good tuesday morning. coming up on "early today," once in a generation, a potentially paralyzing storm descending on the deep south from central texas eastward. state of our union. as the president prepares for his sixth report to the american people, nbc news polls paint a vivid picture of how the pe feel about the country. end of an era. the father of american folk music pete seeger died at the age of 94. marijuana superstorm. justin bieber from drag racing to atvs on the beaches of panama. and supermodel kate upton is excited about the super bowl. it is tuesday, january 28th and "early today" starts right now.

good morning, everybody. brian shactman here. the south is bracing for some bitterly cold temperatures. a new arctic blast is pushing into the country right now. but this time it is heading into parts of the deep south. states from texas to florida and the carolinas all getting ready for a large scale snow and ice. we begin this morning with nbc's wendy willfolk in chicago. >> reporter: another bitter blast has lost the midwest in an unrelenting icy grip. and now southern states are in its reach. bone chilling temperatures now threats to the gulf coast. this second polar punch in as many weeks has left people wondering if winter will ever end. >> we just about had enough of this weather. >> reporter: coats, hats, scarves, gloves, so much winter gear needed just to step outside of these sub-zero temperatures. making matters worse, 24 states are having to endure a propane shortage after a pipeline

exploded south of winnipeg. thousands of residents are without heat in minnesota, south dakota and wisconsin. >> we're asking people to be mindful of the situation we're in, to help us conserve. >> reporter: in the deep south, people not used to these frigid temperatures are preparing for what forecasters say could be significant snow and ice. the city of new orleans and portions of mississippi have already declared states of emergency. >> as always, in these types of situations, we're hoping for the very best conditions and planning for the worst. >> reporter: from the gulf on up the coastline, cities not equipped to deal with this kind of weather are taking their emergency plans into full gear. >> i just have a lot of inexperienced drivers in the snow and ice. because it only comes here every few years. >> reporter: and with more than two months left of winter, it seems an end to this pattern of extreme cold is nowhere in sight. wendy willfolk, nbc news, chicago. let's go to meteorologist bill karins. we heard this is hitting the

south, texas and florida and they mentioned about the crews not knowing how to drive in it. but regular people -- >> go to youtube and google how to drive in the snow. not going to be fun. a lot of people inexperienced with it. it is going to come down. the winter storm warnings don't get maps like this very often. very rare. it stretches from the texas/louisiana border along the gulf coast. palm trees with snow and ice, all the way up to the carolinas. an ice storm is likely savannah to charleston. a lot of people without power in those regions probably for numerous days. we already have snow breaking out here, northern portions of louisiana, central louisiana. eventually tonight even snow in new orleans. it is snowing now in jackson, mississippi. and then there is the cold side of this storm, which is just insane. the storm after storm has come through, and a big shot of cold air behind it. minus 42 international falls, minus 35 green bay. none of these locations have

school today. kids are out of school detroit, chicago, buffalo, frigid air arriving in the east coast. i got to show you this picture, trafers city, michigan, nbc affiliate, that's not cotton. that's a snow drift outside the newsroom windows. they cannot see. that's how bad the january has been and how much snow has fallen. the newsroom. >> that's almost dangerous. >> you think the windows would shatter, wouldn't you? >> i would stick some food out there to keep it chilled. keep it out of the commissary. thank you very much. now to washington where president obama is preparing for his sixth state of the union address and we're get something details of the president's plan to use excuse orders to raise the minimum wage for some federal workers. this as the brand-new nbc news/wall street journal poll reveals 63% of americans think the country is headed in the wrong direction. nbc's tracie potts joins us live from washington. this minimum wage hike, will it help alleviate some of the approval rating problems, do you think? >> reporter: not necessarily. it is only for new federal

contractors, those that changed significantly when they get renewed. we're talking about janitors, construction workers, people who work in kitchens, military bases and on federal sites. it is only going to affect a certain number of people around the country. but it is new and it is significant and part of what the president will talk about tonight. >> having a big block of -- >> reporter: the white house is reaching out online encouraging people to interact during the state of the union and promoting an all day q&a tomorrow. >> big block of cheese. >> big block of cheese day. >> reporter: the theme of tonight's speech, the president talks about that in this vine video. >> tomorrow night, it is time to restore opportunity for all. >> reporter: officials say president obama will urge congress to fix immigration and raise the minimum wage, but he'll focus on what he can do without congress. >> success in washington of a president, of any party, should not be measured alone by how many bills congress passes.

>> reporter: job training, retirement accounts for workers who don't have 401(k)s, promises from businesses to hire the long-term unemployed. >> that's precisely what is needed in my state, where the middle class is really shrinking. >> let's be careful here that we don't create a situation out of momentum where, you know, congress is sort of an after thought. >> reporter: republicans have three responses ready, they're calling tonight's speech just more talk. >> it would be nice to hear how he's going to put all of these speeches into action. >> reporter: president obama heads into this speech with a 43% approval rating. and as low as that is, it is a lot better than the folks who work here on capitol hill, brian. the approval rating for congress, 13%. >> that's not a lot of positive approval rating down there in d.c. thank you very much. of course, we'll have live coverage of the state of the union with brian williams beginning at 9:00 p.m. eastern, 6:00 pacific here on nbc. some other news to get to, apps likely on your phone, like angry birds, used to track your

location and more. these allegations part of the newest nsa spying revelations. the new documents were released by nsa leaker edward snowden. they suggest a mapping, gaming and social networking apps can be fed to the nsa and with personal data like your location, political affiliation, and even sexual orientation. reports say the nsa gets routine access to app data. the nsa insists they're not interested in data from people who aren't considered valid foreign intelligence targets. but 60% of americans value their privacy over security according to a new associated press gfk poll. that's up 2% from a similar poll in august. this morning, the music world is mourning the loss of folk singing icon and activist pete seeger. ♪ to everything turn, turn, turn ♪ ♪ there is a season turn, turn, turn ♪ >> that was seeger singing the

hit "turn, turn, turn." in 2009, he performed with bruce springsteen at president obama's inaugural concert. he said the key to the future of the world is finding the optimistic stories and letting them be known. his grandson says the singer died monday night of natural causes after being hospitalized for six days. pete seeger was 94. it is interesting, i read a bunch of pieces on him back in 2010 when he was obviously 90 years old. he would get up every day and chop wood and he would respond to -- >> he did occupy wall street. he was involved. he went there. >> he would respond to letters. he got bag fulls of letters every week and responded to most of them. >> yeah. >> pretty cool. >> nice guy. great legacy left behind. let's talk about what's going to happen in the west as we watch the rain finally showing back up. we are looking at areas up in the pacific northwest, especially, where the southerly jet stream is coming in. not a lot on the radar but we'll take whatever we can get. so dry, this is a good change in

the weather pattern. a little bit of rain. so how much rainfall are we looking at possibly in the next ten days? we look at the european computer model. the mountains of northern california may be up to 3 inches. northern california, 1 to 2, san francisco a little rain. don't get much if any in southern california. today's forecast, some changes, we'll head in the right direction. that's your national forec >> feel strange to be talking about rain in california. >> i know. it is good. they need it. do you like the european model better than the -- >> in certain situations, one model is better than another. but this is just to give you an overview of what's the possibility. >> bill karins, thank you very much. to other news now. one step closer to a form bill that impacts 16 million american

jobs. plus, thick black smoke billows skyward as above ground tanks in oklahoma erupt in flames. we'll have details on that story coming up next. [ male announcer ] winter olympian ted ligety cannot take a sick day. [ coughs ] [ male announcer ] so when he catches a cold, he's got to power through it. ♪ vicks dayquil. powerful non-drowsy 6 symptom cold and flu relief. winter olympian ted ligety can't take a sick day tomorrow. [ coughs ] [ male announcer ] so he can't let a cold keep him up tonight. vicks nyquil. powerful nighttime 6 symptom cold and flu relief. ♪

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it's a beautiful view. i wonder if i can see mt. rushmore from here. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. welcome back. in the wake of the violent protests that gripped the country for weeks, ukraine's prime minister submitted his resignation. if the ukrainian president accepts the resignation, the entire group must resign. lawmakers in the house and the senate agreed on a five-year farm bill monday that is expected to save taxpayers billions of dollars over the next ten years. the deal will consolidate agriculture subsidy programs. part of the deal includes an $8 billion cut to food stamps. 11 oil tanks in oklahoma caught fire in monday sending thick black smoke into the sky.

authorities believe the blaze may have been started by a single spark. we can tell you no one was hurt. one recreational pot seller in colorado wants to become the superstore of weed. medicine man in denver has been doing so well since marijuana became legal there, he's planning a $2.6 million expansion this spring. the owners eventually want to make the medicine man a franchise. and the toughest guys in the world took on fire, freezing water, even barbed wire in england's tough guy competition. the eight mile race helps raise money for animal sanctuaries. does not look like fun. now that recreational pot is legal in colorado, why not? marijuana themed competitions to the summer fair. the county fair including best cannabis plant, best hemp fabric and best homemade bong. there won't be any marijuana at the fair grounds and judging will be done off site. contests also include dorito eating and joint rolling, but it will be done with oregano.

"early today" health is brought to you by vagisil, the experts in intimate health. time to get down to business. it is the world's largest legal tender. a million dollar gold coin designed by queen elizabeth's goldsmith called the red kangaroo. it measures 2.5 feet in diameter and is almost 5 inches thick. the u.s. supreme court rules that steel companies do not have to pay union workers for the time it takes to put on and take off their safety equipment. a new report finds over 80 colleges and higher learning institutions have an endowment of over $1 billion. the top five, harvard university with $32 billion, followed by yale, $21 billion, university of texas system with $20 billion, stanford university with $19 billion and princeton with $18 billion. the grammys scored big with fans as preliminary ratings reveal 28.5 million viewers checked out music as biggest night.

this is kind of gross as far as i'm concerned. in seattle, they're rooting for the seahawks and to show their support they're producing marshawn lynch inspired sausage. it includes the running back's favorite candy, you guessed it, skittles, mixed right into the meat. sports highlights are next. not quite sports, but close enough to show you. supermodel kate upton channeling victor cruz in anticipation of the super bowl. we'll have details next. [ female announcer ] we lowered her fever. you raise her spirits. we tackled your shoulder pain. you make him rookie of the year. we took care of your cold symptoms. you take him on an adventure.

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this morning on "today," with the super bowl sunday just days away, how safe is the big game? an investigative look at one of the largest security events in the entire country. let's go to sports. an upset in college hoops. oklahoma strong on the board. take a look. ryan spangler will get a rebound and the putback and the foul. number 23 sooners knock off number eight oklahoma state 88-76. villanova takes on unranked georgetown. james bell hits a crucial three-pointer in the final minutes and escapes with a 65-60 victory. andre dawkins, number 17 duke on fire. six three pointers against pitt. the blue devils beat the panthers 80-65. that win, number 900 for coach k., mike krzyzewski. he is only the second coach to reach that milestone after jim boeheim at syracuse.

to the nba, seconds left, oklahoma city's kevin durant hits a clutch jumper for the 111-109 victory over the atlanta hawks. he had 41 points. it was the 11th straight game he had 34 or more points. during a super bowl photo shoot for vogue, supermodel kate upton is going to spike her purse and then do her best salsa. that's the impression of the dance made famous by victor cruz. pretty good job. looks like justin bieber learning a different kind of lesson from his dui drag racing escapades while he's resting in panama. we'll be right back. we really wanted to take a relaxing trip to florida. you know? just to unwind. but we can only afford one trip this year, and his high school reunion is coming up in seattle. everyone's going. then we heard about hotwire... and realized we could actually afford to take both trips. [woman] see, when really nice hotels have unsold rooms, they use hotwire to fill them. so we got our 4-star hotels for half price. i should have been voted "most likely to travel."

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welcome back. a very interesting weather day across the country. we're still looking at temperatures well above average in alaska. nome in the 50s, that's in alaska, crazy. as far as temperatures in the west go, we're still pretty mild out there, dry in the southwest. from northern california through washington, a chance of showers on and off through the day today that will continue through tomorrow. moisture is further south, even san francisco is going to get into it. the mountains of northern california, we're going to try to add a little snow to a very, very small snow base. >> thank you, bill. look at this story and let me know off camera what is off about this one. justin bieber has been taking his mind off his legal troubles by relaxing in panama. a throng of fans surrounding him. the troubled pop star hung out on the beach and sped around on

an atv and managed to drive the vehicle without getting pulled over. but -- >> around these crazy girls. >> he could have hit somebody. >> easy. >> but he did not. remember when rosie o'donnell was a host on "the view ." next month she'll visit the talk show for the first time since her explosive exit amid feuds with her fellow co-hosts. >> a lot of them are gone. >> yeah. >> including hasselbeck. quentin tarantino suing due to a leaked script of his film. instead of reporting on the news of it, gawker has responded to the suit saying tarantino deliberately turned the leak into a story. ghost buster dan aykroyd was sworn in as a mississippi sheriff deputy on monday after spending time in the area, while shooting a movie. aykroyd had some experience as a lawman. i didn't know this. he worked as a police officer in louisiana before -- >> pulled up in a blues brothers car.

>> old beat up cruiser. super bowl sunday gives summer blockbusters a big stage to show off some new footage. expect to see tv spots for the new captain america, aaron paul's need for speed and yet another transformers movie, this one with a little more mark wahlberg and a little less labeouf. i haven't seen a single -- i'm a movie buff. i've not seen a single transformer. i have trouble with my kid's toy, i can never do it. >> i think they're old enough to take in the movies. >> you think so? >> maybe. >> we're star warsing it. i don't know about -- >> darth vader is still scary. >> they're good with darth. maybe i this uh-uh work should this is "early today." we hope it is your first stop of the day right here on nbc. my grandson's got this blankie that gets filthy.

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leading the news, in the new york daily news, he messed with the bull, and got the horns. a university of houston student suffered face and arm wounds when he was trampled during a pamplona style bull run outside of houston over the weekend. >> oh, gosh! >> in usa today, hillary clinton hasn't driven a car, by the way, since 1996. the former secretary of state revealed that to a gathering of car dealers in new orleans. she also said her first car was a '63 old cutlass and bill clinton's favorite car was an el camino. some people thought it was an elitist comment, but -- some stories you may have missed, a new grand jury indictment. a different one declined to

charge charlotte officer randall kerik. kerik is accused of fatally shooting jonathan ferrell ten times in september. the former florida a&m football player crashed his car and went to a nearby home for help. the resident called 911 to report a possible break-in, which sparked the confrontation. new this morning, in the associated press, the gop tries to school candidates to avoid disaster. two-day sessions, part of teaching dozens of candidates what not to say and how not to say it. this one is good, this parody could be systematic, hydromatic, ultramatic -- >> i'll finish it up. go, go, go, grease lightning. ♪ grease lightning go, grease lightning ♪ >> swedish marines in afghanistan, the parody to the grease lightning hit. couple of things come to mind. i didn't know they had marines in sweden. and they obviously had a little bit of time on their hands in

afghanistan. they did it to a tape. they went under the military vehicle, just like the car, right back to rydell high. >> good production value. put the leather on. i could do it. time for a look ahead and a look back. it is super bowl media day. the players from the denver broncos and seattle seahawks will face a media blitz as they get ready for sunday night and ready for some bad questions. on this day in 1985, more than 45 top musicians gathered in hollywood to record "we are the world." it is best-selling charity song that went on to win three grammy awards. ♪ we are the world we are the children ♪ ♪ we are the ones who make a brighter day so let's start giving ♪ >> song raised over $63 million for humanitarian aid in africa and the u.s. i'm brian shactman. thank you for watching "early today." make it a great tuesday.

new this morning a teen with autism vanishes on the peninsula. coming up, where he was last seen and where police are now focusing their search. >> plus, a major vote expected in the south bay today, how much water officials could urge you to cut back. >> and president obama putting the finishing touches on tonight's state of the union address. the topic he is expected to cover and what republicans are already saying this morning. >> a live look at the embarcade embarcadero. it's tuesday, january 28th and this is "today in the bay." good morning. it's bright and early, 4:30. i'm scott mcgrew. >> i r