wi will see you next sunday, and you know why, because if it is sunday, it is "meet the press." welcome to thanksgiving week. coming up on "early today," first, seven feet of snow, now warmer temperatures and the frightening floodwaters ahead. amazement in the nfl that is being called the greatest catch ever and odell beckham jr. may have only used three fingers to catch that ball. as ferguson anxiously awaits the grand jury's decision, a battle on "meet the press" that cannot be missed. plus, the must see moments of the american music wards. it is monday, november 24th. "early today" starts right now. good morning. i'm milissa rehberger. right now, it is a race against time in buffalo, new york. all that snow, seven feet in some places, is beginning to melt quickly. temperatures will approach 60

degrees today and with the expected rain, massive flooding becomes a major threat. the governor is warning people to get ready to evacuate. nbc's kristen dahlgren spoke with a homeowner who is bracing for impact. >> it is unsettling, unnerving. and i consider myself a very calm, but it is very unnerving. because you don't know how high it's going to get. >> details ahead for the rest of today's forecast. in chicago, a chaotic scene in a apartment building that was levelled in only seconds. it happened on the south side. the three-story building crumbled after an explosion. two women and a dog were trapped inside. >> it was nothing but ashes and smoke. the lady was caved inside of all the -- the debris and everything. she was caved inside of it and pulled her out. >> the other woman and dog were both rescued. both women remain hospitalized in stable condition. the blast left more than 600 people without power.

no word on what caused the three year old building to fall. in ferguson, missouri, it is a tense waiting game as the grand jury reconvenes later this morning. last night, the supporters of michael brown marched in the neighboring town of shaw. and announced it could come any moment on whether officer darren wilson will face charges. nbc's jennifer bjorklund is in clayton, missouri, with more on the timing of the grand jury's decision. >> reporter: church services in ferguson calling for justice for michael brown, but with peaceful protests. >> nonviolence is the way! >> reporter: even in pouring rain, sunday. many still drawn to the spot where the unarmed teenager was killed. >> i wanted my kid to see the importance of what's going on, you know, what's going on in ferguson and the whole st. louis area in general. >> reporter: over the weekend, barricades moved into place around the st. louis county justice center seemed to

foreshadow a potential announcement here. where today a grand jury meets again, considering charges against ferguson police officer darren wilson, who says he acted in self-defense. the grand jury, seven men, five women, nine white, three black, which reflects the makeup of the county. nine of those 12 must agree on the decision whether to indict. >> i feel sorry for these people because they know if they walk out of that grand jury room and have not indicted, they may have created a massive riot in their city and maybe throughout the united states. >> reporter: and close to where it happened, tension. >> it is really hard. the stress level is beyond the scales. >> reporter: as a family at the center of this gives thanks for the support. >> i had to come and just give back. >> reporter: giving turkeys away this thanksgiving week to the community that has supported them. and although the prosecutor has said that all the evidence

presented to the grand jury will eventually be become public, that's not a foregone conclusion. the judge in this case said he'll only take that up when a grand jury decision is at hand. i'm jennifer bjorklund, live in clayton, missouri. milissa, back to you. >> thank you. a discussion about ferguson turned into a heated debate regarding black on black violence and crime. listen to this exchange between former new york city mayor rudy giuliani and georgetown university professor michael eric dyson. >> i find it very disappointing that you're not discussing the fact that 93% of blacks in america are killed by other blacks. we're talking about the exception here. >> black people who kill black people go to jail. white people who are police men who kill black people do not go to jail. if a jury can indict a -- >> it is hardly insignificant. what about the poor black child killed by another black child? >> those people go to jail. i do protest it. they go to jail. why don'to talk abo you talk aby in which white people -- >> why don't you cut it down

so so many white police officers don't have to be in black areas? the police officers wouldn't be there if they weren't killing each other. >> all right. >> the debate over president obama's immigration reform plan continues this morning. the president talked about the issue on abc's "this week." he called on congress to pass a comprehensive immigration bill. >> ultimately congress has a responsibility to deal with these issues. and there are some things i can't do on my own. what is absolutely true is that we couldn't solve the entire problem and still can't solve the entire problem. >> i'm joined now by nbc's tracie potts in washington. tracie, what can they expect from lawmakers today? >> reporter: well, more ideas about how to get rid of this plan. they don't like it. they want it to go way. in some cases, how to punish president obama for going around congress. >> i think we should censure the president of the united states. >> reporter: as president obama

heads to chicago tomorrow to pitch his immigration plan, republicans are trying to reverse it. >> we are going to shut down this president and his actions. >> we should use the constitutional checks and balances we have to rein in the executive. >> reporter: the president insists he's just prioritizing who gets departed first. >> everybody knows, including republicans, that we're not going to deport 11 million people. >> he simply is deering if the deportation. all of these folks are still deportable. >> reporter: supporters say the 5 million immigrants who get to stay aren't completely off the hook. >> they can't get a single benefit, welfare benefit from the government. >> reporter: texas' new governor says the plan will cost them millions. he wants washington to pay. >> right now we're spending more than $15 million a month just for law enforcement alone. >> reporter: ultimately, some democrats and republicans agree congress needs to pass a law. >> we got to do border security, interior enforcement, guest w k worker plan.

>> there is still clearly a persistent urgent need to do that. >> reporter: and frustration within the party. >> shame on us as republicans for having a body that cannot generate a solution. >> we're going to hear a lot more about this. congress has two hearings set for next week. milissa? >> tracie potts, thank you. gas prices are falling, just in time for thanksgiving. they're down another ten cents a gallon in the past two weeks. regular is now $2.84 a gallon on average, down 88 cents since may. you can thank lower crude oil prices, high supply and a strengthening u.s. dollar. the cheapest fillup in the lower 48 is in albuquerque, new mexico, at $2.47 a gallon. well, the stars were out at the american music awards last night in l.a. musicians from around the world came together to see who would go home with a trophy. it was hosted by pit bull with performan performances. the boys of one direction nabbed the two biggest prizes of the night, artist of the year and

album of the year. but it was taylor swift who won the newest and most prestigious award, which is the dick clark award of excellence. swift thanks her fans for their support during her recent battle with spotify. >> what you did by going out and investing in music and albums is -- you're saying you believe in the same thing i believe in, that music is valuable and that music should be consumed in albums and albums should be consumed as art and appreciated. for a look at the national weather, here is bill karins. good morning. >> good monday morning. have a good weekend? >> i had a great weekend. how was yours? >> quiet compared to this weekend. quiet weekends are nice. this is an active weather week, buffalo area, we showed you at the top of the show, they have not gotten a lot of rain. we won't see major flooding. looks to be moderate to minor in some rivers and creeks. some basements flooded out too. 56 degrees now. so the snow is melting pretty quickly. after today, though, it does

cool off. this has snow in the forecast, but it is more or less spotty. nothing like what they saw last week. not even close. more nuisance type stuff. let's return to the west. you can see here, look at the flow, everything is going up and over the big ridge and then down into the northwest. and that's going to end up being a rainy weather pattern, especially in the pacific northwest with the high pressure situated where it is. right now, we're at cooper island, some rain. warm front moves in, we will see rain as we go throughout the day today and into tonight. we're looking at maybe rain totals in the next two days, somewhere around 3 to 6 inches are for the western facing slopes of the cascades. olympics, somewhere maybe around 2 to 3 inches, lowland areas, cities like seattle and portland, maybe 3/4 of an inch to an inch and a half. significant rain and looks to stay wet in the days ahead. none of this, unfortunately, though, makes it to california. at least not yet. that's y as we go

throughout tonight after the warm front goes through. yeah, just looking at the forecast for seattle, and i couldn't find a dry day. >> at least they need the rain, that's good. thank you, bill. a bus driver was involved in two crashes in a single day. plus, one of the fiercest looking creatures from the deep is finally revealed and scary looking. and the world's biggest eater is gobbling his way toward a world record. you're watching "early today."

we now return to a brand-new episode of schoolhouse rock. >> how does a bill become a law. >> first i go to the house and they vote on me. but then from the senate, a majority. then i wind up on the president's desk and i -- ow!

ow! my leg! they were made of paper! >> that is president obama getting the "snl" treatment, his executive orders over immigration getting schoolhouse rocked. stories making news this monday morning. one man killed, five passengers traveling on this bus are in critical condition. about 25 others were treated for minor injuries. the bus was headed to los angeles to washington state when it veered off the highway and overturned on an embankment. police say the 67-year-old driver voluntarily turned himself in for questioning. they say he showed signs of fatigue. he was also involved in a minor accident earlier in the day during that same trip. a man is in custody after triggering a security scare at ft. sam houston in san antonio. police say he drove through an entrance checkpoint without stopping. the base was put on lockdown for several hours. and an explosive disposal team

was brought in to inspect his car. history on board the international space station. an astronaut of italy was with two other astronauts who joined the crew on board the iss just a few hours ago. her arrival marks the second time in the station's 16-year history that two women have been on long-term missions. meet the black sea devil. researchers in california spotted the elusive angler fish deep in the pacific ocean. it is only about nine centimeters long, but looks very fierce with the spiked teeth. just ahead, winnie-the-pooh, a band, a jurassic world teaser and arguably the greatest catch in nfl history. that's up next.

this morning, "today" kicks off a week long series, thanks and giving with the story of a 14-year-old aspiring singer who put her dreams on hold to battle cancer. find out how the coaches from the voice made one of her dreams come true. now to the latest in sports, over to my colleague betty nguyen. good morning. >> good morning, milissa. sunday night football right here on nbc. giants versus my cowboys at metlife stadium. what a game. odell beckham jr. with a spectacular one-handed grab that left fans in disbelief. the 43-yard touchdown gave the

giants a 14-3 lead in the second quarter. late in the game, cowboys, 24-21, eli manning rolls out and hitsed a r adrian robinson for ahead. then dez bryant in the back of the end zone, clinches it. cowboys win 31-28. now to mile high, denver and dolphins. ryan tannehill finds mike wallace on the diving grab. dolphins up 21-10. peyton manning strike to demaryius thomas. late in the fourth quarter, broncos up. tannehill connects for the four. they get a two-point conversion. in the end, broncos hold on 39-36. in atlanta, the browns managed to pull off a victory, even with three interceptions. a last second field goal seals it for cleveland 26-24.

the pack downed their rival vikings 24-21. last night, the induction into the college basketball hall of fame were held. duke's grant hill, lsu's shaquille o'neal, and his coach dale brown, darryl griffith and gary williams were all added to the hall. since it is thanksgiving week, check out the world's top competitive eater joey chestnut. he gobbled 9.35 pounds of turkey in just ten minutes. that one has $5,000 in connecticut. details are sketchy at best. turkey will do it to you. >> indigestion just looking at it. one of the most iconic costumes in the history of film is going on sale. a ban on winnie-the-pooh because of his choice in clothing? plus, panic in london as fire erupts inside a train station.

welcome back. let's get you out the door, take you to the forecast for the holiday. we're looking at los angeles. 82. the rain moves into the northwest as we go throughout your day. the weather will get worse as we go throughout this evening too. even into tuesday, lighter, but we still should see some rain continuing. 85 in l.a. warmest spots in the country will be southern california over the next couple of days. by the time we go through seattle's workweek, and into the

holiday, we continue with a chance of rain. it does not look like we'll see any beautiful weather. won't be very cold, but at least it is not going to be sunny. as far as san francisco goes, some of that wet weather will eventually try to make it to the south further down the coast by friday. so for anyone shopping plans, san francisco, sacramento, the big umbrella -- >> 85? 85 in los angeles. we'll take that. thank you. >> southern cal will be warm this week. >> bill, thank you. hunger games shatters records this weekend, earning $123 million. the film not only puts the number one spot of the weekend, and also of the year, but it still earned $27 million below expectations. and is the lowest opener of the hunger games series so far. a small town in poland has voted to ban winnie-the-pooh for representing -- >> get rid of winnie. >> he needs to wear pants. they claim the bear is a dubious

sexuality because he doesn't have pants on. he's winnie-the-pooh. come on. it is now official, katy perry will perform at the super bowl. this video was leased after the announcement. it features unicorns, of course, fire breathing sharks and kittens, but she would actually make the show right here on nbc. the original cowardly lion costume from the wizard of oz is going to auction. it is part of a sale of memorabilia. that would be the best halloween costume ever. >> you couldn't wear it. you'd ruin it. i would ruin it. you wouldn't. you'd take care of it. a teaser trailer was released for the jurassic world film. the full trailer will be released on thanksgiving day here on nbc. i'm milissa rehberger. this is "early today." we hope it is your first stop of the day on nbc.

leading the news on nbc news.com, cops kill boy 12 carrying air soft toy gun in cleveland. witnesses say police ordered the boy to raise his hands and instead he reached for the air gun which had an identifying orange band removed. the officers have been placed on administrative leave. heart attack or lottery win? a man says they feel the same. >> that's not good. >> a south carolina man said he felt like he was having a coronary when he found out he won 200 grand on a scratch off. >> that could save his life. other stories we're following, the president of the university of virginia is expected to speak at a news conference today following the temporary suspension of all fraternities. this comes after rolling stone published an article describing

a culture of rape on campus. the school is investigating those claims. caught on camera, a fire broke out inside london's train station over the weekend. passengers originally told the bbc they thought it was a bomb, but police believe the fire was really caused by an electrical problem. nobody was hurt. he struggled with drugs and alcohol, spent six months behind bars and made one of the greatest political comebacks of all time. marion barry, who served four terms as mayor of washington, d.c., passed away over the weekend. he once said i may not be perfect, but i am perfect for washington. barry was 78 years old. in india, a big world record for a very small cow. she's 24 inches tall. the guinness book of world records was there to mark it all this weekend, making it official. they measured from foot to shoulder. and at a zoo in berlin, this grumpy gorilla clearly didn't want his picture taken.

we know what you're thinking. it appears to be a rock. they swear it was a rock and not what you're thinking. >> everyone is forced to do the family picture. remember that gorilla. >> one mad ape. 19 americans will be awarded the presidential medal of freedom. tom brokaw will receive the nation's highest civilian honor. other recipients, meryl streep and stevie wonder. on this day in 1963, jack ruby shot and killed accused jfk assassin lee harvey oswald on live television. >> there is lee oswald. he's been shot. he's been shot. lee oswald has been shot. happy birthday to modern family actress sarah hyland, 24. nbc's state of affairs actress katherine heigl turns 36. and the big o former nba star oscar robertson is 76.

i'm milissa rehberger. you're wat