a pivotal day for the war in

ukraine. president trump and volodymyr zelenskyy set to sign a a ndmark deal to share revenue from ukraine's rare minerals. we're live with what kiev is looking for in return. the mass layoffs hitting the government head to court. the case going before a judge today amid a growing storm over cuts at the national weather service. and the growing mystery surrounding the death of gene hackman. police not ruling out foul play. a potential trade war taking a heavy toll on wall street, the growing economic concerns as president trump doubles down on his tariff threat against china, canada and mexico. hear about the golfer who took on the gator in florida and escaped with both hands in tact. made with the finest natural ingredients and none of the things you find in many other pet foods. we call it the true blue promise and it's our commitment to feed your pet just like we would feed blue. it's what makes blue buffalo unlike other pet food companies... ...which have many different brands with different standards. we have one standard —the one inspired by our boy blue, for the wellbeing of your dog or cat. because like you, we love them like family, too. herbal essences is a force of nature. made with supercharged botanical blends, our sulfate-free formulas deeply penetrate to boost hair health. without the salon naturals price tag. herbal essences. hey, magic mirror. who's the fairest of them all? it's the final day of february. >> why, shrek of course. "early today" starts right now. good morning. i'm frances rivera. >> ew, dad. we begin with ukrainian >> mama like. >> who's making this stuff?

president volodymyr zelenskyy set to meet with president trump >> not me. today to sign a preliminary deal >> just when you thought it was that gives the u.s. a share of ogre. shrek, donkey and fiona are the country's rare earth minerals. making a comeback. zelenskyy emphasizing the need for guarantees of peace and dreamworks animation dropping security, while mr. trump says the first teaser for the he will ask europe to take the long-awaited shrek 5. lead on any security guarantees. the short clip confirms the this after the president met return of the lead trio as well with uk prime minister kier starmer yesterday, who agreed as zendaya joining the cast as europe should take the lead on shrek and fiona's daughter. that front. >> in relation to ukraine, i do it hits theaters in december of think that it's important that 2026. when this comes out, it will be european countries play a leading part in any security 25 years since the first shrek guarantees. and that's why i've said that and 16 years since shrek forever the uk would put boots on the after. i kind of lost the plot. ground. >> let's bring in nbc's matt but shrek is shrek. bodner, good morning, matt. >> it's cool. >> reporter: frances, good when you think about 25 years, morning. today will be a big day for that's so many different president zelenskyy. it will also be a key indicator generations enjoying it with first the kids and then with the of whether the efforts this week kids. one of dunder mifflin's by french president macron and uk prime minister starmer are working to dissuade president trump from his apparent turn finest is taking his talents

toward moscow. beyond the paper supply industry. >> i am an accountant at a zelenskyy is set to meet with president trump in the oval office to sign that mineral failing paper supply company, deal. it turns out to be very different than what both parties hoped for. scranton. >> oscar nunez is reprising his the idea of a u.s.-ukrainian agreement on minerals originated role in peacock's upcoming with zelenskyy himself. he pitched it to the white house followup to the ofce. he is the first cast member to join the folwup, which follows as a means to give the united states financial stakes in the another documentary crew filming ukrainian economy but only for the exploits of a a struggling security guarantees. trump first engaged with the idea by agreeing that ukraine agree to reimburse the united midwestern newspaper company. states $500 billion from its i just can't wait to see if anyone else from the original minerals without any form of cast joins onto this. security guarantee. >> it will be fun to have those cameos, right? zelenskyy is not getting clear and direct guarantees. there's nothing like the office in the end, it's a framework comedies, that humor. up next, golf's hilly agreement and a vague one at that. during the process, trump has horschel faces off with a very repeatedly stated falsely that unexpected competitor on the ukraine is paying europe back course. and girls run the world, but but not america. he repeated the claims with who will run space? macron and starmer. and both times, european leaders blue origin is sending an all female crew into space. ng an al corrected him. female crew into space. uc with tremfya... here's starmer doing just that

yesterday. >> you know, they get their money back by giving money. we don't get the money back. biden made a deal. he put in $350 billion. and i thought it was a very unfair situation. >> we're not getting all of ours, i mean, quite a bit of ours was gifted. it was given. there were some loans, but mainly it was gifted, actually. >> reporter: for the moment, it appears that the efforts by european leaders may be paying off. trump yesterday appeared to walk back previous false statements that zelenskyy was a dictator. and starmer says he sees value in trump's mineral deal, claiming that u.s. economic interests in ukraine act as some form of de facto security guarantee. a judge is ordering the rescinding of an order directing the mass firing of federal

employees. it tells the opm they have no authority to hire or fire peop at other agencies. alice barr joins me now. another judge wants to hear directly from a member of doge. >> reporter: that's right, a federal judge is ordering at least one official with the department of government efficiency to testify and provide documents in response to a lawsuit brought by labor unions. the judge wants information about the department's activities and its structure. the lawsuit seeks to block doge from labor department information, arguing they're violating the privacy act. but elon musk and doge have been the subject of more than 20 lawsuits to this point. a preliminary hearing is set for this afternoon. and a lawsuit involving current and former employees for usaid. employees at usaid were given 15 minutes to clear out their

desks, and there were emotional scenes outside. >> i already cried this morning when i arrived. you know, someone said thanks for being here, and i burst into tears. [ applause ] >> thank you! >> thank you. this is not happening in the dark. >> reporter: and we're also learning of massive cuts at noaa, the agency in charge of the national weather service and the hurricane center. about 5% of the workforce has been let go. it's unclear which employees are affected. but the agency's website says they have about 12,000 workers. frances? >> alice barr, thank you. now to the death of beloved actor gene hackman. authorities say the 95-year-old and his wife had been dead for some time before they were found by a security worker at their home in santa fe, new mexico. the town's mayor reacting to the news. >> he's a legend. his wife was a real presence in

the community as well. and we're proud that they chose with rapid relief at 4 weeks. tremfya blocks a key source of inflammation. at one year, many people experienced remission... and some saw 100% visible healing of their intestinal lining. 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. healing is possible with tremfya. ask your doctor about tremfya today. ♪ ♪ [tambourine by eve] ♪ ♪ ♪ still living with odors? get back in there and freshen instantly with febreze air mist. febreze's fine mist floats longer in the air to fight even your toughest odors. so long stinky smells and hello amazing freshness. febreze air mist. this is the final vote. we'll finally know which egg is loved most reese's or cadbury. choose one. (♪♪) -i choose both. -(gasps) celebrate easter with reese's and cadbury. welcome to the 100° sweat test. which one of these two antiperspirants can stand up to the heat? that's it. to live here. take it up a notch. looks like ordinary antiperspirants can't take the heat. ordinary antiperspirants can't fight sweat better than secret clinical. 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. stream all episodes on peacock or nbc.com [♪♪] are you one of the anmillions of americansion success stories. who suffer from an upset stomach after a big meal? try pepto bismol. unlike some products, pepto coats and soothes your digestive system, to provide fast 5-symptom relief. stock up on pepto today. 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, scrubbing, and rinsing action, plus the grease-fighting power of dawn. easily removing up to 100% of tough stuck-on foods. that's impressive. and it works so well, it even keeps your filter clean. ♪♪ cacascade. the number one recommended brand. just scrape, load, and you're done. >> here's what's making and sad that we lost them. headlines. gregg popovich is not returning and especially this way. >> the santa fe sheriff this season after suffering a mild stroke in november. initially said there was no foul interim coach mitch johnson remains in charge. play. but investigators are now sony tells the "new york treating the deaths as times" that it's soliciting bids suspicious. adam kuperstein has the story. for streaming rights to the >> are they moving at all? >> no. dude, they're not moving. iconic game shows. just send somebody out here the company would stream the quick. >> reporter: a rattled security worker calling 911 after shows the day after they air on discovering the bodies of 95-year-old actor gene hackman and his 64-year-old wife inside broadcast tv. blue origin plans to launch their home in new mexico. >> it's not normal to find two people deceased in a residence. that's concerning. and then there was also a dog an all-woman crew. that was in a kennel that was also found deceased. >> reporter: a search warrant affidavit determined their deaths are suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation, noting the front door of the residence unsecured and opened. and a pill bottle being opened and pills scattered next to

hackman's wife, who was found lying on her side on the floor in a bathroom. while hackman was located in a separate room of the residence, and no obvious signs of a gas leak. the search warrant also says it appeared the two-time oscar-winning actor fell suddenly. authorities say the dog that died was in a crate. but two other dogs that roamed freely were found alive. two workers said they hadn't heard from hackman or his wife in about two weeks. >> there was no immediate sign of foul play. we're keeping everything on the table. i think the autopsy is going to tell us a lot. and any evidence that we collect. >> remember what we worked on in practice, all right? i want to see it on the court! >> reporter: hackman largely stayed out of the spotlight after retiring from acting in 2004. but he was one of hollywood's most-admired and versatile actors, going from tough as nails cop popeye doyle in the french connection, which earned

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potential involvement of powerful people. >> every child is accounted for. every child's off the bus. accused rapist and sex >> reporter: firefighters trafficker andrew tate has returned to the u.s. hailing the bus' driver for he came with his brother tristan who is facing the same charges acting quickly and getting everyone out safely. in romania. >> it's a blessing the kids got prosecutors there lifted a travel ban on the brothers, provided they return if out alive. >> reporter: witnesses say they summoned. the pair denied the accusations. heard a loud explosion. >> i saw the girl waiting for they landed in ft. lauderdale the bus. where ron desantis quickly said >> reporter: city officials they are not welcome in the telling nbc news the fire state. andrew tate gained notoriety for appears to have been caused by a mechanical issue with the superintendent saying in a letter to parents, flames broke aggressive self-help and misogynist posts on social dia. a bus driver in ohio is out behind one of the rear wheels. the exact cause under celebrated as a hero this investigation. morning. >> after about five minutes, it some shocking video shows the was all engulfed in flame and school bus in the cleveland area up in flames. unbelievable. >> reporter: this report from officials say 15 middle school students were on board when a ohio state patrol confirms the bus just passed its mandatory fire broke out behind one of the annual inspection on february 14, the superintendent noting the entire fleet is being rear wheels. the bus just passed an reinspected. the driver who's asking not to inspection earlier this month. now the entire fleet will be be identified credited annual reinspected while the fire is investigated. could be a messy weekend for evacuation drills for getting students out safely. weather. adding, i can't express how let's check in with nbc

meteorologist angie lassman who's here with the forecast. >> we made it to friday. relieved i am that no one was hurt. maggie vespa, nbc news. we're finishing out with a little bit of snow for parts of the great lakes as well as the now to japan for a cherished interior northeast. we've got some of that snow tradition of the suction cup tug falling now. of war. michigan, wisconsin, missouri. it is definitely a thing. you can see some of those winter two men at a time stick suction alerts up there in parts of new york as well as maine. cups to their heads and watch as they slowly tug until one of the dealing with this through the day today, most of the heavy snow is going to stay well to cups come off. 25 bald men from around the our north across parts of country participated. this year's winner took home the canada. but we could see accumulating snowfall across the adirondacks. title for a third year in a row. one other note, we're going to so the event also featured a see gusty winds on the backside guessing game where participants of this. the system works out by had to guess someone's identity tomorrow. from just looking at the top of but some leftover kind of their head. officers in west hartford, lake-effect snows will be left with us. we do have wind alerts that i connecticut captured a unique just mentioned. intruder, responding to a call 53 million people included in those. and wind gusts, 40, 50-plus miles per hour specifically across the plains and great lakes through the day today. big picture, we keep the warm about about a large iguana. conditions going. if someone is looking for a large lizard, they can reach out well above normal in wichita. to the west hartford animal control. thanks for starting your friday memphis hits 70 degrees. with "early toda" have a great ly.as watching "to

green bay drops down to the 20s, and then we see the cooler air settling in as ll sunshine expec richmond today. new york city tops out at 50 degrees today with mostly sunny skies. and that's a look at your forecast, frances, back to you. now to florida and a game of golfer versus gator. billy horschel stepped in to help a police officer who was trying to shoo away an alligator at the pga national in palm beach gardens. the golfer used his wedge to nudge the gator back to the water. he says he wasn't scared at all. >> that's the move of a man who's lived in florida a long time. >> yeah, i mean, i'm not afraid of gators. listen, as i tell most people, they're more afraid of you, the story." i'm tom llamas in new york. stay right there.

more news on the way. majority of time. >> horschel says he grew up watching his dad grab alligators by the tail. he's never done that before, but he's not afraid to use his club. the fan favorite from "the office" signing up for a new job. and the growing tensions on wall street over president trump's tariffs. t over presiden trump's tariffs. dawn pow ersuds. it traps, locks and... removes 99% of grease. so it doesn't get passed from dish... to dish. cleaned and stacked. like ducks in a row. new dawn powersuds. [♪♪] are you one of the millions of americans who suffer from an upset stomach after a big meal? try pepto bismol. unlike some products, pepto coats and soothes your digestive system, to provide fast 5-symptom relief. stock up on pepto today. ♪ it's native ♪ aluminum-free, 72-hour odor protection with just 6 ingredients. have you seen what's in your old stuff? there's more than double the amount of ingredients in this deodorant! clean, effective deodorant

isn't a myt—- it's native! a mystery! jessie loves playing detective. but the real mystery was her irritated skin. so we switched to tide free & gentle. it cleans better and doesn't leave behind irritating residues. and it's gentle on her skin. tide free & gentle liquid is epa safer choice certified. it's got to be tide. stock futures are fl after a rocky week on wall street. the dow fell nearly 200 points yesterday, and the nasdaq fared even worse, after president trump declared tariffs will go forward on canada and mexico. china would face an additional 10% levee. >> hey, frances, a tough day for markets on thursday with stocks nosediving amid the tariff

concerns. the dow down 0.5% and nasdaq falling 2.8%. this puts the broad-based index and tech-heavy nasdaq on course for the worst week since september 2024 after u.s. president donald trump said 25% tariffs against canada and mexico would move ahead from march 4th. this, he said in a post on truth social was due to the two countries' failure to stem the flowf drugs, particularly fentanyl, across the border and into the u.s. he also said that china, who he sees as the source of these drugs, would face an additional 10% levees on its exports to the u.s. and, he said the reciprocal tariffs on other countries could take effect from april 2nd. now china has said it will respond to these tariffs to defend its own interests, but asia stocks seen lower. this as european stocks were lower as trump suggested the eu

could face 25% levee on their exports to the u.s. he did suggest the uk could be exempt from the tariffs after warm negotiations with prime minister kier starmer at the white house on thursday. but still european stocks opening lower today. back to you, frances. >> karen, thank you. still to come, the worst salesman of the year gets a new gig. and that's a nice teaser. find out who's coming to the swamp, with the first look at shrek 5. p, with the first look shrek 5. eddie, no. frasier, frank. —fred, how are you? —fred! support up to 7 brain health indicators, including memory. when you need to remember, remember neuriva. before you go to extremes to fix sagging and wrinkles with expensive injections. try this. olay regenerist. olay boosts skin cell regeneration to firm, lift, and reshape volume without painful prices. for me, it's only olay. even when us women's national team forward

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