going to catch them. you just don't know when sometimes. >> so i just say, you know, hats off to dna. it's a great tool. and i tell you, in this case, to be able to free one man and convict another, i say that says a lot for justice. happening right now you an historic catastrophic ice storm set to pummel the deep south. this morning, thousands of flights canceled. towns literally shut down as people are warned just stay home. indra petersons is tracking this monster for us. good morning, welcome toer earl. i'm christine romans. >> it's wednesday, february 12th, 5:00 a.m. in the east. you know it's terrible when forecasters are use catastrophic and historic to describe a storm

hitting the south at this very moment. millions of southerners, primarily in georgia and the carolinas just getting hammered right now with snow and ice happening overnight. continuing into this morning. ice is coating the roads, tree branches, power liens. makes it really tough to get around. it could potentially knock out power to house to and thousands in the storm's path. air travel messy and beyond. more than 2500 flights canceled today. >> in atlanta, the whole area doing what it can to avoid a repeat of its botched response. meaning kids will not be stuck in buses overnight in school gyms. 22,000 tons of salt. 75 gallons of brine. another 180 tons of additional salt and sand on standby. right now, the city of atlanta, well, it's looking wet. these are live pictures from the rooftop camera there at cnn.

>> the brunt is yet to come in north carolina. 2 to 4 inches of snow and sleet expected there with the worst happening through the evening and into the night. then, of course, the evening rush. >> a winter storm warning in effect for much of south carolina into thursday. areas in the northwestern part of the state could get as much as 8 inches of snow. >> so there is say lot going on here, on with ice they worry down in the south. the storm is going to come up the east coast for the next 24 hours. hit millions and millions of us. indra petersons is tracking it. >> two waves, the first one was yesterday, we knew not as strong as the second wave. it's expected to impact the southeast today. this one is looking stronger. ice in the system and heavier snow as it would its way up the eastern seaboard. many places have seen a quarter inch of ice. it's half an inch of ice that power lines may 30 times

stronger. they can come down. with the transition this morning, many places seeing rain, slowly starting to transition to freezing rain. so that's what we're going to be watching as we go into the evening hours. look at the potentials, guys. places upwards of an inch of ice. this is crippling. this is why they're calling it catastrophic. this is the concern as we go through the next few hours. and it's not just ice. heavy ice and heavy snow. d.c. could see the biggest snowstorm they've seen in years, potentially 9, 10 inches of snow. eventually that makes its way into the northeast was well. so a lot to be following here. let's talk about what's going on. remember, it all has to do with temperature. how far south the cold air makes its way. when you talk about freezing rain, that's the crippling effect. when you're right in this transition zone where you see the pink this is the concern. especially as you go throughout the day, we're going to have

that threat for the southeast. tonight and tomorrow, the concern is that low makes its way up the coastline and starts bringing that heavy snow into the mid-atlantic and northeast. >> there is nothing pretty about that map. any of it. not the number, not the colors, nothing. >> an inch of ice. power lines, tree limbs. serious, serious. >> can be weeks without power. >> thank you. without the usual drama, the house voted to raise the government's borrowing limit for another year. this was the passage of a clean debt ceiling bill. it tame after leaders used the debt ceiling as leverage for spending increases from other democrats. the bill helds to the senate for final approval. it will likely happen this week, although the weather would wreak havoc with that timing. >> it takes uncertainty out of the timing, too. which is really important. president obama is expected to sign his promised executive order raising the minimum wage

to $10.10 ennew federal contracts. white house officials have been finalizing the details since he made that announcement during the state of the union. this will be kitchen work, janitor work, and the white house expects 250,000 workers to eventually benefit. lots new in the scandal known as bridgegate. new jersey governor chris christie heading to the shore after spending tuesday at a republican fund-raiser. also new in the story, state police say that the governor's helicopter did not fly over the george washington bridge during the lane closures last september. his flight history came into question when investigators issued 18 new subpoenas on monday. finally, the governor has learned that he can use campaign funds to cover the cost of legal fees for this investigation. kentucky senator rand paul is taking president obama to court.

the republican potential 2016 candidate announcing plans for a class action lawsuit over surveillance programs. in a statement, he said he's bringing the suit because the public has, quote, publicly failed. attorney general eric holder is making the case for convicted felons to get their voting rights back once their sentence has been served. tuesday, holder called on individual states to repeal laws that prohibit them as being convicted felons from voting after being released from prison. he says that current laws make it even harder for felons to reintegrate into society. these changes would allow millions across the country to cast ballots. all asian markets closing higher. take a look at european stock markets. futures in the u.s. all higher. yesterday what is a blowout.

190 points higher on the dow. investors liked what they heard from the new fed chief, janet yellenen. the s&p 500 now less than 2% away from its all-time high. the nasdaq is now on the positive side for the year again. it's been a bumpy ride so far, cnn money surveys how investors are feeling in its fear and greed index. for of the past weeks investors have been in fear mode. yesterday, they moved back to plain old general fear. ♪ more disappointment eflation than glory for team usa in sochi. one of the best known olympians is coming home from sochi empty-handed. andy scholes in the "bleacher report" with the details. andy? >> when it came to a sure thing in the olympics, shaun white at

least medaling in the halfpipe competition was definitely one of them. he was looking to be the first man to win gold in the same event in the olympics. unfortunately, things didn't go his way. in his first run, white comes down here and slams into the pipe on the way down. he tried to pull out all the stops in his second run but it wasn't just to medal. he ended up finishing fourth in the competition. so for the first time since 1998, the u.s. will not medal in the men's halfpipe. but they made up for it in women's luge. erin hamlin brought home the bronze to medal in the luge. that was a 50-year drought for the americans. u.s. had medaled in the doubles luge before. >> here's a story that captureses true olympic spirit. a men's russian player was having a miserable run.

canadian coach justin wadsworth jumped into action and went on the course to help the russian. wadsworth replaced the ski with one he had for his team. he said i wanted him to have dignity as he crossed the finish line. american speed skater shani davis will look to make history in the three-peat in the men's 1,000 meets. if he does it again today, he'll become the first american man to win an olympic event three times in a row. current medal, norway on top with 11. canada with 9, team usa hanging in there, we've got 7. still work to do, hopefully, we can climb that ladder as the olympics progress. >> andy, something we almost never see in the olympics, a tie for gold in the women's downhill. the exact same time. two women will split the gold

medal. it really is kind of crazy. >> thanks, andy. >> thanks, andy. trending this morning, french president fran what hollande, he went swag but a celebrity who's who. they included singer mary j. blige and julie louis-dreyfus sat next to the v.p. and also talk show host stephen colbert who is not french despite his last name. the event was of the obama presidency. the best dressed, cnn president jeff zucker, i'm not saying that because he gave me a new show. >> what was he wearing? >> black tux, white shirt and black tie. it just sparkled. >> oh, man, you're sucking up

big time. coming up, he said he had no choice but to shoot. an emotional testimony as a man explains how an argument with teenagers did end with an unarmed teen dead. and should airlines let you make cell phone calls in flight? here's a hint, no. congress is pushing for an answer. that's coming up next. so i deserve a small business credit card with amazing rewards. with the spark cash card from capital one, i get 2% cash back on every purchase, every day. i break my back around here. finally someone's recognizing me with unlimited rewards! meetings start at 11, cindy. [ male announcer ] get the spark business card from capital one. choose 2% cash back or double miles on every purchase, every day. what's in your wallet? i need your timesheets, larry! wow, my excedrin reallye.t? does work fast.

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welcome back to "early start," everyone. the jury could get charged today in the case of a florida man who shot and killed a teenager after an argument over loud music. miking dunn took the stand tuesday telling a jury he fired in self-defense when he felt threatened. but prosecutors, they don't buy that story. and dunn's girlfriend may have given the most crucial testimony of the day. cnn's martin savidge has the latest from jacksonville. >> reporter: it's quite possible but this trial could be in the hands of the jury by the end of the day. meanwhile, many are still talking about michael dunn's testimony yesterday. he's maintaining self-defense. that's the reason he fired nine bullets into that suv with four teenagers inside of it klg 17-year-old jordan davis. on the witness stand he described how at a gas station jordan davis became more angry at him using racial and all kinds of profanity against him. at one point, appearing to reach for something inside of the suv.

and that's the point at which michael dunn said that he pulled out a gun and fired into the vehicle. and then after firing those shots, once his fiancee is back in his car, they drive off without calling police. on cross-examination, that's when the prosecution said look this really wasn't in self-defense, was it? they maintain this was actually michael dunn firing into that vehicle because a 17-year-old kid mouthed off against him. disrespected him. dunn said it was nothing about that. it was all about self-defense. the prosecution countered and said, how come you didn't tell your fiance that those teenager has a gun. dunn said he was pretty sure he did. then they said, why did you drive off? he felt threatened. besides, he didn't think he hit anybody. the next day when you knew you killed a teenager, why didn't you call police. dunn said he wasn't thinking

right but he did reach out to a friend in federal law enforcement to begin turning himself in. then they put his fiancee on the stand and ask her did michael dunn del you about a gun with the teenagers. this is what she said. >> did the defendant ever tell you that she saw a weapon of anytime in the surf? >> no. there was no mention of a stick? >> no. >> there was no mention of a shotgun? >> no. >> there was no mention of a barrel? >> no. >> there was no mention of a lead pipe? >> no. >> reporter: if there was ever an uh-huh moment that may have been it. closing arguments expected in a few hours. >> she was in tears. he was in tears on the stand. it was high drama in the court. and dzhokhar tsarnaev the surviving boston marathon bombing suspect asking for a

trial date no earlier than september 2015. tsarnaev has pleaded not guilty in the attack last april that killed three and wounded more than 260 people. u.s. attorney general eric holder has authorized prosecutors to seek the death penalty. the governor of washington state putting a halt to prosecutions. governor jay inslee is calling for a moratorium. he said there's too much at stake. he will not commute any death sentences. rather, he'll issue temporary reprieves. there are currently nine men on death row in washington. west virginia officials will begin testing the water inside people's homes amid safety concerns after last month's chemical spill. an estimated 10,000 gallons of coal-cleaning materials leaving 10,000 people without tap water for days. and a lot of jitters still. earlier this week, state

officials declined to call the water safe to drink. and in some places a do not use alert is still in effect with pregnant women. meanwhile, causing new water warnings. 100,000 gallons of coal slurry believed to have leaked in west virginia blackening a creek. >> i think there's no creek in west virginia that runs like this around coal mining areas, chemical plants, the water quality of the state of west virginia has to take precedence over the profits of those companies. >> state environmental officials say it was caused by a malfunction inside the plant but say the spill did not affect the water supply. nbc anchor tom brokaw is battling cancer. he has cancer of the blood and bone marrow. he continues to work as a special correspondent for nbc.

in a statement, he said doctors are encouraged by his progress. adding i remain the luckiest guy i know. congress is one step closer to a ban on in-flight telephone calls. after a house panel approved a new bill tuesday, it would require the department of transportation to issue that move allowing passengers to surf the web and send e-mail on their phones. which brings me to today's "road warriors." looks may be deceiving but just don't look guilty. you are being watched very closely at the airport. the tsa has 3,000 officers who are look for people who look like they're up to something. the tsa said these special officers are proactively seeking out trouble all the time, instead of just reacting to the latest threat. the presence of these officers has resulted in arrests of people carrying false i.d.s or

drugs or being in the country illegally. the tsa has faced accusations of racial profiling. however, officials say those claims have been ruled unfounded. a word to the wise, 3,000 folks out there watching you and how you're behaving. >> walk straight. stand tall. historic floods leaving not just the united states under water. thousands evacuated this morning as rivers keep rising. and a country is battling, battling historic floods. we're live with the very latest after the break. (vo) you are a business pro. seeker of the sublime. you can separate runway ridiculousness... from fashion that flies off the shelves. and you...rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle...

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getting battered by historic flooding that has devastated parts of the english countryside. the pictures are stunning. cnn's jim bolden is live in england. jim, what's the situation this morning? >> reporter: this is usually an idyllic village here. we're not too far from the windsor castle and not far from the river thames. it's been bloodflooded here. a record amount of rain in january, the ground is saturated so the water has nowhere to go. let me show you what the residents have to deal with. here say very nice pub that does weddings as well. they've been pumping out their water for dice try to keep it going in. sandbags as well. he continue to pump more water out. they put this blue tube through the hose through the window to get out of it. of course, they would have business this weekend for

weddings. and it it looks to me that it's going to be impossible. we've seen emergency vehicles continue to come through. we've seen people with boats that are taking residents back and forth. it's just about ankle high. not knee-high. but it has been higher. the thing is, it's so much water, john, they just weren't prepared for this. it's been a bit of criticism of the government because they didn't tell people it's as bad as it's been. here getting closer to london, it's worrying people that it will continue to rise. we're going to get terrible weather this afternoon. and terrible weather on friday. it just isn't letting up, john. >> they don't need that weather. those towns and villages covered in water. thanks so much, we appreciate that. forecasters using the words "historic" "catastrophic" to talk about an ice storm puming the south as we speak. it's going to head north. tens of millions in its path. we're tracking the very latest

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happening right now, snow, sleet and worse of all, ice, battering the south. thousands of flights canceled. schools and offices shut down. people being told stay off the road. stay home. this storm is already turning deadly. and when it's done with the south, it's heading north putting millions and millions in its path. indra petersons is tracking the weather that will paralyze parts of this country all week. welcome back to "early start" everyone. i'm john berman.

>> i'm christine romans. it's 30 minutes past the hour. starting to dig out in the south, forecasters using words like "potentially catastrophic. ""hist," bringing the south to its knees. georgia and the carolinas hammered right now, snow and ice overnight and into this morning. ice is coating the roads, the tree branches, power lines, making it tough to get around. potentially knocking out power to thousands in its it's path. and total of 2500 cancellations and climbing. >> if this sounds familiar to you, atlanta and the surrounding areas are trying to avoid a bad case of deja vu after that city's botched response to that storm a few weeks ago. schools are closed today, meaning schools will not get stuck on buses or left in school gyms. 22,000 gallons of salt. 45,000 tons of gravel on hand to

treat georgia's main roadways. another 180 tons of additional salt and sand on standby. they're taking this very seriously. right now, the city of atlanta is wetting and freezing. these are live pictures from the roof of a camera in the cnn center in atlanta. the camera is covered in ice. >> 30 minutes ago, it was wet and looks icy there. 2 to 4 inches of snow and sleet expected to fall by midmorning. ice accumulation getting heavier this evening and into tonight. >> south carolina is handling this, too, they're under a winter storm warning for today and tomorrow. areas of that northwestern part of that state could get as much as 8 inches of snow. >> indra petersons is very busy track the storm. >> biggest thing we worry about, they keep talking about is the ice. why the ice? once you get the ice on the power lines they weigh 30 times

stronger or heavier to bring the power out sometimes for days. now, this is the second wave we're looking at right now. first wave of the winter brought many places a quarter inch ice. the second wave could bring potentially more ice throughout and becomes more catastrophic. that's why the national weather service is saying the potential is there. right now seeing rain. transitioning to atlanta, now seeing the freezing rain. the next few hours is really what we're concerned with as the temperatures continue to drop. check these numbers out. we talked about that threshold. half an inch. columbia, south carolina, over an inch. the potential is there to have power outages, the potential in as much as a week. and heavy snow as the low starts to climb up the coastline. pull that moisture off the coast. d.c., your biggest snowstorm in almost four years. february, 2010 we could see more

snow. and mow terribly have number the amount of snow. notice the temperatures as they drop down. we'll start to seat transition throughout the day. sometimes, you'll have rain, sometimes, you'll have sleet. sometimes, you have ice. sometimes, you have snow. it carries throughout the day. notice that threshold. you have the potential for freezing rain as it continues to make its way up the coastline. we start dealing with the second half of the storm wednesday into thursday. overnight, a heavy snowstorm. all of these things have to come together perfectly for these things to happen. >> we're following it minute by minute. all right. the fight over the debt limit ended before it began. the house voting to raise the government's borrowing limit for the year with no conditions. this ends about three years of fights over this be right? 28 republicans joining nearly all democrats to pass it. house speaker boehner deciding not to demand concessions in change for passing this thing. the bill heads to the senate for

final approval. as promised in the state of the union address, president obama will sign an executive order raising the minimum wage to federally contracted workers to $10.10. he'll be joined by the signing ceremony by some of the workers. the white house expected roughly 250,000 workers to benefit from this. new jersey governor chris christie is back on his home turf this morning after spending the day in chicago at a republican fund-raiser. he told the crowd there the lane-closing scandal won't get in the way of his work. this morning, he's attending a superstorm sandy fund-raising event at the shore. also new, state police repeal his helicopter did not fly over the george washington bridge during those closures last september. his flight history came into question when investigators issued 18 new subpoenas yesterday. finally, christie has learned that he can use campaign funds to cover the costs of legal fees for that investigation.

a major startling medical study that's raising serious doubts about mammograms. you need to pay attention to this. researchers found that death rates from breast cancer were the same in women who got screened than those who did not. even worse, 1 in 5 cancers discovered with the test treated were not a threat to the patients. the study follows 9,000 canadian women in the study. again, what is so startling about this, it says no difference between getting a mammogram. and not. in some cases it even says mammograms may be helpful. >> it was a meticulous study, some of the early morning commentary. it's getting attention. >> it needs to be talked a lot today. stock markets higher around the world, strong trade data for china. around the world is super happy about the new u.s. fed chief that her plan is to stay the

course here. her remarks really lifting markets around the world. asia for the fourth day in the row, europe is following, too, u.s. futures are higher right now. yesterday, for the first time, the world has heard from janet yellen as the new chairwoman of the federal reserve. the dow rallied 190 points the largest percentage gain since mid-december. the s&p 500 less than 2% from an all-time high. that is dak is now on the plus side for the year. all right. aiming for gold. but not getting it. more disappointed than glory for the u.s. in sochi, one of the america's best known olympians. in fact, i would say he's best known with formally the best hair he's going home empty-handed. andy scholes, good morning. >> shaun white at least medaling in the halfpipe competition was

one of them. he was looking to become the first u.s. men to win gold in the three straight olympics but unfortunately for him and team usa things did not go his way. in the first run, white comes down here, he slams into the pipe on the way down. now, he tried to pull out all the stops in the second run but wasn't enough to medal. he ended up finishing fourth in the competition. so for the first time since 1998, the u.s. did not medal in the half pipe but they made up for it in the women's luge. erin hamlin became the first american ever to medal in the luge event. that ended a 50-year drought for the americans. in the men's free sprint, a russian was having a miserable run. he had crashed and one of his skis broke. that's when the canadian coach jumped on the course and ran into action.

wadsworth replaced the broken ski with one of the spares he had for his team. wadsworth who is a three-time olympian himself said i wanted him to have dignity as he crossed the finish line. awesome stuff. american speed skater shani davis will look to make history when he goes for a three-peat in the 1,000 feets. davis has taken gold in the event if he does it again today he'll be the first american man to win an olympic event three times in a row. norway on top with 11. canada, with 9. team usa hanging in there with 7. this morning, guys you saw a historic finish, slovenian and swiss skier finishing with the exact time. they're going to share the gold medal. third place finished a tenth of a second behind them. >> do they have like a custody agreement for the gold? they have to go back and forth, dror they each get a gold?

>> i had a question about that. each country gets a gold medal for their medal count. >> we'll have to look into that. intrigue at the olympics. thank you so much. intrigue and just travesty at the westminster dog show. it was a familiar breed, all-too familiar in the winner's circle last night. take a look at this. >> best in show this evening is the wire fox terrier. >> there you have it. a terrier, again. this one named sky. took the top prize in the 138th event. it's the 46th time that a terrier of some kind has won. i've got to say, it's a nice looking dog there but you know what dog has never won? >> what. >> a lab. >> no lab has ever won. the most popular thing in america, instead we get these things. >> i'll tell you the lab win's people's hearts. >> so give it a trophy for once. what's with the terrier. liberal bias here -- i don't

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at university of phoenix, we believe every education- not just ours- should be built around the career that you want. imagine that. the fbi is offering big bucks to help stop blinding attacks on pilots. these have spiked up to 4,000 last year. officials say many of the incidents go unreported. now for the next two months, 11 cities and san juan are offering $10,000 for information leading to arrests. dangerous midair distraction has hospitalized several pilots with burned corneas. >> you have no idea what just happened. your entire cockpit turns green. if i was the only pilot on board that helicopter that night, there's no way i could have landed the aircraft.

so initially, it's the shock. it's the unknown factor. it's not knowing how bad your eyes were burned. >> last year there averaged 11 attacks each day. although lasers cannot cause a crash, officials worry that they could and soon will. meantime, congress is a step closer to banning in-flight phone calls. a house panel has required a new bill that requires the department of transportation to issue it. and allowing passengers to search the web and send e-mails. most people want to search the web. they don't want to listen to you talk to your husband or wife. >> but anybody. >> you in particular. you and everyone else. the suddenly single french president from wans hollande attracted a slew to the white house for the state dinner. that's mary j. blige he was there and performed. and also actress julia

louis-dreyfus. she sat next to vice president joe biden. actor bradley cooper was there. >> have you met bradley cooper? >> he was right here on this program. yes. >> interesting. the event was the seven-state dinner of the obama presidency. >> oh, john. let's take a look at what's coming up on "new day." kate bolduan joins me. save me, kate. >> i get that excited when john berman gets to sit next to me. i think get very excited. >> you haven't been that excited. >> i'm not as emoting as christine. i stop talking and breathing. all right, guys. coming up in the show, the storm is making its way through the south. up guys have been covering it as well. our reporters are throughout the region. an important story. we're going to be covering that. but also the other big story of the morning the loud music trial. the defendant michael dunn has taken the stand. the jury could have the case this afternoon. we're going to break down what

dunn said and also what happens next. our legal analysts are here and are going to help us out with that. and then the longtime veteran newsman tom brokaw has revealed he has cancer. dr. sanjay gupta is going to be here with what you need to know about multiple myeloma. the treatment and chances for recovery. coming up a new water warning in west virginia. residents on edge after a second chemical spill into their water supply. the very latest on that after the break. the day we rescued riley was a truly amazing day. he was a matted mess in a small cage. so that was our first task, was getting him to wellness. without angie's list, i don't know if we could have found all the services we needed for our riley. from contractors and doctors to dog sitters and landscapers, you can find it all on angie's list. we found riley at the shelter, and found everything he needed at angie's list. join today at angieslist.com

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the trial of the florida man who shot and killed a teenager could go to the jury today. michael dunn took the stand in his own defense. he said he fired add jordan davis' suv because he thought he saw a weapon after an argument

over loud music. dunn had no good answer when asked why he never called police. >> and we were there looking out the windows, like a waking nightmare. every car was a red suv. i mean, to us. we thought we had just -- well, made them go away. and that they were going to come back. >> you didn't call the police? >> no, never did. >> you just called the police at the store, correct? >> i didn't call the police at all until the following morning. >> dunn's fiancee also couldn't back up dunn's testimony. he said he'd seen a weapon. police in maryland have announced a new lead in a 39-year-old cold case. two sisters, sheila and kate lion, just 10 and 12 years old, vanished from a crowds shopping mall in 1975. tuesday, a 59-year-old former carnival operator was named a

person of interest. lloyd lee welsh has been in prison since 1997. now, investigators say, he may have been involved. >> our cold case squad has been able to identify a man who is currently incarcerated as a convicted child sex offender. and we have established that this man was at wheaton plaza on that day. and may have had contact with the lion girls. >> they described welch as a drifter who has multiple convictions for sexual offenses against young girls. and say he was seen paying attention to the girls that day. but they stopped short of calling him a suspect. a court day for federal prosecutors and lawyers for dzhokhar tsarnaev. the surviving boston marathon bombing suspect seeking a trial date no earlier than september of next year. tsarnaev has pleaded not guilty to the april 2013 attack that killed three and wounded more than 260 people at the boston marathon. u.s. attorney general eric

holder has thousanded prosecutors to seek the death penalty. west virginia officials will begin testing the water inside people's homes, amid safety concerns, following last month's chemical spill. an estimated 10,000 gallons of coal-cleaning chemicals leaking into a river outside of charleston. that left 300,000 people without tap water for days. now earlier this week, state officials declined to quality water safe to drink. and in some places a do not use alert is still in effect for pregnant women. meanwhile, another spill is causing new water warnings in the state. more than 100,000 gallons of coal slurry believed to have leaked in eastern west virginia, blackening six miles of this creek. >> i think there should be no stream in west virginia that runs like this. around coal mining areas, around chemical plants, around fracking, the water quality in the state of west virginia has to take precedence over the

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welcome back to "early start" this wednesday morning. it's "money time." stocks soared yesterday and they're pointed higher again. we've got a debt ceiling deal in washington that's pushing futures higher. we also have strong january trade data from china that's been driving european markets towards another day of gains. markets in asia already closed up. amazon is hiring 2500 workers for full-time jobs with benefits. the jobs will be in fulfillment centers around the country eligible for health care, 401 x, bonuses and stock. the company pays 30% more than traditional retail jobs. in the mid to high $20,000 range. the stocks taking a hit in the

premarket trading. but overall, we're not kidding. we're not just crying wonderf i. it is serious business. >> breaking news. a storm hitting the south right now. hundreds of thousands may lose power. >> taking the stand. a black buster day in court. michael dunn testifying in his own defense. accused of killing a teen for playing music too loud. the jury set to get the case today. olympic first. history made in sochi. two competitors tieing for gold. plus more on shaun white's disappointing run. your "new day" starts right now.

>> good morning. and welcome to "new day." it is february 12th, 6:00 in the east. i'm kate bolduan of course. john berman joining us this morning. chris is on assignment. a winter storm that some forecasters are calling potentially catastrophic for the deep south. people in georgia and the carolinas are hunkering down. among the big concerns of course, ice on roads, power lines, ice any where. another big headache, air travel. the storm scrapping more than 2,700 flights so far. meteorologist indra petersons is tracking the storm for us of course. let's begin with carol costello