. winter's wallop. a major snowstorm slams the southeast burying the carolinas and virginia. hundreds of flights cancel and thousands without power this morning. a look at the chaos as millions begin to dig their way out. why the man tapped to reace president trump's chief of staff is pulling himself out of the running. here history in the making. we'll listen in on the first ever recording of wind on mars. the nfl playoff picture comes into focus. the wild day on the gridiron. from overtime nail biters to a last second heart break. we will have the biggest moments from subpoenaed. "early today" starts right now.

i'm francis riviera. >> i'm phillip mena. a massive winter storm has brought much of the southeast to a standstill. almost 2,000 departing flights were canceled and hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses lost power. some areas were hit with as much as 18 inches of snow and freezing rain. >> at least four deaths have been blamed on the storm, and officials are urging people to stay inside and off the roads. nbc's dan shenaman has the latest. >> reporter: the snow-covered south. >> around here we get some snow every year, but this is a big one. >> reporter: a winter storm dumping a dangerous blend of snow, ice, and freezing rain all over the region. travel is tricky. >> i'm a little nervous. i ain't going to lie. >> absolutely worse than i thought. >> reporter: everyone in the storm's path has been warned, stay put. >> roads ain't plowed. we're going to be stuck at home. >> reporter: the chaenz carolinas right back slammed with ice and snow. north carolina's governor has declared an emergency. >> already some areas have seen

more than a foot of snow and sleet, and we still have hours and inches of snow and ice yet to come in many places. >> reporter: while there is heavy snowfall in the mountains of western north carolina, across the state hundreds of thousands of customers are expected to lose power. charlotte's airport has been open but flights have been canceled and delayed. greens borough, most of the city has shut down. >> we have not had a snow like this in recent memory. it's an early snow. we are getting more snow in one day than we normally get the entire year. >> reporter: and the winter weather is not over yet. forecasters say it could continue through monday. dan shenaman, nbc news. >> bill karins has been tracking the storm for us. >> two feet of snow in one spot in the mountains of virginia. richmond had 11.5 inches. second biggest december snowstorm ever on record. for the most part the main portion of the storm has been kicked off the coast.

we have an upper level low that will bring patches of freezing rain still from richmond just north of the raleigh area. the roads are still very slick. we'll have hundreds if not thousands of school cancellations out there throughout this region, and winter storm warnings continue from north georgia right through the region through north carolina into areas like virginia. the snow made it the heavy snow up to about fredericksburg, virginia. d.c. was just on the edge of that, and during the day today we watched the snow and the rain here on the map kind of dissipate a little bit as we go throughout the day. it warms up enough that we'll improve a lot of the roads, and we could get a little burst of snow in areas of even south carolina tonight. all the slick roads and bridges will be with us, especially this morning, and then a refreeze later tonight. guys, we'll tb to watch this. >> oh, boy. >> you don't think of snow when you think of south carolina. the white house is on the hunt for a new chief of staff. president trump announced over the weekend that john kelly is looefgs at the end leaving at the end of the year.

the search immediately hit a snag after the man tapped to replace the outgoing chief of staff turned down the job. the top aide of vice president mike pence, nick ayers, instead, announced he too was leaving the says administration at the end of the year. kelly o'donnell is in d.c. with the latest. >> reporter: your-end challenge for president trump. his vacatincy rate. >> people leave. >> the hurdle ahead? senate confirmation for two high profile picks. >> they deserve overwhelming bipartisan support. >> she's been a supporter for a long time, and she's really excellent. >> reporter: but the path for heather nowart state department spokeswoman and fox news alum hit a snag when senator marco rubio could not say she is qualified to be u.n. ambassador. >> the things you're asking me is something she have detailed knowledge of foreign policy to a level that will allow her to be successful at the united nations? i don't know. >> reporter: a second act for william barr, who served as

attorney general 25 years ago under bush. his past legal positions and future oversight of the mueller russia investigation are his confirmation tests. >> protecting the integrity of special counsel mueller. i think that is going to be a kind of litmus test. >> uh-oh is right. i'm concerned that he has been a big support of the patriot act, which lowered the standard for spying on americans. >> reporter: no senate confirmation required to fill this weekend's sudden west wing opening. >> john kelly will be leaving. >> reporter: but the president's economic advisor could not explain a critical fact about the chief of staff's exit. >> did kelly resign, or was he forced out? >> i don't know, to be perfectly honest. i think it was very ammicable. >> sources say the president is expected to name a new chief of staff by the end of the year, and that is a change because this weekend mr. trump said he expected to have some kind of announcement within a couple of days. one top advisor, who had been in

discussions for that job, nick ayers, is not taking the position, and, instead, will leave the administration at the end of the year, and will go to a political action committee. president trump, i'm told, is looking for a long-term commitment, and ayers wants to take his young family back to georgia. francis. >> we'll see where it goes from here. kelly, thank you. after four weeks of violent protests, the president of france, emmanuel macron, will address the anti-government protests today. in paris the city of lights lit up like a war zone after 10,000 yellow vest demonstrators clashed with police. officers fired tear gas into crowds and arrested dozens of protesters all of them protesting the cult's fuel tax. the policy was created by president macron to reduce carbon emissions by raising taxes on diesel and gasoline. macron suspended the fuel tax last week but has not stopped protesters. today he will meet with business leaders and trade unions in response to the protests.

meanwhile, in london opposing marches took place ahead of a key vote tomorrow on britain's plan to leave the european union. both pro and anti-brexit groups protested. those marches were largely peaceful, but there were just three arrests. >> stocks plummeted as a trade war continues between beijing and the united states following the arrest of the chief financial officer. yesterday china summoned the u.n. ambassador demanding the arrest warrant against among wong jo be dropped. she was arrested over accusations of fraud in vancouver and is facing extradition to the united states. the arrest is part of an ongoing u.s. department investigation over whether she violated u.n. sanctions in iran. here's the very latest. janice, good morning. >> good morning, francis. china is condemning the arrest of the u.s. ambassador, who called the arrest vial and nasty and threatening grave consequences if the u.s. doesn't drop the warrant against her.

prosecutors want to extradite meng to the united states to face charges of fraud, that she tried to avert u.s. sanctions against iran. now, lawyers are opposing bail for meng. they say she's wealthy and has the means to be a flight risk, that she's used at least seven passports in the last 11 years. meng, at this point denies all of the allegations against her. here in china there is fury at what a lot of people see as the u.s. taking a competitive swipe at huawei, and the timing couldn't be worse. coming just days into this fragile truce between president trump and china's president xi jing ping to avert an all-out trade war, and that is the concern right now. we're seeing it reflected in the markets. the sense of uncertainty over whether this cease-fire will implode and eventually derail the trade talks that are supposed to come up with a deal in the next 90 days. now, a lot of the anger here is

also directed at canada for carrying out the arrest at the request of the united states. all eyes will be on that courtroom in vancouver today where meng's bail hearing will resume. the extradition, if it happens, could take months, but she could face 30 years in prison. francis. >> janis, thank you. we turn to football now. a wild day capped off with a possible preview of the nfc championship game. da bears versus the rams. they've been unstoppable until sunday night. chicago's defense absolutely smothered the high octane offense led by jared goff. the game would be tied at halftime, and early in the second half eddie block beats the block for the safety, and that gave the bears an 8-6 lead. chicago held goff to zero touchdowns and picked him off not just once, not just twice, not thrice, but four times as the bears win it 15-6. now the eagles and the

cowboys. the birds picked off dak prescott twice. the second setting up an easy touchdown right there in the third quarter. the big story here was amari cooper, the recently acquired receiver. he caught three touchdowns for 217 yards. the biggest catch, though, was the last. it happened in overtime. the ball would get dipped here by an eagles defender. oh, lucky day. amari cooper scoops it up, and the cowboys win 29-23. to the miracle in miami now. the dolphins would stun the patriots. unbelievable final play here. they had to score the touchdown to win the game. ryan tannahill. there's the lateral right there to kenyon drake. he weaves through the defense, and he would get past a stumbling rob gronkowski. no. wow. the dolphins win the game with a last play by one point. finally, the kansas city chiefs, they would purchl their ticket to the playoffs with an earth thriller against the ravens. k.c.'s quarterback patrick

mahomes continued with perhaps the highlight of the season. for 48 yards. that was a fourth down, by the way. the chiefs went on to tie the game, and enthis they would win it on a field goal in overtime. >> all right. let's turn now to bill carins. some people waking up with a miss on their hands after the weekend. >> it's going to be messy for a while. sometimes they get snow events, and it quickly melts. the snow and the rain and the freezing rain will be ending today, and then tonight refreeze will be the word that we'll be using. it's going to be cold on the back side of the storm. tomorrow morning at this time we're expecting temperatures in charlotte of 25, raleigh, 26. you know, you get the picture here. whatever is out there today will improve on the roads during the daylight hours, and then tonight everything that melted is going to refreeze things. w

no precipitation to worry about, but you can see the cold temperatures from chicago to minneapolis. we'll take a look at the week ahead forecast coming up. >> all right, bill. thank you. now to something out of this world. how about that? the spacex cargo craft is right now at the international space station. it has a special holiday delivery. the dragon capsule airborned at the iss with more than 5,600 pounds of christmas goodies. of course, some research supplies too, and food. a full christmas dinner. the dragon capsule cargo ship will return back to the earth come mid january. still ahead, still on guard. a dog is reunited with his owners after spending weeks watching over the ruins of their home. plaque psoriasis can be relentless. tremfya® is for adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. with tremfya®, you can get clearer.

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the catastrophic california campfire was found still on patrol weeks later. madison was there waiting when his owner andrea gaylord came back after nearly a month to the ruins of their burned home. animal rescuer shalea sullivan responded a request to check on the dog in which she found madison, he kept his distance. sullivan left food and water for him regularly until he was finally reunited with his human on wednesday. leading the news, a story that has legal experts in a heated debate. sintoya brown was 16 whether she was convicted of murder. her lawyer says she was too young to face a life sentence. the tennessee supreme court has just ruled that she'll have to spend at least five decades behind bars. >> tried as an adult. she was convicted of murder at just 16. she killed 43-year-old johnny alan after she said he offered to pay her for sex. during the trial brown said she feared the older man was going

to kill her. prosecutors call her a murderer, saying she robbed her victim, his friend spoke against brown at a may clemency hearing. >> johnny was loved, and he is missed dearly. >> her dream of freedom now denied. thursday brown will become eligible for parole after her 69th birthday. brown said she suffered years of child trafficking, neglect, abuse, and rape before the murder. william burnett has known brown since her arrest. he insisted teenagers shouldn't be judged like adults. >> i think it's callous, and it's -- i think it is not taking the whole picture into consideration. >> officials say brown is a model prisoner. she's now a college grad. celebrities and others have championed her case, which is still before a federal court, and tennessee's governor who could grant her clemency before he leaves office in january. brown's lower told nbc news that

he is hopeful and prayerful that will happen. >> i'm not saying i deserve anything. i'm asking for mercy. >> reporter: until then she can only wait. matt bradley, nbc news. just ahead, the sounds of the red planet. nasa records the wind on mars for the first time ever. we will listen in next. .not hur thanks to you, st. jude children's research hospital is changing how the world treats and defeats childhood cancer. we freely share our science to help find cures and save kids with cancer everywhere. and no family pays st. jude for anything... because all a family should worry about is helping their child live. visit stjude.org or shop wherever you see the st. jude logo. new listerine® ready! tabs™ aren't gum, mints, or marbles. seriously, what is this? if you guessed they're tabs that turn into liquid as you chew, so you can swish and clean your whole mouth instantly, then you were correct.

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nbc blk will commemorate black history month by celebrating the contributions of black women. she thrives will highlight ten amazing women across generations, occupations and regions. if you would like to nominate a leader from your community, go to nbc news.com/she thrives. the entries are due by december 13th. now to some news much further away. by now nns steve patterson explains. for generations we have been captivated by the image of mars. the red planet stirring wonder in films like "the martian" and with the little green men in "mars attacks." what about the way mars sounds? what you just heard was the first ever audio of marti anl

winds moving over solar panels on nasa's insight lander, picked up by its seismometer. nasa raised it a few octaves, because the original pitch is barely audible by humans. the spacecraft giving us a whole new window on mars. >> touchdown confirmed. after it landed a couple of weeks ago on a two-year mission to explore the planet's deep interior, scientists on the team are predictably geeked. >> it really sounds other worldly, and that's exactly what it is. >> reporter: even the inside lander itself is excited tweeting "i'm feeling the good vibe rags left in the wake of your martian winds." those are expanding our understanding of the universe, something now on mards we can both see and hear. steve patterson, nbc news, planet earth. ♪

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for one man the path to football fame was really against all odds. born in nigeria, was a victim of human traffickers and then found himself homeless in england before making his way to the nfl. nbc's jeff bennett has his story. carolina panthers defensive end plays like his life depends on it. >> every play, even though, you know accident win or lose, it's like life or death for me. >> reporter: it makes sense given what he has been through. >> been long and hard, and i took the long route to the nfl, took the unconventional rude.

>> efe was born in nienl era, and at 10 years old was the victim of human trafficking. he and his older sister left homeless on the streets of london before bouncing around foster homes. four years ago while struggling to piece his life together efe discovered football. >> what was it about american football that caught your attention? it was an outlet. there was a lot of anger and frustration are with where my life was and lack of progression, so, you know, that physicality kind of gave me that outlet. >> reporter: efe's rare combination of speed and power caught the attention of nfl scouts. last year the 26-year-old was assigned to carolina through the nfl's international player pathway program, which develops foreign players who show potential. efe's raw talent made an instant impression on carolina panthers coach ron riviera. >> it was an honor to go up and say, hey, dude, you have earned this. congratulations. hey, let's go maic something happened. >> how has the team reacted to him in. >> i think they've reacted tremendously well. even the guys that are competing

for playing time with him cheer for him because they see it. you know, he practices hard every day. he takes it very serious. he is very diligent with his work. >> reporter: efe earned the game ball, and his impressive nfl debut. not bad for a novice who, until four years ago, hardly knew the rules of the game. >> every day i'm still trying to close the gap between me and some of the other guys that have been doing this for years, so i'm just grateful. >> reporter: a success story in the making. >> you are my family. i love all of you. >> reporter: driven by grit and grace. jeff bennett, nbc news, charlotte, north carolina. >> wow, that is a story to get to the nfl. >> yeah. the nfl is a t an incredibly difficult league to be in. madrid was hit with a santa storm. 7,000 people dressed up as santa claus and ran through spain's capital this weekend.

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