this is already a victory for the ages. [cheering and applauding] >> nail-biter of a race in georgia with both the leading democrat and the president himself claiming a victory this morning. bush 41 hospitalized. the former president fighting a bout of pneumonia. >> and a desperate search for the cleveland shooter comes to a violent end. >> fox to cut ties with long-time host bill o'reilly. >> a $2,000 ikea bag knock off. >> and what some in texas are puck erring up for this morning. "early today" starts right now. >> good morning, i'm gigi stone woods. >> and i'm jasmine. glad to have you on this wednesday morning. we begin with breaking news ov

special congressional election pinned as a referendum president trump himself had the political world on edge. there is news this morning the race is heading toward a runoff in june after none of the candidates who vied for the vacant seat received the majority votes needed for a win. >> still this morning boekt the democrat and the president claiming victoriment for more we go to nbc's tracy potts in washington. tell us about the nail-biter. >> reporter: interesting race. so many people in the country outside georgia's 6th congressional district were looking at it. let's look at the results. john ossoff, the 30-year-old political neophyte who ran in this race as a democrat to pickup what has been a traditionally republican seat, it was a near miss for him. he had 48% of the vote. he needed 50 to take the seat outright. the next closest republican in a very crowded race of republicans

she got 19% of the vote. so, about one in five people in that district voted for her. that means the two of them are looking at a runoff in june. this is the seat that was given up by tom price when he came to washington to be the president health and human services secretary as you said. both sides are claiming victory. here's ossoff. >> let me tell you this. there is no doubt that this is already a victory for the ages. [cheering and applauding] so bring it on. [cheering and applauding] because we are courageous, we are humble, and we know how to fight. [cheering and applauding] >> democrats have been painting this as a referendum on president trump who barely won that district by 1%. if they're able to pickup this seat, it will affect the balance here in

could give them some momentum going into congressional elections. by the way, president trump got involved tweeting about this candidate saying now in a tweet after the results came in that he's glad to be of help. >> sure, people all over the country watching this very closely. tracy potts, thank you. still a huge number for a democrat in that state for sure. former president george h.w. bush back in the hospital recovering from a mild case of pneumonia. they said he was admitted on friday due to a persistent cough. doctors discovered and treated the pneumonia which has since been resolved. he is being held for further objector vegas but is sid to be in very good spirits. president bush has had health battles in the past including a two week stint in the hospital back in january. also for pneumonia. >> the manhunt for fugitive steve stephens came to a violent end in erie, pennsylvania. stephens shot and killed himself afternoon a police pursuit ye

shooting a 74-year-old man in cleveland and posting it on facebook. nbc's gutierrez has the story. >> reporter: steve stephens came to a dramatic end here just after 11:00 a.m. >> i was scared and now i'm actually relieved. >> reporter: a worker recognized stephens at this mcdonald's drive through where they said he ordered mcnuggets and fries but they stalled. >> basically they told him it was going to be a minute for his fries. we were trying to make sure she got in contact with the state police. and he didn't want to wait for the fries. >> units psp is behind a white ford fusion on buffalo road. >> reporter: stephens sped off, but after a short chase investigators say he shot and killed himself. >> there are a lot of questions i'm sure that not only the family, but the city in general would have had for steve. >> reporter: police say stephens murdered

godwin at random in broad daylight easter sunday and posted chilling video of the crime on facebook. >> she's the reason why this happened to you. >> reporter: where he also blamed his ex-girlfriend for his action. seconds after the blood shed. >> oh, lord he's dead. >> reporter: came the horrified calls for help. >> ma'am, what's your address? >> oh, lord have mercy. oh, my god. >> reporter: but for this 911 dispatcher, it was too late. >> ask him is he breathing. >> is he breathing? not breathing. >> i lost everything i had, man. >> reporter: stephens had no criminal history. he worked for a decade at a mental health agency and was a mentor. as they prepare for the funeral they feel an overwhelming sadness. and she called her father's killer a coward. >> thank you to nbc's gabe gutierrez for that. fresno california is recovering from a day of violence after three people were shot to death. less than a minute at three differentat

34, 37 and 58. police arrested suspect corey muhammad when they saw him running from the scene. he posted on facebook that he did not like white people and he used the alias quote black jesus. officials say the suspect yelled god is great in arabic as he was being loaded into the police car. investigators believe the shootings had nothing to do with terrorism. >> based on the information that we have been provided and our investigation has shown is that this is solely based on race. >> muhammad had already been wanted in connection with the fatal shooting of a security guard at a motel 6 last week. now he faces four counts of murder. >> back in washington, the trump administration is just 1 days shy of its first 100-day mark. the president is taking a victory lap of sorts. >> no administration has accomplished more in the first 90 days that includes on military, on the

trade, on regulation, on law enforcement. we love our law enforcement. and on government reform. >> his comment comes as he signs a new executive order. part of his buy american hire american policy. but it's raising new questions about whether mr. trump's businesses should follow that same message. here's nbc's chief white house correspondent holly jackson. >> reporter: back on the road sounding like he's back on the campaign. >> buy american and hire american. >> reporter: the president signing a new executive order in wisconsin promising to put america first, directing an administration review to tighten up the h 1 b visa program which lets high-skilled workers into the country. that's after president trump has used different programs to bring on foreign workers at his own properties. all of it raising questions for one republican senator at her iowa town hall. >> shouldn't he be the first one to bring his company back a

>> maybe he puts his money where his mouth is and bring some of those jobs here. >> reporter: the president has separated himself from his business and so has his daughter, but conflict questions linger. the ap now reporting ivanka trump's business was granted three chinese trademarks, the very same day she joined her father for dinner with the chinese president. >> the question is whether that kind of award of a trademark is a way for the chinese government to curry favor with the president or with the president's assistant ivanka trump. >> reporter: an attorney for ivanka trump tells nbc news she has had no involvement with trademark applications submitted by the business. and with americans talking taxes, president trump is, too. >> our tax reform and tax plan is coming along very well. >> reporter: but that tax overhaul could be over before it begins with democrats warning they won't play ball unless the president releases his returns. >> i think it's going to be hard

that he's credible in leading some kind of tax reform. is he doing it to benefit himself, his friends? we don't know. >> candidate trump came under a lot of pressure to release his tax returns. president trump may have to relent because he wants to push through tax reform. >> thanks to halle jackson for that report. >> turning to severe weather in the south, heavy rains left one texas down inundated in water. several homes and cars were flooded after storms passed through santa fe tuesday and while there were no reports of road closures, some residents had to use kayaks to get around. even some livestock was left looking for dry land. >> meanwhile, 18 million people in the midwest are at risk for strong to severe thunderstorms. nbc meteorologist bill karins is tracking that for us. bill, what's going on? >> a new storm system the one that's been moving through the rockies is heading through the central plains. we had a break from severe weather. maybe we'll an isolated storm. it is

very typical peak heat of the day, we have 18 million at risk from chicago to wichita, but the area of greatest concern is in iowa. that's where we're going to see large hail producing forms that could do significant damage and even a few isolated tornadoes. watch out des moines to the quad cities. that's a look at the big weather story of the day. here's a look at your day ahead. you can see the temperature differential today, 86 st. louis, 48 in sue falls. that's almost a 40 degree tem tire swing over difference. that is the area of concern for storms later today. very warm from texas through the southeast with scattered showers and storms. just watching this story could make your back a little hurt. the world coal championships took place in england. they're carrying 110 pounds of coal uphill for more than a half a mile. the winner finished impressive 4 minutes 31 seconds. the jog is a nine-minute mile.

they use 44 pounds of coal. that winner finished in 4 minutes 30 seconds. they're moving >> a terrible idea at the same time. thank you for that. >> i was supposed to make it to that race but i missed my flight. darn it. >> you would have won. just ahead we have reports fox news kick severing ties with bill o'reilly. you're watching "early today." back in two. nor scratch. nor damaging uv rays. nor glare of night can keep you from the clearest vision possible. ask for crizal no-glare lenses. and live life in the clear. finance your glasses with no interest if paid in full within 6 months, and get up to $30 back when you combine select essilor® brand lenses. visit essilorusa.com for more details.

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destination. the report says while the president went on cable news to announce the deployment of what he called, quote, a very powerful armada to the shores of south korea, they were instead at, quote, that very moment sailing in the opposite direction to take part in joint exercises with the australian navy in the indian ocean. the u.s. navy posted a photo of that naval carrier nowhere near the korean peninsula dated saturday. >> what? >> all right. from the "wall street journal," fox preparing to cut ties with bill o'reilly, big headline for them. murdoch owned paper of course citing people close to the situation. so, probably knows what it's talking about is reporting that fox news is now looking at how and when to sever ties with the long-time host. o'reilly has been plagued with all the sexual harassment rumors in recent weeks. "the new york times" found o'reilly paid out $13 million in settlements to five different women. .

wrongdoing, he said he paid those settlements to, quote, put to rest any controversies to spare my children. still anger has continued to bottle up against the news channel with protesters and sexual assault survivors rallying outside headquarters as another woman came out with accusations of sexual harassment against the host. it will be interesting to see how that all unfolds in coming weeks. >> tom brady is heading to the white house. new caffeine fix will have you seeing rain bows. you're watching "early today." - ah- he- [gas pouring] [slurps loudly] [engine starting] [loud slurping continues]

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fast forwarding this wednesday, today is the second -- 22nd anniversary of the oklahoma city bombing that killed 168 people. hud secretary dr. ben carson is scheduled to speak at the memorial ceremony. >> and the reigning super bowl champions will visit the white house today. as of tuesday, six members of the new england patriots announced they would not be attending the ceremony. four said the reason is because donald trump is president. >> and a huge asteroid the size of ji brawl ter will give the planet a close shave. nasa says the 2000 foot wide space rock will come in 1.1 million miles of earth. that is actually close by astronomical standards. not to worry about it. [ laughter ] >> actually close. a surprising announcement from united airlines despite the

legal action over its passenger dragging incident cnbc's nancy hungerford joining us from london with more on that story. nancy, what do you have? >> reporter: good morning. well, the message from the united continental ceo was simply the buck stops here. that's what oscar munoz said implying that nobody will be fired over the pr incident in which dr. david dao, a passenger was dragged off the overbooked flight. united did also reiterate it will make changes to its booking policies. the stock, however, took another fall yesterday, about 4% despite stronger than expected earnings. elsewhere another corporate apologize, this time adidas saying it is sorry for an e-mail it sent to customers praising them for, quote, surviving the boston marathon. users of social media were quick to remind them of the survivors of the boston marathon bombing. the company said it was sorry for the inch sensitive e-mail. finally, if

the office soon looking to get perhaps magical twist to your normal caffeine fix, starbucks is unveiling a unicorn photografr app achino. it changes colors as you drink it as well. you guys may want to check this out. you can get it with whipped cream on top and colorful sprinkles as well. you can check that out this morning. >> i don't know, nancy, if it changes colors i'm worried about what's actually in it. >> good point. >> it's supposed to be under 300 calories. i'm not sure either. i'll have to try it next time in the u.s. >> thank you. >> just ahead, high fashion taking on an iconic shopping back. >> plus why these people have been puck earrring up to a car r two days. you're watching "early today."

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keeping up with the fashion trends this spring could mean heading to your local ikea. luxury fashion label just released their new arena extra large shopper bag. it will cost you about $2,000. let's compare. if you're looking for a more affordable option, some people are saying it looks a little bit or a lot like ikea's iconic bag which sells for just 99 cents. this is a great example of how just the whole fashion world is playing a big practical joke on the consumer. >> i cannot wrap my head around spending $2,000 on a bag that looks like that. $2,000 on any bag. come on. >> the wrinkled leather gives it that look.

you've heard of kids cams at sporting events. this takes things to a whole new level. you're looking at the kiss a kia contest in austin, texas. people are puckering up to a new k kia optima. here's the rule. you have to keep your lips pressed against the car. if you pull away, you're out. contest ants get a ten-minute break every hour if more than one of them make it to the end and win the lottery, the remaining competitors will determine the winner. i could do that so easy. >> ten minutes every hour? come on. wish we were there. >> show them how it's done. >> just ahead, bill karins with an update on that severe weather with $18 million at risk. >> plus a goose attack on one of america's finest. you're watching "early today." why do people have eyebrows? why do people put milk on cereal? oh, are you reading why people put milk on cereal? why does your tummy go "grumbily, grumbily, grumbily"?

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using 911, emergency, all lines are busy, please hold. now, at 4:26, it is the last thing you ever want to do, call 911. this morning, some people say a message is making already tense moments even more stressful. metro gets ready to unveil its grand plan. we're showing how the agencies intends to fix the problem. and pollen plaguing the area what you can do to get some relief. >> announcer: "news4 today" starts now. it is 4:26. good morning, everybody, i'm aaron gilchrist. >> hello, welcome

yang, we're working for to you get to where you need to go on this wednesday. >> keeping an eye on the commute. we want to start with chuck bell and sheena parveen with a look at what we can expect when we get outside. >> does aaron look considerably older now? >> older? >> happy birthday. >> i think he took some r & r. aaron, you look very refreshed. >> thank you, sheena. chuck -- >> i'm going to the wall to show you the radar image and let you know your back to work day, aaron is going to be a lot cloudier and cooler than yesterday was. not looking for any heavy, but make sure you have your umbrella ready to go. four things to know, a lot cooler than what you got yesterday afternoon. a couple of rain chances not only for today but

if you like the warmer weather, you don't have to wait long. much warmer weather returns for tomorrow. i'm getting increasingly concerned that wednesday is nearing washout potential. for more, let's go to sheena. >> i don't like a lot at all, especially on the weekend, but, unfortunately, yes, we do have it in the forecast for part of your week. especially if you have plans outside. 53 degrees right now. cloudy skies outside. and those clouds will be increasing as we go through the day today. we have showers. at 7:00 a.m., few showers around 52 degrees. lunchtime, around 60 degrees. overcast skies today, i don't think you'll be needing sunglasses. highs will only be around 63 degrees. coming up in just a bit, we'll take a closer look at tomorrow's big warmup. let's check the roads this morning with melissa mollet. >>

beltway as far as construction. inner loop, in the work zone, one lane getting by. outer loop, two west lanes getting by. inner loop and outer loop look okay. but outer loop we have one lane blocked. inbound roads, rest road, rest area, right lane is the only thing getting by. we'll talk about all of it coming up. >> thank you. it's 4:29, if you're just waking up, we have what happened in that emrekz lection in georg. angie goff with details. >> good morning. the nation was watching and now we know who is headed for a runoff in overnight. also getting reaction from the president himself take a look. president trump tweeting hours ago,

trump referring to democrat john yosoff, because fund-raising records for winning that race. he will face karen handel in june. a bit of a victory. republicans have been the incumbent for 40 years. aaron, eun. when you have to call 911, you expect to get help immediately but one prince george's family got a confusing message. >> on easter when a man went into cardiac arrest, one called 911. >> 911, emergency, all lines are busy, please hold -- >> 67-year-old william