more flood fears as california braces for another storm. what do we want? when do we want it? >> taking to the streets. it's a federal holiday for many but for thousands of others this presiden' day is one of defiance as anti-trump protests get under way across the country. leaked. homeland security memos show the administration zeroing in on what they call criminal aliens. meanwhile, it's trump versus sweden? and more arrests and escalating tensions in the assassination of the north korean leader's half brother. spacex reaches for the stars with a historic launch.

"early today" starts right now. good presidents' day morning. i'm dara brown. northern californians can't catch a break. residents are returning after flooding forced them to flee their homes over the weekend. officials are warning they should be prepared to evacuate again because another powerful storm is on the way. it could be a dire threat in the bay area as the anderson reservoir is overflowing sending water down toward san jose homes. bonnie schneider has more on this storm. good morning. >> good morning, dara. a rare occurrence of lightning, but reports of it. low pressure and the moisture plume along the pacific. this time, taking aim at northern california. we are looking at very heavy rain and mountain snow. keep in mind the winds will pick

up where they are right now. the gusts this afternoon are going to get high, up to 60 miles per hour. it's windy now, going to get worse throughout the day. that includes redding, wind gusts at the airport of 48 miles per hour. it is going to get worse before it gets better. thousands of protesters are expected to take to the streets in dozens of cities across the country today as they jump on the federal holiday launching not my presidents' day rallies in defiance of donald trump who is now exactly one month on the job and has been working at a breakneck pace ever since. holding the first campaign-style rally of his term, mobilizing his conservative base after a brutal week that saw the downfall of his labor secretary nominee as well as national security adviser michael flynn. mr. trump took time to meet with four leading candidates to replace flynn all of whom have military and national security backgrounds. that comes as we get our first glimpse of draft memos detailing possible new guidelines for deporting undocumented immigrants. while the white house says the

memos are just suggestions, immigrant rights groups are already expressing concerns. nbc news' kelly o'donnell takes a closer look. >> reporter: the trump administration is poised to roll out new enforcement plans on immigration. >> general kelly, now secretary kelly, he's really doing the job. you're seeing it. >> reporter: new draft memos signed by secretary kelly from the department of homeland security, read like a blueprint for the president's priorities. at his saturday night rally, mr. trump emphasized deporting criminals. >> get them the hell out of here, bring them back to where they came from. >> reporter: the draft memos, a get tough approach, recommend hiring 10,000 officers and agents for immigration and customs enforcement. deputizing qualified local law enforcement to assist with deportations. other priorities, expedite the removal of undocumented immigrants in the u.s. for two years or less. undocumented parents who pay smugglers to bring children into the country could face

prosecution. immigration advocates are worried. >> if these memos go forward, and even if they don't, their intent is to create fear and chaos in communities across the country. >> the administration is pushing back saying these memos are only drafts that have not been signed by the white house. while some components may be accurate, revisions are still being made. and memos aren't the only news coming from the white house this weekend after the president got into a war of words with sweden of all places after he said this during a rally on saturday with regards to terrorist attacks. >> you look at what's happening last night in sweden. sweden. who would believe this? sweden. they took in large numbers, they're having problems like they never thought possible. >> social media lit up after those remarks with many mocking the president for suggesting an attack occurred when there clearly wasn't one. the swedish embassy saying

they've contacted the administration to get more information on just what the president was speaking about. mr. trump later said he was referring to a piece he had seen on fox news relating to immigrants and violence in sweden. interestingly enough it was fox news that the president seemed to leave out of a tweet this weekend that rattled many when he referred to the media as an enemy of the american people. many took to social media to defend the press #nottheenemy. mr. trump's chief of staff stood by the post and said the public should take the president's criticism of the press at face value. >> i think you should take it seriously. i think that the media needs to, in some cases, not every case, john, but in some cases really needs to get its act together. >> the enemy? >> the theory is that the press is supposed to be a free forum of information to speak to the american people. i think it ought to be accurate. >> many have openly disagreed with the president calling mr.

trump's war with the press a step too far. here with senate republican john mccain defending the fourth estate with which he's often tangled. >> we need you. we need a free press. we must have it. it's vital. if you want to preserve, i'm very serious now, if you want to preserve democracy as we know it, you have to have a free and many times adversarial press. and without it, i'm afraid that we would lose so much of our individual liberties over time. that's how dictators get started. >> mccain added he was not suggesting president trump was trying to be a dictator but pointing out the need to learn the lessons of history. prolific journalist carl bernstein, who helped bring down president nixon with the watergate scandal, called the president's assailing of the press the worst he's seen. >> trump's attacks on the american press as enemies of the american people are more treacherous than richard nixon's

attacks on the press. trump is out there on his own leading a demagogic attack on the institutions of free democracy, including the press. this morning malaysia is recalling its envoy to pyongyang in escalating tensions over the mysterious death of a half brother of north korea's leader kim jong-un. we get the latest from nbc's janis mackey frayer in malaysia. >> reporter: a week since the death of kim jong-nam, the north korean dictator's estranged half brother and whether i know links to north korea are getting stronger. malaysian police confirm they're searching for four suspects, all north korean men, who left the country together the same day kim was killed. police won't say where they were going but interpol is now involved to help solve an international murder mystery. already there's one north korean man in custody after a raid at this apartment block where police say he had been living for over a year.

south korea's government said the web of north korean nationals can only mean the regime of kim jong-un is behind the assassination. also arrested, a malaysian man and two women. one from indonesia, the other vietnam. suspected of poisoning kim jong-nam in a crowded airport in broad daylight. police are investigating whether one of them is this woman wearing an lol shirt on airport security video. north korea's embassy here has demanded the body and objected to an autopsy. but malaysian officials say they're still doing tests. >> we are investigating. >> reporter: today his body remains here. officials won't release it until they confirm dna from a relative. and nobody has come forward to do it. janis mackey frayer, nbc news, kuala lumpur, malaysia. we are watching severe weather across much of the country this morning. san antonio, 43 homes damaged.

trees uprooted and cars moved around. flashes of lightning made it a very long night. bonnie schneider is tracking the situation there. tell us more. >> we have a severe thunderstorm warning bearing down on the houston area. a strong line of storms through east texas and watching for damaging winds with the system. expect the storms to work to the east and eventually bring downpours to louisiana and coastal alabama and mississippi. a rough go of it for a couple days alo theng case in central and to the north. dangerous rains in sacramento and san francisco. wet weather across texas and certainly into california. dara? >> thanks, bonnie. just ahead, what it's

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talk about being on thin ice, a wisconsin man was driving a cadillac escalade on frozen lake michigan when the ice gave away. he was attempting to tow an ice shanty and drove on it. he was able to get out safely. leading the news this morning, the intelligence committee sent formal request to the white house and federal agencies telling them to preserve materials that tie into the investigation into russia's interference into the 2016 election. it was sent the day comey met behind closed doors. meanwhile, a new report from

the independent finds just their first month, the first family cost taxpayers as much as what the obama's cost in a year. over $11 million racked up due to weekend trips and business outings. small business owners are feeling the pinch saying security restrictions cut into his business with training and practices forbidden when the president visits florida which occurred three weekends in a row. spacex is -- a problem with an engine part. we have the report from florida. >> three, two, one, lift off. >> reporter: the spacex lift off from pad 39a. the same spot where they went to

the moon and the spaceship blasted off six years ago. the spacex president says returning the first stage of the rocket to a landing zone, picture perfect. >> spacex is the only organization that has been able to do that, have a mission take second stage and payload onto orbit, turn around, come back home, re-enter, and land on a dime. >> reporter: a rocket component larger than a 16-story building returned to earth from 85 miles in space. a pillow soft landing less than 10 feet from where "x" marks the spot. billionaire spacex owner elon musk tweeting, baby came back. the payload two days from the space station. on board, plants. growing food in space for astronauts essential for a mission to mars. lettuce already grown in weightlessness. nasa labs now growing it in simulated martian soil. >> tastes good. >> pretty yummy, yeah.

>> reporter: spacex says it could be launching a manned mission to mars in just 16 years. kerry sanders, nbc news, kennedy space center. what are the country's most-congested cities? plus we'll tell you how two of the world's richest men paid for their egg mcmuffins. you're watching "early today." ♪ look at you, saving money on your medicare part d prescriptions. at walgreens we make it easy for you to seize the day by helping you get more out of life and medicare part d. now with zero-dollar copays on select plans... ...and rewards points on all prescriptions, walgreens has you covered. so drop by and seize the savings! walgreens. at the corner of happy and healthy. more "doing chores for dad" per roll

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in today's "quick hits," more than 100 employees across

the country lost their jobs for skipping work to join in last week's day without immigrants protest. social media users are now calling on others to boycott the businesses that fired those immigrant workers. if you hate sitting in traffic avoid these places, los angeles, new york, san francisco as the most congested cities in the u.s. u.s. drivers spent an average of 42 hours sitting in commuter traffic last year, costing nearly $300 billion in wasted time and fuel. leading the holiday box office, "the lego batman" movie was number one for the second straight week, earning $34 million. "fifty shades darker" was second with $21 million. "the great wall" was third debuting with $18 million despite costing $150 million to make. u.s. markets are closed on this presidents' day but cnbc's steve sedgwick is here to fill us in on oil prices and what you could call a case of extreme couponing. good morning to you, steve.

>> terrific savings in a few moments' time. happy presidents' day. the oil price is rallying. it's 53.63 for wti, .4% higher, despite the fact that u.s. oil suppliers are putting more rigs on the market for the fifth consecutive week and stock oils are rising to record levels. good news for michigan and ohio, as well. chrysler announced they'll spend $1 billion building the jeep wagoneer and grand wagoneer, a complete retooling of the warren truck assembly plant in michigan, great news there on domestic production. and this story is fantastic. this is warren buffett now. bill gates told a story warren buffett went with him to hong kong, they went to mcdonald's, one of warren buffett's favorite places to have breakfast. how did he pay? he pulled out coupons. warren buffett may well be worth $75 billion, but not only have you got to earn it, you've got to keep it. by using coupons, i guess that helps as well. back to you. >> the proof's in the pudding. steve sedgwick, thank you so much.

just ahead, a big american company embraces and benefits from people with autism. you're watching "early today." tomorrow's the day we'll play something besides video games. every day is a gift. especially for people with heart failure. but today there's entresto... a breakthrough medicine that can help make more tomorrows possible. tomorrow, i want to see teddy bait his first hook. in the largest heart failure study ever, entresto was proven to help more people stay alive and out of the hospital than a leading heart failure medicine. women who are pregnant must not take entresto. it can cause harm or death to an unborn baby. don't take entresto with an ace inhibitor or aliskiren. if you've had angioedema while taking an ace or arb medicine, don't take entresto. the most serious side effects are angioedema, low blood pressure, kidney problems, or high potassium in your blood. tomorrow, i'm gonna step out with my favorite girl.

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way through college at a recycling center, jeff gephardt is on a career path at ford motor company. >> i probably applied for 1,000 or more jobs before i found this one. >> reporter: even with a degree in accounting, his job search took a year and a half. until he discovered this joint effort by ford and the autism alliance of michigan to employ adults with autism. it is estimated as many as 80% to 90% of adults like jeff are unemployed or underemployed. >> do you have a natural aptitude for numbers, do you think? >> yeah, i've always been good with numbers. >> reporter: jeff is using his auditing skills in the automaker's products development division. kirsten queen leads ford's diversity and inclusion efforts says ford looks for jobs that are highly structured and require great focus, and then trains both the new hires and their co-workers. >> helping the teams that are going to be working with the individual understand to communicate in a very direct style. that was one of the key learnings that the team had an

opportunity to learn about. >> reporter: jeff is one of ford's first four hires under this program that will now expand to 24 this year. the company says it's been overwhelmed by the positive response of its employees, many of whom have family members or know someone with autism. an opportunity that is his mother's dearest hope. >> i think finding a place where he fit in has been both of our dreams for him for a long time. and to have a career path tie into that is just everything. it's the whole package. >> reporter: jeff is now focused on his future and savoring the experience. >> the best part about working here is the people. absolutely. >> reporter: when inclusion is job one. anne thompson, nbc news, dearborn, michigan. this is lulu, our newest dog. mom didn't want another dog. she said it's too much work. lulu's hair just floats. uhh

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this weekend was the last highs were shattered. warm temperatures for minneapolis, chicago, topeka into the 70s. that is unheards of. these numbers are 20 to 30 degrees above normal. it is spreading to other cities as well. some places will hit 70 that normally would never this time of february. we are getting a taes of spring early on. >> thank you, bonnie. an uber engineer says sexual harassment charges were ignored. it quickly drew attention online. the key investor was among those publicly outraged.

they promised an investigation saying what was described here is abhorrent and against everything we believe in. authorities in columbia are trying to find the culprit behind an explosion. it happened sunday. 26 of those hurt were police officers. the mayor called the explosion a criminal terrorist attack that targeted law enforcement. security was on hand before the incident. bullfighting restarted last month in columbia after a four-year ban. violence broke out at a basketball game in new hampshire. it started when a player on daniel webster team stomped on an opposing player from vermont college. it quickly escalated and 25 police officers were needed to break it up. they arrested two players and a 43-year-old spectator. the game's last at home since

they are shutting down later this year. some people bend over back wards to break a world record. that's what one 13-year-old boy did. take a look at this boy, known as spider boy. he broke the guinness book record for the most body revolutions. he went 38 times smashing the previous record of 29. the spider boy plans to travel, demonstrating his talents around the world. actually, it looks like he's doing the around the world with his legs there. >> i wonder how long he's been able to do that? >> i don't know. i have to tell you, that makes my back hurt looking at that. ouch, ouch. >> it definitely hurts or stretches it out, depending on how you look at it. >> i'm dara brown along with bonnie schneider. follow us on facebook, twitter and instagram. we hope you have a great monday.

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with anothstorm washi over the bay area right now."floodin creek." we'll look at why it cod be hours--- if not longer--- fore the real effect of flooding s known. sam/vo and rocky pr work being ne in the east bay with aher the reason crews are flyingn material -- via helicopter to get the job done. laura/vo we'll show you the faceovideo t of a heart-breaking trady. todain the bastarts right now. good morning -nd thanks forjoina cannon. ==sam/2shot== and i'm sam brock.==take vo== the rain is coming downtealy across the bay area.this is newu as you can