a parade of snowstorms buried millions from the midwest to east coast. d.c., philly and several other major cities forced to cancel school as the snow piles up. the winter blast snarling air travel while icing roads across region. meteorologist angie lassman is

tracking the trouble for us. breaking overnight, an american teacher finally back on u.s. soil after spending years in a russian prison. what he told president trump after his return. doge on defense. billionaire elon musk fends off a flurry of questions from reporters over his deep cuts to federal spending, alleging rampant fraud without giving any details. we're live in d.c. this morning. a key inflation report just hours away. but don't expect to see new interest rate cuts any time soon. every dog has its day, but only one can have the year. who took best in show at the 149th westminster competition. and, let the games begin. in a year or so. we're live with all the excitement one year out from the winter olympics in milan cortina. we are skiing into wednesday, february 12. "early today" starts right now. good morning. glad you're with me. i'm frances rivera. millions

remain under winter alerts this morning from colorado to maine, as back-to-back winter storms march across the country. some areas already walloped including kentucky, where snow made for blinding conditions on the highways. in west virginia, they've already gotten more than a foot. in arkansas, trees and power lines were buckling after an ice storm left slippery conditions. meanwhile college students in maryland had some fun with a huge snowball fight. and another storm is ramping up. let's bring in meteorologist ainge angie lassman. >> we have snow across the plains, a little lingering snow and ice across the mid atlantic, and heavy snow for most of the southeast. and we're going to see plenty of alerts from all of these impacts through the day today. you can see winter alerts topping more than 100 million. heavy rain focussed for the

south. speaking of the south, we're also going to have the potential for strong storms for 10 million people. a tornado threat out there. a few tornados likely. we've also got damaging winds possible. and of course all the heavy snow stretched from the plains to the great lakes today. we've got some of that action working into parts of the northeast, with a wintry mix and snow, and especially into the early morning hours, you'll see the commute affecting folks into the northeast for tomorrow morning. some of that snow lingers across the great lakes. some spots ending up with 6 to 8 inches. now to this breaking overnight, an american teacher who's been in prison in russia for three and a half years has been released. 63-year-old marc fogel arrived stateside last night. he was taken from joint base andrews to the white house, where he thanked president trump for securing his release. fogel was serving a 14-year sentence in russia for drug smuggling after he was found

carrying medical marijuana. the white house did not disclose the terms of fogel's release. president trump said another american prisoner will be freed today but did not say who or where they were being held. russia still holds two u.s. citizens that the state department says are wrongfully detained. president trump has signed a new executive order giving more power to elon musk. the order directs federal agencies to coordinate with and consult with musk's department of government efficien to cut jobs and limit hiring. nbc's alice barr joins me now. the president and elon musk addressed reporters together from the oval office. >> reporter: that's right, and president trump made it clear he is frustrated that judges have been pausing some aspects of his administration's efforts to slash government spending. the legal challenges are mounting. yesterday an appeals court rejected the administration's attempt to reinstate a funding freeze. president trump says he will

abide by the courts and appeal. but he also suggested the administration may need to look into the judges. >> we want to weed out the corruption. and it's hard to believe that a judge could say we don't want you to do that. so maybe we have to look at the judges, because that's a very serious, i think it's a very serious violation. >> reporter: elon musk was by the president's side, speaking to reporters for more than 30 minutes. they used the words fraud, waste and abuse dozens of times but did not provide details about any alleged fraud that's been discovered. musk defended the work of his team so far. >> the public's elected representatives decide what happens. you can't have an autonomous federal bureaucracy. you have to have one responsive

to the people. >> reporter: usaid released a report showing massive cuts at that agency. nbc news has obtained a letter showing that president trump has now fired that inspector general. the white house is asking for $175 billion. and three administration officials confirm to nbc news that the top two officials in i.c.e. enforcement's division have been reassigned, saying the white house is frustrated that the agency is not arresting or deporting migrants quickly enough. frances? >> alice, thank you. the king of jordan reiterating his steadfast opposition to trump's gaza plan in an oval office meeting with the president yesterday. trump on the other hand says he is expecting progress toward his plan to resettle millions of palestinians out of gaza. he's also doubling down on a warning to hamas, saying all

bets are off if all hostages are not released by saturday. nbc's daniel hamamdjian is in london with the latest. >> reporter: good morning, frances. and the israeli prime minister echoing donald trump's comments, warning that intense fighting will resume if the hostages are not back by noon on saturday. now, unlike the u.s. president, he didn't say all the hostages, which there are about 76 left, which might mean he's referring to the three that were planned for saturday. in case it wasn't already abundantly clear, the jordanian king reiterated his opposition to the idea and that this was a unified arab position, simply put, no arab country will go along with the idea. king abdullah did say his country would take in some of the most vulnerable in gaza for medical treatment. take a listen. >> i think one of the things

that we can do right away is take 2,000 children that are either cancer children or in very ill state to jordan as quickly as possible. >> that's really a beautiful gesture. that's really good, and we appreciate it. >> reporter: now a reminder that the reason this cease-fire is currently on hold is because hamas says israel violated the terms of the deal. hamas accusing israel of not sending undreds of thousands of tents as was promised. now the "new york times" quoting three israeli officials and two mediators, speaking on contion of anonymity said the claims made by hamas were indeed accurate. in response to the times reporting, the israeli military claims the accusation is false. frances? >> daniel hamamdjian, thank you. happening today, votes on two critical cabinet positions. the senate is expected to hold a final vote on tulsi gabbard's

nomination to be the intelligence chief. a procedural vote will be held to advance the nomination of robert f. kennedy jr. for health secretary. his final vote could come as soon as tomorrow. the justice department has asked prosecutors in new york to drop charges against mayor eric adams. adams was facing federal trial for bribery and fraud. he met with president trump at mar-a-lago right before the inauguration but claims they did not talk about his case. here's laura jarrett. >> i never broke the law. >> reporter: mayor eric adams speaking out now for the first time since the justice department's decision to drop the case against him. >> i absolutely never traded my power as an elected official for any personal benefit. >> reporter: top doj official emil bove directing federal prosecutors late monday to dismiss the charges against adams immediately, but leaving the door open to a future investigation. bove saying the case indicted by a grand jury last september and

set for trial this coming april has improperly interfered with mayor adams' bid for reelection. the general election still nine months away. bove also suggesting it restricted the mayor from devoting his full attention to the trump administration's priorities on immigration and crime, raising fresh questions about how the doj will treat criminal investigations going forward. >> more serious in the long run is the damage this does to the whole idea of criminal prosecutions being separate and apt from the president's policy-making. and this certainly is a message that any public official who is prosecuted, against whom charges are not dropped, simply hasn't made the right call. >> reporter: adams pled not guilty to charges of taking bribes in exchange for political favors, while president trump appeared sympathetic to his case last year. >> i think that he was traded pretty unfairly. >> reporter: adams later traveled to meet with trump at

mar-a-lago days before also attending his inauguration. and it's not just mayor adams who may benefit from this new trump administration. of course former senator bob menendez, another one who's been angling, hoping the president will commute his sentence as well as sean "diddy" combs, another person who's being prosecuted by the southern district of new york, who would stand to benefit from intervention by the president. back to you. >> laura, thank you. now let's check back in with angie lassman who's tracking a flood threat on the west coast. >> we've got heavy rain on tap for our friends in california. no surprise that there's 29 million people up nd down the state under flood watches as we gear up for multiple days of heavy rain. we're going to see this ramp up through the day today. the storm system really works all that heavy rain and potential for heavy snow into folks across this region for tomorrow. and we eventually will still be

dealing with this friday. the burn scars are still a risk for the increase in flood chances. 1 to 3 inches of rain expected for the coast and the valleys. even higher amounts for the astal mouncota a high of 20 degr bay today, just 10 degrees with cloudy conditions in minneapolis. and that's a look at your forecast, frances, back to you. >> thanks so much, angie. it was a giant night for one giant schnauzer. >> for best in show at the 149th annual westminst kennel club dog show, i choose the giant schnauzer. >> monty the giant schnauzer took home the coveted best in

show title tuesday after he won the working group for the third consecutive year. he is the first dog from that group to win a top prize since 2004, ending the longest drought of any breed. "early today" is back in a minute with the streaming milestone for youtube. and a key inflation report due out in just hours. we have a preview of what to expect. ave a preview of what to expect. okay, y'all. i heard mielle's kalahari melon and aloe vera line is changing the game. up to five days of moisture and no wash days in between? let's see about that. day two, headed to work, but i feel like i'm about to drop a hit single. all the cuties are at the run club. good thing these curls are curling. can you believe this is day five? i think i could go even longer. up to five days of lasting moisture. endless possibilities. imagine what you could do in five days. mom's gonna love this! alright kids come on. it's time for bed! ( ♪♪ ) good morning, mr. snuggles. make breakfast special with the cocoa and hazelnutty goodness of nutella.

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december's 3.2% but still well above the fed's 2% target. under jerome powell, the fed chair was speaking to the senate committee yesterday saying the u.s. economy is strong and that they were not in a hurry to cut interest rates. now it seems that the bank could cut them by july, with the next meeting due in march likely to give a bit more indication for interest rates. now elsewhere, youtube says that tv has overtaken mobile as the primary device for streaming the platform in the u.s. neil mohan said that tv was now the new platform for youtube and that it differed from traditional tv. so while it incorporates sports and sitcoms, it includes new mediums as well such as shorts and podcasts. he was looking for the platform

to become more interactive with new supports programming and a.i. >> something to look forward to. thank you. still to come, the one restaurant where you'll have no choice but to ask, is it cake? netflix hits egas with a culinary egas with a culinary with a gentle mist and innovative power-jet. spray goodbye to congestion. it's comeback season! ♪♪ gail... look at your little boot! what happened? samba saturdays. okay. you gotta be careful, okay? i know. let's get you off your feet. we're gonna get your medicare prescriptions delivered. get help with your medicare prescription, right in your neighborhood. the first time you try bounce, it hits you. your laundry feels way fresher, softer. so you start to wonder. if i put a sheet of bounce on the finance guy, will it make him softer? bounce can't do it all but for better laundry, ♪ put a sheet on it with bounce. ♪ mom's gonna love this!

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let's get you off your feet. we're gonna get your medicare prescriptions delivered. get help with your medicare prescription, right in your neighborhood. here's what's making headlines this morning. shopify has taken down kanye west's website that sold swastika tee shirts saying it violated terms of service. ye was seeking to redefine the limits of creativity and free expression. the u.s. and uk are declining to sign a declaration on inclusive and sustainable artificial intelligence at a landmark paris summit. while the uk cited concerns over global security and governance, vice president vance argued that excessive regulation could stifle growth. two astronauts stuck in space may be returning to earth sooner than expected. they will bring butch wilmore

and suni williams home in mid march instead of late march or april. they were stranded in september after issues with the boeing starliner. and this paddle boarder isn't going to let his small arms stop him. the dino was spotted north of palm beach. lmea.f pa bch ♪♪ okay, y'all. i heard mielle's kalahari melon and aloe vera line is changing the game. up to five days of moisture and no wash days in between? let's see about that. day two, headed to work, but i feel like i'm about to drop a hit single. all the cuties are at the run club. good thing these curls are curling. can you believe this is day five? i think i could go even longer. up to five days of lasting moisture. endless possibilities. imagine what you could do in five days. mom's gonna love this! alright kids come on. it's time for bed! ( ♪♪ ) good morning, mr. snuggles. make breakfast special with the cocoa and hazelnutty goodness of nutella.

( ♪♪ ) can neuriva support your brain health? mary, janet, hey! eddie, no. frasier, frank. frank? —fred, how are you? —fred! support up to 7 brain health indicators, including memory. when you need to remember, remember neuriva. it is one year until the winter olympics kick off in milan cortina, starting february 6, 2026. the world descends on northern italy for the country's fourth olympic games. we're joined now by our jay gray, who comes to us not from italy just yet but from salt

lake city. a previous and future host of the winter games. hi, jay, good morning. >> reporter: frances, good morning. and you know what? they've already got the winter games weather down pat. it is freezing with snow flurries, while like in italy preparing for the games, there is a mad dash to make sure everything is ready for the biggest international sporting event and party in the world. mixed with the old world beauty of milan, there are new igns of what's to come here in the mountains of cortina. crews continuing their work, a year away from welcoming the world to the winter games. >> very busy, exciting, though. >> reporter: a little too exciting where construction teams are working round the clock to get the bobsled and luge up and running. the deadline is the end of march. the committee so concerned they've announced a backup plan

that would move the evts to lake placid, new york if the venue isn't ready in time. the deputy director of the ice center isn't worried about his stadium being ready. the torchbearer in 1956 are more worrieabout he and his brother making the cut to represent their country. >> if i can make it to curling, he can make it to hockey, and my grandfather can carry the torch again. >> reporter: the fire is already burning in many of team usa's medal hopefuls as the athletes get closer to the olympic trials. >> yeah, i love competing. i feel like i really thrive in competition. and i mean, there's so much love, too, for the teammates, for the sport, for the whole, everything that t we do that cos with competing. >> reporter: competition, the americans hope will lead them to the top of the podium in italy. the venues for the games are

spread out across italy, some as much as five hours away from milan, while organizers here say all of the competition will be within an hour of the city. >> okay, jay, a year to work on our italian. thank you. now we're counting down to the winter olympics all morning long. coming up, craig melvin is talking to olympic hopefuls who have their sights set on olympic gold. you don't want to miss it. thanks so much for being wit nice to meet ya. my name is david. i've been a pharmacist for 44 years and i'm from flowery branch, georgia. when i have customers come in, i recommend prevagen. number one, because it's effective.

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