neck and neck as joe biden looks to bounce back from his poor showing and gets emotional talking about overcoming his stutter. >> it's not their fault. no one has a right. no one has a right to mock it and make fun of it. tornado outbreak. >> golly. that's got to be a tornado. >> severe weather slams the south. part of that massive system that's dumped heavy snow on the midwest. more than 100 million people up and down the east coast in the storm's path today. those stories plus, paying tribute. ♪ >> a touching ceremony at gianna bryant's school as her mom vanessa shares what she misses most about her daughter and kobe. remembering an icon, tributes pour in for kirk douglas. just ahead, the sweet message from his son michael. and red sea. ♪ all i do is win, win, win >> more than a million chiefs fans pour into the streets of kansas city to celebrate their super bowl win in style. >> we the champs, baby. >> today, thursday, february 6th, 2020. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb live from studio 1a rockefeller plaza. >> hi, everybody. welcome to "today." we're so happy you jaoined us o this thursday morning. a lot of people looking outgoing, yuck, snow, rain, tornadoes in some places. that's one of the big stories. >> we've got a lot of weather. al made the face when i asked him, not the good face either. we'll check in with him in a moment. let's start with this historic vote in washington on capitol hill, the president acquitted at his impeachment trial. of course, this morning a lot of the attention is also on senator mitt romney, the only republican who voted to convict the president. we've got complete coverage. we'll start with nbc white house correspondent kristen welker. good morning. >> reporter: president trump is already declaring victory. at the national prayer breakfast this morning, he unloaded on democrats and mitt romney, after romney voted, as you say, to convict him on one count. every single democrat voted to remove him from office. the president calling his detractors today dishonest and corrupt. you can expect fire and fury when he addresses the nation later today. >> it is therefore ordered and adjudged that the said donald john trump is acquitted. >> reporter: this morning new fallout after the republican-led senate voted to acquit president trump on both articles of impeachment, abuse of power and obstruction of congress. the president did not win over a single democratic senator, and in perhaps a bigger political blow, was not able to hold his party together. utah senator mitt romney becoming the lone republican to vote with democrats to convict mr. trump on abuse of power. >> mr. romney, guilty. >> reporter: romney explaining his decision earlier wednesday in an emotional speech on the senate floor. >> as a senator juror, i swore an oath before god to exercise impartial justice. i am profoundly religious. my faith is at the heart of who i am. i take an oath before god as enormously consequential. >> reporter: romney voted to acquit the president on the second article of impeachment, obstruction of congress. a defiant president trump flashing a newspaper that shows he was acquitted at a bipartisan prayer breakfast in washington, taking direct aim at democrats. nancy pelosi, who repeatedly said she has prayed for him, and romney. >> i don't like people who use their faith as justification for doing what they know is wrong. nor do i like people who say, "i pray for you," when they know that that's not so. so many people have been hurt, and we can't let that go on. i'll be discussing that a little bit later at the white house. >> reporter: what do we expect later today? this is going to be likely different than when former president bill clinton was acquitted in 1999. in clinton's first public comments, he apologized in remarks that lasted less than two minutes. white house officials are signaling, do not expect an apology from this president. he'll likely be joined by members of his legal team and republican lawmakers. he will cast his acquittal as a win. all of that is to say the president will likely try to use this moment to turn the page on what has been a difficult chapter for him and the country, as he heads into his next battle, re-election. undoubtedly, a tough race. savannah? >> all right. nbc news will bring you the president's statement live later today on its stations. the dust is beginning to settle after the chaos in the iowa caucuses. new results released, but clarity, they did not provide. a tight race at the top. 0.2 point separating buttigieg and sanders, followed by warren and biden. morgan radford joins us from new hampshire, where the first primary is five days ago. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. it is a tight race, and it is interesting, because in terms of iowa, we've seen those campaigns grow increasingly frustrated because they wanted to see those totals before now. on the other hand, the candidates themselves are using this time to their advantage. they're reframing the narrative, trying to court these voters here in new hampshire ahead of tuesday's primary. on one hand you have mayor pete who has been doing a victory lap because he is in the lead coming from iowa. his competitors are saying not so fast, you didn't win just yet. even as results trickle in from iowa, this morning the fight for new hampshire is in high gear. >> let's have the largest voter turnout in new hampshire primary history. >> reporter: with bernie sanders leading in the latest new hampshire poll and pete buttigieg seeing a boost after his strong showing at the iowa caucuses. joe biden, meantime, feeling the heat after his apparent fourth place finish in iowa. >> i'm not going to sugarcoat it. we took a gut punch in iowa. >> reporter: the former vice president going on the attack, now targeting senator sanders. >> he calls himself a democratic socialist. we're already seeing what donald trump is going to do with that. he's a good man, but he labeled himself. >> reporter: something he was hesitant to do just before iowa, speaking to savannah on sunday. >> bernie sanders is unique in that he calls himself a democratic socialist. do you think someone who calls themself a democratic socialist can win the presidency? >> you're not getting me to do this. not doing the punditry with you. >> reporter: biden taking a shot at buttigieg. >> it's a risk. i'll be straight up, for this party to nominate someone who never held a position higher than mayor in a town in indiana. i think it is a risk. >> reporter: pete buttigieg firing back in an nbc exclusive. >> if the question is about who can win, we just had an election on monday. the reason the achievements of the obama administration mattered is that they met the moment. now we need to meet this moment. >> reporter: wednesday's vote on the presidential impeachment trial pulling four candidates off the trail and back to washington. >> ms. warren. >> guilty. >> reporter: but even with those senators able to return to the granite state, another presidential hopeful appears to see an opening. mike bloomberg, who is not even on the new hampshire ballot, tieing himself directly to former president obama in a new campaign ad. >> he's been a leader throughout the country for the past 12 years, mr. michael bloomberg is here. >> reporter: a possible attempt to woo moderate voters who might go for joe biden. as of this morning, 97% of the precincts in iowa have reported their vote totals. but turning to new hampshire, sanders is showing a lead in the very latest poll released just overnight. buttigieg is fresh on his heels with a roughly 4-point boost after the strong performance in iowa. >> maybe iowa has a bounce after all. meantime, morgan, joe biden was at a town hall with some of the other candidates and talked about his lifelong struggle he had as a strutterer, especially as a child. tell us about that moment. >> reporter: it was a uniquely vulnerable moment for the former vice president. he talked about stuttering as a kid, something that affects 3 million americans across the country. take a listen to what he had to say last night. >> you know, stuttering, you think about it, is the only handicap that people still laugh about, that still humiliate people about. so what i say to anybody out there and any of the people you work with, young people who stutter, i'll give you my phone number, not a joke, and they can call me. no one has a right, no one has a right to mock it and make fun of them. >> reporter: as you can see, joe biden says he's dealt with struggles, faced difficulties in the past and this race for him is only just beginning. savannah? >> morgan radford in new hampshire, thank you. craig joins the table. the other story people are talking about is the nasty weather. >> yes, good morning. good morning to you, as well. tens of millions remain under watches and warnings. there's a massive storm sweeping across the country, and it is bringing with it the threat of severe weather. snow, ice, heavy rain as well. mr. roker is standing by with the forecast. first, nbc's morgan chesky is in atlanta. morgan, good morning to you. >> reporter: craig, good morning. a terrible wake-up call for so many people in the south. we learned overnight the storms have, in fact, turned deadly, killing one person and injuring another in alabama. right now, flash flood warnings are in place here in georgia as the storm continues to churn its way to the east. overnight, multiple tornadoes tearing through mississippi. the twisters destroying mobile homes and uprooting trees in yazoo county in the western part of the state. this house had most of its roof completely ripped off. this frightening looking funnel cloud caught on camera, touching down in martinville, about 40 miles south of jackson, the state's capital. >> when it topped the hill, it was already right there on top of my neighbor's yard, and it just took everything. >> reporter: this morning the storm system slamming parts of alabama, leading to flash flooding and voluntary evacuations. farther south in new orleans. >> golly, that's got to be a tornado. >> reporter: a scary scene when whipping winds sliced through the crescent city. the storm system also producing pounding hail and heavy rain creating dangerous conditions. at this construction site scaffolding crashing to the ground and right onto cars. >> it happened so fast -- i've never seen nothing that bad before. >> reporter: the system moving east after dumping snow in the middle of the country. in missouri, multiple crashes bringing this highway bridge to a total standstill with parts of texas also blanketed. in oklahoma city residents waking up wednesday to a winter wonderland. >> it's fluffy, wet, good play snow. >> reporter: ahead of the storm's arrival in florida, we know that high wind advisories have already been issued for the majority of that state. florida state university in tallahassee, classes have been closed early out of potential severe weather. back to you guys. >> morgan chesky, thank you. good time to head over to mr. roker and get the latest on where this thing is headed. hey, al. >> a very dangerous storm with a lot of potential for damage. talking 57 million people at risk for winter weather advisories, 59 million people at risk for flooding. we have a tornado watch, florida, alabama, georgia. we're watching this very closely. in fact, we have 36 million people at risk, enhanced risk for severe weather, damaging winds, hail and tornadoes. here is what we're looking at. this system, violent storms -- look at this line, stretching from the gulf into the northeast today. airports will be a mess. tomorrow, snow and slick roads behind this. ohio to maine. windy friday into the northeast. more airport delays will be a big problem. here are the impacts, torrential rain and flooding, 1 to 3 inches of rain, isolated areas of 5 inches, landslides in the mountains. icing conditions from .10 inch to .25 inch. that can cause power outages and heavy snow making its way from interior new york into new england. some parts of maine, guys, could see upwards of 20 inches of snow and the airports are going to be a real big problem for today into tomorrow from chicago, new york, all the way down to atlanta. savannah. >> all right, al. we'll check back. health officials have confirmed a 12th case of coronavirus in the u.s., this time in wisconsin. the number of confirmed cases worldwide has reached more than 28,000 now, most of them in mainland china. at least 585 people have died. on wednesday hundreds of americans landed back in the u.s. after they were evacuated from china today, two more planes will bring americans to military bases in texas and alaska. bill and melinda gates have decided to donate $100 million to coronavirus vaccine and treatment efforts. search efforts resumed in turkey following two avalanches that killed dozens and left at least two others missing one dramatic rescue caught on camera wednesday here it is 11 men emerging from a vehicle after being buried for six hours. six people died in that first avalanche tuesday. when rescue teams arrived, a second avalanche hit, killing more than 30 others. many of the victims were firefighters and police officers we have a lot more to get to this morning, including the tributes pouring in after th loss of iconic actor kirk douglas. the charismatic star epitomized old school hollywood, often portraying conflicted characters that earned him numerous oscar nominations. nbc's joe fryer joins us with a look back at this legendary leading man. hey, joe >> kirk douglas' death was announced in a statement by his eldest son, michael douglas. he writes kirk's life was well lived and he leaves a legacy in film that will endure for generations to come. that's a legacy that spanned all 103 years of his life. >> reporter: on the big screen, kirk douglas often played the tough guy. >> listen, i want to fight my first fight, that's all >> reporter: anti hero with a chiselled jaw and dimpled chin >> who gave you the right to dig into me and turn me inside out >> reporter: but in real life, the iconic actor was no heel he was a legend his son michael wrote on social media wednesday, an actor from the golden age of movies who lived well into his golden years a humanitarian whose commitment to justice and the causes he believed in set a standard for all of us to aspire to born in 1960, the son of russian immigra immigrants, he dreamed of being a stage actor. that's what he told "today" in 1994. >> i've always dreamt of being a movie star my dream came true be careful what you dream. it may come true >> reporter: his acting career took off in 1949 when he scored his first of three oscar nominations for playing a ruthless boxer in the movie "champion. >> for the first time in my life, people cheering for me >> reporter: the cheering would last decades among his long list of movies, "the bad and the beautiful." >> that's only a man >> reporter: "lust for life" where he played vincent van gogh and "gunfight at the ok corral" sharing the screen with his frequent co-star burt lancaster. >> as long as we live, we must stay true to ourselves. >> reporter: in 1960 he produced and started in "spartacus" giving blacklisted writer dalton trumbo full screen credit, helping to end the mccarthy era blacklist he was a maverick and fighter surviving a helicopter crash at age 74 then a few years later a stroke impaired his ability to speak, yet douglas kept going, delivering a memorable speech in 1996 when he received a lifetime achievement award at the oscars. >> i see my four sons. they are proud of the old man. >> reporter: and kurt was there just over a year ago when son michael received a star on the hollywood walk of fame >> i'll say it simply and with all my heart, i'm so proud to be your son. >> reporter: stars of all generations are now paying tribute to douglas actor sylvester stallone calling him an amazing artist, the likes of which we will never see again. director steven spielberg writing kirk retained his movie star charisma right to the end of his wonderful life. douglas' daughter-in-law, catherine zeta-jones, wrote, to my darling kirk, i shall love you for the rest of my life. i miss you already, sleep tight. >> douglas was more than an actor. he was a philanthropist. as a good will ambassador for the state department, he traveled to the middle east, south america and europe and went on to receive the presidential medal of freedom from president jimmy carter. back to you guys. >> joe, thank you. he said when he survived that helicopter crash, he knew he had a purpose. others didn't. he wondered at that age in his 70s, what do i have left to do clearly -- >> a lot of life to live >> that philanthropy wasn't just overseas apparently he was responsible for hundreds of playgrounds, he and his wife built hundreds of playgrounds all over the country. >> wow >> what a legacy we're going to have a lot more on his remarkable life including a special interview he shared with his son michael that happened right here on "today. love when we open the memory books around here. >> that's what's special al, what ya got? >> take a look at what's going on around the rest of the country. heavy rain and snow, the atmospheric river continues to pound the pacific northwest. those severe storms in the southeast and mid atlantic states southern california looking pretty good through the southwest on into texas. plenty of sunshine and some snow in the central plains. we'll get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds. the utter delight of free wi-fi... . oh man this is the best part. isn't that you? yeah. and the magic power of unlocking your room with your phone. i can read minds too. really? book at hilton.com. if you find a lower rate, we match it and give you 25% off that stay. expect better. expect hilton. good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. as we check out our temperatures now as you get ready to head out the door, still very cold. a lot of 30s and low 40s here. as we go into the day, warms up nicely, reaching 61 in san francisco. 67 in san jose. 69 today in antioch. even up to 70 today in concord and in napa. and it will be even warmer tomorrow. but then we do cool down for the week with some mid to upper 60s inland and low 60s on sunday. >> that's your latest weather. hoda >> al, thank you just ahead, vanessa bryant's touching tributes to her husband kobe and daughter gianna what she posted overnight as gia gianna's classmates came together to honor their friend she helped two killers escape from prison joyce mitchell's time behind bars comes to an end today what she's saying to us about her future plans but first, this is "today" on fighting climate change isn't just about polar bears. we're fighting for our lives, we're fighting for clean air and clean water. that's why i wrote the law to send billions from polluters to communities suffering the most. and only one candidate for president was with us back then, tom steyer. and he's still fighting for us, pledging to make clean air and clean water a right for everyone, regardless of your zip code. that's the truth. that's tom steyer. i'm tom steyer and i approve this message. just ahead, "today" takes on tiktok, our very first video, after your local news. velocity at a point. [sounds] kazoo sound ♪ this city's changed... la di da, what do we have here? this coffee wasn't even heard of a year ago and now? it's everywhere. how do you explain this? what am i, a professor in explanation? 1850 coffee. quality that's criminal. ♪you got to ac-cent-tchu-ate the positive♪ ♪ e-lim-i-nate the negative "slow it down a little" ♪ and latch on to the affirmative ♪ "it's okay" ♪ but don't mess with mister inbetween ♪ ♪ it's no secret that a little sweet, is