coming up on "early today," ferguson, missouri, on edge, awaiting a decision from the grand jury. michael brown's father has a message for the public. love it or hate it, america's policy on immigration is about to take a major step forward. and in the midst of buffalo's worst start to winter ever, we just broke three more records towards the warmest year ever. it is friday, november 21st. "early today" starts right now. that was a lovely view of wilmington, north carolina. good morning. i'm dara brown. to ferguson, missouri. a personal plea for peace ahead of a possible announcement by the grand jury. >> i thank you for lifting your voices to end racial profiling and police intimidation.

but hurting others or destroying property is not the answer. no matter what the grand jury decides, i do not want my son's death to be in vain. >> michael brown sr.'s message comes during a second night of protests outside of the ferguson police department. about two dozen protesters walked the streets. police in riot gear arrested three of them. local newspapers reflected tension that is building up and steps officials are taking to ease some of it. this morning, st. louis dispatch, churches to serve as safe spaces after grand jury announcement. meanwhile, the national action network, which is run by reverend al sharpton, will be staging multicity demonstrations outside federal courthouses on the day the announcement is m e made. the group says they will call for federal charges against officer darren wilson if he doesn't face state charges. fresh off the performance in the bahamas and heading to florida for another show, bill cosby is now facing more rape accusations. two more women have come forward. among them, the wife of the

incredible hulk star lou ferrigno. she says in 1967, cosby gave her drinks and tried to sexually assault her in her los angeles home -- in his los angeles home, rather. the other accuser is a nurse, she tells the huffington post that in 1976, cosby drugged and raped her after inviting her to see one of his performances in las vegas. addressing another accuser that nbc had not previously reported about, an attorney for cosby released a statement saying, quote, we've reached the point of absurdity. the stories are getting more ridiculous. i think people are trying to come up with wild stories in order to justify why they waited 40 to 50 years to disclose the ridiculous accusations. cosby has never been charged with a criminal offense. it happened again. a security scare near the white house and it went down during an immigration rally thursday. the secret service grabbed

23-year-old april lenhart, it happened after the president's speech. lenhart allegedly had a nine millimeter handgun on her. no word on why. it is the second gun scare in two days. an iowa man was arrested wednesday. agents say he had a rifle and ammo in his car. reaction is pouring in following president obama's speech on immigration reform last night. immigrants could be spared from deportation. immigration supporters rallied outside the white house last night. they carried signs reading thank you, president obama. many republican lawmakers are criticizing the president's immigration plan, but there is no consensus on how the gop would challenge it. the communications director for the george w. bush administration who worked with him on immigration reform spoke with msnbc's rachel maddow following last night's address. >> the republican party shouldn't be offended by an attempt to keep families together. the republican party cannot be against -- these are nuclear

families. these are moms and dads of american-born kids. we cannot stake out a position where we're against keeping nuclear families together. no one is for that. i think these are moms and dads of kids that go to our schools, live in our towns. they are deserving of legislation. i hope the republicans call his bluff and pass comprehensive immigration reform. >> the new york post's cover this morning looks like this. it reads bring me your tired, your poor, heck, anybody. nbc's tracie potts has more from washington. >> you can come out of the shadows and get right with the law. >> reporter: immigrants cheered outside the white house. >> no one has given such an articulate defense of our community, such a wonderful description of why it is we are deserving of action. >> reporter: president obama's offering temporary relief to as many as 5 million undocumented immigrants. like the college students he mentioned last night. >> they can't keep hiding

behind, scaring people about being undocumented. >> reporter: immigrants here five years or have a child who is a citizen or came here as children can get a three-year work permit if they pass a background check and pay taxes. >> we're paying taxes. so we deserve to be included in that. >> reporter: the government will focus on deporting gang members, suspected terrorists, immigrants who have broken the law. >> felons, not families, criminals, not children. >> reporter: republicans are threatening to strip money from the program or sue to protect legal immigrants. >> the president is effectively bumped them out of the line and bumped 5 million people ahead of them. >> this is wrong. this is irresponsible. >> the president has said before he's not king and he's not an emperor. he's acting like one. >> reporter: there is opposition too on the front lines. >> we're giving illegal immigrants more benefits than we give american citizens. it's crazy. >> we end up paying for the armies that invaded us.

>> reporter: tracie potts, nbc news, washington. more details about the shooter who opened fire on the florida state campus before being killed by police. authorities identify him as 31-year-old new mexico attorney myron may. he graduated from fsu in 2005. police say may acted alone, shooting two students outside the campus library, and then an employee inside. police don't know why. they say he was suffering a mental crisis and feared the government. but look at this, student jason had just checked out books when it all began. later he found this, a bullet lodged in a theology book. his mother is thankful. >> a whole new light on thanksgiving this year, you know? very thankful for the fact that he -- he's alive. a snowstorm in western new york has killed ten people, more than six feet fell in three days. sunday's buffalo bills game

moved to detroit. the stadium is covered in 220,000 tons of snow. now a new danger, after shock. snow on rooftops. warm weather could cause flooding. crews from pennsylvania, connecticut, massachusetts, and the fdny offering assistance. nbc's lester holt has more. >> reporter: more than 100 patients had to be evacuated from this nursing home today when the roof began to show signs of weakening. >> the roof is compromised. it has not collapsed yet, but there is potential for it. >> reporter: in hamburg, more than two dozen people driven from the roads by whiteout conditions and deep snow have been holed up in this walmart store since tuesday. >> couldn't ask for a better place to be stranded. >> reporter: from the air, we can see entire sections of the buffalo area in white. rooftops that look as if they have been slathered in whipped cream. even as road crews make progress, there are neighborhoods still cut off, surrounded by chest deep snow.

we venture down one cul-de-sac on foot, where we could only shout a conversation with mary ann sanson. have you ever seen it like this? >> never my whole life. >> reporter: officials say they're doing their best to reach those facing emergencies and are reminding home bound residents to take precautions. >> we have been stuck here since monday evening. >> reporter: we met this family, still snow bound, but her husband david finally got out, walking four miles to get food for their baby evan. crews are clearing the new york through way, but it is still closed and hundreds of stranded vehicles remain. >> incredible images there. nbc meteorologist bill karins is here. good morning, bill. what is it looking like in that area? >> it is going to be a slow melt and then a rapid melt as we go through the weekend. i just saw a press conference, 30 major roof collapses in that area, just last night alone, and that's the concern. the weight of all of this snow. epic snow. seven feet in wales center, new

york. many other areas in the 50s to 60s to 70 inch range. snow in the mountains of the west, not low elevations near lakes, this is crazy stuff. albany, 66 inches. the front end loader just finished clearing this front driveway and her son went to climb the mountain of snow that is now in her front yard. that's what each and every house has to deal with once they get the snow out of their driveway. that's not going to melt for a long time. now, the problem is possibility of heavy rain saturday night and sunday morning, 61 degrees. there will be some isolated flooding in western york. i mentioned the rain yesterday in the west. we picked up about a third of an inch there around san francisco. little less than that in portland, up to seattle. that system is now moving down to southern california. there were showers around l.a. now trying to pass down near san diego. mostly up in the mountains. not a lot of wet weather with it. it will keep your temperatures cooler today. and more wet weather and rainy weekend for you in the northwest. that's your national weathe

into the northwest, could even have freezing fog in the inner valley. so over the weekend, looks like we'll mostly be in the northwest we'll get a good dose of couple of periods of rain. >> rain for the northwest, but epic snow. you put that so well in buffalo. amazing. >> yes. i kind of -- i didn't see it in person. it is just something you'll never see. >> well, we keep seeing the pictures. that's enough for me. thank you, bill. a major recall for parents to be aware of. plus, a huge first for women. on a day when new mexico usually celebrates, thousands turned out to protest 43 missing college students. "early today" is back in two.

stories in the news this friday morning, one person is dead, three others are injured after an explosion on an oil platform. it happened in the gulf of mexico 12 miles off the louisiana coast. the platform was not in production at the time nor is there any indication that any oil spilled into the ocean. that's according to a spokesperson for the federal agency conducting that investigation. another night of violent protests in mexico over the fate of 43 missing college students. it happened outside of mexico city's national palace on a day set aside to celebrate mexico's 1910 to 1917 revolution. protesters threw gasoline bombs and police in riot gear responded with tear gas. the washington times is reporting that the u.s. paid an afghan con man ransom in exchange for army sergeant bowe bergdahl's release in may. the alleged ransom payment was first disclosed in a letter from congressman duncan hunter to defense secretary chuck hagel. nbc has not independently confirmed this report. graco is recalling nearly 5

million strollers after reports of children getting their fingers amputated. the company says the folding hinge on the sides of the stroller can pinch a child's finger and cause a laceration or an amputation hazard. the cdc says just because a person drinks too much doesn't mean they're necessarily an alcoholic. they say only 10% of binge drinkers are actually alcoholics. time to get down to business with cnbc's landon downey. >> walmart is turning up the heat on holiday shopping wars. they're doubling the number of deals online for cyber monday. the future of luggage has arrived and its name is trunkster. this high tech carry on raised $132,000 on kick starter. there is a sliding access door and has a digital scale so you

can avoid the overweight luggage fees. this georgia o'keeffe painting sold for $44 million at an auction on thursday. that's four times the previous record for any female artist. analysts say it is a big step forward in thinking about what women are worth in the art market. dara, back to you. >> thanks, landon. a major milestone in the nfl and another touching moment for devin still. plus, what exactly is shaq trying to do here? sports headlines are up next.

this morning on "today," why one young woman's battle with narcolepsy is going viral. she explains what it's like to have the sleeping disorder later on "today." now the latest in sports and we'll send it over to my colleague betty nguyen. good morning, betty. >> good morning, dara. the raiders are no longer winless. they beat the chiefs in a thursday night football showdown. raiders running back lataveus murray ran for two touchdowns including this 90-yard run to give oakland an early lead. but he'll leave the game after a helmet-to-helmet hit later in the second with under two minutes to go. rookie qb derek carr finds james jones in the end zone. that stuns the chiefs with a 24-20 win. the raiders snap a 16-game losing streak. on the ice the caps and avalanche tied at 2-2 in the second period.

caps star alex ovechkin makes his incredible shot for the game winner. one more time, shall we? see this thing? he banks it off the backboards and taps it in. caps win, 3-2. u.s. goalkeeper tim howard was named the u.s. soccer male athlete of the year. his second time winning. in july howard set a world cup record with 15 saves against belgium in the round of 16. a touching gift. bengals player devon still posted this photo to instagram captioned surprised after practice by a really good friend, lauryn hill, and she brought her game jersey. gotta get this framed asap. hill who is battling inoperable brain cancer made headlines when she got the chance to live out her dream playing in a college basketball game earlier this month. devon stills' 4-year-old daughter leah is battling cancer as well. the two had developed a special friendship. shaq accepted the cookie challenge on the set of "inside the nba." the goal is to get the cookie from your forehead to your mouth

without using your hands. well, he missed, but it is a lot of fun to watch. i'm sure a lot of fun to play as well. dara, back to you. >> i'm going to have to try that at home with my kids. just ahead, it is the day "hunger games" fans have been waiting for. plus, taylor swift does something no other woman has ever done. we'll tell you what it is next.

all right. let's get to some entertainment news. "the hunger games mocking jay, part one" comes out today. and the odds are ever in its favor. i'm not going to see it this weekend. not this weekend. tonight, this is amazing, broadway will dim its lights in memory of mike nichols. hollywood reacted to his death. filmmaker ron howard tweeting, rest in peace, the great mike nichols. elite member of the pantheon of directors whether stage, screen or tv. any conversation was rich with wit and wisdom. actress mia farrow called him the funniest, smartest, most generous, wisest, kindest of all. mike nichols, a truly good man. and this happened on "the view". >> this morning -- >> want me to do it? >> this morning, news broke that entertainment pioneer mike nichols died suddenly of cardiac arrest while home with friends

and family. whoopi has a hard time putting it into words which is why i'm doing it for her. >> he was her mentor. amazing. cher says she is devastated. she had to cancel the rest of her tour due to a viral infection that affected her kidney function. sean hayes say he and his partner of five years have tied the knot. penelope cruise, she is on a roll fresh off earning the title of esquire's sexiest woman alive. she's landed a role in the upcoming zoolander sequel opposite ben stiller and owen wilson. and taylor swift has been knocked off the top of billboard's hot 100 by none other than taylor swift. she is the first woman ever to do that. i'm dara brown. this is "early today." we hope it is just your first stop of the day on nbc.

even with record snowfall in all 50 states reaching freezing temps, nbc news.com points out that 2014 is headed toward the warmest year ever. three more records broken. those new records include warmest october for land and ocean surfaces, warmest first ten calendar month and warmest 12 month block. october also marked the six month in a row where the average ocean temperatures have been the warmest on record. now to other stories we're following, a u.s. navy spokesman says two supply ships briefly collided in the gulf of aden on thursday. it happened as both ships were replenishing stocks. no one was injured and both

ships are operating normally. the prime minister of japan has dissolved the lower house of parliament. a move that paves the way for next month's general election. after a series of finance related scandals, critics are calling this an attempt to regain support for his newly named cabinet. this really is a bird's-eye view. an international conservation program in london attached a camera to an eagle as it flew over the city. spectacular views. the bird flies over several of britain's biggest landmarks. the video's creators are hoping to raise awareness for endangered birds of prey. >> poor little mouse. >> i think we would be like on a roller coaster ride for that. talk show host jimmy kimmel rounded up some famous faces for his latest celebrities read mean tweets segment. take a listen. >> ty burrell looks like jon hamm if jon hamm was a crack addict. >> how old is bob newhart now?

about 120? >> guys, john stamos has a gross belly button. [ bleep ]. i don't. he's right. >> if an alien landed here and demanded a famous person to eat, i'd drive straight to adam sandler's house with a net. now [ bleep ]. >> always funny. i love that. >> lisa kudrow had a good one too. it was, like, have a great weekend, everyone, but not you, lisa kudrow. you have to laugh. >> we can always use a good laugh. time for a look ahead, christmas comes to the capitol today. the u.s. capitol christmas tree arrives on capitol hill, but it will be lit on december 2nd. happy birthday to ken griffey jr., 45. troy aikman, 48. and goldie hawn, 69 years old today. she looks good for 69.

i'm dara brown. thanks for watching "early today." have a great weekend.

a good fright morning to you. it's 4:30. i'm sam brock. >> and i'm laura garcia-cannon. lots to get to this morning. first let's check that forecast with meteorologist christina loren. >> good morning to you laura, sam, everybody at home. what a great weather day in the bay yesterday. today happy friday first and foremost. we're tracking a little bit of fog out there. what i can't wait to show you are your totals, your running rainfall totals.