you cannot take a shutdown off the table, you cannot take 5.7 off the table -- >> from the battle over funding a wall to a fight over the number of detention beds immigration officials have access to, is a second government shutdown all but certain? as the wheels turn toward possible impeachment proceedings in virginia, could a new poll give the govern smer breathing room? the democratic field for president continues to expand as the candidates clamor for early attention. while proposing ever-larger taxes on the wealthy. michelle obama a surprise guest during the biggest night in music as the grammy awards gave us plenty of memorable moments and se one of the greatest american athletes of all-time says good-bye with a farewell run

her yet another medal. "early today" starts right now. >> welcome to the week. i'm philip mena. >> i'm frances rivera. with less than a week left to strike a deal, a threat of another shutdown is hanging over the country this morning. president trump will likely drumline the border battle in a rally for a wall. he'll face some serious opposition. democratic rising star and potential 2020 challenger beto o'rourke will lead a protest march in the same city. nbc's tracie potts joins us with the latest from d.c. it looks like budget negotiations hit a wall in congress this weekend? >> they did. it's because democrats and republicans cannot agree on a couple of things. first of all, how much space do you set aside in u.s. prisons for immigrants who have a criminal record? and also, how aggressively will i.c.e., immigration and customs rc iman country who do not have a criminal record? with all of that hanging in the balance, there seems to be no

deal so far on money for a border wall, which means the president could still declare a national emergency to pay for it, or we could see the government shut down on friday. here's what we're hearing from the white house. >> you cannot take a shutdown off the table, you cannot take 5.7 off the table. but if you end up someplace in the middle, yeah, then what you'll probably see is the president say, yeah, okay, then i'll go find the money someplace else. >> 5.7 referring to the $5.7 billion the president wants to build the wall. you mentioned the president going to el paso. also at the border we just learned this morning that california governor gavin newsom is pulling their national guard troops from the border, 360 of them. and just becis, we also want to tell you about other washington news. another democrat is signing on to run against president trump in 2020, amy klobuchar, the democratic senator from

minnesota announced in freezing temperatures on sunday that she will join the race. it was 16 degrees and snowing out there. still got a crowd. so now she joins a croed field of democrats signing on to try to defeat president trump. >> it may get even more crowded in the days and weeks to come, tracie, thank you. to virginia where the capitol is still engulfed in controversy. governor ralph northam tells "the washington post" he will not be resigning despite demands from republicans and democrats to do just that. all this as the lieutenant governor is barely hanging on to his job after facing a second sexual assault allegation. nbc's geoff bennett has the latest on this unfolding drama. >> reporter: virginia democratic governor i his first tv interview since becoming engulfed in a blackface scandal says he won't step down. >> i'm not going anywhere. i've learned from this, i have a lot more to learn. >> reporter: new plan, pushing an agenda of racial equity.

>> if you look at virginia's history, we're now at the 400-year anniversary. just 90 miles from here, in 1619, the first indentured servants from africa landed on our nowest. monroe. >> also known as slavery. >> yes. i think i'm in a position where i can take virginia to the next level. >> reporter: as politicians pile on -- >> he should resign. >> reporter: a new sign of support. a "washington post" poll finding a majority of african-american virginians want northam to stay on the job. >> it happened years ago. ralph northam has been with the black community since then. i think he's changed. >> i think they need to get off him, let him do his job. >> reporter: the governor still reserving judgment on his number two. lieutenant governor justin fairfax. who stands accused of sexual assault by two women, dr. vanessa tyson, and meredith watson. fairfax seen leaving his northern virginia home, flatly

denies both allegations. in a new statement writing, i call on all appropriate and impartial investigatory authorities, including the fbi, to investigate fully and thoroughly the allegations against me by ms. watson and dr. tyson. i ask that all three of us be respected during this process." now meredith watson and vanessa tyson say they're prepared to testify if impeachment proceedings against justin fairfax move forward. both women say they stand ready to publicly refute his claims that the encounters were completely consensual. philip? >> all right, geoff, thank you. a lawyer for the publisher of "the national enquirer" is speaking out in the tabloid's defense. in a heated public battle with amazon founder jeff bezos, the richest man in the world. we go to nbc's morgan chesky. >> reporter: a scandal ripped from the pages of a tabloid, involving the world's richest man and nude selfies. the attorney for "the enquir enquirer's ceo david pecker cut

right to the chase on "this week." >> it absolutely is not extortion and not blackmail. >> reporter: in january the tabloid published text messages between bezos and his alleged mistress lauren sanchez. in a blog post bezos said he launched an investigation into the leak and implied his ownership of "washington post" and critical coverage of saudi arabia and president trump might have motivated publisher ami to move against him. bezos shared e-mails he says are by the company and have not been independently verified by nbc news. in them ami threatens to release 10 previously unpublished racy photos of bezos and sanchez unless he stopped the investigation, an act bezos calls extortion. the attorney labeled it adjourn istic negotiation. >> i think both bezos and ami had interests in resolving their differences. >> reporter: it seems bezos might have seen this defense coming. in his post, bezos said, no real journalists ever propose anything like what's happening here. federal prosecutors now looking into claims from both sides. morgan chesky, nbc news.

the biggest standing ovation at this year's 61st grammy awards wasn't for a musician but a former first lady after michelle obama made a surprise cameo at music's billest night. she graced the stage alongside alicia keys, lady gaga, cheered she could share her speech. speaking of music's impact, singer dolly parton got a star-studded tribute. ♪ here you come again oh looking better than a body has a right to ♪ ♪ jolene jolene jolene jolene ♪ i'm begging of you please don't take my man ♪ >> the country music queen was this year's person of the year in honor of her charity work. she's the first country artist to be saluted in the tribute's 29-year history. >> meanwhile drake took a dig at

the awards show in his acceptance speech. >> if there's people who have regular jobs who are coming out in the rain, in the snow, spending their hard-earned money to buy tickets to come to your shows, you don't need this right here, i promise you, you already won. >> his speech got cut off. but he won best rap song for "god's plan." it was a big night for cardi b. she made history, becoming the first woman to win a grammy for best rap artist. cardi brought hubby offset on stage. it wouldn't be an awards show without some controversy. many calling the motown tribute a letdown. ♪ please please mr. postman oh yeah ♪ >> j. lo was picked to lead the tribute, which to many felt like an odd choice. she performed a medley of songs singing with smokey robinson, alicia keys, and ne-yo. let's turn overseas.

there's a lot happening with the royal family. prince william and kate middleton were celebrating with celebrities at the baft thats. and there are new developments about prince philip, who was involved in a car accident last month. for the latest on the royals we go to lucy kavanaugh in london. >> reporter: a lot of royal news from this weekend. prince philip, the 97-year-old duke o edinburgh, voluntarily surrendering his driver's license in the aftermath of the horrific car crash he was in. meghan markle and her continuing saga with dad thomas markle, speaking out to the press yet again, sharing an intimate five-page handwritten letter meghan sent to him after the wedding. he got in trouble for staging photos to the paparazzi, in speaking to the press. in this emotional letter meghan wrote she never heard from her father, he wouldn't be coming, nor did she receive messages about the heart attack he had. daddy, it is with a heavy heart

that i write this, not understanding why you have chosen to take this path, turning a blind eye to the pain that you are causing. she went on to plead with him, if you love me as you tell the press you do, please stop, please allow us to live our lives in peace, please stop lying, please stop creating so much pain, please stop exploiting my relationship with my husband. those pleas apparently falling on deaf ears as thomas mark hell apparently gave that letter to "the daily mail" in the headlines this morning, not something an expecting mom probably wants to be dealing with at this stage. >> that's got to be really, really tough, emotional. lucy kavanaugh for us, thank you. time to say good morning to bill karins. >> there's a lot of winter weather out there, a lot of difficult travel. it's going to be a very difficult week for people that travel in airplanes across the country. here's how we're looking just the snowfall with our storm system. that will be more tonight and then tomorrow. in the midwest we're talking from des moines to madison, green bay to marquette. anywhere around 3 to 6 inches.

plowable snow and school delays and cancelations. then tomorrow the snow moves into areas of the northeast. it will be one of those storms that we get a burst of snow, then over to sleet, a little freezing rain and rain for areas. northern new england gets all snow. that's where the ski resorts will get 1 to 2 feet. new york city to the har inbor . about 17 million people under flood watches. this just a busy week from the west coast all the way through the east. one storm after another. >> going to be a mess. lindsey vonn's historic skiing career has come to an end. this is video of hercompetitive championships in sweden.

despite crashing last week and suffering multiple injuries, this time vonn walked away victorious, winning a bronze medal in the final race of her career reshe retires as the winningest female skier in history. >> cannot ask for a better legacy than that. arizona takes a major step to combat pornography. and teachers in denver are just the latest group to strike today. they hit the picket lines early today. code... it's understanding why that... will get him a body like that... move! ...that. your job isn't doing hard work... here. ...it's making her do hard work... ...and getting paid for it. (vo) snap and sort your expenses to save over $4,600 at tax time. (danny) jody... ...it's time to get yours! (vo) quickbooks. backing you. that's an aggressive yellow. pretty great, huh? if you're a banana. i find it very... appealing.

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neutrogena® weekend negotiations in denver were not successful, and teachers there say they will strike today after failing to reach an agreement on pay. the educators want loweroverall. this strike will impact about 90,000 students. the district says schools will remain open there, but they have canceled classes for 5,000 preschoolers. to arizona where lawmakers are tackling what they consider a big issue in their state, pornography. a republican lawmaker introduced a bill to declare it a public health crisis. michelle udall compared

pornography to the tobacco industry,ing i is useder the bill passed its first hurdle on its path to a full declare pa public health crisis in 2016. similar measures have been passed in levitates. shocking images out of glendale, arizona, show police officers tasing a man nearly a dozen times. after spending months in jail, the father of two is suing the cops, accusing them of torture. a warning, the following video may be difficult to watch. the footage gives a dramatic picture of the amount of force the officers used. a short while into the tape the man collapses into the fetal position from the first couple of times police use the taser on him. by the end of the ordeal, the guy from arizona here, he'd been tased a total of 11 times according to his lawsuit. his wife, a friend, and two young children were inside that vehicle and saw the entire thing, which happened following a routine traffic stop in july

of 2017. glendale police say the man failed to obe instructions. arrested for assaulting an officer and he remained in jail for months because he couldn't afford bail. one of the glendale police officers involved was suspended but has since returned to active duty. still ahead, if you haven't seen will smith as the genie in "aladdin" yet, stick around, it's worth it. plus a harvard study out on why friendships may be the most valuable thing in the world. you're watching "early today." om their 14 different hotel brands, so i get the right hotel for every member of my family. like a doubletree for my cousins who love their warm chocolate chip cookies. a homewood suites for my uncle sister and her kids.y.r that's a lot of syrup and the waldorf astoria beverly hills for me. but i thought your family vacation was in miami? it is. i hear they're having a great time. book at hilton.com and get the hilton price match guarantee. if you find a lower rate, we match it and give you 25% off that stay. my gums are irritated.

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>> that was a clip of disney's live-action adaptation of "aladdin." a teaser debuted last night but was missing the beloved character genie, who will be played by will submit. a new trailer dropped during the grammy awards and fans got a the traif what will submit an e "aladdin" is set to hit theaters on may 24th. >> there was talk he wasn't actually going to be blue. >> loving it. >> there he is. >> can't wait. if you're looking for an excuse to spend quality time with your best friends, here you go. a study has found that an occasional friend getaway is good for your health. "southern living" reports taking time to spend with friends can improve mental and physical health. researchers have found that your friendships can actually extend life expectancy, cut down on risks of heart disease, and even help us tolerate pain. so there you go, there's every reason in the world to call your friend, go and hang out. >> it's the toxic friendships

that will cut your life short. >> every single time. too much time online. >> i'm sure we all have a few of those. e before wine, always fine? turns out doesn't check out. european researchers have found that hangovers will find you no matter what. the study published in "the american journal of clinical nutrition" observed 90 brave volunteers. one group drank 2 1/2 pints of beer followed by four glasses of wine. one group drank the same amount with wine first. one-third drank just beer, or just wine. turns out all of them felt equally hung over the next morning. not surprising. right? we've all been there. >> we have the liquor before beer in the clear, all these things. >> all of that. >> so you drink, you're going to feel bad, bottom line. >> come on, now. we all know you've got to hydrate, you've got to eat, that makes a difference. >> we all thought it was

stuffing your mouth with bread, that's a myth too. >> protein. a big old steak if you're going to booze it up for the night. >> we've done our research, there we go, we know. >> life. life-long research for some of us. >> that's right, the more you know. just ahead, bill has our forecast as winter heads westward. get ready for a very taxing tax season. why your refund may be lower than you expect this year. yikes. let's go. bye, mom. thanks for breakfast, mom. love you, honey. with quality ingredients like roasted hazelnuts and cocoa, nutella is sure to bring a smile to breakfast time. nutella. spread the happy. think only specialty stores have what's new? olay has the hottest debut. new olay clay stick masks, hydrating facial mist,

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another 3 inches of snow for seattle. up to 14 on the month. that makes it the snowiest month they've had in 33 years. in the meantime boston still sitting at 2.5 inches for the season. even boston will get a little bit of snow in the days ahead. another storm for seattle today and tonight. >> wow, that's crazy. all right, bill, we'll be watching it. still ahead, go, dogs, go. the fur flies in a westminster agility contest. we'll introduce you to the winner. a super model in a word, he's complicated his food though is pretty simple he gets blue basics basics is a si made with a single animal protein source, and ingredients you can understand it hgs wh foodken, beef. dairy, soy,sensitivities you know who mugsy is... he's my boy. who loves his blue basics it detects two hormones and then the data goes on to my phone

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the numbers for us. kathy, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, frances. we're officially in tax season and early filers have noticed a difference with their refunds. now if you haven't filed we learned that there are ways you can lower your taxes before the april 15th deadline. this tax season might be remembered for one thing -- many unhappy returns. >> i'll probably have to pay the federal taxes more this year than before. >> reporter: the average tax refund dropped 8.4% from $2035 last year, to $1865, according to new figures from the irs. >> i'm not thrilled about it. >> reporter: and 30 million americans will be writing cck t. that's 3 million more than if president trump's tax reform had not passed. the irs tells nbc news, some may receive a smaller refund or even potentially owe tax, especially if they did not check and adjust their withholding in 2018. but the news wasn't bad for

everyone. 80% of americans received a tax cut, according to the tax policy center. >> the reform has benefited me. more money in my paycheck. >> reporter: financial experts say there's still time to make adjustments. is there anything that we can do to reduce our tax burden before the deadline? >> you can still contribute to an individual retirement account or ira to reduce your taxable income. you have up until april 15th to do that if you contributions to a health savings account could also help reduce your taxable income. >> reporter: while several deductions disappeared in the overhaul, experts say you can still deduct mortgage interest rates and charitable donations. options to ensure you're not left with a diminishing return. now if you end up owing money you might want to consider adjusting your withholding amount. you can do that by going your employer. frances? >> all right, kathy, thank you. >> it's such a harsh reality.

a lot of us going to face that coming up very soon here. a border collie verb soared to victory at the westminster kennel club master's agility championship. verb was a slingshot completing the obstacle in 32.5 seconds, good enough to beat out the other 330 dogs there. verb's owner says she gets nervous every time they compete collies and australian shepherds have dominated agility since it was added to the show in 2015. this is much more entertaining to watch. >> loving verb. wonder if there's an adverb?201

a cold start to your work welcome to monday morning. already february 11th, and it's a cold start to our work week. this is our temperature map right now just showing how chilly things are across the bay area. you'll want to grab a heavy coat before you head out the door,

maybe put the heater on. >> yep. i had to. >> i did, too. good morning to you. thanks for joining us. i'm laura garcia. >> and i'm marcus washington. it's winter. >> it is winter. and wintertime we also get rain, so we are looking at a fewer as get ready to head out mostly for the peninsula as you drive up and down 280. rain moving through