new overnight. the department of education in the cross hairs. president trump reportedly ready to sign an executive order to dismantle the department, while

the supreme court devers a new setback for elon musk and doge. the trade war hits home. we're live with how u.s. distilleries are already feeling the impact of tariffs. breaking overnight, a joint military exercise goes wrong in south korea. a fighter jet accidentally drops bombs on a civilian area, injuring over a dozen people. a storm marches across the country, bringing tornados in the south and whiteout conditions up north. angie lassman is tracking the next big storm on the way. a new spin on nostalgia. how throwback fashion is fueling a comeback for the gap. and we look at the stars that shine for you at the first-ever world cup halftime show, as we kick off this thursday, march 6th. "early today" starts right now. good morning. glad you're up early with me, i'm frans rivera. it is day 46 of the trump

administration, and the chief budget cutter just visited two hill. billionaire elon musk meeting with republicans, discussing legislative ways to make his doge cuts to the government permanent. >> there's a lot of room, a lot of opportunity to improve expenditures in the government. and that we're making good progress. >> meanwhile, overnight, president trump said he is working with republicans to avoid a government shutdown next week. they're working on a continuing resolution that would provide funding through september, cut taxes and effectively freeze spending for the year. nbc's alice barr joins me no from d.c. good morning, alice. the supreme court just ruled against one spending freeze. >> reporter: good morning, frances. that's right . in a 5-4 ruling, they upheld a lower court's ruling that the government must release $2 billion for work that has already been done. that's unclear when the money

might actually start flowing. there will be a hearing today to clarify the order. in a major setback for doge, the usda has been ordered to reinstate some workers for 45 days. this only affects the agriculture department for now but could spread to other agencies. president trump is expected to issue an executive order aimed at eliminating the education department. nbc news has not viewed the draft order. the journal cited people briefed on the matter, and it could be signed as soon as today. however, president trump cannot abolish an agency without approval of congress. a memo at veterans affair s say

up to 82,000 jobs could be cut. >> it's getting in the way of customer convenience and service to veterans. >> reporter: veterans were invited to speak at a meeting on wednesday. >> our president was asleep at the wheel. do you know what happens to a service member when they fall asleep on duty? veterans don't trust him. he's not one of us. >> reporter: auto makers have been given a break othe tariffs on mexico and canada. a one-month exemption has been granted on some imports. the agriculture secretary telling bloomberg that the white house is considering carve outs for specific goods like fertilizer, saying everything is on the table. and if the chains don't happen, grocery bills could start

climbing even higher. >> getting tougher for consumers, thank you. and markets rallying on hopes for those concessions on the president's tariffs. the dow climbed nearly 500 points while the nasdaq popped about 270. if we don't see a deal, get ready for higher prices on everything from fresh fruits and vegetables to red meat, grains and cocoa from canada. karen gilchrist joins us now. u.s. companies are already feeling the impact from the trade war. >> hey, frances, yes, several firms coming out to warn of the negative impact of these u.s. tariffs. jack daniels' maker saying canadian stores pulling the american liquor from stores was worse than tariffs and a disproportionate response to trump's vys. they're now waiting for a response from mexico. it follows comments from the likes of u.s. retailers such as

walmart, target and best buy who have warned that the additional costs associated with these tariffs would likely be passed on to consumers. and this as signs of a global trade war ratchet up, with china sayingt is ready to respond to any type of war leveled against it by the u.s., these comments coming a day after the 20% charges from the u.s. came into effect against china a beijing responding saying it will charge up to 15% against u.s. goods effective from next week, likely focussing heavily on agricultural products, which, again, will have ramifications for u.s. consumers. now the white house has suggested there could be carve outs for certain sectors. we've seen a reprieve for auto makers. it's unclear which sectors this might affect. wall street going a little higher on the hopes of this. >> the latest on the tit for tat tariffs. for the first time ever, the united states is holding direct talks with hamas. the administration is trying to

secure the release of american hostages held in gaza. on a social media post president trump himself chimed in on the delicate negotiations threatening hamas and palestinians in gaza with death if the hostages aren't released immediately. president trump has threatened like this not too long ago. >> reporter: he did exactly that three weeks ago when he threatened that all hell will break loose if hamas postponed a hostage release. nothing came of that, though israel and hamas did resolve their disagreementnts at that impasse. trump is back at it, taking to truth social to threaten the people of gaza with death if they do not quote, make the smart decision and comply with his demands to immediately release the remaining hostages. this comes as the white house attempts its first bid at diplomacy with hamas this. is a break with long-standing precedent in washington which

designated hamas a terrorist group in 1997. five american hostages are still in hamas captivity. it's interesting to note that russian president vladimir putin brokered his own release for hostages in 2023. tensions between hamas and israel remains high, and the future of the cease-fire remains unresolved. essentially, the white house is pushing an entirely different plan, different from the one hamas signed up to. steve witkoff has proposed that they release half of the remaining hostages now and the rest contingent on idf withdrawal from gaza. the original plan would have seen a staggered release of hostages leading to the permanent cease-fire and withdrawal. there are concerns now that the efforts may break down entirely, and we will see a full-scale return of fighting to gaza. >> matt, thank you. the trump administration has announced it is paususing

intelligence sharing with ukraine in an attempt to pressure the country into peace talks. the ranking member of the house intelligence committee said that the idea that we are withholding information is unforgivable. it follows the suspension of military aid earlier this week. as many as 15 people were injured after two south korean fighter jets accidentally dropped bombs during a training exercise. ten people were hospitalized, including two civilians with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. it happened near the north korean border. the air force said in a briefing that a pilot entered an incorrect coordinate during flight preparations. which aused one of the jets to drop four bombs. the reason for the second jet's bomb release is still being investigated. live fire drills are currently

suspended. and a flight headed to new mexico from minneapolis was diverted. it landed in texas without incident. it's not immediately clear what led to the dwirgs. the airline said the unscheduled stop was out of abundance of caution. the fbi in el paso later saying an investigation determined there was nonoafety threat to the passengers, crew, or plane. millions are reeling after a deadly storm system terrorized the south with thunderstorms and tornados. at least six people were killed. three in nebraska and three in mississippi. nbc's kathy park brings us the details. >> reporter: extreme weather striking all corners of the country. a powerful line of storms ununleashing hurricane-force wis in the carolinas. >> this is insane. >> reporter: and whiteout conditions in the midwest, grounding flights, making a mess on the road. even shutting down parts of the

interstate in nebraska. the south was covered with torrential downpours and flash flooding. the storms blamed for at least three deaths and several injuries in mississippi. hard-hit wayne county was still recovering from last month's ef- 3 tornado which damaged dozens of homes. >> this came out of nowhere. it was really scary. 15 seconds. >> reporter: it turned into survival mode. >> i've never prayed so hard in 15 seconds in my life. we just got on the floor and put pillows over our heads and prayed for the best. >> reporter: at least 13 tornados have been reported across five states. >> this is a preview of what's to come. >> potentially looking at the overall picture, usually march,

april is when it starts to heat up. >> reporter: as a late winter storm races east, the mid tlantic in the bull's eye for damaging winds and downpours. kathy park, nbc news. >> now let's get to nbc meteorologist angie lassman who's tracking the remnants of that storm. good news there? >> that system is on the way out. we'll see a lot of folks winding down their active weather for today. notice rain left over. we've got a couple systems to watch over the next couple days, too. for the northeast, there goes the system, taking all the raia with it. we have lingering snowshowers with cold winds coming off the lakes. wind gusts are going to be across this region today. out west, winter alerts for a lot of folks. one system is going to work from the great basin to the rockies bringing heavy snow for folks there, and additional rainfall will happen across southern california through the day

today. california dries out tomorrow. but we do start to see unsettled weather across the southwest and some snow well from washington to philadelphia. 55 in new york city with mostly cloudy skies. buffalo picking up some additional snow with showers coming off the lake. and that's a look at your forecast, frances, back to you. >> thanks so much, angie. one of the world's most active volcanos is erupting to new heights. a webcam captured the massive mountain fountains at hawawaii' kilauea volcano, firing 600 feet into the air. it is no threat to any residential areas. "early today" is back in a moment with a missing teen found safe after several years, and the heist that's hard to

swallow. the man suspected of eating nearly $800,000 worth of tiffany earrings. 0,000 worth of tiffany earrings. with cheese has many great things. [room ambience] maple-flavored griddle cakes isn't one of them. ♪♪ set your alarm! to 50 years with my best friend. [sfx: gasp] [sfx: spilling sound] nooo... aya... quick, the quicker picker upper! bounty absorbs spills like a sponge. and is 2x more absorbent so you can use less. bounty, the quicker picker upper. aveeno introduces new daily moisturizing cream. it's clinically proven to moisturize dry skin for 48 hours. and instantly strengthen skin's barrier. for softer, smoother skin. aveeno. the power of oat for sensitive skin. welcome to the 100° sweat test. which one of these two antiperspirants can stand up to the heat? that's it. take it up a notch. looks like ordinary antiperspirants can't take the heat. ordinary antiperspirants can't fight sweat better than

secret clinical. house republicans today are set to censure democratic congressman al green for heckling president trump during tuesday's joint address. a motion led by democrats to table the motion failed in a party-line vote. a censure is just a formal statement of disapproval, and green will keep his seat in the house. and house speaker mike johnson's chief of staff was arrested for drunk driving after the speech. haden haines was stopped by police after backing into a parked vehicle. he said he still has full faith and confidence in haden. now to t measles outbreak. the texas department of health says there are over a dozen new cases in the past five days.

22 people have been hospitalized, and one unvaccinated child has died. those who are not immune are urged to get vaccinated. vaccination rates have declined and spring break travel begins. a teen whose mother allegedly abducted him seven years ago has been found safe in colorado. douglas county sheriff's departments found and and abdul azeez khan. five years were pent searching for the boy across 11 states. his mother and accomplice have been charged. still to come, fifa says they want something just like this. being a halftime show of their own there. find out which music legends are planning the first of its kind world cup event. irst of its kin world cup event.

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♪ ♪ ♪ trying to pretend ♪ ♪ she's been sleeping here ♪ ♪ but we all know ♪ >> you know i'm sleeping here? >> always have. >> mm-hm. >> and the question is -- ♪ why ♪ >> and the answer is. ♪ bedbugs ♪ >> the snl cast is giving lady gaga a million reasons to write lyrics as she prepares to pull double duty at 8h. she is guest and musical guest this weekend. bowen yang said i am hopping on a plane and getting back to new york, because i am not going to miss rehearsals and preparations for lady gaga coming this weekend. >> it's going to be so good. they're going to pull out all the stops the fifa president announced

that the 2026 world cup final at metlife stadium will feature a halftime show for the first time in tournament history. infantino revealed that chris martin and phil harvey will have a hand in selecting the performe. there will be a list of incredible people to perform. >> what an event this is turning out to be, right? on a massive scale. infantino saying when it comes to the city and other celebrations, they're going to be taking over times square for the weekend of that tournament, too. up next, the scam text messages taking a toll on more drivers. and this suspected jewel thief had over 13 carats in his stomach, and we don't mean the vegetable football vegetable football . .

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citing president trump's leadership shakeup. an attempt to collect a phony toll, and the virginia dmv is the latest to warn about the texts. and man is in custody after appearing to swallow two pairing of earrings worth almost $800,000. he had been in a private room of a tiffany jewelry store, when he grabbed the earrings and took off and swallowed them. nd took off and swallowed them. choose neuriva plus — which supports six brain health indicators, including memory, with clinically tested ingredients. it's time to switch to neuriva. welcome to the 100° sweat test. which one of these two antiperspirants can stand up to the heat? that's it. take it up a notch. looks like ordinary antiperspirants can't take the heat. ordinary antiperspirants can't fight sweat better than secret clinical. want a next level clean? swish with the whoa of listerine.

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steven romo looks at how the retailer is channeling its early success. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: the gap looking to dance its way back into relevance. ♪ ♪ tapping into the zeitgeist with an ad featuring parker posey, star of the "the white lotus." >> i don't know her. >> reporter: and if the new ad reminds you of something. the khakis, the dancing. well, that's because it's out of a pretty old playbook, from when the brand dominated the 1990s. >> get it going, gap is on the move! >> reporter: in its heyday, a pop culture icon, built on essentials to round out the wardrobe, even getting its own snl sketch. >> what can you wear this shirt with? >> levis, khakis, anything. >> what about shorts? >> definitely. >> reporter: gab body, gap kids, baby gap. the gap was in american malls

and hearts, peaking in 1999 at $43.4 billion. it didn't make it past y2k. fortunes were tied to the decline of malls and inability to keep on with the onslaught of fast fashion brands. the gap's valuation, which includes banana republic struggling to top $10 billion since 2019, even getting close to bankruptcy during the pandemic when it announced it would close 350 stores. now the attempted revival being orchestrated by its new ceo, former mattel exec richard dixon who's leaning into music and celebrities, like this ad from last year. >> we've seen a recovery in all four of the brands. >> yeah. >> is gap culturally relevant again? >> we've made a lot of progress. >> reporter: in a bold move, dixon bringing in zac posen as his create of director. >> he's a cultural speaker who's been around for over 20 years,

incredible connections. >> reporter: the style director for women's wear daily saying the gap could have its moment. >> there is a complete authenticity obsession right now. they really resonate as a true heritage legacy brand. and people want authenticity. >> reporter: and the gap isn't the only brand riding the wave of '90s nostalgia. ralph lauren. >> reporter: for now, the present looks a lot move like the past. >> yeah, it does. i so regret giving away some gap leather jackets that i had from back then. oh! our thanks to even forst 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 effective. does not require a prescription. and i've been taking it quite a while myself and i love it when the customers come back in and tell me,

"david, that really works so good for me." makes my day. prevagen. for your brain. a major policy shift. the u.s. now in direct talks with hamas in an attempt to release american hostages. we're live