towering inferno. an incredible scene in dubai in the 79-story building. this morning, an investigation is under way. off course. one of nascar's most popular drivers, kurt busch, known as the outlaw suspended indefinite indefinitely. he won't be racing in the biggest event tomorrow the daytona 500. and real-life robocop.

a police officer nearly killed in a car accident on the job walks for the first time since the horrific day. >> i'm ready. >> the futuristic technology that is helping him get back to life as he once knew it. "today" saturday, february 21st 2015. >> announcer: from nbc news this is "today," with lester holt and erica hill. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> and welcome to "today" on this saturday morning. i'm erica hill. >> i'm craig melvin alongside sheinelle jones and dylan dreyer. after today, we can go to the prom. >> we are so connected. lester taking his well deserved morning off. we are happy he is sleeping in. good morning, lester. we are happy to have you back in

studio dylan dreyer. >> i'm happy to be here. it felt nice to put on a dress this morning. actually i get to wear my hair outside the hat. >> stay inside. >> this is what you were out in for most of the past few weeks. scenes like this. this is the hudson completely frozen over. >> some pictures are too incredible to believe. we may sound like a broken record but the top story again. the weather, no rest for the weary. tens of millions of people are in the path of this one from the midwest to the south to here in the northeast. bone-chilling cold as you know first hand. some of the temperatures people have never actually seen before. take a look at the map here. the lowest low, you find that in marquette, michigan negative 26 degrees. the biggest issue is the ice on the roads. that is a major threat. we will kick it off with nbc's gabe gutierrez. he is in chilly nashville, tennessee. gabe good morning. >> reporter: erica, good morning. it has been a miserable 24 hours

in nashville. i woke up with a hoarse voice. lots of wind here. we have seen snow we have seen sleet, we have seen freezing rain. right now, temperatures are in the 30s. as you can see, it is a rainy and slushy mess. around much of the country, the extreme winter weather is far from over. this morning, the siberian express is still barrelling through much of the country leaving in its wake record shattering cold. >> the freezing rain stresses me out. >> reporter: and deadly crashes, including this one in mississippi. in ohio an out-of-control car slammed into a police cruiser. more than 100 roof collapses in massachusetts. the top of lake erie is frozen over. and so is the delaware river in philly. ice cutters are breaking through the ice on the chesapeake bay and more forming on the ohio river. and some icy conditions in

alabama. >> my windsh froze up. >> reporter: treacherous conditions in tennessee with 18-weather-related deaths this week. including a dialysis patient. >> in a job where seconds count. >> reporter: many first responders are on ice. temperatures in 21 states plummeted to the double digits below zero. lexington, kentucky, negative 18 degrees. cleveland saw minus 17. the coldest february day on record. flint, michigan 25 below. now yet another round of ice, snow or freezing rain is set to start today from missouri to the mid-atlantic and deep into the south. >> i need to go back to summertime. i hate cold weather. not built for it. >> reporter: and on friday even miami tied a daily record low of

42 degrees. here in nashville today, as if all of this wasn't bad enough, local officials are worried about flooding. guys back to you. >> one more thing they don't want to deal with. gabe get some tea. >> dylan dreyer here again. of all the places you went which was the coldest? >> it is a toss up with niagara falls and rochester. it was exceptionally cold. i feel for everybody out in it. it is not going to end anytime soon. currently, we have the cold air surging in the upper midwest into the carolinas. charlotte feels like 22 degrees this morning. feels like 7 in washington, d.c. the further north, bangor maine, 19 below. we do have this next wintry storm. they all seem to arrive on weekends. you can see we are starting to see the rain take over in memphis and nashville. we are losing the threat of icing. you can see where we are still dealing with some wintry mix in

knoxville and up further to west virginia. that is where we will have accumulating snow. all of the blue from st. louis to baltimore, that is the winter storm warning. we will see accumulating snow. here is the time line through the day today. you see the rain/snow line after produceing up to a foot in west virginia. we will see some in boston before it changes to rain and freezing rain. don't trust it on the roads. sunday at noon, it pulls away. snowfall totals. 3 to 6 inches across new england. most of the snowfall is in west virginia. we will see more cold air surge in. we are looking for record-breaking lows. high temperatures on sunday will run 25 to 35 degrees below average. when you are talking about records that have stood since the late 1800s. most of us in our lifetime and across the united states have never seen anything like this

before. >> important to remind you about be careful about the driving and bundle up. that goes for you, too, dylan. >> thanks. former new york city mayor rudy giuliani is not backing down after a firestorm after saying he did not believe president obama loves america. on friday he told some newspapers he believes the president has been influenced by communists and giuliani speaking out again last night on fox after the white house took him to task for the comments. nbc's kristen welker has more on what giuliani is saying. good morning. >> reporter: erica, good morning. former mayor rudy giuliani remains defiant. he is accusing the president of the comments. the white house saying he is

disrespectful to the president. giuliani said on wednesday, quote, i do not believe the president loves america. those comments created a firestorm. on fox news last night, giuliani did not back down. he did try to clarify his comments among the backlash. >> he may love america. i don't know. in his own way. when i listen to his language i hear language of a man who is never talking about the greatness of america. so he's not a cheerleader for america. he's a critic. it's as if he were a movie critic as opposed to the guy acting in the movie. >> reporter: now earlier friday white house press secretary josh earnest lobbed a sharp attack against the man once known as america's mayor. >> i can tell you it is sad to see when somebody has attained a certain level of public stature and admiration tarnishes that

legacy. >> reporter: earnest says he feels sorry for giuliani. the white house says the president has often expressed his love of country in public comments, including the remarks made to the dnc on friday. the white house says those were in response to giuliani. worth noting #obamalovesamerica was started by the white house and tweeted out 54,000 times in a 24-hour period. those on the right and left weighing in. erica. >> kristen, thank you. we are following a developing story in the nascar world on the eve of the daytona 500. s in nascar's super bowl. kurt busch suspended indefinitely. we have kristen dahlgren with more. >> reporter: the daytona 500 is the biggest event of the year. this news sent shock waves to the crowds. busch's camp is appealing the

suspension and the family court in delaware that has seen allegations from abuse to trained antrain assassins. now former champion kurt busch is suspended for actions detrimental to stock car racing. busch has committed an act of domestic violence. >> if you want to compare to other sports a top athlete suspended before the world series or the super bowl. >> reporter: the suspension comes after patricia driscoll accuses him of slamming her head against the wall last september. busch hasn't been charged with a crime, but the allegations played out in a family court. busch accusing her being a

trained assassin. friday the judge ruled for driscoll. almost immediately, chevrolet pulled sponsorship of busch. the name ray rice was scrawled on the glass at busch's garage. a reference to the former baltimore ravens player who faced domestic violence in recent months. busch's ex said nascar is to be commended. his attorney promising new evidence. accusing driscoll of witness intimidation . this will turn out to be a trafvesty of justice. busch will be without a lawyer before a three-person panel. it could happen as early as today. the racing team is lined up

another driver to take his place in the daytona 500. kristen, thank you. >> a search under way for three teenagers who may be on the way to join isis. there are fears the british girls to try to join up with the terrorist group as concerns grow as isis is trying to lure teens from all over the world. nbc's aymen is here. >> reporter: good morning. police are asking to find the girls and appealing to the turkish government to look for them. they believe they are on the way to syria. why do the girls disappear and is it happening here in the united states? one by one, the three girls walked through security at london's gatwick airport and without telling their families flew to turkey. the three girls are heading to syria, possibly to join isis. >> the three families have no idea of the intentions of their

daughters. no idea whatsoever they will travel to turkey and they intend to go to syria. >> reporter: the girls have been missing since tuesday. before they disappeared, a cryptic message. a known recruiter asking important a private conversation. isis is trying to lure young western teens, including in the u.s. it is happening online. >> the internet is a double-edged sword. one isis uses very effectively to recruit kids. >> reporter: using slip propaganda messages to attract teens to syria. it is a challenge for officials here in the u.s. to track. >> every single teenager has a smartphone or access to the internet. their parents have no idea what they are doing. >> reporter: last year alone, at least five american teens were caught as they tried to travel abroad believed to be heading to syria's frontlines.

more than 150 americans are believed to be already among the thousands of foreigners fighting in syria's civil war. isis recruiters are preying on the youth by promising a sense of purpose and meaning. officials say to counter the radicalization are the tools of parents and community leaders. they have to engage in teens and find out what they are doing online and talking to and reading and what are they watching. to talk to the youth so they don't feel alienated. >> thank you. so scary. let's look at the huge fire at a skyscraper in dubai. >> good morning. investigators are trying to figure out how a massive blaze broke out in one of the world's tallest residential buildings. flames shot out of the 79-story building in dubai overnight. residents fled as the debris rained from the building. police didn't suspect foul play.

an investigation is under way to determine the cause. newly sworn in defense secretary ashton carter is assessing the readiness of the afghan troops and the resurgence of the taliban. the obama administration plans to cut the u.s. troops in half and have all troops out of afghanistan by the end of 2016. tons of cargo can move after dock workers came to an agreed. ships are waiting to be unloaded. the ports handle about $1 trillion of cargo each year. the dispute has been going on for nine months. a problem with healthcare.gov has the tax returns of thousands of people on hold. the federal government is asking people who received subsidized private coverage to hold off on filing for tax refunds because the information they need to file is not accurate. the police officer with the spinal injury is walking now

with the help of a remarkable device device. officer jeremy romero was nearly killed a year ago in a car chase. he is in the same facility where gabby giffords was recovering. romero calls himself robocop. with three weeks of rehab, he plans to go home and wants to take a walk with his son. >> how about that. >> what a great story. >> and the technology keeps getting better. he wants to work again. the hope is they make the legs lighter and faster. >> so he can get around more easily. just to do that. sheinelle, thanks. dylan is back with a closer look at the weather with the rest of the country. >> the west coast is looking fantastic. >> take the show on the road. >> we should. we have nice warm temperatures. 60s and 70s and 80s across the southwest. another storm in the rockies. that will accumulate today and

tomorrow. the wintry mix moving through the mid-atlantic. in boston the ground is so cold that everything the rain touches will freeze. it is more of a freezing rain situation with a couple of inches across the central a and a good saturday morning, i'm meteorologist michelle grossman. we're off to a frigid start. we are tracking developing snow today. the snow does develop by lunchs time time and then into your evening hours. cold rain during the overnight hours, 26 to 30. it will be milder on sunday before we cool it down and we're back to coal on monday. drying on sunday. by monday partly sunny, 23 degrees. 28 on tuesday. back into the 30s on wednesday and then into the 20s on thursday. have a great day. and that's your latest forecast. >> dylan, thanks. we want to attorney little something new called the down load.

something to catch up on the news of the week. >> you can still be part of the conversation when you are out and about. every saturday we will take a few minutes to bring you the biggest stories of the week in the download. the bitter cold remains front and center in the northeast. >> miguel almaguer is on the icy waters. >> wind whipped waves in massachusetts. >> even the south wasn't spared. >> a close call for a reporter and photographer. >> the breathtaking scene of niagara falls. >> the great niagara falls is partially frozen over. terror concerns high following last week's attack in denmark. >> now isis is threatening to go further. >> 21 egyptian coptic christians paraded before being beheaded the egyptian f-16s took off and

took outs targets in libya. >> back home president obama taking heat for refusing to connect terrorism and religion. >> people are responsible for violence and terrorism. >> republicans and some tabloids pounced. former new york city mayor rudy giuliani took it to another level saying i do not believe and i know this is a horrible thing to say, i do not believe the president loves america. and a train disaster is now raising concerns over the way we deliver oil. >> as the investigation into that accident gets under way, nbc's tom costello has the latest. >> rocked the countryside. a single train car carrying oil slid off the tracks into the nearby kanawha river. it consumed a train and nearby house. major setback for the obama administration. >> the actions president obama signed in november gave hope to 4 million other undocumented

immigrants to live and work here legally. a 123-page decision temporarily blocks the changes. >> former governor jeb bush will likely test the waters for the white house. >> on foreign policy and family legacy. >> under this administration, we are inconsistent and indecisive. >> and trying to distance himself from bushs before him. causing quite a stir at the swearing in ceremony for ashton carter joe biden got a little too close to mrs. carter. in entertainment, the other mrs. carter untouched photos of beyonce and cindy crawford took the web by storm. one tweet saying beyonce is still gorgeous. and we have always known crawford was beautiful, but seeing her like this makes us

love her more. a new top dog in town. >> miss p. a beagle from british columbia shocking the announcer. >> how about that! >> fresh off her victory, miss p. visiting the hot spots and including studio 1a. >> look at wrangler. >> look at that. >> i love the look on wrangler's face. unspoken thing going on there. we were talking about which of the stories resonated with all of us. i feel badly saying it dylan. i cannot get enough of the weather pictures. some of them are just almost so unbelievable. you feel like you are watching a movie or they were doctored. >> when i was in niagara falls, they let us go behind the falls and you see where they are partially frozen. they have the portals. here it is. you hear the rushing water. there were parts of it where you

cannot see the rushing water. >> how cold was it there again? >> that night was 11 below. >> without the windchill. >> without the windchill, yeah. i hit rock bottom as far as my coldest point. >> oh, no dylan. we will push that. >> it was so bad, the shivering stopped. >> what does this mean? >> your system is shutting down. >> we are glad you are back. >> the untouched photos? >> cindy crawford and beyonce photos. people were saying it is unnecessary and petty that other people want to bring them down. i think it raised their street cred so to speak. they are not super human. >> it doesn't look to be that unretouched. >> you put makeup on and stand under lights for hours. >> first of all, they're leaked. maybe it is the cynic in me. isn't it kind of sad we have to celebrate oh, wow, they are

unretouched. why not celebrate. >> my favorite story, smoking joe. >> you can go like this. >> he says he was whispering words of encouragement. notice how quickly ashton carter pushes her shoulder away. all right. this is "today" on nbc. >> it was a good week.

still to come on "today," if you are looking for a job, queen elizabeth is looking for a chauffeur. and also ahead, contra to what you might think, not everyone hates the cold weather we will take you to the festival that has everybo

nbc 10 first alert weather breaking news. good morning, i'm rosemary connors. on this saturday we've got those dangerous cold temperatures and we are tracking snow and rain in the forecast. let's get right to meteorologist michelle grossman with the details. >> right now we have the dangerous cold. that's going to set the stage for the snow later on this morning into the afternoon and evening hours. looking outside, mostly cloudy, dry right now, quiet, a beautiful view from pocono mountains. that's where we'll get the most snow. temperatures frigid 14 in philadelphia 7 in mt. pocono 8 degrees in lancaster. 7 in wildwood. so for today, plan on snow developing. it will change over later on this evening to an icy mixer. then just plain cold rain. 26 to 30 and these are the

amounts we're expecting. to the north and west in the poconos, 5 to 8, 3 to 6 in the lehigh valley, berks county chester county upper bucks, northern montgomery county 2 to 4 along 95. quick peek at your seven-day forecast milder 44 right back into the frigid air, 20s on monday. count on nbc 10 to keep you informed with the latest information on this storm that's headed our way. download the free nbc 10 first alert weather app to get information from our meteorologist sent to your smartphone or tablet. breaking news we're following, crews are putting out hot spots from an apartment fire in camden county. shortly after the blaze broke out around 4:00 crews now have it under control. nobody here was hurt. the american red cross is helping two doozen residents who had to evacuate. i'm rosemary connors. we'll send it back to the "today" show michelle and i will see you back here in 25 minutes for another update. have a good one.

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you're going to end up eating a steady diet of government cheese and living in a van down by the river. >> oh, who can forget that passage from chris farley on "saturday night live" on the van down by the river sketch. believe it or not, a major league baseball player making headlines for doing that. living in a van, not by the river, this one by the ocean. not the typical dream home for a millionaire big leaguer. we will talk to him about that later. back here in new york outside studio 1a we have a nice hardy crowd on the plaza. the cold is not keeping these people inside. the 21st day of february. great to have them outside. we will say hello in a bit.

great to have you at home in your warm homes. >> always appreciative of the folks that come out. the folks that come out in this? >> i wish i had gold stars. i would hand them out. >> they would be thanks for the gold stars. >> are these heated? >> speaking of the cold it is actually perfect weather for brave souls in ohio this morning morning. they are loving it. the cold keeps the ice sculptures in tip-top shape. we will take you to that winter wonderland. we begin this half hour with more on the man accused of killing navy s.e.a.l. chris kyle. the story inspired the film "american sniper." closing arguments in the murder trial are expected next week. on friday the prosecution challenged the defense's claim that the shooter did not know right from wrong when he he opened fire. nbc's jacob rascon has more. >> reporter: it was never a question of whether or not eddie ray routh pulled the trigger.

a week and a half of testimony for more 30 witnesses boils down to this. did routh know what he did was wrong. after the marine corps, routh checked in the medical center many times and including the v.a. and diagnosed with psychosis and ptsd and substance abuse problems. kyle was famous for the navy s.e.a.l. and became america's deadliest sniper. kyle and friend chad littlefield took routh to a gun range and routh shoot them in the back and stealing kyle's truck and leading police on a chase and then confessing. the mental health expect said routh was suffering from mental health. routh has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. the prosecution's experts said routh was just high.

saying he smoked pot and drank whiskey before the crime and was angry at his life and victims because he said they would not talk to him. two dozen witnesses for the prosecution for the defense as the murder trial comes to say close at the same time the movie about one of its victims competes at the oscars. for "today," jacob rascon nbc news stephenville texas. >> we have lisa green here with us. experts agreed that routh does not suffer from ptsd. why is that a big deal? >> it is not a big deal legally. the schizophrenia would be grounds for acquittal if the jury is persuaded that routh did know what he was doing. by the time the prosecution was done about the witnesses, routh looks like a liar who did not

see combat and did not have ptsd. it undercuts any sympathy the jury would have for him. >> you say this is a battle the experts and timelines. >> yes, from the prosecution point of view, they want the jury to focus on that day. particularly on routh's behavior after the murders. he had lunch and fled from police. and the defense want to look at the relatives and descend into madness. >> who won the week? >> the prosecution had 2 to 1 more expert witnesses. i think the story was powerful. tough for the defense. >> oscars tomorrow. "american sniper" six nominations. buzzed about awards season. how will that affect the jury? >> the jurors promised not to let it get to them.

imagine being a juror and monday morning come in after the oscars on sunday night, they promised to fulfill their duty. it is hard to imagine they are not thinking about it as they will watch the academy awards. >> what does the prosecution need to do with the closing arguments set for next week? >> it is a defense burden. we know who committed the crime. the defense needs to persuade that jury that routh did not know what he was doing at the time of the murder. we said it is a high burden. after the prosecution's witnesses this week we see how tough it will be. >> one thing that struck me was the video in court played with the police interaction and routh shortly after the shooting. what struck you most? >> capable of two types of analysis. the defense saying routh is insane. the prosecution saying this is a guy on drugs making up a story to cover his tracks. >> lisa green good to see you.

thank you. >> pleasure. let's go back outside for dylan with another check on the weather. good morning, guys. i have to appreciate this so much. you came from canada just to say hello. >> hi! >> we say hello. it is cold in canada. i have experienced it first hand. we have a lot of birthdays. who is celebrating a birthday? it goes down that way. we try to squeeze everybody in. they are troopers for being on the plaza. we are talking about a winter storm in the east and out in the rockies. in denver, a winter storm warning. the snow will fall today. heavy snow overnight and into early tomorrow morning. ice is going to start moving in to parts of texas. dallas could see sleet and freezing rain. watch out for the roads. in denver we could have a foot of snow. same for pueblo colorado. we could see accumulating ice

through texas. today, we are looking atg ice in texas. a and a good saturday morning i'm meteorologist michelle grossman. we're off to a frigid start. we are tracking developing snow today. the snow does develop by lunch time. and then into your evening hours. we'll see it change over to an icy mix, then just cold rain during the overnight hours, 26 to 30 it will be milder on sunday before we kind of cool it down and then back to cold on monday. drying on sunday. by monday partly sunny, 23 degrees. 28 on tuesday. back into the 30s on wednesday. and then into the 20s on thursday. have a great day. and that's your latest forecast. guys. >> dylan, thank you. just ahead, when you get tons of ice, what do you do? ice sculptures of course. we will talk to some of the folks who made these after these messages introducing preferred rewards from bank of america the new banking rewards program that rewards

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the old saying when you have lemons you make lemonade. for those of you sick of the bitter cold there are ways to enjoy it. >> perfect weather for an annual winter festival in perrysburg ohio. kerry sanders is live for us in ohio. good to see you, my friend. >> reporter: good morning. they are artists. the medium is ice. they are working with 300 pound blocks of ice carving away. as you can see, this is amazing. this is neptune or i should say frozen neptune from the frozen sea. the artists say these single digit temperatures are just what they needed for the competition. >> cold. especially in this cold.

it makes it dry. >> reporter: usually there is a crowd of people at the ice carving competition, but this year only a few braved the siberian express. >> we have cabin fever. we wanted to get out. >> reporter: the only one not shivering, those working to make their work sparkle in under three hours. >> i'm actually sweating. >> reporter: artists who work in sculpture, clay wood or ice, say the work is already there. they just have to remove what's hiding it. the one big difference here? these masterpieces will only last until the weather warms up. >> it makes it more precious. >> reporter: the good news? the forecast temperatures will remain below freezing for the rest of the month. of course that is good news for some. not so good news for the rest of the us out here shivering. the winner so far in the competition is rich daly from

new york. he created this masterpiece. a black widow on top of a spider. on top of a spider's web. i have one question for you guys. you sent me here to cover this ice carving contest, but i discovered there is a sand sculpting contest in mexico. why am i here and not there? i know dylan will fight me for it. >> and i think we need two people to cover it. you bring up a very important point. >> dual coverage. >> your ticket will show up any minute. thanks kerry. up next if you come under pressure we may have the job for you. the queen of england is looking to hire a chauffeur. the the world is filled with air. but for people with copd sometimes breathing air can be difficult. if you have copd, ask your doctor about once-daily anoro ellipta. it helps people with copd breathe better

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good morning to you. outside on this saturday morning. if you are thinking about a career change, this story may be for you. the queen of england is hiring. looking for a new chauffeur. a job with a lot of responsibility. think of the stories you could tell. nbc's katy tur is outside buckingham palace. katy we would imagine the non disclosure agreement you sign would be intense. >> reporter: yeah think of all of the secrets you would be able to tell by sitting in that front seat and listening back on whatever the queen and her companions are saying. if you are interested in this job, you better apply quickly. i cannot imagine it will stay on the market for long. forget driving miss daisy. how would you like to get the

chance to drive queen elizabeth everywhere she goes. we have seen the queen behind the wheel throughout her life. something about it doesn't look right. some thought she would give saudi arabia's king abdullah a heart attack when she could barely see over the steering wheel. now the queen is looking for a chauffeur. the help wanted ad was posted on the newspaper of the british monarchy. someone with a good driving experience and professional and good team player and calm under pressure pressure. duties planning traffic routes and not getting stuck in a traffic jam like this one last thursday. also caring for her majesty's carriage horses and keep the

fleet in good working conditions. what is in it for you? 48 hours a week and $37,000 a year and 33 vacation days and live-in conditions. the rent comes out of your salary. >> you don't like driving? >> not a big fan of driving. >> reporter: now among the chosen candidates could hope to drive from the queen's fleet is the bentley which runs on biofuel and is the primary car for state occasions. then the fleet of range rovers. not a hoopdi in sight. if you want to apply, the deadline is march 8th. one small exception. you need a valid u.k. driver's license. that along with being a safe driver and calm under pressure probably means that if you ask my friends and loved ones i'm not in running for the job,

guys. good thing you let me be on tv with you for now. >> katy tur outside buckingham palace. does that sound like a good deal to you? >> i'm surprised they don't keep it in house. >> remember when they were looking for a nanny? >> what's next? a craigslist ad? it is a little crazy. coming up he makes millions of dollars a year why would this major league baseball player live out of his van down by the river? that's actually an ocean. we will talk to him after the break. but first this i

nicole: we all have different needs for our children and basing all of the childrens' needs on one test is not the right road to go down. and something's got to change. okaikor: and the ones who are taking the brunt of it are our children. all the other things that make you a great human being is not important anymore. what's more important is: can you answer a-b-c-d? gina: what am i going to learn for my child from this test that my teacher can't tell me right now?

still to come on "today," america on ice. the deep freeze creating dangerous and deadly conditions across the eastern half of the country. forecasters say it is far from over. and ahead, dylan's travel log. she has been everywhere this

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nbc 10 first alert weather breaking news. good morning. i'm rosemary connors. it's a few minutes before 8:00. we are tracking the weather. let's go to meteorologist michelle grossman. >> we are tracking snow. we could see accumulating snow in many many spots. it's a quiet start to the day, the calm before the storm so to speak with temperatures right now, they are cold, 14 in philadelphia. 7 in mt. pocono 12 in lancaster, 9 degrees in wildwood and that cold weather will set the stage for snow later on today. the snow does develop later on this morning into the afternoon hours. we'll see a changeover to a mix later on this evening and a cold rain overnight for everybody. 26 to 30 milder on sunday. actually ending up to be a

pretty nice afternoon on sunday. back to the cold on monday, 23. on tuesday, mostly sunny skies, bitterly cold. we'll warm it up into the 30s, straight back to the 20s on thursday and friday with mostly sunny skies. if you're on the go get the latest information on this winter storm with the nbc 10 first alert weather app. it's a free downlad for your phone or your tablet. a fire at an apartment complex in camden county forced two dozen people out into the cold this morning. crews are putting out the hot spots at the emerald ridge apartments in lindenwold. the fire broke out around 4:00 this morning on gibbsboro road. it is now under control. nobody here was hurt. the american red cross is helping the families displaced by this fire. another fire in camden county damaged this house, nbc 10 was on the scene not too long ago on eagle road in audubon. this blaze began just after 6:00 this morning. crews had it under control in a few minutes.

four people were in the home and they made it out safely. i'm rosemary connors. we'll see you back here at 8:30 for a full hour of news.

good morning. it is saturday february 21st 2015. here is a look at the top stories. dangerous and deadly. at least 25 people latest blast of winter. dylan will have what is next. and one of nascar's biggest stars will not perform in the daytona 500 among allegations he abused his girlfriend. and living large in a van. that's right. well paid major league baseball player has got the ocean view living in his van. we will talk to him about why. >> good morning.

>> good morning. you got a lot of carolina here. you have friends from? >> heart of the country. >> allegedly. >> we are making connections here. >> of course you know that. eighth grade history in south carolina. >> okay. >> i'm craig melvin alongside dylan dreyer and eric hill. >> lester has a little r & &r this morning. if you were with us yesterday, you saw natalie and i cohosting the women's magazine half marathon. 10,000 women takeover central park on april 19th here in new york. natalie and i will run it as well. there is nat after the boston marathon last year. you saw me after i finished new york. we have reasons near and dear to our hearts as why we run. you may want to join us dylan

dreyer. >> maybe i'll try. >> if you head to today.com, you will see why we run, but tell us why you run. over the next couple of months we will share your story. we will hear from remarkable women who will share their reasons as well. we will help you with proper nutrition and training tips and figuring out how to get the right shoes and gear. if you have never run before this could be a great time to pick it up. >> we are looking forward to following it. women only. >> well for this one. it doesn't mean the men cannot join in training. >> and provide support and encouragement. >> and buy the beer at the end. >> sheinelle is inside taking a look at the bitter blast of cold gripping much of the country. hi sheinelle. good morning. tens of millions of people are bracing for an icy weekend. nbc's gabe gutierrez is in nashville. gabe, good morning. >> reporter: sheinelle, good morning. a rough 24 hours in nashville.

i woke up with a hoarse voice. we have seen snow and sleet and we have seen freezing rain in the last 24 hours. now the temperatures are into the 30s. as you can see, this is a rainy, slushy mess out here. so far in tennessee this week there have been at least 18 weather-related deaths. overnight, treacherous travel conditions in alabama and mississippi and here in tennessee. on friday, they were record-breaking cold in many parts of the country. lexington, kentucky for example, negative 18. cleveland, negative 17. flint, michigan 25 degrees below zero. those are actual temperatures. not windchills. miami tied a daily record low of 42 degrees. here in nashville today, as if all of this was not bad enough, local officials are preparing for flooding. back to you. >> it is not what we want to hear. thank you, gabe.

to las vegas. the development after the road shooting left a mother dead. miguel almaguer has the latest from las vegas. >> reporter: in jail this weekend, 19-year-old erich milton nowsch is the teen detectives say shot and killed 44-year-old tammy meyers. the family says the mother of four was gunned down after a case of road rage. the details surrounding that story continue to change. now a new development, the victim knew the suspect and had taken a motherly interest in him. >> we knew how bad he was. >> reporter: police had been told by meyers daughter meyers was cut off by this unidentified driver. after the incident meyers picked upper her 22-year-old son who owns a gun. up to 22 shots may have been fired. one ending tammy's life. >> the suspect involved in the

killing of mrs. meyers is in custody and off the streets of las vegas. >> reporter: but this morning, police are looking for a second suspect. possibly a friend who drove nowsch to the meyers home. police documents say the teenager may have even boasted about the shooting. neighbor jonathan lee says he spoke to a distraught nowsch after the gunfire. >> i already knew he would not do anything like that on purpose or intentionally. he cried about it. >> reporter: this morning, the investigation is still underway. it is unclear if either family will ever have answers to their questions. miguel almaguer nbc news las vegas. officials in dubai say a fire in one of the world's tallest residential towers is out. firefighters battled high winds overnight as flames poured out of the skyscraper. few people were treated for injuries at the scene. a massive fire in a london warehouse overnight in an

industrial district. it took nearly 100 firefighters to stop it from spreading to nearby homes. still no word on what caused that fire and no reports of any injuries. workers at the nation's largest oil refinery walked off the job in texas just after midnight. the united steel workers union points to an explosion this week as they threaten more walkouts over safety concerns. that explosion led to a jump in gas prices. the market will watch the talks if the deal is not reached by sunday. this could be the biggest refine refinery strike since 1980. it is a date. one of the most anticipated boxing show downs set. floyd mayweather jr. will fight manny pacquiao on may 2nd. this is expected to be the richest boxing fight in history. mayweather is expected to earn at least $120 million. pacquiao's split is around $80 million. the fight has been in the

making as you know for five years. to $120 million, i'll get in the ring. i'll take my chances. give it to me. >> i'll do it for 60. >> fight of the century. already sold out at mgm grand. >> if you walked into my office and said i cannot believe we are not doing this story. this is the biggest trending story. >> it is the biggest boxing match. >> is it pay-per-view? >> i'll end up at somebody's house. >> yeah. dylan dreyer may have a boxing fight at her house. >> are you done talking yet? it is cold. we have this sign freezing but smiling. we're all in it together. where are you from? >> rhode island? >> you're snowed up. >> we came here to avoid the snow. >> no avoiding the cold. anywhere in the eastern half of the country. look at the current temperatures.

feels-like temperatures in single digits. barely getting into the teens. cincinnati one of the warmer spots at 23 degrees. we have snow moving in ohio. we are starting to see the ice changeover to rain now across most of tennessee. that will help with the icing situation. it is moving into the northeast. we will see snow through the mid-atla and ice in washington, d.c. boston for a time will try to go from snow to rain. keep in mind the ground is frozen. as for snowfall accumulations, highest accumulations in the mountains of west virginia and up in new england, isolated amounts of 3 to 6 a good saturday morning, meteorologist michelle grossman. we're off to a frigid start and then we are tracking developing snow today. the snow does develop by lunch time. and then into your evening hours. we'll see it change over to an icy mix and cold rain during the overnight hours. 26 to 30. it will be milder on sunday before we kind of cool it down

and then back to cold on monday. drying on sunday. by monday, partly sunny, 23 degrees. 28 on tuesday. back into the 30s on wednesday. and then into the 20s on thursday. have a great day. and that's your latest forecast. erica. >> dylan, thanks. turning to a devastating scene on the california coast. a record number of sea lions are washing up on shore. scientists are getting a better picture why this is happening. here is our correspondent anne thompson. >> reporter: a heart breaking sight. sea lion pups dehydrated and stranded in record numbers on the california beaches. >> this guy is 23 pounds. underweight. >> reporter: in the month of january, strandings were higher than usual. the prime suspect for the strandings is warm al coastal

waters. winds from the south pushed water up the coast that noaa says is 3 to 8 degrees above average. >> by warm water coming in it may move the other fish populations further away from the moms foraging. >> reporter: this is not climate change, but a local event. where the pups are raised the squid and anchovies are not available. >> the pups are going longer between feedings from mom and getting less nutritious milk and not gaining weight. >> reporter: today, main facilities are at capacity. slowly nursing the sea lions back to health and teaching the pups how to fish for themselves so they can survive. >> we'll get these pups fattened up to where they have the best chance of survival. we are putting them back out in challenging situations right now. >> reporter: still, when these pups return it is a joyful

sight. happy to be back where they belong with some help from their human friends. for "today," anne thompson nbc news new york. >> those are the stories that are hard to watch. it is good to see they are getting help. let's turn to one of the greatest signs that spring is on the way. pitchers and catchers reporting for spring training in florida. one of the major leaguers not getting ready for the season in typical way. that's because he is making millions he is living out of a van. here is kerry sanders. >> reporter: from florida's gulf coast, spring training is just getting underway. and thanks to his 98-mile-an-hour fastball toronto blue jays pitcher daniel norris could live anywhere he

wants. so at first it is confusing to learn this millionaire major leaguer lives in a used 1978 vw van. his home is smaller than some walk-in closets. >> this is different. i don't know. it is not hard for me. it's easy. that's the reason i do it because how simple it is and easy it is. >> reporter: a tennessee native 21-year-old dino says his parents taught him the difference between what you need and what you want. his motto in life? >> on the road to nowhere fast. >> reporter: and are you on that road? >> yeah. yeah. i mean my road to the big leagues is fast. that's the plan. you know every time i travel in this i don't have plans. i'll put in $20 of gas in and where i run out is where i stop. >> reporter: the overnight camping stops are million dollar views with no distractions. does this lifestyle make it

easier to focus out there? >> when i can look outside the foul lines, that is so much to think about off the field. all of the focus is on the field. >> nice play by norris. >> reporter: the teammates thought dino was just plain odd. >> some people call him weird and think he is out there. >> reporter: you think? >> i think he is awesome. >> reporter: three years ago in the minors dino lived in a van and no one paid attention. no one asked pesky questions. successful young, good-looking ball player has a date and says you want to come back to my place. this is your place. how does that work out? >> i guess i'll have to let you know. i haven't dealt with that yet. >> reporter: there's music, but by design, no television. no chatter from 24-hour news. just a beautiful view of the

high pressure league. for "today," kerry sanders, nbc news, dunedin, florida. >> that is remarkable. driving around florida. >> all of the kids packed into the van? >> something bigger. let's go to sheinelle who is in the orange room with the fan of the day. >> i like it when you make the signs at home. the world would end without nbc. i agree. we have meredith jackson from greenville north carolina. are you ready to take it away? go for it. >> still to come on "today," what a month it has been for our dylan. >> we look back at where all of the cold weather has taken her. >> but first these messages.

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back on the saturday morning. we are doing something different in the show. we have come outside to brave the elements. dylan is inside with hot chocolate. it has been a rough month for our intrepid meteorologist. the first time in two weeks in the studio. she had one or two days off since january 16th. she is crossing the country to follow the biggest winter storm. here is a look. >> like so many mornings on "today," you will find dylan dreyer working hard and braving the elements. >> new city same story. we have been below freezing for the month of february. >> do you have the winter blues? >> dylan dreyer is about four hours to the northeast in the city of boston. >> well, i'm seeing more snow savannah. that is on top of the 32.5 inches of snow the area picked

up from the blizzard. >> i worked in boston for six years. this is about as powerful of a stormy i have seen. the last thing you want to hear is more bad weather. the south hit hard with ice in georgia. you sandwich your feet. more real estate when you wear them. >> dylan is driving in boston in the blue mobile. >> i wasn't cold enough in the united states. i had to head to canada. the great niagara falls is partially frozen over. >> let's go to dylan dreyer. she is northwest of pittsburgh. >> here in washington, d.c. we have about 4 inches of snow on the ground. in pittsburgh we picked up 2 inches of snow. back in boston. the narrowness of the sidewalks here showing you there is no place to put the snow. i started off the week with my yardstick. it was too big to measure the snow in pittsburgh but now it is not close to being big enough

to measure the mounds of snow. the blizzard of 2015 no doubt, one for the record books. >> wow! >> you earned it my friend. >> she has. >> you earned the heat and spiked hot chocolate. >> it normally takes me a winter to forget where i have been. that sayis a couple of weeks. i was bouncing all over from place to place. i think i have a cold now, too. that's what happens at 8 below. >> we will let you rest a bit. happy to have you back. we appreciate everything you do. we are back in just a moment but first this is "today" on nbc.

all right. before we leave you on saturday morning, tomorrow, the oscars. we have plenty of previews. coverage tomorrow mortgagening.

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message. balance what you eat and drink with what you do. that's how you mixify. good morning. i'm rosemary connors. just ahead on nbc 10 news today, another winter storm is on the way. meteorologist michelle grossman is tracking the snow and freezing rain. >> another saturday another storm. we are in the calm before the storm. it's quiet right now.

even seeing peeks of sunshine outside. we see the snow building in before it changes over to a mix of cold and rain. we are also tracking a cold workweek, that's straight ahead. chunks of ice are floating down the delaware this morning. this is the view from just a short while ago from the battleship "new jersey" on what looks like a frozen river. fire forces families out into the cold this morning. the flames tore through these apartments in south jersey. we're live with an update on how the conditions outside are affecting the investigation. police uncover a fake i.d. scam. they have a warning for college students. wait until you find out how a name mix-up with the college dean led to the bust. those stories and much more coming up next on nbc 10 news today, coming up at 8:positive. caring for you and your eyes... ... just got a little easier. pearle vision accepts flex accounts

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. nbc 10 first alert weather breaking news. right now on nbc 10 news today, the first alert radar is tracking snow that will begin to fall in just a few hours. freezing rain will follow in

some neighborhoods and then by tonight, it will all change over to rain. cruise battle a raging apartment fire in the bitter cold. the flames force two dozen people out into the elements overnight. we're live on the scene in south jersey with an update on the investigation. good morning, this is nbc 10 news today. i'm rosemary connors. it's 8:30 on this saturday. meteorologist michelle grossman is keeping an eye on the system and checking the timing of that winter weather. michelle? >> that's right. good morning, rosemary. we're tracking the snow then a mix, then a cold rain overnight before we dry out on sunday. let's take a look outdoors we're quiet right now, if you have things to do you might want to get it done now. a live look along boat house road. mostly cloudy skies across the area. the clouds are building in and things will quickly change over the next few hours. we see the snow falling, radar showing where the snow is going right now. we'll see that snow starting really around lunch time 1:00 and once it does get here we could see snow falling pretty quic