nbc's peter alexander explains. >> reporter: the nation's capitol is now locked in its own drug war. without getting too deep into the weeds, this is a fight over weed. beginning at midnight tonight d.c. residents 21 and over can legally possess up to two ounces of pot, roughly a sandwich bag's worth for personal use. and grow as many as six plants at home. >> it allows for the home use and home growth of marijuana. >> reporter: there are restrictions. you can't sell it, no growing pot outdoors and no lighting up anywhere outside your home. but could it all go up in smoke? unlike alaska, colorado and washington state where marijuana use is legal, the district of columbia is not a state and answers to congress, which tried to block the plan after d.c. voters overwhelmingly approved it last fall. now with d.c. leaders insisting they'll move forward, two house republicans are warning the district to reconsider calling it a knowing and willful violation of the law. even threatening washington's mayor could get sent to prison. >> i have a lot of things to do here in the district of columb

peter alexander, nbc news, arlington, virginia. >> and don't look now, just about three weeks to spring and there is another big snowmaker on the way for much of the country. janice huff is in the weather center. janice, notice i no longer ask you if there's relief in sight. i know the answer. >> you know what, lester, some parts of the northeast that have been dealing with this brutal cold for so long will get a bit of reprieve next week for a brief time but overall we're still stuck in the pattern. yes, now, a snowstorm that will be dropping over the southern rockies is going to move out into the plains over the next couple of days. so for tonight around denver south towards albuquerque in the higher elevations up to a foot of snow expected. that spreads towards dallas on friday afternoon with some light snow, looking like maybe one to three inches there up towards oklahoma city. and then another snowstorm, another piece of energy forms another snow area on saturday afternoon. that's wichita, oklahoma city, that spreads towards st. louis by sunday morning and then towards chicago late

peter alexander, nbc news, washington. >>> when we come back, about last night. what happened after the grammys were over following the stage rushing moment that had everyone talking. >>> sam smith may have dominated the grammy awards winning record and song of the year as well as best new artist, but it was kanye west who dominated the conversation. when beck won album of the year, west rushed the stage in what looked like a repeat of his mike-jacking of taylor swift in 2009 only to back off like he was joking. later west said beck should give his award to beyonce. beck was polite about the whole thing even saying he also thought beyonce was going to win. >>> if we're not careful pictures are all we're going to have left of the monarch butterfly. that's a fear of the u.s. fish and wildlife service which today announced a $3.2 million campaign to save the monarch from extinction. most of the funding will be used to restore 200,000 acres of habitat. the estimated monarch population has gone from a billion in the mid-'90s to fewer than 30 million now. >>> it's been

peter alexander, nbc news, chicago. >>> there is a lot more ahead here tonight. cars flying off the road all over the place as tens of millions deal with conditions they rarely encounter. we're behind the wheel with the surprising things you should and shouldn't do when you lose control. >>> and later, we're along for the victory lap today after an upset victory. the new queen of westminster takes new york. >>> when so much of the country is sitting at below freezing as we mentioned earlier, getting , as we mentioned earlier, getting from point a to point b can suddenly become a death defying feat. you may only have a split second to react when your car skids on an icy road. but your first instinct isn't necessarily the right one as nbc's jeff rossen is about to demonstrate. >> reporter: frightening moments behind the wheel, fishtailing, no control. just as scary, when the wreck is coming right toward you. from sedans to semis, this truck skidding out. missing other cars by just feet. and that's the danger too. swerving into traffic. look at this car spinning all

peter alexander, nbc news washington. >>> when we come back about last night.happened after the grammys were over following the stage rushing moment that had everyone talking. the world is filled with air. but for people with copd sometimes breathing air can be difficult. if you have copd, ask your doctor about once-daily anoro ellipta. it helps people with copd breathe better for a full 24hours. anoro ellipta is the first fda-approved product containing two long-acting bronchodilators in one inhaler. anoro is not for asthma. anoro contains a type of medicine that increases risk of death in people with asthma. it is not known if this risk is increased in copd. anoro won't replace rescue inhalers for sudden copd symptoms and should not be used more than once a day. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition, or high blood pressure. tell your doctor if you have glaucoma, prostate or bladder problems, or problems passing urine as anoro may make these problems worse. call your doctor right away if you have worsened breathing chest pain, swelling of your mouth o

i'm peter alexander reporting from new york. here at nbc news, good night. >> i am so sincerely sorry julie ann on air apology. hi everybody. welcome to "access hollywood", weekend edition i'm shaun. the remark on fashion police about this hair do were pretty tame. could have been edited out but apparently nobody saw a reason to do so, so the question is why? >> i want to apologize for a comment that i made on last night fashion police about her hair. now as you know fashion police is a show that poke fun at celebrity in good spirit but i do understand that something i said last nature did cross the line. like i feel like she smells like about oil or weed maybe wooichltd i

peter alexander, nbc news chicago. >>> there is a lot more ahead here tonight. cars flying off the road all over the place as tens of millions deal with conditions they rarely encounter. we're behind the wheel with the surprising things you should and shouldn't do when you lose control. >>> and later, we're along for the victory lap today after an upset victory. the new queen of westminster takes new york. introducing dance-all-you-want bladder leak protection. new always discreet underwear for sensitive bladders from always, the experts in feminine protection. new always discreet underwear absorbs heavy bladder leaks faster then the leading brand, so you can feel comfortably dry. plus always discreet has a discreet fit that hugs your curves. you barely feel it. new always discreet underwear. now bladder leaks can feel like no big deal. because, hey, pee happens. ♪ hi, tom. how's the college visit? does it make the short list? yeah, i'm afraid so. it's okay. this is what we've been planning for. knowing our clients personally is why edward jones is the big compa

nbc ease peter alexander has more on the freeze that feels like it's never going to end. >> reporter: offshore and on ice, dozens of lobster boats frozen in place in maine for weeks now. fishermen unable to do their jobs. in connecticut temperatures diving into the teens, water freezing as it left the hose at this house fire. and in new hampshire a harrowing survival story for dean mullens buried alive for hours after snow slid off his roof right on top of him. >> i had no time to move. it was just moving so quickly. and ended up pinning me on my back. >> reporter: from the midwest to the deep south, punishing cold and snow. >> i'm kind of sick of it yeah. >> reporter: more than a foot in alabama stranding hundreds of drivers on i-65 overnight. >> take what the road gives you, you know? and deal with it. and be calm and go slow. and you'll make it through. >> reporter: more than 11 feet in maine, 132.5 inches tens of thousands still without power in north carolina. and how about that cold? cleveland on pace for its most frigid february on record. both syracuse and bangor en route to t

i'm peter alexander reporting from new york. from all of us here at nbc news, good night. i work some long hours keeping my clients wrinkle free, and back when i had fios that meant falling behind on my shows. so i switched to xfinity. their cloud-based dvr is perfect for me 'cause it lets me take my recorded shows anywhere i go. see? i have all my dramas... oooh... ...my food shows... mmm... ...and of course all my comedies. [program: "not on my watch..."] [laughing] where do they come up with this stuff?! don't settle for fios. with the cloud-based x1 dvr, xfinity is perfect for people who can't always be home. -welcome to best in shelter. i'm jill rappaport, and the very proud pet parent to these wonderful five rescues. you know, animal welfare has always been my passion, rescue and adoption my oxygen. and tonight, we will shine a light on the plight of shelter animals, especially the underdogs of the shelter world with the help of some of my celebrity animal-loving friends. -you hear people say, i can't go near a shelter. it's too depressing. i just can't do that. if y

i'm peter alexander reporting from new york. from all of us here at nbc news, good night. -welcome to best in shelter. i'm jill rappaport, and the very proud pet parent to these wonderful five rescues. you know, animal welfare has always been my passion, rescue and adoption my oxygen. and tonight, we will shine a light on the plight of shelter animals, especially the underdogs of the shelter world with the help of some of my celebrity animal animal-loving friends. -you hear people say, i can't go near a shelter. it's too depressing. i just can't do that. if you go in and you see these dogs wonderful dogs, and you'll be so grateful that you did that. -(yodeling) -you pick a dog up from the shelter ve a friend for life. oh, good boy. -oh, here we go. -in fact, we have a picture of him next to the microwave that said exactly who rescued who. -oh, look. oh, yes. -someday maybe no more homeless pets. and we'll be out of a job. but that'll be ok. -but that's ok, then, right? -that's ok. -tonight we give them the platform they deserve as they vie for our best in shelter title. an

peter alexander is in charlottesville, virginia with more. >> reporter: joy, good day. the first-degree murder charge carries with it up to life in prison and the prosecutors, the district attorney, say they are not pursuing capital murder which could carry with it the death penalty. her family was not in attendance today and the investigators would not detail the evidence they have linking graham's death to jesse matthew. they also wouldn't say whether any deal had been made between the defendant and prosecutors in this case. matthew has also been charged in the 2005 attempted murder of a 26-year-old young woman. he has pled not guilty to all of those charges. that case has forensic evidence linking it to the 2009 murder of a young woman named morgan harrington, a student at virginia tech university who had, at the time been here in charlottesville in the area for a rock concert but disappeared and her body under similar circumstances to that of hannah graham was found many miles away basically deposited in a field. the next time that jesse matthew jr. will be in court

here is nbc's peter alexander. >> reporter: brian williams has been suspended without pay for six monthsanchor and managing editor of nbc's nightly news. a role he had since 2004. the nbc president announced it tuesday, saying williams misrepresented events regarding an incident that occurred in his coverage of the iraq war in 2003. she called that wrong and completely inappropriate for someone in brian's position. in this report in 2003 williams did not say the helicopter he was in took fire. >> on the ground. we learned the chinook ahead of us was almost blown out of the sky. >> reporter: but he told david letterman he was on a chopper hit. >> two of four helicopters were hit by ground fire including the one i was in. >> reporter: a week and a half ago on nightly news he paid tribute to major tim tur pack who helped him after they landed. >> when the helicopter we were in was forced down after being hit by rpg. >> reporter: soldiers on the helicopters in 2003 questioned that account, leading to the on air apology a week ago. >> i want to apologize. i said i was traveling in an aircraft

. >>> to check with peter alexander for a look at nbc nightly news. >> no end in sight for this waveof the brutal dangerous weather gripping the country. and talk of changing the exit plan for troops in afghanistan. there could be a delay. and on the eve of daytona 500, nascar suspends kurt busch. and who needs -- when you can still call the public liarry rylibrary to get your questions answers. >> thanks peter. >> live and in your living room danny pommels from comcast sportsnet. earlier this week cole hamels quotes to u.s.a. today seemed to indicate he'd like to be traded. he did respond to the fallout from the story. >> for what it's worth i've always tried to be very honest with people in general. you know, i don't cue card it. i don't have any cue cards up here giving the straight laced answers that i know a lot of people have been able to get away with. >> the flyers now. two recent hick pcups of the subpar teams. they faced the best florida all of hockey. brian white, his second goal as a flyer changes that. flyers jump on top. in the shootout. simmons finds the back of the ne

nbc's own peter alexander was part of the action. the folks behind it? the d.c. snowball fight association. >>> let's get you to ukraine where the world is watching a strategic hub called debalt receive. so does that look like or sound like a cease-fire to you? that is a tv crew's close call with a fireball the result of mortar rounds hitting a pipeline. as part of the recent ukrainian forces and pro-russian separatists, both sides were supposed to begin pulling back heavy weapons from the front line. a classic finger-pointing case of i'll do it when you do it. ukraine's defense ministry says some soldiers have been ambushed in that area and taking prisoners. they're denying rebels have taken control of the city. russian president vladimir putin echoed a commander urging the ukrainian troops to surrender. he says the u.s. is already delivering lethal wep bones to ukraine. back home the blame is blaming it on the separatists. >>> the prosecution has rested its case in the american sniper murder trial. eddie ray routh is accused of murdering navy sooefls chris kyle

. >>> this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt, substituting tonight peter alexander. >>> good evening

substituting tonight, peter alexander. >>> tonight, what may be the

peter alexander has more. fear of a bank rob tore a customer's head the latest in bank heists behind them two men the ifs bi calls the black hat bandits becoming brazen. >> these are not your average bank robbers. takeoverers. >> reporter: they held up seventh banks in the suburbs surrounding the capital since the start of this year, the post recent last week two banks within 40 minutes even seasoned fbi agents say they have never seen anything like this. >> as you look at this picture, what do you think? >> this has to stop. we have to get these individuals. >> reporter: seens this dramatic are typically reserved for the big screen but we've seen plenty of bank robbers in disguise. this guy held up a bank in 2012 wearing a florida state sweatshirt and there was the darth vader, a back street boy and obsessed with fresh flowers. this typeime the feds are offer aing a $30,000 reward. for "today" peter alexander. >> let's go to dillon in the orange room. >> they are from syracuse high school. you actually produc

peter alexander joins us with more on the story. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. broke it down pretty well. the clock is ticking now. homeland security as noted, would partially shut down if the spending bill isn't passed by the end of the day friday. that's the time table we're working with. conservative republicans refusing to pass a homeland security budget. unless it rolls back president obama's executive action on immigration. the ones that protect about 4 million undocumented immigrants from being deported. here is the latest mitch mcconnell has been trying to basically find a solution pushing for separate votes on homeland security and dismantle the immigration action. a shut down would be bad for the economy and insisted it would have a direct impact on national security president oba said. with lep 90 hours to go we keep waiting. >>> virginia senator tim cain is expected to address the possibility of furloughs later this morning. he's holding a press conference. cain and warner pushed hard for a deal calling it a crisis. more than 12,000 people work for d

nbc's peter alexander is onboard a coast guard cutter in the bay to show us the frozen . >> reporter:y to you from the upper chesapeake bay channel right now. the temperature fortunately doubly since we got out here at dawn. 2 degrees then. 4 degrees now. windchill making it feel like 18 degrees below zero. we're ongourd the u.s. coast board kirt right now. bring the camera this direction and you can see what we're trying to carve our way through. as thick of ice we've seen all day so far. up to two feet deep in places. this cutter with its steel hull is only get through about 18 inches. the ice, they describe it packed and stacked. you can hear that noise. that's the sound it makes right now. if it gets too thick we have to go back and ram, back and ram. they'll be out here all day in what is one of the busiest ports in the mid-atlantic. dylan, take it away. >> reporter: i'm dylan dreyer in genesee falls, new york we have captured what cold looks like here at well. this is the national park and this is a giant fountain. it's a man-made found than shoots water about five stories high

nbc national correspondent peter alexander is outside university of phoenix stadium. peter, good morning. >> reporter: lester good morning to you. i've got to tell you, it is feeling very seattle-like outside. first the rain now the fog. of course none it matters when the seahawks and patriots move inside the university of phoenix stadium just a short time from now but the folks here are fired up particularly those seahawks fans. on saturday 25,000 of them packed a pre-game rally. for faithful fans this may be the biggest holiday of the year. >> bring it on. bring on the seahawks. >> reporter: super bowl sunday. and according to oddsmakers this match-up may be one of the best in decades. seattle looking to extend its reign for another year. the last team to repeat -- new england in 2005. if tom brady marches the pats to victory, he'll join football's most elite fraternity alongside his boyhood idol joe montana and terry bradshaw the only qbs with only four super bowl rings are. despite no credible tretshreats to the stadium, blackhawk helicopters and f-16 jets will pat

peter alexander and dylan dreyer shows up what we're mixing out on. >> good day to you from the upper chesapeake bay channel. the temperature doubling since we got out here at dawn. 2 degrees then 4 degrees now. the windchill making it feel like 18 degrees below zero. we're on the coast kaurt cutter right now, and you can see what we're trying to carve through right now. this is thick ice, as thick as any we have seen all day so far. up to 2 feet deep in some places. this cutter with the steel hull can only get through about 18 inches. the ice, as they describe it is packed and stacked. you'll hear that noise. that's the sound it makes. if it gets too big, we have to go back and ram, back and ram. they'll be out here all day in what is one of the busiest ports in the mid-atlantic. dylan, take it away. >> i'm dylan dreyer in new york where we have captured what cold looks like here as wem. this is a national park and this is a giant fountain. a manmade fountain that shoots water about five stories high. you can see the water still coming out the top of it and then it freezes and create

peter alexander has our first story. >> reporter: brian williams has been suspended without pay for sixonths as both anchor and manager editor of nbc's "nightly news." the president announced the suspension late tuesday saying williams misrepresented events regarding an incident that occurred during his coverage of the iraq war in 2003. she called that wrong and completely inappropriate for someone in brian's position. >> in addition to the suspension, nbc news says it is internal review is ongoing. lester holt will continue to substitute anchor the nbc "nightly news." >>> after 16 years, jon stewart announced he will be stepping down. >> it's been an absolute privilege. it's been the honor of my professional life and i thank you for watching it for hate watching it. whatever reason you were tuning in for, you get in this business with the idea that maybe you have a point of view and something to express and to receive feedback from that is the greatest feeling i can ask for and i thank you. >> he will remain at the helm of "the daily show" until later this year. quote, he will always b

. >> nbc's peter alexander is in charlottesville following this. this indictment was for first degree murder primarily not capital murder. why is that? >> reporter: it's a good question. a question we posed to the prosecutor a short time ago and frankly they didn't have an answer. they did concede that they did have conversations with the family of hanna graham before the indictment before the felony charges were filed. as you noted there's abduction with attempt to defile to sexually assault hanna graham and the charge associated with her murder that carries life in prison. there's not an effort to pursue the death penalty in this case. this is obviously a case that has rattled this community. this is a case that has been in the headlines for a while. she disappeared five months ago and it wasn't until today that formal charges were finally filed although there's still a ways to go before the case is finally closed. >> thanks for that update, peter. >>> as at the hadn't already had enough, parts of new england could see more snow. two more systems

we have reports from peter alexander and dylan dreyer each in places experiencing extreme cold. >> reportergood day from the upper chesapeake bay channel now. the temperature doubling since we got out here at dawn. 2 degrees then. 4 degrees now. the windchill making it feel like 18 degrees below zero. we're on board the u.s. coast guard cutter. you can see what we're trying to carve our way through right now. this is thick ice, as thick as any we have seen all day so far. up to two feet deep in places. this cutter can only get through 18 inches. the ice is packed and stacked. you can hear that noise. that's the sound it makes right now. and if it gets too thick, we have to go back and ram, back and ram, they'll be out here all day in what is one of the busiest ports in the mid-atlantic. dylan? >> reporter: i'm dylan dreyer in genesee falls, new york where we have captured what cold looks like here as well. this is lexwood national park and a giant fountain man made fountain that shoots water five stories high. you can see the water is still coming out the top of it. then it just freezes and

for a completely different view how cold it is we sent nbc's peter alexander out an ice breaker off thehores of chesapeake city maryland. >> reporter: good day to you, you hear that sound. that's the sound of the u.s. coast guard carving through ice. we're picking up some speed trying to make our way through the upper chesapeake bay channel. the ice in places up to 2 feet thick. this can only get through 18 inches. if it's too thick, it will back up and ram. the ice is packed and stacked. it's a cold one out here 2 degrees when we got out at dawn. 4 degrees right now, the windchill 18 below zero. i promised my 19-month-old that i would come home with an elsa doll, she thinks i'm on the set of frozen it feels like it. >> better you than i. rudy giuliani doubles down on his comments about president obama and likely 2016 candidates pile on. (vo) after 50 years of designing cars for crash survival, subaru has developed our most revolutionary feature yet. a car that can see trouble... ...and stop itself to avoid it. when the insurance institute for highway safety tested front crash preventio

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peter alexander is outside of the university of phoenix stadium. >> reporter: good morning, lester. it's feeling very seattle like outside right now. first, the rain and now the fog, as al was talking ability. inging about. none matters as the seahawks and patriots move inside the stadium. folks are fired up particularly the seahawks fans. on saturday 25,000 of them packed a pregame rally. for faithful fans this may be the biggest holiday of the year. >> go seahawks. >> reporter: superbowl sunday. according to odds makers this matchup may be one of the best in decades. seattle looking to extend its reign for another year. the last team to repeat new england in 2005. if tom brady marches the pats to victory, he'll join football's elite frfraternity alongside bradshaw. >> who are you rooting for? >> patriots. >> reporter: despite no threats to the stadium, black hawk helicopters and fighter jets will patrol a no fly zone overhead. swat teams, canines and thousands of officers secure more than 70,000 fans. it's guaranteed to be an enormous tv event. likely to surpass last year's record

here's nbc news national correspondent peter alexander. >> reporter: brian williams has been suspended without pay for six months as both anchor and managing editor of nbc's "nightly news," a role he's held since 2004. nbc news president announced the suspension late tuesday, saying williams misrepresented events regarding an incident that occurred during his coverage of the iraq war in 2003. she called that wrong and completely inappropriate for someone in brian's position. in this report in 2003 williams did not say the helicopter he was in took fire. >> on the ground we learned the chinook ahead of us was almost blown out of the sky. >> reporter: but in 2013 williams told david letterman he was on a chopper that was hit. >> two of our four helicopters were hit by ground fire including the one i was in. >> no kidding. >> rpg and ak-47. >> reporter: a week and a half ago on "nightly news," williams paid tribute to a retired veteran who helped him. >> the helicopter we were traveling in was forced down by an rpg. >> reporter: soldiers who were on the helicopter back in 2003 questioned

nbc's peter alexander is in washington with more. >> reporter: hi, tamron good morning to you.s morning the district of columbia is locked in its own drug war unlike alaska colorado washington state where pot use is already legal. d.c. is not a state and at times has to answer to congress. legalized marijuana in washington, d.c. to some it almost begs for a punch line but it's no joke. when the clock struck midnight overnight pot became legal in the nation's capital, but this is washington where they have made smoke and mirrors into an art form. >> the laws surrounding it are really confusing. >> reporter: the law says you have to be 21 to smoke if can possess up to two ounces a sandwich's bag worth and can grow up to six plants but only three are allowed to be mature still illegal to buy or sell marijuana but you can give away up to an ounce. still, to understand the law you have to get in the weeds. this this is a local law and about 30% of d.c. sits on federal land where pot is still illegal. you can't light up beneath the washington monument or on the steps of the lincoln m

peter alexander is at the white house. >> good morning to you. a possible shut down. it sounds familiar. this is the latest between president obama and republicans. the president's critics insist the white house is overstating the threat to try to put pressure on congress for something the white house denies. either way the knock is ticking. with federal law enforcement calling for increased vigilance, the department of homeland security that controls tsa to fema to the skeet service is on the verge of a partial shut down set to run out of money at the end of the day on friday. >> this is no way to run a government. >> how did we get here? blame a stalemate. they are refusing to pass a spending bill unless it rolls back executive actions on immigration that would attack about 4 million undocumented immigrants from being deported. democrats want it passed without delay and republicans may get blamed for a shut down. the president warned about the potential consequences on monday. >> it will have a direct impact on your economy and on america's national security. >> wha

we will begin with peter alexander in maryland getting a ride on the ice breaker in the frozen chesapeake bay. >> i told my 19-month-old daughter to the set of the movie frozen. 3 degrees is the air temperature right now. 18 degrees below zero is the wind chill. we are on board with the u.s. coast guard cutter. the mission is ice breaking. we are in the upper chesapeake bay channel. you will hear it in a moment as we cross through and carve through the ice here. it's 98% covered with ice right now. this ship can cut through 18 inches. it's only about 6 to 8 inches here in terms of thickness. no rescues. that's the sound of the ice. no rescues this season. the good news is this area had to carve out the paths. they said this is the coldest and the most ice he has seen. the guy who is driving the ship his last assignment was hawaii. he's upset. >> turn that ship around. thank you so much. >> the siberian express is a term we have been familiar with smashing more records as temperatures dip into the single digits and below. kerry sanders is in covington, kentucky where it was minus 12 overni

nbc national correspondent peter alexander is in charlottesville. good morning. >> good morning. this remains such an awful story. hannah graham disappeared last fall. nbc affiliate in charlottesville, virginia jesse matthews has been charged with her murder. >> two sources are confirming to nbc that jesse matthew has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of hannah graham. matthew was seen with the sophomore on this surveillance video before she vanished. matthew, 33 was charged with abduction in graham's killing. he has not entered a plea in that charge. graham was 18 years old when she disappeared, prompting a month long search. her remains were found october 18th less than ten miles after a night out with friends. >> hannah never forgot and that's why. >> jesse matthew abducted and sexually assaulted another woman walking home from the grocery store in fairfax, virginia in september of 2005. the 6-year-old woman survived and helped detectives come up with this sketch. matthew pleaded not guilty to all of the charges in that case. the fbi used dna evidence to link

let's go to peter alexander. he is on an ice cutter in the upper chesapeake bay.nnah, good morning. prime assignmentment. good out here. we are stopped. this is the toughest ice we have hit all morning right now. 18 inches thick. on the upper chesapeake bay canal. excuse me, you can imagine it is tough to talk. 3 degrees is the air temperature. minus 16. that is the windchill. as you look around one more time they describe this ice as packed and stacked. blown together by the wind making it incredibly difficult for this u.s. coast guard cutter "the clete" to cut through. we have to go back and round. that is why we are holding on because it is choppy and rough out here right now. we have been out with the crew for most of the morning. their mission is ice breaking. the officer in charge tells me she never has experienced temperatures like this savannah, or ice like this. we will be here most of the day. should be a good gig. >> peter, thank you so much. >>> as peter said it is minus 16 there. the crowd said it's colder here. it is. >> feels like minus 18. >> it is

matt savannah. >> peter alexander at the white house, thank you. police in north carolina are investigating the motives of the murders of three young muslims in chapel hill. were they prig i triggered over hate or parking spaces? >> reporter: good morning, matt the people at this condo complex have a huge outpouring of grief t. victims were highly regard and their murders seem so senseless at the university of north carolina an emotional vigil wednesday night. a huge crowd of mourners remembering the three young lives cut short. the victims were all muslims raised in america. 23-year-old deah barhararaar bara /*akat. and her disastersister razan. >> 46-year-old craig stephen hicks, a neighbor of the barakats turned himself into police and was charged with first degree murder. the father insists the killings were religiously motivated. >> we are hoping to get justice here but in anyway you look at it it's just a hate crime. >> reporter: but police and the suspect's wife say the murders were sparked by a dispute over a parking space at the condo. >>

nbc national correspondent peter alexander has all the white house developments. ter, good morning to you. >> reporter: is asavannah, good morning to you. we'll have the new details in just a moment. first for a little context here. this is the first time in more than a decade congress is reconsidering the extent of the president's powers to target terrorists. president obama warned yesterday if left unchecked, isis could threaten the u.s. homeland as well as americans abroad. resolve from the president as the nation collectively mourns the death of 26-year-old american aide worker kayla mueller. >> we are going to degrade and ultimately destroy this terrorist group. >> reporter: and new revelations this morning. nbc news andrea mitchell confirms they asked the white house for another prisoner in exchange for kayla. the white house has a policy of not negotiating with terrorists department approve the trade. in addition, kayla's syrian boyfriend omar, who was with her when she was captured in 2013 later tried to rescue kayla, by going back into syria claiming he wa

peter alexander is live at the white house on this sunday.he rules go into effect? >> reporter: it's a good question likely to be two or three years before they are finalized. the faa is four years behind schedule on this. federal officials are confident. once they are in place, they think they will be economically and safety significant benefits for drones. we spoke about the knowledge test that would be administered by the faa and security check by the tsa. you talked about no night time flights and drones need to be within sight of their operator and means companies like amazon won't be delivering packages to you or pizza by drone any time soon. another significant proposed restriction was the fact that drones would have to stay five miles away from airports likely again to go in place over the next couple of years. >> i want to clarify, do these rules apply to private drone owners? do they apply to people who have them in place? is it just commercial? can you go through that? >> it's a good question since they are not yet in place, there'

nbc's peter alexander has more. >> reporter: brian williams has been suspended without pay for six monthsd managing eder of it nbc's "nightly news" a role he's held since 2004. nbc news president deborah turness announced the suspension late tuesday saying williams misrepresent eade vents regarding an incident that occurred during his coverage of the iraq war in 2003. she called that wrong and completely inappropriate for someone in brian's position. in this report in 2003 williams did not say the helicopter he was in took fire. >> on the ground we learned the chinook ahead of us was almost blown out of the sky. >> but in 2013 williams told david letterman he was on a chopper hit. >> two are our four helicopter was hit. by ground fire including the one i was in. >> no kidding. >> rpg and ac 47. >> a week and a half ago on "nightly news" williams paid tribute to retired army command sergeant major tim turback who helped him after he landed. >> forced down after hit by an rpg -- >> reporter: soldiers on the helicopters back in 2003 questioned that account. leading to this on-air apology one

nbc national correspondent peter alexander is in charlottesville. peter, good morning. >> reporter: matt, good morning to you. this continues to be just an awful case. you'll remember it was last fall that hannah graham disappeared, and this morning our affiliate here in charlottesville, virginia, is reporting that jesse matthew jr. has been charged with her murder. that announcement expected at a news conference a short time from now. two sources are confirming to our nbc station wvir that jesse matthew has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of hannah graham. police say matthew was seen with the uva sophomore on this surveillance video last september just before she vanished. matthew, who's 33, was previously charged with abduction with intent to defile in connection with graham's killing. he's not yet entered a plea for that charge. graham was 18 years old when she disappeared last fall, prompting an intense month-long search. her remains were found october 18th, less than ten miles from where she'd last been seen alive, after a nig

peter alexander has more on that. good morning to you. >> good morning to you. it follows two weeks of scrutiny and uncertainty in the wake of comments he made about his experience covering the early days of the iraq war in 2003. brian williams has been suspended without pay for six months as both anchor and managing editor of nightly news that he held since 2004. the president announced it tuesday saying he misrepresented events of the iraq war in 2003 calling it wrong and completely inappropriate for someone in brian's position. williams did not say the helicopter he was in took fire. >> on the ground we learned that the chinook ahead of us was almost blown out of the sky. he told david letterman he was on the chopper that was hit. >> two of the four helicopters were hit by ground fire including the one i was in. >> no kidding! >> a week and a half ago he paid tribute to major tim who helped them after he landed. >> when the helicopter was forced down after getting hit. >> soldiers on the helicopters in 2003 questioned that account leading to this on air apolo

peter alexander is in chicago. good morning. >> good morning here in chicago.ush will give the first major foreign policy national security speech since signalling real interest in becoming the next president bush. he will criticize president obama's leadership as indecisive and inconsistent. as for dwirkistinguishing himself from his father and brother, he will say i love my father and brother, but i am my own man and my views are shaped by my own thinking and my own experiences. it's one of the biggest challenges facing jeb bush in iraq. his brother george w. bush more than a decade ago. he could offer new clues and he insisted he would rather talk about the future than the past. >> we had complicated things we need to fix. one is what the role of america is in the world. >> he consulted members of his brother's and father's administrations. they expect he will set his sights on the current administration. >> he will have a future agenda which will be the peak of president obama. >> he has not distanced himself from his brother in the past. >> i was the only

peter alexander has more on that. good morning. >> this was a heck of an evening., we were rushed on to the field and felt like the arena from hunger games. lights and camera and confetti and battered athletes. marching along the stands while patriots fans chanted greatest ever. >> let's bring in tom brady, the mvp of super bowl xlix. >> it takes a lot of good plays to win a super bowl. >> a lot of toughness we played from the end. >> brady caught and touchdown. >> those guys are great and i'm fortunate to play on the great team. the coach and the staff. that's what it takes. it takes everybody. that's what makes it so tweet when we win it. >> pass is intercepted at the goal line by malcolm butler. >> malcolm made an unbelievable play. i have no words to describe it. >> when that ball landed in your hands, what are you thinking? >> going to the ground. >> you were not even here and now you are in the middle of the field. >> i can't even explain it. i always knew i could play at this level and i never gave up on it. >> and a touchdown. >> how do you celebrate this?

national correspondent peter alexander has more. >> good morning. district of columbia is locked in its own drug war, unlike other states where pot use is legal. zk not a state and a time to answer to the congress. legalized marijuana in washington, d.c. to some it almost begs for a punchline. but it's no joke. when the clock struck midnight overnight, pot became legal in the nation's capitol. but this is washington wheritative made smoking into an art form. the law says you have to be 21 to smoke and for that up to two ounces roughly a sandwich bag's worth and can grow as much as six plants. only three are allowed to be mature. it's still illegal to buy or sell marijuana. but you can give away up to an ounce. still to really understand the law, you have to get into the weed. this is a local law. about 30 inches is on settable land. you can't light up on the steps of the lincoln memorial. either way, it only allows pot users to light up in a house. just not this house, which is controlled by federal law. some members of congress aren't pleased. two

peter alexander is here.> reporter: good morning to you. this was a heck of an evening last night. holy cow. almost immediately after the final whistle sounded we were rushed on to the field. it felt like the arena from "hunger games." lights camera battered athletes and tom brady marching along the stands as hundreds of patriots fans chanted greatest ever. let's bring in tom brady the mvp of super bowl xlix. touchdown! >> it take as lot of good plays to win a super bowl. >> brady fires. caught. >> we played to the end. couldn't be more proud of our team. >> brady caught! touchdown. >> those guys are unbelievable players. i'm fortunate to play on a great team. a lot of great players. great -- you know, the owner of this team i love. jonathan and coach belichick and the staff. that's what it takes. it takes everybody that's what makes it so sweet when we win it. >> pass is intercepted at the goal line. by malcolm butler. >> malcolm made an unbelievable play at the end. i have no words to describe it. unbelieva