winter returns with a vengeance. a massive snowstorm buries the rockies and western plains, grounding flights and knocking out power to thousands where the storm is heading next. >> the stimulus surge. as the first wave of covid relief hits bank accounts, president biden hits the road to out to the benefits of the bill. one of the greatest of all time is hanging up his helmet. saints quebec drew brees is calling it quits his message to fans this morning. ♪

girls run the grammys. taylor swift, beyonce, and more make history on music's biggest night. "early today" starts right now good monday morning. i'm frances rivera. >> and i'm phillip mena. the clocks have moved forward. and while it's starting to feel like spring in many place, parts of the country have been buried by a monster winter storm. more snow fell in denver overnight after the blizzard had already become the fourth largest snowstorm in that city's history. nbc's gadi schwartz joins us from denver. gaddy, good morning. >> hey, phillip, take a look at this this is the denverro area. you've got more than a foot of snow that's been accumulating on these cars we understand that about a 14 inches or so has fallen. 6 of those inches happening in about four hours and it's all up and down the streets. this is what we've seen all day long

a slow revving snowstorm finally showing its full-strength. more than three feet so far in cheyenne and counting. blizzard conditions socking in cars as interstates shut down in colorado and wyoming, even news crews needing a hand >> heard you guys got stuck. >> a big shout out to our friend pete he had to come over and dig us out. he was the most kind and helpful person. over the last two days, snow totals have been hit and miss across places like denver where the airport shut down all r runways after 20 inches of snow. more than some ski areas, prompting some to take their winter sports to city parks. >> we didn't ski today because we thought it would be too dangerous to drive so trying to enjoy it. >> dads out pulling sleds say they stocked up before the storm hit. >> going to the store, it felt like precovid as we were heading in, in march random things were missing off the shelves. >> reporter: the snow proving lucrative to others. how is the money today >> it's good it's really good. >> we're liking it.

>> reporter: the snow that's fallen right now is extremely wet, extremely heavy i want to show you just how heavy it is. look at this the big concern is branches falling on power lines so far, tens of thousands have lost power crews working overtime along with hundreds of snowplows out on the roads s through one avalanche reported in the back country, while the weather system has pushed into the great plains, twisting into tornadoes. homes damaged, cell phone towers and power lines toppled, semis overturned, but so far no significant injuries as forecasts call for more wild weather later on in the week and phillip, all of this is expected to stop a little later in the afternoon denver international airport says they are planning to have those flights resume their normal schedules by tonight. back to you. >> what a scene, especially this time of year ga gadi, thank you. janessa joins us with where

the storm is heading >> good morning. march is very inconsistent with up and down weather patterns that's what we're seeing across the high plains. the storm system continues to spin out well still have a blizzard warning for colorado into wyoming and now that's going last until 6:00 a.m. the snow totals and the rain totals are really going to start to push out of the area, but now it's taking aim for the midwest. with this storm, it starts to really breck apart, but the higher elevations could see an additional 4 to 6 inches you can see this races into the midwest, but it really starts to use its force. so right now forecasting about an inch of snow for chicago and then heads to the east coast guys >> latter, janessa, thank you so much now to the biden administration that is taking covid relief on the road vice president harris will visit las vegas today to out to the benefits of the bill as the first of those $1400 stimulus checks hit bank accounts

and tomorrow president biden heads to pennsylvania. kelly o'donnell has more >> reporter: cash deposits to the rescue $422 billion in covid checks now flowing to americans, like 70-year-old dorothy donahey, at work today in her virginia studio >> i cheered and i cried. >> reporter: that emotion over what the direct payment means with $1,400 now in her bank account. >> i knew immediately i would be able to get cataract surgery finally, because it will pay for most of the part that medicare won't cover. >> reporter: improved vision essential to her art, but it's been unaffordable until now. >> it will change my life for the better. >> reporter: in las vegas, covid has crushed many jobs linked to tourism. hospitality workers welcome the help but say economic recovery is needed most. >> the stimulus checks has been a great band-aid, but band-aids don't last. >> reporter: las vegas is among

seven destinations in the next five days for the biden team road tour. vice president harris there tomorrow to promote the $1.9 trillion package, which includes funds for vaccines, schools, unemployment benefits and more, including programs not clearly tied to covid. $86 billion to prop up struggling pension plans 200 million for libraries and $270 million for arts and humanities spending priorities that fire up republican critics. >> to call this covid relief is really false advertising only 9% of the money actually goes to defeating the virus. >> today here at the white house, the president will talk to the country about how he plans to implement all that is in the covid relief bill and when he hits the road, he'll be visiting pennsylvania and georgia, two states critical to his election victory and

important as he promotes the bill now francis? >> kelly, thank you. more than one in five americans have gotten at least one dose of a covid vaccine according to the cdc just reported a record setting weekend of vaccines, but fears that opening too soon could hurt the progress made in the fight kwens against covid. here is morgan chesky. >> reporter: tonight as states reopen, crowded scenes that feel prepandemic now playing out in realtime >> for spring break, we're really excited we're going to open up, have djs, concerts, everything. >> reporter: businesses cashing in on spring breakers, st. patrick's day partiers, and customers ready to move on. >> i wouldn't say we're really concerned about it right now, to be honest. i feel like it's pretty much tamed right now. >> reporter: the mixed messaging on state reopenings confusing enough to prompt warnings from top health officials >> we are going in the right direction. that's why i get so anxious when i hear pulling back completely

on public health measures, like saying no more masks, no nothing like that. that is risky business when you do that. >> reporter: risk or not, reopening continues in states like texas, where this weekend marked the first with 100% capacity and no mask mandate. >> covid is not under control. >> everybody as an adult needs to make their own decision i don't think it should be forced >> reporter: in california, los angeles starting their own reopening. the city able to loosen rules after meeting their target of two million vaccinated in hard hit areas. the u.s. vaccination rate starting to take off saturday marking an all-time record 2.98 million americans receiving shots in arms. in seattle, the country's largest volunteer-run site now up and running able to vaccinate 22,000 people every day. >> we are going to be at the end of this soon, but i just want to emphasize every time i say this, we are so close but we're not there yet. >> reporter: progress nationwide and in massachusetts that

sounded pretty good. famed cellist yoyo ma celebrating his second shot as only he could, joining millions of americans now one step closer to this pandemic's end. now with that mask mandate now officially over in texas, if the covid numbers do go back up, built into that governor's order is an allowance for county leaders to reinstate some of those rules should covid hospitalizations rise more than 15% over seven straight days phillip? >> all right, morgan, thank you. with a growing chorus of democrats calling for governor andrew cuomo's resignation, president biden weighs in. when asked by reporters if he should resign, mr. biden said he wants to see what comes of an investigation into the sexual harassment claims. multiple women, including at least three former aides say cuomo sexually harassed them,

while a fourth woman who currently works for cuomo reportedly told supervisors that he groped her at the governor's mansion. no criminal complaint has been filed about that allegation there, but are two reviews of the previous allegation, one being overseen by the new york attorney general's office, and another an impeachment inquiry conducted by the new york state assembly most of democratic delegation, including kirsten gillibrand and a majority of democrats in the house have called on cuomo to resign cuomo said he will not resign and has denied touching anyone inappropriately and has apologized if he made anyone feel uncomfortable one of the most well-known players in the nfl is stepping away from the game new orleans quarterback drew breeze is leaving after 20 season and 15 seasons withthe saints the 42-year-old announced his retirement on sunday saying this is not goodbye, rather a new beginning. this morning drew brees will join hoda kotb on the "today"

show for an interview about his decision and what is next for the future hall of famer parts of hawaii remain on alert this morning after more rain after days of massive flash floods the islands have been battered by downpours dozens of homes were destroyed on maui thousands were evacuated after fears a dam could fail let's check knack in now with janessa for the very latest now. janessa? >> and we have one more element. severe weather season is going to start to pick up this week for the deep south this is known as dixie alley, and we're really going to see a highend weather risk wednesday afternoon. forecasting the potential of a tornado outbreak in this area. but for today there is that slight risk with several tornadoes. could see about an inch of hail with damaging winds up to 60 miles per houracross the northet

pretty chilly, 37 for new york i hope you have enjoyed the warmer conditions. we have a spring chill on our way. talk about that coming up. >> all right >> it changes just like that >> it's not going to last long >> thanks, janessa over the weekend, festival goers in russia burned a giant wooden castle symbolizing the coronavirus. the burning took place in a traditional russian festival which celebrates the beginning of spring. the castle's creator says the coronavirus is like an evil wizard and that building a palace for people to burn it symbolically swank wishes the threat >> that is something else. hope it works. we'll see. still to come. >> try anything, right >> on the emt's life-saving donation and a royal rumble how buckingham palace is facing new scrutiny after that meghan markle and prince harry interview. still more to come

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the rift between britain's royal family and two of its most beloved members is deepening even more if row can imagine that buckingham palace has hired investigators to look into the bullying claims against the duchess meghan markle who is accused of mistreating palace staff. joining news is ross sanchez i can't imagine this getting any deeper, but it is. >> frances, phillip, that's right. this royal rift continuing the times of london report that buckingham palace is bringing in outside investigators, a third party law firm to look into allegations that meghan markle bullied members of the royal staff while she was still in the uk now buckingham palace not officially confirming this, but if that's the plan, those investigators are expected to have the power to interview staff members to collect documents and generally look at harry and megan's htime as

working royals harry and meghan very strongly denies those bullying allegations when they were first made they said it was part of a calculated smear campaign against them in the run-up to their explosive interview with oprah winfrey. and of course this is all playing out while prince philip, the queen's 99-year-old husband, harry's grandfather is still in hospital being treated for what buckingham palace calls a preexisting heart condition. he has been there nearly a month now. it's of course a long stay for someone of his age and all of this just adding to the stress and worry of what's already a difficult time for the royal family fra frances? >> now we wait and see if all we're going to hear from meghan and harry. raf, thank you still to come, a reopening pandora's box office how avatar reclaimed the title highest grossing film ever during the pandemic. who claimed?

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you're not in kansas anymore. you're on pandora. >> "avatar" is back on top after being rereleased in china over the weekend. it's earned $2.8 billion

overtaking avengers end game. it was one of the most jaw-dropping things i've ever seen in 3-d. still popular. >> it makes you wonder why the surge all of the sudden. hey, it's a pandemic might as well get everybody to watch. >> next year they might be coming out with a sequel as well this year's grammy awards ceremony it did like most things this year look a bit different because of the pandemic. but that did not stop music's biggest stars from slaying the red carpet and picking up trophies hosted by trevor noah in l.a. with attendees wearing masks and sitting at small round tables. >> tonight is going to be the biggest outdoor event this year besides the storming of the capitol. because you see -- >> he kicked off the show telling jokes about the pandemic and the royals and harry styles opened the show with a performance of "watermelon sugar. ♪ watermelon sugar high, watermelon sugar high, watermelon sugar high ♪ >> and some of the night's other

big name performers included billie eilish, dua lipa, and megan thee stallion. taylor swift and beyonce along with her daughter made history at tgrammys. swift took home album of the year beyonce became the most decorated female act in history earning her 20th ace grammy. she won for best music video for brown skin girl along with her 9-year-old daughter making blue ivy the second youngest person to when a grammy megan thee stallion you saw. she won three honor, including best new artist and dua lipa won best pop vocal album her song won for "i can't breathe" and miranda lambert's wild card was named best country album. >> 28 grammys. >> right can you imagine the entire wall,

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welcome back nbc's kate snow brings us a story about two strangers whose lives intersected in an unexpected way good morning, kate >> frances, this story is really about karma and stepping up to save a stranger. two emts that didn't know each other but lived in nearby towns, they both saved lives for a living but one step upped for the other when he needed it most >> how are you >> good. how are you? >> juan vasquez and ashley mitchell were both emts near philadelphia when they first met last year. you guys have a bond now that is so unique, right >> yes, absolutely

it's hard to even remember the time before ashley was in our lives. >> reporter: and this photo taken last august marks the moment their lives were forever changed. but getting there wasn't easy. until then, juan was in an eight-year battle with the autoimmune disease lupus >> getting dialysis. >> that attacked his kidneys. >> it came to a point where dialysis was the only thing left. >> reporter: but those grueling daily treatments while still working as an emt saving other lives simply weren't enough. he desperately needed a transplant were you at the point of thinking, juan, this is never going to happen and what's going to happen to me if i don't get this kidney? >> me and my wife were planning to make the thing workopg i wout long enough to get to that point. >> reporter: what dow you mean hope i would last long enough? >> well, there's always the fear that everything deteriorates so quickly and that you don't survive. >> reporter: on social media,

ashley saw juan's plea for help. >> it said "pennsauken emt needs a kidney." it isn't talked as often as police and fire, but ems, we're a brotherhood too. we're brothers and sister, and we need to look out for each other. >> reporter: you thought about him and his kids >> that's about it, yeah >> reporter: so she got tested, and a few weeks later. >> i got a phone call and they said you're a match. do you still want to donate? >> reporter: your kidney >> yes, my kidney. >> reporter: ashley messaged juan saying hi, juan, we're a match. he responded oh, my god, that is incredible thank you so much. the two now forever friends, showing how her gift transformed his world in more ways than one. is it too much to say she saved your life? >> absolutely not. i get to be with my kids all the time, not miss those special moments. it take something like this happening for you to really truly appreciate it. >> juan says he now considers ashley part of his family. by the way, she's now studying to be a nurse.

frances? >> wow, kate thank you. what a story when your job is saving lives but you do it in this way, in the way they got together >> yeah, it's excellent. being an organ donor means so much, not just to the recipient, but now the

winter's not done yet. a snowstorm rocks the rockies and high plains. janessa is tracking where it's headed next. covid relief hits the road president biden prepares for a whirlwind tour to sell americans on the nearly $2 trillion stimulus package a saints legend goes marching out what's next for new orleans gunslinger drew brees, as he rides off into the sunset. ♪