lysol. what it takes to protect. i'm shocked and incredibly disappointed. this has been an awful week for virginia. >> chaos in the commonwealth. the state of virginia engulfed in political crisis with the governor, his lieutenant, and the attorney general a democrats, all under fire. and the next in the line of succession, a republican. new mexico's governor defies president tr and witchief by ac, get you high so whywnn the popd oil derived from cannabis. police are cracking down on

the waze traffic app. what they want removed and don't want drivers to know. soap opera legend's susan lucci's health scare and a warning for women everywhere. "early today" starts right now. good thursday morning. i'm phillip mena. >> i'm frances rivera. chaos is rocking virginia as scandals trigger a dangerous domino effect on the state's top democrats. the state's attorney general, mark herring, also admitting that he too appeared wearing blackface. meanwhile, governor ralph northam clings to power as the calls for his resignation grow stronger. and lieutenant governor justin fairfax now dealing with his own controversy involving a sexual assault allegation. geoff bennett has the latest from richmond. >> reporter: in the former capital of confederacy, two scandals reopening old wounds on race and a claim of sexual assavirginia attorney general m herring nows he in 1980, he and what he called wigs and brown makeup to attend a party dre li

the time, just days after governor ralph northam apologized for his own blackface scandal. this racist photo on his med school yearbook page. northam now denies being in the photo while recalling and regretting having darkened his skin to dress up like michael jackson for a contest in 1984. >> i'm shocked and incredibly disappointed. this has been an awful week for virginia. >> reporter: those scandals sending shock waves as the woman accusing lieutenant governor justinairfax of sexual assault broke her silence. dr. vanessa tyson, a college professor, saying in a statement that a 2004 encounter with fairfax, which she says started as consensual kissing, turned into a sexual assault.tyn says brand me as a liar to a national audience in service to his political ambitions. fairfax releasing a statement of his own, saying, i cannot agree with a description of events that i know is not true. >> i personally have not called for anybody's resignation. i don't plan to.

i just need to learn what's going on and just ask people not to rush to judgment. >> reporter: virginians fed up as the scandals spiral. >> it's very difficult to find anybody to look up to as carrying the mantle for the commonwealth. >> reporter: and this morning governor northam is still refusing calls to step down, saying he wants more time to clear his name. he may get his wish, seeing as how both of his successors are now facing scandal. frances. >> geoff bennett, thank you. president trump praised the u.s. and its allies in their fight against isis. speaking to a room of more than 70 officials at the global coalition to defeat isis, mr. trump said officials would announce next week that 100% of the isis caliphate he been liberated. late last year the coalition announced that isis held 1% of the lands in syria and iraq even though earlier this month intelligence officials reported otherwise, claiming that isis was still a threat. new mexico's governor is drawing a line in the border battle. michelle lujan grisham is ordering the withdrawal of

national guard troops, challenging president trump's claim that there's a crisis at the u.s. and mexico border. in a fiery rebuke, the governor said, quote, new mexico will not take part in the president's charade of border fearmongering. meanwhile in an nbc news exclusive, hundreds of migrants with a new caravan have arrived at the u.s. border. but according to customs and border protection officials, u.s. agents in the small town of eagle pass will only process 20 or less asylum seekers a day. and there are reportedly no plans to beef up the number of officer who's can administer the first steps towards seeking asylum. house democrats are undeterred by president trump's warning in the state of the union. they shrugged off thevestigatio sweeping probes into the trump campaign and beyond. nbc's tracie potts joining us now from washington to break it all down for us. tracie, good morning. it appears the democrats are playing hardball here. >> reporter: exactly. in some cases upping the ante. for example, matt whitaker, the acting attorney general is supposed to testify on capitol hill tomorrow. the house judiciary committee

has issued a subpoena -- or is going to issue a subpoena in case he doesn't show or in case he doesn't answer questions. they say it won't be necessary if he shows up for that hearing. then the house intelligence committee revamping the russia investigation. that republican shutdown last year, reopening that, sending 50 interview transcripts to the fbi's russia team, and also now expanding to include the committee. >> his oversight of the administration, that's a non-starter. we are not going to be intimidated or threatened by the president. >> to say that we can't do that is to say we shouldn't do our constitutional duty. it's to assert an executive pre-eminence that one would think he might want to be a dictator. he cannot escape nor should any president escape congressional oversight. >> reporter: now, at least one republican says that subpoena is a dangerous precedent. there are other committees

looking into the president's finances. in fact, ways and means is slowly considering whether or how to get access to the president's tax returns to see if there are any conflicts between his job and his former business, the trump organization. the president says all of this is just unfair. here's what he said about that russia investigation on capitol hill. >> he's just a political hack who is trying to build a name for himself, and i think that's fine because that's what they do. it's called presidential harassment. >> reporter: and there are a number of other committees not looking at the president personally but also at his policies on gun control, on the. so you're right, phillip. democrats here gearing up, and some of these investigations aim squarely at president trump. >> we coined thismorning, presidential harassment. tracie, thank you. president trump meanwhile is planning to introduce a new women's empowerment initiative this afternoon.

it's called the women's global development and prosperity initiative, and it will be led by ivanka trump. it's said to help bring economic security to 50 million women across the world by 2025. the president's daughter, an adviser, has hailed the plan as a nonpartisan and generous approach to women's empowerment. it will draw from a $50 million starter fund and will team up with private companies including ups and walmart. one of the democrats hoping to unseat president trump in 2020 is apologizing yet again s er her heritage claims. embroiled in a new scandal surrounding past claims of native american ancestry. the renewed controversy coming just before warren is expected to formally announce her white house bid on saturday. nbc's peter alexander more. >> reporter: elizabeth warren watching the president at the state of the ion, but h house i. "the washington post" revealing this 1986 registration card the texas bar, showing for the first time in her own

handwriting warren identified herself as american indian. >> i am not a member of a tribe, and i have apologized for not being more sensitive to that distinction. >> reporter: the massachusetts democrat under fire over the issue for years after citing family stories. >> i consider myself as having a native american background. that's what i said. that's what i am. >> reporter: warren was accused of claiming nativeri heritage to advance her career, which she denied. president trump repeatedly targeting her with racial taunts. >> hok adna test, which >> the facts suggest that you absolutely have native american some cherokee leaders, she apologized. >> that was peter alexander reporting. marijuana may be legal in some states, but there is a new crackdown on a key chemical that is derived from the plant. cbd is gaining a lot of

popularity. people are using it for everything from anxiety to sleep to health, inflammation. although it doesn't get you high. but some cities are now saying not so fast. here's nbc's stephanie gosk. >> reporter: at the flower power coffee house in brooklyn, the hottest new thing used to be cbd. >> cbd is like the best. >> reporter: infused in just about everything, coffee, tea, pastries and candy. >> i'm a little bit of a nervous person. it just calms me down. >> reporter: but now new york city has told businesses like this one to stop serving food with the cannabis extract until it is deemed as a safe food additive. >> i have a lot of customers dee of the cannabis plant, but unlike the chemical thc does not make people high. people claim it as a kind of cure all, helping with ailments ranging from anxiety and depression to pain and even acne. but the only fda approved use of cbd is as a prescription drug for epilepsy.

>> we have to do the science. that's what's distressing for me as a scientist. it's now just accepted pretty much everywhere that cbd is going to cure you of whatever ails you. >> reporter: federal drug laws have made cbd difficult to study because the dea classifies it as a sked eun one narcotic alongside heroin and lsd. new york city follows ohio and maine, which have made similar moves restriktsing food sold with the extract. raising health questions about a roduct that is only becoming stephanie gosk, nbc news, new york. veterinarians i cat's ninev. fluffy was foundom snow and unresponsive last thursday afternoon and taken to an animal hospital. after being treated with some warm water, heating pads and a heated cage, the cat regained consciousness. she completely recovered and was sent home with her grateful owners that afternoon. >> that cat is not going to want to go outside anytime soon,

especially with the temperatures coming our way. here's bill karins. >> if i'm in montana, i want to be an indoor cat. all right. let's get into it. we are watching winter storm warnings just expanded into areas like kansas city. blizzard warnings from fargo into western portions of minnesota. this morning is the worst of the ice in missouri and eastern portions of oklahoma. then it will be on the move. blizzard conditions developing on the back side of the storm later today. heavy snow develops in wisconsin. heavy rain throughout the ohio valley. finally by the time we get to tomorrow, this mess sweeps through the northeast and a war. ice accumulations possible up to a half an inch in some spotsmio. incredibly warm day in a few spots. a lot of record highs will be

broken today. details coming up. >> boun >>. rock legend ozzie osborn is in the hospital recovering from complications with the flu. the news comes days after he was forced to cancel tour dates. his wife tweeted this is the best way to get him on a quicker road to recovery. on his official website, ozzie apologized to fans and promised to continue to tour with judas priest once he recovers. >> we need the prince of darkness back out there. side, and it's all caught on camera. plus why police are cracking down on the popular waze traffic app. what they don't want you to know, next. ♪ girl, you take care of me ♪ ♪ you are my thera♪y ♪ the better half of me ♪ say it again ♪ ♪ if you love me, love me, love me ♪ like you say ♪ ♪ darling tell me all the ways ♪ tell me all the ways ♪ now, we're bringing you all the ways

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that loan. payday loans are known for their extraordinarily high interest rates. consumer advocates argue that by removing this restriction, the consumer financial protection bureau will put borrowers at risk for mounting debt. a school bus lost control and flipped over with students inside. it happened in kansas city. watch the bus is making its way down an icy road. right there. it rolls over on the street. three students were inside at the time. they got minor bumps and bruises and were sent home early. city officials will be treating the icy roads this morning. school officials will have an early release today because of all that bad weather they're having. >> hope they had seat belts in there and they were fastens. are you one of the 100 million people around the world using the waze app? police want the popular google traffic app to go in a new direction. the app is taking heat for giving away something officers don't want drivers to know about. ron allen has the story. >> reporter: that waze app under fire for providing certain information many drivers use every time they get on the road.

waze works by encouraging passengers and drivers to report accidents and traffic ahead so drivers can get where they're going faster. but police warn that alerting drivers where they are, their locations, is irresponsible and dangerous. google owns the crowdsource gps navigation system, and the nypd sent the tech giant a cease and desist letter warning, posting the locations of dwi checkpoints may be considered criminal conduct. the nypd says oint officertion and speed trapslife-saving enforcement tools. so helping avoid them could actually be dangerous for others on the road. google says safety is a top priority and informing drivers about upcoming speed traps allows them to be more careful and make safer decisions on the road. but the nypd is asking the company to do the right thing and delete the feature from waze. ron allen, nbc news, new york. how strong you are, ww but we also know how tough it is to keep up with your medication.

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this wine of the night. the president inadvertently echoed richard nixon. he says if there's going to be peace and war and investigatio. i think kanye wrote that one for him because it rhymed. >> all right. delta airlines and coca-cola are catching some heat this morning for what some people are calling creepy in flight napkins aimed at getting passengers to make a love connection onboard. the napkins featured a spot for passengers to write their phone

number and then pass it along to their, quote, plane crush. some passengers were not too flattered by the gesture. one flyer tweeted pretty sure no one appreciated unsolicit the phone numbers. the company issued statements. delta said they missed the mark with this one. and coca-cola says, we sincerely apologize. american airlines has an in plane app where you can chat with other people onboard. that's creepy too. >> that's why you put the earbuds in so you don't have to talk to anybody. all right. beyond plane hookups, and i'm talking way beyond here, in case you need a how about your favorite one? 90-year-old sex therapist is teaming up with an unlikely character, all in the name of love. >> dr. ruth show with dr. ruth westheimer, coming to you fromllo. y you are on the air. >> all right. for you young people, you may not have any clue who this person is. back in the '80s, hundreds of people would call dr. ruth on her hotline asking for sex advice. well, now she will help get a

whole new generation of lovers here and their connections thanks to mr. peanut. people can tweet or call the crunchtime hotline with all of their burning questions. they are set to release a video with some of her responses next tuesday. you're right. we were talking about this. putting two and to together, dr. ruth and mr. peanut. i don't even want to try to make a connection with this. >> it's nuts. >> there you go. justahead, trading heartbreak for hot wings. people everywhere

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nasa has confirmed 2018 was the fourth hottest year on record. the new government data shows that global warming shows no signs of slowing down. that's climate. now let's talk weather. that's going to be the warm and incredibly warm record highs today we're going to get in the ohio valley and areas of west virginia. west virginia, charleston, could be 77 degrees today. it's cold on the back side of this but still feels almost like early summer in many areas of the west. we'll be back with more on "early today." [birds chirping] [brakes squealing] veryy. geico, fifteen minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance. that's an aggressive yellow. pretty great, huh?

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clay. a baltimore public schoolteacher who has become a social media star with her bold teaching style. to learn more about her and other inspiring black women, go to nbcnews.com/shethrives. a new health warning this morning from a soap opera legend. susan lucci is going public with a very private scare, hoping her message can help save lives. she sat down to talk about it with nbc's andrea mitchell. >> jack, please don't go. i love you. >> reporter: starring on an iconic soap opera. >> i do look pretty good when i'm angry. >> reporter: most people know susan lucci as the legendary erica kane on all my children, a role requiring many trips to the altar over four decades. finally winning an after 19 tries. >> the streak is over! susan lucci! >> reporter: now at 72, lucci is speaking out about her own heart scare. >> i didn't want to overreact. i didn't want to be foolish. i didn't want to take the doctor's time. twice that month i had very little tightness in my chest

radiating around to my back, around my ribcage. >> reporter: two weeks later it happened again. symptoms for women are different than symptoms for men. >> exactly, and i didn't have sweating. i had no tingling in my arm, but i had that pressure on my chest like an elephant pressing on my chest. >> reporter: doctors say she might have died if a friend hadn't taken her to a nearby hospital. a ct scan revealed there was 90% blockan artery, something doctors call a widow maker. and she's not alone in her battle. heart disease is the number one killer of women, causing the death of nearly 300,000 women a year. symptoms can also include chest painnausea, fatigue, sweating, and shortness of breath. what's your message to other women? >> to listen to your body. to put yourself on your to-do list. to not dismiss any symptom that seems irregular for your body. >> reporter: a soap star who made a lasting impression on-screen -- >> i know how lucky i was and i hope to pass that forward to

somebody else. >> reporter: -- hoping to save lives with her own real life terrifying drama. andrea mitchell, nbc news, new york. >> good to pay attention to your heart, especially this time of month. >> yeah. >> you know why? valentine's day -- >> oh, itfoodhis valentine's da. all you have to do is bring in an image of your , you'll get ten wings for free. because we all know it's all about the wings. >> word to the wise. >> word to the wise. you hang out at hooters a lot, this is why we no longer have to worry about flushing too much toilet paper. wait, so you don't flush your toilet paper at home? no yuck because that man is afraid. afraid too much toilet paper will back up our system. but dad, rid-x contains billions of enzymes proven to break down even paper to help keep your whole septic system healthy. it's science dude. for paper, grease or waste breakdown, use rid-x.

ad lib live picture - trans america shot and good thursday morning on this february 7th. taking a live look at the bay bridge there. beautiful start to our morning. it's cold out there, and those temperatures, just take a look at them there. cold. easy way to put it. even walking in my garage it was ld come. normally it's not cold ie. go walking in your garage. >> hmm. >> he's got that covered. >> good morning. i'm ura.

mike has a look at the morning commute but it is a really cold one out there, especially in ou. it's going to be in the upper 30s even