Explosion at a Chemical Plant in texas lights up the night sky. The fiery blast felt for miles blowing out windows and forcing evacuations. We have the very latest on what went wrong. Fighting back at a rally in florida overnight, President Trump hammers away at his critics and the impeachment inquiry into his dealings with ukraine. I want no quid pro quo. I want nothing. While democrats push ahead announcing a new round of hearings, next week. Those stories, plus, romaine recall, a widespread e. Coli outbreak across 19 states linked to bad lettuce, what to look out for as you get ready for thanksgiving. An elite climber speaks out about her death defying fall down el capitan, and the surprising hero who stepped in to help save her. And lumberjack special. They got time out, they dont use it. Yes. The lumberjack has done it. The underdogs from stephen f. Austin pulling off one of the biggest upsets in decades knocking off the number one ranked duke blue devils in dramatic fashion. Today, wednesday, november 27th, 2019. From nbc news, this is today with Savannah Guthrie and hoda kotb. Live from studio 1a in Rockefeller Plaza. And welcome to today, and thank you for joining us on this wednesday morning. Thanksgiving eve, it is. You were panting watching that clip. I was. That clip was amazing right, stephen f. Austin. Watching the game, duke, stephen f. Austin, i turned away. Now, what a game. If youre wondering where Savannah Guthrie today. Shes not sick with the cold and flu. Shes recovering from an eye injury. Were going to talk to her about this in our next hour. We hope shes feeling better this morning, and well figure out whats going on. Something else were going to do this morning, something we have never done before on today, united plates of thanksgiving. Check out this table. We have brought in 52 chefs from all over these United States and the District Of Columbia and puerto rico, they are going to join us to share thanksgiving hacks and tricks. The great thing is our floor director has like a map. We had to have a road map to figure out how to get everybody at the table. Were looking forward to that. Lets start with our top story, a thanksgiving travel nightmare, several significant storm systems moving across the country as tens of millions of americans hits roads and skies for the holiday. We have coverage of the weather threat, travel delays and all of it starting with the forecast from mr. Roker. Hey, al. Good morning, and lets get started. Weve got a lot going on, both ends of the country seeing the lot of weather. Its going to be marching across over the next 72 hours. Heavy snow in the Upper Peninsula. Rain moving in, pushes out thanksgiving day. Gusty winds along the i95 corridor. Out west, blizzard conditions for the sierra, dangerous travel and then the system continues to push bringing heavy rain into Southern California. Flash flood watches are up. Were looking at thanks or no thanks for your thanksgiving day. Great weather for charlotte, new orleans, tampa, jacksonville and charleston but not really thankful for the weather stretching across cleveland, boston, oklahoma, las vegas and Salt Lake City, and for everybody coming home or getting to where they need to on sunday, again, two powerful systems across the country. Airport delays from minneapolis down to atlanta, over to boston and out west. The pain continues there. Were going to be looking at delays from portland, San Francisco, los angeles, and probably Salt Lake City as well. Guys, going and coming, it is going to be a travel nightmare. Back to you. All right, al. Thank you. Were going to head to nbcs molly hunter. Shes in minneapolis this morning where the storm is already having a really big impact. Hey, molly, good morning. Reporter hey, hoda, good morning. Thats right, winds are swirling, the snow is coming down hard. It will continue this way for another couple of hours, but overnight in minneapolis, it was all hands on deck. 800 plows out on the road. You can see this pedestrian bridge already plowed before sunrise. Overnight, a nasty snowstorm sweeping into the upper midwest. The early winter blast putting a freeze on thanksgiving travel. In nebraska, icy roads making for a treacherous commute on the busiest travel day of the year. Cars spinning out and a semi flipped on its side. Roads in colorado buried in snow. The snow was higher than the door when i tried to get in, and now my tires are spinning out when im trying to get to work. Reporter one denver resident making his way without four wheels. A rock slide shutting down a major interstate and these guys hopping out of their live truck to help stranded motorists. The storm now moving east. In new york, strong winds threatening to ground the beloved balloons in tomorrows macys thanksgiving day parade. Officials still waiting to make the call. Its going to be a gameday decision. But at the end of the day, we would like to do the best we can to make sure the event goes smoothly and safely. Reporter its chilly out here, 31 degrees. Not bone chilling, 150 schools have been cancelled and were going to see a messy day. A lot of reports of crashes. Molly, thank you in minneapolis. Al mentioned the timing couldnt be worse with heavy wind, high rain moving across the country. Tom costello is at Reagan International airport, and i get the impression were looking at the potential of serious delays over the next few days, huh. Reporter i think even right now, we have already got 400 cancellations, theyre mounting by the hour, and right now about 233 delays. Take a look at the flight aware misery map. No surprise, the worst affected airport at this moment is exactly where molly is. Its in minneapolis already. As you move furthe as you move further south, chicago already being affected as well. Ohare has mounting delays and cancellations. If youre going to fly further north, toronto experiencing delays and cancellations as these high winds move east, we could see significant delays and cancellations up and down the east coast today its a major holiday headache for this thanksgiving 2019 overnight, Oakland International airport going dark a brief power outage delaying thousands of frustrated flier, leaving long security lines and causing a major back up at baggage claims. Theres hundreds of people everywhere, its pouring outside. Im still drenched its just a mess i have never seen it this bad. Reporter in denver, hundreds of flights cancelled tuesday with no one going nowhere fast. I told my mom, if i cant get out today im going to drive. Reporter as for the roads in minnesota, crews are yet again clearing heavy snow this morning. Were going to put our boots back on, get our plows ready to go and go out and hit the road. Reporter from new yorks holland tunnel to the slow crawl to lax airport out west to the loop in chicago. You hear the Horror Stories of sitting in bumper to bumper traffic. By leaving a day before were able to bypass that. Reporter to snow packed denver. Thats not going anywhere. Reporter this is the day most americans hate to drive, yet so many of us cant avoid. What i draed the most is in the traffic jams. Reporter aaa forecast, 49. 3 million americans will be driving 50 miles or more this thanksgiving gas prices have only raised a penny since a year ago unleaded averaging 2. 56 a gallon the bad news, if you were hoping to beat the traffic, you have already missed your best opportunity, depending on where you live, the best time to start your journey was between 3 and 5 00 a. M. , the worst time in almost every city, thats between 3 and 7 00 p. M. Its just usually bumper to bumper by like 3 30 regardless if its thanksgiving or not. Reporter on average, 2. 6 million passengers are day are expected to make this thanksgiving a record breaker with the sunday after thanksgiving the busiest if youre flying today, some tips from the tsa, you can carry a casserole and a pie on board, but youll need to check liquids and gels. If you can spill it, spread it, spray it, pump it or pour it, and it should go in your checked bad. Reporter okay. Listen, if you are flying, some advice, get to the airport even earlier than normal to get through security if youre going to fly out on sunday, youre going to have company. The busiest, heaviest record travel day ever in the airports, 3. 1 million fliers get here really early use the airline app to find out if your plane is leaving on time and as they say, pack your patience but watch the schedules because this wind were expecting could really mess things up. Back to you. A lot to take there breaking news out of texas, where a Chemical Plant exploded overnight. The force so powerful it blew out the windows on homes several miles away nbc National CorrespondentMiguel Almaguer has more on this hey, miguel, good morning. Reporter hoda, good morning, that explosion happened near a plant along the texas louisiana border it shook many local residents out of bed in the middle of the night, and it injured three employees. My whole house shook. Reporter overnight, smoke and fire filling the sky after a chemical explosion at a plant in port neches, texas uniting the fire at the facility which produces chemical and Petroleum Based products. My first Immediate Response was having living around refineries all these years was there had to have been explosion. Reporter the explosion so large and so loud, the intensity captured on Home Security cameras. Many who live in the area say the damage could be seen and felt for miles social media posts showing blown out windows and garage doors residents within half a mile of the plant were evacuated as search and rescue crews were going door to door in surrounding areas. This is just the latest explosion to rock the region in 2017, flooding from Hurricane Harvey caused explosion at a plant in crosby, texas and in 2013, this blast caught on camera in the small town of west, texas, where 15 people were killed and hundreds of others were injured. The area of port neches, texas, is home to multiple Chemical Plants this morning, many are relieved that one was killed but say at times like this, they still live in fear. With refineries being right here, thats the fear on a lot of peoples minds that live here, Something Like that could happen reporter the good news this morning, Officials Say everyone at the plant has been accounted for, and there have been no fatalities hoda Miguel Almaguer, thank you. Now to the latest on the battle over impeachment. This morning, we are learning more about precisely when President Trump first learned about that whistleblower complaint, and why that matters. Meanwhile, last night at a Campaign Rally in the key state of florida, the president took the chance to defend himself nbc White House CorrespondentKelly Odonnell is traveling with the president shes in West Palm Beach this morning, kelly, good morning. Reporter good morning, craig. That timing when the president news he would be accused of pressuring ukraine could be critical to understand why he later lifted the block on military aid for ukraine, and this visit to florida is different because its the first time the president is returning to the state as an official resident a change that was celebrated at his rally. The sunshine state, my home reporter branded as a home coming rally, the president appearing eager to get away from washington where impeachment threatens his presidency now, the same maniacs are pushing the deranged impeachment. Think of this, impeachment reporter this morning, new details on when the president first learned a whistleblower accused him of abusing his power. According to two sources familiar with the matter, the New York Times reports that white house lawyers briefed the president in august before congress was alerted well before he lifted the hold on military aid for ukraine in september. According to newly released testimony from a career budget official, two omb staffers resigned after expressing frustration over the hold on aid to ukraine at his rally, the president denied a link between a biden investigation and military aid i have never had a direct link between investigations, and security assistance. Okay what that means, you know what it means it means we did zero we did nothing wrong. Reporter meantime, the president is offering a new defense while talking to bill oreilly no, i didnt direct him, but he is a he is a warrior rudy is a warrior. Reporter saying he never tasked his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani to investigate ukraine. What was Rudy Giuliani doing in ukraine on your behalf . Well, you have to ask that to rudy, but rudy i dont know i know he was going to go to ukraine, and i think he cancelled the trip, but you know, rudy has other clients other than me. So you didnt direct him to go there on your behalf . No, but you have to understand, rudy is a great corruption fighter. Reporter it comes just days after giuliani seemed to hint at a defense of his own i dont discuss, i do not discuss my conversations with my client you can assume that i talked to him early and often. Yeah. And have a very very Good Relationship with him. I see things like hes going to throw me under the bus he isnt but i have insurance. He knows what i did was in order to defend him, not to dig up dirt on biden. Reporter and Rudy Giuliani later said that he was being sarcastic when he said he had an insurance policy, and the president saying he never directly, Gordon Sondland told lawmakers he was working with giuliani on ukraine because he was directed by the president. Craig. Kelly o in West Palm Beach, Kelly Odonnell, thank you. An e. Coli outbreak tied to romaine lettuce, the cdc is telling people to avoid serving it completely tomorrow for thanksgiving a lot of people paying attention to this one. Its not the greatest news on thanksgiving eve, is it. We know that one out of every three families in the u. S. Serves some kind of salad on thanksgiving that is why the nationwide recall could not come at a worse time right before a holiday thats all about the food with just one day until thanksgiving, a nationwide romaine recall the centers for Disease Control advising people to throw away any romaine lettuce and packaged mixes growing in salinas, california the warning coming after 67 people in 19 states were infected with a strain of the potentially deadly bacteria, e. Coli, including 39 people who had to be hospitalized investigators say the cause of the contamination is unknown after a similar outbreak, the food and Drug Administration said contaminated ground water was partially contained. After that outbreak, the produce industry agreed to put labels like these shown where its grown, making it easier to determine the origin of the outbreaks. The cdc has issued three romaine lettuce recalls because of e. Coli the romaine leaf is grown in the open with no skin to protect it from harmful bacteria. While the cdc investigates the latest outbreak, thanksgiving dinners across the country will now be a little less green the cdc says everyone should check that label on their romaine lettuce. If it says grown in salinas, california, you should toss it out. Even if the package doesnt say where it was grown, you should also throw it away just to be safe they also say that you have the lettuce at your house, you should think about sanitizing your refrigerator as a precaution wow spinach and kale. Thank you, steph. Now to that stunning upset in college basketball. Duke, the Number One Team in the country falling in dramatic fashion to unranked stephen f. Austin. The lumberjacks had it, they just couldnt secure it. Loose. Theyve got it they have a time out, they dont use it, and yes, the lumberjacks have done it indeed, the lumberjacks did it, the lay up at the buzzer, pulling off the shocking upset in overtime. Duke favored by 27 points, making it the biggest upset in 15 years the blue devils had not lost a home game to a nonconference opponent since the year 2000 by the way, the kid that hit that winning shot, his name is nathan bane, hes from the bahamas, his family lost his house in hurricane dorian, he said he was playing for them, and playing to make his home country proud. He sure did what a game. Great story. I love that you have your thanksgiving glasses on. A Little Pumpkin spice latte anyway, lets show you what weve got going on as far as your weather is concerned for today. Its going to be a rough one in the Upper Peninsula of michigan and the northern plains, heavy snow, a flood watch in Southern California mild in the east, weather is going to be changing very rapidly. Were going to get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds on Small Business saturday, november 30th, and see how shopping small adds up. Good morning. Im meteorologist kari hall. Were using storm ranger our mobile Doppler Radar to track the incoming storm with waves of rain, now about to move back in to San Francisco, parts of the peninsula and weve seen some rain moving through the south bay, now getting ready to move through fremont, as well as the trivalley. So well see it off and on throughout the day, at times the