. good tuesday morning, coming up on "early today" once in a generation, a potentially paralyzing and crippling storm is descending on the deep south from central texas east ward. state of our union. as the president prepares for his 6th report to the people of america, new nbc news polls paint a vivid picture of what we're seeing. >> end of an era. folk singer, song writer, and activist pete seeger has died. >> plus justin bieber goes to drag racing in panama and kate

upton gets excited for the super bowl. it's tuesday, january 28th. "early today" starts right now. hello there. thanks for joining us. i'm betty nguyen. the south is bracing for bitterly cold temperatures. a new arctic blast is pushing into the country right now. but this time its heading into parts of the deep south. states from texas to florida and the carolinas all getting ready for large scale snow and ice. we begin this morning with nbc's wendy in chicago. >> reporter: another bitter blast has locked in midwest in an unrelenting icy grip and now southern states are in it's reach. bone chilling temperatures now stretch to the gulf coast. this second polar punch in as many weeks has left people wondering if winter will ever end. >> we just about had enough of this weather. >> reporter: coats, hats, scarves, gloves, so much winter gear needed just to step outside

in these sub zero temperatures. making matters worse, 24 states are having to endure a propane shortage after a pipeline exploded south of winnipeg. thousands of residents are without heat. in minnesota, north dakota, and wisconsin. >> we're asking people to be mindful to help us conserve. >> reporter: and in the deep south, people not used to these frigid temperatures are preparing for what forecasters say could be significant snow and ice. the city of new orleans and portions of mississippi declared states of emergency. >> as always in these types of situations we're hoping for the very best conditions and planning for the worst. >> reporter: from the gulf up the coastline, cities not equipped to deal with these kind of weather are kicking their emergency plans into full gear. >> just a lot of inexperienced drivers in the snow and ice because it only comes here every few years. >> reporter: with more than two months left of winter it seems an end to this pattern of extreme cold is nowhere is

sight. nbc news, chicago. >> let's get more on this from bill karins. you're talking texas, florida. >> school is cancelled and thr telling people to stay off of the roads. we're talking houston up to virginia beach norfolk area. i'm very concerned with the charleston to savannah areas. we could see unprecedented ice. maybe as much as a half an inch. that's why we have ice storm warnings from savannah, charleston including the hilton head area. myrtle beach could get ice out of this. how much ice? what damage will be done? looks like downed trees. definitely branches and limbs and that will cause power outages out there. the worst of it from tallahassee to albany georgia up to a quarter of an inch but this purple area here, late this afternoon to this evening, if you get a quarter to a half inch

of ice, there could be people without power for three or four or five days. we could have power companies heading to the beach areas. our friends at our nbc station in michigan, that is snow outside their newsroom window. >> that's incredible. >> i like to thank holly for sending this to me. >> can they open a door and get out of there. >> they can. yes. but it's just perspective. >> indeed, now to washington e priden obama is preparing for his 6th state of the union address. brand new nbc news wall street journal polls reveal 63% of americans think the country is headed in the wrong direction. tracy potts joins us live from washington. the president also goes into this speech with one of the lowest approval ratings of his presidency. >> reporter: it's actually the 7th straight poll we have done in a row where his approval rating has been underwater as he begins to layout his plan for

this year. the white house is reaching out online encouraging people to interact during the state of the union and promoting an all day q and a tomorrow. >> big block of cheese day. >> big block of cheese day. >> reporter: the theme of the speech, the president talks about that in the vine video. >> tomorrow night, it's time to restore opportunity for all. >> reporter: officials say president obama will urge congress to fix immigration and raise the minimum wage but he'll focus on what he can do without congress. >> success in washington of a president of any party should not be measured alone by how many bills congress passes. >> reporter: job training, retirement accounts for workers that don't have 401(k)s. promises to hired the long-term unemployed. >> that's precisely what is needed in my state where the middle class is really shrinking. >> let's be careful here that we don't create a situation and a momentum where congress is sort

of an after thought. >> reporter: republicans have three responses ready. they're calling tonight's speech just more talk. >> it would be nice to see how he's going to put all of these speeches into action. >> reporter: president obama heads into this speech with a 43% approval rating. but actually congress is a lot worse. their approval rating now only 13%. >> all right. thank you for that tracy. we do appreciate it. we'll have live coverage of the state of the union with brian williams at 9:00 p.m. eastern, 6 pacific right here on nbc. apps likely on your phone like angry birds are used to track your location and more. the allegations just part of the newest nsa spying revelations. the new documents were released by nsa leaker edward snowden and they suggest data from mapping, gaming and social networking maps can be fed to the nsa and personal data like your location, political affiliation or sexual orientation. the nsa gets routine access to

app data. the nsa insists they're not interested in data from people that aren't considered valid foreign intelligence targets but 60% of americans value their privacy over security according to a new associated press gfk poll. that's up 2% from a similar poll in august. this morning the music world is mourning the loss of folk singing icon and activist pete seeger. ♪ >> that was seeger singing the hit turn, turn, turn. he performed with bruce springsteen at president obama's concert. he said the key to the future of the world is finding the optimistic stories and letting them be known. he died monday night of natural causes after being hospitalized for six days. pete seeger was 94.

bill karins is back with more on the cold and snow. we're in it and it's not letting up. >> what a winter. this january is just insane. it's going out with a bang. eastern north carolina, historic winter storm for you. you'll need plous coming from raleigh to help you out with this one. norfolk area, 6 to 12 inches. raleigh around 3 to 6. an inch in atlanta and 1 to 3 inches in the g sip north of new orleans of all places. we have snow this morning all the way to central louisiana, it's snowing and snowing hard in some cases. drive carefully if you're going to go out in the roads at all. that's your national forecast. now here's a look at the weather outside your window. >> look at these temperatures, detroit, michigan at 2. haven't talked about how cold it is with the polar plunge or arctic blast, whatever you want to call it. the cold air through the great lakes is bitter this morning.

>> and as everyone on the east coast will find out, the cold air from the plains arrived this morning. >> heading our way and it is here. thank you, bill. we are one step closer to a farm bill that impacts 16 million american jobs. >> plus thick black smoke billows skyward as tanks in oklahoma erupt in flames. we'll tell you why. ted ligety cannot take a sick day. [ coughs ] [ male announcer ] so when he catches a cold, he's got to power through it. ♪ vicks dayquil. powerful non-drowsy 6 symptom cold and flu relief. winter olympian ted ligety can't take a sick day tomorrow. [ coughs ] [ male announcer ] so he can't let a cold keep him up tonight. vicks nyquil. powerful nighttime 6 symptom cold and flu relief. ♪

we need a new recipe. let us consult the scroll of infinite deliciousness. perfect. [ wisest kid ] campbell's has the recipes kids love. so good! [ wisest kid ] at campbellskitchen.com. [ gong ] m'm! m'm! good! [ wisest kid ] at campbellskitchen.com. that it's given me time toabout reflect on some of life'seen biggest questions. like, if you could save hundreds on car insurance by making one simple call,

why wouldn't you make that call? see, the only thing i can think of is that you can't get any... bars. ah, that's better. it's a beautiful view. i wonder if i can see mt. rushmore from here. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. welcome back, everybody. lawmakers in the house and the senate agreed on a five year farm bill monday that is expected to save taxpayers billions of dollars over the next ten years. the deal will consolidate agriculture subsidy programs and fund major crops like corn, wheat, and rice. part of the deal includes an $8 billion cut to food stamps. >> and vice president biden requested an end to the violent protests plaguing the country. biden is asking the government

to pull back riot police and work with the ukraine people. 11 oil tanks in oklahoma caught fire monday sending thick black smoke into the sky. authorities believe the blaze may have been started by a single spark. no one was injured. one recreational pot seller in colorado wants to become the super store of weed. medicine man in denver has been doing so well since marijuana became legal it's planning a $2.6 million expansion this spring. the owners eventually want to make the medicine man a franchise. >> and the toughest guys in the world took on fire and freezing war and barbed wire in england's tough guy competition. it helps raise money for animal sanctuaries. >> now that pot is legal in colorado, why not. they're adding marijuana themed competitions to the summer fair including best cannabis plant, best hemp fabric and best

homemade bong. well there won't actually be any marijuana at the fairground. contests also include dorito eating and joint rolling done with oregano, though. >> early today health is brought to you by vagisil. >> it's the world's largest legal tender. a $1 million gold coin called the red kangaroo. it measured 2.5 feet in diameter and almost 5 inches thick. that's not going to fit in your pocket. the u.s. supreme court ruled that steel companies don't have to pay unionized workers for the time it takes to put on and take off their safety equipment. >> over 80 colleges and higher learning institutions have an endowment of over $1 billion. harvard university is among the top five with $32 billion. followed by yale university, $21

billion. my alma mater, university of texas and princeton university with $18 billion. >> preliminary ratings revealed 28.5 million viewers checked out music's biggest night. >> and they're rooting for the super bowl bound seahawks and to show their support they're showing lynch inspired sausage. it includes the running back's favorite candy, skittles mixed into the meat. does that qualify as a dessert? sports highlights is next. plus, kate upton is channelling victor cruz in anticipation of the super bowl. that'sext. [ female announcer ] we lowered her fever.

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this morning on today, with super bowl sunday just days away, how safe is the big game? a look at one of the largest security events in the country. >> let's get to the latest in sports from my buddy, brian, good morning. >> hey, betty. i hope it won't be too cold for the folks outside. an unset in college basketball, oklahoma strong on the boards. a rebound to put back plus the foul. the number 23 sooners knockoff their in state rival number 8 oklahoma state 88-76.

9th ranked villanova taking on jamestown. nova with a 65-60 wins. >> dawkins, number 17, duke on fire. six three-pointers against pitt. and they win 80-65. that win number 900 for the coach. he is the only second coach to reach that milestone after jim bayheim of syracuse. second left, oklahoma city's kevin durant, he has been on fire. 111-109 win over atlanta. 41 points and more than 30 points in 11 straight by the way and they have won 8 in a row. >> nice. >> he is pretty awesome. speculation over where carmelo anthony will playwright now. his wife lala offering her opinion on watch what happens live with andy cohen.

>> he wants to stay and i support him where ever he wants to go. i used to live in denver with him. if i can live in denver, i can live anywhere. >> hello, denver. >> how do you really feel? >> what's wrong with denver? >> during a super bowl photo shoot for voeg, super bowl kate upton slams her purse down and does the touchdown dance from victor cruz and the giants. it's a little bit of a 7 year inch outfit. >> you're waiting for the dress to fly up? >> it's risky for her. and last night, a pretty hilarious night of charity ka karoake. >> not bad. they benefit the take charge foundation for scholarships for deserving at risk students in

miami. it's a lot better than i would do. >> exactly. thank you, looks like justin bieber is learning a different kind of lesson from his dui drag racing escapades while in panama. a relaxing trip to florida. you know? just to unwind. but we can only afford one trip this year, and his high school reunion is coming up in seattle. everyone's going. then we heard about hotwire... and realized we could actually afford to take both trips. [woman] see, when really nice hotels have unsold rooms, they use hotwire to fill them. so we got our 4-star hotels for half price. i should have been voted "most likely to travel." ♪ h-o-t-w-i-r-e ♪ hotwire.com book with our app for an additional... $25.00 off your next hotel. side by side, so you get the same coverage, often for less. [ rattling ] that's one smart board. what else does it do -- reverse gravity? split atoms? [ whoooosh! ] hey, how is that atom-splitting thing going? [ rattling ]

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[ thinking ] i wonder what other questionable choices i've made. [ pop muzak plays ] [ sigh of relief ] [ male announcer ] choose taste. choose prego. ♪ [ male announcer ] bob's heart attack didn't come with a warning. today his doctor has him on a bayer aspirin regimen to help reduce the risk of another one. if you've had a heart attack, be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. welcome back. the most anticipated outdoor event forecast maybe of all time. it turns out that the weather person is really not going to be all that important. the forecast actually looking pretty good. the storm is going to go

through. a little bit of rain or snow mix saturday night into sunday morning. then it clears out. the cold front off the coast. 33 degrees around kick off. maybe dropping down to 30 during the game. that's not bad at all for this time of the year. probably the best day this whole month. wind chills 20 to 25. even the winds not much of a factor. >> i think you're ready for football. >> people wanted to see snow. >> stop it. nobody wants to see that. justin bieber has been taking his mind off his legal troubles by relaxing in panama with a throng of fans standing nearby. he fed around on an atv and managed to drive the vehicle without being pulled over. >> taking the charges seriously. >> remember when rosie o'donnell was a host on the view? next month she will be visiting the talk show for the first time since her exit six years ago amid feuds with her fellow cohost. speaking of, quinton is

suing gawker media for leaking a script of his film. they say it facilitated the leaked script instead of reporting the news of it. they're saying he deliberately turned the leak into a story. >> dan ackroid was sworn in as a sheriff's deputy after filming the movie. he has some experience before becoming an actor. that's a fun fact about the ghost buster. >> when he was caring around his little laser. >> i always wonder what happens to them when they say i'm going to go become a actor. >> not many people have done that transition. >> that's true. this is "early today." we hope it's just your first stop of the day on nbc. my grandson's got this blankie that gets filthy.

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new this morning on "news4 today," a pedestrian rushed to the hospital overnight after being hit by a car on a busy road into the district. capitol hill in the spotlight at this hour as president obama prepares to give his state of the union. new numbers out overnight show he and congress have a lot of work to do to convince the americans our future is bright. good morning, everyone. 4:26. i'm aaron gillchrist. >> i'm eun yang. you are going to need some extra layers this morning as we deal with another round of deep freeze around the district. across the region right now, we are seeing temperatures in the single digits. but when you add in the

windchill, it is going to feel like it's below freezing. >> and that means school delays and closings, first in virginia, warren, clark, frederick county schools will open two hours late today. so will schools in win chester. >> and in west virginia now, hampshire, hardy, jefferson, mineral and morgan county schools are closed. log on to nbcwashington.com for a complete list of closings and delays. storm team 4 meteorologist tom kieran is here now with just how cold it's going to get today. good morning, tom. >> a lot of the schools are delaying because of dangerous windchills to 10 below zero. there are windchills around the metro near zero. these are the current temperatures. reagan national is at 19 degrees. elsewhere farther north and west, hagerstown, just 6 degrees right now in hagerstown. elsewhere, cold temperatures, shenandoah valley, just 10 degrees. 10 in winchester. temperatures hold in the teens to single digits for another few hours until 8:00 this morning. so it's going to be a windchill

morning. you add in the wind, we'll have windchills minus 5 to minus 10. all these counties in blue including the district, prince george's, montgomery, fairfax, all these areas to the west. and then during the afternoon we'll have frigid temperatures. afternoon highs, i think, will be reaching just near 20 degrees around much of the region. and then there's a chance of some snow to our south later tonight. more on that coming up in a few minutes. danella, good morning, any traffic trouble? i'm not tracking any accidents. it's still pretty quiet with not a lot of congestion at all, but i'm tracking emergency road work in montgomery county. this is northbound layhill road at glenn allen avenue. the left lane is blocked there. and southbound martin luther king jr. highway at southland drive, road work there is blocking the right lane. that's emergency road work. i'm back at 4:31. back over to you. thank you. this deep freeze is putting a strain on power companies that

pepco is asking customers to conserve energy. 6:00 to 10:00 a.m. are known as peak hours when most get ready for work and school. the peak hours return between 5:00 and 9:00 when you return home. use appliances during off-peak hours. stay on top of the deep freeze with the storm team 4 weather app to give you realtime temperatures and weather alerts. download it from the iphone app store or google play. 4:29. a man in the hospital after being hit by a car in prince george east county. this happened just before 10:00 last night on pennsylvania avenue and parkland drive in district heights. investigators say the man may not have been in the crosswalk at the time he was hit. the driver did remain on the scene there. at last check the man was in the hospital with very serious injuries. we'll follow this story through the morning and bring you new any information as we gather it. 4:29 now. this morning anne arundel police

are looking into the relationship between two men found dead in an apartment. chopper 4 was in the scene after being called to the scene. police believe both men lived in the apartment and this could be a murder-suicide. the family living in the basement apartment was not hurt. investigators don't know what started a house fire in wheaton but know the flames were fueled by a propane tank. you can see thick black smoke billowing out of the home. this is on win ddhan lane. everyone made it out safely. time to deal with weather and traffic on the 1s. it is frigid out there. >> let's go to tom kieran to get you started this morning. tom? that's a wind coming out of the north and west gusting to near 30 miles an hour. so the windchill in washington