about doing that. accountable. then it's going to be up to caucus goers tonight, primary voters next in new hampshire, to decide who they think offers the best path forward to keep the progress that we've made going. >> you talk about differences, secretary clinton. seems like one of the differences, you're embracing

i was at an event for bernie sanders last night, and he said, i'm a supporter of president obama, but i find the last eight disappointing. why is he wrong? >> well, look, i've had a lot of experience in looking and learning about what it takes to get things done in washington. as a first lady, as a senator of state. and i think that what president obama inherited, an economy that was in the ditch, he doesn't get the credit for pulling it out. he doesn't get the credit he deserves for the affordable care act, something we've been trying to do -- that i tried to do -- to get us on the path of universal coverage. i think it's a difference between making progress -- i'm a progressive who likes to get things done. not just talk about it but deliver results for people. that's how i judge myself. have i done something that got 8

like i did when i was first lady. or national guard members health care. that's what you're supposed to do as a leader. i think i have the record, the experience, the know-how to get it done. i think president obama has made a great effort that has resulted in lots of positive changes for our country. >> secretary clinton, i know it's a busy day for you and your team, so we thank you for joining us this morning. >> thank you. great to talk to you. hope everybody comes out to caucus tonight. >> all right. thank you very much. coming up, we're behind the scenes on the campaign trail with bernie sanders. i just mentioned that. what he says needs to happen for him to pull out a win tonight. and then sarah palin joins us for an exclusive live interview. this is her first since throwing her support behind donald trump. first, on a monday morning,

nbc. the son of a polish immigrant who grew up in a brooklyn tenement. he went to public schools, then college, where the work of his life began -- fighting injustice and inequality, speaking truth to power. he moved to vermont, won election and praise as one of america's best mayors. in congress, he stood up for working families and for principle, opposing the iraq war, supporting veterans. now he's taking on wall street and a corrupt political system funded by over two and a half million contributions, tackling climate change to create clean-energy jobs, fighting for living wages, equal pay, and tuition-free public colleges.

and they want real change! [ cheers and applause ] bernie sanders -- husband, father, grandfather, an honest leader building a movement with you to give us a future to believe in. i'm bernie sanders, and i approve this message. we're just getting started

coming up, marco rubio will talk about his surge and his rivalries with donald trump and ted cruz. plus, tom brokaw on the importance of the iowa caucuses. do most people know the four c's of a diamond. now, kay jewelers brings you...the newest c: chocolate. levian chocolate diamonds. only levian, masters of jewelry design for centuries... ...makes jewelry with rare chocolate diamonds. save up to 20% on select levian styles, with dazzling designs that she's sure to love. at kay, the number-one jewelry store... ...in america. levian chocolate diamonds... ...for the sweetest thing in your life. every kiss begins with kay. cheers. oh! there's no reason to cry over spilled cabernet.

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at 727... happening now in greenville co.... mauldin police say more arrests could follow after a teen was killed during a shoot out in a bojangles parking lot. a judge denied bond sunday for william newton and trevonte watts. the 19-year-olds were arrested and charged along with a 15-year-old girl. the teens face several charges...including murder. police say it all started with a drug deal saturday night. they say that meeting turned into an armed robbery...and ended in a shootout. investigators say 19-year-old savon allen was shot in the head. police say after the shooting the teens hid the weapons in someone's yard. they were found after one of the suspects told them where the guns were hidden. --------------

accident with injuries blocking the road in greenwood on highway 34 at petit drive. and in pickens on highway 183 at ireland road another accident with injuries. greenville, spartanburg, anderson will be most cloudy with a 20% chance of showers. southwest breezes at 5-9. high of 65. the asheville, hendersonville area will see fog until late morning and a 50% chance of showers 11 am on. high of 60. mostly cloudy overnight with a few showers, lows of 44 to 50. mostly cloudy and mild tuesday, highs of 58 to 67 with a 40% chance of showers increasing to 80% on wednesday. greenville, spartanburg, anderson will be most cloudy with a 20% chance of showers. southwest breezes at 5-9. high of 65. the asheville, hendersonville area will see fog until late morning and a 50% chance of showers 11 am on. high of 60. mostly cloudy overnight with a few showers, lows of 44 to 50. mostly cloudy and mild tuesday, highs of 58 to 67 with a 40% chance of showers

we're back at 7:30. it's monday morning, the 1st of february, 2016. it's caucus day here in iowa. voters are getting set to take part in the first contest of the presidential race. turnout is key. you hear that sentence over and over again. guess what? turnout is great here in the west end architectural salvage, a marketplace in des moines. happy to have these folks with us, getting up early. a lot will be caucusing tonight. 1600 precincts across the state. we'll talk to marco rubio in a second. >> raise your hand if you'll go to a caucus location tonight. pretty unanimous.

first, other stories making headlines today. a powerful storm blasting rain and high winds. the storm is moving east. in san diego, one woman was falling tree. thousands of homes are without power this morning. the weather is also a concern here in iowa. a snowstorm is moving in a little later tonight. also in the news this morning, a student at the college of william in marion, west virginia, is recovering after contracting the zika virus. it happened when the student was traveling in central america over winter break. officials don't believe there is a health risk to anyone else on campus. the denver broncos and carolina panthers arrived in california last night. they're beginning their final preparations for super bowl 50. broncos quarterback peyton manning looking business like. the big talker, the panthers,

>> do you have those pants? >> i do. >> good of you to lend it to him. >> supposed to be a secret. now the biggest story of the day, politics and the iowa caucuses. marco rubio is hoping for a strong showing to compel his campaign into the next state, new hampshire. good morning, sir. nice to see you. >> nice to see you, senator. >> i thought about wearing those pants. >> trying to get votes. >> didn't poll well. >> people are talking about marcomentum. you've got moementumomentum, you're surging. that's the good news. the bad news, if you don't have a strong finish with all the talk, it'll seem like a disappointment. how are you managing things? >> we're not the front runner. ted cruz had 12,000 volunteers, spent time and money here. he has a strong iowa game so he's the front runner. but we feel like about our campaign. we're fighting and working hard and growing in the support we have. i feel positive about it.

campaigning here in iowa. it's been fantastic. it's been a blessing to be a part of the process. >> you mentioned ted cruz. you said he's been disingenuous in his attacks. he's distorted your record. he's the kind of guy, you say, who will say and do anything to get elected. in your mind, is that politics as usual, or is ted cruz doing something above and beyond what's the normal course of campaigning? >> well, the politics as usual, and that's the problem. he literally took a video of me speaking about cap and trade and cut it off before i finished my statement to make it look like i supported it. it's unfortunate. we're going to fight through it. we feel good about it. i think people know the truth. the great thing about iowa voters, they've been through this so many times, they know when you wait until the last minute to attack someone on something, it's usually not true. it's why they waited until the last minute. >> what would be a better outcome for you. if donald trump handily defeats

the top tier, or if ted cruz beats donald trump and shows that donald trump is not invincible? >> honestly, i've spent zero time thinking about that? >> how? >> i'm not a political analyst. i'm running for president of the united states. i spend my time with thinking and communicating with voters about what i'm going to do when i'm president. this country is greater than any on earth but it won't remain that way if we don't make changes in this cycle, this election. that's what i think about. i have people that work for me that thought about these things and i'll let them think about that. i'm focused on being the president and earning people's support. if you're watching tonight and you're in iowa, go caucus for marco rubio. >> i was at a trump rally yesterday, and it struck me, the people that say they support trump, not only do they like the fact he's plain spoken, they believe he can do the things he says he wants to do. they believe he can build a wall and have mexico pay for it. he can bomb the crap out of isis, to paraphrase what he said.

>> the guy is an entertainer. he's funny. >> it's not what he's billing himself as. >> here's the thing about iowa and the country, i think this country understands that if you're running to be president of the united states, you can't just tell people what you're going to do. you have to explain how you're going to do it. the presidency is the most significant political job on the planet. leader of the free world, commander in chief of the most important military and most powerful military in human history. people deserve to know exactly what you're going to do on these issues. i'm proud that my campaign outlined detailed public policy ideas on everything from student loan debt, which i care about because i had one three years ago that i thought i'd never pay off, to be honest with you, all to way to building to you are military to take on isis. boko haram is an affiliate of isis and these are the people we're in warfare with. either they win or we win. we better win the war.

for you here in iowa. nice of you for spending time with us. appreciate it. >> thank you for having me. we spent time with the voters and candidates on the campaign trail over the weekend. i caught up with senator bernie sanders, as he fought for every last vote. >> you were asking people of iowa here to start you off on nothing short than a political revolution. >> is that right? [ applause ] >> what have you heard in iowa over the last couple of days that assures you that they're going to set you on that course? >> well, there is no assurance for anything. if we have a large voter turnout, if thousands of people, many of whom have given up on the political process, many young people who have never participated in the political going to win. >> reporter: with an estimated alone -- >> hi there. we're volunteers with the bernie sanders campaign. >> reporter: sanders supporters are crisscrossing the state and working the phones.

this is kim from the bernie sanders campaign. >> reporter: all part of a final push a an essential last argument. after months of campaigning here, plenty of potential voters are still up for grabs. many coming to hear sanders one last time. >> are you decided? >> i think i'm decided. >> you say, i think i'm decided. not 100%. >> yeah. >> why? >> i was supporting clinton, but as more revelations came out about her honesty and her ability to lead the country, i feel like the commander in chief should be someone who is able to promote the american values. >> in the last few days, we found ourselves on the fence. we don't know if we're going to go hillary or bernie. >> reporter: in this tight race, sanders gained recent momentum but will it be enough. >> do you need to win to carry the momentum into a strong showing in new hampshire? >> obviously, we're going to try to win. but what we're doing is running

we're going to run until the con end. >> reporter: those in iowa who don't seem to be having as much time deciding -- >> i've been with him all the way. >> reporter: young people who are ready to caucus. >> are you motivated to that degree? >> absolutely. young people have the energy. i think young people will do it. >> reporter: sanders is counting on it. >> are you coming out tomorrow night? [ applause ] >> you'll sure they'll get out of the dorm rooms at 7:00 tomorrow night? >> i think tomorrow night, you're going to see not just young people, you're going to see working class people. you're going to see people all over this state who say, enough is enough. and, yes, they are going to come out for caucus. >> kind of an interesting circumstance, asking senator sanders questions and every time i'd ask him a question, he'd crowd. >> like this? >> exactly right. anyway, there were a lot of

said even at the late hour, that they still had some wiggle room. >> you know in the democratic caucus, there's persuasion that goes on. people will definitely have a chance to change their minds. >> no question. let's get a check of the weather from mr. studebaker, al roker. >> anybody worried about the weather going out to caucus tonight? no? all right. there you go. you have to worry if you have friends and neighbors who live throughout the mid plains and into the gulf coast. we have a risk of strong weather. enhanced risk from jackson to nashville for tornadoes, damaging winds. lots of downpours. 30 million folks are at risk for damaging wind gusts and possible tornadoes. this will be pushing through. this is ahead of the same system that's going to cause the blizzard here. it's going to bring very, very rough weather. tulsa, little rock, houston. the warm air surges ahead of the system, look for the strong storms ss developing during the day tomorrow and continuing at night. the tornado threat from western

it'll reach the east coast by wednesday, from boston all the way down into northern florida. the rainfall amounts, anywhere from 3 to 4 inches of rain in the gulf. that's what's going on around that's what's going on around that's what's going on around that's what's going on around that's what's going on around anderson will be most cloudy with a 20% chance of showers. southwest breezes at 5-9. high of 65. the asheville, hendersonville area will see fog until late morning and a 50% chance of showers 11 am on. high of 60. mostly cloudy overnight with a few showers, lows of 44 our good friend tom brokaw getting a round of applause. tom brokaw. [ applause ]

gentlemen. >> let's try it. [ applause ] coming up, we're going to find out where these voters stand with the caucuses around 12 hours away. plus, sarah palin will be here exclusively for her first television interview since donald trump. first, a i'm phil mickelson, pro golfer. my psoriatic arthritis caused joint pain. just like my moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. and i was worried about joint damage. my doctor said joint pain from ra can be a sign of existing joint damage that could only get worse. he prescribed enbrel to help relieve pain and help stop further damage. enbrel may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal, events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, nervous system and blood disorders and allergic reactions have occurred. tell your doctor if you've been someplace where fungal infections are common, or if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores,

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welcome back to this special edition of "today," iowa votes. they're too young to vote but tonight. after years of planning and months of campaigning, the first vote of the presidential race is hours away. >> chuck todd is moderator of "meet the press." political analyst nicolle wallace is with us again. good morning, guys. you've fanned out and been again. what are you hearing? what are you seeing that's going to dramatically impact the race tonight that we're not talking about? >> well, i think we heard it from donald trump himself at the beginning of the show. it is a, like i said before, known/unknown, who is going to show up tonight. historically, it's remarkable the people in other states, where they have a statewide vote. the caucuses has fewer people who participate. fewer than 200,000 republicans

par participate. it'll upend everything if his supporters show up. >> chuck? >> people said if trump went in, they'd wouldn't participate. i also heard people who haven't voted in 20 years are going to show up. the other thing you don't see, i don't see the idea there's going to be a huge surge on the democratic or republican side. there's no evidence. it tells you maybe this ends up being clinton and cruz. >> there's an irony here. sanders on the democratic side and trump on the right need that very thing. voters. decisive? >> it would be decisive. both ted cruz and hillary clinton have put together campaigns to win normal, traditional iowa caucuses. they're very, very structural, going very precision wise, all those things. it is all feel with trump and sanders. they need the surge. we don't see the evidence of it. >> regardless of outcome --

time -- regardless of outcome, does everybody move forward to be out? >> i think cruz is limping into new hampshire if he doesn't. i don't think it's decisive in nominee. i think republicans have done terribly in this state and bounded back in new hampshire and south carolina. obviously, republicans want to do well here. it's an important state. but you can survive a loss here. cruz is in a different category because he staked everything on this state. he's badly wounded if he doesn't win. >> ditto with sanders. >> who wants to do predictions? glad you raised your hand. >> i hate to bet against passion. if i had to put someone slightly over the edge, i'd say trump could pull off something historic. >> democratic side? >> i don't want to bet against clinton's history. i think when she's up against the ropes, she sometimes pulls out her best performances. >> i can't tell you how confident the cruz people are. it's sort of unservenerving how confident they are.

know it's do or die for them. he does not get the nomination without winning iowa. >> chuck and nicolle wallace, thank you very much. ahead, governor sarah palin will be here live, her first television interview since endorsing donald trump. first, these messages. with me, what you see is what you get. and i expect the same from my mascara. now, revlon introduces a new collection of mascaras that makes getting the lash look you want easy. so whether you choose ultra volume, super length, volume and length magnified, dramatic definition, or the ultimate all-in-one... the choice is yours. choose love a revolution in mascara.

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governor, nice to see you again. how does it feel to be back in iowa? >> it feels great. it feels a lot like home weather wise, and good, hard working heartland people. >> we're looking forward to talking to you. your body was made for better things than rheumatoid arthritis. before you and your rheumatologist move to a biologic, ask if xeljanz is right for you. xeljanz is a small pill for adults with moderate to severe ra for whom methotrexate did not work well. xeljanz can reduce joint pain and swelling in as little as two weeks, and help stop further joint damage. xeljanz can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections, lymphoma, and other cancers have happened. don't start xeljanz if you have an infection. tears in the stomach or intestines, low blood cell counts, and higher liver tests and cholesterol levels your doctor should perform blood tests before you start and while taking xeljanz, and monitor certain liver test

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at 757.... investigators in taylors are trying to find the person who stabbed a man to death. the coroner says 42-year-old jamie howard died after he was stabbed in the chest. investigators say a hunter found his body in a field on friday. right now investigators are trying to figure out whether howard was stabbed were he was found on burrell road in taylors...or if it happened at another location. call crime stoppers at 23-crime if you have any information. ------------------- ally - traffic accident in greer on south bennetts bridge road at thompson road. and in spartanburg on asheville highway at i-85. greenville, spartanburg, anderson will be most cloudy with a 20% chance of showers. southwest breezes at 5-9. high

hendersonville area will see fog until late morning and a 50% chance of showers 11 am on. high of 60. mostly cloudy overnight with a few showers, lows of 44 to 50. mostly cloudy and mild tuesday, highs of 58 to 67 with a 40% chance of showers increasing to 80% on wednesday. greenville, spartanburg, anderson will be most cloudy with a 20% chance of showers. southwest breezes at 5-9. high of 65. the asheville, hendersonville area will see fog until late morning and a 50% chance of showers 11 am on. high of 60. mostly cloudy overnigwith a few showers, lows of 44 to 50. mostly cloudy and mild tuesday, highs of 58 to 67 with a 40% chance of showers increasing to 80% on wednesday. greenville, spartanburg, anderson will be most cloudy with a 20% chance of showers. southwest breezes at 5-9. high of 65. thehesheville, hendersonville area will see fog

it's 8:00 on "today." coming up, politics and palin. the former alaska governor opens up in her first television interview since endorsing donald trump. >> our next president of the united states, donald j. trump. >> we'll talk with her live, as she gets set to hit the trail with trump later today. field of political dreams. tom brokaw takes us inside iowa's influence on choosing our country's presidential candidates. plus, al's iowa adventure. >> why is it so big? >> from the sweet to the stuffed to the fried, alisyn sinks his teeth into the best bites in the

today, monday, february 1st, 2016. >> welcome to iowa, "today." >> happy caucus day. hi, mom. >> welcome to des moines. >> hello to everybody in chicago. >> hi to my family in california and here in des moines, iowa, we're excited to have the "today" show. >> welcome to iowa, "today." monday morning, caucus day here in iowa, 2016. special edition of our show from west end salvage in downtown des moines. we want to thank you guys for getting up early. we really do. but there's a reason they're up early. it's not just to talk about politics. >> no, no. >> it's because, look what we have. >> oh, my gosh. >> a plate of fried dough, ladies and gentlemen.

>> oh, my goodness. fried oreos, fried hot dogs, fried snickers. everything is fried and it's awesome. >> we want to welcome willie geist to des moines on this monday morning. also, we want to welcome governor sarah palin. her first interview since endorsing donald trump. we'll talk to governor palin in a couple of minutes. first, natalie is holding down the fort back in studio 1a in new york and has a check of the top stories of the morning. good morning. >> good morning to you. the world health organization is holding an urgent meeting in geneva today to decide if the zika virus outbreak should be declared a global economy. the virus carried by mosquitos reached two dozen countries. the u.n. health agency says it is spreading exploissively in the americas. there are confirmed cases in the u.s. among people who traveled to other countries, but no infected mosquitos have been found in the u.s. a second virginia tech student has been arrested in the

whose remains were found along a north carolina highway on saturday. 19-year-old natalie keepers was charged sunday with helping to dispose of the body. freshman david eisenhauer was charged earlier with kidnapping and murder. both are engineering students from maryland. police say eisenhauer knew the victim, nicole lovell. she was reported missing from her virginia home on wednesday without the medication she needed after a liver transplant. landslides are a concern today in southern california where deadly storms moved through on sunday. a woman was killed when a huge tree fell over, crushing her car and three others. several inches of rain could cause mudslides in areas where summer wildfires stripped the hills of vegetation. crews restored power to 80,000 customers. two men escaped unharmed after a lightning strike caught on camera.

>> i'm not. >> [ bleep ]. [ bleep ]! >> oh, my god! >> frightening moments as the friends were in a shed near the dock. they'd just made the wise decision not to take their boat out because they could feel static electricity in the air, which often sends signals of strikes. one of nashville's longest running acts had a different close call. the don kelly band was tearing through its version of "ghost riders in the sky." the drummer got so into it, he flipped backward through a plate glass window. stan is okay and now owns a story that will be told over and over again in music city. let's send it back to matt and savannah in des moines, iowa. back to you. >> natalie, thank you very much. up next from iowa, we're sitting down with sarah palin for an exclusive live interview. it's her first interview since endorsing donald trump.

closer look at iowa's influence in choosing the next president. a little food, a little fun. al's great adventure to find the hawkeye state's sweetest treats. first, these messages. earning unlimited cash back on purchases. that's a win. but imagine earning it twice. you can with the citi double cash card. it lets you earn cash back twice. once when you buy and again as you pay. it's cash back then cash back again. and that's a cash back win-win. the citi double cash card. the only card that lets you earncash back twice on everypurchase with 1% when you buy and 1% as you pay. with two ways to earn,

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welcome back, everyone, to des moines, iowa, as we count down to tonight's caucuses. the first contest of the 2016 presidential race. >> and in a moment, as promised, we'll talk exclusively to donald trump's highest profiler endorser. sarah palin is here. first, over the weekend, we caught up with voters at one of trump's final rallyies here in iowa. >> reporter: in council bluff, the line started five hours before the rally did. many here, newcomers to the political process. >> i've never been to any rallies. >> have you caucused before? >> nope. >> you will for trump this time? >> i will. >> why? >> because he speaks like we do. >> reporter: a theme rally goers echoed over and over. >> he says the things that i think americans have been thinking for the last seven years. he brought it to the forefront. >> i think he is talking about what the majority of the united

>> he's just saying what the common person is thinking. >> reporter: a few attendees, still on the fence. >> are you guys trump supporters, just checking it out? >> we're going to check it out today and see. we're getting close to making up our mind, yeah. >> going with people who have experience in government. i would not hire a dogcatcher to do my teeth. i'm not going to hire somebody who doesn't know how to govern. >> you're not a trump supporter. why is it important to see him in the flesh? >> just to see what it is that he says. how would he make his decisions? what would he base it on? >> reporter: plenty of other minds already made up. >> did you ever consider any other candidate or was it trump all the way? >> trump all the way, i think. that's my only choice. i don't see anything else out there they're offering me that will make a difference. >> what i like about him most is he has nothing to lose. a lot of the other people are running because it's a job for them. i think he sees this as his job

>> are you trump voters or still shopping? >> no, i'm trump. yay, trump! >> reporter: with a possible snowstorm late tonight, will many of these first-time caucus goers actually show up? >> the snowstorm stays away, we'll go have some fun with it, yeah. >> are you super committed? >> super committed. >> rainstorm or snowstorm, you're there? >> super committed. i have 4 by 4s and 6 by 6s. i'll give people rides and we'll be there. absolutely. >> iowans are not afraid of a little snow. >> not at all. former alaska governor sarah palin was john mccain's running mate during the 2008 presidential race. she's here in iowa supporting trump. good to see you. how are you? >> great, thanks. >> did you hit yourself to the right candidate? is donald trump going to win iowa? >> i believe he will win iowa. iowa voters are ready for restoration of constitutional government again. donald trump can do this. >> you said having donald trump and ted cruz at the top of the

problem to have. >> yes. >> is it a win-win for you? if donald trump wins tonight, do you win? if ted cruz wins tonight, you've supported him in the past, do you win? >> in a sense, yes. keeping in mind, this is just a very first step in this long, arduous process. then getting into the general. we have ten more months before we actually know who will be our next president. tonight, whatever the outcome, i think the republican party, again, is in a fortunate position in having that good problem. good candidates at the top. >> this was probably a tough call for you, between ted cruz and donald trump. >> it wasn't tough. >> really? >> no. i supported ted cruz in his run for senate there out of texas. when i endorsed him, he was barely a blip on the radar screen, in terms of in the polls and what people were perceiving. at the last minute, getting in

helped add momentum to his campaign. being there in the senate, to be a fighter for the american people, for our will, i want to keep him in the senate. >> you have credibility with evangelical voters. it's one of the reasons this endorsement meant so much to donald trump. do you think that he is the godly candidate that they're looking for? >> i hope voters aren't trying to find the most christiany, godliest candidate out there. who are we to judge one other's level of faith? our christian quotient, if you will. hopefully, people are looking for he who has that record of success that proves he can get the job done for us, finally. >> is he a true conservative? he's admitted in the past, he's donated to democratic candidates, republican candidates he's donated to hillary clinton. how do you square that?

like ronald reagan who, at one point, had -- he was a registered democrat and saw the light. i think, wonderful. i'm glad donald trump is on our side when it comes to the political spectrum. understanding that free markets and capitalism and restoration of our freedom is the way for america to be restored. good. we should celebrate that he has come over on the right side. >> i want to ask you about something you mentioned on the campaign trail, which is the arrest of your son. you talked about it and mentioned ptsd. you said that president obama may be to blame for some of the ptsd that's out there. >> i never said that. >> let's take it piece by piece. what did you mean? >> let's start piece by piece. you guys brought me here to talk about iowa politics and the caucus tonight, not to talk about my kids. that was a promise. as things go in the world of media, you don't always keep your promises, evidently. i never blamed president obama.

obama in doing though is this level of disrespect for the united states military that has made manifest in cutting budgets, in not trying to beef it up and let our military do the job they're trained to do. and in specific issues we're talking about that are so hot today specifically, let's get in there and utterly destroy isis. as we know, our united states military can do it. yet, we have a commander in chief who seems to kind of want to allow the enemy to be poking at us. that's unacceptable to most americans. certainly to me. >> do you regret the comment on that day of the endorsement? >> what did i say that is offensive? >> that you seem to lay it at the feet of the president. >> i don't regret any comment that i made because i didn't lay ptsd at the foot of the president.

is -- and suggested add eded adamantly that our president needs to let the military do their job. if you have a specific quote, it allows the media to be credible if you would tell me what you're talking about. >> in terms of credibility, there were no specific promises interview. only this would be your first interview since you endorsed donald trump. >> well, i was told that this interview is about the caucus tonight in iowa, and right on who will it be to put america back on the right track and restore constitutional government that we're lacking today and we so need. i said, right on. i'll talk about that, sure. >> we talked about that quite a bit. governor palin, thank you so much. >> thank you. >> appreciate it. >> thanks. let us turn to a check of the weather from mr. roker. >> hey, guys. so this is very exciting. i've been to the iowa state fair, and i've seen the giant butter cow.

butter cow, brought our own "today" show butter cow. great to meet you. >> thank you, al. >> how much butter is this cow? >> about 40 pounds of butter. just a little less. the life size cow at the iowa state fair is almost 600 pounds. >> how long did it take to do this? >> this was about two days of welding. some friends of mine helped me create the amateur. >> there is an armature underneath? >> right. otherwise, it would collapse. two days to do the butter. >> what happens when you're done with the butter? >> we melt it and take it off. it's warming up here and i already had softening issues here. >> everybody get a bagel! let's get english muffins in here right now! sarah pratt, thank you very much for bringing that for us. let's show you what we have going on as far as your weather is concerned. two big stories today. first off, we have a blizzard that'll be developing here in

we're looking for heavier snow late tonight on into tomorrow. the caucuses will get done without any problems. we should see a little light snow. look at the snowfall amounts. they've cancelled flights in denver. 450 flights. green bay, we'll see 6 to 10 inches. lincoln, nebraska, as well. des moines, 10 inches. ahead of the system, we have got a lot of warm air and instability. we'll be looking at severe weather developing later on tomorrow as you get into the mid gulf coast, all the way up into the mississippi river valley. enhanced risk of strong storms from jackson, all the way up to central kentucky. 30 million people at risk for the storms. that's wstorms. that's wstorms. that's wstorms. that's wstorms. anderson will be most cloudy with a 20% chance of showers. southwest breezes at 5-9. high of 65. the asheville, hendersonville area will see fog until late morning and a 50% chance of showers 11 am on. high

>> that is your latest weather. matt? >> mr. roker, thank you very much. up next, too much power? tom brokaw on the critical role iowa plays in picking our president. right after this. soup and sandwich and clean and real, and feeling good, sort of. and 500 calories or less. the clean pairings menu. at panera. food as it should be.

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welcome back to iowa, everyone. hosting the first contest in the presidential race is a sououe of pride for the voters here. >> nbc's tom brokaw is here with a closer look at the decades old tradition of iowa first. good morning. >> good morning. in iowa and especially in the political arena, there is a real question about whether iowa should be the first one, by itself. it is a caucus system. traditionally, the turnout is low. the state is rural. it's not very diversifyied. nonetheless, iowans don't want to give up on it. the media plays a role in keeping iowa first. we love the small towns, the farms and the food. i took a look at the debates here in iowa, whether it should be first. >> reporter: by tomorrow, one of these candidates will be a big winner.

life support. des moines newspaper columnist thinks it's too much power for iowa. >> me main problem with it is there's not enough democratic representation in this state. >> reporter: iowa is almost all white, older and rural. but is that a disqualifier for the leadoff position? rachel is a drake university caucus project. >> this is a process and begins in iowa but then moves to other states. if iowa always picked the president, then we could just have an entire election in iowa and forget about everything else. >> reporter: there is also the iowa record. it's not a king maker. only three winners who were not incumbents made it from the caucuses to the white house. the other iowa winners went from here to also run. turnout is low, but popular

anything but traditional. >> i guarantee we'll blow the roof off the numbers for the caucuses. >> reporter: even so, the national media helped make iowa the big opening act. from the locals, the hardy meals, charming towns and cities alike. and iowa evangelicals are expected to be a big part of the surge. pastor dan berry at cornerstone family church. >> here to share with you this morning, children of god, sons and daughters, we have a responsibility to be involved in the process. >> reporter: this woman gets it all. she's lived here 25 years and loves it. when she was critical of iowa's first in the nation status, did she have to change her phone number or name? >> no. people call me at home often. that's one of the beautiful things about iowa. >> when it's said and done, i hope people take away from iowa that this is a place where,

just normal people who live normal lives, there is an opportunity for politics to be about them. they can meet presidential candidates. they can ask hard questions. they can demand answers. there's something just truly special and unique about what happens here. >> i've been coming here since 1980. i must say, the atmosphere has never been as electrifying as it is this year. nonetheless, i think in the future, why not have iowa, new hampshire and south carolina on the same day? southeast, northeast and the midwest. consolidates everything. >> how would you feel about that? >> boo! >> i was going to say, you're a brave man, brokaw. >> i knew it. in the next two days, i'll be under an assumed name. >> way to walk right into that one, tom. >> you need a food taster,

in politics all the time. iowa and new hampshire has this outside influence. should it? >> i love you have national treasure tom brokaw booed in iowa. but we've all covered these caucuses. it's a unique experience. especially on the democratic side, you get in the room and everybody stands in a group in one corner. as the second vote comes through, you stand with a different group if your candidate hasn't made it through. it's nothing else like it in politics. >> like the clicky makeup of the "today" show before we start. just ahead, the tasty side

al takes you8:27 happening today... if you are in downtown greenville today..a reminder, a portion of main street will be closed to remove the ice rink from downtown. the portion is between broad street and court street. crews will be removing portions of the rink until 5 pm today. a reminder in commitment 2016 now.. the iowa caucuses are today .it's the nation's first caucuses and some argue one of the most important. voting gets underway tonight at 8 pm our time. stay with wyff on line and on our mobile app for updates. greenville, spartanburg, anderson will be most cloudy with a 20% chance of showers. southwest breezes at 5-9. high of 65. the asheville, hendersonville area will see fog until late morning and a 50% chance of showers 11 am on. high of 60. mostly cloudy overnight with a few showers, lows of 44 to 50. mostly cloudy and mild tuesday, highs of 58 to 67 with

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we're back from iowa on this monday morning. it's the 1st of february, 2016. that sounds good. little bluegrass music from the award-winning group, lori king and junction 63. >> it's a good time to thank

to join us at west end salvage. we had an overflow and the people outside were threatening to rush the joint. time. thanks so much for standing out in the cold. >> coming up, the hard working people behind the scenes who keep the candidates running and the campaigns going all across iowa and all across the country. >> you want wild and crazy fruit creations? come to iowa. bacon-wrapped corn dogs, check. it doesn't stop there. wait until you see what i sunk my teeth into. a 4 pound tower of meat. >> tell them about the twinkie, al. >> and a fried twinkie. >> we have a little fried chickengate here. >> cheat day. >> and we're playing the

be honest, cornhole. love it? first, mr. roker, ho you about a -- how about a check of the weather? >> as we've been saying, we have a big storm coming out of the rockies, moving into the mid plains. wet weather in the pacific northwest and showers in the mid-atlantic coast for the early part of the week. as we get to the mid part of the week, strong storms along the atlantic coast. later in the week, things calm down. temperature wise, it'll get mild in the eastern part of the country. as we work to the midweek period, the warmer air stays in the northeast, mid-atlantic states then things normal out. stays awfully warm in the plains and great lakes. that's whalakes. that's whalakes. that's whalakes. that's whalakes. that's whalakes.anderson will be most cloudy with a 20% chance of showers. southwest breezes at 5-9. high of 65. the asheville, hendersonville area will see fog until late morning and a 50% chance of showers 11 am on. high of 60. mostly cloudy overnight

>> that is your latest weather. savannah? to the final push for support of ahead tonight's caucuses in iowa. >> the republican and democratic races are tight. the candidates are barnstorming this state. peter alexander has been busy, keeping tabs on the campaigns. good morning again. >> nice to see you. for every top-tier candidate, there are countless staffers and volunteers who put their lives on hold to throw themselves into the political campaigns. strategizing, knocking on doors, producing every stop and photo op. this morning, before iowa votes, we take you inside the campaign.

more than a dozen candidates, hundreds of staffers and volunteers, one prize. campaign manager danny diaz is jeb bush's bulldog. >> we're making phone calls, knocking on doors and talking to voters. >> reporter: fueled by chinese food and adrenaline. >> i hope to see you out at the caucus. every vote counts. >> my professors, all of them, were okay with it. some said they were yelliousjealous and it would be an excused absence if i brought back pictures. >> reporter: marco rubio's press secretary hasn't been home in weeks. >> you don't have time. you're constantly going and always something to do. >> reporter: then-senator barack obama's body man in 2008. >> i remember thinking to myself, i kind of wanted to vomit every day.

you don't really know what the outcome is going to be. >> reporter: arkansas native hale works for hillary. the task, to change this into a campaign stop. >> is it exhausting? punishing? exhilarating? >> it's a combination of say. i didn't sleep well last night. >> reporter: we were invited behind the curtain where he choreographs the arrival. >> say hi. >> reporter: secretary clinton is running an hour behind. even the pink arrows on the ground to make sure she comes out the right way. >> even if the world is falling apart here, remain calm back there. we want to create an environment that's good to go. >> reporter: of course, there's one critical thing. >> you always want gum. first thing you know. oh, i don't want them to get too

>> reporter: one final huddle. >> you make the remarks. >> yes, sir. >> thank you all very much. now? tomorrow. >> the pace as you saw for the guys is exhausting. sometimes making up to ten stops in a day. you've heard greg say that gum is critical also on the list. autographs. of course, the sanitizer. too much hands along the trail. this one, matt, is for you. >> little cliche. also comfortable shoes. >> no doubt. >> lot of walking in the state. >> thank you very much. a taste of iowa. al is going to sink his teeth into the deeply creative and deeply fried concoctions you'll find in the hawkeye state.

this is nbc. we've got great music to go along with, wow, what a fried buffet. al, you had a plum assignment, fried one, to taste the best of iowa. >> the hawkeye state, you cannot run for president in iowa without a stop at the state fair to sample the state's unique creations. i couldn't come here without indulging in a little myself. >> reporter: the hawkeye state, serving up politics along with iconic fare worthy of a vote. i visited three restaurants. all with high marks. everybody says, you're in des moines and you have to take home a smitty's tenderloin. let's find out why they wear the crown.

>> it's a combination of the breading and also the pork that we use. smith said his family lived high on the hog more than 50 years, selling more than 1,200 tenderloin sandwiches a week. adding 500 during the caucuses. >> why is it so big? it's way bigger than the bun. >> that's really the tradition, is to have the big tenderloin hang over the bun. >> it must be good to be the king. >> it is. thank you. >> reporter: next stop on the campaign trail, jethro's bbq. home of all things smoked. if that's not enough to appease your carnivorous cravings, behold, jethro's food challenge,

>> from what i understand, if you can eat this sandwich in 15 >> yes. >> what's interesting, they >> yeah. >> only a dozen people have ever >> yup. there's a wall of fame and a wall of shame. the wall of shame is significantly bigger. >> this is the best i can do. >> spicy pickle? i don't blame you. the fries are special, too. after a pound, it gets to be a lot. >> that's good eating. >> reporter: the final on my great iowa food asdd schenn krurventure takes us to zombie burger. >> what was the best seller? >> monte christi.e. >> even if he's not number one in the polls, this monster burger is number one. >> he was able to win something.

>> reporter: even though they say never discuss politics at the dinner table, one thing is for sure, iowa satisfies appetites and political taste. >> al, you definitely had the most fun of all of us. here to give us a taste of the iowa state fair is its ceo and manager, gary slater. >> welcome to iowa. >> you have an array of fried foods here. let's start with the corn dogs. >> the corn dogs are probably the most popular food item at the iowa state fair. we probably sell 10,000 a day to all our folks. you have the double bacon. >> right here. >> anything with bacon is wonderful, that's for sure. the big thing about corn dogs, folks, are you a mustard person or ketchup person? >> mustard. >> tell us about the fried dough. >> the fried dough is cookie dough that's deep fried. deep fried oreos at the top. funnel cakes. of course, you can't have a

they are just to die for. >> we have the huge butter cow here. savannah just asked an etiquette question. are you allowed to tough the butter cow? >> sure, go ahead. enjoy it. >> wow. it's butter, made of butter. i can confirm. >> how many things on a stick do you sell at the iowa state fair? >> we have over 70 things on a stick. about 175 different food stands. pork chops on a stick are always great at the iowa state fair, as well. >> how many days until the iowa state fair? >> 91 day191 days. come back august 11th through the 21st. >> we're there. these are from iowa city. >> i have to try this. >> from the hamburg inn no. 2. this is kentucky bourbon chocolate chocolate. >> so good. >> blueberry.

>> amazing. >> you grind up the pie? >> grind up the pie and they put it in with a scoop of ice cream. also, the pullman bar and diner. >> you picked up the phone yesterday -- >> i called cory and also nate, who is a famous place kicker for the hawkeyes. boys and girls. >> one more. >> drizzle it with local honey. >> oh, my goodness. >> oh, my gosh. >> that, my friends. >> so good! >> this is a cheat month right here. >> can we come back for the state fair? >> we're doing the show from the state fair. we're coming back. [ applause ] thank you so much. appreciate it. up ahead, another iowa tradition. we're going head to head in a friendly game of cornhole. first, this is "today" on nbc.

show. [ applause ] welcome back. we've just tasted some of the delicious foods of iowa. now it is time for good old fashioned iowa fun. >> cornhole is a huge hit at tailgates all across the state. it's a combination of a bean bag toss and horseshoes. here to teach us how to play. first from the university of iowa hawkeyes, running back travis perry. [ applause ] and from the iowa state cyclones, their quarterback, joel lansing [ applause ] linebacker? that was wrong. you're a linebacker. you keep tackling this guy. >> yeah. >> he's a linebacker. what's the basics here? >> you know, you have your teach and split up each side. so -- >> joel, you and me are a team.

>> travis? >> savannah, i think. >> you go there. savannah, you stay with me. >> savannah has never played. >> we'll be the judges. >> hold the bean bags. >> okay. >> you start. i don't know what we're supposed to do. >> all the bean bags start on one side. >> all right. we got them. different colors. take your color. >> so confusing. >> joel, we go first? >> i guess. >> alternating or -- >> alternate, yeah. then you. >> okay. >> oh! >> seriously? >> matt lauer. >> he's been practicing cornhole since 2:00 a.m. >> football. >> natural.

gutter ball. [ applause ] >> get air under it, savannah. my last one. you guys try. >> i have one more to lose. >> travis and joel, you return the favor now. now we have the big guns. come on, joel. >> travis! > travis first. >> they're blocking the hole.

>> willie, come on. >> football. >> that was very close. get in. man! >> get in. >> one more. >> he blocked you. >> swish. [ applause ] >> joel and travis, guys, thank you so much. we're back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc. >> i think you have a gift. >> i'll have to come back for

>> you're the cornhole king. we're back, kicking off our countdown to the iowa caucus. after this political event, the next big sports event is the super bowl. super bowl 50. >> it's like the super bowl. it is the super bowl. every day this week, we're going to bring you exclusive first looks at the most anticipated commercials you'll see during sunday's game. first up, this one from honda. take a look. each morning i get up, a die a little can barely stand on my feet take a look at your love in

i spent all my years believing you, i just can't get some relief but i just can't get no relief, no somebody, somebody somebody, anybody find me somebody to love >> introducing the only truck with an available truck bed audio system. the new truck to love. from honda. >> i like that. that's good. >> nice job, honda. >> we have al and willie here taking us through the next hour. what do o u have? >> we'll talk about how the caucus process works. it's a unique thing in politics. we'll walk through it so people at home understand it. and more with governor sarah palin.

this point, al? >> we're going to fry the governor. just a joke. >> thanks for that. that was good. >> i like talking to her. lot more ahead from iowa with thehe nice people. first, your local news and weather, and lori king and

8:57 ... as the iowa caucuses get underway today...a reminder it's almost time for the south carolina primary. the republican primary is on saturday, february 20th... followed by the democratic primary a week later on february 27th. in georgia... both primaries are on tuesday, march 1st. and.. in north carolina.. both primaries are on tuesday, march 15th. greenville, spartanburg, anderson will be most cloudy with a 20% chance of showers. southwest breezes at 5-9. high of 65. the asheville, hendersonville area will see fog until late morning and a 50% chance of showers 11 am on. high of 60. mostly cloudy overnight with a few showers, lows of 44 to 50. mostly cloudy and mild tuesday, highs of 58 to 67 with a 40% chance of showers

>> it's "live! with kelly & michael." today, award-winning actor cuba gooding, jr. and little piggy predictions will be made as we kick off "live"'s big game week. plus your love of movies could win you trip to hollywood all next on live. -- hollywood. all next on "live." [captioning made possible by disney-abc domestic television] and now, here are your emmy award-winning co-hosts, kelly