coming up on "early today," march is in like a lion with more than 63% of the continental u.s. still covered in snow. but relief is on the way. terror group isis issued a major threat to twitter's corporate bosses. a controversial police-involved shooting in los angeles is gaining attention this morning. plus, israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu is in america for his controversial speech. and speaking of controversy, "saturday night live's" comedy sketch using isis has social media buzzing. it is monday, march 2nd. "early today" starts right now. good morning, i'm tara brown. keep saying it to yourself. spring starts in three weeks. winter won't let go. from heartland to atlantic it could be a tough commute. nearly two-thirds of the u.s. is

blanketed by snow. this is what it's like in indianapolis. >> we got the car stuck now. my wife ran down. now we can't get out of the driveway. >> and in boston, it's official. february was the city's snowiest on record. they are just six inches shy of the snowiest year ever. and it's causing all kinds of problems. a youth hockey team and their fans are safe. the ice rink was evacuated just minutes before the roof collapsed under heavy snow. >> i immediately started screaming to get off the ice. i just knew that wasn't a natural sound. >> and it's not just the northeast. albuquerque, new mexico, got more than ten inches in three days. that's usually what they get in an entire year. in dallas, it's not snow but ice that's wreaking havoc. more than 5,000 flights were canceled or delayed yesterday. the northeast will get its fair share today. bill karins will be along later with your monday morning forecast. heightened security in

washington as prime minister benjamin netanyahu arrives. later today he will give a speech before the american-israel public affairs committee or apac. there he'll once again warn of a possible nuclear deal with iran. tomorrow he'll speak before congress, and his arrival comes amid increased tension between netanyahu and president obama. part of that is because house speaker john boehner invited netanyahu to speak without first notifying the white house. nbc's tracie potts is live in washington. tracie, what are you hearing from lawmakers now that this day has finally come? >> reporter: we're hearing at least 30 of them plan to boycott that speech here on capitol hill tomorrow enpart because of what boehner did and how he did it. the white house is saying president obama will not meet with netanyahu, not necessarily because of that but because he is facing a very tight re-election back home in just two weeks. in the close proximity of that they don't want it to appear the white house or president are trying to influence or endorse netanyahu in that election. he's coming here at boehner's

request, without the white house knowing in advance or approving it in advance. he's going to be talking about iran and its nuclear program. another area where the u.s. and ally israel have a big break in policy. they want the u.s. to be much tougher on iran. not freezing the program, not monitoring it but sanctions and completely dismantling it. so the speech here on capitol hill is as much about that as it is about the election at home. in terms of how he was brought here, almost half the public 48%, in our latest nbc "wall street journal" poll said they do not agree with the way house speaker john boehner invited him without white house approval first. >> wow, that must have an interesting ripple effect going on in washington. tracie potts thanks so much. could isis next target be twitter. according to buzzfeed a post addressed on a different site

says your virtual war on us will cause a real war on you. late last night in a statement, twitter said, "our security team is investigating the veracity of these threats and relevant law enforcement officials. all of this after the pope led prayer for people suffering intolerable brutality in syria and iran. the islamic state kidnapped 220 syrian christians in that area last week. some good news on that front, syrian human rights network said 19 of those 220 captives have been released. no word yet on exactly why. local leaders said 16 men and three women are all around 50 years of age or older. one person is dead after dramatic police shooting on skid row in los angeles. police are responding to reported robbery. a bystander captured it on camera and later posted it on facebook. law enforcement sources tell nbc news the suspect was shot after struggling to grab an

officer's service weapon while they were trying to detain him. on the video, officers are seen trying to use a taser to subdue the man. shortly after that an officer can be heard yelling something to the effect of "drop the gun" before shots are fired. >> five officers were wrestling him down to the ground. he managed to get up. they took him down again. then they beat him while he was on the ground. they say i knew i heard one shot. and i looked across the street and i seen three more shots being fired at the guy, laying down on the ground. >> lapd is reviewing the video recorded by the bystander as well as police body camera footage. to moscow, the search is on for the gunman who murdered one of president vladimir putin's fiercest opponents on sunday. thousands gathered to remember him. they marched near the kremlin wall just steps away from where boris nemtsov was killed on friday. mourners held a vigil and signs saying "we are not afraid." many carried russian flags generally used by nationalist, a symbolic gesture to show they are patriots as well. the event had originally been

organized by nemtsov before his death as a march for peace. on sunday law enforcement officials pledged to award $50,000 for information about his death. supporters are debunking, though, a theory by investigators that nemtsov was killed by someone from with the opposition to make him a martyr and unify the party. >> he was killed because of his political activities, because of his anti-corruption investigations. and he was killed because he was nemstov. >> nemtsov will be laid to rest tomorrow. an australian man says he is lucky to be alive this morning after a scary moment during a sky-diving attempt. nbc's peter alexander explains. >> reporter: everything was going according to plan until about 9,000 feet. that's when he says he suffered a seizure and lost control. take a listen to the wind whipping by. the man says he spent the next 30 seconds unconscious in free

fall until his jump master noticed that something was wrong. the other skydiver was able to grab hold of the man and pull his ripcord. at 4,000 feet he became conscious again. at 3,000 feet, amazingly both men landed safely. >> that's just incredible. now for a look at the weather. >> so many things -- >> so many things could go wrong. >> the jump master at a press conference to answer questions. maybe he can get his proper hero congratulations. >> scariest of all situations. talk about scary, let's talk about the weather. what are we up against? >> we should have started the big headline breaking news it rained in san diego. that's a big accomplishment. picked up three-quarters of an inch of rain. that's the most we've seen in a long time of the storm is spinning south of appoint conception, showers through l.a. snow levels down to 4500 feet. we're watching bulk of rain

moving through yuma into arizona. what's next? the low will continue to spin-off the coast here. we will continue to see showery type weather. then there's another one dropping down along the pacific coastline. that will be tuesday with additional showers. as far as the snow goes the highest snow level will definitely be in areas of utah san juan, colorado wyoming. just a little here in the central portions of the sierra. we're not going to see significant heavy snows with that unfortunately. the forecast today, l.a. we will still see a chance of showers. it's going to be hit and miss. some areas could get a quarter inch. some area not much at all. phoenix a good steady rain for a short period of time. further up the coast fine from san francisco to seattle. even tomorrow we're going to be looking nice. our friends in honolulu nice. anchorage continues warm winter with 37 and partly sunny. and off,

see breaks of sunshine as we go throughout your day. it was nice seeing some rain in our area. i haven't seen a lot this winter. a little bit of a start. >> maybe it's an early spring for the west coast. >> that's right. you need the flowers. you need the rain for the flowers. >> thank you, bill. an ultimatum from iraq's leader from isis militants. plus a major undertaking by the british monarchy with prince william in china. william shatner answers criticism for not attending leonard nemoy's funeral. you're watching "early today." from bank of america to help pay for her kids' ice time. before earning 1% cash back everywhere, every time. and 2% back at the grocery store. even before she got 3% back on gas all with no hoops to jump through. katie used her bankamericard cash rewards credit card to stay warm and toasty during the heat of competition. that's the comfort of rewarding connections.

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isis after issuing an ultimatum to sunni islamic fighters to abandon the islamic state. the first person to attract ebola in the u.s. is planning to sue the hospital where she works. in an interview with the dallas morning news she says she was not trained to deal with the outbreak. they said they used her for publicity purposes. "nina pham bravely served texas health dallas during a most difficult time. we continue to support and wish the best for her, and we remain optimistic that constructive dialogue can resolve this matter." prince william has arrived in beijing to begin a four-day tour. he's expected to visit landmarks including beijing forbidden city and kick off an event to foster relationships between british business and chinese partners. his visit marks the first by a senior royal in a generation. actor william shatner is fending off critics for not being able to attend leonard nemoy's funeral including daily

news calling him captain jerk. he couldn't fly back in time for the funeral. shatner tweeted, "i feel really awful. here i am doing charity work and one of my dearest friend is buried." he eulogized in a tweet including this one. he was tall lanky and sometimes a bit too serious. a few hours ago space ex launch carrying two communication satellites at once. time now to get down to business. good morning, dara. february was a record month for stocks. the big focus this week is going to be on the nasdaq. it came within 11 points of touching the 5,000 mark on friday before a late slide into the close. so investors will be watching to see if the index can get back to levels that haven't been seen since march of 2000. currently pointing to a positive

open. it seems warren buffett has a plan for his company when he's no longer part of it. writing in the annual shareholder letter he found the future successor. buffett did not disclose the name although vice president charlie monger spoke of two possible in a successive letter. pizza, a few swipes away on your wrist. newest technology allows san mateo watch consumers to order a pizza on their watch. download the app and wait for your pizza to go from your wrist to your front door. back to you. thanks morgan. just ahead, has lebron been dethroned by a new king james? plus a battle of the undefeated but it was over in just 14 seconds. "saturday night live" controversial isis sketch has people talking. but did they go too far? i bring the gift of the name your price tool to help you find a price that fits your budget. uh-oh.

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this morning on "today," matt goes one on one with funny man larry david. the comedian is coming clean about his job long before "seinfeld" and "curb your enthusiasm" in a hilarious new interview. now to sports. technicals overtimes, kicks? the cavs/rockets game had it all. second half rockets up by eight. james and beverly get into a clash after a hard call. both players with technicals. the tension builds later in the quarter while going

after a loose ball, rockets' james hardin kicked james in the groin. tempers flare. hardin's given a flagrant foul. the game will go into overtime. with seconds to go, james is fouled. he'll go to the line. down by one. and a chance to give the cavs the lead and possibly the win. both shots, no good. the rockets hold on for the 105-103 victory. after the loss, lebron posted this curious tweet saying "way to trick it off today, bron." what does that mean? no one really knows. the rockets' post-game tweet, more obvious. the phrase "king james" with a photo of james hardin captioned "long live the new king." to atlanta now. motor speedway. a slow start after an hour delay due to morning rain. with 21 to go, greg biffle goes sideways. causes a chain reaction, an eight-car wreck. the race was red-flagged for cleanup. on the final lab, jimmie johnson pulling ahead to win his second sprint cup race of the season. kevin harvick was just 1.8 seconds behind johnson.

the honda classic was suspended at the pga national in florida due to harsh weather over the weekend. a clear sunday led to a marathon of play. that includes today. golfers paul casey and ian poulter lead the pack at 7 under. rafael nadal wins his first title in months. he won the argentina open. and at the staples center saturday night, ronda rousey won but if you blinked you missed. in just 14 seconds, tying for the fastest submission in ufc history, and it was the fastest win in a ufc title fight. fourteen seconds. wow. "early today" is brought to you by just for men mustache and beard. just you and the look you want. just ahead, vince vaughn lady gaga and ice-cold water all for a good cause.

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in erie, cleveland, coldest ever there and in chicago. average temperature for the month 14 degrees. a lot of people so happy to take february, throw it away and let's start fresh in march. >> that sounds like a good plan bill. thanks so much. now time for entertainment moves, will smith's "focus" with 19 million. james bond, jr., kingsmen just under $12 million. spongebob rounds out top three with $11.2 million. fifth shades of gray breaks an international box office becoming highest rating foreign release. universal is our sister company. it made $330 million abroad beating out the cuddly comedy "ted." looks like friday's release of "house of cards" attracted less than legal activity. a piracy tracking firm reports the series third season was

pirated about 680,000 times only a day after. >> how do they track that. >> twice the illegal down loads. >> if we can catch it can't we catch these people? >> you would think. that will be the next step. wedding crash ervins vaughn joined lady gaga and her fiancee taylor kinney in the polar plunge. the event raised $1.1 million. >> have fun with it if you're going to do it. >> that's "the flintstones" jumping in there. >> have you ever? >> 14 degrees in chicago. >> that was the average high in february. the water temperature is probably easily in the mid to low 20s. >> still too cold. i'm dara brown. this is "early today" purchase 50. >> i wouldn't go in at 50. we hope it's just your first stop of the day on nbc. minnesota winters are brutal it's tough being cooped up it gets a little stale. when dad opens up the window what's the first thing he does? the tobin stance

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leading the news in the "new york times," justice department to fault ferguson police seeing racial bias at traffic stops. after the police shootings unarmed michael brown an investigation launched into the practices of ferguson police department. the results are expected this week and the "times" reports it will show a disproportionate number of tickets and arrests of african-americans. in usa "today," look alive, walking dead town for sale on eastbound. up -- ebay. it's a tourist attraction because of the hit show. new security footage show three british teens who may have traveled to syria to join isis. three girls at a bus station in

istanbul less than 24 hours after they disappeared. turkish authorities are trying to track down people in the video seen helping the girls with their bags. from the "washington post," nkz launches two missiles as u.s. south korea begin military exercises. the missiles were fired into the ocean early this morning. according to the post, north korea posted them calling them a dress rehearsal for invasion. "saturday night live" did a takeoff on a toyota ad where a young woman's dad drops her off at the airport. the parody takes a turn when you see what she's really doing. take a look. >> looks like your ride is here. you be careful, okay? >> dad, it's just isis. >> take care of her. >> death to america.

one twitter user asked the show how they would feel if their loved ones were slaughtered by isis. "snl" star taran killam tweeted this. "proud of this. freedom to mock is our greatest weapon. thanks to the writers who asked not to be mentioned by name." >> i'm torn on this one. maybe at 12:30 at night on a saturday maybe -- >> a little too much. >> maybe, i don't know. they push the envelope. >> and got controversial, now we're talking. time for a look ahead vice president joe biden heads to central america today. during his trip he'll meet with guatemala, honduras earlier made his tenth trip to the region. ben roethlisberger is 33 james bond actor daniel craig turns 47. singer jon bon jovi is 54. keep it here for news weather and sports. i'm dara brown.

thanks for watching "early today." have a good one.

new concerns at twitter this morning after a threat from isis. details next. plus a possible connection peninsula police trying to figure out this man is tie toad a string of indecent exposure incidents. snow in the syria. tahoe getting a fresh dusting and it could see more. >> a live look outside this morning right now, the bay bridge on monday march 2nd you are watching "today in the bay." from nbc bay area this is "today in the bay." very good monday morning, 4:30. i'm stan brock. >> and i'm laura garcia cannon. early morning fire at a south bay strip mall. >> we are