russia, the country in mourning

with isis claiming responsibility for the attack that killed more than 130 people. but russia's leader is placing the blame elsewhere. we're live in london with the latest. a half a billion dollar deadline for former president donald trump, the clock is ticking for trump to pay up or see his bank accounts and buildings seized. our team in d.c. joins to explain what happens next. a dangerous spring blizzard slams into the midwest and brings flooding to the northeast. blinding snow, powerful winds, all making for treacherous roads. michelle grossman is here tracking what's next. and while everyone gets ready for the solar eclipse the moon put on a show last night. see the lunar eclipse happening right above our heads. and students come together to honor their teacher's legacy as he ends a decades' long career. the emotional stib ute still ahead. it's monday, march 25th. "early today" starts right now.

good monday morning, glad you are up early with me, i'm frances rivera. the first weekend of spring felt like the height of winter for many across the country as millions remain under alerts this morning. parts of the northern plains, midwest and northeast battling heavy snow with as much as 2 inches falling per hour in some spots. around 3 feet blanketed areas in maine and vermont. in iowa the blowing snow made for hazardous driving and out west snow was a welcome sight for skiers and snowboarders in tahoe. the california resort getting 27 fresh inches since friday. the rain-drenched parts of pennsylvania up into new york city, high winds uprooted a tree that landed on to a car. let's bring in nbc meteorologist michelle grossman who is tracking these storms for us. good morning. >> good morning. great to see you. it's a strong storm, we are looking at heavy snow falling on the cold side and also looking at the chance for severe weather on the warmer side. millions under alerts this morning, 12 million under winter

alerts, 67 under wind alerts. we could see some power outages as we go throughout this stormy monday. we are looking at that cold side where we're seeing the snow falling, where you see that lighter blue, the whiter color we're seeing the heaviest snow falling. on the warm side we're seeing some excessive rainfall. where you see brighter colors, the reds, oranges, yellows, seeing heavy rain falling and sandwiched in the middle we're seeing icy spots as well. tough travel day for many today. we're even seeing lightning with some of those storms. a lot of energy out there. throughout the day the area of low pressure will continue to move off through the east, it's going to bring in intense snowfall rates, gusty winds, torrential rainfalls and the chance for severe weather. 9 million under the gun for severe weather as we go throughout the day. a few strong tornadoes are possible, also looking at damaging winds, especially where you see this orange color, greenville, jackson, alexandria could see strong stormgs. that's a look for the storms today, the week ahead in just a bit. >> we will see you then. thanks, michelle. time is running out for

donald trump to protect his assets. the former president faces a deadline today to post a bond of nearly half a billion dollars as he tries to appeal the massive judgment in new york for financial fraud. brie jackson joins us from d.c. what happens if mr. trump doesn't come up with the money today? >> reporter: good morning, frances. some of mr. trump's most iconic properties could be seized. the new york attorney general's office has already started filing judgments, taking the first steps towards seizes a golf course and private estate north of manhattan. mr. trump posted on social media that he actually does have nearly $500 million in cash, which is money he says he intended to use for his campaign. the former president has denied any wrongdoing and is calling this case election interference. >> we have a lot of cash, we have a great company, but they want to take it away or at least take the cash element away. billions of dollars in value, billions of dollars in properties, but they'd like to

take the cash away so i can't use it on the campaign and this is just a corrupt group of people, it's election interference and we will see how the courts rule on it. >> reporter: earlier this month lawyers for trump said trying to secure this bond was a practical impossibility, and that they had been turned down by about 30 different companies. the former president arrived in new york city overnight where he is expected back in court this morning, but for a different trial. there will be a hearing today over his alleged scheme to cover up hush money payments to adult film star stormy daniels. trump has pleaded not guilty to the charges. the judge is expected to set a trial date during today's hearing. frances. >> so many consequential moving parts. thank you. now as the supreme court gets set to hear another major reproductive rights case one former justice is speaking out on the controversial dobbs ruling which overturned roe v.

wade. former justice breyer spoke to kristen welker about the unfortunate leak of the ruling and saying it was unfortunate. he also weighed in on the future of dobbs. >> can you see a world of possibility in which dobbs is overturned one day in another 50 years, say? >> i don't know. >> it's possible? >> oh, it's possible, but who knows? >> breyer's comments come as the high court is set to hear arguments tuesday on whether to limit access to the abortion pill. the white house wants to repeal part of the big spending package that just passed. the spending bill included a provision that effectively bans pride flags from flying over u.s. embassies. the measure bans most flags other than the american flag. a white house spokesperson says the president finds this to be an inappropriate abuse to the process and that the administration will work with members of congress to find a way to repeal it. and russia four men have

been charged over a mass shooting at a concert hall in moscow on friday. in their court appearances all four showed signs of ill treatment according to the associated press. one of them appeared to be barely conscious. two of the suspects admitted their guilt according to the court itself. at least 137 people are confirmed dead after the massacre and dozens are still missing. for the latest let's go to josh lederman who is tracking developments for us. josh, good morning. bring us up to date on the latest. >> reporter: good morning, frances. the court there in moscow says that all four of these detained suspects are citizens of the ex-soviet republic of tajikistan. as they made their first appearance in court all four had signs of being been badly beaten in custody, including one of the suspects who came in with a large bandage on his ear following reports in russian media that his detainers had actually cut off part of his ear. another was wheeled into court in a wheelchair, attended by

medics during the hearing as he kept his eyes closed throughout that process. this is the first time that we have seen these suspects in custody in court since that attack on friday that killed 137 people, left nearly 100 people still in the hospital after armed gunmen in camouflage stormed that concert hall in moscow on friday evening. as far as the claim of responsibility, isis, the islamic state, has now said they were behind this attack, but president putin is not pointing the finger at isis, instead he is drawing links between this attack and ukraine, raising concerns that putin could potentially use this as a pretext to expand the war in ukraine, but the white house says they believe the isis claim of responsibility and that ukraine had absolutely nothing to do with this attack, frances. >> josh lederman for us, thank you. two emergencies on separate cruise ships in the bahamas over the weekend. a fire broke out on a carnival

cruise ship possibly from lightning strikes. two crew members on a holland america cruise were killed in a work accident. here is melissa parra. >> reporter: this weekend a relaxing cruise turning terrifying for passengers. >> holy crap. >> that is not good. >> reporter: keith barnes filmed this video of flames bell owing. >> what was going through your mind? >> i was shocked. you look out there and you're not supposed to see black smoke and fire shooting out of the tail end of the cruise. >> reporter: the ship was off the coast of the bahamas when carnival says the fire started in the exhaust funnel during severe weather. >> i'd say 2:30, 2:45 the loudest thunder lightning clap that i have ever heard in my life happened, it scared us so bad. >> reporter: carnival saying while we continue to investigate multiple eyewitness reports of a lightning strike, inspection today revealed the damage is more than we first thought and will require an immediate repair, adding there were no guests hurt. this now the second time in two

years a carnival freedom funnel has caught on fire. no guests injured in that 2022 incident, either. mean while, bahamian authorities are investigating a deadly incident aboard a holland america cruise ship. on friday the company says accidental steam release in an engineering space on board killed two crew members. >> a couple said they saw a burst of steam erupt from the side of the shop. >> reporter: lany was on board and said the mood immediately turned somber. >> people were crying. there was a moment of silence. when the captain announced what happened his voice broke, he started crying and that just was absolutely heart-breaking. >> reporter: holland america says the ship was determined to be fully operable, the cause still under investigation. marissa parra, nbc news. prince william and princess kate are speaking out following her announcement that she is being treated for cancer. in a new statement from

kensington palace the future king and queen of england are said to be enormously touched by the messages of people in the united kingdom and around the world. the 42-year-old kate says she is moved by the support and is asking for privacy as she undergoes chemotherapy. the workweek is just getting started, nbc meteorologist michelle grossman is back with a look at what you can expect from our weather this week. good morning. >> good morning. we will start at the east coast because we're continuing to dry out, that's good news after a very soggy weekend. lots of sunshine from new england down to the southeast, temperatures right around normal, too. all the impactful weather in the middle of the country. looking at a big spring storm, winter-like weather on the cold side, on the warm side heavy rain, the chance for severe storms, also snow in the intermountain west, rain and snow in the pacific northwest. wednesday below average temperatures in the northern tier of the nation into the central tier as well. coastal rain for washington, oregon, into california and widespread howers, that's that cross-country storm that will reach the east coast by

wednesday. rain for new england into the northeast, also the mid-atlanticing at the chance f rainfall in spots, especially in the mississippi and tennessee valleys. all right. that's your monday forecast. >> appreciate it, michelle. thanks. coming up, chrysler and dodge's parent company laying off hundreds in the u.s. as it recalls thousands of cars over air bag suises. what's happening at stellantis? up next. [dog whimpers] [thinking] why always the couch? does he need to go to puppy school? get his little puppy diploma? how much have i been spending on this little guy? when your questions about life turn into questions about money... there's erica. the virtual financial assistant to help you spend, save,

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break it down for us. let's start with that recall. what's this over? >> good morning. it has been pretty much bad news left, right and center from stellantis over the last couple of days. the company did announce it is recalling 318,000 cars over air bag parts that can shatter and cause injury. now, stellantis has made it clear that there has been no injuries so far. in addition, the company also said that it's going to lay off roughly 400 workers in the united states. these employees work in the tech, engineering and software units. broadly speaking, though, this is part of efforts from the company to reduce costs amid what has been very challenging market conditions, frances. >> hopefully they can turn that around when it comes to down the road for them. silvia, thank you. still to come, the weekend's action from the ncaa tournament and the new face of the mlb

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a race to that corner. for the inbounder, looking, the bounce, garcia. oh! >> the aggies did all they could to close out the first weekend of the ncaa men's tournament in an epic fashion, while that three-pointer from anderson garcia sent the match between texas a&m and houston to overtime the cougars managed to pull away from their cross-state rivals to punch their ticket to the sweet 16. the tournament resumes with number one seeds houston, uconn, purdue and unc all still in the hunt for a national title this thursday. houston joining purdue in the 100-point club for this year's tournament. so, yeah, here we are, full speed ahead now. >> it's wild. >> yeah. madness. >> yeah. speaking of madness, this is a

little different and crazy. turning to an off the court controversy in the women's tournament. at halftime during saturday's chattanooga/nc state game the ncaa switched out one of the officials working the contest for an official that revved an earlier game. in a statement the ncaa said it removed tommi paris due to a background conflict that was not known when she was assigned. her online profile says she received a master's degree from chattanooga. the ncaa asks all officials to disclose school affiliation toss avoid potential conflicts. this is a tough one, right? i'm sure she's professional, i'm sure she's going to do her job but you have to think there's some emotion involved that you don't even know about. >> i would also think the official would know after years of doing it that, hey, pump the brakes here, i can't officiate this game, i can't work this one. >> right. >> we will see what happens next. one of the firsts for chattanooga's coach to experience, too. now to baseball where all eyes are on one player not for

anything he has done on the diamond, though. shohei ohtani is expected to address the media later today. it will be the two-time player's first time speaking to the press since his interpreter ippei mizuhara was fired from the team over gambling and theft allegations last week. the manager dave roberts said ohtani made the decision to speak and expects it will provide more clarity into the situation. the mlb launched an investigation into the matter over the weekend. even though they're saying i will provide more clarity i'm sure along with that clarity comes a lot more questions, too. ohtani only made a brief appearance at the dodgers clubhouse before yesterday's exhibition game. after he speaks today, all eyes are going to be officially, you know, when they open their season at home on thursday and how this all plays out. >> and the dodgers fans they just got him, they are so excited and what's going to happen? a little bit of a web to untangle. when we come back how chick-fil-a is breaking a pledge to customers. and the moon showing a

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olay we're back with what you need to know early today. if you can, go take a look at the night sky this, month's full moon the worm moon is showing off with a penumbral solar eclipse. it will make the moon look darker than usual with a gradient like shadow. three new astronauts will board the international space station. and later today nasa's crew 7 is set to speak after making their return to earth earlier this month. the crew spent nearly 200 days on the iss. the faa is increasing oversight of united airlines. this comes after more than a half dozen incidents in recent weeks, including an external panel falling off mid flight and a tire falling off during takeoff. united says the incidents have

resharpened its focus and the company will use information from the investigation into those incidents to inform safety training and procedures going forward. chick-fil-a is reversing its decades old pledge to servant bite tick free chicken sighting supply charges. the chain says it will avoid medicine commonly used to treat people and limit animal antibiotic use. the mega millions jack spot has grown to an estimated $1.1 billion after no one matched the winning numbers on friday. it is now the eighth largest prize in lottery history. we will be rig bk.htac [dog whimpers] [thinking] why always the couch? does he need to go to puppy school? get his little puppy diploma? how much have i been spending on this little guy? when your questions about life turn into questions about money... there's erica. the virtual financial assistant to help you spend, save, and plan smarter. only from bank of america.

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thank you as he retires. here is nbc's laura jarrett. ♪ >> reporter: when the final performance of ""beauty and the beast"" at michigan's mount pleasant high school came to an end -- >> john, can i have you come down. >> reporter: the real drama began. >> you have a seat for me right there. >> reporter: that's drama teacher john clack who after nearly 30 years just directed his final show before retirement. >> did you have any idea what was going on? >> no. no. ♪ >> reporter: one by one they came out. ♪ >> reporter: from the class of 2015. ♪ >> reporter: to the class of 2006. ♪ >> reporter: as far back as

1998. ♪ >> reporter: dozens of his former students back on stage to honor the man who changed their lives. >> gosh, i was balling up on stage here. i know all of them. >> iwould say this was about a two-month process. ♪ >> reporter: his son david helped plan the surreptitious serenade. >> we formed a secret facebook group where i could get even more people involved. >> reporter: they came from as far away as washington state. ♪ >> reporter: former student dominic thrasher first dreamed up the surprise. >> what is it about john that just hits you right here? >> i found a teacher who got -- to got me. sorry. gosh, it's so nice to find a

mentor that just gets us theater geeks. ♪ ♪ you'll never walk alone ♪ >> reporter: that night not a dry eye in the house. >> it's an overwhelming feeling. i have so much pride in so many kids. >> reporter: the curtain call of a lifetime. >> wow. amazing performances. and that is amazing that all those theater kids, now theater adults, have that one man to thank changing their lives. so great to s.e.a.l. our thanks to laura for sharing that story. and thanks to you for watching "early today" and starting off your week with us. i'm frances rivera. hope you have a great st

a massive springtime blizzard