. here we go again extreme weather hitting multiple states across the country. deadly storms ravaging towns and cities with tremendous force new details just coming into our nbc newsroom mplgs and the omicron variant of covid gaining traction some forced to quarantine or bench many star players and personnel. it started as a dash-for-cash student at the hockey game for teachers but the payoff turned out to be

humiliating and nothing like they planned pets in need, following the deadly tornado in nine states. many dogs and cats are now in need of new homes. nbc news' tim furlong shares their stories. the boss may have sold his entire music catalogue for a record breaking half a billion, yes, with a "b." not too shabby for a guy from the swamp in new jersey. "early today" starts right now. >> good morning, thanks for joining us i'm steven romo in for frances >> i'm phillip mena. a power. and fast storm brought snow and dangerous wind gusts up to 107 miles per hour in colorado that system has not spun up a tornado or two in minnesota. >> it's crazy. like my mom went upstairs to get a flashlight it felt like a train going

through. but it didn't last very long >> there have been reports of two possible tornado touchdowns in southern minnesota. if either is confirmed, it will be the first time that state has ever recorded a december tornado. serious damage has also been reported across iowa and nebraska our meteorologist with the national weather service says it's likely a few fast-moving, weak tornadoes touched down in nebraska. >> yesterday's powerful winds were record breaking the country saw the highest hurricane force wind gusts in a single day all the previous records were spent in the summer months in 2004 those wind gusts were powerful enough to take town a semi truck. look at that it falls right over that happened in wyoming many highways had to be shut down across the country. because of the high winds, they had to be shut down. also because of this look at that blinding dust storm those fast-moving dust clouds affected several states across the plains, but they blanketed

kansas about half the state >> we're seeing all of this in mid-december unbelievable meteorologist janessa webb has been up all night tracking this severe weather for us. good morning >> good morning. as you said, unbelievable. you know, still very full situation. because the winds will be an issue today. now making their way into the mid-west right now i have 17 states impacted by wind concerns. 517 reports, stretching from california to michigan. we have wind gusts picking up to 65 miles per hour. downtown chicago up to 74 miles per hour now, if you are across minneapolis to the severe plains, the severe weather threat has died down you have the winds still in place in that area now snow about to be on top of that area as well. so winds today from detroit all the way into pittsburgh, could

see wind gusts up to 40-to-45 miles per hour it dice down for the ohio valley guys, the huge problem is there is no relief in store. we have a secondary storm that has already entered the west coast. we'll talk about that coming up. >> such a busy time, thanks. well, the uk is seeing yet another dramatic surge in covid infections right ahead of the holidays on wednesday the country recorded more than 78,000 new cases, which is the highest since the pandemic started on that same day, there were also 165 reported covid deaths a new poll out for viewing how americans feel about president biden's handling of the coronavirus pandemic the monmouth university poll found the president is split with 46% of americans believing she doing a good job and an equal 46% saying just the opposite 60% of americans say they feel worn out by covid by a lot or a

little meanwhile, the los angeles school board has voted to delay the enforcement of a student vaccine mandate until the fall of 2022. it was set to start on january 10th, according to los angeles times. as of last week, 34,000 students had not been vaccinated there. this as the pandemic continues to side line several superstars in sports. even with the majority of players vaccinated, new outbreaks have teams and leagues playing defense against covid. nbc news' sam brock has more. >> reporter: for some of pro sports biggest stars, the covid hits keep on coming. odell beckham, jr., scoring monday night and landing on the covid reserve list along with eight other l.a. rams' players. >> this has definitely been the most unique challenging situation with covid trot nfl set a record with 37 positive cases monday 14 members of the

cleveland browns in covid protocols and the help e head coach testing positive for the second consecutive season. >> our full expectation is to get out there with our guys and find a win >> the superstars also out the consisted of complications despite sky high vaccination rates in both leagues. nearly 95% of the nfl players and 97% of nba players and staff are fully vaccinated it comes in the midst of successful seasons with fans back in the stands >> while they don't want to postpone games this year, they've made that very clear last year, it was easy to move games around, because you didn't have fans that were a factor >> the nba's brooklyn nets didn't hit the court due to lack of available play zplers i can't wait for the rest of the players to get back. >> roger goodell talking about a work in progress the nfl says there are no conversations going on about changing the status of any

games. >> our sam brock reporting for us thanks. president biden toured tornado damage in kentucky, offering comfort and pledging recovery effort. the intiefrs i survivors sharing their stunning stories nbc news' gabe gutierrez is on the ground in mayfield, couple good morning. >> reporter: phil, good morning. it's now been about six days since those tornadoes tore through kentucky yesterday, president biden visited the contrary in his role as consoler in chief, promising more federal aid president biden face-to-face with towns nearly wiped off the map. >> the scope and scale of this destruction is almost beyond belief when you look around here, it's almost beyond belief. >> reporter: touring devastating communities in kentucky. victims of last week's historic tornadoes. >> the government will cover 100% of the costs, 100% for the first 30 days for all the

emergency work. >> reporter: in hard-hit mayfield, the national guard is on the ground cleaning up, buckling down, for a massive recovery effort now under way. the cost of the damage here staggering >> i wouldn't be see a number in the upwards of hundreds of millions of dollars. >> reporter: the sheer power of tornadoes can often be tough to comprehend these twisters are especially remarkable some of this debris was blown 130 miles away people on social media re-uniting people. this photo was found in a car windsfield in indiana. the losses are crushing. on this street, he lost three small businesses, a car dealership, a detail shop and a soccer training facility for children seen here before and after the storm. he has barely any insurance. how overwhelming does this all feel right now >> oh, you know, we can't sleep. i wake up at night, you know, my

wife's crying. you know, the kids are sad because you know that was their place every day. >> reporter: for many, the trauma runs deal donna was driving home from out of state, when her daughter called to tell her a tornadoes was barreling towards her kentucky house >> all i can hear is her screaming for me, mom, i don't know what to do mom, i'm so scared and i didn't know what to same like what do you say >> reporter: a helplessness no parent wants to feel incredibly, she survived they tried to salvage was that you would could. how grateful are you to be standing here right now? >> super great i definitely thought that i wasn't going to make it. >> it's hard to know she went through this by herself and all i could do was littleen. >> reporter: you made it she made it. >> mayfield will be okay it will just be a long time. >> reporter: local officials say it could be seven-to-ten days

before power poles are rebuilt and transmission lines built up, the start of a recovery that could take years and more rain is in the forecast later today philip >> my goodness, all right. gabe, thank you. well, derek chauvin has pleaded guilty to a federal charge of violating the civil rights of the late george floirksd appearing in court, the police officer admitted he pinned floyd to the ground with his niece, continuing long after floyd became unresponsive. he changed his plea to guilty. that means he now avoids a second federal trial in june, chauvin was sentenced to 22.5 years for murdering employed in may of last year the upcoming sentencing will likely add six years to his prison time. harvey weinstein's conviction is coming under intense scrutiny some judges on a new york appeals court expressed serious concerns the judge presiding over the trial allowed prejudicial testimony that

weren't a part of the charges. those judges have the ability to reverse his conviction and could order a new trial. weinstein was convicted in 2020 for sexual assault and rape. he is housed in a correctional facility in los angeles awaiting trial on 11 other charges. now to a consumer alert for 200,000 subaru vehicles in the united states. the car manufacturer issued that recall due to a programing error or a brake in the transmission chain can cause power loss it includes 2020 models and 2019 models of the subaru ascent. owners of the affected vehicles will be contacted in february and transmission replacements will be ready in april all right, let's get more on the day ahead and check in with janessa. hello again. >> hi, guys. this is unfortunate for areas that got hit by those tornadoes over the weekend, starting on friday they're dealing with more rain

and so that is going to hinder the cleanup in this area from mayfield, kentucky all the way down to tennessee, even parts of arkansas today this front will make its way through and also some windy conditions and then it lasts into your friday it's more on the isolated side then we'll start to see warmer air. i will not rule out that possibility of a few severe weather popups across this area into yr ou upper mid-west to the rockies. overnight lows, subzero range. better news, if are you on the east coast, you may have record high temperatures. we'll talk about that forecast coming up. >> i love the sound of that janessa, thanks. well, you're fired not janessa. you, we are talking about one of

the most heralded head football coaches in america just got the axe. >> what was first thought to be a way of helping teachers turn into a controversy we'll tell you what that's all about. we are back if one minute. simply shake and spray to unlock the breakthrough power of touch-activated scent technology. that lasts, even hours later! that's because febreze touch stores scent in your fabrics so you get bursts of freshness with every touch. your whole world will come alive. welcome home to fresh with febreze touch. la, la, la, la, la psoriatic arthritis, made my joints stiff,... ...swollen, painful. emerge tremfyant®. tremfya® is approved to help reduce joint symptoms in adults with active psoriatic arthritis. some patients even felt less fatigued. serious allergic reactions may occur. tremfya® may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms or if you had a vaccine or plan to.

emerge tremfyant® with tremfya®... ask you doctor about tremfya® today. breaking news this morning the urban meyer area in jacksonville is over after only 13 games in a statement the jaguars told meyer he was being fired, adding he did not gain the team's trust and respect. he went 2 rand 11 after sign ac five-year deal with the franchise in january the tenure was marked by controversy on and off the field, including a new tampa bay "time's" reports, alleges meyer kicked him during pre-season the 57-year-old meyer called his description of that incident completely inaccurate. now to the viral video from south dakota sparking a whole lot of outrage a. contest where

teachers were scrambling on their hands and knees to get school supplies for young students >> reporter: the video at first glance a fun cash grab during intermission of a hockey game. but the people seen scrambling for these dollar bills, south dakota school teachers in an effort to help fund classroom supplies. >> it shows how broken our system is. >> reporter: that system, the public education are you in this every day, a teacher, yourself, what did you see when you saw this? >> i saw a well-intended gesture from our commute it highlights the meager funding structure that our teach verse to work through to provide that high skault our students deserve. >> reporter: so frantically reaching for every dollar possible some stuff their shirts >> teachers should never have to grovel for money for classrooms.

>> teachers are spending on average $750 out of their own pockets to give the students the supplies they need to learn. every teacher's salary >> reporter: a localing hockey club lending first donated the money to seen organizers wrote in a statement following the criticism, although our intent was to provide a positive and fun experience for teach e teachers, we can see how it appears to be degrading and insult towards the participating teachers and the teacher profession as a whole. we deeply regret and apologize to all teachers for any embarrassment this may have caused nationally, the average teacher's salary, $65,000. the latest data showing public schools are spending approximately $13,000 per pupil during the 2019 fiscal year. >> at the end of the year, it's a teachable moment we need to do better for our educators and our students >> vaughan hilliard, thank you still to come here on "early today," as inflation rates go

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coming up on "today" nick cannon opposite up about the five month old loss of hisson. less interest rate hiengs. it looks like we're in for three. plus the boss's biggest payday ever. steve sedgwick is live in london good morning, steve. >> good morning, i'll come to the boss in a moment i'll tell you my favorite boss song in a bit of time. the world and the markets have been told the federal reserve is suddenly getting aggressive on inflation. the markets ride hard on the back of it what they said is they will be

reducing the bond-buying program, really aggressively it's called a tape were. so they'll be buying less bonds to support those levels there. there will be high interest rates. this is potentially bad news down the line for mortgage holders. they're talking eight hikes by the end of 2024 including three in 2022. back to the boss, mr. spring stein is selling his entire padlock to sony music for reportedly $35 million way more than bob dylan of a single artist of $400 million. we haven't had a response from sony or springsteen yet. my favorite springsteen song secret garden. not one of the biggest one i love the song. >> i go with jersey girl, because i married one. that's about it. steve, thank you still ahead the biggest game in sports coming to sin city. >> donei sanders pulls off a signing-day shocker. the details are up next.

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in today's news by the numbers, high school football's number one recruit is headed to jackson state. kwarmterback travis hunter flipped to the hbcu instead. t-mobile is boosting its wage increase to $20 per hour. regardless of the number of hours they work. the super bowl is heading to the desert in 2024 the nfl named allegiant stadium

the site of super bowl 28. a delaware pet rescue adopted affordable cats and dogs too make areas l area for last weekend's tornadoes. >> this little guy is adorable he's kind of stolen my heart. >> reporter: he love as good as belly and head scratch he and 40 other dogs and cats arrived in southern delaware after a heck of a road trip. >> hi, honey. >> reporter: volunteers from the spca brought them here from kentucky, which, of course, was devastated by tornadoes. these dogs and cats were taken from a shelter in louisville louisville, itself, wasn't hit hard by any tornadoes. but they serve areas that were so they need to make as much space as possible in their kennels, they expect they will recover a lot of animals that suddenly aren't with their

owners anymore. >> reporter: kentucky families that lost everything can take them to temporary housing. the animals in delaware tapped cutest puppies this reporter ever seen. >> oh my god, you couldn't be cuter. >> these are animals awaiting to find homes it was important to clear those guys up. >> they'll be up for adoption at spca in george town, dover, new castle and west chester. >> we are very fortunate to have any time anything like this happens, you have a line of adopters at the door the next day. >> these dogs and cats will finds homes quickly. how much fun would you have playing with him >> he'll fly out of here puppies, little dogs. >> reporter: you are infrequently helping lots of animals and families going through what has got to be the lowest point in their lives out in kentucky. >> a great story there, tim, thank you. i love this next story, for the first time in human history.

a spacecraft has just touched the sun. after three years, the parker solar probe successfully flew into the star's upper atmosphere, the corona, the $1.6 million mission aimed to improve forecast major space weather evince and then astronauts in evince and then astronauts in space evince and then astronauts in space some dasays, you just don't have it. not my uncle, though. he's taking trulicity for his type 2 diabetes and now, he's really on his game. once-weekly trulicity lowers your a1c by helping your body release the insulin it's already making. most people reached an a1c under 7%. plus, trulicity can lower your risk of cardiovascular events. it can also help you lose up to ten pounds. trulicity is for type 2 diabetes. it isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. it's not approved for use in children. don't take trulicity if you're allergic to it, you or your family have medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2. stop trulicity and call your doctor right away if you have an allergic reaction, a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, changes in vision, or diabetic retinopathy.

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