growing outrage after news that the secretary of defense was admitted to an icu for days and didn't tell the public or the president. our team in d.c. with lloyd austin's statement as leaders on the hill work to stop the government shutdown. hundreds of planes grounded across the country as

investigators search for answers. how did the side of a plane bust open at 16,000 feet? the major clue investigators found overnight in a portland backyard. it was whiteout weekend for the northeast, with some areas now digging out of a foot and a half of snow. meteorologist michelle grossman is tracking a new weather system making its way across the country. and a gold en knight in los angeles. the big winners of the night. did your favorite stars walk home empty handed? we've got your golden globes recap. and a surprise slumber party at grandma's. hear from the family whose unexpected reunion took social media by storm. it's monday, january 8th. "early today" starts right now. good morning. good to be with you. i'm frances rivera. we begin with a growing question about a health scare suffered by our nation's defense secretary. a service defense official tells nbc news the deputy for secretary lloyd austin learned austin was in the hospital two

days after she had taken over his duties. nbc's drew petrimoulx joins us. what do we know about his condition? >> reporter: good morning. austin was still in the hospital. a pentagon spokesperson says he is recovering well and in good spirits, but said there is no date for his release at this time. when austin is released, many lawmakers are calling for consequences and a briefing over the lack of transparency. the pentagon says austin was hospitalized the evening of january 1st for complications following a recent elective procedure. his responsibilities were transferred to deputy defense secretary kathleen hicks on january 2nd. but a senior u.s. official tells nbc news it was not until january 4th that austin's deputy was notified about the hospitalization, and that's the same day the pentagon also informed white house national security adviser jake sullivan who then told president biden. in a statement, secretary austin says he is very glad to be on the mend and says he recognizes he could have done a better job

ensuring the public was appropriately informed. it's still unclear what elective procedure the secretary had or what complications it caused. >> andrew, while the defense secretary focuses on his recovery, congress has taken a step toward approving defense spending. what can you tell us about the new funding deal? >> that's right. so house speaker mike johnson and senate majority leader chuck schumer announced a $1.5 trillion spending deal. it includes $886 billion for defense programs, and $704 billion for nondefense programs. the program cuts an additional $10 billion in irs spending and about $6 billion from covid era spending. members return to work on the hill today and they have 12 days to avoid a government shutdown. congress still needs to allocate this money, write bills and pass them. so the clock is ticking for leaders of both parties to convince their members to finalize this deal. >> drew, thank you.

the first contest of the 2024 presidential election is only a week away. all eyes are on the iowa ahead of the caucuses. former president trump campaigned there on the third anniversary of the january 6th attack on the capitol. this week he'll be in court related to charges that he tried to overturn the last presidential election. meanwhile, the biden campaign has been focused on fighting hate and extremism. today president biden will travel to charleston, south carolina. he will deliver a speech at the mother emanuel church where nine black church goers were killed by a white supremacist in 2015. aviation agencies around the world are grounding boeing 737s after a nightmare on board an alaska airlines flight on friday. a piece of the max 9 jet fell off midair, forcing the plane to make an emergency landing. overnight investigators found a major clue to what went wrong. the door plug that blew off was discovered in a portland teacher's backyard. the ntsb will begin analyzing it

today. t tom costello has the latest. >> reporter: new image show the focus on the ntsb's investigation, the gaping hole where a sealed and plugged door hole blew out in a violent explosion as the brand-new alaska airlines plane was flying at 16,000 feet on its way from portland to ontario, california. the pilots wearing oxygen masks forced to make an emergency landing back in portland. >> alaska 72, we just decompressed. >> a big boom. a mini explosion in the rear of the plane. >> reporter: passengers described a terrifying flight. >> moisture and fluid almost like a crowd rushing from the front of the plane back. it blew my hat back, the hair was blown back. >> reporter: evan granger sitting several seats in front of the hole. >> i didn't want to look back to

see what is happening. i knew something happened. and my focus in that moment was breathe into the oxygen mask and trust that the flight crew will do everything they can to keep us safe. >> reporter: thankfully, no one was sitting in seats 26 a or b next to the hole. but the ntsb chief says nearby seats are twisted and bent. the empty seats headrest and seats missing, sucked out of the plane. a teenaged boy sitting one row forward had his shirt ripped off. it happened behind the plane's left wing. an emergency hole in case airlines want to carry more passengers. otherwise the door is plugged and sealed leaving an ordinary window. investigators will be looking whether that was bolted in place during manufacturing. inside the plane the wind violently pulled the cockpit door free, slamming it against the lavatory. damage throughout the plane. had the explosion occurred at cruising altitude, it could have

been catastrophic. >> something like that at 34,000, 35,000 feet, it's not just cold weather you're looking at, you're looking at a lack of oxygen. and pretty significant consequences very early from that lack of oxygen and folks in the cabin. >> reporter: with the faa grounding the max 9, airlines around the world have been forced to cancel hundreds of flights. in the u.s., alaska canceling 170. united 180, saying it's waiting for the faa to provide directions. >> our thanks to come costello for that report. california may no longer enforce a ban in public places after a federal appeals court ruled that a lower court order should remain in effect. senate bill 2 is now on hold after gun rights activists sued the state for bridging their second amendment rights. the bill had been signed into law by governor gavin newsom in september. at the time, the democrats hailed it as a common sense measure. it was a big night at the

81st golden globes awards. where the best in film and tv are celebrated on one stage. comedian jo koy took on hosting duties, but the night belonged to "oppenheimer." >> robert, cillian, my partner in crime. the only time i'd ever been on stage before was accepting one on behalf of our deer friend heath ledger. >> killian murphy and emma stone took home lead acting prizes for "oppenheimer" and "poor things" respectively. the globes crowned "barbie" the first ever winner in a brand-new category, cinematic and box office achievement. plus best original song by billie eilish and phineas. "succession" dominated with four wins. "the bear" trailed with three honors. and "beef" made history by becoming the first show created by and starring asian americans to win in its category, taking

three wins. and lily gladstone made waves as the first indigenous winner of best performance by a female actor in "killers of the flower moon." now more on the winter wa wallop. some towns in massachusetts saw over a foot of snow. over 5,000 people are still without poyer there this morning. snowy roads led to dangerous driving conditions causing multiple tractor-trailers to jackknife. and the same storm dumping at least 15 inches in parts of pennsylvania and upstate new york. but the snow drought continues for cities, including the big apple and philadelphia. and another winter storm system from the rockies is now marching east and could bring up to a foot of snow across the central u.s. nbc meteorologist michelle grossman is tracking all of it and so much more. good morning, michelle. >> good morning, frances. great to see you. it was a busy weekend weather-wise. we're watching one cross-country storm over the next few days, and another one starting

wednesday. so we're looking at the chance for really heavy snow, blizzard-like conditions in portions of the plains. we're also looking at damages winds, a chance for severe storms and damaging winds. you can see some blue on the map. that's snow falling. the green is the rain. and we're looking at a very, very busy week. millions under alerts right now. we're looking at 82 million under wind alerts, 25 million under winter alerts, and 33 million under flood alerts because we're really saturated in the northeast. we're expecting some heavy rain tuesday into wednesday. so this multithreat system today, we're looking at blizzard-like conditions across the plains. severe weather along the gulf coast. and we could see some nocturnal tornadoes. that's double as dangerous with nighttime tornadoes. tomorrow the heaviest snow fall manage the great lakes. we're looking at a chance of severe storms in the southeast and heav

looking at the chance for severe storms along the gulf coast states. so houston, san antonio, you could see some thunderstorms. and that's a look at your monday forecast. frances? >> michelle, thank you. blasts in the new year. >> ignition and liftoff. go falcon. >> this is the company's third launch in 2024, sending two dozen starling satellites into orbit on sunday. the company says it aims to launch 144 missions this year. that's light years beyond its record of 98 launches set for 2023. all right. return doesn't mean reshelve. we're back with a look at where unwanted gifts go after the holidays. plus, setting thste r eloveta to the play-off.

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means a surge of holiday gift returns. but there is no magic sleigh to get them back to eretailers meaning your packages could end up in surprising places. how companies and shoppers are cashing in. >> reporter: if you remember returning this grill, these mouse ears, or this holiday lawn flamingo, you might be surprised to find that holiday gift you just didn't want, well, it didn't go back on the shelf. it comes to places like this, where tens of thousands of items a day will come in returns that will be someone else's discounted treasure. so how big is this facility? thinking building just over 100,000 square feet. it has about 10,000 items coming in every day. >> reporter: jeff is the general manager of liquidity services. part of a growing industry of companies that have made a business off of returns. with a boost from the holidays. americans spent nearly a trillion dollars this holiday season and will likely return 15% of that, more than $140

billion worth of stuff. for retailers, checking returns and then putting them back on the shelves takes time, costs money and requires more staff. >> there is also an unboxing that has to happen. if a retailer is online only, there is a warehousing aspect. >> reporter: so instead, companies like jeffs take the stuff off their hands and then turn around and sell it, and they're busier than ever. >> sometimes we will do this as a service to retailers, and sometimes we'll buy them directly. >> reporter: each day bringing literal truckloads of surprises. so what's coming off the truck? you don't know what's in there? >> it could be anything under the sun. >> reporter: step one, sort through all of those returned items. >> we're walking by pallets of mostly returns. and again, this is any kind of product. we see furniture. we see home items. we see kid pools.

>> reporter: step two, inventory the items and check the quality. then a quick photo for listing online where buyers bid. >> you win the auction, then you come and pick up your items. you come here once a week about? >> about once a week. >> reporter: stacey adam buys home products at 80 to 90% off. then resells them on facebook. it's kind of like treasure hunting. >> it is. it's like christmas every time. >> reporter: it's a win-win. shoppers save big, and that unwanted stuff doesn't end up in a landfall. >> consumers really want great deals and they want products that they feel good about buying. >> reporter: although once taken off the lot, all sales are final. no returns. brian cheung, nbc news, pennsylvania. >> still to come, the state is set for nfl play-offs. we break down the blowout sunday. right after this. for $17 a month, my plan includes counseling-

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straight nfc south crown after shutting out the league worst panthers. in green bay, jordan love was awarded his first play-off berth as a starter after carrying on the tradition of sweeping the bears. meanwhile, the cowboys took full advantage of the eagles' late season stumbles. dallas clobbered the commanders en route to their first nfc east title since 2021. and despite control of their division for most of the year, the jaguars won't be sniffing the play-offs at all. theydropped their final game against the titans, ceding control of the afc south to the houston texans who knocked off the colts on saturday night. the play-off action you got it right here. it kicks off this week as the texans take on the cleveland browns right here on nbc. coming up on "early today," a.i. is face mortgage well level woes, this time from shorts. and the roet sotckhoing for the moon as we speak. details on the launch, next. ing.

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we are back with what you need to know early today. children who consumed lead-contaminated wanabana's apple sauce pouchs may have also been exposed to the heavy metal chromium 6. the cdc has received 287 probable and confirmed reports of elevated blood lead levels linked to the pouchs. new authors are suing a.i. alleging they simply stole their copyrighted work to help build the artificial intelligence. this comes on the heels of a similar suit by "the new york times." the united launch alliance's vulcan rocket just completed its first successful launch from cape canaveral, florida. the american-made rocket is taking a robotic spacecraft called peregrine to the moon to perform experiments for nasa. wonka continues its lead.

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campbell in ohio had no idea their grown-up grandkids would be showing up at the door. one by one, all seven of them from across the country after weeks secretly planning this surprise sleepover. >> our favorite people in the world! >> reporter: it's part of a wholesome trend that's catching on. adult grandchildren nationwide surprising grandparents with slumber parties. from texas -- >> party time! >> reporter: to michigan. >> what are you doing? you're going to sleep here tonight? [ laughter ] >> reporter: and back in ohio. >> that's great! are you serious? [ laughter ] >> reporter: to be clear, you have no idea any of this stuff is going on. >> no. >> absolutely not. >> reporter: the cousins' plan coming together in a secret group chat, building up to that big night. jammies, brownies, even brook's famous buffalo chicken dip.

tory halen had hustled back from college in south carolina. >> they're so deserving of our time in every way. >> reporter: what were you thinking when you saw that door open and they started coming in. >> i was so confused and so blessed that these seven kids thought so much of us they wanted to spend another sleepover with us after so many years of doing the same thing with them. >> reporter: i hear the emotion in your voice. why? >> because they're so dear to us, and they always make time for us. and they're the center of our world, and they have been for 28 years. >> reporter: that's when this tradition began, when they were just kids sharing snacks, swapping stories, and whipping up treats. >> they really just spoiled us and made us feel so loved. >> this is all planned all along? >> yeah. >> reporter: the perfect gift. >> oh, my gosh, this is -- >> reporter: an unforgettable

surprise. >> now look what you did. >> i know. >> reporter: what does this experience tell us about the power of family? >> that they would find the time to share their love with us, that we've come to treasure so much. i just wish everybody could have some of what we've had over the years. it's so important, and they are priceless to us. just priceless. >> hope it's more than just a trend of those sleepovers stick around. thank you so much to peter for sharing that story. and thanks to you for watching "ely today."ar

biden's cabinet, critics calling for action after a secret hospital stay for the secretary of defense. we're live with why it took days before anyone was alerted in the white house. the northeast still digging out from the massive winter storm, some sp