good tuesday morning. coming up on requesting early today." one day closer to thanksgiving, and mother nature bringing high winds, rain, and snow. inside the minds of the sandy hook killer. president obama combines a massive fund-raising west coast swing while getting heckled. this puppy saved after being trapped for a week. a popular family guy character is killed off. fans aren't happy. "early today" starts right now. this is "early today" for tuesday, november 26th. good morning. i'm richard lui.

we're going to begin with the deadly storm marching across the country a. triple threat bringing snow, wind and rain across new england and the system is already complicating holiday plans for millions of americans. let's get to bill karins for the latest. bill, if you're heading out the door, whether you're in the east or west, what might you see? >> airports. that's the thing we'll be watching. everyone in the west is fine, on any trains. it's the airports across the country that the ripple effect from delays in the east will cause. the huge storm is now near new orleans, a huge plume of rain coming up the eastern seaboard. enough cold air for a little bit of snow and ice in the appalachians, and also up into new england. as far as the airports go today, some of the bigger hubs that will have problems, atlanta, of course, a huge one. charlotte, raleigh, major delays. minor delays late today in d.c., especially dulles and pittsburgh. as we go into wednesday, huge delays at the bigger airports. this is where we could get the effects going across the country. boston, new york airport, washington, d.c., the first half of wednesday, and pittsburgh and buffalo dealing with some snow

out of this. for anyone traveling to the east coast, or travel plans on the east coast, a lot of loved ones, family across the country, it will be a difficult day. >> grandma has to wait a little longer. at least we now know. thank you, bill karins. we're less than 24 hours away from the busiest travel day of the year. of the year and 48 million of us are expected to hit the roads and take to the air this week. sarah joins us from chicago o'hare's international airport. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. believe it or not, the number of people traveling this year is actually slightly down compared to last year, but the nasty weather means things will be crowded as ever at airports and on the road. before the crowd has left home, the wallop of weather has stranded passengers and making for dangerous driving conditions and mother nature is not done yet. >> the weather is not going to

clear until after thursday, and unfortunately, that's after all of the major travel has supposed to have occur. >> reporter: it will undoubtedly affect millions of people headed to wisconsin. >> waterloo, iowa. >> reporter: to celebrate with loves oned. wednesday and sunday are predicted to be the two busiest travel days of the season, with l.a.x. and chicago o'hara among the two busiest airports. officials recommend arriving two hours early for domestic flights and three hours for international. >> do everything you can before leaving home. printing out the boarding pass and sending it to the mobile devices. >> reporter: the nearly 39 million people who will be driving to their destinations are in for a police and surprise at the pump. gas prices are the cheapest they've been since thanksgiving of 2010. a silver lining during a hectic and wintry holiday journey. even if you are traveling to an area with good weather it's

important that you check and double-check your flight status. the bad weather will likely have a ripple effect on cancellations. back to you, richard. >> all right, sarah, thank you so much. appreciate it. today, the supreme court takes up the case involving obama care. the question, does the requirement to provide contraceptives to employees violate a company's right to religious freedom? nbc's tracie pots has more on that for us. good morning. >> reporter: richard, good morning. the justices will be asked whether to look at any of the cases, there are several that have worked their way up to the u.s. supreme court. nearly 40 companies in all arguing that even though they're required to provide health insurance under the health law, if that health insurance includes birth control, it is a violation of their rights under the religious freedom restoration act. they also look at individual employees having to pay premiums. the individual mandate that we talked about so much. but if they have a religious

objection, should they be required to pay for that type of insurance for that type of coverage? if the justices decide to take up one of these cases, it could be next spring before they're argued, late june before we get a decision. richard? >> tracie potts, thank you so much. a new report reveals details about the shooting at sandy hook and the killer adam lansa. >> reporter: the report says the shooting took place over 25 minutes. includes photos of the shattered glass where lanza shot his way into the building, and there are empty cell casings from the more 150 shots fired. investigators say lanza acted alone and planned his actions, including the taking of his own life. there is no clear motive according to the report that goes to to discuss lanza's significant mental disorders.

investigators say lanza refused to take medicines and did not engage in suggested therapies. newly released photos show the blacked-out bedroom, a gun safe, and the gun used to kill his mother before leaving for sandy hook, also pictures of a home computer he apparently battered. police say there was significant damage to the hard drive that limited the amount of information available. but there is evidence he researched mass shootings, firearms, and suicide, and watched videos of children being killed. they also retrieved an image of lanza holding a gun to his head. the 48-page release is a summary of the full investigative report, which sources indicate is close to 10,000 pages. that full report will be released at some point. right now, investigators are poring over the documents,

removing names and other sensitive information before being made public. jay gray, nbc news, dan bury, connecticut. this report also says lanza wrote a book in the fifth grade, and included tales of children being killed and a son shooting his mother in the head. a state judge will listen to 40 minutes of 911 calls from the massacre before deciding to make them public. president obama's westward trip in full swing on monday the democratic controlled senate pass add kpree hence inch bill earlier this year. it would provide a pathway to citizenship. the president supports the bill, but one heckler focused on deportations in recent years. >> you have the power to stop -- >> and that's why we're here. okay. >> stop deportations! >> if, in fact, i could solve

all these problems without passing laws in congress, then i would do so. but we're also a nation of laws. that's part of our tradition. >> the president's trip included major political fund-raising for house and senate candidates, and magic johnson and his wife hosted one of the events, as well as diane keaton and samuel jackson. heinz saban and his wife hosted another. at one event, one ticket cost as much as $32,000. the president raised money along with harry reid and house minority leader. a puppy in dallas, has a lot to be thankful for this week. the yellow lab spent more than a week stuck in a drain behind an elementary cool. teachers tried to rescue the pup for a few days, and a crew arrived and brought the guy to safety. he looks a little scared there. but i heard that mom was pacing back and forth in front of that little -- >> she knew.

>> she knew. >> ahh. >> she knew her pup was down there, and the the litter happened very close to the school. there she is. >> he'll be adopted in a hurry and have a good home, hopefully. so we may be howling about, well, weather. >> yeah, the big storm, you know, everyone on the west coast started with the storm a couple of days ago, and still slowly moving across the nation. in its wake, it left a lot of cold air through the intermountain west and the west coast. it continues this morning. winter coats are needed and the winter gear. still chilly in vegas, 45. phoenix, 49 degrees. clear skies, a lot of sunshine away from the coast. but you notice the next storm system moving towards british columbia, dragging a weak front. a little more of the way of onshore flow keeping clouds in. filtered sun, we'll call it. a little warmer in l.a. at 74. 50 in seattle. 54 portland, but everyone remains dry. that's the national forecathe f.

could be a different story on thursday. and for thanksgiving day, southern california may get some rain. so i'll give you an idea about that coming up. >> thank you so much, bill karins. a major supreme court case involving for-profit businesses and religious freedom. details next. plus a shocker that has thousands of fans fuming. you're watching "early today."

welcome back. an ohio grand jury indicted four employees involving the steubenville rape case. it includes the school superintendent and the jury convicted the two teen boys earlier this year of raping a 16-year-old girl at a party. president obama and john

kerry are defending the wisdom of an iran nuclear deal. mr. obama says the u.s. cannot close the door on diplomacy. secretary kerry says the hard part of verification, transparency, and accountability is just beginning. justice department officials have indicated they will not bring charges against wikileaks founder julian assange, although they're yet to announce the formal decision. they said assange did not break any laws by publishing government leaks. a new jersey family tells wnbc they did not write a hateful message to a gay waitress and former marine. they say they left a generous tip. they say, i'm sorry, i cannot tip because i do not agree with your lifestyles. the totals, as you can see, are different. morning-after pills may be less effective for heavier wam. the european manufacturer of an emergency contraceptive will

have new labelling, and it is not effective for women who weigh more than 176 pounds. the average american woman weighs 166 pounds. stocks continue to set records as the nasdaq approaches 4,000. ipads and tablets are this year's it item for black friday deals. according to fat wallet black friday deals finders, they're the lowest prices ever seen for the gadgets. stores like walmart and target are offering gift cards with the purchases. best buy is selling the kindle fire hd for half price, and the microsoft surface is selling for under 200 smackers for the first time ever. new jersey residents who don't want to drive to atlantic ci city can now gamble online. six casinos have been green lighted. h&m will pay a fair living wage to the 850,000 textile workers beginning in 2018. h&m is the world's second largest clothing retailer.

ahead, koby getting richer, while college football rivalries continue to -- well, they're heating up. sports is next.

now the latest in sports for you. in "monday night football" the washington redskins honored members of the navajo code talkers, the ones that used native american language to create code that the japanese

could not crack during world war ii. last week, code talkers from 33 tribes were also honored by congress. taking you to the game. two teams with two consecutive losses, wanting a win desperately. for the red skin, robert griffin iii interception in the first quarter really told the story. later, he runs it, loses it, he get it is back. the field goal is all they get on that one. second half, all 49ers scoring two touchdowns. washington gets only 30 yards, and all of the second half. and the niners trample, 27-6. rocker jon bon jovi's publicist says hold the phone here. he may not want to buy the bills. the price tag "forbes "estimates could be some $870 million for the team, and the rockers worth, just, $290 million. they allege it knew the risks of head trauma and failed to inform and protect players. so much of the nfl's lawsuit, the nhl says, quote, we are completely satisfied with our

responsible manner in which the league and the players association have managed players safety over time, going on to say we intended to defend the case vigorously and have no further comment at this time. it is good to be the highest paid in the land. kobe bryant just signing a two-year extension worth more than $48 million. he hasn't played since april when he tore his achilles tendon. many folks asking, when's he coming back? rivalry week ahead of the usc clemson game. here's a 110-year-old tra dig called tiger burn. south carolina fans burn a 30-foot-tall replica of clemson's mascot. now, that's a fire. ahead, one of oprah's most frightening career moments revealed. and one of the most bizarre yet clever music video spoofs to come along in a while.

welcome back. let me take you through the next three days. a lot of people traveling. clear, tranquil skies in many locations right through thanksgiving day. there's a storm that's off the coast. it's actually diving to the south. it's going to be safe enough offshore, it won't really affect everyone, even on wednesday even. temperatures on wednesday very similar to what we're dealing with on tuesday. thanksgiving day, though, the storm is down here near southern california, close enough that we could see some rain in the area. nothing too significant, you know, maybe enough to dampen the day a little bit. >> and the turkey animation above bill karins' head. yes, the holidays are here. >> no sound effects. i spared you the gobble gobble.

>> will you do that later? >> maybe. >> do it tomorrow. thanksgivukkah may be hitting the big screen. the fake trailer starring nick krul. if they could just get adam sandler, i was thinking, on board to turn the once in a lifetime holiday into a film or the song, then i might watch it, listen to it. mm-hmm. >> mm-hmm. >> that was kind of funny. a former classmate of jennifer lawrence posted this photo of the actress from junior high. she looks pretty much the same -- >> looks like a character the whole time. >> yeah, a little younger. sandra bullock the entertainer of the year. >> a great picture. >> it is a great pic. for the two 2013 films "the heat" and "gravity" which has torn up the theaters. sunday's episode show talking "family dog" brian killed off by a car. fans started a petition on change.org to bring the dog back to life. it already has over 19,000 signatures. bill's going to bring up the

time machine. >> stewy will go back and save him. >> yeah, he's coming back. oprah revealed when she first met steven spielberg on the set of "the color purple," she was terrified of him. on the first day, she looked right into the camera, he yelled cut. he asked her, what is wrong with you? after being on the talk show for so many years, she looked straight into the camera. >> yeah. remember the famous statue of a bird from the movie "maltese falcon"? it sold for over $4 million. the ruby slippers from "the wizard of oz" went for $2 million. seth rogan and james franco, the two parodied kanye's new video. we hope this is your first stop of the day right here on nbc.

leading the news, same-sex couple will be grant add marriage license seven months before the same-sex marriage law goes into effect because one of the ladies -- one of the ladies is battling terminal cancer. on nbc news.com, bodie miller loses round and battle over custody over baby son. it's a case of women's rights to relocate. world powers are hoping to build on the momentum of the iran nuclear deal to strike a peace deal in syria to end the 3-year-old deadly civil war there. the geneva conference is set for january 22nd, but the syrian opposition remains vague as to whether it will actually attend. both sides have different visions at the moment about the

future of president assad. happy news for william pettitte and his new wife, christine. they welcomed a baby boy over the weekend. he tragically lost his wife and two daughters in a 2007 home invasion. two men are awaiting execution for that crime. pettitte met his new wife while she was volunteering for a charity that he created in memory of his family. and afghanistan may legalize death by stoning for adulterers, but the punishment can only happen if there are four eyewitnesses. check out the wet and wild rendition of the classic holiday song "twelve days of christmas." 35 women in a water aerobics class in tennessee put a holiday spin. they're decked out in reindeer, but the ladies sang and performed the song with props and costumes. the class meets several times a week, and the camaraderie, seems like a lot of fun, the routines, a lot of people coming back. >> how many of the days do you know? >> oh, man. >> so don't go -- >> five golden rings?

partridge in a pear tree. i have to practice, because we do it every year in my family. time for a look ahead. the public interest reserve group releases the annual toys. it's a trouble in toyland report and gives advice on how to avoid buying the troubled toys. and a look ahead to the supreme court hearing cases regarding obama care. should businesses be required to cover birth control for employees? dale jarrett, 57, former new york giants harry carson, 60. the goddess of rock 'n' roll, tina turner, 74 and still looking great. here's what's coming up later on the "today" show, kelly clark son performs live in the studio. get your earplugs, and opening up about marriage and expecting her first child. she can belt it out there, bill. keep it here for news and sports, and weather. i'm richard lui, along with bill karins, you have a great day ahead. it's great having at&t u-verse high speed internet.

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>> new this morning his life was cut short by a car crash but his legacy will live on. tonight we'll show you how an east bay community plans to remember a beloved high school football coach, plus -- >> no matter what kids did running through your mind people care about me. >> we hear from the life long raider fan hailed as a hero this morning. we'll let you know why he says he risked his own life to save another. >> new concerns about the safety of those popular ride sharing services this morning. the action after a driver allegedly assaulted a passenger. >> right now let's crack open a window, live outside for a look over san francisco. not a lot to see before the sun comes up. we've got plentyo