mounting tensions in the middle east. a senior hamas leader killed, not in gaza but in a beirut blast. raising new fears of a widening war in the region. a crimson controversy.

harvard's president calling it quits, resigning after allegations of plagiarism and backlash about her testimony about anti-semitism. who's set to take her spot for now. another bribery scandal hits bob menendez, accused of aiding qatar in exchange for lavish gifts. trouble with a capital t the u.s. national debt blasts past $34 trillion for the first time ever. how it could impact the economy this year. plus, tips for you to become a better saver in 2024 the thermos that's cooler than ever. over a century later, how the stanley tumbler became a status symbol "early today" starts right now good morning, i'm frances rivera israel is being blamed after the apparent drone strike assassination of a senior hamas leader in lebanon.

he and six other members were killed yesterday in a suburb of the capital beirut, the organization confirms. the lebanese prime minister condemned it as an israeli crime, and hezbollah said the killings would not go unanswered let's go live now to claudio lavanga. good morning what are the israelis saying >> reporter: good morning frances. israel so far has neither confirmed nor denied any involvement or responsibility in the attack, but usually this is what happens in these cases. but yesterday andrea mitchell on msnbc spoke to the senior adviser to benjamin netanyahu and did ask him about the attack so let's take a listen to what he had to say. >> whoever did this strike was very surgical and went for a hamas target, because israel is at war, whoever did this has a gripe with hamas >> reporter: can you see that as a veiled reference to israel, of

course, but other israeli lawmakers weren't so subtle, including danny danon, a far-right politician in israel and also the former israeli ambassador to the united nations. on his x account he openly congratulated the israeli defense forces for the assassination, but hezbollah doesn't need any claim or responsibility, because it holds israel fully responsible for the s assassination. and nasrallah vowed to fully retaliate. but this was no regular official he was part of the military wing in the west bank but of course, also, and the most importantly, the key figure in the relations between hamas and iran, and that's why probably israel now had be bra hawill be

bracing for retaliation from three sides. embattled harvard president claudine gay has stepped down after six months in the position she was the first black president. this follows backlash to her testimony at a congressional hearing when elise stefanik questioned her over anti-semitism. they found no violation of the university standards for research conduct allan gerber will be serving as interim president. now to breaking news new legal trouble for senator bob menendez the new jersey democrat is facing new allegations of bribery and corruption, this time involving a qatari company. drew, good morning menendez was already facing charges. what's in this new indictment? >> reporter: good morning, frances. this is a new version of the

federal indictment that already charged menendez in a bribery scheme he was already accused of accepting bribes from egypt's government the new supersedinw supersedingt invol involves a businessman getting investment from a qatari company. he is alleged to have received gold bars and other items, photos of luxury watches were found with the quo quote, how about one of those menendez pleaded not guilty and denied any wrongdoing, and an attorney called it a baseless assumption menendez has refused calls to step down from congress. more than two dozen senate democrats have asked him to

resign >> let's switch gears to the latest on the 2024 election. primary season is coming in less than two weeks, and donald trump is fighting to keep his name on the ballot >> reporter: donald trump has appealed the ruling in maine that would ban him from the ballot in that state maine's secretary of state had ruled that the former president's actions during the january 6 attack on the capitol make him ineligible to run because of a provision in the constitution that bars anyone who has engaged in insurrection from holding office. in his appeal, mr. trump calls maine's democratic secretary of state biassed and says she has no authority to act. this appeal is going to the maine superior court, but trump is expected to also appeal a similar ruling that would keep him off the ballot in colorado to the u.s. supreme court. the colorado republican party has also asked the court to weigh in, donald trump, who is the frontrunner, had remain on

the ballot through the appeals poll ses we are learning more about a deadly crash in new york the driver may have been trying to hit the crowd here's emilie ikeda. >> reporter: new details emerging about what led to this fiery crash in rochester, new york, less than an hour into the new year investigators now identifying 35-year-old michael avery, saying he made at least half a dozen purchases of gasoline and fuel containers after driving to rochester and then rent ing a su at the airport, later running to the kodak center and a crowd coming out of a concert. >> he sped up, crossed over into the incoming lane of traffic and appears to have been intentionally driving forward the pedestrian crossing. >> reporter: he struck a ride share vehicle with a force that pushed both suvs into people, injuring nine pedestrians and killing two passengers in the

ride share josh orr and justina hughes, whose families say were best friends. this from rochester's mayor. >> i have been getting inundated with questions as to why this individual would choose, number one, rochester, new york, and why he would appear to target concert-goers. those are all questions that have been raised and things that we just don't have answers to yet. >> reporter: as investigators comb through avery's belongings, the fbi is underscoring. >> so far we've uncovered no evidence of ideology and no nexus to terrorism >> reporter: while there's no clear motive right now, in speaking with avery's family, they believe he may have been suffering from undiagnosed mental illness he died in the hospital overnight. officials in japan are investigating a deadly crash at a tokyo airport. a passenger jet slammed into a coast guard plane on the runway, killing five people on board miraculously, all 379 people on

board the bigger plane survived the fiery collision escaping down two emergency chutes. it took six hours to extinguish the fire the smaller plane was on the way to deliver aid to earthquake victims. the death toll in that crisis is still rising scores of people are feared trapped in collapsed buildings now to another round of heavy snow heading to the west but angie lassman is tracking the systems for us, good morning, angie >> if someone mistakes me for michelle, i feel good about that i love her we have rain that you just mentioned across portioning of the gulf coast moving out of texas into louisiana and this system will be on the move impacting folks from louisiana to the carolinas with rain, the

heaviest looks to be focussed along the gulf coast pack that umbrella if you're headed out in that region through the day today. we look out west by the time tomorrow rolls around, we've got snow for parts of the southern rockies, then we'll start to see more shower activity working through portions of the south. texas all the way to the gulf coast. by the time friday rolls around we'll start drawing in moisture from the gulf with this system as it works farther to the north. we will potentially see the chance for snow, a wintry mix, rain across portions of the mid atlantic and northeast but the exact location and track of this system is going tor loue detroit hits 36 degrees. chicago deals with mostly cloudy conditions and temperatures into

the mid-30s. and that's a look at your forecast, frances, back to you >> apologies for the brain fog >> no worries. "early today" is back in a minute with how can you hit financial goals for 2024, plus, $34 trillion and counting. what the country's staggering debt could mean for the economy. debt could mean for the economy. oh, no! bye, bye cough. later chest congestion. hello 12 hours of relief. 12 hours?! hmmm, ok. not coughing at yoga. antiquing not coughing? not coughing at the movies?! hashtag still not coughing?! aaah. oww! mucinex dm gives you 12 hours of relief from chest congestion and any type of cough, day or night. it's not cough season. it's always comeback season. it ain't my dad's razor, dad. ay watch it! it's from gillettelabs. this green bar releases trapped hairs from my face... gamechanga! ...while the flexdisc contours to it. so the five blades can get virtually every hair in one stroke. for the ultimate gillette shaving experience.

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of course you have seen the federal reserve and the united states raise interest rates, and that has raised the debt profile of the united states as well in many ways. spending has remained above pre-covid-19 levels, meaning that people are incurring a little bit more debt as well tax receipts, that dropped off last year as well. it is a bit of a shaky situation. remember, 2 trillion, that's how much that debt has been raised by since the beginning of last year so that kind of does tell you how much growth has happened in one year question mark about whether this will impact the u.s. economy economists are a little bit here and there about this one, there is increased fragility, it has been resilient over the last year, but the key yes mark,que question mark, is there probability to raise even more

don't be like the u.s. government in 2024 if your new year's resolution is to budget better, we have tips to hit your financial goals. >> reporter: the first step to meeting financial goals is to know where your money is know what's coming in and what's going out. then you can set your priorities experts say to start with bite-sized, achievable goals >> a lot of people, much like nit fitness, want to get into the best shape of their lives starting the new year and financially speaking, it doesn't work that way. it's good to start small and start building those financial muscles. >> reporter: make a weekly appointment with yourself to clerk o check on nur speyour spending a saving small dollars can really add up. but it takes time. say you start with $20 in a high-yield savings account earning 5% interest and add $20 a week in one year, you'll save over a

thousand dollars in five years, you'll have close to $6,000. and in ten years, you'll have saved over $13,000 when it comes to spending, be intentional. ask yourself, what do i need what brings me joy and how can i get that without wracking up debt figure out what you can safely spend and still meet your financial goals. you don't have to do it alone. find an accountability partner, a family member, friend or financial adviser who can help you stick to your goals. for cnbc, i'm sharon epperson. >> good advice still to come, a celebration of life one year after his life changed forever. damar hamlin is remembering his remarkable recovery with a meaningful new tattoo, coming up right after this tattoo, comingp right after this. t to feel prot! especially for those sudden gush moments. when your keys are in the door and your body's like, “it's happening”! if you're worried about your protection, it's not the right protection. always discreet protects like no other. with double leak guards

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>> young able to escape. deflected and picked off >> carolina's despair is chicago's hope on sunday, the 2 and 14 panthers secured the top pick in the 2024 nfl draft after their shutout loss to the jaguars, but they won't be picking anywhere in the first round. carolina traded their 2024 first rounder to the chicago bears last year for the opportunity to draft bryce young first overall. chicago now holds the sought-after first pick in the draft. you've got the commanders and patriots tentatively they sit at spots two and three, ahead of the final weekend of nfl action. can you believe it yeah, that's when you start the new year here we are in this point of the nfl and looking ahead to the draft. >> week 17 and i think the bears will be glad to have this pick the next round. because of course the season was not their best and the panthers' rough season

isn't restricted to the football field. david tepper was fined $300,000 for what was called unacceptable conduct. this follow as video that circulated of tepper throwing a drinkal jaguars fans during the loss in jacksonville he said he regrets his behavior and cited the passion he has for his team carolina has gone through three head coaches and failed to post a winning record since tepper's 2018 purchase of the team. people are calling him the worst owner in the nfl but he's the second richest $300,000, it seems like a drop in the bucket for bad behavior for him. >> but still, when it comes to that a money, it never gives you the pass for that kind of behavior one year ago today the world was holding its breath waiting for good news on damar hamlin. now fully recovered, he is marking the anniversary of the cardiac arrest he suffered on national television. a miami tattoo artist posted

pictures with hamlin showing off the new art. the newest tattoo feature two hands making the heart shape with an electrocardiograb in the cen center he has constantly put himself out there with his foundation. when we come back, universal has surpass ed a movie-making giant. and a classic video game has been beat after nearly four decades. beat after nearly four decades. you can't leave without cuddles. but, you also can't leave covered in hair. with bounce pet, you can cuddle and brush that hair off.

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we are back with what you need to know "early today. universal pictures took home the title of the top-grossing studio for 2023, denying disney the top spot for the first time since 2015 universal, which is owned by our parent company, nbc universal, took over $4.9 billion at the

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>> reporter: drawing screams of excitement and tears of joy this year's hottest status symbol and most-coveted holiday gift >> i got a stanley >> reporter: is the stanley tumbler. the 40-ounce quencher, a favorite for preteens and adults alike costs $45. fans lining up for new releases and limited-edition items like these valentine's day bottles. it's reminding some of the beanie bbean b beanie baby cce craze. the sales have gone from $75 million to $750 million, a massive bump for a brand that's been around for more than a century. but how did stanley cups go from

thermoses for construction workers to a 13-year-old's dream gift at first the quencher was a flop it wasn't until a group of moms running a blog took liking to it >> they had a keen eye for what colors might work for their audience, and they were right. >> reporter: stanley's president spoke to our colleagues at cnbc. under his direction, stanley moved into the world of pastels >> it was a slow build over many months, and then you can see that the waiting lists began to grow >> like so many other items, there's often a status water bottle as funny as that might sound >> reporter: it's not the first water bottle to reach cult status swell and hydroflasks with their own moments in the spotlight >> i think more than anything, the velocity and quantity at which there are postings online

is creating a sense of urgency >> reporter: consumers going beyond buying bottles for daily use. tiktokers often showing off their collection of colors >> ways for them to express themself, more so than just a way to carry water around to hydrate themselves at this point. >> reporter: the quencher's rise putting stanley on the radar for more consumers, and the company is looking to seize that opportunity. >> we're more than just the quencher >> reporter: steven romo, nbc news >> my cabinet's full of swells and hydroflasks, but not a stanley. guess i t to jump ongo

a fiery landing. the moment a japan airlines plane collides wite collides wc