we have it covered beginning with hallie jackson. >> reporter: lester, nbc news has learned jeb bush promised his donors today he will work to get better as a candidate and debater. that conference call an attempt to calm donors' nerves as marco rubio's team looks to recruit any loyal bush backers feel frustrated. they see a way for bush to win, but not by doing what he did last night. jeb bush, now forced to answer whether today marks the beginning of the end for his campaign or the beginning of a comeback? >> it's not on life support. we have the most money. we have the greatest organization. we're doing fine. >> reporter: bush on defense after what many viewed as a dismal debate night defined by this moment, a punch that didn't land against marco rubio and his missed senate votes. >> you can campaign or just resign and let someone else take the job. >> let me tell you, i don't remember you ever complaining about john mccain's vote record. the only reason you're doing it now because we are running for the same position. someone convinced you attacking me will help you. >> reporter:

hallie jackson, nbc news, reno. >> reporter: this is peter alexander in washington where ted cruz fresh off a commanding debate performance is looking to make his next stand. the texas senator abruptly postponing a campaign swing through nevada, instead rushing back to capitol hill to rail against a bipartisan budget deal. nbc news has learned both cruz and marco rubio's campaigns have seen a fund-raising spike, roughly a million dollars each since last night. where cruz unleashed a missile against the media and the not raiders. >> you look at the questions. donald trump, are you a comic book villain? ben carson can you do math? how about talking about the substantive issues people care about. >> reporter: a conservative war cheered on by the republican crowd. >> the democrats have the ultimate super pac, they're called the mainstream media. >> reporter: "the new york times" called on chris christie to drop out. his response, can't read the article because i don't have a subscription. i'm not going anywhere. that fiery exchange just hours after this impassioned appeal about misplaced pr

we'll see on this one, hallie jackson.don't forget to get that airport tag, sux, when you're in sioux city. hallie, thank you very much. >> yes, sir. >>> one of the biggest take-aways from wednesday's republican debate, candidates are not happy with the debate process. on sunday, every campaign except for jeb bush's, plans to send represents to washington to discuss changing the format. lindsey graham spoke about the current state of the republican debate process. >> i really do believe the process that we've embarked upon has hurt us more than it's helped us. >> the republican national committee is not invited to that sunday meeting, but the rnc has decided to take their own action. chairman priebus sent a letter to nbc news today saying the rnc is suspending, not cancelling, suspending their partnership with nbc news and telemundo for the february debate. writing, quote, while debates are meant to include tough questions and contrast candidates' vision and policies for the future of america, cnbc's motr moderators engage

lester. >> hallie jackson, thanks. >>> let's bring in the moderator of "meet the press," chuck todd. the pundits have been predicted a trump flame-out. might this be it and how do you see him responding in tomorrow night's debate. >> we'll see. this is the moment we've been waiting for. to see how donald trump faced the first time he aced adversity. and for m adversity is falling in the polls. we saw the first time it happened in iowa. he started lashing out at the pollsters, the media companies. and then he lashed out after carson's religion and things like that. if this becomes self-fulfilling for him if he doesn't show that he can accept adversity, if this is how he reacts, i think it could snow ball and feed up his downfall if he is not careful. >> and news on the democratic side, hillic opening up a commanding lead over bernie sanders in otiowa. a pair of new polls today. what do you make of the new numbers. >> i'm very cautious on this. these are two polling firms frankly that haven't had the same history that for instance the des moines register has and they show a closer race

here is nbc's hallie jackson. >> reporter: pope francis in america. a historic widely-praised visit, but less than 48 hours after he landed back in rome, news that raised some eyebrows. a meeting with kim davis, the controversial kentucky county clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. a visit she described on abc. >> i hugged him and he hugged me and he said thank you for your courage. >> reporter: a visit praised by conservatives but disappointing to supporters of same-sex marriage. now an extraordinary statement from the vatican approved by francis himself clarifying his meeting with davis should not be considered a form of support of her position in all of its particular and complex aspects. the vatican down-playing davis' visit saying she was one of dozens who met with the pope in washington. >> pope francis is, as we know, very adept and politically savvy and will not allow himself to get entangled in local debates and this was an effort to untangle some of the the criticism for this meeting. >> reporter: and news of ano

nbc's hallie jackson sets the stanley cup >> reporter: it is all braulder. for ben carson too. number one nationally in a major poll for the first time ever, now overtaking donald trump thanks to support from people like bruce. >> don't let his demeanor fool you. he is extremely intelligent. he exhibits incredible leadership skills. >> heilman echoing how others are described, using words like intelligent and humble. >> americans are more attracted to carson's personality and experience but he too will have to deal with the details of the policy. >> but as carson raises his profile he is raising eyebrows with unorthodox poly views, comparing slavery to abortion and today defending his education reform plan but saying it is not redistribution -- >> it is the government having a responsibility to educate everyone. and looking at the best system in order to do that. >> reporter: it is not just what he says but how he says it. quietly, that is in stark contrast to his maybe rainfall. but the candidate trump. it is john kasich. >> do you know how is. >> the republican trying to make

hallie jackson has more. >> reporter: he's one of the world's biggest media moguls who runs the show behind the scenes, but fox news owner rupert murdoch now finds himself in the headlines. apologizing today after sending this tweet calling ben carson terrific, then adding what about a real black president who can properly address the racial divide? the backlash online over "real black president" immediate. >> the reason it's a problem is there is no one way to be black. there's no one singular authentic way to be black. rupert murdoch, by pretending he knows the real way is doubling the offense. >> now responding, the 84-year-old says he finds both president obama and ben carson charming, tweeting he meant no offense. carson didn't take any. >> i know rupert murdoch. he's not a racist by any stretch of the imagination. >> is president obama a real black president? >> he's the president and black. >> the controversy highlighting what it means to be black in the white house. >> there is no question being a black candidate for the presidency brings an extra burden on you. it ain't fair

hallie jackson has more on that. >> reporter: this political prank isn't quite dry humor. donald trump's team sending bottled water and towels to marco rubio since they say he seems sweaty. >> apparently the water is high quality water. >> rubio laughing it off but the stunt another sign trump may be seriously concerned about this marco moment with nbc news polls showing more republicans can see themselves supporting rubio than any other republican candidate. a big upside, if he can capitalize on it. >> as more light is placed on his campaign and on his message, more scrutiny will come with that. >> reporter: scrutiny, like from former mentor jeb bush taking jabs. >> marco was a member of the house of the representatives when i was governor and he followed my lead and i'm proud of that. >> bush proposing to dock pay for legislators that miss votes and since the start of his campaign, rubio has missed 29, including one today as he campaigned in new hampshire. a no-show for 42% of senate votes since announcing his candidacy, more than rand paul who announced the same week, b

hallie jackson, nbc news, washington. >>> still ahead tonight, crisis in the sky. an emergency in the cockpit of a plane with 147 passengers on board. the heroic actions of the co-pilot when the captain became ill mid-flight. >>> we're back with a sudden emergency in the sky today. american airlines said the captain of a packed red-eye became incapacitated during flight forcing the co-pilot to call for help while trying to divert and get the plane on the ground as quickly as possible. nbc's stephanie gosk reports. >> reporter: passengers on american airlines red eye from phoenix to boston say the plane unexpectedly began to descend. >> all of a sudden, they were like we're emergency landing in syracuse and that is it. >> reporter: what they didn't know is the pilot with 147 passengers on board was sick and could no longer fly. the co-pilot had taken the controls. >> medical emergency. captain is incapacitated. request handling for runway 10 landing. >> when we landed we didn't know the magnitude of what was going on. we saw the fire trucks and the ems. >> hours lat

hallie jackson, washington. >>> the u.s. presidential campaign has been underway for months and still has more than a year to go. but canada has just chosen a new leader in a campaign that lasted a mere 11 weeks and that is long for them. the winner in an upset is a 43-year-old justin trudeau. a relative newcomer to politics but one with a legendary name and he promises big changes. nbc's gabe guiterrez has his story. >> i have a simple message for you. on behalf of 35 million canadians, we're back. >> justin trudeau is canada's future and the past. the son of pierre and margaret, the charismatic former prime minister and former flower child bride. this glamorous power couple in the 70s and 80s. justin grew up in that spotlight. and last night claimed it for himself. his liberal party winning a stunning upset. >> it is time for a change in this country, my friends. a real change. >> trudeau is 43, married to a former television host and model. he got into politics just eight years ago after trying his hand as a snowboard ins

hallie jackson, nbc news, washington. >> that will do it for us on this wednesday night. i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching and good night. it's dangerous and potentially deadly. tonight, the shigella outbreak has spread to more >>> right now at 6:00, dangerous and potentially deadly. tonight, the shigella outbreak spread to more people and now to three bay area counties. i'm janelle wang in forage mathai. >> i'm jessica aguirre. a nasty intestinal infection that at best will leave you dehydrated and in pain and worst could kill you. in the last hour, the san mateo county health department confirmed two cases of shigella, that brings it to 26 cases and 98 reported cases. one restaurant remains closed and employees being tested. we're joined with more on the new cases. >> reporter: that's right. the employees won't be able to come back until they have clearance from their doctors. the restaurant also has to be cleaned. meanwhile, dozens of people are still sick tonight wondering how this happened. i spoke to one man who is ready to go back t

hallie jackson, nbc news, miami. >>> we now know the identity of the american soldier killed in iraq this week. first to fall in battle there in four years and the first ever to be killed in direct combat with isis. our chief foreign correspondent richard engel has more on the loss of an american life and concerns there may be more casualties to come. >> reporter: the pentagon today identified master sergeant joshua wheeler of oklahoma as the american commando killed in the raid that rescued 70 hostages in iraq this week. wheeler, 39, served 14 tours of duty in iraq and afghanistan. he enlisted 20 years ago, straight out of high school. at that school today, he was remembered with a moment of silence. secretary of defense carter said wheeler acted heroically. >> when a firefight ensued, this american did what i'm very proud that americans do in that situation and he ran to the sound of the guns and stood up. >> and he acknowledged to jim miklaszewski that u.s. troops are in combat in iraq. >> are you impressed by what happened? >> i am. and that is on the basis of the reports i've go

hallie jackson, nbc news, washington. >> that will do it for us on this wednesday night. i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, thank you for

hallie jackson, nbc news, washington. >>> still ahead tonight, crisis in the sky. an emergency in the cockpit of a place with 147 passengers on board. the heroic actions of the co-pilot when the captain when you're not confident your company's data is secure, the possibility of a breach can quickly become the only thing you think about. that's where at&t can help. at at&t we monitor our network traffic so we can see things others can't. mitigating risks across your business. leaving you free to focus on what matters most. what if there was a bank that didn't just ask members to save; but also helped them to save? that allowed families to keep more of their money; letting them use any atm nationwide for free. and, because every dollar matters, didn't nickel-and-dime its members with monthly fees. saving them more than three-hundred forty-five million dollars in one year. that would be a different kind of bank. that would be usaa bank. go online to find out more about our free usaa secure checking account today. why do so many people choose aleve? it's the brand more

hallie jackson, nbc news, reno. >>> this is peter alexander in washington where ted cruz, fresh off a commanding debate performance is looking to make his next stand. the texas senator abruptly postponing a campaign swing through nevada, instead rushing back to capitol hill to rail against a bipartisan budget deal. nbc news learned cruz and marco rubio's campaigns have seen a fund-raising spike, roughly $1 million each since last night where cruz unleashed a missile against the media and moderator. >> look at the question, donald trump, are you a comic book villain, ben carson, can do you math? how about talking about substantive issue? >> cheered on by the republican crowd. >> democrats have the ultimate super pac called the mainstream immediate yachl. >> reporter: the new york times on chris christie to drop out. >> can't read the article because i don't have a subscription. i'm not going anywhere. hours after this impassioned appeal about misplaced priorities. >> we have people out of work, we have isis and al qaeda attacking us, and we are talking about fantasy football? can we st

hallie jackson, nbc news, washington. >> that will do it for us on this wednesday night.ester holt. for all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching and good night. watching and good night. >>> lights, camera, access. >> khloe and lamar call off their divorce. i'm billy bush. what kris jenner told me about khloe, lamar and scott disick. then a serious night of style. wh

hallie jackson, nbc news, washington. >> that will do it for us on this wednesday night.ester holt. for all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching and good night. >>> khloe and lamar calling off their divorce. >> how his near-death crisis brought them back together. now on "extra." ♪ extra, extra >>> khloe and lamar's price reconciliation. the breaking headlines today. is she alsolso quitting her reay show to care for lamar? >>> brad and angelina in bed. talking sex, fights, and their past lovers. behind the scenes of their sexy new movie "by the sea." >> you can absolutely madly love the same person you want to kill. >> we've got all of today's breaking couples news. sandra bullock's words about reportedly adopting baby number two. >>> "burnt" co-stars bradley cooper and sienna miller

hallie jackson, nbc news, washington. >> that will do it for us on this wednesday night. i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, thank you for night.pete polson is headed to prison... but not for as much time as the man guilty of attempted murder potentially faced. hear about the charges the jury reduced. a motorcycle rider is accused of leading police on a high speed chase through des moines last night. find out what triggered the pursuit...and the suspect's previous run-in with the law. vice president joe biden announced today he is not running for president. his reasons for staying out of the race...and his advice for the candidates who are trying to win a spot in the

hallie jackson, nbc news, washington. >> that will do it for us on this wednesday night. i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, thank you for night.i'm matt breen. sheila has the night off. researchers are always looking for sustainable ways to provide energy. in fact, in south sioux city, nebraska, wood waste is being used to make eleltricity. ktiv's sam curtiss joins us in the newsroom tonight. he spoke with people working on the project and has the details. sam? matt, pretty soon a unit, kind of like the one you'll see in a second, will be hooked up to a transformer in south sioux city. that unit will generate electricity for various uses from wood chips. this is a smaller unit than the one the city will be using, just for demonstration purposes today. basically, the gas produced from unburned wood chips is what creates the electricity. the ty used a $216,000 grant to fund this. on top of that, they spent $50,000 of the city's money on it but say they'll save almost that each year. "two things, it's going to let us use a lot of the trees and shrubs [and] any woody

nbc's hallie jackson reports. ben carson - now hoping the timing's right - for people to start tuning in... his campaign - out with its first ads today - seen here for the first time. one - all about uplift - the other - a smackdown. nats / ad: "washington is broken. the political class broke it! together, we can drain the swamp." carson - buying half a million dollars of adspace in the first four primary states - airing earlier than most candidates - hoping to capitalize on new momentum... as he now beats donald trump in iowa in some radio interview: trump / on hugh hewitt: i was very, very surprised to see it, because i think we're doing well - coming after a tirade on twitter... trump's account retweeting must have "issues in the brain" for supporting the doctor. hours later - the billionaire's team backtracked - by blaming an intern for the retweet - saying the young staffer apologizes - as his campaign raced to smooth ruffled feathers - saying "mr. trump loves the people of iowa." he's still the frontrunner o

hallie jackson, nbc news, washington. >> that will do it for us on this wednesday night. i'm lester holt. for a a of us at nbc news, thank you for night.now at six. after the name of the man who was killed in the officer- involved shooting is now known. " she said that's gun shots, you dont want to believe thaa like i said but it was. " plus - what was perhaps the most awaited decision in the democratic field - vice president joe biden kes his decisisin on whether to run for president. and - after a rough couple of beloved decorah eagles in their new man-made nest. good evening everyone, i'm amanda goodman. and i'm ron steele. thanks for joining us. tonight we're still learning more about a man killed in a shoot out with police police say 21-year- old jonathbn gossman fired at officers

he's been vehement about that since the beginning. >> now to hallie jackson.with carly fiorina. i'm sorry? oh, you're in washington. someone in my ear was telling me you're not on the trail. >> i've been on the trail. >> for days and days, with carly fiorina among other candidates. today with "the washington post" report, we had on the editor of that piece, they stood by their reporting. they spoke to a number of sources who said that carly fiorina had not paid her back debt, for some, not until this year. but she really struck back and blamed it on "the post." >> yeah, and she's had issues and her campaign has had issues with that particular outlet, just because of some fact-checking that "the post" has done. you look at the filings, it is true, kate, she owed about $490,000 right up until this year before she announced her presidential bid. so this story is gaining some traction here. interestingly, it seems to be yet another way her failed 2010 senate race is coming back to potentially highlight what you might call lessons learned or casting a shadow over t

we have nbc's hallie jackson at a hillary clinton event coming up in keene, new hampshire. ali vitale is outside a trump rally in tingsborough, massachusetts. and kristin welker keeping tabs on the vice president and his moves. she's coming from the white house north lawn. so let's start here in new hampshire where hillary clinton sent two powerful messages to her biggest competition today. she released new names on her leadership counsel from three more states. the campaign is trying to leave no room for joe biden. she's basically trying to suck up every known democrat to sign on for her. she'll be honored for fighting gun violence. she wants to contrast with bernie sanders and this helps. >> i think we have to keep talking, but more importantly, we have to act. and we have to be willing to take on those who are not in favor of sensible gun safety measures. >> let's go to hallie jackson now. hallie, what i've seen and it started tuesday night, and she did it again here, there's a new gear that hillary clinton is in. she's in primary gear. she's basically saying, fine, if b

for more, let's go to hallie jackson.t i find intriguing about rubio today and yesterday, he's the first candidate that i've noticed that has not named trump where multiple campaigns on the republican side of the aisle are on the attack on him. in a weird way, that's got to make him feel good. >> well, and it sort of is part of, it feels to me, the strategy of this campaign, to not engage. right? you saw it at the last debate. i wouldn't be surprised if you see it at the next one. that's not to say he's not getting in some subtle digs. he joked yesterday about if the room was hot and he was getting sweaty, but it's not obvious and you're right he doesn't bring up trump by name. that seems to be working for him in new hampshire. you talk to folks at his events, not all of them supporters by the way. people coming to every candidate, wanting to test-drive everybody. and some severe the folks that i talked to, liked rubio's economic message, pushing hard to national security. he was asked about one thing from a supporter att