under pressure, donald got there, in the air, intercepted by the rams. and they may ride to the super bowl on that >> the underdogs come out on top for super bowl lvi the roller coaster conference championships that set the stage for a rams and bengals showdown. a winter whiteout. millions across the northeast are digging out from a deadly blizzard that also left thousands in the dark. new hope that omicron nay be out of steam covid cases plummeting across

the country. what experts are saying about the encouraging news facing the music podcast king joe rogan speaks out late last night about the accusations of covid misinformation as spotify's ceo cons to issue new guidelines and we'll remember dr. johnny fever himself actor howard hesseman from "wkrp in cincinnati. a busy monday ahead. "early today" starts right now thanks for starting the week off with us. i'm frances rivera >> and i'm cori coffin super bowl lvi is set after a conference championship sunday that left fans on the edge of their seats. >> third down and one. stafford, end zone, got it, touchdown rams >> the rams erased a 10-point deficit and took a late lead with field goals one last chance for the 49ers with jimmy garoppolo's pass was picked off the rams win 20-17 and will become the second team to play super bowl in who are stadium.

for 13-year quarterback matthew stafford, a super bowl appearance was a long time coming >> i feel blessed to be able to play in this league for as listening as i have. but i sure am happy for this opportunity for not only myself, but really so many guys in that locker room that deserve this too. >> the defending afc champion chiefs had an 18-point lead in the first half but the upstart bengals managed to tie the game up by the start of the fourth quarter. even up to 24 heading into firstme, the chiefs had the only for gave the bengals the opportunity to end the game on any score. >> 31 yards. mcpherson, and cincinnati is heading to the super bowl! >> the bengals take it 27-24, preventing the chiefs from going to a third straight super bowl and bengals fans partied like

it's 1989. the team looks to bring the lombardi trophy to cincinnati for the first time ever in their first super bowl appearance in 33 years it will be a showdown at sofi stadium for super bowl lvi, right here on nbc. much of the northeast is still buried in at least a foot of snow. this weekend's blizzard is being blamed for at least four deaths and the massive snowfall was followed by bitter cold. nbc's kathy park reports from hard-hit boston. >> reporter: millions in the northeast digging out from a dangerous blast of winter weather. massachusetts with more than 2 feet of snow. >> it's pretty bad it's not too heavy but it >> reporter: boston tying a record for the highest snow total in one day with 23.6 inches powerful winds and high waves flooded coastal towns, knocking

out power and heat to tens of thousands, just as temperatures dropped 10 to 20 degrees below average. this was nantucket saturday, under water thinking. >> most of the floodwaters have receded from the streets there are some that are iced over and floods records a layer of ice coated these homes along the shore. the snow didn't let up in new york, paralyzing travel, tractor-trailers overturned. long island hit especially hard. officials confirming an elderly man died after falling into an icy pool as he was shoveling snow as the icy air settles in, the sunshine state is shivering too. tallahassee reached just 19 degrees, the first time in a decade and floridians are trying to warm up with extra layers. and with lows in the 20s, a rare sight for locals, frozen iguanas. >> he fell right out of the

tree and now he is trying to warm up. >> reporter: luckily, warmer temperatures are on the way, and the reptiles will spring back to life and back here in boston, a lot of the roads here are passable, but there is still a big cleanup ahead. some drivers may have a tough time getting back to their buried cars. back to you. >> all right, kathy, thank you two long island new york nurses have been arrested for forging fake vaccine carts julie devuono and her employee mariss urraro are even being charged with one count of forgery in the second degree devuono is also charged with offering a false instrument in the first degree $900,000 in cash was found during a search of her home. police say they also found a ledger documenting more than 1.5 million in profits from the scam now the nbc's blayne alexander with some promising news >> reporter: at the cleveland clinic icu, the load was crushing as one bed emptied, there was

another patient right there to fill it. the national guard and air force called in to help. now a different story. across cleveland clinic's ohio hospitals, the number of covid patients has dropped from 1200 to 393 in less than a month. >> it's a significant relief right now. >> reporter: elective procedures are back the national guard has moved out. >> overall, doctor, do you think the worst is now behind you? >> i think so. i hope so. i hope we don't see another variant. i will remain optimistic. >> reporter: it's a reflection of the encouraging numbers nationwide a drop in new cases and hospitalizations down nearly 14%. but deaths which lag behind continue to rise in some places, which 31 states seeing an increase over the past 14 days >> the numbers tell us that we are likely looking at the rear view of the worst part of the surge. still to be determined is do we see another rebound with an increase in cases. >> reporter: it comes as some places are dropping masks and

restrictions in denver, the city's indoor mask mandate is set to expire this week. and in orange county, florida, the nation's ninth largest school district says starting this week, covid concerns can no longer be used as an excuse for missing school experts are still cautious, but encouraged >> i'm more optimistic today than i have been at any point since the pandemic emerged we have better tools, better defenses, better information, and better ability to make sure that covid doesn't dominate our lives. we have the best chance to get and keep the upper hand against this virus >> reporter: and while overall the numbers are encouraging, there are still some areas that are seeing a rise in cases in fact, 20 states have seen some sort of an increase over the past 14 day, mostly out west with montana being the highest seeing an 86% increase in cases. in atlanta, i'm blayne alexander, nbc news. former miss usa cheslie

kryst has died after falling from a new york high-rise in an apparent suicide she was only 30 years old. kryst won the miss usa title in 2019 she was lawyer who worked pro bono to reduce sentences for low level drug offenders most recently she could be seen as new york correspondent for the estimate show "extra." if you or someone you know is struggling with depression or suicidal thoughts, we urge you to contact the national suicide prevention lifeline. call 1-800-273-talk, and you can also text talk to 741 41 the u.s. and western allies are looking to defuse the ukrainian crisis strict new sayings on the kremlin as russia continues to amass troops along the border. diplomacy seems to be a high-wire act here. >> cori, there is no doubt about that both the uk and the u.s. are working on tougher sanctions

against russia the senate foreign relations committee is hoping to move forward on the sanctioning package by the end of this week. sharm bob menendez told cnn the bill sat the 1 yard line it would target russian banks and the country's sovereign debt as well as provide more military assistance to ukraine. some measures may take effect before potential invasion and leave a lasting mark on russia. >> i will just say this to president putin. if you invade the ukraine you will destroy the ability of future presidents to treat you and russia as normal you will long for the good old days of the cold war because every president in the future will pound you, and every congress in the future will pound you if you dismantle this democracy. so be careful what you wish for, my friend. >> reporter: the u.s. is deploying more troops to the region to bolster nato al lie, though they won't be sent directly to ukraine. right now russia has about 120,000 troops surrounding the country's border

despite the escalating tensions, there is hope that cooler heads will prevail now the u.n. security council will meet later today to give russia a chance to explain itself back to you. >> okay, brie, thank you joe rogan is defending his podcast, with growing backlash for hosting the show overnight he tried to balance out controversial viewpoints with other perspectives. he said he supports spotify's plan to add an advisory to any episode that discusses covid-19. for more on how spotify's ceo is handling the backlash, here is guad venegas >> reporter: the pressure building on spotify. their ceo now speaking out it is important to me that we don't take on the position of being content censor while also making sure there are rules in place and consequences for those who violate them for days now, music artists have been ramping up pressure, accusing the technology giant of giving a large platform to joe rogan, who often has guests on

his podcast who question accepted covid science. >> rogan has gotten in trouble many, many times before. they tend to blow over. >> reporter: music legend neil young protesting the podcast, and asking for his music to be pulled from spotify. joni mitchell threatening to do the same prince harry and meghan markle joining the list of celebrities calling on spotify to address covid misinformation the couple has an exclusive multi-year podcast deal with the company. spotify says they are working in part to add content advisory to any podcast episode that includes a discussion about covid-19 in addition to an information hub with verified data-driven facts about the virus. >> trying to walk this very fine line where it wants to communicate that it's taking misinformation seriously and that it's going to create a platform that is safe for people, but it's not going to punish its biggest star. >> reporter: spotify now waiting to see if the actions taken will be enough. guad venegas, nbc news

and now to a record-breaking win at the australian open >> that's it >> look at that reaction a comeback for the ages down under. rafael nadal was on the brink of defeat, but outlasted daniil medvedev in five sets to win the australian open. it is his 21st grand slam title, a men's record and it was a barty party for the women's number one seed. ashleigh barty defeated danielle collins to become the first australian woman to win the tournament since 1978. tens of thousands are still without power after a deadly winter blizzard hit the northeast. let's check in with meteorologist janessa webb >> hi, good morning. people digging out, waiting for the power to be restored that storm system has exited. now we're awaiting the arrival

of another storm system that is already impacting the pacific northwest. so you can see we're watching at least 15 inches of snow right now. currently impacting portions of the cascades to the rockies. and that's why winter weather alerts, that's why they continue to be in place we also watch for potential flooding across this area throughout your afternoon. so these alerts stay in place throughout the afternoon into your evening hours even making its way into the upper midwest. this will stretch into the southern plains as we go into your tuesday, wednesday afternoon. we're talking about pretty significang up even for green bay for this time of year, we're slightly above average, 32 degrees. we do have a nice little warm-up

for the east coast we'll talk about that forecast coming up. >> that's sounding good so far, janessa. thank you. i have a question for you. what's the best kind of ship friendship all right. one florida man proved that the best friendship exceeds both space and time kyle hitchen won a seat on this spacex launch in raffle, but he gifted the ticket to his college roommate after learning he exceeded the weight limit. kyle didn't get to orbit the earth, he did get to call atop the launch for his very grateful friend we're back in a minute with the it lacey names added to the president's growing stli its superior formula breaks down and removes up to 99% of tough grease and food residue faster. so you can scrub less. dawn platinum is also a go-to grease cleaner for your sink, your kitchen and to pre-treat grease on laundry. dawn's even gentle enough to clean wildlife.

tackle grease wherever it shows up. dawn platinum. scrub less. save more. with dawn. i'm 53, but in my mind i'm still 35. that's why i take osteo bi-flex to keep my moving the way i was made to. it nourishes and strengthens my joints for the long term. osteo bi-flex. find our coupon in sunday's paper. truth is... i've never really known how to care for my hardwood floors. osteo bi-flex. then i found swiffer wetjet wood. these soft microfiber-like pads absorb dirt and grime deep inside. and it prevents streaks and haze better than my old mop. wetjet wood. also try sweeper wood cloths. leading the news, some senators are at odds over president biden's pledge to nominate a black woman to the supreme court. on a mississippi radio show, republican senator roger wicker compared the president's promise to affirmative action. meanwhile, the white house

confirming that south carolina u.s. district judge michelle childs is a potential nominee, and republican senator lindsey graham voiced his support for the judge, telling cbs' "face the nation" that childs is, quote, incredibly qualified. adding that there is no affirmative action component if she is chosen. a glitch with oakland university's undergraduate student application left perspective students thinking they were getting a nearly full ride to the school 5500 students mistakenly received emails saying they won the platinum presidential scholar award worth $12,000 a year the mistake was due to human error. the university has apologized to those students still to come, poolside poisoning. why multiple people were found unconscious by a pool. plus, the surprising numbers behind student loan debt and a racial disparity and people love it. of course, they love the savings they're gonna get with geico, but... it goes beyond that. you. deserve. to save. ha — heard that before.

you. deserve. to save. i know. i need you to hear me. you deserve to save. i deserve to save! i mean he has a way of making you feel...seen. bundle car and motorcycle insurance and save at geico.com. sweet pillows of softness! this is soft! bundle car and motorcycle insurance and save holy charmin! excuse me! roll it back everybody! charmin ultra soft is so cushiony soft, you'll want more! but it's so absorbent, you can use less. enjoy the go with charmin. psoriatic arthritis, made my joints stiff,... ...swollen, painful. emerge tremfyant®. tremfya® is approved to help reduce joint symptoms in adults with active psoriatic arthritis. some patients even felt less fatigued. serious allergic reactions may occur. tremfya® may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms or if you had a vaccine or plan to. emerge tremfyant® with tremfya®...

ask you doctor about tremfya® today. for your most brilliant smile, crest has you covered. [girls laugh] -nice smile, brad. -nice! thanks? crest 3d white. 100% stain removal. crest. the #1 toothpaste brand in america. cranky-pated: a bad mood related to a sluggish gut. miralax is different. it works naturally with the water in your body to unblock your gut. free your gut, and your mood will follow. got lingering odors? grab febreze small spaces. press firmly to activate... and small spaces continuously eliminates and prevents odors... ...to freshen up any small room... ...for up to 45 days. febreze. ♪la la la♪

they're also bringing our country into it.

american cdc strongly recommends russia invade ukraine. >> the cdc really recommend that >> for a few months in 2020. the science was changing so fast >> there was also this neil young to remove music from spotify unless ukraine surrenders >> and this one's unbelievable are you a lonely ukrainian woman in search of love? 100,000 troops are standing by to talk to you >> what is an international crisis with a few laughs, "saturday night live" dove into the russia-ukraine standoff poking fun at the disinformation campaign one of the questions we have is how long will these frigid temperature last we have janessa next this young reporter has a different type of winter warning for florida residents, and you got to see it. medicine for adultsption with cll or chronic lymphocytic leukemia. imbruvica is not chemotherapy-

it's the #1 prescribed oral therapy for cll, proven to help people live longer. imbruvica can cause serious side effects, which may lead to death. bleeding problems are common and may increase with blood thinners. serious infections with symptoms like fevers, chills, weakness or confusion and severe decrease in blood counts can happen. heart rhythm problems and heart failure may occur especially in people with increased risk of heart disease, infection, or past heart rhythm problems. new or worsening high blood pressure, new cancers, and tumor lysis that can result in kidney failure, janessa webb drink plenty of fluids. tell your doctor if you experience signs of bleeding, infection, heart problems, persistent diarrhea or any other side effects. (man 2 vo) i am living longer with imbruvica. (vo) ask your doctor if it's right for you. learn how we could help you save on imbruvica. itchy? (vo) ask your doctor if it's right for you. scratchy? family not getting clean? get charmin ultra strong. it just cleans better, so your family can use less. hello clean bottom!

enjoy the go with charmin. where does your almondmilk come from? almond breeze starts here with our almond trees in our blue diamond orchard in california. my parents' job is to look after them. and it's my job to test the product. the best almonds make the best almondmilk. blue diamond almond breeze. ♪ ♪ just two pills for all day pain relief. aleve it, and see what's possible. and also try alevex topical pain relief. does your plug-in fade too fast? try febreze fade defy plug. it has built-in technology to digitally control how much scent is released to smell first day fresh for 50 days. la la la la la. want more from your vitamin brand? get more with nature's bounty. from the first-ever triple action sleep supplement... ...to the only 24-hour vitamin c... ...to heart-healthy support every day.

get more with nature's bounty. yo you ready? dude i'm in class. you got nothin'! ohhh! ♪♪ ♪♪ feeling sluggish or weighed down? it could be a sign that your digestive system isn't working at it's best taking metamucil everyday can help. metamucil psyllium fiber, gels to trap and remove the waste that weighs you down. it also helps lower cholesterol and slows sugar absorption to promote healthy blood sugar levels. so you can feel lighter and more energetic metamucil. support your daily digestive health. and try metamucil fiber thins. a great tasting and easy way to start your day. is reporting from morningside park do iguanas fall out of trees

when it's cold outside yes, they do >> that is promising young journalist ronin, showing off a unique florida sight stunned iguanas start raining down from the trees when the sunshine state starts to freeze. you can see a children's book in this story's future. but don't worry, the sun should wake them right back up this week >> janessa is back with the look ahead. and if we can all defrost a little after the big storm hi again, janessa. >> hi, good morning. well, we know who's going to be taking my job. great job forecasting that and they're still seeing very chilly conditions across the florida coast. and today they will definitely deal with a warm-up. if you're across the east coast. warmer temperatures this afternoon even for the midatlantic. watch our next storm system making its way to the midwest to the southern plains. going into your wednesday, this will be a pretty dramatic storm with significant ice accumulation before the east coast will continue to be above average ladies >> all right our top stories up next, and we

will remember actor wa em who brought us dr. johnny fever, and much more. and all night. prilosec otc prevents excess acid production that can cause heartburn. so don't fight heartburn, block it with prilosec otc. from the very first touch, pampers, the #1 pediatrician recommended brand, helps keep baby's skin drier and healthier. so every touch will protect like the first. pampers are you one of the millions of americans who experience occasional bloating, gas, or abdominal discomfort? taking align can help. align contains a quality probiotic to naturally help soothe digestive upsets 24/7. try align, the pros in digestive health. what makes febreze air effects different? while cheaper aerosols rely on artificial propellants... febreze uses a 100% natural propellant. check it out! pressure created by what's in your air makes the bottle spray.

which means freshness everyone will love. febreze. in today's top story, beloved comedian and emmy nominated actor howard hesseman has died hesseman was best known for his role as dr. johnny fever in "wkrp in cincinnati. he passed away following a surgery saturday afternoon manager robbie cass said the actor will be sorely missed and always treasured howard hesseman was 81 years old. nine people, including the driver were killed after a dodge challenger reportedly ran a red light, plowing into multiple vehicles innorth las vegas children ranging from ages 5 to 15 were among those two w.h.o.

died six others were also injured in the crash. police say it is unknown if the driver was impaired, but the speed was definitely a factor in the deadly incident. an investigation is under way. . and seven people remain in the hospital in serious condition after deadly levels of carbon monoxide were detected at an ohio hotel pool guests at the hampton inn in the town of marysville were found unconscious in and around the pool on saturday one of them was a 2-year-old girl other people experienced dizziness and burning throats. the hotel was evacuated and remains closed as authorities investigate. marysville is 30 miles northwest of columbus. a new study found black adults are disproportionately affected in student loan debts according to the invest in you national poll, 24% of black adults said they have federal student loan debt. that's compared to 14% of whites, 15% of hispanics and 11% of asians. meanwhile, the data also found

62% of respondents said their federal student loans negativitily affect their mental health, and 57% said they want president biden to make student loan forgiveness a priority. over 5,000 students were surveyed kyle rittenhouse's semiautomatic rifle used to fatally shoot two men and wound another during a protest in kenosha back in 2020 will be destroyed. a prosecutor said that the rifle will be turn over to the kenosha police department and destroyed along with the rifle's magazine and scope. some time in april rittenhouse will also get to keep a portion of the nearly $1 million of the $2 million raised for his bail the judge ordered the money be split between the law firm that represented him and a foundation that solicited donations for his defense, as well as actor ricky schroeder, who helped bail him out. singing icon cher is paying tribute to the late actress and legendary comedian betty white, performing a new version of "thank you for being a friend" the theme sock of the sitcom "the golden girls.

♪ thank you for being a friend, traveled down the road and back again ♪ >> it is all part of the upcoming hour-long special celebrating betty white: america's golden girl" tonight

as the crisis in ukraine ramps up, the united states is wlaun. ing a strike aimed at russia's economy. we've got a live report from washington. and the supreme court guessing game. who will the president pick to serve on the nation's highest court. new this morning joe rogan breaks his silence after his podcast qaas backlash for spotify. and spotify with a new way to handle the covid misinformation.

an