podium on the left is nbc's blake mccoy.u know the timing when trump and pence will be on the stage? >> he's expected to come after touring the plant as you mentioned he's doing right now. we are told that when he does come out here, the ceo of united technology will be speaking first then vice president-elect mike pence will be introducing donald trump. this is the first major public appearance since winning the election three weeks ago. he's doing it with a big victory under his belt to keep these jobs here. he mentioned carrier jobs repeatedly on the campaign trail that they'll be shipped off to mexico and he could not let it happen. and he's able to come back to indiana to start this thank you tour with a major victory under his belt. the big question is going forward, what will it mean for all of the rest of the manufacturing jobs that are set to leave the united states. as we know, this is one factory and 1,000 workers and while it is a symbolic move to keep the jobs here, when luyou look at i nationwide. >> some peopl

chicago with the coldest weather, that's where we find nbc's blake mccoy. >> it is frigid and missouri. this arctic air is not done with us. here in chicago and detroit and many cities, temperatures are set to plummet once again. treacherous across the country. in denver, nine inches of snow caught airlines off guard leading to cancelled flights and problems inside the terminals. >> if your flight have been cancelled. it wi bags are at baggage claim. >> drivers spent twelve hours stranded in freezing temperatures at the bottom of the hillside. his vehicle rolled after sliding on black ice. family reported him missing and police used his cell phone to ping a location. >> i happened to notice tracks and looking over the embankment, there is the vehicle. >> he was happy to see my flashlight. >> rescuing two homeless people from a warehouse fire. in kentucky, lexington, lightning sparked the barn fire that claimed the lives of 22 horses. >> the flames just seen it like that. it was terrible. >> the arctic chill could not keep fans away from chicago's soldiers field. today's game is the sev

blake mccoy, nbc news. >>> a case of alleged road rage nearly turned deadly in portland, oregon. police arrested a man for allegedly opening fire on a kid full of kids, grazen an 8-year-old girl. it comes days ago after an eerily similar case that left a toddler dead and a driver on the run. we get more from nbc's miguel almaguer. >> arrested after the shooting, portland say joshua constantine could have killed an 8-year-old girl, firing a single shot into a car loaded with three children and two mothers, an apparent case of road rage during a holiday shopping trip tuesday afternoon. >> very aggressive and angry. >> tina suarez was in the car when the little girl was grazed in the foot. >> the wet weather thing to hear as a mother is him saying, mom, he shot me. >> this comes just days after a toddler was shot. tonight local police are trying to find the road rage gunman who murdered little acen king. >> a growing number of americans pack the roads and parking lots. while aaa says 80% of drivers experience some sort of road rage this year, statistics show deadly encounters are on

blake mccoy, nbc news. >>> in north dakota, protests over a controversial oil pipeline have reached a critical moment. demonstrators are up against a monday deadline to clear out. if they stay, they face a new challenge. temperatures plunging as wintery cold moves in. nbc's tammy leitner is at the protesters' camp north of cannon ball, north dakota. >> reporter: as the brutal north dakota winter closes in, protesters are gearing up for a long fight. despite a federal deadline to vacate camp by monday. >> we're here for the long haul, as long as we can make it. >> we have a wood-burning stove. we came prepared. >> reporter: for months, thousands of protesters, who call themselves water protectors, have descended on rural north dakota to protest against the dakota access pipeline. the intense standoff, resulting in hundreds of arrests. last month, water, tear gas, and rubber bullets were used to disperse protesters. >> law enforcement is not the aggressors here. we are only reacting to what protesters are doing against law enforcement. >> reporter: it's a fight over a pipeline that cros

here's nbc's blake mccoy. >> reporter: the windy city, covered in ice today, a seven-day polar plunge, bringing its coldest air yet. 13 below. >> you say the key to working outside in this, keep moving? >> keep moving and helping everybody. in and out all day long. >> reporter: commuters braving the elements also as transit officials used fire to warm up the tracks and keep trains running. much of the nation's mid section seeing temperatures 20 to 30 degrees below normal. little rock, arkansas, hit a new record low. outside st. louis today, school buses wouldn't start. class, canceled. in denver, hometown airline frontier, still struggling after snow crippled operations this weekend. since the arctic blast began, 22 weather-related deaths have been reported across ten states. the majority of those killed on icy roads. >> today was the last day of this cold snap. by tomorrow, we are going to see temperatures that are getting close to normal. and by the latter part of the week, we're at or above normal. >> reporter: a welcome chance to thaw out, with winter's official start still two da

we get the terrifying details from nbc's blake mccoy. >> relentless flames shot up from the ground for hours today. following a gas explosion in west columbus, ohio. >> i heard a boom, boom, boom and a big explosion, a lot of fire. >> it sounded like a bomb going off. >> a domino's pizza flattened. nearby residents evacuated, as firefighters struggled against the gas-fuelled flames. it was 2:30 p.m. when officials say a construction crew digging in the par pizza workers smelled gas and evacuated. minutes before the explosion. >> i got everything out the building, then i seen everything else evacuating, thank god it's just buildings, instead of people. >> this is the latest in a series of recent gas explosions, some deadly including this one in canton, illinois, last month. back in ohio tonight, word of just one injury, a man who fell while running to safety. blake mccoy, nbc news. >>> in north carolina tonight it appears a deal to repeal the controversial bathroom law is close to collapse. democrats and republicans in the legislature are still debating. the law became a flash-point for

here's nbc's blake mccoy with more. >> the man accused of shooting former nfl player joe mcknight in a case of road rage has been arrested. ronald gasser now charged with manslaughter after initially being released last week. >> he was somebody's son. >> a decision that sparked public outcry, especially when it was revealed gasser was arrested for road rage before at the same intersection ten years ago, those charges dropped. >> so for those who have criticized the men and women of this organization and the strategy, decisions that we made relative to that, tough. >> >> reporter: a defensive an combative sheriff reading some of the messages elected officials in jefferson parrish louisiana have received for backing his decision to give the investigation more time. >> we saw you sell out to them. you rat [ bleep ] punk >> reporter: sheriff says since last thursday 160 witness interviews, 70 businesses contact for potential surveillance video and multiple crime scene re-enactments. investigators say that evidence suggests mcknight cut off gasser who then sped after mcknight. the two inv

let's go to blake mccoy out in chicago. blake, five days until christmas, what are you seeing in terms of increased security? >> reporter: chicago police have increased security at this christmas market here in chicago. a very popular location this time of year. you can see these giant trucks that have been added in light of the berli attacks. those are at the main entrances. there's another one on the other side to this christmas market to add as an additional barrier in case there are any copy cat plans in the works. we should point out, chicago police have no evidence of any threats to this market here in chicago. here's richard and his nephew henry. they have been here before, they have been to christmas markets in germany. >> yes, germany. >> reporter: did the attack give you any pause of coming out today? >> none whatsoever. chicago is a great city. we have one of the finest police forces in the world right here in chicago. doing their thing, out here, protecting us, the public, and i think they are doing an outstandin

blake mccoy, thanks for checking in. >> reporter: i think there's some liquid warmth going on. >> thank you, blake. >>> new ranking showed traveller satisfaction is among the rise. among the reasons cited, thoughtful design, technology and innovative and local food. portland ernl oirpt came in at number one among airports for the second consecutive year. in at two was tampa international airport. then las vegas, mccarran airport. laguardia, nuke liberty international airport, and philadelphia international airport. cities where i've lived the last 15 years were rankled low nest the large airport category. >>> a possible sign of hope for the tens of thousands of syrians still desperately waiting to escape the war-ravaged city of aleppo. the latest on what's being done at this hour to get those people to safety. and at progressive, we let you compare our progressive direct rate... great deals for reals! ...and our competitors' rates side-by-side, so you know you're getting a great deal. saving the moolah. [ chuckles ] as you can see, sometimes progressive isn't the lowest. not always the

blake mccoy is in indiana where trump just spoke in the last hour. he's talking to some of the workers that may be affected by this deal. blake, the headline, there is a lot of jobs being saved here. not all of the jobs that were on the chopping block, though. what is the reaction? >> well, you have one factory here about a thousand jobs, so this is really a drop in the bucket when you look at the broader manufacturing picture of the u.s., but this is a huge symbolic -- >> i just lost the audio. i can't hear anything. what's going on? okay, sounds like we lost blake mccoy there. blake mccoy was at that rally donald trump just held in minneapolis in the last hour. again, trump announcing that some, not all, some of the jobs that carrier had slated to move to mexico will be staying in the united states. of course, a lot of details to this deal that we're just starting to learn about, exactly what it took to get carrier to agree to leave these jobs here. what we're learning so far, ali velchi, indiana is getting $7 million of tax deals. is this a sweet d

blake mccoy in chicago. stay warm. >>> coming up, more on the growing bipartisan calls for an investigation into russian hacking of the u.s. election. can both sides of the aisle actually work together to push an investigation forward? we'll hash it out in the daily debate. next, the federal reserve expected to raise the key interest rate later today. we'll talk about what it means for you. and a little later the growing humanitarian crisis in aleppo. thousands of civilians still trapped as fighting resumes between syrian forces and rebel troops. that leads to today's microsoft pulse question. obama vowed not to send troops to syria but civilians in aleppo are being slaughtered. should the u.s. step in? we want to hear from you at pulse.msnbc.com to let us know what you think in this important matter. liberty mutual stood with me when i was too busy with the kids to get a repair estimate. liberty did what? yeah, with liberty mutual all i needed to do to get an estimate was snap a photo of the damage and voil

>> blake mccoy for us in chicago. you, blake. >>> donald trump responding to yesterday's berlin attack with a statement that reads in part, quote, isis and other islamist terrorists continually slaughter christians in their communities and places of worship as part of their global jihad. the terrorists in their regional and worldwide networks must be eradicated from the face of the earth, a mission we will carry out with all freedom-loving partners, end quote. joining me is ambassador to the united nations, bill richardson. ambassador, good to to see you. thank you for being with us. neither isis nor the islamic state or any other terrorist group has yet claimed responsibility for the berlin attack. what's the danger or is there any danger in releasing a statement like this before anybody knows who or what was behind the attack? is it the opposite of the obama administration being accused of never saying radical islamic terrorism? >> reporter: well, i would like to say something supportive of the president-elect, but,

blake mccoy is in arctic, chicago, today. and talk about what it is like and even what it feels like on the ground there where you are. >> miserable, in a word. it is very cold. 8 degrees actual air temperature right now here in chicago. even colder when you put on the windchill. and as this arctic air continues to push down into the region, it is only going to get colder as the day goes on here. >> round two of the 1-2 polar punch is bringing the coldest temperatures yet this morning for much of the country. >> it is very cold, and we're bracing ourselves for the next four months practically. >> when the chicago bears kick off later today at soldier field, potential to be sub zero, their coldest game ever. the previous record, two degrees. set back in december 2008. >> i'm not sure you ever get used to that kind of weather. but it takes a mentally tough minded people to deal with it. >> the bears will be playing the packers, who hold the record for coldest nfl game ever. the legendary ice bowl, 13 below at lambeau field, in

msnbc's blake mccoy in indianapolis, nbc's peter al alexander in front of trump tower and kelly o'donnellpitol hill. blake, since you're where the action is and is going to be, what do we know about this carrier deal? i understand we have a new statement from the company out within the last few minutes. >> reporter: that's right. donald trump on his way here to carrier in indianapolis. he's set to arrive here at the factory in about an hour where he'll be meeting with union leaders as well as touring this facility before making remarks on the stage behind me. here's what we know about the deal to keep this roughly 1,000 jobs in the united states instead of shipping them off to mexico. this is a new statement from carrier saying the state of indiana has offered carrier a $7 million package over multiple years contingent pont factors like employment, job retention and capital investment. so, those are state tax incentives from the state of indiana that will be keeping carrier air here. that's what the company is publicly saying. our sources are also telling us that another major factor keep

nbc's blake mccoy has more. >> reporter: round two of the 1-2 polar punch is bringing the coldest temperatures yet this morning for much of the country. >> it's very cold, and we're bracing ourselves for the next four months practically. >> reporter: when the chicago bears kick off later today at soldier field, potential to be subzero, their coldest game ever. the previous record, 2 degrees, set back in december, 2008. >> i'm not sure you ever get used to that kind of weather, but it takes a mentally tough-minded people to deal with it. >> reporter: the bears will be playing the packers who hold the record for coldest nfl game below at lambeau field in december, 1967. this arctic blast coupled with heavy snow is having a dangerous and deadly impact. three people dead in maryland, two lives lost when this tractor-trailer burst into flames after sliding off an icy bridge and jumping the barrier. another two killed in north carolina. >> it's put the fear of god in me. i'm going to go home. i'm going to stay in today. >> reporter: three police officers were injured in crashes in overland park, kan

lets go out to blake mccoy who's out in the room for us. give us the wrap and talking about the primaries and going back in history and then this sort of victory lap about the deal he's made. >> reporter: one of the most interesting things kate we heard is how this deal came about. he said when he was speaking about carrier air on the campaign trail for the last six months. you can see he's shaking some hands as he's leaving the room. he said today he was using carrier as an example for broader manufacturing jobs leaving the u.s. he said it was not until after the election, he was watching the "nightly news" one night and saw a story holding him to his campaign promise, oh, i didn't mean carrier literally, i thought those jobs were already gone. he said here today it was not until he saw it on the news after he was elected that he realized that okay, maybe they do expect me to keep these carrier jobs and ended up calling united technologies, ceo, negotiating this deal. one thing we heard is how he plans to keep more jobs in the united state

blake mccoy is in chicago which may hit a record low temperature today. i know we checked in with you a couple hours ago. is it any better at all where you are? >> you know, it's deceiving. you think with the sun out that it would have warmed up. the temperature keeps going down as the day continues. to answer your question, no, it's not warmed up at all. let's put up temperatures on the screen for you. it's 6 degrees here in chicago. when you add windchill, it feels like minus 10. madison, wisconsin, minus 5, actual air temperature, feels like minus 19. the coldest major city in the country today, it has been all week, minneapolis, minus 13 actual air temperature, feels like 28 below zero. we are breaking december cold records in a lot of places with this weather. right now, we're outside of the soldier field here in chicago. this is where the bears are set to play in about an hour. it's going to be potentially their coldest home game ever. 2 degrees was the coldest ever played here. it's 6 right now. we will see if we get down to 2 by game time. whether

blake mccoy joins us. blake, it was quite a press conference.f didn't lead with what we would consider the news of the day, the chargings of the suspect with what the sheriff described as a dramatic road rage incident. what did we learn? >> reporter: he was very defensive, lashing out at members of the community who criticized that decision not to file charges after the shooting last week and to wait and give this investigation more time. he was very clear and said, you know what, sometimes justice takes time. we live in this society now where we want justice right now. he says, sometimes these investigations take a little time. since then, the reason we're seeing charges now, he says they've been able to interview 160 witnesses. most of theme people didn't stick around after the shooting. they had to use a license plate reader to track these people down and figure out exactly what happened. they contacted 70 businesses to see if they had surveillance video that caught any of this road rage. none of the surveillance video captured the actual sho

blake mccoy and kristen welker both in indianapolis for us this morning. good to see you two. thanks for being with me. blake, let me start with you. what can you tell us about the deal, the reaction there and is this a sign, sealed and delivered deal? >> reporter: yeah, the deal has been finalized. it will keep 1,000 jobs here at carrier air in then. is th this is a big deal specifically for president-elect trump who called out carrier on the campaign trail over the last several months over the plans to move the jobs to mexico. so the jobs will be staying. in a sense president-elect trump is fulfilling a campaign promise that he made on the trail to keep those jobs here. we do have a statement from carrier that says today's announcement is possible because the incoming trump/pence administration had emphasized to us its commitment to support the business community and create an improved more competitive u.s. business climate. the incentives offered by the state were an important consideration. so even though the details of this deal have not been released, in that statement th

where people also find themselves breaking ice. >> that was blake mccoy reporting. let's brin in david price, in for dylan. 13 below is the record. what are the chances we break the record today? >> not for absolute temperature, but we are going to have temperatures feeling like they're 14 below at soldier field. with a thermometer reading of about 3 degrees or so. unbearable out there. let's take a look at what's happening on the maps. dangerous cold, which we just heard about. this is the coldest batch of december air we have seen in about 50 years. and it's beginning to roll through. that's just part of the bad weather picture in the united states right now. in the meantime, we have sloppy weather through the great lakes, down to the tennessee valley, up through the ohio valley. and a brief warm-up in the northeast. but back to the cold air and the winter weather. look at the watches and warnings stretching all the way from the dakotas and pushing through the ohio valley and up to sections of central and western new york. it's going to be an awful day, and look h

blake mccoy was with some people who made a tough return home to sort through the rubble. >> reporter: the panic of escape now gives way to the agony of return. >> i'm just trying to take home since monday, unsure if it's still there. with her mobility limited by a wheelchair, she awaits word by a friend. >> you're fine. >> reporter: flames charred her house but left it standing. >> i'm luckier than a lot. >> reporter: the toll of the gatlinburg, tennessee fire, devastating. 13 people now confirmed dead, they were on vacation with their three sons who are recovering in a burn unit and 75-year-old may vans who died of a heart attack. more than 1,000 structures damaged or destroyed. flames skirted the edges of but ultimately sparred dollywood theme park. dolly parton vowing to help those who lost everything. >> $1,000 a the fires until they get back up on their feet. >> reporter: people like this couple whose nighttime escape on foot down the mountainside was illuminated by a terrifying orange glow. >> i didn't know of another way to get down from where we were so cover up your mouth an

as our blake mccoy tells us today, the sheriff lashed out at those critics in a press conference filledith slurs and profanity. >> reporter: tonight, the man accused of shooting former nfl player joe mcknight in a case of road rage, has been arrested. ronald gasser, now charged with manslaughter, after initially being released last week. >> he was somebody's son! >> reporter: a decision that sparked public outcry, especially when it was revealed gasser had been arrested for road rage before, at the same intersection ten years ago. those charges, dropped. >> so for those who have criticized the men and women of this organization and the strategy decisions that we made relative to that, tough. >> reporter: a defensive and combative sheriff, reading some of the messages elected officials in jefferson parish, louisiana, have received for backing his decision to give the investigation more time. >> we saw you sell out to them, you rat [ bleep ] punk. >> reporter: the sheriff says since last thursday 160 witness interviews, 70 businesses contacted for potential surveillance video and multiple

. >> that was nbc's blake mccoy. >>> today electoral college members in 50 states voted to finalize the017 election. that as they call for a bipartisan select committee to investigate reports that russia tried to interfere with the u.s. presidential election. >> we want to find out what the russians are doing to our political system, what other foreign governments might do to our political system. >> we need a select committee. we need to get to the bottom of exactly what was done. >> but president elect donald trump said russia's involved would not have changed the outcome. >> let's assume it's true. there's no evidence that shows that outcome was changed because of a couple dozen john pedesta emails that were out there. >> and kelly ann conway says until she sees prove she remains skeptical. >> if fbi and others at the top are serious about turning over evidence to we, the american people, they should do that and do that when house intelligence committee invites to brief them. >> he expects an official report and proof be completed before inauguration day. >> we will provide evidence

blake mccoy has the details. >> a fresh blast of cold air and snow overnight made travel treacherous. in chicago, this united airlines plane slid off the pavement while taxiing. in denver, nine inches of snow caught airlines off guards. leading to problems inside the terminal. >> if your flight has been canceled, bags will be at baggage claim. >> icy roads for blamed for more than a dozen deaths. in western pennsylvania, a harrowing rescue after this driver spent 12 hours stranded in freezing temperatures. firefighters were forced to battle the elements in st. louis, rescuing two homeless people from a warehouse fire. in kentucky, lightning suspected of starting a barn fire that claimed the lives of 24 horses. the arctic chill could not keep fans away from chicago's soldier field. >> this is football weather at its finest. >> the seventh coldest ever. 11 degrees at kickoff against the packers. >> hopefully by now, they would have warmed up. >>> today, electoral college members in 50 states vote to finalize the 2016 presidential election. that as senators chuck schumer and john mccain

. >> that was blake mccoy reporting. >>> still ahead mole to have cocktails fly as demonstrators clash with riot police over the shooting death of a teen in greece. >>> bill karins is watching a significant winter storm. >> you can see it here on satellite and radar. this will be moving in later tonight, during the day there will be some rain in california, san francisco and northern california, but it's the overnight period we start to deal with some of the snow out of this. it's cold even around portland and many interior locations that we could get heavier snows with this. this is 6:00 p.m. thursday night. again, a lot of rain for the lower elevations, but this will be significant winter event for the cascades and even some spots down in the valleys like portland. areas of southern california still on the cooler side with highs only in the 50s and 60s. so in the west they get the mix, they get the wet weather and the cold and that's going to cause some snow and ice. >> officially winter. bill, thank you very much. >>> just ahead, 75 years ago this morning the u.s. forces at pearl ha

for "today," blake mccoy, nbc news, chicago. >>> let's talk about football now. what looked like another blow-out win for the patriots turned out to be a pretty exciting game last night. new england hosting baltimore. the patriots taking commanding 20-point lead in the third quarter on this pass. tom brady to martellus bennett. game over, right. not so fast. ravens come clawing back. in fact, they got within three points late in the fourth quarter. then tom brady does what tom brady does. he finds chris hogan wide open. that's for 79 yards and a touchdown. patriots hold on to win it 30-23. this brady is growing on me. >> he's got a future, that guy. >> al, you've got a check of the forecast. >>> you bet. let's see what else is going on around the country. we've got some heavier showers and thunderstorms down through that bitter cold making its way into the plains. we've got wet weather in the mid-atlantic states as well. we're going to get to your local forecast coming up in the next >> and that's your latest weather. guys? >> all right, al, thank you very much.

blake mccoy joins us now from chicago, what is happening there this morning? it looks like everything shut down, should it be hope now? >> this will be opening in about an hour. still business as usual here with beefed up security in downtown chicago. i can tell you what the security looks like here. there is permanent barriers to prevent any vehicles from going into this christmas market like we saw in berlin. there is also controls access points, chicago police in right of that berlin attack are increasing their pence here. it is too cold for the horses to be out, but we have seen a lot of trig police officers on bikes. you can look at what this market will look like in about an hour when it opens up, all of the shops will open, people will be out with their families and children. it will be beefed up here, and we will see abeefed up security presence in places like times square. here in chicago, they say there is no threats, it will be a somber backdrop. this market has been a real place of joy so far this season, this is the 20th anniversary of this market

nbc's blake mccoy live for us from chicago with the very latest, blake. >> well, tamron, here in thethe frozen right now. that's because that polar vortex has started to dip down from canada, bringing that arctic air with it. actual air temperature in chicago at this moment, 16 degrees. similar scenes in milwaukee, indianapolis, even colder in minnesota today. let's take a look at some of the problems this has created all week long. i-70 yesterday in indianapolis, multiple crashes because of icy roads. ten-car pileup involving several semitrucks. not far away in greenwood, indiana, a school bus ended up sliding and clipping the back of a truck. and check out some images we have from lake superior. keep in mind, the water is still pretty warm this time of year since we're just approaching winter. so it creates that steam effect off of the lake. we're not seeing a lot of ice on the water just yet. that's because big bodies of water still take some time to cool down and create that ice. tomorrow is going to be even colder. here in chicago, we're talking single digits. it is going to be

. >> that was nbc's blake mccoy reporting. >>> new information on another developing story right now. crews in san antonio are still on the scene of a 20-foot deep sinkhole that opened up last night. and we just received an update from the fire chief who says one person was killed in that sinkhole. the chief said two cars fell one of those cars remains submerged. crews are trying to stop a sewage leak that may be connected to the sinkhole. >>> today rain is gone, but more is on the way. up next, tom is back with when you can expect the heaviest rain tomorrow. and frankie grande is here with a gift guide that includes everything from wireless headphones, that have his ?? ?? ?? ?? . >>> guests and his own unique sense of stixt rickie grande is sorting through the latest fashion trends on amazon's new show, style code. bringing all that energy. >> yes! >> so great to see you. >> look how festive we look together. >> we're ready to unwrap some presents? >> we are the presents. >> you brought some great ideas, let's start with the face. >> let's start with the face. i'm absolutely obsessed

blake mccoy for us, appreciate it. thank you. >>> how did the russians hack and how to hack them back. i will ask up with of the nation's most notorious hackers. ♪ think of your fellow man. ♪ lend him a helping hand. ♪ put a little love in your heart. ♪ ♪ take a good look around... ♪ ...and if you're lookin' down, ♪ ♪ put a little love in your heart. ♪ ♪put a little love in your heart.♪ ♪ in your heart. (avo) the subaru share the love event is happening now and will have given ninety million dollars to help real people like these. so we know how to cover almost almoanything.hing, even a rodent ride-along. [dad] alright, buddy, don't forget anything! [kid] i won't, dad... [captain rod] happy tuesday morning! captain rod here. it's pretty hairy out on the interstate.traffic is literally crawling, but there is some movement on the eastside overpass. getting word of another collision. [burke] it happened. december 14th, 2015. and we covered it. talk to farmers. we know a thing or two because we've seen a thing or two. ♪ we

blake mccoy on the phone from new orleans, louisiana. what do we know about what's prompted the arrest and is he in jail right now? >> reporter: well, craig, the decision not to press charges last week sparked a lot of controversy. the sheriff came under fire for that decision and now we can tell you he has been rearrested and has been charged this time with manslaughter. the sheriff said last friday what he believes happened on thursday was an argument happened and then mcknight got out of his car and approached the passenger side of gasser's vehicle and that's when gasser shot and killed mcknight. there has been some question whether this would fall under louisiana's stand your ground law, the sheriff had brought that up at the press conference last friday which allows someone to shoot in self-defense. it's unclear if evidence has pointed away from that and that's the reason that gasser has now been arrested and charged or whether it's public pressure that ultimately led to these charges. we hope to get those answers at this press conf

nbc's blake mccoy looks at how much of the country is suffering the extreme cold. >> this morning, for so much of the country, the arctic temperatures are brutal. and sticking around. >> it's cold. >> it's just terrible out here. >> the frigid air will combine with more snow today and into the weekend for the northern half of the country. millions bracing for another messy morning commute. in pennsylvania, i-80 is back open after whiteout conditions led to this 59-car pile-up thursday. in cleveland, demands to clear the snow-covered roads faster. >> we pay our taxes, we deserve service. >> while in portland, oregon, already crippled by snow and ice, they're trying to thaw out. >> look out! >> after this school bus was sent sliding this week, kids used their snow day to take out sleds and slide past it. ♪ ♪ >> christmas is just over a week away. with more bad weather coming. shoppers in chicago are not deterred. >> what in the world are you thinking doing your christmas shopping today? >> it has to get done sometime and i won't sleep if i don't get something done. so it's panic. it's ca

blake mccoy, thank you for checking in. >>> now, to a tough story out of arkansas. road rage incident in arkansas results in in the death of a little boy. the police say that the 3-year-old was in this car with his grandmother when the driver of another car got out and fired one shot at the car. the grandmother continued to the store, and when she arrived, she realized that her grandson was shot. the 3-year-old was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. >> i have no information to believe that anybody in this family has done anything to cost this young person his life, and this is as frustrated as you can be of a safety official, and just a plain citizen. >> it is so sad, and they believe that suspect had no relationship to the mother or the little boy. >> and a treep toppled on top of a wedding party, and the group was taking photographs in the park after the ceremony and the 100-foot eucalyptus tree fell, and trapped many people, including a 4-year-old girl who is in critical condition. >> it sounded like a firecracker. >> and you could see the lady

blake mccoy in chicago where the temperature is in the teens and feeling even colder with the windchillssing it's still mighty cold out there. how you doing, blake? >> reporter: yeah, this is one of the days where it's layer after layer after layer and it's still not enough. right now, the actual air temperature here in chicago is about 18 degrees. when you throw on the windchill, we're looking at 5. so it is a very, very cold day here. a lot of that cold air has moved east. washington, dc and new york city also waking up in the teens this morning. behind it, we see some snow. take a look at what they're seeing in montana today. whiteout knconditions as people try to drive out. all the snow will hit here in chicago tonight where we could see several inches and behind that, another blast of cold air. we've been calling it a one-two punch of arctic air. the only bright side i can give you is it makes for a nice crisp day. you can see the beautiful skyline in chicago behind me, willis tower there. if you're looking at it from inside, i suppose it's at least pretty, chris? >> blake, thank y

nbc's blake mccoy drew the lucky card. is in chicago, where the temperatures just keep on dropping. blake, i'm so glad you're wearing a scarf today. you look like you're warm. i think you need a hat, still. what's going on out there? >> reporter: you know, we are just getting just socked by that cold air coming down from canada. believe it or not, this is going to be one of the warmer days we see this week. it's 20 degrees right now in chicago. we're going to dip into the single digits, even below zero as the week continues. take a look at a graphic we have for you, just to show how cold this december is so far. we have spent nine days below average in chicago, six days below average in minneapolis. and even where you are in new york, you've spent three days below average so far this year. it is cold and it is only going to get colder. back out here live right now, you can see the chicago river, still no ice on it, because these bigger bodies of water take a little more time to cool down. but when you go up into minnesota,

. >> blake mccoy live in chicago. thank you very much. in nbc law enforcement analyst and retired atf special agent in charge jim cavanaugh. i want to go back to the breaking news we have been following this hour which is the federal prosecutor's office in germany releasing the suspect who was in custody. your initial reaction to that and then talk a little bit about what police in germany must be doing now. >> right. my initial reaction is it's good police work. they went on this one suspect and released him quickly. they are saying, hey, the perpetrator or perpetrators, we don't know if there could be more than one, are loose and armed. the polish citizen found in there who we believe was the truck driver was shot and stabbed. so there was a violent attack in the truck, a hijacking probably happened hours before. one or more. could be. we don't know assailants and they are loose now in berlin. at least in berlin at one point. that's of great concern to the german police. where are the guys and could another attack occur? >> how concerni

joining me now is blake mccoy. watching the remarks made by the pa sheriff.k about the tone before we get to the nuts and bolts of the case. >> there is no doubt the sheriff here was combative, defensive, even angry at times over the second-guessing of his decision not to initially arrest and file charges against ronald gasser last week. he said he simply needed more time to conduct the investigation. he said an arrest is only as good as a prosecution. that's why he was so upset by everything that transpired since then. again, all the second guessing that's gone on. another one of the more colorful moments of the news conference he read aloud some of the messages that elected officials here in jefferson parish have been receiving, some of the threats. listen. >> i'm sure you see the emotion in me because it is not fair. it's not fair for him to be called you punk [ bleep ] uncle tom [ bleep ]. we saw you sell out to them you rat [ bleep ] punk. that's the tone of what we are calling our elected leaders for standing up and simply saying, let justice prevail. >

let's begin with the latest on the ground in new orleans, that's where we find nbc's blake mccoy. what is the reaction there not only to the charges but also to how the sheriff took on the criticism of his department's handling of this case? >> reporter: well, there is no doubt, you heard it right there, he was not only defensive but at times angry by the pushback and criticism his department has received for not filing charges initially after that shooting last week. he says, from the sheriff department's perspective, they had a suspect here, mr. gasser, who was cooperating. they were able to actually interview him, they say, for more than ten hours without an attorney present. he didn't ask for an attorney. they had a witness who was cooperating and they also had a lot of witnesses who left the scene. they were able to interview more than 160 witnesses since that incident then but they said only six people stuck around after the shooting. the sheriff said it took a long time to track those people down and figure out exactly what happened. they said at the time, you only have mr.

let's go to blake mccoy live from the carrier plant in indianapolis where workers are awaiting the president-elect's visit there. they have called it a thank you tour, some have called it a victory tour. but there are a lot more questions, blake, about the deal that is on the table here and if the people in that building will really benefit. >> reporter: yeah, that's right. what we can tell you about the deal is carrier says it will keep more than 1,000 jobs here in the united states here in indiana at the carrier plant behind me. they have acknowledged that part of that deal includes some state tax incentives from the state of indiana. but our sources also tell us that another major reason that carrier's parent company has decided to keep these jobs here is because of a fear that they could lose government contracts if they move these jobs to mexico. they're worried about what would happen under a trump administration because you have to keep in mind carrier is just a small piece of a really big puzzle, a big company called united technologies. united technologies has about $5 billion in government

but first, nbc's blake mccoy is in chicago. blake, good morning to you. >> reporter: matt, good morning. one final morning of this bitter cold. it is 10 below at o'hare right now. here in chicago, these are the coldest temperatures we've seen yet. frostbite and hypothermia, serious concerns as people head off to work and school this morning. one last burst of arctic air this morning after a weekend that left roads in many states with a fresh coating of snow and ice. >> we are bracing ourselves for the next four months practically. >> reporter: in pennsylvania, this driver had been trapped in his suv for 12 hours after skidding off an icy highway. state police eventually found and rescued him by pinging his cell phone. >> looked over the embankment and there was the vehicle. >> we just happened to see him. he happened to see my flashlight. >> cold in there! >> reporter: football sunday was left to diehard fans. just 1 degree at kickoff for the kansas city chiefs tying the record for their coldest game ever. >> usually the weather

. >> nbc's blake mccoy. a lot of people are wondering what motivated the sheriff.the example, the police chief in dallas when those innocent officers were slaughtered, it was how the chief of police handled that situation. we know that he was likely met with angry e-mails, angry and ugly words sent to him on social media. but he led his department with dignity in that investigion. it sounds like that' the concern there in harvey today. >> this sheriff is taking these personal e-mails, tweets, facebook messages, taking it very personally and lashed out during the press conference. unfortunately, what it did, it overshadowed the news of the day which is that charges were filed against ronald gasser, the suspect in this case. unfortunately, he started swearing like that before we got to the substance of the new information on the case. let's get people caught up on why it took four days for them to file charges here. the sheriff said initially after that road rage shooting incident, only about six witnesses stuck around at that intersection. they had to use a license