anne thompson, nbc news, new york. >> none of that -- >> it is true. it is a bias. >> it is a bias. >> what about the cat people? >> i feel bad for the cat people, all the cat lovers out there. so sorry. >> what's better than that? >>> i'm frances rivera. this is "early today." we hope it is your first stop of the day here on nbc. >>> leading the news in the washington post, john brennan considering sweeping organizational changes. the plan would replace long established diskz f eed disks fd analysis. officials say the changes would be among the most ambitious. >>> in slate, what exploded over russia this time. another massive fireball caught on dash cam. officials are left scratching their head as to what was behind it. even the meteorologist is saying it is weird. >> cloud effect. >>> some breaking news to bring you this morning in an update, three people have been wounded in a shooting at florida state university. it happened at the school's campus library. an alert was sent to students early this morning to seek shelter immediately. two people were

brian. >> anne thompson on the big environmental story today. anne, thanks as always. >>> tonight, our friends at the weather channel are referring to what's happening right now across the country from north to south, east to west as the arctic outbreak. and it's true. records are falling, and it's really cold out there. nbc's janet shamlian is live for us in denver where it's been a hundred years since it was this cold this early. hey, janet, good evening. >> reporter: brian, good evening to you. that's right, the mile high city's on track to shatter a record that was set in 1916. it has not gotten above 6 degrees, here today it's currently 2 degrees. and this crush of cold is now pushing south and east. >> i-70 is really -- >> reporter: denver under siege from heavy snow and bone chilling cold. truckers pulling out chains to ready their rigs, some not quite prepared for the deep freeze. >> slick. really slick. >> reporter: that familiar scrape, not usually this soon. >> this is beautiful colorado. >> reporter: from the air an oversized blanket

anne thompson, nbc news, new york. >>> like i said, we may be guilty on this one.t's our broadcast on a wednesday night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. of course, we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. >>> right now at 6:00, it wasn't everywhere but the misses where it did rain, as you can see, it came down pretty hard. the rain was to blame for a ten-car crash that clogged an east bay freeway for miles. thanks for being with us. i'm raj mathai. >> i'm jessica aguiraguirre. the showers are still lingering right now. the storm played favorites with the north bay getting the biggest soaking and san jose seeing almost nothing. if you didn't get rain, don't worry. new storms are brewing over the pacific and one is just hours away. we have team coverage tonight. jodi hernandez spent the day in marin talking with people who were caught off-guard. we begin with jeff ranieri tracking what's coming our way next. >> you can see storm system we're dealing with right now, then also that second storm system well offshore. the one

anne thompson, nbc news, new york. >>> like i said, we may be guilty on this one.broadcast on a wednesday night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. of course we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. >>> kathy griffin officially taking over joan rivers' fashion police throne? >> now on "extra." "fashion police throne? >> now on "extra."" throne? >> now on "extra." >>> kathy griffin on replacing her idol joan rivers. >> i hope the show continues in the tradition of my dear departed friend. >> the major change they're reportedly making to the show. is one of the fashion cops out? >>> a fifth bill cosby accuser comes forward today, claiming the legend drugged her in a sickening sex attack. as nbc pulls the plug on cosby's new show, we uncover his lost stand-up about using aphrodisiacs. >> you put some in her drink. man, she -- >>> then our new one on one with rihanna. what's her big surprise? >> you never know. >>> plus, people's sexiest man alive chris hemsworth, gushing about his sexiest woman alive. >> my wife. >> mario and

anne thompson, nbc news, new york. >>> like i said, we may be guilty on this one.dcast on a wednesday night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. of course we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. >>> i'm not saying that what i did was wrong. >> it's the only time bill cosby addressed any allegations and only we've got it. i'm billy bush. who's the one woman to whom he offers an

>> ann thompson live for us in new york. thank you. won't be the last ebola case in the u.s. prompted nationwide strikes among america's register nursed. many of whom are dmantding tougher ebola precautions in hospitals. over the next 24 hours thousands of nurses will walk the picket line from the east coast to the west. it is all starting now in california where today some 18,000 r.n.s and nurse practitioners are expected to protest. they want full body hazmat suits, more training and better equipment to handle potential ebola cases. tomorrow nurses in 14 other states will join. joining us now jane roscoe. the group lobbying for change. thank you for joining us. >> glad to be here. >> i'm sure you heard the doctor's remarks at bellevue hospital praising the nursing and staff who assisted him and yet again the patient is lucky enough, fortunate enough with the right care to leave a hospital ebola free. the nurses that are planning to picket still have series questions as i laid out in the introduction. we talked with you weeks ago when

nbc's anne thompson is live outside bellevue hospital in new york. what do we know? >> reporter: i can tell you there is very much a celebratory mood here at bellevue hospital earlier today when dr. craig spencer walked out in front of cameras. speaker after speaker lauded dr. spencer for the five weeks that he spent over in guinea treating ebola patients with doctors without borders. then when it was dr. spencer's turn to talk, he in turn lauded the health care workers who took care of him here at bellevue. >> my early detection, reporting and now recovery from ebola speaks to the effectiveness of the protocols that are in place for health staff returning from west africa. i am a living example of how those protocols work and of how early detection is critical to both surviving ebola and ensuring that it is not transmitted to others. >> reporter: now, the hundred or so health care workers in contact with dr. spencer during his 19-day stay here, they will undergo what's called active monitoring. that's a 21-day period where their temperatures will be taken twice a da

i asked ann thompson to look at texas and illinois.ery different approaches to the law. >> everything is bigger in texas, including the opposition to the affordable care act. >> it's going to be more taxes on all of texas people. that's a trap. >> 1,000 miles away in the land of lincoln and the current president, it's also called the aca and embraced. >> the aca saved us. >> one year later, two states with different assessments. robert mayfield heads a sizzling business in texas. he employs just under 100 people at above minimum wage. >> we pay $10 an hour to start. we don't do that because we're nice. >> he wants to expand the business started by his father in 1949. going over that 100 employee mark means he would have to offer healthcare to most of his full-time workers or pay penalties under the laws. >> these costs, they don't come out of the air. if we have to pay them, we have to pass them on. >> if 30 hours a week is how the law defined a full-time worker, forget expansion. he may have to cut hours or jobs. >> we have people tha

i asked my colleague anne thompson to look at two states -- texas and illinois. law. >> everything is bigger in texas, including the opposition to the affordable care act. >> it is going to be more taxes on all of the texas people. i mean, that's a trap if ever there was one, it seems to me. >> reporter: 1,000 miles away in the land of lincoln and the current president, it is also called the aca and embraced. >> the aca saved us. >> reporter: one year later two states with different assessments. robert mayfield heads a sizzling business in austin, texas, and he owns a burger joint and six dairy queens employing under 100 people at above minimum wage. >> we pay $10 an hour to start. we don't do that because we're nice guys. we do it because we get the best people. >> reporter: mayfield wants to expand the business started by his father in 1949 but going over the 100 employee mark means he has to offer health care for his workers or pay penalties under the mandate. >> these penalties passed by the government don't come out of the air. we have to pay them or we don'

anne thompson joins me now from new york. i know this is going to take place over a long time. there are a lot of obstacles ahead but this still marks a very big change from the stalemate between the u.s. and china when the president first went to copenhagen when he first took office blocking any -- >> huge transition into the low carbon economy, andrea. you consider that the u.s. and china are responsible for one-third of all the carbon emissions in the world, the fact that you have the two largest economies and the two largest emiters saying we're going to do something about this sends a powerful signal to the business world and the rest of the world. first of all, the united states would reduce its carbon emissions from 2025 from anywhere to 26 to 28%. china, on the other hand, has said it will cap or reach a peak of carbon dioxide emissions around 2030 and that it will increase its nonfossil fuel based energy, renewable energy and nuclear. it will grow to 20% by the year 2030. those are two very, very big developments in the battle against climate change. >> and one of the

nbc's anne thompson is at one of those stations in ft. lee, new jersey. good evening. >> reporter: good evening, lester. in the month of october alone the price of a gallon of gas fell a whopping 33 cents, making pulling up to the pump a treat on this halloween. it's getting easier to fill 'er up. >> yes, it's surprising. >> reporter: the national average price of gas is on the verge of falling below three bucks a gallon. >> good thing to see. gas hasn't been this cheap in a long time. >> reporter: not since december 2010. gas is under $3 a gallon in 23 of the lower 48. in tennessee the statewide average is $2.75. go to chattanooga and it's cheaper, $2.61. rock bottom price is at sam's club on lea highway, $2.53. drivers across the country tweeting pictures of their local low prices. what's driving down gas prices? analysts point to multiple factors, starting with the price war among opec members. price of a wholesale barrel of crude falling more than 20% since june. >> the bigger story is u.s. production. five or ten years ago the u.s. was only producing

. >>> as he first led on to our own anne thompson, pope francis confirmed today he's coming to america. he'll travel to philadelphia next september for a three-day visit to attend the world meeting of families. philadelphia's mayor today said it will be the largest event in that city's history, an anticipated 2 million visitors, more than doubling the city's population. the pope is expected to travel to new york and washington, but vatican officials have yet to confirm those stops. >>> still ahead this evening, the storm of controversy surrounding bill cosby. the growing allegations of sexual assault as another alleged victim has come forward. >>> and later, a young woman dreaming of a mission to mars, she's doing all the right stuff to get there. >>> some serious allegations have come roaring back against an entertainment and comedy icon of the modern era, bill cosby, a man who lit up the airwaves of this very network with the landmark "cosby show." but starting several years ago, he faced a flood of accusations of sexual assault, some going back decades. now, while he has chosen sile

. >>> as he first led onto our own anne thompson, pope francis will travel for a three-day visit to attend the world meeting of families. philadelphia's mayor today said it will be the largest event in that city's history, an estimated more than 2 million visitors. the pope is expected to travel to new york and washington, but vatican officials have yet to confirm those stops. >>> still ahead this evening, the storm of controversy surrounding bill cosby. the growing allegations of sexual assault as another alleged victim has come forward. >>> and later a young woman dreaming of a mission to mars, she's doing all the right stuff to get there. [prof. burke] it's easy to buy insurance and forget about it. but the more you learn about your coverage, the more gaps you might find. like how you thought you were covered for this. [boy] check it out,mom! [prof. burke]when you're really only covered for this. or how you figured you were covered for this. when you're actually paying for this. you might be surprised at what's hiding in your coverage. talk to farmers and get smarter about your insuranc

for "today," i'm anne thompson in ft. haven't seen a two on the front for a while. >> it getting a lot of traction online. a lot of people tweeting about it. this is one of our favorites. you know gas prices are good when it is lower than your gpa. >> that's a good one. >> if you read it a couple of times, too, it is a grammatical thing there. >> never mind. >> that gpa. >> since my gpa was in that same neighborhood. i say nothing. >> the world embracing the $2. >>> if you think you have good balance, i'm guessing you are no match for a tightrope. a grueling walk-on top of it, high above the city of chicago, no safety net, part of the walk blindfolded. why not try that. that is what daredevil nik wallenda is doing tomorrow. we have willie geist in chicago with that story. >> reporter: good morning, guys. a lot of thing to consider. this morning, 39 degrees. tomorrow at walk time, temperatures notice in the low 40s. the winds about 20 miles an hour. gusts tomorrow are bigger. all that as nik navigates the wire atop the leo

anne thompson reports. >> reporter:'s getting easier to fill her up. the national average price of gas is on the verge of falling below $3 a gallon. >> haven't seen it this cheap anyway long time. >> not since december 2010. gas under $3 a gallon in 23 of the lower 48. in tennessee the statewide average is $2.75. go to chattanooga, it's even cheaper, $2.61. rock bottom price is on lee highway, $2.53. drivers across the country triumphantly tweeting pictures of their local low prices. what's driving down gas prices? multiple factors starting with the price war among opec members, falling 20% since june. >> the bigger story is u.s. production, five, ten years ago, the u.s. was only producing 6 million barrels of crude oil a day. now we're about 9.5 million barrels. >> spending less at the pump means americans have more money to spend elsewhere. gas buddy says motorists are saving over $100 million a day compared to a year ago. on an individual basis the amount is much smaller. >> a gallon of gasoline right now costs less than a gallon of milk on average.

he confirmed what he hinted to nbc's ann thompson.the world meeting of families. he is expected to visit new york and washington, but the vatican has not confirmed that part of the his trip yet. it's monday, a brand new start. with centurylink visionary cloud infrastructure, and custom communications solutions, your business is more reliable, secure, and agile. i wish... please, please, please, please, please. [ male announcer ] the wish we wish above all...is health. so we quit selling cigarettes in our cvs pharmacies. expanded minuteclinic, for walk-in medical care. and created programs that encourage people to take their medications regularly. introducing cvs health. a new purpose. a new promise... to help all those wishes come true. cvs health. because health is everything. cvs health. ugh... ...heartburn. did someone say burn? try alka seltzer reliefchews. they work just as fast and taste better than tums smoothies assorted fruit. mmm... amazing. yeah, i get that a lot. alka seltzer heartburn reliefchews. enjoy the relief. but at

ann thompson is outside bellevue hospital where dr. spencer has been teethed. think he's expected to give a press conference or at least a statement at 10:15 this morning. as you said, dr. spencer has been declared free of the ebola virus and just as importantly, hospital officials say he poses no health risks to anyone. dr. spencer is an emergency room physician by trade. he spent weeks in guinea working with doctors without borders. he returned to the country on october 17th. on october 23rd, he was diagnosed with the ebola virus. that set off a scare here in new york city among some people because in the days before he developed the symptoms, dr. spencer had ridden the subway, taken an uber taxi, and eaten at a restaurant. new york city officials traced the contacts back and made it clear to people that you can't ebola from a bowling ball or casual contact on the subway or eating in the same restaurant. in fact, in the days after they have been running publicer is haven't announcements that planning that the only you can contract ebola is through bodily flui

for "meet the press" anne thompson. >> and now for a deep dive on the policy, i'm joined by toby cosgroved with the white house and in the white house to develop obama's health care law and obic roy who is working with with the research institute for forgdz who advised mitt romney on affordable care act, and what are you seeing. roy forbes? >> well, it started out to decrease the cost, and the jury is not in on that yet, and you have to understand that the costs are not about the costs of the individual, but also about the the costs of the health care across the nation, and it has improved -- >> and you as the head of the cleveland clinic, you would know. >> and you have is seen the costs down? >> yes. with we realize that the pressure is on the health care providers across the country to help make health care more affordable and greater efficiency and we have seen the national quality indicators go up, and access to increase across the country, and so there are the main thing that we are seeing is the jury is not in yet on what we are doing as far as the cost can across the country is in

>> nbc ann thompson.unds like bellevue hospital in new york city, awaiting the press conference where dr. craig spencer is speaking. moments away from his release. once it happens, we'll bring it to you. stay with us on msnbc. ♪come on yeah ♪i say yeah ♪yeah ♪yeah ♪yeah ♪yeah ♪yeah ♪yeah ♪'cause you make me feel like a pony♪ ♪so good ♪like your pony ♪so good ♪ride the pony the sentra, with bose audio and nissanconnect technology. spread your joy. nissan. innovation that excites. [singing] ♪mony mony you fifteen percent or more on huh, fiftcar insurance.uld save everybody knows that. well, did you know words really can hurt you? what...? jesse don't go! jesse...no! i'm sorry daisy, but i'm a loner. and a loner gotta be alone. heee yawww! geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. jesse? i lost my sight in afghanistan, but it doesn't hold me back. i go through periods where it's hard to sleep at night, and stay awake during the day. non-24 is a circadian rhythm disorder that affects up t

. >> and let's bring in nbc news chief environmental affairs ann thompson. good morning. what is the big take away from the agreement? >> first of all, it is a milestone because for years now the world has been trying to figure out what to do about reducing carbon emissions and now you have the two biggest emitters and the world's two biggest economies saying that we're going cut emissions and we believe in a low carbon future. that is huge. let's see exactly what they have agreed to. you see the united states here has said it will reduce its carbon emissions by 20 to 28% by 2025. perhaps even more dramatic is china's. this is the first time china has ever agreed to anything like this. it is promised to reach peak carbon emissions by 2030 and make sure that 20% of the energy portfolio comes from nonfossil fuels. that means 20% of the energy source will come from nuclear or renewable such as wind and solar. jose? >> and, ann, what does it mean for the world's climate talks in paris next year? things will be different. >> it gives a big shot of momentum. we've seen it fall.

nbc's anne thompson is here with more on that. anne, good morning.from the outbreak. it's killed almost 2,700 people there. but this week there is hope. the u.n. says the number of cases in liberia appears to be declining. the work of so many courageous volunteers is paying off including that of a 32-year-old american woman. whose roots are in new jersey but her heart is in libia. >> reporter: every day katie miler races death. >> we got a call about a 10-year-old boy. i'm following the ambulance to make sure that the boy is taken good care of. >> reporter: over the partially paved and unmarked streets of monrovia's slums, miler, a school administrator who now has an ambulance group, searches for the child. the boy turns out to be a girl. sara with symptoms of ebola. ebola killed sara's father and sister last month. it is too much for her grandmother. >> there used to be ten people going in the ambulance at a time. even though the numbers are going down, it's like little 10-year-old sara that's going in the ambulance. >> reporter: one of hundreds of

thompson is a dear friend of mine. he has served three terms -- >> so you think scott walker wins reelection in? i'm saying by 5% more than his competitor. >> let's hear from anne>> yes, i just want to say that the republicans have been obstructing for six years. for people who think that they are not obstructing, i would one law or bill that they are interested in passing for the poor or middle class. republicans have obstructed. the only thing they want to do cuts for the x wealthy and tax breaks for corporations. the democrats are very, very excited and optimistic -- the press says -- they are very concerned about the fact that the republicans tried to suppress votes; therefore, that has made them very, very excited about getting out and making sure that they do vote because they can see what is happening. there is no need to change all that the ting policies republicans did because most were e understand why they trying to change. even though there thought may been to affect minorities by changing the voting policies, it is affecting everyone. in ple may have to stand long lines today -- they are affected, as well. cutting back e, the days. all of that has