tootd, president trump's high-stakes court fight gets one step closer to the supreme court. a nbc news exclusive. we now know the real target of the u.s. special forces raid on a high-level target in yemen. boston gets ready to celebrate the return of the vince lombardi trophy as the patriots prepare to party at the victory parade. a warning for pet owners and a dog food recall. lebron leaves them speechless. early today starts right now. good morning to you. i'm frances rivera. immigration front and center today. a court will hear from both sides in a highly-charged

hearing on whether to reinstate president trump's immigration travel ban. it is a move they say could unleash chaos. a three-judge panel will hear oral arguments by phone and live stream it at 6:00 eastern. it comes after lawyers for the justice department presented their reasons why a federal appeals court should reinstate the travel ban signed into action by an executive order. the president is hammering the court for a fast reinstatement tweeting the threat of radical islamic terrorism is very real. look at what's happening in europe and the middle east. courts must act fast. the states say the travel restriction is unconstitutional and is hurting their universities, stranding their professors and students. meanwhile, 97 high-tech companies say it hurts their

ability to recruit the world's brightest. and three former secretary of states joined agency leaders saying it would harm national security and discourage muslims in the u.s. from reporting potential trouble. the legal question today, who will be hurt the most, the states with the ban in effect or the federal government by keeping it on hold. certainly the country will be in tune for this one. the president trump isn't just fighting off that suspension on the travel ban but he's continuing his battle against so-called fake news. he asserted without evidence that terrorist acts are going unreported by a quote, dishonest media. >> and all across europe you've seen what happened in paris and nice. all over europe. it's happening. it's gotten to a point where it's not even being reported. and in many cases, the very, very dishonest press doesn't want to report it. they have their reasons, and you

understand that. >> and when pushed to expand on mr. trump's assertion, sean spicer wasn't able to provide any specifics on what if any attacks went deliberately unreported. >> look, i think the president's comments were very clear at the time. members of the media don't always cover some of those events to the extent that other events will get covered. a protest will get blown out of the water yet an attack or foiled attack won't get the same coverage. >> overnight, the white house provided this list of 78 terror attacks they say did not receive proper coverage by the media. several instances on the list are attacks by lone wolves and those inspired by terrorist organizations. also on the list, the 2015 attacks in san bernardino and paris, and the 2016 attack in orlando and bombings in brussels, all of which were widely reported in the press. the latter two are among the top-covered stories in all of 2016 according to independent

figures from the report that tracks tv coverage. while you've been sleeping, an all-night talk-a-thon has been taking place on the senate floor. democrats refusing to back president trump's education secretary nominee, betsy devos. a vote is expected later this morning. dechls are hoping to flip one more republican to oppose her after two gops said they would vote against the nomination. that leaves vice president mike pence poised to make history, casting the decisive vote in devos's favor. now to the secret objective on the navy s.e.a.l. raid. 14 al qaeda militants were killed and important intelligence was gathered. it is being called a success by the white house, however that assessment is being questioned as the bloody firefight left one navy s.e.a.l. and multiple civilians dead and the main target of the raid actually escaped. here's new information on the raid.

>> reporter: multiple military and intelligence officials tell nbc news the real reason for the u.s. military operation in yemen last week. the top secret target, the man american intelligence officials designate the third most dangerous terrorist in the world, the head of al qaeda in yemen. his name qassim al rimi. the mission, kill or capture him. >> i think it is a successful operation by all standards. >> reporter: we learned the high steaks gamble to camture him was not a success. he is alive in yemen. according to multiple officials who confirm that he released an audio recording, taunting president trump as he spoke to the yemeni people, saying "the fool of the white house got slapped at the beginning of his road in your land." the white house declined to comment. al qaeda in yemen has been behind a variety of terrorist plots, including the failed underwear bomber.

he is the most dangerous al qaeda in the world. >> it would be unfair to say this was a slap-dash operation, even though the trump administration is new to the national security world and maybe getting its feet under it, the counter terrorism community, to include the military is well-schooled and well-oiled in terms of launching these kinds of attacks. >> reporter: all of the leaders in the military chain of command were in agreement that the prospect of getting al rimi made the high steaks mission worth the risk. officials tell nbc news president trump was told fwi secretary of defense tands chairman of joint chiefs of staff that the possibility of capturing al r irkts mi would be a game changer. they told the president they doubted the obama administration would have been bold enough to try it. the operation was larger than any counter terrorism strike since the killing of osama bin laden in 2011. a navy s.e.a.l., william ryan owens was killed during the

raid, when forces were faced with a fierce resistance. >> we thank cynthia mcfadden for that report. a manhunt is intensifying for a pair of killers along the gulf coast. they're accused of going on a murder spree that has left three women dead. the latest crime was an attempted murder in pensacola. a young woman was in critical condition after be being shot in her home and police say security footage shows boyett and rice stopping at a gas station with the victim's car. authorities note that rice's hair color is now orange and the surveillance video showed they had a gun. pet owners beware. one brand of pet food is issuing a multistate recall after a contamination with a potentially lethal drug. evanger's is announcing a recall after the drug was found in a batch. five got six and another died from the tainted food. the recall affects 12-ounce cans sold in 16 states manufactured between june 6 and june 13 of

2016. customers can also call directly with any questions. heavy rains in oregon turned into massive landslides that blocked several roads in portland. look here, a cliff collapsed right on to a local highway pouring mud, dirt and trees on to the road below. crews cleared about ten dump truckloads of debris before they could reopen the road. a winter storm search packed a wall lineup in the northwest including washington state. heavy snowfall blanketed seattle and surrounding areas with the heaviest snowfall to hit the area in several years. at one point almost 90,000 customers were without power in the area. and as can you imagine, the road conditions were treacherous. bill karins is tracking multiple storms today. >> seattle-tacoma airport, that was the second largest two-day snowfall in 70 years, seven inches of snow. impressive for that area of the

country. isolated tornadoes in mississippi and alabama. hopefully we'll get through it. overnight, we had a ton of heavy rain in california. you can see the clearing now, trying to work toward the coast to lighten up the precipitation. snow levels have been very high with this system. that's good. we don't need snow right now. as far as additional rain, we are going to ring out the moisture. that's whye have the wral calif mountainous areas. scattered showers at the coastline of oregon. scary moments at a small business in idaho when a propane tank catches fire. it's like it shoots out. captured the scene as the tank and the gas fills the storage room. two minutes before the flames, a

worker smelled the gas and left in the nick of time. luckily, no injuries or damage reported. >> good thing that worker got out of there just in time, bill. thank you very much. we'll check in later. just ahead, lebron james did something that floored everyone. plus, a report that the white house was rattled by "snl's" spoof of sean spicer. you are watching "early today" on this tuesday morning. y treat. regenerist spf 30. marie claire, 10 best editor-approved night creams... regenerist night cream. refinery29, best beauty products under $25... regenerist serum. beauty editors know what you've always known... allure reader's choice award winning brand, 12 years running... olay regenerist. ageless.

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there's a streak of meanness now that they've kind of crossed over into. >> on the bottom left of your screen was melissa mccarthy spoofing sean spicer. politico is reporting on how much that mccarthy performance is reverberating with this quote saying more than being lampooned as press secretary, spicers portrayal was a woman problematic in the president's eyes according to sources close to him. trump doesn't like his people to look weak. the uncharacteristic twitter silence is a sign of how uncomfortable the sketch made the white house feel. boston is setting up for a party to crown the super bowl champions with huge celebrations starting at 11:00 a.m. the city's mayor says an estimated 1 million fans could turn out telling the city proudly to fire

up the duck boats. the numbers are in, over 111 million people tuned into the now historic super bowl. they surged when they pushed the game in a first ever super bowl overtime peaking at 117.7 million. meanwhile, the lone star state is calling in the trangers to sbegt tom brady's missing jersey. according to nbc sports, the rangers and the nfl are currently searching for the uniform that went missing just after brady took it off after the game. he realized it was gone in the locker room. >> someone stole my jersey. >> lieutenant governor dan patrick says the jersey the already the most valuable collective ever. it's important history does not report it was stolen in texas. the search for the item continues. it may be the best clutch shot of the nba season.

down three, clock running out, then lebron. >> lebron, got it! banks it in! >> look at her face. says it all. the stunned washington wizards crowd was awe struck. the game was in overtime. the cavs beat the wizards 140-135. just ahead, uber meet nasa. developing flying cars. plus, what a quick thinking flight attendant spotted on the plane that launched her in action saving a teenage girl and how her story is helping others. you are watching "early today." what sinus headache? what stiff joints? what time of the month cramps? what nighttime pain? make all your pains a distant memory with advil the world's #1 choice

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now for today's quick hits. the academy awards annual luncheon was just held. and you can imagine all those beautiful nominated actors in one room. assembled for their 2016 oscar nominee class photo. now get this. a massive volcano on mars has blasted for the out of the world discovery. scientists pointed to the meteorite that was blasted for the world discovery. and back here on earth, a north texas water tower has said its good-bye. watch this as it goes down. the city of rowlett said they had to let the tower, the symbol of resilience go after it was damaged by a tornado. investors around the globe

are skittish over political uncertainty over trump. landon dowdy is watching your morning. good morning. >> good morning to you. the market rsz trying to claw back from the modest markets. a drop in oil prices dragged down by the energy sector. asian markets were down overnight following the sluggish session on wall street and nervousness of president trump's policies. shrugging off the policies. honda holds on to the spot as the top value brand in america. the list of the best cars for the money is out. the honda fit, hrv and crv earning best honors. u.s. news ranks cars based on quality and value and the avrmg price paid for the vehicle. it's costing more to tie the knot. the average cost of a wedding

tops $32,000 according to an annual study by theknot.com. it includes catering, flowers and entertainment. spending is up and the average number of guests is down from 149 in 2009 to 139 in 2015. frances, this hits close to home as i'm planning on myself. looks like i better be saving up. >> oh, boy, landon, city hall without the stress. >> it's looking good. >> congrats, by the way. great to here. that was landon dowdy. how a flight attendant saved a woman's life. the details, next. ♪ (vo) do not go gentle into that good night, old age should burn and rave at close of day; rage, rage against the dying of the light.

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breathe easier with your vicks vaporub. soothing cough relief that starts working instantly. one heroic flight attendant made a life changing decision up in the sky, spotting a teenager on a flight and taking quick action when she saw something out of place. here is nbcs miguel almaguer. >> reporter: the alaska airlines flight from seattle to san francisco seemed routine until she approached two passengers, an older man and a teen sitting in row 10. >> the bruises i saw on her, the way, her demeanor, her appearance, the way she would not answer me, the way she would always look at him. i knew something was just not right. >> reporter: the flight attendant of ten years urged the young girl to use the restroom

where she left her a note and a pen. >> i said, if you need help, write on this note and i left my phone number on the bottom. she wrote, i need help. >> reporter: she alerted the captain who called the police in san francisco. officers boarded the plane and took the man in custody. a case of human trafficking at 30,000 feet. >> even the smallest thing is a huge difference. >> reporter: her 2011 encounter to train flight attendants in human trafficking. last year, ice arrested human traffickers and identified 400 victims. still to come, how uber is developing to fly taxis. keep it here. you are watching "early today." per roll

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we mentioned the rainfall. how about the additional snowfall? a lot fell overnight. this is the addition. this bright red is about 18-24 inches in additional snow. that's above 6,000 feet. it can be windy at those high elevations. not a good day to be on the ski chairs. a lot of active weather. airport delays are possible to the severe storms in the southeast and the northeast. today is probably one of the worst travel days of the week from coast-to-coast. >> oh, boy. people flying into boston for the parade today. fingers cross zed. bill, thank you. the president's labor secretary nominee, andy puzder has admitted having hired an undocumented worker. something that derailed past

cabinet nominations. he said he was unaware she was prohibited from working in the united states. when he found out, he fired her and submitted the appropriate taxes and documentation. a confirmation hearing has not been scheduled because his office of government ethics is reviewing his financial background. israel's parliament passed a after a heated debate. israel had recently started to demolish a small settlement deemed illegal by the country's supreme court. supporters of the new law say it will prevent demolishing in the future. they say it legalizes theft of palestinian land and jeopardizes peace in the area. uber hired a former nasa engineer to help steer an vision for uber elevate, a plan for an airborne taxi system. the nasa veteran thinks flying cars could be a reality in the next one to three years?

bill karins, huge skeptic. >> i'm still waiting for my hover board, let alone a flying taxi. now, the hug seen arnds the world. ♪ why don't you stay ♪ stay >> that lucky girl hugged by gaga dur thag that halftime show. she is now being hugged by fellow classmates. >> in the moment, i had no idea this was going to happen. i was just walking down the hallway, and people were like, oh, my gosh, you got hugged, can i hug you? >> she has that same smile. >> milk it, milk it. get on "ellen." do whatever you can. >> when you have 100 million watching, that's a big hug seen around the world. thank you for being with us on this tuesday. i'm frances rivera. follows us on facebook and

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birthplace of pioneers. alt"--- as were in t midst of days of -and-off ra. this morning, some places haveg the activity contng a microclimate weather alert. we're in the midst of days of on and off rain. some places have gotten drenched as you see a sheet of green there. steady flow will stick right through the morning commute. just south of sonoma, rising waters washing over the streets. we'll take you to an overnight emergency where six people had to be rescued from their cars. plus, a travel ban fight that features more arguments today. the justice department is going to be dialing in from d.c. making the case the a three-judge panel in san francisco to rein state the ban. today in the bay starts now. good morning on your tuesday. thank you very much for joining