mr obama admitted to nbc's matt lauer ... congress and the nation are too divided ... near the end of his presidency. sot: matt lauer and president obama (no super) :20-:26 "you wanted to unite people and theyre not united. is it a failure? its a regret. i could not be prouder of what we've of the union, in r010, partisanship had and obamacare... are helping the whole natitin sot: matt lauer and president obama (no super) :42-:49 and part of what i wanna do-- in this last address is to remind inspired attack in san bernardino on the cop in the world is on fire, tdat foreign policy is getting away from us, that they are e ess safe near michelle obama tonight will be an empty chair sot: sen. john mccain (r- arizona ) 1:08-1:12 "i'd like to see another empty chair fr the 250 thohosand syrians that haveveeen says, mr obama will not intervene. but, in this political year ... wih republican candidates charging america is in crisis president obama is readying a speech with the opposite message speaking for the gop, south carolina governor nikki haley will say the best way toto

mr. obama in mid-sentence. >> every time i think about those kids, it gets me mad. and, by the way, it happens on the streets of chicago every day. >> pelley: there have been 13 mass killings during the obama presidency. and republicans voted against gun legislation. last month, after san bernardino, mr. obama decided to act on his own. given the limits of his power, his actions today are not sweeping. the most significant simply expands background checks for gun sales online or at gun shows. currently, about 40% of sales have no background checks at all. chief legal correspondent jan crawford is at the white house. who never imagined that their loved one would be taken from our lives by a bullet from a gun... >> reporter: it was an emotional appeal... >> we maybe can't save everybody, but we could save some. >> reporter: ...and a political call to action. >> so the gun lobby may be holding congress hostage right now, but they cannot hold america hostage. ( applause ) we do not have to accept t

mr. obama also cited a hero in the battle against gun violence, an innocent teenager who last month found himself in the way of a gang shooting. >> zaevion dobson was a sophomore at fulton high school in knoxville, tennessee. he played football, beloved by his classmates and his teachers. the week before christmas, he headed to a friend's house to play video games. he wasn't in the wrong place at the wrong time. he hadn't made a bad decision. he was exactly where any other kid would be. your kid, my kids. and then gunmen started firing. and zaevion, who was in high school, hadn't even gotten three girls to shield them from the bullets. and he was shot in the head. he gave his life to save theirs. an actor-- act of heroism a lot bigger than anything we should expect from a 15-year-old. greater love hath no man than this than a man who lay down his life for his friends. >> pelley: there has been an dobson. there has also been an arrest in the shooting death of a college student in denton, texas,

a resurgence mr. obama says was the result of the government bailout during the first year of his administration. >> we cannot and we must not and we will not let our auto industry simply vanish. >> reporter: it wasn't a popular idea. critics thought the new president was overreaching, even cocky. that's just what the economic crisis demanded. >> i might have benefited from being young and a little brash and not being as scared as i probably should have been. there was probably some benefit to me thinking we can fix this. and we'll figure it out. >> reporter: by some measures mr. obama did figure it out. he's overseen shrinking unemployment, a growing job market. >> we are done. [ applause ] >> reporter: a reduction in the number of americans without health insurance. and diplomatic breakthroughs on li relations with cuba. but his foes say those gains have been overshadowed by the rise of isis, the trouble in syria -- >> active shooter situation is still under way. home. and what stands out even to his supp

a resurgence mr. obama says was the result of the government bailout during the first year of >> we cannot and we must not and we will not our auto industries simply vanish. >> reporter: it wasn't a popular idea. critics thought the new president was overreaching, even cocky. but in hindsight, he says, that's just what the economic crisis demanded. >> i might have benefited from being young and a little brash and not being as scared as i probably should have been. there was probably some benefit to me thinking we can fix this. and we'll figure it out. >> reporter: by some measures mr. obama did figure it out. he's overseen shrinking unemployment, a growing job market. >> we are done. [ applause ] >> reporter: a reduction in the number of americans without health insurance. and diplomatic breakthroughs on both climate policy and relations with cuba. have been overshadowed by the rise of isis, the trouble in syria -- >> active shooter situation is still under way. >> reporter: -- and terrorism at home. and wh

still, mr obama will say tonight: his moves for and obamacare... are helping the whole nation sot: matt lauer and president obama (no super) :42-:49 and part of what i wanna do-- in this last address is to remind people, "you know what? we got a lotta good things goin' for us. 14 but after the isis-inspired attack in san bernardino on the cop in philadelphia after paris, americans are afraid say republicans. sot: house speaker paul ryan (r-wisconsin ) :57-1:01 the world is on fire, that foreign policy is getting away from us, that they are less safe near michelle obama tonight will be an emptytyhair a symbol of children killed by gun violence sot: sen. john mccain n - arizona ) 1:08-1:12 "i'd like to see another empty chair for the 250 thousand syrians that have been slaughtered" because, john mccain says, mr obama ll not intervene. but, in this political year ... with republican candidates charging america is in crisis president obama is readying a speech with the opposite message (insert ends) (two second pause) audio outcue: i'm steve handelsman,

mr. obama cited a hero in the battle against gun violence. an innocent teenager who found himself in the way of a gang shooting. fulton high school in knoxville, tennessee. he played football and was beloved by classmates and teachers. the week before christmas he headed to a friend's house to play video games. he had not made a bad decision. he wasxactly where any other kid wouou be. your kid. my kids. and then gunmen started firing. and he was in high school, had not gotten started in life. he dove on top of three girls to shield them from the bullets. he was shot in the head. he gave his life to save theirs. an act of heroism a lot bigger than anything we should ever expect from a 15-year-old. the man lay down his for his friends. [ vocalizing ] [ buzzing ] [ tree crashes ] [ wind howling ] >> there has been an arrest in the shooting death of a college student in what may have been an act of road rage. he's a marine corporal who was arrested in yuma, arizona. he is accused of gunning down 20-year-old sarah early new year's day as she drove

mr. obama says it will be a non nontraditional speech focusing on the future of the country. >>> nfl owners begin two days of meetings to decide which if any teams will relocate to los angeles. reports say owners favor a plan which would have the chargers and the rams share a staid calm in inglewood. >>> today's weather that clipper system stretches from the great lakes into the northeast and down into the ohio valley. rain for the pacific northwest and clear and cold most everywhere else. >>> well, finally the nation's tomorrow night's jackpot $1.4 billion and actually rising. >> it's continuing to rise but don't get greedy yet. remember, there are million dollar prizes, as well. abc's lauren lyster has more. >> your winning powerball number -- >> reporter: the powerball grand prize climbing to $1.4 billion monday. after no one matched all six numbers to score saturday's $949 million prize. there were some million dollar winners, though, someone in maz. >> hopefully it's one of our regulars. >

in a video, mr. obama previews what he will say tonight. >> what i want to focus on -- not just the progress we' ve made , not just what i want to get done, but will what we only -- but what we all need to do together in the years to come. >> president obama will try to frame the choice that americans

mr. obama explained he will gee part from tradition and won't talk so much about last year's progress and instead he'll focus on the big picture and optimistic vision for the country. we should remind you coverage of tonight's state of the union address gets started on abc at 9:00 eastern time. >>> vice president joe biden has chapter in his life sharing a touching story he never told about the generosity of president obama and in an interview with cnn he recounted the prospect of their eldest son being forced to resign as delaware's attorney general over his failing health and shared his worries with mr. obama about caring for beau's family without his son's salary but never said that -- he never expected his boss -- what his boss' response would be. >> joe and i will sell the house and be in good shape. he said don't sell the house. promise me you won't sell the house. he'll be mad. he said i'll give you the money. >> beau biden did serve out his second term as delaware's attorney general but

all this after mr. obamase to strap a missile -- scrap a missile defense feel fo field for poland. you can imagine slightly pe perplexesed. obama did you not' to work with congress. he does not try to make sense. because he knows the liberal national media will not hole him to account, he issues another fiat. and hapless republican leadership on capitol hill can only dither ask hope a lit of sparkle can land on them. so it goes. for one more year, and those two days, it will i'm sure seep every bit of that. eye. >> tonight of the obama kind. she wrote, to arrive at a contradiction is to confess an error in one's thinking, to maintain abdicate one's mind and evict one's self from the rearealm of reality. we're coming right back. >> hillary clinton embraces all things obama at the democratic debate. >> we have the affordable care act. that is one of the greatest accomplish thes of president obama. lou: we'll take it up with ed rollins, michael goodwin here next. >> navy proudly showing off its brand new weapon,

she told mr. obama his policies are making her and her family less safe. >> nothing that we're proposing prevents you or makes it harder for you to purchase a firearm. >> the widow of chris kyle, whose life was chronicled in the movie american sniper and was shot of and killed by a mentally unstable quaintance. she challenged the president showing statistics showing gun ownership is up, crime is down. >> we have to recognize that we cannot outlaw murder, because the people who are murdering arw but they also don't have the moral code that we have. >> mr. obama said he understands his new initiative is not going to stop gun violence completely. >> i think it's important for us not to suggest that if we can't solve every crime, we shouldn't try to solve any crimes. >> a sheriff from arizona, took issue with annal gee often used by that the president. if cars, toys and aspirin bottles can be made safe by regulation, why not guns. >> aspirin, toys and cars are not written about in the constitution. >> just

mr. obamaaking what you might call a valedictory lap as he heads into his last year in the white house, and the nation's attention begins to shift to the election to succeed him. we are watching live pictures of the house chamber now. the sops shaking hands with members of the supreme

mr. obama explained that he will depart from tradition. he won't talk so much about last year's progress and his goals for the year ahead. instead, he'll focus on the big picture and his optimistic vision for the country. tonight's state of the union address gets started right here on abc at 9:00 eastern time. >>> well, vice president joe biden has opened up about a difficult chapter in his life sharing a touching story that he's never told publicly before about the generosity of president obama. in an interview with cnn he recounted the prospect of their eldest son beau being forced to resign as delaware's attorney general over his failing health. he shared his worries with mr. obama about caringng for beau's family without his son's salary but he never said that -- he never expected that his boss -- what his boss' response would be. jill and i will sell the house and we'll be in good shape. he got up, and he said, don't sell the house. promise me you won't sell the house. he's going to be mad

a facility mr. obama may close on his own.. if lawmakers balk at the white house plan. : "it will be an uphill battle." the president also hopes to travel to cuba... and perhaps more than a dozen other countries... in what's shaping up to be global farewell tour. but the president's agenda could be upended by setbacks in the war on isis... natsot: hillary cheers a foreign policy crisis... that could complicate white house plans to have mr. obama campaign prospect that may well put both him and hillary clinton out on the trail.. together again. democratic nominee. i think win. i think i will have a democratic successor." it was a successful new year's eve, as far as arrests go. the reno police department reports only one person was arrested downtown for being drunk in the street. however, the department is investigating an incident at the peppermill. about an hour ago, we received word investigators are looking for a man who sprayed another with bear spray on the casino floor by the oceano doors. that happened at about one-30 th

a facility mr. obama may close on his own.. if lawmakers balk at the : "it will be an uphill battle." the president also hopes to travel to cuba... and perhaps more than a dozen other countries... in what's shaping up to be global farewell tour. but the president's agenda could be upended by setbacks in the war on isis... natsot: hillary cheers a foreign policy crisis...that plans to have mr. obama campaign heavily with a prospect that may well put both him and hillary clinton out on the again. : "i think we will have a strong democratic nominee. i think that democratic nominee will win. i think i will have a democratic successor." the gun control proposals are expected to be revealed next week before president obama's final state of the union address on january twelfth. a fire broke out thursday night at the high-end "address" hotel in downtown dubai today... you can see the flames engulf the high-rise hotel's midsection. more than a dozen people the dubai governments media office tweeted the fire broke out on the 20th floor f

mr. obama as a lawless executive. >> barack obama is obsessed with undermining the second amendment. >> reporter: i asked josh earnest if the president's reference to the nra holding congress and the american people hostage was an example of the tinged language at the white house previously deplored. it was an apt metaphor. lou? lou: of course, james rosen from the white house. donald trump set to hold a campaigna event in new hampshire. senator ted cruz in iowa leading the polls with less than a month to go before the caucuses. and senator marco rubio trying to stop the perception that iowa is just a two-man race. fox news chief political correspondent carl cameron has the latest from the campaign trail. >> reporter: marco rubio's turning it on. >> and you're in iowa, you get the first choice. >> reporter: running third in recent iowa polls, shifting from optimistic policy wonk to fear and anger over terrorism and chaos that donald trump and ted cruz have tapped into. >> defenses are weakened

the fbi says it conducted record 23 million background mr. obama also cited a hero in the battle against gun violence. an 18-year-old who found himself in the way of a gang shooting. >> xavion was a sof fore in knoxville, tennessee. he played football, beloved by his classmates and his teachers. the week before christmas, he headed to a friend's house to play video games. he wasn't in the wrong place at the wrong time. he hadn't made a bad decision. he was exactly where any other kid would be, your kid. my kids. and then gunmen started firing. xavion, who was in high school hadn't even gotten started in life. he doe on top of three girls to shield them from the bullets. and he was shot in the head. an act of hero wichl, a lot bigger than anything we should expect from a 15-year-old. 2k3wr5e9er love hath no man than this, than a man who lays down his life for his friends. almost sixty million americans are affected by mental illness. together we can help them with three simime words. my name is chris noth and i will listen. from maine to maui, thous

mrs. obama's box will be left empty to honor victims of gun violence. 3 george washington university is the latest institution to rescind the honorary degree of said it made the decision in light of - quote - "renewed distress" for students and alumni who are survivors of sexual assault. last october, the school said it did not rescind honorary degrees. dozens of women have accused cosby of drugging and sexually assaulting them over the years. 3 3 3 prosecutors say no charges will be filed against former nba star lamar odom, following his near fatal drug overdose in a nevada brothel. in october, the 36-year-old former n-b-a star was rushed to the hospital after he was found unconscious. authorities say a blood sample shows odom had cocaine in his system. prosecutors say they can not prove possession or that odom took the drug while 3 intense video out of texas. a scaffolding broke loose on a high-rise building, leaving two people stuck on the platform. firefighters pulled the workers through the 71st floor of downtown houston's tallest skyscraper. thankfully both of them are o-k. investigat

in a video released by the white house, mr. obama previews what he will say tonight. president obama: what i want to focus on, not just a remarkable progress we have made, not just what i want to get done in the to do together in the years to come. s recovery. president obama: seven years low. high. act. president obama: we have brought health care system. stephanie: and foreign policy. he is also expected to cut on the gun violence epidemic and marriage. >> it does become a little more of a legacy speech in terms of defining what has been achieved. stephanie: many highs to talk sell. in the latest nbc news-"wall journal" poll, 70% of americans on the wrong track. josh earnest: obviously attributable to the avalanche of negativity from the republican candidates. stephanie: the president will americans as they select the next president of the united states. with first lady michelle obama, including a refugee from war-torn syria. but i share in mrs. obama' s box will be left empty to honor victims of gun violence. stephanie ramos, abc news, washington. erin: the presiden

mr. obama rejected the critics who say that the new rules attack the right to bare arms. >> this is not a plot to take away everybody's guns. you pass a background check, you purchase a firearm. the problem is, some gun sellers have been operating a different set of rules. >> republicans are unmoved. the party's presidential candidates immediately bash the president. not only for what he did, but for how he did it. and promised to undo the executive action as one of their first being acts if they make it to the white house. >> if he was serious about gun violence, he would be focused on violence, and what's happening in our culture that's leading people to commit violent acts. >> but blocking as they have in the past, the president is asking for hundreds more fbi personnel to enforce the rules, that will require funding, and the gop and congress is likely going to try to stop it. in the wake of the 2012 shooting at sandy hook, many thought that the time had come. in a month after the tragedy, p

mr. obama also cited a hero in the battle against gun violence, an innocent teenager who last month found himself in the way of a gang shooting. >> zaevion dobson was a sophomore at fulton high school in knoxville, tennessee. he played football, beloved by his classmates and his teachers. the week before christmas, he headed to a friend's house to play video games. he wasn't in the wrong place at the wrong time. he hadn't made a bad decision. he was exactly where any other kid would be. your kid. my kids. and then gunmen started firing. and zaevion, who was in high started in life, dove on top of three girls to shield them from the bullets. and he was shot in the head. he gave his life to save theirs. an act of heroism a lot bigger than anything we should expect from a 15-year-old. greater love hath no man than this, than a man who lay down his life for his friends. >> pelley: there has been an arrest in the death of zaevion dobson. there has also been an arrest in the shooting death of a colle