i'm tracie potts in washington, now back to you. carilion clinic warns people about the zika virus. as we've reported... someone in virginia tested positive for the disease. now the world health organization says the zika virus is "spreading explosively" -- and will call an emergency meeting of health experts. the meeting-- set for monday will determine whether the virus should be declared an international health emergency. the mosquito borne virus can adults... but the effects are more severe for pregnant women. a carilion clinic doctor says ... people should be wary of the virus in the summer. "the potential is here that you can get in the united states in the summer months come cause we do have mosquitoes ... if someone comes in from these countries are future." the c-d-c issued a travel warning for pregnant women heading into areas impacted by the outbreak. # now for more on what we can expect throughout the evening and over the next several days lets check in with kristina montuori. today: sun & clouds with highs in the middle 40s tonight: flurries possible with lows in the upp

tracie potts live on capitol hill this morning. tracie, thanks for your analysis. >>> it's 4:47. today the british parliament is considering whether to ban presidential candidate donald trump. it surfaced last year after trump's proposal to ban all muslims from entering the u.s. prime minister dave cameron is against keeping trump out. >>> some students are planning a demonstration. they believ donald trump should not have been invited to speak on martin luther king jr. day based on what they see as moral incompatibility between the words and actions of trump and king. jerry falwell says he does not think many students support the protest. >>> a look at senator ted cruz, he has a multi-state bus tour. clinton will be in iowa and bernie sanders will travel for an mlk event. >>> i'm meagan fitzgerald at the live desk. just in the past three hours, falls church police say a man was shot in the shoulder f he managed to make it to a local business for help. police are still looking for that suspect. they're asking anyone with information to contact their department. angie? >> meagan,

nbc 's tracie potts is in washington fmr. vice presidential nominee :00-:06 "our next president of the united states, donald j. trump!" sarah palin... endorsing donald trump and his message: fmr. vice presidential nominee :09-:13 "doggone right, we're angry!! justifiably so!!!" presidential candidate :13-:14 "we're gonna give 'em hell." the palin endorsement could help trump win points with women and conservatives: "this just might be the kind of move that excites someone that supports donald trump but wasn't sure if they were going to go out and caucus on a cold night." trump's closest rival, ted cruz, refused to bad- mouth palin: presidential candidate :32-:38 "listen, i love sarah palin. sarah palin is fantastic. without her friendship and support, i wouldn't be in the senate today." cruz is getting some high-powered conservative support of his own. he's being introduced in iowa saturday by conservative talk show host glenn beck. on facebook, beck questions palin's endorsement. meantime, bernie sanders is itching for a gen

nbc's tracie potts is in washington following the powerball fever. this was the scene outside... ...and inside the chino hills, california 7-eleven where one of at least three winning powerball tickets was sold. "i'm excited for them and i don't even know who it is." there are also winners in florida and tennessee. it's the biggest jackpot in the world - ever. so big that people in nevada drove across state lines and waited four hours to get tickets. kentucky gave out 1500 free tickets to celebrate. "it's going to be hard to get anybody interested in a $40 million jackpot again." players had big plans: "if i won it i would share it with my family, and i would buy an island." our financial expert says you may be better off not winning: "now you're gonna be forced to take control of your financial future." for at least three people this morning, the future looks a billion times brighter. audio outcue: tracie potts, nbc news, washington. after the pot is split... and after taxes... each winner will only get about 300-million will only get about 300-mill

was a long view of where america needs to go and some of those topics didn't make the cut. >> tracie potts live on capitol hill. tracie, thank you. >>> we mentioned the president didn't spend much time on gun reform. we do know some of the invited guests were victims of gun violence. she died last year when she was shot in southeast washington on her way home from work. milton's father spoke with us before the address. >> homicide is happening in the district of columbia. it's happening in chicago. 110 shot over the weekend, 17 dead in the past ten days. it's happening, and that's not because of someone's color of skin, that's not because of someone's position on the second amendme amendment, it's because of the flaw in the harp. >> d.v. police have not made any arrests in the death of charnese melton. >>> shaun davis said he started the job in 2009 to spread the word about renewable energy and to help inner city youth. >>> today a woodbridge day care teacher could be sentenced on charges that she abused toddlers. a big win yesterday for the defense team of sarah jordan. the judge dropped

tracie potts has more from washington. the 7 candidates left on the main stage at the fox business debate tried to focus on president obama: presidential candidate"this guy is a petulant child." and hillary clinton: presidential candidate"hillary clinton would be a national security disaster." but at times, they turned on each other. donald trump questioned ted cruz's birth to an american in canada: presidential candidate"there's a big question mark on your head, and you can't do that to the party." marco rubio accused cruz of flip-flopping on immigration: presidential candidate"that 's not consistent conservatism... that's political calculation." presidential candidate"at least half marco said are flat out false." ben carson tried to be the umpire: presidential candidate"and i just want to take opportunity 2012 elecon we when y werepublicans tore themselves apart have to stop this." czexplained not disclosi a half million dollar loanh he ran for senate: esidential candidate"i made a perwork error." there were differences

tracie potts reports from washington. :00-:04 donald trump's feud with fox news and anchor megan kelly has led to one less candidate on stage tonight. "the o'reilly factor"/ fox news super burned in sot: donald trump/ r presidential candidate :07-:09 "i don't like being taken advantage of." fox confirms: there will be no empty podium. trump tells south carolina voters it's what the u-s should've done with the iran nuclear deal: sot: donald trump/ r presidential candidate :17-:21 that's what you do." ted cruz challenged trump to a one- on-one saturday - he's even reserved a spot. trump has a competing event. sot: ted cruz/ r presidential candidate :28-:36 "he doesn't want to answer questions from the men and women of iowa about how his record doesn't match what he's selling." drawing attention to where cruz was born, trump tweets: "can we do it in canada?" other candidates are ready to move on: sot: marco rubio/ r presidential candidate :44-:49 "interesting sideshow. greatest show on earth. this is not a show. this is seri

palin is endorsing trump for president, but he's not the only republican going after nbc's tracie potts has more on

tracy potts nbc washington. live from the white house and a preview of the final state of the union address for the president. and special coverage begins at 9:00 eastern 6:00 pacific. >>> bernie sanders is putting up a fight. the top pair came together last night for the brown and black iowa numbers on fusion. >> has been criticizing you. have you noticed lately she's been getting more aggressive with you? >> yes. >> why is that? >> i don't know. >> you tell me. >> it could be that the inevitable candidate for the democratic nomination may not be so inevitable today. >> clinton answered with sly senators elect ability and stance on gun control. she also had a bigger fish to fry. the republican front runner. >> anybody can win. who would have thought donald trump would be leading in the polls. >> reporter: donald trump was on "the tonight show" last night. and he's telling the truth we ain't seen nothing yet. >> the newest poll just came out today where i'm beating her easily and substantially and i'm winning ag

audio outcue: tracie potts, nbc news, washington. the first lady's guests will include students, business owners, veterans -- and an empty chair... to represent victims the first lady's owners, veterans -- and an empty chair... to represent victims of gun violence. several coloradans will be also at today's state of the union. ronna rice is among 23 guests - invited to sit in the first lady's viewing box. she and her family run rice's lucky clover honey. rice told us... she's getting a lot of calls from home while she's in d.c. shemsadeen ben masaud will also be at the address. he's the imam at the metro denver north islamic center in northglenn. we've talked to him in the past about his interfaith work in our area. congresswoman diana degette. you can watch the state of the union address - tonight at 7 p.m. - right here on 9news. nbc's coverage is expected to last two hours. law enforcement and first responders who rushed to the scene of a shooting in colorado springs -- will be honored for their bravery today. in november a man ope

tracie potts is live on capitol hill now with more on the details.d morning. >> the problem with the ad, good morning, eun. here is the problem. part of the video where you see people flooding over the border, it is not the u.s./mexico border. it is the moroccan border between africa and europe shot two years ago. and aired on an italian network. now, asked about it, they asked the trump campaign why that video was used, if they were aware. in a statement, they said they were 1,000% aware and the point was to show americans what would happen if our border is not closed. this ad is part of donald trump's effort to get more support leading up to new hampshire. he's also attacking hillary clinton and now bill clinton on the campaign trail for his wife, for first time, solo. his focus is new hampshire. he was at a manchester restaurant over the weekend. and it looked like the clinton campaign, both the former president, and former secretary of state, and everyone else had made a deliberate decision not to reply to attacks by donald trump. >> tracie potts

nbc's tracy potts is in washington with a preview. >> reporter: duelling videos are setting the stage. the white house says president obama will reflect on his achievements and look ahead. >> he's at an opportunity to lay out for the american people the longer term challenges we face but also the opportunities. >> reporter: this preview focuses on november the elections. for the first time ryan will be seated directly behind the president. >> i'm not a real poker face guy. i grimace, i wins i -- >> the president of the united states. [ applause ] >> reporter: south carolina president tonight, delivers what republicans call an address. >> the reason i didn't want it to be a response is i certainly am not one to compete against the president or try to imply that i -- >> reporter: trooz is skipping to campaign in new hampshire. rubio, paul and sanders are expected to attend. tracy potts nbc washington. >>> and the today show will be live from the white house and a preview of the final state of the union address for the president. and special coverage begins at 9:00 eastern 6:00 pacific.

and if you missed it, here's nbc's tracie potts with a recap. until last night, donald trump and ted cruz had avoided other. that's over. the 7 candidates left on the main stage at the fox business debate tried to focus on president obama: presidential candidate "this guy is a petulant child." and hillary clinton: presidential candidate "hillary clinton would be a national security disaster." but at times, they turned on each other. donald trump questioned ted cruz's birth to an american in canada: presidential candidate "there's a big question mark on your head, and you can't do that to the party." marco rubio accused cruz of flip-flopping on immigration: presidential candidate "that 's not consistent conservatism... that's political calculation." presidential candidate "at least half marco said are flat out false." ben carson tried to be the umpire: presidential candidate "and i just want to take opportunity 2012 election we when i say we republicans tore themselves apart have to stop this." cruz explained not disclosing a half million dollar

tracie potts has more from washington. >> we have a political revolution. >> president obama has led our count out of the great recession. >> reporter: clear differences between democrats on gun control. >> i have a d minus voting record from the nra. >> he has voted with the nra with the gun lobby numerous times. >> reporter: on health care. republican repeal it and i don't want to see us start over again with a contentious debate. >> we have the highest payment for prescription drugs and we're getting ripped off. >> i do not want wall street's money. >> i'm the only candidate standing here tonight that said i will not raise taxes on the middle class. >> reporter: bernie sanders and martin o'malley brought up clinton's ties to wall street. >> did you not reign and would not reign in wall street like i would. >> reporter: they called president putin is a bully. and said that the relation is? >> interesting. >> reporter: the differences team to be driving the polls now just two week before iowa weighs n tracie potts, nbc news, washington. >>> donald trump's came up a few time last nig

nbc's tracie potts live from washington with more. setting it up for a fight here. we're taking a look at what the president is going to be announcing in just a few hours and it looks like he wants to focus on restricting some rights of people to buy arms at the gun shows without background checks and adding more fbi and atf agents. after getting the okay from his attorney general and fbi director that it's constitutional he plans to announce new measures to tighten gun laws. >> it's not going to prevent every mass shooting and it won't keep a gun out of the hands of every criminal. but it will potentially save lives. >> reporter: it will require more people who buy weapons at checks. >> unfortunately, we need things in place now. candidates accuse him of gutting the second amendment. >> his actions will restrict our law abiding citizens, not the tearing target them. >> we don't beat the bad guys by taking away our guns. >> what the president will be doing in the next week is an executive order. the next president on the very first day could wipe it away. >> reporte

but as tracie potts tells us the fight -- for now -- will end today after finally sending the president an ultimatum - a bill to repeal obamacare. "this marks a big step in the fight for patient- centered health care for all americans." democrats call it political theater and a waste of time. "everybod know this will take about a nanosecond for the president of the united states to veto." "exercising your constitutional right and power to legislate is never wasted if you're fighting for principles your nstituents believe in." the bill would also strip planned parenthood - after conservatives argued taxpayers shouldn't fund a group that performs abortions. "people have waited for years for this moment to destroy a bill - to put 22 there don't appear to be enough votes in either the house or senate to override the president's veto. "ultimately, this is going to require a reublican president." "we can do muchhetter. we will do mumuh better." republicans are promising to outline a replacement health plan by the end of the year. but it's unlikely that alternative would get a vote before pres

tracie potts has reaction to those plans. after getting the o-k froo his attorney general and fbi director that it's constitutional, later this morning president obama plans to announce new measures he's taking on his own to tighten gunun laws. "it's not going to prevent every mass shooting, it's not going to keep every gun out of the hands of a criminal, it will potentially save lives." the president's executive ooers will partiallylyclose the gun show loophole - requiring more people shshs to get backggound checks. "unfortunately we need things in place now - because people have just gotten out of control" & republican candidates cuse president obama of gutting the 2nd amamdment: "president obama's executive actions limiting gun rights will restrict our law-abiding citizens, not the criminals or the terrorists who target them." "we don't beat bad guys by taking away our gun we beat the bad guys by using our guns." "but you know what the president will be doing in the next week is an executive order. the next president on th

nbc's tracy potts joins us live from washington with more this thips he can just skip this dpbt detective. he's got momentum in iowa. he's just gotten key endorsements including arizona sheriff who was very outspoken just like trump on immigration. fresh off two key endorsements donald trump is skipping thursday's debate because he thinks the fox moderator is unfair. >> fox news, right? wonderful, wonderful place. fox news it's wonderful. >> fox i calls trump quotes terrorizations of megyn kelly near unprecedented. ted cruz who seems to have a lock on iowa is challenging trump to have a one on one. >> i want you to think how would you react if you were interviewing someone for a job and they said, you know, what i'm not willing to show up to the interview? >> by skipping trump is being a rebel. and it is the year of the outsider so he may be okay. you quitting. >> the democrats also fighting for an iowa win. hillary clinton out thing years of experience. >> i've been on the front lines of change and progress ins i was your age. >> bernie sanders tells voters turn out will make the differe

tracy potts reports a short line in the federal budget specifically mentions the bird the sage grouse. it's a battle pitting land users versus what the government says is best for the environment. >> reporter: the federal government has spent hundreds of millions of government land in 11 western states. >> if the sage grouse is in trouble it means the broader ecosystem is also in trouble. >> reporter: rangers -- ranges also feel they may be in trouble as well that the restrictions because of the bird habitat makes it harder for them to make a living. >> you are stopping all the spin off. with energy develop and all the jobs that go in those areas. >> reporter: a million sage grouse have dwindled to a few hundred housing eric . >> you will drove to 2-mile radius around it so you can't graze anything within that area. >> reporter: environmentalists say more is at stake. >> 300 50 species of birds and wildlife that depend on the future -- depend on the future big part of what is at stake. >> reporter: local officials, ranchers and conservationists say washington should bow out and let th

nbc's tracie potts is in washington dc and has a preview of tonight's speech. :34 - :37 :42 - :50 1:00 - 1:12 here's president obama... working on tonight's state of the union address. on the today show he reflected on promises of hope and change... with the nation more divided than ever: " it's a regret." tonight's speech will look toward america's future... beginning with an economy that's stronger than 7 years ago. more jobs... but flat wages. "part of what i hope to talk about is that if we make some good choices now, whoever the next president is, whoever's controlling the next congress, there's no reason why we shouldn't own the 21st century." california :34 - :37 "i don't think it's time for a farewewe tour. it's time to actually solve problems." critics say the president needs and take on the nation's debt: speaker of the house :42 - :50 "we're gonna lay out a case to republican president." south carolina governor nikki haley gives the republican addddss . in the gallery tonight: an empty chair for victims of gun violence. arizona 1:00 - 1:12 "i'd like to see another empty chai

i'm tracie potts in washington. we're getting some new, incredible video in this afternoon after a possible tornado flipped vehicles in this is broward county....in the cocunut creek area of florida. aerial video shows a tractor trailer on its side....a car on top of another...along with trees down. listen to how strong those winds were-- the nbc station in miami reports the winds picked up a vehicle in a southbound lane a a dropped it in the northbound lanes this morning. at least one person was injured. a cloudy start to the middle of the week as we take a live look through the wis skycam over downtown columbia. meteorologist ben tanner is in the first alert weather center with more on the possibilities of rain today. a cold front will move through the area during the day, ahead of the front look for cloudy skies with scattered showers during the day. rain chance 50%. highs will max out right about where they are this morning in the lower 50s. tonight, a few scattered showers, colder, low in the middle to upper 30

tracie potts has that. plus, new poll numbers from tracie: just released this morning, our poll trump flipping the scrip in iowa, up by seven over ted cruz who was leading earlier this month. trump is up by 19 in new hampshire and 16 in south carolina. his feud with fox news anchor megyn kelly has led to one less candidate on stage tonight. >> i do not like being taken advantage of. tracie: fox confirms there will be no empty podium. trump says it is what the u.s. should have done with the iran nuclear deal. he has reserved a spot. trump as the competing event. >> he does not want to answer questions from the men and women of iowa about how his record does not match what he is telling. tracie: trump tweeps, can we do it in canada? drawing attention to where ted >> greatest show honor, this is not the show. this is setracie: chris christie remembers being bumped from the main stage>> did i stamp my feet? no. i said, give me a podium, a microphone. you do not walk awhttracie: tracie potts nbc news washington.

tracie potts has more on that and new poll numbers just released this morning. our new nbc-marist polls show trump's numbers remain strong. analysts say skipping tonight's debate is a risk - but it could turn out to be a smart one. just released this morning: our nbc- marist polls show donald trump flipping the script in iowa - now up by 7 over ted cruz... who was leading there earlier this month. trump's up by 19 in new south carolina, our polls show. yet his feud with fox news and anchor megan kelly has led to one less candidate on stage tonight. super burned in presidential candidate :22-:24 "i don't like being taken advantage of." fox confirms: there will be no empty podium. trump tells south carolina voters it's what the u-s should've done with the iran nuclear deal: presidential candidate :32-:35 "you just walk out. you leave. that's what you do." ted cruz challenged trump to a one-on-one presidential candidate :42-:51 "he doesn't want to answer questions from the men and women of iowa about how his record canada?" other candidates are ready to move on: pr

tracie potts, nbc news. coming up on the news at 4 ... we'll look ahead to a concert raising money and awareness for pediatric cancer... and the local business that made it possible for 400 people to go. behityrone stevenson and dondre givens were arrested and charged with first-degree burglary and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. deputies responded to a call about an armed robbery at the campus corner apartments on campus drive. when investigators arrived, three men ran away. stevenson and given were caught immediately. the two men were denied bond in court yesterday. anyone with information on a third suspect is asked to call crimestoppers at 1-888-crime-sc. a sumter man was arrested following a child pornography investigation by the state attorney general's office. william hugh phillips is facing 15 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. investigators say he exchanged files of child pornography by computer. he faces up to 10 years in prison. two lexington county residents were arrested cory mickle and jerry haselden ea

tracie potts has a look at the reaction to his event and the debate. >> look at all the cameras. it's like the academy awards. tracie: side by side, donald trump's veterans fundraiser. >> isn't that better than this debate that's going on where everyone's sleeping? tracie: during the fox news debate, wher m his absence. this stage is st ugly. >> he's an entertaining guy. he's the greatest show on earth. >> he was a little teddy bear to me. >> i kind of miss him. i wish he was here. >> he's probably looking for me. he's saying, has anyone seen trump? why where's trump? where is he? where is he? >> did you miss donald trump out there tonight? >> not at all. man, was i -- that was the best debate we've had of all of the debates, easily. tracie: issues like immigration the top facebook issue during , the debate >> you changed your position on immigration because you used to support a path to citizenship. >> so did you, so did you, marco. tracei: with trump gone, ted cruz accused the moderators of targeting gosh, if you guys say, ask one more mean question, i may have to leave the stag

i'm tracie potts in washington. >> here in siouxland, we'll be seeing a lot of the candidates between now and february first. democrat bernie sanders holds a rally tonight at seven at the orpheum theatre in sioio city. republican mike huckabee starts a two day swing through northwest iowa tomorrow. cherokee wednesday afternoon, then in sioux city, le mars, sioux center, rock valley and sheldon on thursday. republican rick santorum is in spirit lake today. then he'll host town hall meetings in sibley, rock rapids, sheldon and cherokee, on wednesday. and, on saturday, republican donald trump will host a rally at dordt college in sioux center. we have times and location for all of these events inside this story at ktiv- dot-com. their eye is on the prize.. the iowa caucus, 13 days away. it's the first public step in electing our next president. but there are some things you need to know before you attend a caucus. here's ktiv's tiffany lane. << "it's the nation's first caucus. on february 1st voters in iowa will be the first to show support for who they would like in the white housusfor

tracie potts is on capitol hill with a preview. << here's president obama... working on address. on the today show he reflected on promises of hope and change... with the nation more divided than ever: president obama from the today show "(is it a failure?) it's a regret." tonight's speech will look toward america's future... stronger than 7 years ago. more jobs... but flat wages. president obama from the today show "part of what i hope to talk about is that if we make some good choices now, whoever the next president is, whoever's controlling the next congress, there's no reason why we shouldn't own the 21st century." rep. kevin mccarthy, (r) california "i don't think it's time for a farewell tour. it's time to actually solve problems." critics say the president needs a clear plan to defeat isis... and take on the nation's debt: rep. paul ryan, (r) speaker of the house "we're gonna lay out a case to public on what it'll take to get fiscal house in order and clearly that's gonna take a republican president." south carolina governor nikki haley gives the republican address . in th

tracie potts is live on capitol hill. ie, what is the impact it's going have on the voters in iowa? >> ted cruz and donald trump mixed it up last night. trump thinks it has to do with the numbers in iowa. we know the iowa voters are watching very closely. remember, these are caucuses, not primaries, so people get much more involved in their candidates in iowa. much more focused the issues, which they did talk about quite a bit last night. >> what about the democratic challengers? they had a big night on social media. bernie sanders and hillary clinton active. >> they were tweeting about this. hillary clinton said 2 1/2 hours. just imagine four years. bernie had a message for donald trump. no, we're not going hate latinos or muslims. we're going to stand together, #gopdebate. it became a topic of discussion with other candidates weighing in as to whether or not it's something we should do or disagree about it. >> jeb bush still trying to gain trarkz criticized trump on banning muslims from the united states. take a listen.

i'm tracie potts in washington, now back to you. some republican candidates are back in iowa the next few days. trump has a rally in urbandale this morning. ben carson has a town hall in charles city tomorrow. marco rubio has a similar events in decorah and waverly on monday. he'll also be in coralville that day. as tracie potts said -- the democrats are getting ready for their own debaa in south the bar to get in. both hillary clinton and bernie sanders had called on n-b-c news to include him. you can watch that debate on sunday night at eight here on kwwl. this morning, o'malley hass campaign stops in cedar rapids and mount vernon. former president clinton is also back in iowa campaigning for his wife in marshalltown and coralville today. this morning, we're keeping an eye on the roads. they could be slick. they were yesterday. when a cedar rapids squad car crashed. police hadadbeen called out to a five-car crash thursday morning -- when one of their own cars crashed. one officer was taken to the hospital. two people were killed w

tracie potts has a look at the speech and where the obama team is headed. :01 :26-:32 1:05-1:11 1:16-1:20 "anyone claiming that america's economy is in decline is peddling fiction." even with millions still struggling, president obama says america's economy is strong. 14 million new jobs. the auto industry's best year. he defended his fight against isis: "if you doubt america's commitment-or mine-to see that justice is done, ask osama bin laden." he's urging congress to approve the transpacific trade deal, lift the embargo against cuba, and act on climate change: he touted the iran nuclear deal as success but didn't mention captured u-s sailors released this morning. and he repeatedly slammed donald muslims... though not by name. "we need to reject any politics...any politics that targets people because of race or religion." "it's just wrong." south carolina governor nikki haley's republican response criticized broken promises but admitted her party contributes to washington's dysfunction. south carolina 1:05-1:11 "there is more than enough blame to go around. we as republicans need t

tracie potts has the social media reaction to it all. trump didn't register on facebook - they only rated the candidates on stage, and ted cruz was the most talked about. on twitter, trump was number one. presidential candidate :00-:05 "look at all the cameras, it's like the academy awards. this is the academy awards!" side by side... donald trump's veterans fundraiser... presidential candidate :08-:12 "isn't that better than this debate that's going on where everyone's sleeping?" during the fox news debate where candidates mocked his absence. presidential candidate :16-:21 "i'm a maniac and everyone on this stage is stupid, fat, and ugly." presidential candidate :21-:23 "he's an entertaining guy. he's the greatest show on earth." presidential candidate :24-:26 "he was a little teddy bear to me." he's saying, "has anyone seen trump? why - where's trump? where is he? where is he?" "you changed your position on immigration because you used to support a path to citizenship." presidential candidate :53-:55 "so did you, so did you marco." wit

tracie potts, nbc news, washington. >>> a group called united for care is optimistic medical marijuana will get enough signatures by the end of this week to make it onn the 2016 ballot. united for care says it's less than 20,000 signatures away from being on the 2016 ballot in november. any proposed balot measures need at least 683,000 signatures make it. this is the last week that any amendments can be considered for this year's vote. if approved, it has to get 60% of the vote to make law. you might recall two years ago in 2015, 58% of voters supported the amendment, two points shy of >>> busy start to our wednesday. doppler radar more on the active side. we're seeing showers move through western portions of miami-dade county along the turnpike, as far east as sweetwater. let's jump in and get you out the door. broward county seeing more in the formf green than miami-dade is. we can see the showers along i-95 down into deerfifld beach and as far south as pompano. definitely the main rain event right now still remains out towards the west. we'll take a zoomed-out look. heavy rain enter

stick around for insight from nbc's tracie potts. that's at 5:30. >>> i'm meagan fitzgerald here at the live desk where we're following that developing story out of iraq. u.s. officials are still working to learn how three americans were kidnapped. it happened yesterday in baghdad. the u.s. state department is actively working to locate those civilians. a dubai-based news service reporting that the americans have been taken by militia that so far no one has claimed responsibility. the state department says the iraqi government is fully cooperating. eun? >> thank you, meagan. >>> harsh words from the muslim association in virginia they're condemning the acts of isis. joseph farrokh was stopped aet the airport on friday. he was trying to go to syria to join isis. the friend that droesh him also faces chargeses. >>> a neighbor was firing bullets. this happened in north stafford. detectives believe two groups were shooting at one another. no one was hurt. they have identified two people involve bud they're looking for two others. >> 5:07

you stand up and fight. >> reporter: tracie potts, nbc news, washington. >> check out the wncn political page for an update on the campaigns and candidates. right now on wncn.com. >>> there's new tensions between the u.s. and iran this morning. the iranian navy warned an american warship to leave an area in the sea of oman where they were conducting drills. this is less than a month after iran detained and then released 10 u.s. sailors who entered iran's territorial waters by mistake. >>> veterans get the chance to meet with potential employers today. a military career fair underway raleigh. that is where we find emma wright live with this story. emma? >> reporter: this career fair just kicked off around 11:00, check this out. we have tons of people coming through. we had people lined up for about the past hour waiting for this to open. we're up here in the towers of carter-finley stadium, pretty cool. they've got booths lined all up and down here. they say they have about 45 booths in the whole place. they say they are expecting 400 to 500 people throughout this morning and this afterno

tracie potts has a recap... the 7 candidates left on a petulant child." and hillary clinton: "hillary clinton would be a national security disaster." but at times, they turned on each other. donald trump questioned ted cruz's birth to an american in canada: "there's a big question mark on your head, and you can't do that calculation." "at least half the umpire: "and i just want to take opportunity 2012 election we when i say we republicans tore themselves apart have to stop this." cruz explained not disclosing a half million dollar on an, syria.. banning muslims..and whether to tax chinese imports: debate left before the iowa caucuses. that next debate -- january 28th right there in iowa just a few days before the the next democrats debate this sunday in south carolina on nbc tracie potts, nbc news washington. some republican candidates are back in iowa the next few days. donald trump had a rally in urbandale this morning. while marco rubio has similar events in decorah, waverly and coralville on monday. and -- former candidate lindsey graham has also end

tracie potts nbc news washington. >> trump claims he raised nearly six million dollars in a single day, and that 100 percent of it will go directly to vets. iraq and afghanistan veterans of america founder paul rieckhoff slammed the event... ...calling it a "political group wouldn't accept any of the money if offered. some iowa vets strongly disagreed with that group's position and supported trump's efforts. :00 - 11 (ray ford/vietnam veteran) "i find it kind of offensive that you're putting out an opinion but it basically it's just your opinion because it doesn't represent all veterans need to decide that." (joshua radcliff/u.s. army think it's great. i think that if it's what he's going to do what he says he's going to do and help give back to the veterans and help bring it's a great idea." trump's campaign hasn't yet released names of veterans groups they will be donating the money to. six major veterans groups contacted by c-n-n say they haven't heard anything from the campaign yet. two more counties in northwest iowa are now a celebration took place yesterday at arnold's park pavi

it ran a bit late, if you missed it, tracie potts has a recap from washington. >> reporter: the seven candidates left on the main stage at the fox business debate tried to focus on president obama this guy is a petulant child. >> and hillary clinton. >> hillary clinton would be a national security disaster. >> reporter: but at times they turned on each otherer donald trump questioned ted cruz's birth to an american in canada. >> there's a big question mark on your head. and you can't do that to the pay. >> reporter: marco rubio accused cruz of flip-flopping on immigration. >> that is not conservatism, that's political calculation. >> reporter: ben carson tried to be the umpire. >> in the 2012 election we -- when i say we, republicans tore you know, we have to stop this. >> reporter: cruz explained not disclosing $500,000 loan when he ran for ssate. >> yes, i made a paperwork error. >> reporter: there were differences on iran, searyria, banning muslims and whether to text imports. there's one republican debate left before the iowa caucuses. that happens january 28th in iowa. the democr

tracie potts has more with what the other candidates are doing.d morning. >> some think cruz can gain ground by not participating. he's leading in five of the six polls. he's had deendorsements there. he's had ongoing feuds with fox and megyn kelly. fox saying he's unfair. he's not going to allow trump to, what they call, terrorize their anchor. they said he's still welcome to participate in this debate. without him, we're looking at seven people on stage, rand paul who made it back on to the main stage. ted cruz who was leading in iowa now faces a big challenge for donald trump there is now asking him to do a one-on-one debate. remember, cruise is say master debater. we got bernie sanders. here's the white house for a sitdown in the oval office. the white house says it's private. something they first talked about in december. and that there's no agenda. he is certainly gains ground and in some areas exceeding hillary clinton in the polls where she's now out with a new ad, drawing young people. and that's where bernie sand serious making such an i

tracie potts, nbc news, washington. >>> and the entire "today" show anchor team is at the white house this morning, as we speak, preparing for some very big interviews. president obama ahead of the speech, and savannah guthrie will be interviewing vice president joe biden. tune into "oday" on nbc6 for the "today" show. nbc special new coverage from washington, d.c., on the state of the union address begins at 9:00, right here on nbc6. >>> in a few hours governor rick scott will deliver the state of the state before a joint session of the legislature in tallahassee. scott released part of his speech, which focuses on job creation. the governor will call for incentives and tax cuts. he says that will make florida number one in the nation when it comes to job growth. right now florida is second only to texas. >>> the clock is certainly ticking for medical marijuana supporters to get the amendment on the november ballot. united for care has less than three weeks to get the 157 signatures it is missing for the constitutional amendment that would legalize medical marijuana to, in turn, put

nbc's tracie potts has more in washington. >> this is like the acted me awards. >> reporter: side by side, donald trump's veteransns fund-raiser -- >> sthnt better than the debate that's going on? >> reporter: durii the fox news debate where candidates mocked his absence. >> i a maniac, and everyone on this stage is stupid, fat and ugly. >> he's an entertaining guy, greatest show on earth. >> he was a little teddy bear to me. >> i miss him. i wish he was here. >> probably looking for me, has anyone seen trump? where is trump? where is he? >> that was the best debate we've had of all the debates. >> reporter: issues like immigration, the top facebook issue during the debate. . >> changed your position on immigration, you used to support a path to citizen. >>reporter: with trump god, trump accused the moderators of -- >> if you ask one more mean question, i might leave the stage. >> don't worry. i'm not leaving the stage no matter what you ask me. >> reporter: the last debate before iowa makes its choice. donald trump says he raised $6 million for wounded warriors at that evee. tracie

tracie potts is live on capitol hill, so, tracie, who are some of the guests we're expecting tonight.> a number of people, and some of them will focus on gun control and tightening gun laws, something the president has wanted to do and first lady's box tonight. there will be an empty chair and the white house says that will represent victims of gun violence, voiceless victims that they have been fighting for and trying to get these laws changed. also, a partner of one of the san bernardino shooting victims will be in the first lady's box as well. and there are other guests tonight, maryland steny hoyer is inviting her husband, a capital police officer, who was killed back in 1998 when a gunman approached the security checkpoint. so they really want to try to focus on that tonight. there are other things they'll be focusing on as well. immigration reform. again, another big one that the president tried to go around congress, unable to get a consensus here. climate change, he's likely to mention. but aside from sort of a laundry list of things that he wants congress to do, he'll also fo