prayers pour in for pope francis. the 88-year-old pontiff still in critical condition with early kidney failure. but the vatican says he remains alert. we have the latest on his treatment. an american airlines plane forced to divert in mid flight due to a bomb threat. horror at a pennsylvania hospital. a gunman killed in a shoot out that also claimed an officer's life. his family remembering his heroism this morning, as investigators shed new light on what led to the standoff. the clock ticking on capitol hill. elon musk and his department of government efficiency demanding to know what federal workers accomplished last week or face termination. the new cuts overnight to usaid. and the historic win for one of the greatest skiers in history. how mikaela shiffrin overcame her serious crash in november to claim her 100th world cup win. it's monday, february 24th.

"early today" starts right now. glad you're with me to start off the week. i'm frances rivera. we begin today with the update on the health of pope francis. he remains in critical condition as he receives treatment for double pneumonia and mild kidney issues according to the vatican. the pontiff is, quote, alert and well oriented. even participating in holy mass with those caring for him on sunday. catholics around the world and across the u.s. praying for the pope's recovery. >> i know, you know, he's getting up there in age. but, you know, we just pray to god that everything works out. and, you know, i guess that's all we can do is leave it in god's hands. >> pope francis says he is continuing his treatment and rest is also part of the therapy. some scary moments in the sky when an american airlines flight from new york to new delhi was diverted to rome due to a security concern. fighter jets called in and escorted the plane.

a source familiar with the matter tells nbc news that a bomb threat was sent by e-mail. our claudio lavanga has the story. >> reporter: a mid-air diversion. this video showing the moment fighter jets escorted flight 292. the jets surrounding the plane on both sides. the flight was bound for new delhi india and departed new york. american airlines writing the plane, a boeing 787 dreamliner, was diverted to rome due to a possible security concern. >> there was a sharp turn. at the point othe diversion. and they say you may have noticed that we've just taken a sharp turn. the reason is, there's a security concern. and so we diverted to rome. >> reporter: a source familiar with the matter tells nbc news there was a bomb threat that was sent by e-mail. just before the plane landed, fighter jets seen here above the airport in rome.

the plane safely landed, where american airlines say law enforcement inspected the aircraft and cleared it. american airlines writing, the possible issue was determined to be noncredible. >> our thanks to claudio for that report. now to the trump administration's effort to dismantle the u.s. agency for international development. as of midnight, thousands of employees were placed on leave. only a fraction of the global workforce who serve in mission critical roles will stay. about 1600 agency employees who were stationed here in the u.s. were also let go. nbc's jay gray joins me from d.c. hi, jay, good morning. millions more in the federal workforce are facing a midnight deadline to justify their jobs. >> reporter: yeah, good morning, frances, you're absolutely right. most federal workers told they have until midnight tonight to respond to an e-mail pushed by elon musk and the department of government efficiency with the subject line, what did you do last week? asking them to send five bullet points detailing what they accomplished. but employees getting some mixed

messages. e-mails obtained by nbc news showing the fbi directors to pause. and the state department saying no one is obligated to report activities outside of the department's chain of command. but the department of health and human services says the e-mail is legitimate and employees should reply. elon musk saying failure to respond will be taken as a resignation. now the federal government is the nation's largest employer. and the current layoffs could amount to the biggest job cut in u.s. history. americans are speaking out, with some republican lawmakers feeling the heat during town halls back at home. >> when are you going to wrest control as the congress back from the executive and stop hurting your constituents? >> the president has an agenda, and he's doing thing. doge is in the house. and our job is to do certain

things. >> reporter: now president trump and elon musk continued to defend doge at a conservative conference this weekend. they've been promoting the idea of giving back some of the savings to americans. it was explained that these would be different than stimulus payments. it would go to households that pay more in taxes than they get back. it's also not clear at this time how much money doge has actually saved the government with all of these cuts. late last night we learned who will be the next deputy director of the fbi. dan bongino is prepared to walk away from his successful conservative podcast to take on the leadership role. the role of deputy director does not need senate confirmation.

german chancellor olaf shold suffered a stinging loss. for the latest, let's go to foreign correspondent matt bodner. this was a high-stakes election. what are the take aways? >> reporter: frances, good morning. these elections come at a critical time for europe as well as for germany, as the continent finds itself at a crossroads with the new trump administration, america's future relationship with europe and russia in the outcome of the war in ukraine. this election saw historic turnout. 83% of the electorate, that's the largest turnout since 1990. the moderate conservative party leads the vote with nearly 30%. that puts its head, friedrich merz in position to lead efforts to form a government. he was expected to come out ahead in the election.

what is most noteworthy about it is that the right wing alternative for germany party, the afd, came out in second place with 20% of the vote. to say that afd is controversial is an understatement. the party is openly and extremely right wing, to such an extent that the rest of the german political spectrum historically has refused to work with them in any capacity. though this commitment may be faltering. the party's star has been rising with the help of external actors such as elon musk, jd vance and glacials of support from moscow. afd talking points echo talking points. merz has said europe must achieve independence from the united states and consider a european replacement for nato. today marks three years since russia's full-scale invasion of ukraine.

the country's president volodymyr zelenskyy has claimed he will step down from his post if that means a peace deal. here's what zelenskyy said at a peace conference in kiev. [speaking in a global language] >> the offer, which has not been formalized would be a major concession from the ukrainian leader. president trump last week attacked zelenskyy for not holding new elections. a pennsylvania police officer killed while responding to a shooting at a hospital over the weekend. and now the mother of andrew duarte speaking out. >> andrew, my only child. and an amazing, amazing young man. i'm not surprised that he answered the call. i'm not surprised he was one of the ones in on the front.

he was a mighty warrior. >> police say five people were injured after the gunman opened fire and held some hospital staff hostage. the gunman was killed by police. after years of delays, jury selection begins in the trial for the accused gunman in the 2022 fourth of july shooting that left search dead and injured nearly 50 others. prosecutors say he fired on parade goers from the top of a building. he has pleaded not guilty to all charges. a trial is expecteto last four to six weeks. california governor gavin newsom asking congress to approve nearly $40 billion in aid to help with recovery from the devastating wildfires that destroyed over 16,000 structures. newsom saying the wildfires could become the costliest natural disaster in u.s. history. the total economic loss has been estimated to surpass $250

billion, according to the "l.a. times." now let's get a look at what to expect for the week ahead weather wise. let's turn to michelle grossman who's here with your spring preview. i'm loving these milder temperatures, good morning. >> i know. so good, and most of us across the country will see the spring preview. a couple records will be broken as well. and the warm weather is going to stay in place throughout the week. also looking at rain in portions of the northwest. we're going to see mountain snow as well. really windy. winds gusting up to 50, 60 miles per hour in some spots. we'll need the umbrella, also, in florida. we're looking at heavy rain that could lead to flooding as well. otherwise looking at the country very dry from the northeast to the mid atlantic. parts of the south central states. the big story will be warmup. record highs throughout the southwest. we're looking at a new system throughout parts of the midwest and the ohio valley that will

bring rain, mild throughout the southeast. temperatures into the 70s and warm, too, in the southeast. we're looking at rain, though, in parts of florida, orlando and tampa. all right. that's your monday forecast. >> ppreciate that, michelle. thank you. a test of survival for a father and 12-year-old son after think were stranded on a mountain in utah. the pair was hiking on a steep cliffside in snow canyon state park where they became start. the man's wife alerted authorities that the two were missing, eading to a search and rescue mission. video footage capturing the life-saving rescue as the helicopter hoisted them up to safety. no word on their current condition. the nhl star skating toward

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is taking a stand against changes to passports after president trump's order declaring passports would only recognize male and female genders. >> reporter: one of hollywood's brightest young stars, transgender actress hunter schaeffer now taking her star power to tikk. >> today i have on my new passport, male. >> reporter: that change in line with a sweeping executive order president trump signed on his first day in office. >> as of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the united states government that there are ly two genders, male and female. >> reporter: something that now has to be reflected on official

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(laughing) oh. i peed. that's so embarrassing. well, it's kinda your fault. after kids, the pelvic floor can weaken, and then perimenopause reduces estrogen. here. i have poise. how did you know all that stuff? well, i used to be a doctor. no you didn't. 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. we are back with a story about paying it forward in the city of brotherly love.

a philadelphia eagles jacket found abandoned in a story we first saw on our philly station. but it was a secret message inside the coat that has one fan cheering the loudest. >> for the second time, the vince lombardi trophy is headed to philadelphia. >> reporter: it was the super bowl win that had philly on its feet. >> and to our amazing fans, your eagles are world champions again! >> all right, look at these kids. >> it's a lot of excitement. >> reporter: and the parade that followed? >> this is a time of their life. >> reporter: a point of pride for the city of brotherly love. a celebration for more than a million. but that day? that day turned out to be extra special for eagles fan amy. >> i wasn't living in philly in 2018. but i kept hearing everyone always talk about the parade in

2018. and so, when they won the super bowl this year, i had people tell me, they're like, don't miss it. >> reporter: amy went, and, on her way out, something caught her eye. >> i was walking, i noticed, there was like a jacket hanging on some kind of electric box or light post or something. and i'm like, oh, no. someone left a jacket. >> reporter: she took a closer look. it was an old eagles jacket, just her size with a secret tucked inside. a mysterious note pinned to the quilted lining, reading, if found, do not return. this jacket belongs to you. i found this jacket on the night of the super bowl in 2018, and it only felt right to release back into the city when the eagles won again. enjoy the jacket. i hope you get the opportunity to release back into the world with another super bowl win soon. go birds. >> i was like, this is so cool. this person wants to pay it forward. so i decided, i'm like, i'm going to take this and hold onto

it. i'm definitely going to pass it on. this is awesome. >> reporter: amy posted about it on facebook, getting more than 16,000 likes, some comments calling this the brotherhood of the traveling jacket. >> the parade itself was a joy. and to be able to find this, it felt magical. >> reporter: and while the identity of the jacket's previous owner remains a mystery, amy has this promise for whoever left it that day. >> i would say, thank you for starting something so amazing. don't worry. i'm going to carry on that tradition. >> that is one of the best pay it forward stories out there. i hope we hear from the owner of the jacket and share their story. thanks so much for watching "early today" and starting your week off with us. m i'

prayers for pope francis from around the