good friday morning, coming up on "early today," blizzard conditions -- the snow is piling up outside as the temperature plummets and travelers are left hoping for the best. the fuming tiff -- a georgia banker declared dead after he fakes his own death faces a judge. and aj mccarron's girlfriend can't bear to watch the play unfold. and is ben and jerry's cashing in on legal pot in colorado. it's friday, january 3rd, "early today" starts right now. good morning and thanks for joining us. a strong winter storm with

near-blizzard conditions is slamming the east coast. 90 million people between the midwest and new england are in its path. nbc meteorologist bill karins is here in new york. and richard lui is in boston. let's get to it, shall we? bill, this seems like a double-whammy, snow and bone-chilling cold weather. >> and the wintertime in the northeast gets usually one or the other. you can get the snowstorms or you can get really cold air. this is a combination of the two. something that hasn't been seen in maybe a couple of decades in this region. we are looking at the highest snowfall totals just north of boston. 24 inches reported in two feet of powdery snow in boxford, massachusetts. boston, 14 inches, albany, providence, philly and new york, ranging between five to eight inches and the nation's capital has picked up an inch and a half and none of it has melted. snow has stopped in baltimore, ending in philadelphia. another hour or two in new york city. it will all be done. and it's starting to wind down

albany and hartford, boston out on the cape is where the blizzard conditions are. we've got gusts right now to 44 on cape cod, 44 at martha's vineyard. and it's a light, powdery snow, reports of snowdrifts in many areas. thankfully the winds will come down in the afternoon as the storm pulls away. same for new jersey and greater new york city. even central park, gusts of 37 miles per hour. so these wind chill values are just really the thing that's so difficult out there, betty. we're still watching those well into the negative numbers. >> they're frighteningly low. let's get to the blizzard-like conditions in boston. where more than a foot of snow and frigid temperatures are causing havoc. our richard lui is in the thick of all of it. and joins us now live. good morning, richard. >> good morning, to you, betty. as bill was talking about, those high gusting winds, reports of areas south of boston, up to 55

miles per hour. what we're seeing around here is about 20-25 miles per hour. and when we check our little thermometers here at the site, it's about 3 or 4 degrees, but you've got to deduct 20 degrees from that. when the wind chill hits us, well below zero. so the kind of snow we're seeing is very light. and you can tell when you look at just some of the plowed snow, it's fluffy, it's like that. beautiful champagne powder that you get when you're in states such as colorado. and what they've been doing all night is keeping the plows working. over 3,300 of them working at midnight at that time, according to the massachusetts department of transportation. and that's why they've been able to keep the roads clear. so when the businesses start to open, people start to get to work, we'll see how it works out. for people themselves, it's doggone cold, take a listen. >> it's cold, it's very, very cold. >> it is freezing.

>> i'm layered up. i have four pairs of pants on and four sweatshirts, so i'm cold. >> there's the onshore wind. there's the flood warning that exists here, 150 miles of the coast back to me. because the wind is come this way, pushing the water onshore. and just for fun, what i did was put a bottle of water out about an hour ago, hard as a rock. that's why folks are not working today. and they're staying home. >> i'm sure that didn't take long for it to freeze over. the good news is i'm hearing cars and what maybe what, sanding trucks behind you, nearby? >> these are all the plows working, they're definitely working hard. >> it will be a busy day. and the storm is snarling travel across the country. in the air, more than 1400 flights are already canceled nationwide. the airports, most impacted all right, listen up, jfk, which is currently completely closed. along with newark's liberty, laguardia, boston logan and philadelphia. also being impacted. we want to give you a live look,

check this out. these are all the flights currently in the air at this hour. so be sure to check with your airline before you head out this morning. on the ground, though, a state of emergency in new york, governor andrew cuomo ordering three major highways closed overnight. they're expected to reopen this morning. all public schools in boston, philadelphia and new york city are all closed today. so kiddos, you have a snow day as they say. all right. we're going to move on now to other news this morning in a big vote coming monday on capitol hill. that's when the senate is scheduled to decide whether to extend long-term unemployment benefits. insurance was not included in last year's bipartisan budget deal. so it actually ran out last week for more than a million unemployed americans. after the senate, the bill heads to the house. but the senate majority leader, harry reid, worries it might run into trouble with hard-line conservatives. president obama has urged lawmakers to pass the measure as soon as possible.

and speaking of the president, he spent day 13 of his hawaiian vacation on the golf course. this time joined by another world leader. john key, the prime minister of new zealand hit the links with the president on the island of oahu. key's teenaged son joined them. there are no reports of holes in one. but plenty of high fives to go around. so it sounds like the golf game was going pretty well. we're learning more about the capture of a brazen fugitive. aubrey lee price was once a georgia bank director, and actually a minister as well. well, now he's facing charges for an alleged multimillion dollar investment fraud. when he was arrested, he told the officer quote, i am going to make you famous. nbc's mark potter has the story. >> aubrey lee price was denied bond as a flight risk. authorities in georgia say price told them since disappearing a year and a half ago, he been homeless, working menial jobs. but florida officials say he

actually rented a house near ocala where hundreds of marijuana plants were grown. price was last seen in june 2012, as he was buying a ticket for a ferry boat ride in key west, florida. federal authorities say after raising $40 million from more than 100 investors and suffering massive losses, price then fraudulently obtained over $21 million, of bank funds, which he then misappropriated, embezzled and lost in a lengthy confession letter, he wrote i am 100% responsible for the losses i created and suggested he was going to kill himself. a year ago, a florida judge declared price legally dead. ruling he took his life at sea. but price was still alive. his time on the run ending tuesday, along i-95 in brunswick, georgia, when gepties noticed his truck's window tinting was too dark. we want to get more on this winter storm with meteorologist bill karins. you're back for good reason. we got a lot to talk about.

>> everyone in the east is going to kind of blame the west. because the west is -- >> that's where it came from. >> no, the opposite. the west is actually been warm and dry. and it's been bringing all the cold air from canada to the east and the middle of the country. that hasn't changed. we had temperatures yesterday at international falls, high temperatures in the negative 20 range. at the same time it was 100 degrees warmer in los angeles at 81 degrees. 77 in phoenix. i mean it's just -- really a lot of contrasts across the country. as we did have the storm system move through the pacific northwest, along with the frontal boundary, it's clear through seattle, we still have a chance of maybe a few sprinkles or showers out there. still with a little bit of onshore flow. but temperatures continue to be very mild today. 74 phoenix, 73 in los angeles. so you know, if everyone is wondering where the warm air is, and the dry air, that's where it is. california. that's your national

degrees, we'll try to get you a good deal of sunshine this afternoon. so again, the forecast in the west where they need the rain, they wouldn't mind some snow in the mountains -- no sign of it yet. >> compared to what we're dealing with, there's no complaints out there, right? >> they have the right. making progress -- john kerry's push for peace in the middle east. plus michael douglas and catherine decezeta-jones, toget again?

welcome back, everybody. former president george h.w. bush tweeted for the third time ever thursday. giving a shout-out to presidents obama and clinton. mr. bush thanked them for their get well wishes and advice for

barbara and cracked a little joke saying she doesn't take the advice of every president she knows. a spokesman for the bush family sent out a tweet saying mrs. bush is doing great. he noted she's excited to get home to her dogs and oh yeah, her husband, too. secretary of state, john kerry, met with israeli prime minister benjamin netenyahu thursday to further middle east peace talks, while acknowledging peace is an uphill battle, kerry showed optimism. >> we are now five full months into this negotiation. we have always known that achieving peace is a long and complicated process. it's a tough road. but this is not mission impossible. >> today secretary kerry meets with palestinian president, mahmoud abbas. former defense secretary robert gates actually suffered a fractured vertebrae after falling in his home new year's day. he'll be sporting a neck brace on his upcoming book tour. it seems like the stock

market has a new year's hangover, if you will. after hitting record after record in 2013, u.s. stocks slumped on the first day of 2014 trading on thursday. the dow jones industrials lost 135 points to close at 16441. general mills says it's begun manufacturing its original flavored cheerios without genetically modified ingredients. the change does not apply to any other cheerios flavors. and marijuana sales in colorado, they were so brisk during the first days of legalized recreational smoking, that the famous ice cream team of ben and jerry's tweeted out this image with the message, breaking news, we're hearing of stores selling out of ben and jerry's in colorado. what's up with that? i think you know what's up with that. got the munchies, huh? the "daily beast" has compiled a list of the happiest colleges in america. based on freshmen retention,

student experience and would they do it all again. topping the list is texas a&m university. with stanford a close second. then the university of wisconsin, florida state university, and finally, the university of north carolina at chapel hill, rounding out our top five of happiest colleges in america. just ahead, get ready for subzero football as the wild card weekend kicks off in the nfl, we have the details, next.

cold day in times square this morning. controversial surgery, more teens are turning to plastic surgery to escape bullying. but is that really the answer? now for some sports action, it was a major upset in the sugar bowl. 11th-ranked oklahoma against number three alabama. in the second, the sooners led by four when aj mccarron answers with a 67-yard touchdown play. oklahoma's qb trevor knight with this cannon to take the lead back, 24-17. mccarron throws an interception with about a minute left and that's time for the sooners to get another touchdown. oklahoma leads 31-17 at the half. bama keeps it close with an incredible 61-yard run by derek henry and with seconds left, the ball is stripped from mccarron's hands and ran in for a sooners' touchdown.

oklahoma 45, alabama 31. it's wild card weekend in the nfl saturday. the chiefs with a two and a half-point spread to take on the colts, then the eagles also with the same spread, favored to beat the saints. and on sunday, the chargers take on the seven-point underdogs bengals and the 9ers will descend on the frozen tundra of lambeau field in green bay where the temperature will dip to minus 30 by kickoff time. the coldest game on record in fact was the 1967 ice bowl at lambeau, against the cowboys. 13 below with a wind chill of minus 48. now to the best of the best, beating out tiger woods by five votes, adam scott was named golfer, or golf's player of the year by the golf writers association of america. check out this graffiti on ice. the shock and thunder of the east coast hockey league turned the rink into art. kids and their parents painted the ice ahead of the thunder's

match tonight. the goal was to let kids exercise their creativity, which they did they interacted with the players. in the nba, the nets joe johnson with a an incredible buzzer beater. he rains it has the clock hits zero. and kevin durant isn't playing nice. not even against his own niece. a mean block as you're about to see right here, bam. whopping up on my shortie is what he wrote on mine. ouch, can't you just let her win one? just ahead, which movie has the record for dropping the most "f" bombs? i'll give you a hint, it's not "scarface" plus bill is back with details of the winter storm.

it's not oftenky say that people in hawaii can complain about the weather, but we have a cold front moving through, numerous areas of showers and downpours went through honolulu overnight, passing through maui. you'll see a brief period of inclement weather as it pushes through and it will clear out on the back side. you can see honolulu weather will improve throughout the day. by the way right now fairbanks, alaska, 11 degrees, tied with new york city, who is also 11 degrees. >> thanks for reminding us, bill. could michael douglas and catherine zeta-jones be

reconciling? they were seen skiing with their two children in canada this week. this comes after announcing their separation back in august. vin diesel started 2014 reflecting on his friendship with the late paul walker. the actor said on facebook he accomplished so much by 2013 and there is a painful void with walker's absence. the "wolf of wall street" has broken one silver screen record, not box office but does hold the title for most f-words in a single film with 506 f bombs. the record was previously held by the 1999 film "summer of sam". with 435 f-bombs. a couple at a bar in salt lake city, sounds like a joke, but it's not. when they found out that same-sex marriage was legalized in utah so decided to marry on the spot. one of the bar's co-owners happens to be "modern family"

actor ty burrell who served as a witness. and comedian tom arnold lost 89 pounds, he lost the weight through giving up carbs and intense workout regimen. >> would you recognize him? >> probably not. >> arnold lost the pounds so he could be around for his son, jack. seth myers graces the first 2014 cover of "time" magazine, talking about his new late-night show, he cited major comedians, like david letterman, conan o'brien and jimmy fallon who started their late-night gigs on the 12:35 timeslot before him on nbc. i'm betty nguyen, this is "early today," we hope it's just your first stop of the day on nbc.

leading the news in the san jose mercury news, california legal immigrants can get law licenses, state supreme court rules. it was a unanimous decision bn the court saying there was no reason to block one man's pursuit to become a lawyer, even though he's not yet a citizen. and on nbc news.com, internet search for time travelers turns up -- nothing this time. really? you don't think? scientists say they might miss hints of information flowing backward in time, including a simple oversight to the influence of -- get this -- a cosmic chronology protection agency, we'll keep you posted on that. in the news, florida congressman trey radel will return to work on capitol hill next week. it will be the republican's first time back at work since being charged with possession of

cocaine in october. radel pleaded guilty to the charge in november and was sentenced to one year probation. he took a leave of absence and entered rehab. we want to take a look at this massive blaze at a southern california lumber yard. officials say at least 100 firefighters battled the flames. thankfully, no injuries and the cause is still being investigated. and a case of life imitating art. perhaps. a florida man who won a contest to watch the "breaking bad" finale with cast members is arrested on drug charges. officials say 28-year-old ryan lee carroll was running an interstate synthetic marijuana distribution operation. lessons learned on the show? maybe? one man found a bizarre way to combat boredom at work. he's been using his boss's dog who comes to work every day and recreating famous movie love scenes during lunch break. >> lunch break. >> the photo is a favorite.

but also look at these, wrigley's owner and reddit readers are loving these pictures. he began recreating the deck scene from "titanic" and it's also grown from there. i think that's "sixteen candles." some of are a little creepy. like the "top gun" one where they're almost kissing? weird. a meeting today with a federal magistrate on the fate of a brain-dead california girl. the family of 13-year-old jahi mcmath wants her kept alive and moved to a new york facility after complications from a tonsil operation last month. saturday is the seventh anniversary of historic first in congress, as reported by "nbc nightly news." >> madam speaker high pressure hi -- history was made today, that phrase was used for the first time ever, when nancy pelosi of california was elected speaker of the house and when her party took control from the republicans for the first time in 12 years.

>> now keep it here

today mark as crucial day in the east bay family's fight to keep a 13-year-old on a ventilator. why a federal court may have the final say as to whether jahi mcmath can be moved to a long term care facility. >> up in flames, fire crews still on the scene of an overnight fire near a popular shopping center in the north bay. why police were called to this spot just yesterday. >> taking the meaning of frigid football to a new level. why the 49ers/packers showdown could make history for what happens off the field. >> a live look outside. beautiful pictures of the bay bridge. friday, january 3, this is "today in the bay."