pass ad budget in almost four years. >> the last time they pass ad budget the ipad hadn't been introduced. >> reporter: paul ryan will draft the budget with deeper cuts. that's a carrot to get conservatives to go along but some still want to see cuts first. >> will not vote to raise the debt ceiling unless significant efforts are made to fix the under lying problems. >> reporter: senate democrats hint theology pass a budget but not soon. >> approach that when we need to. >> reporter: the white house says even in short term the president will sign pinpoint >> the debt ceiling ought not to be a political football. >> reporter: this republican retreat with one last tanned if they can't compromise lawmakers' paychecks could take a hit. what's still not known is if this is temporary passing this budget and this extension of the debt limit. if it's temporary we could still see a credit downgrade. >> we hope that does not happen. tracie potts in washington, d.c., thanks you. >> jill kelley is peaking out for the first time after the scandal that forced petraeus to resign. they wrote an opinion piece in "the washington post" denying allegation against her saying she committed no crime. in part it reads our story stands as a cautionary tale. we have experienced how careless handle of our information by law enforcement and irresponsible headlines endangers private citizens. and the top u.s. commander in afghanistan was cleared of sending inappropriate emails to jill kelley. senate majority leader harry reid appears to be reversing course and pushing ahead with possible gun legislation. after meeting with fellow democrats he told reporters he expects to have a free amendment process on gun legislation. it's unclear if an assault weapons ban would be included. he said he directed the judiciary committee to take up measures called for by president obama. reid has previously said poses a bill banning assault weapons which stands little chance of passing the house. a bitterly cold arctic blast is gripping half of the nation this morning, making the most basic outside activities treacherous. exposure to the weather is expected in at least four deaths. dangerously low temperatures are shutting down schools and causing water main breaks. warming centers have extended hours to help the influx of homeless people and those without heat. on tuesday, one person was killed in this massive pileup of 20 vehicles caused by icy conditions in michigan. got to be safe out there. nbc's meteorologist bill karins has more on this dangerous cold snap. it's a good thing we're in here. it's tough outside. >> great lakes, northern plains, it's been two or three years -- we had a couple of mild winter storm. this one caught everyone's attention. a little shock to the system. what's interesting about this arctic blast is that it's really a fine line. if you're north of this polar jet stream you're in the cold, cold air. but to the south and including all of the west it's been very mild. even in florida it's mild. even portions of the southern plains and down through texas and louisiana it will be mild. here's what happens a week from now. complete pattern switch. we'll watch the cool air returning to the west and rockies. mild air returns to the east. so this is a week from now. if you enjoyed the warm nis weather in the west it will come to an end. we're dealing with numerous areas with rain showers on the coast and clouds are widespread. that trough that will be over the west is now just off the west coast and now sitting there stationary. it's mild out there. not too much ice. as far as the weather goes a lot of sunshine any areas of the west during the day today. the rain is concentrated on the coastal areas, bring an umbrella with you today in seattle. northern california just north of san francisco there will be at least a quarter inch up to fort bragg half inch of rain up to an inch of rain around correct sent city. san francisco off and on showers. l.a. tomorrow is your rain chance. today you should remain dry but with a lot of those high clouds that warmth with a beautiful 74. so it will flip. everyone in the east will top complaining about the cold and warm up and everyone in the west will cool off. >> my friend in southern california should stop flaunting beautiful pictures of warm weather. >> if they are nice pictures show me some. >> thanks. companies mining for metal, water and more on asteroids. what's behind the real deal of drinking alcohol and how you sleep. the details from a texas school shooting coming up on "early today" in two minutes. welcome back to "early today." here are some stories making news this morning. houston police say that a shooting at lone star college campus in texas started with an argument that led to three men being wounded. one of the men is being charged in that shooting. in israel, benjamin netanyahu won a third time as prime minister. he'll likely be forced to form a new coalition government that requires new concessions to restart long-stalled peace talks with the palestinians. arizona senator john mccain is getting set for two hearings. first he met with former senator chuck hagel. said they were old friends and had a frank and candid exchange. mccain fell short of saying whether or not he would support hagel. second, the senator joked late tuesday that he will intensely question secretary of state nominee john kerry. >> and we will look forward to interrogating him at his hearing next week, mercilessly. we will bring back for the only time water boarding to get the truth out of him. less than a month after a drunk driving accident that killed a teammate, dallas cowboys nose tackle jay ratliff was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated after his pickup truck sideswiped a tractor trailer truck. and a company is interested in getting what they can out of asteroids. deep space industries say they hope to mine asteroids from metals and other valuable resource by 2020. really? according to a new study, alcohol may help you fall asleep at least for an overall restless night. researchers find regardless of how much you drink, drinking can increase tiredness by interrupting the later stages of sleep. >> announcer: "early today" health is brought to you by vagisil ph balanced wash. time for a look at wall street, the dow opens 13,712 after climbing 62 points yesterday. s&p and nasdaq saw gains. the nikkei shot down 222 while the hang seng fell 23. to wall street where apple's earnings will be front and center today. after losing its shine in recent weeks, traders will be looking for any good news to offset any talks of dwindling iphone demand which could help the tech-heavy nasdaq, one index that hasn't joined the rally. google was up after a better than expected fourth quarter report. also after hours, ibm beat estimates thanks to emerging markets. microsoft has reportedly helped finance a buyout of struggling pc maker dell. with insiders saying a deal could come within a week. more fuel for the housing recovery, the national association of realtors said sales of existing homes fell to the record high. car dealers are saying mortgage rates are boosting their sales, and financing is 4% for used cars and less than 2% for new vehicles. in the wake of recent tarmac troubles, the u.s. senate said it will review faa's decisions to let boeing use highly flamable lie ti up batteries in the new 787 dream liners. a surprising report shows the struggling u.s. postal service has missed out $34 billion in revenue in rival fedex and u.p.s. in part because it lacks guaranteeing two and three-day shipping. bad news for your super bowl party. last year a drought led to fewer chickens and chicken wings which means your spicy dish will cost 12% more. i love buffalo wings. you can recoup that cash by inviting your valentine to dinner at white castle. for is sixth year in a row they will roll out the white table cloths and waiters on february 14th and no walk ins, reservations are required. >> your sports headlines straight ahead. including serena williams looking her cool and then some ingenuous coming out of the australia open. plus, fighting a brutal five-alarm in freezing temperatures. you're watching "early today." >> now to some stories that caught our eye this morning. we begin in chicago where 170 firefighters battled a five-alarm warehouse fire under freezing working conditions. firefighters were hampered by single digit temperatures, frozen hydrants and icy streets. the blaze jumped to another building before firefighters were abe to gain control. next, to a massive explosion in utah that forced homeowners to flee the area. a natural gas rig caught fire after an unknown substance leaked fumes. those flames were contained but evacuation orders are still in effect. >> in the nation's capital both sides of the abortion debate held rallies to mark the 40th anniversary of roe v. wade. protesters displayed their support and opposition to the supreme court ruling on abortion rights. now, to a georgia firearms class where a group of seniors are taking aim. [ gunfire ] >> ooh, came out fast. did i hit anything? >> the chatham county sheriff's office offers a civilian course to gun-toting seniors to help enhance their confidence and safety measures. and finally, nebraska utility crews sprang into action to save a partially deaf and blind dog. the pooch's plunge into a sewer drain but he was returned to his owner. well, in sports, college basketball. kansas against kansas state. a tough battle in the 11th ranked kansas state wildcats. kansas had the lead in the second half but had to hold off kansas state down the stretch for a 59-54 victory. the jayhawks have won 16 in a row. unranked villanova staged a strong second half rally against fifth ranked louisville and pulled off a stunning upset. 73-64. ankle injuries and back spasms caused 15-time grand slam champion serena williams to lose her cool. she broke that racket. she destroyed a racket out of frustration as she was upset by 19-year-old american sloane stephens at the australian open. nfl commissioner roger goodell has reinstated sean payton following a year-long suspension in the bounty scandal. he can resume his duties and even attend the super bowl. rex ryan ran a red light causing a three-car accident in pennsylvania a couple days ago. no one was injured and the police report says ryan was traveling at a high rate of speed but not ticketed in that. >> the harbaugh brothers who are coaching against each other in the super bowl said they will not talk before the game but exchange text messages. in the nba, derrick richardson knocked to the floor during the clippers/thunder game. he was not injured and immediately made the possession call before he got up to return to the action. oklahoma city went on to beat los angeles 109-97. still made that call. well, just ahead, the beyonce lip-sync controversy from the president's inauguration. plus, busted and jailed 22 years after stealing cigarettes and an $85 fine. details next. you're watching "early today." welcome back on this very frigid morning. umbrella weather north of san francisco. we're watching a decent amount of rain in northern california. should drift eventually a little bit towards i-5 concentrates on train today will be on the coastal areas. half inch to inch. san francisco off and on showers less than a quarter inch of rain expected. we look at showers up in the coastal areas of seattle and portland too but not quite as heavy. tomorrow is the day where we'll sneak the stationary front closer to the coast and give los angeles a little bit of light rain. well, bradley cooper may want to start training now. the oscar-nominated actor has said he's very interested in playing lance armstrong in the film adaptation of the upcoming book "cycle of lies." cooper thinks armstrong is a fascinating character. colombian shakira and fc barcelona soccer player welcomed her son milan into the world yesterday. the singer will not be relaxing all that much as she appears on "the voice" in march as a coach. arnold schwarzenegger confirms he will return to the franchise that made him a mega star when "terminator 5" comes out in the non-apocalyptic furture. shia labeouf said he dropped acid to get into character. showing a little skin may have benefitted just iin bieber. he's the most followed singer. he bested lady gaga. both after over 33 million followers. and lindsay lohan has reportedly turned down an offer to appear on "dancing with the stars." perhaps she's holds out for "the bachelorette." >> and what do you think about beyonce's lip-sync. 72% said it's a big deal. the next one comes from orlando, florida, where a dream vacation came to a nightmarish end for one family. robin hall and her family were returning from a disney cruise when she was arrested and handcuffed by police. mrs. hall's name came up by police doing a routine terror check. it turns out 22 years earlier hall was busted and fined $85 for shoplifting cigarettes. right now, she's sitting in jail while her husband and kids work on posting bail. i'm richard lui. and this is "early today," this, your first stop of the day on your nbc station. it was a special delivery from down under for one chinese animal preserve. three cuddly koalas have arrived at an animal park in china. officials hope to bolster thain koala population. with 31 and counting, this park is home to the largest koala population outside of australia. experts hope to see more in the next six months. one danish zoo is packing a harsh winter bite, polar bears at the copenhagen zoo have settled into the new habitat, the arctic ring. they can see the frigid temperatures they call home. it features a 24-foot long tunnel where you can watch the bears swim and jump underwater. it's cold enough -- >> worth it to see them swim. >> that's amazing. >> i've seen it with sharks but not polar bears. a connecticut has designed a unique jewelry collection. the caliber collection is melted down shell casings. the goal was to create something beautiful from something of violence. bracelets run from $150 to $375 and each is imprinted from the gun serial number from which it was made. don't know if i want to buy that. time for a look ahead. 1986, the first group of inductees is welcomed into the rock and roll hall of fame. >> ten of the biggest stars of the 50s and 60s entered the rock and roll hall of fame last night. among the honored was chuck barry who is approaching 60 and the everyly brothers who paid tribute to fats domino and elvis pressry and buddy holly. according to the american pie council, there are at least 231 varieties of apple pie for 36 million people. and a happy 39th birthday to saved by the bell tiffani thiessen. all day long, you can stay on top of the latest developments on those stories and the best political analysis on msnbc. and tonight, be sure to watch "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. and, finally, here's a look at what's coming up later this morning on the "today" show. in a today exclusive, savannah sits down with the woman whose photos were used in the manti te'o hoax. and hear from a chicago couple who decorated their bedroom with 60,000 pennies. they asked them why they did it. now keep it on this channel for continuing news, sports and more. i'm richard lui along with bill karins. thanks for watching "early today." this, your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. have a great wednesday. new this morning, after more than nine hours of heated comments, oakland city council voted on a plan to hire controversial consultant bill bratton. details on the decision next. >> you may want to check your freezer after a popular berry company issues a food recall. we'll let you know about the food you want to make sure you're not feeding your family. >> and a high school heist. an expensive south bay restaurant burglarized in the night. the pricy items burglars made off with. >> we take you live outside. you have arrived on wednesday, middle of the week on january 23. a live look at the beautiful bay bridge. this is "today in the bay." >> announcer: from nbc bay area, this is "today in the bay." >> it's about 4:31. good morning to everyone. i'm john kelli. >> i'm law uh are a garcia-cannon. let's check the forecast with christina loren. >>