the great lakes region

already buried under feet of snow bracing for another winter blast. how much more snow the area could get. breaking overnight. south korean parties move to impeach the country's president after he invoked martial law only to reverse course hours later amid national outcry. pete hegseth possibly losing republican support in the senate in his bid for defense secretary as new allegations surface from former colleagues. this as trump's pick to lead the dea says he is bowing out. a new twist in the case after missing hawaii woman. police now saying she voluntarily crossed into mexico. the strange texts her family says she sent them. and one pharmacy dispenses a different kind of prescription and soothes the soul with words. it's wednesday, december 4th.

"early today" starts right now. good morning, glad you're with me, i'm frances rivera. we begin with a new arctic blast. the lake effect snowstorm brought more than 5 feet of snow in some areas, leaving thousands stranded. a train caught on video slamming into a semi truck in pennsylvania after it got stuck on the tracks. thankfully, the driver had jumped out prior to impact. and now the northeast is bracing for a clipper storm set to bring heavy snow today as many feel temps 10 to 20 degrees below average. let's bring in michelle grossman. so much to watch, michelle, good morning. >> good morning, frances. we're going to see the snow falling over the next several days. and parts of the great lakes could see an additional two feet through saturday. the clipper system's only going to enhance the snow band. we're waking up to 12 million under winter alerts. we have lake effect warnings and winter storm watches and

advisories. as we go throughout time here, this is how it's going to play out. we're going to see light to moderate snow from the great lakes and northeast. that's going to cause slick travel from minnesota to western new york. this is a wide area that will see this wet weather today. the system quickly exiting the new england coast tomorrow. but back behind this system we're going to really see the winds whipping. that's going to enhance snow bands, especially downwind of lake ontario and lake erie. by friday the cold winds really kicking up. 40 million under wind alerts by thursday and friday. and it's going to be blustery and chilly for most of the northeast. snowfall amounts as expected, downwind of lake ontario and lake erie, where you see the pinks and purples. but we could see a lot of snow in the u.p. michigan. we'll talk more about this, also about the wind that's going to be gusty tomorrow and the really cold temperatures that will come in with this clipper system. >> a whole lot to watch. okay, thanks, michelle. breaking overnight,

political chaos in south korean after president yoon declared martial law only to back down and reverse the decision hours later after protests and opposition from parliament. and the six opposition parties this morning submitting articles of impeachment against president yoon while the top aides have already offered their resignation. >> reporter: it started on late on tuesday evening when the president of south korean appeared on national television to declare martial law in order, he said, to protect the country from the communist forces from north korea. now this was the first time that south korean declared martial law since the end of the military dictatorship in the 1980s, and soon after the announcement, the country plunge flood turmoil. thousands of protesters gathered in front of the national assembly and in other parts of the capital, seoul, to call for an end, an immediate end, to

martial law and to call for the resignation of the president. at the same time, the president's top aides tendered, many of them, tendered their resignation, including the chief of staff. and the majority of the members of the national assembly quickly gathered to pass a resolution to call for the president to change his mind and lift his order. soon later, the president appeared once again on national television to announce that he was reversing his decision. but that was too late. now the opposition has accused the president of trying to overthrow the free democracy, has called for his resignation again and also has submitted a motion for his impeachment, which may be voted in parliament as early as this friday, frances. >> what an upheaval we're watching there, thank you, claudio. as pete hegseth's nomination for defense secretary is looking increasingly troubled, president-elect donald trump is reportedly considering replacing him with florida governor ron

desantis, according to "the wall street journal." the sources say that here names being floated are former pentagon official eldridge colby and iowa senator ni ni ernst. >> reporter: pete hegseth facing growing skepticism amid damaging news reports. now ten current and former fox news employees who worked with hegseth telling nbc news that he drank in ways that concerned them. two saying that on more than a dozen occasions they smelled alcohol on him before he went on air, quote. everyone would be talking about it behind the scenes, one of the former fox news employees said. he should not be secretary of defense, another former fox news employee said. his drinking should be

disqualifying. a trump transition spokesperson calling the allegagations disgusting, completely unfounded and false. fox news did not respond. >> so many of those stories about you have involved alcohol. do you have a drinking problem, sir? >> reporter: now nbc news has learned asas many asix gop senators are not comfortable with his nomination, according to t those wh direct knowledge of the process. he cannot afford to lose the support of six democrats if some of the republicans vote no. are you among the members who have questions? >> i'm looking to be supportive. >> reporter: but no republican senator has publicly said they will oppose hegseth who's also a decorated combat veteran. >> i think they've got a really good shot of getting them all through. >> reporter: meanwhile, another trump pick abruptly pulled his

name from consideration. chad chronister, the sheriff in hillsboro county, florida withdrawing for the drug enforcement administtion. he said i've concluded that i must respectfully withdraw from consideration. ashley benefield, the ex-ballerina accused of killing her husband in 2020 was sentenced to 20 years in prison and ten years probation yesterday. the 33-year-old testified she shot and killed her husband, 58-year-old doug benefield in self-defense after an argument turned physical. she was acquitted of second degree murder over the summer but found guilty of the lesser charge, first degree manslaughter. a cleaning company has been fined after 11 children were found working a dangerous overnight shift at a meat processing plant in iowa.

at the factory in sioux city, the labor department says the children used corrosive cleaners to clean dangerous equipment. the company did not respond to request for comment. seaboard triumph foods said it was not accused of wrongdoing and did not know that underage workers are being used. the labor department did not reveal the children's ages. a close call caught on camera in colorado. body camera footage shows police jumping into action to rescue two kids from a fire. they had to rip a hole in a fence to help the children escape the flames. the children are okay and authorities are investigating the cause of the fire. michelle grossman is tracking bitterly cold temperatures in addition to the storms. good morning again. >> that's right, good morning, frances. it's a frosty start. even in the southeast, freeze

warnings in georgia and florida. we're waking up to temperatures below freezing in some spots. waycross, 29 degrees as well. augusta 25. below freezing in tallahassee. montgomery 33. gainesville, that's just one degree above freezing. we're looking at really cold temperatures once again. the clipper system is only going to reenforce the cold air. just 36 degrees today in cleveland. that is six degrees below what is typical this time of year. temperatures well below normal, only in the teens in bismarck and minneapolis. 19 degrees in minneapolis. that's 11 degrees below what is typical for this time of year. it will be a chilly night for the christmas in rockefeller center but pretty. we're looking at temperatures in the 40s but feeling more like the 30s. that's a look at the big wther story ofea teens in portioning

the plains. 19 in fargo. that's your wednesday forecast. >> okay, we'll be prepared to blast those heaters. a chef from northern ireland had his van stolen with pies filled with steak, ale, turkey and butternut squash. the pie van was stolen the night before they were to be sold at a nearby christmas market. police found a van abandoned with false license plates and the pies destroyed. we're back in a minute with new insight on how a stow away made it on a flight. and the growing mystery of a woman who crossed into mexico by foot. n who crossed into mexico y foot. coming back.

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we are learning new details about the stow away who snuck on board a flight from paris to new york. she was put on a return flight saturday night and passengers say she was uncooperative, saying she appeared to be russian and middle-aged. as for how she got on board that flight to paris without a ticket in the first place, a source with knowledge of the situation tells nbc news she first used a lane reserved for flight crews and skirted the i.d. check. she snuck on the flight where she was ultimately discovered, detained and questioned in france. now to the search for a woman who vanished during a layover at l.a.x. last month. police now believe she missed her flight on purpose and willfully crossed the border into mexico. marissa parra has the latest. >> reporter: a new twist in the desperate search for hannah

kobayashi. >> we urge ms. kobayashi to contact her family or personnel at the u.s. embassy to let us know she is safe. >> reporter: she's now classified as a voluntary missing person. her social media showed signs of wanting to disconnect. the frenzy to find her started november 8th when the 30-year-old aspiring photographer left her home in hawaii to visit an aunt in new york. security camera caught her walking off the flight. but after missing the connection her family claimed she was killing time until she could make a different flight, captured briefly in this youtube video. she was spotted with a mystery man in los angeles. as hours turned to days, family members reported strange texts, claiming her identity had been stolen and in one message saying i got tricked pretty much giving away all my information. police say on the morning of

november 12th, kobayashi was seen on unreleased video heading into mexico after buying a bus ticket at l.a.'s union station. >> we reviewed video surveillance from u.s. customs and border protection which clearly shows kobayashi crossing the border on foot into mexico. >> reporter: police say she intentionally missed her flight and the man she was spotted with is cooperating with police and cleared of wrongdoing. >> we have not uncovered any evidence she is being trafficked or the victim of foul play. >> it is every parent's worst nightmare for sure. >> reporter: the family releasing a statement saying in far, we want answers and a resolution that ensures hannah's safety, urging authorities to keep their focus on finding hannah, as police urge hannah to reach out to her family. >> i'm is very sore /-

a man is being praised after he found two baby girls. they were still four and five months old inside a car. someone said they found the babies in their car seats and took them inside-out of the freezing freezing cold. the girls were from a stolen vehicle found nearby. the girls are safe and they're still searching for suspect. still to come. billboard says the name, says the name of the greatest pop star of the 21st century. find out who it is and what other icons she beat out. nd wha other icons she beat out. ha ha. haha! then he switched to mucinex nightshift. mucinex is uniquely formulated to leave your system faster, so you wake up ready to go. uhh, hank! try mucinex nightshift and feel the difference. my kids can't hide anything from me. i'm home!

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nbc's kelly cobiella shows us the one of a kind pharmacy that takes more than a little poetic license with its products. >> reporter: hidden in the heart of busy london, a pharmacy dispensing a different kind of medicine. a balm for broken hearts, christmas spirit and joy. >> in each of the pale capsules that you can see, there are extracts from poems. >> reporter: that's right. poems. >> a stone is grown in you. and then a star. >> oh, that gives me chills. >> i know. >> reporter: deb alma calls herself a poetry pharmacist. >> that's why so freely we call it our own. >> reporter: using words to soothe the soul. >> i was working with people with dementia, actually, using poetry to assist communication and saw how poetry could change someone's mood. >> reporter: in her first job, an old ambulance, she decided to

take poetry to people who didn't normally read it. >> people just need some help to find the poem that they will respond to. >> reporter: now at her poetry pharmacy in london, hand rolling little strips of wonder by the thousands. her place of healing, a social media sensation. what kind of a mood does it put you in to come here? >> quite cathartic. it's like a warm hug in it. >> reporter: and there's a little something to satisfy our darker sides, too. >> the more you suffer, the better i feel. >> oh, gosh. >> reporter: from imagination to hope and healing. >> what i heard with my whole self, heard and saying what it knew, i can. >> reporter: happiness in a bottle. kelly cobiella, nbc news, london. >> oh, how words can heal. what a good idea for christmas.

the capitol christmas tree lighting ceremony took place. house speaker mike johnson hosted the event alongside an essay contest winner. rose pushed the button to light the tree with speaker johnson by her side. the tree is s nicknamed nicknam wayne. the 75 foot norway spruce may be dark now but is decked out in more than five miles of lights for tonight's big moment, hosted by kelly clarkson and performances from

growing budget concerns for san francisco. the reason city leaders are now south