anne thompson has the details. >> reporter: appearing to smirk -- >> are you listening? >> reporter: and often inattentive. >> yeah. >> reporter: former pharmaceutical ceo martin shkreli lived up to his bad-boy reputation appearing before congress. >> i intend to use the advice of my counsel, not yours. >> reporter: posing for pictures instead

. >> anne thompson reports on a big announcement from doctors about diagnosing depression. >> reporter: this should be a joyous time for women. a government panelof independent experts acknowledges it may not be and recommends all women before and after birth be screened for depression, something that affectsone in seven moms. >> women want to have these conversations because they are recognizing themselves that something is amiss. >> it's so prevalent. >> reporter: in 2005 brooke shields shattered the silence on the "today" show. now on the red carpet this month actrtrss hayden panettiere saying she's proud to be aspokesperson after getting help following the birth of her daughter. >> doesn't mean they're a bad strange and they can get help if they need it. >> reporter: how do you know what's just the common baby

anne thompson has the story. in pope francis' native latin america the zika virus, carried by mosquitos, is wreaking havoc... linked to babies born with abnormally small heads. public health officials have urged women to avoid getting pregnant in a region of the world that is overwhelmingly catholic. at his in-flight press conference, the pope said contraception to prevent zika is the lesser of two evils compared to abortion. abortion he said is a crime, an absolute evil and likened it to what the mafia does. while surprising, francis' decision is not a first in church history. the belgian congo, in danger of rape to use birth control. in that case, as in the zika epidemic now, francis said it was a clear exception. that exception has some people in latin america hailing francis as a modern pope, who finds solutions. but experts insist this is not a change in church doctrine. "this is not a blanket statement to apply to all forms of contraception at at any moment, but this is a dealing with a disease that is wrea

he preached his message of equality and hope to more than 300,000 attending mass.c's anne thompson has more. >> reporter: pope francis went to the city notorious for crime. francis rode through the graffiti covered streets given a makeover by criminalsappropriate for the occasion, the pope portrayed in all kinds of was even as a graffiti it has one of the highest murder and disappearance rates in mexico. it's such a dangerous place this woman tells me today's masse rare times she can bring her children to a public event. more than 300,000 people filled wealth, vanity, and pride, emphatically telling them there can be no dialogue with the your evil can fear like a daily reality. francis is asking these people,m poor and powerless to join the front lines of making mexico a land of opportunity. for a moment one of its most a better place. anne thompson, nbc news, mexico. >>> 48 people had to be rescued frigid new england ski slope after their tram cars got stuck 40 feet above the ground. look at this. rescuers actually had to usep stranded schoolers propel through a hatch in the bottom of

anne thompson has the details. >> reporter: appearing to smirk -- >> are you listening? >> reporter: and often inattentive. >> yeah. >> reporter: former pharmaceutical ceo martin shkreli lived up to his bad-boy reputation appearing before congress. >> i intend to use the advice of my counsel, not yours. >> reporter: posing for pictures instead of listening. >> it's not funny, mr. shkreli, people are dying, and they're getting sicker and sicker. >> reporter: he declined to answer why he raised their life-saving drugs 5,000%. >> do you think you did anything wrong? >> on advice of counsel, i invoke my fifth amendment >> reporter: the 32-year-old usually loves to talk. >> i'm from the streets. >> reporter: but today he let his attorney speak for him. >> what you saw was nervous energy by an individual who very much would like to explain what happened. >> reporter: leaving the other drug company executives to face furious questioners. >> i find it repulsive what you've done. >> reporter: valiant under fire for jacking up prices on two heart medicines and other well-establish

this despite the catholic church's ban on contraceptives, we get more from nbc's anne thompson in rome. >> reporter: returning from mexico, pope francis surprised many by opening the door to the use of artificial contraception to prevent the sexual transmission of zika, the vi rugs rampant in his native latin america, linked to babies born with unusually small heads. it's similar, he said, granted to the nuns in the belgian congo when they were routinely raped in the 1960s. francis continues to shock, as he did in 2013 when he said the church has been historically too obsessed with things like birth control, abortion and gay marriage. loosening up church teaching is a misreading of what he's doing. this is a pastor, and a pastor responds to people in their situation. >> reporter: it was revealed in letters this week, francis said a friendship with a woman is not a sin. the pope needs the input of women. he said a man who doesn't have a friendship with a woman is missing something. as with donald trump and immigration, pope francis is proving once again that he is not afraid of taking o

anne thompson, nbc news, new york. >>> when we come back, the defroster isn't going to cut it. that turned this car >>> the powerball jackpot is now more than double the record in the u.s. it has climbed to $1.4 billion for wednesday's drawing. lottery officials say 28 players were one number off in saturday's drawing. they each won $1 million. >>> the big change coming out of the big-top. the ringling brothers announcing it will retire all elephants in may. that is a year and half earlier than planned. the change comes after many cities passed new laws over animal treatment. the elephants will move to a sanctuary where blood samples will be taken from them for pediatric cancer research. scientists believe elephants may carry a gene that suppresses cancer. >>> another wild turn in the season of extremes after temperatures ticked up a bit above normal in some spots. brace yourselves because the polar vortex is back. and take a look at this image of the day from buffalo, new york. a car literally frozen solid on the shores of is impacting parts of new york state. a blast of frigid arctic air

nbc's anne thompson has the details. >> can't afford to let heartburn get in the way? >> reporter: stopping heartburn is big business. >> zero heartburn. >> reporter: sold as nexium, prilosc and prevacid more than 15 million americans shelled out more than $10 billion in 2013 for the prescription versions of these drugs cold proton pump inhibitors. now a new study from johns hopkins says the acid-reducing chronic kidney disease 20% to 50%. cleveland clinic kidney specialist is treating kim hinkel. >> kim had normal kidney nunks in march and bloodwork in august showed kidney function down to 30%. >> reporter: kim was taking one of the over-the-counter versions. on a hunch the doctor had kim stop, and her kidneys improved. >> i was lucky it was caught early, and that we can do something about it. >> reporter: for over-the-counter acid reducers the fda recommends they be used for 14 days and no more than three times a year. for the prescription versions, the package insert recommends for most conditions the pills be taken for up to eight weeks. >> pills are not the only a

nbc's anne thompson brings us up to speed. the dow plumsing more than 300 points, bouncing back, only to plunge again by early what has traders and investors grabbing fist fulls is the slowing in china. in china is fuelling the u.s. market's worst started to a year ever. shrink the average 401 kt 2%. january is a beromter for the future. predicting with 87% accuracy what the market will do for the rest of the year. one more reason why main needs to watch wall street. anne thompson, nbc news, new york. >>> are you dreading your commute today? be thankful you aren't theseys. california mark was on his way home after an unsuccessful attempt at getting a haircut when all of a sudden flood

tonight, anne thompson has the answer but some questions still remain. >> reporter: on a day of searing image, this was the one of resilience. >> the symbolism of what they did in raising that flag is really what resonates with people. >> reporter: it was also the source of a mystery. hours after tom franklin took this shot on 9/11, the flag di flag was touted as the one in the picture until someone realized that flag was the wrong size. 5 feetx8, the one in the photo is 3x5. where was the real flag. in the anales of american history, how big a mystery is this? >> this is the most famous flag in the 20th century. the only one i think of bigger is iwo jima. >> brad told the story you've got the wrong flag. >> reporter: a man brought the flag to a fire station in washington and he's a mystery and his name is brian. he said he got it from the noaa that had been given it by a widow and the comparisons followed and they found the flag was the same size of same material with matching hall yards and tape. there was another on that flag was consistent with dust and debris from ground zero. >> r

nbc's anne thompson has details. >> reporter: former army intelligence analyst, susan haley, veteran of afghanistan is furious. >> they betrayed me. i gave them my time like i promised. they can't give me my time back. >> she sends more than a quarter of her to the military, to repay $26,000 in bonuses she got to re-enlist. >> we've had to dip into our savings. we've completely exhausted our savings account. >> reporter: chris van meter earned a purple heart in iraq. he's refinanced his home to cover the $46,000 the military says he shouldn't have gotten. >> i think we really got screwed. and i think it was a slap in the face. >> reporter: both were members of the california national guard, enticed by the more when the pentagon was trying to fill the all-volunteer force from 2006 to 2008. only after the incentives were paid did the pentagon realize not all soldiers qualified. >> in most cases, the soldiers didn't do anything wrong. >> reporter: the story first reported by the los angeles times involves about 10,000 soldiers who owe approximately $20 million. the vfw calls the efforts

anne thompson, nbc news, new york. hope of cnbc's "mad money." go up and down. people feeling nervous right now. what do you tell them? >> panic never made anybody a dime.otally understand why people would be concerned. china is a huge economy. a lot of the united states is good but our companies that do a lot of business in a, particularly manufacturing aren't doing well. i think there are some stocks that are not good to have. i'm not in a hurry tommit new capital to this market. >> jim cramer tonight, thanks. we'll see you for cnbc's special coverage "markets in turmoil." turmoil. "7:00 p.m. eastern time. >>> donald trump unleashed an attack on hillary and bill clinton. tonight tens of thousands are expected at a trump rally at a venue that can only hold 400,000. the unlike lest of places, burlington, vermon sanders' country. giving out 20,000 free tickets to a 1,400 capacity seater, 163 steps away from sanders' own campaign headquarters. if this was a different event -- >> like a phish concert -- >> we would cancel it. >> reporter: trying to prove his crosso

as nbc's anne thompson explains the pope is seizing this moment to make an emotional plea on the issue of immigration. >> reporter: a simple gesture and powerful message. at the u.s. border fence pope francis builds a symbolic bridge from mexico on immigration. francis himself the son of immigrants seeking to put a what he calls grave injustices, poverty, exploitation and violence. among the hundreds of thousands here to see him, 21-year-old jasmine flores who crosses the border every day to go to school. >> for him just to cam to juarez, means everything to us. >> reporter: no longer the murder capital of the world juarez is still a dangerous place. father half jer kovalio runs a shelter for immigrants. he says he hopes francis can make americans see the people he helps every day should be treated with dignity. as he does on nearly every foreign trip, francis visited a prison. one of the inmate musicians overwhelmed. this evening's mass broadcast on both sides of the border. >> religion reaches over walls, over mountains. >> reporter: the joy on the pope's face marred only by a overze

ann thompson, nbc news, chicago. >>> turning now to the gripping images of first responders in and growing epidemic in this country. it comes just as the federal government is launching a new initiative to curve the opioid crisis that claims tens of thousands of american lives every year. we get more from nbc's pete williams. >> reporter: when a cleveland, ohio, woman saw this man slumped behind the wheel of a parked car, she feared the worst. >> i thought i was staring in the face of death. it was scary. i was just thinking, like, what can i do? >> reporter: she posted these pictures after police responded, suspected a heroin overdose and gave life-saving medication. a scene disturbingly similar to what ohio police recently posted. a couple passed out in a car with a suspected overdose with a 4-year-old in the back seat. the drug enforcement administration estimates 28,000 people die each year from heroin overdoses. they're three times one reason, street suppliers are mixing in the drug fentanyl because it's cheaper. but it's 50 times stronger, making it even more dangerous than the dea i

anne thompson, nbc news, new york. >>> jim cramer is the host of cnbc's "mad money." markets go up and down. people feeling nervous right now. some on the verge of panic. what do you tell them? >> panic never made anybody a dime. it's not a strategy. i totally understand why people would be concerned. china is a huge economy. a lot of the united states is good but our companies that do a lot of business in china, particularly manufacturing aren't doing well. i think there are some stocks that are not good to have. i'm not in a hurry to commit new capital to this market. >> jim cramer tonight, thanks. unleashed an attack on hillary and bill clinton. the clintons are refusing to hit back. tonight in vermont, tens of thousands are expected at a trump rally at a venue that can only hold 1,400. katy tur has more. >> donald trump flexing his muscle in the unlikeliest of places, burlington, vermont. bernie sanders' country. giving out 20,000 free tickets to a 1,400 capacity seater, 163 steps away from sanders' own campaign headquarters. if this was a different event -- >> li

anne thompson, nbc news, mexico. >>> 48 people had to be rescued from a frigid new england ski slope after their tram cars got stuck 40 feet above the ground. look at this. rescuers actually had to use rope to help stranded schoolers propel through a hatch in the bottom of the car to the ground thankfully nobody was injured. they say a breaking sis is to blame and it could take a few days to fix the problem. >>> marvel's latest movie "flick" has started. "dead pool" earn $135 million. "dead pool" had been the biggest. also for the biggest february weekend and biggest president's four-day weekend. meanwhile it debuted in third while ben stiller's much hyped "zoolander 2" took in a disappointed $16.7 million. >>> an accusation of a woman choking spitzer. >>> and get rt rd for a triple threat with three separate covers. you're watching "early today." ay." heart isn't pumping well. (water filling room) about 50 percent of people die (dog whimpering) within 5 years of getting diagnosed. but there's something you can do. talk to your doctor about heart failure treatment options. because th

ann thompson, nbc news, myrtle beach, south carolina. >> and that will do it for us on a friday night. i'm savannah guthrie in for lester. for all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching, have a great >> announcer: the following is a paid presentation brought to by lift by sono bello. what do you dislike about your face? >> you know, i look in the mirror and i put on makeup and i would think, it's the best we can do, girl. >> i'm hugely an optimistic person. i'm "the glass is half-full." i'm not an angry person, but that's what shows on the outside to other people. >> i usually take a picture with somebody, you know, with my kids or whatever, so that the focus won't be on me. >> i always look like i'm scowling. i'm a friendly, outgoing person but my appearance doesn't match it. >> you know, you try creams. you try neck exercises. you try everything that they say is gonna work, but nothing works. >> announcer: like it or not, our face plays a powerful role in how people view us and how we feel about ourselves.

nbc's anne thompson has details. breakthrough cancer drugs, precious, expensive and wasted, up to $3 billion a year says a shocking new study from memorial sloan-kettering >> we're talking about hundreds of millions of dollars for nearly every drug we looked at going in the trash. >> reporter: why? doses of these cancer drugs are determined by a patient's weight, but manufacturers sell or two vial sizes so it's harder to tailor the dose. >> they can get paid for the dose, and if they can put in a big vial they get paid for the trash part, too. >> reporter: doctors peter bach and len saltz ked the top selling cancer drugs, in medicine that's helping minot live with breast cancer. >> it's the drug that saved my life basically. >> reporter: each drug every three weeks cost $9,500 but she only uses 81% meaning her insurance is arguably being charged $1,800 extra for medication she doesn't need. >> it's outrageous. it's like kicking somebody who is already down. >> reporter: genentech the maker of the drug says it's available in two sizes and it's packaged to meet fda regulations so that

anne thompson, nbc news, new york. >>> when we come back, they'll be there for you. louis. >>> big news in the the nfl gave the go 0-ahead for the st. louis rams to move back to los angeles. it could have consequences far beyond the field. >> reporter: for the st. louis rams, after 21 years in st. louis, rams' fans are hanging up their jerseys. >> i'm very disappointed in the nfl. >> reporter: the owner says the cash-strapped city could not afford a new stadium. the team headed to los angeles where they played for nearly half a century. >> it is bittersweet. we understand the emotions involved of our fans. >> reporter: the rams will kick off their third three seasons at this $1.8 billion stadium and entertainment stadium is built in englewood, ten miles from downtown los angeles. >> this will increase not only property values and employment opportunities, but increased community pride. >> reporter: after 55 years in san diego, chargers have the options to join the rams. with the welcome wagon out, football is back in l.a. miguel almaguer, nbc news, los angeles. >> wh

ann thompson has tonight's inspiring america re >> what time is it? >> game time! >> reporter: the talented east valley high roderick jackson shines. the speed and agility encased in a tough outer shell. hiding the spokane's turbulent childhood. which is tougher life or football? >> life, definitely. >> reporter: what he calls an unhealthy situation. he left home at 15 and dropped year. >> i had no place to live and not having people to talk to when you needed them like parents. everything. i hit rock bottom. >> reporter: he returned to school trying to turn his life around but struggled. he sought out football coach adam fisher. >> he completely broke down. he goes, coach, i have nowhere to go. i have nobody and i need help. >> dear father, thank you. >> reporter: adam and jolene fisher offered roderick his home and love. gaining court-appointed oversight of him. and craving of it. we took him in and gave him 100%. >> reporter: it was an adjustment for allie and sydney. their parent's attention divided by three. with lines drawn on the field -- >> when we walk out

anne thompson, nbc news, new rk big hit on social media for saving his daughter's halloween. they were on a flight last night during primetime trick or treat hours, and rather than let his 3-year-old miss out, he passed out notes and supplies to fellow passengers politely asking if they would hand out candy, so she >>> finally tonight, fans in cleveland are hoping it's all over except for the celebrating after tonight, as the world series moves back to their home turf for game six. the indians lead the chicago cubs, 3-2, and can take it all with a win this evening. nbc's ron mott is there. >> reporter: the script is set, the scene ready. and on a 70s in cleveland, the action is sure to be hot when the indians and chicago cubs play ball in game six of the world series. fans here, primed and pumped for a championship celebration at home. >> why is this the year and not the cubs' year? >> it's the young guys, they got a team, they got the chemistry. >> it's over! >> reporter: just months after its basketball team was crowned, it's now champagne wishes and >> reporter: but since

anne thompson, nbc news, new york. >>> turning now to targeting isis in iraq. on the march to mosul, iraqi troops freed what was the largest christian city in that country from isis control. joining that victory, christian militia men who fled the city two years ago. our richard engel inside iraq shows us the destruction they found when they returned. >> reporter: this wasteland is what's left of the town of cara kosh. once home to 50,000 iraqi christians. along with everyone else, two and a half years ago, when isis started closing in. now he's back for a brief and dangerous visit. >> we want to see the city, and we want to be sure that the people can return back. >> reporter: the offensive against isis has made that possible, but father amin first wants to see his church. or what's left of it. here. >> reporter: this church was the largest in all of iraq where christians have lived for as long as there have been christians. iraqi fighters used the pews for fuel to spread the flames. and the courtyard for target practice. >> i want to hurt them, but to pray of

here's anne thompson. >> reporter: 5-year-old andy martinez waved good buy for what should have been a flight from the dominican republic to new york's kennedy airport. flying alone for the first time, his mom maribel paid the airline an extra $100 exemployee get him on and off the flight. but through a translator she says he wasn't there. >> translator: i was given another boy, and they asked me it was the first time, is this your son? and i said, this is not my son. >> reporter: that child had her son's passport. andy landed in boston, the other boy mistakenly sent to jfk. jetblue put andy on the next flight to new york and, after what she says were more than three terrifying son back. >> i then had him in my hands, thank god. >> reporter: but when asked if it was the two boys that switched the passports causing the confusion, the mother's lawyer jumped in. >> we're not going to speculate. >> reporter: in a statement the airline said the children were always under the care of jetblue crew members. jetblue apologized, refunded the flights and offered the families credit on future fl

as nbc's anne thompson reports, knowing those signs could save your life. >> reporter: when it comes to treatment for heart disease, it is still a man's world. in a first of its kind report on heart attacks in women, today the american heart association says heart disease remains undertreated and underdiagnosed in women. it starts with a symptoms. men seem to have severe chest pain before a heart attack. more subtle including shortness of breath, nausea and jaw pain. >> did you have a happy day. >> reporter: kathy wildman, an active mother of two with high cholesterol was just 30 when a heart attack sent her to the hospital. >> i had a challenging time getting even the hospital at the time to accept me because i didn't look like someone who should be suffering from an event. >> reporter: with this new information, cardiologist dr. jennifer marezt hopes treatment of women will improve. >> this statement against us a road map as a clinician to look at gender differents with heart disease. >> reporter: take risk factors. researchers say women with high blood pressure have a stronger ris

anne thompson, nbc news, new york. >> and that will do it for us on a tuesday night. a program note. my colleague matt lauer reports live from brussels tomorrow morning on "today." i'll see you there from tomorrow night as well. stay tuned now on many of these nbc stations for a second half hour of "nightly news." i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, thank you for >>> it's wednesday, march 23rd. coming up on "early today," as the search for terror suspects in brussels terror attacks continues. >>> and the split primary contest in three western states. a special edition of show starts >>> good morning everybody. and thanks for joining us today. right now a massive manhunt is underway. police believe these are the men behind the airport explosions. he is on the run. police say he fled the scene after the explosions and just in, nbc news has confirmed the names of the two attackers on the left as brothers. authorities say they blew themselves up. counter terrorism officials say that the men wielded suitcase bombs, two exploded, the third later did not. overnight,

anne thompson, nbc news, new york. >>> are you dreading your commute today? be thankful you aren't these guys. california mark was on his way attempt at getting a haircut when all of a sudden flood waters decided this trip would also be unsuccessful. so, after reversing back down the road he was eventually able to pull a u turn and escape but not before having to overcome and in sand diego a car worth upwards of $200,000 decides to test his lamborghini against mother nature. not a good idea. a beautiful white lamborghini drives up with water up to the bumper. look at him go. waves quickly bring the walt water up to makes it through gracefully into the sunset. >>> two men have been arrested they say there are ties to isis. of sacramento is accused of traveling to syria to fight in a civil war and lying to federal investigators about it and 24-year-old omar of houston was indicted on charges he tried to provide material support to islamic extremists. both entered the united states as refugees. according to the people he said later that he did fight along side t

anne thompson, nbc news, new york. >>> the cdc says at least one person has died and around dozen more have been sickened by an outbreak of listeria linked to package salads made at a dole processs facility in ohio. that facility has been shut down. the salads were sold under dole, fresh truth. we put more information on our website. >>> to politics now. just ten days until the first votes are cast in iowa and both parties struggling with fierce internal divisions. hillary clinton trying to blunt bernie sanders momentum and conservatives is banning together in dramatic fashion to try to do something, anything, to stop trump. 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.

anne thompson, nbc news, new york. >>> we're back in a moment with the brand that just snapped a ? take good care of my baby ? >>> a number one hit from 1961, a lot of people singing that song as we leaedhe sad news today. he got his start as a teenager after the day the music died, fill-in act following the plane crash that killed buddy holly and the big bopper. he helped a young bob dylan get his start. he passed away after sferl alzheimer's, he was 73 years old. >>> big headline tonight for the american auto industry. for the first time since consumer reports began putting out its reports of of the most reliable brands in the early pop brand is in the top three. audi and kia round out the top five. >>> and there's news for parents of newborns, the american academy of pediatrics said infants should sleep in the same room for their parents in order to lower the risk of sleep-related deaths like sids. doctors say they should sleep on their backs on a firm soft toys while they sleep. >>> when we come back, who is about to see their world series title drought come to an end, cubs fan

ann thompson, philadelphia. >>> how neat for them. a fund-raiser in germantown section is helping students compete at the national level. nbc 10 was at the showcase of the stars at the settlement music school last night. students put on the show to raise money for the national ncaap in ohio. acaso. >>> good morning, i'm erika martin, what to expect for tochltd the skies are looking much better, dew points dropping, so much more comfortable day in the forecast. 70 mile per hour wind speed. don't forget to look at the bottom of the screen for your forecast. wind profile, a little northwesterly for some, especially farther inland. we have gusts that are expected to kick up by the afternoon hours. so keep that in mind. a little dusty later today, but nothing that bad. temperatures are going to trend mainly in the 80s, low to mid 80s for today, but you'll see in a moment, it looks like we are on our way towards another heat weig wave. not much going on here, a high pressure system sitting right over indiana, a weak one, however, still infl

when the end, all of you are invited to the room upstairs and we will celebrate heather ann thompson at the book signing. with all of that out of the way, the history of the bookkeeping and everything, please join us in welcoming ta-nehisi coates in conversation with heather ann thompson. [applause] .. >> >> to say that we need to remember the history of thanksgiving of america but the tradition began the year with a did gregory. [laughter] so last the into fast dog thinks giving in remembrance of what happened in attica but i called him today he has proper scholarship with 100 pages of footnotes he said i'd give it a book before without no footnotes. [laughter] and i told him this and he wanted me to tell you that you are a hero he said no viking get through this because of the pain. this is a huge deal but i am just telling you. he is in the panther party after he left the party i we still people might earliest memory is black men in jail sendai pretty much mean that so to mcm to identify that as the enemy and attic l. was such a huge influence for those radicals who would say some

anne thompson, nbc >>> there is more important information ahead. we're back with the >>> the cdc has added the u.s. virgin islands and the dominican republic for its travel alert to the zika virus. that makes 24 countries and territories that pregnant women are warned against visiting. united airlines announced today that it will refund tickets to zika-affected areas. the mosquito borne virus has been linked to severe birth defects. the cdc also advises that babies should be tested for congenital infections if the mothers traveled to zika-affected areas at any point during pregnancy. >>> despite selling a record 74.8 million iphones in the final three months of 2015, apple said today it's praising for its first sales decline in 13 years. as analysts say global demand slows for new smartphones. the economic slowdown in china could also hurt apple's bottom line. the company does say, however, that it is still in a strong position for the future, and it estimates that a are now in use. >>> big trouble tonight for one of the biggest stars in the navnlt

anne thompson, nbc news, washington. >>> we're back in a moment with a special command performance at the white house of the hottest musical on broadway. waiting in the wings for you >>> maryland police say three brothers planned and recorded a deadly ambush in a police station yesterday. investigators released images of one of the suspects shooting at passing vehicles as a shootout erupted. officer colson was killed and police just announced today his death was from friendly fire as officers responded to the firefight. police also say the suspect intended to die during the shootout, but he and his brothers are now in custody. >>> the great white way came to the white house today as the first lady welcomed the cast of the broadway smash hit "hamilton" for a student workshop, answer questions and just a short time ago a performance of the show's opening number for the first family and a lot of excited fans watching live on the web. for tonight at least the east room, not the oval office was the room where it >>> when we come back, follow the bouncing ball, if you can, the young dribbli

anne thompson, nbc news, new york. for us on a tuesday night. a program note. my colleague matt lauer reports live from brussels tomorrow morning on "today." i'll see you there from tomorrow night as well. stay tuned now on many of these nbc stations for a second half hour of "nightly news." i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, thank you for

here's nbc's anne thompson. >> reporter: the white house, part office building, part museum, but always home to presidential families. takes readers to the second floor where the obamas live. a series of rooms designed by michael smith of los angeles, with obama touches. family photos in the treaty room, and one of the president's grammy awards. in the old family dining room, a painting by alma thomas, the first art work by an african american woman to be displayed in the white house. the most famous address in america has long been a national fascination. in 1962, jacqueline kennedy took the restoration efforts. >> this is one of the only two remaining mantels in the white house from 1817 after the fire. >> reporter: but it is the rooms the tours don't see that reveal the people. eisenhower played cards in the treaty room. the obamas watch tv. in the solarium, what the nicksons called the california room, ix barb queued, caroline kennedy went to school and betty ornaments. the obamas chose a stylish but relaxed home. anne thompson, nbc news, new york. >>> a dad has become a big hit on

our ann thompson takes us there in tonight's report. [ laughter ] >> reporter: these are the kinds of moments that fill vacation albums. >> hold him like that. >> okay. >> reporter: but not always possible for families of auftistic children as mom becky large knows. >> kids have meltdowns, but that's the exception not the rule. for us it's more the rule. >> reporter: to avoid the outbursts that come with the sights and stimulation that come from many vacation spotsbe local businesses in myrtle beach, south carolina, to welcome families with kids like her youngest son harley. starting with a designated quiet roommate at the airport. when you're in an airport or an airplane and there's nowhere to flee and you are in the cross hairs of everybody around you, and their judgment, it is wicked and horrible. >> reporter: at hamburger joe's in surfside beach, that means having a staff trained on behavior more i thought, this is really right on the money. >> reporter: at ripley's aquarium, becky makes sure light -- >> we can bring up the lighting levels in here. >> reporter: and ounds are overw

ann thompson, nbc news, new york. >>> we're back in a moment with the ballpark intruder that caused a very close call. >>> we're back with a delicate rescue mission under way off the coast of southern california this evening. it's to save an endangered blue whale entangled in fishing line. the struggling whale was first spotted three days ago but on the move and time is of the essence to save it. miguel almaguer is with rescue teams. >> reporter: an urgent rescue mission to save an endangered blue whale 30 miles off the coast of southern california. this 70-foot whale is entangled in 200 feet of fishing line and crab traps dragging up to 300 pounds of debris from its mouth and tail. for three days rescue teams have been trying to cut it free. >> with it being down 25, 30 feet into the water, it was almost impossible to really help it but i don't think he knew we were trying to help him because he took off on us after we got real close to almost getting him. >> reporter: blue whales are largest in the world and by nature elusive. this blue in 2015 disappearing into the ocean after its

anne thompson, nbc news, new york. >>> when we come back tonight, an update on what muscle pain? what headache? what arthritis pain? advil makes pain a distant memory nothing works faster stronger or longer what pain? advil. h. heartburn. sorry ma'am. no burning here. try new alka-seltz heartburn relief gus.le. can i try? she doesn't have heartburn. >>> and final tonight the new chapter in an amazing story we first brought you this past spring. today was back to school day for a remarkable girl who had struggled with so much at such a young age. well now her future looks much brighter thanks to a teacher's incredible gift. here's nbc's kevin tibbles. >> reporter: the first day of school. and new. but this reunion is extra special. because 8-year-old natasha fuller and teacher jody schmidt share a bond that goes far beyond the school yard. since birth natasha has battled kidney disease, struggling to stay alive. until the third grade teacher down the hall surprised natasha's grandmother, she would share one of her kidneys. we were with them just time, like swimming. and your favor