we've got some wicked winter weather to start your week with epic wind in the northeast. tearing up roots and damaging structures. plus blizzard conditions in the midwest. and a new storm headed for california. and the big winners at the academy awards include "green be president trump leaves in just a few hours for a second historic mting with north korea's kim jong-un. but he leaves a busy washington behind. we'll tell you what's in store. pope francis wraps up a four-day conference but was anything really accomplished to combat the church's sex abuse crisis? are you tough enough for the extreme sport of ice canoeing? brace yourself.

"early today" starts right now. good monday morning. i'm frances rivera. >> i'm marlie hall. the northeast is bracing for dangerously high winds. the national weather service is warning of wind gusts up to 60 miles per hour throughout the day. the niagara parks police service in canada shared this video of winds powerful enough to blow ice over a retaining wall. for more on severe weather that swept across the country, we're joined by nbc's kathy park. good morning. >> reporter: good morning,marli. the weekend storms unleashed heavy snow, rain, and wind. parts of the country are digging out this morning, other parts are dling with t columbus, miss daylight revealed what the town of 24,000 people went through.a tornado barreled through businesses and homes, killing a woman. some took cover in this gas station just before it hit. in tennessee, a state of emergency. days of relentless rain flooded

homes, highways, and rivers. and water flowed through the grounds of the jack daniels distillery. sinkholes and landslides created dangerous roadblocks throughout the state. one man was killed after high water trapped him in his car. to the north, millions across the upper midwest got slammed with snow. whiteout conditions making travel treacherous. slick roads sent semis sliding and cars crashing in nebraska. in nina, wisconsin, a 100-car pileup left one person dead and several others injured. >> i've never seen a pileup like this. cars crunched vehicles backwards, vehicles sticking straight up. >> reporter: late winter weather still delivering a powerful blow milons. from the midwest to the no winds. gusts could reach up to 70 miles per hour, whichou to widespread power outages.

hollywood has made it through its biggest night of the year. broadway star billy porter made an entrance wearing a one-of-a-kind lux seed dough gown hybrid. selma blair made her first red carpet appearance since revealing her multiple sclerosis diagnosis, using a custom monogrammed cane. rachel weiss made a statement in a bright red two-piece gown with a shiny latex top. here are some of the biggest moment s of the show which kicked off without a host. >> welcome to the oscars! >> we are not your hosts, but we're going to stand here a little too long so that the people who get "usa today" ♪ in the shallow shallow shows in the shallow shallow ♪ ♪ in the shallow shallow

♪ we're far from the shallow now ♪ >> it's not winning, but what it's about, it's not giving up. if you have a dream, fight for it. >> all right what a night. after 30 years and five nominations, spike lee finally took home his first win for cowriting the adapted screenplay for the docudrama "blackkklansman." "black panther" hannah beechler the first african-american woman to take home the oscar for best achievement in production design, an award she shared with jay hart, with her mom by her side, and sup f america. regina king won her first oscar, best supporting actress for her role in "if beale street could talk." best supporting actor mahershala ali of "green book." he took home the same award last year for his role in "moonlight." >> rami malek was helped to his feet and checked out by

paramedics after he tumbled off audience n "bohemian rhapsody." olivia colman took home her first academy awahat was widely considered a surprise win, named best actress for her role in "the favourite." the top director alfonso caron for "roma." and "green book" took home best picture. pope francis ended his sex abuse summit on sunday with strong words for priests and clergy members who abuse, calling them tools of satan, and tweeting every abuse is an atrocity. some survivors say although his remarks were much needed and acknowledged the crisis plaguing the church, they lacked solutions. here's nbc's jay gray. >> reporter: pope francis closes this historic summit with condemnation.

calling clergy who abuse tools of satan and ravenous wolves. his social media posts justifying the anger survivors feel toward the ch wrath of god. and promising church leaders moving forward will deal with abuse and cover-ups with utmost seriousness. >> translator: the church will spare no efforts to do all that is necessary to bring to justice whosoever has committed such crimes. >> reporter: the pontiff stopped short what was many had hoped for here, a direct mandate or defined change in church law. >> it was disappointing. it was a show. >> reporter: survivors and advoe dates say there's no substance after four days of meetings here. just bullet points, promises, and perhaps some kind of handbook for bishops in the coming months with an outline on how to handle cases of abuse. >> so we've been waiting decades for some saying a handbook is

what their reform will be. it's like, enough, we were raped. the priests are still in ministry. tolerance and a full public accounting of the abuse and abusers and urging parishioners. >> i'm asking, i'm begging the catholics out there that see us to rise up. >> reporter: to do what they say their church has not. jay gray, nbc news, rome. now to history in hanoi this week as president trump holds his second summit with kim jong-un. later this morning the president will depart to vietnam where he and the north korean leader will build on their meeting last june. the president laid out his goals during a speech at the house sunday night. >>re a very interesting two and a half days in vietnam. and we have a chance for the total denuclearization of an area of the world that was very

dangerous. >> the president is expected to have breakfast with several governors this morning before leaving for vietnam. nbc's geoff bennett has the latest from d.c. jeff, good morning. >> reporter: frances, president trump is playing up the possibility that the u.s. and north korea can come to an agreement on denuclearization as he prepares for a second face-to-face meeting with kim jong-un. mr. trump in a series of tweets says he expects a continuation of the progress he and kim made after their first meeting in singapore. but the president seemed to play down any new break throughs in this exclusively obtained video message shared last night with his supporters at his private mar-a-lago club. >> we have a terrific relationship, and we'll see where it goes. who knows where it goes but we'll see. >> reporter: now u.s. intelligence officials say north korea has taken no concrete steps to curb itse. while the president is overseas this week, two of his political

headaches women dominate headlines. first his former lawyer and fixer michael cohen is set for three straight days of congressional testimony, appearing publicly on wednesday before the house oversight committee. cohen has already implicated the president in campaign finance violations and democrats say they want to learn more about mr. trump's business practices. and the house plans to vote this week on a resolution to block the president's declaration of a national emergency along the southern border. the white house though is hopeful that his summit in hanoi will prove to be enough of a media spectacle to help distract from the political controversies here at home. >> geoff bennett for us, thank you. r. kelly's musical legacy has come crumbling down with the singer spending an entire weekend behind bars. it looks like he could be there for one or two more days as confidants scramble to get the $100,000 needed to post bail. bond at $1 million. judge seth kelly turned himself in to

authorities on friday after he was indicted on 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse against four victims. the allegations date back as far as 1998 and span more than a decade. the singer does have a court appearance scheduled for today where he'll have the opportunity to enter a plea. let's turn to the weather and meteorologist bill karins. we've got to prepare for winds? >> yeah, imagine people flying today, white knuckles. high wind warnings and advisories up for 80 million people still from michigan all the way through the northeast. the winds have been howling overnight and they continue into the day today easily through this afternoon. it will be very gusty, especially eastern new england. highest gusts in the last hour, 44 in pittsburgh. rochester 51 gusts. in the 30 range forful the big cities in the northeast. as we start off at 6:00 a.m. in the 30-mile-per-hour range, the winds will be at their max as we go mid to early afternoon in areas of especially eastern new england. by about 5:00 to 6:00 p.m., notice that we really relax the winds by pittsburgh and buffalo and rochester.

still very windy new york city up to boston. some spots this afternoon will easily be gusting into the 40s to 50-mile-per-hour range. we're lucky there's no leaves on the trees or we'd have a lot more power outages. last check was over 500,000. along with strong winds we have streamers. these are snow showers that are coming off the lakes. many areas of upstate new york ill have snow is all over the place and that cold air will be blowingte. all of this and we also have another epic storm coming into the west coast to talk about. >> pound after pound, one-two punch. gas prices are on the rise according to the latest lundberg industry survey. the average price of regular grade gasoline was gone up 10

cents a gallon over the past two weeks to $2.44. gas costs an average of $3.33 in san francisco. meanwhile the lowest average is $2.03 in baton rouge, louisiana. lundberg notes the price at the pump is 15 cents lower than a year ago. straight ahead, check your freezer, a frozen food recall. plus the latest in the investigation of the deadly amazon prime cargo plane crash that claimed three lives. you look amazing. and you look amazingly comfortable. when your v-neck looks more like a u-neck... that's when you know, it's half-washed. try downy fabric conditioner. unlike detergent alone, downy helps prevent stretching so clothes look newer, longe'.

my gums are irritated. i don't have to worry about that, do i? actually, you do. harmful bacteria lurk just below the gum line. new crest gum detoxify works below the gum line to neutralize harmful plaque bacteria and help reverse early gum damage. gum detoxify, from crest. are confusing quilted northern for robes. they're both cushiony, comforting, and add elegance to your home. but quilted northern is not a robe. it's just really nice toilet paper. ok, i...is it...? clearblue digital pregnancy test... ...with smart countdown, gives unmistakably clear... ...results written in words. over 99% accurate. absolute clarity, when you need it most.

are so thick... so fluffy... so delicious... (whisper) karen, karen you've got to try this ...they're just too good not to share l'eggo your eggo stop fearing your alarm clock... with zzzquil pure zzzs. a drug-free blend of botanicals with melatonin that supports your natural sleep cycle so you can seize the morning. zzzquil pure zzzs. before you reach into the freezer we have an important recall to tell you about. boston market is recalling more than 173,000 glass or reports of anyone being injured, but consumers with questions can call consumer affairs at the number on your screen. leading the news, outside of houston, texas, an amazon prime cargo plane crashing, killing all three crew members on board.

nbc's tom costello has the latest. >> reporter: frances, good morning. we're at the trinity river, and behind me in the marshland, investigators are focused on retrieving the black boxes from this 767 that went down saturday afternoon. it was on a cargo run from miami to houston, and it was flying for amazon. witnesses say the plane went down at about 12:39. they say that it appeared to be in distress in some way. a controller apparently lost contact with this plane at about 6,000 feet. no radio, no radar. so now the concern is, did weather in any way play a role in on board the plane that might have brought it down? we can tell you there is video of this crash taken from a nearby jail. the video, according to the ntsb, showshe looking at whethe they can in any way video to help determine what caused the accident. there was no distress call. so the focus now here at the

trinity river is trying to find the black boxes to hopefully give some sense as to why this plane crashed with three people on board, two of those people have now been recovered. >> still so many questions, tom, thank you. just ahead, tensions in europe could lead to unrest on this side of the atlantic. this parade of dishes will soon be yours to scrub. and they're not even... yours. ana n finish off this buffet. each drop now has even more grease-cleaning power. soand get done faster.ess, next month, their place! everyone wants to be the cadbury bunny because only he brings delicious cadbury creme eggs. while others may keep trying, nobunny knows easter better than cadbury!® that rocking chair would look grahh, new house, eh?e. well, you should definitely see how geico

could help you save on homeowners insurance. nice tip. i'll give you two bucks for the chair. two?! that's a victorian antique! all right, how much for the recliner, then? wait wait... how did that get out here? that is definitely not for sale! is this a yard sale? if it's in the yard then it's... for sale. oh, here we go. geico. it's easy to switch and save formulation on homeowners and renters insurance.clusive whitg safely whitens 25 times better*. for a noticeably whiter, smile. trust america's #1 whitening treatment. crest 3d whitestrips.

a programming reminder for you. nbc news will have round the clock coverage of the u.s./north korea summit. lester holt will lead our coverage reporting live from hanoi starting on tuesday. a continent divided. italy and france, the two

nations that helped form the eu, are clashing over several issues from art to immigration to finances and more. the feud is raising concerns over the future of the union. here's nbc's sarah harmon with the latest. >> reporter: a continent in turmoil.rope now art. neighbors italy and france, who together helped lay the 60 years t divide. after a top italian politician met with french protesters, making headlines. france made the historic decision to recall its ambassador. for the first time since 1945. he has since returned, but the battle has spread beyond politics. italy's populist government is refusing to let france borrow paintings by artist leonardo da vinci for an upcoming exhibit at the louvre. behind the feud a deeper rift over the future of europe. italy's populist coalition government is questioning the role of the eu.

>> we need to stop, to rethink everything, and to restart. rwise it will orter: but french president emmanuel macron is a staunch supporter of the eu. and there's a lot in flux, with european parliamentary elections in may and britain set to leave the bloc next month. >> europe has to change. and that is a big challenge for the next years and for the next european parliament. >> reporter: as pressure mounts, the faushowing. sarah harmon, nbc news, rome. >> really the tensions there, you can see with the images and all, even so far you think it's just all political but even in the art world that's so important in europe, you see that with the louvre. >> every aspect of european society and those two countries really a mainstay, so important a region. winter weather heads west. and a comedian with a good cause, how former "daily show" jon stewart is fighting for the heroes of 9/11.

zer... but there's one... that blows them all out of the water. hydro boost water gel from neutrogena®. with hyaluronic acid... it goes beneath the surface to plump skin cells from within and lock in hydration. leaving skin so supple, and now for your body... from neutrogena® and now for your body... super emma just about sleeps in her cape. but when we realized she was battling sensitive skin, we switched to tide pods free & gentle. it's gentle on her skin, and dermatologist recommended. tide free and gentle. safe for skin with psoriasis, and eczema. ♪ life is measured in moments. securian financial offers solutions that give you the confidence to enjoy the here and now. so you can make every moment count. ♪

(vo) every baby can have the freedom to move their way. in pampers cruisers. with 3 way fit. they adapt at the waist, legs and bottom. for all the freedom to move their way. pampers. nivea essentially enriched body lotion, with two times the almond oil. it deeply nourishes skin for 48 hours. ♪ one, two ♪ three, whoo! nivea essentially enriched. deeply nourishes for 48 hours. nivea essentially enriched. do you want ready to wear clothing without all the hassle? you can, with bounce dryer sheets. we dried one shirt without bounce, and an identical shirt using bounce. the bounce shirt has fewer wrinkles, less static, and more softness and freshness. bounce out wrinkles, bounce out static.

are so thick... so fluffy... so delicious... n,aren you've got to try this ...they're just too good not to share l'eggo your eggo are confusing quilted northern are confusing quilted northernf. r a bouncy castle.ted northern they're both durable, flexible and nice to have at parties. it's just really nice toilet paper. the southern half of the country has it made throughout this day today. beautiful weather throughout all of the south. if you're going from the northeast to the midwest to the west, we've got problems all across the board here. the northern half of the country from windy conditions to epic cold to feet of snow are going to fall again in areas of california. by the middle of the week, light snow great lakes into western new york. showers in florida. y.yfriday, >> all right, bill, thank you very much. putting the competition on

ice. the wild race that put the canoes in the water and on top of it. g to simplify your skin care routine without sacrificing results? try olay total effects for a 7-in-1 solution. its unique formula is packed with vitamin b3, e, and c to naturally renew skin cells for a visibly healthy glow. in fact, a single dose provides more vitamin b3 than 50 cups of kale which is proven to improve 7 key areas of visibly healthy skin. save time and money on your skin routine with olay total effects. brand power. helping you buy better. ♪ if♪ darling, tell me me, loveall the ways ♪ay ♪ ♪ tell me all the ways from our store, to your car door. ♪ all the ways choose drive up, at target. my gums are irritated. i don't have to worry about that, do i? new crest gum detoxify actually, you do. works below the gum line to neutralize harmful plaque bacteria and help reverse early gum damage.

gum detoxify, from crest. something to keep an eye today. comedian and formerl be in washington, d.c. alongside senator kirsten gillibrand to rally for a bill extending compensation funds for 9/11 first responders and survivors. thousands are expected to attend. this comes after the september 11th victims compensation fund cut payouts by as much as 70%. the fund was created in 2011 with $7.3 billion and is set to expire in december of 2020. it's already paid out $5 billion, but with resources dwindling, there are still

19,000 claims t unpaid. winter means rivalries in one partrth. every year along the banks of the st. lawrence river in canada, people gather for an unusual race that takes place both in the water and on top of it. nbc's kevin tibbles was among those watching the action. >> reporter: in this chilly corner of the world they celebrate winter. the quebec winter carnival and its mascot go back generations. bringing warmth to frosty february. and the highlight of this frozen festival on the banks of the st. lawrence river might be one of the wildest sports around. are you crazy? >> a little bit. >> i guess you have to be a little bit crazy. >> reporter: it's called ice canoe racing. and they're off. teams of racers, five per canoe, hurtle off the int the frigid river, making their way to the other side and back. >> i love it, it's amazing. the adrenaline.

chilling wind, curt, and ice floes. even if it meansn iceberg or tw. and it's all a nod to history for french canadians who braved the water. for centuries the only way to deliver anything, including the mail, to the other side in winter, was by ice canoe. and you're reliving that history today? >> yeah, kind of. with carbon fiber and oars and technology. but the spirit is the same. >> reporter: the ice canoe race began at the very first carnival back in 1894 and has attracted crowds to the cliffs ever since. reaching the finish line, gasping for air, happy and relieved. how was the ice? >> great. there's nice plates of ice. there's a bitken ice but not too much. >> yeah, i'm exhausted. it's take to take a beer. >> reporter: think it's a young person's game? 60-year-old john anderson's team has just won for the 26th time.

>> it's a passion for us. it's a way of living, something like this. >> reporter: aie passion for ice. kevin tibbles, nbc news, quebec city. >> had no idea that even existed. it has for over a century, that's amazing. >> they're so happy in that frigid cold. >> thanks for b

in just a few hours, president trump will depart for a meeting with northea but is the white house just now lowering expectations for the historic face-to-face? hollywood's biggest night. we've got the winners and most memorable moments from the academy awards. pain at the pump. as gas prices shoot up a dime for an average gallon of gasoline. not for the wicked weather from coast to coast that will surely impact travel plans. flying without wings at age 86. the woman whose latest leap of faith landed her a spot in the guinness book of world records. "early today" starts right now.

>> good monday morning. >> i'm frances rivera.