we have accomplished more in 43 days than most administrations accomplished in four years or eight years. and we are just getting started.

>> president trump reveals his vision to reshape america in a record-breaking address. we're live with his promises on the economy, his defense of doge and a slough of culture war issues. the president also doubling down on tariffs despite a two-day slide on wall street, sparked over fears of a trade war. what the speech could mean for your wallet. and democrats taking a stand both silently and out loud. why one congressman was removed from the chamber. a winter storm marches across the country, packing high winds that brought fires in texas. angie lassman is tracking where the system is heading next. and who could have seen this coming? mexico already pouring cold water on fyre fest 2, saying the event doesn't exist. the new trouble for the sequel to the disastrous 2017 festival. it's wednesday, march 5th.

"early today" starts right now. good morning. glad you're with me. i'm frances rivera. president trump has delivered his first address to congress as the 47th leader of the united states. at an hour and 40 minutes, this was the longest speech of its kind. the address was a mixture of agenda and red meat and policy red at for the culture war and familiar grievances. >> we've ended the tyranny of so-called diversity, equity and inclusion policies. and our country will be woke no longer. there are only two genders, male and female. i look at the democrats in front of me, and i realize there is absolutely nothing i can say to make them happy. we've ended weaponized government whereas an example a sitting president is allowed to viciously prosecute his political opponent, like me. how did that work out?

not too good. not too good. >> nbc's alice barr joins me now from d.c. good morning. so the president laid out his plans for the economy. >> reporter: good morning, frances. that's right. president trump acknowledged those tariffs that went into effect just yesterday. he defended the action, saying they will make america rich. but acknowledged there will be a, quote, little disturbance in the short term. the president repeated hess calls to cut taxes, reviving some promises he made on the campaign trail. >> i'm calling for no tax on tips, no tax on overtime. and no tax on social security benefits for our great seniors. and i also want to make interest payments on car loans tax-deductible, but only if the car is made in america. >> reporter: president trump defended defended doge, the cost-cutting

measure led by elon musk and the firing of federal workers. >> we have hundreds of thousands of federal workers who have not been showing up to work. my administration will retain power from this bureaucracy. and any federal bureaucrat who resists this change will be removed from office immediately. because we are draining the swamp. it's very simple, and the days of rule by unelected bureaucrats are over. >> reporter: you could hear some laughter, probably, there, mixed in with the cheers. some democrats were laughing and pointing at elon musk in the gallery as the president mentioned unelected bureaucrats. and several democrats walked out of the speech in protest, while others held signs to call out what they saw as falsehoods in the speech. there were a lot of people yelling "false", when the president alleged that massive

fraud has been found at the social security administration. >> over 130,000 people, according to the social security databases are age over 160 years old. we have a healthier country than i thought, bobby. >> reporter: now for a quick fact check. there are millions of people over the age of 100 in the social security database, but the vast majority are not receiving benefits. inspectors general have repeatedly identified the issue by the agency and have argued that updating the old records is costly and unnecessary. frances? >> and alice, we saw more reaction from democrats after the speech, including the party's official rebuttal. >> reporter: yeah, that came from freshman senator from michigan, alyssa slotkin. she was chosen to deliver the democratic message, and she zeroed in on the economy, which voters say is their number one issue. slotkin accused president trump

of looting the economy on behalf of the wealthy. >> the president talked a big game on the economy. but it's always important to read the fine print. so, do his plans actually help americans get ahead? not even close. president trump is trying to deliver an unprecedented give away to his billionaire friends. he's on the hunt to find trillions of dollars to pass along to the wealthiest in america. and to do that, he's going to make you pay in every part of your life. >> reporter: senator slotkin also attacked president trump's russia-ukraine policy, saying that ronald reagan must be rolling in his grave. after that explosive oval office meeting between the president and ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy last week. frances? >> alice, thank you. mr. trump also made news on foreign policy in his speech. after that dust up in the oval office on friday, he now says that ukrainian president zelenskyy sent him a

conciliatory letter. >> the letter reads, ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible, to bring lasting peace closer. nobody wants peace more than the ukrainians, he said. my team and i stand ready to work under president trump's strong leadership to get a peace that lasts. >> on the other side of the atlantic, the president reiterated his promise to take the panama canal. >> my administration will be reclaiming the panama canal. and we've already started doing it. >> mr. trump said that secretary of state marco rubio is spearheading that effort, adding, quote, we now know who to blame if anything goes wrong. the president has also got his sights on green land. and he started off by promising self-determination for the people living there but ended on a more ominous note. >> we need greenland for national security and even international security, and

we're working with everybody involved to try and get it. but we need it, really, for international world security. and i think we're going to get it, one way or the other, we're going to get it. >> greenland is a part of denmark but has had self rule since 2009. greenland's prime minister has said greenland is not for sale and will never be for sale. wall street watching president trump's speech closely in his defense of those sweeping new tariffs. >> tariffs are about making america rich again and making america great again, and it's happening, and it will happen rather quickly. there will be a little disturbance. but we're okay with that. it won't be much. >> while the new commerce secretary hinted the president could announce a trade compromise with canada and mexico later today, fears of a trade war have rocked the stock market. the dow dropping another 670 points yesterday, down 1300 points total for this week.

cnbc's karen gilchrist is here now with the latest. good morning, karen. >> good morning, frances. yes, another major selloff for markets on tuesday, as investors digested the full effect of these now-effective tariffs, the dow falling 1.6%, the s&p 1.2% and the u.s. dollar falling to a three-month low against major peers, and oil prices falling for the third consecutive day on these concerns. futures rising slightly higher overnight wednesday after howard lutnick suggested that trump could reach a deal with canada and mexico on wednesday, regarding these tariffs. but there was no suggestion of that in trump's speech on tuesday evening. the president suggesting that yes, there may be a little bit of disturbance for u.s. consumers but the majority of costs will be borne by other countries. well, not so, according to some

u.s. retailers. we've had target's ceo saying the price of fruit and vegetables could rise within the coming days. best buy ceo saying that it was highly likely that it would have to implement price rises and even walmart ceo saying it was not going to be immune from these price rises, this after the president coming to office claiming he would lower prices and reduce inflation, well, let's see how that turns out. back to you, frances. >> karen, thank you. president trump's address started off with some commotion. >> mr. green, take your seat. take your seat, sir. take your seat. remove this gentleman from the chamber. >> texas congressman al green removed from the house chamber after standing and shaking his cane as he shouted at mr. trump didn't have a mandate to cut medicaid. the democrat spoke to nbc news after being removed. >> i'll accept the punishment.

but it's worth it to let people know that there are some of us who are going to stand up against this president's desire to cut medicaid, medicare and social security. >> republican house speaker mike johnson says congressman green should be censured for his shameful protest. breaking overnight, brush fires sparking evacuation orders in parts of texas crews continue to battle over a dozen wildfires in the state. strong winds forcing flames to spread with the national weather service calling it dangerous, potentially historic extreme fire weather conditions. texas governor greg abbott has directed the division of emergency management to ready additional response teams, and residents are urged to avoid activities that can cause fires. and a dangerous storm is tearing across the country, wreaking havoc from the upper midwest to the south where hundreds of thousands remain without power this morning. the system bringing everything from snow and heavy rain to dust storms and tornados. mississippi's governor saying two people have died there due

to severe weather. at least two twisters were confirmed in oklahoma. and the threat isn't over yet, with millions still in harm's way. nbc meteorologist angie lassman is tracking it all for us. good morning, angie. >> good morning, frances. that same storm system that was causing trouble yesterday is continuing to work its way east. we've already got an active morning shaping up. a tornado watch across parts of georgia and the panhandle of florida. that's going to go through at least 6:00 a.m. central time. we've got a thunderstorm watch. we have snow and windy conditions through the day today. here's the winter alerts, 17 milliopeople, mainly focussed across parts of the upper midwest. this is going to be something that we see through the day today and eventually exiting here as far as this system goes by tomorrow. but still leaving us with some of these kind of wraparound snowshowers and those cold winds across the great lakes region. today the severe threat's

focussed across the east coast, specifically the carolinas and d atlantic. wind gusts the main threat, up to 75 miles per hour. but we could see a couple tornados associated with this as well. 103 million people under wind for raleigh. high 50s expected for cleveland and detroit today. chicago taps out at andrew tate back in the u.s. "early today" is back in 60 seconds with details on an illegal eras tour scheme. wash. cause the active ingredient in head & shoulders fights off the microbes that cause dandruff.

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tristan tate are now under a criminal investigation by florida's attorney general. the brothers who were charged with human trafficking in romania returned to the u.s. just days ago. in a post, the statewide prosecution has been directed to execute warrants. andrew and tristan tate have denied any wrongdoing. two queens residents were arraigned and charged after stealing and reselling online tickets to the eras tour. the pair made over $600,000 in the scheme. around 993 tickets were hijacked. some included entry to performances by adele and ed sheeran and nba games. a heartwarming moment during president trump's joint address to congress. >> and tonight, dj, we're going to do you the biggest honor of them all. i am asking our new secret service director, shawn curran,

to officially make you an agent of the united states secret service. >> dj daniels getting his wish of becoming an officer after being sworn in as an honorary secret service agent. the 13-year-old has suffered from brain cancer since 2018. he was held up by his father while showing off his new badge. he shared a hug with the director of the secret service as the gallery cheered and chanted his name. still to come, fyre festival 2 runs into familiar problems. and it's wednesday, we're breakinghe t news about a long-awaited 30 rock reunion. details on the new motte.

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how would you like if i did an impression of you, ms. lemon. hi, i'm liz lemon, i like to wear man shirts. watch me skateboard. >> i don't skateboard. >> hurts, doesn't it? >> it is a 30 rock reunion nearly 20 years later, nbc

announcing it has ordered a comedy pilot starring tracy morgan. it reunites him with tina fey and robert carlock. this is going to be great, because tracy morgan alone is hysterical. each one of them are hysterical. you put them together for this snl combo, it's going to be so fun. >> is tina fey going to be behind the scenes or in front the camera? >> she always has these little cameos in everything she produces. it's about a week since tickets went for sale for fyre festival 2. the guardian was told that the island has no knowledge of this event. billy mcfarland took to instagram to refute these claims and assure attendees that this won't go up in flames like the first edition of the festival back in 2017.

the tickets for this festival, they're on sale, of course, and they are incredibly expensive. so i mean, they better deliver, whatever it is. they better get in contact with the tourism board. >> especially for the million dollar tickets that include a yacht experience. >> and everything in between? >> better get on it. up next, lebron james shoots past another milestone. and a viral snack at auction. can keep coming back. start to break away from uc with tremfya... 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. seriouallergic 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.

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gras. as usual, new orleans did not hold back. the zulu and rex parades kicked off early. whether you're in new orleans or chicago, people are feasting. we have the story of a bakery that's been filling hearts and bellies since 1969. >> number 229! >> reporter: starting as early as 5:30, the line was forming at orland park bakery where hungry customers were eager to get their hands on this pre-lenten staple. >> 40, 45 orders. >> reporter: the bakery has been deep frying and stuffing these golden puffs of perfection since 1969. and if you ask custome why this is the place to be, they say it's all in the filling. >> they're all sliced in half.

with the fruit. >> reporter: the tradition goes back years. but for owner dan major, it is a reminder to slow down. >> people go out of their way. take off work, go into work late, get all their orders for their friends. >> reporter: over the years, they've expanded to include new favors, like cookies and cream. >> we just keep selling. >> reporter: but they have plenty of the classics too. >> raspberry, apricot, cookies and cream, strawberry, cherry, everything is amazing. >> reporter: whether picking up for friends, family or co-workers. >> i pick them up for school. >> reporter: you're going to be a favorite teacher today. because they call in extra staff, they never run out. by the end of today, it's estimated they will sell more than 40,000. and whether you are craving the more traditional flavors like prune or apricot or the biggest seller like strawberry, you've

got time. >> i'm sure after 40 days they will be back. our thanks for that report. coming up on "today", the fast food wars reheat. shake shack is out with a new value meal deal to take on the competition. and here's dylan drier with what else is ahead. >> this morning on the third hour of "today", jill martin meets the women behind branch basics. and country star trace adkins performs live on the third hour of "today". >> all kinds of good stuff. thanks for being with me on "early today." i'm frances rivera. have a great wednesday.

president trump gives his