the trial begins today, but is the outcome for donald trump's second impeachment trial already a foregone conclusion? the people who stormed the capitol were from 43 straights and now we know a t more about them and their plans. the coronavirus is faster than scientists' next move to the thwart the virus. new details on why you should file as early as possible. >> and we remember a key member of the rock and roll hall of

fame "early today" starts right now. good tuesday morning i'm phillip mena. >> glad you're with us i'm frances rivera the second historic impeachment trial of donald trump begins this afternoon the case will go before senators in the very room ransacked by rioters. according to a new abc news and ipsos poll, 56% of americans support convicting trump and barring him from holding office while 43% oppose the move. our tracie potts has more. and, tracie, what else can we expect today >> so, frances, the first thing we can expect today is whether the trial should be held at all. the first four hours of this afternoon the senators will talk about whether or not this trial isp lawyers argue it not is. tomorrow we'll see up to 32 hours of opening statement, 16 on each side, and then managers

may be able to request whether or not to request witnesses. that will happen in the middle of trial for now, lawmakers on both sides are deeply divided >> truth and accountability are essential. some people say, oh, let this go away oh away oh, no when something as horribly and dastardly happened on january 6th, you cannot sweep it under the rug. >> the impeachment in the house took place without a hearing, without one witness being called, and without a lawyer. when you combine a snap impeachment with an impeachment of a president who's out of office, you're going to destroy the presidency itself. >> the trump team argues this is all political theater. democrats will argue, quoting here, the president, the former president, unleashed a mob down

pennsylvania avenue like a loaded cannon. they have to convince 17 republicans that trump is guilty back to you. for his part this week, president biden will concentrate on the massive covid relief bill that so many americans are counting on. nbc's kristen welker is at the white house. kristen, good morning. what's the president planning here >> reporter: hi, phillip, good morning to you president biden is trying to keep his key priorities on this weekend with the plans to grab all of the headlines senior administration officials tell nbc news they're trying to counter program the trial. on wednesday the president will make a trip to the pentagon. thursday it's a visit to the national institutes of health. now the president has voice support for the trial, but it could also undercut mr. biden's push for the $1.9 trillion

package. others are already saying the price tag is too high. phillip. there are growing concerns about the impact of new coronavirus variants the strain found in south africa is creating new challenges for the worldwide vaccine roltout after a study questioned the effectiveness of the shots >> reporter: in the race to get shots in the arms of american, a warning from south africa, which just froze its rollout of astrazeneca vaccine. >>it's an example of how think could go very quickly. >> a thousand people found astrazeneca much less effective against the south african variant. astrazeneca isn't yet authorized in america, though the u.s. has ordered 300 million doses. the other vaccines are still effective against the variants for now. but as the coronavirus encounters people with antibodies, it fights to survive

by figuring out a way to evade the immune response and every infection is a chance to mutate more it rages in areas where people already have antibodies. the risk of mutation goes on. >> our research program is not focused on she's variants. the question is can we develop vaccines specific tock those variants very quickly? >> reporter: in the uk health care workers are going door to door, in an effort to test, track, and control the south african variant. astrazeneca is pushing back saying based on its studies it believes it will still protect. >> thanks to keir simmons for that report. the world health organization is leading the charge to shed light on the origins of this virus. a team is in wuhan where the covid-19 originated a little more than a year ago they're set to relay their latest brief this morning.

chapman bell has more this morning. what can we expect to hear today? >> reporter: the presser was supposed to start and has been delayed. there's still a lot we don't know about this virus, where did it come from, what are the origins of this virus. that's why this team has been in wuhan for the past several weeks trying to investigate what has been some of the key sites in the area, including seafood market as well as the wuhan institute of virology, which has been high on many people's minds as a place for the potential leak or a place where coronavirus has been studied this team is from ten nations including veterinary medicine, virology, food safety, as well as epidemiology.

so they're covering a range of topics to try to find out where this virus came from, and hopefully we'll have some evidence brought forth when this begins at some point today to find out exactly where it came from phillip. >> it's a question that's affected every northbound the world. thanks. the battle to reopen schools continues. in philadelphia, some teachers taught in the cold to protest the city's plan for sending students and staff back to in-person learning our affiliate from wcau has more. >> i'm really sorry, boys and girls. let's see what we can do. >> reporter: a blistering cold morning with blachbinkets and ls of clothing. they taught their classes outdoors. >> i really don't feel safe. i love my students i'm so dedicated to my job

but this is not something i feel comfortable doing. >> reporter: the protest brought about by the philadelphia school of teachers. it's a plan the teachers aren't convinced will keep them safe. >> literally the plan is a window fan fastened with a piece of wood, and that's not safe. >> they want to have the student back in school on february 26th. teachers and parents say until it's made safer or teachers are vaccinated, it would do more harm than good. >> we are the people who work with those students. we know more than anything how important that s but at the end of the day we need to choose to do the safest thing until it's under control. >> reporter: our thanks for that report. a major issue plaguing this

country is homelessness. in chicago, millions don't have a home over their head er our shaquille brewster takes a look at how to get them vaccinated shaq, good morning. >> reporter: you're seeing a race to vaccinate the homeless population, a population that continues to grow as the pandemic continues to surge. these are congregate settings. when you talk to homeless advocates, it's a matter of saving lives and there's why homeless americans should be prioritized with this process we know about the vaccine skepticism we hear all across the country. that's something health care professionals have to overcome as well. the nurse practitioner in charge of vaccinating the homeless population at a shelter said this is a vaccine that requires

two doses. so for people who might not have an address or phone number to put down on the card, she has to make sure they come back a second time. despite that, vaccinating them is crucially important. the community of salt lake city is reeling after four were killed during an avalanche four others managed to survive it's the deadliest in seven years. our meagan fitzgerald has the latest. >> reporter: tragedy in the backcountry of utah. >> i want to request two hoists, up to three hoists. >> reporter: four skiers buried by an avalanche. four others survived. >> this was truly a large unmanaged av language. >> reporter: the terrain so treacherous, crews had to be choppered in. >> they were very well trained as backcountry skiers.

>> she's really lived her life to the fullest and was doing what she loved to do >> reporter: in the past week, 15 people have been killed by avalanches the deadliest seven-day period in more than a century forecasters say they see more snow pack and people venturing back to the backcountry. >> it's been unusually dry what that does is it sets the stage for a very week, shaky foundation. >> reporter: a warning to teen most experienced meagan fitzgerald, nbc news. all right. nbc meteorologist jebsanessa we has her hands full good morning. >> good morning. we have a triple-threat storm system the first big issue is the dangerous cold setting up across the northern tier. if you have to be out for a long period of time, layers are the key because we are seeing

subzero range temperatures, and unfortunately this cold is going to stay in place for the next six days another issue, we have snow on top of that. this will be a quick mover, but there's another storm system behind that we're currently watching 41 million impactee feels-like , negative digit territory colorado springs, you're the hot spot, 41 then we'll have an ice issue we'll talk about that coming up. guys >> dangerous driving conditions ahead. janessa, thank you miles bridges, strolling past it will counter to go.

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due to the pandemic you need to know about jo ling kent has tips to help you prepare. jo, good morning. >> reporter: hey, phillip, good morning. the way you file your taxes this year is not going to just affect the way you get your refund, but how you get that possible third stimulus check kesha is already businessing preparing her clients' tax returns. >> it is a little more stressful this year. >> instead of late jarngs this year it begins on february 12th and they recommend filing early. >> if you can file your return earlier than normal, maybe, you might be able to get your refund a little bit sooner so that you can have that cash. >> reporter: other benefits, it will reduce risk of identity theft, especially your social

security number. you can budget for what you may owe, avoiding interest payments, and claim stimulus money from last december if you qualified and didn't receive it. but what if you get your check in january >> so the checks ta came out in january are still considered 2020 stimulus payments and they're going to be included on your 2020 tax return it's not going to reduce your regular refund that you would have gotten without the stimulus. >> other things to keep in mind. you may be able to file for free check your eligibility of irs.gov. filing directly will help to avoid mail delays and switching to direct deposit could help you get a third stimulus check faster now, even though the tax season is compressed starting later this year, the deadline still holds. still april 15th so get your stuff done now phillip? >> useful tips thanks. much more ahead, including the price of protection from an

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we have sad news this morning regarding the death of somebody so significant here, a legendary member of the motown supremes mary wilson co-founded the supremess as a 15-year-old they became one of the most successful acts. she died suddenly last night no cause was given mary wilson was 76 years old. the nation has paid a steep

price. a pentagon spokesman said yesterday the continued deployment of national guard troops at the capitol will cost an estimated $483 million. more than 5,000 guards will remain in d.c. through mid-march. the pentagon says personnel accounts for most of the cost. meanwhile the investigation into the capitol hill attack is still under way. nbc's pete williams has the details. >> reporter: federal prosecutors have now charged 211 people in the assault on the capitol, accusing some of planning a violent attack well in advance to stop the vote count that came from 43 states men outnumbers women, 7-1. many were military veterans. >> it brought extremists from all areas, and they all came with different skill sets. >> reporter: the fbi said nearly two dozen had ties to right extremist groups the proud boys helped plan it,

pushing past the outer police barricades, then using a police shield to break a window, the spot where the rioters first entered the capitol. members of the oaths keepers had similar plans. they were prepared with helmets, baseball bats and more most of those arrested are accused of trespass. some seemingly were swept up in if fervor. a man brought his son chance to the capitol so he could have a memorable birthday. today if you did not know is national pizza day businesses all across the country are celebrating with some delicious deals here are a few of them little caesars offering a medium

with three items the prices could vary depending on where you live. domino's is giving away the chance to win free pizza for a year >> that will do it thanks for joining

right now at 4:30, impeachment part two. the historic second trial of president trump is said to get under way in a matter of hours. a time line of the process and the republicans coming to trump's defense. and tackling the virus, the mass vaccination site opening today at levi's that's aiming to help speed up the rollout. plus --? >> challenging time. challenging time for everyone and i'm very happy that we're moving in the right direction. >> ready to reopen. how close is your county from being upgraded to the red tier? we break down the new benchmarks as "today in the bay" starts right now.