good morning. i'm frances rivera. we have breaking news for you overnight. it is the news that families of the passengers on board airasia flight 8501 did not want to hear. airline officials just now confirming that pieces of debris floating in the sea are in fact from the missing airbus. as night falls in that region around this area here a desperate attempt to recover them. officials tell nbc news that rescuers have already recovered three bodies and located three others. now this is in the waters there off of borneo island. officials say crews had earlier spotted a life jacket part of the plane and other objects possibly even luggage there from inside the plane. the indonesian president is currently on his way to meet with families at the crisis

center. the grim news comes as crews were beginning to wrap up the third day of search and rescue efforts. the united states had just sent the destroyer uss sampson to assist in the multinational search. indonesian officials had agreed to allow families of those on board to fly over the search area as early as tomorrow. some for prayer over that area where their loved ones were lost. and now they're learning the tragic fate of some of those loved ones. well this as we are finding more information there as this debris field has now been zeroed in in that area. rescuers now as night fall is coming in may now have to suspend that search as they have the past couple of days and resume it in the morning. certainly a big piece here of information now with some of this debris found in this area as well. indonesian officials say that they are 95% certain that this is in fact airasia flight 8501. joining me now is former

corporate pilot anthony roman. we appreciate you being with us this morning for your perspective. >> yes, well we just added to the mystery of airasia. there is conflicting data relative to what might have been the cause of the loss of this aircraft. first and foremost we want to offer our condolences to the families and relatives of the passengers of 8501. the last information we had during the course of the flight was that the aircraft was deviating left of course to avoid extreme weather. they attempted to climb to 38,000 feet from 32,000 feet and that request was denied by air traffic control. contact was lost with the aircraft both radar and communications three minutes later. the radar plot shows that the air speed of the aircraft during that three minutes was only

about 100 knots. that is not sufficient to sustain flight. and suggests that the aircraft had entered an aerodynamic stall. however, the aircraft debris has been located 66 miles to the south/southeast of the last known flight position. that would suggest that the aircraft with no power, was within its no power, under control glide ratio. so it is going to become all the more critical to find the black boxes, the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder to clarify this dilemma. >> tell us what else they can gather at least in your expertise, based on reports that the bodies that were pulled so far, were not wearing life vests and the debris including luggage was generally in the same kind of close vicinity in this very long drawn out process. what clues can you take away

from there, even without the black boxes. >> this would suggest that there was a catastrophic event that did not provide sufficient time or the conditions that were too extreme to provide the ability of the passengers to don their life vests. so simply what that means is they either encountered severe turbulence which the passengers were not physically capable of putting their life vests on or the aircraft broke up in flight. however, the debris pattern seems to be condensed and regrettably the bodies were found within close proximity to one another. that would suggest that the aircraft hit the ground in a -- not in a glide position but more in a vertical position. >> right. hopefully with that debris there and bad weather to come that debris field will stay in tact. we know how strong the currents can be in carrying that debris

away. we thank you so much for your perspective this morning, anthony roman. we appreciate it. overnight, nbc news has confirmed that embattled new york congressman michael grimm will resign from congress. the republican makes that decision following his guilty plea last week for felony tax evasion. he also grabbed headlines in january when cameras caught him threatening to throw a reporter off a balcony and break him, quote, like a boy, for asking about campaign finance misconduct allegations. and now to a scary scene in phoenix after an suv plunged into a canal. the suv was left flipped and submerged and inside a man scared and trapped. but after a few tense moments, relief firefighters broke the windshield and pulled the driver out. he was cold and shaken up but he was okay. no word on what caused the accident. this morning, big problems for the third most powerful house republican. in louisiana, 2002 congressman steve solis gave a speech to a white supremacist group.

at the time he was a louisiana state representative and the group, the european american unity and rights organization was formed by former ku klux klan grand wizard david dukes. scalise, who denied the speech but he says he doesn't remember speaking at the event. scalise says that at the time he was making many appearances to oppose a local tax plan. quote, when people asked me to speak, i went and spoke to any group that called. i didn't know who all of these groups were and i detest any kind of hate group. for anyone to suggest that i was involved with a group like this is insulting and ludicrous. some politicians are sticking by scalise including bobby jindal and congressman cedric richmond. democrats are demanding more answers. well it is 44 seconds of pure fear. new video of a tornado that shredded mississippi last week.

the video was shot on a phone by will bozeman who was working at an auto parts store, but seconds in a frightening moment the video goes black and then this. the sky appears as the ef 3 twister hit. the howling winds sends debris flying, a half dozen tornadoes struck that day. five people were killed as homes were just leveled. now, nbc meteorologist bill karins joins me now. we're not talking about severe weather like that but huge drop in temperatures. >> cold and snow is the bottom line. and temperatures in the west are really plunging. i'll show you the radar in a second. lake-effect snow after lake tahoe. the big weather pattern set up we have a big area of high pressure all winter long for this point, a lot of pacific air, we had our rainy weather and much of december in the west. now the weather pattern slipped a little bit with big ridge off the coast. that's giving us our weather

pattern, opening the door. that's why the air is coming straight down from the north. we had negative temperatures across the midwest. 27 in medford. 24 in boise. 10 in spokane. factor in the winds it worst than that. we're still chilly windchills 25 in vegas. 44 in san francisco. chilly stuff. here is the reno area. we could get a fluffy inch of snow out of this. here is lake tahoe and some of the lake-effect snow i was telling you about there. pretty interesting features there coming off the lake. as far as winter storm goes possibility of snow in vegas, totals lowered a little bit. right now thinking maybe an inch tomorrow. that's a big deal on new year's evccaw. areas in idaho, the coldest so

far this winter. so not guaranteed we'll get a lot of snow in vegas, but still a possibility of a little bit. >> you know how they roll in vegas. is that confetti? is it snow? >> a lot of coarse air. >> ripping it up for the new year's. thank you very much. directly ahead, we'll have more on breaking details on the sad news surrounding airasia flight 8501 as indonesia's officials have found debris and bodies of passengers who were on board the airbus. we'll be right back. and the winner of this year's superstar... (coughs) coughing can really be disruptive. with a record breaking fifty million votes, your superstar is... that's why there's delsym. delsym helps silence coughs for a full 12 hours with an advanced time release formula for all day or all night relief. up to twice as long as other cough liquids. so the only sounds you'll hear are the ones you want to hear. bianca! (cheering) delsym. silence is relief. and now for a limited time try delsym for free, with mail in rebate.

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we continue with breaking coverage here on nbc. airline officials now confirm pieces of debris floating in the sea are in fact from airasia flight 8501. and now desperate attempts to retrieve them right away. officials tell nbc news that rescuers have already recovered three bodies and located three others. this is in the waters off of borneo island.

officials say crews had earlier spotted a life jacket part of the plane and other objects. the indonesian president has just arrived at the crisis center where he is meeting with families. and that grim news comes as crews were beginning to wrap up the third day of search and rescue efforts. indonesian officials had agreed to allow families of those on board to flight over the search area as early as tomorrow. and now they're learning the tragic fate of their loved ones. airasia ceo tweeted this message to those families saying my heart is filled with sadness for all the families involved in qz 8501. on behalf of airasia, my condolences. now to new developments in that greek ferry fire. hours after shuttling the last of 427 people from the burning ferry in the adriatic sea, word of new casualties. the associated press is reporting two albanian tug boat soldiers are dead after attempting to secure the boat. they were reportedly hit by a rope that they were tying to attach to the vessel. from the initial fire at least

ten people are dead and many more could still be missing. surviving passengers are telling authorities that fire alarms never went off. time this morning to get down to business with cnbc's landon downey. good morning. >> good morning to you. the minimum wage is going up in 21 states on new year's day, lifting pay for workers by an average of a dollar an hour. another 2 million people will benefit from automatic cost of living adjustments. by early next year 29 states with 60% of the u.s. workforce will have minimum wages above the federal $7.25 an hour. apple had a very merry christmas. the company accounted for more than half of all smartphone and tablet activations last week. december is one of apple's biggest sales periods. as it traditionally releases new phones just before the holidays. shake shack is expanding to the new york stock exchange. the burger joint has 62 locations worldwide. and has filed for an ipo. restaurant deals have been hot

in 2014. zoe's kitchen had strong trading debuts earlier this year. back to you. >> thank you very much. it was a big mulligan for president obama. the president's golf game caused problems for a couple's hawaiian wedding. nbc news senior white house correspondent chris jansing reports. >> reporter: it was a match made in military heaven two west point grads who met while stationed in germany both captains where better to marry than at the latest posting on the 16th tee of their base's golf course with sweeping views of the pacific, especially since the groom is an avid golfer. >> once i felt like the details were pretty set, then i got excited. >> reporter: but 24 hours before the i dos, a call saying you can't. president obama planned to golf at the same time and the nuptials would have to be moved. >> we knew there were two things that could mess up the wedding and one was weather and the other was the president. >> reporter: the couple had in fact invited the president to their wedding, tongue in cheek, and got a polite regret.

the white house says no one, including their advance team in hawaii knew the wedding would have to relocate. and from the phone call the president made to the surprise couple neither did he. >> i feel terrible. nobody told us. >> reporter: this isn't first time the president's golf game had stoked controversy, though. >> where is priorities? >> reporter: the president admitted he made a mistake back in august when he hit the links right after making a statement about the beheading of american james foley by isis. >> i should have anticipated the optics. >> reporter: and critics pounced when he was on the course in martha's vineyard while sending his attorney general to ferguson missouri after riots and forestprotests. but this time the couple says no penalty stroke for the president. the ceremony was held a short distance away from the 16th green. >> a better view so a blessing in disguise. >> reporter: you're not just saying this because he's the commander in chief. >> because he's our boss' boss' boss' boss and a few more? not at all. >> what a great story they have to tell every anniversary.

that was chris jansing reporting. just ahead, why queen elizabeth's guard are being guarded. plus nfl teams go on a firing spree. you're watching "early today." hey! guess what day it is?? >>hump day! hummmp daaay! it's hump day! >>yeah! >>hey mike! mike mike mike mike mike! >>mike mike mike mike mike. hey! he knows! hey! guess what day it is! hey! camel! guess what day it is! >>it's not even wednesday. let it go, phil. if you're a camel, you put up with this all the time. it's what you do. (sigh) if you want to save fifteen percent or more car insurance, you itch to geico. it's what you do. ok... i take prilosec otc each morning for my frequent heartburn. because it gives me...

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time to bring you sports this morning. caught on camera during the

second quarter of the liberty bowl michael richardson is shown here hitting two different west virginia players while they were out of bounds. the head coach told him to stay in the locker room during the second half before being sent home. the aggies came out with a win, 45-37. a day after parting ways with the 49er jim harbaugh reportedly agreed to return to his alma mater to coach the michigan wolverines. you can expect an announcement today. meanwhile, black monday is coming down. the falcons released coach mike smith after seven seasons coming off a 34-3 blowout loss against the panthers. and mark tressman and phil emory. tom brady restructured his contract to free up money for the pats to spend this off season. brady is slighted to make $7 million in 2015.

ndamukong su is suspended one game for stepping on packers quarterback aaron rodgers twice during the game. he will miss the playoff game against dallas but still has time to appeal the suspension. and 14-year-old monet davis is selected as ap's female athlete of the year for pitching ability rose her to stardom during this summer's little league world series. and she was chosen over mount st. joseph freshman lauryn hill who played her first college basketball game while battling terminal brain cancer and three-time winner serena williams. good for her. just ahead, john oliver's bizarre view of new year's. sofia vergara's secret. why she's no longer hiding it. this is "early today." why do i take metamucil everyday? because it helps me skip the bad stuff. i'm good. that's what i like to call the meta effect. 4-in-1 multi-health metamucil now clinically proven to help you feel less hungry between meals. experience the meta effect with our new multi-health wellness line.

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is that the new galaxy note 4? smooth intro man. and yes that is the 5.7 inch note 4. th the best screen we've er put in a phone. it's big enough for multi-tasking so you can get to all the important stuff. do you guys think i ould start mccoy? yeah you start mccoy! look at the detail. it has about twice the resolution of full hd. d, a super wide lens you can selfie, with like everyone. do you think you could send that to me? yeah, you gotta give me your number though. the best big screen phone, just got even better. introducing the msung galaxy note 4. the next big thing is here.

time to bring you entertainment news now. reports are coming in that sofia vergara and joe manganiello are engaged. the couple has yet to officially announce the news it appears the true blood star popped the question on christmas day. everybody is like have a baby procreate, you'll make something beautiful. a fake countdown to the new year. starring the animals from the hit film madagascar. it can be played at any time to get the kids to bed at a good hour.

john oliver came out of hiatus to tell you about how bad new year's eve really is. >> new year's eve is like the death of a pet. you know it's going to happen but somehow you're never really prepared for how truly awful it is. new year's eve is the worst. it combines three of the least pleasant things known to man kind, forced interaction with strangers, being drunk, cold, and tired and having to stare at ryan seacrest for five solid minutes while he tells you what the time is. >> one in two. i feel like new year's and valentine's day are those holidays where you feel like you got to do something. >> valentine's day under the bus, huh? >> you got to do something. >> i'm with you on new year's. not valentine's day. >> aimi'm frances rivera. this is "early today." we hope it is just your first stop of the day here on nbc. [ shutter clicks ] hi there! [ laughs ] -i'm flo! -i know! i'm going to get you your rental

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if you're just joining us here on nbc, there is breaking news overnight. families of those on board airasia flight 8501 did not want to hear. airline officiales say pieces of debris floating in the sea are from the missing airbus. officials tell nbc news that rescuers have already recovered three bodies and located three others. now, this is in the waters off the borneo island. officials say crews had earlier spotted a life jacket part of the plane and other objects reportedly even a piece of luggage. the indonesian president has just arrived at the crisis center where he is meeting with families there. the grim news comes as crews were beginning to wrap up the third day of search and rescue efforts. the united states had just sent the destroyer uss sampson to assist in the multinational

search. also indonesian officials had agreed to allow families of those on board to fly over the search area as early as tomorrow to pay their respects and for some to pray. now they're learning the tragic fate of their loved ones. airasia ceo tweeted this somber message to those families saying my heart is filled with sadness for all the families involved in qz 8501. on behalf of airasia, my condolences. time to bring you some news from the telegraph. the queen's guard move behind palace gates due to terror risk. they've been moved and are now behind locked gates and fences. the move comes because of growing fear of a terror attack. if you're afraid of heights, you may want to close your eyes here. in utah these are the members

of the red bull air force. they risk their lives by doing this. they base jump off of the picturesque spire there, all while jumping and landing on to another one. look at that video. it is gorgeous amazing. talk about extreme precision and absolute focus. how gorgeous is it? that scenic location providing the perfect conditions. >> like go pro has taken extreme sports to a whole different level because of the view we get. >> when you're right there, it is fascinating. now for a look ahead, new york city mayor bill de blasio will meet with the police unions today after he was met with a less than enthusiastic response at an nypd graduation ceremony for 1,000 police recruits yesterday. we say happy birthday to basketball store lebron james. he is a big 30. and former pro boxer leila ali turns 37. and pro golfer tiger woods is 39. we have special birthdays today as well. "today" host 57 and meredith

vieira turns