♪just give me one more bite.♪ ♪cause i can't wait forever.♪ mac & cheese, now in a tasty bite. part of my new $4 mini munchies. only at jack in the box. when your country asks you to get vaccinated, you did the american people stepped up you did what i consider to be your patriotic duty. >> we can take it off. yes, sir that's great. >> i'm not ready yet to take it off. i'm going to give it a couple of days to see what happens. >> good news as we kick off your friday with 117 million americans fully vaccinated and another 130 million will qualify for the vaccine. a huge turning point in the pandemic. middle east tensions

growing. israel now is grounds for the death toll rising. mosques rising and 17 children killed. the colonial pipeline company paid $5 million to hackers who obstructed the flow of fuel. what needs to be done to protect the homeland from extorsion. a massive employment push as major companies are looking to fill tens of thousands of new jobs. meet the high school senior whose tiktok college essay has been viewed over 16 million times. what's her message and how did it help propel her into harvard? "early today" starts right now. good friday morning. i'm frances rivera. >> i'm phillip mena. the united states is entering a new phase of pandemic recovery in a dramatic shift the cdc now says that 118 million americans hob fully vaccinated can shed their masks in most situations, indoors and outdoors, with some exceptions being on public transportation or in businesses

that still require them. the president says it's simple get vaccinated or wear a mask until you do for more on how americans are reacting to this news, here's nbc's stephanie gosk. >> reporter: if you get the shot you basically can ditch the mask nearly everywhere the cdc says many americans telling us they're ready. >> we can take them off, right >> yes, sir. >> that's great! i haven't heard this and i'm excited. >> i think it's a wave of relief year one is excited to get back to normal. >> reporter: after months and months, such an abrupt shift in guidance may create anxiety. >> i'm not ready to take i give it a couple of days to see what happens and eventually i will. >> there's a huge part of me that's cautious. >> i am very nervous that people, including my own patients, are going to be not only confused but also feel like they should still wear masks

because they don't know if they can trust the person next to them. >> reporter: creating such a sharp distinction between the vaccinated and unvaccinated will complicate rules for business owners there is no easy way to prove the staff or customers are fully vaccinated almost everywhere we go indoors masks are a requirement. it has been one of the most contentious issues of this pandemic there may now be an expectation that things will change. rolling back the rules can be just as difficult as rolling them out back to you. >> new day stephanie, thanks. the cdc also gave its approval to expand pfizer vaccine eligibility to people 12 and older. more teens now areo roll up thet nbc's shaquille brewster joins us from chicago. >> reporter: hi, frances you'll see anyone over 12 years old go into vaccination sites across the city and a krys the

country to go ahead and get their vaccine. here in chicago where yesterday for many hospital centers, mass vaccination sites, even at some high schools you saw the opportunity for 12 to 15-year-olds get their vaccine for the very first time. there was a lot of excitement. i spoke to a parent bus driver here in chicago who brought her three kids who as soon as she heard the approval from the cdc, she called, made an appointment, and got her kids vaccinated first thing in the morning yesterday. her daughter didn't want to miss out on her eighth grade graduation another daughter said she was afraid of needles but she wanted that return to normalcy so she held her mother's hand more people are able to get the vaccine with that expanded eligibility. frances. >> shaq, thank you. the new york yankees are facing atests this week between the team's

players, coaches and staff and they're all break through cases johnson & johnson shot seven out of eight cases are break through cases. the conflict in the middle east continues to edge towards all out war. more than 100 people have been killed in the attacks between the two sides. israeli airports are continuing the airstrikes and are planning a possible ground invasion this as hamas has fired almost 2,000 rockets from gaza into israeli territory. nbc's molly hunter has more. >> reporter: the israeli air force lighting up the skies pounding the gaza strip. while hamas has fired almost 2,000 rockets from gaza into israeli territory. american israeli maya bannon

near tel aviv runs to her bomb shelter as soon as she hearseal >> reporter: in all, to run 12-year-old bara calls out, daddy. father and brother killed tuesday, he told us, our lives are totally changed. more than 100 palestinians have been killed including 27 children and now the violence is spilling into the streets, a challenge for israel not seen for two decades. it's neighbor versus neighbor in mixed israeli cities an israeli ultra nationalist mob beating an arab driver unconscious. >> think about a population that are protected by the police. scary. i have two kids. >> this is a palestinian

resident in a city under military curfew. as the sun went down muslims mark the evidence of ramadan they're burying their dead with no end in sight. and overnight israel was attacking gaza not just in the air with airstrikes but also on the ground with tanks and artillery. frances? >> molly, thank you. relief is on the way for the thousands of gas stations running on fumes after the crippling cyber attack on the colonial pipeline. while operations are fully restored, it could take days to ease the shortage. we've learned that the company paid millions to the hackers to reclaim the system. >> reporter: the gas is flowing and the fear is fading. >> i'm like, whew! super happy. >> the truck over here and i said, thank you, god >> reporter: this as nbc news has learned colonial pipeline paid nearly 5 million in ransom to hackers who infiltrated their

system which led to the shutdown that sparked panic buying and massiv florida this hummerveral loaded in the backe colonial pi president biden warning -- >> you will not feel the effects at the pump immediately. this is not like flicking on a light switch. >> reporter: we were there as a fuel truck pulled up to fill up a charlotte gas station that had run dry. >> i've had people follow me. >> reporter: because of the cyber attack president biden signed an executive order for stricter guidelines for any software sold to the u.s. government and a team to be formed to analyze these types of cyber attacks. >> tom, thank you. trial of three former minneapolis police officers charged in the death of george floyd has been delayed the judge pushed it from august to march of 2022 to give it

space from the sentencing of derek chauvin in june. in a bid to revise immigration reform, joe biden met with daca recipients he'll meet with them about how this benefitted them president biden has made a major call for immigration reform that involves getting 11 million undocumented immigrants on the path to citizenship. job openings hit a record 8.1 million last month sparking some companies to increase the minimum wage in an effort to fill positions mcdonald's is raising pay at 650 company owned stores and is encouraging its franchises which make up 95% of the stores to do the same chipotle is increasing the average hourly pay to $15 an hour it will offer a starting wage of 11 to $18 an hour starting in june. three people were taken to the hospital after a bizarre incident landed them in the middle of a busy highway a pilot and three passengers

suffering not life threatening injuries after their small plane made an emergency landing in the middle of a highway in chicago the plain made contact with the center barrier but did not hit any cars. excited for the weekend. let's see what's in store weather wise here's meteorologist janessa webb good morning. >> hi, good morning. you're going to be excited about all of this good weather that we are seeing across the country, from the pacific northwest into the northeast. just a ton of sunshine it's in this center half of the country and the northern tier. we're dealing with some cloud coverage right now a few storms popping up and it will continue this afternoon. it's a very small risk of severe storms that we're seeing going into kansas city all the way into sections of colorado. the primary threat will be the damaging winds, the hail and a few isolated tornadoes we'll continue to watch the freeze watches across the midwest early this corpus chris.

houston lower 80s. we'll take a look at that weekend forecast coming up. >> excited for it. >> yeah, we sure are. also excited for the 146th preakness stakes airing tomorrow right here on nbc. kentucky derby winner medina spirit is cleared to race. the champion horse has passed the first of three drug tests ahead of tomorrow's race medina is the 9 to 5 favorite to take home the prize. coverage begins tomorrow at 5 p.m. eastern right here. the first known active duty military member charged in the january 6th insurrection

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leading the news, a virginia marine is a first active duty service member to be arrested from the capitol riots christopher warnageras is arrested for pushing his way in and forcing his way through a doorway in the east rotunda. he tried to prevent them from trying to shut the doors and at one point shoved an officer. he worked with training and education command in quantico. more than 400 people have been charged with the capitol breach including 40 veterans. a new poll is showing where americans prefer to get their health guidance. a new poll from the harvard school of public health show they have more confidence in the nurses and doctors they know over institutions like the cdc 70% said they had a great deal of trust in the health care workers they know while only 52%

said that about the cdc. the numbers got even lower for the national institutes of health and the fda. taking a big risk helped save one man's life. he found that people may be more giving than we may think kttc's kila fitzgerald has the story. >> reporter: taking a chance on the generosity of others. >> i got a kidney. >> he took a creative angle. >> reporter: we first met jim here holding a sign on the side of the highway six months later a match has come forward and the transplant is complete. >> it made me think that he must be at his witt's end if he is standing out there in the cold holding a sign looking for a kidney. >> jim's condition meant routine dialysis treatment, a long process that wears on the body. >> for somebody like jim is five

years on dialysis. yes, he was right in thinking that dialysis is going to slowly continue to damage your body and he may not make it. >> i thought i'm not getting any younger. if i'm going to do this, i should do it now >> reporter: kate chose to act >> he has done very well the kidney that he got started working right away. >> with no time to waste, jim is looking to live life to its fullest. >> i could see it the next day, the difference in him. >> reporter: a life full of trips to the cabin and plenty of time with the grandkids. >> i couldn't go there all the time because i had to be in dialysis no doing so well, any little pain i have is well worth it >> and thanks to kttv tv's kalat

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in today's news by the numbers, stocked closed higher on wall street snapping a three day losing streak. tech stocks were among the biggest gainers. with covid restrictions lifting, businesses are looking to hire more employees amazon is hiring 75,000 employees and will pay workers $100 if they get the vaccine what the aburg ger is increasing 401 k matching and subway is looking to hire 40,000 people this month one franchise owner increased wages by $2 an hour plus a $300 signing bonus. general motors has pledged to go all electric by 2035 but some workers are frustrated that the company hasn't pledged to go all-a all-american josh lederman is in flint, michigan. >> reporter: general motors has

been enjoying all kinds of accolades for going green. they're calling it a slap in the face and brett baker, the president of the local union here tells me this. >> i understand that we live in a world economy, but those investments that are in mexico, those vehicles are going to be sold in america and those jobs should be in america. >> reporter: the workers also say it's particularly frustrating that gm is spending all of this money in mexico at the same time it's asking the biden administration to spend tens of billions of dollars of taxpayer money on federal subsidies for electric vehicles. still to come, our data guru steve kornacki is heading to the games. plus, a royal relegation harry and meagan wax figures are finding a new home downy unstopables in-wash scent boosters

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in today's quick hits, the duke and duchess of sussex are on the move again in wax form. they're moving the harry and meagan model away from the rest of the royal family and into the attractions hollywood zone. nbc's big board guru steve kornacki is bringing his analytics from politics to sports and entertainment kornacki is joining nbc to the olympics. ford alexa is going to be available in 700,000 vehicles

including the upcoming electric f-150. a high school senior's harvard admission essay has gone viral with 16 million views. it's resonating with many children who have suffered the loss of a parent alysha palumbo from boston has the story. >> reporter: like many high school seniors, she wanted her college admissions essay to stand out. >> the opening line was i hate the letter x. >> reporter: but she also wanted to shed light on a loss that had profoundly impacted her life. >> when i was 12 my mom passed away so i wrote about the difference between parent and parents. >> reporter: abigail said she was running from that letter she was a dance teacher who opened this studio a year before she passed away from cancer. when abigail shared her essay on tiktok she never expected the response. >> i've gotten comments and

messages from people who said i put into words what they've been thinking about views >> reporter: even her father said he was surprised by what his daughter revealed. >> it was interesting to see how much of an impact julie had, you know, and continues to have. i clearly see how abigail is shaped by her. >> he's my partner in crime, my best friend. i'm getting a little choked up it's really nice that hes jonat run julie's studio of dance, abigail has grown up to embody her mother in spirit and kindness. >> that's what julie would be most proud about is that she's just a good person. >> reporter: it seems harvard university agreed. >> oh, my god! >> abigail was recently accepted to harvard class of 2025 and she thinks her mother would be about as excited as she is. >> i'd like to think she would be really proud. >> yeah, of course she is. she's going to graduate from

high school in two weeks and then, guess what, she's off to harvard in the fall. how is anybody going to say no to that. >> especially all on tiktok. now she can use some of those dance moves on tiktok. >> congrats. congrats thanks for watching "early introducing the lowe's list. a selection of our most innovative picks. like the exclusive whirlpool® 2 in 1 washer, that let's you customize any load. look for the full lowe's list online or find the badge in our store. lowe's. home to any budget. home to any possibility.

right now at 4:30, if you've received your two shots, the cdc says no more masks for you, but health leaders in california could still keep the mask mandate in effect. there's a lot of confusion around and we'll try to answer your questions about-face coverings. but first, put your best face forward, good friday morning to you. thanks so much for joining us. i'm laura garcia >> and i'm marcus washington. we'll get to the new guidelines in a minute. first rob mayeda is in for kari with a look at the forecast. >> good morning, this