more new blazes sparking in southern california. as firefighters make progress against the hughes fire. the welcome rain in the forecast. also raising new concerns over mudslides. the latest executive order from president trump, promising to declassify files on the

assassinations of jfk, rfk and mlk as the order to end birthright citizenship is already blocked by a court. marco rubio set for his first trip abroad. one of his first stops, panama. as president trump suggests, he wants to take over the panama nal. we're live with the challenges rubio faces. which films will battle it out for top honors and statues at this year's academy awards. and a conservation effort to reintroduce gray wolves to colorado. but can wolves and humans, including ranchers, learn to live side by side again? it's friday, january 24. "early today" starts right now. thanks for being with me this morning. i'm frances rivera. fire crews in southern california continue to battle the hughes fire, still more than 10,000 acres in size. it's now 36% contained.

on thursday, a new blaze broke out near the mexico border, torching more than 500 acres. it is still zero percent contained but not near any structures. president trump is set to tour the catastrophic wildfire damage in the california area after visiting western north carolina which was ravaged by hurricane helene in september. >> reporter: significant progress made here at the hughes fire behind us. this is where the fire started burning just a day ago. but, as you can see, there's only a little bit of haziness here that shows just how close this fire got to communities. but luckily, no homes burned, no one injured. and that's the message from officials. thanks to the predeployed fire crews in the southern california region, they've been able to jump on these spot fires that have popped up over the last several days. we are still under red flag warnings. just behind us we are looking at the command center in valencia, california where we saw governor

gavin newsom entering this mobile command center. he was there with a u.s. representative who said that the briefing went very well and he credits firefighters for saving castaic. there is rain coming in this weekend. while it will help with firefighting efforts, there are concerns that the rain could cause mudflows and mudslides. that's something we will be watching as we head into the weekend. the new trump administration's crackdown on immigration has begun. the mayor of newark, new jersey saying that i.c.e. raided a local business, detaining undocumented immigrants as wl as citizens. people were unlawfully terrorized. i.c.e. declined to comment on what it called an ongoing investigation. meanwhile, a judge has declared president trump's order to end birthright citizenship blatantly

unconstitutional, putting a pause on that action. gabe gutierrez has more. >> reporter: the first legal roadblock for president trump's new agenda, a judge temporarily ending the attempt to end birthright citizenship. trump believes it's a magnet for illegal immigration. but the judge calling it a blatant unconstitutional order. >> they put it before a certain judge in seattle, i guess, rit? and there's no surprises with that judge. >> reporter: the legal showdown comes as the white hou says its promised crackdown already under way. the president is sending 1500 troops to the u.s.-mexico border. >> we have deployed active duty u.s. military and national guard troops to the border to assist in repelling the invasion. >> reporter: it's not the first

time. the military says the mission is mostly logistical support. now the government is expanding the power of federal agencies to help with mass deportations. >> not only is it going to be i.c.e. engaging in these raids, but they're going to have support from law enforcement partners in fbi, atf, dea and u.s. marshals. >> reporter: the operations are not unique to the trump administration. >> this is every day in boston. >> reporter: as we saw last month first hand near boston. last september during the biden administration, i.c.e. arrested an average of 282 migrants a day. [speaking in a global language] >> reporter: they are hunting us, this deported migrant says. meanwhile, from three sources familiar with the planning, nbc news has also learned the u.s. is looking to expand the use of water buoys.

while president trump is ramping up his push in sanctuary cities. his administration threatening those who avoid the actions. president trump has in effect shut down the u.s. asylum system. >> and our thanks to gabe for that report. next week, marco rubio's first trip abroad as secretary of state takes him tlatin america and panama. it comes after president trump threatened to seize control of the panama canal in his inaugural address. >> china is operating the panama canal, and we didn't give it to china. we gave it to panama. and we're taking it back. >> for more, let's turn to matt bodner. good morning. what is rubio hoping to accomplish in panama? >> reporter: rubio will certainly have a lot on his plate on this first foreign visit. panama is one of america's

strongest allies in latin america but also the focus of president trump for several months, particularly the panama canal. in his inauguration speech, trump said china has taken over the canal and that the u.s. was going to take it back. china and panama have pushed back on these claims, with panama insisting that it is operating the waterway in a neutral capacity. the u.s. views the panama canal as a strategically critical access point into the pacific. during his confirmation hearing, rubio said he hoped the u.s. would be able to resolve the security concerns around the canal. china, for the record, has no stake in the canal but has been purchasing and developing nearby ports. furthermore, at least five chinese state-owned companies have set up along the canal itself. and some u.s. commanders have warned these could easily be flipped into military use in the event of a conflict. rubio's trip will not primarily focus on the canal.

he will be looking to address broader migration issues and will be taking that message on tour to other nations as well, including guatemala, el salvador, costa rica and the dominican republic. >> matt, thank you. last night, president trump signed an executive order to declassify any remaining files on the assassinations of president john f. kennedy, senator robert f. kennedy and marten luther king jr. . >> reporter: president kennedy, his brother robert kennedy and civil rights leader martin luther king, jr. with the stroke of a pen, the president releasing a release of the files, saying it will end the mystery surrounding them. >> that's a big one, huh? a lot of people are waiting for this for years.

for decades. and everything will be revealed. >> reporter: it's a campaign promise kept. the president made a similar pledge during his first term, releasing many jfk files but not all. >> i was asked by michael pompeo as secretary of state not to. and he felt that it was just not a good time to release them. >> reporter: the swirling questions and conspiracies fueling an industry of books and films like oliver stone's 1991 hit movie jfk. >> never realized kennedy was so dangerous to the establishment. >> repeporter: the official warn commission report reported that lee harvey oswald acted alone. was oswald the lone assassin? or did he have help? and was there another shooter on the grassy knoll that day? kennedy's nephew, robert kennedy jr. has long argued the truth is not fully known. >> we asked, they were

definitely involved in the murder and 60-year coverup. >> reporter: one person is criticizing the move, saying he is a political prop. then rfk. >> i think it's a great move. he's keeping his promise to have the government tell the truth to the american people about everything. >> reporter: as for king's assassination that night in memphis, members of his own family have asked if he was the victim of a government plot to kill him. the release of those secret files won't happen overnight. officials have to first come up with a plan and present it to the president. >> our thanks to peter for that report. seven san antonio police officers are expected to make a full recovery after a standoff with a man later found dead. officers were responding to a

suicide in progress when 46-year-old brandon pulos opened fire. some sheltered in place. >> i was worried about possibly being a casualty. and i was just trying to find ways to minimize that risk. so i ended up being in my bathroom most of the time, just kind of like furthest away from the windows and doors. >> authorities say pulos had been arrested last weekend and was out on bond. police are investigating if the death was self-inflicted. a freighter is stuck in the ice. it's been there since wednesday when ice rapidly formed around the vessel. according to our buffalo affiliate, a coast guard ice-cutting barge made some progress to free the ship.

they will resume this morning. good news on the way for fires in california. let's turn to michelle grossman who's here with the forecast. good morning. >> good morning, frances. great to see you. we're looking at some improvement today and into the weekend. we have some rain moving in for saturday, sunday and also monday. we have red flag warnings this morning. 10 million people impacted. these will expire at 10:00 local time. the risk elevated as the ground is dry. but good new social good news is on the way. we are concerned for localized flooding along the burn areas. this rain will extend into monday as well. flash flood risks extending from santa barbara into los angeles. the cold is hanging on. 19 million people impacted from pensacola, tampa and savannah. it's a cold start this morning.

temperatures right above freezing in places like new orleans. it's 20 in montgomery. 31 in jacksonville and 25 in columbia. but even this is easing. we're looking at temperatures gettincloser to g freezing finally in bismarck and sunshine all right. parts of the midwest. that's your friday forecast. >> thanks so much, michelle. coming up, the snubs and surprises from the oscar nominations. and panda diplomacy on full display. the animals making their big debut at the national zoo. big debut at the national zoo. our shampoos and conditioners are made with supercharged botanicals. ♪♪ these sulfate-free formulas deeply penetrate and replenish nutrients. ♪♪

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and the family who makes it have agreed to a settlement. it's more than $1 billion higher than a previous deal rejected by the supreme court last year. while the new deal still needs court approval, the federal government under president trump is not expected to oppose it. a republican congressman has introduced a house resolution to change the constitution so that president trump can serve a third term. andy ogles of tennessee said that president trump must be given the time necessary to accomplish his goals. the white house did not respond to a request for comment. two months ago, dan goldman, a new york democrat introduced a house resolution to reaffirm the 22nd amendment limiting presidential terms to two. get ready for a wild celebration at the national zoo in washington, d.c. the zoo will introduce its giant pandas to the public. the pandas are on a ten-year

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eliminated decades ago. >> reporter: state wildlife officials released 15 gray wolves, moving a step closer to having a permanent wolf population. >> this is the first time a state has reintroduced wolves. >> reporter: they captured them in canada, releasing them under the cover of darkness last week. >> many days of planning and hard work culminated with the opening of each crate last week. >> reporter: this is the latest move guided by a voter-approved plan to bring gray wolves back after they were eradicated decades ago. they say restoring the species is critical for the landscape. >> this is a great example of how partnerships across nations can further critical conservation efforts. >> reporter: the first taking place in 2023. but in the last year, three of the reintroduced wolves have died. one of them illegally shot. and ranchers across the state are frustrated, like nellie

farrell. >> i'm constantly on edge. i'm constantly worried. i'm constantly scared. i don't feel safe outside anymore. that's why we live in the country is to be outside, let our kids roam free. >> reporter: taking this video of what she says is a wolf on her property. >> i see coyotes every day, and it wasn't a coyote. it's put stress on everything. >> reporter: the farrell family says the wolves have killed livestock on their ranch. according to the state, 27 sheep and cows were killed last year, forcing them to pay ranchers thousands to make up for the losses, the majority of the claims are still pending. four of colorado's congressional representatives calling on president trump to take immediate action to stop further importation of the wolves. colorado parks and wildlife says it created programs to mitigate conflicts. >> many ranchers are fearful, angry, and wondering if they'll

be able to continue. we must keep our ranchers ranching. >> reporter: the state plans to release more wolves in the coming years, calling it a conservation win. multiple pups have been born. and with more roaming free, colorado is continuing to test how well humans and wolves can learn to co-exist again. steve patterson, nbc news. >> an understandable debate. we thank you for ending the workweek with "early today." i'm frances rivera

southern california, wrestling with new threat as crews battle ongoing wildfires. this as president trump is set to visit the disaster zones. details on how he's expected to meet. plus, a big step to help move the bay area forward. the new shelter is set to open in the south bay, and the assistance it's providing to the community. also working to offer free parking in