that will come when novavax shots go into arms catie beck, nbc news. >>> up next, how big cuts by the postal service may impact you. >>> if you find the u.s. postal service frustrating, you may soon have more to complain about under a new plan unveiled today geoff bennett has details. >> reporter: persistent delays at the u.s. postal service have done real damage to small businesses like jody's pet supply company how has it affected your business? >> basically the post office is making me lose money by having to send my customers replacements or refunds. >> reporter: she's bracing for what could come next. postmaster general louis dejoy calling for longer delivery times for some first-class mail, shorter hours at some post offices, and more expensive postal rates, all part of a sweeping ten-year plan unveiled today. >> it is designed to achieve the goals of financial sustainability and service excellence. >> reporter: the postal service lost more than $9 billion in 2020 with complaints piling up about delayed packages, payments and prescriptions. brittney davis, like many military vet

that will come when novavax shots go into arms catie beck, nbc news. >>> up next, how big cuts by the postal service may impact you. >>> if you find the u.s. postal service frustrating, you may soon have more to complain about under a new plan unveiled today geoff bennett has details. >> reporter: persistent delays at the u.s. postal service have done real damage to small businesses like jody's pet supply company how has it affected your business? >> basically the post office is making me lose money by having to send my customers replacements or refunds. >> reporter: she's bracing for what could come next. with postmaster general louis dejoy calling for longer delivery times for some first-class mail, shorter hours at some post offices, and more expensive postal rates, all part of a sweeping ten-year plan unveiled today. >> it is designed to achieve the goals of financial sustainability and service excellence. >> reporter: the postal service lost more than $9 billion in 2020 with complaints piling up about delayed packages, payments and prescriptions. brittney davis, like many militar

catie beck, nbc news >>> when we come back, how the staff at a neo natal intensive care unit helped pull off a very special proposal. >>> there's good news tonight about tough times building stronger bonds, and a marriage proposal like no other pulled off by the help of very helpful hospital staff. it's been a year of hope and heartache for this new york couple after five years of dating, they were expecting their first child last june when martine had severe complications. >> i was like something was wrong. >> it felt unreal. >> doctors performed an emergency c-section delivering baby morgan last april at just 25 weeks. >> morgan is a warrior. she's maintained her personality, her attitude and sass through it all. >> reporter: after ten months at new york's presbyterian neo natal care unit, morgan grew stronger each day and so did the love between tion and martine. sam lynton is a specialist at the hospital. >> they were there a lot, i assume? >> they came every single day, through snowstorms, rainstorms, on morgan's good days, bad days we got to know them very well. >> reporter: so wel

. >> some large school systems will finally open for in person learning today our catie beck reports on one school district where teachers are pushing back >> reporter: teachers in montgomery county, maryland, stage a last minute protest against returning to in-person learning on monday >> we want to go back safe we want to go back >> reporter: the teachers union argues just not yet, saying the system is unprepared with resources and safety guards. you think this reopening now is premature? >> yes, definitely the plans are not in place >> reporter: since striking is illegal in maryland union leaders fear some will leave the system for good. this year, members voted no competence on plan to return >> schools can safely reopen >> reporter: but it didn't sway the school board >> and that is unanimous, thank you. >> offering all educators to be vaccinated before they open the schools would have gone a long way to show how much we care for these most valued people in our community. >> reporter: administrators say they have gone a long way to protect their school community >> they're excit

catie beck, nbc news >>> now here's a problem that may surprise you and it's being faced by a growing number of states not enough people getting a covid vaccine even with adequate supplies. here's sam brock >> reporter: with americans racing to get shots in arms, a conflicting reality. some states have more vaccines than people lining up for them >> i didn't want to take it at first, but i thought i'd see how it works >> reporter: cvs says half of its appointments in louisiana today are wide open. vastly different from dozens of other states like california, where nearly every appointment is booked. and it's not just louisiana. there was a surplus in several southern states prompting governors to expand eligibility. >> we came to this decision after hearing from our providers >> we did not have the demand that we anticipated. >> reporter: in north carolina only 20% of firefighters at the gastonia fire department opted to get vaccines last month. a new poll shows 36% of republicans want to avoid the vaccine compared to 6% of democrats. >> is this a rural versus city, cultural, politica

catie beck, nbc news. >>> now here's a problem that may surprise you. and it's being faced by a growing number of states. not enough people getting a covid vaccine even with adequate supplies. here's sam brock. >> reporter: with americans racing to get shots in arms, a conflicting reality. some states have more vaccines than people lining up for them. >> i didn't want to take it at first, but i thought i'd see how it works. >> reporter: cvs says half of its appointments in louisiana today are wide open. vastly different from dozens of other states like california, where nearly every appointment is booked. and it's not just louisiana. there was a surplus in several southern states prompting governors to expand eligibility. >> we came to this decision after hearing from our providers. >> we did not have the demand that we anticipated. >> reporter: in north carolina only 20% of firefighters at the gastonia fire department opted to get vaccines last month. a new poll shows 36% of republicans want to avoid the vaccine compared to 6% of democrats. >> is this

beck, nbc news ♪♪ i was distracted and in traffic ♪ ♪ i didn't feel it when the earthquake happened ♪ ♪ but it really got me thinkin' ♪ ♪ were you out drinkin' ♪ ♪ were you in the living room ♪ ♪ chillin' watchin' television ♪ ♪ it's been a year now ♪ ♪ think i've figured out how ♪ ♪ to let you go and let communication die out ♪ ♪ i tried to imagine your reaction ♪ ♪ it didn't scare me when the earthquake happened ♪ ♪ but it really got me thinkin' ♪ ♪ the night we went drinkin' ♪ ♪ stumbled in the house and ♪ ♪ didn't make it past the kitchen ♪ ♪ ah it's been a year now ♪ ♪ think i've figured out how ♪ ♪ how to think about you without it rippin' my heart out ♪ ♪ and i know you know ♪ ♪ we know you weren't ♪ ♪ down for forever and it's fine ♪ ♪ i know you know we know we weren't ♪ ♪ meant for each other and it's fine ♪ ♪ but if the world was ending ♪ ♪ you'd come over right ♪ ♪ you'd come over and you'd stay the night ♪ ♪ would you love me for the hell of it ♪ ♪ all our fears would

catie beck, nbc news >> messages from the heart. that's "nightly news" on this friday, i am lester holt, thank you for watching everyone, please t s >> right now at 6:00, mobile vaccination clinics in underserved areas. >>> plus, a lot more people are wondering about life after the pandemic. >> we're going to vaccinate as many people as we can. >> we get four possible scenarios from a prominent bay area professor. >>> and sobbing in the courtroom. this man accused in an anti-asian hate crime faces a judge for the first time. the news at 6:00 starts right now. thanks for being with us on this friday. i'm raj mathai. >> and i'm jessica aguirre. sit a major milestone. the state has vaccinated 2 million people in hard-hit communities across california. >> san mateo county can move into the orange tier, meaning businesses with open with no limits at all.

catie beck, nbc news >> if you're not seeing each other for more than a year, a grandmother in maryland and her grandson reunited for a quite memorable occasion 28-year-old gave 90-year-old shirley donaldson her covid vaccine. the reunion happened at a high school in rockville. he said his hand shook when it was his own grandmother who was in the chair what a feeling you wanted this vaccine for them to be the one to administer it, that's special. >> you're right. when you've been waiting for it? all these kinds of unions happening all over thanks for watching "early today. i'm frances rivera. >> and i'm phillip mena. >>> before we go, take a look at that capturing a bird doing a face plant acting like nothing happened there happened there adult albatrosses don' ♪ there's never a bad time to enjoy my newest sauced & loaded curly fries. try triple cheddar or spicy pepper jack, both topped with slow-smoked bacon. only at jack in the box. ♪ there's never a bad time to enjoy my newest sauced & loaded curly fries. try triple cheddar or spicy pepper jack, both topped with slow-smoked bacon

catie beck, thank you for that report. >>> speaking from the white house yesterday, the president sent condolences to victims' families and urged congress to take quick action to tighten gun laws. >> jill and i are devastated and feeling -- i just can't imagine how the families are feeling, the victims whose futures were stolen from them, from their families, from their loved ones who now have to struggle to go on and try to make sense of what has happened. while we are still waiting for more information regarding the shooter, his motive, the weapons he used, the guns, the magazines, the weapons, the modifications that apparently have taken place to those weapons, that are involved here, i don't need to wait another minute -- let alone an hour -- to take common sense steps that will save the lives in the future and to urge my colleagues in the house and senate to act. we can ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines in this country once again. i got that done when i was a senator. it passed. it was law for the longest time. and it brought down these mass killings. we should do it

>> nbc's catie beck, thank you very much for your report this morning. >>> here is more of what president biden said yesterday from the white house. >> jill and i are devastated, and the feeling i just can't imagine how the families are feeling, the victims whose futures were stolen from them. from their families, from their loved ones. who now have to struggle to go on and try to make sense of what's happened. while we're still waiting for more information regarding the shooter, his motive, the weapons he used the guns, the magazines the weapons, the modifications that apparently have taken place to those weapons that are involved here, i don't need to wait another minute let alone an hour to take common sense steps that will save the lives in the future and to urge my colleagues in the house and senate to act. we can ban assault weapons and high capacity magazines in this country once again. i got that done when i was a senator. it passed. it was a law for the longest time. it brought down these mass shootings. we should do it again. close the loopholes in our background check system, i

>> nbc's catie beck. thank for that report. >>> right now i am joined by a man who has been focused on this issue for a decade. tom sullivan's son alex was killed in the aurora theater shooting in 2012 and that motivated him to run for office where he now serves as a colorado state representative. thanks for joining us. >> as we are learning the names of these victims you know this pain that these families are going through. is there anything you want to say to them based on your own harrowing experience? >> yeah. >> this is going to be a long, a long process, and one of the important things, you know, right now is to maker sure that you, you know, surround yourself with the people that you love and people that you can trust because there's a lot of disinformation out there. there's a lot of well-intended people that might not be intending the right things for you. you take your time with this. this will be with you forever. you will be a grieving parent, a grieving brother or sister for the rest of your