d at this point, we're going to get off the show. that's all for this sunday. you can see a lot more we'll have next week. because if it's sunday, it's "meet the press." thanks for starting your day with "early today." coming up, lights, cameras, big winners, memorable moments. fashion hits and misses, plus the host with the most. hollywood's biggest night of the year. then to serious matters and possible terrorist threats made against a nation's malls. this on the heels of a showdown on capitol hill over funding our homeland security. a big finish at daytona and much more on a busy monday, february 23rd. "early today" starts right now. good morning, i'm milissa rehberger. it was a night of glitter and gold in hollywood at the 86th academy awards. funny and poignant moments from a mother/daughter dust-up on the red carpet to stars getting serious. they performed "the lego movie"

song "everything is awesome." and andy samberg accompanied them. actress dakota johnson and mom melanie griffith had words when it was revealed that melanie didn't plan on seeing "50 shades of grey." >> first monster role, anastasia in "50 shades of grey" has done so well at the box office. it feels like everybody has seen it. have you? >> no. no. >> she's a really good actress. i don't need to see that to know how good she is. >> you don't have to see it. >> mom! dwayne "the rock" johnson got a little nostalgic for presenting for best animated film. >> i remember crying my eyes out when i watched the end of "the lion king." >> how old were you? >> not important. >> wait, you were, like, 20 years old. >> let's just all move on, thank you, zoe. >> during her speech, patricia arquette struck a powerful chord

with equality for women. >> to every taxpayer and citizen of this nation, we have fought for everybody else's equal rights. it's our time to have wage equality once and for all. equal rights for women in the united states of america. >> nbc's jennifer bork lund live in hollywood. an exciting night. pretty exciting as they wrap things up and haul away the drenched red carpet in pieces ripping all this down and reminiscing on the night where "birdman" came out on top. all the big winners in acting categories pretty much first timers at this 87th oscars. >> we honor hollywood's best and whitest -- sorry, brightest. >> an opening equip the

undercurrent but a dark comedy four oscars and picture for alejandro inarritu. >> we're here. >> eddie redmayne the "theory of everything," for his portrayal of physicist in the "theory of everything." >> this belongs to all of those people around the world battling als. >> a struggle with early on set alzheimer's fueled julianne moore's character in still alice and her performance brought oscar for best actress at the end of the day it's able to do the work and this is amazing. >> after dominating oscar award season j.k. simmons scored again, best supporting actress for "whiplash." parishia arquette best supporting actress for "boyhood"hood. absence of acting no, ma'am

nations for "selma" stirred controversy last night but a stirring performance of anthem "glory" brought audience members to tears moments before it won best original song. >> this is really important. the oscars there's nothing like it in the world. >> the caper comedy tied "birdman" with four wins overall. there were films like "american sniper" and "interstellar" big huge winners at the box office and had to settle for one award each for technical excellence here at the oscars. milissa. back to you. >> thank you. threats prompted largest mall in america to beef up security. mall of america warned its shoppers after a video purportedly released by the terror group al shabab.

they urged shoppers everywhere to be vigilant. >> i'm sure security at the mall will be enhanced in ways visible and not visible but it also involves vigilence and awareness. see something say something is the slogan. i'm not telling people not to go to the mall. i'm telling people there needs to be awareness, vigilence and be careful. >> shortly after "meet the press" appearance the secretary released a statement saying it was not aware of any specific threats against the mall of america or other shopping centers in the u.s. the fbi says it is aware of the video threats against shopping centers around the world including united states. al shabab has ties to al qaeda. you may remember they took responsibility for attack at the westgate shopping center in kenya that left more than 60 people dead. while new york city was not specifically mentioned in the

video, the nypd says it is aware of recent threats and put its counter-terrorism teams on alert. after a week long break, congress returns today with the countdown clock ticking. on friday department of homeland security will run out of money if republicans and democrats cannot find a compromise in a fight over immigration reform. nbc's tracie potts is live in washington for us this morning. all right, tracie, explain how immigration reform is tied to homeland security funding. >> reporter: sure milissa. a number of republicans here don't like the president's immigration orders and refuse to fund homeland security until he gets rid of them. but now based on what happened over the weekend with the mall threat and last week's federal court deciding, that may change. part of homeland security's $40 billion budget helps protect places like the mall of america mentioned by name in the latest al shabab video threatening shopping area around the world.

>> not too worried about it. >> i refuse to let those people change the way i live my life. >> al shabab claimed responsibility for the deadly 2013 mall attack in nairobi kenya. after that fbi and homeland security staged mock attacks at 400 malls around the country. homeland security money may run out friday if congress doesn't act. >> if we go into government shutdown, some 30,000 employees of my department will be furloughed including headquarters personnel i count on daily to stay one step ahead of groups like isil. >> the other 200,000 employees would be forced to work without pay. the money has been in limbo because some republicans refuse to fund homeland security without also rolling back president obama's orders delaying deportation for 5 million immigrants. now with the federal court on their side ruling against those orders opponents pay let that issue go for now.

>> i am willing and ready to pass a dhs funding bill and let this play out in court. >> reporter: and it probably will because the administration has already made it clear they are going to appeal. >> tracie potts, thank you. now to jerusalem and a scary scene that played out on a busy street. a security camera caught all of it. a palestinian man suddenly started lunging at people with a knife. a blade hit one guy in the stomach. jerusalem's mayor was driving by as it was unfolding. not wasting any time he and his bodyguard jumped into action. >> bodyguard took out his weapon. and when he aimed at the terrorist, the terrorist dropped his knife, and we immediately tackled him on the ground. >> the mayor once served as an officer in the paratroopers brigade. as for the stabbing victim, he is expected to be okay. back here at home 24-year-old joey logano raced to his first daytona 500 victory. logano took the lead with 19

laps remaining and went on to win despite a multicar pileup on the backstretch during the final lap. finishing in second, reigning sprint cup champ kevin harvick was followed by defending daytona 500 winner dale earnhardt jr. jeff gordon led a high 87 laps but finished in 33rd. then in the post race press conference, logano gets himself into a little bit of hot water. a reporter asked him about his new championship ring and his wedding ring. >> i hope i don't lose this one. this one's harder to replace, i think. well, i take that back. i screwed up there. hang on, hang on. well, i know -- >> insert pun here. >> hang on. what i meant -- what i meant to say -- >> digging deeper. >> she's still here with me. it's just a symbol. she's with me all the time no matter what. she would be impossible to replace. >> aww. >> there you go. >> that's how you redeem yourself.

>> well done. in all fairness, it could have been just been a rookie mistake. logano has only been married for two months, and he even lost his wedding wing on his honeymoon. extreme weather causing extreme scenes in the south in dallas, texas. a nasty wintry mix making things miserable. iced over roads proving dangerous. drivers are being told to stay off of them. at airports more bad news. more than 12 flights are already scrapped for monday. so let's check in with nbc meteorologist bill karins for more. >> good morning. >> next up. texas storm. it started in areas of california. we did get heavy rain, welcomed rain. los angeles at the airport picked up almost three-quarters of an inch of rain. that was good. i started with a temperature map. it's 38 degrees in las vegas. it's snowing just outside of downtown vegas this morning. you can see all the moisture. the green out here is the rain. here is vegas up here. it's raining in town but all the hills are covered in snow so it

will be a pretty scene once the sun comes back out. here is how it's going to play out today. as we go through the morning hours dealing with rain especially southern nevada and all of arizona, we may have showers left over in san diego. as we go through the afternoon, much of the storm leaves. we may spark up a few showers out there. but don't expect a lot of rain out there this afternoon. again, some active weather moving out as we go throughout your monday. th rain and snow. northern california you get a nice drive to work today. so the storm system it will give us beneficial rains in los angeles, did rain a little on our festivities for the oscars but that's all right. >> bill thank you. find out what sent 11 college students to the

hospital. parents and officials fear three teenagers girls are heading to join isis. samsung's super secret tease for the new galaxy 6 next. you know, i think about money kind of a lot. money is freedom. money's always on my mind. car insurance. credit cards. preschool. debt. cell phone bills. it's complicated. it's not easy. i am not a good budgeter. unfortunately, i'm a spender. i would love to learn more about finances. savings. investments. retirement. man: the more educated i am, the better decisions i can make in the future. i've just found my new beauty bff. hi there! new colgate optic white express white. wait, don't you mean me? new colgate optic white express white toothpaste has the professionally recommended whitening ingredient hydrogen peroxide for whiter teeth in 3 days. without the hassle of whitening treatments. think of it as your smile bff. i thought i was your bff. i mean my other bff! dazzle...

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find it in the foot care aisle or at the registers in these stores. stories making news this morning, wesleyan university officials have launched a full investigation after 11 students were hospitalized from apparently overdosing on ecstasy, also known as mali. school officials say one student is in critical condition. the families of three british teens are pleading for their return. the girls reportedly travelled to turkey and crossed into syria to join isis. >> we just want you to come home. if you watch this, baby, please come home. mommy loves you more than anything in the world. my baby. >> the girls ages 15 and 16 boarded a turkish air flight to istanbul on tuesday. a new associated press poll shows americans are siding with

president obama's new plan to raise taxes on the rich. more than half favor a hike of capital gains taxes on households making more than $500,000. 68% say wealthy households pay too little in federal taxes. crews, they were able to free this 40-ton humpback whale after it got its tail wrapped up in synthetic fishing line attached to a booey more than a week ago. the whale was forced to use its flippers to swim. let's get down to business with cnbc's landon dowdy. good morning. >> milissa, good morning to you. stocks could come under some pressure after a positive week. dow turning in its first record close of the year on friday. look for homes sales and later this week home prices consumer confidence and inflation. the largest u.s. refinery strike in 30 years now in its fourth week. workers from three more plants walk out this weekend including at the nation's largest gasoline plant in texas. more than 6500 united steelworkers are on strike at 19

plants including a dozen that account for 19% of u.s. capacity. we'll say that strike and an explosion at exxonmobil refinery last week has helped push up gas prices of the average price of regular unleaded rose 13 cents over the past two weeks and 26 cents in the last month. that's more than a dollar over last year. a survey on personal hygiene will have you talking. michael phelps takes the plunge. he's engaged. meet his bride-to-be up next.

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this morning on "today," an exclusive interview with the family of kayla mueller, the american aid worker killed by isis militants. in their first tv interview, they share how they're keeping kayla's memory alive. >> kayla's hand for her tools, we want the world to help us let kayla still use her hands to give to the world, to help the people that are suffering, especially the syrian people right now because they have been through so much. and that's where kayla's heart is right now, helping the syrian people. >> don't miss savannah guthrie's exclusive interview this morning on "today." now to sports. in the nba, lakers/celtics, they got to overtime. >> bradley with one to tie the game. they go into overtime. how about that?

>> boston's avery bradley with the game-tying shot, but the celtics fall short in ot, 118-111. lebron james reaches a milestone. he passes allen iverson on the nba's all-time leading scoring list as the cavs down the knicks, 101-83. eighteen time olympic gold medalist is engaged to former miss california nicole johnson. he announced the news on twitter with this very adorable picture simply captioned "she said yes." just ahead, quieting the controversy. what rudy giuliani did after the explosive slam against the president. oscar outrage. why the academy didn't honor the late joan rivers. could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. everybody knows that. well, did you know pinocchio was a bad motivational speaker? i look around this room and i see nothing but untapped potential. you have potential. you have...oh boy.

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now for some entertainment news. twitter was on fire last night. people were upset. the late joan rivers was not part of the in memoriam segment at the academy awards. rivers was a longtime red carpet commentator and regular fixture during awards season, passing judgment on the best and worst dressed as well. the in memoriam segment honors members of the academy and motion picture arts and sciences. while there is no public list of members, many have concluded that rivers and actress elaine stritch who passed away in july were not part of the academy. kristen stewart has become the first american to win a cesar award. that is the french equivalent of the oscar. stewart won for her role as supporting actress in the drama

"clouds of sills maria." attendees mingled while they got their trophies engaged at the academy award party. be careful, word to the wise. you might put your foot in your mouth like nominee benedict cumberbatch did. check this out. >> that's for me and my fiancee. my fiancee. my wife i should say. >> congratulations. >> the imitation actor just called his wife fiancee. the pair married on valentine's day. let's hope she gave him a pass. i think he deserves one. >> a few mistakes in the show. i think the one with the ring was a little bit worse. >> i think so too. he did make up for it. i'm milissa rehberger. this is "early today." we hope it's just your first stop of the day on nbc. that's it. good job. nice coating. and get this one next. whoa! what are you guys doing? making sure nothing sticks. otherwise, we gotta scrub all this stuff off.

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leading the news this morning for nbcnews.com, child soldiers or cubs shown in latest isis video. the new video purportedly shows a training camp in syria where isis appears to be recruiting and brainwashing what it calls cub fighters. the kids can be seen standing in formation chanting praying, participating in physical exercises. and in the telegraph, four out of five women don't shower every day. more than 2,000 british women were surveyed by a skin care company, and they admit it a third -- >> honestly. >> a third of them say they go three days without bathing. oh my gosh. almost two-thirds don't remove makeup before going to bed.

>> i can understand that. >> one in eight don't brush their teeth at night. >> that's a tough one. some stories we're following for the first time ever a woman has been named mayor of baghdad. she took up the position yesterday. her appointment as mayor is being considered a breakthrough for gender equality in iraq. the top iraq expert points out she is the first woman mayor in iraq's 1,250 year history. former mayor of new york city rudy giuliani has written an op-ed in the "wall street journal" titled "my bluntness over shadowed my message." giuliani put under fire for saying he doesn't believe president obama loves america. in the op-ed he writes i didn't intend to question president obama's motives or the content of his heart. my intent focus was the effect his words and actions have on the moral of the country and how that may damage his performance. the italian government is responding to recent threats from isis.

almost 5,000 soldiers put on guard at major sites across the country. in rome alone 500 stationed at tourist sites like the vatican. business news a youtube tease ahead of the march 1st release of the galaxy 6 smartphone. the company is looking to take back the lion's share of the business from apple. in arizona they were doing a little mutton busting this weekend. you have to look at this. it's really cute. it's one of the biggest kraus pleaders at the annual tucson rodeo. look how little they are. cowboys and cowgirls all took part. the goal is to stay on a racing sheep the longest. doesn't look like the sheep is enjoying that. celebrating birthdays. "twilight" star turning 21 "parks and recreation" star 32. keep it here for news weather and sports. i'm milissa rehberger. thanks for watching "early today."

a. and he goes for it. i jerked away but he was too strong so he get it. >> a girl scout troop is ripped off, selling cookies in the south bay but the story does not end there. hear how one of the scouts taught him a lesson. and terrorists threatening to attack malls and we know from experience they mean business. and the new secretary of defense makes a major announcement that could lead to a change in military policy. a live look outside on this monday morning, it's february 23rd. this is "today in the bay."