the standoff between new york political leaders comes to

an impasse as new york governor kathy hochul says she will not remove eric adams. the federal firings continue. president trump gets the legal go ahead to carry on with his massive dismissal of government employees. we're live from d.c. with the next agencies facing cuts. the high cost of low price. we're live with what comes next for walmart after a rough day for the world's biggest company. the move that has shaken, not stirred, the film industry. james bond changing hands for the first time in his 60-year history. and the all-star hockey clash that turned out to be more than just a game. find out whether the u.s. or canada emerged victorious. it's friday, february 21st. "early today" starts right now. and good morning, i'm richard lui. we're going to start tododay i new york where governor kathy hochul says she has no plans to

remove eric adams from office for now. hochul adding some guardrails, including a state deputy inspector to oversee the mayor. more money for the state comptroller to step up oversight of the city and a new role for the department of investigation. she is leaving adams' fate in the hands of voters. >> my strong belief is that the will of the voters and the supremacy and sanctity of democratic elections preclude me from any other action. i cannot deny the people of this great city the power to make this decision for themselves. >> calls for adams' removal are intensifying after the trump doj dropped corruption charges. and now the legal challenges facing the trump administration. a judge says the administration has not fully complied with an

order to remove a pause on foreign aid. but another judge has ruled that federal layoffs can continue, ruling against a group of labor unions. jay gray joins us now. jay, good morning to you. it seems the next target of the white house may be the postal service. >> i think you're absolutely right. the postal service has been an independent agency since it was created 250 years ago. that, though, could be changing. the "washington post" reporting overnight that president trump is considering dissolving the leadership of the post office and absorbing the agency into the commerce department, both citing six people familiar with those plans. nbc news meanwhile has learned a massive layoff coming to the department of housing and urban development. two sources at that agency say up to half of the 9,000 employees could be part of widespread cuts there. many of these employees deal with sending funds to areas like

north carolina that were hit by e hurricane, hricane helene. a hud spokesperson says disaster recovery will not be impacted by these cuts. the tsa terminated more than 200 employees this week. and thounds of layoffs have begun at the irs in the middle of what is a ramp up to the busy tax season. workers across the government stunned by the latest cuts. >> the work's going to get backed up. d so private citizens are going to be, like, the irs is not doing their job. and it's because we're getting hollowed out. >> we're not some deep state that has ulterior motives. i want to go to work and help veterans. >> all the people i work with are like family. and just imagining not working with them anymore is, it hurts. >> elon musk showing off a chainsaw at conservative conference last night,

celebrating the effort to slash government spending, while president trump addressed republican governors last night, promising that more jobs are on the way. >> we're going to have announcements over the next they three, four weeks that you're not going to believe from some of the biggest companies in the world. and hundreds and millions of dollars worth of investment. >> and meantime, senators held what they call a vote-a-rama overnight, to advance the $340 billion budget blueprint. this is expected to move forward, the vote expected along party lines. >> jay, thank you so much for that. two lawsuits now challenging trump's decision to end temporary protected status or tps for venezuelans. the lawsuits argue that ending it is racially discriminatory and unconstitutional. the protections will now end in

august. this, as mexico ramps up troop levels at the border with the u.s. gabe gutierrez has the latest. >> reporter: in juarez, mexico, a show of force. this is the mexican national guard and army, part of the 10,000 extra troops deployed by the country's new president, claudia sheinbaum, after president trump threatened a 25% tariff on all mexican n goods coming to the u.s. [speaking in a global language] he tells us he now has a lot of reenforcement, searching for drug and human trafficking tunnels. is one disvered recent limit four by six feet, sophisticated with lighting and ventilation. most of the fentanyl snuck into the u.s. not through rural areas but through legal ports of entry. nbc news granted exclusive access weeks before a 30-day pause is set to expire.

critics say it will do little to crack down on the problem but lead to a wasteful political stunt. is this a political show for president trump? we don't have that answer. illegal border crossings dropped dramatically during the last part of the biden administration. since trump was reelected they've fallen even more, 35% from december to january. trump's border czar says they're down to 229 a day. down from a peak of 11,000 day during president biden's term. marcos is a coyote, a human smuggler in southern mexico who's concealing his face and last name. the troops won't make a difference, he says. it's foolishness. but he does concede trump's stricter border policies have caused his business to plummet about 80% since inauguration day. do you consider yourself a criminal?

no, he says. i've never abandoned or robbed anyone. instead, he considers himself a travel agency that might have to raise prices. and we have new developments regarding the migrants being detained at guantanamo bay cuba. multiple sources say they've all been cleared out. 177 deported to honduras. the administration does plan to keep sending migrants to guantanamo bay as a staging area. >> gabe gutierrez, thank you for that report. the senate has confirmed president trump's pick for fbi director, kash patel, now he will lead the bureau that he has long been a critic of. he was confirmed along party lines with democrats questioning his commitment to keeping the agency independent. one of the votes in support of patel came from senator mitch mcconnell. mcconnell announcing he will not run for reelection next year, bringing his four decades in the chamber to an end. mcconnell is the longest-serving

senate leader in history. israel has launched a manhunt after three bus bombs exploded in the center of the country. officials calling it a, quote, terrorist attack. there were no injuries or deaths because all the buss were parked and empty at the time. but the blast led authorities to shut down public transportation across the country. later there was further outrage as israel says hamas in gaza turned over the wrong body in a release of dead hostages yesterday. let's go to megan fitzgerald. good morning to you. and let's start first with what we know about the bus bombings. >> reporter: yeah, good morning. these explosions happened in a parking lot outside tel aviv. according to israeli police, explosives were also found on two other buses, but they never went off. police are trying to figure out if this was a lone suspect or if multiple people planted these devices. nevertheless the idf says they're carrying out a massive

operation in what they describe as terrorist hotspots in nearby cities. qassem brigades, which is a branch of hamas' military wing posted on social media saying that they won't forget to take vengeance for martyrs as long as the occupation is on their land, but they stopped short of taking responsibility for the bombing. i want to shift gears to what prime minister benjamin netanyahu is calling a cruel and malicious violation of the cease-fire agreement by hamas, which could put this deal in jeopardy. so yesterday it was believed that hamas turned over four bodies of hostages, including the body of a mother, shiri bibas, as her two small children, but israel says a forensic examination confirms that one of the bodies is not shiri. in fact, israel says it's a womb from gaza, but the two young boys have been positively identified as has the body of

84-year-old oded lifshitz. israel says hamas will pay the full price for violating the agreement. and at this point the state of the cease-fire agreement is unclear, even as six more hostages are supposed to be released tomorrow. richard? >> megan, thank you for all that reporting. new york city is suing some of the biggest e-cigarette distributors in the country, accusing them of marketing their product to minors. the suit by the new york city attorney general or new york state's attorney general, letitia james mentioning the fruit and candy brand elf bar. it seeks damages from it and other companies. a weekend warmup is on the way, but nbc good-news lassman is tracking the forecast. >> i'm changing my name. you're right. we do have a warmup on the way.

we see the temperatures moderate out by the time we get to monday. between now and the next couple hours we still have a chance for a couple more record cold temperatures to break. 73 million people under cold weather alerts extending from the central plains to the southeast. 6 degrees in wichita. 8 degrees in st. louis. feeling below zero there. 22 in dallas feeling like 12. here's what happens by this afrnoon. temperatures in the 20s for the mid section of the country. 30s in dallas. we're still on the chilly side of things, below normal. then we get the indication of warmer air working in. low 50s on sunday in st. louis. 70s on tap by monday in dallas. even nework city ends y eveland

this afternoon. mostly sunny conditions for washington, d.c. and philadelphia. 33 degrees with sunshine in new york city. and that's a look at your forecast, richard, back to you. >> you did your name proud. all righty, have a good weekend. the u.s. and canada went tit-for-tat at the four nations final. each scored a goal apiece in the first two periods but went quite in the third taking the match to overtime, that's when one of the best players in hockey put the country of canada on his back. >> score! connor mcdavid! wins it for canada! >> you heard it, connor mcdavid scoring the game winner. prime minister justin trudeau celebrating the win saying, you can't take our country, and you can't take our game. coming up, walmart's warning

as stocks tumble. why the retailer says its forecast is softer than expected, and how tariffs could impact that. and how tariffs cou impact that. some people have minor joint pain plus certain stomach problems. they may not be able to take just anything for pain. that's why doctors recommend tylenol. it won't irritate your stomach the way aleve, advil or motrin can. for trusted relief, trust tylenol. ♪♪ 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. okay, stocks taking a tumble as walmart projects a lower than expected sales outlook. the big box store saying it will not be immune to president trump's tariffs. all of this happening as an online mega retailer surpasses walmart in revenue for the very first time. let's bring in cnbc's karen gilchrest. good morning to you. >> good morning, richard. happy friday. yes, it was a bad day for wall street on thursday with stocks falling from all time highs. the dow plunging 1%. and this after a down beat forecast from walmart that said it expects sales to rise just 3% to 4% this year. below the 5% forecast by analysts. now this has investors worried,

because walmart is a, seen as a barometer for the u.s. consumer and also the largest private employer in the u.s. the cfo saying that the consumer does look resilient, but pointing to uncertainties around the geopolitical and global economic landscape and saying that the company would not be immune from potential tariffs under u.s. president donald trump on the likes of canada and mexico. also saying that it would lean into its private brands and shift supply to more local sources. this all comes as walmart's quarterly revenues fell behind amazon for the first time ever. the e-commerce giant recording $188 billion just ahead of walmart's $180 billion. now walmart is still seen as being the leader in revenue in the u.s. this year.

but amazon certainly moving ahead with its growth, thanks in part to its cloud and its third party seller services. walmart shares down 6% yesterday but still having gained massively over recent months. back to you. >> bricks versus clicks there, karen, thank you so much for that. still ahead for amazon, the tech giant takes control of 007 after being on-screen. ol of 007 after being on-screen. how can i help you today? do you know if there's a less expensive option for my new medicare prescription? medicare? really? i might have to see some i.d. mr. lee. here, let me check on that for you. okay, so i will give your doctor's office a call... this is not just help with a medicare prescription. thank you zoe. anytime. bye! this is the human kind of help. walgreens. always dry scoop before you run. listen to me, the hot dog diet got me shredded.

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i admire you a lot, mr.? >> bond. james bond. >> who's that? yeah, after more than 60 years on-screen, some big changes may be coming for james bond. on thursday, amazon mgm studios announcing it is take creative control of the legendary spy

franchise. 007 has been dormant on the big screen since 2021's no time to die which marked daniel craig's last appearance as james bond. >> my vote is for idris elba. >> he's been out there a long time. he was one of those first people to say "live from new york it's saturday night", so why didn't dan aykroyd live up to the mantra this weekend? he is addressing his absence from last sunday's 50th anniversary show. he took to x to offer praise for the special and its creator, lorne michaels but didn't offer explanation for why he didn't attend. he is the only living member of the original cast who did not appear on sunday. this had a lot of people worried and wondering and questioning why he wasn't there. but of course he gave all the praise to the special. >> yeah, classy guy. when we come back, 7-eleven

wants to help you close out february on a happy note. and first of its kind robot prototype that can move like a human. eerie. >> i don't like that. eerie. >> i don't like that. the thousands of real people who go undiagnosed. people whose psoriasis can look very different depending on their skin tone. as the makers of tremfya®, we understand that everybody's moderate to severe plaque psoriasis doesn't look the same. so, we undertook a first-of-its-kind study of plaque psoriasis in every skin tone. like hers and his and yours. serious allergic reactions and increased risk of infections may occur. before treatment, your doctor should check you for infections and tb. tell your doctor if you have an infection, flu-like symptoms or if you need a vaccine. ask your dermatologist about tremfya®. ♪ the wildlife series that started them all is back. join us every saturday morning on nbc for mutual of omaha's wild kingdom: protecting the wild. and celebrate conservation success stories.

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♪♪ here's what's making headlines this morning, a polish startup revealed a first of its kind humanoid robot that can accurately replicate human movements. espn says its coverage of major league baseball games will end after the 2025 season. mes wl end after the 2025 season. 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 are back with the baby seal who is sliding into the

arts of america. emilie ikeda was on hand in connecticut for an unforgettable reunion. >> reporter: seals are no strangers to new england. but this was a sighting that connecticut won't soon forget. police responding to a stranded gray seal pup in the heart of new haven. >> hello! >> reporter: flopping more than 1300 feet through the city streets earlier this week and popping up several times away from the water in the days before. so he's right in here. >> oh, my god. he's adorable. >> reporter: for the first time since the rescue, the officer reuniting with his newfound friend. now in the care of mystic aquarium. >> you hear a lot of different radio transmissions coming across the radio as a cop. but hearing a seal is one that takes the cake. >> reporter: and while many claim he was chasing the clam pizza, researchers claim. >> i think he was trying to find

himself a nice quiet area and found himself in the middle of the city. >> reporter: now mystic aquarium is helping the youngster pack on the pounds with fish smoothie to help him prepare for the wild. our cameras capturing a special milestone. his first time eating fish on his own. >> now he needs to get on his feet. it's a beautiful thing. >> reporter: while the pup will eventually be returned to the ocean, his place in america's heart is sealed. nbc news, mystic, connecticut. >> that's an aw-shucks story. a zoo said good-bye to bears, but now they are in talks for a future giant panda program. the zoo says it's preparing by looking at ways to expand its panda conservation center which

was home to giant pandas for more than two decades. currently just four pandas live in united states, two in d.c. and the others in san diego. new research showing how and why some parents have a favorite child. and here's al roker with what else is ahead. >> this morning on the third hour of "today", lesson to manage stress. and anna sophia robb is here. and joy bauer making classics. all that on the third hour of "today". >> thanks for watching "early today." i'm richard lui. you go and have a great weekend. . david takes prevagen for his brain and this is his story. nice to meet ya. my name is david. i've been a pharmacist for 44 years. when i have customers come in, i recommend prevagen. number one, because it's safe and effective. does not require a prescription.

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