numbers stuck in their schools. hundreds of students, in fact, and a large number of motorists right now are waiting to be rescued at this very hour. almost a full day after snow and ice turned atlanta roads and highways into parking lots you see there. just minutes ago, the atlanta public schools confirmed that buses have arrived at shelter in place locations and are loading up kids and staff. the georgia national guard has sent military humvees to rescue children who have been trapped on their school buses. and they've started to distribute blankets. and 200 cases of ready to eat meals to stranded motorists. some rescued have been taken to makeshift shelters. major general said everything is being done to help those who are in need. >> we will not rest until 100% of individuals that may be in harm's way have been offered assistance.

>> atlanta mayor will not say how many remain stranded only saying it was a lot. admitted mistakes were made when reacting to the storm. >> if we had not had everyone exiting at the same time and going en route to pick up their children, then i don't believe we would've had the kind of gridlock that has resulted in what people are seeing around the nation which are highways that are full. if there were one major lesson learned in the middle of this challenge, that would be that we need to stagger closings for private sector companies, for government and for the school system. >> well, today some angry people have taken to social media to lash out at city and state officials for their decision to keep classrooms and government agencies open yesterday despite warnings by the national weather service. and there are questions about the decision to release students and office workers on the streets that had not been prepped by crews when the storm

hit. georgia governor announced state offices will remain closed tomorrow as crews continue to deal with the thousands of stranded vehicles and encouraged local businesses also to remain closed. the governor said the state was caught off-guard by the strength of the storm. >> we can't control mother nature. and even with the best of forecasting, i don't think anyone could've totally predicted that this was going to have the magnitude within the short window of time in which it occurred. i do think that some of our local meteorologists were much more correct than the national forecasters were. >> joining me now on the phone, "usa today" transportation reporter larry copelan. you have so many people wondering how this could happen, especially after that region was hit in 2011. you've got the mayor saying lessons were learned. why weren't they learned back then? >> thank you for having me,

tamron. i think the city and state was caught flat-footed with this. they were anticipating the storm going further south. and so, you know, atlanta, we don't have the kind of snow removal equipment that cold weather cities have. so keeping things moving relies on getting people off the roads before the storm hits. they didn't do that with this one because they were expecting it to go further south. they had resources, the department of transportation had their storm-clearing resources positioned at other places around the state. there were some here, but they had it positioned elsewhere. and when the storm hit and they dismissed everybody at the same time, you know, students were let out, businesses closed, government offices closed. and everybody hit the road at the same time. >> which is the question, larry, how something like that happens. i realize there were only a couple of inches of snow in the northeast, people say only a

couple of inches. i'm a texan, that's significant. sounds like the streets were not prepped, 1 million people were released on to the streets. office workers, federal office workers, state office workers as well as schools. we're looking at a confirmed number of fatalities, two fatalities, hundreds injured in some of these accidents. and now you have 18 wheelers blocking roads so they don't know when this will ever, we know eventually it will, but we don't know how long it'll take to clear this up here. >> yeah. they expect -- they expect it to be clear, you know, by tomorrow or so. but they didn't expect it to be as bad as it was. so i don't know if we can really rely on those expectations. >> so is the criticism valid that we're reading on social media? i'm about to interview a mom who was just reunited with her child here. is this criticism valid coming the direction of the governor, the mayor of atlanta, as well?

>> yeah. i think they clearly shoulder some of the blame for it. >> okay. >> and the governor, especially. and the mayor have acknowledged that. i mean the mayor particularly talked about they should've done staggered releases. and the governor talks about he probably should've done a state of emergency declaration earlier. >> thank you very much. her 15-year-old daughter spent the night at the high school because of the storm. she joins us now by phone. thank you for your time. >> caller: hi, tamron. >> tell me about your night and making sure your daughter was okay with everything going on. >> caller: it was just a very scary experience. the elementary school was released about 12:00 or 12:30. but the middle school, we were told that the middle school will be released at regular time which is 2:30. and that's why i wonder why they let it go on for so long. you see what i mean.

why weren't they released at 12:00? i was home, i wasn't at work and i could still not get my child. >> were you trying to get to the school at any point? >> i was trying to get to the school. i only live -- i'm a 15-minute drive away from my daughter's school and i don't even have to go on the freeway. it was dangerous for me to get out because there were crashes everywhere. and it was just very dangerous, there were pile-ups of cars. and they were telling me you're going to endanger your own life if you go there. i ventured out twice and left my car on the road and walked back home. and i walked on the icy snow and risked my safety to go get her this morning. >> was the school providing you with updates? were you able to talk with your daughter during this? >> the school provided updates, give them some credit. they really did as much as i think they could. and i really feel like the teachers did as much as they could. they stayed back.

they helped the kids to relax. they watched some movies. they gave them some food, whatever they could do. but they did the best i think they could in those difficult situations. such a difficult situation. and i was just nervous. and it was just very, very scary. and even today, there was even difficulty getting those kids out. and i risked myself, my safety to go get her. so that was really, really -- it was really unnerving for both me and her and just everyone else. i imagine so many other people had to go through this, too. >> absolutely. and so many people going through -- your daughter is with you but several hundred others. earlier today the mayor said between 400 and 600 kids were at their schools and countless people stuck on the roads. thank you very much for joining me. now let's bring in the weather channel's julie martin live in atlanta. and this conversation, of course, the governor says you

can't control mother nature. we know that, but we have forecasts for a reason. and, you know, state officials are supposed to look at those and hopefully prepare for the worst-case scenario. >> reporter: well, it's obviously up for discussion because the national weather service, in fact, did issue watches as early as sunday. and some of those then ramped up in through monday into warnings. so it's still a little bit unclear in terms of, you know, why decisions were made or why they were not made. and that will be a talking point, i'm sure, in the coming days as the governor and the mayor right now are taking a lot of heat for this situation. of course, angry parents and stranded motorists, some of them still stranded along i-20. we understand the national guard is actually delivering mres to some people who have not been able to eat in the last 24 hours let alone get home. in terms of the weather, not looking great. we are still below freezing here in atlanta and expecting another

very cold night back in the teens. so all of this is, once again, going to freeze on the roadways. you see here i-75 heading into the city. traffic moving along much better than earlier today. this is not typical. normally this would be packed this time of day. and actually, this is a good thing. people are staying off the roads as best they can. but still, numerous stranded vehicles throughout the metro area. people just abandoning their cars and giving up. so we'll have more to come on this. but for now, the situation weather wise, it's going to be another couple of days before we're out of the woods and get thawing here in atlanta. >> okay. live for us in atlanta. thank you, julie. still ahead on "newsnation." >> i was wrong. it shouldn't have happened. >> new york congressman michael grimm now apologizing after first describing a physical threat to a reporter as, "taking him to task." >> no. you're not man enough.

you are not man enough. i'll break you in half like a boy. >> we'll have more on what congressman grimm is saying today. plus, a live picture from pennsylvania where president obama just took to the stage, his second event of the day. less than 24 hours after the state of the union where he called on lawmakers to raise the minimum wage. we'll talk with senator bernie sanders who is urging his colleagues to get behind the wage increase. and you can join our conversation on twitter. find me @tamronhall. [ male announcer ] this is betsy. her long day of pick ups and drop offs begins with arthritis pain... and a choice. take up to 6 tylenol in a day or just 2 aleve for all day relief. all aboard. ♪

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developing now, republican congressman michael grimm has now apologized for threatening to throw a reporter off a balcony moments after the state of the union.

the new york congressman had originally defended his actions but significantly changed his tune when questioned by nbc's kelly o'donnell just a short time ago. >> i was wrong, it shouldn't have happened. and i called michael scotto and he accepted my apology and we're going to go to lunch and put it all behind us. >> i'm a human being and sometimes your emotions get the better of you. and the bottom line, it shouldn't happen, you shouldn't lose your cool. that's why i apologized. when you're wrong, you're wrong. unfortunately when you're that type of person who has a lot of passion, your emotions can get the better of you. >> this all started last night when reporter michael scotto questioned congressman grimm about alleged finance violations. he said he, quote, overreacted as you heard. it's an encounter that's since gone viral. take a look. >> since we have you here, we haven't had a chance to -- >> i'm not speaking about anything off topic. >> well, what about -- >> thank you. >> okay. so congressman michael grimm does not want to talk about some of the allegations concerning

his campaign finances. we wanted to get him on camera on that, but as you see, he refused to talk about that. back to you. >> let me be clear to you. you ever do that to me again, i'll [ bleep ]. >> i wanted to ask you. >> why? why? it's a valid question. >> you're not man enough. you are not man enough. i will break you like a boy. >> nbc capitol hill correspondent kelly o'donnell joins me live. congressman grimm's background, former fbi agent, first elected into congress in 2010. for people not familiar with his background, and kelly, so interesting, early on, i thought people were being a tad bit flip about it. and i said, listen, if this was a female reporter he'd done that to, we would not be kind of grinning this off. this was a threat whether he was going to carry it out or not.

>> we are so accustomed to interacting with lawmakers, tamron, day in and day out. and often there are times like these when you're asking about things they don't want to respond to or difficult circumstances. and it's just part of the natural process here. and if that exchange ended when the reporter said back to you, that would have been business as usual. a lawmaker does not have to respond when they're challenged by a question. what was so startling is for someone from the largest media market, new york, his district is staten island, new york, he's a regular on all kinds of different radio and television programs. for him to come back and sort of charge that reporter and although we couldn't hear everything that was said, you've heard the nature of it of threatening to toss him off the same kind of balcony i'm next to right here. that is so out of the norm, it's even hard to put it into words. we've asked officials here on capitol hill from the speaker's office to the democratic leadership and so forth if there is any likely action to be

taken, some sort of reprimand. not necessarily in a criminal realm because a threat might be deemed a criminal allegation in another setting. but just simply the conduct of what is becoming of members of the house. and so far, no one in an official capacity is willing to say those sorts of steps are likely. the reporter said he's not going to press any charges or try to take it any further than that. there's a political fallout and that's its own sort of animal, as well. we've talked to some of our new york-based colleagues, talked to some constituents and you get the range of reactions in new york of people who like his feisty spirit but don't like what he said there and other people appalled by him going so far. and remember, this is a man who is a lawyer and a former marine and a former fbi agent. someone who should know better about making personal threats. now, the next day, he's saying that he realizes there's no excuse for what he did. he was very gracious to me in the -- and we followed him on

and off the elevator and down the hall and around it. it was what could be deemed an annoying kind of interview to have the cameras in his face. and he kept his cool today. but he will have to continue to answer for this. >> he certainly will. and what about the investigation he was asked about in the first place. i know that a former girlfriend was accused in this federal probe as well as a former grimm associate who pled guilty in this federal probe. >> well, some of this deals with allegations of improperly getting donations for his campaign. and that is ongoing. and this has been an issue he obviously was very prickly about not wanting to talk about on the state of the union night. he says he's being cooperative. he said today to us that he has not been talked to by the fbi or anything at that level. so there is an investigation that's ongoing. it does not have a new piece of detail to add to this today, but there's this expectation that because of that arrest you just

cited that something might be imminent, which is why the reporter asked about it in the first place. a very straightforward appropriate question, even if it was one the congressman didn't want to hear or deal with, an appropriate question. and so that is part of what he's dealing with, as well. reporters and congress people here, we get -- we mix it up all the time and always remains professional. this was highly, highly unusual. >> thank you very much, kelly, appreciate it. right now, president obama's hitting the road on a four-state tour promoting the agenda laid out in his state of the union address. in fact, these are live pictures at a steel plant in pennsylvania where the president is making a push for retirement security, plugging a starter retirement savings account. he referred to last night as my r.a. which would be offered by employers. earlier today, the president made his first stop at a costco warehouse in maryland to reinforce his message about income inequality and the importance of raising minimum wage. >> while congress decides

whether it's going to raise the minimum wage or not, people outside washington are not waiting for congress and i'm not either. as a chief executive, i'm going to lead by example. >> meanwhile, reaction to the president's state of the union address, which our team described as optimistic in tone, it's not surprisingly been along party lines. the reaction republicans, anyway, criticize the president's push for minimum wage increase and the pledge to act without congress where possible. >> we just think it's bad economics. and you're actually hurting the people you're trying to help. young people, low-income people, minorities in the inner city, those are the people who will get hurt by taking these jobs away so that the goal isn't just to have the government say here's how you're going to get paid. it's to remove the barriers so people can get better jobs. more importantly, our economy's not doing as well as the president intimated last night. >> he presents a decent speech, but the follow through isn't there. and that's the problem. >> i guess i was disappointed that throughout the rest of his

speech that he didn't talk more about how we could work together. in fact, it was either my way or the highway. and if you guys don't do it my way, i'm going to ignore you and do it through an executive order. >> on the "today" show this morning, vice president joe biden said the president is not prepared to go it alone and predicted the president can work with congress if the other side is prepared. >> he said i'll work with the congress. i want to work with them. and i think you've seen more cooperation in the congress this year than the past five years. number two, he said there's a lot of other avenues i can move, as well. for example, on minimum wage -- >> joining me now reiters columnist, politico senior washington correspondent anna palmer, and an msnbc contributor. i'd like to discuss the president discussing this my-ra. it would be similar to a roth

i.r.a., retirement protection for the many who don't have that. what type of numbers do we know that people would be impacted by this? >> you know, i'm not sure what the actual number in terms of millions are. i mean, it's clearly the case in the past ten years as company after company have abandoned what, you know, used to be defined contribution pension plans and have led to the rise of the 401(k), individually directed retirement, you have something like more than half of americans facing retirement with zero savings whatsoever. this is a substantial issue in the absence of any cushion into retirement. and obviously that plays in this huge burden on social security, on medicare on families. and, you know, this is an attempt, i think, to begin to address what's going to happen in the future because what you've really seen in the past 10 or 15 years is most of the kind of 20th century traditional guarantees for retirement have largely evaporated except, of course, for social security. >> anna, this fits into the

follow-up message of the president and democrats today which is the income inequality, the economy and in their view finding ideas where it can work for all people. but some of the reaction as we pointed out earlier are very terse from republicans. in fact, steve stockman, a republican from texas walked out of the state of the union. he is also the congressman who invited ted nugent last year. but he said he felt that the president was abusing his constitutional powers. but p when you hear this morning, anna, not a single republican i've heard say, well, maybe there's a compromise on minimum wage or maybe a compromise on one of the other ideas from the president. how is it seen as going it alone? >> there certainly wasn't an embrace by any means by republicans last night, this morning, i think one of the main messages we heard over and over again last night, the reaction by republicans was that he, you know, simply said it was going to be his way, he wasn't interested in what senate

republicans had to say. almost as if they're living in two separate worlds where you see democrats. i talked to this morning chris van haollen. and they thought he was trying to use the powers he has and wants to work with republicans. but if you talk to the other side, they had a different feeling. >> and i'm curious what people were saying to you on the road, but how is it a go-it-alone strategy when the other side, at least publicly, maybe there's some movement on immigration reform we're hearing, but on the other issues that have proven popular in polls for americans, minimum wage, we're not hearing an outreach from the other side today. >> well, among the hard-core partisans, everyone sees in this what they want to see. saying what choice does he repu

house. and you've already just heard the cry in the "b" roll. as a matter of fact, i've followed ron paul on my twitter feed last night during the state of the union. this is ron not rand. and these were the points he was making, that the president was proposing exceeding his constitutional authority. >> let me -- >> tamron, this is all -- it's amazing in that if you think about what he's proposing to go it alone about. ordering the federal contracts insist that the contractors have a minimum wage. meaning this is not exactly having tectonic effects on the overall economy. the amount of power that a president has on these kinds of domestic economic matters separate from foreign policy and nsa is really pretty marginal. and the fact is without congress acting, you can have upbeat speeches, leading by example, one of his moments in the speech was pointing to the pizza owner

saying they should all do that. that's not going alone. that's a broad-based suggestion. >> let me play another excerpt regarding some of the progress. with our economy and making the case that some of the policy he'd like to see implemented better. let me play that. >> the lowest unemployment rate in over five years, a rebounding housing market, a manufacturing sector that's adding jobs for the first time since the 1990s. more oil produced, more oil produced at home than we buy from the rest of the world. the first time that's happened in nearly 20 years. >> and michael, the president going on to say finally it appears business realizes they can be successful in the united states. and china is less appealing. with that laundry list of things the president noted there, we know his polling or at least how people view the direction of the country is down, michael. >> i think there's a disconnect

between the polling data, his approval rating and the information that he just spouted off in the span of one paragraph last night. you and i addressed this yesterday. and i said i think that the president ought to spend more time and make sure americans recognize the achievements that he can rightfully claim. i'm not saying and he's not saying that the country is where it needs to be. i frankly think he's done a poor job of selling the achievements he can rightfully claim to date. and last night although he addressed it, did it too quickly. >> and what about the republican responses here? you had four, obviously, one that is the official and i think the one considered to be the most discussed, kathy mcmorris rogers. says the president talks about income inequality, but we face the opportunity inequality and believes this happened under the administration's policies here. >> i think she struck a very hopeful note. there was no real specific policies that she outlaid. but really when you're talking

about what the republican response is, you're trying not to screw it up. you don't want to be remembered for the gaffe. she delivered what she needed to, able to strike a hopeful note and kind of bring republicans back into the messaging in terms of where they want to be, still talking about income inequality. some republicans like senator marco rubio start to talk about more and more, and i think they're going to be trying to do some more of those policies instead of the divisive budget deals where they've had issues in the past couple of months. >> the republican party plans to take a softer line on raising the debt ceiling. that's the late word from their conference in maryland. >> yeah. absolutely. that's something that we reported today. it's unclear exactly how they're going to do it. but i don't think we're going to see the same kind of fights we've seen over the past several years where you've had republicans bring them to the brink saying we need to get something in order to raise the debt ceiling. doesn't seem to -- they don't seem to have the appetite for that. i think particularly going into election season, they don't want

to have another government shutdown. that is, they want to put that in the past and kind of move forward, maybe have a couple of bills they can pass to show some movement on immigration reform would be considered a win for them. >> and quickly, we got word that the fed has decided to trim stimulus program by $10 billion despite turmoil in emerging markets, what is that -- what is the significance of that? >> they are doing what they said they would do last month. and obama's line kind of justifies the fed continuing to be somewhat less involved and somewhat less interventionist in what's going on. and look, that may continue to have its own destabilizing effect. net-net, financial markets are doing just fine. whether it's inequality of opportunity or income. that needs addressing and needs addressing by republicans and democrats and all of us. >> thank you all, greatly appreciate it. and still ahead, we are following developing news,

passengers stuck on a cruise ship packed with hundreds of sick people expected to reach their port any minute now. we'll go there live. plus, attorney general eric holder back on the hill answering questions on a wide range of issues from the nsa surveillance programs to the president's recent remarks regarding use of marijuana and that it is not as dangerous as alcohol. >> i don't know but -- >> did he consult with you before he made that statement? >> we didn't talk about that. time for the "your business" entrepreneur of the week. she started her company in 2012 with one mission, to make wedding planning easier through her bridal search engine. with retail partners approaching daily and content increasing, she clearly hit a nerve and her company's growing. for more, watch "your business" sunday mornings on msnbc. if i can impart one lesson to a new business owner, it would be one thing i've learned is

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♪ [ male announcer ] you're welcome. ♪ ♪ told ya you could do it. (dad vo) i want her to be safe. so, i taught her what i could and got her a subaru. (girl) piece of cake. ♪ (announcer) love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru. welcome back, attorney general eric holder appeared before the senate judiciary committee where he faced hours of questioning on issues ranging from nsa to the legalization of marijuana. the attorney general also got an earful from republicans over the justice department's nearly yearlong investigation of the irs targeting tea party organizations. >> how many victims of the tea

party organizations that claim to have been abused by the irs, how many people have been actually talked to, the victims themselves by anybody in the justice department. >> this is an ongoing matter. i'm not sure i want to get into the specifics about -- >> well, if the answer were none, that would be stunning. >> it's been publicly reported that no indictments are planned. today in this hearing, you were unwilling to answer a question whether even a single victim of the targeting has been interviewed. >> attorney general holder responded by saying the justice department could still bring charges. nbc news justice correspondent pete williams joins us. pete, in addition to the questions regarding that irs investigation, there was also the issue of legalizing marijuana and i don't think you hear often a lawmaker quote lady gaga, but that's what happened. >> well, the attorney general was sort of put on the spot to ask about his views of what the

president said within an interview of "new yorker" magazine. he thought it was a bad habit, not different than the cigarettes he smoked as a young person and didn't think it was more dangerous than alcohol. holder said in response that use by young people of any drug is potentially harmful including alcohol. he was asked if making it legal for adults would allow minors greater access. and he's not sure that's necessarily true. >> i'm sorry. i thought we had that sound, thought we were going to play that, pete. my apologies there. and the developments and the questions regarding the nsa as i pointed out. this was a wide-ranging hearing of topics here. >> that's right. and the interesting thing i think you saw before the committee, tamron, is the same kind of breakdown you see in congress as a whole. that the support or opposition for the phone metadata program doesn't necessarily break down along party lines. for example, among the two most critical senators today of the program were the chairman, the

democrat, pat leahy and mike lee from utah. what eric holder said is he thinks there's no question that the program is legal but that he's looking at it. and the question for him and the director of intelligence will be whether in the essence it's worth the price. does it give the government enough information to make it worth the government's while despite the privacy concerns. by contrast, holder was quite supportive and said it's essential that the government keep the separate e-mail program that he didn't, frankly, get asked much about today. >> thank you so much. quite an interesting hearing there, pete. greatly appreciate you joining us. >> you bet. more on the breaking news out of the atlanta area where the national guard is now out trying to rescue thousands of people, including hundreds of children who are still stranded at school 24 hours after an ice storm. >> it was very hard last night because i didn't know where she was. from 1:45 in the afternoon until 6:45 last night, i didn't know where my 10-year-old daughter

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begins with a surprise twinge of back pain... and a choice. take up to 4 advil in a day or 2 aleve for all day relief. [ male announcer ] that's handy. ♪ welcome back. more now on the breaking news out of the atlanta area where drivers are still stranded on the interstate. a day after snow and ice paralyzed that city. we're now actually getting some video in of parents being reunited with their children who were stuck at school overnight due to the snow and ice. in fact, hundreds of kids had to spend the night in schools across the atlanta area and hundreds more are still at school waiting to be brought home. on the phone, though, a driver who was stuck or is stuck in traffic. jennifer wilkins has been in her car for over 20 hours. jennifer, you spoke with my colleague andrea mitchell in the last hour. what kind of progress, if any, have you made?

>> i am actually finally in my neighborhood. i'm probably going to have to park and walk the rest of the way, but at least it's only about 1/4 mile. >> go ahead. i'm sorry. >> i was going to say, happy to be this close to home. >> i can't even imagine. tell me a little bit about the driving conditions for you. we know that there was snow. but this was an ice issue that has paralyzed the highways and roads you're dealing with. >> yeah. there was -- it was just -- i think it just hit so fast and froze immediately. there was no way once it started snowing, it was already too late. and so i left my work at 3:30 yesterday and pretty much slid on the interstates until i was stuck at 6:00 last night and i didn't move from 6:00 last night until -- i'm sorry, yeah about 6:00 last night until about 6:00 this morning. parked on the interstate for 12 hours. >> were you able to keep your car running? what was that like for you?

>> i started -- i was kind of watching the gas that i had available and i started getting nervous about it when i got to about 3/4 tank. so i started turning the car off for 15 to 30 minutes depending on how long i could stand it before i was too cold and then turn it on for 10 or 15 minutes to warm up. i kept alternating that cycle. >> i have to tell you. your voice sounds a lot better than what i heard an hour ago. we were in our offices listening to you. you were in tears crying, talking about being separated from your kids and not knowing where at least one -- i think your daughter was at the time. >> yeah. this whole thing, i think, the adrenaline, everything else, it's been so emotional. and just so stressful, and i had been on the road then about 21 hours or so. and i just -- yeah. it's hard reliving it and

thinking about i didn't know where my daughter was for five or six hours yesterday. and just that we weren't prepared for this. it just -- it's just awful. an awful feeling to not know where my kids were. >> were you kids at school at the time? >> well, as far as i was told that my daughter had been sent home on the bus at 1:45, my son got a ride home with a friend of his and he got to my house around 2:00. and then my daughter just never arrived. and by the time i left at 3:30, she still wasn't home. i was just in a panic when i left to get home and find my daughter. and i didn't know until 6:45 that she had been dropped off at a local middle school. >> she was dropped off at another school, not her own school. >> right. not her own school. dropped off at the local middle school which is where my son had gone to middle school. i was familiar with the school, that was good. and it was good, the school's only about a mile from my house. my 16-year-old son was able to walk down there and get her and bring her home.

>> as it stands right now, you're not very far from home and you may end up just walking the rest of the way? >> yeah. i'm looking right now in the road i have to turn on is a hill, and it's solid white. so i'm not sure if i'm going to make it up the hill. i'm just waiting to finish this interview and i'm probably going to start hiking up the hill. >> i feel terrible keeping you on the phone here, but i really appreciate it. i'm so happy your kids are safe and you're close to home and i'd love to hear from you. so send us an e-mail or we'll give you a call to make sure that you're okay and you get into the home safely. i really appreciate it. be safe, please. >> thank you. >> this has now -- two confirmed fatalities according to state officials and hundreds of people injured as a result of this storm. and i can't stress this enough, they believe a couple hundred kids still at school a day later and countless number on the streets and on the highways stranded as they attempt to move 18 wheelers that have blocked the path of those highways there. we're also following breaking

news from new jersey where thousands of passengers are now back where they started after a massive outbreak, a viral outbreak onboard sickening several hundred people. we'll have the latest. plus, time for the gut check today. for the first time, a group of college athletes, they're asking that they be represented by a union, accusing the ncaa of exploiting college athletes. >> the current model resembles a dictatorship where the ncaa places the rules and regulations on the students without their input or negotiation. >> what does your gut tell you? i remember, you know, , picking him up and holding him against me. it wasn't just about me anymore. i had to quit. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix (varenicline) is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. chantix didn't have nicotine in it, and that was important to me. [ male announcer ] some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these, stop chantix and call your doctor right away.

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ship's departure. nbc's ron allen is live in new jersey. and ron, this was a virus that broke out on this ship, supposed to be a ten-day cruise. much of that eight days seems like a nightmare. >> reporter: it does, tamron. the officials are still trying to determine how many people were sick over the course of the eight days the ship was away. probably close to 700. a lot of them got sick in the beginning and it tailed off. but still, that's a huge number. about 3,000 people on the ship. that's a significant percentage. it would be one of the biggest outbreaks on a ship like this in a long, long time. we were talking to some of the passengers. they've all gotten off the ship for the most part now. and they're making their way through customs and getting their bags and going on home. some are going to hotels because officials have said to them, don't try to make the journey home they're from all over the country. people will be staying in local hotels until they're feeling better. we talked to one couple who spent most of the past six or seven days in their cabin.

they were feeling that badly. essentially the symptoms, like having a stomach flu. and it's unclear where the virus comes from, but when you're in a close environment like a cruise ship, of course, it's hard to get rid of it. we've heard these stories before, but the way they describe their experience, it was just awful. and the cruise line is, of course, trying to compensate them. they've offered people 50% refunds and 50% off their next trip and, of course, if they were ill, they're going to refund the money entirely. they're trying to do everything they can to accommodate these people. the passengers are frustrated, some are understanding, well, this happens, they try to make the most of it. just a really bad experience. and now we're still trying to understand the gravity of illnesses people are suffering. there was that one or a small number of cases coming off in stretchers. i don't know the exact number where there was just a handful of people or what. but just a very, very difficult time for people out there on the

high seas. >> all right, ron, thank you so much. we appreciate it. still ahead "newsnation" gut check. a group of college athletes want to join a labor union. edward snowden nominated for a major world honor. one of the things we thought you should know. e house to grab a f. you stopped by the house? uh-huh. yea. alright, whenever you get your stuff, run upstairs, get cleaned up for dinner. you leave the house in good shape? yea. yea, of course. ♪ [ sportscaster talking on tv ] last-second field go-- yea, sure ya did. [ male announcer ] introducing at&t digital life. personalized home security and automation. get professionally monitored security for just $29.99 a month. with limited availability in select markets. ♪ a 3d white smile. with crest 3d white toothpaste. it removes up to 90% of surface stains in just 5 days. unleash your smile with crest 3d white toothpaste. life opens up with a whiter smile.

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there's a lot going on today. here's some things we thought you should know. lawmakers in maryland considering two bills that would make so-called revenge porn, posting an ex-lover's nude photos or video online a crime. they would face jail time and a fine. nsa leaker edward snowden has been nominated for the nobel peace prize, made by two n norwegia norwegians. those are some of the things we thought you should know. members of the football team at northwestern university are

making an unprecedented move by taking steps to form their own union and be recognized as employees under federal law. they're calling it the college athlete players association and are being backed by the united steel workers union. the group has filed a petition with the national labor relations board asking to be certified. and a hearing is expected within the next ten days. but their move brings into light, of course, a growing question in the sports world, should college athletes be treated as employees? and the group being led by cane colter who argues they should since they get scholarships. the ncaa has released a response saying this union-backed attempt to turn student-athletes into employees undermines the purpose of college, an education. the student-athletes are not employees and their participation in college sports is voluntary. what does your gut tell you? do you think college players should be able to unionize? go to "newsnation" to cast that vote. and take a look at what

we're saying about yesterday's gut check, we asked about the state of the union. a majority 84% of you said, no. 16% of you said, yes. all right. that does it for this edition of "newsnation." thanks for joining us for the hour, we'll see you tomorrow, "the cycle" is up next. insurance id card - gots all my pertinents on it and such. works for me. turn to the camera. ah, actually i think my eyes might ha... next! digital insurance id cards. just a tap away on the geico app. could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. everybody knows that. well, did you know that when a tree falls in the forest and no one's around, it does make a sound? ohhh...ugh. geico. little help here. and it feels like your lifeate revolves around your symptoms, ask your gastroenterologist about humira adalimumab. humira has been proven to work for adults

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i took medicine but i still have symptoms. [ sneeze ] [ male announcer ] truth is not all flu products treat all your symptoms. what? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus severe cold and flu speeds relief to these eight symptoms. [ breath of relief ] thanks. [ male announcer ] you're welcome. ready? go. if it's 3:00, america's talking and so are we. hard push, turns out state of the union is exhausting. i'm ari melber, the president hits the road after last night's big speech and one message, it's time for action. >> hard push or soft landing? is this a real action? i'm krystal ball. to get agreement or not to get agreement, that is the question. >> i love that guy. if looks could kill, sometimes it's hard to focus on the speech because the body language, that's a lot more fun to watch. i'm toure. a picture is truly worth a

thousand words. and the southern u.s. frozen in place. i'm abby huntsman. we are live in hotlanta, which right now, is anything but. president obama is on his way back to washington right now. we hit the ground running today after last night's state of the union address, which was watched by nearly 30 million americans. now, the first stop was right outside the beltway at a costco retailer in maryland. the president pushed to raise the minimum wage, something he just mandated through executive order for new federally contracted workers. and then it was on to a steel plant south of pittsburgh where he talked about boosting retirement security making sure the piggy bank is filled for americans who have worked their entire lives to fill it. in both speeches, the president continued to push the message he hammered last night. if you work hard, life shouldn't be this hard.