hollywood's biggest night filled with kenergy. ryan gosling brings down the house with his performance as "oppenheimer" proves

unstoppable, leading the night in oscar wins. we'll bring you all the biggest moments of the 96 annual academy awards. and after his own big night at the state of the union, president biden is back on the campaign trail, as he and donald trump get set for tuesday's primary in the key state of georgia. despite a hot jobs report, unemployment is creeping up amid a wave of layoffs across the private sector. where millennials and gen z are now turning for job security. big news for high schoolers across the country. the s.a.t.s are now going all digital. what this new format means for test takers. and the british royal palace back in damage control. a photo it released of kate middleton is recalled over possible manipulation, raising even more questions about her whereabouts and condition. it's monday, march 11th. "early today" starts right now. good to be with you on this monday morning. i'm frances rivera. a tumultuous year for hollywood

came to an end on sunday night. the biggest names in the industry gathered at the dolby theatre to honor the best films of the 2023 at the 96 academy awards. and in a diverse eclectic group of films competing for best picture, it with australia bombshell of a bio pic that emerged victorious. >> here it comes. and i see "oppenheimer." yes. yes. [ applause ] >> "oppenheimer" finished its dominant awards season run with seven win, including hollywood's top prize. producer emma thomas accepted the award for best picture and gave thanks to her husband. just minutes after he won oscar gold of his own, christopher nolan took home his best director oscar for his work on the historical epic. his first win in eight total

nominations. cillian murphy was honored with best actor for his performance as the father of the atomic bomb, while robert downey jr. won best supporting actor for his role as louis strauss. >> i'd like to thank my terrible childhood and the academy in that order. >> and the dark comedy "poor things" played runner-up, nabbing four awards with emma stone winning her second best actress oscar for her role as bella baxter. and da'vine joy randolph took home best supporting actress for her role in "the holdovers." we'll have much more highlights from hollywood's big night, later here on "early today." let's turn now to the race to win the white house. president biden is following up his state of the union address with a campaign blitz. both he and former president trump try to win over the important battleground state of georgia. here is nbc's allie raffa.

>> reporter: hello, atlanta! >> reporter: president joe biden's campaign for reelection now in full swing. >> i like campaigning. it's the only time i get out of the cloister of the white house where i get to look people in the eye. >> reporter: the president set to travel this week to new hampshire, wisconsin, and michigan, where more than 100,000 voted uncommitted in the state's primary last month. much of them in protest to his handling of the israel/hamas war. >> it's understandable they feel that way. that's why i'm doing everything to stop it. >> reporter: biden hoping his growing ground game can chip away at former president trump's favorability. the pair holding dueling rallies in battleground georgia this weekend. >> the road to the white house leads straight through georgia. >> reporter: setting the stage for one of several primaries on tuesday that could deliver both candidates their party's nominations. mr. trump, who lost the peach state to his 2020 rival by less than 12,000 votes -- >> there has never been the spirit that i have seen this time.

>> reporter: vowing history won't repeat itself. >> the curtain closes on crooked joe's corrupt reign, and the sun rises on a brand-new day for georgia and for america. >> reporter: but trump's last gop rival nikki haley now out of the race, republicans now rallying around the former president to help him secure a second term. >> i am not worried about trump destroying democracy. i'm worried about joe biden destroying the world. >> and our thanks to allie for that report. new this morning, an investigation is under way after a deadly plane crash in virginia. authorities say all five people on board a small private plane were killed, including a child. police say the plane was not scheduled to land at a small airport in bath county. they believe the pilot was trying to make an emergency landing, hit several trees and crashed into a hillside. the ntsb is looking into the crash. there are new details about the helicopter crash that killed three people in texas friday.

the national guard identified the two army national guard soldiers who were killed as 28-year-old casey frankowski, and 30-year-old john gracia, both from new york. dhs also named a border patrolman who was killed as chris luna. a fourth person survived, identified as another new york army national guard soldier. the cause of the crash remains under investigation. the muslim holy month of ramadan has begun with no sign of peace in the middle east. a cipher in the gaza strip remained elusive despite a ramp up of diplomacy leading into the holiday. both sides are perhaps predictedly blaming each other for the impasse. let's go live to claudio lavanga who is following this tense situation for us. good morning, claudio. how has ramadan proceeded so far? >> good morning, frances. well, the fear is that starting ramadan while the war in gaza still raging on will only contribute to fuel the anger,

the frustration, the unrest among muslims in israel, the palestinian territories. but of course also the wider region. now the focus right now is on the city of jerusalem, of course, where thousands of israeli policemen have been deployed in the city. but around the al aqsa mosque, where the 40 days coming weeks of thousands of worshipers are expected to gather. in the past, attempts by israel to limit access to the mosque to muslims ended in violent confrontation and arrest. and with the tension caused by the gaza war right now, it only takes a spark to ignite that violence once again. but ramadan also started with president biden and the prime minister of israel, benjamin netanyahu taking shots at each other in two separate interviews. let's take a listen. >> he has a right to defend israel, a right to continue to pursue hamas, but he must, he must, he must pay more attention to the innocent lives being lost as a consequence of the actions taken.

he's hurting in my view -- he's hurting israel more than helping israel by making the rest of the world -- it's contrary to what israel stands for. and i think it's a big mistake. >> well, i don't know exactly what the president meant. but if he meant by that that i'm pursuing private policies against the majority of israelis and this is hurting the interests of israel, then he is wrong on both counts. number one, these are not my private policies only, they're policies supported by the overwhelming majority of the israelis. >> well, as you heard, this is probably or arguably the most public diplomatic spat between the president of the united states and the prime minister of israel since the start of the war on october 7th. back to you, frances. >> okay, claudio, thank you. new jersey senator bob menendez and his wife are facing a new arraignment on charges they tried to obstruct justice in the bribery case against them. the new charges stem from

superseding indictments issued last week. the prosecutors there accusing the couple of trying to cover up a bribe as a loan. the senator and mrs. menendez have already pleaded not guilty to accepting bribes in the form of cash, gold bars and luxury gifts in exchange for political influence. a move meant to ease concerns about the royal family only raising new questions about princess kate. major news agencies, including the associated press and reuters pulled a photo released by kensington palace over the concerns it may be manipulated. the photo, which we are not airing claimed to show her with her children, but the ap says there is an inconsistency in the alignment of princess charlotte's left hand. it was said to be the first official photo of princess kate since the palace said she had abdominal surgery. the palace said it was taken earlier this week by her husband, prince william. residents along the eastern seaboard are drying out this morning after a massive storm barreled up the coast, bringing heavy rain, snow and tornadoes.

icy conditions in new hampshire left one skier dead and two others injured. two hours away, homes were submerged along the state's coast, and there was a similar scene in south carolina where high water stranded drivers. and in some area, fire officials had to escort people from homes and businesses. the national weather service blaming tornadoes for devastating damage to homes in alabama and georgia. and the storm system is lingering, putting millions under wind alerts this morning. nbc meteorologist michelle grossman is tracking all of that for us. hi, michelle. good morning. >> good morning, frances. great the see you. we're seeing the impact. we had a windy day in the northeast, parts of new england as well. we're seeing that winds today, gusting to 45, each up to isolated amounts up to 60 miles per hour. also seeing some snow this morning. that's a cold wind coming over the lakes, also around the area of low pressure, bringing that snow. where you see the blue, that is the snow falling. portions of the interior parts of the northeast into parts of new england. this what that looks like, the intense area of low pressure

continuing to move off to the east, but still bringing the impacts throughout the day. will lessen throughout the evening hours. strong winds, a few power outages possible as winds really gust as we go throughout the day. 62 million people under winter alerts. wind advisories in the blue. high wind warnings along the appalachians. we're going see snow there as well. seeing winds gusting as we go throughout the day, up to 48 miles per hour and albany up to 48 in new york city, some spots could see 60 miles per hour. and we'r sunshine in rally and charleston. miami looking really good. today. 79 degrees with bright sunshine. and that's your monday forecast. >> okay, thank you, michelle. coming up, ryan gosling brings down the house with serious kenergy at the oscar.

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pencils down permanently. some big news for high schoolers. the sat exam is going completely digital. zinhle essamuah has the details and what it means for kids across the country. >> reporter: it's the night before the big test, and 16-year-old reina robinson in edison, new jersey, is running through a slew of practice questions. >> so this is a section 1 reading and writing practice question. >> reporter: the high school junior is among the first 500,000 students nationwide taking the updated s.a.t. exam, now 100% digital and an hour shorter. why did the college board choose to make this decision? >> really, honestly, we're rooted in what we were hearing increasingly from students and schools. we were quickly becoming one of the last major tests that they were taking on paper. >> reporter: the college board, which offers the s.a.t.s piloted

the digital exam abroad last year. >> we made the decision hearing quite clearly from schools and students they were ready. >> reporter: but reina says she and her classmates still have some reservations. >> i don't knowwhat the expect 100%, where as i've been studying for the paper version all my life. and new they're completely changing it. >> reporter: with the newly designed test, students can bring their own laptop or use a device provided. the college board says bluebook, the app used for the exam has security and encryption functions to prevent cheating. also new what's known as adaptive testing. >> it adapts questions that students get based on how they performed earlier this the assessment. >> meaning the more questions you answer correctly, the harder the next question becomes. >> hi, reina! >> reporter: we checked with reina right after the test. what was the feeling for you when you finished your exam? >> similar to putting a pencil down. we were all closing our laptops and we were so glad that it was finally over. but i think it was lot less stressful because we were taking

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♪ i'll sleep alone tonight, i'm just ken, anywhere else i'd be a ten ♪ ♪ is it my destiny to live and die a life of blond futility ♪ >> you might have missed out on winning best supporting actor, but nothing could dim ryan gosling's kenner. >>. he was joined by fellow kens

including kimmo liu. and slash was there for his highly anticipated performance of the oscar nominated "i'm just ken." gosling even led his "barbie" co-stars and emma stone in a great fun sing along. still ending the night as number two. billie eilish won her oscar from "barbie" "what was i made for." "barbie" had wins too. but "oppenheimer" was the one that took it all. >> took it all. >> and "poor things," i saw that over the weekend. my jaw dropped. eyebrows raised. but artistically, you can see how she won. >> absolutely. i missed all these movies, so i have to catch up. two of the night's winners used their platforms to call future peace across the globe while accepting the award for sbes entry, the author of 20 days in mariupol lamented that the film had to be made in the first place, depicting the aftermath

of the russian invasion of ukraine, added he wished he could exchange the award for russia never attacking the country. earlier, jonathan glazer decried inhumane actions in the israel-hamas war. and several of the ceremony's attendees were wearing red pins and supporting a group called ceasefire in the middle east. >> you would trade something as well-deserved as an oscar for peace in the world. >> it says a lot. godzilla is ringing in his 70th with his first taste of oscar gold. the 37th film in the legendary franchise, "godzilla minus one," became the first entry in the series to be nominated for and win an academy award, taking home best visual effects. director takashi jam yamaha yamazaki took full advantage of their hollywood ending,

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media, chances are you've seen these videos all over your for you page. >> i'm pretty sure i'm getting laid off today. >> reporter: job cuts, no matter the industry, can be found all over the headlines. so to avoid being just another one of the more than 160,000 layoffs this year alone, gen z and millennials found a little hack, calling it quits on the private sector and going public. many looking to lock down government jobs for security. >> public service was something i always wanted to do, besides the benefits. but also one of the reasons is because you were not going to get laid off versus private sector. >> reporter: 77% of the class of 2024 say they're more likely to apply to a job that promises stability, and that's what a government job offers. >> we have to have a government. if we don't, our society is in trouble and our democracy as well. so it's not that your jobs are forever, necessarily, but certainly the organization is there. >> reporter: salaried workers in the public sector hold their

jobs for three more years on average than in private. and the younger generation is beginning to notice. #government jobs on tiktok has more than 23 million views. >> need to start applying to jobs with the federal government. >> reporter: on a popular career site for college kids, federal jobs received twice as many applications. the paycheck is probably smaller. on average, federal workers earned about 22% less than private sector workers with similar roles. but for many, the benefits are the selling point. good health insurance, retiring early with a pension. plus after a decade, student loans are wiped clean for many. that's a perk nearly 70% say will influence their decisions. and of course there is the work-life balance. >> you do your job 9:00 to 5:00, and you can enjoy your life after work and do what you want to do. >> reporter: but right now less than 8% of federal workers are younger and that 30, and nearly half are over 50.

>> the challenge, though, is that the leaders in government don't often prioritize creating the opportunities for young people, ensuring that the managers know how to manage gen z and millennials and making sure the process itself is not overly onerous. >> reporter: tomayo says the long process can be a big turnoff. >> i tell them that it's going to take a minute. what do you mean a minute? five to six months. they get very discouraged by it. >> for him, it's worth it. >> you just have to be patient, because at the end of the day, you're going to gate secure job where you're not going get laid off. >> and that may be the hardest pa

the biden-trump showdown could be made official as early as this week. duelling campaign rallies pit the rivals head to head. our team in d.c. breaks down the latest. americans evacuate from it