and melissa mccarthy had a clash at the capitol or a call for unity? what to expect from president trump's state of the union address tonight amid new revelations from the investigation into his auguration committee. more controversy in the commonwealth. viinia's governor digs in, refusing to step down over a racist yearbook picture as a new scandal embroils the man who would take over for him. an actor opens up about his anger and leaves fans taken aback. liam neeson's stunning admission sparking outrage this morning. a classact. why a minnesota principal gave students a chance to tape him to the wall. "early today" starts right now. ♪

good morning. i'm marlie hall. >> i'm frances rivera. president trump willeliver the state of the union tonight after it was nationally delayed amid the shutdown showdown. the president is expected to ll for bipartisanship, butes the on is whether it will ring true. nbc's trae potts joins us from d.c. with more. this is mr. trump's first address before a divided congress. >> reporter: exactly, and it's the on aagain, offin address that's finally on again. republicans on o sidtonight, democrats on the other. oneibnalyst des it as sort of a seesaw with people applauding different parts of the speech likely tonight. we have already seen the type of gridlock that this divided congress can create with thehu governmentown and the threat of another one looming. the white house says the president's speech tonight will focus on working together, that the theme will be choosing greatness, that he'll talk about immigration, trade, lowering

health cost infrastructure, and foreign cypoand also economic success. here's what the president said previewing his speech tonight. >> i think most of the things you wou ow. economic development, its success. i mean no country has had the success that we've had over the lastwo years. >> reporter: now, critics are wondering is this just words or will there be some action to follow up this call tonight for bipartisanship. of course it's coming in the middle of negotiations to aid another government shutdown next week. the president will be facing critics tonight, lawmakers who want him impeached, people who are opposing hisou pu strategy in afghanistan and syria, and thoseos og him domestically as well. will they be able to work gether going forward? president trump could set the tone for that tonight. frances. >> many facets when it comes to the state of the union address.

tracie, thank you. our coverage of the state of the union begins tonight at 9:00 eastern, 6:00 pacific right here on nbc. virginia's governor isn't giving in to the cls for h resignation over a racist photo. ralph northam says he sti hasn't decided how to react to the demands from fellow democrs to step down. the controversy focused on this picture from his medical school yearbook page showing a person in blackface and another in a ku klux klan outfit. as nbc's geoff bennett tells us, the governor says he needs more time to consider his next step. >> reporter: more protests as democratic governor ralph northam digs in despite mounting pressureor him to resign. state lawmakers looking for a way out, takin o impeachment the table. >> that's a very high standard, so i think that's why we have called for the resignation. reporter: the governor telling his staff he needs more time to plan a path orward and doesn't want to be branded as a racist according to one source.

this comesamid further chaos at the capitol, with new troubles for northam's would-be kuk sesor, lieutenant governor justin fairfax after an uncorroborated sexual assault allegation against him emerged dating back to the democratic national convention in 2004. >> does anybodys think it' knee co-indense thathe on t eve of my potentially being elevated that this uncorroborated smear comes out. >> reporter: the state left with even moreuestions after northam originally apologized and switched his story saturday. >> but i believe then and now that i am not either of the people in thatphoto. >> i was mad as hell. i got to tell you, a lot of folks wer saying that they were hurt, they were saddened. i was none of that because i have lived all my life dealing with racism. so, no, i wasn't rt. i was angry. >> reporter: one voice notably absent amid the callsor vernor northam to step down, that's former president barack

ama. obama campaigned for northam, but so far he's maintaining his silence. marlie. we have new images from that tragic plane crash mystery in california. authorities are revealing more information about the five people killed when the cessna plane slammed into a house shortly after taking off. dash cam video showsne the p in free fall just moments before bursting into flames midair and then crashing into that neighborhood. the ntsb says witnees reported seeing the wings and tail of the aircraft breaking off as parts of the plane were spread across their neighborhood. >> the alternator broke free and sh through thi window and went through that wall, into the bathroom. >> the pilot was killed along with four people inside the home having a super bowl party. in a news conference, the pilot wass revealed a 75-year-old annio pastini, a former officer with the chicago police department who was in town visiting his grandchildren. nowo a measles outbreak that's crippling washington

state with health officials now reporting 50 cases. this as states across the country grapple with their own r ups. nbc's joe fryer has the latest. >> reporten in washingto state as the number of measles cases grows, worries are growing at one hospital, security guards are staking out each entrance, screening visitors for symptoms of the virus, which can be deadly. >> we're taking a lot of precautions to prevent anyone from entering with any signs and symptoms of measl t. >> reportehe state now has 50onfirmed cases, 49d in clark county. health officials say only one of those patients had been f vaccinat measles. is the worst over yet? >> i don't know if the worstov because we still have cases coming in. >> reporter: beyond washington, measles has surfaced in ateast eight other states this year including new york, with more than 200reases rted. the virus is highly contagious, spreads through coughing and , sneezind can linger in a room for up to two hours. health officials say clark

county has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the state. nearly a quarter of all public school students there are not fully vaccinated. we don't have to be going through this. we have an incredibly safe, cheap, and effective vaccine. two doses of vaccine are 97% effective. now to the escalating crisis in venezuela. the country's opposition leader declaring he will not back down to what he calls a dictatorship. juan guaido spoke exclusively to nbc news after the uk germany, france, and spain joined the united states in recognizing him as interim president. nbc's kerry sanders is there. >> reporter: this weekend, massive crowds supporting this man, opposition leader juan guaido, who has declared himself venezuela's legitimat president, accusing nicolas maduro of claiming victory in am election. >> who is the president here in venezuela? >> the president is juan guaido. >> that's you?

>> it's meho >> and is nicolas maduro? >> it's a dictatorship. >> reporter: but remains under maduro's control. . maduro accusing the u.s. of an attempted coup. the und now many in europe backing guaido. russia and china supporting maduro. al this a newrisis for venezuelans who have been struggling for years. empty shelves in pharmacies, and an inflation rate. one bag of pasta costs full week's salary. what do you think of the prices every day? >> reporter: juanido told us some low level members of the military have also defected to his side. kerry sanders, nbc news, caracas. this year's super bowl wasn't just the lowest scoring. it was also the lowestated one in 11 years. according to cbs, ratings slipped below the 100 million

mark with the game drawi just 98 million viewers. this is the fourth straight year of vwership decline for the super bowl since 2015 when the patriots played the seahawks. that game brought in 114 million viewers. >> none of that matters if you're patris fans because in the end, they got what they wanted, and they got their parade today. good morning, bill. >> good morning. we're goi to havearm conditions for the parade, warm conditions on the east coast. but a winter storm developing in the middle of th country. it's a minor event, but the timing of it with the driving could make things a difficult. let's break that out. today during the day, we're fine. the orange on this m is the wintry mix, some freezing rain possible. the blue is the snow. 00 p.m., a little bit breaks out. it's really going to be this evening through the overnight hours tha will see the coating out there. by 8:00 a.m. wednesday, freezing rain potential around detroit, toledo, a little in stcleveland n new york. it will develop throughout early portions of wednesday morning.y wednesafternoon, that's

mostly a rain event in the ohio valley. another round of some snow and freezing rain as we go through wednesday night in areas of the northern plains. that's a look at the big weather story of the day. here's a closer look at your day ahead. you can see where the battleground is shaping up. gative numbers in bismarck for a high today. single digits in mi hesota. then we warm conditions on the east coast. in between we have a lot of messy weathn to come areas of the ohio valley and great lakes. some of thoseemperatures on the east coast, this will be probably as warm as we get mtibe march or april. enjoy it. >> we will. thank you, bill. on monday, students in austin, minnesota, g d to what most kids only dream about. they ductaped their principal to a wall. the event at the elemeary school was held to raise $1,000 for a new school mascot costume, and with each strip of duct tape costing 50 cents, the principal may have been hanging there for while. i can see students just clearing out their piggy banks to buy

lpe. >> how c is that principal ttoo? sti come, the new controversy surrounding actor liam neeson, plus inauguration investigation. l her life that i should fix it. now it reminds me of her. i'm just glad i never fixed it. listen, you don't need to go anywhere dad. meet christine, she's going to help you around the house. the best home to be in is your own. from personal care and memory care, to help around the house, home instead offers personalized in-home services for your loved ones. home instead senior care. to us, it's personal. that's an aggressive yellow. pretty great, huh? if you're a banana. i find it very... appealing. kellogg's raisin bran with bananas. two scoops meet real banana slices. i've done a good job of raisin ya. so we improved everything. we used 50% fewer ingredients

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but quilted northern is not a bouncy castle. it's just really nice toilet paper. leading the news this morning, new questions about the money behind president trump's inauguration. according to the associated press, federal prosecutors in new york have issued a wide-ranging subpoenarding the inauguration committee's officials to turn over information about its financials. "the new york times" reporting that investigators asked for all document related to donors and event attendees and that, quotpr ecutors also showed interest in whether any foreigners d illegallated to the committee, as well as whether committe staff n such donations were legal. the investigation is focused on allegations the committee misspent some of the tens of millions raised for the event and whether donors gave money in exchangeor access to influence

mr. trump's policy positions. a committee spokesperson confirmed to nbc news they received the subpoena and says they intend to cooperate. mewhile, an updaterom the special counsel's investigation. a federal judge has delayed sentencing for paul manafort to march 13th. the delay comes as the judge considers allegations that ump's former campaign manager lied to robert mueller's team,i vi his plea deal. now to the hollywood star under fire forck a sg admission. liam neeson says he once wentok g for racist revenge after someone close to him revealed she had been raped. neeson said he's ashamed of how he reacted, but as nbc's catie beck tells us, he's facing big backlash. >> reporter: liam neeson is known for his relentless rage ie nge thrillers. >> i will find you, and i will kill you. >> reporter: and m his newovie, quold ursuit is no different. >> i'm going to kill him.

>> reporter: in an interview with british online newspaper the independent, neeson says he can relate to his character turning toanger. >> i'll tell you a story. this is true. >> reporter: neeson describes learning years a that a woman close to him was raped. >> ike did she know who it was? no. what color were they? she said it was a black person. >> reporter: he remembers walking the streets, seeking vengeance. >> i did it for maybe a week, hoping some black bastard would come out of a pub and have a go at me about something, you know, so that i could kill him. >> reporter: later in the interview, remorse, sing he's learned from his own actions. >> it was horrible, horrible, when i think back, that i did. th >> reporter: a representative for neeson dlined nbc news' request for comment. his regret not accepted by all, resulting in anger and outrage. this time ine real l instead

of on-screen. catie beck, nbcnews. still ahead, a jury weighs the fate of d notoriousrug kingpin el chapo. plus celebrating sweet we'll have big plans for the patriots parade today. celebrating birthdays, love tually store laura linney is 55. 58. meadows is black swan actress barbara hershey is 71. football hall of famer roger staubach is 77. and baseball hall of famer hank aaron is 85. you're watching "early today." and he said ♪ ♪ girl, you take care of me ♪ ♪ you are my thera♪y ♪ the better half of me ♪ say it again ♪ ♪ if you love me, love me, love me ♪ like you say ♪ ♪ darling tell me all the ways ♪ tell me all the ways ♪ now, we're bringing you all the ways to get what you need.

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fast forwarding into tuesday, as we mentioned earlier, president trump will deliver hth state o union address to a joint session of congress at 9:00 p. eastern. this is president trump's second state of the union address, which was rescheduled due to the government shutdown. pope francis returns to the vatican after wrapping up the first ever trip by a pontiffo the arabian peninsula. earlier this morning, the pope held a historic mass for more than 100,000 worshippers at a stadium in abu za by. ry a vic parade will be held in boston today for the super bowl liii champions, the new england patriots. the parade kicks off at 11:00 a.m. eastn. thimorning, hollywood is reeling from the shocking death of a belovedra soap o store, kristoff st. john. a fixture on the young and

restless for decades. he was just 52 years old. nbc's miguel almaguer has more. >> reporter: krioff st. hn, the emmy winning actor best known for his role on "the young andhe restless" was discovered unresponsive inside his los angeles area home. when police arrived at his gated community,hey found no sign of foul play and are investigating a possible alcohol overdose. the 52-onar-old had struggled with the death of his son julian, who died by suicide in 2014. st. john opening up about his son's death to entertainment tonight. >> that call was the worst call i've ever had in my life. >> reporter: it's widely reported st. john struggledith depression, the actor often tweeting about mental health and the loss of his so actress kim fields was a friend. >> he was a good person w real enjoyed his work. he's also obvusly very much so human, and things would deeply

hurt him or deeply sadden him. >> reporter: st. john was a fixture of daytime his fiancee writing, how did it happen? why did you leave so early? kristoff st. john also leaves behind two daughters and so many questions over his untimely death. miguel almaguer, nbc news. your midweek forecast is up next. plus the fate of the world's most notorious drug lord, el chapo, now in the hands of a jury. you're watching "early today." w. but now that i book at hilton.com, and i get all these great perks. i got to select my room from the floor plan... very nice... i know, i'm good at picking stuff. free wi-fi... laptop by the pool is a bold choice... and the price match guarantee. how do you know all of this? are you like some magical hilton fairy? it's just here on the hilton app. just available to the public, so... book at hilton.com and get the hilton price match guarantee. if you find a lower rate, we match it and give you 25% off that stay.

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let's see how many record highs or near record highs we're going to have today. temperatures are about 10 to 20 degrees warmer than normal. the yellow areas will be about two or three degrees away from your potential high.we e expecting to break it in manchester and in westfield. we'll probly have a couple other spots that will get close to that too. the other half of this is we still have really cold conditions in the northern plains. that winter chill is going to be with us this week. for our friends in montana, negative 5, negative 5, and negative 9 the next three days. not everyone is enjing this ring warmth. >> we know how that feels. it wasn't too long ago for us. when we come back, breaking news out of paris as an apartmentuilding fire claims multiple lives. we'll bring you the latest when we come back.

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mo good ing. i'm aaron gilchrist. >> i'm eun yang. a crarash of violence deeps pol busy. >> we're going to the scene of six shootings. >> what police are doing to catch those who pulled the trigger. putting the finishing touches on a school day forecast. will be aitn

news 4 today starts now. good morning, everyone. i'm eun yang. >> a i'm aaron gilchrist. a big day for the d.c. region. the state ofhe union address

is tonight. >> a who wouldn't happy with the warmer temperatures. i was. but we're going to start with your forecast. >> melissa mollet starts with the roads for us. but chuck bell, a warm day, maybe? >> ltart with the good news. skies are mostly cloudy. there's been sprinkles of rain through t overnighthours. we'll be right back to sunshine today. little bits of snow. they will all be gone by the end of the day. temperatures will zoom to 2 degrees above average. there's the cloud cover and the sprinkles today. the only reason we're getting a fes drops because i spent my monday afternoon washing the car on monday. th is enough to put a few rain spots on a clean car. teeratures in the 30s.

remaining drynd