because if it's sunday, it's "meet the press." coming up on "early today," a blockbuster revealed in one of the most bizarre murder cases in american history. new details on the arrest made in the ferguson police shooting. nuclear talks between the u.s. and iran enter a critical phase. plus, a potential way to cut the risk of heart attacks in half. a wild police chase through a shopping mall. and we've just entered the greatest time of the year for basketball fans. it is monday, march 16th. "early today" starts right now. >> good morning. i'm milissa rehberger. an hbo documentary has ended with a real-life arrest. last night the cable network aired the final episode of the six-part series "the jinx: the life and deaths of robert durst." the series follows durst, the heir to a multibillion-dollar real estate fortune, over the

course of three decades. he was connected to three mysterious deaths. his wife, a neighbor and a close friend. well, last night's episode ended with durst headed into a restroom still with a live microphone on him and seemingly talking to himself. >> there it is. you're caught. what the hell did i do? killed them all, of course. >> now, it is unclear whether durst knew his microphone was still recording. it's also unclear whether producers confronted him about what he said or asked him what he meant. durst was arrested, though, saturday night in new orleans and is now facing a charge of capital murder of his friend susan berman in 2000. los angeles police have been investigating her death since that time. the lapd released a statement

saying as a result of investigative leads and additional evidence that has come to light in the past year investigators have identified robert durst as the person responsible for miss berman's death. durst is scheduled to appear in court to discuss his extradition to los angeles. after a massive manhunt an arrest has been made in connection with the shooting of two police officers in ferguson, missouri, last week. early today attorney general eric holder released a statement in part that says, "this arrest sends a clear message that acts of violence against our law enforcement personnel will never be tolerated. he added in days ahead, we will continue to partner with authorities in st. louis county to secure justice for all those affected by this heinous and cowardly crime. the question now, was the 20-year-old suspect specifically targeting the officers or was he in an argument with somebody else like he's saying. nbc's jay gray is live in ferguson for us this morning. jay, what's the latest there? >> reporter: good morning,

milissa. the investigation continues trying to answer those questions. police say it was tips from the public that led them to their suspect, a 20-year-old from this area who allegedly admits to pulling the trigger. the blast of gunfire came just after midnight wednesday. >> shots fired. officer down. >> reporter: two officers wounded as protests were ending outside the ferguson police department. county and state tactical teams launched an intense manhunt. late saturday they arrested 20-year-old jeffrey williams who investigators say admitted to firing the shots but said they weren't meant for police. >> it's possible he was firing at some other people, and the officers, of course, were in the back. however, it's still an assault in the first degree. >> reporter: there are indications williams was involved in an altercation a few hours after leaving the protest. >> he is a demonstrator. he was out there earlier that evening as part of the demonstration. >> reporter: demonstrations have continued without incident since the shooting, but it's clear that tension is building.

and some worry the shooting, targeted or not, could rekindle the confrontations and violence here. >> i'm asking all the protesters that is here for the wrong reason to stay out of our city. >> reporter: a city that continues to be on edge right now. yeah, and many of the regular protesters immediately spoke out against what police called an ambush. they are applauding the arrest saying they never had a problem with the officers just what happened here. back to you. >> a blown tire force add united flight from denver to kansas to make an emergency landing and the drama was caught on camera. a loud bump and you can see the busted tire turn into just a rolling ball of shredded rubber.

people on board the flight operated by republic air for united are all bracing themselves in crash position, some of them even praying out loud. and then this happened when the plane came to a steady halt on the runway. [ cheers and applause ] oh, what a sigh of relief. 71 passengers and 4 crew members safe and sound. the runway was closed for a bit while crews towed the plane and cleaned debris from the blown tire. negotiations will resume today between secretary of state john kerry and iran's foreign minister over iran's nuclear ambitions. the high-stakes discussion comes after senate republicans wrote a letter to the iranian government saying any deal must also meet congressional approval. nbc's tracie potts is live in washington. so tracie, these negotiations are really a hot-button issue with lawmakers. aren't they? >> reporter: they certainly are, milissa. we saw that over the weekend when white house sent to foreign relations telling them to back off until they can get these

negotiations sealed and solid. they are not quite there yet. the chair of that committee say we want in before it's a done deal. a sunday meeting between secretary of state john kerry and iran foreign minister was postponed until today. they are discussing whether to lift united nations sanctions opening financial markets and oil shipments in exchange for iran curbing its nuclear program. >> my hope is in the next days that will be possible. >> reporter: the letter scene to iran could impact negotiation. >> the letter signed by 47 senators weakened the president's negotiating ability. that was wrong. >> reporter: senator tom cotton wrote that lr letter and defends it. >> negotiating a deal that will put iran on the path to a bomb. >> reporter: they want more sanctions not less and wants approval on any deal president obama signs off on. >> he clearly doesn't want congress involved in it at all

and we're worried about it. >> reporter: u.n. sanctions could be relaxed but u.s. sanctions would still stand. let's talk about the time line here. they have until almost the end of this month to come up with an outline of framework of how they want this deal to go. they have until june 30th to finalize it. secretary of state kerry said he's confident they are on the right track but they still have some sensitive negotiations over the next week or two. >> tracie thank you. with each passing day, the question more and more people are asking just where is russian president vladimir putin. the kremlin is staying relatively quiet saying he's fine. this the last time he was seen two thursdays ago with the italian prime minister. after a canceled trip to kazakhstan and nothing since rumors starting to circulate. one popular theory is he went to switzerland for the birth of a love child with his girlfriend. this showing the leader abducted by aliens.

one spoof theorized he was in north korea for a judo match with kim jong-un. sources say they believe he's under the weather. we'll know for sure because he's scheduled to appear in st. petersburg. extreme records, a new snow record 2.9 inches fell yesterday bringing total to 102 inches, the most recorded there. the last record breaker almost 20 years ago with 107.9 inches. in ohio the march melt is causing severe flooding. the river is five feet above flood stage. sandbags trying to keep dry. ice jams a lot of them. there's a lot of them when they break free, they can cause the river to rise really quick. >> the power, anything downstream i've seen ice chunks knock down trees before. pretty cool stuff.

the stuff in boston unbelievable. they only got gout two inches as milissa mentioned. the snow records are so incredible, no one alive in boston has ever seen this much snow before. this is where they sit 108 inches. they average two to three inches of snow in april. they are not done yet. as far as the warmth goes this is the story as we go through the winter and now spring in the middle of the country. very warm conditions continue. record highs yesterday burbank, l.a. long beach was 92. 91 santa ana. not just the west now. even the midwest saw record highs. we were as warm as 75 degrees. fargo, north dakota, international falls called ice box. they were 65 degrees. the warmth continues across the country today, even washington, d.c. is getting into it a little bit here. phoenix at 91 salt lake city 74. yesterday was i believe a record in denver close to 78 degrees. northwest not quite as warm but still around 58 degrees. really not much signs of cooling off. maybe a couple degrees here and there as we go through tuesday.

very warm and very dry pattern upper 60s to low 70s. even mountainous areas around reno 72. not many cold spots on the map but boston is one. >> bill thank you. new details on breakthrough cholesterol drug that could cut heart attacks in half. plus incredible images of a wild chase through a shopping center. we're back in two minutes. i have a professional secret: amopé and its premium foot care line. the new amopé pedi perfect foot file gives you soft beautiful feet effortlessly. its microlumina rotating head buffs away hard skin even on those hard-to-reach spots. it's amazing. you can see it and feel it. my new must-have for soft, beautiful feet. amopé pedi perfect.

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in portland, a serious scare. high winds ripped scaffolding off a skyscraper. a loud boom sent people below running for safety. luckily, though, no one was hurt. well, bristol palin is off the market. the daughter of former alaska governor sarah palin is engaged to a war hero. her fiance is congressional medal of honor recipient sergeant dakota meyer. in 2009 the marine was credited with saving 36 marines, army soldiers and afghans during a firefight with the taliban in afghanistan. in d.c., confirmation frustration. loretta lynch has hit another hurdle to become the first african-american female attorney general. the gop-led senate is to blame. it wants to pass the justice for victims of trafficking act first, but democrats oppose it because it contains anti-abortion language. >> this will have an impact on the timing of considering the new attorney general. if we can't finish the trafficking bill, she will be put off again.

>> majority leader mitch mcconnell had said he was going to schedule a vote this week. well, it could be a breakthrough for millions with high cholesterol who are at risk for heart disease. new research suggests an experimental anti-cholesterol drug could significantly lower the risk for heart attacks and other heart-related problems. the results from the study show the drug lowered ldl, the so-called bad cholesterol, by as much as 60%. it could be approved by the fda later this year. it's designed to be injected every two or four weeks. 71 million americans have high cholesterol. a major risk factor for heart attack and stroke. "early today" is brought to you by vagisil. the experts in intimate health. let's get down to business with cnbc's landon dowdy. good morning. >> milissa, good morning to you. seinfeld is about to become a master of another domain the internet. selling reruns of the hit nbc

sitcom to online service such as amazon or hulu. it could be worth more than $100 million or $500,000 an episode. the apple watch hits stores next month but not everyone has it on their must buy list. reuters says 69% of people aren't interested in the device or say smart watches are a passing fad. those that don't own an iphone would get one to make the watch work. happy birthday dairy queen. they are celebrating today by giving out free cones of vanilla soft serve ice cream. they will be asking for donations to children's miracle network. back to you. sports is just ahead. >> whoa! >> a spectacular crash, a race car splits in two. up next, how the driver walked away. i found out the hard way... not all washes take care of intimate odor. vagisil odor block wash stops odor from happening for all day confidence. when you feel fresh all day you feel confident.

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this morning on "today," would you make the grade? find out about a new report card for parents that gives kids a chance to tell it like it is. now to sports. with my friend betty nguyen. good morning, betty. >> good morning, milissa. it is bracket time where friends stop work to fill out brackets. taking on number one seed in the midwest region. east villanova finished at

29-2. duke is a top seed in the south with their 13th time being that number one seed. wisconsin takes it in the west getting the number one seed for the first time in history. the cinderella first four games begin tomorrow and wednesday in dayton, ohio. the big dance on thursday. good luck everybody. so look at this celebration. uh-oh broadcaster dick vitali does it again, shared a smooch prior to the s.e.c. tournament win. that's one way to celebrate. sunbelt championship against georgia southern to get automatic bid to the big dance. celebration out of hand. head coach had to be helped off the court after tearing achilles. ouch. talk about bittersweet. pga value spar championship playoff. on the third playoff hole, he sinks it 34 foot to win.

the most dominant driver of the year. the sprint cup champion fourth straight race at phoenix international roadway. harvick, the first nascar driver to finish first or second in first four races of the season since richard petty back in 1974. so at 280 miles per hour look at this scary crash. oh my goodness. the hot rod splits in half and flies into the air. amazing, though he will walk away uninjured. the cause of crash is unknown. several have offered their back-up cars. canadiens islanders game montreal goalie made one fan's night for leaning in for a selfie during a time out. that is one way to make a lifelong friend. got to have a good selfie. milissa, back to you. >> betty, thank you.

just ahead what 100-year-old woman did that would scare 20-year-old. plus may be justin bieber's smartest career move ever.

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and furious had a surprise screening when they posted this tweet for the unexpected premier. the movie hits theaters on the 3rd. brian gosling made directorial debut, a single mom caught in an underground world of crime. sally field there for her movie "hello, my name is doris." taking part in the roast of justin bieber. isn't he young for a roast? martha stewart joined -- >> an easy target. >> gave prison advice saying the only place people will be following you in jail is into the shower. yikes. the show will air on comedy central march 30th. i'm milissa rehberger, this is "early today." we hope it is just your first stop of the day on nbc.

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leading the news in "new york times", president said must start anew after cyclone. relief workers called the situation in the south pacific island chain catastrophic. communication has been cut off and the full extent of the disaster is still not known yet. nearly 1 million brazilians protest. they're demanding the president's impeachment and speaking out against what they call government-sponsored corruption. now to some other stories we're following for you. a quick update on the story we told you about earlier in the show just a few minutes ago russian president vladimir putin

and before cameras with president from kyrgyzstan. he said it would be boring without gossip. so now we know he wasn't abducted by aliens. >> i love that show. today we say good-bye to gong show legend gene gene dancing machine. remember him? >> yes. >> said the 82-year-old died after a long battle with diabetes. he rose to fame as a stagehand that would occasionally bust a move. >> nothing on tv now. >> chuck berry was so awesome. i loved him too. one woman proves you're never too old to cross off the bucket list. skydiving for charity. her jump raised money for south africa's national sea institute. this was her second skydive since 2007. >> it's very special,

exhilarating experience. this jump seemed agents different than the previous one. it's just wonderful. >> unreal. >> how awesome is she. she's not slowing down. today she will be cave diving with sharks. go. >> what was she like in her 20s. >> i know. i'd love to see. a look ahead, hillary clinton gets a break from her e-mail controversy to receive an honor for her work in the irish peace process. irish-american magazine will induct the former secretary of state into its irish-america hall of fame in new york city. among the other inductees, pat quinn, creator of the ice bucket challenge which has raised millions for als research. happy birthday to blake griffin who is 26 today. actress lauren graham turns 48 p and actor and comedian jerry lewis is 89. i'm milissa rehberger, thanks for watching "early today." have a great monday.

right now at 4:30 chp works to clear a rollover wreck involving a taxi cab and busy bay yas freeway. >> determined to clear his name ray mcdonald taking action against the woman accusing him of rape. infamous murder suspect into arrest. he'll be heading back to california. outside this morning, that of course the bay bridge on your monday, march 16th, you are watching "today in the bay." from nbc bay area this is ""today" in the bay." >> good monday morning to you. >> i'm laura garcia cannon. good monday morning, christina. >> good morning. starting out with mild