we're just 24 hours away from the biggest day of presidential primaries as the haley campaign notches a historic win. tomorrow's votes could be the deciding factor in her campaign's future. our team in d.c. joins live ahead of the big day. the biggest blizzard of the year blankets the west in a dangerous whiteout.

highways shut down, homes nearly buried. michelle grossman is here tracking the next storm right behind it. diversity programs at u.s. universities under fire. the university of florida firing all dei staff last week. what students and professors on campus have to say as other colleges look to do the same. and one of the great, caitlin clark has now score in order points than anyone, man or woman in college basketball. we break down the historic moment amid the growing buzz over her professional career. and a small act of kindness brings this act of kindness to life. meet the bay area teacher who made it happen. it's monday, march 4th. "early today" starts right now. hi there. good to be with you this morning. i'm frances rivera. we begin with a victory for the nikki haley campaign for president. the former u.n. ambassador has won her first contest in the race for the white house. nbc news projects haley has won

all 19 delegates in the washington, d.c. republican primary. nbc's brie jackson joins us now from d.c. brie, good morning. haley actually makes some election history with this win? >> that's right. good morning, frances. this makes nikki haley the first woman to ever win a republican primary. just over 2,000 washington republicans cast balloted in this primary, and they tend to be more moderate voters, making this one of the weakest contests for donald trump. haley also seemed to reverse course sunday on a pledge she made to the rnc saying on nbc's "meet the press" that she no longer feels bound to the agreement to support the eventual nominee. >> are you bound by the rnc pledge? >> the rnc pledge, i mean, at the time of the debate, we had to take it to where would you support the nominee, and in order to get on that debate stage, you said yes. the rnc is now not the same rnc. >> so you're no longer wound by that pledge? >> no, i think i'll make what

decision i want to make. but that's not something i'm thinking about. >> overnight donald trump responded to haley, posting on social media that he enjoys watching her disavow the rnc pledge, saying, quote, she ran, she lied, and she lost big. trump notched more victories of his own this weekend with caucus wins in michigan, idaho, and missouri. now both campaigns are focused on super tuesday tomorrow when 16 states in american samoa will hold contests. trump is favored to win across the board, which would give him nearly enough delegates to lock up the nomination, but not quite. frances? >> okay, brie jackson for us starting us off. brie, thank you. and later this morning, we could learn whether trump will be on the ballot in one super tuesday state. the supreme court is set to release decisions today, likely among them is the highly anticipated ruling on whether trump can be kicked off the colorado ballot. in december, the colorado supreme court ruled trump was

ineligible, citing the constitution's insurrection clause. but the decision was put on hold until the supreme court weighs in. the justices' final ruling is expected to not only affect colorado, but also illinois and another super tuesday state, maine. both had also removed trump from the ballot. well, speaking in selma, alabama at a commemoration of bloody sunday, vice president kamala harris also addressed the situation in gaza. she demanded more aid be led lett into gaza and delivered the biden administration's most direct appeal yet for a ceasefire. >> given the immense scale of suffering in gaza, there must be an immediate ceasefire. for at least the next six weeks. >> for the latest, let's go to claudio lavanga. good morning, claudio. what is the latest on ceasefire talks? >> good morning, frances. well, if you may remember, last week after taping late night

with seth meyers, president bush said he was confident or hopeful that a ceasefire would be reached by today. well, that turned out to be wishful thankful buzz a total ceasefire has stalled once again, this time because israel did not send its delegation to cairo for the latest round of negotiations because it says that hamas, as requested, did not send the list of the remaining hostages in gaza. as you said in the intro, kamala harris has called once again for a ceasefire. to last at least six weeks because that's the time frame on the negotiating table right now because she said, and she said that many times before, that too many palestinians have now died and are starving. but perhaps the strongest message that the biden administration has sent to benjamin is not a call for a ceasefire as it's done before, but it is kind of a veiled or not so veiled diplomatic threat,

which is by inviting bennie ga gantz, lead over the opposition of benjamin netanyahu. he was invited to the white house as part of a delegation of senior israeli officials to talk about the war in gaza. but analysts say it could be seen as an endorsement of gantz as a possible replacement of benjamin netanyahu as israel's prime minister. the proof of that is that at least according to israeli media, netanyahu is furious about the invitation. frances? >> i'm sure we'll be hearing about it. claudio lavanga, thank you. the suspect in last year's big leak of classified pentagon documents is expected to plead guilty in federal court in boston. that's according to a court filing. 22-year-old air national guardsmen jack teixeira initially pleaded not guilty in june to willfully taking and spreading defense information online. the military still disciplined

15 others in connection to the case. three passengers are suing alaska airlines and boeing over that door plug blowout that happened in january. the three plaintiffs recounted the terrifying moments to our portland affiliate, saying they have not been on a plane since the incident. according to their attorney, the lawsuit is seeking punitive damages of $1 billion for systemic risk to the entire traveling public. boeing and alaska declined to comment on the suit. many residents in california are snowed in this morning after a massive storm blanketed the sierra nevada region. the blizzard conditions shutting down highways and ski resorts. here is nbc's steve patterson. >> reporter: the storm of the season slamming wave after wave of wind-driven snow on the mountain west. an avalanche crashed down on several cars south of lake tahoe. thankfully, no one was hurt. the snow spawning life-threatening whiteout conditions on the roads.

the region's major thoroughfare, interstate 80 still shut down in indefinitely for miles. video from saturday shows semis completely stranded. massive snow throwers brought in to clear the roads, while huge tow trucks pull stuck tractor-trailers out of drifts piled up to the windows. this is one of the exit ramps to interstate 80, shut down now for days for about 100 miles. crews say it is simply too dangerous. you got crews, of course, and trucks that are being allowed to come through to try to get supplies or of course authorities trying to move people away. but for everybody else, it's a no-go. the region's rare blizzard warning bringing snow totals anywhere from 5 to 10 feet in some areas. and even more high up in the peaks. down mountain, the dig-out is at several ski resorts. madison condon works at palisades ski resort but says

she hasn't left her home in days, which this amount of snow wind, the roads are not safe to drive on. right now our resort is closed. the operation teams has been working around the clock since the storm has hit. >> reporter: for andy and micia ellsmore, it has been a sur veal experience. i saw some video you sent from the road. tell me what the experience was like. >> i thought we were going to get stuck a few times. it kind of felt like we were swimming through the snow almost. >> and our thanks to steve for that report. for a look at the next system shaping up in the west, let's bring in nbc meteorologist michelle grossman. good morning, michelle. >> great to see you. the next system moves onshore today. it's not going to be quite as impactable. we will see another one to two feet of snow, men the sierra nevada mountains. that's going to create impossible travel once again. some whiteout conditions, blizzard conditions. and you can see the snow also looking at coastal rain once again. that's going to bring the chance for flooding along the coast of california especially, not only today, but tomorrow, lsd wednesday. then we're going start to see

that wrapping up. as we move towards the middle of the country, spring-like in the middle of the country, to the eastern part of the country. record warmth. we're looking at temperatures 10 to 30 degrees above normal. the raincoats, the umbrellas. we're looking at heavy rain throughout the gulf coast states. that's not the only spot. it's going to move up into the great lakes as well. you can see on the back side of the system, it's cold and looking at a chance for snow, each a wintry spot. throughout portions of the carolinas and virginia. wednesday still mild for march in the middle of the country. the southern plains looking at snow and portions of the northern plains, there is the snownce agai on looking for the chance for strong storms. we could see some really large hail and damaging winds. all right, frances, that's your monday forecast. >> thank you so much, michelle.

new this morning, four astronauts are on their way to the international space station. >> three, two, one, ignition, engines full power, and liftoff of nasa crew 8. go falcon, go spacex, and go nasa. >> liftoff happened just before 11:00 last night. it marks yet another collaboration between spacex and nasa. three members of the crew are experiencing space for the first time. they will reach the iss early tuesday morning. coming up, iowa superstar caitlin clark shatters a college basketball record. but first, we're back in a minute with why the university of florida is cutting all staff dedicated to dei. ft shoulder to cry on. which is why downy does more to make clothes softer, fresher, and better. downy. breathe life into your laundry. want the power of 5 serum benefits in 1? olay super serum activates on skin to hydrate, smooth, visibly firm, brighten,

and improve texture. it's my best skin yet. olay feeling sluggish or weighed down? could be a sign that your digestive system isn't at its best. but a little metamucil everyday can help. metamucil's psyllium fiber gels to trap and remove the waste that weighs you down and also helps lower cholesterol and slows sugar absorption to promote healthy blood sugar levels. so you can feel lighter and more energetic. lighten everyday the metamucil way. feel less sluggish & weighed down after just 14 days. sign up for the 2 week challenge at metamucil.com as classes start at the university of florida this week, controversy is sweeping the campus. on friday, the school eliminated all diversity, equity and inclusion positions due to a new rule from the state that prohibits those programs. and now other states may soon follow suit. our marissa parra is there.

>> reporter: the university of florida slashing all diversity, equity and inclusion roles across campus. >> i'm quite disappointed by it. i think the university administration let us down in this regard. >> reporter: the school announcing it will reallocate the $5 million initially used for dei expenses, adding it will also eliminate roughly 30 jobs. >> i've seen people saying thank god we can save $5 million a year. and then i've seen other people saying, you know, this is like horrible. >> reporter: the school's director of african american studies says this decision goes much further than the university. >> there might be a long-term impact in terms of recruiting high end talent based on the fear that, you know, this state isn't welcoming to diversity and inclusion. >> reporter: the university of florida joining other schools in the state that have also cut their dei programs. >> this is basically been used as a veneer to impose an ideological agenda. >> reporter: all of this comes nearly a year after governor ron desantis signed a law banning florida's public universities

from spending federal and state money on dei initiatives. desantis reacting to the gainesville university's decision, tweeting, florida is where dei goes to die. but critics of his say they think the push to end dei comes from a fundamental misunderstanding on what dei really is. >> governor desantis sees dei as toxic, people love to think dei is toxic. people tend to the dei is only for african americans, which is not true. it also applies to white women, asian americans, lgbtq, disability students. >> reporter: an nbc news analysis shows gop lawmakers across more than 30 states have introduced measures to either limit or eliminate dei initiatives altogether during this legislative session alone. in texas, a sweeping new ban on dei across all state universities took effect at the start of the new year. while the future is unclear how many other gop-led states will follow suit, one thing is certain, the battle for control over higher ed just beginning. marissa parra, nbc news, gainesville, florida.

still to come, she did it. caitlin clark, she did it. etching herself into sports immortality. it's coming up right after this. like a porcelain doll. if you have postmenopausal osteoporosis and are at high risk for fracture, you can build new bone with evenity®. ask your doctor if you can do more than just slowing down bone loss with evenity®. want stronger bones? then build new bone; evenity® can help in just 12 months. evenity® is proven to reduce spine fracture risk by 73%. evenity® can increase risk of heart attack, stroke, or death from a cardiovascular problem. do not take evenity® if you have low blood calcium, or are allergic to it. serious allergic reactions and low blood calcium have occurred. tell your doctor about jaw bone problems, as they have been reported with evenity®. or about pain in your hip, groin, or thigh,

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last two at duke, and she has been an important factor this past month for ohio state. >> clark with the release. >> generating offense out of their defense. >> clark again, from downtown. this for college basketball history. [ cheering ] she does it! >> it is done. a routine free throw became a historic milestone in the hands of caitlin clark. the iowa superstar became ncaa college basketball's all-time leading scorer. during sunday's regular season finale versus ohio state. clark now holds the top spot with 3,685 points. she toppled a record set over

half a century ago by legendary player pistol pete. you can see her smiling and chuckling. this is what we're seeing. she made that announcement about going to the wnba and the draft. so we'll see where this all leads her. >> she is awesome. and i love that she is laughing about ponytail pete. it's so cute. you see her smile more than before. she is relaxed now. >> well-deserved. >> exactly. on saturday, in what ended up being a loss to the nuggets, the lakers' lebron james became the first player in nba history to reach 40,000 career points. i can't imagine how many baskets that is. the king reached the milestone with a layup in the second quarter. the four-time nba champion already held the title of all-time leading scorer. he passed kareem abdul-jabbar versus oklahoma city last february. and i looked up his age. he is 39.

he turned 39 december 30th. and he is beating all the kids. >> you know what he is saying? i'm able to do stuff that i did ten years ago. i'm able the do stuff that i did 20 years ago, shockingly. here is a perfect example right now. now to a weekend here of high-scoring hardwood matchups. the boston celtics put on a clinic against the golden state warriors. jaylen brown and jayson tatum combined for 68 points in the destruct of steph curry and the dubs. that total was good enough for the third largest win in celtics history. it gave the kings of the eastern conference their 11th straight victory and third this season by more than 50 points. steph curry, who didn't play in the second half here. >> because why? celtics were up so much. >> and he finished with a season low four points, with the fewest since march of 2022. >> crazy.

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>> reporter: she graduated from cosmetology school, but then life took a turn in a different direction. >> i am a proud teacher and i teach special education. what we're going to do today -- >> reporter: in her first year at this high school outside san francisco -- >> ready? >> reporter: -- claire met mason zolner. >> oh, my gosh, he is a doll. >> what does this say? >> reporter: funny and sweet -- >> kangaroo, how do you know that says kangaroo? >> reporter: he also has his own challenges. >> mas, mas, mas. >> reporter: like his mom karen says sitting still for a haircut. what was it like when you were in charge of the haircuts? >> there was no style. this is always a little bit traumatizing for him. he didn't want to go to a barber. >> reporter: but when mason got invited to a celebration for students with special needs -- >> okay, ready? >> reporter: -- karen knew she needed help and miss hall was ready to step in. >> i was ready. i was, like, that's my guy. >> mason, can you come up? let's get your hair cut. >> reporter: so she turned it into a lesson about life skills. >> all right. i'm going to use the clippers on mason.

>> reporter: trimming mason's hair in front of the whole class. >> it was a collision of both of my loves. >> reporter: then the big night. >> ladies and gentlemen, let's give a warm welcome to mason! >> reporter: mason, as confident as ever, looking like a million bucks. >> he, you know, is strutting down the red carpet in his little tuxedo, and his gorgeous new haircut. this was a whole new mason. >> reporter: you see, what claire gave mason was much more than just a haircut. and for claire, much more than she ever could have imagined. >> i'm living the dream. they don't have the opportunities that everyone else does, so, excuse me. so, i just -- to be able to put my love into, you know, mason

for now, is a dream. >> now mason is the celebrity she always dreamed of helping, at least a celebrity in all of our eyes. thanks to peter alexander for sharing that story. and thanks to you for starting your week with "early today." i'season buries california.

snow drifts topping 10 feet tall trapping families in their homes and forcing drivers to abandon cars along the highway. and it's not november yet, our meteorologist michelle grossman is tracking another system heading that way. another round of ceasefire talks in gaza getting under way right