i'm betty nguyen. get ready for an arctic blast of dangerous and life-threatening proportions in most parts of the u.s. it hasn't been this cold for almost two decades. 32 below zero expected in fargo, north dakota. minus 21 in madison, wisconsin, and 15 below zero in chicago, minneapolis and indianapolis. indianapolis mayor greg ballard tweeting he raised the travel warning to red, making it illegal to be on the road except for emergencies or seeking shelter. nbc sarah dallof joins us live in the thick of it in chicago. good morning, sarah. >> good morning. officials say this is not only dangerous, the temperatures could be deadly. a bitterly cold wake-up for millions this morning as an arctic front causes temperatures to drop to record lows. 30 to 50 degrees below average in the midwest. 25 states with thermometers sitting at zero and below. in indiana sunday, up to 2 inches of snow fell every hour throughout the day. the mayor of indianapolis warning residents to stay indoors. >> we will have temper

let's go ahead and get the latest in sports from my good friend betty nguyen. big, big weekend in football. >> oh, tell me me about it. in fact, we're going to tell you about it. it was 5 degrees at kickoff, and it felt like minus 10 with the windchill somehow, though, the fans didn't mind. he doesn't even have a shirt on. neither did milwaukee-born colin kaepernick, though. they had lee when kaepernick connects with vernon davis to take back the lead. and then tied, the win, it is good. the niners win 23-20. >>> the chargers capitalizing on andy dalton's mistake. dalton runs for the first down, untouched but fumbles the ball. chargers get it near the end of the third almost pick six by dalton. then san diego's philip rivers seals the deal to ronnie brown. chargers 27-10. >>> and now the fans facing the elements in philly. that's one way to do it. tailgaters were relaxing in a hot tub. saints won it. >>> next week's game, seahawks host the saints. and sunday, the panthers host the niners and the broncos host the chargers. >> you know they say silence is gold. b

i'm betty nguyen. we start with the storm that's no joke. start in west mitch began. looks like the north pole. last year the lakes were frozen over. this year the ice covers to double. meanwhile thousands of flights cancelled across the country. now it's a fight just to stay warm as brutally cold temperatures settle in. our meteorologist bill karins is here. this lives up to hype around it. >> it's full blown blizzard conditions there. the storm is pushing out of the big city. snow is over philadelphia. d.c. and baltimore four to five. an additional inch or two through the day. it's not the snow anymore but the cold coming in behind it. the lowest wind chills now even including alaska are watertown, new york wind chill of minus 45. >> oh my goodness. thank you for that rude a wakening bill. let's go to the weather channel mike slidell where it's snowing side wway. what a are you experiencing except a lot of cold? >> reporter: it's been snowing like this all night long. the wind is off the atlantic, winds gusting upwards of 45 miles per hour blowing and drifting the s

i'm betty nguyen. >>> we begin with breaking news overnight. three people including the gunman are dead after a supermarket shooting in northern indiana. police say the man walked into a supermarket late last night and used a semiautomatic handgun to kill two women and the gunman killed by police as he pointed his gun at a third person. >>> a story you will want to keep your eyes on this morning. in "the washington post" air force investigates dozens accused of cheating on nuclear proficiency exams. now, air force chief of staff mark a. welsh has tried to downplay the issue saying, quote, this is not about the compromise of flenuclear weapon but about our airmen. >>> outlines the details on that brazen september 11th attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi a killed four americans and puts the blame squarely on the state department and cia. nbc's tracie potts is live in washington. what is new on this report. >> reporter: the report echoes what we heard from the review board that the state department ignored red flags that warned of trouble. th

. >>> and now for more of your sports headlines, my friend betty nguyen is here. >> hey there. >> wild card weekend. it was 5 degrees at kickoff and felt like minus 10 with the wind chill. somehow though the fans, they didn't seem to mind and neither did milwaukee born, colin kaepernick. kaepernick connects with vernon davis to take back the lead. then tied 20-20 with three seconds left. phil dawson in for the win. it is good, folks. the niners win 23-20. >>> the chargers, they are capitalizing on cinci qb andy dalton's multiple mistakes. in the third dalton runs for the first down, slides untouched but fumbles the ball. chargers get it. an almost pick six by dalton. he had three turnovers as the bengals just fell apart. then san diego's philip rivers seals the deal with his handoff and chargers win it 27-10. >>> check this out. these great fans braving the elements in philly. not so bad when you're in a hot tub. they brought the hot tub to the tailgate party. >>> next week's games look like this. on saturday the seahawks host the saints and then the patriots host the colts and on sund

i'm betty nguyen. conditions lead to a massive pile up of 40 vehicles including many big riggs. these are the dramatic pictures in indiana about 60 miles from chicago where at least three people were killed and more than 20 injured. one critical. it went from sunshine to snow and then absolute zero visibility causing cars to slam into each other. the jaws of life had to be brought in to rescue at least five people. one person was trapped for hours before crews could come to the rescue. some lanes were closed as crews cleared the wreckage. the investigation could take several weeks. >>> there's a big change coming for banks. they're about to start handling money from legal marijuana despite current rules designed to stop money laundering. new rules will make it easier for banks to take money from legal marijuana sellers even though there's tough regulations to prevent them from handling p procee proceeds. it would help retailers along with medical marijuana dispensaries in over 20 other states. cannabis is still illegal under federal law so many banks declined because it could op

i'm betty nguyen. embarrassed and humiliated. chris christie fires his aid and apologized for the scandal rocking the political world and today thousands more internal documents are scheduled for release with christie's political future on the line. he had no knowledge or involvement on the traffic back up on the washington bridge. it's the world's busiest connecting new jersey with new york. christie is already facing six federal lawsuits over those jams and after his two hour epic press conference some questions remain unanswered. kelly o'donnell reports. >> reporter: his trademark in your face style tempered by scandal inside his own inner circle. >> what they did hurt the people of new jersey and hurt the people of ft. lee and the person that needs to apologize for that is me. >> appearing contrite and mournful and embarrassed. >> i am you mihumiliated that it know about this and i was deceived. >> reporter: he says he never knew about a political vendetta. he worried about a series of damaging e-mails that he called stupid a

i'm betty nguyen. >>> president obama is trying to get back on track. last night's state of the union focused on a sluggish economy, inequality and education. he hits the road today to promote his agenda. nbc's tracie potts is live in washington. tracie, the president seemed pretty fed up with congress and says he is willing to go it alone. >> reporter: and we're going to see some of that today, betty, as he heads to maryland to talk about the minimum wage, pennsylvania to talk about this new retirement bond he pitched last night. a lot of this agenda -- it's a smaller agenda -- a lot of it, the president says, he can get started on his own. >> america does not stand still and neither will i. >> reporter: president obama says he'll act alone to boost the economy, ease regulations to bring jobs back from overseas, build more manufacturing hubs, create retirement savings for workers whose employers don't offer them, and raise the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour for new federal contractors. he urged business owners and congress to do the same. >> so, join t

i'm betty nguyen. this is "early today."

. >>> i'm betty nguyen, this is "early today," we hope it's just your first stop of the day on nbc. >>> leading the news in the san jose mercury news, california legal immigrants can get law licenses, state supreme court rules. it was a unanimous decision bn the court saying there was no reason to block one man's pursuit to become a lawyer, even though he's not yet a citizen. >>> and on nbc news.com, internet search for time travelers turns up -- nothing this time. really? you don't think? scientists say they might miss hints of information flowing backward in time, including a simple oversight to the influence of -- get this -- a cosmic chronology protection agency, we'll keep you posted on that. >>> in the news, florida congressman trey radel will return to work on capitol hill next week. it will be the republican's first time back at work since being charged with possession of cocaine in october. radel pleaded guilty to the charge in november and was sentenced to one year probation. he took a leave of absence and entered rehab. >>> we want to take a look at this massive blaze at a

i'm betty nguyen.is early today. >>> right now the district's police chief is trying to set the record straight after scandals involving two of her officers. >>> overnight developments as the navy searches for a missing sailor this morning after a deadly helicopter crash off the virginia coast. >>> good morning, everyone, i'm aaron gilchrest. >> i'm eun yang. welcome to "news4 today" for this thursday, january 9th, 2014. let's take a live look outside at 4:26. 32 degrees outside. still a cold start, but feeling a little better than it has the last few days. >> i will take 32 degrees. storm team 4 meteorologist tom kierein is here with the forecast. >> it feels like spring after the last couple of harsh mornings. high clouds drifting over the region now. we'll have breaks in the cloud cover over the next couple of hours. so a little sun should break out around sunrise. right now it is cold. below freezing most locations. near the bay, near 30 degrees. eastern shore in the upper 20s. in prince george's c

i'm betty nguyen. there is finally some is relief on the way. at least 21 people have died as the polar vortex blanketed the u.s. shattering the record books with negleative temperatures. it was below freezing at least somewhere in each of the 50 states on tuesday. yes, even in hawaii. an estimated 190 million people faced the icesy blast head-on. but, so did pets. and it's a reminder to not leave them outside in this weather. this little guy, peanut, was frozen to the ground in mississippi when had it reached minus 4 this week. thankfully he's okay. >>> the record shattering cold even caused hell to freeze over. hell, michigan, felt like 36 below zero with the windchill. >> reporter: the view from above captured it perfectly, chicago, a city frozen in place. in minnesota dramatic video of a car careening off an icy bridge. the driver walking away, amazingly, with minor injuries. else with where, workers put in long hours to bring faulty furnaces back to life. >> hunk er down. you're working a long day. you can't leave people without heat. can't

i'm betty nguyen. the polar vortex is right here, right now and it's sending temperatures plummeting to the lowest levels in decades. here in new york, readings fell 55 degrees in just a matter of hours. and it is similar across the country. it's all life threatening, record breaking and travel tangling. for many, the worst is just beginning. brave tracie potts is live in washington. how does it feel where you are, tracie? >> reporter: it feels cold. but feels cold pretty much everywhere around the country. we woke up to single digit temperatures with windchills at 5, 10, 15 below. that's nothing compared to what they're seeing in the midwest. it's actually warmer in minneapolis this morning. minnesota has some of the coldest temperatures in the nation today. the midwest frost comes on top of record snow that closed indiana's major interstate. several counties there are in a state of emergency. in milwaukee, power crews are out, in it, trying to keep the lights on. >> just got to do your job. that's wh

i'm betty nguyen. parts of the south are reeling from a paralyzing winter storm. the worst was in atlanta. highways transformed into parking lots. people were stranded for hours or forced to spend the night in their cars. some kids had to sleep in their schools because the roads were just too dangerous. now critics say the state just wasn't ready. nbc's dan shinneman has the latest. >> reporter: wednesday evening traffic on the highways in the atlanta area. 24 hours and a world of difference from the miles and miles of cars and trucks going nowhere stuck after snow and ice paralyzed the 9th largest metro area. >> when it's going to be wet and cold get the salt trucks on the road around the clock. it's not that hard. >> reporter: frustration mounted for many drivers as the city resident tried to dig out from the harsh winter storms. >> the eyes of the nation are on the state. so i'm not going to get into that blame game. >> what i was referring to was that the national weather service continually had their modeling showing that the city of atlanta would not be the

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,

i'm betty nguyen. we're begin with a major prostitution and cocaine crack down ahead of the super bowl. they were selling party packs of drugs and sex in new york city. they were accused of advertising on public access cable tv and taking credit cards and using texts to market their services. police have been watching the ring for 11 months but they decided to act now just in case anything was brewing for the super bowl. >> we have identified in the last year more than $3 million in credit card charges related to this enterprise and keep in mind that most johns pay cash. so that's a staggering number. >> 18 people are charged and more than half have already been arrested. >>> and now that super bowl weekend is here, the crowds and the excitement, they are building as the performers and the players prepare for kick off. nbc's sarah dollof is live in times square that's actually been transformed into super bowl boulevard. sarah, what's it like out there this morning? >> reporter: well, betty, we're going

i'm betty nguyen and this is "early today." we hope it's just your first stop of the day on nbc.bed is your business. so, if you're sleeping in your contact lenses, ask about the air optix® contacts so breathable they're approved for up to 30 nights of continuous wear. ask your doctor about safety information as serious eye problems may occur. visit airoptix.com for a free one-month trial. chose prego traditional over ragu traditional. prego?! but i buy ragu. [ thinking ] i wonder what other questionable choices i've made. [ pop muzak plays ] [ sigh of relief ] [ male announcer ] choose taste. choose prego. >>> here it comes. we are in for the biggest snowfall in years. heavy snow and frigid air are just hours away. >> this morning, team coverage to get you ready for what's coming. we are watching the roads, the skies as washington prepares for a winter storm. 4:26. good morning, i'm aaron gilchrist. >> and i'm eun yang. this is a live look at capitol hill. all federal offices are closed, and emergency and telework employees must follow their agency's policies. >> a live look at

i'm betty nguyen. >>> well, there is finally some relief on the way, but at least 21 people have died as the polar vortex blanketed the u.s., shattering the record books with negative temperatures. it was below freezing at least somewhere in each of the 50 states on tuesday, yes, even in hawaii. an estimated 190 million people faced the icy blast head on, but so did pets, and it is a reminder to not leave them outside in this weather. this little guy right here, peanut is his name, was frozen to the ground in mississippi when it reached minus 4 this week. thankfully, though, he is a-okay. the record-shattering cold even caused hell to freeze over, literally. the small town of hell, michigan, felt like 36 below 0 with the windchill. nbc's sarah dallof has more. >> reporter: the view from above captures it perfectly. chicago, a city frozen in place. in minnesota, dramatic video of a car careening off an icy bridge, the driver walking away, amazingly, with minor injuries. elsewhere in the state, workers put in long hours to bring faulty furnaces back to life. >> hunker down. you're worki

i'm betty nguyen. >>> another nsa shocker. new information that the security agency has actually implanted software in nearly 100,000 computers across the world. "the new york times" reports that cohortly planted software allows the u.s. to conduct remote surveillance and create a digital highway for launching cyber attacks, but right now there is no evidence the nsa does this inside the united states. most of the software is implanted by gaining access to computer networks, but the "times" reports the ns sais increasingly using a secret technology that relies on radio waves. the paper adds that they have used it to monitor china's army, the russian military, drug cartels, trade institutions inside the european union, and sometimes u.s. partners against terrorism, like saudi arabia, india and pakistan. the "times" reports the nsa calls the effort an active defense and has been using the technology for several years now. >>> okay, so, to a scary story of a school shooting in new mexico, where two students were shot, including a

i'm betty nguyen. parts of the south are reeling

i'm betty nguyen. >>> we begin with breaking news overnight. three people

i'm betty nguyen.

i'm betty nguyen. >>> another nsa shocker. new information that the security agency has actually

i'm betty nguyen. >>> president obama is trying to get back on track.on a sluggish economy, inequali