might. and right when he got to the we have shown not just around the state of alabama, but we have shown the country the way that we can be unified. >> breaking overnight, alabama shakes up the political world with the democrat becoming the apparent winner in the state senate race. as controversial rubld cann candidate roy moore refuses to concede. >> he said she said. president trump's attack on a u.s. senator that she says was a sexist smear. the white house telling a very different story. >> plus we get the latest on the new york city subway bomber and the message he left behind. >> outrage over the growing trend on the nation's roadways. >> and the eye popping report every parent should see. the mental health effects those smartphones are having on your kids. "early today" starts right now.

>> good to be with you this morning. i'm frances rivera. >> and i'm phillip mena. we begin this morning with the earth shattering news out of alabama. a democrat now set to represent the state in the u.s. senate. nbc news reports doug jones is the apparent winner in alabama. beating controversial republican candidate roy moore by a narrow margin. after moderates, independents and a slew of republicans voted for the democrat in a race that garnered global attention. in the end it seems moore seemed to be a step too far even for alabama with his apparent loss causing a shift in the red est of red states. >> it will be felt in washington as well. republicans are down to a razor thin 51-49 majority in the senate. in spite trump endotsing moore in the final days of the race, even though most republicans deemed him toxic. the president weighing in overnight tweeting congratulations to doug jones in a hard fought victory. the write-in votes played a big factor but a win is a wi

shot at the seat in a short time. that tweet coming despite the fact moore refuses to concede the race. >> that's what we've got to do, is wait on god and let this process play out. votes are still coming in and we're looking at that. >> jones thanked the voters who propelled him to his apparent victory. >> i have always believed that the people of alabama had more in common than to divide us. [cheering and applauding] we have, we have shown not just around the state of alabama, but we have shown the country the way that we can be unified. >> for more we go to nbc's vaughn hilliard at moore's headquarters. >> reporter: frances, bammians are waking up to the fact that a democrat, doug jones will soon be representing them in the united states senate after an upset victory last night over roy mo

roy moore, of course, plagued over the last month by those allegations of sexual misconduct with minors, but he's also a candidate that barely ranch of a campaign over the last month. not appearing often on the campaign trail compared to his democratic opponent doug jones who worked towns from selma to montgomery to birmingham, was able to bring out not only democrats and african-american voters particularly, but was able to convince a wide swath of republican voters to cross over and come to his side. in particularly key counties that had long gone over to more conservative candidates. doug jones now prepares to head over to the united states senate despite roy moore giving -- not giving in and refusing to concede last night, saying the race is still too close to call. frances? >> all right, vaughn, thank you. >> the alabama race wasn't the only story that sent washington head spinning after a political clash between the president and a leading female senator grabbed national attention. with mr. trump waging yet another battle via twitter.

the fight sparking a fire storm and charges of sexism after the president claimed she would, quote, do anything for campaign contributions. following gillibrand's calls for trump to resign, the president tweeting, lightweight senator kirsten gillibrand a total flunky for chuck schumer and someone who would come to my office begging for campaign contributions not so long ago and would do anything for them is now in the ring fighting against trump. and this morning as a leading national paper calls out the president for his words, we are also hearing from senator gillibrand herself, fighting back against the nation's commander in chief. for more ton this we go to nbc's tracie potts. tracie, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. gillibrand says it is not just about her, it is about her and also about the more than one dozen women who have accused the president of sexual harassment or sexual assault. he certainly denies all of them, but gillibrand says that their voices and her voice need to be heard.

attempting to silence my voice. and i will not be silenced on this issue neither will the women who stood up to the president yesterday and neither will the millions of women who have been marching since the women's march to stnd up against policies they do not agreed with. >> reporter: now, the white house pushing back hard on this one, saying that it's not at all about women and sexual harassment. it's about politics. >> he is obviously talking about political partisan games that people often play and the broken system that he's talked about repeatedly. this isn't new. this isn't a new sentiment, this isn't new terminology. >> reporter: there's been a fire storm of reaction here on capitol hill. people like senator elizabeth warren tweeting, this is slut shaming as she put it on behalf of the president. also usa today in an editorial talking about it saying that a president who all but call a senator a whore is unfit to clean or lets

presidential library or shine george bush's shoes. pretty harsh assessment there. more than 100 democrats are calling on an investigation of those claims that the president denies and a handful including gillibrand have called on the president to resign. philip? >> all right, tracie, thank you. savannah guthrie will speak with senator gillibrand in an exclusive interview on today. >> san francisco mayor ed lee died suddenly at the age of 65. he was rushed to the hospital after collapsing. he died after 1:00 a.m. tuesday according to a statement. few other details were released. the city's first asian american mayor was remembered as a dedicated civil service. also a strong advocate for public housing and civil rights. san francisco board of supervisors president london breed who is now acting mayor said flags in the city will fly at half staff for 30 days in lee's honor. >> the suspect in new york city's subway bombing is now facing federal terrorism charges

details behind the attempted attack, including akayed ullah's message to the president moments before the bomb went off. nbc's stephanie gosk has the details. >> reporter: not long before akayed ullah tried and failed to blow up commuters in a crowded tunnel near times square, fros prosecutors said he posted a message online to the president. trump, you failed to protect your nation. they announced five charges against the 27-year-old. among them, material support for a terrorist organization. >> he allegedly started to gather materials for his bomb two to three weeks ago. >> reporter: the government's complaint says ullah's radicalization began three years ago online while living in the u.s. ullah told investigators he deliberately chose rush hour and packed the bomb with metal screws to maximize casualties. all in support of isis. new york officials say the

bomb only partially exploded and you can imagine how in a tunnel like this, crowded during rush hour, that if it had exploded entirely, it would have been devastating. president trump used this week's attack and the deadly halloween attack in lower manhattan as an argument for immigration reform. >> the first attacker came through the visa lottery and the second through chain migration. we're going to end both of them. >> reporter: ullah arrived from bangladesh on a valid green card in 2011, which he got because his uncle is a u.s. citizen. so-called chain migration. seven years later he launched an attack. how to stop the next one fueling the already heated national debate. stephanie goss being, nbc news, new york. >> colin kaepernick is under fire for visiting rikers island. he met with inmates and talked about social injustice and social justice

his decision to kneel during the national anthem. members of a union representing city correction officers slammed his advivisit saying it will on encourage them to attack jail guards. he said the purpose of his visit was, quote, to share a message of hope and inspiration. >> if you'd like to take advantage of free admission days at the country's national parks, next year you're going to have fewer options. the national park service announced four free days in 2018. that's down from ten days this year. it wasn't immediately clear why the agency cutback on free days, but the move does come after a proposal last october to nearly double the entrance fees at some of the nation's busiest parks in the name of generating revenue for maintenance. next year's fee list visiting days will include martin luther king jr. day and veteran's day. >> let's check in with nbc's meteorologist bill karins. he's watching a frigid forecast. a huge swath having cold weather. >> great lakes, northeast, mid-atlantic, some of the

yesterday we were in single digits. we've warmed up in des moines and minneapolis, but still really cold. 3 is the wind chill now in detroit. indianapolis is at 9 the. where it's really changed is behind the big storm system that is now still bringing snow to northern new england. 9 in new york, washington, d.c., 9. it is not going to improve much during the day. it will remain blustery. detroit still at 10, pittsburgh at 5. as we go through the afternoon and evening, single digit wind chilgz in many areas. look at burlington vermont, temperature of 11 tonight with a wind chill of 0 early tomorrow morning. not fun to be at the bus stop waiting for the bus driver for that. that's a look at the big weather story of the day. now here's a closer look at your day ahead. we still have snow in areas of northern vermont even blowing snow, too. little clipper storm going to bring snow today from duluth into areas of central wisconsin and this afternoon, this evening into areas of central michigan. and that cold will stick around a

>> bill, thank you very much. the kids will like this santa sign, not so much when it comes to the police. in l.a. police are searching for a burglar who broke into a home while dressed as santa. according to officials he knocked on the front door. when no one answered he would sneak through the back. the suspect has been described as an 18 to 25-year-old african-american male 5'10" with a tattoo along his right jaw line. more like grinch there stealing. >> not playing fair. just sa head, an update on the massive wildfires devastating parts of california. plus why the faa is issuing a warning on certain christmas decorations. we'll be right back on "early today."

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>> leading the news, thousands of fire fighters head into the second week of battling the raging thomas fire in southern california. despite calmer winds, the fire has now spread into santa barbara county, prompting more evacuations and officials say the smokey conditions limited some helicopter operations. authorities report california's 5th largest fire has consumed thousands of acres but containment efforts are improving. >> to date, the total acres is 236,000 acres. our containment has gone up to 25%. >> while we don't yet know what sparked the thomas fire, authorities say that the skir ball brush fire that caused bel air residents to flee their multi-million dollar homes was sparked by an illegal cooking fire under interstate 405 and sep ulvedaa in long beach. >> moving the embassy will not happen right away. speaking in washington tuesday, tillerson said relocating it from tel aviv w

three years. the move he described as, quote, pretty ambitious. last week president trump formally recognized jerusalem as israel's capital sparking widespread protests across the middle east. but he signed a national security waver delaying the move for another six months. >> the federal aviation administration is issuing a new warning when it comes to those elaborate christmas light displays. they say the laser light projections used by many homeowners could pose a danger to pilots. the lights from those projecters could be shooting up towards the sky and the faa says over the last few years pilots have complained of being distracted or even blinded by them. so, the agency is asking homeowners to make sure that their light displays are aimed low to their homes and not upward. >> something to think about this time of year. still ahead, $40 tolls outrage over the growing trend on the nation's roadways that has many drivers crying highway robbery. you're watching "early today." watch me. ♪

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all right. when you're on your commute this morning think of this twist. when it comes to the rush hour commute, americans spend roughly 42,000 hours a year more than a workweek. >> in the washington, d.c. congestion is among the worst in the nation, drivers are facing toll charges that can hit nearly $40 in peak hours as the state tries to manage traffic flow. >> as nbc's tom costello

nationwide. >> reporter: the evening rush in northern virginia and the tolls for solo drivers are ticking higher. starting at $2 for the 9 mile stretch on i-66, then climbing as the traffic builds. to $12, 23, 34, even 40. >> yeah, that's way to expensive. >> reporter: it's called dynamic pricing. every 12 minutes it fluctuates based on driving. in fact, just 28 drivers chose to pay $40 during one morning peak. the average round trip toll $14. >> this is how it's supposed to work. when it's getting too congested, they won't want you on the roads. >> reporter: nationwide 86% of commuters drive to work, three quarters of them solo. dynamic tolling started 20 years ago in california and has since spread to 40 roads and 11 states and territories. as dots tried to reduce congestion and also pay for road and bridge

>> they are charging more money to use the old roads. i thought that's why we pay separate taxes. >> i-66 continuing at least as far west as manassas and haymarket. >> reporter: bob has been covering d.c. area traffic for 38 years on wtop radio. >> we certainly are maxing out and we certainly are wearing out the infrastructure. but if we don't pay to maintain what we have, there will come a day when we won't have it. >> reporter: so now on i-66, rush hour drivers are paying for the luxury of going solo. tom costello, nbc news, arlington, virginia. >> as if the traffic is not enough, you have to pay for waiting in traffic, too. >> you're frustrated enough doing that, that's a tank of gas, 40 bucks. >> that is. >> wow, that is ridiculous. >> much more straight ahead here on "early today." see ya. -take care. ♪ so probably take it at night. and if you have any questions, the instructions are here in spanish as you requested. gracias. ♪

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... i used to have cancer. please give at cancer.org. so, you get married, you go on your honeymoon and that happens when you go swimming in the bahamas. that's what happened to this couple. a nightmarish turn. you have sarah illig who was snorkling and attacked by a 5 foot long shark. her husband not only did he watch, but he kept rolling on the video as the shark clamped down on her arm. he captured the terrifying incident on his go pro. she was able to swim quickly away and she wasn't seriously injured, but you saw the husband was taking the video. he didn't flinch. he let tdidn't let the camera g go help her. dude, you're married now, that's what you do. >> they get in an argument, i told you we should have

skiing instead. >> welcome to married life. >> could have been her idea. >> of course you wrote say thou the wife's idea. >> she asked for it, right? she wanted to go swim with the sharks. >> well, here's what we're looking at. starting to look ahead christmas isn't that fara way. let's look at an extended forecast models. this is our european model over the next several days. most the snow through the great lakes and through areas of new england, no other big snow events out there. so, we've put together our first estimate of who has the best chance of seeing a white christmas out there. it means at least 1 inch on the ground. of course the mountainous areas of coldest whatever snow they have they'll keep. the snow we're getting now most likely the great lakes and northern new england, it's not looking very likely for many mid-atlantic or southern areas to get a white christmas. >> all right, bill. thank you. just ahead, an alarming report that every parent needs to see. all that smartphone time and social pressure creating a toxic mix on your kids? another anti-wrinkle cream in no hurry to make anything happen.

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next on "news 4 today," new details surrounding the death of a teenager from maryland. how social media is playing a role in the investigation. and i'm storm team 4 meteorologist chuck bell. if you hadn't noticed yet, oh, baby it's cold outside this morning. the wind is blowing. temperatures have fallen into the teens and 20s and there's precious little in the way of improvement ahead. forecast is just minu

news 4 begins now with storm team 4. >> you hear that wind? for the second day in a row we're in storm t4

you likely heard the wind howling outside your window tonight. with temperatures down in the 20s, that wind is making it feel even colder out there. as i was driving in -- >> you're all choked up. >> i'm all choked up. as i was driving in, i looked at the -- my odometer, 21 degrees. >> chilly. >> wow! wow! >> it doesn't measure the wind chill, it just measures the air temperature. even colder for the feels like factor. not much of an improvement in the weather picture coming your way any time soon. wind chills are down close to zero this morning in the suburbs. teens in the city. it will stay windy all day long today. the wind won't start to ease up until probably after 4:00, 5:00 this afternoon. could see a few flurries tonight. on the whole, snow chances have been going down not up. snow lovers not all that happy about it, but such is life. current temperatures 19 in