high drama in the democratic contests, we've got both races covered starting with nbc's katy tur. hi, katy. >> reporter: hey there, lester, you ime when one candidate is flying known endorsements and the other issuing a warning. to take the stage joined by arizonaeriff jozef arpaio known for his hardline stance on immigration. the clock is ticking in iowa. six days left and donald trump is pull today leading in five of the last six major polls here. the race now a cage match between the cruz. each looking for a knockout punch. powerful endorsement coming down today. >> reporter: for trump a major evangelical endorsement, jerry ell, jr., who spoke glowingly of trump at liberty university last week. >> in my opinion donald trump lives the life of loving and helping others assus taught in the great commandment. >> reporter: 57% of iowa gop caucus-goers identified as evangelical or born again in 2012, while cruz has the edge among those voters by most accounts, trump is dominating among moderate voters, meaning he may only need to be competitiveg evangelicals to win. and falwell could

katy tur joins us from trump's rally in massachusetts. first donald trump has launched an assault on the clintons in interviews with fox, cbs and cnn, trump went after hillary clinton's husband. >> she's got a problem. she is married to a person that's a serious abuser. i mean at the highest level. she's not an innocent victim. she was the one that would go along with him in this whole game that they play. she is not like the innocent person sitting by the side with tears in her eyes. i'm the only one willing to talk about his problems. i mean, what he did and what he has gone through, i think is frankly terrible, especially if she wants to play the woman card. she's got one of the great women abusers of all time sitting at her house. i don't care about monica lewinsky other than i think hillary was an enabler and a lot of things happened that were obviously very seedy. he was impeached, for heaven's sake. >> trump's attacks came as candidate clinton brought bill clinton into the campaign for the first time. here is what he told nbc's and

we've got both races covered starting with nbc's katy tur. hi, katy. >> reporter: hey there, lester, you know it's crunch time flying known endorsements and the donald trump is about to take the stage joined by arizona sheriff jozef arpaio known for his hardline stance on immigration. the clock is ticking in iowa. six days left and donald trump is pulling ahead. today leading in five of the last six major polls here. the race now a cage match between the billionaire and his texas rival ted cruz. each looking for a knockout punch. >> we have a very powerful endorsement coming down today. >> reporter: for trump a major evangelical endorsement, jerry falwell, jr., who spoke glowingly of trump at liberty university last week. >> in my opinion donald trump lives the life of loving and helping others as jesus taught in the great commandment. >> reporter: 57% of iowa gop caucus-goers identified as evangelical or born again in 2012, and while cruz has the edge among those voters by most accounts, trump is dominating among moderate voters, meaning he m

. >> thanks so much katy tur, who was with donald trump tonight. msnbc's live coverage of the state of the union continues. glad i could help you plan for your retirement. alright, kelly and promise me that you'll try that taco place on south street. and we have portfolio planning tools to help you manage your ira. yeah, you're old 401k give me your phone. the rollover consultants give you step-by-step help. no set-up fees. use your potion. sorry, not you. my pleasure. goodnight, tim. for all the confidence you need. who's tim? td ameritrade. you got this. it's easy to love your laxative when that lax loves your body back. only miralax hydrates, eases and softens to unblock naturally,

our team in place with katie tur. what's going on with donald trump? we heard he's moving his event with veterans. and moving over. >> reporter: your guess is as good as mine. they'll be doing counterprograms at the same time of the debate at 8:00 p.m. central, 9:00 p.m. eastern. we got a release from the campaign for logistics set-up that says the event starts at 7:00 p.m. central 8:00 eastern. it would give him time to do the event and move quickly to the debate side. we're told by those familiar with the set-up here that it would take about 20 minutes, at least, to rejigger the podi the. this is fox news ratings coupe if he even shows up in the middle of the debate. i wouldn't put it past anyone he might not show up a little late and make an entrance, if you will. we're trying to find out just who he's raising money for. said he's raising for wounded warriors and veterans but we've called all of the organizations that we can find and involved in this event as of now. iva said they're not involved and wounded warriors not involved and vets said they'

but that is a big if before february 9th, lester. >> katy tur, thanks. a program note, tomorrow morning the "today" show will broadcast live from the white house. special coverage from matt lauer's wide-ranging interview with president obama ahead of his final state of the union address. that is tomorrow morning on "today." >>> police are on the hunt for three men linked to the man who ambushed a philadelphia police officer who remains hospitalized with multiple gunshots to the arm. and now police are concerned that the threat to law enforcement isn't over. stephanie gosk has more. >> reporter: the moment of the gunman edward archer appears to be on his own. the officer is ambushed on patrol and shot three times. but nbc news has learned from senior law enforcement sources that at least three other individuals are being sought in connection with archer. and there are fears tonight that the city's officers could still be targets. on saturday night an anonymous woman approached a philadelphia cop with information about archer. according to the report, she

he's a andrea mitchell and katy tur. popular restaurant in manchester living up to a famous snl parody. >> can hillary win this time? >> sure. but it is going to be hard. >> reporter: back in his element, despite trump's attack attacks. >> i said how the hell can she do that when she's got one of the great women puzers of all time at her house. >> how do you feel about the kind of campaign trump is running sir? >> how i feel is only relevant [inaudible]. >> hillary clinton in iowa also refusing to engage trump? >> i've adopted a new year's resolution. i'm gonna let him live in his going to respond. hillary calls bill her secret weapon. >> this whole thing is the biggest fair tael i've ever teen. . in new hampshire, raising $33 million in the last three months. only 4 million less than clinton's 37 million. all as both clintons try to stick to their game plan, ignoring donald trump. >> i'm katy tur on the campaign trail with donald trump, where he continued to swing at hillary clinton targeting bill. >> i don't care about

katy tur, nbc news, new york. covering the sanders' campaign. bernie sanders has gone from way behind to on fire. taking on hillary clinton today in new hampshire. >> i want to say a word on an issue that secretary clinton and i disagree on. and that is the incredible power of wall street. >> reporter: the attack has clinton pushing back again, telling the des point register she doesn't regret taking hundreds of thousands of dollars for paid speeches to wall street banks. >> no, i don't. i don't. anybody who thinks they could buy me, doesn't know me. >> reporter: sanders script has put him within striking distance of clinton in iowa and into the lead >> your friends in the media would have told you nine months ago i candidate, not a serious candidate. >> reporter: and it has brought out her chief defender. last night in las vegas. >> this other guy is madder than she is and that feels authentic. >> reporter: that feels of authenticity drawing young voters to sanders. does what we want her to say where burny is more honest. >> his campaign today

with katy tur. >> lester, never a dull moment in this race. donald trump now saying he will not be participating in thursday's fox news debate because he doesn't think megan kelly is fair. also touting two big including one from jerry falwell jr. the clock is ticking in iowa. six days left and donald trump is pulling ahead. today leading in five here. the race now a cage match between the billionaire and his texas rival, ted cruz. each looking for a knockout punch. >> we have a very powerful endorsement coming down today. >> reporter: for trump, a meej evangelical endorsement, jerry falwell jr. >> in my opinion, donald trump live tds the life of loving and helping others as jesus taught in the great commandments. >> reporter: 57% of iowa gop caucus goers identified as evangelical. while cruz has the edge among those voters by most accounts, trump is dominating among moderate voters, meaning he may only need to be competitive among evangelicals to win. and fallwell could give trump the credibility he needs. the margins could make a little bit o

katy tur, ames, iowa. >>> this is peter alexander. she was trump before trump. a provocative outspoken media magnet, sarah palin burst on to the national stage in 2008. >> they say the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull -- lipstick. >> reporter: with her informal folksy style she gave voice to a growing movement of conservatives angry at traditional party >> the one tool they have are articles of impeachment. >> attacking president obama -- >> mr. president, the only thing that stops a bad guy with a nuke is a good guy with a nuke. >> reporter: and attracting millions of followers along the way. >> bloomberg is not around. our big gulp is safe. >> she quit her job as alaska governor mid term and with it went any hope of national political office. but she is a master disruptor with the give trump the bump he needs. >> while sarah palin no longer has the sway she once had, she is still one of the few that could move votes, especially in an important state like >> for a time hers was the endorsement to get in the republican primary, launching south caro

we've got it all covered starting with nbc's katy tur. >> reporter: in the span of an hour and a half, the republican party showed just how tense 2016 has become. 10:00 p.m. on thursday night, influential conservative magazine the national review goes live online with its against trump issue. a scathing editorial, accompanied by 22 articles from these leading conservative thinkers. bashing the billionaire. like clock work trump fired back with his usual put-downs. and by 11:37, the national review was republican debate. disinvited by the rnc. >> you can't have a debate partner come out for or against any particular candidate. >> reporter: david bowes wrote one of the editorial. >> he is a philosophically unlured political opportunist with tendencies toward strong man ideas. >> reporter: facing the real prospect of a ted cruz nomination the establishment has warmed to trump. the move earning its own nickname. abc, anything but cruz strategy. and while trump is leading in nearly every poll, there are those who see his major asset, that tell it like it is, don't get in my way rhetoric as

as katy tur reports, it appears to be a strategy to neutralize the former president. >> reporter: the brash billionaire is aiming his political fire at the democratic front-runner. and her husband, who is now scheduled for three more campaign stumps in new hampshire next week. >> hillary has the right temperament and the proven ability to figure out a way to make good things happen. the donald trump campaign tells nbc news they hope they president off the campaign trail. publicly, it sounds more like a warning to a point they are trying to hammer home on instagram. >> if she is going to continue this line of attack of trying to label republicans as sexist, she needs to tread very careful. >> reporter: the strategy may work now with the republican backfire down the road, some democratic strategists say. >> general election voters don't want an election about scandals, they want an election about their lives. >> reporter: tonight her main democratic rival forced to address this. >> hillary clinton, is not bill clinton. what bill clinton did, i think we can all acknowledge, was totally,

katy tur is just outside. give us a sense of this battle as it begins to well. >> reporter: hi. it's interesting. as you say, he handed out 20,000 tickets to the event that can only hold 1400 people. we saw people lining up as early as 4:30 this morning. it was 15 degrees out. he wasn't wearing a hat, by the way. he said he was here because he wanted to hear what donald trump had to say. i said are you a fan or supporter? he said no, he's a bernie supporter. he wanted to hear what donald trump had to say. there were a number of supporters in line and protesters in line. because of that, the campaign got word of it. they have been turning away people at the door unless they affirm they are here to support donald trump. i spoke to one of those people, tim farr. he had been waiting since 10:00 this morning only to be turned away. i asked if he thought it was fair? he said if it was a bernie sanders event, he believes he would have been let in. people are waiting in line. many for hours. at some point, the trump campaign is going to have to tell a great number of people they cannot

. >>> i'm katy tur on the campaign trail with donald trump. where today he continued to swing at hillary clinton by targeting her husband bill. >> i don't care about monica lewinsky, i think hillary was an enable letter. >> reporter: following up online first in a massive crowd in biloxi. >> he was paid for speeches paid by people doing business with the state department. >> and now the billionaire is putting his money where his mouth is. spending $2 million in iowa and new hampshire on his first tv ad. it is a 30-second summary of trump's campaign hits. fighting radical islam, banning muslims, cutting isis off at the head and stopping illegal immigrants and building a wall. if that doesn't look like the u.s.-mexico border, you're right. it was morocco. the campaign responds no, but this is what our country will look like if we don't build a wall. by playing to fear, trump is hoping for a boost. especially in iowa, where polls have him losing to cruz. >> if he come in second by two points, they will say this is a terrible defeat. >> reporter:

katy tur touching on this. this is a big fan of ted cruz. this would be a big blow. >> reporter: yeah. and listen. you know, what mr. tyler said what he also said to me and reporting on msnbc a sense of disappointment to the campaign because in the cam pin's view donald trump is simply not conservative not for somebody like sarah palin who's been in their view a champion of conservative causes. if it were to be sarah palin endorsing tonight, kate, it is significant. number one, it continues to drive earned media. right? still in the headlines. donald trump is a master of keeping himself in the news and this is yet another way to add to that. second, shores up some of the bona fides in the population. people who may feel that donald trump isn't conservative enough. having somebody like a sarah palin as a surrogate for him, remember, she is stale voice in the community, in places like south carolina and places like those scc primary states particularly in the south could be helpful for donald trump. obviously, the cruz campaign is disappointed

. >>> i'm katy tur on the campaign trail with donald trump. where today he continued to swing at hillary clinton by targeting her husband bill. >> her husband was paid a fortune for speeches, paid by people that were doing business with the state department. >> reporter: then on sunday -- >> i'm the only one willing to talk about his problems. >> reporter: and again this morning. >> i don't care about monica lewinsky other than i think hillary was an enabler. >> and now the billionaire is putting his money where his mouth is. spending $2 million in iowa and new hampshire on his first tv ad. it is a 30-second summary of trump's campaign hits. fighting islamic, cutting isis off at the head and stopping illegal immigrants and building a wall. like the u.s.-mexico border. it was morocco. the campaign explains, no, but this is what our country will look like if we don't build a wall. by playing to fear, trump is hoping for aboost. in iowa, where poll have him losing to cruz. second. defeat. >> reporter: he is camping down on expectations should it

. `` we've got it all `` covered starting with `` nbc's katy tur. `` >> reporter: in the `` span of an hour and a `` half, the republican `` party showed just how `` tense 2016 has become. `` 10:00 p.m. on thursday `` night, influential `` conservative magazine `` the national review `` goes live online with `` its against trump `` issue. `` a scathing editorial, `` accompanied by 22 `` articles from these `` leading conservative `` bashing the `` billionaire. `` like clock work trump `` fired back with his `` usual put-downs. `` and by 11:37, the `` national review was `` out of the houston `` republican debate. `` disinvited by the rnc. `` >> you can't have a `` debate partner come `` out for or against any `` particular candidate. `` >> reporter: david `` bowes wrote one of the `` editorial. `` >> he is a `` philosophically `` unlured political `` opportunist with `` tendencies toward `` strong man ideas. `` >> reporter: facing `` the real prospect of a `` ted cruz nomination `` the establishment has `` warmed to trump. `` the move earning its `` own nickname. `` abc, anything but c

katy tur starts the coverage from the trump rally in iowa tonight. hi, katie. >> reporter: good evening, lester. the campaign announcing the endorsement endorsement. we are awaiting them to take the stage. the annie oakley to trump's p.t. barnum but whether this will move the needle in iowa. political fire brand, meet political fire brand. sarah palin made it official tonight. there has long been chatter of a sarah palin-trump endorsement. their politics overlap and they have similar attention gathering styles and they seem to like each other. back in 2011, amid rumors of a sailin presidential campaign, trump left the door open to running as her vice president. >> she didn't ask me. she came up as a friend and she is a terrific woman. >> reporter: earlier in the campaign trump has no kind words for who picked sarah palin to bibe his running mate, catapulting here to national fame. >> he was a war hero because he was captured. >>> >> reporter: despised by the elite and adored by the disaffected she could be a fit for cruz. she endorsed his 2012 senate

thank you very much, chris jansing, katy tur, hallie jackson, great pleasure. bringing in our panel, msnbc analyst and former adviser to rand paul's campaign, elise jordan. and political analyst and former pennsylvania governor ed rendell. thank you for joining us. governor rendell, what is your take on that debate last night? was there any game-changing moment, or did pretty much we see this as a three-person race going in and three-person race going out with marco rubio now in that third slot? >> i think that's basically correct, tamron. i think donald trump did well. i think it was his best debate performance, and he drl own that new york values moment. i thought he was even a little emotional, and i thought it was in some ways a very touching answer. ted cruz did very well at the front of the debate. then he got in it with rubio, and i think that was less good for him. rubio i thought was okay, but i thought the winner probably was donald trump. and remember, what donald trump those do is win iowa. he doesn't have to win iowa big, but if he wins iowa, he'll