Happening Today: Nor'easter, Snow Safety, Health Care, Pi Day

Get the top headlines of the day in your morning briefing from NBC 4 New York, Monday through Friday. Sign up for our newsletter here.

Winter Storm Rolls Into Northeast

A powerful nor'easter is beginning to lash the mid-Atlantic and the Northeast prompting flight cancellations, school closures and warnings from city and state officials to stay off the roads. The National Weather Service issued blizzard warnings for parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine. The storm was expected to dump 1 to 2 feet of snow on the New York City metro area with wind gusts of up to 55 mph. According to the airline-tracking website FlightAware, more than 5,000 Tuesday flights were canceled. Amtrak also canceled and modified service up and down the Northeast Corridor. In New York City, the above-ground portions of the subway system were being shut down Tuesday morning.

Tips for Driving Safely in the Snow

Hitting the roads during this nor'easter? Winter travel can be dangerous. Winter storms contribute to more than 2,000 road deaths every winter and nearly half a million crashes, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. Drive slowly: Accelerate and stop slowly to avoid skids. Hang back: Increase the distance between you and the vehicle in front of you. Easy on the brake: Brake early by applying firm, steady pressure on the pedal. Taking hills: Don’t power up hills — your wheels may just begin to spin. Here are more driving tips and here's what to do to stay safe in the snow. 

Pi Day 2017: 3.14 Things to Know

Today is Pi Day, a national celebration of the mathematical concept, which is the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter and equals 3.14... Two years ago, 3-14-15, was the only day this century that matched pi, commonly approximated as 3.14159. Schools and museums often plan events to celebrate the concept, which has fascinated humans for centuries. It seems the Egyptians used pi in the construction of the Great Pyramid because when the perimeter is divided by its height, one gets a close approximation to 2π. It’s the same result if one divides the circumference of a circle by its radius.

Trump’s Backing Plan That Breaks Promises

President Trump rode to the White House making big promises on health care — pledges he is now in serious danger of breaking, NBC News reported. One example: Trump said in his speech announcing his run for president that he would "save Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security without cuts," and bragged on Twitter that he was the first Republican contender to make that pledge. But the Congressional Budget Office has found Trump would break his promise — by a mile. Obamacare expanded Medicaid to cover about 11 million more people, but the House bill would reduce Medicaid spending by $880 billion by 2026, at which point it would spend a full 25 percent less than under current law. Millions stand to lose health coverage under the GOP bill, according to Congress' budget analysts. 

Cardboard Boxes as Cribs? Safety Sleep Program Expands

Cardboard boxes certainly aren't new technology. But when they're linked to a practice that started in Finland decades ago to help babies sleep safely, they're taking on a new purpose as so-called baby boxes make their way to the U.S. Parents are beginning to take baby boxes home from hospitals along with their newborns. A Los Angeles-based company has partnered with health officials to give the boxes away for free and an online initiative offers advice aimed at reducing sudden unexpected infant deaths. New Jersey and Ohio were the first to participate statewide in the program.

Recommended Viewing for Your Snow Day

If you're on the East Coast you're already planning on being snowed in Tuesday as a winter wallop descends across the region. The winter storm provides an unexpected opportunity to veg out in front of the boob tube. Here's a quick rundown of some of the programs currently streaming on Netflix just for your snow day viewing pleasure.