coming up on "early today" -- a disturbing report finds isis specifically targeting 100 u.s. service members. the pentagon is urging anyone on the list to exercise caution. the first official candidate for president made the announcement just a few hours ago. did pope francis just play a part in what may be considered a half miracle? plus, taylor swift just bought porn domain site names. we're dune to sweet 16 in ncaa. get ready for some more mission impossible. it is monday march 23rd. "early today" starts right now. good morning. i'm milissa rehberger. it's a disturbing new threat aimed at members of our military. a so-called hit list published by a group calling itself islamic state hacking division.

it has names, pictures and supposed addresses about 100 military personnel along with those details a call for sympathizers to go after them. it is asking potential loan wolves quote, what are you waiting for. confirmed to nbc, the name does include names of active duty service members, some deployed overseas. they say it's more about intimidation and propaganda. the defense department urging anyone on the list to exercise caution but not making the decision to pull them off duty or provide personal protection. airstrikes against isis have helped isis lose momentum. at the same time affiliate groups ar major cause for concern. >> clearly isis momentum has been blubted and has been stopped. so they are not on the march as they were several months ago. our working with the iraqis and the iraqis now trying to push

back against it, it is having some great, i think, progress. this is something that clearly is not just restricted to iraq and syria so we cannot relent but we have to continue working with our partners in the region. >> brennan made these comments just days after isis claimed responsibility for the attack at a museum in tunisia and the suicide bombings at two mosques in yemen. and that's where we go next, yemen, more chaos and volatility in the middle east. this morning things are spiraling out of control as the nation's sectarian fighting gets closer to an all out civil war. shiite houthi rebels drove out yemen's u.s.-backed president months ago and have since claimed large parts of the country. and over the weekend, new developments, rebels seized the third largest city. one person was killed and four wounded when they fired on a group of protesters in the street. the u.n. also held an emergency session condemning the terrorist activity, and the u.s. pulled out its last special forces stationed there saying it's no longer safe.

yemen is also a breeding ground for terrorism like the underwear bomber who tried to blow up a u.s.-bound jetliner and one of the "charlie hebdo" shooters in paris. it's official, republican senator ted cruz has become the first presidential candidate to formally announce a white house run. overnight he took to twitter writing "i'm running for president, and i hope to earn your support." hours before his announcement came california governor jerry brown made an appearance on "the meet the press." brown slammed cruz for his stance on climate change and said cruz is unqualified to be president. >> i think that man has rendered himself absolutely unfit to be running for office. >> and i want to check in now with my friend from washington, nbc's richard jordan. good morning richard. being the first to formally enter the race is important to cruz. why is that? >> reporter: well, milissa, he's getting a head start so he can continue fundraising, he can

start reaching a group of voters beyond tea party voters that conservative group he's very popular with. of course there are many other candidates expected to join him soon. for now it is a one-man race. senator ted cruz is ready to run. he posted a video on twitter overnight and a message saying i am running for president and i hope to earn your support. today the texas republican is expected to say those words in what will become his first presidential campaign rally appealing to his conservative base. cruz announces his bid at jerry falwell in virginia evangelical christian school. >> other republicans want to move away from social issues. ted cruz announcing there says i want to be your candidate. >> he's a valued member of the armed services committee.

he and i are friendly and i think he's a very viable candidate. >> this weekend california governor jerry brown went after cruz for dismissing the threat of global warming suggesting he's on the wrong side of that debate. >> it's shocking. i think that man has rendered himself absolutely unfit to run for office. >> reporter: in an nbc "wall street journal" poll 40% of republican primary voters said they could see themselves supporting cruz as the party's nominee. cruz is often a target for democrats who say he's too far to the right. if elected cruz would become the first hispanic president. his father was born in cuba. >> thank you. ncaa turney reached sweet 16. madness continues with final eight games and round of 32 producing some upsets. >> anderson. got a hand on it. up ahead. >> trice poured in 23 points to

lead seventh seeded michigan state, win over number two virginia. coach tom izzo reaches the sweet 16 for the 13th time in his 20 seasons with the spartans. next the huge instate rifle number two, kansas falls to wichita state, all five starters for the shockers scored in double digits 78-65 win over jacques. five over four as west virginia takes down maryland. devin williams leading his team with 16 points and 10 rebounds. maryland's leading scorer, melo trimble accidentally gets kicked in the head by a teammate with eight minutes left to play. he'll watch the rest of the game from the sidelines, west virginia dances with a 69-59 win. here are your final 16 teams. in the midwest, kentucky, west virginia, notre dame and wichita state. in the west, wisconsin, unc, xavier and arizona. and in the east, n.c. state, louisville, oklahoma, michigan state. and in the south duke, utah, ucla and gonzaga. the games begin again on thursday.

russia is threatening denmark with a nuclear attack. in a newspaper interview, the russian ambassador to denmark warned if a country joins nato's missile defense shield, denmark's navy will become a target for russian nuclear missiles. the russian ambassador is quoted as saying "denmark would be part of the threat against russia. it would be less peaceful and relations with russia will suffer. it is, of course, your own decision." now, a spokesperson for nato responded to these threats saying "we have made clear that nato's ballistic missile defense is not directed at russia or any country, but is meant to defend against missile threats." well, it was quite a weekend for pope francis. for the first time ever, a pope had lunch with about 120 male and female inmates at a prison in naples, italy, including gay and transgender inmates and those suffering from aids. and then during a mass, the pope was credited with performing a miracle, or at least half a

miracle. the completely dried blood of a saint contained in a relic and to half liquefy in pope francis presence. the pope joked that he and his congregation had to do better since "they have only half the saints' love." meanwhile, the pontiff got a special delivery during a ride above the popemobile. amateur video catching a man -- a pizza man handing the pope a pie in the colors of the vatican. those are white and yellow. now for nbc weather, here is meteorologist bill karins. >> that's good to get that close. he literally handed it to him. a pretty good team. weather seems to be the same old pattern across the country. this weekend cold in the great lakes and northeast. it is snowing again in chicago. they already picked up as much as six to eight inches of snow in southern wisconsin and minnesota. that's probably the worst weather in the country today. also still light rain moving up from eugene. further to the south we're happy to get a little bit of snow

something there. there's yosemite as we head up 80 truckee, light snow at the highest elevations. not a big ordeal. rare to show you radar with anything on it throughout central and northern sierra mountain chain. up towards redding a few showers moving in. the forecast today a.m. snow in chicago, rainy in florida. a lot of people on spring break. dry and gorgeous in areas of california, arizona. enjoy those temperatures. they are going up this week in areas of california. 72 today, 78 in l.a. tomorrow. much of the west unfortunately is looking very warm towards the end of this week. we're going to talk more record highs and just a drought thatton state. temperatures seasonal a little

cooler lately then california. the least thing we want to talk about is more record heat. >> thank you bill. >> in the west. a new app to the best state to retire to. florida doesn't crack top 25. taylor smith buys names of poor sites. what's the meaning of this bonfire? you're watching "early today." ♪ what's that sound? did you leave your hairdryer running? no. something smells delicious. how could something smell delicious when the toaster's broken? i smell sausage, egg, cheese and... eggo? l'eggo my eggo breakfast sandwich. the eggo breakfast sandwich. but the toaster's broken. it's sweet, it's savory, it's in your microwave. l'eggo my eggo breakfast sandwich. lilly. she pretty much lives in her favorite princess dress. but once a week i let her play sheriff so i can wash it. i use tide to get out those week old stains and downy to get it fresh and soft.

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hundreds of people gathered in brooklyn for a memorial for seven siblings, ages 5 to 16. they died in a house fire this weekend. the father used a loudspeaker to address mourners. >> please, everybody, love each other, love your students, love your children. that's all that counts. understand them. >> the bodies will reportedly be buried in israel later today. taylor swift is making a preemptive move against people who would produce pornography sites using her name. her publicity team reportedly bought taylorswift.porn and taylorswift.adult before they become public available to the public on june 1st. in northern ireland, check this out, a 72-foot-tall wooden tower burning to the ground all in the name of peace and harmony. it happened in londonderry, a town divided into catholic and protestant sides.

both groups decorated it beforehand and then came to watch. made by the same designer who makes temples for the burning. slamming the international community's slow response saying it cost thousands of lives. warnings that the disease without control were dismissed and early calls for help were ignored by government in africa and world health organization. in fact it took w.h.o. three months to officially confirm the outbreak. according to reports that led to overcrowded medical centers and patients being turned away. >> announcer: "early today" brought to you by vagisil, the experts in intimate health. let's get down to business with cnbc's landon dowdy. hey, landon. >> good morning. markets off a positive week third highest close ever on friday. investors will continue to

digest by the feds who plan to raise interest rates gradually. also economic reports on housing, inflation and gdp. starbucks will stop writing race together a week after the campaign was launched. the initiative was sparked at sparking campaigns with customers about racial issues in america. the campaign was criticized by the public and employees. florida may be considered a go to destination for retirement but doesn't top top 25 best states according to bank rate.com. wyoming is number one followed by colorado. the report ranks states based on cost of living crime rate quality of health care weather. back to you. >> landon thank you. just ahead in a weekend chalk full of college hoops, who would have thought the award for best shot may have happened away from the hard court. sports is next. 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" a rossen reports investigation goes inside the legal sale of dangerous bombs and explosives. is this a threat to national security? now for sports outside ncaa tourney let's go over to angie goff. good morning, angie. >> good morning, milissa. american matt avery defends his title at the arnold palmer invitation at bay hill. every sank a 15-foot birdie on the final hole to beat henrik stenson by one stroke there.

he wins the over $1 million first prize and his ticket to the masters. on to nascar we go, brad keselowski edges out drivers on the final lap to win at autoclub speedway in fontana, california. kevin harvick finished second ending his streak dating over the last season. liverpool/manchester united. a moment of rage for liverpool captain steven gerard gets red carded for stepping on the leg of another player. it was just 48 seconds after coming in as a substitute. later on manchester's juan mata with a beautiful scissor kick in the 59th minute channeling his inner pele with that one. man u wins 2-1. check out this polish stunt cyclist. he is on a mission to beat his own record. christian herbert claims 3,139 stairs in two hours and 12 minutes by bike just like that.

he topped his previous record of 2,755 steps he recorded last month. his performance will be sent to the guinness world records for verification. very cool. milissa, back to you. >> angie, thank you. just ahead, a major actor from the "austin powers" series taken to the hospital. plus, it's the latest installment in one of the best action movie series in history and we've got the brand-new trailer for it, next. you're watching "early today." i discovered a convenient way to moisturize every day. new nivea in-shower body lotion. first i wash... then i apply it to my wet skin. it moisturizes instantly. and lasts for more than 24 hours. then i quickly rinse off. my skin feels amazingly smooth with no sticky feel. so, i get dressed... ..and go. now i enjoy smooth skin every day. new nivea in-shower body lotion in the body lotion aisle. why are you deleting these photos? because my teeth are yellow. why don't you use a whitening toothpaste?

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news at the box office. "insurgent," the second film in the "divergent" series took the top spot bringing in $54 million followed by "cinderella" with 34 million and the liam neeson thriller "run all night" earning more than $5 million. verne troyer known as mini me in the austin powers moves was hospitalized saturday. he was attending the heart of texas comic-con when he suffered a seizure and tweeted saturday "everything's okay, guys. thanks for the concern." >> got your seat belt on? >> now? the action packed thriller trailer for mission impossible movie revealed. it's due to be released july 31st. a.j. pero, drummer for twisted sister, died of a heart attack on friday at 55. front man dee snider posted on

twitter, my friend my brother, my bandmate passed away today. my heart is broken. rest in peace, a.j. pero." >> pretty woman, can you believe this turns 25 today. the iconic romance movie with julia roberts and richard gere has more than $465 million to date. and matt lauer sat down with the cast to discuss their favorite moments on the "today" show. >> my favorite is when she goes in to buy the dresses and they kick her out and say you don't belong. >> i'm milissa rehberger. this is "early today." we hope it's just your first stop of the day on nbc. i'm always talking with my hands so they have to look their best... revlon colorstay gel envy ™ a revolution in modern nail enamel. now, in just two steps, i get what i want.

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leading the news on nbcnews.com, bob jones iii apologized for his 35-year-old call to kill gays. back in 1980 jones chancellor and former president of bob jones university told associated press that homosexuals should be stoned to death. now he regrets it saying "i take personal ownership of this inflammatory rhetoric. this reckless statement was made in the heat of a political controversy 35 years ago. i cannot erase them but wish i could because they do not represent the belief of my heart or the content of my preaching." and in "the new york times," "rolling stone" to publish a review of disputed rape article. it was based on an account of an allege gang rape at the university of virginia. "rolling stone" says the review will be published in the coming

weeks. the police are expected to reveal their findings of their investigation this afternoon. some other stories we're following. singapore's founding father and first prime minister lee kuan yew has died at 91. despite stepping down lee was an influential behind the scenes political figure for many years. mourners gathering outside the hospital where he died. a large memorial of flowers and photos growing overnight. he was hospitalized in february with severe pneumonia. secretary of state john kerry tweeting his condolences saying "i join those around the world in honoring the life of lee kuan yew. he turned singapore into one of the most dynamic countries in the world. california's drought is having another impact on the state. a ski resort outside of sacramento has had to close down early this season because there's just not enough snow. at least six other ski resorts have also had to cut the season short. well, forget subway rats. a railway station in india,

there is a new kind of nuisance and those are monkeys. the city has been trying to control these simeons. they steal food they steal luggage. they climb electrical lines. authorities have resorted to releasing a larger prime ate at the rail station to scare the pesky thieves away. i guess they will have bigger thieves again. after ten days of testimony, prosecution in the boston bombing trial may rest its case today. the admission by dzhokhar tsarnaev he bombed sped up the trial. while originally thought to last three or four months, it could be over to half the time. to wish a very happy birthday to the cleveland cleveland cavs kyrie irving who turns 23, milwaukee bucks head coach, jason kidd turns 42 and singer chaka khan chaka khan turns 62 i'm milissa rehberger. thanks for watching "early today." have a great monday.

a warning this morning after a deadly slide at a popular hiking spot in the north bay. plus san francisco police at the center of a supreme court case that could impact how officers operate in life-threatening situations. plus officially now, in the running, ted cruz announcing his candidacy for the oval office. and looking live at the bay bridge this morning, and we see some green on the radar. we'll tell you what you can expect in terms of rain on this monday march 23rd. this is "today in the bay." good monday morning. it's 4:30. thank you for joining us. i'm sam brock.