from swollen rivers causing flooding to dangerous roads, 71 million americans on alert. get ready for a winter wallop to start your wednesday. ahead of the president handing out his fake news awards today, funding the government and the future for three quarter million d.r.e.a.m.ers hangs in the balance. he betrayed my trust, took advantage of my youth, and sexually abused me hundreds of times. >> just one of the witnesses describing larry nassar, the heart breaking personal stories from some of america's biggest names in gymnastics. unrest as protesters face water cannons and heavily armed police at every turn as pope francis expressed, quote, pain and shame over a sexual abuse

scandal. "early today" starts right now. good morning. i'm phillip mena. >> good to be with you. i'm frances rivera. a monster winter storm blasted a vast swath of the south tuesday and is now taking aim at the northeast. a messy mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rainco. here's nbc's catie beck. >> reporter: snow covered semi-trucks frozen still for miles outside dallas, texas. icy roads throughout the state closing highways and canceling hundreds of flights as a winter storm dumps snow and ice across the south, bringing bitter cold. >> the chilly wind could be into the teens. >> reporter: in louisiana, slippery roads causing crashes. >> watch out. >> reporter: even emergency personnel finding slick sfwurfas a strug. in kentuckying a state trooper giving this warning. >> a lot of people that are out here that are driving far too fast for the conditions.

>> reporter: a frightening scene as a mom and her five children slid onto a frozen lake in ohio. sideways and sinking, the family saved by two bystanders. sheets of thick ice still jamming connecticut waterways, causing dangerous floods. >> we're looking at every option because we haven't dealt with this before. >> reporter: the u.s. coast guard called to cut through the frozen rivers. the storm now heads northeast, impacting morning commutes from the carolinas to new england. for thousands of kids, the weather is welcome and another snow day at home. catie beck, nbc news, atlanta. for more, let's go to meteorologist bill karins much as someone who grew up in texas, i can tell you we are not used to this weather. >> not prepared. that's the problem. you can't really treat the roads. even though it's been 12 hours since it stopped in texas, it's still there. it hasn't melted because temperatures are frigid. now it is snowing in mobile. you can track the snow now into the florida panhandle right through montgomery and back up towards atlanta. snow starting to pick up in and around areas of north carolina.

charlotte at 37 degrees. maybe a little worse further to your north. temperature wise this is the windchill values. it's 12 in houston. shreveport is at 6. we're at 9 windchill in mobile with snow. that's a reading you hardly ever see. atlanta has a windchill of 9. there's a little more warmth right along the east coast. philly almost nothing. interior sections of new england could get another inch to three inches. this bull's-eye is what we'll watch this afternoon, that area towards raleigh and greenz borough. this morning the federal government is one day closer to shutting down as democrats demand a longtime fix to the daca program currently shielding undocumented immigrants from deportation and playing a game of chicken with the gop and president trump. >> give the d.r.e.a.m.ers safety here in america and bolster border security at the same time. this may be the last train leaving the station. president trump needs to get

onboard. >> the democrats' demands echoed by a handful of republicans call for a middle ground solution on daca in the coming weeks, not days. several conservatives on the house side say daca deal or not, this he may not support a short term funding measure to keep the government open. still for three quarters of a million people in the u.s. living in the shadows, their focus snltd on the shuttering of federal government but their own lives in limbo. nbc's chief white house correspondent hallie jackson has more from washington. hallie? >> reporter: president trump today is heading down pennsylvania avenue over to capitol hill to pay tribute to bob dole in a ceremony this afternoon, but it comes as the entire capitol is one day closer yet again to a potential government shutdown. it feels like a little bit of deja vu and that is because it is. you have seen now negotiations basically breaking down over some kind of a deal to keep the lights on by friday. that's because democrats are looking to tie that essentially to this immigration program

known as daca, to protect roughly 700,000 undocumented immigrants brought to this country when they were younger. you might have seen some headlines from that very fiery hearing on capitol hill in which kirstjen nielsen testified about that explosive oval office meeting in which the president, according to dick durbin, dropped an expletive. all of it comes by the way as we are getting a glimpse at the president's health from a military doctor. the doctor who conducted his physical who said the president himself asked for a cognitive assessment and said the president is in excellent health. another busy day here in washington. we'll have it all coming up later today. frances, back to you. >> thank you. former white house chief strategist steve bannon finds himself the subject of two subpoenas in the russia investigation this morning. with bannon expected back on capitol hill to continue his marathon testimony in the house intel committee's russia probe. here he was leaving the capitol last night. >> mr. bannon, what did they ask you? >> what did they ask you in

there? >> great day. >> the committee's leading lawmaker said the former trump campaign chairman largely side stepped questions throughout his entire 9 1/2 hours in front of the panel. bannon also has to appear in front of a grand jury after being served by special counsel robert mueller, where he'll answer questions in the russia probe. nbc's tracy potts has more from washington. tracy, good morning? >> reporter: good morning. now he's looking at two subpoenas, one in the fbi's investigation and one from this house intelligence committee that already questioned him. but as you said, he didn't give many answers, claiming that the white house told him not to. bannon reportedly said that he wanted to answer questions about his time with the trump campaign, with the transition, and as chief strategist with the white house. but he was advised by white house counsel not to. apparently his attorney got on the phone with the white house to reconfirm that during that marathon session, and now

lawmakers on this committee, democrats and republicans, want answers. >> the scope of this assertion of privilege, if that's what it is, is breathtaking. if the white house is permitted to maintain that kind of a gag rule on a witness, no congressional investigation could ever be effective. so this obviously can't stand. we expect to have mr. bannon back in. we hope very soon with a different position by the white house because this position is completely unsustainable. >> reporter: and bannon is not the only white house insider they want to talk to. also expected this week, white house communications director hope hicks and former campaign manager corey lewandowski. phillip? >> testimony is going to be very revealing. thank you. north and south korea are continuing their diplomatic talks, focusing on the north's participation in the pyeongchang olympics in just a few weeks. some leaders remain on edge, worried the talks are a ruse for north korea to buy time to

continue its nuclear weapons program. now secretary of state rex tillerson warns that could prompt a military response. janis mackey frayer is in beijing with the latest. >> reporter: good morning, frances. secretary of state rex tillerson not offering much assurance, saying americans should be sober about the possibility of conflict with north korea. tillerson made the comments after a summit in vancouver. he said the door to north korea remains open. here's more of what he had to say. >> we have to recognize that that threat is growing, and if north korea is not -- does not choose the pathway of engagement, discussion, negotiation, then they themselves will trigger an option. >> reporter: meanwhile talks continued today between north and south korea over the olympic games. pyongyang promising to send cheerleaders, saying they'll participate in the paralympic games.

all of these proposals of course need to be approved by the ioc, and skeptics are warning that we shouldn't be naive in thinking that we should put too much stock in this dialogue. japan's foreign minister is warning of a charm offensive by north korea, saying it's all a means of buying team for the regime to continue its nuclear missile program. and he feels somewhat confident that the crisis will resume after the games conclude. frances? >> all right. thank you. later today, the president will give out his highly touted fake news awards, recognizing those in media that he deems the most, quote, corrupt and biased of the mainstream media. and it's in response to those, quote, fake news awards that senator john mccain published this op-ed in "the washington post," telling the president to, quote, stop attacking the press, saying the president's attempts to undermine the free press also make it more difficult to hold repressive governments accountable. adding that the president's actions against journalists are being used as, quote, cover by

foreign leaders looking to silence and shutter one of the key pillars of democracy. mccain is getting support from his arizona colleague, jeff flake, later today when flake will take to the senate floor to slam trump for his attacks on the press. a lot to watch when it comes to the weather today. some people getting some snow delays and a big mess on the roads for others. >> the northeast is getting some light snow and this time of winter everyone can handle it. probably not a big deal. it's still in the south that all the issues are because it's so cold and what has fallen isn't going anywhere. we'll watch these winter storm warnings for the charlotte area into raleigh, we'll watch those temperatures closely. borderline forecast in some areas like charlotte but we still think our computers are hinting at least the possibility of an inch or two in charlotte. raleigh could be the bull's-eye there, around three to four inches. also areas around portland to down east maine, it looks another one, two, maybe three at most inches additional in areas of central new england. new york city, d.c., and philly wasn't the s snowflakes that a.

look how cold it is still in the south. atlanta with a high of 30 after snow this morning. even in the northeast, things will quickly clear out for this evening's commute. >> bill, thank you. the skies over detroit lit up literally. video shows the sky briefly illuminated before a loud crash. residents across the area who took to social media report seeing a bright fireball fly across the sky last night. some are speculating it may have been a meteor. so far the national weather service has not confirmed what that event was. coming up, a news story about a former cia operative arrested for possibly spying for china and handing over the true identities of some u.s. spies. plus new details surrounding the u.s. gymnastics abuse scandal. that's next here on "early today." your privacy makes you my number 1 place to go number 2.

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this morning a former cia operative remains under arrest for illegally possessing classified defense information that may have been compromised to sources abroad. the former cia officer, a 53-year-old jerry chun shing lee was arrested monday night after arriving on an overseas flight. he was charged with possessing two handwritten notebooks full of classified information. federal prosecutors say that included the names of cia covert employees and other informants. several federal officials tell us that lee is suspected of giving the chinese information about cia assets in china that ended up getting at least a dozen of them killed. court documents do not say who his lawyer is. model chrissy teigen along with actress kristen bell have taken to social media to lend their support both emotional and financial to olympian mckayla moroney, who may be fined $100,000 if she speaks out about the sexual abuse that she suffered at the hands of disgraced team usa dr. larry nassar.

nassar faces life in prison for his serial sexual assaults with more than 100 accusers coming forward with their stories and dozens planning to speak out during his hearing. nbc's stephanie gosk tells us more. >> reporter: predator, monster, master manipulator, repulsive liar. the names used to describe larry nassar at his sentencing hearing in michigan. >> he betrayed my trust, took advantage of my youth, and sexually abused me hundreds of times. >> i have experienced flashback nightmares of the abuse. >> she took her own life because she couldn't deal with the pain anymore. >> reporter: kyle stephens was just 6 when the abuse began. >> you used my body for six years for your own sexual gratification. >> reporter: nassar, a family friend. >> feelings of shame, disgust, and self-hatred brought me bouts of depression, anxiety, eating disorders. >> reporter: the former head doctor for the olympic gymnastics team pleaded guilty

to multiple charges of child sexual abuse. among his more than 150 accusers, olympic gold medal winners aly raisman, gabby douglas, mckayla maroney, and now simone biles who went public on monday. the victims' statements could last days. some pointing a finger at nassar's former floemployers. >> it's horrifying that they're not stepping up to the plate to admit their wrongdoing. >> reporter: usa gymnastics says it reached out to the fbi soon after a complaint was made while msu says any suggestion that the university covers up nassar's horrific conduct is simply false. in court, nassar's kuaccusers looked their abuser in the eye. >> little girls don't stay little forever. they grow into strong women that return to destroy your world. >> reporter: nassar head in his hands, at times visibly shaking, nowhere to go and no choice but to listen. stephanie gosk, nbc news.

still ahead, pope francis is facing one of the most difficult trips of his pontiff cat. we'll explain next. 1, 2, 3, push! easy! easy! easy! (horn honking) alright! alright! we've all got places to go! we've all got places to go! washington crossing the delaware turnpike? surprising. what's not surprising? how much money sean saved by switching to geico. big man with a horn. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. wiback like it could used to? neutrogena hydro boost water gel. with hyaluronic acid it plumps skin cells with intense hydration and locks it in. for supple, hydrated skin. hydro boost. from neutrogena new kellogg's chocolate frostmmmflakes. chocolatey! mmm mmm mmmmmm yeah, chocolate! chocolatey.

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pope francis continues to his trip to chile this morning after meeting with the victims of the catholic church's sex abuse scandal behind closed he the pontiff's visit was met

with violence with police cracking down on protesters in santiago's streets. lucy kafanov has more from london. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. well, this tlip was supposed to be all about peace, unity and hope, but the argentina native was welcomed in chile with protests. we saw violence in sant yaw go, chile's couple on the eve of his trip where a number of churches were attacked, some with fire bombs. an unprecedented level of protest. francis in particular has been heavily criticized for his 2015 appointment of a bishop who has been accused of protecting chile's most notorious pedophile priest. this man was sanctioned in 2011 by the vatican to a lifetime of, quote, penance and prayer for sexually molesting children, but parishioners say the bishop used his position in the church to try to block investigations, and they say they warned pope francis about this before he appointed the bishop.

so there was a lot of pressure for the pope to address the issue. he spoke out about the issue saying that he felt bound to, quote, express his pain and shame at the irreparable damage caused to children by some ministers of the church. he had a private meeting with some groups of victims there, but whether that's going to be enough to repair the broken trust in the church, that remains to be seen, guys. >> lucy, thank you. still ahead, 71 million americans are facing a weather alert today. are you one of them? bill karins is straight ahead with your must-see hump day forecast. eens, we'll help you save more with zero dollar copays on select plans and reward points on prescriptions. so no matter where you're going or who you are, it's worth the trip. we'll help you find low cost prescriptions including zero dollar copays on select medicare part d plans. walgreens. trusted since 1901.

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welcome back. a frigid morning to say the least. all the way down to south texas through the southeast, it snowed overnight in new orleans and mobile. and currently it's a windchill of 12 in new orleans, 9 in atlanta. we're negative 12 in pittsburgh. very cold all the way back down through dallas, even into san antonio. as far as the temperatures today, this is the reason we still have problems on some of the roads. it's barely going above freezing in some of the areas it snowed. we start our recovery. thursday is a little warmer throughout the south. still below average. by the time we get to the weekend, returns to normal. 60ss in atlanta. new orleans almost up near 70 and even new york gets up to almost 50 degrees. >> oh, wow. welcome sight. thanks so much, bill. still to come, talk about superhero diversity. powerful sk, now light-as-air

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in today's quick hits, kim kardashian and husband kanye west announced the arrival of their new baby girl via surrogate on kim's website. kim added that her two children, north and saint, are thrilled to welcome their baby sister. some are calling the mariah carey effect. according to the tea council of the usa. during t duri during. in spain, hundreds of horse riders jumped through flames during the luminarias annual festival. it celebrates the country's patron saint of animals. the festival dates back over 500 years and locals say neither horses nor people have ever been injured. but you know there's still a lot

of animal rights activists who are very much against this ritual. >> it looks like it's something out of a movie set. it looks like a movie set with all the flames there. dunkin' donuts is ditching the donuts, not literally but at least in its name. a new story in quinn ski si "r"cy, massachusetts, will be the first to be called just dunkin'. it's part of a broader rebranding. the quincy franchise bills itself as the store of the future. it will also be trying out new concepts including multiple high tech drive-through lanes. but you can rest assured the chain's signature donuts will still stay the same although some changes to its menu too. they're getting rid of sandwiches that didn't do so well. but we've still got those donuts. >> it's hard to separate the two. a new series hit the screens last night that has superhero fans raving for more than one reason. black lightning appeared on the cw network and joins a wave of black superheroes.

like marvel's luke cage and black panther fueling the discussion of more diversity in superhero characters. based on the dc comic, the series stars a largely black cast. a retired superhero lured out of retirement as crime ravages his fictional town. it covers topics like gang warfare, police brutality and political activism. a lot to be excited about coming up. >> yeah, a reflection of kind of our world today and what's important out there. on this wednesday, we'd like to wish a very happy birthday to those celebrating including former first lady michelle obama. she turns 54. ace ventura himself, actor and comedian jim carey is 56. also america's golden girl actress and comedienne betty white is 96 years young. it seems like it was just a few months ago when we were talking about betty white and her 95th birthday. here she is 96. >> she always seems the same ever since i remember her on the golden girls. still looking good and making us all laugh.

>> smart and funny as a whip. thank you for waking up with us. i'm frances rivera. >> and i'm phillip mena. ad lib live picture - downtown

san jose goo you. hump day it is. taking live look downtown san jose as we get a start on our day as we coast into the weekend. thank you for joining us. i'm marcus washington. >> and i'm laura garcia. let's check the forecast already. we don't want to talk about the weekend just yet, but welcoming up. >> of course we will. it's never too early to talk about the weekend. it's going to be a great one. we are going to have some of the cool temperatures still with bart's of the bay area today and some clouds, other areas will have some clearing. as we get a look at the visibility right now, concord no visibility at this point. we have that tule fog rolling into parts of the east