there are only a few hours left until the start of a historic trial in new york. today opening statements begin in former president donald

trump's criminal trial over alleged hush money payments. our team in d.c. joins us live with what to expect. chilling video of a suspected drunk driver speeding into a building holding a birthday party. two children killed. the grieving family speaks out. a wild act caught on camera. this group pulling bear cubs from a tree to take pictures. the fate of those cubs, and the lack of response that has some activists outraged. the nba play-offs have tipped off. see the top teams in the east and the west, and the player that dominated the courts. we break down the highlights from weekend one. and we are counting down to the summer games. utah is looking ten years beyond that. how one teacher is preparing her students for a possible 2034 olympics. it's monday, april 22nd. happy earth day. "early today" starts right now. good morning. i'm frances rivera. arguments will begin soon in the

historic hush money trial of donald trump. within hours, the jury will hear opening arguments. the lawyers will give a preview of the facts to come in this case against the former president. nbc's brie jackson joins us now. brie, good morning. the political and personal stakes are high for mr. trump. >> yes, frances. so the former president is facing 34 counts of falsifying business records. prosecutors will begin to make their case that mr. trump made a $130,000 payment to keep stormy daniels quiet about an alleged sexual encounter. prosecutors allege that this is election interference. now the former president denies the allegations and has pleaded not guilty. if he is convicted, he could face up to four years in prison. mr. trump has said he is willing to take the witness stand. other witnesses we could see called are david pecker, who is the former publisher of the national enquirer, stormy daniels, michael cohen, who was

mr. trump's attorney at the time, former playboy model karen mcdougal, and hope hicks, who was a close aide to mr. trump. mr. trump is required to be in court every day except for wednesdays when they're not in session, or he risks having a warrant issued for his arrest. this does limit his ability to campaign. in fact, the trump campaign is forced to cancel a rally in north carolina saturday due to weather. mr. trump's legal calendar, it is very busy this week. today, he also has a hearing in the new york civil fraud case. tomorrow, there is a hearing related to a gag order. and on thursday, the supreme court is set to begin hearing arguments over his presidential immunity defense. the criminal hush money trial is expected to last four to six weeks. frances? >> thanks for laying it out for us. brie jackson, thanks. on capitol hill, republican house speaker mike johnson hot off the passage of a major

foreign age passage is facing down an effort to push him out of leadership, fallout to the support of ukraine to the tune of $60 billion. julie has the story. >> reporter: tonight, growing pressure on house speaker mike johnson, facing a possible mutiny from fellow republicans. >> mike johnson has betrayed america. he's betrayed republican voters. >> reporter: congresswoman marjorie taylor greene is part of a trio of hard-line conservatives promising to kick johnson out. >> the house will be in order. >> reporter: the latest effort coming after the house passed a $95 billion foreign aid package to israel, taiwan, and ukraine. >> the bill is passed. >> reporter: democrats exploding in applause on the house floor as the long-stalled funding finally flows. johnson originally opposed the white house push to send aid to ukraine, but eventually allowed the vote to proceed. >> he's passed the democrat agenda, passed the biden administration policies, and fully funded them.

>> reporter: but there is bipartisan support to save johnson's job. >> i would actually vote to table any motion to vacate him. >> reporter: johnson says he had to do what is right. >> i don't walk around this building being worried about a motion to vacate. i have to do my job. >> reporter: meanwhile, in an interview with our kristen welker, ukraine's president says the funding is critical. >> translator: this aid will strengthen ukraine and send the kremlin a powerful signal. >> our thanks to julie for that report. now to an ongoing campus controversy in new york city. at columbia university, protests for palestinian rights continue despite mass arrests and evictions of students l.a. week. a campus rabbi warned orthodox jewish students to stay away from the school for the time being. and breaking this morning, the university president has now said all classes today will be remote to, quote, de-escalate the rancor.

while jewish students do report feeling unsafe at columbia, protesters insist they're merely objecting to the israeli war in gaza. they specifically accuse israel of genocide after the israeli military killed more than 34,000 palestinians since the hamas attacks of october 7th. the international court of justice has ordered israel to prevent acts of genocide by its forces in gaza. but israel has described the allegation as outrageous. new this morning, a california man is in custody after allegedly breaking into the los angeles mayor's home. lapd say the man smashed a back window to get into gettys house, the mayor's official residence. mayor bass was home but no one was home. mayor bass released a statement expressing her gratitude to the lapd for the arrest. police have not yet provided a possible motive for the break-in. now to michigan, where a pour hifk crash has devastated

families. two children were killed and others left badly hurt after a suspected drunk driver crashed through a birthday party. here is nbc's maggie vespa. >> reporter: tragedy in michigan and a suspected drunk driver caught on camera from multiple angles saturday, appearing to speed toward a boat club. debris flying as investigators say the 66-year-old woman crashed into the side, plowing 25 feet through a child's birthday party, hitting 15 adults and kids, killing 2, a young brother and sister who were attending their friend's party. >> a vehicle went through the building. >> reporter: first responders swarming newport's swan boat club south of detroit. >> we have several people on the ground as well as several children injured. >> the scene was described by the first responders as extremely chaotic. >> reporter: the local sheriff tearing up. >> two of the victims were pronounced deceased at the scene. this includes an 8-year-old

female and a 5-year-old male, who are siblings of each other. >> reporter: family identifying the siblings as lana and zane, adding their mother, mariah, and 12-year-old brother, jaden, were also at the party and are in critical condition. >> how are you feeling? >> devastated. sad. why them? >> reporter: the driver who investigators say killed them hasn't yet been identified. authorities say she's been arrested for operating while intoxicated, causing death. the sheriff noting investigators believe she'd been at a tavern earlier and that more charges are likely coming. >> does anything about this make sense to you? >> nothing. it's a kids' birthday party. >> our thanks to maggie for that report. dash cam video in minnesota

catches a group of good samaritans saving lives during a fiery crash. minnesota state patrol said a honda suv ran off the road, striking a light pole and then a guardrail. the vehicle then caught on fire, producing smoke and large flames, seen here. several people rushed to help get the driver out of the burning car, first tried to open the doors before pulling the driver through the front window. state patrol said no serious injuries were reported, but the driver was taken to the hospital for evaluation. we are nearly in may, but winter is taking one more swing at the south with millions under freeze alerts this morning. nbc meteorologist michelle grossman is tracking that temperature drop. good morning, michelle. >> good morning, frances. it's a cold start for many of us from the tennessee valley to the ohio valley, the northeast. also back to the midwest, we're looking at temperatures very chilly this morning, in the 30s for many of us. we're going to stay cool as we go throughout the day, at least below normal for some of us in the east. 72 million people impacted by freeze alerts. we have frost advisories in the

lighter pink. freeze warnings are in the darker pink. this is why we're looking at temperatures right around the freezing mark in pittsburgh. 2 degrees above freezing at 34. 37 in lexington. so lots of 30s on the map this morning. chilly in new york city, 45. and we do have 40s for chicago. also st. louis. we'll see those alerts same place tomorrow morning because we're going have a chilly night tonight. to the east looking at temperatures below normal. about 8 degrees what is typical for this time of year. but off to the west warmer. summer-like in the southwest. phoenix near 100 degrees. that's 11 degrees above normal. it's going to be warm too in denver. also salt lake city. that's today. then tomorrow we're going see another warm day in the southwest. at least most of the west looking above average. las vegas 90 degrees. that's 9 degrees above average. and tucson 93. we're going warm it up in the midwest. by thursday, friday. friday you're into the mid-60s. kansas city, same story. 77 on friday. that's a temperature story. also tracking the chance for

some showers in the florida peninsula. we have a front that in the ten valley, the mississippi valley. but lots of sunshine in memphis, little rock, birmingham and jackson. all right. that's your monday forecast. >> okay, michelle, thank you. 50,000 people lined up along pennsylvania avenue in d.c. this weekend to watch the iconic boulevard turn into a formula 1 racetrack. the pinnacle event of the weekend featured retired red bull driver david coulthard. he sped between capitol hill and the white house in a car that can hit a cool 200 miles per hour. it's part of a series of events in u.s. cities designed to bring the lightning-fast cars closer to the fast-growing american fan base. coming up, dodgers schar

shohei ohtani swings his way into baseball history. but first, the bear cubs lfie sparking outrage online, with some even calling for charges. so i can keep working my magic. just one aleve. 12 hours of uninterrupted pain relief. aleve. who do you take it for? ...and for fast topical pain relief,try alevex. i'm adding downy unstopables to my wash. now i'll be smelling fresh all day long. [sniff] still fresh. ♪♪ get 6x longer-lasting freshness, plus odor protection. try for under $5! pain means pause on the things you love, but... green... means... go! ♪♪ cool the pain with biofreeze. and keep on going. biofreeze. green means go. bladder leak underwear has one job. i just want to feel protected! especially for those sudden gush moments. always discreet protects like no other.

with a rapid dry core that locks in your heaviest gush quickly for up to zero leaks. always discreet- the protection we deserve! a group of people were caught on camera in north carolina pulling bear cubs out of a tree simply to take selfies with them. and there is mounting frustration with those involved and outrage that they're not facing penalties for the baffling act. maggie vespa has more. >> should we go? i don't know what to do. oh my god. >> reporter: caught on camera, a group going to unbearable lengths. >> she is holding the bear. >> the other guy is grabbing the other one. >> reporter: seemingly for photos with frightened cubs. >> that's 100% what she is doing. she is taking pictures. >> reporter: but officials say no criminal charges against these asheville residents who pulled two baby black bears from

trees near their apartment complex tuesday as furious neighbors recorded it all. >> did she just drop it? >> oh, my gosh, it's running. the poor little thing. the poor thing. >> but it back! >> you actually confronted these people? >> yes. >> reporter: ashley honest from north carolina's bear wise program says she was dispatched by the local sheriff. what were these people thinking? >> what they told me is they were trying to help the cub. now in the video that we saw, that's not apparent to me. i just described the dangers, how irresponsible it was. >> reporter: hobbs says her team took one cub, a female to a rehab center. the other cub and the mother were nowhere to be found. because the interaction was brief and the group released both cubs, no charges apply. >> is there any sentiment of unfortunately we can't charge these people based on statutes? >> definitely. we would have loved to again make this a teaching moment and really taken it seriously.

>> reporter: it's just the latest example of people getting recklessly close to nature. like this woman nearly charged by a bison while posing for a photo at yellowstone national park last year. shirks going to fall. >> reporter: and the search continues for vandals who last week destroyed ancient rock formations at nevada's lake immediate recreation area. authorities say they could face felony charges. back in north carolina, hobbs says the cub is unharmed. >> no. >> that's insane. >> reporter: officials plan to release her back into the wild, hoping humans keep their distance. >> poor thing. >> put it back! >> reporter: maggie vespa, nbc news. still to come, recapping the weekend action and the nba play-offs. and there is no stopping shohei. find out the latest record that the two-way phenom smashed, right after this.

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alexander guarded, flicks it up and in, and contact. >> the best teams in the nba flex their might in the first weekend of the play-offs. the top seeded celtics and thunder each took care of business in game one with wins over the heat and pelicans respectively. and in milwaukee, damian lillard stepped up in the absence of giannis antetokounmpo. first half gave the bucks the game one victory over the pacers. so the play-off action picks back up tonight. the lakers will try to rebound versus the nuggets, while the sixers will attempt to avenge their game one loss. you see the lineup right here. a and the clippers also beat the mavs as far as the action on sunday. >> yep. well, we'll see what happens. now at bat at dodgers stadium. >> shohei ohtani one-on-one on the third. smashes this one, forget about

it. marte doesn't even move. it's gone. >> all right. well, that two-run bomb from shohei ohtani the 176th of his career. once again enshrined l.a.'s superstar in the record books. surpassing hideki matsui for the most home runs in the mlb by a japanese born player. he broke the record set by godzilla in just his second season in the major. >> he said after, honestly, i'm just relieved to get it over with. especially not bad when you consider the dodgers beat the mets 10-0. >> crazy. now to gnaw chapter in an olympic-sized scandal. on saturday, the world anti-doping agency said the 23 chinese swimmers were cleared to compete at the tokyo olympics, despite testing positive for a banned heart medication. the agency said it agreed with the explanation of chinese authorities claim the swimmer's samples had been contaminated that won six medals in tokyo and

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who are at risk of becoming homeless and allocate aid. since launching in 2021, it's helped nearly 800 individuals and families with 86% of participants keeping permanent housing. civil war remains at the top of the box office for the second week since its release. it brought in 11.1 million in ticket sales over the weekend. "early today" will be right back. how'd they get so much flavor in these skittles littles? 'twas i who shrunk the skittles and packed them with a rush of flavor! did you accidentally shrink yourself too? yeah. huh. shrink the rainbow! taste the rainbow! pain means pause on the things you love, but... green... means... go! ♪♪ cool the pain with biofreeze. and keep on going. biofreeze. green means go. when you smell the amazing scent of gain flings...

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the beehive state is inching closer to hosting the 2034 winter games. now one teacher is inspiring students with her passion for the last time the olympics were in town. shara park with our salt lake affiliate has the story. >> come on in, guys. >> reporter: in room 215, you'll find amy shaw's utah studies class. >> get your starters out. >> reporter: you'll also find a passion for the 2002 winter olympics. >> and get your olympic pacts out. being here in utah i was alive, i was here. i was a young kid. so i don't remember a lot, but i was a part of it. >> reporter: for two weeks, shaw puts her love of the games on display, as she teaches about the impact they had on utah. and that display is impressive. >> the kids have joked that i need to open my own museum. >> reporter: from an official torch to olympic clothing and m mascots. >> a huge part of the olympics. >> reporter: but if there is one thing the students really love learning about. >> the most popular one everybody had to have -- >> reporter: it's the pins. >> it is the green jell-o pin.

>> i really like the jell-o. i liked this jell-o, actually. this one. the circle. >> reporter: as part of shaw's curriculum, each student is creating a plan to host utah's next olympic games, from designing pins. >> i have an i-15 pan. i have a stanley mug pin. >> reporter: to creating a logo and mascots. >> even in like what's it called, the logo, there so much symbolism that goes into that it you wouldn't think about. >> reporter: these students love how miss shaw is teaching about this important moment in utah history. >> it makes me excited for the future olympics. and i appreciate like how much work was actually put into all this stuff. >> i think it gtes the kids more engaged, more involved. oh, this was real. i can touch it. i can see it. it's not just words. >> reporter: in turn she is excited about the role they may play in the next one. >> i love that. >> reporter: it's a moment for

this utah studies teacher to light the fire within and to keep that fire burning. >> they're going to be pa part of this next olympic games. they're going to be alive, go to the events, they might volunteer. it's cool the whole world is watching this event and i was part of it. >> and a lot of lessons to learn the next ten years. our thanks to shara park for that report. and now let's take a look at what's coming on the "today" show. >> this morning on the third hour of "today," five important health questions to ask your doctor in today's checklist. plus, we're celebrating earth day with ecofriendly products to add to your routine. and an energizing dance inspired workout to start the day on the right foot. all that a more coming up ndth

new york versus donald j. trum