an escalation between the

leaders of the u.s. and ukraine. president trump calling volodymyr zelenskyy a dictator, while ukraine's president says bubble.s a disinformation we're live with the rising spat as the u.s. and russia hold peace talks. the advisory board already in the pentagon, as defense secretary pete hegseth floats budget cuts and firing some generals. an appeals court declining a justice department request to reinstate president trump's order to on birthright citizenship. a wicked selection. the theater and film star tapped to host this year's tony awards. it's thursday, february 20th. "early today" starts right now. good morning to you. i'm richard lui. we're going to start with the war in ukraine.

tensions escalating between president trump and volodymyr zelenskyy. zelenskyy accusing trump of living in a russian disinformation bubble. trump firing back, calling zelenskyy a dictator. several republicans disagreeing with trump's comments but not criticizing the president directly. for more, let's bring in nbc's meagan fitzgerald. good morning to you. >> richard, good morning. we've seen president trump falsely claim that ukraine started the war, when in fact we all watched nearly three years ago when russia invaded ukraine without cause. trump then taking to truth social to say that zelenskyy refuses to hold elections and called him a dictator. keep in mind here, we're talking about a democratically-elected president who won elections in ukraine back in 2019, then imposed martial law during war, suspending elections, which isn't an unprecedented move. but look, there's no doubt about it. we are seeing quite a dramatic turn by a sitting u.s. president. under president biden the u.s. was incredibly aligned with

ukraine, delivering hundreds of billions of dollars in aid, something donald trump has been quite critical about. take a listen to some of his latest comments. >> president zelenskyy talked the united states of america into spending $350 billion to go into a war that basically couldn't be won, but a war that he, without the u.s. and trump will never be able to settle. they'll never settle that war, without our involvement. i love ukraine, but zelenskyy has done a terrible job. >> reporter: so as you mentioned, several republicans have disagreed with trump's comments over the last few days, including lindsey graham, senator susan collins, senator john kennedy, but, again, they stopped short of publicly criticizing the president. meanwhile, courtney kube spoke to several u.s. and foreign intelligence agents who say that intel shows that vladimir putin isn't interested in a real peace deal. more so, a cease-fire for his troops to regroup.

but he still has the same goal that he had in mind when he invaded ukraine, which is to take over the entire country. richard? >> megan fitzgerald, thank you so much. now to breaking news. hamas turning over to israel the bodies of four hostages who died in captivity. among them are shiri bibas and her sons who were 4 months old and 9 months old respectively. the fourth body is that of a journalist and activist taken from the same kibbutz. hamas claims they were victims of an israeli airstrike. president trump continues to defend the work of the department of government efficiency. he floated the idea of passing doge savings to americans.

>> 20% goes to paying down debt, because the numbers are incredible. elon. so many billions, hundreds of billions. >> but some of the cost-cutting claims from don't are not standing up to scrutiny. for example, they claim to find 8 billion in savings in a homeland security contract. but that contract was for $8 million. the pentagon could be the next target here. peter alexander is following that for us. >> reporter: nbc news has learned defense secretary pete hegseth is considering firing military generals and some of the department's most senior officers as early as this week. according to two defense officials and three congressional sources. most of those targeted have been closely associated with former defense secretary lloyd austin, who served under former president biden and have worked on dei initiatives or have voiced opinions.

they plan to cut $50 billion. it comes as doge employees are working inside the pentagon, according to senior officials, eyeing staffing cuts there. president trump alongside musk dismissed concerns about conflicts of interest with musk's businesses, even though the tech billionaire's companies, like spacex, ave massive contracts with the federal government. >> if there's a conflict he won't be involved. i wouldn't want that, and he wouldn't want it. >> reporter: first the mass firings, now the fallout. across the country, growing protests opposed to the president's efforts to rapidly shrink the federal workforce. jonathan kamans was fired from his job overseeing security for the va's website. >> many veterans rely exclusively on va.gov for accessing their benefits because it's difficult to get out of the house and to a center.

if va.gov goes down those people can't get to their benefits. >> reporter: still the president and his top lieutenant appearing at a conference in miami, are defending their reshaping of the federal government. >> i think what we're seeing here is the thrashing of the bureaucracy as we try to restore democracy and the will of the people. >> reporter: musk also insisted the majority of federal workers are anti-trump, noting d.c. is largely democratic. but more than 80% of federal workers are not in d.c. the acting faa administrator revealing special government employees who work for spacex have visited the command center and will be going to other sites to engineer solutions. while the administrator says the agency is keeping employees who perform safety-critical functions, its union says some faa jobs already eliminated supported safety and airport

operations. the trump administration is moving forward to kill the new york city traffic congestion pricing program. that is the controversial program that charges drivers to enter parts of manhattan. the money would be used to pay for mass transit projects. president trump suggesting congestion pricing is dead, long live the king, sharing an a.i. image of trump as a monarch. new york's governor responding we are a nation of laws, not ruled by a king. we'll see you in court. back to you. >> thank you so much for that. and the president saw his anti-immigration agenda blocked in court again. the ninth circuit court of appeals turning down a justice department request to immediately reinstate his executive order ending birthright citizenship. the three-judge panel said the doj had not made a, quote, strong showing that they are likely to succeed on the merits of the appeal. the ruling sets up a potential emergency application to the supreme court. and just last night,

president trump signing a new executive order, imposing restrictions on undocumented immigrants accessing federal benefits. at least two people are dead in arizona after two single-engine planes collided midair. they each carried two passengers, colliding at a regional airport yesterday, according to the faa. the ntsb is investigating after the cessna landed uneventfully, as they say, while the lancare crashed and caught on fire. it is an uncontrolled field, meaning it does not have an air traffic control tower. a blast of arctic air delivering a double doozy. conditions.eating dangerouous the heavy snow stretching into virginia, where residents are urged to stay home, while the storm system is moving out today. the cold is here to stay.

let's go to nbc meteorologist angie lassman. good morning to you, angie. >> good morning, richard. we've got winter still in full grip of the united states. we've got plenty of winter alerts still up. 42 million people stretching from the great lakes to the appalachians. notice the main system has moved offshore. but we've got these cold winds behind it generating lake-effect snow. meanwhile, cold has gotten everyone's attention. we really are dealing with these alerts, basically from the gulf coast to the northern plains. 87 million people included in those. you can see temperatures feeling quite brutal. minus 12 for what it feels like in kansas city. 13 below for minneapolis. temperatures this afternoon aren't much better. single digits for the high in des moines. 20 in indianapolis

mostly sunny skies in des moines. 8 in omaha. fargo 7 degrees with sunny conditions today. that's a look at your forecast. back to you, richard. >> just a month to go until spring. we cannot wait. coming up, apple unveils a new iphone with a cheaper price tag, and the $18,000 boot camp that promises to help men regain their edge. how well that actually works in one minute. t actually works in one minute. ♪ [tambourine by eve] ♪

♪ ♪ 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. can you believe this is day five? imagine what you could do with up to five days of moisture. so, how much would you pay for a life-changing transformation? dozens of men across the country are shelling out $18,000 to push themselves to the brink in a three-day military-grade boot camp, an effort to become better husbands, fathers and leaders along the way. but, does that work? sam brock has that story.

>> [ bleep ]. >> reporter: through a high-intensity boot camp offered once or twice a year. >> [ bleep ] you! right? are you last? >> reporter: that includes hand-to-hand combat. water hosing. and crawling across railroad tracks. the modern-day knight project makes a promise to men who shell out the $18,000 to attend the three-day program. you'll become better friends, better fathers, better leade. >> they are stuck in a rut. they've lost that fire. they've lost that edge as a man. suffering leads to those super powers. >> reporter: instructor steve eckert says the suffering is one snapshot of a program that strives for a deeper purpose. >> it starts out very loud, chaotic and violent. they're forced to fight each other. after that, they're hugging each other. they're crying. >> reporter: the common thread for many attendees, he says, is a past colored by abuse. in search for some direction. >> keep going, keep going! >> reporter: since its 2019

start, the project has held 20 sessions and wracked up millions of views online. plenty of questions about its purpose. in june of 2020, a participant died during a session, and his family sued for wrongful death, alleging a failure to provide medical care. eckert told nbc news he did not want to discuss the matter due to privacy and respect of an extremely unfortunate tragedy but added that there was no liability. what is the modern day knight program teaching? >> to become a civilized savage. they want to be a savage when needed. >> reporter: if you're not a savage, does that mean you're not a real man? >> a man should have it in him to be a savage. >> masculinity never crossed my mind. >> reporter: michael churnow took part in 2022 as a physical challenge. >> i believe i have this inherent warrior mind-set, and i

run towards the hard things in life. when i'm in the hard thing i tend to feel like i am at my most, sort of vulnerable place where i can start to really dig. >> reporter: churnow has been married for almost two decades, has two kids and is a highly-successful businessman. it's not that you felt broken, but you did want to address this trauma from early in your life. >> i had a very abusive relationship with my father. >> reporter: he says that in turn led to a sexually abusive relationship with his mentor. how did that address the years-long traumas? >> it brought to light some of the trust issues that i have in my life. >> reporter: he endured activities like this, digging graves in which participants lie in closed body bags, for growth as much as grit. a physical breakdown is required as part of the process. your thoughts on that?

>> it's been my experience, too. and i can't say that for everyone. >> reporter: licensed therapist dr. george james weighed the benefits and said they're not a replacement for actual treatment. >> i have clients that have done really difficult, challenging things from ultra marathons to tough races. it's as a therapist, being able to have the conversation around how does this directly help you to become a better father, partner, man. >> reporter: for michael, the actions in this case prove stronger than any words. >> some people have to walk through the fire to know that a burn is not going to kill you. >> sam brock, thank you for that. still to come, from the color purple to the color green and everything in between. cynthia erivo is making her return to the tonys stage as more than just a nominee. age as more than just a nominee. option for my new medicare prescription? medicare? i might have to see some i.d. mr. lee. here let me check on that for you.

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♪ when people see me ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ the wizard ♪ ♪ and i ♪ >> go cynthia. yeah, cynthia erivo continues to define the lines between screen and stage. shy was announced as the host for the 78th annual tony awards. she was a tony award winner herself in 2016 for her role in the color purple. the tonys will be given out on june 8th. i love listening to her. >> i mean, who doesn't? i wish we could play that again. she's just, like, has such a powerful voice. so incredibly talented. now to an honor worthy of an apple party. severance is now the most-watched series in apple tv plus' five-year history. it comes a little over a month after they launched the

much-anticipated second season, apple keeping it close to the chest and not revealing actual ratings numbers. severance stole the top spot from ted lasso. i think that goes to show how popular the series has become. it's a low burn for the first season. >> and she also reviews shows. awesome. i have not seen the second season yet. do not tell me. when we come back, a historic ship is setting sail for the last time. and microsoft taking a new state of matter into their own hands for the latest advancement in gun tum computing. advancement gun tum computing. bundle, jake from state farm? that's right jan if this were home and this were auto, the bundle move could bring home the real victory, savings. that's a weird analogy, jake...here we go. whoo! yes! this is a great moment for bundling. bundling. just another way to save with the personal price plan.

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(♪♪) premier protein. sweeten the journey. [monologue] i got somebody for that! ♪♪ i got somebody for that. ♪♪ i got somebody for that! you guys got somebody for peyronie's disease? ♪♪ there's hope for the estimated 1 in 10 men who may have peyronie's disease, or pd. a urology specialist who treats pd can help you create a plan— including nonsurgical options. find somebody today at gogetsomebody.com okay. here's what's making headlines this morning. apple just unveiling its new lower cost apple iphone 16 e. it's capable of running apple intelligence. it goes on sale later this month for $599.

microsoft announcing its first quantum computing chip. it needed to create a new state of matatter of the topological type. quantum computers can be so powerful they will eventually be able to solve problems current computers cannot. dunkin' dropping the extra charge for non-dairy milk going into effect march 5th. the s.s. united states left for its final voyage. it's the largest ocean liner entirely built in the u.s. it will sunk off the coast of florida as a scuba diving destination. ida as a scuba divi destination. ay, 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 ♪ ♪♪ 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. >> and we're back with a family

hoop dream. a mother and son duo to tell you about. they're taking the love of the game on a tournament run. sam brock hits the court for us. >> reporter: at home, linda martindale is mom. but, on the court. >> this is ridiculous. put a body on him. >> reporter: she's coach, guiding the high-flying sudbury warriors outside boston. how rare is it for you to see another woman coach in men's high school basketball? >> i won't see it. >> rorter: and for their 17-year-old senior shooting guard nolan, she basically wears two hats. when you're out here, do you call her mom or coach? >> actually depends. if i'm on the court, coach, 100%. after the game? probably call her mom, mama. >> reporter: the state's athletic association believes they're the first mother-son duo in the state's history. >> we have rules. we don't sit down and discuss the game immediately after. we give it some time. but i love to talk about the game. so, when i get home, like, he's

the perfect audience. >> reporter: and the perfect partner for a pregame ritual. a hug between mother and son before every single game. >> it's a beautiful way to just connect for one second. i know who i am. i'm your mother. >> reporter: linda played college ball at arizona and coached all fofour oher children over nearly a quarter century. but nolan is the baby. just don't think she's taking it easy on him. >> she's definitely the hardest on him, as could you expect. she's picking on one of our best players. that happens to be her son as well. >> reporter: how proud are you of your son and his team? >> oh, my gosh. >> reporter: linda sported her son's 33 jersey. one thing is for certain. everybody knows how their last game will start. >> it will be just me and her for a second. love you, mom. let's do this. >> reporter: sam brock, nbc

news, sudbury, massachusetts. the oreos brand has sweet news for snackers. two new flavors in situation of the birthday. becoming permanent is the cakesters. and back by popular depend but for limited time is the oreo golden birthday cake with cake-flavored filling and sprinkles. it will cost you 250 or 270 calories. the viral argument over whether this dress is blue and white or black and blue. thanks for watching "early today.

five, president donald trump signs aew