winter may be a month away, but from arkansas to new england, millions are in the path of a storm that's bringing snow, sleet, and dangerously slick roads that have already claimed two lives. caught on camera. a routine traffic stop that becomes a frightening shoot-out with police in broad daylight. stormy daniels' attorney is now free on $50,000 bond after being arrested on suspicion of domestic violence. the death toll in california's wildfires is climbing as the frantic search for possibly hundreds continues. and now toxic smoke is causing

further alarm. look at the lower left corner of your tv here. right after he shoots that three, that was one of the dirtiest plays on a basketball court we have seen in quite a while. a busy show ahead. "early today" starts right now. good morning. i'm phillip mena. >> and i'm marlie hall. this morning the season's first winter storm is on track to pack a wallop on much of the east coast from arkansas to new england. and much of the rest of the country braces for arctic temperatures. winter alerts are affecting 89 million americans. so far, areas from louisiana across up to missouri have seen the heaviest amounts of early snowfall. with icy conditions in mississippi claiming two lives in a tour bus crash. and as the storm heads further north to new england, those states can expect potentially paralyzing traffic and power hazards. nbc's meteorologist bill karins is here. give us the latest. >> good morning. some headlines. three inches already reported in st. louis.

indianapolis, less snow, more ice. you're an ice storm warning. could get as much as a quarter inch of ice there. now we're watching the heavy rain continuing. the flood threat in areas of georgia up through the carolinas. so here's a map that just shows all the winter weather advisories and warnings and watches that are still existing here. it's pretty much the ohio valley all the way through the northeast. the snowfall totals just a little bit more in st. louis through the north portion of the ohio valley. but the significant snow is for the northeast will come as we go throughout the day today. it's now beginning in areas of northern and west virginia and then pennsylvania will get covered as we go throughout the day and eventually moving up to the north. notice d.c. not calling for hardly anything for you. you're at 39 degrees. that morning commute shouldn't be too bad. philadelphia, not bad for you. new york city and boston, very little snow for the big cities. it's interior sections that will get it the worst during the day today. >> all right, bill. thank you. stormy daniels' lawyer, michael avenatti, is out on bail this morning after he was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence. los angeles police brought in

avenatti following an alleged incident on tuesday. they set his bail at $50,000. the alleged victim was unidentified. his estranged wife confirmed through her lawyer that she is not the victim, and she's never known him to be physically violent toward anyone. >> avenatti fiercely denies the accusation, saying he's never been physically abusive. he says the claim was fabricated to hurt his reputation. >> i have never struck a woman. i never will strike a woman. i have been an advocate for women's rights my entire career, and i'm going to continue to be an advocate. i am not going to be intimidated. >> avenatti says he looks forward to a full investigation and is confident he'll be exonerated. the attorney rose to fame after representing adult film star stormy daniels, who claims she had a sexual relationship with donald trump, something the president denies. he's a frequent guest on cable tv and an outspoken critic of

mr. trump. the first lady showing just how much pull she has at the white house. after several feuds with melania trump, deputy national security adviser mira ricardel is out, officially reassigned within the administration. in an unprecedented move, mrs. trump called for her ousting tuesday night. sources say ricardel clashed repeatedly with the east wing, and in a statement, white house spokesperson say sarah huckabee sanders says mira ricardel will continue to support the president. now to a wild attack in jail. the teenager accused in the massacre at stoneman douglas high school in parkland, florida, is now accused of ambushing an officer, even grabbing his taser. nbc's kerry sanders has details. >> reporter: accused marjory stoneman douglas high school shooter nikolas cruz back in court after a stunning turn of events, allegedly attacking a guard in jail. according to an affidavit, wednesday afternoon a deputy guarding cruz told him not to drag his sandals on the ground

while walking. instead cruz responded by displaying his middle finger, rushed the deputy, and struck him in the face and hit him repeatedly. investigators say it was all recorded on a closed circuit camera at the broward county jail, including cruz grabbing the deputy's taser-like device like this one before the deputy got it back. andrew pollack's daughter, meadow, was among the 17 killed in the shooting. reacting to word deputies eventually got the upper hand on cruz. >> the officers should have finished what he started. that's what they should have done. and they had their opportunity last night. >> reporter: nikolas cruz still in jail in solitary confinement. kerry sanders, nbc news, ft. lauderdale. across california, the wildfires still burning strong with search teams continuing their grim search for victims. the statewide death toll now up to 59. 56 of them from northern california's camp fire alone. the number of lives lost to the state's deadliest blaze likely

to skyrocket with nearly 300 people still unaccounted for. but amid the heartbreak, generosity is pouring in across the state. several groups collecting supplies and crowdfunding for those displaced in butte county. in southern california, where the woolsey fire still burns, lady gaga delivered pizza and gift cards to those staying at shelters. ellen degeneres donated $100,000 to the l.a. fire department. and sandra bullock donating $500,000 told to the red cross and humane societies of ventura county. crews are making headway against the woolsey fire, but the big concern now is potentially toxic smoke. nbc's miguel almaguer is in the fire zone. >> reporter: in the smoldering mountains outside los angeles, a grim discovery. the 51st body in a skyrocketing statewide death toll. with more than 9,000 structures torched, most in northern california, many are still unaccounted for. carol haxby's son missing for nearly a week.

>> i don't know what i'm going to do. >> reporter: families impacted by the fire in paradise filing a lawsuit against pacific gas and electric, the power company they blame for sparking the fire. while investigators have not yet determined the cause, if found liable, the utility says it could face financial trouble. meantime, in southern california, new questions. >> i think it's so serious that i'm afraid to think about it. >> reporter: melissa bumstead is one of many residents who fears her family has been breathing toxic smoke for days after fire scorched part of the santa susana field lab contaminated with toxic chemical. >> when the fire incinerated all of the grass and the trees, that probably released a lot more contamination. >> reporter: but government officials say testing shows the air is safe. some doctors and advocates call that a smoke screen. >> smoke from any brush fire is dangerous to inhale. in this case with these added very hazardous elements, it

makes it far more dangerous. >> reporter: in hard hit communities, new questions and worry even after the firestorm has passed. it's a scene that's playing out block after block, neighborhood after neighborhood in both northern and southern california. firefighters say in the days ahead, there is no question the death toll will rise. phillip? >> all right, miguel almaguer, thank you. now to the u.s.-mexico border. >> reporter: defense secretary mattis was with thousands of troops demanded by president trump over his concerns about that caravan of migrants and refugees. meanwhile, the president hasn't spoken much about the caravan since the election. here's nbc's hans nicoles. >> reporter: defense secretary jim mattis on the border getting progress reports and giving pep talks. >> one thing about the u.s. army, we give you a mission, you'll do it, right? >> reporter: preparing his troops to dig in for the holidays as they wait for the caravan of migrants and refugees still one week away from tijuana. >> we want legal immigration. that's part of what makes

america good. but illegal, we're going to carry out the law. >> reporter: mattis touring with the embattled homeland security secretary kirstjen nielsen, insisting the nearly 6,000 troops are mostly unarmed and won't apprehend migrants. the president has all been stopped talking about the caravan after daily warnings in the lead-up to the election. >> i think you can't call it anything but a stunt here. >> reporter: troops won't get combat pay, but some will receive an additional $250 a month for being away from their families. hans nicoles, nbc news. police in arkansas have released dramatic dash cam footage with this officer amazingly coming out unscathed. brett thompson was making a traffic stop sunday when the driver started shooting at him. another car approaches in the opposite direction but quickly goes into reverse and gets out of there as the shots rang out. footage from another angle shows the suspect and corporal thompson continuing that firefight around the corner before the suspect jumps back into his car and takes off.

police later arrested 29-year-old luis konobo. he faces murder and terrorism charges. the officer's vehicle was damaged, but miraculously, thompson was not hurt. a college basketball player has been suspended for elbowing another team's player in the face after a three-point shot. >> corner wide open. tanaglia. >> this vicious attack happened after fitchburg state university in massachusetts. the school has apologized and said it was appalled by the student's actions. >> he's also been suspended indefinitely and they won't let him back on campus either. bill karins, is it possible that louisiana and arkansas got ice and snow before new york? >> that's true. it's a good point. areas in the south are going to get more snow than even d.c. and philly by the time this is said and done. we also had the flash flood threat. the areas of green are under

flash flood watches. it goes from georgia all the way to the jersey shore. areas of red, we're seeing rivers in flood stage or problems with flash flooding in areas of georgia. 34 million people under those headlines. a lot of travel concerns. in the northeast, the today, weather will be going downhill quickly as we go throughout the morning. as we head towards this upcoming weekend, things will quiet down. >> mercifully. thank you, bill. today's quick hits. the 2018 cy young award winners have been announced. blake snell finished with 21 wins. in the national league, it was jacob degrom. despite getting just ten wins, he did post-the best e.r.a. in

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unstopables in-wash scent booster ♪ downy unstopables florida officials are racing to recount ballots by this afternoon's deadline. the final tally is due at 3:00 p.m. eastern time, but democrats are working to get that pushed back. current governor rick scott has already declared himself the winner in the state senate race. he even posed for photos with the majority leader there. incumbent senator bill nelson has filed a lawsuit to extend the deadline. and a judge is also considering his request to count thousands of ballots that were rejected for mismatched signatures. florida's senate and gubernatorial fight are two of three major statewide races still undecided. and in georgia, the governor's

race still too close to call and could be heading for a runoff. democrat stacey abrams scored a partial victory in court late wednesday. a federal judge ruled that counties must accept absentee ballots despite minor discrepancies. call it senator jeff flake's last stand. the lame duck arizona senator says he'll block president trump's judicial nominees until the chamber puts up a bill protecting special counsel robert mueller. senator flake has clashed with president trump in the past and has frequently worried about the fate of the russia investigation. the bold move by flake comes after senate majority leader mitch mcconnell blocked a bipartisan effort to safeguard the special counsel. last week president trump appointed a critic of the investigation to serve as acting attorney general. speaking of robert mueller, an ice cream truck in d.c. is serving the latest scoop in russian interference with a robert mueller-themed truck. check this out here. it's real. the guilty pleasures truck was created by a progressive organization called move on.

it debuted yesterday. it was handing out free scoops in front of the department of justice too. the flavors include mueller berry, cartel almond brittle, putin's vanilla delight, and fudge the truth chocolate. you can get them in cup or cohen size. get it? today it will be outside the trump hotel in washington, d.c., and tomorrow it will be in front of the russian embassy. how about that? >> it's certainly creative. coming up, 2018's defining moment. oxford dictionary's word of the year next. and worried your wife doesn't like your no-shave november scruff? now there's scientific proof that beards grow on you. you're watching "early today."

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hey, i'm walking here. >> i drive a cab. get in the cab. what's your problem? yo. all right. i've been working, but i believe my instrument is ready. >> great, because we saved this idea just for you. you would play dr. foxx. >> but the cool thing is that dr. farts can't stop burping. >> can't stop, won't stop. >> it's good to be back. >> for the third time, steve carell will be hosting snl this weekend, and his musical guest will be ella may. >> looks like it's going to be a

good one. >> yeah. steve carell, he's amazing. remember him from the office, of course. that's where he got on the map. he's in a serious movie now. >> including make us laugh. from a list including terms like gaslighting, and tech lash, toxic was chosen as objectionford dictionary's word of the year for 2018. oxford has noticed an uptick in interest. it was mainly selected of its many meanings it's held over the years related to hot button topics such as toxic masculinity, a slew of environmental issues, and conversations surrounding mental health. toxic is also a good way to describe a lot of the comments that come on twitter and all social media. toxic makes sense. it's the word of the year. just in time for no-shave november, there's a new study out that says when it comes to facial hair, women prefer a little stubble.

the journal of evolutionary biology sur vafed 8,500 women, and they rate men at different stages, clean shaven, five days after shaving, ten days, then a whole month without shaving. so heavy stubble or guys that had gone ten days without shaving, that was found to be the most attractive feature. in second came full beards. in third, light stubble. and dead last was clean shaven. your thoughts? >> interesting results. but it depends on the face. if it's a good looking face, it doesn't matter, right? >> makes a lot of sense. up next, looking finger lickin' good. kfc cooks up its own line of clothes that can be yours for just a few hundred bucks. you're watching "early today."

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all right. welcome back. as we go throughout the day today, obviously the weather goes downhill in the northeast. a nor'easter forms this evening. it will still be affecting areas of the northeast and especially new england early on friday. then it will kick out during the day. by saturday, everything is gone and it will be a cleaned up day, and hopefully all the roads and sidewalks will improve that do get the snow. the next cold blasts comes out of montana. we're getting stuck in this weather pattern. a quick shot of snow once again through the ohio valley on sunday, but nothing extreme. still to come, the phone with amazing night vision you got to see. and a young american killed while vacationing in mexico, and it's sparking new concerns about a popular vacation spot.

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ahead of the holiday travel season, a warning from a family searching for answers after the murder of their son in mexico. the homicide rate there has sky rocketed, and the state department is urging tourists to be cautious. here's nbc's gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: taylor meyer's family is devastated. >> this -- this can't be happening. this can't be true. >> reporter: his mother in california reeling. her 27-year-old son was visiting playa del carmen to celebrate a friend's birthday when he was stabbed to death. >> three people attacked him, stabbed him, took his wallet, his phone, his watch. >> reporter: mexican police have just announced an arrest, but it

comes as authorities investigate another case, the mysterious disappearance of 34-year-old patrick braxton andrew, a teacher from north carolina who vanished two weeks ago from a mexican village popular with hikers. mexico welcomed nearly 40 million foreign visitors last year, but the country also recorded its highest homicide rate on record with nearly 30,000 murders. that's even higher than 2011 when cartel violence soared. for years, the u.s. state department has urged americans to exercise increased caution when traveling to mexico, and some areas carry a do not travel warning. >> they're beautiful areas, but it's not the same place that it used to be. >> reporter: as one family searches for answers, they're warning other travelers to be careful. gabe gutierrez, nbc news. >> i've been to mexico twice these last couple of months, and you can have so much fun there and forget about those alarming stats. >> very important. well, google hopes that you'll see the light after the release of its new feature

allowing you to take great pictures in the dark. the tech company first announced the nightside mode in october, but it has now rolled out on all pixel phones. the new update will make your low-light photos appear brighter. the mode works by taking up to 15 frames in a third of a second. now what was once too dark can be seen again. so those club photos are going to be lit, literally. >> that's how people choose phones, i think. they don't know about all the other components. all they want is cool pictures for their instagram. all right. fashion brand human made, they are teasing an extra crispy clothing collection. it's a collaboration with none other than kfc. the designs range in price from 20 bucks to a whopping $375 and feature the fast food restaurant's iconic kentucky colonel logo alongside the bold 1950s americana graphic prints. brand reps say they're eager to share thb obsession with the concern in stores in new york city. they're also going to be available online until november 23 srd.

i got to say they're pretty cool. i like it. i'd wear it. >> you got to like chicken, though. well, thanks for watching "early today." i'm marlie hall. >> i'm phillip mena. the shirts might be even better. keep it right he. more newers pk ad lib live picture of fremot

. good thursday morning to you. 4:30 as we take a live look out on fremont. that's a clear shot to me. better than we've seen days past. thank you for starting your day with us on "today in the bay." i'm marcus washington. >> i'm laura garcia. let's get a check of the forecast. >> it feels cold this morning, and we'll see that this morning. the air quality is unhealthy and the smoke alert continues through friday night.