>> they built their snow mountain so high in portland, maine this winter that it is now interfering with airplanes. the search for a metaphor for this winter is hereby over. portland wins. thanks for starting your day with us everyone. right now on "first look," the siberian express is blanketing over 21 million americans and reaching down to miami, florida. the details and when we'll get some relief. plus if you think you know how to drive in these conditions, think again. new hope in the fight against breast cancer. details on a refinery explosion that rocked southern california. and the pizza with almost four feet of bacon. good morning, everybody. it could be a cold breakfast for a lot of you. it's dangerously cold out there.

over 120 million americans are feeling it. we're talking about the siberian express. arctic air from northern russia. 500 miles away. smashing through the north pole and to the u.s. up to a foot of snow expected in some places. storms have collapsed roofs and even flooded some homes. it is so cold the mighty niagara falls is nearly frozen over. look at this. but it sure is a gorgeous sight. in philadelphia firefighters stopped a building from going up in flames. but it entombed a building in ice. a water main break turned this car into an ice sculpture. in florida, farmers are covering the crops. and zoos are making sure that animals are safe from the chill. let's get more on the historic freeze from bill karins who is back just in time.

>> in this case it will be the coldest of the winter. in some cases, coldest in decades, especially the great lakes, ohio valley and a few spots in new england. we start off with a windchill of 6 in atlanta. this time the south is involved. the last couple times, the cold stayed further to the north. the worst is the most dangerous of the cold as you head out this morning. from minneapolis to green bay. chicago, negative 28 windchill. lexington, kentucky is at negative 18. the cold air has made its way to new england. for today, during the daylight hours, it won't be horrible from new york to d.c. it won't be good. but it won't be as bad as tomorrow. chicago, a high of 4 today with sunshine. that's pretty impressive. that's a very cold air mass. the days the sun is setting a little longer. tonight, we go to negative ten in chicago. we go to 30 in orlando. tonight is the peak of the cold.

that's when mr. record lows will be broken. also, snow up here in areas of maine. betty, the next storm will come on the heels of the latest outbreak. this is saturday and sunday. and this is a wintry mess. icy storm here of southern ohio valley, all the way to southern portions of new england. we have to deal with the cold. but in the back of your mind we have to deal with ice and snow. >> so full of good news. >> another cold outbreak next week, too. >> great, thank you. more injury. investigators say a filtration device caused an explosion at an exxon refinery in california. new concerns it could send gas prices skyrocketing in the area. four workers suffered minor injuries. the explosion sent ash raining down on the area. the impact was so strong residents up to five miles away say they thought an earthquake has struck. they're worried about the air quality, due to lingering ash and the gas in the air.

exxon mobil said no harmful emissions have been connected. a gas station worker told our nbc affiliate after the explosion happened his boss called him and told him to raise the price by 5 cents. a few weeks ago, inspectors completed a safety inspection of the refinery but did not include the area where the explosion took place. today, the white house's summit on violent extremism enters its third day. leaders from 60 different countries traveled to washington for the event. yesterday, president obama warped that terror groups are luring poor and uneducated muslims with money and twisted interpretations of religion. the president insisted we are not at war with islam. tracie potts has the latest from washington. ♪ >> reporter: the pain is still very raw in preston, arizona, where friends len family mourn

the death of kayla mueller, at the hands of i.s.i.s. >> i have a hole in my soul that will never be replaced. >> reporter: since then another video shows the beheading of 21 egyptian christians including one executioner who sounds american. >> he has an accent probably underscores from the united states, we've had a great many people join the fight. >> reporter: on a white house summit on violent extremism, president obama said we need to make sure. >> reporter: the obama administration is taking heat for linking them to islam. >> they are not islamic. >> reporter: critics include possible presidential contender, jeb bush who says islamic extremism should be the focus. >> the more retry to ignore that reality, the less likely it is

we're going to develop the appropriate strategy to garner the support in the muslim world. >> reporter: the summit's focus, focusing on community programs that work. in boston, los angeles and minneapolis. tracie potts, nbc news washington. one of the top stories on nbc news.com ucla warns 160 patients about danger superbug exposure. the ucla health system says the exposure may have happened during specialized endoscopic procedures called ercp performed between 2014 and january of this year. all of this after an investigation found seven patients were infected and two dies from possible infection. six minutes past the hour. let's get down to business with landon dowdy. >> the major difference between apple pay and loop pay.

loop pay's technology already works. edmunds.com says used car prices rose 6% to a record last year at nearly $17,000. higher prices means higher resale values for older cars and consumers are likely to get condition reasonable offers for their trade-ins. and little caesars is crazy about bacon. the new pie is topped with pepperoni and bacon. little caesars is looking to capitalize on americans' love for bacon. recently topping $4 billion. betty, back over to you. >> a lot of bacon. a lot of calories too. thank you. back to the deep freeze that is bringing some of the winter's coldest temperatures. jay gray is braving the cold in tennessee. this weather is invading a huge portion of the u.s., all the way down south. >> yeah.

absolutely betty. millions of people dealing with the brutal conditions again this morning, including here in nashville. we got a busting of snow and ice on the ground. that's not the problem. the problem is how cold it is. 7 degrees. windchill below zero. won't get out of the teens today. it's been so cold for so long. look at the fountain here. it's slowly turning into an ice statue here. just a good example of how cold it is. and how cold it's been for quite some time. they're repairing power lines here after the last system moved through. dumping ice and snow in the area. and tomorrow forecasters say it may warm up a bit. maybe into the 20s. but the concern is we're likely to see some more snow. they'll be dealing with this situation, betty. not only here but as you say, across much of the southeast. up along the eastern seaboard for the next several days. >> yeah. there's a lot of suffering to go around with this cold one. thank you so much jay.

we appreciate it. stay warm out there. the blue devils take on the number 15 tar heels. but before the action a moment led by roy williams and coach k., for a pregame tribute at center court and a moment of silence to honor the late dean smith who died february 7th. now, to the game. duke's jalil okafor dances in the paint. goes up sinks the layup. but north carolina shifts the momentum. marcus paige surging ahead in the fast break. he finishes with a vicious two-hand jam. the game went into overtime. duke pulling out a squeaker 92-90. a big upset, as syracuse manages its only win against a ranked team. the orange downed the louisville cardinals. jerome kersey has tied. he won a championship with the spurs in 1999 and helped lead

the portland trail blazers to two nba finals. he played 17 seasons with 6 different teams. jerome kersey was 52. minnesota vikings general manager, rick spielman has a jersey and expects adrian beat peterson to stay with the team. real madrid taking on shockey. christian real madrid won 2-0. the mustangs against riley county. it's a middle school contest. but check out this final play of the game. >> oh, my god. >> oh.

it's not moving. the ball rests on the back of the rim as the ruzer sounded. no points scored here. riley county pulled out the win, 26-25. what a way to finish. oh. some '90s rapper vanilla ice is busted promising news for for breast cancer survivors. and more on the outpouring for kayla muler. that is ahead. i make a lot of purchases for my business. and i get a lot in return with ink plus from chase. like 60,000 bonus points

when i spent $5,000 in the first 3 months after i opened my account. and i earn 5 times the rewards on internet, phone services and at office supply stores. with ink plus i can choose how to redeem my points. travel, gift cards even cash back. and my rewards points won't expire. so you can make owning a business even more rewarding. ink from chase. so you can. good job! still running in the morning? yeah. getting your vegetables every day? when i can. [ bop ] [ male announcer ] could've had a v8. two full servings of vegetables for only 50 delicious calories.

hundreds gather for a vigil in arizona for kayla mueller. her brother and only sibling eulogized her with this emotional message. you were my first friend my best friend my only sister. my heartaches for you and what you went through. i have a hole in my soul that will never be replaced. i miss you. i love you. i cannot believe you are gone

from my life. vanilla ice was released from prison late last night. the entertainer whose real name is robert van winkle was arrested and charged with burglary and grand theft. police say they found stolen items from a foreclosed property inside a house he is renovating in florida. van winkle told reporters it's not as cut and dry as seems. >> it's a misunderstanding. it's blown out of proportion. it's sad that good news doesn't travel this fast. it will get cleared up. you'll see. and researchers say a cocktail of three drugs extends the life of advanced breast cancer patients by 16 months. doctors are now rushing to make the combo standard therapy. 15 minutes past the hour. "snl" alum norm mcdonald, revealed that eddie murphy refused to play bill cosby

during "saturday night live's" skit. jimmy fallon celebrated his new ice cream by offering it to jen and jerry's customers with a state-of-the-art robot. >> hi wants you to get it. go for it. yeah. yeah. sorry. >> surprise. >> we'll find out which republican compared planned parenthood to i.s.i.s.? plus the leader telling his team to be more like she. scrambled politics is next.

before larry instantly transferred money from his bank of america savings account to his merrill edge retirement account. before he opened his first hot chocolate stand calling winter an "underserved season". and before he quit his friend's leaf-raking business for "not offering a 401k." larry knew the importance of preparing for retirement. that's why when the time came he counted on merrill edge to streamline his investing and help him plan for the road ahead. that's the power of streamlined connections. that's merrill edge and bank of america. in my world, wall isn't a street. return on investment isn't the only return i'm looking forward to. for some every dollar is earned with sweat, sacrifice, courage.

which is why usaa is honored to help our members with everything from investing for retirement to saving for college. our commitment to current and former military members and their families is without equal. start investing with as little as fifty dollars. ♪ ♪ ♪ "here i am. rock you like a hurricane." ♪ fiber one now makes cookies. find them in the cookie aisle.

19 minutes past the hour. time for this morning's dish of scrambled politics. isaac lateral is getting attention for comparing planned parenthood to i.s.i.s. the republican wrote a post titled "planned parenthood worse than i.s.i.s. and lying about it." at one points he wrote, planned parenthood abortionists in sioux falls are beheading unborn children during dismemberment abortions. several donors are co-chairing a fund-raising event for graham next month. joe biden will be in latin

america, at the same time benjamin netanyahu will be speaking in front of congress. from "usa today" 95 lawmakers to attend the selma march anniversary. this is the 50th anniversary of the march in alabama. 13 senators and 82 members of the house will attend the event. "saturday night live's" sicily strong is gearing up to host the white house correspondents awards dinner. capital file magazine asked her what she is looking forward to and he said i'm excited to have my private meeting with the obamas. so, i have that story. hong kong's leader tells people to act like sheep. hong kong's chief executive said, in the coming year i hope that all people in hong kong will take inspiration from the sheep's character and pull together to work for hong kong's future. this moment, john froin,

mayor bitten on the ear during groundhog day. the mayor lost his seat in a primary election this week. that's your morning dish of "scrambled politic." i'm joined by bob franken. good morning, bob. >> good morning. >> we have to start with rudy giuliani at a private dinner last night. he told the crowd that president obama does not love america. what is this about? >> well this is -- mayor giuliani didn't he used to be somebody? >> you're saying he's trying to stay relevant? >> perhaps that is. i mean his comments have gotten more and more extreme in the last several months if not several years. but the series point is one of the republican themes one of the underground republican themes for most of the obama presidency is that barack obama is not one of us. of course, you have the birther

movement. you have this latest ittteration that obama does not love america. >> do verbal bombs like that help a potential gop candidate? or does it really reaffirm that it's politics as usual? >> well it is politics as usual in the united states. and the other part of this might be to point out that politics as usual as really undermined the united states' standing in the world. so what we have is a continuation of the ugliness that now defines political debate in this country. >> i'm going to shift to jeb bush now. he was also speaking in new york. what was once a stealth campaign, when he announced back in november that he was just considering running, now appears to be a really well-oiled machine. is he really the one to beat already? >> well at this stage of the game, the one to beat can shift almost daily. i mean rand paul just won a couple of surveys. would he be the one to beat?

it's hard to tell. jeb bush is stepping forward as the establishment candidate. we're seeing a preview of the interparty fight going on. >> bob franken, we appreciate your insight. thank you so much. just ahead, news you can use in this frigid weather. on icy roads, north to south. what to do and what not to do in the moment of panic.

man (sternly): where do you think you're going? mr. mucus: to work, with you. it's taco tuesday. man: you're not coming. i took mucinex to help get rid of my mucusy congestion. i'm good all day. [announcer:] mucinex keeps working. not 4, not 6 but 12 hours. let's end this shopping online is as easy as it gets. ♪ wouldn't it be great if hiring plumbers carpenters and even piano tuners were just as simple? thanks to angie's list, now it is. we've made hiring anyone from a handyman to a dog walker as simple as a few clicks. buy their services directly at angiealist.com. no more calling around. no more hassles. and you don't even have to be a member to start shopping today! angie's list is revolutionizing local service again. visit angieslist.com today. ring ring! progresso! i can't believe i'm eating bacon and rich creamy cheese before my sister's wedding well it's only 100 calories, so you'll be ready for that dress uh-huh... you don't love the dress? i love my sister... 40 flavors. 100 calories or less.

♪ edward jones. with nearly 7 million investors oh hey, neill, how are you? you'd expect us to have a highly skilled call center. kevin, neill holley's on line one. ok, great. all right. so, when much of the country is below freezing, getting from point "a" to point "b" may become a death-defying scene. you may have a split-second to react. but your first instinct isn't

necessarily the right one, as nbc's jeff rossen is about to demonstrate. >> reporter: frightening moments behind the wheel. fishtailing, no control. just as scary, when the wreck is coming right towards you. from sedans. to semis. this truck skidding out. missing other cars by just feet. and that's the danger too. swerving into traffic. look at this car, spinning all over the road. seconds later, an oncoming car smashes into it. this week icing roads are wreaking havoc again. >> we're driving. the car starts spinning out of control. >> reporter: what do you do if you're caught in a skid? we're in maryland, at this specially designed ice driving course. >> there you go. >> reporter: whoa. our instructor, tom pecoraro a former police officer and certified driving instructor.

>> oh boy. that was 16 miles per hour. >> reporter: when we start driving again, i hit another patch of ice. and make a classic mistake. oh. >> two worst things you can do. you jammed on the brake and jerked the wheel. >> reporter: what am i supposed to do? >> get off the brake, get off the accelerator, and ride the skid out. >> reporter: i want to stop the car. flat roadways are dangerous enough covered in ice. how about when you're on a hill. what happens if my car starts sliding down backwards? >> stay off the brake. >> reporter: off the brake? >> roll back look over your shoulder and steer to a safe location. >> reporter: important tips, especially this winter, when the ice and snow just won't stop. jeff rossen nbc news germantown maryland. >> that is such good advice. >> i'll never forget my mom took me to a parking lot that

was icy. >> she taught how you to do it? >> you have to get the practice. >> your natural inclination is to break and turn. now, you know. this is "first look" on msnbc. "way too early" starts right now. ♪ good morning. i'm joe scarborough. it's thursday february 19th. welcome to "way too early." we have a lot of crossing the wires. more embarrassing losses for key kiev. and a study why smoking pot makes you crave those twinkies. the neurons usually turn off. but hunger pangs are turned

ravenous after the lab rats hit the bong. enough of the science class for today, kids. now, time for the news. we begin in libya, from the rising threat of the islamic state. the country is asking the u.n. to lift an arms embargo. and they asked that because they say it's the only way they can fight i si. and it comes after militants beheaded 21 egyptian christians over the weekend. and new fears, that the lead executioner may be american. as nbc's richard engel reports, now, the italian government is boosting security amid threats that italy could be the terror group's next target. >> reporter: i.s.i.s. is spreading like a virus. and months of air strikes don't seem to be containing it. in libya, i.s.i.s. is showing its strength. the group beheaded