northeast kerr number four. heavy snow in the wake of tornadoes and extensive damage to various regions of the country. >> if you see something, say something. we are in this together as a community. >> another scare last night. a false alarm but hundreds of police officers are still searching for a serial bomber in austin, texas. >> new revelations from former porn star stormy daniels and a lie detector test she took that she was deemed truthful. plus a new trump lawsuit from a former "playboy" playmate. >> to an suv that flipped on its side on fire. the brave rescue all caught on tape. >> and then to a $10 million

challenge from starbucks. "early today" starts right now. >> good morning. i'm phillip mena. >> good to be with you. i'm frances rivera. winter is officially over, but much of the country is getting a rude spring awakening. another nor'easter is roaring into the east coast. the fourth to slam the region in less than three weeks, bringing heavy snow, freezing rain and powerful winds. some areas could be buried under more than a foot of snow. >> the storm is threatening to tear up homes and bring down trees and power lines. nearly 3,000 customers in the northeast are already without power, and that number is expected to skyrocket. more than 3,000 flights are canceled and some 2,000 more delayed. many new york and philadelphia schools will be closed today. nbc meteorologist bill karins is tracking this storm for us. good morning. >> we're waiting for the nor'easter to form and waiting to see how heavy and how hard it will snow in the i-95 corridor. today already overachieving snow in areas of indiana and ohio and northern kentucky. winter storm warnings for

cincinnati. in all 74 million people experiencing the lift blast of this winter weather. how much snow are we expecting? the heaviest totals will be today. northern virginia right through areas of maryland, delaware, new jersey, eastern pennsylvania, southern portions of connecticut and into areas of southern rhode island. four to eight for d.c. baltimore 4 to 8. philadelphia around 8 to 12 inches. some of the highest totals could come in areas between new york city and philadelphia. new york city i have it 6 to 10 inches. notice we really knocked the totals down when we go further to the north in areas of massachusetts. now to the other huge story that's going to be developing during the day today and unfortunately getting worse tonight. torrential rains in areas of southern california. biggest storm of the winter season. and right where we had those horrendous fires we're expecting as much as three to four inches of rain. you can only imagine what the picture's going to look like with numerous debris and mud flows in the next 24 hours. >> a lot to track this morning, bill. thank you. breaking news out of austin, texas where a sixth explosion at

a goodwill store has shaken the city yet again. authorities say an incendiary device exploded, injuring a man in his 30s, but they don't believe this blast is connected to the spate of package bombings in recent weeks. >> this was a old military-type ordinance that initiated in this person's hand and it did cause injury. there's no reason to believe that it is related to any of the other incidents that have occurred. >> police say the victim was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. hundreds of fbi and atf agents have swarmed the city following a wave of seemingly disjointed attacks. authorities are poring through surveillance footage collected from a fedex facility. the site of the latest package explosion. hoping to get closer to tracking down this serial bomber. nbc's gabe gutierrez tells us the latest from austin. gabe, good morning. >> reporter: frances, good morning. authorities here in austin, texas say that this latest incident involving what was

initially reported to be an explosion turns out it is not connected to any of the previous explosions, five of them, of the last couple weeks. and a sixth package that was intercepted, believed to be tied to a serial bomber. in this particular case it happened late last night, there was a small explosion at a goodwill store where a goodwill employee was injured. but authorities now say it appears to be artillery simulators and they describe military mementos that have been dropped off at this goodwill store, and it's created a small explosion that injured this employee. but again, not believed to be tied to any of the previous explosions. but this is now turning into a massive federal investigation with more than 500 federal agents, fbi and atf agents and they are poring over surveillance video of the fedex facility believed to be where the suspected serial bomber may have mailed two packages including one that detonated overnight last night, injuring

the fedex worker near san antonio. so far two people have been killed. five people have been injured in this rash of bombings. and now this investigation taking a bigger turn now with the introduction of the suspect potentially sending bombs over mail delivery services. and that's what investigators are looking at right now. frances? >> all right, gabe, thanks. a major development in the stormy daniels saga. the result of a 2011 lie detector test that finds a 99% probability the adult film star told the truth about her alleged relationship with donald trump. daniels' lawyer confirming that this was a photo from a video of that test. zplt white house has denied allegations made against president trump and now a former "playboy" model is suing for the right to tell her own story. nbc's kristen welker has the latest. >> reporter: "playboy" playmate karen mcdougal says she was paid off to stay silent by an associate of president donald

trump. mcdougal claims she had an affair with mr. trump in 2006 and in a lawsuit mcdougal says a.m.i., the company who knowns the "national enquirer" and whose chief executive is a friend of president trump's, paid her $150,000 to keep her story secret. mcdougal claims the agreement is invalid because the media company and her lawyer at the time misled her about the deal. and the parallels are striking to stormy daniels. her attorney releasing this photo which he says shows the adult film actress taking a lie detector test in 2011. nbc news has obtained the polygraph report, which shows the examiner determined she was truthful. michael avenatti telling nbc news they paid $25,000 for the video. >> we caught wind of the fact that there were a number of third parties, some in the mainstream media, that were attempting to purchase the video and the file for use in what i will describe as nefarious activities. >> reporter: the exam was requested by "life & style"

magazine, which interviewed damages about her alleged 2006 affair with mr. trump. when daniels was asked if she had unprotected sex with donald trump, she answered yes. the white house has repeatedly called those claims false. >> he's denied all of these allegations. >> reporter: and in a third case, a def-nation battle by former "apprentice" contestant summer serve zervos, a new york judge ruled the case can go forward and denied the trump lawyers' request for immunity. mr. trump's lawyers had argued he deserved immunity for being commander in chief. zervos says mr. trump groped her in 2007. as a candidate trump repeatedly denied her claims and those of other women who accused him of misconduct. >> they are all false. they're totally invented. fiction. all -- >> reporter: no word from the white house, but stormy daniels is feeting, saying the president lied about their relationship, bullied her, broke laws, and she insis insists, "i'm not going anywhere." and a controversy of a very different kind. the president getting criticized

for congratulating russian president vladimir putin on his re-election that many say was fraudulent and for failing to press putin on election meddling. frances. >> kristen, thanks. the white house is pushing back on some of that criticism about the putin call. press secretary sarah sanders says president trump does not dictate how other countries run their elections. this after some gop lawmaker said the call sends the wrong message, especially amid allegations of a fix. in a scathing rebuke senator john mccain tweeted "an american president does not lead the free world by congratulating dictators on winning sham elections." nbc's tracie polths tts is joins from washington. >> even mitch mcconnell who's often reluctant to criticize the president publicly said calling putin would not have been high on his list. you can imagine how democrats are piling up about this. this was a call that came from the president's private residence, congratulating putin on what has become a controversial win, with

allegations of ballot stuflg in that russian election. and now the "washington post" reporting this morning that aides urged the president not to congratulate putin, actually wrote that in his notes for the call, and urged him to condemn russia for poisoning a russian spy and his daughter in great britain. russia has denied that. but sarah huckabee sanders, the president's spokeswoman, says that didn't even come up. she did say the president's relationship with russia isn't a problem. and here's why. >> we disagree with the fact we shouldn't have conversations with russia. at the same time we've been very clear in the actions we've taken that we're going to be tough on russia, particularly when it comes to areas we feel they've stepped out of place. >> reporter: all of this in the middle of the russia investigation happening here. lawmakers mulling over whether

they need to put a law in place to protect the job of the man in charge, robert mueller, the special counsel. republicans in charge here say they don't think that's necessary because phillip, they don't think the president will fire him. >> but it is another russia controversy this administration does not need. tracie, thank you. >> all right. a lot of dicey situations when it comes to the weather all the way from the east coast to the west coast. nbc's bill karins is watching it for us. bill. >> let's focus on the nor'easter because you have the impacts of the snow and sleet but we also have to deal with the potential for strong winds. thankfully these winds will be the weakest of any of the previous storms. about 30 to 40 gusts new york city, 20 to 30 d.c. to philadelphia. montauk out in areas of coastal could get a little higher than that, maybe until the 40-mile-per-hour range. as far as coast'll flooding goes, moderate flooding expected in long island and the jersey shore and northern delaware later this afternoon and this evening.

areas. from southern new england to the jersey area back down to d.c. no problem with severe weather today as cleanup day in north florida. we'll talk more about the timing of all this mess as we come back. >> it's going to be important. president trump has named a post office in bakersfield, california after legendary singer merle haggard, who died in 2016 at the age of 79. marvel's black panther continues to break records. twitter reports the superhero film has inspired 35 million tweets, making it the most tweet bd movie of all time. zoo workers expect to know the gender of the cub by may and

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police in pennsylvania say this suv flipped over and caught fire after hitting a divider on the highway and launching it into the air. it catapulted tone a school parking lot crashing into several cars. faculty at the st. simon and jude school put up a flame shortly after the imparkts which occurred while class was in session. no students or staff were hurt. the driver was pulled out and taken to a nearby hospital. police are thanking everyone who helped out there. leading the news this morning melania trump holding her first public event on cyberbullying. more than a year after announcing that would be one of her major causes as first lady. and she's taking on her critics as well who say it's an issue she shouldn't speak out on. hallie jackson has the story. >> reporter: from the first lady a policy push protecting kids from cruelty online. >> and i believe together we can

make a real difference in encouraging positive behaviors on social media. he. >> reporter: leaders from facebook, twitter, and snapchat at the table along with an echt in the room, the first lady's husband, no stranger to prolific personal attacks online. "the new york times" logging a list of the 425 people, places and things donald trump has trashed on twitter, from allies and enemies to celebrities and corporations. insults like fake and failing and frankenstein. >> i'm well aware that people are skeptical of me discussing this topic. but it will not stop me from doing what i know is right. >> steven balcom runs the family online safety institute. >> is it mixed messaging to you, melania trump pushing this while her husband is operating a different kind of philosophy online? >> she addressed it up front. >> and were you satisfied with her acknowledgment of this? >> we'll see where this leads. >> her office has said the first

lady will always speak out on issues that affect the well-being of children. hallie jackson, nbc news, the white house. are you ready for some football? a new competitor to the nfl. plus anyone with a student loan may be severely impacted if they default. we'll bring you those details, next. actually, you do. harmful bacteria lurk just below the gum line, and if you're not taking care of your gums, you're not taking care of your mouth. so now i use this. crest gum detoxify. introducing new crest gum detoxify... it works below the gum line and is clinically proven to neutralize harmful plaque bacteria and help reverse early gum damage. new gum detoxify, from crest. gums are good. so is my check up! crest. healthy, beautiful smiles for life.

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football. >> football fans get ready for a new league coming your way. it's called the alliance of american football. and co-founders charlie ebersohl and hall of famer bill pole polian say 28 draw players looking to extend their professional careers. it will begin february 19 the week after the super bowl. they're going to undercut the'll xfl. >> what do you think, though? be honest. >> this one involves more nfl players and it already has the network backing for cbs. so -- and it's starting sooner. i think it has the edge. in 19 states across the country student loans can cost you more than just a few bucks. if you default on those loans, state-issued professional loinss can be revoked from teachers, firefighters, doctors and more. south dakota also suspends driver's licenses. the ban was a push to get people to pay off their debt. but it keeps people out of work.

it's a vicious circle saying i need to work to pay off the loan, they won't let you work if you have a debt. >> i graduated almost ten years ago and i still am having to pay all these things off. very debilitating. remember that lucky kid who took a selfie with justin timberlake during the super bowl halftime performance? he's becoming something of a celebrity himself. his name is ryan mckenna. otherwise known as selfie kid. and he's been taking selfies with his new celebrity fans everywhere that he goes. most recently he was at the i heart radio awards and he snapped? photos with paris hilton, iggy azalea, mario lopez, there he is, and many more celebrities. this kid's charmed life just continues. sxwle i just want >> i just want to know who is he googling to find out who is mario lopez and paris hilton. starbucks is issuing a $10

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- this is what america's about. - sometimes it's nice to see all the good that's out there. bringing folks out, we have seen it in community after community. in today's top stories new developments in the stormy daniels case. the results of a 2011 polygraph find a 99% probability the adult film star told the truth about having unprotected sex with donald trump, according to a copy of the report obtained by nbc news. daniels' lawyer michael avenatti confirmed this photo is from a video taken during the polygraph test. he said he paid $25,000 to purchase the video and related documents because a number of third parties were trying to buy it for, quote, nefarious activities. daniels is suing over a non-disclosure agreement signed shortly before the 2016 election. the white house denies the allegations against president trump. minneapolis police officer who fatally shot an unarmed

australian woman last july has been arrested and charged. 32-year-old mohammed noor faces third degree murder and second-degree manslaughter charges. the victim, 40-year-old justine damon, called 911 about a poblth sexual assault near her house. when police arrived she approached the vehicle and that is when she was shot in the abdomen. officer noor is scheduled to pear in court later today. survivors of the deadly parkland shooting are gearing up for the march of our lives rally this saturday. they expect 1 million people to participate in rallies against gun violence nationwide. some of hollywood's biggest stars including amy schumer, yara shahidi, olivia wilde will also be there to show their support. and six marjory douglas stoneman high school students spoke at a panel at harvard's institute for politics, repeating their calls for action. >> vote on the side of human lives that are innocently taken,

thousands of people every year. that's okay because we'll shoat you out. >> meanwhile, as a trump-leaked firm comes under scrutiny for harvesting millions of facebook users' data experts say the tactic may not have been very effective. they tell nbc news cambridgica's psychographic targeting is nothing new and there's little evidence it generated information beyond basic voting data. experts say they doubt the election could have been swung by cambridge analytica. a young boy in a children's hospital got special news. when young auv was placed on a wait list for a heart transplant months ago his doctors promised to dress up like chewbacca when a heart became available here. so look what happened here. look at the doctor coming in. and yep, he's got the full-on chewbacca costume right there. to give austin the great news. the video already has over 300,000 views on facebook and more power to austin getting

that transplant. we wish him well. >> yeah. congrats to austin. and very grateful i'm sure to

the suspect in a string of deadly bombings in austin, texas is 4:30. the suspect in a string of deadly bombings in austin, texas, is now dead. the news coming in within the last couple of hours. we're covering this breaking story still developing right now. and tracking the next storm. the radar is lighting up as you can see right now as yet another round of rain moves in. how long will this stick around? good morning and thank you so much for joining us on this busy wednesday morning. i'm marcus washington. >> and i'm kris sanchez, i'm in for laura garcia who still has laryngitis, she will be out for the rest of the week. that will stick with you sometimes. >> yeah. but it is a good day to be inside for me personally. thank you. >> yeah. >> for all of us because it's going to be off and on wet. we are going to see rounds of rain moving through