good morning. i'm francis rivera we have breaking news out of paris. just this past hour gunfire in off the fiss of a satirical news magazine "charlie hebdo." nbc news has confirmed ten people dead in that attack. a witness on the scene says he felt several masked men armed with automatic weapons enter the building. this office has been the target of trouble before. in 2011 it was set on fire in response to published cartoons of the prophet muhammad. france's president is calling this shooting a terror attack. the country raced its alert to the highest 4re68. stay with nbc news for the very latest on this breaking story as

we follow it. the first major wreckage of airasia flight 8501 is found. inside the search zone these erie images the tale of the missing plane. numbers on the wreckage identify the airbus a320. finding the tail is huge. the black boxes should be in it. more heart ache for families as more bodies are found. number recovered is 40 with 24 identified. 162 were on board. the "wall street journal" reports the airline is offering the victims' family members $100,000 in compensation. a lackdown has been lifted at a west texas v. a. medical center. this is the scene yesterday as gunfire wrapping out at the clinic. according to ktsm a doctor was killed before the shooter turned the gun on him or herself. the army hasn't identified either of them yet.

the clinic itself serves the el paso area and fort bliss army base. parts of the u.s. are being whacked by brutal weather from dangerous mudslides to a deep freeze. nbc's kevin tables begins our coverage from chicago. >> reporter: pennsylvania roads became skating rinks. soon filled with sliding cars and multiple crashes. accidents, too, some fatal, from iowa to indiana. whiteouts and car crashes became synonymous. here in chicago there are 300,000 passenger rail trips per day. frozen switches would cause travel chaos. rail crews light gas heater fires to keep them thawed out. washington, d.c., awoke to about six inches of snow in some areas. still, most schools remained open and more than a dozen bus accidents were reported. in ohio, many schools closed for the deep freeze. still, winter storm and wind chill warnings remain in effect through thursday. kevin tibbles, nbc news, chicago.

i'm miguel almaguer in washington where out west the problem is too much rain. hillsides have come crashing down. this massive mudslide sweeping at least six houses right off their foundation. with up to nine inches of rain pounding the region on monday, rivers burst their banks leaving some homes flooded while streets and highways are closed, cracked and crumbled. the snoqualmie falls is cascading at three times its normal rate. too much water too fast. even the wildlife trapped. the massive cleanup will take weeks, maybe months. >> that was nbc's miguel almaguer reporting from washington and nbc's kevin tibbles in chicago. well, today president obama is kicking off a series of campaign-style events in detroit. the president plans to discuss the issues that he will highlight in his upcoming state of the union address. meanwhile, republicans are now

in control of congress and leaders are already making their agenda known. nbc's tracie potts is live in washington this morning. so, tracie, are these battle lines being drawn between dems and the gop? >> reporter: certainly seems that way, francis. the president is headed to michigan to talk about jobs, later housing and college on his agenda. republicans in charge say the president isn't driving this train. day one and they're already drawing lines in the snow. >> he's not going to determine what we do. >> reporter: in an interview with his hometown tv station, new senate majority leader mitch mcconnell said the bill to approve the keystone oil pipeline will land on the president's desk. >> the president is not going to set our agenda in the senate. >> reporter: but the white house after leaving the door open now says. >> i can confirm to you that if this bill passes this congress the president wouldn't sign it either. >> reporter: the president's off

to michigan today to talk jobs. >> i'm going to detroit to talk about more things we can do to promote advanced manufacturing and innovation and research base. >> reporter: republicans insist keystone will create jobs. some democrats agree. >> making us stronger as a nation and less dependent on energy as far as oil. >> in the polls consistently the american public by about 70% wants this project done, so in essence the president would be saying, no, i'm going to overrule the congress and the people of this country. >> reporter: senate republicans think they have enough democrats on board to override the president's veto. but they're already running a bit behind. the senate is going to take weeks to debate that. they'll try for a vote later this month, we're told. they were supposed to have a hearing on the oil pipeline francis, this morning. but hearing got canceled. >> tracie potts in washington, d.c., thank you. for 12 years actress felicia rashad played bill cosby's wife

in "the cosby show." she's coming to his defense for the first time since sex abuse allegations reviewed. she said quote, forget these women. what you're seeing is the destruction of a legacy. and i think it's orchestrated. i don't know why or who is coining it. it comes one day after keisha knight pull lamb the youngest daughter in the show came to his defense. >> i hope that people won't allow allegations because, again, none of us were there. there are two sides to a story. it's a horrible situation however you slice it, but you know, i feel that once the dust settles that people, you know, recognize how much he's given to our society and with all of his work. >> and in recent months more than 20 women have come forward with claims that he either drugged or sexually assaulted them decades ago. cosby has never been charged with a crime and his representatives have dismissed all of the allegations. just yesterday he issued a statement to fans warning them about possible demonstrations against him at upcoming shows in canada. he told them, quote, if a

disruption occurs, please remain calm until the matter is resolved and do not confront the person making the disruption. i'm going to give my fans the show of their life. among those enjoying yesterday's snow bow bow at the national zoo. she took her first tumble down a snowy hill wrestled with her mom in the fresh powder making the best of a snowy situation. bow bow has been waiting for a day like that for us. nbc meteorologist bill karins has more. >> remember the first snow of the season -- >> i was thinking about that with my daughter. all i'm thinking now is it's too cold my hands is too cold. it's bitter. >> for the first five minutes, it's bliss. then you realize your fingers are numb. the coldest air of the season goes from watches and warnings from northern minnesota

to north florida. it's pretty much everywhere east from the colorado rockies. 118 million people in the country are under wind child advisories. chicago, minneapolis, fargo. i did find one spot. i can't picture what this would be like negative 48 off lake superior in supreme northeastern minnesota, the coldest i could find in the entire country. nothing like that in the west. the reason the east is so cold and the door has been opened up is the big area of high pressure and a big ridge has let everything seep down from canada in a very unusually strong high pressure system also over montana this morning, responsible for this big cold outbreak. as far as the weather in the west goes another great day today. everyone in l.a. can watch the tv but everyone else freezing while you sit in shortser

for january. red bluff at 66. not bad around reno either. we talked about the heavy rains yesterday in washington state, the mudslide that happened towards the end of the weekend and monday that has stopped, too. >> bill karins thank you very much. still ahead here another country is dealing with a shortage of mcdonald's french fries, plus the latest nasa discovery. could there be another earth out there? you're watching "early today."

welcome back, everybody. updating you on the breaking news out of paris, gunfire in the offices of a satirical news magazine. nbc news has confirmed ten deaths. a witness says he saw several masked men entering the building.

the security alert is raised to the highest 4re68. we'll bring you the latest as new details emerge. former virginia governor bob mcdonnell has been sentenced to two years behind bars that's far less than the ten years prosecutors wanted. mcdonnell gave this reaction to his sentence. >> as i said in court, i am a fallen human being, i've made mistakes in my life. i always try to put the best interests of the people first as governor but i have failed at times in some of the judgments i have made during the course of my governorship that have hurt myself my family and my be loved people of virginia and for that i am deeply, deeply sorry. >> mcdonnell is slated to report to prison on february 9th but says he will continue to fight the bribery accusations that landed him there. the naacp is asking a missouri judge to convene a brand new jury to consider

charges against former officer darren wilson in the shooting death of unarmed teen, 18-year-old michael brown. the organization says its review of the grand jury proceedings revealed grave legal concerns including confusing instructions given to them and the decision to allow testimony from witnesses who lied. the move comes one day after an anonymous grand juror filed suit about the right to speak about the case. could there be another planet earth out there? nasa thinks they found two of them. they're closer than others previously discovered. before you start packing your bags thinking there's a parallel universe scientists haven't decided for sure if they're capable of supporting human life. a few weeks ago we told you about a french fry shortage in japan because of a u.s. labor dispute. now mcdonalds in venezuela is having the same problem, they're using yuka fries from the starchy yuka root. time to get down to

business. >> the market will try and shake off the new year blues after stocks fell for a third straight day in 2015. investors continue to worry about europe's economy and oil prices. crude is hovering near $47 a barrel today. on today's watch list the job market trade deficit and minutes from last night's fed meeting. intel wants to power what it hopes will be the next big thing, wearable devices. they showed off a computer the size of a button for smart clothes and a wrist band drone that comes with a flying camera that takes selfies. if you're suffering from a mid life crisis avis has a solution the rental car company is offering the new maserati which sells for $70,000, but only available in select cities such as miami, l.a. and las vegas. francis, back to you. >> of course in those cities where you can live it up. just ahead, did jimmy fallon blow his chance to date an a-list celeb.

a scary moment on the slopes a skier makes a crash landing on the slopes. we'll bring you that in sports next.

have you heard of the new dialing procedure for for the 415 and 628 area codes? no what is it? starting february 21, 2015 if you have a 415 or 628 number you'll need to dial... 1 plus the area code plus the phone number for all calls. okay, but what if i have a 415 number, and i'm calling a 415 number? you'll still need to dial... 1 plus the area code plus the phone number. so when in doubt, dial it out! this morning on "today," the girls are back in town. lena dunham talks about the new season of her hit comedy. time to bring you sports. an nba buzzer beater that didn't go as planned. >> mills, and there it is.

turnover. jennings. >> not the way it was supposed to go. the pistons beat the clock to win it 105-104. another close one in college hoops. ole miss and kentucky. they take the early lead but the wildcats remain undefeated, 89-86. four players were elected into the hall of fame, randy johnson, pedro martinez, john smoltz and craig biggio. this marx the first time the writers elected four former players in one year and the first since 1955. ufc light heavy weight champ john jones has admitted himself into a drug treatment center this after he tested positive for cocaine. it comes days after he defeated daniel cormier. since the test was given on

december 4th, it's considered out of competition and the result of the fight will stand. and a skier in austria's four hill tournament watch the scary crash landing. simon ammann of switzerland. watch that landing. repeatedly slamming his head against the snow. he suffered facial injuries and lost and regained consciousness, but he was responsive and reportedly in stable condition once he reached the hospital. >> announcer: "early today" is brought to you by just for men, just you and the look you want. just ahead, justin bieber gets another reason to walk around shirtless. up next, who america can thank for that. the most horrifyingly awesome baby bed ever.

welcome back. everyone in the west is saying what cold what winter? it's beautiful. 80 degrees in san diego yesterday. 84 in downtown l.a. just about as warm as our warmest spots in the country yesterday in south florida. not exactly chilly in the northwest, 40s and 50s is nothing to complain about. it doesn't look like the rainy season will return at least any time soon. we do cool it off after a very warm day today, back in the 70s for los angeles. as far as san francisco goes we may have a chance of some showers towards sunday. we don't have any big rain. this is the rainy season. we like to get a storm every now

and then. all of a sudden now, another little dry spell. >> somebody in the country has to have nice mild warm weather, let it be the west coast. thank you very much. entertainment news now. next super hero is actually the smallest. the first trailer from marvel's "ant man" premiered yesterday. in it we got the first view of the miniature hero. >> mtv's "teen mom" star had to go to the hospital yesterday. lip injections went wrong. justin bieber is kicking off 2013 in his underwear. >> i did that same thing. >> he's strutting himself for the new calvin klein campaign ad. after all the press, "the interview" grossed a whopping $39 million in saelts so far. on "the tonight show" nicole kidman stopped by to remind

jimmy about the blind date they went on. jimmy didn't know it was a date. >> i swear, and you didn't talk at all. after about an hour and a half he has no interest this is so embarrassing. >> had no clue at all. >> i laughed and went okay no chemistry. i was like, maybe he's gay. >> how did he not know it was a date? was it set up by agents? >> he's doing a late night show. maybe she came in and, the guests sometimes are like let's do dinner or something. is that a date? >> there's got to be a reason you do that. i'm francis rif veefrrear rah, we hope this is your first stop of the day here on nbc.

it is considered the hardest, longest rock climb in the world. now two men are doing it without gear, just their hands and feet. basically a smooth sheer granite slab half a mile high on the famous el capitan rock formation at yosemite national park. nbc's hallie jackson reports. >> reporter: most of us experience yosemite's don wall from the bottom where we look at it. tommy caldwell and kevin jorgeson are living on it. >> piece of cake. >> no problem, we've got this. >> reporter: the two friends on day nine in their attempt finish the hardest free climb in the world. ropes only there in case they fall, which they do, as they inch up the wall's granite face.

as high as two empire state buildings and nearly as smooth wedging their fingertips into tiny razor blade fingertips so their frozen skin doesn't rip as much, dodging falling ice and numbing winds. >> it's getting pretty rowdy. >> it's like living in a refrigerator. >> hard boiled eggs. >> reporter: but at least that means fresh food. >> pretty good eating up here. >> reporter: they carry bathroom bags with them on the climb, do yoga in their tents, and because this remote part of yosemite has great cell reception, they tweet, facebook and instagram everything. thousands of people following the journey that's at its critical point right now. the two tackling the hardest part of the assent. >> colin totally crushed it. the smoothest i've seen him climb. >> we're not going to be happy unless both of them make this climb. >> reporter: tommy and his father have been climbing since he was 3, and dad says if they can make it through this

they'll be on the home stretch to the peak of el capitan. >> this has been a big part of our lives for eight years. there will be serious celebration. >> reporter: but for the climbers it's not about being at the top, just getting there. hallie jackson, nbc news, los angeles. azing, and so is this. >> this bed is so cute it's terrifying inspired by 1975 classic "jaws." carved out of styrofoam and covered in plastic. no worries because eventually baby will growout this, too. i'm betty nguyen, thanks so much >> a great halloween costume. >> got the idea very cute. i'm francis rivera, thanks so much for watching "early today."

hope you have a great wednesday.

breaking news. masked men with machine guns storm a newsroom in paris. a dozen dead. officials say the attack stems from a controversial cartoon. and closer to home police in the east bay looking for person who shot somebody outside of a busy b.a.r.t. station. >> and how crews are significantly closer to recovering the black boxes from the airasia plane that went down nearly two weeks ago. >> and a live look outside this morning. that's, of course the bay bridge all lit up at this very early hour. it is wednesday, january the 7th, and you are watching "today in the bay." and a very good