"early today" starts right now. >> good thursda morning. i'm phillip mena. >> i'm frances rivera. monitoring powerful storms threatening americans from coast to coast. blizzard warnings are in effect for parts of north central california, where a pair of weather systems are dumping multiple feet of snow. meanwhile, the nypd scuba team trained first responders in ice rescue techniques, while twont storms are expected to move through parts of the midwest and northeast over the next few days. let's go straight to n meteorologist bill karins who's tracking it all. good morning. f> the worst of the storm is right over the top california. there in the middle of it with blizzard conditions, winds up to 90 miles an hour recorded in the mountains. and we are concerned the ferguson burn scar there is a od warning. they did have an inch of rainfall there. california's just filled with all these stormalerts. we have warnings for blizzards and snow. wind advisories, flood watches, flood odwarnings, flash f watch around los angeles and even some high surf to deal with thughout the rest of toda then tomorrow the storm will move into areas of the plains. we'll see the snow breaking out in areas from south dakota through iowa through omaha and then we'll push it as we go through saturday into areas of the ohio valley, southern great lakes, a lot of rain throughout the southeast.no heaviest north of i-70. and then saturday night the heavy snow moves in through the northeast,ew westernork, western pa. there's a possibility of an ice storm southern new england, northern jersey and eastern pennsylvania. this won't all end unt w we get doh sunday night. so there's -- talk about all the airport cancellations, people trying reschedule their plans from coast to coast. >> headache for millions pf all right, bill, thank you. a terror attack in syria has aimed the lives of 16 people including four americans after a suicide bomber detonated an explosive vest in front of the a restaurant populated with u.s. soldiers. isis has claimed responsibility for the attack and it comes just weeks after presidentrump announced his plans to withdraw troops from syria, claiming isis was defeated. nbc's sarah harmon joining us live from london with the very latest onthis. sarah, good morning. what can you tell us? >> reporter: p.hi, philli good morning. two u.s. service members and two civilians were among those killed, and the military wants to nilify the fs before releasing their identities. so we don't know much about the victmas. central c says one of the civilians was c atractor and one was an employee at the department of defense. and this deadly attack comes less than a month after president trump said isis was defeated and sho many u.s. allies by announcing he would withdraw u.s. troops from syria. >> we've really stepped it up, and we have won a instisis. we've beaten them and we've beaten them badly. we've taken back the land. and now it's time for our tops to com back home. >> reporter: the u.s. has about 2,000 troops in syria. and pulling them out is hugely conten ous. presidenump's own defense secretary jim mattis resigned in protest a day after the announcement. nother prominent trump ally, senator lindseygraham, has also been critical of this withdrawal. the vice president, though, is echoing the president's position. speaking yesterday just after the attack, mr. pence said, "the caliphas crumbled and isis has been defeated." compared to other places where the u.s. has soldiers like iraq and afghanistan, attacks on u.s. military inyria have actually been quite rare. before this aack only two u.s. service members in syria had been killed in action sin the u.s. got involved in 2014. yesterday's attack a very sad reminder of the high price our men and women in uniform sometimes pay. phillip? frances? >> four families in mourning. sarah, thank you. the latest twist in the russia probe may have moved the goalposts into unforeseen territory this morning. the president's personal attorney rudy giuliani noways he doesn't deny that the trump campaign may have colluded with the russians in the 2016 election. however, he insts mr. trump himself was not involved. here's what he told cnn. >> you just misstated my position. i never said there was noio coll between the campaign or between people in the campaign. >> yes, you have. >> i have no idea -- i have not. i said the president of the united states. there is not a single bit of evidence the president of the united states committed the only here, he could commit conspired with the russians to hack the dnc. >> giuliani also slammed the mueller probe during the intervw, calling it's most inappropriate investigation he has ever seen now 27 days into the government shutdown and speaker of the house nancy pelosi wants to shut downhe state of th union. she's asking president trump to put his annual address on ice until both sides can strike a dealo end the impasse. pelosi's letter to the president came a day after a group of moderate democrats snubbed present trump's invitation to the white house for a lunch to discuss border wall funding. nbc's blayne alexander joining us live from d.c. with the latest on thiss this serious power play from pelosi. >> reporter: well, phillip, good morning to you. if you askpeaker pelosi, she security all about concerns. she says because of the massive amount of manpower it takes to just plan something like the state of the union and given the fact that many employees arewo ing without pay or furloughed she says it really is down to security and there's no wa to ensure that everybody there in the house chamber would stay safe. take a listen to what she had to say. >> this is -- requires hundreds of pkiple w on the logistics and the security of it. most of those pple are either furloughed or are victims of the ident's , the pr shutdown. but that isn't the point. the point is security. >> riorter: now, pel denies that it has anything to do with politics. she says she's not making aca poli play nor is she disinviting president trump. but as homeland security secretary kirstjen neels zen pushing back on her claim it wouldn't be secure, essentially saying that hert departmene and ecret service stand ready and capable of securing the state of the union address. republicans are defiant in all of this saying look, they will find a place for president termp to delis address no matter what. now, all of this, phillip, of course is playing out as the nation enters day 27 of this government shutdown. we're still in e middle of an impasse he. both sides really digging in over border wall money and there's no end in sight to all of this. and for so many people 800,000m federalyees not getting paid. and now we know that just recently president t and his administration have called some 50,000 furloughe workers back to work to secure things like food inspection and tax returns. and then finally, phillip, there was some confusion in the nation's capital here that's because an activist group was handing out fakewaington post" newspapers essentially declaring that president trump was leaving office. they were dated may 1st, 2019 and say that the president hastily departs the white house. some people were fooled but of course again, those were not real "washington post" newspapers. stillip. >> l, someone spent some serious coin on those.ay . now to a suspected terror plot right in our back yard. fbi arrested a man in georgia who they say had plans to attack the white house. court documents show 24-year-old hasher taheb who was taken into custody for trying to exchange his car for three rifles, three explosives and -- he was raeftd after local law enforcement received a tip from someone in his community. he had been meeting with undercover fbi agents since september. accordinging to the criminal complaint taheb felt jihad was an obligation and he wanted to do as much damage as possible. he revealed that in december he met with an undercover officer showing him a notebook with hand-drawn diagrams ogrthe nd floor of the west wing. but the documents reveal he had no weapons and had never en.n shot a taheb is accused of plotting to destroy a government building. he is due in courts later t month. new developments in a deadly terror attack overseas in africa. the death toll has risen to in that brutal massacre at a luxury hotel in kenya. among the dead is a young american ceo. nbc's kelly cobiella has more from the scene. >> reporter: american jason spindler, a ceo who helped with rescue efforts in new york on b 9/11, hadn living in kenya and was having lunch at a hotel when fiveri suspected tsts attack.d their deadly it sent people running, scrambling out windows. spindler's parents in texaser deely waiting for word. >> latern the afternoon i g the call from the embassy letting us know that he had been -- he was in the morgue. >> reporter: most of the victims were kenyan, face the heartbreak of seeing their loved ones at the morgue. this woman told me she los her sister. the hotel is just at the end of that road, and mor4 than hours after the attack began police were still trying to clear of it explosives. reporter: back in texas spindler's parents say he would have turned 41 next monday. >> we were g ready to get together with him for his birthday. he was going to come back to the states . unfortunately, it's not going to happen. we have to go and bring him home now. >> hs just my baby. and i miss him. >> reporter: the al qaeda-linked terror group al shabab has claimed responsibility. the country still on high alert. >> all right. kelly, thank you f that report. president trump will reportedly reveal ava ed missile defense strategy today. the administration is examining ways to beef up t nation's security that could include deploying space-based sensors that would tra enemy missiles. the proposal is a throwback to the reagan-era "star wars" initiative which aimed to accomplish the name feat. th strategy comes amid renewed tensions with russia and as north korea makes strides in missile production. space now the final frontier for comedy. the creators of "the voice" are back with a new show on netflix called "space force." the teaser says it will be about the men and women who have to figure out the sixth branch of the military. it was announced by president trump last year. even more exciting, steve carell is taking one giant leap back to the small screen to star in this new series. netflix has not yet announced a premiere date. >> it really was just a mat tr e when something like this came to play out too. let's check in now with nbc meteorologist bil karins. with the storm cing in and hitting in some place ppz. >> it's time for my first call on t snow forecast 24 to 48 hours from the beginning of it in the plains. the most significant snows are m going to be f pennsylvania to new york all the way central new england. the highest uncertainty in the snow forecast is southern new england and areas of new jersey, eastern pennsylvania with the possibility of snow over to sleet, maybe even eezing rain. but the pink colors, 18 inches plus from albany north of boston up to new hampshire and maine. biggest snowstorm of the winter season. that's a look a the big weather story of the day. now here's a closer look at the day ahead. so f today stillol very in fargo after a chilly day in the single digits yesterday you'll do it again today. notoo badn areas of northern new england.he temperatures t a little cold even though you have some sun. highs only in the teens and the 20s.l wereak down the travel impacts coming up. a lot of problems at the highways, with e the big storm. >> it's going to be a big deal for a lot of people. thank you very much, bill. here's something you don't see every day. a i spinning disk roughly 100 yards wide was formed in a river near portla, maine. the curious formation is believed to have occurred naturally in a part of the river circular current that creates a whirlpool effect. the oddity has been widely shared on socialh media w people comparing it to a ufo, a sarousel, and even the moon. >> it d look cool and it does look like the moon. just ahead, remembering a wall street icon. and he flew like a butterfly and stung like a bee. find out what his hometown of louisville is now doing for him. you're watching "early today." to me, he's... ...well, dad. so when his joint pain from psoriatic arthritis got really bad, it scared me. and what could that pain mean? joint pain could mean joint damage. enbrel helps relieve joint pain... ...helps stop irreversible joint damage... and helps skin get clearer. enbrel may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events... including infections, tuberculosis... lymphoma, other cancers,... nervous system and blood disorders... and allergic reactions have occurred. tell your doctor if you've been some place where fungal infections are common. or, if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure... or if you have persistent fever... bruising, bleeding, or paleness. don't start enbrel... if you have an infection like the flu. since enbrel... dad's back to being... dad. visit enbrel.com... and use the joint damage simulator to see how your joint damage could be progressing. ask about enbrel. enbrel. fda approved for over 16 years. that's an aggressive yellow. pretty great, huh? if you're a banana. i find it very... appealing. kellogg's raisin bran with bananas. two scoops meet real banana slices. i've done a good job of raisin ya. two scoops meet real banana slices. i had this chest cold, but my medicine kept wearing off. (cous) ah! i missed you! then i discovered mucinex. one pill lasts 12 hours, and i'm good. mucinex releases fast and lasts 12 hours, not 4. let's end this. are confusing quilted northern are confusing quilted northernf. for a bouncy castle. they're both durable, flexible and nice to have at parties. but quilted northern is not a bouncy castle. it's just really nice toilet paper. leading the news, the business world is saying good-bye to a man known as one of the world's greatestst ins. john bogle, known to his friends as jack, was the founder of the vauard group and the creator of the first index mutual fund. bogle, who preached buying and hold investing and also wrote 13 books on the subject, launched the world's largest mutual fund organization, vanguard, in 1975 and later served as chairman and ceo until 1996. the group now manages over 5 trillion in assets. legendary investor john c. d bogld at the age of 89. former nfl player took down a peeping tom who was lurk outside his daughter's bedroom. tony beckham, who played for the tennessee titans and the detroit lions, was getti his daughter ready for school when he spotted this man right here,-y r-old jeffrey cassidy, in the bushes. >> i maybe thought he was a maintenance guy or something trying pk something, but then he squatted down and i seen his hand gestures moving. and i go what are you doing? you know, i like startled him. and he tried to take off running. maybe i stopped him from doing so tthing more serious another kid. >> cassidy was charged with lewd lascivious behavior with a victim younger than 16. as for beckham he' going to replace the blinds in his home with blackout windows. professional bull riders paying tribute to one of their own mason lowe died at the age ft 25 being injured at an event at the denver coliseum. he had been riding for seven years and was ranked 18th in the world. the professional bull riders ceo says masng was weari the required protective vest but suffered damag when he was struck in the chest. they say mason was unquestionably one of the most personable and beled bull riders. the late heavyweight champion and activist muhammad ali will be honored with an airport named after him in his hometown of louisville, kentucky. daofficials voted on wey to change the name of the i louisvilleernational airport to the louisville muhammad ali international airport. this decision was made just one day before whawould have been i's 77th birthday. his widow, loni ali, said in a statement that she's proud and "muhammad was a global citizen but he never forgot the city that gave him his start." stillahead,@bird box challenge is flying the coop on youtu youtube. and miley cyrus takes a wrecking ball to rumors she's pregnant. we'll have her hilarious announcement, next. was so frustrating. my skin... it was embarrassing. my joints... they hurt. the pain and swelling. the tenderness. the psoriasis. tina: i had to find something that worked on all of this. i found cosentyx. now, watch me. real people with active psoriatic arthritis are getting real relief with cosentyx. it's a different kind of targeted biologic. cosentyx treats more than just the joint pain of psoriatic arthritis. it even helps stop further joint damage. don't use if you're allergic to cosentyx. before starting, get checked for tuberculosis. an increased risk of infections and lowered ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor about an infection or symptoms. if your inflammatory bowel disease symptoms develop or worsen, or if you've had a vaccine or plan to. serious allergic reactions may occur. i got real relief. i got clearer skin and feel better. now, watch me. get real relief with cosentyx. so we improved everything. we used 50% fewer ingredients added one handed pumps and beat the top safety standards the new johnson's® choose gentle z34hbz z16fz y34hby y16fy house speaker nancy pelosi said that due to the shutdown trump should postpone his state of the union address or do it in writing. this explains why trump jus askedwitter to raise the character limit to 0050words. >> i don't think trump needs 50,000 words to say the state of the unis tremendous, no collusion, build the wall or else. >> you know, the typos that would be in that too. we've got to watch out for that. >> priceless. newlywed miley cyrus has put the rumors to rest that she nd husband liam hemsworth are expecting. rumors -- reports that surfaced rather about cyrus being pregnant after was spotted in miami and appeared to have a small baby bump. the pop s took to twitter with a meme of that viral egg ts di the speculation. there it is. she wrote, "i'm not egg-specting but it's eggsellent to hear everybody is s happy for us. now everyone can leave me alone and go back to staring at an " eg >> at least she has a sense of humor. because the wrong thing you wear, maybe one too many burritos can do it, then t everybody'lling you that you're pregnant. now to somebody who everybody is watching who is pregnant. oeghan markle had the most adorable reactionctually being called the fat lady. watch. >> hi. >> lovely lady. may god bless you. >> thank you. >> and y f're a lady. >> there we go. you could make out that "fat lady" remark. duchess markle had been visiting a welfare organization when she got the seemingly innocent comment about her baby bump. everybody had a littleghhuckle there. >> very classy lady. up next, preventing a snowball effect. why crews set off in the alps.e you're watching "early today." ir . that blows them all out of the water. hydro boost water gel from neutrogena®. with hyaluronic acid it goes beneath the surface to plump skin cells from within and lock in hydration leaving skin so supple, it actually bounces back. the results will blow you away! hydro boost and our gentle exfoliating cleanser from neutrogena® fresh-baked, and hand-crafted, with 100% clean ingredients. just a few good reasons to give into your cravings. now delivering. panera. food as it should be. ♪ before i head ♪ it's what i'm lookin' for ♪ today's the daisy i see ♪ the difference in me ♪ today's the daisy for cottage cheese (cottage cheese) ♪ ♪ today's the daisy! i am not for just treating my symptoms... (ah-choo) i am for shortening colds when i'm sick. with zicam. zicam is completely different. unlike most other cold medicines... ...zicam is clinically proven to shorten colds. i am a zifan for zicam. oral or nasal. are confusing quilted northern for robes. they're both cushiony, comforting, and add elegance to your home. but quilted northern is not a robe. it's just really nice toilet paper. 98% of us don't get enough omega-3s. which is why mared advanced 4in1 packs more omega-3 power into one small softgel. wit supports your heart...d 4brain... eyes... and joints. megared. start the day slow-roasting tu.ey for incredible flavoren then, they double seal every slice for freshness. re thlts, well, they speak for themselves. that's an aggressive yellow. pretty great, huh? if you're a banana. i find it very... appealing. kellogg's raisin bran with bananas. two scoops meet real banana slices. i've done a good job of raisin ya. take a look at this. helicopter video of a series of explosive controlled avalanches in southern switzerland. crews use the explosives to prevent larger snow slides. you can't imagine the power of that once it starts going. let'set into the travel map. on saturday airport problems likely. and ouis, indianapolis, pittsburgh. driving on i-70's going to be very difficult. then by the time we get to sunday we're worried about the airports in areas o northern and central new england. stay tuned. verwhelming scents. troducing febreze one; a new range of innovative air fresheners with no heavy perfumes that you can feel good about using in your home to deliver a light, neutralizes stale, stuffy odorse and releases a subtle hint of fragrance l to deliver a light, neutralizelike bamboouffy odorse ongrass ginger. to eliminate odors with no heavy perfumes,y w febreze one. brand power. helping you buy better. so we improved everything. we used 50% fewer ingredients added one handed pumps and beat the top safety standards the new johnson's® choose gentle about the colonial penn progra here to tell you if you're age 50-85 and looking to buy life insurance on a fixed budget, remember the three p's. the three what? the three p's? what are the three p's? rathe three p's of life ine on a fixed budget are price, price, and price. a price you can afford, a price that can't increase, and a price that fits your budget. i'm 54 and i was a smoker but quit. alex, what's my price? you can get coverage for $9.95 a month.65 i'retired, and take medications. what's my price? also $9.95 a month. i just tur id 80 and i'm on a fixome. what's my price? $9.95 a month for you, too. if you're age 50 to 85, call now about the number one mt popular whole life insurance plan available thprugh the colonial penram. it has an affordable rate starting at $9.95 a month. that's les 35 cents a day. you causot be turned down beof your health. no medical exam, no health questions. your acceptance is guaranteed, and this plan has a guaranteed lifetime rate lock, gso your rate can nevup for any reason. and with this plan, you can pickour payment date, so you can time your premium due date to work with your budget. optis start at $9.95 a month plus, you get a 30-day money back guarantee. so call now for free information. and you'll also get nethis free beneficiary pl and it's yours just for calling. so call now. good morning, everyone. i'm eun yang. >> and i'm aarongi hrist. developing this morning, under arrest. a georgia man now accused of platting an attack on the white house. >> the military-grade weapons investigators say he was planning onsing and how he was stopped. good morning, everybody. cold and dry to get thursday going. there's a chance of snow moving in for the afternoon commute. news 4 today starts now. >> we begin with a live look outside. just days after d.c. cleaned up from its first big snowstorm of the year, eyes turn t weekend and the possibility of more wet, cold, snowy weather. goy. morning, everyb it's 4:00 a.m. i'm aaron gilchrist. >> i'm eun yang. all oyes are that forecast. that means all eyes are on chuck bell he is used to the spotlight, though. >> melissa is standing by with the commute, too.ta we'll with chuck. >> we have nothing to worry about this morning. you have all day toet things going. there will be a round of slushy wet snow in time for the afternoon commute. no weather worries this morning. many are above eezing. there are areas below freezing, we've been telling you all weekend, if it looks wet, assume it can be slippery. temperatures later in lie day, stru mightily to get into the mid and upper 0s.

Related Keywords

Miami , Florida , United States , New York , Georgia , Louisville , Kentucky , Afghanistan , New Hampshire , Washington , Whitehouse , District Of Columbia , California , Ohio Valley , Syria , Russia , London , City Of , United Kingdom , Jersey , Maine , Kenya , Iowa , North Korea , Pennsylvania , Switzerland , Americans , Russians , Kenyan , American , Al Shabab , Dnc Giuliani , Nancy Pelosi , Jim Mattis , Los Angeles , Loni Ali , John Bogle , Mason Lowe , Sarah Harmon , Frances Rivera , December Hemet , Eun Yang , Miley Cyrus , Rudy Giuliani , Liam Hemsworth , Tony Beckham ,