s is on the way. on the way. we the jury in the above-entitled action find the defendant not guilty. [cheers and applause] >> rapper a$ap rocky embracing

his attorneys after a jury acquitted him of felony assault charges. what his lawyer had to say outside court about the verdict. dramatic new video from toronto showing the moment a delta plane flipped over as it tried to land. that incident leaving two runways closed, as officials continue their investigation into what went wrong. president trump and elon musk defending doge in a new interview overnight, as a federal judge denies a bid to curb the advisory group's powers. the arrest of an alleged cult leader raising new questions this morning about a fringe group linked to half a dozen deaths. exactly who are the zizians? and it's back to business for snl after an epic 50th anniversary celebration. the hosts ahead as "early today" starts now. good morning. i'm jessica layton, and we begin this morning with a los angeles

jury finding rapper a$ap rocky not guilty of felony assault. in a case where he was accused of shooting at his former friend during an argument in 2021, the hip-hop performer hugging attorneys and leaping into the arms of long-time partner rihanna after hearing the verdict. rocky and his attorneys thanking the jurors for quote, saving his life. >> i would have been really, really hurting if this didn't go the right way. but, thank god that jury, we had a great jury. what's next is they're going to move on. they have a lot of great things professionally to do. rocky's really at the height of his career. he's got a lot of things going. obviously, rihanna is on top of the world. >> before the trial, rocky turned down a plea deal, maintaining he was innocent. new this morning, federal prosecutors in florida now unsealing charges against seven men whom they say are part of an

international organized crime group that stole more than $2 million worth of property from professional athletes. charging documents showed that these athletes included kansas city chiefs tars travis kelce, patrick mahomes and more. federal prosecutors say the men all from chile are charged with conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property. if convicted, they each face up to ten years in prison. turning now to washington. a d.c. district judge will apparently not stop elon musk from reshaping the government. the judge ruled against 14 states suing to try to stop doge, saying the possibility that musk's team could do harm not enough to halt its activities. president trump and musk defended doge last night on fox news. >> it says tech support. i'm here to provide the president with technology support. >> they're finding billions and

will be hundreds of billions worth of fraud, i say waste and abuse. but fraud, waste and abuse. and he's doing an amazing job. and he attracts a young, very smart type of person. >> meanwhile, more federal workers are bracing to be fired this week. nbc's kelly o'donnell has the latest. >> reporter: making his mar-a-lago club the ackdrop for official business, the president defended steep cuts to federal programs and spending and praised the billioire advisor elon musk who is dismantling parts of the government. >> elon is, to me, a patriot. so, you know, you could callll m an employee. you could call him a consultant. you could call him whatever you want, but he's a patriot. >> reporter: asked if he had any concerns about specific firing decisions, including a move to rehire fired employees who oversee the nuclear stockpile. >> no, not at all. i think we just have to do what we have to do. you know, you're going to, it's amazing what's been found.

>> reporter: new details on the federal workforce shakeup from big resignations to thousands of civil servants fired, prompting a fierce defense from white house deputy chief of staff stephen miller. >> why are you not celebrating these cuts if you agree there is waste, if you agree there is corruption, why are you not celebrating the cuts? >> reporter: conflict leads to a top official quitting at the social security administration, acting commissioner michelle king, a 30-year veteran, resigned after two sources said she refused access to sensitive social security records, such as citizens' financial and medical information to the doge, government efficiency team. the white house confirmed the resignation and said the president wants the most qualified individuals, not to appease the bureaucracy. the division chief over the safety of the food supply resigned. at the department of homeland

security, a new round of resignations is expected, at odds with the president's goals. >> listen to these numbers. this is all fraud. >> reporter: president trump read from pages of spending that he calls fraud and corruption but provided no evidence. fired over the weekend and now the government is trying to get them back. the department of agriculture says it is working to swiftly rectify the firing of several employees working on the bird flu outbreak who are considered frontline public safety workers. >> all right, kelly, thank you. and mr. trump is, again, causing controversy by seeming to blame ukraine for being invaded by russia. speaking at mar-a-lago, the president referred to ukrainian complaints that they're not included in peace talks in saudi arabia. >> i think i have the power to end this war. and i think it's going very well. but today i heard oh, well, we weren't invited. you've been there for three

years. you should have ended it. you should have never started it. you could have made a deal. >> i think that comment had a lot of people scratching heads. what's the latest to come out of saudi arabia. >> reporter: the meeting was as much about the optics, at least for the russian side as it was about concrete results. the u.s. and russia a agreedagr saudi saudi to begin ending the war in ukraine. secretary of state rubio did say this was just the beginning of the conversation and that more work needs to be done. this comes as intelligence and congressional sources in washington tell nbc news that they have, quote, zero intelligence that putin is interested in a real peace deal right now. that putin thinks he is winning the war, and he's just stalling for time to take all of ukraine. ukrainian president volodymyr

zelenskyy has been publicly skeptical of america's engagement with russia. in an interview with "meet the press" this weekend, zelenskyy warned the united states not to trust vladimir putin. zelenskyy was planning on traveling to saudi arabia today, but following yesterday's u.s.-russia a meeting there, th ukrainian president said he would postpone his trip to saudi to avoid any surprises. zelenskyy is fighting to ensure that ukraine's interests are protected in the negotiations. but he doesn't seem to be winning over trump. yesterday trump criticized zelenskyy, appearing to suggest that ukraine was responsible for russia's decision to invade their country. trump's exact words were, quote, you should never have started it. you could have made a deal. the decision to start the war was russia's. no one, including ukraine, wanted this war. dramatic new video showing that delta flight crash landing in toronto. the footage was apparently shot from the cockpit of another plane.

it shows delta flight 4819 hitting the runway and bursting into flames before flipping over. meteorologists reported wind gusts as strong as 40 miles per hour in that air what at the time. but the fire chief said the wind was not an issue when the plane crashed. nbc news aviation analyst john cox also weighed in. >> the conditions were challenging but nothing more than professional pilots can handle. >> airport authorities say cancellations and delays at toronto pearson international airport could last for several days. another winter blast is sweeping across the country. up to a foot of snow is expected in missouri, where an amazon truck jackknifed off the highway in kansas city. firefighters in minnesota also struggling with some wind chills of 40 below. their equipment freezing as they tried to put out a fire. and wind chills in chicago hitting 23 degrees below zero. meanwhile, in kentucky, 6 inches

of snow could create an even bigger mess as people there start cleaning up from the historic flooding we saw over the weekend. the death toll now 14. with all this, let's bring in nbc meteorologist angie lassman, who is tracking this new system for us. angie, good morning. >> good morning, jessica. we've got plenty of alerts up this morning. 45 million people. and these are going to stay up through the day today as the system continues to work east. you see the snow and the rain and the mid atlantic and appalachians. we'll see the heavy morning snow across virginia and north carolina before the system shifts offshore. but more snow on the way across the great lakes. we'll see cold winds generating lake-effect snow for folks there. we could pick up maybe another 6 to 8 inches across parts of virginia. and north carolina will see 1 to 2. richmond up to 6 inches. virginia beach 6 to 10 inches. we've got ice accumulation to talk about. this will leave us with the potential for power outages and

tree damage. and bitter cold in the mid section of the country. 75 million under cold alerts. you can see chicago topping out into the high 20s in dallas. low 60s for jacksonville. and that's a look at your forecast. back to you, jessica. >> all right, angie, thanks for the update. coming up, coming together after devastating floods in kentucky that we just told you about. but first, the cult-like group connected to the string of killings, including a border patrol agent. who are the zizians, in 60 seconds. o are the zizians, in 6 seconds. one gram of sugar? let's go! i mix with coffee and boom! i have the energy to happy dance all day long. sorry to my barista. premier protein. sweeten the journey. aah, it's a good day to cough.

oh, no! bye, bye cough. later chest congestion. hello 12 hours of relief. 12 hours?! hmmm, ok. not coughing at yoga. antiquing not coughing? not coughing at the movies?! hashtag still not coughing?! aaah. oww! mucinex dm gives you 12 hours of relief from chest congestion and any type of cough, day or night. it's not cough season. it's always comeback season. ♪ [tambourine by eve] ♪ it's not cough season. ♪ ♪ we're back with the investigation into a cult-like group known as the zizians. members, young vegan, tech-savvy

activists, some with extreme ideologies. the alleged leaders are now behind bars as authorities probe the deaths of at least six people. david noreaga has the story. >> reporter: the alleged leader of a cult-like group linked to a string of killings from coast-to-coast in custody. held without bail. prosecutors say jack lasota leads the zizians. lasota was arrested, alongside two others and charged with trespassing, possessing a handgun in a vehicle and other crimes. authorities revealing few details of the arrest, but the group has been linked to at least six killings. in 2019 in california, authorities arrested lasota and three others for putting on robes and fox masks and blocking the entrance to a sonoma-area retreat related to a.i. >> one of the organizers told me

lasota spoke with an intensity about her beliefs that were just very, very unnerving. and it seems that it was from these events that lasota started attracting followers. >> reporter: lasota and her associates eventually moved to the bay area onto 80-year-old kurt lind's property in vallejo. as relations soured things got strange. lasota's lawyer was told that lasota had died. months later, lind was attacked with a samurai sword, saved by his neighbor. >> you can see where he had his hand on the, where he was banging on the door. he said i'm dying. >> reporter: the attackers included two people who were with lasota at the 2019 protest. one was shot and killed by lind in self-defense. >> he was blinded in one eye. the sword, according to a witness, was actually sticking

out of lind at one point. he was impaled with it during the attack. >> reporter: shortly after, authorities found lasota alive and well at the scene of the attack, though she was not charged. on new year's eve 2022, rita and richard zatko were shot and killed. lasota was arrested for disorderly conduct in connection to the investigation. in january of this year, a follower of lasota, a transgender woman died in a shootout with a border patrol agent who was also killed. days later, kurt lind was killed days before the stabbing case was set to go to trial. maximilian snider has been charged with the murder. an attorney for snider could not be reached. snider once sought a marriage license with the passenger in

the shootout. that passenger is currently in prison and has pled not guilty weapons counts. her lawyer has declined request for comment. in a statement released last month on lasota's charges in pennsylvania, the attorney stressed that his client is presumed innocent until the government meets its burden of proving guilt. >> those who know them and are willing to talk to me about him are not willing to show their face, are not willing to have their face in anystory because they don't know what these people might do next. snl celebrities just like the rest of us by having to go back to work. find out who's headlining the first shows for march. dlining t first shows for march. 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.

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i probably shouldn't be up here, honestly. i should be home. i should be a high school football coach. that's what i should be.

like, god molded me perfectly to be a high school football coach. slash ninth grade sex education teacher. >> okay. snl showing no signs of slowing down after its golden anniversary. shane gillis will kick off the month of march, returning for his second stint as host with musical guest tait mcray. lady gaga will pull double duty as host and musical guest on march 8th. and i cannot wait for this album to come out, this song disease, abracadabra. die with a smile, all these great songs on this new album. she is so talented. >> we can't wait to see her on that snl stage. now to the friendship that ended up on hollywood boulevard. mindy kaling was paid tribute by her office co-star with roasting

proud.ould make michael scott >> in addition to being a brilliant and wildly-successful show runner, an incredible mother of three, a deep and caring daughter and friend a mentor to so many, mindy is also in her spare time, i assure you, very superficial. >> he got emotional during the end of his speech talking about how beautifully kaling handles being famous. they had a brief actual romantic relationship in the early 2000s and stayed friends, and now he's the godfather of three of her kids. >> you can tell they just love each other. when we come back, a new rival in the healthy bubble. and kfc's corporate employees. and kfc's corpora employees. - oooo me! - anyone else? fine... jake....from state farm....

- ok.... alright! it's the personal price plan theorem. if you bundle your home and auto, that can equal an affordable price, just for you. bundling. just another way to save with the personal price plan. like a good neighbor, state farm is there. [fighting scene] —ugh! here we go again —wait there's a red hulk now? excuse me... what do i do about this? —we use tide oxi boost. —it's a life saver. the most powerful clean in any universe. lookin good. thank you. see captain america: brave new world. ♪ ♪ if you went on a road trip and you didn't stop for mcdonald's, that wasn't a road trip. it was just a really long drive. ♪ ♪ always dry scoop before you run. listen to me, the hot dog diet got me shredded. it's time we listen to science. one a day is formulated with key nutrients

to support whole body health. one a day. science that matters. (mom) let me see my new grand-dog! to(mia) say “hi grandma”!lth. (mom) you're feeding him, blue buffalo, right? (jack) nah, we got purina one. it's all the same stuff. (mom) not really. blue life protection formula's got deboned chicken, chicken meal, brown rice, oatmeal, barley... (mia) well purina one has chicken, rice flour, corn gluten meal, whole grain corn, chicken by-product meal... (jack) [laughing] looks like we're s switchingo blue! (vo) switch to blue. and feed your dog like family. want a next level clean? swish with the whoa of listerine. it kills 99.9% of bad breath germs for five times more cleaning power than brushing and flossing alone. get a next level clean... ahhhhh with listerine. feel the whoa! these dishes just aren't getting clean. the problem isn't your machine. it's likely your detergent. really? really. i recommend switching to cascade platinum plus. these new pods are packed with more soaking,

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from namesake kentucky to texas. the move means about 100 people will have to relocate. coca-cola is taking on poppi. the new owner of michael jordan's illinois mansion is renting out the massive 37,000 square foot property available for $230,000. r $230,000. just without the lactose. delicious too. just ask my old friend, kevin. nothing like enjoying a cold one while watching the game. who's winning? we are, my friend. we are. ♪♪ 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. ♪ [tambourine by eve] ♪ imagine what♪you could do ♪ . we're back with an update on the health of pope francis. the 88-year-old pontiff is battling pneumonia in both of his lungs. he was admitted to the hospital

on friday to treat bronchitis. the vatican is calling the pope's health a complex picture but saysys he is still in good spirits. nasa is upgrading the likelihood of earth being hit by an incoming asteroid in the year 2032. the space agency releasing new data that now lists the chance of collision with asteroid 2024 yr4 at 3.1%. that's up about 1% from recent days. the asteroid is between 40 and 90 meters wide and large enough to wipe out a whole city. it has the potential to hit earth on december 22nd, 2032. well, how about some uplifting news now out of kentucky? in the midst of devastating flooding there, families are coming together to help a beloved member of their community. kathy park has the story. >> reporter: the recent floods of kentucky may have upended lives, but hope is already simmering at a beloved eatery in

hazard, badly damaged in the disaster. >> it's an eastern kentucky thing. we help. >> reporter: word got out at the diner was under water. help moved in. >> they always support us, so we're here to support them. >> reporter: at 84, frances napier, the matriarch of this local fixture has been serving up tasty southern meals for more than five decades. why do you think it's so special? >> it's home cooking, you know. old country cooking. >> how are you, tom? >> i'm good, honey, how are you? >> reporter: but it's also the side of warmth and generosity that keep diners coming back. >> always love her food. >> like your grandma. she'll fix you anything you want. >> we're going to get it cleaned up. >> reporter: now the community that she's fed and nurtured for years is returning the favor, restoring her restaurant. and as she rebuilds, she knows

her late husband will be close by. what would he say if he was still here today? >> he'd be heartbroken, and he'd tell me everything will be all right. >> reporter: kathy park, nbc news. >> are you ready to get back into the kitchen? >> yes, i am. >> reporter: hazard, kentucky. coming up on "today", a philly special, saquon barkley is live in studio 1a talking about history-making season with the eagles. thanks for waking up with us and all of us here at "early today," i'm jessica layton. have a great wednesday. a great. dupixent helps people with asthma breathe better in as little as 2 weeks. so this is better. that too. dupixent is an add-on treatment for specific types of moderate-to-severe asthma. it works with your asthma medicine to help improve lung function. dupixent is not for sudden breathing problems and doesn't replace a rescue inhaler. it's proven to help prevent asthma attacks. severe allergic reactions can occur.

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