get ready for winter wallop this weekend with 82 million americans under a winter advisory and bracing for impact. today, president-elect donald trump will get a full briefing from the very same top intelligence oials that he's been challenging in the case against russian hacking and also facing tough criticism. >> grow up, donald, grow up. time to be an adult. you're president. you've got to do something. show us what you have. the latest on the highly disturbing and horrifying images of a special needs man being beaten and tortured in what police are calling a hate crime. exciting new study in the fight against peanut allergies.

who says you are too old to push the limits? inspiring stories from centanarians ahead for a friday. "early today" starts now. i'm frances rivera. good friday morning. millions of americans are under winter advisories, state of emergency declared in part of the deep south where they're bracing for a massive snowstorm. the weather is fierce up north. one new york town was buried under more than two feet of lake-effect snow. residents are struggling to dig themselves out while the heavy snow keeps piling up. here is nbc's jacob rascon with more. >> reporter: the severe weather warnings stretch from coast to coast. >> we are still seeing some troubles on the road. >> reporter: whiteout conditions in watertown, new york. a truck driver digging himself out in michigan. heavy snow blanketing the sierra and rocky mountains out west, up to five feet in some areas. a nightmare for many in colorado, especially this man stuck on a chair lift. and for two skiers in utah, lost

in a snowstorm for 14 hours, building a shelter out of a dead tree to stay alive. >> we were completely soaked, head to toe. >> reporter: 82 million americans under winter advisories. the southeast now bracing for impact. atlanta expecting a winter's worth of snow in one day, hoping to avoid a repeat of 2014 when just three inches of snow paralyzed the city. >> that was jacob rascon. now get ready for round two. bill karins is tracking it in the west. where are we with those storms? >> the west is ready for round two. this storm system moving in, for the most part, late tonight through the day saturday. mountains will get the heaviest snow and rain as you would expect. we could deal with flooding. heavy rain and flooding throughout will continue. this atmospheric river continues up to this region. that's why we get this tropical connection, get a lot of moisture in the air. south of i-80, this is about a

once in a 10 to 25-year storm. and north of i-90, once every seven to 20 year storm, frances. flooding through the rivers, creeks through the weekend. >> at least it is on a weekend. thank you very much. >> less than an hour ago, donald trump tweeted, quote, the dishonest media does not report that any money spending on building the great wall forsake of speed will be paid back by mexico later. mexican officials have repeatedly said they will not pay for the proposed while. meanwhile, nbc has exclusive insight into the top secret report on russian hacking that was just delivered to president obama. a senior official in the u.s. intelligence community said they picked up senior russian officials celebrating donald trump's presidential victory. also in the report, the u.s. has identified the russian actors

who turned over stolen democratic party material to wikileaks. and on the same day that president obama received this new information on russia efforts to interfere in the election, the senate held a hearing where the intelligence weighed in on the significance of russia's actions. >> whether or not that constitutes an act of war, i think is a very heavy policy call that i don't believe the intelligence community should make, but it's certainly -- would carry, in my view, great gravity. >> president-elect trump so far has been skeptical of the intelligence community findings. in a tweet on wednesday, he quoted wikileaks founder julian assange's claim that russia did not provide the hacked information, outraging many. in a pbs interview yesterday, vice president joe biden was critical of donald trump's dismissal of u.s. intelligence.

>> the idea that you know more than the intelligence community knows, it's a little like saying i know more about physics than my professor. i didn't read the book. i just know i know more. >> here is hallie jackson. >> reporter: an exclusive inside look at a top secret report on russia, one that went directly to president obama. so what does it reveal? two top intelligence officials with direct knowledge of the report tell nbc news that it details russian cyber attacks, the white house, joint chiefs of staff, the state department, even american companies. some hacks successful, others thwarted. the report explains moscow's motives, partly to disrupt the democratic process and partly as payback, the intelligence analysts conclude, for the obama administration's questioning of vladimir putn's legitimacy as president. it's not just last year's campaign either, they track the cyber activity back to 2008 and 2012.

it does not speculate on whether russia's influence affected the outcome of 2016. >> when the president-elect receives his own briefings and is able to examine the intelligence as his team is put together and they see how professional and effective these agencies are, that some of those current tensions will be reduced. >> reporter: hallie jackson, nbc news, the white house. now to chicago. charges have been filed in the beating and torture of a mentally disabled 18-year-old man. four people have been arrested and charged with hate crimes, aggravated kidnapping and battery after the disturbing video was streamed lived on facebook. blake mccoy reports from chicago. >> reporter: the horrifying images have now been seen around the world. an 18-year-old with mental health challenges tortured. his clothing and hair slashed with a knife, his head pushed

into the toilet, forced to drink the water. the accused, four african-americans, did not hide their faces in the video stream live to facebook, taunting the white teen with racial and political expletives. [ bleep ] donald trump white people. >> reporter: the victim's grandmother tells nbc news she's too upset to watch the video. >> i don't want to watch him suffer. i know he did. >> reporter: investigators confirm the victim went to school with one of his assailants, jordan hill. the victim's parents dropped him at a mcdonald's to meet him for a sleepover last weekend. hill then allegedly drove him into the city in a stolen van. investigators say the 18-year-old was being held captive in one of these homes on chicago's west side. he was found tuesday afternoon wandering and disoriented about a block away. >> he is able to escape when a

downstairs neighbor calls the police, complaining about the noise upstairs. >> reporter: among the charges against the two men and two women, who are sisters, a hate crime, aggravated kidnapping, unlawful restraint and battery with a deadly weapon. african-american community leaders are appalled. >> see the racial slurs, the insults, and he has a disability. you know, it's a hate crime all the way. >> i hope god speaks to their souls and shows them the right way. >> nbc's bill mccoy reporting. over to mexico now, where a 20% hike in gas prices is causing mass outrage among citizens with overnight protests on thursday escalating from this -- [ chanting ] [ sirens ] >> to this. hundreds of people taking to stores looting all sorts of stuff, from food, tvs, to refrigerators. the price hike is part of a

government deregulation in the energy sector, the president vowing to go through with the unpopular decision. more than 300 stores were ransacked across the country. 700 arrests were made. at least 400 people were killed as a result of the unrest. new guidelines how to protect your kids from developing peanut allergies, though they may contradict everything we've been told so far. even children with a family history should eat peanut products early on to ever prevent peanut allergies from developing. introducing infants to small doses of peanuts at 4 months, certainly under a doctor's supervision. all other children can begin at 6 months at home. it comes with a warning, never give a baby or any child under the age of 4 whole peanuts. of course, that's a choking hazard. still ahead, the president

and first lady have a party planned for the white house tonight. first, here is bill with our weather forecast. >> it's not epic amounts throughout the south but they don't have the plows, salt to treat this stuff. we're talking about montgomery, birmingham, alabama, one to three inches, 0 to 2". these will be the higher totals here, 6 to 8" in areas of north carolina and even virginia, that's a big deal. some of that storm will move up and clip areas of new england. if you have any travel plans in the east on saturday, theles. 62 today. san diego, 63. again, the storm moves in tomorrow morning for most. i'll give you that complete weekend forecast coming up. we're not going to love it. the golden globes may get lucky to keep the rain out of the red

carpet. >> that will be a big thing as well, bill. thanks. we'll check back in with you later. sluggish, drag this morning? a couple of characters to inspire you to get up and move this morning. plus, against president-elect trump's wishes, former guantanamo detainees have been released. details in two minutes. per roll more "doing chores for dad" per roll

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president obama and the first lady are preparing for a star-studded farewell bash at the white house this evening. the obamas reportedly throwing a party for close friends and major donors at their own expense. celebrities reportedly going to be there, usher, samuel jackson, oprah winfrey, gayle king, stevie wonder, jj abrams and george lucas. wouldn't you love to listen in on the conversations. scary warning by the state department second in command. he says north korea's weapons capabilities have shown a quote, qualitative improvement. they conducted nuclear and missile tests in the past year and the threat it poses grows by the day. this past sunday north korean leader kim jong-unsaid preparations for test launching an intercontinental missile have reached the final stage. four detainees are on saudi

arabian soil this morning. they announced the transfer thursday. they were captured in the beginning of the months of afghan war and held without trial for 15 years. the saudi government will hold them for a period of time in a custodial rehabilitation program for low-level extremists. more gitmo transfers are expected in the coming days. 40 are expected to stay in guantanamo by the time donald trump takes over the presidency. look at this cover photo about women's rights. can you see something wrong with it? don't stare at me. see me. see me. see me to know that psoriasis is just something that i have. i'm not contagious. see me to know that... ...i won't stop until i find what works. discover cosentyx, a different kind of medicine for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. proven to help the majority of people find clear or almost clear skin. 8 out of 10 people saw 75% skin clearance at 3 months.

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fast forwarding today. members of congress will certify donald trump's election as president in a joint session presided over vice president joe biden and house speaker paul ryan. michelle obama will deliver her final remarks as first lady at an event at the white house, honoring the school counselor of the year finalist and semi finalist as part of her reach higher initiative. cremated remains of carrie fisher will be buried alongside her mother, debbie reynolds. in a "today" exclusive, matt lauer sits down with former defense secretary leon panetta to talk about the russian hacking. tweet from president-elect trump on toyota sent ripples all

the way to tokyo. a key wall street indicator. landon downey is keeping an eye on your money. happy friday, landon. >> japanese government is defending toyota as an important corporate citizen of the united states after president-elect trump singled out the automaker on twitter, threatening to slap a high tax on car sales in the u.s. made in mexico. toyota is opening a plant there to build the corolla. of the 2 million cars it produces in north america each year, nearly two-thirds are made in the u.s. gm is launching a monthly subscription service next month where you can rent a cadillac or escalade suv, available only in new york city nor now but could expand to other american cities. cars will be delivered and picked up on demand via smart phone app. you can get unlimited mileage and shift to different vehicles up to 18 times a year. alexa, how about sushi

tonight? digital assistant can now order takeout from any of the company's affiliated restaurants. there is a catch. you must be an amazon prime minister and alexa can only get food delivered from places you've ordered before. but delivery is free. >> maybe she can do my kids' homework, too. landon, have a great weekend. >> thanks. still ahead, the films and stars causing a big buzz ahead of this weekend's golden globes. you're watching "early today." a post using the hashtag "#justrobbedthesafe" so, what are we supposed to think? switching to geico could save you a bunch of money on car insurance. excellent point. case dismissed. geico. because saving fifteen percent or more on car insurance woo! because saving fifteen percent or more on car insurance is always a great answer. dobecause you've got ams lot of cheering to do!

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two options, you either follow my rules or follow my rules. capeche? >> thank you. >> i can do it in a different way. >> that's fine. thank you. >> emma stone nominated for a golden globe award for her work in "la la land." >> let's look at the best nominees in musical or comedy category. annette benning, meryl streep and, of course, emma stone. annette benning and meryl streep are two-time winners in this category. movie critics from vanity fair to rolling stone say it's going to be emma stone for the win. even las vegas odd makers pick her to win. >> look at that, man. >> that would be saying something, right, that you made it? meryl streep? >> meryl streep, she's definitely coming out a winner no matter what. best performance by an actor

in a motion picture musical or comedy. nominees are ryan gossling, ryan reynoldss, hugh grant, jonah hill. ryan gossling, the front-runner here. >> director said he was determined, three months learning the piano and mastering it. he was the former member of the mickey mouse club with justin timberlake, britney spears. >> would never know. >> right? five films up for the award. nominees, "la la land" "florence foster jenkins," "deadpool" and the clean sweep for "la la land" across the board. we all have to watch this sunday. >> and o.j., fx series is supposed to do really well. >> jimmy fallon is hosting for the first time. this is "early today." look at yy on your medicare part d prescriptions. at walgreens we make it easy for you to seize the day

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well, this is the problem. we're also watching snow throughout oklahoma. this is oklahoma city. this is what the south is going to deal with with. not a lot of snow. you can see the roads there, snow packed, about an inch or two overnight. decent speeds and taking care. when you talk four to six inches instead of one to two, lot of headaches in the days ahead. storm system will be down here in the south today. as far as the west goes, we get a break today. everything is just fine. tomorrow is when the mess will come in. we could deal with freezing rain, too, this weekend in areas of washington state, especially oregon and into the south. we talk about that heavy rain saturday and sunday for california, frances. >> bill, thank you very much. all right. take a close look at this and see if you can notice something very wrong here, the latest

cover of the washington post express about the women's march on washington at this month's inauguration. you see the problem? the publication accidently featured a men's gender symbol instead of the one for women. the paper quickly apologized saying, quote, we made a big mistake on our cover illustration this morning and are very embarrassed about it, saying this is how the cover should have looked. orlando city soccer club is honoring victims of the pulse nightclub shooting with 39 rainbow colored seats inside its new stadium in florida, all in remembrance of the people killed in the june 12th shooting. each seat has a plaque with a #orlandounited. the new stadium is located two miles north of the pulse nightclub, which remains closed. the lions will play their first game in the stadium on march 5th. rescued baby elephant is making small steps to recovery by make a dip at the swimming pool. animal tourist traction in thailand, hydrotherapy exercises. the little cast.

the little one will walk again on its own, found with its left foot caught in a trap near bangkok. full rehabilitation process could take two months to get the baby elephant back on her feet. here is a question keeping us up all night. swab or not to swab? that's the question. how about listening to this, if you can, if you have clean ears. stop cleaning your ears, according to new guidelines of the american academy of otolaryngology. >> oh, them. >> wax helps to protect our ears and should be left alone, cotton swabs can cause serious injury to ears and normal bathing is enough to keep the ear clean. they say no putting anything smaller than your elbow. >> we'll both do a trial only swab our left ear, leave our right ear alone and see what the difference is. >> how will it look in the ear? >> i'm not looking in anyone's ear. >> i'm not looking. thanks so much for being with us on a friday. have a great weekend.

sunday, don't forget to catch the "freezing temperatures" for many

folks around the bay this morning. a live look from livermore--- where the thermometer is freezing temperatures for many folks around the bay area this morning. there's just one example. a live look in livermore where where it is is hovering around freezing at 4:30. it is is expected to dip lower this morning. storm threats are kicking into high gear with heavy rain expected this weekend. sandbags, and in some cases evacuations are being set into motion. plus, a triple shooting that led to two deaths, and the person responsible reportedly walked in and just started firing, according to witnesses. now an urgent search is on to find him. today in the bay starts now. thank you for joining us a