Good morning. Here are some of the stories we’re following today:
1. Icy conditions a danger in deadly winter storm
Be careful out there. Snow across the Midwest and Northeast has left a treacherous trail of black ice and flash freezing on roads and sidewalks. Ice warnings are in effect from southern Connecticut to Delaware and Maryland, according to meteorologists. "Ice on the roads could be a big problem — especially earlier in the morning when it is tough to see — and on sidewalks where anybody walking could slip and fall," the Weather Channel said. The problem could be exacerbated by flash freezing, in which slush from Monday's snowfall was iced over by plummeting temperatures. As much as 18 inches of snow was dumped across a swath of the country, and at least 15 deaths have been blamed on this storm. Read more in NEWS.
2. Measles outbreak leads to political debate
Politicians, from New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to President Barack Obama, are wading into the debate over youth vaccinations as a measles outbreak in California grows to more than 100 cases. Christie, a possible 2016 Republican presidential contender, said Monday during a trip to England that parents "need to have some measure of choice" about vaccinations — before his office had to walk back his comments. Meanwhile, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul also implied that vaccinations should be about parental freedoms, while giving credence to the idea that early inoculations lead to mental disabilities. Experts told NBC News that it's important for the public to know where their elected leaders stand on such an important issue. Read more in HEALTH.
3. Super Bowl earns super-sized ratings
The results are in: The Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks was the most-watched show in U.S. television history, according to Nielsen data. Some 49.2 percent of households with a TV watched the Patriots edge the Seahawks in a 28-24, jaw-dropping victory, and 72 percent of televisions in use in America were tuned to the big game. Meanwhile, football fans who want to see the Patriots get their props will have to wait. This week's wicked winter weather has forced Boston to postpone its parade until Wednesday. Read more in SPORTS.
4. ‘Suge’ Knight charged in fatal hit-and-run
Hip-hop mogul Marion "Suge" Knight is expected to appear in court Tuesday to answer to murder and other charges following a fatal hit-and-run in a Compton, California, parking lot last week. Knight, the co-founder of Death Row Records, could enter a plea to the charges and others, including attempted murder and hit-and-run with an allegation that he committed a violent felony while on bail in another case. The charges were announced Monday after a Los Angeles Superior Court commissioner yanked Knight's bail, in part because he's considered a flight risk. Read more at NBC LOS ANGELES.
5. Bobbi Kristina Brown fighting for her life: Family
The 21-year-old daughter of Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown was "fighting for her life" and surrounded by loved ones in a Georgia hospital Monday, her family said. While there have been conflicting reports about her condition, a relative told NBC affiliate WXIA on Saturday that Brown was in a medically induced coma. Brown that day was found face down in a bathtub in her home — eerily reminiscent of her mother's death in 2012 — and was rushed to the hospital breathing after being given CPR. Roswell police told NBC News that detectives found no drugs in the home. Read more in POP CULTURE.
6. Robin Williams’ wife, kids fight over estate
The estate of beloved actor Robin Williams, who committed suicide last August, is at the center of a dispute between his wife of three years and his three children. In papers filed in December in San Francisco Superior Court, Williams' widow, Susan, says some of the late actor's personal items were taken without her permission and asks the court to exclude the contents of the Tiburon, California, home that she shared with him from the items that the children are entitled to. According to Williams' children's attorney, they are "heartbroken" over the claim. Read more in POP CULTURE.
… What’s trending today?
As towns across the country welcomed their respective groundhogs Monday for shadow-checking ceremonies, one of the critters in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, bit off more than he could chew. A groundhog named Jimmy chomped down on Mayor Jonathan Freund's left ear during the event. That left the dazed mayor to say — incorrectly, according to Jimmy — that there would be an early spring.