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> announcer: this is "early today" for wednesday, novemb">
like before you got to the gate. >> well, thank you. >> "early today" starts right now. >> announcer: this is "early today" for wednesday, november 20th. good morning. i'm paige hopkins. breaking news overnight, a leer jet crashes off the coast of florida, killing at least two people. it happened three miles off the coast of ft. lauderdale late tuesday. four people were on board, including two pilots. two bodies have been recovered. the coast guard found the wreckage 45 minutes after the initial report. officials say a preliminary indication is that it was a medical flight. >> obviously, this is an active and ongoing search and rescue, and we would like to extend our thoughts and prayers and condolences to the families of those lost. the men and women out there from all the responding agencies are doing their best to try and find any survivors in the water. >> the jet took off from ft. lauderdale airport on its way to cozumel, mexico. it's also registered in mexico, but it's unclear who owns it at this hour. on the other side of the law after a stunning arrest. the florida republican bought the cocaine from a dealer who had been previously caught. the dea then set up a sting. in a statement, he apologized to his family and added his battle with alcoholism led him to what he called a, quote, extremely irresponsible choice. he faces 180 days in prison and a $1,000 fine. we move on to a bizarre and tragic story out of virginia. prominent state lawmaker is in fair condition this morning after a brutal attack. police believe his 24-year-old son did it. officers were called tuesday to the home of state senator creigh deeds and his son, gus, was found dead of a self inflicted gunshot wound. police say right now it all points to an attempted murder/suicide. a health official told the richmond times dispatch that gus had been admitted to a local hospital for mental evaluation monday and was later released. 48,000 troops are still in afghanistan with the u.s. combat mission ending in 2014 but a new deal between u.s. and afghan government could keep troops on the ground for years to come. nbc news chief correspondent richard engel has the details. >> reporter: nbc news obtained this draft of a u.s./afghan security agreement. it's still unsigned, but it describes a sweeping long-term relationship with the united states paying for afghan security forces and maintaining outposts in this country perhaps until 2024, and maybe beyond that. u.s. troops training, equipping and advising afghan forces, and hunting al qaeda. moving off base would be extremely restricted. afghan officials want 10,000 to 15,000 troops to stay, for a decade at least. u.s. officials talk of 7,000 to 8,000. >> i think they're on their feet, a little nervous about taking the first few steps without us, but i think they can do it. >> reporter: but most afghan troops don't want u.s. troops to leave. >> we need strong support from international community. >> reporter: why not just leave? the afghan government could collapse and again become a haven for insurgents. after so many years would a force of 7,000 make a difference? iraq stands as a warning. there was no agreement there when the u.s. left and the civil war has come back with a vengeance. afghans are gathering here this week to vote on the deal. if it passes it would be up to the united states to do it or not. richard engel, nbc news. george zimmerman has been released from jail on charges related to a domestic dispute. the judge found probable cause and set his bond at $9,000 and also imposed restrictions, including zimmerman to wear a monitoring device. former florida neighborhood watchman was arrested after a 911 call from his girlfriend's home. aggravated assault, battery and criminal mischief. his girlfriend told deputies zimmerman pointed a gun at her during an argument. in court, prosecutors said she feared for her life and that zimmerman had mentioned suicide. >> i didn't see anything and i don't believe he saw anything for immediate concerns of his safety. i don't think he will hurt himself or anybody else. if there is an issue regarding his mental state we have the responsibility of getting him evaluated. eis very clear and understands what's going on. >> while on bond zimmerman cannot have contact with with his girlfriend. he is scheduled to be back in court december 27th. in july he was acquitted of a shooting death of trayvon martin. his attorney says zimmerman was officially served divorce papers while on jail on tuesday. now to a starting new trend of brutal attacks known as the kno knockout game. and it involves a single, brutal and random punch on an unsuspecting stranger. the aim is for a group to knock someone out, like in this washington surveillance video obtained by wrc. several other videos on youtube show similar incidents. the game is believed to be motive of attacks in pittsburgh, d.c. and other cities. at least one of the attacks was deadly. bill karins has your wednesday forecast. finally getting some wet weather. we have. quarter inch from the rainfall. that was good. didn't really spread to the south and l.a. or san diego. but at least san francisco up into sacramento and the mountains there, central sierras did get some considerable precip. as much as an inch. bulkier rains have passed off to the east. showers around san francisco. interstate 80, need more time driving there, up into the mountains. more moisture to go. the cold front will go through today. with it, we'll see chance for additional showers and storms and maybe even a stray thunderstorm around the bay area. we're not completely done with the rain yet. northwest you're looking okay today. colder air snuck down too, 43 in seattle. spokane is very chilly. slight chance of a storm in san francisco today with a high of 60. that's your nati will avoid the west, a little bit of it spilling into the northern rockies today. we'll take a look at that extended forecast. it looks like a little drier for a few spots. >> that's nice to hear. straight ahead, how is it possible that toronto mayor rob ford's reality show was canceled? i would have watched it. kmart takes the jingle in your holiday to a whole new level. "early today" returns faster than you can shake your -- well, you get the picture. welcome back. don't worry about setting your dvr. toronto mayor rob ford's tv show has been canceled after just one episode. ouch! less than 4 hours after its premiere, they announced "ford nation" would be relegated to a one-hit wonder status. nasa and u.s. air force launched a rocket into orbit tuesday carrying 29 satellites. one of the satellites on board was actually designed and built by high school students. a new study featured by the american heart association revealed today's kids run a mile 90 seconds slower than their parents did. in fact, heart-related fitness in children has declined 5% per decade since the '70s. frank schaffer was convicted of breaking church law for officiating his son's same-sex marriage. schafer could have been defrocked but instead was given a 30-day suspension. he said it was a matter of conscience, i simply cannot discriminate against god's beloved children. two hikers rescued after realizing they were not dressed warm enough for freezing temperatures. a search and rescue team made quick work of the situation air lifting the hikers to safety, giving them one heck of a ride. now for a look at all things money. a water slide promises to be the world's tallest and fastest. mega blaster will stand over 130 feet in the air and will propel riders at speeds surpassing 65 miles per hour. it debuts in may. but owners say their greatest challenge will be finding thrill seekers brave enough to ride it. kmart is taking a whole new approach to the holiday favorite of various bells playing out the tune to "jingle bells." take a listen. ♪ the giant jp morgan bank settlement breaks down like this. $6 billion to investors, $4 billion to homeowners affected by the bad loans and $2 billion in civil penalties, $1 billion to new york state. walt disney's last living child, diane disney miller, passed away in napa, california. she's credited with being one of her dad's inspirations for building disneyland theme parks. she was 79 years old. olympic skier lindsey vonn crashes into another setback on the slopes. and chi chi rodriguez, ouch! when the president had that heart scare, how scary was that? >> it was scary. it was very scary. >> yeah. >> but -- >> i wasn't that scared. >> you had obama care? in sports, olympic gold medal skier lindsey vonn is recovering from knee surgery. she had to be helped off the practice slope in colorado on tuesday. the u.s. ski team said it won't report more details until after a medical evaluation is complete. vonn injured her right knee in february at the world championships. she was expected to return for her first races on thanksgiving weekend. now to the nba. in the first quarter, atlanta's mike scott hit a turnaround jump shot as the hawks take the lead, but miami bounces back in the second half. ray allen comes up big with a three-pointer as the heat pulls out a 104-88 win. the lakers' kobe bryant practiced on tuesday and said it's possible he could return to the team late this month. he is recovering from an achilles injury last april. in college basketball, number two ranked kansas got a scare as armon gave unranked the lead. kansas turned it on in the second half winning 86-66. following the deadly tornado in washington, illinois, this week the town's high school football team is preparing to play in the state's playoffs this saturday and their opponents are raising money to feed the players and the washington fans as they recover from that disaster. rodriguez trying to smash a pane of glass but the shot bounces back causing rodriguez a lot of pain. the big crowd advised, walk it off. ooh, did not look good. a new foot locker commercial suggests that their new shoes can right all of the world's wrongs for well-known sports figures. >> i'm sorry, evander. it's your ear. >> so, round trip to north korea, mr. rodman? >> one with way. >> one way? >> you really think mike kept the ear? good to see those two hugging it out. meanwhile, we'll keep you posted on rodman's one-way trip to north korea. just ahead, bob dillon's "like a rolling stone" finally get ace music video, next. well, winter has begun and it's here to stay in alaska. we had had a very relatively mild october, begin ining of november. but now the cold is here. it's all the way encompassing much of central alaska. fairbanks, minus 26 right now. record low is minus 37. you're not there, but still very cold. anchorage, only 5. juneau at 15. some of that cold will spread into the central u.s., great lakes this weekend. it's on the move. today's high is only minus 23 in fairbanks, 8 in anchorage. we had the bulk of the rain move through central california, northern california and the mountains. high wind warnings are in effect for the higher elevations in the sierras. when that front goes through we could see a stray thunderstorm or two. we're not looking for stray thunderstorm or anything like that. l.a. 67 today. all of this rain avoids you today. slight chance of some showers tomorrow. it won't be a lot of wet weather. not as much as what we saw at the bay area. paige, interesting weather in the west. >> definitely. thank you, bill. well, bob dylan's 1965 hit "like a rolling stone" finally has a music video completely interactive, and it happens to coincide with the elise of his new album. ♪ how does it feel to be on your own like a complete unknown like a rollin' stone ♪ maroon five lead singer and judge on nbc's hit show "the voice," adam levine has been named "people's" sexiest man alive, following channing tatum's footsteps. >> lot of pressure. >> you would know. casey kasem's daughter has died, conservatorship to her father's medical care. in an interview with jay leno, president bush presented his passion for painting and even brought a gift. >> i brought a painting for you. >> you did? >> yeah. >> did you paint that? >> that's really good. >> got the chin right. >> wow! . angelina jolie and brad pitt's private wine label has been named the best in the world according to the top 100 wines of 2013. >> can they do anything wrong? >> you read my mind. congrats to kelly clarkson and new hubby. clarkson announced on twitter that they are expecting their first child. and first lady michelle obama visited the bet tv show "106 and park" to promote her "let's move" campaign. she even gave them some advice. >> let me tell you, i was you. that was me, same girl that all of you all are, same worries and fears and look at where i am and where we are today. you could be the president of the united states, the first lady, anything you want to be. that's what i would tell that girl. and i would tell you all that, too. >> isn't that great? >> i love the picture that was behind her. >> takes a lot of courage to -- >> that hair. >> back when the hairstyles weren't quite as flattering as they are now. >> that's right. >> i'm page hopkins. this is "early today." we hope it's just your first stop of the day here on nbc. leading the news on nbcnews.com. reid weighs nuclear option. senator harry reid is considering changing rules to end filibusters on presidential nominations by requiring a simple vote. barbara boxer and dianne feinstein joined a growing number of senators. and from itv news russian babies switched at birth reunited with parents after 102 days. the two mothers who suspected something was wrong had to pay for their own dna test after the hospital denied wrongdoing. the u.s. supreme court votes 5-4 to not block texas' controversial abortion law. part of the law requires doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at hospitals within a certain distance from their clinics. planned parenthood claims it is unconstitutional. governor rick perry calls the vote good news for the unborn and women of texas. experts say the damage from the worst in a century midwest storm system can cost $1 billion. two ef-4 tornadoes recorded sunday devastated parts of illinois. horrible. and watch out, world! this baby is ready to walk and roll. a baby panda at national zoo was captured on the panda-cam taking her first steps. >> trying. does that count? >> she gets an a for effort. the 2 1/2-month-old cub struggled a bit but did scoot around a few feet. there is a contest to determine the cub's name. >> if you're in a bad mood, just go to the panda cam. >> 2 1/2 months to name this thing? come on, let's go. later today, former president bill clinton and first lady hillary clinton will participate in a wreath laying ceremony to mark the 50th anniversary of john f. kennedy's death. it's part of two days of memorial ceremonies to kennedy. on this day in 1962 president kennedy announced soviet bombers to cuba to remove the blockade. >> this goes a long way towards reducing the danger which faced this hemisphere four weeks ago, i have instructed the secretary of defense to lift our naval quarantine. >> i'm paige hopkins. thanks for watching "early today." have a good one. very good morning to everybody. thei] time is t(4:30 on wednesd november 20th. i'm jon kelley. jráqq the roads aret(ñi looking good. not too wet out there. just añi littlet( çóñislick. up any minute now. >> late last night that weather causing some minorlp flooding i parts of san francisco. in the east bay, wet conditions there making for ae1 dangerous caldecott tunnel and even over theñr new span of the bay break. you can see that rain coming south i]ñrbay, they'ret( wakingp