president obama about to do something that hasn't happened since the 1920s. breaking news just in. a raging fire in new jersey. crews on the scene right now. "today in new york" starts now. good morning everybody. 5:00 a.m. on this thursday, the 18th of february. i'm michael gargiulo. i'm darlene rodriguez. storm team 4's chris cimino is here with the forecast. hey, chris. >> good morning, guys. feels like a wiptry morning. not terribly cold. we've lost a degree in central park. down to 30 degrees north and west. a lot of 20s showing up. breeze from time to time stirring up, too. i think the breeze picks up in intensity through the day today. the windchills come down a little. the temperatures not a big bounceback. chilly air is in place. patchy clouds north and west are dissipating on their approach toward the city. we could see a few cloud early on. otherwise, bright sunshine for the mid afternoon hours. it's brisk and chilly.

forecasting a high of 37 degrees. let's find out about the commute. lauren? >> chris, good morning. we do have delays heading southbound on the fdr drive right now. this is what it looks like north of 96th street getting into here. we have an accident out there by 96th street. we also have a lot of roadwork on the fdr drive this morning. delays were worse before. perhaps that's in the process of clearing. i'll tip to keep you updated on it. heading over to springfield, new jersey, an accident investigation there. the next weather and traffic update on the 4s. >> lauren, thank you very much. the search for a man who slashed a waiter in a manhattan restaurant. this all happening at the height of the dinner rush hour. "today in new york's" katherine creag is in greenwich village with what set this man off. we should point out the victim had to undergo a lot of medical treatment. really horrible. >> reporter: absolutely, michael. startling and shocking for so many people to find out about this man's injuries.

and he received 120 stitches to his face. at one point he was out here according to witnesses and he was bleeding badly. paramedics and police all around him. we want to show you this video of the restaurant where police were called to after that victim was slashed. this is the silver spurs restaurant on laguardia place and houston street. the attacker got away. we are told, around 8:00 last night he walked into the restaurant asking customers and workers for money. a manager asked him to leave. but that is when the suspect became angry and slashed the victim. a waiter, in the face. this is close to the nyu campus. an area man incompetent people say is safe. >> this is shocking. i live in the neighborhood. it's very safe neighborhood usually. this is really shocking. >> reporter: police are working on getting a good description of the suspect. he walked into the restaurant and was asking for money for a basketball team. it's a little bizarre.

figure out what that means. if it was for a professional team, a high school team. but he was asking for money from the waiters and the restaurant patrons here. again, that waiter, he received 120 stitches to his face. he was taken to the hospital. he has since gone home. back to you, michael. >> what app ordeal for him. kat, thank you so much. a woman arrested in connection with an attack on april tourist in lower manhattan claims she was the victim. >> do you have anything to say about the assault? >> yeah. the tourist assaulted me. >> teresa thorson and robert anderson were arrested yesterday on assault charges. police say thorson approached the tourist abdomen tried to sell him fake tickets to the statue of liberty. when he declined, anderson punched the man in the face. he was treated for a fractured skull. police are searching for a man who witnesses say tried to grab a girl off the streets in brooklyn. we'll show you surveillance photos of the suspect. they're a little blurry. he walked up to a 14-year-old

when she tried to get away, he held on to her arm. this happened in broad daylight in the home crest neighborhood. fortunately fortunately, that girl got away. let check in on weather and traffic on the 4s starting chris. hey there. >> good morning, guys. a nice looking day. it will be a chilly one. stays on the brisk side. i don't think we get out of the 30s even with sunshine out there. early sun giving way to clouds tomorrow. the weekend, hints of spring in the air. temperatures to or above 50 both days. on the east end of the island, chillier. hampton bays 29. in the city, we're below the freezing mark now as is about all of num. hudson valley a lot of 20s showing up. the breeze out of the north will pick up through the day today. it's mainly clear. 30 degrees in the city. talking about the upper 20s early on this morning. get to go 34. we crack the freezing mark by noon. that's our high of 37 with sunshine and breezy.

this time of the year, we should see temperatures more in the lower 40s at this hour of the morning. we're talking about warmer temperatures by the time we get to the weekend. good stuff to look forward to. anything to look forward to on the commute this morning? >> most people can look forward to their commute. no major problems out there. on the buses, a couple of detours, the q 101 for new york city and nj transit buses. all of the ferries around the city are doing fine. the haverstraw ossining and newburgh-beacon, bus service only. that's because of icing on the hudson river. i'll let you know when that changes. we had delays on the g train earlier. that's cleared out. fastrack maintenance on 4, 5, 6. major commuter lines running fine. good on the rails. the roads are pretty good with the ex sengs of ception of the fdr. alternate side of the street

as meter rules. move your car and more weather and traffic coming up on the 4s. >> thanks so much, lauren. it's 5:05. today the white house is ebbs pekted to announce details of an historic trip. president obama is headed to cuba. kerry barrett is in the newsroom with more. >> certainly big news this morning. president obama's trip to cuba in the coming weeks, maybe mid-march ma will be the historic end to an official estrangement between that country and ours. the details will be announced later today. this is part of a larger tour by the president of latin america. plans for president obama's trip may coincide with a trip by a major league baseball team. given cuba's love of the sport. it was in december of 2014 that obama and cuban president raul castro announced they would begin to normalize relations between the two countries. a year later, president obama said that he would consider a visit there if there was evidence of improvements in

the announcement led to strong disapproval. senator marco rubio whose parents emigrated from cuba in 1956, he called the government an anti-american communist dictatorship saying he would never visit until cuba was truly free. senator ted cruz of texas whose dad was important there and he vowed never to visit as long as castro was in charge. the last president to visit was calvin cool i am in 1928. more details later today. kerry barrett, thank you. it's 5:07. had in hours pope francis should arrive back home to rome. he left juarez, mexico last night and that's where he went to the u.s. border and prayed. he spoke out against what he called the human tragedy that forces people to migrate against their will. he said that during awe mast simulcast to el paso, texas

the north korean leader kim jong un could launch attacks against south korea. there were trouble intelligence reports. one is preparing for cyber attacks against the south. police are is searching for a man on a robbery spree in manhattan. this man followed several women into nair apartment bimd uildings and into a store. he pre tepded to owe pretended to have a gun. he has stolen money, jewelry and metro card. bill cosby has filed a lawsuit against the accusers' lawyers in his sexual assault case. he filed a suit against andrea constand's attorneys. the lawsuit is under seal so no details are out. the cosby defense team repeatedly accused her lawyers

previous d.a. the comedian is accused of drugging and sexually assaulting constand in 2004. there's a consumer alert for toyota owners, especially if you drive a popular suv. the company is recalling 3 million rav4, rav4 ev and vanguard models. the problem with with the rear seattle seatbelts. the belts could be cut by metal seat cushion frames in an accident. a fatal accident in canada and another crash injuring a passenger in the u.s. prompted the recall. in the cnbc money report, first class delta flyers will soon be getting a taste of union square restaurants. new york times is reporting the chef from the cafe will make the menu. it will debut march 1. the goal is to have the food served during the flight as good as in the restaurant. it will be available for international travelers in the delta 1 cabin out of kennedy airport. this is like first class. right.

>> fighting over the apple core. >> all right. and a napkin. it's 5:09. just ahead. what the yankees quietly did that angered a lot of fans. plus, forget the banker. this is a game the rodriguez plays with no quarter giving. modern day monopoly. weather and traffic on the 4s is coming up. you're watching "today in new

skbliefrmts . breaking news in new jersey. on irving street. a fire. tracie strahan just pulled up on the scene. trace, what's going on. ? >> reporter: darlene, it started at number 33 and quickly spread. number 33 where all of this broke out, you can see it looks absolutely gutted. but i do see a firefighter inside the second floor there. that must mean the fire is under control at this point. another one if you look to the roof there, i've heard the saw. it looks like they're venting the top of this to get things under control at this point. it is still smoldering. it looks like it spread to at

door. i was speaking to a woman off camera and she said no one was living in the building next door. someone was living inside of the building where all of this started. again, you can hear the chainsaws starting up. we just got here. we had to walk about five blocks to get to this location. there's a large amount of fire crews here. we're going to get some information from the chief and we'll update you on this story. so far, as far as we know, no injuries reported. back to you. >> no injuries, good to hear. tracie, thank you so much. time for weather and traffic on the 4s. let's check in with chris and see what's happening this morning. >> the picture is quiet. that's the good news. it's chillier this morning than the past couple. mid-20s across the area. walpack 24. 25 hopatcong, mine hill. it gets better in the city, closer to 30. everybody now freezing or below. when the wind picks up a little bit in the afternoon, you need to bundle up, flip up that collar. scarves and hats and gloves at

temperatures in the upper 20s. recess time, about 34. dismissal time, only in the upper 30 ez a. not a quick warmup today, that's for sure. patchy clouds out there. especially to the west and northwest. they're dissipating as the system dries out. when high pressure moves in. we'll see a fair amount of is up -- sunshine. few clouds to the north and west. evening hours looking good too. sunshine. afternoon. precipitation. it's brisk and breezy today. but sunny. high temperature 37. ohm upper 20s, low 30s north and west. for tonight, cloud increase. about 40 for a high after slipping into the 20s overnight tonight. the start of the weekend, saturday, maybe an early shower.

of us. clouds give way to sunshine. a southwest wind, that's the warmer wind direction. temperatures into the 50s saturday. mid afternoon saturday will be the nicest through the weekend. sunday not shabby either. temperatures closer to the lower 50s. a coastal storm anticipated for later tuesday and wednesday. right now look looks like a rainmaker. a wintry mix at the onset. upper 30s near 40. clouding over later in the day. 53 saturday, 50 on sunday. maybe a late shower and we'll watch that storm late tuesday into wednesday. mainly rain. maybe a wintry mix. temperatures in the low 40s. what are we watching commutewise. here's lauren with that? >> an accident southbound by 96th street. that cleared out and so have the delays. now we have one on the lower level of the queensboro bridge heading to queens. that's in the left lane. watch out for that. then heading over to new jersey, sussex turnpike shut down with an accident in both directions between canfield avenue and park avenue.

you can take local streets to get around it. we take a live look at the george washington bridge. things moving nicely on potato levels into the tolls. lincoln tunnel and holland tunnel in good shape. alternate side of the street parking rules in effect today. more weather and traffic on the 4s. lauren, thank you very much. now to decision 2016. new developments. big ones in the race for president. donald trump losing steam. ted cruz gaining momentum. nbc's tracie potts is following the developments from washington this morning. this could not come at a more crucial time with the voting in south carolina about 48 hours away, tracie. >> exactly michael. you make an important point. it's our poll. it does start to show a shift for the first time in months. there is a new republican front-runner. >> the sound you're hearing is the sound of screams coming from washington, d.c.

his 2 point lead over donald trump in our new "wall street journal" poll. >> i think somebody at the "wall street journal" doesn't like me. >> statistically it's a tie. but cruz is up two points days before the primary in south carolina. >> republican voters with taking a moment to take a pause and decide whether donald trump's really the person they want to nominate for president or not. >> now trump is threatening a lawsuit over this ad. >> i'm very pro choice. >> trump says that's old. he's now pro life. >> it is the most ridiculous theory i've heard. please donald, file this lawsuit. >> marco rubio denounced president obama's trip to cuba. >> probably not going to incompetent viet me. >> marco rubio. >> he picked up the endorsement of south carolina's governor over jeb bush. >> i'm disa pointed she didn't endorse me. two more days to either be disappointed or to pick up steam and some support heading into that south carolina primary with

tracie, efrp will be watching. thank you very much. the yankees are no longer accepting print at home tickets. the team insists it made the move to protect fans from buying fake tickets. it will hurt stub hub locked in a legal battle with the yankees over the resale of tickets. stub hub clients will be forced to have the tickets mailed to them or pick them up outside the stadium. you can buy them right before the game. >> it makes it more complicated. efrp wants to be the banker when you play monopoly. darlene is always the banker when her family plays. >> absolutely. forget it. the banker is 20th century obsolete. now there's electronic banking, part of the new ultimate banking edition. there's not each any cash. instead, players get a credit card and scan it over a tiny atm machine. this is supposed to speed up the game and drive players more quickly into bankruptcy.

i'm the banker because i don't trust -- >> i take the whole tray with me when i get something to drink. because i'm honest. i want to make sure we're all on the level. >> there you go. >> ahead, it happens to the best of us. the school that sent an e-mail to parents and then immediately regretted it. if there's any snow left in your yard, one local family wants it. you're watching "today in new

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5:23. 30 degrees out. one long island family wants your snow to keep a giant snowman from melting. they built this 14-foot snowman in front of their home. it is an annual tradition every year. they see how long it lasts. cute mickey mouse hand. neighbors are dropping off bucket of snow to keep the snowman around longer. last year, it made it all the way to april 20th. that's cool. i like that tradition. last year we had a 46

last year people from vermont were delivering snow. put it on dry ice. people from the northeast coming to help them. no additional natural snow coming any time soon. i think a little more meltage is in your future for the weekend. sorry pal. not today. chilly temperatures. we stay in the 30s. even though it's bright and sunny. breezy this afternoon, too. that 37 will feel colder. this is a day you need the full winter wardrobe. same case tonight. we slip into the low 20s in the city. teens in the suburbs overnight. the winds will taper off somewhat. into the weekend, this is the good news. early shower in the afternoon. 53 the expected high. maybe a shower by the nighttime hours on sunday. good looking weekend. little more melting. hopefully for that snowman. >> frosty. >> i want to see the top hat. i'm reduced to tears. what's going on, lauren?

we have a new accident on the roads, though. we'll head over to the long island expressway. westbound by exit 29, springfield boulevard, two lanes shut down there. head over to the service road if you can. of course, it's right after the cross island. it's where that service road cut out. leave yourself extra time. if you're getting on the rails, though, major commuter lines are running without delays or service changes. in for a nice ride there. a delaware school is apologizing to parents for a joke. a school in wilmington, delaware accidentally attached a fake hurt feelings report in an e-mail blast to parents. you see it there. the phony report was a joke. they called them whiners and cry babies. >> talk about oops. just ahead, a new sign of recovery in a community hit hard by hurricane sandy.

being pushed on staten island. >> reporter: i'm tracie strahan live in jersey city where crews are battling a three-alarm fire at a home. the fire chief just arrived on the scene. we'll try to find out what's happening here coming up. and if you're about to head out the door, take us with you. keep watching "today in new york." download the "news 4 new york"

breaking news in new jersey. flames rip through a home forcing people to jump for their lives. plus, right now in manhattan, a manhunt. a sudden vicious attack during a dinner rush at a restaurant. a bus driver beaten. what he says about the crime caught on camera. "today in new york" starts now. good morning everyone. it's thursday morning, february 18th. i'm darlene rodriguez. i'm michael gargiulo. storm team 4's chris cimino is here with the forecast. chris, a little bit of winter weather, if you will, in terms of temperature. >> that's about it. it will be a bright, sunny day but a chilly one. down in the upper 20s and low 30s. not going to warm up very much despite a full day of sunshine. 30 in larchmont, poughkeepsie the same as danbury. chillier in sussex at 26. on the east end, westhampton at 27. the city at 30 the wind picks up too. not fierce but breezy at times.

coming in, it will feel colder than the 30s during the afternoon. patchy clouds up there right now. i think after sunrise time, they'll dissipate somewhat. we'll see a partly to mostly sunny sky throughout the day. that's the bright news about the day. you need to bundle up. 34 at noon. not much higher. forecasting a high of 37. it will go higher by the weekend. let's find out about the thursday morning commute. lauren? >> it's pretty nice with the exception of the long island expressway. we have this accident westbound by springfield boulevard. exit 29. that blocks two lanes. what i'm showing is almost back to lake hill road. it's quite a delay already. you're starting to see people tapping on their brakes. leave yourself a lot of extra time. you can head to the grand central parkway instead. the queensboro bridge, we have an accident on the lower level. it's a slow go through here as well. we'll have more weather and traffic ahead on the 4s. >> lauren, thank very much. we want to get to breaking news in new jersey. a fire in jersey city on irving street there. "today in new york's" tracie

tracie, what are you seeing? >> reporter: michael, we're at 33 irving street. we know that it spread to two other homes. i'm here with the fire chief. five civilian injuries and one an infant. >> that's correct. an infant, approximately 7 months old, burn to the arm, elbow area. we have one female adult as well with burns to the face, i believe. three additional adults, i believe, with smock inhalation. >> we want to show video of some of the flames that broke out. you said just after 4:00 this morning. is that right? right now your guys have been able to get on the roof and get inside of these things. any point of origin? >> upon arrival, the original fire building, 33 irving street, was pretty heavily involved on the fir and second floor. this one takes some good investigating to find the cause

>> i know this is early and we've been through this, you and i before. any suspicion of anything, arson, anything at this point or is it too early to tell? >> i don't believe -- it could have been accidental. with as many people escaping the building and being injured, i doubt very much -- i don't want to speak about any suspicion at this time. we have to do our investigation. we'll let the arson investigators make that determination. >> i want to show that these firefighters are on the roof right now. i want the chief to talk about what's going on at this point. >> at this point, they're finishing up the hotspot. >> one breaking out at the window right now. >> that's correct. they have to do a complete overhaul. when you have a fire of this magnitude, incompetent side the wall, lot of hotspot. they have to do their due diligence in opening up all the walls to assure the fire is

chief darren rivers. thanks for being here. five civilian injuries, one a 7-month-old baby. chief saying it's contained right now. as you see over my shoulder, still a lot of work going on. >> obviously, firefighters hard at work there. tracie, thank you very much. it's 5:32 right now. police are searching for the man who attacked a waiter inside a manhattan restaurant. it happened as horrified customers watched. katherine creag is there. >> reporter: darlene, imagine the emotional and physical scars on the vic timt. he received 120 stitches across his face. it happened at this restaurant. we want to show you video of how police officers, when they arrived here. there were numerous officers at the silver spurs restaurant. the attack happened around 8:00 last night. the man walked into the restaurant on laguardia street and houston place, he was asking

the manager asked him to leave. the man became angry and slashed a waiter in the face. it was chaos after the attack. >> we were sitting inside eating and i saw cops come from everywhere. someone was screaming. people were screaming. >> reporter: police are working on getting a good description of the suspect. as for the victim, darlene, we're learning that he's 25 years old. again, he received 120 stitches to his face. he was released from the hospital overnight. back to you, darlene. >> katherine creag, thank you. 5:34 right now. we want to check in with chris cimino and see how thursday will treat us. not too bad. >> it's one of those, okay, it's winter, but we can handle it. upper 20s to 30 in and around the city. no snow or ice to worry about. nothing brutal. 26 in sussex, 25 in newburgh. 29 in danbury. the coast, it's more like the 30s. we may lose a few degrees.

wind, feels like 21 at jfk. chilly as 14 in newburgh. 1 in white plaps. the breeze picks up through the day. mostly clear right now. patchy clouds. 30 in the city. a few cloud mixing with the sun early. then bright and sunny with a deep blue sky. doesn't warm up that much. a high of 37 degrees. we do warm up by the weekend. we'll talk about that and a storm for next week. here's lauren with the latest on the commute. >> another accident out this on the bqe by hamill top avenue. delays are starting to build through here. an accident in the same area yesterday. not an easy ride for people there. heading to mass transit, on the buses, the q 101 on detour and nj transit bus route 41 and 405. major commuter lines and subways and alternate side of the street

police are searching for a man who witnesses say tried to grab a girl off the street in brooklyn. new surveillance photos. they're still blurry. but the man walked up to a her. when she tried to get away, he held on to her arm. it happened in broad daylight tuesday in the home crest neighborhood. that suspect ran off. police are searching for a suspect caught on surveillance video attacking a bronx bus driver. you see the man lean over the driver's sate and punch the 69-year-old driver in the face. that happened on tuesday night between southern boulevard and east fordham road. >> i was expecting maybe a knife or whatever. >> meanwhile, a brooklyn man was arrested for an attack on a driver in flatbush. he was arraigned on assault charges yesterday.

attorney is asking to be recused from a possible criminal investigation involving elliott iot spitzer spitzer. it would be a conflict of interest. a woman alleges spitzer choked her at the plaz hotel. the accuser flew to russia. no charges filed. reopening the investigation into the deaths of a prominent couple. john and joyce sheridan. it includes three former governors. members claim the sheridans death were not a murder-suicide. they say record should be changed to undetermined. their bodies were found with stab and slash wounds after a fire in their somerset home in 2014. this man is wanted for a sexual assault in the bronx. he attacked a 15-year-old boy insound view. the incident happened last month. but call crimestoppers with any information.

against six former employees of the online escort service rent boy.com. the ceo of the company, the former ceo, still facing charges of promoting prostitution and money laundering. authorities raided rent boy's offices in manhattan last augusta accusing the company of being nothing more than than "an internet brothel." if you're in the rockaways this summer, you should be able to stroll the entire boardwalk. much of it was torn up during hurricane soinld. the third phase of the reconstruction is complete. that's from beach, 73rd to beach 107th street. the city insists it's on target for a fully rebuilt boardwalk by memorial day. on staten island, officials are reaching out to mayor de blasio calling for a study on the west shore light rail project. there's where it would run. james otto and staten island's three council members sent the mayor a letter.

other mass transit options for staten island where cars are used more than any other parts of the city. it would carry them to bayonne bridge and connect with an nj transit line into manhattan. nj transit workers could walk off the job in less than a month. they're being urged to work out a deal. nine members of the congressional delegation sent a letter to the executive director. the bipartisan group is urging a quick resolution. the representatives say neutral arbitrators have provided a settlement proposal. it's 5:39. just ahead. we told you about him yesterday. he's a teenager. he's accused of setting up a fake medical office and even seeing patients. this morning, we're going to tell you what he says about the charges. how persistence paid off for the couple sharing a record powerball jackpot. weather and traffic on the 4s is coming up as we look at the long island expressway there.

couple of long island natives have found very, very good fortune in florida.

one of the winners of last month's billion dollar powerball jackpot. maureen smith and david kalt smith have been maying the same numbers since they lived in islip 20 years. the numbers finally paid off. they admit, they kept it a secret from family, friend and co-workers for a few weeks. >> first day i arrived late to work, they all suspected i won. so i had to say, i didn't purchase the ticket. so i didn't lie. >> they chose a lump sum payment. their share of the jackpot is going to be $328 million. david says that's enough for him to retire. but maureen says she's looking forward to a good massage. >> wow. >> she can hire a masseuse to live in the house. >> they seem well composed for people who just taken in that kind of check.

we want to go to chris cimino. sunny skies for them, chris. >> sunny skies for us but empty pockets. maybe hands it the pocket to stay warm. we're back to the winter wardrobe today. full gear. not brutally cold but it doesn't warm up very much. we're going to stee a bright, nice looking day. flags flapping a little bit in the wind. pretty light right now. the wind will increase. clear sky in the city. weather headlines, a nice looking day but bricks and chilly one. a warm front will put us into a hipt of spring this weekend with 50 or better for both days. jackson jackson, throughout new jersey, all 20s this morning. mid and upper. low to mid-20s in portions of the had you had sop valley. it's 30-ish in across central long island.

more clear sky developing. that's why we anticipate a good deal of is up shine. this may be a few patches of cloud. brisk, breezy. well to the north and west. you may not get out of the upper 20s however. tonight, generally a clear sky. cold. 23 in the city. 19 in rye brook. 29 in hauppauge. rock hill, down to 7. 12 in newton. 22 in asbury park. a lot of chill in the air tomorrow morning, chillier than this morning. the wind is easier. as we move forward in time, we anticipate some -- i jumped past the weekend. the weekend will be in the 50s. towards tuesday, we look for a coastal storm to develop. right now the trend is keeping it too close to the coast and inland to create snow for us. that keeps us on the warmer side of things. we think it's mainly rain. north and west could be a wintry mix. if it shifts east, we're in a colder pattern. most of the computer information

wintry mix possible at the onset. 37 today. sunshine breezy. 40 tomorrow with increasing clouds. 53 for saturday. an early shower. not a bad afternoon at all. 50 on sunday. that shower threat is late in the day or at night. wet weather moving in. maybe a wintry mix north and west. looks like mainly rain on wednesday with temperatures in the low 40s. little after 5:46. let see how the commute is lauren? >> new jersey commute moving along nicely. westchester county, connecticut. we have problems in queens. surprise, surprise. an accident westbound on the l.i.e. out by exit 29. springfield boulevard. it shuts down two lanes. stop-and-go traffic to the cross island and beyond. you can head to the service road or the grand central as an alternate option. on the belt parkway by rockaway boulevard, an accident blocking two lanes. delays growing quickly out here. almost back to the southern state. we're starting to see people tap on brakes there.

on the bqe, before you get to hamilton avenue, an accident in the left lane. stop and go past the prospect expressway. heading to the queensboro bridge, the queens bound lower level, there's an accident that takes out the left lane. it's causing rubber necking delays into manhattan and it's causing things to slow down heading out to queens. heading to the cross bronx expressway, this one as well. accident westbound by the sheridan expressway is in the left lane. delays not too bad. that's good news. on the ferries, bus service in place. a ferry service for our haverstraw, ossining and newburgh-beacon ferry commuters. google is voicing support for apple in the fight with the fbi. apple is refusing an order to help hack into the san bernardino shooters' iphone. fa farook and malik gunned down people. it raises security concerns for americans. apple says the security on

even the company can get to the information the investigators want. you may get a phone call from governor cuomo asking him to support his 15 d an hour minimum wage proposal. he will hold telephone town hall meetings. he will contact people in new york city first. the governor will urge them to lobby their state lawmakers to demand passage of the wage hike. new jersey lawmakers are now redoing the atlantic city bill that was once touted as a state takeover. lawmakers are instead calling this new bill an intervention. it will allow the state and atlantic city to fix financial troubles. it would give the state vast authority over the city's finances. lawmakers are outlining another bill to make debt payments, instead of paying their taxes. in news for your health this morning, new york and connecticut among the seven states dealing with widespread flu outbreaks. in the latest flu view report, the cdc says it has increased

new york hospitals are taking extra precaution toss stop the spread of the virus. february. experts say there's plenty of vaccine still available. a new study suggests that the testosterone gels do have modest benefits. millions of men suffer from low testosterone. sometimes called low t. many of them turn to testosterone gels hoping it will boost their energy, improve their mood, libido and function. now for the first time, a study sponsored by the national institutes of health suggests the gel does provide some benefits for men 65 and older. >> my body mass came back to where it was. my energy was better. libido was a little better. >> research says it's too early to say whether all men with a little testosterone should use those gels. they say previous studies show boosting testosterone could lead to an increase in heart attacks, each cancer. the florida teenager accused of impersonate

we told you about him yesterday. prosecutors say he had a real office in a real medical building in west palm beach. he's not a real doctor. he spoke to reporters saying he has lawyers work around the clock on this case. >> we get the truth out of it. not ohm the truth but we can shed good light on some of the things happening in the community today. we can shed a good light on some of the positive things that are happening and stop worrying about bashing someone and start lifting them up. >> robinson could face additional charges. an 86-year-old victim claims she was defrauded in a series of visit to her home. we'll show you the skyscraper that could transform the skyline of brooklyn. heartbreaking picture. the dog stuck at the bottom of a sipg hole. we'll see how he was rescued after two days. follow us on facebook and you're watching "today in new

welcome back 30 degrees right now. it's thursday morning. pets are now welcome to ride the rails on amtrak trains. many dog breeds have to stay home. they're allowing small dogs and cats on board for a $25 fee. the animals and their carrier must weigh 20 pound or less. they can right most trains, not on the weekday express. amtrak says service animals are allowed any time for free. not on the weekday. >> and not the he is ella. because pets don't have jobs. >> unless they're wearing a suit. a dog spent the last two nights in an unlikely and unfortunate place. >> yes. several feet down in a sinkhole. >> all the way up. >> all right. >> sky back her owners in pennsylvania after spending two days inside this 15-foot deep hole. fire crews rescued her yesterday. sky went missing during a

her owner says she's doing fine now. >> look how energetic. she was happy to get out. she's thanking the rescuers. >> that's exactly what it looks like she's doing. >> made it, made it, good. that face. looking up at you. i'm glad they got her out. >> absolutely. >> weatherwise, not terrible today. we're dealing with this. this is winter around here. temperatures in the 20s and 30s. not much higher this afternoon. only upper 30s. it will be a bright, sunny day. if you walk on the sunny side of the street, it may feel better. breezy this afternoon. cold and into the low 20s tonight. the wind eases up a little bit. a lot of the suburbs are down into the teens. then we moderate things a little bit tomorrow. you'll notice a bigger change by the weekend. warm front comes through with an early shower. sun and clouds in the afternoon. 53 saturday afternoon. that's a good one. good opportunity to get out and feel alive again for a few hours.

the day and up around 50 degrees. noft a bad looking weekend compared to the sub zero temperatures last weekend. >> that's right. absolutely. >> stay away from that. >> good morning, lauren. >> good morning. we'll start with good news. feel like that. commuter checklist. metro-north, lirr, nj transit path and subways running without delays and service changes at the moem. the brooklyn bridge, things are moving nicely here. on the bqe, there's an accident getting into hamilton avenue. that's in the eastbound lanes heading towards the bridges. there are delays that go back to the prospect expressway. we have a couple of other accidents on the roads. the details in a few minutes. >> lauren, thank you very much. two developers submitting a proposal for what would be the tallest tower. the building would tower over anything in downtown brooklyn on dekalb avenue. it would be an apartment building with 500 units. the plans have to be approved.

that part of the tower would rest on a portion of the brooklyn dime savings bank. that, of course, a new york city landmark. coming up next, an update on that breaking news that we're following in jersey city. a young child among those injured in a huge fire. we're live on the scene. the frightening restaurant attack where a waiter is slashed in the face by a stranger. no information about the victim this morning. take us with you if you're headed out the door. download the "news 4 new york" app on your mobile device right now.

am. breaking news. several people injured during a fast moving fire in jersey city. tracie strahan on the scene now getting new information. the hunt for a predator. a look for a man trying to snatch a teenage girl off the streets.

white house as president obama prepares to do something no sitting president has done in nearly nine decades. "today in new york" start now. good morning everyone. it's thursday morning, february 18th. i'm darlene rodriguez. i'm michael gargiulo. we'll start with a check of the weather chris cimino. not brand name, just generic cold. >> nothing special about it. but it's february cold. upper 20s now. even in the city. we slip to the 20s. it's 29 astoria. sheepshead bay at 30. a lot lower 20s to the north and west and closer to 30 across long island. clear to partly cloudy skies. a few patchy clouds mainly north and west of the city. they're dissipating rapidly. higher pressure builds on in and takes care of the clouds. but it turps breezy, bright and sunny. but it's chilly throughout the day. generically cold at noon. 34. forecasting a high of 37

a lot positive in the seven-day forecast. what are the changes on the chute? >> no changes. let's head to the belt parkway. westbound by rockaway boulevard, an accident shuts down two lanes. people are starting to tap on their brakes as far as the cross island. leave yourself extra time there. heading to the long island expressway by springfield boulevard, by exit 29. an accident reported to block two lanes. delays are easing out a bit. it's in the process of clearing. more weather and traffic head on the fours. 6:01 on this thursday morning. breaking news in jersey city. a fast moving fire on irving street forced people to jump to safety. among toes injured, a young child. "today in new york's" tracie strahan was first on the scene. good morning, tracie. >> reporter: darlene, good morning to you. incredibly frightening moments here on irving street as we try to get a handle on what's going on. it spread to three different homes and forced one family to

let's show you video of what it looked like. the flames shooting through the sky really. this happened just after 4:00 this morning. it was a very heavy fire according to jersey city's fire chief at 33 irving street. then it quickly spread. the chief doesn't think it could be arson but there's a big investigation under way as they try to not only contain the fire but get a handle on who was affected. five civilians were injured including a young child. >> from my understanding, they jumped out the window. >> one female adult as well with burns to her face i believe. and three additional adults i believe with smoke inhalation. >> reporter: i want to take you up to chopper 4 over the scene to show you how many units are involved in trying to get a handle on things in jersey city. five civilians injured. but the chief, darlene also tells me that a firefighter was

a rookie actually. fell partially through the floor trying to get a handle on things. that rookie was taken to jersey city medical center and said to be in good condition. we'll send it back to you in the studio. >> tracie strahan, thank you. right now, police are searching for the man who attacked a waiter inside a manhattan restaurant. this happened at 8:00 last night at the silver spurs restaurant in greenwich village. the man was begging customers for money for a basketball team. the man came back moments later and slashed a 25-year-old waiter in the face. the victim neefding 120 stitches at the hospital. katherine creag will have reaction from customers coming up at 6:0. police are warning parents about a man who tried to abduct a girl in brooklyn. these are blurry. but the man walked up to a 14-year-old and put his arm around her. he held on to her as she tried to get away. it happened in the home crest

she escaped and he ran off. with a possible strike looming, nine members a congressional delegation are urging nj transit and the labor unions to work out a deal. they sent a letter to the executive director urging a quick resolution to the dispute. the representatives say neutral arbitrators provided a settlement proposal. if in agreement is reached, they could walk off the job in early march. the agency is expected to vote on a nearly $400 billion plan. the proposal calls for replacing the airport's central term noll and making changes to the taxiway to accommodate more flights. they were made after vice president joe biden said he felt it belonged in a third world country. we remember when president biden said that. >> unguarded moment as they say. >> but i think he echoed what a lot of people said before him.

that's for sure. you may want to get away from our weather today. but for the most part, just a little bit on the cold side again. ruchb of the mill, type of winter weather. light but brisk. the cloud roll in tomorrow. but there's a warm front that comes on through and bring us a light shower late friday, early saturday. sparta is 22 degrees. califon 26. the city, upper 20s, low 30s across long island. coastal connecticut, down the jersey shore in the upper 20s to 30 early on this morning. for the most part, these are pretty typical temperatures. maply clear in the city. patch or two of cloud cover in other spots. some to the east and some to the north and west. any clouds this morning could give way to a mostly sunny afternoon. not on the path with these temperatures. milder weather by the weekend.

details on the commute from lauren. >> thanks, chris. one detour on the buses. bus route 405. we have bus service still in place at the haverstraw bee cop -- if you're getting on the subways, commuter lines, no delays or service changes at this point. alternate side of the street parking rules in effect today. more weather and traffic on the 4s. 6:06. today the white house is set to make an historic announcementment. p president obama will be the first sitting president to visit cuba in years. >> good morning, darlene. a white house officials confirms the details will be released later today. it will mark the historic end to more than 50 years of official estrangement between that country and ours. part of a larger tour by the president of latin america.

process of normalizing relations between the countries in december of 2014. a year later, obama said he would consider a visit if there was evidence to improvement, civil rights and liberties. a lot of republicans say there is no proof of improvement. it met with stropg disa porl. >> ted cruz's father who fled here says president obama should not visit while the castro family remains in power. >>er another one krit sightsing the president for an anti-american commune it's dictator ship. there have been a few presidents who visited. harry truman visited guantanamo bay in 1948. former president jimmy carter has been there a couple of times since he left office in 1981. not since president calvin coolidge went to havana pack in 1928 has a sitting u.s.

very big news this morning, darlene. >> it is big news. we'll follow that. thank you so much, kerry. donald trump's solid reign over the republican field may be over. our new "wall street journal" poll has senator ted cruz ahead of trump by with 2 points. 28 to 26%. that's a dead heat. marco rubio and john kasich round out the top four. each candidate put their spin on the. >> numbers. >> i never do well in the "wall street journal" poll. the sound you're hearing is the sound of screams coming from washington, d.c. but cruz is still trailing trump in the polls in south carolina. republicans will cast their votes in that state's primary in just two days. things are changing rapidly on the democratic side as well. hillary clinton's one lead shows clinton and bernz deadlocked in that state.

just a single point. sanders and clinton increase ing talk about the vote of african-american voters there. battling over cut to the anti-terror funding. yesterday, mayor de blasio and commissioner bratton spoke out. the white house says the city is already sitting on a pile of unspent dollars from washing fon ton. >> pope francis is flying back to rome. left juarez last night ending his six-day trip. in that border town, the pope prayed for those who he says were often enslaved or extorted while trying to migrate to the united states. in neighboring el paso, texas, the faithful watched a simulcast of the pope's huge outdoor mass. 6:09 now. in the cnbc money report. dumping your cable provider could soon be easier. landon dowdy joins us with the details and more. landon, i'm calling this the unbundle of america.

very good morning to you. the s.e.c. will vote on a proposal to let consumers swap cable boxes for cheaper devices and apps. it lets them get services from goggle and others satellite. -- they must pay an average of $231 to lease those devices. delta is aiming to upgrade airline food. "the new york times" reports the carrier is teaming up with danny myer, the restaurant ear behind shake shack and others. they want to serve food on premium flights that's just as good as you what you find on the menu in restaurants. delta and other airlines, including united, already have relationships with celebrity chefs. a shake shack burger on a flight, sign me up.

>> only in first class. >> you're smell the shake shack, burger. >> landon, thanks. coming up next, an elementary school mistake. we'll show you the sarcastic letter that accidentally went home to parents. then, there's a local family and they want your snow. see how you can help -- the special project going on hopefully through the spring. >> plus, weather and traffic on the 4s is coming up. you're watching "today in new

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a fast moving fire injured several people, including a young child. kai simonsen is over the scene in chopper 4. kai snoo. >> darlene and michael, good morning to you. these are live pictures now. the first on the scene here of a three-alarm blaze at 33 irving

the fire damaged three homes. a total of three heems omes. we believe it spread to the homes to the left hand portion of the screen. it appears that the fire is now under control. a total of five injuries have been reported. a toddler suffered burns and an additional adult suffered burns and then three other adults being treated for smoke inhalation. we're also being told that one firefighter did partially fall through a floor. it's unclear if the firefighter was injured. the cause of the fire is under investigation. we'll continue to keep you up to date. kai simonsen, darlene and michael, back to you. >> thank you very much. we want to check with chris cimino and look at the weather. where do we stand at 6:15, chris? >> pretty chilly but quiet. clear sky for the most part. temperatures in the upper 20s. chelsea at 28. in the park, we're at 29. it's a little colder north and west. that's typical too. low and mid-20s. weather behaving february-like.

today or the next few days. not until early next week. the school day forecast for the kids, bundle them up. recess time about 34. dismissal about 37. all featuring bright sunny skies. clear for after school activities. we did have patchy clouds nearby. they're breaking up. one batch moving off to the east. parts of the area may see patchy cloud cover in the morning hours and then it turns bright and sunny through the late morning and afternoon. future tracker shows that at 1:00 in the afternoon, hard-pressed to find cloud cover. 7:00 in the evening, still mostly clear. tomorrow starts out clear. high clouds to the west. they come on in the afternoon, take away our sunshine. there's no precipitation coming out of these clouds. this is a warm front moving towards us. it may trigger a rain or snow shower late tomorrow night.

the expected high midtown. crystal clear skies tonight but a cold one. low to mid-20s in the city. teens in the suburbs. tomorrow morning, even colder than this morning. but, again, little less wind in the picture tomorrow morning. increasing clouds tomorrow afternoon. slowly back to 40 degrees. the next couple of days below normal temperaturewise. but we'll change that by the weekend as we head into the 50s. our next concern as a coastal storm tuesday night into wednesday. the thinking on this, it's going to be close to the coast. maybe right over us. track typically brings in enough warm air off the atlantic. we're thinking maybe rain city and coast. could be a wintry mix. several days away. shift in the track could shift the forecast. 37 today, 40 tomorrow, 53 saturday, maybe a morning shower. sunday threat of a shower -- the storm system, looks mainly wet. temperatures low 40s on monday. what are we looking like roadwise? >> delays and accidents out

like this one on the queensboro bridge. the queens bound lower level, it's a slow ride heading to queens and also because of the you'rer necking. the belt parkway has been out there for a while. two lanes still shut down. delays go all the way back to the cross island right now. heading over to the harlem river drive, we're seeing a slow ride headed southbound in the usual spot. this is by 127th street. it's the way of the road pattern here. no reports of problems here. the west side highway is a good alternate option. if you need it. the george washington bridge, show the new jersey commuters. things moving nicely here. minor delays into the upper level tolls. no delay into the lower level. lincoln tunnel and holland tunnel in great shape. alternate side of the street parking rules had are in effect.

lawyers -- he filed that suit against andrea constand's attorneys on the eve of a critical hearing earlier this month. the lawsuit is under seal so the details are not public. cosby's defense team repeatedly accused her lawyers, constand's lawyers of breaking a previous deal. he's accused of drugging and sexually assaulting her in 2004. manhattan's district attorney asking to be recused from an investigation involving former governor spitzer. it would be april conflict of interest. a woman alleges spitzer choked her at the plaza hotel. his accuser, svetlana travis, she flew to russia on sunday. spitzer has not been charged. charges dropped against a half dozen former employees of the online service rent boy.com. they were charged with money laupd erg and -- after the

the former ceo is still facing charges. prosecutors accuse him of running what amounted to an internet brothel. he claims he's done nothing wrong. >> by a freeing to build new and affordable housing units. piscataway pledged to build more housing opportunities. if this fails to meet its obligations under the federal housing act. apologizing for an e-mail sent to parents. stently enclosed a hurt feelings report. in an e-mail blast, it's meant to be a joke. it refers to people who kman about their feelings as whiners and cry babies. the principal apologized and sent another e-mail. >> once it's out there, it's out there. >> can't get it back sdmiefrjt the new report that involves 3 million cars.

take to repair the pulaski skyway. 4 investigates. got the answer and you're not going to like it. you're watching "today in new

welcome back. beach-goers in the rockaway may finally be able to enjoy the boardwalk this summer. much was torn up by hurricane sandy in 2012. phase 3 of the rebuilding project is complete. that included from beach 173 to beach 107th street. a fully completed boardwalk will be in place by memorial day. one long island family wants your snow to keep a giant snowman from melting.

snowman in front of their massapequa park home. they do this every we are year and they try to see how long it will last. the neighbors are pitching in and dropping off buckets of snow to keep it around longer. last year's snowman made it all the way to april 20th. chris, you were saying people were coming down from vermont with snow. >> they would pack it in dry ice and then them out. >> i don't know if i'm rooting for them. i love the frigo family. sneemt you can keep it going with imported snow. not domestic snow. >> a little spin around the arms. >> that comes part and parcel with that. >> he's a little bottom heavy. >> no natural snow for the next few days. temperatures cold enough to -- generally mid and upper 30s. lots of sunshine. patchy clouds early. turns breezy. you will need to bundle up throughout the day. cold night tonight.

teens in a lot of the suburbs overnight. the wind does taper off. weekend picture gets better. we may start out with a couple of clouds on saturday and most of the activity ends early. 53 by saturday afternoon and 50 on sunday with sun giving way to clouds. a nice mild weekend at the end of a really up and down week here. >> it really has. i don't know what to wear. >> be flexible. >> layers. >> good morning. we have a couple of problems on the roads like we always do. we'll start with the van wyck expressway. reports of an accident out there heading northbound by queens boulevard. there's a slow ride for you. whether it's an accident or disabled vehicle, i'll let you know shortly. on the trains, all good news from there. metro-north, lirr, nj transit path and subways without delays or service changes. >> thanks, lauren. it's 6:26. coming up next, an update on the breaking news in jersey city.

others jump to safety as fire spreads through a home in jersey city. i'm tracie strahan with an update coming up. i'm katherine creag. a waiter was slashed across the face at a restaurant. he had to get more than 100 stitches. we'll tell what you the suspect was doing before the attack. all that is coming up. if you're about to head out the door, take us with you, keep watching "today in new york." download it on your mobile device right now.

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a yupg child hurt during a fast moving fire in jersey city. a frightening attack at a restaurant when a waiter is slashed in the face by a we have new information about the victim this morning as police search for a suspect. new this morning, a major recall involving nearly 3 million vehicles. "today in new york" start now. good morning everybody. 6:30 a.m. on this thursday. it's february 18th. i'm michael gargiulo. i'm darlene rodriguez. let's check in with chris cimino looking at the weather today. good morning. >> good morning. brightening sky behind you. sunrise almost on tap. a beautiful day in terms of the look of it.

stepping out into upper 20s. melville, north babylon, 30 in sayville. the city, upper 20s. and low to mid 20s in the hudson valley. winter wardrobe through the morning hours and all day despite all the sunshine headed our way. you can see the satellite picture. the clouds are tending to break up. clouds over suffolk county. same thing in inland spots in new jersey. with all that sunshine, temperatures hard-pressed to get better than the mid and upper 30s. 34 at noon. the breeze picks up to make it feel chillier. we'll have the seven-day forecast and the promise of a milder weekend in a bit. let's get over to lauren scala. the latest on the commute. an accident has been out there for a while. this is on the queensboro bridge. the queens bound lower level, the left lane still blocked out there. cars are trying to get around it. one lane getting by. delays into the manhattan. rubber necking delays as well if you're headed into manhattan. we have an update on the belt parkway accident. westbound by rockaway boulevard. it's been out there quite a while.

those delays should start to ease out soon. we will have more weather and traffic on the 4s. thanks very much. we want to get back to the breaking news in jersey city. several people, among them a toddler injured during a fast-moving fire on irving street. tracie strahan is first on the scene. you have new information for us? >> reporter: that's right, michael. the chief called me over to update me on everything that happened here. we can tell you that a 2-year-old girl suffered burns to her arm during this three-alarm fire here at irving street. number 33 is where it started. the little girl, along with her 5-year-old brother, her mother and father were all asleep on that second floor burned out. but the chief is telling me right now that they heard a crackling on the first floor when the father went downstairs. an 18-year-old was alerted to get everyone out of the house. let's show you video of the raging flames that started after 4:00 this morning.

that it was really going to the point where they weren't sure if they would be able to get inside. that fire was knocked down pretty quickly. but not before that mother had to lower that 2-year-old girl to a neighbor outside out of a window. that was the only way they could get out. everyone else was able to get themselves to safety. five civilians were injured. all five of them living inside of this home on 33 irving street. it's a fire that spread to two residential homes. two homes right next door. efrp on this block was told to point. that intent. rookie firefighter, there was a mayday call for him. he suffered a minor injury when he partially fell through the floor, michael. he was disoriented. there was so much smoke in the area, it's under control at this point. that 2-year-old girl is being treated for that injury to her arm. the good news in all of this, it's said to be a minor injury. back to you. >> that's good news considering that fire.

right now, police are hoping someone can identify the man who attacked a bronx bus driver. the assault was captured on the bus's surveillance cameras. you can see the man lean over the driver's seat and punch the 69-year-old driver in the face. it happened around 6:00 tuesday evening near southern boulevard and east fordham road. a woman arrested in connection with an attack on a tourist in lower manhattan now claims that she was the victim. >> do you have anything to say with the assault? >> the tourist assaulted me. >> that's teresa thorson and robert anderson, they were arrested yesterday on assault charges. police say thorson approached the tourist on monday. tried to sell him fake tickets to the statue of liberty when he declined, police say anderson punched the man in the face. that person treated for a fractured skull. happening today, a free wi-fi system officially launches along third avenue in manhattan. it's called link nyc.

the official announcement at noon. some are already up and running. the plan is to have more than 500 running throughout the city. 6:34 right now. time for weather and traffic on the 4s. it's what we call seasonable thursday, chris. >> pretty much. i like it. temperatures in the 20s and 30s as you head out the door this morning. may want to take along the shades, cool ones. also the heavy overcoat. temperatures stay in the 30s all day. a beautiful looking day. it stays brisk. clouds in the picture by tomorrow. clouds bringing the promise of warmer temperatures. by the weekend, maybe a hint much spring. spring still officially more than a month away will we'll get into the 50s this weekend. mostly clear in the city right now. patchy clouds in other parts of the area. not a big climb in temperature this afternoon, 34 at noontime. 37 at 3:00. that's our forecast high for today. we'll notice the temperatures pop by the weekend. details on that coming up on the 4s. right now, details on the commute from lauren. >> you just got closure. people who normally have the best ride towards the george

not today. palisades parkway southbound shut down before the toll booth to the bridge there. there's an accident on the ramp here. delays back to palisades avenue, exit 1. keep that in mind as you head this way. you need to take 9w as an alternate. heading to mass transit. new york waterway, ferry commuters, still bus service only in place on the haverstraw ossining and newburgh-beacon lines because of icing on the hudson. rails look good. subways included. alternate side in effect today. more weather and traffic on the fours. thanks, lauren. now to that frightening attack at a restaurant in greenwich village. a waiter slashed in the face in front much shocked customers. "today in new york's" katherine creag is at the restaurant with new details this morning. kat? >> reporter: this restaurant just opened up a little bit ago, darlene. a couple of waiters going in tell us that they're shocked this happened to their co-worker. the victim had to get 120 stitches to his face. because that's where he was attacked.

police officers converging on this restaurant. silver spurs is the name of the establishment add laguardia place and houston street. it's close to the nyu campus. this happened around 8:00 last night. a man walked into the restaurant and he was asking customers and workers for money. a manager asked him to leave. the suspect, though, became ainge rip and slashed the victim, a waiter, in the face. a witness tells us it was chaos after the attack. >> we were just sitting inside eating and cops came from everywhere. like someone was screaming. people were screaming. >> reporter: and that witness heard a lot of screaming. there were a lot of people out here on the sidewalk, darlene. police helping out that victim who was bleeding terribly. police right now are trying to get a good description, trying to put together a good description of the suspect who ended up getting away. that victim, again, 120 stitches to his face. he was taken to the hospital but later released. back to you, darlene. >> katherine creag. thank you.

now to a consumer alert. toyota announced a massive recalling. recalling nearly 3 million of the rav4, rav4 ev and vanguard models. the problem with the rear seatbelts. they could be cut by metal seat cushion frames. there was a crash in canada and another one in the united states that prompted the recall. google is backing apple in its refusal to help the fbi hack the san bernardino shooters' phone. google's ceo says a judge's order to unlock the phone would "sabotage the security of millions of american citizens." syed farook and tashfeen malik gunned down several people. police commissioner bratton commended the courts for ruling in -- no device should be beyond

we'll hear more approximate about that at noon. a man accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy. the incident happened in january inside concrete plant park in soundview. you're asked to call crimestoppers if you have any information on that suspect. also in manhattan, getting a first look at a man suspected of targeting women in a robbery spree. investigators say the man follows victims into their apartment buildings or into a store. the most recent robbery happened tuesday on the upper east side. in five cases, police say he either used a gun or pretended toi. i have a gun. he got away with jewelry, cash and a metro card. now to sad news from the entertainment world. big ang, a staten island native and one of the stars of mob wives has lost her battle with cancer. the 55-year-old died earlier this morning after a year-long battle with stage 4 brain and lung cancer. her family announced her death on twitter a short time ago saying she was surrounded by nothing but love from her

friends. the two-year deadline for the repairs on the pulaski skyway. investigators learned that the construction will continue for another year. when work crews took the deck of the depression-era bridge apart, it was built during the '030s. they found the damage was worse than they thought. the work is not quite half finished. the contractors should be able to complete that project now in another year's time. ee-elected officials reaching out top mayor de blasio calling for a project on staten island. they want the city to invest in other mass transit options for the car centric borough. the light rail will carry staten islanders to the bayonne bridge to connect with an nj transit line to manhattan. 6:40. up next, lucky winners. we'll meet the long island natives. they're now multihundred millionaires.

record breaking powerball jackpot. >> we don't know anyone like that. the yankees make a major change to their ticket policy. we'll tell you why fans are crying foul. weather and traffic on the 4s is coming up. as we look at the brooklyn bridge. you're watching "today in new

welcome back. 6:44 on a chilly thursday morning. we've been talking about the ups and downs we've had. we started out with december being the warmest. january was a couple of degrees above normal. for the first 17 days of february, actually normal. celebrate. we're normal. that doesn't last very long. the next couple of days below normal temperatures will follow by above normal readings.

the month. 28 in hoboken and staten island. long island, north and west, a little chillier. newburgh at 23. sussex down to 24. breezes stirring up from time to time. there. you can see patchy clouds across new jersey. portions of connecticut and long island. but these are really breaking up and thinning out as high pressure sinks in. that means the clouds go away. simply put, it's bright and sunny this afternoon. this is 2:00 in the afternoon. looking good. this evening, we're fine too. cold tonight. 20s in the city. teens in the suburbs. sunny start tomorrow. notice clouds in the afternoon. mid to high level clouds at first. it will thicken up later in the day. that's the push of warmer air headed in our direction. 37 the expected high this afternoon in the city. that's below normal by 6, 7 degrees in some locations. low 30s north and west. upper 20s to the north and west for highs. that northerly breeze gets kicking a little bit. it subsides overnight, the wind. the temperatures subside too.

16 in mount kisco. low teens. maybe even a few single digits in the deeper valleys to the north and west. going into the weekend, nice. 53 saturday. 50 on sunday. a spot shower chance early saturday morning and again later sunday. more likely sunday night. the bulk of the daylight hours pleasant. we watch a storm tuesday into wednesday. still leaning towards this being a rainmaker with wind. could be a wintry mix north and west at the onset. 37 today. 40 tomorrow. could be an early shower saturday. 50 aefrz over the weekend. rain threat on wednesday. temperatures low 40s. if you're heading out the door, let's find out the trouble spots from lauren scala. >> thanks, chris. problems in new jersey now. route 46 in the teterboro area. all lanes are shut down by hollister road with an accident there. we also have the palisades parkway shut down. this one southbound before the george washington bridge tolls. delays back past palisades avenue. head over to 9w. picking up the alternate volume there.

this morning. heading over to the queensboro bridge, we have an accident on the queens bound lower level in the left lane. delays in both directions because of this. then heading out to another accident. kai simonsen is live over the van wyck expressway, heading northbound you'll see an accident towards the right lane really. torpds the left of your screen. delays are pretty heavy. they go back to linden boulevard. morning on the morning commute. even the service road is no better right now. we'll keep you posted on that. alternate side of the street parking rules in effect today. back to you. thanks, lauren. two developers are submitting a proposal for the tallest tower in brooklyn. it would be 73 stories. 1,066 feet. it would tower over anything surrounding it on dekalb avenue in downtown brooklyn. it would be a rental building. 500 apartments in it. there's a sticking point because

a portion of the brooklyn dime savings bank building. that's a new york city landmark. a couple of long island natives come forward with another winning ticket for the jackpot. maureen smith and david were yesterday representing their share of the $1.5 billion prize. the couple now lives in florida. they have been playing the same lottery numbers, though, since they lived in central islip more than 20 years. this time it paid off. >> i checked the ticket and everything matched up. i said she's messing with me. >> we didn't believe it. we just kept watching tv and going online. rechecking and rechecking. >> that's not a new york ak september. you can spot us a mile away. they're taking home about $328 million. >> that's aunt maureen. i just realized that. >> michael who?

up next, we're going to tell you about major changes and not always welcome to fans trying to buy yankees tickets. follow us on facebook and twitter and instagram, michaelg4ny, darlene4ny. you're watching "today in new

welcome back. there's a view from the top of the rock on this thursday morning. 29 degrees now. the yankees are no longer accepting print at home tickets. >> the team insists a move to protect the fans from buying fake tickets. but it's going to hurt stub hub locked in a legal battle with the yankees over the resale of tickets. stub hub clients now have to go have the actual tickets mailed to them or if there's no time for that, you have to pick them

the stadium and on a related note, yankees pitchers and catchers report to spring training in tampa this morning. spring is almost here. >> it sure is. 6:52. the "today" show is coming up in a few minutes. we'll check in with savannah and willie. >> nice to see you both. coming up on the show, surprise in the republican presidential race. donald trump falling behind ted cruz in our new national poll. what trump has to say about that this morning. what's really in your food. the surprising fillers used by companies that you will not find on t labels i believe so. nicole brown simpson's sister taking the actor david schwimmer to task. she's upset about what he didn't do for her brother -- >> people are really into that series. i haven't seen it yet. people say it's really good. >> are you guys watching? >> i haven't. like you, i'm hearing everyone sh everybody talk about everywhere i go. i got to try to get in on it. >> it's amazing what things stick in recent history that people are fascinated with.

21 years after the verdict. >> i'm embarrassed to say, part of the reason going to the law school watching the o.j. simpson case. pretty embarrassing. up next, we'll check in with lauren and an update on the roads and the rails. you're watching "today in new york." you can't predict the market. but through good times and bad... ...at t. rowe price... ...we've helped our investors stay confident for over 75 years. call us or your advisor. t. rowe price.

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a toddler among five people injured in a house fire. >> tracie strahan was the first reporter on the scene. tracie? >> reporter: we've learned that that 2-year-old suffered burns to her arms as she and her family were forced to escape from a second-floor window. want to show you what was happening just after 4:00 this morning here on irving street, number 33. that fire spread to two other homes as well. the fire chief tells us, right now it appears to be accidental. the father who lived here heard a crackling on the first floor and that's where they believe it started early this morning. five people suffered minor injuries. no other injuries reported. back to you. >> tracie, thank you. now katherine creag in greenwich village with the latest on that frightening restaurant attack. kat? >> reporter: absolutely frightening darlene and michael. the victim a waiter at this restaurant had to get 120 stitches across his face. police at this point are still looking for the attacker. this happened at 8:00 last night

on laguardia place and houston street. police tell us that the suspect walked into the restaurant asking customers and workers for money. a manager asked him to leave. he became apgry and slashed the victim. he was hospitalized, the victim. he's 25 years old but he was released from the hospital with the stitches on his face. back to you. we want to check in with lauren and check on traffic and transit this morning. >> we have our first subway delay of the morning. figures it happens now. there are delays in both directions on the d-line. something to keep in mind there. also, on the roads an accident on the garden state parkway southbound after exit 135, central avenue. that's in the right lane. delays are pretty bad already. it's quite slow. they're almost back a mile. then heading over to the palisades parkway, earlier it was shut down southbound. there's an stent on the ramp to the george washington bridge. one lane reopened. watch out for delays into that area. we still have a closure on route

in teterboro. westbound the lane is blocked. you can see delays in both directions. it will likely turn into an accident investigation. could be there for a while. an accident on the queensboro bridge lower level head today queens. >> a lot of reaction to the pulaski skyway extension now. this is going to go on for another year. >> i will say that the -- we haven't had too many problems with the alternates, truck route 1 and 9. they were organized with that. it's been pretty good. >> all right. >> that's true. we thought it would be a nightmare. weather is not a nightmare. lauren is busier than i am. cold. low to mid-20s north and west. a bit of a wind stirring up from time to time will make it feel colder. this is a typical february day. the good news, it will be bright and sunny. a few patchy clouds early. high of 37. in the lower 20s tonight. teens in the suburbs. colder tomorrow morning than this morning. 40 tomorrow afternoon with a sunny start. cloudy finish. the clouds, actually the forerunner of milder air that

rain shower. sun and clouds in the afternoon. sun followed by clouds sunday. around 50 or so. maybe a shower or two at night. a storm tuesday into wednesday. still looks like a rainmaker, not a snow maker. we'll keep you posted. rain, not snow. the "today" show is coming up next. "today in new york." good morning. breaking overnight the white house expected to announce today that president obama will head to cuba next month, the first american president to go there in nearly 90 years. a historic trip being met with praise and criticism. game change? ted cruz just ahead of donald trump in our new national poll. >> the sounds you're hearing is the sound of screams coming from washington, d.c. >> this morning why trump says he is not buying those results. slippery slope? the tech world lining up behind