just a few hours after stormy daniels' "60 minutes" interview airs, the fallout fast. salacious personal details and a possible connection leading to the mueller investigation. and shakeup at the white house. the new week that could begin with more firings and personnel changes. after the harvesting of personal information from 50 million users, facebook fights back hard to regain your trust. >> there is now a new king of superhero movies as "black panther" dethroned all others. and can sister jean help this year's cinderella kids bring home a national title? "early today" starts right now. good morning, i'm phillip mena. >> good to be with you. i'm frances rivera. we begin this morning with a story keeping the country at the edge of its seat. the porn star versus the

president. adult film actress and director stormy daniels speaking out on national television. she sat down with "60 minutes" discussing her ongoing battle against the president of the united states, alleging she had an intimate relationship with donald trump back in 2006. >> so i excused myself and went to the restroom. you know, i was in there for a little bit and came out. he was sitting, you know, on the edge of the bed when i walked out. perched. >> and when you saw that, what went through your mind? >> i realized exactly what i'd gotten myself into. and i was like, oh, here we go. >> and you had sex with him? >> yes. >> in the interview, daniels continues to demand she be released from her $130,000 nondisclosure agreement, facilitated by trump's lawyer, michael cohen, just a week and a half before the 2016 election. with daniels now saying she was not only intimidated to remain silent about her alleged affair with trump, she was outright threatened.

>> i was in a parking lot going to a fitness class with my infant daughter. taking, you know, the seats facing backwards in the back seat, diaper bag, you know, getting all the stuff out. and a guy walked up on me and said to me, "leave trump alone. forget the story." then he leaned around and looked at my daughter and said, "a beautiful little girl. it would be a shame if something happened to her mom." then he was gone. >> you took it as a direct threat? >> absolutely. i was rattled. i remember going into the workout class, and my hands were shaking so much i was afraid i was going to drop her. >> did you ever see the person again? >> no. but i -- if i did, i would know it right away. i'll never forget -- >> you'd recognize that person? >> 100%. even now. all these years later. if he walked in this door right now, i would instantly know. >> overnight, a lawyer for michael cohen fought back against the accusation his client had anything to do with such a threat, demanding a retraction, apology, and that daniels cease and desist from

making "false and defamatory statements." the white house and mr. trump's lawyer have repeatedly denied daniels' claims of an affair. with white house press secretary sarah sanders saying nearly two weeks ago, "we take the safety and security of any person seriously. certainly would condemn anyone threatening an individual." >> still, mr. trump has remained conspicuously silent on the alleged affair. he wakes up at the white house this morning. the first lady remains at their palm beach resort for a planned stay. while stormy daniels says the alleged threat she received left her rattled, she claimed she didn't go out to the police out of fear, instead agreeing to the proposed $130,000 settlement outright saying it's clear proof it's part of a cover-up. >> was it hush money to stay silent? >> yes. the story was coming out again. i was concerned for my family and their safety. >> i think some people watching this are going to doubt that you entered into this negotiation because you feared for your

safety. they're going to think that you saw an opportunity -- >> i think the fact that i didn't even negotiate, i just quickly said yes to this very, you know, strict contract and what most people will agree with me extremely low number is all the proof i need. no. >> just last week daniels tweesed the world about her "60 minutes" tell-all with this a tweet reading "technically i didn't sleep with the potus 12 years ago. there was no sleeping. and he was just a goofy reality tv star." >> now she's laying bare the intimate details of their alleged affair. just listen to what daniels had to say about her, trump, and an episode involving a magazine in which trump appeared on the cover. >> i was like, does this normally work for you? and he looked very taken back, like he didn't really understand what i was saying. talking about yourself normally work? i was like, someone should take that magazine and spank you with it. i'll never forget the look on his face. he was like -- >> the look?

>> just -- i don't think anyone's ever spoken to him like that. especially a young woman who looked like me. i said, give me that. i remember him going, you wouldn't. hand it over. and so he did, and i was like -- turn around, drop them. >> you told donald trump to turn around and take off his pants? >> yes. >> and did he? >> yes. so he turned around and pulled his pants down a little, you know, he had underwear on and stuff. i just gave him a couple swats. >> going a step further, daniels said this when it came to her alleged relationship with mr. trump -- >> you were 27, he was 60. # were you physically attracted to him? >> no. >> not at all? >> no. >> did you want to have sex with him? >> no. but i didn't -- i didn't say no. i'm not a victim. i'm not -- >> it was entirely consensual? >> yes. yes. >> you work in an industry where condom use is an issue. did he use a condom? >> no. >> did you ask him to? >> no. i honestly didn't say anything.

>> while many have pointed out that daniels hasn't presented evidence substantiating her alleged affair with trump, her attorney made sure to tease there's more evidence to come saying this is just the beginning. stories of the president's aalleged trysts aren't the only headlines rocking the oval office as the team dwindles down into a team of one. the president lost two lawyers in the past four days including one who had been on board less than a week. nbc news confirmed joseph digenova and his wife victoria tonesing bowed out tu to a conflict of interest. it looks as though mr. trump may not be done with his shakeup. news outlets eyeing v.a. secretary david shulkin as the next person out. a close friend of mr. trump chris ruddy said this about the near future. >> he did say that he's

expecting to make one or two major changes to his government very soon. and that's going to be it. over the weekend in washington, a reported 800,000 men, women and children took to the streets of the nation's capital demanding gun control with more than a million people participating in the march for our lives across the country marking one of the largest protests since the vietnam era. students let by those from parkland, florida, spoke out and called for a change. >> i have a dream that enough is enough. >> arming teachers will not work. >> more security in our schools does not work. >> we cannot keep america great if we cannot keep america safe. >> we need to arm them with pencils, pens, paper, and the money they need! >> some republicans said they respected the demonstrators' right to speak out while remaining against any gun ban,

but here was one reaction that made waves from former pennsylvania senator rick santorum. >> it's all about politics. is this really all about politics or is it about keeping our schools safe. if it is about keeping our schools safe we have to have a broader discussion than the discussion going on now. kids looking to someone else to solve their problems do something about maybe taking cpr classes. >> with the president in florida the white house shoouds a statement highlighting the doj's rule banning bump stock and signed pieces of legislation intended to keep children safe. chuck schumer said true gun reform legislation need to be brought forward and called out republicans in congress. >> the nra represents a small minority, but it has a stranglehold on leader mcconnell and speaker ryan. and if they were simply to let the bills come to the floor, they would pass. now to craigslist. it purged its personal section

after the senate voted tos pass the fight on-line sex trafficking act. the bill seeks to hold websites liable for hosting sex trafficking content. craigslist explained its decision writing, "any tool or service can be misused. we can't take such risk without jeopardizing all of our other services." it's being criticized by some including those who use the services for online dating. this comes after reddit banned forums related to sex. nbc meteorologist bill karins is joining us now. keeping an eye on some owe specially dangerous weather ahead today. >> good morning. last week was all about storms on both coasts. we're focusing on the middle of the country and south. slow-moving storm system in the middle of the nation, high pressure blocking to the east, moisture coming off the gulf and this is typical march spring-like pattern in the lower half of the country and we will have days of showers and thunderstorms over some of the same areas and that's why we have a flood threat from areas of east texas all the way into tennessee. today we will have a severe weather threat, not too many tornadoes. the chasers will be out there,

we may get some pictures, mostly large hail threat, oklahoma, city southward through abilene, texas. tomorrow the severe weather threat for about 11 million people, including the dallas area, san antonio, waco, usa so a lot of big cities and populations are in the past of severe storms and likely flash flooding. oregon and central california is cool but sunny and nice. we'll give you the rest of the week ahead forecast coming up. >> we head into spring. and april i should say. bill, thanks. one louisiana high school senior anxiously awaiting her college acceptance letter had her family's full support. >> give us some good news and allow us to move on to the big "w" baby, let's do this. >> amen.

>> so were their prayers answered? watch right here. yes, they were. the lucky girl is now a prospective student at wellesley, one of the best liberal arts colleges in the country. the school also responded to her viral reaction sending her congratulations as well. >> they would have gear to give back if they didn't, right. >> put it to good use. >> we'll be right back. hey allergy muddlers: are you one sneeze away from being voted out of the carpool? try zyrtec® zyrtec® starts working hard at hour one and works twice as hard when you take it again the next day. stick with zyrtec®. muddle no more®. and try children's zyrtec® for consistently powerful relief of your kid's allergies. use pantene shampoo together with 3 minute miracle daily conditioner. their pro-v formula is like a multi-vitamin. making your hair 2x stronger

see the difference when you add 3 minute miracle daily conditioner. new kellogg's chocolate frostmmmflakes. chocolatey! mmm mmm mmmmmm yeah, chocolate! chocolatey. crunch into chocolatey gr-r-reatness. they're gr-r-reat! advil liqui-gels minis. breakthrough in pain relief. a mighty small pill with concentrated power that works at liquid speed. you'll ask... what pain? advil liqui-gels minis. 40 million americans are waking up to a gillette shave. and at our factory in boston, 1,200 workers are starting their day building on over a hundred years of heritage,

craftsmanship and innovation. today we're bringing you america's number one shave at lower prices every day. putting money back in the pockets of millions of americans. as one of those workers, i'm proud to bring you gillette quality for less, because nobody can beat the men and women of gillette. gillette - the best a man can get. trending this morning, facebook ceo mark zuckerberg is apologizing for the scandal involving data firm cambridge analytica through facebook ads. facebook bought ads in multiple u.s. and british newspapers saying the social media platform doesn't deserve to hold personal information if it can't protect it. despite this apology effort, facebook is facing scrutiny from website s arts technica claiming facebook collected phone numbers and text messages from android devices. facebook says this is an opt-in feature designed to give users a better experience. this morning, more blow back against facebook.

there's a growing movement to delete the social media platform including calls for some prominent names including tesla founder elon musk. nbc's matt bradley has more. this is me in central damascus, i had more hair and was much thinner. >> reporter: when hugh nailer joined facebook he was a journalist in the middle east. arab spring activists adopted the social network to organize against dictatorships. >> i used facebook to interact with rebels who were fighting in syria. >> reporter: since allegations that cambridge analytica secretly harvested facebook user data, nailer says facebook has gone from a force for liberation to a tool for exploitation. >> it's clear that facebook is using my information in ways that i didn't sign up for, and in ways that i have no control over. >> reporter: he can't bring himself to delete his account yet. unlike professor mike brown. why did you quit facebook? >> i've been increasingly uncomfortable with them for a while now, but this latest revelation was just pretty clear that it was time to get out.

>> reporter: while there are tools on facebook to download and delete your profile, experts like cory doctorow say it's no guarantee of privacy. >> i don't think that data will ever disappear fully. its partners will continue to retain that data unless you contract them down and get them to delete it. >> reporter: the move to delete facebook is filling news feeds, but only facebook knows how many people have actually quit. ceo mark zuckerberg told "the new york times" the numbers are small. "i don't think we've seen a meaningful number people act on that, but it's not good." after all, it's a struggle to disconnect without feeling disconnected. >> i would miss out on a lot of things, i think. >> reporter: another reason why it's notes easy to close the book on facebook. matt bradley, los angeles. it is the highest grossing hero super movie of all time in america. can you name it? brace yourself for sticker shock the next time you gas up your car. you're watching "early today." that, do i?

actually, you do. harmful bacteria lurk just below the gum line, and if you're not taking care of your gums, you're not taking care of your mouth. so now i use this. crest gum detoxify. introducing new crest gum detoxify... it works below the gum line and is clinically proven to neutralize harmful plaque bacteria and help reverse early gum damage. new gum detoxify, from crest. gums are good. so is my check up! crest. healthy, beautiful smiles for life. are confusing quilted northern are confusing quilted northernf. for a bouncy castle. they're both durable, flexible and nice to have at parties. but quilted northern is not a bouncy castle. it's just really nice toilet paper. aveeno® positively radiant body lotion... it's time to get your glow on! with the moisture-rich power of soy. it transforms dull, dry skin to leave you glowing. positively radiant® body collection from aveeno®.

you've got to get in i know what a bath is smile honey this thing is like... first kid ready here we go by their second kid, every parent is an expert and... ...more likely to choose luvs, than first time parents. live, learn and get luvs

there is a new reigning champ at the box office. "pacific rim" opened to $28 million. it beat out "black panther" that spent five weeks at number one, "black panther" banked another $16 million becoming the top grossing super hero film of all time in the u.s. with over $630 million domestically. these films are followed by "i can only imagine" which earned $14 million and in fourth the

movie "sherlock noems" earned $10.5 million and "tomb raider" with over $10 million. the stocks are kicking off the week in correction territory as 401(k)s go down. we're seeing gas prices rising 7 cents per gallon over the past two weeks with those prices expected to continue to rise ahead of the easter week with people hitting the roads. >> cnbc's contessa brewer here with a look at stocks and a gun manufacturer in trouble. good morning. >> good morning. wall street is set to open sharply higher this morning following that big sell-off on thursday and friday. i'm looking at the dow, futures up 335 points. the dow came off its worst week in more than two years. it fell more than 400 points friday. into correction territory. we're off at least 10% from its recent highs. some traders say worries about the global trade war might be easing a bit because the united states now says they will exempt south korea from steel tariffs. we're going to look for economic data this week on housing, consumer confidence and the gdp.

gun maker remington has filed for bankruptcy as it faces a mountain of debt, falling sales and lawsuits it tied to the sandy hook elementary shooting. the filing was delayed a month because of the school shooting in parkland, florida. remington will hand over control to its creditors in exchange for wiping most of the debt from its books. it was founded in 1816 and remington is one of america's oldest and largest makers of guns and ammunition. campbell's may be known as a soup company, but it's adopting a new image, the 146-year-old company is expected to move further from its tomato soup roots when it closes a deal to buy schneider's making it a giant in the snack business. schneiders brants include sniders of hanover pretzels, crackers, potato chips and pop secret popcorn. snacks will account for nearly half of campbell's sales while soup will fall to about a quarter. >> that's -- >> pretzels with the soup.

crumble them up. >> i love it. >> thank you. >> just ahead, the men's final four is set. we'll tell you who made it and we have highlights when we come back. well, here's to first dates! you look amazing. and you look amazingly comfortable. when your v-neck looks more like a u-neck... that's when you know, it's half-washed. add downy to keep your collars from stretching. unlike detergent alone, downy conditions to smooth and strengthen fibers. so, next time don't half-wash it. downy and it's done. fortified.tored. replenished. emerge everyday with emergen-c packed with b vitamins, antioxidants, electrolytes plus more vitamin c than 10 oranges. why not feel this good everyday? emerge and see. she's had a tiny cough. see you at 5! seriously? protection.

lysol kills over 100 illness-causing germs and viruses, even those that may cause coughs. lysol. what it takes to protect. mitzi: psoriatic arthritis tries to get in my way? watch me. ( ♪ ) mike: i've tried lots of things for my joint pain. now? watch me. ( ♪ ) joni: think i'd give up showing these guys how it's done? please. real people with active psoriatic arthritis are changing the way they fight it. they're moving forward with cosentyx. it's a different kind of targeted biologic. it's proven to help people find less joint pain and clearer skin. don't use if you are allergic to cosentyx. before starting cosentyx you should be checked for tuberculosis. an increased risk of infections and lowered ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms of an infection. or if you have received a vaccine, or plan to. if you have inflammatory bowel disease tell your doctor if symptoms develop or worsen. serious allergic reactions may occur. mitzi: with less joint pain,

watch me. for less joint pain and clearer skin, ask your rheumatologist about cosentyx. the unique formula with nourishing almond oil leaves skin smoother moisturized for 24 hours. enjoy smoother skin and now try new oil infused lotions moisturize with indulging scents oh, it's actually... sfx: (short balloon squeal) it's ver... sfx: (balloon squeals) ok can we... sfx: (balloon squeals) goodbye! oof, that milk in your coffee was messing with you, wasn't it? try lactaid, it's real milk, without that annoying lactose. good right? yeah. lactaid. the milk that doesn't mess with you. the final two spots of the men's ncaa final four have been filled. now the big dance is moving to san antonio. one of the spots belonged to top-ranked villanova who faced off against the texas tech red raiders in a physical defensive game that went back and forth. the wildcats experience was too

much for the red raiders down the stretch. they advance to their second final four in three years. >> the fight for the last spot in the final four between two legendary programs. kansas and duke. the nail-biter the jayhawks outlasted the blue devils. the final four is set, the celebration can begin with three big name programs in one unlikely guest whose 98-year-old good luck charm sister jean keeps her team blessed. loyola chicago returning home to an arena filled with fans to celebrate their first final four berth since 1963 and they will take on michigan in the final four on saturday. if you're not a fan of villanova, kansas or michigan root for the underdog. >> a new exercise that might just surprise you. you're watching "early today." mother...nature! nothing smells greater than the great outdoors... especially when you're in accounts receivable.

only one detergent can give you a sniff like this... try gain botanicals laundry detergent. one of the many irresistible scents from gain. brushing only reaches 25% of your mouth. listerine® cleans virtually 100%. helping to prevent gum disease and bad breath. never settle for 25%. always go for 100. bring out the bold™ new kellogg's chocolate frostmmmflakes. chocolatey! mmm mmm mmmmmm yeah, chocolate! chocolatey. crunch into chocolatey gr-r-reatness. they're gr-r-reat! - there's a common thread i see every time i'm in the field. while this was burning, you were saving other homes. neighbors helping neighbors and strangers alike.

- this is what america's about. - sometimes it's nice to see all the good that's out there. bringing folks out, we have seen it in community after community. now to a new look at the importance of exercise and how you can get yours. it turns out squeezing it in throughout the day maybe all you need to do is stay healthy and live longer. nbc news medical correspondent dr. john torres has more. >> reporter: lemez williams has never stepped foot into a gym and has trouble sticking to a diet. >> yo-yo diet. i would lose pounds and start back eating. >> reporter: she's managed to lose nearly 40 pounds by making a few small but important changes. changes doctors now know can really add up. >> we've been talking a lot for decades about trying to be active in short periods of time like taking the stairs or parking further away and walking to the grocery store. now we're really seeing that those small things can make a huge difference. >> reporter: lemez exercises at

work, jumping jacks in the office, pushups on our desk, and lots of stairs. and according to a new study, those short bursts could help her live longer. duke university researchers analyzed health data of nearly 5,000 people over age 40 and found that those who it an hour a day of moderate to vigorous activity cut the risk of death by more than half. what was most surprising -- it didn't matter if they exercised in big chunks of time. just doing five-minute segments over the course of the day had the same benefit. it helped lemez williams get her health under control. >> it's not going to happen in a week. but you have to start somewhere. and where you start is walk. >> great idea. >> thanks to dr. john torres for that report. >> get exercise when and where you can. bill karins is back with us for a look at the week ahead. >> we have to do jumping jacks and squatses and bur pies this morning. >> it's what we do.

>> yeah. the pacific northwest is a little shower activity during the day today. temperatures are on the cooler side in much of california and all the bad weather in the middle of the country over the next couple days. we do bring a little bit of mountain snow to areas of montana on wednesday but the flood threat getting the headlines, louisiana, areas of east texas and southern arkansas by the time we get to wednesday and thursday. that system clears out looking quiet throughout the week ahead in california. just occasional showers in the northwest. overall not bad. as we end a very volatile march. >> oh. yeah, we did. >> glad it's almost over. thank you. get this, extra host mario lopez ten days before easter in the same river christians say jesus did. here's lopez taking the plunge into the jordan river. lopez is a devout catholic who shared a few videos of the moment on his twitter account on thursday and told fans he came to the place where john the baptist baptized jesus christ. according to the jerusalem post, lopez was seen all over israel from jerusalem to the sea of galilee. >> what a great trip really.

milestone trip. >> trip of a lifetime. >> thanks for watching "early today." >> i'm frances rivera. >> i'm phillip men a.th

the president and the porn star, new intimate details from stormy daniels about her alleged sexual relationship with donald trump and the threat that left her rattled and scared. >> if we can encourage these people to take action, to be participating in our society i our politics, then that's going to encourage our voters to actually turnout. >> the next steps in combatting gun violence already taking shape on the heels of saturday's massive march for our lives demonstrations. >> stocks in correction territory as gas prices are on the rise. concern for your pocketbook? >> get ready for the world's largest cruise ship boasting 9,000 passengers and out of this world fun. >> and then facebooks