ture is on. . with only five days to go to inauguration, president-elect trump says in a new interview he'll keep his twitter handle and won't tweet any less as president. obamacare battle as republicans move full speed ahead to repeal the affordable care act. our visit with senator bernie sanders and his plans to protect the law. and the final act after 146 years, the ringling brothers circus is set to close. tonight a look back at the greatest show on earth. "nightly news" begins now.

>> announcer: from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is ""nbc nightly news"" with kate snow. good evening. much of the middle section of this country has been struggling with ice and freezing rain all weekend long. that storm now blamed for six deaths across three states. it's far from over. 13 states are under winter weather alerts tonight as the system shifts north. we begin with blake mccoy in kansas city. >> reporter: up to an inch of ice blanketing parts of oklahoma, trees cracking under the weight, power out for thousands as this three-day ice storm deposits a trail of frozen danger across several states. in nebraska today, a fiery scene when two semitrucks crashed on i-80 near kearney. one jack knifed, the other erupted in flames. those in kansas showing an outof

control ice. >> now state troopers are asking people to stay home as hundreds more remain without power. >> reporter: two kansas state troopers were hit while in their car on the side of a highway this morning. they escaped injury. power lines sparked in st. louis as a second wave of ice hit there. >> we had an entire truck coming in. >> reporter: across the region, hardware stores have seen a run on salt and de-icer. 16 million americans remain under some sort of winter weather alert as this ice from freeze marches further into nebraska and iowa. right now in kansas city, an army of salt trucks treating the road ahead of tonight's nfl playoff game. the chiefs take on the steelers. kickoff pushed back seven hours to give the storm time to pass. >> what do you think of the weather today? >> harsh. >> this is arrowhead, man.

we'd be out here if it's negative 10, we don't care. >> reporter: the nfl says they pushed back the game tonight, not just for the game but for the fans traveling to it. the temperature has hovered around 33 degrees, keeping these roads from freezing. for more on where that dangerous winter weather is headed next, nbc meteorologist , good evening. >> it's hard to believe we're still talking about this storm. the big difference as we go through the evening hours, the storm has shifted to the north. now we're seeing it effect places like nebraska and into iowa. we'll focus on as the system warms up, we'll see more rain into the south and icy for chicago's commute. >> as the ice moves to the north, what's happening in the south? i understand that's affected now. >> we have a threat for severe

weather. big cities like dallas and austin will have to watch this squall line as this makes its way through the overnight hour. the time is while you're asleep, that squall line will push through the east. you'll have a threat for strong winds and hail and even an isolated tornado. >> thanks so much. now to the trump transition. the war of words between the mrblgt and civil rights icon, congressman john lewis continued today after lewis says he does not view trump as a legitimate president. vice president-elect mike pence and other republican leaders pushing back. kelly o'donnell has the latest. >> reporter: practicing the pomp. hail to the dress rehearsal stand-in chi stand-in, inauguration run-through. military band on view as out of service men played, while the vice president-elect defended

donald trump, after john lewis said russian hacking undermines the validity of trump's win. >> i was disappointed to see someone of his stature question the legitimacy of trump's election. >> reporter: trump with a series of tweets where he knocked conditions in lewis' atlanta district and being all talk and no action. today trump adjusted his approach tweeting, our country has been divide, angry and untrusting. it will change, with exclamation points. late today, new video of trump was released as part of an interview he did with britain "times of london". >> my mother had a flair. she loved the queen. >> reporter: his father's photo and memorabilia. he riffed on a range of international issues and said his own plan for presidential tweeting and social media has changed. >> when you think that 46

million are there, i'd rather just let that build up and just keep it @realdonaldtrump. the tweeting, i thought i would do less of it but i'm covered so dishonestly by the press. >> reporter: when he becomes president he'll get the official presidential twitter accou account @potus. donald trump says he'll use his own twitter feeds and not adopting the government twitter account. he's made trips back and forth between new york and washington before he takes the oath of office friday at noon. russia hoping the incoming trump administration will work to improve relations between the two countries and ease economic sanctions in place because of russia's actions in ukraine. at this point many questions remain about what happens next, including when the president-elect will meet with vladimir putin. bill neily has our report from

moscow. >> reporter: in frozen moscow, relations with the u.s. are as icy as they've ever been. but they're hoping here for a trump thaw. his team denying today, iceland would host a trump/putin summit. the kremlin claimed there have been no talks with the trump team about that first presidential meeting with putin, but they are welcoming donald trump, hence, that sanctions could end if russia is helpful to the u.s. they're preparing for a deal. >> done is a businessman. he wants concessions. he wants to get the best deal out of everyone. so putin will have to be on his guard with trump. >> reporter: the obama era is ending with thousands of u.s. troops arriving this weekend in poland to deter russia. with moscow claiming, that's a threat. >> what does america gain out of sending 250 tanks to poland and

to the baltic states? we fail to understand this. this is the logic of a confrontation with russia. >> reporter: like many heeshre, wants cooperation with trump against isis. >> we need to fight these radical islamic groups. we need to fight them together. >> reporter: from the krem lirngs a pre-inauguration message to america. >> we're not bad guys. the things being blamed on us, and our president. they're false and they're fake. think twice before saying russians are bad guys. >> reporter: two nations at odds. now just days away from an unpredictable future. bill ne. ly, moscow. after republicans tookt first step to repeal obamacare this we'ek, battles are heating up. today ral l

today ralliesal over the country, one in warren, michigan, with a renewed push by senator sanders to reach out to voters. i had a chance to speak with bernie sanders in his hometown in vermont about the future of obamacare. >> reporter: president obama says he wants to repeal it and replace it simultaneously, speaker ryan has said the same thing. can they do that, do you think? >> well, the devil is going to be in the details. right now as it stands f you repeal the affordable care act affordable care act, you're throwing 20 million people off health insurance. >> what do you do as democrats? do you oppose whatever replacement plan they come up with? >> no. >> reporter: can you see a scenario -- >> this is not a difficult proposition. people sit together and say, are there problems with the affordable care act? yes. how do we address those problems? how do we work together? what you don't do is say we're going to repeal the entire affordable care act and we have

nothing to replace it, but i think there are some republicans who are getting a little nervous, understand you can't throw 20 million people off health insurance without having some kind of replacement plan. >> reporter: do you essentially think donald trump is overpromising here? >> i don't know. look, let's be honest and say donald trump is a very unusual man. what he talks about, we're going to have a terrific health care plan or great health care plan. that's wonderful. what does it mean? >> reporter: it's those big questions that brought thousands to rally today. he will be our president on friday. what do you think of him? >> he makes me very nervous. i think he told the american people one thing and he was going to stand up for working families and the elderly, but since the election, i haven't heard too much talk about him from the campaign promises he

made that he will not cut social security, not cut medicare, medicaid. >> reporter: as we he continued our conversation in downtown burlington, it was clear sanders still has a fan base. >> hi. night to meet you. >> nice to see you. >> reporter: he's uncomfortable when people ask if he'll run for president again. he wants to focus on the issue, not the fame he garnered running for the nation's top office. >> what media does is focus on personalities. you look at politicians as celebrities. they're not. what serious politicians are supposed to be doing is adjusting the problems facing the american people. i'm not an entertainer. i don't sing very well. i don't dance very well. i try to represent my state as best i can. >> you can watch more of my interview tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. eastern on msnbc. friday will mark a major moment for donald trump, of course, as he prepares to deliver his inaugural address. will the avid twitter user be able to use this address to

unite a deeply divided country. peter alexander has that. >> i look very forward to the inauguration. it's going to be a beautiful event. >> reporter: for donald trump who mastered delivering a message in 140 characters or less, just five days until the first true test of his presidency, his inauguration. >> it's massive crowds. it's a movement like the world has never seen before. >> reporter: today trump will speak to a nation bitly divided by history an election. >> inaugural address is about unification. he doesn't have much credibility in being a unifying leader. >> reporter: speechwriter michael gerson helped address both of president bush's speeches. he says a successful speech would inaugurate a period of national healing and national

purpose. >> make america great again! >> make america great again could be a theme that could be made more aspirational, show his team at its best. >> reporter: for generations, inauguration addresses have inspired us for generations. >> ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country. >> reporter: and offered a presidential vision of america. >> government is not the solution to our problem. government is the problem. >> we have chosen hope over fear. unity of purpose over conflict and discord. >> reporter: now it's trump's turn to take center stage in american public life where his words and actions will help set this nation's course. coming up, saying good-bye to the ringling ♪ hi, i'm frank. i take movantik for oic, opioid-induced constipation.

had a bad back injury, my doctor prescribed opioids which helped with the chronic pain, but backed me up big-time. tried prunes, laxatives, still constipated... had to talk to my doctor. she said, "how long you been holding this in?" (laughs) that was my movantik moment. my doctor told me that movantik is specifically designed for oic and can help you go more often. don't take movantik if you have a bowel blockage or a history of them. movantik may cause serious side effects, including symptoms of opioid withdrawal, severe stomach pain and/or diarrhea, and tears in the stomach or intestine. tell your doctor about any side effects and about medicines you take. movantik may interact with them causing side effects. why hold it in? have your movantik moment. talk to your doctor about opioid-induced constipation. if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help.

more "doing chores for dad" per roll more "earning something you love" per roll bounty is more absorbent, so the roll can last 50% longer than the leading ordinary brand. so you get more "life" per roll. bounty, the quicker picker upper once upon a time a girl with golden locks broke into a house owned by three bears. she ate some porridge, broke the baby bear's chair, and stole some jewelry, a flat-screen tv, and a laptop. luckily the geico insurance agency had helped the bears with homeowners insurance. they were able to replace all their items... ...including a new chair from crate and barrel. call geico and see how easy it is to switch and save on homeowners insurance. opioid-induced constipation. prescription opioids helped my chronic knee pain, but left me constipated. finally, i let it out.

told my doctor. he said movantik may help me go more often. don't take movantik if you have or had a bowel blockage. serious side effects include opioid withdrawal, severe stomach pain, severe diarrhea, and stomach or intestinal tears. tell your doctor about side effects and medicines you take. movantik may interact with them causing side effects. have your movantik moment. talk to your doctor about opioid-induced constipation. after 146 years in show business, the ringling brothers and barnum & bailey circuit is set to close following a steep decline in ticket sales. the final performance will take place this may. tonight we take a look back at the greatest show on earth. >> reporter: before there were tvs and even before there were 50 states, the rin gling brothers and barnum & bailey occur sis was entertaining millions. >> the greatest show on earth! >> reporter: eric gillette was

a. >> it was magical every day you performed. >> reporter: the circus has been struggling. last year they retired their elephants to a conservation center in florida after a long, public battle with animal rights groups. since then circus producers say they have seen a dramatic drop in ticket sales and high operating costs are . . m it unsustainable. in florida today, families in line for the circus reacted to the news. >> it's very disappointing. in is something i grew up on and my parents are here. we have three generations. >> reporter: meanwhile, animal rights activists claim victory. >> this is a landmark moment. we're seeing things like seaworld with the orca breeding banned there. i think people will no tolerate animals being amused for their entertainment. >> reporter: nik wallenda, the news is painful. >> last night i was in tears

when i heard about it because they're the only reason i'm ali alive, to be honest. john ringling saw my family perform in cuba in 1927. >> reporter: he says it's more than just the animal acts and there's a failure to adapt. >> so see an iconic circus go away is heartbreaking. >> reporter: now the greatest show on earth, set to become an american memory. . still ahead, now a changing real estate market could impact the decision to rent or buy a home.

. . . . . . . . . . . . thinking about what to avoid, where to go... and how to deal with my uc. to me, that was normal. until i talked to my doctor. she told me that humira helps people like me get uc under control and keep it under control when certain medications haven't worked well enough. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections

and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened; as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. raise your expectations. ask your gastroenterologist about humira. with humira, control is possible. so, is it better to rent or buy a home with rising mortgage

sxra rates and declining rising home rates, people are finding that question harder than ever to answer. >> reporter: adida and kevin are on the move. >> i thought, this is the logical next step in your life. you get married. you buy a house. this is the way it's supposed to be. >> reporter: the newlyweds saved up to buy a place of their own. the down payment ready to upgrade from their rented apartment in a suburb of atlanta. >> yeah. back to 1%. >> reporter: as they crunched the numbers, they realized that now, at least, buying just didn't add up. >> we thought our numbers must be wrong because everybody says, buying a home is the a better deal than renting, but our numbers were showing, well, that's not necessarily true. >> reporter: after the down payment, taxes, a budget for maintenance, plus rising mortgage rates in an uncertain economy, they started rethinking their search. here's why according to trulia, starter home inventory is down a

whopping 40% to 45%. home prices are rising, requiring larger down payments. the average 30-year mortgage rate is now at 4.3%, up three-quartz of a point since donald trump's election. it's become a seller's market. >> certainly 2017 is going to be more difficult to buy a home than 2016. >> reporter: what did you ultimately decide to do? >> we decided to keep renting. >> reporter: why? >> it made a little more financial sense. >> reporter: now they're packing up their current place for a better rental deal nearby, while keeping an eye on the housing market. for those who really do want to buy right now, experts say they should take a long view. >> if you can stay put for seven years, buying is a better deal than renting no matter where you are in the country. >> reporter: for others, renting may be the way to go in a changing market that's shaking things up for potential home buyers. >> i think we're redefining the american dream. now for an update on a story

we've been following for the past two years. yesterday teenager met her biological parents in south carolina for the first time since she was kidnapped as a baby 18 years ago from a florida hospital. her father shared this reunion selfie with our affiliate in jacksonville. he told us he never gave up hope. and seeing his daughter was beautiful. up next, football and family and the powerful connection. you will not want to miss. my friends think doing this at my age is scary. i say not if you protect yourself. what is scary? pneumococcal pneumonia. it's a serious disease. my doctor said the risk is greater now that i'm over 50! yeah...ya-ha... just one dose of the prevnar 13® vaccine can help protect you from pneumococcal pneumonia- an illness that can cause coughing, chest pain, difficulty breathing, and may even put you in the hospital. prevnar 13® is approved for adults 18 and older to help prevent infections from 13 strains of the bacteria that

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no matter who you are, a heart attack can happen without warning. a bayer aspirin regimen can help prevent another heart attack. be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. bayer aspirin. hey, need fast try cool mint zantac. it releases a cooling sensation in your mouth and throat. zantac works in as little as 30 minutes. nexium can take 24 hours. try cool mint zantac. no pill relieves heartburn faster. finally tonight, an update on a story we first brought you back in october. it's about a teenager in washington state who had a tough start in life but turned it all around with the help of his high school football coach.

as anne thompson reports, for his family, this new year has taken on extra special meaning. >> reporter: football is family, goes the slogan, but it is roderick fisher's truth. we first met the high school wide receiver this fall when he was roderick jackson. which is tougher roderick, life or football? >> life, definitely. >> reporter: at 15, he left an unhealthy home in spokane, washington, dropped out of school for a year and bounced from place to place. >> you get sick and tired of the places you're in. it's either you continue to do that or you make it better, and for me i believe it was time to make it better. >> reporter: desperate, he turned to his football coach, adam fisher. >> on one, down. >> reporter: he and his wife, jolene, said, come live with them and their daughters. >> when he came into our house, he had a steep learning curve in terms of just school to fitting into our family to understanding boundaries that we had and then

structure in a different environment. >> by having those tough times where there were teers shed by everybody is you draw closer through that and you experience that. so, it's not just a surface level thing. it's deep. >> you slipped our on you wives so we could rescue you from the conditions of your life. little did we know that you would rescue us right back. >> reporter: at a court hearing where voices caught -- >> welcome to our family, roderick. we will love you today and for eternity. >> reporter: and tears flowed. roderick became a fisher. just one of so many reasons to celebrate. >> it was also my birthday so it was the best birthday present you could get. >> reporter: in a season where roderick caught 42 passes and scored nine touchdowns for

all-league honors, roderick is now all fisher. part of a team, a family for life. anne thompson, nbc news, new york. that is so nice. that is nbc news for this sunday -- "nbc nightly news." a special "nightly news" series, lester holt travels across america leading up to the inauguration of donald trump on friday. i'm kate snow. i'll see you tomorrow on msnbc. for all of us here at nbc news, have a great night. .

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