it's friday, march 25th. coming up on "early today," the manhunt continues as authorities conduct more raids overnight in connection with the brussels terror attacks plus a possible new attack foils. and getting more personal. >> you're a sniveling coward and leave heidi the hell alone. march madness in full swing. we've got your fab four. and ahe of good friday. the passing's a comic genius and a big weekend ahead. "early today" starts right now. good morning, everyone. i'm alex witt. breaking news. nbc news confirmed americans are among those killed in tussle

attacks in brussels. we have the very latest. >> reporter: good morning, alex. sad, breaking news to report. that is that nbc news has confirmed that among the dead here in brussels are two americans. we don't have their identity yet. meantime, raids overnight showing you the urgent priority is to determine just how many members of this cell may still be at large and what they may be planning. it is clear to officials here that the attacks that happened may have been moved up after abdeslam was taken into custody and the members of the cell fent like they were under imminent threat. the concern if other meshes are out there they will be looking to pull off more attacks. in spite of the fact the agency here in charge reduced the threat from four to three, the head of of the agency said a threat is "serious and possible." so that is the situation we're dealing with here, even as

officials say that the two brothers involved in this plot had set up a camera outside the home of a nuclear scientist hoping that they could build a dirty bomb. alex? >> chris jansing in brussels, thank you for that. and the arrest of a suspect in advanced stages of planning another attack. the two suicide bombing brothers appear to fit an increasingly troubling pattern. terrorists with family ties. nbc's keir simmons investigate. >> reporter: the brothers turned suicide bombers this week at brussels airport and subway station are sickeningly nothing new. the attack on the french magazine charlie last year, even the jihadists in 9/11 including three pairs of siblings. too frightened to be identified,

family and friends recruited on street corners in the molenbeek district of brussels. >> it's like a gang that you can't leave. >> reporter: yes, they will kill you if you leave, he says. abdeslam arrested apparently joined with his brother. many have criminal backgrounds. sabds abdeslam ran this cafe, locals tell us drug was sold. he died in paris, a suicide bomber. u.s. intelligence agencies are scrambling to trace those links feari ing another attack. keir simmons, nbc news, brussels. back at home, the race for president becoming for personal. a nasty turn into a war over wives. this as new polls show donald trump have the trouble with female voters. nbc's hallie jackson reports. >> reporter: a single retweet re-igniting the fight between the front-runners. donald trump showing this photo

to his 7 million followers. his wife side by side with ted cruz with the phrase, the images are worth 1,000 words. >> donald, you're a sniveling coward and leave headey the hell alone. >> donald trump will not be the nominee because donald trump is is a train wreck. >> reporter: cruz taking husband tough is tone yet. >> donald doesn't like strong women. strong women scare donald. >> reporter: and the campaign manager, dismissing it. he insists trump has great relationships with women. megyn kelly whom trump attacked repeatedly asking about the tweet, simply, "seriously?" half the voters couldn't imagine picking trump more than other of his rivals and among women, seven in ten have a negative view of trump. >> nobody respects women more than i do.

>> reporter: he's repeatedly defended him on the trail. >> i see him in life. he treats women the same as men. >> reporter: and reverberating in real life. hallie jackson, nbc news, wisconsin. meanwhile, hillary clinton out of the line of political fire appeared on "jimmy kimmel live" last night. poking fun at criticism clinton received with kimmel man-'splaining. >> thank you. it's wonderful to be here. >> one second. hold on. >> already? >> you're shouting. you don't have to shout like that. hurts my ears. comes off as a little shrill for men. >> shrill for men? >> yes. >> we don't need to be made great. we need to be -- >> oh, my god. with the sour puss. [ laughter ] try to have some fun. this is like your dream. pretend you're enjoying yourself. >> it's like -- nothing i do is right. >> exactly. you're not doing it right.

i [ laughter ] i didn't quite put my finger on it. you're not -- you're not -- >> a man? >> that's it! you're not a man. but that was really cute the way you did it, though. the way -- >> well, thanks. that was what i was going for. >> hillary clinton, everybody! >> oh, my goodness. genius. well, the democrats now look toward tomorrows caucuses. 173 total delegates up for grabs. 1.2 billion of the world's catholics are observing good friday today. calling for peace in light of the brussels terror attacks. pope francis washed and kissed the feet of 12 refugees outside of rome. since the election of pope francis, women and non-catholics have been called to participate. nbc meteorologist is here with the forecast today. is it going to be a good friday

everywhere, maybe not so much? >> kind of louz any some spots, but some spots a good day. in one place you want to be, the west coast. pristine. look at this. clear skies from phoenix through los angeles. it is a little stormier, though, to the north. we're seeing snow across the west and over the next couple of days, you may want to make it an easter weekend snow getaway here across areas of colorado. we're looking at possibly upwards of a foot of snow in the higher elevations once again. so areas like breckenridge, aspen, a lot of great conditions there on the slopes. otherwise, traveling today, showers and thunderstorms across the east. texas looks nice across areas from dallas, san antonio, temperatures in the 70s. meanwhile, still chilly in the upper midwest and dealing with temperatures in the 40

with plenty of sunshine. >> got to love that. >> i do. >> always beautiful in southern california. so the song goes. >> two thumbs up for los angeles. >> thank you. >> you got it. are you ready for the next supersonic passenger aircraft? well, it's not cheap. plus, the shocking death of comic genius garry shandling. those details, next. you're watching "early today." soup and sandwich and cannonballs and clean and real and looking good and sandwich and soup and a new personal best. and a little help and soup and sandwich and study group. good, clean food pairs well with anything. try the clean pairings menu. at panera. food as it should be. ifor all the wrong reasons.gical

you may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec® for powerful allergy relief. and zyrtec® is different than claritin®. because it starts working faster on the first day you take it. try zyrtec®. muddle no more®. plumping surface cells for a dramatic transformation. without the need for fillers. your concert tee might show your age...your skin never will. olay regenerist. olay. ageless. and try regenerist micro-sculpting eyeswirl. it instantly hydrates to plump and lift. with ingredients like roasted hazelnuts and cocoa,

the delicious taste of nutella takes pancakes to a whole new level. make any day a pancake day with nutella. spread the happy! ifor all the wrong reasons.gical you may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec® for powerful allergy relief. and zyrtec® is different than claritin®. because it starts working faster on the first day you take it. try zyrtec®. muddle no more®. now to a horrifying accident in georgia, and i warn you, some viewers may find this video disturbing. [ gunfire ] >> ah. 32-year-old david presley's leg was severed taking target practice and an explosion.

should have stood away. left part of his left leg and recovering in a hospital just outside of atlanta. and a driver said she was parking her audi suv when it lurnged forward through the concrete barrier. luckily that driver was not seriously injured. miraculously, right. in raleigh, north carolina, hundreds gathered in front of the governor's mansion. a new bill signed keeping transgender from using restrooms they identify with. google and ibm also condemned that law. in georgia, similar backlash from hollywood studios if its governor sign as bill some deem anti-gay allowing faith-based organizations and businesses to deny services to people who violate their beliefs. 38 a-listers condemned the bill. billionaire entrepreneur

richard branson is set to order jets from supersonic jet company boom. the jets travel over 1,400 miles an hour and can take from you new york to paris in 3.5 hours. the supersonic aircraft will cost about $5,000 per ticket. steep. and curses be he that moves my bones. somebody was cursed. archeologists radar scanned the grave say his skull appears to be missing. the results of the ground penetrating radar says thieves may have stolenies skull back in the 18th century. ooh. and garry shandling died thursday of an apparent heart attack. only 66 years old. remembered by fans and celebrities far and wide as a comic genius. here's nbc's harry smith. >> welcome garry shandling. >> reporter: garry shandling first came to our attention doing a stand-up routine on "the

tonight show." >> i went to the bank earlier today. a free pen yet? these are free. you yank these things and they pop right now. >> reporter: such a big hit he was soon filling in for johnny carson. even talk shandling would eventually take over the show, but shandon ling found his way to showtime. ♪ this is the garry show >> reporter: did a sitcom about a stand-up comedian. a thinly veiled sendup of sitcoms and of shandling himself. funny and a cult hit. >> they did! oh, yeah. >> reporter: shandling's real claim to fame came on hbo. "the larry sanders show" mocked late-night tv. >> some of us are talented, i, i'm sweating like a pig. >> reporter: it was what everybody at work talked about the next day. >> how am i really doing? >> huh? you did -- you did great. >> really? >> what are you doing? come on, you're robin williams, for god's stakes. >> reporter: recently he stairs

a porsche for comedians in cars getting coffee. shandling could even crack up comedians. >> it's an answer to a joke. >> i don't think einstein bounced it off a crowd. >> reporter: shandling was predictably funny what he was famous for. harry smith, nbc news, new york. just ahead, paul mccartney teams up with captain jack sparrow. plus, the elite eight is half full. highlights and preview of tonight's games. to folks out there whose diabetic nerve pain... shoots and burns its way into your day, i hear you. to everyone with this pain that makes ordinary tasks extraordinarily painful, i hear you. make sure your doctor hears you too! i hear you because i was there when my dad suffered with diabetic nerve pain. if you have diabetes and burning, shooting pain in your feet or hands, don't suffer in silence! step on up and ask your doctor about diabetic nerve pain. tell 'em cedric sent you.

that are lighter in calories and added sugar when you use splenda no calorie sweetener. think sugar, use splenda so there will be things they'll to keep us up.babies. but tonight johnson's can help with a bedtime routine. clinically proven to help them fall asleep faster. and stay asleep longer. tonight, we sleep.

this morning on "today," an in-depth look at the flight attendant accused of trying to smuggle $3 million worth of cocaine past airport security. sweet 16 no more. right to the action in louisville. two versus three, villanova, miami. the wildcats shot 63% from the floor and easily handled miami 92-69. returning to the elite eight first time since 2009. next, kansas taking on maryland. kept it close much of the night. jayhawks pulling away behind ellis' 27 points defeating the terps. kansas faces villanova saturday. and hands full a hot oklahoma team, five players in double figures. the seniors head to the elite eight, 77-63 victory over the aggies. finally the ducks took out

duke in a shoot-out. oregon's first trip back to the elite eight since 2007. tonight the final sweet 16 teams face off in philadelphia and chicago. first team tip-off at 7:10 with iowa state and virginia. to the nba. lebron james cavs hit brooklyn, and cleveland could not keep up in the final minutes. brooklyn manages a big upset. 104-95. across the river at madison square garden, the knicks with the spectacular alley-oop to derrick williams. nice! new york managed to win in sweep of the home series against the bulls 106-94, and then the shot of the night. >> he has it. fires in time. a win! >> awesome. j.j. redick nailing that 21 footer and the game winner, 1.1 seconds on the clock. clippers over trail blazers, 96-94. jt ahead, mick and the stones make history yet again. plus, the deleted scenes from "star wars: the force

awakens." we have them for you, next. always on the rise. symptoms worsen because your heart isn't pumping well. (water filling room) about 50 percent of people die (dog whimpering) within 5 years of getting diagnosed. but there's something you can do. talk to your doctor about heart failure treatment options. because the more you know, the more likely you are... (dog whimpering) to keep it pumping. ifor all the wrong reasons.gical you may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec® for powerful allergy relief. and zyrtec® is different than claritin®. because it starts working faster on the first day you take it. try zyrtec®. muddle no more®. with me, what you see is what you get. and i expect the same from my mascara. now, revlon introduces a new llection of mascaras that makes getting the lash look you want easy. so whether you choose ultra volume,

super length, volume and length magnified, dramatic definition, or the ultimate all-in-one... the choice is yours. choose love a revolution in mascara. revlon. love is on. easo get to kohl's... and take an extra 20% off with your friends & family savings pass! shop friday night owls and saturday early birds... and dress them up with 40 to 60% off dresses kid's dressy apparel... and new shoes for the whole family. for him - save 45 to 55% on a crisp new dress shirt and tie. and pick up a new spring handbag at 50% off. everyone gets kohl's cash too! now that's the good stuff.

kohl's. if you have allergy congestion muddling through your morning is nothing new. introducing rhinocort® allergy spray from the makers of zyrtec®. powerful relief from nasal allergy symptoms, all day and all night. try new rhinocort® allergy spray. are you jealous of bernie sanders' slogan "feel the bern," because it is a really good slogan. >> i've got to say i'm not. >> you're not? >> no, no. >> because i've seen some of yours and they're not at good. >> no -- yeah. >> and that's your new bitten, hillary, y'all! >> comes across well. >> here we go. >> what do we got here? >> you be hillin'.

you know dmc? run dmc is what you could have. >> right. >> how about this one? >> hillin' like a villain. >> this one is really popular. >> netflix and hill. >> this one's a little racy but i think it's okay. it's -- hillary rod-damn. >> that's good. >> do this with a straight face. entertainment news. upcoming parts of the caribbean movie adding a new cast member, no other than paul mccartney. the crew has gone back to add an extra scene with the rocker. "pirates of the caribbean: dead men tell no tales." and everyone wondered what happened to the copies of "50 shades of gray"? becoming overwhelm, the store received literally hundreds of copies. the rolling stones arrived in cuba. the self-titled world's greatest

rock 'n' roll band, a free concert today. hundreds of fans expected to attend. "star wars" fans soaking up every second of a new teaser for the deleted scenes reel on the upcoming "star wars: the force awakens" on dvd and blu-ray in storms april 1st. in theaters, highly anticipated "batman v. superman," and also a sequel to "my big, fat greek wedding" debuted on the screen almost 14 years ago, and "i saw a light" as a singer/songwriter. and jimmy fallon and ben affleck got cuddly with adorable puppies, but that doesn't mean he forgot about the election season. >> i saw that donald trump and ted cruz feuded this week. that's something new. that's something new. yeah. they feuded after an attack ad

featured a nude photo of trump's wife melania. and trump threatened to retaliate against cruz' wife. while they were doing this, they escaped. >> run for the hills. >> writers this year are having a field day. the scripts write themselves. >> absolutely brilliant for late-night comedy. my favorite thing, jimmy kimmel and hillary clinton. genius. he has been so spot-on. he and jimmy both. >> he loosens her up a little bit. >> it's all good. i'm alex witt, and this is "early today." ♪ if you have allergy congestion, muddling through your morning is nothing new.

.your nose is the only ing on your mind... ...and to get relief, anything is fair game. introducing rhinocort® allergy spray from the makers of zyrtec®. powerful relief from your most frustrating nasal allergy symptom* ,all day and all night. hasn't your nose been through enough already? try new rhinocort® allergy spray. muddle no more® and clean and real and inside jokes and school night. good, clean food pairs well with anything. try the clean pairings menu. at panera. food as it should be.

leading the news, in a minneapolis star tribune, a town evacuated after a train derailment in northwest minnesota. 11 railcars derailed yesterday. the least of the town's worries. the propane truck ignited after colliding with the train. it took fire crews from 15 departments to contain the flames. and on nbcnews.com, emotional baggage. vladimir putin ribs john kerry over carrying his own luggage right before they delve into a four-hour meeting on syria. putin teased kerry asking if him carrying his om brief case was lack of times in the u.s. or something special in the

briefcase. kerry responded he'd be surprised what actually was inside. and ever got around to not returning a vhs tapes years ago. a north carolina man found out the hard way, arrested for failing to return a vhs from 14 years ago. although the store is closed, he is due in court next month and faces a $200 fine if convicted. candy retailers are shore to rejoice. easter beats out halloween for candy sales according to nielsen data. americans bought $823 million worth of easter treats last year. a lot of peeps late to. if you don't believe in love at first sight, what about love at first whiff? check this out. new york-based, smell dating. promising to help singles sniff out their perfect match. clients receive a t-shirt to wear three days straight without

baiting. and in turn received the used t-shirt samples of other potential smellmates. if two people choose each other's smelly t-shirts it's a match. >> truly to each his own. >> so not signing up for that one. like, no way. can you imagine? >> i was going to say, i usually have not dated people because of the smell. >> i know. right. moving on quickly -- jish a look ahead, president obama returns home wrapping up his historic cuba trip. and danced the tango in argentina and happy birthday to "sex and the city" star sarah jessica parker, elton john and aretha franklin and gloria steinem is 10 -- rather 82. ten more seconds. that's what i'm talking about. i'm going to go drink some

coffee. breaki ne thisorninon two the s

breaking news this morning on two of the four americans missing in the brussels attacks. the brother and sister who were living in new york but visiting brussels did not survive. plus, not in our neighborhood. despite an ankle bracelet and around the clock monitoring. why east bay neighbors say the release of a violent, sexual offender is absolutely a risk. the sun will be up on your friday as soon as we look live at downtown san jose a weekend forecast that is very important for the easter bunny this weekend. "today in the bay" starts right now. nobody likes soggy easter bunny. thanks for joining us on this friday, i'm kris sanchez in for laura garcia-cannon. >> breaking news from brussels in just a moment. it is friday, we said the sun will come