it was the deadliest weekend in years as the violence between israel and the palestinians escalated. with increased airstrikes and rocket attacks could a ceasefire still be days away right now, the data, the science shows us it is safe for vaccinated people to take off their masks. i promised to convey that to you when science knew it >> the director of cdc is trying

to set the record straight on mask wearing as many businesses, schools, and other public places struggle over mask confusion the tale of the texas tiger on the loose has come to a roaring conclusion our kathy park has the report. dozens of iowa residents forced to evacuate after about 47 cars derailed with some carrying hazardous materials and today is the deadline to get your taxes filed if you procrastinated even with that extra month, only a few precious hours left. "early today" starts right now good monday morning. i'm phillip mena >> i'm frances rivera. breaking news with violence between israel and palestinians is continuing into its second week israeli defense forces say they conducted another round of strikes overnight against a hamas tunnel system in the gaza strip. about 35 sites were targeted by fighter jets nbc's raf sanchez joins us now from beirut. raf, these air strikes come right after it was being called the deadliest day yet in this

conflict >> that's right, frances israel carrying out massive strikes overnight, using dozens of aircraft and targeting the hamas underground tunnel network, according to the israeli military but one of those strikes went bad. thousands of civilians in gaza city, including 16 women and 10 children that death toll was rising all day yesterday as more and more bodies were pulled out of the rubble i asked the israelis what they were targeting they said they were going after an underground hamas military facility and when that facility collapsed, civilian homes above it collapsed also. the question under international law, even if this was a legitimate military target, did its military significance outweigh this massive loss of civilian life? prime minister benjamin netanyahu of israel and president biden were both asked

yesterday when is this fighting going to come to an end. take a listen to what they had to say >> we're trying to degrade hamas' terrorist abilities and degrade their will to do this again. it's not immediate >> my administration is going to continue to engage palestinians and israelis and other regional partners to work towards sustained calm >> as you heard there, no sign of an immediate ceasefire. now the israeli military says hamas has fired more than 3,000 rockets towards israel over the last week. that rate of fire slowing down last night hamas either running out of ammunition or israel disrupting its military capabilities. guys >> and the hope will not surpass that grim milestone of the deadliest day yet. raf, thank you president biden will speak this afternoon about the covid response and the state of vaccinations in the u.s.

meanwhile, the head of the cdc says there is nothing to hide on the new guidance for vaccinated americans to ditch masks nbc's tracie potts joins us now with more. tracie, good morning good to see you. the cdc says the decision had nothing to do with political pressure >> right dr. rochelle walensky telling "meet the press" it wasn't about politics, it was about science, that death rates are going down, that the science has evolved, and they felt comfortable now saying people who have been fully vaccinated, that's two weeks out from their last shot, do not need to wear masks outside or inside. but that this is an individual decision that companies may make different decisions based on the fact that they're serving both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. that from dr. anthony fauci. but there has been some confusion because some states have not rolled back their mask mandates some businesses are still requiring it dr. walensky explaining what

this guidance, what this new guidance means >> everybody as we are working towards opening up again, towards the after 16 months, getting out of this pandemic will need to understand what they need to do locally. and this was not permission to shed masks for everybody everywhere this was really science-driven individual assessment of your risk >> reporter: now some big companies are following the cdc's guidance in their stores starbucks, walmart, trader joe's, costco, all saying that they are dropping their mask mandates disney, by the way, the walt disney resort says masks are optional in outdoor common areas, but in other areas they will require them. phillip? >> great to have you back. thank you, tracie. here in new york, more vaccine pop-up sites are starting to appear in subway stations it is the latest effort to boos.

our cori coffin is outside one of them in bronx >> reporter: frances, phillip, good morning cities across the country are trying to boost vaccine acceptance by getting creative, having pop-up sites like this one, having sites at tourist locations and even the federal government partnering with ride sharing services to try to connect communities with vaccines here at this pop-up site in the bronx, doctors tell me there was a higher than usual turnout over the weekend. they do believe that was due in part to the new cdc guidelines that were announced. i spoke with people who got the shot as well as doctors. listen in. >> he feels great that he got vaccinated because this way he could get back to normal he can now take his mask off he can speak in ways that people will understand him because they can see his face and this way everything is going back to the normal that he knew before >> the virus is still around you got a vaccination. it gives you more protection

it's your decision personally. it could be the decision for the mask but you personally decide how confident. if you're around an elderly person who is weak and have disease, even the vaccine continue to be more careful. >> reporter: and even though there is this sense of relief here in new york at being able to maybe take the next step forward, many people that i have spoken with say they will continue to wear masks inside for now. you know, there is just a need to get the vaccine rate higher right now at the peak, we had 3.2 vaccines happening nationwide we're now at 1.9 million vaccines, and doctors estimate some 30 million americans want to get the vaccine, just have not had the chance the yet which is why pop-up sites like here in the bronx are so crucial. phillip, frances >> cori, thank you new allegations of misconduct surfacing against bill gates as he grapple according to "the wall street

journal," gates resigned from microsoft's board of directors in 2020 amid an investigation into a romantic relationship with an employee people familiar with the matter told paper members of the board hired a law firm to conduct a probe in late 2019 after the employee alleged in a letter that she had a sexual relationship with gates over the years. a spokeswoman for mr. gates said to the journal there was an affair almost 20 years ago, which ended amicably and his decision to leave the board was in no way related. the former florida tax official whose tase led to an investigation into congressman matt gaetz is expected to plead guilty today in a copy of the agreement submitted friday, joel greenberg said he will fully cooperate with federal investigators a judge will hold a hearing on the proposed deal today. it is unclear what his cooperation will mean for the investigation into gaetz the congressman has not been charged with any crime, and has repeatedly denied wrongdoing the mtv movie and tv awards are back in full swing

scarlett johansson accepted the iconic generation award before she got slimed by her husband colin jost in the process. sacha baron cohen accepted the comedic genius award reviving borat and ali g. plus chadwick bowesman was honored with best performance in a movie for "ma rainey's black bottom." "wandavision" made a sweep with four awards including best show. and netflix film "to all the boys always and forever" won best movie a massive train derailment forced an evacuation of an iowa town a bridge collapsed and that caused 47 train cars carrying fertilizer to come off the tracks diesel fuel spark ed a huge fire that burned through the night. let's take a look at our weather with janessa webb. hi, janessa. good morning >> hi, good morning. happy monday, everyone stormy conditions are making

their way across the plains into texas. this afternoon, this just in from the national weather service. now a moderate risk for severe storms for today that's the highest risk. 12 million people going to be impacted it's two-inch or larger hail in that area. so watching that pretty closely. damaging winds, and a few tornadoes across this area and that will continue all the way into tuesdayfor the deep so. tampa today a high of 90 it's time to turn on the ac. we'll talk about when the heat moves in, coming up. >> tell me about it. wore shorts for the fist time. excited about that in today's quick hits, kim kardashian announcing her purchase of janet jackson's

outfit from her 1993 if music video for $25,000. jackson sold over one thousand personal items a portion will go to an organization that helps kids in need on the final day of the regular season, the warriors guard steph curry splashed his way into the league scoring title, averaging 32 points per game today is tax day the irs extended the deadline in mah,rc giving most individuals an extra month to file their returns. this is the second year it's moved because of covid downy unstopables in-wash scent boosters keep your laundry smelling fresh way longer than detergent alone. pour a cap of downy unstopables into your washing machine before each load and enjoy fresher smelling laundry. with 6 times the freshness ingredients, downy unstopables gives you more of what you love. if you want laundry to smell fresh for weeks make sure you have downy unstopables in-wash scent boosters. [ heavy breathing ] allergies with nasal congestion overwhelming you? breathe more freely with powerful claritin-d. claritin-d improves nasal airflow two times more

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houston neighborhood with victor hugo cuevas who authorities say placed the tiger in a white suv and sped off he was later arrested for evading police his lawyer says he is not the tiger's owner. >> it alreadl can get to 600 pounds. >> reporter: the search for the missing tiger and cuevas, who was already out on bond for 2017 murder charge put neighbors on edge at one point, india was seen coming face-to-face with an offduty sheriff's deputy police say the tiger's whereabouts were unknown, but he was returned unharmed late saturday owning a tiger in houston is illegal, but they are allowed in neighboring harris county if registered under strict rules and regulations. india will now be under the close watch and care of a texas animal sanctuary >> when they can't be in the wild, we as a sanctuary are happy to step up and take them >> reporter: neighbors breathing a sigh of relief after a bizarre sighting kathy park, nbc news

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all this week, lester holt is traveling across america.

this morning on "today," he's life in florida with a look at perhaps the largest industry still shut down, cruises rallies were held in cities across the country this weekend to protest a rash of anti-asian hate crimes since the coronavirus pandemic began it's been two months since the atlanta area spa shootings that left eight people dead, including six women of asian descent. nbc's richard lui spoke to the families of the victims. >> this is you park here. >> yes. >> reporter: and maybe you'd walk right up there. and where would your mom be standing >> her, her dog would be at the door. >> reporter: right there >> right there, smiling, waiting for me. >> reporter: bobby peterson remembers his mother, yong au yu the gunman targeted three spas in the atlanta area. six were asian women >> it's hard every time i pull into the complex, because the day that my mother was killed, i

had to look for her. and so i'm reminded of that every single time i pull in, that that's when i knew that she wasn't coming back >> reporter: this week, a fulton county grand jury indicted the shooter on murder charges. >> since it's enhancement based on alleged motivation by bias and/or prejudice >> reporter: if the suspect is convicted of murder, the d.a. says she will seek hate crime penalties based on gender and race, and will pursue the death penalty. are you satisfied? >> my mother is not here i don't know when i'll find happiness again. i am thankful this is the direction that they chose to go. >> reporter: yeah. >> i am appreciative that she is standing up for asians and letting them know that our lives do matter. >> reporter: the suspect killed four others in neighboring cherokee county. in that case, hate crime charges

are so far not included. mike webb still fights for his former wife who was killed >> he has to pay for this. but there won't be justice for us until this stops. whether it's hate crimes against the asian community or these mass shootings it's horrible. she was proud to be an american citizen. i just feel so bad that her life ended in america like it did >> reporter: randy park's mother was also killed. she was a single mom she worked long hours for randy and his brother. randy is now the head of the household at just 22 years old how often do you think about your mother? >> i don't know if it's appropriate to say try not to. because right now it's just all about just trying to get things

back on track. >> reporter: what would you want to say to your mom now if you had one opportunity to say something to her >> you need a rest chill out. relax. you don't have to work anymore >> reporter: two months later, the flowers are gone the people are gone. the windows empty. the buildings now for rent for bobby peterson, though, the fight for justice, that's just beginning. >> now that really i am seeing my background as a black and korean person come together in this moment that, yeah, i now want to recognize and show you that i am korean and i want you to know that. and that my life, my mother's life mattered. >> our thanks to richard lui for that report. still to come, the search for the arsonist suspected of starting a massive wildfire in l.a. and tragic news about a young man who at the age of 11

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and then dry conditions and still stormy conditions for the plains guys >> all rig, htjanessa. thanks when we come back, a new when we come back, a new miss uni, since way back. with freshness and softness you never forget feel the difference with downy. make fitness routine with pure protein. high protein. low sugar. tastes great! high protein. low sugar. so good. high protein. low sugar. mmm, birthday cake. try pure protein shakes. with vitamins and minerals for immune support. don't settle for products that give you a sort of white smile. w try new crest whitenings emulsions for 100% whiter teeth. its highly active peroxide droplets swipe on in seconds. better. faster. 100% whiter teeth. crestwhitesmile.com you try to stay ahead of the mess but scrubbing still takes time. now there's dawn powerwash dish spray. it's the faster way to clean as you go. just spray, wipe and rinse.

it cleans grease five times faster. dawn powerwash now available in free & clear. in today's top stories, investigators say a large brushfire in southern california had a suspicious start officials believe the palisades fire, which has destroyed over 1300 acres, was the result of arson. about a thousand people are under evacuation orders, and the fire is still zero percent contained. two people have now been questioned as this investigation continues. he was the kid reporter who found himself in the national spotlight when he was just 11 years old. damon weaver became the youngest person to interview then president barack obama back in

2009 today his loved ones are mourning his death he was studying communications at albany state university in georgia and passed away of natural causes, according to his family the interview with obama landed him several other interviews with high profile people including oprah winfrey and samuel l. jackson. damon weaver was 23 years old. more than 200 recent graduates from delaware state university are getting a big break on their student debt. they announced plans to cancel up to $730,000 in outstanding debt for recent grads who have suffered financial hardship during the pandemic. the school says an average eligible student will qualify for about $3200 in debt relief the funds are being provided through president biden's american rescue plan organizers telephone new york city pride events say they are banning police and over law enforcement groups from participating in pride events, including the annual parade until at least 2025. the group cites violence against

marginalized groups, saying in part the sense of safety that law enforcement is meant to provide can instead be threatening, and at times dangerous to those in our community. instead, organizers will work to hire private security. the gay officers action league has called the decision shameful speaking of pride, today is international day against homophobia, transphobia and biphobia a worldwide celebration of sexual and gender diversities. the holiday has been observed for 16 years now with more than two dozen countries signing a joint declaration in solidarity with the lgbtq community in kazakhstan several human rights and global organizations are honoring the day in social media posts. the u.s. secretary of state antony blinken issued a statement along with a tweet marking the occasion, saying in part ending hatred and violence requires cooperation from everyone in all corners. look out, world, there is a new miss universe. congratulations in order for

mexico's andrea meza, who won the title of miss universe meza beat out 73 other contestants in the 69th edition of the beauty pact ms. brazil, julia gamma and miss peru were crownefirst and d se

♪ deadly violence between hamas and israeli defense forces is the worst and deadliest it's been until years our richard engel is on the ground with the latest new consider wildfires spreading fast, forcing evacuations. mass confusion on the cdc mask mandates. weekday weather half a world away as the cycle battles an

already hard hit