♪ desantis drops out. there is one less republican in the race for the white house. governor desantis endorsing the

former president as he calls it quits on his campaign. what the move means for the remaining candidates as they close in on the new hampshire primary. the country digs out from a heart freeze, the moment a group of snowmobiles save a man buried in an avalanche. spacex successfully brings four astronauts into the orr git. the 36 hour journey that has one country celebrating a historic milestone. a wild scene at ford field matched with heartbreak in buffalo. the lions one game closer to their first super bowl ever. the kansas city chiefs send the bills packing. and speaking of the big game, imagine in patrick mahomes showed up to give you two free tickets to the super bowl. it's monday, january 22nd, "early today" starts right now.

good morning, i'm frances rivera. donald trump has one less challenger in his race for the white house. once considered a top contender, florida governor ron desantis has ended his presidential campaign leaving nikki haley as the last rival for trump in the republican primary. here's nbc's dasha burns. >> reporter: the republican presidential field one candidate smaller. >> i can't ask our supporters to volunteer their time and donate their resources wechlt don't have a clear path to victory. >> reporter: florida governor ron desantis dropping out of the race. >> accordingly, i am today suspending my campaign. >> reporter: the decision coming days after desantis committed to staying in through the south carolina primary at the end of february. >> are you in through the end of march? do you have the money and the staff and the ability to compete through the end of march? >> yes on that, 100%, we can do that. >> reporter: desantis once the top contender to take on former president trump, now endorsing his rival.

>> trump is superior to the current incumbent, joe biden, i signed a pledge to support the republican nominee, and i will honor that pledge. >> reporter: the florida governor had staked his campaign on success in iowa, pouring the vast majority of his resources into the hawk eye state, and still losing to trump by 30 points. donald trump said in a statement he was quote, honored to have his endorsement. >> i want to say to ron, he ran a great race. he's been a good governor. >> reporter: nikki haley now remains the lone contender to the former president with the new hampshire primary just days away, haley hammering trump again. >> i don't know if he was confused. i don't know what happened. it should be enough to send us a warning sign. >> reporter: after mr. trump repeatedly referred to nikki haley instead of former speaker of the house, nancy pelosi. >> nikki haley is in charge of national guard, whatever they want, they turned it out.

>> reporter: mr. trump later saying, i feel my mind is stronger now than it was 25 years ago. >> reporter: the latest poll from cnn and the university of new hampshire has trump at 50%, haley at 39%. the question now, where that 6% supporting desantis goes. >> our thanks to dasha for that report. donald trump's civil defamation trial continues today in new york, found liable for sexually abusing and defaming writer, e. jean carroll. according to a source close to mr. trump, he wants to testify and that could happen as soon as today. talks to release israeli hostages being held in gaza are at an impasse after israel rejects hamas's demand for a permanent cease fire. that's according to a diplomat with knowledge of the talks. the islamist extremist group is demanding a full withdrawal of israeli troops and a mass release of palestinian prisoners

from israeli detention. around 100 hostages seized on october 7th are believed to still be believed. those released talk of intolerable conditions underground. here's raf sanchez. >> reporter: we went to israeli forces to a devastated part of gaza. they took us to what looked to be an ordinary house and showed us a tunnel underknneath it and there in the dark and gloom, we got a small sense of what life has been like for hostages. at the end of this tunnel, there is no light, just minute after minute of darkness. >> this tunnel goes on and on and on. >> reporter: ever deeper beneath gaza, the air hot and thick. as you come to the end of this tunnel, you reach this. israel says it's a dungeon, where some hostages were held by hamas. five cells with caged doors that lock from the outside. >> there is a sink, a shower, and a toilet. there's no running water.

it's not clear when the last time water worked in here. >> reporter: israel says hostages were held here for weeks. what what evidence do you have that hostages were actually held her. >> we have testimony of hostages that verify this compound. we found here hair and other dna. >> reporter: you found hair and dna from the hostages here? >> yeah. >> reporter: they also say they found these pictures drawn in the darkness by 5-year-old amelia, before she was released after 45 days. since october 7th, israeli troops have rescued only one hostage alive, more than 130 are still in captivity, a fact that weighs heavily here. >> we're really trying to find them. we're doing everything we can. >> reporter: the tunnels lie below the city of khan younis, much of it destroyed by israeli air strikes. this is all that's left of the home that took ib rahim mustafa

13 years to build. everything is erased, even memories, we can't get anything out, he says, so much suffering above and below ground. israeli forces have been attacking near one of the only functioning hospitals in southern gaza. they say hamas has been shooting at them from there. i asked that military spokesman, are you planning to storm that medical facility like you did the al shifa hospital in northern gaza. he wouldn't rule that out. back to you. raf, thank you. two navy s.e.a.l.s who went missing on january 11th are being classified as deceased. according to centcom, the two went in the waerlt off the coast of somalia, while they were boarding a chip carrying weapons. it was part of the military operations intended to counter rebel attacks in the red sea. another winter wol lop of rain and snow is headed for the

midwest and plains. millions are under alert after a week of frigid temperatures brought deadly ice, high know and wind across the country. nbc news has confirmed 69 weather-related deaths since january 12th. officials warn this number will likely increase as the week goes on. a new video of a man's dramatic rescue after he was buried by an avalanche in utah. nbc news's dana griffin spoke with a friend who saved his life. >> reporter: we're getting a look at shocking moments after an avalanche buried a man in utah last week. you can hear the screams after the wall of snow barrelled down utah's american fork canyon. underneath it all, 60-year-old bob tilletson who was riding his snowmobile. >> moum? >> one i know of. i'm not sure. >> reporter: in minutes, a group

of snowmobilers, raced to the rescue, used beacons to pinpoint bob's location. >> get it so he can breathe. >> reporter: you can see them using fingers and shovels to clear snow from bob's helmet. >> hang on. don't you dare give up. >> reporter: dustin sweeten was there trying frantically to get the man out. >> the snow was packed around his mouth, nose, he was a purple color, he was not responsive. >> reporter: he estimates the man had been buried for ten minutes, longer than most survive. it's at that moment, dustin realizes, he's rescuing his own friend. >> it's bob. >> bob and i have known each other for 35 years. his family flashed through my mind, and okay, i have to get him out of here alive. >> reporter: and that he did. watch as they pull him from the snow. minutes later, bob was finally free. what emotions does that bring up for you?

>> had i been seconds longer, i think it would have been a whole different outcome. >> reporter: the lifelong friends believe their faith helped them that day, and decided to share the go pro video dustin's son unknowingly captured. an incredible story of survival, thanks to a well-trained friend who was at the right place at the right time. >> i owe these guys my life. >> reporter: dana griffin, nbc news. >> just extraordinary. the middle of the country now bracing for more severe weather throughout the midwest and plains this sunday. while the midwest watches for snow and slippery roads, the gulf coast is facing flash flood lists. nbc meteorologist michelle grossman is tracking it all this morning. >> great to see you. a soggy start in the middle of the country from southern plains to portions of the midwest and the ohio valley. we have 36 million people impacted by winter alerts,parts of arkansas into missouri.

winter storm warning in parts of oklahoma. in the white we're looking at a winter weather advisory. northern plains looking at a winter weather advisory as well as portions of the inner mountain west and pacific northwest will see snow falling tv it's going to be wet on the west coast. freezing drizzle and rain into texas, louisiana, especially the purple areas. we're looking at a chance of accumulating snow, parts of oklahoma, mississippi, could see power outages and slippery travel. heavy rain and noflooding, that a concern in the southern plains. we have gulf moisture moving on shore. that's going to bring really soggy conditions. tomorrow, a narrow band of snow moving into portions of the northeast, that's where you see the blue, and flooding from texas to tennessee. all the brights colors, reds, oranges, yellows, showing us where we could see heavy rainfall. that could continue into wednesday. we're looking at freezing rain returning to the upper midwest, north of chicago and omaha. we have a flash flood risk, locally 10 inches of rain in

spots. where you see the oranges and yellows along the gulf coast into the lower mississippi vall, portionsey been. stormy spots in south central states, really heavy rain not only today but also tomorrow and wednesday. that's your monday forecast. >> "early today" is back with not one but two major strikes hitting the picket line. and victory r chfothe iefs as the bills fall in heartbreaking action. we'll have all the action from the nfl playoffs. when better money habits® content first started coming out, it expanded what i could do for special olympics athletes with developmental needs. thousands of bank of america employees like scott

spend countless hours volunteering to teach people how to reach their financial goals. it felt good. it felt like i could take on the whole world. when your gut is out of balance, your body gives you signs. so if you're frustrated with occasional bloating... ♪♪ [stomach noises] gas... or abdominal discomfort... help stop the frustration and start taking align every day. align probiotic was specifically designed by gastroenterologists to help relieve your occasional digestive upsets. so you can enjoy life. when you feel the signs, it's time to try align. leading the news, a deadly helicopter crash in oklahoma is under investigation this morning. air evaclife team says all three crew members who were on this

medical helicopter have died. they say they lost contact with the chopper late saturday night while the team was returning to their base. the three crew members have not been identified. the ntsb is investigating the crash. two major strikes kick off this week in california and hawaii as students get ready to return to campus at many cal state schools. their teachers might not be there. the statewide teachers union called for a five -day strike starting today. contract talks have stalled after seven months of negotiations with teachers asking for a raise. 600 nurses in honolulu walked off the job and plan to stay on the picket lines for a week. contract negotiations between the hospital and union broke down over the number of patients assigned to one nurse. negotiations are set to resume on january 31st. the axiom mission three crew arrived at the international space station after an orbital journey that lasted about 36 hours. the space mission featured its

historic first all european crew, which included turkey's first ever astronaut. the crew will spend 14 days at the space station conducting experiments before returning to earth. still to come, the third playoff duo between mahomes and allen did not disappoint unless you're a bills fan. we break down the action from the nfl's divisional weekend right after this. ♪ rich, indulgent chocolate with a luscious caramel filling. discover ghirardelli caramel squares. in a bag and a bar. makes life a bite better. sometimes your work shirt needs to be for more than just work. like when it needs to be a big soft shoulder to cry on. which is why downy does more to make clothes softer, fresher,

and better. downy. breathe life into your laundry. sometimes jonah wrestles with falling asleep... ...so he takes zzzquil. the world's #1 sleep aid brand. and wakes up feeling like himself. get the rest to be your best with non-habit forming zzzquil. ♪ ♪ [♪♪] there's a way to cut your dishwashing time by 50%. try dawn powerwash dish spray. it removes 99% of grease and grime in half the time. it cleans so well, you can replace multiple cleaning products. try dawn powerwash. this new charmin ultra soft smooth tear is soooo soft and soo smooth. new charmin ultra soft smooth tear has wavy perforations that tear so much better for a smooth more enjoyable go. charmin, enjoy the go. oh... stuffed up again? so congested! you need sinex saline from vicks. just sinex, breathe, ahhhh! what is — wow!

sinex. breathe. ahhhhhh! ♪♪ my doctor recommends all free clear for my laundry. it's free of dyes and perfumes. and doesn't leave behind irritating residue. for a clean that's gentle on skin, all you need is all free clear.

patrick mahomes found himself in territory on sunday in his third playoff duel between josh allen and the bills. back and forth, the battle saw allen run for two touchdowns while patrick mahomes told him you belong to me. kc took the lead in the fourth as buffalo struggled to move the ball down the field. yeah, there she is. and there are two minutes left, the bills sent out kicker tyler bass for a 44 yarder to force

overtime. >> he has to make one for us. the game on the line, he will. 44 yards, bass, no, he doesn't make it. >> buffalo's season ends in heartbreaking fashion, but familiar as well, while the chiefs advance to their sixth straight afc title game. bills fans, year after year, right, so, so close. and they couldn't do it. and the tears i saw from fans in the stand, including by his son, inconsolable for an 11-year-old. so tough when you can't make it better. >> they were in it. touchdown after touchdown. the detroit lions erased years of their own playoff heartbreak. actors tell me at the half, the motor city squad, scoring three touchdowns in the last two quarters, but thanks to a late touchdown pass to mike evans, baker mayfield had one last chance to play savior for tampa. >> there comes that pressure, they feel in the middle, it's

intercepted. >> i love those announcers with the game stealing interception by derek barnes, the lions advance to their first nfc championship since 1991. they travel to santa clara next sunday to take on the top seeded 49ers. that's going to be a tough one. the chiefs will face lamar jackson and the dominant baltimore ravens. we have really good games come lg ing up and a little lopsided in the matchups. >> happy for the lions. they don't know what this feels like. fans will be thrilled. a record breaker in college basketball, the win of stanford cardinals, coach tara vanderveer became the winningest coach, passing legendary mike krzy krzyzewski with her 203rd victory, met with cheers from

her team and fans, and a congratulatory message from coach k. she con three ncaa championships. she stepped away for a year, to coach the olympic team in 1996 and they got a gold medal for that. >> she looks beloved and no nonsense too. >> what you need in a successful coach. when we come back, a recall al alert you want to arhe. is there non-dairy discrimination at dunkin? the lawsuit that's brewing there this morning. but this is a not flash. ♪ i got a good feeling ♪ there's big news for women going through menopause. veozah - a prescription treatment for moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms - the medical name for hot flashes and night sweats. with hormone-free veozah, you can have fewer hot flashes, and more not flashes. veozah is proven to reduce the number and severity of hot flashes, day and night. for some women, it can start working in as early as one week. don't use veozah if you have cirrhosis,

severe kidney problems, kidney failure, or take cyp1a2 inhibitors. increased liver blood test values may occur. your doctor will check them before and during treatment. most common side effects include stomach pain, diarrhea, difficulty sleeping, back pain, and hot flashes. ♪ i got a good feeling ♪ ask your doctor about hormone-free veozah and enjoy more not flashes. 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. the best a man can get is gillettelabs. i'll be honest. by the end of the day, my floors...yeesh. but who has the time to clean? that's why i love my swiffer wetjet. it's a quick and easy way to get my floors clean. wetjet absorbs and locks grime deep inside. look at that! swiffer wetjet. do you like... ...chocolate bars?

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ on your period, sudden gushes happen. say goodbye gush fears! thanks to always ultra thins... with rapiddry technology... that absorbs two times faster. hellooo clean and comfortable. always. fear no gush. i love that my daughter still needs me. but sometimes i can't help due to burning and stabbing pain in my hands, so i use nervive.

nervive's clinical dose of ala reduces nerve discomfort in as little as 14 days. now i can help again. feel the difference with nervive. having triplets is... -amazing -expensive. so, we switched to the bargain detergent, but we ended up using three times as much and the clothes still weren't as clean as with tide. so we're back with tide, and the clothes are clean again. do 3x the laundry and get a tide clean. it's got to be tide. we are back with what you need to know early today. the postal service just hiked postage rates for letters and some packages. stamps will cost you two more pennies at $0.68 apiece, while postcards and shipping services increased a couple of cents. the cdc has a recute referee, recall. sold at sam's club, and 23 new

illnesses and five new hospitalizations were reported. a class action lawsuit is challenging the dunkin' donuts feed that many people with lactose intolerance or milk allergies pay to substitute dairy for oat and almond milk. suit has until march 4th to respond. billions of cicadas from two broods, one on a 13 year cycle and another on a 17-year cycle will emerge omfr underground at the same time. the last time that happened was 1803. we'll be right back. when better money habits® content first started coming out, it expanded what i could do for special olympics athletes with developmental needs. thousands of bank of america employees like scott spend countless hours volunteering to teach people how to reach their financial goals. it felt good. it felt like i could take on the whole world.

when your gut is out of balance, your body gives you signs. so if you're frustrated with occasional bloating... ♪♪ [stomach noises] gas... or abdominal discomfort... help stop the frustration and start taking align every day. align probiotic was specifically designed by gastroenterologists to help relieve your occasional digestive upsets. so you can enjoy life. when you feel the signs, it's time to try align. as we count down the days until the super bowl, people nationwide are already gearing up for the big game. for one lucky school principal,

it will be the game soft a lifetime. here's kate snow. >> you and your dad are going to the super bowl. >> no, you're joking. >> across the country, these football fansare celebrating. >> before you go, we have one more surprise for you. you're going to super bowl lviii. >> surprised with tickets to super bowl lviii in las vegas next month. >> i served for 20 years in the air force. >> fans like air force veteran joseph o'neill. >> there he is, let's get ready. >> honored for his service and sacrifice for our country. >> we are honoring you with two tickets to super bowl lviii. >> i'm still shocked. i had absolutely no idea. >> vikings fan bentley row and his mom are going too. >> your mom and you would love to come to the 2024 super bowl. >> oh, thank you.

>> yes, yes, i'm going to vegas. >> kansas city chiefs superstar patrick mahomes delivered these tickets in person. >> we're giving you super bowl tickets to super bowl lviii in las vegas. >> and speaking of superstars. >> where's sidney? >> country music's luke bryan thanking this woman for her work helping first responders. >> we would like to give you two tickets to the super bowl. >> you're kidding. >> i'm going to the super bowl. >> this was the jaw dropping moment ohio principal nicole barfield davis got her tickets from the cleveland browns for being an inspiring educator. >> two tickets to the super bowl. oh, my god. >> it was a thrill for everyone at general johnny wilson middle school. >> can you do a little play by play for me. >> i felt like i had been blessed and, you know, it was just one of the most amazing moments in my whole 50-year

life. >> wow, i'm so excited for you. i just wondered if there's a message here. does it mean something bigger? >> it means that, you know, hard work really pays off, and when you build relationships with people from the heart and not just because it's a job, good things will happen to you. >> i love that. and thanks to kate snow for sharing those surprises. well, after a heartbreaking loss to the chiefs, the bills were able to shake it off with a few treats for the fans, so that's why even if taylor was rooting for the other team, the bills featured some snacks for the swifties in the stands. the two special items were bad blood, waffle fries and also the karm

♪ desantis drops out. just days before the new hampshire primary, the f