Morning Express with Robin Meade

Active weather continues all across the U.S. A major storm is sliding across the MW this morning with lots of rain, wind, snow and even thunderstorms. I’ve seen tornado warnings in IN and S Il this morning early ahead of the front, and the severe weather threat should switch to MS and AL by this afternoon as the strong cold front settles southward today. The steady stream, of rain is moving through the Mid South and SE too, with some freezing rain and snow pockets trapped in the NE valleys. I’ll show you the latest radar on the show.

The conga-line of storms is set for the NW starting today. There will be one storm a day for the next 4-5 days in OR/WA/ID with heavy mountain snow and valley rain. Some of the totals will get to 3’ in the Cascades of snow, I’ll have the forecast.

Who says people are the only ones who should get to enjoy a day on the slopes?

Need to kill some more time in your day? Oh so many more "viral videos" to watch and share with all your social media buddies are conveniently located on HLNtv.com.

Here we go NFL fans; the playoffs continue to roll. Here's a look at the weather forecast and my picks for the games:

New Orleans at San Francisco:
4:30 pm EST game, weather looks great! High temperatures around 60 with light winds. The saints are on a roll and the 49ers may get off to a slow start since the didn't play last week. I predict New Orleans 35 – San Francisco 17.

Friday looks good on you doll.
Yes it does.
I've saved you a place for the show this morning.
Here's what we are talking about:
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You'll get your fill of snow today in MI, IN, OH, NY and other places.
The winds are nothing to mess with either.
Bob will tell you how far south the winter weather warnings go.
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The 4 convicted murderers who were among the clemencies blocked in Mississippi...are no where to be found!
Besides that...what can law enforcement do anyway? If someone has been pardoned (in this case by outgoing Gov. Haley Barbour) ...how is it you can call them back? They haven't broken any new laws!
That's tricky.
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Happening today: Joran van der Sloot finds out how long he'll spend in jail for the murder of a 21-year-old woman in Peru.
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The first air fare hike of 2012.
(That didn't take long!)
Find out how much more it's gonna cost you to fly.
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A woman playing "Words with Friends" became a lifesaver, from half a world away.
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2 of the Marines shown in a controversial and troubling video have been identified.
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Tee hee.
Stephen Colbert throws his hat in the political ring... again.
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Gotta run friend!

Thursday is connected to Friday!
Need we say more?
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Hi pal.
Here's what our super-snappy team is working on so you're the most in-the-know at work today:

Those pardons from Haley Barbour that included 14 convicted murderers? BLOCKED!
And listen to the accusations the outgoing Mississippi governor ran the state like Boss Hog!
But what about the people the former governor says served their time for lesser crimes and just needed help with their record to move on with their life and do things like get a job?
More from both sides here.
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If you drive a Ford, the company is saying this, possibly about YOUR ride:
DON'T park it in the garage!
More on a 450,000-car recall.
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Too many or just right?
New guidelines are out for how many embryos should be implanted if you’re having in-vitro fertilization.
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The rubber-band snap of winter will sting our viewers in three places today.
Watch for Bob’s precise forecast.
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By the way... Bob is taking over our Facebook page from 9am to 10am ET (6am to 7am PT) today. He'll be live on the air and lively online from Studio H during the show... so click over to facebook.com/MorningExpressHLN and LIKE us to join the party (be sure to click the "Everyone (Most Recent)" link right under the pictures at the top).
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Just released... depositions from psych evaluations of Casey Anthony before her trial. She made some shocking claims.
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Didn't get to stay up late for the People's Choice Awards. My people are in touch with their people so you can be one of the people who knows. Haaaa!
Check out who won and the red carpet goodness here.
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<Here comes the Arctic air screaming down from Canada to the S like a jailbreak. Temps are in the teens and single digits in the Upper MD and N Plains now, and the leading edge has the snow falling in MO, WI, IL, IA and shortly into MI and IN. Winter weather advisories are up for the area and some warnings in N IN/W MI for around 5-10” of snow. The main surface low is struggling to move northward into NE, but that is producing a separate shot of rain and snow in the NE. Check out the radar!

I’ll show you the big picture on the show, but you don’t need me to tell you air travel will be slow from the NE to the MW.

Uggh. Didn't sleep one wink last night. Pass the caffeine, Frank.
However, we still will put some pep in YOUR step and news in your brain as you get ready for your day.
Here goes:
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Mitt wins. You expected that. But did you expect Ron Paul to do so well?
What about the second and third positions? They too are big news.
More on the outcome and where young people put their vote.
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Plus:
You gotta hear what Paul’s camp is telling the rest of the nominees to do! Meanwhile, Romney is already sounding like the presumptive nominee in his victory message.
This morning: you have what looks to be all 6 candidates going ahead to South Carolina. But should they?
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Our Country Votes – full coverage at HLNtv.com
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What’s in your orange juice?
The government is looking into it after low levels of fungicide were detected on some Brazilian oranges.
Tune in for latest word as we get it regarding YOUR o.j. this morning.
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Penn State without a Paterno.
Why Joe Paterno’s son is now leaving the football program.
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And a little girl.. and a lion. It’s the video you’ll be talking about all day.
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See you at your regular wakeup time, rock star!

What's your flavor: sports or politics? They're both big stories today. But at HLN, we give you news in the fast lane. So, if one story doesn't interest you... wait 20 seconds for one that does!
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The game, the game. It was a blowout! Alabama clobbered LSU to become the BCS champs.
Now the nitty gritty: what did the celebrations look like overnight?
Wow...the last 2 times these teams met the defense ruled.
And: what this win means to a state run over by deadly tornadoes just a few months ago.
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Today's a biggie in the race for the GOP nomination:
The nation's first primary comes to New Hampshire.
In tiny Dixville Notch, they're done voting. We will check out the outcome there.
And why the race for 2nd and 3rd place in New Hampshire is a big deal this time around.
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The poor thing!
An elderly woman was wired with explosives. And get a load of how she says she was forced to rob a bank that way! Crazy story.
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Well looky there:
Ultrabooks are one of the hottest things being shown off at the consumer electronics show.
Watch this morning for more on what hi-tech gizmos are headed your way. (Like the iPhone, which came out 5 years ago yesterday BTW...)
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Hear from one of the spelunkers who was found after missing for days in a 13-mile-long cave.
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Texas... we got your flash flooding video here. But that rain is headed to other viewers.
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See if you think one student is too sexy for the yearbook.
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And why are some parents so upset over a new type of Cheerios?
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Don't miss the show if you want to be in the know.